Firecracker 5K: Fast, Fiery, and Fun!

I ran my annual Firecracker 5K today. I have run this race almost every year since 2010, with my course PR being 20:28 from last year.

If I am in good shape, I usually try to set a course PR. It's always hot, hilly, and measures 3.17 on my watch, so it's not a good comparison to a Turkey Trot or other 5Ks I run. But it's a great year-over-year comparison. 

Background
With the move, my training took a back seat so I ran some less-than-stellar 5Ks earlier in the season. I ran a time of 21:04 in mid-May and a time of 21:02 at the evening track 5000m. After the track 5K, I knew I needed to focus on 5K-specific training if I wanted any chance at getting a course PR at Firecracker. 

My training consisted of hill repeats, track workouts, medium long runs, and Pilates classes. I was very consistent with all of these for the entire month of June. We had several heat waves in June, which made things particularly challenging, but I adjusted my expectations for paces and was able to complete all of my workouts. By contrast, we had freakishly good weather in June of 2024 with plenty of low-humidity mornings. 

Before the Race
I woke up at 4:00 naturally, having fallen asleep at 9:00. I had a few almond butter pretzels at around 5:45 and then started to get ready for the race. I got a new stars and stripes outfit for this race, even though I already have several of them, because I didn't want to wear the same thing as last year. I actually prefer last year's outfit, but it will make an appearance again in 2026. 

I decided to wear the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB. I had done several track workouts in them and they had felt really fast. My paces in them had always exceeded what I thought I was running, so I figured I would try them out. I didn't want to wear the Nike Alphafly because those felt like too much "shoe" during the Track 5000m. I seriously considered the New Balance SC Pacer 2, but I had already run two 5Ks in them and I figured I would give the Brooks a chance. 

Wetting my hair pre-race

Greg and I arrived 50 minutes ahead of time. I had retrieved my bib in advance so I didn't have to worry about doing that. Our first order of business was to find the porta potties. They weren't where I expected them to be but it wasn't long before I found them. After that I began my warm up. I like to keep the warm up short for summer races so as not to get too warm before the race even starts. I poured water on my head to get my hair nice and wet. 

I took a Maurten gel 15 minutes before the start. Usually I take a caffeinated one, but I had run out of them unknowingly. So no caffeine for me! That's okay, though. I think my caffeinated gel from the Tracksmith 5000m contributed to my stomach cramp so it could be for the best.

Soon it was time to line up at the start. I lined up about 6-7 rows back because the race had a large competitive field and I thought that would be the right spot for me. In hindsight, I wish I had lined up closer to the front, but more on that later.

Goals and Strategy
My goal was to beat my 20:28 from last year. The weather was very similar - 74 degrees with lowish humidity. It could have been much worse this time of year, so I was generally grateful.

On my personal weather scale, I give this a 3 out of 10. For July, its probably closer to a 9 out of 10 but my personal race weather scale considers ALL potential weather, with low 40s being ideal. That's why this sits solidly at 3 out of 10. It might be great for July, but it's not great racing weather generally speaking. 

I had my splits memorized and I knew what I needed to do each mile to beat them. I had done a lot of mental prep to ensure that I would stay strong during that final mile and really push up the long hill.

Mile 1, photo by Cheryl Young

Mile 1
The race started and I tried not to get pulled out too quickly like I did at the track 5K. But that backfired because I think I ran the first minute at a 7:30 pace. And then I had to weave around many runners to get back on pace. I was passing people left and right for the entire first mile. Clearly I should have lined up closer to the front. My goal for this mile was 6:26 but despite how hard I ran to make up for the slow start, I couldn't get my pace below 6:30. Finally my watch beeped at 6:29, but I knew I had some major work to do for the rest of the race. 

Mile 2
I wanted this mile to be around 6:20. It's mostly downhill so it's easy pick up a lot of speed. It's also where the field starts to spread out so weaving isn't as much of an issue. I saw Greg at the beginning of this mile, and that definitely pepped me up. This is where I felt like the shoes were maybe stiffer than ideal. They have a firm ride, but I think I might have appreciated more bounce on the downhill. Usually this mile is a breeze but I felt like I worked extra hard here in comparison to previous years, but my watch wasn't necessarily reflecting that. My watch beeped at 6:24 which was nice and fast, but at that point I suspected my course PR would be unlikely. 

Approaching the finish

Mile 3
I had planned out my mental strategy in advance for mile 3. It's always the hardest mile with a killer hill. I told myself that this is where it really mattered and my job was to make it hurt. My job was to push as hard as possible no matter how hard I was hurting. I didn't think about what I wanted my split to be
because I already knew a course PR was unlikely. The best thing for me to do would be to focus on my form, stay mentally strong, and not ease up on the effort. I did not look at my watch at all during this mile. I was focused and dialed in. That hill seemed to go on forever and ever. I was happy to be passing a lot of runners during this mile, and that kept me motivated. I clocked in at 6:45 and then gunned it to the finish.

The last 0.17
According to Strava, I somehow managed to run this at an average pace of 5:49. That's kind of a long time to maintain that pace uphill! (Yes, the hill kept going). I think this is what I was most proud of. And it was faster than last year!

My official time was 20:39, which won me first place in my age group out of 81 runners! What a large age group field for a local race.

After the Race
I was very happy to be done, knowing that I had given that race everything I had. I wasn't sure if I could beat my 20:28, but I was happy to be only 11 seconds shy of that. It does make me wonder. . . how did I ever run that time!?

Laura and me - 1st and 2nd Age Group

But, given that I have been running this race since 2010 and I am now 46 years old, I am very content to have run my second fastest time. Considering I ran a time of 21:04 just six weeks ago on a flatter course, I think this is a huge accomplishment. It shows what consistent 5K training can do and it positions me well to start marathon training. 

I found Greg and a bunch of my friends and we exchanged race stories. It was really fun to see everyone and that's one of the main things I love about this race. It's a big one and so many people come out for it.

I collected my age group award and then Greg and I left the race to go have breakfast at a place near our house that we still hadn't tried. Afterwards, I decided to run home because I did not do a cool down at the race. It was a new experience to run for 13 minutes shortly after eating a full meal, but I did it!

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I'm very happy with my effort at this race and the fact that I stayed mentally strong. My only regret is starting too far back (my chip time was 10 seconds slower than my gun time) and then having to run extra hard to make up for a slow start. 

I have a lot to be thankful for. I am healthy, I won first place in my age group, I got to see many of my running friends, I had Greg supporting me the whole time, and I ran my second fastest ever Firecracker 5K. Strava credits me with a time of 20:13 and even though I know it's not official, it's a confidence-boosting data point for sure. Of course Strava also told me I could have run it harder. . . 

This is one of my favorite races of the year and I am happy I was able to participate!

We've Moved: First Impressions of the New Location

After much drama surrounding our move date, we finally moved into our new home. We've now been here for about six weeks, and here are my first impressions. 

Walking to everything
We chose this location because it was walkable but we continue to make discoveries about just how walkable it is! Within a one mile radius we have over 20 restaurants, a movie theater, a grocery store, three smoothie places, a Starbucks, two homemade ice cream places, a track, a UPS store, a post office, and two of my friend's homes. We can also walk to a farmer's market which has everything you can imagine, including freshly made bagels (my favorite!). 

Unfortunately, as soon as we moved in we had a long period of continuous rain. And now we are in a heat wave with temperatures reaching 100 degrees. But in between all of that, we have done a lot of walking. I even started taking Pilates, which is something I would not have signed up for if I had to drive there.

