A memorable weekend it was indeed and a new PR of 3:38:39. Next goal, train to qualify for Boston in my elderly 40-44 age group, requiring a 3:20:00. Yep, will likely have to shed more poundage and start to look more like my elite Kenyan runner brethren.
Survived:
- 2 hours total sleep the night prior – too geared up – who needs sleep anyway…
- 3.5 hours of standing around from 6:30am to 10am on gusty Staten Island till the start (39 to 41 degrees with gusting wind)…
- Running like a bat outta at hell at the start to get warm, zigging and zagging through the crowd over Verazano-Narrows bridge; the zig-zagging added another .4 miles to my distance (not smart) – finishing in 26.6 versus 26.2 according to my Garmin ForeRunner 305 GPS watch…
- A major fall (tripping on man-hole cover at mile 6) – from feet to hands, forward rolling to elbows, somersaulting and scraping right knee, rolling straight up to feet never losing a step in stride; the crowd wet themselves, and I prayed for the next mile that the knee would not be shattered – to the beat of “Dory” in “Finding Nemo” – just keep running, running, running…
- Trying to escape “Henry Winkler Fonzie look-alike obnoxious singing iPod man” from mile 11 to mile 19 – took me 8 miles to finally outpace and get rid of him; every bridge we crossed the guy would scream ‘yeah!!’ at the top of his lungs and scare the hell outta everyone around him…
- Leg cramps at mile 22 – ran through it until 25 yards from finish, stopping for 3 seconds to stretch; next time note to self to bring salt tabs (one at start and one at halfway mark)…
- Walking another mile after the finish to pick up my checked clothes – 46 degrees, wet, cramped up, and watching a half dozen others puke along the way – as Borat would say “NICE-UH!!!”…
Moments of inspiration:
- Running up to kiss my wife and daughters at mile 8 in Brooklyn!
- Looking down at a RoadID bracelet they gave me with their names and best wishes on it, when I needed to dig deep at mile 22!
- Running alongside a guy at mile 11 with a shirt on that said “heart transplant survivor”!
- Running alongside a guy at mile 14 with a metal prosthetic leg!
- Running within crowds of 38,356 people from of all parts of the world, through 5 boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan), 29 neighborhoods!
Survived:
- 2 hours total sleep the night prior – too geared up – who needs sleep anyway…
- 3.5 hours of standing around from 6:30am to 10am on gusty Staten Island till the start (39 to 41 degrees with gusting wind)…
- Running like a bat outta at hell at the start to get warm, zigging and zagging through the crowd over Verazano-Narrows bridge; the zig-zagging added another .4 miles to my distance (not smart) – finishing in 26.6 versus 26.2 according to my Garmin ForeRunner 305 GPS watch…
- A major fall (tripping on man-hole cover at mile 6) – from feet to hands, forward rolling to elbows, somersaulting and scraping right knee, rolling straight up to feet never losing a step in stride; the crowd wet themselves, and I prayed for the next mile that the knee would not be shattered – to the beat of “Dory” in “Finding Nemo” – just keep running, running, running…
- Trying to escape “Henry Winkler Fonzie look-alike obnoxious singing iPod man” from mile 11 to mile 19 – took me 8 miles to finally outpace and get rid of him; every bridge we crossed the guy would scream ‘yeah!!’ at the top of his lungs and scare the hell outta everyone around him…
- Leg cramps at mile 22 – ran through it until 25 yards from finish, stopping for 3 seconds to stretch; next time note to self to bring salt tabs (one at start and one at halfway mark)…
- Walking another mile after the finish to pick up my checked clothes – 46 degrees, wet, cramped up, and watching a half dozen others puke along the way – as Borat would say “NICE-UH!!!”…
Moments of inspiration:
- Running up to kiss my wife and daughters at mile 8 in Brooklyn!
- Looking down at a RoadID bracelet they gave me with their names and best wishes on it, when I needed to dig deep at mile 22!
- Running alongside a guy at mile 11 with a shirt on that said “heart transplant survivor”!
- Running alongside a guy at mile 14 with a metal prosthetic leg!
- Running within crowds of 38,356 people from of all parts of the world, through 5 boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan), 29 neighborhoods!
