Apologies if this post is late. I wanted to put a complete report together.
Traveling
We left Virginia on Saturday morning for the five hour train ride to New York City. The train was scheduled to arrive at Penn Station at 2:45pm, and I had to make it to the Marathon Expo by 5pm to pick up the race packet. Of course I was nervous about it, and concerned about delays. It was a beautiful morning and the ride went smoothly with no problems at all. We got to Penn Station right on time and walked the short distance to the
Javits Convention Center with no problems. Picking up the race packet was easy, but I hadn't selected my choice of transportation to the start, so I had to go get a sticker for my race bib for the Staten Island Ferry. Got one for 7:45am and then found out they were out of t-shirts. They told me they'd mail me one, and we left.
We had a fun, but low key Saturday night in New York. Discovered that Trader Joe's is the place to be on the Upper West Side on a Saturday night, had some dinner at the
Amsterdam Ale House, and was in bed by 10pm.
To the start
On Sunday morning I got up at 6am, only to discover it was 5am, so I took my time getting ready to go. I usually worry about my stomach on race mornings, and am nervous and concerned about what to eat. I had 1/2 of an everything bagel and 1/2 banana and drank some Gatorade. I had a great night's sleep - much better than I remember having before any previous marathon.
Aimee walked me the 5 or 6 blocks to the 66th street subway station and I jumped on the 2 train, which would take me all the way to the South Ferry stop. The subway ride was mostly uneventful and there were plenty of other folks doing exactly what I was doing as evidenced by their throw-away sweats and clear plastic bags for checking gear at the start. One guy tried to convince us for a moment that the train wasn't going to the ferry landing and that we had to transfer - but he was wrong and we didn't listen to him.
Once at the South Ferry stop I climbed the steps out into the bright morning and followed the building crowd to the Staten Island Ferry. It was around 38 degrees and no wind. I grabbed a seat aboard the Ferry and took in the view of New York harbor, the Stature of Liberty, and Ellis Island all shining gloriously in the morning light. I noticed a lot of Europeans on the Ferry, mostly Italian and French.
We arrived at Staten Island at about 7:45am and next took a bus to the start. The bus took a circuitous route through the neighborhoods near the ferry landing and along the New York Bay, and dropped us off at the Fort Wadsworth Coast Guard Station, which held the starting line "village." I made my way to the Hope for the Warriors charity tent and met some of the team, as well as the team captain, Sarah. I dropped off my sweats at the UPS truck and was now all set. I did hit the port-o-john a few times at the starting village, as we all do, and picked up a Dunkin Donuts knit hat to wear to keep my head warm until the race began. Once I got into the starting corral things began to happen quickly. I grabbed a quick stretch and we all began slowly walking toward the starting line.
I was ready to go at this point, and starting to get the feeling that if I kept waiting I'd have to hit the port-o-john again. They were playing classic rock on the loudspeakers, and "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf was the last song played before the emcee started the countdown. Someone sang "America the Beautiful" and then there was a cannon shot and we were off.
And we're off
There were thousands of people starting with me, and though we were in Wave 2 Orange Corral (one of 3 waves and 3 different colors organizing runners for staggered starts) I couldn't help thinking it would be a slow first mile up the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. But as we started up the bridge things were moving along well enough. There was an incredible view from the bridge of all New York City. Amazing.
As I made it to the top of the bridge and started down the other side I noticed my pace was just above 9 minutes per mile and was happy. Next mile was 8:26 coming down the bridge and I was in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn: Miles 3-13
Brooklyn really came out for the race. The crowds were awesome, and I still can't believe how many people were out all along the course. I distinctly recall going by and seeing a girl screaming and jumping up and down as we ran by - and I don't think she saw anyone she knew, she was just fired up.
I decided to drink Gatorade and water as often as I could, which ended up to be about every 2 miles. It was a very sunny day, much like the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon. I was determined to do everything I could not to cramp during this race. I took my GUs every 7 miles, and took 3 electrolyte pills every hour to stay fueled and replenish the minerals I was using up. This strategy seemed to be working well through the first 13 miles. I had to keep reminding myself that this was indeed a marathon, and that I shouldn't press too hard or try to go too fast. I was feeling great and maintaining the exact pace I set out to run.
The Brooklyn neighborhoods very very diverse, and there were people from all over the world racing and cheering from the sidewalks. There were bands every couple of miles, some were pretty good and others seemed thrown together at the last minute. All of them were great to see and hear. My favorite sign by far said "Watch out for Hipsters."
Splits:
Mile 3: 8:50
Mile 4: 9:01
Mile 5: 8:38
Mile 6: 8:40
Mile 7: 8:36
Mile 8: 9:00
Mile 9: 8:51
Mile 10: 8:34
Mile 11: 8:43
Mile 12: 8:50
Mile 13: 8:42
Queens: Mile 14, 15
I crossed the Pulaski Bridge into Queens feeling fantastic. I didn't notice too much of a difference between Brooklyn and Queens, other than the crowds were a little thinner. Kept on pushing and still felt great. Took a GU at mile 14.
