My Better Half 10k 2026

I wasn't going to run this race this year...it was too early to be my birthday race, and therefore it felt skippable. But photos of the shirt and medal changed my mind, and I quickly decided I could tack a couple miles onto the 10k and get a good, final long run out of it. 

I'm so glad I did.

Snoqualmie Valley 10k

I can't believe I worried this race would be hot and sunny. Instead, we got typical June-uary weather that arrived race morning and blew over by the afternoon. Just my luck!

Snoqualmie Valley 10k Training Update

May was a weird month, somehow it's already mid-June, and given that the Snoqualmie Valley 10k is now a week away, I really wish the last few weeks had gone differently.

Running from Gluten 10k

I'd like to start this race recap by noting that we had mild, sunny weather all week, and I was worried race day would be hot. Silly me. Race day was a lovely 55 degrees, with 92% humidity and constant rain!

That's what I get for worrying.

To race or not to race?

Next weekend, I've got the Running from Gluten 10k. I'm actually pretty excited because it's sponsored by the Celiac Guild and benefits the Seattle Children's Celiac Program. All the goodies at the finish line are gluten free! I've run many charity races, but none that ever impacted me so personally.

Anyway, I signed up for this 10k with the expectation to run it as a training run. With the Snoqualmie Valley 10k coming up in late June, I figured having a little extra incentive to ensure I actually worked up to 6 miles in training wouldn't hurt.

My Better Half 10k 2024

Let me start by saying how absolutely relieved I am that I chose to run the 10k instead of the half this year. If had I any doubts that I was making the right decision, they fled the moment I checked the weather report for race day.

44°? No problem. Perfect, even. 90% chance of rain? No thanks.

My Better Half 10k

I've always wanted to ring a PR bell, and this weekend, I did just that!

It should come as no surprise that I love to run a race on my birthday weekend. Last year, we were still so new to Seattle (and COVID was still so present) that it didn't really cross my mind...and that ended up being for the best, since it absolutely dumped snow that weekend.

February 2021. Yeah. Not racing in this.

But this year, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity. I found the My Better Half race early in the fall and was immediately interested in running the 10k, but wanted to wait to sign up until I was sure we wouldn't have another snowpocalypse. Then, when I finally went to register, it was sold out.

I added myself to the waiting list and found a backup race that would suffice but wouldn't be nearly as exciting, just in case. I kept a close eye on my email for two weeks, wondering how long I should wait before I officially gave up and signed up for the backup race.

Then, the Wednesday night before race weekend, I was doing my warmup ride on the Peloton when I saw the email come through. I'd been selected!

I signed up right then, as Alex Toussaint urged me to "ride to greatness!"

A couple weeks before this, the second toe on both my feet had been hurting on and off, so once I knew I'd definitely be running a race that weekend, I changed my schedule, deciding to skip my runs for the rest of the week so my toes would be rested for race day. That worked out okay, seeing as Matt and I were dog-sitting Brewsky and Kogi all week, so I had access to the Peloton.

Race Morning

Race weekend brought some deceptive weather: sunny skies and freezing temps. I expected it to be 45° or 50° on race day, but when I lined up at the start, it was 31°. The grass was frosty but at least we weren't getting snow.

I've never felt as blasé about a race as I did this time around. The route was at a park I'm familiar with, I hadn't been training specifically for a race so I didn't have a goal in mind, and I've been running at least 10k for my long runs every weekend since October, so the distance felt more than doable. Basically, everything felt like just another weekend long run.

I was also feeling strangely comfortable with running this race alone. It's been awhile since I've raced by myself, without even a spectator at the finish line, but something about being alone lowered my anxiety and expectations. I was truly just racing for myself.

Unbeatable views!

The 10k was set to start at 8:05am. During the 30-minute drive to the park, I ate half a large banana and sipped some coffee. I was trying something new with the banana because my usual pre-long-run breakfast of overnight oats hadn't been settling well the last few weekends. 

The drive was incredibly foggy — I'm talking barely 20 feet of visibility and invisible streetlights — so I drove slowly and was worried I'd be late. Still, I only missed one turn and arrived around 7:35. I found street parking a block away. I changed shirts (since it was colder than anticipated) and got my bib on, glad that I'd made the trip to pick it up the day before. Gloves, Shokz, headband, gum. I meant to bring Honeystinger chews, but forgot to stick them in a pocket.

