running

A fantastic day for the 50th anniversary of the Annapolis Ten Mile Run

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The Annapolis Ten Mile Run will always hold a special place in my heart. 

I was mainly a treadmill runner and group fitness enthusiast when I signed up for the 2013 race. I didn’t even really consider myself a runner then, though I had run a few 5K road races. I mainly signed up to give myself something to chase outside of work. At the time, I was covering county government for the local newspaper, making less than $35,000 a year to be available at what seemed like all hours of the days, nights and weekends. It was a lot, and I often felt overwhelmed and wondered what the hell I was doing with my life.

That first year, I ran it extremely hungover (because I had spent the day before partying on my now-husband’s boat) in 1:24 and was hooked. Soon I signed up for a half marathon, then another one. Then a marathon. Then I qualified for and ran Boston– 5 times now! I truly believe I have the A10 to thank for that.

I haven’t missed a year of the A10 since I first ran in 2013, except for 2020 and 2021 when the Covid pandemic forced its cancellation. This year, which also marked the 50th anniversary of the race, was my 11th time running it. 

And I ran my second fastest time ever on the course, finishing in 1:10:50, 10 seconds off my course PR from 2022! I won my age group and yes, got my mug this time – as well as the mug I was supposed to have gotten last year!   

Micah, who turned 50 at the end of August, also ran the race for the second time. He had run the 40th anniversary of the race when he turned 40, so it had been a full decade. He doesn’t run much these days and didn’t train at all, but did pretty well all things considered, finishing in just over 2 hours.    

Much like last year, the weather was fantastic. A little humid, but not even 70 degrees at the start of the race, truly a blessing for late August.

The A10 course is challenging and hilly. But it is also very scenic and there is a decent amount of crowd support for a small town race, which always helps pump up my mood. 

I also know the course very well after so many years of running it, which I think gives me a huge advantage. This was easily my best race since, well, last year’s A10. I ran three 10 milers during Boston prep: The Lewis 10 Miler in 1:18:00 (a prediction race where the first half is straight uphill), the Road Runners Club of America 10 Mile Challenge in 1:14:50 and the Shamrock Shuffle 10 Miler in 1:13:23. I actually won the Shamrock Shuffle, but was disappointed in my time, having expected to be closer to 1:10 in that pancake flat race. I did run it two days after a 20-mile long run, though.  

Aside from my familiarity with the course, this year’s race took place 3 weeks out from my September marathon, the Wicked Fast Poconos Marathon, and I felt like I was in peak shape thanks to many of the workouts my coach has given me over the past few weeks! I’ve run lower mileage this training block, but more workouts– each week has a track workout, a tempo run, and of course a long run, but always with marathon pace miles. It’s been tough, but fun, and I think my body is holding up well!  

The race takes you on a tour of historic Annapolis, starting at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and heading downtown, past the Naval Academy and over the Naval Academy Bridge (a tough climb that rewards you with amazing views at the top), through the Pendennis Mount community and then back over the bridge before ending at the stadium. As I mentioned earlier, the crowd support is great. The midshipmen staff a water stop at miles 4 and 9, and they are always cheering loudly and playing great music. Lots of residents of Pendennis Mount come out to support the runners as we run through their neighborhood. 

But my favorite part this year, hands down, was how many runner friends I saw on the course! I said before the race I probably knew a hundred people who were running, and that’s a low estimate. As soon as Micah and I got to the race that morning, I started bumping into people I recognized. “Geez, do you know everyone?” he said with a laugh. It was such a boost to see and hear “go Allison!” from others on the course. I really felt the love this year! A woman who was running near me around mile 7 even said “wow, you’re popular!” I guess this is what happens when you run your hometown race year after year!  

I kept up with the 1:10 group pretty well, but they pulled ahead somewhere around mile 6. Still, I was able to keep them in my sights pretty much the whole way until the finish line, and so I knew a 1:10:xx finish was in the cards. Around mile 8, I saw Coach Beth handing out lemonade and water. She had told our marathon training group she would be out there with refreshments, which was awesome, but at that point I was in too much of a hurry to stop, ha! She later said my running looked “effortless,” but let me tell you, I was definitely working hard at that point. The second trip over the Naval Academy Bridge was soul crushing!

But I am super pumped with how it went and it was a real confidence booster going into Wicked Fast next weekend. When I ran my A10 course PR three years ago, I went on to set my marathon PR later that fall in Chicago. I know my marathon PR is really solid and will be tough to ever beat. But maybe I can get closer to it than I think. I keep saying I’ll be happy with any time under 3:25, and I definitely think that’s reasonable. Plus, Wicked Fast is a point-to-point downhill– designed to run fast. Let’s go see what I can do out there!

Running up that hill: Recap of the Lewis Memorial 10 Miler

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A staple of the marathon training plans in Pete Pfitzinger’s Advanced Marathoning book are his long runs with marathon pace work. These runs, to me, are some of the most challenging in the plan. Even though I know I can run the marathon pace, and I have many times before, it is HARD to do it all alone in a training run. 

So, whenever I can, I try to find a race that fits in with the schedule that will allow me to practice the pace in a race environment. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t! 

The long run for the first week of Pfitz’s 12/55 plan that I am following for Boston was 13 miles with 8 at goal marathon pace. I am still not sure what my goal marathon pace is going to be – I’m not chasing a PR in Boston, just hoping to run a strong race – but I feel like somewhere in the 7:40-7:50 range is reasonable. 

