It's Getting Serious 'Round These Parts

Wow, it's been over a month since I've blogged. I don't really have any good reason for that except that I sort of lost my mojo for awhile.

First - and I really hate to say this - I sort of lost my insane love for RunDisney events. I know. It's terrible. And I'm sure it's not forever. But the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend wasn't the insanely amazing time I've come to expect from all things Disney. (Although, I must add here that I did have an amazing time with Team Freedom.) I'll admit that the horribly humid weather during Goofy Challange and Dumbo Double Dare probably contributed to a lot of my current feelings, which is beyond rD's control. I think too much of a good thing can become just that: too much. I'm signed up for the Glass Slipper Challenge in February with a few ladies that have never been to WDW, so that should be a blast, but after that, I might give myself a break from rD. I reserve the right to change my mind, of course!

Spending so much time doing themed types of races has left me - are you ready for this? - actually wanting to focus on races that are a tad more serious, like the New York City Marathon and maybe the Marine Corps Marathon.

Don't get me wrong, I've certainly enjoyed the wonderful experiences I've had so far, but maybe now it's time for a change. And maybe some more training effort on my part.

If you were reading my blog last year at this time, you already know that I was supposed to run NYC but it was canceled. My running BFF and I chose this year to run as part of the NYCM resolution process. Recently, I made the tough decision to defer that guaranteed entry until 2014. Trust me when I say, I had a really hard time actually canceling my entry for this year.



Just seeing that freaks me out a little. I mean, what if I've somehow screwed up my guaranteed entry for next year? What if I'm actually injured next year? It's scary.

Several people that were going to be going this year deferred, including Tara, and there's really no way I can afford to be in NYC on my own for that race. The hotel prices get jacked up that weekend and that city ain't a cheap place to be anyway. It really made the most sense to defer.

The other thing I didn't plan on was showing my horse as much as I have this year. Our state championships happen to be the same weekend as NYCM. I earned qualifying scores, but never nominated my horse because I wasn't supposed to be here. That's a little depressing, too. So I can't show in the championships this year and I won't be able to show next year, either. And I didn't get to compete in 2012. At least I can show in the regular classes that weekend. 

So when I say I'm getting serious, I'm referring to working on my speed as a runner. I'm slow. Like really slow. My half PR is 2:39 and I ran my ass off for that time. Part of the problem is that I'm so busy with my horse and work, that as soon as I start making any real progress in the running department, I slack off and don't run for a month. That sort of training protocol doesn't really yield results. Unless, of course, the results you are seeking to gain include losing speed and losing the same 5 pounds over and over.

It doesn't seem unreasonable that I could improve my base so that I could have a sub 5 hour marathon time next year. 

Why 5 hours, you ask? Well, supposedly, everyone with a sub 5 marathon time gets their name printed in the New York Times. Of course, I Googled that information and found a really interesting article about that very topic. Turns out not everyone gets listed. That would probably be my luck.

I also found this article in my search which you should check out if you want to get your panties in a bunch over people thinking slow runners don't respect the marathon. Just my 2 cents? 26.2 miles is still 26.2 miles, however long it takes. 

It also wouldn't hurt to lose 20 pounds before next year's race, either. Between training and weight loss, hopefully I can hit my goal of a sub 5 time. I'm pretty regularly running 8-9 miles on Saturdays, so I'm considering running the Fiesta Bowl Half here in town in December and trying for a new half PR. Also, no one looks good in white breeches unless you're a twig. Wouldn't hurt to slim down for that, either. And seriously? Who thought white was the way to go? Bleh.

Annnnnd, my coat is a wee bit tight. Siiiigh. But it used to not fit at all, so I guess that's something.

Side note: if you're looking for a good blogger app for iPhone, I highly recommend BlogGo. It's $2 but there's so many more options than the official Blogger app.

I still need to figure out some of the tweaks I need to make, but there's lots of options like alignment and inserting links. I give it a thumbs up. 

ETA: I tried to post and the pictures were all over the place. Guess I really need to work on my tweaking...