Race Report: Boston Marathon, April 20, 2026

I ran the Boston Marathon last Monday, finishing in 3:43:54, which was good enough to with my para-athlete division again, though not sufficient to break my course record.

This year's Boston Marathon adventure started with a mixture of good and bad luck.  The bad luck was that my flight first boarded and then deplaned, due to a ground stop in Boston.

The good luck was that when I boarded for the second time, my seatmate recognized me, which in turn caused me to recognize her.  It was Lisa Levin - a talented local runner that I had formerly competed against for age group awards (the former is on my end, not hers - she is still quite competitive). She's also one half of a great coaching group that has a great podcast.

The box.  Gels, jogging clothes,
throwaway clothes, snacks.

It was pretty funny.  She hadn't recognized me before because I had a mask on for the flight. I didn't have that excuse; I hadn't recognized her because I was distracted thinking about everything I had on my plate for the upcoming weekend.

It was a quick flight once we were off the ground quickly (made even quicker by good company) and I made it to my hotel at 7:02 pm.  Unfortunately, the FedEx store embedded in the hotel closed at 7 pm, which meant that I would have to wait until 9 am the next morning to retrieve the box I had shipped to myself.  Not a huge issue, but I wouldn't be able to do a shake out jog until I had my box (with my shake out jog clothes, among other things).

I slept in on Saturday, then cheered at the Boston 5K before picking up my box. Then it was time for my para-athlete classification at the Convention Center.

***

For those who don't know, classification is the process through which a wannabe para-athlete is a) confirmed to be impaired enough to be eligible to be a para-athlete and b) assigned to a para-athlete class for competition.  USATF is now taking a larger role in the governance of American Para-Athletics, and they have a nice webpage that lays out the whole process.

Two years ago, I was classified as a T36 para-athlete. The T stands for “track” (which includes the roads); the 36 means that I am neurologically impaired in a specific way.

Some classifications are permanent, while others must be reviewed on a set interval.  Generally, impairments like missing limbs get a permanent classification, while impairments that can fluctuate or progress (e.g., neurodegenerative) are assigned a review year.  In 2024 I was assigned a review year of 2026, which meant that I had to redo my classification before I could compete in this year's Boston Marathon - my first para-athlete competition of 2026.

So here I was, once again, in a large conference room on the floor below bib pick-up.  Just like two years ago, most of the chairs and tables were stacked along the walls, leaving the vast room empty. There was one table with four chairs, two of which were occupied by the classifiers. Off to the side was a medical examining table identical to that in a doctor’s office.

***

The classification began with a brief interview - what were my best performances in the past two years?  How much did I train and how did I train? When was I diagnosed?  What medications was I currently on?  Did I use any braces or other devices when competing?

After that, I removed my shoes and moved to the examination table. They first flexed each of my joints in turn and assigned a number, before tapping some places with a rubber hammer (more numbers). Then came what I call the hokey-pokey/Macarena - touching my finger to my nose, touching my finger to their finger, tapping my feet on the ground quickly, rotating my wrists between palms up/palms down quickly, sliding my heel up and down my shin.  Yet more numbers and some muted conversation.

The next step (pun intended) was walking back and forth, followed by running back and forth. Then running in a zig zag pattern, some side steps and cariocas, and an extended period of shuffling from side to side, changing direction randomly as directed.  They also included some standing jumps, some heel and toe walking, and some tandem walking.  All of this barefoot on the hotel carpet.

By the end I was tired.  And relieved that I had once again made it through classification without an injury that would screw up my marathon.

They excused me outside the room for a few minutes and then called me back for the verdict. I had been classified T36 previously, but based on what they saw today, it was a close call between the more impaired T36 and the less impaired T38 (to answer the obvious question - there was never any question of whether I was a T37, because T37s have one good side and one bad side.  I have two bad sides - the question was how bad they were).

They were tentatively classifying me as a T36, but they would be watching me closely on Monday. After observing me on Monday they might reclassify me as a T38, or alternately keep me a T36, but require me to repeat classification as early as next year.

(This felt oddly like a colonoscopy - “we’ll take a look and then tell you when you need to go through this again.”  Fortunately, though I was tired, I retained sufficient tact to not say this out loud.)

I suspect they thought I would be upset about this decision. While the T36/T38 distinction was meaningless for this race (Boston currently combines T35, T36, T37, and T38 into one division) being reclassified to T38 came with serious competitive implications. T38s are minimally impaired, and so the T38 division is much faster than the T36 division and I would be less competitive. Similar to being moved from the 50+ age group to the 40+ age group.

At the same time, when you have a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and there are no medications that slow or reverse the progression, being told that you might look better than you did two years ago is huge.  HUGE.  So, I saw this situation as a win/win.  Either I'd keep my T36 classification, or I'd have evidence that a condition that is only supposed to worsen had done the opposite, while retaining eligibility for the T35-38 division on Monday.  Either outcome was cool.

*** 

After classification I picked up my bib from the para-athlete room.  My bib came with a lanyard and badge identifying me as a professional athlete.  I would spend the rest of the weekend debating when and where it was appropriate to show this off display this.

My preciousss

I was hungry by this time, so my next stop was Chipotle.  In a distressing reprisal of last year, the Boylston Street Chipotle was closed.  However, another one about 8 blocks east was open, so I was able to get what I needed, albeit with more walking than I would have liked.

The rest of the day was spent mostly resting, punctuated by repeated trips to the nearby CVS to panic-buy things that just a few days before I had been sure I wouldn't need.

