• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Mile By Mile

Life is what happens when you're busy running marathons...

  • Home
    • Contact Page
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recent Posts
  • Run Coaching
    • Coaching Philosophy
    • Contact Page
  • Left Menu Extras

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • Training Plans & Downloadable Resources
    • Store
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • Virtual Race Resource Guide
  • Running
    • Running Posts
      • Runners’ Roundup
      • Fartlek Friday
    • Favorites
    • Races
    • Workouts
      • Running Workouts
      • Strength Training Workouts
  • Right Menu Extras

in Races · July 8, 2014

Molly Murphy Memorial 5k Race Recap

On Sunday morning I participated in the Molly Murphy Memorial 5k with my family. My sister’s coworker had organized the race with her family in memory of their cousin. The race was to help raise awareness of anxiety and depression in young adults.

It was held at a high school track, which isn’t too far outside of Baltimore, but it was about 45 minutes from my parents’ house where we had all stayed for the weekend. We were on the road at 6:30 am to get there in time to pick up our bibs and warm up a little before the race started.

lisa katie prerace
mom dad katie prerace

Molly Murphy Memorial 5k

There were about 200 participates, but no chip timing. Rob and I lined up pretty close to the front so that our times wouldn’t be affected by starting late.

lisa rob prerace

The race began with 2 laps around the track. I forgot how nice it is to run on a REAL track! I ran behind Rob and he ended up pacing me for most of the race. After the 2 laps around the track  we headed down to the street for an out and back course, before finishing with another 2 laps around the track. There were small hills along the streets but nothing terrible. It was also fun doing the out and back because we got to cheer for other runners along the way!

rob lisa race

 My sister caught a picture of me chasing behind Rob, and our dad is in front of her waving.

lisa rob race 1She also got a picture of my mom on the course 

mom race

The weather was ideal for a July day- probably around 65 degrees at the start. By the end it was hot, but nowhere near as bad as it could be.

image

Official time was 21:40, 2 seconds off my PR but got me 1st place in my age group. Rob finished 5 seconds ahead of me and also got first in his age group!

lisa award
lisa rob awards

I wasn’t trying to PR, so I was really happy with this time for not giving it 100% effort.

The rest of my family did awesome as well! It was nice that we finished the last 1/2 mile on the track because I was able to get lots of action shots!

IMG_3200
katie 1
mom finishing
monika
john 2

After the awards we headed to a local diner to eat! It was definitely fun doing a smaller race with family and friends!

Molly Murphy Memorial 5k

Have you ever done a race with a group of family and/or friends?
Anyone else race over the 4th of July weekend?

You may also like:
Couch to 5k Training: How to Successfully Train for Your First Race
Chipping Away At My 5k Time
Race Preparation Guide for the 5k to the Marathon

Coaching

Interested in learning more about the coaching services I offer? Learn more here!

Newsletter Sign up

Subscribe to the Mile by Mile Newsletter for Updates, Running Tips, and More!

* indicates required
Previous Post: « Weekend Photos and Post 4th of July Meal Plan and Prep
Next Post: Running, Lately (Workouts 6/22-7/5) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chrissy @Pink Polish and Running Shoes says

    July 8, 2014 at 10:15 am

    That looks like fun!

  2. Runner Girl Eats says

    July 8, 2014 at 10:18 am

    Speedy! Congrats on a great race and 1st in your age group 🙂

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 3:35 pm

      Thanks!

  3. Susie @ SuzLyfe says

    July 8, 2014 at 10:34 am

    What a great way to spend the weekend, with family and friends and also to support a cause that is close to you. That is fantastic that for a more “informal” race they still had such a great turnout! And way to kill it out there!

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 3:35 pm

      Thanks! Yea it was awesome how many people came out to run or walk!

  4. Kyndal says

    July 8, 2014 at 10:45 am

    Congratulations – those small races are so fun! I ran two of them this weekend and got first in my age group for both. I was so excited.

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 3:36 pm

      Thanks and congrats to you, too! Two races and awards in one weekend?! That’s awesome!

  5. Kate the great says

    July 8, 2014 at 11:12 am

    I love Linda.
    Congrats!

