Race on Saturday

On Saturday, I'm running a 4 Mile Holiday Race in Central Park. Looking forward to it!

I have run 2 other races at this distance. Here are my times:
- NYRR Snowflake (Feb 26). Net time = 43:36 , Pace/mile = 10:54
- Thomas G. Labrecque Classic (April 24). Net time = 42:58, Pace/mile = 10:44

Although I have not been doing much running for the past few weeks, I still feel that I am in better shape than I was back in the Spring. I want a new PR!

My goal is 40 minutes even, which would cut 3 minutes off my last time. It seems like I do 10 minute miles all the time, so this should be doable. Of course, I never seem to do 10 minute miles on race day . . . Anything under that is a total bonus and will call for a celebration!

My race day strategy:
- Wear my new windstopper pants and layers. And gloves!
- Find that balaclava thing I have somewhere to keep my neck warm.
- Bring kleenex!
- Keep running!

Saturday's forecast is partly cloudy, high 44/low 36. I've been a baby by not running in the cold, but this should not be too bad.

Wish me luck!

Race on Saturday

On Saturday, I'm running a 4 Mile Holiday Race in Central Park. Looking forward to it!

I have run 2 other races at this distance. Here are my times:
- NYRR Snowflake (Feb 26). Net time = 43:36 , Pace/mile = 10:54
- Thomas G. Labrecque Classic (April 24). Net time = 42:58, Pace/mile = 10:44

Although I have not been doing much running for the past few weeks, I still feel that I am in better shape than I was back in the Spring. I want a new PR!

My goal is 40 minutes even, which would cut 3 minutes off my last time. It seems like I do 10 minute miles all the time, so this should be doable. Of course, I never seem to do 10 minute miles on race day . . . Anything under that is a total bonus and will call for a celebration!

My race day strategy:
- Wear my new windstopper pants and layers. And gloves!
- Find that balaclava thing I have somewhere to keep my neck warm.
- Bring kleenex!
- Keep running!

Saturday's forecast is partly cloudy, high 44/low 36. I've been a baby by not running in the cold, but this should not be too bad.

Wish me luck!

nothing much

I haven't been posting, but I have been busy. I think I will go for a run today - it stopped raining and is actually somewhat warm. Did nothing yesterday. Was planning on swimming this weekend, but the pool was closed for the whole Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I did a workout tape and a bunch of squats in there. Thanksgiving morning I actually used the treadmill at our hotel.

I've been on an organizing/dejunkifying kick lately. Anyway, I have accomplished a few things:
- Organized our book collection (using the dewey decimal system, I swear) and culled a bunch that I know we will never look at again. All the sports/triathlon/running books are now on one shelf!
- Cleaned out the closet and given a ton of stuff to the Goodwill.
- Found a home for our bikes, which were leaning forlornly against the wall in the office.
- Ordered a real lateral file cabinet which will replace the crap plastic things and provide a home for the printer.
- Organized the linens (no grabbing full size sheets when I need a queen) and culled various sheets, towels and a surprising selection of curtains which we will never use again.

Husband says I'm a pack rat, but the truth is that I love getting rid of stuff. Maybe I save it so I can get rid of it later?

road trip

Cranberry sauce. Check.
Bags packed. Check.
Tank filled. Check.
Extra food for cats. Check.
Snacks for the road. Check.

Well, we'll be off soon. Just waiting for the signal from Husband to come pick him up at the office.

Gridlock awaits.

My contribution this year

Ingredients

2 oranges
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cinnamon sticks (could also try fennel or white pepper for a less traditional flavor)
1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries

1. Peel 1 orange and cut the zest (orange part only) into a very fine julienne, as thin as possible; set aside. Squeeze both oranges for juice; set aside.
2. Combine sugar and lemon juice in a small sauté pan. Heat up slowly and continue cooking until the sugar begins to caramelize. If necessary, wash down the sides of the pan by brushing with a little water to keep the sugar from burning.
3. When the sugar is caramel colored, add the orange zest. Cook for about 1 minute, then add the cranberries, orange juice and cinnamon sticks. Continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the cranberries are slightly broken but not mushy (frozen cranberries will take about 7 minutes). Remove the cinnamon sticks and let cool.

Makes 3 cups.

Tastes better when made the night before.

Clueless

Sunday morning. Puttering around the house in my pajamas. Hmmm . . . am I forgetting something?

