Take some time to discover your own backyard.

Traveling to Florida in January for many usually just means sun, sand and mojitos in South Beach. In 2005, though, I went with simply the goal of the Disney Marathon and built a vacation around the 26.2 course. I’ve also journeyed to Columbus, Ohio, for a half marathon and trekked to Wisconsin for the Badgerland Striders South Shore Half Marathon.Instead of looking for a hotel that has a nice gym in it, more and more vacationers are looking for a race course that has a nice hotel near it. And in addition getting the family photo around a state capital or landmark, the start line, finish line and post-race medal have become the centerpieces for vacation photos. For those who are looking for a change of scenery, the shores of Lake Michigan, Illinois and neighboring states have many accessible weekend getaways to enjoy while keeping in competitive condition.

Michigan

Starting right here at home, our Great Lake State has lots of fun short or long sports vacation getaways. From the Upper Peninsula to the streets of the Rock City, there are endurance destinations and trails in Michigan that can give a swift workout to the Wolverine in all of us.The Upper Peninsula particularly has many training runs and scenic trail paths and can be a great escape no matter your fitness level. If you are visiting friends or going to a summer home near Traverse City, Beulah, Eagle Harbor or Grand Maris in the UP, you should have no problem grabbing a bike or your shoes for a trail as these are some of the most picturesque, calm areas in Michigan. The Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City (http://www.grandtraverseresort.com/) specifically surrounds some magnificent golf courses and adjacent trails-so after a morning workout you can work on your upper body strength with a challenging golf workout. If you need a tried and true trail in the UP, visit www.uprrc.org for pointers.The best Lansing trail close to town is the over eight mile River Trail, which starts near the Breslin Center, and winds alongside the Red Cedar River. Lake Lansing Park has quaint scenery and a relaxing path as well.If you are in the Ann Arbor area, the Ann Arbor Track Club details many of the best trails and paths on their website, http://www.aatrackclub.org.in/.In Detroit, you can't miss Belle Isle, which is about six miles around and touted by some as the most scenic place in the area with Detroit and Lake St. Clair merging for a waterfront path and some memorable views of the Windsor neighbors. Lafayette Park offers a great running architectural tour with historic townhouses, apartments and high-rises by noted designers. The Grosse Pointes are some of the most affluent suburban areas in Detroit and are also a marvel to journey through.If you need any more reasons to explore Michigan here are just a handful of some races that headline the state:

Saturday, May 10, may be one of the best times to be in the "GR" as it is affectionately known to some in Grand Rapids, for the River Bank Run (http://www.53riverbankrun.com/). The River Bank Run is the largest 25K Road Race in the US. There is also a 10k and 5k distance for those who want a lesser distance. For Chicagoans there is a train that can drop you off in Grand Rapids, which has a lot of chain hotels. In Grand Rapids you are inevitably going to run into The B.O.B. (Big Old Buidling), and entertainment complex with a variety of different types of restaurants and clubs for whatever your pre-race appetite. http://www.thebob.com/. Websites such as http://www.grandrapids.mi.us/ and http://www.wmta.org/ are packed with information, too. Apple Cider Century is an annual one-day, 25, 50, 62, 75 or 100 mile bicycle tour of the orchards, forests and wine country in and around Three Oaks.Travelgator.com, a great website for adventurous athletes, notes that the town's Harbor Arts organization sponsors classic film art and Shakespeare in the summer and Art Attack's Performance Art Festival and the Festival of Lights in the winter. The Three Oaks Spokes Club sponsors the Bicycle History Museum in downtown Three Oaks. The century is one of the Midwest's largest one-day century events and takes place September 28. http://www.applecidercentury.com/Michigan also holds the Ore to Shore and Iceman Cometh Challenge, two of its most popular mountain bike races. The Ore to Shore is August 9 in Marquette, Mich., and touted as a "Michigan's largest mass start point-to-point race." Participants can do either a 28-mile or 48-mile race. There are also kid-friendly events if you want to bring the family. http://www.oretoshore.com/. The Iceman Cometh Challenge is a 27-mile, point-to-point mountain bike race in November in Kalkaska, Mich. Registration is extremely limited though, so plan early. http://www.iceman.com/The Crim Festival of Races in Flint is the largest 10 mile race in Michigan, and the 3rd largest in the nation. The week before the August 23, race is a Food Fest and lots of activities for attendees. Learn more at www.crim.org.

The Detroit Marathon in October is growing in terms of participation and spectators as it winds throughout the city and some neighboring suburbs. Eric Pender, 24, of Chicago, favors that race and the opportunity to run over the historic Ambassador Bridge. To save on hotel fees in Detroit, many visitors trek slightly north to Ontario for cheaper fares.

The Whirlpool Steelhead Half-Ironman distance triathlon (in Southwest Michigan) has become very popular, especially since it became a an official Ironman 70.3 event. That includes a 1.2 miles swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run (adding up to 70.3 miles). The race awards 75 slots to the top finishers for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Fla. Register (and get hotel reservations) early to ensure a spot. http://www.steelheadtriathlon.com/

The City of Roseville hosts a friendly, well-attended Big Bird Run every November, a good training run before the many turkey trots throughout Michigan and Illinois. http://www.ci.roseville.mi.us/ 

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