While I am not one to typically create new year resolutions (tried, they fail), when 2009 came around I created a goals for myself as a 40th “birthday” present…get a PR (personal record) in a triathlon (check), run a half-marathon (check) and complete the NYC Marathon (on its 40th birthday too). On Sunday, November 1st the last item on my list was checked. Completed done. I ran an actual marathon and not just any marathon, the NYC Marathon. And while I did it a tad slower than initially sought, nonetheless, I completed it. It was harder than anything I have done before, but glad I did it and run “for” two affiliations – Asphalt Green Tri Club (AGTC) and The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF).
This tale does require a tad more of a lead into it than my other recaps, so read on if you’re into the details or stop now if you got what you needed from the first paragraph.
Marathon Prep: a mental and physical game plan
Throughout my training, several marathon veterans – especially Coach Neil Cook who trained me for the race -- offered me essential advice on everything from controlling my pace, when to do long runs, nutrition, etc. My friend Rob told me that preparing for a marathon (he’s a veteran of a few) was part mental and part physical. Boy was he right. Rob summed it up this way for me, “you have run over 1,000 training miles to run 26.2…you can do this.” Having done the training (thanks to Coach Neil and running partners Vic, Regina, Liz and others, who kept me sane during 20-mile runs), the week before the Marathon was tough combining nutrition planning (thanks Michele and Mary Ellen for answering inane questions) to ensure my body was properly fueled for race day and mental readiness – relaxing, visualizing crossing the line at Tavern on the Green – and resting on Saturday just chilling and watching mindless TV (thanks Alexander for the tip). Special recognition goes to the Korff Enterprises gang – Hunter, Brittany, Victoria and Linsey for the corbo-loading lunches and getting my family into Columbus Circle (more on that later) and of course John Korff for his Marathon Tips of the Day for cracking me up when I could have been freaking out.
I didn’t expect to be as crazy at work as I was the week before the race, but sometimes you cannot control everything (Type “A” anyone?). With three programs to plan for and a visit from our new head of the U.S., there was no choice to focus on something other than running. Thursday I made it to the Javitz to register (no turning back now) and to pick up credentials for the NYPD Running Team (which, thanks to Rob, got us access to a special bus which left midtown at 7am and dropped us off in a special waiting area on Staten Island). There I saw my friend Sarah Reinertsen at the Rock & Roll Marathon booth who was singing copies of her book (In a Single Bound – read it if you haven’t yet), and Stacey Skole – another marathon vet – both of whom gave me some more tips about the weather (it was a 50/50 chance of rain at that point), where to keep gels, et al. That night I met AGTC teammates and friends Reveka and Richard for another practice run down 5th Ave to the finish line and head home.
Friday was another crazy day at work. Mid morning Ken Podziba, a friend and the NYC Sports Commissioner, who helped to secure my entry for the race arranged for a special luggage pick-up back at Javitz – so back I head after work – but this time my friend Sari offered to go with me and then have a light dinner with Sarah. 9pm back home and crash. T-minus one…Saturday. The day was a basic wash…big breakfast as Michele suggested, TV watching (Alexander’s tip) and hydrating before heading off to a 4:30pm dinner with fellow Reach the Beach Teammates Liz and Brad. Home by 7:30pm, no Yankee game on because of a rain delay (we all knows how that one turns out), last check on gear for next day, breakfast laid out, ½ an ambien down and off to bed.
Race Day
Marathon Day…dah dah…arrives with a 5:15am alarm. I get up (fully rested from the ambien and day-light savings extra hour), have coffee, shower, get dressed and head off to meet Regina and her roommate Kristen before heading out to the bus pick-u area (see above). We meet up with the Reach the Beach gang who are also running – Liz, Steve, Brad, and Maryellen, board the bus and we’re off to Staten Island.
The NYC Marathon is massive with close to 42,000 people who start the race (I think about 41,000 people actually finish). Now imagine all of those people milling about, tossing gels, clothing and water bottles all over the place and they prepare for their race. Now imagine trying to find your spot in a corral system comprised of three start times (I was lucky with a 9:40am start), three colors (I was green) and seven waves per start time (I was in “E”). Regina, Maryellen and I were all in Green “E” but still had a hard time finding where we entered the start. After a lot of pushing, yelling “start wave 1” we made it into the lower level of the Verrazano Bridge in time to shed my sweat pants and line-up. All of the sudden, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” – a marathon tradition – starts to play signaling the start of the Marathon. I am actually about the begin the NYC Marathon – what did I get myself into? Well, I made it to the start line, now all I need to do it make it to the finish line in one piece.
