by milesflyby

Tri Goddess Tri Recap

At first it looked like I might only do a couple triathlons this season – Island Lake Triathlon at the beginning of June and the Battle of Waterloo at the end of July. I didn’t feel super motivated going into Island Lake because I’ve been on such a roll with my running lately that I didn’t want to disrupt that momentum by trying to add biking to the mix. I had a feeling that once I got back to the race environment I’d come around. Sure enough, once my first tri of the season was over I decided immediately that I should sign up for Tri Goddess Tri which would take place a few weeks later on Saturday, June 28. I’m especially partial to Epic Races because they make the whole race day experience so enjoyable. I had raced the Olympic distance with them at Tri Goddess Tri last year and signed up for the same distance again this year.

*A bike jersey for doing this year’s race*

I’ve really loved the races that are a part of Epic’s Goddess Racing Series because the events really focus on celebrating and empowering women. The races can still be plenty competitive if that’s what people are looking for, but there’s also an extra friendly and welcoming vibe. I knew a bunch of women who were going to be there doing the mini-sprint, sprint, and Olympic distances. There’s something for everyone!

Tri Goddess Tri takes place at the Portage Lake Unit of Waterloo State Recreation Area in Grass Lake. It’s an hour and a half away from me so at least the sun rises early enough this time of year that I had daylight for a good portion of my drive. I got to the park around 6:00 and took my stuff right into the transition area where I was able to grab a spot at the end of a rack for Olympic athletes. I was early enough to check in quickly at packet pickup then I had to go catch the sunrise just before the sun broke over the trees.

*Catching the sunrise is always a major perk of early race days*

When I got back to the transition area my friend Angie (who I met thanks to Epic Races) was there so we got to chat as we set up. I didn’t really have any nerves – I just kind of felt “fine” about the day.

*Getting my stuff organized in transition. I always like having some extra room when I can get a spot at the end of a rack.*

*A great drone shot of the transition area courtesy of Greg Sadler Photography. I see me at the bottom right!*

The pre-race meeting on the beach was due to start at 7:15 and I got into the lake to warm up a few minutes before that. Thanks to our recent heat wave the water was 83° – no wetsuits for this one! That’s actually the same as it was last year, although the heat wave continued on race day. We were extremely fortunate for a little break in the heat and humidity on race morning this year. The air was 67° at the start so I actually wanted to stay warm in the water as long as I could.

*No shock to the system getting in water that warm!*

*The pre-race meeting. All race photos thanks to Epic and Greg Sadler and his team of photographers.*

During the meeting I got to see my friend Mary, who I also know thanks to Epic Races. She was doing the sprint distance and because she was camping at the park, she would hang around and I’d get to see her afterward even though I would finish long after she was done. Sweet Stella sang the national anthem and when she forgot some of the words, everyone jumped in and sang the rest of the song together. It was just another example of the supportive vibe that surrounds this race. When it was time to kick things off with the Olympic race, random women gave each other high-fives along with messages of encouragement. I loved it.

*Race director Eva Solomon standing next to Stella*

Just like last year, when it was time to line up for the swim, no one wanted to take the lead. I KNOW there were some speedy women who belonged up there! When it happened last year, I ended up near the front only to have people pass me immediately. Because of that I tried to hang back a little and ended up starting around the fifth wave with two of us starting together every few seconds. I was near a woman or two for the first few minutes, but eventually I found myself on my own so I think I started in the appropriate spot.

*A great drone shot of the Olympic athletes lined up at the start*

One really nice thing about this swim course is that we were able to swim without looking into the sun! So often we swim toward the sun at some point and it can be really difficult to spot buoys. This was one race where I could finally see all of the buoys without any issues. The Olympic distance had two loops to swim and after the last Olympic athlete started the second loop, the sprint athletes started their race. Sometimes the speedy sprinters will catch up to me before I can finish but it didn’t happen this time.

*I love that Jason, one of the photographers, gets right in the water for some great shots.*

*Kind of trying to smile for photos while still moving along*

*Looking up to make sure I’m on track with the next buoy*

There were 20-some Olympic athletes and it was really nice and kind of weird to swim without anyone around me for the majority of the swim. By the time I was halfway through the first loop, the speedy women were WAY ahead of me, and if people were behind me, I didn’t notice. Earlier in the week I did a frustrating lake swim where I had to pause because kayakers were drifting through the swim area and I had to dodge people playing in the water. I told myself that this was exactly what I wanted from an open water swim – a relaxing experience without anyone getting too close! I didn’t have to look up to sight quite as often either because I didn’t have anyone to run into. Later into the second lap I felt like my cheeks were probably pink from the warm water, but it wasn’t that bad and I really enjoyed the swim. There was a brief little patch of seaweed approaching the shore and it was all calm and clear otherwise.

I don’t always know where the transition starts and when to end the swim segment on my watch, but the official results had me down for 28:07. My watch had me at 1,667 yards. According to the results, I had the second fastest swim?! I realize now that’s because at least one or two of the speedy women must have done the aquabike race (with no run) rather than the Olympic race. I didn’t even know what my time was because I was preoccupied with making the long run up the hill to get to the transition area.

Again, because I didn’t know where the official transition timing was placed, my watch and the official results have two different times. I counted the run up the hill as part of my swim and didn’t start the transition until I got to the actual transition area. In that case, I only took 1:27 according to my watch which is super speedy for me. Not having a wetsuit makes it a whole lot faster! Officially, I was down for a 2:58 transition.

Like everything in the Olympic race, I had two loops of the bike course next, and like the swim, I was on my own…at least for a while. It wasn’t until I approached the turnaround for the first Olympic loop that I finally saw the leaders riding the opposite direction. I was pretty surprised to realize I was in third place at that point. Considering how I’m not much of a cyclist, I figured it was only a matter of time before people caught me.

*When the sun hit me right, I noticed the shadow of my helmet sticker hanging loose and just took it off. The numbers identify us but the adhesive wasn’t so great!*

For the Olympic race we rode an extra mile or two past the main turnaround just for the first loop so we could add extra distance. Unfortunately, that section of road is the worst. It’s pothole central. Sometimes I could go around patches when the road was deserted enough but sometimes there was no avoiding the bumps. I had to brake in one section because a truck went by on my left which forced me right into an awful patch. I’ve been doing races from this park for years and it seems like it’s a given that we’ll hit some rough patches. I wish they would fix the darn roads already!

Once I made it back to the main turnaround, I finally had other people around. Plenty of sprint athletes were getting to that point so I had both people ahead of me, and plenty to watch on the opposite side of the road still on their way out. I feel like at least one woman passed me who must have been an Olympic athlete but then it was hard to tell if people were a part of the sprint or even the mini-sprint. After that turnaround I was on the lookout for friends and spotted a couple. I tried to smile and cheer for a majority of the women whenever I crossed paths with anyone and so many others did the same. Most were good about announcing when they were going to pass as well. There’s always an exception or two, but the percentage of courteous people was so much higher than it is at most other triathlons. Parts of the course are a bit challenging with some rolling hills and having so many friendly women around brought a really great vibe. It reached a point when we basically took over most of one road with a steady stream of people on both sides. At one point I even had to slow down because I was caught behind a truck that couldn’t pass the bikers.

*A shot that shows how busy the roads got*

I made it back to the park and turned around to head out for my second loop. There were still some people out there, it just wasn’t quite as busy as the later part of the first loop. I was getting ready to eat a Picky Bar a couple miles into the second loop when I realized the photographer was there. I figured it was a good chance for a photo op as a Picky Bars AmBADASSador!

*Ready to eat my Smooth Caffeinator Picky Bar!*

I continued to root for people along the ride and spreading positivity made my own ride more enjoyable. I had my moments of having to work hard and thinking about how it would probably help if I actually trained on the bike more, but I did about the same as I ever do anyway. I ended up with 24.4 miles in 1:27:38 according to my Garmin which says I averaged 16.7 mph. Obviously a few people caught me on the ride because I ended up 7th out of 24 for the ride. That’s way better than I usually fare!

After a quick 33 seconds in transition, I took off for my run with a groan. It simply never feels good to run right after a long ride. I felt one of my hamstrings as I ran up a grass hill and luckily that faded once things leveled out.

A slightly uphill segment heading out of the park is always a bit rough. Like last year, Olympic athletes added some extra distance to the first loop by doing an out-and-back segment on a rolling dirt road. When I headed out of the park, one of the volunteers said he thought I was the first Olympic runner! If that was the case, it definitely meant that some of the speedy women on the bike had done the aquabike, duathlon, or something else! When I hit the turnaround point on the dirt road, I saw several women running toward me. A couple of them looked pretty fast so I figured it was only a matter of time before they caught me.

*A map of the whole course for the day, with the run in blue*

I ate a couple of Clif Bloks during the run and drank some Skratch from my own bottle rather than grab anything from the aid stations. After running along the main road, the rest of the loop was on a single-track trail. Despite rain the night before, it really wasn’t sloppy. There was one quick downhill that I realized I should slow down for, followed by a quick uphill that was steep and muddy enough that I realized I better “hike” it. Aside from those spots, there was some general rolling through the woods with stretches where I could gain momentum and some that slowed me down. Since it was through the woods, it helped keep things a bit cooler too. Fortunately heat really wasn’t an issue for me.

I passed a number of people out on the run course and had no idea if they were doing the sprint or Olympic. I was just surprised that no one had passed me yet. I went out for my second loop through the woods and looked back a couple times as I ran “scared” figuring that someone had to be on the verge of catching me. Still no one! That changed when I came out of the woods and was a couple minutes from the finish. Then I realized someone was just behind me and I tried to pick up my pace to finish strong. She did too. She clearly had a kick that I couldn’t match and I told her she was doing a great job as she passed. As we got to the finish, she was just seconds ahead of me and we had an exciting one-two finish. It was so exciting that I only heard a little bit of what the announcer said, which included how the last name of Boltz was fitting. I’ve gotten that a lot from race announcers and think it’s kind of fun.

*It looks like she was hurting for that win!*

*Maybe I should have been hurting more rather than strolling in with a smile!*

After hunching over to catch my breath while a volunteer removed the timing chip from my ankle, I had to congratulate the woman who is named Kelly. I told her that she had an awesome kick and we gave each other a high-five. I’m so thankful that photographer Greg Sadler captured that moment because it perfectly captures the whole supportive vibe that I felt throughout this entire race.

We didn’t know each other, yet we shared that great moment. We were asked to do it again for more pictures which just made us smile even bigger.

I finished the run in 55:13, and my Garmin recorded 6.49 miles with an average pace of 8:31. Official results show that my pace was slower, but I believe it was calculated based on 6.2 miles.

It was great to be greeted by friends Mary, Jason, Dawn, and Angela at the end. I’ll keep saying it, but Epic Races is the best and I know all of these awesome people thanks to Epic.

*Celebrating with Mary who did the sprint*

*Celebrating with Dawn and Mary. Dawn did the mini-sprint just a week after racing a hot and tough half Ironman!*

After catching up a little bit, I went to get the usual treats – egg and cheese wraps, pancakes, and a cookie. I got an ice cream sandwich a bit later too. Eventually I went to the results table and got a printout that confirmed my second place finish. I was also first in my age group. I was still pretty surprised because I don’t usually place that high overall! It just depends on who shows up, plus I had a solid day.

For this race, Epic had some nice towels for awards. Something different to add to my collection!

It wasn’t until I got home and got to analyze the results in more detail that I realized Kelly had actually won by 29 seconds. I hadn’t even thought about the factor of the chip time and that she may have started the swim behind me. I was even more relieved that she had that great finishing kick because she deserved to get that proper win. It would have been a bummer had I finished ahead of her and it seemed like I was first when I really wasn’t.

*It was still close, but Kelly had much more buffer than those few seconds racing to the finish*

I continued to hang out with Mary, determined to catch Angie when she finished. She’d had a rough time at a race recently and hopefully this one would be a better experience. As time went by I felt anxious for her and hoped she wasn’t miserable out there. We gave her some big cheers when she did come through and we learned that she’d had a flat tire that delayed her by 40 minutes! What a bummer. Of course it was on the same rough patch that I disliked so much. Another woman went flat before her and at least they ended up coping together. I was relieved that she was in good spirits and had a great day otherwise. I’m glad I got a chance to catch up with her and share stories about the day.

*With Mary again as well as Angie who did the Olympic, and with Angela who plays a big role in making Epic Races so wonderful!*

I did more analyzing at home and compared my results from this year to last year’s. Last year was extra hot so that definitely was a factor. It’s also hard to compare races because the distances tend to vary a bit, especially with the swim. Still, I finished 10 minutes faster this time! It looks like the swim was a bit longer last year, but my average pace was still better this time. The bike distance was the same and I was a couple minutes faster, even with my lack of training. The run was about a tenth of a mile longer this year but my pace was faster. Aside from the weather factor, the distances kind of balanced out and I either felt better or actually did improve a little bit. That’s always a good feeling!

I went into the race without any real expectations and told myself that no matter what, it’s always a good training day for whatever is next. The Battle of Waterloo is next and I’ll be back at the same park in a month. That race takes me about double the time of this one so today was definitely some good training. I felt good enough the day after this race to do a swim/run/swim/run workout for BOW prep as I already look forward to the next one. That one will be a fun adventure itself and I know I can look forward to having a great experience with Epic again. For now, I want to savor and remember just how supportive, friendly, and welcoming this race was and know that I should definitely register to do it again in the future.

– Janet

Follow me @janetboltz on Instagram

06.26.25

by milesflyby

Corporate Cup Relays and 5K Recap

Saturday, June 14 was the fourth time I participated in the Corporate Cup Relays, which is a friendly competition between Detroit’s Big 3 automakers. The event has a long history and has taken place since the late 1980s. Once again, Stellantis (aka Chrysler), Ford, and GM recruited employees, contractors, interns, and retirees to compete. Those companies made up division I, and this year Nissan and Rocket Mortgage also participated in division II.

*Getting ready for an exciting day of running*

I competed with the GM team in 2015 and 2018, running a 10K in Lathrup Village my first time and both the 5K and 10K around Belle Isle my second time. The event didn’t take place the first couple years I worked for Stellantis because of COVID, then the 5K was canceled by the city of Berkley in 2022. I got to double up with the 5K and 10K again in Berkley in 2023, but then the whole event was canceled in 2024 due to construction on the track. It’s been an on and off kind of ride, but I was happy to run again this year at Anderson Middle School in Berkley. This time the city was fine with the 5K but not the 10K because there was another big event that day and they didn’t want to close roads for us too late into the morning.

