PART II: MeriG #Actually Ran the NYC Marathon:

Start spreading the news, I am leaving today. I want to be a part of it, New York, New York.

Last I left you I was starting over the Verranzano Bridge for the first couple of miles of the race. The course would take me through the various amazing neighborhoods of Brooklyn, into Queens, over the long uphill drive of the Queensboro, up into Manhattan, to the Bronx, and back into Manhattan. 26.2 miles in my city.

If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere...

Rather than do a full mile-by-mile recap, in order, I'm just going to write what I remember. I'll randomly discuss things that stand out, feelings I felt, and the way things were from my 4:24:45 journey. 

Brooklyn is Where It's At.

Brooklyn, baby! I knew 1st Avenue would be amazing, but oh my god! Brooklyn! You brought it! Miles 2 through 13 were simply unreal. I grinned like an idiot the entire time.

You can see Sam peaking out from behind this gentleman. We ran together from the beginning through mile 8 or so. Surprise running buddy!

I Had a Fun Surprise Mid-Race Run In!

At the bottom of the Queensboro (mile 15 or so), I saw the back of my friend Mauricio! I bolted up ahead and we conquered that bridge together!

The Signs Were Truly Epic.

Y'all brought it. By now you've probably seen this Buzzfeed link to the 35 best 2013 NYC Marathon signs. I actually saw a significant number of these on the way, and they were amazing. Almost as amazing as the gems my amazing friends and family had for me! Here's a sample:

Cousin Erica held this for me at 81st and 1st!

Val and Robb made a sign...in PLYMOUTH! 

Betsy finally conceded to being impressed at 100th and 1st

My little cousins made this sign for me at 81st and 1st!

Frank and Mel with the cutest sign they had for me on 1st and 96th

Betsy's cat Buddy (left) and Archie (right) donned monocles for the distinguished occasion.

Jazmin BROUGHT IT in Williamsburg (~Mile 12) with this amazing display

Well played, all of you! A round of applause not only for your support, but for your lovely artistic and creative talents!

I Was a Little Excited:

These vagabond shoes, they are longing to stray, right through the very heart of it...

I was so happy.

Courtesy of my sister Allison at mile 14 in Queens. This is me rushing at her to jump on her with a big ol' hug. I was a little excited.

I was emotional at times.

From my Dad. This is me crying as I go to hug my parents at 81st and 1st (near mile 17 as I ran through my neighborhood). Also throwing sweaty clothes at my mom to hold. She likes it.

I was in near hysterics.

From my friend Rachel. This is me noticing the funny signs my friends made around mile 18 on 1st Ave. Laughter!

I was on Cloud Nine.

Also courtesy of Rachel. Can you tell 1st Avenue jazzed me up?

1st Avenue. That's where I live. To run through it and see my family and friends? Well, there are really no words.

My neighborhood on Marathon Sunday. View up 1st Avenue (Photo Credit: My Dad).

On that avenue alone, I had Diane, her mom, and her cousin (in from Massachusetts!), friends Jen, Eleanora, Frank, Kagan, Mel, Seth, Kelly, Jason, Rachel, Diana, Silvia, Nicole, Betsy, Karen, Patrick, Tammy, Sarah, my cousins and my parents. From now on that stretch from 60th to 100th will be thought of in my mind as the two miles of love. Because I felt it the whole way up. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, everyone!

And while I'm at it, thank you to everyone who came out in Brooklyn (Lisa, Amy, Mariah), Queens (Katie, Allison, Dan), 5th Ave (Kelly, Jason, Sonia, Craig...you saw that hot 'ol mess), in the Park (Ben, Allison and Dan again!). I could not have done it without you. Could not. Thank you.

I know I've missed others. I know I have. I'm just so incredibly lucky to have such amazing people in my life who will come out in the cold and wind to watch me do that to myself. 

A Cool Action Sequence

From Seth (96th and 1st), I enjoy this sequence of me spotting my friends and then coming in for the high-fives:

I look better than Juan, that's for sure.

High five!

Could I BE any more excited?!

And there she goes! Run MeriG Run!

I recommend you print these out and make a flip-book. Fun for the kids.

My Glass Case of Emotion:

At mile 19 I felt like I combusted. I really did. I didn't just hit the wall. I slammed face forward into that wall and kept slamming for 7 miles. Into the Bronx on that bridge. Out of the Bronx on that other bridge. Back up (literally, it's uphill) 5th Avenue. Into the Park. Out of the Park. Back into the Park. I felt like crap the entire time.

That is a grimace. Not a smile.

