The 2013 ING NYC Marathon

Miles in 2013: 915

Days until the Dopey Challenge: 63

So it’s a few days after the 2013 ING NYC Marathon and I finally have a chance to stop and reflect.  After a series of delayed flights, long lines, and long taxi rides Leah, Jen, and I made it into Manhattan on Friday afternoon.  Because I’m a worry wart and completely neurotic we headed straight to the expo after dropping our stuff at the hotel.  The expo was a little overwhelming at first, but after bag and ID checks the process was surprisingly easy!  I was glad to see that all the information on my bib was correct which I was worried about since my MYNYRR account had a glitch and showed me as having checked baggage when I wanted no baggage and early exit.  I’m pretty sure I told the man who gave me my bib that I loved him because I was so relieved to not have to stand in a line to try and get that fixed.  We tried not to spend too much time at the expo and bought a few race souvenirs but I was holding out for Niketown and Tiffany & Co. for the good stuff!

We headed back to the Garment District / Times Square Area where we were staying to get dinner and sightsee.  Dinner at the Westway Diner was so good! We strolled around Times Square and walked down near Macy’s and the Empire State Building before heading to bed.

Saturday we got up for a full day of sightseeing (I KNOW, I KNOW I should take it easy the day before a marathon but I’m in NYC!!!)  We took a dry run from Times Square to Grand Central so Jen could see what she needed to do solo the next day.  From there we walked up Madison Avenue and shopped all of the local tents that were popping up.  We cut over to 5^th Avenue and checked out a bunch of place along 5^th.  I lit a candle for Mrs. Heffernan at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  We stepped into Trump Tower to marvel at all the gold.  Then to my two vices.  Only in NYC are Tiffany and Co. and Niketown next door to each other.  My wallet can’t handle the excitement!  Leah and I may have purchased quite a bit at both locations!

From there we went up through Central Park to the Boathouse and Alice and Wonderland before cutting over to near the marathon finish.  I accidentally had us coming out of the park right at Strawberry Fields so I snapped a quick photo.  Then it was off to lunch at Ray’s Pizza!  Thank God I was running while I was there because I sure was eating!

After a quick rest at the hotel we headed down to the 9/11 Memorial which was absolutely beautiful.  From there we headed to Chinatown on a mission to buy some handbags!  I swear we covered 2 miles going back and forth following our purse guides to what we were looking for.  After a shopping binge Leah and I got half hour foot massages (which were by the way AMAZING) before we headed to dinner.

My favorite restaurant in the city is Forlini’s which is on Baxter right off of Canal Street.  Jason and I stumbled on it during our honeymoon and I make it a point to go there every time I’m in the city.  Michelle and Grace were coming to meet us after the Rutgers game and were running a little but it felt so cozy sitting there in what happened to be the same booth Jason and I had on our honeymoon.  We stayed for a few hours relaxing and talking.  We took a quick subway ride back to our hotel and got some baked goods at a nearby sweet shop before trying to turn in for the night.

Leah and I must’ve driven Jen crazy getting all our race stuff ready.  We are both a little OCD and a little crazy, checking all of our race stuff a million times to make sure we had everything we needed for the next morning.  Convinced that everything was there we all went to bed.  Notice I said to bed not to sleep?  I swear I maybe slept for 2 hours on and off that night.  I was way too excited to sleep.  Leah and I were even texting across the room because we didn’t want to wake Jen up!

RACE MORNING!  Oh my God it was finally here!  Leah and I got up and ready to leave for the race.  After quadruple checking that yes, we really did have everything we headed to the subway.  Holy cow it was cold out!  We caught the 1 train down to the Ferry terminal for a very crowed ride.  Arriving at the Ferry terminal it was packed with runners!  I got stopped by a cop with a bomb dog who wanted to sniff the seat cushions I was carrying to sit on in the runner’s village.  When I was cleared to go we hurried and just barely caught the 6:15 Ferry.  We found a bunch of our Marathonfest friends on the top deck of the Ferry and took lots of photos enjoying the view of the Verrazano Bridge we would be crossing in a few hours.  Upon arriving to Staten Island we hopped on a bus to the start villages.  There were so many people there.  After locating the porto-potties we made ourselves a nice little area to camp out in (nice until one of the police horses took a big dump 2 feet away from us causing us to relocate our area).  It really was surprisingly relaxing sitting there in our 4,000 layers of mismatched clothing waiting for our turn to head to the corrals.  We watched the elites and Waves 1 and 2 take off.  Then it was our turn to head to the staging area.  Not long later we were off to Frank Sinatra singing “NY, NY.”

