Recap - Running a half marathon (13.1 miles) in all 50 States

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

You read that right 50 half marathons in 50 states. Travel can be transformative. Meeting people, immersing in culture, seeking out new experiences, and overcoming challenges— these are things that make travel magical and create lifelong memories. I hope this story inspires you to set off on your own journey as well as provide you with useful information to help you find your way. This is a chronology of half marathon runs in all 50 states, which formally started in 2001 at the Waukesha Trailbreaker 13.1 miler--way before having this crazy idea to run in 50 states. It began in 2005, but wasn’t until 2 years later when I pounded the pavement every weekend, literally. The idea emerged during a road trip with two high school friends. The first thought I had was, “This was a crazy idea, running a half marathon in every state.” So I came up with “Crazyrunninggal” as a hash tag. Initially the run started with just 25 states, in 2008, running in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, Nevada, Indiana, and running the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco with my favorite guy. Back at it in 2009 I hit the pavement in Arizona, Oklahoma, and Georgia--with my favorite guy--and then solo in Colorado, Washington, and Illinois. Then in 2009, I’d run a state a week, from February in New Orleans to Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, California, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Washington, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, New York, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Vermont, Missouri, Kentucky, and Nebraska. I met people from over--completing all 25 states by April 2009. I got my Juju back in 2014 and decided to run a half in the remaining states. My average out-of-state travel cost was $118.70 running half marathons 5-days back-to-back, a week at a time, running in Calhoun County West Virginia, Bluefield South Virginia, North Carolina, and Seneca South Carolina. I only had 12 more states to run at the end of 2014. In 2015, I ran the Detroit marathon with my friend, and completed 7 more states: Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. As a lifetime traveler, I stepped foot in every state except Hawaii by this time; but, wasn't done, even though I took a break from my half marathon tour. I kicked the dirt in New York running the NYRR marathon in 2016—this is worth mentioning since the entire city was shut down for the runners--No kidding! In 2017, I ran 2 more half marathons in Utah and Oregon. Utah was crazy! I ran with a headlamp down a mountain and crossed the finish line at midnight. It was dark. Later that year I finished the IRONMAN Wisconsin! Now how many can say that? This year, 2019, my final year, was a magnificent 13.1 mile run along Honolulu’s Waikiki coastline. Before the race, they sang about "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness—in Hawaiian it is "Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono.” and before the race the announcer said, "Laki maikaʻi” which is "good luck!” The final run was in Juneau, Alaska. I can now officially say, “I completed running a half marathon, 13.1 miles, in all 50 states.” This journey brought so many large accomplishments and really just small baby steps to a much larger journey. How did I do it? The secret isn’t speed or stamina, it’s progression, start out small, the important matrix isn’t time, distance or pace, but improving, exploring, seeing with “eyes-wide-open” and discovering. Even if you’re just having fun; which is what it’s about anyway, the journey is for no one but you. If you pay attention, if you stay devoted, you’ll see things you have never seen before, and you will also see your life improve. It’s not only about the run or the states I traveled (but that’s cool too), it’s about who I met (now lifelong friends), what I saw (and understand), where I went (a big world out there), and how I changed (perspective). It changed my viewpoint (just like Robin Williams lesson in Dead Poets Society)—not only as a traveler, but my family views, spiritual views, career insights and all of it—learning to Just Be Me—Not someone else’s opinion of it Plus, I produced over 7 kids books which I gained from the ideas when I went on these journey OUT there….running. There’s so much more, and that’s just the start. I urge you to travel as far and as much as possible. Work ridiculous shifts to save your money, go without the latest iPhone, or no phone at all for a year (which I did). Throw yourself out of your comfort zone, find how other people live and realize that the world is a much bigger place than the town you live in. And, when you come home, home may still be the same and yes, you may go back to the same old job, but something in your mind will have changed, and trust me, that changes everything. Come along with me to the wild side, and see what you can see.

