#YearOfRunning2013

2013 had a lot of ups and downs for me. While things in my personal life may have been less than stellar, I did have one heck of a year when it came to running [and triathlon]. I've been spending a lot of time recently reflecting on what went right for me this year and where I can improve. I thought it would be fun to participate in Miss Zippy's link up to do a quick recap of how things went this year.

Best race experience: The New York City Marathon. This was so much more than a race for me, and now after losing my dad it means even more. I have never been so miserable but still had so much fun in the same race. This was one of those races that makes you fall in love with your life. A close second was finishing second female at the Keystone State Sprint Triathlon. This is probably the race I am the most proud of. I really went for it and didn't hold back, and saw a glimpse of what I am capable of in the future.

Best run: My 18 mile long run. I ran some of it by myself but was accompanied by my dad on his bike for most of it. I ran at marathon goal pace and felt strong the entire way. Not only was it a run that I am incredibly proud of but it was the last long run I did with my dad. Even though he was biking, he was the perfect long run buddy. He knew how to motivate me when I was struggling in a way that no one else could. 

Best new piece of gear: It may not be running gear but hands down my road bike. I got it last November but didn't take it outside until this year. I was never a big fan of biking and frequently skipped rides until I got this bike. Biking is freeing and exhilarating in a way that running is not. I went from cursing every hill I had to climb to seeking out the hilliest rides I could find in my area. One of the things I'm most excited about for 2014 is spending more time riding.

Best piece of running advice you received: Whenever I would get nervous before races or before a hard workout my dad would always tell me something about relaxing, not thinking, and just doing what I trained to do. I tend to get in my own head and worry about silly things I can't control. Learning to turn my brain off and just race was hands down the best thing I learned this year.

Most inspirational runner: I'm going to have to go with the lovely Robyn Humphrey. Robyn is a super fast runner but more than that she has such a positive outlook on life that is contagious. Robyn is supportive of every runner no matter their speed and is the perfect run club leader.

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Meaningful. I know I'm in a different frame of mind because of losing my dad but everything I did this past year means so much more to me now. Everything this year had a purpose, whether it was setting a new PR, pushing out of my comfort zone, or  running a race I had long dreamed of doing. Looking back, having my dad at every race cheering me on when I least expected it means the world to me. [Once he showed up in the middle of the woods during a trail race and completely scared the shit out of me]

10 Miles of Repeats

This marks the first official week of marathon training for me. In the middle of August I started adding in a longer run of about 10 miles each week and was generally running a bit more but I was still in triathlon season. Between traveling for two weeks, starting school and moving back to Baltimore, and doing my last two triathlons of the year it was hard to really focus on training for a marathon. When September rolled around and I saw everyone already doing 16-20 mile long runs I started to get nervous about my own training.

I am happy to say that I am no longer freaking out about whether or not I will be ready to run 26.2 miles come November 3rd. I know that I have a lot of work to do but I am 100 times farther than I was last year at this point and that comforts me.

Wednesday morning I had a bit of a redemption run for Sunday's long run. Sunday I struggled to run 11 miles the day after racing a triathlon. Wednesday morning I ran 10 miles like it was no big deal. Funny how the same distance can be so much easier or harder depending on the day.

10 miles at 8:18 average

I am still in awe of this run. This was actually a track workout featuring 6 x 1 mile repeats. The last time I did mile repeats I averaged 7:41 over the 5 repeats with an overall average for the run of 8:36. My warm up miles were around 9 minute miles and my warm down miles were over 10 minute miles. While I felt pretty good during the repeats I did not feel so hot during the warm up and felt dead during the warm down.

On Wednesday I averaged 7:44 for the mile repeats, which is three whole second slower than last time. It's how much faster my warm up and cool down were that makes this run impressive to me because I wasn't pushing the pace then at all and went considerably faster than last time. I also had more energy to complete the distance. When warming down I felt like I could have kept running for awhile, instead of counting down the tenths until I could stop.