Around 7:50 I got out of the car and jogged the half mile down to park bathrooms, using that as my warmup. Only one stall had toilet paper, but just as a line was forming, the custodian came by with a sack of rolls to distribute, like a Bathroom Santa Claus. I did my business and jogged to the start. I barely had to wait three minutes before the 10k runners were given the Go! I couldn't have timed it better!

The Race

My plan for this race was vague. "Take it easy" and "just run it" were my top priorities. Having run a similar course on Halloween, I knew the big hill in the first half mile was really a lot and I gave myself permission to walk it or walk at the top. Whatever I needed.

What ended up happening was that I ran up the hill, quads burning, and somehow managed to just keep on trucking at the top. The worst part was actually that the hill was divided, so passing people meant getting in the way of half marathoners already on their downhill sprint. Having to run slowly on the heels of a bunch of people while going uphill was tedious and burned worse than if I could've just powered up at my own pace with an open road ahead of me. Then again, maybe the forced slower pace kept me from totally burning out at the end.

Once I cleared the top, there were two additional, gentler hills, but there were some downhills, too, so all in all that first mile was taxing but it didn't sap me the way it did back in October. This was my first indicator that I've made some amazing progress since then, but I wasn't too focused on that at the time because I had no idea how I'd fare the remainder of the race.

Once I came back down that first major hill, I knew the rest of the course was flat. I settled into a comfortable rhythm and let it roll.

Mile 2.5 and feeling fine!

I'm about to age myself, but around mile 2.5, a group of cool-looking young adults were walking on the dirt trail adjacent to the course, against race traffic, shouting compliments and encouragement to runners. I don't think they were there to spectate but had gotten swept up in it during their own morning walk. As I started coming up to them, one of the women shouted to me: "Great outfit, I like the look you got going on!" and I swear I started flying. (Compliments from Gen Z just hit different.)

I couldn't ask for a prettier route.

The sky was cloudless and the sun was high, but it hadn't quite thawed the north side of the park yet, and around mile 2.7 I suddenly found myself slipping. The asphalt was slick with a thin layer of invisible, iced-over frost. I left the road for the dirt trail and stayed there until the ice disappeared.

You can see where I slowed down for ice (dark blue) at the north end of the park.

I finished the first lap without much ado, still feeling proud of myself for holding off taking a walk break. I tend to walk a lot in 10ks. The end of the first loop brought us through a parking lot and up onto a narrow sidewalk, where I lost some time stuck behind slower runners. Coming out of that turn, the course split — left to continue, right to the finishing chute. I veered left and crossed the halfway timing mat.

Of course, as soon as I did, I began to feel fatigued. My breathing was getting a little ragged and my legs were tired.

I told myself I could walk at mile 4, but I passed that same cheer squad ("Still looking good!") and managed to get myself to 4.6 before I finally took a break. By mile 4.65 I was running again, but my watch was showing dashes where my pace should be. It hadn't connected to GPS at the start, either, and when it finally kicked back in a few minutes later, it said my pace was in the 12s. I knew that had to be wrong and decided not to let it worry me. I just kept trucking along.

Just a l'il walk break selfie.

By the time I got to mile 5.5, I knew I'd manage to finish this race without another walk break and I was already feeling incredibly proud of myself. Compared to how the Run Scared 10k went, I couldn't believe how much stronger I was!

Digging in around mile 5.

Because the route was a double-loop, I could easily visualize the last few turns; when I came out of the interior loop of the park and into the parking lot, I knew exactly where to stick to the street and where to cut back onto the sidewalk to avoid any bottlenecks. This time I veered right at the split and straight toward the finish.

I found I didn't have a lot of energy left for my usual sprint at the end, which tells me I pushed myself just enough during the race. As I drew closer to the finish, I heard the emcee call my name. "Welcome to the finish, Alison!" There's nothing quite like that at a race!

Post Race

I grabbed my medal and water and shuffled off to the water's edge to get out of the crowd and take a look at my watch. I had seen the clock as I came in, but I wasn't sure how behind I had been on the gun.

57:14. That had to be a mistake. The last time I ran a 10k under 60 minutes was...I didn't even know when! Had I really managed a PR without actually training for one? Without setting any sort of time goal at all?

I went to the race website to confirm. 57:12.

