Week number 3 down!
It's been a very hectic week, between work and running.
On Tuesday night, a few of the members of 'Team Hector' met down at the Smithsonian Metro Stop to do our 4 mile Hill run together. We ran up and around the Capital. Can't say it wasn't a picturesque run. But I will say it was a bitch. Pardon my language. Like I said, it was 4 miles, uphill, and against the wind. I pretty much hated my decision to run 26.2 miles from that day forward lol!
My week got hectic from there, as I had to fly to Atlanta, Georgia for work. Do not ask me how Atlanta was. I saw only the inside of my hotel-going from meeting to meeting. At first I was very jealous of the girls there, with their southern accents. They sounded absolutely adorable and made me feel like a man. By Friday, however, when I was leaving, I was 150% happy that I was not surrounded by it anymore. Too happy and polite too much! Though I won't like, I think the word 'ya'll' has become a staple to my speech. I did run while I was in Atlanta, on the treadmill in the gym hotel. Once again, doesn't matter if I'm in DC or Atlanta, a treadmill is a treadmill and it is TORTURE!
Due to the weather predictions for Friday and Saturday, the Team In Training run was cancelled, with an option to run on Sunday with the Team. I got home Friday afternoon and expected to just go to sleep for the night due to exhaustion. But, because I have fun friends, Kerry and I decided that we should have our last horrah night and go out.
Needless to say, it is a good thing no physical activity was required on Saturday.
So today, beautiful weather conditions. Blue sky, sun and 50 degree temperatures. But every fiber in my body did not want to run. Sometimes running feels like a job, and today was such a time. There was a fleeting moment while I was out there, running, by myself, that I was happy to be out there, but for the most part, I was not having it. I definitely had one of those days when I couldn't help but think, what did I get myself into? I hate running!
I think it's a natural thought. I also think that I've been in a bit of a funk, which is usually cured by a good run, but not today. Perhaps I missed running with the team, I don't know, I just know that my enthusiasm needs to return soon.
While I was in Atlanta, I got to take a tour of the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge. I had been to our Hope Lodge in Baltimore and it is a very special place to visit. I knew it, but even the CEO of the South Atlantic Division of the American Cancer Society told us that anytime we are feeling unsure or blah about our job, take a trip to the Hope Lodge and it will give you a renewed sense of fulfillment. The American Cancer Society has 25 Hope Lodges across the country that serve as homes away from homes for cancer patients receiving treatment more than 3 days a week at a facility at least an hour away from their home. There are no further guidelines for patients to meet, everyone is welcome and the stay is completely free. During the tour of the Atlanta Hope Lodge, we spoke with and got to hear patients and their caregivers talk about what brought them to the Hope Lodge and what it means to them. It is beyond humbling and amazing to hear someone break down infront of you telling you that you are an angel for what you do, and that without the work that everyone in the Society does-from the admin staff on up, people such as themselves would not have any chance of receiving treatment. My work is tough and it's defeating some days and it's long and it requires a lot, but its those moments that I have to remind myself of. Kind of like my running. I tried so hard today when I felt myself not wanting to run, to think of the young man I wrote about in my emails out to everyone last week. I concentrated on the picture of the women Theresa I spoke with at the Hope Lodge in Atlanta who was receiving her second bout of treatment for Leukemia. I thought of all of them and I just kept running.
Maybe I lack a sense of self control, or maybe my love of running is just not there yet, but I don't know how people train for a marathon without some form of a purpose. It is tough to not want to go out there and put in your miles. It is mentally exhausting to tell yourself that this thing that seems so impossible at times is possible. Running can be one of the most humbling things that you can do. You are against yourself. You have to listen to your body, and sometimes your body is telling you something you don't want to hear. This is tough for those people, such as myself, that are called perfectionists, competitors. I have to forgo my urge to sprint with the person that just passed me and realize that my body can't do that. I have to realize that as long as I'm moving forward, that I am okay. It's these moments of weakness that I think of everyone that I represent and run for with Team In Training. I think of everyone in my life, cancer patient or not, that has suffered and gone their own personal miles. I think of myself and how far I've come in my life, the miles that I have already put in in my personal life. Sometimes these thoughts help immediately, and sometimes it is still a struggle. But all the miles that I've come in my personal life, all the miles that people close to me and those that I've met through my work, strangers on the street, I know that I can do it.
