hells yeah, it's my city!!

(aka the official super-long NYC Marathon race report.)

Yeah. Sunday just showed-I totally own this city :)

I'll start this off this long report with the mile-by-mile splits, courtesy of Mr. Garmin...



(my chip time was 3:44:14...so based on my chip splits, looks like 1 second comes off the last .2 and 2 seconds comes off mile 1)

So...as I had mentioned before, I set my goal for the marathon publically at the beginning of August as 3:50. Enough to be a strong PR, and seemed pretty doable for my abilities at the time. However-after the Philly Distance Run, I began wondering if 3:45...although scary, could be doable. After doing Grete's at a 3:45 marathon pace-and it feeling like an easy run and running that at the end of a 7-day period where I racked up close to 60 miles-I decided to secretly make 3:45 my stretch goal. I tapered well and just trusted my training...

So, race day. Despite the fact that I got an extra hour of sleep due to turning the clocks back, I still found it difficult to actually sleep, and woke up before my alarm was due to go off. Fine with me, more time to do the race day routine. Coffee w/ bagel and PB. Listen to my "marathon morning" mix with some of my favorite and/or lucky songs. Roll out the yoga mat and do some stretching. Get dressed, check a million times to see if I remembered everything, then head out the door.

This year, I took the Staten Island Ferry instead of the bus-I highly recommend it, was so easy. Just hopped on the 1 train to go downtown-took 20 minutes. When I got to the terminal, I waited for TB who was coming from Brooklyn so we could get on the ferry together. We both got on the 6:30 ferry-got seats right away, enjoyed the view, and just gabbed excitedly about what was ahead. Once we got to Staten Island, we were also able to get on a bus right away that would take us to Fort Wadsworth-easy peasy. I was very satisfied about how stress-free this process went.

Finally, arrived at Fort Wadsworth around 7:30ish. There was no line for the porto-potties so immediately took advantage of that. After that, we met up with Runner26 who was hanging out with her college friends in a tent in the orange start. Ate, "hydrated," tried to stay warm, gossiped, laughed...the time actually went by pretty quickly. It was almost time for those in Wave 1 (which included TB) to check their bags and get to their corrals, so I took that as my cue to make another porto-potty stop (gotta take advantage of short lines while I can!) and then make my way to the blue start village. once there, i spotted my baggage truck and made any final preps I needed to and checked my bag while the line was still short-I had my throwaway sweatshirt and my heat sheet from the SF Half to keep me warm. From there, I walked over to the corrals. Wave 1 hadn't left yet, so I hung around until they left and Wave 2 was allowed to enter. And I will say-they really did a good job at policing the corrals, I was pleasantly surprised. And they even had porto-potties in the corrals too!! So far-big thumbs up from my 2006 experience.

Finally, it was time to head over to the bridge. The ropes between the corrals were dropped and we all jogged to maintain our position (good, this can be my warmup.) This resulted in an awesome starting spot for me!! Was a little chilly-I had ditched my heat sheet and sweatshirt and arm warmers-was just in my sports top, shorts and gloves but I knew with the strong sun, I'd be warm soon enough. 10 am was getting closer and closer!! Was a little different having someone besides Mary Wittenberg give the "New York City awaits you, the world awaits you" speech-but we still got the ceremonial cannon and "New York, New York" to mark the start. And I crossed the line within seconds!! Here we go, here we go, here we go...

OK-so my plan was to run the first 2 miles in no faster than a cumulative 17 minutes, maybe closer to 17:30. I felt like I was taking it easy, so I was shocked that my first mile was under 9 minutes, and even more shocked to see the 7:40 mile 2. Off the bridge and into Brooklyn, this time on the right side of 4th Ave, so I got to see a different approach this time. The crowds were in effect already, heard a lot more people screaming my name this time around-maybe because I was easier to spot with less crowds? Either way, I liked it. Maybe too much, both mile 3 and my 5k split were faster than I wanted. Honestly-I was doubting the positions of the mile markers, that's how good the splits were looking!! Question is-would this haunt me in the end? What's done is done-I wasn't gonna slow down dramatically to "make up" for that-I thought of something that JS told me once-"Don't try to 'make up' for time, whether you're ahead of schedule or behind schedule. Aim to hit the pace exactly right at the present moment." And that was what I did, going forward, I just tried to stay relax, and shoot for 26:30 5k splits. Before I knew it, I was at the mile 8 merge...it was almost like I floated down 4th avenue in some kind of dream state...I took that as a good sign, and I was thankfully still feeling good :)

