A Conversation with Bradley Award winner Meghan Lynch

GBTC Member and Mt. Holyoke graduate Meghan Lynch was selected to receive the Margaret Bradley award for 2009. She used the award to travel to the Bay to Breakers 12k in San Francisco. The Wingfoot caught up with her a couple of weeks later.

Wingfoot: You won the Bradley award, which for the first time was not limited to the Chicago marathon. How did you go about selecting your event?

Meghan Lynch: Well, I knew that I wanted to run something shorter than 10miles; I've never run a race longer than a 10K so I didn't want to go too high on the mileage. So that narrowed races a little bit. I really wasn't sure if I wanted to run a road race or a track race. I thought that the track would yield a faster time, possibly a PR, but a road race would be so much more enjoyable with a big crowd cheering and lots of runners to chase. I also spoke with my teammates and Sara Donahue mentioned Bay to Breakers. I thought that I would check out the website and it looked like a gigantic party with some very talented elite runners in the mix. I thought that this would be the perfect way to celebrate life and running together which made it a great Bradley award race.

WF: You started in the elite field, right?
ML: In the seeded field so right behind the pro men. There were about 10 elite women, I think they were invited to run.

WF: There were some big names there, like Deena Kastor. Was this your first time running near such famous people?
ML: Yes!! It was very exciting to be starting so close to such talented women who I have always admired as runners.

WF: You must have been pleased with your place - 19th woman, right?
ML: I was very pleased and a bit surprised. Timewise, I didn't run quite as fast as I had wanted so I didn't think I had placed as high.
interview continues below - click "more"

WF: At least this was an automatic PR for you if you'd never raced longer than 10k. What was the course like, in terms of difficulty, hills etc?
ML: Well, it was really hot out. I guess it was unusually hot for the time of year and the course was all on dark pavement with very little tree covering until about mile 5. Heat always makes courses more challenging for me. The course itself started out on a little gradual uphill, which wasn't too bad but then there's Hayes hill at around 2-3 miles. This hill looks like a typical San Fransisco hill, only when I got to the top my ears popped - so it's a pretty big hill. Then it got a little easier but not by much. I would say it was one of the most difficult courses I have run in a while.

WF: Well, that certainly explains why your time wasn't what you'd hoped for. I know another GBTC runner in the race (Bill Newsham) ended up losing a battle with a pink gorilla. Did you race against any costumed runners?
ML: Haha, the pink gorilla passed me at around mile 4-5...that was a humbling experience. There were 1 or 2 guys wearing homemade capes and masks, made of trashbags and streamers. There was also a guy who passed me right before mile 4 who was holding a Krispy Kreme donut box with some donuts inside. Other than that I wasn't in a tight race with any elaborate costumes. At the start I was able to see some of the costumed runners and they had some interesting ideas - I saw fairies and bunnies. It was pretty funny.

WF: You've run a lot of PRs since you joined GBTC last year. Any thoughts on what's changed since you finished college?
ML: There has been a lot that has changed. My body has finally adapted to running and I haven't been injured at all this year, which means that I have been able to run higher mileage. Having such talented teammates on GBTC who make me work hard every practice has also helped. In college I was one of the top runners, so I never had anyone really push me during workouts. Finally, I have become a lot more relaxed when it comes to racing. In college it was all about who was the best on the team, now it's all about who is the best club in Boston. Meaning that as a team GBTC works really hard together; the members on the team really want to see others on the team flourish in their running.

WF: I can see you've been listening to Tom. What's next on your racing calendar, and what are your longer term training/racing plans?
ML: Haha, Tom has also been a big influence in my running. The next race I am planning on competing in is the Rhody 5K. I'm really excited for that race, it should be a fast and competitive 5K. I will probably do some track races, mainly staying in the 5K/10K realm but hopefully I will be able to do a 1500 just to get a fast PR in that event. Then it will be time for some summer base mileage, and then cross country will start up. I'm pretty much in the same routine as I was in high school and college with XC season and track season. I like the 5k/10K distances but I hope in a few more years to get into the half-marathon and marathon races and see if I like the longer distances.

WF: Well, Rhody is always hot and shadeless, so you're well prepared for that. Not quite as scenic as Bay to Breakers, sadly. Any parting thoughts about the Bradley award?
ML: I would just like to say that being this year's recipient was a great honor and thank you to everyone on the team for choosing me to be this year's recipient, it was such a great surprise. I learned so much about the life of Margaret, how she deeply touched everyone on the team. I hope I will be able to help this award continue to flourish in the future because it is such a great way to celebrate life and running.