Olympic Trials Marathon - 6 Weeks to go!

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!

Countdown to the 2020 Marathon Olympic Trials - 7 weeks to go!

I’ve been noticeably absent on the ole blog over here the past 2 years - life got busy, what with finishing grad school, joining the BAA, getting hurt, getting a puppy… also, I’d mostly switched away from long-form content on the blog to sharing shorter running updates via Instagram. So, the blog has been laying dormant…

But with the Olympic Trials Marathon just 7 weeks away, it feels like the right time to bring the blog back for a bit for the few of you still reading (hi Mom!). Inspired by my friend Ali’s return to writing, I thought I’d give it a shot too. So here we go - I’ll be sharing a bit more inside the final weeks of preparation for the Olympic Trials — for the marathon, on February 29, 2020, and hopefully for the 10k Trials in June too!

Training

With the Marathon Trials just 49 days away, training is in full swing right now. On Wednesday I ran my biggest marathon workout in over 2 years — 5 miles at marathon pace, followed by 2 x 2.5 miles at a few seconds/mile under MP. I’ve been lucky with the New England winter weather so far and had sunny skies and clear roads for this workout — the dusting of snow we’d gotten the night before had melted by the time I hit the road on Wednesday. I ran the workout on one of my favorite loops in Providence — it incorporates a nice little climb on Cole Street that will be much like the hills I’ll face in Atlanta. The workout was a tough one, but I ran by feel and was very pleasantly surprised with the splits I hit. Training is rockin’ and rollin’ and I’m excited for where I’m at right now. A 20 mile long run on tap this weekend!

On the Menu

I’ve been trying to do some more cooking every week to change up A and my usual dinner of giant salad + some sort of protein. I got a dutch oven on Black Friday and it has inspired me to experiment in the kitchen more, which has been a lot of fun! This week I made Coconut Milk Braised Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach over Rice from Half Baked Harvest and it was a hit! The turmeric and ginger are both good anti-inflammatories post-long workout. Her recipes are a bit more adventurous than I usually get with my cooking but it’s been good to get outside my comfort zone.

When I’m running high mileage, I’m also craving ALL THE CARBS so this easy sweet potato treat has been my go-to. Simply microwave a sweet potato for 5 minutes (pierce it with a fork a few times and wrap in a damp paper towel). Once cooked, top with butter, cinnamon, a little honey, and Trader Joe’s candied pecans and ENJOY!

What I’m Reading/Watching/Listening To

This week I watched the Lindsey Vonn documentary on HBO and wow did it resonate with me! It chronicles Lindsey’s final season of downhill ski racing and the physical and emotional challenges she endures battling back from injury. Prior to watching I didn’t realize how much her journey would hit home with me — I found myself in tears at times, as my injury-plagued last year and a half shares many similarities with Lindsey’s. It’s a great documentary for any sports fan, but especially so if you’ve gone through a devastating injury. Highly recommend!

On runs and on the bike, I’ve been blasting Spotify’s Confidence Boost playlist - it’s a good mix for dreary sweaty spin bike sessions and grey overcast runs.

Thanks for reading! More from me next week :)