The walkability of the area far exceeds my expectations and Greg and I are enjoying discovering new places to walk to. It feels like we are on vacation and exploring a new area. I know this "vacation feel" will wear off soon, but I am soaking it in while I can. I've been getting loads more FitBit steps than I did in our previous house. 

Finally, when we take walks for the sake of taking walks around the neighborhood, I enjoy the wide range of home styles and the greenery from the larger, older trees. It's not a cookie-cutter neighborhood. Each house is unique and they were all built at different times. Some as early as the 50s or 60s spanning all the way to today, as they are tearing down the older homes and building new ones.

The actual house
We are mostly settled in, but there are still a few boxes and backpacks that remain to be unpacked and sorted through. Just like the walkability has exceeded my expectations, so has the actual house. It's super open, modern, airy and fresh! Our basement gym is a walk-out with a huge window and two french doors. My home office gets way more light. The piano looks amazing in our living room. 

The house is a blank slate and there is so much we want to do with it. It can be overwhelming to think about, but we are prioritizing our long list. About half of our artwork is hung, but there are still some pieces that don't quite match the color scheme of this house. 

The community
Perhaps the biggest contrast between this location and the previous one is the community and how it "feels" walking around the neighborhood. This is a very active neighborhood and people are always out walking, running, or biking. Everyone waves and people strike up conversations. It feels like a community. Previously, I would be the only person out running - I would maybe see 1-2 other runners if I was going five or more miles. As I mentioned earlier, I have two friends who live within half a mile of me, so I meet up with them intentionally or unintentionally! Both are runners.

The running
I had all my running routes figured out in my previous location and I was a bit worried that I wouldn't find ones I liked as much. Even though the topography here is hillier, there are still routes I can run that are flat-ish if my legs are really tired from a previous workout. I found a hill that I love for hill repeats, a long run route, and a track. I haven't found anything I really like for tempos/threshold work, but that's fine. I might just have to suck it up and run those on hills. Or drive to Hains Point - which is a flat part of Washington DC.

What I didn't expect to appreciate so much was the running community. There are so many runners around here! I have been recognized a bunch of times from Instagram and I love it when they stop to chat with me. I was somewhat isolated in my previous area. 

One of my favorite things to do is end my run at a coffee place or a smoothie place and then walk home. It's really motivating to look forward to that and then take a nice stroll home while enjoying my drink. 

The negatives
There are only a few negatives and they minor in the grand scheme of things, but worth mentioning as to not paint a picture of a complete utopia! The first is that our garage is slightly smaller than our previous one (I thought all two-car garages were the same size!). We struggle to fit both cars in it and have room to maneuver around them. The interior of the house has more space than we need, so why didn't the builder allocate some of that space to the garage?

When we bought the house, the property had five huge trees in the backyard that blocked our view of our back neighbors. Unfortunately, the builder damaged those trees during construction and had to remove them so now we have baby trees and a view of another house instead of trees. 

Finally, it's noisier than expected. Monday-Friday during business hours we hear noise from trucks backing in and out of a nearby facility. This facility will likely be replaced by a "green area" in 2035, but that is a LONG time to wait!

Final thoughts
I am thriving here more than expected. I feel like I am living my best life because of the walkability and vibrant community. I didn't realize just how isolating it was to be in my previous area for the type of person that I am. The house is gorgeous, lets in so much natural light, and it already feels like home because of Greg and all of the zebras that adorn it!

Tracksmith Twilight 5000

Last night I ran the Tracksmith Twilight 5000 in Washington DC. Normally I run 5Ks in the morning on the road, and I refer to them as "5Ks". This was a 5000 meter race on the track at night. It bore little resemblance to the 5K I know and love, even though the distance was the same.

Why I Registered
I was a pacer for this race back in 2022 and I really enjoyed it. The idea of racing a 5K on the track at night in the summer was completely unappealing to me, but I figured it would be fun to help someone else. After pacing it, though, I got the itch to run it myself. I was even signed up to run it either last year or the year before (I don't remember) but it was cancelled due to the weather. 

Pacing the 25:00 group in 2022

I registered because I wanted to see what it would be like to run a race on the track. I thought the vibe was really cool at the 2022 event and I love challenging myself in new ways. When I registered for the race a few months ago, I entered my predicted finish time as 20:20. I had run a 20:08 5K in February so I factored in some extra time for the heat. I had totally forgotten about the time I registered with when I received an email a week before the race with my heat assignment.

This race is run in "heats" of about 20-35 runners each. This avoids there being too many people on the track at once. Each heat has a different starting time. The faster the heat, the later the start time. Runners are assigned a heat based on their self-predicted finish time. I was placed in the 19:30-20:20 group. Having just run a time of 21:04 two weeks ago, I was really nervous about this. Realistically I thought the best I could hope for would be 20:30, which meant I might be the last finisher in my heat.

I could have emailed them to switch to the next slower heat, but I decided not to. I figured if I was going to challenge myself, I might as well go for it and see what would happen. I am typically pretty conservative with my race goals, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to be more aggressive.

Race day eating and activities
I had no idea what to do with myself all day. I didn't want to do anything too strenuous, but I also didn't want to sit around and do nothing but get nervous. I decided I would spend some time making a different kind of Instagram video, explaining my pacing strategy.

In this video, I discussed how I would be using my Garmin as a stopwatch, not a GPS device, to pace myself. I would use the lap button and lap myself every 400m. My goal would be to run around 1:35-1:36 per lap and keep up with the 20:00 pacer. I had it all planned out and I visualized myself hitting that lap button and nailing those splits, just like I did when I paced the 25:00 group back in 2022.

Eating wise, I had a normal breakfast: Nova lox, a bagel, and a banana. For lunch I had rice pilaf, almond butter pretzels, and more nova lox. For dinner I had an English muffin with almond butter and a banana. I wanted to keep it pretty light. I ate my dinner at 4:30 for a 7:40 race start. I figured that would be plenty of time to digest the food. I felt like I had kept the food really light, but consumed enough calories so I wouldn't be in an energy deficit. 

I started to feel nervous right before we left the house with that "I have to go to the bathroom" sensation that never quite materialized. For morning races, usually I can empty everything out in advance.

Other things I did yesterday to distract myself included playing the piano and unpacking my CD collection from the moving boxes and organizing them by date, but without looking at the dates. My CD collection is like the sound track to my life from ages 15-30 so I remember the order they go in. 

Before the Race
We left the house at 5:30 for a 7:40 start. Even though I live much closer to Washington DC than I used to, it still took us 45 minutes to get there because this race was on the other side of the city, closer to Maryland. 

We arrived, parked and made it to bib pickup an hour before race start. Tracksmith was promoting their new Eliot Racer shoe which meant runners had the opportunity to test them out. They encouraged me to take a lap around the track in them, and I did. WOW - did I fall in love with this shoe. So soft and bouncy, very similar to my beloved adidas Adios Pro 2 but with even more bounce. These have the potential to be my new favorite shoe.

However, I currently have the many different carbon fiber plated shoes and I cannot justify the purchase of another one: Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB, Adios Pro 2, NB SuperComp Pacer, ASICS Metaspeed Sky, ASICS Metaspeed Edge, Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro, Saucony Endorphin Pro 4, and Nike Alphafly.

I ran this 5000m race in my Nike Alphaflys. I had tested them out during two track workouts and they felt very fast with a lot of forward propulsion. I liked the Achilles-friendly 8mm drop and the fact that my feet weren't overwhelmed with cushion. I find the ASICS Metaspeed Sky to be too soft and the Saucony Endorphin Pro to be too firm, so the Alphafly was the perfect middle ground. I also really love the New Balance SC Pacer for short races, but I wanted to give the Alphafly a shot!

