Veteran's Day 10K

It's becoming the same story with races now: Too little sleep and too little running during the work week. The week leading up to this 10k was hectic. Crazy hectic. It was the end of the quarter, which meant comments for 110 students needed to be written, I played my saxophone in the jazz band during the Fall Concert on Wednesday, and then we had our Fall Sports Banquet on Thursday. I love it all while I'm doing it, but then I get home at 9:00 and there's no chance for a run.

A co-worker posted this race in our faculty room in October and after hearing that it was a fast course I decided to sign up. For the last month this race was my focus on all of my runs. I wanted to break 40:00. I had good speed leading up to it and had just raced a new 5k PR two weeks before. However, after the crazy work week, I had to reevaluate what my goal for the race would be. On race morning I decided that finishing would be enough. A PR would be great, but I couldn't expect it, nor did I want to put my body in the pain that would be required to get it.

I'm not a professional so I don't have the time to dedicate to running. Sometimes I have to be OK with 12 or 17 mile weeks. When those weeks happen to fall in the week leading up to a race then I have to try my hardest to talk myself into racing by convincing my mind that I'm in better shape than I am.

The basin at 7:00 on race morning

Race morning started off in the low 40's, but it was sunny and not windy. This was a relief, especially since we were racing on Hains Point. Tom and I volunteered at a 10K there the weekend before and the wind was horrible. I would have cried if I had to race with the wind, and the weather for this 10k was just about perfect.

We met up with a few co-workers of mine before the start. It was awesome to see and be with familiar faces at the start!

The Race:
I did an extra long run for warm up by accident and didn't get in the drills in that I normally do. I was OK with this, considering everything else had worked out better than could be asked that morning. The gun went off and we were out. I knew I was cruising and was not surprised to see 6:15 on my watch for the mile 1 marker. A little too fast, but nothing to freak out about.

I stayed right behind two girls starting at the second mile, which I went through at 6:28. When mile 3 came (6:26) I was bummed that it wasn't a 5k. 5Ks feel so nice now and I would have been very excited to be done racing. This was my third 10K ever and I still didn't know how to race it.

I passed the two girls in front of me at this point. My fourth mile was strong. I felt strong and it flew by in 6:23. I started to feel the race a little more during the 5th mile, but held on, finishing that mile in 6:29. Tom was at the 5th mile marker and that is when two girls came out of no where from behind me. Good strategy, chicas. They knew just how to throw me off my focus. They looked strong and I wasn't feeling strong. I kept counting down the tenths of a mile, which is not a great way to stay calm.

I got to mile 6 with 0.2 to go (6:31) and felt the 10k-urge to vomit. So did one of the girls in front of me who suddenly stopped and pulled off to the side. I shut my eyes knowing that if I saw anything come up I'd lose my cookies too. She saw me at that moment and decided that finishing was more important than vomiting and hopped back into the race.

Once again, like the last race, I saw the clock tick its way closer and closer to 40:00 and could not make my legs get to the finish any sooner.

Tom's phone deleted all of the photos he took of us while running. The only photo that somehow survived is me  after getting my award

Final Time:

40:04

New PR

9th Female

3rd in Age 

(not including the overall winners)

I'm a little frustrated, but I know that a 39 will come with better training, more speed work on the track, and a better work week. 

We hung out at the finish for some time and it was fun to be with friends. After the awards, Tom and I paid a visit to Thomas Jefferson.We had fun enjoying the peacefulness of DC at that hour in the morning. 

It looks like the next race is a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. Hopefully I'll get in some quality runs between now and then. It's nice not having to worry about a training program yet. That will come at the end of December as Tom and I both begin to prepare for Boston. 

=PR= Race Series: Run with Dad (minus the dad) 5K Recap

I've known for a few weeks that I had a 5K PR waiting inside of my, but needed to get a race to find it. This weekend Tom and I each ran in the =PR= Run with Dad 5K at South Lakes high school. I woke up that day not as excited to run it as I was to run the 10K a few weeks ago. The 5K isn't my most favorite race. But fortunately, I didn't let that hinder me and was able to finish with a new PR for the day.

We arrived around 7 to get our bib and then went on our own ways to warm up. It's funny - people often ask if we run together. The answer is rarely. Tom's so much faster than I am, and I am so stuck in my ways. I warm up the same way each time and begin to freak out when it starts to go differently. I am so independent and need freedom to go on my own.

