2011~ The Year in Review

     As a way to bid 2011 adieu I decided to outline my year in running. In 2011 running and races have become such a big part of my life. I felt that it would only be right to display a picture and my results from each of my races. Some pictures better than others and some times better than others. The progression and the growth of my running over the course of the year is phenomenal. I now know that in 2012 how to set achievable goals and not just running to run, but running to be better.

Missing from the Year in Review Album is the Tunnel to Towers Run and The Massapequa Turkey Trot. Unfortunately those two races do brag some of my better times.

Scotland Run 10K

Distance: 6.2 miles          Net Time: 52:52          Pace: 8:31

Run for the Parks

Distance: 4 miles          Net Time: 33:48         Pace: 8:27

Japan Run

Distance: 4 miles          Net Time: 31:59         Pace: 7:59

UAE Healthy Kidney 10K

Distance: 6.2 miles          Net Time: 53:08          Pace: 8:34

Brooklyn Half Marathon

Distance: 13.1 miles          Net Time: 1:48:20          Pace: 8:16

Portugal Day

Distance: 5 miles          Net Time: 38:38          Pace: 7:43

Run to Breathe

Distance: 6.2 miles          Net Time: 52:24          Pace: 8:27

Run for Central Park

Distance: 4 miles          Net Time: 32:42          Pace: 8:10

Queens Half Marathon

Distance: 13.1 miles          Net Time: 1:54:16          Pace: 8:43

Women Mind, Body, & Spirit Games

Distance: 4 miles          Net Time: 28:20          Pace: 7:05

Grete's Great Gallop

Distance: 13.1 miles          Net Time: 1:43:53          Pace: 7:55

Race to Deliver

Distance: 4 miles          Net Time: 29:32         Pace: 7:23

Join the Voices

Distance: 5 miles          Net Time: 35:09          Pace: 7:01

The Unsupportive

For many people it's hard to believe that anyone would love running so much that they decide to devote so much of their time to training. I completely understand that a lot of people have little desire to do it. What makes people love to run for miles upon miles?

Passion (is one of many factors)

Passion drives people to be better. Without passion we can lose the best parts of ourselves.  Running has and does become a great love for many people. But just like everyone else dedicated runners also go through lull's and months of hiatuses and sometimes, sometimes... we just can't run anymore.

What has been getting to me lately are blatantly unsupportive people. Some people will throw around words like addicted, extreme or obsessed. They refuse to understand why you won't just skip your run for a trivial reason. In my eyes the answer is simple... it's important to me. Most of the time it takes just an hour to complete a run. In the end, getting to the bar at 9pm, as opposed to 7pm is not that big of a deal.

Then on the other hand you have some people commenting on your weight loss, training habits, and even the way you look. It seems as if they are just looking for any way to bring you down.

The message I want to get across today is to just be supportive. People work hard to achieve their goals. Be supportive even when you're jealous or feeling competitive. It may just train your mind to think more lightly.

Not Just One Goal

goal

 [gohl]noun

1.

the result or achievement toward which effort is directed;aim; end.

If we strive to be successful people we set goals in our lives. Goals constantly need to reviewed, evaluated, adjusted and sometimes even abandoned. I am finding that goal setting may be one of the single most important things a person can do to achieve victory.

I see now that there are different ways in which we can set our goals. In my running I have set one big goal that in turn is helping me accomplish many smaller goals along the way. The Road to the Finish is my personal blog about my big goal to run the NYC Marathon. In my journey to the marathon I am learning so much about myself as a runner and as a person. I have stretched my body farther than I thought it could go and I am coming out triumphant.

This past weekend I ran faster than I ever thought that I could. When I picked up my bib and read the number 800 on it, I quickly realized that I had been placed in the competitive runner corral, and this made me nervous. I know myself and I know how I push myself. Being in that front corral was going to force me to run competitively and not just run to beat my time by a few seconds. I thought to myself, "I could always head back a few corral's and just enjoy a run/jog," but then I thought that this could be my time to let go and not hold back.

