The Big Chicago Marathon 2016 Recap {Expo and Race}

I have been putting this off because I don't even know where to begin talking about the Chicago Marathon. I've also been dealing with some foot pain and grad school midterms which can take a person's mind off blogging. Anyone else feel like their marathons go by in a blur? After it's over I only remember certain sites, certain miles, and certain feelings (including those steps across the finish line). 

Because of my grad school schedule I missed some fun things and had to get into Chicago late Friday night. I was feeling like a cold was coming on all week which had me thoroughly freaked out about the race. Saturday morning I ended up taking the train downtown to meet up with Kelly Robert's #SportsBraSquad Shake-Out Run at the Westin on Michigan Ave. I had met Kelly briefly at the November Project Summit in Ontario in July but finally got to have a quick chat and snap a photo with her.  She's fabulous and had a nice big group for a 2 mile shakeout run that included lots of beautiful city views and selfies. 

Also kudos to Oiselle for hooking us up with some swag. I am in love with this shirt! 

You should totally go to Kelly's NYC Marathon shakeout run if you are in town for it! After a quick pit stop at Trader Joe's for bananas, bars, and beet juice with Emily  before heading over to the expo. 

Since this is my third year in a row, I knew what to expect. Things were still really organized as I expected. I suppose I was feeling a little bit anxious about the race and that my boyfriend hadn't up with me yet so I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.  Also the expo is far more crowded on Saturday than it would have been on Friday so that is something to get used to if you haven't been to a big race expo, particularly a World Marathon Majors race one. 

So I quickly grabbed my bib and bothered strangers to take photos of me, despite still being kinda gross looking since I didn't shower post-shakeout run. 

No big race expo is complete without a stop to the Nuun booth to say hello and grab a cute new water bottle to add to my collection. 

I also got to check out the Moji booth and try out some massage products that I took home with me. This Moji Foot Pro is fabulous on the bottom of your tired feet, especially if you freeze it first!

As always, I love all the awesome Nike graphic photo backdrops around the expo. Perfect for getting pumped about the 26.2 miles happening the next day!

I also co-hosted the We Run Social meetup with the fabulous Heather which was nice, despite some people being confused that we were not in fact speaking on the Runner's World stage but rather just meeting near it! 

There was a few more photos before getting showered and relaxing. I grabbed some pasta with Erica for dinner. I had some pasta with chicken and marinara sauce as my pre-race dinner. 

Before bed was iPod and Garmin charging as well as laying out all the goods I needed for the next day. 

{Lululemon Run Swiftly tagged shirt, Lululemon shorts, Ciele hat, Feetures! compression socks, Brooks Launch 3 running shoes, HoneyStinger Ginsting gels & Huma gels, Nuun Hydration Lemon-Lime Energy, and Run Gum in peppermint} 

I had worked with Coach Suz (she's fabulous!) to have her consult on my training plan and race day plans and offer her suggestions so I had a general idea of how I wanted to run the race. I was feeling anxious and unsure of how I felt about the race pretty much up until I got to the starting area.  Once I felt the chilly weather (despite not being quite as chilly as I prefer) and all the marathon excitement in the air, I was really happy. 

It was also possibly that things were going super smoothly. I got dressed and had a banana, Salted Caramel HoneyStinger waffle, and Nuun. I took the train into downtown and caught one just as it arrived from the Austin blue line station. I moved through the security checkpoint super quickly this year and EVEN found a port-a-potty with only 6 people ahead of me in line. There were Nike pacers in line too so I'm almost positive it wasn't VIP or anything and was just covered by bushes so it was less crowded. The realist that I am, I was thinking that things were going too smoothly to be true but tried to roll with it. 

Miles 1-5: Pace groups make me anxious because of my self-placed pressure to keep up with the group, but I decided to line up with the 3:30 pacers anyways. Hats off to the guys that were super fun and amazing.  The start is really crowded which kind of helps with runners starting out slower and not going out too fast so I didn't worry. The beginning miles with the pacers was super crowded and for the first 5 mile I was almost tripped and bumped into people multiple times which was really freaking annoying.  It's such a big race and the 3:30 pace group seemed popular. Especially since I have run this race now twice before, I really tried to soak in the race and excitement with no music or anything. My GPS was yet again messed up because of the tunnels so I really focused on just staying with the pace group.

