A year of small changes can make a huge difference. Some of the biggest difference between these two races, you can’t see in these pictures.

*My finish times 2015 1hr 23 min 42 sec 2016 1hr 17 min 55sec

In 2015, I was struggling with heel pain and I was not trained for this race. Actually I had not ran since July and The Great Race took place in October. I was really struggling to finish this race. I walked a lot more of the race that I would have like. I was proud that I finished but I was not happy with the race. I ended the race in pain and just glad to be done. I was very undecided if I was going to run this race again.

In 2016, I am no longer having heel pain. I was not actively training for this race however I was running a 5k close to every weekend. I believe that my daily workouts and healthier diet set me up to have a great race :-). At the end of the race in 2016, I was smiling and I felt good. I was very proud of my performance, very happy with the race, and The Great Race 10K will be on the list to do again in 2017.

I was also 15 pounds lighter and I felt stronger in the 2016 race compared to the 2015 race. I believe that much of my success in the 2016 race compared to the 2015 race was that I started November 2015 with daily 30 minutes workouts, started making sure that I was getting good nutrition daily, and that I got help for my heel pain. Sometimes asking for help is the hardest thing however I got help along with exercises and stretch to keep the pain away. Next big race for me is the EQT 10 Miler in November.