The Running Thread—2023

[The Expert]

the book is chock full of wisdom, advice, very specific tips for supplements, training, and more. I highly recommend it!

Thanks for the rec! I just bought it and am downloading to my Kindle now.

 

[PrincessV]

One of the things I'm curious about with more research is with Title IX and more women being active since childhood, what will that mean for things like osteoporosis? My grandmother and both of her older sisters all had it, and of course they grew up when social norms kept them from participating, or if they did, it was modified. My grandmother played basketball in high school and girls basketball was half court only.

My mom and my aunt have osteopenia, but with my mom's strength training, her bone density numbers aren't low, and in fact, they've gone up since she started prescription calcium. She's still in the osteopenia range, but her doctor is quite happy with the numbers.

I talked to my doctor when my mom was diagnosed, and she said everything I'm doing is fantastic, and she wanted me to make sure 50% of my calcium intake is from natural sources. Plus a vitamin with D3, which I've been on for years. I swapped out wine during the week for milk intake at dinner, and when I'm working remote, having milk with lunch too. Throw in yogurt and smoothies, I think I'm doing well on that front too.

They do touch on that in the book, though I kind of glossed over that part and don’t recall it in detail. But pretty much just what you said: as Title IX women age, we’re starting to learn for the first time in larger numbers what effect sport/athletics plays in things once thought inevitable, like osteoporosis. The pity is that very few are actually conducting research, so it may be another generation or two before future women really start to reap the rewards of that new knowledge.

 

[GollyGadget]

Morning! Between Life and W&D, I haven’t had time to do much DISing lately, but I’m trying to catch up. Congrats to all who’ve toed the lines and smashed some goals recently!

I have an update to share - it could get stupidly long, but I’ll try to keep it brief. Ish.

I finally bought the book “Next Level” by Stacey Sims and Selena Yeager - basically a guide to dealing with the challenges (which is a REALLY nice way of putting it) of perimenopause and menopause as an aging female athlete. It’s been enormously eye-opening and helpful!

Consider this: my generation and beyond are the first to have benefited from Title IX - the first really large group of US women to have had wide access to sport is just now hitting the menopausal stage of life, which means there’s been precious little research into how peri/menopause impacts the athletic female body. We’re only just beginning to figure things out. Which is why it’s so incredibly hard to get good sports medical care with peri/menopause in mind.

Anyway, the book is chock full of wisdom, advice, very specific tips for supplements, training, and more. I highly recommend it! And I won’t attempt to regurgitate much of it here, but a couple things I learned have totally transformed my approach to training and running, so much for the better…

1. The idea that after more than a decade of long distance running, endurance should not be my main target in training: the endurance is already there, baked in. For the past month+, I’ve been doing more HIIT runs, less mileage, and some days not running at all if I feel awful. It’s a HUGE shift in mentality for me, but it’s working a treat!

2. More protein; more quality calories. I’m hitting protein hard after every workout - a protein shake, hard boiled egg, Greek yogurt or the like. It is shocking what a difference that’s made in my recovery and reduction in soft tissue pain! And adding that in is adding more calories that I really need, too.

3. Lift Heavy Stuff (only it’s not really “Stuff”). I hate strength training, so the advice to lift heavy for very few reps is actually a winner for me lol! More weight, less time? Done. I feel stronger, look leaner (not that that is what this is about at all, but it’s a nice side effect), and am running better.

In real life, here’s how these changes have played out recently:
My penultimate b2b2b training weekend for W&D went great!
My final b2b2b training weekend was a different story: hormones were out of whack, pain levels and fatigue were high, and I bailed at mile 9 of what was sopped to be a 12-miler. Told myself all week before W&D, “This is FINE: you’ve got 10 years of marathon and Dopey training built up, not to mention a gazillion halfs - you do not need those extra miles to be ready.”
W&D weekend… I was exhausted from lack of sleep (thanks noisy neighbors), under-nourished thanks to dental work and an inability to chew properly, and frankly not into it at all… but I finished all 3 races, and even ran hard the second half of the half, with what felt like minimal effort! I still battled the chronic pain I’ve had for several years now, but it was tolerable - and I recovered quickly.

