nycm – East Coast Appetite

NYC Marathon 2021 Recap

November 16, 2021November 16, 2021Posted in New York City Marathon 2021, nycm, Race Recaps, RunningTagged 2021 NYC Marathon, distance running, marathon, Marathon Training, NYC Marathon, nycm, race recap, Races, Running4 Comments

This “fun run” jaunt tied my debut marathon (NYCM 2016) as my favorite of the three NYC Marathons I’ve run. The crowds were wild and seemed so thankful to have us out there. The lower number of runners made me feel way less cramped for space (except when the crowds were squeezing into us in Central Park and on Lafayette Ave). I had friends come out and watch AND bring me baked goods and cold brew iced coffee.

The plan was simple: run a 12-13 minute mile pace, don’t get carried away in Brooklyn like the 2018 NYC Marathon, walk the bridges and big hills (many of which are in the back half), stop for selfies, and HAVE FUN.

Pre-race:

Couldn’t sleep and woke up in a cold sweat at 5am. At least Daylight Savings eventually brought up the sun. I realized the my Garmin 245 hadn’t charged overnight, so tried to get that some more juice before heading out. Spoiler alert: could only get it to 68% and it died shortly before the halfway point.

Train station bathroom selfie – amazing throwaway clothes from Ian

I took MetroNorth to Grand Central then took the 7 to the 1. Unfortunately for me, the 1 train (and the R which would have also gotten me to the ferry) was only running every 20 minutes. I was very certain I’d make my wave (Wave 3 out of 5 this year) so I just stayed tight and sat on a bench instead of trying to get an Uber. Used the (real) bathroom at the Staten Island ferry terminal then hopped on the buses.

Start Village:

I made it in with not much time to spare before needing to get into my corral for Wave 3. Came to see who was left at the PPTC meetup spot right as the cannon for Wave 2 went off, so I only had 20 minutes to get in before they closed my corral. Went through my bag very quickly and tossed or packed items into my shorts and handheld bottle as needed; ended up not using my gloves or hand warmers at all and left them for any Wave 5 folks with cold hands. I had suffered a gel explosion in transit and cleaned that up while I could. I donated my throwaway clothes, gave my neighbor/training partner Dani a hug, then hopped into the corral. I was able to use the many portapotties in my corral and still have plenty of time to walk up to the bridge.

Staten Island:

Nice and easy up the Verrazzano! I was in green (lower level) and the views were still great. I stuck to the back of my wave and watched everyone go ahead. The descent on the bridge was much-needed, as were the speckle of people cheering just for our wave before it meets with everyone else (ok but that’s technically Brooklyn so I’m ahead of myself).

Brooklyn:

From Bay Ridge to Greenpoint, Brooklyn is probably my favorite part of the course. I lived in Brooklyn for 5 years and Manhattan for 5 years, but I would say my biggest sense of community still comes from Park Slope/Prospect Heights in part because I joined a local running club during my time there. I thanked everyone who cheered for me and ditched my arm warmers in Sunset Park.

Park Slope and Fort Greene to Bed-Stuy were the absolute best because that’s where a lot of my people and my running club were. It seemed like everyone knew PPTC meant Prospect Park and I was still at the back of Wave 3 (faster Wave 4 people began to overtake me around Mile 8). Being at the back made for a lot more space around me (see below from 3rd street) so my friends and coworkers found it easy to spot me. Mile 7 meant the PPTC cheer spot, croissant dropoff from Michelle, and selfies galore.

Mile 8 was more of the same along Lafayette with live bands, costumes, and surging crowwds. I slowly ate all my croissant and saw a few more friends amongst the raging party crowds. Then there’s a bit of a lull up Bedford until you get to Williamsburg proper. I knew I had friends to see between miles 10-11 in Williamsburg and was looking forward to that.

Brittany and Gabby provided me with another replacement gel to make up for the exploded one and I got a selfie with them and Kimberly.

I loved stopping for selfies and sweaty hugs

Heather and Katie made a sign for me and got a great shot after giving me a Peter Pan donut in Greenpoint as per their tradition.

Queens:

I walked across the Pulaski Bridge and made the tough decision to leave behind half of my red velvet donut. I ran into a friend and got a selfie as we walked. I took the downhill into Long Island City nice and easy and really enjoyed the crowds. My VP from work found me and got a quick hug. I had already told myself that I would be walking up the Queensboro Bridge and it was easy to stick with that plan. There were plenty of other walkers and I was able to pass a few others.

Manhattan Part 1:

The UES scream tunnel coming off the bridge was real this year. I found a few friends (no stopping for selfies though) and I think I made it up 1st Ave to the Willis Bridge before walking again.

