T Minus 2 Years and Counting!

Today is my 38th birthday.

This meant a 6:30 a.m. visit from my kids, eager to give me the cards they chose yesterday and then eager to ask me what's for breakfast. It also meant no run or cross-training workout--Friday happens to be an off day. It means I get to go out to a movie ("True Grit") and a nice restaurant with Dan tonight. And finally it means I no longer have two-something years to qualify for Boston. It's now only one-something years until I turn 40.

So I figured what better way to celebrate than to sign up for another race! It's still too early to enter the lottery for my target fall marathon (the St. George Marathon on October 1; the entry process begins on April 1), so I looked at the training program and decided to do another half-marathon--a fun one!--in June.

Ideally, this half would be on June 18. That's the date of the first long run, a 13 miler, in the marathon training program. But after a search I determined that the only race semi-nearby on that date is the Mt. Evans Ascent. And I don't think I will be ready for 14.5 miles of climbing at altitude. :^)

Therefore, I settled on the Slacker Half-Marathon a week later. This race is also at altitude, but not quite so much altitude, and it's also mostly *downhill,* a key distinction. I'd consider this wimping out (after all, the very name of the race says it all), but the St. George race is also mostly downhill. So I'm calling it a fun practice long run.

With this addition, my racing schedule looks like this:

February 19--the 10-mile Snowman Stampede; target pace is 9:03 per mile

March 27--the Boulder Half-Marathon; my next goal race, with an 8:43/mile target pace

May 31--the Bolder Boulder 10K; to be run with my dad at his pace

June 25--the Slacker Half, described above

October 1--the St. George Marathon (if I get in; I still need to identify another race around the same time in case I don't get in)

Some smaller races in between may be added later, but this is starting to look pretty settled. And as for what comes after? The October race will decide that!