Changing Gears

"Racing to the Top" last summer in Alaska

So long Roanoke Rapids and hello Charlotte, North Carolina!

Last weekend I moved from the Northern part of this beautiful state to the Southern part, and it's biggest city, Charlotte. Gone are my new found friends that lit up the roads every Tuesday and Thursday night, and who (or what) will replace them.

Before I go any further, I do have to give a big shout out to all of the wonderful cyclists that took me in like family when I was in Halifax, county. Thanks guys and gals for making me feel at ease on and off the road!

But now I'm in the Queen City and am feeling a little different about what I want to do. This is a great, big city (with it's great big number of people and cars) so cycling in the city will definitely be a challenge. I have looked into some cycling groups, but none are close to where we're staying, so maybe this is the impetus that I need to get back into running.

All of this year's cycling has kept me in decent shape, and the boys in Roanoke Rapids put a little snap back into them too. But I have been thinking a lot about what's been going on with my training and time and have come to the realization that I need to mix things up a bit. So now that I'm finally injury free, I am starting to add more running into my training.

Wow, how out of condition a few months of minimal running will do to one's fitness. But a couple of one to one and a half hour runs have begun my ramp-up of weekly mileage with a goal of getting back into marathon-mode. My hope is to get my mileage (and fitness) up to a level that will enable me to compete in a good fall or winter mid-distance race and then into marathon shape in time for next spring.

So it turns out that this area is quite a hot spot when it comes to running, and cycling. So my hope is to mix it up, do something different and maybe even race a little bit. We'll see what comes next...