Tuesday, November 3, 2009

New York City Marathon

Well....I did it! All the months of training finally culminating into 3 1/2 hours of joy, pain, nerves, misery, tears, and happiness all rolled into one. Sunday was the world famous New York City Marathon and I was lucky enough to be a part of it (me and 43,000 other finishers). I wanted to write down the experience before I forget all the little things. I'll post our whole NY experience later but for now here's the marathon stuff....The day before the race we headed out to the expo to pick up my bib number and other goodies...and of course spend way too much money. I did get to meet Grete Weitz (she is a world class past 9 time NYC marathon winner) so that was very cool. Here I am the night before getting everything ready. Mark will attest to the fact that I am a bit of a stress case the day before a race. I was freaking out about how I was going to get to the Staten Island Ferry that I was scheduled to depart on at 5:30am. We had to take the subway and I wanted to make sure we knew exactly what train we were taking and that there was a plan 'B' if the train broke down, crashed, or whatever. He was kind enough to put up with my craziness. I was also checking the weather every hour hoping and praying the rain that kept lingering around November 1st would magically disappear. So....once my 4 separate alarm clocks went off at 4am (ughhh...which by the way is 1am California time) it was time to hit the subway. I usually have nightmares that my alarm clock doesn't go off and I'm late to the start, or I realize that I don't have my shoes when the gun goes off, stuff like that! It was pretty tough to fall asleep. I think I got about 4 hours the night before. Of course Mark came with me since there was no way I was navigating those subways by myself at that time. It was fun seeing all the nearly passed out, still drunk party goers stumbling off the trains from their all night Halloween parties. We made it to the Ferry and this is where I kissed my husband goodbye and ventured out on my own towards the start line on Staten Island. It was very surreal when the boat passed by the Statue of Liberty in the still mostly dark sky and reality started to set in as I thought "I'm about to run the NY marathon....how cool is that!" After a boat ride followed by a crowded bus ride, I finally made it to the "start village" where the only thing to do now is wait for about 2 hours until it's your turn to start. Luckily we only got a few drops of rain but the ground was very wet, so here I am keeping my bum warm on a couple garbage bags. I made several trips to the port-a-potties, painted my nails to match my shirt (had to keep myself busy), stretched every muscle, and did a lot of people watching (There were some interesting ones - like the foreign old guy that felt it was okay to just srip down to his speedo and change his shorts for all to see). At last it was time to make our way to the Verrazzanos-Narrows Bridge to line up for the start. As you can imagine trying to get 43,000 people across a start line can be quite a process. They actually have 3 start lines with 3 different 'wave' times each 20 minutes apart. Within each start 'wave' you're assigned a corral kind of like cattle according to your projected finish time. Luckily I was in the first wave so I got to start with the first group. The start was definitely the best part. After we are 'herded' like cattle to the start line, you can hear the national anthem as several helicopters with cameras buzz above your head (I waved....maybe you saw me:)). A cannon goes off to signal the start and through these huge loud speakers you hear the song..."New York, New York" as you begin your 26.2 mile trek across the bridge into Brooklyn. It was awesome! And oh yes....let's not forget all the lovely men relieving themselves off the bridge within the first mile... probably saw more than I needed to. Hope there weren't any passing boats beneath. It's all part of the experience I guess. So everything was going great, I was feeling pretty good running well under my goal time of 3:30. At mile 4 it was still pretty congested making it hard to really settle into your pace. About mile 5 I made my way to the side to grab a cup of water and after a couple sips while running (which is an art form in and of itself..), I totally ate it!!! The ground was really wet where they were giving out water and my left foot just slipped out from under me and BAM I was on the ground with my legs in a semi split. I quickly got up and kept going, did a mental check of all my joints and everything was fine. Thank goodness I didn't twist anything....just looked like a dork I'm sure! And after all that....all I had to show for it was this little scratch. Pathetic! A little dripping blood to show off my 'battle wounds' would have been nice! Meanwhile...my support team (i.e.Mark) was busy racing around New York via subway trying to get a picture or two. This course really was lined with spectators from start to finish. It was crazy! Some of the interesting signs I saw people holding, especially in Brooklyn and the Bronx were..."STOP YOUR CRYING", "NO ONE MADE YOU DO THIS", "YOUR ONLY *$@!