Monday, December 18, 2006

Marathon photos!




I know it's been a long time since I last wrote, but things at school have been insane. I am finally done for the semester--one left to go! Even thought the marathon was awhile ago, it is still completely fresh in my mind and I get chills just thinking about it. I've started running again for about a half an hour at a time. The pain in my hips is nearly gone, but I do have some tightness from time to time. Mostly, I just haven't felt like running. I am starting to miss it, though. I DEFINITELY miss my TFKers! Here are some photos from the marathon. Both were taken by TFK Bob's (see blog at right) roommate on 5th avenue. Notice the "FOR NINA" on my arm. She was with me!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. I truly am looking forward to going to DC to see the grandparents, despite the difficulty with Mimi's health. And Maine will be such a wonderful rest! Can't wait to come back fresh in January. Hey TFK, how about a reunion?

Saturday, November 25, 2006

No Turkey Trot for me

A lot of my TFK teammates ran in Turkey Trots over the weekend--short runs that justify eating a lot of turkey on Thanksgiving. I haven't been running lately because of my hip, so I traded in the Turkey Trot for marathon yoga and pilates sessions at home this weekend. Not to worry, I still ate a lot!

Best of luck to the TFKers who are taking on the 60k in Central Park today! That's right, 37+ miles, 9 4 mile loops plus a little. Wish I could be there to cheer you all on! Can't wait to hear about it.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Some thoughts from Dave Edwards...

There is no "I" in TEAM


WOW, a sea of green all along 26.2-miles of NYC. Congratulations to each and every one of you, my TEAM mates, my FRIENDS, my INSPIRATION, my ENCOURAGEMENT.

WARNING: At this point, you might want to grab a cup of coffee, a Gatorade or something, `cause it's about get heavy.

There is no "I" in TEAM; On Saturday Morning July 8th, 2006, one thousand "I's" came together either in person to central park, or via the web-communications to begin the personal journey for each to achieve their own goal of completing the ING NYC Marathon 2006 via this inlet called TEAM FOR KID'S. Many had never run in a group, let alone had any idea of pace, or pace groups. The "I's" were saying, "I usually run alone", "I run at this pace", "I've never run more than 6 miles", "I got in to TEAM FOR KID's cause I did not get selected in the lottery", "I am here cause I need training and guidance to complete 26.2 miles", "I am here cause I've always watched the ING NYC Marathon, and I say to myself every year, I'm gonna run a marathon one day", "I love kids and what better way to express myself in my marathon experience", "I run because of "________". Over the past few weeks, the "I's" have turned to "MY's", "my pace group", "my pace group friend", "someone I pace with", "TEAM MATES". No where else in running and training will you find a more committed group of adults. Whether you are a 16-minute miler or 5:12 miler, each member of the TEAM embraced you and your efforts, encouraged your performance and accepted you for the sole (soul) you run on, and likewise, you embraced and encourage each TEAM member too.

DATELINE…. November 5th, 2006: ONE THOUSAND "I" RAN AND FINISHED THE ING NYC MARATHON, 26.2 MILES WITH TEAM, TEAM FOR KID's (and Adults too) this could be heard the world around.

Each of you discovered that knowing another green shirt was nearby gave you a since of comfort and security, knowing that TEAM was on the course. And no TEAM is successful with out COACHES and STAFF, who also placed themselves along the sidelines for that game day support in the event that they, each of them has invested their time and wisdom into our success and accomplishment.

You do not know how important TEAM, TEAM MATES, PACE GROUPS, PACE GROUP LEADERS is, until you find yourself running alone on race day. (I know some of you have been curious) As for me, after all of the "pomp & circumstance", the wonderful opportunity to represent TEAM FOR KID's along side of the Borough of Queens in the Foot Locker Five Borough Challenge, and all that I was able to accomplish for TEAM FOR KID's in the past few weeks with this short lived exposure… the gun went off. It was race time and a half mile into it, I found myself running with four people I did not know, nothing… nada…nil…. And soon, I found myself running alone in a really big place, in a really big race on a very empty road for a while. All I kept thinking was "what I would give (right now) to have a TFK team member in a green shirt next to me right now", a pace friend, Martine, Courtney, David (vano), Matt, Adam, Marjory, Brittany. Hey running gods? please send someone from the 9:30's now!… to no avail.

Yet, I made a commitment and a choice, and I was running my best race to date, so I thought. I came up short. Having plans of a 3:40 finish, accepting that today, my time would be 4:09:30. Somewhere around 18, I hit the wall, or the wall hit me, I hit the ground. And just as a mother's love allows them to pick you up and dust you off, telling you it's ok, you'll be fine, and gets you going again….. There on the course was a TEAM FOR KID's COACH, offering a hand of support. Just as in the past 17 weeks along the training course, COACHES encouraging each of us along the way, giving us the encouragement, motivation, education and inner strength to meet our goals and achieve greatness in our lives, this COACH, and all of our TEAM FOR KID's COACHES encouraged me to carry on, to finish, for all that I am, all that my family is (as they are awaiting my arrival at the finish line) and all that each and every TFK TEAM MATE is to me.

Thank you to the COACH that stayed with me and paced me, the running gods answered my wish when I needed it most. I finish my Marathon with a TFK TEAM MATE in hand as we crossed the finish line. Thank you COACH and COACHES.

So, if you are still questioning your marathon run. STOP! You ran, you finished. Pick it up in the next one.

As I look back on my Marathon this past Sunday, many of the COACHES have encouraged me to self evaluate, write down the good, the bad (and the ugly) and what was different from a previous. I have done that, and I won't bore you with those details. There are no "DO OVER's" for November 5th, 2006, it is what it is. But there is a "DO IT AGAIN", and yes, another marathon is in my future, and yours too. And just as I have looked at my race, I encourage each of you to take a look at your race. You finished, and that is the goal. Now for the Over Achiever out there (oh, I think that is everyone of us now, right), stay involved. Set goals, next week, next month, six months, one year, what races am I going to do? And what am I going to do to improve my running abilities?… Self evaluate and plan.

Yes, the past week, post Marathon, you're becoming reacquainted with family, friends, partners, spouses, etc., this is great, especially after the past 17 weeks. As you recover, the "I" in I'm going out for a run will have an unfamiliar ring to it for a while. Many of us will be faced with running solo on a local path, street or park near our house or apartment. It's OK, the TEAM is always out were. Put on the green shirt, a magical memory will come to mind immediately, a sense of pride, a sense of community and since of giving comes about as you slip that shirt on and run in it.

Again, Thank you to each and every one of you for making this TEAM FOR KIDs 2006 my best marathon every, and my best running summer of training ever. I look forward to spending time in the "off-season" at a run or a race with each of you, just to "catch-up", to listen to you tell me about "Your Marathon" and how life is different and better now.

DING DNIG: I know. I know…. it's time for a refill on your coffee. Sorry, I've never been good a making a long story short. That is most likely why I run 26.2 mile, not 5K's. So bear with me another minute or two.

What to do in the TFK winter and spring months? RUN! Get Involved!

FIRST: Let's all plan on post one month get together run at the NYRR Holiday 4 mile / Kid's Play Party ( http://www.nyrr.org/race/2006/r1202x00 ). Many of the "Kids" running in the NYRR Foundation City wide Programs will be out at this race. This is great way to run with the "Kids" we are in support of.

SECOND: New York Road Runners Club www.nyrr.org Sign up for regularly scheduled races and events. When you sign up for a race, please remember to sign up with your TEAM: TFK. For those outside of NYC, Get involved in a Running Club near you.
Express your TFK self.

THIRD: New York Road Runners Foundation. Become a VOLUNTEER! Get involved with the Jamborees and Cross-Country races for the "Kids". www.nyrrfoundation.org go to the VOLUNTEER tab, click, scroll down, VOLUNTEER APPLICATION PDF, click it, print it, fill it our, fax it in, GET INVOLVED!

FOURTH: www.marathonguide.com find a full or a half marathon, make a plan, set a goal, go there, and "DO IT (AGAIN)". And let us know where you are running and follow up by tell us how you did. The TFK 2006 yahoo site lives on.

FIFTH: www.active.com This site has everything sports by sport by zip code and or area/region. Look for your sport near you.

The TFK 2006 Yahoo web site. Keep your email active for this. Coach Adam, The TFK Staff and The NYRR Foundation will make Special Announcements from this venue for you to be involved in Special Opportunities involving TFK Members and Races and Activities we all can partake in.

