Winter/Spring Races!!

I was productive over the past few days lining up my race calendar for the winter/spring. I had been going back and forth as to whether or not I wanted to race a marathon in March and then run Boston for fun, but I just couldn't get myself to pull the trigger. I was absolutely sure I wanted to race a marathon before I got into triathlons this summer (more on that to come!) and I was positive Boston was not the one to race. I'm too focused when I race and too strict leading up to it. I want to enjoy every step of Boston from the moment I get there, through the race, and up until I leave. Racing is not conducive to that. So yesterday, with just under 12 weeks to go, I registered for Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach!! I ran this last year and even though I blew up, I had such a great weekend and learned a ton. As long as I put in the effort to train hard for this, and it's not as hot as it was last year, I think know I can get my redemption for Philly down there. So, there it is...I'll be racing harder than I ever have at Shamrock. I got a kick ass training plan with the help of a friend and I feel more driven than I have all year. After analyzing the plan for a few minutes, I called Andy and said, "Shit, the next 12 weeks are going to be SO hard. I can't wait!"  I'm actually excited to buckle down and put in the hard work. It will be the toughest 12 weeks I've done yet and I'm hoping the hard work pays off with a sub 3:35 finish. I'll share more of the training soon but first, this is what else I have lined up...

February -  I'll be racing Frostbite 5 miler, which I run every year. I'm hoping to go balls to the wall with this one to gauge where I'm at for Shamrock. I ran a 37:08 (although my garmin had me 10 seconds faster, grrr) last year and was in no shape to be racing at that point. I'm hoping to see an improvement in 2011 with a solid month and a half of training under me.

March - Shamrock Marathon...going for that PR. Enough said.

April - BOSTON!!! Plan on putting in a good effort but will have a blast out there collecting kisses from the college students and doing cartwheels across the finish line!

June - My first TRI!! I registered for a little sprint TRI just to get my feet wet. It's a 1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike ride and 2 mile run. I'll cross train all through the winter to get ready for this and am considering a bigger TRI mid to late summer. I love the sound of 70.3...just gotta get the guts to register!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 3 mi, cross train (AMT)
Tues - 5 mi with 6 strides at 6:58
Wed - lift total body, bike trainer
Thurs - 5 mi, cross train
Fri - 16 mi
Sat - cross train
Sun - 3 mi, cross train, lift total body