7:50, 7:47, 7:39, 7:48, 7:49, 7:31

As you can see in my splits, right under a 7:50 was what my body wanted to run on Wednesday. When I would try to speed up it was always way too much, and that's how that last mile became so much faster than the others. It was more that I couldn't lock into the 7:45 pace that I was supposed to.

This run was also a mental battle. The first time I did mile repeats the workout portion seemed to fly by. This time I felt like I was out there the entire day. After the first one I was having a hard time wrapping my head around still having to by 5 more. By the end I was so happy I stuck it out though. I got to the track before the cross country team and left after them. I worked my butt off and finished 10 miles by just after 9 in the morning.

Reaching for Your Goals

This summer I have surprised myself more times than I can count. I've hit paces faster than I thought were possible, climbed hills I thought would eat me alive, and raced like I had nothing to lose. If I've learned one thing this summer it's to take chances. My fitness level is a million times higher than last summer and I know it's because of all the work I've put in over the last three months.

I'm not sure when I made the change but somewhere along the way I stopped going through the motions during workouts and started trying to really push myself. I didn't want to survive a workout, I wanted to dominate it. It may sound a bit obvious to go hard during workouts but it's all too easy to stay within your comfort zone. I know that if I want to become the kind of athlete I want to be I need to reach outside my comfort zone and not be afraid to fail.

For the past three weeks I've done the same interval run and each week the run went very differently.

15 min warm up
2x [1min on, 1 min off, 2 min on, 2 min off, 3 min on, 3 min off]
10 min warm down

The first time I was in Chincoteague on vacation and the temps were probably low 70's with low humidity. I had had a couple crappy runs the previous two days and lacking confidence going into the workout. As soon as I started running I knew it was going to be great though. My legs felt light and quick, and I felt like I nailed the workout. Afterwards I remember coming home and telling my dad it was one of the strongest workouts I'd had all summer.

1 min @ 7:16, 7:06
2 min @ 7:42, 7:27
3 min @ 7:40, 7:21
Avg pace 8:31

The second time I did this workout was when I was in the Florida Keys where it was at least 90 degrees all day long. It was ~15 mph winds and very humid too. This run was a struggle but I fought really freaking hard for it. I felt pretty crappy and my calves were insanely tight but I managed to run pretty comparable to the week before. Some faster, some slower.

1 min @ 7:24, 7:28
2 min @ 7:32, 7:20
3 min @ 7:51, 7:13
Avg pace 8:40

Thursday evening I did this workout for a third time, this time on the track. Both Chincoteague & Florida are super flat so I thought it would be pretty consistent with the past two times I did it. Between Sunday's race and lifting heavy on Tuesday my hamstrings were crazy tight and never fully loosened up. The weather was warmer than in Chincoteague but definitely cooler than Florida. Between my tight legs and moving back to school on Wednesday & Thursday I wasn't expecting anything special here.

Before I started the workout I told myself to run as hard as my body would let me on that given day. Effort is more important than pace. As you can see I absolutely crushed this workout. I'm assuming some of the extra speed is attributed to doing this on a track but still, that's a huge improvement! I know that in order to be making so much progress I have to be something right, which is an incredible feeling.

1 min @ 6:35, 6:37
2 min @ 7:00, 6:46
3 min @ 6:51, 6:54
Avg pace 8:19

I have a little over two months until the New York City Marathon and I know the only way I'm going to achieve my goal [which I haven't said yet] is to get really far out of my comfort zone. I don't want to look back and wish I could have done more or run harder. I want to show up to Staten Island knowing that I put in the work and am ready to conquer those 26.2 miles.

A Little Bit of Triathlon, A Little Bit of Marathoning

My mind has been all over the place lately. I have been absolutely loving triathlon training this summer and know that I want to do bigger things in the years to come. I want to go both faster and longer and really commit to training. I won't be signing up for anything until the winter or spring but I have already started to get an idea of what I want to do and I am SO excited about it. I keep trying to remind myself to focus on the present and not get caught up in figuring out things that are so far away.

