Friday Five: The Race Edition

So, I know I said I didn't really have anything planned after Oklahoma.  That's a lie, because I did sign up for El Scorcho Sin Lun 6 (or rather, more accurately, La Scorchita - I ain't all crazy).  Of course, that race registration was less of a function of having a long-term plan for what my running will look like come July than a need to not miss the biggest dang Frunner Party of the year. Party in the Park, y'all. That sucker sold out in a week and I sure as heck was not going to be left out. 

So, what races *AM* I committed to (the word choice of "committed" is not an accident, friends and neighbors!)?  Well, just so happens that there are FIVE races that I am definitely doing in the next couple of months, in between business travel to Tennessee, getting through kids' spring performances for band, theatre and such, moving my mom out of her house and getting her settled up here and all that life stuff.  And it's FRIDAY, so I thought, hey, lookie there, a FRIDAY FIVE!! Must Blog! sweet!

So, if you'll be at any of these, holler at me in the comments so I know to look for you, and for sure you are REQUIRED to come find me so we can take a pre-race pic. Just 'cause I'm halfway in hiding online doesn't mean I don't want to see folks in person!! And I'm generally fairly easy to find, in that I'm usually wearing burnt orange of some kind, carrying a camera, and probably making a lot of noise.

FRUNNERS!! Party in the Park with Frunners!

5.  Grasslands Half.  People bitched about the heat. People bitched about the sand. People bitched that it's so far out west you run into tumbleweeds (OK, that was just me) on the way there. But, you know what?  I really kinda sorta enjoyed this one, even though it is hands down my slowest marathon time ever. It was my Maniacs Qualifier, and there are so many trail Frunners out running, volunteering and such, that I have a hard time missing out (sense a theme here??). And, I think I'll like it even more when I only have to do half!! 

What, this doesn't look like fun to you? 

4.  Dallas Rock & Roll Half. My cousin turns 40 this weekend. She freaked out about it a few months ago and decided to take control of her exercise and nutrition and set a goal to run a half marathon. So this is the one she chose. I had always sworn I wouldn't do an RnR event because they are kinda pricey, but seriously, I've had intense medal envy with this one in the past.  Also, I love to do anything to support and encourage a new runner. So I will be running with  my cousin on this one. I foresee good times ahead (and a pretty, pretty shiny thing to boot!).

3.  Texas Independence Relay. 11 women, 2 vans, 201 miles. Buc-ee's along the way. Really, what more do you need to know?

It's TEXAS, y'all!! (Why is Cap'n Libby missing from every group pic I have?)

2.  Big D Half Marathon. This will be my last event to earn the Mellew Four Seasons bling and shirt. Because I'm all about the bling and the shirt. Haven't done the half here since 2005, so it's been a while, but I recently will have done a couple of races starting/ending from Fair Park by the time this rolls around. Will be interesting to get a gauge of where I am speed-wise by that point in time, too. Mostly, though, it's about the streak, and the hardware, and  so I don't ever, ever, ever have to do Hottest Half ever again in my whole life, as long as we both shall live, AMEN. 

Hottest Half Hardware. Got it. NEVER AGAIN! 

1.  Oklahoma City Memorial Half.  Never run the half here, having done the full two years in a row. Looking forward to skipping what I think are the toughest sections of the course: Gorilla Hill, the rollers leading up to the relay exchange at mile 8, and the wind off that lake, plus that overpass just after the lake. Very very much looking forward to being at Mile 23 when Marci comes charging through and at the end when she gets her much-earned and anticipated finisher shirt. We've got a party room at the Marriott again, and fully expect to have a crowd join us in the white limo for the two-block ride to Bricktown for dinner the night before. You know you want to be there too. 

DO NOT TAKE OFF THE PONCHO! #thatisall

Pile in, there's plenty of room! 

So, there you go. The running schedule for the runner who isn't running. Funny how that works out! See you at the starting line! 

I miss my blog

I would say I miss running, but I have been doing just enough to maintain my base and go to a race and not be totally humiliated. I'm embarking on a new training plan soon, but there is no longer an "A" race on the table. I will be doing the OKC Half, but past May, I have nothing specific planned. So that makes a following a rigid training plan a little less urgent, since there is no end-game in sight at the moment. I have goals, for sure, they're just not as crystallized and objective and measurable as I like my goals to be, so they're really more like ideas right now. 

But I am running. Here and there. On occasion. And to be totally honest, the new training plan is a little slightly crap-ton daunting. For someone who has trained for years (since 2004) on just miles - miles is miles, get the miles in, did you do your miles? -  having specified paces and repeats and thresholds is scary. So I'm taking baby steps with it instead of just jumping in whole hog. It's akin to dipping my toe into the pool, then running to the locker room, fleeing the building and then thinking about going back for a week before I finally actually get into the water. It's a process.  A SLOW process. I have to get back into the game mentally before I can get back into it physically. And that's frustrating as hell, but I just can't get motivated to do it more quickly right now. I'd love to be as focused and driven as I was during NYCM training, but I'm just not there right now. And honestly, I'm not sure that I was emotionally healthy during that training cycle. It was a tough summer and the running and training and precise attention to the physical part of me was really a coping mechanism for some other stuff. I'm not in that space anymore, and I don't desire to be, ever again, amen.  But where else do I find motivation now?  

I'm mostly trying to find balance in my life right now. Got a lot on my plate and all is well, just slightly overloaded and I find myself on the edge between "whelmed" and "overwhelmed" more often than I'd like. Such is life with two active kids, a full-time job, a husband who appreciates time and attention every now and then, and a house to maintain. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating my reality. I need to be sure that I give the proper amount of attention to everything in my life, and right now, quite honestly, running and racing is taking a back seat. That doesn't mean I'm done, far from it, it just means that I am not a slave to it right now, and not letting it dictate my life. Take that as you will. 

So there. I want to say more, but it would just sound like excuses, probably. So I'm not going to. I don't have to rationalize or excuse or justify my choices to anyone. It's just the way things are right now. 

I hate that I haven't been writing much lately. I love my readers, and since I've taken a twitter hiatus too, I am feeling even more removed from all these people in my computer that have been a huge source of motivation and inspiration. But really, it's a logical side effect of the hiatus from serious training, not having much to say about running. I will be back soon, I just can't put a date on it. So, don't leave me yet, check back every now and again. You might be pleasantly surprised one day. Hopefully sooner than later. Meanwhile, thank you for sticking with me - it really does mean a lot, that these people in cyberspace kinda-sorta care. 

Still running. Just for me. Just enough to keep me happy.