Making plans for spring

This year I am really struggling with my plans for March and April. I want to keep up with my cycling and improve my speed a bit this year. Hills continue to need work as well. I want to do more running and I'm also interested in doing a dualthon or two. I signed up for the Disney half marathon next January and I need to run a 10k between now and then -- preferably by November -- for corral placement. If I don't do that, I will be put in a corral in the back. This would not be tragic but I think that it would be nice to start the run with a group that should be going more or less the same pace that I am. I have a few cycling events coming up but they really start in May. I have been planning to do the St. Patty's Run Green but it's an 8k and not a 10k. There's a local dualthon in April.

What I wonder is whether or not it is reasonable (challenging is fine, insane is not) to do running event(s) in March, duathlon event(s) in April and cycling events starting in May (Raven Rock is Ramble May 3)?

March running events
(these are just options that I found, I'd pick 1 or 2)

• WakeMed Cary Distance Festival 10k on March 7
• St. Patty's Run Green 8k on March 8
  
• St. Patrick's Day Lotide Run at Carolina Beach on March 14
• Run for the Oaks 10k 5k in Raleigh on March 14
  
• Fort Bragg Around the World 10k March 21
  
• Cary Road Race 10k April 4

Note: I did sign up for the 8k on March 8 but sometimes that's just how it goes .

So maybe the 8k on March 8 and 10k on March 14 but that means two weekends with one day of cycling gone and is that a good idea with Raven Rock coming up?

April Duathlon events
(again, just pick 1-2)

I have some additional worries about the duathlon thing. I have never done a du before and I'm not sure how the training bricks (cycle-run or run-cycle-run) will fit into my schedule time wise. The training would happen in February and March so it would be mostly indoors due to early darkness on weekdays. Also, as silly as it sounds, I'm a bit concerned about what to wear. I know to get triathlon shorts but it's going to be too cool for a tri tank top and I haven't seen any women's tri gear with sleeves.

• Carrboro Classic Endurance Sports Festival on April 5 (Super Sprint Duathlon: 2.4 mi run - 12 mi bike - 1.2 mi run)
• National Duathlon Festival on April 26
  

Of course if we wanted to invade March there's the du in Cary on March 21 (5 mile, 31 mile, 5 mile) That's a lot of running for me right now, it's certainly less travel. With seven weeks to train it's an outside possibility.

Powerman Alabama is on April 19. I looked at the results from last year and I'd have probably finished towards the back of the pack and 9 hours is a long way to drive for that. My running is not that fast now and it looks like I could make up some time in the cycling but not that much. I'm a little leery of putting myself into that position. I'm not planning on doing this one.

May events, mostly cycling
But then we are on to more of a cycling focus:

May 3 - Raven Rock Ramble 100 miler
May 23 - Skirt Chaser 5k
May 30 - Three Mountain Madness, 75 miles with 9,280 feet of climbing
June 6-7 Tour de Cure (75 miles each day or 100 miles each day, currently under discussion)

Just to reiterate, my main cycling goals are (1) keep up better/contribute more in group rides, (2) better on the hills and (3) gain a little bit (.2 mph?) of speed by NC.

This and that

I haven't blogged in a while since I've really been just doing a little of this and a little of that. I haven't had any particularly good blog fodder as a result.

I got a good bit of riding in during the holiday break, including the annual New Year's Day ride, but had a rainout that required a long time on the trainer. It looks like we may have a freeze out which will probably result in more time on the trainer this weekend. I've looked into the options available from Redbox for distraction purposes.

I've also been doing some planning and entered some events. I registered for two 100 miler rides this spring: Frostbite Tour and Raven Rock Ramble.

The big news is that I've entered the Wald Disney World half marathon in January 2010. Yes, I will be running, not cycling! The course starts -- complete with fireworks -- outside Epcot and goes through the Magic Kingdom.

I'm also planning to run my first ever duathlon, a run-bike-run event, in April.

I think that will keep me out of trouble!