Phoenix Half Marathon – Rain Rain, Go Away ….

The Phoenix Half Marathon is a downhill point to point run from somewhere random and ugly in Mesa to somewhere boring and ugly in Tempe.  The single best part about this run was that it rained the whole time so it kept my mind off the fact that I was running down streets.  Oh well, they all cannot be gorgeous fun runs right?  This was better than the IMS Half Marathon but just slightly.

Point to Point & The Short Bus

I carefully choose half marathons after years of disappointing screwup’s.  First off, a key criteria I use to decide if I’m going to run a race is whether or not its a point to point.  Why?  Simply put, point to point runs are a royal pain in the ass.  These races require you to get to the race finish line (typically) very early, jump a bus and drive all the way out to the race start.  Then, you get the privilege of sitting in the dark and cold for about an hour waiting for the race to start.  Makes for a very early morning and a long day.

The Phoenix Half Marathon is a point to point and once we got there?  There was a lovely medical park in which to wander.  It was a cold morning and then the rain came.

The Race

Ordinarily I don’t mind running in the rain.  However, usually when I don’t mind its because I’m running somewhere cool.  Or, I’m running by something interesting.  Like the Rose Bowl, or the beach, or insert anything but desert roads.  This race ran straight, then turned, then ran straight some more.  I got to the finish line and didn’t stop running.  I got to my car and hauled it home.  The good old Phoenix Half Marathon is a race worth running if you’re from Minnesota (I guess).  But, nothing much to report except I saw an orange tree or two.  Yeah!