Every year around this time I start to give a lot of thought to the races that I want to do in the next year, and this year is no different. I've got the list more or less narrowed down, and divided into two groups- goal races, and races that I just want to do.
I'll start with the goal races. These are the ones that I focus my training around- everything that I do in training is targeted toward these races, and as such, I only can have a couple of goal races each year.
The first goal race for 2014 is the Boston Marathon. Ever since I first considered running a marathon, the Boston Marathon was a goal that I had in mind, and in 2014 I'll finally get to go. For the next 5 months I'll be slogging out miles long before the sun rises, all in anticipation of starting in Hopkinton and coming across the finish line on Boylston St.
The next goal race for next year is the Great Adirondack Trail Run ( http://www.mountaineer.com/trail-run/ ) which is a 11.5 mile trail race in Keene Valley NY. It's a tough one- 2900' of climbing and 3100' of descending, several creek crossings, one beaver dam crossing, lots of mud- but it's a blast. I did it for the first time this year, and I definitely want to go back. The competition there is quite fierce- as well as a lot of talented locals, for some reason it attracts a bunch of World Cup nordic skiers who train in the area, and those guys are endurance monsters. My goal for this year is to finish in under 2 hours, and to get into the top 10.
My third goal race for next year is the Batawa Fat Ass 25K Trail Race ( http://www.fatasstrailrun.com/ ). It's a local trail race that is becoming a fixture on the Ontario trail racing scene. I did it a couple of weeks ago, and did pretty well- 4th overall. Next year I'd like to take a crack at winning.
The other races on my list are the ones that I want to do because I want to do them- not necessarily as a goal, and because of that I know that they may not get a peak performance from me, but I still want to do them just for fun.
The first races that fit into that category is the Eastern Ontario Snowshoes Series ( http://healthandadventure.com/tag/dion-eastern-ontario-snowshoe-running-series/ ). These races are a lot of fun, and snowshoeing is quite a workout. There are a couple that are pretty close to where I live, so I want to hit at least a few of them and see how I can make out. I did one last year with almost no snowshoes training (got out for one 45 minute snowshoe run before the race) so I think if I do a bit more specific training I can do pretty well.
The next thing on my "want to do list" is a trail race in southern Pennsylvania. My in-laws live near Harrisburg PA, and I know that at some point in the summer I'll have to (sorry, get to) go visit them, and I'd like to work a trail race into that trip. There are a couple that I've got on my radar- a 24 Hr race (http://www.fastforwardracingproductions.com/p/tuscarora-ultra-24-hour-trail-run.html) and the Concocheague 50K Fat Ass ( http://www.race360.com/marathon/races/detail.asp?eventid=19781 ). Southern PA is really beautiful, and there are loads of races around there. My in-laws have recently moved down there, so I'm pretty sure I'll be taking advantage of their location over the next few years and hitting up lots of local races.
This next one could probably have gone on my goal list, since it will be kind of a target race for me. The reason I put it on the "want to do" list is that with the other races I have on for the summer I may not peak for this one, but just work it into the training for my fall races. The Haliburton Forest Ultra Races ( www.haliburtonforest100.org/ ) are a big deal as far as trail races go in Ontario.
You may notice a bit of a trend with this races on my calendar- other than the Boston Marathon, everything else is off road. I've had the goal of Boston for a while, and now that I'll be knocking that one off the list, I want to change my focus to the trails, but I think I'll leave that for another blog entry..........
I'll start with the goal races. These are the ones that I focus my training around- everything that I do in training is targeted toward these races, and as such, I only can have a couple of goal races each year.
The first goal race for 2014 is the Boston Marathon. Ever since I first considered running a marathon, the Boston Marathon was a goal that I had in mind, and in 2014 I'll finally get to go. For the next 5 months I'll be slogging out miles long before the sun rises, all in anticipation of starting in Hopkinton and coming across the finish line on Boylston St.
The next goal race for next year is the Great Adirondack Trail Run ( http://www.mountaineer.com/trail-run/ ) which is a 11.5 mile trail race in Keene Valley NY. It's a tough one- 2900' of climbing and 3100' of descending, several creek crossings, one beaver dam crossing, lots of mud- but it's a blast. I did it for the first time this year, and I definitely want to go back. The competition there is quite fierce- as well as a lot of talented locals, for some reason it attracts a bunch of World Cup nordic skiers who train in the area, and those guys are endurance monsters. My goal for this year is to finish in under 2 hours, and to get into the top 10.
My third goal race for next year is the Batawa Fat Ass 25K Trail Race ( http://www.fatasstrailrun.com/ ). It's a local trail race that is becoming a fixture on the Ontario trail racing scene. I did it a couple of weeks ago, and did pretty well- 4th overall. Next year I'd like to take a crack at winning.
The other races on my list are the ones that I want to do because I want to do them- not necessarily as a goal, and because of that I know that they may not get a peak performance from me, but I still want to do them just for fun.
The first races that fit into that category is the Eastern Ontario Snowshoes Series ( http://healthandadventure.com/tag/dion-eastern-ontario-snowshoe-running-series/ ). These races are a lot of fun, and snowshoeing is quite a workout. There are a couple that are pretty close to where I live, so I want to hit at least a few of them and see how I can make out. I did one last year with almost no snowshoes training (got out for one 45 minute snowshoe run before the race) so I think if I do a bit more specific training I can do pretty well.
The next thing on my "want to do list" is a trail race in southern Pennsylvania. My in-laws live near Harrisburg PA, and I know that at some point in the summer I'll have to (sorry, get to) go visit them, and I'd like to work a trail race into that trip. There are a couple that I've got on my radar- a 24 Hr race (http://www.fastforwardracingproductions.com/p/tuscarora-ultra-24-hour-trail-run.html) and the Concocheague 50K Fat Ass ( http://www.race360.com/marathon/races/detail.asp?eventid=19781 ). Southern PA is really beautiful, and there are loads of races around there. My in-laws have recently moved down there, so I'm pretty sure I'll be taking advantage of their location over the next few years and hitting up lots of local races.
This next one could probably have gone on my goal list, since it will be kind of a target race for me. The reason I put it on the "want to do" list is that with the other races I have on for the summer I may not peak for this one, but just work it into the training for my fall races. The Haliburton Forest Ultra Races ( www.haliburtonforest100.org/ ) are a big deal as far as trail races go in Ontario.
You may notice a bit of a trend with this races on my calendar- other than the Boston Marathon, everything else is off road. I've had the goal of Boston for a while, and now that I'll be knocking that one off the list, I want to change my focus to the trails, but I think I'll leave that for another blog entry..........
What do you have in the works for ne