The Upper Neuse Greenway
This past weekend I ventured out for a brisk Saturday morning run on the Neuse Greenway and used that time alone to reflect on the past year of running. Looking back, 2014 was a fun year of running. I completed my second half marathon in April running in the first inaugural Rock n’ Roll Raleigh Half Marathon and achieved my goal of a sub-4 hour marathon finish in my second attempt at the City of Oaks Marathon in November. I even participated in the Sir Walter Miler event in August logging in my fastest single mile ever at 6 minutes 30 seconds. That may not be fast for some, but for me it was a huge accomplishment!
Big Boss Run Club
Along the way I made some great new running friends at my two favorite local run clubs, the Big Boss Run Club & the River Run Club and managed to explore many new parts of Raleigh as I trained on miles and miles of the city greenway system. My favorite stretches right now are the Upper Neuse Greenway from Falls Dam to the WRAL Soccer Park (6.5 Miles) and the trails leading from Shelly Lake all the way down to Meredith College (also about 6.5 miles).
Running in Raleigh On a Cold January Day
As I look ahead to 2015 I have my sights set on more modest running goals in the coming year, but I’m still looking forward to getting out there and logging some miles. I’ll be taking break from full marathons for a while instead focusing on shorter distances like the All American Half Marathon in Fayetteville in March and the Bull City Racefest in Durham in October. I also hope to finally break past the 1,000 mile mark in 2015 (a milestone that eluded me last year) and maybe take in a 10K or two. Whatever your running goals in the coming year, I hope you enjoy the journey and try a new running trail or two as you train for your next race. Maybe I’ll see you out there on the Greenway one weekend. Until then – run strong!
The Triangle Explorer 