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. 

Donut Dash 5K

One might assume that a late August 5K in the Washington DC area would be warm and humid. But
amazingly, the Donut Dash last Sunday was 58 degrees with low humidity. It must have been among the coolest mornings this area has ever seen for August 31. 

The weather was so good, I'll start out with my personal weather scale. The race gets a 10 out of 10. There was almost no wind, and while I usually consider 58 warmer than ideal for racing, it was perfect for a shorter distance, especially since I was already acclimated to the heat. And the low humidity was hugely helpful too. 

Before the Race

I switched up my pre-race routine a bit and instead of having my normal almond butter-filled pretzels, I drank half a packet of UCAN energy drink. I figured the UCAN would sustain me longer. Before leaving the house, I laced up my New Balance SC Pacer shoes, which I had determined were my favorite shoes for the 5K. But then I looked in my closet and I saw that the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB matched my shorts so perfectly. I had worn these shoes in the Firecracker 5K and they worked well there, so I figured I would swap them out because I simply could not turn down wearing a pair of perfectly coordinated shoes. 

Another point of coordination was my outfit. I wore leopard print shorts and I had a leopard print leg bandage to wrap. Why the bandage? That's a topic for a blog I plan to write soon. But as long as I needed to wear bandages around my lower right leg, I made sure to coordinate them to my outfit! So the leopard print bandage matched the print of my shorts, and the Brooks Hyperion Elite matched the color scheme. I was delighted by this!

Greg and I drove to the race, parked near the start and I picked up my bib. Everything went very smoothly. I saw a few friends at packet pickup and we chatted briefly. 

Then I warmed up on the course for 2.4 miles and I had a caffeinated Maurten gel 20 minutes before race start. 

Goals and Strategy
I am in the midst of training for the Indianapolis Monumental marathon, so this was not a goal race for
me. My purpose was to practice racing, have fun at the race, and get a solid speed workout in. Time-wise I wanted to set a course PR. The Donut Dash is run on the Fairfax Corner course, which is used in the Frosty 5K, the Veterans Day 5K, the Run Your Heart Out 5K and more! I had run this course in 8 different races over the years and my fastest time on it was 21:01 from last December at the Frosty 5K. My goal was to beat that time. 

I looked at my mile-by-mile splits from the Frosty 5K and my pacing strategy was to run slightly faster for each mile. Running under 21 minutes on this course would be a huge accomplishment because it's very hilly. 

Mile 1
I started out a little slower than most of the runners around me and then passed many of them during the first downhill. The race starts downhill and it's easy to go out way too fast. I felt strong and fast but kept the pace controlled. The time to beat was 6:33 and I did so in 6:31. That was only two seconds faster than December, so I didn't have a lot of room for error. 

In terms of placing, I wasn't exactly sure how many women were ahead of me, but I knew it was at least three. I wasn't running close to any women as the mile finished out and whatever place I was at that point would be the same place I finished in. Unfortunately my leg bandage slid down my leg during this mile which was a little annoying. It was fine to have the wounds uncovered because they had mostly scabbed over, but I wished I had made the bandage tighter. The main purpose was to keep them protected from the sun to prevent scarring.

Mile 2
This mile was hard but I focused on staying positive and mentally strong. I focused on my form and my rhythm. This mile is rolling hills-- never flat. It seems to go on forever and the hills feel way too long. I passed a few guys during this mile, but no women. My Frosty split was 6:39, so I was delighted to clock in at 6:35. I was now six seconds ahead of my December time. But I was by no means "safe".

Mile 3
This mile is killer. The final hill of the run feels long and steep and comes at a time when you are already exhausted. I expected this to be a huge struggle. However, I was pleasantly surprised! For the first time, this hill did not seem so massive or steep. I am not sure if it's because I live in a hillier area now or if the Pilates classes have made my legs stronger. It was definitely challenging but not quite as painful as I remember it from my previous 8 races. My December split was 6:52 and I clocked in at 6:45. A full seven seconds faster! 

The Finish
I gained another 2 seconds on Frosty in the final kick, and crossed the finish line in an official time of 20:46.

I beat my December time on this course by 15 seconds, setting a new course PR!

• I placed 1st in my age group (45-49) out of 54.
• I was the 5th overall female finisher out of 439.
• I placed 20th overall out of 790 runners.

After the Race
I was thrilled with my performance! I got my medal and then reunited with Greg and my friend Laura, who had come out to cheer for me. After a quick chat, I ran a cool down of just over a mile. Then it was time for donuts and the awards ceremony. They wouldn't have a "donut dash" without offering donuts as the finish line food! I won a gift certificate to my local running store, which covered about half of my race entry. 

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
This was a good speed check! The Frosty 5K was about 10 weeks before the One City Marathon and this Donut Dash was about 10 weeks before Indianapolis. I'm 15 seconds ahead, so I think a PR is realistic for me in November. Of course you can't base your marathon time on a 5K, but it's a good data point. I like to race regularly (once a month) to practice pushing hard and flexing my mental muscles. 

Most of my time savings came on the final hill, which shows my legs are stronger than they were in December. That could be from Pilates, from training on hilly terrain, or both. 

The Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB performed really well. They are a fast shoe and they are a contender for my marathon along with three other shoes. Most importantly, they matched my outfit perfectly!

The weather was gorgeous and this race was the perfect way to spend a morning outdoors.

It was awesome to spend time with my friend Laura post race and it meant a lot that she came to cheer for me. Greg, Laura and I enjoyed breakfast together at one of my favorite local spots.  

Frosty 5K Race Recap

I ran the Frosty 5K shortly before Christmas and the New Year's Day 10K on January 1. I am late in blogging about both of them. Neither of them were stellar performances, goal races, or particularly interesting, so the urge to blog wasn't as strong as it typically is. But there is always something to reflect on post-race, so I will start with Frosty. 