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 3:37 pm

      Doesn’t she look like a pro running up that hill?

  6. Sam @ The Running Graduate says

    July 8, 2014 at 11:34 am

    Awesome job, and congrats on winning the age group!
    I did a race with a bunch of friends/classmates in April in Canton and it was a lot of fun! I finished first out of the group, so it was nice to see everyone else finish.

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 3:38 pm

      Thanks! Group races are so fun!

  7. Michele @ paleorunningmomma says

    July 8, 2014 at 12:43 pm

    Wow that was awesome! You are fast! Congrats on both of you winning your age group! That’s so cool that your family ran and it looks like such a fun time 🙂

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 3:41 pm

      Thanks! It was fun having them participate in the race! My mom even said she would like to run races like that more often!

  8. Amy says

    July 8, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    Your time is awesome! Way to go for not even giving 100%! I like doing smaller races sometimes, especially with friends and family. That is one of the main reasons I love running our local Turkey Trot. Everyone is home for the holidays, and it is so much fun.

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 3:42 pm

      That sounds like fun, too! I’ve been really liking the smaller races lately. Its nice to not worry about parking, lines, etc and just run!

  9. Natalie @ Never Serious Blog says

    July 8, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    I’ve done just a 5k with my husband once, but I can’t imagine how fun it would be to do a race with the whole family! That is IF I could EVER talk my family into running in the first place! Looks like such a fun weekend and congrats on the win!

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 3:43 pm

      Thanks! A few years ago I don’t think I could have gotten anyone in my family to run a race! They all seemed to like working towards a goal and the accomplishment on finishing the race.

  10. Alli says

    July 8, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    your family is the cutest.

    look at you two just winning races like its no big deal..

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 3:44 pm

      Ha! If you notice, we only get awards in the super small races:) But it is always exciting to place!

  11. Kristina @ Blog About Running says

    July 8, 2014 at 5:48 pm

    That’s awesome that so many people in your family ran the 5K! Congrats to you and Rob for wining first place in your age groups and basically being crowned King and Queen of the race!

    I would love to do a race with family members but unfortunately there are no other runners in my family 🙁

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 7:38 pm

      Haha thank you!
      Maybe you can work on getting your family to try a 5k! Even if they have to walk some of it, its still a fun activity and awesome accomplishment!

  12. Salt says

    July 8, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    Umm and you weren’t even trying!? That’s a fantastic time! Congrats on the AG win! You were right up the street from my house. 🙂 (I need to go take advantage of that track!)

    • [email protected] says

      July 8, 2014 at 7:32 pm

      Thanks!- I wasn’t “trying” to PR but I was definitely racing:) You’re the second person who told me they live near the high school! I used to work up there so I expected it to be way hillier than it actually was. Maybe if they have it again next year you can run it since its so convenient for you!

  13. Nicole@thegirlwhoraneverywhere says

    July 9, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    Congratulations on the AG win and that’s super speedy! I did a 4th of July race with three girlfriends last week..it was a BLAST!!!!!

    • [email protected] says

      July 9, 2014 at 5:25 pm

      Thank you! And that sounds like so much fun!

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

logo
Food Advertisements by

Training Plans and Running Guides

Training Plans
  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Past Posts

Categories

VDOT Certified Coach

VDOT Certified Coach

RRCA Certified Coach

RRCA Certified Coach
logo
Food Advertisements by
logo
Food Advertisements by

© 2025 Mile By Mile Blog All rights reserved

Footer

Mile By Mile Running

Life Is What Happens When You're Busy Running Marathons

Lets Run!
  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Alright, my last post about the Richmond Marathon Alright, my last post about the Richmond Marathon (maybe). This one is about lessons learned/areas for improvement.

1) Starting in the right corral- I knew I wanted to start a little slow but I think I started too far back and I ended up boxed in later in the race. 

2) Increasing fueling- I think I did the best I could on this day but now that I know more about what works/doesn’t work for me I think I can try to get my carbs/hr a little higher for next time

3) Self-doubt- On paper I knew my training showed I could run a certain time. My coach knew I could run a certain time. But deep down did I believe I could run that time? I’m not really sure.