*** 

Sunday began with a shakeout jog - my energy levels were great, though my hips were slightly sore from all the side shuffling yesterday. This was followed by a DoorDash Chipotle order (I decided that I preferred to pay someone else to wander Boston looking for Chipotle.

That afternoon I was scheduled to be part of a “professional para-athlete” panel. About 45 minutes before the panel was scheduled to begin, I wandered through the expo towards the stage, marveling at how the crowds would part anytime I waved my pro athlete badge.  I had the chance to meet up with a few friends before, who kindly stayed for the panel.

I thought the panel went well, though I noted that my habit of speaking like a lawyer when presented with a microphone (slow, measured words) was a contrast to the free flowing conversational style of the other panelists.  I did manage to demonstrate what life was like as a coordination impaired athlete by spilling water all over myself, so that was win. I think.

****

The official schedule for race morning looked like this:

• 5:00-5:30 am - para-athlete check-in (hotel lobby)
• 6:30 am - para-athlete bus departs for start line
• 7:20 am - para-athlete bus arrives at the start
• 9:35 am - para-athletes walked to start line
• 9:50 am - para-athlete start

Since a) I need my Rytary to function, b) I get about 4 hours from each Rytary dose, c) Rytary works best when spaced well apart from meals, and d) one needs to eat breakfast before a marathon, I structured my morning like this:

• 4:00 am - wake up, eat first breakfast
• 5:15 am - check in
• 5:30 am - take Rytary
• 6:30 am - bus to start
• 7:20 am - arrive at start, eat second breakfast, stretch
• 8:50 am - short jog
• 9:30 am - take Rytary
• 9:35 am - head to the start.

In between all of that, of course, were opportunities to reunite with old friends and connect with new ones. And several bathroom breaks.

***

The forecast was fantastic for marathoning - weather in the low 40s, increasing to around 50, with a tailwind.  I debated shorts versus light tights and singlet versus long sleeve. I briefly considered long sleeve over shorts, so that I'd have the option of removing the longsleeve if I got too warm.  But I had two bibs to wear - front and back - so that didn't seem like a good option.  Ultimately I went with singlet and shorts, plus arm-warmers, reasoning that a tailwind would be much warmer than a headwind.

Sooner than I expected (but right on schedule), we were walked to the start.  This was my third time standing at the start line and seeing nothing but empty road ahead, and it felt as surreal as the first time.  Then the gun fired, and we were off.

The first downhill mile went remarkably smoothly.  I've been working a lot on my downhill running this past year, and I felt the results.  I knew that the classifiers were also watching me run, and that my chances of retaining my T36 classification were slipping away with each smooth step, but it was what it was.  And it felt good to be running downhill mostly unafraid of falling on my face.

Of course, I knew what was coming from behind. It was heralded by a cyclist wearing a Boston jacket, who spoke to us of the arrival of Wave 1, and instructed that we (the para-athletes) were to stay to the right.

I wasn't thrilled about this.  As a para-athlete I've run Boston once on the far right and once on the far left.  I much prefer the left for all the same reasons someone else might prefer the right - the bigger crowds are on the right, as are the majority of the water stations.  Staying on the left means that I'm less likely to be squashed between faster runners on one side and people waving signs or holding water cups on the other.

But, when racing, you do what the race staff tells you to do, so I shifted to the right.  Soon after, Wave 1 began as a trickle that turned into a stream, and then a turbulent river, before becoming…washing machine-esque?  (The metaphor is admittedly strained).

I heard another para-athlete describe this part of the race as “intense,” and I can’t come up with a better word than that.  What was relatively serene becomes loud and almost overwhelming.  And while the wave 1 runners try to be careful, there is inevitably some physical contact.  I was elbowed a few times, and shoved hard from behind once.  The latter forced me to grab onto a water table to save my balance.

This is always the hardest part of this race for me - in these early miles I want to spend as little mental and physical energy as possible, but at the same time I'm continually bracing for impact.

Fortunately, the field thinned out early, so only miles 2 to 6 were truly sketchy. And some of this was balanced out by those who would cheer for me as they passed - reminding me of my teammates at home on the track.  

Every time a woman passed by (wave 1 was, of course, mostly men) I felt a wistful twinge of jealousy, remembering that one pre-Parkinsons Boston Marathon where I had been in Wave 1.  It seemed both fresh and a lifetime ago.

*** 

My plan was to stay really quiet and careful until the Newton hills, get up those hills without too much effort, and then hammer home the last 10K.  There was one problem.  I was cold.  And keeping my effort controlled wasn't warming me up any.

However, the fact that I was cold also meant that I couldn't really pick up the effort - I was too stiff.  So I went with what I had, hoping that things would literally warm up by the time I hit the hills.

Spoiler alert - the weather stayed cool, even chilly, all the way to the end.  And so I stayed stiff until the hills, which took their toll.  Rather than crushing the last 6 miles I struggled in, with an emergency caffeinated gel making things worse, not better.  I also noted the pollen in the last few miles (I'm not sure why I didn't before). Even with a puff from my emergency inhaler, my breathing still felt way off.  In retrospect, this might not have been asthma but my chest and neck muscles tightening - something that I am currently working on in PT.

***

I finally, painfully crossed the line. Then I checked my watch for the first time - 3:43. Not as bad as I had expected, given how rough I felt at the end. I didn't know how I had placed, but a check of my cell phone a bit later confirmed that I was the first woman in my division to cross the finish line, and I had successfully defended my title. A quick text to my coach confirmed that I had also run a negative split for the first time ever on this course, and I was pretty happy about that.

