9-month anniversary; 2 months till NYC Marathon
Today is the nine month anniversary of one of the six biggest changes of my life. (The others would include puberty, going out into the real world, marriage/parenting, the tech gold rush, and divorce). This has been a wonderful change. On Dec. 1, 2006, I moved to the Upper West Side of Manhattan and broke a box of Kools in half. I had smoked for 4-5 years. I joined New York Road Runners, bought some Asics, started entering races, and now I am one of the 35,000+ entrants in the NYC Marathon in 63 days and 13 hours. And I have a head to prove it, fresh from a buzz cut to psyche myself up and "shave down" for an incredible event.
There are still some things in my life I would like to change, but whenever things don't seem perfect, it feels good to remind myself of what I was doing before Dec. 1. On a typical day, I would wake up and think about running or going to the gym, and instead I would smoke the first cigarette. And then it was all over. "What's the use" was the typical catch-phrase. It seemed kind of pointless to work out when I was smoking. I don't want to nag at anyone else who does smoke, either. One thing I hated was the anti-smoking gestapo, including the knee-jerk legislators who discovered that the easiest way to get a bulk of constituents on their side was to move smokers everywhere out into the cold streets and make them pariahs, state by state. Give me a break. People have to learn for themselves and no two people are alike. I will always have some kind of bad habit or two. In fact, I hope I always do. This is probably one right here, typing on myspace. Sometimes, anyway. It seems like a healthy habit to me, though. I'm not a bar drinking and smoking. And after the NYC Marathon is over, I am going to reference all of my past blogs here as I type the new beginning and ending for "Trees and Numbers." Which is my brass ring now.
For me, this Labor Day Weekend is my own time to take stock of where I'm come since that seminal change in my life. And it's my own time to take a deep breath in this Calm Before The Storm and look at what's ahead. I am reading Denzel Washington's "A Hand To Guide Me: Legends and Leaders Celebrate The People Who Shaped Their Lives" just for some extra inspiration! Here goes:
The Two-Month Power Ride
Sept. 1: This means that it has been nine months since I quit smoking. I don't have any urge ever to smoke and I like to drink water and snack on grapes and peanuts or whatever. It also means that Major League rosters expanded today, and that there is one full month of jaw-dropping, unforgettable pennant race fever from San Diego to Boston, from Seattle to Atlanta. I'm in the middle of it all, and every day between now and the marathon will be more busy.
Sept. 15 and 23: The 15th is the NYC Marathon Long Training Run 2, which will be 18 miles at Central Park. My lower right back and hip have to be up for that one. The 23rd is the fourth of five legs in the 2007-long NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix series. This one will be through Queens. I have run the Manhattan (January) and Brooklyn (April) legs of this, and I would like to run Queens and then Staten Island (October) so I can have guaranteed entry into next year's Nike Half. I doubt I will make Staten Island due to playoffs.
Sept. 30/Oct. 1: The 30th is the final day of the regular season, and at that point I am working around the clock virtually until the world champion is crowned nearly a month later. At this point I will be trying to juggle maximum NYC Marathon training with the busiest of possible schedules. It is going to be an absolute adventure, but I am determined to make room for training. Sept. 29 is the Continental Fifth Avenue Mile, and I plan to be there.
Oct. 14: This is the NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix: Staten Island. I will be there only one of the two New York teams are in the playoffs....and if I am assigned to work one of those series. Could happen. Not holding my breath about making this one. At this point I should be firmly in travel hell thanks to possible rainouts and series length uncertainty. Either way, it would be a NYC Marathon long training run that day, so I will run something.
Oct. 23: This is the first day of the World Series, so I will be in whatever American League city hosts the opener. Actually I will be there on the 22nd. It will be an AL opener because the AL won the All-Star Game, hence home-field advantage in the World Series. In a perfect world for me, the Yankees will be that team, and Boston as the next-best scenario. Why? Because this year the World Series starts later than usual, and if there is a Game 7, then it will be played on Nov. 1 (and perhaps Nov. 2 if there's a rainout). Remember that the NYC Marathon is on Nov. 4. I will be getting up at 3 a.m. on Nov. 4. The worst-case scenario for me is a Game 7 in Anaheim (Angels), then a full day of travel, jet lag galore, and trying to prepare for my first-ever marathon...not having had a day off this entire past month. So I am rooting for a four-game World Series sweep, or at least a Game 6 or Game 7 in New York. The good thing is, I will be tapering down at the same time as the World Series, which will be my busiest time of the entire calendar year. So it could work out great; it could be a nightmare.
Nov. 4: The 2007 ING New York City Marathon. Some days I am confident. Some days I am nervous. That nervous energy will drive me. Once we cross the first bridge and the pack finally begins to thin enough to stride, I will stay within myself and not try to run fast. I am going to run a smart first marathon. I am going to enjoy all 26.2 miles, because it will be the biggest day of my life next to the births of Matthew, Benjamin and Joshua. I can't believe it's this close.
It is not going to be easy, and that is why I have been so freaked out about this injury and being told to take two weeks off running by the doctor. I will be cramming everything in during two of the most intense months of my life. This will be my entire focus in life: Doing my job better than ever (which is more important than anything to me: Constant and Never-Ending Improvement!), and preparing for and then finishing an actual marathon.
So here goes. Nine months are in the books. I've learned a lot about being a runner. I've learned a lot about my body. I've learned a lot about my mind. I've learned that you can easily quit smoking just by quitting...and drinking a ton of water and snacking on celery, nuts, grapes, etc. I need to lose more weight. I need to tighten my core. I need to wake up able to easily move around. I need to rebuild endurance. Mayne, I need Nelly singing "Heart Of A Champion" around the clock inside my ears. I need all the stars to align. I need some blessing from God and a push on the back from my Dad up there. I need to remember those Tony Robbins CDs that I used to listen to over and over, especially the part where he says to "chunk it" -- break massive challenges up into smaller and doable chunks, especially once I get to that starting line in Staten Island on Nov. 4. And I also need to remember what he always said to ask yourself:
Who are you really?
I am Mark.
A non-smoker for 9 months now.
A humble runner and NYC Marathon entrant.
A dad.
A son.
A brother.
A friend.
A fighter.
A writer.
A professional.
A dater.
A doer.
A leader.
A rapper. (Ha!)
A juggler.
A giver.
A Motrin-taker.
An adventurer.
A mistake-maker.
A sports nut.
An arts lover.
A learner.
A goofball.
A Hoosier.
An athlete with an iPod.
It has been a great 9 months. Now there is a lot more to do and it's coming fast. Don't forget that you can still sponsor my run in the NYC Marathon. I have raised $1,938 toward my required goal of $2,500 for Team for Kids. Thank you to anyone here who has already joined our cause!!! The information is in the previous post, and I'd love to have you join us! Meanwhile, I wish everyone a great Labor Day Weekend if here in the U.S., and best wishes always.