I changed back into my Nikes and ran a few more laps in the outermost lane of the track to warm up. I made multiple trips to the porta potty but not much was happening. 15 minutes before the race started I had a caffeinated Maurten gel. I debated having caffeine so late in the day and I knew it would bother my sleep, but I still did it. I figured I would be up late anyway, and lack of sleep would be worth it for the performance boost of caffeine. 

Weather
It was seasonably cool for May 31st. It was only 65 degrees, not humid (in fact, quite dry) and windy. If you were just standing around and not in a sunny spot, it felt cold. Greg wore jeans and a jacket. I warmed up in shorts and a lightweight jacket. 65 degrees is not exactly cool, but that wind was serious. On my personal weather scale I give this a 7 out of 10: somewhat favorable. With the sun having gone down below the buildings, the wind and the low humidity, the temperature was quite good. But the 16-18 mph sustained wind with heavier gusts made for a brutal 200m stretch! I am also thankful that it wasn't raining. We had quite the thunderstorm with hail earlier in the day!

The Race
Normally I break my race reports into a mile-by-mile recap, but that is not how I experienced this race. The whole thing was one big blur of "the same" and after the first mile I had no idea how many laps I had run because I wasn't even thinking about that.

I'm wearing the race briefs!

As I said in my Instagram video, the plan was to hit my lap button every 400m, but the more I thought about it, I realized I didn't need that level of granularity and I would lap every 800m, and shoot for around 3:10-3:11. 

There were about 20-25 people in my heat. There was a 19:30 pacer and a 20:00 pacer. My friend Sergio was running, and I often find myself running very close to him in races. He wanted to run 20:00 as well so I told myself I would tuck in behind him and the pacer. I didn't really think I was in 20:00 shape, but I was going to go for it anyway. Who knows, maybe being in a pack would make me faster! 

We all lined up close to the start. I started in lane 1 (innermost lane) about three rows back. I could have been closer to the front if I started in a further lane. 

Oh how easy it felt that first lap! I felt so good that I was actually vying for position and wanting to be closer to the pacer! I had all the confidence in the world after lap 1 because I believed that pace to be totally sustainable. It was hard running on the track with so many other runners close by. Everyone wanted to be in lane 1, running at the exact same pace. There was only one point where I rubbed elbows with another runner but I somehow managed to keep my own space the rest of the time. 

I knew that Greg would have 12 opportunities to cheer for me and take photos and videos. I figured he would be moving around and I didn't know where or when to expect him. 

The first four laps were a dream! Here are my official splits, which start at 200m and then go every 400m.:

200 46.63
400 1:36.78
400 1:36.55
400 1:35.24
400 1:36.13

That's 1.12 miles of perfect execution! Shortly after that, my pack started to get ahead of me. It was weird because I was maintaining my effort level, but I was trailing behind. So I upped the effort. I really didn't

want to lose the pack because I needed them to block the wind. But no matter how much I pushed, they got farther and farther ahead. 

At this point I stopped focusing on my pace and how many laps I had run and I did everything I could to keep going. I developed a tight cramp in my upper abdomen. I am not sure if this was from pushing too hard in the beginning, from eating a larger meal than I normally would have, or maybe the caffeinated gel just "sitting" there. Whatever the cause, it got pretty gnarly.

I did not feel good or strong or fast. I felt like I was slogging away at a very slow pace. Everything felt heavy, the wind felt like a massive obstacle and the stomach pain was intense. And that's really all I have to report about the second two miles! I didn't count laps, but thankfully the football stadium scoreboard showed the official race time. I figured I would stop when that big clock got to be around 21 minutes. Yes, I had the same clock on my Garmin but I couldn't even bring myself to look at that. 

It was a blur of pushing hard, looking at the big clock and feeling the pain in my upper abdomen. I was also running completely alone and I was hoping there was at least one person behind me so I wouldn't be the last finisher. 

The final 200m was a tailwind so I sprinted as hard as I could and I almost caught the guy in front of me. He beat me by 3 seconds and had previously been much farther ahead.  More splits:

1:39.44
1:43.06
1:44.87
1:44.61
1:44.57
1:46.38
1:44.48
1:43.89

I was running slower than my half marathon pace for the last mile! 

My official time was 21:02. This was surprising to me because I had expected to be closer to 22:00, but I
guess I had a fast first mile to pad the rest of the race with. I the official race result, they group by age and gender I placed 2nd in my age group out of only 5 women. I am thinking these evening track races are more for the younger crowd! The fastest woman in my age group ran 20:55 so I wasn't too far behind.

After the Race
The next heat began almost immediately after ours was finished. Greg and I hung out for a bit and chatted with Sergio and a few other runners. We all agreed that the wind made this one tough. My nose was burning and running and I was sneezing my head off. This happens when I run really hard in low humidity. My nasal passage gets dry and irritated. The cramp went away about five minutes after finishing. 

Greg and I left the meet and had dinner at a local diner. I got chicken and waffles - a great combination of protein and carbs. 

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
This one was really hard. Much harder than anticipated. I was happy that my time was 2 seconds faster than my 5K time from two weeks ago, but I had to expend way more effort to do it. 

I knew 20:00 was an unrealistic goal, but sometimes you have to challenge yourself and just try and see what happens. I almost never do that, so it was a great experience to do it. I am pretty sure I could have run a faster time (maybe 20:45) if I started out slower and didn't crash and burn, but I took a risk. 

This race has motivated me to get back to where I was last summer. Last summer I ran a time of 20:28 at the hilly Firecracker 5K. I was consistently running speed workouts, lifting weights, and paying attention to my nutrition. For the past two months, the move has been front and center and taking care of myself has suffered. I haven't been focused on my nutrition, taking supplements, doing strength training, getting quality sleep, etc. 

Now that we are all settled in our new time it's time to get back to my normal fitness and wellness routine. I am proud of myself for getting out there and being aggressive even though it meant a painful and sluggish second half. It was a fun event and it has lit the fire in me to get back into my training groove.

My 20-Year Anniversary of Road Racing

Exactly 20 years ago I attended my five-year college reunion at the University of Virginia. My college roommate, Lisa, and I shared a hotel room and she was looking through the program. 

"Elizabeth, there's a two-mile race tomorrow morning," she said. "Why don't you do that?"

"2 miles is shorter than I usually run on the treadmill," I replied. "I was planning to run 5-6 miles on the
gym treadmill tomorrow morning."

"Yes, but wouldn't this be more fun?"

"I suppose I could run on the gym treadmill afterwards if I wanted to run more," I said, realizing that she was probably right. Why not do something a little different?

At the start of the race, I began talking with a guy friend of mine who I had graduated with. The race began and we continued chatting. I ran with him at his pace mostly focused on the conversation and not really thinking too much about the race. When we finished, I was informed that I was the first female finisher, which meant I won. I was handed a special silver tumbler. How cool! I wasn't even trying to be competitive - I was just chatting with my guy friend.

Lawyers Have Heart 2005

He then told me that there was a 10K race in DC the following weekend. He encouraged me to sign up for it. It was called "Lawyers Have Heart" and a lot of lawyers would be there. Seeing as I was single and actively looking to date, I figured that would be a good opportunity for me to meet a lawyer! I asked him how long a 10K was and he told me it was 6.2 miles. I knew I could definitely handle that because I ran that almost every day on the treadmill. 

The following weekend, I showed up at the 10K. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people. I was given a little computer chip to attach to my shoe and was told I would be officially timed. I wore cotton gym shorts, a cotton tank top, and no watch. I had no idea what a "good" time was - I would run it as fast as I could and that would be that. I didn't realize that you were supposed to use the porta potty beforehand and I learned that the hard way. After drinking so much water and pushing so hard in the heat, I couldn't control the leakage, which was extremely embarrassing. And I was wearing cotton shorts. Needless to say, I would not be lingering around afterwards to meet a lawyer.

