you pushed me to go the extra mile...

This morning was one of my best short races to date.  The weather was gorgeous, and I knew from my first mile split (which had included Cat Hill) that it was going to be a good race. There's such an advantage to racing a course that you know inside and out, where you can anticipate the grade of each uphill, know exactly how long you have to recover on the rolling downhills.  I finished in 38:17, one of my best race times yet.  Now if only I could run a 9:34 pace during the marathon ;)

My fellow Badger running buddies in their first NYRR race

Do you ever wonder what happens to the words that we send, do they bend, do they break from the flight that they take...

We stand in the pouring rain, waiting for tonight's training to begin.  Coach Ramon, back from accompanying our spring season to Italy for the Rome Marathon, chides us over slacking while he was away for the past two weeks.  As we are waiting for him to go over our hill workout....

"So, one important announcement.  There has *kind of* been a mix-up between the NYC TNT Chapter office and the race organizers out in San Diego.  We sent in all the registration forms after recommitment last week, but it seems that somehow our team does NOT have any spots reserved for the race [panicked looks start to spread] and the race is already full.  If you were signed up for San Diego, you always have the option of switching to Anchorage or Lake Placid, but we ARE trying to get everything straightened out in time, so don't worry too much, hopefully we can figure everything out [looks of confusion].  So for tonight's hill training, we are going to be running Cat Hill.  What I want you to focus on.."

He goes over the workout as everyone tries to process what he just said.  He shouts for us to head out, as Coach Christine asks if he doesn't still have one more announcement.  Nope, he starts yelling at all of us to stop being cry-babies about the rain and pick up the pace.

Christine is the nice coach.  She loves us.  She tells us that we all fell for it...

APRIL FOOLS. 

Don't forget your smile :)

"I don't know if you noticed or not during yesterday's workout TNT is all about many things: The Cause, the running, the fundraising, the training, new achievements, goal times, new experiences, friendship, putting up with coaches with accent, putting up with coaches that will make you sweat a bit (or a lot), but we are also about having fun and enjoying everything we do.  Workouts are supposed to be fun (at least for the coaches as we Looooovvvveeee pushing you around), so make sure you always show up to the workouts with your 'game face' that will be 'your biggest smile'.  There's nothing better than doing something that you enjoy doing.  And while during the first few weeks some of you may thing 'damn.... (can I say that??) this running thing is hard!!' I promised you ...... it's get easier......

We are all in this together, let's make the best of it!!!

See you sabado, 9:00 am Bethesda!!

Behave!!"

Ramon Bermo

Head Manhattan coach

spring fever...

After my brief hiatus from training (mentally and physically recovering from my first marathon), I've swung full force back into Team in Training over the past few weeks.  It was a good running weekend, a tease of springtime that we know won't last, but that I am enjoying to the fullest while it lasts.  It all goes hand in hand... I'm a wimp about running in the cold, I get cabin fever when I'm stuck inside not being active all winter, not running makes me even more lazy... it's a vicious circle. It's nice to have a reason to get back up to the park, instead of being stuck inside the gym constantly.

Half of our team ended up going to the same diner for brunch yesterday after practice.  As I chatted with some of our newbies I caught a glimpse of myself last season - they were starting to get excited about the people they have been meeting, but are still seriously doubting whether they will be able to complete the training or the fundraising goals.  The other mentors and I assured them that they would - we had, after all - but I know that they will need to discover that for themselves over the next several months, as they go through all the emotional ups and downs that made it such an incredible experience for all of us last year.  I'm looking forward to watching each of my mentees grow and achieve their goal of running their first full or half marathon.  I'm so happy to be back again.

Yesterday was unseasonably warm, today was even more so.  With the forecast in the mid-50's, the first thing on my mind this morning was going out for a nice, long, easy run.  It's rare to get away with shorts in February.  Our TNT workouts are still pretty short, 3-5 mile runs, considering that most of our participants are brand-new to running, and I am definitely not running the milage that I was last summer and fall as I led up to my marathon.  I know that the muscle memory is still there, albeit dormant, and I have a good feeling about the season ahead of me.  As much as I love Central Park, my favorite course in the city is probably the stretch from my apartment to the West Side highway, down the Hudson, around Battery Park and up the East River Path.  It's about a 9 mile loop and the view of both the Lower Manhattan and Jersey skylines along the water, with the Statue of Liberty directly between the two, is gorgeous.  Turning back up the Eastside passes under the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.  There were so many people out today, especially on the Westside, runner and bikers and families going for a walk.  These are the days that make me fall in love with the city and with running all over again....

