I Just Registered for California International Marathon (CIM) 2019

Photo from RunSRA.org

Sometimes I choose a marathon based on location and others it may be on timing. For my 2019 marathon, I had a few different criteria…

Timing

I am heading in a 15 day cruise this summer and I didn’t want my training to be too interrupted by my trip. I wanted a race that was late enough in the year that I wouldn’t have to worry about official training while I was on vacation. Long runs can be stressful enough that I didn’t want to have to worry about fitting one in while on vacation where I am not familiar with the area.

Flat and Fast

Since a goal of mine is to get a post-injury PR, I didn’t want to pick a super difficult course. I’ve heard that CIM is pretty flat and fast. It actually has an overall elevation drop. I’ll have to be careful to not get too excited and go too fast on downhills as I have done in Boston in the past.

Options for Distances

Since my company had been acquired this past January, I’ve been slowly meeting people in other offices and finding there are quite a few runners out there. I love how road races can be a team bonding event and I have it as a goal to convince some coworkers from other offices to come together to run this race. There is a relay option for those who can’t or don’t want to commit to a full marathon. I’m not sure if I’ll be too successful convincing coworkers but I am excited to try! I’d also love to meet up with others out there who are running!

A Fun location

CIM is in December and why not head to some nicer weather?! I have been to the Sacramento area a long time ago and am looking for some recommendations of food, coffee and activities!

Has anyone run CIM before? Do you have any tips on the race, places to stay, food to eat, or activities to do?! I’d love to know!