All of a sudden, it’s September and I am signed up for a race every single weekend.

I started training for the Ocean City Half Marathon the second week of August, with a goal of breaking 90 minutes. (Current PR from Rehoboth last year is 1:33.) One thing about me is that doing speedwork – which is absolutely necessary for me if I want to run a sub-90 half – is not my favorite. So, I signed up for a bunch of races because I’d so much rather run fast in a race than on my own around my neighborhood or the track! 

Here’s what I have been up to, and what is coming up next! 

Dreaded Druid Hills 10K: 46:32

Remember when I said in a recent post that the Firecracker 10K was my slowest in a few years? Ha, well, this race now holds that distinction. It definitely lives up to its name! I had run it before, in 2019, and to be honest never really planned to run it again. But then my friend Kree asked me to run it with her and I said OK. Four years ago, I ran the race in 50:06, and this year I was significantly faster – yet it was somehow so much harder than I remembered! Maybe I was pushing harder. The hills in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore are STEEP and there are also a lot of switchbacks. It is easily the hardest 10K I have ever run. I even stopped to walk a few times – no shame. Somehow I managed to win my age group and come in 5th female. I won a $10 gift card to Falls Road Running, and the swag for the race was on point – I got a pint glass and a really nice Nike tank top. So I suppose it was worth the suffering. Kree and I joked afterwards that maybe this is an “every four years” race.

Annapolis Ten Mile Run: 1:11:10

If you’re a longtime follower, you know this is my favorite race. Yes, it is hilly (uh, nothing like Dreaded Druid Hills, though!) and yes, it is hot and humid, but I LOVE IT and this was the 10th anniversary of the first time I ever ran it! 

At this point, I basically know the course like the back of my hand and I think that helps a lot. In 2022, I ran this six weeks out from the Chicago Marathon and pulled off a 1:10 at the end of a 62-mile week. I didn’t think I was in as good shape this year; I have been running a lot, but nowhere near the mileage I was running a year ago. This year, the A10 was at the end of a week that was “only” 52 miles of training. Ha. 

Still, I hoped to be around 1:10-1:12, so I was really happy with my finish. I came in 2nd Masters female and 12th female overall – even though I was 24 seconds faster last year, I was ranked higher this year. Funny how that works out. You just never know who is going to show up and how stiff the competition will be.

Ellicott City Labor Day 10K: 42:46

Um, what a nice surprise this was!    

I had, like, ZERO intention of running a race this weekend. But then my friend Danielle messaged me and told me I should run – she thought I could probably win and that there were cash prizes. I looked at last year’s results and saw the winning female finished in 50 minutes, and thought, OK, well…… what the hell. 

Did I win? No. The female winner this year ran it in 38 minutes, and I knew I couldn’t catch her within the first half mile. 

But I came in second and won $50! 

Best of all, though, was how strong I felt on a challenging course. It wasn’t as hilly as Dreaded Druid Hills, but hillier than the A10. However, the beautiful weather certainly helped. It was in the 50s at the start! I wish that taste of fall had lingered a bit longer. It left as quickly as it came and this past week it’s been in the 90s with high humidity. Gross. 

That was a wonderful start to Labor Day weekend!

What’s next? 

Here’s what’s on tap for me for September and October: 

September 10: Police Pace 10K. Running this race as a speed workout! I finished second female last year, so we’ll see how I do this year! 

September 16: Lehigh Valley 50K. Impulsively signed up for this after my friend Staci told me about it. Haven’t run more than 14 miles since Boston. I plan to treat this like a very long and very easy paced training run – may the odds be ever in my favor! 

September 24: Historic Stevensville Metric Half Marathon: I love a quirky race distance and I’ve never raced 13.1K (8ish miles). Really looking forward to this one! 

October 1: Annapolis Striders Metric Marathon. See above! This one has been on my list forever; it’s just never fit into my training before. Excited to race 26.2K!

October 14: Cape May 5K. Ugh, 5Ks. But I love Cape May and I am excited to go there for a fall girls weekend. And it takes place at a winery. Who doesn’t love that?

October 28: Ocean City Half!   

What races are you excited for this fall?