I had three goals for the race. Finish, with a smile, and in about 4-hours. As long as I got the first two, the last one was a bonus. Neil suggested that I think of the marathon as three runs -- two 10-mile runs and a 10k (6.2 miles). To make it to the finish line in relatively little pain (I knew and was told there would be pain) he suggested I run the first ten miles at a conservatively pace, gradually increase speed during the second and run with whatever I had left (or “reckless abandon”) during the last 6.2. He also said to listen to my body and take a GU (the gel of my choice), salt tablets when I felt it was right and to drink early and often so that I had no hydration issues later on in the race.
The first two miles – over the Bridge (goodbye Staten Island, hello Brooklyn) were tame – in truth you really have no choice as it’s crowded and people are talking to shed the nervous energy (opposite to the start of a triathlon where no one really speaks – guess speaking and swimming are hard to do at the same time). Regina and I (Maryellen took off) run into Reveka (she is easy to spot in her Team in Training shirt/hat) and the three of us get onto a rhythm. The first 5k was a steady 9:20-9:25 pace as I let others pass me and continue to drink at every aid station. Around the 10k mark I comment to Regina “6 down, 20 to go” and encourage her to take off and run her own race (Reveka is on her own doing the “Gallo method” combining a run/walk pace).
I heard there is nothing like the NYC Marathon from a runner’s perspective. I gotta say the reality does indeed live up to the myth. With the amazing field of spectators smiling, cheering, offering oranges, bananas, water and ringing cow-bells, the first ten miles went by pretty quick – I kept looking at my Garmin to make sure I wasn’t going too fast – and counting down the distance to go (“6 down, 20.2 miles to go…”). As we ran down 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, I kept seeing hints of the Manhattan skyline. I honestly can say I do not remember every mile was like, nor do I have any idea what neighborhood we passed through. I do remember a few key things: a fellow marathoner going to the side and asking a cop how she can get out as she’s done, churches playing music, crowds cheering us on yelling “come on Justin” (I had my name on my shirt – a good thing at times) and enjoying the experience of seeing the diversity of this City. There are also some really cool bands along the course and for runners like me who don’t race with an ipod, the music from the street, coupled with paying attention to my cadence (the times I turn over my stride) and breathing keeps me focused on running.
The reality of the distance set in around Mile 12 as we were still in Brooklyn (it is one big borough) and still not at the half-way point. Approaching the 2-hour mark, I finally hit the Polanski Bridge taking us from Brooklyn and into Queens and past the half-marathon (13.1 miles) point. Off the Bridge and into Long Island City (I think) where my friend Kara said she was going to be. As I look for her in the crowd – actually any friendly face would do at this point -- I stat to increase my speed a bit. I see more of Manhattan in the distance as well as the 59th Street which means we’re close to Mile 16. Goodbye Queens….Hello Manhattan.
The 59th Street Bridge was perhaps one of the loneliest and creepiest places along the entire route. Imagine going from cheering crowds to the sound of silence in a blink of an eye (maybe this is what Simon and Garfunkel were talking about). Imagine hundreds of runners no speaking a word and the only sound you hear is breathing, stomping feet, cars above you and an occasional subway train on your right up a short, but steady climb. The Bridge plateaus over Roosevelt Island and we start our downward slope into the craziness that is First Avenue.
Being a newbie at the NYC Marathon, I asked my parents and Ruth to be on 60th Street and First Avenue to give me a much needed push (truth is the thought of seeing my family got me through the mental hardship of the Bridge). Boy that was a stupid idea as I kept scanning and scanning the crowd, but couldn’t see them anywhere….damn (it turns out that I actually stared right at them, but completely missed them in the crowd). I don’t know how runner could have found anyone they knew unless they were wearing bright neon green!
