First Group Run

While Scott was boozing and cheering on Yale on Saturday, I was cursing the closed off B train and non-existent C train, dashing to a cab, and getting stuck in traffic in a desperate race to make it to Central Park for the first TNT group run.

Above all, I was wondering why the hell I was awake at 9:30am on a weekend morning. Despite getting to bed early, I was feeling (and looking) rough:

A not all too uncommon occurrence: I was late. Luckily, when I reached Bethesda Terrace, I was greeted by a MASSIVE group. Spot Stephanie, our mentor.

The coaches were just finishing their pep talk so I stealthily slid into the group (or as stealthy as a wild child 6 footer can manage). We were going to run the roughly 1.7 mile lower loop of the park. For beginners and half marathoners, the coach suggest one loop. For advanced and intermediate runners, he suggested two. I eat that loop for breakfast. No problem, I thought, I'm gonna hit the ground running (pun intended) and take off with the advanced group. For longer distances, I've been training with the Galloway technique: running with short walking intervals. I've worked up to 10 minute intervals in the past and can do the flat Reservoir loop without a walking interval in a good 16 minutes. So alright, I thought, I can make this first loop and do a leisurely second loop.

Worst. Idea. Ever.

These people are runners. Despite it being a "conversational pace", I was quickly wheezing at anyone who wanted to chit-chat. And hello, Hills! I got a good 15 minutes of running in before I started to find myself drifting further and further back in the pack. I opted to do a walking interval and my mentor Stephanie caught up with me and walked it with me. I explained that I had thrown myself in too hard and she assured me that it's okay and I've got nothing to prove. This is a fact that I have a hard time with. I don't want to look like the dopey gym class failure. I finished strong with a run. So here was my predicament: The advanced group was far ahead of me. The beginner group was far behind me. Hang out and look like I shortcutted? What to do? I decided to knock in another half loop on my own.

So I was alone. Meanwhile, an Ultra-Marathon was being held in the park (a marathon and a half...nutsos). Since we were running on part of the course, we got a little cheering from some of the race volunteers. I particularly enjoyed the group of Italian tourists chanting "Run! Run! Run!" as I chugged up a hill.

I was getting kind of down on myself when I heard, "Hey, are you Team in Training?" A nice girl trotted up beside me and she looked like she was struggling (a comrade in arms!). She is a mentor but her knee was giving her some trouble. Together, we ran-walked-ran the rest of the half loop as she explained to me the tragic circumstances that brought her to Team in Training. A coworker went in to get a check up for a bad cough. An X-Ray revealed he didn't have a cough but Leukemia. A few days later, she randomly received a TNT flier and took it as a sign. Sadly, after she completed her first marathon, her grandmother got diagnosed with Leukemia, as well, and now she's back. I was glad she caught up with me.

Since I was between the two groups, I was officially the last person to finish the training loops. Flashbacks to the middle school half-mile run... I wanted to explain to everyone that "No! Really! I did like 2.5 miles! I'm not a beginner, I swear! Circumstances just made me finish last!". I really have to get over that self-conscious gym class failure thing. Anyway, the season has begun!

My calf was bothering me a little bit on Sunday but I figured it was just tight. Yesterday's run with Jenn revealed it is an injury. Because I procrastinated in getting new sneakers, I've been having some pain from the lack of foot and arch support. There was some searing pain and I really had to slow down. It seems I've strained the top of my Achilles tendon. Hopefully it won't be a problem but damn it hurts. At least I finally got the incentive to buy new sneakers (and cold weather gear!):


Second TNT group training run today! And hopefully Mr. Chaloff will make an appearance.

Celeste's Mission and Inspiration

I am running the New Jersey half marathon!

Depending on how I feel with the training, I may consider the full marathon. For now, though, this is what I plan to do. I am running because Scott made me I got in shape this past year and want to take it to the next level. I am also running to lose weight, make friends, and help a fantastic cause.

Though we will be training together, Scott and I will not be running the race in the same place. But we have good reasons. Just as Scott needs to run with his mom in Providence, I need to run with Jennifer Giamo in New Jersey.

Who is Jenn? Besides being super awesome, Jenn is my trainer and she changed my life. Here's how:

I reached an all-time high in my weight in the summer of 2008. I was miserable. My weight is a lifelong issue that I will probably discuss further over the course of training. In short, if it was a diet, I tried it. South Beach to Jenny Craig to diet pills (yes, I know). I have lost tremendous amounts of weight and I have gained tremendous amounts of weight. And I've always focused on the food element only. The one thing that I was never able to incorporate was fitness. This is where Jenn comes in.