***

Splits were:

Miles 1-2: 18:26
5K mark: 9:33
Mile 4 (.89 mile): 8:03
Mile 5: 8:56
Mile 6: 8:31
Mile 7: 8:31
Mile 8-9: 16:45
Mile 10: 8:09
Mile 11: 8:17
Mile 12: 8:03
Mile 13: 8:09
Mile 14: 7:59
Mile 15: 8:18
Mile 16: 7:47
Mile 17: 8:24
Mile 18: 8:19
Mile 19: 8:00
Mile 20: 8:32
Mile 21: 9:05
Mile 22: 8:21
Mile 23: 8:57
Mile 24: 8:13
Mile 25: 9:12
Mile 26: 9:32
last bit: 1:51

I'm pretty happy with this, all the way up to the last 10K.  Those final miles don't look bad in the context of the rest of the race, but are far slower than I had hoped to close. 

On the bright side, I did negative split this course for the first time in four tries.  And, though this wasn't my fastest Boston, in some ways I feel like it is my best-executed Boston so far.  Though there's still a lot of room for improvement.

Other notes:

• The weather ended up being 43 degrees in Hopkinson, 48 degrees in Boston, with a 13 mph tailwind. Simply fantastic.  In retrospect, I really wish that I had dressed a bit more warmly.  I've known for a while that I need to dress much more warmly than I used to, and that I'm fine wearing longsleeves and tights into the 40s. I just didn't quite trust that knowledge this time.
• I flew home on Tuesday morning, surrounded by people wearing Boston Marathon medals.  I was slightly tempted to don my Boston Marathon Pro Athlete lanyard, but decided that doing so would just flag me as petty and shallow.  (I may indeed be petty and shallow, but I try not to broadcast it).
• A few days later, I checked the USATF Para-Athlete Classification Database. And whadya know, I am listed as a T36 with a review year of 2029 - 3 years from now.  I guess I didn't look as good as I thought I did.
• I say this every year because I feel it strongly every year - I am so incredibly grateful to the opportunity that the BAA gives to para-athletes to strive and shine.  In a culture where they message is so often that those with an impairment should be sheltered and protected from disappointment, the BAA treats us with respect, as athletes. This respect promotes a cultural shift, both within and outside the running community, in how those with impairments are perceived and treated.
• On that same note, several events and conversations over marathon weekend made me realize that I have a responsibility now - I need to do my part to promote athletic opportunities for those with impairments. It's not something I asked to take on, just like Parkinson's isn't something I ever wanted to deal with.  But the BAA and other organizations like Move United have provided me with literally life-changing opportunities. And I need to pay it forward. I've spent the past week giving a lot of thought as to how to do that.

Training log - Week ending 4/19/2026

This week was 28 miles of running, 4 "miles" of pool-running and 500 yards of swimming.

This is a placeholder for my last week of taper before the Boston Marathon.

Dailies:

Monday: 6.5 miles easy (9:07) in the morning; foam rolling in the evening.

Tuesday: 8.5 miles on the track, including 5x800 in 3:50, 3:43, 3:41, 3:39, 3:35 with 2:3x-2:4x recovery between each, followed by 4x100m strides (25 down to 23). Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 6 miles very easy on the towpath (10:04). Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday:  4 "miles" pool-running and 500 yards swimming, followed by PT exercises and a sports massage.

Friday: 4 miles, including 800m in 4:19 and 2x100, each in 25.  Followed by travel to Boston.

Saturday: Classification appointment (to confirm my status as a para-athlete) and foam-rolling/stretching..

Sunday: 3 miles very easy (9:55).  Foam rolling at night.

Training log - Week ending 4/12/2026

This week was 37 miles of running, 18 "miles" of pool-running and 1000 yards of swimming.

I didn't do a great job of planning this week out.  By which I mean that I forgot a) that I had a massage scheduled on Thursday night, and b) that I planned to cheer at Cherry Blossom on Sunday (meaning no long run). Had I remembered those, I would have gone with a more significant track workout on Wednesday and a long run on Saturday.

But I didn't remember and thus my plan for the week was some very short fast stuff on Wednesday, a tempo on Friday, and then a long run on Sunday.  It wasn't ideal to do a tempo on Friday after a massage Thursday night, but we kept the massage light and focused on the upper body.  The tempo was still a bit slower than I would have liked - I'm not sure how much was the massage and how much was the fact that I overdressed, wearing black tights and longsleeve shirt on a morning that started cool and overcast but warmed up quickly.

As for Sunday, I ended up doing my "not so" long run in the pool.  I woke too late to run before cheering at Cherry Blossom.  While I could have done a mid-day run, I preferred not to - Parkinsons means that I have an increased risk of skin cancer, and so I try to avoid running more than a few miles outside when the sun is at its peak.  And yes, I know I have a marathon next week in the sun, but that's the exception to the rule, and also a good reason not to add more midday sun this week.

Given a choice between the pool and the treadmill, the pool made more sense given where I am in the training cycle, so I went with that.

The good news is that everything feels good and all systems are go for the marathon on 4/20. And I'm feeling far better about my fitness than I was at this time last year.

Dailies:

Monday: 8 "miles" pool-running in the morning; foam rolling in the evening.

Tuesday: 7.5 miles very easy outside (9:49) with 4x100m strides (26 down to 25) and two hill sprints, upperbody strength/core in the afternoon. Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 9.5 miles, including 10x100m in 27 down to 25. Followed with 400 yards swimming. Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday:  4 miles very easy on the towpath (10:19), followed by PT exercises.  Pilates and sports massage at night.

