NYC Marathon 2011 - Race Report

Wow, I've completely neglected this site, haven't I?

There wasn't much happening on the running front, save several races and training for Marathon #4, which happened this past weekend. Hometown turf, both a blessing and curse. I didn't get that new PB I was hoping for, but I'm trying not to be too bummed about it. I sort of knew it was out of reach by mile 2, but that's how these things go.

What's different between training for this one versus the previous three, was that I had a group of people to train with including the husband. Four new-to-marathon-training folks to talk shop with. People in my immediate circle that I was able to share this experience with. That was fun. It was encouraging to see people go through the challenge of finding time to put in the miles, checking gear, nutrition and so forth. Anyway. The race report.

Went to bed around 10:30pm and woke up at 5:45am. C was already up. We downed some bananas and english muffins with peanut butter, and headed out the door by 6:15. At the subway station, we bumped into several more runners. This one guy asked us where we got our bags from, and after talking to him, we all realized that he didn't attend the expo to get his bib! Told him that his best bet at this point is to see if he can head to the runners village and hope to heaven that someone decided to bring it along for him to pick up. (Most of the NYRR races gave you the option of picking your race number the day of... For his sake, we hope he was able to!)

After taking a nice and easy ferry ride to Staten Island, we were packed into shuttle buses and hauled off to Fort Wadsworth to meet up with E, W and J. Luckily for us, we were all in the green wave, so we got a chance to hang out before the race. I downed some more water, nibbled on a bagel, and awaited our 10:40am start time. We actually got to see Amanda McGrory set a new course record in wheelchairs before we started our heat.

Then finally, after the first two waves, the canon went off one final time, and off all of us went. Maybe it was my nerves, but for whatever reason, I had an overactive bladder that morning. And even though I made a last trip to the porto potties right before entering the corral, I had to make another pit stop. Around the 2 mile mark, I made a not-so-good decision to wait on line at the first stalls I saw. That seriously took about 10 minutes. I debated whether to just get off the line or what, but I figured I would be in better shape if I didn't have to think about it later on. Saw C go by with several more people in line ahead of me.

Pleasantly surprised by E, W and P, who snapped this pic right after mile 2.

After the pit stop, I tried not to speed up, but managed to catch up to C around the 4th mile. Saw some friends around Bay Ridge, which I didn't expect, but it was a nice surprise. Saw a second friend near Park Slope, and yelled back that we miss him. (He was one of the original friends who was supposed to run with us.)

From then on, it felt good. Really good. Too good. I felt so good that I didn't check myself to slow it down. Coasted until the halfway mark. It was one thing when I ran NYC the first time, not knowing really what the areas were like. This time, I was running in my actual home territory, in my actual neighborhood of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, and I got caught up in the atmosphere. And by the time I realized it, it was too late.

After seeing a third friend with a sign in LIC, the second half came at me hard. At the 25K mark, I started struggling. I downed some pretzels before ascending the Qboro Bridge, but it wasn't enough salt. It was cold, and the wind picked up. I cursed myself for leaving the neck warmer and gloves in the bag. Somewhere on the bridge I felt my left hamstring and quad seize up, and I speed walked most of the way. I think everyone around me must have felt the same. No one said a word. It was all quiet footsteps and heavy breathing, (which was a big difference from the shouting and cheering at the Verrazzano).

Once I turned into 1st Ave, I felt a sense of relief... and dizziness. I tried to figure out why I was lightheaded, but then chalked it up to the fact that I didn't have enough electrolytes. Miles 16-18 were small rolling hills, which made me even more lightheaded. I seriously thought I was going to faint. My mind was all over the place.

Suddenly near the end of Mile 18, I saw some familiar faces. My mom, sis, brother and his fiance were there cheering. They had signs. I knew they would be there, but I was just so glad to have their support at that moment. And my mom brought me bananas! I stopped to give her a hug, refuel, and went on my way to tackle the Bronx after that mental boost.

Hugs and bananas!