This race takes place on a course that our local running store, =PR=, uses multiple times throughout the year. I had run the course about five times previously, but never the Frosty version of it. (For reference, the other races are Run Your Heart Out, Birthday Bash, and Labor Day - which is now Donut Dash). It's a hilly course that always measures long on my Garmin, but it's fun to do the =PR= races because they are well organized and I know many of the other runners. In 2024 I bought a "race pass" which you buy at the beginning of the year and it covers four races of your choosing. I had one race left, so I used it on this one.

Two weeks post marathon I wasn't sure if my legs were recovered enough to tackle a hilly 5K. I knew from my Turkey Trot that I was not in great 5K shape so both of these factors combined made for a less than ideal race setup. 

Before the Race
On race morning, I recorded an Instagram video in which I said my goal pace would be 6:40. I had no idea what kind of time that would translate to with the distance being slightly off, but if my Garmin pace averaged 6:40, I thought that would be a solid effort. 

I arrived at the race and picked up my bib. I got there super early now that I have PTSD from missing a race start! I was trying to be in two places at once because my friend Caroline was in town from Florida running the race and I also wanted to warm up with Lighthorse Track Club, which I was considering joining. I somehow managed to start the warm up with Lighthorse and also find Caroline so that was a win. 

Lighthorse had a huge showing of runners. They choose two races a year where most of the team comes out and this was one of them. Dustin, the leader, organized pace groups based on what people would be running. I joined up with two people going out at a 6:30 pace. I knew I wouldn't be maintaining that pace, but the first mile is downhill, so that was my target for mile 1.

It was 25 degrees with winds at around 8 mph and partly cloudy. I give this an 8 out of 10 on my personal weather scale. I could have done without the wind and added about 5 degrees onto the temp. Otherwise it was perfect. 

I wore my favorite CW-X stability capri tights, which feel so fast for racing! I paired it with a Tracksmith Brighton Base Layer and Zensah socks, plus my trusty adidas Adios Pro 2 shoes. 

Bib number 1225 - Christmas!

Mile 1
I lined up with the two runners who said they were going out at a 6:30 pace but promptly lost them shortly after we started. Lighthorse is a fast group which meant there were a lot of fast runners right up front. It was a bit of a chaotic start, but I was able to settle in after we made our first two turns. It wasn't long before I found myself with my friend Michelle. We worked together for a little bit, weaving around people. I wanted to take full advantage of the downhill so that meant weaving. I clocked in at 6:33 for the first mile.

Mile 2
Now that the downhill was over it was time to work. Mentally I was very strong in this race. I think it was the fact that there were so many other fast women. Instead of trying to run a personal best I focused on the competitive aspect and that really motivated me. I used one of my favorite 5K mantras which is "make it hurt". That's my job in a 5K to make it hurt. This mindset allowed me to pass multiple runners during the second mile and that felt great. I don't recall anyone passing me - but it's been over three weeks now so maybe they did! My time for this mile was 6:39.

Mile 3
I knew I had a lot of cushion to make my 6:40 average pace goal. Mile 3 would definitely be the slowest (it always is due to the hills) but I didn't want to back off the effort. I was pleasantly surprised by how strong I felt on the hills. I had much more energy and pep than I did at the Turkey Trot, when I felt flat. I kept repeating my mantra of making it hurt and I powered up that hill! I did not want anyone coming from behind and passing me at the end, and they didn't! My time was 6:53, which is impressive given the hill profile.

Heading towards the finish line

The finish and beyond
I gunned the final 0.16 at an average pace of 5:57 according to my Garmin. I felt really strong. 

My official time was 21:01 which is a course PR by 8 seconds! I was thrilled. And my Garmin pace ended up being exactly 6:40, so my powers of prediction were on point. 

After the race I cooled down for 1 mile with Caroline and then I got my award. I won second place in my age group and was curious about another 45-49 year-old woman running faster than me. But then the reality hit me that I am no longer the youngest in this age group, having recently turned 46. A 45-year-old woman ran faster than me! More power to her - it was a super competitive race. 

It was really, really cold so I was happy not to linger for too long. Greg and I met up with Caroline and her husband at a nearby restaurant and had breakfast. I was chilled to the core and kept downing my decaf coffee!

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I was pleasantly surprised with how strong I felt. Even though I predicted my exact pace, I didn't imagine that my legs would feel as recovered as they did. 

• It was a competitive field with all the Lighthorse ladies showing up. I was the 11th female finisher.
• This was a course PR by 8 seconds, making it my second 5K course PR of the year on an often-run course!
• In 2024, I set distance PRs in the marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 1-mile. I did not set a distance PR in the 5K but my two course PRs show major progress. 
• I ran a slower time than my recent Turkey Trot, but the Turkey Trot is less hilly and measures closer to 3.1 miles. 
• I also felt much stronger and more energized than I did at the Turkey Trot.
• My "make it hurt" mantra really helped me.
• I enjoyed feeling like I was competing and it was nice having other runners around. 
• It was fun to see so many of my friends, particularly Caroline from out of town.
• I didn't realize I had bib 1225 (12/25 for Christmas) until an Instagram commenter remarked on it.
• This was a great "workout" to start my winter of speed. I want to focus more on speed over the next two months because my previous training cycle was lacking in that aspect.

I was really happy I got out and ran this race. What a great way to finish out my strongest ever year of running!

Ode To My Running Routes

We're moving. And perhaps the biggest change with moving won't be the house itself, the mortgage payment or the commute. But the running options.

When searching for our new home, we found plenty of houses that we loved but that were, as I called them, "land locked." My definition of "land locked" means the only way out of your neighborhood is a narrow two-lane road that is not safe to run on. These houses were automatic deal breakers. Our new home will be run-able, but as I stated above, the running options will be entirely new and different. 

But in this post I don't want to talk about our future neighborhood. I want to wish a proper farewell to our home of 15 years, the home that got me outside every day instead of on a gym treadmill Monday through Friday. 

Here are the top 10 things that I LOVE about my running routes today, that have been part of my daily routine for 15 years. 

10. Variety. From my house I can run in multiple directions and through multiple neighborhoods. Even though I do tend to get bored of my same routes, there are places I can go if I really want a change.