So I’m hesitant to say I’M BACK, BAYBEE!!!, but I’m… a bit more hopeful than I was a couple months ago? I still have no interest in ever agin doing a marathon, and swore after W&D no more 3 days of racing in a row, but I’m feeling reasonably confident I can still keep doing halfs if I want to. That’s a pretty big shift from where I was mentally not so long ago!

Now if I can just find shoes that don’t torture me…

I'm thrilled you found a helpful resource! I feel like we're just now starting to get good advice for females entering puberty. I have no doubts that the other side of the spectrum is just as difficult to manage.

 

[avondale]

Morning! Between Life and W&D, I haven’t had time to do much DISing lately, but I’m trying to catch up. Congrats to all who’ve toed the lines and smashed some goals recently!

I have an update to share - it could get stupidly long, but I’ll try to keep it brief. Ish.

I finally bought the book “Next Level” by Stacey Sims and Selena Yeager - basically a guide to dealing with the challenges (which is a REALLY nice way of putting it) of perimenopause and menopause as an aging female athlete. It’s been enormously eye-opening and helpful!

Consider this: my generation and beyond are the first to have benefited from Title IX - the first really large group of US women to have had wide access to sport is just now hitting the menopausal stage of life, which means there’s been precious little research into how peri/menopause impacts the athletic female body. We’re only just beginning to figure things out. Which is why it’s so incredibly hard to get good sports medical care with peri/menopause in mind.

Anyway, the book is chock full of wisdom, advice, very specific tips for supplements, training, and more. I highly recommend it! And I won’t attempt to regurgitate much of it here, but a couple things I learned have totally transformed my approach to training and running, so much for the better…

1. The idea that after more than a decade of long distance running, endurance should not be my main target in training: the endurance is already there, baked in. For the past month+, I’ve been doing more HIIT runs, less mileage, and some days not running at all if I feel awful. It’s a HUGE shift in mentality for me, but it’s working a treat!

2. More protein; more quality calories. I’m hitting protein hard after every workout - a protein shake, hard boiled egg, Greek yogurt or the like. It is shocking what a difference that’s made in my recovery and reduction in soft tissue pain! And adding that in is adding more calories that I really need, too.

3. Lift Heavy Stuff (only it’s not really “Stuff”). I hate strength training, so the advice to lift heavy for very few reps is actually a winner for me lol! More weight, less time? Done. I feel stronger, look leaner (not that that is what this is about at all, but it’s a nice side effect), and am running better.

In real life, here’s how these changes have played out recently:
My penultimate b2b2b training weekend for W&D went great!
My final b2b2b training weekend was a different story: hormones were out of whack, pain levels and fatigue were high, and I bailed at mile 9 of what was sopped to be a 12-miler. Told myself all week before W&D, “This is FINE: you’ve got 10 years of marathon and Dopey training built up, not to mention a gazillion halfs - you do not need those extra miles to be ready.”
W&D weekend… I was exhausted from lack of sleep (thanks noisy neighbors), under-nourished thanks to dental work and an inability to chew properly, and frankly not into it at all… but I finished all 3 races, and even ran hard the second half of the half, with what felt like minimal effort! I still battled the chronic pain I’ve had for several years now, but it was tolerable - and I recovered quickly.

So I’m hesitant to say I’M BACK, BAYBEE!!!, but I’m… a bit more hopeful than I was a couple months ago? I still have no interest in ever agin doing a marathon, and swore after W&D no more 3 days of racing in a row, but I’m feeling reasonably confident I can still keep doing halfs if I want to. That’s a pretty big shift from where I was mentally not so long ago!

Now if I can just find shoes that don’t torture me…

Thanks - the book sounds interesting!

