The Mini 10K in a Mini Skirt

Two weekends ago, over 10,000 women gathered in Central Park, NYC to run the Mastercard Mini 10K. Even though I live on the east coast and have been running for over 20 years, I had never heard of this historic event. It began in 1972 as a women's-only race, named after the mini skirt, a symbol of women's liberation. 

I learned about the race after hearing that several professional runners would be competing, and on the Sunday of that weekend, I was invited to speak on a panel discussion in NYC alongside one of the professional women. I am nowhere near her level, but since I was already planning to be there for the event, I decided to run the same Saturday race. 

Ultimately, that athlete ended up not running the 10K after all, so the panel event never happened. I still had my race entry, and decided to make the trip to NYC and experience it.

Greg and I took the train to NYC on Friday, checked into our hotel, and then went to pick up my bib number. At number pickup, they placed a big "C" sticker on my bib, indicating that I was in corral C. I had looked up the previous year's results online, and I knew it would be very likely that I would finish among the top 500 runners. I assumed that corral "A" would be my natural placement, or "B" at the very least, but they told me that "C" was the furthest forward I could be because I hadn't run another NYRR race that would qualify me. I told them that I ran a 41:38 10K last December and could share that result with them, but they said it had to be a NYRR race.

I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Because the weather would be warm, I saw it as an opportunity to go out slow and then pass runners along the way. I probably could have advocated a little bit harder, but I didn't really care that much. I had a very "chill" attitude towards this race. I wanted to run well and run my best, but my primary objective was to experience it.

The bib pickup was near my favorite piano store in NYC where they have a huge selection of Bosendorfer, Fazioli and Bechstein pianos. These are the best pianos in the entire word (Fazioli is my favorite) and it was a pleasure to play them. 

Greg and I ate dinner at a fancy restaurant the night before the race. Probably too fancy because I wanted something bland, and that's not what you order at these types of places. I focused on staying hydrated and I drank around 75 ounces of water + electrolytes that day. 

We got back to our hotel, watched Jeopardy (a treat for us, since we don't have cable) and then went to sleep. I slept relatively well. I don't actually remember because it's now been over two weeks since the race, but we'll say I slept decently. 

Before the Race
For breakfast I had a banana and UCAN energy powder. I got dressed, pinned on my bib, and was ready to make my way to the race start. Back in the 2010's I wore running skirts for most of my races, but when we moved houses I had gotten rid of them all. I definitely wanted to wear a skirt for this race because it was the "mini" 10K, named after the mini skirt. I had found a cute outfit from Alo that was pink and frilly and perfect for a women's race. I opted for my New Balance SC Pacer shoes - perfect for the 10K distance.

We took a cab to about 72nd street where they had closed off Central Park west, and then started walking to the race start, which was located at 90th street. 

It was already 76 degrees at 7:15. It was supposed to get up to 80 by the time I would be finishing! On my personal weather scale, I give this a 1 out of 10. I would not be able to run anywhere close to my 41:38 from December, despite being in almost as good of shape.

Once we got to around 80th street, I said goodbye to Greg so he could get to his first spectating location. I did a very easy jog to the start line and then up and down one of the side streets once I reached 90th. I also used one of the porta potties. 

My grandparents lived on Central Park West, and I found myself right in front of their building. I waved to the security guard and he let me inside. They passed away over 20 years ago, but it brought back memories to see the lobby of the building. I remembered being a child and visiting that building often. As  a child, I don't think I could have imagined returning to that building as a 47-year-old runner lining up for a 10K race in the park. I was wearing a necklace with my grandmother's diamonds and my wedding ring also has her diamonds, so it was cool for them to be back in their place of origin. 

I took a caffeinated gel, finished drinking my water, and made my way into corral C. Throughout the entire morning I was recognized by many runners from social media, and it was cool to meet so many people in person. I loved the all-women vibe, and everyone was super energized and chatting with each other. 

Once we started walking towards the start line, I tried to get up a little closer to the front, but it wasn't really possible with so many people. There were probably 2,000 runners ahead of me. 

Mile 1

Miles 1-2
Mile 1 was all about passing people and trying to run my ideal pace. It was a net downhill so I didn't want to waste it by going out too easy. The first mile was not in Central Park- it was on the city street of Central Park West. Greg would be looking for me shortly before we entered the park at mile marker 1. 

I did a ton of weaving, but it was hard to make my way through the crowd. The course was not very wide and there were thousands of runners. I tried to stay to the left so I could see Greg and he could see me, but I ended up running wherever I could to pass people. I saw Greg on the side of the road, but he didn't quite see me and I yelled out to him and then he saw me. He wasn't able to snap any photos of me, but I'm posting a screen shot of a video he took.

Mile 2 was fully inside Central Park. It was still crowded and I was still passing runners right and left. This was another net downhill mile so I wanted to make the most of it. 

Mile 1: 7:11
Mile 2: 7:01

Miles 3-4
Because it was so hot and hilly, I didn't give myself a goal time. I figured I would run it based on effort level. My 10K pace from last December was around 6:40, but I knew I would spend the majority of this race in the 7:00's with the heat. Mile 3 featured "Cat Hill" which was definitely a challenge, but there was a ton of crowd support on it. 

I can't say enough about how amazing the vibe was with this being a women's race. I like running with men too, but at my pace, I typically find myself surrounded by men. I saw Greg during the 3rd mile and he saw me and took photos. The course was finally starting to open up which made passing people easier. 

Mile 3: 7:20
Mile 4: 7:09

Miles 5-Finish
I knew that mile 5 would be the most challenging from an elevation perspective. I was mentally prepared for it and told myself to just focus on getting up the big hill and then it would be mostly downhill afterwards. I did not look at my watch at all during this mile, I just focused on pushing hard and getting up the big hill. My watch finally beeped and my split was 7:41. OUCH - but not surprising given how hot it was and how big the hill was. 

After that, I don't remember much. I remember almost nothing about mile 6 except for the fact that I don't remember it. 

This has never, ever happened to me in 20+ years of racing: I totally zoned out, and did not know that I had made it to mile marker 6. I didn't see a mile marker, I did not hear or feel my Garmin beep. I looked around for Greg but never saw him. I had stopped looking at my watch entirely and had no concept of how far away the finish line was. 

Suddenly, I came upon a timing mat which I assumed was mile marker 6, but that was actually the finish line. There was no finish line arch, which I had expected in a race of this size, so I just cruised through it with no finish line kick. If I had known that I was approaching the finish line, I could have gunned it a little more, but instead I was totally just zoned out and I had no idea that the finish line was coming. 

Mile 5: 7:41
Mile 6: 7:21
Last 0.29: 6:59 pace

My official time was 45:46, which is my slowest 10K in over 10 years! The last time I ran a slower 10K was December 2013. I do not see this as a reflection on my fitness, but rather the impact of the heat and the hills.

I was thrilled to place 9 out of 841 in my age group at a competitive NYC race. That's really the metric that matters most to me, not my actual time. I consider this a huge success.  I also placed 235 out of 10,075 women. Given that I was in corral C, this means I passed over 2,500 runners along the way. I plan to run this race again next year so I can start in corral A and hope that it stays below 75 degrees. 

After the Race
I enjoyed the post race experience because multiple women recognized me from social media, asked to take photos with me, etc. Seems like everyone had a similar experience - ran much slower than their typical 10K because of the heat. 

My plan was to meet up with Greg at the first possible location after the finish line chute, but I did not see him. Turns out he was waiting for me to run past him. He never saw me during the last mile and I never saw him. I used a volunteer's phone to call him and we were able to meet up about ten minutes later. 

