by milesflyby

Grandma’s Marathon Recap

Grandma’s Marathon had been on my radar for a while as a race I should get to eventually. It seems to be very popular because it’s a fast and pretty course, plus plenty of friends have said good things about it. Until 2025, I typically ran two marathons a year – one in the spring and one in the fall. That gave me around six months in between. I wasn’t sure how I could make Grandma’s work in June as long as I continued to run Boston in April. Last year I ran three marathons in a year for the first time and it was a success. Running the Dopey Challenge at Disney World then Boston a few months later (plus the Pittsburgh half marathon a couple weeks after that) gave me confidence that I’d reached a level where I could do more. With 2026’s Boston Marathon taking place on April 20 and Grandma’s Marathon on June 20, I’d only have a couple months in between but decided it was time to give it a try.

I just happened to choose the year that would be the 50th running of Grandma’s so it was especially popular. I had learned so many helpful tips about my Disney adventure from a Facebook group that I was thankful to find a similar kind of group for Grandma’s. I learned how complicated it would be to find a place to stay in Duluth. Honestly, the whole lodging situation almost kept me from registering, but I’m glad I made the snap decision and just did it. Still, plenty of stress followed.

Duluth, Minnesota is a small town and has limited hotel options for a race as large as Grandma’s. This year it brought around 20,000 runners (plus family and friends) to town between the 5K, half marathon, and marathon races. I learned that most of the hotels required phone calls and didn’t offer online reservations. The thought of having to call a bunch of hotels without having any idea how their pricing compared with others really stressed me out. Some had no availability, some hadn’t opened their blocks of rooms yet, and the price at one that did have availability was ridiculous. Staying at local college dorms could be a cheap option, but those rooms were harder to get than concert tickets and I had no luck. Fortunately people mentioned that Black Bear Casino would open rooms on March 1. When the date came I called and finally got that part of the trip figured out. I wouldn’t have the convenience of being right in town, but the casino was only about 20 minutes away. Their price of $299/night seemed like a bargain compared to the $400-500+ in Duluth!

I also learned from the Facebook group that it may be wise to fly to Minneapolis then drive a couple hours to Duluth rather than paying extra to connect to Duluth. I would probably need a rental car anyway since I was staying out of town and it would come in handy for some exploring. Once I got the flight and rental car booked, I relaxed a little bit. Other than wondering how it might go running another marathon so soon after Boston!

Boston didn’t beat me up too much so after taking it easy for a week, I went back to the final seven weeks of my Boston training plan to use as a loose guide for Grandma’s prep. I’m so used to going all-in on a training plan for four months to specifically target a marathon. This time it felt like the marathon was kind of an add-on and I didn’t know if I would truly be prepared. As marathon weekend rolled around it didn’t feel real that I was about to do another marathon…like I hadn’t taken it seriously enough. It would be interesting to see how it played out!

I was fortunate enough to have that Friday off for Juneteenth and didn’t have to use any vacation time for this adventure. I flew from Detroit to Minneapolis and arrived around 8am, got my rental car, and enjoyed a surprisingly easy and pretty drive to Duluth. When I was about five miles out, I came up over a hill on the highway and was in awe of the view of Duluth below, with Lake Superior and Wisconsin in sight as well. I opted to park across the highway from the convention center which seemed especially smart when I saw a big backup of cars lined up for the next exit.

Since it was close to 11:00, I figured I should eat before hitting the expo. I found a sandwich shop called Erbert and Gerbert’s which was perfect. As I walked a few blocks around town I realized how many crazy hills Duluth has and felt grateful that we wouldn’t run any of them along the marathon course!

I saw a bunch of runners ready to cross a bridge and realized I just had to follow them to get to the expo. There were a bunch of RVs parked in Amsoil Arena’s parking lot which was one cheap way to cope with the lodging debacle.

*A good way to dodge the crazy hotel expenses*

The expo took place at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, also known as DECC. I’d heard a lot about how the community plays such a big part in the great vibe surrounding the race and thought about that when I saw a bunch of pictures drawn by local kids to welcome the runners.

I walked past the area that was set up for the spaghetti dinner and was blown away by how large it was!

*The spaghetti dinner is a really big deal at this race!*

I got to the expo sometime before noon and it didn’t take long for me to get anxious about how many people were there. I like to browse expos, but when it’s crammed full and people inch along at a snail’s pace, it drives me crazy. I’m a fast walker and I just want to keep moving!

I browsed briefly and came across the trucks that displayed the names of all of the runners. I looked at the official race merchandise for a minute but figured I probably didn’t need more anyway and headed out pretty quickly.

