- Weekends away as husband and wife are always fun! But this one was one for the YOLO (You Only Live Once) record books. How cool that Rich got to run the NYC marathon and that BOTH of us were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience for this world-famous race.
2. The only time you get denied with “super
credentials” is when you try to walk into the trailer that is serving as the
back stage for the podium – even in uniform. How awesome to be able to walk up
to the starting line of the NYC marathon with no one questioning your intent?
Seriously, having these credentials really gave us a behind the scenes
perspective on how a large event is executed and how many people it takes to
make it happen. Impressive to say the least. We were honored to be so up close
to everything.
3. The Navy Lodge is the BEST place to stay on race
day, but is mostly reserved for the NYC Marathon Start Crew.
4. Approximately 1,700 port-a-potties are brought
in for the start of the race. And they are all locked until the day of the
marathon. I wonder whose job it is to go around and unlock them all? Can you
imagine if that person forgot their zip-tie cutter?
5. People in uniform really do stand out in a
crowd. I had a taste of being conspicuous as Rich and I rode in a golf cart
around the “Race village” at the start. A sea of runners and then a man in
uniform, much easier to find than Waldo.
6. Major Norden is an intense guy.
Every team needs a MAJ Norden.
He’s the guy who takes his job as serious as
a heart attack and makes sure that everyone around him rises to his level
instead of him backing down to theirs.
We realized all of this right around the time he told us about placing
snipers on the roof tops.
7. Elite athletes stress about the last-minute pee,
just like you and me! And yes, Rich got to pee in the same port-a-potties they
used.
8. Tiki Barber is shorter and smaller in person.
While at the VIP tent, Rich and I were able to meet several famous people and
known runners. One of the highlights was meeting Tiki Barber. This is Tiki’s
5th marathon and is doing it for charity. I enjoyed listening to him talk about
he came about his particular cause. No surprise, there is a personal element
behind it all.
9. Rich can transition from Colonel to Runner in
just about 5 minutes flat. No joke. I am so impressed with his ability to strip
out of his uniform and be race ready right there on the Verrazano Narrows
Bridge. I’d want a little more personal space and time to get dressed for a
marathon.
10. Expect the howitzer to be LOUD! You can’t help
but jump when that gun goes off.
11. The Verrazano Bridge is a beautiful way to start
the race. People run on both levels of the bridge, but only the people on the upper
level have the best view.
To the north
is a great view of the New York City skyline.
To the south, at eye level, is a NYPD helicopter just hovering about
100’ away.
12. The weather makes a difference. Sunday, November 4th, was a
perfect day sandwiched between two rainy, windy, chilly days. The race day weather was about 54 degrees
with a light wind and no clouds. It was
a perfect fall day.
13. New Yorkers really represent.
It was estimated that over one million people
lined the streets from 92
nd Street in Brooklyn to Columbus Circle at
Central Park in Manhattan.
Every borough
was packed with people offering high-fives, signs of encouragement, water,
food, and lots of spirit.
If ever there
is an event where NYC gets to show its very best, this marathon is it.
14. Always anticipate that Rich will run faster than
his predicted time and he will NOT slow down when you need him to the most.
Damn him. I tried to meet him at mile 18. I really thought I had it for a
moment, there. But he was faster than his predicted time and I ended up missing
him by 2 minutes. I hate that I put so much effort into getting to mile 18 only
to end up missing him. I really wanted to see him then. Check to see how he was
doing. To celebrate with him. My decision to go to mile 18 cost me the
opportunity to be at the finish line. No really, the actual finish line by the
TVs and the red tape the winners run through. I wish it would have worked out.
Being at the finish would have been the ultimate way to wrap up the experience.
Instead, I was frustrated that I did not see Rich nor did I get to enjoy the
spirit of the race.
15. The marathon course is very, very flat. This means that when you run across a bridge,
from the approach to the brigade to the apex/zenith feels like you are climbing
Mt. Everest. …and the downhill doesn’t
feel any better!
16. No matter how good you execute your plan, you
need to be able to think on your feet. I hate that I missed Rich at mile 18. I
really had a good plan and knew exactly how to get to where I needed to be.
