Today is one of, if not my most favorite day to be living in NYC - NYC Marathon Day! #NYCmarathon2016
I woke up like a kid on Christmas at 7am as the sunlight filled my room.
It was an event that I was excited about being able to experience when I moved here 4 years ago. I had established myself as a runner and was excited to experience the larger community of global runners.
When I moved to Harlem three years ago, I woke up on a rainy Sunday morning in November to club-like music outside my window, which is very unlikely for my neighborhood. When I looked out my bedroom window, I saw runners crossing over the Madison Avenue Bridge and running down 5th Avenue. I watched them from my window for a while thinking about how cold and gross it was outside but decided to go outside and cheer them on.
[I will never forget the enthusiasm of the cheering crowd from my first organized run and how their excitement and encouragement innately pushed me to run harder and feel better about myself. So it was compelling to go out and cheer for them!]
Over the last few years, I showed up by myself to the NYC Marathon outside my apartment and sometimes made my way down to the finish line. I wished that I knew someone running, I wished that I might someday be a runner in this race. I wished I had someone cheering with me. I wished that I was a part of a running group.
Today, I am beyond excited to cheer on the runners, but this year I stand on the sidelines knowing several people running and many friends who will be in cheer sections throughout the city. It hasn't been easy, but over the last year, I have found a community of runners who continue to inspire me and push myself to be a better runner. A quick shout out and thank you to those of ou who have encouraged me more than you may ever know. #HarlemRun #ResidentRunners #RinseRunRepeat #BlackRosesNYC
I have a long way to go to become the runner I see myself growing into, but I am honored to stand with the running community of NYC today and be represented by the amazing runners who will make the 26.2-mile traverse through our 5 boroughs.
If you have never been to the NYC Marathon finish line, the excitement is intoxicating! The camaraderie of people cheering on family, friends, loved ones and runners they've never met pulses through your bones.
NYC comes alive on Marathon Day!
After the race is over and runners disperse through the city as she transforms back to her normal self, people are filled with encouragement and excitement. You'll hear comments like "Well done!" and "Congratulations!!" "Good job, today!" from passerby's as runners walk through the city with their heat sheets (those foil cape looking things). NYC becomes one on this day. It's days like this that remind me why I love this city so much!
As I sit here and type this, they music has begun to play, I can here the MC over the speaker, and I am thrilled to get out there and cheer you on! I know you're gonna kill it out there! I hope to one day be running with you!
love
