Linking up with Marcia, Patti, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run.
I do not race as often as I used to. Over the years I’ve gotten more serious about my marathon training so that limited the number of races I could do. I ran 21 in 2012; 24 in 2013 (most of them were Rock ‘n’ Roll Races thanks to my Tour Pass; 18 in 2014; 9 in 2015; and so far 7 this year. I started with 3 in 2005!!! I can honestly say that 2013 was a great one because I traveled to 20 different states. I was not training for the Chicago Marathon so that left me free to run as many as I wanted to and to add more states to my goal of running a half marathon in each state. I was constantly tired and I don’t even want to think about how much money I spent!!
In 2014 I trained for the Chicago Ultra 50K and the Chicago Marathon with a coach. I let her know up front my race schedule (most of them were Disney races) and she was able to plan my training schedule taking those races into consideration. After the Disneyland Half Marathon in August, I felt burnt out. I hated to run. I would cry after my runs. I told my coach I did not want to run the marathon anymore. It took a few weeks to feel better and then in October I went to Iowa for a half marathon and actually enjoyed it.
This year I am training again for the Chicago Marathon using the Hansons Marathon Plan. For this training season I have one race for sure (Elmhurst 4 on the 4th) and maybe the Fort2Base in August. With the Hansons Plan I run 6 days a week and seriously do not want to add a race in there (unless of course it is around the same distance as my scheduled run as it is the case with 4 on the 4th and Fort2Base). I enjoy racing but I like running even more.
Hopefully next year I can add more out of state races. I would like to complete my goal before I turn 50! But if I don’t then it will be OK. It is time consuming and expensive. Plus, I do not want to travel just to run a race but to also enjoy it and explore the city and actually have a good time.
9 responses to “How often do I race?”
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You’ve made great use of your Tour Pass, that is awesome! How great you’ve been able to make it to so many states. I love traveling to races but it seems to be getting more difficult as my kids have gotten older and busier.
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Yes, that was the reason I got the TourPass. Best purchase ever! I am looking forward to my next RnR race in Las Vegas.
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I used to race quite a bit more. Now that I live in a somewhat more rural area, they are hard to find. Looks like you’ve been able to travel a lot of places to run which is fun, but I am with you…I want to travel but I also want to see the place and not run and leave right away
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Thanks Kayla! It is fun but it is also tiring. I want to make the best out of it for my next trips/races.
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I think it’s great that you are focused on marathon training. Doing a lot of shorter races can definitely interfere with that!
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I agree. That is why I stopped racing so much. It sucked the joy out of me and left me with no energy to focus on marathon training.
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I’m proud of you! It’s hard to cut back on races, but it’s important to stay healthy and enjoy running.
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Thanks! I know I need to listen to you more often. 🙂
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