With Lindsay’s recent post on her bucket list and Keith’s on losing weight I thought this would be a good addition.  My goal is not to lose weight; although that’s bound to happen, this is a bucket list item for me and I think this year it’s time.

Starting early spring and into late fall there seems to be 5k after 5k in St. Louis. I’ve always wanted to run in one but so far it’s never happened.  Even more intriguing to me are the marathons. I’ve always seen people who run marathons and thought about what an amazing accomplishment that must feel like, what dedication that takes to get yourself to the level that you can do that.  I used to run. It felt so good.  Like with most people I’m not really sure why I stopped but it’s been years, well…it had been years until a few months ago when my husband decided to take up running as a part of his fitness routine.  That gave me the push to start again three weeks ago.

That first run burned my lungs and left me gasping for air.  Slowly I’ve been building up…very slowly.  I love a runner’s high. I love adding even 1 minute to my running time or a slight increase to my speed.  I’m building up very slowly. The last thing I need is an injury to put me down.  I want to be able to run a 5k (about 3 miles) as my regular run by the end of February,  run that amount 3x times per week through March and April, then start training for a half marathon.  My husband has agreed to run a half with me, though I’m not entirely convinced that he really wants to.  I want a finisher’s medal.  In looking for half marathons, I came across a bunch in St. Louis this year and even more 5k’s. Here’s a list of the ones I found most interesting.

February:

Run for the Chocolate on February 12th: Man I wish I was ready to run.  Racers will be categorized by age and relationship status.  With “singles” and “off the market” wearing different shirts.  The website says this will help you determine who you can flirt with after the race.  This one is a 5k.

Truffle Shuffle on February 18th: Lots of chocolate for runners this month.  This race is held in St. Charles and who wouldn’t love a race sponsored by Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Factory?  Honestly as a child of The Goonies era it is the name alone that attracted me to this race.  This one is a 4 mile road race.

The Sandmine Challenge on February 25th:  Oh my goodness, this is totally going on the list for 2013.  This looks over the top amazing.  It’s a race in a CAVE!!!  It’s an old sandmine in Crystal City so it’s one of a few that have caught my eye outside the metro area.  Check out the video.  This is a 4 mile run in sand.

March:

St. Patrick’s Day Run 3/17:  This is a big one with over 13,000 participants.  Run goes through downtown St. Louis.  This is a 5 mile run.

Alton Half Marathon 3/24:  I’m thinking about the 5k that goes with this one. Several things attracted me to this race.  One, I live on that side of the river so this is basically in my backyard.  Two, it’s half the price of most of the St. Louis marathons. Three, it isn’t normally too crowded.  You may have noticed from my lack of detail above that I’m not totally impressed with a crowded run with nothing special involved.  This one has amazing river views including a run across the Clark bridge over the Mississippi.  This is a 1/2 marathon and a 5k.

April:

RUN4MS  on April 7:  A run through Kirkwood. This is one of many runs put on by Missouri Running Company.  This is a 4 mile run.

GO! St. Louis on April 14: This one has something for anyone who wants to run.  It’s a whole weekend of fitness. They have a 5k, a half marathon, full marathon and a relay marathon.

So I’ve only made it through April and this post is getting too long. I’ll catch up with you again around time for the Go! St. Louis to make sure I am still motivated and fill you in on the rest of the great runs, including my goal Rock N Roll marathon in October.

Lindsay, if you want this off your bucket list you are welcome to join me, plenty of time to prepare.  In fact I’d love all the runners from Mills to join me, maybe some cool green “Team Mills” jerseys?

Brought to you by Mills Properties