Sunday: 5 Bridges/ 5 Boroughs... it's RACE DAY!!!

Sunday was a LOOONNNGGG day! My alarm went off at 3:50 am. I got dressed in my 3 layers of clothes, made sure I had everything I needed, and headed down to the lobby to meet Raji, Jeanette and Claudia. We took a few minutes to take some pictures (of course!!) and then it was off to the Subway for the first leg of our long trek to the start line :( We JUST missed the 4:30 train down to the ferry terminal near Battery Park so we ended up waiting for about 15 minutes for the next one. The subway system in New York is SO confusing... at least compared to our easy 5 line BART system in the bay area. We did manage to get on the right train (in the nick of time since I managed to piss off some homeless lady sleeping upright on a bench nearby-- she vehemently flipped me off a couple times and told me to get away from her stuff. Ummm, I'm about 10 feet away but okay... at least she provided us with a little entertainment!).

Our chips... they said New York City Marathon 2007 (I kept mine :D)

After the subway, we walked over to the ferry terminal and were first in line for the ferry leaving for Staten Island at 6:00. The ferry can hold 5,000 people and it wasn't even close to being full. I had been a little nervous about there being huge crowds lining up to get on the ferry but I had nothing to worry about. It was a nice relaxing ride across the bay to Staten Island. We even got to see the Statue of Liberty up close in the emerging sunlight! Very exciting!

On the subway

At the ferry terminal... I'm getting yelled at :(

On the ferry

After the ferry we were all shuttled on to a bus that took us through Staten Island to the staging at some military base (I forget the name). By this time it was probably around 6:45 or 7:00. We weren't starting until 10:10 so we had a few HOURS to sit around and wait. We knew this was going to happen so we all wore extra layers that we could leave at the start line (since we'd have to check our bags about an hour before we actually started). We also brought some food and liquids so we could stay hydrated and eat breakfast while we waited. It was pretty cold out but with all our layers, some handwarmers and the $5 blankies we brought, I was pretty comfortable. Slowly everyone else started arriving too... Lindsay, Monica, Amy, Bree, Sandy and Lael.

Walking to the staging area

Around 8:45 or so we decided to start packing our stuff up so we could head over to check our bags. That was a nightmare! Everything up to that point had been very well planned... plenty of porta potties, food, water, etc. But the bag check situation was chaos. There were all these people shoving and pushing their way down a narrow little driveway to the UPS trucks that would take our bags to the finish area. I usually don't have a hard time in crowds because my head sticks up above everyone else, but even I was starting to get claustrophobic. Finally we were out of the mess and after one last potty stop we headed to our corral. Monica, Lindsay, Jeanette, Claudia, Raji and I had managed to stay together... Amy, Bree and Sandy were in a corral behind us and Lael was off with the other speedy people :D

We're ready to go!!

IT'S TIME!! I didn't really hear the starting cannon but we could see across some of the buildings to the bridge we'd be running across and people were already running. But before we could get to the start line, we had a little walking to do (and dodging all the clothes that people were throwing to the side of the corrals). There were three corral areas-- orange, blue and green-- and they were trying to get us all up on the bridge... the orange and blue runners (we were orange) were sharing the top deck, and the green runners were on the lower deck. Pretty soon we were heading under the orange balloons and we were off!!

Heading to the start

Approaching the Verrazano-Narrows bridge

Jeanette and I had agreed that we were going to try to stick together during the race. We had such a fun time running Nike together and we wanted to make this a fun experience too. I knew that with so many people running, and the hilly/incliney (hmmm, I don't think that's a real word) course, I probably wouldn't be PRing here so I wanted to just make it an enjoyable experience. Jeanette's training had suffered due to some injuries so she wasn't going to be setting any records either. The sun was out, the weather was beautiful and we decided to just have fun, take pictures and walk up the many bridges/inclines-- our only general time goal was to finish in around 6 hours.

Our first big hurdle was the Verrazano-Narrows bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn. It's a pretty long bridge, but because you're so pumped up, you don't really notice it! We jogged a little and walked when the incline was steeper. On the other side of the bridge we were dumped into the street of Brooklyn and met with crowds of cheering spectators! Of course one of the first things we see is a runner lying on the side of the road, going into convulsions. She had people around her helping her so we kept on going, trying to get that picture out of our minds :( By mile 2 it had really started to warm up. Luckily Sandy's hubby was waiting for her around mile 3 so we handed off our long sleeve shirts and jackets to him.

