I'd Like to Be a Bird, But if Not-I'll Be a Runner-4 Days!

My friend Dusty sent this video to me as inspiration for the race.

And I loved it so much I had to share it on here. Just watch him climb those trees.
 And, I want a cabin in the woods like that.


He said "Just think of all those dreams lined up before a race..."



4 DAYS YA'LL!

Track Your Runner-5 Days!

The New York Road Runners have officially released the application in the iTunes and Google Play store that allows you to track runners on race day. So if you'd like to add this app to your phone, you can play along at home and watch my progress:

New York Road Runners Link

Also, here are directions if you want to watch the race live. It is going to be aired on ESPN2! Starting at 9:00am nationwide! WOOHOO!

New York Road Runners Tune In information

Also there will be a finish line camera on the New York Road Runners page that you can watch me try to finish the race. I am hoping to cross anywhere from 1:35pm to 2pm. So that is a good window of time to hang out in front of the computer if you are into that kind of thing. If you track me on the app-you will know FOR SURE when I should cross.

My bib number is 25206 and I am registered under my full name so that should make it easy to find.

(last year's commercial)

Bandit Catcher-6 Days

With all the talk about race security, there has been so much advice about making sure that your race number is SEEN at all times on the course. Otherwise, you will be considered a bandit in the NYC Marathon.

Here's the deal with being a bandit. I've had friends do it. There's something fun and mostly harmless about it. The race starts, a few miles down the road you hop on the course and you get to jog for fun along with all the people that have paid, trained and planned to be there.

The biggest deal with being a bandit is you never, ever, ever should plan to cross the finish line. You just don't get to do that. It's what separates people running the race from the spectators. Which ultimately a bandit is a thief of services.

Spiritually, I think it is so interesting to think about. Jesus says he will separate the wheat from chaff and sheep from the goats. The runners from the bandits.

A New York Times article about Bandit runners said this:
"One man had a blue bib — from a completely different race. A woman ran past two catchers after showing a folded bib in her pocket, but a third catcher looked closer and found the bib was from last year’s marathon.

A boy, about 10, wanted to escort his father to the finish. But the bandit catchers did not allow it, and the boy shuffled to the side, where his father returned to get him after finishing. Another man held an infant, hoping to share the big moment. The catchers let him by.

“I wasn’t taking the baby,” Richard said.

A pair of friends had joined the race at the Queensboro Bridge. Fernando Bedoya of Bolivia and his friend, Giorgio Groppi of Italy, wanted to cross the finish line but knew it was not the right thing to do.

“They run for 26 miles,” Groppi said of the waves of runners behind them, headed to the finish. “We run for 10. We are just pretenders.”

We run to finish. Not just say we ran a few miles of the race.
6 Days Until the Marathon!


Bandit Catcher: 2011 NYC Marathon from Elbert Chu on Vimeo.

Support Your Marathoner-7 DAYS!

One week until race day! I've been reflecting on my last race and for sure, the hardest part of the Asheville City Marathon last month was the fact that there was no crowd support. No friends. Matt had to drag our kids out of bed at 6:30 in pajamas to get them down to the race. AND he had to bribe them with Bojangles (he wasn't sad about that).

Crowd support is HUGE to a runner. 

I've been running by myself for nearly 16 weeks now. On race day, I'm not interested in doing that any more. 

But it is a big deal to ask friends and family to take on the expense of going to NYC to cheer me on. Check out what ASICS is offering! 

It's called http://www.supportyourmarathoner.com/ 

You go to this website and you can enter my bib number. When I cross a line, it will automatically trigger a video or picture message from YOU while I'm on the course! Isn't that cool? 

Here is a video about it:

I don't know if any of you will do it, but it would be a HUGE surprise if anybody does!

Another cool detail of just how big and awesome this race is. They think of the coolest things that add value for runners!
My bib # is 25206 and I think that's all you need! www.supportyourmarathoner.com

Week 15! 8 days left!

Now THIS was a tough week.

I got in a car accident on Monday. 

I had a run scheduled every day. 

My kids have two teacher work days AND my husband is out of town all week. 

AND the marathon is so close and I really don't HAVE to run but I need to run to maintain my fitness and to not lose my mind. 

The taper has made me super twitchy. 

I've been trying to watch what I eat, drink and focus on every single little activity I do.

Which will make you pretty mental if you let it. 

And so I tried to rest while I wasn't doing all the stuff you can read above. It was challenging. NO DOUBT. 

But look! I ran. And I thought I wasn't running that much and then I turned around and somehow cranked out a 33 mile week. Somewhere around Thursday I was pretty cranky about running a lot of miles still. But I did it. Thanks NYRR training plan. 

Somehow this week I ran 6 more miles than last week and about hour more. This adds up. In a real way. 

I mean. This is a lot of time running. And this is just one week. Somehow I have made it through 15 weeks of this. I can't believe it. And now I am into the FINAL WEEK.

