what i've been up to: running edition

These are the races I've done in the last few months:

November 2010 - Turkey Trot 5K, Loveland, CO 32:11 PR
December 2010 - Rudolph's Revenge 5K, Littleton, CO 32:59
January 2011 - Frosty's Frozen 5M, Littleton, CO 51:14 PR
February 2011 - Snowman Stampede 10M, Littleton, CO 1:50:01 PR

This is what's on tap for the rest of the year.  Races in black I'm registered for, races in blue I'm thinking about; and races in red I've got my fingers crossed for.

March 2011 - Boulder Spring Half Marathon, Boulder, CO
April 2011 - Platte Half Marathon, Littleton, CO
May 2011 - Colorado Marathon 10K, Fort Collins, CO
June 2011 - ??
July 2011 - Leadville Heavy Half Marathon (15 M), Leadville, CO
August 2011 - Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon
September 2011 - ??
October 2011 Nike Women's Marathon/Portland Marathon
November 2011 (NYCM)
December 2011 ??

As you might be able to discern, I'm thinking about a streak this year. Think I can do 12 races in 12 months? I've only got one marathon in me this year, and I've got a priority list:  NYC Marathon (pipe dream), Nike Women's Marathon (Tiffany necklace finisher medal), or Portland Marathon (all reports are that it's a lovely race, but if I hem and haw too long, it might be full before I get a chance to sign up).  I really want to run NYC but I signed up for the lottery not really thinking I'd get it on my first try. I'll let you know on April 30th whether I got picked or not.  If not, I've always had Nike Women's Marathon on my list, but I've heard some pretty negative things about the race organization and course support for the full marathoners.  Also it's a lottery system that is supposed to draw sometime in March/April, but I can't find anywhere that you can sign up for the lottery yet. Which leaves me with Portland, but I'm stuck wondering if I should sign up now, or wait until after the lottery for NYC. If I wait, I run the risk of it selling out before I can sign up.  Not sure what to do.

Anyway, so depending on what marathon I end up getting picked/picking, That leaves me with needing a race in June, one in September, and one in either October or November that I need to choose.  I've had a tough time finding one in June that takes my fancy, and since I'm running the Boulder Spring Half, I don't want to run the same course for the Boulder Backroads Half in September, which I did in 2009.  There are gobs to choose from in October, and if all else fails I can go for the Turkey Trot again in November. December could either be the Rudolph's Revenge again, or I could push back my marathon until December and run either Rock and Roll Vegas or California International Marathon in Sacramento.  Decisions, decisions.

Well, I'm off to be a good little physical therapy patient and do my exercises.  How I've ended up in PT, and the fact that I haven't shared my 12 in 12 goals with my physical therapist, well, that's another blog post for another time.  Toodles!

P.S.  I'm also on Daily Mile --> see the widget on the sidebar?  Let's be workout buddies!

what next?

So two days from now at this time, I hope to be done with my 10K race. The butterflies are seriously out of control, and they've been joined by what I'm affectionately calling the Fret Funk.

The Fret Funk is when the amount of worry becomes a tidal wave and just kind of squashes me down in to a funk. The weather is gray and humid, which isn't helping. And there is really nothing to worry about, but that's never stopped me before. I could fret for England. Actually I would make a differentiation between worrying and fretting. Fretting is the sort of worry where you focus on small details, blowing them all out of proportion and making them the focus to sort of distract you from what really might be going on in your head. That sort of thing.

Maybe if I set it all out here, it'll somehow purge me of it and I can move on to whether or not we're going to have a population die out due to this kind of thing:

Stole this from here, not sure what the original source is. Mothers, you're shuddering right now, aren't you?

So here's what I'm fretting at the moment: I have the teensiest bit of a cold. Mostly a sore throat, mostly been staving it off, but I fret that the fretting will allow itto take hold and pull me under into full-on ill. A runny nose during a run (ha! runny...run...nevermind) is a gross thing. The weather for Sunday isn't cooperating. The forecast is for somewhere between a chance of rain to an all day drizzle. Also, my er, Communist Friend has paid an unexpected return! visit, after just leaving last week. WTF? Generic birth control, you suck. It really does pay to buy name brand. So really, how much more fun can we have? I would name other things that could happen, but I just don't want to call them into being, frankly. I'll stick with the shit that's actually happening rather than anything else that might. I'm fretting about running amongst 447 (as of this morning) other people. Aieee! I've never so much as run with another person, really, except maybe being passed by someone else who is in high gear.

Also fretting about picking up my race packet. Because we have other committments, I can't pick it up until 5:00 or so on Saturday, which FREAKS me out because what if something happens and I'm running late and they close down early (they should be there handing packets out until 9:00 pm) or something. Do you see? It's a sickness. All this fretting is heavy, and it's bringing me down. I should be excited, and I am, in theory, but I just can't quiet my head.

Anyway, moving on. I promise some pictures and a full race re-cap next week. Also we've got to talk about what's next once the race is over.

One last thing--on the Diamond Earring Weight front I've got eightish pounds to go. I think I might be able to see that from here.