STAY TUNED, Great Things area coming your way!

Again, Thank you (for hanging on this long) for allowing me to run with each and everyone of you, my life is much more enriched because of each of you. This is only the beginning of journey to a life without boundaries and limitations set by society. Today, I, and each of you have accomplished more than the average person standing next to you on an average day. For this, be proud and continue to achieve.

Gotta Run…. Very Truly Yours,

Dave Edwards

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Just one of the 37,000 stories....

This woman is an inspiration, whether she meant to be or not!

UNION-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES
November 7, 2006

Zoe Koplowitz finished the New York City Marathon in just under 29 hours Monday, a day after the men's and women's winners crossed the finish line.

Using fuchsia-colored crutches, Koplowitz started at 5:45 a.m. Sunday and finished at 10:30 a.m. Monday. It was the 19th New York City Marathon for Koplowitz, who lives in Manhattan and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than 30 years ago at age 25.

Her physical therapist and the New York City Guardian Angels accompanied her along the route, much like Lance Armstrong had former marathon champions Alberto Salazar and Joan Benoit Samuelson running alongside to pace him.

Koplowitz also is the award-winning author of “The Winning spirit – Life Lessons Learned in Last Place.”

PS: 4 days later and my soreness (except for right hip and right baby toe) is nearly gone. I'm thinking of going running tomorrow. hmmm....

Monday, November 06, 2006

I did it!!

Yesterday was the most intense, physically challenging experience of my life. I woke up at 4am to get to the buses at 5:45am. The Emilys and I figured out a wake-up call chain and Liz and I shared a cab--gotta love that team support! The bus ride was fun, full of nervous energy, crying, and lots of photo opportunities. When we got to the start, I imagined that it looked something like Woodstock. We were told to sit down and to conserve energy, which we did (when we weren't waiting in the bathroom line). We moved to the corrals at about 8:30am, which meant another hour and a half of sitting before moving to the bridge for a 10:10 start. Oh, the energy--Fort Wadsworth really did look like Woodstock when the crowds started moving and shedding their layers...

And then we were off! Commuting, of course. I was with Nancy, Pam, and Sarah L. I felt great over the Verrazano (how weird, running on a suspension bridge), through Brooklyn (where I saw Cait!) and into Queens, where I saw the family for the first time. Mom, Dad, B and Tanya were holding a sign that said "Moira the MAINE-IAC." It perked me right up (though Nancy wouldn't let me speed up!)I found Diego about 100 yards later standing in the median of the street and holding a big sign. That was awesome, right before I had to go over the dark, quiet Queensborough bridge (which is a HILL) at mile 15.

I could hear first avenue before I got there. The crowds were crazy! We made sure to stop every few blocks to take pictures of each other's families and friends. By the time we hit Harlem and the Bronx, I was losing a little steam. My feet started to hurt around mile 19/20, but Nancy wouldn't let me stop. Mentally, I was done--I hadn't run any more than 18 miles all season because of my injury, and the thought of doing another 8 made me want to cry. Everything felt ok except my feet, but that I was all I could think about! Thank god for my family at mile 21--what a surprise, there they were with the signs again! I was actually able to hug all of them this time and I think that pushed me to fifth avenue. Coach Alem met us when we came off the bridge and said a few words of encouragement. The crowd kept yelling my name (it was written on my shirt) and urging me on, but I wanted to stop running. Then at 96th and 5th I saw a huge group of CUSSW friends and then my family again 1 block down. Coach Danielle saw that I was having a hard time and she jumped in right next to me and ran the next 4 miles, up to mile 25 with me.

The last few miles felt endless. Into the park, up Cat Hill, out of the park, down to Central Park South. Coach Danielle had to leave me there, but she told me to use the crowd and just go. So I pushed and I pushed and the crowd yelled and yelled. I stared at Columbus Circle ahead so hard I thought my eyes would pop out of my head. Then it was time to turn into the park and face that last .2. I didn't know if I could make it up the last hill, but Narisa was there with a sign and she yelled right in my ear. The finish was right there and then I was on it, kind of in shock. One of the volunteers asked if I was ok, and I said I was, "Just give me the medal!" My time was 5:27:20, which meant that Lance Amstrong was home, showered, and resting by the time I finished, but whatever.

I found Nancy and Sarah, who finished one minute ahead of me, and we took a group picture with our medals and blankets. Then I walked (slooowly) in a daze toward the Cherry Hill area. Sarah D., who is so wonderful, took good care of me while I changed into warm clothes and discovered my bloody right sock from a toenail issue. So that's what hurt so much!

I'm moving very slowly today, and my hip is tight, but I am so happy that I finished and am so proud to be a TFKer! The whole time, I had the support of my teammates and the help of all the family and friends who came out. It was amazing. Today I've gotten so many emails and phone calls--Pop-Pop seems to think I'll be running Boston in April 2007. We'll see. One marathon at a time!

Saturday, November 04, 2006

TOMORROW

In just a few short hours, I'll be on the TFK "Fireass" bus (complete with a giant ass hanging out the window, thanks to Frank's artistic ability) headed to Staten Island. Crazy. I thought it would never get here!

The family is here, and the phone has been ringing off the hook with friends calling to offer support. I'm overwhelmed--I've never felt this kind of outpouring before! Frank was at his coaching best as we walked the last 1000 yards of the marathon course today in the park, in full view of the finish line.

STRONG
BREATHE
RELAX
CADENCE
PATIENCE

these words have hung on a post-it on my desk since July. It's on!

Going to bed shortly...coaches' orders!

PS: B mentioned today that Justin has made my blog his homepage. Hilarious! Hi Justin! I'm sad you're moving to California! Visit often.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

an unfortunate turn of events...

i was having a hard time sleeping last night, so i got up early and checked my email. there was a note from nancy to the whole page group telling us that nina had been hit by a car and was in the hospital. she's fine, with only minor injuries. (thank god it wasn't more serious!) of course, she has an amazing attitude and the best spirit--nancy spoke to her, and she's so excited for us even though she won't be able to run with us this year. coach adam responded to nancy's note and told us that another teammate had also been in a car accident...she's injured too, but ok. this is kind of freaking me out. seriously, we have five days to go!

i'm really upset not to have nina there with us on sunday. frank suggested "taking her with us" on the course, so i wrote "for nina" on my singlet and i will finish the marathon even if it's just for her!

i am about to jump out of my skin. my energy level is high, and i'm getting ready to go. the econ midterm yesterday was the first big obstacle this week, and now that's over. just one more day of classes and two more days of field and i'm there....

thinking of you, nina!

Monday, October 30, 2006

Poland Springs Marathon Kickoff




Yesterday, TFK met to run an easy five miles in Central Park in conjunction with the Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff. It was SO much fun--there was definitely an energy in the air! There had to be thousands of runners, many of whom are running next weekend. The course finished right near the marathon finish line, which was just unreal. To think, a week from yesterday....

The best part of yesterday's run was not the 40 mile-an-hour winds, but the fact that lots of TFKers dressed up for Halloween! There are so many creative people on my team. Lance Armstrong showed up, as did the big green pimp, and a penguin. Best of all, though (and I'm not biased about this in any way) was the effort made by Team Fireass. Frank came up with the brilliant idea to get New York Fire Department shirts that said "Fire: Keep back 200 feet" on them, and creative Liz made flames for us to pin to our fireasses. With the wind whipping, it really DID look like we were on fire!

Check out Sarah's blog (at right) for her list (and PHOTOS) of the top ten costumes yesterday! Oh, yes, Team Fireass made the list!

I was sick all last week and I've been taking it really easy so as not to aggravate my injuries, but I think yesterday's energy, costumes, and beautiful fall weather made me go for it a little too much. I ran faster than commute and finished 5 miles in 55:55. The rest of my pace group was flying, and I decided to stick to warm-up rather than to race. I caught up with Betsy, which was awesome. I'm lucky to have her as a teammate and as a friend!

Getting excited to begin celebrating the arrival of the marathon! Keep your eyes out for TFK green on the TODAY show plaza on Friday morning! Friday night is the TFK team party, and I get to welcome the family to New York on Saturday! Then Sunday, I'm running all over town!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Have a little faith...

All of you certainly have faith in me! As of today, my fundraising total is: $3,344.20!!!! (That's right--I've SURPASSED my goal of $2500. To everyone who made this possible, you all ROCK!!!).

