2019 Races: January through April

Friends, can you believe the calendar's about to flip again?? What the heck?

I am wrapping up work stuff & packing today & tonight, & then tomorrow we jet off to Eastern Washington to spend Christmas week with Don's parents. Then it's back home for one day, & on to another plane for Mexico for New Year's week to celebrate a good friend's 40th. (Did you know Ensenada is Mexico's wine country? Did you know Mexico HAD wine country?? Me either! #TIL. I'm so pumped.)

I am waiting on race pictures to post my last race report of the year (Silicon Valley Sant Run 5K), so in the meantime, please enjoy some musings about what I might do race-wise in the first half (or so) of 2019.

When I started running again last August post-Boston, I was feeling unmotivated & in need of another big-hairy-audacious goal to chase. Eventually I settled on the Wharf-to-Wharf six-miler at the end of July and finishing in the top 100. Seven months is really too long to be one training cycle, though (at least for me), so my plan is to split January through July into two 3-3.5 month chunks with a little break in the middle, which I've started referring to as "Season 1" & "Season 2".

I think I want to run maybe 3-4 races in each season (all in the 5-10K range), with a target race at the end of each. For season 2 obviously my 'A' race will be Wharf to Wharf, and for season 1 I'm leaning toward Stow Lake Stampede 5K in Golden Gate Park. I've nailed down a few things but still need to fill some slots.

What do YOU think I should run? Here are the candidates:

//SEASON 1//

January:

1/13: Hot Chocolate Run 5K, (San Francisco). I may end up not racing in January because I'm traveling so much, but if I do, I think it would be this race. The flagship distance is the 15K, but since I've been working on speed lately I'd run the 5K. It's super close to home (I would probably run there & back & MAAAAYBE break double digits) which ranks high on my list of race priorities, and it seems like a low key & fun way to start off the year. The trouble is, I will be getting off a plane at midnight the night before so probably not in bed til 1:30am, & the race is at 7:20am, so you do the math there. Unfortunately I'm only in town one other weekend in January, and there are zero short road races less than a half-hour from SF, which is about all I'm willing to drive for a first race of the season.

February:

2/3: Kaiser Permanente 10K, (San Francisco). This race has always been mainly a half marathon and a companion 5K, but for the first time this year there is a 10K option! Since my big-hairy-audacious goal involves a six-mile race at the end of July, I figure February is a pretty good time to start transitioning back into that distance & getting comfortable with it. (This is one of the only things I'm officially registered for at this point.)

March:

The month of indecision! I think this will either be two races (one near the beginning of the month & one closer to the end) or one sort of in the middle-ish. The options:

3/2: Fire Drill Run 5K or 10K, (Mountain View). A little bit of a drive but not too far. From what I've read this is another small but well-organized local community race & could be another good option for either distance.

3/2: Girls to Women 5K or 10K, (Mountain View). Same, really.

3/3: Chinese New Year 5K or 10K, (San Francisco). Same general concept, but much closer to home & a day later. I don’t know as much about this race so I would want to investigate it more before signing up over the other two.

3/10: Baylands 5K, 8K, or 10K, (Palo Alto). A week later, still a bit of a drive, & with a fun apocryphal distance option.

3/10: Running is My High 5K or 10K, (Oakland). Closer than Mountain View/Palo Alto, but further than SF. Another race I’d need to learn more about before committing.

3/17: Go Green St. Patrick's Day Run 5K or 10K, (San Jose). Eh, who knows. I might run this one if I end up feeling like going back to back. Or maybe not. San Jose is far.

3/24: Racing Hearts 5K or 10K, (Palo Alto). Another of those small community races that could be fun but that I don’t know much about. Kind of far but not as far as San Jose.

3/31: Hellyer Half 5K or 10K. (Coyote Creek Parkway). One of Brazen’s rare paved and mostly flat offerings. I ran the 10K a few years ago and it was a good time, if a bit of a hike. I’d definitely consider it again and I like that I could do a 5K or 10K. If I go two races in March, it would probably be this and then something else in that first weekend (Fire Drill/Girls to Women/Chinese New Year).

With my big 2019 goal race being a six-miler, one of the questions about the March races is when to start bumping up the distance to the 10K range. So that's another decision I'll have to figure out.

April:

4/14: Stowe Lake Stampede 5K, (San Francisco). Like I said, my current pick for my season 1 'A' race. This is a USATF Pacific Association Road Racing Grand Prix race where, given the competition it attracts, I'll be lucky to crack the top third, but sometimes that and the fact that it's a certified course can make it a more motivating race than one that's more of a chill community event. (Don't get me wrong! I love those! But sometimes you just want to stand in awe of 47 other women utterly kicking your ass & then bury yourself trying to chase even one of them down.) Bonus that it's in Golden Gate Park (ie ~10 minutes away). I think knowing who I'd be racing against & not wanting to embarrass myself could potentially be really motivating.

And then, a little mini-break! Not too long; just a couple weeks, maybe, to rest & gear up for Season 2.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE ME??