Fall Racing Plans

Fall Racing Plans. This title is a bit of a shock to me on a few levels. Firsts of all, fall?!! Where the heck did summer go and can it please not end. The misery of last winter is still seared in my memory. And second, racing! Yes. Racing. Real racing. Not running a race for fun. No, I'm talking lungs burning, legs aching pushing to the limits racing. Which I love, but also scares me. I'm not sure where my fitness is right now at almost four months postpartum. I've mostly been running easy, running hills and running strides. I won't be headed to the track anytime soon like I thought I would this month. After talking my plan over with a coach I respect, he suggested waiting until indoor track (December) before running any formal speed work. He suggested running intervals on the road (for example three minutes hard, two minutes easy) to integrate some "speed" work into my weekly routine.

I have a rough idea where my fitness is at, but without intervals on the track to tell me I feel like I'll be running my first race "blind." Which I think is a good way to start. Sometimes when we have a number goal in mind that can end up backfiring and lead us to either push too hard or not run hard enough. My first race I'll be running by "feel," which is honestly what produces the best race results for me.

Here's how things are stacking up for races this fall:

9/19 St. Katharine Drexel 10K- I've run this small race before. It's a very hilly out and back.  A hilly course will keep me honest about the pace and also provide a great workout in the process. This race will be my guage: a little test to see exactly what kind of paces my body is capable of at this time.

10/4 Maine Half Marathon-I'll be running this race as part of Rise.Run.Retreat, the all women's running retreat I'm organizing for the first weekend in October. I've run the Marathon course before, but this will be my first time on the half course. My results from the 10K will give me a better idea of what I'm capable of. The last half marathon I ran was in 2013, so it's been a while since I've raced this distance. I won't be chasing a PR, but I don't think it's out of the question considering I broke my 2013 PR (1:39) in the second half of my marathon last year.

10/19 CHaD HERO 5K-I look forward to this race every year. It's been a family event for us for the past two years since our son, Jack received care at CHaD as an infant prompting me to start fundraising. I'll be running the 5K again this year because it allows me to spend time with the family enjoying all the activities they have. I'm fundraising again this year and my goal is to raise $6000. If you feel compelled to give you can read our story and donate here on my fundraising page.

[Tweet "Time to lace up the shoes for fall races. What races are you running?"]

What fall racing plans do you have?

--Sarah

I love connecting with readers! You can find me here:

Email: RunFarGirl [at] gmail [dot] com

Twitter: @RunFarGirl

Instagram: instagram.com/runfargirl

Facebook: Facebook.com/runfargirl262

Pinterest: pinterest.com/runfargirl

Daily Mile: dailymile.com/people/scanney