I looked up my old PR. In 2012, the first 10k I ever ran, I ran a 58:41. That was so long ago that for years I've thought my PR was an hour because I forgot I'd ever broken 60! And now, ten years later, I broke that record by over a minute without even trying!

6th place got me by a second!

I was flabbergasted. I knew I'd run a great race but I hadn't realized just how well I'd done until that moment. There was a PR bell in the finisher's village and I worked up the nerve to ask someone to take my photo while I rang it. I'd never gotten to do that before!

Bucket list item, fulfilled!

I didn't hang around long, although the vendors and oatmeal bar were tempting. If the oatmeal had been gluten free, I would've! I'm annoyed at myself for not finding the photo booth before I left, but I wasn't thinking straight — too excited about my PR — and being alone post-race always makes me just want to get in the car and head out.

Back at the car, I took stock. My toes were feeling good. My legs felt pretty good. My asthma was starting to set in now that my adrenaline was cooling, and I took a puff off my albuterol. I sent my race results to Elizabeth, Sarah, and Matt. I was still in shock.

All told, this was a fantastic race and a great way to say goodbye to 35. I had a great time, it was so well organized, and I feel like it's the first kind of "big" race I've done since the move. I will definitely be back next year, barring another mid-February snowpocalypse. I may even do the half, finally reinstating my birthday half marathon tradition.

ABK

Run Scared 10k

 This race marked a milestone for me: it's the first time I've ever raced in a costume. Maybe I'm using costume a bit liberally here, but I was recognizably a black cat at the Run Scared 10k, and that counts for something.

There's something pretty damn ironic about putting on a whimsical headband and drawing whiskers on your face in the name of levity...and then absolutely suffering through a run for an hour. Yeah, I suffered, but I looked cute doing it!

Going into race day, I pretty much knew my strategy would be to treat the race as a long run. 10ks are my least favorite distance and neither Sarah nor I felt incredibly optimistic about breaking any records. We agreed to run the race conservatively, plan to walk at mile 3, and pick up the pace in the last mile or so if we felt strong.

Race day breakfast: oats with protein powder and a cup of coffee

As with this month's 5k, I was more nervous about getting to the venue and finding parking than I was about the actual race. I slept poorly, woke up early, and got to the race ahead of schedule. Thank goodness Lola is compact — I found excellent parking right near the start.

Seeing this filled me with such an odd feeling of nostalgia and gratitude. It's been so long since I've seen any sort of race expo

I got my bib — I had to show proof of vaccination to do so — and used the bathroom, then went back to my car to shed some layers and get comfortable. I met up with Sarah about five minutes to the start. All told, the morning was uneventful.

45F, cloudless and sunny...the perfect race weather!

The race started promptly at 9:45am. We ran into another friend from our running group, Ankush, and chatted a bit while we all warmed up in the first half mile.

Sarah's and my plan was quickly thrown when, within the first mile, we encountered two long, steep hills. I knew the route would bring us through Seward Park, where I ran the Amelia Island Virtual 12k last year, and as such I expected a flat race. However, to add some distance to the first lap, the route veered off the main path at the perimeter of the park and onto a road within it.

That interior loop really threw us...for...a loop...

The hills were back-to-back and by the time we were halfway through the second one, Sarah requested a walk break, which I was happy to grant. Ankush ran ahead.

We let our calves cool off and then picked it up again. As we finally began to feel the road level off, a volunteer told us there were no more hills in the course...but the damage was done. We both felt gassed and a bit deflated by the rough start.

At least it really was smooth sailing after the hills!

Still, we trucked along. Despite weakening resolve around mile 2.5, we got ourselves to mile 3 before our next walk break. By now, I was warm. I was glad I hadn't worn a vest but I kind of regretted wearing long sleeves. 

I also began to suspect that the course would be short. My watch wasn't aligning with the mile-marker signs, and when we passed the 5k sign and bypassed the finish on our first loop, I could tell something was off. Honestly, knowing the course was short made things mentally a little easier in the moment.

I needed one more walk around mile 4. I have a tendency to walk frequently in 10ks, so all these breaks were par for the course. What did surprise me was that in the last two miles, I found some fortitude and powered through. Usually I walk around mile 5.5, but not this time. I told Sarah I wouldn't have anything left for a sprint at the end but I could manage without anymore walks if we just kept steady.

We turned the last bend toward the finish line and there, waiting along the route, were Sarah's husband and kids. That surprise gave us a little extra pep and we actually did manage a final sprint!

