As you may have gathered from my last post, I've spent the past few months gearing up for a half marathon. I've raced the half a few times in the past, but I've yet to focus my training on one until now. Unlike my previous attempts at this distance, where I went into the race off to 10k training or just hoping to win some prize money, this time around I mean business.

Where am I racing, you ask? Well, I'll give you a hint - I'm currently sitting in a coffee shop in Cleveland, so you can safely surmise that I'm not racing the USA Half Champs in Houston tomorrow. I've raced many a US championship and know what to expect at a big race like that. For my upcoming half marathon, I'm looking for something a little more low key, a little more fun than fast, a little more familiar...

...so, I'll be racing the Davis Stampede in my hometown of Davis, California!

What better place to race than the streets where I learned to run joyfully? With friends and family cheering me on along familiar roads where I've logged many a mile, I think it'll be a great place to kick off my 2014 campaign!

My good friend Drew (a teammate at Davis High and and UC Davis) will be helping out with pacing duties, keeping me honest and hopefully holding sub-5:50 pace. Fellow running friends, feel free to join us! :)

So, I'll be lacing up my flats on February 9th back home in Davis. Til then, I've got a few more long runs to log here in snowy Cleveland...
Best of luck to everyone racing the USA Half Champs in Houston tomorrow, especially my running buds Nicole Camp and Steph Dinius!!