I told him all about the race as we made our way out of the park. He recorded a video of me for my Instagram story. We briefly stopped on the way out to look up a place to have a post-race breakfast. At this point, I had finished about 25 minutes prior. As he was looking on his phone, I felt like I really needed to sit down, so I did. And then I started to feel strange. I felt weak, like I couldn't get up. I told Greg I just needed to sit for awhile. I sipped water and Gatorade. He asked me if I wanted to go to the medical tent and I refused.

I sat there for a few more minutes and then realized how absolutely horrible and weak I felt, and that I might not be able to get up off of the ground on my own. I knew at that point that I had no other option than to be taken to the medical tent. Greg approached a volunteer and they called the medical people who arrived with a wheelchair. I was slurring my speech, I felt like I was totally knocked out. My whole body was limp.

Once inside the medical tent, they surrounded my body with ice packs. Lots and lots of ice packs. After about 5 minutes, I very suddenly snapped out of it. It was like an instant awakening. All of a sudden I was able to talk normally and I felt normal. It was very, very weird how suddenly I went from my haze to feeling normal. 

I was in the medical tent for about 20 minutes and I finally was able to leave. Greg and I walked towards a bagel place, ate, and then headed back to the hotel. It all made sense why I didn't remember the last mile of the race. I don't remember ever reaching mile 6. I think I was starting to suffer from heat exhaustion but it didn't fully kick in until 25 minutes later. 

I've been saying for years that I am far more heat sensitive than the average runner and this again confirms it. 

I showered, relaxed, and then we headed out for the train station. We ended up walking there (it was about 1.5 miles) and when we were about half a mile from Penn Station, I told Greg I needed to sit down inside. I started feeling really awful again, so I got a fountain soda Coke at a pizza place and drank it with more water. The remaining half mile walk to Penn Station felt like an eternity. I felt super exhausted, like at any minute I might pass out. 

We finally arrived and it was like heaven to sit down. Greg got me another Gatorade and I still felt very weird. We had to wait almost an hour for our train, but as long as I could be sitting down in air conditioning, I was fine. I actually was sitting on the ground because the actual seating area was completely full. 

Then, on the way home, a barge hit the bridge and we were told our train would be delayed for a minimum of 2-3 hours. Greg and I decided we would take an Uber from Wilmington, DE back to DC, but as we were getting off the train, they announced that they fixed the bridge and we could proceed. Thank goodness. 

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
That was a very eventful weekend. The race itself was a total blast and I loved the five miles of it that I remember. I'm extremely proud of how well I placed in my age group and in the overall field. I also enjoyed wearing my pink skirt and meeting so many people who recognized me from social media. 

I don't really have any other final thoughts aside from my heat sensitivity being confirmed for the hundredth time, and being thankful for the opportunity to run such an iconic race.

Hello Humidity!

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and the weather fell in line! The Ringing In Hope: A Salute to Our Troops 5K race was humid and sticky, and I threw myself right into it. Yes, the name of the race is really long!

I had run the Lawyers Have Heart 5K just 9 days prior, but the two races were like apples and oranges in terms of course profile and weather. I also brought a different mindset with me to Ringing In Hope: to survive! I wasn't trying to set any kind of course PR, I just wanted to run really hard and see what I could do.

As I mentioned in my last race report, I identified the cause of my sluggishness as the side effects from a new iron supplement. According to my Fitbit, my daily readiness for that day was 15 out of 100, with an elevated resting heart rate and a low HRV. I wasn't getting the sleep I needed and I was feeling like crap because of an overabundance of B vitamins.

I switched to an iron supplement that's iron only, and I started to feel better almost immediately. My Fitbit readiness score for this Memorial day race was 93 out of 100. Huge difference.

Before the Race
Greg and I arrived at the race about 50 minutes before it started. I picked up my bib, pinned it on, and went to the bathroom. It was raining very lightly, which I knew would be welcome once I started racing, but at 64 degrees, it made things a little chilly while I was just standing around. 

I started my warm up on the course. I looked around for my friend Stephanie, who would be running the 10K, but I didn't see her anywhere. Towards the end of my warmup, I spotted my friend Nilani and we shared about five minutes of running together. During this time, I had a caffeinated Maurten gel.

The warm up allowed me to scope out the course. This race has been going on for over 15 years, but the location has changed multiple times. I had run this "Ringing In Hope" race before, but never on this course. I had run this course as a 10K before (just last winter), but the 5K course is totally different. I think only the first mile is the same and then the courses come back together right before the finish line. To clear up any confusion, Ringing In Hope has a December race (5K and 10K) and a Memorial Day race (5K and 10K). 

I won this race on a different course back in 2018. First overall female!

On my personal weather scale, this race gets a 3 out of 10. 64 degrees with dew point of 64. Very muggy. It lightly rained during the warm up and started raining heavily about 20 minutes after we finished. But unfortunately it did not rain while we were running, which I think would have helped cool me off. I was very grateful I hadn't decided to run the 10K!

I decided to wear the Mizuno Hyperwarp Elite. I absolutely LOVE these shoes, but my Achilles tendons don't like them. They have a 3.5mm drop which puts a strain on my Achilles the next day. They always feel great when I wear them, but then I pay for it the following day. I've struggled with insertional Achilles tendinopathy for over 8 years. I love the fit, and the ride. Unlike most carbon fiber racers, they aren't "mushy" and you actually get some ground feel. At the same time, they are also propulsive. 

Mile 1

Mile 1: 6:31
This race has a fast start, and when I ran the 10K last winter, I think my first mile was around 6:30. I didn't look at my watch because I didn't want to feel intimidated by a fast pace. I don't remember too much else about this mile, given that the race was held a week ago and I was already in the pain cave during mile 1!

Mile 2: 7:00
What goes down must come up. Yikes, this is slower than my half marathon pace! But a humid, uphill mile in a 5K can do that to you. My average heart rate for this mile was 174, which according to my recent VO2 max test is Zone 5. Anaerobic. And that was the average for the whole mile! That was my max HR at the end of the previous 5K. I was working hard, that's for sure. 

Mile 3: 6:56
And I never quite recovered from it! Mile 3 had some inclines and declines, but the limiting factor here was that my legs and my body were cooked from mile 2. My heart rate averaged 173 and I was holding on for dear life. 

Final Kick: 5:42 pace
As I approached the finish line, I saw the clock ticking towards 21:00. I really wanted to be under 21:00 and I fought hard for it.

My official time was 20:59

After The Race
After finishing, I met up with Greg and we went back out to the course to watch the 10K finishers come in. The 10K started 10 minutes before the 5K, so there were a mix of 5K and 10K finishers coming in all together. We saw my friend Hannah coming in and then Stephanie. Greg took really amazing photos of both of them!

Final Kick

Then I cooled down for about two miles with Stephanie. Whenever I run a race with Stephanie, she is always so dedicated about doing a cool down. I tend to slack, and if left to my own devices, I only end up running one mile, and sometimes even less. But it goes by much faster with a friend!

The rain started coming down harder and I got a latte from one of the vendors at the finish line festival. While I was waiting for my latte they started the awards, so I missed hearing them call my name. But they waved me over when they saw me approach. I won first place in my age group (40-49) which meant a gift certificate to our local running store. Stephanie also won first place in our age group for the 10K.

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I'm really happy with how this race went. Even though my 10K pace on this course last winter was 6:38, I know that the humidity was the limiting factor and I did the best I could. When the weather is a 3 out of 10 on my personal scale vs. a 10 out of 10, you get a faster 10K pace than 5K pace.

