I'm not quite sure when I decided that 2018 would be my marathon come-back year, but at some point the idea of doing a marathon popped into my head, and with the encouragement of some teammates, I signed up for Santa Rosa some time in April right before Buffalo Springs. I knew that doing the Buffalo Springs half Ironman in June wouldn't satisfy me the entire year, but I'm still not ready for a full Ironman. Why not settle for a marathon?
My longest run for Buffalo Springs was 15 miles long and I figured I could easily "slide" into marathon training after the race. In the back of my head I got the idea I could Boston Marathon qualify, and with some encouragement from my coach I was pretty confident I could pull off a 3:30.
Background: my previous PR for the marathon is a 3:53. And that was HARD. And when I tell people this, they almost always reply "yea but you've never done an open marathon -that's in an Ironman". To which I always smile, somewhat embarrassed, and reply "I've done 6 marathons." And no one believes me.
I finally felt like I could maybe run fast enough to Boston qualify. I remember the first person I ever knew to Boston Qualify was my friend Max's sister. He told me she Boston qualified and my mind was absolutely blown that someone I knew could run 8 minute miles for 26.2 miles. I thought it was the most incredible thing, and something I wished I could do but knew I probably never would. My friend Julie Boston qualified a few years later and I was SO impressed, my first best! A Boston qualifier! I wasn't surprised, she kicked my ass in every training run and track workout. After watching her run Boston, I thought it was incredible and something I would absolutely love to try to do, but knew I probably never would. I watched the Boston marathon every year I was in
The truth is that prior to a few years ago I was NOT a fast runner, or even a good runner. I was always battling injury, always feeling crappy, and I never was consistent in my training. I spent the entirety of my college years literally battling shin-splints so bad they would cripple me for weeks. And if it wasn't that, my knees would kill me or I would have constant ankle twists or other "niggles". I went to multiple physical therapists, and they basically all told me to just stop running. I wasn't built for it.
I hated running. But I LOVED triathlon, and the run always comes eventually. The run was always my weakness and I would always get passed at this point in the race. I signed up for my first marathon in 2010 with the hopes it would force me to like, or at least respect, running. Guess what? It didn't. I thought I trained okay for it, but I crossed the finish line in a time of 4:49 and vowed "never again." I was injured for months after.
My second marathon was Mount Desert Island in 2011 up in Maine. The course was beautiful, my family flew out for it, and we had an amazing weekend. I crossed the finish line in 4:09. Better!... but I still hated running.
I moved to Utah after graduating and thought I'd give it another try. Top of Utah in 2012: crossed the finish line in 4:13. How did I possibly get worse!? At mile 16 I remembered: I HATE MARATHONS. I had just momentarily forgotten.
In Utah I gave up road running and switched almost only to trail running. I LOVED trail running and completed two Ultra marathons during my time there- mostly walking them. Trail running made me love running, and guess what? I stopped getting injured! Probably because I mostly walked. I even did my first desert trail marathon in Moab in 2013 with my friend Julie. We laughed, walked, took pictures, and snacked the entire race and crossed the finish line in 6:24 and I didn't even care about my time. I just wanted to be outside and in the mountains.
Chris deployed in 2014/2015 and I spent a lot of time with my best friend Julie. She almost only road ran and was queen of the marathon and track. She dragged me kicking and screaming to the track and made me go on unplanned road runs (she promised me we were looking at Christmas lights in downtown and somehow we ended up running - duped again!). The last few months of Chris being deployed got really long, and she convinced me to sign up for the Salt Lake City Marathon in 2015 as something to look forward to other than his homecoming date - fully convincing me I could Boston qualify (duped again!). I had been trail running long miles and turns out running up mountains is great speedwork! But it's still not great marathon training. I showed up for the race by myself and I remember hitting mile 12 and stopping to go to the bathroom, already exhausted and watching my times get slower..and slower and slower. Falling further and further away from a BQ time. I almost walked off the course. I hit mile 17 and hated everything. I crossed the finish line in a new PR of 3:52 absolutely exhausted. But at least I wasn't injured.
From Utah I moved to Ohio and that's when the road running really picked up again, and where I credit my climb to speediness. There was no triathlon team in Ohio, so the closest I could get was the 5 Rivers Running Team. They took track workouts and speedwork VERY seriously, and I remember showing up to my first track workout so nervous I could've thrown up behind the soccer goal. I immediately gunned it in the first lap, and got my ass royally kicked by Sean, Brandon, Andrew, and a few other teammates. The coach bumped me back to a group slower and I left with my tail between my legs. But I kept showing up for the next year and a half, slowly making my way up to the fast group.
Between training for the Ironman and running on the team, I felt my times drop. I felt my entire running form change. I was less slouched from my shoulders and pushed more from my hips, letting my legs extend behind me rather than march in front. I stopped heel striking. I no longer needed support in my running shoes and switched to a neutral running shoe. Chris commented over the next months how he was a big change in my form, and confidence. And I kept waiting to get injured, as per usual, and I never did. I ran some races and started finishing closer to the top than the bottom.