I have a race this Saturday and although it's been on my calendar for a few months now I still am having a hard time coming to terms with this. Part of me is really happy about this, mostly because I love racing and can't wait to push myself, while the other part of me is sad that the triathlon season is coming to an end. After the Culpeper International Triathlon this weekend I will be racing the Keystone Sprint Triathlon at the end of August and while I plan on completely racing it, it is not a primary focus for me. I will be going on vacation for a week in the middle of August and it's still up in the air whether I will be able to bring my bike with me.

Then there's the marathon. After this weekend I need to start shifting my focus towards training for the New York City Marathon. It's hard to get on the Internet and not be surrounded by updates from everyone and their dog training for some fall marathon. With a little less than 100 days until New York it's probably time that I added in a bit more running. Because I'm very indecisive with regards to everything, I am both happy and a bit sad heading into marathon training. I am sad to be doing less swimming and biking, mostly biking, and sad that I don't have another 1.5 months to dedicate solely to triathlon training.

But I am also really excited to be training for a fall marathon. I likely won't be running another full marathon for awhile since I want to focus on triathlons and after such an incredible half marathon training cycle this spring I am excited to see what I can pull out in the marathon. I'm not exactly sure why but I've been feeling especially inspired lately and am dreaming up a big goal that I want to chase. I am not content with just training to finish and don't want to do only the bare minimum. I want to push myself because I know that I am capable of it.

Giving the 26.2 Distance Another Chance

I didn't make a big deal about it earlier, but on April 24 I handed an absurd amount of money over to New York Road Runners so I can run the 2013 New York City Marathon. I'm sure you know by now that the 2012 NYC Marathon was cancelled due to hurricane Sandy. I had already made the trek up to New York when I found out. Part of me was heartbroken while the other part of me was relieved. I had wanted to do this race long before I started running but I also wasn't adequately trained to run a marathon.

In the hours following the cancellation I debated whether or not to sign up for a different marathon. I hadn't put in as much training as I would have liked but I did build my way up to a 20 mile training run. I didn't want the training that I did do to be put to waste. I signed up for a marathon that was 30 minutes from my parents house and very low-key. The scenery wasn't ideal and I spent the entire day wishing I wasn't running a marathon.

After finishing the Harrisburg Marathon the last thing on my mind was running another marathon. I had always imagined myself running more than one but my first experience at the distance was so miserable that I couldn't bear to think about possibly doing another one.

Why, you might ask, did I sign up to run my second marathon a mere 12 months after my first marathon? The main reason is because I want to run the New York City Marathon. I love big cities, especially New York, and this has always been a dream of mine. I also have dreams of working up to the Ironman distance in triathlons and 2013 would be my last real chance to train for a marathon without it impacting triathlon training.

The last reason, which may be the most important one, is that I didn't train sufficiently for my first marathon in the slightest. I had no idea what I was doing and it showed on race day. I want to actually train for this race and then see how I feel about the marathon distance. I think the half marathon will always be my sweet spot but I want to give this 26.2 mile thing another chance. And after how well I did in the half marathon this spring I think I have the potential to take a big chunk of time off of my PR.

So on November 3 you can find me running the streets of New York City. I am terrified about running another marathon but I am also excited.

Planning Ahead: Summer 2013

In the past few weeks my inbox has been flooded with emails about upcoming races all over the east coast. With the majority of my focus on the Nike Women's Half Marathon in April I haven't given much thought to my race plans for this summer. I knew I wanted to focus on short course triathlons, primarily gaining experience and improving speed. I did sign up for the Keystone State International Triathlon at the end of August a little while ago but that will not be an A race for me as I will be also training for the New York City Marathon then.

Nothing is definite but these are the races I am looking at for the summer:

Assateague Assault Sprint Triathlon (June 3?)

Did I mention ponies roam the beach?!

