Social Media and Running Fanatic

I was honored to be chosen to represent the Bronx in the 2015 Foot Locker Five Borough Challenge, the race within the race in which one representative from each borough starts the race together and then at the halfway point it’s a race to see which borough will win the challenge and take home the borough trophy. When I applied, I never in a million years thought I would be chosen, one never does with these types of things. But I got the call and the next thing I knew I was being filmed, given lots of really cool Asics gear and instructions for race day.

After months of training and weeks of drama and excitement, it was finally race day. I woke up early with no alarm as I do every morning. My clothes were laid out, ready to go and I was dressed in no time. As I put on my running skirt with the 261 Fearless stick given to me by Kathrine Switzer, I did my best to tap into her strength, knowing I would need it to get through my day. I had my regular pre-race breakfast and was ready to roll. My good friend Maureen was driving her fiancé to the team bus and graciously agreed to pick me up on the way. We arrived at the bus and the excitement really started to build. Lots of pictures and then we were ready to go. Having team members out there at 5:30 am in the dark who were not even running come to see us off was really amazing. Such dedication!

The bus ride was uneventful and we made it to the athletes’ village with time to spare. This is where I had to leave my team and head to the VIP Partner tent to meet up with my FL5BC teammates. I was sad to be leaving the comfort of my team but really excited about the journey ahead. It took some time to find the right tent but once there, the butterflies were really fluttering around in the belly. There was a whole spread of food and drinks but we had just over an hour before we were to start so I didn’t want to eat anything other than a banana and some coffee. The team mates who were coming in the VIP bus from Manhattan were delayed in getting to Staten Island so we were stressed about that until they arrived. Once they walked through the door, things happened pretty fast. We left the warm tent and walked over to the starting line. The push rim athletes were just getting ready to start and the Achilles athletes were getting into position.

We were getting some final instructions from the Foot Locker and ABC teams and had a couple minutes to do some warm ups and practice running in step so we all could look like we’re in sync for the camera. There were lots of pictures, including another picture with Marathon Grand Marshall Spike Lee.

All of a sudden it was time to get on the starting line, our names were being announced by Peter Ciaccia, and the horn went off. We were on our way at last! I almost didn’t get my watch started in time because of all the distractions, which would have been a big problem during the race since I knew the race clocks wouldn’t help me. We were asked to run together over the Verrazano and the camera crew was in front of us for the first two miles, capturing our first steps of the race over the bridge. The plan for the race was to hold as close to a 9:30 pace as possible. Even though we were running up a pretty big incline over the bridge, our first mile was a 9:06 and mile 2, down the other side of the bridge was a 9:07 even though we really tried to keep the pace down.

We did better about settling into a more reasonable pace through the first half of Brooklyn, after a brief scare when we got over the bridge and the escort vehicles had taken off and we weren’t totally sure where we were supposed to go. For a few minutes we were concerned that the 5 Borough team might get lost in Brooklyn… Luckily, our Staten Island team mate knew which exit we should follow and it all worked out.

Brooklyn was amazing. There were already so many people out lining the streets. Signs were ready, noise makers and whistles at the ready. All the events of the previous weeks did not compare to how much I felt like a rock star during the race. Everyone was cheering just for us, there were no other runners out there and at certain points the crowds and entertainment were so loud we couldn’t hear each other talk.

The noise came to crescendo when the elite women passed us just before we got to the 6 mile mark. I couldn’t help myself, I had to take out my phone and get a selfie with my running hero’s coming up behind me. I was particularly waiting for Buzunesh Deba, my fellow Bronxite and elite runner in contention for the win based on past performances. Turns out this wasn’t her race, but I had such a boost from seeing her run by me!

I knew to watch for my sister-in-law who was waiting for me at 13th street and 4th avenue. It had been a little tough being in Brooklyn because most people were cheering for the Brooklyn rep (and who wouldn’t, we were all cheering for Darris, too, he’s such a great guy…) but it’s always nice to get a shout out every now and then. Dana was so excited to see me and had such a smile on her face, I ran over and gave her a hug. We were about 10K into the race so I’m sure I was already sweaty and smelly but she hugged me right back. That kept me smiling for miles.

