the marathon

Before the race it was a little chilly. Nothing too bad, but few of us were dressed for it, and even 40-degree temperature can really be a drag if you’re outside for long enough. S.J. and I ended up huddling by these portable generators with some other runners for warmth. People gave us odd looks, but hey, we were warm and they were cold.

Eventually it was time to go. I made one last bathroom break and then headed off to my start. Only I realized — somehow I wasn’t in my blue start area, I was in the orange zone with the ladies. Oh well, it seemed like quite a few other guys were there as well. I think this start was less crowded than last year, but it meant I couldn’t make an impromptu bathroom break on the Verrazzano Bridge as I did last year.

I don’t even remember crossing the starting line. We just all started running. My second mile was 7:15, much too fast, but it was all downhill on the bridge. I remembered what Tallman had said last year, about having me to call me on a cellphone to stop me from going out too fast. I worried about dying at the end and having Flygirl beat me. I thought about the text my best friend K. had sent me, “Sunday is your day, I can feel it.”

I eased back. It was frustrating as it was to let all these people (mostly women) pass me. But I was going to be smart about this. I dialed things back.

I could tell the strategy was working around the halfway point when I saw the coach of my old running club and had the energy to bellow to him, “HELLGATE!!!”

Running along the Queensboro Bridge I was feeling good. “I love it when a plan comes together,” I thought. I knew this wasn’t going to be any kind of personal record. Far from it. But I really hadn’t gone out of my way to train for this thing: just my normal running routine plus some long runs. It was great to be able to pick things up a bit as I entered Manhattan. (I’m not sure if I actually got faster, but the perceived effort was there).
“This is why I run,” I said to myself. With 10 miles to go, I knew the whole enchilada was within grasp.

I missed Bexy but saw H. at the Powergel station and got a big hug and a Chocolate Powergel. It was awesome to see her.

Around mile 22 I saw another Flyer, Donna R. We ran together and chatted for a few moments before she let me go. “You’re looking strong,” she said. And aside from some pain in my left quad I felt fairly strong.

At the mile 23 mark I spotted my friend from Greater NY Racing Team, holding the same sign she always does. “Renee!!!” I yelled. “Give me some of that HARD ENERGY!”

The last 5K was kind of tough. Mind games. Ignoring the aches in my quad. But it’s supposed to hurt, right? I chanted lyrics from this song Flygirl and I had listened to on our way up to the Croton Fall Foliage run. “2Legit… 2Legit 2Quit.” Actually that was the only verse I could remember. I just kept repeating it in my head — and aloud at times.

I even was able to kick it in for the last mile. I think I ran an 8:40, faster than my overall pace. Yeah it was much slower some of my other marathons. But I was busy this summer with other priorities.

Did I mention that as part of the new job, at some point I’ll have to work on the lobster shift for nine months to a year? Probably a 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift (10 hours), four days a week. Obviously will mean huge life changes. No more late nights in bars. “It’ll be like wasting a year of your life!” K. told me. But I actually have a plan for this time and what I’ll do with my days while working nights: getting in the best shape of my life. Qualifying for the Boston Marathon is one of my big life goals, but there’s no way I’ll be able to do it while maintaining my current lifestyle. So that’s the plan.