Fall 2019 Goals

If you read my 2019 goals at the beginning of the year, you would have seen that I am the type of person who likes to put my goals out into the universe and make them public. I wrote that I was chasing a 3:20 or better marathon at Boston and a 1:32 or better half marathon. In April, I ran a 3:20:09 marathon at Boston and in March during the lead-up to Boston, a 1:32:19 (there is power in writing your goals down!). I had also written that my Fall plans were a 3:15 or faster marathon IF I ran a Fall marathon and if not I’d be chasing a sub-1:30 half.

It’s funny how a few months can change everything.

In March, I ran a half-marathon on an extremely challenging course (dubbed the most challenging half marathon course in northern Illinois) that gained 700 feet of elevation and dropped about the same over the course of 13.1 miles. It’s the kind of course that breaks the body down – steep hills up and down are tough on those quads! I was extremely nervous going into this race and ran “blind”, not paying attention to the pace on my watch and just running off of effort. I ended up coming away with nearly a 3-minute PR, running 1:32:19 and I realized just how strong I had gotten during the marathon cycle.

In my Boston build-up, I had my strongest marathon training cycle to date and came away actually in better shape than a 3:20 (closer to a 3:17-3:18 marathon according to my coach). However, in order to capitalize on your top level of fitness the stars need to align the day of the race. As you all have read by now, the weather at Boston in 2019 while much more ideal than it was forecasted to be was pretty humid and temperatures got very warm for marathon running in the afternoon. I was so proud of how my body battled that day and still came away with an 8 minute PR, notching a 3:20 marathon.

My Fall plans have changed.

I AM running a Fall Marathon and I AM chasing a sub 90-minute half. They are no longer separate goals but one in the same in pursuit of my marathon goal. I ran my first marathon in a 4:10. When my coach and I talked about my next goal time for CIM after Boston, I wasn’t scared, I was excited. And I held onto that excitement for myself for many months because I wanted to make it my own and have time to process it individually. I now feel ready to put my goal out there. After having a strong Boston cycle and coming away with more fitness than I thought going into it, I am now chasing a 3:10. This number is special to me because it represents a full hour between my first marathon and hopefully my eighth. I’ll admit I was curious what I could do on a flatter, faster course in both the half and the full marathon after my most recent PRs have come on hilly courses. Maybe one day I’ll run a flatter marathon course but CIM has been on the bucket list for awhile now and after training for all the Boston hills this winter, I kind of fell in love with rolling hills. My half marathon this Fall on the other hand will be on a flat course; I will be running the Indy Monumental Half Marathon as a tune-up race during my CIM cycle where hopefully if training has gone well and I am healthy, I’ll be chasing that sub-90 minute half too.

It’s crazy to me to think about how I have evolved as a distance runner over the last several years. It is a testament to hard work, dedication, and commitment that has gotten me to where I am today and it is that same work ethic that will get me to my goals in the future. I am excited to embark on this next season of marathon training in August. I know it won’t be easy; going for something you’ve never done before never is, but I have no doubt that it will be worth it. Bring on all the miles, the sweat, the tears, the pain; I’m ready to go chase down bigger goals this Fall!