December Runner of the Month: Sobby Arora
Sobby first joined NBR when he’d just started doing base training for his first big race in well over a decade: the 2020 NYC Marathon. Then the pandemic started, and like many others, he found running to be a perfect antidote to all the scary insanity that was going on in the spring of 2020. “I was new to running ‘seriously’ and signed up for NBR emails after reluctantly searching for a local running group - reluctantly because I always imagined people in running groups to be intimidating and dismissive to n00bs like me. I loved the Weekly Form Run and it was the perfect ‘remote learning’ while I was training solo.”
It took Sobby until Summer 2021 to join for an actual group run: a HellKatz track workout. “I had never run faster in my life and I was the last one to finish, but the group was so chill and friendly.” Since then, he’s adopted Narwhals as his go-to group run. “Who knew that doing long runs with a wonderful group would be so much easier than the solo drudgery I thought was the norm? I’ve met so many wonderful and inspiring people. NBR rocks!”
How did you initially get into running? I wasn’t really athletic while growing up and didn’t go on my first jog (I think it was half a mile) until I was about 24. A couple of years later I trained for a 15k and subsequently became an occasional weekend warrior; I’d go for a 30 min run once every few weeks, usually to make amends for overindulging at a watering hole the night before. A decade of aimless/casual running followed with the same sequence of events: I’d be an enthusiastic spectator at the NYC Marathon, get really inspired to run more and all would fizzle out within a couple of months. After the 2019 NYC Marathon I decided that I’d maxed out my excuses. I was approaching 40 and not in great shape (to put it mildly). I signed up to run NYC 2020 through a charity and went from running ~100 miles in a year to doing 50 mile weeks within a few months.
What is your favorite race distance? I haven’t raced a ton but so far my joy from a race has been directly proportional to the distance. That does not mean I will start training for ultras; I will limit my madness to Marathons. I also have strong dislikes for distances of 5k or shorter.
Best running memory? I don’t know if it’s the best but I will certainly remember it for the rest of my life. In my first in-person marathon (NYC 2021) all was going well and I was reasonably steady at ~7:50 pace up until mile 20. Then I got really sick twice (most likely grossly underestimating hydration needs) and couldn’t keep any water or nutrition down for the last 10k. My body totally went into shock: my eyes were glazed over, my ears were buzzing, my HR tanked and my hands were shaking. With a strong dose of encouragement (yelling) from a friend who ran the last few miles with me, I stumbled over the finish line and passed out. I come to my senses in the medical tent as an IV is being hooked to me and the first thing I ask the nurses is, “Can anyone check my official time?!?!”. Yikes and a half. God bless NYRR and all the volunteers for taking such good care of all the runners. It really is such a special race!
Favorite running route in NYC? Get me as far as possible from the bikes on Kent! I do like running in Queens along the water all the way to Rikers Island Bridge but it’s an out and back route. For a shorter loop I enjoy running on Roosevelt Island.
Any running-related superstitions? I don’t have any! Am I missing out? Should I start running in mismatched pairs of shoes?
What has running taught you or changed about you? Running has been an absolute game-changer for me. I’m just so amazed and thankful by what only two years of serious running have done to my strength and endurance. I’ve gone from running 8:30 5ks to running a sub 8 Marathon. More importantly, I feel more energized and focused on tackling everything non-running related. It has also significantly cut down on my adult beverage consumption…but Holiday season is here to fix that!
Favorite post-race food? Chipotle or Burger + Fries + beer!
Favorite running social media account? Aside from Molly Seidel’s insta… Mike Trees (run.nrg) has great tips and tricks for training in digestible form. Phil Sesemann’s IG; The unsponsored Doctor(!!) ran 2:12 in London. Plus, he runs with two dogs...named Kipchoge and Haile. I kid you not!
What do you think is the worst part about being a runner? Beware the addiction to running as it will test your time management skills! As I get older (and hopefully wiser), the biggest challenge has become finding a balance in life: being good at your job, being a decent husband and being a present parent to my two kids. If all those things are in balance then I treat myself to some “me time” which has been running. Sometimes the guilt of going for a run over doing everything else can be overwhelming but I’m constantly trying the iterative process of doing more and doing it all better.
Best advice to running newbies? First: run slow and build your aerobic fitness. It will do wonders for your health and your running goals. Second: It’s so easy to get caught up in training plans, weekly mileage, hitting paces etc etc that we miss the big picture: run for the joy of running and have gratitude for what your bodies can accomplish. And yes, running 1 mile at 15 min/mile is still an accomplishment because the majority of people you know are not even doing that. So keep at it and have fun!
Current running goal? After achieving my goal of sub 3:30 in my first (non-virtual) marathon I have decided to retire from the sport. Just kidding! I still have $60 to spend on my jackrabbit rewards so I guess I will continue. I’ve put in my name for the London/Berlin/Chicago lotteries for next year. I hope to be healthy enough to train hard again and improve to sub 3:20.
