WWRC Cleveland Fall Classic 5K - November 2011
Cleveland Rite Aid Half Marathon - May 2012
Nick Rauser Memorial 5K - June 2012
Cleveland Oktoberfest 5K Bier Run - September 2012
Inland Trail Half Marathon - November 2012
WWRC Cleveland Fall Classic 5K - November 2012
Turkey Dash 5K - November 2012
My 14 year old son has run every one of the 5Ks with me. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to run with him. I use the phrase "with him" loosely - we start together and meet up together at the finish line, but he finishes his 3.1 miles in about 22 minutes while it takes me about 34 minutes on a good day. Still we are together...motivating each other in the beginning, high fiving at the end, recalling tales of bad turns, poor terrain, heat and exhaustion on the car ride home.
 |
| I love that we do this together. |
When my kids were little, I was nearly 70lbs heavier - fat and unfit. I wasn't immobile and I know I was still a good mom but I wasn't the active and healthy mom they deserved. Good health and fitness was a gift I could have had, but one I rejected. I am so proud that now my kids will always be able to think of me as Mom The Runner, Mom Who Got Healthy and Fit, Mom Who Can Run Further Than Me. Ha! They constantly tell me how proud of me they are. That means everything to me, and motivates me to keep going!
 |
| My youngest son's message to me (on my arm) for my first race. |
One of the wonderful things about winter is that you get to sit back and plan out all of your races for the coming year!
There are so many great races to run - fun runs, trail runs, charity 5ks, silly 5ks, mud runs, relays, 5 milers, 10Ks, 10 milers, half-marathons, marathons, ULTRA marathons, and God knows what else. Races of different sizes with different themes and terrains. There is a race out there for everyone!
Just go to active.com and put in your zip code, and you will get a list of more cool races than you could ever imagine running! You want to run in your underwear? Run the Cupid Undie Run in Tremont. Want to get dirty and then clean again? Run the 5K Foam Fest in Columbus. Want to run a race around the city on open streets where you need to pick-up clues and find the fastest route? Run the Ragin Cajun in Cleveland.
I love having a specific event to train for and find it highly motivating. I think this is one of the reasons running has worked for me. Hey you can do an hour on the elliptical at the gym, but nobody is going to give you a cool tshirt or a medal for it!
After much daydreaming and deliberation, this is what my 2013 race schedule looks like so far:
St. Malachi Run (5 miles) - March 2013
Cleveland 10 Miler Road Race - April 2013
Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon - May 2013
TBD 5ks - going to limit myself to one or two charity 5Ks between June-August
Cleveland Rock and Roll Half Marathon - October 2013. I really want to do this one with a couple of friends, but it it might interfere too much with..........
MYSTERY RACE - October 2013 (I'm trying to not talk myself out of this one, and might have something to announce next week :-)
If money were no object, I would sign up for a 5K every weekend! LOL. But race fees do add up, especially some of the specialty races and half-marathons.
It really is FUN to run in an organized race. The camaraderie is fantastic. Nobody cares if you are fast or slow - the other runners will encourage you along the way. The spectators will cheer for you! You will get tasty eats after the race, and more strange coupons and "free gifts" than you can imagine. When you step it up to a half-marathon or more, you really start bringing in the loot. Why when I picked up my race bib at the Cleveland Rite Aid Marathon Expo, I came home with a bag full of tampons...even the men got them!
So get out there and race! Do it for yourself. Do it for your kids. Do it for the free tampons.
No comments:
Post a Comment