Well done! Way to go! You did it! Three weeks ago you finished a race at the very rain-soaked Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon (CCIM).

Boy, do those laurels look great resting on your head! Golly, it’s time to relax. Put your feet up. Crack open a beer or maybe peel back the wrapper of a Snickers bar. Those M&Ms are calling your name. Heck, why don’t you just scarf down that cheese danish from Sweet Indulgence, like I did. Pound that milk shake and eat half a pizza while intravenously taking that healthy dose of “I don’t give a crud anymore. I just ran a (insert your distance here)!”

Don’t let all that hard work and months of training go to waste. You’re at the top of your game. You don’t have to be a hardcore racer to maintain fitness, but it might help if you set some new goals. If you did your first 5K on the Friday of race weekend, why not set your sights on running a local 10K? And if a 10K is too far for you, set a new goal for the 5K. See how you do. You’ll be surprised how much faster you’ll be the second try at any distance.

Spring is prime racing season, and no matter where you live, there’s someone putting on a race near you.

This month here in Champaign-Urbana area, we have two great races coming up. On May 21, there is the Buffalo Trace Trail Race hosted by the Second Wind Running Club. This 5-mile race has topography, non-technical trails, and totally awesome age-group awards if you earn one. “But I’m not a trail runner,” you might say. I say that all the time, yet you can look at this race as a gateway into something new and different.

Then there is the Memorial Day 5K hosted by the Kennekuk Road Runners in Danville. You might remember their hippie aid station at mile 10 of the full and half marathon. Proceeds from this race benefit the veterans at the Danville VA Hospital.

No doubt there are races of all distances wherever you live. Search for running clubs in your area, as most maintain a list of upcoming events.

What’s my next race? In addition to running Buffalo Trace, I’ll take to the roads of Madison, Wisconsin for a half marathon  on May 29.

Look, I know it’s tough to get back on the horse after you’ve accomplished a goal. And there’s nothing wrong with taking a couple of weeks off to recover from kicking butt. However, the only way to get motivated to maintain or improve your fitness is to set new benchmarks moving forward.

And hey, there’s no better start to training for next year’s CCIM than putting on your running shoes and stepping out the front door.

See you on the roads!

Abe