Sandy Runs

I just returned from Columbus OH, where I grew up, after running the Emerald City Half Marathon . What made this race special was that my mom participated in the Quarter Marathon; it was her first race and it was her birthday. I talked her into doing this race with me months ago, but when we had to be up at 5:00 AM on race day, she was questioning the idea. I understood the desire to sleep in on a birthday morning, and this was definitely not sleeping in! Large, inflatable shamrock at the start/finish area The weekend started off with my arrival on Friday night. Mom and I went to one of my favorite Columbus restaurants, El Vaquero , for an early birthday dinner. On Saturday, we went to packet pick-up at Fleet Feet , and mom picked out some new gear (a Spibelt and a handheld Nathan water bottle). The race shirt was the same for the half and the quarter marathon: it was a gender-specific tech tee in navy with the race logo in green. We both liked the shirt. So far, so good. On ...

Run Disney . It’s a thing. In fact, many people run only Disney races and have no experience outside of Run Disney. It seems like there is a new Disney race every year, or a new bonus medal, and they always sell out. Those are the facts. From there, you’ll find camps of people touting the fabulousness of Disney races and running several of them each year. You’ll also find people who avoid Disney races at all costs. Some of these people have run them in the past, some have not. Well, I think it’s a good idea to try something before you judge it. I won’t listen to someone rant and rave over an event if they’ve never been a participant. I have been a participant, though. I’ve run several Disney races and I’ve run on both coasts. My last one was January 2013, so it has been over a year. Still, I think I’m qualified to offer some insight. The Pros Disney races are fun. They appeal to the child in all of us, and bring us back to some happy, childhood memories of Mickey Mouse and oth...

Well, I ran a trail half marathon yesterday and I’m sore in places I normally don’t feel after even a full marathon on the road. Trail running really does give you a full body work out. Scot and I participated in the inaugural Maryland Trail Running Festival in Germantown MD, which was local to us in the Washington DC area. He ran the full while I ran the half.   Scot and I before he got on the marathon bus; I had to wait another hour for the half marathon bus   Half marathoners waiting for the start in Seneca Creek State Park This was almost my slowest half marathon ever ( Groundhog Day 2013 tops it by a few minutes), but considering it was my first trail half marathon, I’m OK with that. My goal was to keep running anytime I was going downhill or on flat sections, and to feel free to walk anytime I needed to on the ascents or on particularly rocky or rooty sections. There were lots of those. The course elevation map didn’t prepare me for how much the trai...

In the Marathon Maniacs club, you have to be a little crazy just to join. To qualify, you need to run a minimum of either 3 marathons in 90 days or 2 marathons in 16 days. This goes against conventional wisdom, but there are thousands of us who do this once to qualify, and over and over again to attain higher rankings in the club. The rankings are just for bragging rights, but they help people set and achieve some pretty incredible goals. The highest ranking level is Titanium or the ten star level. This can be achieved one of three ways : 52 Marathons or more within 365 days. 30 Marathons in 30 US states, Countries or Canadian Provinces (any combination) within 365 days. 20 Marathons in 20 different Countries within 365 days. All of these are crazy, but there are hundreds of Marathon Maniacs who have achieved Titanium by one (or more) of these methods. With a rolling calendar of 365 days, the clock for achieving one of these goals is reset every day. It requires a lot of plannin...