9. Fresh Pavement. Within the past year, they paved my neighborhood with smooth asphalt and they did the same to almost all the roads I run on. There is nothing like fresh, smooth asphalt!

8. Safety. I run mostly on neighborhood roads and I have never once feared for my safety. I often encounter other runners and walkers. The roads are generally well lit. I typically don't run on thru-streets so the only cars on the road are those people leaving their homes in the morning.

7. Flat, Hilly, or Mixed. I can make my runs as hilly or as flat as I want them. There are some routes that are mostly flat, and some routes that are quite hilly. I usually choose the flat routes for easy runs. Those routes are not entirely flat, but the hills aren't very long or steep.

6. Wide Roads.
If you've ever watched one of my Instagram videos, you know that I run mostly on neighborhood roads. And there aren't many cars. This is thanks to the roads being wide. There is enough room for cars to be parked on both sides of the street AND for two cars to be driving on the street passing each other, AND for me. So imagine a scenario where you have cars parked on both sides of the road, and there are cars coming from both directions. Well, there's still plenty of room for me to run. The roads are that wide.

5. Perfectly Placed Hills. One of these wide roads is a hill that's about a quarter of a mile long. It's perfect for hill repeats. My hill repeats usually last 60-90 seconds and this hill is the perfect grade and distance. It's not too steep but it's definitely a hill. This hill is located about a mile and a half from my house so it's perfect to run the warm up and cool down there and back. There is another hill that's about twice the distance that I use for my 2-minute hill repeats. It's similar to heartbreak hill. It's not incredibly steep but it is long. Finally, there is an area that's almost completely flat but has one hill in it. A common workout of mine is tempo/hills/tempo so I can run the tempo on the flat portion and have the hill for the hill repeats in the middle.

4. Plowing in the Winter. They are very good about plowing my neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods. If it snows overnight or in the morning, I know that road will be plowed by the middle of the day. Last winter we had a few periods of heavy snow and I only had to use the treadmill a few times. There was one winter when Greg and I needed to do a long run before leaving on vacation. Our neighborhood was not plowed but we found one about a mile away that was plowed and it was a big loop we ran 14 times around.

3. A Track. I can run to my local track in 2.3 miles. Sometimes I drive there and sometimes I drive halfway there, depending on how long I want my warmup and cool down to be. But it's nice to have a track that's open to the public that is within running distance. I also have a group of friends who runs on this track most Tuesdays, which is nice. 

2. Ending at Coffee. I live less than a mile away from a plaza with a coffee shop, a smoothie place, and a grocery store. I like to finish my runs there and walk home with my coffee or my smoothie. Or even pick up some groceries afterwards!

1. The Perfect Tempo Neighborhood. About 2.5 miles away from me is a neighborhood that's mostly flat (just a few inclines and declines) and it goes on, and on, and on, forever. It's perfect for tempo runs and marathon pace runs. Sometimes I run to it, and other times I drive there so I can use my car as a water station. The roads are wide, there is no through traffic on most of them, and it's well shaded. I think this is what I will miss most of all. 

Many of these things will also apply to my new neighborhood, but in a different way. I think the biggest difference will be narrow roads and a generally hillier topography. Narrow, hilly roads instead of wide, flat roads. I am sure I will get used to it! There will also be things about the new area that will be better than my current area. 

We still have a bit more time left to enjoy our current house which we will miss dearly! Every time I run I take a moment to appreciate how "lucky" I got with this particular area in terms of running route options.

If you are looking to move to a different area and you are an avid runner, it's worth thinking about these things and really sizing up the running landscape before choosing a new home. 

Run The Greenway: 2024 Edition

I ran the Run The Greenway 5K last Saturday, 19 days after the Boston Marathon. This race kicked off my "summer of speed" in a fun way.

Background
I ran this race in 2022 and was the first overall female finisher with a time of 20:43. I liked that the course was relatively flat and it was an out-and-back with just one turn. I also enjoyed running on the Dulles Greenway because it felt cool to be on a major highway.

A few days before the race, I realized that the course would be different from what I ran in 2022. The race would start further west on the Greenway and run in the opposite direction. I researched the elevation profile online and it looked hillier than the 2022 course. Mostly downhill for the first half and then uphill for the second half. 

On the plus side, the new start location was just steps away from my sister's house. I asked if she wanted to come watch and she said yes! I thought to myself: "How cool would it be for me to win the race again and have my sister watching!" But spoiler alert, that didn't happen!

My goal was to break 20:00. I had good reason to believe I could do this. First, I had just run a 5K in 20:14 four weeks prior on a more challenging course. Second, I ran a time of 20:43 back in 2022 and I believed myself to be in much better shape now. 

Before the Race
Greg and I arrived at the race and I began my warm up. I warmed up to my sister's house, which was super close, and she and her husband came out. I pointed them in the direction of the race and then continued to run back to the race site while they walked there. 

I warmed up for just over two miles, making sure to include some faster strides. My biggest challenge at my last 5K was a lack of warm up and I didn't want to make the same mistake. I had a Maurten gel about 15 minutes before the start. 

I wore my ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris shoes. The same model that I wore in Boston but the smaller pair. I ended up bruising my big toe, so it is officially confirmed that the smaller size is in fact, too small for me. 

I was thankful that it wasn't raining. It had rained overnight and for most of the morning but miraculously stopped just in time for my warm up. In 2022 I ended up with hypothermia because it was pouring rain. I wouldn't have minded rain again but I would have felt bad asking my sister and brother-in-law to stand in the rain to watch me cross a start and finish line.

Which of course brings me to my personal race weather scale.  It was 53 degrees, humid and overcast, with light winds. Not too bad for early May which could have been much warmer. I give this a 6 out of 10. Just slightly better than "ok". 

They called us to the start line relatively early. We lined up at 7:45 with a start time of 8:00. And Greg later told me that the race started at 8:05. It felt like I was standing there for eternity. We heard the announce list off all the birthdays. The Star Spangled Banner played. We heard about the sponsors. I made friends with some of the other runners. I already knew one of them and was happily chatting with some others. 

