Sara Hall Ran a Ton of Races Well This Year—Here’s How She Did It – Runner’s World

For many pro runners, the year before the Olympic Trials is a year to be selective about racing so they can limit the amount of stress on their bodies before trying to make it to Tokyo. But Sara Hall, 36, took a much different approach this year, putting three marathons, two half marathons, and five more races ranging in distance from 7 miles to 25K on her 2019 calendar.

“I don’t think athletes should be scared of racing,” Hall told Runner’s World at the press conference in advance of the New York City Marathon on Sunday.

In April, the athlete ran 2:35:34 at her Boston Marathon debut, finishing 15th overall. From there, things got a lot better.

Watch: Hall talks about what drives her to compete so often.

Over the next few months, she racked up podium finishes in shorter distances, placing second in both the USATF Half Marathon Championships on May 5—a few weeks after Boston—and the USATF 25K Championships on May 11. She went on to win the New York Road Runners Mini 10K in June. A month later, she was fourth in Australia’s Gold Coast Half Marathon, then finished runner-up in the Falmouth Road Race.

Sound like a lot? She just kept going in the fall.

On September 2, she ran a PR of 1:06:47 to win the USATF 20K Championships, then rebounded on September 29 to run her best performance so far this year: a fifth-place finish at the Berlin Marathon in a PR of 2:22:16. On November 3, she’ll compete in New York City, her third marathon of 2019 and 10th big race of the year.

Berlin was a particularly sweet victory, as Hall was forced to drop out of last year’s race because of a peroneal tendon injury. She said she felt especially strong going into this year’s event and lucked out with a perfect day to run.

“I told myself, ‘it’s go time, I’m taking advantage of this moment. Nothing’s going to stop me in this moment,” Hall said. “You just don’t get perfect race conditions very often, especially on fast courses. I just felt ready to go. I felt like I had been waiting for a long time.”

In Berlin, Hall stuck with the lead pack through most of the first half, running a much faster average pace than Boston. Around the 13.1-mile mark, her husband and coach, former elite marathoner Ryan Hall, told her she could quicken the pace if she felt good. At that point, Hall started doing what she does best—racing.

“I clicked into competing mode,” Hall said. “I wasn’t looking at my watch much, just focusing on racing. I caught some of the prerace favorites, and when I passed Ryan, he said I was in fifth. I was stoked to see the clock.”

Hall didn’t rest much before getting back into marathon training in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she and Ryan live with their four adopted daughters. At home, Hall is sometimes joined on long runs by her oldest daughters, Hana and Mia, who are top runners at Flagstaff High School.

“My long run pace is their tempo pace, so they’ll hop in for a few miles,” Hall said.

The runner chalks up her remarkable ability to race, recover, and race again—sometimes in consecutive weekends—to a combination of natural resilience and decades of consistent hard training. Just two years ago, she did forged a similar path by running two marathon in five weeks—Frankfurt and then the Cal International Marathon.

“I’ve had some practice [racing a lot]. I think I’m just wired that way,” she said. “In high school, I trained more than most high schoolers. I would race Saturday, do a two hour and 15 minute long run Sunday, and the next day I would do intervals with my team—things that I would not recommend for my high school daughters to do, but no one was telling me otherwise.

“I was doing this week in and week out and I never got hurt, so I think that prepped me. I try to take good care of my body and do the little things, too.”

• April 15 – Boston Marathon (Boston) – 15th in 2:35:34
• May 5 – USATF Half Marathon Championships (Pittsburgh) – 2nd in 71:04
• May 11 – USATF 25K Championships (Grand Rapids, Michigan) – 2nd in 1:25:34 (PR)
• June 8 – NYRR Mini 10K (New York) – 1st in 32:27
• July 7 – Gold Coast Half Marathon (Gold Coast, Australia) – 4th in 71:59
• August 18 – Falmouth Road Race (Falmouth Heights, Maine) – 2nd in 36:34 (PR)
• September 2 – USATF 20K Championships (New Haven, Connecticut) – 1st in 66:46 (PR)
• September 29 – Berlin Marathon (Berlin) – 5th in 2:22:16 (PR)
• October 6 – USATF 10 Mile Championships (St. Paul, Minnesota) – 1st in 53:11

Barring the risk of overtraining or injury, racing frequently has its upsides. For one, Hall has received close to $70,000 this year in prize money alone. Competing against strong runners often also helps Hall cope with the mental stress of racing, which is a burden both pro and regular runners know well.

“I think the reason people don’t race a lot is that fear of failure. If you’re in the middle of hard training, you might not want to toe the line if you’re afraid that your legs are tired,” Hall said. “Racing is a lot less stressful when you’re not afraid of failing. You go into it better and come out of it better. When your self-worth and identity isn’t riding on every race, it’s not as high-stakes.”

Going into New York City, Hall said she’s approaching this race like she approaches every race: with excitement to see what she can do.

“I wasn’t able to grasp the excitement of racing until I was over my fear of failure,” Hall said. “Now, I can embrace the race with excitement rather than fear.”

Digital Editor Hailey first got hooked on running news as an intern with Running Times, and now she reports on elite runners and cyclists, feel-good stories, and training pieces for Runner’s World and Bicycling magazines.