Join us as we follow Regina Sav, Administrative Assistant in the HSS Research Department and first time marathoner, through her training for the ING New York City Marathon. This is the first installment of a series documenting her journey.
Running has never been my go-to exercise activity. If I had to choose between running or any other workout, I’ll probably choose the latter. You can imagine my surprise when I was given the opportunity to run the NYRR Oakley Mini 10K. I realized that I had nothing to lose and it would be a good way to get into shape, so I decided to go for it. Turns out, I love running! I ran two more races weeks later and I haven’t looked back.
I now have the chance to run the ING NYC Marathon. I was uncertain, and still am, of my capabilities to take on such a time and energy consuming challenge. I would have to figure out a way to fit it into my schedule of a full-time job, going to college and still have a functioning social life. To this day, I still haven’t figured out what caused to me to say “Yes, I accept”.
I started to share the news with friends and family. Most are enthusiastic but a few of them looked at me as if I had just told them that I will be jumping off the George Washington Bridge and asked “Why?” I just look them in the eye and tell them it’s because I CAN! Anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort can too!
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t panic once reality started to sink in that I only have about two months to train, when most people train for a whole year. The internet is a good place to start my research but there is so much information and I began to feel overwhelmed. A good friend of mine, Shashi, lent me a book that practically compiled most of the information in a language that I can actually comprehend – “Marathon Training for DUMMIES”. Through this book, I was able to create a training plan that will help me cross the finish line on November 3rd.
Regina Sav is an administrative assistant in Hospital for Special Surgery’s Research Department and a student in Hunter College majoring in Psychology. With a passion for running, Regina is training for her first marathon in November. If she’s not training, she pursues her love of yoga and traveling the world.
