an adorable little kid near me who was giving passing runners a little extra support.
Mary and Emily, all set to cheer with their Jackrabbit noisemakers
Sunday, November 04, 2007
some photos from the NYC marathon 2007
Paula Radcliffe and Gete Wami, the two amazing women who will eventually take first and second in the women's division. (This picture was taken at mile 7, a mere 38 minutes into their marathon)
an adorable little kid near me who was giving passing runners a little extra support.
Mary and Emily, all set to cheer with their Jackrabbit noisemakers
an adorable little kid near me who was giving passing runners a little extra support.
Mary and Emily, all set to cheer with their Jackrabbit noisemakers
Saturday, November 03, 2007
one year ago tomorrow...
Tomorrow is marathon Sunday in New York City. I am so proud of my friends and teammates who are running, but I am heartbroken not to be among them. Friday night was our team dinner--Race with Purpose folks invited me to join them because I volunteered this season. I was so touched to be included, to still be considered part of the team even though I am not racing this year.
My friend Sarah, who was on staff at Team for Kids, is running with RWP tomorrow. She is amazing, and I feel truly lucky to know her. She's run two marathons for AIDS foundations, and tomorrow will be her third for charity. She is injured and hoping to finish in 5 1/2 to 6 hours, a 12-13 minute pace per mile. Despite her challenges, she is always smiling and ready with an inspiring word. Even so, she needed to be lifted up a little last night--she was anxious about her pacing and feeling that her performance would be diminished by other teammates' speedy showings out on the course tomorrow. Many of them have already qualified for Boston (running marathons in about 3:15 or so). I reminded Sarah (and myself, really) that we don't need to compare ourselves to the fastest teammates. I am never going to run a 3:15 marathon, or even a four hour one, for that matter. My body is not built for it. Sarah and I and other "slow" runners need to think of all those other people who can't even fathom running a marathon and remember that what we do is also extraordinary. In a lot of ways, it's harder for the slower folks to get out there and do it, and for many of us, we've come a long way to get where we are. (Remember when I hated running and couldn't last 15 minutes?)
Most of all, we need to run our own races, not anyone else's. This year's marathon is not my race, but that 7 miles I did this morning felt great and you can bet I'll be back in 2008. Tomorrow, I'll be on 4th avenue in Brooklyn holding pretzels for Sarah and cheering on my teammates as they race with purpose....
STRONG
BREATHE
RELAX
CADENCE
PATIENCE
My friend Sarah, who was on staff at Team for Kids, is running with RWP tomorrow. She is amazing, and I feel truly lucky to know her. She's run two marathons for AIDS foundations, and tomorrow will be her third for charity. She is injured and hoping to finish in 5 1/2 to 6 hours, a 12-13 minute pace per mile. Despite her challenges, she is always smiling and ready with an inspiring word. Even so, she needed to be lifted up a little last night--she was anxious about her pacing and feeling that her performance would be diminished by other teammates' speedy showings out on the course tomorrow. Many of them have already qualified for Boston (running marathons in about 3:15 or so). I reminded Sarah (and myself, really) that we don't need to compare ourselves to the fastest teammates. I am never going to run a 3:15 marathon, or even a four hour one, for that matter. My body is not built for it. Sarah and I and other "slow" runners need to think of all those other people who can't even fathom running a marathon and remember that what we do is also extraordinary. In a lot of ways, it's harder for the slower folks to get out there and do it, and for many of us, we've come a long way to get where we are. (Remember when I hated running and couldn't last 15 minutes?)
Most of all, we need to run our own races, not anyone else's. This year's marathon is not my race, but that 7 miles I did this morning felt great and you can bet I'll be back in 2008. Tomorrow, I'll be on 4th avenue in Brooklyn holding pretzels for Sarah and cheering on my teammates as they race with purpose....
STRONG
BREATHE
RELAX
CADENCE
PATIENCE