I had 3 marathons on my bucket list once I ran my first marathon back in 2000 - Boston, Marine Corps and New York City. I have since added Chicago to that list. Each of these 3 marathons had a special meaning for me. Boston was on the list because of the history and storied nature of the race. And every true runner dreams of running the Boston Marathon. I knew I would never be able to qualify for this prestigious race. Therefore I figured I would never get the chance until I heard through a friend that you could gain an entry if you were willing to be a charity runner. I feel blessed to have had the chance to run Boston on 3 different occasions all for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Marathon Challenge Team. More importantly, I made some lifelong friends of fellow teammates who I met through the DFMC. The Marine Corps marathon or "The People's Marathon" was on the list for 2 reasons. First, it was because my Dad is a Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel. He served active duty and then stayed on as a Reserve for 20+ years. Second, because I am a Marine Corps brat born on the base at 29 Palms, CA. "Military brat" is known in U.S. military culture as a term of endearment and respect. I wanted the chance to run the marathon because it would allow me to run in our Nation's Capitol and be part of one of the largest marathons in the US and the world and to honor my Marine Corps roots. The coolest part for me was that it finished at the Marine Corps Memorial, a beautiful monument.
The New York City marathon was on my list because I have heard how much fun it is to run through all 5 Boroughs. And it’s the largest marathon in the world, with over 50,000 finishers. I have always loved visiting New York City. Although, I don't think I could ever live there. But I love the vibrancy of the city. I love being able to eat at fantastic little out of the way restaurants and being able to go see shows on Broadway. I am very lucky to get the chance to visit New York at least once every year for work. This year I will finally get to run the marathon and cross it off my list. Maybe I will even be able to set a PR.My parents spent most of their childhood in Chicago. I have been visiting the city for as long as I can remember and always enjoy my time there. I also would like to run it because I still have family living there and will get a chance to hang out with them before and after the race. Several years ago, I was in town for a convention and had a chance to run along the lake. It was a beautiful run and still one of my favorite urban running trails. In fact, just a few weeks ago I had the chance to run that route again. It reminded me that I should really think about running the Chicago Marathon sometime in the future. So I have added it to my list.
Overall my first week of training went as expected. On my longer runs, I would take a few short walk breaks to let my heart rate go down and to avoid overheating. I am hoping that I will become more acclimated over the next several weeks and be able to run every training run without having to take any walk breaks. Even if I do have to take breaks, I know that I am putting in the effort to allow me to toe the line in Staten Island ready to rock the race.
Till next week, run because you can and finish because you want to.
July 4 – 6.20 miles (1:05:18, 10:32 pace) - Hill Repeats
July 5 – 6.30 miles (57:37, 9:09 pace)
July 7 – 7.50 miles (1:10:54, 9:27 pace)
July 8 – 6.20 miles (55:57, 8:50 pace)
July 9 – 10.20 miles (1:37:49, 9:35 pace)
July 10 – 8.20 miles (01:12:48, 8:53 pace)
Total Miles: 44.6 miles
2016 Total Miles: 976.0 miles
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