Bronx:

My feet hurt pretty bad by this point so I slowed way down. Walked across the Madison Ave Bridge as well.

Manhattan Part 2:

Revitalized by my cold brew from Allison a planned pre-mile 22 stop), I was smart and still walked a mile up the hill on 5th Avenue.

Saw Meagan again at Mile 23.5 right before heading into Central Park and stopped for a selfie.

Then once I entered the park, I felt good again to make it to the finish with a real run. Running down Cat Hill makes all the difference mentally. My second watch died right at Mile 25.2, but the last mile was great and I felt strong again. Wasn’t as amazing a finish as 2017 Richmond Marathon‘s consistent pace and negative split 5 miles, but was happy to get it done.

Hammer dropped just a bit.

Post-Race:

Shuffle out of the park to the meetup spot on the UWS. It felt so good to sit down again. I took in half a can of Coca-Cola then wiped down and changed in a bathroom. Went to Levain and got a cookie with Jimmy and Anya then stumbled down to the Tracksmith popup (I hadn’t reserved a poster because I knew I wouldn’t like my time). After rejecting the pull of retail therapy, I said my goodbyes to friends and walked a little further to Columbus Circle to head home. I decided my post-marathon celebratory meal should be Szechuanese with my fiance and a couple friends, which really hit the spot. Had a glass of rose, showered at home, and passed out at 9pm.

Reflections:

This was my slowest marathon of the 4 but supremely enjoyable. The energy of the crowds was incredible. Honestly I finished 4 minutes faster than my Stryd predicted (only 81 minutes slower than my Garmin) so I was proud of that. My fast final 1.5 miles made me really happy because then I felt like I had left it all on the course.

My PT/acupuncturist took care of my troublesome leg on Wednesday and I’ve done a couple 12-minute mile+ recovery runs since under Zone 3 Heart Rate.

What’s Next:

5K as a rust buster Thanksgiving weekend
consistent Stryd 10K training plan
mid-December 5K race
goal 10K and hopefully PR attempt early January
maybe a late March Half if I can stay consistent and injury-free through the winter
Fall 2022 big PR half or full goal race TBD
all of this on top of continued visits to my acupuncturist/PT and strength training at the gym, plus mobility work

Weeks 17 and 18 of NYC 2021 Marathon Training

November 10, 2021November 9, 2021Posted in New York City Marathon 2021, NYC, nycm, Running, TrainingTagged distance running, marathon, Marathon Training, NYC Marathon, nycm, Running, Training3 Comments

Week 17:

I had a really good second taper week! Finally feeling jazzed for the marathon. The weather is looking good (to the point where I really wish I could fell send this thing at peak fitness) and I think the crowds are going to make it such a good time.

10/25: 3.3 mile easy run outside. It was humid but cool enough and we knew we were about to get a lot of rain, so I’m glad I fit this in early evening.

10/26: Hour-long treadmill intervals for 4.65 miles (my recovery paces are still extra extra slow).

10/27: Easy hour on the treadmill for 4.2 miles (literally my Zone 1/Easy on Stryd is closer to 14 minute miles. Will take a fitness test a couple weeks after the marathon to change that but happy to keep it lighter for now).

10/28: 3.44 mile outside easy run with strides in the middle.

10/29: Rest day

10/30: Last 10 Miles of the marathon course with my Brooklyn-based running club. I brought my Stamford running buddy and she had a great time (and could finally run with the faster pace groups). It poured rain at mile 2 and again at mile 8, but I was able to change clothes right after and grab some Starbucks. Had a busy rest of the day (after my must-have shower and nap) and came home late.

Waiting to get started and lead my pace group

10/31: Rest day – slept in, took a nap, had pastrami Reuben for lunch, watched Dune. My watch gave up on telling me to move more.

Real Coca Cola and Pastrami Reuben at Rye Ridge Deli in Stamford

Total: 25 miles. Same as Week 1 of taper (whoops).

Week 18:

11/1: It’s kind of cool when a new month starts on a Monday, no?

11/2: 2.4 easy miles early AM. Wore 7/8 tights and a long sleeve since it’s getting a bit brisk. Getting a bit chilly but of course you get warm after a mile or two.

11/3: 2.4 easy treadmill miles.

11/4: Work day at the hospital followed by early dinner at USA Brooklyn Delicatessen (I love pastrami). I should have brought more casual shoes but wanted to look cute, which was dumb because my slightly heeled ankle boots caused the front of my ankles to be sore for 3 days after.

Ali on the Run live show with friends. I got to see Emma Coburn and Dani Jones from New Balance and also chatted after with Selena Samuela from Peloton about our dogs.

