MBE: Race Places

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is Race Places.

Question: Where was the best place you have ever raced and why? Where is your dream place to race?

This is a great question, but I couldn't pick just one :) My favorite race location so far was probably San Francisco for Bay to Breakers. It is the only race I've done outside of Florida, and it was well worth the trip. The course was gorgeous and it was fun to watch everyone in costume. Coincidently, the Halloween Half Marathon I just completed in Miami Beach was another favorite. It was just awesome running alongside crusie ships while it was still dark enough to see their lights and then running along the ocean. The Breast Cancer Marathon in Jacksonville was another great locale. I only ran 5 miles as part of the marathon relay, but I think they were the best 5 miles of the marathon. It was all through beautiful neighborhoods and the support was amazing. I'm can't wait to run the full marathon by myself. Finally, my favorite local race has got to be the Run for the Trees. It is a point to point race and it ends under a canopy of trees on private property that is only open to the public for this race.

My dream pace to race has to be New York City. This was my dad's first marathon, and I was there to cheer for him before I even knew I wanted to be a runner. He talks fondly about it, and I know it is an incredible event that I want to experience at least once in my life. This question is very timely because I applied for the lottery today and took part on their Marathon Monday Mania for a chance at early acceptance. The regular lottery will be drawn in March, but those of us who took place in their Scavenger Hunt today have a chance at the first 50 spots that will be announced tomorrow. This is the photo I posted sporting my Timex Watch. Wish me luck!