Race Report: BAA 10K, June 21, 2026

I ran the BAA 10K last Sunday, finishing in 48:38, which was good enough to win my division.

I travelled up to Boston by train on Friday. When I have the choice, I prefer taking the Acela train to Boston over flying. There isn't that much difference in total door-to-door travel time between the two, and sitting in a train for several hours is much more comfortable and productive than the hurry up and wait of air travel. Additionally, train travel is less likely to be disrupted by weather - any weather conditions that affect trains are almost certainly also going to result in massive flight delays. 

However, things did not start smoothly this time, as my first train was cancelled about 90 minutes before departure due to “missing equipment” (how do you misplace a train?). 

Worried that this was a trend, I rebooked my train for later that day (fully refundable fare) and then started looking at last minute flight fares. I quickly realized that the latter was not an option - due to weather….somewhere…many flights to Boston were delayed or cancelled. So, train it was, with driving up to Boston as the back up option. Fortunately the second train left on time (just before 1 pm) and arrived on time (just before 8 pm). And while a 7 hour train ride may sound unpleasant, it actually wasn't. I was able to walk around when I needed to stretch my legs, and I got a lot accomplished. 

 *** 

Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to participate in a “shakeout with the pros” run with the Boston running community. It was really fun, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

As part of this, I ended up participating in a Q&A session and managed to mostly conceal and even forget about my imposter syndrome (which is hard, due to the caliber of athlete invited to run here). Until we got to the running part of the shakeout - running after standing still for 15 minutes was ugly. I decided to reframe this as a demonstration of my para-athlete-ness.

*** 

The race morning forecast had been for mid-60s and partly cloudy, so I was a bit disappointed when the morning presented with bright sunshine and temperatures that warmed into the 70s by the time we started. 

As I warmed up, I could tell that I wasn't quite right - I developed a mild headache during the warm-up, and I also felt a bit shaky. Taking a Lemonade Rocktane (extra salt) helped slightly but I still felt a bit off. 

It wasn't awful, and I wasn't going to DNS over it, especially since it was still far better weather than last year. But I was concerned about potential heat illness, even a reoccurrence of last year’s heat stroke. That episode wasn't much fun and it also screwed up my fall marathon plans, so I was eager to avoid a repeat. I decided that I would go out carefully and re-evaluate at 5K. 

*** 

The BAA 10K course, though not pancake flat, has a really nice flow to it. You start on an uphill stretch of road just north of Boston Common before turning left and running over the Longfellow Bridge (which I always think of as the Red Line bridge) into Cambridge. From there, you do an out and back along Memorial Drive and then cross into Boston over the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge for another out and back that eventually routes you down Boylston Street, past the Boston finish line before you turn left to finish in Boston Common, just a short distance from where you started. 

The para wave stood (or jogged around a bit) for about 10 minutes while the wheelchair and elite fields ahead of us started. I find it hard to keep myself jogging back and forth in a small area when everyone else is waiting for the start and chatting, but I think I need to be more disciplined about that next year. 

When the gun went off, I once again had trouble getting my gait established. I dropped to near last place in the para field. By the time we hit mile 1, my gait was smoother and I had eased into a conservative race pace. I was pleasantly surprised by how much better I handled the inclines and declines of the course than last year. And even happier about the fact that the crowds rushing by me did not affect my balance or my rhythm much. My weekly exposure therapy Park Runs (where I plant myself in the center of a chaotic running crowd and deal with it) are paying off. 

However, I was feeling the heat. At 3 miles, I opted to stay cautious for another mile and then reconsider. Same for mile 4. At the mile 5 marker, I decided I was close enough that I could take some risks, and so I opened up. 

As I made the left into Boston Garden, with the finish line ahead, I started to feel shaky and unstable. I made it to the finish line without incident. And then immediately ducked under the corral fence to get back into the shade of the para athlete tent. This ended up being a bit rude, since I forgot that I had a volunteer waiting for me to finish (oops, sorry). 