*A fun way to display the names of runners*

*I had to get one selfie before leaving the expo*

I wanted to walk around the area outside to explore and didn’t let a little bit of rain stop me. There were some moody clouds that looked pretty cool over the lake. I saw the Aerial Lift Bridge, the Duluth North Pier Lighthouse, and Grandma’s Saloon & Grill, which is where the name of the race came from.

I walked along Harbor Drive where people were starting to gather for the 5K and I headed out by 1:00.

*Flags to represent all of the countries people came from for the race*

*Opening up so the boat could get through*

I had Googled some scenic spots as I ate lunch and went off to see some sights next. Amity Creek Falls was my first spot. It was peaceful, pretty, and I did a nice short hike around the area.

It was well worth the 40-minute drive to my next stop, Gooseberry Falls State Park. I’m so thankful that I just happened to come across it because it was exactly the kind of place I love. I got some quality nature and photography time in there.

*More waterfalls at Gooseberry Falls State Park*

Eventually I headed out because I knew I shouldn’t be on my feet all day and was still kind of questioning whether I’d go to Des Linden and Kara Goucher’s podcast that night. That would run from 6:00-7:00 and I wasn’t sure if it was the smartest choice since I’d still have to drive back to my hotel and get everything prepared for an early race morning. I could only squeeze so many things into the day.

It was already 5:00 when I got to the casino and they made it easier for me to decide to skip the podcast since my room wouldn’t be ready for at least half an hour. The hotel was completely slammed and I should have been able to check in at 4:00, so they offered a 10% discount. I was okay with that since it would help reduce some of the weekend’s expenses!

Grabbing dinner was a good way to kill time while I waited. I didn’t think stuffing myself at a buffet would be the smartest option so I got a chicken wrap at the deli. I finally got into my room around 5:45 and chilled for the rest of the night.

I got to bed around 9:00 and woke up by 3:45. Grandma’s is a point-to-point race so I had to take a shuttle to the start. There were a bunch of different shuttle sites and the Sports and Event Center in Proctor was an easy 15-minute drive from the casino. They recommended that marathoners in Corral A should arrive by 5:15, which I did. Half marathon runners would start their race at 6:00, so as I suspected, they had already taken up much of the parking. People had to make up their own spots along the road or in the grass by the time I got there but I managed. It only took about five minutes for me to get on a bus and I was thankful that I was on the early side. The line of cars trying to park got a whole lot longer in the 10 minutes since I’d arrived.

Like the day before when I drove into Duluth, we were greeted with an awesome view when we came over a hill on the highway. There was an amazing sunrise over Duluth. I spent much of the 45-minute bus ride admiring the gorgeous views with pretty clouds over Lake Superior.

After the bus dropped us off in Two Harbors we walked past bins used for gear check and into a very large parking area. Then I had an hour and half to go! I brought an old heat sheet to sit on as I played on my phone and ate my second Picky Bar of the morning.

*The gear drop area and walk to the starting corral*

I just happened to look right up as Martin, a fellow Infinite Multisport Triathlon Club teammate, walked by. I ran over to him and we chatted for a few minutes. It was pretty fun that we caught each other even in the big crowd.

The sun was out and I began to feel warm enough to take my extra clothes and drop them at gear check. That setup wasn’t ideal because it meant I had to go back against the crowd of people still arriving from the buses.

By then it was 7:00 and I figured I better line up for the porta potties 45 minutes before the race. Even when there are a ton of them, there are never enough because everyone wants to use them at the same time!

I got to my corral with 15 minutes to spare. Although I wanted to line up near the 3:30 pacer, it was pretty packed and I thought I’d just have to settle and stay farther back. A bunch of people started to cut through at the left so I went along behind them and made my way up to a better spot.

The elite women started at 7:45 and we were off a couple minutes later! For the first chunk of the race, much of the course was lined with trees and pretty quiet. There was mostly the sound of shoes clomping along the road and runners chatting with pockets of spectators in areas.

It was around the mid-50s to start with the sun beating down on our left sides and backs, and I noticed how sweaty some of the people were just a couple miles in. I was concerned that the sun could make things tricky. I had read that it could be smart to run on the left side of the road to get shade from the trees. That worked at times, but sometimes there was no hiding from it or it became more important to run away from that side in order to follow the tangent.

*The train was with us for part of the race*

*Thanks to MarathonFoto for the shots of me. This is one of the rare photos of me early in the race*. *All the rest came by the finish!*

We caught little glimpses of Lake Superior here and there until we were nearly 10 miles in, then the views started to get even more impressive. THAT was a big part of why this marathon is popular.

