97. Amy Cragg

"I'm the one who just puts my head down and works really hard. That's my thing." —Amy Cragg

In February, Amy Cragg — who runs for the Bowerman Track Club — ran an incredible five-minute personal best at the Tokyo Marathon. She finished third overall, and solidified her spot among the greats, officially becoming the fifth fastest female American marathoner. Now, Amy is gearing up to run the Chicago Marathon in October. On this episode, she shares her goals (she's in it to win it!), how her training has been going, what it's like training with Jerry Schumacher, and how she handles pressure. Plus, she reflects on the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials, talks about her relationship with her Olympian husband, and shares her dreams of starting a guitar band with former college roommate and friend Des Linden.

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What you'll get on this episode:

• Amy reflects on the 2018 Tokyo Marathon, her five-minute PR, and what her goals were for that race (1:45)
• Amy's take on the power of persistence, and whether a personal record matters when you're a professional runner (4:20)
• Why Amy decided to run the Chicago Marathon this year, and how her training has been going (7:20)
• What it's like when Amy races her teammates (11:35)
• Amy describes what it's like to train with the Bowerman Track Club (12:50)
• Whether Amy and Des Linden — who were roommates in college — always knew they were destined for greatness (15:50)
• Amy looks back on the 2012 Olympic Trials, when she came in fourth, and then reflects on the 2016 Trials, which she won! (19:30)
• Amy compares the pressure of competing at the Olympics to the pressure of competing at the Trials — plus how she handles pressure (26:30)
• Amy talks about her relationship with her husband, Alistair (29:30)
• Amy shares the biggest challenge about being a professional athlete (33:00)
• Amy's advice for anyone running the Chicago Marathon (38:30)

What we mention on this episode:

Tokyo Marathon

Chicago Marathon

Bowerman Track Club

Gwen Jorgensen

Molly Huddle

Desiree Linden

Kate Grace

Mammoth Track Club

KIMbia Athletics

Follow Amy:

• Instagram @hastyhastings
• Twitter @hastyhastings

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