I didn’t really want to run the Naptown Half.

The race, which also includes a 5K and a 10K, has been around for a few years now, but I’ve never signed up for it because it’s always on the same day as the Santa Speedo Run. The Santa Speedo Run is NOT a competitive race; it’s a drunken stumble from O’Briens in downtown Annapolis to Church Circle and back, followed by a dance party. It also raises a lot of money for local charities. I’ve been participating in the Speedo Run for the last few years, and never want to miss the chance to run around downtown in my favorite skimpy, festive, probably highly flammable Amazon outfit.

But this year, the Speedo Run was on the 14th and the Naptown Run was on the 21st. It still wasn’t really on my radar until one of my friends from my old job at the local hospital said he was going to be in town and was thinking about signing up for the 10K. He asked me and a few of our other friends/old colleagues if we were interested, too. I said, what the hell, might as well run the half. This was back in September, when I was training for Ocean City. 

The fall flew by, I (disastrously) ran the Ocean City Marathon, and before I knew it, it was December. This is usually one of my favorite months of the year. Well, December 2024 was a little bit different. Without going into a ton of detail, we had a huge restructuring at work and a bunch of my colleagues got laid off. My original position with the company was eliminated, and I got reassigned to a new role. Was I thankful to still have a job? Of course! But anyone who has been through one of these situations knows just how stressful it is, and seeing friends and colleagues lose their jobs is devastating. Plus, it’s just weird to wake up one day and be expected to do one job, then the next day be in a whole new one. So yeah, that all put a damper on the whole month and it was hard to feel very holly and jolly.

The day before the race, I had to go pick up my bib and I was just in a sour mood. I didn’t feel like waking up super early and running a half marathon in the cold and wind. (After a string of really mild winters in Maryland, this winter is coming in with a bang.) But I reminded myself that running through Annapolis is always fun, and it’s not like it was going to be a PR attempt, so there was no pressure. I was going to run on vibes. 

So that’s what I did– and it went better than expected. 

The weather was about the same as it was for the Rehoboth Half, but I decided against wearing running tights under my Christmas themed shorts this time. And honestly, I was totally fine. Definitely cold while waiting for the race to start, but once I got going, I was pretty comfortable. 

I didn’t look at the course ahead of time, but I figured it would be pretty similar to the old Annapolis Running Classic half marathon I used to run, and it was. We started at the Navy stadium, ran through downtown and by the Naval Academy, then headed over the Naval Academy Bridge and to the B&A Trail. We were on the B&A for probably a little over 3 miles before heading back into Annapolis, running over the bridge for a second time, and finishing at the stadium. My favorite part was seeing a lot of friends on the out and back on the B&A! Also, someone, not sure who, told me I looked festive and fast, and it made my day.

Like I said, this was no PR attempt. I’ve done little to no speedwork since the marathon and haven’t been running more than 30-32 miles a week (that’ll be ticking up in a few weeks as I begin my Boston 2025 build!) But I felt surprisingly good. I started out running around a 7:30-7:35 pace, and it felt pretty comfortable. I was actually able to speed up quite a bit in the second half of the race, dropping down to 7:15-7:20 pace. The course is definitely hilly, but I did my best to take advantage of the downhills. 

I ended up finishing in 1:38:05, almost a minute faster than Rehoboth, which is a much easier course! Second in my age group and 8th overall female (this is also a way less competitive race than Rehoboth.) I think I would have dipped under 1:38 had I not been fighting a headwind the entire last mile and a half. That really sucked.  

But I was super happy with how I did, especially given my pissy attitude. This was a fun way to kick off my Christmas vacation, and I also got to catch up with some friends I don’t get to see nearly enough! 

Boston training officially begins on Monday, January 27, and I don’t have any races on my calendar until March, when I run the Shamrock Shuffle 10 Miler in Lewes, Delaware on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. 10 mile races are my favorite and I think it is the distance I am actually the strongest in, so I am hoping to run under 70 minutes. I also have a small 10K race on my schedule for the weekend after that. I may find another 10K to race before Boston, as I think my lord and savior Pfitzinger recommends one two weeks out.    

Looking forward to seeing what the rest of 2025 holds!