And I know it hurts and I know you feel torn, but you never gave up this easily before

These are the stories that inspire me to keep running marathons....

Dear Lake Placid team - 

You are my heroes for signing up for TNT and committing to raise funds for those like my daughter, Aliza, who is battling infant leukemia.  Aliza was diagnosed at 11.5 months of age and is undergoing 2 years of intense chemotherapy.  The first three months of Aliza's treatment was entirely as an in-patient at the hospital.  Now 17 months old, Liza leads a life quite different from other toddlers her age because she has a weakened immune system.  As a result, she needs to be isolated from other children who may carry germs, and special care must be taken to minimize her risk for infections.  In addition to receiving chemo, blood transfusions, platelet transfusions, etc. at an outpatient clinic each week, she has periodic chemo sessions that are still so intense that they require that she stay in the hospital for several days at a time. As any parent would do for a sick child, my husband's and my life revolve around Aliza - both her treatment and her well-being.

Unlike some other forms of leukemia, Liza's is extremely rare and very difficult to treat.  It is critical that funds exist for research to continue in hopes of finding a cure for infants/toddlers like her. 

Our country is undergoing tough financial times and many have concerns over job stability.  It's understandable that this makes it a little harder to get friends, family, neighbors and coworkers to dig into their pockets to donate.  But I encourage you to be creative in your fundraising efforts and to stay committed to your goal.

From my heart - thank you! And best of luck for a fun and injury-free training season.

Aliza's mom

running for a cure

13.1 is the new 26.2

As this new race series contends, 13.1 isn't half of anything.  I am going to make 2009 my year to conquer this distance, which has become the latest trend in the running world.  

After taking the past few months off, more or less, I've allowed my body to finally recover from the grueling training leading up to San Francisco.  I've enjoyed long easy runs just for the sake of rediscovering the love of the sport, and I'm psyched to start seriously training again after the holidays.  

I gave huge props to my two amazing mentors for making my first season with TNT and my first marathon experience what it was, which is why I was happy to find out a few days ago that I was selected to be one of the mentors for the Summer 2009 season.  I had been debating which race to run (San Diego, Anchorage or Lake Placid), and while a big deciding factor was definitely travel costs, I also selected Lake Placid because they offered a Half in addition to the Full.  The nature of this race makes it still an incredible physical challenge, but obviously one with a much faster recovery time, meaning that you can run them much closer together without needing a substantial recovery period after (aka you can still walk after you cross the finish line).  I can also start to approach this distance with a more rigorous time goal in mind rather than just aiming to cross the finish line.

And so I'm off to the two-time Winter Olympic site this coming June.  Our training season starts January 28, but planning with the other mentors and coaches starts shortly after the holidays.  I'm excited not only to start planning fundraising and member engagement ideas, but to hopefully inspire some newbie marathoners, as my mentors did for me.

Hopefully I will be able to plan my training to include a few Halfs throughout the season so that I am fully ready to race in Lake Placid.  Toying with the idea of the Virginia Beach Shamrock Marathon or the Little Rock Marathon at the midway point of the season.  Memorial Day weekend just may be time for a trip back to the Midwest to chill on the Terrace, visit the Farmers Market and run the Madtown Half around that gorgeous city a few weeks before the big TNT race upstate.

There may still be an international full marathon in the works for later in the year, but there are many details to be worked out before that one is good to go...

many the miles...

I have never,  by any traditional definitions, been an athlete.  I did not play sports in high school, I hated running the four laps around the track in gym class for the presidential physical fitness mile test, and I only started casually running when I got to college in order to meet new people in my dorm and keep off the freshman-15.

Today, I completed my first marathon.  I wish there were words to describe the experience.  After I crossed the finish line of the Nike Women's Marathon, and received my Tiffany's finisher necklace, handed to me in a little green box by an incredibly sexy fireman, I burst into tears.  

