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Running in 2024

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I felt more satisfied with racing in 2024, getting to run half my races with loved ones and not feeling unfulfilled by any of them. I want to build back my strength in 2025 after my longest run-free spell due to illness. Best race of the year: Giants 5k. A goal for running to be more social Last year, I said I wanted running in 2024 to be more social. I wasn't going to sign up for any race on my own unless it was an interesting one. Running in 2023 reflections post Two of my four races ended up being with others, and as expected, I liked those races better than the other two. My partner John and I traveled down to Stratford-upon-Avon for a half marathon. I was delighted and surprised to get my second-best half marathon time - probably the power of doing a race with somebody else. Shakespeare Half Marathon recap Selfie after finishing the Shakespeare Half Marathon. The best race this year was the Giants 5k, where I unexpectedly got my best 5k race time. The weather was less than ide...
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Giants 5k

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I got my best 5k race time at a rainy run at MetLife Stadium with my family. Rainy jump. Why Giants 5k My boyfriend, John, is a big New York Giants fan. I was intrigued when I got an email from the Giants about at 5k at MetLife Stadium where they play. The race finished in the end zone, formers players were going to be there - it sounded like a cool thing to do, especially as it fell on our anniversary. My sister, whose husband is also a Giants fan, reached out to me about the race not long after I got the email, as we were scheduled to be visiting her that weekend. We agreed we’d go to the race, and we all ran it, including my young niece who ran the kids race. The weather  This race was wet. In a forecast where pretty much every other day in the lead up to and after the run was sunny, race day was rainy. It wasn’t predicted to rain until the afternoon, but there ended up being frequent showers from the moment we got there. We got our race shirts before the run, and while I wasn’t...
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Marathon Pour Tous 10k

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I ran Marathon Pour Tous 10k, a nightime run for the general public organized by Paris 2024 during the Olympics. It was a cool experience, but a tough run battling the heat and tiredness. A sleepy finisher. Why Marathon Pour Tous 10k I first head about the Marathon Pour Tous (Marathon For All) in autumn 2022 on the Runner's World website and was immediately intrigued. The Paris Olympics were going to host a marathon open to the general public on the same course the Olympics athletes would run.  That sounded like such a cool and once-in-a-lifetime experience. When I read the article originally, I had just run the Yorkshire Marathon, where I got a great time, and was keen to find my next marathon to run.  While two years away at this point, I figured I might as well take a chance at trying to get a spot in this run. The way to enter it? I had to download an app and participate in running challenges each month, which were logged through the app. Each challenge said it was associa...
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Bluebell Trail 10k

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I ran a 10k at Dalkeith Country Park through the Bluebell Trail on an incredibly warm day. A wooden finishers medal. Why Bluebell Trail 10k I signed up for this race in 2020, but that never happened thanks to a worldwide pandemic. I thought about doing it in 2022, but I was away from Edinburgh that weekend. I didn't look into doing it last year, but I did go to Dalkeith Country Park in May of last year, which is the first time I was there when the bluebells were in bloom.  It was incredibly gorgeous, which made me keen to do the race in 2024. The journey I could have cycled to this race, but it's pretty hilly to get to, so I opted for the bus. My tired post-run self would come to greatly appreciate this decision. The convergence of runners started early this race. I met a fellow race participant at the bus stop, and there were quite a few other runners taking the same bus to the race. The race Hot, sunny day It was a gorgeous day out, sunny and high of 69F. Hot weather doesn...
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Shakespeare Half Marathon

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My partner and I traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon to run a half marathon during Shakespeare's birthday weekend. I came away with my second-best half marathon time, and John ran a PB. USA running outfit is back. Why Shakespeare Half Marathon I had originally considered the Shakespeare race when I was looking my first half marathon race to run in 2020. Luckily, I opted for Falmouth in March instead, which went ahead right before everything shut down during the pandemic. I had looked into running the Shakespeare race last year, but I couldn't find reasonable train fares. Finally, 2024 was the year. I found reasonable train fares and accommodation (well, reasonable for 2024). My partner, John, said he'd join me as well, fulfilling my main criteria for 2024 racing: running with people. The journey We went by train, with one connection in Birmingham. I thought we had lucked out with there being no strikes impacting our journey and the train leaving on time, but right before we got...
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