First Avenue from 59th – 98th Street is wall-to-wall spectators. It is an amazing sight and really hard not to get caught up in the moment and run faster to give the crowd what they want…speed. It takes a lot of energy to keep a steady pace (after all, the first step into Manhattan is only about Mile 16…which meant we had 10 more miles to go). The good thing about being in Manhattan is that you can count blocks; 20 blocks = one mile = one mile closer to the finish line. So as I count the blocks, I take in more liquid, eat GU and continue to look for familiar faces in the crowd. Time check: 3 hours…close to being on target for the third goal. Up First Avenue I go (it’s actually kind of hilly) as I approach the aid station at Mile 18 where Asphalt Green had a large contingency. I knew Rob and Tom were somewhere on the right hand side so I make my way over there and look for friends. I see Randi and Paul, but no one else (turns out they were on the other side of the street). I see Rob and Tom in the distance – he’s hard to miss especially ringing his large cow bell. I stop give them a high-five and complain that this is fking hard as I hand them my sunglasses and gloves (something I didn’t need as it was pleasant, but not sunny out). Off to Harlem I go….19 miles down, 7.2 to go…I am going to finish this thing.
I ran the last 10 miles of the Race a few weeks back so knew the route…over the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx for about a mile and then on home via the Madison Avenue Bridge to Fifth Avenue. The Willis Avenue Bridge has a few grated spots on it which the race organizers cover with some type of non-slip carpeting. While it is a nice change from the hard asphalt we have been on for over three-hours, it is far from comfortable. As we enter the Bronx, another Marathon myth comes into focus – the dreaded wall when you realize the enormity of what you have done, but remember that you’re not home yet. At this point it takes a lot to keep lifting your feet to move forward, but I am not going to let the wall get me… I keep telling myself don’t walk, “focus on the runner ahead of you”, lift your feet, all of the Neil buzz words as I hear the Rocky theme song from the crowd of spectators. Suddenly the Bronx is coming to an end (goodbye) as we trudge over the Madison Avenue Bridge. Friends Kara (another Kara for those paying attention) and Alexandra said they’d be near Kara’s apartment right off the Bridge so as I get to the crest, I make my way over to the right to try and see them waving and cheering me on.
As I make my way around Marcus Garvey Park, the mythical wall hits me like a ton of bricks and suddenly lifting running is painful. My pace is dropping and my time is increasing. I scoot over to the side so I can walk a bit…keep going forward, one step at a time …just don’t stop. Mile 22…a little more than four to go…I can do this. Spectators keep cheering me on, encouraging me to keep running (I wish I could) as I run/walk my way down Fifth Avenue in a battle of mind over matter. The start to run again, eat a half of a GU (I don’t want stomach issues this close to the finish) as I reach the top of Central Park. Fifth Avenue from 110th – 90th Street is a one-mile steady climb – something you do not feel unless you’re running it (or on a bike) until we enter Central Park and head south to the finish line. On our training run the other night, Richard recommended counting down the blocks from 110th – 90th Streets – taking one block at a time. Ahead of me I see nothing but a line of people going up Fifth…I am going to make this even if I have to I run/walk some more.
Suddenly I am at the 90th Street and enter the Park…I am homeward bound…on turf I know and have run hundreds of times. I know every groove, every bump, where I can coast down and when I can speed up. Every stride has some pain, but the finish line is so close I can taste it. Behind the Met Museum, past Cat Hill, past the Boat Basin, up near East 72nd Street…crowds getting louder and louder and the finish line is every so close. At This point I am mostly running with a few seconds of walking as Mile 25 comes into sight…1.2 to go…past the Central Park Zoo, out to near the Plaza Hotel and onto Central Park South.
I am lucky to have friends who have the right jobs; the Korff crew let family (at this point plus my sister) into the band area in Columbus Circle to see me about to finish the Race. I knew this was a prime spot to see people entering the Park as that is where I watched Julie and Chuck Freeman complete their marathon in 2008. 800 and Meters to go as I see the Band and the Stage near Columbus Circle and then I see my mother, sister, Ruth and Linsey at the barricades. Hitting the four hour mark has long past so I decide to a hug from each of them is much more important before heading off to the finish line. They yell at me to move on and to finish as I make my way back into Central Park, and up the last incline to the finish. 400 meters, 200 meters, 100 meters…I raise my hands over my head and cross the finish line.
After crossing the finish line, getting the hardware, I make my way to meet my family. Everyone I pass says congratulations from dog walkers, to police men to spectators. We head back to my apartment where my father was waiting…a much needed ice bath, a hamburger than never tasted so good…a champagne toast…I just need a minute to take it all in…. I did it…I finished the NYC Marathon and 4:14…not sure if that’s a good or bad time, but I’ll take it. It was 26.2 miles of pain, but also seeing my city in a very different way.
Before I leave, you , I just a moment to thank everyone for all of their support and encouragement along the way. Too many people to name, but you all know who you are.
