BACKSTORY
Unless it proved to be a most grueling and horrible experience, I can’t imagine running a marathon and not wanting to repeat the feat. It had been five years since my previous marathon and the juices had been percolating. If you are a serious, serious runner, waiting five years to run your next marathon would be ludicrous. I’m not talking about the fanatics who run more than one a year or have run one in every state of the union and a few foreign countries. If you’re a long distance runner who runs regularly, one marathon a year would be de rigueur.
Last year I was in a state of marathon contemplation when a relative came to run New York for his first time. We live in Brooklyn where at about the eight mile mark the marathon passes within twenty yards of our front stoop. Most every year, along with our neighbors, we eagerly await the front-runners and stay for a while to cheer the following masses. Add to this the extra layer of excitement of watching for someone you know and I was ready to sign on once more.
Getting charged up was the relatively easy part especially compared to the training regimen and luck of obtaining entrance to the run. There are a few ways to “get a number” for the New York City marathon. One may choose to run a series of qualifying races the previous year. But the most common way is through an online lottery. Even though 38,000 runners get a number, it’s no easy feat. For my previous marathon it took three years of trying at which point having not been picked you are by default given a number. This is somewhat less than ideal, as one has to be in the early phase of training, to say nothing of the proper mindset by the time the lottery is drawn. I had been running regularly this past year and felt prepared should I gain entrance.
About the time of the NY marathon in early November, charities step up their fund drives. If family finances allow I will do our once every five-year contribution for a membership of the local NPR station and some other charity to which my modest donation might make a difference. Around this time I received an invitational email from a colleague in the film industry, Dan Edelstein, for a charitable walk for Abilis, an organization that serves people of all ages with autism, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. Abilis offers support to Dan’s son and his family. I will leave it to Dan or others to post their personal experience of the fine work Abilis provides. I was not able to attend the charity walk. But should I get a marathon number it sparked an idea of how I might offer some aid to the organization. Many large charities sponsor walks and runs of every variety. Until this point I had been thinking of the marathon on purely personal terms: could I do it again, could I best my time, etc? Why not put my run to some other use that could do something good for others.
The numbers were drawn and on April 8 the email arrived. I’m in. So quite simply, that is what this blog is about, an effort on my part to not just run 26.2 miles but ask for sponsorship in support of Abilis. There will be more details on this to come but for now consider the options: one dollar a mile, a bonus if I finish, double pledge if I beat my previous time or simply pledge what you can.
Training is essential. Nothing can replace getting out there daily, putting in the miles, building stamina and plotting strategy. One can never underestimate the importance of will, determination and mind-set. What better motivation than to know that I have the support through your sponsorship to this worthy cause.
Please check back regularly to monitor my progress, read some thoughts on running and learn more about Abilis. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment