Race Recaps: 2015 to Now

 I haven’t written a race recap since 2014! I have definitely raced since then, and I like to keep track of what I liked/didn’t like about specific races.

2015

Marine Corps 17.75k (1:15:20, 1st female overall)

Pros: Beautiful trail course! Entering this race allowed me to get a “Golden Ticket” into the Marine Corps Marathon.

Cons: Narrow registration window, limited race competition, reported race time in the paper was wrong (used clock time not chip time).

Notes: This was a cold/windy race! I had a late dinner with wine, got drunk, and was dehydrated. I had to wait around a while for the awards ceremony. The trophy was ridiculously large for such a small race.

Navy Air Force Half Marathon (1:26:32, 11th female overall)

Pros: Predictable race after doing it a few times, easy registration.

Cons: None.

Notes: I remember not feeling well this year.

Marine Corps Marathon (3:13:20, 31st female overall)

Pros: Lots of road support, snacks after the race.

Cons: This year was TERRIBLE for check-in/security.

Notes: I accidentally left my watch at Nora’s place, so I didn’t know my pace for the race. Getting off the metro and into the security line was a mess. I’ve never seen it so disorganized. Even though I was in line early, other people were cutting, and security was slow. I ended up missing my corral, then they ended up letting us all through security, a bunch of us peed in the bushes, and I started with a really slow wave. I spent the first half of the race weaving in and out of people. My hamstring had been giving me issues through the year, and I ended up in serious pain for the final few miles. I was limping at the end. Not a good training season. Lots of late nights, broken hearts, and chaos this year.

2016

Urban Environmental Challenge 10k (44:02, 1st female overall)

Pros: Beautiful course in New York! Great prizes (AMAZING carrot cake).

Cons: Slow course, small trail.

Notes: This was the first race where I wore contacts and earrings. It was great to see every rock and root! I’m happy with my time because it was a tough trail course. I brought home the carrot cake from Lloyd’s to share with my coworkers, and they liked it. I would run it just for fun again.

Oakley New York Mini 10k (39:40, 15th female non-elite)

Pros: Elites at this race! Great course with some hills in Central Park.

Cons: Tough race after what seemed like a long break and no speed work, but that’s a personal issue. Some people might not like the huge field for a 10k.

Notes: A somewhat iconic race, it was a large field of runners. I loved the fellow women support, and it was cool to catch a glimpse of the elite runners. I was enjoying visiting NYC this year.

Great American 5K (19:07, 2nd female overall)

Pros: Locals know this common =PR= (Potomac River Running Store) course. 

Cons: Slow course.

Notes: I was happy to get below a 19:30 for this course. I felt like I was still struggling to get healthy legs this year.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Brooklyn Half (1:25:57, 5th female overall)

Pros: Money offered for top runners! Easy course.

Cons: A man ran with a woman’s bib, but they didn’t enforce this after the race. This happens a lot.

Notes: Although pricey, the Rock-n-Roll series of half marathons usually does a great job. I enjoy bands along the course and the live music festival after the race. I remember being particularly cold after this race, though, so I headed back to my Air BnB to get dressed and dry. Brooklyn is great for a race! I enjoyed going through the park at the end. I was surprised I ran so well because I was battling injuries during training.

St. Rita 5k (18:33, 6th overall female, 2nd age group)

Pros: This was 2 miles from my house, so it was very convenient for me. They let us stay inside before the race. Prize money means solid competition shows up!

Cons: Not a particularly pretty course.

Notes: I was VERY happy with the race time here, as a guy who broke up with me had just run a slower 5k time around this time. It’s the small things. I ran the least for this race, as I was focusing on lifting and fixing muscle imbalances with Coach Slobo.

Run for the Parks 10k (38:38, 3rd overall female)

Pros: Another =PR= series course, so it counts for annual points and you can use a race pass for it. Scenic run, but everyone knows there’s always a headwind on the return trip.

Cons: That headwind.

Notes: I had some good competition for this race. I remember being pushed the entire way.

