Running, running, running…

…with nowhere to go.

Yet.

Yes, yes – I’ve been stuck on the dreadmill the last couple of weeks, with just a winter run outdoors here and there to prevent me from going nuts.

But I want more.

I want a goal to work towards (or two).

SO many of my bloggy friends (yes, YOU) are signed up for a race, training for a race, or hell – committed to a whole slew of races (that would be you Naomi, Becky) already for 2011.

And not that I’m comparing myself to you all (because I promise you, I am not), I am antsy to at least know that there is a race in my future. Maybe two. Or three. Which is so funny to me since, even though I LOVE the training aspect of running in preparation for a race, I often have a hard time getting my head in the game once I’m in the midst of a race. I have to really work hard not to panic, to control my breathing, to get out of my head, etc.

I guess that means one of two things has happened.

I am most defintely a runner.

and/or

I am a glutton for punishment.

or both.

Regardless, I really am thinking about what that race (or races) might look like this year.

• I’m considering the Black Cat 10/20 miler (the 10 miler, NOT the 20). I think that would be a fun mid-winter/early-spring run to prep for. And it wouldn’t feel nearly as daunting as 13.1 miles would in the winter, somehow.
• I’m also considering running the Wicked Half again. But part of me wonders if I should find a different half to run this year vs. running the same one again. I think there are pros and cons to that (pro – I know the route and it might give me more confidence than running a new race route; con – I know the route and might have flashbacks to the “tougher” parts of the race for me, mentally).
• Thanks to Becky, I’m also considering the Rock ‘n Roll Half that’s coming to Providence this year (which is kind of neat since they never come to this part of the country). The con there is that its in August which would mean a really hot race, but then again…the Wicked Half ended up being about 80 degrees at race start and that was in September!
• And finally, I would like to do a couple of short races now that some of my previous running friends are returning to the game (the girls that I first ran with a couple of years ago – the ones with the “Start Strong, Just Finish” moto on our race day shirts). So I’ll probably embark on a 5k or 5-miler or two this spring too.

So where does this leave me? With a loose idea of what I’d like to embark on for 2011 but no hard and fast schedule yet.  But I think that’s ok – it sort of falls in line with my desire to get to a Type A- personality this year if I can. If I can find a way to “flow” around a quasi “schedule” of races for 2011, that’s a good thing, right?

One more running goal for this winter/spring? Help my sister find her running mojo again! Jo – I promise you it’s there and I’ll be damned, I’ll find it FOR you if I have to. 🙂

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But oh yes, I almost forgot. I also promised to learn to swim this year…and to possibly embark on a tri. This is still on the “list” but I first need to figure out where I can go to get a good swim instructor (too bad Lindsay doesn’t live up this way, I hear her husband is a great swim instructor!). My feeling is that if I can learn to swim this year – home run. If I end up training for a tri – icing on the cake. Somehow I think the tri may end up on the 2012 bucket list, though. 😉