Friday: 8 miles, including a 6400m tempo in 29:47 (7:38/7:29/7:25/7:17), followed by leg strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 8 miles very easy on the towpath (9:29) including a Parkrun, followed by upperbody weights/core. Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: Cheering at Cherry Blossom and PT exercises. 10 "miles" pool-running and 600 meters of swimming.  Foam rolling at night.

Training log - Week ending 4/5/2026

This week was 43 miles of running, 16 "miles" of pool-running and 1500 yards of swimming.

After last week's long run, I decided I was still a bit worried about my right leg/hamstring.  It felt mostly fine, and I was able to run on it fine, but it felt like there was something still lurking there. Not painful or sore, just...lurking.

I reviewed my running log, and the last time I had this feeling was in early 2020.  Then, everything blew up (technical term) right before my marathon, and I ended up dropping out of the marathon early. I struggled with it for a few weeks after, and then got prolotherapy to tighten up loose ligaments in the SI joint and back.  Once I did that, everything cleared up within a week.

So...I called the doctor who did the 2020 prolotherapy, and he had an opening on Wednesday afternoon.  I played things carefully until that appointment, where he confirmed that I was again loose and unstable in my right SI joint. 

He offered to schedule me in a few weeks, but then generously fit me in immediately when I explained that I had an important marathon in 2 weeks (all marathons are important, but Boston is really important to me).  And once again, everything cleared up within a few days.  No more sense of lurking right leg doom.  (Some would argue that this was a placebo effect.  Perhaps so. I don't care. I got the result I wanted.)

Since I had missed the tempo workout planned for the middle of the week, I substituted it in for Sunday's planned 16 mile long run (I had also previously considered racing on Sunday but decided not to).  Of the various options, I felt like the tempo would benefit me the most and was also the least stress on my body.  

Sunday morning was more like summer than March - I ran the tempo in 73 degrees with a 21 mph wind blasting at me. This was not quite as bad as it sounds - the wind basically meant that half of each lap of the track was effortless, while the other half was hard work, but into a strong cooling fan.

I once again ran this one completely ignorant of my watch - since the weather was not great I wanted to ensure I stuck to the proper effort and didn't tense up in response to slow splits. And I was once again pleasantly surprised by my splits when I reviewed the watch later.  A 37:32 8K tempo indicates ~3:30 marathon fitness on a good weather day, and Sunday was unquestionably not great weather for fast running (though my muscles do seem to work better and be less rigid when it is warm).

Two weeks to go.  Time for bubble wrap!

Dailies:

Monday: 7 miles very easy (10:12), upperbody weights/core in afternoon; foam rolling in the evening.

Tuesday: 7.5 miles very easy outside (10:01) with 4 short hill sprints, followed by leg strengthwork. 2.5 miles very easy (10:00) in the afternoon.  Sports massage in evening.

Wednesday: 9 "miles" pool-running in the morning, including a workout of 20x70 seconds hard/20 seconds rest. Followed with 500 yards swimming. Prolotherapy injections in the afternoon.

Thursday:  Upper body weights/core + PT exercises in the morning (no running or aquatic exercise the day after the prolo). Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 7 miles very easy (9:59) in the morning; 500 yards of swimming and PT exercises in afternoon. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 9 miles (9:30) mostly very easy but with a brief fartlek (3:00 at tempo, 4x0:30 faster, 4x0:10 strides). Followed with 500 yards of swimming. Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 10 miles, including an 8K track tempo in 37:32 (7:48/7:32/7:27/7:24/7:21). Followed with leg strengthwork and 7 "miles" pool-running.  Foam rolling at night.

Training log - week ending 3/28/2026

This week was 55 miles of running, 15 "miles" of pool-running and 1000 yards of swimming.

This was another uneven week.  On Wednesday, I warmed up in a jacket over my longsleeve shirt and tights, and felt good.  I took off the jacket for the workout and felt awful for the first two 3200s.My body was very stiff and I just couldn't move.  I decided to experiment and put the jacket back on for the third rep and felt much better.

It was only 39 degrees, so not that cold. But apparently 39 degrees is no longer longsleeve weather for me during a workout.  Noted.

I did my last 20 on Sunday, and was satisfied with it.  Like my previous 20, this one included climbing and descent on the last 7 miles, with the difference that rather than a rolling course, I just ran up and then down. The down involved dodging a number of walkers, but that was fine - good practice for a big race. I did have a few twinges of nerve/hamstring during the final miles, but nothing super concerning.

So that's my Boston training cycle done.  Now I just need to taper.

Dailies:

Monday: 9 "miles" pool-running in the morning; upperbody weights/core midday; foam rolling in the evening.

Tuesday: 6 miles very easy trail-running (11:11) plus PT exercises.  Yoga and foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 12 miles including a workout of 3x3200m in 15:47, 15:46, and 15:12, followed with leg strengthwork. Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 8 miles very easy (9:58) with four 100m strides in 28 down to 26. Yoga and foam rolling at night.

Friday: 8.5 miles very easy (10:13) with eight 100m strides in 30 down to 27.  500 yards swimming in afternoon. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 20 miles progressive, split as the first 7 miles averaging 10:00, the next 6 averaging 8:58, and the last 7 miles averaging 8:00.  Followed with a .5 mile cooldown.   Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 6 "miles' pool-running and 500 yards swimming; foam rolling in evening.

Training log - Week ending 3/22/2026

This week was 56 miles of running, 15 "miles" of pool-running and ~1000 yards of swimming.

