Race Name: TCS New York City Marathon Tune-up
Date of Race: September 17, 2017
Last year when I was training for my first marathon, I remember reading about this event on the NYRR website and thinking about how 18 miles as a "training" run felt impossible - I had not quite worked my way into mileage that high yet. So this this year when the run fell on a weekend that I had a 18 mile run scheduled anyway, I quickly signed up.
Dad agreed to drive me to the run and hang out in the city during it, so we got on the road around 5:30 a.m. Traffic was non existent at that hour, so we questioned if we had really needed to get up so early.
I ate my standard pre-race breakfast on the way - A bagel with peanut butter and Gu Roctane powder ultra endurance energy mix. I like the fruit punch flavor of this drink mix, but am hoping to get my hands on some of the "summit tea" flavor soon.
By the time we got to central park, where the race is held, we were glad that we had some extra time to look for parking near the park. At 6:40 I bailed from the car so I would have time to check my bag and use the bathroom before the race started, and Dad continued to circle as he looked for parking.
After volunteering at the 5th avenue mile last week I picked up my bib and t shirt, and when I saw the crazy long line at bib pickup on race morning I was glad that I got it out of the way.As i headed into central park there were tons of runners preparing to start this race - about 6,000 were registered to run. I walked to bag check to leave a change of clothes with them, and then headed for the porter potty lines. The line for the porter potty was nearly as long as the bib pickup line, and I wound up bailing at 6:55 to head into my corral.
For fueling during this run I brought packets of Gu and one pouch of Jelly Belly extreme sport beans. I like to take a Gu before the run, and then every 45 minutes once I'm moving, and then if I feel like I need a boost I will snack on a few sport beans between packets of Gu. In general I take two flavors with me, orange or salted watermelon and strawberry banana. The orange flavor has caffeine in it, while the strawberry banana does not, so I feel like by switching between the two flavors I don't wind up too hyped up by the caffeine.
After bailing from the bathroom line I jumped into my corral, and before I knew it we were off and running. About a mile into the run I wound up near the 3:55 marathon finish time pacer, whose pace sign said 8:46 - and for some reason, I said to myself, "I can probably keep that pace, its pretty close to 9 and 9 is doable!" So, I began to chase the pacer, and a chase it truly was... my watch had us closer to an 8-minute 15 second mile, which is more of a struggle for me. I kept up the chase for about 3 miles, before I realized i was being irrational, as I needed to cover 18 miles, and I didn't have a month to recover like I do after a marathon. So, as we approached the end of the first loop of central park I fell back, and made a quick stop at the restroom so that I would not be tempted to rejoin the group.
The downside to my pit stop was that I realized just how much I had sweat at that point - it was 74 degrees out, with a humidity of 79%, so it was less than ideal running weather. For loop two I focused on making sure I was taking in enough fluids, and staying at a more comfortable pace. Dad was off wandering around central park, but I caught him near Harlem hill on the second loop and shouted a quick greeting. By the last hill of the second lap - cat hill - the run was becoming a bit of a mental battle. I was soaked with sweat, and the hills were killing me! But when I crossed the start line again and began the third loop of central park, it felt like the end was in sight.
I started walking some of the water stops on the third loop, as I was starting to feel less than stellar, and walking them ensured that I was actually drinking the water rather than just spilling it all over myself. I knew I would see Dad again at the last mile marker before the end of the race (which happened to be mile marker 6, since it was loops after all), and the last loop became a countdown to that. I got up Harlem hill for the last time, headed through the three sisters, and they were behind me before I knew it. Then it was just cat hill between me and the finish line. When I came upon that last hill the finish line was so close I could taste it, and in a blink of the eye the run was over. Where had my 18 miles gone, certainly they could not be done?! But indeed, they were. I collected some Gatorade, an apple, and a bagel, and Dad and I headed back to the car.
Before heading home from the city we drove by the NYRR run center, so I could change into dry clothes and pick up my race bib for the NB bronx 10-miler the following weekend. The bib pickup was easy and the staff was very friendly, as has been the case each time I've picked up my bib there. I was glad I didn't bring any money in with me though, because they had a bunch of NYC marathon gear for sale, and I don't think my credit card would have appreciated it.
Then we headed home, and I spent the rest of the day recovering, which included falling asleep in a restorative yoga class - but can you blame me for that after a 18 miler?!
