2009 Race #1

My first race (a 10k) of 2009 is this weekend and I am starting to obsess over the details.



It is a race that Suzanne and I did together last year and we were surprising fast (for us!).



What time should I wake up? Give yourself plenty of time to do all the morning things, and not be rushed on last minute race stuff. Don't wake up so early that you are tired and hungry before the race even starts...



What time should I leave my house? I still have to pick up my race packet, so I need to go through registration, and of course there is the porta-potty line to consider, and it's going to be cold out so I don't want to be there too early and standing around.



And the most important detail



What should I wear? I really obsess about this, and not just for races, but for any winter outdoor running.

I love to run in the winter, it is much easier for me to breathe and I find the cold air to be energizing, as opposed to running in Florida which is like running through pudding, or something.



So tonight I will look through my running clothes, and do some laundry and try on different pairs of socks and check the weather report about 10 times.

Making plans for 2009

On a Monday morning in early December my running partner Suzanne im'ed me before 9 am at work... very unusual for Suzanne. Most of our communication in the past has been via email and was kept to when/where/what route we were going to run that day, we saved all our real talking for the runs together - Suzanne talks, I huff and puff and grunt along side her.

Anyway, we were im'ing away and she wondered why I hadn't responded to email from the night before about running another 1/2 marathon in the spring, and specifically the Covered Bridges 1/2 Marathon. Nope, I hadn't gotten her email, and besides after my disastrous debut in the 1/2 marathon last year.. no way was I doing that torture again...

Except that Suzanne sent me the link to the website.. and the reviews and the course description (it goes downhill!).. and the registration opens this morning and fills up in less than 2 hours. Suzanne was in, and I don't think she was even telling me about it to ask if I would run with her. Ugh! Of course, given the competition to register before the spaces were filled I had to try. It only costs $40, which is a cheap registration fee and I was in by 9:15. The race closed before 10 am. Of course I am feeling flush with victory!

Yikes, except that I have the first race for the 2009 calendar.. and it is a 1/2 marathon - a race that is at the outer limits of my ability.

It turns out that this is the beginning of my 2009 resolutions.. not that I will be faster, but that I will continue to push myself, to new races and new challenges.

The middle of the pack would be a nice goal for '09.

Teddy's House is undergoing a renovation for 2009. As amused as I am sure all of you were by the daily updates and pictures of what me and my kids were doing at Teddy's House, we were bored and boring.

So, to reflect my newest passion and my favorite discussion topics, 2009 will be the year of blogging about running and races and my training to complete and compete in triathalons.

So far I have only penciled in the 2009 race schedule and have only registered for a few events. It is early in the year but I am off to a strong and enthusiastic start.