Community Corner
Bed-Stuy's NYC Marathon Runner: Jonathan Weiss
Our weekly profile of local favorites running in the ING Marathon
Name: Jonathan Weiss
Age: 42
Hometown: Philly
How long you've been running: One year
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Why you are running:
I am running the marathon to raise money for Team Continuum, a non-profit organization that provides immediate financial assistance to cancer patients and their families (www.teamcontinuum.net). It's a fantastic organization that provides a direct and tangible benefit for families struggling with medical bills and other financial burdens of caring for a family member with cancer. On a personal level, I am running the marathon because it is such a huge challenge, unlike anything I've ever done. Also, I live a block off of Lafayette Avenue and have watched the marathon for the past few years. It's such an incredible event to be a spectator, I wanted to run it myself. I'm going for it.
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What Inspires You:
My mom who is a 2-time cancer survivor. She's a rock star. And my girlfriend Abby, who got me into running last year and is also running her first marathon. We are training together. She's also a rock star.
Training Routine:
This is my first marathon, so I am kind of feeling it out as I go along. I work pretty long hours so generally I wake up around 6am and run before work to fit it in. I am doing an 18-week training program where I run 2 mornings during the week with a long run on Saturday mornings. I am also hitting the gym at least another 2 days a week for some cross training, like the elliptical or stationary bike or a spinning class. At home, I stretch, do push-ups, foam roll and do core exercises. It's a big commitment.
Other Tidbit:
I moved here from New Orleans about 8 years ago, where I managed New Orleans bands and spent the better part of three years on the road touring all over the U.S. in a van. The rock-and-roll lifestyle was so glamorous that I decided to move to New York to to resume my career as a lawyer! My workday used to end at 4-5am and now I am waking up early in the morning to train for a marathon. I never would have guessed it a million years.
