Running in 2012

Once I got caught up on Christmas and New Years, I was going to blog about what I wanted to do in 2012 running wise.  And I almost forgot until Steve did that today.  (And can I say how happy I am that I'm not the only one just now doing this?)

I've been saying for at least a month that I was going to run a race in every month of 2012.  But as the year is starting, I'm thinking I will revise that to 12 races in 2012 spread out as much as possible.  No, these won't all be mud runs.

Why the change?  Because it is surprisingly hard to find races in my area.  The first one I have found is in March.  I'd be willing to travel, but when most of the races start at 8AM and are an hour away from me plus you need to arrive early and I hate getting up in the morning....  Yes, it's a bunch of excuses, but I'm using them.  Of course, my 2011 goal was 6 mud runs, and I did 9 plus three regular runs, so I think I'm safe here as long as I keep my eyes open and my schedule works out.

I do know of four races I am for sure doing in 2012, and I'm signed up for three of them.  Not surpringly, they are mud runs, which will probably be the majority of my runs this year since that's what I enjoy the most.

Up first is Irvine Lake Mud Run on 3/31.  This was the first mud run I ever did back in 2010, and I didn't race it at all in 2011, so I'm looking forward to getting back there.

Then on 6/9, I'm doing Camp Pendleton for the third year in a row.

As you can see from the side bar (I really need to get the other races added over there), I am signed up for Tough Mudder again.  This time, they'll be here in July (February, too, but I'm not stupid).  Hopefully, this means the weather will cooperate and I'll actually get to do it.  I wasn't going to sign up again, but I want to do a Tough Mudder once.  (Prices are too high to try for it every year.)

And the race I haven't signed up for yet?  That's the Disneyland half marathon.  Yes, you read that right.  I'm signing up for a half marathon after swearing I'd never do that.  Why?  Well, it's two months after Tough Mudder and only 3 miles longer, so it seems like if I were ever going to do it, now would be the year.  Plus my new friend Chris runs it every year, so I would definitely have someone else there, and he's really been encouraging me to do it.  Of course, he still hasn't signed up for a mud run like I want him to do....

It's looking like I'm doing a 5K at Disneyland in a couple of weeks (which is very expensive, but darn it I want to do it).  There are some other races I am thinking about, that would bring my total to 7 without trying that hard.  I'm sure I can get the other 5 in without too much trouble.

Other goals?  Well, I'd still like to get my sub hour 10K, and if I wind up doing a bunch of 5K's, a sub 30 5K would be nice.  Right now, I'm right about 11 minute miles, so I'll have to work toward that.  That means I need to do some runs that aren't mud runs since the obstacles really mess with your time, or at least they do mine.

And for the immediate future, I'd like to run six miles once by the end of the month and then make that distance weekly in February and March before building up to longer distances for Tough Mudder and the Half Marathon.  It would be nice slow training and hopefully make me a stronger runner, so I hope I actually do it.