Someone pointed out a bald eagle flying over the lake which was cool to see. The sun was warm so I was thankful when it got cloudy for a little while but the sun came back eventually. I was also thankful for a headwind at times because despite any additional resistance, the chance to cool down was much-needed.

Despite concerns about getting warm, I loved taking in the gorgeous course. The course was rolling with some good momentum going downhill but nothing too overly taxing when it climbed. For the first half I consistently hovered around an 8:00 pace, with a couple miles a little faster when I probably hit more of a downhill, and slightly slower when there was a little climb.

I ran 8:12 for mile 18 which was the slowest I’d gone at that point, but dropped back to 8:06 for mile 19. Then the slowdown began. It’s not that I hit the 20 mile “wall,” but I started to run 8:20s for a few miles at that point, then crept to 8:30s for a couple miles. That would be a good pace for any of my daily runs but it felt significantly slower after I’d been so fast for so long. The course conditions were rated “green” when I started, but later in the race I noticed a flag that signaled “yellow” conditions, meaning less than ideal conditions. It doesn’t seem like the mid-60s should be bad, but with the sun beating down, it may have been one of the factors that got to me.

Starting at six miles, I was good about fueling with a Clif Blok every other mile and salt tablets in between while always grabbing water and sipping my own sports drink at times. The typical method I usually use. However, I had a couple moments where my stomach felt iffy and I stopped eating anything after 18 miles. I didn’t want to set off my stomach, but not eating probably didn’t help my energy.

While the course started out quiet, it got busier as we got to Duluth and more people lined the course to cheer us in. Lemon Drop Hill was the one place that was built up as a challenging spot. It’s an overpass and really not all that bad, but it’s intimidating because it falls 22 miles into the race. I was already going slower at that point so I’m sure it didn’t help, but I wasn’t too bothered by it.

Of course the mental game is always a part of the marathon and I tried to stay positive. I came into the race not knowing what to expect. Maybe I wasn’t as built up as I was going into Boston, or maybe everything would be great and I’d run one of my faster times. As the 8:00 pace slipped away, I didn’t regret my approach of rolling along that fast when it felt good. It’s just so hard to know how a marathon might play out. Boston was the BIG goal and this was a bonus, so my time wasn’t as big of a deal to me. It was tough but I just kept going.

After running along the same road for most of the race, the first real turn came between 23-24 miles. It was another little hill but it was pretty short. From that point on we were in downtown with pretty good crowds.

*Plenty of spectators through downtown Duluth*

By that point my stomach was iffy again and I wasn’t convinced it would fade. I kept hoping I’d find a porta potty soon and that was all I had on my mind. I only had a couple miles left to go but didn’t want to press my luck if I could find a place to stop. I finally did and added a couple minutes to my time. That happened to me at Boston as well after getting through 16 marathons prior to these two without ever having to stop! Of course I always want to run the best time that I’m capable of. However, it’s not like I’m going to win anything and I’m not trying to impress anybody with my time. It’s all self-imposed pressure. In the end, other than wishing I was a little faster, it really doesn’t matter.

I had heard people talk about how it felt like there were so many turns once we got to Duluth, but it really wasn’t that bad. We had another slight climb over the bridge I’d taken to the convention center, ran around the DECC, then by a big ship parked in the harbor.

*Doing my best to look strong for the photos*

*The photographers really had a lot of coverage near the end*

*A pretty cool backdrop for a race photo*

*Nearly all of my race photos came in the final minute or two of the race!*

We made another little loop until we finally got to the finishing stretch along Canal Park Dr. I really had nothing left to give and essentially felt like I was jogging it in.

*A little fist pump as I crossed the finish line*

*Probably the closest I’ve run to 26.2 miles in a recent marathon. I usually end up around 26.5 so the lack of turns on this course must have helped!*

I finished with a time of 3:36:17 – only four minutes slower than my time in Boston in April. I will use my Boston time to qualify for the race next year, but it always feels great to hit that landmark of running a Boston qualifier. If the 2027 cutoff stays at 3:45 for my age, I still achieved that by over eight minutes. On a day when I struggled through the end, it definitely provides some solace!

I definitely FELT like I ran a marathon this time. I was cruising at the end of Boston which felt amazing, but not this time. It was a reminder that sometimes marathons are HARD. Coming to a sudden stop did not help. I was a little short of breath so I kept finding spots to prop myself up just to play it safe. It probably took a good 15-20 minutes before I collected my finisher’s shirt and finally made my way to gear check.

