Wednesday, September 23, 2015

I Wanna, I Wanna {2016 Race Dreams}

Miles has a Christmas list the length of the New York City phone book.

Wait, do phone books still exist? Probably not.

Let's start over.

Miles has a Christmas list that has as many items as Taylor Swift has Instagram followers. The list is probably equally as varied though he contends that it contains nothing boring (read: clothes).

The list began July 8 when he realized that he could no longer request toys for his birthday as he would have to 364 days to receive the item – if he got it at all. He adds to it every time we go to Target or Kohl's, Walmart or Barnes and Noble. (Thankfully, books are not considered boring.) I entertain him by pulling out my phone and pretending to add the requests to an electronic memo. Really, I'm checking Facebook.

It was cute at first but it's gotten to the point of ridiculous, making Mark and I increasingly frustrated. We don't want our children to be greedy or live in a constant state of "want."

"Where does he get this from?" Mark will ask.

I shrug my shoulders and attribute it to age, consumerism and too much time at Target. But, this week, I realize I'm like this in one regard ... racing. As in I want to run them all.

The tipping point for me recently was when I received an email from the Wisconsin Marathon about the 2016 race.

A photo posted by Kimberly (@healthystrides) on

I had ran the race in 2013, and I had so much fun hanging out with my friends. And, I mean, superheroes. Come. On. Now. I wanted to do it.

No, I needed to.

And then I was looking through the virtual goody bag for Fort4Fitness and I saw an ad for the Indy Mini Marathon. I have yet to run that race despite having 16 halfs under my belt, it being the largest one in the country and just two hours away. I could do it (but it's the same day as Wisconsin).

The Flying Pig races are in May, too. I've been longing for a chance to tackle the course of my first half  and dominate it. Plus, there's multi-race options, which would be a fun challenge without having to do a full marathon.

Ah. A full marathon.

I don't think I want to commit to 26.2 next year, not yet at least, but I'd love to do Twin Cities. And Grandma's. If I trained for a fall full, I could try for the Huff 50K next winter, too.

It was the addition of the 50K to the list of possibilities that I realized I had taken on a new level of crazy. Miles-Gimme-Gimme-Gimme crazy. It was time to hide the credit card.

But, before I do, here are some other things I'm thinking of:

Cherry Blossom 10-miler, April. We have friends in D.C. and a free place to stay. It's a lottery, though, and would require a quick trip (read: flight). It would be a big bucks race.

Fort Wayne Track Club* Ironman series. Track club members who run all of the points races (usually 12 or 13) earn the title of Ironman. I've never been able to do it – pregnancy, vacation, teaching Saturday mornings. The track club should post the 2016 races in November so I should have a better idea whether it's possible. (We have a road trip scheduled for July.)

Hatfield & McCoy half marathon, June. Mark and I watch a lot of history documentaries on Netflix and thus the historical tie is fascinating. Plus, I could visit some friends.

What else should I put on the list?

*For Midwest folks who happen to be Scott Jurek fans, Jurek will be the keynote speaker at the track club banquet in January. I'm incredibly amped to see him, especially after his AT record. Talk about a big thing on the list – Mark and I would love to hike a portion of the Appalachia Trail. I told him we should do it for our 10th wedding anniversary in 2018.

5 comments:

  1. I pretty much love your list :)

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  2. I pretty much love your list :)

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  3. If you do Hatfield/McCoy, you will be staying with me. An hour away, dearest. :-)

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  4. Kyle and I are seriously considering the Indy Mini - the race track part has him pretty much sold. We also have Hatfield-McCoy on our racing bucket list! Won't happen next year, but some day.

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  5. I think that is a great list!!! There are so many races that I want to do!!! I definitely want to do the Cherry Blossom 10 miler!! I also want to do Twin Cities and Flying Pig!! But do I want to do a marathon next year is the question!!! You have to put NYC on your list. It is soon amazing!! That Ironman series looks super fun too!!! Good luck deciding!! :)

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