Marathon Season 2020

31 Oct 2020 Leave a comment

by Lori in Marathons, Running Tags: , , , , ,

It happens every year around this time, New Yorkers fall into marathon mode. This year, notwithstanding Covid-19 and all the challenges it presents, we’re moving ahead full steam to take back what has been stolen, or at the very least what we’ve been cheated out of. And damn it it feels good! With all the virtual racing going on in lieu of typical road races, I’ve been feeling pretty isolated and so I decided to get everyone together for a kick-Covid-ass 26.2 run.

Truth is with everything and everyone on shutdown since March, folks are not ready for a full marathon distance. I don’t know that I am, but I’m all for giving it a try and among the old running crew there might be a few others crazy enough to have a go at it. I’m betting on it anyway. It’s hard to believe that we’re heading for November and what would have been the NYC marathon in just over a week! Except of course there’s no actual race this year..though the virtual race is set spanning a week or so and anyone anywhere in the world can sign up and participate via Strava. You can run the 26.2 distance wherever you are: get folks to support and run with you, have your own cheer squad, post pics, and tag race organizers doing it all your way and at your pace and convenience. Cool huh! I suppose that’s one way of keeping the spirit of the race alive.

We’ve planned our own version right here in NYC on November 14. A few, or dozen, of us plan on doing at least half of the 26.2 miles making use of the latter part of the nyc marathon course starting in Manhattan on the east side and running through Harlem, down Fifth Ave to finish up the final 3 miles in Central Park and end at the official nyc marathon finish line on Tavern on the Green. I, on the other hand, with at least one other – so far, plan on starting out earlier that morning to complete the first half (13.1 miles) before meeting up with the others to run the remaining distance. We’ll start out with the lower loop of Central Park and head out on Central Park West to run over to the West Side Highway where we’ll run a few miles heading downtown and do a loop to run back to meet with the other runners. Sounds easy enough but really I have no idea how I’ll feel that day. I haven’t run a marathon distance since last November and my longest run thus far has been 15 miles. I’m hoping to up that a bit this weekend but even so it’s still limited training in so far as long runs are concerned. Still, I like to think it’s like riding a bike, the body absolutely knows how to do it, it’s just getting it to remember and cooperate.

When this year started out, I had few running intentions really, just to do a spring triathlon and run the Chicago marathon. Because of Covid, neither panned out but it’s been years that I’ve been running a marathon almost every Fall and at the very least once for the year, even with the way things have gone in 2020, and because things have gone the way they have, I feel it’s even more necessary to show some fighting spirit and not allow the year to end on a note of defeat with many despairing and bemoaning the times. I refuse to sit down and take what life throws at me. I can run at least; thank God for good health and the ability to do so. And so that will be my response to this mess of a year. Speaking intentionally, the intention is to finish within 4 hours. While 3 & 1/2 hours would be great, I have low expectations given the training aspect as well as the biggest unknown factor, our infamous November weather, which can be anywhere on the weather map. Daunting prospects anyone?

Actually, I feel fine about the entire adventure. Yes, that’s what it is. We’re heading out on a dare-to-run-adventure that says more about us than anything else. I have to prove, to no one but myself, that I am fully capable of finishing what I start. And finish I intend to. I have a couple long runs left in me before the day and we’re about to find out just how a New Yorker does running pandemic or no pandemic. Stay tuned to find out how it goes!

What In the World of Running😳

03 Jun 2020 Leave a comment

by Lori in Marathons, Running Tags: , , , , , , ,

In any other year we would be chatting about summer races and all the fun things that come with the swing into warm weather. Things like adventure racing; extreme, obstacle, and themed races anyone? Hello Spartan! Tough Mudder! Rugged Maniac! Color Run, Zombie Run, Run for Chocolates, Run for Wine, Hot Dog Run, Run for a good Cause or run in a Costume. Run for every and anything. For most of us it didn’t matter what we were running for as long as it was fun. If you’re anything like me, you’re missing running around with friends, and running buddies, and run groups, and the gang, and whoever. I’m missing the freedom and community feel of all of that in the worst way!

Hindsight, they say is 20/20. Well darn it, they’re right! How often did I give thanks for those unassuming, reckless, taken-for-granted, always-complaining-it’s-hot days. I don’t think I ever stopped to appreciate how they consistently showed up year after year till it became a forgone conclusion. There was little need to wonder why or how as I gulped it down, ignorant in my entitlement, for soon enough the cold would come and then the pastime of complaining would take on a slightly different tone. But we kept that under wraps for the then minute as much as we could because..well..we were just too busy taking it all for granted. And as I switch from I to we, I recognize it’s a human condition to feel and act entitled, I mean who has time to think about these things, there’s a world to run quite literally. But oops, I kinda have that time now – we all do. So think about it and as you do, I’m not asking that you allow nostalgia to hoodwink you into lamenting “those days” but really just allow the past to inform current perspective and assist with future plans.