I think today was just one of those days that the 6 miles wasn't just me placing one foot infront of the other on the road, it was more a mental struggle to know that I can keep forging forward. I like to thank all those wonderful angels in my life that give me the strength to do just that!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Team We Run for Food
It's 10:34 am Saturday morning, February 16th and I have already eaten two breakfasts, ran 4 miles, made it to the grocery store and showered! And on top of that, because of the early morning wake up call, I spent my Friday evening cleaning my house and doing laundry. Granted, I usually hang out with friends on Fridays even when I have to run the next day, but really, exercising really has a way of getting your life together!
Week 2 of training was interesting. And by interesting I mean hell. I am not talking about the actual physical running part, but the rather the weather. For many of us on the East Coast, we got hit with rain, cold and ice! On Tuesday the cobblestone sidewalks in my neighborhood were just one big sheet of black ice! I moved my car, anticipating to then go to the gym, and had to walk inthe middle of the street so that I didn't fall and bust my butt. Ah yes, the gym. I have come to hate the gym. It cages me in. Maybe it's not the gym that I hate. Maybe it's this little machine known as the Treadmill. I have come to the conclusion that if a runner goes to hell, they are banished to an eternity running on a treadmill. So I was to run 3 miles on Tuesday evening, which, for me, 3 miles is a mere sneeze. Before Team In Training, I kind of didn't even say I went on a run if I only did 3 miles. But on the treadmill, I felt like those 3 miles were 26.2. I probably looked like someone who never runs. I was constantly checking the clock, speeding up the machine until I was doing a 7 minute mile just to get it over with! As soon as the display read 3, I stopped that thing and ran out of there! I TRIED to find a happy place. I even closed my eyes at one point to imagine I was running somewhere else, but when I almost tripped over my feet and busted my butt (hm is it possible to use that phrase 2 times in one paragraph?), anyways, I then decided I better keep my eyes open.
So after Tuesday, I guess that was really the only day of running hell. I tend to exaggerate sometimes. The rest of the week, the weather was completely gorgeous to go out and run. Days like that I sit at my desk and daydream about my workout. Yes. I have lost my mind.
As I said, here I sit it is now 1o to 11 am on Saturday morning and I have done more with my day than most will do all day. Today we ran 4 miles of the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, MD. Here is the link if you are interested/have stalker tendences:http://www.cctrail.org/CCT_General_Info.htm. For many of you who are unfamiliary with my territory down here, the Capital Crescent stretches from Bethesda, MD to Georgetown. Okay, that totally didn't clear it up for you. Anyways, it is a pretty nice trail, and I am trying to appreciate the low mileage while it lasts! I forgot how much running with a group makes it so much more enjoyable! At one point, I asked how far we had gone and someone said 3.5 miles and I couldn't believe it! The conversations just make it fly by! Running with the team is fantastic! When you pass team members along the way, everyone cheers each other on, so much motivation! It's also a fun way to meet people. We had people catch up to us and run with us a bit, by us I mean Kerry me and our teammate Moses, and you just introduce one another and find out about each other little by little. Our little running pack ended up pacing at 8:35 mile, which I was happy about. There is no way in hell though, that I will be able to maintain that for 26.2 LOL!
So in short, I love it (still). Moses kept saying how excited he was to see us run our first marathon, because there was nothing like it. He said when he crossed th finish line of his first one, he just broke into tears! I will be a puddle, guarenteed! 'Team Hector' (still working on that name) is just great! We all have great personalities and spirits, I think this season will be amazing! We are going for a buddy run on Tuesday evening down at the mall--not Tysons, the National Mall.
For now I'm just going to relax, ice my knee a bit and enjoy the rest of the day doing nothing--cause I did it all last night and this morning!