Reaching the Bronx is physical challenge. But once you're in the Bronx, you know that's when the race really begins. That last 10k... The amount of sheer will and focus to move one foot in front of the other when your body is telling you to stop... If there's one thing I enjoy the most about putting myself through these grueling races, is the ability to achieve an extraordinary amount of mental toughness. For those hours, nothing matters but moving forward.

Heading along side the park on 5th Avenue was a blur. I had my head down most of the way and just zoned in on a slow shuffle. Past another friend. I tried to wave but I think it was a sad little hand gesture. I was hoping to catch GP, my old training buddy at the turn, but I didn't see her at all.

The last turn into the park was exciting though. My sis was there again with her sign at mile 24, and that gave me another burst of energy. You know the part in the movie, Monsters, where the kids screamed and all that energy gets bottled up to use? I felt like that with her screaming. I seriously don't think I've ever increased speed at the last leg.

Central Park was familiar territory. The end was near and I can feel it. Those park hills didn't bother me because I knew them well, and ran as many tangents as I could.

Last turn out of the park and onto 59th St was amazing with crowds on both sides, and Columbus Circle straight ahead. Along the way I had a lot of NYPD call my name, but near the last entrance, I heard a familiar voice, and saw my sis' cop friend. He didn't know it at the time, but that little encouragement gave me enough of a kick to catch and pass this guy with a chicken suit, (whom I've been trying to chase since Mile 16). Then I saw that 800m to go sign, I gathered what was left in the tank just hightailed it to the finish.

Okay. So I didn't get a PB on home turf like I wanted to. And from here on out, I am not going to look at any race time calculators because that just sets me up for disappointment. But in some ways, this was the best marathon ever, even if it was my second worse time. So many people I knew came out to show support. All the signs. The messages and texts. And best of all, four more people joined the ranks of being a marathoner, people who, two years ago on a drunken night out, decided they wanted to try running 26.2, and actually did it! I'm so proud!

At the finish, with C, W, and J. (E was already home by this time!)

My splits:

New PB!

I think 2010 goes down as the year that I made the most improvement in my running. I just ran the Jingle Bell 4M at Prospect Park and came in just under 3 minutes faster than my fastest time, which was way back in 2006. I'm so psyched! Man, I wish I had a timing watch, I was flying that last mile out! Yay me!

And this completes my racing for the year. Time to put in my application for NYC 2011. WOOHOO!

Sore all over

Wow. I'm scared to fall off the wagon of fitness now. Two days back on P90X and I'm sore all over. Since it's going into fall/winter, I'll be lowering my running mileage again until I can figure out what the heck to wear. I looked into running jackets, but let's face it, my funds are really limited at this point and if I have to choose between winter boots and a running jacket, I'll have to go with the boots first. *sigh*

Anyway, switching it up to P90X Classic, which has plyometrics and kempo. Plyo is okay, but I have to really be careful because all that jumping takes a toll on my knees. Tony Horton says think like a cat and land softly, but in this case, I think I channel my dearly departed Max, who is as clumsy as they come. Today is Yoga, but I think I'll go out for a run instead. It's rather nice out.

Don't downplay my achievement just because it doesn't match up to your expectations. You don't know me. You don't know what I've been through. And until you've done 26.2 miles yourself, you have no right to judge.

MCM Splits

Logging for my own purposes:

Distance Time Pace

5K 36:24 11:42

10K 37:49 12:16

15K 38:09 12:16

20K 42:03 13:32

25K 42:35 13:42

30K 45:13 14:33

35K 45:08 14:31

40K 46:54 15:05

Marathon #4: Chicago or SF?

I met up with GP and AM yesterday, and it was nice since I haven't seen either of them in months. GP actually ran the Nike Women's Marathon a couple weeks ago, so now she is one up on me. She said she ran it without training, something I'd never be able to do. I find that kinda insane, but GP is one tough woman.

We got to talking about running, and AM will be starting the C25K soon, so it's exciting. She's thinking of enlisting in a half marathon come next year, and GP thought we should all decide to run in San Francisco since they love it. I'm entertaining the idea, but if I have to limit my marathons to 1, (possibly 2 a year if I continue doing NYC), I may consider Chicago over SF only because it's a lot closer, and a lot cheaper. I am in no financial condition to be flying all over the place to run since business has slowed down tremendously. But we'll see.