*! OPTION IS TO FINISH" and "RUN B*@!*" I know they meant it in an inspiring kind of way. Only in New York! :) . Here I am at about mile 9... At this point I'm still feeling really good, not yet questioning why the heck I'm doing this. People often ask me what I think about for 26.2 miles and for me yes, I'm soaking up the experience, etc.. but I'm also thinking alot about numbers....calculating what kind of pace I'm on, if I continue that pace what I will finish in, if I slow down a little what will that do to my time, etc.. I really try to run 1 mile at a time and focus on each mile's time and whether that puts me ahead, behind or right on target for my goal. At this point I was about 6 minutes ahead of my goal time. The course takes you over 5 bridges and through the 5 boroughs of New York: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Manhattan. We then run a few miles through Central Park to the uphill finish. I'd say it was about mile 17 or 18 that I started to hurt. Things began to slow down a bit. The hills did not go unnoticed as they did in the first half and each mile marker seemed to take forever to come into view. About mile 21 and 22 I started not to care so much about my time anymore and just wanted to finish. My legs ached and just did not want to turn over anymore. The negative thoughts creep in like "why the heck am I doing this, what was I thinking, this sucks, I'm sooo not doing this again!!" But....you keep on going, counting down each mile. I really tried to enjoy the last couple miles as much as possible, not worrying so much about my time but trying to take in the scene and the roaring crowd. Here I am about mile 25... The last half mile there are signs every hundred yards counting down letting you know you have 400 yards left, then 300, 200, etc.. All I could think was "C'mon already!!!!!" And then there it was....the coveted finish line!!!! I even mustered up a "cox kick" in the last 200 yards. As I stopped my watch and my legs the reality sets in as I thought to myself "I just finished the New York Marathon!! WooHoo!!" Then I thought "I think I'm going to stick with half marathons from now on." My time: 3:36:03 (about 8:15 minutes per mile). Not my best, not my worst. I figured I'd be between 3:25 and 3:40. 3:29 would have sounded a lot better...but I'll take it :). That course was brutal! I ended up finishing in the top 15% of men and women,top 4% of all women (which includes all those Kenyans:)), and top 7% of my age division. Not too shabby for the worlds largest marathon with the world's best:) Below are some pictures of other inspirational runners around mile 25. The picture on the left is a blind runner being led by a guide, gotta love tigger (don't ask my why but I'm sure he has his reasons), the runner pushing the handicap girl, the obvious proud British runner, and how about the old guy in the center! Here's the thing though...this picture was taken before I got there so did he run faster than me??? What the heck? Maybe they started the old people earlier??? I hope so!!! So after the finish we are once again 'herded' like cattle down this very long kind of corridor where we got our medal, water, etc.. This was honestly the most painful part of the race for me. Walking seemed to make every muscle in my legs want to cramp up. When we were in the start village you could give your bag that contained your personal stuff (i.e camera, jacket, etc..) to a UPS truck that corresponded with your bib number. Once you finished you were to pick up your bag in your corresponding UPS truck. So as I'm walking in pain the first UPS truck appears and it says 65,000-65,999. The trucks were all lined up length to length and they started with the highest number and worked their way down. Well my number was 11,631 so I had to walk the length of well....a lot of trucks!! I wanted to cry!! My legs had never hurt that bad in my life! I finally made it to my truck and out of the park where I had planned to meet Mark. I found the first corner I could, called him and said "You're going to have to come to me because I need to sit!!"

