Looking Ahead After the Chicago Marathon

With Chicago well behind me, and after any big race, my priority turns to rest, recovery and relaxation. Tackling a marathon like Chicago, you need to give your whole body a chance to reset, even if you feel good after a couple of days. After completing an intense training cycle like the one I just did, I like to take a couple of weeks of unstructured free time, where my focus turns from “having” to run or workout, to running when I feel like it.

I didn’t have a day off from training between June to Chicago, so although I feel like I could resume training, right now I’m enjoying the mornings that I get to sleep in, socialize and eat out at night, and generally take all the time off while I can.

Even if there isn’t an immediate race coming up, there are always races on the calendar! In between cycles when my training isn’t for a specific race, my goal is to always slowly build a strong base of fitness, so that once the new cycle starts, I am fit, fast, and able to aggressively approach workouts. I still run every day, just not as much.

Next up for me will be the NYC Half Marathon in March 2018! I’m still thinking of what an appropriate goal will be for this race, but I am definitely looking to finally get under 70 min, maybe even 68 min. I will also try to get in a couple of fast 10 km races in the Spring to work on my speed, and looking even further ahead, I’m planning for my next marathon to be another one in the Fall. As for my Moonshot, it’s going to be big, scary and enticing, just like the last one! I want to break 2:20:00. I know that it is within my capabilities, it will just take time, patience and perseverance.

In the meantime, and for the rest of the year, I am looking forward to having extra free time on my nights and weekends. I won’t have to do double runs every day, and I won’t have to worry about rushing to bed or trying to squeeze in social plans. It will be nice to spend more time at home with my partner Jessy, and be able to take on some more of the household responsibilities like cooking, groceries, walking the dog etc., since he tends to take on these duties when I am in a full marathon build. Sometimes the simplest of things can bring you the most joy!

I hope you’ve enjoyed following along on my running journey this Fall. I know that I’ve enjoyed being able to share it with all of you. And for anyone looking to take on their own running goals, my advice is to set your own Moonshot! Don’t be afraid to dream big, just because you’re afraid you will fail. You will only fail if you don’t try. We are all humans and every human has potential. As long as you have the will to feed that potential you will always continue to grow not only as a person, but also as an athlete.