Although I was happy to contribute to the team by running the 5K, I usually favor distance running. I can be intimidated by 5Ks because I’d rather run longer distances at a slower pace than shorter distances at a faster pace. Knowing that the event was coming, I was disciplined enough to finally do a few training sessions with shorter bursts of speed. Considering how I was already concerned about being properly trained for the 5K, you can imagine how I felt when I was asked to run a couple of 800m events on the track. That question came a couple weeks before the race when our team captain Ron told me that we didn’t have enough women for some of the track events. I told him that I’d never raced on the track and it terrified me! There would be a lot of downtime between the 5K and the 800s and I was scared I would stiffen up and tweak something by trying to run so fast. Ron told me there was no pressure to say yes, but of course I started to impose that pressure on myself anyway. I knew I was physically capable, I just didn’t WANT to. At the same time, I knew it would be better to have someone in the events for a chance at scoring some points rather than taking a zero because we didn’t have enough people. I wanted to help the team. I reluctantly decided to attend track practice a couple days later to see what I thought.

I ran a time trial at our practice to see what I might do for an 800 and ran it in 3:15. When I actually do speedwork and run 800 repeats I usually aim for 3:30. At least I was faster than that. A few people stuck around at the end of practice to learn about the baton hand-off for the relays. All of this was new to me and I was a bit overwhelmed by the logistics of planning when the front person should start running as their person came in and how to slap the baton into their hand all while staying in the lane. I was paired with a guy who was so fast I couldn’t catch him to hand it off! We practiced enough to get a feel for it and I was sore for several days after this session.

We had another practice a couple days before the big event and took it easier. I learned that since I’d be doing the 800, the hand-off would be a bit slower and easier than what the true sprinters were practicing. Still, this track aspect of running had me totally out of my element. I may be able to run a marathon but this felt like a whole different world. At least I learned that I was not alone in my discomfort. Several other people at the practice were long-distance runners like me. One woman was a swimmer, and one guy initially signed up to walk the 5K and decided to try something on the track even though he doesn’t run. If they could do it, surely I could too.

I took it easy in the days leading up to the race in hopes that I would be fresh for the 5K. I got to Anderson Middle School around 7am to check in at our team tent and did a few laps around the track to warm up as we got closer to the 8am start.

The race started on the track then ran out into the neighborhood for an out-and-back route. One great thing about the course was that it was 100% flat! That sure helped me run a fast time. There were 121 runners and five minutes later 29 more people started the 5K walk.

I basically ran hard and hoped I could hang on – my typical approach to a 5K. I managed to average right around or just below a 7:00 pace which is about the best I ever run for a 5K. The competitive nature of wanting to help my team gave me some extra motivation whenever I saw women in front of me. It all comes down to placement in age groups and I suspected some of the women could be younger, but I kept pushing because I didn’t know. I basically ran with a grimace on my face for much of the race as I tried to hang on to that speed. When we hit the track for the finish I really pushed to get ahead of a woman who was just in front of me. It didn’t matter in the end because she was running in another division for Rocket Mortgage, but she still helped me give it everything I had at the end.

*A screen grab from Happy Pace Timing’s video. They have pretty cool technology!*

My time of 21:47 was good for first in my age group and I was actually the second woman overall! It was the fastest 5K I had run since 2017 so I was thrilled. Happy Pace Timing did a great job with the results, even including the company logos.

We had some snacks at our team tent then I went back out to the track to cheer for teammates who were still finishing. I found my baton partner from practice and took pictures with some of the team.

*Shivkumar walked the 5K and was patient with me at our practices as we learned how to hand off the baton!*

When everyone was done we got a big team photo with the morning group since a bunch of people were just there for the 5K. I usually take off after the morning road races but this time I had a much longer day ahead of me. Since we were done with the group photo by 9:15 and I wouldn’t run again until after 1:30, I had some time to kill.

*We always have a larger group in the morning with the 5K race*

My friend Marty lives in Berkley so I had checked in with him prior to the race. He told me that Art Bash was taking place in the city that day and that his wife Cheryl had a booth. I wanted to make sure I didn’t stiffen up after the 5K and thought a nice walk to see them at the art fair would help.

*It was a gorgeous day for Art Bash in downtown Berkley*

After visiting for a bit I walked back to my car then went to Jimmy John’s. I still had time to kill so I took a sandwich over to my mom’s for an hour-long visit. I didn’t really know how to eat for the day with races five hours apart. If something usually works for me as pre-race food the night before a race, would that mean it could also work the day of?

I got back to the track an hour before my 1:30 relay. Now things were getting a bit more stressful because I was not excited about running the 800. I met up with my relay partners and we were able to practice the baton hand-offs on the turf in the middle of the track. It really wasn’t too bad since we wouldn’t be flying as fast as the true sprinters. One of my teammates was an intern who is more of a swimmer, and my other teammate was my age and also runs longer distances. That meant none of us were super comfortable with the event which reassured me…a little bit. It also helped that Marty stopped by the track with JoJo, his Golden Retriever. She trained with Leader Dogs for the Blind and had a “career change.” It was great to have a therapy dog visit prior to this thing!

My 800 leg started the relay and even though I knew I could move to lane one right after we started, everyone (including my competitors) yelled at me to move over because I hadn’t. I was disheveled from the start! Then there was the issue of battling dry mouth. Trying to run as fast as I could while huffing and puffing was bad enough, but doing so when it felt like I had cotton in my mouth? I had been hydrating but apparently the Jimmy John’s sandwich was NOT the right choice. I had worried about my stomach but never even imagined battling a dry mouth. I was dragging well behind the leaders and it felt pretty hopeless. I knew my teammates would have a lot of ground to make up if we’d stand a chance at all!

*Halfway through the 800. I was only smiling because Marty and JoJo were watching and I was laughing about how bad it was going!*

I got through my two laps without tweaking anything and we had a successful baton handoff so that was something good at least. I ran my leg in 3:12 which was a few seconds faster than my time trial attempt at practice a couple weeks earlier.

Our team came in second out of three and my teammates ran their 400 segments in the same time or a second faster than my first 400 so at least it wasn’t like I was so crazy slow that I dragged the whole team down.

*With my relay partners Jessica and Tricia*

Then I had two hours to kill before putting myself through that torture again. It was fun to hang out by the track and cheer for everyone. It was also fun to watch some of the “real” sprinters at work and see how it should really be done. It was in the low 70s and with the sun beating down in the middle of the day it got a bit warm. I already had enough factors working against me and knew I should probably get out of the sun for a while. I had brought a chair and went to our team tent to rest my legs and enjoy the shade. I continued to hydrate with both water and electrolytes in hopes that I could shake the cotton mouth thing the next time around.

*The team tents were set up just outside the track*

I spent plenty of time throughout the day chatting with other runners. A woman from GM came over to our tent and was super cool. The camaraderie at this event was one thing that was especially great. It didn’t matter that we were “competitors” because when runners get together and start talking about running, it’s easy to relate. The father of one of my relay teammates works for GM and knew that I had been with their team in the past. We also cross paths running on the trail all the time so it was fun to learn that I was teamed up with his daughter. I caught up with GM’s former team captain and he was kind enough to help explain how the track events would work since I was clueless. Although we cheered for our own teams first and foremost, it felt like we were also rooting for everyone in general. Some of us (like me) were not exactly killing it out there, so it was pretty cool when people provided extra support by cheering. It was especially heart-warming when everyone gathered at the side of the track to cheer for a group from the Special Olympics who ran a 100-yard dash in the middle of the event.

*The afternoon group photo was taken earlier than scheduled and I completely missed it! Here’s most of the afternoon crew.*

As 3:30 rolled around I got ready to run 800 again. This time it was a standalone 800 rather than a relay. My legs were not especially fresh as I jogged around the field to warm up. After such a strong 5K and attempting 800 once already, my expectations weren’t very high. My teammate Natalie was also in the women’s 800. Since she’d beaten me by a minute in the 5K, I felt like the pressure was off. SHE could help our team! GM didn’t submit the name of their runner on time so it was just the two of us running against a few women from Ford. When we gathered together they looked at Natalie and me and said, “Ohhhh no.” I tried to reassure them that I wasn’t good at this either. As we took off, I was trailed behind once again. The dry mouth came back immediately too. I had questioned if I should just eat some of my Picky Bars all day to fuel for this and I guess that would have been a better option than the sandwich.

While I had gone out too fast for the first lap during the relay and slowed down by a few seconds for the second lap, this time my splits were more even. I was also several seconds slower overall. However, by the time I hit the second lap, one of the Ford women actually just STOPPED as I passed her. Apparently she had gone out too fast and couldn’t maintain it. While this was not especially great for me, I certainly wasn’t alone. With a time of 3:17, I finished nearly 30 seconds after Natalie, but we came in first and second which was great for our team.

*Round two of the sufferfest was over in 3:17*

There were a couple events left after my race then it became official that Stellantis was the big winner of the Corporate Cup.

The schedule had an awards ceremony listed but nothing actually took place. We did receive medals after each of the events.

It was kind of anti-climatic after the last event with people wandering off the track and heading out. A bunch of Stellantis employees hung out and we posed for a picture with the plaque that will soon feature our name as 2025 winners.

Although I didn’t exactly love my track experience, I’m glad it gave me an excuse to hang out for the full day. The road race part of the event is fun but the camaraderie aspect of hanging out at the track all day was something I hadn’t experienced in past years since I always left after I was done. I would still be very reluctant to do track events in the future because it is clear that I am better at running long distances. If we are short on people I’d probably cave and be a team player again though. If so, I have learned NOT to eat a sandwich and to stick with bars instead! I don’t think I’ve experienced dry mouth like that while running before and I hope it never happens again. I would also hope to have a little more time to prepare. I was a last-minute addition to the track events so I hadn’t done the proper kind of speedwork in my training. I wouldn’t magically turn into a sprinter but I’m sure a little targeted training would be somewhat helpful.

It was a long but successful and fun day and I’m proud that our Stellantis team totally killed it!

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

06.10.25

by milesflyby

Bark & Brew 5K

Signing up for the Bark & Brew 5K was truly a last-minute decision and it ended up being a very wise decision. I knew the race that benefits Leader Dogs for the Blind was coming up and wanted to do it, but I had a triathlon the day before and didn’t think it would be smart to race two days in a row. Well, I clearly rethought that. My coworker’s wife works for Leader Dogs and they are helping raise one of the puppies. He asked me a couple times if I was going to do the race. He got me thinking about it, then I saw that my friend Steve was planning to do it after racing a 5K the day before. Having so many running friends can warp my decision-making by making it seem normal and reasonable to race two days in a row.

As Saturday night rolled around I didn’t seem to be too sore from the triathlon. I didn’t think it would be smart to race all-out and questioned if I could be disciplined enough to take it easy so I wouldn’t tweak something. Online registration was still available as were shirts in my size, so I made it official at 9pm the night before. It would benefit a great cause, it took place two miles from home on a course I know extremely well, I’d see some friends, there would be donuts and pizza, and most importantly, lots of cute dogs! How could I resist?

The race was due to start at 9am on Sunday, June 8. It was staged next to Rochester Mills Beer Company in downtown Rochester and it was nice to leave home at 8am after having to leave home three hours earlier the morning before. They had advised people to go early because the registration line may be long. I waited about five minutes at 8:15 and the line only grew in size after that. Had I registered sooner, there were a couple of options for early packet pickup in the days leading up to the race.

Because I usually need a mile or two just to loosen up, I ran part of the course backwards into Rochester Municipal Park. I had used my foam roller that morning and my warm up jog felt okay, so I was relieved that I should be able to pull this off after all. Knowing the area so well was a benefit because I knew enough to use the restroom at the park before running back to the race site. Sure enough, the lines for the porta potties were out of control by the time I got back!

*People gathering near the starting line*

I love being a part of a community that is home to a resource as valuable as Leader Dogs. I know a number of people who have helped raise the dogs, who work for the organization, and I’ve attended one of the puppy-raising classes where I watched techniques for teaching the dogs how to behave. I am always so moved when I hear stories about the impact these dogs can make on a person’s life and how it can provide them with freedom and independence they may not have otherwise. They do extremely valuable work so that was the main reason I really wanted to do this race. They usually do a race in the winter as well, but sometimes I’m iffy about slippery conditions or I’m due to run much longer than three miles while in marathon training. I’m so glad I finally made it out to one of their events.

I spotted Steve near the starting line and he joked about how he was an “influencer” because he helped inspire me to get out there! He’s an inspiration in many ways. At 72 years old, he was running a 5K on back-to-back days! I hope I get the opportunity to be like him.

I had a hunch I might see some Infinite Multisport Triathlon Club teammates out there, and sure enough, I spotted Stephanie! We saw a couple other teammates as well and agreed to meet up after the race for more photos.

My coworker told me that Gram, the puppy they share, would be there so I was on the lookout. He’s pretty unique because he essentially looks like a black Golden Retriever. I saw a dog that could have been him so I asked his handler who confirmed it. I was so happy to get a picture with that good boy!

The race announced that 1,100 people had registered which was great news. That should raise a lot of money for Leader Dogs. With such a large crowd and knowing that I could be among the faster runners, I made sure I stayed close to the starting line. I loved seeing all of the good dogs, but I didn’t want to get stuck behind people walking.

It was a great morning for racing, but it felt warm pretty quickly once we got moving. We headed into a residential part of downtown Rochester that took us right up a challenging hill. As expected, I got sucked into the excitement of the atmosphere and found myself breathing heavily from the start. So much for being disciplined and taking it easy. Although we had to climb one hill, a couple blocks later we ran back down one and I regained momentum. Next we ran to the park and did a loop there. I got a hand slap from my buddy Joe who was cheering for the runners. I run around the park all the time and enjoyed what is truly my hometown course. “Enjoyed” is relative though – I’m not especially fond of 5Ks! I always want to push myself and running at my threshold pace can be brutal. I’d rather slow down and run longer than do a short race but feel like I’m dying the whole time!

*Running by Rochester Mills at the end of the race*

We ran out of the park to the riverwalk around the library and back to Rochester Mills, where we hit one more incline before making a couple turns to the finish.

I know it was asking a lot to run a fast 5K the day after doing a triathlon that took me three hours. Obviously my legs weren’t very fresh. But still, it’s amusing to me that I ran a faster 5K at the end of the Dexter-Ann Arbor half marathon a week earlier. I think I prefer rolling along at a more reasonable pace for a while then gradually speed up as I go and finish strong. If I build up to the speedy pace it feels more doable. Shooting out at a fast pace right from the start is much more uncomfortable for me.

Despite the discomfort of trying to run fast, this race went really well. I had predicted that I’d finish under 24 minutes and I did. They didn’t hand out age group awards, but I did place second in my category. I found it funny that I was the tenth female finisher at both this race and my triathlon.

*A finishing photo with the blow-up dog was a must!*

After getting a photo with the big dog, I went back to the finish line and saw both Stephanie and Steve.

I didn’t see Gram finish, but my coworker shared this finishing photo and I loved it so much I had to include it.

