Olympic Trials Marathon - the final countdown!

Cue the music… it’s the final countdown to the Olympic Trials Marathon! The work is done, the miles run, the workouts complete — the hay is in the barn, as we runners are fond of saying. And on Saturday, February 29, the 500+ women who have qualified for the Trials will have the opportunity to reap the rewards of all this training and chase one of the three coveted Olympic marathon berths. I am thrilled to be toeing the line in my 4th Olympic Trials event! As I run 26.2 miles, I am eager to both compete for a top finish and CELEBRATE the past 12 years+ of training that have led to this weekend! :)

Here’s all the details on the race:

When: Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 12 pm EST

The men’s race, in which my brother Brendan Gregg (bib #13) will be competing, goes off at 12:08; the women’s race (I’m bib #29, in a yellow singlet) goes off at 12:20 pm. You can track us both by signing up for athlete tracking here and you can watch live on TV on NBC.

12 years ago, Brendan and I road-tripped from Davis, CA to Eugene, OR to watch the 2008 Track & Field Olympic Trials. Spectating in the stands at Hayward Field, our own Olympic dreams were born. And here we are today, chasing them!

The hosts, Atlanta Track Club, have put together everything you need to know about the race.

And if you’re not sick of me yet/haven’t had enough of Kaitlin on this blog and social media, here’s some recent press ahead of the marathon ;)

• Women’s Running Magazine, sharing more about my work with Safe on the Road

• For the Long Run Podcast, chatting with host Jonathan Levitt about public health, puppies, and necessary changes in our sport

And with that, it’s time to race! There’s not much more for me to say, other than THANK YOU! For reading, for following along, for supporting, for cheering, for sharing in this journey over the years. On Saturday, whether or not I make the Olympic Team, I know the race will be a success if I’ve laid everything out there, poured every ounce of myself into those 26.2 miles, and if I’ve run my race with gratitude and joy. See you on the other side! :)

Less than 3 weeks to go til the Olympic Trials!

Welp, 2+ weeks have passed since my last blog post — I’ve failed at my goal of writing an update each week as we count down to the Olympic Trials Marathon, sigh. Things have been busy in this final push to Atlanta - lots of training and lots of miles. Last week I hit my highest mileage week of running since my hamstring injury in August 2018, which is something to celebrate! I’m running healthy and hitting marathon workouts faster than ever, two things I’m still puzzled by given how bad my hammy looks on an MRI…

Throwback to the last time I raced in Atlanta, in March 2019 - my first race back post-hamstring injury.

I think the secret to overcoming this injury has been the attitude of gratitude I’ve adopted in recent months - being grateful for whatever my hamstring will give me and approaching each run with a renewed joyfulness (that, and a whole lot of rest, treatment, and physical therapy!). I can say from experience that you should never underestimate the power of positive thinking and faith in the body’s ability to rebound. Whatever the reason for my body’s resurgence, I am running stronger than ever and truly having so much fun doing it. This marathon segment has been the best of the previous four marathons I’ve trained for - I’m hoping Marathon #5 is a special one :) But no matter how it turns out, it will be a celebration - of a return to health, of the realization of long-held dreams and goals, and of the amazing team of friends and family supporting me these past 10 years of post-collegiate/pro running. Atlanta is gonna be one joyful PARTY!

Training

Even though this buildup is going better than ever, it hasn’t been without its ups and downs. Some bad days are inevitable in all training cycles — I’ve learned that it’s important not to dwell on them. Rather, you need to accept that they happen to the best of us, ride the wave, and get ready for what’s next. I had a little hiccup with my quad during some faster pace work at the end of January that caused me to have to take a little step back from training, but thankfully it proved to only be a minor setback. As I often advise my coaching clients, it’s better to take one day off here than to push through a niggle and end up having to take a week + off later. Being cautious was a good call, as I was able to get in a strong 20 miler just a few days later.

And following that 20 miler, I had some good workouts the past week, which was my peak week of marathon training. I did 8 miles of work under marathon pace on Tuesday, followed by a specialized long run on Saturday, getting in good hill practice at Providence’s Roger Williams Park. I came off that hard 22 miler feeling really good, which is rare for me - usually after a hard workout like that I would be dead for the rest of the week. Being able to recover quickly from it gave me a big confidence boost that I’ll be carrying all the way to Atlanta on February 29!

Creamy Tuscan Pesto and Artichoke Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes

On the Menu

I’ve been loving the recipes over at Half Baked Harvest and have been cooking from Tieghan’s cookbook a lot this winter. I made the One Pot Creamy Tuscan Pesto and Artichoke Pasta, with a few modifications — I subbed kale for spinach (what I had on hand), added canned tomatoes, and added cooked ground chicken for some extra protein (no longer a one pot recipe, unfortunately). It was hearty, filled with veggies, and delicious - will definitely be adding this one to the rotation!

The pasta was Moose-approved! (especially when you top it with buffalo mozzarella!)

What I’m reading/watching/listening to

I’ve spent the past two weeks immersed in the transportation/urban planning literature, doing an environmental scan of the research on active transportation, complete streets policies, and infrastructure changes to promote safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists. As I shared on the blog a few months ago, I recently founded an education and advocacy nonprofit called Safe on the Road, to promote pedestrian (runner!) and cyclist safety on our streets. Our goal is to help stakeholders reimagine our streets so they meet the needs not just of drivers, but also of runners, walkers, and bikers.

I was devastated to hear of the two young women in Moore, Oklahoma who were killed by a drunk driver while running with their high school cross-country team. The tragedy reinforces the need for protected, safe spaces for people to be physically active in our communities. While more traffic-calming measures like speed bumps and road signs wouldn’t have prevented this awful incident, it is a sobering reminder that pedestrian fatalities are a public health problem and occur far too often. We need to rethink our streets, bike lanes, and multi-use trails; Safe on the Road is ready to contribute to that conversation. I’m looking forward to soon sharing some policy briefs and advocacy materials over at Safe on the Road.

***

If you’re here for the running content, I highly recommend this opinion piece by Lindsey Crouse, which came out on my 33rd birthday and brought me to tears. (I promise these blogs aren’t just odes to Lindsey - her writing is just too good not to share!). What Lindsey wrote about American women distance runners resonated with me so much. In the piece, she says, “Well into our 30s and 40s, we are performing at explosively high levels, levels that used to be unimaginable. The fastest among us have shattered barriers: In 2017, Shalane Flanagan, at 36, became the first American woman to win the New York City Marathon in four decades. The following year, Des Linden, at 34, won the Boston Marathon, the first American woman to do so since 1985. That success had a quiet and powerful ripple effect, from Olympians and professional runners down to hundreds of amateurs like me.” Like me, too!

And so I continue this journey, running down goals and chasing the best, fastest, most joyful version of myself, inspired by Shalane, Desi, and so many other fast women. 33 is young 😉The best miles are still to come!

Here’s to some fast and fun ones on February 29th in Atlanta!