I would absolutely love to do this triathlon but it is about four hours away. My family goes to the Virginia side of Assateague for vacation every year, which is why I am so drawn to this race. I have never been to the Maryland side but have heard it is very similar. I think this would be a great race to start the season with as it is supposed to be a pretty easy course. There is also a one mile sunset ocean swim the night before that I really want to do.

Mason Dixon Sprint Triathlon (June 2)

From the Keystone State Sprint Triathlon, the same course

If I can't do the Assateague Assault Triathlon I will most likely do this one. It is only 30 minutes from my house and is on the same course as the Keystone State Triathlon, which I did last summer. My only hesitation with this race is the hills. I really struggled with the hills on the bike course and did every ride for six weeks on those hills. I am confident that I am stronger and more capable now but the thought of doing those hills only 2 weeks after school ends makes me unnecessarily anxious.

Doublecreek (June 15)
This is a bike ride that is right near my house that offers 30 mile, 48 mile or 62 mile options. I have wanted to do a supported bike ride for a few years now and think that it would be good practice for me to get used to riding around so many other people. I probably will decide about this one that week based on how things are going. If it fits into training I will do it but I don't want to alter my training for this.

York YWCA Ladies Y-Tri Sprint Triathlon (June 30)

How perfect is this run course?!

I want to do this race mostly because it is about 5 minutes from my house. The swim is in a pool, which I don't like, but it is a cheap and close race that won't take up the entire weekend. The bike is also pretty hilly and will be a good way to measure my progress at climbing. I think doing a triathlon about every four weeks will allow me to practice racing without taking too much out of training.

Steelman Open Water Swim (July 14)
Like Doublecreek this is a very tentative race. Since I quit swimming a few years ago I have wanted to do an open water swim. The swim of both of my triathlons, which were open water, were my favorite parts. The only downside is this race is about two hours away and I'm not sure if I want to drive that far for a race that is not a primary race for me. I'll decide on this as time gets closer.

Millers Mutual Mile (July 17)

I can't get over this sunset from last year's race

I want to do this race because I think it will be fun. I have never raced anything shorter than a 5K and even those I don't do very often. I also really like that this is an evening race. I run considerably faster later in the day and since night races are pretty rare I want to jump at this opportunity. Who knows if I'll even get around to doing this race but I really want to.

Culpeper Olympic Triathlon (August 3)

This is the triathlon I'm looking at being my A race for this summer. It is a little far away (Virginia) but I could stay at my apartment the night before and just drive down early in the morning. I also really like the course. It isn't flat but isn't super hilly either. I also like when this race is. My family normally goes on vacation at the end of July/beginning of August but this year we are going a bit later. This means I can do a triathlon later in the summer without missing a week of training.

These races are all tentative but I am hoping to put at least some of these races on my calendar soon.
Any other races in the MD/PA/NoVa/DC area I should consider? Have you done any of these races?

A Lot Has Happened...

A lot has happened since the last time I posted. I meant to post all this past week leading up to the NYC Marathon but I couldn't get internet connection and then when I did things just got too crazy. Up through last weekend I didn't know that Sandy was supposed to even hit New York. I knew some rain and wind was expected but I never expected all the damage and destruction that happened. I followed the reports all through Monday night since campus was closed on Tuesday and started to realize how bad things were. When I woke up on Tuesday morning I called my mom in tears that there was no way the marathon could be held. I was sure that it would be cancelled based on everything I was seeing on twitter.

But then the marathon wasn't cancelled. In fact, we were told that the race would absolutely happen. I didn't understand how that was possible but I figured that they knew their city best and they wouldn't have said the race was going to be possible if it wasn't. I continued my taper expecting to run a marathon today. As the week continued I kept seeing how uncomfortable many runners were with the idea of running a marathon while so much of the city we were supposed to run through was under water. A lot of people decided to defer to next year but I didn't know what to do. I had paid a lot of money and not only me but my family had sacrificed a lot to get me ready for this race. There was no way that I couldn't run if the race was still being held.

