Running Ideas are the Best Ideas

I started running almost ten years ago. When I say running, I mean running for the sake of running. Not as punishment on a sports team, not for the mile in school, not as a warmup at the gym. Actually setting off on a run as a standalone workout.

Over the past ten years, I've run approximately 60 races totaling roughly 600 miles. (Training not included!) And that got me thinking...why not share my race and route experiences with others? The idea being that someone, somewhere might read about a race or route I've run and benefit from the knowledge I share. Whether that means choosing (or not choosing) to run a certain race, having a better game plan for a certain race, or checking out a new route, I want to pay it forward to other runners.

Running to the finish line...little did I know I'd be the first woman finisher!

Unsurprisingly, this idea popped into my head while I was on a run. Not just any run, either. An idyllic, 50-degrees and sunny, 13 mile, fall morning run in my favorite training run spot: the Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

Comments

Scenic Drive - Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

To celebrate the new year, my husband and I made our first trip to the west coast. We landed in the Monterey airport well past sunset, got our rental car, and made our way to the hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It was pitch black, as if we were in a forest--no streetlights, nothing!--so, we had no idea of the beauty that surrounded us. Our nighttime arrival made the following morning's run along Scenic Drive that much more stunning. One of the beautiful beaches we looked down upon from Scenic Drive. We ran down a steep hill from the hotel (oh-so-fun to run back up later!) directly to Carmel Beach and did a full out-and-back before heading back up to the road. We took the Scenic Drive loop, staying on the road as it was mostly one way with minimal traffic, plus it seemed there was an unspoken rule that the pedestrian path was for walkers only (most runners, like us, were in the streets). Usually I'm quite a conversationalist when I run (or actually, make that all the tim...

Southport Thanksgiving Day Race (First Postpartum Race)

The last race I'd run before giving birth was the Lightfoot Runners' Mother's Day 10K --3 months prior to becoming a mom--and now here I was, lacing up my sneakers--3 months after becoming a mom. I was one of those people who ran my entire pregnancy (including the day before giving birth!) but I gave up racing, enjoyed the slower miles, and above all else was grateful to my body for its ability to run comfortably while carrying precious cargo. I set no expectations for myself for this race. I hadn't trained, typically ran longer than 5 miles (it was an odd distance for me), and didn't know what "race pace" meant for my body postpartum. I decided I'd just ran fast, not look at my watch, and see what happened. The day was clear, cool, and windy. My husband and 3-month-old son jogged around with me to warm up and saw me off to the start--they were my motivation! Feeling ambitious, I wedged my way up towards the front of the pack. A father told his you...

SoNo Half Marathon - Norwalk, CT

If I hadn't moved from NYC to downtown Stamford, I would have moved to SoNo--a charming little downtown for the city of Norwalk. The SoNo Half Marathon is the biggest half marathon in this area of Connecticut, and I didn't run it last year because of timing with marathon training. In 2018, I kept my (minimal) marathon training secret and signed up for whichever races I wanted to. SoNo was definitely on my list. I'd participated in the Lightfoot Summer Series races in Norwalk, which culminated in a half marathon race in September, and I felt this October half marathon race would be a nice continuation. (I certainly wasn't alone, as I saw many familiar faces.) I completely treated this race as a fun challenge. I had no explicit goal, though it's always nice to beat your own personal best, and decided to stick with my new method of only checking pace for the first two miles. Once the pace was established, I would run ahead without looking back, and tell myself that I...

Where Amy Runs

Search This Blog