Running Form Fitness

Great morning run with my favorite guy! I got the best news this morning! I can’t wait to share it with you all!! But I can’t stop smiling!

Well, here we are again… one more loading dose after this! 💉

Not gonna lie, coming home from our vacation has felt like a slap in the face. Reality hit HARD.

Not only am I still dealing with my own medical issues, but we’ve also been trying to figure out some health issues with my daughter. And let me tell you, I would take every bit of her pain on myself if I could. Watching your kids struggle is a whole different kind of heartbreak. It’s the WORST. 💔

And then there’s the marathon. I’m still haunted by the fact that I missed the top 200 by LESS THAN 30 SECONDS. 😭 I know that probably sounds ridiculous to some people, but I poured so much of myself into that race. I worked SO hard, and I truly believed breaking 3 hours would be enough to get me to Tokyo.

Now I’m stuck waiting and hoping that at least 19 women ahead of me either can’t go or choose not to, so I can get that coveted invitation. And if you know me, you know I HATE uncertainty. Almost as much as I hate falling short of something I’ve worked so hard for.

I’m trying to remind myself that running a sub-3 marathon while dealing with everything my body has thrown at me is still something to be proud of. But sometimes knowing that and actually feeling it are two very different things.

Anyway, here’s hoping these infusions start doing their thing because so far, I’m not feeling much better. 🫠

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk! Apparently I had some things to get off my chest today. 😂

How’s everyone else doing? Please tell me someone is having a better October than I am! ❤️

One of the biggest bummers about running a fall marathon is that I always seem to miss the peak of fall colors! Between heavy training, tapering, and recovery, the best of fall somehow slips by. 🍁 So even though we knew we’d missed the peak, I was determined to get out and enjoy whatever color was left before the weather changes!

Somehow I convinced Stephan Heilner to join me for a trail hike/run this morning. 😂 The forecast looked amazing yesterday, so imagine our surprise when we found ourselves caught in a thunderstorm, complete with lightning WAY too close for comfort! ⚡️

We were almost halfway through the trail section and weren’t sure what to do. I personally know three people who have been killed by lightning, so it’s not something I take lightly. We decided to wait it out in the sheltered spot we’d found, counting the seconds between lightning and thunder to figure out how close the storm was. Let’s just say we were counting a little too fast for my liking! 😳

Thankfully, the storm passed, and the rest of the hike was absolutely beautiful! There’s something about the rain and overcast skies that makes the fall colors pop even more. We may have missed the peak, but there was still plenty of beauty left to make the morning worth it! 🍂❤️

And apparently we didn’t have to worry about missing ALL the bad weather today! Ha ha!

Anyone else wish fall could last just a little longer?! 🍁

First “long run” back! 🙌🏼

Not gonna lie, coming home this week has been ROUGH! Between catching a cold, some pretty major health issues with my daughter, trying to catch up on life, and the worst jet lag, it’s been a lot!

But getting back into my routine has felt SO good! And this morning’s run with Paige Nelson was exactly what I needed! ❤️

Hoping next week goes a little smoother and, more than anything, that we can finally get some answers for my daughter. There’s truly nothing harder than watching your child suffer and not knowing how to help. 💔

Grateful for good friends, running, and a little bit of normalcy in the middle of the chaos! ❤️

It’s CHICAGO MARATHON race week!! 🎉🏃‍♀️

It’s so hard to rank the World Marathon Majors I’ve run, but Chicago will always be near the top of my list! The energy, the crowds, the beautiful city, and the atmosphere are seriously next level! There’s just something special about running 26.2 miles through the streets of Chicago! 🤩

With race week officially here, I wanted to share some of my favorite Chicago Marathon tips and tricks to help you make the most of this incredible experience!

Whether you’re running Chicago this weekend or dreaming of running it someday, save this post! And share it with anyone you know who is heading to the Windy City for 26.2 miles of magic! 🏙️🏅

The race bib is secured!! 🇩🇪

This year of running has been one of the most challenging of my life. Dealing with a posterior tibial tendon tear has tested my patience in ways I didn’t expect, and then throwing an ulcerative colitis flare into this training block made an already hard build feel almost impossible at times.

There were so many moments when I questioned why I was still doing this and why I kept asking so much of my body.

The honest answer is that after nearly two decades of running, it’s part of who I am. It’s something I love and crave. Marathons are hard, but I genuinely love the journey, the training, the work, and everything it takes just to make it to the start line.

I’m praying everything comes together tomorrow. My UC definitely hasn’t loved traveling, and my tendon is pretty sore from all the walking, but honestly, getting to this start line already feels like a miracle.

There were times I truly didn’t know if I would make it here. But here I am.

So if you’re the praying type, please send a few prayers my way that my body cooperates and is able to do what it has trained so hard to do.

Despite everything, I am SO excited to run through this beautiful city tomorrow!

Berlin, let’s do this. ❤️

Taper run through Paris!! 🇫🇷✨

I absolutely LOVE this city. It’s chaotic, beautiful, and somehow there’s something incredible around every corner. I honestly wish I wasn’t tapering so I could just keep running and exploring all day!

The only bummer is Notre-Dame is closed because the Pope is coming tomorrow, so this is as close as we’re going to get. 😂

Feeling so incredibly blessed to be here. Now it’s time to explore as much of Paris as we can without adding too many miles to these taper legs! 🤍