Counting Down to the Windy City with Savannah

Over the last several months, Rêve instructor, Savannah King has been training extensively for the upcoming Chicago Marathon, her very first. Between her full schedule of Rêve classes and full time job, she has maintained a meticulous training schedule (and set a stunning PR at the Old Port Half Marathon) that culminates this weekend and will be followed by a few weeks of tapering before the big day on October 8th! We caught up with her to talk about the training process, what has kept her going even as the runs get longer, and which songs she has on repeat (turns out, sometimes this is literally true). 

Last time we checked in with you, you had just signed up for the Chicago Marathon to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Now, you're less than a month away from the race (eek!). How has the training process been for you?

Marathon training is a physical and emotional roller coaster. There are highs and lows, mornings when all you want to do is run and mornings when all you want to do is stay in bed, moments of pure frustration followed by moments of pure joy. That joy along with the sense of accomplishment one feels throughout training (a feeling I imagine is even greater in Chicago!) and realization that I am running for a cause much bigger than myself is what makes it all worth it. It also gets you up and running on those cool mornings when it would be much easier to stay in bed!

Have you faced any surprises along the way?

Recovering from a stress reaction and wearing a boot for several weeks was exhausting. Physically, yes but mentally, even more. I felt my cardiovascular fitness start to dwindle, and it took every ounce of me not to run through my injury. Those closest to me, especially my running and PT friends, advised me to focus on cross-training at Rêve, ab exercises and anything I could do without aggravating my ankle. I even conquered one of my greatest fears by (sort of) learning to swim thanks to Rêver and Desk Manager extraordinaire, MJ! That was a huge emotional achievement. After I got my boot off and began running pain-free, I started training smarter. I started listening to my body by focusing on quality runs and on simply making it to the finish line at Chicago.

What has been your favorite part about training?

My favorite part of the training cycle has, hands down, been the weekend long run. It sounds senseless, but I look forward to running for hours on Saturday mornings! Weekday runs can be difficult to find time and energy for, while I start planning for my weekend long runs well ahead of time. It has also been such an amazing experience to meet and run with friends and detour to stop for water from my parent's house. I have even run into a few Rêvers in the midst of their own weekend activities along the way!

How has Rêve played a role in your training process?

Rêve has been an incredible physical and emotional outlet for me. When my body and mind are tired of running, Rêve and its whole community have been there. I cannot even put into words the amount of strength the studio has given me throughout training. From the generosity I felt when we held a fundraiser class to benefit RMHC, to the caring riders checking in as I hobbled around in my boot, to the cardiovascular fitness I would not have been able to achieve otherwise, Rêve has been an amazing part of my training.

Savannah curated a list of her favorite songs that keep those long runs feeling short. Bonus points if you can figure out which song she once listened to on repeat for an entire double digit run.