Leading up to this weekend, it has been important to me and all my teammates that we were not only training for such a huge physically demanding test of endurance, but that we were doing so with Team in Training, supporting others who have fought much more difficult battles than we were trying to overcome.  I was very lucky that I did not have as close of a personal connection to the cause as many others do.  But it wasn't until yesterday that any of us realized just how much we were a part of something bigger and how much all of our efforts had impacted the lives of others.

After hanging out with Jenna all afternoon, at a kick-ass concert in Golden Gate Park, I headed back downtown for our team meeting.  The 220+ runners and walkers who had flown out from NYC gathered to share one story after another that brought tears to my eyes.  Stories of parents, brothers, sisters, spouses, children who had lost their battle to Leukemia, Lymphoma or multiple Melanoma.  Inspiring stories of survivors.  Testimonies from teammates whom I had never known were survivors.  I had trained with them all season, they looked just as healthy as the rest of us, were often the ones leading the pack, and never let on the horror stories of chemo, radiation, and years of sickness they had gone through in order to get to where they are today.

Emotions were running high as we all headed over to the pasta party.  One of my mentors had mentioned earlier that walking into the dinner was the best part.  I had no idea what she could possibly be talking about until we entered the convention center.  The mass of coaches, mentors, and honored teammates from around the US wearing purple and green (TNT colors), applauding and cheering for us, many decorated in crazy costumes, was overwhelming.  We passed under a huge ballon wreath and went down the two story-high escalators and the cheering continued.  Our beloved NYC coaching team and LLS staff were blowing whistles and clapping for each of us, huge smiles plastered across their faces.  I have never received such a heart-felt, genuine welcome and feeling of gratitude in my life.  

Thousands of athletes, family and friends filed in behind us; it seemed as if they would never end.  The ginormous hall filled with people laughing and crying and I realized just how incredible this organization is.  We were finally able to meet Katie's brother, a 22-year old cancer survivor, who we have heard about all season.  The speakers were phenomenal, congratulating everyone on their dual (fundraising & running) accomplishments and connecting everything so directly back to the cause.  I was touched that such well-known people in the running community, including writer John "The Penguin" Bingham, and the first-ever Olympic gold medalist in the women's marathon, Joan Benoit Samuelson, were the honored speakers for the evening, as well as an incredible survivor story from TNT Ohio.  I can't even begin to describe the effect that it had on all of us.  Everything was so well done.

The race was without a doubt the most physically challenging thing that I have ever done.  I ran the first 12 miles of the course with two of my close friends who were doing the half, until the course split, they headed for their finish line at the 13.1 mile marker, and I was on my own from there.  I knew that while the worst of the hills were behind me; it would be all mental from that point, pushing myself to keep running another few hours.  There were times throughout the course when all I could think was that I was crazy, that the human body was not designed to run 26.2 miles at once.  My energy level stayed high, but my hips started to ache and my knee felt like it was being twisted into a pretzel. There were times that I was running slower than I usually power walk around Manhattan.  I had synced my iPod with a playlist that reminded me of so many important times and inspirational people in my life which have led me to where I am today.  Tom Petty, U2, Juanes, Fonseca, Daddy Yankee, Big and Rich, Gwen Stefani, Bon Jovi, Rascall Flatts, Madhatters and all of the other classic 610 and Bros. songs that remind me of my roommates and best friends. That is what kept me running, kept me believing in myself until I crossed the finish line. 

Tina met me a little before mile 25 to encourage me and run me in when I could barely move my legs anymore. Ramon jumped on the course for the final stretch. Over and over throughout the season, I have realized just how lucky our team is to have a coach like him - he is one of the most amazing people I have ever met.  He was blowing a whistle and jumping up and down in front of us, making me laugh through the pain.   As he came up alongside of us, he looked us in the eye, and in all seriousness, told that he was proud of us and that it had been an honor.  Then he told me to go cross the finish line, for I had earned it, and this was my moment.

This weekend has been like coming down off the high of an @ conference, where you share a life-changing experience with a group of incredibly inspiring individuals, and try as you may, you can't fully describe it to others the way that you want to in order for them to understand exactly what you went through.