Here was where the wave starts came into play-miles 9-13 in Brooklyn were a much, much more enjoyable experience this time around, no bottleneck that I experienced in 2006 and I didn't lose any time and slow dramatically here. Lafayette Ave had a great cheering section, I saw Flyer YP cheering and taking pictures. Was still feeling great through Williamsburg and Greenpoint-saw Flyer JT during that stretch and he commented that I was "flying." Heart rate was a little bit high-at the very top of my easy zone...but that could have been more excitement than actual effort, as I wasn't breathing hard at all. But I had to keep telling myself so many times...eye on the prize, eye on the prize. I might have been on BQ pace at that point, but that wasn't the goal today. I'd rather get the 3:45 and finish strong rather than try for 3:40 and bonk.

Almost to Queens!! I noticed that the playground where a lot of people usually cut across was roped off this year...hehe. Made the turn onto McGuinness Boulevard, just as we did in the bridges run so it all looked familiar...hit the half-marathon point on the bridge at 1:50:43-ok, good. If I lose 2-3 minutes in the second half I can still get my 3:45, so as far as I was concerned, I was right on target :)

Well considering I got knocked down in Queens back in 2006, my goal for this year was to just make it through this borough still standing :) These next coupla miles were actually a little uneventful...maybe because I was thinking ahead to Manhattan already? Either way, I breathed a sigh of relief when I reached the Queensboro bridge and had stayed vertical :-P Once again, my training running the bridge had paid off-felt strong and steady, and was still passing people. Mile 16 was my slowest mile so far...only one over 9 minutes so far, but not too shabby considering that it included a bitch of an incline :) Yay for the downhill, I can hear the crowds....

...First Avenue, here I come!! Those crowds were just tempting me to go fast, but I tried to keep it under control...remembering the "last 10 miles run" and the surprising hills. Don't know how well that worked as the splits showed :) That plus I couldn't wait to get to the mile 18 marker, where 2 miles of personal cheering sections would begin. First one being the Flyers at the PowerGel station. I was in great spirits then...one of my favorite dance songs ("Insomnia" by Faithless) was blasting over the speakers at this time, my teammates were cheering for me...as the picture showed, I was definitely in my element :) What a rush!! Next was the 30K point...saw some Harriers by the White Castle, and shortly after that was the family cheering section!! (this year wearing Jets green...hehe.) Next, Uptown Girl and the rest of her TRD cheering section was just past the mile 19 marker. After that, it seemed to thin out a bit-til I hit the Willis Avenue Bridge and saw Flyer PD playing the bagpipes once again. Kinda made me forget how crappy that bridge felt (more the surface than anything else-don't like that metal grating, the red carpet didn't seem to hide it enough this time...)

For whatever reason, I found the Bronx to be much more lively this time around, was kind of a shame that we only ran 1 mile there. Lots of old-school dance music playing...felt like I was at a block party or something. There was also a big screen that showed the runners (I saw me on there!), and "Stronger" by Kanye West playing...always a song to get me pumped to run well!! And I was still holding up very well, much better than in 2006!! At the 20-mile point, I estimated that I needed 8:45s or better to make it under 3:45, and so far so good. Now back to Manhattan...let's finish this thing!! :)

Upper 5th avenue felt like a continuation of the Bronx...good music playing, block party atmosphere...saw the Flyers' Mr. President right before Marcus Garvey Park, was glad to see him as I missed him back in 2006. Then miles 23 and 24 happened. That incline on 5th Ave that would.not.end. Yeah, I knew to expect it, but when you're tired, it's still a bitch. Plus, the running room was limited as the spectators were sorta crowding us...and I had to dodge walkers, and those who stopped and/or walked through the water stations (I didn't stop to walk once-at the water stations I just grabbed a cup on the run)...I didn't want them interrupting my "rhythm" so to speak-as I was afraid if I was forced to slow down or walk I wouldn't be able to start back up. My dad was near the mile 23 marker and took a picture...my mom and my brother missed seeing me, but my brother took off to try and catch me to yell out some words of encouragement. (was sorta glad my mom missed me-as she said she was gonna yell "almost there!"...which at that time, i did NOT want to hear...you know why!) Then almost out of nowhere, Derek pulled up besides me...took pictures, ran with me...I didn't even ask him to but I was so grateful for the support, as I think I went through a little mental bonk at mile 24 (which turned out to be my slowest mile of the race)...at that time, you're just counting down the blocks to the park, but it seems like forever. Finally, Engineer's Gate was within view...I said to Derek then "I got this."