11/5: Expo day! Met a friend by the marathon finish line, then got dim sum in Chinatown before heading to midtown to get my bib.

Popped into the air relax boots, stopped by Lululemon, then had pizza dinner with a friend visiting from Chicago at Emily.

Train home had major delays due to police activity which put a damper on my mood but at least I got to rest my legs after 7 miles (and 6 in ankle boots Thursday).

11/6: Rest day – meant to do a little shakeout run but my ankles were still sore from Thursday so I kept it cute on the couch.

11/7: Race day! Will do a little recap after. My slowest marathon by far but definitely my most fun. I stopped for selfies and snacks and finished in 5:19:09.

Total: 31 miles, including the NYC Marathon.

Weeks 11 and 12 of NYC Marathon 2021 Training

October 4, 2021October 15, 2021Posted in Food, New York City Marathon 2021, NYC, nycm, Running, TrainingTagged distance running, marathon, Marathon Training, NYC Marathon, nycm, Running, Training2 Comments

I’m finally caught up – with blog posts, not with my training miles. But my long runs are finally where they should be, albeit a few weeks behind. It wasn’t smart to train like this (and have no real cutback weeks) but I did it out of mental and physical necessity. I’m honestly dreaming about a 5K, 10K, or in between PR attempt next year (this November/December is getting tight with race availability coinciding with any potential fitness gains). But for NYCM? Let’s just finish. Ideally before the sun goes down.

9/13-9/19:

9/13: 3 easy miles on the treadmill and lifting at the gym.

9/14: 4 miles running

9/15: 5.4 miles running including some speed pushes.

9/16: Weight lifting and 3 miles

9/17: Rest day. Sichuanese for dinner.

9/18: 14 mile long run with a neighbor/friend who is also training for NYCM. Turns out I need an accountability buddy all along. It was pretty humid so we tackled the hills first, then kept to a flat final 6 miles down by the water with walk breaks sprinkled into the last 3 miles. I used my Salomon Advanced Skin 8 hydration vest and loved it – drank ALL the water and Skratch by the end.

9/19: No running. Went to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibit again at the New York Botanical Garden and did a lot of walking. I felt shockingly good after the long run (since my longest in the 6 weeks prior was 7 or maybe 9 miles. Do not recommend). Going slow really helped as did all my recovery efforts after.

Total: 29.4 miles (of a recommended 36 – my midweek runs and long runs are still a bit behind).

9/20-9/26:

Great weather for lots of walks to the park, both with and without Herbie. Could have done with a few more runs.

9/20: 2.3 easy recovery treadmill miles after some lifting at the gym.

9/21: Longer walk with Herbie. 5.5 mile run with intervals. These felt good! I could mostly do them at my new estimated 10K pace of 9:15-9:20 (my old pace of 8:30, not so much). Recoveries around 10:15 minute miles.

9/22: Rest day – long walk

9/23: 3.3 mile run

9/24: Rest day – longer walk with Herbie.

9/25: 16 miles. The temperature and humidity dropped a lot from the prior week, so we definitely took this one a bit faster. I struggled on the bigger hills going up to the turnaround point (where we had bananas and Gatorade waiting for us). but the back half had a net downhill that was awesome (for morale and for my legs/lungs).

9/26: Rest day. Tried on more wedding dresses in the city. Got great Korean at The Jin in Hell’s Kitchen, had coffee at Rex, then got so many mochi donuts in Nordstrom at Oh Mochi. It was a perfect fall day, weather-wise.

Ddukboki, fried chicken, katsu, paleontology, and bulgogi at The Jin

Total: 27ish out of a prescribed 31 miles

Week 5 of NYC Marathon 2021 Training

August 10, 2021August 9, 2021Posted in New York City Marathon 2021, New York State, nycm, Running, TrainingTagged distance running, Hiking, marathon, Marathon Training, NYC Marathon, nycm, Running, strength training, TrainingLeave a comment

We’re in the thick of it.

Monday 8/2: 3 recovery treadmill miles at a 14 minute mile pace. Upper body weight lifting at the gym.

Tuesday 8/3: Trying to take my easy days easy and my hard days hard. AM 4.6 mile tempo run, then PM lower body lifting at the gym. So hard. I was exhausted and crawled into bed by 9pm and missed the women’s 400m hurdle final.

Wednesday 8/4: Active recovery – 30 minute Peloton ride at the gym (Spice Girls class!). I took it super easy, adjusting both cadence and resistance down as needed.

Thursday 8/5: Normal run at what I hope is a normal speed. 5.6 miles (yay) around a park. Went to Target and got a lot of snacks and ate too many of them before this. Needed a late (4pm nap) and some tea to finally get my rear in gear at 6pm.

