Laura Smith Writer

Road to the TCS NYC Marathon

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Part 0

There are 235 days until the 2026 TCS NYC Marathon. Now, I do not start actively training for this particular race until the first weeks in July, when I begin to incorporate marathon specific runs, mostly the long run, into my weekly plan. Until then, I focus on other distances, sprinkling some 5ks and half marathons throughout the year, to add some fun and connection, free t-shirts, and points towards the 2027 marathon. As I have eased out of my compulsive runner phase (running multiple marathons each year) and into actively engaging help with training, weight lifting, and injury prevention, I have settled on NYC as my anchor race for the year. 

I participate in NYRR’s 9+1 program, traveling to the city for a variety of races throughout the calendar year, volunteering at one race, and earning entry into the upcoming year’s race. I will be driving to Central Park this Sunday to volunteer at the United Half, earning my + 1 for the 2027 marathon! 

But now is the time to focus on building. Building my endurance while attempting to remain free from injuries, as well as building running specific strength. So I am doing the not so much fun stuff: lifting weights, completing all of my PT work, going for initial injury screening, and adding in bits of speed work to the mix. I am not the type to really enjoy the fundamentals, the foundation. I am a paint color and trim gal; I love the decorative finishes and the bold accents.  How do I motivate myself in these early stages of my training cycle and year? What do you do to stay motivated?

(c)Timothy F Hanna 607-768-0429

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● About Me

I wrote and published my first blog post on May 26, 2009. I was about to turn 36 and had been accepted to Mount Holyoke College as a non-traditional student, on my way to completing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Medieval Studies. I had managed, finally, to know what general direction I was traveling. As a self proclaimed voracious reader I knew that I needed a vocation that would allow me to engage daily with words: reading words, writing words, and hearing words. I also needed to eat, so I navigated my way to a teaching position and I began to fine tune my craft. I love to teach and I love my students, but I also needed to continue to hone my own literary technique, voice, and style. I continued my education in order to delve deeper into literature, making connections, and most definitely, writing. I gained more confidence as a reader as well as a writer of both creative and analytical text. That first blog post in 2009 is short, the writing average, and the topic mundane, but as I continued to learn from other writers I began to understand that to become a better writer I needed to write more. Each time I write and release a poem, a post, or a story, I hone my skills. I invite you along for the ride, for this journey of mine as I attempt to wrangle a wealth of ideas and competing directions into an organized freshly paved path to publication. I might get distracted along the way, but sometimes those detours lead us to amazing views and new friends. 

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