NYC Marathon Team Spot Check-In: Natalie Gleed

1. Tell us a little bit about how you came to be involved with NBR. What was your first run? How long have you been involved?  

I joined NBR when I moved to Brooklyn about 3 years ago. I’d seen the singlets at lots of races and remember chatting to someone at the marathon expo who told me it was definitely the best team in New York. I don’t remember my exact first NBR run, but it was probably Monday or Wednesday evening as that’s what I most regularly attended for the first year or so.

2. How is marathon training going? Are there any specific workouts that are really moving things along for you? Tell the world a good NBR long run story.

Training is going pretty well, I’m putting in more miles that I have for any previous marathons, but it’s still pretty average compared to some other NBRers! I’m also doing a lot more speedwork than I ever have before (thanks both TNTs - Tuesday Night Tempo and Thursday Night Track) and that’s definitely paying off. I join Narwhals pretty regularly and one of our first long runs this year also coincided with it being one of the first hot days, so no-one was really prepared for it. We ran down to Highland Park desperate to get to the water fountains, only to find that they hadn't been turned on yet for some reason. So we all end up at a gas station sharing Gatorade and water that we all chipped in to buy. Definitely a reminder that long runs aren't easy.

3. Which NBR runs are you attending regularly to train? Are there any NBR members who inspire you to train hard (er)?

I’m definitely an evening runner, so I'll normally be at least one of Tuesday or Thursday night runs to get my speedwork in and I often make it to Mondays to run the best bridge. Then there's Narwhals to help me get the long run out of the way so I can enjoy the rest of the weekend. All the run leaders for those push me along and in particular Anthony Zhu always pushes me to run faster. I also have to say thanks to James Gray King who put together a training plan for me and several others making good use of his NBR sponsored coaching certificate.

4. What does it mean to be chosen by your peers for a coveted NBR marathon team spot? 

It's obviously a great honor to be chosen! And it's definitely a motivator that I don't want to let the team down by performing badly on the day, so that is helping me get out there on the days where I'm tired or the weather isn't so great (and we all know there's been a lot of those this summer!)

5. What do you plan on eating post-marathon? What about the night before?

It’s always a big bowl of pasta the night before a marathon, and weetabix (a British cereal) the morning of the race. Afterwards I will be eating whatever food there is at the NBR post-marathon party!

6. What inspires and motivates you to run this year's NYC marathon?

I’ve volunteered at the water table for the past two years and while that’s a brilliant way to spend the day it made me really want to get back out there and run again this year. I can’t wait to be on the other side of the table and hear all the cheers as I come through mile 12. There’s a group of us all planning to run together to hit a certain time goal so I’m sure that will be very motivating on the day too.

7. In your head, what celebrity do you think you most resemble when you're running?

I asked for opinions on this and the best suggestion was NBR’s very own celebrity triathlete Sean Laude, due to us both having farmer’s arms when we run.