Fit Girl Takes the NYC Marathon

My all-time favorite day of the year is the NYC Marathon. I have watched many years and participated for the past two. It is an amazing experience, a party with 50,000 of your running friends. I highly recommend it to anyone interested, especially for a first marathon! Here is a rundown of race weekend 2014.

Shakeout Run (Saturday)

8:04AM: Nike+NYC run club hosted a shakeout run. They brought in special guest, Olympian Joan Benoit Samuelson. Her words of wisdom helped cure the pre-race jitter. “We all inspire each other” echoed in my head all through the shakeout run. When we came back from the run, we were greeted with bagels for the carbo-load!

12:00PM: Pasta lunch with fellow runner friends. You’re advised to eat a bigger lunch and a lighter dinner so you’re not too full the morning of the race. Seven of us gathered at a nearby Italian restaurant to fuel up on pasta and pizza.

2:00PM: It’s advised to stay off your feet the day before the race. Lucky for us, the weather was cold and gloomy the Saturday before the race. I stored up all my favorite TV shows from the week and made a mini Scandal marathon.

6:30PM: I was still a bit full from the big lunch but nutrition is so important before the race. I  made whole wheat pasta with broccoli and white beans for an extra energy kick!

10:00PM: Lights out! Time to dream of the finish line.

Race Day (Sunday)

5:00AM: 16 Weeks of training and anticipation led up to this alarm! It was finally time to secure my bib and get to Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island for the beginning of the race.

5:45AM: Boarded the buses at the New York Public Library, and I was Staten Island bound!

6:15AM: Arrived at Fort Wadsworth. It was a brisk 36 degrees. I huddled under a tree until my friends arrived.

8:15AM: Man everyone took so long to join me! I finally met up with my mom and some friends to share our excitement before the race.

9:35AM: Corrals closed! I made it into my blue corral before the closing time and lined up for the big race.

10:05AM: BOOM! Off went the cannon. It was so excited to be part of such a big event. I headed across the bridge to the tune of “New York, New York”. It always brings a tear to my eyes.

12:45PM: I saw the first familiar faces 16 miles in! My dad, boyfriend and brother were waiting for me with cheers and hugs.

1:15PM: I started to get really tired at this point. It was so windy and it was hard to keep pushing through. Luckily my coworker and her adorable puppy were at the next mile marker to greet me with smiles!

2:00PM: Finally spotted the finish line! The last push of the NYC Marathon is uphill so you really have to earn that medal! What a big accomplishment. I was happy to receive my heat blanket and medal.

Now, what’s next?!