Because I can!
And because sometimes, you just do things!
3 years ago, I stood on 135th Street in Harlem and watched the INGNYC marathoners run down Fifth Avenue, on their way to Central Park Finish Line. I watched the exertion but pride that was on each and every face and in the middle of the cold day, I decided, "I want that!"
The day after the marathon is dubbed Marathon Day. That's the day you can officially enter the sweepstakes to get a shot at winning one of the coveted spot in the very oversubscribed marathon for the next year. Although I am not a betting woman, I entered the lottery for a chance to enter. And I lost. By the time I received the email that told me I didn't get in, I started my "training" runs. I read the books, browsed the websites, talked to the people who knew anything about marathons. But when I got the email confirming what so many told me, that because there are so many people who apply, the chances of getting in on a lottery are so slim, they might as well be nonexistent, I got a little discouraged and eventually my enthusiasm tapered off.
Cut to 2012 and a conversation with my cousin's husband, Garry. He told me had signed up with the NYRR and he was trying to run 9 races in a year to get a guaranteed entry in the marathon next year. Although it was already the middle of spring and I was a little behind, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try to do it too. Because I observe the Sabbath and do not participate in races on Saturdays, there were a limited number of marathon-qualifying races that were on Sundays. I ran 8 of those races, with terrible times but I was on my way. And then I realized that because life has a way of getting in the way of the plans you make, suddenly the year was almost up and I hadn't finished my 9+1 (run 9 races and volunteer during 1 race) to qualify for the spot. So I abandoned my mission.
Cut to November 3, 2013. Marathon day in NYC. So much had happened in the past 12 months to affect the marathon. The 2012 race was cancelled with just a few hours notice on account of Superstorm Sandy and the tragedy at the Boston marathon ensured that people wanted to come out and support the 2013 NYC Marathon in a big way. I woke up early and watched the TV pre-race coverage, watched the elite runners take off in Staten Island, watched them make their way through Brooklyn and Queens, over the Queensboro bridge and into the Bronx before I made my way to 135th St and 5th Avenue to welcome the marathoners to Harlem. And although they had already run 20 miles at that point, they looked strong. it was a cold day, temperatures in the mid 30s. I wore my North Face down coat, gloves and hat, and stood on the corner watching men and women run in tank tops or singlets and shorts. True their heightened metabolism kept them warm but I like to think that the light that seemed to beam from their faces was evidence of some internal energy source. They were running. 26.2 miles and loving it. True, some were having a bit of a rough patch. I stood next to an emergency tent and saw runners stop for treatment for a tight muscle or cramp, or vaseline to help with the chafing but when they were treated, they just went right back to running.
Scott Jurek in Eat & Run says "sometimes you just do things" There are demands on our time for a myriad of things that we like or things that will make others happy. Sometimes, we want to do them, sometimes we realize we should do them even if we don't want to. Whatever the reason, "sometimes, you just do things."
On Marathon Monday 2013, I entered the lottery for the INGNYC Marathon 2014. I don't know if I will win a spot. If I don't, I will try the second lottery. If that doesn't happen, I will keep running and see if I can get one of the time qualifying spots or sign up with a charity and raise money on their behalf so I can earn one of their spots, or....
There are lots of ways to get a chance to run the marathon. I only need one of them to work out.
Paul is one of my best friends and main motivator and the person who, when I bring up my crazy schemes like training for the Cross Fit games or riding a century in the Gran Fondo, he always manages to keep a straight face and says "yeah, you can do it!" He plans to run INGNYCMarathon2014 too. He is light and fast and athletic but I don't know if he knows what he is getting himself into. He hasn't run any previous races in his adult life and he has some disastrous stories of races in his childhood but he has been called "Flash" on a soccer field so that counts for something. At some point, perhaps in January or February, he says he will start training for it. Maybe then, we can run together.
But I can't wait that long. I've been running regularly again since late spring. I got a little sidelined with a tendonitis injury but just as suddenly as it came on, I was healed and I am back on the road, running.
Today I ran 2.73 miles with an average pace of 10.46 min/mi. Tomorrow, I will be better. I just have to keep doing it.
Marathon training isn't going to be easy but it will be worth it.
