blown away by an amazing morning in Houston, and walking away with a new marathon PR
I signed up ages ago, but leading up to race day I seriously debated whether I would actually run the full marathon. I had only done one 20+ miler since Berlin, and wasn’t convinced I had enough volume under my legs to have a strong race
But here I am on the other side, and I’m so thankful I decided to go for it, because I can’t remember the last time I finished a race that strong. The weather was flat out stunning, and I hummed through the half with @edgartoldalie at dead-on 2:45 pace before notching out a 2 minute negative split in the back half. It’s still hard to believe I think I felt my strongest in the final few miles.
Simply grateful grateful grateful for all of the friends who shared easy miles and fought through workouts with me throughout this build, and for all that support I felt out along the course
ALSO, this was actually my first marathon I’ve ever run without headphones in, and the love came through louder than ever 🫶
2:42:52
@countdown.tc@purpledragon_atx@flight210run
📸 1,2 @anthonymphotog@axel_foley2323
🎥 3,5,8 @ry_rez@marc_rodriguez@laurenkdsouza
Finally sharing some moments from the busiest and most exciting few weeks of running I can remember
1-12: the true adventure of our @countdown.tc team piling into a van and racing the 75+ mile @unrtd_tx midnight relay from ATX to SATX 🏅
13-16: co-hosting the third annual installment of Très Tigres in the heart of downtown during @therunningevent in San Antonio with @goldenhourrun , @coffeerunningclub , and @irunfortacos
📸 @evillmediasports
17-20: having so much fun racing amongst friends during the inaugural @satxmarathon half & celebrating afterwards
These were all such a joy to be a part of, brought me a ton of hometown pride, and were a great reminder of how much I love this community. A massive thank you everyone who took part, and I already cannot wait for next year!
Berlin recap 🇩🇪 - 2:48:05
4th major & 1st international marathon in the books
Despite some great heat training in TX through the first 3 months of this training block, I was ill-equipped for the warm & sunny weather on race day after the past month enjoying the mild European weather 🫠.
Not the 2:40 stretch goal, but happy to have held it together and managed sub 7s through a beautiful course on a hard day.
Beyond thankful for the on-course support from @laurenkdsouza@carolyneogden@chandlerogden
As well as the pre & post race hangs with the SA Lausbuben @callmeecollin@fiftystateandy@bestgoodboyever@rossormond@axel_foley2323
Grateful to get the opportunity to celebrate such a wonderful training block like this, and already looking forward to the next one
chicago dump / race recap
Tackled my final remaining US major on Sunday as part of a sweet lil long weekend trip with friends
Having come up short of a 2:45 Berlin qualifying time in my last two, I was laser focused on my training and race execution this go-round to give myself the best shot I could. Building fitness through the summer was fucking hard, but I’m thankful to be surrounded be some truly inspiring folks who helped me WANT to keep being better.
The race itself went smoothly. I managed to negative split the back half thanks to a conservative start (moving further back into the corral to avoid the speed demon rip-tow), and I can’t remember the last time I was so disciplined about my on-course nutrition. All of those decisions helped keep my legs humming all the way to the end for a chip time of 2:43:38.
Massive gratitude to my travel buddies & training partners - @rap_mt@semirariversrealtor@emymerriman@bestgoodboyever@axel_foley2323@jejohnson61241 as well as all of my @countdown.tc friends who offered support before, during, and after the race 🫶⏳
Looking forward to recovering & getting back to the grind for the next races on the fall calendar, and already looking forward to Berlin 2025 🇩🇪
just out here trying to do something great
sharing some moments from a beaut of a long weekend in Marquette, including spending quality time with @countdown.tc friends, watching them winning marathons (@court_knee_mouse !), snagging BQs (@semirariversrealtor@iwent2jarred !!) and obliterating their PRs (@anicentos ) while soaking in some gorgeous Michigan running & hiking scenery along the way
My heart’s been very full after celebrating our inaugural @countdown.tc anniversary mile with this amazing community; a PR was just the cherry on top 🎂
Thank you everyone 💙
📸 @anthonymphotog
🦄 Boston race recap 🦄
First Boston was truly a humbling experience
I was hunting for a sub-2:45 Berlin qualifying time after a strong training block, but even with what I thought to be a conservative start, I struggled in Monday’s warm & sunny conditions and found myself fighting to manage my heart rate and hold it together through the hills in the back half of the race. Proud to have kept my legs moving through the cramps, and narrowly avoiding having to fully stop to walk.
Thankful for all of the support from race volunteers, friends near and far, and the family who handed me an orange slice in the 23rd mile 😮💨🍊
An unforgettable experience, and an overall great weekend spent in Boston celebrating the sport with friends
2:50:17
Taking the lessons from this weekend into the next one