All together, Team for Kids members have raised: $2,027,545. AMAZING! Think of all the kids who will participate in the programs funded by this money...This team is so much more than the individual runners on it. We're a team, and we're doing it for the kids as much as for ourselves.

I've had a tough training season fraught with injuries and now a yucky virus. But Leslie was here last weekend, and she told me to listen to "Move Along" by the All-American Rejects any time I didn't think I'd make it. L, you're right--it helps a lot!

Listen here if you ever need a little push: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FSbGur1dz9k

The countdown is on!

Check out an entire marathon course tour on YouTube! http://youtube.com/watch?v=MnxknAnBVk0" (I certainly won't be running a marathon in 7 minutes)

Also, my bib number for the big day is: 41389. It's mine! There is no other 41389!

I talked to the family last night, and B wants to make a banner that says, "M, hurry the f up! It's cold out here!" That idea was vetoed, but another possibility might appear on marathon day, "All 37,000 of you are CRAZY"

This weekend, the Fireasses will be running in Central Park in costume...a slight departure from our neon green ensambles. I'm sure there will be pictures :)

I've come down with a little virus, but I'm resting and resting and resting some more... I'll be good to go for NEXT SUNDAY. (Did I just write that?)

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Two weeks to go!!!

That's right--two weeks from TODAY I take on 26.2...

Yesterday, we did an 11-mile course tour, which was awesome. I felt better than I have in weeks, and I was able to FINISH the run with only a little bit of tightness in my hip. It was a huge mental victory for me to cross the finish line (near the actual marathon finish) after running over the Queensborough Bridge, down first avenue and up fifth back to the park, just like I will in two weeks. Except in two weeks, there will be 2 million fans and 38,000 runners along with me!

Coach Adam interviewed Team Fireass after the run for a series he's doing called "Personal Record." It was great, and you can listen to it here: http://teamforkids.org/index.cfm?organization_id=57§ion_id=910&page_id=3725

I left yesterday completely exhilarated, prepared to rest as much as my ball-of-nervous-energy self will let me, to keep up the cross training, and to stay on the road to recovery. I'm so excited that my family is coming to share this with me, and that so many friends will be coming out the day of to cheer me on. I can't WAIT to meet the national team members who will be joining our pace group--you guys are in for a treat, because the 11:30s are the BEST...

Monday, October 16, 2006

My pace group rocks!




love you guys!
Cathy on Saturday as we crossed the street near battery park and a car was coming: "heads up, asses!"
Nancy: "did you just say, heads up asses? Hey guys, we have a new favorite team memory! Cathy just said HEADS UP ASSES!"

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Time to taper...

This morning, the team set out for the "23-mile pace group social," during which we were supposed to run slower than commute pace. For our group, that's about a 12:30, which is about how fast I walk when I'm really hauling ass. I could run forever at that pace! I joined my team at mile 3 and planned to run 20 with them. It was a gorgeous day--chilly at the start, but once we got going, I warmed up. We ran down around the tip of Manhattan, by the Staten Island Ferry terminal and got a great view of the underside of the Brooklyn bridge. One of the best part of training with TFK (there have been lots of best parts) has been been exploring the city on foot--I was so happy to be out there with my teammates, sharing our favorite TFK memories. It was so cool to hear about what stuck with everyone--how they felt after each long run, each joke, etc. It was so important to me to be a part of that, because I don't think we're going to be able to reminisce on marathon day with 37,000 other runners.

I felt really good until mile 11 (mile 14 for them), when my hip started to tighten up. I knew immediately that it was best to stop running before I had pain. Another teammate of mine had ankle pain, so we stopped together and headed back uptown to the start. I was (am) pretty discouraged, but I know that it was the best thing to do. I'm going to really rest during the tapering period and try to pull out a decent marathon using an 18-mile base. Not ideal, but the adrenaline and the crowds on the day of will help get me through.

I told my team not to start sharing favorite memories until I joined them at mile 3 (that was our homework assignment from Frank), and Nancy started to tease me: "What the memories are about you and they're bad? Moira's here, now she's leaving. Here, now leaving." That was pretty funny, given the fact that I haven't finished a long run in four weeks. I started laughing and crying, at which point Frank told me to stop because I "can't spare the sodium." I just started laughing and crying harder at that. Thanks, Frank!

Seriously, you should've seen me last night. There was a commercial on for the marathon on NBC, and the voiceover said something like "37,000 unique stories...the New York City marathon." Oh, I was a mess. And then I saw this:about Dick and Rick Hoyt, the father-son team who have run more than 200 triathlons and 64 marathons, and started crying harder. Go to www.teamhoyt.com for the full story.

And my stupid hip hurts. I definitely got a healthy dose of perspective. (Sometimes I just hate those).

Let the tapering begin.

Friday, October 13, 2006

soooo close!

The marathon is three weeks away. That's right, three weeks. Hard to know if I'm more excited or terrified. I think it depends on the day. When the TFK newsletter came out this week, I was absolutely glued to the marathon itinerary article. When Pam sent out her reflections on preparing for last year, I started to tear up. I realize I sound like a huge loser, but I'm ok with that. It's going to be such an amazing experience. I get chills just thinking about it!

And then there's the part of me that's terrified. My hip feels MUCH better--better than it has in weeks--but a little part of my brain wonders if I'm going to be in miserable pain for the whole race. Tomorrow we're due to run 23 miles. This will be our last long run before the marathon. I've already decided that I'm going to start with the 20-mile group and only do what I can comfortably. I've also decided that I'm not going to feel bad about cutting tomorrow short if I have to, but that's a harder thing to do. My head has decided not to feel bad, but I know I'll be discouraged if I can't finish the bulk of the run comfortably.

We shall see.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

miles away from last week!

(center) this is the smallest finish line i have ever seen. imagine runners nearly finished with a marathon or a half marathon: "no, please, after you." "no, after you!"





(left) this is me last week, crying as i crossed the finish line. awesome.



(right) this is me today, at the westchester half, paying a visit to the massage tent during a break from volunteering/cheering on my teammates. REALLY awesome.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Words to live by...WE CAN DO THIS!

Words from a teammate who is also pulling out of Sunday's race...


...It is super-frustrating. But people say that if you can run 18 (which we've done), you can run 26.2 - the rest is just mental. So if we can maintain our current fitness level through bike/swim/whatever, get healthy by the 23 and then rest our bodies for 2 weeks, we should be good to go on Nov. 5th. It will definitely take a bit more time/effort to find ways to stay active than it would if we could just follow the program, but we can make it work. I think the key is to not get discouraged, keep doing stretching/injury prevention exercises, mirror the assigned cardio workouts as well as possible through cross-training, and really allow ourselves to get totally healthy before trying to run.

Now, if I'm still hurt come next weekend, I may begin to feel less optimistic, but as of now I'm not letting that thought enter my head!

See you Sunday.

emily

back and forth...

Since my miserable run this past weekend, I've been going back and forth about whether or not to run in this weekend's Westchester Half Marathon. Team for Kids members got a special discount to run, and I was really looking forward to helping my teammates turn the Bronx River Parkway green! I talked to the coaches about it and finally realized that if I had to think so much about whether or not to run, I probably shouldn't. So I'll be traveling out to Westchester early Sunday morning to volunteer along the course and to cheer the TFKers on. Hopefully this will give me a morale boost! I plan to do a long pool workout on Saturday to make up for missing the race. Not exactly the same, but definitely better for my hip!

Now on to the non-running (but still cool) news! It's been an interesting week--I have two celebrity friends! First, Tom was asked to interpret for a Bolivian human rights worker on Democracy Now! yestereday. I listened--it was amazing! TPF, estoy muy orgullosa de ti! Visit www.democracynow.org to listen to the archived show.

Then, my dear DC Katastrophe (check out her blog at right)got her own little bit of fame. Check out www.dcblogs.com and www.readexpress.com. She taught me how to be an aggressive pedestrian WAY back at GW. Way to go, K!

Monday, October 02, 2006

the hardest run yet


No joke. I don't think I can even begin to explain how hard yesterday was for me. but before I get there, I should write about the fun part of the weekend. Rachel, Ellen and I drove down to Philadelphia for Liz's bridal shower, which was really nice. Beth came too, and I hadn't seen her since graduation. I think Liz really appreciated our effort to make the trip, and we went to Rita's afterwards to have water ice. Ellen and I could not shut up about how great it was during the trip down, and Rachel had enough of us, so we went. It is SO delious. See how happy we were on Saturday? And that was before the trip to Rita's!