I sometimes wonder "could I have run that faster" and the answer is usually yes, because in hindsight you can usually think of areas where you could have executed differently. But in this case, my heart rate data tells the story. I can't even believe I was able to sustain that kind of Zone 5 heart rate for so long.

This race has confirmed my love of the Mizuno Hyperwarp Elite as my favorite carbon fiber racing shoe. I will wear it for the July 4th 5K and pay the price on July 5th! Thankfully, my Achilles only suffered for one day post race and then they started to feel normal again. It really helps to add a heel insert into my daily trainers. Unfortunately, the Mizuno shoes won't accommodate any kind of insert, even when cut down to fit the shoe. My average cadence was 200 steps per minute, which shows that these shoes are a good match for my high cadence style. In the ASICS Metaspeed Edge, my cadence was 197.

It was also nice to feel positive again! As I mentioned in my previous post, I had some negative feelings towards my performance and this time there was not a negative thought to be had. I also felt some redemption from the Lawyers Have Heart 5K. This race had twice the elevation and the weather was worse: same temperature but with a much higher dew point.

I'll continue to orient my training around the 5K distance for the next five weeks, and then it's time to jump back into marathon training. 

Kicking off 5K Season

I'm behind on my blog posts. I have two 5Ks to write about, the first of which is the Laywers Have Heart 5K from May 16. 

After the Boston Marathon, I took eight days off from running, relaxed at a resort in Cancun, and then came back feeling refreshed. I only had time for two speed workouts before the first 5K. One of them was an interval workout using my Boston marathon time of 3:24:52 to guide the intervals. 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 2 minutes - all with half duration recovery jogs. It ended up being the perfect way to get the legs moving again. I also ran a short track workout of 3 x 600, 400, 200 with just 1 minute rests in between. Other than those two workouts, I relied on my baseline speed and residual Boston Marathon fitness. 

Background
Because May is typically a "down" month in terms of training, I figured it would be a good time to finally get my blood work checked. I've had a Function Health subscription for six months, but the timing to get the blood drawn never worked out. Plus, my doctor ordered blood work last December, and that panel covered a lot of what Function would test for. They ran over 100 tests and it was interesting to see the results. Almost everything was in the healthy range, and the only thing that stood out as needing to be addressed was my ferritin level, which was very low at 22. Apparently this is common in athletes. I started taking an iron supplement that also contained a lot of B vitamins just 4 days before the 5K. Lesson learned: don't start a new supplement a few days before a race, even if it's not a goal race! 

The test also confirmed that my hormone levels are typical of a 47-year-old, which is consistent with perimenopause. Thankfully, I haven’t had any symptoms of this, but I know it can cause women to slow down. I kept wondering when it would finally come for me. 

I have run this Lawyers Have Heart race more than 15 times, although today's version of it looks nothing like what it used to. It used to be strictly a 10K and it was held at an entirely different location in the month of June. My goal was to beat my time from last year, which was 21:04. 

When I ran the race last year, I had a lot working against me. I had just moved houses the weekend before (hello life stress), the weather was humid, and I had very little training under my belt. My Boston training cycle last year was plagued by a cranky hamstring, so I had done practically no speed work. 

I was fairly certain that I would run a faster race this year. Better weather, more training, less life stress. However, I still wasn't in my best 5K shape, so I set a "low bar" goal of simply running faster than 21:04. It's a fast course: mostly flat with just one notable hill at the beginning of the last mile.

Before the Race
I arrived at the race with plenty of time to warm up. I had already retrieved my bib a few days prior, so I didn't need to worry about that. I had a caffeinated Maurten gel 15 minutes before the race start and then lined up in the corral. Once there, I met a girl who had recognized me from the 2024 race. She said she wanted to be just a little slower than I was that year, and it would be great if she could use me as motivation and keep me in her sights. In 2024 I had run 20:37, and I thought that was probably where I would end up this year too.

It was 62 degrees, sunny, 6-8 mph winds, and moderate humidity. I think the dew point was around 52. Definitely not as humid as last year. On my personal weather scale, I give it a 5 out of 10. My personal weather scale is absolute, so even though this was relatively good weather for mid-May, it's far from my ideal of 40 degrees and low humidity. 

I wore the ASICS Metaspeed Edge Paris. I had never raced in these shoes, but I had worn them in a few workouts. I liked that they were bouncy and supposedly designed for high-cadence runners like me. Plus, they matched my outfit perfectly, and that brought me joy.

Mile 1

Mile 1: 6:39
The race started and it was surprisingly crowded the first mile. A ton of people sprinted out of the gate, getting ahead of me and then started slowing down about five minutes into the race. At that exact time, the course narrowed significantly, making it almost impossible to pass people. If two people were running at the exact same pace next to each other, forget about passing them. I was running faster than most people around me and did a lot of weaving in order to pass them. I didn't let it bother me too much and thankfully that narrow portion of the course only lasted for about half a mile. 

Mile 2: 6:44
During the second mile I played leap frog with my friend from the start line. It was helpful to have her near me and she was very encouraging as she heard me gasping for breath. At this point I noticed the headwind, and while I don't think it slowed me down too much, it made everything feel even harder. I noticed Greg on the opposite side of the course and that was a nice pick-me-up!

Mile 3: 6:49
Then came the only major hill of the race. The first half of the last mile was brutal. With less than a mile to go, I tried to stay strong up the hill, but I felt my tank emptying quickly. Finally, we hit a turnaround and then it was downhill, followed by a flat stretch to the finish. I knew I needed to make up time, so I gunned it hard. I was able to sprint ahead of my start-line friend and another woman in our vicinity. There were no other women in my line of sight to chase. The final mile shows as 6:49, but I’m guessing it was closer to 7:10 for the first half and 6:30 for the second.

Mile 3

I ran hard towards the finish line, with an official time of 21:06.

After the Race
I was instantly disappointed when I crossed the finish line, which is not like me at all. Usually I default to having a positive attitude. I had not expected my final mile to be a slow as it was, and I was disappointed that I wasn't any faster than last year. I thought it was a super low bar. We had better weather this year and I know I was in better shape.  Even though this wasn't an "A" race for me, I was caught off guard by not being able to hit my target - I had believed it to be totally attainable.

All that being said, the weaving that I did in the first mile made my Garmin distance longer than last year, so my Garmin showed a faster pace this year. I know, I am really grasping at straws to find a silver lining! Last year Garmin had me at 6:43 average pace for 3.14 miles. This year, it had me at 6:42 average pace for 3.16 miles. But still, I couldn't shake the feeling that I expected to be about 20 seconds faster.

Well, I thought to myself, I think I probably won my age group at least. I looked up the results online and they weren't loaded yet. So I didn't even have that to mollify my disappointment. I met up with Greg and my friend Chad. For the past few years I have been running this race as part of Chad's law firm's team. I would guess at least half of the runners were lawyers as this is a big event for the DC area legal community to raise money for the American Heart Association. 

Chad and me post race

Because the results weren't loading online, we stuck around for the age group awards to be presented in
person. But then those got delayed and we were tired of waiting so we decided to leave. As we were leaving, the results finally popped up on the website. I was shocked to see that another women in my age group beat me by 1 second, and her clock time was the exact same as mine. Weird, because there were no women around me when I finished.

When I looked at the photos that Greg had taken, sure enough, there was a young guy with a bib number in the women's 40-49 category finishing near me. Because this is mainly a charity race for lawyers, it's likely that the bib owner gave her bib to her son or a young colleague without understanding that it impacts the results. This has happened to me in the past and the timing company is usually quick to correct it (and they did the following day). 

