Over the winter, I trained with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, and on my own I was able to raise $3,200 for the charity, one of my achievements that I am most proud of. All winter, I trained for the ING Miami half marathon that took place on January 29th, 2012. I felt mentally and physically prepared, and I was seriously ready to kick some major butt in Miami. What I was not prepared for was the 85% humidity and 80 degree weather after training in the cold for 4 months. I was hoping to run a sub-2:00 half marathon, but my body refused to let me run that fast due to the heat. I managed to pull out a decent time of 2:05, however, and I was so pumped that I finally was able to complete my first half marathon!
 |
| At around mile 12.5...almost done! Smiling, but feeling awful! |
 |
| I love how the photographer caught this epic high five while we were crossing the finish line! |
A couple months later, feeling exceptionally fit and mentally prepared to conquer my next race, I signed up for the infamous NYC half marathon. This time, I told myself, I was going to crush the race and cross the finish line in under 2 hours. A couple weeks before the race, I suffered an injury to my ankle, and I was unable to run for 3 weeks. A few days prior to the race, my ankle finally felt good enough to run on, but I was worried I had lost fitness and would not be able to make my goal of 2 hours. I decided to just run the race anyways for fun and not worry about my time. Little did I know that I would have the race of my life! Tears streamed down my face when I crossed the finish line at 1:59:12. I am more than confident that I can crush my next goal of running a 1:55 half marathon!
Currently, I am training for the ING NYC marathon, a race I have been itching to do for several years now. Since I have been unlucky in the lottery system, I decided to run again with Team in Training, but this time I will be a mentor in the program for new participants. My goal is one day to become a coach for the charity organization, because I am seriously hooked! I have been sidelined for the past 6 weeks with shin splints, but I was able to run 3.5 miles, albeit slowly, last night, and I felt pretty good and haven't lost too much fitness, surprisingly. I am so pumped, scared, and excited for the months of training ahead and also to conquer the city in November!
Consider making a donation to my marathon cause: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nyc12/lkozakiewi
