Brazen Racing's New Years Eve Half Marathon Review

The Christmas Season has kept me fairly busy lately but not so much that I couldnt squeeze a last race in before the year's end. I didn't really need to train specifically for this race as the half marathon distance is not new to me anymore. I ran my first half in 2011 and have since ran at least a dozen more. I have routinely ran training runs beyond this distance and quite a few races have been beyond the half as well. My, my, my how the times have changed since 2011!!! 2012 had me off road way more than on road in both training and racing, so I did not have to train or get prepared for a trail run in the hills. Im used to the trails and the copius amounts of climbing that accompany these races. It's become the "norm" for me. All I had to do was sign up and show up ready to work hard. Thats a nice way to approach a race. Usually I choose races that expand my skill set somehow. Longer distance, more elevation gain or super flat 5k's for PR's etc etc. This leads me to have to train in the weeks leading up to the race in a very specific way to (hopefully) achieve a very specific goal. I had no real goal for this race. I wanted to run this as hard as I could and use it as a gauge against future performances. Whatever my best turned out to be for this race will become the bar with which my fitness level can be measured against in 2013.

Racing through the Christmas Season

The Christmas season is the season for traditions. No other holiday brings out more traditions than Christmas. From when to put up & take down the tree and the lights outside, if you put them up outside that is, to where you spend Christmas Eve and every other little detail you can think of; we all have our very own personal way of navigating the holidays. My wife and I have a few traditions we have developed over the years. The tree goes up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Black Friday must be observed! Not for shopping per se but for being out in the energy of the season. Union Square in downtown San Francisco is a day trip that happens every year as well. We do a little shopping, have a coffee while looking at the tree and the ice skaters and then we end the evening at the top of Macy's at the Cheesecake Factory overlooking the city having dinner. This is our every Christmas date night.