 

[jofo]

There's a good sale on Glycerins on the Brooks website -- we also had 10% off Brooks offers on several of our Chase credit cards.

 

[dis_or_dat]

There's a good sale on Glycerins on the Brooks website -- we also had 10% off Brooks offers on several of our Chase credit cards.

Thanks for this! So hard to find these on sale, Dicks Sporting Goods also has them for $110!

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

Morning! Between Life and W&D, I haven’t had time to do much DISing lately, but I’m trying to catch up. Congrats to all who’ve toed the lines and smashed some goals recently!

I have an update to share - it could get stupidly long, but I’ll try to keep it brief. Ish.

I finally bought the book “Next Level” by Stacey Sims and Selena Yeager - basically a guide to dealing with the challenges (which is a REALLY nice way of putting it) of perimenopause and menopause as an aging female athlete. It’s been enormously eye-opening and helpful!

Consider this: my generation and beyond are the first to have benefited from Title IX - the first really large group of US women to have had wide access to sport is just now hitting the menopausal stage of life, which means there’s been precious little research into how peri/menopause impacts the athletic female body. We’re only just beginning to figure things out. Which is why it’s so incredibly hard to get good sports medical care with peri/menopause in mind.

Anyway, the book is chock full of wisdom, advice, very specific tips for supplements, training, and more. I highly recommend it! And I won’t attempt to regurgitate much of it here, but a couple things I learned have totally transformed my approach to training and running, so much for the better…

1. The idea that after more than a decade of long distance running, endurance should not be my main target in training: the endurance is already there, baked in. For the past month+, I’ve been doing more HIIT runs, less mileage, and some days not running at all if I feel awful. It’s a HUGE shift in mentality for me, but it’s working a treat!

2. More protein; more quality calories. I’m hitting protein hard after every workout - a protein shake, hard boiled egg, Greek yogurt or the like. It is shocking what a difference that’s made in my recovery and reduction in soft tissue pain! And adding that in is adding more calories that I really need, too.

3. Lift Heavy Stuff (only it’s not really “Stuff”). I hate strength training, so the advice to lift heavy for very few reps is actually a winner for me lol! More weight, less time? Done. I feel stronger, look leaner (not that that is what this is about at all, but it’s a nice side effect), and am running better.

In real life, here’s how these changes have played out recently:
My penultimate b2b2b training weekend for W&D went great!
My final b2b2b training weekend was a different story: hormones were out of whack, pain levels and fatigue were high, and I bailed at mile 9 of what was sopped to be a 12-miler. Told myself all week before W&D, “This is FINE: you’ve got 10 years of marathon and Dopey training built up, not to mention a gazillion halfs - you do not need those extra miles to be ready.”
W&D weekend… I was exhausted from lack of sleep (thanks noisy neighbors), under-nourished thanks to dental work and an inability to chew properly, and frankly not into it at all… but I finished all 3 races, and even ran hard the second half of the half, with what felt like minimal effort! I still battled the chronic pain I’ve had for several years now, but it was tolerable - and I recovered quickly.

So I’m hesitant to say I’M BACK, BAYBEE!!!, but I’m… a bit more hopeful than I was a couple months ago? I still have no interest in ever agin doing a marathon, and swore after W&D no more 3 days of racing in a row, but I’m feeling reasonably confident I can still keep doing halfs if I want to. That’s a pretty big shift from where I was mentally not so long ago!

Now if I can just find shoes that don’t torture me…

I’ve just ordered a copy to be delivered tomorrow. I appreciate the recommendation, and look forward to reading it. I’m glad things are going well for you!

 

[PrincessV]

I’ve just ordered a copy to be delivered tomorrow. I appreciate the recommendation, and look forward to reading it. I’m glad things are going well for you!

Thank you so much! I think you’ll enjoy it - I came away feeling like even if none of the recommendations worked, just knowing that I’m not crazy and this “change of life” really IS doing all sorts of crazy things to my body was worth the read.