When I saw the Lewis Memorial 10 Miler was happening on Feb. 1 near Frederick, I thought that might be a good opportunity to practice marathon pace. 

But this wasn’t your typical 10 mile race.  

For starters, it was straight up a mountain for the first 5 miles, then straight down it. (So, you were pretty much guaranteed to run negative splits!)

But the real catch is that it was a prediction style race, meaning you had to guess your predicted finish time before the race started and prizes were given out based on who came the closest to their prediction. No watches allowed! 

My last 10 miler was the A10 last August, which I ran in 1:11. However, with this elevation profile, I had zero clue what to expect. I predicted I would run a 1:18:30 (which was more or less in line with my goal marathon pace anyway.) 

The race started and ended at Mount St. Mary’s college in Emmitsburg, and I got there early enough to do a 2-mile warm up. When I checked in, the volunteers with Frederick Steeplechasers, who organize the race, asked me if I was OK with my predicted time. Sure, why not, I said. 

The first three-quarters of a mile or so of the race was mostly flat, with a few little rollers– but then the climbing began almost immediately. There was a pretty steep hill in the second mile – at least I think it was in the second mile, because not only were we not allowed to wear watches, there were also no mile markers! I was actually glad I didn’t have my Garmin on here, because I think my pace would have depressed me, ha! 

There were a few downhills during that first half, but it was mostly a climb. It was really tough! It sort of reminded me of Riley’s Rumble, except in that race, I felt like there was a lot of downhill in the first part and then some mean uphills in the second half. 

At one point during the first half, I ran past a water stop and asked the volunteers what mile we were at. “Mile 3!” they said. (Seriously? Only mile 3?)  

After lots more climbing, we finally reached what seemed to be the top of the mountain and then, thank goodness, we got to run down! So much downhill! I actually don’t consider myself to be a particularly strong downhill runner– for one, I am clumsy and always afraid I am going to trip and eat shit – but this felt so fun after the long uphills. Did my quads ache for two days afterwards? For sure! Again, no idea what my pace was, but I felt like I was flying! 

At one point, we ran past another water stop and the volunteers told us we had a little less than 3 miles left. The course flattened out a bit, then we got some more downhill, and then in the last mile leading back to Mount St. Mary’s– we had another long-ish uphill! It was all I could do not to walk at that point, but I knew I was so close. 

When I crossed the finish line, the clock said 1:18:00. So, I was exactly 30 seconds faster than my predicted finish! I was really happy with that! 

I thought I might get a prize based on how close my prediction was, but the top 3 closest guesses were within 10 seconds of their finish time. The funny thing is, I almost chose 1:18:00 as my prediction. Oh well! 

After the race, I ran a 1-mile cooldown to get to 13 miles for the day. My average pace for the race was 7:48/mile, so pretty in line with goal marathon pace (and I guess I did a little extra as far as the workout goes since my plan only prescribed 8 miles at goal pace.) 

I was also the fourth female finisher, so I was happy about that! 

This weekend, Pfitz has me running 16 miles with 10 at goal marathon pace and once again, I am running a 10 mile race: The Road Runners Club of America Club Challenge in Columbia, after a friend recruited me to run on the Bullseye Running team. The course has a reputation for being challenging and the race itself is very competitive, so even if I was planning to race it all out, which I am not, I have zero chance of placing! 

That said, I did practice the course with some friends over the weekend and it was hilly, but nothing like the Lewis 10 Miler! I’d compare it more to the A10. I am looking forward to it!

Recap of the 2024 Rehoboth Seashore Half Marathon

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Earlier this month, I participated in what has become an annual holiday tradition for me, the Rehoboth Seashore Half Marathon! Longtime readers/followers will know that I ran my first BQ at the Rehoboth Seashore Marathon 7 (!!!) years ago, and I’ve returned most years since then to run the half. It is flat, fast, and festive, with a hell of an after party!

Plus, I love Rehoboth, my family’s annual vacation spot for my entire life, and I will use any excuse to visit. If you’ve never gone during the holiday season before, I highly recommend it. It’s a magical time!

I had a blast as always this year, though I wouldn’t say I ran especially “fast” (remember, it is all relative.)

I wasn’t expecting to, either. My recovery from the dumpster fire that was the Ocean City Marathon has felt slower than my usual marathon recovery (is this aging?) A week before the half marathon, I ran my hometown’s annual Turkey Trot in 21:47, my slowest Turkey Trot in about 5 years. I hadn’t done any speed work since the marathon and it was super rainy, but I also went out way too fast. So I blew up in epic fashion. First mile was 6:26, last mile was 7:30. Nice. I did win my age group, so that was cool. 

Anyway, that didn’t inspire much confidence for the Rehoboth Half, but I told a few people ahead of time that I would probably run between 1:35 (if I was having a good day) and 1:40. In the end, I finished in 1:38:58. 

I’m sure there are people who will read this and think, hey, that’s fast! But like I said, it is all relative. My PR is 1:29! Last year, I ran a 1:31:45 on that same course when I was specifically training for half marathons. This year, I’d run Ocean City about a month prior and didn’t feel like I was really in race shape anymore, logging around 30 miles a week of all easy runs since then. So, my body was capable of a 1:38 during this race and that’s OK! 

