Good luck with the rest of your training! I have a similar relationship with running and have run Chicago 3 times. Awesome experience. I bet you’ll want to do it again!
I’m no psychologist, but I do have internet access 😁, so I’ll surmise that you enjoy running because your Mom runs. My late father was, simply put, an athlete. He grew up playing everything, played football and rowed in high school and college, played handball until his knees (decimated playing football) would no longer tolerate it, and then played golf as long as he could. He and a group of buddies would play handball at lunch for years and years, and I think the thrill of competing - against others and himself - pushed him to keep doing SOMETHING as long as he lived.
I started doing CrossFit nine years ago when I was looking for an outlet of some sort. I had just moved into the city after what your Human Resources Department calls “a major life event.” And I think of how much my Dad would have loved CrossFit, if it had existed when he was alive. I want to keep doing it as long as I’m able to, to stay as fit as I can, sure, but to honor my Dad and his unending desire to challenge himself.
Congratulations in advance for your first marathon! You may choose to do more, or you may not. But you’ll always share that bond with your Mom, and you’ll remember that and the races you’ve run with her for the rest of your miles on this planet.
I get the sentiment that a marathon is something to survive at the end of a long training block but I’ve always thought of the marathon as the celebration at the end. You’ve done the work, so get out there and enjoy it. This is especially true for NYC which is a 26 mile long party. I ran it twice (2014 and 2019) and they’re two of my favourite running experiences. Enjoy, and I look forward to reading all about it.
You’ve waited until three weeks out to tell newsletter readers you’re running NYC. That is not insufferable! (One of my goals is to run a marathon and I haven’t done it yet.) Have fun!
I just do very simple 3-mile run everyday but if I miss it I'm down right cranky. The longest race I've run is a 10k. Maybe if you survive I'll use it as motivation to step it up. Good luck!
My oldest kid ran cc in college and the NYC marathon. He described the base-building pre-race training as each day making a small deposit in the bank. The day of the race is a giant withdrawal.
(Tarantino favorite movie? No love for True Romance? The Sicilian Scene?).
You absolutely nailed the running experience, both falling in love with it and training for your first marathon. I ran my first full last fall and I essentially 'mourned' the end of my training block. Kind of like that album you listen to the first time and you instantly know it's a masterpiece but you realize you'll never be able to hear it again for the first time?
I wish you the best of luck on race day! Enjoy your final long run, savor the taper (even the taper 'crazies' if they come along with it), the carbo loading. It's cliché but you've put in the work, the race is a celebration of that. Excited to hear how it goes!
Thanks! I've got my 20 mile run this Saturday, the final long one. (I will then take a nap and watch the Illini play Michigan and Georgia play Texas. That's my little gift to myself.)
Perfect gift after a 20 miler (also, Go Illini)! I listened to Illinois/Kansas LAST year during a Friday evening long run but that quickly turned to punishment and, as much as I like Brian Barnhart, had to go back to music.
You should come to Sydney to run the city to surf. You might even be able to con a publication into paying for you to write about it. Sydney Harbor to Bondi Beach feels like it ticks the boxes for what American readers would be interested in about Australia, hell I think you even run past Nicole Kidmans house somewhere around heartbreak hill (the famous hill that breaks some runners)
Might as try and weasel your way into an all expenses paid trip for it anyway 😀😂
Oh and I should add, this country is do obsessed with being noticed by Americans, if the right person reached out to the right person from ‘Discover NSW’ or ‘Tourism Australia’ hell even the city of Sydney, you never know, they might even throw in the flights for the free tourism advertising
"I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass." -- David Lee Roth.
I'm glad you mentioned you'll bus it to the starting point. I've always wondered how they transported thousands of people to a borough that doesn't have subways. Is it like a special event MTA bus? School bus? Chartered? I need answers dammit! 😁
I recall you running a race with your mom. She joining you?
They organize buses to the start from a few different locations, as well as a ferry + bus option. Topical for today: hard to beat the logistics of Chicago where start/end are in Grant Park and that's right next to the loop.
This reminds me of the 5-day juice fast my husband and I just completed, except your ordeal is much longer. The juice fast was so intense it was all I could talk about, it was a crucible, and now I am (even) less fun than I was before. But you should be so proud, and your NYC experience is going to be interesting and I’m sure unforgettable. YOU GOT THIS!
Good luck with the rest of your training! I have a similar relationship with running and have run Chicago 3 times. Awesome experience. I bet you’ll want to do it again!
I’m no psychologist, but I do have internet access 😁, so I’ll surmise that you enjoy running because your Mom runs. My late father was, simply put, an athlete. He grew up playing everything, played football and rowed in high school and college, played handball until his knees (decimated playing football) would no longer tolerate it, and then played golf as long as he could. He and a group of buddies would play handball at lunch for years and years, and I think the thrill of competing - against others and himself - pushed him to keep doing SOMETHING as long as he lived.
