Monday's Belated Brain Exchange

Jill over at http://onelittletrigirl.wordpress.com/ posts a series of questions each Monday for her followers to answer during the week. Question: Name your top 3 favorite events to date. When were they and why are they your favorite?

To answer this question I went back to my running scrapbooks and log. The memories were fun to look over! I've run over the last 10 years with two different groups...the Washington RunHers when I lived in Washington, DC and now Rush Runners. I have done races with these clubs and also with my family and friends from outside the groups.

The Rush Running Racing Team at the 2009 Run for a Child

1) Run for a Child - I've run this race for most if not all of the years that I have lived in Northwest Arkansas. It is a fun 5K event and the course changed a few years ago which improved the course substantially. This race is held every year on Labor Day which means it is going to be hot and humid. The race has lots of great sponsors so there is usually a really good swag bag (either a backpack or duffle bag in the past) full of samples and goodies. The post-race festivities include lots of food and fun for the whole family with inflatables. It is a race that I use to keep track of my fitness from year to year since it is a consistent, accurate course. And since it is Labor Day, it works to show me how all the hard speedwork during the summer paid off!

My sister and I after the 2009 Tulsa Route 66 1/2 Marathon!

2) Tulsa Route 66 1/2 Marathon - I have done this race for the last three years and every year I swear I won't do it again! This is a challenging course with lots of rolling hills. I love the race because I learn each year what I am made of. This year I set a new half marathon PR on the course and had the most awesome first half of any half that I have ever done. The second half of the race only suffered due to me overthinking and questioning my abilities. The course is really scenic and includes an out and back along Riverside in Tulsa. The course is closed to traffic and you are never running alone yet the streets are open and wide so you don't feel cramped. The race happens in November and gives me a great transition from 5K training in the summer to longer distance in the fall. It is fun because so many from Rush Running run in the half and full marathons. This year we had about 30 participate and we took over part of a restaurant for our own pre-race pasta party.


3) Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach - How could I not love and honor the race that got me started on running. Just after graduating college in 2000 I saw an ad for a training program with the RnR Half as the goal race. I signed up for the fundraising program and began my training. My sister loves to tell people that up until this time I was that girl who didn't like to sweat! I got to train with my sister for the race and I learned that running long distances is hard work! My time included lots of walking but the race got me hooked on running and helped me discover a running group and so much more.