Running the States

Tag: california

  • 16/50: California – San Francisco Marathon (1st Half)

    16/50: California – San Francisco Marathon (1st Half)

    If you had to choose just one road race to run in California, which one would you choose?

    Tough, right?

    California is a big, beautiful state. Aside from the fact that there are hundreds of races taking place throughout the year, there’s also the decision of which part of the state to run in — Northern California? Southern? Or how about Central?

    Here were my top choices (for a half marathon):

    Big Sur Half Marathon in Monterey Bay (not the same as the popular Big Sur International Marathon)

    San Francisco (Half) Marathon

    Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon

    San Diego Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon

    Solid choices, right?? I think so.  🙂

    I ended up choosing the San Francisco (half) Marathon. When I told people, they were all like, “but the hills!! Have you seen them?!” Yes, I’ve seen them. I was worried about those hills. But I figured, go big, or go home.

    I was pretty nervous about the race, especially after the challenges I faced during Hatfield-McCoy in June. But surprisingly, the hills were not that bad, and the race was amazing — in fact, it’s one of my favorite races yet. I would do it again.

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  • Hatfield-McCoy Double Half Marathon Training – Weeks 10 + 11 + 12: Updates on life and upcoming races, monks and bodybuilding

    Hatfield-McCoy Double Half Marathon Training – Weeks 10 + 11 + 12: Updates on life and upcoming races, monks and bodybuilding

    I can’t believe it’s MAY already.   This year is flying by so fast.

    The Hatfield-McCoy Double Half Marathon is less than 50 days away (!!) (Check out the awesome-looking medals above!), and I honestly don’t feel as prepared as I should (but then again, when have I ever really felt prepared to run 26 miles?).

    I’m slacking on my runs — the weekday runs and weekend long runs are not long enough.  And I haven’t done the super long run yet – the dreaded 20-miler.  I’m hoping to squeeze that in this weekend or next.  Mentally, I am all over the place, and just not as focused on this training as I should be.

    I still have another month to pull myself together though.  Let’s see if I can do it.

    Upside: I managed to score running buddies for both the Hatfield-McCoy and the San Francisco (Half) Marathon in July.  Yay for running/travel buddies!
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  • 2016 (Half Marathon) Race Schedule

    2016 (Half Marathon) Race Schedule

    Here it is. My 2016 race schedule. Well, tentative race schedule.

    I think if you’re trying to run in all 50 states, or is someone that just enjoys participating in races, you’re constantly thinking about which race/where to go/what to run next. I’ve been thinking about my 2016 race schedule since January 2015 (and I already have 2017 and 2018 in the works). I’m a planner. I also love to travel, and in order to make that work with my limited vacation time, I have to plan in advance.

    My parents are going to Cambodia in November, and I’m hoping to join them for a week. Afterward, I’ll probably split and head solo to Thailand for a bit. This trip will eat up at least a couple of weeks, and so I won’t have as much free time for domestic travel this year, which means I won’t be able to cross off as many states as I did in 2015. No worries though, I’ll just make it up in 2017. 😉

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