Talking about our great workouts and spectacular results is a favorite topic of runners’ conversation. “Johnny’s mile repeats are spot on for a 5K PR!”, “Jimmy is crushing his track workouts.”, “Helen swears by her Fartlek sessions.” So, why am I not doing any of this stuff? Why does my coach have me doing boring stuff?
If you are training for long-distance running, your base is the key. The aerobic base, that is. A skyscraper stands on a solid footing for the same reason the pyramids have stood on their wide bases for 4500 years. They both have a solid foundation to bear the load. The same principle applies to a long-distance runner. Your aerobic base is the foundation of your running. It’s what every training block builds upon, and what ultimately supports your ability to perform. What good comes from running 400 meters in 62 seconds if that is all you can hold, but you are racing a 5K?
To understand the importance of an aerobic base for a long-distance runner, know that even the fittest and fastest Kenyan elite runner runs a marathon 99% aerobically. Even Olympic 5000-meter champions require about a 90% aerobic effort to compete at that level. You’ll likely never be there, but this doesn’t preclude you from the reality of human physiology.
In his “Guide to Coaching”, Coach Steve Magness states: “We have a temptation to want to skip to the ‘cool, sexy’ stuff. It’s boring to do endless easy runs or to spend hours working on the starting position in the sprints. But the ‘boring’ work serves as our foundation. We need a firm understanding of the basics before we move on to the next step. And once we have moved on, we must continually go back to the basics to ensure that they are ingrained.”
Is this clear enough?
The Boring Stuff
It is counterintuitive to accept that you must run slow so you can run fast. Yet this is one of those things you must accept, trust the science, and move forward with if you aspire to become a successful long-distance runner.
The slow (boring) stuff is the key to becoming a strong runner (ChatGPT Image)
Training at slower paces is the foundation of endurance because, among other things, it enhances mitochondrial density (improving oxygen delivery to the muscles), enhances capillary development, and increases fat utilization as fuel, which will make you a more efficient athlete. Low-intensity training also stimulates aerobic enzymes without overstressing the body, allowing more consistent training and better recovery. Over time, these physiological improvements will enable you to maintain faster paces with less effort.
Structured properly within your training, slow runs support speed, stamina and contribute to a better race-day performance. And this takes time. It doesn’t happen by running slow for a week or a month. If you trust the process and keep a written record of your workouts, before you know it, you will be running longer, easier and faster with the same effort. What once was your pushing pace, will now be your warmup pace.
The Sexy Stuff
Now that you have a strong base, we build on it.
Do you want to enjoy the runner’s highs? Build a base (Photo Pexels)
I often compare runners with F1 engines. They can do amazing things, but they require a lot of work, constant modifications and adjustments. The engine is the base, which is solid, but it can’t perform at the expected level without testing, tweaking and failures.
Short intervals, long intervals, Fartlek, mile-repeats, track, threshold, VO2Max, progressions, and so many more are part of the arsenal of workouts you have at your disposal to become a faster runner. These workouts will leave you pleasantly exhausted, provide you with that exhilarating feeling we have learned to love, and get you to enjoy the sweets of a runner’s high.
But be warned. These should be just a fraction of your workouts. You shouldn’t do them day after day after day just because you built a solid base. Maintaining and solidifying the base is a lifetime pursuit. The base of the Eiffel Tower has been constantly maintained since 1889, and thus, still stands strong.
Speed work is essential to becoming a faster runner, but easy recovery runs in between hard workouts and the ubiquitous long run should not be skipped. It should all be in balance.
So, next time your coach asks you to slow down, be patient, or play the long game, understand he/she is not doing so because he/she is mean. There are proven scientific and physiological reasons behind it. So, embrace the boring stuff and become a better, faster runner.
Can you share your slow running experience in the comment box below?
A few years ago, in a Facebook group I belonged to, someone asked for recommendations on what to include in a kit for a 5K she was putting together for some community center. “A tech shirt”, said someone. “A good bag that you can actually use after the race”, stated someone else. “A travel mug with the race logo,” chimed in a 3rd person. As asked, I added my 2 cents: “A pair of custom-made running shoes delivered to my door by Eliud Kipchoge himself”.
