State #2, Minnesota: Twin Cities Marathon, October 4, 2009

Finish Time:  5:10:49

Weather:  Cloudy, High 54°F

Minnesota was my second state.  I picked the Twin Cities Marathon because it has a well-known reputation for being a well-done marathon.  It was also a super easy drive to get to the race and made for a relatively cheap trip.  Galen drove with me to the Twin Cities and played spectator along the course.  

I don't remember much about this marathon, except that I loved it.  Since my brother had lived in the Minneapolis area, I was familiar with several pre-race places to site see.  Once we arrived in the Twin Cities area, we headed to St. Paul for the race Expo.  The Expo doesn't stand out in my mind too much, but I did learn that, apparently, Caribou Coffee is the Starbucks of the Twin Cities.   I thought it was hilarious that the marathon guide included every Caribou Coffee location along the race rate.   I even met the Caribou mascot at the race Expo.   This is the first fluffy mascot I've met at a race.  Stay tuned for more in future posts.  (They aren't even all Disney.)

First official fuzzy mascot I encountered at a race expo.

After the Expo, we tracked down Peanuts statues in Landmark Plaza in St. Paul.   (Charles Schultz, the creator of the Peanuts, is from St. Paul.)  

Pre-race advice from Sally and Linus

Hanging with Charlie Brown and  Snoopy

After visiting St. Paul, we checked into our hotel in Minneapolis, and then went to visit the Walker Art Center to see the famous spoon and cherry sculpture.  We ate dinner at the Mall of America, but not without stopping for a ride on the Paul Bunyan log flume.  

As for the race, well, it's a good thing I posted a lengthy blog the day after the race because I don't remember a lot about the course:  

http://goingmileaftermile.blogspot.com/2009/10/twin-cities-marathon-triumph_7113.html

The course was fairly flat and gorgeous.  I didn't carry a camera on this course; however, Galen managed to catch me at several spots throughout the course.   Here's my famous fake running smile:

Cheeeeeese!

This course was my marathon PR for a few months. 

Celebrating my first marathon PR at the finish in St. Paul

It was also the last time I'd run for a few months.  I had such terrible shin splints after this race.    I ran the last few miles in absolute pain.   Galen captured that pain on my face at Mile 26.

When I returned to Kansas City, Eladio Valdez, my running coach, recommended I visit Dr. Toby Scott at Pro-Care Chiropractic.  That was my start of learning how to take better care of my body with stretching, foam rolling, and supplements.   I believe Dr. Scott didn't let me run again until December again that year.  Which was great, because it was perfect timing to start training for my third state.

Finisher's Medal:  Sweet and simple

2009 Twin Cities Marathon Finisher's Medal

Race poster:  This race poster has been hanging in my home office for years.   It captures the essence of the race quite well.

2009 Twin Cities Marathon Commemorative Poster

State #1: Tennessee, Country Music Marathon, April 25, 2009

Finish Time:  5:49:53
Weather:  Sunny, High 87°F

Here I embark on the mission of attempting to remember my marathons in all 50 states.  Disclaimer:  I'm sure some of these posts will be rushed.   They may have poor grammar or punctuation.  They may just be random thoughts strung together.  Some may simply be reposts of my original blog because, well, why not? There will be no high school English class judgment here.

When I decided to run the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, I can't say that running a marathon in all 50 states was my goal at the time.  I selected it because Galen's brother and sister-in-law live in the Nashville area and Galen used to live in Nashville, so it sounded like it would be a fun vacation to site-see and run the marathon.  Previously I had run the Kansas City Marathon (October 2006) and the Go! St. Louis Marathon (April 2007) so it just sounded fun to run in a destination I had never visited.

My intentions at the time were to write a blog after every marathon I completed so that I could remember it better.  Thankfully, to make this post a little bit easier, I did actually blog about the Country Music Marathon.   Before I reread that post, I tried to remember as much as I could about the race.

This was the first BIG marathon I had run.  I loved the Expo.  I bought my first "I Do 26.2" license plate holder from the Women's Running Magazine booth at that Expo.  It faded by 2012.  I'd get a new one at another Expo in 2012.

For those that know the origin of the marathon, it dates back to ancient Greece.  The race had a flavor of Greek history since it started adjacent to the fake Parthenon in Nashville. We will disregard that the ancient Greek that ran 26 miles dropped dead when he finished...

Hanging out on the  faux Parthenon the day after the marathon

I was really nervous going into this marathon because it had been 2 years since my prior marathon. I would say I was still pretty naïve about long distance running, and I also wasn't at the point in my running "career" where I preferred to run by myself.   Running 3 miles by myself was a long solo run.  When I think back on that day, there are four things I primarily remember:  it was hot, it was hilly, there was a snake on the course, and it took me forever to finish. 