I may just return for MCM also. It's a beautiful course and I would like to run it again under better circumstances. Down in DC, Chris mentioned that he would've signed up for the 10k had he known there was one, so that may play into what happens next year. It'll be interesting to see how running two marathons so close to each other will affect my time and body.

I'm pretty much fully recovered from Sunday, but I may take a short break from running since it's getting colder here. People love to run in this weather but it's just a tad on the cold side for me. I'll have to look into better running gear which, of course costs money, and I'm hesitant at the moment. Currently, nothing fits right anymore, and all my long running pants fall off.

I also plan to resume the P90x plan, classics this time. After this weekend since I plan to head out and participate in the NYC marathon as a spectator! Thinking of a good sign to make!

Marine Corps Marathon - Race Report

I stated back in July on the Runners World forum that I'd like to come in at 5:55:55, and my official time was 5:54:06.

But I'll say that, out of the three marathons I ran, this was by far the most challenging. It wasn't because the MCM course was any harder, but that the day before didn't turned out as planned, which completely affected race day. I didn't hit my A goal, but I did hit my B goal.

My C goal as always, was to just finish. My B goal was 5:45-5:55. My A goal was to come in around 5:30-5:40 had all the stars aligned. Well, the stars didn't really align that day, so my A goal will have to wait until next time.

DC Arrival

On Saturday, Chris and I headed to DC on bus. The bus was late arriving to the depot, which caused a mass of confusion and chaos. Our noon departing bus didn't end up leaving NY until closer to 1pm. For the entire ride down, there was no air in the bus. It was hot and dry. I made a fatal mistake of not bringing a larger water bottle, and by the first hour into the long ride down, I was out of water. I knew that was going to be trouble. We pulled into DC Chinatown close to 6pm and was greeted with throngs of people from the John Stewart rally. There were groups of people with signs and costumes all over. Walked over to the expo, which was about 4 blocks away, and tried desperately to find water after picking up my racing packet. I got to these water fountains only to realize that they weren't working. I couldn't believe it! I was parched. The only liquids around were free tea samples from some vendors, so I picked one up and drank. It wasn't ideal at all because of the sugar content, but it was at least something.

After leaving the expo, we decided to head back to Chinatown to eat, which proved to be another bad idea. Every single place we stopped at was packed thanks to all the rally goers. So at this point, I was already dehydrated, and now I'm getting tired from walking from restaurant to restaurant. We decided to just head back to the hotel and find something close. I knew there were restaurants in Crystal City where we were staying, and I became adamant (read: bitchy) about checking in. Of course, when we got down to the metro station, it was jammed pack, again with the rally goers. Then we realized that the yellow line, which was the most direct line to our hotel, was delayed. We waited for about 20 minutes, until Chris figured out that we could take the orange line 2 stops, then transfer to the blue line which also headed to Crystal City, so we did that.

Let's just say that at this point I was not happy with all that was going wrong and just wanted to get to the room, drop off all my stuff, put my feet up, guzzle water and eat something. By the time we finally made it to the hotel, it was already 8:30. We decided to just opt for room service, which arrived at about 9:15. I also asked for toast and PB (for morning) and a banana (for the crucial mile 16 marker), but they didn't have any fresh fruit. I downed as much water as I could and ate as quickly as possible, and proceeded to lay out all my stuff for a 5:00 am wake up. Forced myself to bed at 10:30, but could not get a decent night's sleep. I kept waking up every hour, and when I did fall asleep, I dreamt I woke up late and couldn't race. It seemed like everything that could've happened to jeopardize the race, did happen. But I was already here. And I was determined to get to the starting line and to cross the finish line.

Race Day

At 5, the alarm went off, and I got up, got dressed and ate the toast and PB . Headed out the door at 6 and just followed the stream of people to the shuttle buses. (That's one thing I love about big races. You can always just follow the crowd.)