Bridge #1 of 5

The view UP the bridge

The view back DOWN the bridge

Spraying ING colors... white, blue and orange

Of all the 5 boroughs, we were in Brooklyn the longest and it was really interesting to see all the different areas. Every mile after mile 3 there were water and gatorade stops. I had visions of horribly crowded aid stations with people crammed up again the table trying to get water, kind of like it was at Nike. In fact it was just the opposite! There were plenty of tables lining both sides of the street and no one pushing, crowding or shoving-- I loved hearing the New York accents: "Wadah hear... get your wadah!!" I think it helped that the runners were spread along three courses, and we each had our own aid stations. Even at the porta potties there weren't many lines. Jeanette and I stopped at one point so she could potty, and I could stretch and there were just a few people in line in front of her! The only that sucked was all the cups all over... the wax rubbed off on our shoes, which made them slick, and then when the wax rubbed off it was all sticky from the gatorade. Ewww :(

First we ran through a kind of retail area with lots of shops and businesses. There were lots of people cheering, and LOTS of cute firemen :D Around mile 8 the three different groups of runners (orange, blue and green) who had been following slightly different course merged together so it got a little more crowded. We also hit this long incline through a really cute neighborhood along Lafayette Street... it reminded me of the neighborhood where Bill Cosby lived in the Cosby show. We ran through Williamsburg, which is a predominately Jewish area. All the building signs were in Hebrew and we saw lots of very traditionally dressed Jewish men, women, and adorable little girls (but NO little boys). It was definitely quieter in this neighborhood... not a lot of cheering but still VERY interesting to run through! We ran through some pretty sketchy neighborhoods (that were filled with people cheering and music blaring).

Brooklyn

Jewish men in Williamsburg

Somewhere in Brooklyn Jeanette and I ran into Bree and Amy. We leapfrogged with them for a little bit... they'd walk and we'd get ahead, and then we'd switch. We saw a runner with a lighthouse costume on (standing at a hot dog cart)... we saw a woman with a sign that said "Make this course your bitch" (I LOVED that!!)... a man with another inspiration sign (see pic below)... we saw LOTS more cute firemen who seemed more interested in the attention they were getting from us... Jeanette saw lots of doggies, and went to pet them... and still LOTS of cheering spectators.

Amen!

At mile 13.1 we crossed the Pulaski bridge (also fun to hear people say with a NY/Brooklyn accent) into Queens. My back was starting to hurt a little and Jeanette's hip was giving her problems so we used a little of Bree's BioFreeze and stopped for a quick stretch along the bridge.

Over the Pulaski bridge... I think

We were only in Queens for a couple of miles before we hit the Queensboro Bridge... the LONGEST. bridge. ever! It's really not THAT long... only a mile, which is half the length of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge... but it seemed SO long! It was much more incliney, so everyone was walking, it was darker because we were on the bottom deck, and it was really quiet because there were no spectators. The only thing that kept us going was knowing that at the other side of the bridge we'd be in Manhattan with more crazy crowds and our friends and family waiting. (I was also STARVING and had heard at some point that Rocky had peanut butter pretzels!!) I texted my parents to let them know I was on the bridge and would see them in a few minutes (ummm, more like 20 but close enough!). I also got a text from Brandy telling us that she hoped the marathon went well (ummm, we're still running it but THANK YOU for thinking of us!!).

Jeanette and I came off the bridge, went around a sharp turn and saw Rocky, Phil, Carolee (Lindsay's mom) and Lakshman (Raji's hubby) waiting for us! Yea... biofreeze and food!!! Rocky applied the Biofreeze and Jeanette and I shoved some pretzels in our mouth. They told that Raji was ahead of us looking really good, but they had missed Lael. I know my parents were still ahead of us along 1st Avenue so off we went!

Coming off the bridge

Yummm, preztels!


Along 1st Avenue with my folks

Along First Ave. we ran into Bree and Amy again. Amy had taken a little spill but was running well despite that. We ran with them a little bit before Jeanette and I peeled away to hit the potty and do a quick stretch. Even in the craziness of Manhattan, with all the crowds, there were NO lines for the Porta Potties! 1st Avenue stretched on forever and this is where Jeanette started feeling not so hot. I think everything was just starting to hurt... no specific problems, just getting worn down. I wasn't feeling to bad, just the normal worn out feeling, but I didn't want to leave Jeanette... we had come this far and there was NO way I was leaving her! Plus, I needed her good humor and emotional support the further we went. We walked on and off as we needed to, not worrying about our times.

At mile 20 we had reached the end of First Ave and were crossing the Willis Ave. Bridge into the Bronx. This is where most runners hit THE WALL, where the race ceases to be a physical one, and become a mental challenge. I never have a problem hitting the wall... my problem miles are usually 10-20 (the black hole where everything just blurs together)... once I hit 20 I know I'm golden... only 6.2 more miles to go!!! By the time Jeanette and I got into the Bronx we were getting a little delirious, making stupid jokes and posing for the cameras.

