Thursday, November 20, 2025

Cost of Racecations

I got a really nice compliment from my coworker today. She said I'm looking good in the body. And the skin too. I feel so much gratitude that I have the resources to spend on running and running-related travel. I know it's not the end of the year (yet). But I thought it would be interesting to look at how much we spent in our "startup" year compared to the following year. I told myself I wouldn't need to buy new stuff as much in 2025 since I already had most of the things I would need to complete a marathon.

TOTAL SPENDING IN 2024 = $6549
TOTAL SPENDING IN 2025 = $6476
PROJECTED SPENDING IN 2026...
  • 1/11 Citrus Heritage Run 2026 $129.70 registration
  • 1/18 Rose Bowl Half 2026 $126.42 registration
  • 2/15 Palm Desert Half 2026 $80.50 registration + $249.00 hotel
  • 3/8 LA Marathon $170 registration
  • 6/10 Epic Sister Camping / Disneyland Trip $2000+
  • 8/1 Nebraska Family Reunion $2000+
I didn't join Sparkle Squad for the 2025-26 season. I didn't renew my Strava subscription. I kind of miss it but also kind of not. Definitely the Sparkle Squad was an opportunity to spend more via the facebook group and little gift exhanges throughout the year. But I do kind of miss the features of the Strava subscription, I almost renewed it yesterday when I tried to access the heatmap for the purposes of route planning and I couldn't see street-level details. But I also miss when it would tell you "Athlete Intelligence" about something it noticed about your run. Usually it would say something encouraging like, wow that was a lot of climbing, or you really pushed your pace. It felt like I had a friend encouraging me for what was new or improved with each training session.

I guess what I'm trying to do right now is let go of the Palm Desert Half. I've never done it before and if I did it, I could get another medal for the Run Riverside County Challenge. I skipped Every Woman's Marathon 2025, and I'm okay with it since I was awarded a greater teaching load mid-semester. I thought it would be a nice trip, out to Palm Desert. But now I do have my Spring 2026 teaching schedule. Haha. Looks like I'll be running a marathon every Tuesday and Thursday.

SPRING 2026 TEACHING SCHEDULE
  • MW 09:30am-12:20pm
  • TR 09:30am-12:20pm
  • TR 1:00pm-01:50pm
  • TR 02:30pm-05:20pm
It's uncertain whether RunClub+ will continue for Spring 2026. I will be making enough from my CSUN units, so I don't really need the income from the side hustle, but it is nice to have the support from the other moms in the group. I am trying to unsubscribe from disney influencers because I don't want FOMO. I'm close to unsubscribing from LARR as well because they keep talking about this half-marathon and that drumstick dash. I'm trying to enjoy the races I signed up for and run the training runs. The actual race day doesn't feel as special when you're running a world major every other weekend. I enjoyed the Bimbo Global race a lot more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the Mission Inn Run a lot less than I thought I would.

I want to do the Mission Inn Run in 2026 because they have a legacy program. I would get a loyalty item, such as a hat, and a 3-year pin! I could put the pin on my patch jacket. It did work well to have our son stay with his grandma. However, kiddo was already nervous about Thanksgiving because he thought we would be dropping him off at grandma's again for an overnight. He said he was scared about that and didn't want to be away from us. So I would consider that when planning the potential Palm Desert Half and any other races for 2026. I'm glad I didn't sign up for the Holiday Half, even though that race was very special to me last year.

My motivation for running is to set a good example for my son. I took a few days off from my training plan, and I noticed that I had a noticeable drop in gratitude and joy. I had an increase in resentment and feelings of being disgruntled. I stayed home on Sunday when I would normally be out running and it was like I was in the way of my husband and the routine he's established with our son, they have some stuff that they enjoy doing together on Sunday while I'm out on my long run. So, I guess, it's become ingrained as a long-term pattern now that we've been doing this for two years. I really remember Thanksgiving weekend 2023 as the first runs leading up to the Disneyland 5k 2024.

As far as traditions this holiday season, I think we're going to just stick to training and our weekly routine and not do much else. Like, yes, bake cookies at home. But no, we're not planning to do any elaborate holiday light display that you have to pay to get into. I am still taking advantage of Buy Nothing to get things that are new to me, but also free. Yes, I have been stockpiling gifts for Albert to open on Christmas, which, by the way, we have no plans for. About half the gifts are games, which we can play at home. Running and doing my training is bringing me joy. And I look forward to returning to Fit4Mom in-person classes with Albert over winter break. I would also like to go rollerskating or ice skating at least once.

Staycation
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