Alexandria Turkey Trot 5mi (30:00, 10th female overall, 2nd in age group)

Pros: Great local race for Thanksgiving! Course goes through the neighborhood, I think.

Cons: Can’t remember.

Notes: Nora was in town for this race! Loved having her here. I had no business running this pace, but I think I was still dealing with low mileage and injuries.

2017

Prison Break 10k (41:05, 1st female overall)

Pros: Awesome location, cool festivities, great prizes (I got a brick and a bottle of wine for winning, as well as free candy cigarettes)

Cons: I think some of it runs over gravel and there’s some rough undulations/hills. It was hot.

Notes: I really enjoyed this race. Not my best time, but I was still rehabbing my injuries. This year was emotionally hard for me, as I had four friends die early in the year (+ late 2016). I began to focus more on art.

2018

Virginia Wine Country Half (1:32:50, 2nd female overall)

Pros: Beautiful wine country. Wine prizes.

Cons: Tough course that has some miles over gravel (just saps the energy from each step), and they were handing out Nuun instead of a sports drink with calories in it. Not a fan.

Notes: Training was a struggle. I remember barely finishing one of my 14 mile runs. I couldn’t recover properly from normal training runs. I couldn’t get my mileage up consistently without dealing with injury. I was trying to find a balance between lifting and running speed work. I felt wrecked. I’m surprised I even ran this well. I puked seconds after finishing the race. My boyfriend at the time came out to Harper’s Ferry with me for a weekend getaway, but he didn’t want to wake up to support me on the run/race, so driving right after this race was hard. I felt like I struggled the entire race. The lead for our pace group dropped out early too, so our group was leader-less, and it was the blind leading the blind.

2019

Reston Triathlon (1:42:42, 15th overall female, 4th in age group)

Pros: Lots of swag. Safe course. One lap swim. Easy bike. Shaded run.

Cons: None.

Notes: After a year of traveling a lot for work, I rewarded myself with doing a triathlon. I had no expectations, and I was hoping the cycling and swimming would balance my lack of being able to run high mileage. I freaked out during the swim (really warm water, hot day), but the paddle board/kayaker lifeguards were much help. I made up time on the bike (felt steady, tried to get just over 20mph averages), and I was proud of my run (I think sub-7:00 for the whole 10k). Very happy with my effort.

Glory Days XC 5K (20:27, 2nd overall female)

Pros: Cross-country race! How often do you get to run an XC race after college?

Cons: Don’t expect road race times, and there are no cons.

Notes: I couldn’t catch the girl ahead of me, but I was happy with my effort despite the lack of spikes, running through mud, dashing through grass, and enjoying some small hills. My legs were starting to cooperate after seeing a chiropractor. My dad died this month, and I had just visited him.

Run with Santa 5k (19:54, 5th overall female, 2nd in age group)

Pros: You know what to expect from =PR= races.

Cons: Usually not any, but this race had botched their finish results, and we waited around for nothing. I sent an e-mail for my prize, like they told us to, but I didn’t get a reply.

Notes: It was particularly cold/windy this morning! Since I was injured most of the year, I was trying to use my race pass to get as many last minute races before the year ended (just did two; gifted the other codes). My friend Justine ran the race with me. Neither of us has been able to run consistently over the past few years without injury, so we kinda both decided to run as hard as we could as long as we could. Some guy who was supposed to HELP direct the race was standing in the middle of the course at the start, causing all sorts of issues. He didn’t even try to move out of the way because runners were dodging him left and right. This course is usually an ass-kicker because the end has a slight incline in the last 800m somewhere. I was just glad to barely get under 20:00.

2020

COVID-19. No races. Subluxed/dislocated shoulder rehab most of the year. Couldn’t swim or cycle because of that too. Winter came, and I fell in love with ski touring.

2021

Second year of COVID-19 restrictions. Dislocated my shoulder again, got an MRI, just had surgery. I’m being hopeful for a good year of rehab and finally returning to racing in 2022. Bring on the triathlons, the skimo races, the long runs!