Training for and running the Red, White and Boom! half marathon in Minneapolis this July was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I’ve had to date. The twelve weeks of training, pushing my self-proclaimed ‘non-runner’ body beyond what I thought I could do and challenging myself mentally made finishing the race all that more gratifying.
One part of the process I absolutely loved: having a specific training plan and sticking it out day after day. Knowing exactly what I was supposed to do (and when I was supposed to rest) was amazingly freeing and made my rest days that much more enjoyable. I was hooked on the whole process.
So I had an idea: why not set a goal for myself beyond just a single race? Why not do something that seemed a little crazy in my mind. So I took a note from Caitlin’s book, who is running 50 races by the time she is 30? Except I decided to make it a little more realistic for my fitness goals and body and challenged myself to 30 races by the time I turn 30.
I’ll be 24 in October, and the half marathon I ran in July was my first race. As you can see, I’ve got some work cut out for me. My plans for the rest of the summer/fall race calendar are:
-August 21st: local 10K race
-October 2nd: Twin Cities 10-miler
-November: Living History Farms Cross Country 7-miler
Hopefully, I end up feeling like this after each race:
What about you? Do you like to set fitness-related goals for yourself or do you prefer to just wing-it day by day?