And I was not being facetious. I was expressing how much I would love for Eliud Kipchoge to personally hand-deliver a pair of custom-made running shoes as part of that 5K. The point was that you may include whatever you want in a race kit, it is just a matter of cost.
For those of us who have been competing for a few decades, races where you only got a bib and traffic control were commonplace. Races with medals, tech shirts, expos, and celebrity participation were the exception. Or they were the exclusive domain of races with a major sponsor, the New York City Marathon, or similar events.
In a recent Runner’s World Newsletter, they stated that “veterans of the first running boom in the late 1970s and early 1980s love to recount the simplicity of that era’s races. ‘Someone would draw a line in the road, yell ‘Go!’, and then hand you a popsicle stick with your place as you finished. Entry fees were a dollar or two. The post-race party was a tailgate at someone’s station wagon.”
Even the convenience of registering online adds to the price of a race (Photo Pexels)
Now we complain if the medal looks cheap, if hydration has no options, if there is no entertainment along the way, if all we get is a banana, if the race shirt design is not to our liking, if there are no finish line professional pictures, if the race kit has only a handful coupons, etc. All great options—but they cost money, and you have to pay for them.
When you have water, Gatorade, or multiple flavors of gels every two miles, understand that it is part of the $80 for 10K or $150 for a half marathon you ponied up. When you go out of your way to thank all police officers for being there, don’t forget you paid for their time. This is when you should be mad at a crappy medal, a cotton race shirt, not having a banana, or them cramming age groups every 10 years.
According to that same RW post, “a RunSignup’s 2023 report found that the average 5K cost $29.90. Half marathons in the $100 range are now typical. And in December, 1,000 runners will get boutique treatment (personal fluids, pacers, indoor warmup space, etc.) at The Marathon Project in exchange for a $500 entry fee. Even allowing for inflation and exaggeration, races cost relatively much more than in days of yore. What gives?”
There are always cheap race organizers. The ones who charge premium prices yet don’t have crowd control and mix hundreds of runners with regular space users, such as a beach boardwalk. Sure, there are the ones that accommodate a half marathon within the confines of a public park, don’t have police control in place, get you a cheap generic award, and have no qualms about overcharging you. You should not participate in those races.
Look. I am not saying “the old times were better”. I am not here to advocate the return of the $15 Boston Marathon. The point here is to understand that you get what you pay for. When racing is labeled as a charity event it is because funds are being raised for a noble cause, not because sponsors want to subsidize your racing ego. So, there are two clear options:
A – Treat every local 5K as if it were a World Marathon Major celebration and demand what you pay for if you don’t get it.
B – Accept a no-frills race at a no-frills price and then don’t go complaining on Tik Tok about how crappy the medal was.
Do you think race fees are justified? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
A few of my running buddies have asked me through the years how it is possible that I always look good in the finishing pictures of my races. Even if I don’t have a good race. I don’t “always” look good in my finishing pictures, but do I have many outstanding ones.
Is this a frivolous topic? Sure, it is. But let’s be honest: Do you rather look good in your finishing pictures? Or do you not care if you look like crap?
Yep… I thought so, too.
There is an art to this, and a story behind it, too.
As I have stated in previous writings, my dad was the first person I knew to run a marathon. He ran NYC in 1982. NYC was famous for many things; one of them was that they offered for purchase an image (meaning only one) of your finish. As my dad told me about his marathon experience, I couldn’t wait to see his finishing picture, which came weeks later.
The picture was so underwhelming. Check the image below, and you will think my dad is the runner number C328. But no, he is the guy behind him, looking down at his watch. In those days, you only had one shot per race for a picture. And he screwed it up in his first marathon. Lesson learned for me, as I was certain I would someday run one myself. I wanted to make sure my finishing picture would reflect not just a finish, but that it would be epic. That it would reflect my true emotions.
These are three of my marathon finishes. Solid images to celebrate the accomplishments.
Through my years of racing I have learned how to maximize the opportunities of a good picture, which is not always guaranteed. It is an art, not a science. Sometimes, you finish so happy and exhilarated, but when you look at the race pictures, you don’t feel that they reflect what you were feeling, or you are not even in them. But in general, I have realized that if you let your emotions out and you are aware of the situation, not only will you enhance your chance of amazing images to reminisce your races, sometimes you will even make it to the local paper. Yep, it did happen.
