OK, now that I’ve wrapped up the Mississippi Blues Marathon (recap here), I’ve decided to get serious about picking some spring races.  As I mentioned in my Mississippi recap, I ran a good portion of that race with a very friendly and seasoned 3:50 pacer.  I asked him his suggestions for spring marathons and…

he immediately told me to run the Asheville Marathon, which is on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.  I have been to Asheville before and love it  (and I’ve been to other spots in NC many times: the Outer Banks, Charlotte, Durham, Winstom-Salem, Beech Mountain, etc.).   It’s this cool hippie town in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with lots of vegetarian food, organic clothing stores, breweries, music venues, yoga studios, and other cool spots.  It’s also the home of Biltmore, which is a giant house (America’s largest) built by George Vanderbilt on 8,000 acres.  The Asheville Marathon goes all along the grounds of Biltmore, and spectators can tour the house while the runners run.   Asheville is about a 7 hour drive from DC but I couldn’t find any direct flights.  ROAD TRIP!  I persuaded my mom to make the journey with me, and as soon as she agreed, I registered!

Now that I’m registered, I should probably think about my training, especially if I am going to shoot for 3:45, my goal pace this year.  Here’s my condensed schedule for the next two months:

January 12-17

• Oh wait, that’s today…. um walk?
• Back to pilates on Wednesday for first workout after Mississippi Blues
• Soulcycle (my work is doing a promotion with them for employees! woohoo)
• Orangetheory
• 10 miler over the weekend

January 18-24

• Orangetheory
• Soulcycle
• 15 miler

January 25-31

• Prepare for my honeymoon
• Orangetheory like whoa
• Pilates pilates pilates
• Activate my Corepower Yoga 10 class card?
• 17 miler

February 1-7

• Honeymooning, including surfing, kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, golfing, hula dancing
• Work in a few short runs as well

February 8-14

• Continue honeymooning including hiking and other physical pursuits
• Work on re-adjusting to the Eastern time zone
• 10 miler

February 15-21

• Back to Orangetheory
• Back to pilates/Corepower
• 18 miler

February 22-28

• 20 miler!

February 29-March 6

• Begin the taper

March 7-13

• Taper!
• Eat carbs!
• Run the marathon!

As with the Mississippi Blues Marathon, I’ll provide weekly updates on my training.

You may also be wondering how my 2016 miles in 2016 goal is progressing.  I’m happy to report that I’ve completed (walk or run) 86 miles in the first 12 days of the year.  That’s an average of 7.17 miles/day.  So far, I’m on track to hit the goal!

OK, last update: tomorrow I am submitting my application for the 50 States Marathon Club!  Then I’ll be officially official!

Has anyone run the Asheville Marathon before?  What do I need to know?  What should I check out in Asheville?  Anyone  running it this year?  If not, what spring races are you training for?  Any tips for working out while still relaxing and having fun on a honeymoon/vacation?