Friday 8/6: 3.4 Easy treadmill miles in apartment gym.

Saturday 8/7: Long run cut short. I had hoped for double digits and was going to take my COVID work call on the run (well, on a park bench since I have to write down some of the numbers) but I couldn’t log into Zoom on my personal phone and didn’t have the login details. So I ended up sprinting for home after 7 miles. I thought about adding another 3-5 miles after the call but decided to just take the rest.

I got out of the house at 7:30am which was a win (watched the women’s 10M Olympic final first). But the run was definitely a struggle fest. The heat was normal but humidity was on its way back and my heart rate was shooting up the first few miles, so I took a few walk breaks as needed. I got Summer Streets FOMO and wished I was in the city for this and to hit double digits. Onward and upward to the next one.

Sunday 8/8: I did a 4.4 mile Hike to Mount Beacon and the fire tower with a friend and my pup. My legs were pretty tired after the initial steep ascent. I put Herbie in the backpack for some of the ascent but she held her own on the rest.

Total: 23.7 running miles, not counting the hike. I wanted to hit 27 but I think I will get it next week. Only did two strength workouts but they were good ones!

Week 4 of NYC Marathon 2021 Training

August 3, 2021August 2, 2021Posted in New York City Marathon 2021, nycm, Running, TrainingTagged distance running, Marathon Training, NYC Marathon, nycm, Running, TrainingLeave a comment

The Olympics are in full swing! I’m obsessed with men’s volleyball and women’s rugby for their TikTok presence alone, but I also love watching gymnastics and of course Track & Field.

Monday 7/26: Rest day for running. 20 minute Peloton ride, then 40 minutes of core/lower body strength from the Hardcore on the floor calendar. My glutes and hamstrings were on fire from all the lunges.

Tuesday 7/27: Easy 3 miles outside early AM. Difficult upper body workout at the gym after (seated cable rows, bicep curls, lat pull-downs, etc)

Wednesday 7/28: Rest day. So sore from the previous two days/cumulative fatigue of all the miles. I took Herbie to a friend’s farm and she got to herd the chickens a bit.

Thursday 7/29: 4.3 mile run in the rain. I timed the storms a bit after my meetings and thought I might be able to run back home and hop on the treadmill if I saw the rain coming my way. The next big wave of the cell hit about 1.3 miles in and I decided to just keep going with my planned loop. I ended up completely soaked but felt really great (once I was sure there was enough visibility for drivers to see me at crossings).

Friday 7/30: I didn’t run in the AM because I was watching Track & Field at the Olympics (finally!), so I did 3 easy miles on the apartment gym treadmill in the afternoon to some rolling hills. Anything over 5% grade was rough for me, but good practice for NYCM.

Saturday 7/31: I had a friend over and squandered my AM workout time by watching the Olympics then was too full/tired in the evening to work out. It’s a shame I missed such a cool morning, weather-wise. But we walked around town and went to the Farmers Market and got boba.

Herbie and a new friend at the farmers market

Sunday 8/1: Sunday long run due to necessity. I did 9 miles just under a 12 minute mile pace. I got lucky again with the weather since I waited until 9am to start (live Olympics coverage again) and chose a new-to-me route. I just had some UCAN in my water bottle but will bring Gu chews to anything longer than 2 hours (this was an hour and 40 minutes). This run made me feel more confident about my training overall, so I’m trying to write about it and bring that positive energy around. Perhaps I will try some tempo runs or speedwork in the coming weeks? I’ll also report back about the increase in long runs.

Total: 19.4 miles; slight dip from last week since I only ran 4 days and did shorter miles for a couple of those.

Week 3 of of NYC Marathon 2021 Training

July 27, 2021July 25, 2021Posted in New York City Marathon 2021, nycm, Running, TrainingTagged distance running, Marathon Training, NYC Marathon, nycm, Running, TrainingLeave a comment

Monday 7/19: 3.1 miles outside, easyish in the morning (pre-8am).

Tuesday 7/20: 3.2 miles late morning with the terrible air quality. It was pretty bad but I caught myself not able or wanting to slow down.

Wednesday 7/21: I skipped a run because the smog was still gross. Upper body and core workouts at the gym from the Peloton hardCORE on the floor calendar’s recommended stack.

Thursday 7/22: 4.3 miles outside late morning – I wish I had gone out earlier before the sun really came up. I tried a new route but stupidly went uphill on the sunny side of the street. That was rough. I need to commit to doing these daily runs at an easy pace so that my weekend long runs don’t kill me. I keep not wanting to slow down into my Zone 2 or even 3.

Friday 7/23: Rest day. Went to the gym in the afternoon and did my squats and hex bar deadlift routine as well as hip adduction and abduction machines.

