Rivera: A Runner and a Gentleman

by EJN March 26, 2014 Comments (0) Articles, Training Like

The Level Legion: Boston Marathon Edition

Four Weeks to Go: A Check on Training

The 118^th Boston Marathon is now just under a month away. The Legion has been training through one of the toughest and coldest winters we have had in a long time. With Spring now officially here, though Winter not quite gone, training is starting to reach its peak. The Legion has run some great races, put in some solid long runs and have had some bumps along the way. This week we look at how things are going and what their weeks have been like at this high point. You can see we all are in this together but we all have different ways of getting there. Our hope is that you continue to be inspired and encouraged by the Legion and that four weeks from now we can share our common goals of being a part of this great event in whatever way we are able! Now, onto the logs:

Jose Rivera

Jose has a plan and is sticking to it. Always hard at work, he explains here how to balance a planned routine with some often chaotic travel. Nice work.

Last weekend while many of my friends were running the New Bedford Half, I stuck to my training plan and ran a scheduled twenty miler. It was a run mapped out by a friend in her hometown of Holland, MA. She ran with me and a few other people met and ran with us at different parts of the course. This run was one of the hardest runs I’ve done in quite some time. I didn’t realize there were mountains in Holland; it was damn hilly! Having company on this run really helped a lot.

This week I had to travel to NYC for work. Traveling while in training can get tricky but I was able to get three nice runs through Central Park and through the very busy streets of the city. Though I prefer to run the mornings, these runs had to be done in the afternoon because of my work schedule. I love running in the city!

Ran 5 miles on Tuesday, 7 Miles on Wednesday and another 5 on Friday.

This weekend’s long run is only 12 miles. Looking forward to an easier run than last week!

And we have a special treat this week. Jose’s friend and training partner Joanna submitted something for us to share with everyone:

I have been running with Jose since last fall. I had put a message up on the CMS facebook page looking for running partners in the Webster, MA/Thompson, CT area after the clocks changed and it was dark in the evenings. I also had trouble traveling to Worcester to meet others as it was 20-25 minutes from us.

I was slower than Jose but he offered up quickly to join me a few times a week so I would feel safe running in the dark. He had just come off running Baystate and didn’t mind at all running slower than his usual pace. If it wasnt for him, I wouldn’t have gotten through this winter running as much as we did.

Jose isn’t just a running partner, he is a gentleman. He always runs on the outside, very considerate and protective. He looks out for the people he runs with. After we started our group, the Tri-Sate Running Group, we found many more friends looking for runners looking to make it through the winter.

Jose is a motivator. I have gotten much faster this winter instead of slower because he runs with you and pushes you a little if you need it. He is very social and talks the whole time whether it’s about running or personal stuff. We had a slow runner join our run one night and he patiently ran and walked and talked with her until she finished. He leaves no one behind.

We run alot of the same races and we cheer each other on, support each other, brag about each other and congratulate each other. He is in the best shape ever and he is so pumped for Boston. This race means so much to him, and everyone here on the Tri-State team are so excited to see him finish and hopefully PR!

-Joanna Anderson and all his running friends at Tri-State!