Impromptu Racing!

I'm one of those people who puts together a race schedule early on and signs up for races almost as soon as they open (Type A, anyone?). So you could say my behavior this week is a bit uncharacteristic, but the opportunity presented itself and an impromptu decision was made! This Sunday I'll be running the semi-local Davis Stampede half marathon : ) While my goal has been to get my long runs in on the trails to prep for Cool and AR, unfortunately I couldn't find anyone to run with on Sunday, and Lord knows I couldn't navigate those trails all by myself. Although running on the pavement instead isn't ideal, at least I'll get the miles in. And one upside to running on the road is that the miles won't take as long, so I'll be able to get to work in time afterward. I am getting so tired of running on the same stretch of the parkway lately that I'm really looking forward to a change of scenery. Plus, it's been a while since my last road race and I'll admit I love the atmosphere (and the swag, who are we kidding?).

As far as goals, I don't really have any set in stone. My ultimate goal this year for the half marathon distance is to break 2 hours (current PR is 2:04), but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready, or if I even want to push it. I haven't been doing any speedwork, but my mileage has increased significantly and overall I'm feeling stronger. At the same time, I know I shouldn't risk things with two huge races coming up in the next few months. And honestly, I'm hesitant because I don't want to be disappointed. So after typing this out, I've developed a game plan. If there's a 2 hour pacer, I will start with them and see how I feel - if things are good, I'll just hang on for dear life! If I'm not feeling so hot, I'll simply drop back. If no pacer, I'll revert back to my main goal of a sub 2:10 finish. Regardless of finishing time, I'm looking forward to this race!