Our pace had settled in but there were so many people cheering for us I couldn’t help but wave and try and smile at everyone along the route. I knew it was foolish and I should be saving my energy for the last 10K, but when would I ever get such treatment at a world major marathon? We were getting as much attention as the elite runners, and I’ll admit, I got sucked in. Of course, the elite runners were all business, not looking up, not even when we called their name. I should have taken a page from their book like Michael, the rep from Queens. From the first step of the race he was focused, no talking, looking straight ahead, game plan executed to the letter. For him it was a race. For me it was an adventure. (He ended up finishing 2nd, almost 20 minutes ahead of me…)

The next event was Darris’ family just before the 8 mile mark. He had a huge crew, all in red, yelling and jumping up and down. His daughters had made bottles for each of us with our names and boroughs. They had even asked ahead of time if we wanted some specific beverage in them, just like the elites. I asked for blue Gatorade because I know I should have Gatorade but I don’t like the yellow flavor as much as the blue so I figured that would be a nice treat at that point in the race. The bottles were so nicely labeled and it was such a nice gesture I took mine and Michael’s, even though he didn’t want his. I didn’t want to carry two so I gave it to a kid cheering a little ways down the course, and it was great to be able to deliver such a smile to his face.

The five of us were getting to the end of our time together which would end as we left Brooklyn and crossed the half way point. Even though our pace had slowed closer to where we were supposed to be, the speed of the first 4 miles was catching up with Heather. As the elite men were coming upon us, she was falling back. I stayed with her because I recognized where she was and what she needed, because it wasn’t so long ago that I was there too. I could tell she was mentally not with us because she fell behind by just a few steps but then stayed the same distance behind the 4 of us. I went to talk with her and let her know that she was really right there with us. It’s really hard when you get to that place, especially that early in the race, but I knew she was strong and hope I helped her tap into that strength to keep it going.

We held it together until the elite men passed us and I got a little dizzy yelling for Meb, another one of my running hero’s who just blew past me. He’s only a few years younger than me and ended up breaking the men’s masters marathon record that day even though he was not happy with his performance. Sometimes it’s all about perspective…

Around mile 12, with crowds thickening and the elevating noise level, I noticed that Heather, our Staten Island rep, was really falling behind. I had a choice to make. Try and stick with the pace and keep my race on track, or stay with her a little longer until the halfway point and try and make up the time in the second half. Even though this was my first NYCM, I knew the course fairly well and knew that the 59th Street Bridge was waiting for me. That was going to be a slow mile for me, as was the mile or two going up 5th avenue just before entering the park. I decided I needed to focus on my own race and picked up the pace to meet up with the Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan reps so at least 4 of us could hit the halfway point together.

Well, almost, Kenji from Manhattan, peeled off to hit the porta potty just before we hit the 13 mile mark. Darris, Michael and I began our ascent up the Polaski Bridge heading into Queens and Darris took off, like I knew he would. Michael from Queens also picked up the pace but not as much as Darris and while I wanted to try and stay with him, I knew that I needed to run my own race from here.

Queens was a blur. I think this picture was actually taken in Queens, but I’m not 100% sure. I know it wasn’t Manhattan because I still had my water bottle and I do know it was taken by my VCTC team mate John Farrelly.

I was still feeling pretty good here, a little high from all the attention in Brooklyn, but feeling out my own race now that I wasn’t with my other 4 borough team mates. I knew the bridge was coming, had run it several times in the past, but really wasn’t prepared for just how hard it was at this point in the race. You can see from this picture that I’m still mostly by myself, only the really fast sub-elite runners are passing me but as I made my way over the bridge that changed. I slowed down on the way up and was passed over and over again by much faster runners who had started the race an hour after me.  I knew this was going to happen, expected it, but wasn’t prepared for the mental challenge that came with it. I had selected people to run for in each mile starting with 13, after I left my FL5BC team and my friend that I selected for mile 15, who I was supposed to be sending positive healing thoughts to, helped me get over that bridge more than she knows…

