I finished the ING New York Marathon! In 5:54:xx. SIX hours of running in beautiful NYC in sunny/windy/cold weather.
So how was it, you ask? Extremely tough, more emotionally than physically. My soreness was not comparable to the ING Atlanta, where I couldn't walk the next day.
The pre-race staging is very elaborate and I was at the ferry port at 6:45 a.m. and didn't actually cross the start line till 10:47 a.m. That is a lot of time for anxiety! I met a few Lend a Hand India runners and we rode the ferry together. I spent the staging time with a couple, Jessy (LAHI runner) and Brian, so that definitely helped keep me distracted.
Mile 1: Jessy and Brian break away in about 5 minutes after the start. Lose my running buddies.
Miles 2-8: Ran with the 5 hr pacer who kept me occupied by talking and singing. This part was a breeze.
Mile 9: I had to stop and go to the bathroom, where there was a line, and I lost the pacer. I sprinted for the next mile or so before I realized I probably wouldn't catch up with her. This is where panic hits.
Mile 10: Probably one of the worst miles, because I started panicking and then kept getting cramps and had to walk a lot.
Miles 11-18: Decided to take Scott Cohen's advice (LAHI Run for a Dream coach)and just take it easy and enjoy the race. Slow running but I did love seeing all the crowds and the NYC energy.
Miles 18-20: Mentally tough - I think I psyched myself out of running the rest of the race. Why? Because I never made it this far in training, and going from a long run of 15 miles to 20 is hard enough, adding another 6 more? Crazy!
Miles 20-24: I actually did 50/50 walking and running. At this point it was really painful doing either. My feet felt like I wasn't wearing shoes. I could literally feel the white paint on the lane dividers... literally!
Miles 24-26: Decided to just run the last two miles. At this point, I was pretty much over the whole running thing, and it was just as painful to walk as it was to run. Transitioning from one to the other was worse, so it was easier to just pick running and stick with it.
800 yards from the finish line: FINALLY! The relief you feel when you see this sign counting down the end of the race is phenomenal. No energy left for sprinting though. Both Brandon and Laura were at the finish.
YAY Finish Line!!!
I am also officially done fund-raising for LAHI as well, with a few more donations trickling in. I will have reached my $2,620 goal with some to spare. THANK YOU to everyone who donated and supported the race and this runner!
Reflections on the race: While Laura (my running buddy) had an equally tough race, we came out of it with two different realizations. She said she is done marathoning unless she is able to BQ. (Running is an addiction, we'll see how this goes :-) ) I realized this is a very do-able distance for me if I could actually commit to the training. So no more marathons until I have the time to train so it won't feel like a death march.
Until then... see you at Atlanta's Thanksgiving Half-Marathon (11/25).
p.s. Pictures will be here soon I hope.