He found me!! I just have to give him some props because he has been so supportive from taking time off of work to watch the kids while I got my long training runs in, putting up with my craziness and stressed out personality in the days before the race, and running all over New York for his own little marathon trying to capture the adventure on camera!

People wonder why in the world a sane person would pay $180 to run 26.2 miles and put their bodies through such torture on purpose. Well for me there are a lot of reasons: I have to have a long term goal that I'm constantly working towards. I feel lost without one. I'm competitive and this is how I curb that craving. It makes me feel healthy and all cleaned out on the inside. It makes me feel like I can do something that is not so 'ordinary'. But probably the most important reason is that it is 'my thing'. It represents my independence and signifies something that is all mine. When I am out there I am Joanne....not a mom, not a wife, but just me! It's part of who I am and that is sacred to me. I'm so glad I have a husband that 'gets that' and a healthy body that allows me to do it. I feel very blessed!

Will I run another marathon? Probably! I relate it to child birth. Right after, we say things like "we're never doing that again!" and then....we forget the pain, we remember the joy and we go back for more.

15 comments:

  1. Aw man, i kind of want to cry reading about your triumph! and seriously - I've never even been to New York. why the heck didn't me and Brent come and cheer you on!? that would've been so fun. glad to hear you'll do another one - maybe we can come next time. so either pick one close and convenient or some place cool!

    anyways - thanks for the recap. very inspiring.

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  2. What a GREAT post! I am sooo proud of you! What an amazing experience! So my question I ask all my friends that run marathons...where did you pee? Did you just go and not care? Come on...tell me the truth!!!
    Great job Joanne!!!!! I will stick to my natural childbirth...you do marathons!

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  3. Joanne, that sounds amazing! Good for you!! The pictures are great too!! Glad that you had a great time and that you did so well. It might take me 4 or 5 days to go 26.2 miles.

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  4. Loved the post. The pictures were great! I would have loved to be there to cheer you on too! :) Still remember cheering you on in one of your first marathons in St. George. It was very inspirational.....By the way I think the marathon is harder than childbirth.....even natural childbirth. At least for me it would be!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad you had a good time :) Love ya

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  5. Jo
    I honestly don't know how you do that. and i agree with susi that i think its harder than childbirth even though i havent experienced it i have seen many woman go through it. your pictures were great you will have to post more on facebook. congrats when is the next one???

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  6. wow! congrats. glad you didn't get hurt on your fall...and i love the 'encouraging" posters to keep ya movin!

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  7. so 24 hours in a day minus 3:36 hours leaves you....plenty of time to remember your brother's birthday who remembers being there for your first Boston marathon, but thats ok, im not bitter. :)

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  8. Congrats. Thats awesome. I would love to see New York that way. It is one of my favorite cities. I am really glad that you included a picture of you in the tin foil blanket. I was there for the marathon a while ago and always remembered seeing the racers wrapped in their tin foil after. I told Kenny all about them and how maybe you would get one. He never really believed me. Now he knows I am not crazy.

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  9. Way to go Joanne! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about your experience. It's really fun to be able to experience it (in a very small part) through your words. Maybe I'll start training for one?

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  10. I got teary eyed just reading that! I love going to marathons (never plan on running one, but I'm great support!) and soaking in the atmosphere, the energy, and the triumph by so many people. Way to go!!!!

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  11. WOW! We are so proud of you. Loved your writing--made me laugh and smile and loved the end. What a great husband!! And what great parents to babysit for your 5th anniversay New York trip!! What will you do on your tenth??

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  12. I loved that! It is so fun to live vicariously through you, what a cool race! I also agree with everything you said about why you run. It is so fun to do something competitive and adventurous, and get your exercise in too.

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  13. Go Joanne! That was awesome! I especially loved the part about why you do it-- that was what inspired me. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your NY adventures!

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  14. hahahahaha! i'm laughing out loud at Ted's comment.

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  15. That was amazing you are awesome!! I got teary-eyed as I read. I completely understand how you feel while you are out there.

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