When Do You Register?

How far in advance of a race do you register?

I am one of those runners that likes to plan her races on January 1 of each year. I want to make a plan for training, know when I will be relaxing and try to fit the races into whatever travel and work plans I have for the year. However, am I registering for those races I choose as soon as registration opens? No way!

In the early stages, I am a lurker - I keep an eye on the race website, decide what kind of travel plans I will need to make, get excited about the other things I can do it town before or after the race, but I do quite a lot of things before I even register. When I sat back and thought about it, I wondered why I wait instead of signing up right away.

I think the registration signals the commitment to the race and I am locked in. I have no choice but to participate once I've paid and that scares me! It's not just a commitment to the race, but to the training, which is so much worse than the race itself. It's a commitment to eating in "training mode" and making sure you're keeping healthy and in optimal performance mode (like having less wine). Committing the time to train is also a big challenge, not to mention the sacrifices your family has to make to let you train. It's a big decision!

I usually register a couple of months in advance because I get scared about a race getting full, so there is some advance planning there, I want to know how far in advance you register. Why?