Hi, this is Debbie Boyles, coach at Mojo for Running with episode number 124, half marathon magic.

Welcome to the Mojo for Running podcast.

I'm the coach, Debbie Boyles, and this is the podcast for middle of the packers,

regular people not afraid to work up a sweat, who embrace the outdoors and that wonderful feeling of endorphins surging through their veins.

My goal is to provide the information you need to achieve your goals.

Welcome back. Let's talk about half marathons. Half marathons are the most popular race distance.

In fact, according to Runner's World, in the past 10 years, the number of participants has doubled.

That doesn't surprise me at all. Let's talk about why, because maybe you're thinking about doing

your first half marathon, or maybe you're trying to commence somebody else to do one, and a few more

reasons wouldn't hurt. Before we get to that, I want to tell you about one of my favorite races.

It's in January, so you have plenty of time to put it on your schedule.

I do it every year.

It's the St. Pete Beach Classic Race Weekend.

Why would I tell you, my listeners, who hail from 177 countries about a local race?

Because this weekend of races would make a great vacation for any runner and the perfect

destination race for the whole family. There are four races, a 5K, a 10K, a 3.8 mile beach run,

and the Maddie Zolfo half marathon. You can do any single race or both the 5K and 2K,

5K and 10K, or register for the classic individual marathon,

which means you're doing all the races, which just so happens to add up to 26.2 miles.

Since there are kids races as well, there's something for everybody in the family.

If you've never been to the paradise that is St. Pete Beach, Florida, you're in for a treat. If you haven't done a half

marathon yet, this is the perfect one to start with. No hills, beautiful scenery, and the race

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