Bed-Stuy's Marathon Runners

Each year, thousands of people apply to run the NYC Marathon. Some run with a fundraising group and others get picked through a lottery.  The prestigious race is a true test to ones athleticism and commitment, and is inspirational to the rest of us who can't imagine jogging 26 miles throughout the city.  

For the next 22 weeks leading into the Marathon, we will be running profiles of local runners training for the Marathon. 

Name: Stephanie Salman

Age: 39

Hometown: San Francisco / Brooklyn

How long you've been running: 3 years

Why you are running?: At first, it was to shut my husband up! At Christmas 2008, we were having dinner at our friends house and they just picked up Wii FIT for one of the kids. In the game, there's different events to choose from and one was running. We had so much fun playing that we went out and bought our own. A few months went by and I was feeling pretty good about how long I could run. One day, my husband, Mike, casually walked by and mentioned to me that all I'm really doing is running in place.

I set my next goal to run around the park by my house, and then I joined up with a real running group called BRIDGE RUNNERS, who met every Wednesday throughout the summer in Soho. When you start hanging out with other runners who tell stories about all the marathons they competed in, it made me want to do the same. In 2009, I joined NYRR and had my first race that June 7th.

There's no greater feeling or satisfaction then pushing yourself to do something you had no thoughts of ever doing and LOVING IT. That's what I get out of running: non-stop pushing myself to train, crossing the finish line and receiving my medal. I was always active doing yoga, dancing, skating and biking, but never felt as alive and satisfied as I do when I go for a run. In 2010, I signed up for the 9-1, which is when you complete 9 or more NYRR qualifying races and volunteer one day at a NYRR event. Now, in 2011, I'm embarking on a journey that excites and scares me all at once. Every day I have to motivate and push myself to train hard and run farther.

What Inspires You:  The bragging rights of telling people about all the races you were in and that you are training for the ING Marathon.

Training Routine: I train Monday-Friday after I drop my son off at school, then I make my way to one of the bridges (Manhattan, Brooklyn or Williamsburg). I decide to continue running to the city or do laps over the bridge. When I trained for my first half-marathon, I would run from my house to the city and down the west side to 125th street, then back down to 60th street. I like to mix my running routine so I don't get bored.

I just started training for this upcoming event. I still run five days a week. For now I run on a treadmill anywhere from 30-60 minutes. Afterwards, I move on to Shawn T's Insanity Workout program to build my endurance. In September, I'll start training even harder and really focus on breathing, running with a water pack and tracking myself with Map My Run.  My goal is to run the marathon in 4.5 hours.

Other Tidbit: I recently started writing short stories