Breakfast this morning was a winner thanks to pecan crumbs!
On Sunday Ryan and I were on dinner duty for a couple in our small group that had a baby last Tuesday. (Baby Aleiah is so adorable. Teeny tiny!) We decided to make them a mini-Thanksgiving that featured some of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes including sweet potato casserole. Ever since then, I’ve been snacking on the chopped pecans that we had leftover from the casserole and poured the remaining pecan crumbs into a bowl of overnight oats that I made last night.
I didn’t think they’d add much flavor since the pecan crumbs were rather miniscule, but they packed a punch. A delicious morning meal!
Plus a hot mug of frothy coffee on the side!
How Do You Find Races?
When I first set a goal to run a 5K without stopping back in 2007, I Googled Orlando-area races which led me to Track Shack’s website. Track Shack is a local running store in Orlando and the store’s website is constantly updated with upcoming races. It is a great resource for runners in the Orlando area and I used it regularly when I lived there to find local races that interested me.
Now that I live in Ocala and local races aren’t as prevalent, I’ve expanded the way I discover races. Here are some of my favorite ways to find new races:
I’m sure most of you are very familiar with Active.com. It seems like many races – big or small – direct race participants to Active.com to register. Sometimes I find the search capabilities on Active.com’s website a bit frustrating, but I highly recommend the Active.com app! I downloaded it on my phone and love using it to find races in cities that I’m visiting, like the Jacksonville St. Patrick’s Day 10K.
This website is fantastic! It is really easy to search for races by location, distance and date. It will frequently direct me back to Active.com to register, but I typically use this website to find races more often because I find it very user-friendly.
- Sign Up for Email Updates
I am on the email list for several different race organizations, including the Rock ‘n’ Roll race series, ZOOMA and Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure.
When they email me about a race in my area or a race that sounds particularly intriguing, I jot it down on my calendar so it’s on my radar!
Another email service that I recently discovered through a partnership with FitFluential is Blood, Sweat and Cheers.
Blood, Sweat & Cheers is a newsletter packed with fun, out-of-the-box activities and events like marathon tours around the world or midnight runs with glow sticks and neon paint. The newsletter features races and fun runs all over the United States. (They also have an NYC-specific news for those of you in the NYC area!) BSC is also currently running a giveaway where anyone who signs up for their newsletter is entered to win a GT Performer BMX bike or a $150 Lululemon gift card!
This website is a great resource for trail races. It sorts all trail races by state in chronological order. As someone who recently discovered trail races, I’ve checked this website a handful of times in search of upcoming trail races within driving distance of Ocala. (Tampa friends, the Picnic Island Adventure Run looks like a blast!)
- Local Running Club Websites
From what I’ve seen in Orlando, Tampa, Ocala and Jacksonville, many running clubs or local running stores do a great job of listing upcoming local races. If I am planning to visit my parents in Jacksonville, I know that the 1st Place Sports website is a great resource to check for races in the Jacksonville area.
Question of the Morning
- How do you find races? (Triathletes, please feel free weigh in since I don’t have anything specific to finding great triathlons in this post, though I know some of the above websites have triathlons listed on them as well.)
- What is the craziest race you’ve ever done? How did you find out about it?
The craziest race I’ve ever done was the Central Florida Hero Rush last fall. It was AWESOME! I found out about it through Ryan’s work since they formed a team and we signed up to participate with his company.
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Disclaimer: FitFluential, LLC compensated me for this campaign. All opinions are my own.
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I use Running in the USA–you can also search triathlons on that site.
I’ve actually never done a race, but it’s one of my goals this year. (Living in Boston, land of the marathoners, its almost embarrassing that I’ve held out this long!) Your post is soo helpful- I now really don’t have any excuses not to!
so glad to hear it! good luck to you, charlotte!!
I totally forget about pecans… I feel like they’re neglected every time other than Thanksgiving. Poor guys ;).
I run most of my races through New York Road Runners – so http://www.NYRR.org What a great organization! When I travel home to see my parents in St. Louis, I just do a goggle of races happening around town when I’m there and usually sign up for the longest distance available.
I often see them on Groupon but usually I google it if I’m looking fo a specific one. I did a Halloween run in Golden Gate Park and that’s been the craziest yet because of the funny costumes.
that sounds like a blast!!!
