Chasing 26.2

Nothing like a marathon recap almost four weeks later. This is what one looks like at approx. 4:45 on marathon morning, real jazzed– let me tell ya!

This was my first 26.2 where I could make my own dinner the night before, sleep in my own bed, and just do my thing–sip coffee and make my usual race day breakfast in the comfort of my own nest. The start & finish line was only 8 blocks from my apartment which was a huge plus. I threw on an old pair of pants and a hoodie and headed out the door. For the most part I just kinda felt like I was headed out for a typical long run + an additional hour or so. I got all situation at the start line and began my usual stretches & warm up. The weather was slightly brisk to start out. The lovely ladies of the Philly/Walnut Street Lululemon store hooked a sista up with my race day gear–they rock & had the best signs of the entire race–and a legit dance party/hype fest at miles 17 & 23, thanks again lemons! I opted to wear a long sleeve top with my usual shorts & compression socks, added the ear warmer since it was pretty windy out and was only expected to get in the low to mid 50’s.

Let me start off by saying that I had every intension of going into this race to actually NOT race. This was supposed to 100% be a fun run and get a little tour of my new city. I also ran Chicago six weeks before and had a strong race/PR so, I really didn’t want to set the expectations too high for a stellar performance. However, I am the most competitive Sally out there when it comes to battling my own brain, physical/mental limits.  As soon as I started running that whole “fun” thing sure as hell went right out the door. It was game on. The first 1-8 miles were pretty uneventful. Cruised through most of the city and headed out toward West Philly/Drexel Campus area. The course was pretty congested but I felt comfortable and my legs were cold but staring to get into the swing of things. Miles  8-15 were not exactly my favorite but I was still groovin’….and then…we hit the Philly Zoo/ Fairmount Park where the elevation kicked in. There were several hills where I legit questioned my sanity/ well being and was also pretty sure I had maybe peed my pants? Who knows! The good news is I didn’t pee my pants and I survived. I remember hitting the half way point and thinking to myself ” the finish line and a beer sound good right about now”. Whatever, I kept on trucking. Miles 15-the finish…1st class, front row and maybe even captain? on the pain train. My legs were toast. The wind got the best of me and I really just wanted to be finished. I tossed my handheld water bottle somewhere around mile 16 right before I got an extra boost of energy from the cheer stations. My upper body felt like it was locking up so I was trying to keep my arms as loose as possible. At one point I passed Kris Lawrence, who is an elite runner and SUPER speedy! I read her blog and I’m pretty confident she is a super unicorn. Anywho, I spotted her coming around the home stretch as I was trucking along. I briefly fan girl’d followed by a huge jolt of motivation to finish ALL the miles. Per usual, miles 22-26 were a blur. I was yapping away at myself per usual with i’m sure, the most horrific look on my face and crossed the finish like in 3:57:33. My slowest marathon time thus far by 14 big fat seconds. They put that noisy little bell medal around my neck, curled up in my space blanket, and began the walk home. I hobbled along-side a very nice man who chit chatted with me all six blocks home (which mind you, felt like 20). Although I was at one point on track to PR, I was nothing short but happily satisfied to finish my 3rd marathon. This past year was one hell of a ride. Four weddings, a huge move, brand new job, work travel, and two marathons + training. I am so excited for what 2016 has in store for my running. For now, I’ve cut down my weekly mileage, incorporating more cross & strength training.  I squatted for the first time yesterday and then went out for an hour log run this afternoon. Let’s just say bending over/sitting down is a real struggle this evening–oh hey hiney + hammies, I’m talking about you:)

What’s next on the schedule? Well, I think it’s time to try a Spring marathon so, hey Toledo! I’m coming for you at the end of April!

-C

Last weekend I spent two days in the little town of Wallingford Connecticut (first timer to CT!) with some of the most kick ass women I’ve ever met. Many of us walked into the amazingly gorgeous Confetti Bar as strangers and left with new friendships and an inspiring network of strong, beautiful and ridiculously talented women. My good friend Kristen introduced me to Monarch Workshop last year. She rambled on and on about how amazing it was. So, when I moved to Philadelphia she said making the trip to the workshop this year was a must- Thanks K-Po! Monarch was filled with many small business owners, creatives and bloggers. For those of you that know me & for those that do not, I’m not exactly the most creative human there is but, for two days I forced myself out of my comfort zone and gained a new perspective on life in general, thought about somethings that scare me and actually spent time thinking about my goals, both personally & professionally.