After a few minutes sitting in the tent, I felt better - just in time to get escorted to the stage near the finish to be announced as the winner of my division. Which was a nice feeling, though I think I was just as happy that I didn't have to take another ice bath this year! 

 *** 

Manual splits were:
Mile 1: 8:51 (Garmin says long) 

Mile 2: 7:38 (Garmin says short) 

Mile 3: 7:45 

Mile 4: 7:42 

Mile 5: 7:48 (hit late) 

Mile 6: 7:21 

Last .21 - 1:33 seconds. 

Other notes: 

• On reflection, I think this is one of my favorite 10K courses. It has a great flow and rhythm to it.
  
  
• The men’s T36 course record went down on Sunday, and in other divisions several course records and a new world record were set. It is so cool to see how far these para divisions have come. And this wouldn’t have happened without the substantial work the BAA has put into promoting these divisions. 
  
  
• When I got home on Sunday night, I pulled out my pill organizer and realized that I never took my evening meds on Saturday night. Those meds include my antihistamine and Singulair (both for allergies) and Gocovri (a Parkinson’s med that helps my muscles contract smoothly).
  
  So now I’m wondering if either a) the symptoms that felt like potential heat illness were actually just “I didn’t take my meds” symptoms or b) not taking those meds made me a bit more sensitive to heat. Either answer makes more sense than me suddenly getting sensitive to heat after feeling cold all spring.
  
  I’m a bit sad, because I wonder if I would have run better had I not skipped those meds the night before the race. On the other hand, it’s a bit of a confidence booster that I can screw up something like that and still run decently instead of imploding. 
  
  
• Train notes (for those who care). I took the Acela both ways between DC and Boston. On the way up, I rode in the Next Gen Acela for the first time.
  
  There were plenty of negatives - less room between seats and air conditioning that was way too much. Plus a new high tech bathroom that took me a few minutes to decipher (there is a guide on the wall that explains how to lock and unlock the bathroom door, and it is essential bathroom reading). The seats were also much harder than the old Acela cars.
  
  And then I took the old Acela train back and realized that the hard seats were actually better than the soft ones for multi hour trips. And the new Acela cars are so much smoother at top speed.
  
  On the way back in the old Acela, a toilet that was only partially attached to the wall convinced me that yes, the new Acela cars are, on the whole, an improvement on the old. Just give yourself some extra time the first time you use the bathroom.

Training log - Week ending 6/21/2026

This week was 38 miles of running, 9 "miles" of pool-running, and 1000 yards of swimming.

Just a placeholder for race week up in Boston. Race report to come.

Dailies:

Monday: 6 miles very easy (9:44) with four strides; upperbody weights/core in afternoon, foam rolling in evening.

Tuesday: 9 miles on the treadmill, including a workout of 2x4:30/3:00, 2x3:00/2:00, 2x1:30/1:00, 4x0:30/1:30. 4:30 intervals at 8.2-8.3 mph (7:14-7:19 pace); 3:00 intervals at 8.3-8.4 mph (7:09-7:14 pace); 1:30 intervals at 8.5-8.6 mph (6:59-7:04 pace); and 30 second intervals at 8.8 mph (6:49 pace). All jogs at 6.2 mph (9:50 pace).

Followed with leg strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.

Wednesday: 9 "miles" pool-running and 1000 yards of swimming.  Yoga and foam rolling at night.

Thursday: 4 miles very easy on trails (10:54) followed by PT exercises. Upperbody strength/core and foam rolling at night.

Friday: 6 miles, including a 1600 at tempo effort (7:21).

Saturday: 4 miles easy (9:32) with 4 strides.

Sunday: 9 miles, including the BAA 10K in 48:38.

Race Report: Run Unbridled Track Meet, June 12, 2026

I ran the mile and the 800 at the Run Unbridled Track Fest this past weekend, running 6:53.5 for the mile and 3:27.07 for 800.

The Light Horse Track Club puts on two great summer track meets - Down the Stretch on Memorial Day weekend and Run Unbridled in June. I missed Down the Stretch because it conflicted with the Tri-State Games in New Jersey that same weekend. Watching the meet (live-streamed on YouTube) from a Holiday Inn in Newark sealed my decision to register for Run Unbridled.

