THANK YOU

A big thank you to all that showed up to the Happy Hour/Fund raiser and all those that contributed to Team for Kids. I was successful in raising $640 from the Happy Hour which surpassed my $500 goal.




I can't thank you all enough for your financial and emotional support.



(I realized that we should all go out drinking more often...that was fun!)





On the training front:



1.) I am still in constant pain with my shins though I am attempting to train through the pain. I have understood that with a lot of ice, any amount of pain is bearable.



2.) The mileage has been quite manageable up to this point, as with the Team for Kids training program we haven't broken into the double digit mileage runs. Starting this week, our Saturday long runs will all be over 10miles.



Long Runs:



I consider anything above 10miles (16km) a long run. Why such a long distance and why is not a 5mile run a long run? Here is my answer and I am sure long distance runners and sprinters alike will agree with me.


At short distances, your body has enough food, energy and water to sustain itself. Your pretty sure that nothing will happen to you if you don't drink water or eat if your run for 5miles. But anything over 10miles, its a different story. One's body has interesting ways to retaliate or make its self heard when it needs to be nurtured.



Water- You MUST drink 8oz of water every 20 min. Dehydration symptoms stink: especially being lightheaded. Overheating is miserable.


Food- If its your first time at food(fight) club, you must eat! Gels, granola bars and anything with protein helps. Not eating will create incredible pain in your stomach that is difficult to describe.



Managing when you eat/drink is a VERY important part of this sport, that is if you manage to keep yourself injury free for the entire training period.



Wish me luck, this is where it gets difficult.


On another note, I visited a friend in Boston this weekend. Though I do not share the same sentiment as a lot of new yorkers, I happen to have fallen in love with the city.




I think we had one of the top 3 runs of all time as we did a 9mile loop around the Charles river. Absolutely incredible view.. and so was the company!

I will be in Greece for the next two weeks and will attempt to take some pictures and update this blog.

Thanks guys. See you in a couple of weeks.

Elgin Marbles

Again, nothing to do about running, but here is a story that is very dear to all Greek's hearts: The Elgin Marbles. Considering the recent opening of the new Acropolis Musuem, the case for the return of the Elgin Marbles, or rather the Parthenon Marbles, to the symbol of Western Civilization, the Parthenon, gains traction.

Under Ottoman rule, Lord Elgin looted the Parthenon of significant sculptures and friezes to bring them to London. He produced considerable damage to the marbles where he was forced to saw statues to prepare them for transport . For many years, the British Museum has claimed that if the marbles were to have never been stolen, they would have suffered considerable degradation and damage as they would have been exposed to the Athens smog, while the Greeks had no way of taking care of these pieces properly.

The Parthenon Marbles belong where they were meant to be seen, within the context that Pericles commissioned and Iktinos and Phidias intended. Much like a painting would not be complete if it revealed white spots on the canvas, so too the Parthenon is not complete without the Elgin Marbles.

The Parthenon is to be enjoyed by humanity in its natural state. The Elgin marbles are not mere artifacts to be viewed in a national museum for the Western world, rather they are a symbol of stolen Greek identity, history and civilization.

Museum Opening Ceremony. Projections and music. Needs volume.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWy1UzF8JVI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFlW9gd9REI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_oR7EmFnsQ&feature=related






Melina Merkouri, a famous Greek actress and Minster of Culture was the first to begin an aggressive campaign for the return of the marbles to their origin.




Melina Merkouri- Je Suis Grecque


Melina Merkouri and Anthony Perkins in Phaedra. While filming the movie, a scene was shot in the British Museum and the Parthenon wing, where Melina first got the idea for the reunification of the marbles.

Why I am running the Marathon

I have embarked on an insane goal which for many years seemed unattainable/unthinkable... To run the 2009 ING NY Marathon. (It seems odd just seeing it in writing.) Why, may you ask, (a perfectly valid question for all those that know me.)

The short answer: To see if it can be done.

