Hello friends, I'm slowly coming out of my marathon hangover, knowing I owe everyone an update but haven't had time to sit. write. post.Looking back on my experience, I was prepared, felt great, I was ready.
Not having anyone on the course, or running with anyone allowed me to get lost in the music. This is exactly what I did.
I'm getting ahead of myself. First let me share my journey to the start.
Note: some of this is for future first time NYC runners, quick short facts. I searched running blogs for tips, experiences to help me prepare... I hope this is helpful.
Getting there
I left the hotel at 7am, walked two blocks, bought a ticket, and jumped on the next train. Following the crowd off the train, we walked just two minutes to the Staten Island Ferry.
The ferry was boarding... a short 20 minute ferry to Staten Island.
The white caps on the river were not a good sign so I opened my hand warmers. Thank goodness I had these left over from our Kilimanjaro summit. Before exiting the terminal I changed shoes and put on all the layers of clothing I brought with me. My goal was to get ahead of the cold, I get cold easy and needed to stay ahead of it.
The commute was going smoothly but the wind was getting worse. A short walk to the street revealed a 15 minute wait for the final leg of the commute - a short bus ride to the bridge/runners village. By the time I got on the bus my body was shaking and I started to wonder how this 15 minutes would impact my run.
While on the bus I received a text message that Kara Goucher started running.
Departing the bus we had one last security pat down, and 5 minute walk to the runner's village.
I arrived at the green coral without incident, at 9:57am. My wave start was 10:05. While this wasn't intentional, I thought it would take 90 minutes to travel from the hotel to the village, this late arrival didn't provide any time to get nervous.
It look me three hours to get to the starting line (the weather wasn't a factor).
The Run
I will never forget running over the bridge. My group was small, running across the bridge on the lower level (far right of this photo). People shed layers as they ran, we were jumping over jackets and prerace gear to avoid tripping. The wind was so bad that several times I was blown mid-stride.The number one tip I received, when starting on the lower level was to stay in the middle of the bridge. Men are overcome with the need to pee just after the start, and they pee into the ocean. The wind was blowing horizontally at 40mph so this wasn't an issue.
No one in my start group enjoyed running over the bridge, or stopped for a photo. You could feel dread/worry as we ran together in silence.
I remember thinking this is going to be a horrible experience.
Once we left the bridge a hundred men bailed to the left... to pee. This happens EVERY marathon that provides semi seclusion at/near the start.
With three 'to be tossed' layers I wasn't able to see my start time, my iphone tucked away to avoid distractions. This gave me permission to simply run, enjoy, take it all in... and this is what I did!
Once you cross over the long bridge at mile 15 you are home free. The next mile gifts runners with spectacular crowds.
I wore a fleece, and down vest until mile 22!! I never warmed up enough to trust the weather. Once in Central Park I shed these layers, knowing the finish was 25 minutes away.
After the finishNo one prepared me for this... if you are planning to run this marathon know you need to walk about two miles after crossing the finish. We walked up to 85th street, out of the park and back down to Columbus Circle to the meet/greet. This was mentally draining, and a bit unfair... I logged 33 miles that day.
The wind played is big role:
2013 average time, 4 hours 18 minutes
2014 average time, 4 hours 34 minutes
I was training for 4:15... finishing at 4:32
I felt great my entire training program - I couldn't have asked for a better experience on my legs/body. I ran four days week rather than five, removing the midweek long run, a risky approach that paid off.
Some of you will be surprised to learn that this was my first marathon in eight years...number 11 is done. I have no plans to run this distance again, but never say never.
