Key West vacay, Day 7

Checked out of the Kingfish "Resort," basically every motel on the way back is labeled as a Resort.

Gray, spitty, high-50's.

Left the Keys, realized we had time to visit an alligator park. Drove to one that was past Florida City - past fields with migrant workers, the Dade County prison with quite nice migrant housing across the street. They offered airboat rides, which we really didn't gave time to do. So we checked out the Everglades National Park. Looked at the educational displays, would like to go back and devote a whole day to driving the entire way and take more time to look for Nature (ie: alligators from a safe distance).

Stopped at an old kitschy veg/fruit stand called (yes!) Robert Is Here. Bought a lulu avocado and delicious shakes (mine was pineapple, guava, cocoanut). Then it was time to drive to the airport. Still cool and spitty, but I wasn't going to change out of my shorts and flip flops until we reached the airport.

Easy, uneventful flight home. It was 26 degrees and no snow.

Key West vacay, Day 6

Slept in. Cold (56 degrees), windy (20-30 mph), overcast.  Drove to Big Pine Key (mm30), saw 3 deer on the drive to the Blue Hole walking paths. Lunch at Springer's, a local hangout: fish tacos, blackened catch of the day, wings, sweet potato fries. Drove back to the deer preserve, onto No Name Key. Two very tame bucks came up to our car and another, probably looking for food. We watched them for about ten minutes, till they headed back into the woods. Made our day!

Back to the hotel. Bought another pound of shrimp (36-40 count for $10.99/lb) to keep up our streak of Eating Shrimp Every Night.  Almost finished the bottle of Kraken Rum in diet Coke.

Key West vacay, day 5

Up at 7:00a to get to Bahia Honda ("buy a Honda") for the 9:30a snorkel trio at Looe Reef. Sunny and 80 degrees, no wind, still water.  Perfect weather!

Pics from the waterproof camera:

 "Look, a shark is under you!"

Saw: sea turtle, two sharks, jellyfish, lots of beautiful brightly-colored fish (but their colors didn't translate well to film). 

Got stung by one of those little jellyfish:

After our return, we went to the beach near the old RR bridge.





Dinner at Sunset Grill, but didn't get to see sunset due to storm blowing in. Ate crab legs, steamed oysters/clams, shrimp, grilled mahi-mahi, spicy seafood combo.

Bought strawberries and a key lime pie at Publix (none at Winn Dixie), back to room, ate and watched Discovery ID

Key West vacay Day 2

Awakened to a rooster calling outside our window...and another responding from a block away, like the dogs of London in "101 Dalmations." But much less cute.  Breakfast at the guest house.

Laura at the front desk comped us three bikes for the day! These are heavy, fat-tired, single-gear beauties with a wire basket on the handlebars.

We rode to the Southernmost Point, very crowded as it was a trolley/tour bus stop. Took a few pictures, then found less-busy roads to get us to nearby Higgs Beach. This one was less busy and we hung out here for a while.

Lunch at Saluté on the beach. Priciest meal so far but they had the best Key Lime pie (piled high with meringue). Rode our bikes back and forth on quiet neighborhood streets, admiring the variety of homes and imagining what it would be like to live there year 'round.

Back at the guest house, we laid out in the sunshine and took naps. Then cleaned up and hit Duval Street. Got frozen 'ritas at Fat Tuesday and drank them (in public!) as we walked to Mallory Square. There, we saw lots of interesting people and E got her conch fritters.

But the real reason we were there was to watch the spectacular sunset:

 We got refills at Fat Tuesdays on the way back to our room, changed into warmer clothes, then had a taco dinner at Amigos.  The OSU- Clemson Orange Bowl game was on across the street, so we could keep track of the score.  We finished watching the (sad) game in our room.

Key West vacay, Day 3

Awoke to rain and that damned rooster. While checking out, I learned a bit about the history of our guest house. It was originally an estate, but for the past sixty years, it was a hotel called Big Ruby's, which catered to gay men. The name was only recently changed to Cabana Inn and that week had begun expanding their marketing to Adults Only.  There was a nice mix of couples while we stayed there.

We left Key West in a pouring rain and stopped at Hogfish Grill on Stock Island for lunch. It was an open-air bar/restaurant by a fishing boat dock. We got lobster bisque, hogfish tacos, and a hogfish sandwich. The gray cat slept on the ledge:

We continued on Hwy 1. Took a detour to the Key Deer Preserve and were rewarded with deer sightings:

We arrived in Marathon, where we'll stay the next four nights. We're staying at the Kingsail Resort, which is really a modest motor hotel with boat docks and  kitchenettes and is just perfect for us. We checked out Sombrero Beach, about two miles away. Then to Publix, the liquor store, a roadside place for fresh corn and tomatoes, and the seafood market for shrimp. The girls whipped up a delicious batch of guacamole and frogmore stew, which we ate by the dock:

Sleepy girls, early to bed!