I felt great on the warm up: I got in 14 minutes of running before drills, and knew my body felt awake and ready. We met up again on the starting line, 5 minutes before the race, and found ourselves starting a little bit back. Everyone was ready to go and lined up before we had gotten there and it seemed impossible to get up front.

The start was a little chaotic. We ran 300m on the track at the high school before veering off and into the woods. It was slow, and there were a ton of people in front of us that didn't need to be right on the starting line. I jumped up with other PR running ladies, recognizing a few and knowing I wanted to be with them for the start.

I ran my first 10K last year at this school and was expecting to run a course very similar and was surprised to find us going onto the bike path in the woods. Rather than the open roads with little turning, we found hairpin turn after hairpin turn, as well as a constant variation in elevation. Instead of focusing on my body and on my pace I was constantly worrying about the people around me, making sure I didn't take a face plant as I turned a corner, and mentally battling how the course reminded me of some high school and college courses I had run.

There was a lot of passing during the first mile. Being a Father's day run, there were a lot of younger kids and teenagers that were running. These runners also went out with a very nice mile split, only to drop off in the second mile. I kept my sites on another PR team member right in front of me, not knowing who she was, but recognizing that she was a strong runner. My goal was to stay with her as long as possible. Little did I realize that she was definitely the first place woman of the race.

Mile 1: 5:56

Good. I met my goal mark for the first mile. Last year this split would have freaked me out completely. However, after hitting sub 5:50's on runs in the spring, I knew this was OK. My only problem came with keeping this momentum in mile 2, my weakest mile. This was the mile I struggled the most in trying to stay in the present, rather than having flash backs to races in college when we ran a similar course at St. Mike's. 

Mile 2: 6:22

As I passed the marker and saw 12:18, I knew I had slowed, but couldn't do the math in my head. At this point, I was strictly running on feeling. I had only looked down at my watch twice. I knew if I wanted to break 19:00 that it would be close. So I tried to push harder. 

5Ks, while much shorter than a marathon, take much more focus and a higher pain tolerance. They also require that the runner do some actual SPEED workouts before racing. I haven't done speed in weeks. 

Everything was going great until I came out of the woods for the last time. I had just over a quarter of a mile left to run and made the mistake of looking down at my watch as I went up a hill. In that instance I began to dry heave. Ugh, not this again. I held it in, and kept up the pace. But it happened again. I had no choice but to slow down for a few seconds to stop it. Slowing worked, but my momentum was gone. While I love that there was a camera crew at this race to take free race photos, I hated that they would have been able to catch my lowest moment on film. I was also not ready to loose my breakfast while on the track, now knowing that I was the second place female after a man yelled it in the woods.

As I turned the corner I heard my name being called by the MC, then heard Tom's voice as he cheered me on. He knew my goal was low 19's, and based on his voice, I knew that I had to work hard to get there. 

Final Time: 19:18

New PR

Second place female

I'll take that PR, but I'm not done. As soon as I finished I was ready to sign up for another, faster race! I need to break 19. I never thought I would have that as my goal, but I know it's in me. I just need to get on a track for a few weeks.

-----

I have been enjoying the opportunities that the PR Race team has given me this spring. I love being more involved in races and feeling like there is a purpose to my training. It's also been great to meet other runners on the team. A few of us went for a cool down run afterward and we discovered that two of us had lived in Vermont and had competed against the same runners in high school!

This race was also put on by PR Running. For the runners, there is a ton to offer: awesome tech t-shirts with registration, a lunchbox (for Father's day), a master of ceremony that was made for the job and makes it fun, food at the finish line, and terrific prizes that include gift certificates to be used at their store. I got $75 for second place, which means I can pick up some nice sneaks in a few weeks!

2014 Capitol Hill Classic 10K

Back in the middle of May, a bunch of teachers from my school, parents, and students partook in the Capitol Hill Classic which consisted of a 10k and a 3k race. I had a major goal for this race and was confident that I could do it: Break 40:00 in the 10k. Better yet - break 39:00. I knew I could do this, but had not had good training after Boston (hello 14 hour work days!). I was also very stupid in the middle of the race and never actually looked at my overall time on my watch to see how I was doing. Lesson learned.

Final Time: 40:05

3rd Female

The race morning was PERFECT.  It was in the 50's, sunny, and had no humidity. There was a breeze that felt great on the course, but was enough to force me to draft behind guys a few times. The 8:30 start let us sleep in and enjoy the morning a little before racing, and nutritionally I was set for the race because of the later start.