***

The meet started at 5 pm, and I was in the first heat of the first race, so I left around 3 pm to drive out to Fairfax. It's about a 25 minute drive with no traffic, but there's always traffic in Northern Virginia, and 3 pm is essentially the start of rush hour. Fortunately, the drive wasn't too bad and I arrived around 3:40 pm - enough time to grab my number, do some mobilizations, and warm up. And take my meds.

On that last point…as a brief recap of a complex topic, having Parkinson's is somewhat like having diabetes. Except that it's not insulin that you are having to replace, but a neurotransmitter (dopamine).

Similar to a diabetic, I manage and time my meds so that my dopamine levels stay within a window.  Above that window means lots of involuntary muscle movements (as if you drank way too much coffee).  Below that window means that one is really stiff and slow (as if you ran a marathon the previous day). Within the window means a little bit of each.

My experience has been that the window of optimal dopamine levels for fast running is narrower than that for normal life, which makes sense - fast running is neurologically complex. Interestingly enough, the window for fast running is at the bottom of the "normal" window - basically it's easier to run fast with a) low power but muscles that mostly do what you want than with b) lots of energy but not great control.

The pills that I take (Rytary) generally last for four hours, with the dose trailing off after. This means that if I take a dose every four hours, each dose is a bit stronger than the last, since I've still got the residual tail of the previous dose in me. All of this means that timing my medications for racing is a mix of careful scheduling and assessing how I feel.  

For this evening’s races, I decided to time my meds throughout the day so that I would take my next Rytary at 4 pm - resulting in a “good running” window of just after 4 pm to 8 pm. With one race at 5 pm and the other at 6:50 pm, that window would cover both races plus my warm-up, with an hour margin of error.

***

I need a long warm up before I race, with more time if the distance is shorter, so I started warming up around 4:15 pm for my 5 pm race. 

Usually, I warm up in the shoes that I intend to race in, because it’s very hard for me to transition between different shoes. Essentially, I have to relearn how to run in each pair of shoes, and it takes me some time (it’s a neuro thing). However, I figured out earlier this week that the Topo Spectre (plated shoe but relatively low stack and low heel drop) feels a lot like my spikes, so I warmed up in that shoe and then swapped fairly easily to my spikes (the Hoka Cielo FLyX Lite*) for some final strides before lining up.

*[I am nostalgic for a simpler time, when running shoe model names were one word and then a number.]

Just as the mile was about to start, lightning flashed in the distance. That triggered a 30 minute delay and relocation of all runners and spectators to the indoor track (conveniently about 200 yards away).

This was a problem for me - it takes me about half an hour to warm up (mostly an age thing), and I stiffen up and lose the benefit of that warm-up within minutes after I stop (I suspect a mix of age and Parkinsons). So, with a half-hour delay, when should I start warming up again? 

I decided to wait until 5:10 and then do a shortened warm-up on the indoor track. I was about 10 minutes into this warm-up when the meet was delayed again another half-hour by yet another bolt of lightning in the distance.

The evening continued on like this, with a storm rolling through. Finally, a bit after 6 pm, it was confirmed that the meet would be starting at 6:30. So, I warmed up a third time, swapped into my spikes again for more strides, and headed to the start line.

***

The storm’s passing had not cooled things down - it was still oppressively hot and humid (85 with a dew point of 80 when I checked the weather later). Fortunately, I was just racing a mile (and not a 1500, as I repeatedly reminded myself).

We lined up at the waterfall line and the gun fired. My first few steps off of the line were slow. This wasn’t directly because of Parkinsons (I can move faster than that) but indirectly from Parkinsons. Even for short races, I run much better if I spend the first few steps getting my gait organized - shoulders and feet relaxed, torso rotating, etc - and then start running fast.  Rushing my start results in an ugly race and a slower time.

The nice thing about starting slow was that the chaos of the first meters of a track race all played out ahead of me, leaving me a clear track to run. Once my gait was set, I picked up the pace and promptly reeled in one woman. That left me with about 1550 meters to go and a pack of people pulling away ahead of me.

