NYC Marathon

Hello again friends and family. Another 24 hours has gone by since finishing the greatest marathon on the planet. It still doesn’t seem real that I was a part of it. Me? The scrawny kid who was always picked last for teams growing up. Me? The high school freshmen who had to run the first leg of the 4 x 400 relay and couldn’t catch up to my teammate to pass the damn baton. Me?  But I have pictures to prove it, so I guess it did really happen. Yes, ME.

Without a doubt, this experience has been a great privilege. I won’t say the greatest privilege…that title applies only to experiences involving my children, but this is sure up there! To be part of something so enormous is a kick. There was such a mass of humanity, the runner of course, the spectators, the musicians, the police officers, the volunteers, the media, and all the people behind the scenes that worked for months to make it happen. It is rare to be part of something so huge. It is humbling to remember I am but one small spec in the universe, no matter how important I might feel on a given day…I’m just one person out of billions. You get a sense of that for real participating in something like this.

It was a lovely bonus to get to know some new people leading up to the big event, thanks to my buddy Janice. (More on her in a bit.) This lovely group of people energized and inspired me in the final weeks with good-natured banter, inspirational stories, great advice, and the sharing of our hopes and our reservations in tackling this goal. They adopted Joe and I as part of their group and we joined them for a pre-race pasta dinner Saturday night which was big fun and felt so comfortable it was like we had known them forever. Keith, Tracey, David, Shelley, Jay and Greg: many thanks and Congratulations to all of you!

We obsessively watched the weather all week and agonized about what to wear, what to bring, what would make it though security. In the end, I decided on my tri uniform since it offered the most storage. When planning to be out running for 5 hours, you need to bring a lot of snacks! If not for the uniform, I would have darn near had to push a grocery cart along the route! We assembled our layers to be discarded and donated. We bought our gels. We found the smallest blankets in the house to fit in our clear plastic bags. New security dictated no large blankets or sleeping bags which had been allowed in the past.

As the training wound down in the final week, I had so much energy left over, I simply didn’t know what to do with myself. Instead of running 6-8 miles, I was only running half that. Instead of swimming 90 minutes, I was only swimming one third of that. I found myself doing crazy things like cleaning up the basement to spend the extra energy.

Friday arrived and we went into Manhattan to pick up our bib numbers. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. After training for two years, it was finally here, I was going to run in the NYC Marathon with nearly 50,000 people from all over the world. Joe and I both took some ZQuill to ensure a good night’s sleep since we knew we wouldn’t sleep the following night. It was great to not set an alarm, for the first time in recent memory. Saturday, the final wardrobe decisions were made based on the current weather report of cold, clear, windy, and zero percent chance of rain. And this night we set the alarm for 4:00.

After just a short sleep, more like a nap, we popped up, ready to roll. Once again, I just couldn’t stop smiling. There were no real nerves…just excitement. (Goes to show you what a fool I am!) We left the house right on schedule at 4:45 to make our bus at The Runner’s Edge. The buses left right on schedule as well with dozens of athletes buzzing with energy. I laid back and tried to conserve my energy for what I knew would be a very long, exhausting day. And I marveled that I was one of those athletes. Me. An Athlete. Wow.

Grinning like an idiot, I proceeded to join the river of people headed into Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island…lifting my layers to show my runner’s bib oh so very proudly. I even kept smiling when the police officer took my blanket away. And my foil sheet which was still in the packaging. When he tossed out my huge wad of napkins for blowing my nose for the next 8-9 hours, I dove on them with a small shriek…but still smiling. I informed him that my sinuses are the worst in the world and if I was going to make it through this marathon I needed lots of tissues and lots of snacks. He let me reclaim my precious napkins to the laughter of everyone around me. Looking back, I probably should have been embarrassed, but nope. I was still just grinning from ear to ear.

Next was the FOUR HOUR wait until the beginning of our wave. To my delight, Joe decided to leave in wave 4 with me, instead of wave 3 so we could be together going over the bridge. Since it was incredibly freezing, this was a smart decision so he would have less time to wait for me after he finished as well. We located Janice, Greg and Jay pretty quickly and all huddled together for the duration. Dunkin Donuts was handing out orange and pink hats and it was fun to see thousands of people wearing them while we hunkered down to wait.

