So you know what happens when you wait to register for races?
They fill up.
As a result, the two half marathons that I'd planned to run this year have filled up (Virginia Wine Country and the Colorado Half).
Right now, I'm on the wait list for Virginia Wine and am scrambling for a replacement for the Colorado. The trick in this equation is that Will leaves in May to go home for a bit, then comes back to Colorado. I was thinking of the Horsetooth Half (mid-April), but Mom and my cousin (who lives out there) have suggested maybe a fall race...better weather! Roze says that the Crosswinds race is less punishing (course profile says flat and fast) and, again, better weather.
So, to avoid this issue in the future, here's my calendar:
Jan: Ragnar Miami (just got back last night!)
Feb: Love the Run You're With (http://www.pacersevents.com/lovetherun/index.html)
March: B and A Half, Four Courts Four
April: Cherry Blossom 10, Nashville Rock and Roll Half
May: Marine Corps Half (maybe) or maybe New England Ragnar
Ragnar.
Ragnar was incredible. I had a great time down in the Keys--we got to DC on Wednesday night, got Brannon, and headed to the house where we passed out after a glass of wine and some nachos. Thursday we celebrated Chadd's birthday with breakfast at Briar Patch in Winter Park, then got ready to head down to Miami.
Chadd and I picked up K-lo in Boca Raton, then met up with everyone in Miami. Friday morning, we decorated the vans (which looked so awesome...they had grass skirts with hibiscus flowers around them and margarita lights around the front windshield) then headed to the start line.
The only thing I'd change about this Ragnar experience would be our start time. We got a 1pm start time and wound up getting stuck with fast teams, so we were often alone at exchange points and missing the real "Ragnar experience." However, Ragnar was totally awesome and let us run simultaneously--Van 1 was still running their third leg while van 2 began theirs as well. Instead of finishing after the finish line would have been closed (we'd have gotten in around 8:30), we wound up finishing around quarter of 5.
Margaritas, beer, pina coladas, all out on the Southernmost Point beach (I managed to walk into the water to about my knees in lieu of an ice bath). The after party was INCREDIBLE. Live music, great vendors, tons of people...it was really paradise. The race itself was a blast, I had great people in my van and we spent a good deal of time basically rushing through the Keys (our legs were a lot shorter this time, it seemed, and traffic destroyed our ability to easily get around). There was nothing like running over the water on the fishing bridges, or talking with the wonderful people in Homestead who thought we were crazy. Van 1 saw a Key Deer while we saw Iguanas....there were a few legs that required runners to sign a waiver about "potentially aggressive wildlife" spawning the joke in the RagMag (ragnar magazine) with a giant fake gator saying "Imma Eat Choo"....
The whole experience was just as wonderful, but totally different than the first. That's the beauty of Ragnar--it might be the same structure, 36 hour 200 mile relay race, but it's always new.
I'm already planning the next Ragnar, so if you want in, let me know.
On the Ragnar note...the Hood to Coast documentary is being shown for one night only in theaters tomorrow night. If you live in the Alexandria area (Eisenhower, Hoffman Center), come see me other Brigade members, and Pacers at the theater for a reg code with a good deal and talk to me about Ragnar in person (please allow for at least 30 minutes as I can talk your ear off about how much I love it).
In final news, I'm filling out my workout schedule, which will look vaguely like this:
Monday: Rest OR Pacers evening Fun Run (Alexandria)
Tuesday: AM workout (weights) AND Teaching evening cycle (7pm Nat. Cap YMCA - starting next week)
Wednesday: AM workout And/Or Fleet Feet Women's Running Group (6:30PM AdMo)
Thursday: AM weights workout And/Or Pacers Running Group (Logan Circle)
Friday: AM cycle or AM Cardio and Weights
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Teach 20-20-20 (10am Nat. Cap YMCA)
This fulfills my requirements for two running clubs, brings me back to teaching 2 classes a week, and gives me two rest days. I prefer doubling up on days to workout simply because it gives me flexibility if I don't want to hit a night workout.
Ideally, I'll be able to cycle through the three running clubs--do Monday night when I can't make a Wednesday or Thursday. If there are 4 weeks in a month (roughly), I'd ideally like to make it to a running group 6 times. That gives me two weeks where I can only make it once or one week where I can't at all.
In final news, (too lazy to go back and correct previously written stuff on this page), I will be captaining a team for Ragnar New England, May 20-21. Prepare. Now...to find a good team name....
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