Then Sunday came. My hip felt ok as i headed to central park for Grete's Gallop, part of the Norwegian Festival (how much did I love telling Amy that I was going to run in the Norwegian Festival?) TFK was supposed to meet with Grete Waitz, 9 time NYC marathon winner, after the race, so I didn't want to miss that. We were instructed to run easily, have fun, and continue recovering, so I figured this run would be doable. No pressure.

For a few miles, I was ok. My hip felt surprisingly loose and despite the pouring rain (remember that 14-miler I did in a Maine-style monsoon? Sunday morning was kind of like that), I was having fun. Coach Adam gave me a high-five at the halfway point, which helped me start my second loop as the speedracers were already finishing. (I do love being a slowpoke!) Once mile 7 came, though, I started to struggle. Thank goodness Pam was there, because I would've quit without her! With every step, my hip flexor spasmed and I wanted to scream. It took EVERY ounce of determination I had to put one foot in front of the other. Pam was injured, too--I think we really needed each other yesterday. Whenever she had a hard time going downhill due to knee pain and I had to walk uphill because of my hip, we reminded each other how much closer we were to the finish line. Yet another example of that great TFK support--we WERE going to finish together!

By mile 12, I had tears in my eyes from the pain, but I wasn't going to stop running--I was just too close to finishing. With less than half a mile left to go, Betsy came up behind me and told me to sing--I asked her what song had "f***" in it. I don't normally curse, but I definitely let a few out yesterday. By the time I crossed the finish line, urged on by TFK coaches, Frank and other 11:30s who finished before me, I was nauseated and crying. I'm scared to see the pictures that the photographers took as we finished--I just may post them, because the look on my face will be the best description I can give of how I was feeling. Ugh, just writing about it makes me squirm.

Then it was over. Part of me couldn't believe that I'd actually finished. The medic gave me ice and I limped with Pam to the bandshell, where we met up with our other teammates. They were proud of me for finishing, and as always, concerned and supportive when I told them how the race had gone. Pace group mom Nancy ran off to get me a bagel, and we heard that Grete wasn't going to be speaking due to the weather or something. I was a little grateful that she canceled. While I wanted to meet her, I also wanted to collapse in bed. The idea of waking up this morning, with yesterday behind me, was really appealing. God, I hope I never feel the way I did after that run ever again.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Does someone have a hip flexor I can borrow?

Seriously, I'm about to trade my left hip flexor in for another one! Today was the big 20-miler (or, as the coaches were calling it, "a 3- mile race preceded by a 17-mile commute) from 168th street over the GWB to Palisades State Park in Jersey and back. I was nervous about it all week because of my stupid hip--no running for me since last weekend's failed attempted at 11 miles in Harrison. I stuck to no-impact cardio, pool workouts and rest. I felt much better by Thursday and thought that I might be able to pull 20 miles off today, but when I woke up this morning, my hip still hurt. Oh well, off I went at 5:45am to get uptown in time for my pace group's start. Oh, and there were definitely people coming home as I was leaving. Awesome.

It was pretty eerie getting off the subway at 6:15am (still dark) by Columbia Presbyterian and head down to Riverside Drive. I stopped at the hospital to use the bathroom and the guard didn't want to let me in until I smiled at him and showed him my Columbia i.d. Who knew that it would come in so handy?

Anyway, my pace group assembled and off we went (sans Frank due to Rosh Hashanah) under Louie's fearless leadership. (Although, he and Steve were about to turn the wrong way and the 15 women in the group stopped him! This is proof that women are better with directions than men!) My hip didn't hurt for the first few miles, and I made it over the GWB again and crossed into Jersey. When we got to the Palisades and had to start climbing hills every hundred feet, my hip protested and I figured I wouldn't make it for the whole 20. My heart rate felt good, my legs felt good, my lungs felt good, but there was no way. I started walking the hills (they were BIG hills) and running on the flats. Omar taught me some stretches and helped me out every few miles, and soon we were run-walking together. I lasted until mile 10 and knew I needed to pack it in. Zakia came and picked me up and we drove along the course cheering runners on the whole way. My pace group looked SO strong and so happy, and I was sad, angry and frustrated not to be out there with them! This is the third long run that has ended prematurely for me, which is so aggravating because mentally I know I can do it. Coach Adam reassured me that I would be able to make up some mileage next weekend, but I have to focus on healing first. I headed home and hit the pool, which made a bit of a difference...Here's to a return with a vengeance next weekend!

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Discouraged...

Yesterday, I traveled with the team out to Harrison, NY for an 11-mile recovery run. I had a hard time getting up--I kept thinking, "Why get up for 11 miles? What's the point?" That wasn't cockiness. but tiredness. We did start at 9am, though, so I didn't have to get up TOO early. Thanks to Nina for driving out to Westchester! It was awesome, and the company was fun :). Dave, can I hear a little more of your Forrest Gump impression? I promise I'll work on being more spontaneous!

What a beautiful day for a run! We got going, and immediately, my hip flexor (pulled last weekend) started to hurt. I'd been nursing it all week and I thought I could push through it, but then I realized that it would be smarter to stop, rest, and be in good shape for next weekend's 20 miler. At mile 3, I bailed out. My team was really supportive and said they were proud of me for making the decision to stop. Autumn, a great TFK supporter, came to pick me up and drove me back to the start area. She was lovely and tried to sell the benefits of the run/walk plan for the marathon. If I don't rebound from this injury, I very well might be run/walking!

Back at the start/finish, I was really frustrated. I've felt pretty good after every run so far this season, with the exception of yesterday and last week. To have two bad weeks in a row is pretty discouraging. I kept telling myself, though, that it's better to have to stop on the 11 miler rather than to stop during the 20. I sat and watched the fast pace groups come in (these are folks COMMUTING at 8:00 minutes and under--crazy fast!), which was pretty cool because I'm usually out on the course for hours after they finish. They were all really nice, stopping and asking me how I was and bringing me ice. TFK staff took really good care of me, too, as always. It's such a supportive group. I've experienced it firsthand several times now!

As the other groups started coming in, I moved over to the finish line so I could cheer the Fireasses in. It was a tough run for some groups--the body is still recovering from our 18 miler last weekend, and the course, though beautiful, was really confusing and some groups got lost and ran several extra miles. I said I felt the support when I had to stop running--I saw what may be the strongest example of what a great group TFK is. Avi and Bob, two of the speedracers who came in with the fastest pace groups, ran the last 1/4 mile with runners who were struggling to finish. It was really amazing to watch, and I could how grateful my teammates were for the extra little boost. Such a simple gesture, and it made SUCH a difference for so many people! Avi and Bob, you guys rock!

I'm going to be taking it easy this week. Coach Adam told me not to run with a hurt hip, and to do no-impact cardio only. He said swimming was ok, so I went to the pool for awhile when I got home yesterday to get rid of some of my frustration. I felt better, but not 100%. I think a visit with the Aldens today will help my mood a bit--I do love it when fun people randomly show up in NYC! Here's to being better by next week's 20!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Running a marathon is a lot like social work

I'm feeling a bit introspective today. I don't know if it's the weather (gray and rainy) ,or the fact that I went to a training on worldview, culturally appropriate intervention strategies, and multicultural organizations this morning, or because it's week 2 of a new school year (my last in the master's program) and I'm already tired. In any case, I've decided that training for a marathon has some similarities to becoming a social worker. Here is what I've come up with so far:

1) It's all about the support. This morning during the workshop, we spent a lot of time building group norms and establishing a connection in the group, so that by the midpoint of the workshop, we were supporting each other and we could tolerate ambiguity a lot more than we could at the beginning of the process. We deviated from the agenda a little because someone brought up a point worthy of exploring further, but it was clear that supporting that person was important to the whole group. Certainly, social work is a tough field made much easier through the support of colleagues and mentors. We work with clients and communities to empower them to make change, to reach a particular goal. We work on the issues that need attention right now, issues that other people don't want to (or don't know how to) touch.

Running a marathon with a team is definitely ALL about the support. Check out my previous post about the GWB run and my big wipeout and you'll see what I mean. I've told so many people that I would never be able to train on my own, to make it through the long runs on my own, or to stay motivated. Team for Kids members have such great connection. I don't know everybody, but we're all in this together all the way to November 5. We can talk about our successes, our aches and pains, our favorite gatorade flavors, the mental battle to make it through the last two miles of an 18 mile run, etc. It's all about the support!

