June 4, 2025 • 29 mins
After a decade-long hiatus, I found myself at the starting line of the Charm City Soul of the City 10K—the very same race that launched my running journey ten years earlier. The symmetry wasn't planned, but it felt like the universe had a sense of humor about my running comeback.
My relationship with running has evolved dramatically since my twenties when I completed five half marathons with sub-10-minute mile paces. Back then, I could lace up and head out the door whenever inspiration struck. Now, as a mom, every training run requires strategic planning, childcare coordination, and the mental fortitude to push through when everything feels harder than it once did.
The brutal winter made training especially challenging—February yielded only one or two interval sessions, leaving March feeling like desperate crunch time. Those first training runs were humbling; five minutes in, every muscle protested, and I questioned whether I'd be ready in time. But gradually, my body remembered what it could do.
Partnering with Charm City Run transformed my gear experience. After trying on shoes "like Cinderella," I was shocked to discover Ultra running shoes—with their distinctive wide toe box that initially looked massive—would become my absolute favorite. When race day arrived at Harbor Point, the familiar Baltimore community showed up in full force, neighborhoods cheering for strangers, creating that magical energy only found in city races.
Crossing the finish line in 1:12, simultaneously fighting the urge to throw up while feeling immense pride, I realized something profound: while life changes, we can always reconnect with the activities that once brought us joy, even if they look different now. The running trails of Columbia await, and though I'm not committing to another half marathon anytime soon, the door remains open to wherever these Ultra shoes might take me next.
Want to share your own running comeback story? I'd love to hear how you've rediscovered past passions in new seasons of life!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey friends and welcome to MomTalk Maryland.
I'm your host, claire Duarte,founder of the Columbia Mom, and
this is your spot for realconversations, local love and a
whole lot of community, whetheryou're folding laundry, running
errands or hiding in your carfor some peace and quiet, let's
dive in.
All right, is this thing on?
Let's do it.
(00:20):
Um so um, I just recentlycompleted the charm city soul of
the city 10 K, sponsored byultra.
Um, it was this past Saturdayand um, if you've been following
along with my journey, um, thiswas my first race in basically
10 years.
Um, my first 10 K in 10 years.
(00:44):
And actually what's reallyfunny is I've only ever done one
actual 10K race before, which,ironically, was the Soul of the
City 10K back in Baltimorenearly 10 years to the day,
which just I love.
The irony and the play on words, if you may, irony and the play
(01:11):
on words, if you may.
And to kind of go back a littlebit, I kind of got into running
in my 20s.
I was never a runner, fyi, Iplayed soccer my whole life
Since I was a little kid.
My dad lived in England for 20plus years of his life.
He's a big Spurs fan and taughtus all everything we needed to
know about soccer from the timethat we could stand.
He's a big Spurs fan and taughtus all everything we needed to
know about soccer from the timethat we could stand.
So we were a big soccer familyin the 90s and 2000s and I
(01:32):
played soccer all through highschool and anyways, yeah, in
college I just got into it justa little bit socially.
You'd see people doing it wasnever like a fast you know
runner or you know could do likemaybe some sprints and stuff
like that.
And I think I got involved indoing some of like the turkey
trots, 5ks, cuz you know youwould see a lot of those like
(01:53):
you know sponsored for charitiesand different things like that.
But yeah, my 20s, when we, whenI lived in Baltimore, it's when
I had a friend that was like abig runner and I don't know what
got over me.
I think she talked about likeshe might've like teased us in
because she would go to theselike beer runs and I think I was
interested in like getting inshape and she would, like you
(02:14):
know, try to like coax me intoit and I was like, finally,
leslie, like you know, maybeI'll go for a run with you and
it's like a three miler, like a5k, and then she was like, you
know, she kept urging me and I,I think and I think that's when
I remember I signed up for the10k I was like, okay, let me see
if I can do a 10k, right.
And then when I did a 10k, shewas like, if you can do a 10k,
you could do a half marathon andthat was like my gateway into
(02:36):
it, which is really funny, um,and it's funny because now that
I'm talking back through it I'mlike, okay, I think I do, like
the pieces are coming back to me, cause, again, this is 10 years
ago.
You know, I got an old mombrain now.
So, um, so, yeah, I don'tremember the whole total number
of years that I kind of was likerunning or into running then,
(02:56):
um, but I do know that Icompleted roughly um five half
marathons I believe, and yeah,they were all well, sorry, not
all of them were Sydney, theywere mainly Baltimore, one in DC
and a few in like Annapolis,anne, arundel area, so kind of
just that whole, like you know,general area.
(03:18):
But when we lived in, obviously,when we lived in the city, I
did primarily Baltimore races,primarily Baltimore training,
but ironically too, when welived in the city, I did
primarily Baltimore races,primarily Baltimore training,
but ironically too, when welived in the city, I would
actually come, I would drive outto Columbia to train.
I actually trained more inColumbia than I did when I lived
in the city.
I did like to go for in thecity, but I found that it was
(03:38):
very flat and after one of myfirst races I realized how like
hilly some of these courses canbe and I was like I need to
train on a little bit more hillsif I'm going to keep doing this
and not that Columbia is likeincredibly hilly, but like going
around like Centennial, likeElkhorn were two of my favorite
(03:59):
loops Is that you could kind ofget some decent like rolling
hills in there and you can alsocover a lot of ground.
So, yeah, that's what Iremember doing.
Like the majority of mytraining was those two lakes
were the big ones for me.
Um, because they were likebigger loops and um, love the
views.
You know what I mean, um, so,anyway.
So yeah, fast forward to now.
Um, I, like I said, I stoppedrunning in 2017 only cause I
(04:21):
remember like we got married in2016, 2017, um, uh, I still ran
for fun here and there, likepick it up, I.
I stopped kind of signing upfor, like, maybe formal races as
much, um.
And then 2018, we got pregnantwith my daughter early in the
year, um, so that's why how Iknow like I stopped running in
2017, um, and, like I said,haven't really really ran,
(04:44):
obviously, since, I mean,columbia is a fabulous place to
run.
Like I said, there's so manylakes here, it's just like
there's so many great trails.
It's just a great place.
I think it's just so easy tolike pick up and go.
But, I mean, the biggestobstacle is, you know now that,
having kids, I can't just likethrow my shoes and walk out the
door, like I got people in myhouse that I'm responsible for,
(05:05):
so finding the time to train isjust way different, and you know
so, training for this 10 K wasdefinitely challenging, because
coming out of this winter was sobrutal, right, like February,
january and February was justalmost impossible.
Um, I think in February I gotlike one ish interval, maybe two
, like um, it was just hard toeven get outside, basically, and
(05:28):
you know, I would always kindof do like my longer run
Saturday mornings.
It was finally easier once todo that in March, but I was like
, oh my God, march just feelslike it's crunch time.
I was finally able to get fourmiles in when I was at the beach
and so I was thankful for that,but it was like super flat, so
I was like I don't know how muchgood this is going to do me,
but at least I had the cardioendurance under my belt.
So I at least mentally feltgood about that.
Um.
(05:55):
But yeah, I gotta say partneringwith charm city run was really
awesome because, um, getting to,you know, be in their store,
really get the right shoes.
