It's a little other-wordly watching elite runners compete in the NYC Marathon.  Take Sally Kipyego, for instance.  Kipyego, a runner from Kenya, placed second in this year's 2016 TCS NYC Marathon.  With a finish time of 2 hours and 28 minutes, Kipyego ran a marathon in less time than most people need to run a half-marathon.  I couldn't come close to sustaining Kipyego's marathon pace (5:39/mile) for even a single solitary mile.  Despite how different Kipyego is to someone like you and me, her formula for success is applicable to just about anyone.

Last year, during Kipyego's debut at the 2015 NYC Marathon, things didn't go as planned.  After a promising start, Kipyego would drop out after the midway point.  At this year's post-race press conference, Kipyego said she was grateful for last year's "disappointing experience."

"The biggest lesson that I learned [last year] was that the marathon is definitely not a sprint," said Kipyego.  "Just because you feel good for 20 miles doesn't really mean much in a marathon.  You need to be able to survive the entire 26.2."

To succeed this time around, Kipyego decided to listen to herself instead of getting too caught up with what was happening around her.  "I decided to run my own pace today and not get carried away with the leaders," she said.  This resulted in a comfortable, loose race and one that Kipyego called a "good experience."

I know all too well how easy it is to ignore your inner voice during a workout and get caught up in what everyone else is doing.  Am I running faster that the person on the treadmill next me?  Why is everyone in this yoga class more flexible than I am?  There's no way I am doing the least amount of squats in this class!  While a little healthy competition can be great at motivating yourself, be careful to not fall down a hole.  In doing so, you ignore the most important person in the equation — yourself.  And, much like Kipyego did in 2015, you also risk pushing yourself past your max to the point of no return.

Romance was definitely in the air at the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon!  A wedding proposal happened right after one runner crossed the finish line.

After finishing the race, Charlotte Haigh was proposed to from bended knee.  She later shared on her Twitter account, "Today I ran 26.2 miles.  And got engaged to the love of my life.  Now I get to go eat pizza and drink beer with my family and best NYC friends."

If that wasn't enough to make your heart melt, see the proposal in action below.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon!  On a cool Fall day, the entire city rallied to watch these amazing athletes fight their way to the finish line.  Mary Keitany of Kenya took home the woman's title, and Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea won the men's title.

The Women's Race:  Mary Keitany, Kenya

In case there were any doubts, Mary Keitany just solidified herself as the current queen of the TCS New York City Marathon, winning the women's race for a third consecutive year.  Keitany was a force from the get go, positioning herself as the leader at the 10-mile mark.

Keitany, 34, took her title in 2:24:26, with her closest competitor, Sally Kipyego of Kenya, close to four minutes behind with a time of 2:28:01.  Molly Huddle of the USA finished in third place with a time of 2:28:13.  This was Huddle's marathon debut.

This is the first three-time consecutive women's winner of the NYC Marathon in 30 years;  Grete Waitz won the NYC Marathon for a five-year stretch from 1982-1986.  Keitany said, "It means a lot to me.  I am very excited I got it again ... three times.  I know that it's not easy, but I got it."  Of her three NYC Marathon wins, this was Keitany's second best time.  In 2015 she finished the course in 2:24:25, and her time in 2014 was 2:25:07.  Keitany currently is the world record holder for the 25K and is the second-fastest woman to have ever run a marathon with her 2012 London Marathon time of 2:18:37.

The Men's Race:  Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, Eritrea

Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea clinched the men's race finishing with a time of 2:07:51.  For those doing the math, that's an average mile pace of 4:53.  This is Ghebreslassie's first appearance at the NYC Marathon.  This win makes him the youngest winner of the prestigious race and also the first Eritrean athlete to win in New York.

In second place was Lucas Rotich of Kenya, who finished with a time of 2:08:53.  In third, Abdi Abdirahman of the USA finished with a time of 2:11:23.

There are 1,001 ways to work out on a treadmill, but my favourite is intervals.  Changing your pace every few minutes busts through the boredom often associated with indoor running, and once you set your pace on the treadmill, it's difficult to cheat.  In this workout, the running speed pushes you beyond your comfort zone with a gradual build, and the minute-long recovery is just long enough to lower your heart rate and rev up for the next interval.  Another reason to love intervals:  they help you lose belly fat.  This workout combines running with walking, so if you're new to intervals, then you should definitely give it a try.  Are you ready to check out the workout?

As always, feel free to adjust the speed up or down as you feel necessary;  just make sure you're challenging yourself.  If this workout doesn't float your boat.

Get ready to fall back and gain an hour this Sunday — it's much better than springing forward and losing an hour, don't you think?  This year when you turn your clocks back, make the most of it — don't just go about your day as usual.  Wake up in the morning when you normally would, and spend your freebie hour working out.  Gone is your excuse about not having enough time to exercise.  Check out how many calories you'll burn sweating it out for an hour!

*All calculations are based on a 130-pound woman.