In 2017 once again Julie and I conspired together and signed up for the Disney Marathon. This race was an absolute disaster from the start and about halfway through we both stopped, laughed at the entire miserable situation, and mostly walked it in holding hands and talking. I was so thankful for a friend like her who could just throw in the towel with me and smile. We crossed the finish line in 4:33 and headed straight to Animal Kingdom to eat our feelings. To be honest, I had just done the Louisville Ironman in October and didn't full commit to training for the marathon, and marathon training in the winter in Ohio is ROUGH. I wasn't too upset by the result, I was just happy to be with my friend, but I wasn't quick to rush into signing up for another one. Marathons aren't my thing.
I dove back into Ironman training for Santa Rosa, with the goal to Kona qualify. If I wanted Kona, I had to focus on my weakness. I ran, and ran, and ran. I ran in the mountains, I ran on the flats, I did speed work, I did so many bricks I lost count, and I lost a few pounds. I started running with people a lot faster than me. I started paying attention to things like heart rate zones. Over the next year in New Mexico I noticed I started placing at small local races. Which I thought was weird, because first of all, I hate running, and second, I'm not a good runner.
And the even weirder thing is that I didn't hate actually hate running.
I'm not quite sure when it happened, but it happened and I feel like I woke up one day and had a few good runs and thought, "hm. I'm pretty fast now." Must be a fluke thing. My first awakening to how far my running had come was the Run Run Rudolph half marathon in December 2017. I signed up last minute with no structured training, just rolling off my Kona training, and did a 1:33 to win 2nd place female behind my friend Summer. I was shocked out of my mind. I put down a pretty solid 5k effort earlier than month with my friend Woody, finishing in just over 20 minutes, but I had no idea I could do 13 consecutive 7:10 miles.
In the spring I mostly just bummed around riding my mountain bike and running when I felt like it. Sometime in April I started training with Tommy and he got me back on the track doing speedwork to prepare for Buffalo Springs, and I was doing at least one track workout a week all spring and early summer. It only got easier and easier, and the injuries never came.
I mentioned this to Tommy and he said I could definitely do it. He was a lot more confident than I was. I had my doubts, but I had nothing to lose so thought I'd give it a try and see what happened. Everything went so well with Buffalo Springs and my spring training and racing, maybe with just a little luck I could do it. My 15 mile run for half Ironman training went well and if I could keep it up I just might be able to pull it off. I started formal "marathon training" the week after Buffalo Springs, with no idea what to expect for my long runs or from marathon training, but I tried to not get my hopes up.
To be continued!
-Katie
My longest run for Buffalo Springs was 15 miles long and I figured I could easily "slide" into marathon training after the race. In the back of my head I got the idea I could Boston Marathon qualify, and with some encouragement from my coach I was pretty confident I could pull off a 3:30.
Background: my previous PR for the marathon is a 3:53. And that was HARD. And when I tell people this, they almost always reply "yea but you've never done an open marathon -that's in an Ironman". To which I always smile, somewhat embarrassed, and reply "I've done 6 marathons." And no one believes me.
I finally felt like I could maybe run fast enough to Boston qualify. I remember the first person I ever knew to Boston Qualify was my friend Max's sister. He told me she Boston qualified and my mind was absolutely blown that someone I knew could run 8 minute miles for 26.2 miles. I thought it was the most incredible thing, and something I wished I could do but knew I probably never would. My friend Julie Boston qualified a few years later and I was SO impressed, my first best! A Boston qualifier! I wasn't surprised, she kicked my ass in every training run and track workout. After watching her run Boston, I thought it was incredible and something I would absolutely love to try to do, but knew I probably never would. I watched the Boston marathon every year I was in
The truth is that prior to a few years ago I was NOT a fast runner, or even a good runner. I was always battling injury, always feeling crappy, and I never was consistent in my training. I spent the entirety of my college years literally battling shin-splints so bad they would cripple me for weeks. And if it wasn't that, my knees would kill me or I would have constant ankle twists or other "niggles". I went to multiple physical therapists, and they basically all told me to just stop running. I wasn't built for it.
I hated running. But I LOVED triathlon, and the run always comes eventually. The run was always my weakness and I would always get passed at this point in the race. I signed up for my first marathon in 2010 with the hopes it would force me to like, or at least respect, running. Guess what? It didn't. I thought I trained okay for it, but I crossed the finish line in a time of 4:49 and vowed "never again." I was injured for months after.
My second marathon was Mount Desert Island in 2011 up in Maine. The course was beautiful, my family flew out for it, and we had an amazing weekend. I crossed the finish line in 4:09. Better!... but I still hated running.
I moved to Utah after graduating and thought I'd give it another try. Top of Utah in 2012: crossed the finish line in 4:13. How did I possibly get worse!? At mile 16 I remembered: I HATE MARATHONS. I had just momentarily forgotten.
