I may have mentioned recently that I signed up for the New York City Marathon on November 1. It was a weird fit of fancy, borne out of a realization that half-marathons, while still (very) challenging, were no longer impossible to finish. (Why instead of going down the “hey, maybe I’ll try to improve my half times” I went down the “let’s run even further” road, I don’t know.)
I used to live near the finish of the New York City Marathon, and now live right where the runners enter Manhattan for the last leg of the race, so I’ve seen first-hand how thrilling the marathon is. And after carefully considering it for months a week, I decided that the best way to push myself out of my running ennui would be to trek 26.2 miles through the city I’ve called home for nine(!!!) years.
Though I impulsively signed up in April, I’ve only started training in earnest in the past few weeks. And so far, it’s been rough. The blazing heat and humidity have made it almost impossible to run comfortably at any hour of day or night. I’ve come to regard 75 degrees with 60% humidity as ideal weather, which means all of my runs have been slow, sweat-soaked slogs through Central Park. (Let’s not talk about the water fountain situation–or lack thereof–on the East River. God I miss the Hudson River running paths. Even Jersey is an exciting view when the alternative is Queens … )
One weird bright spot I discovered recently? Juice Press, a fresh cold-pressed juice company, offers runners free green juices on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and noon (aka when most humans are out doing their long runs). All you need to secure your juice: take a photo during your run, mention @juicepress and tag your Twitter or Instagram post with #willrunforjuice. Then hit up your local Juice Press store (if you’re lucky like me, it will be directly on your way home from Central Park) and claim your prize!
I tried it out last Saturday, and it was literally that easy. Since their juices are $11 a bottle and therefore not something I’d drink otherwise (even my profligate spending has a limit), it’s a great way to try different juices and get some much-needed nutrients in after a long run. I got the Doctor Green juice, made with kale, red apples, pineapple, lemon and ginger. I’ll eat/drink lemon-ginger anything, so I really liked this one, though it was a touch on the sweet side. I will definitely be trying more, and if you find yourself running on a Saturday morning, try it out!
The other huge part of this marathon dream? FUNDRAISING. I’m raising money for Team for Kids, an organization that helps kids from low-income communities develop healthy habits and build self-esteem through running programs. I have to raise a pretty steep amount in order to run — $2,620 (EEEK!). It feels very unnatural for me to ask other people for money (is anyone comfortable doing that?) but I’m going to need to kick it into gear ASAP in order to meet my goal.*
I did get profiled by Team for Kids recently, which is the first time I’ve been interviewed for anything ever. Tried my best to not sound stupid, but I’ll let you be the judge.
I’ll be updating you guys sporadically with updates from training, but I’ll also be posting frequent updates on To The Finish Line, a Tumblr I created so that I don’t bore you guys incessantly with weird training stories. But who doesn’t want to hear all about my chafing concerns …
*Every dollar counts, so if you can donate, I’d really really appreciate it! Brownies for everyone! https://www.runwithtfk.org/Profile/PublicPage/26029
Leave a Reply