Yes- I have plans and goals! My last race was November 9th, and originally I was ready to jump into training for the next one. I had my eye on a 50k on the west coast of Florida in January. But then…
Lately I’ve been in a pattern that goes like this: I run a race, end with some weird injury, recover, then realize my next race is coming RIGHT UP, and quickly jack up the distance of my long runs. Then I show up to the race slightly underprepared, and the whole cycle starts again.
When I finished the last race with a rib injury, I decided to break this cycle. My next big race will be in April (more about that in a moment.) In the meantime, I’m planning to run a half marathon with Darlene in February!
Darlene and I have a sketchy history with this race. We were going to run it together two years ago- she broke her foot and I got a stomach virus two days before the race, so neither os us were able to run. Last year, Darlene registered for the race but then sprained her ankle in December and wasn’t able to train for it (I copied her by spraining my ankle in February.)
This year, nothing could go wrong! Training for a half marathon, instead of an ultra, is giving me a chance to work on speed for a change. It’s fun! My long runs don’t have to be crazy long for this race, so I can focus on other things.
But don’t worry! I do have a big, scary goal for 2025. I heard on a recent podcast that your big, scary goal should be something you can potentially fail at. PERFECT! I’ve already proved I can fail at this one: a 50 mile race.
The race I’m planning is the Skunk Ape Endurance Run in Ocala, FL on April 26th. This gives me plenty of time to complete my “remedial” running program, run the half marathon, and train for a 50 miler.
Those are my running plans. I also have a trip to Tampa in early January (where I hope to get together with Stephany), two fun blogger meetups in February- one with Darlene to run the race, and another one with some visiting bloggers (oooh! exciting!)- and then a trip to Waco in May for my son’s college graduation.
Do you have any fun plans for 2025? Any big, scary goals?
26 Responses
Oooh! How exciting to have some race plans for the first half of the year! I don’t have race plans but will probably run the same 10 mile race as last year. I like that it’s low key and close to my MIL’s.
What I am excited for is the couples trip to Mexico that we are doing in late March. I haven’t blogged about it since so much other stuff has happened with kid illnesses and holidays and such. But I am very excited for an adults only trip with 2 other couples. The boys will stay with my parents. Besides that, I have 13 work trips scheduled for 2025… gulp. So life is not slowing down.
Ooh, a couples trip! That sounds amazing. And 13 work trips- yes, your year will be busy!
I love how you always embrace big hairy running goals, Jenny! I hope you get to race with Darlene this time round!
Yep, I have race plans for 2025: Boston in April and the Comrades Ultra (89km) in June. May main goal being to get through this without any Achilles or stress fracture stories. Let’s hope we both stay fit and healthy!
You have some big goals too Catrina!!! Yes- we both need to stay healthy and injury-free.
great plan! I haven’t decided on my race plan for 2025, definitely want to do NYC. Maybe a local race in Brazil too.
Ooh, NYC would be a big exciting race! Since that’s almost a year away I imagine you’ll do some local races as well.
You keep teasing about the visiting bloggers and I keep getting terribly jealous!!! One day! One day I’ll make it back to Florida!
Bwahahahaha I laughed: “I heard on a recent podcast that your big, scary goal should be something you can potentially fail at. PERFECT! I’ve already proved I can fail at this one: a 50 mile race.”
Good luck with your half in February! You and Darlene are going to break the cycle of injuries/ stomach bugs and run it, I just know it!
Yes! This will be our year! And… we’ll see you here in Florida, eventually.
Your running goals for 2025 sound great! It will be nice to focus on shorter distances and speed for a couple months and then start ramping up for your 50 miler!
The only race I’m signed up for in 2025 so far is…in 5 1/2 weeks, eek! And it’s a 100K, which will be my longest distance so far, but I’m feeling a bit more confident after doing a 50K race as a long training run last weekend. After that, I’d like to take a couple months off structured running — I still plan to run, but I’ve been basically training for something this entire year having 4 races within 12 weeks of each other. After that, I’m looking at something in the fall but not sure yet!
