Okay, checked the upcoming schedule and a few more races are now on the calendar in Granite State communities I haven't hit yet. Among them: Dunbarton (coming up this weekend, on Earth Day), Rumney, Campton, South Hampton, Meredith, and Laconia.
If I keep up, looks like I could bag another eight or nine this season. That's better than things looked a short time ago, but still far fewer than I'm used to in a given season.
So, in order to complete this quest by May, 2016, looks like I will have to start running a few do-it-yourself races here and there. The first one of those may happen the last weekend of April, so stay tuned.
Not sure when the next state in my "running in all 50 challenge" will be, but it could be Maryland on Saturday, June 9, when I plan to attend a silent film screening at which a friend's score will be premiered. We'll see...
In the meantime, training has been erratic, frankly. An injured mother, a congested work schedule, a stiff Achilles tendon, and wacky weather have conspired to keep me off the roads more than I like. Went out with the dogs twice this weekend, but both were short runs due to unseasonably hot weather. Speaking of which, it's changed enough so regular bike rides should commence, meaning cross-training and less chance of injury.
Haven't been to the gym in ages but should probably start that up again, too.
Showing posts with label races. Show all posts
Showing posts with label races. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Few new towns on this year's calendar
It's March, and two of our dogs are about to take me on a four-mile run around our neighborhood. First, a few notes.
It's getting to be mid-March, and I'm surprised at how few races are scheduled in towns I haven't run. In prior years, by now I'd be sorting through a list of 15 or 20 communities for the coming season. This year -- just a handful. And that's out of six pages of listings on www.coolrunning.com.
So I really have entered a new phase of this quest. If I'm going to finish it by May 14, 2016 (see below), this is the year to start systematically setting up my "do-it-yourself" 5K courses. The goal: a minimum of 30 communities this year.
To do this, I need to make 15 trips, as my method will actually be to run a minimum 10K, only half in one town and half in another. To do this is quite easy: all you have to do is find where the border is marked between two towns (New Hampshire is pretty good at that), then measure off 2.5K (or 1.6 miles) in each direction.
So then, starting right at the border, you go into Town A a distance of 2.5K, then turn around and come back. That gives you a solid 5K in Town A. But then you cross the border and keep going into Town B, into which you run 2.5K, then turn around and head back. When you reach the border, hey presto -- another 5K done! And you're standing right next to your car.
Two advantages to this method: I can start any time I want, and no registration fees! So I can squeeze them in quite early, say, and still have most of the day free. (Plus I can take the dogs along.) And there being no races this weekend, and the weather being fairly nice, I might start early tomorrow with two towns, Brookline and Mason, and see how it goes.
Running in every state: Next up is New York State, which will happen while I'm roistering in Syracuse from Wednesday, March 14 through Monday, March 19. This will bring my total up to two out of 50. Well, you've got to start somewhere, and if the goal is to motivate me to workout while staying in a comfy hotel room, well, then it seems to be working, right?
It's getting to be mid-March, and I'm surprised at how few races are scheduled in towns I haven't run. In prior years, by now I'd be sorting through a list of 15 or 20 communities for the coming season. This year -- just a handful. And that's out of six pages of listings on www.coolrunning.com.
So I really have entered a new phase of this quest. If I'm going to finish it by May 14, 2016 (see below), this is the year to start systematically setting up my "do-it-yourself" 5K courses. The goal: a minimum of 30 communities this year.
To do this, I need to make 15 trips, as my method will actually be to run a minimum 10K, only half in one town and half in another. To do this is quite easy: all you have to do is find where the border is marked between two towns (New Hampshire is pretty good at that), then measure off 2.5K (or 1.6 miles) in each direction.
So then, starting right at the border, you go into Town A a distance of 2.5K, then turn around and come back. That gives you a solid 5K in Town A. But then you cross the border and keep going into Town B, into which you run 2.5K, then turn around and head back. When you reach the border, hey presto -- another 5K done! And you're standing right next to your car.
Two advantages to this method: I can start any time I want, and no registration fees! So I can squeeze them in quite early, say, and still have most of the day free. (Plus I can take the dogs along.) And there being no races this weekend, and the weather being fairly nice, I might start early tomorrow with two towns, Brookline and Mason, and see how it goes.
Running in every state: Next up is New York State, which will happen while I'm roistering in Syracuse from Wednesday, March 14 through Monday, March 19. This will bring my total up to two out of 50. Well, you've got to start somewhere, and if the goal is to motivate me to workout while staying in a comfy hotel room, well, then it seems to be working, right?
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