 

[nancipants]

Thank you so much! I think you’ll enjoy it - I came away feeling like even if none of the recommendations worked, just knowing that I’m not crazy and this “change of life” really IS doing all sorts of crazy things to my body was worth the read.

I am getting close to that stage (almost 43, but my mom went through menopause early so I'm expecting the same for me), AND I'm still a new-ish mom (son turns 4 in December), and one of the reasons I started running is because I can already tell my body is about to start going haywire and I want to have some control over it. It's crazy to me that there's still so much we don't know about how menstruation/menopause works and the effects they have!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I am getting close to that stage (almost 43, but my mom went through menopause early so I'm expecting the same for me), AND I'm still a new-ish mom (son turns 4 in December), and one of the reasons I started running is because I can already tell my body is about to start going haywire and I want to have some control over it. It's crazy to me that there's still so much we don't know about how menstruation/menopause works and the effects they have!

A little over 4 decades ago, I would have lunch in the junior high cafeteria and number of my female classmates would have a lunch of a soda and potato chips or something similar. No milk, not even for breakfast (to listen to them talk about what they ate in the morning), no calcium, and no real exercise to add calcium to their bones.
Later in high school and when I married, I learned about how much babies leach calcium from mom. All these years later, I've wondered how my former classmates have fared in terms of health vs the women who drank milk, or were athletes as teens, or who have done tennis, running, strength training, etc as adults.

On a side note, I was discussing with a couple at church, both who run, about the irony of how we do this for our health, and cause ourselves ailments and injuries in our zeal to run and be healthy. (The guy is going in for surgery tomorrow to repair a torn something or the other. It'll be 6 months of recovery and PT. Prayers for him).

So if I may kvetch for a minute: After a week off due to a sinus infection, I went running again today. And at a little over a mile, stepped badly off the curb where the sidewalk ended. I managed not to turn my ankle, but seriously stressed the muscles in the ball of my foot. I finished my run, and at a good pace, but now I'm on my second round of ice on the bottom of my foot. Hopefully the ice is enough. Just dang.

Thank you for listening.

 

[superchime]

On a side note, I was discussing with a couple at church, both who run, about the irony of how we do this for our health, and cause ourselves ailments and injuries in our zeal to run and be healthy.

I hope your foot is feeling better soon!

My whole life I watched my mom try one fad diet after another, no exercise beyond the occasional walk around the block with her friends. Now she's 80 and has so many health problems and is in a lot of constant pain. If that's my other option... I think I'll take the pain and injuries caused by exercise.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I hope your foot is feeling better soon!

My whole life I watched my mom try one fad diet after another, no exercise beyond the occasional walk around the block with her friends. Now she's 80 and has so many health problems and is in a lot of constant pain. If that's my other option... I think I'll take the pain and injuries caused by exercise.

My grandmother had a type of muscular dystrophy and she never did the PT exercises. When she fell and broke her ankle, she didn't do the PT exercises either, saying it hurt. Of course it hurts! The whole point of those is to breakdown the scar tissue and get your mobility back, which hurts.

 

[kps7795]

My grandmother had a type of muscular dystrophy and she never did the PT exercises. When she fell and broke her ankle, she didn't do the PT exercises either, saying it hurt. Of course it hurts! The whole point of those is to breakdown the scar tissue and get your mobility back, which hurts.

You're preaching to the choir. The same thing happened with my MIL when she broke her ankle because she fell off of her bicycle. She has complained nonstop that she never got better, but doesn't do the PT exercises.

 

[The Expert]

I've wondered how my former classmates have fared in terms of health vs the women who drank milk, or were athletes as teens, or who have done tennis, running, strength training, etc as adults.

I'm really interested in the diet question, as it does seem to be key to so many things. I can't stand milk, but I had it on cereal almost every day growing up. I do eat tons of cheese, so hopefully that helps. I have no kids, did dance/cheer through college and have strength trained for 15 years, so a lot of variables there that probably won't tell me how much my diet contributes (or not).