My time was 53:09, which was good enough to be in the top 20% of the women. It wasn't an outright "win" like the 2-mile race, but given the fact that I had never done this before, I thought it was pretty good. And strangely, I didn't consider myself a "runner". I was someone who liked to workout at the gym and use the treadmill. 

Thus began my love of racing. It was a hard race. I peed a little in my cotton shorts. I didn't meet a lawyer. But the satisfaction of crossing the finish line and being in the top 20% was enough to make me want to do more. 

Lawyers Have Heart 2025
Fast forward 20 years and the Lawyers Have Heart race is still going strong. They've added a 5K and they've moved the race from Georgetown to Hains Point. If I had realized that this was my 20-year anniversary I would have signed up for the 10K. But with all the drama around my move and also my trip to Paris, it totally slipped my mind and I signed up for the 5K. 

This race bore little resemblance to the one that I ran back in 2005. It wasn't nearly as hot, the location was different, and I was running half the distance. But it was still fun to reflect back on my 2005 experience and think about this really long journey. I never expected that the 10K would lead to multiple marathons, a book, and a large social media presence. 

Before the Race
Even though we live much closer to Washington DC than we used to, it still took us 40 minutes to get to the start. The idea was for Greg to drop me off and for my friend Chad to drive me home. Greg always comes to my races, but we had literally just moved into the new house and there was so much unpacking to be done, and weekend time was limited! 

It took us 40 minutes because so many roads in DC were blocked off due to graduation ceremonies. Greg navigated us to the "ride share" drop off address that the race provided, but we couldn't access it due to road closures. So we drove out of DC, back into Virginia, along the GW Parkway, up through Spout Run, back over the bridge and he finally dropped me off as close as he could to the start. I didn't bring my phone, so I asked a few police officers how to get to Hains Point and they told me where to go. 

All of this made me very anxious because I didn't even have my bib yet and I was certain I wouldn't have a chance to warm up. Thankfully I got my warm up in by running all the way to the start line, which was over a mile away from where Greg dropped me off. I got in line to get my bib and a few minutes later, Chad lined up as well. So apparently I wasn't horribly late!

After pinning on my bib, I continued my warm up and made two separate trips to the porta potties. I didn't want a repeat of 2005! It was lightly raining during my warm up but that rain tapered off for the actual race so I decided not to run with my hat. It was about 68 degrees, overcast, somewhat humid, and windy (about 10-15 mph sustained). I give the weather a 5 out of 10 on my personal weather scale. Too warm and windy to be a good morning for a race, but the overcast skies and the fact that it was under 70 degrees was helpful. It could have been better, but it could have been worse.

15 minutes before the race started I took a few swigs of water and a caffeinated Maurten gel. And then I lined up at the start.

Goals and Strategy
Last year I ran this race in a time of 20:38. The weather had been cooler and I believed myself to have been in much better shape. But this year, I had not run any speed workouts since early April. It had been about 5 weeks. I decided I would not look at my Garmin and not have a goal time. I would run hard and relaxed and see what I could do. The race would be a good benchmark for future 5Ks this summer.

Mile 1:
We started running and I made a mental note of how many women were ahead of me. Five women. I would focus on trying to "race" and chase them down as opposed to hitting a certain time on my watch. I was surprised at how good I felt. Sometimes I feel just horrible at the start of a 5K, but this was not one of those times. My body adapted pretty quickly to the intensity and I told myself to work hard and focus on running the straight line tangents. My split for this mile was 6:40. I was pleasantly surprised by the 6:40 because even though it was hard, it didn't feel like 6:40. I would have estimated closer to 6:50.

Mile 2:
I mentioned that this race occurred at Hains Point. The 10K runs around the Point but the 5K does not -- it goes around the tidal basin and over the Memorial Bridge and back. It's still a fast course but it's not as flat as the Hains point loop. During this mile I was able to pass one of the other women, putting me in fourth place. I didn't think I would be able to catch the other three, but I kept pushing. My split was 6:44.

Mile 3:
The first half of mile 3 was up a hill (the bridge) and directly into the wind. It sucked the life out of me. I still felt strong, but I knew I had slowed significantly. I didn't let it bother me though because I knew soon enough I would turn around and I'd have a downhill tailwind. That did happen and I surged my way to a 6:51 final mile. 

I sprinted to the finish at a pace of 5:59. The clock was super close to 21:00 and I gave it all I had to squeak under but it wasn't going to happen. I was still happy with my time of 21:04.

After the Race
I waited for Chad to finish, and he came in about a minute later. We walked back to the start line together and he played the role of "Instagram photographer" and snapped some photos of me. We then ran back to his car which was just over a mile away. I later found out that I won first place in my age group and was the 4th overall female out of 528.

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I wish I had signed up for the 10K because it would have been so cool to have a "then vs. now" comparison. But given the fact that it's not even the same course, it doesn't matter as much. 

Even though 21:04 is a "slow" 5K time for me and it's over 20 seconds slower than my time from last year, I am still happy with it given my lack of recent speed work. I'm also happy with how I executed this race, my mindset, and the fact that I had a lot of energy. Sometimes when I race I feel stale and my legs have no pep. That was not the case here and I was happy about it.

We moved into our new house the previous Sunday so I had a busy week of unpacking, getting everything set up, staying up late every night, etc. My body was out of its normal routine. I had very low expectations and I exceeded them!

I'm extremely grateful that I have been able to run consistently over the past 20 years and I that I continue to get joy and satisfaction out of racing. 

Running in Paris

Just five days after returning from Boston, I flew overseas to Paris for a business trip. I don't often blog about my job, but I am the Chief Marketing Officer of a technology company. The company where I had worked for five years was acquired last October by a global business based in France. We have offices in the United States, but none of them in my area, so I am 100% remote. 

At the end of April, we had a two-day executive committee meeting in Paris. I flew out on Saturday evening, slept on the plane, and arrived on Sunday morning. 

I had all day Sunday to explore the city on my own. I would have loved to have run but I was exhausted from travel, my hotel room wasn't ready for me to change clothes, and my legs were still recovering from Boston. The trip was perfectly timed because I didn't feel like I needed to maintain a training schedule and I wasn't even "supposed to" run for at least a week after the marathon to allow for a complete recovery. Thankfully I traveled in workout shoes so I was able to walk around the city while waiting for my hotel room to be ready.

On Sunday night we had a team dinner and it was the first time I had met my colleagues. The acquisition happened in October and being fully remote, I had met none of them in person. Everyone was exactly as I expected, though you never know how tall people are from video meetings!

I did not run on Monday or Tuesday because meetings started at 8:00am, which felt like 2:00am to my body. The executive meeting was over by Wednesday, but I had scheduled 1-on-1 meetings with various colleagues to get the full advantage of in-person collaboration. Those started at 9:00 so I had time to run beforehand. 

I woke up at around 6:00 and headed out. My hotel was located close to the Arc de Triomphe. My plan was to run to the Eiffel Tower and then along the Seine river. After that, I wasn't sure where I would go. 

I had not been to Paris since 2003 so I didn't know my way around. I went in 2003 as part of a tour group for young travelers. I should also mention that I am somewhat fluent in French. It was my minor in college, which required me to write essays and read novels. I also took a course in French phonetics where I perfected my accent and pronunciation. As a result, my French colleagues told me that my French was excellent and they barely noted an American accent. I was surprised at how quickly my French came back to me, having not studied it since college. Reading and speaking it are the easiest for me, but it's sometimes hard to understand when people speak it if they speak quickly or don't enunciate clearly.