I used the next laps to just focus on running smoothly and keeping my legs floppy - reminding myself that I run my fastest that way. It’s always a leap of faith because my perception is off and I don’t feel the base level of tension that my muscles always have now.  Because of that tension, when I try to run hard everything over-contracts and I end up working against myself and running tensely and slowly. OTOH, relaxed loose running feels like I am not giving it my best but is in actuality significantly faster.  

Fortunately, some of the runners ahead of me were starting to slow and come back to me, which provided reassurance and feedback that I was running well, even if it didn’t feel like it. My coach also yelled at me that I was running really well and on pace to break 7 minutes - a very good run for me right now.  This was helpful but also tempted me to start running harder and lock my muscles up - a temptation that I more or less resisted.

By the middle of lap 3, I was really feeling the heat and the humidity. The last 600m of the race were all about holding my rhythm and keeping my body loose. I managed to more or less accomplish this and cross the finish in 6:53 - well under 7 minutes. I was tired, but also extremely happy. Three weeks ago an 800m race at sub-7 minute pace had been a big step forward, and now I had just run that pace for twice the distance (plus 9m).  

***

After my heat of the mile, two more heats went and then another storm rolled in, prompting more delays.  By this point, it was clear that my 800m race, originally scheduled for 6:50 pm, was going to start well after 8 pm and outside of my “good running” window.  A revision of the meet schedule to move the elite races up shifted my 800m heat even later, to some time after 10 pm.

I honestly wasn’t quite sure of how to handle this medication-wise. When I go out late with friends, I just take another dose. However, the window of optimal dopamine levels is much wider when I’m chatting and bouncing around at a show than when I’m trying to run my best, so there’s more room for error. 

After some debate, I took another dose of Rytary at 8 pm, hoping for the best. About 10 minutes later, I realized this wasn’t the right decision. Rytary has that long tail off after the 4 hour window, and I was now a bit overmedicated for running well (though still good for everything else). My walking was just a little too bouncy and jerky.

Digesting protein can reduce the effectiveness of Parkinson’s medication, and so I took a few bites of a protein bar in hopes of toning things down. Unfortunately, it didn’t work (I guess that interference only happens when you don’t want it to). Oh well, this wouldn’t be the first or last time I raced on sub-optimal medication. And with 2 hours to go until my next race, perhaps things would calm down.

***

Around 10 pm I began warming up for the fourth time, for my second race of the evening.  I could tell that I was still a bit over medicated so I’d just have to do the best I could. 

We lined up for the 800m around 10:30 pm. Once again, I was dropped immediately after the gun. I wasn’t quite as good at patiently establishing my gait this time, instead rushing my start and accelerating too quickly. Some of this may have been too much medication, some might have been the increased urgency of two laps versus four, and some might have been mental fatigue from a very long evening. 

The result was two rough laps - I did my best with what I had, but I didn’t feel as smooth as the mile. I finished the 800m in 3:27 - almost exactly what I had split for the first 809m of the mile.  

As bummed as I was about that, it was still a great run for other reasons. A number of my friends who were cooling down from their races on the infield were cheering for me, and it seemed like every corner of the track had a friend from a different DC area running team urging me on. While it wasn’t my best run, experiencing that much support and encouragement was something very special that’s hard to express in words even a few days later. 

It was a good meet for me, with two races that were both great for completely different reasons.

***

Splits were:

Mile: 1:44.89/1:42.26/1:43.01/1:43.34

800m: 1:42.64/1:44.43

Consistent, if nothing else.

Other notes:

• The other consequence of taking Rytary so late was that my sleep was completely screwed up.  Of course, I suspect that running so late would have screwed it up anyway.

• Despite the delays, this was still a great meet and I had a fantastic time, both running and hanging out.  I am so grateful that Light Horse Track Club holds these meets for the community. And I really appreciate the efforts they made to maintain a quality event despite the weather issues.

• There were a lot of great races at the meet, including my Capital Area Runners teammates winning one heat of the mile and one heat of the 800m.

