50 states, races, and t-shirts: October 2013

Introduction

A couple years after getting into long distance running, I decided to try to run a half-marathon or marathon in each state. After crossing off my fifth state, I recounted the race to my sister. As I described the hills, puddles, cows, lightning, thunder, and cornfields, she suggested that I begin a blog about my experiences and races. While it’s hard to imagine the many different races running together, I could see how it might happen. So, I looked back in my mind (and with the help of my t-shirt drawer) am going to document my runs through all 50 states. End of 2015 update: 16 states done!

10/26/2013

American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler, October 26th 2013

After a couple attempts at triathlons I decided it was time to focus on my running. With my sights set on (someday) qualifying for Boston, it was time to marathon train again. The first stop on my training route turned out to be the American Tobacco Trail 10 miler. It’s a great trail; the soft flat surface of the converted railroad bed makes it a great place for training and racing. I signed up for the race at the last minute, planning to tack on extra five miles as a training run and happy to support the cause (trail conservancy). I was happy to discover my training was paying off, in this case with a 3^rd place age group finish (it was a small race, but a fast one for me, and I’ll take the spot on the podium when I get the chance). And yes, I ran 5 more after the awards presentation.