At last, time to go to our corral. Now, the nerves start to hit…my mouth is dry and I am shaking…but not from the cold, from the fear of the challenge to run 26.2 miles. Dear God, what was I thinking????? Then it appears as though I will have to leave Joe and Janice since my bib is blue and theirs are orange. Tears. Yup. This is going to be an all out disaster. We get some clarification after asking 3 different people and I proceed with them to Janice’s corral. Now we are walking up onto the base of the bridge. Man this is a big bridge. Oh yes, there is that head wind we’ve been fearing…yup, it will be in our faces for 20 miles. Holy crap. What was I thinking????? My phone dies, I can’t even take a picture. Damn. Oh no!!!! My phone is dead!!! How will I call Joe when I finish???? Complete panic. How will I find him? What if we miss the bus to go back to Long Island? For sure, we have worked all of this out ahead of time. Joe calmly reminds me we have a plan and I am simply to follow the plan. How he puts up with me is anyone’s guess. Really, for such an independent woman, I sometimes fall to pieces over ridiculous things…and always at inopportune times.

In any case, weather my phone is working or I have a reunion plan or not, the Howitzer booms and the crowd roars and we start moving forward up and over the Verrazano Bridge. It is just awesome, the music playing New York, New York and the view and the people all around. Thousands of people all running for their own reasons, with their own stories, but all of us have one thing in common: we are testing ourselves with the challenge of 26.2 miles…to stay focused and not get swept up in the crowds; to remember to pace ourselves and our hydration and nutrition to last the duration; to keep going when it starts to hurt; to finish in an upright position…with a smile!

At the crest of the bridge is the one mile marker. Joe and I high five, declare our love, and say goodbye so he can run his race. Janice reminds me to go slow downhill. We marvel at all the clothes strewn along the sides of the bridge and view of Manhattan. There are no spectators on the bridge, not until we come off of it and into Brooklyn. So far, it’s kind of like any other race…and then we can hear the crowds. I have to admit, I was curious if it would be like I had heard about all this time. By the time I got to the streets, would there be anyone left to cheer? The answer is ABSOLUTELY. I was not disappointed. And what is remarkable is that they cheer for everyone. No doubt, they are there in large part to support a person or people they know, but they cheer for everyone. It is incredible. To be part of that outpouring of good will was a tremendous feeling. And it really drove home that I was part of something extraordinary, doing something extraordinary. I could feel myself getting emotional again, but had to keep my wits about me. There were legs and feet and discarded clothing everywhere and no time to be worrying over tears, I still had over 20 miles to go.

Janice and I pretty much stayed together for the first 8 or 9 or 10 miles. This was great to have a buddy by my side. But just to watch Janice is a kick. Here I am worrying about conserving steps…after all there are thousands to be made and I figure I should be smart and cut every corner I can. Not Janice. She cares not how many steps she takes. She is on the side of the road high fiving every soul who sticks their hand out. She is whooping it up as much as the crowd. I keep thinking to myself, conserve energy, nothing wasted. Not Janice. She is just enjoying every band, every kid, every cheer, every minute. And it didn’t drain her at all. In the past year, I have come to admire Janice for many reasons. On Sunday, all of NYC got to see the core of her beautiful soul. And I got to watch them enjoy her, a great experience for me.

Well, at least until we lost each other somewhere I think just before mile 10. I was 7 minutes ahead of pace up until this point. And I knew I needed to slow down. My gels were on schedule and my hydration was going just fine. I felt good, but I knew I couldn’t keep it up for another 16. So, I backed off a bit. Then we hit the Queensborough Bridge. It was just like you see on TV. Silent. Dark. Up. And Up. And people walking. Looking defeated. I hated being on that bridge. But then, you start down, and you listen. Wait for it. It’s coming, I know it is. And then you hear it…a small roar in the distance. And as you descend the ramp, it gets louder and louder…and there I am, grinning like an idiot all over again. That crowd stays with us all the way up First Avenue. Truly amazing.