I do think having the rightshoes just makes all the
difference.
I mean, anybody in running willkind of tell you that, and back
in my running days, therewasn't many like different as
many shoes on the scene.
I mean, yeah, there was a lotof shoes, of course, but like we
(06:16):
didn't have Hoka's, we didn'thave On Clouds, we didn't have,
honestly, I'm not remembering.
I think there was Asics, brooksand maybe ultras.
I'm I'm trying to rememberObviously Nike, but it's like
Nike's to me, not a greatrunning shoe for me.
Um, and that's when, like Iremember when I started running,
I was like, okay, I need to getout of my Nike's and into like
(06:36):
some good ones.
And Asics were kind of like oneof the top liners.
Then, um, and that's so.
The Asics were like my runningshoe of choice really.
Um.
So when I linked back up withCharm City this past fall, um,
and we got, and I got fitted andI was real excited cause I was
like, oh my God, there's so manycute hokas and enclaves, like I
(06:57):
wonder, like you're almost likeHogwarts.
I was like I wonder which houseI'm going to fall into.
Like you know, am I going to?
Are my feet just going to lovehokas and have the really cute
color or whatever?
And it's funny, after, likebeing like Cinderella and trying
all the different pairs, yetagain I loved the Asics and I
was just like throw what youknow.
(07:17):
Like you know, I was just likemy feet know what they want.
And I mean I think it was aclose second with um.
It might have been a pair ofhokas, I'm not remembering now,
but I still walked out.
I just was laughing.
I was, of course, I'm walkingout with a pair of basics and it
wasn't based solely on lookseither, like I'm really talking
about how it generally genuinelyfelt.
(07:37):
Um, and so I was wearing the a6a little bit more in the fall.
And then, when I sent it forthis race, I got a pair of the
ultras, because we knew this wasgoing to be an ultra sponsored
race.
And let me tell you, I've neverworn ultras before and you know
, when they told me I was goingto get fitted for ultras, I was
like, okay, yeah, sure, likewhatever.
And then if you've, if you'venever seen an ultra, I'm
(08:01):
actually not wearing them at themoment.
I wear them a lot, I meanbecause I want to wash them
after, like this race thisweekend.
Um, they are almost like theletter p, like it's like flat on
one side, it sort of kind oflike curves out on the other,
and the idea is that it's givingyou a wider toe box.
Right, they're really big onthat.
Um, and so when I put them on,I was, I looked down at my feet
(08:24):
and I'm like, like I was likethese look.
So when I put them on, I waslike I looked down at my feet
and I'm like like I was likethese look massive, like I, my,
my like eyes couldn't get over,like the visual look of them.
And I think, again, me lookingdown at my own feet is very
different than somebody elselooking at my feet.
And but after I, as soon as Iput them on, I looked down and I
was like, but then I was likemy feet and I was like, hmm,
(08:48):
okay, I mean I was like I don'thate this.
This feels pretty darn good.
Fast forward three months guys.
I'm not kidding you when I sayI probably wore those shoes the
absolute most out of any shoe inmy house for the last three
months.
Um, I am obsessed.
Um, and you know it's funny.
Yes, I do have wide feet.
(09:08):
I will say that.
Um, I don't know that my, mytoes are any more spread out.
It wasn't that I felt like, oh,my God, my toes have so much
more room for activities.
I think the support was justtremendous.
I just really loved it.
I was like to me, that was mywalking on air, feeling Like I
loved it.
I felt so supported.
(09:30):
I have not had any blistersthis season whatsoever.
Granted, it wasn't a heavytraining season, it wasn't like
as long and again, it's hard,hard to get as many mileage in
early on.
You know what I mean.
But, um, shoes were great, um,my gear was all from there too.
I had, um, again, same thing.
I was like, I was like I keptsaying Cinderella was Goldilocks
(09:52):
, goldilocks is the one thattried on the different stuff,
right, um, I tried on a couplecouple different leggings and
walked out with Nike leggings.
I mean, those things were likelike sucked you right in the guy
with the compression, all theright spots, like perfect
running tights.
I like them more than thanLululemons.
I was like who am I, you know?
(10:13):
I guess the world's biggestmillennials, really the answer.
But, um, I did Nike runningtights.
I had an um Viore long sleeveshirt and, um, oh gosh, I'm
forgetting the name of thejacket, but it was um, a great
kind of running jacket.
It wasn't fully wool but it waslike knit, so it was still nice
(10:36):
to have like a layer and had azip up, so if I, you know, got
too hot or cold or or whatever,and great, smart wool gloves as
well as smart wool socks, um, so, from head to toe, I felt like
I was covered.
I'm not one of those peoplelike I do have a hard time
running with like a hat, a knit,a cap or an earband because I
just feel like they fly off andI have a big head so like
(10:57):
anything around my head justfeels like it gets tight.
So I didn't go with any of that, but I mean, yeah.
So training overall, like myfirst two runs were definitely
the hardest and I remember myfirst run was gorgeous outside,
it was beautiful weather, it waslike early March, my first
longer run, I should say I didlike a little bit of interval
(11:18):
stuff, um, but my first longerrun I was like, okay, let me see
if I can do like two to threeand like five minutes in I was
like in my legs, everything hurt, everything hurt.
And I was like, oh my god, whatam I gonna do?
Um, and I was like how?
And I felt so nervous.
I was like how am I gonna beready for this race?
I was like so nervous because Ionly had a few weeks left at
(11:39):
that point.
Um, then my second run um, Iwent down to Lake Ken McCundy
with my friend Katie and it wasbasically like almost like the
weather today, like reallydrizzly, and I was like, oh God,
this is miserable.
Had like again Jack gloves,whatever.
And we ran.
We did like two, two and a halfish, and we and we would walk
(12:00):
the only like wooden part of thepier, like the walkway is kind
of like along the lake, and thenwe would, once we would hit the
trail again, we would um, runit again, essentially um, or
like run the pavement, really um.
So, yeah, that was like two,two and a half um and you know,
it felt really good that wecould like, you know I could
(12:21):
complete that, and we talked thewhole time.
I was like okay, I was like,well, you know if I can talk
this whole time, like that'sgood, and we're like we're not
fast.
You know what I mean.
Katie's been running so muchmore consistently than I have
for years, um, but we back in myfastest um again back in my
(12:46):
twenties.
Ironically, yeah, I meanthere's no, I can find the
results.
But when I did the 10 K race wasmy fastest race ever based on
splits, um, because I had themajority of those splits were
sub 10.
Like I think I had, I don'tthink, many eights, but a few
eights and nines Um, and I didthe completed the 10 K in under
60 minutes.
(13:06):
It was like literally like 57,58 minutes, like very, or maybe
even 59.
It was like right at the topend, um, and I remember being
gassed at the end cause I wasdefinitely going pretty fast.
But yeah, that was my fastestrace ever, ever, based on speed
for sure, and I never had thatkind of speed for a half,
because half I definitely wasmore like a 10 minute, 10 to 12.
(13:29):
I was really good at averagingpretty 10 consistently and then
towards the end it would hitinto like 11 and 12 kind of
thing.
