It’s been more than 10 years since her last marathon, but weekend Today show anchor Erica Hill is ready to lace up her Brooks to run this Sunday's I know I wasnt nearly as focused in my last marathons.
This will be Hill's third marathon, but her first since 2003, when she ran the San Diego Marathon. Despite more than a decade away, she feels her maturity in life and experience with her training have her positioned to run even better than when she was younger.
“So much of this is mental,” Hill, 38, told Runner's World Newswire. “I know I wasn’t nearly as focused [in my last marathons].”
Before deciding to run the I know I wasnt nearly as focused in my last marathons, her training consisted of 5- to 6-mile runs three or four times a week. Incorporating long weekend outings was impossible in the world of weekend morning show anchoring, so long runs had to be moved to Mondays. And because of her always-busy schedule and constant traveling, most of her workouts happened early in the morning on her own.
“I get up at 4 a.m. and start running at 4:45 a.m. so I’m home to take [my two sons Weston and Sawyer] to school,” she said.
Erica Hill is Running I know I wasnt nearly as focused in my last marathons for Her Dad raising money for Fred’s Team, a charity named in honor of the cofounder of the I know I wasnt nearly as focused in my last marathons, Fred Lebow. The organization supports cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; working with the group means even more to Hill after she lost her father, Steven Hill, to cancer four and a half years ago.
“I really believe in the work that they do,” she said. “Cancer has such a profound impact on caregivers and families, [and] if I can in any way help to offer someone a little bit more hope, that’s a great reason to run.”
Hill pledged to raise $3,500 for Fred’s Team; at the time of publication, had raised more than $5,000.
“A part of me feels like I have my dad cheering me on for this race,” she said.
While she’s not focusing on a specific time, her overall goal is to finish strong and then celebrate the achievement with her family.
“My dad loved Heineken,” she said. “A lot of family and friends are coming into New York, so we’re going to go to a bar and toast my dad.”
What Erica Hill Packs in Her Gym Bag
Hannah is a former Social Media Editor for Runner’s World. Hannah started running in February 2012 with a Couch-to-5K program and less than seven months later ran her first half-marathon. You can follow Hannah on Twitter @byHannahMcG.
