Blogging Specifically to Recap Races
After my 2010 Boston Marathon, I wrote up a recap in a notes file on my Facebook. A couple of years later, I started blogging specifically to recap races. By the time I started my blog, though, my marathon days were behind me. I had so many fabulous memories from running 40 marathons and one ultra that I started a series of throwback race recaps. I scanned old pictures, Googled course maps, photographed race bibs, shirts, and medals, and even contacted running friends for their input as I wove the story together. The throwback recaps were popular, especially from a hair and fashion perspective.
Bragging About Some of Those Marathons
From all those marathons, two things stand out for which I’m most proud. First, I qualified for Boston at my very first marathon, the 1997 Marine Corps Marathon. Second, two years in a row I ran three marathons in four weeks and ran Boston qualifying times at all of the races.
2002 (45 years old)
- • Baltimore Marathon (October 19) – 3:44:55 (8:35 pace) (1st place age group)
- • Marine Corps Marathon (October 27) – 3:56:39 (9:01 pace)
- • Marathon In The Parks (November 17) – 3:59:34 (9:08 pace)
2003 (46 years old)
- • Baltimore Marathon (October 18) – 3:57:37 (9:04 pace)
- • Marine Corps Marathon (October 26) – 3:56:02 (9:00 pace)
- • Marathon In The Parks (November 9) – 3:57:37 (9:04 pace)
My complete list of all 150 race results with links to recaps can be found here. My oldest races/recaps date back to 1980, 5K’s now outnumber marathons, and fewer races are added each year. I still enjoy time with running friends, often over lunch or dinner instead of on the running trail, and I’m grateful for having had so many wonderful running adventures over the years.
Questions:
- • What was your greatest or proudest athletic accomplishment?
- • If you run, do you participate in races?
- • If you blog, how long have you been blogging? ~I started my blog in January 2013.
Wow, these are great accomplishments, Debbie!
What a good thing you still have those photos and the racing times, these are great memories!
I did my first marathon in 2003 at the age of 35. My finishing time was a disaster, 4:38, just before the cut-off of 5 hours.
A few years later, I got my time down to 3:12, which is still my PR.
Thank you, Catrina! Wow, 3:12 is a great marathon time. My PR is 3:29.
I love this look back–it’s great that you have so many photos! When I started running there wasn’t chip timing and there weren’t photographers on the course. So I don’t have many photos of my early days. I didn’t run my first marathon until 2011! I’m not so proud of that one. My proudest would be my redemption marathon, in 2014 where I finished in 4:17. Not the time I wanted but a big PR from my first disastrous effort!
There wasn’t chip timing when I started running either – I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembers that! From what I remember there were only photographers at marathons back then, not shorter races.
You sure do have lots to brag about! That is quite a marathon list of accomplishments. I started blogging around the same time you did and I believe we started following each other back then as well
Thanks, Deborah! Yes, I think we found each other pretty quickly after we started blogging, perhaps through MRTT.
What an accomplishment! Wow, three marathons in four weeks and ran Boston qualifying times at all of the races!! One marathon is hard but 3?
Thanks, Zenaida!
Wow. Wow. You are amazing!
My proudest is running one marathon. NYC. At age 66.
Yes yes. I love races. I’ve run 59 halfs and hundreds of 5ks.
I started blogging the first day I decided to try running. 2008. Never looked back. I’ve met some great people because of it.
I love that you started your blog at the same time you started running. You have quite the impressive resume of races and age group wins/places!
Such great memories, Debbie! I’m sure it must feel bittersweet. Amazing to BQ at your very first marathon!
I could say I’m most proud of just starting to run. A big deal for me. And to keep running. Or my 18 mile race, getting out of my comfort zone.
Truly I think I’m most proud that I just keep running. There have been really bad races (thankfully not too many), really great races — and everything in between!
I think you should be very proud of starting to run when that hadn’t been your thing before. Continuing to run is equally impressive!
Always so much fun to take a stroll down memory lane – especially when it comes to marathons!
You have some really great memories from those races. Although I’ve only done 4, I think my most memorable marathon would have to be my first, which was NYCM.
Yes, I love taking strolls down memory lane and writing throwback type posts. I never ran the New York City Marathon and always regretted not running it in my earlier days.
Always enjoy reading your Blogs Debbie. I think these old running memories help build bridges to new challenges for the future even if it’s not “running”. Signed up to walk the Marine Corps Marathon this year. Did it last year(Virtually- almost the same course) with friends and family. Any interest from you or your friends?
Thanks, Miles! I need to set up a lunch date with you soon.
Very impressive stats from all those memories, Deb!! My proudest moment (in terms of running) would be my first marathon (Quad Cities). I was very lucky to have a nearly perfect “first marathon” experience (of course, that just means all the others have had a high standard to meet, LOL). If I could name a second proud running achievement, it would be the 12-hour (overnight) Christmas in July Ultra in 2016. It’s surreal to think I ran 37 miles…overnight, none the less. I started my blog in January of 2013 as well…just after I’d registered for the Quad Cities marathon 😉
I remember your 12-hour race. That always sounded like a fun type of race!
I had forgotten that we started our blogs at the same time. Do you remember when we found each other?
Wow, you have run a LOT of marathons! You are so lucky to have all these pictures! I have almost no pictures from my early racing days. I guess my proudest accomplishment would be my marathon PR of 3;56 from 1997. Of course at the time I had no idea that would stand as my PR- I assumed I had many faster marathons in me- but well, you know how that goes!
Boy, do I know! I’d planned to still be running marathons at this point in my life. And no way would I cross over to the dark side and become an avid cyclist. 😉