“The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.”

― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

"It's midnight in Manhattan, this is no time to get cute
It's a mad dog's promenade
So walk tall, or baby, don't walk at all"

― Bruce Springsteen

On November 2nd, 2014, I got my New York on, thanks to the New York City marathon. The following is not so much a race report, since I wasn't there to "race", but rather an account of my time spent in this most extraordinary place.

TRAINING

Hansons, 63 mpw average over 17 weeks, culminating in a 3:31 marathon two weeks prior to NYCM, in Toronto (the 3:31 time included 3-4 minutes lost to a porta-potty stop and shoe malfunction).

GOAL FOR THE SECOND RACE

Recovery went well. During the two weeks after the Toronto marathon, I ran few miles (29 the first week and about 20 before marathon day). Mostly easy and marathon pace. I had two goals. I'm not sure if one had priority over the other, but knowing myself, I would say that yes. First, I wanted another BQ, even if it was just by a mere seconds. This meant a sub-4:00. Second, I wanted to really enjoy myself, absorb all the sounds, the sights, the smells of the city. I wanted to understand New York through its people and its boroughs. I also wanted to run for the simple pleasure of it. Something I rarely do, as there seems to always be a training purpose to each one of my runs.

DAY 1

I flew with my sister-in-law Friday, October 31st. We landed at JFK in the afternoon and took the LIR, then the subway all the way to Penn Station. We schlepped our numerous bags through the streets of Manhattan and made it to our rental apartment on 35th and Park around 3 pm. It was a perfect place for the two of us, 5 minutes away from the public library, near Bryant Park, where I would take the bus shuttle on Sunday morning to get to Staten Island.

Bryant Park, one of my favorite smaller parks in New York City.

After a short walk to get the keys to my daughter's rental place (she, her SO, their baby girl and my teen-aged son would land in the evening and come get their keys at our place), we walked to the expo, which was about a 30 minute walk west of us. Easy to get to, fast service, no line-ups. I got my race shirt (nice fit and nice color), my bib, and a few goodies in a bag. Many many tourists from all over the world. I must say that the volunteers were all very patient and friendly with us, visitors, and always answered all of our questions with a smile, sometimes even in our own language. I was amazed by that.

We left the expo and went grocery shopping, then returned to our little place for some wine and a small supper. The children joined us around 10 pm and ate at our place. It was a happy start to our New York mini-vacation.

DAY 2

Saturday was a rather cold and very wet day. Heather and I walked around the area in the morning and ended up at Eataly, an Italian gourmet food court for the very rich. We didn't buy anything there, but it was fun to see and smell all those fancy products. We met the kids for lunch, then parted with them after eating to walk to Central Station for some pictures (we had never seen it) and then to the public library (we had been there before, but always love seeing it again. Such a magnificent place).

Around 6 pm, we found a little Italian restaurant, very unpretentious. For $8, we had a great plate of raviolis in a rose sauce. I also had some wine, to help me relax. The thought of the race (especially getting to Staten Island) was making me more and more nervous. We knew that the weather was going to be rather cold and windy. I have Raynaud's Syndrome and bad circulation and being cold is painful for me. Also, due to my time spent on the TM, I am not used to the wind. I was concerned about how the weather was going to beat me down the next day. I was also nervous about getting on the bus and waiting at the athletes village on my own. I am very shy in general and talking to strangers does not come naturally to me. I started having thoughts of forgoing the race entirely. It wasn't a goal race, I had nothing to prove and I was in New York for a vacation. So why put myself in an uncomfortable situation? But just before 9 pm, almost bed time for me, my daughter dropped by to wish me good luck and hug me. She said "I am so proud of you, mom, for doing this. I know how you hate the cold and the unknown, and this must require a lot of courage from you. I am so proud of you!" I smiled and replied that it was not done yet, but I felt remorse for having had thoughts of quitting even before getting there. During the night, I woke up a few times and could hear the wind outside. But the words of my daughter would come back to me and I knew that there could be no turning back, no matter the conditions. However, I had warned everyone that my finish time was completely unknown to me, which is very uncommon, and that they should expect anywhere from 4:00 to 5:00. They all understood the situation and did not put pressure on me (sometimes, words of encouragement can feel like pressure to me. For example: "You can do 4:00 no problem, don't worry!" Well, thank you, but maybe this time I just won't be able to... and I will disappoint you). I had no idea how my body would react to a second marathon in 2 weeks. I slept rather well, given the circumstances, but no more than 5 or 6 hours (I usually need 7 hours minimum).

DAY 3, RACE DAY!