I hope that this is one of those experiences in life where you subconsciously forget just how painful it really was, because I definitely do not want this to be my first and last marathon.

forever may you run...

Inspiration from our pasta party, where over 5,000 Team in Training participants from around the country and more than 2,500 family members and friends gathered to celebrate the hugh accomplishment that we have already achieved for such an incredible cause before tomorrow's race.  Needless to say, the journey keeps getting more and more emotional.

"Think about who you were 20 weeks ago, and who you will be tomorrow..."

"You're giving others a chance to realize there is no finish line in life..."

"One day we will gather for the final pasta party because we will have cured blood cancers..."

...and we're off.

Go the distance....

There are experiences that are impossible to describe when you are right in the middle of them because the emotions are too high and the sensory overload is overwhelming.  I have been training for this week for the past five months; indeed, it has taken a very central point in my life and given me a clear sense of focus in which to channel my energy when everything else seemed to be crumbling down around me.  It still doesn't seem real that by lunchtime on Sunday, providing everything goes well, I will have finished my first marathon.

A couple of the other girls and I flew out here earlier this week.  We have enjoyed every minute in San Fran - cruising around Napa and Sonoma wine tasting, touring Alcatrez at night, carbo-loading to the max (sourdough bread anyone?), and catching up with some dear friends.  The city has Team in Training Marathon spirit more than I could have ever imagined, the wall of the Niketown store in Union Square is covered with the names of all the participants who will be running in the world's largest women's marathon this weekend, a tribute to the $18 million that we have all raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This incredible journey has all been worth it.  

It's the eye of the tiger, cream of the fight...

"Let me tell you something you already know.  The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows.  It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to you knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.  You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.  But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.  How much you can take, and keep moving forward.  That's how winning is done.  Now if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth.  But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody.  Cowards do that and that ain't you.  You're better than that!"

 - Rocky Balboa

The traveling month continues, as my running buddies and I road trip over to Pennsylvania, where I will be celebrating my 25th birthday running the Philly Half Marathon tomorrow.  One month until the Cali marathon that all of this preparation has been building up to, one month until the real deal, the true test...

run like the city and never ever stop...

I ran the NYC Half-Marathon this morning.  It was one of the most incredible, surreal, emotional experiences I've had in quite a long time.  The menacing thunderstorms that loomed in the distance when I left my apartment at 5am held off long enough until the race was over.  I joined 15,000 other runners for an amazing race through the best that Manhattan has to offer runners - Central Park, Times Square, 42nd Street, West Side Hwy, Battery Park.  

The highlight of the race was when we finally exploded out of the park and headed downtown.  The hills were behind us, it was time to have some fun.  7th Avenue opened up in front of us, completely blocked off from traffic, Times Square waiting for us.  I don't know of any occasion other than New Years Eve when this section of the city is completely blocked off and the view is incredible.  We enjoyed live music through this entire section of the course.  It's pretty incredible to see runners bust out the Y-M-C-A and laughing their asses off have way through this intense of a race because they are having so damn much fun.

For the record, Team in Training is one of the most inspiring groups of people I have ever known.  I ran this specific race today for Melissa, one of our honored teammates, who is a year older than me, was diagnosed with Hodgkins at age 22, and is a SURVIVOR.  Her email this week thanking me for running with TNT brought tears to my eyes.  My team members, coaches and mentors who weren't racing today lined the entire course and cheered us on.  The last couple miles were definitely painful, and I can honestly say that if it wasn't for our cheering section I would have had a much more difficult time pushing myself to keeping running through the finish line.  We saw our head coach, Ramon, at several points as he biked back and forth along the course to check on his team and scream "TNT rocks the house!" or "HOLAAAAAA" in our faces.  Having just completed a 100-mile ultramarathon in Vermont last weekend and having already raised over $55,000 this year for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, he has been an incredible source of motivation for all of us.  My two mentors have reached out to me so much and have inspired me greatly.  

And to think that this is just another step toward the real deal in October.  13.1 miles under my belt.  Now I just need to learn how to do that twice in a row.

Run Like Hell...

