New Mother, Meet New York City Marathon

Six months ago, when Jimmy stopped by my desk to tell me that I could have a pass to the 2009 New York Marathon, compliments of ASICS, I told him I would think about it, but I knew I was going to say yes right away. It was sort of like giving blood—you know it’s going to hurt, but it’s really for the greater good. So I “thought it over” for a few days, and then told him I was in.

I get a lot of “you’re nuts” looks when I tell people I am in training for this race. I just had a baby in February, am back to work full-time, and working moms aren’t necessarily known for the abundance of time and energy they have for extraneous physical commitments. But it has actually been a good way to make sure that I get back in shape after pregnancy, and perhaps more importantly (not to get all Oprah-y on you), I’ve been required to have some time set aside for “me”, something that can easily moved to the bottom of the list these days.

I don’t think I’m really the best example to follow when it comes to training for a marathon. Freakish endurance runs in my family. My Dad has run over 40 marathons, I have run several half-marathons and I knew it was just a matter of time before I committed to the long run. My husband and I have joked that if our son gets my endurance (he has none), and his coordination (I have none), a college scholarship will be his for the taking. If he winds up with the reverse…well, let’s just hope he has great SAT scores.

I would describe my training regime as “minimalist”. I run 4-5 miles twice during the week (okay, sometimes once), and then a long run Sundays. I think it is a miracle that I am not injured, but again this is where the freakish endurance has come in handy. But the bottom line is, know your body and how far you can push yourself. I started with three mile runs on Sundays and have gradually worked my way up to twenty. I remember after a ten mile run, feeling overwhelmed by the longer distances that lay ahead. But two weeks ago I did twenty miles, and it felt great (“great” being a relative term).

That said, I have had a lot of foot pain during training. Apparently this is caused by the condition of my joints post pregnancy—they are still loose from my body preparing for childbirth, and since feet have 33 joints, the running takes its toll. I often wake at night with achy feet after a long run. This ailment has definitely been appeased by my ASICS GEL-Evolution 5’s, a shoe with extra cushioning to absorb as much the hard pavement pounding on a long run.

So the countdown is now on—only a week and a half until my first marathon. What better place to do it than New York City? I have only really visited NYC on work trips and have always wanted to see more of the city. Well, this is one way of doing it I guess. Stay tuned!