Hi there sportsfans,
I am back in action in a new geography! After a glorious 3 months in Johannesburg working with African Leadership Academy I am now back in the states. I am based in Boston now and will start with Audax Group tomorrow. I am a bit nervous about the new role, but excited to learn new skills and challenge myself. Here in Boston, I don't have bridgerunners :(, nor do I have my African cheering squad (more on this later), but hopefully I will adopt a few running buddies, starting with none other than Danielle "I happily ran a half marathon" Hamilton, who is a 1L at Harvard law. 
Given my likely busy work schedule and the psychotic demands of her law school hopefully we can push each other to "just do it" and get our butts in motion!
Also, please find it in your heart to support the cause. As you know, I am running the marathon for ALA and have a goal of raising $3k to support Africa's future. Please follow this link to contribute: http://www.africanleadershipfoundation.org/marathondonate_maryanna.asp
But I digress...now for the meat of this update in the standard fashion...
Running update:
My ankle is still giving me such pain, I decided to rest it for a week two weeks ago after a run which left me screaming in pain! I don't know what has caused this injury but it is certainly persistent...after running my right ankle swells up and feels very heavy/out of whack (any advice out there?). While resting I tried out Bikram yoga (which my mom has been pushing!) I ended up joining Jordan for a few classes in Joburg. I went almost every day, it seemed to get more difficult every time I did it, going from "easy as pie" in my first class to me nearly passing out and not being able to see/hear in my last class! It taught me that I can go further than I think I can, and I learned how to focus and push myself. While I am not sure if it helped my physical running, it was a great psychological boost! too bad bikram in Boston is $22 a class (vs. ~$6-8 in Africa :(
After the week of Bikram I tried running again and was able to get an 8 miler in last Monday, rest, an 8 miler on Friday, rest, then a 13 miler today. Before I was doing ~8 every day which I think caused my injury (Bruce H. mentioned that he got an injury due to over training for his marathon as well...rookie mistake for me I guess!) I am hoping to do ~8 miles every other day and a long run on the weekends. In Boston I find running so easy....there are no hills, and because I was training in high altitude South Africa I don't get winded as easily! ....lets see how long this lasts....
Running insights:
· Run with your entire body--I learned today on the long run that different parts of your body can drive your run. I found that if one part of my body got tired I could shift my focus to another part and use that as my "engine". For example, I usually focus on my legs but when they get tired I shift to "running with my arms", then "running with my core/abs" then letting gravity pull me by running with a forward lean. When I really need to push myself I run with all of the above! This shifting of focus has helped me in the long runs, hopefully it will help you too!
· Don't think about the total distance-Set intermediate goals for running rather than thinking about the total distance you are running. 13 miles sounds like a lot...but "just running to the next bridge" or "just to the edge of MIT's campus" is much more palatable. Each time I reach an intermediate milestone I feel a sense of success and then push on to the next rather than feeling discouraged that I have 7 more miles, or that I am not even half way done.
· Make your own cheering section--On the marathon route there will be tons of people cheering all the runners...but during training normally only you are there to motivate yourself. That doesn't have to be the case. While in SA I made my own cheering section by waving to other runners/ workers going to work and offering a smile as I ran by. At first they found this awkward (as did I admittedly) but eventually as they saw me every day they became my little cheering section and motivated me along the training runs. Then I would think to myself "I am running for these people, if I fail, I let them down". I am doing the same thing in Boston. The memory of my personal "cheering section" will motivate me during the marathon and hopefully keep me moving! As an aside-- I have a new motivation with the marathon...I want my cheering section from SA to have the same advantages/opportunities as the section here in Boston. It isn't fair that in SA so many people are forced to walk miles to work in the early morning for a paltry salary. They should have the opportunity to do what the Boston cheering section does...walk their kids in fancy strollers, have an ipod (or two), run/walk for pleasure rather than out of necessity, etc. ALA is addressing this gulf in opportunity, hopefully through my small contribution with the marathon/work I can help further bridge this opportunity gap.
· Visualize success-On tough hills in SA I would often visualize my mom or someone at the top saying "you can do it, no sweat etc." and I would envision myself at the "finish", this helps push when you think you can't go any further. It may sound odd, but by visualizing your success or someone pushing you, you can trick yourself into fulfilling that vision. Try it a few times, its amazing what you can convince yourself of!
Inspirational quotes:
· "Rinse the cottage cheese to get success"- Jim Collins, Good to Great (a triathlete was so detail oriented/conscious of his diet that he even rinsed the fat off of his cottage cheese to get the best possible diet for his training---the lesson here is to always try your hardest to do what you can to ensure your success, pay attention to the details)
· "We all have a role in this system...we all must play our part"- Fred Swaniker
· "Ego can't be about that...there is no way Beyonce is really that dumb"- Danielle O. Hamilton (i find that so funny, will think of this whenever ego comes on my running mix)
· "Get out there and run!"- Samosa Velempini
Playlist adds: (i've just found my old running playlists from college, hollerzz!)
· "Ms. New Booty"- Bubba Sparx ft. Ying Yang Twins
· "My love is your love"- Whitney Houston
· "American Girl/ Ignition remix...etc."- Dartmouth Aires (Accapella)
· "99 Red Balloons" (techno remix)- unsure
ALA update:
· The student body has officially doubled to ~200 students and campus improvements have been completed to facilitate the growth in the ALA family. Vusi performed for students and friends on Saturday (very famous SA performer, part of the movement against apartheid, inspiration to Dave Matthews). 2 students recognized by the Liberian President (Sirleaf) for their success at ALA. Finally...I left ALA, I will definitely miss everyone there and will be in touch!
Moment of Zen:
· A little gift from Kathryn Ogletree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0-Sv6YnxEc
And...a "shout out" to some of my faves from Joburg at my going away party. Thank you again to Jordan for hosting!