Last week I saw that the Boston Marathon got cancelled from its earlier postponement to September. They will now have a virtual running event where you can run 26.2 miles, wherever you are, and submit your time – officially in ≤6 hours to get your medal. What in the world! Never saw that coming. Even after the bombing in 2013 and the worst weather in about 20 years in 2018’s race, and with my running four of them back-to-back where they singularly had unique circumstances and crazy experiences as a result of which I opted to give it a break this year. I still couldn’t have anticipated its cancellation. It had never been done before! Now it feels like eons ago, but back when I stood at the cusp of 2020 and decided to break my “unicorn streak” I was all gung-ho on just one major marathon this year, the Chicago marathon, while I explored other possibilities. As of now Chicago’s still on, but I rather doubt it’ll happen. And as for NYC Marathon, and London, and others, I just don’t know what’s gonna happen. They all seem highly unlikely to occur as of now but we’ve just established how much I know. Sadly, not much. For sure I had big plans to be back on Bolyston Street next April at that much-celebrated finish line, but the jokes on me cause right now, with the kind of year that 2020 is showing up, I’ll be the first to say that I have no clue about Boston 2021, or Chicago 2020, or about Global Running Day this week and how I’m going to celebrate it, or how our world will celebrate it “together, alone” – our current normal, no clue on when I get to buddy up for a run or if I’ll even get to run with my run group again. For social media or anyone who wants to know my status is “clueless” aka my current state of mind.

Finish Line of the Boston Marathon 2019@nbcsports

If our present circumstances has taught me anything, it has taught me that I really don’t know as much as I think I do. Am I ok with that? No. But I have to be since it looks like we’ll be here a while. As the saying goes, it’s time to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. In truth, getting to a place where you’re willing to learn and adapt as necessary is a major learning curve for anyone and more so for this runner who loves people. So as I run and ride all over this City, day after day, I’m learning to shed myself of expectations and ideology, I’m feeling the scales fall off and pushing aside projections and predictions, and I’m allowing myself to run in the moment, run by run, day by day, learning to appreciate right now as I leave the future, even as soon as tomorrow, in the hands of the One Who quite literally holds the future in His hands. I know I’ve said it before, but God really is in the details.

New Year’s Intentions Not Goals

13 Jan 2020 Leave a comment

by Lori in Health and Wellness, Running Tags: , , , , , , ,

Ahh January! Breathe in a New Year with all the possibilities, energy, and good intentions. What will we do with it? In fact, what should we? How many times have a new year come and gone and so much of what we thought to do have remained..well, undone. What’s different about this year and how will we mark the onset of a new decade?

So I’ve been thinking maybe it’s time for a change. If we’ve been doing the same thing every year for the past decade with little to no positive results, then we should consider tweaking things a bit in order to get the result we seek. So if neither goals nor resolutions have been working over the years then you might want to think about setting an intention instead, the difference being that an intention is something you plan to do irrespective of the outcome while a goal is something you hope to achieve. Small word change yes? But some argue that it’s more mental, intentional, and logical and can result in successful outcomes. According to business blog Inc., by building on your intentions first, you set the path in your mind. Goals can be seen as a milestone or milestones along that path. For example, I might determine to do an Ironman this year and have a goal of finishing in say 10 hours (slightly ambitious for a newbie I think). I may or may not fall short but you know what, I intend to complete it anyway, time notwithstanding. See in this example, the goal seems stressful to me (10 hours!) but my intention, while challenging sure, is pretty exciting.

Setting intentions are simple and stress-free. You can determine to take a new step forward – beginning with your thoughts. After all, it’s right there that the very first seeds of intent are planted.

In fact, I’ve gotten a jump on this whole setting an intention thing and have been on it since last month when I set one practical and one spiritual intention. It’s important to me that I remain healthy, get healed, and grow spiritually and intellectually this year so I went ahead and set my intentions to ensure this, as much as I can anyway. With that in mind, I’m spending the first couple months of the year in PT for my knees and taking a step back from running. While I’m not giving it up entirely, I’m hoping one to two short runs per week will be acceptable and that modified movements at the gym, to keep the stress off my knees, will help the healing process along.

On the practical (physical and adventuresome) side, I intend to finish a Sprint Triathlon this year and while I’ve been thinking to do one in April, I’m debating, with my knees in recovery, if that’s too soon. I’ll make a final decision in about two weeks. I’ve also decided on just one marathon this year (unbelievable I know), which will bring me up to a total of twenty. And no, I’m not ruling out more running, I’m just putting healing first and allowing my body to lead the way. My Spiritual journey, on the other hand, is a process I’m fully engaged in and embracing as an opportunity to develop and overflow into the other areas of my life. I’ve also embraced the idea of learning a new skill to help with a business idea.

So far, so great! Challenging but not stressful. 2020 is looking good and we’re feeling positive and purposeful; that’s a very important foot to step out on. Next steps are pretty straightforward, there is really only one strategy that will work to see those intentions through: daily reminders to myself and consistent effort turning the wheels of progress each day. Some days will require a lot more effort than others, but I believe that each day dedicated to following through on my plans and completing it will be exciting, challenging, and ultimately rewarding.

Here’s to an exciting, challenging, rewarding, [and some fun running too] 2020! 🥂🏃‍♀️✨

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