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>”,”name”:”in-content-cta”,”type”:”link”}}”>sign up for the Local Running Drop.
Like many runners, summertime is when I’m typically ramping up my training for a fall marathon. This year, I’m signed up for the Chicago Marathon on October 13, so my four-month buildup began in mid-June.
For the first time, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in an early summer training camp with professional runner and coach Nell Rojas. I’ve been coached remotely by Rojas since August 2021, and she’s helped me lower my marathon personal best by over 15 minutes as well as hit my first Boston Marathon qualifier at the 2022 Houston Marathon.
Since that breakthrough, my training has admittedly had its ups and downs, which I suppose is to be expected after you blow your first big goal out of the water. Still, there are a lot of aspects of my training journey and relationship with Rojas that have reassured me about continuing to…