A look at the 2017 races that are on my calendar, time to lace up & start training!
We’re one month into 2017 and it’s time to share my racing plans with you! I mentioned “take on a big race” in my 2017 Fitness Goals post and I’ve nailed down a couple of exciting 2017 races. Here are the biggies on tap for this year:
Ironman 70.3 Santa Rosa Vineman, May 12th
I’ve been toying with the idea of taking on a second 70.3 (I did Timberman in 2013-race recap) and I finally bit the bullet and signed up! What convinced me? While I slacked on a lot of my training last time around, when race day arrived, I had a great time. The race is long, it’s a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 run, so of course it’s challenging, but I still loved doing the race. Because it takes quite a few hours, it’s not an all-out effort all of the time (for me at least!) and because you’re switching between three disciplines, while you’re tired, the muscle pain is bearable (I think it’s easier on the body than a marathon even though the race takes longer and covers many more miles).
The fact that this race takes place in Sonoma obviously doesn’t hurt either. Living in Northern California, how could I not do a race through wine country? Typically before signing up for a race I’ll read recaps of past participants, but the race has moved locations and this will be the first year of this course, so it’s hard to know exactly how it will be. It’s okay, I’m up for the challenge!
This will be my first huge race of the year and it’s actually quite soon. Next week I’ll share my training plans. / Santa Rose 70.3 Race Info
Seawheeze Lululemon Half Marathon, August 12th
photo via
After doing Seawheeze in 2016 it was pretty much a no-brainer to sign up again (my 2016 race recap). This race is SO fun and I’m very obsessed with Vancouver, what an amazing city. Last year I did the race with a crew of fitness bloggers and a few of us are returning for round 2 (or for Evann, round 3!) and planning to bring our husbands/significant others to exerperience beautiful Vancouver, and to cheer us on 🙂 I’ve run a lot of races and this one has a very unique energy and is probably the most beautiful route as you run along the sea wall. / Seawheeze Race Info
Healdsburg Half Marathon, October 28th
photo via
Yep, another race in wine country! From my research, the course looks gorgeous and ends with wine-tasting, what more do we need to know? I’m also happy to see that the race is on Saturday, so Sunday can be spent relaxing and wine tasting, knowing I just ran 13.1 miles. This one isn’t for a while but I’m looking forward to it already. / Healdsburg Half Race Info
And there you have it, a year of challenges! I may throw some additional races or smaller races into the mix (especially before the half Ironmnan, that may be a good idea), but at the same time I’m trying to keep things reasonable. In past years I’ve overdone it with races–signing up for a bunch and barely training for any of them. This year, I hope to keep my list of big races low and put in a real effort with my training.
What 2017 races are you doing and what are you most looking forward to?
