Today was my 53rd race. I’ve been around the block a few times, and I pretty much have the routine figured out. That being said, imagine my surprise when something wonderful and awesome happened right in front of me.
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52: Boston Run to Remember, 2010
I was having a hard time getting back into the swing of things after my first New England Winter, so I set a clear goal for myself. I would run another half-marathon in under two hours. At the very least, I would finish it without walking. At the most, I would train my way out of my Fatboy Jeans again, and this time I would burn them.
51. Marine Corps Honor Run, 2010
Okay, it’s time for Race 51: The Marine Core Honor Run. This one is is meant to recognize the contributions of peeps in the Marine Corps and in law enforcement. They give out scholarships and bonds to the children of said peeps, so it’s yet another run race for a warm and fuzzy cause.
50. Chasing the Cure 5K for PLGA and HIV, 2010
There were two races I could have chosen for my 50th race. One was at an elementary school two miles from my apartment, and the other was on the Esplanade along the Charles River. I chose the more scenic because I like running along the water and I thought it would be a larger, grander operation. As it turned out, I may have had that last part backwards.
49. For the Love of Sports 5 Mile Run, 2010
I was going to do a simple 5K this weekend, but Sara let me know that there was a 5-mile race on the same day. I wanted to test my post-winter fitness, so of course I went for the longer race. My goal was a modest 50 minutes, but I was in for a bit of a surprise.
48. St. Patrick’s Day 5K Road Race & Walk, 2010
My first race in Boston was also my first race of 2010. I was hoping for something a little less flooded, but I’ll take what I can get after my first New England Winter. With the snow and ice and the refreezing ice and the dogs refusal to go out because the snow is taller than he is… well, the truth is that I haven’t done much. Time to change that.
47. Downtown 10K, 2009
There won’t be many footraces after this point since Winter is on the way, so I was excited to find out about an event right here in downtown Burlington. The downtown 10K is less than a mile from my apartment, so how could I pass it up?
46. Montréal Marathon, 2009
I recently completed my second marathon. A single marathon is plenty of accomplishment for anybody, of course. The sensible thing would be to declare victory and go back to your regular existence. It’s just not that easy, though. Something about the experience draws a person back into the mix. This time the event was held in Montréal, and the weather was better than I could have hoped for.
45. Run for Empowerment, 2009
I had forgotten about this one until the day before, when a customer at work mentioned it in passing. One advantage of leaving Starbucks is having Saturdays off, so I made quick plans to run in the event. I never suspected that I would score a sweet new personal record in the process!
44. Girls on the Run, 2009
I’ve done a few of these races, right? I mean, this is race 44, for crying out loud. You would think that I would have it all figured out by now. You would think that it’s all a simple routine to me, and that I could do these things blindfolded. Certainly I should be well beyond all of the silly rookie mistakes, right? Well… um… I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.
43. Mutt Strutt, 2009
It had to happen eventually. Things warmed up enough for me to try out a running event in Vermont. Oh, I’ve seen people running around since I got here, but I’m not frost-resistant yet, so I tend to think of them as crazy people.
42. Flowertown Festival Run, 2009
This race was special for a couple of reasons. First, it was the last one I would run in as a Charleston resident. Second, it was the first race Maurice Davis participated in since his stroke in December. He did the 1-mile Fun Run.
41. LifePoint Gift of Life Run, 2009
Never done this one before, but it’s the last 5K I had access to before the big move to Vermont. I couldn’t pass it up. This event promotes organ donation, and even had some people speaking about it at the award ceremony. A donor’s mother and a recipient, to be specific. It was kind of cool.
40. We Heart Maurice Run, 2009
This was a pretty special race. You can get the details at the official site, which I designed for the event. The short explanation is that a local athlete had a stroke in December, and has no medical insurance through his job. He’s a really nice guy, and nobody likes to see people like that knocked down by the World, so the local Running Community put together a race to help him.
39. Save the Light Half-Marathon, 2009
As you can see from the photo on the left, I didn’t get much sleep the night before. All my fault, I admit. I hadn’t even really trained for this one, but I did okay at the Charlie Post, so I figured I would just cruise through it and enjoy myself.