Allie Schaich
I started swimming competitively when I was six, and always loved the dry land part of practice (running, core work, etc. before we got in the water) way more than the actual swimming part. I raced in local 5ks and got more competitive with running when I joined the track team in middle school. I ran cross country and the 1500/mile throughout high school and in college at Rice University, but then stopped running competitively for several years after college. I said I would never run a marathon because I didn't want to run high mileage or a race that took longer than a few minutes.
After college I was trying to get back in shape, I was lucky to find a great running community in Houston, Texas. Running with a group made the miles go by a lot faster and I realized that I love racing longer distances. Since then I have almost exclusively raced half and full marathons, with the occasional 10 miler (my favorite distance!).
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Real Job: Management Consultant
Favorite Beer or Wine: I love a good Gose (the best one I've had is 10 Barrel Brewing's Cucumber Crush), and I'm a huge Cab and Tempranillo fan
Guilty Pleasure: Impulse booking travel
Other Hobbies: Cooking and baking (have to fuel all of the miles!), travel, playing Uno, learning about and drinking wine
Pets: I wish I had a bunch of dogs but I work a lot and live in an apartment. My retirement goal is to own a vineyard that is also a dog rescue sanctuary.
Best thing about VFuel: I can fuel properly without having to worry about stopping during a race to go to the bathroom!!!
Best recovery meal: I love all food so choosing one meal is challenging. I've been really in to home made gnocchi lately but if I'm in a rush or eating while working I love a big bowl of cereal.
Favorite trail running memory: I got to spend 10 days in June 2019 in Southern France running trails with a group of friends. It was one of the most challenging running weeks of my life but also one of the most rewarding.
Schedule: I got to spend 10 days in June 2019 in Southern France running trails with a group of friends. It was one of the most challenging running weeks of my life but also one of the most rewarding.
Any advice you want to share with a new athlete?: It gets easier!! Nobody wakes up and just runs a 5k, 10k, or marathon - but anybody can put in the time and effort to build up towards accomplishing their goals.
Athletic Accomplishments:
1:13 Half Marathon PR
2:39 Marathon PR
69th place at US Olympic Marathon Trials in 2020