Tag: <span>New York Road Runners</span>

Sharyn O’Halloran

Last week’s post on How to Stay Motivated to Run, discussed the importance of joining a local running club to maintain a consistent training schedule. Here is a closers look at both the individual and social benefits to getting involved.

Established more than half a century ago, the Road Runners Club of America provides an outlet for individuals to embrace the sport of running and motivation to individuals to get them running and keep them running as they develop a lifelong commitment to better health. The club hosts numerous races throughout the nation, ranging from 5K fun runs to marathons and even ultra-marathons. The New York Road Runners, to which I belong, boast thousands of members participating annually in world-class events such as the TCS New York City Marathon. The 2013 NYC marathon was the largest ever, with some 55,000 runners from all other the world.

The nonprofit Road Runners combines donations from individuals and corporations with the income from its events to promote the advancement of running. The club works to inspire people of all ages to run but places special emphasis on youth programs. The New York Road Runners club sponsors numerous educational programs and activities that serves more than 200,000 children throughout New York City, as well as nationally and internationally.

I have trained with the NYRR for a number of marathons and ultimately ran my first 60K (37.28 mile) race with the club in 2013. My participation in these events has also raised money for a number of charitable organizations, including the Legal Aid Society and Community Impact at Columbia University.

Helping yourself stay fit can also help others.

Sharyn O’Halloran

Staying motivated to run long distances while juggling constant demands from work and family is very hard. Here are a few tricks that I have found along the way.

1) Compete in Local Races— Join a running club that sponsors local events. I belong to the New York Road Runners, which hosts racing events almost every weekend throughout the year. Competing in a race forces me to stay on my training program.

2) Virtual Coach— When I am training for a long distance event, and even if I am not, I always sign up with a Virtual Coach. Each night I get an email telling me what my workout program is for the next day. I don’t have to think about it. I just do what the coach says (more or less).

3) Cross-Training— Running high volume miles consistently week-after-week can take its toll and, frankly, it can get boring. To mix it up, I weight train, ride bike and participate in body sculpting classes for core strengthening. Over the course of a week, I complete my long runs, while getting a full-body workout.

4) Stretching and Yoga—One of the best ways to ward off injury is to incorporate a stretching routine into your daily workout. This could be done in the morning or night. I usually go through a set of classic runners stretches for hip flexors, hamstring and quads. I also like to include some basic yoga poses to both stretch and strengthen core muscles.

5) Virtual Training Partner—I find it impossible to coordinate my training sessions with another equally busy person. Instead, as a commitment device, I have a friend that I email before and after my long runs and before and after racing events. Being answerable to another human being, even if virtually, pushes me to complete the task, especially when I am tired and hurting.

Sharyn O'Halloran's Blog

Tag Archives: New York Road Runners

New York Road Runners Fosters Commitment to Running

How to Stay Motivated to Run

For busy women on the run