The last 2.2 miles...so many things went through my head. Whatever pain my legs were experiencing at the time was probably nothing compared to what my relative has been dealing with for the last few months, so what's another 20 minutes. I had the same thought in my head that I had in the Philly Distance Run-that I didn't come this far to have another "so close" moment...I was so close to the sub-3:45, no way was I gonna lose it now!! After mile 25...good mile, but I wasn't completely in the clear just yet...gotta hustle for the last 1.2 miles!! Think of how great my last mile was in 2006. Think of that 7:44 mile 13 at Grete's. You can do it, you can do it. Saw Flyers EF and SD cheering on the East drive leading out of the park...was so glad to see a familiar face or 2 at that point, really gave me a boost!! Just kept the intensity up Central Park South...hit the half-mile to go sign and knew I had it...made me sooo happy. And the fact that mile 26, at 8:16 was my 3rd fastest mile of the race? Once again, I knocked that damn wall down...

That hill to Tavern...always a bitch, but I could take it on (and as it turned out-ran the last .2 at a sub-8 pace!) just counting down the "x yards to go" signs...oh yeah. The finish line calling my name just ahead...I felt like I was in that surreal dream state once again-but this was no dream. Or rather, this a dream coming true!! Put my arms up in celebration once again...sub-3:45 was mine, all mine!! Crossed the line and was officially 2-for-2 when it came to running a great NYCM!! :)

Official time-3:44:14 (half splits 1:50:43/1:53:31)
AG%-60.6%

Placing:
7980/38068 overall
1402/12877 females
530/4462 females 30-39

Once again-I was happy to stop running, but my quads hated me. I think I was in a lot more pain than I was 2 years ago! I got a finisher photo taken with my medal, but not sure if I was smiling!! Got my heatsheet and food bag, then started the trek up to the baggage trucks...the entire time I was saying "ow, ow, ow"...my legs were in such pain. I wanted to sit down, but I knew I had to walk it off. I actually didn't mind the walk to the baggage truck, as I had to walk that far to get home anyway :) Finally got my bag, exited the park, met up with la familia and headed to my place to shower and relax, before heading out to dinner and indulging in some fajitas, guac, chips and salsa, and the first of several, uh, "recovery beverages" (aka margaritas.) Continued the celebration across town with the Flyers, which included more margaritas!! Everyone was in good spirits that nite, happy with their times-was very glad to see.
I guess since I was in so much pain after crossing the finish-it took awhile to sink in how everything just went according to plan, everything went so smoothly...that I achieved a goal that over a month ago, I thought would have been "crazy" or "scary." Only thing I may have done differently was run that first 5K a minute slower...but hey, I still got my goal, so ain't complaining :) And I got my goal thanks to my great support system-whether you were cheering from afar or on the course-you don't know how grateful I am that I had you. My training, my mental toughness, may have gotten me to the finish line when I did, but "I get by with a little help from my friends" as well :)

What's next? That's a topic for another day, another post. Right now, just sitting back and enjoying this one. :)

you guys are great at guessing!!

you know that?? :)

once again-the most popular response to the poll turned out to be what happened today!!

turned out a cool 3:44:14. yep, a 14:12 PR. hells yeah.

here is how it unfolded (thanks to the chip):

Location	Time	Pace/mile (cumulative)
5km	0:25:32	8:13
10km	0:51:52	8:20
15km	1:18:26	8:24
20km	1:45:00	8:26
Half-Marathon	1:50:43	8:26
25km	2:12:13	8:30
Mile 16*	2:17:30	8:35
Mile 17	2:24:49	8:31
Mile 18	2:33:16	8:30
30km	2:38:36	8:30
Mile 19	2:41:37	8:30
Mile 20	2:50:19	8:30
Mile 21	2:58:57	8:31
35km	3:05:39	8:32
Mile 22	3:07:39	8:31
Mile 23	3:16:26	8:32
Mile 24	3:25:36	8:34
40km	3:33:00	8:34
Mile 25	3:34:14	8:34
Mile 26	3:42:30	8:33
Finish	3:44:14	8:33

