Boston Marathon reflection

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago I was waking up in a Boston hotel room, getting ready to run my 2nd marathon. 

And not just any marathon, THE Boston Marathon. 

As a swimmer, turned runner and then turned triathlete, I didn't fully appreciate the magnitude of being an athlete who had qualified to run in the Boston Marathon.
After I ran the Miami Marathon in 2005 (my first marathon) in a time of 3:38, a friend told me "You Boston qualified!"
No joke, I said "What's Boston?"

It took me a few minutes for it to come to me that I had qualified for the Boston Marathon. It was not a goal of mine as my #1 goal was just to finish my first marathon. The thought of running 26.2 miles was so daunting for my swimmer turned runner body who had never ran more than 6 miles before training for 6 months for my first marathon.

Fast forward to April 2006......
I remember giving my parents a hug and getting on a school bus to be dropped off in Hopkinton with the other thousands and thousands and thousands other runners. It was a long never-ending drive but we finally arrived. I can't remember the weather (I think it was a bit chilly for my Florida body) but I do remember that I was nervous and overwhelmed with all the fast runners around me. 

I had studied the course but the unknown of running on the course was leaving me ancy as I waited and waited and waited for hours until we finally were able to corral at the start line. 

I can remember bits and pieces of the race and my inexperienced body and mind was just taking it all in.
It was everything I thought it would be and more.
I didn't start my blog until the following year so I have no race report to document my Boston Marathon experience. 

I earned my Boston Marathon finisher medal and this race will never be forgotten. Although I am triathlete now, this race will always hold a special place in my heart.
I learned what my body is capable of doing and since then, I have stayed performance-focused, willing to test my limits and work for bigger dreams and goals. 

My dad surprised me with my request of "something salty and sweet" after the marathon. 

To every runner who dreams to run in the Boston Marathon and to those who are running this year (or next), don't forget to thank your body, for all 26.2 miles.
You are so lucky to have a body that allows you to run so fast for so long.
Don't take your running freedom for granted.

Keep moving forward - it's what we do best!

 

As athletes and fitness enthusiasts, we are notoriously stubborn. Perhaps that is why many of us need a coach in that we love to go, go, go and push, push, push and we do not like to slow down. With an admirable worth ethic, we love to be "on" all the time. Certainly, we need a return on all that investment so with every off day comes the build-up of energy for another quality week of training.

 

In light of the recent Boston Marathon events, I can't help but feel an amazing amount of energy from social media and from others who refuse to let this event slow them down.

 

As a coach to a group of amazing athletes (feel free to read their inspiring bios HERE) it is my responsibility to make sure my athletes are on when they need to be on and are off when they need to be off. Sometimes I prefer to keep their switch on dim as I know they all love to work hard for their goals. I am sure you are the same in that you'd rather keep moving forward than to find yourself making steps backward.

With everything that went on in the past few days, I wanted to make sure that all my athletes were still driven to succeed. Seeing that everyone grieves differently and is affected by events differently based on past experiences, it was important to me that I do not assume my athletes are on when they need to be off.

 

Although not surprised, when I emailed each of my athletes in the afternoon yesterday, they all responded back before the end of the night yesterday. The responses I received were amazing and although not my intent to share, I just can't help but spread some of the energy that my athletes are feeling right now. Although each of them are sad and feel horrible for the individuals affected in the event (myself included), they are all choosing to move forward as that is what they do best.

I hope you can do the same for that same stubbornness that keeps you from slowing down when you should probably stretch more and rest more is exactly what you need right now to keep on moving along in your journey of life.

 

 

 

*The newsreels showed incredible courage and bravery as everyone pitched in to help so the folks responsible not only did not scare us but showed how incredible we are. We are praying for all the people who suffered loss. They would like for us to be afraid and change our lifestyle and if we did then they would be the winners. So, I am with you and refuse to back down in any way and I will be at my upcoming event and with all the crowds in total defiance to what they would like.

 

*I am both saddened and still shocked but uplifted by the wonderful stories of hospitality the people of Boston have shown.  I am more determined than ever not to let this stop me from living my dreams of racing.  They won't win!  I won't let them.  