I woke up less anxious than I thought I'd be. Racing marathons often has helped me a lot in that regard. I had received an email during the night from NYRR which said that due to the high winds, many signs would not be put up, for safety reasons. Didn't care so much about the signs, but the winds, urgh...

It was 5:45 am, I ate a piece of toast with peanut butter and drank a cup of coffee. That was it for breakfast. As always, my sister-in-law acted as my assistant and she was such a comforting presence to me... She was with me in Boston, and again in Chicago. We are now talking about going to Berlin or London next. :-) She made my coffee, helped me choose my clothes, put my bib on and accompanied me to the public library where all the buses were lined up to transport us to the start line.

It was cold, but sunny, and I was feeling very happy and excited, surprisingly. I kept thinking that it was important for me to understand just how lucky I was to be here, in New York City, and have the chance to partake in such a famous event. The weather was secondary to the rest..

I had dressed with many layers, including some clothes that I was going to leave in a donation bin just before the start. Some of you will shake your head at what I wore, but please understand that I really am sensitive to cold. I was also not the only one who had decided to cover from neck to toes. I wore a tank and a mid-long sleeved Sugoi shirt on top, plus a pair of light arm warmers which I never felt the need to roll down. For the bottom, I had long tights and shorts on top (yes, I know it looks stupid, but I didn't care about appearances at this point). Sunglasses on to protect my eyes from the sun and the wind, Garmin, 3 gels (I only took one) and a wrist band to wipe the sweat off of my face (which I never had to use, the wind took care of that).

My bus was scheduled for 7:15 am and I was a little worried that it would not give me enough time to get to the start on time (I was in wave 1, with a 9:40 start). But the good folks of NYRR assured me that they knew their stuff and I had no reason to worry. They were right. The ride was quick and comfortable and I got to chat with a nice lady from Florida who was celebrating her 50th birthday with this race. Just as the bus was about to cross the Verrazano bridge, a police officer told our driver to not go over 5mph on the bridge, due to the winds. EEEK!

We finally disembarked, and I made my way directly to my corral. There, I nibbled on half a Cliff bar, sipped a bit of water, and went twice to the porta-potties. I met two ladies from Washington DC and we talked about racing and travelling. They had both done Boston in 2012 and Paris and London a year later. It was nice to chat with other runners who shared the same interests. Also, all the announcement on the loud speakers regarding directions and other info was always done in 4 or 5 languages. Again, I thought about how considerate and well organized NYRR was. I hope other people from other countries realized just how welcoming New Yorkers were to them.

At 9:30 am, we were asked to move to the start. I shed my extra layer of clothes, with much regrets, and started moving in the direction of the bridge. Once there, you could feel palpable excitement in the air. They introduced the elites, we cheered, they sang the National Anthem while I gave thanks to America for being such a great neighbor to us. And suddenly, I heard the cannon go off. And that was it. There was no turning back for me and I would make my daughter proud today with that one simple act of covering 26.2 miles. Life was awesome at that very moment, despite the crazy winds and the long incline we soon encountered on the Verrazano bridge. I do not have the right words to explain what it was like for me. It was tough, but it was exhilarating at the same time. I was madly happy, laughing, fighting the wind and looking at the scenery. Of course, the fact that it was not a goal race had a lot to do with my positive attitude. I can see how stressful it must have been for anyone attempting a PR that day.

Once off the bridge, we entered Brooklyn and... wow! The crowds! The spectators were like one big living entity breathing cheers on us. I could feel their pulse and it was invigorating. I did not check the Garmin for my first 4 miles and when I did, I was shocked to see that I was going faster than the day I ran Toronto two weeks ago. I tried to slow down, but when I checked again 3 miles later, I was still running the same pace pretty consistently. At that point, I had a change of plan. I decided that I would run at least a strong half, in honor of NYC, and that I would slow down after the 21k mark and then walk the last 6 miles if some quick calculation indicated that I would still come under 4:00.

First half went very quickly and euphorically for me. So much to look at! The music, the people... all were out of this world. I was also making mental notes of some things, such as the fact that some parts of Brooklyn reminded me very much of some areas in Montreal. I liked this. Cousins. :-)

I crossed the 21k mark in 1:41:06. Not bad considering the winds, the fact that I had raced two weeks previously and most of all, the fact that it did not feel like HM pace at all. More like an honest marathon pace for me, on a very good day.