Another successful race in our beloved park. Pink Floyd's fitting lyrics blasted out of the speakers as we crossed the finish line of race number two this weekend. Although the temperatures were already over 90 degrees by 8am, over 4600 runners finished the Run for Central Park. The reward? A much-overdue day at the beach with my kick-ass running buddies :)

I've got a pocket, got a pocket full of sunshine...

What makes one run more memorable than any other? Free giveaways, celebrity sighting, running through a fountain at the park? Yeah, that could do it.

We hit the 10 mile mark for the first time during our long run yesterday morning, as we ran from Riverside Park, past Chelsea Piers, almost down to Battery Park. We scored some free wristbands and energy drinks from the Women's Health Magazine promoters organizing the ARE YOU GAME? event.

People watching opportunities when running in NYC are countless.... including an occasional celebrity, if you are lucky. I have never been the star-struck type, I don't follow celebrity gossip, the idea of spotting celebs in the city has never been something that has impressed me as most of my friends. But, I have to say, when Elke and I passed Nigel, from my admittedly guilty pleasure America's Next Top Model, walking with his wife and kid, we got a little excited.

A few miles before we got back to Riverside, we dashed into one of the playgrounds along the Hudson, ran past the sandboxes filled with children and parents giving us puzzled looks, and underneath the sprinklers, jumping around and laughing like we were kids on summer vacation.

It was a glorious run.

makes me that much stronger, makes me work a little bit harder, makes me that much wiser....

Waking up at 630 am every Saturday doesn't feel quite as ludicrous as it did a month ago.  I've reached the point in training where every long run is the longest that I've ever run.  6.6 miles yesterday was easier than our first 2 mi run.  Adding on the miles feels natural.  I'm starting to believe that this marathon really is within my grasp.

Night or day, it's amazing how many people are running, walking, biking, rollerblading in Central Park; there are times when it seems as if the entire city is training alongside me.  Two of my teammates and I mused about this over coffee this evening.  Does the nature of the city attract people who are more active and used to a fast paced life?  Maybe the tranquility of Central Park offers a repose from the hustle and bustle of hedge funds and Wall Street?  New York offers so many intramural sports leagues and running groups, countless parks and running paths that it's almost impossible not to be drawn in.  For better or worse, New York is a city where IMAGE is influential.  Each runner, each athlete has his own reason, his own motivation, his own story, but each is drawn out to the same roads and paths converge.  A sense of community is formed.  

New York is turning me into the athlete that I never really was.  And I love it.

...so thanks for making me a fighter.

Running down a dream...

I woke up with butterflies in my stomach early yesterday morning. Weather forecast was humid, but manageable, cooler than the past few days had been and the rain wasn't scheduled to begin until after noon. Perfect conditions for our first race.

The pre-race jitters picked up on the train, as I tried to remind myself that it was just Central Park, just like any other easy Saturday practice, that the hills and turns of these trails were starting to become second nature. I wasn't out of my element. On the contrary, the course was predictable and manageable. I psyched myself up a little more when I arrived to find my teammates gathered near the bag check. I was glad that I wasn't in this alone.

The race went well, I ran strong and steady, breaking my stride only at the fluid stations to grab a cup of water and pour half of it down my back. The more I run, the more I am starting to understand the mental aspect of the sport - the discipline, the determination, the consistency. The more I run, the more I appreciate the social aspect of the sport - having a running buddy who I can pace myself with, the volunteers along the course who push you along and tell you how amazing you look and how inspiring you are, hearing my mentor yell my name from the sidelines as we round the final curve and push ourselves into burning sprints. The cheers of the crowd, the lyrics of PUMP IT blasting through the speakers, my lungs burning in protest pushed me to cross the finish line. It was an amazing feeling.

And this is just the beginning. I can't even imagine the adrenaline that San Francisco will be in October.

Hot town, Summer in the City...

Run like the city and never ever stop. Run like its power is the muscle in your legs. Run like the speed of a New York Minute is a time you can beat. Take your cue from Fred Lebow and memorize your second hand. Run like a restored Grand Central and don't stop until you see stars. Let the dreams of New York's tenants be your inspiration to finish first. Run like you're late for breakfast at Tiffany's and your name isn't Golightly for a reason. Begin your sprint confident you can turn West 4th into West 10th just like that. Run a time so nice, you'd run it twice. Run like anything is possible. Run like you can't be stopped. Run like you love New York and if you can make it here you can make it, well, you know the words. Run like the city.