Amanda, Leah, and I started the race together and contrary to what Dennis will say I tried to take it really easy and conservatively in those first few miles.  Even still as we kept going through Brooklyn and checking our mile splits we were way ahead of pace, but things felt pretty easy.  I loved seeing all the neighborhoods and spectators out along the course.  I think my favorite part of the race was right at the halfway point when we were crossing the bridge from Brooklyn to Queens, I looked to the left and there in the Manhattan skyline was my favorite building, the Chrysler Building.  After a quick photo shoot we kept going.  Queens was still at a quick pace that felt pretty easy until…. The Queensboro Bridge.  Man, that was not fun.  Between the lack of things to look at, the lack of spectators, and my need to pee, made that stretch particularly difficult.  Luckily, as soon as we hit First Avenue there were porto-potties with no line!  Our stretch on First Avenue was going really well, and for most of it we were on pace with the 5:00 pace team.

  

Then as were started near the Bronx things started to get a little ugly.  Our pace slowed a little and we switched to 1:1’s to try and keep running, it was too early to start a death march.  As we left the Bronx and headed back into Manhattan I was happy to see the billboard with runner messages.  I wish the one Jason had put in for me had come up on the screen, because I think it would’ve given me a second wind!  5^th Avenue was rough.  There is no other way to describe it.  I was so thankful that at mile 23 Jen was waiting for me.  I didn’t expect to see her at all until the end maybe.  Come to find out she was also at mile 18 but looked down for a minute as we ran past (remember we were moving pretty fast still at that point) and she missed us!  After a quick hug and the comment that we “still have a *&$^ing 5k left” we kept going.  Leah and I tried hard to keep running some sort of interval as we continued down 5^th Avenue.  It got a little tougher in Central Park but we kept plugging through.  As we hit Central Park South I tried to do some quick math in my head.  I knew our original lofty goal of 5:15 was unattainable, but I knew if we pushed it just a little bit harder that we could come in right under 5:30.  I know it’s crazy, but I would’ve been so bummer if we finished with just a little over that mark.  I made Leah run a little more than she wanted to at the time and remember trying to equate the distance left in laps around the track.  As we saw the finish line we gave it one final push and I finished with a 5:29:26!  That meant a 14 minute PR for me!

The post finish was the toughest part for me.  We got our medals and took some photos and I should’ve put my jacket, gloves, and ear warming headband back on then, but didn’t.  We got our Mylar finisher blankets and started the seemingly never ended trek to those sweet finisher ponchos you were to receive if you selected the no baggage option.  I swear we walked forever, somehow during that time the sunset and it got REALLY cold.  After what seemed like almost an hour a very wonderful stranger wrapped me in my poncho and Velcroed me in.  I told her I loved her (gee only the second stranger I said that too that weekend!).  Leah and I sat on the first bench we could find to try and collect ourselves.  I managed to get my jacket on under the Mylar and under the poncho and when I went to put my gloves on I realized that my cuticles were bleeding from the wind and cold, gross.  While we sat there Jen called to say she was one block west and one block south of us and we should come to her.  That walk took what also seemed like an eternity.  Jen told me to raise my hand so she could pick me out of the sea of orange ponchos, at that point I was just too tired and too cold so I told her no.  I feel bad that she had to try and deal with the two of us in the state we were in.  She is a saint for getting us on the right subway and to our hotel that night.  After a very long shower (which may have required Jen to cut a hair tie out of my hair) and a trip to the Irish pub next door I felt much better.

Monday morning Leah left crazy early to head back to Florida leaving the day for me and Jen to roam the city together.  We made our plan of attack to get to all of the places we wanted to hit before we left Manhattan.  First stop bagels.  Then to the Magnolia Bakery to pick up half a dozen cupcakes to bring home.  We took some photos at Rockefeller Center and then went to the Carnegie Deli.  Jason always asks me to bring him home an order of bacon from there, being such a great wife I brought him two!  I also picked up a corned beef sandwich to eat at the airport later that afternoon.  When we got off at the next subway stop I realized we were right at the end of the marathon course and asked Jen if we could go towards the finish line.  I had on my race shirt and had my medal in my purse so we stopped to snap a photo of me at mile 26, walking the extra .2 miles to the actual finish didn’t seem like fun.  We left the park and headed back to Tiffany and Co. because going once on the trip just isn’t enough!  Jen decided to do something for herself and get her first piece of Tiffany’s jewelry to celebrate her one year cancer free anniversary!  I can’t think of a better way to commemorate that occasion (except for a tattoo!).  We headed back to the hotel to wait for our shuttle to take us to LaGuardia and eventually back to Florida.

I am so thankful to have had this experience.  It truly was an amazing and once in a lifetime experience!  In the end I was able to raise $3,825 for The Pink Agenda!  I appreciate the support everyone has shown me and Jen over the past year and a half.

Stay tuned for more running adventures I have a lot (too many probably) of races on the horizon!