• I'm amused that my calves weren't sore at all after this meet, given that I raced twice in spikes. I generally don't use my calves much when I run, and I guess this is evidence of that.

Training log - Week ending 6/14/2026

This week was 30 miles of running, 24 "miles" of pool-running, and 1000 yards of swimming.

I cut my mileage back significantly this week because I raced at the Run Unbridled Track Fest on Friday evening (race report coming).  

I have a World Para-Athletics Track Meet coming up in a few weeks where I will be required to wear spikes.* So, I wore spikes at the Run Unbridled meet on Friday.  Which meant I also wore them on Tuesday to make sure I could in fact run in them.

*[Technically the requirement is shoes that are on the WPA approved list, but the only shoes on that list that will work** are spikes.]

**[Yes, there are a very few non-spikes (e.g., the Saucony Sinister) on that approved list.  However, they are all superflexible. And I have a bit of hallux limitus on my right foot that makes a stiffer shoe better for me, especially at faster speeds. Hence needing a shoe with a plate for racing - which means a spike on the track.]

Age 52 is pretty late to start racing in spikes (and that's before factoring in my neurologic gait issues), so I was very cautious this week.  I spent both Wednesday and Saturday (each the day after wearing spikes) in the pool to play it safe.  The end result was low mileage on land and a lot of pool time.  Which is fine - voluntary pool-running is always better than involuntary pool-running.

The spikes feel awkward, but I seem to run well in them.  It's been a while since I've run a 50 second 200 or a sub-7 minute mile, and I did both this week, so I was pretty happy.  Interestingly, my calves weren't sore at all after the track meet.  I would like to credit this to all the calf strengthening I did in anticipation of wearing spikes. But it's probably just because I don't use my calves when I run.

In other good news, I had my annual neurological gait assessment this week, and I've improved from last year!  Which echoes my para-athlete classification from earlier this year, where I looked a bit better than I did 2 years ago.  I'm still neurologically impaired, of course, but any forward progress when one has a neurodegenerative condition is really cool.

Dailies:

Monday: 9 "miles" pool-running in the morning, yoga and PT exercises in afternoon, foam rolling in evening.

Tuesday: 7 miles on the track, including 2000 at tempo effort (9:21 for 2K = 7:31 pace), and then swapped to spikes for 4x100 (27, 26, 26, 25), two sets of 400, 200, 200 (1:46, 51, 51, and then 1:47, 50, 50), and then 2x100 in 24 and 23. Followed with leg strengthwork. PT appointment (orthopedic) in afternoon, sports massage at night.

Wednesday: 9 "miles" pool-running and 500 yards of swimming.  PT appointment (neuro) in afternoon; foam rolling at night.

Thursday: 4.5 miles very easy on trails (10:38) followed by PT exercises. Foam rolling at night.

Friday: Off in the morning. In the evening, 6.5 miles, including racing the mile (6:53.5) and the 800 (3:27.07) on the track.

Saturday: 6 "miles" pool-running at midday, plus upperbody strength/core and PT exercises. Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 12 miles easy to aerobic (9:15) and 500 yards of swimming.  Foam rolling at night.

Training log - Week ending 6/7/2026

This week was 54 miles of running, 15 "miles" of pool-running, and 1000 yards of swimming.

This was a second "volume week" before I cut back for a series of races over the next few weeks, starting with the Run Unbridled track meet next Friday, followed by the BAA 10K the week after.

Tuesday was near perfect running weather, but I opted for the treadmill anyway. I just seem to respond really well to treadmill intervals and get a much better fitness boost when I do intervals on the treadmill, as compared to the track.  

I suspect that this is because I often have difficulty managing my running gait when I'm in a crowded, complex situation (this is pretty common for Parkinsons, though it's more typical to struggle navigating a busy grocery store, or through a doorway). 

When I'm on the treadmill, I don't have to dedicate any mental energy to working around other runners, and my always present worries about balance are comforted by having a frame all around me and a steady flat surface under me. The result is an exclusive focus on working the high end of my aerobic system, and a better fitness response. It's kinda similar to doing your heavy squats on a stable surface instead of a bosu.

