New York City Marathon Race Re-cap

“Running a marathon is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

As I pushed through 26.2 miles of the TCS New York City Marathon, those words rang true for me just as they did 6 years earlier when I ran my first New York City Marathon in 2008. 

In case you were wondering, waiting 6 years between marathons doesn’t make it any easier … 

Cold temperatures and 20 mph winds made the race not ideal marathon weather, but you adapt. 

Everyone’s race experience is different, but mine went a little like this:

Race Start: Nervousness, excitement, nostalgia, cold and shivering from it all 

Mile 1 (Verrazano Bridge): Wind like I’ve never felt before. Whipping my hair around and blowing me sideways across the bridge. I tried to stay to the inside of the bridge and tuck behind some taller runners. I slowed my pace way down and focused on making it over the bridge. 

Miles 2-10 (Brooklyn): After I warmed up and removed my top layer I felt pretty good. I had my name in stickers on my top but they peeled right off. Trying to keep my pace steady, I noticed my legs weren’t as fresh as they could/should have been. Focused on the crowds and hoped my legs would wake up a little. 

Miles 10-13 (Brooklyn/Queens): Started to feel nauseous. Decided I would take a short break from my fueling strategy to give my stomach a rest. Kept my mind on the crowds and looked forward to getting to Manhattan. 

Miles 14-16 (Manhattan): As I came off the 59th Street Bridge and into Manhattan I was over it. Seriously wishing this had been a half marathon. Focused on looking for my friends who would be ahead. I second-guessed whether I would finish. 

Mile 17-18 (Manhattan): Saw my friend Caroline and gave her a huge hug. I was so thankful she was there and I stopped long enough for her to ask how I was feeling. I told her how hard it was and how much it hurt, tears welling up in my eyes from pain and emotion. She gave me the extra push I needed to keep going. It’s at this point I begin stopping at every water station because I simply cannot. get. enough. water. + I ate a few pretzels I had stashed in with my energy gels. 

Mile 19-20 (Manhattan): Saw Jess and her husband, Rick. I stopped and she asked me what I needed. I said I just wanted to “talk.” I think they thought I had lost my mind, but I really wanted a small break and to see some familiar faces. Jess told me I could run/walk it from there, but I told her I didn’t want to walk. I took off again and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. 

Mile 21-24 (The Bronx/Harlem/5th Avenue): My goals became to make it to the next water stop (1 mile intervals) where I would literally, walk to chug 1-2 cups of water before running again. Everything hurt: calves, quads, hip flexors, lower back, upper back, shoulders. Everything. I took another energy gel at Mile 24 to get me through the last couple of miles and just kept running. Positive affirmations like, “you can do this”, “you trained for this”, and “finish for David” were my saving grace. At this point, I knew I would finish, even if it wasn’t with the time I wanted. 

Mile 25 (Central Park): The end was in sight and I picked up the pace to bring it home. I wanted to be finished more than anything in the world. I wanted to see David. I wanted to stop running. 

Mile 26: Cursing those extra .2 miles and finishing hard. Wondering how David did and feeling so happy and full of pride that I finished a second time.

2008 Finish: 4:34:10

2014 Finish: 4:27:57

When my dad saw I had finished, he promptly sent me a text followed by my mom and then the calls and texts came flooding in from friends and family who were tracking my progress. In those moments, my heart felt full and when I got my medal, tears welled in my eyes. 

David and I re-united with his family and at dinner, he surprised me with a special edition Tiffany & Co. TCS Marathon charm bracelet.

I never had my heart set on a specific goal time, except to finish faster than I did 6 years ago. I accomplished that but I think I probably had a faster marathon in me somewhere. I’ve realized that regardless of the time or the race, I’ll always feel that way.

Training for this race re-ignited a spark in me and I fell back in love with running in a very different way, sort of like being reunited with an old friend you haven’t seen in years.

I’m grateful for the entire experience the second time around, but mostly, I’m proud of David for finishing his first marathon.

 

For now, I’m looking forward to putting the marathons and triathlons behind me and focusing on running for the love of it doing more yoga and barre and planning my upcoming wedding. 

If you’re reading this wondering if you could ever run a marathon or do whatever that thing is that feels like it could be impossible in this moment, take it from me, you can. You can do anything if you want it enough.