To improve your chances of a great picture at the finish line, I follow these easy guidelines:
1 – Be aware that even in the smallest runs, most likely there is a photographer at the finish line. Big races will have multiple.
2 – Understand that photographers don’t have time to frame you up. They shoot at everything, hoping to catch that great shot. If you help them out, there is a better chance you could be that great shot. How do you help them:
Spot the photographer as you approach the finish line and position yourself in a prime spot.
Find an opening in the crowd (if there is one) so you can enhance the chances of being seen.
If you are not pushing for a PR or have already secured it, look behind and make sure no runner behind you will sprint and block you.
3 – Express your genuine emotions freely. Show your happiness, disappointment, pain, thankfulness, or whatever you are feeling openly and honestly. Don’t fake it, as it will be captured.
4 – Don’t just crash the first inch after the finishing line. Photographers shoot multiple times, and your best image may be a second or two after you are done.
As for my dad’s finishing pictures, they got better with time, but it took a few failed attempts. In the 1985 Madrid Marathon, he finished with a PR and raised his arms, but he was right behind another guy. You can only see his head and arms raised. My brother and I kept coaching him, hoping for a good one. In 1995, he ran his last marathon, and he finally got the finishing picture he deserved after a long and inspiring marathoning career. It only took 13 years and 8 marathons.
As you can see, it took many failed attempts for my dad to get a great finishing picture.
In the meantime, I learned so much about how not to do it that I’ve accumulated many awesome finishing images. Enough that my friends ask me how I do it. And if that wasn’t enough, I get to write about it.
What is your experience with race-finishing pictures? Let me know in the comment box below.
For those who have only run one marathon, it is an adventure. For those who have completed the distance more than once, the only thing in common between one and another finish is the 26.2-mile distance. Each one brings a new challenge, a new experience, a new obstacle to overcome, and a new journey.
On January 19, I completed my 12th-lifetime marathon. At 59, I am unsure if I have another one in me, but I am not ruling it out. What I do know is that from each one I can take a life and/or a running lesson. Looking back on 42 years of marathoning, these are my takeaways from each one of them:
Running a marathon is a magnificent experience. Lifechanging. But it is not an easy task. It requires effort, sweat, suffering, and wondering why in the world you chose to impose this on yourself and on purpose. Once you cross the finish line, something wonderful happens. A transformation to last a lifetime. And for some weird and masochistic reason, you start thinking of the next one.
2 – New York 1983 – Age 18 – Time: 4:51:36
I thought I could go sub-4 just because I was close to my previous one. But the stupidity of youth got in the way. Having run one before is no substitute for decent training. Had I trained better, with consistency and dedication, I could have avoided the suffer-fest I endured on this cold and rainy NY morning. I learned the hard way that there is no substitution for preparation. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to be worth the “training” label, at least.
3 – Caracas 1984 – Age 19 – Time 3:32:08
My all-time PR thanks to the guidance of an experienced runner who knew what he was doing and coached me. The difference between this result and the previous one is that I put in the work. At 19 years of age, I sacrificed the partying, the drinking, and the late nights with my friends so I could put forth my best effort. I hit the wall at the 32nd Km (Mile 20) yet still set a solid PR. Looking back, if we knew then what we know now about in-race calorie intake and electrolyte replenishment, I may have a better PR. But that doesn’t matter now. Hard work paid off, even if hitting the wall.
4 – Caracas 1985 – Age 20 – Time 3:35:04
Even with my responsibilities at work, school and trying to fit in some of the fun I sacrificed the previous year, I had a successful race despite missing my PR by 2:56. The experience from the previous year allowed me to manage the race better and even though the last 5 miles were still tough, I did not walk. The years of accumulated effort compounded so a successful race could be achieved despite the hot weather I confronted.
5 – Philadelphia 2012 – Age 47 – Time: 5:41:40
Eight years after my 2nd knee operation and having accepted the doctor told me I could not run anymore, I discovered racewalking and came back to long distances, regimented training and rediscovered the lure of footraces, long distances and runner’s highs. I accepted the days of running at 3:30 were over and trained for what my older body would allow me. So, 26 years after my previous marathon, I racewalked through the City of Brotherly Love and cried while crossing the finish line while F-U-ing the doctor who told me I couldn’t do it. You can do more than you think possible if you adjust to your circumstances.