Since the low point of last weekend was me bailing on a Saturday marathon effort workout after my right hamstring cramped, this was a cautious week.  I pulled back on mileage and pace for the first half, while also getting the knots worked out of the hammy and doing some strengthening work on my hip rotators. (This was because I suspect that irritated and tense hip rotators pressing on the sciatic nerve were a significant factor in the hammy cramping.) I also emphasized mobilization work on my ankles, since they seemed to play a role as well.

I was supposed to race Shamrock Half-Marathon this weekend but decided early in the week to skip it due to my hamstring/hip blip. By the second half of the week, things were better, but I stayed home anyway. Being healthy at Boston is my top priority, and I didn't need to do a half-marathon as a tune-up, given that I did one three weeks ago.

I tested the hamstring with a very cautious track workout - about 2 miles of work - most at tempo pace but with some strides at the end.  My objective was simply to check how things felt without ever working too hard, since I hoped to get some sort of long run in on Sunday.

As for how I felt on Friday?  The hamstring was fine, but my gait was definitely off - when I don't do fast strides regularly, I lose the muscle memory for fast running.  Fortunately, by the time I got to the strides, I had "remembered."

My plan for Sunday was 12-14 miles with 2x4 miles at marathon effort. The first mile at marathon effort was influenced by my paranoia - sometimes a tweak or injury can be gone, but one is so hyperfocused and worried about it that the muscle in question tightens up in response.  After that mile, I got my groove back, and felt better with every mile.  About a mile into the second rep, I decided to swap from 2x4 to 4, 3, 2, 1 at marathon effort. That went well (admittedly a bit too fast at the end), and no pain, tightness, or cramping during or after, so yay.  

Perhaps I could have done Shamrock after all, and I'm sad to have missed it.  OTOH, if I had reaggravated the hamstring/hip racing Shamrock, I'd be very upset right now. And doing a marathon effort workout is nowhere near the physical stress of a half-marathon raced all out.

Related - in case anyone else ever has the issue of weak hip rotators triggering sciatic pain and cramping, here is how I strengthen those muscles (keep in mind that I have no medical training or expertise, and what works for me may very well not work for you.  Caveat lectoris.):

• Program your Garmin to time intervals of 10-15 seconds, with recovery until you lap the watch.
• Lie on your stomach.  Your legs should be straight behind you; your hands can be under your forehead or wherever.
• Bend one knee and bring it out to the side, with the inside of the knee touching the floor.  Your ankle should be lying on the back of your other knee (that leg stays straight).  Basically, your two legs should make a triangle, with the three points being your hip, your knee, and your ankle on top of the back of the other knee.
• The exercise:
• 1) Isometrically press the front of your hip into the floor, as hard as you can tolerate (if your hip rotators are weak, you may have some cramping), for 10-15 seconds.  This works some hip rotators.
• 2) Isometrically press the inside of your knee into the floor, as hard as you can tolerate, for 10-15 seconds. This works other hip rotators.
• 3) Isometrically press the inside of your ankle into the back of your other knee, as hard as you can tolerate, for 10-15 seconds.  This works yet other hip rotators.
• Now, slide your ankle down your leg, to the bottom of your gastroc (the thick muscle at the top of your calf).  Repeat the three steps above (for the third isometric, press the inside of your ankle into your calf.
• Now, slide your ankle down more, so it's on top of your other ankle.  Your legs are still making a triangle - it's just a longer, flatter triangle. Repeat the three steps above again (for the third isometric, press the side of your top ankle into the back of your other ankle).
• Now, switch legs, and repeat the whole thing again on the other side.  This will be 18 isometric holds in total (9 each side), each lasting about 10-15 seconds.

This exercise takes about 6 minutes to do and can be done anywhere there is floor space.  I'm not making any promises or representations about whether this can help others, and I expressly disclaim responsibility if someone gets hurt doing this.  Again, I'm not a PT, and PTs are the experts on this sort of thing. However, this is the exercise that has cleared up things for me any time I've had hip rotator pain, or sciatic pain and cramping down my leg that I suspect is caused by tight hip rotators.

Dailies:

Monday: 6.5 miles very easy (10:08) with 2 untimed strides in the morning; foam rolling in the evening.

Tuesday: 8 miles on the treadmill, including 6x3:00/2:00 - intervals at 7.6 mph with 6 mph jogs.  Followed with leg strengthwork.  Sports massage in evening.

Wednesday: 12 "miles" pool-running in the morning; upper body weights/core in afternoon.  Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday:  7 miles very easy on a muddy towpath (10:23).  500 yards swimming at lunch. Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 9 miles, including testing the hamstring/hip with 2000m at tempo effort (7:53), 3x400m at tempo effort (1:54, 1:55, 1:54) with full recovery, and 4x100m strides (25, 25, 24, 24) with full recovery . Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 8.5 miles easy on a muddy towpath (9:50), including a Park Run in 29:56. Followed with PT exercises and 500m of swimming.   Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 17 miles, including a workout of 4, 3, 2, 1 miles at marathon effort with 1 mile float in between.  Splits were: 36:08 (8:02 pace), 23:27 (7:49 pace), 15:23 (7:41 pace), and 7:37.  Floats were 8:51-8:53.  Followed with 3 "miles" pool-running and leg strengthwork.  Foam rolling at night.

Training Log - Week ending 3/15/2026

This week was 44 miles of running, 21 "miles" of pool-running and 1000 yards of swimming.

Two workouts this week - one good and one not quite as good.

