2014 NYC Marathon - Finally!

Want details on how to follow me tomorrow? They're at the end of this post. 

My calendar just reminded me that I have a 26.2 mile run tomorrow, as if I could forget. This journey that began in November of 2011 when my friend Mike asked me to run with him will probably last in my memory for a very long time. "Why don't you run the marathon with me?" is probably not a question most people expect to hear from their friends. Then again, most people don't write about challenging themselves to something new, difficult, scary, or unusual, which I did regularly starting in the winter of 2010. About a year later, I had grown accustomed to saying "yes," which I did again that day when my friend challenged me to join him, surpassing my own hopes of someday running a half marathon. 

People ask if I always wanted to run a marathon. Nope. I never expected to skydive either, but that experience drastically changed my life, as has this one. On this particular path, I raised over $3,000 for a great charity, Team for Kids, have logged over 800 miles not including the pre-seasons and in between seasons, watched as a hurricane blew away so many hopes and dreams (much more than the one marathon canceled in 2012), recovered from trips and strains, and watched myself change yet again.

Last week, on an 8 mile training run, I ran past children playing in the leaves, past the water by the Hudson River, and felt myself among them. I had fun like a five-year-old, in the way that kids just play, presently and joyfully... in a way I hadn't since my days of camp.  No matter the chilly weather tomorrow, whatever aches or pains I may feel along the way, regardless of the time in which I finish the race, every mile has contributed to a renewed joy in living well worth the two years of waiting and striving.  

Thank you -  to my boyfriend Joseph Roy, who has supported, encouraged, and even diagnosed my muscle strains. It would be a very different race without you. To my family cheering me on from afar, I will feel your love in spirit. For my friends Steven Hrycelak, Kelvin Chan, and Nathan Carlisle running with me, let's kick some 26.2 miles of ass. Finally, thanks again to everyone who donated to Team for Kids on my behalf:  

Wendy Haley, Mark DiBattista, Lee Hamilton, Paul Hemphill, Joe O’Neill, Bob Stevens, Smokey Forester, Sarah Small, Roger Davidson, Rich Sanidad, Paul Connell, Kevin Haughwout, Keith and Becky Lorfink, Karla Loebick, Kara Morgan, Joyce Laoagan, Gabriel Soloff, Cheryl and Brendan O'Sullivan, Brian Primost, Benny Hsu, Alex Mohamed, Connie Green, Vlad Shvets, Melissa Lentz, Karen Dixon, Amy Rood, Rebecca Schuessler, Rachel Antman, Michelle Pretto, Mary Loup, Liz Pojanowski, Joyce Kee, François Loup, Eric Dudley, Delores Ziegler, Courtney Huffman, Brandon Mayberry, Alex Guerrero, Harriet Weil, Richard Salz, Jeanne Sciocchetti, Russ Feinberg, Jeanette Stair, Chip Yarusites, Christine Weatherup, Nicholas Houhoulis, Ricardo Cardoso, Silvia Neri, David Carlick, Erik Nordgren, Scott Tomlinson, Sato Moughalian, Steve and Gloria Szurek, Mischa Frusztajer, Michael Chadwick, Stephen Y, Ted Miller, Sharon Brind, Laura Fries, Rima Fand, Courtney Frye, Smokey Forester, and Karen Okupniak. I would not be here without your support. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

How to stalk my race: 
I'm #60100. I'm wearing a purple hat, purple tshirt that says "ABBY," possibly a green jacket, black capris, and purple shoes. Lots of purple. I start around 10:55am and expect to finish after 3:30pm. 

You can:

Here I go!