My boyfriend got this cool shot of me running by and smiling at around Mile 3ish. 

Miles 6-10: I told myself to just try to settle in, stay comfortable, and follow the pace group but not freak if I wasn't right next to a pacer. The pacers were great with one guy telling the guy in front to pull back. I was feeling great and tried to settle in and stopped at most of the water stops. I wasn't carrying any water because it annoys me so I made sure to stay hydrated.  The miles were moving past especially because I wasn't paying attention to my watch. It was nice to feel comfortable with the pace group and not have to worry about anything but running and keeping them in sight.  Still no music and lots of crowd support! 

Miles 11-15: I feel like in my marathons I always am dreading and waiting for the wall so I talked to Suz about throwing in some faster strides and changing my mentality. This time I stuck with the pace group but was feeling really good and was annoyed by the crowdedness of the group behind the pacers so decided to run in front of the pace group around mile 14. I kept my mentality the same as I had at the Philly Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon this year where I tried to just run where I felt good and not get freaked out by the pace. I also took an extra gel around mile 12.5 as Suz suggested to give me an extra boost when I usually start to freak out on the inside.  The pacers reminding everyone from Mile 11 onwards to stop at the water stops was also super helpful. 

Miles 16-20: Around Mile 16 I turned on the iPod. I also peeked back behind me a couple times before I just kept running and knew that if I saw the pace group pass me, I'd have to keep up-but I didn't see them. I kept telling myself my mantra "I am comfortable, I am strong" and reminding myself how crappy I felt at this point last year and how my legs felt good this year. My breathing wasn't heavy or labored, and I was having fun. Once it hit 18 I tried to periodically check out my watch but not let it determine the race for me.  Around 18 the thoughts that I had a fast enough 3:30 BQ (and PR) in reach but tried to not get ahead of myself because as I knew, the marathon is a 20 mile warm-up with a 10K race.  I saw my boyfriend at Mile 18 who had some water and was literally stunned as I ran by smiling and giving him the thumbs up, telling him I felt great. 

Miles 21-26: Obviously my legs started to hurt after mile 20 as is expected with a marathon. I knew at this point that I was crushing it and only had to make it to the finish. Mile 22 on was just giving it all I had left in the metaphorical fuel tank. I had my music and the crowds to help push me. At Mile 22 was the November Project-Chicago cheer station which was a huge boost to get some cheers and high-fives.  During this last stretch I focused on just getting to the next mile marker.  Making it to the next mile was a nice mental game that helped push me to the end.  The miles blur together now. 

Around Mile 23, pushing it to the end. 

As I got to Mile 25, all the emotions start to hit me. It was different because usually I get more emotional during the race but was surprisingly composed during this marathon (mostly because of my mental game).  Once I was at this point I knew I would make it and tried my best to push it to the end.  As I crossed the finish line I was in tears and just broke down sobbing after I finished. Two different people asked me if I was okay, and I told them it was just happy tears, no worries. 

As I waddled towards the fountain with my Goose Island beer in hand, which tastes effing amazing after a marathon, I was SO damn happy. You can see it in this photo below. That moment of relaxing, with a beer in hand, all by myself was is my favorite post-race moment to savor. 

 I was ahead of the 3:30 pacer, completely surpassing my A goal for the race. I grabbed my bag and had texts from friends. Suz texted me that I crushed it. I was confused because friends were saying I had run 3:34 because the live tracking on the app had gone by gun time not chip time (which I later found out) and caused me to freak out that my results were messed up. 

Suz texted me my actual race results which made me feel awesome. 3:27? WHAT?!

I met up with my boyfriend and some friends and was on top of the world. ON TOP OF THE WORLD. I was kind of in disbelief that I ran a marathon in crushing my goal time and it wasn't that painful. I mean my legs hurt, and I don't think I could go faster but I did it. Despite not really believing in myself until race morning. Over a 7 minute PR and a nice cushion over my 3:35 Boston Qualifying time.  

Third time's a charm, Chicago. I LOVE YOU. 

