26 Comments
Oct 16Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

Enjoyed this post so much!! And her final time was my finish time during my second marathon - CIM. I was 64 and felt awesome when I finished. Best ever. Never felt that good again after a marathon. Now I love 50k’s (10 finished so far) and I entered my first 100k next April - climbed mount whitney this past week and experienced my first ride and tie championships. Life is all about new experiences and pushing your limits-which certainly change as you age. Cheers!

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Wow! You're amazing. I'd love to hear about your ride and tie. I went through a R&T phase in late 1990s-early 2000s—it's partly what got me into trail/ultra.

Thanks for reading.

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Oct 16Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

Super cool post. I'm not an avid racer, and I prefer the trails. So, perhaps it was due to peer pressure, or perhaps it was because I needed to confirm that I could do it, but last year I followed an 8-week, trail to marathon program and earned my first sub3 marathon. This is to say, YES, let's mix it up. Let's try shorter stuff on the roads, let's try harder stuff in the mountains, let's do it all while we can. Because why not?

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Sub 3 - wow, congrats! I agree, the mix is good. With that in mind, I'm also doing a Turkey Trot 5K as a speed workout on Thanksgiving.

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As a runner in my 40s who ran her first marathon just two years ago this piece really inspired me! Now only to find the courage to sign up for another marathon… 😊

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Go for it!

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Loads of thoughts from this! On Running Tales I've spoken to a lot of runners who have taken up the sport later in life and achieved amazing times, getting faster as they get older. I also remember a friend of mine, who ran a lot when he was younger to a good level, once telling me that he envied those who had started later as they had 'less miles on the clock'!

Running marathons is really hard but also really rewarding. I prefer longer distances or trail races now - not that I've done loads yet - but there is definitely something to be said for pushing yourself hard on the pavements. Races like the London Marathon - which my wife, Michelle, did last year - and Chicago must really get the beans going because of the crowds. Michelle and I are contemplating a trip to the US next year for her 50th birthday, and trying to get into Chicago is definitely something that has crossed our minds...

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Thanks for reading!

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Oct 16Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

Maybe I’ll have to add a road marathon to my next training block! It’s been a while. Loved the interview!

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Oct 19Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

Great interview with Anne - love that magical feeling when everything clicks in a road marathon! Also excited to hear you’re registered for Napa, Sarah! You inspired me tremendously when I trained for that race 2 years ago. You’ll enjoy the spring marathon training, agreed it’s a perfect use of winter-training-time when you’re facing difficult weather/trail conditions, plus builds a strong cardio base for the summer— happy training!

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Join me there?!

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I’m considering! My husband’s running Way Too Cool the day before (first ultra), if I can find a way to get myself from there to Napa, I’d love to see you!!

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Perfect post for me today. Tomorrow I will run a trail marathon.

I’m also a late bloomer kind of runner.

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Have a great run! Which trail marathon?

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Thank you! Wade Mountain in Huntsville AL

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Oct 18Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

Loved this interview and am a big fan of Anne’s writing! And of course, Sarah, since we keep having these overlapping running moments…I ran Chicago in 2002!

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haha that's a crazy coincidence!

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Oct 16·edited Oct 16Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

Loved this. She's got such a good attitude about competitive events, or at least one I deeply envy😂

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Definitely!

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Oct 16Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

Really loved this! I wholeheartedly agree about inserting marathon training into the training block -- I just ran a flat trail marathon (yes, a real rail trail of crushed stone (not gravel) that was a double track trail) and can attest that it has been excellent speedwork for my upcoming 50 miler! It was a huge mental exercise in maintaining my pace without the promise of a hill to hike or downhill. Ugh! So hard! I highly recommend it as it was low-key, fast, and easy on the joints, and in a beautiful setting along the Greenbrier River in West Virginia! Thanks for telling her story, Sarah!

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That's great you did that. Which upcoming 50?

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Mountain Masochist 50! A historic east coast race, now in it's 41st year: https://runmmtr.com/

I'm going for my 12th finish. And I hope to be your Zoom call tomorrow!

XO

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Oct 16Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

My only take away - you're nt he Bay Area first week in March? I'll put on calendar!

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Yes, and of course I planned to tell you! It'll include a night in Oakland :-) Why don't you run the Napa half and we could celebrate there afterward?!

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Oct 16Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

I've left marathons behind in favor of trail ultras (not as an "official" decision, but the last one, number 14, was back in 2011). But as I read this, I felt a bit of that old familiar buzz, especially when Anne talks about the crowd. I love the solitude of the late miles of a hundred, and I appreciate a low-key finish line, but that feeling of the crowd at a large marathon is such an intense thing.... I think there's no other place with such a concentrated volume of positive, healthy, happy people, and the energy of it is hard to describe. Ultras give me confidence in the potential of individuals, but being part of a marathon (like Chicago) restores my confidence in us as a species.

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I agree! Only the finish line of Western States 100, around the track with a big crowd, compares to a marathon finish chute. I've run Boston twice and both times felt carried by the crowd support.

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