About

I’m a competitive marathoner with a child-like obsession with holidays, baking, and the Olympics.

I ran cross-country and track in high school, but wasn’t motivated enough (or—let’s be honest—I didn't think I was good enough) to pursue it in college. But I missed racing and having goals to motivate my running, so I attempted my first marathon in 2005 as a sophomore at the University of Richmond, finishing in 4:07. The marathon bug bit me again in 2008 and I set out to qualify for Boston. That bite never went away and I kept whittling down my personal record (PR) as my dreams grew bigger and bigger. In 2012, with a 2:55 marathon PR, I started this blog and announced my biggest dream: earning a place on the Olympic Trials starting line.

On December 7, 2014, I finally justified the blog’s name, nabbing the sub-2:43 marathon I needed to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Trials. I ran the Trials on a hot February day, achieving a dream that some thought was crazy. But once wasn't enough. After having a daughter in 2017, I qualified for the 2020 Trials in May of 2018 and set a new PR of 2:39:08 that December. 

We all go through the same battles as we chase our dreams, and I think you’ll relate as you follow along. More than anything, my hope in starting this blog is that you’ll feel inspired yourself—whether to conquer a new race distance, aim for a Boston or Trials qualifier, or just go for a run. Don’t be afraid if your goals seem crazy; no one told that 4:07 girl she could make it to the Trials, but she did.

By day, I'm a science writer; articles I've written relating to running can be found under the Science tab. I live in Richmond, VA with my husband and two kids.


High school XC (2001) · First marathon (2005) · Getting the standard (2014)

3 comments :

  1. Hello,
    I have a question about qualifying for the trials? If you achieve the qualifying time at any marathon you run, is that a ticket to the trials? I would really like to know about this whole process. If it is too long to comment back, My email is danpalumberi@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Daniel. You can qualify at any USATF certified marathon (basically any one that would count for a Boston Qualifier, which they usually advertise) between Sept 2017 and Jan 2020. The rules are here: http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2020/U-S--Olympic-Team-Trials---Marathon/QualifyingStandards.aspx

      I also wrote a bit about the 2020 standards/process here: http://www.milestothetrials.com/2017/01/245.html

      They haven't released all the details yet (they still to pick a time and place for the Trials) but I'll be updating that last link as they do.

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  2. Your blog was passed along to me by a friend , Happy to follow your journey !

    ReplyDelete