This probably shows just how Type A I really am, but one thing that helps me when I’m in need of motivation is to work on a race schedule. Races help me to stay motivated. Why?
- It’s a carrot to help get me out the door. I get out and train, so I can have a better race!
- The atmosphere at a race oozes camaraderie and fun! It’s inspiring to be around others who are there to do their best.
- Completing a race is motivating by itself – it gives you the sense of satisfaction and urge to do even better next time.
- You get to “brag” for at least 24 hours. My rule is you get to wear your shirt for at least the rest of the day, which means you get to tell others what you accomplished.
So, now that we are relatively settled here in Denver, it’s time to leverage this motivational outlet and create a schedule to help me push through the tough workouts.
So what’s my plan? A little fun, a milestone, a marathon, and then two more fun races to wrap up the year. Now let’s look at the specifics:
- September 1 – Dirty Dash
- September 22 – Denver Half Marathon
- October 28 – Marine Corps Marathon
- November 22 – Turkey Day 5K; I love our Thanksgiving Day race tradition!
- December 15 – Rudolph’s Revenge 5k/10K
Between the marathon & thanksgiving race will be our yearly training break. When we start training again in December, it will be the preliminary work for Ironman Cairns. Wow, that’s crazy to think about!
I have thoughts about potential races for 2013, but I’m not quite ready to share those yet. =)
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Questions for you:
- How about you? Do you find races motivating?
- Are you type A like me?
