The Final Four Miler this year took place in Houston, TX. The race is a 4 mile run starting downtown in front of city hall and took us through, and around, 1 mile of city streets before exiting runners out on to Allen Parkway along the Buffalo Bayou. The course was flat as a pancake and provided speedy runners the opportunity to really go after it.

I enjoyed the run as it was a new distance for me. Slightly longer than a traditional 5k but also because it was family/stroller friendly. I have a little one I run with often and it's great when I can bring him along for the races as well. We are no slouches though as target around 7 min/miles with kiddo in tow.

The Blueprint for Athletes Austin Rattler Run takes participants on a double-loop course split between dirt roads and single tracks through the Texas countryside. With two distance options — 33K and 66K — this race offers the perfect starting point for race season.

The race is held at the Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville, Texas. The course has numerous types of terrain including open jeep road and twisting single-track in the woods. I ran the 33k and finished 7th overall. The course was well run and well supported. A smaller field made the race nice when dealing with parking and runners on course. Plenty of personnel space.

This race is part of the Leadville Qualifying Series. Each Leadville Qualifying Series race provides 25-100 qualifying slots to the Blueprint for Athletes Leadville Trail 100 Run presented by New Balance, based on the total number of registered racers at each qualifier event.