NYC Marathon Team Spot Check In: Kendal Enz

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 didn’t start running until my late twenties, but even then I never ran more than six miles at a time. As I got older, I noticed a lot of people I knew had started running marathons, and when I turned 30, I made a joke about being legally mandated to run one myself. The general response I received was along the lines of, “Yeah right, you’re not an athlete.” If there’s one thing I hate it's being told I can’t do something, so I guess you could say I signed up for the 2019 Brooklyn Marathon out of spite. That wasn’t just my first marathon, but the first race I’ve ever run. It felt good to run those 26.2 miles and prove all my naysayers wrong, but it felt even better to know that I’m strong and capable of taking on new and difficult challenges. And so began my romance with running. 

When I was training for the Brooklyn Marathon, I ran alone. Every. Single. Mile. I didn’t actually start running with other people until after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020. I was bored and needed human interaction, so I ran with the BedStuy Flyers for a while and then the Prospect Park Track Club. It wasn’t until March of this year that I stumbled upon the North Brooklyn Runners during a Google search of Brooklyn running groups. The first run I attended was the Monday Night Easy Run, but these days I mostly attend Tuesday Night Tempo, Thursday Night Track and the Saturday Narwhals Long Run. I fell in love with the energy of the group, and I’ve never looked back.

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.

This is only my second marathon training cycle, and I feel like I’m still getting the hang of how to do it well. It can be a lot to figure out on your own without the help of a coach, so I’ve been soliciting advice from my teammates. I was having trouble with my long runs at the beginning of the summer--a lot of muscle pain and nausea (I even barfed my guts out in front of a 7-Eleven in Downtown Brooklyn)--but I’ve gotten those issues mostly sorted now. I switched my off day to be the day before my long run instead of the day after, allowing me to feel a lot fresher on my long runs, and increasing my electrolyte intake seems to have fixed the barfing problem (hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself). I was able to log a 61-mile week recently that included a breezy 22-mile long run, which makes me feel on track for race day. I’m going to attempt another 22-miler, and hopefully that one goes even better than the first. What I’m most stressed about right now is what to wear on race day. Everyone keeps telling me shorts and a singlet is all I need, but I’m convinced that’s going to leave me freezing and miserable, as my normal body temperature falls around the corpse range. Guess I’ll find out. 

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

I’m a Tuesday Night Tempo, Thursday Night Track and the Saturday Narwhals Long Run type girl. There are so many fast women on the NBR team, and they all inspire me to kick my pace up a notch. On Saturdays, I usually find myself in the same pace group as Sara Cohen, Mandy van Leent and Megan Stoutz. When I’m running with them, I push myself harder than I would by myself, and I’m thankful for their encouragement and company. A special shout out to Sara for always knowing the route, I’d be totally lost without you! Over the past summer, I also spent many Tuesday nights trying to keep up with Thomas Kelsey, though he usually left me in his dust by the end of each run. Alena Alasheeva’s, Kaitlyn DiBello’s and Alana Pipes’ Stravas also impress the shit out of me. Their times are something to aspire to. I know Leo Roberts recently ran an ultra that was close to 60 miles, and if that doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what will. Finally, thanks to Jess Jones for inviting me to all the 4x400 relays: I never thought I’d run one as an adult, and it’s made me want to get faster at shorter distances!

4. What does it mean to be chosen by your peers for a coveted NBR marathon team spot? What does it mean to you to be running the 50th anniversary NYC Marathon?

I’m a newer NBR member and didn’t expect to get chosen for a team spot, but I’m super thankful that I did. I wasn’t planning on running a marathon this year, especially not the New York City Marathon, and it was a wonderful surprise. I’m looking forward to seeing what I’m capable of on race day. I’ll do my best to make ya’ll proud. Maybe I’ll even win it.

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

I don’t know if I’ll be eating much post-marathon. After my first marathon in 2019, I was so nauseous I didn’t really eat anything until later that night. My parents took me to Modern Love in Williamsburg for dinner, and even then I only picked at my pasta. Luckily, I was smart enough to get a to-go box  because when the muscle cramps in my quads woke me up at 3 a.m., I was so ravenous I ate all the leftovers in about a minute flat. Ideally, that won’t happen this year and I’ll have a good beer and some dope vegan mac and cheese at a decent hour.

The night before will also likely involve pasta, veggies and some sort of protein. Pre-race I’m having my usual oatmeal, almond milk, peanut butter, flax seed and berries bowl. Oh, and lot’s of coffee. I never run before drinking coffee: that would be asking too much.

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

I love a good challenge, it keeps life interesting. I’m also excited to see how far I’ve come since my first marathon two years ago: what I’m capable of physically and mentally now. 

7. In your head, what animal (real or fictional) do you think you most resemble when you're running?

I’d like to think I resemble a gazelle when I’m running, but reality is probably closer to a drunk giraffe.