*chip mat for "mile 16" was over a minute after the actual mile 16 marker-my mile 16 split according to my watch was 2:16:19, 8:31 pace-didn't think I slowed that much!!

make no mistake, it was tough, i sure had to fight for it in the last few miles. and i don't know what the hell happened with my first 5k split :)

on the other hand...today just reminded me what great friends i have, and what great mental toughness I have. and that, my friends-is what got me to the finish line when I did :)

more to come-it's celebration time!!

this town is my town-after the race and beyond

So after 3 hours, 58 minutes and 26 seconds, I could finally stop running. And my quads were not too happy about that!! Surprisingly, though I did feel some leg fatigue in the final 10K, nothing really hurt overly bad. But man, after I crossed the finish line and started walking, my quads rebelled-to the point where a volunteer asked if I needed help. I thanked him, but I was fine and could walk on my own.

The finish chute was mad crowded...got my medal, got my finisher photo, got my mylar blanket...saw Moz had just finish and we congratulated each other and walked and chatted for a few minutes, until we parted ways at the chip removal-I kept walking because I wanted to keep my chip (I said that I when I run my first marathon, I will keep that chip as my permanent running chip.) Then came the trek through Central Park to my baggage truck. Never before have I cursed having a last name in the middle of the alphabet :-p I finally found my truck, got my bag, and kept walking. After passing another couple trucks, I heard a voice shout out "Hey Flygirl!" It was Chelly-she was volunteering, helping with the post-race baggage. We chatted for a coupla minutes-she's hoping to run the marathon next year!! Good luck to you!!

I finally exited the park, and as I made my way up CPW, I saw a very familiar-looking guy in a Flyer singlet..."Skylight!!" I shouted. (well I actually shouted his name. But I ain't posting it here :-p) "I did it!! I broke 4!!" he congratulated me and walked with me the few blocks I had to go to meet up with my family. He also gave me the great news that Sister Smile had BQed! We parted ways when I saw my family (one advantage to living on the UWS-not having to deal with the family reunion area!)-and wouldn't you know it, Phil walks by and yells congrats. (I can't ever escape you bloggers!! LOL...) I posed for pictures with my medal and stylin' mylar blanket before we headed back to my place so I could shower and change. And oh boy...walking down the stairs to my apartment was not pretty. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. I cleaned up because la familia needed to grab a bite to eat (and oh yeah, I guess I did too.) Headed to City Grill where I got what I was really craving-burger and fries. And the first of what would be quite a few glasses of wine that evening.

I did originally want my family to come with me to the Flyers' post-marathon party, but they were tired from the long day, so they went home and I headed east, wearing my medal and Running Divas shirt :) The party was definitely underway by the time I got there!! And I was flooded with congratulations all evening-definitely felt as much as a rockstar then as I did during the race :) And I don't know what they were more surprised at-the fact that this was my first or that I broke 4 on the first attempt!! (HC has always said to me that it is very hard to break 4 on a first marathon attempt.) The bloggers were represented by me, Skylight, Sara, and BrunetteChicagoGal. Downed 4 glasses of pinot grigio in the time I was there and chatted and mingled and just had a great time. Everyone I had spoken to seemed very happy with their races...the success stories include-but are not limited to-the following:

DL not only breaking 3-but beating Lance!! YEAH!!! (and making it on TV while passing Lance at the end!)
Plenty of other first time sub-4's, with major PR's on top of it.
MF battling a knee injury-but still ran a 3:29 and bettered her time from last year.
One of our female distance superstars running 3:17-the best Flyer female marathon performance this year...
Not only did Sister Smile BQ...but another one of our guys who had a breakthrough year BQ'ed with a 3:19.
Sara blew away her 4:30 goal...
Runner26 made it to mile 18 and then some-she was able to complete the marathon comfortably.
And a non-Flyer friend of mine who when running NYC the last 3 years, battled cramps and the Queensboro Bridge. Well I was happy to see that not only did he have a major course PR this year, but a marathon distance PR too!!

