It's all starting to feel real, now.
Today, Team for Kids, a charity affiliated with New York Road Runners, held an open house for runners who are considering running the ING New York City Marathon with them. You agree to raise money for TFK and you receive a guaranteed entry into the race. You also receive a few perks, like coaching. TFK had lots of smiles, pamphlets and TFK lip balm at the open house. Gotta have lip balm.
The ING NYCM is the second of three marathons I'll be running in six weeks this fall. I didn't set out to tackle such a challenge, it's just that I really wanted to do all three races -- for very different reasons -- and rather than wait until next year to do one or two of them (nothing is guaranteed in life), I thought I should just go for it. Everyone I know has been extremely supportive.
What was cool was that I got to meet Ryan Lee, assistant manager and coach at Team for Kids, an organization that provides programs in New York, other cities and in Africa to get children running. I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon last month for TFK and Ryan was nothing but calm and kind when I talked to him over the telephone about a misunderstanding I'd had over registration. When I actually did run the race, I met him without knowing it (didn't put the voice with the face), but I remember seeing him out on the course on a bike, cheering on TFK runners, and talked to him afterward about my performance. It was great to "meet" for real this time.
I also met Glen Wiener, another coach. One cool thing is that Glen ran the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, N.Y., last year. That's the first of the three marathons I'll be running, on Sunday, Oct. 6th. In fact, Glen said he placed third in his age group. I got some great advice from Glen. There are no pasta places in Corning, he said, so I'll have to figure out my carbo load the night before. If I stay in a place where I have access to a kitchen, I'll just make my own pasta dinner. But I digress ...
Here's the funny thing -- Glen told me that because Wineglass is mostly a steady but gentle downhill course, I would need to find some gently downward sloping hills where I could train. All this suffering on Cat Hill and Harlem Hill and those ridiculous, almost vertical hills in Syracuse that I've faced, and now, a coach is recommending that I practice downhill? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I thought to myself. I know it will be hard, but I will dig deep and make sure I get in some downhill running this summer. LOL.
I also realized that I am going to enjoy being coached this summer. For the most part, I'm self-trained with advice from other runners and research on my own. But I've rarely had the luxury of getting advice tailored to my conditioning or body type.
I had this point driven home for me toward the end of the Brooklyn Half. I felt good the first half, but tanked in the last half. It could have been anything -- the humidity, the hill -- THAT hill -- in Prospect Park, my need to hydrate better. But at mile 12, I thought I was moving along slowly but OK when one of the TFK coaches stopped and asked, "All right, what's going on?" I asked him what he meant. "Is something wrong with your hip?" I hadn't realized I was favoring one of my legs and that pain from an old injury was resurfacing. I need to stretch more, I thought. Then, he looked at my face. "You're all salted out," he said. I told him that was normal. He told me it wasn't and suggested I take salt pills and hydrate better. All that from one quick meeting. I was impressed. I never got to train with TFK for the Brooklyn Half -- I had races on the days they scheduled their long runs -- and I was impressed than in such a short time, I was able to get some important advice.
Fast forward to today. In about three minutes of chatting, Glen gave me great advice about stride and hills. He and Ryan both said they were glad that they knew about this three-marathon quest, because they could tailor my training to make sure that I don't hurt myself.
I'm really excited to be doing this. The ING NYCM has always had a special place in my heart. Before I could run it, I would watch the race on TV until the halfway point, then leave home and rush to the finish line to cheer on the elites and everyone else. Then, I ran it twice. I was compromised both times and it took a long time, but still had unforgettable experiences. Then, Superstorm Sandy hit last year. I'm a reporter and I met people who'd lost everything in Staten Island. It made me feel that instead of focusing on the marathon and its cancellation, I should try to give more as a runner. I felt the same after the bombing at the Boston Marathon, which I also wound up covering for my news organization.
That's how I found Team for Kids. They seem like a great group of people and I like what they are doing. I'm hoping I get to meet some of the children as training progresses.
And now, armed with my TFK lip balm, I'm ready to get this party started!
