All posts filed under: running

Chicago Marathon 2018 — I’m in!

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In November, I impulsively decided to enter the 2018 Chicago Marathon lottery. It’s been a couple of years since I ran my last (full) marathon (Marine Corps Marathon 2015), so I figured, why not? Also, I’ve recently decided I would try and run all six of the World Marathon Majors — Chicago, New York, Boston, Berlin, London, and Tokyo. I figured this would be a goal I’d work on while continuing to complete my 50 states challenge.

Girls on the Run 5k – Inspiring little ladies to live their best lives

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I work with an organization called Girls on the Run. Their goal is to inspire girls to be happy, healthy and confident by using a fun, engaging curriculum that integrates running. The program teaches girls life skills that focuses on understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork, and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large. The lessons aim to empower girls to be strong, compassionate and fearless in pursuing their dreams. Each season culminates in an exciting 5k race. Today was race day for the girls!

19/50: Massachusetts — Boston’s Run to Remember

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Hello friends! Can’t believe it’s August and Labor Day is peeking around the corner. Summer is flying by! Let’s rewind back to Memorial Day weekend for a minute though. I owe you guys a race recap for state #19: Massachusetts! Yes, that was more than two months ago. Sorry for the delay. Things happen. Laziness happens. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The race was a good one — I did Boston’s Run to Remember. It honors the city’s first responders killed in the line of duty. The weather was beautiful, the race was well-organized, there was amazing course support, annnnd I finished with a PR. Second PR that month! I highly recommend this race if you’re looking for a good half marathon in the Boston area.

Memorial Day, Boston’s Run to Remember, Another PR in May

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Happy Memorial Day, friends! I just returned from Boston last night after participating in Boston’s Run to Remember — a half marathon that honors the city’s first responders killed in the line of duty. It was a beautiful race that started in the Seaport District and went through historic downtown Boston. I finished with another PR! I’ll have a full write-up of the race and my trip up soon. I hope you all are enjoying the long weekend.

18/50: Ohio — Flying Pig (Half) Marathon

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Guys! I’m back from Iceland and Ohio! Both trips were amazing (each in their own way, of course). Will write more about Iceland in another post. For now, I’m going to tell you all about Ohio. Personally, I think it’s an underrated state. We had a great time there. We visited Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, and Sandusky — all in three days. Pretty crazy. I’m still amazed we were able to pull it off. There were many highlights of the trip, but the most noteworthy for this blog is… setting a new PR in the Flying Pig (half) and finishing strong! It was completely unexpected. Unexpected for a couple of reasons: (1) the course is described as hilly and challenging (and it was!), and (2) I got only three hours of sleep the night before! But somehow, things seemed to have worked out in my favor that day. No complaints here! It was a great race — definitely in my top 10 favorites!

Training for Flying Pig Half Marathon and 2017 race schedule updates

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Hello friends, and hello April! February and March flew right by, and I am now only one month away from my first race of the year — Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio (May 7). I kicked off April with 16 miles this past weekend — 8 treadmill miles Saturday morning, 5 treadmill miles Sunday morning, and 3 fast miles at the C&O Canal Sunday evening. I did those 3 miles with a friend, and spent the entire time trying to keep pace with him. Wasn’t easy — I had a gasping for life moment at the end. But I survived! And I think it was good for me. I don’t push myself enough when it comes to speed and definitely need to add more speed workouts into my schedule.

Happy New Year! Half Marathons for 2017!

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Happy 2017, friends! Hope you guys had a great holiday and wonderful time ringing in the new year. I’ve spent the last week trying to get back into routine — work, gym, chores, etc. I’m still playing catch-up. This is probably my least favorite time of the year (post-holiday blues, cold east coast weather), so while everyone’s out there making big resolutions to be amazing, I’m just taking it day by day. It’s what works for me. I do set goals for myself, but the main thing I strive for every year is to live a full life and do the best that I can in whatever situation I’m in. Right now, I’m in a “blah, it’s January” situation, so you know, I’m working my way through it. 🙂 I finally got around to narrowing down the races for my 2017 line-up. I’ve got six on tap — my colleague, Kevin, (aka Coach Kevin) is pushing for me to do eight, so I’ll end the year with 25 states under my belt. Not sure if I …

17/50: New York – Half Full Rome

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How is nearing the end of December already?! (AND ONLY 2 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS??!) The year has gone by so fast! But let’s rewind back to October for a minute – my big month of travel. 🙂 I spent a couple of fantastic weeks in Southeast Asia (Cambodia and Thailand), and a day after returning (arrived home on a Thursday), I decided to drive to New York to run a half marathon and cross #17 off my list. I figured, why not? I didn’t have any plans that weekend. I found a small race in a place called Rome, New York, about 30 miles north of Syracuse. There are plenty of races in New York City throughout the year, and I believe a couple were taking place that weekend, but it was too late to register online for them. And plus, I had never been to any part of New York outside of NYC, and wanted to experience a different part of the state anyway. So, Rome.