Tom and I were both running and we knew we had a good chance of placing based off of last year's results. The gun went off and 3 women immediately flew past me. One, a red-head, was a girl I remember seeing at the Cherry Blossom in April. I had some sort of feeling/memory of passing her during that race, so I was not worried about her speeding off at the start. My thinking: let her get tired, then I can reel her in.

The start took us by the Capitol and Supreme Court. I just love the races in DC because of the monuments we run by!

The first three miles flew by but my Garmin beeped about 0.1 to 0.2 miles before I actually got to the mile markers. I don't know why it wasn't lined up with the markers, but I should have really taken that into account for the rest of the race and checked my watch a few more times.

Miles 1-3

6:06, 6:09, 6:12

I felt confident and satisfied with those mileage times. I was also surprised to see 19:07 when I went through the 5K. My current, official PR in the 5K was a 19:41, which means I knocked off a significant chunk and need to get into an actual 5K in the coming weeks. 

By mile 3 we were in the middle of nowhere, or so it felt. The beautiful homes, green streets, and shade that we had in the first half of the race was replaced with concrete, sun, and the parking lot surrounding the old stadium in DC. It felt like a desert, because we were the only ones out there.

As I was thinking how horrible of a place it was, a girl in purple FLEW by me. Where did she come from?! Her speed told me that she knew what she was doing and I was not going to catch her. I fell from 4th to 5th.

The fourth mile marker came: 6:29. Uh oh!  

I knew I had slowed. But by that much?! Fortunately, I spotted the red-head in red. My mission became to catch her, and I was getting close. I got her before the 5th mile, and felt confident that my race to get her meant I picked up the pace.

Mile 5: 6:36

Oh no! This was not going the way I wanted it to, but I didn't dwell too hard on it. I actually felt fine and I was working at a hard effort. I had to keep reminding myself that it was only my 2nd 10k and I hadn't run one this fast before.

Now that I was in 4th I began getting closer to the 3rd place woman. At the same time, I kept playing cat and mouse with a man near me. It was good, as we kept pushing each other to get closer to this girl. 

At around 5.5 I had a decision to make. I had never taken on someone like this in a race. I could keep going this speed and pass this 3rd place woman, and then hold on for the rest of the race. Or, I could play it safe, draft off of her, and then hopefully take her at the end. She knew I was coming, and I couldn't tell if she'd let me pass, only to pass me again and squash my mental game. Also, passing her would mean that I'd have to be on my game for the rest of the race, pushing myself to ensure she couldn't come back. Did I really want to do that?

Yes. I did. I wanted a PR. I knew that to get the PR I needed to get around her. If it had been a man I would have had no problem in my mind making this decision. He wouldn't have stood out. But to take the 3rd place female spot, scared me. I knew it. So I took her. And I kept running. I didn't want to look back. I also felt like I was going to vomit - a reaction that I need to control if I want to get faster.

My spring motto that I have to remind myself in each race: Running fast isn't easy. You have to work for fast times.  

Mile 6: 6:22

Tom was around mile 6 cheering on runners, having already finished 10th overall. I knew I was close to the end, but hadn't look at my watch time and didn't realize HOW CLOSE I WAS to breaking 40. When I turned the very last corner and saw 39:57 on the official clock I screamed in my mind. OMG.... how could I be that oblivious to the time? How could I have been that close to a 39:xx and not realize it?!

I passed the line at 40:05. It was a minute and a half PR, but didn't feel great because I knew I can do better. 

 We stayed to watch the 3K, which had a ton of our students running in it. I didn't realize how big of an event this was. It raised over $80,000 for a school in DC! Talk about a successful fundraiser!

It was a good race (minus the desert) and was a fun morning to spend with co-workers and students. This race also showed me that I need to get signed up for a 5K soon so I can really see what I have in me for that distance!

A Boston 2014 Reflection

No race report here. Haven't had enough time. Just standouts from last weekend in my mind. 

I remember last April 15th's afternoon quite well. I was about to finish teaching my last class when another teacher came in to ask if I had heard about the Boston finish. I hadn't. He showed me his phone and the headline. An explosion?! What was going on? Were my friends OK? Who would hurt runners and spectators? Why Boston?

I could not stop checking the news that night or the nights that followed. Having run Boston before, this run felt personal. Why did they attack our race? That beautiful city? Those souls?

