Race Recaps: 8 Months of Races in One Surprisingly Short Post

Trying to recap a single race in a standard blog post is tough, but trying to recap eight months of races at once? Nearly impossible. Thankfully, I have forgotten most of the details about the races I've completed since March, which you'll appreciate since it cuts down on the reading.

If my calculations are correct (they probably aren't), I ran 6 races between March and October. These varied from a one-mile race with a field of eight to a full 26.2 on trails, and they took place in Georgia, Tennessee and Washington.

1 Mile: Market Street Mile, Chattanooga, TN, June 2013 (6:48)
I don't know why I thought this was a good idea. "I hate 5ks, but what could be better than running for less time and wanting to puke even more? Yes! A one-mile race!" It was actually kind of fun because they did it in heats, so I was only racing against other women between 20-29. I, uh, lost. I don't remember what place I took - out of 8 - but I distinctly remember it being toward the end.

5k: Run For John, Dalton, GA, April, 2013 (23:58)
This is known as a super-hilly course in the area, but the downhills were nice so it wasn't as bad as I imagined. It rained slightly, but this was still a 5k PR for me, with a 7:43 pace. Plus, I got second in my age group. (Ahem, this was out of four. I'll take it.)

10k: Riverbend Race, Chattanooga, TN, June 2013 - DNS
This is embarrassing. I picked up my packet a week in advance, and then ignored the date. I thought the race was on a Sunday, until I saw people posting their results on Facebook - on Saturday morning. Good times.

15k: Chickamauga Chase, Ft. Oglethorpe, GA, April 2013- (1:16:44)
This was a fantastic race! I got there late and didn't get a chance to warm up, but I don't think it mattered much in the end. 8:14 pace overall was fast enough to get me second place in my age group, which was framed artwork depicting the Chickamauaga Battlefield (where the race takes place).  I really loved this distance and would like to do another one. Not painfully fast, but short enough to recover from quickly.

13.1: Tehaleh Trail Half Marathon, Bonney Lake, Washington, September 2013 (2:12:38)
I raced this about a week or two after we moved to the Seattle area, so it was a pretty great way to experience running in the Pacific Northwest. Obviously, it rained. A lot. But most of the course was pretty, if laden with mud puddles, and I came in fourth out of 14th in my age group.  Also, this will be remembered as the race where photographers took insane amounts of photos, and one makes me look hardcore. The other 14 will not be shown on the blog. 1 out of 14 isn't bad for race photos, right?

13:1: Ft. Steilacoom Trail Half Marathon, Tacoma, Wa, October 2013 (2:05:16)
I had so much fun at my first trail half in Washington, I immediately went home and signed up for another in the same race series. (Evergreen Trail Runs) I'm in love with them - small, cheap and you only have to show up 15 minutes before the start. Heaven. This was a pretty flat-ish trail, and I snuck in as 5th out of 20 in my age group.

26.2: Scenic City Trail Marathon, Chattanooga, TN, May 2013 (4:44:41)
This is the third time I participated in this race, but in 2011 and 2012 I just did the half. The full was, as you might imagine, twice the fun. Amazing course, scenic, challenging and fantastic. I wish I could run it again!

Post-Race at Scenic City Trail Marathon

If there is one thing you notice about all of these races, it is that they are small. The reasons for this include:
1) I'm cheap. Small races = cheaper race entries.
2) I'm lazy. Getting to the race 15 minutes before the start? Yes, please.
3) I'm full of myself. Placing in an age of group of four is a lot easier than in a field of 1,000.

What to do you prefer? Big races or small races?
I will say that I like the swag at big races. The smaller races generally don't give out bling, which I am a big fan of. Expo crap I can do without, but I love the medals.