Racing through spring

Today's planned run: Central Park

I'm feeling rested after taking a break yesterday. I'm hoping that this will translate into some good running today and over the weekend. I'm planning to run again with my friend in Central Park at lunchtime. It should be 70 degrees by noon with lots of sun. Oh, for the want of a shower in my office!

It's amazing that tomorrow is already May 1st. This year is going by quickly and I attribute much of that to spending a good part of January recovering from pneumonia. It's like I lost a month. But spring is here and the weather has been nice for outside activities. I'm thinking about my racing plans between now and summer. Right now, I've got three events in my sights:

The Brooke Jackman Run for Literacy 5K - May 16
A local race in mid-May. It's a run/walk so my family can also participate.

The XTERRA Trail Race Series 8K run at Stillwell Woods - June 6
This is the second Stillwell XTERRA race this year. I did the first in March and it was tough. Add 1.5 miles  to that course and you have the June 6 race.

New Hyde Park 8K - June 13
I ran this race last year and learned my lesson about starting too fast. I bonked 2/3 of the way through the course but still ended up with a sub-9:00 pace (just barely).

This would mean I'd be running three races in one month's time. It seems like a lot but I do those distances as training runs every weekend. The XTERRA is the biggest challenge and until recently I thought I wouldn't be up for it. I will do what's necessary to be ready to run it by the 6th. After all, racing is a great way to train for other races.