My 50th birthday is this year, to celebrate I've decided to...

That's a pretty cool way to celebrate, but where does the double Ironman fit into the schedule?

Local marathon here is pretty neat on October 18th.  It's a point to point race that starts in the National Park right on the beaches and ends up downtown in the capital.  Course is on a mix of road and trail.  Smallish at around 300 people.

http://www.peimarathon.ca/

Such a fun idea! And happy 50th coming up! 

Oh too bad but the date falls on IM - but this is one i've thought would be super cool do 

http://www.notsincemoses.com/run.html 

Run when the tide is out on the Bay of Fundy.  

A suggestion for the olympic tri. I've never done it but the Esprit Triathlon in Montreal.  The bike is on the F1 race track. It's loops but I also always like to visit Montreal. 

First week of October has a few great races not too far from Seattle.  Baker Lake 50k is an out and back on rolling single track.  I've hiked parts of it to scout out the race but it falls on the same day as the Leavenworth Oktoberfest Marathon.  I've done Leavenworth the last four years and already have room reservations for this Fall.  It is on the first weekend of Oktoberfest and is one of the highlights of the year.  The course is very fast.

Victoria would be a good race.  One of the things I look for in a race is the activities and atmosphere of the venue for before, after, and for the family.  The inner harbor is a lot of fun.

I did a half marathon in Victoria several years ago and really enjoyed it.  I do like the harbor area.

Well now this is interesting.  A marathon in Maine!  I've always wanted to visit Maine and this would be a good excuse.  I grew up in Portland, OR so I've long had a desire to visit the "other" Portland.  Maine on October 18th would be really gorgeous, with the colors shown in the photos on the websites.

For October, I'd suggest the Marine Corps Marathon.  I haven't done it yet myself but it's on my "someday" list.  It's sold out, but I think you could still do a charity slot.

The Honolulu Marathon is in December.  It's the first marathon I ever did and it's a beautiful race as you'd expect, plus a nice vacation to finish up the year

Both great suggestions! 

Honolulu!  Now my wife and kids would be up for a Hawaii trip. December 13th.  That's do-able.

This is a race I've wanted to do for many years.  We've been to Acadia National Park several times and it is one of our favorite places to visit.  You will not find a more beautiful course.  And Bar Harbor is one of our favorite towns for just strolling through shops, eating and drinking.  It is a bit of a way to get there but you'll never forget it.  Last two times we were there we stayed in a small historic inn on the waterfront that was out of this world.  Can't go wrong with this one Bruce.  You are going to have a tough time making up your mind.

A 50 miler AND a 50K version! I have to say this looks really good. Thanks much. Yes deciding what to do will be tough. Everyone has posted a race with appeal.

This is one reason I love to run - great races abound!

Great goal.  have fun.

I did all the running ones last year when I turned 50.  5K, HM, Mary, 50K and 50miler.  (never did race a 10K, but I did my favorite 8miler which is 12.8Km).  I was really happy with my performance in all of them-  Including all new PRs, a slew of age group placings, BQ, NYQ.  It was a good 50th year.  

With a family and a full time job- it wasn't practical for me to also do the tri's. Instead- I was shooting for how good of a runner I could be.  It's been a great journey.  Good luck on yours.  50 ain't old!  (it's just a little slower)

Well here I am in Bar Harbor Maine!  Race start is 8am tomorrow morning.  I drove the course today and it really is gorgeous. A lot more climbing than I expected, so goodbye to that 4 hour finish.  Maybe 4:30? 

And yes it took a while to get here. We flew to JFK, spent a few days in Manhattan sightseeing with my daughter and aunt who both live in NYC.  Then we took a train to Boston with a four hour layover so we saw some sights.  Then we took a train to Portland Maine and spent the night in Old Port area.  Fantastic restaurant meal at a tapas place.  We did some more sightseeing in the morning.  I really enjoyed finally seeing Portland!  Then a 3:30 drive to Bar Harbor via the back roads, including lunch in a nice little café in Southport ME. 

Our trip includes my wife, daughter, and aunt, and we've all been having a great time visiting Maine.  Lovely state.  I'll let you know how the actual race goes. Weather should be clear, 32 degrees, and 10 mph wind.  My coldest race start ever. 

Race morning was 30 degrees, clear and near zero wind (thank God).  I wore four layers and was fine to start, and between mile 14 and 17 took off my outer jacket, hat and gloves.

I've been having problems with plantar fasciitis, but no issues recently. But MDI was hillier than I expected, colder, and with highly crowned roads. I guess the combination was a problem because my left heel was hurting by mile 4.  Then "something happened" around mile 5 - I felt a hard spasm my left foot. Ouch! Every step was painful after that since I couldn't bend my toes properly or flex the sole of my foot. Well I've never DNF'd and I didn't Sunday, although it was my slowest marathon in years at 5:05.  I ran all but the steepest sections but at a slow pace.  After the race I could barely walk; I couldn't bend my foot without pain nor put weight on my heel. In fact on a museum visit Monday my daughter insisted that I use a wheelchair. It was actually a lot easier than walking.

It's now 5 days later and my foot still has problems but is clearly on the mend.

MDI was absolutely beautiful!. I've never stopped to take pictures before but I and many others did for this race.

(mdi1.jpg)

Sorry to hear about the foot pain - but it sounds like a great trip!

Happy 50th year!