I set a goal for myself to run 12 half marathons in 2014. If you ask me today why I set that goal, I will tell you that I am honestly not sure. Every year I try to set a new fitness goal. I think I just wanted to see if I could do it or not. I am also addicted to running bling. Who isn’t?
My journey began in California in January where my friend Ena and I ran the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at Disneyland. That one will always be special for several reasons. It was my first time visiting California. I had always dreamed of going to Disneyland. The dream finally became a reality. I enjoyed visiting both Disneyland and California Adventure. I think my favorite ride that we don’t have here in Florida was the Matterhorn. This race also helped me earn the Disney Coast to Coast medal. I was very emotional when I got that medal at Disney World after running the Princess Half in February. This year they had a special pink Coast to Coast medal. I love pink!
I live in Gainesville, Florida (home of the Gators) so all of my other races occured in my home state. Next on my calendar was the First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon. I got a PR in this one so it was also memorable. If you haven’t run this one before, I highly recommend it. It was a great course. All participants who register for 2015 get a FREE jacket (as if I needed any more temptation). I love free stuff!
The following month brought me to Clearwater for the Iron Girl Half Marathon. I found the most amazing breakfast place on this trip! If you are ever in Clearwater, Florida for any reason, you HAVE to go to Lenny’s for breakfast. It was incredible! It reminded me a lot of a place we used to have in Gainesville called Skeeter’s. They even named an item on the menu after one of Skeeter’s most popular items, the Asher. Did I mention that they bring you a complimentary danish basket? Need I say more? What a great find this was!
If you live in Florida like I do, you know that nobody has official races in the summertime because of the heat and humidity. I had to be creative to stay on track. I found out that US Road Running offers virtual races. They come complete with a race bib and a medal. The cost is only $16.99. They ship the bib and medal out to you right away and you just have to post your results before the deadline given. Simple! I love it! I did 3 virtual races this year.
Next up was a race in Gainesville called the Chord Half Marathon. It was probably my least favorite race of the year but it was for a good cause. The race supports the Division of Genetics and Metabolism at the University of Florida (my alma mater). One of the reasons I wasn’t too overly excited about this race is the fact that I had jet lag. I had just flown in from Spain on a 10 hour flight with many airport delays. That was my first trip out of the country. I tried my best to stay hydrated on the flight but it wasn’t easy. I didn’t get home until after midnight the morning of the race. I did make a new running friend at this race though. I love talking to new people and making new friends at races!
I continued to run for a cause in October in Jacksonville at the Marine Corp. Half Marathon. I started this race out wet but luckily it stopped raining before the race actually began. I cannot say the same for race #9 of the year. For the first time in six years of running, I did not luck out with Mother Nature. I went to Disney World again to run the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. This is a night race that begins at 10pm. Want to guess what time it started to rain? You guessed it. It started raining right at race time and continued for almost the entire race. I was wet, cold, and pretty miserable but still had fun stopping for character pictures.
I drove to Cocoa Beach the weekend after Thanksgiving to run Space Coast for race #10. This was my first year doing the Space Coast Half. I will definitely sign up again next year. It was a nice course along the water. We saw dolphins playing in the water several times throughout the race. I was actually on the marathon course not the half marathon course. The half marathon sold out so quickly that a few friends and I had to register for the full and just stop at the halfway point. This race has a nice medal and if you sign up 3 years in a row, you get a special medal. There is also a special one for running it 5 years in a row. I will shoot for 3 years and then decide if I am going for 5 or not.
The following weekend I took a trip to St. Augustine for the Run Like a Diva Half. It was super windy and overcast for this race. My favorite part was at the finish line where some sexy firefighters handed out the medals and posed for pictures. Would you run faster if you knew there were hot guys at the finish line? Apparently, it motivated my friend and I. We got PRs at this race.
My last race of the year was one of my virtual races. I ran it at home alone. It did bring me another PR and I finished my goal. I ran 12 half marathons in 2014. My best time of the year was 2:32:54. My worst was at the Wine and Dine with a time of 3:13:56. This year did in fact bring me "the best of times and the worst of times". What is the greatest number of races that you have completed in a calendar year? What races are you looking forward to running in 2015?
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