*Gram’s tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth* *is adorable*

I hung out with Stephanie and Steve at the post-race party, taking more pictures and enjoying donuts and pizza. We got coupons for a choice of a donut or pizza, but someone gave me their ticket so I got one of each!

It was fun to hang out with some fellow “bees” from Infinite Multisport.

Of course one of the highlights of the day was being surrounded by so many adorable dogs. There was a list of rules for people who brought their dogs to participate, such as being leashed, well-behaved, no excessive barking, etc. Plenty of future Leader Dogs were there too.

It doesn’t get much better than that! I’m so glad I finally made it to one of the Leader Dogs’ events. Even though it meant a busy weekend of racing for me, my body cooperated and it was a blast.

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

06.09.25

by milesflyby

Island Lake Triathlon Recap

*A sparkly and fun medal with such cool details for this year’s Island Lake Triathlon*

Now that I’ve done the Island Lake Triathlon seven times, it would seem like another blog post about it might just be repetitive. It’s a unique experience every time though! I believe I committed to the race as soon as last year’s was over because it’s such a great way to kick off my triathlon season and Epic Races always does a great job.

The race takes place on the first Saturday of June, and it’s good that it fell a little later (on the 7th) this year because we needed as much time as possible for the water to warm up more. It seems to magically warm up enough by Memorial Day weekend that swimming in a lake is a reasonable thing, but we just haven’t had as many warm days as usual this year. Friends who have been brave enough to get out there have reported lake temps to be in the low 60s. I prefer closer to 70° so a cold lake and possibly freezing on the bike afterward if we had a cool morning were my biggest concerns this year. Fortunately everything worked out just fine.

*The details on the shirt are a perfect match for the medal*

I followed the usual routine – I left home around 5am, got to Island Lake Recreation Area around 6am, went through packet pickup quickly, then took a moment to appreciate the sunrise.

*I always love catching the sunrise over the lake before the race*

The transition racks were separated by race distance but we didn’t have assigned spots. I was early enough to be able to grab a spot on an end. That gave me more room for my bag and situating my gear.

*The transition area before it got busy. The colored flags made it easy to locate my rack after the swim and bike*

*A post-race look at my stuff crammed in at the end of the transition rack*

It was in the 50s and I was shivering while setting up so I continued to debate whether I should wear a jacket on the bike. It didn’t look like anyone else had extra layers. I decided that if even if I was a little cold to start, I’d warm up. That was a good call – it got up to 60° by the time I got on the bike.

I made it to a porta potty with five minutes to spare before transition closed then headed down to the beach. I didn’t practice in a lake prior to this race and wasn’t sure how I’d do with cold temps. The water was up to 69° on race day which was a big relief. It was still a bit of a shock for the first minute as I did a little warm up swim but I was fine after that. I’ve done enough triathlons at this point that I know what I’m doing in open water and didn’t truly need the practice.

*The pre-race beach meeting. Race photos courtesy of Greg Sadler Photography.*

We had a meeting on the beach at 7:15 to talk through the steps of the race, then my distance (Olympic) lined up first for a 7:30 start. People are supposed to line up based on how fast they think they’ll be, but there aren’t any pace signs so it’s always a free-for-all. When I see a bunch of young guys who look like they’d swim right over me, I just move behind them in the line! In the past I’ve often placed somewhere around the top quarter of the swim results and try to gauge based on that. I haven’t been swimming as often lately though so I didn’t know if that would still hold true. We started two at a time every few seconds to help space people out. Since I’d already been in the water I didn’t have that feeling of shock when I got back in.

Triathlon swims tend to get tricky on sunny days because at some point we’re bound to swim toward the rising sun. This time it was at the beginning of the looped course. I couldn’t spot the buoys and just followed the crowd. After making the first turn, I could see the buoys a little better.

I usually try to maintain a routine of getting in the pool three days a week. My routine has fallen off since the fall as I went through marathon training for races in January and then in April. I concentrated on my running, favored sleep, and struggled to get out of bed so early in the morning. I still haven’t regained my routine and have managed to keep up one day a week. I can do the distance just fine but my pace has been slower since I haven’t been consistent enough. The buoyancy of the wetsuit would help me speed up a little at least!

The swim course tends to vary at this race each year depending on the growth of the seaweed. I think one year we had to do three smaller loops to get the Olympic distance, which is usually just under a mile. Last year we got lucky and the lake was clear enough that we only did one loop. We swam two loops this year, and as I came to the last turn closest to the beach, the seaweed got THICK. It doesn’t freak me out or anything but it was so thick that it was difficult to swim through one stretch as I kept snagging it with my arms. It cleared up though, then it was time to swim the course a second time.

*A piece of seaweed I discovered when I removed my watch later*

Sprint athletes were due to start the swim as the Olympic athletes completed the first loop. A few minutes into my second loop people with blue swim caps started flying through. Congestion is always the one thing that bothers me most during swims. I just want space to do my own thing! I had a few moments of annoyance during the first loop, and now I had to make sure I didn’t get too close to the much faster swimmers.

Aside from the seaweed, I enjoyed the swim. The shallow areas close to the beach were especially murky this time with a mixture of sand, seaweed, and whatever else all stirred up. As I got close to the finish I opted to stand up a little early and “run” my way to the shore rather than keep my face down in that mess.

I wasn’t aware of my time for the swim or what the distance had been until I looked after the race. A friend said that the swim had been extra long for her and my Garmin showed that as well. The distance was supposed to be around 1,500 meters, equivalent to around 1,640 yards. It’s likely that I could have added some distance as I dodged people, and watches aren’t always accurate in open water, but I came up about 400 yards long. That’s fine with me since I enjoy the swim! Plus, most triathlon courses can vary a bit based on what course makes the most sense and they’re not always the same exact distance. Even though I’ve been slacking with my swimming, it helped explain why it looked like I was so much slower than I have been other years – a time of 38:48.

*Open water swims can often look a little funky from my Garmin so I may or may not have zig-zagged that much! Either way, it looks like the distance was longer than usual.*

*Seeing my buddy Greg always makes me smile extra big*

As usual, I screwed around too long during my first transition and spent just over three minutes there getting out of my wetsuit and getting ready to bike. The start of the bike course was extra smooth thanks to repaving over the past year. I wasn’t cold at all so I was really glad I didn’t wear a jacket. It was the same familiar 2-loop course on the roads of the park with some rolling hills to keep things interesting. Like last year when the eastern stretch of the road was under construction, we added some extra distance to the west to make up for it. There’s a nice hill after a short out-and-back stretch, but I still prefer the quick hill over the gradual climb we used to do up toward a parking lot. We would encounter more cars in that parking area too which could make things a little more dicey, so I appreciate the slight change in the course.

It will forever be my pet peeve when the speedy cyclists fly right next to me without announcing that they’re passing. If people give a wide berth, I get it. When they barely give me any space, it’s pretty annoying. My biggest moment of annoyance was when I was gaining on another cyclist enough that I was going to have to pass them. Of course I turned to look before making a move, and a speedy guy was right there and didn’t let me know he was coming. Some people are kind about providing warning, some aren’t, and that’s just how it is. Since I barely consider myself a cyclist as it is, that aspect doesn’t make me feel any more secure!

I didn’t enjoy the squirrels who frantically ran in front of me then couldn’t decide which way they were going to go, but I did laugh when a turkey crossed the road and I liked seeing ducks with some ducklings in a lake. I ate a Picky Bar at the start of the second loop, a Clif Block near the end of my ride, and I went through one bottle of my electrolyte drink. It was a decent enough ride, especially since I haven’t worked much on my bike training. Like the swim, I’ve done enough that I could cover the distance, but nothing exceptional beyond that as I continue to favor running.

I finished 24 miles on the bike in 1:26:10, and as usual, I was somewhere around 17 mph.

*The bike course. Pay no attention to the ascent – my watch is clearly broken.*

I went through the transition pretty quickly in 57 seconds and headed out for the run. This was the one part of the race I had actually properly trained for. Maybe TOO much, considering how I’d run a fast half marathon the past Sunday and did a track workout on Wednesday that still had me feeling a little sore. When I did a bike/run workout on Tuesday, the run felt pretty awful by the end and I thought about how I like running a whole lot more when my legs are fresh and I haven’t destroyed them on the bike first. Why do I do triathlons again?! That’s how it works though and this run never felt great, but I got through it pretty successfully I suppose.

One good thing about my blog is that I can look back on past races and remind myself of lessons I’ve learned. When I started the run last year my stomach cramped up and my heart rate was way too high for the first loop. I don’t monitor my heart rate while I run so that was kind of a wakeup call. I told myself not to go too crazy at the start of this run and do that again. I was also reminded that the first mile or so is a gradual climb so I should mentally be prepared for that. I didn’t have any cramping and aside from the dead-legs feeling, I was okay. It had gotten up to 70° by the time I started the run so it was a little sweaty and warm. I continued to drink electrolytes from my own bottle which worked well.

My friend Alise, who I know thanks to Epic Races, did the Olympic race as well. I got to see and cheer for her a couple times in passing since we ran two loops of an out-and-back course. It’s always fun (and a nice distraction) to see friends out there.

While the end of the run course always has to take us down a drastic downhill stretch toward the beach, we’ve usually done so on a pretty steep part that can be a mix of rocks and grass. This time we headed down in a different spot that was all grass. It was still a quick downhill, but it felt easier for me to navigate and I liked that adjustment. We got to do that at the end of the first loop and again when going in to finish. At least that makes us feel extra strong at the end!

Like the swim, I didn’t realize I had run 6.3 miles until after the race. It’s supposed to be around a 10K (6.2-mile) run, and most years I’ve come up a bit short. The course seemed to be nearly the same but I got about a quarter mile more out of it this year. I’d rather be a little over what I expected instead of coming in a little short. I was initially shocked that my final time was around 15 minutes slower than I tend to do at this race. When I realized my swim and run segments were a bit longer, that helped explain it. My final time was 3:01:47.

After taking a few minutes to recover, I wandered over to find Alise next to the finish line. I also found another Epic friend Kim and her daughter Sydney, who had done a relay together. It was nice to hear that race day had been pretty successful for everyone.

When I checked my results, it showed that I was first in my age group…out of one! The same thing happened to me last year when I won by default because no one else was in my age group. As the results got updated later I saw that there was actually one other woman in my category.

I enjoyed some great food after the race and chatted with Alise and her husband Eric for a bit until I finally went to collect my award. I opted for a coaster this time. It’s always interesting to see how the different segments break down in terms of placing. It was funny to see that I placed 48th overall in both the swim and the run. No surprise to see that I placed much lower at 98th in the bike.

*Always some great treats at the end of Epic’s races*

*Listening to some music from Lost Voices while eating*

I didn’t have any big expectations coming into this race. Knowing very well that I had been doing the minimum with swimming and biking told me that I shouldn’t expect to break any of my records. I’ve been doing so well with my running lately that I was somewhat reluctant to mess with that momentum by trying to add biking back to the mix. I had even been questioning how much I really wanted to do triathlons this year. I had a feeling that once I actually got out there and did this race, it would help bring back some of that motivation. These things are hard but they’re also really satisfying because I feel so accomplished for pushing through. Sure enough, I enjoyed myself and decided that day that I should add another triathlon to my schedule. I had only signed up for two this summer and this helped me realize that I want to get more out of the season. Now my next one will be Epic’s Tri Goddess Tri at the end of June.

I keep telling myself that it’s okay to change things up now and then. I don’t just have to concentrate on running year-round and it’s not like I’ll totally lose it if I cut back a little during certain periods. If I choose to run hard for part of the year, it’s okay for my swimming to suffer some. When I ought to step up on my swimming and biking for summer events, it’s okay for the running mileage to drop some. Variety helps keep things interesting and I always have fun when I do these triathlons.

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

06.04.25

by milesflyby

Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon Recap

The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run has been on my radar for years as a race that I might want to try. I think it usually falls on the same weekend as the Island Lake Triathlon so the timing just never worked out. I was listening to Ann Arbor’s 107.1 the Monday before the race and there was a discussion about the Border-to-Border Trail which runs through both Dexter and Ann Arbor. Although the race doesn’t use the trail, the discussion made me check the date of the race again. When I saw that it would take place on Sunday, June 1, I realized I could make it work because the triathlon would take place the next weekend. I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to register for the half marathon and when I mentioned it on Instagram, I learned that several friends would be there too. One of those friends was Lisa, who I know because we are both Picky Bars AmBADASSadors. She lives in Ann Arbor and let me know that the Taste of Ann Arbor would be taking place the same day. That meant I’d get to refuel with food from area restaurants after the race – perfect! The weather looked like it would be great too and I was suddenly looking forward to a fun race day.

The expo took place the day before the race at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. Since it’s at least an hour’s drive for me, I opted to pay $15 for race day packet pickup. I wasn’t thrilled that I had to pay extra but it wasn’t ideal for me to make the drive two days in a row. I left home around 5am on Sunday morning and had no problem parking in a garage a few blocks from the finish line. I was concerned that downtown Ann Arbor could be busy and parking could fill up, then I found that barely anyone was there. It turned out I didn’t need to be THAT early. I collected my shirt and bib at packet pickup and didn’t really have anything else to do, so I figured I’d catch one of the first shuttle buses out to Dexter. Shuttles ran from 6:15-7:15 and there was a long line of buses ready to go. I walked right on a bus with no wait because I was so early.

The bus took us to a middle school in Dexter where the start of the half marathon was staged. It was 6:45 and I wondered how I was going to pass the next hour and 45 minutes! I had read a couple of recaps from other runners about their past experiences and thought we’d get to wait inside the school. It wasn’t open and I wondered if we were just too early. Nope – we never got to go inside. I wore long pants and a jacket but I was still pretty cold because it was only around 40 degrees. I hung out by the school for half an hour before I wandered over to the track. I figured that would be the perfect place for a warm up jog before the race started, plus I could sit on the bleachers to get off my feet. I was happy to discover that indoor bathrooms were available by the track too. Lots of people were walking or jogging around the track. Since my feet were frozen I walked a couple laps before sitting on a bench for a bit. Following my usual routine, I ate a Picky Bar an hour before the start and eventually I ran a mile to warm up. My feet still didn’t thaw completely, but by the time I dropped my warm clothes at the gear check and lined up in the starting corral, I felt fine. Being a little cold before the start of a race was a good sign that the temps would be ideal for running.

I ran close to an 8:00 pace for the Pittsburgh half marathon a month earlier, but I was also coming off a marathon at the time and not racing all-out. I still started around the 8:00 pacer at this race but hoped I’d end up faster. Even with the congested start, I ran the first mile in 7:45. I was pretty shocked when I saw that I ran the second mile in 7:25. I hoped it was thanks to some downhill momentum and that I wouldn’t regret it later! It’s funny how that kind of pace feels tough to run for a quarter mile when I’m training, yet it’s magically easy in a race environment. I was still chilly enough when I started the race to wear gloves for a couple miles. The weather really was perfect for some fast racing.

