Racing Goals for 2011

A little bit ago Hubs sent me this IM:

I think your readership is bigger than you think; I just got asked why you don't have any racing goals on your resolution post that I hadn't even read yet.

I responded with this:

Hmmmm.  Tell them that my racing goals/resolutions are lumped in with finding more patience with you.

Hubs:  hahaha
Me:  I got jokes
Hubs:  Its funny cause it's true.

I've been thinking about that thought since he asked and so this is my real answer to that question:

I didn't make any racing resolutions because unlike a lot of people around me, I only enjoy the OCCASIONAL race.  I'm a fair weather racer.  If I'm feeling good, the weather is suppose to be nice, and I'm in no danger of drowning I will sign up and decide if I'm racing ON race day.

I have no desire to run a full marathon, complete an Olympic distance triathlon or be any type of Ironman.  It's not that I don't think I can do it (Oprah ran a marathon for goodness sakes) my lack of motivation comes from this simple statement: I don't get the point.  I'm perfectly satisfied running 3 or 4 or even 6 miles on a good day.  I like doing the 12ish mile Longview Loop on my bike and being done with it.

I suppose if someone told me they would pay me to swim, bike, run everyday and I could take naps and eat whatever I wanted that might be a different story.  The point would be: its my job. And the better I do my job, the better I get paid.  But to just get up at the ass crack of dawn on the weekends to suffer through a race is not really my idea of a great time.  I already get paid to suffer through something else during the week...it's called work.  Why would I want to subject myself to the same misery on my days off?

I know people that run marathons.  After Hubs finished his first marathon he said he didn't feel the clouds part and the 'come to Jesus' moment a lot of people feel when they finish a marathon.  His life wasn't different at all.

Another friend posted this after her first marathon:

"I trained for my first full marathon (26.2 miles) for 6 months and completed it in October 2010. Surprisingly, I left the experience feeling somewhat empty and unfulfilled. I had raised so much money and run so many miles and for what? I know that there are many people out there that I had helped through the money I raised, but I still felt lost.  I had no desire to run anymore. What was the point? Yes, it made me feel good sometimeands, and yes, I had met some amazing people, but the warmth of my bed in the morning sounded so much more appealing."

The point of my racing is this:  Hubs enjoys it and I like spending time with Hubs so I will continue to begrudgingly follow him around while he races.  And I will do a few along the way--if I feel like it.

So, here are my racing goals for 2011:

• Do 1 race a month  (assuming the weather permits--Jillian Carter permits; not race permits.)

• In keeping with our agreement I will continue to buy one new outfit for every race I run although this year we are going to change it from 'racing' outfits to just 'outfits'

• Not push myself so hard I throw up while biking

• Remember my cow bell so I can be an appropriately noisy fan.  (Beth continuously showed me up last season.)

• Volunteer for the Lawrence/Branson half Ironmans and unlike last year, I will show up for both...

• It is likely I will run a 5k in under 30 minutes.  But, if not, I will sleep just fine...

• And I might run the KC Half Marathon (again) just to prove that anyone can run a half marathon if they want to...

Again, I think 2011 is going to be a steller year.  For racing and otherwise!