Winter race season

Normally this time of year is devoted to marathon or Ironman training for events like the PF Chang Rock N' Roll marathon in January, Lost Dutchman Marathon in February or the former April Ironman Arizona date. This year however, I've been able to cobble together a decent and diverse Winter racing season that incorporates fun, speed, challenges and the distances balance my training time. Lets take a look. 

11/12 Toro Loco Challenge. A 5k obstacle course race in Eloy, Arizona. I think this is an inaugural event as far as I know. The date fit and I look forward to racing in an area of Arizona I have not spent much time. 

11/19 Mad Mud Run 4 mile course in Scottsdale, Arizona. These are always fun events. The trick with events that are 'mud' runs in Arizona is that they are usually running on desert trail, navigate a few obstacles and then a mud pit at the finish line. The event host, Sierra Adventure Sports, is a company that I have followed for a few years and they have impressed me with their risk taking in putting on events in sketchy desert areas. 

12/10 Sally Meyerhoff 5k road race in Tempe, Arizona. Sally was an amazingly gifted local athlete who was killed in March 2011 in a cycling accident. Just months before her death she had won a half ironman, became the Xterra world champion and won the PF Chang marathon, the first American female to do so. This race is supporting a foundation in her name and her friends from the endurance community, worldwide and locally, plan on making this race a true gem. 

12/10 12k of Christmas in Gilbert, Arizona. It has been a very long time since I have done a real 'Christmas' run with lots of costumes and season spirit. I look forward to just enjoying the scenery. It is not a typo that both Sally's 5k and 12k of Christmas are shown a 12/10.  Sally's run starts at 8am, I expect a rather fast 5k time, then hop in the car and drive to the 12k that starts at 10am. I have never done two different races in different locations on the same day so that will be good fun. 

1/14/12 Tough Mudder in Wickenburg, Arizona.  I drove 28 hours round trip to do the first Tough Mudder in Bear Valley, California in October 2010, thankfully this is much closer. I have been an obstacle course enthusiast for years, since my time in the Army and finding something similar in the civilian world was sorely lacking. TM let me see this new category of racing really start to be taken seriously. 

2/11/12 Super Spartan Race, Chandler, Arizona. This company absolutely rocks, it will be my second time doing this race at this location and I expect the obstacles and the course to be taken up a notch. While this may be only my only Spartan race for the winter, I expect to travel to a few of their other events throughout 2012.  The brilliance behind Spartan is that they have four levels of races and my goal is to complete all four, including the Death Race, a once a year race that the race directors only provide a mandatory gear list and do not tell the contestants what the events are or how long the race will last. 

2/18/12 GORUCK Challenge, Phoenix, Arizona. Hosting 'classes' around the world almost every weekend of the year, this company has brought the military conditioning mentality to the public. It is not a race, it is a team building event that is run by former and current members of the US Army Special Forces. Each city event has two classes that start in the middle or the night and last 15-20 miles and between 8-10 hours.  The mandatory equipment is a GORUCK pack, bought or borrowed from the company as these events are really designed to be product testing of the packs. And based on body weight each person carry's three or four paver bricks in the pack for weight. 

I have an open weekend on 12/3 that I may try to fill at the last minute. There is a half marathon I have given a soft commitment to running in Las Vegas. Its actually a Sunday night (12/4) run on the strip. I have a few team mates from AZTRICLUB that are already committed. However on 12/3, there is a 5-8 hour adventure race only a couple miles from my house at Saguaro Lake called Desert Rage Adventure Race. I would rather do that event for many reasons. 

I am pretty excited to pack the next few months with these races and be able to add to this schedule as peer pressure and personal satisfaction demand like turkey trots, New Years races, maybe the odd super sprint triathlon. I'd really like to open up my season in the Spring and Summer for destination events where friends live, combining good friends and healthy racing. 

It's not enough to exist. I am going to live.