My whole life I watched my mom try one fad diet after another, no exercise beyond the occasional walk around the block with her friends. Now she's 80 and has so many health problems and is in a lot of constant pain. If that's my other option... I think I'll take the pain and injuries caused by exercise.

Yep, this is my mom exactly. She's had one knee replaced and I flew down to stay with her for 10 days after her surgery to make sure she did the PT. But she's back in a scooter 90% of the time she leaves the house because now the other knee needs surgery. They won't schedule it until she drops some weight, so now she's back on Keto. It's frustrating for sure, but also my motivation to keep active. No offense to those who truly need mobility devices, but I do not want to be scooter bound at Disney EVER if I can help it.

When she fell and broke her ankle, she didn't do the PT exercises either, saying it hurt. Of course it hurts!

My MIL just had her umpteenth back surgery (she was an ICU nurse and was injured lifting a patient 25+ years ago). As a nurse, she should know better, but she actually lied to the surgeon and told them someone lives with her so they would release her home instead of a rehab facility! After every surgery, she does as little as possible and goes back to normal activity as fast as she can get away with -- which for her includes lots of stooping, kneeling and lifting while gardening. She's baffled why she keeps falling and re-injuring herself. She's at least in a condo now, so there's a good chance someone will hear when she has to yell for help, but it's terrifying to think what could happen.

 

[Naomeri]

I hope your foot is feeling better soon!

My whole life I watched my mom try one fad diet after another, no exercise beyond the occasional walk around the block with her friends. Now she's 80 and has so many health problems and is in a lot of constant pain. If that's my other option... I think I'll take the pain and injuries caused by exercise.

My mother isn’t even 60 yet and she’s practically housebound and needs a wheelchair in airports because she’s lived a sedentary life with poor diet and allowed the pain caused by those things to prevent her from doing the things that would alleviate the pain caused by those things. Looking at her is what started me on my journey to running.

I’m still kind of sedentary outside of running, and my diet is still lousy, but I can run almost a 10 minute mile (as long as I can slow down for the rest of the miles )

 

[flav]

NYC Marathon 2023 race report - Turning the last page of a chapter

Exhilarated by the successful completion of my first marathon in 2019 and Dopey in January 2020, I took my chance on February 1st 2020 and put my name in the lottery to run the New York City Marathon. 25 days later, I was in!

Young DD in elementary school started planning her Halloween costume. Older DD in 9th grade was ok to miss two days of school to visit NYC. Hotel was booked. And then, the world as we knew it stopped due to the pandemic.

Fortunately, the four of us confined at home for almost six months understood the importance of having each other and lived a peaceful and meaningful life together. We also took care of our physical health, slowly equipping the basement with free weights, work bench, mats and elastics. And yes, running. DH in particular, when the gym closed, choose to come and run with me, mostly during our lunch breaks.

When NYRR offered deferral, with the USA borders still closed to Canadians, I took the safest option: I would run the NYC Marathon in 2023!

Time passed, graduations happened, travel resumed, social interactions, awkwardly sometimes, restarted beside a screen, tweens turned into young women. And slowly, the concept of running a marathon wasn’t as foreign as it once was for DH. We were lucky that some guaranteed bibs were released to an International Tour Operator (ITO) that we had contacted.

After 20 years of mariage, a couple that stays together runs together DH and I hence followed the same 16 weeks training plan and ran the same HM leading to the race.

Friday November 3rd, 2023 6AM: We are on the bus, the weekend is really happening! We arrive early afternoon at the New Yorker Hotel and decide to visit the Expo at the Javits Center. Like all the communications received by NYRR, this event is super well organized and polished. We get our bibs and shirts in no time. We buy NYC running socks for the family, sunglasses for me (for the marathon) and Pumpkin Spice Gu for fun.