In Utah I gave up road running and switched almost only to trail running. I LOVED trail running and completed two Ultra marathons during my time there- mostly walking them. Trail running made me love running, and guess what? I stopped getting injured! Probably because I mostly walked. I even did my first desert trail marathon in Moab in 2013 with my friend Julie. We laughed, walked, took pictures, and snacked the entire race and crossed the finish line in 6:24 and I didn't even care about my time. I just wanted to be outside and in the mountains.
Chris deployed in 2014/2015 and I spent a lot of time with my best friend Julie. She almost only road ran and was queen of the marathon and track. She dragged me kicking and screaming to the track and made me go on unplanned road runs (she promised me we were looking at Christmas lights in downtown and somehow we ended up running - duped again!). The last few months of Chris being deployed got really long, and she convinced me to sign up for the Salt Lake City Marathon in 2015 as something to look forward to other than his homecoming date - fully convincing me I could Boston qualify (duped again!). I had been trail running long miles and turns out running up mountains is great speedwork! But it's still not great marathon training. I showed up for the race by myself and I remember hitting mile 12 and stopping to go to the bathroom, already exhausted and watching my times get slower..and slower and slower. Falling further and further away from a BQ time. I almost walked off the course. I hit mile 17 and hated everything. I crossed the finish line in a new PR of 3:52 absolutely exhausted. But at least I wasn't injured.
From Utah I moved to Ohio and that's when the road running really picked up again, and where I credit my climb to speediness. There was no triathlon team in Ohio, so the closest I could get was the 5 Rivers Running Team. They took track workouts and speedwork VERY seriously, and I remember showing up to my first track workout so nervous I could've thrown up behind the soccer goal. I immediately gunned it in the first lap, and got my ass royally kicked by Sean, Brandon, Andrew, and a few other teammates. The coach bumped me back to a group slower and I left with my tail between my legs. But I kept showing up for the next year and a half, slowly making my way up to the fast group.
Between training for the Ironman and running on the team, I felt my times drop. I felt my entire running form change. I was less slouched from my shoulders and pushed more from my hips, letting my legs extend behind me rather than march in front. I stopped heel striking. I no longer needed support in my running shoes and switched to a neutral running shoe. Chris commented over the next months how he was a big change in my form, and confidence. And I kept waiting to get injured, as per usual, and I never did. I ran some races and started finishing closer to the top than the bottom.
In 2017 once again Julie and I conspired together and signed up for the Disney Marathon. This race was an absolute disaster from the start and about halfway through we both stopped, laughed at the entire miserable situation, and mostly walked it in holding hands and talking. I was so thankful for a friend like her who could just throw in the towel with me and smile. We crossed the finish line in 4:33 and headed straight to Animal Kingdom to eat our feelings. To be honest, I had just done the Louisville Ironman in October and didn't full commit to training for the marathon, and marathon training in the winter in Ohio is ROUGH. I wasn't too upset by the result, I was just happy to be with my friend, but I wasn't quick to rush into signing up for another one. Marathons aren't my thing.
I dove back into Ironman training for Santa Rosa, with the goal to Kona qualify. If I wanted Kona, I had to focus on my weakness. I ran, and ran, and ran. I ran in the mountains, I ran on the flats, I did speed work, I did so many bricks I lost count, and I lost a few pounds. I started running with people a lot faster than me. I started paying attention to things like heart rate zones. Over the next year in New Mexico I noticed I started placing at small local races. Which I thought was weird, because first of all, I hate running, and second, I'm not a good runner.
And the even weirder thing is that I didn't hate actually hate running.
I'm not quite sure when it happened, but it happened and I feel like I woke up one day and had a few good runs and thought, "hm. I'm pretty fast now." Must be a fluke thing. My first awakening to how far my running had come was the Run Run Rudolph half marathon in December 2017. I signed up last minute with no structured training, just rolling off my Kona training, and did a 1:33 to win 2nd place female behind my friend Summer. I was shocked out of my mind. I put down a pretty solid 5k effort earlier than month with my friend Woody, finishing in just over 20 minutes, but I had no idea I could do 13 consecutive 7:10 miles.
In the spring I mostly just bummed around riding my mountain bike and running when I felt like it. Sometime in April I started training with Tommy and he got me back on the track doing speedwork to prepare for Buffalo Springs, and I was doing at least one track workout a week all spring and early summer. It only got easier and easier, and the injuries never came.
I mentioned this to Tommy and he said I could definitely do it. He was a lot more confident than I was. I had my doubts, but I had nothing to lose so thought I'd give it a try and see what happened. Everything went so well with Buffalo Springs and my spring training and racing, maybe with just a little luck I could do it. My 15 mile run for half Ironman training went well and if I could keep it up I just might be able to pull it off. I started formal "marathon training" the week after Buffalo Springs, with no idea what to expect for my long runs or from marathon training, but I tried to not get my hopes up.
To be continued!
-Katie
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