Marathon Season is Underway & Cleveland is This Weekend!

It's been a busy spring and I am long overdue for an update on training and racing! Since my last post I have run the Boston Marathon on April 15 and the Canton Hall of Fame Marathon on April 28. This weekend I will be taking on one of my all time favorites...the Cleveland Marathon! This will be my 10th time running this race - 3 times in the half and 7 times for the full!

I've also been lucky enough to be an ambassador for the race for the last 5 years. I will be attending the awesome VIP dinner with my fellow ambassadors tomorrow night so I am looking forward to seeing everyone all dressed up in something besides our runner attire! :)

Boston Recap:

Photo by Akron's own Joey Phillips!

Boston did not go as planned for me. My goal of 3:30 was way off. I ended with a 3:54, a pretty crappy time for me but with rain, heat, humidity, GI issues and cramps I am lucky to have just survived. To be honest it is a privilege just to be there in the first place and I tried to remind myself of that during my struggles. It was great to see so many fellow Akron runners out there as well as friends from all over - even some of my fellow Skirt Sports Ambassador ladies!

Canton Recap:
Canton went better but still missed my BQ. I was on pace for maybe 14 or 15 and then dealt with some calf cramping that resulted in a stop at the Mercy Health tent around mile 17. I got back on track for the most part after that but ended up with a 3:42 and change versus the 3:40 I needed to BQ. The weather was rainy and chilly for this one. I was happy that Steve got his BQ - although he didn't have a great race either.

Cleveland Goal:
This weekend is trending hot as of a few days out. I am prepared to try for my BQ and know that I will have to dress and hydrate appropriately to have a shot. I'll do my best but I will never sacrifice my health for a race because there is always another one! I will also try to enjoy the journey because I am know I am fortunate to be healthy enough to even take on another 26.2! And I will have another chance to BQ for 2020 in Erie early September!

Canton - special thx to the Mercy nurse who gave me this tee!

Next up:
On June 1 I am running a new trail race in Cleveland called The Forgotten that our friends at Running Forward & Giving Back are hosting. Steve and I plan to run this together as one of our last long training runs for our Eagle Up 100K on Saturday June 8! After that I am resting and cross training a bit before ramping up again for Erie and Akron Marathons in September!