Alright, my racing season is over, but i’m sure you can tell by the training log and Insta pics that i’m obviously back running. I took a full 7 days off and couldn’t wait to start again. Which brings me to the next question, what’s next?
After a marathon or goal race it’s natural to look ahead and start planning out the next event(s). Sometimes all it takes is a beer or two on a raceless weekend and the credit card magically appears in a hand. –C’mon i’m not the only one here 😉
While I’m still not in a rush to start adding races to my calendar (I’ve been riding the high from Philadelphia), I am excited to start thinking of what types of races I want to do in 2017. I’m sure i’ll be doing multiple half marathons and a few fun 5ks.
when you’re not training for anything, you wear jeans more often
This year I did a Spartan Beast and a Ragnar Relay which were a brand new type of race for me. I liked the variety that obstacle courses and relay races offer to my training schedule and it gave me an opportunity to make friends and be social on the course, which doesn’t always happen when i’m trying to hit a time goal.
These types of races have helped keep me from burning out during some tough training cycles so I plan on doing them again. I’m excited to figure out what to tackle next!
Last Week
Monday: 6m easy 8:30/pace
Tuesday: Crossfit, 5.5m easy 9:18/pace
Wednesday: 5.1m easy 8:55/pace
Thursday: 40min legs
Friday: 5.4 easy 8:22/pace, 30 min core
Saturday: Crossfit, 6.3m trail run 8:06/pace
Sunday: 11.3 long 8:18/pace
Total Miles: 39.6
shesgoingthedistance.com 
12/12/2016 at 8:36 AM
(not entering anything … nothing in my area 🙂 )
I totally get what you are saying about ‘next year fever’!!! 😀 I didn’t run races this year – but getting an email for the Ithaca half-marathon, which was new last year but I missed both times due to the kids’ high school graduations … made me think … hmmm 🙂
I have a bunch of stuff I am interested in between the Ithaca half, Wineglass full, and a few other charity races … but this is supposed to be my year to do a 50 mile ultra. So I have to figure THAT out 🙂
Love the beanie pic – cool hat, and your hair still looks great!
12/21/2016 at 7:55 AM
next year fever is settling in hard!! i’m getting a ton of emails too. wineglass is still on my maybe list! If you do a 50 miler you let me know, that is something i hope to do one day. and yeah, i live in beanies in the winter, you’ll be seeing more of that!
12/12/2016 at 12:50 PM
Great read! I think you are so right about finishing the season on a high note with a major marathon and then looking for something different. I found the OCR races a great challenge a couple of years ago and a great way to have fun, challenge yourself, and meet new people. I’m definitely running the Chicago Spartan Super for 2017 but would love to run the Ohio Beast or the Boston Stadium! Baseball Sprints? YES!
12/21/2016 at 7:56 AM
yeah!!! Stadiums sound fun, and i’m leaning toward the ohio beast again, just because the trail running was so freaking beautiful
12/12/2016 at 12:53 PM
Oh I’d absolutely love to do a Spartan Race one day! You just reminded me actually that after a glass of wine or two at m friend’s Christmas dinner I agreed to run a half marathon Tough Mudder…or something of that kind. Shit.
12/21/2016 at 8:00 AM
never fails! that’s how i got wrangled into my first Spartan.. too much whiskey at thanksgiving 2 years ago haha. half marathon tough mudder–daaaannngg. That’s a big one!
12/12/2016 at 2:05 PM
i was already thinking about 2017 races as soon as i crossed the philly finish line. i think because i went in without a goal and had such an awesome time, i knew i could push harder and BQ at my next marathon. my coach and i talked and i am looking to eugene marathon in may and then philly again in the fall. i hosted a friendsgiveamas party this past saturday and we did an unofficial 5k around my neighborhood…and strangely enough, being hungover and in post-marathon shape, i PRed (i guess you cant really PR at an unofficial race) but i was surprised i still had some speed. would love to get some 5ks on the books for the winter! i look forward to following your 2017!
12/21/2016 at 8:01 AM
Oh that sounds awesome! Eugene has been on my radar for several years, but i’m normally not in the mood to run spring marathons. Not sure why… And you can too PR outside of an official race! you can just call it your “unofficial PR” 🙂
12/15/2016 at 10:32 AM
I’m a lot more conservative these days, I like time between my races. I started to look at my next ultra right away but ended up pulling crew/pacing duty for my coach. So my next race will end up being about 13 weeks away which I feel way more comfortable with…8 weeks is way too short lol
12/21/2016 at 8:04 AM
i’m conservative with the marathon. As much as i love running, i try not to get caught up with doing one after the other. I’m not even sure i’ll do one next year. Boston 2018 might be the next! haha. I would love to crew/pace for ultra runners. I’m obsessed with the details of the sport. Good luck with it! 13 weeks is plenty of time!!
12/17/2016 at 7:36 PM
Following your instagram and Spartans already. Looking forward to running the spartan race beast in Ohio. It looks like it’ll be a good challenge
12/21/2016 at 8:05 AM
thanks Greg! Spartan Ohio was the one i did last year and it was BEAUTIFUL out there
12/19/2016 at 9:28 AM
I would sign up for the Ohio Beast!
12/19/2016 at 9:29 AM
I follow you on Instagram, I follow Spartan and I commented which race I would use a code on. 🙂
12/21/2016 at 8:06 AM
Woo-hoo! Im announcing the winner today or tomorrow so stay tuned and cross your fingers!