We notice a restaurant that I had planned to visit post marathon and decide to eat there now (gluten free fried chicken and waffles!). That basically means that we are not going to carb load. It will clearly be too difficult considering our restrictions and too boring for a city with such offerings.

We spend the evening shopping/visiting on the 34th Street, 7th Avenue and around Time Square. Going to bed, we agree that we overdid it on our legs and that we better be careful the next day.

On Saturday, we use the subway and head towards Central Park, strolling on Amsterdam and Columbus as well. The weather is fantastic the entire weekend. Mild, dry, slightly cloudy at times. After lunch, we attend the matinee of The Lion King on Broadway. This is by far the best show I have ever seen: Visually stunning and harmonically pleasing, wow!

After a solid dinner at Bubba Gump (run Forest run), we go back to our room and prepare our clothes for the next day. I wake up in the middle of the night realizing that I had pinned my husband bib on my shirt and vice versa Easily fixed.

Sunday November 5th, 2023 6AM: We are on the same bus, the marathon is really happening! By avoiding the main highways and their traffic, we have a bonus visit of Staten Island, nice.

One of the challenges for today is that we will start with Wave 4 at 10:55AM. So with a 4AM breakfast, we basically need to have lunch before the race. After going through security, we arrive in the Villages and within seconds have a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in our hands. Fantastic because it is slightly chilly. Our throw away clothes are perfect, including the blanket on which we sit. From here we have a view of the bridge and of a screen, allowing us to spectate as we wait. The announcements are very clear so when the Wave 3 corrals close, we head towards the proper area, doing one last pit stop along the way. There is plenty of toilets everywhere (with paper too!).

We join the Orange Wave 4 Corral A, walk to the start, listen to the US anthem and, finally, we run the NYC marathon! The objectives are to have fun, to visit the city, to take some pictures and to finish.

The Verrazano bridge goes by, with the sun, the view, the excitement and more downhill than I thought. Brooklyn is so full of energy. We high five, we laugh, we are impressed with the crowd presence. At 10k, I am thinking, wow, that went fast. By the midway point, on the Pulaski bridge, I realize that I am starting to fade, plus a new experience: One of my knee is complaining. Fortunately, the pain subsides somewhere after Queens and the Queensboro bridge. Also, I am busy looking for the yellow hat of @NYC_MW and texting my family who are seeing us LIVE on the many cameras along the course. They find it amazing to be part of the event, even from far away. The Willis bridge brings us for a quick detour in the Bronx. There, someone offers us a watermelon and it is the best snack, the one we needed just then. The generosity of people all along is remarkable.

We cross the fifth and final bridge to Manhattan on Madison Ave. then go from 138th to 90th Street at a slow but constant uphill. At that point I am concentrated and confiant.

We enter Central Park and suddenly at around 3km (2 miles) from the end, another completely new experience: A major cramp in the hamstring. The kind that brings me to a complete halt, yelling and crying. I know that even if I have to hop on one leg for three hours I will still complete the marathon. There are a few minutes when I think that it might be the only possibility. Then, I slowly start to walk, then I resume running. I feel bad for DH who definitely has some acceleration remaining in his legs but I tell him that I would rather finish running slow than limping. And he totally supports that. We do cross the finish line holding hands and smiling. DH is a marathoner now

It was fun to see things through the eyes a a first timer again.

We walk the chute as the sun sets, go grab a solid snack of GF bagels and lox, hop on the subway, shower and show up to the pub where the tour group is celebrating. We eventually go back to Time Square for dinner.

The next morning, before heading home, the bus stops at Marathon Monday and it is fun to see people walking around with their medals. The New Yorkers have been really warm and welcoming all weekend, we are charmed. We want to highlight that we really appreciated the atmosphere, the 2 million supporters chanting and holding signs, the flawless organization of the race, the views of the city and the other runners each pushing their own limits.

Congratulations to our fellow DISers @dis_or_dat @huskies90 @jmasgat
for completing such a challenging race.

