We finally got on the buses, mine was number 9, and we spent over an hour heading through a dreary and very quiet city. My friends were all on different buses, so I sat in the back and made friends with two seasoned marathoners, but both new to the NYC marathon. One hailed from Las Vegas and the other from Louisiana. I pointed out the sites to them.
We finally caught sight of the Start Village and piled out of the buses into long security lines. As we entered the village, there were rows and rows of port-a-potties, shivering runners sitting on trash bags and blankets trying to keep warm in the 40 degree weather with gusting winds, and overhead announcements repeating messages and reminders to everyone in different languages. I have to admit, it felt like a refugee camp and my spirits dropped at the thought of spending over 2 hours in that environment, waiting for my 10:55am start time. I resigned myself and walked through the village toward our private Team for Kids tent at the very back of the village. As I approached the tent, I could hear Coach Gail over the loudspeaker and my spirits rose. Her wonderfully warm and peppy voice was speaking encouraging words and upbeat advice. As I approached the entrance, I saw non-TFK runners trying to sneak into the area and get turned away. I felt sadness that they had to stay in the dreary area, but I also felt relief and gratitude.
I was starving and anxious to eat my bagel with peanut butter and banana, so instead of looking around for the friends, I set up my green plastic tablecloth on the first patch of grass that I found available and started eating. I resigned myself to two hours alone, but miraculously (the tent was big and packed with people) my friends randomly walked by and setup next to me. I know it sounds silly, but this meant so much to me and I thank the universe for giving me this gift. We talked, we ate, we prepped, we worked through anxieties. "Do I remove my undershirt?" "Do I keep my training shoes or check them in my bag?" "Do I keep my nice coat and toss it after the bridge, even though I planned on checking it?" "We should pee just one more time, right?" We jumped and cheered as the cannons went off, announcing the start of each earlier wave.
Soon, it was the deadline to check baggage and time for the team warm-up and stretch. Wave 4 was such a huge group, Nadine and I tried to follow along, but couldn't see the coaches in the center of the throng. We walked together toward the corrals and gave hugs goodbye since we were in different colors and corrals. That goodbye was hard. I entered my corral, surrounded by tons of strangers, everyone getting one last bathroom run in, or falling over themselves trying to remove top layer pants. One woman, desperately looking for her sister, stood on the side screaming her sister's name over and over and as I passed her, she yelled, "I won't run this race without you!" My heart went out to her and at the same time, I wished my own sister was there with me. An Italian lady next to me was asking a young British man if he was engaged, because her mother standing next to her, a sprightly lady probably in her 70s, wanted to know. Then, the Wave 4 cannon sounded and we were off.
The forecast for the day included 20-25mph winds. These hit us immediately. Hats, clothes and other items were being blown around. You had to be careful not to get hit. The excitement before the start line immediately ended, as everyone was forced to battle the wind just to move forward. I tried to stay close to the bridge median, hoping for some wind protection but to no avail. Not only was there no protection, I nearly got blown into the concrete median twice during huge gusts of wind. I won't lie, that bridge was awful. My plans to conserve energy were thrown out the window in an effort to actually move forward rather than running in place. But, I made it to the other side.
The Green runners follow a slightly different trajectory than the Blue and Orange runners. We went through a quaint southern Brooklyn neighborhood where the residents cheered us, and it felt more like a local parade than a marathon. I concentrated on trying to get my energy back and appreciated the peacefulness of this area. The sun had greeted us as well, so most of us were starting to shed some layers.
After awhile, we rejoined the Blue and Orange runners on the large and festive 4th Avenue. Lots of different music setups along the way, including what I think was a karaoke stage. Unfortunately, when I was passing by, they let a tone deaf child sing a very painful rendition of the ABCs. I wish I could say that I enjoyed this part of the course, as many past runners have recounted how much they enjoyed this section. However, since 4th Ave is large, it turned into a wind tunnel, so we were battling the winds head on for the full 6 miles. I nearly lost my visor several times and my hopes for saving energy were dashed. I started setting my sights on the 8 mile marker where I would see my first confirmed spectators, at the turn onto Lafayette Ave. My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew all came from out of town to cheer me on. I started looking at the crowd and all of a sudden, I spotted my sister who had already seen me. They were cheering their hearts out, which encouraged me to put my brave face on and run toward them. My nephew Gus was yelling, "Go Kitty, Go" through a tiny megaphone I picked up for him at the Expo. Seeing them gave me positive energy and really buoyed my spirits.
