We run this place! A survey of capital region runners' habits and favorite races can help you pl

In early March we asked area runners to fill out a brief survey telling us a little bit about themselves, their running habits, what gets them to the starting line on race days, what some of their favorite races were in 2015, and what races they are looking forward to this year. In the end, 187 people responded. Two thirds of the respondents were women, one third were men, and their ages ranged from 18 to 68 years old, with an average age of 41. All but eight live in the capital region.

While the average age of those who responded to the survey was 41, more than half of people said that they had been running for less than 10 years. In other words, for many people running is something that they took up well into adulthood. Women, in particular, are more likely to be new to running, while a higher proportion of male respondents have been putting in the miles for over 20 years.

More than half of people surveyed are running 25 miles a week or less, and very few are putting in more than 60, though this is likely due to the fact that most people are still in their winter training mode and haven't started gearing up for race season.

And once that race season gears up, people do get their racing in. A little more than half of people surveyed said that they had done between 4 and 10 races in 2015, and a little more than half said that they planned to do aboutas many races this year as they had done last year, while a little more than a third said that they planned on doing more racing in 2016 than they had done in 2015.

​Trail running has grown in popularity in recent years, but for most people, racing takes place on the roads. Around 75% of women, and 60% of men said that they planned to do almost all of their racing in 2016 on roads; less than 5% of men and women said they were doing most of their racing on trails. Men tend to have more full race calendars than women who answered the survey, though that's not entirely surprising given that women tend to be ​newer to the sport. The survey also showed that men and women race for different reasons. Women are more likely to race for fun, or for the challenge of completing the race distance, while men are more competitive with themselves and against others, hoping to set new personal bests and finish near the top of the results sheet.

Why do we race, and what races do we love?

One of the most beautiful things about the sport of running is that races bring together hundreds, if not thousands of runners at a single place at a single momen in time all of whom are just trying to get from point A to point B (or, more often, from point A and back), but each of whom tackle that challenge with their own goals and motivations. We asked people to tell us some of things that motivate them to give up their Saturday and Sunday mornings for the promise of pain and suffering. First and foremost, people don't want their racing to be a hassle, and this makes sense given the average age of the survey respondents which likely means (though we didn't ask) that a lot of runners need to fit their racing around the responsibilities of adulthood. After convenience, more than half of those surveyed enjoyed the cameraderie of racing, the opportunity that the sport gives us to challenge ourselves and pursue our goals with our friends. For many people, racing is an opportunity to experience beautiful landscapes or spend time in a new city or town.

​​So if you look at that list and one of those reasons for racing captures your motivations, which

races should you put on your calendar for 2016? Those looking for longer races distances full of familiar faces should check out the Stockade-athon 15k (Schenectady, November) and the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon and Half Marathon (Schenectady, October), or, for those looking for something a bit shorter, the Dodge the Deer 5k trail ​​race (Schodack Island State Park, April) or the Troy Turkey Trot 10k or 5k (Troy, Thanksgiving Day).

If you're feeling a bit competitive, put the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon or Half Marathon on your calendar, or a challenging trail race, like the Escarpment Trail Run (Catskills, July) or the Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon (Thacher Park, October).

Finally, those looking for a race held in a fun, or interesting location, put a team together to compete in one of the many Ragnar races held in the area, or plan a trip to run the Vermont City Marathon (Burlington, May) or, if you want to stay a bit more local, try the Wineglass Marathon or Half Marathon (Corning, October) or the Walkway Half Marathon or Marathon (Hudson Valley, June).