Friday morning my dad and I took the train out of Lancaster and arrived in New York around 2. We walked from Penn Station over to the expo and spent a couple hours wandering around, listening to speakers, and just soaking everything in. The more time I spent at the expo the more I wanted to run this race. Sometime around 5 we decided to finally leave and head over to my uncle's apartment where we were staying. While in line for the bathroom I heard a girl say that her friend had text her that the marathon was cancelled. I instantly had a pit in my stomach. A lot of people said it was a rumor and shrugged it off. I knew though that what we were hearing was true.

I quickly told my dad what I had heard and then jumped on my phone to see what I could find out. I saw on CNBC that the race was off. We walked over to the registration booths to try to get a confirmation but the volunteers hadn't heard anything until then. After receiving a phone call from my mom that it was all over the news that the race was cancelled we headed to a local pizza place to try to catch the press conference on their TV. We could only get the local news station but it was enough. The race was not happening. I was heartbroken but at the same time relieved. I knew it was the right decision but it should have been made Tuesday or Wednesday.

My dad and I decided to make the best of our time in the city and what started off as a nightmare turned into one of the most enjoyable experiences.

Taper Confessions

This first week of taper has been going so much differently than I expected. I am having feelings of wanting to increase my mileage to make up for missed runs throughout training, but mostly I want to run more because I have really caught the running bug lately. Instead of dreading my runs and constantly rearranging my run schedule I am trying to convince myself NOT to run and instead relax. I imagined that when I hit taper I would be ready to embrace the extra rest and catch up on cleaning and seeing friends. And as much as I could use the rest I have the urge to go for a run as a way to relax. I am really glad I decided to only do a two week taper instead of the usual three weeks as I'm pretty sure I would go insane.

The thing that is surprising me the most about taper is how calm I am. The NYC Marathon is only 11 days away and yet I am still so chill about the whole thing. I am waiting for the moment when it hits me that I am really running 26.2 miles on November 4th. Although the fact that I already completed my 20 mile long run has still not set in. I was thinking the other day that I hadn't done any long runs and that I was not going to be ready to complete a marathon until I realized that I have done long runs of

2 x 14 miles, 1 of which was the RNR Philadelphia Half Marathon
15 miles, that included the Baltimore Half Marathon
16 miles
20 miles

I had initially planned on doing more long runs but now when I look back on my training I am realizing that this is only my first marathon. I have only been running for about a year and a half and consistently running for 6 months. I am a competitive person so it is hard for me not to get caught up in trying to do too much too soon. I also had some nagging injuries that derailed my training. Given the circumstances I am happy with what I have accomplished and look forward to putting it all to use on race day.

Welcome to Taper Town!

It's been a long road to get here but it is finally taper time! I never expected my training would go the way it did but I did the best I could with what was thrown at me. Sure there were times where I skipped runs but I'm not dwelling on those missed runs. I am trying to focus on all the successful things about my training cycle and how much progress I've made as a runner this year. I have come to terms with the work that I have put in and now it is just time to relax and embrace the taper.

This is really the first race where I've had a real taper so I'm not too sure what to expect. I've heard horror stories about people becoming cranky, irritable, sick, developing injuries, etc. I have dealt with minor injuries/aches & pains throughout training so I'm being extra cautious to stay healthy. Just last week my throat felt scratchy and I thought I had come down with the flu. I don't want to take any chances. I want to be ready when November 4th roles around.

I'm ready for you, NYCM!

On Saturday I went for a quick shakeout run that my sore legs didn't love. I was pretty much shuffling but by the end of the run my legs felt much better. I felt somewhat recovered from Friday's 20 mile long run. But then a few hours after the run I started getting this weird pain in the back of my knee. It was kind of a sharp pain that happened randomly. After it started occurring more frequently and the pain became sharper I started freaking out, running around the apartment telling my boyfriend I was broken. I'm not always the most rational person.