But, it did not happen. I should have thought through a plan B, because once I
realized that I missed Rich I felt a bit lost; unsure what to do next. So I walked about 10 blocks trying to figure
it out. It was wasted time. I eventually did get back on the subway at a
different location to get to the finish, but after that I could not shake that
feeling of being defeated.
17. The best time of day to take the Staten Island
Ferry is at sunset. The golden hour never disappoints.
18. On your mark – leave your mark. Rich Brown left
his mark at Central Park (and on the Staten Island Ferry). I knew Rich did not
feel well after the race. He just had this look about him. What I did not
expect was that he would throw up not once but TWICE after the race. The first
was at a discreet location right outside of the VIP tents by the famous Tavern
on the Green. He puked in the bushes. But the second time was a little more
public: as we were boarding the iconic Staten Island Ferry. Thankfully, Rich
found a corner where the staff kept their mop and dust pans. He had almost
perfect aim.
19. Don’t start a conversation with every Uber
driver you meet. Most drivers did not
want to talk. The Crazy Albanian? He
liked to talk. About trees. Trees that smile. Smiling trees. And a bunch of other craziness that we were
forced to listen to.
20. This ain’t Disney World. Yes, I ran the Dopey Challenge in January –
48.6 miles over four days – but that run was easy because I stopped a lot to
take pictures. In fact, I think my time
was about 5h30m-ish. People ran in
costumes. Lot of people started up conversations with strangers to make the
time go by. The whole event was very
light. Not this time. We didn’t see a single costume or tutu. No one talked. Everyone was seriously running and running
seriously.
21. The advice, “Do Not Try Anything New On Race
Day,” is really good advice. The
aforementioned #7 was the result of trying a new nourishment gel that I had
never used before. I “gelled” four times
during the race, twice with a product I never used before. The results were left in Central Park and on the
Staten Island Ferry.
22. The NYC Road Runners put on a great show. The
details to put on this race are mind boggling. But the NYCRR has got it down to
a science. Fast to set up, fast to clean up. And great volunteers and race
officials everywhere in between. It was a rare event to peak behind the curtain
and fascinating to see.
23. This was the LOUDEST event I ever participated
in. From the howitzers, to the
helicopter fly over, to the masses of people cheering us on, to the choirs
outside the churches, to the bands playing outside bars, the NYC Marathon was
incredibly loud. In some neighborhoods
the buildings were really close together which made the noise even louder. It drowned out my RunKeeper pacing app but
carried me through to the finish line.
24. “The Wall” is real.
We put this here because right around mile
twenty-four I hit the point in the race where my body just wanted to quit.
My quadriceps balled up.
I was reduced to walking a few steps before
the voice in my head said, “If you stop now, you’ll never start up again.” I
pushed myself beyond the limit of my endurance. While that sounds kind of
silly, it is also true.
I was at the end
of my reserves and ran on sheer will to the finish line.
25. Please be careful of the subway stairs after the
race and use the elevator and escalators if given the choice!
26. It is easy to spot the runners in the airport after
the race.
Even without any running gear
on, it is easy to spot the hobbling, slow-motion, slow-to-get-up people in the
Newark Liberty Airport and make a safe assumption that they ran the previous
day and are not suffering from arthritis.
The people in the airport must know this too because a nice woman
approached us and said that United Airlines would engrave my medal for free
right there on the spot!
.2 It is good to have someone
who loves you at the finish line.
Period.
Our Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving Weekend is coming to a close.
Samantha went to New York to be with hers mom's family. Betty traveled to Missouri to be with Linda and her daughter. We couldn't find anyone else to invite for dinner! However, Bobby joined us at the house for a "small" dinner of turkey breast, broccoli, rolls, and stuffing. I taught TJ some of the finer points of carving the bird with an electric carver but he was sort of freaked out by the speed of the blades. Yes, we failed to make gravy. Oops. No, there were no mashed potatoes. Not oops. However, Lisa did a phenomenal job in the kitchen and made a chocolate pie with a homemade crust that was yummy. No one went hungry!