The race was a little warm (not as much as last year thank goodness), but perfect for hanging out afterwards. After frantically finding the results tent I learned that their tracking system was down and others had messed up tracker times so I felt confident that my time was not completely messed up. I threw some sandals on and just hung out with friends jamming to the live band. 

Oh and I used my beer ticket to grab my free beer (the one at the finish doesn't count-I love you Chicago). It was so sunny out I actually got a little sunkissed on my face.  

After a shower and some relaxation, I headed out to Small Cheval for my post-marathon meal of choice-a burger, fries, and a beer. Amazing. 

Finally the night was ended with a few more beers and some Jeni's Ice Cream in Wicker Park. I was going to go for the double scoop, but the triple scoop was the marathoner's special for the same price so obviously I went with that. The perfect end to the day! 

The race day was better than I imagined and now I'm a little worried I won't have a better marathon!  Thank you again everyone for all the love, support, and good vibes!

What is your favorite big race moment? 

Chicago Marathon 2016 Goal Chat

THE BIG RACE IS IN 3 DAYS, GUYS. Seriously can't believe at the end of this week I'll be running the Chicago Marathon for the third year in a row. This year feels a little different-like it snuck up on me somehow? I'm sure I'll be feeling more marathon excited once I get into Chicago tomorrow night. 

Honestly the whole idea of writing about my goals is scary. It's stupid because everyone I am friends with or who follows me on social media knows I'm running the Chicago Marathon. People who run who I've talked to more in depth know that I want a BQ. And that means a faster BQ not a BQ like last year where I will not get accepted to run the Boston Marathon. 

The weather is looking cooler this year which means I might feel better than last year. My training wasn't perfect. School and life get in the way. I didn't get my mileage as high as I ultimately wanted. It's easy to sit in taper and look at your training schedule and think you should have ran more, or done more speed workouts, or ran an extra 20 miler run.  But now the work is all done and the race on Sunday is the victory lap. 

I did run many hard workouts and ran some really great races so I am proud of this training cycle.   

It's just the idea of putting your goals out there and not achieving them that scares the crap out of me because it's embarrassing and a terrible feeling. There's nothing I can do but put my goals out there and hope that lots of love, support, and good vibes are with me on race day.  I believe in the power of positive thinking and mentally getting yourself prepared but not psyched out. 

2016 Goals: The Year to Be Bold

Here we go, another post about someone's goals for the new year and vague feelings about getting better, faster, stronger. How original. 

Real talk and thinking out loud, I think setting goals is a useful reflection activity. It's a way to think about improvements you'd like to make in yourself and keep yourself accountable for positive changes in your life. Past January when life gets in the way, things can get hard to keep. I know it's really easy to set goals that are way too high or unrealistic. Sometimes goals are set and shit happens, and therefore the goal is unattainable. 

Anyhow this year I plan to set some goals not resolutions and am keeping them fairly broad. I don't really want to hold myself to running X miles a week or hitting a PR in everything, or losing weight, or having 10 things I want to do every week because I know it won't happen.  So here are my goals for 2016-let's hope that I can check most of these off as completed in a year!

2016 Goals

1. Journal everyday in my One Line a Day journal.  
I started this journal last year and majorly slacked. All I'm asking for is at least one line of journaling a day so I'm trying to stick with it this year because I think having a record of some private thoughts and a space for reflection is important. 

2. Stay in strong running shape year-round. 
 I always say this and then winter hits like it did this week and instead of running I just want to put on a million layers and cuddle under a blanket on the couch with Netflix. Here's to keeping my running fairly consistent throughout the year! 

3. Get back to lifting regularly. 
At first I had written at least 2x a week added to this goal, but specific goals seem really restrictive. Ugh I've been saying this but honestly since I stopped Crossfit because of money and haven't belonged to a gym it just doesn't happen. I'm not a lift at home kinda gal. I plan on joining a gym and actually making this happen because I miss my baby muscles and feeling strong.   

4. Work on being confident. 
Always a work in progress and as most everyone probably feels, how I feel about myself fluctuates day to day. Here's to taking chances, speaking up, loving my body, and believing in myself. My word or mantra for 2016 is "Be bold." Bold is a little different from confident in that it means not hesitating based on fear and being brave. I think I need to have confidence but also be bold in putting myself out there and taking chances without fear or doubt. 