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I was surprised that I didn't run faster than last year given better fitness and conditions, and I was also surprised that it put me in a bad mood. Why did this bother me so much? I think it goes back to that fear I mentioned above about slowing down with age. I know it will happen eventually and I will have to accept it, but after getting those test results, it had been more of a focus in recent days. 

Over the next few days, my sleep was highly disturbed, my resting heart rate spiked, and my HRV dropped. My FitBit showed my daily readiness as 15 for two days in a row. I had no idea what was going on so I took extra rest days. Maybe I was getting sick? Maybe it was allergies? After all, I had been sneezing my head off. But then, it all clicked. I was texting with my sister about iron supplements, and she pointed out that the one I was taking had all of this extra stuff in it that wasn't necessary. I researched it and boom- my new iron supplement was packed with a high dose of B vitamins that can absolutely impact sleep, recovery, and resting heart rate. And I had started taking that supplement several days before the race. This supplement contained 12,500% of the recommended allowance of B12. It also had 294% of the recommended allowance for B6. 

Do I feel stupid for not closely reading all the nutrition facts on my supplement? Yes. Do I feel stupid for starting a new supplement a few days before a 5K? Yes. Do I still worry that I have started to slow down because of age and hormones? Not yet! Instead, I am optimistic that once I get the iron and ferritin right, I can actually actually be faster. 

Finally, to show some amazing consistency, here is a comparison of my splits from last year vs. this year:

2025: 6:40, 6:44, 6:51 (5:59 pace for 0.14)
2026: 6:39, 6:44, 6:48 (5:56 pace for 0.16)

So even though I was initially disappointed, I learned a lot and I had a fun experience! Now it's time to get my ferritin levels up and acclimate to the summer heat and humidity.

Boston Marathon: My 40th Marathon!

Yesterday I ran my 7th Boston Marathon and my 40th lifetime marathon. It was the 10-year anniversary of my first Boston Marathon. Lots of milestones!

Recent Marathons and Training
In the past six months, I haven't had the best marathon mojo. I ran Indianapolis Monumental in November (3:32) and Houston in January (3:24). I was hoping to run under 3:15 for each, but in both cases, my legs seized up early on with cramps. Both races had great weather and both courses were fast and flat. After Houston, I realized that the Nike Alphafly shoes were a poor match for my running style and were likely the reason for the cramping. 

Given these two disappointments, I was determined to have a strong finish in Boston. And the best way to do that was to run conservatively for the first half. My Boston course PR was 3:24:07 (from 2024) and it was warm that day, with temps rising into the high 60s. I set myself a "soft" goal of a course PR where all I had to do was run similarly to 2024, and the weather advantage would make me faster at the end. Physically I believed myself to be capable of sub 3:20, but I wasn't bold enough to pace for that time. 

My only tune-up race (Charlottesville 10-miler) was more of a learning experience than a true test of my fitness, because it was incredibly hilly and I had never run it before. I had also missed a 20-mile run due to a situation with my eye. I had logged a few impressive workouts (like 15 miles with 10 non-stop at 7:11 pace), but I had also fallen flat on many runs. So my mindset was all about playing it safe and being guarded for most of the race, until I got to the Newton Hills. 

Coach Greg McMillan, whose guidance I trust more than any other coach, advises athletes to run the first 16 miles at goal pace, push hard on the Newton hills, and then run faster than goal pace for the last five miles. This sounded like the perfect plan for me. 

If you are unfamiliar with the Boston course, it's mostly downhill for 16 miles, then you run through a very hilly section until mile 21, and then the last 5 miles are also net downhill. This is challenging because all of that downhill running can trash your quads so by the time you get to the hills, your legs are dead, even if you have plenty of energy. I definitely experienced this in 2016! My legs were bricks by mile 16. There are different schools of philosophy on how to best pace it, but most agree that you don't want to bank too much time on the downhills because it will tear up your quads. 

Logically I knew I should be confident heading into the race, and Greg (husband Greg- not coach Greg!) encouraged me to be confident. But at the same time, I didn't have a ton of evidence to support confidence and I didn't want a repeat of Indianapolis and Houston where I was 10+ minutes shy of my goal. 

Race Weekend
We arrived in Boston on Friday afternoon after a two-hour flight delay. We checked into the hotel and then went straight to the expo. I didn't buy too much at the expo because I had purchased most of my gear online beforehand. I did get Spike the unicorn to add to my collection and a hat. 

On Saturday I did a shakeout run with Tracksmith Stamata, which is a team of elite women runners who are training to qualify for the Olympic trials. I started chatting with one of the women, and we discovered that we went to the same elementary school and high school. We grew up just 1 mile away from each other, although she was 18 years younger than me!

We spent the rest of the day meeting up with friends and walking around Newbury and Boylston, hitting up the pop-up stores. It was a lot of steps, so I decided I would stay off of my feet on Sunday as much as possible. 

On Sunday I did not do a shakeout run, I just rested. I met up with a few friends at my hotel, including an athlete that I have been coaching online for over two years. I coached her to her first BQ and now here she was at Boston with her entire family. It was a special moment to finally meet her in person. 

Shakeout run with very fast women!

One of the best parts about race weekend was being recognized by so many people who knew me from
social media. I'm active on social media because I enjoy sharing my journey and helping others. It's a lot of work to create content on a daily basis, and sometimes I wonder if it's resonating. But so many people told me that they found my tips valuable, they learned a lot from my content, and they were inspired by my posts. It's also easy for me to focus on the 1% of negative comments I receive, but when I am getting so much positive feedback in real life, I realize how foolish it is to waste energy on trolls and negative comments.

A few funny comments: "Are you TrackClubBabe?" (confusing me with another content creator) and "I love your YouTube!" (My YouTube only has about 4 videos on it). I also got a lot of "I feel like I know you from somewhere!" 

Shoes

As I mentioned above, I attributed my leg cramps in my last two marathons to the Nike Alphafly 3. Since Houston, I have been on a quest to find the perfect marathon shoe for my running style: high cadence, very light on my feet. Because my feet are only in contact with the ground for a very short amount of time, the “squishy” shoes don’t work for me. I am not landing for long enough to get the benefit of the foam. Instead, I need a shoe that helps propel me forwards - not upwards. Here are the shoes I considered: 

Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4: I loved how light and fast the shoe felt, but the fit was not as locked in as I would have liked and they felt a little too flimsy for a full marathon. A solid choice for a half marathon or shorter.

ASICS Metaspeed Edge Tokyo: This was a top contender, but I wasn’t confident I had the right size. I had sized up like I did in the Edge Paris, but this felt big, so I felt like it wasn’t going to work. But I will “explore” it more for the next marathon.

Mizuno Hyperwarp Elite: I absolutely love everything about this shoe. It fits my foot perfectly, has the perfect balance of bounce and ground feel, and is super lightweight. The only problem is that it only has a 3.5mm drop. I have sensitive Achilles tendons, and I could get away with that for one race, but I didn’t want to test it on a 20 miler and risk irritating my Achilles. I did run 15 miles in them, including 10 at marathon pace, and I just worried that they didn’t have the cushion I would want for 26.2 miles.

Tracksmith Elliot Racer: Super comfortable, but didn’t have the “pep” of some of the other shoes and they were a bit heavier. Definitely could handle marathon pace, but I am not sure how much of an advantage they would give me.

