Finding your next race can be an overwhelming task. At least it can be for me. There are so many options and determining factors when making this decision that it can almost put a pause to the entire process. Questions like, “Do I have time to train for this one,” or “Is this race really the best for my goals,” or even, “Do I know anyone else running this I can connect with?”
This Fall, I set a goal of running a marathon under 3 hours and there have been 2 extremely hard decisions: which marathon and which training plan to choose. I knew choosing the right marathon was likely the most important decision for this goal and I was so nervous about picking the wrong one. I finally landed on the Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis, but it was a painstaking process.
When you’re choosing a race in which a specific time or an overall completion is the goal, you have to do your research. Choosing a race that aligns with your goal and motivates you is vital. Here are some things you should consider:
Location and Travel: Do you want to run local or are you willing to travel? For example, I need a flat marathon to run sub-3 hours and I’m not going to find that where I live in Nashville, TN. So I have to look elsewhere. For traveling, you may need to factor days off work, lodging and other travel expenses. So this ties into budget so much… (and I thought running was going to be inexpensive when I first go into it. Haha!)
Timing and Season: Look at the race date and make sure you have enough time to train and the race fits within your life schedule. The season also matters as you may prefer or need cooler weather for your goal or maybe a specific time of year for a destination location race. I know for me to reach my goal, I need it to be colder weather. So I chose a marathon with plenty of time for me to train with a 16-week plan and in November.
Hype and Motivation: Does this particular race or distance motivate you? When you think about crossing the finish line at this particular race, does it get you excited? Sometimes running a specific race is the goal itself. Maybe you’re motivated by the thought of running through beautiful areas or iconic landmarks or by the energy of a large crowd. So make sure the one you register for continually motivates you every day during training.
Support and Community: Do you have any friends running the race? Having training partners or others with the same goal race is a massive boost in motivation. I absolutely love knowing that some of my friends at run club are running the same marathon and are chasing a PR. Almost every week we ask each other how it’s going and it makes me understand that I have a support system, even when I’m training by myself so much.
All of the above are big reasons I founded Run This. I wanted a better way to find races, build my training plan and see what my friends are running. I can search thousands of races here on Run This and add them to my calendar.
If you have any questions on how to use Run This, I’m a DM away.