I went for a run that night. My mind was uneasy. I needed to run because it felt right. It was my way of connecting with the event and to begin to process it. I couldn't control the news that was resulting, but running helped to calm me down. And on that run I knew that I would run Boston in 2014. I knew that I had to be there, to show whoever those people were that committed this act that you can't take us down.

___________

Last Saturday Tom and I stepped off the plane at Logan airport. I was already feeling the excitement from seeing the other runners in the DC airport in their Boston gear. We were a pretty fit flight, and while no one talked to each other about running, we all knew that we were heading in the same place. 

As we stepped into the terminal - who did we see? Shalane Flanagan walking in front of us. I turned into a giddy 5 year old seeing the Easter bunny for the first time. We followed her as we made our way to ground transportation. She met up with her escort and made her way to baggage claim. I headed to the bathroom, because, you know, a runner likes to keep hydrated before a race. 

While washing my hands I looked over to see Shalane walking up to wash her hands in the sink next to mine. Holy CRAP! Shalane was in the same bathroom as me! Here was my running idol - the woman who I had just watched on 60 minutes the night before. The woman who trained her heart out to win Boston. Right. next. to. me.

I leaned over and whispered, "Good luck on Monday!"

I knew I would never be the person to ask for a photo if I ever met a celebrity. I wouldn't want to start the photo-taking trend, and I wouldn't want to take away from their time. But I did want her to know that I knew who she was and that I was totally cheering for her. 

God, I love that woman. 

And what a great start to the weekend.

______________

Breakfast: it happens to be my favorite meal of the day. While I hate to miss it to run, I'll sacrifice it to run with a friend. Especially a former teammate. 

Tom and I met up with our friend Doug, who has an impressive marathon time of his own (in the 2:20s). Our shakeout run brought us into Boston Commons and to the start line. Even at 8:30am there were plenty of people out there. Again, without talking, all of the runners knew why we were there. There was a special vibe and feeling of energy in the city that morning. 

Breakfast after a run is necessary (even if you already had breakfast before).  The three of us met up with another UVM Catamount, Aly, who also has her own fantastic marathon time. It was the first time since 2010 that we had caught up and we spent the morning talking running over eggs and french toast.

Now that's my ideal breakfast!

Being back with friends makes breakfast an even better. 

______________

Sunday evening I got a message for Laura from Catching My Breath!  I've come to know her through blogging and daily mile. We were starting in the same wave and wanted to meet up race morning. How freakin' cool would it be to meet someone I have come to "know" so well on race morning, someone who I had grown to respect and had seen hit PR after PR over the last month?!

_______________

Tom and I left the hotel on Monday and had to walk only 5 minutes before reaching Boston Commons. It was worth the few extra dollars to be that close to the start. It only took three years to figure this out (go with the Courtyard Marriot on Tremont if you plan to run next year!).

Laura said she was on a pink towel. I found her and officially introduced myself to her and three other ladies - Lindsey, Ashley, and Sarah . Here we were! Boston was really happening! 

Boarding the bus was easier than in the past. We wanted to stick together and headed to the back of the bus. Rock on back of the bus groupies! Our morning was shared with stories, past races, and strategies for finding a restroom before the start. We discovered what a horrible idea it was to finish drinking our water bottles while still stuck on the bus.

That bus ride was the most fun Boston bus experience I have had  to date. 

______________

There were many folks already out to cheer us on our walk to the start. While our minds were focused on the possibility of finding a porta-potty, I did take note at who was around us. How could I think every cop? I couldn't. But right now I want to take the time - Thank you to every single person that came out there to support us. We are the crazies that are obsessed with running and you thankfully took the time out of your lives to cheer for us and to protect us. Thank you. 

_______________

My goal was to be mentally strong at the end of this race as to not panic. What that actually did was made me live in the moment.

I kept watching the crowds throughout the whole race: looking at all of the faces, watching the moms with the line of kids and leading them in a cheer for the runners. In the last 6 miles of the race I heard tons of people scream "Go PR!" because of the PR that was on the front of my race bib. People were totally there to cheer on the runners. Everyone that had a name on their bib or shirt heard their name the entire race. People wanted to personally cheer us on and wanted us to know that they saw us.

While I ran I watched, and I tried to soak in the entire experience. In my mind, I wanted to be able to relive this memory forever. The support of the crowd was unlike anything I have seen and meant more than before. People were thanking us for running, but I wanted to thank all of them for cheering. I ran because of what Boston had given me in the past. It was my way of thanking the city. Yet, many of the spectators were out there to thank us. Without each other, this event would not be the same.

