"I think the biggest lesson that I've learned from running is what I learned this spring from getting injured. It was learning that this activity that's become so much a part of my friendships, relationships with other people and the spiritual practice I have, one of my biggest fears, as a result, was not having that. What I learned this spring really is that running has actually been preparing me to not have it someday. At some point, it's not going to be there anymore so how is it changing me along the way. I think that's where we start getting into the transcendence Honestly, I don't give a fuck about the crews. I don't even want to know who is who and who is what. It's just so low in the mix for me as to why we're doing this and what the big picture is. I wish people gave more attention to what's going on inside and how their spiritual geometry is changing as a result of this."

Sam Anderson and Iman Smith of Black Roses NYC join podcast over some wine at Contra (138 Orchard St). Sam is the wine and beverage director at Wildair and Contra in the Lower East Side. You may recognize him from the May 2018 cover of Runner’s World, where he opened up about his life and how he turned his life around from a life of partying that included lots of drinking and drugs to a life of running and mindfulness for the better. Iman Smith is a creative director who also serves as a run coach in the city. Back in September, he was hit by a car so his plans to run the NYC Marathon were in jeopardy. IMan and Sam decided to run the New York City Marathon together just a few weeks ago and hearing them recount their experience is what teammates are all about.

▶ Follow Sam on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sam4nderson/

▶ Follow Iman on Instagram: www.instagram.com/soswanky/

Support for this episode comes from RAGNAR. To learn more about Ragnar Relays, the different relay formats, and to see where Ragnar has races in 2020, visit www.runragnar.com/runnersofnyc. Registration is open for almost all 2020 races, and listeners of this podcast can take $100 off any overnight relay in 2020 by using RUNNYC at checkout.

❤️ Please consider supporting our work. We want to continue pushing out the podcast on a bi-weekly basis and bring you quality audio for our guests. we're simply asking for you to set aside a few dollars that might go toward a coffee or dollar slice to support our work. In return, we'll do our best to put together exclusive episodes, interviews and maybe some video for those supporters. The NYC running community is awesome and we'd appreciate the assistance: www.patreon.com/runnersofnyc

? MERCH NOW AVAILABLE HERE: www.bonfire.com/store/citius-mag/
---------
▶ Follow us:
twitter.com/RunnersOfNYC
instagram.com/runnersofnyc

▶ Follow Chris
twitter.com/ChrisChavez
instagram.com/chris_j_chavez
www.strava.com/athletes/9032675

▶ Follow Leigh Anne
twitter.com/leighannesharek
instagram.com/wicked.la
www.strava.com/athletes/10122804

Photo by Christian Brecheis. IG: instagram.com/christianbrecheis

?Biz Inquiries/Write Us: runnersofnyc@gmail.com