For anyone who has done NYCM, 1st avenue is amazing. You hear the crowds from about a half mile away, this wall of sound as you’re running down what feels like the longest bridge in the planet. There is such a boost you get there it’s infectious. Again, I was not 100% ready for this. I ended up running miles 17 and 18 way too fast because pacing with much faster people passing you is something that most of us never have to do. Between the faster runners and all the cheering, I just couldn’t keep my pace to the 9:30’s and was between 8:40 and 9:00 for a few miles. And then I saw Maureen on 1st Avenue in the 130’s who gave me such a smile and had my emergency gel ready for me just in case, I was still feeling great! Foolishly, I didn’t take that gel and only took two of the salt tablets I brought the whole race. My fueling plan was to take 4 gels, roughly one an hour, but I didn’t quite stick to that and only took 3. I had to balance taking the salt tablets on alternate water stops from the gels so I just didn’t get them in.

Once I got to the bridge into the Bronx, I knew everything was going to be good. My home borough, I had Bronx on my chest and I was reppin’ the peeps! There is only 1 mile of the race in the Bronx, so I assumed I would get to the VCTC table in no time flat but it really seemed to be much longer than a mile.

Eventually the wall of purple came into view and all my friends were there yelling their heads off. There were some in costume, others in team clothing, but all yelling and leaning out to give the runners whatever we needed. What I really needed was a hug. And I hugged everyone at the table. There must have been 20+ people there, big and small, and I hugged them all. I knew I needed to keep moving but I also knew that I did have a big lead on my PR so I could afford a few extra seconds to get a boost from the team. And I knew Maryann was waiting for me to help me through those incredibly tough miles from the Bronx into Central Park. I had run many people in from the table to 90th street and I knew how tough that stretch can be. Strong runners have been brought to tears by the mile from 100th to 90th streets. It’s not a huge hill but it’s an incline that just doesn’t seem to end and every time you look up it seems to be getting longer. I was so spent by this time, Maryann’s help was crucial to my being able to finish. Her words of encouragement and cheering were infectious and she actually held my hand when I wasn’t sure I could keep going. Over and over again I took her hand and she told me how much strength she was giving me through her hand. It really worked because by this time my quads were ready to give in and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep any kind of pace once I got into Central Park. In looking back at my splits, I really wasn’t going that slowly in Central Park but it felt like I was crawling. I felt my quads seizing up, rebelling against my efforts to finish and not getting with the program.

By this time I was though most of my list of people I was running for and it was my oldest son Billy (mile 25), husband Rob (mile 26) and then my youngest son Tommy (that last .2, the hardest point in the race), that kept me going. I knew they were all waiting at the finish line with my mom and step-dad and I had to keep going.

I also knew the Foot Locker team was waiting for me to finish and that I was well off the 4 hour time they were expecting. It was also the time I was hoping for, but that will have to wait for another marathon. Today was about my 15 minutes of fame and enjoying the marathon as much as is humanly possible. I managed to finish with a 2 minute PR which is something considering how many “mistakes” I made during the race. It was not the smartest race I have ever run, but it was the best experience I could have had. Crossing that finish line was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I was totally spent and pretty sure my legs were going to stop working altogether. I was also feeling nauseous and wasn’t sure if I was going to pass out or not (I managed to keep alert and not throw up… pretty proud of that).

But my day wasn’t over, I had to smile for the cameras and the awards ceremony. It was a real struggle to stand upright and yet somehow I managed to hold it together and smile and clap while Darris received his well-deserved plaque. Until they turned the mic to me, which I was just not ready for. I said something goofy and laughed like a crazy person but then it really was over.

Tomorrow is the marathon and the butterflies are already flying around in my stomach. I’m nervous, excited, terrified but mostly ready. But there’s one last thing to do. Many marathoners have a practice of dedicating each mile to someone in their life, in part to include them in the race, but also to keep the runner’s mind off the pain of the race. I have done something along these lines with a little twist because I’m running the first half of the race with my fellow Five Borough Challenge representatives so that first half will be dedicated to them and with them.