After leaving my hotel, I made my way to the Arc de Triomphe, which was about half a mile away. Then I followed a road that led to the Eiffel tower. It was early, so the streets were mostly empty. I had to cross quite a few intersections and was grateful that there weren't many cars. I brought my self-flying drone with me to capture videos of the run. 

I found the Eiffel tower easily, which was helped by the fact that it's so tall and you can see it from far away! I was surprised to see the large Olympic rings were still there at the base of the tower. Thankfully there were only a few tourists which made for clean photos and videos. 

Next I ran along the Seine river which was my favorite part of the run. It was so scenic - lots of castles and beautiful architecture everywhere. And there were other runners too! I was hoping someone would recognize me from Instagram, but no luck! 

After running along the Seine, I used Google Maps to make my way towards the Louvre Museum. I ran through the Jardin des Tuileries to get there. It was gorgeous near the Louvre and throughout the gardens. Also, the weather was perfect. About 60 degrees with low humidity. I really lucked out on the weather and the timing of this trip. As I mentioned earlier, I hadn't been to Paris since 2003 so it felt like I was seeing everything for the first time. 

I then consulted Google Maps and I realized I could run straight through the Jardin des Tuileries to the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. By now the city was more busy and I had quite a few stops along the Champs-Élysées. It was also challenging navigating my way around the Arc. I made it back to my hotel at exactly 6.2 miles, or 10K.

It was one of the most iconic, beautiful runs I had ever done in my life and I was so grateful that I had the opportunity to do it. I also felt empowered and proud of myself for navigating the city all on my own and being able to communicate in French. Most importantly, I was grateful that my job situation worked out so well. You never know how things will go with acquisitions!

Both the Boston Marathon and this trip to Paris were wonderful "distractions" from my housing situation, which I blogged about earlier. If had been hanging out at home, I would have been obsessing over whether or not we'd have to move out of our house before the new house was ready. Because we were so close to the finish line, I had assumed that by the time I got back from Paris, we'd have the Certificate of Occupancy and be ready to close. Unfortunately, there was still no Certificate of Occupancy by Thursday so I spent much of the flight home on my computer checking the county permits database and feeling very anxious about the situation. 

On Friday morning, we FINALLY did get our Certificate of Occupancy and I was jumping for joy. It was a mad rush to get everything ready for closing and moving, but what a huge relief!

April was definitely and eventful month for me, and I am grateful to have had amazing experiences in both Boston and Paris. 

Boston Marathon 2025: Smiling all the way

I just completed my 5th Boston Marathon in Boston! (I have to say "in Boston" because I also ran the virtual marathon in 2020 which was not physically in Boston). Previous races were 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2024. 

I started a tradition of doing the even years even though I have qualified every year since 2018. But last year's race was so exhilarating that I didn't want to skip a year before returning. One of the reasons why I initially didn't want to run Boston every year was to have the opportunity to experience other spring marathons. So I ran the One City Marathon in early March for a PR, and Boston for fun. 

Background
Two weeks after One City, I ran the NYC Half marathon. This was also "for fun" and not for time because I knew I wasn't fully recovered from One City. I'm glad I did it, but running 13.1 miles on hills so soon after a PR marathon meant a prolonged recovery.  It took me two additional weeks to feel like I was back to 100% - which is four weeks total.

That left me with only 3 weeks left until Boston. My original plan had me running 16-18 miles three weeks out and 18-19 miles two weeks out. But neither of those runs happened. I maxed out at 13.1. Both weekends were warm, humid, and windy, and I felt zonked. Plus my hamstring was flaring up. I briefly considered not running Boston given my lack of preparation and hamstring, but ultimately I decided to go for it and hope for the best. 

My original goal had been to set a course PR (sub 3:24), but based on how the seven weeks between the two marathons went, I thought that would be a real stretch. The day before the race I settled on sub-3:30 as a realistic time goal, but the priority was still to have fun and finish healthy. 

Race Weekend
We arrived on Saturday morning , met up with friends for lunch, and then went to the expo to pick up my bib. We normally fly in on Friday afternoon, but this year with the house move we planned for only three nights. As a result, packet pickup was much more crowded than normal, and I didn't even attempt to shop at the expo. Then we went to the finish line where we met up with more friends. 

One of the things that makes Boston so special is not the race itself, but the weekend leading up to the race. I have so many friends that run this race and it's a great opportunity to see everyone and soak in all the hype. 

On Sunday morning I did a 2.5-mile shakeout run with some friends I know from Instagram and also a young woman named Cera, who I had met in 2017 on an Alaskan running cruise. After the shakeout run, I hung out with my friends for a bit, showered and then met up with another Instagram friend for lunch. I had started interacting with her on Instagram in 2017 and this was my first time meeting her in person. 

To get to our dinner restaurant, we walked through the convention center. It was 5:00 on Sunday evening and the expo hall was still open and not crowded. Because we didn't walk around the expo on Saturday, we stopped in to see if there was any gear left in my size. And there was! I bought a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved t-shirt with a unicorn on it. 

For dinner it was just Greg and me, and I had the same meal from the same restaurant that I ate at in 2024. My standard pre-race dinner is chicken parm, no cheese. After that, it was time to head back to the hotel and get some sleep. 

Throughout the weekend I made sure to hydrate, knowing that it would be a sunny day and warmer than ideal. I also did way more walking than I should have for the days before a marathon, but I didn't go to Boston to hang out in my hotel room so it was worth it. 

We stayed at the Colonnade Hotel, which is very close to the finish line and expo. I slept better than I usually do in hotel rooms and I found the bed + pillows to be quite comfortable. 

Before the Race
I woke up naturally at around 4:15 and hung out in bed until around 5:15. I am normally never hungry until around 8:00, so I didn't eat very much. I had half of a banana and about 4 almond butter pretzels at around 6:00. I got dressed, and Greg wrote "Elizabeth Clor" on my back so that people running behind me would know it was me, from Instagram! The night before I had written an elevation "cheat sheet" on my arm so I would know when to expect hills. 

Normally when I race, no matter if it's a 5K, 10K, or marathon, I wake up with nervous jitters that make me need to go to the bathroom. But because I had such a casual attitude about this race, I didn't have to use the bathroom immediately. After I ate my small snack, that got things going somewhat, but I was worried that I didn't have my normal "intestinal cleanse". I tried thinking about my pacing strategy and visualizing myself in the race to induce that kind of nervousness, but it didn't come. 

As I said above, so much of Boston is about the weekend itself and everything that happens before you even line up at the start. I almost felt like I had come for the party, and the race was just the thing everyone did on Monday as the final celebratory step. So I wasn't nervous or anxious at all, and in retrospect, some pre-race jitters would have served me well!

We left our hotel at 6:40 and met up with my friend Cera at 7:00. Our bus would begin loading at 7:30, so we wanted to be there in plenty of time. Cera and I met up with my friend Caroline and her friend Danielle + a woman named Sarah. We now had five people in our group. Then, a young woman approached Cera saying "hey - I ran with you at Erie" and both of them were so excited. Now we had a group of six. Then another woman named Morgan asked if she could join our group and of course we said yes. From there, we were a solid group of seven and we would spend the next two hours together. 

I said goodbye to Greg and he headed towards the commuter train which would bring him all the way out to the 10K point in Framingham. 

Bus + Athlete's Village
The bus ride was epic. The seven of us gathered in the back of the bus and the bus took off. Our driver had NPR news blaring and we wanted music. So we all started singing and finally the bus driver got the message that we wanted music and not political radio. This is really the essence of the Boston Marathon - you meet so many amazing people and form instant friendships. During the bus ride I had a mini bagel and a good amount of almond butter filled pretzels - I would say around 20. I also sipped my water + Skratch Labs hydration. 