Wednesday's workout was a 4 mile tempo - in years past I've done 3x3200 as a slightly less-stressful alternative to my coach's preferred 25x400m at 10K pace. Being a bit older now (and having two half-marathons on the schedule), I decided to go even more conservative, with a simple 4 mile tempo. Better to undertrain than overtrain at this age and point in the training cycle.

The tempo went extremely well - I was expecting to run around 30 minutes, which would have been a big jump from 6 weeks ago, when I ran 30:44. Instead, I ran just over 29 minutes, which was a real shock. (I ignored my watch during the tempo, and so I didn't know what my splits were until I finished). Training is working.  Cool!

On Saturday, I hit Anacostia Park for my second 2x5 miles in fairly windy conditions. The effort during the workout felt remarkably easy,  Unfortunately, my right hamstring began to spasm during the second 5 mile set, so I shut things down before a spasm turned into a hamstring pull.

I'm pretty I know what caused this.  My hip rotators like to get tight sometimes and press on my sciatic nerve, which causes spasms and tightness down the leg. On Saturday my ankles were really tight (it happens sometimes), there was a strong crosswind which forced me to stabilize with my hip rotators, and my legs were cold (and thus rigid) due to a poor choice of shorts over tights. All of these combined to irritate the hip rotators on the right side, and...spasming hamstring.

Since I stopped rather than run myself into actual injury, this shouldn't take too long to fix.  Heck, if I was 20 or 30, it might have already vanished. But I'm 51, so it'll take slightly longer. As for the fix, I need to:

1. reduce my running but not stop altogether (both because it's harder to come back from zero and because running is the best tool I have for keeping my hips and ankles somewhat flexible)
2. work out the knots in my hamstring and hip rotators
3. mobilize and strengthen the hamstring and hip rotators.

So that's the plan for the upcoming week.

Dailies:

Monday: 8 "miles" pool-running; foam rolling, yoga, and PT exercises in afternoon.

Tuesday: 8 miles very easy (9:59), followed by 500 yards of swimming.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 12 miles, including a 6400m tempo on the track in 29:01 (7:24/7:15/7:14/7:08) plus 4x200m in 54, 55, 53, and 52. Followed with leg strengthwork.  Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday:  5.5 miles very easy on the towpath (10:42) followed by upperbody weights/core and PT work. Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 6.5 miles very easy (10:14) and 500 yards swiming. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 12 miles, including a workout of 5 miles at marathon effort (40:06), 1 mile jog, and 1.5 miles at marathon effort (8:03).   Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: Upperbody weights/core and 13 "miles" of pool-running.

Training log - Week ending 3/8/2026

This week was 63 miles of running, 9 "miles" of pool-running and 1000 yards of swimming.

The first half of the week was recovery from the One City Half.  We had yet another bout of icy conditions on Tuesday (fortunately shortlived) so Tuesday was a treadmill run.

One of my goals this training cycle is to be very smart about my recovery between hard efforts.  With a half-marathon last weekend and a progressive 20 miler this weekend, my mid week workout was intentionally half-assed - a 1600 at tempo effort and then some 200s and 100s to preserve some speed.

On Saturday I once again structured my easy run to include the Fletchers Boathouse parkrun.  Even at an easy effort, this parkrun is challenging for me (in a good way).  It has crowds and an uneven surface (the towpath), and a section that transitions from the towpath to concrete and back that is really hard (pun somewhat intended). Transitions between harder and softer surfaces are tough in a way that I can't really explain but a neurologist might.

It was in many non-physiological ways a hard easy run, but that was the whole point, and I once again felt better for doing it.  Additionally, I set a "Fletchers Boathouse Parkrun PR" of 28:28, so I seem to be getting better at these.  Or it's getting warmer.  Or I'm not being good enough about keeping the effort restrained on these.

Sunday's long run was a huge confidence boost. I ran it in Rock Creek Park as three out-and-backs of various lengths. Admittedly repetitive, but structuring the run this way meant that I did the whole run on rolling hills and was able to include two decent longer climbs - 1000m at a 1.5% incline and later 600m at a 2.3% incline - during the final third of the run at marathon effort.

I made a point of focusing on marathon effort (not pace) during the final third, and so was pleasantly surprised to see at the end of the workout that I had averaged sub-8 minute pace for the seven miles at marathon effort.  A few months ago running 800s at sub-8 pace was hard, so this is definitely progress, even if I am always at my best at the end of a long run.

Traditionally my running does three long runs of 20-22 miles split into 3rds, with 1/3rd easy, 1/3rd moderate, 1/3 marathon.  My coach told me to do two 20s, and I had no objection to that.  Additionally, I kept the run at 20, rather than the 21 or 22 I would have done previously.  Some of this is age - as an over 50 runner I think it's essential that I not stress my body any more than is necessary to achieve my goals.  

But there's also the fact that I'm slower now, and so running 20 or 21 or 22 miles keeps me out there longer. And there's a point where I'm simply running for too long, even if it's less miles than it was before. Doing a 20 miler structured as 7/6/7, rather than the 7/7/7 or 8/7/7 split that I used to do, means I still get the most important part of the run done (7 marathon effort miles on tired legs) but reduces the risk of overdoing stuff.

As I get older, and presumably slower, I suspect I'll probably modify these long runs even more, perhaps even down to something like 6 miles at easy effort, 5 at moderate effort, and then 7 at marathon effort. It seems the smartest way to balance the demands of marathon training with the reality of aging/slowing.

Dailies:

Monday: 9 "miles" pool-running; foam rolling and PT exercises in afternoon.

