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.   ThursdayFor my ..read more

On Saturday morning I ran the PVTC Easter Classic 5K with my friends Allison and Cheryl. My main goal was to celebrate Allison's birthday at brunch and she just happened to be running this race, so Cheryl and I joined her. My original plan had been to run my last long run before Boston on Saturday, but it was easy enough to move that long run to Sunday, and just run it slower if my legs were tired from the race. I got to the race in what I thought was plenty of time to get my bib and warm up. But I ended up not having enough time to warm up. This was mostly due to the fact that the timing chip ..read more

I’m making my 4th trip to Boston for my 5th Boston Marathon in a few weeks. I know that sounds weird, but I ran the virtual in 2020 and I totally count it! My first Boston Marathon was 2016. I ran it again in 2018, 2020, and 2022. I think every two years is a good way to run it regularly while still keeping it special. I’m considering of moving to every four years (the leap years) after this race. That is, of course, if I keep qualifying. Training has looked different for me this cycle because the One City Half Marathon was my goal race. I tapered for it and recovered from it which meant t ..read more

The title of this blog post gave away the ending! Now let’s start at the beginning. This morning I ran the Newport News One City Half Marathon. This was my goal race for the spring, and I trained specifically for it. Even though I am running the Boston Marathon in April, I oriented all of my training towards a half marathon. In my training I focused primarily on half marathon pace and 10K pace. My goal was to work on improving my lactate threshold. My longest run was 15.5 miles, which included 2 x 3 miles at half marathon pace. Coming off of a 40:31 PR in the 10K four weeks ago (on a hill ..read more

I asked my Instagram followers to name one thing they've learned from me. The answers spanned a wide range of topics but mostly fell into the following themes: Consistency/dedication Running form Mindset Faster with age Fueling Wardrobe/dressing for runs I've highlighted my favorite ones!  1. Relax while running  2. Gained some confidence  3. Beets and beet juice as a performance enhancer 4. Fueling is important! Have a fueling plan and stick to it. Also not to try new fuels for a race. 5. Enjoy the process of making gradual progress 6. How to run! 7. Zebras are awesome! 8 ..read more

The actual name of the race I ran this morning is "For The Love of It" 10K, but I'm going to assume the "it" refers to "a hilly course". I knew what I was getting into with this race. This was my third time running this race, and 4th if you count the summertime version on the same course. Even though it's challenging, this course held my PR from 2017 to 2020, so it can be fast if you stay strong on the hills and take advantage on the declines. In 2017 I ran a time of 41:51. In 2020 I ran a time of 43:43, just coming off an injury. My goal today was to set a course PR and ideally a distance PR ..read more

Yesterday morning I ran the New Year New Day 5K in Ashburn, VA. This race was a last-minute decision for me. I was pretty sure I was NOT going to run a New Year's race because I had done two 10Ks in December-- one of which I didn't blog about because there wasn't too much to say! But as I was putting together my training plan I realized that I had speed work on tap for Monday, and that also happened to be New Year's Day. Whenever I can run my speed workout in a race, I do it! I like being in the race environment and seeing my friends. The fact that my friend Cheryl would be the official race p ..read more

"Going the extra mile" is one of the most popular running cliches/puns out there. Never has it been so applicable to my running career as it was during yesterday's 10K.  Background I registered for the Jingle All The Way 15K a few months ago which was scheduled to occur today, Sunday. But as the race drew closer, the weather started looking miserable. Rain, wind, humidity, and warm temps. That's just not fun for me. So on Wednesday I made the decision to pivot and run the Ringing In Hope 10K which was scheduled for Saturday. The Saturday race was forecast to have perfect weather. I love ..read more

I did not have any goals or this year's Turkey Trot due to its proximity to the Richmond Marathon, just 12 days prior. I knew that I would still have my marathon fitness, but my legs were still recovering. I took 8 days off after the marathon and resumed the Monday before Thanksgiving, with a very short run of only 15 minutes. In addition to recovering from the marathon, I had caught a cold two days post race. By Monday it had been a full week since I got sick and I had all of my energy back. The congestion lingered, however. I ran short and easy runs on Tuesday and Wednesday and both of those ..read more

Even though I have now run 33 marathons, I learn something new each cycle. Sometimes I learn something I already knew, but yet forgot along the way. And often my training confirms what I already suspected, but wasn't 100% sure about.  Disclaimer: these lessons are unique to me and might not be applicable to the running population in general. There's nothing magic about a 20-miler I only ran one 20-miler this cycle and nothing longer. During winter training it makes sense for me to run multiple 20's and even bump it up to 22. But when I am struggling in the heat, I need to run the shortest ..read more