 

*This inspires me more to continue with the lifestyle I have and if you stop doing what you love you allow them to win. If anything it has reminded as many things do, that it is okay to go for your dreams and reach big. It has reminded me that if you are not 100% happy in a situation then do something about it because you get one life. It has reminded me to thank my body for what is CAN do and not what it COULD look like if. It has reminded me to love with my whole heart because there is not room for anything less in your life. 

 

* While I am deeply saddened by the Boston event, I won't be letting it affect my lifestyle.  

 

*Honestly I think everyone around here is a bit shaken, myself included. I certainly have had a multitude of emotions concerning the events and really tried to avoid the gruesome photos. I didn't even watch any of the videos of the explosion because I just didn't want to know. I followed the updates on CNN but just tried to bypass the photos and videos. Overall, feeling ok. I'm very thankful that I was able to move my body this morning in honor or it all. I know I can take nothing for granted and that tomorrow is never promised. I also know that I can't live fearfully that it might happen to me. SO really just overall staying positive and trying to be of support to the running/triathlon community around me. 

 

*So many bad things happening around the world, but this one really hit close for me as well for a lot of people. I woke up last night and thought about the people in their hospital rooms and tried to imagine the pain they were experiencing and what was going on in their mind.  It must be extremely difficult for them and the families affected. I know you have an emotional connection with the Boston Marathon since you have done that race before.  So I'm sure it must be tough for you to comprehend something like this happening.This event has not affected my motivation to race and train and live a healthy lifestyle, but I do have a feeling of sorrow in my heart and ask myself why this has to happen. 

 Thanks for being so kind and supportive and reminding me how valuable life is and not take it for granted. 

 

*My heart goes out to everyone affected by this tragic event. I will not let this deter me from doing what I love. Plus, I think the chances of this happening again will be pretty low. You cannot live your life being afraid of what could happen. You got to do what you love and hope God keeps you safe. 

Again, thank you for checking on me. That really does mean a lot. As for training and racing. Well, I'm kind of an adrenaline junky, so I will keep doing it :)

*thanks for reaching out. yeah. i'm not gonna lie, it really affected me yesterday. hard. not that any life should be more important than any other, but targeting a group of athletes at such a prestigious event and one that tends to be equated with so many dreams just feels even more devastating. i just felt numb yesterday. sad, angry, disappointed, and heart broken... but not for a second did i have any sort of emotion that made me question running and training. in fact, it was the only thing i wanted to do. this morning's run i ran for all the people affected. i ran for them, i ran for their families, i ran for those who were responsible, and i ran for me. it was the first moment of clarity and peace i felt since yesterday afternoon. i found myself running toward 2 white bearded men who were running the opposite direction and i started to let them take the inner section of the road's shoulder while i veered towards the traffic side, but they both pointed towards their center and motioned for me to run between them. one of them was missing his arm (guessing war injury). it all happened quickly, but the simple act of being friendly and protecting me made me smile but then i started to tear up. i imagined the runners and spectators yesterday who will be going home with one less limb than they arrived with. some may never run again. i choked back the tears and focused on what my body was capable of and it made me want to use it b/c as sad as it is, we never know what tomorrow holds. 

....and, marni, with that. i want to state right now that my goal is (now more than ever) to qualify for boston. i imagine next year will be an entirely different event but i don't want it to change the running culture and i don't want it to scare me away from something that is still my dream. it's giving me more fuel. 

will you help me choose the race and help me reach my goal?

 

 

 

Being thankful for life - Boston Marathon explosion

I was so excited to write my next blog today, talking about my training over the weekend. In view of the fact that many people are suffering from the explosions at the Boston Marathon today, I can't help but be extremely saddened by this horrific event. As a writer, I express myself the best with words on paper (or computer) so it only feels natural to write my blog but with a different take away message.

Life brings challenges, stressful situations and emotional times. It also brings success stories, inspirational moments and memory making experiences. Everyone is unique and comes with a story.