Why yes, I was supposed to run a RACE this morning. Four miles in Central Park. No big whup. Completely, totally forgot all about it. Never picked up my number. Was up at 7 this morning. Had I been checked my email, blog, etc. earlier, I could have figured this out earlier and easily made it for the 10:00 race. Registered and paid for it a month ago. Hello?!?

Damn it, damn it, damn it. If I did four more NYRR races this year, I would have automatically had a spot in the 2006 marathon. I was planning to do this one, plus 3 in December. Damn!

Hopefully I would be able to get in with the lottery, like I did this year, but you never know.

I've been taking it easy since the marathon, but tried to get back in the swing this week.

• Saturday & Sunday was the Total Immersion workshop
• Wednesday I went for a short (2 mile) run around the neighborhood
• Thursday I went to the gym and did 20 minutes on the elliptycal, followed by the 30 minutes weight program at my gym
• Saturday I did a little bit of weights, followed by swimming (mainly drills) for 45 minutes.

I'm glad I got back in the pool, but swimming was a little bit of a disappointment. At the workshop, we counted strokes across the pool, and I went from 20 strokes to 12 - a nice improvement. Last night I ranged from 17 - 22. What happened?

Also bought some new gear yesterday - new swimsuit (my only one was starting to get worse for wear), new swim cap (lycra doesn't pull my hair so much), and a cold weather running outfit. Could have worn that today . . . had I shown up for my race. Grrr.

Looking forward to Thanksgiving. Looks like Mom and I will be walking in the snow.

Let the games begin!

I just got back from a great walk with my loyal dog. Granted, it's about 50 degrees, sunny, just about a perfect Fall day. I'll need to find something inside me to do this when it's as cold and grey and wet as only Pittsburgh can get.

Some observations:

Yes, Daughter, I'm starting from scratch. But it does feel amazingly good to sweat and huff and puff a little. Yep. Really. I'm feeling like a million bucks right now.

Dog may not be a long term partner. I certainly can't keep up with her in a sprint, but I might have to carry her home after 1/2 hour. She loves going with me. I'm not sure how to break it to her. The Greyhound has a tender heart.

I'm not sure about the blog. I like the idea of tracking my journey, but I really don't have all that much to say. Or not that much of interest to anyone else.

Wish me luck. The 'get more fit; lose weight' has been on my list of New Year's Resolutions for many years. This year, I'm going to do it!

Advice for Mom

As I mentioned previously, my mother is starting an exercise program. Mostly to improve her general fitness, but partly to prepare for to do a half marathon with me on March 26th, 2006. We can walk it, run it, or any combination of the two. She is in her 50's and has no serious health problems. She is also hoping to lose some weight. She lives the typical suburban lifestyle - drives everywhere and gets very little physical activity. So we are basically starting from scratch. (Sorry Mom, but it's true).

I am hoping to help her. I have gotten a lot of personal satisfaction out of training for triathlons and the marathon this year, and I think she will get something out of this too. I also have selfish reasons - I think being a good role model will help keep me on the straight and narrow. So, here are some tips to help her get started:

- Plan ahead. Pick out your gym clothes the night before, pack them in a bag and put it by the door or in the car so you don't have to deal with it in the morning.
- Try to do something active every day. You might not actually do it, but be prepared with gym clothes or whatever you need.
- Stretch every day. Just a 5-10 minute yoga-type routine, every day, helped me a lot, and I think it prevented soreness and injuries. When I started running, I figured out that it is impossible to stretch my calves too much. Sometimes I stretch against the wall while I am brushing my teeth. Or do squats.
- Eat frequent small meals. Yes, you've heard it before. Work snacks are a piece of fruit, a (small) cup of cereal, almonds, trail mix, carrots, etc. This is good advice for losing weight, but also for having enough energy to exercise. If I want to go to the gym after work, I need to have some snack or bar around 4:00 to make it happen.
- Eat salad for lunch at work. It's the most convenient time for me to get a salad in.
- Occasionally push yourself past your comfort zone. You should start with walking, but add intervals - jog 1 minute, walk 5, etc.
- Write down everything! As you know, I have lost very little (if any) weight. But it's been nice to lose 2 inches off my waist, a little off the arms, hips, etc. I wouldn't know that by looking only at the scale. Weight, body fat, measurement, etc. Check it every 1-2 weeks or so.
- Keep track of your workouts, too. If you worked out 3 times this week for 30 minutes, try to go 4 times next week. Or go 45 minutes one day.
- Read about what other people do to help give you ideas. Oh yes, and contribute to your daughter's blog. We could use some fresh content around here. ;-)