A hot spring marathon is always tough after training in frigid winter months.  I do not do well in heat.  Heat to me while running is anything over 70 degrees.  The hills and the heat made for an incredibly long day.   The course was also nothing incredibly scenic. 

I found the old course map online:  

Part of the marathon course was on an asphalt bike trail along the Cumberland River.  Right in the middle of the trail a snake was curled up sunbathing.  This would, unfortunately, not be the last snake I'd encounter during an urban marathon.  This was in the days before everyone had an iPhone or a cell phone with a high quality camera, so I don't have a photo of the snake, or any photos of the race for that matter.  Here's the super cool cell phone I had during the race:  

Somewhere after Mile 13.1, volunteers told the runners we could continue with the race as long as we mostly walked.   Ice was brought out to many of the aid stations. I remember texting Galen at some point and telling him I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish the marathon since it was getting so toasty.    Galen ran the half marathon that day and met up with his brother, who had brought his bicycle in the back of his pickup truck so Galen could ride along the course and cheer me on.   I was pretty thankful for that company, except for when he kept taking my picture.  Each time I saw him raise the camera, I felt obligated to flash a fake smile and run: 

CHEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!

Random Celebrity on the Course:  One of the Biggest Loser contestants ran this marathon.  I recall seeing him on the course.   I think the story was that he was featured on The Biggest Loser as having run a marathon, but he didn't actually finish that marathon, so he ran this one to prove he could run a marathon.

Until I ran Red Rock Canyon in 2017, this marathon was my personal worst marathon time.  That's an impressive 8 years of digging deep to do anything to not take THAT long to run a marathon.  Since it took me so long to finish, there was no food left at the finish line when I finished.  Galen's brother, Bryan, gave me a banana he'd been toting around.  To this day, I am positive that's the best banana I have ever had.  Speaking of finishing, Galen's torso and bike photobombed my finish (look on the upper right side of the photo):

Finisher's Medal:  This was the 10th anniversary of the Country Music Marathon, as captured in the medal design.

2009 Country Music Marathon Finisher's Medal

Race Poster:  Since I have a thing for race posters, which as of 2018 are becoming quite rare, here's a shot of the race poster for the Country Music Marathon:

2009 Country Music Marathon Commemorative Race Poster

If you are curious to see what my original thoughts were shortly after this race, check out my original blog post here: 

http://goingmileaftermile.blogspot.com/2009/04/country-music-marathon_6389.html

The Tale of How I Managed to Conquer the 50 States

Nine years and 2 weeks is a long time.  Specifically the 3,299 days between April 25, 2009 and May 9, 2018.  Of those 3,299 days, I spent an approximate total of 10.5 days attempting to run a marathon in all 50 states (yes, even Hawaii and Alaska...).  As I found out, a lot can happen to a person in 3,299 days.  There's the good, there's the bad, and there's the in between.  

Many friends who've watched me knock out the states have suggested I document the heartbreaks, setbacks, and celebrations I encountered over the years.  I imagine recounting my races will take me several weeks or months as I feel inclined to write about them.  The first few states will be easy to recall, since I blogged about the races at the time.  Some were so amazing they are vivid in my memory; others were so boring (I’m talking to you Fargo and Lincoln) that I was just desperate to finish them and barely remember running them.  I remember the lows, and there were SO many lows, more than some of the highs.  Some of my memories will be more of the trip than the race itself, especially in the cases where the race was an inconvenient blip on a great vacation destiny.  It will be interesting to travel back in time to see what random tidbits I remember.  

It all started on April 25, 2009.  The day is long enough ago, that historic events don't stand out.  As far as momentous occasions, the only news of the day that I can find was that Heidi and Spencer from the MTV "reality" show The Hills were married.   Hmpf.  However, I do remember quite perfectly that in Nashville, Tennessee, it was close to a record-breaking 87 degrees that day, which begins the perfect start to the rocky adventure that became my journey to run a marathon in all 50 states.  

Casper the Friendly Marathon (Take 2)

In 2013, my first attempt to run the Casper Marathon in 2013 was thwarted by a United Airlines flight to Denver that sat at the gate at KCI for 1.5 hours.  Oh, the memory of being squeezed in like a sardine on a propeller plane with maintenance  issues.  After United announced that all of us with connections in Denver would miss our connecting flights and not be able to get out of Denver until the next day, United let me off the plane and gave me a refund for my flight.  (It took me over 14 days and a little bit of complaining with United to get that refund.)

Zoom in on Casper Marathon weekend 2014.  The second time around I was smart and flew Southwest (free flight from all my Rapid Rewards) into Denver.  I rented a car and drove the 3.75 hour drive up I-25 from Denver to Casper.  As I drove up to Casper, the scenery reminded me of the old cowboy-western movie backdrops.  More interesting that the scenery was the camel farm I saw south of Cheyenne.  At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me and they were buffalo.  They were definitely camels.  The drive was also made much much more entertaining since Sirius XM had a free preview weekend and I good tunes all the way to Casper. 