I started doing CrossFit nine years ago when I was looking for an outlet of some sort. I had just moved into the city after what your Human Resources Department calls “a major life event.” And I think of how much my Dad would have loved CrossFit, if it had existed when he was alive. I want to keep doing it as long as I’m able to, to stay as fit as I can, sure, but to honor my Dad and his unending desire to challenge himself.
Congratulations in advance for your first marathon! You may choose to do more, or you may not. But you’ll always share that bond with your Mom, and you’ll remember that and the races you’ve run with her for the rest of your miles on this planet.
I ran cross country in high school and learned that I like tennis much better.
I get the sentiment that a marathon is something to survive at the end of a long training block but I’ve always thought of the marathon as the celebration at the end. You’ve done the work, so get out there and enjoy it. This is especially true for NYC which is a 26 mile long party. I ran it twice (2014 and 2019) and they’re two of my favourite running experiences. Enjoy, and I look forward to reading all about it.
Thanks. I look forward to ... it being over!
I appreciate those that run but I don't understand them. A nice walk, sure, but running is just impossible for me to comprehend.
I'm always reminded of an old line from Woody Allen (sorry): "Swimming isn't a sport. Swimming is something you do so you don't drown."
You’ve waited until three weeks out to tell newsletter readers you’re running NYC. That is not insufferable! (One of my goals is to run a marathon and I haven’t done it yet.) Have fun!
Thanks! We'll ... see how this works.
I just do very simple 3-mile run everyday but if I miss it I'm down right cranky. The longest race I've run is a 10k. Maybe if you survive I'll use it as motivation to step it up. Good luck!
I do recommend 10ks. I find the pace almost exactly right for me.
My oldest kid ran cc in college and the NYC marathon. He described the base-building pre-race training as each day making a small deposit in the bank. The day of the race is a giant withdrawal.
(Tarantino favorite movie? No love for True Romance? The Sicilian Scene?).
He didn't direct that one! That was Tony Scott!
Can't wait to cheer you on!
Let me know where you're going to be, I'll look for you! (If I can raise my head.)
Mile 8 (Clinton Hill area), left-hand side of the street!
A buddy of mine tells a joke about how to find the atheist, the vegan and the CrossFitter at a party? You don't have to find them, they'll tell you.
You absolutely nailed the running experience, both falling in love with it and training for your first marathon. I ran my first full last fall and I essentially 'mourned' the end of my training block. Kind of like that album you listen to the first time and you instantly know it's a masterpiece but you realize you'll never be able to hear it again for the first time?
I wish you the best of luck on race day! Enjoy your final long run, savor the taper (even the taper 'crazies' if they come along with it), the carbo loading. It's cliché but you've put in the work, the race is a celebration of that. Excited to hear how it goes!
Thanks! I've got my 20 mile run this Saturday, the final long one. (I will then take a nap and watch the Illini play Michigan and Georgia play Texas. That's my little gift to myself.)
Perfect gift after a 20 miler (also, Go Illini)! I listened to Illinois/Kansas LAST year during a Friday evening long run but that quickly turned to punishment and, as much as I like Brian Barnhart, had to go back to music.
Oh boy, that Illini game must have been torture to watch
Only torture if they lose!)
I've been insufferable for years now; my current bout is winding down ahead of NYC as well. Good luck!
Oh, are you running NYC? Have you done it before?
You should come to Sydney to run the city to surf. You might even be able to con a publication into paying for you to write about it. Sydney Harbor to Bondi Beach feels like it ticks the boxes for what American readers would be interested in about Australia, hell I think you even run past Nicole Kidmans house somewhere around heartbreak hill (the famous hill that breaks some runners)
Might as try and weasel your way into an all expenses paid trip for it anyway 😀😂
Oh and I should add, this country is do obsessed with being noticed by Americans, if the right person reached out to the right person from ‘Discover NSW’ or ‘Tourism Australia’ hell even the city of Sydney, you never know, they might even throw in the flights for the free tourism advertising
Ha, if you know anybody offering, holler! You make a grand case!
"I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass." -- David Lee Roth.
I'm glad you mentioned you'll bus it to the starting point. I've always wondered how they transported thousands of people to a borough that doesn't have subways. Is it like a special event MTA bus? School bus? Chartered? I need answers dammit! 😁
I recall you running a race with your mom. She joining you?
God speed my friend.
She's coming to watch with the rest of the fam. (I hope she doesn't throw tomatoes at me.)
They organize buses to the start from a few different locations, as well as a ferry + bus option. Topical for today: hard to beat the logistics of Chicago where start/end are in Grant Park and that's right next to the loop.
This reminds me of the 5-day juice fast my husband and I just completed, except your ordeal is much longer. The juice fast was so intense it was all I could talk about, it was a crucible, and now I am (even) less fun than I was before. But you should be so proud, and your NYC experience is going to be interesting and I’m sure unforgettable. YOU GOT THIS!
Thanks! I am ... eager for it to be over!
Btw, I can’t believe you used to smoke! So BRAZEN!