Looking at this, I feel like my pace was better than I realized and pretty solid for a 6 mile long-run.

I'm having a hard to deciding how I feel about this race. My biggest gripe is that the course was significantly short — 5.93 on my watch, 6.09 on Sarah's. I think we could have kept up our pace for another quarter mile if the course were measured correctly, so I'm happy with our average pace (9:51) but I'm disappointed that I can't really use this to measure my 10k fitness right now.

On the other hand, the plan was always to treat this race as a long run, and we did that. We kept a great pace, comparable to our last 6 mile run (which didn't have any hills). And I can at least use the comparison data to see how we did in relation to others in our age group etc, and I'm not displeased with that! 

The pace here is skewed, but at least I can see how I did in my AG! I really always do fall smack in the middle.

After the finish we took pictures and got in line for snacks. This is the first race I've ever run with gluten free anything at the end (they had WOW cookies, which I really like!). They also had a candy corn tasting bar, a costume contest, and top-3 finishers awards in male, female, and nonbinary categories. Basically, this race felt inclusive and fun, and I'm happy I ran it.

If you look closely, you can see my whiskers.

Post-race loot

After the race Sarah and I went to brunch at Portage Bay Cafe. I had the gluten free French toast and will definitely be back again to take advantage of their self-serve berry and whipped cream bar.

Their gf bread is baked in-house and was absolutely fantastic.

I don't have anymore races on my calendar at the moment, but October was a good month for testing the waters again, and I'm excited to jump into my November plan and get back into shape. Who knows, maybe a winter race is in my future.

ABK

A Thought on Race Goals and Chattajack!

Thanks for the supportive comments on my last post. It's hard enough to completely miss your goals when no one knows them. It's way harder when you have to break the news to people you respect and who were cheering for you!

Hanna's comment in particular got me thinking. She brought up that maybe the pressure of this race impacted how it went. My last two 5k PRs were both unexpected and I hadn't advertised much confidence in myself beforehand. In fact, I kept my pie-in-the-sky goal private for Sup & Run and I didn't have major goals for Howl.

But I built up Sanibel.

Hanna's comment made me reflect on A1A this year. I ran that full without telling anyone but a few select people. I wanted to remove the pressure of race day by just treating the race like a solid long run and it really worked - I redeemed myself and nabbed my hard-earned PR!

Still the best feeling ever!

(Last night I was rereading my BDR and A1A recaps to help me remember how BDR fueled me for A1A. Disaster races can be really good in the long run. You know, there are times I'm really glad I have a blog.)

Of course, a marathon is different. There's a little less pressure in the sense that finishing at all is a huge accomplishment, and I wasn't ever planning to gut out super-fast miles, either. But I should probably apply what I learned about that race - which is that if I just let myself have some quiet determination and don't make race day a big deal on the blog (the lead-up, the goals, etc.) then I'm able to have a more successful race - to all my races. I'm able to just race it without any outside noise creeping in.

That's not to say that support isn't appreciated! But I wonder if my mind buckles under the pressure.

I also think that I have such a history with Sanibel now, having run it five times, that I need to pick a different 10k when I'm ready to try for a PR again. Even though I love the course and the atmosphere, there's just too much baggage to run it with confidence and freedom.

I hope I can remember all this as my next few races come up this winter. (More on those later.)

I feel way better after taking Sunday and Monday off and enjoying a nice run Tuesday. I gave Elizabeth my full attention as I listened to her race experience. It's clear she enjoyed it and she's excited to run a half; her competitive nature came out and she had fun picking people off as she ran. But she still doesn't "get" why people spend money on races (totally understandable) and she didn't feel totally "life changed!" by finishing because, in her words, it was "only 6 miles". She's become a jaded racer and she's only run one race!

I love this pre-race picture of us! We always take post-run photos so this is the first time you get to see us looking cute and excited beforehand!

In other news, Chattajack is this weekend! Remember last year when Matt paddled ~32 miles in Chattanooga? Well, it's time for him to repeat his performance!

He's switched up his board class this year and has trained using a totally different method and plan than last time; he's really gunning to make it to the podium.

That's Matt leading the pack, obviously.

So, needless to say really, I won't be around the blog much this week because we'll be traveling. But when I get back I'll make sure to post a recap of his race, like last year! (Hopefully this year's recap doesn't include a busted board or any other obstacles on our way up to Tennessee!) In the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram to see how things are going and follow Matt on race day.