This was probably.
I didn't honestly, I haven'teven gone back to check my
splits cause I didn't care abouttime for this race.
I was like I just want tocomplete this, I want to feel
good, I want to get out there.
(13:49):
Um, I was definitely nervousabout the challenge, cause I was
like it's just so muchdifferent to be a mom and to be
training and to fitting inrunning in this season of life
when you've got kids, and not tomention like my husband works
Saturday, so like that's my dayto do my long run, like it's a
lot more coordinating for me tofigure, okay, I need childcare,
and like I need to run, like, oreven the weekend that we went
away for the beach and I waslike it's my birthday weekend
(14:09):
but like I got to run.
You know, like obviously, yes,it's my choice, but like still,
um, but I'm so proud that I waslike able to like make myself do
it right.
So let's talk about or week ofday of so going into the week of
right.
I did a four mile run on theSunday, which I had my again my
(14:30):
goal.
I had originally wanted to dolike five.
Um, they say that you shouldn'tand don't need to do the full
amount of your race.
Or, if you do like you know,definitely don't do it like
within the week of your race,cause you don't want to um over
exert yourself and give yourbody plenty of rest that it
needs.
Um, again, I'm not like arunning professional, so please
(14:53):
just also take everything that Ihave to say is just from my own
experience, right, um, but um,and then, cause you know they
say that like if you can run themajority, uh, probably like
what?
Like 75% of the length of yourrace, like you can do it.
That's what, that's what, likemy friends and trainers that I
worked with like years ago kindof said so, um, yeah, so my
(15:16):
original goal the week beforewas five.
I did four, felt pretty goodabout it, um, and actually it
wasn't that sore, after which Iwas really kind of shocked about
.
I mean, I stretched andhydrated and things like that.
But we also drove home from thebeach that day, which is like
two and a half hours in the car,so I was like, oh, this is my,
this might F me up, but, um, Iwas intentional about trying to
stretch.
Last week.
Um took it easy at the gym,only went twice.
(15:39):
I did some treadmill intervalson Tuesday last week.
My goal and hope was at maxmaybe hit the pavement and, do
you know, one to two-ish milerun during the week and I was
like in my brain I'm like that'sideal, but I'm like how am I
going to fit that in betweenwork and the kids and stuff like
that?
So on Tuesday I did some earlymorning treadmill intervals, a
(16:07):
little mix of like speed walkinghills, just to keep it going.
Wednesday I did strengthtraining and then Thursday I did
another light strength trainingand I still kept up my steps on
my walking pad all week.
My goal is like 9,000 steps aday, not 10, nothing hardcore
and crazy.
And then fully rested and sleptin Thursday and Friday I say
(16:28):
fully, like when my kids get up,which is by 7 am.
So, and then I actually have mykids sleep over my in-laws
Friday night because, again, myhusband works Saturdays and so
that way I can get down to thecity nice and early, and then we
actually went out to dinner.
Ironically, actually, we wentout to dinner Thursday and
(16:48):
Friday.
I kind of hadn't planned itthat way, but went and checked
out Takumi, that new sushirestaurant, on Thursday and it
unintentionally carb loaded then, which was actually really good
, because you know say, oh, yougot to carb load.
But I think as I've gottenolder, I've heard them say it's
actually better to carb load twodays ahead of your race,
because your body actually canthen absorb it a lot better and
(17:09):
that way you're not feeling toofull and heavy like from the
night before, especially sincemost races are early the next
morning, right.
But then, yeah, my husband hadmade a reservation for
Maggiano's Friday night andactually I wasn't as full Sorry,
I'm sorry, I was more fullFriday than it was Thursday when
we were going out to dinner.
(17:29):
Um, because I think I had eatenall the like the rice and the
sushi, um, the night before.
So I actually felt kind ofbalanced, which was good, um,
but yeah, so into bed early, um,I got up by like six and headed
out the door by like six, 36,45.
Um, I think I had.
What did I eat?
I'm on this like cereal kickright now.
(17:51):
Right now, I'm always on acereal kick and don't judge me,
this is my cereal of choiceright now is like it's it's
Kashi and it looks like theshredded wheat and it's like
cinnamon harvest or something.
I literally I have nothing goodto tell you other than the fact
it's just got a little hint ofsweetness, and this is the
(18:13):
grandma inside me.
It's probably got like.
I'm not eating it because it'sfibrous, I'm just eating it
because I like the little hintof sweetness in the morning.
Nothing that's too sugary, butI get that like carb hit, um,
and I, just every morning when Iwake up, I just need a couple
little handfuls.
So, um, yeah, I had some ofthat, some water.
(18:33):
Um, I think I had bought a barfrom the store, from Charms,
when I did pack a pickup onWednesday.
I don't remember the name ofthe brand, but, um, it said like
energy bar.
Um, I don't think it meant likecaffeine, energy, but just it
was like peanut and chocolateand it was really good and I
actually ate that in the car onthe way there.
I used to always fast beforeworking out, before running
(18:56):
everything.
I don't think I ever had a biteof anything, um, and as I've
gotten older, like ever since,you know, having kids I've
always needed like a little bitof something.
I don't have a meal, definitely, but um, so I was like nervous
because I was like, oh, Ihaven't like ever like ran with
anything in my stomach before.
No, I think before halfmarathons I would have like a
banana and a little bit ofsomething, something like that.
(19:20):
Um, but other, just generaltrainings, I wouldn't, I just
wouldn't do too much.
Um, because I was just nervousabout like I didn't want to feel
crampy.
Um, but yeah, I had that bar,and because I knew I was getting
down there by like 7, 7, 15 andthe race didn't want to feel
crampy, but yeah, I had that bar, and because I knew I was
getting down there by like 7,7.15 and the race didn't start
until 8.30, I knew I had plentyof time to probably digest and
whatever, but yeah, that wasdelicious, I was very happy
(19:43):
about that and, yeah, the racestarted at Harbor Point, which,
again years ago, the soul of thecity 10K used to start in Fed
Hill and it was definitelyreally breezy and cold and I was
like but I will say it wasreally glad that it didn't rain,
cause it's been so like theweather's just been so crummy
here for the last like few daysand this week's like all cold,
(20:04):
but uh, I will say that it wasnot raining, so I won't cry
about that.
But it made like get.
I was like how do I get dressed?
Like what do I wear?
And I was worried about havingneeding like a rain jacket, um,
and gloves.
Luckily, it didn't end upneeding any of that, but it was
chilly.
I think I ended up wearing, um,no, I wore the race premium
which had like a little lighthood, but I didn't wear the hood
(20:25):
, um, and it wore like you knowsome some.
I was gonna say capri leggingsare like the seven, eighth, you
know what I mean?
Um, I thought I was gonna.
I thought it's gonna end upbeing humid and warm the way the
end of last week was, but itdidn't end up being all that
humid, um, it was more, maybemore humid later on in the day,
but not in that morning.
Or at least where harbor pointis, um, you know, it's just, I
(20:48):
think between all buildings itjust kind of gets windy or
whatever.
So, um, but no, I mean that'sthe nice thing about what I love
about charm city runs, racesand races in Baltimore in
general.
