I thought twice about running this morning.  The plan was to run with my neighbors at 8am.  It was 33° at 8am and I was still sipping coffee and reading the Journal.  Steve changed his plans to 1pm.  It would be 61° by that time.  Then Jen and Keith pushed their target out to 9am.  I can do 9.  Plus, this week is going to feel like winter so best to start getting acclimated.

Turns out my reluctance was silly.  Even this early, the weather was perfect for running.  Temps in the 30s with full sun and no wind in Colorado can be gorgeous.  Today it was.  I kept my tights on but didn’t really need them.  I left my jacket in the car though.  Good call.  I didn’t need my gloves either. We launched from the Eagle Trailhead and turned on to the Left Hand Trail a mile and a half later where the Sage Trail reaches the Boulder Valley Trailhead.  That’s where we took this first picture.  Left Hand Trail leads mostly north to Neva Road.  We turned back around at the Left Hand Trailhead for a 9 mile run.  Really beautiful day.

Not sure what you’ve been doing since my 2013 racing schedule completed a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve been planning my winter running plans. The Longmont Turkey Trot 10K is just a week away.  I haven’t registered yet but this is in my backyard.  I’m obligated to show up to compete for my age group.  The following weekend is a 5K in Denver that Ellie and Karen said they are interested in.  I’m going to wait a bit to make sure they are committed before registering for that one.  The same weekend is a Cross Country 6K in Boulder.  I’m waiting to see if I can form a team before registering for that event but am fairly certain I’ll do it regardless.  The final race of the year might be the ColderBolder 5K across the CU Campus.  I did sign up for this already.  I ran it last year and got a cool ski hat.  Last year my neighborhood ran another 5K on the same day – I ran both.  Have yet to hear if it’s on this year.

• Longmont Turkey Trot 10K – Sat Nov 9th
• City Park 5K – Nov 16
• Cross Country Run – Nov 17th
• ColderBolder – Dec 7th
• Yeti Chase 5K/10K – Jan 26
• Ralston Creek Half – Feb 9th
• Austin Marathon – Feb 17th

My friends are thinking of two winter runs to start the new year.  A 10K in January and a half marathon in February.  I have to think about these.  I’ll likely run the Yeti Chase in January – weather permitting.  I’ve already registered for the Austin Marathon in February and expect to be down there all month so will likely miss the Ralston Creek Half Marathon.  I don’t intend to focus my training on any of these winter events other than to keep up my distance to be prepared for the Austin Marathon.  That can be tough once DST ends tomorrow with shorter days, but that’s why I set myself a target marathon.  Motivation.