The few days before the marathon I was retardedly nervous. Well maybe not retardedly but i was worried about everything.
Went to bed around 1145 on Saturday night knowing it was really 1045. Woke up at 6 and was out the door by 630. Scarfed down an egg white sammy at the deli and Nicole picked me up in a cab, which we took down to the ferry. It was really windy when we got there but I had enough layers to melt anything so I was actually sweaty. We caught a 7:50 ferry (dont ask) but didnt get to the staging area untli 9. There was a lot of congestion overall. The one thing that stuck with me was that the port a pottys and the buses which took us from the ferry to the staging area were from all over- CT, NJ, NY. Was very interesting and caught my eye.
I hated the crowds but loved the energy. Sitting on NY avenue (we were assigned 2 different corrals so decided to spend the time not in the corrals) on my sleeping bag and trash bags, we started w the gu, the rearranging of the belt (for me) and the no rub stuff on the toes. At arond 9:40 they closed wave 2 corral (well I guess maybe a bit later) and we saw the first of the runners take off, what a scene for everyoen to stop and cheer them on- the looming Verrazzano in the left background... I dropped off my bag witht he race truck after a teary eyed goodbye to nicole. I couldnt believe i was going to do this on my own.
I was Orange, Wave #3 Corral C but didn't get anywhere near C. We were jammed in like sausages. The one good thing about this jamming was that I hit up the porta potty about 2 min before I crossed the start which was a god send. i didn't stop once during the race, I can't believe it!!! I certainly thought I would have to given that I took a gatorade and a water almost every single mile. I ironically ran with my water bottle until mile 21- this was supposed to be through mile 3 only to prevent my ear from going out. The bottle was actually a godsend bc my ear did go out (on mile 14) so I did end up needing it.
Highlights:
-I rocked the beginning
-I had a blast
-Every picture taken has me with a smile
-I dont hurt 48 hrs later
-I met some cool people
-I tried my strategy, failed but didnt freak out
-I saw my bf and friends in multiple places and that all worked out
-I finished strong (10 min miles) and really believe you can do anything
-Everyone screamed YOU CAN DO THIS JEN- was amazing!! !
- My shirt came out awesome
Lowlights:
-My ear blowing out quite a bit, mile 8, mile 14, mile 19
-Feeling like bumpkiss at the end, and not remembering (now looking back) miles 24-26.2 in any sort of detail, i was so in the zone!!
-The after finish line mess.
What else... I learned I am pretty good now at eating, drinking and salting. I couldnt believe that miles 1-8 went so quickly- mainly 1-6. Miles 1 and 2 on the Qboro wre pretty terrible. I ran WAY too fast and really was freezing. I had ditched my fleece and my pants but did have a long sleeve, arm warmers and tank on. I did have a fleece hat on but still, was soooo windy and cold. m1 was 10.27 m2 was 10.14
m3 10.46- 5k was 33:38 which was right on pace for me... 10:50 pace... I started running with some guy from colorado, wish I knew how he finished... it was his first race...
m4 11.17- Enjoyed the sights, thought I might have to pee but didnt. Tried to slow it down a bit but obviously can only run 10:45 or 11:15 nothing in between.
m5 10.42- Started my lookout for Brandt- didn't recognize the neighborhood so was really scanning crowds, sights etc. Was quite overcast still so I remember thinking it was cool that we were divided by a divider and that people were dancing and having a blast as spectators already.
m6 10.47- 10k time was 1:07:22 which is pretty great for me.... I remember thinking wow this was a fast 10k (meaning time felt fast). I ran for a little while with a daughter (5th marathon) and dad (first marathon) who were cop counting. They were at 100 when I left them.... moving on....
m7 10.39- I knew I was going to see Matt and Felix so I think I unknowingly sped up... Was flat and fast here and the crowds were so awesome.
m8 11.11- i believe its uphill here and i almost blew my ear out (my ear has this issue where my sinuses get swollen and then i get a blocked eardrum- not fun while running. I know I walked a bit here... hence the slower mile I'd imagine.
m9 11.37- see above. I think clinton hill was where all the townhouses were- was awesome, walked through the water stop... knew i needed to pick it up.
m10 11.02 williamsburg. loads of name calling, someone had donuts, loads of 'hipsters and champagne. right on pace.
m11 12.09- slow mile. no idea.
m12 11.24- greenpoint. no idea.
m13 11.21- remember hitting the half marathon marker at 2:26:12 which is pretty standard for me...
m14 11.43- saw my mom. walkd a bit, talked a bit... ear blew out AGAIN.
m15 12.57- queensboro. came around the corner and thought 'hot damn thats a hill' chkd out the pedestrian side and noted that the grade was completely different. sneaky sneaky- so much for practice! my ear was shitty at this point so i decided to walk the hill and clear out the ear, paid off big time.
m16 12.16- walked a bit of this mile, also walked the water stop. was amazed that first ave wasnt quite a roar.... or perhaps just a dull one... i did wave my hands a few time and people picked it up a bit. its amazing to have people cheer for you. i loved it. Saw matt and felix right at mile 17 and stopped for a second.
m17 11.12- pretty great pace given the timing and the hills.
m18 11.35- trying to pick it up but couldnt.
m19 11.11 saw rina here, felt awesome. thought i could pick it up a bit more heading into the bronx. had my ipod on.
m20 11.45- this mile sucked. the ground was uneven, walked through the water stop. i didnt like the bronx at all.
m21 11.43- saw matt and felix. starting to get tired.
m22 11.24- trying to keep on pace but couldnt hold on... this mile is 122st through 103 street... knew the hill would kill me.
m23 11.39- kept my head down, couldnt move the legs any faster. threw fuel belt at mom at 23.5. was REALLY cold.
m24 12.07- ha! laughable. effort level was 150% stopped for walk for a bit.
m25 12.06- i knew this mile would suck. couldnt hack it. walked a bit.
m26. 11.27- knew i had to pick up my legs to finish in under 5 hrs... the mental struggle was quite intense.
m0.2 2.07- ran my ass off. knew i had seconds to spare and this was no laughing matter.
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