Week 2 of training was interesting. And by interesting I mean hell. I am not talking about the actual physical running part, but the rather the weather. For many of us on the East Coast, we got hit with rain, cold and ice! On Tuesday the cobblestone sidewalks in my neighborhood were just one big sheet of black ice! I moved my car, anticipating to then go to the gym, and had to walk inthe middle of the street so that I didn't fall and bust my butt. Ah yes, the gym. I have come to hate the gym. It cages me in. Maybe it's not the gym that I hate. Maybe it's this little machine known as the Treadmill. I have come to the conclusion that if a runner goes to hell, they are banished to an eternity running on a treadmill. So I was to run 3 miles on Tuesday evening, which, for me, 3 miles is a mere sneeze. Before Team In Training, I kind of didn't even say I went on a run if I only did 3 miles. But on the treadmill, I felt like those 3 miles were 26.2. I probably looked like someone who never runs. I was constantly checking the clock, speeding up the machine until I was doing a 7 minute mile just to get it over with! As soon as the display read 3, I stopped that thing and ran out of there! I TRIED to find a happy place. I even closed my eyes at one point to imagine I was running somewhere else, but when I almost tripped over my feet and busted my butt (hm is it possible to use that phrase 2 times in one paragraph?), anyways, I then decided I better keep my eyes open.
So after Tuesday, I guess that was really the only day of running hell. I tend to exaggerate sometimes. The rest of the week, the weather was completely gorgeous to go out and run. Days like that I sit at my desk and daydream about my workout. Yes. I have lost my mind.
As I said, here I sit it is now 1o to 11 am on Saturday morning and I have done more with my day than most will do all day. Today we ran 4 miles of the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, MD. Here is the link if you are interested/have stalker tendences:http://www.cctrail.org/CCT_General_Info.htm. For many of you who are unfamiliary with my territory down here, the Capital Crescent stretches from Bethesda, MD to Georgetown. Okay, that totally didn't clear it up for you. Anyways, it is a pretty nice trail, and I am trying to appreciate the low mileage while it lasts! I forgot how much running with a group makes it so much more enjoyable! At one point, I asked how far we had gone and someone said 3.5 miles and I couldn't believe it! The conversations just make it fly by! Running with the team is fantastic! When you pass team members along the way, everyone cheers each other on, so much motivation! It's also a fun way to meet people. We had people catch up to us and run with us a bit, by us I mean Kerry me and our teammate Moses, and you just introduce one another and find out about each other little by little. Our little running pack ended up pacing at 8:35 mile, which I was happy about. There is no way in hell though, that I will be able to maintain that for 26.2 LOL!
So in short, I love it (still). Moses kept saying how excited he was to see us run our first marathon, because there was nothing like it. He said when he crossed th finish line of his first one, he just broke into tears! I will be a puddle, guarenteed! 'Team Hector' (still working on that name) is just great! We all have great personalities and spirits, I think this season will be amazing! We are going for a buddy run on Tuesday evening down at the mall--not Tysons, the National Mall.
For now I'm just going to relax, ice my knee a bit and enjoy the rest of the day doing nothing--cause I did it all last night and this morning!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
And We're Off!!! Team In Training has BEGUN!
So, if you read my previous post, you understand maybe a little bit more why I am running 26.2 miles in exactly 109 days, 22 hours and 52 minutes! Or maybe you still think I'm crazy?! Maybe I am, but I think it's the crazy in us that makes us the amazing individuals that we are!
So Team In Training officially kicked off on February 2nd at our kickoff breakfast! We had a chance to meet some of our teammates, our team captain and our coaches. Most importantly, we got our shirts. Okay,maybe not most important, but it's definitely all about the schwag! The morning was motivational, exciting and a bit overwhelming! In the room were all the 2008 summer season athletes for Team In Training-so there were the triathletes, the cyclists and the marathoners, about 277 in total. By now you all know that I have to raise $4000 dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. That morning, it was announced that the National Capital Region's 2008 Summer athletes were goaled at $1 million dollars! I know that with your support, you will help us reach that goal!
