Fall marathon training and dreams with Eric Bang

For the next 12 weeks, we’re working with Toronto runner Eric Bang, who will be journaling his moonshot marathon journey. (Eric, in addition to being a genuinely great human being is the fastest Nike+ Run Club pacer in Toronto and is feeling inspired following a trip earlier this year to Monza, Italy to stand front row to Nike’s Breaking2). Posting bi-monthly, Eric will share everything from his aspirations to his training schedule as he prepares for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October, with the ambitious goal of breaking 2:25.

This summer, he won the Toronto Pride and Remembrance 5K and he believes that whatever he accomplishes mirrors what you can do: it takes the same amount of effort for all of us to lace up our shoes.

Meet Eric Bang, a runner who’s chasing big dreams

I stood on the start line of my first marathon in 2012, very unprepared for the task before me and very unaware of the impact the next 42.2km would have on my life.

The experience made me want more out of myself and out of my body. It wasn’t an overnight change. The marathon pulled me in slowly, showing me that you get what you put in. Over the last several years I have put a lot into my training and I have gotten a lot out of it. The process has been more rewarding and gratifying than I ever expected.

The thing about running is that from the beginner to the well-seasoned elites, we are all going through a very similar process. Our paces and our times may vary but the commitment that we made and the effort we give is all the same. We stand on the start line having shared the same journey and ready to share the same experience.

This past May I had the amazing experience of standing sideline in Monza, Italy at Nike’s Breaking2 attempt. The experience made me think about my own goals and potential. I looked at the goals that I set for myself in the past and thought of how I arrived at them. It made me wonder how real they were and more importantly, if they were actually limitations that I self-imposed.

If there is one thing I took away from Breaking2, it’s that no person is limited. I don’t want to limit myself by setting goals based on what I think I can achieve. I want to set bigger goals for myself based on what I want to achieve, what I aspire to achieve, and what I believe in my heart that I can do.

Normally my motto is: trust in the training. This time around I’ve adapted that motto to be more personal and instead of simply trusting in the training, I’m going to trust and believe in myself as well.

My long-term goal is to dip under 2:20:00, and I am looking to take a big step towards that goal by going for 2:25:00 in Chicago. So I hope you’ll join me, on my journey between now and then, and I’ll share my progress, challenges, and wins along the way.

See you out there and, if you have any questions, please feel free to fire away. I promise I’ll answer the best that I can.