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!