Running is so NOT cheap

After adding up all the registration fees for all the races that I had planned for 2012...one race a month, I was flabbergasted when the total just for the registrations came up to just shy of $1,000 for one person. The old man wants to run all the same races that I do so that would have doubled the registration costs. Well, in our current economic situation that became a stumbling block when you added in the cost of travel and hotel rooms. We could cut down the lodging by using our travel trailer...something that I had already considered; but still there was a lot of extra travel and distance to be covered. So, yet again, I've pared down the race schedule to something more affordable with mostly in-state races. The Wine & Dine HM at Walt Disney World is a must so that I can get the Coast to Coast medal, but 2012 will probably be the only year that I do two out of town races so far away from home. I am still getting my first sprint duathlon and half century ride in so I'll be a two sport athlete...whoa!

Jan 29th - Tinkerbell Half Marathon (13.1 miles), Disneyland, Anaheim, CA (TNT)
Mar 11th - Shamrock'n HM (13.1 miles), Sacramento, CA (tentative if I have to go to CA for reunion planning, $65)
May 5th - Atomic Man Duathlon (Little Boy - Sprint, 4K/15K/4K), White Rock, NM ($55)
May 20th - Santa Fe Half Century (50 miles), Santa Fe, NM ($20 + t-shirt)
Sept 28th - Oct 1st - Wine & Dine HM (13.1 miles, night run), Disney World, Orlando, CA (~$130)
Oct 27th - Dirty Dash 10K (6.2 miles, mud run), Albuquerque, NM ($35)
Nov 9th - 10th - Wine & Dine HM (13.1 miles, night run), Disney World, Orlando, CA (~$130)
Nov 22nd - WTRC Turkey Trot 12K (7.3 miles), Lubbock, TX ($20)

Now, in addition to the race fees, travel and lodging I haven't even considered the shoes, clothing, gear, etc. I'm sure that we've spent a couple of grand getting the clothes and gear we need (trust me, running is way more comfy with the technical clothing rather than with cotton clothing). Thankfully, I think we have everything we need as far as gear so hopefully our spending is done in that area. This new schedule has decreased race fees to a max of $355/person and since most are within a 4-5 hour drive we'll only need to stay one night at an RV park or hotel. So much for an aggressive running year. *le sigh*

UPDATE: Well, runDisney has added a new race at Walt Disney World and changed the date of the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. so it looks like I'll end up going 4 months without a race. I may throw in the Turtle HM in Roswell on Labor Day to break up the open dates. That's only $20/person registration if I remember correctly.