After the Chicago Marathon I had no plans to run another marathon. I didn’t have any 10Ks or half marathons in mind, either. I was only focused on finishing the marathon, resting the next day and then flying to Phoenix to pick up Victoria and returning to Chicago in one day. It was the most exhausting week of my life; even more tiring than moving to Chicago with just 11 days to prepare.
Now that I’ve had a month to rest, I am feeling the itch to sign up for another race. I haven’t made any decisions about a marathon, but I just signed up for a virtual half marathon. I had not heard of a virtual half until I received an email from the Phoenix Marathon, a race I have run before (half, not the full). If I run a virtual half before Dec. 31, I will be eligible to still try to earn the Arizona Copper Star, a set of five medals that you get by running the race for five consecutive years starting in 2016. You earn medals to represent the Five C’s of Arizona: Copper, Cattle, Citrus, Cotton and Climate. In case you’re wondering I can recite the Five C’s by memory, because I am an Arizona native. It’s ingrained in my memory. I think it would be an amazing achievement to earn these medals because I love my home state of Arizona, and the Phoenix Marathon has a gorgeous course. It’s also a well-run race, and I have enjoyed the swag given out the years I ran the half. The five medals come together to form an a copper star in the center. I WANT THESE MEDALS. I am not sure if life will allow me to do any of the races in Phoenix (technically Mesa), but I am hoping I can.
So what is a virtual half marathon? It means I will run the distance and then submit a screenshot of my time tracked on my device. Once my time is verified, I will receive the first of the medals: Copper. I will also receive a race shirt and arm sleeves, which the race gives its runners every year. I love them!
I am glad this email made its way to my inbox just as I was debating my next running move. I find that when you are looking for an answer you will find what you need. As far as a marathon goes, I am leaning toward running either the Chicago Marathon or the Marine Corps one. Both are in October 2017, and both are via lottery. I would also love to run the New York City Marathon, which is a tough race to get into. I’m confident that the answer will appear though. It always does.
What are your current fitness goals? Share them with me in the comments!