As for the delay in writing this report, I recognize that it took me a while to come to terms with how I felt that day. In hindsight, it is because we stayed left for most of the race and the slight but constant canter caused a strain on my left leg. None of it I felt after the race. So yes, I am now proud of having completed my sixth marathon and even prouder of having run it as a team with my loving husband. Thanks to all of you readers and contributors to this board, you were also with us.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Hi guys - here's my too long race (NYC marathon) recap:

Spoiler: Introduction

After getting into Boston, I heard NY was just as an amazing experience so figured I should capitalize on my fitness (I missed qualifying by mere seconds) and try for a NY qualifying time. I never trained so hard as trying to get my NY qualifying time and burned out. But I made it with flying colors but deferred so I follow my “one race a year” rule.

Spoiler: Training

Another amazing plan by @DopeyBadger . This time I was coming in with high hamstring tendonopathy and lost a lot of fitness after Chicago attempting to recover. Although they never fully healed, I was able to complete training with a lot of daily foam rolling and lacrosse ball.

I didn’t miss any runs, but I had a significant amount of life stress the last 2 months of my training and I only got 4-5 hours of sleep every night and mentally/physically drained and exhausted.

Spoiler: NY/Expo

Got in too late to hit up the expo. But my hotel was close to the New York Public Library and Bryant Park, which had opened its Winter Village: ice skating rink, cute shops, and “lodge.” After grabbing pasta I went and explored the area.

Got up early the next day for the expo (pretty empty so quick in and out). Unfortunately I missed participating in a shake out run my friend told me about. I did a short 2 mile run through Times Square to get there but it had already ended. Since it was run by New Balance, they had some snacks and freebies (hat, fanny pack, or socks), I opted for the fanny pack.

Went to Central Park to drop off my precheck bag (just a Finishers Jacket and some Nuun) and then walked around the park. It's so beautiful and relaxing with the fall foliage. We really lucked out with the weather.

Later met up with a friend for dinner, but had to cut it short since I had to wake up at 3am to get on the 5am bus! Grabbed some breakfast supplies at a corner grocery and back to the hotel.

Spoiler: Pre-Race

Went to bed later than I wanted and woke up right before my alarm. Luckily the buses were right in front of the New York Public Library. I got to the buses at 5am and there were so many! At least 20+. I was about to hop on when I saw there was a line. It was larger than any Disney line. It stretched along 42nd from 5th to 6th ave and back. It moved quickly though and I got on around 5:40am and promptly napped.

Spoiler: Start Village

I think we got there around 6:50. I had done a lot of research and wore all the layers. The buses were heated but it was pretty chilly once we got off. I brought a newspaper and explored the village. Went to the Dunkin' Donuts section. The line for coffee was enormous so skipped it and went straight for the beanies and bagels. No bananas, but there were protein bars. There were also lactation tents and therapy dog tents.

A lot of portapotties but also long lines for them. I seemed to always choose the wrong line.

Initially I thought the corral system was very confusing but once I figured it out, it was easy. I went to my blue corral and hung out. Tip: there’s coffee, snacks, and tents etc at each corral. The line for coffee was non-existent there!

The Race:
They finally called my group and there’s more portapotties in that area too! We walk to Verrazano Bridge, the National Anthem plays, the cannons go off, and Frank Sinatra serenades as we start running.

The bridge and views are amazing but unfortunately I go way too fast and freak out as I'm worried about my hamstrings and if I will hit the dreaded wall and cramp city.

I try to latch on to racers that seem to be going the same pace as me. But if they surge past, I’m fine. Unfortunately the skyscrapers start mucking with my GPS and it constantly says my current pace is in the mid 9:00s so I speed up a little.

Pulling into Brooklyn we hear the Beastie Boys blasting of course! Crowd support is good but unfortunately I kept choosing the wrong “side” of the street to be on. NY separates the corrals for quite some time and everyone finally merges around mile 8 and that’s when the party really gets going.

