The First Annual Christmas Canter

Admission: I have not been running. Shock! Sad face!

It's not for lack of interest. At first I genuinely believed it was a lack of time given my school schedule. But then a fellow student started training for the Seattle Marathon and he manages to do all of his weekend long runs and runs during the week - and then I feel like I'm just full of poo. 

In 2011, I didn't register for any long distance races. Not coincidentally, I barely ran at all that year. Clearly, I need a motivator. 

I did a little research on local winter races, looking for an 8 or 10 km road race, thinking that either would be a reasonable distance for general fitness and running upkeep. Sadly, I didn't find any that would work for me.

So ... now what? I can't just give up. I don't want to be stagnant for the next few months, and it's painfully obvious that I won't run if I don't have a reason.

If Santa can do it, so can I.

My solution: The Christmas Canter. It's a race I made up, just for me! It will be held on Thursday, December 20 at 9 AM. 

I've been wanting to improve my 10 km, and I think six weeks is ample time to train for that kind of distance. True, I won't have a crowd to urge me on, and there won't be a medal (or free food!) at the end - but at least it's something to work towards that will get me into my running shoes and away from my computer. And if this works the way it's supposed to, maybe I'll make it an annual event!

I'm not sure where I'm going to run this "race" just yet. I have a 10 km training loop, but the route has quite a few traffic lights, etc. Personally, I think it would be nice to have a dedicated course where I don't have to worry about that sort of thing, particularly as one of my goals is to shave off some of my time. More on this later.

What do you think about this idea? Vote on the Five by 35 poll on the home page and let me know!