Monday...I had no problem sleeping in. The calls and congratulatory emails were still coming in. Both my mom and Coach J said that I "outperformed Lance." I picked up the special marathon edition of the Times yesterday, and got my medal engraved today!! With the first marathon, you want to remember it all...

It really sunk in after hearing all the kudos...I really kicked ass on this marathon. Somehow it just all came together. You hear that it comes together after 2 or 3...but the first time?? Led me to wonder-what exactly did I do right? I thought about it and came up with this...

• The weather-but that was a no-brainer. (And out of my control too!)
• Nutrition and hydration were right on. Besides having 2 PB/salt bagels before the race-I gelled once before the race, and at miles 6/11/16/21-and I never felt depleted. Everything was fine when it came to getting water/Gatorade (of course the conditions may have helped with that.)
• My brother said that I probably "did everything I was supposed to, read everything I could on the subject"...yep, I did do my research. Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to certain parts of the course.
• There were a few fast miles in Brooklyn-but I recognized it early enough to pull it back, instead of thinking "oh, it'd be so cool if I can keep this pace." Yeah, maybe I could have held it for the first half, but would have died in the second.
• HC told me this once: "slow is smooth, smooth is fast." As much as it meant swallowing my pride a bit, I think slowing training runs down really helped me handle the mileage without feeling banged up. And it also left me fresher for marathon day.
• Certain runs like my 2 back-to-back medium-long run weekends, or fast finish long runs like the Palisades and the 18-mile Tune-up really helped teach my legs to hang in there when tired (Coach J, you were right about those 2 weekends!)
• I made it a rule of thumb-no speedwork right after a hard half and/or long run, and didn't do any during the month of October. Too close.
• Most importantly-I set realistic goals. Though I had people telling me BQ...or 3:50...I knew what I was capable of-I predicted 3:55-4, and wound up pretty much in the middle of there :)

So the big question-how can I repeat this again? And when? Well the latter question to be answered in another post... :)

this town is my town-the race

And so it began...

Staten Island
Mile 1-9:40
Mile 2-8:14

What an experience, running that bridge-so much excitement, the planes and everything flying overhead...the start was surprisingly, and thankfully clean-I was actually able to start actually running right away, but conservatively, keeping the bridge in mind. TB and I stuck together at the beginning...but she pulled ahead partially through mile 1 and I let her go. I saw a mile 1 marker when my watch said 8:15 and freaked out for a second...but then realized it was for the blue start, and that I still had a little ways to go :) And I didn't freak out on my actual mile 1 split either...I totally expected that with the incline, and knew I'd make it up on the downhill. And by then, it was pretty much ideal temperature, so I tossed my arm warmers to the side. So I exited the bridge, pretty much right on pace!! One borough down, 4 to go!! And now the fun would really begin...

Brooklyn
Mile 3-8:53
Mile 4-8:37
Mile 5-8:42
Mile 6-8:52
Mile 7-8:54
Mile 8-9:16
Mile 9-9:08
Mile 10-8:58
Mile 11-9:27
Mile 12-9:09

Now, I know I have said in the past that Brooklyn will "never be my borough," but that was not the case today. Brooklyn was a huge, huge party. I loved miles 3-7, running up 4th Avenue through Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and Carroll Gardens...as I guess my splits showed :) Uptown Girl warned me about this-"Brooklyn will make you want to go out fast!" Oh well :) I spotted JGo from the Reservoir Dogs running near me around mile 4 and we chatted for a coupla minutes and wished each other luck for the rest of the race. Around mile 6, I saw NS from the Flyers cheering and holding a "Go Flyers" sign and offering me banana pieces (I declined, as I am probably the only runner who can't stand bananas.) And the best sign ever was near the 10K point-"SLOW DOWN, THIS ISN'T A 10K!!!" Miles 7 and 8 were even cooler, it seems like the crowds and cheering just intensified there. To my left, I heard the Spanish version of "The Cup of Life" by Ricky Martin (best version of that song, IMHO!) To my right I heard "Eye of the Tiger." Who the hell needed an iPod today? Not I!! And even though I know some NYC marathoners have said that the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower by mile 8 is visible for miles, teasing you...I briefly noticed, but did not dwell on it, or how much further I had to go to reach it...sorta living in the moment here :)