We got off the bus and headed into Athlete's village, straight towards the porta potty lines. I was really hoping that I would be able to use the bathroom significantly, but I had no luck. The seven of us then found a spot to sit down. It was so much fun being part of such a lively group of women, many of whom were running their first Boston. I applied sunscreen and did some light hamstring stretches. I fiddled with my shoelaces until I found the perfect amount of tightness. I tried going to the bathroom again right before our wave was called but no luck. I didn't feel like I had to use the bathroom, but usually I have a much more significant clean-out pre-race.

Our group finally split up as our wave was called to the starting corrals. We walked about 3/4 of a mile and the vibe was so strong! I stayed with Cera who was the only one in our group who was in corral 5. It was sunny and around 55 degrees. According the forecast it wasn't supposed to rise above 60, but I am pretty sure it did. 

There was not a cloud in the sky, the temperature ranged from 55-62, and we had some light winds as we headed into Boston. I give this a 6 out of 10 on my personal race weather scale. I'm thankful that it wasn't humid and that it wasn't quite as hot as last year. I'm also thankful that it wasn't raining because that makes Athlete's village miserable. But, the sun got me quite a bit. I felt hot throughout most of the race and despite my best sunscreening efforts, my neck and right arm still burned. This was excellent spectating weather!

As we approached the corrals, I knew there was one final chance to use the bathroom. I didn't take it because I didn't feel like I needed to go. But once we passed the porta potties, I started feeling like maybe I should have tried. About 20 minutes before the race started I had a UCAN gel. I like having a UCAN gel before I start running because it's a slow-release, long lasting steady energy supply.

Miles 1-6
Cera had expressed a desire to run with me, but I knew she would be faster than me. We stayed together for the first mile and then I hung back. My mantra for these miles was "just chill". I decided that my goal would be to run at what felt like easy-medium effort with the goal of feeling better than ever during that last 10K. I was going to be super conservative. With a marathon pace of 7:22 just seven weeks ago on a flat course, I felt like I was really holding back running around 7:45-8:00 downhill. 

Lots of runners passed me and I was totally fine with that. I had my plan. I wasn't going to try and hit any particular paces, I was just going to chill out and relax. I focused on everything that was happening around me, not the pace on my watch. I carried a bottle of water mixed with Skratch labs hydration mix. I used this same mixture for my last Boston on a hot day and it worked really well. I still stopped at the water stations to pour water over my head and on my chest. I felt hot right from the start, and I hoped it wouldn't continue to get warmer. 

Having my name on my back was awesome. So many of the passing runners told me that they followed me on Instagram and that they loved my content. It was so amazing and so rewarding. I work hard every day to post something on Instagram that I think will be encouraging, informative, or entertaining. Even though my posts receive a large amount of comments and likes, it's not the same as having people in "real life" approach me and tell me that my content has made a difference in their lives, or that they appreciate what I do. 

One of my followers even made a sign for me at mile four. They sent me DM and told me to be on the lookout and I was!

I had my first Maurten gel 40 minutes into the race. It went down easily and I was feeling good. I experienced little hints of hamstring tightness here and there but for the most part, it was fine.

Mile 1: 7:50
Mile 2: 7:44
Mile 3: 7:46
Mile 4: 7:54

Mile 5: 8:02

Mile 6: 7:50

These first six miles were executed exactly to plan. They were mostly downhill miles so they had a "real feel" of around 8:10-8:20, which is within my easy range. I didn't display heart rate on my watch during the run, but looking back at it now, it was about 10 BPM higher than normal for these paces on downhills. I attribute that to the heat and to the fact that I was running later in the day than normal. 

Miles 7-11
I knew exactly where to look for Greg. He would be right around the 10K mark in Framingham. Last year he got an epic photo of me from that location and we tried to recreate it. I spotted him in his bright jacket before he spotted me. Even though I tried to perfectly position myself for the photo and not have anyone
directly in front of me, it didn't work out. There were too many people between his camera and me and only two seconds of an un-obstructed view. It's unfortunate because the MarathonFoto pictures lately have

used some weird filters and do not look natural. Regardless, seeing Greg out there supporting me was still the main highlight of the day!

I found myself naturally slowing down a bit over the next few miles. These miles featured rolling hills and there wasn't as much downhill as the first 10K, so I figured everything was fine. Until - it wasn't. Suddenly during the 11th mile I started feeling really bad. My legs were okay but I felt tired and generally not good. Then came the stomach cramp and then I realized that I needed a bathroom ASAP! I had almost no warning.

Thankfully the Boston course has frequent porta potties, so I stopped at my next opportunity which was a few minutes later. Unfortunately, someone was already waiting in line. UGH. I briefly considered running to the next porta potty to avoid having to wait, but the situation was too dire. Finally it was my turn and it was a huge relief. I lost even more time because I couldn't get the toilet paper off the roll. I had to open the second roll, and then find where to tear it. This whole episode cost me a little over 3 minutes. Not the end of the world, but also not great. 

When I exited the porta potty, the course was mostly empty. It was like being in the twilight zone. Where had all the runners gone? I realized that the rest of wave 2 must have pulled ahead and this was the empty space between waves 2 and 3. It was cool to have so much space, but it didn't feel like the Boston

Wellesley: few runners around!

Marathon at that moment! I ended up spending the next 10 miles in the most un-crowded Boston I have ever experienced. 

Mile 12 was the famous Wellesley scream tunnel. According to tradition, you are supposed to kiss a Wellesley girl. I did not do that, but I kept blowing kisses all the way through. Plus, I was the only person they had to cheer for because the course was so empty! I felt like such an elite!!! This was definitely one of my favorite moments- having all of those people screaming and cheering and me being one of the only runners. 

Mile 7: 7:44
Mile 8: 8:08
Mile 9: 8:00 
Mile 10: 8:10
Mile 11: 8:23 

Mile 12: 11:24 (OUCH)

As you can see from these splits, everything was fine until mile 11 when I started cramping, and then I had to stop during mile 12. 

Miles 13-19
I was optimistic that my bathroom stop would mean a fresh re-boot for me. I could continue on at my 8:00 pace and potentially run around 3:30. I did feel much better and I made sure to drink plenty of Gatorade on course to replenish my electrolytes. I had already finished my own bottle by that point. I crossed the halfway mark just before 1:48:55, which put me on track for just under 3:38. Not the time I had been hoping for - but hey- maybe I could negative split by avoiding the bathroom in the second half!

The next few miles were encouraging. My spirits were high and I remained relaxed, reminding myself that I needed to save some energy for the hills. Miles 13 and 14 were 8:09 and 7:56 so I had every reason to believe that I could finish strong. My hamstring was holding up and I was feeling good. 

I continued happily along, smiling all the way. Runners continued to come up from behind me and tell me that they followed me on Instagram. Even spectators cheered for me by name and yelled out that they liked my Instagram! Wow- what an incredible feeling. I continued running strong for miles 15 and 16 (8:12 and 7:55). But then the Newton hills came. The real work of Boston. 

I felt like I had plenty of pep and energy. All of my gels had gone down well, so it seemed like my digestive distress was behind me. Fueling can be challenging for me during a marathon, so the fact that I didn't feel nauseous was a good sign. It also meant that I wasn't racing at full effort, because it's that all-out effort which creates the urge to vomit. 

About those hills. . . they were hard. I slowed down on them but not to a huge extent. I increased my effort level and managed to get up the first two in good shape. Miles 17 and 18 were 8:27 and 8:23. If all went well I could still actually negative split! I was somewhat encouraged, but then the hills just kept coming. 