The long answer:

I hate running. I hate the pain that it gives my body. I hate the pain in my bones that I feel, the muscle aches and shortness of breath. I hate waking up at 6am on Thursdays, 8am on Saturdays (and not going out drinking Friday night) and running on Sundays. I hate the way it makes me feel while I run, but nothing in the world can describe the feeling of accomplishment when you cross that finish line.

Our entire life is a marathon. We spend ample energy and time sacrificing ourselves for a better tomorrow: school, work, financial Independence, finding ms./mr.. perfect, creating a family etc. Every time we reach one goal, we never stop to look back and realize our accomplishment, because we are already on to the next thing. Never do we stop to appreciate the current moment of time we find ourselves in. We are in a constant rat race with ourselves that seems to never end.

I am running the marathon because for the first time in my life I'm living in the moment, where every strike of my heel gets me one step closer to my impossible goal.

I am running the marathon because never in my life, have I found something as pure as running where the effort you exert, is directly proportional to your performance.

I am running the marathon because the distance of 26.2m (42.2km) allows for nothing less than to be disciplined and focused.

I am running the marathon for my parents, because in their entire lives they have ran 1,000 marathons for my sister and I.

I am running the marathon for loved ones that are no longer with us though I carry them with me no matter where I go.

I am running the marathon for all the people that I have met in my life that couldn't as they are too sick or too poor to even care about such useless endeavors.
I am running the marathon for Team for Kids, to inspire children to play outside rather than siting in front of a tv.

I am running the marathon for myself, to prove that I can.

Happy Hour Fundraising Event Thursday July 16th, 2009 6:30-8:30

I am holding a fundraising Happy Hour for the Team for Kids Charity (as this is the charity that I have chosen to represent in the marathon) on July 16th after work from 6:30-8:30 at Madam Geneva, the hidden bar in the restaurant Double Crown, at the corner of Bleeker and Bowery. Enter the restaurant on Bowery, walk past the bar and the long table on your left, all the way to the back wall of the restaurant. The back left wall of the restaurant opens to reveal an excellent bar and lounge. Alternatively, there is also an entrance on Bleeker that might or not be open, depending on the management.

(The whole purpose of the exercise is to make you thirsty by the time you find the bar.)

I hope you can all make it, and good luck following my directions.


Please feel free to forward to all parties you deem worthy (and that I forgot), all are welcome.
http://www.doublecrown-nyc.com/
http://www.madamgeneva-nyc.com/

Athens Marathon

Marathon runner hit by a tram in Athens Marathon 2007... I'm embarrassed people...




Another commercial for Israeli feta... and I know all of you are thinking this is something I would do.

Lance

Not a big fan of Lance, but I am digging the video, so I'm posting it anyway.




And now that I am adding random things, might as well add a commercial that I enjoyed. Don't you hate it when you have walkman voice???


Miller At The Pool - The most popular videos are a click away

So Far

I haven't really been keeping my times as I calculate my times based on other people's watches, but I am running a 7:45/8:00min mile for a distance of about 6 miles. I ran the Brooklyn half marathon in 1:50:22 which was an 8:25min/mile.

For all runners out there, the rule of thumb is you tag on an extra 30sec to the pace that you ran the half in to get your marathon time, which would bring me to an 8:55min/mile pace for the marathon making me finish the marathon in 3:53.

So here are my goals for the marathon:

1.) To finish the race. (at worst)
2.) To finish in under 4 hours. (medium)
3.) To finish in under 3:45. (Ecstatic)
4.) To finish in under 3:30. (Impossible)

I have been having a lot of pain in my shins lately. The funny thing is that my muscles don't feel sore any more (that means I am getting in shape) but my shins are killing me (means I might be running too fast). Don't know what to do but rest... a lot. I ran at 8:25min/m pace today, the slowest I ran since I started training with TFK. However the conversation of my teammates was pleasant and it got my mind of the pain. Don't know what I am going to to do.

Here is another insperational video that I liked.