In July 2008, I decided that I needed help and I was put in touch with Jenn. I remember our first day when she put me on the treadmill for ten minutes just to get a sense of my fitness level. I huffed. I wheezed. I walked. I thought I was going to die. Over the coming weeks, we slowly worked up to running the entire ten minutes. Then it was running a whole mile. Then a mile in ten minutes. Then under ten minutes. Then we took it to the park. Then we upped the mileage. On good days, we have run up to 4-5 miles (with walking intervals) and I can now run a full loop around the Central Park reservoir without stopping. I definitely whine and negotiate my way through some all of the runs but Jenn keeps me going. She gets just as if not more excited than I do when I reach a running milestone. I never thought I could be a runner. I hate running, I still do. But it makes me feel great. So I am running the half marathon with her because she got me this far and inspired me to go further (she just did the NYC marathon!).

I also have her to thank for my sick Michelle Obama arms.

Work it out, Michelle.

Stay tuned for a report on tomorrow's first training run!

Official Kick-off: Part 2 (Celeste Edition)

What the hell am I doing? Seriously. This was the thought that raged through my head throughout the entire 90 minute kick-off. How did I possibly think this was a good idea? What has Scott talked me into?

The energy in the room was palpable, though, and it was hard not to be swept up in the excitement and anticipation. I'm slowly warming to the idea but the denial is still with me. Being in that room made it that much more real. I'm officially signed up. I am doing this.

A long distance race is a personal battle. But we won't be doing it alone. The coaches and mentors (Stephanie, you do not know what you've gotten yourself into) and teammates will help us finish. Above all, though, the mission of TNT is incentive enough to make it to the finish. Towards the end of the kick-off, they brought up a 5-time TNT marathon runner. Her reason for running? Her six-year-old niece who battled against Leukemia and won. And then the niece spoke. Cue the tears. This beautiful, bubbly girl lost two years of her childhood to the disease and she can't wait to run a marathon herself. Okay, you got me TNT, I'm definitely gonna do this.

The first group run is this Saturday at 10am in Central Park. They repeatedly reminded us that it will be at 8:30am for the rest of the season and not to get used to the late time. Thanks, guys. If you've ever seen me before the hour of 10am, you know it's not a pretty sight. In fact, it looks a lot like this:

Hey sexaaaay.

Official Kickoff - Part 1 (S.C. Edition)

Last night was the official kick-off to Team in Training's Spring 2010 Season. And it was totally insane. And awesome.

Celeste will provide you with additional coverage but the below video pretty accurately sums up our initial feelings. It's a ten-second clip and you'd better watch till the very end.

I think you'll agree that it's all about the facial expression at the end. That, and the blue nail polish.

Celeste and I showed up to a big event space in Murray Hill where what appeared to be a couple hundred future marathoners and triathletes gathered together for a night of inspiration, celebration, and maybe a little bit of anxiety. The Team in Training staff did an incredible job of introducing administrators, coaches, captains, and getting everyone pumped up for training. The support system they provide for all athletes is really something. Each runner is assigned a mentor, a go-to coach, and a race coordinator.

Celeste and I wasted no time in getting to know our mentor, Stephanie. She may or may not have been weirded out by us being the only people taking pictures and videotaping the event. Either way, she agreed to pose for this ultra-closeup. She's training on our team as well and loyal bloggers will get to know her well, I'm sure. Over the course of the next six months, I know we'll become better runners and I can only hope we'll become better photographers.

Most importantly, Celeste and I now have our fundraising pages set up. As runners with Team in Training, we are raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an outstanding national organization dedicated to eradicating blood cancers. As we train more, so too will we learn more about the work of the LLS and about developments in cancer research. Celeste and I need your help to raise money for this most worthy cause. My web page can be viewed here and Celeste's can be viewed here. I hope you'll consider contributing to the LLS; as I say on my page, we thank you for believing in us and for believing in a cure.

To wrap it up, here are two parting shots:

Stephanie took this picture. At this point, she wasn't that weirded out.

Celeste posing with her baller new running shirt.

At our post kick-off dinner at the diner across the street. Obvi.

Till next time,

Scott