The morning was filled with stories of survivors, our honored teammates, who told of their personal battles to the finish line of beating cancer. While I deal with cancer and cancer patients on a daily basis at my job for the American Cancer Society, the stories of personal courage from the survivors and patients alike never cease to amaze and inspire me. I truly know that when the miles get difficult, the remarkable stories of these patients, combined with my energetic coaches and fellow teammates will motivate me to keep moving one foot in front of the other until I get to the finish. Our personal honored teammate is a young girl named Ashley who is now a freshman at James Madison University. Ashley was diagnosed at the age of 7 with leukemia. She spent most of her childhood out of school and in chemo. She tells of not making friends because they were afraid of catching her cancer and taking endless medications. We are dedicating our 26.2 miles to this courageous girl who has fought the battle of blood cancer and turned into bright, beautiful girl with a great future ahead.
This past Saturday, the 9th, we had our first team run. The first Saturday of many to come that I will be waking up before the sunrise to get to practice. We were to get there at 7:30 and it was supposed to be a 3 mile pace run to figure out what pace groups to put us in. Before the run, we had two really great seminars about choosing the right shoes and also injury prevention. While the seminars were really interesting, by the end of them, my stomach was angry at me for only providing it with only a Nature's Valley bar. Not a good sign for a successful pace run!
After the seminars, the 50 or so runners headed down to the track where we were supposed to run. Well, due to some miscommunication, the track was locked and we could not get on it. At first one of the coaches drove around the high school parking lot where we were trying to clock mileage for us to run. When she got back, she blasted jock jams out of her car as we all stretched in the freezing cold. After about 45 minutes of trying to figure out what to do, it was decided that we would forego the run and just go home. Well, not if you're on "Team Hector,"aka my team, the DC runners! We manned up and decided to go for a 3 mile run at the mall. Maybe those of you who aren't familiar with DC wouldn't get this confused, but normally, the worlds, the mall are generally only used down here in reference to the National Mall-or so Kerry and I thought. So Kerry and I geared up to drive down to "The Mall," but quickly realized we were wrong. We were actually going to run around a mall. Not inside the mall, but outside, along the parking lots, of the giant Tyson's Corner Mall in Virginia. So for a little less than 30 minutes, we ran the parking lot of one of the largest malls I have ever seen in our Team In Training shirts. It was probably the funniest and most interesting running experience I have ever had and certainly a great first bonding experience with my teammates! I think we talked the entire time about how hungry we were and where we were going to eat-Chipotle? Silver Diner? Bagels? Olive Garden?! We decided on bagels and of course sat and talked about running. Even things like, how you don't sleep the night before the race bcs you are so anxious and excited.
It was a very low mileage week, but it was so much fun! While it is just the beginning, I feel like joining TNT might possibly be one of the best decisions of my life. While listening to the coaches and various speakers on Saturday, I became completely proud of my decision that brought me to that brought me to this point in my life. I am proud that I am going to take advantage of my healthy heart, my healthy legs (knock on wood), and run 26.2 miles. Furthermore, I am proud that I have entered into this race with countless others who are dedicating their miles of sweat and struggle to those who did not have a choice to enter into the personal physical and mental battle that is cancer. It’s these moments of self-awareness, that make me realize that I am not completely crazy, despite what family members or friends may say. And it seems like I'm going to have great times along the way!
Please continue to check in on my progress and in this blog and on my fundraising website! I'm sure I won't be sounding soooo chipper as the miles increase, but there will definitely be some good reading material--okay I'll be honest, not good, but a boredom filler, how's that?
http://www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/tntncaSNess
So Team In Training officially kicked off on February 2nd at our kickoff breakfast! We had a chance to meet some of our teammates, our team captain and our coaches. Most importantly, we got our shirts. Okay,maybe not most important, but it's definitely all about the schwag! The morning was motivational, exciting and a bit overwhelming! In the room were all the 2008 summer season athletes for Team In Training-so there were the triathletes, the cyclists and the marathoners, about 277 in total. By now you all know that I have to raise $4000 dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. That morning, it was announced that the National Capital Region's 2008 Summer athletes were goaled at $1 million dollars! I know that with your support, you will help us reach that goal!