Mile 1, 8:28 (going up Verrazano)

Mile 2, 7:28 (going down Verrazano)

Mile 3, 7:39

Mile 4, 7:36

Mile 5, 7:40

Mile 6, 7:31

Mile 7, 7:32

Mile 8, 7:41

Mile 9, 7:41

Mile 10, 7:32

Mile 11, 7:47

Mile 12, 7:38

Mile 13, 7:47

Once I crossed the 21k mat, I adjusted my pace to stay in the 8:00/8:30 range. I was well aware that I still had 13.1 miles to go and that my legs were still in recovery mode.

Mile 14, 7:52

Mile 15, 8:15

Mile 16, 13:56. At that point, we were on the Queensboro Bridge and my Garmin went a little crazy. I know that I did not run a 13:56 pace, because I did not walk, or stop. But I definitely slowed down on that bridge. It felt dark and depressing in there and we all looked like zombies in pain, if such a thing is possible. The only thing that kept my spirits up was the amazing view we had of the city. Just breathtaking!

Mile 17, 8:16

Mile 18, 8:24

Mile 19, 8:14

Mile 20, 12:20. This was where I had told myself that I would walk, as a reward for past efforts, and to fully enjoy the experience. After crunching some numbers, I figured that I could walk a brisk 6 miles and still make it under 4:00. BQing while walking 6 miles in a marathon seemed like a fun thing to do.  But fate played a trick on me and at exactly the 20th mile, I was struck with a terrible calf cramp that just wouldn't go and made it impossible for me to run. I moved over to the side and some volunteer came over to help massage my calf. It helped and eventually the cramp went away, but my leg never really felt 100% recovered from the cramp after that. I had just lost 4 minutes on the sidewalk.

Because I had lost so much time immobilized, I decided to run/walk rather than just walk, in an attempt to recover the 4 minutes lost to the cramp. But by this point, I had lost a lot of my mental strength and focus. I was running with less confidence. The accumulated miles in my legs, and the strong winds were starting to catch up as well. But I was still fighting the idea of walking at this point. It felt wrong, even though I had swore to myself that I would learn to let go for once in my life. Somehow, walking didn't seem like a proud thing to do. For God's sake, I was in New York City! Bruce had said it best: In Manhattan, walk tall, baby, or don't walk at all. I started running again, despite the fatigue. But I wasn't feeling very tall... oh well...

Mile 21, 8:13

Mile 22, 9:16 (stopped for a looong hydration break)

Mile 23, 10:44 (stopped to walk a bit and, of course, as fate would have it, a photographer captured me and my pitiful tired face at that very moment. GRRRRRR!!!!!!)

Mile 24, 9:24

Mile 25, 8:44. Up until then, I had not seen one Canadian flag during the race and I was a little disappointed by this, feeling lonely with my white arm warmers dotted with little red maple leaves. It seemed that the whole world was represented in Brooklyn and Queens, except for Canada. I had gone up on Park Avenue, then down on 5th along the park and it was sunny and the streets were beautiful. These were my last miles and, usually, I always feel elated in my last miles. But not this time. Mental and physical fatigue had set deep inside of me and only pride kept me from walking. Suddenly, as I turned right south of Central Park, just before re-entering the park for the last stretch leading to the finish line, I saw on my left a group of people waving a large Canadian flag. I felt like a battery being recharged and I loudly shouted to them and waved like a crazy woman. They saw me and cheered for me and this made my finish the perfect finish that I had hoped for. I felt lighter and I found the strength to smile all the way (well, not really all the way, I was still in pain and it shows on some of the pictures) to the finish line.

Waving to my countrymen...

My smile had once again returned

What the hell?

I ran the last 200 meters while enjoying the beauty of the park and the cheers of the spectators. I looked at my fellow runners who were finishing with me and wondered if they were in awe, like me. Did they feel grateful, the way that I did? I hoped so. There were smiles everywhere and the kindness of the volunteers was amazing. They treated us as if we were heroes. To me, THEY were the heroes for having given so much of themselves and of their city to strangers like me. Myself, all I had done was run. Something for which I had fully trained. No heroism in that. But on second thought, I had gotten up early that morning and I had faced the cold and the sea of people at the athletes village. My daughter would be proud of me. :-) I was glad I had done it and today I could walk tall in the streets of New York, with my medal around my neck (but I didn't, even though my SIL was urging me to wear it. It was more fun to pretend that I was a resident of the city instead of a silly tourist...lol...).

FINISH TIME: 3:39:42. So much better than my anticipated 4:00 finish time... :-) I am glad that I was spontaneous and decided to change my plan.

AGE-GRADED TIME: 3:08:27

BQ -20 (two weeks after a BQ -28)

Top 4% in my gender group (1144 on 20,398). Top 4% considering that I am officially in the second part of my life isn't bad at all!

