Racing Season Already?

Seems a bit odd to be talking about racing season in the middle of January, but that is where I find myself.  Last week it was the much dreaded Meet of the Miles and this week it was the Securian Half Marathon, part of St. Paul Winter Carnival.  It is also part of the MDRA Grand Prix, which I signed up for again this year.   This is weird part of the schedule, two races in January, then off again until March.  They have added a few races this year and dropped a couple of my old favorites, particularly the Brian Kraft 5k.  I may end up running that one anyway.  The race went well, considering I didn't really do any distance specific training.  Outside of my mile training, I have only averaged just over 30 miles per week since October.  I went out at a conservative pace, then managed 6:40 miles for the second half, coming in just under 1:30.  It certainly was a nice day and enjoyed the race, except for the last half mile, which is hilly and painful.

Continue my slow ascent into some real mileage, just breaking 50 again this week, including a tempo/hill workout on Tuesday and of course the half marathon, which at this point I just consider a really aggressive tempo run.

Also, some big changes for me.  The running store that I have worked at for over 4 years is closing today.  I will miss the shoe discount for sure, but will also miss helping runners in Eden Prairie find the right shoe or lending some advice on how to combat their plantar fasciitis.  Things had been really slow the past 6 months, so I kind of saw it coming.  But, next week I will start my new job of Run Club and Marathon Coach of the Williston Fitness Center Run Club.  Sounds like a lot of fun and a great group of people.  I am really looking forward to it.

Happy Running,
Rick