My local running store has a great site where you can search for races – it’s pretty much the only one I use cause it’s so comprehensive.
i like to use Active.com and we have a local running club in Mobile that always has race updates!
There are a couple event management companies in Chicago that put on a lot of races, so I find out about a decent number through them. We also have a local magazine that lists most of the upcoming area races in their magazines and online, and CARA (the Chicago Area Runner’s Association) also has a pretty good list on their site of races as well. I don’t think I’ve ever struggled to find a Chicago area race!
Same as you, active.com, local running stores in the various parts of the state, and running clubs in the nearby counties.
I signed up for the Blood, sweat, and cheers newsletter since I am near the NYC area. I never knew so many crazy races existed! I was hoping to an egg hunt Easter race, but it ended up being too far away.
ooooh that would be a fun one!
I use Running in the USA. I haven’t really found in other sites that are much better. I like it.
Small group?! I didn’t know you went to small group. Is it like a couples bible study through your church?
yep! i talked about it more in this post: https://www.pbfingers.com/2013/03/12/love-is-a-verb/
I love the idea of Blood Sweat and Cheers. My hope is that it eventually gets big enough that they can make city specific ones.
Any idea when the blood, sweat, and cheers drawing is? I thought about that last night.
april 16!
Awesome! I figured it was coming up soon.
I recently signed up for the Blood, Sweat & Cheers newsletter. They really do feature some interesting and unknown (to me) races/activities. For local races, I use CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association) website. They have a great search tool.
Love this post! I am always looking for fun races to do and am looking for trail races in particular!
Thanks for this post! I usually find races through our local running store charmcity run. The craziest race I’ve done is the warrior dash. I’m happy to say that I just signed up for my very first Marathon (Baltimore Marathon) coming up this October! I am glad that I have plenty of time on my side, but still pretty nervous since Ive only really done 5Ks. Any advice or pointers!?
Yum, those overnight oats look so good! And I find races in a similar way most of the time, a google search and just looking for anything local. Then usually once I register for one race, I get emails from that sponsor from there on out and some of the races intrigue me again so I’ll sign up!
I just google away and by word of mouth too… Most of the ones I do are always sparked by a conversation or a specific event.
Great resources to have though!
Ironically enough right before I read this I was searching for fun half marathons to run and was trying to figure out how to find them! Which is why I ended up looking at your blog! I usually look on strictlyrunning.com which is a website for various races in South Carolina or I just use google. I’m hoping to find a fun half marathon to run for the first time!
Thanks for the resources! I usually just find out from billboards or word of mouth–b/c I don’t love to travel just for a race.
I use a lot of different resources to find races, but I think Active.com is my main go-to. It seems there’s a fun race every weekend!
I love Running in the USA now too – just found it this year!
I run destination half marathons, so I’m always checking http://www.halfmarathons.net/ because they break them down by month and by state.
your overnite oats always look so tasty! I also just bought a big bag of pecans and have been using them in pancakes, on salads, etc. love them!
I love http://www.trifind.com. You can search by state, distance, month, etc. Great resource for triathletes!
That would be my suggestion too!
just talking to other people and reading blogs, i suppose! 🙂
marathonguide.com is my favorite site to find marathons. It also has reviews from past race participants which tend to be very helpful!
i live in a small town but i check the websites of the running clubs in nearby cities because they usually have all area races, not just their own sponsored ones listed. also Fleet Feet, a national chain, (the closest one is about 45 min from me) does weekly emails and lists area races as well…i also signed up to get emails from active.com on area races. and then i have friends around….
Just read this post, and signed on for my first ever MARATHON via active.com!
Usually just word of mouth, through friends. I’ve also done google searches about races in the area, and usually I can find websites that list out races that are coming up!
I’ve done local 5K runs in my area, but never a triathalon. I would love to do one though someday. BTW…I tried your Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Overnight Oats and they were amazing!! Pecan crumbs in the overnight oats…yummy!
I definitely want to encourage you to try a triathlon, it is such a rewarding and awesome experience! Start with the sprint distance. The run at the end is a 5k and the short swim and bike distances are very do-able with minimal training. Active.com is a great resource to find all of the local races. Good luck!!!
Im not allowed to run marathons right now but MAN I wish I was. SO instead 10 ks and 5 ks are my race of choice. I love using google. Seriously its so simple! Its one of my dreams to run the Charity run and Im really hoping this year I can!