Today, Team for Kids, a charity affiliated with New York Road Runners, held an open house for runners who are considering running the ING New York City Marathon with them. You agree to raise money for TFK and you receive a guaranteed entry into the race. You also receive a few perks, like coaching. TFK had lots of smiles, pamphlets and TFK lip balm at the open house. Gotta have lip balm.
 |
| Team for Kids/New York Road Runner offices in midtown Manhattan. |
The ING NYCM is the second of three marathons I'll be running in six weeks this fall. I didn't set out to tackle such a challenge, it's just that I really wanted to do all three races -- for very different reasons -- and rather than wait until next year to do one or two of them (nothing is guaranteed in life), I thought I should just go for it. Everyone I know has been extremely supportive.
 |
| With Ryan Lee, assistant manager and coach at Team for Kids, NYRR affiliate charity that creates programs in NYC, other cities and Africa to get kids moving and running. |
What was cool was that I got to meet Ryan Lee, assistant manager and coach at Team for Kids, an organization that provides programs in New York, other cities and in Africa to get children running. I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon last month for TFK and Ryan was nothing but calm and kind when I talked to him over the telephone about a misunderstanding I'd had over registration. When I actually did run the race, I met him without knowing it (didn't put the voice with the face), but I remember seeing him out on the course on a bike, cheering on TFK runners, and talked to him afterward about my performance. It was great to "meet" for real this time.
I also met Glen Wiener, another coach. One cool thing is that Glen ran the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, N.Y., last year. That's the first of the three marathons I'll be running, on Sunday, Oct. 6th. In fact, Glen said he placed third in his age group. I got some great advice from Glen. There are no pasta places in Corning, he said, so I'll have to figure out my carbo load the night before. If I stay in a place where I have access to a kitchen, I'll just make my own pasta dinner. But I digress ...
Here's the funny thing -- Glen told me that because Wineglass is mostly a steady but gentle downhill course, I would need to find some gently downward sloping hills where I could train. All this suffering on Cat Hill and Harlem Hill and those ridiculous, almost vertical hills in Syracuse that I've faced, and now, a coach is recommending that I practice downhill? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I thought to myself. I know it will be hard, but I will dig deep and make sure I get in some downhill running this summer. LOL.
I also realized that I am going to enjoy being coached this summer. For the most part, I'm self-trained with advice from other runners and research on my own. But I've rarely had the luxury of getting advice tailored to my conditioning or body type.
I had this point driven home for me toward the end of the Brooklyn Half. I felt good the first half, but tanked in the last half. It could have been anything -- the humidity, the hill -- THAT hill -- in Prospect Park, my need to hydrate better. But at mile 12, I thought I was moving along slowly but OK when one of the TFK coaches stopped and asked, "All right, what's going on?" I asked him what he meant. "Is something wrong with your hip?" I hadn't realized I was favoring one of my legs and that pain from an old injury was resurfacing. I need to stretch more, I thought. Then, he looked at my face. "You're all salted out," he said. I told him that was normal. He told me it wasn't and suggested I take salt pills and hydrate better. All that from one quick meeting. I was impressed. I never got to train with TFK for the Brooklyn Half -- I had races on the days they scheduled their long runs -- and I was impressed than in such a short time, I was able to get some important advice.
Fast forward to today. In about three minutes of chatting, Glen gave me great advice about stride and hills. He and Ryan both said they were glad that they knew about this three-marathon quest, because they could tailor my training to make sure that I don't hurt myself.
I'm really excited to be doing this. The ING NYCM has always had a special place in my heart. Before I could run it, I would watch the race on TV until the halfway point, then leave home and rush to the finish line to cheer on the elites and everyone else. Then, I ran it twice. I was compromised both times and it took a long time, but still had unforgettable experiences. Then, Superstorm Sandy hit last year. I'm a reporter and I met people who'd lost everything in Staten Island. It made me feel that instead of focusing on the marathon and its cancellation, I should try to give more as a runner. I felt the same after the bombing at the Boston Marathon, which I also wound up covering for my news organization.
That's how I found Team for Kids. They seem like a great group of people and I like what they are doing. I'm hoping I get to meet some of the children as training progresses.
And now, armed with my TFK lip balm, I'm ready to get this party started!
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