Do you think vocalizing your goals helps, hinders, or doesn't impact your performance?
Do you have any baggage surrounding certain races?
Wish Matt good luck this weekend!

ABK

Sanibel Race for FISH 10k 2016

If you read my weekly recap on Sunday, you already know how this story ends. I missed my time goals - all of them - and just didn't have a good race. I'm definitely disappointed, but it's been especially hard to swallow because I don't know what went wrong.

From the moment I woke up, I just didn't feel...right. I wasn't excited. I felt a little nauseated - the kind where you know you have to eat something to settle your stomach - and just not great. Low energy. No adrenaline. Just...blah.

This was my fifth year running this race and for some reason I just wasn't as excited as usual!

I was excited for Elizabeth, of course! She met us at the house at 6:20 and we drove together to the race in Sanibel. We used the bathrooms and got in line and then...ran.

This drone photo of the race, courtesy of SanCap Aerial Photography, shows that it was a little smaller than in past years.

By the first mile marker, I already knew it wasn't going to be my day. I couldn't find a groove; my legs didn't hurt and my breathing was alright but something felt off.

At mile three I paused for water and let Elizabeth go ahead of me. By that point I knew I was well off track of my goals, and I wanted to salvage the race and just finish it, but I really couldn't even dig for a negative split. I just kept fading.

This recap is kind of awful because I can't think of what to say! There was no reason for my lethargy. I had a good dinner. I slept well. I had a good breakfast (UCAN, some coffee, and a Gu). The weather was a lovely 74 degrees and not too humid. It should have been a perfect day to PR, but my body and mind were just not there.

In retrospect, these splits are ugly but they're not as bad as they could've been.

At the finish line, I saw Elizabeth at the end cheering and I waved; Matt was recording me. The finish was ugly; the woman behind me started to overtake me and cut in pretty close, and I stepped on her heel by accident. It seems like a little thing, but usually I can at least sprint my finish and finish strong. It was like the epitome of the whole race: awkward and uncomfortable and out of character.

But I caught her eventually.

The highlights came after the race finished. Elizabeth told me a woman had approached her at the finish and asked, "Are you Elizabeth? I recognize you from Ali's blog!" (She found us again later and I got to meet my first real-life fan, which was so cool! She told me I'd inspired her and that she had gone back and read old entries, etc. Even though my race was bad, this really put things into perspective and made me feel much better, so thank you, Esther! Also - congrats on placing first in your AG!)

Us with Esther and her friend Jenn!

She did it!!!!

Another woman came up to me and told me, "I don't usually like tattoos, but yours is so positive and motivating!" Last year at Sanibel an older gentleman complimented my tattoo, too, now that I think of it.

Elizabeth had a wonderful finish time and ran a strong, steady race. I am absolutely thrilled about that; I really wish I could've been with her at the end but I know our training together helped her get there and I feel lucky to have played a small part in her success.

Matt was able to get a picture of Elizabeth's finish! Super strong!

Matt earned himself a PR - he ran "easy" because Chattajack is coming up and still managed to place 4th. Sean finally nabbed a spot on the podium this year after a few years of trying, coming in 2nd in his age group.

Our division - there were only 29 this year. My adjusted time was 1:03:57. The race was definitely smaller than last year!

Sean and Matt's finishing times.

So really, there were some major highlights for the day. Still, I went home feeling let down. After a nap, everything sank in and I cried a little because I just felt so disappointed that my body didn't perform the way I wanted it to. This was a harder pill to swallow than BDR because I really can't pinpoint what went wrong, and anytime you finish a marathon it's worth celebrating. It's hard to say the same for a 10k.

But I'm glad I ran it, and I feel really lucky that I have running friends to turn to who understand my disappointment and know just to what to say to make me feel better!

Today, I'm reflecting on the fact that this race was a huge improvement from my last couple 10ks. I've taken about 5 minutes off my recent times, which shows that my improvement is measurable even if it's not as drastic as I was hoping for. I'm pleased with my progress. I know that I have it in me to have run this race better, but it is what it is. It wasn't my day.

I know I'll continue to get faster if I keep working, and this single race doesn't define my journey. I'm not ready to find a redemption race, but I am motivated to keep chipping away at my times and improving my paces.

And I know, of course, that I'll run it again next year. For some reason I just love this stupid race!

ABK