The Day Before the Marathon

The final day is here... (I can hear the idiotic Europe song... The final Countdown.. Ok, cheezy, I know, but what do you expect from me?)


There are so many things running through my head that have nothing to do with the actual race that I should get off my chest. So the blog entry will be divided into three sections: Logistics, Race details and the marathon.

Logistics:

1.) Fundraising- I have not said it enough... THANK YOU for all your financial support! I was able to raise the incredible amount of $3,221. Thank you to all for your amazing and generous contributions. I am speechless not only by friends here in NY that were able to come out to the happy hour and donate their time and effort to this cause, but also to friends from afar.

I have not spoken to or seen many of you in a while. I wanted to say an extra special thank you. Receiving a random email from a friend of the past can easily be discarded and ignored. However, you chose to support me in this cause. Whatever the reason of us drifting apart, you found a reason to support me on this quest. I hope, this email and this race is the catalyst for our paths to cross once again. I look forward to hearing from all of you the updates on your own quests and journeys.

Thank you, Gracias, Euxaristw, shoukran, Merci, Tesekkurler, Hvala, Dank u, Zikomo, Salamat, Bareka..

2.) Race Details

Tomorrow, I will be running through the 5 boroughs of New York City in hopefully under 4 hours. I will begin at the footsteps of the Verezzano Bridge in Staten Island, into Brooklyn, over to Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and end up in Central Park. I cannot wait to see the sea of humanity at the top of Verezzano bridge, to hear the Rocky theme song at Mile 7 from a Brooklyn High school (they have been playing the same song for 4 hours straight during the marathon since 1978), the Greek tribe in Long Island City (Peter go easy on the sign), the roar of 1 million people on 1st avenue, the pimp in the Bronx threatening runners with his cane in a very angry way that he will not tolerate quitters, central park and the finish line...I will soak it all in, effectively making NYC, my city... (I'll get back to you on what I see, and hopefully, next year, we can see it together.)

3.) Marathon

So here is what I realized.. This marathon business, and deciding to run a marathon business, isn't just about setting a goal and following through with determination and conviction, its about awareness. Let me explain.

By definition, this is a selfish sport. All the training hours is a constant push of your personal boundaries. Running can only be understood and appreciated by those that love the ultimate test of competition, the competition with ones self. The mere act of "going for a run" be it a 2 mile run or a 20 mile run, is a battle to exceed your previous time or distance. And in order to exceed ones self, you must be willing to endure pain, self inflicted pain. Sounds crazy, I know, but this burning pain in your legs, knees and chest is the reason people run. Only when you are in pain do you realize that you are surpassing your previous boundaries and reaching new levels of fitness. Pain is the only signal that you are winning the battle with your body that is screaming to remain at status quo. And as you push your body to new levels, inadvertently, you are pushing your mind and whole life as well, demanding more from yourself.

Running becomes an act of self-awareness through pain. I have become aware that much like in running, there are no substitutes for the pain of hard work and sacrifice. I have learned that any changes that I want to make in my life, must come gradually, patiently, making sure that I don't go out too fast at the beginning as I might never finish the race. I have learned to be meticulous and well prepared by studying the course before I embark on it, double knot my shoelaces so I won't trip before I begin, and pumping my arms for extra leverage up a hill. I have learned to embrace growing pains as its signaling to me that improvements are being made and soon I will see the fruits of my hard work.

I am now aware that its NOT OK to be content, (as so many people tell me it is) because If I was, I would not experience the pain of positive change and face the painful truth of my wrong decisions.

I also became aware that the pain of change does not have to be an orphan. The runners around me are also enduring pain and are willing to share the pain with me, making my pain that much sweeter and tolerable. The enduring changes that have been created within each of us, will always be an inseparable bond that only we can understand.

Regarding the 2009 ING NYC marathon, that's merely a race... I am sure you all realize what the marathon means by now...

But the question still remains...how much pain are you willing to feel Sunday?