The course merged just before the mile 8 marker on Lafayette Avenue-the nicely open road I had been running on for 5 miles seemed to bottleneck for mile 9. Actually a blessing in disguise, as I knew I really needed to pull it back. Mile 10 was through the Hasidic part of Williamsburg, and though a little more low-key than the 4th Avenue fiesta, still some support there. Miles 11 and 12 in Greenpoint seemed to have some familiarity...because that was part of the route we ran in the Hunter Moonlight Run back in October! It looked much different in the light :) (XMas decorations were already up and it looked so festive...like I was running through a big block party.) I was hoping to see Jon amongst the cheering crowds in this area but missed him. Before I knew it...I was approaching the next big climb of the course, and I had conquered 2 boroughs!!

Queens
Mile 13-9:13
Mile 14-9:22
Mile 15-9:20
Mile 16-9:20

Over the Pulaski Bridge and into Queens. That bridge was another stop on the Hunter Moonlight Run, so I was completely prepared. Hit the half-marathon point on the bridge at 1:58:02-perfect, exactly 9 minute pace! If I could keep this up through the second half that would be great. Down off the bridge and running strong...and then it happened.

I was rounding a corner during mile 14-and some idiot who I guess thought I was moving too slowly knocked me down and didn't look back. With the help of a couple other runners, I was able to get up, but my knee didn't seem to like that fall too much. At this point, I thought my race was over...but I really took it easy for the remainder of that mile to kind of work out the kinks. I had regained my composure by....you guessed it...the Queensboro Bridge. (Though before we arrived at the bridge, I saw Silvercup Studios-where Sex and the City, in addition to other shows, is filmed. Cool.)

You hear so many horror stories about the bridge. So many people who run NYC dread it. For some strange reason, I was actually looking forward to it. I had run the bridge several times in training, so I knew what to expect. And that paid off-not only did I feel strong and steady while climbing the uphill portion of the bridge, but I was passing quite a few people (I do also think part of it was the excitement of knowing what was waiting for me on the other side!!) On the uphill part, a bunch of people were shouting "What goes up...must come down!!!" I cheered when the bridge crested and the downhill started "all downhill from here!!" Oh-and there was one part of the bridge where there was construction and was absolutely pitch-black-man, I was really, really watching my footing again, afraid of another wipeout!! Finally, we left the darkness of the bridge behind and were welcomed by screaming spectators on the exit ramp...just a taste of what was to come for the next 3 1/2 miles.

Manhattan-1st Avenue
Mile 17-8:58
Mile 18-8:56
Mile 19-9:01

This was the part of the race I was so looking forward to...not just because it was in my borough, not just because the fans were 4 to 5 deep here...but I had my own personal cheering sections to look forward to. (Best sign I saw in this stretch BTW-"Your feet hurt because you're kicking so much ass!!") First was a "Go Flyers" sign above Banshee Bar on 74th St (and I did hear some of that same cheer as well!!) But what I was looking forward to was just past mile 18...the PowerGel station, and in turn, my teammates!!! I was soooo happy to see them...their cheers gave me more energy than the Plain Energy PowerGel that I got from them did (yay, they had my flavor!)

But I had 2 more things to look forward to before I crossed into the next borough...approaching 104th St, I saw a familiar faded Yankee cap that belonged to my brother. My parents, brother and cousin were there cheering and holding signs for me-my brother even ran a few yards to high-five me!! I was looking forward to seeing them again later on 5th Avenue. A half mile later was the Reservoir Dogs' cheering section!! Uptown Girl and her teammates cheered like crazy for me...what just the ticket I needed to finish out that mile!!! (especially since pretty much north of 100th St, the crowds really thin out compared to the insanity of the 60s, 70s and 80s.) And to the Bronx I go...

Bronx
Mile 20-9:23
Mile 21-9:23

Crossed over the Willis Avenue bridge (made a little more tolerable by a red carpet-cool, we were like royalty :-p) and into the Bronx. I saw PD with the rest of his bagpipe crew on the bridge-his back was turned so I had to yell and wave to get his attention. The Bronx was short but sweet-kinda like a big boom box party :) And crossing back over to Manhattan on the Madison Avenue Bridge, I was able to get a glimpse of Yankee Stadium...yay!!!!