So, I settled on the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4. I had worn them for 16 miles included 4 x 2 at marathon pace and they felt super natural and smooth. I had also worn them in a bunch of marathon pace long runs last fall. Very comfortable and very capable of running a touch faster than marathon pace. I also wore them for an 8K tempo and they felt smooth and flowy. I bought a new pair and broke them in, but the new pair never seemed to fit as well as the first pair, and the ride felt different. The tongue was also weird in the newer pair. Apparently Saucony shoes come from different factories, so that could account for the difference.

Ultimately I settled on my original pair which had 89 miles on them because they were trustworthy! I had considered wearing them for Indianapolis and Houston, but thought that the Alphafly felt faster. In hindsight, I totally should have worn the Saucony.

Fueling
Before I move on to race day, I am going to outline my fueling strategy because it's a common question.
***Disclaimer: what works for me might not work for you! I am always tweaking my fueling. 

In the three days leading up to the race I focused on hydration with electrolytes. I use Liquid IV because I

like the taste so it encourages me to drink more. As for carbs, I don't count them, but I try to eat as many stomach-friendly carbs as is comfortable without feeling over stuffed. My favorite things to carb load with are bagels, pretzels, and pasta.

On Sunday (the day before the race) I had:

• A bagel and a banana for breakfast with a hot apple cider
• a Maurten Solid and pretzels as a snack 
• A beet salad and a turkey sandwich for lunch, with cold apple cider
• Small jelly-filled donuts as a snack (from my hotel lounge)
• Pasta with chicken for dinner. 

Race morning I had:

• A banana and pretzels at 6:00am (4.5 hours before race start) + electrolyte drink
• Half a bagel and a UCAN gel on the bus (2.5 hours before race start)
• Another UCAN gel 20 minutes before the start

During the race I had:

• Maurten gels at 0:40, 1:20, 1:50 (this one was caffeinated), 2:30, 3:00
• 3 Honey Stinger chews early on
• One packet of Skratch labs hydration + energy in my handheld bottle
• I carried a 24 ounce bottle of water and ditched it at around mile 11
• After that I drank water from 3-4 water stations 

When I posted a photo of all my fuel beforehand, people were asking why I mixed Maurten and UCAN. UCAN I take to keep the blood sugar steady, Maurten is for ongoing boosts of energy. The chews are usually easy to digest so I take them when I can early in the race. My digestive system behaved for the most part. No bathroom stops like in Boston 2025, but my body was starting to reject fuel by mile 20 and it was hard to get stuff down. At the finish line I vomited quite a bit of liquid. But that is typical for me, and I haven't figured out how to avoid that. The good thing about vomiting at the end is that I feel much better afterwards. I think my body isn't very quick at absorbing the fluids, which is why I try to drink a lot in the beginning. After about 2 hours, my stomach isn't doing much with the fluids I give it.

Energy wise, I felt great. I also had plenty of energy in Indianapolis and Houston, and I used a similar fueling strategy. The problem in those races was leg cramps, not energy. And that was somewhat heartbreaking because I felt like I had so much to give but my legs weren't cooperating.

Before the Race
I slept about as well as could be expected the night before a marathon. I had been having horrible sleep issues for the second half of March due to an adjustment in my thyroid medication, but thankfully my levels had stabilized in time to feel good sleeping for the past two weeks. I woke up naturally at around 5:30 and started getting ready for the race.

I drank water and ate food (see above) and put on my race gear. I wrote the course elevation profile on my arm so I would know when to expect the net uphill vs. net downhill miles along the way.

Before bus loading

I met my friends Cera and Stephanie in the hotel lobby. The hotel was just steps away from the bus loading so it worked perfectly. Greg, Stephanie, Stephanie’s and husband, Cera, and I made our way to the security checkpoint and we said goodbye to our husbands. At security, they would not let Stephanie through because she was in wave 4, and they were only loading waves 1-3. We thought this might happen, but we wanted to at least try! Security also made me throw away my “space blanket” or “heat sheet” that I was planning to sit on once I got to Athlete’s Village. I had no idea why they made me throw it away, especially since other people had heat sheets. I guess I should have folded it up more and stuffed it in my pocket, or had it wrapped around me. It was definitely weird that they made me throw it away for no apparent reason. You aren’t allowed to carry anything that’s over 15 inches long, but I could have folded this down to make it smaller.

The bus loading was a disaster. They instituted a new system where you don’t automatically load the buses after security. Instead you wait in line to step into a yellow square. Once you are on a yellow square, they tell you which bus to go to. I guess they thought this system would be more efficient, but it was not. Cera and I waited for about 25 minutes, and apparently runners in wave 4 had to wait for over an hour. I heard stories from runners in wave 4 who missed or nearly missed their start because they couldn’t load a bus. And it wasn’t a comfortable wait standing on your feet for over an hour. Apparently they realized this was causing a huge delay, so I think they ditched this system for waves 5 and 6.

Athlete's Village with Cera

Our bus ride took about 75 minutes because our driver took a wrong turn or exit. I didn’t mind it so much because it gave me the opportunity to chat with Cera, who I hadn’t seen since last year’s Boston. Once we got off the bus, we only had about 20 minutes until our wave was called to the starting area. I used the time to go to the bathroom and apply sunscreen. We then walked to the corral, and I used the bathroom for the final time before entering my corral. I took my UCAN gel and shed my throwaway jacket and pants. 

Once in the corral, I started chatting with the other runners, and some of them recognized me from social media. My shoes had been loosely tied this entire time because I didn’t want my feet to get uncomfortable before the start, but I should have tied them how I wanted them in Athlete’s Village. I always tie and re-tie my shoes several times before I determine they are correct. I thought I had them where I wanted them 10 minutes before race start, but as we approached the start line, one of them felt too loose. I pulled off to the side to re-tie my shoe a final time. I think this led to me starting with corral 8 (I was originally in corral 7) but I was fine with that. It was important to get my shoe tied appropriately.

The weather was perfect. By far the best weather I’ve ever experienced at the Boston Marathon. It was in the upper 40s for the entire race with the first half being sunny, and the second half being cloudy. A tailwind of about 8mph. I give it a 9 out of 10 on my personal weather scale. The only reason it’s not a 10 out of 10 is because I was getting warm during the first half when it was sunny, given that the course is not shaded. The second half weather was 10 out of 10. 

Miles 1-6

Once I was confident that my shoe tying was correct, I proceeded to the start line. The plan was to run a pace of 7:35-7:40 for the first half of the race. The first mile is perhaps the steepest downhill of the entire race. My goal was not to get swept out too fast. I had read many articles about how to save your legs and everything said high cadence, don’t lean back, let gravity do its thing. I was so paranoid of going out too fast that I went out too slow. Normally I consider the first mile to be a warmup or throwaway, but I could have used some extra seconds in the bank. I ran this mile in 8:00, which wasn’t disastrous, but a missed opportunity. In my race plan, I wanted to run a 7:40 first mile, so I didn’t execute. But not to worry, I had 25 miles to run fast! My average cadence for the first mile was 204 steps per minute, so I succeeded at taking quick steps to preserve the quads.

Around mile 3

The crowd thinned out quicker than expected, which is probably because I started towards the back of the
wave due to my last minute shoe tying. My focus was on relaxing, engaging my core, focusing on my cadence and posture. The goal was to save my legs for the Newton hills in miles 17-21. I knew I was running slightly slower than I had in 2024, but I was afraid to go any faster.

The sun was out in full force and I was getting warm and it didn’t feel as easy as I had expected. I executed my nutrition plan as outlined above, carrying the water bottle and taking my Honey Stinger chews at 20 minutes and my first Maurten at 40 minutes. I sipped from the bottle every 15 minutes. During these early miles I had a few mini conversations with people who recognized me from social media. I had my name written on my back, so people would come up from behind me and say things like “I follow you!” or “I love your content!”. Surprisingly, many of the spectators also recognized me and cheered for me by name.