There's so much energy it'sjust like you feed off of it.
There's like hundreds of peoplethere, right, and so like that
was cool.
And again, having my friendKatie like made all the
(21:09):
difference, cause again, weliterally just talked the whole
time Right, so, um, we were inlike corral sea ish, again like
trying, you know, I mean ourgoal was not to be like strict
and heavy on pace with thepacers or anything like that,
but we started with like the 12mile pace group, um, and that's
where we kind of stayed the mostpart.
(21:30):
I mean I thought the course waspretty good.
Um, the one like hill thateveryone quote unquote dreads is
the one that you can, you know,kind of take the climb up to
Patterson park, which I've donethat, you know, a couple of
times from either training fromthe Baltimore running festival,
um, again from the previous soulof the city.
Um, and it's not.
I don't know.
In my mind I feel like it's notthat bad, especially since I
(21:52):
feel like I've done it a coupleof times.
I feel like there's other worse, like hills.
I don't know.
I think maybe it also dependson where it's placed in your run
.
This was around mile three,going into mile four.
Um and um, I mean, and Katie, Icould tell she was slowing down
a little bit and I was speedingup and I think, cause I was in
(22:13):
it, I was in a point where I'mlike, okay, I just want to get
through it and get get done with.
I didn't, I was only like a fewpaces ahead of her.
Um, and when we got to the top,like you know, I was like, and
I was like, oh my God, I'm soglad that's done.
Um, but it was kind of nicebecause, like, once you get to
(22:36):
the top, then you're just likerunning through the park.
So that was kind of like a nice, like you know, check, and then
we turn around and then, andthen we started kind of making
our way back into the city andyeah, so that was the so after
that it was kind of like nicebecause we felt like we were
sort of like downhill.
The majority of the run was sortof done and you know there's,
you know there's a couple oflittle like water spots.
I think I had a little bit ofsips of water.
I didn't really do the Gatorade, um, but once again, so nice
(22:57):
about running a Baltimore raceis that, like the community just
shows up.
The community shows up for youand that's what's so cool and
awesome about the charm ofBaltimore.
You know what I mean.
Like neighborhoods and um,spectators and um, and you can
tell these are literally justlike a community, members that
live there that are just showingup to cheer you on, not even
(23:18):
because they have friends thatare or family members that are
maybe like running the raceright, like that's what I love
about Baltimore and races likethat, and there are parts of DC
that the races are like that too.
You know, um, but that's that'swhy I knew that doing a course
like that can be so fun and soenjoyable.
Um, and then the final push ofthe race is when you're coming
back through Harbor East andyou're kind of you around the
(23:40):
corner by Whole Foods and youit's like a, it's another like
uphill as you go to the finishline, which that was pretty
brutal because, like you know,not because I was gas, but
because I was like, okay, let'ssprint to the end.
And I went.
Now I'm looking back, I'm likeI wish I had sprinted after the
Whole Foods light.
I think we started, like youknow, really kicking it up
before Whole Foods.
So I think that's what gassedme, because I'm I was also like
(24:03):
let me hold my phone and recordand and try to run, so like
holding my arm out while alsotrying to run, like that sucks
and um, uh.
And I remember like feeling likeoh, so we crossed the line and
I'm like heaving, and I couldfeel like myself, like oh, and I
was like, oh my God, I was likeClaire, please don't throw up,
(24:23):
please don't throw up.
But I did that like three orfour times and I was like so
embarrassed and I was like, ohmy God, I was like.
I was like, oh my god, I waslike.
I was like I cannot throw up, Icannot throw up, um luck.
I just kept walking andbreathing and I was like please,
and I was like, obviously okay,if I need to throw up, like
it's fine.
This happens to runners all thetime, like, but it was like it
just feel like so annoying,right, um, especially since they
(24:43):
like called our names as soonas we like ran um across and I'm
pretty sure my friend Katiesaid they heard them say the
Columbia mom and they're like oh, can we?
I need to not throw up, please.
Um, but we finished at an hourand 12 minutes, um, which,
honestly, I had no goal of time,no goal of time, but I think
that's pretty great.
(25:04):
Um, considering that theweather wasn't like the best
again, not rainy, just a littlelike cloudy and gray.
Um, and just for my first racein almost 10 years, like feels
pretty good.
And um, the after party wassuper fun.
Um, loves checking out all thedifferent reps trying on some
(25:24):
Ufos sandals.
They had charm city had like ohmy God, the cutest gear.
Everything from like cute likeMaryland Crab shirts, run shirts
, sweatshirts, long sleeves,socks, sunglasses, like oh my
God it was, and so that wasreally great.
We both got a beer rightafterwards, definitely hoarded
up on some snacks, lots ofwalking around.
No, it felt great.
(25:46):
The band was good.
Yeah, the longer you stoodthere you definitely got like
chilly because, again, I thinkthat just because of, like, the
way the buildings are built.
I just feel like it's justwindy and kind of cold.
Um, but yeah, it was, it wassuper fun.
Um, you know, am I ready to doanother race?
I don't know.
(26:07):
I mean, I feel like I'm one ofthose people like I'm not
exactly your all or nothing kindof gal.
You know, I feel like the dooris definitely open.
Do I feel the need to train foranother race this season?
No, I'm okay.
If I feel the desire to headout on a Saturday for a run, if
the kids are being watched, yeah, who knows?
(26:27):
You know what I mean.
I kind of just like I'm tryingto stay open minded to it.
You know it's.
I will say this the door isdefinitely open.
It's not like, okay, I ran myrace, I'm good, I'm done.
But I'm also feel like I alsodon't think or feel like that I
am completely done, like I amkind of intrigued.
Do I want to run another halfmarathon?
(26:47):
No, I'm good.
Run another half marathon?
No, I'm good.
It would take a lot moreconvincing, I think.
But I do love the social aspectof running.
I do love the fun and freenessof it.
There is this kind of idea oflike mentally helping you get
over different hurdles in yourlife.
And you know, it does kind offorce you to like go to these
(27:11):
different parts of your brain tokind of coax your way through
these different challenges, andit kind of helps you develop
that grit.
You know what I mean, like whenthings get hard, having to push
through I'm not talking aboutpushing through when you
shouldn't be pushing through,like you.
You know when you shouldn'tpush through pain if you can't
help it.
You know what I mean Um, likeget, get the help you need.
(27:33):
And that's, I feel, like thebiggest, like life lessons that
we can learn in many ways.
But I think there's so manybeautiful things that you can
learn about running throughrunning by running, um and um.
So, yeah, I gotta say thiswhole experience was, was really
nice.
I, I will admit I do feel proud,I am, I am happy for myself and
(27:55):
think that it's really coolthat like, oh my God, like I can
do it, like I could do it then,but I can also do it now and I
think that's really neat.
Yes, I do have a dog and, um,that's the unfortunate reality
when he just probably ran rightthrough my mic, so you probably
caught all of that.
(28:15):
But, yeah, so I don't knowwhat's in store for me in the
future, about what other races Ihave ahead of me, but all I do
know is that I got my greatrunning shoes, I got Charm City
on my side and, lord knows, wehave some beautiful running
lakes and trails here inColumbia, so I'm excited to see
where the path and the routemight take me.