We openly talked about some difficult things..our fears, dreams and aspirations. We crafted ( my little gem is proudly hanging in my office at work, it may or may not look like a 5th grade art project–no biggy). We practiced yoga, heard awesome presentations on branding, personality types, health and wellness and how to create a slice of heaven or ” sweet spot ” that you can use as a think tank or just positive space–it’s good for the soul, ya know. The list goes on… in a nut shell, this was just what I needed.

I’ve come to realize that what I may be doing today, is not what I may be doing in 6 months or 5 years– and that’s the beauty of the world we live in. I don’t have to follow the path I’ve been following since I was 16 years old and when I knew I wanted to do something with fashion. Is that scary to think about? Hell yes it is. But being scared is Okay! For now, what I do Monday-Friday is fantastic, challenging and very rewarding. However, I’ve also come to learn that I have a fierce love for a sport that I have become ridiculously addicted to, a sport that has become my mental therapy and makes me feel alive. I will never be an elite runner but, I would eventually like to mix running & my career in some capacity.  So, what might the future hold? who the heck knows but the opportunities are really endless if I want & allow them to be.

Thanks for lighting a semi large fire under my ass, Monarch babes. You sure know how to throw down a killer dance party.  Delicious donuts, unicorns, confetti, gold everything and a photo booth? Can’t beat it.

In other news, T-minus three weeks until the Philadelphia Marathon and then I owe my legs a rest for a hot minute. On a side note, am I really running my 3rd Marathon already?

Pinch me!

-C

I have deleted the first sentence of this post at least 12 times- woof..clearly I’m a little rusty at this whole blogging thing but I really, really wanted to collect my thoughts on my race last weekend in Chicago.

Chicago never ever disappoints. It was another gorgeous weekend with so much amazing energy.  My flight got in mid-day Thursday so I had all day Friday and Saturday to rest, relax, do a little shopping and prep for the race. To be 100% transparent and honest, I had ZERO clue as to how this race was going to go. My training this cycle was so different from my first marathon training. I knew my training paces were slower than they were last cycle but I had to trust in the process, my coach Lindsey and have the confidence to know I put in the work and all I could do was go out there and give it my all. This summer has been a complete whirlwind and I quite honestly don’t know how I clocked the miles I did. Four weddings, multiple work conferences, a ton of travel, moving to a new city, starting a new job, the list goes on. But guess what? All it took was getting back to the start line last Sunday. I instantly felt back ” at home” and at ease. The nerves slowly disappeared and I knew things would be okay.

Before I knew it I was off…flying through the the streets of Chicago once again. The marathon crowd in that city is unbelievable.  My Garmin was pretty all over the place for the first 4-5 miles. I knew Lindsey had set a pretty detailed pace plan for me so in order to remember a few key splits I wrote them on the inside of my forearm, along with 2 words that would continuously remind me to stay focused.

I saw my mom, step-dad and Megan around mile 7 and then again at mile 9. From then on out I knew I wouldn’t see Lindsey  until mile 23 and it was time to lock in focus and get into a good rhythm.  The first 13 miles flew by. I really made an effort not to pay attention to my watch. I get pretty pace anxious and everytime I did look down I was cruisin mid 8’s so I felt pretty confident if I could stay consistent I would eventually be able to pick up some time on the 2nd half of the course. Once I hit mile 13 my legs got a boost of energy and I clocked a 7:48 minute next mile. Clearly I knew I needed to slow down so I found my groove again. From then on out I focused on taking the race in 3-4 mile increments. At this point the temps were really heating up. I had my handheld with me and grabbed both gatorade and water at almost every aid station. Most of the time I dumped the water on my head and took a few sips of gatorade. I fueled at 1 hour, 2 hours, and right as I hit mile 20. Thankfully, I had no stomach issues during the race…as we all know, things can go south REAL fast if that’s the case.

I recall hitting Chinatown around mile 21, prepping myself for the pain and the mental challenge of the last 10K. I was pleasantly surprised with how my body was responding at that point. Was I tired? hell yes I was tired. I was  exhausted, sweating my ass off, ready to get the heck out of the sun and cross that finish line. At this point I really had no idea I would be approaching a pretty solid 5 minute PR from last year.  I saw Lindsey at mile 23 and my parents at mile 25. I pushed…I pushed hard..and i pushed “the wall” so hard it never came “a knockin”. I couldn’t feel my feet at one point and all I remember telling myself was you are killing this Caitlin, keep fighting.  Yep, just chatting myself up for those last few minutes of the race, I’m pretty good at that..well, and just chatting in genreral. Anyway, at around mile 25.5 right as I was getting ready to turn and go over the infamous overpass that literally looks and feels like Mount Everest,  I spotted Bart Yasso standing on the side of the road all by himself. I yelled HEY BART! and he gave me a high five along with a ” hey girl, you’re almost there!” That alone, was enough to light a fire under my butt and get myself to that finish line.