4) My right piriformis- This little muscle has been giving me trouble FOREVER and it likes to rear its ugly head the most during races. I’m working with a PT but it’s hard to address the issue when I can go months without any problems and then at mile 15 of a marathon it starts acting up. So while this is certainly an area for improvement I am not really sure what I’ll be able to do to keep it from happening next time.

5) Ignore the data leading up to the race- During race week my sleep scores were horrible, my HRV tanked, and my watch told me I was “strained”. I might just stop wearing it during the taper next time.

What lessons have you learned during a marathon or big race?

@richmondmarathon #racerecap
It’s been 5 days since the Richmond Marathon and i It’s been 5 days since the Richmond Marathon and it feels like a lifetime ago! I am working on my full race recap which I will post on my website but I wanted to share some reflections on here. Today I want to focus on what went well. Every finish line is an accomplishment, and while every race can teach us something I think it’s always important to focus on the positive.

First off, Richmond was a great race with amazing crowd support! There were some hills (a few steeper than I expected) but nothing crazy.

Fueling went well- after my train wreck of a run a few weeks ago I had to adjust my fueling plan and took out the Tailwind High Carb and went back to regular Skratch instead. I tried to make up for the difference with gels but my overall carbs per hour was a little less than it had been when using the Tailwind. I think I got about 65 g/hour so I’d like to get that up a bit next time but I didn’t get nauseous and took gels up until the end of the race.

Shoes felt good- during that same training run I had some top of foot soreness from my laces. I changed my lacing technique and had no issues on race day. 

Mindset- I did a lot of work preparing for the race mentally and was able to use those strategies during the race. I focused on one mile at a time and shifted my goals when I knew my original goal was not going to happen. 

Pacing- Even though I didn’t run my goal pace I was able to run fairly consistently without drastically slowing down at the end. 

Recovery- I felt pretty good following the race and wasn’t even sore anymore by Tuesday. This was probably the least sore I’ve been after a marathon.

Strong training cycle- this year I feel like I’ve been clawing my way back to where I was a year ago after several illnesses last winter and spring. I had a great training cycle with @lauranorrisrunning and I know I’ve made more progress than my race time shows.

Marathons are a huge investment so I really tried to make the most of the experience!

@richmondmarathon #racerecap
Happy Medal Monday! I can’t believe the Richmond M Happy Medal Monday! I can’t believe the Richmond Marathon was only 2 days ago. I’m barely sore (probably because I was trained for a faster time than I ran) and am feeling good.

I included a list of my marathon times on the last slide here, which I posted in my stories yesterday. I got some messages about how others can relate to feeling like their times “reset” at a certain point- whether it was after an injury, having kids, or just time off from running.

I think we can get so caught up in PRs that it may take away from the overall progress made in the process of training. Sure, there are runners who come back from having kids and immediately set a new lifetime PR. But many of us will need to chip away at our times to get to where we want to be.

Focusing on progress and the gains made in a training cycle vs a specific race time can help to keep things in perspective!

Now, I’m trying to figure out spring racing plans. What’s everyone running this spring?

#medalmonday
What a day! This race (and really, this week) was What a day! This race (and really, this week) was a rollercoaster. I knew pretty early on that my legs and my lungs were not feeling my goal pace. Each time I sped up it felt really hard- way too hard to not even be at 10 miles yet. So I just focused on running the effort that my body would allow. I used all the mental strategies I had to get through each mile. Ultimately, I wanted to run faster than my marathon last November, which I did by almost 2 minutes, making this a postpartum PR. More importantly, I smiled almost the whole time.

After finishing we had to rush to get out of our hotel room and spent the whole afternoon driving home. Over the past 2 days I’ve spent almost 10 hours in the car.

More to come soon…just hoping to get home and get some rest soon!

#richmondmarathon
Follow on Instagram

Some of the links on my site are affiliate links. This means that I may receive a small compensation for clicks and/or purchases, but this will not cost you anything. Your support is greatly appreciated!

 

© Mile By Mile Blog, 2025. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mile by Mile Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Mile by Mile Running · Copyright © 2025

Copyright © 2025 · Carpe Diem on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in