I ran the Lucky Charm 5k in Harrisburg, PA on March 18, 2018. I would definitely recommend this race. It was very well organized, the race director responded quickly to emails, it had a fun, festive atmosphere, and a flat, traffic-free course. You get a very nice medal, a cool gender-specific shirt, and a free beer at the end! To read the full race report go here: https://meditationsinmotion.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/the-lucky-charm-5k-race-report/

There are not very many races that I do more than one time. I like to experience ones I haven’t yet tried, and there are so many races to select from. Ukrop’s is one of those exceptions. This is the 8th time I have done this race. I think it is fair to say that it is my favorite race.

The race announcer does a great job getting everyone pumped up before they start. He called our wave to the line, and we were off. We ran a short distance on Broad St., then turned onto Monument Avenue, where the majority of the race is run. Monument Ave. is a broad boulevard with a wide grass strip down the center. You run up one side of the grass strip and back the other. The course is almost pancake flat, and there is so much to see as you are running. Almost every block contains cheer squads like the Rockin’ “Grannies”, who were rocking out to some thumping music.

For the full race report, please go here:
https://meditationsinmotion.wordpress.com/2018/04/15/ukrops-monument-avenue-10k-race-report/

My husband Bill and I drove to Pottsville, PA this morning, about an hour from our house, not knowing whether we were going to do a road race or a trail race. Rock the Wall was originally scheduled to be a trail race with 5k and 10k options, but our area got hit hard by a freak spring snowstorm last week. The race director sent out an email asking the racers what they wanted to do – run the trail race in the snow or switch the event to a road race. I (of course) voted for trails. Trail races in the snow are actually a lot of fun. The snow cushions rocks and roots, making it easier to run. Apparently, the majority of my fellow racers disagreed. Read the full race report here https://meditationsinmotion.wordpress.com/2018/03/24/rock-the-wall-10k-race-report/

I want to say right up front that I ran the race fully clothed. (No one would want to see me run 20 miles naked!) The "Naked" in the name of the race refers to the race being a no frills, low cost trail run. There were no T-shirts, no medals, and few awards, but the race only cost $30.

The weekend before the race was very wet in our part of the country. It poured for a few days. Streams and rivers overflowed their banks. The ground was saturated. Then two days before the race, it rained again, and the rain was accompanied by gale force winds. Trees were down, people lost power, but we were (thankfully) spared from snow. We got an email from the race director Friday evening assuring us that the race was on.

After a 200 meter jog on a park road, we entered the woods and ran on single track. Most of the run was in the woods, which was good. The trees and terrain provided some shelter from winds that were blowing out of the northwest at 30 miles per hour. We ran on a mixture of single and double track and soon got to the first aid station.

The race course was a lollipop shape. The first seven miles and the last seven miles were the same trail, run in different directions. In between, there was a seven mile loop that was the lollipop.

To read the full race report, please go here:
https://meditationsinmotion.wordpress.com/2018/03/05/naked-bavarian-20-mile-trail-race-report/

I ran the Phunt 25k (15.5 mile) trail race last weekend near Elkton, MD, one of my favorite races of the year. I look forward to running it every January. I like everything about it. I like the hilarious emails that I get from the race director before the race, the pre-race indoor bathrooms, the varied, rolling course, the aid stations stocked with typical (awesome) trail race fare, and the great after-party with thumping music, hot food and adult beverages. I must not be the only person who feels this way. This year Phunt had almost 500 finishers, and the race sold out last February. That’s right, 11 months before race day. The 2019 race is already sold out! For people who were slow to register, however, the good news is that there is a waiting list and a liberal bib transfer policy. To see the full race report, click the link https://meditationsinmotion.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/phunt-race-report/