I saw Greg standing with my sister and brother-in-law on the other side of the start line. They were snapping photos and waving at me!

It was clear from this point that I would not be winning the race. I thought I could potentially come in 3rd at best. That was fine with me. I know that winning a race is all about who shows up! After what seemed like forever, the race finally started.

Mile 1
Based on the elevation profile, I knew this needed to be my fastest mile. My hope was to run it around 6:15. I got pulled out very quickly by the ladies ahead of me, backed off after about a quarter of a mile and then settled in. While this mile was mostly downhill, it also had an uphill. My watch beeped at 6:24. Nine seconds slower than planned, but the sub 20:00 was still within reach. I just had to run two more miles at this exact pace.

Mile 2
The belief that I could run sub 20:00 was soon shattered as I ran the second mile. I was already starting to get tired and my legs felt so heavy. I didn't have a lot of energy and I couldn't maintain my 6:24. I knew that there were at least 4 women ahead of me, so the hope of 3rd place also vanished.

The good thing about the turnaround (other than being halfway done) was that so many runners started cheering for me on the other side of the course, on their way out. Some of them called me by name, telling me that they followed my Instagram. All of this cheering helped me stay positive. This mile clocked in at 6:34. 

Mile 3:
I was crashing hard core at this point, particularly with the big hill. My legs were still not fully recovered from Boston and it took everything I had to hold it together. I got passed by a few men, but thankfully no women.

I kept thinking about my family waiting for me at the finish and wanting to look strong for them. It really motivated me to stay strong and not give in to my fatigue. This mile clocked in at 6:54.  Slower than half marathon pace!

The Finish
I tried to muster a final kick, but 6:22 was all I had in me. My official time was 20:40. Moments after I crossed, I found my sister waiting for me, excited to show me the video she captured of me finishing. It made me happy to see how happy she was to have gotten a video.

We didn't hang around long. I was eager to change clothes and get comfortable. I did a cooldown jog to my sister's house and then we all had breakfast together. To finish a race and be at my sister's house about 10 minutes later was really nice.

I told my family that the race didn't go as well as I had hoped and that my legs weren't fully recovered from Boston. I was the 6th female which was a far cry from 1st place like in 2022. But at least I won my age group (45-49). The five women ahead of me all ran under 20:00 so it was a competitive field for a local race. Especially with no prize money or gift cards!

It's hard for me to determine if I like the ASICS Metaspeed Sky for 5K racing. I'm inclined to say I prefer my adidas Adios Pro because my legs didn't have their usual "pep".  But I can't be sure how I would have felt with different shoes. The ASICS definitely feel more fun because they have a good bounce. So that alone is a good reason to wear them.

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I keep comparing this race to 2022 because in both cases, the race was two weeks after Boston. But it's not really a fair comparison. The course was entirely different, and different people showed up.

Also, in 2022 Boston didn't beat me up as much because it was cooler and I didn't run it at full effort due to lingering Covid symptoms. At the most recent Boston, I raced it at full effort while dealing with the heat and ran a time of 3:24 as opposed to 3:33 in 2022. 

So it makes sense that even though my fitness is in a better spot now than it was two years ago, I wasn't as recovered from Boston and the new course was more challenging. Also, in 2022 I underestimated what I could do whereas last weekend I overestimated it. 

The biggest takeaway here, however, has nothing to do with running or paces or times or legs or hills. It's the joy of sharing the experience with my sister and brother-in-law. It was so awesome for them to see me racing and then to hang out with them for a few hours afterwards.  So even though I didn't win the race, I experienced a different kind of win. 

Boston Marathon 2024: I Beat The Heat!

This is going to be long. I debated writing multiple blog posts to cover all the different aspects of this race, but ultimately decided to put it all in one place so that this post will be as epic as the race itself. 

To summarize the next 5,900 words into one sentence: 

TL/DR Version:
I ran well in the heat for the first time in my life and enjoyed meeting so many runners from Instagram, all while wearing a brand new pair of shoes (thus breaking out of my conservative approach to racing) thereby reigniting my previously fading love of the Boston Marathon.  

Thursday
For my last run before heading to Boston, I decided to test out some shoes, just for the fun of it. My training was complete so whatever I did now was just for fun. Why not have a run where I stop a bunch of times to test shoes?

I had already decided on my race day shoe (the adidas Adios Pro 2) but I had a few different super shoes in the closet that I thought would be fun to test on an easy run.

First came the Saucony Endorphin Pro. I didn’t make it very far in these shoes (maybe half a mile) before I decided they weren’t for me. Too firm for my liking and they didn’t feel as streamlined or as fast as my beloved Adios Pro.

Next came the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris. I had received these shoes from Road Runner Sports a few weeks ago, pre-release, for me to share on Instagram. At the time, I ran just a few minutes in them to share my first impressions of them. I had liked them, but with a 5mm drop, I couldn’t imagine running far in them. With my history of Achilles tendinopathy, I need a higher drop (at least 8mm) and even at that I often put heel inserts into my shoes to raise the drop even more.

Despite the 5mm drop, my feet “connected” with these shoes on Thursday's run. It was love at first run. They were fun, bouncy, and had plenty of cushion. I weighed them on a kitchen scale and they were an ounce and a half lighter than my adidas Adios Pro shoes! And then I had the crazy idea of running Boston in them, even though I had never run more than 1 mile in them.

From that point forward, the ASICS Metaspeed Sky shoes came to symbolize the fun, reckless, risk-taking part of me that has started to emerge with my mid-life crisis! “Nothing new on race day” is a motto that I truly believe in and I would advise anyone else to abide by. But for some reason, I have been feeling risky and adventurous lately, so I decided I would go for it. Some people buy new convertible sports cars during a mid-life crisis. I race marathons in shoes I've never run in before.

I was worried about the 5mm drop, but I had some very small inserts that made the shoe more like an 8mm drop and they felt secure as I ran. 

One small problem - the shoes were too small! I had requested my normal ASICS size from Road Runner Sports (size 6.5), but my toes were hitting the edge of the Metaspeed Sky. So I contacted my ASICS rep and asked if I could grab a size 7 at their pop-up store in Boston. He did me one better and had them shipped to my hotel! In exchange, I offered to talk about the shoes and the pop-up store on Instagram.