*Sporting my finisher’s shirt, which we received at the end of the race*

The gear check line was insane. I was in the group of 3000-3999 which must have been based on our estimated finish times. As a result, we were all there at the same time. The volunteers were great but they were also overwhelmed when all of us had to wait for the same pickup spot. That took a good 15 minutes.

Soon after, I happened to be in the right place at the right time once again and saw another person wearing Infinite Multisport Triathlon Club gear! I hadn’t met Don before and had to go say hi. He said Martin had found him along the course and grabbed a photo. I love that the three of us from the club all found each other!

It had been a while since I finished and I knew I needed to eat something so I attempted a mini Clif protein bar I had packed. It was hard to get through it, probably because I was dehydrated and it seemed really dry. My stomach was very upset as well. I made my way to the food line and not much appealed to me other than a granola bar, half a bagel, and some chocolate milk. I found a bench to sit on then I walked out by the water a little bit. Now that I wasn’t hot from running, it was a totally beautiful day.

*Another visit to the lighthouse on a prettier day*

When I felt like maybe my stomach could handle the ride back, I caught a shuttle back to my car and made it back to the casino just in time to feel miserable again. A very angry stomach has been the norm for me after marathons lately. It may be a combination of my fueling, dehydration, and simply what a marathon does to the body. I do realize it’s a pretty harsh thing for the body to cope with! As a result, I laid around the hotel room for a while feeling pretty rough. I think meds and time finally helped enough that I could consider heading back out.

A while back the race sent an email announcing the free Rock the Bayfront concerts that would take place on Friday and Saturday. I was especially excited to see that Soul Asylum was going to headline Saturday night. I’ve seen them a number of times (going back to 1995!) and I loved that I might get both a race and concert out of my trip. I wasn’t thrilled to see that they’d start at 10:30pm because it would be a stretch to make it that late on the day I had run a marathon. Of course I was going to try though! Maybe the late start was a good thing in the end because it gave me time to recover.

*A view of the stage before people moved up from the lawn*

I made it back to Duluth around 7:30 and went to check out the food trucks. I’d been good about hydrating but knew I really needed to eat more. I got a sandwich and fries and fortunately my stomach was fine for the rest of the evening. I caught a few songs from Emily Haavik & the 35s while I sat back and ate, then made my move to the front of the stage when a few people started to gather prior to the Minneapolis Sound All Star Band. They’re essentially the New Power Generation and they celebrate the music of Prince. I was curious to check them out and they were SO much fun. They put on a great show and the park was packed with people dancing. It was a real party during their set! I love that the lineup featured some great artists from Minnesota.

There was a drone show that I couldn’t actually see from my side of the stage that was probably cool, then somehow I made it to that 10:30 start for Soul Asylum and enjoyed their rockin’ set. I got to say hi to Kimberly, a friend I made at a Semisonic show in the Twin Cities. She had run the half and I wish we could have caught up more but it was tough when bands were playing.

*With Kimberly during Soul Asylum’s set*

I could have done without the girl who bumped into me the entire time Soul Asylum played as she bounced around performatively for her friends with her back to the band. At least I had some nice fans on either side of me who were more chill.

When my back was sore all day on Sunday, it very well may have been more from standing around at the concert rather than running, but I’m glad I went. I wish I had more time to explore Duluth and the surrounding areas but it was time to head home on Sunday.

I’m glad I went for it and finally got to Grandma’s Marathon. I can confirm that the experience lived up to the hype. I had a great time exploring the area and loved the beautiful course. I squeezed a lot of fun into a couple of days!

*A beautiful medal to celebrate the 50th running of Grandma’s*

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

06.02.26

by milesflyby

Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon Race Recap

*My second time running from Dexter to Ann Arbor*

Dexter-Ann Arbor is a race that has been around since 1974 and I finally got around to running it for the first time last year. I enjoyed it enough to consider going back again this year and made it official when I realized the half marathon could be a good way to get a long run done three weeks before Grandma’s Marathon.

Like last year, I skipped the expo the day before the race because driving over an hour out to Ann Arbor and back two days in a row just isn’t practical…time-wise or gas-wise! I don’t love paying an extra fee for race day packet pickup but that’s how some races work and it made more sense for me.

A few days before the race I checked in with my friend Lisa who lives in Ann Arbor. We met up at the race last year and she was doing the 10K this year. I’m glad she shared parking tips with me because I hadn’t been aware of the construction around downtown Ann Arbor where I normally would have parked. I got to town around 6:15 and parked easily in Kerrytown which was a few blocks from the finish. It’s a bonus that the race takes place on a Sunday when parking is free!