I saw my friend Shana cheering for me during mile 18, which was a huge pick me up (she was the person I had lunch with on Saturday). I was running strong and I felt good so I wanted to show that. I think I had caught up to some of the wave 2 people by this point but the road was still relatively empty compared to what it normally is. 

Mile 13: 8:09
Mile 14: 7:56
Mile 15: 8:12
Mile 16: 7:55
Mile 17: 8:27
Mile 18: 8:23

Mile 19: 8:33

Miles 20-23
Mile 19 looks fine at 8:33, but this mile was mostly downhill. So yep, my legs were starting to fail me. They failed fast. I had been hoping to avoid this with my conservative start but nope. By the time heartbreak hill rolled around running felt almost impossible. There was also what I call the "fake Heartbreak Hill" which is a smaller hill before the real hill. It makes you think you are starting heartbreak hill, only to be confronted with a much bigger hill a bit later. They really need a sign that says "Heartbreak Hill Starts Here". They have a sign at the top of the hill, but it's kind of nice to know when it starts!

I managed to get up the hill without walking. I did a very slow jog but it was a jog and not a walk. I was proud of that. Mile 20 was 9:50 and Mile 21 was 11:01. Ouch. I took an entire bathroom stop during mile 12 and that mile was just slightly slower than this heartbreak hill mile! As I climbed the hill, I focused on all the spectators and on all the runners around me. Some people were walking, some people were running pretty fast, and some people were going at my pace. It was a very "inclusive" hill- for runners of all paces! The hill welcomes all runners, but not all runners welcome it. 

Once I got to the top I felt so proud of myself for powering through. 

Next up was a long downhill which also felt nice and cool. I think the temperature started to drop the closer we got to Boston. There was also a slight breeze. I didn't have the benefit of being in a pack of runners so the wind was more noticeable than it otherwise would have been. 

My relief was short lived. With zero warning at all, I suddenly had to use the bathroom again. I stopped and asked a police officer if there was one at the gas station I could use (he was standing in front of one). He said no, but he pointed me down the street to more porta potties up ahead. Thankfully there was no line and the toilet paper was much more accessible. When I finished I walked to the Gatorade stop that was close by and stopped to drink the full cup. I knew I needed those electrolytes. Hopefully I would get another clean slate and feel good for the rest of the race. The course was quite crowded again, so I guess wave three finally caught up!

Mile 20: 9:50
Mile 21: 11:01
Mile 22: 9:48
Mile 23: 11:27

Miles 24-Finish
At this point all time goals were off the table. I decided to just do the best I could, focus on the cheering crowds and the other runners, and enjoy the moment. Not once did I get discouraged or upset or feel sorry for myself. Instead, I was filled with gratitude that my body allowed me to get as far as it did. There had been times earlier in the race when I wondered if I would even make it to the finish. Nothing would stop me now though. Thankfully, my legs allowed me to keep running and I didn't have to walk. 

Final turn on Boylston

I saw Greg right after the mile 25 marker. I had been thinking about him tracking me through much of the race and I wondered what he thought of the inconsistencies in my splits. I wanted to show him that I was ok and that I was in good spirits. 

According to Strava, I ran my fastest ever "Climb To Zion" segment. This is a 0.12 mile segment around mile 24 with 18 feet of elevation gain and for some reason, it was my fastest ever! I have always struggled at the very end of Boston, but it was good to know that even though this was my slowest Boston, I was able to be strong for that one section. 

As I approached the finish I told myself to really give it everything I had- to dig deep and try to squeeze every last second I could. I was super proud of my final kick - much stronger than it was last year when I ran a course PR. This year's race was full of ups and downs, whereas last year I stayed strong until about mile 23. I managed to run the last half mile at a pace of 8:23!

Mile 24: 9:06 (not bad!!!!)
Mile 25: 9:08 (pretty darn good)
Mile 26: 9:25
Last 0.5: 8:23

I crossed with an official time of 3:50:38.

After the Race
After crossing the finish line, I slowly made my way to get my medal, post-race food bag and heat sheet. It felt so amazing to finally be done! I reunited with Greg near our hotel and I was so happy to see him! He took a few photos and videos and then it was time to relax in the hotel room. There's nothing like getting
back to the hotel room and finally being able to rest after a marathon. It always feels so good!

I checked to see how all of my friends' races went and most people seemed to have a better day than I did out there! But that's okay - this was not my goal race and I did what I could with what I was given. I was happy for all of my friends who crushed it, especially the "Spectacular Seven" group from the bus! 

Later that evening Greg and I met up with a large group of friends for dinner at the Capital Grille. We stayed up until 11:00 which is WAY past my bedtime but it was worth it. Once again, I felt like I came for the party and the race was just something we all did. 

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
If you just look at my time, you might think I was disappointed by this race. But I'm really not. I knew going into it that it wasn't my goal race, I hadn't really trained since I ran my marathon seven weeks ago, the weather was warm, and I had digestive problems. I did the best I could with the cards I was dealt and I enjoyed every minute of that race. I don't think I ever smiled so much during a marathon. 

My Instagram Friends and me post race

The last time I ran slower than 3:50 was in 2013 at the New York City marathon, where I was also plagued with digestive distress and bathroom stops. That race was just three weeks after Chicago, it wasn't a goal race, and I hadn't been able to empty my digestive system beforehand for similar reasons - I didn't have pre-race jitters. If I had to guess why I had digestive problems I am 95% sure that is the reason. I didn't eat anything different and the timing of my food was the same as it was for my previous Bostons. I know I need some level of anxiousness to kick my digestive system into gear before the race. 

This was my slowest Boston Marathon and my slowest marathon in over 10 years, but it says nothing about my fitness. I just ran a time of 3:14 seven weeks ago! It does, however, motivate me to properly train for Boston next year and race it at full effort.

I am kind of bummed that I didn't "beat my bib" - which means placing higher than my bib number in the field. I've always beaten my bib and this is the first time I have not.  

There's not a ton to analyze here. I wish I had felt better on the course and that my legs had held up longer, but I am not entirely surprised. The digestive issues were a surprise and a good reminder that pre-race jitters serve a purpose.

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for this weekend filled with so many incredible people and an unforgettable experience. 

Boston Marathon Packing List

I'm flying out tomorrow to run my 6th Boston Marathon!  Here's what I'm bringing:

A Cranky Hamstring
I ran the One City Marathon 7 weeks ago. That was my goal race for the spring and I ran a PR of 3:14:42.
I am running Boston for fun and because I love connecting with all of my runner friends from around the country. The original plan was to run an 18 miler and a 20 miler in the middle of this seven week period, but that never happened. 

Two weeks after the marathon, I ran the NYC Half Marathon. Even though I ran that race "easy" it set me back because I never recovered fully from One City. I was sore for days afterward so I took about three days off. When I resumed running, my right hamstring, which was nagging me in between the two races, started acting up. 

It turns out I have some mild tendonitis in my lower hamstring as well as my upper hamstring. I have been going to physical therapy weekly and doing all the recovery things, but the hamstring has been up and down. Sometimes I feel like it's 100% better. But other times, it really speaks to me. 

I have run two really encouraging track workouts since the NYC Half. Both of these workouts confirmed that I have not lost any speed and in fact, my speed is as fast as it's ever been! Both workouts were 100% free of any hamstring pain! But the long runs have really irritated the hamstring. I have run 13.1 miles twice, including the NYC Half. My third longest run was 11 miles. So I feel quite unprepared from an endurance perspective. It could be that my hamstring really loves the flat surface of the track but doesn't like anything remotely hilly. That would be problematic for Boston.