And I actually was beating myself up over the fact that I wasn't smiling for those last 7 miles. I was literally upset...that I wasn't happier. Not only during the race did I feel this, but actually a little bit that evening as well!

Although when Allison caught this image of me in the Park at 25, I squeaked out a smile:

I guess I was hoping that euphoria of miles 1-18 would stick the entire time. But let's be real...I was running a marathon. Where in the rule book does it state that you must be over-joyed and grinning from ear to ear the entire time? Now that I think about it, I haven't seen that regulation.

I had tried to run steady at the beginning hoping I could pick up the pace slightly towards the end. Instead I wasn't sure if my legs were even moving.

My results -- which I didn't see the next day -- showed a very different tale:

This is why we train. I might have not had a stupid grin on my face, but my pacing was spot on. Even on the hills. Even with the wind. Even when feeling like total utter crap. I was steady, calm, and consistent. I'm proud of this.

...And find I'm king of the hill, top of the list, heap of the heap...

Let's Talk about Pooping:
So, I didn't poop while running. Yes! :::Fist Pump:::

But I did experience something totally new which I'll have to adjust for any (ahem) future marathon plans.

Again...foreshadowing...oooooooh.....

I completely ran out of energy. Completely. Utterly. Near disastrously.

Before I started I had eaten my normal breakfast / pre-run fuel. I had four Gus during the run itself and a little piece of banana. At almost every station I had water and/or Gatorade. And still, I had nothing left. I guess normal is simply not enough, and I have to up the ante with my fueling. And maybe worry a little less about the pants pooping. Nah...still keeps me up nights.

This is at mile 21 or so. A smile with a gu in my right hand and thumbs up on the left. LIES! ALL LIES! No thumbs up!! I need more food!!!!!

At Mile 25
I honestly can hardly remember it. I remember leaving the park and running by the masses -- screaming my name from my shirt -- on Central Park South. I remember the bomb-sniffing dogs when I entered the park again at Columbus Circle and had only about a quarter of a mile left to go. I remember that there were no spectators for a short stretch until we reached those at the security-laden bleachers.


Mile 26:
I could see the finish line up ahead. I tried to make my legs go faster, to sprint over that line as I did in Miami and as I do in other races.

I had nothing left. Absolutely nothing. I powered through, knowing that if I faltered even for a moment I would not start again. Could not start again.

I coasted in at a solid 4:24:45.

Elation.

This is just about two minutes over Miami's time. For a second marathon attempt this 10:07 average pace is not so shabby.

For a second marathon attempt when the second marathon is sooooo hilly and the first marathon was completely flat? Not so shabby at all.

I thought I would cry then, as I had started to cry when I saw my sister and my parents. But I didn't.

It was when they put that medal around my neck that the tears came.

It's really an indescribable feeling, but I'll try. For me, it was a mixture of pride, pain, relief, and exhilaration. And a bit of wistfulness.

I have been working towards this goal for a long time. It's been a center in my life when I needed a center. And it provided much-needed balance when I was perilously close -- at times -- to falling over an edge.

So mixed in with the pure joy and raw feeling of accomplishment, is a bit of a sadness. I'll never not have run the New York City Marathon again. It will never be #allegedly. Ever.

I'm not a parent, but it must be a little bit like watching a kid go to a first day of school. Or walking a daughter down the aisle. Maybe it's like when the Red Sox won in 2004. We'll never have not won again... You're so happy, but there's a bit of sadness for the memories now passed by.

But wait.

After 24 hours I stood back, and I re-framed the situation. It took nearly a full day to really come to terms with this fact: I will never not have run the New York City Marathon again. I've done it. It's been done. I accomplished something truly spectacular.

I stuck with it through injury. I stuck with it through cancellation. I stuck with it through absolutely anguish for those last 8 miles.

I can do anything. I will continue to set goals and and achieve the things in life I want to achieve. There's no way I won't.

My little town blues, they are melting away, I'm gonna make a brand new start of it...

I may have not cried when I thought I'd cry, but thinking back now? Brings tears to my eyes.




Please bear with me for one more installment coming soon....what's next...foreshadowing.....

MeriG #Actually Runs the NYC Marathon: Part 1

So much to say. So, so, so much to say. 

The past few days have been full of so much pure, raw emotion that writing can't really do it justice. Pictures do a bit better, so I'll tell as much of my story as I can with photos. 

Let's start with the main thesis of the tale: MeriG #Actually Ran the NYC Marathon. 4:24:45. It happened. My story began in May 2011 and culminated on one unbelievable experience on a crisp, windy, (but relatively running perfect!) in November 2013.

And I really wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Friday

I had wisely taken the day off, and arrive at the expo (#again) with Roomie Jen and TFK Running Buddy Fo' Life Erica.

