I might have mentioned it before, or not, but (besides coaching for GOTR) I will be coaching a team of 20 marathoners who have signed up to fund raise for the Lower East Side Girls Club, a wonderful NYC non-profit created to address the lack of services available to girls and young women on the Lower East Side.

They’re all signed up for the Marathon. The NYC Marathon.

There’s 20 of them, in their 20s, 30s or 40s; and for most of them, this is their first marathon. 

Oh, the glory of your first marathon!! I get excited for them just thinking about it!

I got to meet them all tonight. And they were all so excited to meet me (as if was going to run for them!)

We all got introduced, talked about the training, the long runs, shoes, speed-work, training partners, fueling and pacing. A great start. I talked a lot, which is really common if you know me. I was basically lecturing through dinner, while everybody ate. They got to desserts and I had barely touched my food. Oooops.

While hearing their concerns, it was so funny… I started remembering the things I used to worry a lot about. Actually, worry is an understatement. Things like “what will happens if it rains come race day?” would freak me out and keep me up ALL NIGHT. So much has happened since those days. So much…

I’ve set goals already. Goal #1 is to get to race day injury free. And you know that is not so easy, mostly on your first. Then, training will be to Enjoy and Finish the race, to seize the day. I have some very talented people in the team who I know could show the marathon who is the boss. But you know how it is with the marathon, it can also really humble the most talented and dedicated athletes. 

Anything could really happen. We just gotta get ready for it! And we’ll be working on mental preparation a lot too. It’s a great group of people. I saw commitment, determination, anxiety, and mostly excitement tonight. It’s a great great start.

You can call me Coach Elizabeth