Stats on my Half Marathon Quest ---

• First State in Quest: Dubuque, Iowa June 2005 
• First State in this years Quest: Honolulu, Hawaii (*) 
• Last State in Quest: The Glacier Half Marathon in Juneau, Alaska 
• Years Half Marathoning: 18 
• Longest drive: 2870 miles (Wisconsin - New Mexico) * 
• Longest flight: 8,364 mi (Hawaii) 
• Ratio Drive to Fly: 35:15 (8:3) 
• Most expensive travel cost per day: Alaska 
• Cheapest out-of-state travel cost per day: New England series 
• Ratio Solo or Together: 38 solo & 12 with someone (38:12 solo ratio)

50th state is Alaska - complete

Thank you for supporting me as I journeyed through this amazing 50-state venture, the final state to run a (13.1 mile) half marathon. 50th state is Alaska.  The Race was in Juneau Alaska on July 21, 2019. I finally accomplished running a half marathon in the final 50-state. 

Thoughts, Reflections and Lessons

Reflection of those things I learned during this whole journey

I like to reflect on the lessons I learned throughout my journey in this case it’s my 50 state half marathon journey. These are some thoughts, reflections and lessons…

• You are going to sprain your ankle when you run the Las Vegas half marathon in December 2007 after running it, even though you knew you injured your ankle in kick-boxing that Tuesday before the run. The results, crutches for 3 months and no running - lesson, don’t run the half marathon when you are injured. You will only injure yourself more.
• You are going to tear your ACL skiing down a triple black and be out for 1 year after surgery and many months of physical therapy. Next time think twice before you do something stupid.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
• There will be setbacks and years when you don’t do “anything running” between 2011-2012, and that’s okay. The goal will simply be there when you get back to it. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.
• A runner crushed her foot, after healing only 8 months later, she is running on this cruise for her 40 state.  Everyone is going through something. Support them in their accomplishment.
• Embrace the challenges. There will be many. Let them come your way and play through them. Make the challenge fun, it will no longer be the monster you pretend it to be.
• Met a runner who has qualified and run Boston 8 times. She is working toward 10 Boston marathons. When she reaches 10, she will be in for life! Learned the qualifying time for my (and now her) age group 50-54 to qualify for Boston is 4:00. I think this is doable and reachable, I may consider this one as my NEXT venture to consider.
• A runner got 1st in the 5K run, said she was going to Australia sometime with her husband not when she retires but NOW, because one thing she learned was sometimes if you wait until you retire your people might not be here anymore to go with you. :*( VERY good lesson.
• I learned that people, especially the running community, will open their arms and welcome you to share a room, their food, their time, and the course with you. Even if they are strangers, they are kind, their heart is in it because they get you.  Runners get each other.
• This is from another runners voice… spectators will formulate that you must look a certain way in order to run. But there are runners of all ages, sizes and races. The fastest runners have been solid and stalkier. Not all runners are tall and skinny. Many time spectators who do not run are just trying to figure it all out. 
• It’s not easy to run a slower pace, but I have several races, in order to help a newby or first-time half marathoner along her journey to finish her first race.
• It takes strategy, as your body ages, you need to be smart and listen to your body most. If it says, “Today I can’t do it.” Then you don’t. Or “Today you need to race-walk.” Then you race walk.
• Just do it, simple as that. Don’t let your mind take over, don’t get in your head or else you will be stuck there.
• Join a group to encourage you and make you accountable if you need that motivation and push.
• Traveling can be expensive, you can be smart about it though.  I traveled all day Friday in my VW car to run a race on Saturday, and turn around and drive back the same day after the race.  This saved me a lot of money and time. The con is I didn’t really get to see the state much, just a short dinner at night or breakfast before the race or saw the people and terrain during the race. 
• I’m glad I took a week in Colorado, it was there where I ran Crazy Horse in altitudes I thought I would never recover from, running 2 miles straight up a mountain and after where I got confidence to write with Susan Piver and discover the enneagram which helps me with characters in my stories.
• I believe travel opens your eyes to new things. When you see these new places, people and history, you see how our country was formed.  
• Traveling the states on the Burlington, Vermont race weekend is where my books, Bugs Adventure Series, came to life.
• Getting injured happens and is not fun. When it happened to me in 2011, it stopped my journey for a full year. I didn’t get back to running until the year later 2012. It takes a while to recover and heal, but if you follow instructions, are patient and do the work, you will heal to full recovery and be back on the road running in whatever time it takes to heal. Be patient with yourself.
• You will find unexpected friends. I ran into a friend, around 73, who is a master swimmer and swims competitively with a team today. She asked me if I wanted to go find a pool at the next town so we could swim laps. Like I said, everyone is so open to sharing their time.
• People are reading my crazyrunninggal blog. Now that was fun to learn about on this trip.

That’s my recap.