I guess I can talk about this now

Just as the title says, I guess I can finally talk about this now...thanks to Matt and his blog letting the cat out of the bag lol If you didn't read word for word in a few of his last posts, I'll spell it out right now.

Last year around this time, I was in the thick of marathon training—logging mile after mile, driven by the hope of crossing the finish line in Chicago in October. I had trained hard, probably too hard, and when the aching in my hip wouldn’t let up on June 30th, I finally went in for imaging.

I’ll never forget sitting in that cold exam room, staring at the black-and-white MRI. I felt like my heart had stopped for a few beats as I looked at the dark blot on the image and read the report.

There it was. A stress fracture in my hip.

Just like that, everything stopped. The long runs. The tempo workouts. The race I had circled in red on my calendar for months. Gone.

It was more than just missing a marathon—it felt like a heartbreak. Because when you pour yourself into something, when you chase a goal with everything you’ve got, and it gets ripped away, it takes a piece of you with it.

In lieu of the marathon in October, we made plans to take our first trip to Europe. Matts the sweetest husband in the world for booking the trip of my dreams and taking me to my favorite city, Paris France. I miss that magical city that helped me heal in a time of heartbreak. Hopefully I'm going back soon...but back to the story ;)

While sitting in a little café in Paris shortly after arriving, I got an email from Bank of America offering all Florida-based runners a deferral to 2025 due to Hurricane Milton. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, until Matt got the exact same email!

I almost laughed. The irony of receiving that message while sitting out the very race I had trained so hard for wasn’t lost on me. Still, it felt like God was offering me something: a do-over. A chance to come back. My very own miracle.

And so, here I am. A year later. Beginning a Marathon Training plan starting next week! This time, I have nothing to prove, but to honor everything I’ve learned. I’ve traded burnout for balance. Frustration for focus.

And this time, it’s not about running the perfect race.
It’s about showing up, whole.

My race singlet arrived in the mail this week and it's becoming so real to me now. 

I've wanted to stay very silent about this next shot only because I recognize the humiliation I brought upon myself last year by talking about this race WAY too much. But since it's like 100% running peeps on this page, you all have heard about this via Matt and also during track workouts at Bolles.

I'm faster this year than I was last year despite the 18 week run hiatus which is, odd. I wouldn't have expected to be in better shape this year after so much time off but here I am in the dead of summer maintaining speeds that I wasn't able to hold a year ago. 

I'm not only grateful to my Lord above for working out this miracle deferral to run this year, but I'm also chasing after this goal this time with a much clearer and wholesome focus.

I love you guys! Ryan and Mandel, the windy city doesn't know what's waiting for it when we all get there in just 126 days!! 

To my sweet running community, I couldn't have powered through this past year without your encouragement and friendship. This community is for everyone, and it's a community like no other!

It's a Runderful Life!