(28:36):
So, um, if you ever have anyquestions about you know, this
race that I did, the charm cityruns a soul city, 10 K.
Um, feel free to hit me up,send me a DM, like or share with
another mom that you know isinto running or thinking about
it.
Maybe use us as anencouragement for her.
But yeah, stay tuned for thenext episode.
(29:01):
Thanks for tuning into thisepisode of Mom Talk, maryland.
If you loved it, leave a review, share it with a friend or tag
me at thecolumbiamom onInstagram.
I'd love to hear what you thinkand don't forget to follow the
show so you never miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep showingup, keep supporting local and
keep being the incredible mom,woman, human that you are.
Hey friends and welcome to MomTalk Maryland.
I'm your host, claire Duarte,founder of the Columbia Mom, and
this is your spot for realconversations, local love and a
whole lot of community, whetheryou're folding laundry, running
errands or hiding in your carfor some peace and quiet, let's
dive in.
All right, is this thing on?
Let's do it.
(00:20):
Um so um, I just recentlycompleted the charm city soul of
the city 10 K, sponsored byultra.
Um, it was this past Saturdayand um, if you've been following
along with my journey, um, thiswas my first race in basically
10 years.
Um, my first 10 K in 10 years.
(00:44):
And actually what's reallyfunny is I've only ever done one
actual 10K race before, which,ironically, was the Soul of the
City 10K back in Baltimorenearly 10 years to the day,
which just I love.
The irony and the play on words, if you may, irony and the play
(01:11):
on words, if you may.
And to kind of go back a littlebit, I kind of got into running
in my 20s.
I was never a runner, fyi, Iplayed soccer my whole life
Since I was a little kid.
My dad lived in England for 20plus years of his life.
He's a big Spurs fan and taughtus all everything we needed to
know about soccer from the timethat we could stand.
He's a big Spurs fan and taughtus all everything we needed to
know about soccer from the timethat we could stand.
So we were a big soccer familyin the 90s and 2000s and I
(01:32):
played soccer all through highschool and anyways, yeah, in
college I just got into it justa little bit socially.
You'd see people doing it wasnever like a fast you know
runner or you know could do likemaybe some sprints and stuff
like that.
And I think I got involved indoing some of like the turkey
trots, 5ks, cuz you know youwould see a lot of those like
(01:53):
you know sponsored for charitiesand different things like that.
But yeah, my 20s, when we, whenI lived in Baltimore, it's when
I had a friend that was like abig runner and I don't know what
got over me.
I think she talked about likeshe might've like teased us in
because she would go to theselike beer runs and I think I was
interested in like getting inshape and she would, like you
(02:14):
know, try to like coax me intoit and I was like, finally,
leslie, like you know, maybeI'll go for a run with you and
it's like a three miler, like a5k, and then she was like, you
know, she kept urging me and I,I think and I think that's when
I remember I signed up for the10k I was like, okay, let me see
if I can do a 10k, right.
And then when I did a 10k, shewas like, if you can do a 10k,
you could do a half marathon andthat was like my gateway into
(02:36):
it, which is really funny, um,and it's funny because now that
I'm talking back through it I'mlike, okay, I think I do, like
the pieces are coming back to me, cause, again, this is 10 years
ago.
You know, I got an old mombrain now.
So, um, so, yeah, I don'tremember the whole total number
of years that I kind of was likerunning or into running then,
(02:56):
um, but I do know that Icompleted roughly um five half
marathons I believe, and yeah,they were all well, sorry, not
all of them were Sydney, theywere mainly Baltimore, one in DC
and a few in like Annapolis,anne, arundel area, so kind of
just that whole, like you know,general area.
(03:18):
But when we lived in, obviously,when we lived in the city, I
did primarily Baltimore races,primarily Baltimore training,
but ironically too, when welived in the city, I did
primarily Baltimore races,primarily Baltimore training,
but ironically too, when welived in the city, I would
actually come, I would drive outto Columbia to train.
I actually trained more inColumbia than I did when I lived
in the city.
I did like to go for in thecity, but I found that it was
(03:38):
very flat and after one of myfirst races I realized how like
hilly some of these courses canbe and I was like I need to
train on a little bit more hillsif I'm going to keep doing this
and not that Columbia is likeincredibly hilly, but like going
around like Centennial, likeElkhorn were two of my favorite
(03:59):
loops Is that you could kind ofget some decent like rolling
hills in there and you can alsocover a lot of ground.
So, yeah, that's what Iremember doing.
Like the majority of mytraining was those two lakes
were the big ones for me.
Um, because they were likebigger loops and um, love the
views.
You know what I mean, um, so,anyway.
So yeah, fast forward to now.
Um, I, like I said, I stoppedrunning in 2017 only cause I
(04:21):
remember like we got married in2016, 2017, um, uh, I still ran
for fun here and there, likepick it up, I.
I stopped kind of signing upfor, like, maybe formal races as
much, um.
And then 2018, we got pregnantwith my daughter early in the
year, um, so that's why how Iknow like I stopped running in
2017, um, and, like I said,haven't really really ran,
(04:44):
obviously, since, I mean,columbia is a fabulous place to
run.
Like I said, there's so manylakes here, it's just like
there's so many great trails.
It's just a great place.
I think it's just so easy tolike pick up and go.
But, I mean, the biggestobstacle is, you know now that,
having kids, I can't just likethrow my shoes and walk out the
door, like I got people in myhouse that I'm responsible for,
(05:05):
so finding the time to train isjust way different, and you know
so, training for this 10 K wasdefinitely challenging, because
coming out of this winter was sobrutal, right, like February,
january and February was justalmost impossible.
Um, I think in February I gotlike one ish interval, maybe two
, like um, it was just hard toeven get outside, basically, and
(05:28):
you know, I would always kindof do like my longer run
Saturday mornings.
It was finally easier once todo that in March, but I was like
, oh my God, march just feelslike it's crunch time.
I was finally able to get fourmiles in when I was at the beach
and so I was thankful for that,but it was like super flat, so
I was like I don't know how muchgood this is going to do me,
but at least I had the cardioendurance under my belt.
So I at least mentally feltgood about that.
Um.
(05:55):
But yeah, I gotta say partneringwith charm city run was really
awesome because, um, getting to,you know, be in their store,
really get the right shoes.
I do think having the rightshoes just makes all the
difference.
I mean, anybody in running willkind of tell you that, and back
in my running days, therewasn't many like different as
many shoes on the scene.
I mean, yeah, there was a lotof shoes, of course, but like we
(06:16):
didn't have Hoka's, we didn'thave On Clouds, we didn't have,
honestly, I'm not remembering.
I think there was Asics, brooksand maybe ultras.
I'm I'm trying to rememberObviously Nike, but it's like
Nike's to me, not a greatrunning shoe for me.
Um, and that's when, like Iremember when I started running,
I was like, okay, I need to getout of my Nike's and into like
(06:36):
some good ones.
And Asics were kind of like oneof the top liners.
Then, um, and that's so.
