Along My Run | 9 - October Marathon and Beyond

October culminated in the running of the Chicago marathon and my subsequent recovery period. After the Illinois marathon in April, I dipped into a bit of a post-race depression, but this time I didn't let it happen. I think the shorter days and dark mornings made it easier to let go of the expectation to get up and run. I simply decided to relax more and gave myself permission to take it easy.

I also didn't run any long distances the two weeks leading up to the Chicago Marathon, due to plantar fasciitis in my left foot. As a result, I don't have many running photos from October (so I included the photos from the start of November - I needed two more photos to make it an even 10).

1. Flip on the Lights , 2. This is the Day You Have Made. I will Rejoice and Be Glad in It, 3. It's a Perfect Day to Run Chicago, 4. Golden Days - 3 easy miles today , 5. First Movement , 6. Enjoying Fall , 7. Beautiful Morning for a Trail Run , 8. Looks Can be Deceiving - Steep Hill Ahead, 9. Cold but Golden , 10. Contrasts

Two weeks after the Chicago race, I ran a 6-mile trail race, held at Allerton Park. It was the perfect way to follow up my marathon - running something completely opposite - a trail race vs a road race, through a forest preserve instead of the city and a very small pool of participants (although it felt very crowded, especially at the start).

It was a perfect autumn day for a trail run.






I love running in the fall - the temperatures are ideal, the air crisp and the leaves crunch underneath. I experienced something new running Sunday morning - watching, hearing and feeling the leaves gently rain down from the canopy above as I passed underneath. Just another reason to lace up and run outside.

Some other things to note - everyone seems to be commenting on my pink running shoes (on Instagram and Facebook)! I bought new shoes to add to my rotation - these are Hoka Cliftons, a highly cushioned yet lightweight shoe. The heel to toe offset is still low (5mm) and similar to the Brooks PureCadence, which I consider to be my main running shoe. I decided to try the Hoka brand, since they appear to help with plantar fasciitis. I have a fairly new pair of Saucony Kinvara5 which I am still getting used to (they are a bit on the stiff side). My last pair of shoes are pretty specialized - Goretex lined Inov8 Roclite Trail shoes that I wore during last week's trail race. They are waterproof, great in the rain and snow and of course, on a muddy trail. Can a runner have too many shoes? I guess not!