I had picked the Casper Marathon because it seemed like the easiest choice for my Wyoming Marathon.  The town is easily accessible from Denver, and the altitude (5,000 to 5,200) seemed much more manageable than some of the other races in Wyoming.

I got into Casper around 5:30 p.m. and checked into the Hilton Garden Inn (free hotel from all my Hilton Honors points!!).  I then drove the 0.25 mile over to the Ramada Inn where packet pickup was held.  The packet pickup was a small affair, where I essentially picked up my bib and race shirt (a really nice florescent orange long sleeve Brooks shirt).  I was impressed that such a small race (195 marathoners total) had a chip check.  The local running club also had a booth set up to sell anything that traveling runners may have forgotten.

After the excitement of getting my race loot was over, I drove around the area of the hotel searching for food.  Only seeing McDonald's and Dairy Queen, I decided to eat at the grill in the hotel.  I carb-loaded on French fries and a turkey club sandwich.  Then I went back to my room and tried to figure out the course map.  I hit the sack by 9:00 p.m., ready for my 4:45 a.m. wake up call. 

The Casper Marathon starts at 6:30 a.m. to beat the summer heat.  The starting line is at the Casper Events Center, which is on a bluff above the City of Casper and about what looked like 0.5 mile from my hotel.  On race morning, I could have walked over to the Ramada Inn to catch a shuttle that would take me to the top of the bluff.  Since I've had so many wonderful experiences with race shuttles, I decided to hoof it.  After all, the race website said the finish line at the Ramada Inn is simply 0.5 mile below the starting line.  I missed the fact that the climb was over 120 feet...and Casper already sits at an average altitude of 5,100 feet.  I definitely warmed up my legs and lungs on the hike up the bluff, but it helped calm some of my normal pre-race jitters. 

The race starts at the Casper Events Center and winds around in the area for about 5 miles until heading toward the Platte River Parkway (a recreational trail).  At the starting line, the sky was clear and temps were in the upper 50s.  The temperatures were in my favor, but the first 5 miles of the race were pretty hilly, and I was worried about the impacts the altitude would have on me, so I made sure to stick with my normal 4 minute run/1 minute walk routine.   Around Mile 5 I heard this heavy rumble.  At first I thought it was just my iPod.  Then I heard it again.  When I turned around, the sky behind me was dark charcoal and bolts of lightning were dancing across the horizon.   By the time I got to Mile 8, the skies were darker, but the rain held off.  Just before Mile 10, a spectator said that the storm had gone around Casper.  No sooner did one minute go by that the skies opened and it poured.  Thankfully the rain only lasted a few minutes.   After that, the sun popped back out and heated up the course for the remainder of the race.  

I wouldn't say this marathon is known for it's scenery.   According to the race website, a portion of the trail ran through Crossroads Park where Oregon Trail ruts are still visible.  I wished I would have known about that and checked out the park on Saturday when I had time.   While I was running, I noted a fun little miniature golf course at Mile 10 set up like and old western town.  Further along the trail I ran by a life-sived fisherman statute in the Platte River.  Later I passed an oil derrick, which, according to the race website celebrates the county's oil and gas history.   There's nothing like a little oil and gas history:  Casper grew in the 1880s because of the oil and gas boom.  Miles 22 through 24 of the marathon loop around the Platte River Commons Business Park Trail system and a golf course - the former location of an oil refinery from 1910 to 1990.  There was even a nice placard talking about remediating the area as I ran along Mile 24.  Other than that, there wasn't much to look at.  I was hoping to see a few deer or antelope; I saw a rabbit hop off into the brush once and a dog at an aid station wearing a t-shirt. 

Besides lack of scenery, the City must have gotten a great deal on concrete when they constructed the trail.  A good majority of the trail was concrete, which isn't really a big deal until you've been running for 20 miles.  Then it started to feel like someone was jabbing a knife in each knee with each foot landing.  I did a lot more walking than running to make it through the last 4 miles of the course.  The altitude also started catching up with me around Mile 17. 

The other odd thing about this race is that there were no volunteers on the course telling you which direction to run.  There were a few times when the trail is windy enough that I couldn't see runners in front of me.  After panicking a few times about which direction to go on the trail, I learned to follow lines, race logo stencils, and/or painted arrows and to never cross any solid yellow lines when the road forked. 

On the plus side, the race volunteers did a great job with the aid stations.  Most aid stations were fully equipped buffets of water, gatorade, gel, watermelon, bananas, oranges, and vasoline. The Mile 24 aid station even had cups of ice. 

