Training with Tara Costa: It’s Crunch Time

Oct 28, 2009

For all of you runners planning to run the ING New York City Marathon, are you feeling the anticipation like I am? Or, maybe it is anxiety or excitement. Either way I am nervous and definitely scared. The best way that I can describe the feelings I am having is to compare them to my college experience and moving away from home for the first time.

When I was moving into New York University (NYU) dorms my freshman year I was anxious and scared, as it was a new environment for me. Off the bat, I was intimidated by NYU because I thought all the other kids would be more intelligent than me. The idea of a marathon, especially one the size of New York City, is extremely intimidating. My one and only marathon was a run with three other people. This race will be 13,000 times the size.
That’s quite a jump.

I knew that going to NYU would be a challenge, but if I wanted to be successful in business I had to take advantage of the amazing opportunities that NYU offers its students. The NYC Marathon is by no means considered an easy course to run, but the opportunity to see the five boroughs of NY in a new fashion, run with 39,000 plus people from around the world and have an opportunity to have your name on the Times Square jumbotron is an experience that will be remembered forever.

Throughout college, I was challenged on a weekly basis. I realized that I was not the smartest student in the class, nor was I the dumbest, but that I did have an excellent work ethic. This has been the same as my training for the marathon. I know that I’m definitely not the fastest runner or the slowest; I’m not a seasoned vet or a newbie. But one thing I have done, like in college, is to do the best that I can and train as hard as I can. I am sure each mile will present me with a new challenge and I have prepared myself for them through my training program. What I have to remember is that I have put in the necessary work. I know that I will not be the first to cross the finish line, nor will I be the last, but I will cross somewhere in between!

I feel confident that the New York Road Runners online training program by Andrew Kastor and it has prepared me for this day! I was so proud on my graduation day. I could not believe that I managed to maintain my 3.7 GPA and work 25 plus hours a week. I know crossing the finish line in less than a week will offer me the same feeling I had on my graduation day, a feeling of major accomplishment! I wish all the 39,000 plus runners the best of luck and I can’t wait to see you all out there so we can share in the excitement together.

Let me leave you with this…"I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought." —Arthur Blank

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