Tuesday: 5 miles very easy on the treadmill (9:52), followed by 500 yards of swimming.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 9 miles very easy on a muddy towpath (10:22).  Upper body weights/core and foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 10 miles, including a track workout of 1600 at tempo effort, 4x200m, 8x100m.  Splits were 7:31 for the 1600, 54, 54, 54, and 53 for the 200s, and straight 24s for the 100s. 5:17 recovery after the 1600, 1:2x recovery between the 200s, full recovery for the 100s. Did two short hill sprints after. Followed with leg strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 7.5 miles very easy to gym (9:48), upperbody weights/core, 3 miles very easy home (9:28). Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 8 miles easy on a slightly less muddy towpath (9:29) including a parkrun at easy effort (28:28).  Followed with 500 yards swimming and PT exercises.  Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 20.5 miles, split as the first 7 miles averaging 9:34 pace, the next 6 miles averaging 8:45 pace, and the last 7 miles averaging 7:57 pace, plus a half mile cooldown.

Race Report: One City Half Marathon, March 1, 2026

I ran the One City Half Marathon last Sunday, finishing in a time of 1:41:46, which was good enough to win my age group.

This is my fourth time racing this half, and I've got the day before routine nailed for this race.  Leave home as early as possible on Saturday (I left at 8:15 am) this year, drive down (stopping for Chipotle along the way), grab bib from a small but very organized and efficient bib pick-up/expo, check into hotel.  

The one tweak I made this year was to stay at the Holiday Inn at City Center.  The last few years, I've stayed in Hampton, VA - about a 10 minute drive from the finish line (and the buses from the finish line to the start). However, I did the math and the mapping and realized that the Holiday Inn's special rate was about half of what I would pay in Hampton, while only being about 5-10 minutes further from the finish line. I should note that there were also buses from the Holiday directly to the start line, but they weren't scheduled to arrive as early as the first finish line buses, and I need a long warm-up.

Getting up 10 minutes later on race morning wasn't worth $150 to me, so the Holiday it was.  Which was doubly fine because the Holiday was probably a bit nicer than anything I'd book in Hampton.

***

One of the many nice things about the One City Half is that the start is at a local high school, and for the past few years the high school gym has been open on race morning - providing a nice warm place to hang out, stretch, etc.

I always debate exactly when to get to the start of a point to point race, but for the One City Half, it's an easy decision. There's no reason not to be on the first bus there, since I can stretch and mobilize in the gym just as well as in the hotel. As early as possible this year meant the 5:05 am bus from the finish line. An early morning, but that's part of racing.  

My hotel had an 11 am checkout, and late checkout was prohibitively expensive (I would be charged 1/2 night if I checked out between 11 and noon, and for a full night if I checked out after noon). Since I was racing the half and would be done well before 9 am, checking out post-race was possible, but would come at the expense of cheering for friends running the full marathon. So, I decided to check out before the race - packing a clean change of clothes and some wipes in a separate bag for post-race.

This made for an even earlier morning.  Since I also had to time my Parkinsons medication with the race (I get roughly 4 hours per dose of Rytary), and with breakfast (Rytary works best for me if I take it at least 30 minutes before a meal or 60 minutes after) my morning ended up looking like this:

• 2:00 am - wake up, take Rytary, go back to sleep (I wasn't sleeping very well anyway).
• 3:30 am -wake up again.  Take asthma meds, eat breakfast and check the weather, get dressed, do some preliminary stretching, finish packing up everything.
• 4:30 am - check out of hotel.
• 4:55 am - arrive at finish line and park car (like every year, parking was well organized, efficient, and easy).
• 5:00 am - get on first bus to start line (like every year, it was very easy to find the right bus, with plenty of helpful volunteers and race staff).
• 5:05 am - bus leaves
• 5:45 am - we arrive at Menchville HS. Walk over to Menchville HS gym, hit indoor bathrooms before they get crowded, more mobilization.
• 6:00 am - take second dose of Rytary. Put on racing shoes.

After all of that, I walked over to the elite tent by the start line to drop off my gear bag. One City very generously invited me to be part of their elite field this year based on my para-athlete performances, which really meant a lot to me. And was also really convenient because I could access my gear bag until just before the start.

*** 

For my warm-up, I went with my standard - jogging for 15 minutes followed by 3 minutes at marathon down to half-marathon effort, 4x30 seconds faster, and then 4x10 second strides. I was wearing a jacket over a singlet with arm-warmers and thin tights.  The forecast started in the low 40s and ended at around 50 with a slight headwind and so I had been on the fence about tights versus shorts. My warm-up didn't help much with the decision (other than confirming that I didn't need the jacket). 

I stuck with the tights. One nuance of running with Parkinsons is that if my legs ever get chilled, my race is over - my legs lock up and then it becomes impossible to run hard enough to warm-up. The legs need to stay warm. And I haven't yet been bothered by legs that are too warm. OTOH, my torso seems to have a completely independent thermostat and can overheat pretty easily. So I went with tights and a singlet with arm-warmers. Plus an old heat sheet that I could wrap around me while standing in the corral.

***

With a few minutes to go, I entered the starting corral and made my way back to the 1:50 pace group.  It's very hard for me to get up to speed after standing for a few minutes, and so I generally seed myself by the pace I expect to run for the first mile, rather than the time I hope to finish in. It just works better for both myself and others.

We stood for a few minutes and then the gun went off.  Since I was back in the corral, I crossed the start line roughly 15 seconds after the gun. The first mile, as always, was rough. I focused on my balance and staying cool and remembering that this was a long race. After a mile or so, my gait settled and I was able to start working my way up into race pace.