I felt pretty good. Not as amazing as I did in 2024, but decent. One thing I noticed was that having crowds cheering so loudly early in the race wasn't ideal for me. When I am trying to relax into a rhythm and be zen-like, I think I would have preferred less spectator hype. It's awesome having the support once you get to the Newton hills and afterwards, but I realized that my personal preference for early in the race is to have it be more quiet. Boston is NOT the race to run if you prefer a quiet, low-key race! And I love the hype of Boston generally. This was just an observation from someone who was trying to go out conservatively and establish a cruise feel!  

With the exception of miles 1 and 5, I ran all of these miles in my target range of 7:35-7:40

At the 10K point

Mile 1: 8:01
Mile 2: 7:34
Mile 3: 7:38
Mile 4: 7:35
Mile 5: 7:48
Mile 6: 7:34

Miles 7-13.1
After crossing the 10K, I knew to start looking for Greg, who was waiting and spectating with Stephanie's husband. I was excited to see him so I sped up a little and tried to look good for the camera! Greg took pictures of other runners as well, so if you ran the Boston Marathon, maybe he photographed you! You can view his gallery and download photos. 

We ran through the Wellesley scream tunnel and boy was it loud! I do enjoy that part because it is a key part of the Boston experience. The sun was still making things warm and I was tempted to toss water over my head, but I didn't. I continued to drink from my water bottle every 15 minutes and I think I finally tossed it at a water station around 1:15. It felt amazing to be hands-free, and that's when I started to feel more energized and more pumped up. 

The miles kept coming and I was executing mostly to plan. I was pretty much staying with the same group of runners. Some runners passed me and I passed others. It was about equal parts being the passer and the passee! 

My official half marathon split was 1:41:21, which is on target for a time of 3:22:42. I had planned to be at 1:40:xx to give myself more buffer, but I remained confident in my ability to turn on the gas once I hit the hills and beyond. Generally these miles were paced according to plan, but that super slow first mile is what had me a bit off my target.

Mile 7: 7:31

Mile 8: 7:46

Mile 9: 7:42

Mile 10: 7:46

At the half marathon point

Mile 11: 7:36

Mile 12: 7:36

Mile 13: 7:39

Miles 14-21

Thankfully the clouds started to roll in, and at some point, I shifted my sunglasses from my eyes to my head. I started to feel more energized and I'm pretty sure it was due to the cloud cover. The fuel was also kicking in. Per Greg McMillan's advice, I needed to make a mental shift as I approached the Newton hills. I had been in "cruise mode" up until this point, and now I needed to go into "power mode". This doesn't mean go all-out on the hills, but it does mean that the effort level needs to increase so as not to lose too much time on the hills. Some of that time is baked into the plan, but the plan assumes running strong over the hills with legs that haven't been over cooked.

My legs felt the best they have ever felt as I approached the first Newton hill. I feel like the first Newton hill is the longest. Potentially not as steep as heartbreak, but it seems to go on forever. My right quad was beginning to feel sore from the impact of the hills, but my left one was still 100% fine. I really focused on using my glutes to power up the hill. My mental approach was to focus on a spot about 10-15 seconds up the road and just get to that point, and then find another spot. I like to imagine these anchor points pulling me up the hill as I focus on them. I pumped my arms, engaged my glutes and increased my cadence. My cadence had not stayed at 204, but had gradually decreased to 195 steps per minute. 

At this point, I was passing a greater number of people than were passing me, and that felt awesome. There were a few times when I was passed by someone who saw my name on my back and said something like "you inspire me!" as they passed me. How ironic that they were passing me and I was the supposedly inspirational one. I would yell back "no- you inspire me!" 

One of my goals for this race was to run my fastest ever Heartbreak Hill. I had been doing Pilates religiously and training on more hills than ever, so this would be my year. And sure enough, I set a PR on Heartbreak Hill according to Strava. The official segment is 0.54 miles long and my pace was 8:31, which Strava says is a "Grade Adjusted Pace" or GAP of 7:35. I was very pleased with it, given that this was my 6th time running up Heartbreak. 

The Newton hills were hard, but they didn't destroy me, and when I was done, I felt confident that I could make up some of my lost time back. The question was - how much?

Mile 14: 7:38

Mile 15: 7:45

Mile 16: 7:35

Mile 17: 8:04 (first Newton Hill)

Mile 18: 7:56

Mile 19: 7:44

Mile 20: 8:04

Mile 21: 8:08 (Heartbreak Hill)

Miles 22- Finish
I enjoyed the massive downhill that was mile 22, but my legs were by no means fresh. They felt the effects of the hills and I could only get them to move so quickly. I knew I would have to run with my heart, push through the discomfort, and trust that my body could continue on for another five miles at a fast pace. I knew that if I let myself wimp out, I would never make up the time I needed for my course PR. 

The course started becoming narrow and thus getting more crowded again. I was passing a ton of people and weaving through runners like crazy. This felt great, but I had to be careful because the pavement was a bit beat up and there seemed to be sewer covers and train tracks in a lot of places. I navigated through it nicely and fed off of the energy of the crowd. I knew I was in the home stretch and I just had to stay strong for a little bit longer. I reminded myself that this is what I trained for and this was my favorite moment in running. 

Mile 25.6

I was elated to have the Citgo sign in my sights and that pumped me up even more. There's a hill at the beginning of the final mile that felt like a mountain. It's not very long, but it's poorly placed. Right before the Citgo sign. I felt myself slow down a lot there, but then once I got to the top I hit the gas again. My legs didn't have much left in them. I knew I was running this section of the course faster than ever before. 

I saw Greg about three minutes before the turn on Hereford street. It was so packed, but he was easy to spot in his fluorescent yellow jacket. I glanced down at my watch and realized that I would not be getting my course PR of sub 3:24, but that I could run 3:24:xx if I ran really fast. 

From that point onwards I pushed SO HARD. If I wasn't going to set a course PR, I at least was going to tie the 3:24:xx. According to my Garmin, I ran the last 0.46 mile at a pace of 7:17. I wanted it so badly. 

I crossed with an official time of 3:24:52.

Mile 22: 7:40
Mile 23: 7:46
Mile 24: 7:40
Mile 25: 7:36
Mile 26: 8:03

Last 0.46: 7:17 pace

Gunning for the finish line

After the Race
I crossed the finish line, took about 15 steps, pulled off to the side, and vomited. Greenish yellow liquid. This happens almost every time I race a marathon or half marathon at full effort. My digestive system shuts down and my stomach stops emptying whatever I give it. On the plus side, vomiting makes me feel a million times better. 

One of the race officials recognized me, called me by name and handed me a medal. I proceeded through the finish line chute, which was moving slowly because everyone was taking selfie photos and videos. I did not even have my phone with me. I'll also mention that in all of my years running Boston, I had never noticed as many people taking selfies on the course. Usually this doesn't bother me, but this time it was so many people, most of whom seemed unaware of their surroundings. 

I chatted with lots of other runners at the finish line, and I didn't know it at the time, but Bill and Hilary Clinton were there, giving Chelsea her medal. Chelsea started in Wave 1 and ran a time of 3:40:52, so she crossed about 8 minutes before me. It would have been so cool to see the Clintons, and they were probably still there, but I didn't notice them. 