2) It's all about possibility. If I didn't believe in possibility, I would have a hard time being the kind of social worker I want to be. My vocation is to organize for social change and social justice. In less than a year, I'll have an MSW after my name, and I'll be working with people who may not believe in possibility as much as I do. I'm always surprised and saddened to meet social workers in the field who have become cynical and jaded after practicing for a few years. I don't want to be like that. I chose this field because it's such a great platform from which to make change, but I'm not going to get very far if I don't continue to believe that large-scale, systematic change is possible.

But I'm lucky-- my belief in possibility has been reaffirmed through marathon training as I test my body and mind every week. I never would've thought that an 11-mile run would be a short distance, or that I would be able to run over a bridge to another state several hours into my run! Part of me still can't believe I'm capable of these things, but there you have it. Possibility. And the kids we're supporting through our fundraising efforts--THEY embody possibility. It's overwhelming, really, to think that our work is giving them opportunities that they would not have otherwise, and they can turn around and do the same for the next group of kids. (until, hopefully, we get to the root of the problem and these programs aren't necessary anymore, but that's a conversation for another day)

3). It's all about patience. I'm the first to admit that I am not a patient person. However, social work requires patience because change takes time. Clinicians and clients are engaged in what could be long processes, and policymakers may have to stick it out in the trenches before the perfect moment for change on a macro level can happen. As I've been training for the marathon, I've found that I have great days, ok days, and crappy days. I have to fight with myself to hang on through the crappy days, but that usually means that an ok day (or even a great day) is not too far away. Patience. I'm still working on it, as a runner in training and as a social worker in training.

Consider this a list in progress. There is no doubt that something is happening to my worldview as a result of this marathon training process. I'm not sure what the lasting impact will be--I can't articulate it just yet--but on November 6th, (the day after the marathon) I'll be a different person.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Today's run in numbers

Number of minutes spent waiting for subway to get to run: 30
Number of Fireasses (aka the 11:30 pace group) who came to run this weekend: 24
Number of laps around the dirt track in Riverside Park to start off the run: 4
Number of bridges crossed: 1 (but I did it twice!)
Number of states visited: 2
Number of TFKers who gave me high-fives as I crossed the GWB: lots
Number of fig newtons I ate during the run: 4 (I think?)
Number of miles I ran before taking a huge yardsale on the jogging path in Riverside Park: 17.5
Number of miles I walked after said yardsale: .5
Number of watches lost after said yardsale: 1
Number of TFKers who took care of me after I bit the dust: lots (thanks, guys!!)
Number of PB&J sandwiches I ate after the run: 1
Number of pudding cups I ate after the run: 1

I really felt the team spirit today as we ran from 72nd st in Riverside Park up the west side to Fort Tryon Park (around the Cloisters), over the GW Bridge and back. The views from the Cloisters and over the GWB were unbelievable, and I forgot my various aches and pains as my teammates passed and gave me high-fives along the way. I focused on the Manhattan skyline and tried not to think about the paper waiting for me when I got home. I have to say, it worked! How cool to run over the bridge and back and along such a beautiful greenway! Now I can actually say that I ran to Jersey and back.

I plugged along and started to feel some tightness in my hip during the last few miles of the run. When I started running, my ankle really hurt, but some of the pain went away, so I was grateful for that. Around mile 15, I really REALLY wanted to stop running, but Patty and I kept each other focused. I battled in my head a little, but had a rhythmn down and was half a mile from the finish when a loose rock on the path caught my toe and I went down. I was stunned, and I remember thinking, "Why am I on the ground? I need to finishing this effing thing!"

But no, I was on the ground. My knee, elbows and palms were completely scraped and bleeding. A crowd of TFKers came over to see if I was ok. Someone poured water on my knee to get the dirt out and Louie lent me his towel. Coach Dave biked by and sent Sarah down with a first aid kit. She cleaned me up and walked back to the finish with me. Seriously, I was so frustrated. I kept thinking, "I could've finished running! I could've finished running!" It was just so aggravating--the whole time my ankle hurt, and that's not even what got me. It was a stupid rock on the path!

Sarah and I walked to the finish (well, she walked, I limped) and my team cheered when they saw me. Nancy came over and gave me a big hug while I broke down. I was still startled from wiping out and angry at the timing of it. "I could've finished, Nancy!" She pulled back and said, "Where do you think you are? You finished! Don't let me efffing hear that you didn't finish!" All the Fireasses gathered around for a big group hug, and then they all scattered to bring me a PB&J (chunky with strawberry!), ice for my knee, advil, and my bag. They were such a supportive bunch. I can't imagine doing this without them!

So do I get credit for the full 18?

Saturday, September 09, 2006

a little scared...

Tomorrow is going to be so intense. 18 miles, from 72nd street up to the cloisters, over the GW bridge to touch jersey, and back. Coach Adam's email yesterday was supposed to make us feel better:

"Remember though that you've already run 16 miles, which means that your run this Sunday is only two miles of new running. Two miles, anyone can do that!"

Still, I was with Tom at the farmer's market this morning, telling him what I'm going to do tomorrow, and he just looked at me. "M, that's really far."

I know.

This week, I had some ankle pain on Tuesday morning and again Thursday at the CU 5k fun run. I hope my body cooperates tomorrow! Plus, J and I volunteered to lead discussion in our Children and Families course this week, so I have a paper due by 11pm tomorrow night. What? Already? And so it begins....You can bet I'm not going to feel like writing that thing after 18 miles tomorrow!

Sunday, September 03, 2006

T and I earned our Jamba Juice today!

TFK folks ran an easy 10 miles (not too long ago, 10 miles seemed like a lot!) in the remnants of Ernesto yesterday, and I slept in and had a very lazy day on my own. i'd already committed to running the same 14.2 mile training run this morning that i did last year, the one from the top of manhattan to the top of battery park. T couldn't join me last year, so I did it on my own with some help from three very kind strangers, two of which came over and reintroduced themselves after today's run! how fitting, to go back a year later to the run that welcomed me to New York and started me thinking that I might be able to do a marathon! I was getting a little nostalgic, but I tried to keep it under control. But seriously, how fast did the year go?

T and I found each other on the subway really early this morning, and we headed to the start. T was a little anxious about the distance, and kept telling me that I was her coach for the day. I'm not sure how much coaching I did, but I did keep us at a comfortable "commute" pace and prevented T from starting out too fast. By mile 10, we were passing folks who did just that! The run was just beautiful--the sun was shining, the neighborhoods were interesting, the views from Riverside drive were breathtaking, and we had plenty of time to catch up on life. I could've done without the annoying DJ who kept telling us to speed up and the two dead rats that were in my path, but otherwise, it was a fun few hours! T kept saying that I've joined some weird cult, which I guess is true to a certain extent, because everyone at the run was talking about last weekend's half or races coming up, and T felt like she was the only one not wearing a running t-shirt. (She wasn't). She does have a point, though--there is definitely a culture of running, and if she thought this run was intense, she should be part of some of the TFK back and forth that goes on at practice and online! Who else gets excited about gatorade high endurance?

T did great, and by the end of the run we were talking about how good a Jamba Juice would taste, so we took off to satisfy the craving. Two Strawberry Sunrises later, we were much happier campers. Now it's on to the rest of the day, which means homework and other chores to get ready for the start of classes on Tuesday. No pictures of today's run--I guess we forgot, although we did talk about taking some! You'll just have to take our word for it!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

a shout out to my dear brother



big thanks to Brendan for his generous donation to TFK! I will run mile 25 for him, because he wants me to be "in pain when I'm thinking of him." too kind, really.

Read on for an excerpt from this week's Team for Kids newsletter--my very own pace group, team fireass, is featured!

No doubt you've heard of this notorious pace group in New York. Team Fireass (otherwise known as the 11:30 pace group) is a shining example of what Team for Kids is all about: working together, supporting one another, and having fun in the process.

But what's the secret to this group's success? We asked their fearless leader, Frank Brown, to describe why he thinks Team Fireass has become a positive force in the Team for Kids Community.

What's the story behind your group's name?
I wanted something that simultaneously would convey passion and silliness. If you can't say it with a straight face, you can't take yourself too seriously -- which means you can be passionate about the running part (which we are) and appropriately humble about the fact that there are Team For Kids runners who can cover two miles in the time it takes us to cover one.

"Fire" conveys the passion for running and excelling; it gives us a real sense of community and pride. We may not be speedy, but we're fiery; we care about each other, and we care about all the other pace groups. We want our Fire to spread to all the pace groups so that "Team For Kids" becomes an unstoppable force, an inferno.

