Have Fun and Enjoy the Experience

Shoutout to our client Christina who ran a new PR of 5:17:39 at the NYC Marathon! She writes,

“I am still a bit in shock about my performance at the NYC Marathon last weekend. It was a good reminder to me that we are stronger and more capable than we believe as long as we put in the work, trust our body and focus on the positive.

It was not necessarily an easy training cycle. I work full time. I have two young children (one is young enough to still be breastfeeding), so a good nights sleep is rare.

There were a lot of early mornings and times when I wanted to hit snooze instead of head outside. There was fatigue, frustration and self doubt. There was also joy, peace and strength. Coach Nicole was instrumental in keeping me on target with a training plan. She was my virtual cheerleader.

Race Day: NYC Marathon 2023

I entered race day with a goal to just have fun and enjoy the experience. I had hydrated and fueled as planned. I had my gels in various pockets and belts to use during the race. I felt ready. Coach Nicole had advised me to run by effort more than pace for this specific course.

I have a tendency to get in my own way and overthink things, so this was the perfect advice for me. I had done the work, it was time to trust myself and my body.

So I did run by effort, not checking my time. I focused on the mile I was in, one at a time instead of looking too far ahead. When things got tough (they always do, right?), I thought about my kids, I gave hi fives to spectators, I soaked up the positive support of the crowds and let it all lead me to that Central Park finish line and a new PR!

Not every day or every race is necessarily a good one, but last Sunday was a great day.” -Christina Piron