This past weekend they ran the Indy 500 ( the biggest and best open wheel race in the world) and the Ridgewood Run....obviously these events are on much different scales but both present an opportunity to shine....most of us will never drive an Indy car let alone qualify for one of the 33 spots in the 500 but all of us ( with few exceptions) can have the spotlight for a few moments. I watched the 5k and the men's and women's mile races on Memorial Day in Ridgewood....I have run the 5k and 10 k several times over the years but was just a spectator this year. Thinking back on the day...it was a great scene...people were lined up along Linwood Avenue coming up to the finish line...I saw people I knew and who had obviously run the 10k or just had finished the 5k and stayed to watch and cheer for the other runners, there were family members looking for their favorite runner and probably people who did not have a family member running but came out to watch on a beautiful day...how cool is that????

When you're running, and you pass trees or bushes that hang over into the road, do you high-five them and imagine the branches are really fans' arms hanging over the barricades cheering you on? I do sometimes.....Do you envision yourself running hard to the finish line of the Nike marathon? the NYC Marathon...making that final right turn by Columbus Circle and heading back into Central Park and up to the finish line? Or seeing the finish line and the race clock and knowing that you are about to set a new PR...or qualify for Boston....or break 5 hours or 4 hours for the first time or YOU ARE ABOUT TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING NO ONE CAN EVER TAKE AWAY......FINISHING A MARATHON!!!!!! I have and still do

Running is possibly the only sport (and more specifically road racing as opposed to track running) and maybe the only event that people like you and me can perform on the same stage and hear the encouragement of the same people along the course as the best in the world. I can tell people with total honesty that I have run the same races on the same courses as Haile Geberlaisse ( has set about 17 world records in distances from 10k to the marathon), Deena Kastor, Meb, Paul Tergat, Paula Radcliffe and even Lance Armstrong....so I did not beat any of them but I ran the same distance they did and my medal is the same as theirs. So fill out those entry forms and come out and hear the cheers as you run by. Come out and feel just like that...the star of the show. Few people will ever get to feel that feeling. Some of us can feel it a few times a year. I wonder if those that are cheering realize how special they make us feel....whether they do or not...I want to say thank you to them and to the volunteers that give their free time to allow us to hear the cheers.

BTW, try volunteering at a race...a local one or for a NY Road runners race...its a great feeling and you will understand what it takes to put on a race and will appreciate it the next time you run a race.

New Adventures

I have been running for so many years it is really second nature to me and I don't put alot of thought into getting dressed and going out for a run...that may be why I love working with newer runners and seeing them catch the bug and be excited as they hit each new running milestone...whether that be an enjoyable run in the rain or snow...hitting double digit miles for the first time..completing their first race...1/2 marathon...full marathon.

Now that I have started training to do my first triathlon...I am back on the other side of the road....I am the newbie...I am enjoying hitting those new milestones....learning something new witrh every workout...I did not know that they hand you water bottles at the bike aid stations..I thought i would have to stop and grab a cup of water or sports drink...water bottles sounds much better...riding my bike more and more miles...doing my first 20 miler...30 miler ....and this weekend a 60 miler followed immediately by a 45 minute run...after doing each of these combo workouts...they are aptly named "bricks"... that is exactly how your legs feel for the first couple miles....they hit but they hurt so good!!!! You know that you have been working hard during and especially after you finish...my quads have NEVER hurt they way they did this weekend....but I kept walking and did an intense workout on the muscles with "the Stick" and felt much better.....

Then yesterday another awakening moment for me....riding back from the Ridgewood Run (just watched did not run)...we ( I rode down with Andrea) reached the final hill and I had to clip out of my pedals because of the traffic light...two failed attempts to clip back in and two falls...the second worse than the first...a skinned and sore knee and elbow together with total embarrassment created a new adventure on the bike...some of the adventures and milestones are positive some negative...some embarrassing...but all are lessons learned...and then being a former competitive swimmer I thought the swimming would be a piece of cake...WRONG...a 1/2 mile swim in my new wetsuit was a learning experience and a wake up call...I will be slower than I thought in the swim leg....

What is the new lesson and adventure...only time will tell and that may be today..may be next week...who knows???

New Season !!!!

Last weekend we had the Fall Season Kickoff in Parsippany...always one of my favorite days involving TNT...alot of excitement, nervous energy from the new participants and of course the motivatation and emotion of the Honored Teammate speeches...Jake and Doug did an incredible job and I know caused alot of tears to flow...I was stopped later that day by an employee of one of our Friends of Team in Training and his words were "Great event and the best way to start off a saturday morning crying my eyes out!" If that does not say it all nothing does. I know I am not strong enough to stand up there and tell a story like theirs having lived through the ordeal that they did and get through it without breaking down.

Now, we are preparing for another great event...the FIRST GROUP RUN of the Season...alot of fun for everyone and will help alieviate many of teh fears that the newer runners have that they are not fast enough or can't run far enough or that they will be running all alone or that they are the only ones who do not know anyone.....

Every season brings something new to the table and I am wondering what it will be this season.....

See you on the roads,

Bill

I am still alive

Its been a very long time since I have jumped on here and rambled. I have been both busy and neglectful of this blog. The Spring Season is winding down....Country Music Marathon and New Jersey are over and everyone did a great job. Country Music was a new event for TNT and in my opinion was very successful...the team was not huge but they were truly a team....even those runners we had not seen much or at all during the training season blended right in... in addition we had some honorary teammates crowned in Nashville...Brian, (Tara's husband), Charlie (Jill's fabulous 10month old), Nick (Jill's 11 yo) and Lila (Jill's SO)...they all helped to make the entire weekend a sucess and fun. Charlie had a team babysitter all weekend. Nashville is a great and fun city. Thursday night Christina met her future husband Paul ( sorry Christina but I had to write that) and we had a great time led by Carrie and Beth ( I believe it was Beth's Nashville singing debut)....raceday started with torrential rain, thunder and lightening but by the race started it was a light rain at most....everyone finished and had a great time at the Victory party and beyond. The following weekend we were down at the New Jersey marathon in Long Branch....another fun filled day at the shore...not the most exciting or beautiful course I have ever run but you can't get lost or complain about hills. A couple alumni qualified for Boston 2009..Amanda Sabatos and Christine Pierce...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! The Rock N Roll San Diego Team is facing their 20 miler this coming weekend and then they are off to sunny SoCal for the race...Good Luck Team.

This coming Saturday the Fall Season Kick Off in Parsippany...we have three great events for the runners...Rock N Roll VB on Labor Day Weekend....always a good race and fun time on the beach..I will be heading down to run on my own....then Nike in San Fran and rounded out with Marine Corps in Washington DC

A special shout out and congraulations to David Leech, the best coach ever, who ran the Eugene Marathon on May 4th and set a new PR of 3:05...that British guy can fly!!!!!

Hope to be rambling again soon....