The three race spectators I saw were highly energetic.  It helped that I knew one, Lisa, from Runner's Edge.  She was there cheering on Janice.  It was a nice boost to see two KC faces along the course.  The other spectator was a gentleman cheering on his buddy that was running the same pace I was running. This guy was everywhere on the course - and he cheered, clapped and passed along motivation to any runner that passed him.  He would get from one spot to the next, I almost wondered if he used teleportation.  Toward the end of the race, in Mile 25, I ran past the miniature golf course again, which was then open and booming with business.  One of the dads playing with his kids came up to the fence and shouting the ever encouraging "You're almost there!"  (For the record, none of the guys playing golf at the "real" golf course uttered a peep when I ran by.)

Between running the Vermont City Marathon the prior week and this marathon course, I was delighted when I saw the Mile 26 marker.  I chuckled when "Fat  Bottomed Girls" was playing as I crossed the finish line seeing as how the runner ahead of me finished at least 30 seconds ahead of me and noone was behind me.  I hope it wasn't chosen as a personal theme song....  As soon as I finished the skies opened open and rained cats and dogs.  

Between the concrete, the altitude, and the monotony of the trail, it was a physically and mentally tough race for me.  I will walk away from this race with memories of all of that concrete and all of those wonderful aid station volunteers.

 I finished this race in 5:07:40.   State #28 is complete!

 

Breaking a Marathon Drought: The Vermont City Marathon

After running the NYC Marathon in November, I seemed to have come under the force of a serious marathon jinx that started when I skipped the Marshall University Marathon the weekend after NYC.  I was simply too fatigued from NYC to make another race so soon.  In December, winter weather prevented me from wanting to make the trek to the Rehoboth Beach Marathon.   I mean, who really wants to get stuck in an airport on the east coast when the ice hits?  In January, well rested after not having run a full in two months, I missed the Louisiana Marathon when I came down with a horrid cold late in the week prior to the race.  Knowing I had work travel coming up, I decided to stay home and rest by running the Battle of the Bean 5K instead.  By the time the end of February rolled around, I was pumped for the Georgia Marathon in March.  My hopes of running the Georgia Marathon were dashed the day I opened my mailbox to see a neon orange juror summons on top of my stack of mail.  I was inconveniently summonsed to report for jury duty the day after the Georgia Marathon.  Fearful I wouldn't make it back in time to report to court, I canceled my trip to Atlanta, reported for jury duty, and found out within 5 minutes that my court case had settled out of court late on Sunday night.  Awesome.  Next up my bad marathon juju served up a bad infection so I was prescribed antibiotics that wiped my digestive system clean of any and all happy little digestive bacteria. After suffering for almost four weeks from GI distress caused by the antibiotics, and starting a special glucose free, fructose free, lactose free diet, I managed to run a local marathon in Olathe:  the Garmin Marathon.  I felt horrible almost the entire time, but I finished.  While I finally felt like I beat the marathon jinx, it took me four more weeks to overcome the side effects of the antibiotics.  

That's quite the explanatory build up to the Vermont City Marathon, isn't it?  When Galen and I left for Burlington, Vermont (me 12 pounds lighter and still not feeling swell) I hadn't been so anxious about running a marathon since my first marathons.  The forecast in Burlington was calling for a warm day and there was a chance for severe thunderstorms, the course is ridiculously hilly, and I was trying new fructose free running supplements (Clif Shot Blocks, and Clif Energy Gel).  After all of the stress associated with marathoning for the prior 6 months, the Vermont City Marathon ended up being the perfect reward.  It was a marathon that ended up becoming my 3rd favorite marathon that I've run so far.  (Disney is #1 and Twin Cities is #2, if you are curious.)

What makes this marathon so special?  The people and the scenery.

With Galen at the starting line

We stayed at the Hilton on Battery Street, so on race day we were able to take a short walk up the hill to the starting line at Battery Park.  Temperatures were in the mid to upper 50s and a misty fog had rolled in over Lake Champlain.  Galen and I had scoped Battery Park out the evening before and were happy we knew about a second bank of port-a-potties further away from the more popular port-a-potty area, so we didn't have to stand in the ludicrous lines.  After our pit stop, we made our way to the starting line and only had to wait about 20 minutes for the race to start. 

The marathon featured a marathon relay, with the relay runners starting with the marathoners.  This made for an overly crowded first few miles.  Miles 1 and 2 are down tree-lined residential streets.  During these miles, I really had to focus on where I was running and pay attention not to run into cars parked along the sides of the street.  During Mile 3, I turned and ran up the Marketplace on Church Street.  The people of Burlington were out in full force: including a gaggle of what I thought were strange looking women and then quickly realized they were drag queens out to cheer on the runners.

Running down Church Street

After the excitement on Church Street, runners left the downtown Burlington area, passing back underneath the starting line, for a long, unshaded out and back on the Northern Connector, which is basically a highway.  The only time Burlington shuts the highway down is for the marathon.  It's a nice fun fact, but it didn't really make this part of the course fun.  The course is downhill from Miles 4 to 6, with a rather long climb back up to downtown Burlington.  It was during this part of the course that I "ran" into Elizabeth, a former Runner's Edger that had moved to NYC.  I chatted with her for about 0.5 mile until I needed to take a walk break. 