Boston was the event that brought together millions of people, not just in the city, but around the country and around the world. It was an honor to be part of this experience. I felt humbled. My pain was unlike anything that the victims had gone through. I didn't have any right to complain about sore legs in the days after the race, especially after passing wounded amputee soldiers, or the man who "ran" the whole thing on crutches. We all have our own stories that brought us to that race, but on that morning, we were all running it for the same cause.

This event brought out dedication from many. Many people poured their souls into this race, sweated for months in preparation for it. One horrible act sparked a fire in thousands of individuals that wanted to show that we are, no- Boston, is stronger than that act

When I turned onto Boylston, a place where I normally feel dread, I couldn't help but watch my left side the entire time. Normally in a marathon I dedicate each mile to someone I know. At that moment I realized that I had only dedicated one mile to my mom, and that for some reason I had forgotten to dedicate the rest.

But that was not correct. As I continued running down Boylston I knew who that race was for. That race was for the families of the victims from last year. It was for Krystal, Martin, Lingzi, and Sean. It was for everyone that helped in some way on on April 15th or the days leading after. It was for all of the runners that were there that day, like Shalane, Laura, Doug, and Aly, who had spent months preparing for this day. It was for the people of Boston who came out to support us.

On that day, Boston was Strong. 

2014 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Recap

*Warning* No coach would ever recommend a runner to PR in a race two weeks before running a marathon.

Don't be an idiot. Save your legs.

When I signed up for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in February I did it because I enjoyed the race last year and because I figured that I would use it as a TEMPO. Not a race. I wanted to get a PR or run a 1:09 like last year, but I told myself that I would not take it seriously. 

However, when my winter training (or mind?) went to crap, I changed my spring priority race from Boston to the 10 miler. I know Boston will be off from the lack of training, and I wanted to have success somewhere.

It was a risk. I could get hurt. I could waste all my training by peaking at that race and suffer through Boston. And it turns out, that as I write this on the Wednesday before Boston, a full 10 days after the 10 miler, I still feel the effects of the race but am finally optimistic that my body will be ready for Monday.

While it took a week to get the feeling of tennis balls out of my super tight calves (thanks in part to the stupid decision to wear racing flats for the first time), I am super happy with my performance. And just like the Parks Half that I did last year, I was reminded that only my mind is holding me back. I have more to give, and I kicked up my running to a new level last weekend. 

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Final time: 1:05:47

6:34 minute/mile pace

Tom and I were both signed up for this race. He was on a team for his work and I was racing for the PR Running Race team.  I had also just spent 5 days in Boston at a conference, eating out and walking a lot. Neither of us knew what to expect for performances.

Our phone told us it was 33 degrees when we left the house last Sunday, but 39 by the time we made it to the Washington Monument. Fortunately, it was a gorgeous sunny day.

I was feeling hopeful for a good race, considering the "cold" temps actually felt pretty warm. My body was cooperating and my legs felt good.

When the gun went off I knew I was going out too fast. My first mile read a 6:18. Way. Too. Fast. I had thoughts of my 5K from last summer, which started off almost at the same pace. Oops. 

I slowed a little for the next mile, but was faster than I planned to run. 6:38. Then a 6:29 for mile 3. After three in a row I knew that was my new pace. I decided to try to hold around 6:30 for the rest of the race. This was a pace that was totally quicker than I expected to be running right now, but it felt right.

I saw Tom once during the race as we headed out toward the Kennedy Center. He was pretty far in front of me and so focused that when I cheered him on I didn't hear his holler back to me for 5 seconds after mine.

Miles 4-7

6:28, 6:32, 6:35, 6:29

This section seemed like a blur to me. It went quick, but I knew it lead to the dreaded Hains Point at mile 6ish. Last year this area was brutally cold, but this year felt better with less wind. 

At this point in the race, you tend to stay near the same people. I had apparently been following a guy in a bright yellow shirt the whole time and didn't realize it until I started to catch him. At mile 7 I remembered that I needed to trick my brain into thinking I just started a 3.1 mile race. This made me relax immediately instead of freaking out (which I had been doing) and I began to pass the man. My inner coach instincts kicked in and as I passed him I shared my advice. "We only have a 5k left!"

Why am I being friendly in a race? I think it's because I remembered how much I suffered at that same spot last year. It was horrible and I felt like dying. He didn't look like he was dying, but he was slowing and he admitted to me that he went out too fast. After a few minutes, he caught back up to me and passed me. I wasn't able to catch up to him for the rest of the race, but I was happy to know that he was able to pull himself out of the slump and keep going.

