Empire State of Mind
I'm running the New York Marathon in four days. Even typing that statement is a little terrifying. A few years ago I opined that I'm a total taper hypochondriac. I thought this year would be different because I haven't trained that well. I was wrong. This week, in the final week before the New York City Marathon on Sunday, I've told my husband my back is killing me no fewer than 1,000 times. My foot is inexplicably hurting. My old friend the IT band has decided to show up. What I can't decide is whether these are actual ailments or if they're in my head. I suspect the latter.
Running a marathon is a strange thing. It's a huge physical and mental commitment, and it causes me to be introspective in this final week. I am not sure I'm ready, but I've felt that way for every marathon I've run. I feel excited/nervous/anxious/restless/inspired/grateful. This entanglement of emotions is heady on its own, but it feels outright overwhelming combined with my emotions of the last month.
Of all the races I've run and all of the cities in which I've laced up my running shoes and hit the road, I'm the most excited for this one. New York is America's flagship city. It exemplifies everything I love about great places again and again throughout the city. I can't wait to explore the city for three days before running through all five boroughs. The New York Marathon may not be my prettiest or fastest race, but I'm using this opportunity to remind myself why I love running. I will look around and take in the sights and the crowd. I will thank volunteers. I will be grateful every minute that I am able to run 26.2 miles, even those minutes between miles 22 and 26 where I may also be wanting to question why on earth I'm doing this.
I'm so excited to have a weekend away with my husband and two of our closest friends. It's one of those once in a lifetime events that may be hard to really process as it's happening, but I'm going to try to live in the moment this weekend. Four years ago when I started writing this blog running the New York Marathon was a pipe dream. Tomorrow we fly to New York to make this dream a reality.
Running a marathon is a strange thing. It's a huge physical and mental commitment, and it causes me to be introspective in this final week. I am not sure I'm ready, but I've felt that way for every marathon I've run. I feel excited/nervous/anxious/restless/inspired/grateful. This entanglement of emotions is heady on its own, but it feels outright overwhelming combined with my emotions of the last month.
Of all the races I've run and all of the cities in which I've laced up my running shoes and hit the road, I'm the most excited for this one. New York is America's flagship city. It exemplifies everything I love about great places again and again throughout the city. I can't wait to explore the city for three days before running through all five boroughs. The New York Marathon may not be my prettiest or fastest race, but I'm using this opportunity to remind myself why I love running. I will look around and take in the sights and the crowd. I will thank volunteers. I will be grateful every minute that I am able to run 26.2 miles, even those minutes between miles 22 and 26 where I may also be wanting to question why on earth I'm doing this.
I'm so excited to have a weekend away with my husband and two of our closest friends. It's one of those once in a lifetime events that may be hard to really process as it's happening, but I'm going to try to live in the moment this weekend. Four years ago when I started writing this blog running the New York Marathon was a pipe dream. Tomorrow we fly to New York to make this dream a reality.
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