Saturday, November 20, 2010
My Newest Funnest Race
Last time I casually mentioned that I ran the New York City Marathon. But of course, there was nothing casual about it (well, it was casual dress, but that’s about it).
Earlier this year I decided to take a break from the Marine Corps Marathon and instead run in NYC a week later. The New York City Marathon is an iconic event, it’s pretty much the largest marathon in the world (there were about 43,000 people running), and the image of the start across the Verrezano-Narrows Bridge is one of the most well-known images in modern sports. Sure, the Boston Marathon is more prestigious (everyone has to qualify for that one, whereas New York allows a broader range of ability), but NYC was something I can do now...I don’t know if I’ll ever qualify for Boston.
So, yeah, New York… I managed to get into the Marathon, which was a feat in itself. Then I knew I wanted to run it in under 4h 20m, which was my best marathon time so far. I also knew I wanted to try to run in under 4 hours...that’s something I’m working toward over time, and considering my first marathon only two years ago was run in 4h 36m, it’s a real challenge. I trained through the summer and tried to get myself ready. For the first time I used a GPS watch while training and found the data helped me pinpoint those areas where I might have trouble. It also proved pretty motivational when I saw how well I could keep up my speed during the later miles. My training went great, and I felt that I was definitely on track to set a new Personal Record, and borderline in my goal to break 4 hours.
The weekend was great. I took the bus to NYC in the morning and went to the expo that afternoon. That was a pretty great experience in itself, being surround by runners from all over the US and the world, chatting with folks and also meeting organizers for some of the foreign marathons where I’m hoping to run (ola, Rio!!). I also got asked out on a post-marathon date by a cute guy. My support team – ET, Adrian, and Shawn – arrived that night and of course they got to go out while I had to sleep (SO unfair). Saturday was dim sum and shopping, followed later by a big pasta dinner.
The race itself was so much fun. I was part of a fundraising team, and we all met (about 700 of us) for breakfast at our hotel, then had a police escort for our buses out to Staten Island for the start. The logistics of the race are such that we spend about 3 hours there before we actually start running. It was cold, but my excitement kept me warm.
The first couple miles were cold (I was on the lower level of the bridge, out of the sun) but once we emerged it heated up, and before we knew it we were in the crowds along 4th Avenue in Brooklyn. So many people were out to watch this (I heard one estimate of 2.5 million) and they were screaming and yelling the whole way, bands were playing, some little girl was singing Madonna karaoke...it was a bit intense. The really overwhelming crowd, though, was along 1st Avenue in Manhattan. The smartest thing I did (and will do in future races) was write my name on the front of my shirt -- few things are more motivational than hearing your name being screamed by a crowd!!
I kind of hit the wall around Mile 19 but never stopped to walk, even though I was moving pretty slowly. I made it through the Bronx ok, then came back into Manhattan to run down 5th Avenue and into Central Park (where I saw my cheerleading team!!). I had a last burst of energy during the final mile, but was so happy to cross that Finish Line.
I beat my first goal, running in 4h 7m 52s, and I’m pretty proud of that. Obviously, I didn’t hit the second goal, but I learned from this race and my training for it and that’s going to help me in the future (that goal is still there, but now I’m trying to meet it in the Paris Marathon next April!!).
Not too shabby for a 44-year old guy who just started running a couple years ago. Actually, that wouldn't be too shabby for a 24-year old guy, either.
Earlier this year I decided to take a break from the Marine Corps Marathon and instead run in NYC a week later. The New York City Marathon is an iconic event, it’s pretty much the largest marathon in the world (there were about 43,000 people running), and the image of the start across the Verrezano-Narrows Bridge is one of the most well-known images in modern sports. Sure, the Boston Marathon is more prestigious (everyone has to qualify for that one, whereas New York allows a broader range of ability), but NYC was something I can do now...I don’t know if I’ll ever qualify for Boston.
So, yeah, New York… I managed to get into the Marathon, which was a feat in itself. Then I knew I wanted to run it in under 4h 20m, which was my best marathon time so far. I also knew I wanted to try to run in under 4 hours...that’s something I’m working toward over time, and considering my first marathon only two years ago was run in 4h 36m, it’s a real challenge. I trained through the summer and tried to get myself ready. For the first time I used a GPS watch while training and found the data helped me pinpoint those areas where I might have trouble. It also proved pretty motivational when I saw how well I could keep up my speed during the later miles. My training went great, and I felt that I was definitely on track to set a new Personal Record, and borderline in my goal to break 4 hours.
The weekend was great. I took the bus to NYC in the morning and went to the expo that afternoon. That was a pretty great experience in itself, being surround by runners from all over the US and the world, chatting with folks and also meeting organizers for some of the foreign marathons where I’m hoping to run (ola, Rio!!). I also got asked out on a post-marathon date by a cute guy. My support team – ET, Adrian, and Shawn – arrived that night and of course they got to go out while I had to sleep (SO unfair). Saturday was dim sum and shopping, followed later by a big pasta dinner.
The race itself was so much fun. I was part of a fundraising team, and we all met (about 700 of us) for breakfast at our hotel, then had a police escort for our buses out to Staten Island for the start. The logistics of the race are such that we spend about 3 hours there before we actually start running. It was cold, but my excitement kept me warm.
The first couple miles were cold (I was on the lower level of the bridge, out of the sun) but once we emerged it heated up, and before we knew it we were in the crowds along 4th Avenue in Brooklyn. So many people were out to watch this (I heard one estimate of 2.5 million) and they were screaming and yelling the whole way, bands were playing, some little girl was singing Madonna karaoke...it was a bit intense. The really overwhelming crowd, though, was along 1st Avenue in Manhattan. The smartest thing I did (and will do in future races) was write my name on the front of my shirt -- few things are more motivational than hearing your name being screamed by a crowd!!
I kind of hit the wall around Mile 19 but never stopped to walk, even though I was moving pretty slowly. I made it through the Bronx ok, then came back into Manhattan to run down 5th Avenue and into Central Park (where I saw my cheerleading team!!). I had a last burst of energy during the final mile, but was so happy to cross that Finish Line.
I beat my first goal, running in 4h 7m 52s, and I’m pretty proud of that. Obviously, I didn’t hit the second goal, but I learned from this race and my training for it and that’s going to help me in the future (that goal is still there, but now I’m trying to meet it in the Paris Marathon next April!!).
Not too shabby for a 44-year old guy who just started running a couple years ago. Actually, that wouldn't be too shabby for a 24-year old guy, either.
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