Many people do their speed sessions on Tuesdays, and while I really love being a part of a big group of friends who encourage each other through grueling sets of 800ms, it works best for me to do my speed workouts on Thursdays. I do my longer midweek runs on Tuesdays. I was super proud of my Track Thursday this week. I felt great and recovered beautifully. Healthy running is exhilarating. I forgot how fun it is!
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????
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!