Most Memorable Runs

Originally this was going to be a short "top ten" list, but looking back through my training logs got me thinking about some memorable runs (or series of runs) in the last decade or so.

Dec 2001 - Hawthorne Trail, Gainesville FL - 10 miles
     A half finished 20 mile run with yin and yang: some of the fastest and smoothest running I've ever done-- it felt effortless at < 8:00 pace, but was abruptly ended by excruciating right knee pain.

Feb 2002 - Gulf Beaches Marathon, FL - 26.2 miles
     You always remember your first.  I took a friend's advice and didn't even try to work for the first half,  and despite a knee injury had an incredible first 18 miles.  The wall was real though, my friends.

Training runs 2000-2003, Gainesville, FL
     Pure running, and building up my base for life.

June 2002 - Hood River, OR - 7 miles
     This was a great run on a fantastic vacation.  I took a left out of the motel, found a road up a mountain, and followed it to a trail with an incredible view, and a water fountain at the end!

Feb 2003 - Gulf Beaches Marathon, FL - 26.2 miles (PR)
     Training paid off with a PR that I'm still trying to beat (3:49) and a time 23 minutes faster than my first.

May 2003 - to Horseshoe Beach, FL  - bike 75 miles / run 10 miles
     Memorable for the 90-95 degree weather in extreme humidity.  After this workout I felt so bad that I had to go dip in a cold spring afterwards, which I think prevented some form of heat illness.

Oct 2003 - Great Floridian Triathlon - swim 2.4 mi / bike 112 mi / run 26.2 miles
     This was a challenging but fantastic race, the run in particular was a milestone because I willed myself to keep running without walk breaks, so this was the first time I managed a marathon that way.

Feb 2004 - Camp Wesley Woods, GA - multiple runs
     Egg salad for lunch then daily runs up a 750 foot slope and onto a half-finished road on a Smoky mountain ridge.  Iron stomach.

Fall 2005 - Tabeguache Trail, Grand Jct. CO - multiple runs
     Beautiful runs up on to a high desert ridge.

Nov 2005 - Gemini Bridge, Moab, CO - 16 miles
     Planned as a 12 miler but felt so good I kept going.  Camped with friends afterward.

Winter 2006 - somewhere along I-70, CO
     Driving back from Denver to Grand Junction, stopped on a whim and ran on a trail I saw from the road.  Turned out to be a great and memorable run.

Feb 2006 - Five Points of Life marathon, Gainesville, FL - 26.2 miles
     Most fun marathon I've done, though not the fastest.

May 2007 - Essex, VT to Mt. Mansfield and back - 31 miles
     Training run for the Vermont 50.  Smooth first 10 miles, challenging run up the mountain to an alpine zone where I felt like I was flying from rock to rock, then an excruciating and difficult return.   Well worth it.

Sep 2007 - Vermont 50 - ~51 miles, ~8000 feet of elevation gain
     Hard.

Oct 2008 - Burlington, VT - 10 miles
     A great fall run in Vermont, representative of many I've had.  In this case running through the cool dry air with leaves falling around me was so fun I kept going and going and going, extending my lunch break a little too long.

May 2009 - VT City marathon (1/2 marathon) - 13.1 miles
    Negative splits for every mile - got me re-energized and excited to run after a long dry spell.

Winter 2010 - training runs in the cold
     Memorable for the mental challenge of getting of the door, and the physical challenge of keeping my face warm.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2010 - 16 miler on McQueen Island Trail, GA [added Dec 2010]
    Clear and cool, reminded me of  run in the same place 9 years prior!  Slower now but still love the long run.

February 2011 - Five Points of Life Marathon - personal record (3:44)
    Memorable forthe experience of starting out fairly hard and being able to keep it up for the whole time.  Does this mark a change in my approach to long races or simply a lucky day?