after
before
Two Sundays ago, November 1st, I ran the NYC marathon- my first! I absolutely loved it and would run it again in a heart beat. I ran it with my Dad and it was the coolest experience. It is one of the 5 world marathons and is said to be the biggest in the world. There were 44,000 runners and 2 million spectators, needless to say it was loud and entertaining!
We arrived Wednesday and because we were part of team ING we stayed at the Hilton with all of the other runners- legit runners that is, far from anything we were :). We wandered the city and had fun for a few days, ate lots of carbs, and spent some time at the Met. We had to take it easy to save our legs so we had to take cabs everywhere and limit walking. The city was sooooo busy because not only was the marathon happening, but the Yankees were in the world series and it was the Rock and Rock hall of fame. It would take 45 minutes to get a cab and the streets were flooded with people. But it was fun to see the city like that.
I was giddy the night before the race but finally fell into a semi deep sleep but woke up every hour on the hour. We had to get up at 5 30 to be in the lobby by six to get on the buses and drive out to Staten Island. The bus ride took almost 2 hours but we finally arrived. It was fun talking to everyone on the bus and finding out where they were from. We finally got there and it was madness, runners all over the place! We finally found the ING tent and had out bagels and gatorade and tried to get rid of the butterflies, but that never happened. All of sudden everyone went to their assigned group and we were directed to the start line. the first group went at 9 then 920 then 940 then 1000 we were off! We went over the Verazano Bridge then through old parts of Brooklyn that were so cool and then through queens then the Bronx then Harlem then into Manhatten. It was really hilly, which we didnt expect, but there is so much energy there you cant help but love it. The altitude was a huge help, i didnt get winded ever but my legs felt like rocks after mile 6, it was the weirdest feeling in the world. I was like a little kid the whole time, taking in the scenery, trying no to think of my legs! I was lucky enough not to hit the wall and have a great experience. My dad had a back issue at mile 16 where every step was intense pain but we did it together and he busted it out, so impressive for an old man, just kidding dad! If that would have happened to me, I am not sure I would have finished. We ran every step of the way together until 22 when Trevor jumped in and ran the last part and I went ahead with a nice lady I met haha. Once you get into Central Park you know you are close and the crowds are insane. I saw Columbus circle then i saw the mile 26 banner and I couldn't stop smiling, I really did it! Crossing the finish line was such a relief but the second you stop running you legs get so tight you want to cry. My dad finished right after me and we headed out to find Trev and my mom. All in all, we loved and are so glad we got to do it together. We are going to run the San Diego or Orange County next! We're addicted. my dad is already running again, and me, I havent seen my running shoes since and am loving it temporarily. I'll lace them up soon! Thanks Trev and Mom for putting up with us and for being our biggest fans!