Packet pickup was quick and easy and thankfully another friend named Lisa who was also running the 10K spotted me. She had time to kill before her race started at 7:15 and I wasn’t too anxious to line up for the shuttle buses yet. Last year I was on the first shuttle and had at least an hour and a half to kill before the start. No need to be that excessive this year! It was nice to catch up for a little bit before I finally caught a bus around 7:00.

The bus ride only took about 15 minutes but it began to register that I had to run all that way back! I still had over an hour until the 8:30 start but it felt like a good amount of time to balance potential bathroom lines and doing a warm up run. It’s funny that the 10K starts nice and early at 7:15 while half runners wait until 8:30. As the race website explains, an Amtrak train can cross through Dexter as late as 8:20. We definitely wouldn’t want to run into a delay at a train crossing!

Since I had only run the race once I didn’t know what the usual routine was. I knew that we got dropped off in a slightly different spot and the start line had moved from where it had been last year. As we walked past the start I was glad I heard the announcement that the school was open this year. I had expected that last year and it WASN’T open which left me shivering outside during my excessively long wait. It was 44° when I got dropped off this year and it was nice to have the option to sit at a cafeteria table inside as I ate a bar and got my stuff organized.

I’m also glad I did the race last year when we were dropped off in a spot where I could see that there was a track behind the school. Based on the layout this year, the track was over a quarter mile from the start and I’m not sure I would have wandered over that way. The track is a perfect spot for warming up plus there are real bathrooms there. After a little time inside, I headed over there to warm up for 2-3 miles.

*So nice to have access to a track for warming up*

With only eight weeks between Boston and Grandma’s Marathon, I have loosely gone back to the final weeks of my Boston training plan to decide what kind of mileage I should be doing leading up to the next race. I have never run two marathons this close together and it’s a new thing for me to figure out how to balance recovery from one while also getting prepared for the next. I normally would have run 20+ miles the weekend of this race, but I ran 20 each of the prior two weekends and figured 15-16 miles on this day might be a reasonable approach.

By the time I finished the first mile around the track I felt warm in a t-shirt and shorts…and never cooled down after that. It was a beautiful, sunny morning and probably around 60° when the race started. That wasn’t exactly hot, but it was warm enough and just went up from there.

I hit the bathroom at the track when there was no line but did find a line for gear check. That stressed me out a little bit but it moved along fast enough that I still made it to the starting line with 10 minutes to spare.

*I probably waited too long to hit gear check but at least the line only took 5 minutes*

Since I ran a 1:37 half in Toledo in March, I thought a 1:40 half should be totally reasonable and within reach. I ran 1:40 in this race last year so it seemed like a good goal and I lined up by the 1:40 pacer. After the fact, I recognized that Toledo was a totally flat course and maybe 1:40 wasn’t so “easy” after all…

I’ve rarely had much luck following a pacer and that was the case once again. Even though I started right by the 1:40 guy, congestion and craziness at the start separated me from him. His pace sign said that he should be running a 7:38 pace. I managed 7:35 and 7:30 for my first two miles and still couldn’t catch up. I slowed down a little after that so it was a lost cause and I just had to do my own thing as usual.

The course was different in a couple spots this year. Instead of getting a little taste of the main part of downtown Dexter, we bypassed that due to construction. A more significant change was a new loop through a neighborhood around the 5-mile point. After the race plenty of friends rightfully complained about how the hill in that neighborhood was just cruel!

*Crossing paths with runners going in and out of that awful neighborhood loop*

I went into the race thinking about how I like courses with rolling hills. I began to question that thought early into this race. I remembered that there were a couple of bigger climbs and that the race ends on a hill, but I didn’t remember THAT many hills.

I just ran Boston and somehow this felt worse? The funny thing is, the elevation chart doesn’t really reflect how hard it felt. I think my pace chart gives a better idea of how it kept fluctuating.

*I didn’t slow down much at aid stations so most of those dips in my pace probably came during hills!*

At the beginning of a race I’ll often fly along without realizing I’m going so fast because I’m fresh and it feels effortless. On good days I can pick up the pace for the last few miles and finish strong. Not this time. The entire race felt challenging. Other than taking advantage of some quick downhill momentum when I could, it never felt easy. That made it harder to stay on top of the mental game. I questioned if I’d want to run this race again in the future and kept thinking about how brutal it felt. Still, I always try to find a positive twist. I told myself that hills make me stronger and this should be a good workout to prepare me for a hill that comes late in the Grandma’s course. I was still going to get 13 miles done at a pace faster than marathon pace. I told myself that I was hanging with a bunch of strong guys which felt impressive, and we were hauling pretty good. Still…it was a GRIND.

