Marathon #24- complete! On Saturday, September 10th, I crossed my 24th marathon finish line at the Big Cottonwood Marathon. I ran this race as my last chance BQ (Boston Qualifier). I had a qualifying time from the Phoenix Marathon this past February, but 3:39:26 (or 34 seconds under the qualifying time) would not historically be enough for me to actually get into the race. Since Dustin Continue Reading
Fits Do Race Reviews: Grandma’s Marathon 2016
Marathon #23, complete. On Saturday, June 18, 2016, I ran Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN. This was my second Grandma's Marathon. Other than Twin Cities, this is the only marathon I have done more than once. I'm going to start with the bad news...I did not achieve my goal at this race; I had hoped to go under 3:40 by enough to be able to register for Boston 2017 with Dustin. But Mother Nature Continue Reading
Fits Do Race Reviews: The Brian Kraft 5k
Hey, look who is pacing me again in that picture! Yep, it seems that all of my recent PR's (the Phoenix Marathon, the Fast & Furry 8k, and now the Brian Kraft 5k) are thanks to my amazing pacer! Let me back up. I have recapped the Brian Kraft 5k twice on this blog - first in 2014, right after the Flying Pig Marathon (i.e. not a great 5k for me) and again in 2015, where I ran a 22:04 Continue Reading
Fits Do Race Reviews: The TC 1 Mile
This past Thursday, I raced the TC 1 Mile! This is my fifth time running this race; I ran this race in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015. In 2014, the race was cancelled due to the weather, otherwise I would have run it then too! Every year, as I nervously wait for the starting gun to go off, I curse this race and say I'll never do it again...why? Because it's hard! It HURTS to go as hard as you Continue Reading
Fitting Remarks: 10 Things You Can Expect to See at an International Marathon
The Virgin Money London Marathon was my third international marathon. (Catch up on the race recap here!) I have now run Berlin, Tokyo, and London and while running three international marathons definitely does not make me an expert, it's still a bit of experience. Based on that bit of experience, I have come up with a list of things you can expect to see at an international marathon. Now, to Continue Reading
Fits Do Race Reviews: The Virgin Money London Marathon 2016
Marathon #22 complete, the Virgin Money London Marathon 2016! On Sunday, April 24, I ran the London Marathon. It was brilliant. Smashing. Grand. Loads of fun! If you missed it, I shared some pictures and data from the expo in this post. Today, I'll recap the actual race. Marathon Fueling: Our hotel provided breakfast for all the runners starting at 5:30 am. Since we didn't need to leave for the Continue Reading
Guest Post: Pacing My Wife to Her First Boston Qualifier
By Dustin Benson So I agreed to spend three wonderful hours and thirty+ potentially more dramatic minutes pacing my wife to qualify for Boston at the Phoenix Marathon. Should you find yourself in a similar situation, I bet you'd like to know how to handle it. Why? I was very fortunate to have a successful race last fall at the Richmond (VA) Marathon. We had great weather, my Continue Reading