Micah and I left for Rehoboth after work Friday, the night before the race and got to the beach in less than 2 hours – one of the reasons I love going in the off season! I grabbed my bib/race packet and then we headed to Dogfish Head for my usual pre-race meal of a veggie burger, fries, and beer. Except I decided to mix it up a bit this time and order mac and cheese instead of fries. Living on the edge! In the end, it was totally fine and I didn’t have stomach issues or anything. If you go to Dogfish, totally check out their mac and cheese. It is really good!  

Race day was cold. Really cold. Totally different than last year, when it was in the mid-50s and humid, and the year before, when it was about 60 and also humid. I am all about racing in the cold, so I wasn’t too concerned especially when I saw the start temperature would be around 30. No big deal! But then my friend Stacy, who was also running, pointed out that the windchill was forecasted to be around 13. Shit! I figured that was a little too cold for the outfit I had planned– red tank, green arm warmers, and shorts with Christmas gnomes on them. I ended up putting on my long sleeved red shirt from this year’s Baltimore Running Festival, the Christmas shorts, and black running tights underneath the shorts. I wound up regretting the leggings! I wasn’t too warm, but they just felt bulky with the shorts over top. 0/10 do not recommend unless you are someone who runs really cold. 

We stayed on the boardwalk literally a block from the start, which was so convenient because I could leave the hotel just before the race started at 7! We met Stacy at 6:45, she gave Micah her coat to hold, and then we lined up. It was very crowded at the start, which I think kept us from getting too cold! Before I knew it, we were off. 

The course for the half – and the course for the marathon, too– is really pretty. You start at the Rehoboth bandstand, head down Rehoboth Avenue and then wind around the neighborhoods around Silver Lake before going down the boardwalk. From there you go into Cape Henlopen State Park before turning around and running through Rehoboth toward the Breakwater and Junction Trail. You do an out and back on the trail before coming back into town and finishing by the Cultured Pearl restaurant. My only complaint about the course is that the trail is kind of rocky and depending on the weather, it can be a little muddy. But it is a very scenic course and I do think it’s a fast one!    

And even though I wasn’t running as “fast” as I did last year, I felt like the miles were just flying by and everything felt good. I paced it really well, running consistent 7:30-7:35 miles. No major blowups like in the Turkey Trot. I was happy about that! Before I knew it, I was turning that last corner toward the finish line. Stacy PR’d, finishing about a minute ahead of me! 

I collected my medal and space blanket and headed back toward the finish line to see a few other friends, Mindy and Rachel, finish their races. Then it was time to hit the party tent! As mentioned many times on this blog, the after party is pretty lit. Runners get 3 beer tickets with their bibs (you can also purchase beer bracelets for friends/family) and I’ve definitely partied pretty hard at the after party before. In 2022, I tripped, fell, and skinned my knee while reaching for a Fireball shot! Whoops! This year, the race directors cracked down on alcohol being brought in from outside, so there were no fireball shots handed out by “Team Fireball” this time. Probably a good thing, for me at least. I still had a blast, though I did take issue with the DJ refusing to play All I Want For Christmas Is You (“A lot of people don’t like that song,” he told me. Bah humbug!) 

This race is pretty competitive and I came in 5th in my age group. It was actually only the third race I ran this year where I didn’t get an age group or overall award – Boston, of course, and then Riley’s Rumble didn’t give out any awards at all. Oh well! 

I actually have one last race to run in 2024, the Naptown Half Marathon, this weekend! The weather looks really similar to the Rehoboth race. But I can tell you I won’t be wearing legging for this one! 

I received a free entry to the Rehoboth Beach Seashore Half Marathon as part of a partnership with The Vibe: A BibRave Network. Thank you so much for this opportunity!  

The Ocean City Running Festival Marathon: I puked, I rallied, I BQ’d

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I am really disappointed in how the Ocean City Marathon went. At the same time, I am also very proud of myself. Both things can be true! 

In summary, the marathon at the Ocean City Running Festival was a flaming dumpster fire. I went into the race, my 17th marathon, feeling really confident. I had nailed my training and thought if I had a great day, I could PR with a time of around 3:16-3:17. I thought if I had a good day, I could break 3:20. And if the day was just OK? Surely sub-3:25 was totally reasonable. 

Except I had a crap day where I puked my guts out and crossed the finish line in 3:32:34, my first time not breaking 3:30 in four years. It sucked, but I never gave up and kept on pushing when my entire body was telling me to quit. 

Here is my recap of the Ocean City Running Festival marathon! 

Micah, my sister Catherine, and I got to OC late afternoon the day before the race, hit the expo to get my bib, and headed to Shenanigans on the boardwalk for dinner so I could get my usual veggie burger, fries and beer. Last year before I ran (and won!) the half marathon, Shannon and I went there and I had 2 beers, so I decided to do the same this year! Everything felt fine. I didn’t feel weird or nauseous.

I woke up on race day just before my alarm went off, had my usual coffee, liquid IV, bagel and peanut butter. Got to the OC Inlet by 7 and saw Vanessa of She Runs By the Seashore, who was running the half. The weather was decent — around 50 at the start — but so windy, and I wasn’t a fan of that! Before I knew it, it was time to line up and we were off!