6 – Chicago 2013 – Age 48 – Time: 5:44:56
Your body can do way more than you expect from it if you train it, fuel it, and take care of it, not just during the 3 or 4 months prior to your marathon, but for many years or for a lifetime. I endured three visits to the emergency room 3 times during my training, and I participated with the prospect of passing a kidney stone at any time. My training was not ideal (but unlike my NYC 1983 experience, I did train some), yet I finished and did so with a grateful smile despite being my personal worst. I did the best I could with what was available for me that day. It is not always about a PR for a marathon to be a success.
7 – Marine Corps 2014 – Age 49 – Time: 5:33:31
With three years of racewalking and two marathons under my soles, I was ready to go for a PR. I got a racewalking expert to write me a training plan; I followed it to the tee; I sacrificed late nights, ate clean, put in the work, and traveled to DC feeling very strong. The work paid off, and an 8-minute racewalking PR was the result. It was a bit hard at the end and I lost my sub 5:30 in the last 6 miles, but there is nothing to regret. Another successful marathon when focusing on the task.
8 – New York 2017 – Age 52 – Time: 4:51:48
In 2015 I realized I was racewalking because the doctor told me not to run, not because I had tried and failed. So, I tried and did not fail and two years later, I was at the Verrazano Narrows bridge, 34 years after my first participation. I trained diligently, and the results reflect my efforts. I was at my desired 4:30 pace until we got back to Manhattan, when my left knee started acting up. As soon as we entered Central Park at mile 23 I realized it was not worth permanent injury, so I mostly walked the last 5K and still finished 12 seconds off my NYC when I was 18. Hard work pays off even if your race gets derailed at the end.
9 – Berlin 2018 – Age 53 – Time: 5:09:03
Sometimes you may be fully prepared; you did everything right, you worked hard, you are at the right weight, and you are mentally there, yet your race totally sucks. So much that you lose the joy of what you are doing, you finish 40 minutes above the time you trained for and then swear you’ll never do this again. Good training is no guarantee of a good race. Sometimes the stars are just not aligned for you.
10 – New York 2020 – Age 55 – Time 5:28:14
Didn’t I swear I wasn’t going to do this anymore? In the middle of the pandemic, I had been dealing with a congenital heart issue for the last 18 months or so. I was told not to raise my heart rate over a certain threshold. I kept running super easy through the lockdown. So I could keep focused, I took the NYC Marathon virtual challenge. I set up a race/walk protocol; I trained diligently, set up a route and support system, and I completed the distance. As with my knee and racewalking a few years ago, I realized I could adjust to my circumstances and still conquer another marathon.
11 – Houston 2022 – Age 56 – Time 5:16:45
I registered for this marathon two weeks before my June open-heart surgery because I wanted to make sure I had something pressing me to get back to work. I was cleared to run in September, and 4 months later, I ran/walked the marathon. This marathon told me that in certain circumstances, time goals are irrelevant because the fact that you can bring your body back to perform the task overshadows any clock. This finish allowed me to, in just 7 months, to pass the page and move on to the rest of my life.
12 – Houston Marathon 2025 – Age 59 – Time 5:16:52
After two difficult years of running, when little went right, when I wondered if my best running days were behind me, and when I had to accept that after my open-heart surgery, I may have lost a step or two, training finally clicked, and I was ready for another marathon. I had the privilege of running side-by-side for 20 miles with two good friends. Then we parted ways and at Mile 23, my left IT band started killing me and forced me to suffer/walk the last 5K. I was happy to finish but unhappy with the result. It happens. Good training never guarantees a good result.
The leitmotif of my marathoning has been overcoming obstacles and learning lessons on the way. Even though my lifetime PR is decent at 3:32, I accept that after 40+ years in action, my best running years are behind me. That doesn’t diminish any accomplishments I may add to my medal rack between now and the day the Lord calls me.
Sharing what I’ve learned with the marathoners I train is what keeps me focused and thankful for the struggles and successes along the way. Even though I crossed the marathon finish line only 12 times, through my athletes, I have crossed it over 100 times.
Running in low-light conditions, especially during fall and winter, even in milder latitudes like in South Florida, can be challenging and potentially hazardous. As runners, our safety is ultimately our responsibility.
