Last Marathon for the year

One week out til the final marathon for the year, Chicago Marathon, my sixth Abbott World Major star. This is the most marathons I've ever done in a calendar year. Training for three marathons tests your dedication, motivation to keep up the training and the high mileage for ten months of the year. You can definitely say that I'm enjoying the taper! And I'm very grateful that I am at this stage of the year with all the kilometres I've run (2 287.3km), with nil injuries. I would say this is grately due to being consistent with my training, in particular the last the years and doing high mileage compared to my first year training for my first marathon, New York Marathon in 2019.

I'm excited about next weeked for three reasons, one, to run, two, to watch athletes of Running Evolution run another marathon or run their very first and to also run along side many friends I've met along my running journery. Chicago Marathon happens to be the same weekend as Melbourne Marathon. So by the time I'm lining up to start, all those running Melbourne Marathon will likely have completed theirs.

As I get older, each start line is a blessing. My goals have changed from that very first marathon in 2019, chasing time goals. Now, it's more about experiencing these amazing places and getting to travel the world. I still have a time goals, but these are more so to help me to pace myself and run the marathon well. Running a marathon sometimes to how you feel can be fraughting with danger, you feel fresh from taper and you can go out too hard and feel the harsh effect from the 30km mark. I still like to push myself but you have to be smart and respect the distance. No one likes to the feeling of hitting a wall.

Enjoy the last week of your taper. Enjoy the exhibition, the excitement and the wild emotinal roller coster. See you all at the end of the finish line.