Here is the behind-the-scenes of my build up to my 9th place finish at the Boston Marathon.

Training:

It was so different than anything I have done before… which is good, considering I have never run a marathon before. But, it also was challenging at times because paces I used to hit for 400s, 800s, and miles were not at all possible, while I was nailing tempos, and long runs, and having amazing strength workouts feeling good with 90-100 miles per week. I am very proud of myself and feel that honestly I was more emotionally fatigued than physically worn out at the end of the day. See my last 8 weeks of of training:

Shoes:

3 pairs of Adizero Boston
3 pairs Adidas Glide Boost
4 pairs Adidas Energy Boost

Nutrition:

2 tubs or Osmo Active mango
3 boxes of Honey Stinger Waffles
1 box Honey Stinger gel
12 lbs of coffee beans (decaf on non workout days)

Health:

Taking care of my body to allow me to do the training necessary has been key. I managed to get through travel for both RnR New Orleans and NYC United Half without any illnesses, and that was critical for me to get right back into training. I adjusted my sleep schedule, starting to bed at 8pm with lights out by 9pm. I woke up before 6am every morning, and typically ran between 7:30-8:30am. Having a routine really helps me stay focused and take the best care of myself.

Supplemental:

3 bottles of Dr Ron’s Flora Probiotics
3 tubs of Osmo Recovery protein
2 liters per week of Upstart Kombucha
6 batches of bone broth (turned into soups)

Medical:

I rely on diligent daily work to keep my body in one piece. Each week for the past 4 months, I have driven 2 hours each way to see my amazing therapist Heather at the Olympic Training Center. We do soft tissue work, rigorous exercises, and she finds and adjusts imbalances to ensure that my body is ready for another week of hard training. I also check in with Brandon, my lifting coach, who designed three strength routines for me throughout my marathon build up. I see Jeff, my massage guy in Boulder, who always has me marked on his calendar for Tuesday and Saturday. Every time I leave, I feel like my muscles have been ironed out smooth. I had an unfortunate situation occur where I had tape that rubbed the bottom of my arch during a long run resulting in a horrific blister (I’m still cringing from the memory of the pain). I had to see a wound specialist, and though I never missed a day of training, there were two weeks that were very difficult to get through.

Dry Needling

Sofsole gel inserts
50$ worth of bandaids
3 tubes of neosporin
4 containers of Jason’s sport ointment
5 rolls of KT or Rock tape
5 bags of Epsom salts

Support:

Whew. I would not have made it through without my loving (read: very on my case about every little thing but in a good way) husband, Dillon. Coach Steve Magness who talked me through some frustrating training weeks. My dad who provided experienced wisdom. My mom who would remind me of perspective. Friends running and biking along to get me through long training runs. My athletes for their continued encouragement (if they could do it, so could I, right?!). A great group of Sunday afternoon aqua jogger ladies to help cross training be tolerable. Adidas for a limitless supply of shoes, gear, and funding to make it all possible. David Bracetty for the amazing photo shoot and gallery of pictures so I could be present on social media.

HUGE thanks to Runner’s World and Competitor Magazine for boosting my confidence with these amazing cover shots.

Everyone has a story, and I am so honored that they decided to share mine.

My Marathon Journey in Numbers