I was familiar with the downtown Dexter segment of the course thanks to running there a couple times prior to the Holiday Hustle race. We had some good spectators along Main Street then worked our way to Huron River Drive, where we ran the majority of the race. I knew it was supposed to be a rolling course and that there would be some hills. The first real climb wasn’t too bad and I just reminded myself that after doing the hills in Boston I should be fine. The climb that came somewhere around 7-8 miles was a bit more intimidating. Still, the downhills helped balance it out and I can’t even tell the difference by looking at my splits.

We ran past a little segment of the B2B Trail, and much of Huron River Drive was lined with trees. It wasn’t conducive for spectators in many spots but I was fine with that. There were little bursts of energy at the aid stations and I just enjoyed running the course. I felt good rolling along in the 7:40s for most of the race. I passed the 10-mile timing mat in just over 1:16:00 and I would have been pretty happy with that had it just been a 10-mile race.

I felt like I could try to pick it up for the last 5K because I was still going pretty strong. I glanced at my watch now and then throughout the race to see what my average was, but most of the time I wasn’t that aware of my current pace – I just ran by feel. I don’t think I was aware that I dropped my pace to 7:24 for both miles 11 and 12. I think we had some good downhill stretches that helped me with that.

*The course and elevation. There’s a nice spike right at the end!*

When we turned off Huron River Drive to Main Street, I realized where I was. It was right where the exit from M-14 spits you out onto Main Street to head to downtown Ann Arbor. The race finished on Main Street so I decided I could push for that final stretch. However, that final stretch was a mile long! Plus, I knew there was still one last hill to come. I managed to keep flying until I hit that hill, which is cruelly placed JUST before the finish line. Looking at the detailed info from my watch, I can see that my pace slowed down for the last two minutes of the race. Fortunately I had lots of momentum leading up to that point, but there was a definite slow down! It was nice to finish in the downtown area where spectators lined the street and provided some extra energy.

My official time was 1:40:21 and I was very happy with that. It was four minutes faster than my time in Pittsburgh. Although it wasn’t a PR, it was in the neighborhood of my fastest times. I have only gone under 1:40 a few times and one of those times was only by a second!

I really gave it my all and it took a few minutes to wind down after finishing. As I lingered in the area just after the finish line, I saw my Picky Bars friend Lisa. She had run the 5K and was there with her husband Jan. Although we’ve been friends on Instagram for years, it was our first time meeting in person. We had to get a picture together to show some Picky Bars love.

*Lisa and I showing off our medals and Picky Bars AmBADASSador shirts*

I got my warmer clothes at gear check then got a piece of pretzel bread and a slice of pizza. I chatted with Lisa and Jan for a while and Lisa discovered that she had been upgraded from third in her age group to second, so she went to swap her award. I hadn’t even checked my results yet and realized I had also placed second in my age group! I went to collect my plaque and we had to take another photo with our matching awards.

The Taste of Ann Arbor had opened by then so we walked over to check it out. We saw the booth for Ann Arbor’s 107.1 and went to check that out first. I knew that morning guy Scott Vertical would be there and I wanted to say hi. After all, it was his interview about the B2B Trail that made me think to sign up for this race! It was nice to chat with him and check out some of the station’s freebies before lining up to buy tickets for food. There were lots of great options!

*With Scott Vertical from Ann Arbor’s 107.1*

Most of the places had small enough servings to justify stopping at multiple restaurants. They tended to have a few choices at each booth and we walked up and down the street a few times as I tried to figure out which treats to get. A cookie, cinnamon roll, ice cream, and brownies caught my attention. I’m always gravitating toward the carbs and sweets, especially if chocolate is involved! I DID get one healthier option from Samba Bowls.

*Some of the crowd gathered for Taste of Ann Arbor*

I was thankful that Jan was familiar enough with Cinnaholic to take me to the actual store and tempt me with the REALLY good options. I saved my plain cinnamon roll to take home and discovered an amazing s’mores kind at the store that I had to get. It was SO good. Having a food festival at the end of a race was a dream! It was a gorgeous day for it too. It was great getting to hang out with Lisa and Jan for a couple hours as well.

I just love the half marathon distance and had to look back at my list of races to figure out how many I’ve done at this point. This was half #42 if I include the three that I ran virtually thanks to Covid. I’m also only counting standalone races, not ones that were a part of a triathlon. I’m glad I picked the right time to finally try this race when the weather was perfect. I know there have been plenty of years when it’s been warm, humid, or wet. Now that I know how enjoyable it was, I’ll have to see if I can fit in into my schedule in future years. Especially if the Taste of Ann Arbor takes place the same day!

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

05.12.25

by milesflyby

Pittsburgh Half Marathon Recap

The Pittsburgh Marathon wasn’t really on my radar as a race I should do until a year ago. I was in town the first weekend of May for a Matt Nathanson concert and visited my cousin Heather and her husband John for lunch the day of the show. They mentioned that it was marathon weekend and since the concert was in that area of downtown, I decided I’d check out the expo at the convention center prior to the show. Of course doing that just made me feel like I was missing out and nearly tempted me into sticking around the full weekend. I couldn’t pull that off last year but I decided then and there that I should sign up for the 2025 half marathon. Last year’s race fell three weeks after I ran the Boston Marathon and I figured maybe it would be just enough time for me to recover and get through it.

Fast forward a year to the spring of 2025. At some point I realized that because of Boston’s timing this year, I only had TWO weeks between the races. Oops. That felt a little ambitious considering how I usually take some time off post-marathon to recover then start a slow build back. I figured I’d have to play it by ear and if the choice seemed too questionable, maybe I’d just have to bail.

My run in Boston went really well this year and I was surprised how good I felt in the days following the race. I had a little stiffness and soreness for a few days but I never struggled with the stairs, which is usually a given after most of my marathons. I only took three days off after the race and ran four miles on both the Friday and Sunday following the race. I seemed to feel okay and when I ran seven miles later the next week at a good pace so I was hopeful that I could get through the half marathon.

The drive to Pittsburgh usually takes somewhere around 4.5 hours with no stops. I made a stop or two and had to cope with rain for much of the drive, but I had left early enough on Saturday morning to get to the expo by noon.

Like last year, I was impressed by the size and the variety of vendors at the expo. I believe Adidas has exclusive rights at the Boston expo now and it hasn’t been the same since I was there in 2019. Pittsburgh’s expo is more along the lines of what I hope for. They had a ton of merchandise and plenty of interesting booths to check out. Brooks Running was there and I picked up a sticker and a little bag. I managed to restrain myself from making any purchases, especially after having just bought a bunch of stuff in Boston.

The rain continued all day on Saturday so it seemed like a perfect time to check out the Heinz History Center. I’d been curious about it and had never been. There was quite a variety of stuff to browse and I especially enjoyed some of the sports displays, a Mister Rogers exhibit, and a bunch of Heinz items.

I was lucky that Heather and John were in town and I didn’t want to hassle them with my very early race morning wake-up, so I got a hotel a couple miles down the road from them. We met up and went out to dinner and it was really nice to catch up with them. They are great athletes themselves so we always have plenty to talk about!

I left the hotel just after 5:00 the next morning and made it downtown by 5:30. Although I basically had zero expectations for the race other than enjoying the scenery and getting through the distance, I still had some nerves. My biggest logistical concerns were finding a good place to park, wondering if it would rain, and battling bathroom lines.

John gave me some tips about where to park and I ended up in a garage for $10 near the baseball park on the North Shore. I had plenty of time to spare before the 7:00 start and took a nice walk across one of the bridges that looked extra pretty while lit up.

One stressful factor was eliminated, and another when it seemed like the rain was going to hold off. I’m okay with some rain while running but it’s less ideal while waiting around for the start of a race. After I crossed the bridge I came upon the road where we’d branch off to enter the corrals and saw plenty of porta potties with lines. I figured if I got farther away from the start the lines would lessen…and I was right. I made my way to the gear check area to drop my bag of clothes for after the race. They had several trucks with no lines and tons of porta potties with no wait at all.

It was around 60 degrees so I kept a heat sheet with me in case I got chilly before the start. After doing a warm up mile around Point State Park, the humidity really hit me and I didn’t have to worry about being cold. Now I was hoping the humidity wouldn’t get to me too much during the race.

It was nice having access to the porta potties with no lines by gear check, but then I had to battle my way through the very congested street to get up to my corral. With around 12,300 half marathon runners and 3,700 marathoners, this was a pretty large race. I was thankful that I was in the “A” corral and made it there with enough time to spare before the 7:00 start. Now that everything else was done, I “just” had to run!

As usual, the first mile or two was pretty congested. I saw the 1:50 pacer up ahead and thought that might be a good pace to aim for but I couldn’t work my way through people to get to them. Even with the crowd, I managed to run 8:00 for the first mile and 7:56 for the second. It’s probably good that it was congested so I didn’t get too out of control and go even faster. It’s easy to get into the rhythm of everyone around me while I’m fresh and running feels easy, but that can come back to bite me in the later miles.

While it had seemed like rain could be a concern, we actually ended up with sun and blue skies during the early miles of the race. The roads were wet so I had to be cautious around any painted lines on the roads because they were extra slick. I also kept wondering if the humidity would impact my race. I wasn’t acclimated to it at all and knew it could wear me down. I started to feel a little tired 5-6 miles into the race and questioned if I’d be able to maintain my pace. Although I started out feeling faster than I had expected, that post-marathon fatigue might be catching up with me. I noticed that I ran the sixth mile in 7:36 so maybe THAT was why things felt a little more challenging! I had figured an 8:00 average might be the most I could aim for if I felt good so that faster mile was pushing it a bit. The course was rolling though, so I may have hit a stretch with some downhills that helped speed me up some too.

One of my main goals for the race was to enjoy the scenery and I definitely did. It was fun to run through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh. We ran past the baseball park and football stadium. We ran past the Duquesne Incline, and we got some great views of the Pittsburgh skyline. I loved running across multiple bridges. Sometimes that meant a bit of a hill to climb as we started to cross over, but none of them were too taxing. Plus, any incline at the start of the bridge meant we’d get a nice decline at the end!

Somehow I managed to keep hovering somewhere around an 8:00 pace consistently through the race. I was thankful that I wasn’t too beat up from Boston and able to run a solid race. Whenever I mentioned my plans to run in Pittsburgh, the first response from people was, “It’s going to be hilly, isn’t it?” I can’t speak for the marathon course but the half really wasn’t too bad. I knew that I could expect a climb around 11-12 miles and that was my slowest part of the race. Still, I ran an 8:14 mile there so it didn’t bother me too much! It took a bit more work, and somewhere around that point I came across and passed the 1:45 pacer. That meant I was on track to come in under an 8:00 average!

Although a climb late in the race can be challenging, it was literally all downhill after that. I rolled with that momentum and flew through the 13th mile in 7:16. That helped make up for going a little slower during the previous mile and it made me feel extra strong through the end. I ended up breaking 1:45 with an official time of 1:44:36.

I worked my way through the finish line area and collected my medal, a heat sheet, food, and made a couple stops for photos.

I got my stuff from gear check and walked over to the celebration area at Point State Park. There were a bunch of booths and a tent with merch. I had resisted buying anything at the expo but I loved the race so much that I ended up caving. I got a Brooks Canopy Jacket which is one of my favorites to wear in the rain. I liked getting something that had the bridge design on it to help me remember the fun of running over a bunch of them. I also spotted a water bottle that doubles as a foam roller which I’d never seen before. It seemed like a genius idea that would be great for me while traveling so I had to get one of those too.

I had put in a hard enough effort that my stomach was pretty angry afterward. Sometimes it seems like my stomach takes a bigger beating than my legs lately. That’s not great when I still had to drive home. I had thoughts of stopping at Primanti Bros. to treat myself to a monster sandwich but that wasn’t going to work. Instead, I settled for a smoothie and muffin at a service center in Ohio. The drive home was manageable enough, but then the rain started again, I got stuck behind two separate flipped semi incidents within a mile of each other, and time just dragged. Still, the trip was definitely worthwhile.

I’ve been starting to question if I’ve reached a point where maintaining such a consistent and solid running base has allowed me to recover more easily. I haven’t felt too beat up after doing the 4-day Disney combo in January followed by Boston in April and this half a couple weeks later. I’ve always wondered how some people manage to run marathons so frequently. I never felt like my body was at a point where I could handle that until recently. It’s tricky finding a balance between pushing to another level and making sure I don’t get injured. I believe I’ll back off a bit until I start to prepare for a marathon in October. I’ll mix in at least a couple triathlons this summer. I’m heading into that training reluctantly right now because I just want to keep pushing my running! It’s probably wise to change things up a bit after going so hard for half a year though. I’m glad I committed to the Pittsburgh half and followed through with it. Everything worked out and I really loved this race. I might have to scope out the elevation before I’d consider the marathon there, but it was such a great experience that I’d definitely be interested in going back.

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

04.27.25

by milesflyby

Boston Marathon Recap

My fifth Boston Marathon (and 15th marathon) is in the books and it was a great one. The experience is still just as special after five times which is why I keep going back for more. I like to joke that as long as they let me in, I want to do it. My time of 3:34:19 at the 2023 Holland Haven Marathon provided plenty of buffer for the 3:50:00 qualifying time I needed since I moved into a new age group. It’s one perk of getting older!

Training for any marathon is a major goal and I always want to do my best. However, I always feel like Boston takes on an extra level of importance. I’m extremely grateful that I get the opportunity to do the race and I want to perform as well as I can. It’s almost like I want to prove to myself that I’m worthy of being there. By the end of this training segment I had totally slacked off on swimming and most everything else in favor of getting more sleep and rest as I went all-in on Boston training.

I typically run a maximum of two marathons a year – one in the spring and one in the fall. When I decided to do the Dopey Challenge at Disney World in January, I was a little wary about being able to jump right back into training for Boston. I was very fortunate that my body cooperated and training went fairly smoothly. As usual, I tended to neglect a lot of my scheduled speed work on the Boston-specific McMillan Running plan that I followed, and it was challenging to cope with snow and ice throughout the winter. Still, I knew that I got plenty of good work done. When I had an especially great 22-mile long run three weeks out from the race, I was ready to go. I was SO ready to be done with training and just wanted to get to the race. Being in marathon training mode non-stop since the end of September wore on me and although I was going strong physically, I was getting close to burning out mentally. I managed to find the patience to survive the final few weeks and felt extremely ready to tackle Boston once again.

I followed my usual routine of flying out early Friday morning and returning home on Tuesday so I could spend several days in town and squeeze in a bunch of the activities that occur over marathon weekend. I was thrilled to find out that Mary and Jason, a couple I know from Infinite Multisport Triathlon Club, were going to be on the same flight. We got a chance to sit and chat before boarding and I mentioned a panel that I was going to attend. A woman sitting by us jumped into the conversation and turned out to be Des Linden’s mother-in-law! It was fun to talk to her since Des is an inspiration and rock star to us runners.