Top 13% overall, which isn't bad either considering that I had just done a faster marathon two weeks prior.

Overall, I couldn't have been happier with my race. Even though it wasn't a goal race, and I was far from a PR, this race taught me a few things about myself. I'm so glad that I did it.

After receiving my awesome NYCM poncho, I was approached by a young man who asked if I were happylily. He introduced himself and I learned that he was a regular poster on RWOL. It was great talking to him while we made our way to the family area where loved ones were waiting for their runners. We parted and soon after, I found my beautiful Heather who had carried all my stuff in a bag so that I could wash and change at my daughter's place (which was closer than our place). A photographer offered to take a pic of us. Heather remarked on my lips being blue, and looking at the pictures, I see what she meant. This is what Raynaud's does to me. Soon after, my daughter, her SO, my adorable baby Esmee (the star of New York for 4 days!) and my wonderful son found us and we hugged and had our picture taken once again. This picture is maybe the most precious picture that I own. I wish that my SO had been there, but he tracked me during each minute of the race and we were connected in spirit. There will be more races in the future with him by my side. :-)

We made our way to my daughter's apartment, slowly and by subway. Many people would give me thumbs up, or a word of congratulation. It was so festive! My daughter asked me to open the door once at her place, and to my huge surprise, they had decorated the room with party supplies that they had bought the day before! It was the first party ever given in my honor. :-) I showered, ate a bit, then Heather and I left to walk to Soho, while Alexina and the rest of the clan had other projects.

I went to bed happy and relaxed that night...

DAY 4

The deal when I travel with Heather for my races is that once the race is over, it becomes all about her and I am at her mercy... lol... Heather does not own a car (she's a city dweller) and she's a terrific walker. So we walked and walked and shopped and shopped for the next two days. I must have covered close to 25 miles in the two days after the race. My legs were fine, as long as I wore my army boots and not my high-heeled ones. Stairs were painful, though.

Here are some pictures of Monday. We walked to Greenwich village, had lunch there, then continued to Tribeca. We returned by way of the Hudson River Park which was fantastic and new to me. At 4 pm, we met with the kids in front of the American Museum of Natural History (where they had spent 5 hours) and we crossed Central Park with the stroller and made our way to Rockefeller Plaza, where I had booked us a visit to the Top of the Rock. It lived up to our expectations and even baby Esmee seemed enthralled by the scenery.

DAY 5

The kids were leaving that morning (back to high school for one and university for the other). It was our last day in New York for Heather and myself. We decided to walk to Ground Zero. We had not been there on our last trip and it was something I really wanted to see. Not so much Heather, as she admitted later that she did not know if she could contain her emotions. I am so glad that we got to see the memorial... Although it was with tears that I touched the engraved names of some of the victims around the memorial, I was also filled with a sense of hope and optimism. We found a small chapel nearby, St. Paul's Chapel, which is very old (1764?) and has seen some very important historical events in the past. Inside the chapel, there were little memorials made by relatives of the victims and firemen from around the world. Pictures, letters, words of love... It was heart wrenching. The world can be a difficult place to live in and it takes a sense of community and a lot of courage to sometimes simply survive. That, to me, is what New York City is all about. A city which represents the world and the courage of its inhabitants. And also, a city of new beginnings.

As I stood at the bottom of One World Trade Center, I could not see the top, as if the building was reaching for infinity.

Thank you, people of New York City, for welcoming us all during this fantastic event.

Thank you, my runner friends, for reading!

Great job, Lily!  As you know my experience this time was not as pretty, but I have run this race twice before and you described it perfectly.  It is one of my favorite races and the people and crowds make it so.  Congrats!

You are a stud. That is all I can say. I wish I could run a 3:39 in "recovery mode." Way to go Lily, and it sounds like a great trip. The destination races are always fun and your RRs always make me feel like I was there cheering for you.

Thanks for putting in the effort to write great RR. This one, like the others, was a pleasure to read.

Great race and a great report. Really enjoyed it.

Awesome job and great pics, and of course awesome RR 

Only you could be picked out of a crowd of tens of thousands by someone who knows you from the internet!

Cool report lil!  This is the quintessential way to marry life with running; spending time with those you love, while doing something you love.

The sky shots are vivid, and the pics of the massive crowds are awe-inspiring.  Hopefully someday I will get to experience this event as you did...without as many clothes on as you wore of course.

What's up with that 'eh?

Great pics and RR.  I don't know how you managed to run those splits for the first half after running a marathon just 2 weeks ago.  Crazy.