Adding a Budget Line Item for Racing!

It's winter here in Minnesota. It's cold (sometimes bitterly), it's snowy and in some places it's even icy (usually hidden under the snow). That doesn't mean I don't have warmer temperatures and sunshine on my mind though. I do. I also have racing on my mind! Now, I'm not an elite athlete by any stretch of the imagination. But I do think I can be athletic and I do like to work out and set goals and see what I can achieve. And this year I've set a couple goals for myself: complete a duathlon, a half marathon and a 10 mile race. In between all those races I'd like to do at least a 5k race each month from April to October that I'm not doing one of the above races.

That means it's time to start adding a budget line item for race entry fees! Chuck is doing a couple of these races with me (namely at least one 5k and the duathlon) so some months will be higher with registration fees than others. Have you ever completed an endurance race? It is a high unlike any other.

Of course there's the financial guilt associated with these races - we're still in debt without a large emergency fund - why are we paying all these entry fees for races?! Simple - we want to and it's our money, so there! Heh. Actually, most of the races are for charity so a portion of our entry fee goes to the non-profit organization. And on the flip side, having races scheduled and goals set help me to keep to a fitness routine. I don't want to fall flat on my face so therefore I must work out! And lastly, I want to set a good example for my children - that working out is fun, that fitness is important, that you need to set goals and work to improve yourself, etc.

And I like the "free" t-shirts and fancy finisher's medals too. Sometime, I'll have to show you my Walt Disney World "Mickey" medal for finishing their marathon!