She Runs by the Seashore

The MD-DC RRCA 10 Mile Club Challenge, organized by the Howard County Striders, is definitely the toughest race on my annual schedule, but it’s a great event, and I love representing the Eastern Shore Running Club.

This race is only open to members of Road Runners Club of America clubs in Maryland and Washington, D.C. I’m the president of the Eastern Shore Running Club, and this was my seventh year participating in this race. This year, ESRC combined forces with the Kent Island Running Group to bring a stronger team from the Eastern Shore, which we called The Running Clubs of the Eastern Shore.

This is always a highly competitive race, with plenty of fast times. I wanted to do as well as I could, and certainly beat my time from last year, when I ran while sick and didn’t feel well. I was also hoping to come in under two hours. While my running over the weeks leading up to this race was less than it usually is, I had been going to the gym more regularly than I used to, and I was hoping my time on the stair climber would help with the course’s many hills.

I usually make the drive up that morning, but this year, I stayed with family on the other side of the bridge and had a shorter drive to Columbia on race morning, Feb. 23. I volunteered to hand out bibs to our team members and we got an ESRC photo (and I also got in a KIRG photo) before the race began at 8 a.m. It was a cold morning for a run.

The race starts at Howard Community College and is mostly in nearby residential areas. The first two miles are the easiest of the course, and my mile times showed it. I started the run with my fastest mile of the day, 10:03, followed by my second-fastest, 10:54. Normally it might not be ideal to bank time, but I knew I would slow down later with the hills, so it felt good to run a couple miles starting with a “10.” I knew in order to break two hours, I’d need to keep my pace under a 12:00/mile average.

The first really big uphill of the course is during Mile 3 (right after a big downhill), and there’s also a water stop around that point. Then, we make a loop and head down (and back up) before heading onto some of the most challenging hills of the course.

I knew I would walk some, and I certainly did on the uphills, but I was trying to make sure I kept my average under 12:00. My first five miles were under 12:00. Then, I ran Mile 6 in 13:27.

Since I’ve run the course so many times now, I remembered where I’d be able to speed up and where there would be hills. There is a flatter stretch near Atholton High School (it might not be flat, but it feels like it after the rest of the course). I also got water from the two other water stops on the course.

As I got closer to the end, I figured I would make my goal. I was trying to remember other recent times on the course, and I had 1:56 in mind as a time to beat. Last year, while sick, I ran 2:05; the year before that, I ran 1:54; but I actually did run 1:58 in 2022, so I missed beating that time by several seconds.

However, I was pleased with my time this year — 1:58:25. Last year, I only came in ahead of two people, but this year, I came in 553rd of 580. Most importantly, I felt much better and stronger.

It was also fun partnering with the Kent Island Running Group — the group and its members are awesome! Because of our partnership, our combined team was able to place in more categories than ESRC has been able to before — coed team, female team, male team, female under 40, male grand masters (50+) and female grand masters (50+). The only categories we did not fill were male under 40 and male and female masters (40-49).

Teams need to have a certain amount of runners to place in each category, but slower times can only help the team, not hurt it. For example, I had one of the slower times on our team, but because we had four female under 40 runners and we needed four female under 40 runners to qualify for that age group, my time was able to count toward the scoring.

I encourage all eligible runners to come out, as long as they can make the two hour and 10 minute cutoff. It’s a great way to show team spirit and also tackle a challenging course.

It’s also an affordable race, at $40, and each club can subsidize some or all of the entry. ESRC pays $10 of the $40 fee for its team members. Swag this year was race gloves, with the addition of a winter head wrap.

After the race, I earned a fuzzy blanket for winning my age group in last year’s Maryland/DC Grand Prix Series. In 2024, I ran four of the races in the series — the Club Challenge, the Dog Days 8K Cross Country Run, the Historic Stevensville Distance Festival 8.15-miler and the NCR Marathon. I was the only person in my age group (female 30-34) who finished four of the races, but still, it was a fun challenge and I plan to do it again in 2025.

I always enjoy this race and hope The Running Clubs of the Eastern Shore can bring an even bigger team next year!

Splits

Mile 1: 10:03
Mile 2: 10:54
Mile 3: 11:40
Mile 4: 11:20
Mile 5: 11:53
Mile 6: 13:27
Mile 7: 11:58
Mile 8: 12:34
Mile 9: 12:33
Mile 10: 11:12
Last bit (watch had 10.1): 48.7 (7:48 pace)

Final: 1:58:27 / 11:43 pace; Official time (chip): 1:58:25