Walking in, I had crazy deja vu. I had done this exactly a year ago. We had been here before. That feeling was making my nerves act like crazy, and my anxiety level was pretty high.

But then, I got my bib.

And all the stress, all the angst, all the negative emotion...started to fade away.

They had this letter on the bib pick-up table.

I proceeded to said orange counter and was presented with this:

Wow. Just wow. Erica and I were tearing up and so excited. Of course we had to pose with our 2013 Bibs and our 2012 -- well-deserved -- medals. I'm keeping them somewhere safe to remind myself of my own strength to overcome adversity. And to remind me that, like the old adage says, somehow everything does happen for a reason.

We've been in it together since May 2012! And even though she lives far away, I know this isn't the end of running together for us :)

Roomie Jen and I posed as well. She has been such an amazing training partner this year. We went on so many wonderful runs, and I couldn't have asked for a more supportive running buddy (just as I couldn't ask for a more supportive friend from her for the other aspects of my life!) It's been fun connecting over this mutual hobby.

My running friends like Erica, Jen and so many others are the heart and soul of this experience for me. We help each other. We give advice and catch up on life. We laugh together. We cry together. And we inspire each other. 

They don't tell you about that when you sign up for a training program. But be it a 5K, a 10K, a Half or Full marathon...it's true. My advice to anyone considering running NY or another marathon? Find a group. Pay or raise the money. It's worth every penny.

You want me to run...where?

Saturday
I woke up and my legs were itching to run. The taper had me at my breaking point and I literally couldn't sit still. I ran a very easy 2 miler just to not actually jump out of a window. This was followed by devouring a lovely brunch my friend Kelly so wonderfully treated me to at my favorite local diner. Hashtag #AllTheFood.

On the way home, we passed the port-o-potties on 1st Ave, all locked up and pristine and ready to go. As you know, the bathroom "situation" is always my main concern leading up to a race. However, there are other concerns I should have potentially had rather than this one....

That's called foreshadowing. FYI.

My parents arrived in the late afternoon and promptly ignored me in favor of spending time with Archie.

Um...spoiled much?

 We went to dinner with my wonderful Aunt, my sister, and her fiance at a lovely Italian restaurant in my neighborhood.

ALL THE SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS!!!!!!!!!!!! Hold the cheese.

I was asleep by 9:30pm (which promptly turned into 8:30pm for Daylight Savings). And I actually slept almost straight through until 3:30. 7 hours of sleep before a Marathon? Unprecedented!

Sunday

The alarm rang. Luckily I had set it with a message to myself because I am clever.

A message from my past self to my future self

 My clothes -- in typical Marathoner fashion and as everyone recommends -- were all laid out and ready to go. There was nothing to do except get dressed, try to use the bathroom (#ugh), grab my bag and go.

My mom walked me out into the dark morning and helped me hail a cab. Adorbs.

Erica and I rendezvoused at the Team For Kids buses which left at 6:30

Quick plug: I HIGHLY recommend Team For Kids for a first marathon experience! The entire morning was so completely turn key. Amazing for first-time marathoners or first-time New York marathoners. You've trained to run 26.2 miles, so it can be a bit overwhelming to also have to deal with logistics at the start and finish. They were amazing making things as easy as humanly possible for all of us to just focus on our run and not have to worry about the rest of it. Plug over. Happy to answer any questions any of you inspired may have.

On the bus

While driving I took this photo as we were going over the Verranzano Bridge...which we would have to run back over just a couple of hours later. It dawned on me as I looked back at the buildings of Manhattan that I was going to run there shortly. Whaaaaaat?

We arrived at the starting village at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island. After a bit of a lengthy security process, we were ushered to our heated tent by about 8:15am. Yep. Team for Kids. Consider it.

Not cold! And food!

Think the heated tent was awesome? How about our own dedicated port-o-potties?! It was like all of life's kittens and unicorns and happiness when I saw this. I even got to use an unadulterated pristine potty before I started the race. Simply delightful.

I was starting in Wave 2 (10:05) and Erica was Wave 3 (10:30) so at about 9:00 I checked my bag, said goodbye and started the process to begin. 

TFK had separate bag check (so we could grab our stuff easily at the end instead of with the masses) and then stretched us out.

Then we were ushered to the entrance to the Corrals to wait a bit while Wave 1 began.

Once we were let into the Corrals, I found my friend Sam, who I actually ran my very first half marathon with back in 2008. 

Good luck omen

We shuffled out of the corrals and onto the bridge. A woman sang God Bless America. We stripped off our throw-away clothes and gobbled the last of our pre-race food and water.