When I started my business, I thought long and hard about my philosophy and what I wanted to provide to others in this world. Over time, I took mental notes as to how athletes and fitness enthusiasts were living life and I loved the fact that so many people in this world have goals related to diet and exercise and wanted me to help them reach their personal goals.

With yet another eye-opening event that proves the fact that life is short with no guarantees, I am quickly reminded as to my mission with my business and how I choose to live my life.

Over the past few days, what have you complained about? Have you gone to bed upset at yourself? Have you felt stressed with things out of your control? Have you felt depressed that everything was "off" and not going your way?

I'd be lying if I said my life was peachy-keen and perfect. Far from it. For 8 weeks (Feb - beginning of April), I didn't run because of my long-time history with on and off hip/back issues. There were days that were exhausting and stressful with my business, sad days at the hospital and there were times when I asked myself "why me?"

Of course, I can't motivate others to be excited to change their life if I am complaining all the time so I use my social media networks (instagram, twitter, facebook, blog) to make sure that I am living a great life, hoping that I can inspire you to do the same. I don't choose to be fake so when I share something via social media, it is not only for you but for myself. If you are an athlete, you know the feeling when you cheer for someone who is hurting during a race...it doesn't only lift them up but it gives you a sudden surge of energy. That is what I love about life - we all can be cheerleaders for others just as much as we can be cheerleaders for ourselves.

So for every day when I thought about what I "couldn't do" with running, I found something I could do to stay active without pain and to promote healing. With every tiring day with my business, I thought of how grateful I am to do what I love to do every day and how much I love my athletes and fitness enthusiasts. And with every day that I thought "why me", I thought about my worst day being someone else's worst day.

You see, we all have off, bad and stressful days. If you don't, you are not normal. I don't consider you lucky if you have perfect days every day because I feel the lucky ones are those who experiences things in life and overcome them. For that makes you stronger, wiser and smarter. In racing, every bad moment has a good moment to follow. You just have to get there. And sadly, be prepared for when you are feeling good there is likely a bad moment around the corner. That's the way it goes as an athlete.....you just have to keep moving until you reach the finish line.

One of the best parts of my business is helping others change the way that they are living life. Because it is normal to have personal issues, thoughts and worries with diet, exercise and life, I love connecting with people and making sure that athletes and fitness enthusiasts are making progress in life and not wasting days on Earth. There's nothing worse in life than going to bed feeling like you took a step backward or not making progress. By identifying what you are not happy with and what it would mean to you if you changed it, you can easily find a few ways to tweak your life to move to a better place of waking up excited to live life in a great way and to go to bed being grateful for another tomorrow. 

I don't feel that we should feel guilty for living an awesome life. I think the issue is not feeling as if you have the ability and confidence to live a great life. The ability to worry less about your body weight and to focus more on your relationship with your one and only body. The ability to worry less about nailing every workout or reaching a PR or podium spot at every race and to focus more on the bigger picture and be lucky to push your body to higher limits. Yes, sometimes we get injured but many times we can prevent injuries by just training smarter. And lastly, the ability  to worry less about things out of your control and to spend energy on what you can control.

If you are complaining about your life or making excuses, ask yourself if it is important as to what you are complaining about? If it is, how will you change it? What would your life be like if you stopped wishing for things to happen and you just started to make things happen? Sometimes we have to let our ego stay at home, our comparisons to others be forgotten and memories of the past inspire us (or if hindering, don't let them hold you back). 

No one wants to say it but if you died tomorrow, would everything that you complain about be worth it? Striving for that perfect lean body, overtraining for an upcoming race or waking up every day hating the way your life is heading....is it worth it? 

Let's be a bit more grateful for life, the opportunities that come our way and most importantly, your current state of health. 

You can still be competitive, goal-oriented and strong-minded and still live a balanced life. Just make sure that whatever you are wishing for is something that you will actually enjoy if you eventually get the chance to get what you think you want and how will your life change if you get it. 

Thoughts and prayers to all people affected by the Boston Marathon explosions and let's not forget the dedication, passion and inspiration by the 25,000+ runners who had no fears but only high expectations for an awesome day...doing what they love.