The smaller size will be great for 5K and 10K races. But for a downhill marathon, I definitely needed the larger size. I had done plenty of long runs in the ASICS Super Blast, so I knew ASICS generally worked with my foot strike. 

Friday 
I packed my trusty adidas Adios Pro 2 shoes in case I changed my mind about the ASICS, or if the larger size didn’t work for me. Greg and I flew out and everything went smoothly. We checked into the hotel, and my ASCIS package was waiting for me. We had lunch, and then made our way to the expo. I picked up my bib, got another Spike the Unicorn (by far the best expo purchase) and got a 2024 hat. I didn’t buy anything else because I had purchased the jacket ahead of time along with some other official gear on the adidas website.

It was then time for dinner with our friend Jonathan, and I got a Samuel Adams 26.2 Brew! One of the coolest things about the Boston Marathon is that all the local bars and restaurants offer 26.2 brew in a special marathon themed pint glass. I typically wouldn’t have a beer a few nights before a marathon, but my entire attitude for the weekend was to have fun! I was far less concerned about my performance than I was soaking up the whole experience. And 26.2 Brew is part of the experience.

Saturday
On Saturday morning we went shopping on Newbury Street. Because the Boston Marathon expo doesn’t allow vendors that compete with the sponsors, many running brands set up “pop up" stores to sell their Boston gear. As promised, I visited the ASICS store and chatted with the rep there for awhile. 

Then we headed to the finish line for some photos. I absolutely love the vibe of the city on marathon weekend. All the runners are so excited to be there. The locals really embrace the race. The energy is unlike any other marathon, or really anything else I’ve ever experienced.

For dinner, we met up with two of my friends who I had met in Boston 2022, and who I regularly interact with on Instagram. Both of them talked some sense into me about my shoe choice. They reminded me that testing them out for a few miles is totally different than a marathon and what if something started to hurt and I’m stuck with the shoes? They encouraged me to play it safe and use the shoes that I know work for my feet and my stride. They told me that the ASICS would still be around for future races. They made compelling arguments and they definitely had me leaning towards tried-and-true adidas.

Sunday
On Sunday morning, I did a shakeout run with many of my Instagram friends. It was so fun meeting some of them in person for the first time. Having everyone all in one place was beyond cool. I spent the entire run chatting with someone who I had known on Instagram for awhile but had never met in person.

We ran around Boston Common and there were loads of runners out. Throughout the entire weekend, I was often recognized as “Elizabeth from Instagram”. I have amassed over 100,000 followers so quite a few runners approached me to get a photo or tell me they appreciated my content. One person said she had read my book and kept it on her nightstand!

When I am home creating content, I often don’t stop and think about how many people I am reaching. So it was surreal to be approached by so many runners. It was wonderful to chat with so many new people and hear a little bit about their journeys. If I ever questioned if it was really worth my while to share so much on Instagram, this weekend taught me that it was definitely worthwhile. I received loads of positive feedback and runners telling me that my posts have helped them in some way or another.

I wore the brand new ASICS Metaspeed Sky size 7 on the shakeout run and they felt great. Really comfortable, no problems, and they felt fast when I did some quicker strides. But I was still not 100% convinced that my “mid life crisis shoes” were the right decision. It would be a risk if my feet hurt or they made my calves hurt or my Achilles started screaming. I tried on my adidas Adios after the shakeout run and determined that I liked them too! Decisions, decisions!

The shoe decision became a representation of two sides of myself, both battling for dominance. On the one hand, there is the sensible, conservative person I have always been who always plays it safe and likes to control as much as possible. On the other hand there is the adventurous, carefree person that is starting to emerge in my mid 40s who wants to let go of control and live life by gut instinct and venture into the unknown. I went back and forth a hundred times between which shoe I would wear.

I spent the rest of the day relaxing in the hotel room. We had walked around so much on Saturday (15,000+ steps, and none of them running!) and I wanted to stay off of my feet the day before the race. I used this time to develop my race plan and write the elevation profile on my arm. On my arm, I put up and down arrows to note which miles had a net gain, and which miles had a net loss. A double up arrow was a large gain (heartbreak hill), a single up arrow was a slight gain. A double arrow down was a large loss (miles 1-4), a single arrow down was a small loss. Keeping in mind that the whole course is rolling hills, it was just about the net elevation for each mile, so I knew what to expect pace-wise.

I decided my goal would be sub-3:20. Based on my half marathon, I was in shape for around 3:08-3:10, but with the more challenging course and the weather, I decided to add 10 minutes onto that. In order to hit it, I would need to average a pace of 7:32 on my Garmin for 26.4 miles. (My Garmin always measures 26.4 on the Boston course, so that is what I pace for). Had the weather been cooler, I would have gone for an overall distance PR of sub 3:15. How amazing would it have been to set a marathon PR on the Boston course! But the weather would not cooperate.

As for the shoes, I went to bed confident in my decision to stick with tried-and-true adidas Adios Pro. It was fun to think about a snazzy new pair, but it wasn’t worth the risk. I knew I liked the adidas, so why mess with a good thing?

Hydration + carb loading
All day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I made sure to prioritize hydration. It would be a warm race and I didn’t want to end up dehydrated like I did in Houston in 2023 or in Boston 2016. 

I drank about 80 ounces of fluid each day. I combined my water with Uppermost hydration, which is my favorite pre-race hydration. I love the taste and it has added vitamins! In the past, I would only have one packet of electrolytes per day, but this weekend, I had two packets per day. I also supplemented it with Gatorade from the goodie back I got from the expo.

As for carb loading, I loaded up on all different kinds of bread throughout the weekend. I devoured every bread basket that was offered at dinners. The night before the race I had my standard chicken parm without the cheese with pasta and bread.

I slept really well the night before the race. Better than I ever have before at a Boston Marathon. I wasn’t nervous or anxious or worried. I was chill and I was able to sleep soundly. 