I am lucky to live in Cologne/Bonn area. There is a buch of 10-20 K races in Bonn itself over a year, most of them next to the Rhine, where I actually train. And then of course, Cologne marathon/halfmarathon is worldwide known. I am seriously considering training for a Cologne halfmarathon in September, it is such a great and international event and it’s just around the corner.
That trail running website looks good – I’ll have to check it out – thank you! And what a good friend you are. . it was so helpful to have people bring over food after we had our baby.
My craziest race was all in thanks to my best friend (at the time). She and I always went running together and asked me to meet her at the local park after she got off work, thinking it was just another run. Well I was wrong. Turns out it was a 5k and she didn’t want to go alone. I hadn’t been training to run a 5k, just running to run. I was a good sport about it and ran the 5k but not without a few stops along the way. It was the first 5k I ever completed – I felt so accomplished at the end! (Bonus: I one a $25 gift card in a raffle!)
*won not one. Wow..
I love using active.com to find races! I sometimes google to find them, and almost always get sent back to active! My craziest race was the Color me Rad, and I found out by ads on facebook, I think!
Often my team’s coach will recommend races- she’s been doing this a long time, so she knows 🙂 but a lot of times, I just go by word of mouth, and when I hear about a good race, I enter!
I also use Active.com, and I agree with you that it is frustrating at times. I am signed up for their emails, so that is usually how I find races as opposed to searching the site.
In central Texas, Runtex is a good resource for finding local races. Word of mouth is also a good way to find some of the ones they miss. The craziest one I’ve run was the Chupacabra 10k- a nighttime trail run, but it was overcrowded and consisted of walking single file through most of thr course 🙁
I use coolrunnings.com to find races by state. I live in MA, and there are many races each weekend listed on this site. I also love to look at different track club websites, such as the Falmouth track club (MA ) and The Greater New Bedford Track Club ( MA).
Craziest race? I did the Reach the Beach one year. It was an overnight right from Easton to Provincetown ( all in Ma). You travel in vans with your team, and shower and eat whenever and whatever. You also run through the night with a head lamp!
I always use active.com or we always have a radio on at work, and it seems like everyone advertises their races really well around here so that helps too. I’ve never heard of Blood, Sweat, and Cheers, so I’ll have to check that out thanks 🙂
And pecans make ANYTHING better!!
i use some of those sights, plus a local long island running club’s website. most direct you to active to register, though! haven’t done too many crazy races but we’re doing the color run in brooklyn this summer and we’ve been talking about doing a warrior dash type of race. my fiancee wants to compare it with his military training – i on the other hand, really don’t care to crawl through mud!
I use a site called RunGeorgia.com that has tons of races listed all over the state. The site also has a section for tri’s and a separate listing of marathons.
Since I have a lot of runner friends here in Chicago, I find out about almost all races through them. Before I was friends with them though I’d look on active.com or I’d get emails from organizations that put on races I’d done in the past.
Are you going to do the donut 5k run in Ocala? June 15th I wanna say.
This is an awesome post, Julie! I usually just turn to Active.com/Google, although I do make sure to check out the flyer board at the local running shop whenever I head in there – it’s not often, but they do a great job advertising races all around the Midwest. But now I’ve gotten even more places to go race hunting!
Julie, when you set out to run the 5K without stopping for the first time, what was the regimen you used to train? I’d like to do the same and don’t know how to go about it!
Pecan crumbs sounds so delicious! It seems like you can add it to anything and it would be delicious. Your breakfast looks delicious!
I don’t have a huge variety of races available to me and the next largest city is more than 300 miles away. So the only place that I look for races near me is our local running club.
Our Beat Beethoven Run is this weekend and is fun to do. All along the route Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is playing and if you finish before the symphony ends you get tickets to the local symphony orchestra. I just think it’s fun to run by people dressed up as Beethoven. 🙂
I use Active.com but also LOVE the Race Place magazine. They have them in local running/cycling stores and I think it’s just a California publication (though they also have a website at raceplace.com). The print the magazine every couple months and it’s PACKED with info on local races.
I haven’t done any “crazy” races, really. I did a Halloween-themed RnR race in LA and dressed up like a Target employee. But that’s about as wild as I’ve gotten. LOL