5. Fuel my body. Eating pizza, french fries, and dessert is delicious and is something I will not give up because life is too short for steamed broccoli and boneless skinless chicken breast everyday.  However trying to get some more veggies in never hurt anyone. I need to work on having solid, satisfying meals, especially once school starts up again this semester and all I want and am surrounded by is junk. Fueling my body isn't just healthy, it leads to me feeling better and better workouts! 

6. Budget better. 

 I realize that as much as I don't want to be, I am actually a full blown adult. While I have most things under control, I really need to budget better. I need to actually have a solid savings account and not spend money on frivolous and unnecessary things (I'm looking at you Target and Whole Foods). That means buying things online and especially food shopping, thoughtfully. It also means looking at monthly spending and using my credit card less. It's easy to buy things, but I know I want to spend the little money I have after all of my bills (don't even talk to me about student loan debt I'm piling onto my undergraduate debt) on travelling and things that are actually important to me. 

7. Travel to at least two new places.

Because of my wanderlust, I probably don't really need to have this as a goal however I think having it in writing is a nice thing to hold myself to. I'd love to go out west again and explore a little more of the North by going to Vermont or Maine. 

8. Set a running PR.  
My goal for qualifying for the Boston Marathon happened last year, but my time is just under the qualifying time so I know I won't get accepted this year. Getting a faster qualifying time is a goal, but I really don't want to put pressure on myself this year, especially because full-time school AND work really impacts my free-time and training. I am still figuring out racing plans and what I want to accomplish in 2016, but let's just say I'm shooting for a PR. Whether that's a half marathon, 5K, 10 miler, or marathon PR-I'm cool.

Here's to a 2016 filled with more adventure, love, and happiness!

Do you set a goal or resolutions? What is one of your goals? What would be your word of 2016? 

Year in Review 2015 Linkup

Quick plug: If you are looking for a fun virtual race to keep you motivated after January, check out the Nuun Year Dash through Fitfam-registration closes today!

I am a big fan of self-reflection and taking the time to process experiences and events. The end of a calendar year is always a great time to look back on accomplishments, fun, and challenges from the past 365 and also a time to make new goals.  I am linking up with Dani and Smitha for their Year in Review Linkup-go read some other peoples' reviews and get inspired to take on 2016!

2015 was a pretty good year of running. 

It included: 

4 5ks

7 Halfs

1 full

1 Boston Qualifying time

1 overnight relay

Overall 2015 was a pretty great year: 

-Was featured in Women's Running Magazine as the Blogger on the Run

Goal Digger {End of year goals with HERstory Apparel}

Disclaimer: I was sent a complimentary shirt of my choice from HERstory. I was not compensated in any way for this post, I really just wanted to share the brand's story because I love their message! As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

If you know me (or at least follow me on social media!) you know that I am passionate about women's rights, and women generally doing kickass things in the world. I love empowered women, girl power, and girl bosses!  So when I read about HERstory Apparel on the HelloGiggles (a positive online community for women founded in part by Zooey Deschanel), I knew I wanted to share the brand's story on my blog.  

HERstory Apparel is a clothing line that wants to "honor the trailblazing women of the past, inspire the amazing women of today and ignite a future generation of girls." They create inspiring apparel for women and girls while also honoring many of the amazing women that mostly get ignored in history books such as the "fly girls",women who flew military aircraft as part of a program during World War II.

HERstory Apparel carries t-shirts and tanks that come in unisex, women, youth, and toddler styles and sizes.  Also a portion of their proceeds are donated to "organizations that empower women and girls." To celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month, they have special collection of STRONGHER apparel from which $5 of each sale from the collection in October will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

I love that the website says that "this brand is for badass women...young and old!". 

Right on! 

I reached out to the brand because I really wanted to share their story on my blog and collaborate with the brand. They offered to send me a shirt of my choice so naturally I went with the GOAL DIGGER design. I'm always reaching for bigger and more amazing things in life! It especially seemed like the perfect message for me post-Chicago marathon and as this year begins to wind down. 

