Hey guys! My 12-week half marathon training plan kicked off yesterday and I’ve got 382 runners training with me! It’s not too late to jump in and join us so send me an email if you’d like to be added to the group! 🙂

I organized this training group as part of my ambassadorship with the Charlotte Marathon and I’m so looking forward to a fall full of running. It’s my absolute favorite time of the year to run and I’ve got quite a few races on my calendar leading up to the half in November.

Here’s a rundown of what I’ve got planned.

The Greek Fest 5K – August 27

My first race is the Greek Fest 5K this weekend! I haven’t raced a 5K in a little over a year so I’m equal parts excited and dreading it. 5Ks are quick and fun but tend to feel like death at moments because I really push the pace. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. and I’ll be taking over the Charlotte Marathon’s Instagram account for it so it’s going to be an early morning.

My plan going into this race is to arrive early and run about a mile to warm up at a steady pace and then do some dynamic stretching. I find that this REALLY helps me with 5K performance. Going from cold to sprint is no bueno! I haven’t decided if I’m going to push for a new PR (my current 5K PR is 21:55). It’s one of Charlotte’s flatest 5K courses and I’ve been doing a lot of treadmill sprints this summer so I feel like I’m primed for an attempt. I’ll see how I’m feeling on Saturday morning.

Hit the Brixx 10K/5K – September 17

I’ve run the Hit the Brixx 10K once before but it was 5 years ago, a little cold and rainy. It’s a great race that starts in Uptown Charlotte and winds around Charlotte’s Elizabeth neighborhood. There’s an option to run the 10K and the 5K so I’m registered for both! The 10K starts at 7:45 a.m. and the 5K starts at 9 a.m. I’ve never run two races in one day so it should be fun!

Novant Health 15K/5K – October 2

I don’t think I’ve ever run a 15K race before (9.3 miles), although the distance is identical to my 10K + 5K at Hit the Brixx. My plan for this race (and the Hit the Brixx) is to take it pretty easy and incorporate it into my long run for Half Marathon Training. I’m excited about this race because it takes place up at Lake Norman and runs along Jetton Park and the Peninsula Golf Course.

Rocktoberfest Half Marathon/5-miler – October 15

I haven’t decided whether I’m going to run the half or the 5-miler for this race. Part of me wants to run the half but slowly as a long training run and part of me wants to run the 5-miler + whatever extra distance is on my training plan for the week. I’m going to wait until I’m a little closer to see how I’m feeling and make my decision.

Novant Health Charlotte Marathon/Half Marathon/Relay/5K – November 12

I am SO FREAKING EXCITED about this race! It’s my favorite race of the year in Charlotte and I have so many friends and training group members running it with me. I think there’s going to be almost 100 of us! I’m not planning a PR attempt at this point (current PR is 1:44:25) but I’ll reassess as my training progresses and see how my speed and tempo runs go and how my body is feeling.

If any of my local readers are planning on running any of these races, let me know! I’d love to connect with you guys.

Happy running friends!

What races do you have on your calendar this fall? 

What’s your favorite distance to race? 

Disclosure: my race entries were comped as part of my Charlotte Marathon ambassadorship.