Fort Greene and Cinton Hill were incredibly festive. There was one block having a full-on block party, singing classic songs as a huge group. For some reason, this made me teary-eyed. I had a brief sighting of Laura H. across the street somewhere along mile 8 or 9. After that, I got on the north side of the street in anticipation of meeting my second confirmed spectators, Virgina and Ryan Young. I saw them before they saw me, because they were doing such an awesome job cheering on the runners in front of me. Their huge smiles when they finally saw me were like little power-ups. I gave them hugs and ran on.
The high of seeing such wonderful people started to wear off and I started feeling the effects of battling the wind. Luckily, my largest cheering section was coming up in Williamsburg. I spotted Ryan from far off and his energy pulled me out of my slump. As I got closer, I saw the huge group with him, my in-laws John and Sharon, my brother-in-law Shane, his wife Chelsey and their little girls Evelyn and June, Sara Hodges, Carolyn and Ben Bennett, Eddy Kim, Jimmy Crowell, Kate Mangold, Bearden and the adorable Konjit, who made me a sign with a cat on it.
Taken by my father-in-law, John.
Taken by my father-in-law, John.
Taken by Ben Bennett
Taken by Ben Bennett
I was overwhelmed by all the support and after a hug for Ryan and lots of high-fives, I went on my way. Slightly after, I saw my best friends Maureen Egan and Sarah Higgins, which I forgot were going to be in Williamsburg. I gave them a crazy enthusiastic hello and continued, the rest of Williamsburg felt like a blur.
Taken by Sarah and Maureen
I worried that I was feeling a bit out of it, so I resolved to increase my fuel and liquid intake. We turned the corner into Greenpoint, where I was greeted by Lucy, Daniel and little Edward. At this point, I was feeling pretty rough and was only at the 12 mile mark. So, thank you Daniel and Lucy, because I really needed the positive spirit at that point. I somehow got myself over the Pulaski Bridge, passing lots of walkers. As I entered Queens, I focused on saving energy for the Queensboro Bridge.
Taken by a race photographer in Queens.
This is the definition of "fake it until you make it" because I was dying here.
Luckily, I ran this bridge before, so I knew what it would be like. As I was approaching it, my energy level was low and I was feeling angry and defeated. Lots of swear words going through my mind. I was internally shaking my fists at the weather gods, as if there was actually someone to blame for the conditions. I started to doubt that I could finish, since I had never felt so terrible on any of the training runs. I was only a little over halfway through. I made a promise to myself that I had to at least get over the bridge. As terrible as I felt, I ran the bridge, passing lots of walkers along the way. I was strangely appreciative for the silence, since no spectators were allowed. It allowed me to focus, and I pushed my self forward by singing the Our Father in my head. If you haven't heard this version, it is almost like chant. It felt like a mantra, easy to repeat. Once I was on my way down, I felt renewed and hopeful. If I was able to kill that bridge, I could certainly keep going. I decided to break-up the rest of the race into sections. Next, I just needed to get to the Bronx.
I don't know if the winds drowned the sound or just kept people in the comfort of their homes, but I did not experience the wall of sound from First Avenue in Manhattan. There were definitely spectators, but not as many as I expected. Still, the energy was there, and I appreciated all of the cheers from strangers. I had made a complete turnaround in terms of energy. I felt great and hopeful. It was a miracle. Perhaps runner's high had set in, or my muscles had finally warmed up. The blocks felt like they were flying by, and since I work in Spanish Harlem, it was familiar territory. I counted down the blocks and started searching the crowds for Meg and Andy Bocko. I must have looked like a maniac, and nearly knocked them over with hugs. I also shoved my sweaty headband at them, which they very graciously took. Thank you, Bockos! I focused in and finished First Ave strong.
