Why I'm Running New York...in 2012

Oh yeah, don't you just want to join them?  Source

When I started my blog last year, I was all about running a marathon.  One marathon in particular - the New York Marathon.  But by the time I decided that I wanted to run a marathon, I was way past the lottery deadline, which obviously meant that unless my name was Kara Groucher or Heidi Klum, no one was letting me enter the race.

My name isn't Paula Radcliffe either.  Source

Well, actually, that's not entirely true.  I could have entered the race through a charity spot, but I would have had to front two-thousand dollars because they had fund-raising deadlines, and the $2K mark was about a minute after I decided I wanted to run the marathon.  Resigned, I decided that even though I couldn't run New York, I would run something else, and picked a Team in Training Race, the San Francisco Half Marathon.

But then it turned out that I'm lousy about asking people for money.  I just couldn't do it.  Not because I don't believe in the Team in Training's cause at all.  I do.  I respect their cause.  How can you not respect a charity's cause though, unless it's like "Save the keg at the frat party" or "Eliminate all taxes to stimulate the economy"?

Maybe I should have put up a billboard in Times Square?

It felt strange to champion a cause that didn't feel personal to me.  I mean everyone wants a cure for cancer, but  for me, things like heart disease, poverty, women's rights, and education about nutrition tug more at my heart strings that TNT's mission.  The truth is, I felt like my fundraising mission, should have been renamed, "Help Amanda Run a Marathon."

So I switched to a marathon that didn't have any barriers to entry, aside from a little entrance fee.  Talk about commitment problems?

I love, love, love running next to the water.

For the remainder of the summer, I trained hard for the Philadelphia Marathon instead, all the while working on qualifying for New York with their 9+1 program.  That summer and fall, I really fell in love with the marathon training.   I also fell in love with my city as I got to see her in a way I had never thought possible.

The Intrepid Air & Museum, never been in it but all those planes look cool.

A quiet, cool, fall morning.

When the marathon finally arrived, I was welcomed to Philly by friends and accompanied by an awesome cheerleading squad.  Without the support of my friends and family, I'm not sure I would have even finished my marathon.  The race was hard, and though I had trained for it, and expected it, there was something missing from it all.  Looking back, I can see, while I wanted to run a marathon, more than that I wanted to run one very specific marathon and that one's not in Philadelphia.

My Cheer Squad - the BEST part of the Philly Marathon!

After the marathon, I muddled around finishing up my qualifications for the 9+1 program, half-heartedly running, eating lots of cheeseburgers and drinking all the wine that my training program didn't allow.  I had qualified for the New York Marathon and was eligible to run it in 2011, and though I signed up for it, I couldn't muster up an ounce of enthusiasm.

Beers after a spring race, cause that's how I recover.

I ran a few races that spring, enjoying the shorter distances and the freedom those distances allowed in my social life.  The specter of NY hung over my head through the winter, spring and into the summer.  I had signed up so as to not lose my qualification, but though I no longer babbled about my running like I had the previous summer, I couldn't admit defeat.

I went to Barcelona instead of training for NYC.

Cause that's what it felt like.  After all the blog jibber-jabber about running New York, I felt like I had to run it in 2011.  What can I say?  I've always had a problem with doing what I should be doing as opposed to what I want to do.

Finally, about three weeks ago, when the longest run I had run in several months was seven miles, I had to concede that my training was not going to be sufficient to allow me to run the marathon.

I was watching baseball with my "buds" instead of running.  Ooops!

And so I deferred.

Yep, I threw all those self-imposed restrictions out the door.

As soon as I was free of the pressure to run the marathon, I got back on the computer and started blogging like a mad-woman again.  I started reading lots of running blogs once again, searching out new blogs about running which I had previously avoided post Philly because they made me feel like a loser for not wanting to run a marathon.  I bought a new pair of shoes which I hadn't done since March.  I made a plan to run the Detroit  half-marathon and did my first long run on the West Side Highway of the summer.  I downloaded new music just for a run.

Once upon a time boats used to actually use these piers.

Then I logged another long run, and another one, and another one.  And suddenly I remembered, how much I loved training for the marathon and how much I wanted to run New York.

Just like that, I was back on the marathon train.

Running is such a conflicted beast.  On one hand, there is the satisfaction of achieving a new distance or new PR, but on the other hand there are the physical limits of the body.  And yet, the body wants to run even when it's limping, aching, and depleted.  And the mind, oh the mind, it wants to continue to feel the high that can come only from sheer exhaustion at the end of another great run.