Key West Vacay, Day 1

The long-awaited, long-promised trip to Key West with my DDs  finally arrived!

Up at 4:00am, out the door and checked in at the parking lot at 5:00a. Light snow flurries started on the airport shuttle.

Snowing harder by the time we boarded ~6:30a. Woman across the aisle from us had a cat in a carry-on bag; he mewed because he was scared but not bothersome.  Pulled away from the gate on time, then watched the de-icing truck spray a couple inches of new snow off the wings. Captain said after they sprayed anti-icer, we'd head to the south runway, "the only one that's open, because they've closed the airport." We were the second to last plane to leave, then CMH closed until 9:39a (per Robert).  Columbus ended up with 6' snow and an approaching cold front which is bringing sub-zero temps in a few days. We got out just in time!

Landed in Nashville about 45' late, but didn't change planes. We scooted up a few rows to exit-row seats.

We settled into our naps on the flight to Fort Lauderdale, when I jumped to action at the sound of the intercom: "Attention. If there are any medical personnel, please come to the back of the plane." A young woman had fainted, vomited, was now post-ictal and non-responsive; cool and clammy, but breathing and with a good pulse. She was already being cared for by a traveling companion who said she was a critical-care nurse. That trumps my midwifery expertise, so I followed her directions. The young woman came around with oxygen, time, some orange juice; the flight attendants were awesome and kept things under control around us. When we landed, the  EMTs wheeled her out first; the FAs thanked me as we deplaned.  Our day was getting better and better!

Rented a cute blue Nissan Versa and hit the road, sunglasses on and windows down to feel the 80-degree sun. Stopped for lunch at a Cuban restaurant in Homestead, Casavana. Shared two huge delicious meals of vaca frita, masas de puerca, rice and black beans, frittatas, plantains.

Beautiful drive down Route 1 to Key West. Found our cute little motel in Marathon, looked for Key Deer at the sanctuary, but didn't see any.  Drive took 3.5hrs due to creeping traffic through Islamorada (it's not like you can take a detour) and then fender-bender at MM15. Watched the sunset from our car instead of Mallory Square as we'd hoped, but it's all good.

Tense driving into the heart of Key West at dusk, watching out for pedestrians and bicyclists, then parked at our beautiful guest house just off Duval Street: the Cabana Inn. It was a former estate and is
just lovely; has a small pool, hot tub, evening happy hour with complimentary wine and cheese, continental breakfast. We have a quaint room on the second floor.

We cleaned up and hit the town! Lots of action on Duval and surrounding streets. Ate at Conch Republic, an open-air place next to a marina. We shared: steamed oysters, shrimp, conch chowder, spinach salad.  Walked around a got a piece of GF Key Lime pie and a dish of Heavenly Hash ice cream, then walked to Mallory Square and shared the deliciousness. Picked up beer/cider on our way
back to our room, then drank a beverage while we enjoyed the pool and hot tub before collapsing in bed.

Another Dam 50k

AKA: "You. Are. An. Ultramarathoner!"

I talked Kristen Huener Henney into doing for the Bigfoot 50k (at Salt Fork State Park, near Cambridge) with me last December. Why? Because:
(1) the 31.5-mile race was 3 weeks after the Richmond Marathon, so if I maintained my weekly running schedule and added in a 3-hour run on the hilly trails of Highbanks Metro Park, I'd be prepared;
(2) we had 8-hours in which to finish (= average 15:25/mile pace);
(3) I hadn't done an ultra yet; and
(4) my sister had.

Before, in "not a deer" clothing.

 

K's legs after.

 The course was much more difficult than either of us expected: steep "technical" hills, shoe-soaking creek crossings, and long patches of ankle-deep mud, thanks to the previous four days of rain. Kristen (the Mountain Goat) and I ran the first 10.5-mile loop together, but it was obvious that her legs were adapting to the terrain much better than mine; I sent her on her way shortly into the second loop. Meanwhile, my quads were burning from the hills and I was getting tired of slogging through the mud. When I had to retrieve my double-knotted trail shoe from the middle of 50-foot mud bog, I made my decision: I was done with this foolishness. I finished the second loop and walked back to cheer on KHH and the other finishers. I was a little disappointed at DNF'ing, but I learned a lot from the experience and got a great hoodie as race schwag.


