A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ

ON THE NIGHT BEFORE MY SECOND SHOT

So tomorrow I get a second shot at the NYC Marathon.  Many might remember my race last year. I try not to. If I think too much about what went wrong, it’s easy to begin overthinking how to make it right.

Tomorrow’s race is different. Tomorrow I will run my race. I am looking forward to the countless lessons I’ll learn tomorrow on the Verrazzano Bridge, while running through Brooklyn, passing through Sunset Park and Williamsburg, crushing the Queensboro Bridge, hitting Queens, Harlem, and the Bronx, and ending in Central Park.

But as I sit looking out at the greatest city in the world this evening, I reflect on just a few of the lessons I bring with me tomorrow learned over the past couple of months.

Nothing is worth doing, if you can’t have fun doing it.

That doesn’t mean that every day is fun. It just means that we need to find the fun in what we do. You can have fun doing things even if you don’t love them. You bring the fun with you. There were days that I didn’t love running. There were runs that didn’t scream fun. But, I found ways to have fun. I brought people with me. I listened to music. I played games in my head amidst the miles. 

Any goal is better achieved with people you love.

Last year I felt running the NYC marathon was a selfish goal as I was training alone and running alone. This year my wife set the goal of running the marathon with me. It has been so much better tracking towards this goal together - holding each other accountable to knocking out the miles, cheering each other on, and simply talking about running. Goals are always more enjoyable with other people. 

Anything worth anything hurts a little. 

This running season has not been without injury and some pain. Coming into this race I have been off my knee most of the last 3 weeks. My torn meniscus definitely has been making itself known. But at the end of the day, it’s just a little pain. I went out for a short run this evening to test it out. A little pain, but anything worth anything hurts a little. 

Pressure doesn’t always lead to results.

To be honest over the past few weeks I haven’t thought much about the NYC Marathon. I’ve been head down knocking out meetings for work. Even the last week while in NY, I haven’t had  It doesn’t mean I don’t care about it. It doesn’t mean that it isn’t important. It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to do well. But just like the media, our businesses, or even our problems, if we think too much about them or add unnecessary pressure based on them, it doesn’t do anything to improve your desired results. 

Tomorrow I plan on having fun. 

Tomorrow I plan on knocking out a goal with someone I love. 

Tomorrow I plan to have a little bit of pain. 

And tomorrow I plan to enjoy the run without any pressure. 

I’ll just go out and run my race.