Past mile 20 was uncharted territory for me, as I did nothing more than 20 miles in training. Though I had slowed down a little bit from the first half, was still feeling fine and showing no signs of bonking. I did not have to do any walking just yet (though at some of the water/Gatorade stops, I had to slow dramatically due to some major bottlenecking-but I was able to drink on the run.) I did some quick math and noted that I needed 58 and change for the last 10K in order to make it under 4. I told myself I'd be OK if the clock time was over 4. I wanted to finish strong first, and if I could do that with the chip time under 4...even better. With some fuzzy math, I estimated I'd need to average 9:20s for the remainder...so my plan was to try and do that, then once I hit Central Park, leave it all out on the course.

Manhattan-5th Avenue to the finish line
Mile 22-9:19
Mile 23-9:15
Mile 24-9:27
Mile 25-8:58
Mile 26-8:49
Last 0.2-1:52 (8:32 pace)

Back in my home borough, to finish what I had started. I had no doubt in my mind at that point I was going to finish. It was now just a matter if it would be under 4 hours, and it was going to be very close at this point!! I heard "Eye of the Tiger" again during mile 22...and you know, I honestly welcomed hearing it again :) Was looking for another teammate of mile who was cheering near Marcus Garvey Park at mile 22...dang it, missed him!! But saw our men's masters captain cheering near 110th and 5th...around the time where the last killer incline would start!! And my family cheering contingent made one more appearance at 104th St...my dad got a picture and my mom shouted that I'm almost done, I've got it...normally, you just want to tell people who say that to shut up, but I believed her :) The remaining half-mile or so uphill on 5th Ave...although my mile split shows the perceived effort, it didn't feel so hard-the crowds are fabulous here. Finally I got to 90th Street and entered the Park at Engineers Gate, and was welcomed to cheers from the Flyers' secretary, who was cheering with CPTC's "Wall of Orange." (and yes, they actually cheered for me. Well, I know one of them did.) Now I was really home. I knew once I got here, I was golden :)

At this point, I knew every single hill in this park, I knew what to expect when...the crowds were screaming my name (so glad I had my name on my shirt!!) and knowing I didn't have much further to go...I picked up the pace and as I mentioned before-left everything I had out on the course. Cat Hill downhill was sooo welcomed at that point...and I was so happy to see my mile 25 split, I knew I had sub-4 in the bag. But wait a minute...right around the mile 25 marker, I passed Morrissey...that wasn't supposed to happen!! I hoped he was OK.

We exited the park and headed out onto Central Park South...another uphill but I didn't notice it. I didn't notice the avenue signs so i didn't even know how many more I had to cross. I just noticed the crowds. The TimeWarner Center, the fountain at Columbus Circle, was getting closer and closer...and another kick-ass split for this mile...I was still able to move my legs this fast, at mile 26...this was unbelievable!!! Not only did I NOT hit the wall, I knocked it down!!

Columbus Circle had the big video screen, and the last thing I remembered there was a band beginning to play "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benetar...I thought that was a very appropriate song to hear at the time. Set me up for that last .2 miles to Tavern on the Green...and yes, another uphill that I didn't even notice. Either all my practice running that hill paid off...or once again, the crowds carried me...or I was just too focused on that finish chute up ahead. I got closer and closer and saw the clock still said 3:59:xx...OMG, I couldn't believe it. 400 yards to go...300...200...100....I put my arms up in the air just as I did when I finished my first half-marathon...but this one was so much bigger. In less than 4 hours after I started this journey on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge...I crossed that famous NYC Marathon finish line at Tavern on the Green.

Clock time-3:59:37
Net time-3:58:26 (half splits 1:58:02/2:00:24)


Placing:
11576/37840 overall
2082/12312 females
781/4362 females 30-39


After the finish line and beyond to follow in the next installment!!

this town is my town-before the race

Sunday, November 5th, 2006. 3:30 am.

