What a wild ride it has been.. and it all comes down to this! We fly out to Chicago tomorrow and the race is just a few short days away. If you’re interested in tracking me on race day, the easiest way to do so is to to download the Bank of America Chicago Marathon app and then look me up. My bib number is 7955, and I start at 7:30 a.m. CT–if all goes well I’ll finish around 11 a.m. Here’s a quick overview of my strategy for Sunday:
- Take it easy Saturday pre-race: After we see Hamilton (OMG OMG OMG) on Saturday at 2:00 p.m., the rest of the day is committed to laying low, making dinner at our hostel (major bonus), and getting to bed early. No major walking around allowed!!
- Start with Alexa and Danielle, but don’t hesitate to split up if we need to: If you’ve been reading along for a while you probably noticed that I’ve been doing most of my long runs with these two awesome ladies from track. We are all aiming for a 3:30 finish, and we do really well pacing each other. That said, we’ve agreed it’s a-ok for us to split up if and when we need to.
- Negative split the race: I’m planning to run super steady 8:00 minute miles for the first half, and then speed it up a hair if I’m feeling good. My goal time would require 8:00/mile on average, so banking a few extra seconds/mile in the second half wouldn’t hurt to have as a cushion. Plus, Strava is giving away free shoes to anyone who negative splits a fall marathon–so bonus!!
- Fuel and hydrate strategically: I actually plan to carry my handheld water bottle since I’ve gotten really comfortable with it. I think if I’m able to have the water station volunteers fill it once or twice I should be good to go–way easier than trying to get a cup of water into my mouth every mile! I also am sticking with my 2 packs of Clif Shot Blocks–one with caffeine and the second without. This has worked well for me during training and I don’t want to switch anything up at the last minute.
- Follow the blue line and stay left: One of the biggest pieces of advice I’ve heard about Chicago is that with all of the turns most runners end up running close to 27 miles–but apparently if you follow the blue lines on the street and stay to the left, you can minimize that extra distance. Challenge = accepted.
If you’ve run Chicago before, I’m all ears in terms of any last-minute helpful hints. If you’re going to be in Chicago, keep an eye out on the insta for my race day outfit and look for me!! Other runners–GOOD LUCK! WE’VE GOT THIS!
See you on the other side,
Leah
Hello hello from taper land! We are less than one week away from Chicago and I couldn’t be more excited. The miles are getting shorter, the forecast looks incredible (high of 62 with a low of 48 overnight!), the anal packing list has been started, and I’m focusing in on staying super hydrated and getting lots of rest.
Week 17:
Whelp, another couple of weeks and another missed weekly recap–oh well! We had a couple of jam-packed weeks which included 2 weekends in Maine, my 29th birthday, the first week of fall classes, an absolutely nutty time at work, a half marathon, and a friend’s wedding. PHEW.
Other updates: I managed to squeeze a massage into my schedule and it was SO necessary! It really relieved some of the hip tightness I had felt creeping back in, and it felt amazing for my shoulders which had gotten crazy tight with the work and school stress. I also finally invested in a new pair of shoes. I decided to stick with my Asics and the news ones are feelin’ excellent so far.
Tops: As a curvy gal, I love the fit of Athleta’s tank tops. They tend to be the only ones that are fitted but not skintight, and they come in a great variety of cuts and colors. Also, for my short ladies, it can be super tricky to find tanks in an appropriate length!! Hip length usually = a cute mini-dress. Athleta to the rescue! Just be sure to size down–I wear an XXS here vs. a 4/6 at Lulu. Unfortunately my number one favorite tank I can’t seem to find this season, but the 
Shorts: I’ve written in the past about 
Socks: Apologies for this whole post turning into a rant about short people probz, but being a smaller sized human comes with having very very tiny feet. This means I need socks that come in a full range of sizes (one size fits all is a hoax!) I also like a good amount of padding in my socks since I’m pretty blister-prone, and a nice cotton-y feel. Enter Bombas! 
Let’s get the big exciting news off the table first, mmk? Last week J and I had a picnic in a local park for our fourth anniversary, at the end of which he got down on one knee and popped the question! I knew this was coming at some point but he did an amazing job and I was still super surprised and excited. I’m pretty sure I was doing so much crying and saying yes that I forgot to even look at the ring until a couple of minutes later 😉 If you’re into that sort of thing, the ring is the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever owned–vintage, totally unique, and very “me.” 
And before you ask–we don’t have a date yet, but we’re planning to get married next summer in Maine. I’m semi-dreading some of the wedding planning stuff but I am SO excited to marry such an incredible guy! We’re having a ton of fun introducing each other as “my fiance” (so weird) and just reveling in the joy of making it official.
This is my third time in a row hosting an Opening Ceremonies party and this one was extra celebratory given our news. All of my thoughts about the actual ceremonies 
Another week of training has come and gone! This one blew by after a whirlwind weekend away in Maine and New Hampshire. We drove up Friday and headed to bed early to sleep before the Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon. Full recap to come, but I really enjoyed the race and (spoiler alert) I kicked it to the end for a 1:40:29 finish–2 seconds slower than my previous PR. Not too shabby for a hilly course!
Everyone was so sweet and grateful… and I was so honored to get to celebrate two lovely humans and their togetherness. Despite the unseasonable cold and rain, we were able to squeeze in some outside photos before heading indoors for dinner and dancing. We stayed over Sunday night and I was thrilled to wake up to an incredible gorgeous morning for a quick lakeside run before we had to head out.
Week 6:
I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing holiday weekend! I was thrilled to be in town after so much traveling–and doing my 14 miler on familiar turf didn’t hurt either (more to come in the weekly recap on Thursday). I finish up my first summer course on this week, which means I have one weekend of freedom without having to worry about school before my next class starts up. Of course, we’re going to be out of town–first heading to Portland, ME for a 
Hard to believe it, but I’m recapping the first full month of Chicago Marathon training! (Click here for my recaps of weeks 
Howdy, y’all! I can’t tell you how happy I am to be reaching the end of week three, mostly because I spent a good chunk of the week cramming for a midterm and then immediately taking off for a wedding weekend in New Hampshire. This week’s training had a number of fun new additions. On Thursday, I went to my first 
On Tuesday night I met up with some of my training buddies from last summer for a track workout. It was my first time doing track without pacers, so I definitely went out a little bit fast, but it was a fun challenge to work on feeling out my own pace (and so nice to catch up with the Boston Fit crew–miss you guys!)
As you probably guessed, the race is a 5 mile loop that starts and ends at Harpoon Brewery in the Seaport. The course is flat and there’s beer at the end, so I managed to get J and a crew of our buddies to sign up for what they call a “6 pack team.” The race is super popular so I was stoked to be able to get a crew of our friends on board. The weather had been looking dismal all week, but it ended up being in the sixties and cloudy–pretty perfect!
The crowd got thinner and thinner, and I kept picking people off, which I have to say feels pretty darn good! Passing tall buff dudes is my favorite #likeagirl
The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging, drinking a couple of ciders (the new hibiscus cider is delish!) and celebrating with the crew. The didn’t have a ton I could eat, but there was great food for the gluten eaters and I housed a couple of bags of chips before grabbing some more substantive food on the way home. Other than a totally backed up bag check situation, this was a super smooth and fun race–highly recommend!
Shorter and Faster 