The marathon is an out and back, starting at the Inlet, going into Assateague State Park, and then back into Ocean City. I told myself I wouldn’t run faster than 7:40-7:45 splits for the first half, with plans to crank up the pace in the second half. And I stuck to that. I also took a 160-calorie Maurten gel at the start, plus I planned to take gels at miles 4, 8, 12, 16, and 21. I had two of the new 160 calorie Maurten gels with me, plus four 100 calorie gels.

I saw my husband and sister around the 10K mark, and I told them I was probably going to have to stop and pee, ha. I did dart quickly into a porta potty at mile 8, where I also had a little diarrhea seemingly out of nowhere (TMI, but it was a harbinger of what was to come!)

Overall, though, I was still feeling strong as we headed into Assateague. We passed the half marathon starting line, I saw some wild horses as well as some horse poop on the running path (I did not step in it) and I took my 4th Maurten gel (the second 160 cal gel) of the race at mile 12.

The turnaround point was at mile 12.5, and as soon as we turned, we were running smack into a fierce headwind. I knew that was going to get old real quick.

When the marathoners turned left to go back over the Verrazano Bridge out of Assateague, it was brutal. And it didn’t really let up— the next 9 miles of the race were back up 611 into the wind.

On top of that, this part of the race was where the marathon mixed in with the half marathon, a point-to-point race that began at Assateague. This led to a bottleneck and I got mixed in with runners who were running a slower pace than I was trying to go, so I was doing a lot of weaving around them.

Right around mile 14-15 is when I started to feel barfy, and I wondered if I’d be able to take a gel at mile 16 as planned. I decided to hold off, and then managed to choke one down at mile 18, figuring I needed the fuel because I could see my pace slipping. At mile 19 I saw my sis and husband again. Catherine asked me how I was feeling. “Like shit!” I yelled back.

I think it was around mile 20 or 21 that I stopped on the side of the road to see if I could puke, but nothing came out, so I soldiered on. Right before mile 23, I stopped again and that’s when I got sick. First time that’s ever happened to me in a race! A few runners stopped to see if I was OK, and I said I was. I felt better after I threw up, but of course my body was super depleted by then and I was just in survival mode. The last 3 miles were a shuffle back into Ocean City, down the boardwalk and back to the inlet. (I did not love the smell of the Dough Roller right there around mile 25.5, woof!!) 

At that point, I didn’t really care what my time was, because I knew I was nowhere near my goal anyway and I just wanted to finish. When I stopped my watch and saw 3:32, I was sort of pleasantly surprised because those last miles felt like a death march. I still managed to qualify for Boston! We’re currently in the 2026 qualifying window, and I’ll be 45 for Boston 2026, meaning my BQ time under the standards that were updated this fall is now 3:45. So I actually BQ’d with a really solid cushion. Yay for aging up! Getting older is not so bad! 

I found out later I won my age group, too. So, I guess maybe it wasn’t a total trainwreck, even if it felt like it! 

Micah and Catherine met me just after I crossed the finish and Catherine said I looked super pale and insisted I go to the medical tent. The kind volunteers gave me chips and water and I felt pretty good after that.

Good enough to get my life together and spend the afternoon shopping in Rehoboth, and I even made it out to Seacrets that night to celebrate! Since it was two days after Halloween, Catherine and I decided to dress up, but we were the only ones who did. What is up with that, Ocean City? That phallic-shaped thing on my sister’s head is a shark fin, in case you are wondering. And yes, I wore my finisher’s medal out proudly.

What the hell happened? 

Ugh. The million dollar question! Sure wish I knew. 

I did wake up feeling really dehydrated the day before the race, which I blamed on the two Pumking beers I drank the previous night on Halloween. But I made sure to drink tons of water and Liquid IV throughout the day, and it’s not like I was hungover or anything. As I mentioned above, I usually love to have a beer or two the night before a race (carb loading!) So it wasn’t like I did anything that crazy for me. 

Maybe it was the heavier Maurten gels. I usually take five 100 calorie gels throughout a marathon (sometimes four if my stomach is being funky and I can’t get the fifth one down.) This has always worked well for me. In fact, I ran Boston 2023 on only three Maurten gels when mine fell out of my flipbelt, and I finished in 3:19! I have been reading a lot online about how more fuel is better, and for the most part I agree, but…. Maybe I overdid it here? 

Or hell, maybe I just had a bad day! 

As for what’s next, I am running my hometown Turkey Trot next week (5Ks, yuck) and then two half marathons, the Rehoboth Seashore Half on Dec. 7 that I run every year and then the Naptown Half in Annapolis two weeks later. I don’t really have any time goals for any of these races aside from just doing the best I can. I’m back to running a few times a week, all easy runs, no workouts. Long runs on the weekends will be 10-12 miles at the most. Last year in Rehoboth, I finished the half in 1:31 and was bummed about it! I’ll be thrilled to finish in 1:35-1:37 this year, but hey, maybe I will still have some marathon training fitness that will help me.

And then of course, Boston again in April – but I won’t start seriously training for that until January. Currently debating how hard I want to train for it. Part of me wants to go balls to the wall and try to redeem myself after Ocean City, and part of me wants to follow a lower level Pfitz plan and just have a fun time in Boston. I’ve run 3:26 and 3:27 marathons off the 12 week Pfitz plan that peaks at 55 miles per week, so I could still run a strong for me race.

Anyway, I have time to decide! For now, I am relaxing a bit! 