Views from Mile 14

Reaching the top of the hill after Mile 8, I was delighted to hear the cheers of throngs of people after returning to downtown Burlington.  I ran over the starting line once again and then retraced my steps, running down Church Street, confirming that those were indeed drag queens that I had seen before on the run up Church Street.  After leaving Church Street, I headed out to Mile 13 toward Burlington's South  End, where the course turned runners back toward downtown.  When I reached the bottom of Church Street, I heard drum beats from a few streets over and started to feel this extreme feeling of dread.  A super large hill was waiting for me at Mile 15...the hill is so large that taiko drummers come out so runners can use the drum beats to get up the hill.  I turned my iPod up and went into denial for a few miles. One of the aid stations along this stretch had my favorite aid station treat:  oranges.  I had a slice and powered on.
(As a side note, the aid stations were really well run at this event.  Each table was set up consistently with water, Gatorade, and then the opportunity for more water.)   

The views of Lake Champlain along Miles 13 and 14 were amazing!  The course ran along an asphalt bike trail along the lake.  I stopped to take a few photos here.  The temps were starting to warm up quite a bit so I really enjoyed the cool breeze off the lake.

The Assault on Battery

Then I turned off the bike trail ready for Mile 15...better known as "The Assault on Battery."  The hill.  The steep, unshaded hill.  I stopped to take a photo at the bottom of the hill and one spectator said to me:  "Yeah, baby!  That's a hill isn't it!?!?  THAT'S A HILL!"  Yep, buddy, I bet it's easy to get that excited about a hill if all you are doing is standing at the bottom of it.   Spectators held signs saying "Beat the hill!"  I started the steep 6-block climb at a slow pace, but still a pace fast enough to be considered a run.  Taiko drummers were located about a quarter of the way up the hill.  I could feel their drum beat pulsing through my body.  I took my headphones out here, and I used the drum beat to continue on about halfway up the hill.  Spectators were leaning over the security fencing as far as they could cheering on the runners by name.  The environment was extremely high energy, I just wanted to power up the hill...except it got steep...and I was hot.   Knowing there were still 11 miles left, I'm not going to lie, I walked up the rest of that bad boy.  I cannot name a point in any other marathon that I've run that I've felt that much energy from the spectators.  For a part of the course that I just dreaded, the spectators made it so much fun.



Finishing the Vermont City Marathon

At the top of the hill on Battery Street, I passed by the starting line again.  That's definitely a race course record.  I've never run by or through the starting line four times during a marathon.  Looking at a course map, it's obvious the race is set up that way so that runners get to see the most scenic parts of the city and spectators can easily maneuver the course to see the runners.

The next 6.5 miles of the course were run along North Avenue and in and out of residential neighborhoods.  The stretches along North Avenue were pretty toasty but running through the shaded neighborhoods was a blast.  People were out with sprinklers and hoses to cool the runners down.  I quickly learned to avoid any kid holding a hose after one almost totally soaked my feet.  The adults seemed to understand to aim for the head and shoulders so our feet didn't wet.  In one of the neighborhoods around Mile 18 or 19, there was a sign that said "Lakewood Musical Mile."  In this neighborhood almost everyone was out in their front yard partying down.   There were plenty of oranges and bananas for everyone.  The oranges were actually cold.   The bananas had been peeled and sliced and put into Dixie cups that we could carry along with us.  That takes effort.  I was extremely impressed.  What a fun neighborhood!

By Mile 20, I realized I'd maybe had one too many bananas and orange slices along the course and felt really full.  Whoops.  I'd become one of those people that snack their way through a race.  It was also at Mile 20 that "Turn Down for What" came on my iPod.  I seriously don't remember ever downloading that song.  I don't really know what "turning down for what" means...I probably don't really want to know what it means, but that beat really carried me along for 3 minutes and 34 seconds.  Um, thanks DJ Snake and Lil Jon.




Post Race Treat:  Maple Creemees are AMAZING!

Around Mile 21, I saw one of the best race signs ever:  You could have chosen chess.  I love the irony in that as I have never understood how to play chess.  Marathons seem easier than learning to play chess...  During Mile 21, the course has a steep downhill to the Burlington Bike Trail, which meant shade at last.  The views of Lake Champlain from this bike trail were also beautiful.  I stopped to take a photo and "ran" into my Maniac pal Murray.  I was grateful to see someone I knew, and we pushed each other the last few miles.  It's always nice to run into a Maniac at the end of race when you need moral support. 


By Mile 23, course officials indicated that the temps were high enough that the event had been red flagged.  It wasn't may imagination that it was hot.  By the time I finished, temps were over 80 degrees.  That being said, at the Mile 23 aid station I heard runners squeal with delight.  The aid station had Freezie Pops.  During a hot marathon, there is no better treat.  Forgot the cold oranges.  That grape Freezie Pop helped get me through the last 3 miles. 

