The final quarter of 2013 was a tough one for my training. The Holidays always impact my time and since we feel so strongly about Christmas and its significance, I often skip my training. But this year we also lost a key team member, Patina Rodgers, who left in October to attend to much more important personal issues.
However, I was able to maintain some dietary self-discipline and a rudimentary level of fitness throughout the quarter. I am optimistic that I’ll be able to return to regular competition in 2014. Here are a couple races I hope to run:
April 26th – The 27th annual “Run Through the Vineyards” in support of Temecula Rotary has three races: 2k for the kids, and both 5k & 10k for anyone. The course has changed several times over the years, so I’m not sure what to expect, but it is hosted at the winery across the street from our church, so it is a convenient tune-up for my major race of the Spring season.
May 18th – The Pocono Mountains “Run for the Red” Marathon (http://www.poconomarathon.org/) is one of the nation’s fastest marathon courses, as determined by the percentage of runners running Boston Marathon qualifying times each year. The field is limited to under 2,000 participants and any course that passes through Paradise Township (http://www.paradisetownship.com) is worth the experience.