Following up with my January 2013 goals, I wanted to jot down some (mostly very tentative) 2013 race/running goals. Here you go!
2013 Goals
1. Run 26 miles on my 26th birthday: This is something I just realized was going to work out. I figure, I’m running a marathon in April, why not try to keep that endurance going through July so that I can run 26 on my 26th? (Plus the .2-gotta get that .2!)
2. PR at Eugene: I haven’t really decided on a time goal yet, but I would like to PR. Whether that’s a 3:55 or a 3:40, I’ll take it. As I start the training cycle and get a better idea of where my distance running is at, I’ll come up with a more concrete goal. But I do think that Eugene is a faster course than CIM. While it had a net downhill, CIM also had a lot up uphill. Eugene, on the other hand, is flat as a pancake (so I hear).
3. PR at the 5K: Well, it didn’t happen in 2012 like I hoped, so I would like to get a sub-20 5K this coming year. Looking at my tentative tri schedule post-Eugene, I think I can fit in some decent 5K training.
Which brings me to…
(Tentative) Races
1. Eugene Marathon April 28th (NOT tentative!)
2. Summer Open Sprint Tri May 18th
3. Grand Junction Highline Hustle Sprint June 8th
4. Boulder Peak Olympic Triathlon July 14th
5. Steamboat Sprint Tri July 21
6. Evergreen Sprint Tri July 28th
7. Steamboat Olympic Tri August 18th
These are some of the triathlons I’m looking at for 2013. I think, after Eugene and 26 on my 26th, I’ll be ready for some short-course again, so I have mostly sprint tri’s on the schedule. I won’t be doing all of these, though. 3 at least, probably 4 at most. It’d be nice to have some more freedom this race season, instead of being completely overwhelmed with 70.3 training. But the nice part is, if I do decide to do a longer triathlon this year, I’ll have a base that I was lacking last year, so training for anything long is bound to be a lot less time-intensive. 2012 was all about building endurance. And it was slow, and tiring.
For now, though, my plan is to race short-course, and try to bring some speed back into my life. My running is at a pretty good place right now; the other day I ran 5 miles at a 7:50 pace. That’s something I haven’t done in a long time, and I am going to try really hard to retain at least some speed while I bust out my Eugene training. Falling back on short-course after the marathon will help bring it back, too.
So that’s where I’m at. I’m pretty excited for next year. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m running another marathon, and think I’m crazy for signing up for Eugene. But mostly I’m really, really excited to run another marathon, even if I’m already dreading those 18-20 mile training runs….. (seriously, are they ever fun??).
I’m not sure if I’ll pop back in with another post this month, so Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
They sound like fantastic goals. I’m looking forward to reading about your progress
. My big goals for 2013 revolve around adventure racing. It’s going to be a good year, hey 
Let’s hope so! Here’s to 2013 bringing fun races and great training.
YAY!!! you blogged! (or have i been blogging && i missed it?!) also, i’ve so had my eye on one or two of those races, yes one of them being a tri! how are you feeling about training through the winter?
Haha I know, I have been totally MIA lately–blame the GREs next week for that!
Tell me you’re doing the Steamboat tri!
I’m nervous that we’re going to pay for such a mild early winter, and get hit with snow from now until April (AKA Eugene!). As long as I don’t have to run all my long runs in the snow (or worse, the treadmill!) I don’t mind winter training. But then, we are lower than you; Steamboat is getting hit with snow! And I’m sure it’s a lot colder up there..