And totally off topic, but when I looked her up in the results and saw that she was 46, I thought to myself "no way, she's not 46 - she's like 15". I guess in my mind she never aged and was still the same age as when her dad was president! Hahaha. So that means she is in my age group.

Anyway, I knew none of this at the time, and proceeded to have my photo taken and then meet up with Greg. We recorded a quick video for Instagram and then went inside the hotel because I was getting cold. I took a very long shower and then relaxed while posting about my race on Instagram and Facebook.

Stats:

I placed 298 out of 1,786 in my age group (46-49 Female)

Marathonfoto low-res finish line pic

I placed 13,332 out of 29,020 runners, which means I beat my bib number. Bib numbers are generally assigned by qualifying time, and mine was 15140. 

First half: 1:41:21, Second half: 1:43:31. This is a positive split by 2:02.

I ran my fastest ever second half of Boston, which was most notable during the final 5 miles. 

According to Greg's analysis, I was rapidly closing the gap on my 2024 self, and if the course had been a mile longer, I would have run faster this year. 

My official finish time was 45 seconds slower than my course PR from 2024, which means I missed my time goal by 45 seconds. I did not leave myself much margin for error, and that's kind of where I am kicking myself. 

My finish time was only 9 seconds slower than Houston in January, but Houston is fast and flat, so a 3:24 in Boston is much more difficult to attain than a 3:24 in Houston. 

I ran this race 24 minutes faster than my first Boston Marathon in 2016.

I qualified for Boston 2027 with a buffer of 20 minutes and 8 seconds.

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
There's so much to say about this one! I've already hinted at a lot of the key takeaways but I'll be more explicit about them here.

Overall, this race was a success, and a necessary step forward in regaining my marathon confidence after two disappointing performances. I nailed my fueling, felt energized throughout and ran a consistent race. Hardly anyone negative splits at Boston because the elevation profile is not set up that way, so a two-minute positive split is really good, especially since I have come nowhere near that in the past. 

As far as pacing, I generally agree that Greg McMillan's approach worked for me, but it does assume you can really gun it at the end and make up the time you lost on the hills. If I had to do it over again I would have run the first mile 20-25 seconds faster and then shaved maybe 3-4 seconds off of some of the other early miles. But then again, it's impossible to know if that would have been the tipping point for what my legs would have tolerated. 

The shoes worked well! They were comfortable for the entire race. My feet never hurt and I didn't get any blisters. When compared to the ASICS Metaspeed Sky that I wore in 2024 they were not as propulsive or bouncy, but they got the job done reliably. If I had to choose a shoe, I would likely pick the ASICS Metaspeed Sky simply because they worked well and they were faster. The ASICS didn't feel particularly fast because they were so squishy and not as responsive as the Saucony, but the data suggests otherwise. Both are great options, and it's good to know that I have two options that won't cause leg cramping early in the race. They say that the ASICS Sky is for runners with a long stride and the Edge is for runners with high cadence (me), but I dunno - the Sky worked well and I guess I need to spend more time in the Edge to really test it out.

Zooming out - my biggest takeaway is that I did almost exactly what I set out to do from an execution standpoint. I wanted to feel strong at the end. I wanted to run my fastest Heartbreak Hill ever. I wanted to walk away feeling like I could execute a strong marathon without leg cramping. I wanted to nail my nutrition, fueling and hydration. I wanted to confirm my theory that it was the Alphafly that caused cramping issues in Indianapolis and Houston. Most importantly, I wanted to enjoy the experience and soak in the positive Boston vibes! I ran with gratitude and positivity throughout.

As competitive runners, we have a tendency to be critical of our races and wonder what we could have done differently to squeeze a few extra seconds off of our time. That's true for almost every race I run. That doesn't change the fact that I had a really strong race and I am proud of completing Boston number 6 (or 7 if you include the virtual) and marathon number 40.

Stomping Around My Old Stomping Grounds

I graduated from the University of Virginia in 2000, and this weekend I returned to run a 10-mile race. I was not a runner in college. I didn't even enjoy walking to classes-- I always opted for the bus if possible. At the time, the notion of running a mile would not have been appealing. I was not even aware that this race existed, even though the course goes right by the places I lived. I would typically go to sleep at 2:00am on the weekends, waking up at around 10:00 or 11:00. 

Once I started running, this race was not on my radar. I had written Charlottesville off as too hilly and I assumed any races would not be near the University. But I recently learned that the course goes through central grounds and all of the places I used to go when I went to school there: the Corner, Rugby Road, and the Downtown Mall. Sure it was hilly, but it would be good preparation for Boston. 

I also "retired" from trying to set a PR in the ten mile distance back in 2021 when I ran a time of 1:07:47 on a flat course. I worked so hard to run that time and I assumed I would never run as fast again. After running a 1:29:50 half marathon in 2024, I do think it's possible to PR in the 10-miler, but it's not something I am actively chasing. 

My intention was to focus this training cycle on hills. Hill sprints, hills at 5K effort, hilly long runs, hilly races, etc. But we got hit with a huge snow storm towards the end of January it was three full weeks before I found an area that was clear enough for hill training. The storm was historic in terms of how long the snow stayed around on the roads and I did more treadmill running than I had in 15+ years. Sure, you can adjust the incline on the treadmill, but whenever I do that, my Achilles tendons immediate start hurting. So ironically, the one season when I wanted to focus on hills was the snowiest, most treadmill-oriented season I'd had in ages. 

Once the snow cleared I was able to run hill repeats and hilly long runs, but not as much as I had planned. 

Race Weekend
Greg and I drove to Charlottesville on Friday for the Saturday race. We hadn't been to Charlottesville in 7 years and a lot had changed. We went to the bookstore and that was surprisingly very similar to how it had been back in the 90s. Everything was still in the same place although the merchandise itself was obviously updated. The weird thing was feeling like I could actually afford what I wanted to buy. As I was browsing through the UVA apparel, it hit me that "hey- I can actually buy this!" I settled on a UVA running tank, a hair scrunchie and a hair bow. The hair bow would be super cute to wear during the race.

We then drove the race course so I would know what to expect. The race website has a very detailed description of the course including where the hills are, but I wanted to check it out for myself. Even though UVA looked the same, the students did not. Literally every student walking around grounds was wearing headphones. About half of them were also looking at their phones while walking. It was depressing to see them immersed in their own little worlds, not paying attention to their historic surroundings or appreciating where they were. I vividly remember walking to class, seeing people I knew along the way, paying attention to the different buildings, and engaging with others. That world is gone now.

We drove the course and as expected, it was hilly. It was good to know what to expect and when, and also where to position Greg for photos. Greg setup a new photography site, where he posts race photos. Not just of me, but of other runners too! (If you were there, check it out to see if he snapped a picture of you.)

After driving the course, we picked up my bib and then went to dinner. I had my standard pasta with chicken and a beet/goat cheese salad. We ate dinner at Vivace, where my friends and I used to have dinner before our formal sorority events. Charlottesville restaurants are the best!

Before the Race

I didn't sleep very well because the hotel had one of those AC systems that kept turning on and off. We couldn't figure out how to get it to stop, and it was annoying. When my alarm went off at 5:23 (I like to set my alarm for a random, uneven time) I was sleeping. I'm usually awake naturally at that point, but I had fallen back asleep after multiple wake ups from the air conditioner blizzard blowing in my face.