Race Weather
When I woke up, my first order of business was to check the forecast. It had risen a few degrees. And I didn’t know it at the time, but it would actually be even warmer than the updated forecast during the race. Previously, the start temps had been forecast at 58 and finishing at 63. The updated forecast had a start temp of 61 and a finish temp of 67. In actuality it was 62 at the start in Hopkinton rising to 70 by the halfway point, and eventually cooling to 67 as we entered Boston for the last 3-4 miles.

There was very little cloud cover, but the humidity was thankfully low. On my personal weather scale, I give this a 4 out of 10. A “4” means that a PR is not possible, I need to adjust my time goal substantially and focus on finishing strong. If it had been humid then I would have rated it a 3 or even a 2. If the temps had been 70 at the start (like Boston 2016) , then the score would also be lowered to a 3 or a 2. But a low 60s start and very low humidity makes this race somewhat salvageable.

I determined that these conditions were just slightly more favorable than those in Houston 2023 due to lack of humidity in Boston.  I ran a 3:26 there, so I figured I could run a few minutes faster here, even with a more challenging course. I had given the Houston weather a 3 out of 10, so 4 out of 10 for this race feels right. My previous goal of sub-3:20 was likely no longer in reach, but I decided I would go out at a pace that would allow for it, and back of it needed. I figured I would realistically be in the 3:21-3:22 range.

As soon as I saw that the forecast had trended warmer (It went from a 5 to a 4) I immediately changed my mind on the shoes. With such crappy weather, the focus would 100% be on having fun, so it was time to throw caution to the wind and wear the fun shoes. In other words "Oh so it's going to be really warm?! Screw it! I'm wearing the fun shoes!"

Before the Race
After checking the weather, I started hydrating. I had a 24 ounce bottle that I would drink before the race and another 24 ounce bottle that I would carry during the race. I filled both with electrolytes. During a race, I like to use Skratch Labs hydration because it also has carbs. So my race bottle ended up having about 100 calories in it, in addition to electrolytes. 

I felt calm and not at all nervous. I had no idea how it would go, and I wasn't worried about it not going well. I knew I was well trained and well hydrated, I just had to go and enjoy myself.

I put four gels in my shorts pockets: 3 regular Maurten gels and 1 caffeinated Maurten gel. I also put 6 honey stinger chews in my pockets. Greg wrote my name on my back so that runners behind me would know it was me and say hi as they passed. It totally worked! I heard "Elizabeth I follow you on Instagram!" so many times during the race!

We left the hotel and met my friend Arynne at 7:00 near the bus loading area. Here's everything I had on me:

• 4 Maurten gels
• 1 UCAN gel
• 2 24-ounce bottles of water + electrolytes
• 6 Honey Stinger chews
• A bag of almond butter pretzels
• A banana
• Sunscreen
• Name written on my back, elevation notes written on my arm
• Sunglasses, Garmin, Bib, shoes, socks, etc.

Greg had my trusty adidas Adios Pro shoes in his backpack. In case the new ASICS were killing me by mile 6.2 when I saw him, I would have the option to change shoes right then and there!

Greg and I chatted for a bit and then it was time for us to board the busses and for Greg to catch a train out to Framingham where he would see me at the 10K point. As soon as we left him, things started to feel real!

I enjoyed chatting with Ayrnne on the bus. We had met at the Harrisburg half marathon a few years back
and had stayed in touch ever since. Our bus stopped at a gas station because someone urgently had to use the bathroom but otherwise it was smooth sailing! I ate my almond butter pretzels on the bus and drank one of my water bottles. 

When we arrived at Athlete's village we headed straight for the porta potty line. It was pretty long. It moved fast and I would guess we waited in it for about 15-20 minutes. We then applied sunscreen. I'm glad we did because there was no shade on the course and very little cloud dover. 

Then they called our white wave (wave 2) and we headed to the start line! I hit up the final set of porta potties right before the start. I also used that time to ensure that my shoes were tied exactly how I wanted them to be tied and to pour some water on myself from the water station near the porta potties. And I took my UCAN gel. I was also approached by some Instagram runners for a few photos. Having done all of that, I made it to the corral with just 3 minutes to spare and the corral was completely full. I was able to tuck in at the very back. Usually I feel like I am waiting in the corral forever, but I think I spent more time waiting in that final porta potty line than expected.

Miles 1-5 (Hopkinton, Ashland)

The race started and everyone flew across the start line and down the first steep hill. My approach to Boston is to have an awareness of the elevation changes but ultimately keep the effort nice and easy in the beginning, which could mean big swings in pace. I had the elevation markings on my arm so I knew what I would be getting into.

My first area of focus was to find a sign at mile 4 that one of my followers made for me. It was a family of
six (three generations) and they made me a sign that said "Boston Bound" in the same font as the cover of my book surrounded by zebra stripes. 

They sent me this photo of the sign beforehand so I knew exactly what to look for. I saw them before they saw me! I was so excited to see the sign! I pointed at it, smiled and waved to them. It was really thrilling. 

These miles were crowded. A lot of people were passing me and I was passing a few people too. I mostly ran by effort/feel (which can be dangerous in a race that's expected to heat up) but I kept myself honest and ran at a pace that truly felt easy-medium for the first five miles. 4 of these 5 are insanely downhill, so that is part of the reason for them being faster than I would have started on a flat course.

Mile 1: 7:35 (-117 ft)

Mile 2: 7:26 (-54 ft)

Mile 3: 7:26 (-54 ft)

Mile 4: 7:30 (-69 ft)

Mile 5: 7:40 (+12 ft)

Miles 6-10 (Framingham)
When I ran the Houston Marathon in 2023 in warm, humid weather, I gradually drank from my handheld and was done with it by 2:00. I knew I needed to drink at a faster rate to avoid dehydration so I drank more frequently from my bottle than I did in Houston. As I ran through the water stations, I poured water all over my head and neck. It felt amazing for a few seconds and then I got hot again.