And because sometimes, you just do things!
3 years ago, I stood on 135th Street in Harlem and watched the INGNYC marathoners run down Fifth Avenue, on their way to Central Park Finish Line. I watched the exertion but pride that was on each and every face and in the middle of the cold day, I decided, "I want that!"
The day after the marathon is dubbed Marathon Day. That's the day you can officially enter the sweepstakes to get a shot at winning one of the coveted spot in the very oversubscribed marathon for the next year. Although I am not a betting woman, I entered the lottery for a chance to enter. And I lost. By the time I received the email that told me I didn't get in, I started my "training" runs. I read the books, browsed the websites, talked to the people who knew anything about marathons. But when I got the email confirming what so many told me, that because there are so many people who apply, the chances of getting in on a lottery are so slim, they might as well be nonexistent, I got a little discouraged and eventually my enthusiasm tapered off.
Cut to 2012 and a conversation with my cousin's husband, Garry. He told me had signed up with the NYRR and he was trying to run 9 races in a year to get a guaranteed entry in the marathon next year. Although it was already the middle of spring and I was a little behind, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try to do it too. Because I observe the Sabbath and do not participate in races on Saturdays, there were a limited number of marathon-qualifying races that were on Sundays. I ran 8 of those races, with terrible times but I was on my way. And then I realized that because life has a way of getting in the way of the plans you make, suddenly the year was almost up and I hadn't finished my 9+1 (run 9 races and volunteer during 1 race) to qualify for the spot. So I abandoned my mission.
Cut to November 3, 2013. Marathon day in NYC. So much had happened in the past 12 months to affect the marathon. The 2012 race was cancelled with just a few hours notice on account of Superstorm Sandy and the tragedy at the Boston marathon ensured that people wanted to come out and support the 2013 NYC Marathon in a big way. I woke up early and watched the TV pre-race coverage, watched the elite runners take off in Staten Island, watched them make their way through Brooklyn and Queens, over the Queensboro bridge and into the Bronx before I made my way to 135th St and 5th Avenue to welcome the marathoners to Harlem. And although they had already run 20 miles at that point, they looked strong. it was a cold day, temperatures in the mid 30s. I wore my North Face down coat, gloves and hat, and stood on the corner watching men and women run in tank tops or singlets and shorts. True their heightened metabolism kept them warm but I like to think that the light that seemed to beam from their faces was evidence of some internal energy source. They were running. 26.2 miles and loving it. True, some were having a bit of a rough patch. I stood next to an emergency tent and saw runners stop for treatment for a tight muscle or cramp, or vaseline to help with the chafing but when they were treated, they just went right back to running.
Scott Jurek in Eat & Run says "sometimes you just do things" There are demands on our time for a myriad of things that we like or things that will make others happy. Sometimes, we want to do them, sometimes we realize we should do them even if we don't want to. Whatever the reason, "sometimes, you just do things."
On Marathon Monday 2013, I entered the lottery for the INGNYC Marathon 2014. I don't know if I will win a spot. If I don't, I will try the second lottery. If that doesn't happen, I will keep running and see if I can get one of the time qualifying spots or sign up with a charity and raise money on their behalf so I can earn one of their spots, or....
There are lots of ways to get a chance to run the marathon. I only need one of them to work out.
Paul is one of my best friends and main motivator and the person who, when I bring up my crazy schemes like training for the Cross Fit games or riding a century in the Gran Fondo, he always manages to keep a straight face and says "yeah, you can do it!" He plans to run INGNYCMarathon2014 too. He is light and fast and athletic but I don't know if he knows what he is getting himself into. He hasn't run any previous races in his adult life and he has some disastrous stories of races in his childhood but he has been called "Flash" on a soccer field so that counts for something. At some point, perhaps in January or February, he says he will start training for it. Maybe then, we can run together.
But I can't wait that long. I've been running regularly again since late spring. I got a little sidelined with a tendonitis injury but just as suddenly as it came on, I was healed and I am back on the road, running.
Today I ran 2.73 miles with an average pace of 10.46 min/mi. Tomorrow, I will be better. I just have to keep doing it.
Marathon training isn't going to be easy but it will be worth it.
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