Got to the runner's village around 7am. Did a quick search for the Runner's World forum training buddies, but couldn't find them, so I just headed in and made my way to the porto potties in case. At 7:40 I made my way to the very back of the 5:30-5:59 corral and waited til I heard the gun went off to discard my sweats. It seemed like a long time before I got to the starting line, but once I did I got rid of my bunny ears, because they were distracting. (So much for racing in costume!)

Miles 1-10 were easy. A gentleman decided he liked my pace and ran alongside me for several miles. I just nodded and we ran side by side until I lost him on the mile 8 hill. I thought I might have taken that hill too fast, but I blew through it and it felt good. I kept trying to check myself to slow, but I was comfortable and ran behind a guy with a Sponge Bob costume who seemed to be training his friend. They were at a good pace for me so I just followed them.

Chris met me at mile 10, waved, snapped a few pics and said he'd see me again at 16. I yelled out to him that I need salt. I mistook his shrug for not having anything and just kept going. (Found out later that he actually had pretzels, drats!) A very nice gentleman overheard my request, and he held up a bag of salt and asked if anyone needed any salt, so I ran over to him and took some and thanked him.

The wind seemed to have started kicking up and mile 11-12 had us along the Potomac. Then suddenly I felt the telltale signs of an oncoming muscle spasm, and had to slow down a bit to shake it off. I saw the 5:30 pace group and decided to try and keep up with them for a while, but eventually I let them go and lost them around the halfway point. I thought to myself, if the cramps came this early, it's not going to bode well for the rest of the race, but kept testing my speed to see how much I can take before cramping. Sadly, it wasn't much. Somewhere around mile 15 I noticed a lady on the sidelines giving out pretzels, so I ran over and asked if I could have one. She gave me a bag with pretzels and swedish fish, said take it and keep going, and it was the best on course snack I had ever. I thanked her profusely and downed a handful, which seemed to have helped with the lack of salt. Saw Chris again at mile 16 and passed him the bag and said hold it for me for later.

Mile 17-18 proved challenging even though it was right on the mall. My left quad started seizing up a lot, and it was something I've never encountered before. I stopped off to the side and rubbed some sample pack of something menthol and that helped a bit, but I was a bit irritated to find out that the medical tents only had vaseline.

At about mile 19 they had sports beans, so I took some even though I was hating the taste of it. It forced me to stop thinking about when the heck I was going to this "bridge" that everyone is telling us to "beat." That "bridge" came at mile 20, and that's when I knew the last 20 miles is going to be nothing compared to the next 10k.

To be honest, I don't remember much of the last leg, only that by this time, I used whatever energy I had left to put one foot in front of the other. I brushed aside all thoughts of disappointment of not having reached my A goal and just focused on finishing. It was not easy. Actually, it was downright hard to not get ahead of myself because I still had several miles to go at this point.

My left quad was still seizing up, my toes were cramping up. I passed the 40K mark and was vaguely aware that I may still have a chance to beat 6 hours. Mile 23 I spotted Chris again, and just waved him off. I felt bad that I couldn't talk, but the remote possibility of coming in with a PB was in my head, and it took every ounce in me not to stop and reach for a beer like a lot of other people did.

At mile 24 or so I passed a medical tent and again there was no menthol, but by this time I could feel the finish and played a counting game, 300 steps of running, 100 steps of walking. I did that until I reached the start area at mile 26. Started hearing the faint sounds of music and the announcer, and just kept on going until I saw the final uphill and pushed through.

When I crossed the finish line at 6:19 and change, I couldn't have been more disappointed. But the toll of having such a bad day before, mixed in with the relief that I did it despite all the race day challenges, set me on this wave of emotion. I just broke down as soon as I crossed that finish line.

And the finish! To be staring up at the beautiful Iwo Jima statue up close, just put things into perspective. My 17 week journey through training, the 6 hour trek through 26.2 miles, is nothing compared to the Marines who fought there. And yet, here are these men and women in uniform, encouraging US to finish, congratulating US and putting medals around OUR necks. We should be doing that, not the other way around.

Anyway, I didn't find out until later that night that I actually have a new PR. So it's sort of a bittersweet one because I knew it could've turned out better. But all in all, I'm glad I ran this one. And I dedicated it to all my family and friends who put on a uniform. I may be back again next year!