Which means I get to wear this shirt every day:

YAY! It's marathon week people! 

NYC Playlist-9 Days!

Some people have been asking, so here it is.

The playlist.

I have it on Spotify  so you can see it there and listen. For free. Here it is: SPOTIFY


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Have I mentioned my love for Spotify? I doubt that it will work for the marathon with 47,000 + spectators all trying to use their phones, so I am going to play it safe and have all these songs preloaded on my phone.

But WOW. Spotify. It's a game changer. Especially for Young Life leaders. $10 a month and you don't have to pay for music? That's just crazy.


Anyway, here is the playlist.

It's all jacked up in the formatting cause it's meant to go in a CD case.

I decided after listening to Spotify for the last two weeks to add about 40 songs to the playlist that all my donors gave me. The little changes will give me a boost and these songs are ALL fun and surprising to me even know. I have been changing playlists as I have gone along so I wouldn't be too bored with my music.

Also, I don't even know IF I will listen to much music during the race.
All of the blogs I have read suggest not running with music that much because the environment surrounding this marathon in particular is not one to insulate yourself from with your own music. But just let it go and enjoy the whole day.

I plan on doing a little of both. Enjoying the environment but when I need to refocus and get my pace back on track--plugging in and getting after it (perhaps when I'm feeling really tired).

We'll see!

Clear As a Bell-9 Days

It's been fun to run for a charity and to realize just how many people are running for charities. In fact, one of my Young Life girls from back in the day is running for a charity in the race and we will get to see each other in NY! She will be traveling all the way from California on behalf of her team. I can't wait to see her.

The charity aspect of the marathon helps make all the training and dedication worth it because you realize that you are running for something much bigger than yourself.

Before, I wanted to run for me. Because this was MY goal. MY thing. What I wanted to do.

Now? It's because it's something that God wants to use in my life to show me how he cares for ALL walks of life. This is something much bigger than myself.

I love this video because it gives the vision of a runner in NYC and having a heart for the city. Which I definitely do. As I have run, I have found the solitude and quiet that I have needed on a daily basis. I sure could use the time having my "quiet time" being in the Bible but I am sure of this--I have never prayed more or been in deeper conversation with God about life and those I love than I have in the past four months. This time has been so rich for me. I have surely grown because He has run every single mile with me. Or I should say, I have run every mile with Him.


Craig Mayes NYC Marathon for the NYC Rescue Mission from Kensington on Vimeo.

Five Boroughs-Isn't Enough

Asics | 5 Borroughs from Real Productions on Vimeo.
Five boroughs isn't enough! I'm so excited!
Today is our travel day and we made it to New Jersey! Onward to New York tomorrow for the expo! YAY!

Can Almost Taste It-10 Days

10 Days. 10 DAYS. 
That's a week and a half. 

I was running yesterday and I remembered how intimidated I was by all of the days of running I had ahead of me when I started. 
And here I am. 
A week and a half away from the race. And the training is completed. I am simply running every day just to keep my body loose. And to look forward to the race and the finish line. It made me think of this verse.

"I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize"… Philippians 3:13

In my life with Christ, I have not achieved anything worth noting. I have to press forward, forgetting the past and look forward to what lies ahead.

 In my life with running, all I have done is trained. Which is an accomplishment however-IT IS NOT THE RACE ITSELF. Just the preparations. 
It's almost enough to make you exhausted. Is it all for nothing? NO WAY. The race is the best part! With God and in reality. It's the easy part. There is refreshment, people cheering you on, music, adrenaline. It's also when all the training gets puts to the test. And you have to further than you ever have before. You have to go the distance. 

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

And everyone wants to cross the finish line. 
Even those who haven't put in the training. Or been prepared for the race. 
We have to work up to the idea that we CAN do this. 
Check out this video:

ING NYC Marathon Week from Infinite Media on Vimeo.

If you can get the idea that YOU CAN get to the finish line, then you will want to start the race. 
It's an idea that builds. ING knows that. New York Road Runners knows that. Jesus knows that. 

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1

Find Your Strong-11 Days!

I love this video for showing how amazing Central Park is.
The connection between Central Park and Asheville isn't as much as stretch as it might seem.

The same landscape architect for Central Park, Frank Law Olmsted-designed the grounds for our famous Biltmore Estate which happens to be one of my favorite places to run AND is home to my favorite race in Asheville, the Biltmore 15k. And the Asheville Marathon (which also takes place on the Biltmore Estate) recently announced that Inheritance of Hope is going to be their charity partner in race in mid-March. *Cue the spring marathon plans*


Find Your Strong Project - Central Park from Saucony on Vimeo.

"If you are from out of town, I encourage you to run through Central Park."

This is the biggest lesson I've learned this year. There is no better way to see a city than with your running shoes on. I can't wait to run through Central Park on November 3rd!