Well the second time is certainly not a charm. After 2014, I vowed there wouldn’t be a second time. Giving myself a “way out”, this was supposed to be a training run, no pressure just a long run before the key marathon of the fall, the California International Marathon on December 2nd. I still had a goal of just under 4 hours to eke in a BQ. Coach wanted me to maintain between a 9:45 and 9:15 pace. I thought I could do better and not feel tired. That didn’t happen.
Weekend leading into the marathon:
We set out for the city at 10:15 Friday morning. I cooked a sweet potato and brought it with me putting it in the fridge when we got to the hotel. We were at Wyndham Midtown 45, 45th and 3rd Street and were greeted with smiles, champagne and excellent service! Nice room but loud. We were right next to the elevator and directly over the street, only 3 floors up. Wine and cheese were complimentary in the owners lounge at 5pm. We skipped this and opted to go for The Perfect Pint next door.
Greasy mini crab cakes and guacamole with chips held us over until dinner at Sparks Steakhouse 6:30pm with Debbie, Eddie, and Rich. I had mouthwatering Sea Bass and broccoli.
Saturday morning at 6:30 am, up and out the door for a shake out to Bryant Park. Beautiful morning and a “skippy” run. Felt great! 2.1 miles in 18 minutes.
Ate an apple and ½ a banana before heading to breakfast at The Smiths on 2nd.
9am ate an egg white spinach and goat cheese omelet with whole wheat toast. We grabbed my potato then headed to the expo. The expo didn’t seem unbearably crowded this time and was somewhat enjoyable. I seemed to be having a sock fetish which turned out to be my only purchase. Ate the potato at 12:30 pm. Did a lot of walking in my new Oofos.
We went for lunch at Foxy Johns and I had baby kale and quinoa salad with grilled shrimp. From lunch, we walked to Grand Central Station and used some Banana Republic gift certificates.
Bought some great stuff! Finally we were back at the hotel by 4 pm to put our feet up before dinner at Grifone’s on 46th, again with the family. I had pasta with shrimp.
Set the clocks back and finally went to sleep around 9:30 pm. The alarm was set for 4:35 am.
Marathon morning: A beautiful day, perfect for running. 45 degrees to start and 55 with sunshine to run. No wind.
Got up at 4:40 and ate a Clif Bar. I forgot to pack bottoms to keep my legs warm while waiting for the start. Luckily Ted packed some jeans he didn’t like that were baggy and I took those. Left for Bryant Park at 5:40 for the 6 am bus. The lines were crazy long for the buses. I fell in line and waited for about 30 minutes. The bus ride was 2 hours long because of all the waiting to unload once we got to Staten Island. Munched on ½ a bagel then ½ a banana while in the security line. Another long wait to get through metal detectors. Finally inside and straight to the porto potty line.
Only time for one trip before lining up to enter Orange Coral D, wave 2 at 9:35 am. There were more porto potties inside the gate so one more trip and done. Tossed my sweater the last minute while on the bridge. The 2018 TCS NYC Marathon had begun. What a difference from the last time. There was no gusting winds of 40 mph with clothing and plastic blowing through the air. It seemed quite a bit calmer all around. New York New York played out the loud speaker after the bone shaking canon shot to start the race. Of course runners were excited yelling and cheering as we all took off up the Verrazzano Bridge but for me, it seemed less chaotic.
I remembered that I should maintain a slower pace but was going to run by feel. I did check my Garmin and each time I looked, it read about 8:57 pace. Thought that was ok. I was feeling so good until about 10 miles when the idea to rein it back hit me. I thought I sensed a bit of fatigue beginning in my legs. Over the Queensboro bridge, my pace slowed. Coming off the bridge memories of the turns in the road then the loud crowd came back to mind from 2014. At 19 ½, I was losing it and feared a repeat exhausting performance. The run became very hard. I started walking and wishing it could be over at 20 miles. I struggled and wondered why had it gotten so hard since my pace was slow and I believed I was in control. Very discouraging.
The crowds were so thick in this race that’s all I remember. That’s why no distinct landmark sticks in my head so no mile markers that I enjoy noting in my recaps. Just crowds of people and a lot of noise. The bridges were the only places there was a break in the roar of the crowd and only the sound of sneakers hitting pavement. It was nice. It was the time when you could get back into the moment and focus on yourself. One other issue noted in this marathon with almost 53000 runners, there is less running etiquette. It seems that people sprinting past, elbowing, stepping on feet, tripping up, occurred more in this marathon than I remember in any of my other 27 experiences. The run through the Central Park area was just as difficult as before. As reassuring as it is to be so close to finishing, it doesn’t make it any easier.
Once again, as in 2014, I crossed the finish line disappointed with my run and falling short of a BQ by 27 seconds. I wondered if I could have run better if coach hadn’t suggested keeping my pace above 9 minutes? I’ll hold onto the hope that was the reason because due to the fatigue I felt, my confidence will be lacking. It’s such an awesome feeling crossing the finish line after getting so tired on the course. My stomach was upset and I asked Ted to bring soda to the meeting point. After what seemed like over an hour of walking to get my poncho and meet Ted and Rich at 65th, I began to feel better. The recovery bag handed out didn’t contain much that appealed to my stomach, only an apple, pretzels, a protein drink, Gatorade and water.
On the course, I took Spring Energy Gels, a new brand of gel for me, taken at mile 6, mile 12, and mile 19. The first flavor was thick and tasted like it had peanut butter in it. The 2nd flavor was thinner and not so bad. The third was tough going down and the only one which had caffeine. I stopped for water almost every station and, after 13 miles, began drinking Gatorade every other station followed by water.
Ending stats: Finish time 4:05:27. Over all place 16,250 out of 52,697. 137 out of 1164 in age group. 28th marathon finish and 2nd NYC marathon.
Celebrating with margaritas for all at some crazy Mexican sports lounge. Good food. great service
I’m beginning to question whether to continue working toward my goal of 10 consecutive Boston Marathons. The desire to push hard through late race fatigue seems to have faded. Have I lost my marathon mojo?
Joanne
