Two years ago when I started running and set my goal to complete a half marathon I wanted to pick a special race to be the culmination of all my training. Something special that I would remember not only as my first half marathon but for the race itself. My mom, who began training shortly after I did, and I picked the women's half marathon in San Diego, California in late February 2014. We picked this run for its beautiful location and that it was a women's event.
Along the way there were races that helped me keep up with my distance training. First a series of runs with the city of Yuma that were 10k distances. And, my most favorite run, which surprisingly was a really fun distance, the 15k (9.3 miles) Hot Chocolate run in Scottsdale, Arizona. We tried to pick unique races in that they offered something different than most other races. At the Aloha race in Mission Bay San Diego we got race medals made of wood. At the Hot Chocolate run we got quarter-zip pullover tech hoodies and chocolate fondue with delicious dipping goodies at the end. Most races we've gotten something special, generally medals and shirts (tech shirts are more highly prized than cotton t-shirts). 
These shorter races play an important role in race training. They helped me keep up with my distances. In most cases the race was the first time I ran that distance (this is true for all races that were not a 5k distance). And, it prepared me for race day, which all the training has been preparing for. It is nice to know what to expect in regards to gear check, starting line jitters, finding your support team at the finish line, etc.
I'm looking forward to signing up and running some races and finding that perfect culmination race that I will be working towards. I would love to run the Hot Chocolate 15k again this year! I will have to start looking around for some local 5k runs with awesome race swag to get me through summer training until the move.
I loved all those races we ran together, not together most of the time but the same event, and helped each other through the processes. I've ventured out on my own, as you have for a few events but I do miss the run-cations and the long weekends exploring, volunteering, and running. If your move is close enough that we can meet at an event, all the better.
ReplyDeleteToday was a 4 mile run day. It was a toasty 83° with only 30% humidity at 4:50 am. My weekday schedule will stay the same through the heat of the summer, only my long runs on the weekend will be shorter. Looking back on two years of summer running, 5 or 6 miles was the max. Probably the smart thing but needing to try to keep up with the distance running for the next half marathon, which was Lake Powell last year in October. This year it's Yosemite in October, so excited to see another beautiful National Park and spend some extra days exploring.