My friends Debbie and Nancy were to meet me on 100^th Street. That was around mile 18. I knew to look for a neon green sign. I started counting down the blocks from somewhere in the 80s until I would see them. By this point, the legs are hurting. Not horribly yet. But enough to know that it is going to get bad and probably pretty soon. To have them to focus on for those 20 blocks was a saving distraction for however long that took. I found that sign my name on it like a beacon in a storm. Let me repeat that: A SIGN WITH MY NAME ON IT. I felt like a rock star with Debbie jumping up and down and screaming for me. She hugged me so hard, she lifted me off the ground. If I live to be 118, I might never feel that special again. She gave me a banana. And somehow extricated me from the sweatshirt I still had around my waist tangled up in the race belt. Gave me a kiss. And off I went with 8 more miles to go. At that moment, 8 miles seemed very manageable.

Ha.

I really thought since I did the 26 last year when the race was cancelled, that I knew what to expect. I really thought since I trained harder and better this year, that it would be easier. What I learned is that 26.2 miles is not meant to be easy. Ever. People might get good at it. But it is never easy. I started living one water stop to the next. Just make it one more water stop and you can walk through it I would tell myself. Just make it to the Bronx and you can reward yourself with turning on your iPod. I did get a small second wind in the Bronx. Then I hit 5^th Avenue in Manhattan. This is a net uphill for a while. Oh my stars. This is when it got really, really hard. And now my walk breaks were not always in the water stops. And the sun was getting lower, and the temperature was dropping. I cannot really describe how horribly tired and cold I was during this stretch. At no point did I want to quit. But I was now certain that my goal of under 5 hours was not happening. And the negative thoughts started to swirl. Joe is waiting. He must be freezing. What if I can’t find him. What if we miss the bus back. People are tracking me. They know I’m failing. I’m letting them all down. And on. And on.

It takes some kind of strength to work your way out of that. And several of you have told me that you were watching and rooting for me at the end when I slowed down. Well, thank you. Because I did get going again. I told myself, yes, they are tracking me, they can see I’m still moving, it might be slow, but I haven’t given up. Joe will wait for me. He loves me. We will go home together on the bus or the train and it doesn’t matter. Just keep moving. Just keep moving. Just keep moving. My walk breaks were shorter. I won’t say my running was any faster, but I did feel stronger. So, thank you for all your good wishes and prayers from afar…you got me through.

I finished in 5:18:28. Not my goal, but I finished. And I found Joe. And we made the bus. J

Final Race of the Summer Series

After yesterday's effort and a 90 minute swim this morning, I did not feel much like racing 5 miles tonight, I really must admit. Alas, I made a picnic dinner, dropped Joe off to run 5 miles down to the beach and proceeded myself to field 5 to get us set up. Said hello to some folks and before I knew it, we were starting. Once again, no warm up. But, eh, I wasn't racing, so no worries.

Started out slow, legs felt heavy. Then I hear my name, and there is Chris Duvally. So I go along with him for a wee bit, huffing and puffing to chat and keep up with him, and he takes off. I look at my watch, I am running a 9 minute pace. Ah, what the heck, let's go and see what these legs can do then.

My PR for a 5 mile distance was 47:33 back in December. Tonight (insert major drum roll here) was 46:13!!!!!!! Holy smokes. I couldn't believe it!!! What a way to end the summer series. Simply tickled pink. Another pedicure in the bank Mindy! We are set into the fall for now. I think those hills in OW are already paying big dividends. Oh, I'm just so excited, I don't know how I'll get any sleep...poor Joe. :)

Smith Point Sprint Triathlon

Oh dear, what a difference a few hours makes. I finished this race so proud of myself. And just now I finally saw the results posted and I must console myself with a piece of chocolate cake. (which is handy since it is Joe's birthday today)

So, last year, was my first tri season, did this race. Finished in 1:33:44. I looked at the breakdown of the different legs and transitions last night. I made goals for each. My overall goal seemed like a real stretch of 1:21:30. So I told no one of this number. I didn't want to look like an idiot if I didn't even come close. Amazingly, I achieved my goal time!!! Total time today was 1:19:26. I was so excited!!! Most of the time came off on the swim and the run. Just 30 seconds better on the stupid bike. T1 was exactly the same. T2 was a nice improvement.