Wow, the spectator support is awesome! So awesome, they start spilling into the streets narrowing the space to run - maybe 3-4 runners abreast and I kept getting stuck behind slower runners. I don't know the boroughs well, but after that it’s just walls of people cheering.

We get to the infamous Queensboro bridge. Not too bad, but everyone is quietly running as spectators aren’t allowed on bridges. I see the 3:35 pacer for the first time. I try to run with them for a while since it helps part the crowds, but it seems like he banks time to account for the slowed ascents as he bombs down the descent. I let them go.

I’m a “shuffle” runner. My cadence is in the 180s when I’m doing slow easy runs because I barely lift my legs off the ground. So around mile 17 I fall for the 4th time in my entire running life, tripping over uneven pavement. I scrape up my knee and elbow pretty badly and break my watch. A few runners stop to check on me but I brush it off and keep running. What would my kids say if I told them I gave up? At this point I’m wondering how my body will hold up, but thankful I didn’t break anything.

I’ve noticed that my hamstrings have never felt “comfortable” but also not screaming in pain, so I just keep going. Also, the water stops start to become difficult with so many runners even though there’s a lot of cups and volunteers. I had to slow down quite a bit to grab a cup. At one point I had to grab one from a spectator!

Crowds are pumping but I feel myself lagging and I curse myself for going too fast at the beginning. Then Willis Bridges happens right before the 20 mile mark. Not terrible, but not fun at that point either! We head out to the Bronx and I know I finished my “20 mile long run” and about to start my 10k and try to speed up a little.

So many people! I got a bib topper with my name and having people yell it out initially made me feel so happy but near the end it really motivated me to keep going. Mile 23-24 we are on 5th avenue and the sneaky hill. I start to feel a bit of a left hamstring cramp creeping up and I mentally start wondering how long it will take me to finish the race if I fully cramp. My entire left leg starts involuntarily turning inward and I slow down and pray that it doesn’t cramp up. Luckily it goes away and I continue running, but at a careful pace.

The last 2 miles through Central Park were so long. Once again the path significantly narrowed at bits from all the spectators crowding but they kept screaming my name and telling me to finish strong and it really pushed me.

800 meters left: so close to the end, but why is it taking forever!?! No one passes me at this point as I’m slowly passing others.

400 meters left: FINALLY yes, push forward!

Cross the finish line!

Finished just under 3:35 with a BQ with a double digit cushion!

Spoiler: Aftermath

I slowly staggered down the almost 1 mile finishers chute. I know if I stop I will cramp. I get my medal (so beautiful!) and a volunteer kindly puts the luxurious fleece lined poncho on me. Lots of ambulances and medical carts are going back and forth transporting runners. I make my way to the medical tent to get some much needed bandaids.

I walk over half a mile to get my precheck bag and put on my finishers jacket. I see several runners vomit onto the sidewalk. A few already have EMTs and I flag help for others.

It takes me almost one and a half hours to get back to the hotel as I navigated the stairs to the train and the transfers. Many people kindly gave up their seat when they saw me enter the train.

I take a shower and take a quick nap and then meet up a friend for dinner and go out for drinks and explore NY together. I see lots of people still in running clothes and ponchos at 11pm and amazed they were out partying for so long, but someone told me the many had just finished the race. That was very inspirational.

NYC marathon was great - the crowds did not disappoint! Wish I had gone out slower at the beginning so the end wouldn't have been such a slog though, but the cheering helped get me through it.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Wow @flav that's so crazy we posted recaps at the same time! Love the pictures!

 

[jmasgat]

there’s more portapotties in that area too!

The things that impressed me the most about this race were all in the starting village: Dunk's coffee, therapy dogs, and portapotties in the actual corrals! with no lines! Honestly, that put a big smile on my face.

 

[dis_or_dat]

The things that impressed me the most about this race were all in the starting village: Dunk's coffee, therapy dogs, and portapotties in the actual corrals! with no lines! Honestly, that put a big smile on my face.

my nervous bladder thanked them.