After parting ways with Mary and Jason, my friend Kristine was kind enough to pick me up at the airport. We had talked about going to see the Red Sox play sometime over the weekend which would continue my streak of seeing a game each time I run the race. We swung by Fenway first to avoid extra fees and bought tickets for Saturday’s game.

*Outside Fenway when it was nice and calm*

After a nice lunch across from the park, we headed to the Museum of Fine Arts. I’ve been aiming to do something new each year I go back to Boston and hadn’t been to the MFA before. I enjoyed exploring there with Kristine for a couple hours until the slow wandering combined with my early wake up wore on my legs and it was time to be done.

Kristine was very generous to drive me to my hotel afterward then drop me off near the expo before she headed home. A top priority for the day was to make it to the expo in time to see Deena Kastor speak on a panel at 5:00. I have learned from past years that I don’t need to go to the expo first thing in the morning when it opens. The lines are long at that point and I breezed right through without any wait when I got there after 4:00.

*My bib helping locate my name on the large wall of participants*

I collected my bib and shirt, made a couple of photo stops, then headed to the area where the panels took place. I had plenty of time to spare and caught the last 20 minutes of a panel with Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter, moderated by Amby Burfoot. It’s always fun to see running legends speak.

I was excited to see Deena Kastor speak because I had just finished reading her book a few weeks earlier as a part of the Detroit Free Press Marathon’s book club. Deena has a great outlook on life and has a positive mindset that really resonates with me so I was hoping to meet her too. The panel was about runner safety and also featured Thomas Eller, Rochelle Soloman, Ryan Montgomery. It was interesting to learn about the experiences of deaf, black, and non-binary runners.

I really enjoyed the panel and I was able to catch Deena afterward and have her sign my book. Goal number one was achieved for the day!

*Deena signed the book that I brought with me*

I had also hoped that I might see Meb Keflezighi near the finish line area for a “champions’ homecoming” event right after Deena’s panel. I made it outside just in time, and sure enough, Meb was there. Like Deena, Meb is all about the positive mindset and he’s one of my running heroes. I have seen him each time I’ve been to Boston and wanted to keep that streak going! I guess chatting with him at the finish line last year was memorable enough that he recognized me and gave me a warm greeting. I had to get another selfie with him!

*An opportunity to see many Boston winners from the past*

*Meb was greeted with a big cheer from the crowd*

*Five years of seeing Meb before the marathon*

I was excited to accomplish my two main goals for the day on top of having fun with Kristine earlier. I stopped by Marathon Sports next and walked away with a hat, knit cap, and a very nice backpack that I couldn’t resist. I had already bought the “celebration jacket” prior to race weekend.

*Marathon Sports on Boylston has much of the same gear as the expo without the overwhelming crowds or lines*

Then I walked down Newbury Street to see some of the “pop-up” shops from various brands. I browsed briefly until I got to the Brooks Hyperion House which is always my favorite. I swear by Brooks products and love their fun culture as well, and I ended up getting a shirt there.

I stopped at Panera to get dinner to eat in my room as I unwound from an exciting first day in Boston. As if Friday wasn’t busy enough, it almost felt like I was REALLY on a mission to see how much fun I could squeeze into one day once Saturday rolled around.

I started the day with a run along the Charles River on my way to spectate the 5K and caught up with my friend Jason for a few minutes on the way there. It seems like everything is always in bloom by marathon weekend and it was gorgeous out there.

I found a spot almost two miles into the 5K course with very few people around that made a great place to spectate. It was fun to see the various waves of leaders come through – the wheelers, elite men, elite women, then everyone else.

I spotted Meb Keflezighi and cheered for him while wearing the same “26” hat he was wearing, created for his foundation. He tapped his hat, smiled, and gave me a thumbs up.

I barely managed to catch Kara Goucher and her son Colt in the crowd, then ran on a sidewalk along the course to spectate from a few other spots.

I was on the lookout for my friend Laurel and realized how hard spectating is. Trying to scan a constant flow of people without knowing when to expect your person is tough! Luckily there was a tracker for the 5K so I had a general idea, and I’m glad Laurel took a selfie for me before the race so I could be on the lookout for her “icon” hat.

After I saw Laurel I swung by the Brooks Hyperion House on Newbury in time to see Des Linden and some other elite Brooks runners who were going to lead a shakeout run. Since I already finished my run, I stuck around and got to chat with the awesome Aliphine Tulimuk.

*A crowd gathered for the Brooks shakeout run*

After she finished the 5K, I found Laurel again and we enjoyed brunch at the Map Room Lounge inside the Boston Public Library.

During my walk back to the hotel I had to stop to greet a couple of awesome dogs in Boston Common, and I also noticed tour buses across from my hotel. I hoped that I might be able to catch a show later that night…

I took a little bit of downtime before meeting up with my Infinite Multisport friends to venture out to Fenway via the subway.

*We watched a number of cars leave without us because they were SO packed*

I found Laurel and Kristine outside and we enjoyed a gorgeous night at the park. Just like when I was there in 2022, I happened to cross paths with Paralympic triathlete Melissa Stockwell who was there with her family and had to say hi.

*I’m REALLY glad we got the warm day for the baseball game and NOT for the race!*

I was anxious to see if I might be able to make it to an early concert that night, so we left during the ninth inning and unfortunately missed seeing the Red Sox get a walk-off win. We listened on the radio and were able to beat the crowds though, and Kristine got me back to my hotel with enough time for me to go up to my room briefly then head back out minutes later to catch AWOLNATION, who was literally playing next door.

I finally accomplished the goal of going to a show while in town for the marathon, because of COURSE that would be a priority for me. I usually stay in the theater district and see marquees advertising a bunch of great upcoming shows but none while I’m there. When I saw that AWOLNATION would be there, I had it in my mind that I should really try to make it work. The band played at a place called Royale and I got there 15-20 minutes before they started. They played a great set in an hour and 20 minutes and I was back to my room by 9:15. Thank goodness for club night at the venue which means Saturday shows are over early so club-goers can enter at 10:00.

Saturday almost seemed like the marathon before the marathon with all that I accomplished during the day! I knew Sunday needed to be a more restful day so I made sure to have the bulk of my fun on Friday and Saturday.

I usually opt to rest the day before a big race rather than do a shakeout run. I worry that my ankles or something else could get tweaky and I feel more comfortable if I rest. Instead, I still got some miles in by walking. I started out by walking back to the Brooks Hyperion House on Newbury for a panel that started at 11:00. Kara Goucher moderated a talk with Aliphine Tuliamuk and Dot McMahon. It was fun to meet Aliphine the day prior, and I see Dot out on my local trail sometimes because she runs for the Hansons team. She’s quite the inspiration and is still killing it at 48 years old. I was glad I could be there to see the three amazing women chat.

*A group photo that Kara shared on Instagram. I added an arrow to show where I was!*

It was a very windy but gorgeous day so I went for a walk around the Beacon Hill and North End areas and ended up at Faneuil Hall where I got a sandwich and some cookies. Good carb loading for the next day!

Like last year, Fan Fest was held at City Hall Plaza which is just a short walk from Faneuil Hall. I went there next and met up with Mary and Jason. We wandered around a little bit and found Meb, who was meeting with fans. Mary and Jason hadn’t met him yet and I didn’t mind saying hi yet again!

It was probably around 3:30 when I decided it was time to head back to my room to chill for the rest of the day. I only went back out briefly to get more food from Panera for dinner. I spent the evening organizing things for the next morning while a Saved By the Bell marathon played on the TV in the background.

Marathon Monday finally rolled around and I was a little anxious but ready to go. Although street noise around my hotel had been a major problem for sleep on Friday and Saturday nights, luckily things were quiet on Sunday night and I may have gotten around seven hours of sleep. I was up by 5:15 and left an hour later after eating one of my protein Picky Bars, the first of several stages of eating throughout the long morning before I got to race at 10:50. It usually works for me to eat another Picky Bar at 8:00 and another around 9:20, plus I try to stop drinking by then aside from a few sips of water. Then I eat one Clif Blok before starting. When I find something that works I try to stick with it!

I dropped my post-race clothes at gear check on my way toward the expo center where I caught my bus outside a hotel. Like I’ve done four out of the five years, I took a bus that was chartered by Bauman’s, a running store in Flint. The bus is usually loaded with runners from Michigan and we have the added perk of comfort and not getting kicked off the bus when it arrives at Athletes’ Village. The downside is having to catch the bus by 7:00, at least an hour earlier than I would have caught one of the general buses. It’s worth it though, especially for the reassurance that I won’t have to sit outside for a couple hours in potentially iffy weather conditions. The chartered buses park by their own block of porta potties too.

*A separate area for the chartered buses, which stick around for athletes rather than dropping them off*

We arrived by 8:00 but I had a couple hours before I could exit Athletes’ Village. That time always tends to drag. I’ve found that sometimes I get a bit too warm on the bus so I try to juggle resting my legs with going out to get fresh air during the long wait. That’s why it’s always nice when I befriend people on the bus, and that happened once again this year. I overheard my seat mate talking about a guy named Bruce and was pretty sure it had to be the same Bruce who I know. Eventually I spoke up and asked if he was her coach which confirmed it. That started my chat with Tamara, who determined that we must be running twins because we’re both 45 years old, both running Boston for our fifth time, and likely to finish with similar times. It was fun to make a new running friend and help pass some of the time.

We were in wave 3 and I could exit Athletes’ Village at 10:10 so we left the bus a little before 10:00 to walk over.

Then there’s a .7-mile walk to the starting corrals with one last bathroom stop along the way. I usually try to wait as long as I can in hopes that it will keep me from having to go during the race! I got to my corral 10 minutes before the start and stripped my track pants and fleece jacket from Salvation Army on my way in.

It was in the low 50s and sunny and I hoped that sun beating down on me and already making me warm wouldn’t be a problem. It’s really hard to prepare for warm conditions when I’m used to running in the 30s at home then there’s a temperature jump combined with mid-day sun. It got up to 70 degrees with direct sun last year and it broke me, leading to my slowest marathon yet. While I was a little warm to start this time, luckily that faded. There was a slight breeze that wasn’t enough to make running challenging and it helped cool me down. Conditions ended up being pretty ideal!

*A taste of the congestion during the downhill start*

It has been drilled into my head not to start out too fast during the first few miles that are mostly downhill. I usually battle enough congestion that I end up slower than I want to be. This time I was actually able to get moving! When I saw 7:40s on my watch early on, I told myself I better slow down a bit. I usually train for an 8:00 pace but told myself that realistically I might want to aim for 8:10-8:15. With the downhill start I was happy with my 8:07 and 8:00 splits for the first four miles. After that I ended up somewhere in the range of 8:00-8:10 for the next 10 miles and felt great. I was relieved that things were going better than last year when things started to feel tough just seven miles into the race.

As usual, I thought of all of the family and friends who have been so supportive and sent good vibes prior to the race. A good majority of them don’t understand why people would WANT to run a marathon, yet here they were tracking me and cheering for me. I was grateful to be out there on the legendary course once again, and grateful that my body has cooperated and allowed me to do this crazy thing.

The crowds always carry me. They pump me up, make me laugh with their great signs, and make me feel like a rock star. Aside from rock stars, it’s rare that many people get to experience the thrill of crowds screaming for them and it’s a pretty awesome feeling. Hearing certain songs along the course also gave me chills. It can be a pretty emotional experience all around!

I made sure to grab water at every hydration station and also sipped some of my own electrolyte drink now and then. I ate a Clif Blok every other mile starting with the sixth mile. I ate caffeine Bloks to start, then switched to some with extra sodium later in the race. This was the second marathon where I also sucked on salt tablets every other mile starting with the seventh mile. I tend to be a salty sweater so I’ve been trying them to see if it helps. It seems to be working so I keep doing it. By the time I got to miles 21 and 23, the salt got to be a little overwhelming. It’s probably because my mouth dried out toward the end of the race and I didn’t really want to eat anything anymore. My stomach cooperated though so I think my method was successful and thinking about eating something every mile and following up with water helped distract me.

*Passing the Newton Fire Station means the hills are about to begin!*

I slowed down a little to an 8:16 pace for mile 15, but then a nice downhill took me back down to 7:56 just before starting the stretch of Newton hills. I always do hill repeats when I train for Boston and worked really hard to train on rolling hills so I felt very prepared this year. It still doesn’t make the hills easy and they slowed me down of course but they didn’t bother me that much.

Getting the nice downhills after each uphill helped balance things out. For the hilly stretch I ran miles of 8:21, 8:21, 8:10, 8:26, and finished mile 21 with the famous Heartbreak Hill in 8:43. But then I dropped right back down to 8:12 after that.

I knew the hardest part of the course was done and I still felt really good. I was cruising along, smiling at the spectators, and just loving my time out there.

Other than feeling my right hamstring working a little bit early in the race, nothing bothered me at all. All of that talk about beating up the quads with the hills? My quads felt fine! When I was still cruising after Heartbreak Hill it made me feel extra confident. By the time I hit the last couple miles I decided it was time to pick up the pace.

Most of the time I’m usually dragging by the last couple miles and have to remind myself to pick up my feet enough so I don’t trip. That’s how I finished the Disney marathon in January. But this time? I felt great! It was the most amazing feeling to run a 7:53 pace for both of my last two miles. I managed to pick it up even more with a 7:37 pace for the last half mile, because instead of running 26.2 miles, I ended up with 26.5. There’s enough weaving around people on the course that it adds up over that kind of distance.

*I learned from a Facebook group that I should be on the right side of the road for a good Citgo sign photo!*

I really fed off the crowds during those last couple miles, sometimes even encouraging them to cheer. They didn’t let me down! I was PSYCHED to feel so strong at the end. It was the best feeling and I had an amazing race.

*Just after turning onto Boylston and feeling so much joy with the finish line up ahead*

My fastest race in Boston was in 2022 when I ran 3:35:35. I had hoped to beat that but came in just 10 seconds slower with 3:35:45. I had no hang-ups over not beating that time at all. I was close enough and feeling so strong at the end had me thrilled. It FELT like one of my best races and that’s what mattered.

*It feels great to finish with so much energy rather than dragging across the line*

I wondered if I would get emotional and cry like I do sometimes at the end of a big race, but this time I was just purely happy and excited and the tears didn’t come.

I took a couple photos then happened to glance at my phone and see the alert that my new friend Tamara had just crossed the finish line. The race people like to clear people out of the finishing area so it doesn’t get too congested, so I tried to stick around by stretching while I was on the lookout for Tamara.

The fact that Tamara ran 3:35:28 and I ran 3:35:45 just further reinforced how we’re “running twins” and we celebrated together for a few minutes.

