Summer Vacation is Over

Ok, I've set an ultimatum with Mother Nature.  I'm headed to New York for vacation in a week and a half.  In normal parts of the world, September marks the end of summer and a straight path into fall.  Fall=Nice weather.  So, my intentions are to run in the beautiful weather of the east coast and bring that beautiful weather back with me.  In my dream world I'm gonna come back to AZ at the end of September and the morning and nighttime temps are going to be great, and naturally, with great weather comes GREAT RUNNING!  If that is not the case....I'm moving!

The beauty of AZ running is that we don't have to run in 6 inches of snow in Nov/Dec, so when the rest of the country is running on a treadmill, we're throwing on a long sleeve tech shirt or a light pullover, and we are running outdoors for the next 8 months.  

5k's...10k's...half marathon's....happening just about every weekend.  The only problem is knowing that you can't do them all.  The OCD in me came to light this past week, having just come off my Disney Half.  Seeing that this race falls on labor day weekend, I typically look at it as the end of summer vacation.  Time to look forward!  I put together a formal 20 week training schedule for the Full P.F. Changs Marathon on January 18th.  Wow, it's jam packed with speedwork, strength training, and many multiple workout days.  Wanting to stengthen my abilities on the bike, I've ensured that I spend lots of time in the saddle too.  This should also build my running endurance.

Now, lets talk events.  I'm sure that there will be plenty of one off, spur of the moment 5 and 10k's, but here is a list of some of the big ones on the schedule for the next 20 weeks.  

• The Other Half in Moab, Utah.  I am so pumped for this half marathon!  It's gonna be beautiful!
• YMCA-Half or 5k
• Fiesta Bowl-Half Marathon
• Tour de Tucson Bike Ride.  I'm thinking the 67 or 80 mile ride.  One of the largest bike rides in the country.  Over 10,000 riders.
• Mesa Turkey Trot
• The reason for all the hard work takes place on January 18, 2009.  The full P.F. Changs Marathon.

Long story short, it's gonna be a hard but fun 20 weeks.  I've also made the commitment to myself to blog as much as possible along the way so I can look back on this adventure.  

School is now in session!