I got myself up and over that god awful hill and turned the corner for the finish line. At that moment I realized for that one split second, this is what I live for. Running 26.2 miles like an absolute crazy person just to see that finish line….and just like last year, a gigantic smile emerged on my face and I finished stronger than ever with a PR of 3:52:39.

Marathon # 2- complete! I’m running the Philadelphia Marathon in just five short weeks. My plan is to simply replay the last 5 weeks of the plan I used for Chicago. My body has recovered amazingly well this past week. I officially haven’t run for 7 days. I’ve gone to hot yoga three times and have been taking time to relax and unwind. Tomorrow I pick training back up again…and I can’t wait. My goal for Philly is to see if I can knock off another 4 minutes on my time. If it happens, it happens! If it doesn’t I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I think my runners high finally subsided around Thursday– I did a lot of thinking back to last Sunday and I am so amazed at what our bodies are capable of doing. If someone would have ever asked me five years ago if I would  be a marathon runner, I would have probably laughed in their face and replied with a heck no! Today, I couldn’t imagine my life without running the marathon distance. Like I’ve said before…I found what makes me tick, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Here are a few snapshots from the weekend!

Me & Mom headed to the expo!

Cheesin’ like a little kid on Christmas Eve at the Expo

Met up with Coach Lindsey and a few other runners she coached including a few girls from the Saucony 26 Strong Team. Super awesome getting to meet these inspiring ladies

Feeling pretty darn good…….

Post race celebration with family, friends and my old- lifting partner from Columbus who also ran and PR’d, Hiroshi!

Feeling pretty blessed for a healthy recovery and for the privilege and sport of distance running. Next Up: My home turf…Philadelphia!

Cheers!

-C

  I spent much of the weekend catching up on sleep, organizing my apartment, and simply putzing around. I explored my new little neighborhood, demolished Chipotle in Rittenhouse Park like a true winner while dog/people watching, and of course…went running.

I had 17 miles to accomplish Saturday morning. The weather appeared to be perfect, from what I could tell before sunrise. The temp was cool with a slight breeze– my plan was to head out of the city, up the Schuylkill River Trail toward Manayunk. I had a quick breakfast, stretched/foam rolled, got changed, made my bed ( yes, this must always happen before I run long) and out the door I went….

It was around mile 12 when I was on my way back to the city when I found myself in deep thought. My body was feeling strong, my mind was right, and I was cruisin’. Side note- the past few training weeks have been a bit rough. I was getting down on myself, questioning why I do what I do, and having poor self confidence. But then on Saturday, I figured it out–it all clicked. This is what I crave. This is what saves my soul & provides me therapy. This is why I have fought the battles I have & found peace with myself. This is who I am…and this is what makes me tick. I’m in no position to sit here and dive into this deep blog post about my life. For one, it would take far too long & second, that’s not what this space is for. However, after I had my own self ah-ha moment,  the rest of the day felt easy. It was oddly strange…I spent the entire day hanging out by myself and you know what? It was glorious. My summer has been a non-stop marathon in it’s own right. I owed it to myself to do some thinking, hang out with myself, relax, and run all the miles– with a smile on my face.

Feeling very refreshed and ready to tackle another mid 50-ish mile training week. Chicago is right around the damn corner. So, with all of that said..What makes you tick?

-C

Well, it’s been a solid two months since I’ve had time to sit down and collect my thoughts in this little space of mine. It’s been an absolute whirlwind of a summer. I finally moved into my cozy new apartment in Philadelphia, successfully have been a bridesmaid in 2 weddings ( 3 total this summer) spent a week in Nashville for work, spent a few days in New York City to speak at a product innovations conference,  made a trip home to visit my sister and her family whom I haven’t seen in over 2 years, and yes…marathon train..oh yes, and keep up with work. I knew my schedule would get pretty hectic but not THIS crazy.

Let’s talk marathon training, shall we?

