Race planning for 2014

I have spent the last month trying to figure out my race schedule for the year ahead. I didn't realise how much in advance the major races sell out. I have also learned that racing can add up. I had to sit down with my race buddies and hubby to plan out the year as there are some big races I would like to run. My best friend and running buddy is celebrating her 40th this year and we have decided to run the Athens Classic Marathon this November. I am so glad with the technology we have today where I can search on line for races and many races from around the world will pop up. It took us a long time before we could figure out a race as both my kids have fall birthdays and I would like to be home to celebrate with them. I also prefer to train in the warmer months for a Fall marathon rather than training in the winter for a Spring marathon. It can be a bit of a struggle to try to fit in all the races that you want to participate in.

Tips for planning your race calender

- Sign up for email notifications from the races that you would like to participate in as you will get all the updates for registration

-  Check with your work and the work load that you have during the year

- Talk with your spouse/partner about what and when the races are that you are planning. If you have young kids like me, you also have to take into account possible childcare arrangements

- Try to register early so you can take advantage of the early bird pricing.

- Set a budget when looking at races, you can save money by registering early

- If you are planning a destination race, the race organization usually has a page with airlines and hotels that they have arranged for the runners with a bit of a discount

- Be realistic with your year and also with your training

My last point is hard one as you never know what the  year ahead will have in store for you. It is frustrating not knowing how your body may hold up with training or what bumps in the road you may had. I suggest that if there is a race that you have you heart set on doing, you should sign up. If you happen to not be able to run the race come race day, you can always look into transferring your bib to another runner or see if the race organization will let you defer your bib to the following year.
 
Depending on the distance of your races, you can plan some of the races to fall in line with your training plan. I had hoped to run 14 races in 2014, but not sure if I will be able to do it all. I suggest choosing a goal race and then add the other races into the year around your goal race.  As of today, I have registered for 10 races. You can see them posted under my races for 2014. This will be my first time running two marathons in one year. Both of these races are said to be somewhat hilly. I'm not sure if I've expressed this before but, I HATE HILLS!!! There I said it... I will learn to love them this year and incorporate more hill training in my training.

How do you decide what races you will run?

If you could run any race in the world, which one would it be?

Have a GREAT day!