Training
The countdown to Atlanta 2020 continues. We’ve had a bit of Atlanta-like weather this week, with record-high temps all across New England last Sunday — great for marathon training, not so great for our warming planet... But we marathoners took full advantage of the temps. I cruised a hilly long run on the Boston Marathon course with B.A.A. teammates Allie and Michaela Hackett and my friend/athlete I coach and fellow Adidas runner Amanda Nurse. This was one of my better 20 milers of any marathon buildup I’ve done and I was encouraged by how good I felt. Post-run I got brunch and refueled with my dear friend Bridget, shook the legs out with a family walk in Lincoln Woods with A and Moose, and wrote training plans for my athletes for the week.
20 miles on the Boston Marathon course last weekend
This was a slightly lighter week of training as I’m competing, so my workout this week was 6 miles as opposed to the 8-10 I’ve been doing in weeks past. The 6 x 1 mile repeats felt smooth and relaxed, which I hope carries over to my race this Sunday!
I’m currently in Naples, Florida to run the Naples Daily News Half Marathon. My coach and I were seeking a warmer, humid race that will mimic the conditions we expect in Atlanta next month. Looking forward to seeing where I’m at fitness-wise 6 weeks out from the Trials and chasing a half PR!
On the Menu
This week I attempted Shalane Flanagan’s Bison Meatballs from her Run Fast, Eat Slow cookbook. I’ve made them before, but for some reason this time the meatballs weren’t holding their form... maybe because I had subbed spinach for kale and used a lot more greens than Shalane called for... so, sadly the meatballs didn’t stay in ball form, ending up instead as a tasty bison scramble.
I used the meat as the protein source in a few variations of grain bowls we ate this week. It was very tasty over a bed of spinach and quinoa, mixed with combos of roasted broccoli or grilled mushrooms, and topped with avocado, feta, and a green goddess dressing. Easy, healthy, tasty!
What I’m reading/watching/listening to
This week I caught up on some episodes of the Keeping Track podcast, hosted by my friend Ro McGettigan, Molly Huddle, and Alysia Montano - 3 Olympians, 2 former pro runners and moms, and 1 current pro. These ladies are seriously FAST and I love what they’re doing with their podcast to tell important and inspiring stories about women in sport. I listened to their recent episode with Shalane and another with my friend Obsie Birru who was recently runner-up at the California International Marathon. More good listening ahead!
I’m off to bed - got 13.1 miles to run pretty fast tomorrow morning — so I leave with you a pic of Moose and his new favorite toy. More from me again next week!