Ooh, 100K- that’s big. What race is it? I’ll be excited to hear all about it.
Coldwater Rumble in the Phoenix area! I picked it mostly for the very generous time cutoff — there’s a 100 miler at the same time, so all the shorter distances get 30+ hours to complete — but also it’s a much better time of year to train here than during the summer. There’s a similar 100K/100 miler that takes place around Halloween that’s way more popular than the one I’m doing, but this year, temps were close to 100 at the race and I’m not about that! This one will probably be chilly, at least at night, but that should be easier to deal with.
How fun that you’re running the half with Darlene! I have strong feelings that the third time will be the luck of charm. You will copy each other by having a great race instead of by spraining your ankles.
I like the combo setup of a race that you can run in your sleep and the Big Fat Hairy Potential to Fail Race.
2025 has a lot going for it! Big Fat Hairy Racing Goals, meetups with peeps, travel, college graduation…I like it!
Yes, third time is a charm, and it would be nice to copy each other doing something great this time. And yes, 2025 will be exciting!
I’m jealous of the visiting blogger visits and I don’t even know who’s visiting!! If anyone is coming to exotic southeastern Wisconsin, HIT ME UP.
This seems like a great race plan and I can’t wait to hear all about your training!
Well it’s funny because Wisconsin seems to be a blogger hub! You have met with a lot of bloggers from the midwest. MAYBE one of the ones you met is also coming down to Florida…
I love an ambitious plan for the year– this looks fabulous!
Thank you Sarah!
Guessing it’s A1A? I’m too mad at them for the long course last year and lame weather two years in a row, ha!! Not that the weather was their fault. Maybe I’ll find another winter half … we will see!!
Yes- it’s A1A and I did run it many years ago. I just remember the course as being kind of boring. And, the weather was decent the year I ran it, but there have been some HOT years as well. I would probably choose a different one if Darlene and my husband weren’t running this one.
Jenny, since I’ve been reading it HAS been like this! (“Lately I’ve been in a pattern that goes like this: I run a race, end with some weird injury, recover, then realize my next race is coming RIGHT UP…”).
But I love the big plans for 2025, and am wishing that you’ll break the injury pattern and have wonderful races in Feb and April!
Thank you Maya! Yes, I think you joined in right around the start of my extended sob story. Hopefully I can break this pattern!
I love your plan. Sounds like the perfect mix of social and strategically planned exercise to optimize enjoyment and body endurance! As always, can’t wait to follow along and live vicariously through you while I eat bonbons on the couch 🙂
Very excited to run a race with you. I haven’t registered yet. Can we carpool?
Nothing scary for 2025. But some new races. A half in DC in March and one in Lake Placid in October.
A 50 mile run sounds daunting to me, but attainable for you. I think you are wise to map your runs out in a way that you break the cycle.
Our only plans for 2025 (other than finalizing the adoption), are to hopefully visit Mini in Italy while she is studying abroad. Maybe I will finish the 1st draft of my book too.
I love that you don’t consider a half-marathon to be a big race, haha. Race distances are so relative, I guess. 13 miles feels very long to me!
I don’t think I have any big, audacious goals for 2025. Maybe it will be more of a calmer year for me.
This sounds like a sensible plan. I hope you break the injury cycle for good this time. We missed out on the ballot for the Berlin Marathon, and I missed out on an entry to the Melbourne Marathon even though I was trying to enter only 15 minutes after entries opened. That was a debacle. I was refreshing the web page, and it never updated from opening soon, but when I hopped onto their Facebook page 10 minutes after general entries were opened, they posted the link there. GRRR! There were a lot of unhappy people.
Anyway, I entered Lorne Mountain to Surf on 10th January, just for fun. We are going to stay at a friends place for the weekend and all do the race. Then in February I will do a 10K to see where I’m at before I start training properly for the Noosa 10K. I’m hoping to get back down around 50 min. Then HM at the Gold Coast in July. I’m on the waitlist for Melbourne Marathon, otherwise I might try to do Ballarat which will be April 2026.