I have been thinking a lot about my goals life-wise and fitness-wise lately. I'm not quite sure what my racing goals for next year will be. I'm toying with the idea of running a spring full marathon or perhaps just trying to get faster and PR a half marathon. For now, here are my goals for the rest of 2015 after reflecting on my initial goals for the year.  

1. Journal everyday in my One Line a Day journal.  

I fell off the wagon hard with this but really want a little piece of my days to have, especially as I take on graduate school and a new career path.  

2. Stay in strong running shape. 

I always say I will keep myself in great marathon running shape. However the past 2 years after a fall marathon the holidays and winter weather interfere, and I never do. I want to keep some longer runs and speedwork in my schedule. 

3. Get back to lifting at least 2x a week.  

Just trying to hit the school gym might not work, but I really crave feeling strong again.  

4. Work on being confident. 

Some of my classes have reaffirmed that I really need to build my confidence in myself or at least fake it until I am confident. 

5. Fuel my body.

I've been eating a hella amount of junk lately. I can't keep hustling like I do without lots of good fuel for my body so I'm going to try to clean it up before the holidays. Don't worry there's always room for ice cream, pizza, and beer! 

6. Survive my first semester of grad school in one piece. 

Self-explanatory!

Stay connected with HERstory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

What's one goal you have for the rest of the year? What inspirational message would you like on a shirt? 

2015 Chicago Marathon Goals {Failing doesn't mean failure}

This post has been brewing in my mind for a while, and since I'm 20 days away from the 2015 Chicago Marathon, I've been thinking about my goals a lot. 

I've put it out there that I want a Boston Qualifying time (BQ, in runner-talk).  I want it badly. Partially because it's a badge as a runner to qualify. Selfishly, I want to rock that really cool jacket. Partially because it's a scary big goal.

I love these sweet Boston Pro Compression socks. 

Partially to prove to myself that I can freaking do it. This girl who never ran track or cross-country in high school. Who works and goes to school and does a million other things and has to fit in her runs can do it. Who isn't a super lean and graceful-looking runner. Who doesn't run everyday. I know it can come off as a pity party  (boo hoo, I'm so close) or silly because there are people who qualify all the time. 

I thought it might have happened last year in Chicago, but then I ended up getting sick the whole week before and went into the race just wanting to feel good and finish. It may have been a twisted blessing in disguise because I ended up having a great race and finishing in 3:36:01 which is just 1:01 off the 3:35 time I need for my age/gender. It was partially my training, partially that I was relaxed, and partially that the race gods were smiling down on me. 

I planned on working my butt off this training cycle earlier this year. I planned on upping my weekly mileage, doing more long runs and back to back runs. I read books and planned on focusing on my fueling, attempting to not gain my carb-happy weight, and take training more seriously. 

Instead I spent all summer trying to figure out my graduate school plans and then started school full-time. School and other life priorities had to come first for me. I worked hard for that too, so I had to be flexible with other things. 

So I'm not sitting here right now 20 days out feeling lean (hello those extra 5-7 lbs of carb-happy training weight), fast, or with higher training mileage (sitting around 30-40 miles per week). I had to have a more relaxed training cycle, which did include many really solid long runs. 

I'm not trying to complain, this post is more for myself, so I can get all this out of my head. 

Lately I have been trying not to talk about my goals. I'll feel embarrassed if I don't qualify this year because I'm so close,which makes it feel harder to me in some sense. I'll also feel like failure, which I suppose is always the fear when you put your goals out there. 

Tonight I'm sitting here knowing that it'll be okay. My A goal may be to run a 3:30,kicking ass(phalt) and taking names, even though I'm not confident in this right now. 

My B goal would be to to PR, which may mean a BQ, it may not. I've got like 7 years left in my age bracket for this qualifying time so I've got time, for sure. I know I have a few more marathons in me. Boston isn't the end-all, be-all. 

My C goal will be to just run it, not hate it and have fun. There's always a little pain involved, but I want lots of those happy miles too. Like when my Beyonce jam comes on and I'm smiling and trying to conserve energy but maybe singing and dancing a little because I'm feeling good. 

