Anyone who's been reading my blog at any point in the past five or six months probably knows by now that I will be running my first full marathon at the end of October when I take on the Marine Corps Marathon. This honestly may be a one-and-done marathon experience, but I can't imagine a better race for what might be my only 26.2 experience. Of course, I said after my first half marathon that I probably wouldn't do it again, and that has not proved to be true at all, so it could go either way with this full marathon thing... Today does mark the 60-day countdown, and as I just recently runfessed, I'm starting to get nervous. Thankfully, I have a few other things on my calendar to keep me occupied and training over the next two months.
Coming up this Saturday, I'll actually be completing a different 2016 running goal: six half marathons in six months! The Boy Scout Half Marathon in Bowling Green, Ohio, has the potential to not only earn me an extra moon over in the Half Fanatic charts, but also to be a new PR at the distance. My recent training runs have finished with pacing faster than what I need for a PR, and I haven't really been "trying" to run that fast. Saturday's course is being advertised as having "minimal elevation changes." If that's true, and the day's conditions are decent (ie, NO 95% humidity, eh), I have a very good chance of shaving some time off the old PR. My training run the other night had me completing 14 miles and taking only five minutes longer than my current half PR, so technically I alread PRed, but we'll wait until it's really "official" before I celebrate!
In October, I'll be on my beloved Towpath once again for Towpath Marathon weekend. Obviously I'm not doing the full marathon for that one; as much as I love the trail and the people who put those races together, it's not really the pomp and excitement I'd like to have in my memory for my first-possibly-only marathon. I will, however, be doing yet another half marathon on the trail, continuing my half streak to seven-in-seven. And why stop there? I'm about to add the Black Toenail Friday half in Michigan to my calendar for November, and am already registered for the Cedar Point Santa Hustle half in December! If I can manage to keep it up, the early 2017 goal is to complete a full 12 months of half marathons by running one in January, February, and March. Taking recommendations - ready go!
Originally, I had wanted to run the River Run half in September, which is the longest race owned by Hermes (my company). Since we own it, though, it's all-hands-on-deck on race day, and I'll actually be working all day instead! I also had my eyes on the Las Vegas Rock and Roll half (or possibly full, trying to become a Double Agent) but the travel and the proximity to my uncertain success at the MCM were prohibitive and I decided not to sign up. I was also hoping to find a way to get to Tulsa OK for the Route 66 half, but once again the cost of travel and the awkward timing in November made me opt out for this year. All three races are still on my wishlist, and I'm sure I'll somehow find a way to make them all happen, but for this year, I'm satisfied with my schedule and excited to add some new bling to my collection!
What are your running plans this fall? What are some of the races on your wishlist? What should I run in 2017 (and how can I make travel/costs more efficient - ie, can you hook me up)? Don't forget to check out the host, Marcia's Healthy Slice, for the rest of the Tuesdays on the Run linkup!
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