*My results. Placing so much higher than my bib number means I did pretty good!*

After collecting my medal my stomach started to revolt – a common occurrence for me after a big race. After a bathroom stop I collected my warm clothes at gear check. I debated if my stomach was going to hold up so I could go to the Brooks Hyperion House next. It was iffy at moments but fortunately it held up and I went back to Newbury.

Brooks offered free medal engraving so I thought I would check it out. I was greeted with a free scarf and a slice of pizza on my way into the store! They had drinks and some snacks inside the store too. When I went upstairs, it just made me laugh when I found Tamara. We hadn’t discussed what we were going to do after the race at all, yet we both ended up in the same place.

*Posing with our medals in front of Brooks athlete Des Linden, who had shocked everyone that morning by announcing that this was her final professional marathon.*

I went back to my room after that, still riding the high and not limping at all. I grabbed more food at Panera on my way because I suspected that I might be done for the day and not want to go back out later. Before showering, I worked on some of the snacks and drinks I received at the finish line, then dug into my other treats as I scrolled through my phone and caught up on messages.

I had a ridiculously early flight home the next morning and enjoyed having the rest of the day to eat, hang out with my cats, unpack, do some laundry, and visit with my mom. I felt fine for the first 24 hours before some stiffness kicked in. I was a little stiff and sore on Wednesday but I felt surprisingly normal. My quads were fine and I didn’t have any issues with stairs like I normally would after a marathon – especially this one with all of the pounding on the hills. I wondered if it was thanks to my Brooks Hyperion Elite PB 4 “super shoes” that I had just bought a few weeks earlier. I LOVED the shoes and didn’t have any blisters or other issues. The fancy shoes are supposed to enable faster recovery thanks to less beating on the legs, so that may have been one part of my speedy recovery. Another factor may be that I had essentially been in marathon training mode for six months. My body was probably more prepared for this marathon thanks to the continuous training.

Although I have more races lined up and will have to do some quick preparation to get ready for the swimming and biking legs of triathlon season, I’m not aiming for any big goals for a while. Between Disney and Boston, I’ve been working REALLY hard for half of a year and it’s time to relieve some of that pressure and just go with the flow for a bit. I will plan on aiming for Boston once again next year though! I ran a BQ (Boston-qualifying time) AT Boston which is extra sweet. Qualifying times were adjusted to be five minutes faster for the 2026 race, but with a 9:15 buffer, I should be good to go. And how can I resist? The entire race weekend in Boston is such a magical experience.

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

04.13.25

by milesflyby

Dopey Challenge Recap

I don’t have a bucket list, but if I did, I guess you could say the Dopey Challenge at Disney World has been on it for years. I enjoy Disney World and as I became a serious runner and ventured into marathons, I learned that there was a marathon that ran around all of the parks in Orlando which sounded really fun to me. At first I heard about the Goofy Challenge where people could run a half marathon one day followed by the marathon the next day. I was very intrigued by that until I learned about the Dopey Challenge – a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon run on four consecutive days. I figured if I was going to make the trip to Disney, I may as well go big and do it all.

It took years for everything to finally come together. For one thing, it helped to actually have a job with vacation time that would allow me to do this. By 2021, I finally had some paid vacation days. The next thing holding me up was the idea of possibly traveling alone to do it. Over the last several years I’ve grown very comfortable (and often prefer!) taking trips on my own so I decided it was time to go for it. I signed up for the Disney World Marathon Facebook page which helped me learn how everything worked. I knew that the races sold out very quickly and when the registration day came last April, I was stuck in a queue for well over an hour and it was more stressful than trying to buy concert tickets. Thankfully, Dopey was still available once it was my turn. It was another couple months before it was possible to book hotels and I was able to get one of the All-Star resorts (the most affordable option) on Disney property. Then I learned that my friend Kristine’s son would be working in the Disney college program and would likely still be there during my race weekend. She’d be happy to visit while I was there. I’d have great company and I wouldn’t have to stress about going to the parks alone. Everything was working out!

The races took place Thursday, January 9 through Sunday, January 12. I took a flight that got into Orlando at noon the day before and was extremely grateful that Kristine offered to pick me up at the airport. The first priority was to head to the expo. Once I was in town I was able to sign up for the “virtual queue” to get into the area that sold the official RunDisney gear at the expo. That wait was over two hours! It took at least half an hour to get to the expo from the airport anyway so that would help chip away at some of the time.

*I was excited to see this sign as we drove to the expo*

The expo took place at ESPN Wide World of Sports and it was so busy there that we had to take a long walk from a dirt lot across the main road where we parked. Of course I had to make some photo stops.

*Getting ready to do something extremely Dopey!*

Then it was line after line after line. I figured this was a part of the Disney experience so I better be patient and get used to it!

*The first line snaked outside the building where I picked up my race bibs*

*I found it interesting that I used the same bib for the 5K and 10K and used the second one for both the half and full marathon instead of receiving four bibs*

We finally made it inside (and through another line) to collect my bibs, then we had to go back outside and wait in a line that circled a huge playing field before we could get into the building that housed the general expo. BUT…yet another line before we made it to that!

The expo had some photo stops and lots of vendors like any typical big race expo. Nothing all that exciting and I didn’t find anything I needed but I still wanted to check things out.

By the time we got through all of that we still had nearly an hour to wait before we could get into the RunDisney part of the expo. As a comment in the Facebook group said, “I can run a marathon faster than it’s been today for me to get bibs and merch.” That’s barely an exaggeration. Kristine wisely suggested that we could go to my resort so I could check in and drop my stuff off.

My last visit to Disney World was in 2012. I enjoyed staying at the All-Star Sport Resort then and decided it should serve me well enough this time too.

*I was in one of the rooms around the tennis area*

Once again, I was thankful that Kristine was so willing to drive me around. We went back to the expo to browse the RunDisney merch and it was pretty overwhelming. They had stuff for each of the races, for the Goofy and Dopey Challenges, for the weekend in general, and some plain RunDisney gear.

*The expo area with official marathon weekend merch*

The Facebook group helped me learn that unless you got there during the first couple hours, the “good” marathon and Dopey stuff would be gone. It was after 3:00 by then so my expectations were low. I was already going to come home with SIX race shirts so it’s not like I needed much more. I saw some cool marathon jackets but the sizes were very limited by then. It was fun to browse but I didn’t get anything. However, Kristine was kind enough to give me a custom sign that she had ordered!

I went back to my resort and headed to the food court for some dinner just after 4:00 and settled in my room by 5:00. With some crazy early mornings ahead of me I knew I needed to get into the routine of early dinners and bedtimes. As if racing four days in a row isn’t enough of a challenge, one of the MAJOR factors of getting through Dopey is surviving the 4:30-5:00 am starts. Subtract a couple hours from that to factor in getting dressed, catching the bus, making the long walk in to the staging area in Epcot parking lot, dropping a bag at gear check, getting a potty stop in, and lining up in the corrals at least 15 minutes before the starting time. In addition to training for the runs, I actually trained for the early mornings by getting up at 3:00 am on a somewhat regular basis for a swim or occasional treadmill run leading up to the race.

Day One – Thursday – 5K

I had pretty restless sleep and woke up just after 2:00 am. Ouch. There was a long line of buses outside my resort so there was no concern about catching one on time. I erred on the side of caution for my first day and got on a bus around 3:00. At that point it was 40° and felt like 32°. I figured that since I was used to 8° back at home, 30-40° in Florida would feel like a heatwave. Not so much when standing or sitting around in it for an hour and a half waiting to run. One trick I had learned from the Facebrook group is that Walmart has some super cheap blankets and they’re great for keeping warm while waiting. I checked one bag on my flight just to carry all of the “throwaway” gear I would need to stay warm before the races. On this morning I wore an old fleece jacket as well but I still ended up feeling super cold.

*Blankets that were less than $5 a piece were a wise purchase for this adventure*

The ride to Epcot only took 10 minutes then there was a nice long walk from the front entrance back around to the parking lots. I dropped my bag of post-race clothing at gEAR check (pretty clever naming!) then scoped things out. There was a stage and video screen with constant entertainment and announcements, plus multiple characters were staged for photo opportunities. The lines seemed pretty long and I didn’t want to wait. As I hung out in that area I ate my second Picky Bar of the morning. The method of eating one when I woke up and one an hour before racing worked well all four days.

*Interviews with runners helped provide some entertainment before the race*

I went to the corral area and found a TON of porta potties located right across from the corral entrances. Some people in the Facebook group advised getting to the corrals early to be near the front, so I tried that just after 4:00.

I was in the “B” corral for the first two days and we didn’t start the walk to the starting line until 4:40. That meant I had 40 minutes to kill. I sat on the ground shivering with my blanket wrapped around me as I held hand warmers and listened to interviews and the DJ playing music from the stage next to the starting line. When it was finally time to move, I found that it didn’t matter that I had lined up so early. People bunched up so much that somehow I wasn’t near the front after all. Corrals were released in waves starting at 5:00 to help with congestion.

*The corral behind me waiting to move up to the starting line*

Another thing I learned from the Facebook group is that people can sign up with any estimated pace they want for the 5K and 10K while a proof of time is required for the half and full marathons. That means people purposely game the system for the shorter races so they can start in the front corrals and get a head start on lining up for photo stops with characters. Although I would be in the “A” corral for the half and full, I was likely placed in the “B” corral because people provided false time estimates. I’m glad I was aware of this prior to the start of the race so I would be prepared to deal with walkers. It still made things extremely frustrating for the first mile (or more) as I tried to get through mobs of people walking when I truly wanted to run.

I’m not much for getting creative with costumes but I still wanted to be festive somehow. I found some fun Winnie the Pooh running shirts from Bicycle Booth online.

The 5K took place throughout Epcot which was really fun. A few spots were a little dark and I was wary about my footing, but I was fine for the most part and it was cool to see the buildings of the World Showcase lit up throughout the park. It was more enjoyable once I was able to get moving at my own pace rather than weaving around people.

*The course around Epcot’s World Showcase*

*Lots of people wore costumes or other festive outfits*

With four days of racing I knew I needed to be strategic. I told myself that it would be okay to give the 5K a little effort, then back off for the 10K and half marathon so I could try to run a solid marathon. All of the walkers threw a little wrench in aiming for a truly speedy 5K, but I sped up as I went and felt great so it all worked out just fine. I didn’t realize until later that the 5K was technically a fun run without official times. Because I did the Dopey Challenge, the results for each race showed up by the end and I saw that they timed me at 24:34.

*A pretty good pace for all of the people-dodging I did!*

I had gotten so cold while I sat in the corral that I could still barely feel my feet by the end of the 5K! I hadn’t expected to feel so cold when it was much warmer than I’d been used to at home.

I collected a box of food, got my stuff at gear check, then realized that being one of the faster runners would be helpful for post-race character photos. I hadn’t stopped to pose with any during the race because the lines were too long and I wanted to keep moving. The characters that were in the staging area prior to the race were there after the race as well and I was able to breeze through the lines within five minutes for Dopey and Pluto. As I waited in the character lines, it was kind of crazy to still hear announcements for runners at the starting line. There were so many waves of runners that I had completed my race before some had even started!

*We received the same food box after each of the four races*

*Another photo stop. I determined that since I was paying big money for the Photo Pass, I better take advantage of lots of photo opportunities to get my money’s worth!*

I was done with the race and everything else so early that the buses weren’t heading back to the resorts yet and I had to wait until after 6:30. At least I was able to sit on one while I waited and could warm up a bit.

I went to the food court at my resort for a filling breakfast, showered, and headed out to Animal Kingdom by 9:30. I knew that Kristine couldn’t ride roller coasters so I planned to do that on my own before she got to the park. I went straight to Expedition Everest which is a fun one. I waited in the normal line and learned from my seatmate (another runner) that there was a single-rider line. He planned to ride it a second time so he showed me where to go and it was fun to get a couple rounds in so quickly. While I had worried about whether I could enjoy the parks solo before I knew that Kristine would be joining me during this trip, it was actually pretty fun and sometimes that helped me chat with other friendly people doing the same thing.

Still, I was glad to meet up with Kristine so we could hang out for the rest of the day. I learned that you could save on packing by planning to wear race shirts each day. People talked about bringing their medals to the parks for photos too, so Kristine and I got plenty of pictures to help celebrate my 5K run.

*I rested my legs during the day at a Nemo show and on the safari ride*

*The photographers offered to do some “Disney magic” on some of our photos*

I swear I didn’t warm up the whole day. I had a jacket and gloves and still felt like I shivered all day long! It was a fun day despite the chill. We went to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for a pizza dinner and I got back to my room after 6:00.

Day Two – Friday – 10K

I went to bed after 8:00 and was up by 2:30 for the 10K day. I decided it wasn’t necessary to catch the bus quite as early just to wait around in the cold at Epcot so I left 15-20 minutes later than the prior day. After freezing so much on my first day, I wore two long sleeve shirts instead of one. Instead of sitting on the ground to wait for the start, I stayed on my feet. That kept them from going numb like they had the day before. In addition to my Walmart blanket, I wore a garbage bag and heat sheet on top and wrapped another heat sheet around my legs. I looked ridiculous but I was warmer! When I got off the bus to walk around Epcot a second day in a row I couldn’t help but laugh to myself about how this was truly insane.

I didn’t bother trying to get to the front of the corral this time and lingered toward the back so I had some space to stretch. Once again, I dealt with congestion at the start due to slower people starting further up than they should have. Fortunately, the 10K route took us out to some wider roads where people could spread out and that made things much easier. I also wasn’t quite as anxious to get moving as I had been the prior day because I knew I needed to slow things down in order to hold up for the entire Dopey Challenge.

This time we got to run around the boardwalk area which I had never seen before and I loved it. There were resorts and shops with some spectators scattered around.

While running through Epcot, the only spectators we had were the “cast members” around the World Showcase, volunteers at aid stations, plus DJs and bands who helped keep us hyped up. We ran through the World Showcase again for the last couple miles of the race.

I decided to make a character stop just before the 5-mile mark because there were only a few people in line. I ran in for a photo with Donald Duck then kept rolling and still ran 8:33 for the mile – not bad!

*By running fast enough, eventually the crowd thinned and the character lines got short enough for a quick stop*

I wore my Piglet shirt for the 10K and it was a success!

I told myself to be disciplined and not go faster than an 8:00 pace aside from picking it up just before the finish line. I had a good rhythm and felt great.

Once again, I headed straight to the characters for some post-race photos once I was done. Click on the images for larger versions.

Back to my resort for another yummy breakfast at the food court prior to showering and heading out to Hollywood Studios for another busy day.

Thankfully the temps climbed up near 70° and it was sunny so I could enjoy a day at the park without shivering. I knew I should be smart about resting my legs so Kristine and I went to the Indiana Jones show then the Muppets 3D show so I could sit for a while.

