Faster with age · Katy Walmsley · 45 to 49 age group
Faster With Age: A Busy Mom of Three Runs an 11 Minute Boston PR
Katy coaches athletes, covers a Masters swim group and raises three kids. She ran Boston 2026 in 3:28:46. Here is how we coached her: the blocks, why each one, and how they fit her life.
Photo: Katy Walmsley, from her own Instagram, used with her OK.
The short answer
Can a busy mom get faster as she gets older?
One plan, built from her. Every zone and her race pace came from her own Critical Speed and Critical Power tests, retested before Boston.
The bike and pool carried extra aerobic work, so her legs stayed ready for the runs that mattered.
Her week set the dose. Sessions moved around school runs, track meets and basketball games.
Age didn't set her limits. Her own numbers did.
How we coached her
Each block had one job
Each sport got its own decision. Run on top, bike below. The dashed lines are the checks that decided what came next.
The run moved through five blocks; the bike moved on its own
- What she did
- Easy Z1 and recovery runs, Z1 runs with short pick ups kept below Critical Speed, and Low Z2 intervals.
- Why we chose it
- Early in a build we start with base and durability, so joints, tendons and run legs are ready before speed work arrives.
- What it told us
- Her run fitness was already in the range we look for in a marathoner’s base. Ready to raise the floor.
- What she did
- 8 Sweet Spot interval runs, 3 Z1 runs with progressive Z2 finishes, and recovery runs.
- Why we chose it
- Instead of jumping straight into threshold, we bridge. Most of the stress stays aerobic while a smaller share moves up.
- What it told us
- Weekly running rose from about 21.5 miles in December toward the 33 she averaged across January and February.
- What she did
- 6 Sweet Spot interval runs and 4 Z1 runs with progressive Z2 finishes.
- Why we chose it
- Raise sustainable speed, the staying power a marathon needs, on top of a bigger aerobic base.
- What it told us
- Her late February retest put her sustainable speed close to her top end. Next job: raise the top end.
- What she did
- VO2 Max intervals and over unders.
- Why we chose it
- With the floor up near the ceiling, the ceiling had to move.
- What it told us
- March 18, in her words: "These intervals are definitely pushing the top end of my abilities!" Eleven days later, a 1:34:09 half best.
- What she did
- Race intensity intervals, Z1 runs with race intensity finishes, and a 27.6 km long run on April 6. Three race plans matched to the miles she could really run. She used the middle one.
- Why we chose it
- Race specific work is an overlay, not a floor. It teaches pacing, fueling and restraint. We plan the final two weeks by hand so form lands in a set positive range on race morning.
- What it told us
- April 14: "Let’s focus on recovery and readiness." She reached Boston with her freshest run legs of the build.
- What she did
- Low Z1 rides, LT1 high torque intervals and Top Z1 intervals, plus 1 to 3 Masters swims a week.
- Why we chose it
- The bike made its own decision. It stayed aerobic while the run took the new load.
- What it told us
- Her total fitness kept climbing while the run did the new work.
- What she did
- Threshold work on the bike once the run was set.
- Why we chose it
- With the run block settled, the bike could move up without taking from her running.
- What it told us
- Angela on her swims: "Get good strength work and recovery for the legs."
Fit to her life
A week built around three kids
Pre dawn was her window, so the plan fit around it.
Basketball took the afternoon? The session moved to the morning.
Holidays at her mom’s house? "At my mom’s house so had to ride outside."
Running was never the whole week
Run load grew, held steady, then dropped for Boston
Her strengths
More engine, without more pounding
A triathlete’s advantage. She kept swimming and riding through the whole build.
Fitness (CTL) is a running average of about six weeks of training. Think of it as the size of the engine.
Bike and swim carried the fitness gain
Fitness held above 100 from late January to April
Results
A half marathon best, then Boston
March 29, in her words: "That was hard but I felt really strong! So happy with a new half marathon PR." Angela: "THIS IS FANTASTIC!!!!!"
Her run legs arrived at Boston fresh
Race day. Race pace from her February retest, a half marathon best behind her, fresh legs. She crossed the line in 3:28:46, an 11 minute PR over her last two marathons.
The ANC difference
What makes ANC coaching different
StressLogic, applied to Katy
How we coached Katy: see how we calibrate zones with CP and CS testing, how we harmonize training with family life, and the block types behind her five run blocks.
Questions runners ask
FAQ
Can a busy parent PR a marathon on a family schedule?
Yes. Katy’s sessions fit around school runs and basketball games, and she still ran an 11 minute PR at Boston.
Can you get faster at the marathon as you get older?
Yes. Katy ran her 2026 Boston Marathon 11 minutes 56 seconds faster than her 2019 New York City Marathon, with training built from her own numbers.
How did Katy get faster without just running more?
Extra aerobic work came from the bike and the pool. Her total fitness rose while her run fitness stayed steady.
What is Critical Speed?
The pace you can hold for a long time before fatigue climbs fast. We work it out from your own 400, 800 and 3200, then use it to set run zones and race pace.
Is heart rate enough to guide training?
No. We use heart rate together with power, pace and feel.
Related: Katy's full Boston case study · Qualify for Boston while working full time · Online marathon coaching
Want your own numbers and a plan built from them?
angelanaethcoaching.comData: TrainingPeaks workouts and tests read through the ANC app, Dec 2025 to Apr 2026. Shared with Katy's OK.
Boston photos via Wikimedia Commons: finish line by Bill Morrow (CC BY 2.0); Hopkinton start by John Phelan (CC BY-SA 4.0); Charles River by Ethan Dyson (CC BY-SA 4.0); Boylston Street by Emw (CC BY-SA 3.0). Photos lightened as backgrounds.
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