Remember that time I said I wasn’t going to run a marathon for a bit? I stuck to that and didn’t run one from October 2014 (Chicago) to November of 2016 (NYC),  but then… NYC in November led to New Jersey in May and now CHICAGO! I am incredibly excited for this race. Once I cross the finish line on October 8th, I will have run 3 marathons in 49 weeks. This means I will have been training for a marathon for 16 straight months (since July of 2016), with only 4 weeks off. It’s been a lot of work, a lot of miles, a lot of early mornings, a lot of hours, and it will ALL be celebrated with a lot of champagne 🙂 Thanks to Sarah Marie Design Studio this is my motto for Chicago training. After New Jersey was all wrapped up, I decided I took myself a little too seriously during the training. I was way too focused on the race and race day itself. I wasn’t living in the present and enjoying each day, I was only thinking about crossing that finish line. So sure I’ll celebrate with champagne, but for me it also means having fun, enjoying the experience, being in the present, and celebrating all of this hard work leading up to race day.

So far I’m 8 weeks in and it’s been pretty excellent. I finally figured out the perfect balance to stay healthy- pilates once a week and physical therapy every three weeks. Plus, as often as I’ve heard this is key, I’m finally foam rolling every day!

I’ve decided I really prefer training for fall marathons over spring ones for two reasons- 1)There are more races to run in the summer & fall to incorporate into training 2)Because honestly I prefer running in brutal heat & humidity over freezing cold. I prefer shorts and a tank or sports bra over lined pants and multiple layers.

First run of this training cycle back in June! It was still somewhat chilly out and I was so happy to be training again after a month break post-NJ Marathon.

I ran the Queens 10K in mid June. This is one of my very favorite races. It’s always hot and humid out in Flushing Meadows, and it’s also flat and super fast. I wasn’t fully in racing shape and was still pleased with my run: 50:45, just about 20 seconds slower than my 10K PR. Plus, I finally got to wear my Oiselle jersey!

Fun little quote. It really makes me think about balance and how to achieve goals. Certainly applicable to marathon training as well as life!

4th of July and the Peachtree Road Race! This was my 5th race of the summer (so many fun races in June!) It was extra special because my 11 year old niece ran her first one! My brother and I ran with her. We started further back in the pack than usual, and it was a blast running with all the people who were purely out their to have fun, drink beer, and eat donuts. It was awesome, and I’m so proud of Megan!

(photo by Da Ping Lou)

A few days after the Peachtree I ran my 6th race of the summer, race 1 of the summer Take the Bridge series. The race was about 2 miles long and I ran it around a 7:30 pace, yay! I remember these races happening last summer and they looked like a blast. Honestly I was quite intimidated by these runners. They are fast and just super cool people. I was really nervous to sign up. In fact, the race sold out so quickly I didn’t even make it in time. I signed up for the waitlist and was lucky enough to get in! It was SO SO much fun. These races, well, here’s the slogan: we race bridges, no mile markers, no time clocks, only pure urban racing, competing by intuition, pacing on gut, celebrating as one, leave it on the bridge. That says it all. The next one is this week and I can’t wait!

We’re traveling a good bit the last half of the summer and I wanted to make sure to complete my favorite run to the Little Red Lighthouse! We headed Upstate a couple weeks ago for the weekend, and I decided to get my 14 miles in before the trip and this was the perfect route. It was a cloudy, cool-ish morning (though I still sweat a ton, see photo 🙂 ) and it felt amazing to get the miles in before work. I just love running on the river way up there!

Upstate we had a lovely hike up this waterfall! It’s so nice to escape the city and enjoy nature every now and then.

This past Thursday was my 7th race of the summer and my favorite 5K- the RUN5K that occurs every summer in Central Park. Much like the Queens 10K, it’s always nice and hot, but I love it! It’s also really the only 5K I ever run. It’s so much fun to run fast when you know it’ll be over so quickly. It’s also a good confidence builder for speed, as well as a good practice for pushing through pain. My friend Pam, who is also coached by Jess ran the race with me. We had an absolute blast, and though we weren’t even trying, she helped me set a new PR: 24:22!

10 weeks to go til Chicago and at least 4 more trips out of NYC. Can’t wait to share the amazing runs I have ahead of me!