So, the horn blared and without even a couple moments to spare I was over the start line and here is what I have learned running with the front pack,

1. You need to know your body to keep up.

This I find to be one of the most important tips. I have been running for a long time, so I am familiar with the way that I run and the things that I do at times that tire me out. I played coach in my head through out the race, giving myself pointers along the way. For example: "Take the downhill with long clean strides" "Lower your arms and breathe in and breathe out."

I also know that I lose wind when I see that finish line. I know, it should be the opposite right? So, in the beginning of the last mile I sped up to pass the people that I figured would inevitably pass me when I lost wind. I am aware that it was a strange strategy and in the end it didn't make a difference because a girl on the sidelines yelled out to me, "come on Hellgate finish strong you're almost there! SPRINT IT TO THE FINISH!!" That was the push my legs needed to go the distance.

2. Most of the runners do not give a crap what you are doing next to them. You have to focus on yourself and your OWN running. 

Although, I will say that I took mental note of people near me that were about my pace and made sure that I kept up with them. When I started to fall behind I realized it and pushed myself back into my comfortable competitive pace.

3. Most of the runners do not stop for water.

At times there is only a second dividing the first place winner and the runner up.

4. The people cheering you on are also giving you pointers.

This is something that either does not happen in the corral's farther back or maybe I just didn't notice it before. 

5. When you think you can't go any faster, push a bit more.

This is something I have learned in one of my spin classes. The instructor constantly tells us, "don't cheat yourself, you're stronger than you think you are." Simple but wise.

6. Make wise gear choices.

I have this Nike waist pack which is definitely good when I am on my training runs since it holds my iPod so nicely but lately I have been ditching it more and more. When I am flying I want nothing that can become a potential distraction to me. Which it did end up becoming one in the race. It rode up my back and I had to just forget that it was sliding around my waist. If I stopped to adjust it I wouldn't have placed the way that I did.

I also have started to ditch my iPod. It's a personal choice because I know that music is definitely motivational. I have just found that my thoughts and my focus are sharper when I all I can hear is my footsteps.

7. Keep track of your pace at mile markers.

Be sure that if you're going too fast you can run the risk of getting a stitch or cramping in later miles. It's always better to start off a little slower and then pick it up later.

After reading this you may have said to yourself, "this could apply to anyone that plans to improve their running," and it's true. These revelations are just things that I have learned that I hadn't considered before.

As you can see my goal to run the marathon is helping me to accomplish other goals. This past weekend was a shining example of that. Being in the front corral and finishing 38 seconds faster than my best time goes to show that I WAS holding back and that I AM a lot stronger than I thought. Now it's time to put insecurities aside and take my running more seriously so that I can rise to the next level.

My Purpose, My Journey

People often ask me, why do you run? The average person may say, because I'd like to lose weight. Another may say, because my doctor recommended it. For the avid runner there is no simple answer. I can sit with you for hours and discuss why I run but the quick answer would be, because it changes me.

Last January my family experienced the passing of two very beloved family members. It was life altering. I spent endless nights lying awake in my bed. I declined weekend invitations. I kept to myself. At the time I was smoking a pack of cigarettes minimum a day, drinking frequently, and toting around an additional 25 pounds. I had fallen so far from the completion of my first Half Marathon 7 months prior. I lost my way.

I needed a change. After a few weak attempts I smoked my last cigarette on February 5th, 2011. I decided that I also needed to set a new goal and drinking a few nights a week was not one of them. The N.Y.C. Marathon has always buzzed in my ear like a nagging fly. For years I shooed it away thinking, "I could never do that." At times I even convinced myself that, "I don't even want to do that!" If that were true and I didn't want to, then why did it continue to linger in the back of mind?


So, I registered for the Marathon lottery. I was denied. Now I had three options. I could apply again next year and hope that my number was drawn, I could run a half marathon in a qualifying time (but considering the shape I was in that would be extremely difficult), or I could complete the qualifications through the NYRR's. I would have to run any 9 qualifying races as a New York Road Runner member and volunteer at 1. 

I chose the latter because in life when we want a change we need to cease the moment.

So, my journey began on February 6th and because so much time has passed before creating my blog I decided to leave out the details in this first post. As I write between now and the 2012 marathon I will backtrack to past races, injuries, stories of how I got to where I am today and more importantly how I plan to stay here.