I received a free entry to the Ocean City Running Festival as part of a partnership with The Vibe: A BibRave Network. Thank you so much for this opportunity!  

I ran a sub-90 minute half marathon at Rock ‘N Roll D.C.

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After three failed attempts last fall, I finally did it. I broke 90 minutes in the half marathon at the St. Jude Rock ‘N Roll D.C. Half Marathon on St. Patrick’s Day weekend! My official time was 1:29:27, good enough to win my age group and finish among the top 50 females at the race. 

I’m honestly still on cloud 9. Yes, Boston has been the focus of my training, but the desire to run a sub-90 half never went away and when I registered for Rock ‘N Roll D.C. a month out from Boston, I definitely thought “maybe this is my shot.” And it was! 

Here is my recap of my first sub-90 half marathon! 

I was originally registered to run the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler – I had gotten in as a seeded runner, meaning I was able to bypass the lottery because of my time at Cherry Blossom 2022 (still my 10 mile PR.) But when I registered, I did not realize it was 8 days before Boston and I knew I did not have the discipline to not race it all out …. So I transferred my bib to an Instagram friend’s husband. That’s when I decided to register for Rock ‘N Roll D.C. on March 16. I had run this race before, wayyyy back in 2015, as I trained for the Pittsburgh Marathon. I ran a then PR of 1:46 on a day with torrential downpours. I really enjoyed the course, even though the weather blew. I knew there were some rolling hills, but nothing crazy (or so I remembered!) I also ran the marathon, which no longer exists, in 2016. So I decided to register for the 2024 race. 

I wasn’t expecting there to be any pacers, as I couldn’t find anything on the website that said anything about pace teams. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out there was a 1:30 pacer, whom I met at the expo the day before the race. He told me he planned to go out slightly ahead of pace due to the infamous hill in Rock Creek Park. I did remember that hill from when I ran the half marathon and marathon years ago, but didn’t think it was going to be all that bad. (Spoiler alert: It was.)

On race day, I got up extremely early and got to D.C. by 6 am, even though the race wasn’t starting until 8. Ridiculously early, yes, but I was still scarred from my experience getting to the Annapolis Running Festival so damn late. At least I wasn’t rushed!! I checked my bag, used the porta potties about 100 times, LOL, chatted with other runners, and did a 1-mile warmup before hopping into my corral around 7:45. The weather was perfect. Low 50s, very little wind. The cherry blossoms were also blooming and looked beautiful! It was sunny enough that I didn’t wear arm warmers with my tank top and shorts, and felt very comfortable as soon as I started running. 

Rock ‘N Roll D.C. is a big race – over 13,000 people in the half, I think. (There is also a 5K.) I was put in corral A, just behind the elites, and the course was initially very crowded and I felt boxed in at the beginning. My goal pace was 6:50, but I ran the first mile around the National Mall in 7:07, which did not inspire much confidence for the rest of the race. Still, I told myself it was only the first mile. Lots of time to make up the difference.  

Mile 2 was a 6:52 – OK, much better, and I was locked in with the pace group by then. There were probably about 15 to 20 of us running with the pacer, and we were almost elbow to elbow as we ran across Arlington Memorial Bridge and back.

Those miles flew by, and I ran a 6:39 for mile 3 and a 6:18 (maybe?! The buildings could have messed up my Garmin) for mile 4. At that point, I was like, shit. 6:18 is faster than my 5K PR pace, so the fact that I ran that fast so early in a half marathon – if it was indeed accurate – was a bit alarming. But I was feeling pretty good and was able to get down a Maurten gel, and I continued to hang with the pace group. At that point, we were running down Rock Creek Parkway, and I knew the Rock Creek hill would be a little more than halfway through the race. The next few miles were also ahead of pace, but they were pretty flat: 

Mile 5: 6:43 

Mile 6: 6:36

Mile 7: 6:44

The hill came around mile 7.5. And. It was SO MUCH WORSE than I remembered. Heartbreak Hill ain’t got nothing on this incline. The Naval Academy Bridge is a piece of cake in comparison. This hill crushed my soul and I thought my race was over when I got to the top of it and the pacer left me (and a bunch of others) in the dust. I almost wanted to walk for a second, but there were so many spectators lining the course there, including a sergeant yelling “come on! It’s only a speed bump! Get to the top!” Haha. When my watch beeped for mile 8, I saw I had run a 7:06, so I definitely slowed down significantly, but not as much as I’d feared. But still, getting back up to speed wasn’t easy and I had lost track of the pacer, which was discouraging. I told myself to just do the best I could. 

I had been told that the race course was mostly flat and downhill after you turn onto Calvert Street following the Rock Creek hill, but honestly, that’s BS. There are a lot of rollers in the later part of the race. But I was able to drop my pace to sub-7s again. The race was definitely getting harder and the sun was glaring in my eyes despite my sunglasses, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. 

Mile 9: 6:58

Mile 10: 6:41

I hadn’t set my Garmin to elapsed time, and I actually had no idea how much longer I had to break 90. And I can’t really do math under the best of circumstances, so forget about trying to do it in a half marathon. I just tried to run as fast as I could, and I threw down some surprisingly fast miles in the final 5K of the race. There were more spectators around at that point as we headed toward the Capitol, but to be honest, I was so in the zone that I can’t remember much.

