GVH M40+, M50+ and Syracuse M70+ win team titles
Winning my first national title as a master was especially sweet since the event was "practically" in our backyard! It was fun seeing and cheering for the local teams including GVH, Syracuse Track Club, and Bergen Elite to name a few! The event coordinators and USATF did a wonderful job hosting a fabulous race. As far as my race, I would have loved to contend for the overall win (in the Syracuse Half Marathon), but it was not in the cards on that day. The heat and hills caused me to slow over the last 5k and I was grateful to see the finish (and the finishing tape!). I'm looking forward to continuing to compete as a master's athlete and hope to be one of the handful that qualify for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials.
The Syracuse Half Marathon was my first race of 2023. It was great to have a USATF Masters championship take place so close to home. I’m always excited to compete but this one also made me more cautious for a few reasons. One, it’s a distance I have not competed at often and is the longest distance I have competed at in the last 25 years. Two, temperatures were unseasonably high for Syracuse in April. And three, while my weekly mileage has been higher than ever, a calf strain since late January resulted in a more limited number of higher intensity workouts more than I’d have preferred. But, as the gun goes off we mostly put those concerns behind and just compete. The course coupled with the temperatures was certainly challenging but through 5K I felt good and was on pace. Mile splits remained consistent through 15K as we tackled the rolling hills and the pace felt manageable. The plan was to just stay controlled until mile ten then hopefully step up the pace on the final few flat miles. Unfortunately, I began to feel the effects of the heat around that point and that combined with a loss of some mental focus resulted in me easing up slightly and I probably lost 45 seconds over those few miles. However, for the first race of 2023 I'm pleased and anxious for the next competition. I had never won a USATF National title in any age group before this race so I will proudly accept that title for the year and hope I can defend it next year. The race was well organized and the quality of the competition was great overall and in each of the master's age groups on both the men's and women's side. I was able to talk with several athletes after the event and appreciate the positive interactions and the insight people provided on what works for them. I was probably within the last 1% of runners to leave the Oncenter that day and anyone who knows me knows that's par for the course!