Of course, not having to deal with other runners and turns and uneven pavement is a double-edged sword - there's also a training benefit from being exposed to those things, and when I'm sheltered from them too much, it becomes very hard to run in crowds or on uneven surfaces.  But I have six other days in the week to work on those, so spending one morning a week focusing exclusively on high-end aerobic fitness makes sense.

As for those other days - Friday was a 6400m (~4 miles) tempo on the track with the team (by which I mean my friends lapping me :)  ).  It was about 15 degrees warmer than it was last week, and I ran about 45 seconds faster than last week - all because I wasn't cold and stiff.  Most people would consider low 50s far better distance running weather than mid-60s, but this seems to be how my body works now.

After the tempo, I swapped into a new pair of spikes - the Hoka Cielo Flyx Lite for two strides.  The Flyx Lite is the closest I've been able to come to a spike that a) is World Athletics approved and b) works with my decidedly non-forefoot strike. I definitely wasn't as comfortable in it as I am in road shoes, but I think I can make these work on the track without tripping over my own feet.

On Saturday, I got brave and decided to do my weekly easy run/Park Run sandwich at Teddy Roosevelt Island instead of Fletchers Boathouse. I try to do a Park Run at easy run pace most weekends because it forces me to run in chaotic crowds - immersion therapy that really does help.  

[Side note: I'm increasingly convinced that this is why I have no problem navigating grocery stores or busy Metro stations with escalators. In Parkinsons, when you make yourself do the hard version of something, the easier version becomes more doable.  Since I run and race in crowds regularly (which admittedly is sometimes very hard, mentally), walking through a crowd is a non-issue. I have no doubt that if I was doing all of my aerobic workouts on an exercise bike, I'd have a lot more trouble in the grocery store.]

The Park Run at Fletchers is on a flat stonedust towpath, with a short segment on concrete; in contract, the Teddy Roosevelt Park Run is on trails, with some short sections on a) an uneven boardwalk and b) deep mulch, plus some inclines/declines.  The trails aren't terribly technical, but Teddy Roosevelt Island is definitely a more challenging surface than Fletchers, so this was an uptick in difficulty.

It went pretty well.  I had some sketchy "mind and legs freaking out" moments at the beginning, but that's what I came for.  My one goof was that I intended to run the whole thing at easy pace - after all, I had done a four mile tempo the day before.  And then a woman passed me with about a quarter mile to go, and I momentarily lost my sanity and chased her down before kicking to the finish.  My "kick" was about 7:45 pace, but that was uphill on a trail in trail shoes, so still a decent effort.

In retrospect, I'm pretty happy that I was able to shed my apprehension about running fast on a trail - that's huge for me. On the other hand, it wasn't a great decision training wise, given yesterday's tempo. In penance, I kept Sunday's run very easy.  Which, given that it was nearly 90 degrees by the time I finished the run, was not a bad thing.

Dailies:

Monday: 9 "miles" pool-running in the morning, yoga and PT exercises in afternoon, foam rolling in evening.

Tuesday: 9.5 miles on the treadmill, including a workout of 7x3:00/2:00 plus 6x0:30/2:00. Three minute intervals at 8.3-8.4 mph (7:09-7:14 pace); 30 second intervals at 8.7-9.0 mph (6:40-6:56 pace); jogs at 6.0-6.1 mph (9:50-10:00 pace). Followed with leg strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.

Wednesday: 8.5 miles very easy (9:38) including 8x100m strides in 26-28 seconds, followed by 500 yards swimming. Foam rolling at night.

Thursday: 5 miles very easy on trails (10:46) followed by PT exercises and upper body strength/core. Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 10 miles, including a 6400m tempo on the track in 29:34 (7:43/7:26/7:16/7:09), plus 2x100 in 25 and 24. Followed by leg strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 9 miles on trails (10:06), including a Park Run in 28:34, followed by 500 yards swimming. Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 12 miles very easy (9:25) followed by weights (upper and lower body) and 6 "miles" of pool-running.  Foam rolling at night.