Around Mile 25 I lost sight of Murray, he bounded ahead of me and I just couldn't keep up.  I kept trucking along at a steady pace and passed several people. There's no greater feeling to me at the end of a marathon than passing runners.  There's many marathons where I'm getting passed left and right.  With the warm temps and the issues I had been having in the weeks leading up to the race, I was delighted that I was feeling so strong.  It must have been the boost from the Freezie Pop... 

I crossed the finish line of the Vermont City Marathon in 5:03:40.  (After crossing the starting line so many times, in case you are wondering, the finish line was in a completely different area than the starting line.)  State #27 was in the books!

Empire State of Mind: 2013 ING NYC Marathon (Finally!)

Today, I can finally say, that I have run the ING NYC Marathon.  What a crazy journey it was just to get to the starting line. 

The NYC Marathon is the largest marathon in the world.  For those that don't know, it's incredibly difficult to get into the race.  A runner can qualify by running an insanely fast (think sub-3 hour) marathon, get in through the general lottery, or raise an insane amount of money (think $5000) as a charity runner.  In late April 2012, I found out that I had won a general lottery entry into the 2012 ING NYC Marathon.  I'm not so sure if that was my lucky day or not...  Superstorm Sandy struck NYC about 5 days before the 2012 marathon.  As a result, the race ended up being cancelled.  I was heartbroken.  Thankfully, the New York Road Runners (NYRR) gave all participants the option of returning in 2013. 

Ready to kick some asphalt!

In January 2013, I was able to confirm that I was going to be a participant in the 2013 ING New York City Marathon.  The crazy journey to the starting line continues.  About a month before race day, I received a jury summons for November 4, the day after the race.  I immediately contacted the county, and thankfully, after two hours of anxiety, the county clerk informed me that they had deferred my jury duty for 8 weeks.  Pfew!  Oh, no.  I wasn't in the clear yet - then came the federal shutdown in October.  The staging area for the race is in Fort Wadsworth - which had been closed since it was federal property.  The NYRR indicated they were working on a contingency plan in case the shutdown hadn't lifted in time for the race.  I agonized for days over the shutdown.  I was so worried that something would ruin the race for the second year in a row.  The shutdown lifted two weeks before the race.  In the next two weeks, I was a paranoid, hypochondriac, germophobe. 

Finally November 3, 2013, arrived!  I wasn't sick.  I wasn't injured.   I had the good news that I was in the 2nd wave start at 10:05 a.m.  I was a little tired from walking about 10 miles around NYC the Friday and Saturday before race day, but overall I was feeling great and in good spirits. 

I woke up on race day at 4:00 a.m. so I could get ready in time to catch my 5:30 a.m. bus to the starting line from the New York Public Library.  Temperatures were in the lower 40s, so I put on my regular running clothes (a running skirt, compression sleeves, arm warmers, short sleeve shirt, running hat and winter headband).  Then I covered with a long sleeve running shirt as a throwaway.  Next I added a hoodie throwaway sweatshirt and fleece throwaway pants.  I packed my race back with a mylar blanket, gloves, hand warmers, and trash bags plus a Runner's World and breakfast and a snack.  Then my boyfriend (Galen) headed out with me to walk the mile to the New York City Public Library to catch my 5:30 bus.

I was glad he escorted me the mile to the bus.  There were some really unique people out at that hour.  Who knew they still sell falafel (feel awful?) at all hours?  It was amazing to see that the gift shops were still open.  NYC really is the city that never sleeps!

Heading to the 5:30 a.m. bus

The bus to the start was incredibly easy.  I left the Sheraton New York around 4:30 a.m. and was at the library by 4:50 a.m.  Volunteers were already putting runners on the buses and sending buses on their way to Staten Island.  Galen and I said our good-byes, and he headed back to the hotel to go back to sleep.  I would later see him at Mile 23.

My bus left a little after 5:00 a.m.  A nice female runner from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada sat next to me on the bus.  It was her 20th marathon and we chatted about how much more nerve-wracking NYC was than any other marathon we had run.  It was nice to have someone to chat with and pass the time on the bus. 

I was in the starting village by 5:40 a.m.  Because of the Boston Marathon bombing, security was really high for the race.  To get into the starting village, I was wanded down by a security guard, and a second security guard rifled through my race bag.  Then I was on my way to camp out in the orange starting village until my corral opened at 9:00 a.m.

