1 Down...12 More (weeks) to Go!

Total Distance Ran to Date (beginning 5/10/09): 17.5 miles

Ok, official start of week two has begun! So far so good - staying right on schedule with my runs. Here's a pic of our last group run in Central Park this past Saturday. It rained for a little bit, but I imagine I'll be praying for rain on the morning of August 16th so there were no complaints on my end...



After the group practive went to visit the TNT-friendly folks at Urban Athletics to have my sneaks examined. Turns out my shoes were too small; one needs a half-size larger shoe when distance running because the toes will swell. This notion totally makes sense to me, but I hadn't given it any thought before then.

They also took a look at my stride and I overpronate - which sounds much worse than it is but still worth addressing to ensure running success. "Pronation" is the rolling of the foot from heel to toe through the foot strike. A proper or neutral pronation is hitting the outside of the heel and up to ball of your foot evenly across the front. This is how your foot reduces the stress of impact. Overpronation is too much roll across from the outside to the inside of your foot and could cause me pain as I continue to run. One pink pair of Asics shoes later, problem solved.

Lastly, joined a gym today to make sure I properly cross-train and build up some strong legs - these babies have to carry me across the finish line! I'm looking forward to strengthening my core and stretching my muscles through some yoga, building endurance with some cycling, and keeping a 10-min mile pace on a treadmill. Woo hoo!

I'm starting to get my ducks all lined up in a row to truly dig in and start doing this thing. I want to pick up a watch and a few more dryfit clothes for the long hot summer ahead and then I think I'm ready to rock!

xoxo,
SR

Welcome Friends, Family, & Colleagues

Hi there! Thanks for swinging by... Here you'll find my personal trials and tribulations as I attempt my first endurance run: the 2009 NIKE NYC Half Marathon on August 16th, 2009.

If you know me at all, you'll know that I'm not that spectacular of an athlete and my history with sports & althetlics has been fleeting at best. I played softball as a child until the point whereby I missed a pop fly and the ball landed on my head, breaking my favorite blue plastic headband. Though not physically harmed, my ego was shot and I quickly turned my wandering attention to a modern & jazz dance class for a brief spell. Quite honestly I don't remember if I ever stuck with it long enough to appear in a recital (Mom?) but it for sure did NOT leave a lasting impressing on my coordination skills. I never played a sport in high school and while I worked at the rec center in college, I didn't spend much time inside the facility outside of my work shifts.

Having moved to the New York City area post-college though one naturally starts moving around more. WALKING is the preferred method of travel and Rec Sports are a after-work social affair. Runners, bikers, skaters are EVERYWHERE with a multitude of terrains to trek across - from the hills of Central Park to the flat beautifully landscaped running paths in Battery Park City. At some point, everybody turns to running and I too have found myself running along side the river, the skyline as my backdrop.



I've flirted with this running thing for the past year or two, busting through a few 5Ks here and there, but never really sticking with the sport, banishing my sneaks to the back of the closet as the mild runner-friendly seasons melt into the sweltering summer or freeze into the blustery cold winter. That all changed a week ago when I witnessed a friend run 5 hours in the pouring rain at the Long Branch, NJ marathon. Her perseverence, dedication, and unyielding determination sparked something inside me inspiring me to take my own flirtations to the next level.

So I have decided to run a half-marathon, 13.1 miles, 2+ hours, in the middle of the aforementioned sweltering summer. Needless to say, this is a big commitment for me - quite possibly the biggest in all of my twenty-five years - and I'm excited for, yet acutely humbled by, the physical and mental challenges the next 3 months will bring. I couldn't do this alone; thankfully three of my dear friends are joining me in this crazy adventure and we're all approaching this challenge in our own unique ways.




As a result, I'm taking advantage of my run to support those who are working to cure blood cancers: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Through the LLS's Team in Training program, I'm running in memory of my grandmother, Doreen Embry, who lost her battle with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma when I was 10. Her untimely, unfair death at far too young age robbed both her and me of multiple milestones we should have shared together as a family. Help me to honor her and the others who have lost their lives to blood cancers by making a donation to my donation page, hosted by the LLS here

Thanks for coming along for the ride and I hope to see you at the finish line!

xoxo,
SR