Run like you've hit the triple digits and there's no end in sight. Break a runner's sweat. Break a past record. Run like a Fifth Avenue penthouse and have the best view in the city - the one from the front of the pack. Run like the UWS and put some jazz in your step. Chart a course like the menu at Big Nick's and continues on and on and on. Run like Riverside Park and trace the shore. Push it like the GW and connect determination to domination. Run like Tavern on the Green and pop the question. Feel the adrenaline course through your veins. Ask that special split second to be yours forever. Lay it all out on the line. On your legs and lungs. Show the world that your feet mean what they say. That you're a New York runner. Run like the city.

Run like the skyline and tower over your personal best. Run until your second wind scrapes the sky. Leave your legs in awe. Run like Letterman and make sure this race is in your personal top ten. Run like the Great White Way and break a PR instead of a leg. Be the longest-running on Broadway. Run aggressive like a cabbie and flip tired the bird. Sprint like Trump and tell your burning lungs it's just business, nothing personal. Run like you're spreading the news. Spreading your stride. Spreading out the mileage. Run like the city.

Run funky and fresh. From Chinatown to Chelsea. Run like a diplomat and unite the East and West Sides. Join two shores with one route. Welcome new miles like Lady Liberty. Run like you have an appointment with the Brooklyn Bridge. Span fatigue and suspend worry. Run like your calves are carved from granite and your quads are strong as steel. Run like Wall Street and increase your speed exponentially. Run like Gramercy Park and be the key that unlocks the gate to farther and faster. Forge on to the finish like there's no number you can't get - even the one to Milk & Honey. Cut across Gansevoort and don't stop thumping - when the clubbers are headed home, you're still out running. Run like the city.

- Niketown, RUNNYC

take what you can from your dreams, make them as real as anything...

When mentally and physically training your body, heart, and mind to run 26.2 miles, inspiration comes in small, but surprisingly powerful doses.

Exploring a different side of New York City. Running under the Brooklyn Bridge at dusk.

Those nights when you fall easily into your groove. The pace is comfortable, the level of humidity is right, you feel like you could run for hours, your push through the hills and refuse to let yourself walk because any incline in Central Park is nothing compared to what's waiting out in SF. Only a few weeks into training and the miles are starting to get easier to add on.

The song that comes up on your iPod, syncs with your footsteps and your heartbeat, and you press repeat over and over and over.

Ramon. Our coach. His ridiculous Spanglish emails detailing our work-outs, which will never be canceled for rain, but could possibly be changed if American Idol or Grey's Anatomy is moved to Tuesday nights. I think he's only half joking. He is training for a 100-mile ultramarathon. During one of our trail runs a few weeks ago, I asked him how the hell you complete an event like that. His answer: Go to the start line. Run for about 20 hours. Cross the finish line. Simple as that. He has also already raised over $50,000 for LLS through TNT. He makes all of our goals seem so much more attainable.

The post-run stretch and energy bar waiting for you.

The people who support you, yet don't even know you. My running buddy and I rounded the last corner of our run tonight, the end point was in sight, a quarter mile ahead of us, and two little kids, not more than 5 or 6 years old shouted out "YOU'RE AWESOME" and "YOU GIRLS ARE SO TALL!". They sat on the grass and continued to cheer on everyone else behind us. We sprinted to the end.

The incredible sense of community.

strawberry fields forever...

It's the first day of spring to hit 70 degrees. "Lunch at Shake Shack" was the first thought on everyone's mind when we got to the office this morning. Our office and every other office in central Manhattan. The hour long line was completely worth it.
Spontaneous visit from one of my Paris girls tomorrow.
Just signed up for an awesome half marathon training program...hopefully kicking my ass into shape in time to run the Nike NYC Half Marathon this summer. Our March Madness flip cup and quarters tournament raised over $1400 for this same organization a few weeks ago.
And Colombia is getting closer and closer. Chris warned me that they are all going to greet me at the airport with maizena. ohmygoodness.