*My heart rate probably shows how hard I was working*

The course mostly runs along Huron River Drive which is lined with trees so at least the course was pretty and I enjoyed that aspect.

*It’s a very pretty course and at least we got some shade*

*Thanks to the race for a shot of me running along Huron River Drive*

There aren’t many good spots for spectators along most of the course so I especially appreciated one aid station that had a Reno 911 theme. They were dressed in the police outfits and had a bunch of fun signs that made me laugh.

When I finally got to Main Street, which is the final stretch of the race, there was a little reprieve with a downhill segment. I tried to push as hard as I could knowing that it wouldn’t last and eventually I’d hit the final climb to the finish. I didn’t feel like I had a strong kick but I managed a 7:15 pace for the last full mile – my fastest of the race. I clenched my teeth the whole way in because it was rough. Instead of running 13.1 miles, I ended up with 13.25 even though I really tried to be conscious of tangents. My pace for the last quarter mile slowed back down to 7:40. At least I saw my Ann Arbor friend Lisa and her husband Jan who were cheering for me!

*Thanks to Jan for catching me in action*

*Another view on Main Street from one of the race’s photographers*

*My splits. I wouldn’t know from looking at these that I had struggled so much. I stayed fairly consistent.*

It took a few minutes to recover before I met up with Lisa and Jan. Lisa’s race had finished a couple hours earlier so I was very grateful that they hung around. It was nice to chat about our races as I had some post-race treats of pretzel bread and pizza.

Then it was time for one of the things that helped motivate me to do this race – the Taste of Ann Arbor afterward! It’s perfect to have an event like that right after a race. The weather was great for it too.

Just like last year, I really enjoyed hanging out with Lisa and Jan as I picked up treats from a variety of Ann Arbor food establishments. This time I ended up with a little cup of mac and cheese, a donut, ice cream, and a piece of chocolate. Because I still had food tickets to use up after that, I got a few more donuts to save for later.

*I had to pose with Wolverines Trooper when I saw him!*

*Wolverines Trooper shows up at all the events around Ann Arbor*

Later in the day I had a few realizations. I felt bad questioning if I’d want to do the race again since I didn’t remember it feeling so brutal last year. I wondered what had been different this time. I realized one factor might be the fact that I had run 13 miles a few days before the race, aiming for marathon pace for half of it. I’d also worked a couple of 15-hour days during the week while also trying to juggle my running and was probably hurting for more sleep. I didn’t exactly set myself up to be fresh for this race. It was a peak week of marathon training with a total of 58 miles. In comparison, I didn’t have any agenda at this time last year and ran 44 miles the week of the race. It probably wasn’t realistic or practical to expect myself to pull off a speedy half marathon so easily and I shouldn’t have been so surprised that it felt hard.

Ultimately, they won’t always feel great and I still ran a solid race. I was only 22 seconds slower than last year. I’ve learned a couple lessons if I end up doing this race again in the future. One, I really should run hill repeats in training to prepare. I had done plenty of hilly runs recently but specific hill repeats could help. Two, I should rest leading up to it if I expect to really push myself. Otherwise, I should take it easier and discipline myself enough to consider it a “training run” rather than a RACE.

Despite some suffering, it really was a good day. I got a tough workout done, got to hang out with friends, enjoyed some yummy treats, and had a good time hanging out in beautiful Ann Arbor.

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz

10.17.24

by milesflyby

Ann Arbor Half Marathon Recap

*Posing after finishing the Ann Arbor Half Marathon*

Sunday, October 13 was my third running of the half at the Ann Arbor Marathon. When I finally got the race to fit into my schedule for the first time in 2022, I discovered how much I enjoyed it and have returned each year since then. The race course has been a little different each year which has kept things interesting!

In July I learned that The Verve Pipe would be playing the Ark in Ann Arbor on Saturday, October 12. I love them and immediately jumped at the chance to see them. When I checked the calendar and realized this race would take place the next morning, I had mixed feelings. Just like last year, I’d be setting myself up with a lack of sleep by going to a concert the night before the race. I do this way more often than I should. Yet, it also seemed pretty perfect – I’d just stay in town that night after the show and save myself the hour’s drive the next morning. That ended up working especially well when it was announced that the race would start an hour earlier at 7am this year. Plus, I hadn’t realized I would need to attend packet pickup ahead of time because it wouldn’t be offered on race day like it usually is. Racing on a shortage of sleep might not be ideal, but it felt like every other aspect came together just right.

