I'm back to Boston this weekend for Monday's Tufts 10k for Women. This is my 3rd year here and I have to say that it's wonderful to be back. The race always takes such good care of the elite athletes, providing us with travel, hotel, and a great pre-race reception. A big thank you to everyone at Tufts Health Plan and Conventures for their generous support of elite runners and for promoting health and wellness! In a time when our sport is losing financial support, the generosity of Tufts and Conventures is even more appreciated!

I'm looking forward to donning the purple New Balance Silicon Valley jersey tomorrow for the first time in a while. This year's field is more competitive than ever and I certainly have my work cut out for me - there will be a lot of talented women (including some Olympians!) toeing the line. I was 20th here in 2011 in 35:39 and 19th in 2012 while running my road PR of 33:55, so I'm hoping to finish somewhere in between that tomorrow. I also hope to emulate the official race mantra -- "Start strong, finish stronger." But no matter how things play out on the race course, I'm just thankful to be here, healthy, and amongst good friends and teammates. Here's to a great (and joyful!) race!