Runner's World Heartbreak Hill Half Recap

Shalane and I after the 10K

This weekend ran in Runners' World inaugural Heartbreak Hill Half & Festival. The races I did were the 5K and the 10K, which both took place on Saturday morning (which was called the Five & Dime).

The races all began and ended on BC's campus, with the 5K going around the Chestnut Hill reservoir and the 10K an out-and-back course on Commonwealth Ave. in Newton (along the marathon course). Overall it was a beautiful day and well organized and fun race - basically everything you'd expect from a Runner's World event.

I treated both races as a workout opportunity since I'm still getting back into racing shape following a few weeks off, plus my IT band was very aggravated following last weekend's half marathon. And it turned out I wasn't the only one doing that. Olympic medalist and elite marathon runner Shalane Flanigan also joined the races. She ran with a group of people about 10 seconds behind me in the 5K, but the 10K was an experience that was pretty cool.

For the first four miles of the 10K I was hearing cheers for Shalane from the crowd and fellow runners (after the turnaround point) and realized that she was about 15 meters behind me. Then at mile four she pulled up alongside me and we ran side by side for a mile. It was a pretty cool experience running with an elite, professional runner (even if it was just a workout for her). Between all the cheers (which she was giving back to the other runners), I told her I couldn't wait to see her win Boston. Then I managed to snap a selfie after the race.

Overall - a pretty awesome experience and a really fun race. If Runner's World decided to make this an annual race, I'd highly recommend one - or several of them - to everyone!