Mile 11: 6:37

Mile 12: 6:26

Just after I hit mile 12, I saw the pacer right up ahead of me! I had caught up! I thought he was probably aiming to finish just under 1:30 and I told myself, just hang on. You’re almost there. You might really be going sub-90! The main thing I remember is that around mile 12.5, the last band on the course (as it’s a Rock ‘N Roll race, there are bands every mile or two) was playing a rendition of the ‘90s R&B slow jam by Mint Condition, Pretty Brown Eyes. Love me some ‘90s R&B, but that was an interesting choice late in a half marathon. 

I ran mile 13 in 6:53, made the final turn toward the finish line, and gunned it as best I could. I’ve  never been great at that final kick, but I ran the final 0.29 (guess who was crap at running the tangents? I was probably weaving around other runners too much in the earlier part of the race) in 1:44. I immediately stopped my watch and saw 1:29:29 (official time was 1:29:27), let out a scream, and went up to the pacer and hugged him. My pace according to my Garmin was 6:44/mile over 13.29 miles. Again, I did not excel at running the tangents in this crowded race. Maybe if I’d run an actual 13.1, I could have been under 1:29! Oh well.   

Why did I finally succeed at sub-90?

My theory is that I finally accomplished my goal because I have been running higher mileage this spring. I’ve averaged around 60 miles per week in my Boston training, and have peaked at 65 miles per week. I am a runner who frankly does better when running a lot of miles. Less is not more for me. I saw a major breakthrough in my marathon time when I increased my training mileage from an average of 42-45 miles per week to an average of 52-53. Then I had another big PR when I started averaging 60+ miles each week. I am probably lucky that my body can handle that kind of training load and that I have the time to fit all the miles in – not everyone can, or wants to, of course. Last fall, when I first started trying to break 90, my weeks averaged around 55 miles and I only broke 60 miles per week twice in my 12-week training plan. That may not have been enough to accomplish my goal, even though I was doing way more half marathon specific pace work. Anyway, that’s what I think!   

Now it’s on to Boston! I was aiming for a 3:15, but this half time indicates I could be a little faster than that. Of course, Boston is a tough course and the weather is unpredictable at best…. But I am feeling optimistic and excited! 23 days to go!  

Third time wasn’t the charm for sub-90: The 2023 Rehoboth Seashore Half Marathon

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The Rehoboth Half was my last ditch attempt at a sub-90 minute half marathon this fall. 

Third time wasn’t the charm for me. I finished in 1:31:45, another very modest PR – this time by 12 seconds. 

Honestly, though, I am not nearly as disappointed as I was after I finished Richmond. It was still a PR. I got second in my age group and finished 8th overall female out of more than 1,000 women. And, as I’ve written on my blog before, the after party at this race is insanely fun. You will not find a better after party at any race, anywhere! So, I went into this race knowing that even if it was a total shit show, I was going to have a great time. 

It wasn’t a total shit show (just a minor shit show, really), and I definitely did have a great time! Here’s how it went down.

Before the race 

On Thanksgiving Day, I ran the Turkey Trot in my hometown of Greensburg, PA, which I do every year. The course is brutal and hilly, but I ran a pretty significant course PR of 20:19 (previous fastest time on this course was 20:45.) So that was a huge confidence booster going into the half marathon. The weather was expected to be in the low 50s for the race, which is pretty good. No rain or crazy winds. Last year, it rained quite a bit for my final three miles of the half – I felt bad for the marathoners! 

My sister Catherine came to town the day before the race and she, Micah and I headed down to Rehoboth after I wrapped up work. Speaking of weather, it actually was disgustingly rainy that Friday, so the two-hour drive to the beach took more than 2.5 hours! We met up with Shannon, who was also running the half, once we got there and had dinner and drinks at Dogfish Head, then headed to the condo I rented near Lewes.

By the time I got into bed, it was close to midnight, which was not ideal. Sure enough, when I woke up the next morning, my Whoop told me I got less than 5 hours of sleep and my resting heart rate was elevated. Great! (I should know better than to look at that thing on race morning, to be honest. What good does it really do?)

Race day!

We got to downtown Rehoboth around 6:20, so I had plenty of time to use the bathroom before the 7 am race start. I ran into my friend Vanessa, who told me she saw a 1:30 half marathon pacer. I was excited about that, because I wasn’t expecting one! As in Richmond, there were quite a few of us who formed a pack around the 1:30 guy (there were also a bunch of marathoners running with the 3:00 pacer, so for the first few miles we were running with that group as well.) 

We went off promptly at 7 and I felt pretty warm almost immediately. Even though it was only in the 50s, it was more humid than I was expecting. I wore a tank top and shorts and wished I’d had a crop top or sports bra on instead. The first few miles felt OK. Not amazing. I was grabbing water at the water stations and pouring it on myself because I was that warm. They changed the course for this race a few years ago, and now you get to run the whole length of the boardwalk. Unfortunately, because it had rained quite a bit the previous day, the boards were slippery!

We also went out hot – too hot. My splits for the first three miles were 6:49, 6:42, and 6:51. Then we split mile 4 in 6:44. Yikes. My goal pace was 6:50-6:52, so well ahead of what I should have been running. But again, I felt OK, if not fantastic. I saw Catherine and Micah on the boardwalk around the mile 3 mark, and that pumped me up! 

