The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a fast point to point marathon on a scenic gravel trail (not technical trail) east of Seattle. There is no expo, which is awesome - very small race, so you show up and get your bib on race morning.

The day starts with you parking at Twin Falls Middle School, followed by a bus trip to the starting area. You cross the start line at Hyak trailhead on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Not long after starting you get to run through the Hyak Tunnel, which is close to 2.5 or 3 miles of pitch black, with literally just a pinpoint of light at the far end! It's damp, cool, and full of echoes of runners' breath, footfalls, and laughter. Run with a flashlight or headlamp!! I carried mine and they give you small bags to drop them in at the first table right outside the tunnel, so you don't have to carry it the whole time. The tunnel portion is very cool!!

After that you're running on gravel roads in a beautiful park with a lot of shade, crossing beautiful foot bridges with nice views. The course is very fast, and is pretty much all downhill, though it's a gentle downhill, not a quad-pounding downhill. There are hikers and cyclists out and about on the trail, but it wasn't ever a problem.

There are 8 or 9 aid stations along the course, though I carried my hydration pack just in case. We had great weather in 2015, warming up slightly by the end but otherwise comfortable running temps and blue skies.

There was an issue last year with signage towards the end of the course - I think a few mile markers were missing but apparently there was an issue unlocking a fire road gate which delayed them getting those last signs up. Not a big deal. The race was well organized and responsive ahead of time if you had a question.

The medal was decent, though the shirt was a bit too big. The most important thing about this race is the BQ that came out of it! I definitely recommend this event if you're looking for a PR, BQ, or just to check Washington off your list of states. It was beautiful and a lot of fun. Oh, and it sells out fast, so be ready to sign up!!

Boston is a unique experience for a runner, especially those of us who may only ever get to run it once. Last year was cold and rainy, but it didn't put a damper on the festivities at all. Here are my takeaways:

Expo: I didn't linger, but it is well organized and crowded. Be sure and take a look at the merchandise. I grabbed a sweatshirt which is one of my favorites of all time. I of course bought the jacket too but I did that online ahead of time, plus a long-sleeve top. The finisher shirt was really nice, bright yellow with the logo on the front and back. I'll probably never run Boston again but the gear and swag I collected will always be amongst my favorite!

Hotel: It's expensive to stay in Boston any time, but especially during marathon time. We stayed at the W Boston which was prime real estate, but worth it. BOOK IN ADVANCE. Like, as soon as you know you're going to come back or MIGHT come back the next year, book a hotel room. W was easy walking distance to shuttle meet up and finish line.

Food: One of the great things about marathoning is getting to eat well. There are so many restaurants in Boston it's a little overwhelming. The Salty Pig is delicious (not for carbo loading but any other time!) and Teatro was a great race-eve restaurant; great pasta and lots of other Boston runners doing the same! It was also right around the corner from our hotel.

Logistics: Boston knows what to do on marathon weekend. Race morning was easy. Get on the bus, ride 26.2 miles to the start. There you'll find tents and bathrooms and places to hang out until your wave. Depending on when you run, you may be there a while so bring throw-away clothes based on sitting around in whatever temperature you might have that day.

The course: It's got some hills, but who has time to notice? The course is basically lined with spectators for the majority of the route with only a few exceptions. Each milestone town is exciting if you've looked at the course ahead of time, and by the time you get to the home stretch, your ears will be ringing with cheering crowds. I had headphones, but didn't really bother with them so I could soak up the race.

Speaking of soaking up the race, bring lots of different clothing options for race day, just in case. We pretty much knew it was going to rain on us but the day before was cloudless and perfect. I had options and I was glad.

The finish was a breeze. Collect your iconic medal and make your way out of the funnel. I found my husband and we made our way back to the hotel. Enjoy the post-race excitement - so many Boston jackets, hats, and sweatshirts wandering around Boston the evening after the race! If you have the time to explore the city, I highly recommend it, just be careful about too much walking if it's before the race.

It's a must-run in my opinion, even if it's only once in a lifetime.

Austin is hilly. There, it's been said (it's really not that bad). Other than that, it's a really good city race, not too big, not too small. It's well organized and you can get lucky with the weather.

We stayed at the Sheraton across from the capital which is convenient to the start and finish. You can walk to lots of different restaurants but don't walk TOO much, hills lurk everywhere! DO go to the Roaring Fork for a Bigass Burger, but go after the marathon, not before :)

The start was easy to get to, although as is my usual complaint, there's never enough portajohns when the 15-minute mark hits and it's almost race time. I don't judge them; I'm not sure there is such a thing as "enough" portajohns before a marathon.