Therefore, I was all excited to log in and see how I fared in the competition. What a huge disappointment! My overall percentages were only marginally better against my division and all women. And when men were factored in, it was far worse. To take off 14 minutes and not be improved, what a bummer. Clearly it was a stronger field this year. And I think everyone did far better in the swim, the current must have been in our favor this morning. Because Joe and I took almost exactly the same amount of time off of our swims from last year. So really, I only took 8 minutes off when you take that out of the equation. But still, 8 minutes ought to have made a bigger difference. Next time, I won't get all ahead of myself with excitement, that's for sure.

It was still a beautiful, gorgeous day, spent with my birthday honey and some friends doing something good for ourselves, and that is what is important.

So says the rational side of me.

The emotional, competitive side of me says, "Get on the stupid bike, learn to ride it without a monologue telling everyone around you how terrified you are, and beat the chic in the green next year!!!"

Ocean Swim...Next Stop Europe!

OK, so up until last weekend, this was my idea of going in the ocean. 1) tip toe in up to my knees or so; 2) stand around and chat with someone...anyone will do...I don't need to know the person; 3) sachet a little further, perhaps up to mid-thigh; 4) splash a little cool water on the top half of my body; 5) pronounce myself refreshed; 6) return to beach chair.

Last weekend, Jackie, Janice and I arrived at Coney Island for my first Aquathlon. There were different distances available. We registered for a half mile swim followed by a 3 mile run. We were there bright and early. Among the first to get into the transition area and set up our things. This gave us lots of time to get the lay of the land and sea. And too much time can be a bad thing. The longer we waited, the more anxious I got about swimming with the waves. And not touching bottom. And not even seeing bottom. And getting swept away, all the way to Europe. And jellyfish. And sharks. And I was just short of claiming to see the Loch Ness Monster when finally the race started.

Two milers went in first. Then one milers. Then us. In our white hats. The water was freezing. 61 degrees, although not technically freezing, sure as heck feels like freezing. We had to swim out straight, get around a buoy, then swim parallel to shore to the next buoy, and return to the first before swimming in to shore. Jackie did great, she got right after it. My hero. And God bless Janice. She had to pep talk me all the way out to that first buoy. I would not put my face in the water. I kept complaining about the cold and the waves making me seasick.

We got around that first buoy and I figured, OK, now I'll be able to work with the waves easier. Ha. I kept trying to put my face in and swim normal...but I couldn't get the hang of breathing with the waves. And every time I took a breath to my right, I thought, "Next stop Europe." This was clearly not helping. So I switched to breathing towards the shore and that made me feel infinitely better. Thank you Amy Taylor for yelling at me for months on end to breathe to both sides! Now it is no big deal and once I calmed down, I was able to get the feel of the water and the waves and lo and behold, the turn-around buoy was just ahead. The swim back to the first buoy was like nothing and we were done before I knew it. In fact, I was going along so much better that I almost swam on the wrong side of the buoy because I got to it more quickly than I anticipated and hadn't sighted in a few breaths.

I was the next to last out of the water. This did not make me happy at all. I was through transition in no time since I had no wetsuit to contend with. And with no watch and no split callers, I just ran as fast as I could for 3 miles. There was no way that I was going to finish last!! Consequently, I ran my fastest 3 miles ever...breaking the 9 minute average pace for the first time. I was so excited!! Pace was 8:56. And get this....I won my age group. There were only 3 people in the age group. But still. Ironically, there were no age group medals though. Doesn't that just figure!?

