Stuck in a workout rut? Tired of the same old cardio routine? Ready for something new and exciting to motivate you? Well good, because I want you to pick a new race to sign up and train for in 2012. Whether you’ve never entered a formal race, or you’re a seasoned marathoner, there’s always a new challenge to be faced.
If you’ve never competed before, choose a sport that interests you or a cause that you’d love to fundraise for. If you’ve done every 5K or marathon in your area, why don’t you pick a new challenge like a triathlon or a bicycle race? Don’t worry; I’m in this with you. At the end of January, I’ll be running my fourth half marathon, and honestly, I am bored out of my mind with running. I literally throw a fit every time I have to run, which is why I am doing the worst attempt of training yet. This is also why I have decided to give half marathons a rest and sign up for a triathlon! With a triathlon, I get to mix up my training; I get to bike, swim, and run so I won’t get bored. I can’t wait!
The great thing about races is that there are so many different ones you can sign up for. There is sure to be one that strikes your interest or hits close to home on a motivational or emotional level if it’s for a specific cause. For example, since I’ve never done a triathlon before, I researched all triathlons in my area and I found a perfect beginner’s race. It’s long enough distances to be a challenge for me, especially since I’ve never done one of these, but it’s also short enough distances to where I won’t need to drop a ton of money on a true race bike. I can just use my trusty beach cruiser, even if it means I’ll have to huff it a little harder than the pros on their fancy shmancy speedy bikes.
So if you’ve tackled your annual 5K, why not step it up to a 10K, or get really gutsy and pledge yourself to a marathon. You can even switch it up entirely like me by adding a new element to the course or dropping the running aspect entirely and participating in a bike or swim. Your options are limitless and it doesn’t matter how big or extreme your challenge is. Committing to the challenge itself is the important part. Now go find your race and let the training fun begin!
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