The half marathon splits off from the marathon at Cape Henlopen State Park, and then the half marathoners run back through the neighborhoods in Rehoboth and then onto the Junction and Breakwater Trail. I was still running with the pack then and we ran mile 5 in 6:57, mile 6 in 6:56 and mile 7 in 6:51. I saw Catherine and Micah again at mile 6. Catherine was SO loud, haha! It is always nice to have such enthusiastic spectators!

Catherine got this pic of me around mile 6!

Unfortunately, right after I saw them is when my race basically started to go off the rails and each mile got progressively slower until the final mile of the race. Womp womp.

You start to enter the Junction and Breakwater Trail around mile 8, which is mostly crushed gravel/dirt. I’m very familiar with the trail, given that I’ve run this race many times in the past and I run on the trail when I’m in Rehoboth for vacation. It’s not what I would call technical, but because of the previous day’s weather, it was muddier and more slippery than usual, and I was definitely afraid of tripping and falling. I clocked a 7:00 flat for mile 8, and a 7:14 for mile 9, but the terrain wasn’t the only reason I was slowing down. I was simply paying for the earlier, too fast miles. I also had planned to take a Maurten gel halfway through the race, but then just like in Richmond, didn’t feel like I could stomach it. Need to figure that out! 

Once I hit mile 10 (7:17), I told myself the after party was waiting and I’d be there soon. The 1:30 pacer had left me in the dust at that point, but I was trying to smile and wave at runners who were running in the opposite direction. 

The next two miles heading back to the town of Rehoboth continued to trend downward – 7:20 and 7:22 for miles 11 and 12. 

I was able to pick up the pace during mile 13 (7:03). When I turned the last corner to run toward the finish, the man running next to me said, “come on, let’s go, we’ll be under 1:32” and I mustered all of my energy to have somewhat of a finish line kick – never really my strong point – and finish in 1:31:45.

Was I disappointed? Yes, but not devastated. I knew sub-90 was always going to be tough. I met up with Micah and Catherine, sat down for a few minutes, then headed back to the finish line area for Shannon. She had a great race, and finished 15 minutes faster than she did in Ocean City!

Then, it was on to the after party! (Honestly, I think this is the whole reason my sister came down to cheer me on! Haha!) Runners get three beer tickets for Dogfish Head beer, and your friends and family can buy their own wristbands and have access to the beer and food. There’s a DJ, and he always plays such fun music, especially for those of us in our 40s (since we all love our ‘80s and ‘90s music.)

“Do the limbo holding your award”

Last year, I tripped and skinned my knee reaching for a shot of Fireball at the after party, so I said not doing that was my main goal this year aside from breaking 90 minutes. I turned down several offers to take a shot this time, so at least I accomplished one of my goals.

Lessons learned and what’s next

Well, in Captain Obvious takes, going out too fast will blow up my race. I’m not mad at the pacer by any means, but maybe I shouldn’t rely on them too much. I’ve had such good luck with pace groups in marathons, though! 

As for what’s next, I am shelving the sub-90 half marathon goal for the time being, only because I am not signed up for any more half marathons in the near future. I’m taking some down time before I start training for the Boston Marathon in January. I am signed up for a 5K on Christmas Eve, which I will race, but I don’t have any big goals for it. Other than that, so far I am only registered for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in April, two weeks before Boston. I was able to use my 2022 Cherry Blossom time – still my 10 mile PR – to get in as a seeded runner and bypass the lottery, so I am excited about that. 

I’m optimistic that my half marathon training block set me up well for this spring. My 1:31 half time indicates a marathon time in the low 3:10s, and I would love to break 3:15 in Boston! I know it is a hard course, but it will also be the fourth time I have run it, so I have that on my side. 

Also! I asked my husband to sign me up for a “bonus” spring marathon for Christmas. I told him I wanted it to be after Boston and before Memorial Day, so I’ll find out what he signed me up for on Christmas. I can’t wait!

100 miles in one month: Mission accomplished!

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I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions. It’s not that I’m not a goal-oriented person. But it always makes more sense to me to set personal goals on my birthday than on New Year’s. (This could be because I think New Year’s is the most overblown, overhyped holiday out there. But I digress.)

That said, I LOVE a good challenge, especially when there is a competitive edge to it! So I am happy to announce that I completed my friend Matt’s annual 25/50/75/100 Mile Challenge for the month of January.

The rules are simple: You choose your goal (could be 25, 50, 75 or 100 miles) and commit to completing that mileage by Jan. 31. Every time you finish a run, you log your miles and report them to Matt, who keeps a daily leaderboard that he posts in a private Facebook event. Several dozen of his friends signed up for the challenge, and it’s so fun to see all the participants proudly reporting their miles each day — especially because not everyone is a hardcore runner. It’s inspiring to see people who insist they aren’t runners crush their goals!

Since I am training for yet another marathon, I knew reaching 100 miles would not be a problem for me, but I thought I’d get there sooner than I did. I hit 100 on Jan. 26, after being sick with a nasty cold/cough the week earlier that ruined my long run plans for last weekend. And as I said, having a friendly competition is a powerful motivator! I knew my friend Kree (Matt’s wife) would be at 100 miles on Jan. 26, so I made sure I met my goal that night — even though it was Friday night and I totally did not feel like getting on the treadmill. But I ran those last five miles anyway!

Then the next day, I ran 16 miles in keeping with my marathon training plan — so I am now at 116 miles for January. I should be able to finish out the month somewhere in the low 120s. I was hoping to be in the 130s, and I probably would have been had I not gotten sick. But what can you do? It is cold and flu season, after all.

