So, you might be exercising to trim down. Swimsuit season is only 5 months away. Maybe you're trying to maintain your weight loss in the winter. Who cares why, in the long run.

But if you're looking for an extra reason to push a little harder, maybe you should sign up for a run in May. That's actually only a little over 3 months away, and there are some great runs to start off a summer running season.

I'm hoping to make it to at least 1 of these.

The Hard Cider Run. May 7th. Warwick, NY. $45 until February 21st.
I'll admit, I've never done one of these, but it sounds like a good time. A lot of my issues with running comes from getting bored with scenery, which is why I such something awful at getting on a treadmill for hours on end. A run through an orchard sounds kind of awesome.

Warrior Dash. May 21st. Warwick, NY.  $60 for next 22 days.
I've run Warrior Dash before, and it was a helluva good time. I normally run competitive OCR's and I end up feeling like I should train just a little bit harder. Warrior Dash was not as competitive, but A LOT more fun. It was more like field day for adults.

They had a not so great race in NJ a few years ago, and I'm glad they're trying a new location in Warwick. If I had only one race to run this month, it would probably be this one.

MudMan X. May 21st. New Windsor, NY. $49 until April 1st.
This is an interesting race. I ran it a few years ago and enjoyed it quite a bit. They had some different obstacles, some new twists in the woods, and a really fun atmosphere. Then they went away for a bit, down to South America.

I'm glad they're back but I'm not sure what to expect anymore. There's 2 different race lengths, and a new race director. I briefly considered running both the Warrior Dash and the Mudman on the same day, but I don't like having to choose between a new location and a race that's been away for awhile.

Tough Mudder. May 21st. Philadelphia. $119 for 2 more days.
This is the big one. It's not a race, it's an event. You need to train a bit more seriously for a Tough Mudder, but it's a great experience if you put your mind to it.

It's an investment, in time and in money. But you feel like a bad ass when you're done.

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