Running Update and 2012 Racing

It's been awhile since I posted anything about running, but fear not - I am in the midst of an actual training cycle. At the beginning of December I rejoined Team Rogue and am enjoying being back in the group training experience. Most of my teammates have been running and racing regularly most of the time I was off on my break, so it has been challenging not to get sucked into running too far or too fast too soon. I think I've been hitting a fairly happy medium between pushing myself and listening to my body.

And since I have rejoined an official marathon training program that must mean there is a marathon coming up. And there is . . . in fact there are a couple.

In just over two short weeks I will be down in Houston for the Chevron Houston Marathon. Houston is also hosting the Olympic Marathon Trails for both men and women the same weekend, so the event should be packed with energy and excitement. I know what you're thinking - how am I going to race a marathon with just a month and a half of training after taking two years off (my last marathon was Portland in 2009, crazy huh?). I'm not insane and I am not racing Houston, just running it as a really long training run based on how I feel that day. Don't expect any impressive times, I'm just going for the finish and to remind myself I can run the distance . . . or possibly to find out that after 2 years off, I actually can not, in fact, run the distance. Either way fun times will be had.

Then, after several days off for recovery, it is back to training for an 'A' race later in the year. And that will be the BMO Vancouver Marathon in May. I am very excited about that trip and have already started planning for my first trip to Canada (and hopefully a record busting race).

There will probably be some other smaller events scattered in between those two big races, but I've decided to take those as they come and not try to over plan them. If you have any suggestions send them my way. And of course May only gets us through half of 2012, there is no telling what might happen in the second half of the year. The plan is to run a May marathon to be able to take some time off from training in the heat of the Texas summer, but that seems unlikely given my history. Stay tuned.