Most people who know me know that I love the New York City Marathon. Yesterday, I ran my 14th one since 1996 in my quest to become a “streaker”. If you run 15 NYC marathons by 2015, you are guaranteed entry for life. So, this is where I will be next year, too!
I had the opportunity to work at the marathon expo for CEP Compression and Kindrunner, and I loved chatting with so many runners and sharing tips and tricks. We had many friends from NYC and Chicago running. The husband flew in and we stayed with my dear friend (and “evil twin”) from college and her family.
We saw many friends and enjoyed the city in addition to my running the race. So awesome. I loved seeing Chicago friends and Marie in Central Park and going with Grace to see Shalane Flanagan at New York Athletic Club (and meeting new friends, too.) We did a lot of other fun stuff, too. At NYAC, Shalane gave a great speech. She closed by wishing us all “best effort.” Her dad always wished her that instead of “good luck” because when you do the work, it is not about luck. Loved that!
I had high hopes for this year and 3 goals: finish, smile until my face hurt and a pretty aggressive time goal that I was hoping for.
Here’s the recap:
I met Scott, Josh and Leslye for the ferry on the 1 train and everything went off without a hitch. It was very windy and chilly so we all had lots of throw away gear and looked a bit homeless! We arrived in Staten Island about two hours before the race.
We split off in search of our corrals and I found my friends in the “local competitive start” area. I am still on an NYC team and qualified on time in the half marathon. What a treat! We kept warm and caught up and waited for the start. I planned to run with Sue and Grace, but we lost Grace in the massive start.
As I had been telling people, the first mile is usually a bit slow (uphill) and the second was fast (downhill). We then tried to settle in. We did a good job of keeping each other in check. Sue and I caught up on life and enjoyed the music, lively cheers and changing scenery. Sue is a homeowner in Breezy Point, a community leveled by fire during Hurricane Sandy. She had Breezy Point on her shirt and got many cheers of support.
We clicked off a few good 5Ks and chatted with other friends in the race including Scott who started behind us. We were excited to see Seth, Emily and the girls at mile 7. Friends always lift you up!
It was another goal to remember cool signs and music during the race. I failed miserably at this. There was a ton of uplifting music and great signs, too. The early miles flew by like a dream and I felt a bit off. Not bad, but not great just “meh”. I had trouble getting into a groove and I had a slightly sour stomach. Sue and I were consistently running 7:50s-7:55s which felt fine. We made our way through Brooklyn and loved Lafayette St, as always. We also both took some Salted Caramel GU which we both agree is awesome.
The crowds in Greenpoint and Williamsburg were terrific. We crossed into Queens at the half marathon mark. We were fast at 1:42 and change. It did not feel labored. We saw Carolyn and her family at 13.5 thanks to the balloon and waved like crazy. Always a boost!
We ran through Queens and it got cloudy, windier and started to rain a little. Oy. We got to the bridge (mile 15) and Sue went with Dave from the hash. I settled in and tried to focus. The bridge is quiet and is a challenging hill. I felt OK but still not great. I looked forward to the energy in Manhattan.
I was not disappointed in Manhattan and enjoyed the cheers as I made it to mile 16 where Lauren jumped in. She was awesome – she chatted and got me water and kept me moving at a good clip. We saw Neal at 84th St. Almost missed him and went back for a kiss. Why not? Then we saw Natalie and Andrea which was a huge lift at 102nd. We missed Kelly but she saw me. Lauren stayed with me through mile 20. It was a huge help!
I ran pretty well in the Bronx and pushed myself. I was off the pace that Sue and I were running but not by that much. I missed Kristy, but I saw Rasko after mile 22 and was elated. I turned on to 5th Ave and tried to psych myself up. I finally decided to take a pit stop because I had to pee since Mile 8. I also though a one minute break would help me. It didn’t. That mile was my slowest and the last part of 5th Ave was brutal. I was crawling- at least that was how I felt.
I got into the park and missed Neal, but saw Kathy and the boys which was great. I ran the rest near the crowd for cheers and focused on pushing through. I was so excited to get to mile 25 and reminded myself that 1.2 miles is pretty short in the scheme of things.
I was elated to finish. My time was my best NYC in several years- 3:36.04. (8:15 pace) Truth be told, I was hoping for a bit faster, but I gave it my “best effort” and kept a good attitude. I smiled as much as I could. So 2 of 3 goals accomplished! I did not exactly follow my own advice (to not to start too fast). I thought I could do sub-3:30 based on my training. Next year, maybe I will take my own advice and go for negative splits! I also reminded myself that in the summer 2 years ago, I was having trouble running one mile at that pace and am so grateful for my health.
The support from friends and family far and near was amazing, too. I am so lucky and am also very grateful. Running marathons is a privilege and for non-professionals, like me, it is meant to be fun. The NYC marathon brings out the best in the people of the city and all over the country rooting us on. You can totally feel the love!
Many friends did amazing including Sue who ran strong and beat her goal! I have truly impressive friends. They all gave it their “best efforts!”
I got many congratulations from strangers on the way home. It is the one day of the year in NYC that people openly speak to strangers ;). I am sure that there is much that I am forgetting, but it was another amazing day in NYC. It is a tough, unforgiving course that keeps me interested year after year. I need just one more for lifetime guaranteed entry. So, I will see you next year 5 boroughs! That’s a promise!
