Race fees......2011 Jan-Apr Race Schedule

My preliminary race schedule has been assembled for the start of 2011 through the Boston Marathon.  After dropping a large amount of money that I would rather not think about, here it is:

1/1/2011: Resolution Run 5K, Baltimore, MD
1/8/2011: BRRC Frozen Fingers 5 Miler, Baltimore, MD
1/16/2011: BRRC GPS 8 Miler, Baltimore County, MD
2/6/2011: Superbowl 5K, Dundalk, MD
2/27/2011: Maryland RRCA Club Challenge***, 10 Miler, Howard County, MD
3/5/2011: B&A Trail Half Marathon, ~Annapolis, MD
3/13/2011: St. Patrick's Day Shamrock 5K***, Baltimore, MD
3/26/2011: BRRC GPS 15K, Whitehall, MD
4/3/2011: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler***, Washington DC
4/18/2011: Boston Marathon***, Hopkinton-Boston, MA


BRRC= Baltimore Road Runners Club
GPS= Grand Prix Series

***=Races with very deep fields and guaranteed tough competition.

I may add another race to April if I can find a good one.  Mid February also has space for another, though it's tough to find races at that time.  I'm disappointed that I won't get a 10K on the schedule.  The only two local races worth doing, Pike's Peek and Clyde's are both the same weekend as Boston so they are out.

4 races with good competition makes me happy.  Each competitive race will be quite a big deal.  The shamrock 5K is the most competitive 5K around.  With the first mile completely downhill and the rest of the course flat, blazing times are easy to obtain.  My 16:53 PR is on that course and was good for only 28th thanks to all the fast guys that show up.  The RRCA club challenge brings all the heavy hitters at the local level for a cheap "for runners by runners" 10 mile race.  Cherry Blossom and Boston are of course mega races, but finding out how I place against the toughest fields in the world are always fun.

I should have a shot at winning or at least placing top 3 in my first 4 races of the year.  The B&A Half should be interesting.  I certainly will not win, but few runners will be ahead of me.  That may be a good race to test myself and run with faster people.

My major goals for this upcoming training cycle:

--->Sub-2:40 for the marathon, just under 6:06/mile, 12 seconds per mile faster than my current PR.  I've gone as far as 15 miles at that pace with extra gas in the tank.  Hopefully more training, and more "realization" from 2010 training will get me there.

-->Finally break 60:00 in a 10 miler.  I've run 60:00 flat 10 mile splits in both my 2010 half marathons, so this is hopefully just a formality.  I think I can go as low as sub-58:00 right now.

-->Bring my 5K time in line with my 10K time.  Right now, my 10K is only slightly more than twice my 5K.  If I can control myself and actually go out at 5:20-5:25 pace, my time should finally get and stay under 17:00.

--->Get ranked by Washington Running Report at least one season this year.  The system is probably as complicated as the BCS but basically, I need to run two races in a 10K equivalent time of 34:20 to be eligible in a given season for the open division.  Final rankings are posted at the end of the year based on how runners did for each season.  There is a conversion formula for different race distances.  A sub-2:40 marathon would count, then I would need one more equivalent performance.  The ranking system considers runners from MD, VA, and DC.  Becoming ranked gives you an idea of how you fare at the regional level, though it takes nearly national class times to get ranked highly.  I'm already on the heels of some of the lowest ranked runners and my times are inching closer.


One last note...

A system known as the WAVA age graded calculator provides a way for runners of all ages to compare each other.  A rather simple formula, one takes the world record time for their race distance and divides it by their time to yield a percentage.  Older runners receive a bump factor, allowing runners of all ages to be compared objectively.  Being 24, I receive no bump.  Scores above 70% are considered "regional level."  My fastest times of 2010 put me from 75-78%, an upper level regional runner.  I would love to break into 80% (national class).

Stay tuned....all of this will have to be earned though many, many miles.