It's been a while since I've posted a general update on my running. 2025 has been off to a strong start and I'm in an excellent spot with my training.
Run Club
I joined a running club/team: Light Horse Track Club! They are based in Northern Virginia and have just over 100 runners. The club is growing rapidly and I love the vibe: serious but also fun and chill! I haven't been part of a club since 2014. I do love running in a team environment and I think this group is a great fit for me. I already knew a bunch of the members, so it seemed like a natural fit.
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| Alisa Harvey and me |
I love getting dressed up and socializing and the gala was the perfect opportunity to do that. I bought a new pair of dress shoes for the occasion, which was a stark contrast to the workout shoes I live in daily! I had the opportunity to meet other club members and to chat with the ones I already knew. Best of all, it started at 4:30 and ended at 7:30. A runner's dream! We love our early bedtimes.
The club meets every weekend for long runs on the W&OD trail and has organized track workouts during the week. They also host track meets.
Regional Runner Rankings
In my last post, I mentioned that I was ranked #1 in the 45-49 age group in the Regional Runner Rankings for the DC/MD/VA area. I definitely did not expect to come in first, but my 1:29:50 half marathon was quite fast for my age group!
This got me thinking about how I have managed to get faster over the past two years. I think it comes down to a combination of four things.
2. Ankle mobility. I struggled with ankle mobility for years and years. I did not have good range of motion in my ankles due to chronic Achilles tendonitis. I adapted by running at a very high cadence - 190 to 195 steps per minute during easy runs and 200+ during harder efforts. In the summer of 2023, I started putting heel lifts into my shoes so that the heel-to-toe drop would be greater and ease the strain on my Achilles. Within 8 weeks my Achilles tendons were virtually pain-free. It was amazing! My stride opened up. This is quite visible if you look at my Instagram videos from 2022 vs 2024. With a longer stride, I was able to run faster.
3. Proactive physical therapy. Whenever something is nagging at me, I go to my physical therapist and we address it before it becomes an injury. I haven't had any major injuries since 2022, when I hurt my SI joint from doing a deadlift. Being injury-free and consistently training has helped immensely.
4. Thyroid treatment. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2019 but I didn't want to take medication for it. I didn't think it was holding me back. In 2023, my thyroid labs came back with higher TSH levels, so I decided to try the medication. After a year of adjusting the dose with my doctor, my thyroid levels finally reached normal last spring. Last summer was the first summer that the heat didn't destroy me. Even though hypothyroidism is associated with being cold, it can also make you heat sensitive because your body's thermostat isn't working properly.
Combine all four elements and that's why I have gotten faster after the age of 45!
Marathon Goals
I am running the Newport News One City Marathon in less than two weeks. I decided I would build on my previous training cycle by adding more speed work and sharpening my legs. My goal is to set a PR of sub 3:15. If I have a great day and everything aligns I think I can be pretty close to 3:10.
I will also be running Boston, but that will be a "fun run" because I don't think you can have two "A" races so close together.
So, that's my update!
Do you know where the name light horse comes from? Maybe they'd be willing to change it to the Zebra Track Club;-) But seriously, it's exciting to be part of the club. Running is such a great group activity.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking - we get smarter as we get older! So that's the driving force behind all of the changes that you've made in the past few years, and why runners can get faster as they get older.
Or just do Boston as best you can and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. That's my approach to racing these days. Race all out but don't lose sleep over it, I think it's helped me hold on to my times better because I used to think about the races the night before and struggle sleeping and such. Now with my don't care attitude it's funny I'm 45 and running almost the same times (outside of a 5K race where I see the difference.) I'm so anti pharmaceutical drug I probably never would have gotten to where you have taking the chance (bc of the fear of never being able to get off it and I've avoided some that I've been asked to do for that particular reason but it's not thyroid which regulated the entire body.) I give you a lot of credit and the fact it's helping you perform on the roads so much better is ridiculously awesome!!! About to read the marathon blurb as I don't cheat and look ahead and respond to these blogs not knowing the future (which will make going into the past if I do one day weird in trying to ignore everything of today but I will do that if I get to it.)
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