As much as I would love to leave this cranky hamstring at home - it's coming with me. For better or for worse!

adidas Adios Pro 2 Shoes
Last year I took a gamble and ran Boston in a brand new pair of shoes-- the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris. I had never run more than three miles in them prior to the race. They ended up working out well, but I decided against wearing them again because they only have a 5mm drop, which irritates my Achilles. 

Over the past several weeks I have tried numerous carbon fiber plated shoes. My favorite was the Nike Alphafly 3, but I didn't have the opportunity to run long enough in them to want to wear them on race day. I also liked the Brooks Hyperion Elite PB, but they started to feel firmer than I would have liked towards the end of a 13-miler. In order to want to wear them in a marathon, I would like to test them out for 18-20 miles.

As a contrast to last year's risky shoe choice, I am playing it safe this year with the Adios Pro 2. The only remaining pair I have boasts my half marathon PR and my full marathon PR from December-- before I ran One City. Ideally my marathon shoes would have fewer miles on them, but I think the Adios Pro 2 is a true workhorse that will still perform well with 50+ miles. I did try the Adios Pro 4 and that was a nightmare. My big toe was hitting the top of the shoe in my normal size, so I sized up and that was a mistake. The fit was sloppy, my feet were sliding all over the place, I got a blister, and my Achilles hurt from the 6mm drop. Adidas ruined their best shoe, in my honest opinion. 

One of the reasons I am playing it safe with my shoe choice is that there is so much uncertainty in other areas of my life-- I don't need shoe uncertainty on top of that.

Tifosi Sunglasses and Light Horse Track Club Gear
The weather is looking pretty good! It might rival the 2022 weather for my best Boston weather. The current forecast shows that it will start in the low 50s and rise to the upper 50s by the end, with sunny skies. Sunscreen and sunglasses will be a must!

I'll be racing in my Light Horse Track Club crop top and rabbit shorts - which have so many pockets for my gels. This will be my first time racing Boston in a "club" outfit, unless you consider my McMillan shirt from 2018 to be a club. 

What I'm NOT taking with me
Now we get to the heart of the blog. There's something I am trying very hard to NOT bring with me this weekend: the emotional state that I've been in for the past four weeks. The past four weeks have been plagued with frustration, anxiety, and anger. I am working very hard to shake these emotions, but I haven't done a good job of it.

We put our house on the market on February 28 because the builder of our new home told us that we were obligated to close on the new house on March 31. We were in no hurry to sell our home. No hurry to move. We timed the sale of our house to correspond with the purchase of the new one.

As expected, we had a contract on our house the first weekend we listed it, with a close date that coincided with the purchase of the new house.  The contract allowed for a short rent-back so we would have two weeks to move. Everything was going exactly as planned.

11 days before we were scheduled to close on our new home, our builder informed us that they didn't get the Certificate of Occupancy, which is a permit needed for us to occupy the house. The reason they provided was that they failed to get a VDOT permit for the work they did to construct our driveway, and they didn't give us a new settlement date. They estimated 4-8 weeks, but no guarantees. They told us that the house itself was built and inspected and fully approved, the only issue was a driveway permit.

Surely it couldn't take 4-8 weeks to get a driveway permit, and if so, surely that couldn't prevent us from moving in! Because the builder didn't give us any details, I contacted the government myself and they told me that the driveway permit was just one issue. The builder received a notice of violation a week earlier which included many more issues aside from the driveway. The notice stated that they violated the original site plan by disturbing land in the "tree protection" area. As a result, all five trees on our property (which are over 50 feet tall) would need to be removed and new trees planted. But none of this work could be done until they first provided a new site plan that complied with forest conservation standards.

We went back to our builder and asked them why they didn't mention the tree situation to us, and they said that they had no idea about the trees. It was unclear if they were lying to us to cover up the fact that they violated the site plan, or if they were just incompetent and didn't read the entire violation notice.

Since that date, the builder has sent us mixed messages about the process to get the certificate of occupancy (do the trees need to be planted or not?) and they revealed themselves to be completely incompetent, or inefficient at best. They received their violation over a month ago and as of today, we still haven't seen any tree work. 

The builder is being extremely vague with their communication. When we ask for an update we are told "we are working on a VDOT permit and we will update you when we have it." They don't even have a phone number where we can call them - they rely on WhatsApp messaging. Even more sketchy - they have forbidden us to contact VDOT or the county. They told us that we would be in breach of contract because it's considered "interference". 

The contract we signed with them protects them in every way, and is silent about protecting us. This delay has financial implications for us, and we could end up with no home if we can't close before our rent-back ends. We are literally living on borrowed time! We are forever grateful to our buyers for allowing us to rent back the house, but the end date is fast approaching. 

Where we are right now: the builder is not communicating anything to us aside from "they are working on it," we are in breach of contract if we contact the government, and there is absolutely nothing we can do about the situation. On the plus side, we did have a walk-through and ordered an independent home inspection. The house itself is in excellent shape, and is move-in ready. We are satisfied with the overall quality of the build. But we cannot purchase it and move in until the builder gets a VDOT permit (timeline unknown) and they remove trees/plant new ones.

This has led me to experience:

Anxiety: I have very little visibility into the situation and there are so many unknowns. I honestly feel like I am going to have all of my belongings in a dark, dusty storage area somewhere, including my piano while I live in limbo for God knows how long. The lack of control is very difficult for me.

Frustration: I had to un-schedule everything I had planned for the move (utilities, movers, address change, furniture deliveries, blinds installation, etc) and put it on pause and will now have to re-do it all. We're incurring lender fees (the builder agreed to pay half of them) - and they are steep. 

Anger: The builder messed up and they are completely unapologetic about this and do not seem to care or acknowledge that this is more than an "inconvenience" for us. When they first communicated the delay to us it was over WhatsApp and the message said "sorry for the inconvenience". They aren't transparent, they have forbidden us to contact the government, they are moving very slowly, and they don't care. We hate them. 

So............ where do we go from here? Greg and I have agreed that we need to make a conscious effort to NOT let this impact our mental health and our Boston Marathon weekend. We don't want to carry it with us. I have now unloaded it onto this blog and hopefully that's where it will stay. 

This situation is testing me and I am learning a lot. I am learning that I hold onto anger and anxiety because if I "let it go," it would invalidate my feelings. Like if I can just go about my life and be happy and shove this to the side, maybe it's not such a big deal. And I have this need to prove to myself and the world that it IS a big deal. So I grasp onto it tightly. 

This mindset is similar to how I used to approach marathons in my early 30s. If I didn't get REALLY UPSET about missing a time goal, then it would be like I didn't care. I had to get very upset to prove to myself and to those around me that a BQ mattered. The "oh well, I'll try again next time" attitude, to me, meant that I wasn't serious about qualifying for Boston. I was very serious, and my way of showing it was to get depressed and upset when I missed my goal. 

I have no control over the housing situation. I have very limited visibility into what is really going on. There's no resolution date in sight. I have to accept these facts, and realize that no amount of worrying and marinating in it will change that. I need to trust and remember that:

• The builder is financially motivated to move quickly because they want their money.
• If we are displaced from our current house, we can handle it. It won't be pretty, but we can get through it. 
• The builder is legally obligated to sell us that house - so we will get it at some point.
• Even though this has financial implications for us, it's not financial hardship or ruin.
• The best thing for me is to enjoy Boston - I shouldn't let the builder take that away from me too.

Right now it feels like we are not getting that house, but we will. We definitely will get that house.

What's on my packing list? Confidence. Positivity. Mental strength. Self-awareness. Self-care.

Track me on Monday with bib number 13694.