The morning was filled with stories of survivors, our honored teammates, who told of their personal battles to the finish line of beating cancer. While I deal with cancer and cancer patients on a daily basis at my job for the American Cancer Society, the stories of personal courage from the survivors and patients alike never cease to amaze and inspire me. I truly know that when the miles get difficult, the remarkable stories of these patients, combined with my energetic coaches and fellow teammates will motivate me to keep moving one foot in front of the other until I get to the finish. Our personal honored teammate is a young girl named Ashley who is now a freshman at James Madison University. Ashley was diagnosed at the age of 7 with leukemia. She spent most of her childhood out of school and in chemo. She tells of not making friends because they were afraid of catching her cancer and taking endless medications. We are dedicating our 26.2 miles to this courageous girl who has fought the battle of blood cancer and turned into bright, beautiful girl with a great future ahead.
This past Saturday, the 9th, we had our first team run. The first Saturday of many to come that I will be waking up before the sunrise to get to practice. We were to get there at 7:30 and it was supposed to be a 3 mile pace run to figure out what pace groups to put us in. Before the run, we had two really great seminars about choosing the right shoes and also injury prevention. While the seminars were really interesting, by the end of them, my stomach was angry at me for only providing it with only a Nature's Valley bar. Not a good sign for a successful pace run!
After the seminars, the 50 or so runners headed down to the track where we were supposed to run. Well, due to some miscommunication, the track was locked and we could not get on it. At first one of the coaches drove around the high school parking lot where we were trying to clock mileage for us to run. When she got back, she blasted jock jams out of her car as we all stretched in the freezing cold. After about 45 minutes of trying to figure out what to do, it was decided that we would forego the run and just go home. Well, not if you're on "Team Hector,"aka my team, the DC runners! We manned up and decided to go for a 3 mile run at the mall. Maybe those of you who aren't familiar with DC wouldn't get this confused, but normally, the worlds, the mall are generally only used down here in reference to the National Mall-or so Kerry and I thought. So Kerry and I geared up to drive down to "The Mall," but quickly realized we were wrong. We were actually going to run around a mall. Not inside the mall, but outside, along the parking lots, of the giant Tyson's Corner Mall in Virginia. So for a little less than 30 minutes, we ran the parking lot of one of the largest malls I have ever seen in our Team In Training shirts. It was probably the funniest and most interesting running experience I have ever had and certainly a great first bonding experience with my teammates! I think we talked the entire time about how hungry we were and where we were going to eat-Chipotle? Silver Diner? Bagels? Olive Garden?! We decided on bagels and of course sat and talked about running. Even things like, how you don't sleep the night before the race bcs you are so anxious and excited.
It was a very low mileage week, but it was so much fun! While it is just the beginning, I feel like joining TNT might possibly be one of the best decisions of my life. While listening to the coaches and various speakers on Saturday, I became completely proud of my decision that brought me to that brought me to this point in my life. I am proud that I am going to take advantage of my healthy heart, my healthy legs (knock on wood), and run 26.2 miles. Furthermore, I am proud that I have entered into this race with countless others who are dedicating their miles of sweat and struggle to those who did not have a choice to enter into the personal physical and mental battle that is cancer. It’s these moments of self-awareness, that make me realize that I am not completely crazy, despite what family members or friends may say. And it seems like I'm going to have great times along the way!
Please continue to check in on my progress and in this blog and on my fundraising website! I'm sure I won't be sounding soooo chipper as the miles increase, but there will definitely be some good reading material--okay I'll be honest, not good, but a boredom filler, how's that?
http://www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/tntncaSNess
Monday, February 11, 2008
Why I love running
Welcome to my first ever blog! I wanted to create a space that I could update everyone on my marathon training progress, so here it is!
So let's start from the very beginning...
Ever since I can remember, I played a sport. Being part of a team and going to practices and games was a way of life for me for quite some time. However, never in my time as an athlete did I ever think of running as something enjoyable. In high school, I thought cross country runners were the weirdest kids ever. Who would actually choose to participate in an activity that would require you to run miles upon miles? For me, running consisted of sprinting drills on the basketball court or field hockey field when someone missed a foul shot in practice or we weren't working hard enough according to the coaches' standards. The world 'mile' never corresponded with my exercise regime.
Of course, as with all of us, high school ended and thus, my career as an athlete. To stay in shape, I attempted to start running. I hated it. I forced myself to do it. It was tedious, it was painful, but I had to do something that kept me moving.
