(<--- hahaha funny sign, even if I AM mad at CT)
I've been putting my schedule together for the next year, slating in a few big ones that I really want to do and then looking for those uncommon states to slate in those hard to schedule ones! Well when I got to CT I saw the NipMuck Marathon and thought "YES! a trail!!!" I'm doing so few of those and I REALLY enjoyed myself in the last trail marathon I completed. Not only that, but it was at a perfect month that I had very few other races. So I added it to my schedule and finished planning. WONDERFUL-- I managed to get at least 2 marathons in every month and it all seemed to fall in place beautifaully. Then, of course... there was a problem!!! NipMuck.. or what I'm now calling "NipYUCK"...
UGH! Well that was 2009, maybe 2010 wouldn't be so stringent!!! So I contacted the race director, explaining my goal, sending him my blog site and asking him if the rules were going to apply for 2010 or if there were ANY way I could possible get into this marathon. To that he replied simply...
That was IT! Double UGH-- Mystic Places hasn't been a marathon in 3 years!!! Soooo back to the drawing board (or excel sheet, since I'm a huge excel dork). What other CT marathons are there? The first I saw was Roxbury. A VERY small race, more designed for a running group in the town/city/whatever of Roxbury. It requires no entry fee (yay!) but they don't give out medals (boo!!!!). If I'm running 26.2 miles I'm getting a medal!
Onto the next one... and subsequently the ONLY one left: Hartford!!! This is actually a race I was planning on doing this year, but it decided to do my first double the week before and wasn't sure if I should have a race RIGHT after. It's a big race (plus), it's close to a few of my friends from college (double plus), it's cheap to fly to-- lots of airport options (plus, plus, plus)-- it's on the same weekend as Chicago (BAD!!!!). Chicago was one of those races I have got to include in my 50-states. I'm already cutting out NYC in lieu of running in my home town for my NY-- I will not give up Chicago!
So now I have 2 options:
1. Run Roxbury (this year or next since it's December) and DON'T get a medal-- albeit, Wild Willy has told me he will be asking a local shop to design and make him medals for those non-medal marathons... not a bad idea!
2. Run Hartford on Saturday then run Chicago on Sunday. I love my doubles, but i was hoping to run Chicago well...
What to do, what to do.... What do you think??? I'll be putting up a poll in the upper right corner. Help me decide!!!
ohh tough.. I say the downside to the double here is not getting to really enjoy your friends there and not getting to run chicago as well as you desire.
ReplyDeleteSo with that I say go for Roxbury, I bet the small run will allow you to meet all kinds of fun and interesting people
I would say go for Roxbury because you WANT to have a good Chicago... I had such a blast there!!!
ReplyDeleteI truly cannot believe that your email would not have convinced the race director to let you in. WEIRD!!
ReplyDeleteI can be REALLY persuasive... Send me the email.. Surely they can bend/break the rules for one runner. GEEEZZZZZ!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your spreadsheets! I have no idea how you do it. I am just trying to find one Marathon in late April early May and I am TORN..
Ok I will give my 2 cents,,,since i am YOUR mother and partner, ok I think you should do the Ct in Dec even if you dont get a medal because I already did Chicago and I will prob do Hartford. So you should do Chicago that weekend, you can not give up Chicago, (my PR) it is amazing except its flat and you turn almost every mile, to twist you around the city over the River. Ok that is my vote. Maybe you can write to Chicago and ask them to move their marathon :)
ReplyDeletemy whole family is from Waterford, just outside of Mystic. My sister and I were SO dissapointed about Mystic places marathon being gone. booo!!
ReplyDeletethanks for the comment!!
ReplyDeleteohh i never really thought about the logistics of a state only having a couple options... that could be tough with trying to meet your goals! good luck in picking one to make it work!!
i see you already did cali... let me know if you are ever back out here :)
What a grouch for a director! If it was me...I might think about writing a letter-to-the-editor for the local paper. I wonder how the community that is missing out on "tourism" dollars would feel about this decision. Tell them about your goal, about how much you want to run their marathon, how disappointed you are in the decision, and how this decision impacts their town. You never know, if the race isn't full, they could reverse their decision due to community pressure.
ReplyDelete