Lucky for me my knee has felt fine since then. I took an extra rest day just to make sure that everything was okay. I have a little bit of tightness in my shin but nothing that a little ice and some compression socks won't fix. I am anxious to test my legs on a run tomorrow morning. I am excited to get back on the trails and feel the dirt under my feet. I am trying to soak up every moment of this marathon experience and that includes the taper.

One Month

It is weird to be writing this since November 4th has always seemed so far away. But yet it is now only one month away. My decision to sign up for the NYC Marathon was kind of out of the blue, meaning it was not something that I spent a lot of time thinking about. I got the idea to run a marathon and then signed up a few days later. Since April I have had this race on my mind, but it was more in the back of my mind. I had other races to train for over the summer and so I focused on them. I worked on building a base throughout my triathlon training so that when it was time to jump head first into marathon training I was ready.

As always, things have not gone exactly as planned. I loved my training when I was also focused on training for triathlons and when I had no other responsibilities to worry about. Being in school is the thing that has really affected my training. I don't have beautiful trails to run on for days and can't go out for a run whenever I choose. The added stress of assignments has constantly left me pushing off runs in order to get things done in time. I have tried not to pay attention to all the countdowns about how little time is left before race day.

Today was when it really hit me though. In one month from today, although on a Sunday and not on a Thursday, I will be toeing the line of my first marathon. Despite struggles with my training the race is finally starting to feel real. I can finally imagine being in New York being a part of something that has inspired and driven me so many times. I spent the first half of today scared shitless about the dwindling about of time I have left to prepare for such a big task. But after going out for a run, even though it was a pretty terrible one, I became excited again about finishing this journey that I have started.

I am not ready to call myself a marathoner, but hopefully in a few weeks when all of my long training runs are behind me I will feel confident and ready. I also went from being terrifyingly nervous for tomorrow's 16 mile long run to excited and anxious. Instead of dreading these remaining long runs I am ready to embrace them, since they are the key to me being marathon ready. Sometimes it is hard to forget that I am a beginner and this is my first marathon. I should not be training the same as someone who is running their 20th marathon. I am doing this because I want to prove to myself that I can. No added pressure necessary.

Next Up

Now that I am finished training for the General Smallwood International Triathlon I am looking ahead to my next endeavor. I have a lot of big goals and know that I need to be smart with how I go about training for them.

1. Keystone State Triathlon August 26

I am currently signed up to do the Olympic distance but I am waiting to hear back from the race directors about switching to the sprint instead. This is not an A race for me so I need to focus on doing what is best for my more important races. The Olympic distance has a 27 mile bike versus an 18 mile course for the sprint. Both courses are really hilly and although I plan on spending time working on climbing I don't want it to become a priority right now. 

2. Rock N' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon September 16

Even though this is not my big A race for the year I still want to PR the shit out of it. I haven't ever fully committed to training for a half marathon so I want to see how fast I can go with some proper training. Ultimately it is a training race but I will be taking a few days rest before and after it. One of my best friends will also be running this race as her first half marathon/running race ever and I am so excited to be there with her.


3. ING New York City Marathon November 4

This is the big one. I have dreamed of running this race and to be running it as my first marathon almost seems like fate to me. From here on out this is where my priority will be. Sure I want to do well in my other races, but I want to destroy this one. Training for a marathon is no joke so it needs to be the most important of the three.

Other possible races: Sneaks Come Out at Night 15K August 11

I really want to do this race because it is at night and I run significantly better at night. Dusk is my favorite time of day and I can't think of anything I'd rather do than run around Baltimore as the sun is going down. I am not signed up for this race yet because it is not a priority race for me and I don't want to commit to anything this early. I don't want to miss out on other summer festivities for a race this isn't terribly important so I'm going to wait a few more weeks before making my ultimate decision.

Like Winning the Lottery

About a month ago after I finished running my second half marathon the idea of running a full marathon started to creep into my mind. I've known that I wanted to run a marathon for some time now but it still never seemed real. But today that far-fetched dream of mine started to become a reality.

