Marathon Month and Beyond

In the competitive running world, October is known as Marathon Month. Due to the mostly cooler weather, welcome after long and hot summer training cycles, runners compete in marathons and half marathons across the country. In many ways, I too have caught the bug.

I'm gearing up for my next half marathon on October 25th in Narragansett, Rhode Island. On the one hand, I haven't been following a specific training plan and haven't done much intentional speed work. On the other hand, I've been running a lot of miles and feeling great about it. My running log shows run after run where I've felt strong, giving testament the great runs I've had recently. My long runs have been 12, 13, and 14 miles and I've been able to negative split them. After each one, I've even wanted to continue on for miles more. This is such a rare and wonderful feeling! I believe I'm recovering well afterwards, paying attention to fueling and hydration. And a perk of coaching cross country this fall is that I get to work out with my girls, doing strength circuits, core, and other ancillary exercises that make us stronger runners. The course for the Gansett Half Marathon looks to be incredibly flat. Even if I can't manage a PR, I think I can run a formidable race. I'm so excited to get after it.

I ran around this whole lake and dam on my long run

Many of my friends and Oiselle teammates are also participating in Marathon Month, and seeing their results has been the best motivation. From guy friends absolutely killing it in the Hartford marathon and half marathon, to my grad school friend Rachel who qualified for the Olympic Trials at Chicago, and so many first time finishers. I want to drink the kool-aid too. I want to be a part of this.

And I'm excited to announce that soon I will be too! This past spring I ran a Boston qualifying time in my first marathon, and recently I was accepted to run Boston this April. Not only that, but I was also accepted into the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge team, so I will be running and raising money for cancer research and treatment. My goal is to raise $10,000 for this noble cause. I'll be sharing more in the coming weeks and months, but I hope you will consider donating.

My Fundraising Page

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Dolla Dolla Bills, Y'all

Rachel Runner