Today's topic for TOTR really spoke to me...in a way that made me laugh! I've never been a "one and done" runner. I never even said it about my first marathon. I knew that no matter how it went, I'd want to run at least two.
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| I'm joining Erika and the ladies for TOTR! |
But really, I was tickled by this topic because I'm notorious for running the same races over and over again. I have so many duplicate bibs and medals from local races - especially 5ks - because I just love a familiar, nearby course! Here are some notable repeats in no particular order (all the race recaps can be found on
My Races page):
Sanibel Race for FISH 10k. This is my favorite 10k and I've run it four years in a row. I plan to run it again this year and I'll be dragging Elizabeth along as well. The course is beautiful and always a joy to run. This is my most-often repeated race because they've never changed anything about it and the date (early October) is always easy for me to fit into my schedule.
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| My PR is on this course and I hope to break it here again this year. |
Race the Roof 8k/15k. This race is absolutely gorgeous. It winds through lots of vegetation and over boardwalks. The inaugural year they offered a 5k and 8k, and after that they bumped the 8k to a 15k. I missed it in 2014 and 2015 because they don't advertise registration very well and I always miss it, but I plan to repeat it a third time this fall.
The Fast and the Furriest 5k. This was the first race I ever ran alone. I loved that the course was the same as the Race for the Cure course, so I knew it really well and could plan my strategy by it. I ran it the next year with my friend Kim, who drove over from the other coast to visit and run it with me, and that's another reason this race has such good memories for me. They moved it in 2014 and now it's too far for me to drive for a 5k, so I don't run it anymore, but I'll always think of it fondly.
A1A half/marathon. When I ran this half in 2015, it was on my birthday and I was getting over some sickness. I was surprised by how strong I felt and how much I enjoyed the entire course. Obviously I returned this year and surprised myself (and everyone else) by running the full. Again, I
loved every step of the course. I'm debating going back next year for logistical reasons, but this is definitely one I like to repeat.
ALSO Youth Turkey Trot. I really loved this race when it was a 10k, but when they got rid of the 10k option I ran the 5k once and lost my love for it. Running over a HUGE bridge twice in a 5k is just too much to ask of me; I'm not against running it, but it hasn't been a priority for me over the last couple years. I do love the cause it supports, though, so I hope they bring back the 10k option eventually.
Shark's Tooth 10k. The Shark's Tooth is a 10k I've run more than once but probably won't run again. Last year it was just too hot! The first time I ran it was as the last race in a series challenge, and it was fairly cool out and a nice race. The next year, it was downright brutally hot. I wish it weren't an April race because the course is lovely and the medal is cute, but there's no shade during the entire 10k and the start time is after sunrise, so it's just too hot for me to truly enjoy.
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| Pretty course...but no shade at all! In April in Florida, that's a deal-breaker. |
These factors make me want to repeat a race: location, cost, swag, and my own personal experience on the course. If I had a magical time out there, I'll probably be back for the next one!
PS: The winner of the FREE entry to the Spartan Race is my good friend Montana! I know that seems improbable, but I used Rafflecopter to generate a random winner, so who am I to argue?!
I know the race entry is going to someone who will really use it, so that's good news, too :)
Are you a "one and done" racer?
What is a race you like to do every year?
What factors win over your race loyalty?
ABK
Wow! You have done those races many times. It is so much easier to do races again when they are near where you live.
ReplyDeleteI'm really lucky in that we have a very large and active running community in my city. I rarely have to drive more than 20 minutes to find a race!
DeleteIt's great when you have so many races in your area that you can enjoy year after year. I like to mix things up as much as possible but when a race is awesome and local I like to do it again!
ReplyDeleteWe have so many races in my area - it definitely makes it easy to repeat. While I was aiming to run 12 a year, it was nice to barely have to think about what to register for!
DeleteIf the course is the incorrect length, I will NOT run it again! Within the past year or so, I ran a half that was too long and a 10k that was too short! That annoys me. :)
ReplyDeleteI've done the Harrisburg Marathon twice. Location and cost were a huge factor! Add a relatively flat course that is spectator friendly and it has all the ingredients for a PR!
Oh yeah, I've luckily never run a race where the distance was SIGNIFICANTLY wrong, except my first half. It was 14 miles. And when I did it again two years later, it was still long. I stopped running that one!