But starting with mile 13, I will run a mile for each of the following people who either need a little extra help now or who have helped me in my journey to get to the starting line tomorrow. Each mile will be run with love and gratitude for the individuals listed.

Mile 13: Angelo and family in Italy

Mile 14: Mitch Bayraid

Mile 15: Adrian Hunt

Mile 16: Melissa Weiner

Mile 17: Laura & Roly Diluca

Mile 18: Bill & Linda Susman

Mile 19: Cari Zancanelli

Mile 20: Bud Mazza

Mile 21: Margaret Tom

Mile 22: Dennis & Ting Look Tom

Mile 23: Yonit Sedano

Mile 24: Jack Lederer

Mile 25: Billy Susman

Mile 26: Rob Susman

and the last .2 miles, the hardest part of the course will be for my Tommy.

I am so inspired by my team mates from the other 4 boroughs. Living life today isn’t always easy, there are challenges around every corner regardless of where we come from, what our background is or what kind of resources we may have. Personally I feel like my life is really pretty great. I am thankful every day for my beautiful family, the career I have that allows me to spend time volunteering and running and being a part of my community here in the Bronx. But I should take more time to honor what I’ve gone through to get here. My grandmother, my mom’s mom, died at age 53 from drinking too much. Addiction runs in my family but thanks to my mom’s courage and tenacity, she’s been able to break the cycle so that my generation of this family doesn’t have to suffer from this terrible disease. Sometimes I look back on my time in high school and wonder how my life my have gone if I hadn’t gotten “addicted” to track and cross country. I was a runner so I didn’t want to smoke anything much less something that was illegal. I didn’t want to jeopardize my running and let my team down. 

By the time I got to college, the desire to do drugs was just not there. I wasn’t running but it wasn’t something that interested me. I still really just wanted to run, even though I had a lower back injury that kept me from running competitively throughout my late teens and 20′s.  Maybe I just didn’t get the addiction genes, but to this day I drink occasionally and get to bed at about the same time most nights so I can be rested for my run the next day. Running changes your mindset, gives you a reason to be better tomorrow than you were today. 

I can’t seem to get enough food in me, do I have a tape worm?

That “easy” 6 miles was the hardest run ever, what on God’s green earth makes me think I can run an additional 20?

Have I really done enough training? Maybe I should have done 4 20 milers, not just 3. 

Why is my calf so tight? Should I be stretching? Where are my compression socks? 

What’s the weather going to be on race day? Is the weather service reliable enough a week out? What should I wear, long pants, skirt, arm warmers, long sleeves? 

Is it time for a snack? 

When is the expo open? Should I get my number super early or wait until there are sales on the last day...

Time to go for a run, maybe just a couple miles, don’t get carried away. Well, okay, 6 is good, maybe 7. Oh wait, it’s raining, I’lll go tomorrow.

My training went so well this training cycle, I’m going to crush this marathon! Well, at least I’ll do better than my worst marathon. You know, it’s all about finishing, right?

Will my family be at the spot I told them to cheer from? Should I have them come to the finish? Where are we going to eat after the race? Am I going to want to eat after I finish? Duh, I always want to eat...

What a terrible dream I had last night, waking up when the bus to the starting line was leaving, with no bib or racing singlet anywhere to be found... There’s still a week to go, hopefully I can get a few good nights sleep this week!

What an amazing time I’m going to have. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have the time and support of my family to spend so much time training and what a blessing it is to have running in my life (but man will I be happy when this race is over and I can sleep in on Sunday mornings...).

I can’t beleive how lucky and honored I am to have been selected to represent the Bronx in the Foot Locker 5 Borough Challenge!

