Remember When...

With the NYC Marathon just over 2 weeks away, I thought it was time to revisit a post I made on Kickrunners.com back in March of this year. A little mental reminder if you will...


1. Why do you run? Initially, I started running as a way of changing up the cardio in my gym routine. I started the Couch to 5K program (from the CR site) with the goal of running my local Women’s Distance Festival 5K the following July. As a kid, I’d never managed to pass the President’s Physical Fitness Test. You had to run a mile in something like 12 minutes, and I always failed. But when time came to run the 5K, I did it! And from there, I just kept going. As my running got stronger, I realized that I enjoyed running, and it ceased to be rooted in fitness. There is so much in my life that is ultimately beyond my control – most prominently, my career. As a performer, I can become the best singer and actor I can be, and yet it will often have no correlation to how much work I get. It took a very long time to accept that. But as a runner, I can get faster. I can get stronger. I can challenge myself, push boundaries, grow. What I get out of running is dependent upon what I put in. It has given me such a feeling of empowerment, and I am forever grateful that I laced up a pair of sneakers and stepped out of my comfort zone and onto the roads.


2. What is your greatest accomplishment? I hope that my greatest accomplishment has yet to be accomplished :) But if I were to pick something…I just don’t know. Everything that comes to mind seems somewhat superficial.


3. What is your motto/theme song? I don’t have one. I kept trying to think of one, and then I realized that if I had to put that much thought into it, I probably didn’t really have one.


4. How do you deal with bad runs? I don’t know if I’ve ever really had a bad run. I have runs that aren’t easy, runs that aren’t as fast as I’d like, or as comfortable as I’d like – but in the end I’m always happy that I ran them. I think the fact that I can run, at any given time, is incredible. The other week, I was debating whether or not it were really smart to run the Caumsett 50k without having done any recent long runs. I knew I could run it, but was it a prudent decision, and should I actually try to race it? Then it hit me- the idea of going out and running 30 miles wasn’t the issue, it was a question of optimum performance. So for me, how can any run be bad? My body gives me what it can give me at any given moment, and that’s all I can ask for.


5. Do you reward yourself for good runs? How? Not really. Unless beer and pizza after a 22 mile training run counts as a reward ;)


6. Who do you admire most? I’m sure that it sounds clichéd, but that would have to be my Mom. She stayed home with us when we were younger, and then once we were all in school for a full day, she went back to work. From there, she finished her Associate’s Degree, got her Bachelor’s AND her MBA – all while working full time, and taking care of 3 obnoxious kids and my Dad. She’s a great woman, and I probably don’t tell her that enough. In fact, I’m sure I’m usually short tempered and snippy with her. I’m a lucky girl – I have wonderful parents and two younger brothers whom, much as I want to strangle them most of the time, I love.


7. What is the greatest advice you have ever received? If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. In other words, you can’t expect a different result if you keep putting forth the same effort.


8. What do wish you had learned younger? That you can’t make everyone happy all of the time.


9. What do you wish you could do but can't? Reach things on the top shelf without using a step-stool! In all seriousness, I wish I could be nicer to myself. I’m trying, and as time goes on I find that I have more successful days than unsuccessful ones. But it is so difficult not to be a critic.

10. How would your friends describe your personality? Outgoing, practical, weird and sarcastic.


11. What do you wear running? Favorite outfit? In summertime, I prefer to wear shorts and a tank. I have been known to wear shorts and just a sports bra, as well (eh, it was in Jamaica). But I generally stick to Nike Tempo shorts and a tank. And they always match.


12. What has been your favorite race? Team Slug Fattest Ass 50k this past January – it was my first foray into the world of ultras, and I had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people.


13. Do you have a goal race right now? I’m going to tackle The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K at Bear Mountain. I’ll beat that mountain down in 9 hours, or stub my toes trying! *please note - it took me close to 11 hours to complete this race. For gory details, see the very first blog post on this site*


14. What makes you happy? Spending time with my family, the times my boyfriend randomly gives me a kiss on my forehead and calls me Pretty (which is generally when I’m half asleep on the couch and trying in vain to pretend that I am awake), and when my cats decide to curl up on my lap instead of his ;)


15. Tell us one interesting thing about you that you haven't said (at least not often) on this forum in the past. I have cooked a meal in a 4 cup Mr. Coffee coffee pot. And I was in a movie once. Pretending to do unmentionable things in the back seat of a car ;) AND I had a body double, too….well, a back of head double.


16. Tell us one interesting thing about another user of this forum that has not been posted (at least not often) on this forum in the past. I don’t actually know anything about anyone here that you all wouldn’t know already. But give me some time :)


2 comments:

  1. Great post Diva,

    I remember that first 5K you ran, and I've been honored and privelaged to have a front seat- all be it from a distance in miles, to your running transformation.

    You my awesome friend simply ROCK! How honored I am to have you in my life.

    Thanks for your great support an encouragement as I've trained for my very first marathon.

    ReplyDelete

What's on your mind?