DeleteThis year I am going back to some of the courses I have run previously. I really want to own a few races that I feel I could run better now. But for the most part I try to do different races. I don't want to miss an opportunity on a really great course because I want to repeat a different one. I do run a 10k around a lake every year. It is a really nice course that gives me a great workout and good 10k's are hard to find! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, that's SUCH a good reason to go back to a race - when you feel you deserve a second chance on one.
DeleteGood 10ks ARE hard to find! Why is that?!
Seriously?! Omg I'm so excited! I never win rafflecopter things!!! I'm brand loyal obviously- I do multiple Spartans, tough Mudders, savage races etc. they aren't at the same courses though so it always a different experience. I do really love Best Damn Race and I tend to try and do at least one of those each year. It's a great one for me because I usually get to ring the PR bell too ;-)
ReplyDeleteBDR has great medals and I love the PR bell, but I haven't earned ringing it yet!
DeleteI may do Cape Coral BDR half this winter if my friends can bully me into it haha.
I like to repeat races, but not every year. I couldn't do that many in a year anyway! I do look for new ones to consider - it bums me out when a loved race changes in too many ways to keep enjoying it, so I like to have other options on the table. Right now I'm looking for a longer distance one for the fall (15K - 10M - halfM) and my usual ones won't work, so I'll have to try something new. Or not do a race of that distance in the fall.
ReplyDeleteWhen races I love change dramatically I get really disappointed. I always think, hey, I loved this race! What was wrong with it?!
DeleteI loved when you wrote about the Sanibel race - I think I mentioned before that I grew up going there. I need to get there one year for that 10K! Maybe I can coordinate it with visiting some family members that we have down there :)
ReplyDeleteI remember you mentioning that! It would be so cool if you could get down here for it this year. It's October 15 I believe, but registration hasn't opened yet. My PR on the course is 58:xx and I'm nowhere near that right now, but I hope to be by October.
DeleteI wish I could do races multiple years in a row. Unfortunately I move so often that I usually don't have local races for very many years. I do love A1A and I may do it again next year... I haven't decided though.
ReplyDeleteI am very relieved that I did not win the Spartan Race. Haha! OCR scare me a lot. Congrats to your friend, though!
It would be cool to go back to old stomping grounds and run a race you ran when you lived there. I sometimes consider driving back to my college town for races; it's 3 hours away but I could make a weekend of it!
DeleteI really enjoy the run through the park with the Christmas lights each year, despite the fact that you NEVER know what the weather's going to throw at you.
ReplyDeleteDarlene won my one & only giveaway so far, and yes, it was Rafflecopter & not rigged!
It's funny that some races I'll do no matter the possible weather issues - like Sanibel - but others the weather is a total deal breaker, like the Shark's Tooth.
DeleteI love the collages of the races! Does the fish 10K end at the beach? is it hard to race in the sand?
ReplyDeleteFor me reasons to return include, after race food, price, experience.
The A1A is in my race bucket list. My fiancé did the inaugural and we want to go and do it together sometime.
The FISH 10k ends in a packed-sand parking lot. Miles 4-5.5 are all on packed shell, and the rest is on the road. Racing on sand is brutal and I'd never do a race with loose sand haha!
DeleteA1A is honestly the BEST. I can't say enough about it. The after party is great, the expo is great, the support is great...It's just awesome. Definitely go do it with your fiancé! That would be a fun memory!
There is a New Year's Eve 5/10K that I have run the past three years. So far, it is the only race I have run every year since I became a runner. I wanted to do the same for the Wisconsin Half Marathon since it was my first, but I couldn't make it this year (would have been my 3rd time) because it was 6 days after Pittsburgh. I've also done the South Shore Half in April the past two years (and PRd both times!), but I am not sure I'll be able to do it in 2017 due to timing. So as you can see, sentimental value is my primary reason for race-peating. I would like to run my first marathon, Lakefront, again, but timing wise it just hasn't been working out since it's in the fall.
ReplyDeleteSentimental value is a great reason to repeat a race. I think the warm, fuzzy memories can make us race better because we're in a good mood!
DeleteKnowing a course is really invaluable, especially if other aspects of the race are tough. I hope next year goes better for you, too!
ReplyDeleteI really need to get my schedule together and run the Sanibel race one of these years. I love Sanibel and I've been wanting to do it since I read your 2013 recap! Maybe 2017 will be the year that I don't have a marathon in October!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I really love A1A, mostly for it's convenience. I'm not entirely sure I'm going to do it next year, but I will always, always, always do the Fort Lauderdale half in November. In fact I intend to PR at it this year, haha!