People always say to me, I can't run, I've tried and I just hate it. I always laugh. Running, for most people, takes practice. I think it was a good couple of years before I realized that I kind of enjoyed it, at least, I thought it was a bearable form of exercise. Running/working out takes discipline and effort. It is an acquired love affair, at least for most of us-the sane ones. As my distances slowly creeped up and the more I did it, I don't think I was even starting to love it, but I started to feel the challenge. The challenge of, well if I got this far, let's try to go a little further next time. Soon the days when I didn't run felt a little empty. Last year, when I had only basic cable, sitting in my studio apartment with nothing to do, I watched The Ironman race on TV. That afternoon, as I watched an 89 year old nun complete her 20th Ironman, a 66 year old father who pushed his 44 year old son with cerebral palsy through the race,and a man with prosthetic legs running, I realized I could do it. How could I not? Here I was with two healthy legs, a healthy heart, it would be selfish not to push myself. I'll start small. I'll run a marathon. Clearly, I need to rethink my definition of small.
It was a perfect solution. Running, just as any form of exercise, gets very boring for me. Especially when I was an athlete used to having a goal in mind. Building up to a marathon would be a great goal in mind to push myself. So, I knew I wanted to run a marathon, but I just didn't know when. Running buddies help this whole next equation, especially when you are 23 and single! Marathon training takes discipline and well, social events have to take backseats. So over the next year, I began running more regularly. Finally, one day, one of my best friends in DC Annie, got me on board for the Virginia Beach Half Marathon. I would like to say from there,the rest was history. If I were to say when I fell in love with running, officially, it would be this past summer when I trained for the half marathon. Suddenly, running felt like me. I was a member of a new club, or cult depending on how you look at it, and it just felt great.
Here I am, a good 6 years since I started running for exercise, hating every moment of it, and I am in love with it. You get me started, and clearly, I can't stop talking about it. I find myself in social situations with non-runners, and people ask me about running, and 15 minutes later, I experience an out of body experience. I see my lips moving, I hear the words 'Gu' and 'PR pace' coming out of my mouth, and I want to stop, but I can't! I promise, it's not just me. I think they cast a spell on you when you join the cult. We can't stop talking about it because we are trying constantly to recruit new members.
Running now is more than just a physical challenge to me. While the new mile markers are always a sense of accomplishment, the mental exercise it gives me is perhaps what I love the most. Since I've really accepted this as part of my life, I feel like running has become my personal form of zen or spirituality. You learn a lot about yourself when you are out on the road for hours by yourself, or with a running buddy. For those minutes or hours you are out on that road, you are forced to be in your own head, like it or not. I don't even run with music anymore-another practice I had to get used to. If I'm running with a buddy, it's nice to have conversations with them. If I am running alone, listening to my breath and my feet pounding on the sidewalk calms me. There are so many times I get so lost in my own thoughts that what I feel like minutes that have passed are really miles. Maybe that's what they mean by the runner's high. I can tell you, I've been there and it really is an awesome feeling. Especially because right before the high, you feel like you can't run a step further!
Running is a mental game. It's very much parallel to life. You are against yourself and yourself alone. Fighting the urges to stop, thinking you can't. Going past the pain, the boredom. One day you can go out and run ten miles and feel like you have another ten in you, and the next day you struggle through 1. It's defeating. But you have to rise above it and just keep going. I think the mental factor of running has made me a stronger person. Ever since I fully accepted myself as 'a runner' I just feel so much more balenced. Little mantras that I say to myself to get me through tough hill workouts, such as 'slow and steady wins the race,' suddenly come to me in my everyday life when I'm not running and I'm stressed out by life. There are so many times when I wish I had a pen and paper with me, because some of my best thoughts are while I'm running. I of course, forget them all when I stop. Everything in my life seems so much more clear and possible after a run.
In addition to my thoughts, the unbelievable views that I get running in this city are incredible. Whether I am running at sunrise, at sunset or mid-day, there are so many times that I close my eyes and try to take a mental picture to remember a particular setting because it is so breathtaking. Oftentimes, I wish that my family and friends could be with me to see some of the images I get to see when I'm on the road. If I tend to forget, as we all do from time to time, about how lucky I am to be where I am, it's those moments when I'm on the street looking at the monuments and I just so grateful.