I was super excited about my race outfit because I would be wearing UVA colors: blue and orange. Plus, I had that fun hair bow I had bought the day before. I decided to wear the New Balance SC Pacer 2 shoes. I love these shoes and I have raced many 5Ks in them. They have a low stack height with more ground feel than other carbon fiber shoes but they also have a bit of a pop. I would love to wear them in a marathon but everything I read about them says that they are meant for shorter distances. I regularly wear them for up to 12 miles in training and they are fine, but I know that once you reach 20 miles things start to feel different. I think I could probably get away with wearing them in a marathon, but I don't want to take any more chances with marathon shoes. 

The weather was sunny, 38 degrees, with 10 mph winds and heavier gusts. I give it an 8/10 on my personal weather scale. Everything was ideal except the wind, which became quite challenging later in the race when it was a headwind.

We drove to the start, parked, and I had a UCAN gel in the car. I like to have UCAN before races because it's easy on my stomach and keeps my blood sugar steady. Then I warmed up for about a mile and a half. The race start was directly across the street from my first year dorm, so I ran back in forth in front of that.

Then I made a quick trip to the porta potty before lining up at the start. I didn't line up as close to the front as I would have liked, but I was ok with it because I planned to start conservatively.  A few runners had advised me to take it easy in the beginning and save energy for the hills later in the race. I took a Maurten gel a few minutes before race start and I was ready.

I didn't have a time goal, but I was thinking somewhere around 1:11 would be appropriate. I recently ran ten miles nonstop in 1:11:47 as part of a training run, and that did not feel like race effort. It was inside of a 15 miler. Of course, that was on a flat course, which is why I thought that if I was running at race effort,  I could do that same time on a hilly course. But I honestly had no idea what to expect so it wasn't an actual goal - more of a prediction. 

Charlottesville Ten Miler Elevation

Miles 1-4

The race started and it was crowded. The course was relatively narrow for the amount of participants (around 2000) but I knew to expect a competitive field. I didn't want to waste energy passing people so I didn't. I tend to run very fast down hill and pass a lot of people, but slower up hill, and I get passed. I wasn't able to take advantage of the downhills in the first two miles because of crowding, and if I had it to do over again, I would have started closer to the front or made a stronger effort to pass people if needed. 

My first-year dorm in mile 1

I ran past my dorm during the first mile. Greg was taking photos there because I wanted a photo of me running by my dorm. Mission accomplished! Then we ran through some very narrow residential streets that had short hills. Up and down and up and down. This made it impossible to establish a rhythm early on, which is what I ideally like to do in the first mile or so. 

Then we ran through central grounds, and I ran right by Greg and noticed he didn't cheer for me. So I yelled his name just after passing him. I was right - he didn't see me! I imagine it's hard to spot someone in a sea of runners, and next time I will know to yell out for him sooner and not assume that he sees me.

The course opened up here so I finally felt like I could run at my desired pace. My first two miles had been 7:30s, which was not what I was going for, so hopefully I could make up some time now that it wasn't crowded. Next up was Rugby road near the fraternity and sorority houses. I spent loads of time there in college! We didn't pass my sorority house, but we were just one block away from it. 

Mile 4 was the fastest mile of the race. It wasn't necessarily scenic, but it was massively downhill and I was able to make up a lot of time there. I didn't care about beating up my quads because it was just one mile and I knew that I had taken it very easy in the beginning. 

Mile 1: 7:30 
Mile 2: 7:30
Mile 3: 7:08
Mile 4: 6:44

Miles 5-7
This was the hardest part of the course mentally because there were so many turns. Uphill, downhill, left, right, left. I really wanted to establish a rhythm and get into a "groove" or a zone, but it wasn't happening. I had to watch my footing, make lots of turns, and it kept changing from uphill to downhill. It was mentally exhausting and all I wanted to do was run on something that was straight and flat. This area covered the downtown mall and surrounding neighborhoods, which is an area I wasn't familiar with. 

I got passed by a few runners during these miles and it was humbling. I felt strong and energized, but the constant changes in elevation and direction were slowing me down - and probably more than other runners who maybe were more familiar with the course. Or who just seemed unfazed. I realized that I have some work to do here in terms of being able to run strong when I can't be on autopilot. That's what trail running is all about, and I think trail runners would do amazingly well on this course. I'm definitely an autopilot runner: set it and forget it!

Mile 5: 7:37
Mile 6: 7:07
Mile 7: 7:31

Miles 8-10
I knew that miles 8-9 would be the hardest of the race based on the course description and our driving preview. Unfortunately, these miles were also directly into the headwind. On the plus side, there weren't
many turns. During the 9th mile, we ran up "the Corner" which is a small stretch of shops and restaurants. I hung out there all the time in college and often walked down it on my way to and from class. One thing that amazed me was how quickly I could get from the start of the Corner, up the corner and all the way through grounds when running a 7:30 pace. This is something that would typically take 20 minutes while waking but here I was, 26 years later, flying through! 

Dowhill finish

Once we got to mile 9.5 things flattened out and then there was a downhill finish into the stadium. I felt like I had so much energy left at this point because I didn't run the hills as hard as I was physically able to. I accelerated a ton during that last half mile and ended up running my second-fastest mile of the race.

I glanced down at my watch as I entered the stadium and was hopeful that if I sprinted, I would be able to break 1:13!

Mile 8: 7:35
Mile 9: 7:45
Mile 10: 7:02

My official time was 1:13:02. 

After the Race
The post race food was the best I had experienced in recent memory. I remember when races used to always have amazing food afterwards, but I feel like that has stopped in the past ten years. They had bagels from Bodo's (best bagels EVER), fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Great Harvest Bread company bread. Yum. 

I met up with Greg and we were both freezing so we didn't stick around. I didn't place in my age group so there was no point in waiting for the awards ceremony. It was time to go celebrate at Bodo's with a warm bagel sandwich. Charlottesville has the best food - have I mentioned that yet?!

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
There's a lot to take away here. I would categorize this race as a learning experience, not a showcase of my athletic performance. It was a fun learning experience and I'm not upset that I ran slower than expected. But admittedly, I did not give this race 100% or even 95% of my effort. It wasn't for lack of trying, but I think the lack of autopilot made it hard to run hard. 

I also admit that I am not as strong of a hill runner as I would like to be. Even though I included hill
repeats and hilly routes in my training, I'm relatively new to hills being the norm of my everyday running. I also had zero experience with this course and I wasn't sure what to expect. If I had it to do over again next weekend in the same conditions, I know I would start closer the the front, go a little harder in the beginning, know to expect the constant ups and downs (as opposed to long steady inclines and declines) and have a better strategy. I didn't have a good strategy, I didn't know that the ups and downs would kill my rhythm, and I'm "average" when it comes to running uphill from a strength perspective.

It might sound like I am beating myself up here, but I'm not. I'm realizing that after 20+ years of racing, I can still improve and I can still learn. 

In front of my old apartment.

I placed 7th in my age group, which means there were six 45-49 year old women ahead of me. This was a bit of a wakeup call that I am not the youngest in my age group anymore. I am in the middle of my age group, so it makes sense that the age group feels more competitive than it did two years ago. 

And for perspective, I couldn't even run one mile in college. I would have never dreamed that the 47-year old version of myself would be fitter and stronger! College felt so big when I was there, but running through grounds at top speed made everything feel smaller.

I ran six miles today and my legs were not at all sore. This was shocking to me because I raced a hilly ten miler. They should be sore! But it again affirms that I didn't race it to the fullest extend of my physical ability. Or maybe it affirms that I am more trained for a marathon than a 10-miler right now.

In any event, I ran 10 miles faster than marathon goal pace on a hillier course than Boston, so it was great preparation for what I will face in three weeks. My time goal for Boston is a course PR, so I need to run 7:45 or faster, which seems totally doable unless a heat waves comes.