Kat Mayer

I like giving races some breathing room and time to reflect, and it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything at all. But with all the NYC marathon energy in the air this week, I felt ready to share a little.

I’ve had a difficult year with a lot of instability in my personal life, but through it all, my training block was still solid. Going into Chicago, I promised myself that no matter what else was going on in my life, I was going to fight for it. I wasn’t entirely sure where my head was at, but I knew I was fit and I had nothing to lose.

The night before @chimarathon, I asked @dr.gdemera, maybe a little jokingly, for some last words of wisdom. Without missing a beat, he hit me with this:

“The idea is to run as if running is the only thing that matters - because tomorrow, it is.”

And did that ever stick with me. When I stepped to the line, I had one job. For those few hours, nothing else mattered - it was time to let all that sh*t go. The sun started beating down early, and in the middle miles, I could feel the A-goal slipping away. But in true marathon fashion, I kept gaslighting myself into running “just one more mile.” I wasn’t giving up without a fight, and somewhere in all of that, I finally broke 2:40- in a year when nothing else had come particularly easy.

I’m thankful for the morning workouts this summer with my very speedy, hardworking, humble teammates (you know who you are), and endlessly grateful for my supportive friends. Some of you have seen me in some pretty dark places. Thank you for being in my corner.

It’s easy to look back and think, “I wanted more,” or “I trained for a faster time.” But famously, the marathon owes you nothing. Remember to be proud of how far you’ve come. Stop and reflect. Smile a little. You’re doing cool things.

2:39:14
@dashingwhippets 💙