So guess what, if I go out to Chicago and leave with a happy race I'd  be happy. If I just complete my D goal of simply finishing the marathon, I'll probably be a little upset right afterwards, but I'm going to not try to let it get to me or ruin anything.  Why? Because I just ran an effing marathon and I'm going to celebrate by eating lots of donuts and having lots of beer in Chicago afterwards, just like last year.

Caught mid-donut devouring last year in Chicago!

The beauty of the marathon is just that, it's a marathon. It's a word used to describe long, arduous processes.  Only 0.5% of the US population runs a marathon each year so finishing one is an accomplishment. No matter my training, I really can't control everything on race day. I can just finish training hopefully strong and healthy and give it everything I've got on October 11th! 

This quote is applicable to all things running and in life. Remember that if you don't achieve your goals, it isn't failing.  Set big goals and take chances! 

Have you had any roadblocks in your training? Do you go into races with multiple goals?

This post was linked up with Weekend Snapshots, MIMM, and Thinking Out Loud. 

My Big Fall Goal Race & RNR Brooklyn

It seems that everyone has running fever now that the weather is warming up. That means sporadically signing up for all the races #raceeverything! It's hard because with trips and events you have to sign up and book so early in advance. Sometimes it's difficult to plan for things you've signed up for 6 months out especially with commitments just popping up all the time. 

I am happy to share that Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series finally announced that the inaugural Brooklyn half marathon will take place Saturday, October 10, 2015.  Registration is open for only Tourpass holders until March 15, and the general registration will open to the public on Monday March 16. You can sign up for an email reminder about registration here. 

Check out the full details on the race here!

I really wanted to run this race, but I unfortunately can't because I'll be in Chicago getting ready to run the Chicago Marathon on October 11, 2015! 

Yes, it was quite lovely to see this email in my inbox this morning: 

Thanks to last year's Chicago Marathon time, I time-qualified for guaranteed entry this year.  I'm running Chicago again because despite being sick the week before, I had a really amazing race. I came only 1 minute shy of a 3:35 Boston-qualifying time for my age & gender group. I know in my heart that I can come back and get my goal time of 3:30 on it's fast, flat, energetic course.  Part of me wanted to re-type that and just say under 3:35, but let's be honest I'm aiming for 3:30. 

Goals are supposed to be big & scary, right?

Hopefully I can have a strong training cycle and show up to race day healthy and ready to run!

The 2015 Chicago Marathon lottery entry opened yesterday and closes Tuesday, April,21 so check it out if you are looking for a great big fall marathon!  Be sure to read my recaps from last year's expo and race.  

It looks like it's going to be another summer of #breathedeeplyandrunchitown. 

at last year's Chi Marathon expo. word. 

Do you have a goal Fall race picked out yet? Are you already planning big events for later in the year?

#breathedeeplyandrunchitown-Marathon Training Update

Here we go again-training to conquer 26.2 miles. The 2014 Chicago Marathon is only 101 days away. Say what?!

Yes, I'm starting my own hashtag #breathedeeplyandrunchitown. I will need a lot of deep breathes and smiles to make it through another cycle of summer marathon training. 

Since I've already made it through one marathon I should be feeling older and wiser, right? Not really. I think the pressure is on more this year because even though I had goals (which I met!) last year, just finishing was an accomplishment. Now I'm looking to shave ten minutes off last year's time. Of course, this is all self-imposed pressure. Of course.   I'm looking at eventually getting that shiny BQ (Boston Qualifying) time. Right now I'm trying to run another strong marathon except in a city I've never visited. Big goals set you up for big accomplishments, right?

We Run DC this Weekend: When Goals Change

Well before I get to more Boston fun I suppose I should mention I'm running the Nike Women's DC half again this year.  And the race is this weekend.  How did that sneak up on me?

from the Nike Women's Race Series page

I ran this race last year (read about it here and here!) and while I had some mixed feelings about the expo and race, I decided to run it again as a Truebar-fueled athlete sponsored by Bakery on Main. I love having Truebars before or after runs. I usually eat half a bar before a run and the other half afterwards before I make another snack!  I like the fairly flat course and a little blue box from Tiffany's never hurts. I saw via social media that Shalane will be there again, and I'm secretly hoping to meet her.  It was amazing coming across the finish line and slapping her hand last year.  

Had some Truebars with me to watch the Boston Marathon!