I’m jumping on the Running the Alphabet challenge this week. I love to travel but it is actually much more challenging than you’d expect to pick a place that I’ve run for each letter in the alphabet. Here’s what I came up with for A-L.
Running the Alphabet: A-L
Amsterdam – It’s fun to run along the canals of Amsterdam but the most memorable sight that Alan and I saw was a woman sitting in her front window as the prostitutes do in the Red Light District. However, this was morning and nowhere near that area.
Bishop, CA – While there is not a whole lot to see in Bishop, we stayed there for a night on the way to Lake Tahoe and had a lovely early morning run.
Carlsbad, CA – I was going to choose Cabo but it was so long ago I really had a hard time finding any running photos. I’ve run in Carlsbad many times including doing the Carlsbad 5000 All Day 20k four times. Unfortunately, the most recent one was in 2020 and got converted to virtual and I haven’t been back since. Maybe next year!
Dallas, TX – Okay, so I was staying at my sister’s house which is in a suburb of Dallas but I needed a “D” city. I had the chance to do some trail runs with my brother-in-law which were humid but fun. And I only fell once!
Running was fun but remember I was here to see this guy. Believe it or not, he’s already a year old!
Encinitas, CA – For many years Encinitas was our summer home-away-from-home. It’s only two hours away and a perfect way to get out of the summer heat of the desert.
Florence, Italy – We went to Florence on the spur of the moment when we were on our honeymoon. We had a few unplanned days and a rental car so when a local suggested Firenze, we were on it. Our run took us along the Arno river, from the beauty of the city and, on the outskirts, the much poorer areas that you don’t usually see in a tourist area.
St. George, UT – Okay, technically not a “G” location but St. George is where I ran my marathon PR oh so many years ago so I had to include it (and I already had too many “S” choices).
Huntington Beach, CA – I’m fortunate that this is where my grandsons and their parents live so I get the opportunity to run in this fun beachside city.
Iowa – So maybe this is reaching a bit, but one time when my son was in the Air Force and serving in Omaha, I ran from his home in Bellevue, NE across the Missouri River into Iowa. Then I turned around and ran back to Nebraska!
June Lake, CA – Running at elevation is always a challenge and June Lake, at 8,000 feet was no exception. I got to go for a short trail run while Alan was announcing the June Lake Triathlon.
Kauai – It’s my favorite Hawaiian island and Alan and I would always hop over there after running the Honolulu Marathon (sometimes immediately afterward, barely taking the time to shower, check out, and head to the airport). Obviously, we didn’t do any serious running here but we did get in a few miles along Hanalei Bay from time to time.
Lake Tahoe – Talk about an elevation challenge! While Lake Tahoe is about 6,200 feet, the friend we stayed with was closer to 8,000. And the first time we went there it was very smoky because of a nearby fire. Fortunately, the smoke cleared up, we adapted (somewhat) to the elevation, and we enjoyed some beautiful runs.
Stay tuned next week for Running the Alphabet: M-Z (or at this point M-Y unless I take a trip to Zurich before then).
And Now It’s Time for the Runners’ Roundup!
Weekly Linkups
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
Inspire Me Monday with Janet
Tuesday Topics with Kim and Zenaida
The Runners’ Roundup with Deborah, Lisa, Jenn, and Me!
The Weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim
Fit Five Friday with Darlene, Michelle, Renee, Jenn, and Zenaida
Ultimate Coffee Date with Deborah and Coco
Great list! I love to run while traveling and I used to go to alot more places. I’ve never been to Kauii but I was just talking to someone at work about Hawaii yesterday and they said its their favorite island. If I ever get back to Hawaii I want to check it out!
I haven’t traveled too much lately either (kids and 12 dogs will do that to you 🙂 ). To me, Kauii is the “Hawaiian” of the Hawaiian Islands. Very tropical and quiet. It gets a lot of rain too which is why it’s so green.
You know I love to run while traveling! Great list I am glad you jumped on. It is fun to look back on all the places we have run
It’s such a fun idea and it’s great too look back on all the places I’ve been. Now if I could only think of a “Z” place!
With all your years of running, I am certain that this A-Z challenge was not much of a challenge at all. What a fun look back!
It’s so fun to look back. It is harder than you’d expect especially the letters like X and Z!
You get around and have run in some very cool places.
I had a tough time with this especially the end of the alphabet. Excited to see what you picked.
I haven’t written the M-Z post yet but I have a running list of the cities/places. Z is definitely going to be a challenge.
Some really lovely places, Debbie! How cool to get two states in one day! I say own that. Lake Tahoe is on my bucket list of places to visit (which is soooooooooo long).
Kauai is also our favorite island & we’ve been 3 times . . . so far. I haven’t raced there (yet) but I did run there, including a long run.
I haven’t raced on Kauai yet either. It’s perfect for recovery after the Honolulu marathon though!
I love all the alphabet posts! It’s so cool to see where everyone has been and where they have experienced great runs and races.
I feel the same way. Plus it’s fun to revisit the places that you’ve run over the years.
I love your Iowa. It wasn’t running, but that’s how I first did Arkansas-the bridge from Memphis and I stood and sat with body parts in various states.
Such a fun way to look back
It really is. Some (most?) of these runs took place over 20 years ago so it is a lot of fun.
So many great runs, Debbie! I had to get creative with a few of the letters as well!
BTW, I just read your skin cancer post, but commenting is closed. Just wanted to let you know again that I’m sending positive vibes your way for complete healing. It’s amazing how beautifully the face can heal.
Thank you so much (and for your suggestion about the supplements you’re taking). I’m not sure why the comments are off, I didn’t do that. Maybe because it’s a few weeks old? Anyway, I appreciate it from someone who’s been there.