The New York City Marathon. In the running world, Boston and NYC are pretty much on the same level. Most people don’t know qualifying for NYC is actually tougher than for Boston. Another race full of history, excitement and one of the largest marathons in the world.
This race review is a departure from my usual jovial race recaps that revolve around port-o-pot mishaps or bloody nipples. Fortunately, this race had neither of those, but it lacked something else. Unfortunately, NYC felt more like an obligation than an adventure.
I had mixed feelings going into the New York City Marathon. I was originally supposed to run the 2018 race, but decided to defer my guaranteed entry to 2019 due to too many scheduling conflicts with Connor’s soccer schedule. As the race drew nearer, my excitement to knock off the largest marathon in the world (50,000 plus runners) was not all that high. I am not sure if it was my sub-par performances at recent marathons, missing out on Boston 2019, or the fact that I don’t like large crowds of people; and New York City is, well, New York City. All of this factors led to a state of anxiety that I am not used to when doing something that I love – running.
Jen and I drove to New York Friday afternoon and visited the expo to pick up my race bib. The expo was a mile or so walk from our hotel and we cut right through Times Square. Too many people. Fortunately, the expo was spread out and not crowded. So that anxiety was relieved while we checked out the latest running gear and gadgets on display. After the expo we headed in the general direction of our hotel to grab dinner and head back.
The next morning, I got out of bed as the sun came up and headed downstairs to do a shakeout run. As soon as I left the hotel, another runner was holding the door and she said, “Are you going for a run?” I responded that I was and off we went. We ran to and through Central Park with no real route or routine and chatted while doing a few pickups along the way. Runners are awesome. Instant friends.
After that, Jen and I went for breakfast and then back to Central Park to further explore. I felt like Central Park was my escape from the big city, so I enjoyed walking around in the beautiful park. It is truly a gem tucked in the middle of a big city. We did not do much of anything the rest of the day besides grab dinner and head to bed early to be ready for race day.
To get to the race, I elected for the midtown bus. I had to be at the Midtown Public Library at 5:30 AM. My race start time was 9:40 AM. That’s a long wait. So, early Sunday morning I was up and out the door. It was chilly that morning; about low 40’s. I bundled in some throwaway sweats and pullovers. I walked a few blocks and found the line for the buses and waited patiently until we boarded. The ride is a little over an hour to the starting area. I passed the time chatting with a guy from Chicago, learning about that race which is on my calendar for 2020. Once at the starting area, you are ushered to your corresponding corral color. I was Wave One, Green Corral B. Each color corral has its own little athlete’s village with coffee, donuts and drinks. There, I nervously waited as the minutes slowly ticked by prior to heading out to the starting line. It was cold just sitting around with not much to do besides people watch. I walked around a bit to keep my nerves at bay and make sure I was where I needed to be when I needed to be there. Maybe it was because I was flying solo at this race, because I usually have a few friends with me to take the edge off the nerves, but I was anxious to get out on the bridge and get going.
Finally, they called my wave and they moved us to another waiting area. There was time to use the bathroom again here. Then it was time to walk onto the bridge. My group would be on the lower bridge. Fun fact – I had heard that you don’t want to run on the outsides of the bridge because people pee off the top. I definitely made note of that. There were announcements that bridge pee-ers could be disqualified. I hadn’t planned on peeing off the bridge although that does sound quite liberating. Kidding. We all packed the start line like sardines and shed the last of our warm attire as the time drew close to the starting cannon.
And BOOM! We were off! The course meanders through all five boroughs. A running tour of the city. My plan was to complete it in under 3 hours and 20 minutes which is my new Boston Qualifying time. I wanted to keep a pace of 7:15 to 7:35 minute per mile for the duration. The first mile was tricky due to the congestion on the bridge but I managed to knock out it out in the desired pace window. I started in the center to avoid any golden showers. I got tired of weaving around the slower traffic. I saw a window to the left that looked like clear sailing and piss-be-damned, I went for it. I was able to run along the left side with minimal resistance from the crowd. It was glorious. Once the bridge was done, I emerged pee-free, the crowd thinned a little, I settled into a groove and kept the pace rolling comfortably along as my nerves relaxed and I was doing what I love – running. The theme of the weekend so far had been LOTS OF PEOPLE. And this held true for the race. There were so many spectators. Bands playing music on nearly every corner. It really helped keep my mind off the miles and just run.
The first half went by smoothly with no issues. One thing I noticed, or did not notice, was which borough I was in. I never really got a sense when I entered or exited a certain area of the city. I was expecting a “Welcome to the Bronx” banner or sign. My GPS watch was giving me strange pace data where it would tell me I was doing an 8:30 mile when I knew I hadn’t dipped my pace that much. At the end of each mile it would buzz and say 7:10 or somewhere right in the range I was shooting for. I am not sure what was causing that since it was outside of the tall buildings. Maybe too many GPS watches in one area confusing the satellites.
The second half had more long, deceptive hills that started to put pressure on my pace window. I started to falter a bit. More mental than physical since I didn’t cramp up. Fatigued, yes, but not muscle shutdown mode that I have had before. I kept thinking about stopping to walk and regroup, which is a terrible idea. I managed to keep running all the way through as I made my way back to my safety zone – Central Park. I was doing the math in my head and I knew I would be close. Besides pace being off, my distance on my watch had me about a quarter mile longer, so I had more real estate to cover in less time. I was running out of steam coming up the final hill, but managed to get across the line at 3:18.
Done.
Give me my medal.
Give me my poncho.
I am ready to go home.
I had a plan. I stuck to it. I succeeded. Will it be enough?
Is 3:18 enough to get me into the 2021 Boston Marathon? I have my doubts.
The race itself is well organized, great crowd support and a challenging course. The 2019 NYC Marathon was just not at the right time for me. Sometimes, your goal races are not all you dreamed they will be; and that’s okay. I may give it another try some day, along with seeing more sights in New York City.
