And it happened over a month ago. Running the NYC Marathon was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I can't thank everyone who donated and supported me throughout my training and during the race enough. It was incredible and I can't wait to do it again someday. I am happy to report that Team in Training raised $1.7 million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society from the the NYC Marathon alone.
I've been meaning to post a recap of the race for a while, and now that 2011 is coming to an end in a matter of weeks, I'm reflecting on all the firsts from this year. Running a marathon is one of the first things that comes to mind.
Here is my not-so-short race recap...Enjoy!
To recap the race...our bus was so late taking us to Staten Island that we got out and walked to the start, only to find out that our bus was almost at the start anyway. Our bus driver didn't have a clue (we reported to the bus at 5:45AM in Manhattan and didn't get to the start until 8:30AM). Traffic was so bad that he left the wheel and went in the back of the bus to use the bathroom. We were all a little nervous about that! When we got to the athletes' village, this security guard had us show our numbers and said "just your numbers ladies, I'm not a pervert." The rest of the morning we (me and my TNT friends Erica, Paula and Deanne) kept adding "I'm not a pervert" to anything we said.
The athletes village was crazy. 47,000 eating, putting body glide/vaseline on private areas in public, porta potties galore, and runners leaving their clothes, tents and sleeping bags everywhere. A NY firefighter sang "America the Beautiful" as we waited in our corral and after the gun went off they blasted Frank Sinatra's "New York New York" kicking lines ensued...Runners started screaming and cheering as we made it to the half-way mark of the Verrazano Bridge (and 1st mile mark of the race).
Brooklyn was a lot of fun - it was just long. It was 13 miles and the start of the race was hard for me since I was sick all day Saturday (the day before). It seemed impossible that I could finish the race from how I was feeling at the start, but I fed off of the crowd energy, focused on why I was running the race, and took it all in. One of my favorite moments in Brooklyn was when we passed a gospel church and the choir was belting out tunes. Amazing. I missed seeing Daniel, Tony, and Ryan in Brooklyn, but thankfully saw them later in the race.
As I crossed the bridge into Queens, I saw my friend Megan McKenna (she was my running buddy for my week-day runs). I was expecting to see her in Manhattan, so it was a surprise. I didn't see her, she spotted me, called my name and I saw her. It gave me an immediate boost in energy. Queens was a lot of fun - great crowds and energy. As we got to the base of the bridge in Manhattan, there were lots of porta-potties so I stopped since the lines weren't long. Paula stayed with me, and Erica and Deanne left us. I went to the bathroom and was all set to face Manhattan. I saw Daniel at 66th street and gave him a big sweaty kiss as I ran by. Saw my family at 90th. My brother came in to watch the race - he flew in on Saturday and surprised me. I started crying when he came through the door at my house. My sister was there too (but that wasn't a surprise). I saw my friends Ray, Tricia, and Paige (they are from TNT and train with me in CT) around 110th and that gave me a great boost to finish out 1st Avenue. People were also spilling out of bars and cheering and screaming our names (I had "Emac" written on my shirt).
The Willis Bridge into the Bronx was tough, but a group of old men playing bagpipes helped me through that one. Paula was hurting and walking frequently. I kept trying to encourage her "You can do this!! You own this race!! Trust in our training!!" I'm sure she hated me, but I didn't want us to walk so much. If we kept our pace up and broke the 5 hour mark at the finish, our names would have been in the NY Times, so I kept using that as incentive. She kept telling me to go ahead and run, but I wanted to stay with her. She waited for me at the bathroom, so I could help her the rest of the way. Lots of people started walking at the Willis since it was the 20-mile mark (the infamous wall). I didn't experience hitting "the wall," but perhaps it was because we were taking walking breaks starting at mile 16.
As we entered the Bronx there was a band playing the Rocky theme and that gave me an immediate boost of energy. The Bronx was lively and short (only a mile). As we went back into Manhattan, a TNT coach checked in with us and ran with us for a bit. I was getting tired, but it helped that Paula and I ran the last 10 miles of the race at a Saturday training run. I knew exactly what to expect. It also helped to know that my family was waiting for me at 111th and 5th. I saw them and gave them hug before tackling the 5th Avenue hill. To any person walking down 5th Avenue, you wouldn't notice an incline, but after 23 miles, it looks like a mountain. I saw Ray, Tricia, and Paige again. I saw Daniel another time (he was cruising around the race on his bike). The best surprise about half way through mile 23 were Ryan and Tony. I was so happy to see them. I gave both of them very sweaty hugs and Tony ran with me for a little bit. Shortly after I saw Tony, I finished up 5th Avenue and went in to Central Park. The park is really hilly, but at that point, I was running on pure adrenalin. My body felt like a machine and in looking at my splits it makes sense that I sped up. I felt like I was on autopilot.
The entire park was lined with people and as I went by Columbus Circle and finished up my 26th mile, Jay Z & Alicia Key's "Empire State of Mind" was blasting. The .2 of the race is a hill, which is kind of heartbreaking since you are past 26 miles, but the finish line is in view. I focused on the finish and kept pushing despite the incline. I raised my hands up as I crossed and started sobbing immediately when I finished. It was a life-changing moment. I've never felt such relief and pride.
We got our medals almost immediately. It took 45 minutes to exit the park from the finish line. We had to reclaim our belongings at baggage check. I'm sure we all looked like zombies shuffling through the path with our foil blankets. Several people were passing out from exhaustion and other ailments I'm sure. Medics were attending to those who needed help - that part was kinda scary. I made it out of the park and took the subway to meet my family and Daniel for dinner.
So many people on the street stopped me to say congratulations going to and leaving dinner - it was ridiculous. NYC has never felt so friendly. All in all, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I still can't believe I did it. Now I've got my sights on breaking that 5 hour mark so I can make the NY Times next year :)
