ING New York City Marathon - November 1st, 2009

Now that I've returned home from New York, I have time to reflect on the race and begin to digest the experience. Gail and I flew to New York on Wednesday and spent four days exploring the sights and sounds of Manahattan while I completed my final training runs and preparations for the Marathon on Sunday.  On Thursday, we walked to the Javits Convention Center where the marathon expo was held.  We thought we could beat the crowd by going Thursday and take our time exploring the expo, but the center was packed.  After waiting through long lines to pick up my race packet and BIB, we were more than ready to head on to other things.  It was amazing how many European runners made the trip to New York to run the marathon.  Large groups (and I mean large!) came from Italy, France, Germany, Finland, Great Britain, and more.  Italy was one of several countries with well over 3,000 registered runners.  It was fun listening to the many different languages as we waited in line.

After returning from the expo, we walked from our Times Square hotel to Central Park where the marathon concludes.  It was Gail's first trip to New York and she wanted to learn the route to the park so she would know where to go Sunday morning.  We purchased a reserved seat in the finish line bleachers which worked out great for her. It gave her peace of mind standpoint and it also provided her a great view of the finish line.  Workers were already busy setting up the bleachers and finish line, and making other preparations in the area.

The rest of our time was spent sightseeing on foot and via subway which is very convenient for getting virtually anywhere on Manhattan Island in 15 minutes or less.  We took in a couple Broadway plays (same day tickets can be obtained at the theater box office at a 30-50% discount if you know how to get them).  We rode bikes along the East River for a few hours, saw the famous ice rink which just opened at Rockefeller Center and even attended the beginning of the Halloween parade in Greenwich Village - a story for another time, but Anoka, MN is definitely not the Halloween capital of the world!

Race day was rapidly approaching.  Being part of the first wave, I had to get up at 4:45 am Sunday (thank goodness for the time change that night!) to grab a 5:20 am subway train to the Staten Island Ferry launch on Manhattan's south side.  My ferry was scheduled to depart at 6:00 am.  These ferries are huge, carrying 1,000 or more people.  Once on Staten Island, I caught one of the chartered marathon buses which took me the last 4 miles to the athletes' village, arriving around 7:00 am.  I didn't see the need to arrive so early, but the time really went fast and with so many runners, I can see why they wanted everyone there plenty early to avoid any unexpected issues.  The athletes' village that I was assigned was huge, and there were 3 of them in total!  It had rained the night before and was still drizzling in the morning, so the grounds were damp and soggy, but the rain stopped around 8 am and the roads were dry by the time the race got underway.

Loudspeakers throughout the village continuously broadcasted message alerts in 5 or 6 different languages with instructions and explanation of the timing of where to be and when.  It was time to peel down to my shorts and singlet and make my way with thousands of other runners into the starting corrals.  The 30 minutes before the marathon is always one of the most exciting and emotional times for me as the realization sets in that months and months of preparation are about to be tested in a matter of minutes.  Last year, I watched the NYC marathon online from home dreaming of running the race someday.  Now my dream was about to become a reality as a participant in the largest marathon in the world.  First, they played the national anthem followed by the introductions of the elite runners.  Then came the final words of encouragement from Mayor Bloomberg and Race Director Mary Wittenberg, and we were ready to start!  As the gun sounded and Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" began resonating over the loud speakers, I got a big lump in my throat.  I took one last deep breath and I was on my way!

The first mile is a 160 foot climb up the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.  This is a very significant climb for any marathon, but being the first mile of the race (well before fatigue sets in), the incline almost went unnoticed as adrenaline powered me to the top.  The sea of humanity on the bridge visible from the air is breathtaking, but as a participant in the race, I found myself having to focus on the close proximity of runners all around me, trying not to run over slower runners or impede others' progress while settling into my own pace as well.  In theory, the wave starts and corral placements should eliminate much of the jockeying for position in that runners ahead of you should be faster and the runners behind you should be slower.  Five minutes into the marathon, I discovered that even the best planning doesn't solve every problem.  I found myself having to weave in and out and around slower traffic much more than I anticipated.  This was a sign of things to come and was a big factor in my race.

My personal goal was to break 3:20, assuming good health and good racing conditions.  The temperature was perfect at around 50 degrees with no rain, but we did have gusty headwinds from the north and we were running north-northeast the majority of the race.  I wanted to maintain a 7:30-7:35 pace and felt very confident I could keep it if all went as planned.  The first mile was a slow 8 minute pace but uphill with heavy traffic.  Mile 2 was down the back side of the bridge and I ran a 7:10 mile to get back on pace. 

