Weekend Outlook

It's Brian's "favorite workout" of the year... 10-miles or Frosty 50k. Yup yup... the Frosty Events (they added a 25k and relay option) are this Saturday in Winston-Salem, or if you're looking to stay shorter, check out the Run for Young 5k (first event in the spring Second Empire Series).

So, after a week of searching for the biggest / fastest / best races, I came across this article from Running Times that basically summarizes what I've been posting all week... oh well. And, based on the comments for the Race Plan thread, it looks like most are planning on a spring half and/or 10k, shortening it up a bit for the summer, and then aiming for a half/full in the fall (hmmm... sounds familiar). In any event, I started a spreadsheet of races so we can have a constantly updated central listing of what's up (kind of like the quarterly schedule that Coach has sent out in the past). And, because it's been absolutely freezing this week:

The Goal - 3.1

Ready to hit the ground running? Although there are no shortage of 5K's locally, I decided to look up what some of the biggest races were in the U.S. in case you happen to be traveling or looking for some new scenery in your next attempt at the 3.1-mile distance:

• Race for the Cure (Washington DC - 35100+ finishers)
• Revlon Run/Walk for Women (LA - 28900+ finishers, NYC - 22100 finishers)
• Capital One Bank Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot (Dallas - 19900+ finishers)
• Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run (FL - 16100 finishers)
• Hot-Chocolate (multiple cities - 12700+ finishers)... I think Raleigh might need to be a host city!

Don't want to run a 5k with over 10,000 of your closest friends? Check out these "more unique" races (ummm... can we go to San Diego in September because Girl Scout cookies make an excellent finishing medal).

Beer Runner Win

Our own Win Bassett is featured in the illustrious Draft Magazine. Check it out and note the prominent beer runs that Win is involved in, including the Big Boss Run Club that he founded with friends. I couldn't help but notice that Rusty's Ridge Road Beer Run for the High Life did not get a mention among the other local beer runs. Maybe they can release an addendum to include that one in the article prior to distribution of the print copy.

The Goal - 6.2

I like 10k's... unfortunately, it's hard to find a lot of them locally... so why not look around the country? As it turns out, a lot of people seem to like 10k's, with many ranking in the best races in the U.S. Which are the largest? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race (this is the nation's largest), Dick's Sporting Goods BoulderBOULDER, Cooper River Bridge Run, Ukrop's Monument Ave, and the Statesman Capitol 10k. As for the fastest... check out this LetsRun thread.

Race Plan Discussion for 2012

The comment thread attached to this post is for discussing the team's goals for 2012. From Fast Coach's recent email:

Need to start thinking about what the team wants to train for post-marathon. Post your ideas, and let's come up with a plan for 2012. Some of the things on the table are New England Relay, spring half, 2nd Empire series, late-fall half or full. Also need to think about a team meeting soon to cover topics such as socials, hosting races, etc.

Begin discussion ...

The Goal - 13.1

So, it occurred to me the other day that both half marathons and marathons are numerical palindromes... just throwing that out there... it has nothing to do with the rest of the post. In any event, what are the top half marathons in the U.S.? Rounding out the top 5 are 3M Half Marathon (Austin, TX), OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon (Indianapolis, IN), America's Finest City Half Marathon (San Diego, CA), Atlanta Half Marathon (Atlanta, GA), and the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon (Wilmington, DE). What about the fastest? According to this LetsRun thread, Philly, Houston, the River Run Half Marathon, Rock 'n Roll VA Beach... and the 3M Half and Indy Mini made this list as well. Or, if you're just looking to run "any old" half marathon, check out HalfMarathons.net for a fairly comprehensive list.

The Goal - 26.2

Maybe your goal is to run your first marathon in 2012... or maybe you're looking to BQ for the first time... or, perhaps you're looking to set a new PR for the 26.2 distance. Here are some marathons you should check out no matter what your goal:

• Largest: New York City Marathon (NY), Chicago Marathon (IL), Boston Marathon (MA)
• Best chance to BQ (excluding Boston): Santa Rosa Marathon (CA), Sugarloaf Marathon (ME), Ridge to Bridge Marathon (NC)
• Fastest (basted on median time): Boston Marathon (MA), Baystate Marathon (MA), Steamtown Marathon (PA)
• Fastest - USA (based on race time bias): California International (CA), Houston Marathon (TX), Chicago Marathon (IL) 
• Fastest - international (based on race time bias): Berlin Marathon (GER), Seoul International (KOR), Paris Marathon (FRA)

Or, if you want to "see a good show", head to London, as this marathon ranks highest among men and women for quality performances.

p.s. I got the date wrong when I wrote this post over the weekend! Oh, and I officially have only 1 post banked... aggghhh!