Looking back, I can see that a huge reason the Philly marathon was such a struggle for me was that I had over-trained for it by not taking a break from running for over a year.  By the time, I got to the race, my gas tank had a gigantic hole in it.

yeah, i just needed a break.

After my first marathon, my lack of enthusiasm and energy, which masqueraded as severe disappointment, was my own body's way of telling me to take it easy.  I needed time to heal.

Almost a year later, the scars are almost gone.  My hips no longer constantly ache, and my body, though carrying around a few more pounds, doesn't feel like its been beaten up anymore.

But it's my heart that feels the most changed because when as I write this story and see all those running pictures, it starts beating a little faster, and a smile that I can't stop comes to my face.  And just like, the fire is back.  2012 here I come.

Ready, Set, Go

As anyone who has ever spent months upons months preparing for one big day, a few miniscule moments of life, knows, when the countdown can be kept in hours, rather than days, mixed feelings abound.

From food choices to my social calendar, for the last five months everything has been organized around a training regime. It started out as a chore. A chore whose results I desired, but whose tasks I did not enjoy nor really mind. It was simply a part of my life to be tolerated, much like brushing my teeth. But over time, toleration turned into adoration.

The logical assumption is that running thirty plus miles a week has flooded my body with so many endorphins that it was just a hangover from the "runner's high." Perhaps that is part of the answer, but the real cause of this love affair with running is this blog. Finally putting pen to paper (ehh, fingers to computer) and expressing all the crazy thoughts that come to me when running, turned out to be the x-factor in this marathon training plan. Just as much as I have enjoyed conquering each mile, I have loved sharing my experience.

But all good things must come to an end, and the marathon is right around the corner. After the marathon, I will post once more to recap the marathon and then I will plan on signing off until next marathon training season. But before I head out to Philadelphia for the experience of a lifetime, I wanted to share (once more) my favorite blog posts and the story of my blogging/running experience. Read through them once more and then lace up your shoes, and do something that you always wanted to do but never thought you could do.

Here's my first real blog post: Waking Up and Working Out. It's by no means the best one, but it's my first and thus that makes it special.

I had written Central Park Jogger long before I actually typed it out. Central Park brings so many runners together and those runners put all of my excuses out of business. If they can do it, so can I.

Mid-summer I changed jobs, and this inspired a story about quitting a run. Quitters is one of the first times I tried to draw a parallel between life and running. It's right around this post that I finally found my blogging voice and started to love the blogging as much as the running.

Is it hot in here or what? represents my second foray into drawing a parallel between life and running. This time I tried to show how running through the second hottest summer in New York helped me reconnect with my sixteen year old self. Corny? Maybe, but then again the heat makes me do crazy things.

By the end of September, my love affair with marathon training was in full swing and this post was my attempt at trying to get others to drink the Kool-aid. For the love of the run might be my favorite.

October brought some pre-marathon anxiety and worry, but these were quickly resolved when I volunteered to help at NYRR's Grete's Great Gallop Half Marathon and then I shared my story in Plus One, Minus One Wall.

And now, I'm off to Philadelphia to run twenty-six point two miles.

Some Great Stories about the NY Marathon

This past Sunday's marathon filled me with equal parts fear and hope. But rather than go into all the things that I'm worried about, I thought I'd share some of the great stories that came out of this weekend.

Haile Gebrselassie comes to NY for the first time and then didn't finish. But no matter, this 37 year old runner from Ethopia is the greatest in the sport and holds the world record.

This is the highlights reel of the marathon. Did you know Al Roker ran? In just over 7 hours? Also, a lady who has run 10 marathons in this year alone, plus our favorite, the Chilean miner and his escorts.

Nothing inspired me more than the story of Shalane Flanagan making her marathon debut (hey, so am I in Philly!) and also coming in second place, the first time an American woman has finished that high in over two decades.

Enjoy!

I'm basically screwed

As with many things in life, I've kept this qualifying for the NY Marathon to the 11th hour. There were plans, of course, to have qualified by now, but running a race every weekend - even if I don't even try to race them, is hard, and I missed two of them.

So now I'm staring down the last two months of 2010 and I have to run three more races with the New York Road Runners. Unfortunately for me, there are only 5 more races this year that I can run and I need to run three of them.

One starts in two hours but its pouring outside and I may have to sit in the rain for an hour because I need to pick up my bib by 7 a.m. and the race doesn't start until 8 a.m.

One is a 9.2 mile race one week before Christmas. I'm not sure I want to run 9 miles in twenty degree temperatures.

And one more is at midnight on New Years Eve. I have never been awake in my entire life at midnight and felt like a nice jog. So you can imagine how much this race is calling to me.