Normally, I would complain about being awake at this ungodly hour on a Sunday, but this wasn't just "any given Sunday." This was Marathon Sunday. Between the sounds of Shakira coming from my clock radio and my excitement about what lied ahead for me that day, I was wide awake, and happily so. Yeah, that was kind of early considering I wouldn't have to leave my apartment til 5:15, but I had things to do...have a cup of coffee, have a pre-race bagel (salt bagel with White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter-best thing before a long run/race!) and make another one to have a coupla hours later, pack my UPS bag, get dressed, apply BodyGlide, listen to some music, etc...and not feel rushed. Finally, 5:15 came-MF picked me up in a cab and we headed over to the east side to catch the Flyers' bus to Staten Island. And MF told me that she apparently hailed the last possible cab before the cab drivers' shift change. We both took this as a good sign for the day!!

Took us no time to get over to 86th and Lex where the buses were loading. MF and I got onto the first bus, as did Runner26. We all chatted on the way to Staten Island, and the ride was thankfully smooth and traffic-free (apparently the past few years, buses have been caught in traffic and did make it to SI-but with not enough time to spare.) We arrived at Fort Wadsworth mad early-I think like 6:30-6:45? But honestly, I'd rather have time to kill instead of being on the bus and stressing. So it was all good. First order of business-use a porto-potty while the lines were short!! Then me, MF and Runner26 found a spot in the orange "village" to hang out. We chatted, ate, hydrated, MF pondered putting her name on her singlet, just observed the goings on...was a nice bonding experience. After another bathroom break, another friend/teammate, TB, found us and hung out. But it was chilly-the rest of me was OK, but my feet had gone numb. I was saying "I have cold feet-literally!" (They did warm up once we were off the grass and lined up in the corrals.)

Honestly, the time seemed to pass by so fast...before we knew it, was getting close to 9 am, and time to check our UPS bags, put the final touches on our running outfits and line up. I made one last minute decision-I had terrain-specific pace bands for 3:55 and 4, courtesy of the Nike booth at the expo...at first I was thisclose to putting the 3:55 one on...but decided I really want to go with my own pacing and not be a slave to what a bracelet says-so I threw those back in my bag before checking it. We left MF, who had a spot in the local competitive women's start and headed towards our corrals-where we wished each other luck and went our separate ways-Runner26 to her corral, TB and I to ours in the F3000s. And lucky for us we got there early-Sister Smile already mentioned this, but there were way too many people who should have not have been there-meaning men-and no one was really policing it. There was actually a group of people sitting down in a circle right smack dab in the middle of the corral-like they were friggin protesters or something. Whatever. I decided to finally shed my throwaway shirt and pants and take my pre-race gel (I try to take one 30-45 minutes before a long race) and soon enough, we were moving towards the bridge. Since while lined up in the corral, we were standing near the 3:50 pace group, TB and I tried to stay as close to that as possible so we didn't "lose our position." We made it to the bridge still in a great starting position-TB predicted we'd be across in 30 seconds.

Was still a little chilly at the start but not too bad-by then, I was just in my singlet, shorts, makeshift arm warmers and just ditched my throwaway gloves. I saw Derek trying to line up in our section and called out to him but he did not hear me. As always, wants to get with the ladies :-p 10:10 was getting closer and closer...we heard the elite male introductions, the national anthem...then Mary Wittenberg's voice announcing...

"New York City awaits you!! The world awaits you!!"

This was it. Before we knew it, the cannon sounded, and "New York, New York" started playing. The start I have seen many times on TV, now finally living it. After a minute and 11 seconds, I had crossed the starting line, and was on my way to take on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, to take on 26.2 miles, to take on the 5 boroughs.

The actual race portion to follow in the next installment of "this town is my town"...

sub-4, baby!!!

quickie post since I need to head out to the Flyers' post-marathon party...but I leave you with this...

5K-27:40 (8:55 pace)
10K-54:52 (8:50 pace)
15K-1:23:08 (8:56 pace)
20K-1:51:51 (9:00 pace)
Half marathon-1:58:02 (9:00 pace)
25K-2:20:54 (9:04 pace)
30K-2:48:50 (9:03 pace)
35K-3:17:38 (9:05 pace)
40K-3:46:28 (9:07 pace)

Finish-3:58:26 (9:06 pace)

ok, not the smartest run race in the world :) , but a 2 minute positive split really isn't so bad considering the second half is tougher and i took a fall in mile 14...but had a very strong last couple of miles.

full report to hopefully come before I have to go back to work on Wednesday!! And congrats to everyone else who ran today!! And many thanks to the spectators and volunteers :)