The Life of a Running Momma: May 2026

I haven't updated this in a while and it's the only way I've tracked how many marathons and half marathons I've done so I wanted to get it updated. I'm also pondering running another 50k in 2027, so we'll see what happens! When I went to create an updated post, I found an old one I started in 2024 so I guess I've planned to do this for a while! I am also pondering doing another 50k in 2027. My bone spurs don't do well on paved marathons, but I'm thinking I'd be okay on a gravel or trail marathon. There are some 50k or ultra options that I've had my eye on for a while so I just may make it happen. We will see what happens!

Half Marathons:

1:30:41, Golden Driller Half Marathon, 2019
1:31:06, Aquarium Run, 2018
1:31:35, Mighty Mo Half Marathon, 2007

1:31:49, Route 66 Half Marathon, 2016

1:32:32, Route 66 Half Marathon, 2019

1:32:39, Route 66 Half Marathon, 2007

1:32:55, Prairie Fire Half Marathon, 2018

1:34:11, Run for the Ranch Half Marathon, 2007

1:34:13, Aquarium Run Half Marathon, 2017

1:34:40, Aquarium Run Half Marathon, 2019

1:35:25, Little Rock Half Marathon, 2009
1:35:43, Route 66 Half Marathon, 2015 (8 months after Elise was born)

1:35:56, Joplin Memorial Run, 2023

1:36:49, Virtual Chisholm Trail Half Marathon, 2020

1:36:55, Mythical Half Marathon, 2021

1:36:58, Half and Half Paved Half Marathon, 2022 (weekend after a 20 mile long run, that was a 1st)
1:36:59, Jenks Half Marathon, 2013 (10 months after Carter was born)

1:37:29, Run OK Virtual Half Marathon, 2020
1:38:05, Prairie Fire Half Marathon, 2013 (9 months after Carter was born)

1:38:20, Route 66 Half Marathon, 2023

1:39:11, Half and Half Paved Half Marathon, 2023 (the day after a 5k)

1:39:56, Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon, 2026
1:41:08, Prairie Fire Half Marathon, 2015 (7 months after Elise was born)

1:43:20, Joplin Memorial Run, 2024 (about a month after the Boston Marathon)

1:43:25, Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon, 2025

1:46:23, Rocky Mountain Half Marathon, 2022 (at altitude and I had no issues!)
1:51:40, Route 66 Half Marathon, 2011 (ran the race sick)

1:51:26, Half N Half Trail Half Marathon, 2025
1:56:44, Prairie Fire Half Marathon, 2014 (14 weeks pregnant with Elise)
2:01:50, Hospital Hill Half Marathon, 2008 (I ran this one after being sick for over a month and learned to respect the distance!)
2:18:12, Route 66 Half Marathon, 2012 (32 weeks pregnant with Carter)

Totals:
31 half-marathons
2 run while pregnant
4 run less than a year after giving birth

2 Virtual Halves (thanks, Covid!)

After finishing my most recent half marathon, the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.

25ks:

2:11:21, Pumpkin Holler 25k, 2022

2:14:20, War Eagle Trail Running Festival 25k, 2020

2:17:09, War Eagle Trail Running Festival 25k, 2022

2:29:30, Flint and Steel Trail 25k, 2021

2:37:59, Armadillo Ultra Trail 25k, 2018

Cresting a hill during my most recent 25k at Pumpkin Holler.

Marathons:

3:25:27, Route 66 Marathon, 2018

3:28:18, Houston Marathon, 2023

3:38:58, Grandma's Marathon, 2023

3:38:58, Route 66 Marathon, 2017

3:40:05, Route 66 Marathon, 2008
3:43:04, Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, 2009 (The wind was out of control.)

3:45:55, Boston Marathon, 2024 (My 1st Star!)

3:46:15, Virtual Boston Marathon, 2020

3:51:20, Chicago Marathon, 2025 (My 2nd Star!)

3:58:04, Route 66 Marathon, 2009 (Ran with a sinus infection and bronchitis.)

Totals:
10 marathons
3 BQs (Interestingly enough, not my 3 fastest marathons. Since Boston Qualifying times keep getting faster, I qualified with a 3:40 when I was in my 20's and then didn't qualify with a 3:38 when I was in my 30's!)

1 Virtual Race (thanks, Covid!)

After finishing my most recent marathon in Chicago.

50k:

4:38:40, Walnut River Gravel Run 50k, 2021

Other Random Race I Wanted to Include:

20 miles at 3 Hour Snake Run in 2:53:20, 2024

This race is really special to my family and we make it a point to run it every year that we can. The Get Busy Livin Foundation was formed in honor of Dylan Meier. Jeremy graduated high school with him. They use the money raised at this race and other events to grant scholarships to local athletes since Dylan played football and ran track at Pittsburg High School and went on to play football for K-State. I still remember getting ready while listening to the radio when I was teaching in Lamar and hearing the news that he had died in a hiking accident in Arkansas. We all put our whole hearts into this race each year to honor his legacy. When I realized running this race would mean it would be my 3rd race in 3 weekends and I'd run it less than a week after a half-marathon, I didn't hesitate for a moment, I was all in. Going into this year's race, I had won 6 of the 11 years it was run and had only missed one race (last year because it fell right after Leina broke her back and I didn't want to be out of town while she was in the hospital here). The first year of the race I was training Ty to run his first 5k at our wedding and was pretty out of shape. The next year I felt horrible and didn't know why. I later found out I was pregnant with Carter, but didn't know it yet and that was likely what impacted my race. The 3rd year Carter was 4 months old. The 4th year was the first year I won and I was able to do so a month after having a miscarriage which was a huge win and helped uplift me while I was struggling mentally and emotionally. Then the 5th year I ran when Elise was less than a month old. The following year I won again and it started my streak which has not ended yet. I'm hoping to make it to 9 wins since Dylan's football number was 9. That would make it so special!

