As our first runner we are meeting Erik Hoos. NYC will be Erik's 3rd Marathon.
What are you most looking forward to in relation to the New York Marathon?
I love urban environments and everything that comes with them. To me, New York has to be the pinnacle for experiencing an urban area that has grown in a natural way over many years. To be running in between the buildings and soaking up the atmosphere has to be an ultimate experience.
How has your training been going?
The training is progressing really well. This is the first time I have had no injuries at all, and it is a privilege to be able to push hard in training runs. It really shows how important a slow build-up of distance and intensity is. For this I am thanking my excellent training program (and the person who made it).
What has been the hardest part of training for this race?
The hardest part of the training is to fit all training sessions in between your (social) life and work. We were able to postpone or cancel a lot of social commitments, and I am lucky my boss lets me move my working days to a slightly later time to be able to fit in most activities in the mornings.
Difficult training runs (hello time trials!), I often start dreading a week in advance, right up to the moment I walk out of the door to actually run them. It does feel good afterwards, when the results show the progress in fitness (and another horrible run is out of the way).
What has been the best part?
The best part of the training is seeing yourself getting better. Running longer runs with less effort, becoming a lot faster. Halfway during my program, I was running a half marathon in a much quicker time than what I thought achievable! Oh, and the two foxes that I regularly meet on the oval and sometimes run along for a bit are pretty cool too!
Have you got anything special/rituals you will be doing on race day?
I do not have any special rituals. During running, constantly listen to your body. Adjust the things you can, suck up the things you can't.
Did you ever think you would be running a marathon?
This marathon absolutely snuck up on me. When I just started running, a bit over a year ago, we were watching a movie about a bunch of unfit guys that at some stage are forced to run a marathon. I remember watching the movie thinking; as funny as some of the scenes are, a full marathon seems like a ridiculous idea. All good that these guys have to run one, but I definitely never will!
Luckily, I also like really crazy ideas and following up on them, so when the chance was offered to run a marathon (insane) in New York (never even thought about visiting the US before), saying no wasn't really an option.
Any tips to anyone looking at taking on their first marathon or fun run?
To anyone wanting to run a marathon or any other fun run, remember that the hard part should be the training. The race is the reward for all that training and the moment to enjoy. If it works the other way around you are doing it wrong!
Prioritize your training over other commitments or else other commitments will take over.
And then there's pacing… Learn to run at a slower pace. Let other people overtake you. Do not take off with all the fast runners at the start. If you pace yourself right, you will be overtaking a lot of others before the finish.
Any other thoughts or feelings you want to share?
Until very recent, I had absolutely no comprehension of what the New York Marathon was going to be like. It was a blur somewhere far on the horizon. Running the Melbourne Marathon as a training run has showed me the value of having people on the sidelines cheering you on, and the experience of running a marathon in a big city. New York will be many times crazier than Melbourne with spectators lining the streets 5- 10 rows deep and now I cannot wait to experience this!
As far as running for a time goes, I am getting much better at adjusting my tempo to how my body is feeling. If all things fall in the right place, I think I can run a decent time. If not, I will still have an amazing experience in the knowledge that I have put in all possible efforts.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