The Asics were like my runningshoe of choice really.
Um.
So when I linked back up withCharm City this past fall, um,
and we got, and I got fitted andI was real excited cause I was
like, oh my God, there's so manycute hokas and enclaves, like I
(06:57):
wonder, like you're almost likeHogwarts.
I was like I wonder which houseI'm going to fall into.
Like you know, am I going to?
Are my feet just going to lovehokas and have the really cute
color or whatever?
And it's funny, after, likebeing like Cinderella and trying
all the different pairs, yetagain I loved the Asics and I
was just like throw what youknow.
(07:17):
Like you know, I was just likemy feet know what they want.
And I mean I think it was aclose second with um.
It might have been a pair ofhokas, I'm not remembering now,
but I still walked out.
I just was laughing.
I was, of course, I'm walkingout with a pair of basics and it
wasn't based solely on lookseither, like I'm really talking
about how it generally genuinelyfelt.
(07:37):
Um, and so I was wearing the a6a little bit more in the fall.
And then, when I sent it forthis race, I got a pair of the
ultras, because we knew this wasgoing to be an ultra sponsored
race.
And let me tell you, I've neverworn ultras before and you know
, when they told me I was goingto get fitted for ultras, I was
like, okay, yeah, sure, likewhatever.
And then if you've, if you'venever seen an ultra, I'm
(08:01):
actually not wearing them at themoment.
I wear them a lot, I meanbecause I want to wash them
after, like this race thisweekend.
Um, they are almost like theletter p, like it's like flat on
one side, it sort of kind oflike curves out on the other,
and the idea is that it's givingyou a wider toe box.
Right, they're really big onthat.
Um, and so when I put them on,I was, I looked down at my feet
(08:24):
and I'm like, like I was likethese look.
So when I put them on, I waslike I looked down at my feet
and I'm like like I was likethese look massive, like I, my,
my like eyes couldn't get over,like the visual look of them.
And I think, again, me lookingdown at my own feet is very
different than somebody elselooking at my feet.
And but after I, as soon as Iput them on, I looked down and I
was like, but then I was likemy feet and I was like, hmm,
(08:48):
okay, I mean I was like I don'thate this.
This feels pretty darn good.
Fast forward three months guys.
I'm not kidding you when I sayI probably wore those shoes the
absolute most out of any shoe inmy house for the last three
months.
Um, I am obsessed.
Um, and you know it's funny.
Yes, I do have wide feet.
(09:08):
I will say that.
Um, I don't know that my, mytoes are any more spread out.
It wasn't that I felt like, oh,my God, my toes have so much
more room for activities.
I think the support was justtremendous.
I just really loved it.
I was like to me, that was mywalking on air, feeling Like I
loved it.
I felt so supported.
(09:30):
I have not had any blistersthis season whatsoever.
Granted, it wasn't a heavytraining season, it wasn't like
as long and again, it's hard,hard to get as many mileage in
early on.
You know what I mean.
But, um, shoes were great, um,my gear was all from there too.
I had, um, again, same thing.
I was like, I was like I keptsaying Cinderella was Goldilocks
(09:52):
, goldilocks is the one thattried on the different stuff,
right, um, I tried on a couplecouple different leggings and
walked out with Nike leggings.
I mean, those things were likelike sucked you right in the guy
with the compression, all theright spots, like perfect
running tights.
I like them more than thanLululemons.
I was like who am I, you know?
(10:13):
I guess the world's biggestmillennials, really the answer.
But, um, I did Nike runningtights.
I had an um Viore long sleeveshirt and, um, oh gosh, I'm
forgetting the name of thejacket, but it was um, a great
kind of running jacket.
It wasn't fully wool but it waslike knit, so it was still nice
(10:36):
to have like a layer and had azip up, so if I, you know, got
too hot or cold or or whatever,and great, smart wool gloves as
well as smart wool socks, um, so, from head to toe, I felt like
I was covered.
I'm not one of those peoplelike I do have a hard time
running with like a hat, a knit,a cap or an earband because I
just feel like they fly off andI have a big head so like
(10:57):
anything around my head justfeels like it gets tight.
So I didn't go with any of that, but I mean, yeah.
So training overall, like myfirst two runs were definitely
the hardest and I remember myfirst run was gorgeous outside,
it was beautiful weather, it waslike early March, my first
longer run, I should say I didlike a little bit of interval
(11:18):
stuff, um, but my first longerrun I was like, okay, let me see
if I can do like two to threeand like five minutes in I was
like in my legs, everything hurt, everything hurt.
And I was like, oh my god, whatam I gonna do?
Um, and I was like how?
And I felt so nervous.
I was like how am I gonna beready for this race?
I was like so nervous because Ionly had a few weeks left at
(11:39):
that point.
Um, then my second run um, Iwent down to Lake Ken McCundy
with my friend Katie and it wasbasically like almost like the
weather today, like reallydrizzly, and I was like, oh God,
this is miserable.
Had like again Jack gloves,whatever.
And we ran.
We did like two, two and a halfish, and we and we would walk
(12:00):
the only like wooden part of thepier, like the walkway is kind
of like along the lake, and thenwe would, once we would hit the
trail again, we would um, runit again, essentially um, or
like run the pavement, really um.
So, yeah, that was like two,two and a half um and you know,
it felt really good that wecould like, you know I could
(12:21):
complete that, and we talked thewhole time.
I was like okay, I was like,well, you know if I can talk
this whole time, like that'sgood, and we're like we're not
fast.
You know what I mean.
Katie's been running so muchmore consistently than I have
for years, um, but we back in myfastest um again back in my
(12:46):
twenties.
Ironically, yeah, I meanthere's no, I can find the
results.
But when I did the 10 K race wasmy fastest race ever based on
splits, um, because I had themajority of those splits were
sub 10.
Like I think I had, I don'tthink, many eights, but a few
eights and nines Um, and I didthe completed the 10 K in under
60 minutes.
(13:06):
It was like literally like 57,58 minutes, like very, or maybe
even 59.
It was like right at the topend, um, and I remember being
gassed at the end cause I wasdefinitely going pretty fast.
But yeah, that was my fastestrace ever, ever, based on speed
for sure, and I never had thatkind of speed for a half,
because half I definitely wasmore like a 10 minute, 10 to 12.
(13:29):
I was really good at averagingpretty 10 consistently and then
towards the end it would hitinto like 11 and 12 kind of
thing.
This was probably.
I didn't honestly, I haven'teven gone back to check my
splits cause I didn't care abouttime for this race.
I was like I just want tocomplete this, I want to feel
good, I want to get out there.
(13:49):
Um, I was definitely nervousabout the challenge, cause I was
like it's just so muchdifferent to be a mom and to be
training and to fitting inrunning in this season of life
when you've got kids, and not tomention like my husband works
Saturday, so like that's my dayto do my long run, like it's a
lot more coordinating for me tofigure, okay, I need childcare,
and like I need to run, like, oreven the weekend that we went
away for the beach and I waslike it's my birthday weekend
(14:09):
but like I got to run.
You know, like obviously, yes,it's my choice, but like still,
um, but I'm so proud that I waslike able to like make myself do
it right.
