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.