January is my least favorite month by far — it’s cold (though we’ve had some mild days the past week), the holidays are over and spring and summer feel SO far away. Having a goal definitely makes the month go by faster — which is probably why I just can’t quit spring marathons!

Speed work makes the dream work

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…. or something like that.

As I mentioned before, I’m following Hal Higdon’s Advanced 2 marathon training plan as I prepare for the Rehoboth Marathon. It’s far more challenging than the plan I’ve followed previously, incorporating hill repeats, speed workouts and a total of three 20-mile long runs leading up to the race. (My old plan had me running one 20-miler before the taper.) But let’s talk about those speed workouts.

This is my first time doing Yasso 800s, which are supposed to be a way to predict your marathon finishing time. They’re named for Bart Yasso, longtime race services manager at Runner’s World magazine and a seasoned marathoner and ultramarathoner. (I’m reading his book now — review to come!)

Basically, Yasso realized that he could gauge his marathon time based on how long it took him to run 800 meters, or a half-mile. If you can run, say, 800 meters (two laps around your typical high school track) in four minutes, you will likely bang out a four-hour marathon. Training to run a 3:30 marathon? Then run your Yasso 800s in three minutes and 30 seconds. You get the idea. Here’s the whole history of Yasso 800s and how Bart came up with the concept.

With the plan I am following, I’m running my 800s every third week. I started with four repeats three weeks ago and will progress up to eight repeats. In between each 800-meter sprint, I jog for 400 meters to recover. I’ve been shooting for 800s in 3:35. My Boston qualifying standard is 3:40, but I’m trying to give myself a solid cushion, so a 3:35 marathon is my ultimate goal! It means I need to knock seven minutes off my marathon time– definitely not impossible.

I’m not going to lie — speed work is not my favorite thing to do. In fact, I think it kind of blows. So I’m hoping this is as effective as the pros say! Three weeks ago, I went to the track at the local high school and ran my 800s as the football team practiced in the background. Tonight, it was pouring, so I ran my five repeats on the treadmill. Works just as well.

Not everyone believes in the total accuracy of the Yasso 800s — this article notes there’s no scientific data to back up its legitimacy as a time predictor. So we’ll see! Regardless, it’s certainly challenging my body and helping me to mix up my training.

The Annapolis Ten Mile Run: My favorite race of the year

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It’s fitting that I kick off this blog by talking about the Annapolis Ten Mile Run, which I ran for the fifth time on Sunday.

The A10 is the first major race I ever did, and I believe it’s what made me a marathoner.
Back when I signed up for my first A10, on a whim, in 2013, I was a loyal gym-goer and a regular treadmill runner who was a little intimidated by the idea of running in a race with thousands of other runners. What if I totally sucked and embarrassed myself? But I decided to take a leap and run it anyway.

The day before the 2013 A10, I spent the day on my now-husband’s boat, carbo-loading with beer after beer. My sister partied so hard that she ended up in the Chesapeake Bay. Needless to say, when I woke up the next morning, I was in rough shape. But I powered through. I mean, I almost puked around mile 5, but I finished strong and wanted to sign up for the following year’s A10 almost immediately.

Lesson learned: No more than one beer (OK, maybe two!) before a long race! I’ve mostly stuck to that ….

In the years since, I’ve run countless 10-milers, a dozen half-marathons and three marathons. I like to say the 2013 A10 was my gateway drug. It made me fall in love with racing, and it made me proud to be a part of Annapolis’ wonderful running community.

The weather could not have been more perfect for the 2017 A10. And any runner knows what a difference the weather can make! A hot, humid day can really slow you down– and since the A10 is always the last weekend of August, well, there have been some muggy race days. On Sunday morning, the temperature was in the high 60s, the sun was shining and there was no humidity whatsoever (a rarity for a summer day in Maryland.)

The A10 follows the same route every year. Runners start at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and head through historic downtown Annapolis before running over Weems Creek and the Naval Academy Bridge. Then, you run miles 4.5-7.5 through the Pendennis Mount neighborhood before heading back toward the bridge (yes, you run over it twice. And yes, it’s steep and challenging!) Runners finish at the stadium.

The race is hilly, but I think the difficulty is what makes it appealing for a lot of runners. But aside from that, the course is so scenic. Running over the Naval Academy Bridge may kill your quads, but you’re rewarded with the most beautiful view at the top. The crowd support and the volunteers are just awesome, too. One surprise this year– a group of nuns in full habits who were out cheering on the runners around mile 9.5. Maybe they thought the runners needed some extra prayers!

The Annapolis Striders, the local group who organizes the race, also don’t skimp on the swag. Aside from the hoodies runners got as the finisher’s premium, we also got hats and these fantastic commemorative bottle openers:

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I finished the race in 1:15:37, my personal best for the 10-mile distance! I felt like the race went by SO fast, probably because I know the course so well at this point. I truly loved every mile.

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My friend Kree and I. We both PR’d!

I’m actually running another 10-mile race in two weekends — the Bottle and Cork Ten-Miler in Dewey Beach, Del.– so we’ll see how my times compare. That’s a much flatter course, but the weather can be just as hot and sticky.

Thanks to the Annapolis Striders for putting on another quality A10! I’ll see you next year!