I stand facing the Brooklyn bridge and I have a moment of Deja vù as I approach the last hurtle of my 20 plus mile long run. Just one year ago I stood at the same spot during a long training run for the Philadelphia marathon. Writing to my sister the next day I had recalled it as the moment of truth. . . . .
“The end of my run proves that only crazy people train for marathons . . . . .with 3 miles left of my 23 mile run, I looked at the bridge and though, there is no way in hell. Just then Journey’s “dont stop believing” came on my ipod. I turned it up EXTREMEMLY loud, and decided that it was perfectly sain to run across the bridge, half dancing, half singing, and FULLY enjoying myself.”
A year ago, when I was training for Philadelphia I didn’t know exactly what to expect come marathon day, and as a result refused to back down during my training. When the day came, I knew I could finish, and did so strongly. I became confident in my running. Looking back, I think of Seattle as a slap in the face and a wakeup call. Knowing that i had finished one already, I thought I was golden, I slacked off on mid-week workouts, and pushed myself too hard too fast during weekend long runs. Its not a coincidence that I got injured. Going into Seattle I seriously questioned whether I could finish, and barely did once race day came. I think about all of this a lot as I train, knowing better this time then to slack off when the going gets tough.
One week ago I was sick, and struggling to finish my 18 mile long run. As the week pasted, I was exhausted, and as a result felt myself slipping back a bit in the weekly speed and tempo run. Not looking forward to my run frustrated me. I had taken something that I use to anticipate and get excited about, and turned it into a chore. Each Sunday I had gotten up early and “gotten it out of the way.” Isn’t the whole point to enjoy the journey? I shifted my focus Saturday night, and decided to set up this run up so there was no room for failure. I downloaded new music, and mapped out a long run that incorporating the hard hills in the beginning, and finished in the evening along the waterfront where I could appreciate the great views. I approached the run as two workouts. The beginning was the prescribed Harrier long run with incorporated tempo runs within. The end would be an easy relaxed finish along the Riverside Park on the westside, down to the tip of the Island, and then back up the east side, where I would finish by going over the Brooklyn Bridge. Have I said how much I LOVE running bridges?!? This really was going to be a good run!
So there I stand, at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, with a little more then 18 miles completed. As anticipated, the run had gone well, with all time markers hit, but I was still exhausted. Today I go through the same motions I did one year ago, with maybe a little more sanity. As my new power song for this run comes on. A remix of Whitney Houston’s “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength“. As tabu as it is, I admit that I run with music, which give me that needed boost when exhaustion has set in. This week has been a tough one for me, but I am lucky to have someone close to me that is literally going through all of it at the same time. As I run uphill over the first half of the bridge I shift my focus to look up towards the top of the bridge and power through the last hill of my run with strong shortened strides. Yes I must admit, I am singing to myself as I pass the first and then the second pilar. What the hell, its only tourist that I am navigating through on this bridge anyways! When the downhill begins I can’t help but feel excited and proud of my run today. I take it as a confidence booster, and a sign that my hard work is paying off.