Miles 8-10

6:38, 6:37, 6:42

The wind picked up as we turned back on Hains Point and I could see the top of the Monument. The end was so close! Yet, it was still TWO miles away!!! Those two miles feel like they take the longest, no matter how much I pick up the pace. And while I thought I was picking up the pace, I was only picking up the effort level, which wasn't enough to overcome my slower miles at the end. 

My weakness in races has always been my mind as I near the finish. The closer I get, the slower I want to go. Even though I may be able to see the finish, I want to stop. My mind freaks out, causing my body to tense, and I start to feel bad even though I may have been feeling great prior to it. The course signs that counted down the meters left only made it worse. I wanted to stop. I wanted to puke. But I forced myself to keep running though it to get to the finish. Why I can't run faster knowing the end is only 400 meters away, I have no freakin' clue!

For the first time in years, I almost threw up at the finish. I feel bad for the person who tried to tell me good job and patted me on my back as I was trying to keep my breakfast in. That was a poor move on their part but the pat may have actually saved me from tossing my cookies. Thankfully, I felt fine right after. 

My time was 4 minutes faster than last year. Tom was also at the finish, finishing 8 minutes faster than me, with a 58:11 and a two minute PR. His team ended up winning for their division, and my PR team came in 3rd for ours. 

Post race photo! And evidence that I need a phone upgrade due to the poor quality.

Once again, this was a great race and race atmosphere. The day was gorgeous, the people working the event were well organized, and we had a fun time with friends. It was a great tuneup race to get me in race mode for Monday, even though I totally should NOT have raced it so close to Boston.

Lesson learned. 

And PR Earned.

New York City Marathon Recap

*This post was somehow deleted from my blog. It has been updated and I apologize if you receive a repeat of this in your inbox/feed*

This post is long overdue. Long. I apologize. When work gets busy the blog has to take a vacation for a while.

It's also been difficult to sum up a race that I thought about, stressed about, and trained a year and a half for. So here it goes. My long morning in one long post.

Marathon Morning

Tom and I chose to spend the evening at the Double Tree near the Staten Island Ferry in Manhatten. That meant that we were only a 3 minute walk to the ferry, saving a lot of time and allowing me to sleep in. I woke up at 5:00 am, showered, and had a normal breakfast of toast and peanut butter before we were on our way (with a coffee in hand).

I got to the ferry just in time to board the 6:00 boat. While on it I began drinking my water bottle of Nuun. It was dark when we got on the ferry and my inside seat had limited views (not the sunrise views of the Statue of Liberty that I had imagined). I did catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty but spent the rest of the time people watching. It amazed me to see how international this marathon was. There were tons of languages being spoken and the experience reminded me of my marathon in Rome. 

Marathon Village
We were ushered onto buses after docking on Staten Island. When we arrived at Marathon Village we were greeted by hundreds of cops who were there to inspect our bags. The security check was quick to go through and I had very little. I had decided not to check a bag so all I had was extra clothes, water, and fuel (food and Gu).

Lessons learned while waiting to start:

1. If I do NYC again I don't need to bring a hat. Dunkin Donuts took care of hats. 
2. Don't spend 20 minutes looking for a bagel in the financial district of NYC the night before the marathon. Those were provided to us for free in the village. As well as the free coffee and tea.
3. The foil "capes" from previous marathons are incredibly valuable in staying warm. It was the first time I brought one with me to the start and I was thankful to not have the 40-something degree wind blowing on me. 
4. Use the porta potties in the corrals. There really aren't any more near the official start. I had no clue and realized this at the last moment. Because of this, I lost my spot with the 3:15 race pacer and had to start 150 meters back. I spent the first part of the race passing folks, but tried to justify it by telling myself that it's better to start slower than to go out too fast. Starting further back meant I had to start slower. 
5. It's fun to get to know people. I chatted with a resident who had worked 100+ hours that week and had no time to train. I am sure that the time spent on her feet was probably enough. Then I met a PE teacher from NYC that had run almost all of the NYC marathons since 2000ish. He was excited that I was running my first NYCM. Everyone that had run the race before was excited for us folk that had never run it. Everybody said we were going to love it. 

The Race 

As soon as the gun went off New York New York, by Frank Sinatra, began to be sung by the band at the start. The song remained in my head for the following 1.5 miles as we made our way across the bridge. I was thankful that it was no longer Miley Cyrus who had been stuck in my head the few days leading up to the race.