Two weeks ago, fellow Team In Training member and one of my best friends Kerry, and I went to go see the movie 'Spirit of the Marathon.' It was a documentary film about 5 runners, 2 elite and 3 novice, training for the 2005 Chicago marathon. The film was only in theatres one night and was completely sold out coast to coast, filled with runners. It was incredible to sit in a theatre with complete strangers and feel as though they were friends because they 'got' what running was. For as incredible as it was to sit there with people who understood how you felt, I wished that my friends and family could see it so they could glimpse some of the emotions that I feel for this sport. One of my favorite parts of the movie said, the marathon is so unique because it is the one sport that you are experiencing the same emotions and struggles along the way with thousands of others. That's awesome. It is pretty incredible to be involved in something that is very isolating, yet so connected to so many other people.
There are so many times when I'm out on the street doing my usual stream of thoughts, and I think, 'how in the hell did I get myself into this?!' But the thought quickly disappears. I don't know how this all happened, but I am a runner. You can call me crazy, but I don't care. I will proabably try to recruit you repeatedly to the cult. You tell me, but Sarah, I can't because of "x, y and z" and I will tell you a story of a guy who lost both his limbs and was out there running in a marathon. When I was little, my dad told me there is no such word as "can't." I have to remind myself of this probably every run I have and I experience that moment of self doubt. I CAN do this. You all can do this. That is perhaps one of the greatest things about it. The one thing about running, you don't have to be a superhero, or an athlete even, you just have to have the mental toughness and the positive I can do this attitude and you can do it. You don't have to be a superhero or an athlete, but you will feel like one.
So let's start from the very beginning...
Ever since I can remember, I played a sport. Being part of a team and going to practices and games was a way of life for me for quite some time. However, never in my time as an athlete did I ever think of running as something enjoyable. In high school, I thought cross country runners were the weirdest kids ever. Who would actually choose to participate in an activity that would require you to run miles upon miles? For me, running consisted of sprinting drills on the basketball court or field hockey field when someone missed a foul shot in practice or we weren't working hard enough according to the coaches' standards. The world 'mile' never corresponded with my exercise regime.
Of course, as with all of us, high school ended and thus, my career as an athlete. To stay in shape, I attempted to start running. I hated it. I forced myself to do it. It was tedious, it was painful, but I had to do something that kept me moving.
People always say to me, I can't run, I've tried and I just hate it. I always laugh. Running, for most people, takes practice. I think it was a good couple of years before I realized that I kind of enjoyed it, at least, I thought it was a bearable form of exercise. Running/working out takes discipline and effort. It is an acquired love affair, at least for most of us-the sane ones. As my distances slowly creeped up and the more I did it, I don't think I was even starting to love it, but I started to feel the challenge. The challenge of, well if I got this far, let's try to go a little further next time. Soon the days when I didn't run felt a little empty. Last year, when I had only basic cable, sitting in my studio apartment with nothing to do, I watched The Ironman race on TV. That afternoon, as I watched an 89 year old nun complete her 20th Ironman, a 66 year old father who pushed his 44 year old son with cerebral palsy through the race,and a man with prosthetic legs running, I realized I could do it. How could I not? Here I was with two healthy legs, a healthy heart, it would be selfish not to push myself. I'll start small. I'll run a marathon. Clearly, I need to rethink my definition of small.
It was a perfect solution. Running, just as any form of exercise, gets very boring for me. Especially when I was an athlete used to having a goal in mind. Building up to a marathon would be a great goal in mind to push myself. So, I knew I wanted to run a marathon, but I just didn't know when. Running buddies help this whole next equation, especially when you are 23 and single! Marathon training takes discipline and well, social events have to take backseats. So over the next year, I began running more regularly. Finally, one day, one of my best friends in DC Annie, got me on board for the Virginia Beach Half Marathon. I would like to say from there,the rest was history. If I were to say when I fell in love with running, officially, it would be this past summer when I trained for the half marathon. Suddenly, running felt like me. I was a member of a new club, or cult depending on how you look at it, and it just felt great.
