Preface:
After running (pun intended) this blog for a few years, sometimes it is a bit tough to come up with topics to write about. Fortunately for me, Sara Kurth has published a massive list of potential blog topics that focuses on running (check out her blog here, ***).
Updated Preface:
Since I probably will be on the sidelines because of a recent back injury, I can use this period of time to answer/comment on some of these these running topics. Hey, it beats complaining about not being able train for the Marine Corps Marathon from now until the end of October.
How do races fit into your running (if at all)?
I guess this topic can be broken down into three categories – NYC life, Virginia life, and Maryland life.
NYC life:
I started running while living in NYC. Long story, short (or long). I “accidentally” got into run during my post-doctoral years. For my daily commute, I would ride my bicycle to and from work (about 4 miles).
Ok, four miles isn’t that much on a bicycle, BUT I had to ride across two bridges (one of which was the Queensboro Bridge). If you’ve run NYC Marathon, then you know the QB Bridge is no joke. One day, I woke up to find that BOTH of my bicycle’s tires were flat. Rather than changing the tires, I decided to run to work. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the run. Slowly but surely, I started to see if I could run faster than the previous week. Once I maxed out in terms of speed, I started added longer distances to my morning course until I was running around 7 miles 3-4 times a week.
A colleague told me about NYRR’s NYC Marathon 9+1 Guaranteed Entry Program (link for more info: ***) . For this program, one has to run at least 9 races and volunteer for one race to gain entry into the NYC Marathon. Back then, a lot of races were pretty cheap ($15+) so it was a good way to test my “speed” against other folks . . . and myself. Since NYRR used a coral system based on previous race times, I always hoped that ran fast enough to start in a faster corral for the next race.
NYRR also made racing life pretty easy because the the org had races every weekend. Since NYRR usually had the same races each year, it gave me a chance to compare results from year to year. Then I started to fall in love with specific races e.g., NYC Marathon, NYC Half Marathon, Ted Corbitt 15K, and its various international races (Portugal Run, Italy Run, Japan Run). I liked the last group of races because the post race celebration typically had food from local restaurants.
Wednesdays/Thursdays before these races I would get so excited heading to NYRR’s headquarters and picking up my race packet. A coworker and I would incorporate picking up my race stuff as part of our Thursday lunch routine. Lemme take that back, we incorporated this plan when NYRR was located on the Upper East Side since I used to work in the area.
Virginia/Va Beach/Hampton Roads Life:
When I moved to Va. Beach, my race life kind of took a hit. During this time, I realized that NYC spoiled me in more ways than one.
Racing organizations:
While there are a few racing orgs in Va. Beach (well, the Hampton Roads area), there isn’t one major org so races were few and far in between. Let me take it back. It was a bit too time consuming to search individual organizations to find local races. With NYRR (and later NYC Runs), I pretty much had to visit two websites to find local races.
That said, I did manage to run some races (mostly organized by J&A Racing – Link, ***) while living in Va. Beach. I’ll say that J&A Racing does a WONDERFUL job in organizing races, and you should check out their races if you are in the area.
Racing logistics:
NYC also spoiled me because the city has a pretty decent subway and bus system. Getting to and from races was a breeze bc I could rely on public transportation. However, Va. beach/Hampton Roads does not have an extensive public transportation system. That said, its public transportation has gotten better over the past few years. While in the Hampton Roads, I would find very interesting races, but then I would be like I don’t feel like driving 20, 30, 40 miles to run a 5K, 10K, or half marathon first thing in the morning. For one race that I ran in Hampton Va (about 30 miles from my house), I was very nervous about becoming injured while running. Why? Who the hell would pick me up and drive our car home?
Maryland/Washington DC Life:
Since we just moved to the area in June, there has not been much racing. I think part of this is because there aren’t as many races during the summer compared to the fall and spring. This is understandable because who the hell wants to run in this damn humidity. That said, I did find the Washington DC runs website (link: ***) and had planned on registering for a few fall races. You know, after completing the MCM. Of course, my racing life is on pause for a bit since my recent herniated lumbar disc flare up (link to previous post: ***). While fall racing might be out of the question, I’m really hoping that I can start racing during the spring. While I probably will not race in the fall, I think I can use this injury as an opportunity to volunteer with some running orgs. This is a good idea for a couple of reasons:
I like volunteering.
It will give me a change to learn more about the local running scene.
I’ll have a n opportunity to meet some new folks.