We entered Brooklyn and turned onto 4th Avenue which would be our home for the next 6 miles.  I maintained my target pace but continued to struggle with slower traffic in front of me.  I tried both sides of the road to see if I could sneak my way past slower runners without having to zig-zag too much, but it became a little risky as the spectators were right on top of me, trying to give me "high fives" and pats on the back as I ran by.  The side of the road is not where you want to be when approaching water stations anyway as you can easily get hung up by some individuals who actually stop to get their fluids.  The sights and sounds of Brooklyn were interesting, though.  One local African-American church was out on the sidewalk singing for all they were worth.  Then we came across a group of Orthodox Jewish men dressed in long black coats, hats and beards clapping and cheering us on.  Throughout the course, there was plenty of music and thick crowds.  I had my name displayed as usual and spectators really pick up on that!

We made our way into Queens which is primarily an industrial area with fewer spectators but many turns.  We crossed the Pulaski Bridge, marking the halfway point of the race and I was still on pace although we faced some of the strongest headwinds in this section of the course.  Just before mile 15, we turned left on Queens Blvd and began what I thought was the toughest hill on the course - a mile-long, 110 foot climb up the east side of the Queensboro Bridge, stretching across the East River into Manhattan.  Spectators are not allowed on the bridge, so it seemed like endless silence, other than the patter of feet and the breathing of the runners.  I knew this would change dramatically as we came down the West side of the bridge at mile 16 and entered Manhattan and the infamous "wall of noise."

You can hear it coming as you approach the base of the bridge - a sharp hairpin loop to the left to run under the bridge and head due north up the East side of Manhattan for the next 3 miles on First Avenue.  The crowds awaiting us were very thick and loud.  It really was uplifting at this stage of the race when you don't want to admit that fatigue is starting to set in even though you know it is.  The one constant was the ongoing and unfortunate need to weave through and around slower traffic.  This effort was becoming more and more difficult with growing fatigue.  The repeated need to use short bursts of speed to angle through gaps along with the frustration of occationally having to reduce speed and patiently wait for another gap to open so I could accelerate again.  There were very few periods during the race where I could relax and settle into a steady pace.  When I ran Grandma's Marathon in June, the traffic had thinned out by mile 6 and I could put it in cruise control from that point on, but not today.

We crossed the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx at mile 20, and then crossed the Madison Avenue Bridge at mile 21, back into Manhattan through Harlem.  I saw my pace dragging and tried to step on the accelerator again but began to panic when I realized I already had the pedal to the floor and this was the best I could muster.  Still 5 long miles to go.  I tried to use every trick in the book to maintain a positive outlook and encourage myself, but my pace began to exceed 8 minutes per mile, then 8:30 and Central Park just couldn't come fast enough as I realized my goal was slipping through my fingers.  At first I was really surprised that my fuel tanks were starting to run on empty.  I did a good job all race managing my fluid intake.  I wasn't dehydrated like in some of the warm marathons of the past.  What was my problem?  It certainly wasn't a lack of motivation, and the crowds were very intense again as we approached Central Park and the final miles.  It happens to the best of runners where some days you just don't have what it takes despite all the training.

We finally entered Central Park.  Just 2 long miles to go.  Central Park is very beautiful but I wasn't enjoying it at this moment.  I tried to break the final 2 miles into smaller sections to maintain my focus rather than thinking of the finish line which still seemed too far away.  I was able to pick up the pace a little bit in the final mile but this was a minor victory. 






















I crossed the finish line with an official time of 3:25:06 - a new personal best for me but only by 15 seconds.  I finished 4,082 among 43,659 finishers and 278 among 3,240 in my age group.  I should have celebrated my accomplishment but just 1 hour earlier I was convinced I was still going to reach my goal.  The truth is I was very disappointed with my inability to hold my pace through the final 6 miles.

However, reflecting back I realize that the constant jockeying for position throughout the race took more of my fuel tank than I realized.  I just wasn't getting good gas mileage near the end!   I found myself more stiff and sore after this marathon than my previous marathons other than my first when I was not in marathon shape.  Too much accelerating and decelerating and not enough rhythmic running.  But I guess this is the price you pay running in the largest marathon in the world!  The opportunity to participate in the 40th running of the New York City Marathon was an experience I will never forget and will cherish for years to come!

Here are some additional photos Gail captured of Meb's big day in the park.

http://www.nycmarathon.org/Results.htm