I saw Greg at mile 6.2. I spotted him before he saw me. I knew exactly where to look for him and it was awesome to see him! He took some amazing photos (better than the official race photographers take) and some great video for me to post on Instagram. I knew this would be my only chance to change shoes if needed, so I asked myself if my feet were okay. The answer: yes they were! I was still not completely sold on them being superior to the adidas, but I knew my feet were happy so far.

By this point I was still running at what felt like an easy pace, so I wasn't able to truly test their responsiveness when it came to surging and going super fast. Running a 5K would be an entirely different experience for the shoes. 

These miles went by pretty quickly. I focused on the crowd support, chatted with some people who recognized me from Instagram, and enjoyed it. 

Mile 6: 7:31 (-14)
Mile 7: 7:26 (-18)

Mile 8: 7:32 (+5)

Mile 9: 7:35 (-9)
Mile 10: 7:37 ( +18)

Miles 11-15 (Natick and Wellesley)

Now it was really hot. The first 10 miles were warm. These miles were downright hot. No cloud cover and I think it was in the 66-70 degree range for this portion of the course. I finished my 24 ounce bottle by 1:45, which meant I drank faster than I did at Houston. I knew I needed to drink water at every station and also pour water over my head wherever possible. 

My legs started to get tired during the 11th mile. This was not a good sign. It was far too early for that. It must be the shoes! Yes, I would blame the shoes! Okay,  no. .  . let's be real. It's not the shoes, it's the heat and the hills. 

I started to think that this race had the potential to go south very quickly. I remembered Boston 2016 when it was 70 at the start line and I was slugging my way over the last six miles. All the way to the medical tent! I tried not to think about that and to focus on the mile I was in. I would deal with any potential issues when they arose. For now, everything was manageable. Everything was fine. I was going to keep on keeping on!

There would be no negativity. I would continue to take everything in, enjoy the moment and be present. 

I crossed the halfway point at 1:39:29, which put me on pace for 3:18:58. So I could afford to run the second half of the race a minute slower and still break 3:20. At that point I was feeling decent enough that it seemed like a real possibility to shoot for my Sunday evening goal. Miles 14-15 were 7:26 and 7:31 so I continued to hold that belief, despite the heat! 

Mile 11: 7:40 (+21)
Mile 12: 7:30 (-47)
Mile 13: 7:36 (+12)
Mile 14: 7:26 (-12) 
Mile 15: 7:31 (+29)

Miles 16-20 (Newton)
At last I came to the Newton Hills. Where the course can break you! I took some deep breaths and prepared myself mentally for some hard times ahead. My legs were starting to feel really tired. Surprisingly, the rest of me felt great. I had plenty of energy. From a cardiovascular standpoint, I wasn't struggling at all. Looking back on my heart rate data I can see I was in the 163-167 range for the entire race! (I don't see my heart rate while I run). What a huge change from Boston 2022 when I was recovering from Covid and my heart rate spiked into the 180s. 

In 2022, my legs had plenty of pep, but my heart rate got too high. This year, my heart rate was nice and moderate, but my legs had no juice. Can I blame the new shoes!?  

My hydration and fueling were going according to plan. I was taking my gels on schedule. The caffeinated Maurten that I took at the 2:00 mark didn't sit well, but I felt fine after about 5 minutes. I was lucky to find a volunteer handing out bottles of water which allowed me to take a nice big gulp of water and poor the rest over my body. I am pretty sure it was around 69-70 degrees for this entire section. Many runners are reporting that the actual temperatures were higher than what was forecast.

The first hill was hard. I slowed down significantly (8:12) but that was somewhat intentional. I could have
pushed it harder but I knew I had three more big ones ahead and I didn't want to use all my juice on the first hill. I definitely knew my sub-3:20 goal was out the window at this point, but the good news was that I could slow down A LOT and still get a course PR! My newly revised goal was a course PR of sub 3:26.

The next two hills were challenging but I stayed strong. I focused on having fun and taking in all the crowd support. There were many runners walking these hills. I was definitely not the fastest runner up the hills but I was also not the slowest. I would say I was somewhere in the middle. I was passing runners and runners were also passing me.

Mile 16: 7:30 (-103)
Mile 17: 8:12 (+70)
Mile 18: 7:55 (+45)
Mile 19: 7:39 (-35)
Mile 20: 8:03 (+16)

Miles 21-Finish (Brookline, Boston)
Heartbreak Hill felt extra long. I felt like I was slogging up it at a pace of 10:00 but according to the official tracking my pace was 8:26.

Now I just had to get to Boston. All my gels were gone. I had digested them all with no problems so I took three honey stinger chews to get me through the final miles. Based on how my legs had felt during mile 11, I was really happy with how well they were holding up. They were definitely tired and hurting, but it could have been much worse. And with the heat - I couldn't believe how good I felt. How much energy I had. Usually I bake in the heat and I feel like it "zaps" me.  Yes, I was running slower than my potential in cooler weather, but I didn't feel "zapped" by the heat. 

At mile 22 I was looking for another sign from an Instagram follower. This one would say "4 More Clor" (for 4 more miles). I found the sign before she spotted me and I was able to get her attention. It was so cool to see another personalized sign! 

I was now at the point in the race where my pace as no longer under my control. I no longer had the option to speed up or push harder. I was an autopilot. I was doing fine and I could keep doing it. I just couldn't do any more. I had my happy pace and no amount of will could make it any faster. In my mind I knew I had a pretty big buffer to get a course PR so I was content to plug away at the course step by step.

I was passing a lot of runners during miles 22-24. It seemed like most runners were having a really hard time in the heat. A lot of them were walking. Thankfully it was a little bit cooler in Boston-- about 67 degrees as opposed to 70+ in Newton. I think that helped me.

Next up: Greg again! I started looking for him at mile marker 25. I looked and looked and I didn't see him. I was afraid I missed him. Finally he was there, and he got a killer video of me with the Citgo sign in the background! I was elated to see him! 