Fast forward to this morning. We were at Point Lookout with our beloved Excel group. Janice and Jackie were not there...but they would have been proud of me. With minimal fuss, I got in the water, right up to my waist. The temperature was lovely. When swimming into those waves, I still kept my head above water...I need to work on this. But once out far enough, just got moving right along with the pack and was keeping up just fine, swimming at an even, calm pace. Nancy (who will never see this post) was my buddy. We did great until we turned around. Then we had a devil of a time sighting the buoys and/or the other swimmers. We hung together and kept going after a few brief discussions. We exited the water a little early, but were pleased with ourselves none-the-less. And the best part was that I enjoyed it today!!! (I only thought about Europe once or twice. LOL)

Doing the work

Alarm went off before 6 this morning. Time to put my feet on the floor, get up and do the work. But I knew how bloody hot it was going to be. Today's assignment was a tempo run. Total mileage of 6. Two easy, two harder, two easy. I lay there for 30 minutes, wrestling with the will to part company with the pillow. It didn't help that Joe was not parting company with his own precious pillow. I must have repeated it a half dozen times, "Get up, put your feet on the floor, there is work to be done." At last, I did it. I'd like to say that I won. But that would be silly since it was a battle with myself. How can you say "I" when "I" is on both sides?

Anyways, out into the heat I went around 7. It was already 80 degrees. And the air was heavy. Ugh. Double Ugh. First mile was nasty. I was happy it was supposed to be so slow. Now, here is the good news. I was still supposed to be going slow in the second mile and no matter how hard I tried to keep slow and steady, I was going faster than I wanted. Then it was time to pick it up for miles 3 and 4. I did mile 3 45 seconds faster than target. Nice. Mile 4 was just a bit faster than target. Mile 5 was at the proper easy target. And mile 6 was pretty slow....by then the heat was getting worse.

This program has 3 key runs per week. Track workout with intervals on Tuesdays. Tempo runs on Thursdays and long runs on Saturdays. Cross-training 2 other days a week. Then there is supposed to be strength training twice a week too. All this, and it is for one day. One race. One challenge. One test of strength and endurance and mental fortitude. I keep telling myself that this is manageable. That many of my friends are training for much more grueling challenges. They are training longer. They are training harder. So surely I can manage this.

The mental training is every bit as important as the physical training. And it seems for me that it is just as challenging. I don't know if that is true for everyone. Surely I hope so. I watched a movie tonight and there was a good line in it. "You must choose your thoughts like you choose your clothes." Something like that. I must choose to think that I can do this. I must chooses to think that I will succeed. I must choose to think I am strong enough. I will go to sleep now with that as my mantra and will wake up energized for the swim at Point Lookout in the morning.

The Countdown has Begun!

Sixteen weeks till race day. Which race? The NYC Marathon. Here we go again. I simply can't believe I'm going to train for this again. I must be nuts. 26.2 miles is a long freakin way to run. And man, it is hot as hell out there. But this too shall pass. Before we know it the crisp, cool air will return and it will be bearable again.

Yesterday was the first training day of the program. It called for a track workout. I opted to do mine on the treadmill indoors due to the heat. The workout was 3 x 1600 at PR pace for a 5K with 400 rests in between. The first one was no problem. The second two were hard. Really hard. I'm blaming it on the heat. Since I had just done that pace for 3 consecutive 1600s on Saturday, I certainly should have been able to do them with rests in between. Could have been the heat. Or perhaps the miserable run on Sunday - 10 miles - again, in the heat. In any case, I didn't quite make those second two intervals. Logged 5 miles total for the morning.

And all the while, the morning TV was going on and on about the Zimmerman case. That should have been enough to make me run faster in and of itself. LOL.

Push ups.

Who among my normal girlfriends can do a real push up? Now, by normal, I mean not an elite athlete. Barbara, this excludes you. Lisa, this excludes you too. And, by real, I mean on your toes not on your knees...no butt sticking up...chest all the way to the floor...and then the hard part, back up again. Dear God in heaven, this is hard. It is my goal to be able to do one. For now, just one. Someday, maybe my goal will be to do many of them. But right now I'd be thrilled with just one real push up.

Maybe we should start a contest of some kind. Who can do the most real push ups by a certain date? The trouble is, since I'm not sure how long it will take me to do just one, I don't know what date to pick. Any takers?