The shirt designs are always awesome!

The Thursday before the race my quads were still feeling pretty tired from the half-marathon. I wasn't sure how the 5k would go. I told myself if I could run 2 sub-22 5ks back to back in a 10k, I should be able to run one 5k in under 22:00 even though it was so soon after a half. I decided my goal was to finish in under 22 minutes. Thomas also said that was his goal, but I was pretty confident he would be well under that and way ahead of me. The race started at 9:30 so I set an alarm for 8:00, just in case I slept in. I woke up to my alarm so I really slept in! I got up and did some yoga, drank some coffee, and headed out for my warm up to the race start at 9:00. It was shockingly chilly for a May morning in Kansas. It was 52 degrees when I left the house for my warm up so I borrowed a long sleeved shirt from my dad to stay warm. I was wishing I had a headband to run in as well. Once I got going I realized I didn't need a headband because there wasn't much wind and I didn't really need the long sleeved either. I probably could have gotten away without it. I wished it had been cool for the half marathon because the weather for this race was absolutely perfect!

I got to the race, put my bib on, and did a quick restroom break. Then it was time to head to the start. No one was really wanting to go to the front so I headed up toward the front. We took off and there were some high school aged boys who took out sprinting. They left the stadium and ran across and over into the grass on the other side of the road. I was a little confused about what they were doing and ran down the road as usual. I was immediately out in first female. I figured I'd run around 7:00 pace but decided not to look at my watch and just focus on what felt right. I took off and felt surprisingly smooth and strong. When we got onto the Watco trail I started passing a lot of the boys who went out really fast. I was confused when the guys turned left off the Watco trail earlier than I expected and were following a lead vehicle. I was hoping the truck wasn't leading them astray. After the race Thomas said someone yelled to them to run straight so they kept going on the Watco trail and then the people in the truck yelled at them to turn and follow them.

By the mile mark I was in 7th overall and I was shocked when my first mile split was 6:47. I did not expect to run that fast! I knew that was a little fast, but I felt strong and just kept trucking along. It was fun being close to the leaders because I was watching the race to top overall males unfold in front of me. We turned toward Lincoln Park and then ran a different way. I realized the course was different than in previous years and started wondering if we were running a past course, but backwards. I went through mile 2 in 6:48 and was really excited. I expected to slow in the 2nd mile since my first mile was a lot faster than I expected. I had moved up to 5th overall and Thomas had moved into the front of the race. Shortly after he took the lead, the 2 guys who had been running together in front took off around him. During mile 3 I started feeling the fatigue in my legs and told myself to keep pushing as hard as I could because I might be able to sneak under 21 minutes. We ran past some people out walking the race and one of them was a friend's mom. They were cheering for me and then she said, "I think that's Elizabeth!" It was funny. I passed the guy ahead of me when we hit the Watco trail with around a half mile to go. My last mile split was 6:52 as I was entering the stadium. I turned the corner and kicked it in as much as I could. I was excited to see the clock was significantly under 21 minutes so I had time to finish in under 21:00. I ran the last portion of the race in 6:29 pace. Mom and Elise stayed at the stadium and walked and played. It was fun to hear Elise cheering for me.

I got some water and then ran out with Elise to cheer for dad and Michaela. She ran in with Michaela and I ran in with dad. Then I finished out more of a cool down before the awards ceremony. Thomas finished in 3rd out of 57 overall and 2nd in his age group with a time of 20:39. I finished 4th overall and 1st out of 29 women with a time of 20:57. Michaela was 17th overall, 5th female, and 1st of 10 in her age group. Dad was 21st overall and 3rd in his age group with a time of 27:07. While we were waiting on awards some of the guys I went to high school with asked me how many times I've won the race and I wasn't sure. They said, "You've still got it!" During the race there was a small kid running up front and he ended up winning the race. I was so surprised and found out afterward that he was the son of a girl I graduated with and was only 12 years old! After awards we went to the Farmer's Market across the street and then walked about a mile to the coffee shop to get coffee. It was a wonderful morning and I am still so thrilled with my spring season. I would have been happy with just running sub-44 for a 10k, just sub-1:40 for a half, or just a sub-21 5k. So I was beyond thrilled to have run all 3 and in back to back to back weekends. As I've gotten older, I don't recover as well from races so I never expected to have such great races all back to back. One of my friends told me I am proof that age is just a number. I told her age is more than a number and I can attest to that! Recovery is hard! When I look at my times over the years, especially in the 5k and at this race, it really puts in perspective what I'm still doing at almost 40 years old! My marathons and half-marathons have gotten significantly slower, but I'm still doing pretty well in the shorter distances. I'm just so thankful for every race and every starting line because I know how much my bone spurs impact me and how when they cause the pain to flare up, they can take it all away.