The cannon went off.

And they started to play New York, New York. I had been waiting to hear that song, on that bridge, for two and a half years. Years full of pain, but also full of joy. In and outside of my running life, how much changed in that amount of time? Think about what you were doing in May of 2011...how much has changed for you?

I was considering that as the song began and I made my way from the back of my Wave to cross that starting line. The friendships I've made. The career I'm developing. The life I'm leading. 

And in terms of my running, these are months and years that developed me from someone with a bucket list goal to a runner. A marathoner even.

Courtesy NY Daily News

I thought I would cry. But no.


I just smiled. And started to run.

The NYC Marathon: Tips, Tricks and Tomfoolery

Six little days stand between me and (allegedly) running the NYC Marathon. Three years in the making all comes down to these six measly days. Or 5 days and 22 hours, if we're being exact. And I think we are.

Schedule of events for this week:
* Eat all the food
* Work (while eating all the food)
* Freak out
* Calm down
* Eat all the food
* Watch baseball
* Pretend I'm not going to drink a beer
* Drink a beer
* Eat more of all of the food
* Freak out
* Calm down
Repeat above for six days

My parents come in on Saturday and will get to be part of a special, exclusive club that currently only has one member (ahem, Betsy). This club's main privilege is witnessing a special kind of crazy and listening to me talk about going to the bathroom. For 24 hours straight. Welcome.

The only other real task I am doing this week (aside from the regular taper activities of stretching, not running too much, water, food, repeat) is to prepare for what I am bringing the morning of the race. According to forecasts and historical data, it should be in the low 50s when I run after starting at 10:05am. Very comfortable and lovely, so let's assume that is the case (I have no contingency plan for bad weather). However, we get to the starting line by around 7 am when it is in the mid-30s. Grotesque!

My friends Kevin and Nicole got the pleasure of accompanying me to the store this weekend on two separate occasions to purchase cold-weather gear. Part of this will be used before the race (and then tossed to the side, collected and donated to charity) and part will be checked in a bag to use in between finish line and where I go to meet my family and shower. Sound simple? NOT. Not simple.


The inventory:
* Hand warmers (multiple) 
* Gloves (2 pairs)
* Hat
* Arm warmers (high football socks that I will cut the toes out of! Brilliance!)
* Thermal shirt
* Sweatshirt (2)
* Sweatpants (2)
* And the piece de resistance: The Old Navy Fleece Blanket


Nicole and I were very pleased about this addition to the list. My favorite part of the shopping trip was when she interrupted an Old Navy staff meeting to inquire, "Excuse me...I believe you once sold children's blankets. Do you have any? Preferably  in a ridiculous pattern?" A good friend indeed.


The other thing I am doing this week is reading all of the internet. Somehow I feel that if I have ingested as much information as possible it will naturally make me fast and all problems will go away. For those of you also prepping who may feel the same way, here is a brief round-up of some of the best things I've read so far:

Runner's World's 10 Tips for Running the NYC Marathon

Running and the City's great tips and strategies post

Official Marathon Neighborhoods Guides

This video that features a lot of the TFK coaches and made me cry

This NYTimes article from 2009 by the author of A Race Like No Other (which is also a book I recommend)

This Well + Good tips about...potty-related matters. It's IMPORTANT!

iRunner Blog post from 2011 about the Fort Wadsworth starting area

And when I have exhausted the world wide interwebs, I go back to reading:

The best one of all...   My very own...   ...marathon SUCCESS!

Let's talk it out:
Any tips I've missed?
What are you bringing to the starting line?
Will you be racing? Watching on TV? Or watching LIVE!?

Time Spent Wisely

What's going on in my running world? Well, we are officially 10 days away from go-time. I'm smack dab in the middle of full-on taper and I am going absolutely out of my mind.

My friend Rachel posted this very insightful article from the Washington Post on my facebook page a few days ago. The thesis is basically that people go absolutely crazy and become horrible human beings while they taper. This is 100% accurate.

But there's another reason that I've been going absolutely out of my mind the last few weeks. In a good way.

Holy cow, the Red Sox are IN THE WORLD SERIES, BABY!

This has, to be certain thrown a major hinge in my marathon plans. But it's so worth it.

Let me detail what you should be doing right now versus what I am doing right now.


Taper Tip #1: Get plenty of sleep.
MeriG's Taper Reality: Wake up early, do all the work, watch all the baseball -- lasting generally from 8pm to midnight -- stay up an extra hour reading twitter recaps and re-reading Divergent and Insurgent in preparation for Allegiant (which came out yesterday).

Get on this. Right now. I am 10% through Allegiant.

