Racing Away
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- Rediscover Running: Find Your Way Back to Your Passion - June 28, 2024
With summer right around the corner, I definitely have racing on the mind. As I mentioned in my goals for 2015, I have several things I want to accomplish this year related to racing:
- Run my first ever 10K (automatic PR!)
- Set a “30s” PR for the 5K
- Set a “30s” PR for the 5 Miler
- Set a life-time PR for the half marathon
- Get my mile time under 6 minutes
I suppose in order to do all of that I should have some races lined up, right? The good news is I have a few on my calendar already. The bad news is that the next few months are pretty much in flux. My wife and I are in the process of buying and remodeling a home, so our weekends are looking like they will be pretty booked up for a while. It is going to be an exciting summer!
So what’s on my calendar? I will likely sprinkle in some a 5K or two, plus hopefully a 10K, but here’s what is definitely happening:
Belmar 5 (Belmar, NJ) – This five-mile race is one I have run multiple times. The course is flat and fast, with solid fluids and crowd support. I will definitely be looking to PR at this race. My current PR for this race is 39:23, but I am pretty sure I can shave a few minutes off of that. It’s all going to come down to the weather, as the race is on July 11.
Alternative Half Marathon (Washington Crossing, PA) – I am very excited about this September race, and it is my primary training focus. The course is a relatively flat out-and-back on a tow path. Entries are limited to 500, so the field will be small. The course has chip timing, well placed fluids, and is USATF certified…all for $65! You can’t beat that. I ran the course recently while pushing my 2.5 year old in the jogging stroller and was able to do it in just over 2 hours (2:00:39 – caught a knock-me-to-the-ground cramp at 13 miles). With solid training I definitely think I can PR here by a large margin.
Rock ‘N Roll Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY) – This is the first year for this race, being held in October. I will be running this race with my wife. My goal here is really to just enjoy the feeling of a large race again, with the course support, bands, and just overall good feeling. Spending some kid-free time with my wife is a great plus as well.
That is all I have on the calendar as of now, but who’s to say I won’t sneak a few more in. If I do, I will definitely let you know!
Good luck, Matt with all your racing plus the house/remodel. I’ve got a couple of local races coming up (June 20 – Runfor1 5k for friends of mine who are doing this as a fundraiser as they are nearing the adoption of a child from China and July 4 – Firecracker 4 Miler). Later I have a number of the longer races, but I won’t go into all of them. Focus races will be the Hinson Lake 24 Hour Ultra Classic in September, Medoc Trail Marathon in October (8th race and I’ve run them all), Derby 50k in November (going for my 5 year vest), and the Nutcracker 12 Hour Run in December on my home training course the Dunn-Erwin Rail Trail. Like I said, this isn’t even all of the races as I will also do a few 5k/10k’s as well.
This is such a strange summer for me. Normally, I would have 2-3 races lined up but due to scheduling it has been tough. My wife who is studying for the Bar is busy every single Saturday morning. While I would normally ask for just a Saturday morning, I feel like racing is something I can give up in order to make our lives better. Instead, I will race my own PR’s this summer and hope to make the best of next year!
Good luck with the remodeling and racing! Exciting times for an exciting summer! I have a couple of races lined up, plus a surprise one or two. Have fun!
Good Luck. I am training to break 30 minutes in a 5k—Garden Spot in Franklin, KY in August. Then under 1 hour in the Medical Center 10K in Bowling Green, KY in October
I don’t have any races lined up yet, but I’m looking for some stroller friendly 5 and 10ks in the fall. I’m trying to get back into racing after having two babies in a row so it’s been a slow start, but if I can involve the kids I know I’ll get it done! 🙂
Good Luck with your goals. I just signed up for the Alamo Beer Challenge. It’s a series of four races with multiple distances available. I’m stair stepping from 5k-8k-10k-20k. Following those is my first half marathon. I hope I’m not being too optimistic!