No one could prepare me for how long the next three hours would be.   I went over to the Dunkin Donuts tent to get a free fleece beanie.  All morning long, I watched runners' heads bobble along with these pink and orange beanies on them.  It was kind of funny.  I had selected the no baggage option, so I had to leave my beanie behind when I went to the starting corrals.  (I didn't want to haul it 26.2 miles with me.)  Instead, I took a photo of it so I could always remember the cute little beanie:

My beloved beanie - I enjoyed it for 2 hours

I sat in a tent for an hour that seemed like an eternity.  At 7:00 a.m. I finally decided to lay down, which was more comfy, and the 2nd hour went by more quickly.  I read my magazine, ate my pop-tarts, was thankful for having handwarmers, ate my peanut butter sandwich, listened to all the different languages being spoken around me, and then it was suddenly 8:00 a.m.  By the time I wandered around the starting village, used the port a potties twice, and removed my first layer of throwaway clothing, it was 9:00 a.m. and my corral had opened.

Trying to find the orange corrals was extremely stressful.  One sign said they were to the left of the village; another said they were to the right of the village.  I finally found a volunteer who showed me a map and pointed me in the right direction.  Once in the corrals, there were more port a potties so I entertained myself by standing in line one more time.

The announcements in the starting corrals were kind of humorous.  One warned runners to use the port a potties in the corrals because urinating on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was strictly prohibited and disrespectful and unpleasant to fellow runners.  (This was repeated in several languages.)  The second informed runners that the wave 2 corrals had closed and not to panic if they missed getting into a wave 2 corral.  My personal favorite part of this announcement was when they warned runners that didn't make it to the wave 2 corral on time to not scale the fence to get into the corral.  (That was also repeated in several languages.)

Add the starting line (love the Dunkin Donuts beanies!)

Finally, finally!!!  After waiting 1.5 years, I was standing at the starting line of the NYC Marathon with the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in the distance.  At 10:05 a.m., the canon sounded and "New York New York" was played over the speaker system.  Runners sang to the song in celebration as they crossed the starting line.  Helicopters hovered overhead filming the runners. 

The view as I ran over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was AMAZING!  The skyline of NYC was in the distance.  I saw the Statue of Liberty in the harbor.  Coast Guard boats were in the water below.  An NYPD helicopter hovered adjacent to the bridge.  There was so much excitement and adrenaline, I didn't even notice the steep hill up the bridge or that I was running into a very strong headwind.  It was just a gloriously beautiful 2 miles, well except for one thing:

I guess some a-hole male runners really do urinate off the side of the bridge.  Oddly, the five that I saw were all European.  Some of the American runners even yelled at an Italian runner that what he was doing just wasn't cool.  I am so glad I wasn't in the wave of runners that had to run on the bottom deck of the bridge. 

USCG and NYPD watch over the marathon

After I came off the bridge, around Mile 2, I heard drums beating.  The crowds of Brooklyn were waiting for us!  As I entered Brooklyn at Mile 2, I tossed my 2nd throwaway layer.

Going into the race, I never really bothered to look at an elevation chart for the race, so I didn't realize that the course was going to be such a "treat."  The first few miles in Brooklyn seemed like a gradual uphill.  The wind didn't help.  The crowds were amazing.  I had worn my bright yellow Garry Gribbles shirt that said "Kansas City" in big letters on the front and back.  People would cheer out "Go Kansas City" as I ran by.  Some would sing "Kansas City" to me.  It was so bizarre to have complete strangers cheering for me.   At the same time, I was getting this funky disco vibe.  I was totally channeling "you can tell by the way I use my walk..."  It wasn't until I watched the ESPN2 coverage of the event later, that I discovered I ran through part of Brooklyn where Saturday Night Fever was filmed.   I had the wings of heaven on my shoes. 



Welcome to Brooklyn!

Somewhere around the second aid station near Mile 5, I took off my glove and lost it.  For the next 15 miles, my hands were miserably cold.  This was the beginning of the end for me.  At Mile 6, I started feeling a churning in my stomach that no runner wants to feel during a marathon.  At Mile 11, I took my first of four pit stops.  Then I put on my headphones to try to block out the nausea.  The cheering crowds that help push so many runners along the course became screaming crowds that I just wanted to mute.  I didn't feel good; I didn't want to hear them.

At Mile 13, there was some guy dressed up as Big Bird  He looked like a very strung out Big Bird.  Maybe that's why Big Bird has an imaginary friend named Snuffleupagus?  After I saw Big Bird, I climbed the Pulaski Bridge where views of the NYC skyline were terrific.  There were excellent views of the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building.  (It was so hard to believe that it was only nine months earlier that I participated in the Empire State Building Run Up!)


Scenery was a great distraction up the Pulaski Bridge

Queens had been spared a pit stop.
After dealing with the Pulaski Bridge, runners climb up and down the Queensboro Bridge.  The climb was a steep one, but I enjoyed the silence since there are no spectators on the bridge.  Coming off the bridge I entered Manhattan and a "wall of sound" as throngs of people were out spectating on this portion of the course.  Pit stop No. 2 was at the port a potties under the Queensboro Bridge near Mile 16. 