After just 1 mile in the Bronx, we went over the Madison Ave. Bridge back into Manhattan. We ran through Harlem and I was looking at the people cheering us on and all of a sudden I see a face I know... RUBEN!!! I ran over to say hello to my college friend Ruben who I hadn't seen in probably about 10 years. He lives about two blocks away and just happened to be walking down the street when I was passing by!! We chatted for a few minutes and then Jeanette and I were on our way. I was feeling totally jazzed after seeing Ruben but Jeanette wasn't feeling so hot :( After Harlem we were running along 5th Ave., another incliney section of the course, so we did a little walking. It was really pretty with Central Park along the right side of the road, although at this point it was starting to get a little dark... and cold :( The crowds had also really thinned out at the point... people who had been out cheering for hours were now on their way home, or to dinner. Poopy for those of us still out there who need those cheers! :(

While we were run/walking along the park, I had talked to my brother and parents who were trying to find eachother around mile 24. A little past mile 23 we left Madison Ave. and headed into the park for the final stretch. I knew my parents were up ahead so I told Jeanette I was going to run up to where they were, and then I'd wait for her to catch up. Shortly after leaving her, I ran into Rocky and Phil. They had seem Amy and Bree in front of us, and were just waiting for Monica, Linds and Claudia to come by behind us somewhere. I ran on ahead (down a nice downhill section :D) trying to find my parents. They weren't where I though they would be at mile 24 but I saw them shortly after. I ran up to them, dropped off my bottle (I didn't think I'd need it the last couple of miles) and only had time to say a few words before I see Jeanette coming down the road. She had gotten in a groove and didn't want to stop so she waved me forward like "Let's GO!!"






The last couple of miles seemed like the longest miles ever. You know you're SO close, but you're really not THAT close! After Jeanette kicked my butt for a few hundred feet, we went back to our run/walk. We reached the end of the park, and then turned right along W. 59th, aka Poop Alley. This is where all the horse carriages are usually lined up waiting to take people on a scenic tour around the park. This is also were they poop. Even though the horses weren't there, you could still smell the poopie... not exactly what you want heading into your lungs while taking deep breaths. We were also running up an incline (again) and we were just ready for this race to be OVER! At the edge of the park we went by Columbus circle, saw ourselves on a big screen, grabbed eachother's hand and then ran uphill by the empty stands and non-existant crowds to the finish line!! WE'RE DONE!!! Our official time was 6:25:15.

You can see in the pictures how dark it was starting to get. :( It was wierd to be coming across the finish line in the dark, with hardly anyone around. Jeanette and I got our medals, got our picture taken and then started the LONG trek up another damn hill to the UPS trucks. I called Rocky to see if Claudia and the girls had come by yet and he said he was with them and they were on their way in. They had told us in the information that we would be given a food and liquid bag with stuff to eat and drink. I was looking forward to it because again I was SO hungry. Yeah right, we got a bottle of water and a bagel. I was starving but didn't even want the bagel. Jeanette on the other had DID, but was having a hard time getting it down. I told her she better not choke because I was in NO shape to help her! We were still working our way along the baggage trucks, walking from #1 to #23 (Jeanette) and then #34 (me).

GIVE ME FOOD!!

Once we got our bags I got a call from Claudia... she had just crossed the finish line and was doing okay. We were so far away from her at this point that we decided we'd make our separate ways back to the hotel. Jeanette and I still had to walk up aways to get OUT of the park, and we met my parents at 81st street. We figured it would probably take us forever to find a cab so we went down to the subway system to try to catch a train the would put us close to the hotel (the subway was free for runners :D) We got on a very crowded train and got off a couple stops later... we were closer to the hotel, but not super close. We had no luck getting a cab so hoofed it back to the hotel. Jeanette and I were so tired, and sore, but it probably helped us to do all that walking.

We finally got back to the hotel a little after 6:00 pm and my parents and brother came up to my room with me. I did a little icing (I didn't have a tub for an ice bath :( ) and then took a shower. We had reservations with our family friends for dinner at 7:30 at a place nearby called Toloache. There was no way I was walking to the restaurant, especially not in the high heels I had brought to wear for dinner, so we stood in line downstairs for a cab. I don't think my legs were too happy with me, OR the heels, because they were shaking away while we were standing in line! I knew once we got to dinner I could just sit down and relax!

The Lamon and Nichols clans at dinner

Dinner was SUPER yummy! OMG, it was just what I needed after that race! We all had margaritas, yummy guacamole, and I had the grilled grass-fed skirt steak :) My belly was happy! We even got this yummy dessert wine free with our dessert. Yummm :D Once we got back to the hotel I went up to Jeanette, Claudia and Rocky's room to hang out... they had stayed in and got room service. By 10:00 pm I was pooped and headed back to my room, but then ended up staying up another hour and a half chatting with Phil!

All in all, I was pretty happy with the race. I didn't get the time I had been aiming for but I had a FUN race, at least as fun as a marathon could be! At no point did I want to quit, feel overwhelmed by the race or feel discouraged, which is usually how I feel during a marathon. The challenges I had anticipated--crowds of runners on the course and at the water stations--never appeared... instead I was challenged by things I hadn't given as much thought to-- eating the right amount of food before the race (I didn't) and the incliney course (even more challenging than the 20 miler I did on the Nike course in SF). Right when Jeanette and I were running into the Bronx I told her I'd never do another marathon... this was it. But now I think I've changed my ming :D I had my "fun" race, now I want a new PR!