I decided to borrow from a post I read on Donna @ Runningtotravel and put my own twist on it. Where I’ve been, A to Z — the twist being did I run there or not? Fair warning: photo intensive post!

A is for Austin, TX
We lived in Austin for 17 years. It’s where I bought my first treadmill — for walking. Because it was so hot in the Summer (this was before we had dogs).

Did I run there? A little. I hadn’t become serious about running, but before we left I used to go to a local grade school and run around their tiny little dirt running path while the dogs stayed in a down (which they did!). I think that path was maybe 1/8 mile, but for me it was a start. When I decided to run a half marathon, it was going to be Austin. Then the chance to meet friends in Las Vegas a couple of months before happened — so Austin was my second half.

B is for Boise, ID
Boise was the half that almost didn’t happen. That was the one where Mr. Judy had been recently laid off. Besides the race Mr. Judy also knew someone there he’d worked with and he wanted to schmooze him and see if he could help. I think we were both surprised by how much we enjoyed Boise (other than the mild food poisoning that made the race somewhat unpleasant at the end). Another place that was a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there — although the dry air made the 90s really tolerable.

Did I run there? Despite said food poisoning, it was a PR.

C is for California
I have been to CA many times. When my brother graduated from law school (before we were married, but we went together) — we visited Yosemite and Sequoia on that trip. We’ve felt a few earthquakes there. We’ve traveled there for Mr. Judy’s job numerous times, and also for family gathering numerous times.

Did I run there? Well, not in the beginning, but yes, I have run there. I don’t fall often, but one of my most spectacular falls was on the running path in Monterrey. Luckily I didn’t really hurt myself, but there was plenty of road rash.

D is for Delft
Mr. Judy once had to go to Delft for work, and it happened to fall on our anniversary. One of his co-workers suggested I should come, too. Which is how I found myself flying to Delft on my own on a Friday and back home on a Monday.

Did I run there? Nope. I hadn’t started to run yet. But I saw a lot in that weekend!

E is for Essex Junction, VT
This is where we lived when we got married.

Did I run there? A big no! You knew that answer, though, didn’t you? But boy did I walk around the very hilly area by our home often, even in the Winter. Although I did eventually run a half in VT not too far away, but when I lived there — no, I didn’t run.

F is for Falmouth, MA
My inlaws retired to Cape Cod (before moving out to Seattle), so we’ve spent many vacations there. I’ve been to Falmouth a couple of times. The first time was with Lola & Chester.

Did I run there? The second time I went to Falmouth was with Running Buddy J to run a half. That was the one in a Nor’Easter. I ran on the Cape many times while visiting my inlaws.

G is for Greece
I accompanied Mr. Judy to Greece. It was quite the trip — his boss, his boss’s wife (she grew up in the same town as me), and one of his best friends were all on this trip. The best friend is American Greek. He had relatives there. He speaks Greek, has relatives in Greece, and as Mr. Judy likes to say, he drives Greek. We visited Athens, Delphi, and a little island no one knows but where the friend used to go growing up, Andros. We had a great time.

Did I run there? Again, many years away from starting to run.

H is for Hawaii
Ah, one of my favorite places in the world. We took a cruise around the four largest islands on our 20th anniversary, then stayed a few extra days on Maui. We’ve been back twice (but it’s been far too long since the last time!).

Did I run there? Not that first time but I’ve run there since. The last time we went we rented a condo near Poipu Beach on Kauai, and I’d either walk or run along the cliffs every morning as the sun rose. It never got old.

I is for Issaquah, WA
Originally I wrote this about Bellevue, WA, which was going to be the letter B: Did I run there? OMG yes. Those hills could kill you! The last time I went I put my foot down and said I needed somewhere flat to run. My SIL kindly consented to drive me to a running path that was great. I even got to see Mt. Rainier that day (she is often hiding behind the clouds). But I changed my mind and used Boise for B.

Then I realized I didn’t have an “I”, so I added Issaquah (because “I” wasn’t easy). I’ve never actually run in Issaquah, but it’s a very cute little town close to my inlaws.

J is for Juneau, AK
My MIL wanted to go on a cruise with the family before my FIL’s dementia made it impossible. We visited Seward, Juneau, Ketchican, and Skagway. We visited dog sledders (but didn’t ride on a sled), watch glaciers calving, had an amazing train ride and so much more.

Did I run there? No. We did hike some. We were there the day Sarah Palin, who of course we’d never heard of, was picked as McCain’s running mate. Everyone who lived there was so excited!

K is for Key West, FL
We’ve been to Key West a couple of times. The first time was on a cruise. Yes, we had a serious cruising phase! I actually do miss cruising. The second time we drove there from Miami.

Did I run there? Not the first time, I hadn’t started running at that point. I did run there the second time we visited. I liked it so much that I always thought I’d run the Key West half, but then I got a different opportunity for FL.

L is for Las Vegas
I can’t believe Mr. Judy had to help me with this one, since it’s the home of my first half, LOL! Mr. Judy enjoys gambling, I enjoy shopping, and we both enjoy good food. Las Vegas was easy to get to from Austin. I went there for decorative painting conventions several times. Outside of NYC, it’s probably my most visited big city in the US!

Did I run there? Obviously. Did the RnR Las Vegas half twice, Did a running tour there on one trip, and also have run around there on my own a few times.

Care to take on the A – Z Challenge?

Have you been where I’ve been?

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.