The "Ass" part keeps it fun and light. Originally, I wanted it to convey that while we run like our pants are on fire (Coach Adam calls that Race Pace), there isn't a pace group that has more fun. In the heat, on the hills, in the later miles of long runs, if you aren't having fun, you shouldn't be out there. Everyone has days when they don't feel like running -- when they're sore and their bodies are tired and they don't want to do the push ups or the planks or the reverse crunches.

That's where Fireass pride comes in: There are no shortcuts on Team Fireass. I refuse to let down my pace group or my pace group's name. If you're on Team Fireass, you bring passion and excitement and FIRE to every Team For Kids training session or race. The more passion and excitement, the more fun. It creates itself and builds on itself.

I know "Ass" isn't exactly a word you want sewn into a pillow, particularly when we're running on behalf of children, but in today's world, it's a word with no worse than a 'PG' rating. When young people are around, I call our group "Firebutts" to keep things respectable.

Ours is a benevolent fire -- one that warms but doesn't destroy.

Monday, August 28, 2006

NYC half marathon (+2.9!)=16, a personal record!




Yesterday, I woke up at 4:30 am and headed to Central Park in the dark to run 2.9 miles with TFK prior to the start of the NYC Half Marathon. It was REALLY early and kind of freaky, and I was a little anxious because I'd had knee and ankle pain all week. Shockingly enough, though, I was on fire--I had perhaps my best run to date! We finished our 2.9 just in time for the start, and ran as a pack of 11:30 "fire asses" for the whole 13.1. It was crazy--there were 10,000 runners total (including, I learned today, Natalie Morales from the Today show and several Kenyan world champions). It poured for a few minutes, but misted for the rest of the race. I was grateful not to have a repeat of last weekend's 14- mile swim in Maine!

After an endless loop of Central Park (oh, I was SO ready to get out into the street after nearly 10 miles in the park!), we exited onto 7th avenue and ran through Times Square! It was the COOLEST--no cars, just a runners ahead! We passed stages through the whole race, include one that featured the cast of RENT singing "Take me or leave me." You all probaly know that's my favorite song from the musical--I sang along for a few lines and then decided it was taking too much energy, so I stopped. We ran down 42nd St to the West Side Highway, where we finished the race at Battery Park. All along, there were people cheering us on, which was totally motivating. I can only imagine what marathon day is like!

My time was 2:39:28, which is quite slow considering that the leaders were running a 4:50 per mile pace, but I felt great at the end. We alternated between 15 minutes of commute pace (11:30/mile) and 5 minute intervals of warm-up pace (about 30 seconds faster per mile) and supported each other. How cool that I was able to SPEED UP for the last mile after running for nearly 3 hours (including the 2.9 miles prior to the race)!!

Orientation at CUSSW started today, which means school is just around the corner. I really like my group of first-years so far, and I'm totally telling them that cheering me on at the marathon is a group event! Why not, right? ;)

(Photos courtesy of New York Road Runners)

Friday, August 25, 2006

another year older!

A friend asked me yesterday how it feels to be a member of the "quarter-century club." Before yesterday, I didn't know such a club existed, but now I guess I belong to it! Thanks to all who made my birthday so much fun--the emails, cards, phone calls, delicious lunch (T, who knew that sushi and ice cream from coldstone went well together?), candle-adorned cupcake (yum, thanks Johnny!) and little gathering last night will not be soon forgotten! Thanks especially to Colleen and Diego--my room smells like a garden because of the beautiful flowers you gave me! I even got some TFK donations as birthday gifts! Rock on, people! You're all great! It was a lovely day all around.

As far as training, I think I hit a bit of a wall on Tuesday night when I was doing hill intervals with the team in Central Park. I had just gotten back from Maine and I was dehydrated and my ankle hurt. I cut the workout short and headed home to rest. Wednesday I struggled to get through my cross training at the gym, and yesterday I had more ankle/knee pain at the end of my run in the park. I'm super-excited about the 1/2 marathon (+2.9) this weekend--picked up my number today at my first expo experience--but I hope I can get through it pain-free. I'll make myself ice my foot religiously tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me!

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

NYC half marathon this Sunday

...plus 2.9 additional miles BEFORE the race for TFKers! (That's right, I have to be there at 6am). The NYC Half Marathon will be televised on ABC 7 starting at 7am! For those of you in the NYC area, wake up early and watch me run! I'll be wearing neon green, with several hundred of my closest TFK friends!

Visit this link to check out the NYC half marathon commercial--

http://www.nyrr.org/nychalf/images/nychalf.mov

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

so far, the most memorable run of the season!

I went home to Maine this weekend for a quick visit before school starts the week after next. Mom and Dad and the rest of the extended family wanted to see me before my birthday on Thursday, too (and who am I to pass up celebrations in my honor?!) I arrived in Portland on Saturday evening, and Barbara Bush was at the airport picking up houseguests. How kind of her to meet me! She even dressed for the occasion, pearls and all!

I woke up Sunday to thunder and lightning and was immediately really aggravated because I've been psyching myself up to do a 14-mile run with hills without the help of my great pace group. For awhile it seemed like I wasn't going to go, but the rain stopped mid-morning and off I went. Mom thought it was hilarious, me with my belt, gels, plastic-wrapped cell phone and ipod, etc. I got going and felt good, only to be hit with a TORRENTIAL downpour 20 minutes into the run. (Remember a few Thursdays ago, when Adam and I nearly swam home after being caught in a monsoon? Yeah, it was like that). Pretty soon I was soaked, and I thought for a second about turning around, but I couldn't get any wetter, so I just kept going. It was quite funny, actually...rain, mist, rain, mist, spray from cars passing me on route 9...all I could do was laugh. Any right-minded person would've stayed home in her pajamas, but NO--all in the name of Team for Kids!

Big thanks to Aunt Ellie and Uncle Stu for finding me a route with LOTS of hills and to Mom and Dad for driving alongside me every few miles and holding gatorade out the car window! I wished my TFK teammates were there to share the experience with me, but oddly enough, I think they were! I finished, felt great, and was smiling at the end of 14 miles. Dad commented later, "You look to be in less pain than I would've thought!" and then later..."You know, if you'd asked me a year ago if I thought you could do this, I'd have said no. But you're doing it! I saw you today!" What a great sense of accomplishment I had, hearing my dad say that :)

Congratulations to the TFKers who ran Rockefeller this weekend! Wish I could've been there, but I don't think I'll forget my 14-miler anytime soon...

Thursday, August 17, 2006

the cutest thing i have EVER seen



a fellow TFK teammate warming up with a member of the New York Road Runner's Foundation Rabbits team! many thanks to omar for sharing his photos!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

pushing a personal record!

I have two days left at my internship, and then I'll be heading up to Maine for the weekend to hang out with the fam before school starts. Sadly, I'll miss my teammates and the Rockefeller run (the "blair witch" run through the woods!) on Sunday. However, I will be running 14 miles (just .2 miles shy of my personal record!) at Goose Rocks on my own. I'm kind of nervous about it, but I know I can do it. I think I'm going to run to the Bush estate and back (thinking about maybe asking them if I can use their bathroom?! In which case I probably shouldn't bring my eggs to throw at the house). The route has lots of hills, so my teammates need not worry that I'm skimping on the strength training!

Oh, and as many of you may know, my birthday is one week from tomorrow. In lieu of gifts, I will be accepting donations to my TFK fund (and you thought it was too late to donate!) Visit the link at the right, click on Contribute and make me a happy girl on my birthday!

Last name: Flavin
Bib number: 2451

Saturday, August 12, 2006

tools of the trade




whoever said that all one needs to run are sneakers and some road was wrong. despite my quest to achieve a newfound zen through training for the marathon (well, maybe not, but that's the way some of the coaches talk!) i seem to have accumulated more stuff in the process! new sneakers, a fuel belt, gels (they come in handy for anything longer than 10 miles, but note to self: i do not like the raspberry and cream flavor!), gatorade, wicking socks, etc. who knew there was so much gear involved in this sport??

the 11:30 pace group did really well in our 12-mile long run this morning, despite the fact that we were missing nancy and emily due to injury! heal up soon, ladies! it was another perfect day (almost chilly when i left my building at 6am to head to the park), and a welcome change from Thursday, when Adam and I were caught in a monsoon and had to swim home!

we headed down the west side today, past chelsea piers (and Law & Order way!) and turned around at houston to come back up the park. all the way, we did a "west side story" theme complete with jets and sharks squaring off with squirt guns. dave got me, and i think he might've been the only one. i guess i'm just too fast ;). I can't believe how smoothly the 11 miles went--we're all getting so much stronger! the last mile wasn't too fun, thanks to a blister on my foot, but i made it through and was rewarded with nancy's great banana bread at the end of the run. popsicles, too!

