10/06/2025
I was supposed to make my return to the marathon today at the to run marathon #3 after 6 long years… I told very few people I was racing because I was nervous I wouldn’t even make it to the starting line. 😢
It took me years of challenging health issues and injuries + 2 tries to feel ready (this year and 2023). But both times the marathon didn’t happen for different reasons. 😞
In 2023 it was because my body wasn’t ready and I wasn’t able to run the mileage I needed. This year it was because the race turned into a yellow flag race due to the unseasonably hot weather, so I called it at the expo Saturday. I’m not one to run a marathon for fun and I had some tough encounters with the heat this summer, so I wanted to be careful. My training went really well, so I was really bummed about this decision. 🫤 But they let me drop from the full to the half at the expo yesterday. So I still raced today! ☺️
It was interesting to run a half off of marathon fitness though, let me tell you... 😅 And it was pretty warm already at 7 am. 🥵 The Hoan bridge hill(s) were brutal for this Chicago gal. 400-500 ft elevation of gain when I’m used to like 30 ft. 🥲 If I ever run it again or NYC or Boston, I’ll definitely need to add in some hill training.
It was ~ a 3 min PR nonetheless (1:28:59) and it made me excited to see what I could do on a flatter course with half focused training. I was also 1st in my AG and won a really cool glass! 🤩
I am hoping to use my current fitness to find a different marathon this year that doesn’t require a flight (💰 💰 💰) or maybe another half. 🤔 So 2025 could still be my return to the marathon. TBD!
One final note: I can’t believe I was one of the only ones taking gels during the half… it made my sports dietitian heart sad. 😞 💔 I feel better during AND after races with fuel and will never go back to the days when I ran half marathons without it. Please take fuel during your half, even if it’s under 90 minutes like mine was today- otherwise you’re leaving performance on the table!⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