I ran a 4 Mile race today in Central Park to benefit Haiti. My goal was to beat my pace from the 5 mile race I ran on Jan 9th, which was 11:39. I set my sights on running it in 45:00 (11:15 pace) and beat that by 20 seconds a mile! I'm happy with my results considering it wasn't my best run ever.
Despite preparing myself well in advance, I just lacked energy and had to fight off a lot of negative thinking as the miles wore on and I became concerned I wouldn't meet my goal. I walked twice, briefly, on uphills, when I felt my breathing catching and I got scared. The last mile of the course though was all downhill so I felt a boost and wish now I'd put the speed on even before I did at the last second. Didn't I say that last time? "Broken record," alert!
Before and after, I was joined by 4 friends, and have never felt more loved and inspired to keep going. Each friend was at a different place in his or her running journey and it was amazing to be all together on a gorgeous sunny day, taking care of Haiti, taking care of ourselves, and taking care of each other.
First there was Jerome Roux, whom I met in 2006 when he transferred from the Paris office of Coty to NYC. He's the ideal man. Smart, tall, creative, down to earth, gorgeous, and funny as hell. Once you've met Jerome, you can't get enough of him! He is actually the person who first told me about this race, which was pretty confusing, because Jerome's just about the last person on Earth I'd have thought would be into running!
The thing is, Jerome's French; and what goes better with being French than a couple of packs of cigarettes a day? Pas de chose, cheris! But a few months ago, Jerome decided he wanted to lose some weight so he went on a no sugar, no carb, no fat diet (yes, cigarettes were allowed) and also took up running. He lost 22 pounds. Once the weight was off, he noticed how good the running was making him feel and he decided not to give that up... and even to cut back on the cigarettes. Jerome rocked a 9:28 mile today; now, that's what I call, smoking!
Next there was Sarah Hine, who has been running for a while now. She's a diligent runner who does it for her health and well being. She gets up early, splashes cold water on her face, and goes to the gym almost every day. In the past I remember thinking she was super woman, and weird, and maybe even a robot. Going to the gym in the morning? When you could sleep? And you're naturally thin already? Ugh... smacks of weird. :) Now, my dear Sarah, I get it... and I think of you every morning that I rise early for a run. I have respect for you, for all the years you've been doing it, and how hard it's been.
Sarah Hine and I run at about the same pace but I was adamant that I wanted to run this alone. I've never run "with" someone else. I wonder though now, seeing our finishing times within seconds of each other, if we should give running together a go? Just to try it. Something new. If nothing else, something to write about! What do you think, Hiney?
And finally there were Sarah Watson and Amy Richards. I've know Sarah since before nursery school. We grew up on the same street, went to sleep away camp together, studied abroad in Venice, and now both work in liquor marketing/advertising, as it happens, for the same company. Sarah and I took tennis lessons together growing up and she's generally a good athlete, and has always stayed in shape and even been a runner from time to time when her ridiculous international travel schedule isn't dominating things. Our friendship spans the ages and the life stages and I'm sure will end with death doing us part! (I sincerely hope I go first.)
Amy I've known since third grade. My hand still hurts from the blood pact we once made together over a book called Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth! We also went to sleep away camp together, played on the lacrosse team, were roommates in LA, swapped apartments in NY, and have had maybe one fight in 30+ years? (You were wrong, dude!) The thing about Amy is, though she has a full time job also with international travel, and a toddler at home, and she hasn't run or done anything athletic in 6 years, she's a natural born athlete - and that doesn't just go away. This girl passed the boys in high school without breaking a sweat and she'd pass 'em now if she tried. She's built for running. I love how her legs kick behind her when she goes.
Amy and I now live on the same block a stone's throw from Central Park. I've been a little preachy recently to Amy about wanting her to get out there and train; but only because I love her so much and I want her to feel what I'm feeling. When I think of how hard I'm working and what my physical limitations are - my lack of gifts - and what she's got going for her... It would be such a thrill to be the one to help her get started, and eventually see how far she can go.
Jerome, the Sarahs, Amy and I blended well. We talked about running and we talked about life when we hung out afterwards sipping coffee and eating waffles and quiche. Running was the thread we could all quickly find common ground on, but it was only the gateway to more. People who work hard and put themselves out there have something fundamentally in common. Because we run, we could trust each other to hear things with an open ear, to be supportive, and to remind each other that we don't know what's coming in life... but it might very well be even better than we could have imagined!
No comments:
Post a Comment