*Muppet Vision is going to change to something else soon so it was a top priority for me to visit at Hollywood Studios*

*It was a perfect day to walk around the park*

Kristine’s son Jake joined us for a bit too.

The Aerosmith ride is going to change to something new soon too so I had to visit that one last time. That line took longer than I had hoped and I got a bit wary about being on my feet for so long.

I had never been on the Skyliner before so Kristine and Jake took me on that and we ventured to the Art of Animation resort for dinner at their food court. It’s fun to change it up and see the themes at the various resorts. Chicken parmesan and noodles seemed like a good way to fuel for a half marathon the next morning.

Kristine and Jake were staying at the Beach Club resort so we went there next and I enjoyed walking around. We got some ice cream and I enjoyed seeing another area I had never been to. At the same time, I was also a bit stressed and frustrated with myself because I knew I was staying out too late. It’s kind of funny when getting back to my resort at 6:45 seemed “late” but I was on a very unconventional schedule with the early mornings – more like the middle of the night for most people!

In a way, I was already halfway done with my adventure but not at all in reality since I had only covered 9.3 miles of the 48.6 involved in the challenge. I spent WAY too much time on my feet and hoped I wouldn’t pay for it the next morning. My ankles were already stiff when I woke up on Friday and I might need to allow more time in the mornings for loosening up with the distances getting even more serious.

I went to bed around 9:00 which was later than I’d hoped, plus my heart was racing and I couldn’t shut down. On top of that, I was really bothered by the constant sound of rolling suitcases on the pavement, especially on the floor above me. The white noise app on my phone wasn’t enough to drown it out. I woke up sweating at one point, and when I got up for good at 2:30, my eyes felt like crap.

Day three – Saturday – half marathon

I found myself leaving later each day of this adventure so I wouldn’t stand around killing so much time at Epcot before the races begin. This time I left at 3:30. When 3:30 is “later” it further emphasizes how crazy all of this was.

The temps finally warmed up to 60° so I could wear shorts and didn’t need hand warmers or a blanket. Rain was in the forecast though. I didn’t know when it might hit and how bad, so I wore a flimsy poncho covered by a nice “throwaway” raincoat I had gotten at the Salvation Army. I would be extremely thankful that I had brought that with me!

*A photo stop during the long walk from the buses to the start*

The rain started just as I posed for my nice Epcot photo and quickly picked up. I bundled up in my rain coat and wrapped my legs with a heat sheet. One smart thing I learned was to save the heat sheet that I was given at the end of each race so I could use it again the next morning.

I was thankful that I was in the “A” corral for the half since it required a proof of time and walkers couldn’t fake it to start at the front. The Disney races draw all kinds of people from speedy runners to walkers and I’m all about everyone enjoying the experience, but things go more smoothly when people line up in a place that reflects the pace they actually plan to go. I noticed that it felt more like a true race environment in the first corral. I was surrounded mostly by people wearing typical running clothes rather than costumes.

There’s no place to shelter while waiting for these races so I just had to cope with getting soaked for nearly an hour prior to the race.

*Rain coming down as we waited in the corral*

When it was time to run, the rain actually died down.

Congestion was a bit of an issue to start but at least I was surrounded by people who were running and not walking like the prior two days. I figured the slow start just helped me keep my pace under control. My goal for the day was to act as though I was doing a training run at an easier pace and NOT race. I ran 9:24 for the first mile which felt agonizingly slow in a race environment. When I’m in training mode, I usually drag through my first mile around a similar pace as I start to warm up so it was probably for the best. I dropped to 8:38 for the next mile so it’s obvious that I was able to cut through the congestion by that point.

This was the first day of spending a lot of the run on the highway to get from one park to another. As we headed out from Epcot some of the road surfaces had a texture that was a bit slick due to the rain. I was thankful that it wasn’t all like that. We still had moments with light rain but it stayed away for the most part and wasn’t nearly as heavy as it had been before the race began.

I had wondered if I would need a headlamp at any point during these races since we spent most of our time running before we’d see any daylight. There were a couple of spots around Epcot that were a bit dark but I was fine. The highways had enough scattered lights. There was some music along the roads to help liven things up along those more boring stretches. There were occasional character stops too but if there were more than a few people in line I didn’t feel like stopping to wait. As I got further along the course and the lines grew shorter I did find it worthwhile to stop for some.

*I HAD to stop for a photo with Tigger along the way and just look at how joyful it was!*

*Wearing my Roo shirt for day three while I posed with another one of Pooh’s buddies, Piglet*

When I got to the Magic Kingdom there was a drastic change in energy. We entered the park and ran down Main Street which was lined with crowds of enthusiastic spectators – something I hadn’t seen during any of the races yet. The energy of the crowd combined with the view of Cinderella’s Castle up ahead took things to a whole new level. I found myself smiling the whole time I was in the park and absolutely loved that opportunity.

*I stopped for a quick photo with Mickey and Minnie, which seemed like a required shot!*

We ran past It’s a Small World then got to run under the castle.

When I saw that multiple photographers were set up in front of the castle, I had to take advantage of that photo stop. I ran over to one of the dots they had on the ground, posed quickly, then kept running.

We ran past a monorail stop where we saw another large group of spectators, then it was back out to the roads for miles to work back toward Epcot.

*Things were lit up enough for a run in the dark*

When I was about 10 miles into the race I kept distracted by watching people on the opposite side of the highway who were still heading toward the Magic Kingdom. The road was SO much more congested for them and I felt grateful that I am able to run fast enough to have plenty of space. I saw the infamous “balloon ladies” who bring up the rear. People need to stay in front of them or they could get pulled off the course for not maintaining the minimum pace. What a relief that I didn’t have any added stress like that!

By the last few miles of the race I ended up near the 2-hour pace group. The pace groups all use the run/walk method so I found myself getting ahead of them when they walked but they’d catch up when they ran. I wanted to finish under two hours and knew I was a few minutes ahead of that. Still, having them around kind of got to me and I tried to get moving a little more so I could have my own space again.

Eventually I got back to Epcot and this day featured less of the World Showcase. Getting back into a park helped me pick up my pace while still trying to stay disciplined and not push it too much.

*My third day of having this nice backdrop for a photo*

*One of my very favorite photos from this adventure and well worth a quick stop to pose*

Once again, I picked up the pace as I neared the finish. I was coming in just over 1:56 which meant I had been smart about controlling my pace. For reference, I had raced a half marathon in 1:45 a month earlier. I knew it was all about the long game and making sure I’d have enough energy left to run a marathon the next day.

Time for more post-race character photos!

I felt proud of how I’d run this race because I still felt good at the end. It’s kind of funny that I caught my bus back to the resort around 7:30 after having already run a half marathon for the day. Once again, I had a nice breakfast at my resort, showered, then had plans for the day.

*All of this running is a great excuse to load up on food afterward*

While planning this trip I knew I could be pushing my luck by spending so much time on my feet at the parks. I made a point of not going to any parks on Saturday after the half marathon. I would need a mellow and relaxing day to recover and rest before running a marathon the next day. It was a good day to meet up with a bunch of local friends for lunch and Kristine was kind enough to pick me up once again so we could go to Disney Springs. Our friend Evan had also run the half marathon, plus friends Jan and Laurel came from other parts of Florida so we could hang out and grab lunch at an Italian restaurant.

*With Evan showing off our half marathon medals*

It was a blast getting to hang out with some good friends for a couple hours and I’m so glad we were all able to coordinate.

*Another nice photo before we parted ways*

Kristine and I wandered around to a couple shops at Disney Springs before leaving. She was awesome enough to take me to a Jersey Mike’s so I could get a sandwich to take back to the hotel for my pre-race dinner later. I got back to my room by 4:00 and chilled for the rest of the evening.

Day four – Sunday – marathon

Time for the unknown – how would my legs cooperate for a marathon after all that I’d done? The final and most intimidating stage of the challenge!

I tried using earplugs to drown out the sound of roller bags and other noises but I still didn’t get enough sleep. It didn’t help that the marathon started at 4:30 while the other races had all started at 5:00. Back to a 2:00 am wake-up! It was 40° and clear which seemed like perfect conditions for a marathon. I was still wary about being cold during my pre-race wait so I layered up with the remaining blankets I had brought.

This was the day when things got REAL. When I arrived at Epcot the previous mornings I had laughed to myself about how ridiculous all of this was. On my final day I was getting so used to the routine that I was kind of sad that it was coming to an end. I was also so preoccupied with nerves that the silliness wasn’t a factor. A marathon is intimidating enough under normal conditions. I had no idea what to expect after all of the running I had already done combined with time at the parks and lack of sleep. I am able to run a 5K, 10K, or half marathon on a regular basis so those races hadn’t caused me any concern. The marathon is far from a casual thing I can do any old weekend!

This was the first day that I didn’t battle any congestion at the start. What a relief! I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the experience and not concentrate too much on aiming for a time goal, yet I also wanted to give a solid effort. When I put in so much work to train for a marathon I want to do as well as I can. I thought an 8:15 pace could be reasonable on the flat course if I had the energy but I didn’t want to start at that kind of pace and risk crashing in the later miles.

We started by running around Epcot which I enjoyed yet again. I saved my Tigger shirt for the final day. I thought it would help me channel his energy and bounciness!

We ran from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom again and got to see a little more of the park than we had during the half. I had to get more cool photos by Cinderella’s Castle!

RunDisney did a good job of providing entertainment on the long stretches of highway between the parks with the character stops, video screens with movie clips, music, and DJs. I stopped for photos with a few characters when the lines were short enough for me to get right in and then keep rolling. Mile six was my slowest mile of the race with an 8:51 and I’m sure that involved a short wait for a character. At times I questioned if I was taking a risk of blowing a Boston-qualifying time by making the stops. I didn’t know if I’d run well enough for a BQ but it’s always a thought. The true goal of this race was to soak in the whole experience though, not to concentrate on just putting in the work to achieve a time.

*Some of the characters I stopped to visit along the course*

There was a pretty brief stint through Animal Kingdom and we went by Expedition Everest and the Dinosaur area. I know that some people try to get on rides while they run through the parks. Although I wanted to have fun, I also wanted to keep moving. I think I got to Animal Kingdom early enough that the coaster wasn’t open yet anyway. By the time some of the people got there the parks were actually open. I finally started to get a little bit of daylight shortly after that segment.

Prior to the race I had read many complaints about running around the Blizzard Beach parking lot for mile 22. It wasn’t a very exciting stretch but it didn’t bother me too much. We got to Hollywood Studios about 24 miles into the race and I was both surprised and disappointed by how little we ran through that park. We entered near the Aerosmith ride and it felt like we basically ran down one road before heading straight out of the park. I understand that the parks eventually open to the general public while some people are still running the course and they don’t want runners clogging the parks too much. Still, I think I was in and out of Hollywood Studios in about a minute.

We got to run on the boardwalk near the Epcot area again which I loved.

My fueling plan for this race was to eat a caffeine Clif Blok every other mile starting at mile six, eat a salt tablet every mile in between, and drink my Skratch electrolyte mixture from my own bottle while also grabbing water at most every water stop. It seemed to work well because I had good energy for most of the race and no stomach issues. I was looking forward to getting back to Epcot at the end and hoped that would give me extra energy since I started to get pretty tired by the last couple miles. During the last mile I told myself not to worry about pace and had to consciously work to lift my feet enough so I wouldn’t trip from the fatigue.

I felt some great energy running through the park with a choir and spectators along the final stretch.

I managed to come in at 3:44:29 which meant I had achieved a Boston-qualifying time by 31 seconds! I didn’t feel too awful when I finished and made sure I kept moving.

Notice that I ran 26.65 miles – nearly half a mile extra. Part of it is because areas of the course were so wide. I spent plenty of time weaving around people, and of course there’s the factor of veering slightly off course for character stops. My Garmin pace actually had me at an average of 8:25 which was pretty stellar at the end of this challenge, plus considering how I made numerous photo stops that ate away at bits of time too.

I got my marathon medal and mouse ears and went to collect my challenge medals. I got my Dopey medal, plus I got one for the Goofy challenge for completing both the half and full marathons.

*The ears that I earned from the marathon*

Within a few minutes of finishing the weight of what I had accomplished hit me and I started to cry a little bit. I had worked SO hard to prepare for this undertaking and I DID IT. I didn’t just survive it either – I had completed the challenge with a really solid marathon. Everything had come together and all of the hard work paid off. This seemingly crazy challenge and all of the logistics involved had gone as well, if not better, than I could have hoped for and I couldn’t help but get emotional as I reflected on that.

I composed myself by the time I got to the finishing area and stopped to take plenty of celebratory pictures. I went to Dopey’s line first then worked through a few of the other characters.

When I got back to my resort I followed the same routine of going straight to the food court. This time I enjoyed a Mickey cinnamon roll and waffles but it didn’t settle very well in my stomach. My stomach can often be a concern after a marathon which made me wonder if I’d be able to pull off another day at a park.

My stomach behaved after that and I just coped with some soreness. I felt totally fine walking around though and was relieved that I could enjoy some time at Epcot. I made it after noon and got a good six hours in. I met up with Kristine who was great about walking all around the “Epcot ball” so I could get some nice shots with all of my medals. I’m glad our friend Evan suggested that I bring a bag for them because they’d be so heavy. A little backpack was a wise choice.

*My awesome (and heavy) collection of medals*

*Posing proudly with the whole collection*

*Making the most of the photo pass with lots of photos!*

*A shot taken by Kristine that shows the photographer helping me arrange all six medals*

The photographers did some more “Disney magic” so I could have some of my buddies in the shots.

We met up with Evan and his family and chatted for a bit before wandering around the World Showcase. I had to grab a picture that included Evan’s wife Brenda because she had her own fun Seven Dwarfs shirt.

*Brenda’s shirt: “Sleepy challenge – I did it! I slept while you ran!”*

My main goal was to find some good treats around Epcot. To start, I got a chocolate croissant in France and a chocolate caramel cookie in Germany where we came across Evan again.

By then I had realized that Kristine had her own fun Seven Dwarfs shirt too, so we got another picture with Brenda that had all three of our shirts.

Rather than hitting many of the attractions, most of the day was spent hanging out with friends, looking for carbs, and keeping my legs moving as we walked around the World Showcase so I wouldn’t stiffen up.

Eventually I got pretty tired and knew I still had to pack since I was leaving early the next morning. I went on Soarin’ before parting ways with Kristine and Jake (who joined just as I was getting ready to leave) and went back to the resort.

*I saw Epcot in the dark before the sunrise and in the evening after the sunset*

*Fatigue came on all of a sudden and I was anxious to head out*

I had half of a sandwich left in my fridge that I ate when I got back but it really didn’t sit well. I didn’t do as good of a job with refueling all around Epcot as I had hoped and it wasn’t good that the sandwich made me feel sick on top of it. I was okay for the first half of the next day, but by the second leg of my trip home I felt nauseous and miserable through my flight. The nausea was still with me the next morning so I didn’t attempt to go to work. I hadn’t eaten enough and was probably dehydrated as well. I felt completely depleted and it clearly all caught up with me. After a day mostly spent in bed, I felt fine by the next day.

