I registered for the 2017 Chicago Marathon on a post-race high following the 2016 Philadelphia Marathon. My summer spent ironman training more than prepared me to take on 26.2 miles in Philly, despite not doing a ton of training in between the October 1st triathlon and the November 20th race date. Nearly two months of squashing my sorrows in food and beer after a disappointing race experience (more about that here) had me weighing about 15 pounds heavier than my normal weight, and not in the “look how much muscle mass I gained”-way. Yet I surprised myself by running a 3:24:33 — my second-best marathon time (second to a 3:21:16 in the 2014 New York Marathon).
A few days after returning from Philly (or, more likely, the next day) a friend told me he planned to use his qualifying time in Philadelphia to enter the Chicago Marathon. I decided to join him, and, in my post-race stupor, was excited to work for an ambitious goal: a PR.
Unfortunately, a few weeks later — and most likely due to those 15 pounds — I found myself diagnosed with a stress fracture in my foot, and unable to run for more for than two months. I had to reevaluate my life, and later, my running goals. I decided not to run the Boston Marathon in April, and declared that my goal for Chicago would simply to be to finish pain-free.
The good news is, I succeeded! Here’s how it all went down:
THE TRIP
I’ve run 12 marathons, but the only other race I’ve had to get on an airplane for was my very first marathon, the Nashville Country Music Marathon in April of 2012. I remember that trip being full of anticipation — my friends and I were giggling nervously and filled with genuine excitement to explore Nashville. In retrospect, I should have been more excited than I was for my trip to Chicago. I honestly think that after a winter of injuries (my friends experienced their fair share of injuries as well), a summer spent focusing on a difficult calculus class, and the complexities of coordinating accommodations for eight people, I wasn’t feeling the ‘journey’ at all, but rather just wanted to arrive at my destination unscathed.
The good news: flying out of Newark was seamless and easy; NJ Transit got us to the airport for $13, we got through security in a breeze, there were delicious margaritas and beers at the terminal restaurant, and I got to sit with my friends for the duration of the flight.
Welcome to The Runner Diaries, where we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look into a week of training with runners of varying ages, paces and GPS coordinates. Get The Runner Diaries delivered to your inbox, here.
THE RUNDOWN
Name: Cara Enright Location: New York, New York Age: 26 Training for: Chicago Marathon 2017 Training plan: Following Nikes Project Moonshot a 16-week training program with Nike. I incorporate 1-2 strength sessions a week (either boxing or HIIT). Part of any running communities/clubs? Nike’s Project Moonshot, Electric Flight Crew. How long you’ve been a “runner”? I started running in high school. I moved onto longer distance running when I moved to New York City in 2013, after I graduated from college. Weekly mileage: It ranges from 25-35 miles per week
RUNNER’S STATEMENT
I grew up running around tracks in North Carolina, and now I’m loving running through the streets of New York City. I was involved in many sports as a kid: cheerleading, dance, competitive jump rope, soccer, and basketball. I ran the 400m and 800m in high school, then the 400m hurdles in college. I didn’t fall in love with distance running until I relocated in NYC after graduation.
The fitness/running community has become everything to me. It made NYC feel smaller, more like home, and less lonely. I completed my first marathon in 2015, the New York City Marathon. I loved every second of it. The next day I told myself I’d never run another marathon ever again. And here I am! My ultimate goal is to break 3:35 for the marathon. I’m hoping to break 3:45 in Chicago, and I’m already lining up which other marathons I want to run after this!
Tuesday | Day 1
7:30am – Pick up my laundry next door. I moved to a new apartment building and can’t figure out how to work our machine in the building, so I did a wash-and-fold for $15. SO worth it.
7:50am – Coffee, two eggs with broccoli, spinach and peppers, avocado, and orange juice for breakfast.
8:30am – Just walked into the office. I fill up my water bottle to make sure I stay hydrated throughout the day — I have my workout tonight with Brooklyn Track Club x Nike Run Club!
10am – Trader Joe’s trail mix packet chocolate cashews, almonds, dried cherries and an apple.
12pm – I can’t wait any longer for lunch. I made chicken, and some veggies and sweet potatoes and add Sriracha. I drink another water.
1:50pm – I’m swamped at work today. I work for a Staffing Agency called Green Key Resources located in Midtown. We partner with Pharmaceutical companies and Clinical Research organizations all over the United States — I basically try to help these companies fill their open positions. It’s a fun job because I get to talk to smart and exciting people all day on the phone, and every day is something a little different. The only downside is that I sit all day. Luckily, I have the most incredible boss who is very supportive of my fitness goals. So if I need to come in a little later or leave a little earlier for a workout, it’s OK.
I decide to have a snack to keep my pushing through. I have Chia Almond protein cold brew shake from Whole Foods and a GO MACRO bar. It’s gluten-free (GF) and delicious. Chocolate chip Peanut butter protein pleasure!
4pm – Realize I ate my snack too early. And I’m out of food at my desk. I buy a Cliff Blueberry bar from the vending machine and a can of seltzer water.
6:30pm – Meet at Spreadhouse for Nike x Brooklyn Running Co track workout. The workout is part of Nike’s Project Moonshot schedule for the Chicago Marathon.
I joined Project Moonshot back in July. It’s a pretty cool program for people training for a fall marathon that I applied for earlier this summer. And I got in! They accepted around 100 people. The idea is that Nike wanted to bring the “Breaking Two” moonshot (of breaking two hours in the marathon) to your everyday street athletes. Those accepted into the program were set up with coaches, pacers, training plans, Nike gear and some discounts to resources for healthy prepared food (Kettlebell Kitchen), strength training (The Fhitting Room) and Massage/Recovery (Finish Line Physical Therapy). We meet twice a week formally (Thursdays for speed, and Sunday morning for a group-led long run) and are broken up by our goal marathon pace. People in the group range from Elite Athletes, to first time marathoners. We have people running 5-minute miles and people running 12-minute miles. We were set up with two phenomenal coaches, Coach Finley and Coach Holder, and have had some guest coaches along the way — including Coach Stowe, Coach Tim, Coach Jess and Kevin Hart even stopped by! It’s been a tremendous help to have a team to train with.
Project Moonshot Orientation
7pm – The workout begins! I’m co-leading the 8-min/mile pace group. We have three sets of intervals in a 1-2-3-2-1 format (the number represent minutes!), with 60-seconds of jogging/active recovery between each interval, and a two-minute recovery jog between each set. It’s dark out and there are a ton of puddles. But we still managed to cruise at a 7:45 min/mile pace. My watch shows 7 miles total of running!
9pm – I hang out with the crew afterwards at Spreadhouse, and grab a chocolate milk before I hop on the subway.
11:30pm – I’m finally home. I’m exhausted, but not hungry. I eat a banana with peanut butter, shower and pass out.
Continue reading “Looking Back – A Race Review of The Chicago Marathon” 
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