Mile 14: 8:41
Mile 15: 8:58
Manhattan: Miles 16-19
As we headed out of Queens onto the Roosevelt Bridge
the crowds disappeared. The bridge wasn't very steep, though the five bridges constituted the major terrain features of the course. As we headed up the bridge the wind blew and it was chilly. Lots of people started walking, and I was having a hard time keeping my pace going as I swerved and weaved back and forth to try to keep passing people. I felt I was passing people constantly up to and through mile 23.
We came down into Manhattan to a big crowd, and there on the right side of the road I spotted Aimee. She was perched on a lamp post or something, higher than everyone else. I was thrilled to see her and blew her a bunch of kisses. I looked next to her to see my friend John, and I cracked up seeing him standing there with her. John proved to be a great race watching partner for Aimee all day, taking trains across town to see me running.
As I made my way onto 1st Avenue at 59th Street the sun was reflecting off the midtown skyscrapers. It was bright, and the road seemed to slant slightly upward. Once again I felt great, and had to force myself to hold back from running too fast. I knew that if I let myself go and ran fast I'd burn out and blow my chances of a sub four hour marathon. Even so, I ended up logging some of the fastest splits of the 26 miles at this point. The crowds were motivating, and I started to think I was getting close to the home stretch.
Mile 16: 8:53
Mile 17: 9:04
Mile 18: 8:16
Mile 19: 8:20
Bronx: Mile 20
Though it was a quick mile run through the Bronx, it was memorable. The people were out and fired up. I smelled someone barbequing and it made me think of eating real food and I was happy. There was a guy emceeing and talking over a beat about how excited the Bronx was that we were running through there. Next think I knew we were heading back towards Manhattan and the home stretch.
Mile 20: 8:40
Manhattan: Mile 21-26.2
We came back into Manhattan over the Madison Avenue Bridge onto 5th Avenue. I was starting to look at my watch more frequently and noticed that the miles started to seem longer. Mile 21 passed and I looked ahead to see the Marcus Garvey Memorial Park which we'd run around at mile 22. It was clear that we were getting close, and I started thinking about my time. Disaster could still strike, even after such a successful first 20 miles.
 |
| 3 to go! |
I watched the street numbers drop into the low 100s. Mile 23 was my second fastest mile of the marathon. I heard my name and looked to see Aimee and I gave her the "3 to go" sign and continued down 5th Ave. We came to a water stop and I ran through it, thinking I didn't need any more.
It was just about halfway through mile 24 when my legs felt tired. The road sloped upwards for as far as I could see. I slowed a bit and we entered Central Park at 89th Street, then I felt my hamstrings start to cramp. Uh, oh. I slowed down and breathed deliberately, and I'm sure it wasn't a pretty picture. I wasn't going to stop, though. I was trying to will the cramps away and it was working, as long as I kept moving slowly and breathing. Miles 24 and 25 were my slowest yet, but I was still doing great, and barring a complete disaster I was sure to be under 4 hours. I had been on pace for a 3:50 time and I was gunning for it, but I was running out of gas.
The crowd in the park was amazing; they were calling my name and being very supportive. I was struggling along mile 26 when I heard my name and looked up to see a guy I didn't know cheering me. He looked me right in the eyes and said something to the effect of, "Come on! You got it!" I nodded and the route eased down hill a bit and around, then along Central Park South to the 26 mile marker. This was it! I looked up and chugged through the finish line at 3:53:35, thrilled but totally exhausted.
Mile 21: 8:38
Mile 22: 8:41
Mile 23: 8:19
Mile 24: 9:19
Mile 25: 9:17
Mile 26: 9:48
Afterwards
After crossing the finish line I felt awful for about 30 seconds, then totally euphoric. They had us keep walking for a good 10-15 minutes after finishing, putting medals around our necks and wrapping us in plastic reflective blankets. They gave us finisher bags with water and some disgusting Gatorade recovery formula. I did a quick check on how I felt, and everything was fine. My feet were a little sore - they felt like I just ran a marathon - but the cramping in my legs subsided and nothing hurt. I was looking around and the colors of the trees in Central Park just felt great. Thrilled to have a new personal record (beating my Big Sur time of 4:06 by 13 minutes!) and be finished with the race after all the training I'd done.
I picked up my sweats and put them on. Someone gave me a Pepsi. I left the park at 81st Street and walked back down Central Park West to meet up with Aimee at 73rd Street. I stopped at a port-a-john and realized that though I felt I had to go at around mile 5 I never stopped. I really enjoyed the walk down the street and was pleased to see John and Matt with Aimee waiting for me.
We walked back to the apartment and I showered and changed while enjoying a cold Brooklyn Pilsner. I was high for the rest of the day, and into the next. It was a true runners high, which I've experienced only a few times before. That feeling is enough to get me back out there doing this sort of thing over and over again. We met Matt and John to get some food, and I had a cheeseburger and a couple more beers. After burning 4000 calories I was going to enjoy a victory celebration!
My next venture is the Disney Goofy Race & 1/2 Challenge in January. Is this insane? I don't think so. Why? Because in January 2012 I'll be 39 1/2 years old, and what better way to celebrate that than by running 39 1/2 miles? I know, it's 39.3, actually, but I'm sure my Garmin will say I ran .2 miles more than the course. I plan to look like I do in this picture after running 1.5 marathons over a weekend!