Regardless of who might be “in the right,” the goal is to avoid harm. Staying visible, alert, and prepared is critical when running in the dark.
Making sure you are seen while running in the dark is your responsibility (Photo: Alex Fu, Pexels)
Trust your instincts when you are out for a run in a poorly lit area. Treat it the same as if you were in an unfamiliar area or out of your comfort zone while walking out of town. It is always better to end up being overly cautious than to find yourself in a less-than-desirable situation with an on-the-spot decision to make.
Here are ten essential precautions to keep you safe during your nighttime or early morning runs during the shorter daytime months.
1. Prioritize Visibility: Invest in reflective gear or wearable lights. Whether it’s a reflective vest, flashing LED armbands, or clip-on lights for your shoes, making yourself visible to others is non-negotiable and 100% your responsibility. Also, consider visibility at the end of your run, not just the start.
2. Stick to Familiar, Well-Lit Routes: Running in the dark is not the time for exploration and adventure. Choose routes you know, have sufficient lighting, and minimal interfering traffic. Avoid areas with uneven terrain or unexpected obstacles. This is not the time to fall and require help.
3. Face Oncoming Traffic: Run against the flow of traffic so you can see approaching vehicles and they can see you. This allows you to react if a distracted driver veers too close. Always adhere to traffic rules and stay as far from the road as possible.
4. Reconsider Headphone Use: Nighttime running demands heightened awareness. Avoid using headphones to keep your senses sharp. If you can’t run without music or podcasts, opt for bone-conduction headphones, use just one earbud, or use a low-volume setting so you remain alert to your surroundings.
5. Run With a Phone: Always carry your phone. Use it to share your live location with a trusted contact or call for help if needed. Modern running belts or armbands make carrying your phone easy and unobtrusive.
6. Inform Someone About Your Plan: Even if you’re carrying a phone, let someone know your route and the expected return time. This ensures someone is aware should you be delayed or in trouble.
7. Run in Groups When Possible: There’s safety in numbers. A group is easier for drivers to spot, and your collective visibility and awareness increase. Running clubs or friends make excellent night-running companions.
ID in advance the safety spots where you can stop through your route (Image by Windows Copilot)
8. Familiarize Yourself with Emergency Spots: In your route, be aware of the surrounding businesses, police stations, or friends’ homes where you can unexpectedly stop should you feel in danger at any time.
9. Carry Identification: Wear or carry ID (RoadID bracelet, driver’s license) to ensure first responders or good Samaritans can identify you and know who to contact in case of an emergency.
10. Test Your Gear in Advance: The time to realize your headlamp is out of battery is not as you prepare to go out. The time to figure out how the pepper spray safe if disabled is not when you have a threat in front of you. Prepare yourself.
These are by no means all the safety precautions you must take to run safely in the dark. For one, always trust your instincts so you don’t have to second-guess yourself when it is too late. If something doesn’t feel right, get out of there immediately.
Anything else I forgot, or you would like to share with your fellow blog readers? Use the comment box below.
All of us runners have been there. And if you haven’t, keep running, and you will: missing the PR we trained for, walking on a run we thought we were supposed to excel in, being beat by that one person who can’t even keep up with us in training, selling ourselves a valid excuse for what just happened. We have just failed!
Sure, failure sucks. There is no other way to put it or sell it to ourselves or to our friends. But it doesn’t have to be final. It critical to your growth as a runner. And as a person.
It happens, learn your lessons and move forward. (Photo: Polina Zimmerman, Pexels)
There is an excellent quote by Jimmy Dugan, played by Tom Hanks in the movie A League of Their Own, when one of the players tells him she’s no longer enjoying baseball because it has become too hard: “It’s supposed to be hard. If it weren’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard…is what makes it great!”
So, how do we embrace something that sucks, hurts and yet could be beneficial, and make it the cornerstone of our running growth? I suggest these steps:
1 – Accept your feelings: Don’t suppress your emotions after the failure. Don’t put a façade for your buddies. These feelings are normal, healthy and must be worked through your system so they may be processed.
2—Step away from guarded mode: Okay, you failed. So what? Is your wife going to leave you? Are your friends disowning you? You have processed your emotions and accepted what happened. It is time to stop dwelling on it and move forward.
