At OOFOS, we love to learn from fellow athletes. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with cross country coach and avid runner Ailish, who is currently training for the Chicago Marathon. Check out our discussion below for her best training and recovery tips!
How far out do you start training for the Chicago Marathon?
I started training for Chicago at the beginning of June. About a week into my training, I decided to hire a coach. I felt very overwhelmed with the numerous bits of information and training plans online. I had trouble making a decision on what would be best for me. My friend Katie had hired a coach and began training for Chicago back in January. I saw how much Katie had improved in just a few months and hired the same coach. The only thing I would change and suggest to other aspiring marathoners is to start sooner… I don’t think it’s ever too early to start preparing!
Describe a typical training week.
A typical marathon training week for me involves a long run on Sundays, a workout on Thursdays, four days of either recovery or easy miles (usually of 6-8 miles), and one off day. However, last month I was feeling a little beat up and sluggish on my runs so for September we changed it to two off days instead having an additional day of easy miles. Marathon training and running in general is all about listening to your body and doing what is right for it.
Any recovery tips or tricks you use during training?
Foam roll! Stretch! Strengthen! Sleep! I was a Division III cross country runner in college and to be honest, I never really had put too much weight into my recovery, but things have changed since then, my body has changed since then. Now that I am getting older, I cannot stress how important it is to be diligent about recovery and strengthening workouts. I try to foam roll at least every day for 5 minutes. I also try to work in little strengthening workouts such as core into my weekly routine as well. I must admit I still struggle with making it a regular thing, but I know that it is so important and am working to build it into habit.
What’s your post-race routine?
My typical post-race routine involves 1-2 miles of cooling down (slooooow jog), changing into a comfy pair of recovery sandals (OOFOS!), and eating/drinking a lot of water, food (usually a burger and sweet potato fries), and beer immediately after to celebrate all the hard work I have just done! Usually a day after racing, I make sure I stay comfortable in the right recovery footwear and take my miles even easier than I normally would. Allowing yourself to recover after a race is so important.
Which style(s) of OOFOS do you wear?
I have a pair of OOriginal thongs that I adore. I’ve had them for about a year now and they are usually my go-to sandal of choice for recovery or just general wear. I don’t wear regular flip flops anymore. Now that it’s fall, I have been switching to wearing the OOmg low cuts. I feel they fit a little more with the fall season and I can wear them with socks on cooler days!
When did you first hear about/start wearing OOFOS?
I first heard about OOFOS when I started working at my current place of work, Marathon Sports. I was always just wearing regular flip flops around and found that my feet would start to ache on my runs because of what I had been wearing all day. I switched to wearing OOFOS shortly after starting at Marathon Sports and have had my beloved pair of OOriginals for almost a year now. They are so well-loved that I am definitely in desperate need of a new pair soon!
