"I felt like dropping out at mile three. I just felt awful and could not get comfortable, but as I saw the others I got better; it was the heat. I have a soft spot for Annapolis. The first time I ran it I was 15 years old, in 1979. We started at Severna Park High School and finished in the stadium," stated Grillo of Arlington, VA, the first masters division finisher, in 1:08:27 (9th place), at the 29th Annapolis 10 Mile Run (August 2004).

Many runners share the feeling, and experience is the best teacher. Grillo has perfected her sport. She is a mother of two (Jack, 13 and Molly, 10), and her husband is a runner. Grillo works as an Actuary with GEICO Insurance Company.

Grillo is in the masters division now, where she competes against both open and masters runners. Her life is no different than your average runner in having other priorities with family, work, and sports. Each person finds must balance priorities to have time for those things, which are important. One word can describe her, "consistency."

"Since I started running so early in my life, running has always been a part of my routine. I have had to adjust how it fits into my schedule over the years. With work and two kids' schedules to coordinate, I have to sometimes find creative ways to get my run in. But I have been pretty consistent over the years in my training."

As a freshman at Arundel High School in Gambrills, MD in 1978, she was first introduced to running.

"I went out for the field hockey team as a high school freshman. I was never an athlete and my friend convinced me to join. It wasn't a popular sport at that time so everyone made the team. Our practices involved running about one and one-half miles at the beginning of practice. Having never exercised before that, it was torture at first. I gradually ended up getting in shape and found that I loved the running part and was faster than most of the other girls. So I decided to join the track team after that."

She adds, "I competed in field hockey and track in college, Mount St. Mary's, a small school in Emmitsburg, MD. I got a bit burned out in college and stopped enjoying my running. It was after college, when I joined NOVA (Northern Virginia) Running Club, that I started training for road racing and really enjoyed running again."

Although running is a way of life, which has spanned 25 years, her priorities have changed in terms of the schedule and frequency. Burnout sets in and the focus changes. She used to run six days a week and now it is five days a week. She used to do one speed workout and one tempo run each week and now it is one or the other. Her body cannot take the intensity now. There is the planned long run of ten miles. She increases the distance for marathon training and she enjoys the longer runs more than when she was younger.

Once a week, Grillo trains with the Potomac Runners in a track workout where they average three to four miles of distances from the quarter-mile to one mile. On average, she runs about 10 races a year. She doesn't bother with a logbook and has no planned weekly mileage. When she approaches the races now, there are no specific goals. She feels there is no chance to improve on any PRs and she wants to keep running at her present pace.

Grillo leaves the door open to debate as to whether she is able to improve on her prior PRs. Years of experience have given her the knowledge to know what it takes to make a difference in her performance. It is a personal choice as to what she wants to gain from her running.

Grillo's PRs are 5K, 18:46; 10K, 37:47 at Pike's Peek; 8K, 30:22; 10 miles, 1:03:07; and half-marathon, 1:27:39.

Are there thoughts of competition when she attends a race?

"I am only really bothered when I don't finish strong in a race. I really try to pace myself and actually prefer to negative split. I hate the feeling of being passed at the end and having no energy to keep up my pace. I had a period of time where I really avoided the big races and preferred the smaller low-key community races. Since I turned 40, I have gone back to some of the bigger races and am enjoying racing again. I don't have one specific performance. I am very happy to have been able to run for 25 years so far and hope to be able to keep going."

This is Grillo up close and personal in her own words, "I think running is so much more than a sport for me. It is a way of life. Over the years, it has been my social outlet, a stress reducer, a fitness regime, as well as a competitive sport. It is one of the most unique sports there is. It's one of the only sports that allow people of all shapes, ages, sizes, and abilities to compete. To run, all you need is a pair of running shoes and a front door. You can run for 30 minutes or three hours. You can feel lousy one day and great the next. You can do it alone or with a group. It is not something I have ever done for the sole satisfaction of racing. Good thing, because at my height (6 feet), I don't have the ideal build for a runner. I just enjoy running. I have managed to find a level of running that is manageable with my other responsibilities, is still enjoyable, and keeps me fit and injury free. What more could I ask for?"

In 2001 she was selected to represent Potomac Valley Association under the Freihofer's Regional Development Program and to run in the Freihofer's Run For Women in June 2001. She placed 61st out of 2,907 finishers with an 18:49 (6:05 pace).

Grillo captured the local masters award in the Ten-Mile Triple at the Annapolis 10 Mile Run in 2004 (1:08:26). In 2005, she was the first local finisher in the Washington Running Report Ten- Mile Triple at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run (1:04:27).

The consistency is in her life and her running performance follows the same pattern: 30:44, Nike Women's Race 8K (1989), 31:46, Fair Lakes 8K (1997), and 31:36, Fair Lakes 8K (2004).