Saturday 7/24: Treadmill long run of 6+ miles (my Apple watch Stryd screen and Garmin connected . I did a progressionish one again where I sped up the last 1.5 miles because I was getting bored. I was watching The Olympics (USA mens volleyball and women’s water polo) and listened to three different Peloton tread workouts.

Sunday 7/25: 4.5 mile recovery run. It was ridiculously humid (got a few rain drops) then the sun came out at the very end. I still have to work on slowing down my runs.

Total: 21.1 miles, which is my highest weekly mileage since January if not last year.

I went back and looked at where my mileage was this time back in 2016, 2017, and 2018 (the years I’ve previously run full marathons in the fall) and I’m not that far behind. I’m definitely slower than I was but I’m doing ok!

Week 16 of 2018 NYC Marathon Training

November 8, 2018November 7, 2018Posted in New York City Marathon 2018, nycm, Running, TrainingTagged distance running, marathon, Marathon Training, NYC Marathon, nycm, nyrr, NYRR Virtual Trainer, Races, Running, TrainingLeave a comment

10/29: Rest Day. Went to Patavini and tried all the gnocchi. The blue one has spirulina and was really good! The truffle, saffron, and squid ink were my favorites.

10/30: 4.3 mile shakeout run @ 11 minute mile pace. I’d been running faster than my usual pace during the taper in part because of cooler temperatures and of course due to excitement.

10/31: Rest day and Halloween. Had street meat combo over rice for dinner near the Village Halloween Parade, 2.5 beers, then late-night pepperoni pizza. I went as a bat again.

11/1: Unintentional rest day. I was going to do a Saucony shakeout run (with Molly Huddle) but work was long and it was raining, so I bailed. I really should have done some treadmill miles at least.

11/2: Tracksmith popup in the morning, work, then Marathon Expo at night. I tried to get in and out quickly and spend less time on my feet. I picked up my official jacket then went to a friend’s birthday dinner at a Korean-Brazilian spot and turned down a lot of good wine. I went home right at 9 and got a solid 8 hours of sleep.

11/3: I thought about doing a shakeout but figured less time on my feet was a better idea after such a loose taper the last two weeks. I got Shanghainese for dinner: scallion pancake, soup dumplings, fried dumplings, rice cakes, noodles, and eggplant. I decided to skip a dessert with dairy just in case.

11/4: NYC Marathon Day. Race recap to come (hmm, I never wrote up one for the Bay Ridge Half). It was not my best marathon, but not my worst (it was my third). 4:31:40 and a huge positive split but I had a good time doing it.

Total: 30.4 miles out of a prescribed 37.

Week 6 of 2018 NYC Marathon Training

August 28, 2018August 26, 2018Posted in New York City Marathon 2018, nycm, Running, TrainingTagged NYC Marathon, nycm, nyrr, NYRR Virtual Trainer, Shalane Flanagan, Training3 Comments

Special Note: This is my 100th blog post here! I know it’s been erratic at times, but I’m glad I’m writing this all down somewhere. I think (and talk) a lot about creation vs. consumption of content. I journal semi-regularly (off and on since I was 8). My Twitter and Instagram are private. Yet I find myself leaving detailed race recommendations, travel guides, favorite food spots across many platforms (namely Facebook Groups, Reddit, Strava comments and run notes, and Yelp Collections). I wish there was some perfectly organized way to harness everything I write and share all across the internet without necessarily linking it or turning profiles public.

Week 5 was kind of a bust and not the 34-mile week I had intended. I hadn’t cracked 30 miles yet this cycle and was concerned. Cooler temps prevailed this week and I finally got up for a pre-work morning run. Twice, even. Progress!

8/20: One of those regular run park loops where everything feels good. I was able to make it a tiny bit progressive and fought my way up the hill, then was flying on the way home. The lower humidity weather really helped, but this is exactly what I needed after a tough Saturday long run and a skipped Sunday recovery run. First mile was 11, last mile was 9:49. 5.1 miles total.

8/21: Easy 3 miles on the gym treadmill @ an 11:00 mile pace in the AM.

8/22: Intentional rest day. I went to the NYRR RunCenter and got a copy of Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow and got to meet Shalane and Elyse! They signed my book and Shalane asked what I was training for and I got so awkward. I said “NYC. Og my god, so are you! That’s right! I’ll be starting two hours after you. But I’ll add you to my tracker so I know when you’re done!”. I was cheering for friends last year during her victory and didn’t get to see her cruising in the park, but I am so excited that she’s going for it again.