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

hill intervals

i've graduated from base training! that means i'm in the strength building part of my marathon training, which has me running hill intervals during the week. last night, i did 40 minutes of intervals up and down hills at warm-up pace (which is supposedly a minute faster than commute pace, but it's hard to go faster up a freaking hill!)

needless to say, my legs hurt a little this morning!

saturday morning, TFK will be taking on the west side for a 12- mile strength- building run. that means hills. woohoo. oh well, whatever i do now will prepare me for those bridges on race day!

Saturday, August 05, 2006

A beautiful day for a run!

This morning, at the crack of dawn, I went to Central Park--in a cab again because it was too early for the buses (seriously, can't look at cabs the same way after a summer at the TLC!)--for the weekly long run with TFK. As I stumbled around my room half asleep, I kept thinking "I must REALLY like this" and "I must be having a REALLY good time to get up this early!" We slapped on some green paint (I sported a TFK logo on my arm) and did 11 miles at commute pace in conjunction with the ING Marathon Long Training Run #1. I was a little stiff at the beginning, but the first two miles up a hill were a pretty big wake-up call! It was a good run, and I love being with a group of people who:

1) are at my pace
2) love to chat (especially Nancy, who tells GREAT stories about last year's training season and race, which get me ALL SORTS of excited to run the big one on 11/5)
3) feel no shame about stopping for water or pee breaks despite the fact that the hardcore folks are lapping us all over the place. Whatever. We'll be the ones smiling when finishing the marathon.

The 11:30s (aka Team Fireass--ask Frank where we got that name, because I'm not entirely sure, but it seems to energize us) all run for fun and today was a beautiful day with a breeze--a huge change from the past few days in NYC, where the heat index was over 100. bleh. days like this are why i run. go TFK!

Sunday, July 30, 2006

what an insane week!

it's been a week since i've written, and a lot's gone down on the marathon front in a week! last saturday, i hurt my ankle and was hobbling around for about a day and a half with an ice pack all but glued to my foot. by sunday afternoon, i felt a bit better and went to jackrabbits to buy new running shoes. this store is completely fabulous--i got to run on a treadmill and have the (cute) salesguy tell me all about my stride and what kind of shoes i needed. he told me that my stride was "unique." translation: funny looking (but i'll bet he says that to all the girls).

despite my "unique" stride, the shoes made a HUGE difference for yesterday's long run. but i'll get to that.

tuesday i didn't run because i wanted to go easy on the ankle (i went to a cookout for the city interns at gracie mansion, too!), but thursday i ran and it felt so good after the crazy week i had at work, out surveying FHV drivers. if you want to know more about my project or my summer internship, just ask--pretty interesting stuff, but there are some really long, stressful days ahead until i finish up on the 18th of august! andrew teased me (at least i hope he was teasing me) that there had been some talk at the office that i wouldn't be able to finish the race because i'm not dedicated enough. of course, that made me want to finish it even more. see you at the finish line, office-talkers!

yesterday's long run was awesome once i got there (no bus came, so i had to take a cab at 6:30am to get to the park in time), and i breathed a big sigh of relief at being able to finish without pain. i think it was the shoes. the shoes and my totally great pace group, the 11:30s, who made a great showing on the course AND with the after-run refreshments! oh my goodness, we had so much extra food. i made a gentleman at the 86th street subway station VERY happy with a bag of Nancy's great banana bread. unfortunately, we didn't get to run to randall's island because the bridge was up, but the loop around the park was fun, too.

the benefits to being on this team are never-ending. betsy and i discovered that we each had the wrong size fuel belt, so we switched and we're much happier (at least i hope so--betsy, how did it work for you?), and dave b. gave me a great running mix full of crazy techno and dance music. speaking of daves, dave w, where were you yesterday? sarah k, i didn't see you either!

another week down--november 5 will be here before i know it. i just can't wait to be there for the actual day of the race. my teammates who have run it before say that it ranks up there on the "scale of life-changing experiences" with getting married and having kids. my great running partner, patty, got goosebumps when telling me about it yesterday! i don't know what getting married or having kids is like, but i'll soon know firsthand what it's like to run up first avenue with all those people cheering me on! i'm so excited, i can't even wait!

many, many thanks to those who continue to donate! mile 25 is for uncle stu and ellie! mel k, thanks so much for your donation and for being so excited for me :)

Saturday, July 22, 2006

and mile 26 goes to...

the epsteins, because according to them, "it's worth waiting for!" thank you to all of you!!

8 miles

What a busy week this has been! I worked late every night, so I didn't make it to Tuesday's or Thursday's runs. I did them on my own, and it was weird not being with a pace group. How strange, since I ran alone up until 3 weeks ago! Just as well, since it was about 100 degrees on Tuesday night and I couldn't fathom going for a run outside!

Today's long run in Central Park was 8 miles--4 with the Run for Central Park and then 4 additional miles, all at commute pace to build endurance. I felt a little sluggish when I woke up this morning, so I was a little anxious about how my knees would feel during the run. It was so annoying--one mile in and my right knee and shin started to hurt. Fearless pace group leader Frank told me to warm up and see how I felt, and after a few minutes, the tightness passed for a few miles. Then, my left ankle started to hurt. To top it off, there were SO many people running the race and it was about 90% humidity! Needless to say, it was a rough day for me. So frustrating, because my heart rate was steady and my breathing was good, it was just my stupid knee and ankle! I've spent the afternoon sitting down with ice on both, and planning to stay off them tomorrow!

Despite all my achiness, my pace group managed to finish the 8 miles together, and we ran the second 4 two minutes faster than the first four! Pretty cool. I also have to give a shout out to two of my fellow racers today--not TFK members, but I won't hold it against them! Larry the Lighthouse was back this week--check out http://larrythelighthouse.com. I first saw him last week during our 5 mile race. This dude is hilarious--he runs in a wooden lighthouse costume! I don't know HOW he does it. And secondly, I saw this amazing little boy this morning--he couldn't have been more than 7 years old. He had one leg and he was racing right alongside us with the help of a rollerblade and some cross country ski poles! I don't know who he is, but it was so inspiring to see him. It really puts a little ankle pain into perspective!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

I'm overwhelmed!

The generosity of family and friends now that i'm getting the word out about the marathon is overwhelming! I'll write more about the week in training soon, but many many thanks to all who have donated! ALL of the Casey families, the Damons, and to Mom for helping spread the word--I REALLY appreciate it!

I will run the following miles for these excellent supporters:
Mile 1: Eric K.
Mile 2: Damon family
Mile 3: Tanya
Mile 4: Diego and family
Mile 5: Jane Oliver
Mile 6: Kate, Mark, Stuie, Olivia
Mile 7: Kenny, Tracy, Emma
Mile 8: Bill and Audrey Maher
Mile 9: Darcey Comer
Mile 10: Stephen K.
Mile 14: Mimi and John
Mile 15: Rob, Cheryl, V and Suz
Mile 16: Jim, Irene, R, C,A
Mile 25: Brendan
Mile 26: Epstein family

You KNOW you want me to run a mile for you, too! Donate and make it happen :)

Saturday, July 15, 2006

week 2!

i realized i haven't written in awhile, so it's time for an update! tuesday night, i joined some TFK folks in central park for an evening workout. we did a warm-up that felt like a high school xcountry practice (or what i imagine one to feel like, since i never did that in high school). it was pretty cool to be doing exercises in a big group like that--very motivating! (maybe i should've tried the team sports thing earlier, but hey, better late than never, right?)

wednesday was yoga (love that yoga) and thursday night i skipped our workout because i went to the ani d. show in central park. gotta get my priorities straight, after all. just kidding (kind of). it was a great show, full of memorable quotes. for example, my hallmate Aspen came with me and said, as we were watching a group of teeny boppers get down to 'napoleon': " look at those girls. they're so liberated--they only blew their hair dry once today!" tis true, the crowds at ani shows have changed since i started going ten years ago (can you believe it? thursday marked show number 14!) but ani was still in top form with a beautiful new poem and a new album out at the end of the summer. plus, she closed with 'overlap.' 'nuff said.