I got to Ann Arbor with about 20 minutes to spare before the expo closed on Saturday. It was held at the Residence Inn downtown which worked great. I got my stuff which included a super soft Epic Races hoodie for being an Epic Ambassador. I really don’t need more gear but at the same time I decided I HAD to get a tank top with the cool Ann Arbor Marathon design. It wasn’t available in my size but someone from the running store Fleet Feet was able to find the right size shirt and offered to print it there on the spot. Unfortunately, it must not have settled properly because a run through the washing machine the next day took one letter off and a couple other spots started to peel. I was really bummed and will hope that Fleet Feet can help me out with a replacement.

*Some of the gear for sale at packet pickup*

*The official race shirt, a tank that I bought from Fleet Feet, and a hoodie for being an Epic Ambassador*

Another perk for hanging out in Ann Arbor the day before the race was the opportunity to get one of Zingerman’s amazing sandwiches for a pre-race dinner.

Everyone stayed seated for The Verve Pipe’s show at the Ark that evening which left me a little squirmy because I’m used to standing for rock shows. However, that also meant I saved my legs instead of standing in one spot for hours on end the night before racing.

My hotel was close enough that I could leave just before 6am and still arrive to the race site fairly early. The parking deck I had aimed to use was full, so luckily I found street parking where meters aren’t enforced on Sundays and I was within a few blocks of the start in the heart of downtown.

One thing that would make race day interesting was the rain. It had POURED the night before and the rain was still going that morning, but at least it had reduced to more of a drizzle. Still, it was around 50 degrees. That’s my ideal temperature for racing…when it’s dry. It can make it a little trickier to stay warm when it’s raining. I was geared up in a jacket before the race and brought a cheap rain poncho I’d received at a another race to stay dry until I started.

I caught up with my photographer buddy Greg Sadler for a bit, jogged a mile to warm up, then headed to gear check to leave warm clothes for after the race. I didn’t time things very well because there was a bit of a line and only 10-15 minutes until the start of the race. That meant I had to weasel my way through the corral of people at the last minute to attempt to get closer to the front. I could only make it so far before it was too congested and I’d just have to start where I could. I had thought it would be ideal to start near the 8:00 pacer but there was no chance I could find them or get to them through the mob with over 1,000 people starting at the same time between the half and full marathons.

I ditched my poncho right before the start and fortunately I made the correct choices for my race day gear. I opted for my Epic Races tank with water-resistant arm sleeves and a pair of thin gloves. I rarely ever wear arm sleeves but thought I might want some protection from the rain and knew I’d get muggy in a water-resistant jacket. A hat is always ideal for keeping water out of my face and of course I had to wear a University of Michigan hat for this race!

I love running through downtown Ann Arbor and parts of UofM’s campus and captured several pictures of the beautiful views last year. This year I certainly wasn’t going to screw around with my phone while running in the dark and the rain. The conditions definitely made the experience quite a bit different from last year’s race! So, here’s a look back at some of the scenery from the route when it was nice and sunny.

I enjoyed the scenery along State Street a lot more last year – I spent most of the time looking at the ground this year. It’s a good thing campus had enough lighting to help us make our way through that part of the course where the road surface was pretty rough. Uneven road paired with rain in the dark had me more concerned about not wiping out than looking at the scenery around me.

The crowd began to space out a little bit and I ran the first mile in 8:20. I had been hoping I would be closer to an 8:00 pace but I know that the first mile can be slow while battling congestion and it evens out later. I honestly didn’t have a real goal anyway. I had told myself that I’d just go out there and “do whatever” and at least I would get my scheduled long run done. I started a round of physical therapy for a hip issue a few days before the race so I didn’t have especially ambitious expectations. I have a whole combination of weak or tight areas but at least the more severe pain has faded and I was able to run this race well enough.

Once we made our way off campus and out to the roads for the next couple miles, scattered streetlights were the best that we got. Some people chose an extra early start for the marathon at 5am and they may have had headlamps, but I didn’t see anyone wearing one around me. I flew along and hoped for the best when I really picked up some downhill momentum by the third mile. I stayed upright the whole race and it just made it more of an adventure I suppose! I dropped into the 7:40s for the third and fourth miles thanks to the hills. I knew I was probably pounding my quads pretty good and I might feel it afterward. Sure enough, I had some slight quad soreness a day or two after the race. Flying down the hills was fun though! It made me think that running there would be an ideal way to train my quads for the Boston Marathon course – if only it wasn’t out on main roads.

