Why the Y
Nine weeks to go until marathon day. 15.2 mile run, 10:54 pace.
Working for the Y is like building a cathedral. I'm giving my best every day to a cause that will outlive me. I will never see the completed product because the work will never be done. Serving this mission that is so much bigger than me or any one individual is humbling and inspiring, and so far, it’s the best way I have found to leave my community and the world a better place.
When I realized I needed to choose a charity to run with for the New York City Marathon, there was only one option: the Y. I’m grateful the YMCA of Greater New York chose me to be on their team. I invite you to strengthen community - and celebrate my big 4-0 - by helping me raise $3,000 to support the Y.
The first time I "went for a run" was at the Y in downtown Tacoma. I was 22 and couldn't finish a mile. Little did I know that run would launch my love of running, and my passion for the Y's mission. In the two decades since that first step into the Y, I have seen the Y change lives, save lives, build communities, and stand on the front lines of equity. I am grateful to be on this marathon journey with the Y as I run for the YMCA of Greater New York.
This week, I ran a total of 31 miles and walked 6 miles. It’s a low-mileage marathon training plan by most standards, but it’s working for me. That’s about nine hours of walking and running in a week, and I often need a distraction during these hours on the pavement.
Sometimes I don’t wear earbuds and just let my senses experience my surroundings. Sometimes music is all my tired brain can handle. But most often, I listen to podcasts to get lost in a story. My go-to podcast is We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle, Amanda Doyle, and Abby Wambach. If you catch me laughing while I’m running all alone, it’s because I sometimes think I’m sitting in their living room with them and forget I’m by myself on the sidewalk with cars and people around me.
As a lover of words, I recently started a new podcast series, It Was Said, with Jon Meacham. Meacham tells the story of memorable speeches in history. The first in the series was focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” Two parts of this podcast stood out to me:
1. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" words were divinely inspired, not scripted.
According to HISTORY, King had debuted the phrase “I have a dream” in his speeches at least nine months before the March on Washington, and used it several times since then. His advisers discouraged him from using the same theme again, and he had apparently drafted a version of the speech that didn’t include it. But as he spoke that day, the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson prompted him to “Tell them about the dream, Martin.” Abandoning his prepared text, King improvised the rest of his speech, with electrifying results.
2. MLK was 39 years old at the time of his assassination.
It’s interesting to me how someone’s age of death isn’t relevant until we hit that particular age.
In 1996, then 13-year-old LeAnn Rimes debuted her first album, Blue. LeAnn and I are the same age, and I remember my mom jokingly asking what I had done with my life at the time.
While my mom was being funny, I not-so-jokingly ask myself that every time my age aligns with a significant death.
My dad died when he was 29. Jesus Christ was crucified at age 33 (age of death varies based on source). Diana, Princess of Wales, died at age 36. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at age 39.
My life will never amount to the work of so many great individuals who have forever changed history. And yet, I still want to make some measure of difference and leave this world better than I found it. I do much of this by choosing to serve an organization that has played a significant role in our country’s history and is changing lives for the better every day around the globe. The Y.
Working for a non-profit can be challenging enough, but working for one that was devastated by the pandemic and is clawing our way out of financial struggle has been the hardest season of my non-profit career. The burnout is immeasurable. The loss of inspiration, knowledge, and innovation through staff turnover is devastating to the organization. The loss of relationships and community is heartbreaking to our people.
Despite these challenges, the Y has survived and thrived for more than 175 years, and I have every reason to believe it will thrive again. Our formula for success is to focus on human issues, listen to our community's needs, and innovate.
In 1909, the Y set out “to teach every man and boy in North America to swim," and held the first-ever group swimming lessons, leading to millions of youth learning to swim and preventing drowning ever since. A year later, 25 African American Y's were built to provide safety and respite to Black travelers, and later became meeting places and rallying points for the Civil Rights Movement. In 1926, parent child programs based on the Native American family model were launched at the Y by a member of the Ojibwe tribe.
What breaks your heart?
Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, had a battle cry several years ago. Their pastor would ask: What breaks your heart? Your answer is your calling.
What breaks my heart is a child feeling unloved. I can’t stand when I see a child without an adult in their life whose purpose is to love and advocate for them. That heartbreak is why I choose to serve at the Y. I believe there is no such thing as someone else’s child, and I value how the Y shows up for all of our kids. I see the work we do every day to find the kids who need love and to love them fiercely and without condition. I see our staff kick out the same teen over and over, and then let them back in and give them a “second chance” over and over. I see our staff recognize signs of abuse in our child care programs and make the hard call that ensures the child’s safety. I see our equity and justice team relentlessly advocating for our BIPOC and queer young people, ensuring their voices are heard and systemic barriers are removed. I see our social workers inviting young adults and single parents experiencing homelessness into our transitional housing facilities and supporting them in creating a path toward a promising future.
Working for the Y is like building a cathedral. I'm giving my best every day to a cause that will outlive me. I will never see the completed product because the work will never be done. Serving this mission that is so much bigger than me or any one individual is humbling and inspiring, and so far, it’s the best way I have found to leave my community and the world a better place.
When I realized I needed to choose a charity to run with for the New York City Marathon, there was only one option: the Y. I’m grateful the YMCA of Greater New York chose me to be on their team. I invite you to strengthen community - and celebrate my big 4-0 - by helping me raise $3,000 to support the Y.
Weekly Training Highlights
August 29-September 4
Monday: Rest hard
Tuesday: Speed work on the treadmill
This was my first attempt at the treadmill in more than a year and it felt great!
1 mile warm-up
2 miles on two-minute rotations: 1 minute speed, 30 second walk, 30 second jog
1 mile cool-down
Wednesday: Strength training, 40 minutes
Core routine, upper body, and lower body
Thursday: Moderate + Easy
3 miles moderate effort on the treadmill in the morning
2.5 miles easy run in the evening
Friday: Strength training, 1 hour
30 minutes of hip strengthening (because the hips were sore)
Knees/lower body and upper body
Saturday: Easy run - 6 miles
Average heart rate: 138 beats per minute
Sunday: Long run - 15.2 miles
10:54 pace (an improvement from 11:02 pace the previous week and 14:03 pace two weeks prior)