8/23: I did another double at Mile High Run Club by taking The Build (primarily kettlebell and bodyweight strength with some short running intervals) at 6pm then The Distance at 7pm. I “ran through” the two classes and got 7.5 Miles overall. I haven’t had a good midweek medium long run in some time! I felt pretty destroyed after.

8/24: Easy AM recovery run on the treadmill listening to Who? Weekly podcast; 3 miles @ 11:00 minute mile pace. Made a berry protein smoothie after but still got a bagel once at work at 10am.

8/25: Long run. I kept it in Brooklyn because I was meeting some coworkers who are training for a half. I did 4 miles to and around Fort Greene Park, 7 with them in Prospect Park, then went further south into Park Slope and through tiny JJ Byrne Park for the final 3. It went much better than last week’s long run overall (better weather with lower dew point certainly helped) and it was fun to see so many PPTC folks. 14 miles @ 10:52 pace total.

Went to Red Rooster for dinner, finally. Had a bourbon negroni, cornbread, and shared this seafood jambalaya for 2. Spoiler alert: we ate all the fried soft shell crabs and most of the lobster but still had a couple pounds of leftovers.

8/26: Recovery run; 4.5 miles in Central Park. Easy, peasy, a little sunny. I love coming here near-weekly for a change of scenery and since the final miles of the marathon are in this park.

Total: 37.1 miles, my highest weekly mileage since the first week of January (actually higher but my non-Monday to Friday mileage there was 39.5).

New York City Marathon 2016 Recap

November 11, 2016Posted in NYC, nycm, Race Recaps, RunningTagged marathon, NYC, nycm, Races, Running9 Comments

Well, I’m a marathoner now! As for the days leading up to the race, I had no doubts about my abilities to finish this. But I also knew anything could happen and that I should respect the distance. Between all the love and support and reading stories like this, I am very emotional. Disclaimer: I am even more emotional after the events of this week and delayed publishing this by a few days in an effort to start coming to terms with the election results.

As of writing this Tuesday, I am also very sore. I got a massage Monday which apparently might have been too soon and maybe I just made more micro-tears in my muscles. Whoops! It felt good, that’s for sure. Anyway, back to race day:

If you’re unfamiliar with the course, this is an excellent primer.

Getting to the start at Fort Wadsworth was an experience. I boarded the 8:15am ferry, which should have left me plenty of time after the shuttle buses dropped us off for my Wave 3 10:40am start. But there was bus traffic the whole way and what should have been a 10 minute ride (according to others who have done it before) took 40 minutes. Apparently an earlier ferry broke down. I made new friends on the ferry and while waiting for the bus who came from all over. It was so nice to talk the time away and not worry about the ticking clock. I scarfed down my strawberry Uncrustable (saw others were having PB&J and it had been 2 hours since my freezer waffles). By the time I hopped off the bus and used the bathroom, the corrals for my whole wave were about to close. I quickly shed my throwaway layers, then ran into a PPTC member who had run this before and calmed me down a lot. I didn’t feel ready, but I knew it was go time. I ate my honey stinger waffle slowly and got a picture.

Miles 1 & 2:

I knew I should take the Verrazano Bridge very slowly, and I did. You definitely don’t feel the incline because of the adrenaline, so I focused on taking in the views and not tripping over throwaway clothing. The fire boats were shooting out water and there was a rainbow! I was Orange, so we were on the left side of the bridge and did a neat little turnaround before entering 4th Avenue. Blue was on the right side of the bridge and had their own route, then Green was on the lower level and seemed to come up then over to their special route, as seen below from the NYT. 11:12 for mile 1 and 10:26 mile 2, enjoying that downhill a bit.

Miles 3 – 6:

Bay Ridge was fun! I come down here sometimes for work or food, so I knew different stretches of the route. The crowds really started to come out and had some excellent signs. I saw a few PPTC people who ran past me and my pace was remaining steady with the same effort much closer to 11 minute miles than 10. I had hoped for more easy, breezy even 10:30’s like during my longest training run, but it seemed it wasn’t happening. I was afraid to push harder in case my body fell apart on the back half, so I reined it in. I untaped my pace bracelet for my A Goal time of 04:29 and threw it onto the median around mile 6. So long, A Goal! I had my first Gu of the day, Salted Watermelon around the 1 hour mark. Writing these down seems very important for any future marathon training I may do. This was a little later than usual but I figured the extra Honey Stinger waffle on top of the two-part breakfast had given me plenty.

marathon-bay-ridge — I THINK this photo is from Bay Ridge or going up 4th Avenue but I could be wrong

Mile 7 – 9:

The best running miles of my life! This stretch included seeing the first of my coworkers, then one of my besties, then the PPTC cheer zone, then finally my parents and roommate. I have no words left to describe how exciting this part of 4th was. Then we did the Flatbush to Lafayette turn around mile 8 and I was equally impressed by Fort Greene. The party had really started. I saw great costumes, another coworker, and enjoyed the music. I took these miles a little fast and then my GPS messed up and told me I had run a sub-8 mile through Lafayette. I was fast, but not that fast! My watch had been beeping a little ahead of the mile markers but this is where it started being behind and I didn’t even realize. NYRR says I did the 10K in 1:07:28. Gu #2 (the other Salted Watermelon).

