The reason I first started running all those years ago was because "running a marathon" was one of the things on my bucket list.

I'd been reading my mom's Runner's World magazines for a while at that point and saw all these stories about how anyone could run a marathon, and thought what the heck, why not?

I plunked down the money for the entry fee, spent six months training and eventually crossed the finish line of the Baltimore Marathon.

Running my first marathon was what really launched me into the fitness world, and since then I've been building an even bigger bucket list of races and other fitness challenges I'd like to try.

The list is ever-growing and constantly changing, but I thought I'd share some of the races on it at the moment.

1. The Marine Corps Marathon - Ever since I've lived in DC this has been one of the races high up on my bucket list. It's a historic race, through one of the best cities in the world, where a Marine places a medal on your neck at the finish line. What's not to love, and this year I will finally be able to cross it off.

2. The Shamrock Marathon/Half in Virginia Beach - Virginia Beach is a great town for running since it's so flat. I've done the Rock N Roll race there over Labor Day weekend, but I think the Shamrock race would be awesome to run because it's in March when the weather is better.

3. The Disney Marathon (or the Princess Half) - I've heard so many great things about races in Disney World. I would obviously run either of these races for fun and stop for pictures with all the characters on the course.

4. The New York Marathon - Again it's another one of those famous races that I would love to do one day.

5. The Nike Women's Marathon/Half - The original race is out in San Francisco, but rumor has it Nike is going to be bringing a half to DC this spring. I'm down for any race where you get a Tiffany necklace as your finisher's medal.

There are tons more races on my bucket list, but I won't bore you with the whole thing.

But tell me, what races are on your bucket list?