Journey Towards My Fall Marathon: A HOKA Training Diary to Share

So a little about myself, well . . . I’m a 48-year-old single mom of two who works as a full time respiratory therapist in the ICU and emergency department at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto. I’ve been doing this amazing job for 20 years and I haven’t gotten bored yet. My colleagues and I were front line during COVID-19 so we are now feeling like we can catch our breath—we are still under-staffed, still recovering from PTSD, but we can honestly say the intense stress has lifted some what.

So how does running play in my life? It grounds me. It clears my mind and it gets me outside: rain or shine by the water, in the forrest or on that lonely road which brings a joy that is hard for me to describe. I’m a marathon runner and the strength that brings to my life is what I need to be happy. I’ve always been an athlete and when I’m deep in my training this physical strength is what truly brings me internal peace.

My winter and spring training was one of the tougher training blocks I’ve ever endured. It was inconsistent due sickness in my family, and the amount of stress I had to mange was unhealthy at times. I lost my sweet dog of 15 years which brought me so much sadness and then just training on top of that with my 12-hour shifts some weeks just proved too much. So let’s just say my race at the Toronto marathon in May was not my best. I suffered stomach issues and my confidence just wasn’t there.  Quickly into the race I new it wasn’t going to be my day out there so I let it go and was just humbled to finish 42.2K.

So now what? Well, initially I thought about taking the summer off, just free run for joy, but then this amazing opportunity came into my lap. Ben Kaplan at iRun and HOKA approached me with this beautiful collaboration—bi-weekly I would send in my training logs with the goal of the Erie marathon in September. HOKA would support me with shoes and apparel and I would share my training, and document my journey. This was so incredibly flattering and I was so humbled to accept.

So my official start date was Monday, as per my coach Mike Anderson of BlackToe Running, but to be honest my brain was already Rocking: what will I do differently this time? What really didn’t work for me last training block, what did work? How will I improve, have fun, and experience joy?

These are the questions that are floating in my head and fuelling my motivation…. 

I’m in the dreaming stage right now and this is one of the most exciting parts of marathon training. OK, I think this entry has been long enough (lol), but sending a pick of the beautiful HOKA shoes that were sent to me: the Mach X, which will be out soon.

They were comfy, but not too heavy—springy, but not too stiff—and a shoe that will definitely be part of my training rotation for Erie! I hope you enjoy my ride, and please share your journey also. Let’s work together, help each other, share tips and training advice, and spread love.

Peace out

Caroline