Mile 9 – 12:

I saw a few more people along Bedford (another coworker, old roommate who ran the marathon last year, and a team captain) then enjoyed the more quiet miles of Orthodox/Hasidic Williamsburg. I had a work assignment in this area the last few months that just ended on Halloween, so I’ve become more familiar with the area and the culture. There was still a fair amount of crowd support and the course was just chock full of Northern Europeans. I felt like I was surrounded by Swedes, Danes, and Germans. Then Williamsburg re-brought the party. I could actually smell the booze! I saw 2 lovely coworkers in Greenpoint before the Pulaski Bridge and was riding that high.

Miles 13 – 16:

The Pulaski Bridge was short and sweet, then we were met with a large crowd throughout Long Island City, where my main office is. It was so weird to see my work building then just keep running right by! Some friends were having their usual marathon party and I almost missed them because I couldn’t remember which side of the street they were on. I ended up making a beeline for them and coming in for a quick high five before zipping off again. Then the Queensboro Bridge happened. It was rough, to say the least. I still had dreams hitting my B Goal (4:30-4:45) and I hit the half in 2:23:01, which would make the tail end of that goal doable with a slight negative split. But the bridge ended that, as I chugged along at a 12 minute mile. Gu #3 (Strawberry Banana) was chased with water still.

marathon-foto — Maybe this was actually Marcus Garvey? Who knows!

Mile 17 – 19:

The Wall of Sound on 1st Avenue was no joke and I loved seeing the throngs of people five deep cheering for us. I, however, got totally confused about which mile I was on because of my GPS mishap and missed a couple of friends here. I sped up just a little bit but couldn’t get back under 11. I also chose to address my underboob chafing with some Vaseline. Unfortunately, they had run out of sticks so the medical volunteer just had to hand me a glob of it. No shame at this point and I smeared it where I needed. Gu #4 at the 3:20 mark, plus 2 shot blocks and some Gatorade at this point.

Miles 20 & 21:

The Bronx was really short and sweet and people were out in droves, contrary to what I had heard. The guy running next to me (who I saw again toward the finish) was a local and kept welcoming all of us to the BX. Also, it is just wild to me that we take such a detour around the Western Beef supermarket. I’m glad the afore-linked NYT article mentioned it because it was so confusing. Then right before the bridge, a lady had a great sign that said LAST DAMN BRIDGE. And yes, it was.

Miles 22-24:

All aboard the pain train! Actually, it wasn’t so bad at first. I got another Vaseline stick and swabbed myself on 5th Avenue, then we went around Marcus Garvey Park, which looked autumnal and lovely. I was apparently shuffling along in the 11:40’s here and had a great butt slapping hello with my friend Allison in the upper 120’s. Then I ate half a banana since I had taken my final Gu (Salted Caramel, which has a little more caffeine, though not as much as the Caramel Macchiato I meant to take) at the 4 hour mark. Then somewhere around mile 23 marker (my watch was still behind), I got a nasty side stitch on my right side. I tried to keep jogging through it, but it brought me down. The worst grimacey photos are from this point, but my friend Brittany hopped in and gave me water and talked me through it. She reminded me how to stretch and breathe then sent me into Central Park with a smile on my face, ready to run down Cat Hill and make the finish in under 5 hours (C Goal!).

mile-24 — Brittany walked and talked me through my side cramp

Miles 25 + 26 + 0.2:

The last two miles were a magical blur, full of spectators and my last wind. I chugged a final shot of Gatorade just to get me through the finish and managed to pick up my pace on 59th St. I passed a couple teammates but couldn’t really form sentences any more. I remember seeing the ‘800 meters to go’ sign and being excited, then feeling crestfallen when I realized just how far that was. Bronx guy was with me here and yelled out the sign, but it wasn’t enough. I pushed so hard just to get under a 10 minute mile then sprint in the finish, arms raised and feeling triumphant.