As you can see I have options AND excuses.

New York Marathon Madness

As you know, I'm planning on running New York in 2011, and so I'm using this year, the year that I'm not full of nervous and pent up energy, to revel in the NY Marathon fever.

Today, the last two miles of my run are on the last two miles of the marathon course. I tried to make the most of the run and visualize that I was running the last two miles of my marathon, but I was hopped up on a cup of coffee and it did not work at all. Oh well, I tried.

Also on my agenda this week is the marathon expo and a five mile race.

New York City Marathon Resources

Maybe you are running the NYC Marathon. Maybe your sister or father or coworker is running New York for a charity to honor a loved one. Maybe you just want a quintessential New York City experience. Or maybe, like me, you're running New York in 2011 and you want to stare the beast in the eye before you finally take him on.

Either way, here's a bunch of resources to help you navigate the marathon and marathon week. (Yep, we make it a week long event here!)

Q: Where is a good spot to watch to watch the marathon?

A: Anywhere! There are fans cheering on every inch of the course, minus the bridges. Here's a link to the course map. Plus here's another map that shows the subway stops near the route.

Q: What time will the marathon runners reach 1st avenue? The finish line?

A: The fastest runners start at 9:40 a.m. and you can estimate 5 minute miles for the leaders. So you if you are stationed at 72nd and First Avenue, that's about mile 16.75, so you can expect to see runners at eleven in the morning.
But remember the slowest runners can start at 10:40 am and take upwards of 5 hours to run, so there will be people streaming through the city all afternoon.

Q: What famous people are running the marathon?

A: There is someone for everyone! For fashionistas, there is Rachel Roy and several models, for the foodies, Bobby Flay will be out there, and for the Subway fans, there's Jared. Here's a complete list.

Q: What is the New York Marathon course like?

A: This isn't the easiest marathon to run. It's certainly not the one where you get lots of space between you and the other forty thousand runners. But there are spectactors along the entire course - with things like gospel choirs in Harlem and views of the Manahattan skyline each time you cross a bridge (aka hill). Here's a three minute video of the course and here's a description of the course strategy for runners.

Q: I want some marathon running gear! Where can I buy some?

A: You can buy marthon gear at the expo in the days before the race. Or you can pop into any running store in the city and score a t-shirt or nice little fleece. My favorite running stores are Jack Rabbit at 85th and Lex and NYC Running Company in Columbus Circle.

Q: What fun things are there to do in the city for the spectators?

A: Check out the expo for lots of running and health gear if you are an aspiring marathoner or health nut. If you like to tailgate, then check out the Coors Light Refreshment stops along the course. If all the buzz has got you itching for a run, try the NYRR Five Mile race on the Friday before the run. Check out the fireworks on Marathon Eve in Central Park or scope out one of the many special events that NYRR's is offering this week.

Q: I need to eat some Italian food the night before the race. Any recommendations?

A: Yes, get your fix of Italian in a neighborhood less populated with tourists. Try the Upper East Side or Upper West Side, and make reservations before hand. I like UVA Wine Bar, Becco, and Tiramisu. Or if you are like me and your big meal before the race is going to be light, try the salad bar at Whole Foods in Union Square. I know it's not fancy, but you can make your own salad - either lettuce or a grain salad (pasta, quinoa, rice, wheat berries) and add the protein and oil that you need instead of giving the waitress a big headache.
Plus you can eat your salad in the cafe upstairs and enjoy pretty views of Union Square while you eat.

Q: I need more gels. I forgot my running socks. My iPod headphones broke. Help!

A: Chill out. This in New York City, not the middle of a corn field. Ask your hotel for the nearest running store, or use that smart phone and google it. If you need a specific brand, the largest running stores in the city are the Running Company stores so head to one of those. Also, the flagship Nike store on 57th street will probably have your Nike gear. You can get headphones, gatorade, batteries, and everything else at a drug store.

Q: I've never been to New York before. My knowledge of the city is based upon television and movies. What can I do to make the trip less stressful?

A: First, check out the course via the course bus tour. This will give you an idea of what to expect on race day. If you are looking for something to do that doesn't require too much walking or standing, try a Broadway show, a boat tour on the Water Taxi, or a Central Park tour in a pedi-cab. Most tourist attractions will require long periods of standing in lines, so skip those. And don't worry, because you'll get some awesome photos of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan if you take the ferry to the starting line.

Q: How many people will run the marathon this year?

A: NYRR estimates that about 45,000 people will run, which is the most to run a marathon ever.


Good Luck to all and I'll see you at my watching spot - the Metropolitan Museum of Art!