Here I am, a good 6 years since I started running for exercise, hating every moment of it, and I am in love with it. You get me started, and clearly, I can't stop talking about it. I find myself in social situations with non-runners, and people ask me about running, and 15 minutes later, I experience an out of body experience. I see my lips moving, I hear the words 'Gu' and 'PR pace' coming out of my mouth, and I want to stop, but I can't! I promise, it's not just me. I think they cast a spell on you when you join the cult. We can't stop talking about it because we are trying constantly to recruit new members.
Running now is more than just a physical challenge to me. While the new mile markers are always a sense of accomplishment, the mental exercise it gives me is perhaps what I love the most. Since I've really accepted this as part of my life, I feel like running has become my personal form of zen or spirituality. You learn a lot about yourself when you are out on the road for hours by yourself, or with a running buddy. For those minutes or hours you are out on that road, you are forced to be in your own head, like it or not. I don't even run with music anymore-another practice I had to get used to. If I'm running with a buddy, it's nice to have conversations with them. If I am running alone, listening to my breath and my feet pounding on the sidewalk calms me. There are so many times I get so lost in my own thoughts that what I feel like minutes that have passed are really miles. Maybe that's what they mean by the runner's high. I can tell you, I've been there and it really is an awesome feeling. Especially because right before the high, you feel like you can't run a step further!
Running is a mental game. It's very much parallel to life. You are against yourself and yourself alone. Fighting the urges to stop, thinking you can't. Going past the pain, the boredom. One day you can go out and run ten miles and feel like you have another ten in you, and the next day you struggle through 1. It's defeating. But you have to rise above it and just keep going. I think the mental factor of running has made me a stronger person. Ever since I fully accepted myself as 'a runner' I just feel so much more balenced. Little mantras that I say to myself to get me through tough hill workouts, such as 'slow and steady wins the race,' suddenly come to me in my everyday life when I'm not running and I'm stressed out by life. There are so many times when I wish I had a pen and paper with me, because some of my best thoughts are while I'm running. I of course, forget them all when I stop. Everything in my life seems so much more clear and possible after a run.
In addition to my thoughts, the unbelievable views that I get running in this city are incredible. Whether I am running at sunrise, at sunset or mid-day, there are so many times that I close my eyes and try to take a mental picture to remember a particular setting because it is so breathtaking. Oftentimes, I wish that my family and friends could be with me to see some of the images I get to see when I'm on the road. If I tend to forget, as we all do from time to time, about how lucky I am to be where I am, it's those moments when I'm on the street looking at the monuments and I just so grateful.
Two weeks ago, fellow Team In Training member and one of my best friends Kerry, and I went to go see the movie 'Spirit of the Marathon.' It was a documentary film about 5 runners, 2 elite and 3 novice, training for the 2005 Chicago marathon. The film was only in theatres one night and was completely sold out coast to coast, filled with runners. It was incredible to sit in a theatre with complete strangers and feel as though they were friends because they 'got' what running was. For as incredible as it was to sit there with people who understood how you felt, I wished that my friends and family could see it so they could glimpse some of the emotions that I feel for this sport. One of my favorite parts of the movie said, the marathon is so unique because it is the one sport that you are experiencing the same emotions and struggles along the way with thousands of others. That's awesome. It is pretty incredible to be involved in something that is very isolating, yet so connected to so many other people.
There are so many times when I'm out on the street doing my usual stream of thoughts, and I think, 'how in the hell did I get myself into this?!' But the thought quickly disappears. I don't know how this all happened, but I am a runner. You can call me crazy, but I don't care. I will proabably try to recruit you repeatedly to the cult. You tell me, but Sarah, I can't because of "x, y and z" and I will tell you a story of a guy who lost both his limbs and was out there running in a marathon. When I was little, my dad told me there is no such word as "can't." I have to remind myself of this probably every run I have and I experience that moment of self doubt. I CAN do this. You all can do this. That is perhaps one of the greatest things about it. The one thing about running, you don't have to be a superhero, or an athlete even, you just have to have the mental toughness and the positive I can do this attitude and you can do it. You don't have to be a superhero or an athlete, but you will feel like one.
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