This spring, my ultra-buddy Mikaila Burns (with her eyes on the 100-mile prize this summer) convinced me to register for Another Dam 50k (at Englewood Metro Park, near Dayton). It would be a training run for her and she promised me that I'd like the course better and that I *would* finish.

Before

The race is put on by the Ohio River Road Runners Club (they also do the Xenia Half in April). The laid-back vibe and the price ($15, or $25 if you want a finishers' shirt) can't be beat.

The course: A mix of gravel trail (similar to Blendon or Highbanks), grass/hard mud, asphalt bike trail/road, wooden/composite bridges, and only a few technical hills w/ roots/rocks. It was a figure-eight course, with fluids at the start/finish and a well-stocked aid station with enthusiastic volunteers in the middle; we were never more than 2.6m away from aid. Very nice course for newbies.

The weather: Perfect! 55 at the start, 74 at the finish; mostly sunny with some welcome cloud cover during the mile-long dam crossing, light wind.

Running through the woods

My food/fluids:  I've been derailed by leg cramps and GI issues in previous races, so this year I'm trying Infinit, which is a powder supplement used by some of my Ironman friends. It's a personalized blend of carbs, proteins, electrolytes, and flavor which is intended to be the only source of calories/nutrition used during a long training ride/run or a race (vs. drinking Gatorade at aid stations and eating Gu gels or honey-stinger waffles).

Wore my 50oz/1.5liter Camelbak w/ water (refilled it 4 times) and carried hand-helds w/ concentrated Infinit (used my entire 7hr supply), peed once during the 1st loop. When my calves started tightening near the end of the 1st loop, I worried that there wasn't enough electrolyte in my Infinit to prevent cramps. Added Endurolyte Fizz tablets to Infinit in the rest of the hand-helds (4-5 tabs total)... I'll need to have more electrolytes added to my next order of Infinit, especially for summer biking/running. By the end of the 2nd loop, my mouth and hands were yucky sticky sweet from the Infinit - maybe I can also get the sweetness dialed down in the next blend (if it can be done w/o reducing calories). I snacked on grapes/strawberries/chips, not so much for the nutrition, but to put a new flavor in my mouth (they also had pretzels, PBJ sandwiches, cookies, and more). Overall, I had good energy and felt I drank enough water.


I ran the first 2 loops (and first 2m of the 3rd) w/ Mikaila; she understands how to pace these endurance races and she kept me from going out too fast. Eventually, I just needed to take off and so she sent me on my way. I walked up the hills, but ran nearly all of the last 2 loops. The bottoms of my feet were sore near the end but otherwise no pains and mercifully, no cramps.

My 4-loop course splits: 1:38:10, 1:38:42 (3:16:52 total), 1:41:58 (4:58:50 total), 1:32:17 (6:30:07 finish). I beat my 7:00:00 goal; Mikaila finished in just over 7 hours. We celebrated with delicious frosty-cold diet Cokes.

After!

Today, my legs are only a little bit stiff (no worse than after any other marathon and way better than after 22 Bigfoot miles). I would definitely do this race again! In fact, I'm going to convince my Running Buddies who are doing a Spring 2013 marathon to keep up their post-'thon mileage and do this ultra with me :)

Run the Edge

(from the 3-13-12 MIT mass email)

What an amazing weekend we had!





It was great to see so many of you at the presentation of Friday evening with Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano! If you missed it we will have a video posted on the MIT site in the next few days.



Tim and Adam were blown away by the group on Saturday. so much so, that they are hoping to come back again soon! They got to spend a good amount of time with many of you and they had nothing but great things to say about each of you!



So often we look towards Olympians, business executives, or historical figures as sources for inspiration. It is truly incredible that all of you are serving as a much greater inspiration for so many others. Tim and Adam left stating that they felt incredibly inspired to help spread the momentum that each of you exhibit everyday. Your journey is taking you to places you may not even realize. To think that you could not only change your life and change the lives of those around you, but also to change the perspective of people living a world apart. You truly are an inspiration! Keep up the great work!


(Now this is me!)
I have been following Kara Goucher's running career since the 2008 Olympic trials... watching her progress from the 10k to the marathon... returning to the marathon after giving birth to her son, Colt... and making the 2012 US Olympic team.




So when our local Fleet Feet store announced they were bringing Kara's husband, former Olympian Adam Goucher, and his University of Colorado teammate, Tim Catalano, to town for a couple of days, I looked forward to a brush with *my* kind of celebrity. Adam and Tim are promoting their new book, "Running the Edge," which explains how running can inspire us and transform our lives in numerous ways.