My pace ended up fluctuating all over the place during this race. I’d bounce from the 7:40s to 8:10s to 8:30s back to 7:40s. It’s a challenging course that really made me work. I’d slow down at one point and wonder if I’d end up dragging through the end only to speed back up. It all depended on the changes in elevation.

We didn’t get a sunrise but at least it got lighter by the time I’d gotten through 3-4 miles. Then I was able to appreciate some of the fall colors, especially when we went down on a path by the Huron River. That was a very brief stretch though. I was confused because I had remembered spending so much time running along the pretty B2B path by the river last year. As parts of the course seemed unfamiliar to me I began to realize that the course must have changed from last year. Maybe it was good that we didn’t have to worry about slipping on wet leaves down on the path but I did really love that part of the race course. Instead, the change of scenery took us past Concordia College, Huron High School, and the Department of Veteran Affairs – an area I had never been through.

We rejoined the familiar part of the course just in time to head up the hill by UofM’s hospital. The climb is a little tricky, but the REAL hill comes soon after in Nichols Arboretum. That’s where we started to overlap with 10K runners on the trail segment of the course. Although “the Arb hill” is a real grind, somehow it wasn’t even my slowest mile of the race. It definitely felt like the hardest part! I was working so hard when I exited the Arb that I didn’t even see one of the photographers. I’m not so smiley when I’m caught off-guard after climbing a hill!

*When I see the photographer at the last second after just climbing the hardest part of the course!* *Race photos courtesy of Greg Sadler Photography.*

I was also working hard enough that I had no idea I was running near Steve, another one of the Epic ambassadors. I only discovered that after the race when I browsed through the photos!

*Running right behind Steve, another Epic Races ambassador*

The rain was mostly a drizzle, fortunately. The roads were very wet but at least I didn’t get soaked. I managed to avoid shoe-drenching puddles until the 11th mile or so when I finally splashed through one with one foot. It was nice that I had made it that long but I definitely groaned when I did it.

The last of the climbing came on the road that left the Arb, then things were smooth sailing. I was back on campus and ready to pick up the pace the best that I could. I started to see the fastest marathon runners heading back out for their second loop. I also had to start dodging some of the walkers from the 5K. For the last mile I found a whole different gear. I was working pretty hard yet also feeling super strong. The slight downhill stretch surely helped. As I made my way to the finish, Greg Sadler took a whole series of great shots. Thankfully they turned out a whole lot better than my post-Arb suffering face!

*Thanks to Greg Sadler for always taking the best finishing photos!*

I finished just a second under 1:47. Although I would have liked to have averaged an 8:00 pace and been a few minutes faster, I still had a decent run on a challenging course and my hip didn’t really hurt. Plus, somehow I’d been fast enough to place second in my age group!

I took some post-race pictures right away before I cooled down too much then went straight to the gear check – accepting a chocolate chip cookie along the way!

I typically stay warm enough while running but knew that a rainy day in the 50s could be trouble for me once I came to a sudden stop. I had that cozy new Epic Races hoodie in my gear check bag along with pants and a fresh pair of gloves. I got some pancakes, mac and cheese, and another cookie after that.

While I stood around eating I saw Steve and chatted with him for a bit. Then Angela, another Epic Ambassador, came along. Then we saw the other Angela who coordinates all of the ambassadors. It was nice to catch up and grab some photos together.

*With Epic ambassadors Angela and Steve*

I kept it somewhat brief because I knew that my fingers would become a problem soon if I didn’t get to the car and crank the heat. When my body temperature drops after running my fingers lose their color and start to go numb. I wanted to be proactive and get out of there before it got too bad. I stopped by the awards table first and was able to choose from a variety of prizes. I opted for a nice hat.

I had the heat blasting in the car and it barely felt like enough for half of my hour-long drive home. Eventually I warmed up enough and didn’t have to worry about my fingers anymore. I thought about how I really ought to get some kind of treat to reward myself. Because it’s cider mill season, that was one of my first thoughts. I realized that the Franklin Cider Mill was on my way home and I probably hadn’t been there in over 20 years. So, I took a detour to get some of their wonderful donuts.

This was another successful half marathon and running the challenging course in the dark and wet conditions made it feel like a pretty good accomplishment. It was the last race on my schedule for now, although that is always subject to change. I’m sure I will try to do something around Thanksgiving and could possibly do something in December if it’s not snowy or icy, but I’ll wait until the last minute to commit during that time of year. The four-day Dopey Challenge at Disney World in January is the next big goal so I will hope that physical therapy helps get me on track to tackle that craziness!

– Janet

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