There’s the tendency to ask what’s next and how I top this. I don’t feel like I need to find ways to keep topping myself and it’s more about finding other good adventures to take on rather than having to up my distances or difficulty level. The Boston Marathon is next and that’s a pretty big thing to work toward. I’ll definitely continue to spend some time reveling in what I accomplished at Disney because this was the most epic thing I’ve done. As I continue on with marathon training I keep reminding myself how tough I was to complete this and it helps me mentally tackle challenging days. This was something I had dreamed of for years so I’m thrilled that it lived up to everything I had hoped for. Coping with the weather and early mornings with a lack of sleep were small things in the big picture and just a part of an experience that I absolutely loved.

*Six super fun shirts to add to my running wardrobe*

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

01.02.25

by milesflyby

2024 Recap

2024 was another big year of swimming, biking, and running for me. Out of the 14 races that I did, the majority were familiar events that I’ve done at least once before. I don’t think I made any significant improvements in most of those races but I worked hard, put in a good effort, and most importantly, enjoyed myself. It’s not always about PRs!

It was fun to find a 10-mile race in Minnesota when I had plans to be there for a concert and running around the University of Minnesota was a treat. More about the Ironman 70.3 Ohio later, but that was a new and exciting race for me. Although I’ve run around Belle Isle for a number of races, I hadn’t specifically done the Detroit Mother’s Day run before and I kept it interesting by doing a 5K/10K combo. I did another combo when I changed things up at Crim this year by adding a 5K after the 10-mile race to complete a half marathon for the day. Even when races are familiar to me, they’re still enough of an undertaking that they rarely feel routine. Here’s a list of what I tackled in 2024:

Looking back at my recap from 2023, it’s funny to see that although I did some different races, I happened to rack up a bunch of identical stats. Both years I ran two 5Ks and one 10K. I also did four triathlons and one 5K swim in 2024 just like I had in 2023. Once again, I ran two 10-mile races and five half marathons. I “only” did one marathon this past year while I often do two in a year, but otherwise I was wildly consistent.

I participated in the Run the Year challenge once again and successfully hit the goal of running at least 2024 miles. I continue to be wary about aiming for a specific mileage goal knowing that injuries tend to pop up and it’s more important to listen to my body and just see how things play out.

This year, an Achilles problem plagued me just before the Boston Marathon and for a while after. I shook that, but the 10-mile/5K combo at Crim left me with an angry right hip. That problem was bad enough that I went to physical therapy for help. It was actually a weakness in my glute medius, which then resulted in compensation in a bunch of other areas that were trying to make up for the weakness. Now that my hip is doing much better, a peak week of marathon training has me feeling a bunch of other areas. This is why I don’t really like to lock myself into a mileage goal. I know I’ll work hard either way and sometimes time off is the best way to cope with aches and pains.

Despite my wariness of injuries, I tend to run 2,000-some miles each year anyway so I keep signing up for the Run the Year challenge. This time I completed the challenge on Christmas with just a few days to spare. I ended up 40 miles past the goal at the end of December which was 20 miles more than I did in 2023.

*I ended up with plenty of buffer for that goal of 2024 miles*

I was pretty happy to hit 2,064 miles of running. My biking mileage was up a few hundred miles from 2023 and I finished the year with 1,339 miles. I slacked off on swimming the last few months of the year with lots of excuses: bad sleep keeping me from making the super early morning trips to the pool, a busy schedule, getting sick, and prioritizing marathon training which had me doing some runs in the morning when I’d usually swim. I was down a little more than 50 miles from the prior year but still did 144 miles. Once I get past my marathon in January I plan to get back to my swimming routine.

I was fortunate enough to run the Boston Marathon for my fourth time and it will always be a major highlight of my racing year. Unfortunately, my body was in winter mode and not prepared to adapt to a day in direct sun that got to 70°. As a result, it was the first time I took over four hours to run a marathon. Still, even a rough day at Boston was a pretty awesome experience.

*Boston 2024 with my bib signed by Meb Keflezighi!*

Another major highlight of the year was breaking six hours in the half Iron distance at Ironman 70.3 Ohio. I did my first 70.3 in Grand Rapids in 2023 and it went well enough that I decided I was ready to try an official Ironman-branded race. I did the Grand Rapids race again this year a month beforehand and wasn’t especially excited about my time of 6:17. It was early in the season and I hadn’t done enough biking yet, plus the wind was especially nasty for half of the bike segment. Six more weeks of training surely helped me in Ohio, plus I actually LOVED the bike course. As a weak cyclist, the flat course was perfect for me. I finished in 5:55 and must have given it everything I had because my body was not happy once I stopped moving. I was thrilled with my accomplishment and felt like maybe I’m pretty good at doing that kind of distance, but tingling arms and an angry stomach came along with it.

*My third and most successful half Ironman*

I still don’t know if I will do another 70.3 in 2025. Part of me questions if I need to push myself THAT hard. I certainly am no closer to considering a full Ironman. I do like the half distance and anticipate doing it again but am not sure if it will fit into my schedule this year. I’ve taken on Epic Races’ 10-part Battle of Waterloo adventure triathlon a couple times and it’s back again this year. I might consider that to be my big triathlon feat of the year.

However, things are always subject to change. I just got a Peloton bike in December and I hope that will help me get a little stronger on the bike. I’ve had a stationary bike for the past 11 years but it was starting to die and I wasn’t as motivated to ride it. It didn’t quite simulate a real bike as much as I think the Peloton will. There’s still the factor that the bike I use for racing is not ideal, as so many triathletes like to tell me. Someday I’ll have to try something better but I’m not sure this will be the year. I’ll just hope I’m motivated to get more time and better work in and that can help me at least a little bit.

Right now, the main thing on my mind is the big marathon weekend coming up at Disney World in a week. Four consecutive days of racing (5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon) for the Dopey Challenge will be my biggest undertaking yet. I’ve put in some really solid training and feel prepared. It will be interesting to see how this plays out!

After that, I will transition right into Boston Marathon training. I’m thankful that my qualifying time at the Holland Haven Marathon in September of 2023 fell in the eligible timeframe to use for the both the 2024 and 2025 races. Somehow I keep getting accepted so I keep going! It’s hard to turn down the opportunity when it’s such an incredible race and weekend in general.

Beyond that, I think I’ll run the Detroit Marathon in the fall? I signed up for it last year but had a scheduling conflict and also decided it would be wise to concentrate on my Disney training instead. I deferred my entry to this year and hope it will finally work out since I STILL haven’t run the local hometown marathon and it feels like I should. I always have something on the horizon to work toward!

In the meantime, it’s nice to look back at what I accomplished this past year. I think the Ohio 70.3 was the only PR I got this year, but that was huge. Looking at all of my medals and shirts from the past year helps remind me of all of the accomplishments and adventures, and there were some good ones.

I’m looking forward to another year of adventures and hope my body cooperates enough to have plenty more in 2025.

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

12.09.24

by milesflyby

Holiday Hustle Half Marathon Recap

*My Holiday Hustle medal with the trees in Monument Park as a backdrop*

My friend Amy and I enjoyed running the Holiday Hustle Half Marathon in Dexter, MI enough last year to keep the December 7 race on our radars for this year. I usually hesitate to sign up for winter races in advance because I worry that it could be snowy or icy come race day. I ended up committing to this one in advance though when I was lucky enough to win an entry in a Running Fit / Absopure Water contest on Instagram. Many thanks to my Ann Arbor running friend Lisa who made me aware of the contest!

Winning the contest gave me extra motivation to show up on race day despite having been sick all week. I ended up with a cold or sinus thing right after Thanksgiving and I felt especially miserable for several days. I stayed home from work one day and missed a couple of big mid-week runs. When I did attempt a run last Wednesday it probably wasn’t smart since I had a cough coming from deep inside my chest. My cough wasn’t quite as bad by Friday and I felt like I should try a run on the treadmill to see if I should attempt this race the next day. I had moments of coughing but decided I had improved enough. I would have felt guilty about winning the race entry only to let it go to waste!

One nice thing about this race is the 11:00 start. My drive to Dexter takes at least an hour and 15 minutes and I was able to leave after 8:30. That still gave me plenty of time to pick up my bib, eat a pre-race Picky Bar, do a short warm up run, and use the bathroom. We could add extra items like a hat or shirt to our race entries but I already had a nice hat from last year and I’ve been collecting SO many race shirts that I decided I could pass this time around.

Last year was the first time I ran this race and fortunately I parked in an area that took me past Monument Park where I saw a big batch of porta potties. 1-mile and 5K races start and finish around the park later in the afternoon while the half marathon takes place several blocks away at Erratic Ale. That means most of the runners don’t venture over to the park and there’s no line to use the bathrooms. After collecting my bib outside the brewery I headed to the park and I was excited to see that it was so festive. I had heard something on the radio about lighting 85 Christmas trees in the park the night before the race yet I hadn’t imagined exactly what I would find there. Various groups and companies had decorated their own trees with unique themes.

After doing a .9-mile warm up jog through town (I had to balance out the 13.1 miles to get an even number!) I took more time to walk around the park. I thought it was fun that Jet’s Pizza had a tree that was decorated with pizza ornaments. A painting company had decorated a tree with paint brushes. I was especially partial to Dexter Community Aqua Club’s tree that was decorated with goggles and a swim cap. There were so many fun themes!

*A breakfast club tree with butter, bagels, and waffles*

*My favorite tree was decorated with goggles* *and a swim cap to top it off*

It was a cool morning around 30° so I shed some layers at the car and headed to the start 10-15 minutes before 11:00. Thanks to her nice Epic Races hoodie, I managed to spot my friend Angela and chatted with her for a few minutes before I went to the corral.

*With Angela, fellow Epic Races* *ambassador*

I lined up behind the 1:45 pace group which meant I was in the second wave. Waves were staggered every 30 seconds because the race is run on a path that could get way too congested if everyone took off at once.

As it was, it took more than half a mile before I could work my way around people to run the pace I wanted to run. That was a good thing though because it kept me from starting too fast. Last year I got swept up in the fast start with others around me and probably went faster than I should have. Between being sick and knowing that I had a long run of 20+ miles the next day, I knew I better keep myself under control and not “race” this one.

*So thankful that the boardwalks were clear and dry*

Last year I realized that several boardwalks along the course could be dicey in certain weather conditions. I was wary about some spots that were slightly slick last year so that was a concern of mine coming into the race this year since we had gotten some snow a few days earlier. Fortunately everything had melted and our route was dry.

Aside from a few boardwalk areas, we ran the paved B2B trail out to Hudson Mills Metropark where we ran a loop then headed back the same way we had come. The path wasn’t exclusively used by people racing – others were out walking, running, and riding bikes. Witnessing a crash up in front of me reminded me that everyone should really be aware that we were sharing the path. As a bike was coming toward us, I saw a runner suddenly cut out right in front of him and they collided. The two guys hugged it out so they must have been okay but it was still a scary moment.

Aside from that, it was a pretty nice run. It was fun to see people dressed in a variety of festive outfits. Apparently a fuzzy Rudolph costume was a bit too warm for one runner who paused to pull the top half down after a few miles.

It was the third time I had run this route and I knew there were some rolling hills but I didn’t really think about how challenging it was. There aren’t any major climbs so it’s kind of deceiving. Last year I thought I had started the race too fast and suffered for it in the second half. This year I realized maybe that wasn’t the case and it was just because the course is frickin’ hard! I slowed down during the second half this time around as well. When I slowed down by 15-20 seconds for a mile here and there, some people I had passed earlier caught back up. I had to remind myself that I was lucky I was even healthy enough to pull this off. I shouldn’t be “racing” anyway or it might mess up the long run I needed to do the next day. I tried to keep things in perspective and just do what felt manageable enough. I didn’t push to my max but it felt like a comfortably hard enough effort. I worried about coughing my way through the race and I did at moments but it was fairly minimal. It was only during the last mile when I tried to pick up the pace that I thought I might need to back off a little. Breathing harder didn’t work so well with my pre-existing issues! Still, I finished strong which pulled me in just under 1:46 with a time of 1:45:55.

As I suspected, the coughing really came on as soon as I stopped running. It was mostly a dry cough where I just couldn’t catch my breath and it went on for several minutes. Eventually I recovered enough to take advantage of the post-race fun.

The soft pretzel from Ratterman Bread was pretty great. I enjoyed that before realizing I better go back to my car ASAP to add layers of warm clothes.

*An excellent soft pretzel from Raterman Bread*

I went back to the finishing area and was excited to find a s’more station! I had to be extra careful when toasting the marshmallow because the smoke from the fire pit was not good for my cough.

*Fire pits for keeping warm – and for toasting marshmallows*

I checked my results and saw that I had put in a good enough effort to earn second place in my age group! While I was waiting to collect the award I talked to another woman who said she’d actually finished ahead of me in the age group but her bib hadn’t tracked her time. How incredibly frustrating! Technically I was probably third in my age group. Awards were given to those in the top three so I would have earned the cute ornament either way.

Amy and I tracked each other down and met up to go inside Erratic Ale. Free beer tickets came with our race bibs and I shared mine with Amy. Going inside really helped because my fingers had started to freeze even with gloves and mittens. We had each signed up for a BBQ meal so we collected our food at the Sunset Ridge BBQ truck outside and brought it back inside to enjoy at the bar.

Most of the time Amy and I just catch each other while out running and chat for a mile or so before parting ways. It was nice to sit and actually hang out for longer. Although this was just the second year we’ve done this, it feels like a good tradition to continue. A fun day of racing, getting into the holiday spirit, and one of the main motivators for me – good food afterward.

Even though I didn’t go all-out, I probably still ran this one a little faster than I should have because I struggled through the last few miles of my 24-mile run the next day. Still, I got it done and running a half marathon one day followed by a run that was two miles short of a marathon the next day left me feeling pretty good about my preparation for the Dopey Challenge at Disney World next month. It’s always possible that I’ll jump into another race before the end of the year, but this was the last one I had planned. If it was indeed my last race of the year, it was a pretty solid way to finish.

– Janet

Follow my running adventures on Instagram @janetboltz

Miles Fly By

Janet's training, racing & other stuff

Tri Goddess Tri Recap

Corporate Cup Relays and 5K Recap

Bark & Brew 5K

Island Lake Triathlon Recap

Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon Recap

Pittsburgh Half Marathon Recap

Boston Marathon Recap

Dopey Challenge Recap

Day One – Thursday – 5K

Day Two – Friday – 10K

Day three – Saturday – half marathon

Day four – Sunday – marathon

2024 Recap

Holiday Hustle Half Marathon Recap