There’s no time like the advent of the New Year to start thinking about ways to improve your life. Whether it’s losing twenty pounds, quitting smoking, or aiming to read War and Peace, everyone has a New Year’s resolution. I came up with mine almost two months ago: I’m going to run the New York City Marathon in 2009.

The Itch To Compete

As an athlete, I haven’t accomplished much. I was always a petite girl who preferred staying indoors with a good book to getting exercise. In high school, I became more social and joined the track team with the rest of my friends. But my middle-distance running career was almost over before it started, with a string of stress fractures and a teenage diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. I abandoned my cleats for a spell, until I started hitting the gym in college to combat stress. The treadmill was easy on my achy feet, and I loved the refreshing feeling I got from a good, long run. But somewhere along the way, I decided to make running more than just a stress-relieving activity and turn it into a hobby. This winter, I ran my first race in over six years—a 4-miler—and it reaffirmed my love of the sport. Finishing the race gave me a lot of personal fulfillment, and I felt confident I could begin to tackle longer distances, larger events, and bigger dreams.

I’ve lived in New York City for several years now, and I’ve grown accustomed to everything “big” in the city—skyscrapers, crowds, lights, prices—except the New York City Marathon. The marathon remains the one event that still manages to captivate me by its sheer size. There’s something about running for several hours across five boroughs with tens of thousands of others over the span of 26.2 miles that astounds me. I can’t think of another event in New York that commands the kind of attention from the public that the marathon does, with its thousands of spectators lining the streets from Brooklyn to the Bronx. And so this past November, I took my place among those spectators (as I have for three years straight) near the finish in Central Park, and decided that I wanted a piece of the marathon glory for myself.

Preparing for a Marathon

What does it take to run a marathon? So far I’ve covered the basics: joined the New York Road Runners (they organize the marathon), bought a new pair of running shoes, and of course, I run 3-4 miles a day, about 3-4 days a week. But then there are the other obstacles to overcome: increasing my “running economy” (mileage), staying healthy and avoiding injury, and maintaining the stamina to train for the next eleven months. And on top of all of that, I still have to apply for the marathon, since earning a spot in the race is decided by a lottery which opens in February.

The next few months will be challenging, of course. I plan to run a 10k (6.2 miles) by February and a half-marathon (13.1 miles) by April or May. I’ll be wading through dozens of articles and manuals on training, shifting from a carb-heavy to a protein-heavy diet, and balancing it all on top of being a full-time student. And I’ll be recording all of that here, in detail, so that others looking to accomplish long-term goals can find some support. Ultimately, the marathon won’t be the 26.2 miles, but the next eleven months of preparation.

[Photo by HowardN2GOT]