I have dying to announce it to the blog world, and to everyone in general that I will be running the 2012 ING New York City Marathon!

I have expressed my feelings about this race before and when I say that running this race is an absolute dream come true I really mean it. I have dreamed about this race since the first time I heard about during my freshmen year of college but I wasn't sure if I would ever get the chance to run it because of the lottery system.

Right after I decided that I wanted to try to run a fall marathon my cousin, who works for the NYCM informed me that she would be able to get me into the race even if I didn't get in through the lottery. I applied for the lottery assuming I wouldn't get in and that I would just have my cousin use her super powers to get me in.

Except when I logged on today I saw that I had been accepted. I would have never tried to run this great race this year partly due to its ridiculously high cost and the slim chance that I would actually get in. And as corny as this sounds, I really feel like it was fate. 

As excited as I am to start this new adventure I am still in triathlon training. I am going to finish my training and then switch over to MARATHON training! And I can promise that I am going to document every aspect of the journey. This is something that I never want to forget.

Inspired by The New York City Marathon

I wrote a post last week about how much I love The New York City Marathon and I can proudly say that I love it even more after today's race. I spent all morning tracking my favorite bloggers and friends during their races and followed the leaders on Twitter. I tried to watch the live streaming but I sadly could not get it to work.

I channeled all of the positive energy of the running world today into my 5 miler this afternoon and had an amazing run. I was so inspired by everyone out there who ran the marathon today that it made me less worked up about a silly 5 mile run.

Reading all of the tweets and tracking everyone made me really excited to start focusing on training for my upcoming races so that one day I can run the NYC Marathon.

I love how cheering friends on in races or stalking the NYC Marathon can really motivate me. Without these random motivations I sometimes lose sight of my long term goals and get caught up petty little things.

I realize I am blessed to be able to run and it is something that I don't ever want to take for granted. I don't want to look back and realize that I could have pushed myself harder.

My next real race is a half marathon in March, and I really needed the inspiration that the NYC Marathon brought to get me excited to jump into training.

Congrats to everyone who ran this race! I hope you loved every minute of those 26.2 miles!

The New York City Marathon

In my mind the New York City Marathon is the greatest marathon in the world. Growing up I never knew much about running or marathons but I knew about the NYC Marathon. Last year at this time I was trying to figure out a lot of things in my life. I was unhappy where I was at school and I was really struggling to find motivation to exercise. I had just found out I needed surgery and mentally I was just not in a good place.

And then I started seeing coverage for the NYC Marathon and I started to have hope. I had always hated running but for some reason I became very intrigued with running. Marathons in particular. I knew that marathons were something only crazy athletes did, which was part of the reason I became so interested in them. As soon as I heard about the Marathon last year I told myself that I would run that race one day. I wanted to be a part of such a special athletic event.

Part of my intrigue with the race was my love for the city of Manhattan. I have always loved big cities and New York is, of course, the greatest city on Earth. It is a place where people go to accomplish their dreams. I also love the wonderful fashion that is such a part of New York.

I don't know when I will run this marathon but I can promise you that I will run it one day. And I know that it will mean so much to me to be able to participate in the event that founded my love for running. 

Even though I am not running this race I am still soaking up all things Marathon. I have been stalking bloggers who are running the race and reading all the coverage on Runner's World. I truly hope that everyone who is running this race or who is lucky enough to spectate has the time of their life and enjoys every minute of this spectacular race.

When I need inspiration for training, I think about this race. I know that I will never be able to run this amazing race if I cannot run a marathon, and that enough motivation for me. I may be alone with my reasoning but when I find something that I want to do and has meaning to me I hold onto it for dear life.

I have read many race reports from bloggers like SkinnyRunner, Lindsay Runs, Fitness NYC and I have been reading unhealthy doses posts by bloggers running the NYC Marathon this year, such as Carrots 'N' Cake, The Blue-Eyed Runner, and The Hungry Runner Girl.

Good luck to everyone running The New York City Marathon on Sunday!