One last thing. When I was working on my MBA part-time, I was juggling a lot of things - work, school, relationship, a crazy-long commute, etc. People used to ask me how I did it, or say I must be so tired or have no social life. I thought about it, and realized that although I had to plan things a little more, my social life was as active as ever and I really wasn't falling being at work. What was missing? I must have taken away something to find all those hours for classes, studying, homework, etc., right? So what was missing? TV. That's right, I virtually stopped watching TV while I was in B-school. I never thought that I particularly watched a lot of TV, but really that's all I "gave up". Not a big loss. I feel pretty much the same way about the hours I have spent this year in the gym or swimming or biking or running. I certainly did not sacrifice anything of consequence. I gained more than I gave.

I hope this is helpful, not a lecture. Also, I suppose I could tell you tihs on the phone, but like I said, we need content for the blog.

Does anyone else have advice for Mom?

housekeeping

I took care of a few blog maintenance issues today. I added Blogrolling, instead of manually adding a list of links. I have it set so any posts in the last 24 hours say "NEW", rather than clicking on links individually, only to land at a "stale" blog. It happens to the best of us.

I also added my Mother as a member to my blog. She can post if she wants, because she is now officially in training for a half marathon in March! Not sure if I am qualified to be a coach, but I'll try! I sent her a training program, pretty much lifted straight off the Internet, as well.

I love efficiency.

Goals

Prepare yourself for a long, rambling post.

Now that I have a marathon and 3 triathlons under my belt (sort of), I've been thinking a lot about what to do next and setting some goals for 2006. First of all, what did I achieve this year?

- Swim. First, I learned that I didn't know how to swim, and that I actually have (had) a lot of anxiety/fear of drowning in the water. I didn't realize this until I started training. That being said, I did get a lot better this year, partly as a result of some classes, partly just by spending time in the water. The good news? I think this may be behind me. (Yay!) That TI workshop really made me feel like I could be good at this . . . maybe swimming will be my best sport, who knows?

- Bike. I bought a bike. Pretty important for a TRIathlete, yes? Late in the season. I got a lot better at riding it. My longest ride to date is still only 25 miles or so, but again, I think I got a taste of what this is supposed to feel like and actually enjoy it now.

- Run. I ran. Far. But I really didn't get any faster. Of course, I haven't done any interval training, and I really slacked on the marathon training program.

It's funny, but the main effect of all this working out and getting in shape really made me realize how OUT of shape I really was to start. I think I changed my life. I was heading in one "common man" direction, and I changed it. I never went that far down that road - I am generally healthy, at a healthy weight, fairly young, etc. I like this new direction better. And it really isn't that hard.

Of course, I am pretty laid back about training. More than I should be. But now, I've had a taste. And I wonder what my marathon time would have been if I actually followed the training program. Looking back, my maximum mileage in one week was only 22 miles. There were some zero running weeks. Yes, I probably did some cross training in there, but that is supposed to be my base. I'm just glad I didn't injure myself.

ANYWAY, back to goals:

- A Spring marathon. Can't believe I want to do it again. Considering Ocean City, Maryland on April 8th or Long Branch, NJ on April 30th. There is also one in Long Island on May 7th.

- The More Marathon is March 26th in NYC. This is for 40+ women only. I don't fit in that category yet, but I can do it with a partner. My mom has agreed to walk the half-marathon if I do it with her. I think this is a good goal for her, and a fun thing for us to do together. Plus, I would love to help her get in shape if I can. I am already creating a training plan for her, and I'll let her post on my blog if she wants. Mom, your training plan starts November 28th. Hope you don't regret it!

- I want to improve my triathlon time, and do another half marathon. Looking at an Olympic on May 20th, a Sprint on June 18th, and the Montauk Half IM in October. Maybe I can find a half IM earlier in the summer.

- I'd like to do a repeat of the NYC Marathon next November. It was so much fun!

- I want to run faster. I'd like to do a 5K in 30 minutes. A reasonable goal! I've got some 4 mile races, coming up. I think the shorter races and cooler weather should help me get in some speed training.

My marathon training plan (if I do Ocean City) starts December 10th. From now until then, I plan to focus on swimming (fresh out of TI, you know), weights, core, etc. Take a class or two. Yoga. Spinning. Pilates. Cardio Funk is a fun one I used to do back in the day. They all sound fun now.

One last thing. I didn't sign up (or have someone sign me up, since I was busy running the NYC Marathon) for IMFL. I thought about it. A lot. But, I think I realized that my body just isn't ready for that. It was the right decision for me, but I'm going to be so jealous when I read the race reports for IMFL and IMMOO next year!

