Dara Runs NYC

Southerner by birth, New Yorker by choice. Creative Director of Preston&Olivia. Partner n Crime Mr. Trent Bailey Cobb of Trent Bailey Photography. Mom of Lola Lovely. Fashion obsessed. Runner.

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And so it begins. The signs are up everywhere in the city. 

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“I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement. It's a state of mind that says anything is possible."

John Hanc, writer for Runners World

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The marathon is only 25 days away! I can't believe it's so close. It feels like I just started training for this race when in fact it's been 20 weeks of training so far. Two more to go and then it's MARATHON WEEK! 

I am beginning to prepare for cooler temps and so I picked up these little guys. I'm going back today for some arm warmers just in case.  

I am getting so excited! I'll be sure to document as much as possible and share more in the coming days leading up to the big 26.2. 

xoxo,

[dararunsnyc]

And done! 

With the help of so many wonderful friends and family members, I've reached my fundraising goal of $2620 for Team for Kids. That's $100 a mile and approximately 52 kids who will now have an opportunity to participate in TFK's Mighty Milers Program for an entire year! Thank you all so much!

I will be thinking of each of you as I journey the 26.2 miles from Staten Island to Central Park that you've all helped sponsor! Y'all rock! 

xoxo,

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"Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself."

-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

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ONLY $55 left to go to reach my fundraising goal for Team for Kids and I still have one week to get there. Please donate here: dararunsnyc.com

I'm so close and it feels so great knowing I've almost accomplished yet another goal during this NYC Marathon Training. 

Here's to everyone who's gotten me this far! Y'all rock!

xoxo,

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"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."

-Oprah Winfrey

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The ING New York City Marathon Tune-Up 18 mile run was no joke. 3 loops of Central Park totally kicked my butt. I was a little tired from waking up super early for a wedding the day before, but I still surprised myself with my performance. This run gave me a good boost of confidence for the big 26.2 in less than 5 weeks! 

xoxo,

Images by Trent Bailey Photography

P.S. And more exciting news: Only $55 away from reaching my fundraising goal of $2620 for Team for Kids. Please donate to such an amazing cause here. 

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Trent and I had a wedding in Montauk the weekend I was scheduled to run my 20 mile long run. So we decided to make a mini end-of-summer-vacay out of it so I could have a change of scenery for yet another long run. We stayed at the Surf Lodge and absolutely fell in love with the rooms and all that you could do on the grounds... like PADDLE BOARDING! Waking up each morning with a gorgeous view of the lake and the bright light streaming in made me want to start summer all over again rather than say good-bye. 

Well, so long Summer, and so long, Montauk. Until next year. 

xoxo,

Images by Trent Bailey Photography

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A few stills from a super 8 Trent shot during my Cape Cod Rail Trail 18 mile long run. 

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For Labor Day weekend, Trent and I escaped to Cape Cod for a wedding and a little relaxation. This was a perfect get-a-way weekend and provide the ideal course for my FIRST 18 mile long run. I ran the Cape Cod Rail Trail and Trent biked along the entire way. The course was so lovely and mostly shaded, which made for an even more enjoyable run. 

Of course Trent snapped a few photos and some super 8 videos from the run. I'm so glad I was able to my long run in a new and exciting location. 

xoxo,

Dara

P.S. And more exciting news: Only $275 away from reaching my fundraising goal of $2620 for Team for Kids. Please donate to such an amazing cause here. 

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Long Training Runs

Sunday was officially the longest "long" run to date for me. (16 miles to be exact)

My run started in on the WSH in Battery Park, I ran all the way uptown past the George Washington Bridge, and then finished at 231st St! 

The course up the West side was so lovely, and I had great company along the way. 

This weekend I'm looking forward to running the big 18 miles in Cape Cod while Trent and I are there to shoot a wedding with the lovely Desiree Spinner.

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It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop.

-Wisdom of Confucius

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Team For Kids

Less than 14 more weeks to go until the big day! (November 4th, Marathon day, that is). Thank you to all my friends and family who’ve helped me raise $1695 for Team for Kids thus far. Let me break that down for you:

- That’s $925 left to raise to reach my goal of $2620

- That’s almost 34 kids who will now be able to participate in TFK’s Mighty Milers Program for an entire school year

- That leaves 65 more days left to raise $925

- That means there’s 18 more kids who could have the opportunity to be involved in TFK’s programs with the help of your donations.

