Post race slump, what can I do now?!

It's been a little while since my last post. I was on such a high after my race in Whangamata and excited to write my race recap, I've now gotten into a bit of a slump. I've lost my running and blogging mojo! But, I've been searching for my next race, and I've been overwhelmed with all the choices. I'm one of those runners that train to race, I can't run unless I've got something to aim for. So I thought I'd share with you some of the races I'm rather keen to enter, my goal times for those races, my training plan, and also some other general goals.

Thames Save the Children fun run on 16th November

"The annual Thames Save the Children's Fun Run includes half marathon, 10km and 5km runs or walks so that all family members can participate. All events start and finish at the Thames Rugby and Sports Club, Rhodes Park, Thames.

The 10km and 5km courses follow the walkway along the waterfront towards Kuranui Bay. 5km participants will go to the bird hide on the walkway and return and 10km participants to Kuranui Bay and back. The half marathon is on the Hauraki Rail Trail."*

I'm thinking I'll enter the 10km race. Ive run this course a couple of times, and being local, I'm very interested in participating in this race. The majority of this course is on footpath, so I'd like to run this race is 1 hour 10 minutes.

Tauranga trail run on 23rd November

"The Smiths Sports Shoes Tauranga Trail Run is a fundraising event for the Tauranga Boys' College Cross Country team, with 100% of profits going to local school groups. The event takes place at the TECT All Terrain Park, located up Pyes Pa Road, only 25 minutes from downtown Tauranga.

The course is an interesting mixture of gravel road, 4WD access, MTB track and walking trail based around the awesome beauty of the Te Rerenga Track and Tunnel. The undulating loop sees participants cross beautiful streams and picturesque bridges, pass an impressive, mature rimu grove and reach a summit with breathtaking views across to Mt. Tarawera, Mt. Ngongotaha, Mt. Edgecumbe and Mt. Maunganui."*

I'm really keen to enter a trail race and this event sounds awesome. We have family in Tauranga,  so we have somewhere to stay,  and can also do some visiting during the weekend. The distance options are 30km, 15km, 10km and 5km. I'm hoping to get some trail runs into my training, I'm unsure whether I'll enter the 5 or 10km, depending on how my training goes.

Worldwide companion 5km on 28th November

"The 4th Worldwide Companion Run is at 5pm GMT on November 27th 2014. This is 6am on November 28th in New Zealand daylight savings time.

It started in 2011 when Ash (one of the Wellington Running Meetup (WoRM) organisers) went away for 6 months and really missed running with the group. One day, they had an idea. Why not run at the same time just in different locations? They soon realised that this could in fact, be something really cool. That's how Worldwide Companion Run was born.

The concept is very simple:

Wherever you are at 5pm GMT on the 27th of November 2014, run or walk 5km.

The choice of the route is up to you.

Get some friends to join you and make it funky. Yes, funky.

Take some photos/videos of your run and share them with other runners from around the globe. Show us your running reality!

How do you join in the fun?

Spread the word by creating a Worldwide Companion Run event in your Meetup on 27th or 28th November (depending on where around the globe you are).

Join the event on Facebook - this is the event's headquarters.

Joining the event on Facebook will keep you in the loop and that's where we'll be posting the photos, videos and much more!

We need your help to create a massive running movement! Some speculate that we could even move the Earth!

Who's behind WCR?

This event is organised entirely by WoRM runners for runners - no fees, no sponsors, no entry forms. Just you and the rest of the world. Together. Join in, pass it on and get involved. Whether you do it alone or with a group of 100+... the more the merrier!"*

I really like the concept of this, and I'm hoping to rope some other people in Ngatea to join me, maybe! Only issue is that I'm not a morning person, so actually doing the running at 6am will be a challenge in its own! Anyone else heard of this event? Will you join me, where ever in the world you are?

Tauranga Half marathon on 12th April 2015

"The Tauranga Half Marathon, 14km, 7km and 1 mile on road has scenic courses that take in numerous local parks, reserves and walkways. It is fully on-road in the CBD and along the seaside."*

This isn't far from where we have some family living, so thought this would be more convenient than the Rotorua marathon in May. Depending how my training goes, I'd enter the 7km, but it's too far away to really make a goal time. I could even consider doing the 14km if my training goes well and I'm adding plenty of long runs.

Rotorua off road half marathon on 8th March 2015

"The Rotorua Off Road Half Marathon is an annual event at the spectacular Whakarewarewa Forest. Event options include the half marathon, quarter marathon and 5K; and 3K and 1.5K "Little Devils" kids events.

The half marathon course follows a mixture of smooth gravel forest roads and scenic forest trails and is made up of a 10km loop followed by an 11.1km loop, designed to be achievable by competitors of all abilities."*

I really like the sound of this event, especially if I really enjoy the Tauranga off road event in November. I would do this instead of the Rotorua marathon in May. I'd enter the the quarter marathon,  I think is definitely achievable for an off road event,  but it will of course change depending on my training. I could make this my first half marathon?!

Training plan 

I will need to start increasing my long runs up to 10/12km.  I will also need to start incorporating a trail run here and there, slowly increasing this to one/two runs a week. With daylight savings around the corner, I'm hoping to get back into my old routine of running in the evening once the kids are in bed. This will give me more opportunities to run, so hoping this will result in 3 to 4 runs per week. I'm also starting to atrend a weekly Pump class on Saturday mornings. I'm sure this will help my running! 

Other goals 

1. Drinking 8 glasses/2 litres of water per day
I want to get a decent drink bottle so that I can carry one around with me. Currently I'm using a pump bottle and I'm often not drinking any water at all. Water will help with my training and I'll feel a lot better being well hydrated.

2. Alternating hot chocolate with peppermint tea at night
I have been getting into a terrible habit of having a hot chocolate every night with a couple of biscuits.  Often a habit I pick up during the cold winter months, I've currently started drinking peppermint tea. I want to start with alternating between the two, eventually cutting the hot chocolate out all together.

3. Find some clean baking to do
I really would like to clean up our family meals. I think by starting with my baking is a lot more achievable than going completely clean. I often bake biscuits or muffins once a week. I'd like to find some recipes that are clean and healthier- top of the list is bliss balls!

4. Explore some more trails, go hiking with the family
Now that the weather is warming up and the days are getting longer, I'd really love to start exploring some more local trails. For now, I'm aiming to take my daughter on a Wednesday while my son is at kindy. I'm hoping my Ergo baby carrier will see us through some lovely long hikes in the Karangakake Gorge and Kauaeranga Valley. 

What are your next set of goals? What gets you through a post race slump? 

*Event information from runningcalendar.co.nz