I recently made a mental commitment to myself to get back into writing about my running. Both are things I love to do so why not combine them, right? Well, along about that time, my left heel began hurting when I was running. I have had plantar fasciitis in the past (in the right heel...) so I had a feeling that was what this was so I did the things one usually does, ice, extra pain killers, stretching, etc. Weeks went by and while it didn't hurt that much just walking, I did start to have more pain while running so I broke down and went to the podiatrist.  My suspicions were confirmed and he has me doing cross training, icing, stretching and taping my foot every morning. These were all things I did last time around and since it worked then, I will certainly follow his directions this time. The addition to the regimen is a boot to wear at night to keep my foot flexed. Jury is still out on that one and whether or not that's helping, but I'm going to keep trying.

In the meantime, here are some of my running thoughts from this past year. It was a good running year for me. I set PRs in the mile, 5 mile, 10K and half marathon distances and had some really strong races in between. Not all my races were great, but I was able to learn from them and help increase my mental training in addition to my physical training. I have come to believe that the mental training is just as important as the physical. I believe that many races that I trained hard for did not have the outcome I wanted or was capable of simply because I went into the race with the wrong mindset. 

I've been thinking a lot about thinking. Wait, what? I'm training for my next half marathon on October 5th so I've been putting in a lot of time on the road, alone with my thoughts. I've also been putting in a lot of time on the road and trails with fellow runners. And unless we're doing speed work (which happens at least once a week) we're talking. Runners are social beings, mostly, or at least my friends who are runners, anyway, so we talk a lot. And one of the things that keeps coming up during runs or when I'm just talking about runners, is how to keep your head in the game. 

This is something I've been battling with my entire running career, starting from 7th grade track. A specific example of what I'm talking about is something that happens to me to this day. I'm part of a track team. We have a lot of runners on the team, but there's a certain few that I normally train with because we're friends but more importantly we are about the same pace and conditioning. Some of these folks I train with are younger than I, some are older. We do a lot of the same workouts, have similar results, finish about the same time with our intervals, tempo runs, hill repeats and long runs, but when it comes to race day, they always finish ahead of me. 

So why is this? Should I be okay with that? Is that the way it's supposed to be? I understand how the younger ones are faster, they are younger, they're supposed to be faster... What about the older runners? Are they just better athletes? Did they train harder? Do more yoga? 

Its not that I have a need to beat them because I'm super competitive, because I'm not. For me it was more of a philosophical question. Why are some people just faster than others. There is a certain amount of physicality involved, I do believe that some body types are just faster than others. Sprinters tend to have a similar body type, tall, skinny and all legs. But once you start looking at runners who excel at distances of a mile or greater, there's not one specific body type that is prevalent (other than being skinny).

So what gets elite and mere mortal runners across the finish line faster and healthier than others? Training is obviously critical, but assuming the same effort, what is it that gets one across the finish line first and others back in the pack? 

The reason I posted this particular picture of me running the Mini was because I had a bit of a mental break-through in this race. I was training, but I was also coaching for the first time and this was my first race as a coach, running with those I coached. My mind set was different from the start because I had other women looking up to me, expecting me to do well (at least that was my assumption). 

Additionally, I was coaching for a team that raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The participants are encouraged to race in memory or support of someone close to them who was impacted by cancer. Hearing their stories first hand, and then having one of my close friends (who later lost his battle) diagnosed with cancer changed the priority for me. All of a sudden, the burning in my chest and legs was a beautiful thing because I was blessed to be healthy enough to run. I am fortunate enough to not have had cancer myself and I'm healthy and have the time to spend training for and running races. Wow! I am so lucky to have such a life. 

And what went through my head during mile 4 when I usually feel like I just can't keep it up anymore, was something like this: "Quit your whining and GO! Don't forget how lucky you are. Don't waste this gift, kick it into high gear and make everyone proud."

It really worked. That was my fastest 10K ever, finishing in 49:23, only 11 seconds faster than my previous personal best, but I finished feeling strong and like I'd given it my all. I didn't let my brain tell me that I was tired and couldn't do it, I knew what I could do and went for it.

Here I am accepting my 2nd Place Age Group (2nd overall...) trophy at the Annual RMHA 5K in Van Cortlandt Park. Of course, getting an award is always great, but this particular race really taught me something about racing and perseverance. 