Total Immersion

This weekend, Husband and I attended a Total Immersion workshop in Queens. It was great! We talked about our swim goals, did many different drills, and critiqued videos of ourselves swimming. As an added bonus, the regularly scheduled swim coach ended up getting sick, so Terry Laughlin, the master himself, led the clinic with his daughter Fiona, who is also a swim coach.

I learned so much. We were videotaped several times, and let me tell you, the camera doesn't lie. I have read a little about Total Immersion, and watched some video before the class. Basically, I knew I should be swimming more on my side. Anyway, the first video showed that I was totally overcompensating and twisting the top half of my body way back. It wasn't pretty. The first time we were filmed, after a few drills, it took me 20 strokes to get across the pool (25 yards). On Sunday we were filmed again, and I got it down to 12! Husband also saw a significant improvement, from 14 to 10.

There were 12-13 people in the class. We were pretty advanced, compared to other classes. Most of us were triathletes. I was the only woman in the class. A couple people claimed to have swam (swum?) over 2 miles in open water. Many of the problems were the same - balance issues, anxiety/not relaxed, nervous kicking legs.

My shoulders are sore today, but I feel really good. Am actually looking forward to getting in the pool again. I really felt relaxed and comfortable in the water -- BIG change for me, as I am generally kind of a spaz and DNF's two triathlons because of my "swim issues".

I highly recommend the weekend classes to anyone who has ever considered it. www.totalimmersion.net. If you can't do that, there are several books and videos which are also quite helpful.

Recovery

What recovery? I feel totally fine. Granted, it is Thursday, but I felt fine yesterday and Tuesday too. On Monday I took a vacation day and never left the house. Sunday night/Monday morning I slept for 12 hours. So maybe that's what cured me.

Seriously, though, I am a little surprised at how great I feel. A little chafing under the arms which is gone now. My knees and quads hurt on Monday, but by Tuesday I was just a little stiff.

My feet are a wonder to me. Not a blister, bruise or damaged toenail. They are ready for sandals in South Beach. I guess I have my shoes to thank. The Asics GT2100 in size 9A are the shangri-la of footwear. (Unfortunately, this model has recently been discontinued. I hope the replacement meets my high expectations!)

When can I do it again?

Today's the day

Bloomberg by a landslide, please.

Still smiling

At Mile 22

NYC Marathon Race Report

First of all, it was awesome! I had a great time and I don't think I smiled so much since my wedding day. But here are the details.

Pre-Race

On Saturday I went to the Expo with Mother. It was extremely well organized, and I really didn't even wait in line to get my number. The only downside was that only size L and XL shirts were left in the goody bags. I bought a T-shirt (size S), some gels, a pair of gloves for winter running and disposable Tyvek jacket and pants to wear in the morning over my race clothes.

We had an early pasta dinner at home. I put out all my race stuff and strategized with husband on where to meet during the race. I finally went to bed around 10:30 the night before. I was really keyed up and didn't get much sleep. I wore my race shirt to bed in an effort to prevent chafing. (It didn't really work, unfortunately.)

The alarm went off at 5:00. It took a few minutes, but I dragged myself out of bed after a few minutes. Let Husband sleep, and went to make breakfast. Mother stayed with us to come to the race, so I couldn't really avoid waking her up. Cats were happy to see me. Breakfast was a cup of tea with honey and 2 slices of whole wheat toast with almond butter and sliced bananas.

Left the house at 6:00. Took a taxi to Battery Park, where the Marathon buses were loading. I was on a bus by 6:20, and in Staten Island by 7:00. It was really foggy, and you couldn't see anything off the side of the Verrazzano.

The volunteers cheered when we got off the bus! This was the first of many times throughout the day when I got a little choked up. So, it's 7:00 am and the race doesn't start until 10:10. Not much to do. I tried to rest and laid down on the cold, wet grass. Brr. I waited in line for the port-o-potty multiple times. I did some stretching. I read part of someone's New York Times. I ate a yogurt smoothie, a cup of tea, a bagel, a glass of gatorade and two bottles of water. I think I ate too much. More on this later.

At 9:50, I got rid of the Tyvek pants and head for my spot in line to get on the bridge. Woo-hoo!

The Race

Well, they loaded us up on to the Verrazzano. I thought it might be really windy up there, but the air was foggy and muggy; kind of stagnant. The crowd was excited and happy and friendly. Someone sang the National Anthem. A big BOOM!, and we all start moving forward, to the tune of Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York!" People sang along. I got a little choked up again.