Taper Tip #2: Relax. Remain as stress-free as possible.
MeriG's Taper Reality: I work a full time job and have my favorite team in the World Series. So don't tell me to calm down!!!!!!!

Taper Tip #3: Eat healthy. Lots of veggies, proteins and whole grains. Be balanced and good to your body.
MeriG's Taper Reality:

Taper Tip #4: Cut way back on alcoholic beverages. All in moderation. Do not drink in the week leading up to the marathon.
MeriG's Reality: 

Taper Tip #5: Prepare. Make lists. Ensure you are all squared away for food, outfits, transportation and plans for marathon weekend. Do not leave anything until the last minute.
MeriG's Reality: I have never in my life felt more disorganized. Archie is lucky he is even being fed at this point. My apartment is filthy and I'm lucky if I have clean underwear, let alone my race-day outfit all squared away. In all, I am a delight.

Taper Tip #6: Stay off your feet as much as possible.
MeriG's Reality: 

Go Red Sox, Go Red Sox, Go Red Sox

All-in-all, not my best showing. But the good news is that between the World Series, Allegiant, and other distractions, the days are flying by until the big day.

The Red Sox are in the World Series. I've reached level 115 in Candy Crush. The New York City freakin' marathon is 10 days away. Now is not the time for lentils and kale and no alcohol. Now is the time to celebrate and enjoy! 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm on my way out now to go see Radio Lab (the show I LOVE to listen to when I run) live on stage with my friend Erin. Not sure how you see a radio show live, but I'm interested to find out!

This is the show's poster. Creepy? Amazing? You decide.

This will be followed by the end of Game #2 and then possibly a few hours of sleep before morning. You'll notice running is absolutely nowhere in the mix. And maybe, just maybe, that's the way I need it before the shenanigans begin.

P.S. For some logistics, I'm Bib #35270. Download the free Marathon App (just search NYC Marathon 2013 in the app store) and track me there! For those in NY, don't forget to tell me where you'll be race day. I'll let you know when you can expect to see me and know to keep a look-out!!

They're After Me

Wow! What a great response from my last post on the difficulty of getting from 0-3 miles. I meant every word, and I definitely plan on expanding this topic in the future.

But let's get back to me.

We are 23 days from the Marathon.

The ads are popping up all over New York (have you seen any good ones?)

And -- once again -- the route signs are up (have you seen those yet either?)

I had a short-lived moment of panic this week when my sister sent me an email entitled "Are you cursed?" With this fun little article: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-marathon-stopped-government-shutdown-article-1.1480174

You know, I was annoyed and disgusted with the government before. But now? Y'all are MESSING WITH MY MARATHON. STOP IT.

Thanks, Kanye.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I will attempt my last of the true long-training runs of this NYC Marathon training season. I've already completed a 20-miler a few weeks back, so this is more of an "icing on the cake" type things to truly ensure I am prepared for the big day.

Roomie Jen and I have mapped out a 22 mile route that looks a little something like this:

Crazy, huh? I'd say so.

It's a weird feeling to know that you've completed 20 mile training runs before. A couple of times. And have run 26.2 miles. But just once.. It's actually kind of demotivating, to tell you the truth.

Before my 20 miler in preparation of the 2012 Marathon that wasn't, I was hyped up. It was going to be the longest I ever ran. Ever. And there was some sort of a sick fascination in it. I wish pushing my body to a limit I wasn't sure it could achieve, but without the pressure of a race. And it was oddly encouraging to know that.

And then when I had to do it a couple of months later, before Miami, I was just basically a mad woman driven by a purpose beyond my control and power.

Now? I'm like...well....I've done it....so....do we have to....or could I just like...not....and eat muffins...

It should be noted that a my co-worker  Sarah mentioned Dunkin Donut muffins to me earlier, and now I am truly captivated and paralyzed by the sheer happy thoughts of them.

I just want marathon day to be here. The NYC Marathon has been so long in the making. Seriously, you guys. And now I'm not entirely convinced that it's not a government conspiracy that's keeping me from running it.

Dun Dun DUN.

Luckily I have Roomie Jen to yell at me keep me on track and hopefully coax me through 22. Damn. Miles. Gahhhhhhh.

In all, the benefit to my near complete apathy to the situation is that (at least I think) I'm much calmer than in years past. I used to kind of lose my mind every Friday in preparation for Saturday runs. Not healthy. This year? What happens happens. I feel tired? I'll stop. Need more water? Buy it. Need a bathroom? Hope to hell there's one nearby. What will be will be.

Continue to save the date for November 3rd, and I'll continue to keep at it.

There better be a Pumpkin Muffin at the end, is all I'm saying.