New York Flyers MTP? Heck YEAH!

Tran L

“Are we suppose to be running at 8:06 pace?!” I asked Keila over the strong headwind that was a constant throughout most of the race.

“Yes. We need to make up the time we lost over the last few miles because of the winds!”

And so I ran, and ran, and ran, with Keila and Paul, the 3:40 pacers, through the last 5k of the New Jersey Marathon, cutting through the wind. Mile 24 went by. I was tired.  My legs were heavy through Mile 25. It took a lot of convincing to keep them churning. I couldn’t afford to lose my pacers. At some point I saw the finish banner. It was so far away. My legs were ready to give out.  Eventually I felt my left calf on the cusp of spasming, wanting to revolt against the duress. Please, please… just a little more.   

That's Me! Giving Chase at the NJ Marathon May 2014

Paul was in my face, yelling at me to keep running hard. I knew he meant to motivate me but it was incredibly distracting. I wanted shove him away and yell back at him to leave me alone but couldn’t afford to waste my energy and focus. I kept looking ahead, forcing my legs to keep moving. I was finally able to see the finish line itself a few hundred meters away.

I tried to kick it to the finish but felt myself going slower and slower with every step. My legs were moving but it felt like I was at a standstill. I saw Keila and Paul getting ahead of me, sprinting to the finish line, each step taking them farther away from me. I doggedly chased after them and crossed the finish line with a gap of a few seconds. 

Still Doggedly Chasing....Approaching Mile 26

I was exhausted from the race and I was excited with the time. But on top of the exhaustion and excitement was the sense of a hard earned accomplishment.  

Smiles for a Hard Earned Accomplishment :)

For my result, I owed it to all that came with the Flyers Winter Marathon Training Program (MTP), our Run SMART Project coach Brian Rosetti, and the Flyers "Winter Warriors."

I eagerly signed up for the Flyers Winter MTP after getting good results from the fall MTP. The program started in the dead cold of January, around the time of the first polar vortex, earning the group the title of Winter Warriors for the next 15 weeks. 

We were each provided with our own custom training program that that included a weekly group speedwork session on Wednesday nights. Of course, every Wednesday night happened to be the coldest night of the week. Despite that the Winter Warriors diligently gathered at the Running Company for Coach Brian’s explanation and instructions for the evening’s workout and then headed out to a desolate Central Park to train.  

Each group session started out with a couple of easy warm-up miles and closed out the evening with the same for cool-down. The easy pace before and after the intense training gave us the opportunity to catch up and bond as a group.

For each weekly workout we were separated into sub-groups based on our VDOTs. The VDOT is a calculation, using Jack Daniel's Running Calculator, of how much oxygen the runner can utilize to create energy during intense exercise, and is used to determine how fast each MTP member should run each of their training runs including at the weekly group speedwork session.

This was where we put the pedal to the metal, where Brian got to push us at a pace that sometimes felt like it was beyond what we thought were our limits. Hunched over, gasping for air between each interval there was Brian reminding us that we would thank him for the pain come race day. These group runs served as a motivating agent for me through the rest of the program, especially when the outside conditions were far from ideal.

The Winter Warriors was a group of incredibly supportive individuals with a love for running and who shared a common goal of running our best in our target races. Through the challenging sessions and the harsh winter conditions, the Winter Warriors developed a camaraderie that made the sessions fun and exciting. We were cheerleaders for each other. This was clearly highlighted through the words of encouragement and cheers with each email chain that developed when it came time for our races. 

I know I wasn’t alone in stalking those who ran Boston, tracking their every step from Hopkinton to the finish line via the Boston Marathon app. For my New Jersey Marathon, I had signed up to get text updates on my running mates even though we were running the same race. I didn’t include myself and only found out my official time when Debbie P sent me a congratulatory text message with my finish time soon after I finished.  Even after the winter MTP officially wrapped up, the Winter Warriors were still cognizant of those who ran their races weeks after.

The Winter Warriors gathered for a reunion at the beginning of May to celebrate our results and all the efforts that went into training. It had been more than 3 weeks since the last group session, and I missed them.  At one point we went around the table taking turns to express what we were grateful for with regards to the winter MTP. This is what I am grateful for: 

·         Brian Rosetti, our Run SMART coach. Brian pushed me beyond my perceived limits with each and every workout. And he was the voice of reason when I had a last minute debate with myself over which shoes to wear for this marathon.

·         The Run SMART Project. Without my custom training program I would have been lost.  Undoubtedly, I would have caved in to the call of my warm comfy home instead of going out to log my weekly miles through the brutal winter. 

·         The Winter Warriors as a group. They were my motivators and supporters. They made those Wednesday nights fun despite the less than desired conditions through most of the program.  This was especially so with Pei A, our NY Flyers Treasurer. My subgroup started out as a group of 5 but through some injuries Pei was my constant training partner. She kept me from going too fast or too slow. I think I kept her in check as well. It was just right.

Running with Pei A. at the Oakley Mini 10K

My official time at the NJ Marathon was 3:39:32, a BQ and a PR of just under 15 minutes! But this is really the little cherry on top of my ice cream sundae.  It was the journey through the winter MTP that made the result all the more sweet and rewarding.  

-Tran L