Crossing the bridge went so fast, but I started getting really hot right away because of the humidity. It was so foggy you couldn't really see anything off the sides of the bridge. Although someone pointed out the fireboats spraying down below. That was cool.

Of course, you could see all the guys lining up to pee off the side. What is up with that? Gentlemen. New York City is not a giant urinal. If I can wait in line for the port-o-potty, so can you.

Welcome to Brooklyn! The crowd was so amazing! People were out hooting and hollering, kids stuck their hads out to get high fives, people cheered your name. The crowd was definitely the most amazing part. They offered water, orange slices, candy, ice, paper towels. They tell us not to take anything from the crowd, but still, it's pretty nice.

There was so much music. I read that there were over a hundred bands on the course. From Latin to Motown to Rap to Rock to Bluegrass. The music really helped me keep running.

I saw Husband and Mother around Mile 8. Gave them hugs. Gave them my jacket. Feeling good. See you in Greenpoint at Mile 12! I saw them at Mile 8,12,18 and 22. That was another big motivator. Counting down the blocks before I knew to look for them really helped keep my focused and gave me something to look forward to. Also, I didn't want them to see me walking. ;-)

Brooklyn was my favorite part, because there was so much diversity in the different neighborhoods. Each one had it's own flavor and music. The signs on the businesses might be in Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, Polish, etc. Also, there were big crowds in Brooklyn. I love New York!

When I was crossing the Pulaski Bridge into Queens, I got a stitch in my side. This was no ordinary cramp. It was a really stabbing pain. I thought an alien was going to burst out. I walked. I stopped and stretched my calves on a curb. I tried to run . . . ouch! I walked some more. Basically I walked about 85% of the way between Miles 13 and 16. That kind of sucked.

That little part in Queens is boring, then you get on the Queensboro Bridge. The bridges were the hardest part. Many people would start walking, especially the uphill first half of the bridge. There were no spectators on the bridges. You are on the lower beck on the Queensboro, and it was dark and quiet. Someone said, "This is like a death march." There are 5 bridges on the course.

I started running again when I came down the ramp into Manhattan at 59th Steet. Randomly, I saw a friend of mine on the sidelines at 68th Street. She called out my last name to get my attention. I wasn't expecting her, and I gave her a big hug. Kept running up to 96th Street, where I'd see Husband and Mother.

Mile 18 and feeling good! Way better than my alien-style cramping back in Queens. Husband ran with me a little bit. See you on Fifth Avenue!

Up, up, uptown. Welcome to the Bronx! This section was short, but fun. Lots of competing music. I got a killer cramp again up here, on the left side this time. I think I drank/ate too much. I was so worried about "hitting the wall" that I had 5 gels plus gatorade, water, etc during the race, in addition to my supersized-sized breakfast. In the second half of the race, I tried to only take every other water stop.

When I crossed the bridge back to Manhattan, I got a little choked up again. The "Rocky" them was playing, the crowd was cheering. Someone said, "You're almost there! You're going to make it!" I realized, "I know! I am going to make it!"

Down, down, downtown. Saw Husband and Mother one last time at E. 96th Street. Now I'm walking up hills and running down. My knees hurt. The bottoms of my feet. My left hip. Can't stop now. Into the Park. Still walking up, running down. I didn't walk at all during the last 1.2, though. A lot of people were. The crowd said, "That's it - finish strong!" Half mile. 800 meters. 400 meters. I could see the clock, and thought I could still come in under 6 hours. I sprinted the last 200 yards. The crowd went wild. (At least, I like to think so.)

My net time was 5:59:03. So I'm not exactly fast. But I did it!

Crossing the Bridge

From the marathon website -- sounds a little scary, but cool!

After months of training, you’ll soon take your first steps in the ING New York City Marathon. And what a setting! There you’ll be, atop the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, with 36,000 other runners. Take time to marvel at this wonder of engineering and ponder these interesting facts:

The bridge is 13,700 feet or 2.7 miles long, including approaches. It is the longest span in North America, the seventh longest worldwide.

At mid-channel, the upper deck of the bridge is approximately 260 feet above the Narrows, and the lower deck is approximately 237 feet above the water. Seasonal expansion and contraction of the cables lowers the height of the deck by 12 feet in the summer. No matter what the temperature, the center of the bridge is the highest point of the marathon.