During the last mile of a marathon I usually can muster up some amount of extra strength to go a bit faster. But I didn't have anything left. I felt okay. Not great, not horrible. But my legs were like useless appendages that were on autopilot, totally separate from my mind. They did what they knew how to do from training and I didn't control their speed. Even once I made the final turn onto Boylston, there was no final kick. I even saw that I could get under 3:24:00 with just a little extra effort, but I had nothing more.

I let my legs carry me down Boylston as I took in the sights and sounds of cheering spectators and the announcer, feeling like an absolute rockstar. My final goal was to get an unobstructed finish line photo and that mission was accomplished. 

Mile 21: 8:23 (Heartbreak Hill)

Mile 22: 7:37 (-74)
Mile 23: 7:58 (-47)
Mile 24: 8:00 (-51)
Mile 25: 8:00 (-47)

Mile 26: 8:34 (+5)

Last 0.42: 8:02 pace

After the Race
When I stopped running I felt pretty bad for the next few minutes. I wanted to vomit but I couldn't induce vomiting and I didn't even dry heave like usual. I guess that's a good thing! I felt a bit nauseous, as if vomiting would help, but that feeling passed after about 5-10 minutes. Someone collapsed immediately behind me after I finished, and thankfully a medical person was there to help her. 

I walked slowly through the finish line chute. I couldn't believe how well my body held up in that heat! Amazing! Usually when it gets above 55 I totally melt, even when everyone else seems fine with the weather. I wasn't even acclimated coming off of a winter training cycle.  I continued walking to get my medal and my heat blanket. Yeah, I felt pretty decent for having run 26.2+ miles in the heat!

Before I knew it I had reached the end of the chute and was re-united with Greg. I even beat him to our meeting spot! From there we took a slow stroll through Boston Common up to our hotel. The good thing about the warm weather was that I was really comfortable post race and not too cold!

Back at the hotel, the staff of the Ritz Carlton welcomed me with cheers, a glass of champagne and a huge selection of Gatorades. In my room they left balloons and a plaque with my name and time on it. Finally it was time for my Epsom salt bath and a good look at my Garmin data!

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I have so much to say about this race. If you thought I've said it all by this point, you're wrong! I'll start at the bottom with my shoes. 

I broke the rules with new shoes!
As I said earlier, the new shoes came to symbolize following my gut, letting go of control, and doing the fun but potentially irresponsible thing. I enjoyed running in them. I think my adidas Adios Pro 2 shoes would have done an equally fine job, they just have a different feel. While the ASICS Metaspeed Sky shoes are lighter and bouncier, I can't say for sure if they are faster because I wasn't exactly going for speed in this race. I plan to wear the smaller pair at my next 5K and see how they do. But I'll probably run at least one workout in them first. 

My Achilles were a little tender after the race and they are still tender today, but they were much worse after Houston in 2023. I think they will be fine again when I take a week off of running. I did use the little heel inserts to raise the drop and they stayed in place throughout the whole run. if you go to the Amazon link you will see they are adjustable and I used the bottom two layers. The top one was too big for the shoe.

I fell in love with Boston all over again!
I wasn't feeling super excited about this year's race. Part of me was ready to move on from Boston, maybe run it once every four years instead of every two years. Well, now I am thinking of running it again next year and doubling down on it instead of moving away from it! I think a lot of it has to do with having such a large Instagram presence and getting to meet so many people in person. I honestly loved being "recognized" and having people take photos with me. 

It also has to do with the hype and the excitement of the city. That's always been there but I think I was more connected to it this year because of what I said above. I got to hear more stories, get a deeper sense from more people of how important this race was to them. 

As a content creator, I loved sharing the experience too. I created so many videos for my Instagram stories and was able to bring the Boston experience to people at home or at work! And I'm having a blast writing this novel-length blog post.

I also think I'm finally learning how to run this course properly. How to pace it. What to expect. I will probably continue to go into it with a carefree attitude given that the weather always throws curveballs, but that is the beauty of it.

Heat running didn't destroy me
I was able to apply what I learned in Houston to this race and it paid off. I ran a strong race in Houston with a negative split and it showed me that if I slow down enough, I can run well in the heat. I also ended up dehydrated at that race, so I learned that I need to focus on that even more. 

For years and years and years, I was always the one crashing in the heat-- FAR more than other runners. I constantly lamented about how the heat impacted me more than other people. I was more heat sensitive. I needed it to be 35. I would run races in 55 degree weather and complain that the heat did me in while other people set PRs. As I matured, I stopped complaining and lamenting, but I still believed it to be true that I was at more of a physical disadvantage in the heat than most runners. 

This race was the first time when I punched above my weight in the heat. Meaning- I finished 7,946 and my bib number was 12577. You can look at your bib number as your "ranking" when you enter the race. It's based on your qualifying time. So I might expect to finish in in 12,577th place. I passed approximately 4,600 runners. I literally "beat my heat" by placing in the 1st wave instead of the 2nd.

Why was this race different? I think it was a combination of a few things:

• Hydration, Hydration, Hydration. With electrolytes! I think I used to drink plenty of water but perhaps I wasn't getting enough electrolytes during my pre-hydration
  
  
• Respect for the heat = conservative pacing. I was in shape to run a marathon pace of 7:10 but I backed that down to 7:30 for the first half. That's a huge adjustment and I think many runners aren't willing to back off their goals by that much. 

I ran my fastest Boston
This was my 5th Boston Marathon and my fastest. Previous times:

• 2016: 3:48:16 - Hot! 70 degrees and sunny at the start
  
• 2018: 3:26:54 - Heavy downpours with 20-40 mph headwind
  
• 2020: 3:40:02 - Virtual 
• 2022: 3:33:04 - Recovering from Covid 
• 2024: 3:24:07 - Hot!

This was my 34th marathon and my 15th BQ.  I ran 25 minutes and 53 seconds under my BQ time. I placed in the top 6th percent of my age group (45-49). I'll say it was a very good day. 

Contrast this to 10 years ago when I was struggling to qualify, was completely demoralized by the heat, and took running way too seriously. This transformation is what Boston represents to me, and why I will continue to run it. 

Looking for more Boston Marathon content? Check out my original song, It's Raining Unicorns, on YouTube.