Tag Archive | nyc virtual marathon

Here’s the Plan!

Oct2

I have not been living up to the hype.

I have not been doing what I should have been doing.

Some might say, that I’ve been slacking.

Maybe I have.

Maybe I have not.

I’ve really just been doing what I can to get by.    Could I have pushed myself to do more?   You bet!    Did I want to?   Eeeee….. a little but not enough to actually push.   I’ve been really tired lately.    We all are collectively tired.   We all have responsibilites.   Things that weigh on our minds.    Things we know we should do, but don’t.    Things we want to do, but also can’t.    It is a vicious cycle.    

After a hard reset where I am consulting with a dieticion, asking myself hard questions, and actally trying to put the pieces where they belong not necessarily where I want them to fit, I’ve come up with some ideas.

Here is the thing, if you know me you know that if I set my mind to do something; I am going to do it.   If I make a commitement, I will see it through.   Most of all, if you know anything about me; you know that Sandy Hook Promise is my jam.   You know that as much as they need supporters like us, I feel the very real need to be part of the solution.   (You can read about why they are important to me here….https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/blog/volunteer-resources/holiday-reflections-from-a-promise-leader/ )

So here is the deal, I am not ready to run a marathon.   Virtual or not.    I think part of my issue also is that being virtual, I let things slide that I would not have if I knew I would be at a start line with 50,000 people.  Although I’ve done virtual marathon before that I was ready for, this year was different.

Here is my dilemma….. I said I was going to do it.    I want to do it.    I am committed to doing it. So I am going to do it.    It won’t be what I imagined but it will be what is “smart” and what I physically think that I can do if not just a little out of my reach. Isn’t that what a marathon is all about anyone.    It literally may take me all day to do it, but I will do it.

Now even though my training has not been stellar, that does not mean I’ve been sedentary. Remember I just completed a Sprint Triathlon. My runs may not have been long, but my cardio fitness is strong. Today due to the rain, I took it inside……. 90 minutes on stationary bike. Biking just under 30 miles. Then an hour on treadmill for just under 4.5 miles. So not a couch potato. I also felt like I could have kept going, but there were things to be done today.

I also just ordered new shoes, because I realize that I’ve been wearing and running in LAST YEAR’S marathon shoes. Not good. Shoes should arrive in another day or so.

So here is the plan…..

4 six mile loops at the park.   I will ask my local peeps to join me for a loop, for a portion of the loop or just cheer me on from home.    I will do some running.   I will do a lot of walking. There will be some instagram/facebook posting.   Hopefully there will be no crawling or crying but you know, it is a marathon.    Anything is possible. In looking at the guidelines for the virtual marathon, it just needs to be one continuous run in Strava completed in 24 hours.

Easy, Peasy. Lemon Squeazy….

Oh wait….

Probably not, but it will be what it will be.

But it will happen and I hope you are there in any way that you can be.   Also feel free to share my fundraising efforts with your friends and family, because as we know their efforts to bring change are needed more now than ever!

https://fundraisers.hakuapp.com/christine-chaillet-1

Easier is a Relative Term

Aug18

Just because something is easier does not mean it is not hard. Nor does it mean that there aren’t challenges, learning curves, or doubt. Just because something is “easier” does not mean anything except that it is different. Besides easier is a relative term that is different for each individual and changes during their lifetime. What was once hard can become easier Just as what was once easy can become hard. It is all relative and ever changing.

There are things we do in life and often think to ourselves does it really matter. Maybe we won’t buy some brands because we don’t like what they support. Maybe we avoid certain establishments for the same reason. That is our freedom. Maybe we think it doesn’t matter if we dust behind the picture frames because who is going to see it. Meanwhile we see lines at the store, people using the products we wont, maybe the dust piles up and wonder does it matter. Does it make a difference, but it does. We would know. We know.

In life, you may fool a lot of people. You might even fool them for a long time, but there is one person you can’t fool and that is yourself. If you cheat on your diet and no one is around, you know you cheated. If you tell everyone you are training, but never actually train; you will know. Some even go so far as to cheat at events crossing finish line. They may even get the bling, but deep down they know they don’t deserve it.

Currently I am beginning my training for the NYC Virtual Marathon. I have decided that I am going to power walk it and I’ve been doing my daily walks. I am still working on the actual training plan and need to mark my calandar with the day that I plan to complete the marathon. This will help tailor my training. I am leaning towards November 1rst as that would be normal date, but not sure.

In talking to my son about this, he was like how will they know you didn’t cheat. So we talked about it. I told him that I’m sure just like other events that there will be people who don’t complete the race the way intended. That would be on them. For me though, I will know if I don’t do what I set out to do which is to complete a marathon. Others can worry about themselves because I will know that I did what needed to be done.

In life that is all you can ask of yourself because what you do in private is even more important that what you do in public. It is even more important to stay true to yourself, your beliefs and your honor even if you are the only one who will know. Especially if you are the only one who will know.

So with that I begin my training of a marathon that I said I didn’t want to run. I wasn’t lying because this time I don’t want to run. I’m going to walk and know that just because some may think this is easier, it is still going to be hard.