The bridge towers are 693 feet tall. Each weighs 27,000 tons and is held together by 3 million rivets and 1 million bolts. The towers are 1 5/8ths inches farther apart at the top than at the bottom to account for the curvature of the Earth.

Car drivers pay $9 to drive across the bridge; Staten Island residents receive a discount.
The bridge is named for Giovanni da Verrazano, the first European to sail in New York Harbor. He arrived in 1524.

Pedestrians and cyclists are normally banned from the bridge. The only exceptions are the ING New York City Marathon and Five Borough Bike Tour. This year, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is featured on the participant T-shirt and the official medal given to all finishers.

The first New York City Marathon to use Staten Island and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as its start was in 1976.

well, I guess I'm ready

Nothing to do now but wait. Doo doo dodoo. Tap tap tap. This makes for excellent blogging, I'm sure.

Here are some of my waiting activities:

I check the forecast for Sunday - a daily ritual for the past week. 60s with a chance of rain. Go away, rain! But still, pretty good.

I bought a new dri-fit t-shirt to wear. It's actually a little on the tight side. I'm planning to wash it and sleep in it at least one night. Someone told me that helps prevent chafing on marathon day.

I'm planning to go to the Expo at the Javits Center tomorrow morning to pick up my number.

Mom is coming to town on Saturday afternoon and staying with us. I tidy up a bit.

I think about what I'm going to wear. Blue is my color. I've got a baby blue tee, navy blue shorts. Even my shoes are white and blue. Hat. Sunglasses. I think I need to wear my fuel belt to have a place for gels, etc., but it has caused some pretty serious chafing on my other long runs.

I read my daily tip on the marathon website. Today's is about having flexible goals. That's OK with me. Since I have never done this distance before, I really only have a rough idea of when I'll finish. Somewhere between 4.5 and 6 hours. Now that's flexible!

I bought letters to spell my name on my shirt so people with cheer my name. I am such a dork.

I take my vitamins. Multi plus "Triflex" (glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM. I've been pretty vigilant lately. Knees don't fail me now!

I think about my schedule for race day. Althought the race starts at 10:00, I need to get up so freaking early, because the start is in Staten Island and the marathoners all need to get there before the roads are shut. So, tentatively:

5:00 am. Wake up. Eat breakfast involving whole wheat toast and almond butter. Drink coffee. Go to the bathroom. Very important on race day. Enough said.

5:30 am. Leave house. Take a taxi to Manhattan bus stop. Marathon buses leave continuously between 5:00 and 7:00 am. I'm sure there will be huge lines, so I hope to leave on the early side. I should take no more 15 minutes to get there.

6:32 am. Sunrise expected. I guess I'll watch the sunrise on the bus. The bus takes us to a park called Fort Wadsworth in Saten Island.

7-7:30 am. If all goes as planned, I should be in Staten Island by now. They'll have food and music and free massages and bathrooms, but basically we'll just be standing around for hours.

Since I think I'll get cold out here, I'll wear a warmup jacket and pants over my running shirt and shorts. These will probably be "disposable" - they have bins for this stuff which gets donated to charity. If I take them off fairly early, I may be able to check in my bag to be picked up at the family reunion area.

8:00 am. Athletes with disabilities start.

9:00 am. Wheelchair and handcycle athletes start.

9:40 am. People like me start moving on to the Verrazzano bridge. Will it be windy up there? Will we have a spectacular view of the city? Will we be crammed in like sardines? I'm in the "orange" start. I think this is known as the "slowpoke" section. Husband will probably be awake by now.

10:10 am. And we're off!

Cross the Verrazano Bridge to Brooklyn! Up 4th Ave in Brooklyn. Bay Ridge. Sunset Park. Greenwood Cemetery. Bed-Stuy. Williamsburg. Greenpoint. Neighborhoods with a lot of personality.

Across the Pulaski Bridge. Long Island City, Queens. Warehouses. Still pretty industrial, I think.

Across the Queensboro to Manhattan! The Upper East Side. Harlem.

Across the Willis Avenue Bridge to the Bronx! Not much to see here, so . . .

. . . Turn around and take the Madison Avenue Bridge to Manhattan! Yankee Stadium. Down Fifth Avenue along Museum Mile. Central Park. Leave the Park and head west on 59th Street. Tons of people and TV cameras here. Turn back into the park at Colombus Circle and to the finish! Woo-hoo!

I have lived in NYC for 14 years now, and I know the course well. I think I have travelled most of it at one time or another - walking, shopping, in a taxi. But this is definitely an awesome tour. I'm really pyched again!

OK, back to work.