This is a small local race and I knew my main competition would be from my fellow team mates from the Van Cortlandt Track Club. I also knew the course was very, very flat so it would be a good opportunity for me to get a PR. 

I came to the race ready to at least place if not win my age group. I was ready to roll... I wore my racing shoes (GoMeb's) which I don't normally wear unless I'm racing shorter races on trail so they were perfect for this particular race.

I'm not a fan of tying shoes so I tie them once, a little lose, so I can just slip my feet in and out. The constant pulling on the knot when putting them on and taking them off makes the knot really secure and I never worry about them coming undone. Ever. 

Well, I was wearing a pair of shoes that needs to be tied but because I never have a problem with my other shoes coming undone, I only tied this pair once, thinking that would be fine.

I lined up at the start with my teammates, ready run. The gun went off and I took off with the front runners since most of the field were walkers and fun runners. About a half mile in I looked ahead to see how many other women were ahead of me. I could only see two... Somehow I was the third woman. I've never been in the top 5 of any race in my adult racing career. I was feeling strong and confident, prepared and ready for a big race. Coming up on the first mile, there was a course marshal with a watch reading out times, my first mile was a 7:24, on pace for a nice PR...

Then it happened. I looked down and my right shoe was untied. I couldn't continue two more miles with my shoe untied. As a mom, I'm constantly telling my boys to tie their shoes for fear of tripping and that's all I could think about, I'm going to trip. So, I moved to the side, stopped, leaned over and tied my shoe. If I hadn't been in the middle of a race, I might have thought to double knot both laces, but as I mentioned, I've never had a problem with shoes coming untied so I didn't have it on my radar.

As I finished tying the shoe, I looked up and noticed a woman in a pink top pass me, as did one of my team mates. I jumped up and took off after them both. Monica yelled at me, go get her! So I went after the woman in pink and passed her and set my sights on the #2 woman. She wasn't that far ahead, if I could pick it up just a little maybe I could catch her. 

The next half mile was spent getting my head back in the game and focusing. I was back to feeling confident and strong, ready to finish strong. The PR was in jeopardy, but I could still get a 3rd place finish...

But then, lightning struck twice! Now the left shoe was untied! What an idiot, I thought to myself! For someone with over 30 years of experience running races, how could I possibly let this happen once, much less twice. So, just like before I pulled over, bent down (not the best thing to do when you're running fast, by the way), and tied my shoe. Again, had I been thinking, I might have double knotted both shoes but I was so focused on getting up and back to the race the thought never crossed my mind.  Once again, the lady in the pink top had passed me and even though I was losing my focus and drive, I was determined to pass her again. If I did it once, I could do it again.

She wasn't that far ahead of me so I pull up and passed her, probably somewhere around the 2 mile mark. The course was one that I had run hundreds of times so I knew where the finish was and I could feel it. Despite the 2 pit stops, I was still the 3rd overall female and I was hopeful that I could hold that place...

But then, yes, lightning struck a THIRD time! The right shoe was untied yet again! Now I'm beyond flustered. How can this happen? The fates are against me. This is my one chance for a third place overall win and it's fading into the sunset... But now I was into a routine. I pulled over, tied my shoe (pulled the knot a little too tight, but can you blame me?) and once again, the pink tank top had passed me. 

Clearly the PR was long gone, but only one woman passed me and I had already passed her twice, surely I had one more in me... I took off in pursuit and sure enough pulled up on her. As I passed her for the third time she shouted out, "Man, you're fast!"

I couldn't respond because I didn't have the breath, but I thought to myself, yeah, just think how fast I would have been if I hadn't had to tie my shoes three times!!!

There was now about a half mile to the finish. It was a totally flat course, so I all I had to do was maintain and I'd get third. I kept waiting for the pink tank lady to come up behind me and push past because she wasn't worn out from bending over and stopping three times. I pushed and pushed to maintain my lead knowing that the second place woman was out of reach. Somehow I held on and finished third!

It was a sloppy race on my part and I was a full minute off my PR, but I was proud of myself for not giving up. I could have just slowed way down and saved the racing for another day, but I kept going, kept pushing and still had something to show for it.