Welcome to season 4 of Running on Pixie Dust (which is honestly wild), and episode 39 is basically my full “where have I been?” summer catch-up. I’m training for the Chicago Marathon on October 12th—my first standalone marathon, my first World Major, and my first non-Disney marathon—and I’m sharing what this training block has really looked like. Spoiler: it’s been chaotic. I started the block 16 weeks out, I’ve been base building, and I’ve been working with my coach (I’m not a coach—just yapping and sharing what’s worked for me). My big long-term goal is eventually a sub-4 marathon, especially after running a 4:26 during Dopey, but this block has been humbled by a calf injury that showed up literally on day two. I talk through how I’ve been managing the flare-ups (massages, icing, compression, recovery, electrolytes, the whole routine), what it’s like watching mileage drop compared to past training, and how I’m mentally shifting from “perfect training block” to “okay, let’s just get to the start line healthy.” I also share my fundraising journey for Team Salute (supporting veterans and military families) and how close I am to my goal. Then I recap the summer travel madness—Vegas (including a local run club long run and Bruno Mars), Halloween Horror Nights Orlando, and Disneyland RunDisney weekend—while trying to keep training and budgeting realities in the mix. It’s been planes, parks, long runs, and very little sleep… but we’re making it work.