2016 Chicago Marathon Race Recap

I completed my second marathon last Sunday as part of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I finished in 3:56! Even though I PR-ed by 17 minutes and had my first sub 4 hour marathon, I haven't had many positive thoughts since I crossed the starting line.

Someone once told me that finishing a race is how an athlete expresses themselves. That a strong finish is an expression and reflection of the time and effort you put in to your training. This race did not reflect how hard I worked all summer. My quadriceps were in charlie horse level pain from about mile 10 to mile 26.2. I knew it was a physiological problem, and planned to get a blood work up as soon as I got back home. What the heck happened????

Cumberland Plateau Stage Race

This weekend I ran in the Cumberland Plateau Stage Race! My very first long trail race! I participated in Stage 2, which was 20 miles. I had a 20 mile run on my training schedule, so I thought this was a more enjoyable alternative to road running! I was excited about the shade while running in the woods, soft trails, and a brand new course!

US Olympic Track Team Trials and Tour de France: Inspiration for #TrackTuesday

My inspiration and motivation came from watching the US Olympic Team Trials and the Tour de France. It is so inspiring to watch them during their big events, but even more so to think of the path they took to get there.

A Bad Run: 20 Miles was Great, 13... not so much

Last week, we ran twenty miles, I sprinted the last bit, felt super strong. I wore my old shoes. It was fantastic. I felt great! I wasn't sore the next day, and I completed all of my miles this past week with no problems, including speed sessions.

Today, during mile three, I started having some pain in my knee. At mile four, I was hoping it would go away.

Miles five through seven involved some controlled breathing....

Red White & Blue - #2: Watermelon WORKOUT

It can be hard to find time to be active during the holidays, no matter how great your intentions are. The trick is to plan ahead and to involve as many of your friends and family as possible. Here are some ideas on how to stay active during the Fourth of July!

The #bigpayback and Girls on the Run Nashville UPDATE!

$14,285 = 60 full scholarships, 60 pairs of new running shoes, and new curricula and activity sheets for 30 program sites (which is equal to about 450 girls). Obviously the scholarships and running shoes is SUPER EXCITING. Selfishly, I am pretty excited about the new curricula which is something we don't really talk about that often. In particular, the new curricula for Girls on Track (serving girls in 6th - 8th grade) focuses on the whole girl - body, brain, spirit, and social connection. It also addresses life skills such as team building, developing a support system, boundary setting, decision making, and asking for and providing help.

Developing a support system? BOUNDARY SETTING???? Boundary setting? Can I just tell you that it was only a few years ago, maybe three to be exact, that I even learned what boundary setting was and why it was helpful? Learning about boundaries CHANGED MY LIFE. (thats a whole different post in itself) Asking for help??? CRIPES. That is good stuff. And you know what? Middle School is where we need to be learning this kind of life-giving stuff, especially if we have parents who never had the opportunity to learn it, or aren't capable of teaching it to their kids.

20 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD donate to Girls on the Run Nashville!!! #BIGPAYBACK

The Big Payback is a 24 hour day of online giving here in Nashville. It is a day to celebrate 755 participating non-profits from Middle Tennessee. Girls on the Run Nashville is participating and I would love to have your support in reaching our goal to raise $8,000 to provide 30 full scholarships to GOTR participants, 30 pairs of new running shoes for GOTR scholarship participants, and new curricula and activity sheets for 30 program sites in the Fall! If you feel moved to donate, click here!

Here is a list of 20 reasons why you should donate to Girls on the Run Nashville! It was quite difficult to narrow it down to 20!

22 MILES & 8 Reasons Why you should TRAIN with a group

Less than 21 days until I will run my first marathon. Today I did 22 miles, the most I have ever run. Four more miles would have been doable, from both a physical and mental standpoint. That gives me an extra boost of confidence for race day! Running with a group has undeniably helped me get to this point. My long runs would not have been as successful if I was on my own.

My focus for 2015 was CHALLENGE. What better way to challenge myself than run a marathon right (read more here)? On January 1st, with encouragement from my sweet friend Stephanie, we both signed up for Fleet Feet Nashville's marathon training group. I used to HATE running with other people because I'm kind of competitive, so I was a little nervous at first! It was the BEST thing I could have done for myself!

Girls on the Run and The Dailey Method - Special Donation Match Classes

Here is a super easy way to support GOTR Nashville or the Girls on the Run chapter in your area!

If you are in Nashville, mark your calendar for Sunday, March 1st, at 3 pm! In support of the Girls on the Run "One in a Million" campaign celebrating the milestone of serving our one millionth girl, The Dailey Method Nashville will be holding a special donation match class! Minimum $10 donation to attend class. All donations will be matched by TDM Nashville with all proceeds going directly to Girls On The Run Nashville! Hope to see you there!!

To learn more and to sign up, click here!!

Marathon Training - Week 7: 18 miles and still smiling

Week 7 finishes up with 18 miles. Last Saturday, 2/14/2015, our long run was 17 miles, and it was one of the worst runs of my life. This weekend, our group training run was canceled. I was actually kind of relieved because it was supposed to rain all day Saturday and it was still super icy out. There was no way I was going to miss this week’s long run. My only option was to run on the treadmill. Yep. 18 miles. On a treadmill. Inclines included.

It was tough, and I really looked forward to water breaks, but I felt GREAT!! So much better than last week, in fact, I finished smiling! Granted running on a treadmill and running outside are much different, but my celebration here is for getting through 18 miles without being a Negative Nancy and without feeling like my legs were made of cement.