Picking Races (Read 522 times)

Hi Sara...mostly, I try and find races that don't allow attourneys to enter. Ok, just kidding. I usually will pick a race or two that I really want to do and work training schedules around them. Then I will see what races might fall at times that are convenient to the training schedule to allow for a break in the grind of training...Yep, I used races to help get ready for races! I have used races as vacation destinations, for example, I did a race in June in Wyoming and spent the week following in the Yellowstone/Jackson Hole area...lots of fun! That allowed me to participate in a keynote race that I wanted to do and to include my wife in a nice trip/vacation in a beautiful place. My next race, however, will include a whirlwind trip that I will make solo, just to get there in time for the race, then turn around and come back home... If my goal race is tough to get in, I will plan it far enough in advance to ensure I can gain entry. I am fortunate enough to travel a good bit for work and can leverage frequent flyer miles for most of my travel, if flying is required. If I can drive to a race, I might camp out (I run mostly off-road stuff, so camping is not at all uncommon). I don't know if this helps, but good luck! Lynn B

Hello - I try to find runs (or races, as some people call them ) in areas worth visiting for their natural beauty or such (i'm a trail runner). I also run only long runs at this point, since I don't feel the need to pay $25 to go run a local 5k that I could run any day of the week. Anything half-marathon or above is worth traveling for. My 1st half was in Santa Cruz, 1st marathon in San Fransicsco, 2nd Marathon at Mt. Hood in Oregon, 3rd Marathon in Arizona, 4th in Reno, 1st 50k at Lake Tahoe. So far, we stay as short a time as possible, really, to fit in the run, but still see the area and have a good time. Typically we get to the destination 1-2 days before, and leave the day of the run or the next day. Depends how much we want to explore the area. We bring our kids with us when possible, but have been known to leave them with friends to save on traveling costs when flying. I try to choose my next race a soon as i'm done with one or even before. For example, I did a 50k in July, and am trying to find another marathon or 50k in the next 2-3 months that looks appealing. Having a "goal" race scheduled is the only thing that keeps me motivated to run, since my life is so hectic already. I occasionally will run a half marathon or such, if it fits into where my training for the longer run is at. For example, last summer, my marathon training schedule had me running 12 miles on a weekend when we were going to be driving through San Fransisco. I literally had my husband drop me off and pick me up at that one. I must admit, though finding my next race is my favorite pasttime (after running, that is. Actually, maybe before running....hummm...). I love searching the various race calendars, and when i find a race that looks really cool, finding it on Google Earth. I think I enjoy planning my running more than actually doing it, at least day-in and day-out. Isn't that awful? I guess I'm not addicted to the running itself, but to the process of gettting to the next challenge. Funny, until I wrote this, I never realized that! Thanks for the insight!