The Verrazano bridge experience was unique with the police chopper flying next to us and the military ship below us. There's nothing like running a marathon in the 21st Century!

By the time I was half way across the bridge I began to get a cramp in my stomach. Oh. Great. Just what I need. I felt off from the start - like I mentally wasn't in the race. I kept pushing into the cramp with my hand and tried to relax my muscles, but it was still there when I got off the bridge. At this point I started to think about one of my XC girls and how she was often plagued by cramps but she always kept going. I swear - thinking of that girl got me through that mile. I grabbed water at the second water station which seemed to relieve the cramp. Thankfully, it never did come back in the race.

Looking back, I think the Nuun played a role in that lovely experience since it was the first time I ever drank any before a race.

Miles 1-3 (According to the Garmin)

7:45, 6:53 (WHAT?!), 7:20

Cruising

Around Mile 3 I caught up to the 3:15 pace group. Then I went in front of them. My goal was 3:10. I knew I needed to pull ahead. The only problem was that I had never looked up what splits I needed for a 3:10. I might have done that on purpose. I didn't want to think about time the whole morning. Instead, I wanted to focus on effort.

At mile 3.5 the green wave joined our wave and I spotted another 3:15 pace group in front of me. Aw Dang! So my task became to pass that group to really make sure I was going to get sub 3:15. I knew that I had a least a minute on them due to my bad starting position, but needed to solidify my time.

I caught them by mile 5. What I did not know is that the people tracking me from home were starting to see consistent 7:24ish miles from me. I was unaware because my watch was telling me a different story. It also beeped before I got to the mile markers so I knew that my watch was going to be slightly unreliable.

Sadly, because it been 3 weeks, I don't remember much about this section of the race. But I do know that I passed an awesome band playing Lit's "My own worst enemy" and rocked out to it. So did all of the other 20/30 something year-olds around me.

Miles 4-7

7:13, 714, 7:13, 7:22

Support

I started to look for a few friends we had met up with NYC starting around mile 8. I honestly doubted that I would see them. There were too many spectators and I didn't want to look at every single one. Then, around 64 minutes into the race I heard my name being shouted. Adam, my old friend from high school was there! Even though I don't like being cheered for in a short race, seeing someone I know while I'm on that 26 mile journey always wakes me up and rejuvenates me for a few miles.

Avery's view of the race

My other friends, Avery and Chris, spotted me at mile 12 but sadly I didn't see them :(

Miles 8-12

7:23, 7:19, 7:14, 7:30, 7:16

Tom spotted me half-way through. I was totally unaware.

Let's Start Racing

As we made our way through the halfway point that darn 3:15 group caught up to me. I pulled ahead after a water station and thought I was good.

And then the Queensboro bridge happened.

I actually felt good on here, but I had been warned by the PE teacher: you tend to fall asleep on this bridge. All you see are feet and concrete. There are no spectators. Just water below you. I didn't feel like I slowed a lot, but I did slow enough for the pace group to catch up and stay right behind me.

As we neared the end of the bridge I began to hear some faint cheering. We began to slope down and see an end. And that's when the pacer shouted, "Get ready folks! Things are about to get exciting!"

That was enough to spark a fire in me. I seemed to wake out of the slight-slumber that I had been running in and I caught on to the excitement of the race. We turned the corner and entered the street full of people. The pacer, knowing his job, got the crowd riled up, and the cheering got louder.

I had 10 miles ahead of me. The hardest 10 miles ahead of the marathon. I could have freaked like I did in my first marathon. But at that moment, I relied on my spring and summer racing. Because I had run a 10 mile race in April, I forced myself to believe that I was running that race again. It helped my brain cope with a little over 70 minutes more of running. I put my mind on this new race, rather than dreading the pain that could come, but necessarily wouldn't come if I could race smart. After all, a marathon is unpredictable. Run it smart and you run without pain. Make silly mistakes and it could be the longest 10 miles of your life.

Through all of this my splits kept staying consistent. Sometimes I had no idea what my splits were. The cheering was so loud that I did not always hear the beeping of my Garmin. The important part was that I was not mentally ready to race.

Miles 13-17

7:21, 7:27, 7:48 (I fell asleep on the bridge), 7:40, 7:20 

At mile 20 I took my fourth and last Gu. I also tricked myself again. I didn't have 6 miles left. I was running a 10k. A 10K! I loved my 10k this summer. This should be easy.