anyway, after not running since tuesday, i was a little tight for cross training last night at the gym and a little nervous about 6 miles in awful heat this morning. but i was a trooper and got up at 6am to get to the park for 7. my pace group is great and we stayed right on point for the 5 mile race and then slowed down a bit for the last mile that TFK so kindly added for us (sarcasm, anyone?) but seriously, despite the loss of focus when folks around me were finishing at mile 5, i felt really good and was able to maintain conversation the whole time. ps, two truths and a lie is a good game to play while running! next week is a 4 mile race with 4 miles added on, and i'm hoping it won't be quite so hot, but we're in New York in july, so who am i kidding?

oh, yeah--i just finished a GREAT book recommended to me by Eric K called "The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner." It's about a Brit (Russell Taylor, the author) who agreed to run the NYC marathon after getting drunk and making a bet with a friend in a London pub. The book is hilarious and it tells the story of his training all the way from joining a gym and using the treadmill for five minutes and then showering to completing the race NY-style. The writing is dry and quite British, and there is a full chapter about the history of the race, including a description of all of the people who died trying to do it. I hope I will not be added to the list when Taylor's new edition comes out!

i know i won't. i'm going to finish, and i'm going to be running when i do. that's right.

more updates to come! many thanks to all who have donated to the fund! you can do so by clicking on the "Team for Kids" link and entering my name and bib number (2451). i appreciate it!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Donate and I'll run a mile just for you!

Visit the Team for Kids link and type in my name and registration number to donate! If you'd like me to run a mile just for you, let me know! Mile 1 is for Eric K--I promise I'll run it slooooowly! Mile 14 is for Mimi and John--they'll be rooting for me when it gets really hard!

Many, many thanks to all who have already donated to my marathon fund! Mimi and John, Betsy, Tom, Melissa, Colleen C. and Eric K.-- you are all so generous!

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Pictures from Saturday's first group run



Here are some pictures from Saturday's first group run with TFK--look left for proof that I was there! (It's a little bit like "Where's Waldo?")I got lots of comments on the Bowdoin t-shirt, and I hated telling excited alums that no, I didn't go there!

Sunday, July 09, 2006

TFK website is up!

The beautiful new TFK website is now up! If you'd like to make a donation to my marathon fund, go to www.teamforkids.org and click on "contribute." follow the prompts and enter my full name and registration number (2451) and the amount you wish to pledge. I am so grateful for any donation you can give, and if you are unable to give money at this time, that's ok too--just send some good training karma my way. :)

training has officially begun!

Yesterday, I headed over to Central Park for an 8am five-mile timed run with Team for Kids! It was the first official run of the 2006 training season. What a beautiful day, and how energizing to see a crowd of people gathered together to run for a cause! I met some great folks, all with different reasons to run. (I'll bet you can guess mine--I run for fun!) Everybody wants to accomplish something for themselves and for others. It's so awesome and I realized yesterday that it's going to be so much easier to do this marathon with the help of a team. Just to be clear--I'm not saying the marathon will be easy--but with the support I'm going to be getting, I'm that much more likely to pull through on race day :). I love the quote on the back of the TFK shirt: "I ran my fastest 10k 20 miles into a marathon." We'll see if that happens for me!

I set off on the 5-mile loop around the park with group 3 and took it really easy. It was so cool to people-watch and pick out fellow green-bracelet wearing runners. True, a lot of them were passing me, but I'm not too concerned. I'm a slow runner--I accepted that a LONG time ago--but I can keep going for awhile! I finished in 52:35, which put me in the 11:30 pace group.. can't wait to meet up with my group members next weekend!

Sadly, I didn't get to meet Dave and Sarah, my teammates and authors of the two blogs linked at the right--Guys, we're all going to have to wear red shirts next week or something!

More to come--I'm just getting started!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

4th of July Flavin-style!




This weekend, I headed home to Maine for a little 4th of July Flavin fun. In true "Camp Flavin" fashion, we had a cast of thousands (including a tent full of B's friends and lots of extended family!) It was a great time--Dad made a lobster feast for Mom's birthday. Check out the photo of the leftovers--(that's right, leftovers--we had 50 lobsters total) --in the sink. Some of the crew got up early Tuesday morning and went to cheer on the crowds at the bike parade (What can I say, it's a small town).

I also got in some great running this weekend. My cousin and I did a long-ish one on Sunday, and I felt pretty good after that. B had a friend visiting who does triathlons, and he was the only person up for a morning run on Monday. We kept a good pace then, too. Tuesday AM, I woke up and did the 12th annual (that's what it says on my t-shirt!) GRBA 5k. I finished in 28.28, which is pretty decent, considering that it was really sticky and I ran 2 miles to the start of the race! Mom and Dad came to cheer and take photos--they're rehearsing for the real deal in November. :)

It was a great weekend, and even my disasterous trip back to NYC couldn't ruin that! I was delayed 3 hours due to weather, but I did manage to see the fireworks as the SuperShuttle van tried to navigate through three lanes of parked cars on the LIE. I got home later than expected, so I'm a little tired today, but I'm totally pumped to start official training on Saturday!

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

random ruminations

i was awake at 4:30 this morning--why, I don't know--thinking about things. (how vague can I be?) one of those 'things' was the marathon and my upcoming training. I had dinner with my brother a few nights ago when he was in the city on business (which is pretty amusing to me, considering that my brother is younger than I am and has an expense account while I am a struggling graduate student/aspiring social worker!). anyway, so B and I had dinner and I was telling him about the training and the race. He was a little surprised that I'm doing it, but I think he's excited for me. Leave it to B to point out the irony in the situation:

B:"So, where does the race go? Around central park or something?"
M: "It goes through all five boroughs."
B: (agape) "M, you are crazy! I couldn't even walk 26.2 miles without complaining. I think it's so funny how, growing up, my activity level was up here (motions with hands in the sky) and yours was down here (motions towards the floor) and now we're like this (switches hand position)."

He's right--it is pretty ironic when I think back to my couch- potato- anti-gym class days and B's tenure as a 3-season athlete. Now I'm running because I want to. Last year after the GRBA 5k, Mom and Dad were like, "Who are you and what have you done with our daughter?!" I started running while I was abroad a few years ago, so very few people saw me when I could barely last 20 minutes. Now they're all surprised that I can finish a half-marathon solidly. I'm pretty proud of that, if I do say so myself! Time for the next challenge. :) November 5, here I come!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

temporary site for online donations!

the snazzy TFK website is not up yet, but in the meantime, if you're so inclined, you can donate here:

https://www.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mar-

don't forget to enter my bib number (2451) on the form!

thanks so much!

Monday, June 26, 2006

welcome!

So I've decided to go for it...I'll be running the NYC marathon in November with Team for Kids, a group dedicated to raising money for fitness programs for kids in underserved areas. I'm so excited--I can barely think of anything else! Training officially starts on July 8, and I will be meeting teammates in Central Park for my first group run! Check out this blog for updates on my training leading up to the big day on November 5!

In the meantime, here are some thoughts from Coach Adam, one of TFK's coaches. I found them incredibly moving. They make me think that this marathon will be much more than a physical experience!

Your comments below also give me another opportunity to introduce the concept of patience. Patience will be your greatest virtue and for many,the toughest trait to develop. We will repeat this throughout your training.The alumni will be your greatest resource in helping you to understand this.A successful marathon is not achieved by rushing. The phrase "Life is likea marathon" exists for a reason. Those who try to either take short cuts or become too curious too quickly by sprinting ahead are the ones that will undoubtedly be left behind. Practice patience throughout your training, not only in your physical training but in all aspects of your life. For thosethat may find this challenging, pause when presented with the opportunity to act. Practice listening over talking. Practice observing over acting. As it is with the rest of your training, a critical factor in adopting a desired behavior is your ability to practice it consistently. Find opportunities throughout your daily life to practice. Patience must be made a part of your fabric by the time you arrive on Staten Island. If all you do is pay it lip service, it will betray you when surrounded by thousands of other enthusiastic runners. Throughout your marathoning training, you will be faced with a series ofchoices. Each choice you make will have an associated consequence.Patience, innovation and curiosity are not mutually exclusive and it is only through experience that one learns how to balance the three. This is why experience is so incredibly valuable and why so many first-time marathoners attempting this on their own go back again to get it right the second, third or fourth time. As a Team for Kids marathoner you will have the support and experience of your coaches and staff to help guide you through this maze most effectively so that your first experience will be amazing.