Sandy Runs

Wow, I had a busy Memorial Day Weekend and I'm just now catching up. Things kicked off on Thursday evening when I ran the FORE! Miler at Muirfield Village Golf Club. The race is an M3S Sports event that is partnered with the Memorial Tournament . Twenty minutes to go-time! Packet pick-up was at Orange Theory in Dublin and I got my race packet the day before the race. On race afternoon, I drove up to Muirfield a little early because I didn't want any issues with parking or rush hour traffic. Parking was free and plentiful, but we had to walk across a wet, soggy field of grass to get from the grass & gravel lot to the club. I tread carefully in order to keep my shoes as dry as possible. I reached the pavilion where bag check and the post-race party were located, and then it started pouring outside. The good news was that the weather radar showed the rain ending before the start of the race; and, it did. Runners getting ready My last 4 miler was in March at t...

My most recent pacing gig was on Sunday at the Cleveland Marathon , where I paced the 3:00 group for the half marathon. This was my first time running this race, but probably not my last. I had a great time and would be interested in pacing again next year, and/or running the full marathon. Medal selfie I drove up to Cleveland on Saturday afternoon and checked into the Hilton, which was walking distance to everything I needed in downtown Cleveland. The Hilton was connected to the Convention Center where the race expo was held, so I went there first to collect my race packet and pacer gear. After a quick tour of the expo, I headed a few blocks away to taste some local brews at Masthead Brewing Company. I enjoyed the beer (good stuff) and wanted to try their pizza, but I saved my appetite. As a pacer, I got a free ticket to the marathon's official pasta dinner held at the Hyatt. I sat with fellow pacers Tom, Kim and Chase. Then we all went back to the Hilton for pre-race p...

Last Friday was Cinco de Mayo and I celebrated by running the low-key Cinco de Mayo 5K here in Columbus. The race was run on the Scioto Greenway Trail, a multi-use, paved bike and running path along the Scioto River. It started and finished near Woodlands Backyard, a bar I had never been to, and had a little trouble finding because it was set back off the street behind a gas station. Good thing I gave myself plenty of time to get there and find parking. The participant shirt and finisher pint glass We picked up our packets inside and runners hung out there while waiting for the race to start. It was raining outside, so we wanted to stay dry as long as possible. Finally, it was time to walk to the trail. The course was an out and back, first upriver, and then returning downriver on the trail. It's a good thing it was a small race, because the trail would have been too crowded with many more runners and walkers. I seeded myself in the middle of the pack and set out at a decen...

I registered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon months ago when they had a special rate of $26.20. Several friends did the same. This is one of Ohio's relatively new marathons, and I thought it would be fun since I'd never been to Canton. Time to hang another medal on the racks; this one was shaped like an NFL ticket The day before the race I ran the Capital City Quarter Marathon in Columbus (blog here ). After that race, I went home, got some food and a shower and prepared for my drive to Canton, just over a two hour drive away. I went straight to the race expo and picked up packets for myself and Abbi. I had some time to wait for Jody to arrive so we could check into the hotel that she booked. I spent this time at the Canton Brewing Company. I ordered a beer flight and some pretzel sticks with beer cheese dip (really good). Later, we had a small gathering of Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics for a pre-race dinner. Abbi drove up from Louisville with her Air...

On Saturday I ran the Capital City Quarter Marathon  at home in Columbus, Ohio. This event also has a half marathon, which I ran last year ( blog post here ) and a 5K. I chose to run the quarter marathon for a couple reasons: first, it would be a new distance for me, and second, I was scheduled to run a marathon the following day, so I thought I'd take it easy. Quarter Marathon success! The race expo was held at a much smaller venue than last year. It was in the Brewery District, where parking was a challenge. I went to the expo on Thursday evening because part of the Short North Running Club's route was just a couple blocks away. I would adjust the route in order to run to the expo and then back to the club's start/finish location Pin Mechanical. It was a good run through downtown Columbus. I arrived at the expo out of breath and sweaty and quickly grabbed my bib and shirt, only to find out that I couldn't get the drawstring backpack that I was expecting. They ...

I met my first running goal of 2017. I ran marathons in two new countries (Italy and France), for a total of 10 country marathon finishes. This earned me full membership in the Marathon Globetrotters , with voting privileges. I've been working on this since 2014 when the club was new and my marathon friend David encouraged me to add some Caribbean island marathons to my calendar to get to provisional membership in the club (5 countries). I earned that status at the club's first annual reunion in Nassau, Bahamas. My 10 marathon country medals in chronological order It was a fun goal for me, as I love traveling to new places to run marathons, and I love visiting new countries. The Marathon Globetrotters supports both of these passions, and puts me in touch with like-minded runners from around the world. Here's a recap of my Marathon Globetrotters journey, with links to my individual race reports in case you want to learn more: Country 1: United States Marathon: 2005...