Tuesday, January 11, 2011

New York Marathon here I come....

On Sunday I did my first run here in New York that goes towards qualifying for the New York Marathon 2011. I completed the NYRR Fred Lebow Classic 5M in 51:51 minutes.
Doing the NYC marathon is one of the goals I have set for myself however I have to say the thought of doing a 42km race is rather daunting however the fact that it is daunting is primarily my motivation for wanting to do it. I have this quality about me and it goes back as far as I can remember. When I am told I cannot do something or something seems impossible or very hard I then have to do it and do it well. I love proving people wrong and I have to say I thank my father for that! He was a man who always told my sister and I that we could do whatever we set our minds too . It was his mantra and after all the years of hearing this it certainly did stick. My father has an amazing quality he was always supportive in whatever we ventured in and he also is eternal optimist. At times I have to say it is annoying but mostly it is very endearing but it’s definitely a quality I have inherited much to Hugo annoyance at times.
I did the race with two friends of ours who are also keen runners. Hugo stayed home and cooked pancakes for the kids. I was very impressed by the whole organization and the motivation of all the runners and the New York Road Runners whom I am proudly a member of now. It was the kick off for 2011 and everyone was excited.
The raced commenced and instantly I felt the “high” I get when I run. I am a running junkie and it’s really become a true addiction that I don’t plan on giving up. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this magnificent park and especially as it was covered in snow. I was not sure of the race route which was intentional. I was a bit worried I was not  fit enough as I have only really been back at the gym for 2 weeks and I hate doing fun runs if I cannot give it my 100%. Previous to that I had not done any exercise for almost three months due to the move so I was curious to see how I was going to cope with it. The run felt amazing and I felt that with the minus 2 degree temperature that it actually cleared my head and my lungs. I ran past many of my favourite building especially the Dakota Building where Yoko Ono still lives and the Guggenheim. I was just still in awe of the fact that I was actually running in this magnificent city. I completed the race and felt this amazing sense of achievement. It’s made me even more determined to do my best to qualify for the Marathon.

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