Every year I seem to run this race a bit slower, which means every year the race (to me) seems to have more people.  It took some time to navigate my way up and past the 1:50 pace group, which had pulled ahead at the start. I could see the 1:45 group ahead, and it was a big group. Cones limited the race course to the width of one lane and the 1:45 group was spread fully across the lane and about 3-4 people deep. Getting past them was going to take some work.

It's probably helpful at this point to explain that one of my big challenges with Parkinsons is balance.  My proprioception and my vestibular sense are both lousy, meaning that I rely mostly on vision for balance. When I'm on an open road or track and can see far ahead, running is easier.  When I've got a group of people in front of me, most of whom are taller, running is harder. And it gets even harder as I get closer to the group. I can't spot something in the distance for balance - instead I see bouncing heads and backs. But the situation was what it was, so I did the best I could.

I worked my way up to the 1:45 group, but then was stuck, with no room on the course to pass them. Tt was really tempting to step outside the cones, as several other runners were doing, so that I could have a clear path past the group. But I didn't want to do anything that could be construed as course cutting, so I stayed inside the cones and bided my time.

Finally, just before mile 6, the course widened and I was able to slip past and open up my stride. The next few miles were about cruising, reeling in struggling runners, and slurping a gel.

***

Since I was in the elite field, I was allowed to put a water bottle out on course at mile 8. I had dropped my bottle off at the expo the day before, with a caffeinated gel taped to it. As I approached mile 8, the sun was coming out and I was starting to get a bit thirsty. Sometimes I grab my bottle just because; but this time I actually needed it. Or at least really looked forward to it.

Unfortunately, my bottle wasn't on the table. My best guess is that another runner grabbed it by accident. It happens.

The good news was that it was only water (also available on the course) and a caffeinated gel, which I could do without. The bad news was that I hadn't bothered to memorize where the water stations were on course. And I also had to be careful, because there were several unofficial community water stops, but taking water from one of them would DQ me.

Fortunately, the official race water stops were well marked and plentiful, and I was able to (poorly) grab a cup about a mile later.

***

At mile 10 I decided it was time to start hammering to the finish.  Fortunately, there was no shortage of people to chase down, which was really helpful. Less helpful were the numbered streets - when you know the finish line is on 25th Street, seeing a sign for 71st Street can be disheartening. I ignored the streets and focused on the people and the road ahead.

Finally, thankfully, the last turn loomed - I knew the finish line was about 100m after the turn. I accelerated as best I could (which wasn't all that much) to and across the line. As I finished I saw the clock ticking up to 1:42 and was slightly disappointed - I had hoped to go below 1:40. But I felt I had run a solid race so I couldn't be too upset.

Splits were:

Mile 1: 8:43
Mile 2: 7:50
Mile 3: 7:52
Mile 4: 7:42
Mile 5: 7:57
Mile 6: 7:45
Mile 7: 7:48
Mile 8: 7:42
Mile 9: 7:45
Mile 10: 7:49
Mile 11: 7:22
Mile 12: 7:22
Mile 13: 7:19
last .11 0:49 seconds

Other notes:

• Thought I didn't run as fast as I wanted, I did win my age group, which meant a lot to me.  I'm 3 years into my Parkinsons diagnosis, and I'm really happy that I can still hold my own racing against (presumably) runners that don't have Parkinsons.
• I also note that a few months ago I was working really hard to hit 7:50 pace during an 800m repeat. Things are definitely moving in the right direction.
• I ran the last 5K of this race in 22:52. I ran the By George 5K three weeks earlier in 23:23. This is the third year that I've run both races, and each time I've finished the One City Half faster than my standalone 5K time. By George is held on a very fast course, and the last 5K of One City is flat, not downhill, so race courses don't explain this.  It's just that it's very hard for me to run fast right away after standing. A 10 mile warm-up, on the other hand....
• My friends in the marathon ran well.  Unfortunately, the race got a bit too warm for fast marathons (55 degrees is fine if you've been training in it, but a shock to the system when you've been training in 14 degrees), but they both put in solid performances that they can be proud of.
• I saw a lot of familiar faces from the DC area at this race - it's really cool that more DC/Northern Virginia runners are realizing what a great race this is.
• Everyone in the elite field got a nice parting gift after - a bottle of champagne. You could also have it decorated with a customized message if you wanted.  It was a really cool perk.
• The finish festival for this race has a large assortment of food trucks, and runner bibs include a ticket for a free meal from a food truck. I grabbed some tacos, and they really hit the spot.

Training log - Week ending 3/1/2026

This week was 47 miles of running,and 500 yards of swimming.

This was the week that I raced the One City Half-Marathon.  Race report to come.

Dailies:

Monday: 6 miles very easy on the treadmill (9:46) and upperbody weights/core; foam rolling in evening.

Tuesday: 8 miles on the treadmill, including a workout of 6x3:00/2:00+6x0:30/2:00.  Three minute intervals were at 8.2-8.3 mph; 30 second intervals were at 8.8 mph.  All jogs at 6 mph.  Followed with leg strengthwork and PT exercises.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 7 miles very easy (9:48) with 2 hill sprints and 4x100m in 26 down to 24, followed by 500 yards swimming. Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 4 miles very easy (10:49) on trails, followed by PT exercises. Upperbody weights/core and foam rolling at night.

Friday: 6 miles with about 15 strides (meant to do a mile pick-up, but the track was too slick). Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: Travel to Newport News, DIY yoga, foam rolling.

Sunday: 3 mile warm-up, and then One City Half Marathon in 1:41:46.