The course was fairly scenic, running through the city, past the river, the UT campus, and other historic areas. I remember it being pleasant and varied enough to be interesting. There was also good crowd support throughout the majority of the course.

The medal in 2015 was awesome, I think better than the 2016 anniversary medal (which I only saw pictures of). I ended up buying an Austin Marathon shirt at the expo which I liked better than the race giveaway (the swag was okay but the purchased shirt was better).

Bottom line, Austin is a great race, especially if you'e ticking off states. It's a fun city, lots to see and do if you have the time, good food, well organized, good support, and all around good race. The weather can be a factor, I suppose, but 2015 was somewhat humid but not hot, so worked out okay. Highly recommend it for your Texas marathon!

I ran this marathon on a whim, signing up last minute and driving the 7 hours down to Kiawah from Virginia on my last day of student teaching. I've been to Kiawah many times in my life, growing up in SC, so I knew it would be a beautiful run. It was a great opportunity to cross SC off my 50 states list and I'm glad it chose to run it.

I hit the expo at about 8:30pm Friday night and didn't spend a whole lot of time there, but it was pretty hoppin'. The t-shirt was long sleeve, not bad, but the cool thing is that if you are or were military, you got a special bib with the American flag on it, a nice touch. I checked in to my hotel right after that and went to bed since the race was the next morning. If you can stay on Kiawah, it's awesome. Rent a cottage or house, or stay at the Sanctuary ($$$$ but cheaper in December than any other time of year; it's just beautiful, decorated for Christmas. If you stay on the island, it's pretty easy to get to the start. I think if you are off the island, you can drive and park outside the gate and get shuttled there.

It was cold on race morning but crisp and sunny. The start was organized and went off smoothly. This race is pretty much pancake flat, and is very shaded. You don't run on or even that close to the beach, but somehow that doesn't matter. It meanders through the beautiful neighborhoods (these houses...wow) and the marshland and lagoons and golf courses that cover the area. It really is lovely, and the weather was just perfect. There was also one house where three or four ladies were drinking mimosas and dressed in long evening gowns and pearls, cheering for the runners. So awesome!

The majority of runners seemed to be in the half, so after we split it got much more spread out, but again, it just seemed like a lovely run on a beautiful morning. You also run on some bike paths/sidewalks and across some footbridges (look for gators!) before you end up at the finish area. The medal was pretty cool I thought, and was a nice end to the marathon. I really enjoyed this low-key, well-organized marathon, and highly recommend it. Don't do it if you want nonstop crowds or a crazy beach vibe though; do it for the beauty and scenery of the area, and top notch organization of the event.

New York...another bucket list list that every marathoner should run once. It's THE New York City Marathon. Chicago, Boston, NYC. Check, check, check. And big city races aren't even my thing, but these are special.

New York, like all of the big city events, is expensive to run, and expensive to sleep in! We stayed at the Sheraton Times Square which was convenient and a big runner hub. My husband and I took the train from VA and cabbed it to the hotel, then walked to the expo and back. There are tons of restaurants too. I HIGHLY recommend carbo-loading at Trattoria Belvedere; wonderful little Italian restaurant, very cozy! The expo is big and crazy but laid out well and organized. We wandered around and bought a shirt after getting my packet.

The thing that everyone will probably talk about first when speaking of the NYC Marathon, is getting to the start. Fair enough, it is a hassle. But only in that there are a lot of steps; it's not difficult, in fact they make shuffling 50,000 runners around the city look pretty easy. My morning started early, even though the race didn't start till 10-something. After having breakfast and coffee, I made my way a couple of blocks down the road to the subway. Easy. Took the subway (with several other runners) to the Staten Island Ferry. Check. Hung out a while just because there was no reason to rush by now. It's warm and there are bathrooms (race day was COLD and WINNNNNDY). Finally got on one of the ferries, which was enormous and comfortable. Check. Got to Staten Island, took a warm bus to the start village. Done. Shivered and walked around the starting village until it was time to line up in my corral and wave.

The course is unique, meandering over the various bridges and through each borough. Very cool. Fantastic crowd support the whole way, lots of well stocked aid stations. Even in the windy weather, the people came out in droves to cheer us on. Passing Central Park in the home stretch was awesome, and crossing the finish line was special all by itself. Great medal too.

Exiting the finish area was lengthy but the walk is good for tired legs. I highly recommend not checking a bag so that you get the giveaway, in my year it was a sweet blue hooded poncho. Very nice for the walk back to the hotel with my husband. It's lined and pretty warm.

All in all, NYC is special. I never want to live there, but I loved running there. Take the time to explore the city, see the sights, enjoy the many, many restaurants, and cherish the run. OH...and eat a black and white cookie (my favorite!).