Then the epic shuffle to retrieve our medal, apple (yum), heat sheet, goodie bags with snacks, and finally the exit poncho. I pulled my phone out of the Ziploc bag and turned off airplane mode since I hadn’t turned it on to listen to music even once because I never needed it. The energy of the race was more than enough to get me through the tough parts). I tried to answer the many texts and WhatsApp messages I got and let my family know I was alive and heading to the reunion point. My walk speed was actually pretty quick and I tried to get out of the park as fast as I could while thanking all the volunteers. I entered the reunion school and got applause and cheers like a rockstar. Instead of chocolate milk, I was handed some delicious hot chocolate by a volunteer and grabbed some Milk Duds thanks to my Dad. After wiping down and changing and a mini photo shoot, we went to Bar Boulud for an amazing post-race meal. After a long cab ride back to Brooklyn, I tried to facebook and instagram a quick post before bed at 8:38PM.

Overall reflections:

The crowds make this race. I mainly mean the million + people cheering us on, but I do also mean the runners themselves. Everyone I talked to, smiled at, or otherwise wasn’t elbowed by (there were a few of those but most were apologetic) was so thrilled to be running this race. It was really something special to run through all 5 boroughs of this city I love and have called home for over 6 years. NYC is the place I’ve lived longest in my adult life and that is for many reasons, but the people are overwhelmingly the biggest one.

I brought too much nutrition with me. Fortunately my pockets were huge (thank you, Lululemon Speed Track Shorts), so my leftover Shot Blocks and extra Gus will be used in the future.

I feel very sure about my decision to not run another marathon until 2018 at the earliest. I’m looking forward to a leisurely summer and fall next year, where I can sleep in past 8am on weekends and not plan my vacations around my long runs. I also hope to get faster with the help of more speed work, and plan to try my hand at more shorter distance races that I didn’t want to risk this training cycle. I would hope that I could try a higher mileage plan for an future marathons and honestly, the thought of it right now is a bit much. I’ll probably end up doing the 9+1 in 2017 just so I have the NYC option open to me in 2018, but would of course consider other full marathons. My only definite 2017 races (barring injury) are the Philadelphia Broad Street Run (deferred entry from last year) and the Richmond Half Marathon.

Weeks 14 and 15 and 16 of Marathon Training

November 4, 2016November 4, 2016Posted in Apparel, NYC, nycm, Running, TrainingTagged Activewear, marathon, NYC, nycm, Running, Training1 Comment

I’m tempted to post a .gif of tumbleweed blowing by for my taper weeks, but I did get some nice runs in. I also got the sniffles (I can’t say I definitively got sick as it only lasted a couple days and seems to be more like seasonal allergies). But now I’m only 3 days away from running my first marathon and the excitement has finally washed over and replaced my minor anxieties about aches and pains.

Week 14:

The sniffles were real and I didn’t want to develop a full-blown cold, so I only did a weekday run then my first taper run in DC. I had planned a perfect 12 mile loop but got lost trying to get down to East Potomac Park, then couldn’t get onto 14th St.as planned and had to cut over onto the Mall further East than expected. I ended at Starbucks for a much needed soy toffee nut latte, courtesy of my free drink. I got to see some friends and have Nando’s for dinner, as we still don’t have one in NYC.

Week 15:

Mile High Run Club The Distance with Elizabeth Corkum. I hadn’t been to MHRC in months but I loved it and plan to take Corky’s class again when I reactivate my ClassPass. I managed to keep my paces consistent throughout the different interval speeds and saw some very fast Level 4 speed. I got 5.6 miles in, which is a huge improvement from 4.8 miles back in May. I also manged to keep my easy pace very easy overall.

Then on Saturday the 29th, I did the last 10 miles run with PPTC. My watch never picked up satellites because it was probably still on DC from the week before, so I decided to just run with the 11:00 min/mile pace group. We ended up at a closer to 10:30 pace for some of the miles, which was ideal for me since I hope to keep my marathon pace closer to that. I felt really good and was talking the whole way. Had a Gu around mile 6 and discovered I also love the Salted Caramel flavor.

Week 16:

Just some quick regular runs on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

I hit up the Expo on Thursday night and it wasn’t too crowded. I got my bib, said hi to some friends volunteering, took some photos with said bib, then did some shopping. Things I bought that I needed: margarita ShotBlocks and extra Gu. I also split a good deal on wool socks from Darn Tough with a friend. I’m not going to try out new socks on race day, but these are pretty darn nice from what I can tell on my test run. Most importantly, I got the jacket below in gray and I love it. Pretty sure it’s bad luck to wear it or the long-sleeve before I actually run the marathon, though.

I decided I didn’t need much more stuff. I have so many race shirts and running clothing overall that my collection should be complete once I acquire some more winter running clothes and accessories. Don’t hold me to that statement, please.

Anyway, I am obviously wildly excited for Sunday and love knowing that I have friends and family cheering for me in many locations and 3 of the 5 boroughs.

Ok, I guess we’re doing this. Shruggie.