So let's talk about or week ofday of so going into the week of
right.
I did a four mile run on theSunday, which I had my again my
(14:30):
goal.
I had originally wanted to dolike five.
Um, they say that you shouldn'tand don't need to do the full
amount of your race.
Or, if you do like you know,definitely don't do it like
within the week of your race,cause you don't want to um over
exert yourself and give yourbody plenty of rest that it
needs.
Um, again, I'm not like arunning professional, so please
(14:53):
just also take everything that Ihave to say is just from my own
experience, right, um, but um,and then, cause you know they
say that like if you can run themajority, uh, probably like
what?
Like 75% of the length of yourrace, like you can do it.
That's what, that's what, likemy friends and trainers that I
worked with like years ago kindof said so, um, yeah, so my
(15:16):
original goal the week beforewas five.
I did four, felt pretty goodabout it, um, and actually it
wasn't that sore, after which Iwas really kind of shocked about
.
I mean, I stretched andhydrated and things like that.
But we also drove home from thebeach that day, which is like
two and a half hours in the car,so I was like, oh, this is my,
this might F me up, but, um, Iwas intentional about trying to
stretch.
Last week.
Um took it easy at the gym,only went twice.
(15:39):
I did some treadmill intervalson Tuesday last week.
My goal and hope was at maxmaybe hit the pavement and, do
you know, one to two-ish milerun during the week and I was
like in my brain I'm like that'sideal, but I'm like how am I
going to fit that in betweenwork and the kids and stuff like
that?
So on Tuesday I did some earlymorning treadmill intervals, a
(16:07):
little mix of like speed walkinghills, just to keep it going.
Wednesday I did strengthtraining and then Thursday I did
another light strength trainingand I still kept up my steps on
my walking pad all week.
My goal is like 9,000 steps aday, not 10, nothing hardcore
and crazy.
And then fully rested and sleptin Thursday and Friday I say
(16:28):
fully, like when my kids get up,which is by 7 am.
So, and then I actually have mykids sleep over my in-laws
Friday night because, again, myhusband works Saturdays and so
that way I can get down to thecity nice and early, and then we
actually went out to dinner.
Ironically, actually, we wentout to dinner Thursday and
(16:48):
Friday.
I kind of hadn't planned itthat way, but went and checked
out Takumi, that new sushirestaurant, on Thursday and it
unintentionally carb loaded then, which was actually really good
, because you know say, oh, yougot to carb load.
But I think as I've gottenolder, I've heard them say it's
actually better to carb load twodays ahead of your race,
because your body actually canthen absorb it a lot better and
(17:09):
that way you're not feeling toofull and heavy like from the
night before, especially sincemost races are early the next
morning, right.
But then, yeah, my husband hadmade a reservation for
Maggiano's Friday night andactually I wasn't as full Sorry,
I'm sorry, I was more fullFriday than it was Thursday when
we were going out to dinner.
(17:29):
Um, because I think I had eatenall the like the rice and the
sushi, um, the night before.
So I actually felt kind ofbalanced, which was good, um,
but yeah, so into bed early, um,I got up by like six and headed
out the door by like six, 36,45.
Um, I think I had.
What did I eat?
I'm on this like cereal kickright now.
(17:51):
Right now, I'm always on acereal kick and don't judge me,
this is my cereal of choiceright now is like it's it's
Kashi and it looks like theshredded wheat and it's like
cinnamon harvest or something.
I literally I have nothing goodto tell you other than the fact
it's just got a little hint ofsweetness, and this is the
(18:13):
grandma inside me.
It's probably got like.
I'm not eating it because it'sfibrous, I'm just eating it
because I like the little hintof sweetness in the morning.
Nothing that's too sugary, butI get that like carb hit, um,
and I, just every morning when Iwake up, I just need a couple
little handfuls.
So, um, yeah, I had some ofthat, some water.
(18:33):
Um, I think I had bought a barfrom the store, from Charms,
when I did pack a pickup onWednesday.
I don't remember the name ofthe brand, but, um, it said like
energy bar.
Um, I don't think it meant likecaffeine, energy, but just it
was like peanut and chocolateand it was really good and I
actually ate that in the car onthe way there.
I used to always fast beforeworking out, before running
(18:56):
everything.
I don't think I ever had a biteof anything, um, and as I've
gotten older, like ever since,you know, having kids I've
always needed like a little bitof something.
I don't have a meal, definitely, but um, so I was like nervous
because I was like, oh, Ihaven't like ever like ran with
anything in my stomach before.
No, I think before halfmarathons I would have like a
banana and a little bit ofsomething, something like that.
(19:20):
Um, but other, just generaltrainings, I wouldn't, I just
wouldn't do too much.
Um, because I was just nervousabout like I didn't want to feel
crampy.
Um, but yeah, I had that bar,and because I knew I was getting
down there by like 7, 7, 15 andthe race didn't want to feel
crampy, but yeah, I had that bar, and because I knew I was
getting down there by like 7,7.15 and the race didn't start
until 8.30, I knew I had plentyof time to probably digest and
whatever, but yeah, that wasdelicious, I was very happy
(19:43):
about that and, yeah, the racestarted at Harbor Point, which,
again years ago, the soul of thecity 10K used to start in Fed
Hill and it was definitelyreally breezy and cold and I was
like but I will say it wasreally glad that it didn't rain,
cause it's been so like theweather's just been so crummy
here for the last like few daysand this week's like all cold,
(20:04):
but uh, I will say that it wasnot raining, so I won't cry
about that.
But it made like get.
I was like how do I get dressed?
Like what do I wear?
And I was worried about havingneeding like a rain jacket, um,
and gloves.
Luckily, it didn't end upneeding any of that, but it was
chilly.
I think I ended up wearing, um,no, I wore the race premium
which had like a little lighthood, but I didn't wear the hood
(20:25):
, um, and it wore like you knowsome some.
I was gonna say capri leggingsare like the seven, eighth, you
know what I mean?
Um, I thought I was gonna.
I thought it's gonna end upbeing humid and warm the way the
end of last week was, but itdidn't end up being all that
humid, um, it was more, maybemore humid later on in the day,
but not in that morning.
Or at least where harbor pointis, um, you know, it's just, I
(20:48):
think between all buildings itjust kind of gets windy or
whatever.
So, um, but no, I mean that'sthe nice thing about what I love
about charm city runs, racesand races in Baltimore in
general.
There's so much energy it'sjust like you feed off of it.
There's like hundreds of peoplethere, right, and so like that
was cool.
And again, having my friendKatie like made all the
(21:09):
difference, cause again, weliterally just talked the whole
time Right, so, um, we were inlike corral sea ish, again like
trying, you know, I mean ourgoal was not to be like strict
and heavy on pace with thepacers or anything like that,
but we started with like the 12mile pace group, um, and that's
where we kind of stayed the mostpart.
(21:30):
I mean I thought the course waspretty good.
Um, the one like hill thateveryone quote unquote dreads is
the one that you can, you know,kind of take the climb up to
Patterson park, which I've donethat, you know, a couple of
times from either training fromthe Baltimore running festival,
um, again from the previous soulof the city.
