Michelle Runs With It

This event was not about me at all. It was about helping my amazing friend Dylan accomplish what he has been training for months, for over a year for. The experience was so memorable; however, I had to get it out. I've paced a couple friends at their attempts of 100-milers at Devil Dog in 2022 and 2023. Unfortunately, neither of them finished and I took it to heart, I really did. The cutoff at DD is strict, and the weather is cold. I've never seen that course in daylight, and I don't ever want to. That is not the race I want to die on. The C&O 100 has been on my radar because it's the closest 100-miler to home. Before it was even a WSER qualifier, I had considered it but it's also the flattest and I like climbing, which is why I haven't hit the Register Now button. However, after running the last 30 miles of it, I am reconsidering. Driving to Knoxville, MD from home at 9pm on a Saturday night seemed odd. I was up all day and tried to take it easy. I walked i...

 S alisbury Marathon 04.04.26 “A marathon is a marathon no matter the pace.” Seeing Mike Wardian warming up at the start and chatting with Bart Yasso at the finish line was pretty cool (or “tough” as the kids say). What was really cool, was hearing the stories of the everyday runner. As a pacer, you get to hear so many. My job as a pacer was to keep steady throughout the entire 5 hours, be upbeat and positive, distract, encourage, and when the sun rose temps to 83° to remind runners to hydrate, fuel and listen to their bodies. I met some absolutely incredible runners, and with a 5-hour goal time, many were first time marathoners while others were experienced and knew the name of the heat game. Either way, I loved hearing their stories - how some were running for the first time with their partner, family trivia, best races and race day fails, the guy who ran an extra 6-7 (haha) miles just to get his wife to the half of her first marathon, the group of 20 from Richmond who would ALL ...

One thing I know to be true is that running has never been about the number of miles I run, nor how fast I get from point A to point B. Running has always been about who I spend it with, and the energy it gives me, not drains from me. I ran a lot this year and while I had both a disappointing DNS and DNF, my heart led me to where I needed to be. I accomplished what I could and despite some very devastating circumstances, I am still proud of what I was able to accomplish, but I am really REALLY grateful for those that showed up for me in the times of utter sadness and despair. My family, my friends, and now how indistinguishable the two are now - my FRAMILY, THANK YOU! These people I know were put in my life for a reason and I am eternally grateful to each of them.  Besides running and grieving the loss of my Momma, I did have some good moments of 2025 and I know she'd want me to continue to find joy. Here are a few of my favorite things from the year of the snake: Favorite Concert:...

"It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." ~Rocky Balboa It was just after 4:00am on Saturday morning and my heart was racing as we drove 80mph on 95N heading to Philadelphia. The car had just slid on the ramp from route 32. Richard was playing it cool, but I could tell he was white knuckling it as the sleet and snow came down heavier outside.  We had to make it to South Philly by 6:55am, 7:00am at the latest, for the unofficial "fat ass" Rocky 50k Run, dammit. This weather was not in the forecast the night before. I thought, maybe, I'd be able to get a little more sleep on the way there as I barely slept, worried I'd miss my 3:30am alarm. I'm glad I finally got up at 3:28am because it turns out I had forgotten to actually turn my alarm on. Oops! Lori was in the back seat and all of our running gear, fuel/food, shoes, post-run clothes, and hydration packs were in the trunk. Richard was already ...