I’ve been working with Lindsey Hein  since May in preparation for the Chicago Marathon. Chicago was my first full marathon last year and as soon as I crossed the finish line I knew I wanted to run it again. My training has been a lot different this time around. For one, I am training solo- last year I joined MIT through the Columbus Fleet Feet store. I made some great running friends and was definitely the boost I needed to get me going since I was a newbie. With my schedule being so wacky this summer, I haven’t had time to seek out a new running group quite yet and I find it easier to just get out there and run when my schedule permits. Goal for the Fall….find some running pals!

I get my training plans two weeks at a time from Lindsey. THANK GOD for this woman. She holds me accountable and keeps me on my toes. Last week I topped out at 45 miles and this week I’ll finish with 50. I am already up to 18 miles for my long run and I can’t believe how well my body is responding to the mileage. I remember last year every Friday I would get so anxious about my Saturday morning long run because once I hit 14 miles, it was a PR distance every single time. Now, I just get up and go without blinking an eye. I definitely am not as strong as I was last summer due to a lack of strength training but I continue to do a lot of body weight/plyo stuff… squats, lunges, push ups, and sit ups. I have a 7 mile tempo at 7:55-8:00 min pace tonight and the big ole’ 20 miler this Saturday–wish me luck!

Well, since I’m just getting back into the blog swing of things, I guess I really have no good excuse as to why I haven’t made time to sit down each week and recap..so here is a glimpse into what the heck I’ve been up to this summer!

 May:: Flew back to Ohio to be the Maid of Honor in one of my best friend’s weddingJune:: Spent a week in Nashville at a technology conference. Oh man…what a fun place….and yes, I got to see Carrie Underwood in concert. 100% acted like a giddy teenager.

Nashville has some delicious eateries. Ice cream was definitely on my list. We stopped at the Pied Piper Creamery for a little sweet treat the first night. I highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area. I went from Nashville to New York to speak at a Product Innovations Conference for a few days. Such an amazing event- I felt pretty official when I saw I made the program!July:: Traveled to Canton, Ohio for wedding # 2- This group was top notch. So, so fun! The selfie stick was also quite a hit:)Caught in action on my 17 miler by my bike coach, Jackie.  I was struggling with the GU here… August:: Flew back to Ohio to spend time with my sister and her girls. Say hi to Elle! She is my youngest niece and was really into peanut butter and cheese sandwiches.

My sister is local photographer out in Montana where she lives. We spent Saturday morning having a fun little photo shoot. Just a couple shots from our session- Thank you Sissy!That, in a nutshell, is what I’ve been up to. The fun doesn’t stop there. I’m off to Columbus for a few days next week and then Hong Kong & Korea until the end of the month for work…I can’t believe it! More to come next week on my training and a recap of my 20 miler.

-C

Another week down and luckily, my determination to get all the miles in this week won….barely. Since moving to Philly, my allergies have been all over the place. Earlier this week it started with the sniffles, sore throat, and by Saturday it was a gross cough/cold combo that completely wiped me out. Here is a run down of the plan vs. actual this week.  Once again, I had to use my two cross training days as rest days because I was feeling so yucky.

Monday: Plan- 4 miles easy 9:15-9:55 target pace

Actual: REST- Sick

Tuesday: Plan- Cross Train or Rest

Actual: REST- Sick

Wednesday: Plan- Stress K-Repeats 4 x 1K @ 7:27-7:31 w/jog recovery with 1 mile warm up & cool down

Actual: 5 miles (47:25) 9:26,9:21,9:26,9:01, 8:33

Thursday: Plan- 5 miles recovery 9:45-10:30

Actual: Stress K Repeats (51:48) 8:53, 8:18,8:20,8:34, 8:32, 9:11 w/ 1 mile warm & cool. for the 4 x.62- I definitely hit the 7:30 targets- watch just clocked the overall mile

Friday- Rest

Actual: 4 miles easy (38:57) 9:39, 9:52, 9:51, 9:32

Saturday: Plan- 10 miles easy 9:15-9:55

Actual: REST-Sick

Sunday: Plan- Cross Train or Rest

Actual: 10 miles easy (1:33:48) 9:26,9:38,9:32,9:31,9:21, 9:20, 9:20, 9:20, 9:06, 9:14

Total Miles: 25

As you can see, I really had to get creative with my schedule this week since I was feeling under the weather. I was rather pleased I still manged to get the miles in. I treated myself to  lunch at Marathon Grill this afternoon. A nice turkey club and two glasses of wine. Now, I’m toast & ready for bed.

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend!

-C