A Moderate 2015 Barefoot Running Race and Triathlon Schedule for Idaho Only Locations

I hear of people traveling all over to go to races. Maybe I will get to that point one day. I think it could be a fun vacation activity, especially if I get to meet friends I have only known from online running forums. But for now, racing local in the Boise, Idaho area is much more relaxing, less time consuming, and less expensive. It also makes it easier to coordinate races and training with summer gardening and camping. Also, the local races here are full without being jam-packed crowded.

For this year, I am only planning three major events, two are running races which I have done before and know the course, so I know I can do them barefoot. The third event is a triathlon, but even more local than those I have done before. The Emmett course and event has been great, but not needing to get up at 4:00 AM to make it to the starting line is appealing. The Lake Cascade triathlon was discontinued. Here is my core list of races:

Famous Idaho Potato – I will sign up for the half-marathon, or 13.1 miles, again this year. I liked this distance of a race at this time of year. I don’t put in enough miles during the winter to run farther, although I am already up to 10-11, so may end up feeling better than I did last year as far as preparation. The course was uncomplicated and felt like it flowed. Not that I didn’t get tired. I did. The race date has been moved out two weeks from previous race weekends, to May 30, 2015.

Y-Not Tri – There are three distance options to this race, the longest of which is just a touch longer in the swim and run than what I have done for my other sprint triathlons. This seems like a nice way to test a longer distance without moving all the way to an Olympic distance. It is also a little earlier in the summer than the Emmett Triathlon, which will make it less stressful to transition to full marathon training. The pond that the swim is in seems to be a newly upgraded water feature of the Boise area. It may be comparatively colder, since the race in is mid July and the water has not had as much time to warm up, but it is also shallower overall than the reservoir of the Emmett triathlon, from what I can tell. I can’t tell yet if I will need to consider a wetsuit, which is a problem for me. I don’t like wetsuits. At least the race location is close enough to me that I can check out the pond, even more than once. For an opposite temperature consideration, I have noticed that the start time for the distance I want to participate in is 12 noon, so I do have to wonder if the pavement will be too hot for barefoot running. Probably not if it is along the shaded, riverside greenbelt, but I will monitor this. The two links below give good descriptions of it. Date: July 18, 2015

Quinn’s Pond

Idaho’s Bernardine Quinn Pond

City of Trees Marathon – I hope to run 100% of the distance barefoot this year, instead of just the 90% of last year. I also hope to be able to train without major life upheaval, which has the potential to make it a much more enjoyable experience. This is on the books for October 11, 2015.

I may decide to add another race or two along the way, more as social events than anything, but these above mentioned races are goals of importance. This is not because I have lofty or driven hopes of results, but simply because these are the ones that mean the most to me this year.

Here are some race events I may consider for training/social runs, partly because they are so very close to home, I really like these race coordinators, and I have done the routes before:

The Shamrock Shuffle (click here for my pre-race report about the course from last year for this event.)
The Tutu Run (I will probably pass on the tutu.)
Struttin for Stuffin (this was fun to just walk with my sister last year)
The Hot Chocolate Run

Thus, it is time to map out a flexible training plan to make the three main events possible. It will be the first time I attempt to train for a triathlon (albeit just a sprint distance) and a marathon in the same year. Leaving myself the margin of only three events should help make this reasonable, plus I have experience in all three. I will be applying the concept of aerobic base building to the triathlon training effort for the first time, though I have already been applying it to my swimming and biking in cross training. I just need to add “brick” training now. Slow and steady, avoiding injury in the build-up. I feel stronger just thinking about it, in spite of having had pleurisy for about a month right before Christmas, and anticipating my 54th birthday soon!