OK – Here we are with the “Running Geek” version of the NYC Marathon report. This is for my running buddies, coach or any other insane folks contemplating a marathon.
I’ll admit that the past 10 days have been a bit more of an emotional roller coaster than I was expecting. Most of the questioning has been around “how do you feel” and “when is your next full”. And I have been pretty much all over the map on both, which is generally unfamiliar territory for me.
So here we go:
Wake-up call at 4:45am. I had to leave the hotel by 5:30am to walk to Central Park South to catch the JDRF bus. I know of at least one friend who was very jealous of my cush transporation situation, but it was still early. Even with the clocks going back. While it was pitch black outside and you wouldn’t expect to see too many people walking around midtown at that time, I saw endless amounts of charter busses and people with clear bags (the only bags allowed in marathon village).
The drive to the start was a pretty one catching the sunrise. It was going to be a clear day out on the course. Maybe a bit warm for this PNW’er, but at least it wasn’t snowing like it did the week before in NYC! All of the charities have tents in marathon village in Staten Island, and we got to chill for a bit. When all was said and done, I probably had about 3 hours from when we got to SI to when I started. And believe it or not, it went really fast and before I knew it, I was walking to the start with another JDRF teammate who also lives in the Seattle area!
I knew I wasn’t going to start exactly at 1010am, so I texted Marc as I crossed so he would know how to gauge progress.
Mile 1 – All uphill and very crowded on the V-N bridge. Already wrote the mile off before the race and told myself not to expend energy worrying about pace here. Stayed relaxed, waved at the police officers along the bridge cheering us on and took it all in. It was crazy but the views were not to be missed. My stomach was a bit unsettled, but I thought that would work itself out.
Miles 2 – 5 – Still stayed relaxed. Kept reminding myself not to push. When we got off of that bridge, the crowds in Bay Ridge were ready. They were awesome! Brooklyn probably had the rowdiest crowds and cheers, and I loved it. That said I was starting to get concerned if Marc was going to be on the left side of the road as is our usual plan because of the amount of runners, and NO ability for spectators to cross. Stomach still a bit tight though. And my right foot (injured one) started to ache a little.
Miles 6 – 9 – Saw Marc, Tisa & Dan (all of Team Elway). They had great signs but given the crowds, I didn’t see them until the last minute. About 3 miles later, I saw Lisa, Jarrett, Mary & JoAnna (all of Team Tebow). Again, I didn’t see them until the last minute. Both groups were great and I kept trying to stay focused on being conservative by not weaving in/out too much, as I tend to do. By the end of mile 9, the foot wasn’t an issue anymore. Good. And the crowds continued to be amazing. It was complete sensory overload.
Miles 10 – 14 – One of the miles really bottlenecked, but I kept around a 9 minute pace overall and I was just where I wanted to be. I kept telling myself that you can’t “win the race” at this stage but I could “lose it” at this point, which meant my time goal. Cousins Dan & Scott appeared out of nowhere to give me gels, which was awesome. I didn’t see Marc with them, which I attributed to subway problems. I wasn’t too concerned.
Miles 15 – 17 – I saw Team Tebow on the other side of the road, which was a lucky break since I told everyone that I would be looking on the left. I didn’t plan for the fact that depending on subway exits that crossing streets would be near impossible. They had their signs and enthusiasm, plus my beverage, so that was good. But I really started to get slowed down at this stage by the crowds. The bottlenecks were more and more frequent, and the water stops were absolute clusters. Normally I carry all of my own liquid, but every expert said you didn’t need to because of all of the water stops. Mistake. I probably lost about 5-10 seconds per mile ducking and diving.
The Queensboro Bridge back into Manhattan really hurt. I was warned that you come to a very slow pace, and then my watch stopped tracking my location, so I was really messed up. I just decided to walk uphill since my pace was slow anyway and save my energy. It helped mentally, but the leg cramps start up once you start walking. Whatever. I kept going. I still had a chance at my goal. Coming into Manhattan off of the bridge was pretty surreal. This is where I watched the marathon many years ago for a long time. I had to keep things in check as I still had 8+ miles to go. But I definitely slowed down in this stretch.
Miles 18 – 21 – Marc and Tisa made their way to 103rd Street, and informed me that Team Tebow were not going to make it to the Bronx. I needed to take whatever I needed. I didn’t know if anyone was going to be at mile 24 at this stage, but I was feeling less than stellar and I just said, “I’m fine” and continued on. At mile 19, the foot cramps struck hard. I had been taking salt tabs every hour and gels every 30 minutes, so this was pretty disappointing. I was drinking fluids at a good pace as well.
Decision time. My goal time could happen, but chances were dwindling and I had to decide if putting it all on the line for a goal time was more important than finishing in a really positive state of mind. Given the shirt that I was wearing for JDRF, this was a quick discussion with myself and I went with the latter. The Bronx had more spectators than I was expecting, with lots of firemen lining the route cheering us on. So I walked/ran it in for most of the homestretch.
Miles 22 – 24 – I think it was safe to say that I was feeling less than awesome at this stage, but I knew I was going to finish. I recalibrated with some new goals (i.e., run 5 minutes, walk a minute), and I was so pumped to see the merger of Team Tebow and Team Elway! Lisa, Jarrett, Tisa, Dan, Scott, JoAnna and Mary were loud, proud and saved my bacon because while I wasn’t in a real negative place, I needed something motivating. The crowds were great, but seeing my team really lifted my spirits. I might have shed a tear if I wasn’t so freaking tired. Ha! Tisa and Lisa ran with me for a bit, asking me if I needed anything. I couldn’t really muster any words. I soldiered on and saw another friend on the sidelines, which was a great boost!
Miles 25 – 26.2 – In Central Park and doing everything I can to finish strong. I actually couldn’t believe that even though I didn’t hit my goal that the 4+ hours went by so fast. The crowds and neighborhood diversity are both so overwhelming to take in when you are inside of the ropes that it all becomes a blur. But I was proud that I was in a good place and kept my promise to Marc (and myself, for that matter). That said, I was so ready to be done when I came into Central Park by Columbus Circle. The last “.2” really hurt. Marc saw me with 300 yards to go, but I didn’t see him unfortunately. My parents were at the finish line, but missed me crossing (a slight communication breakdown).
Final time: 4:14:04
I also reminded myself that when I crossed the finish line that I was not to touch my Garmin until I was past the official photographers so I actually had a good photo op. Mission accomplished. After being herded like cattle out of the park, I finally found my gang and was so elated to see them. I say this over and over, but running is not a solo sport. It takes a team, and my team absolutely made my experience so much better than it could have been with me just doing this on my own. All of the hard work and decisions made paid off in being able to share a “bucket list” item with some very important people to me. The cheers that came in from near and far meant so much to me, in addition to all of the donations for JDRF.
Bottom line, I am so glad I waited until I was ready to do a full on my own timeline, not someone else’s. No, I didn’t hit my time goal but November 6th was truly one of the best days of my life for the reasons mentioned above, and for that, I am forever humbled and grateful for the opportunity.
Until I decide on what’s next, stay tuned…..