3 – Find the lessons to be learned: What happened? Why? Was it an external factor or was it something under your control? What will you do differently next time? Identify the factors that contributed to the failure and strategize on how not to allow this to happen again. If it was your error, own it.
4 – Embrace the failure: Now that you know what happened, why, and how to avoid it next time, it is time to focus on your next objective. You have accepted that a flop does not reflect your value as a person. Even if you missed the Olympic gold medal, it is an opportunity for growth. The runner who hasn’t failed, just hasn’t run enough.
5 – Enrich yourself by what you’ve learned: A long time ago, I heard someone (I can’t recall who) say that “what you get when you don’t obtain what you originally set out for, is experience”. Make this experience part of your narrative. Share your story with others letting them know that setbacks are a natural obstacle in the path to success.
I have compiled a list of failure-related quotes by people from all walks of life. These quotes corroborate that failure can only become a permanent mark in your life when you keep dwelling on it or learn nothing from it.
Tak advantage of the opportunity (Photo: Brett Jordan, Pexels)
► “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” – Thomas Edison.
► “Some sessions are stars, and some are stones, but in the end, they are all rocks and we build upon them” – Chrissie Wellington, four-time World Ironman Champion.
► “A bad run is better than no run” – Unknown.
► “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better” – Samuel Beckett, Playwright, novelist, Nobel laureate.
► “Relish the bad training runs. Without them it’s difficult to recognize, much less appreciate, the good ones” – Pat Teske, Resilience expert, health advocate, coach.
►”We all have bad days and bad workouts, when running gets ugly, when split times seem slow, when you wonder why you started. It will pass”– Hal Higdon, legendary running writer.
► “There will be days you don’t think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing you have” – Unknown.
► “Get over it – If you have a bad workout or run a bad race, allow yourself exactly 1 hour to stew about it, then move on” – Steve Scott, former U.S. record holder in the mile.
► “If you never have a bad day, you’re probably doing something wrong; if you never have a ‘good’ day, you’re definitely doing something wrong” – Mark Remy, Runner’s World.
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3 – Caracas 1984 – Age 19 – Time 3:32:08![""]("https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/a81b8d1b-96da-49ec-8214-8e8b2f785825/03+-+Maraton+de+CCS+1984+-+Llegada+%283-32-08%29.jpg")
4 – Caracas 1985 – Age 20 – Time 3:35:04![""]("https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/ba85d8d0-9b3d-44f0-af13-4829a139530c/04+-+Maraton+de+Caracas+1985+%283+35+04%29.jpg")
5 – Philadelphia 2012 – Age 47 – Time: 5:41:40![""]("https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/c9a059be-ecb8-4976-9108-324836269e9d/05+-+Philadelphia+Marathon+%28Nov+18+12%29.JPG")
6 – Chicago 2013 – Age 48 – Time: 5:44:56![""]("https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/be26c416-5d28-44da-86e9-f5691ddc3cd3/06+-+Chicago+Marathon+%28Oct+13%2C+2013%29.JPG")
7 – Marine Corps 2014 – Age 49 – Time: 5:33:31![""]("https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/b97444c1-a4cc-4820-9148-1ce33d8442f8/07+-+Marine+Corps+Marathon+%28Oct+26+2014%29.jpg")
8 – New York 2017 – Age 52 – Time: 4:51:48![""]("https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/5a383ed7-9f06-42e9-a630-2641b39f16b5/08+-+NYC+Marathon+%28Nov+5+2017%29.jpg")
9 – Berlin 2018 – Age 53 – Time: 5:09:03![""]("https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/c31e7c9a-5532-40fc-af7e-b1b791d8f609/09+-+Berlin+%28Sep+16+2018%29%29.jpg")
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11 – Houston 2022 – Age 56 – Time 5:16:45![""]("https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/bc6dda0e-1e69-4c76-ab5f-26180ef8c131/11+-+Houston+%28Jan+16+2021%29.jpg")
12 – Houston Marathon 2025 – Age 59 – Time 5:16:52 ![""]("https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/95d8ae67-1839-47ec-846a-ccde1b9e7a6c/12+-+Houston+%28Jan+19+2025%29.JPEG")