Um, and it's not.
I don't know.
In my mind I feel like it's notthat bad, especially since I
(21:52):
feel like I've done it a coupleof times.
I feel like there's other worse, like hills.
I don't know.
I think maybe it also dependson where it's placed in your run
.
This was around mile three,going into mile four.
Um and um, I mean, and Katie, Icould tell she was slowing down
a little bit and I was speedingup and I think, cause I was in
(22:13):
it, I was in a point where I'mlike, okay, I just want to get
through it and get get done with.
I didn't, I was only like a fewpaces ahead of her.
Um, and when we got to the top,like you know, I was like, and
I was like, oh my God, I'm soglad that's done.
Um, but it was kind of nicebecause, like, once you get to
(22:36):
the top, then you're just likerunning through the park.
So that was kind of like a nice, like you know, check, and then
we turn around and then, andthen we started kind of making
our way back into the city andyeah, so that was the so after
that it was kind of like nicebecause we felt like we were
sort of like downhill.
The majority of the run was sortof done and you know there's,
you know there's a couple oflittle like water spots.
I think I had a little bit ofsips of water.
I didn't really do the Gatorade, um, but once again, so nice
(22:57):
about running a Baltimore raceis that, like the community just
shows up.
The community shows up for youand that's what's so cool and
awesome about the charm ofBaltimore.
You know what I mean.
Like neighborhoods and um,spectators and um, and you can
tell these are literally justlike a community, members that
live there that are just showingup to cheer you on, not even
(23:18):
because they have friends thatare or family members that are
maybe like running the raceright, like that's what I love
about Baltimore and races likethat, and there are parts of DC
that the races are like that too.
You know, um, but that's that'swhy I knew that doing a course
like that can be so fun and soenjoyable.
Um, and then the final push ofthe race is when you're coming
back through Harbor East andyou're kind of you around the
(23:40):
corner by Whole Foods and youit's like a, it's another like
uphill as you go to the finishline, which that was pretty
brutal because, like you know,not because I was gas, but
because I was like, okay, let'ssprint to the end.
And I went.
Now I'm looking back, I'm likeI wish I had sprinted after the
Whole Foods light.
I think we started, like youknow, really kicking it up
before Whole Foods.
So I think that's what gassedme, because I'm I was also like
(24:03):
let me hold my phone and recordand and try to run, so like
holding my arm out while alsotrying to run, like that sucks
and um, uh.
And I remember like feeling likeoh, so we crossed the line and
I'm like heaving, and I couldfeel like myself, like oh, and I
was like, oh my God, I was likeClaire, please don't throw up,
(24:23):
please don't throw up.
But I did that like three orfour times and I was like so
embarrassed and I was like, ohmy God, I was like.
I was like, oh my god, I waslike.
I was like I cannot throw up, Icannot throw up, um luck.
I just kept walking andbreathing and I was like please,
and I was like, obviously okay,if I need to throw up, like
it's fine.
This happens to runners all thetime, like, but it was like it
just feel like so annoying,right, um, especially since they
(24:43):
like called our names as soonas we like ran um across and I'm
pretty sure my friend Katiesaid they heard them say the
Columbia mom and they're like oh, can we?
I need to not throw up, please.
Um, but we finished at an hourand 12 minutes, um, which,
honestly, I had no goal of time,no goal of time, but I think
that's pretty great.
(25:04):
Um, considering that theweather wasn't like the best
again, not rainy, just a littlelike cloudy and gray.
Um, and just for my first racein almost 10 years, like feels
pretty good.
And um, the after party wassuper fun.
Um, loves checking out all thedifferent reps trying on some
(25:24):
Ufos sandals.
They had charm city had like ohmy God, the cutest gear.
Everything from like cute likeMaryland Crab shirts, run shirts
, sweatshirts, long sleeves,socks, sunglasses, like oh my
God it was, and so that wasreally great.
We both got a beer rightafterwards, definitely hoarded
up on some snacks, lots ofwalking around.
No, it felt great.
(25:46):
The band was good.
Yeah, the longer you stoodthere you definitely got like
chilly because, again, I thinkthat just because of, like, the
way the buildings are built.
I just feel like it's justwindy and kind of cold.
Um, but yeah, it was, it wassuper fun.
Um, you know, am I ready to doanother race?
I don't know.
(26:07):
I mean, I feel like I'm one ofthose people like I'm not
exactly your all or nothing kindof gal.
You know, I feel like the dooris definitely open.
Do I feel the need to train foranother race this season?
No, I'm okay.
If I feel the desire to headout on a Saturday for a run, if
the kids are being watched, yeah, who knows?
(26:27):
You know what I mean.
I kind of just like I'm tryingto stay open minded to it.
You know it's.
I will say this the door isdefinitely open.
It's not like, okay, I ran myrace, I'm good, I'm done.
But I'm also feel like I alsodon't think or feel like that I
am completely done, like I amkind of intrigued.
Do I want to run another halfmarathon?
(26:47):
No, I'm good.
Run another half marathon?
No, I'm good.
It would take a lot moreconvincing, I think.
But I do love the social aspectof running.
I do love the fun and freenessof it.
There is this kind of idea oflike mentally helping you get
over different hurdles in yourlife.
And you know, it does kind offorce you to like go to these
(27:11):
different parts of your brain tokind of coax your way through
these different challenges, andit kind of helps you develop
that grit.
You know what I mean, like whenthings get hard, having to push
through I'm not talking aboutpushing through when you
shouldn't be pushing through,like you.
You know when you shouldn'tpush through pain if you can't
help it.
You know what I mean Um, likeget, get the help you need.
(27:33):
And that's, I feel, like thebiggest, like life lessons that
we can learn in many ways.
But I think there's so manybeautiful things that you can
learn about running throughrunning by running, um and um.
So, yeah, I gotta say thiswhole experience was, was really
nice.
I, I will admit I do feel proud,I am, I am happy for myself and
(27:55):
think that it's really coolthat like, oh my God, like I can
do it, like I could do it then,but I can also do it now and I
think that's really neat.
Yes, I do have a dog and, um,that's the unfortunate reality
when he just probably ran rightthrough my mic, so you probably
caught all of that.
(28:15):
But, yeah, so I don't knowwhat's in store for me in the
future, about what other races Ihave ahead of me, but all I do
know is that I got my greatrunning shoes, I got Charm City
on my side and, lord knows, wehave some beautiful running
lakes and trails here inColumbia, so I'm excited to see
where the path and the routemight take me.
(28:36):
So, um, if you ever have anyquestions about you know, this
race that I did, the charm cityruns a soul city, 10 K.
Um, feel free to hit me up,send me a DM, like or share with
another mom that you know isinto running or thinking about
it.
Maybe use us as anencouragement for her.
But yeah, stay tuned for thenext episode.
(29:01):
Thanks for tuning into thisepisode of Mom Talk, maryland.
If you loved it, leave a review, share it with a friend or tag
me at thecolumbiamom onInstagram.
I'd love to hear what you thinkand don't forget to follow the
show so you never miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep showingup, keep supporting local and
keep being the incredible mom,woman, human that you are.
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