Please help me reach my goal as I prepare to run for Team for Kids this November 4th in the ING New York City Marathon. You may make any donations here.

xoxo,

Illustration of feet by yours truly.

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Bicoastal Marathon Training

So, my marathon training is well underway by now. In fact, there’s only 95 more days until the  ING New York City Marathon.I can’t believe how close it is now. I’ve been enjoying the training runs, though, and to keep things from getting boring, I’ve tried out various locations.

Here in the city, rather than staying in Central Park all the time, I’ve opted for some down town runs through my hood, across the Brooklyn Bridge and back just to keep things from getting too monotonous. Who doesn’t love a good NYC skyline?

My favorite so far was definitely my long run through the Napa Valley with Mr. Trent Cobb (on a bike he borrowed from the Carneros Inn) on our recent trip out west. I’m so blessed to have this loving guy who’s so supportive of my goals and gets up early many mornings to get out and help me stay motivated.

I cannot get over the gorgeous views in Napa. I didn’t even mind running up and down countless hills.

Then there was the Golden Gate bridge run at sunrise. It was nice to have it all to myself… well, almost. There were a few cyclists I had to dodge. But seriously, gorgeous! Check that one off the bucket list.

My last run of our West Coast trip was in Half Moon Bay (see image at top). The beaches were beautiful!

Now that I’m back home on the East Coast, I need to get creative again and find some new locations for some upcoming long runs. Anyone have any suggestions?

xoxo,

[dararunsnyc]

26.2

So now that I’m 26 yrs old, I thought it would be a perfect time to run 26.2 miles…. Yep, you read right. I’m all signed up and ready to go for the 2012 ING New York Marathon!!! Yeeeeeaaaahhhhh!!!!! But now, I need help from you all. I’m going to need any out-of-towners you to get those plane tickets to NYC booked,  make me lots of pretty signs, and help me raise money the  amazing organization I’ll be running for on marathon day, Team for Kids.

Here’s more about Team for Kids:

Team for Kids is a team of volunteers who raise funds for critical services provided by New York Road Runners Youth Programs. These programs combat childhood obesity and empower youth development via running and character-building programs in low-income schools and community centers in New York City, throughout the country, and in Africa.

Making a donation is easy! You can visit www.DARARUNSNYC.com and click on the Donate button on the page to give through my secure fundraising site. You can also find information there about where to write a check, or how to get your company to match your gift! All contributions are tax-deductible.

Your giving helps New York Road Runners Youth Programs to: - Serve over 100,000 children in more than 400 schools and community centers with FREE programs. - Reach children of all fitness levels and athleticism, with a heightened focus on reaching out-of-shape and overweight kids with little or no athletic experience. - Prevent overweight or obese children from eventually suffering heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses that lead to health-care costs in excess of $100 billion annually.

Whether you are a runner, have worked with children, or have kids yourself, I hope you will join me to further this great cause!

Thank you to everyone for all your love and support, and I hope to see many of you at the finish line this November 4th!

xoxo,

[dararunsnyc]

T.G.I.F.

This has been a fun and busy week, and I’m so happy it’s finally Friday! Other than that, I have some much overdue running news I’m just now getting around to sharing with y’all:

March and April were busy months for running with various NYRR races in and around NYC. In March, my friend Val ran the NYC Half Marathon, so I went out to meet her at the finish (the finish was conveniently located in my hood at the South Street Seaport). She and her friend, Tara, rocked it out and finished with excellent PRs! Way to freaking go, ladies!

Here we are Post race. The course looked like a lot of fun, and I think I’ll try to do this one next year.

Then it was on to… drum roll, please……….. MY FIRST HALF MARATHON!!!!!! Yep, I told y’all about it at the beginning of the year, and I did it. It was so much fun, and I had a great group of friends who came out to cheer me on at various locations in the park. Thanks, again, guys! Y’all made it much easier to cross that finish line knowing I had friendly faces to greet me when it was all said and done.  Thank you, Molly, for a killer sign (pictured above)! And thank you, Trent for not only capturing this wonderful experience, but also for being so supportive of me while I trained and inevitably stressed out the week leading up to my race in true Dara “worry wart” fashion. I think I’ve still got a bit of “runner’s high,” and now I’m ready for the next one!

 All my wonderful friends who ran this year’s race

 It felt so good to cross that finish line!

 Don’t be jealous of our super cool and sexy foil capes!!!

Thank you again: Molly, Nick, Yanessa, Trae, Samantha (not pictured), and Trent (taking the pictures) for your love and support! 

 xoxo,