The next four miles were an awful struggle.  I just didn't feel good.  I would run as long as I could then walk to relieve the pressure on my stomach.  I don't remember anything about the course except for two things until I got to an overpass/bridge on the way to Mile 20 that was another horrendous hill.  The first is that I remember hearing "Empire State of Mind" on my iPod somewhere in here, and that helped motivate me a bit.  The second is a spectator that said "Go walker, you can do it."  He's lucky I didn't turn around and punch him in the face.  (There really needs to be a rule book for race spectators of things NOT to say to someone that looks like they are in agony and walking during a marathon.)  I took another pit stop around Mile 20 in the Bronx.  (Take that Yankees!) Coming out of the Bronx was another bridge/hill that I just walked. 

Chugging up the hill at Mile 23. Go Kansas City!  Go!

Once I was heading south back to Central Park, I started to feel a little better. The wind was finally at my back and I could relate to where I was on the route map.  Galen had just texted me that he was at Mile 23, near 105th street.  Kids in Harlem were handing out bananas.  I took one and having some food on my stomach settled it for a little bit.  Trees full of fall color stretched overhead and made a perfect frame for the Empire State Building, visible in the distance.  I had a more positive outlook for a few moments...until I realized the hill that waited for me at Mile 23.   When I started the climb, I just focused on the street signs counting down to 105th Street until I saw Galen.  He was waving the Dunkin Donuts tote bag I had gotten during lunch that Friday when I had stopped for a red velvet donut and NYC Dunkin Donuts coffee mug.  It was such a relief to see a familiar face!  When I saw him, I stopped and dropped off my camera and some Honey Stingers that I didn't need to reduce any further jiggling against my stomach.  I took another pit stop at the aid station.  Galen took some photos and off I went chugalugging back up the hill.

Waving "Bye!" to Galen

The hill to Central Park is tough. Once I lost Galen, I kept my headphones off and relied on the cheers of "Go! Kansas City" and "You can do it, Kansas City" from the crowds. 
At Mile 24, once I was inside Central Park, I put my headphones back on for a bit.  Europe's "The Final Countdown" came on my playlist.  (Hey - it's a guilty pleasure.)  That got me through most of Mile 24, along with the incredible autumn colors.  I took my headphones back off when I came out of Central Park towards Columbus Circle and enjoyed the cheering crowds one last time.  At there point I was doing a lot more walking than running, but I just kept telling my stomach to hang in there for a while longer. 

When I made the right turn back into the park it was almost silent.  High security had kept the spectators away from the finish line stands.  There were virtually no spectators for the last 0.2 mile of a tough uphill finish.  But I finished!

I had finished.  Marathon #33, State #26.  It was definitely one of the hardest battles I have fought to finish a marathon.  I finished in 5:25:12 in 43,495th place.   It was around 3:25 p.m. when I finished the race.

Oh, but the agony was not over.  The long waddle through the finish area had only begun.  I can't remember the exact order of things, but it took me about 20 minutes to get my mylar blanket and medal, then waddle through finish line photos to get my finish line food bag.  Then started the great hike.  I had chosen the no-baggage option when I registered for the race, so that would allow me an early exit from the finish line area.  I tell you, I would hate to see what the non-early exit from the finish line area looked like. 

Posing with my medal post-race in Times Square

The finish line was at 67th Street.  To get to the early exit, I meandered through the park to an exit at 77th Street where we turned left onto Central Park West.  After freezing for over half an hour, at 72nd Street I received a hooded fleece poncho that provided momentary relief from being cold.   Barricades directed runners west to Columbus Avenue.  Then I was directed south down Columbus Avenue to Broadway and back to Columbus Circle.  At 61st Street, the NYPD would not let the group of runners cross the street, so we went down to 60th Street.  At 60th Street, the NYPD said we had to cross at 61st Street.  Agh!!  Back up to 61st Street I went, where the NYPD finally let us cross the street.  Galen had been waiting for me in Columbus Circle, but I was so cold and tired and feeling generally miserable that I missed him and kept moving south along 8th Avenue until I got to 53rd Street.  I took 53rd back to the Sheraton New York at 7th Avenue.  It was after 4:45 when I got to my room.  I had been gone for over 12 hours.   

What post-race delirium looks like....

Overall, the NYC Marathon was an incredible experience even though I had a personally rough race.  It's definitely a bucket list marathon for a runner like myself trying to run a marathon in all 50 states.  The logistics at the start and finish of this race combined with the price make it more of a once in a lifetime race for me.  Who knows, though?  Maybe in another five or ten years I'll try my luck at the lottery and get in again.  For now, I can say that when I got back to my hotel, I was definitely happy it was over and behind me. 

Being able to experience the spirit of NYC and see it on foot from perspectives that many people will never be able to experience themselves, is a priceless experience: 

In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made,
There's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York!

       - Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z