Miles 18-20

7:02, 7:23, 7:26

By mile 21 I started to get worried. Last year my calves cramped by mile 24. Would they do the same? I used the same training program but had lower mileage weeks. Would that week off in October affect me? At this point, it wasn't.

Mile 22 - right before I heard Tom cheering

At mile 22 I FINALLY spotted Tom! He had seen me a few times but this was the first time he was in a small enough crowd for me to hear him.

Miles 21-22

7:17, 7:15

Just a 5k
I started to feel relieved at mile 23. Three "short" miles. We started to enter Central Park where there was a totally different feel to the race. I was focused but my body was getting tired. My only goal was to get to that finish line. The course starting winding, elevating, and dipping. The trees lined us on each side and even though the time seemed to slow down and the miles seemed to get long, I felt like I was flying through Central Park.

Then the weirdest thing happened. A female shouted "GO DANI!!!" Instinct told me to turn and wave. And when I did, I had no clue who I was waving and smiling at for a few seconds. Then I realized - it was Laura from Catching my Breath!! So crazy! And so cool! She rejuvenated me for that last mile. The longest one on the course.

Laura's view of the race! An awesome cheerer, photographer, and runner all at once!

That last mile was a killer. The finish line wouldn't end. At one point I was convinced that I was looking at the finish, but I was actually seeing the 26 mile marker. I spotted Tom once more and was surprised to see how quickly he had made it to the park. I swear - he has some superpower that allows him to teleport. Or maybe he has Floo Powder.

This is my "OMG! How is this race still going on?!" Face

Spotted Tom right before the final stretch.

The last 0.2 miles took the longest of the whole race. The signs counting down every 100 meters only reminded me of how much I had to go. I had to force myself to pretend that I wasn't in the race but was doing the last 400 repeat from my summer track workouts. 300 is easy. 200 is even easier. 100 meters is just a sprint.

Miles 23-26

7:19, 7:26, 7:05, 7:02

3:04 for the last 0.42 miles of the race. 
Sadly, my Garmin thought I ran a 26.42 mile race at 7:19 pace.

Finish time: 3:13:42

Actual average pace (according to NYCM timing): 7:24

The Finish Area

ING and the volunteers were awesome. The finish line areas was a breeze. We were immediately handed heavy duty plastic bags full of food. I can't tell you how thankful I was for plastic bags (unlike paper bags that rip) and not having to pick up my own food. 

I choose the no-baggage check option and was sent on my way to claim my poncho. The walk to the poncho was never ending. By the time I was half way though I found myself doing high knees because that hurt way less than walking. Anyone around me probably thought I was crazy.

When I finally did get my poncho I had to walk 6,073 more miles to get to the family meeting area. Ok - exaggeration, but it was unnecessarily long. They reversed the alphabet so I had to walk the entire way to get to C.

I didn't feel as tired as I looked

The poncho was worth it and was warm. Yes, we looked ridiculous. Some Internet journalist later mentioned that it looked like a cult was taking over NYC. 

Indeed, we did.

Overall thoughts

• Fun race. I seriously did not think it would be as good as people said it would be, but it was.
• I never bonked. Two marathons in two years following the Hanson plan and I am even more of a believer in it. I was tired at the finish, but ran my fastest miles at the end.
• Hills. Run them in your training and you'll be fine. There was only one time out there that I thought to myself, "This is slightly challenging", but never actually felt bad going up any hills or bridges. Even at the finish I was still an oblivious runner and did not realize that the course was hard. Come run my training routes and you'll find a hard course. 
• Wearing a singlet and arm sleeves in the 40-something degree weather was perfect. I was protected from the wind and only got hot once in the beginning.
• Four Gus in a marathon were perfect. So was the switching on and off of water and Gatorade at the water stations.
• It is frustrating to have a pace group right behind me. I can't tell you how many miles I battled it out with them. They'd catch up and I'd pull ahead. At times the race got very physical. One man pushed me at a water station (I was totally fine - he actually pushed me forward to get me moving) and there was a ton of congestion with all of the runners trying to get their 3:15 goal. But that is expected when 50,000+ runners are in one race. 
• The walk from the finish area was way too long and Tom had a hard time getting to me at the family meeting area. I waited a good 20 minutes for him to get from the 26 mile marker to me because he had to go around blocks, buildings, and closed roads before reaching security. 
• I would highly recommend this race to any runner looking for a fall marathon. It's definitely a race to put on the bucket list!

I warned you it was long, didn't I?