The bridge into the Bronx required effort, but again, I kept running and passing walkers. The Bronx was odd, because there were sparse spectators, but there was music the whole time. It felt like being on a movie set. At one point, we zig-zagged through a very empty area, but radio music was blaring from a very loud speaker. I kept trying to find the speaker but couldn't. I really appreciated the music and decided it must have been some magic setup by the race organizers to keep our spirits up. I still felt strong but worked on conserving energy. I was reaching the 20 mile mark and wanted to make sure I had enough juice for the rest.
We crossed the tiny bridge back into Manhattan and right into the fun energy of Harlem. My favorite part was a calypso band and the random ladies dancing their hearts out to the music along the way. This was also the point where TFK coaches were waiting for us at each mile. Coach Asteria and her cowbell greeted me at mile 21. She also gave me a glucose tablet to eat. I ate it immediately, but started worrying right after that perhaps I shouldn't have eaten something new. Coach Sid greeted me at Marcus Garvey park with encouragement and also a lecture on wearing too many layers. Ha! Right after, Coach Scott came and ran with me for a bit. I shared my concern over the glucose tablet, but he told me it was a magic pill that would only help. He also pointed out that FINALLY, the winds were at our back as we headed south. He said I only had 3 water stations left and sent me on my way. At this pont, I started focusing my mind to tackle the infamous Fifth Ave hill. Not steep but a tough incline around miles 22/23. I noticed a slight incline, but kept looking ahead for the hill. At 93rd street, I got wonderful cheers from Ben & Courtney Hamilton and little Pippa.
Photo taken by the Hamiltons
I was beyond excited to see them there, my final confirmed spectators. Then, all of a sudden, we were turning into Central Park at Engineer's Gate at 90th street. What Fifth Ave hill?!
As we entered the park, the spectators increased in numbers. Up ahead, I caught sight of my friend Sandra, the lovely Colombian lady with whom I ran the last 18 mile run. We exchanged stories about the race and discussed how we had both been lectured by Coach Sid. Running the familiar Central Park road and being with a friend after 24 solo miles felt so nice and almost too perfect to be real. Coach Vinny ran a few steps with us, giving us awesome encouragement. Although I felt great, mile 24 to 25 felt incredibly long. I even had to ask Sandra if I had missed the mile marker, which of course I hadn't. We hit mile 25 and soon after headed out of the park onto Central Park South. Sandra and I fell silent as so many strangers yelled out our names. The tall, beautiful buildings took my breath away and I got slightly teary eyed. We passed the 26 mile marker and took the turn back into the park toward the finish line. I immediately started searching the grandstand bleachers for my family. I earned 4 free tickets through fundraising, and Gina, a wonderful out-of-town teammate gave me the 4 that she earned. Thank you, Gina! This meant that my parents, my sister and her family, my in-laws and Ryan were all waiting for me. The bleachers were very empty at this point, so I had a moment of worry, but then I saw Ryan's face and I started waving my arms. I then saw all of them cheering and waving. It was the most extraordinary and wonderful moment.
Videos from my family
Sandra and I crossed that finish line together and shared hugs, pictures and selfies.
As I walked through the line to get my heat sheet, medal and recovery bag, I saw Laura once again.
She was waiting to walk me to the Team for Kids tent. I was so grateful that I started and ended my day with a seasoned marathoner, friend and calming presence. I got my stuff and she walked me out of the park. Thank you, Laura!
I met up with the family and we all headed back to Brooklyn. Once home, we put my mom and dad in a car to the airport. I showered and we went to a local bar where Ryan had pizza and cookie cake for me. It was delightful, as Ryan would say.
I want to thank all of my donors for helping me gain entrance to this wonderful race. I want to thank all of my family and friends for being so supportive and encouraging. I want to thank all of my spectators, because you really got me through some tough moments. I want to thank my team for such amazing training, support and friendship. If you ever decide to run the NYC Marathon, you must do it with Team for Kids. The perks and the support are incredible. Thanks to all my blog readers for following my journey.
And lastly, thank you Ryan for EVERYTHING.
On to the next adventure!
No comments:
Post a Comment