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Anatomy of a pop star Sultry songbird Vanessa Carlton hopes to go distance in marathon By CHRISTIAN REDDAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER There are 35,000 runners in the New York City Marathon and at least one of them will have three Grammy nominations, millions of albums sold, a slick Manhattan loft and a loyal following. And no, it's not P. Diddy reprising his 2003 role when the rap and fashion mogul completed 26.2 miles in just over four hours (4:14:54) and raised millions for charity — mohawk and all.Today, pop star Vanessa Carlton will trade the piano ivories for running sneakers and is on pace to crush Diddy's time. She'll also raise money for the charity "Musicians on Call," which brings musical artists to cancer patients confined to their beds. Between long training runs, lifting weights and making media appearances, Carlton toured all summer and spring to promote her second album, "Harmonium."Here's a peek inside her road to the marathon:THE BEGINNINGIn 1999, Carlton could barely run a half-mile. A former ballet dancer and graduate of New York's prestigious School of American Ballet, the then 19-year-old Milford, Pa. native decided to get back into shape by hitting the pavement. awas home. I jogged to the end of the street, about 300 feet, and said, 'I can't do this.' I was coughing, it was terrible," she says."Our dog Maggie was with me and gave me this look like, 'What's going on? I'm ready to go.'"THE NIGHT JOBCarlton's was no typical summer. How many marathon runners can claim they ran 10 miles during the day and performed alongside Stevie Nicks at night? It just so happens that the year she decided to run the marathon, Carlton was already busy promoting "Harmonium," the sophomore effort that followed her triple-platinum debut record, "Be Not Nobody."Carlton's solo tour kicked off in March and stretched until May before she hit the road again in June, this time with the legendary Fleetwood Mac band member for a 22-city odyssey.Through the blur of plane trips and hotel rooms, Carlton adhered to a strict weekly training schedule and diet. That meant no late nights. No alcohol. No junk food."The peer pressure in her industry is intense," says Michael Gostigian, who has trained other celebrity actors and musicians. "They usually smoke, drink and stay out late. Not Vanessa. She was totally focused and she doesn't have any kind of prima donna attitude. That's rare, believe me."THE TRAINING Carlton is not just hoping to finish New York's signature road race. She wants to run a sub-four-hour time, something her personal trainer and former Olympian Michael Gostigian thinks is a slam dunk. "She's done everything according to plan and she's on track to do 3:47," says Gostigian, a pentathlete in the '88, '92 and '96 Olympic Games. "She kept up with the training. She's very disciplined and she dedicates herself to taking care of her body. I'm really proud of her because she had a rough summer with all her shows." Gostigian says that Carlton averaged 35-40 miles per week ("she peaked at about 50 miles") and that her weekly New York Sports Club workouts comprised three parts: tempo runs (hills and intervals), long runs (typically 1.5-2 hour runs) and recovery jogs (30-40 minutes).THE CHARITYCarlton learned about Musicians on Call through a music industry friend. After performing for patients at Memorial Sloan-Kettering on the upper East Side, Carlton became deeply attached to the cause. One of the songs on her second album, titled "Annie", was inspired by her experience with MOC."I love the idea of marrying my love of kids with music," she says.THE FUNNY TRAINING MOMENTAt first, Carlton had a penchant for wanting to beat everyone she encountered on her daily runs in New York. Then she met Gostigian, who quickly dismissed her strategy. "She was like a racehorse when we first started training. I told her, 'Get that out of your mind. That's the dumbest thing you can do,'" he says. Sure enough, during a practice half marathon in Central Park, Carlton bided her time while other runners sprinted out at the beginning. "Mike (Gostigian) gave me a great visual before that race. He said, 'Relax, before you know it, you'll be reeling them in like fish.' He was right!"THE DIETBreakfast: Oatmeal with soy milk and flax seed. Strawberries, blueberries, pomegranate. Lunch: Grilled chicken salad, energy bar. Dinner: Chicken or fish, vegetables, salad, soup. Beverages: Water, green tea. Occasional indulgence: Chicken parmigiana.THE iPOD: Top 5 training tunes1. The Cure-Boys Don't Cry2. Third Eye Blind-Motorcycle Drive By3. The Killers-Mr. Brightside4. Fiona Apple-Extraordinary Machine5. Citizen Cope-Bullet and a TargetABOUT THE RACEWHEN: 10:10 a.m., main startTV: Ch. 4, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.WHERE TO WATCH:Manhattan: 120th and Fifth at Marcus Garvey Park; First Ave., between 60th St. and 96th St.Brooklyn: Any place along Fourth Ave.Queens: Along 51st St. and 44th Dr. from Vernon to Crescent St.Bronx: 138th St. from Alexander Ave. to Third Ave.Staten Island: Where else? Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Originally published on November 5, 2005 source