Fleet Feet held a limerick contest on Facebook - with the lucky four contestants receiving the most "likes" getting to go to dinner with the guys after their presentation Friday night. While the others wrote about nice limericks about the joys of running, I went straight for the heart of Mr. Kara Goucher:

"Welcome, Adam. Don't think I'm a dolt
When I say this, I hope you won't bolt
I'm happy you're here
I'll raise you my beer
But next time, bring Kara and Colt."

It sounds cliche, but I really had an awesome time! I asked Adam about Kara's training and he talked freely about her prep for this weekend's NYC Half Marathon, their plan to move to Mammoth next month so she and Shalane Flanagan (her training partner and fellow Olympian) can train at altitude, how far in advance of the Olympics the family will travel to London... I hung onto every word and tried to offer intelligent comments/ask serious questions. Tim and Adam have been buds since college and they eloquently shared their experiences and insights about running. And asked about ours. I met some new MIT friends and had an overall great evening.

My first olympic triathlon - Deer Creek 6-5-11

My 2011 goal is to do a Half Ironman triathlon in September. The distances for each segment of the race: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run. And there are time cut-offs for each distance (ie: if you don't finish the segment by a certain time, you must stop the race). I'm confident that I'll do well on the bike (4:15 cut-off) and run (3:00). Doing the Lake Erie swim in under 1:15 was a concern, but I've been working on my swimming this winter and I feel pretty confident that I'll be able to do it in under 50 minutes.

I did three "sprint" triathlons last summer (approximately 1/2-mile swim, 12-15 mile bike, 3.1-mile run). They weren't particularly difficult - the hardest parts were the transitions between each event (the race clock doesn't stop and you have to switch equipment quickly).

Last week, it was time to move up a level in the triathlon world and test myself at the "olympic" distance: 1500-yard (0.93-mile) swim, 40k (24.8-mile) bike, 10k (6.2-mile) run. I went back to Deer Creek (a reservoir in a state park about 45 minutes from home), which is where I did my first sprint tri. And I took a couple of tri-friends, Ann and Rick, with me.

I got up at 4:15a (argh!) and drove to Ann's place in Dublin, where we racked our bikes on Rick's car. We got to Deer Creek before 7:00a and went to packet pickup. After setting up our gear in Transition, I ate a gel and took three Endurolytes (electolyte caps). Then we headed to the lake and got into our wet suits.

The Swim. The water was 71 degrees and calm. The women started in the last wave and I got in the water near the back of the pack. Even so, I ran into or was smacked/kicked by a few women. I concentrated on easy paced strokes, breathing bilaterally every three strokes, and sighting every four breaths. The olympic course was two 750-yard rectangular loops. I passed a couple of men during the second loop but my goal was just to do freestyle the whole way. I did the swim in 34:00 (2:16/100yd pace), which was way faster than my pre-race goal of sub-45:00. I was 164 of 183 participants. Then there was an uphill run from the beach to Transition, which took me 1:17; I pulled off my cap and goggles and peeled down my wetsuit as I ran.

T1. This took me 2:09 (116 of 183, so I have some room for improvement here too). I slipped my wetsuit off my feet, put on socks and bike shoes, took more Endurolytes and drank G2, put on helmet and sunglasses, unracked my bike, and ran it to the mounting area.

The Bike. I was able to clip in quickly and took off out of the parking lot. The olympic course was two 12.4-mile loops - mostly flat/rolly but with two granny-gear hills during the last two miles. There was no wind but the sun was in full force. I carried a 5-ounce flask of chocolate Hammer Gel and two 20-ounce water bottles with orange Heed. During the first loop, I kept my speed at 16-18mph; I drank one bottle of Heed and took some gel. At the end of the loop, you come back into the park and do a u-turn by the transition area. I tossed off my empty water bottle and moved the spare into the front cage. I picked up my speed a bit on the second loop and was able to pass several people. Felt strong. I could only drink half of the second bottle and I took more gel. The final steep hill is alongside the reservoir's dam and it's a doozy. I slowed down on the entrance to the park and tried to get my heartrate back down. I saw Rick as he started his run and cheered him on. Bike time was 1:24:00 (17.7mph), 154 of 183, my goal time had been 1:30:00.

T2. I hopped off my bike at this dismount line, ran it back into the transition area, and racked it. Took off my helmet and bike shoes, slipped on my running shoes, smeared more sunscreen on my face, grabbed my hat and gear belt, and headed back out. T2 time was 1:28.


The Run. The first aid station was in the parking lot and I asked for water - was handed a cup of light tan fluid. "Not gatorade, water please!" I was informed that this was well-water... yum! I took more Endurolytes. By now, it was after 11:00am and the sun/heat/humidity were in full force. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor, but I know it wasn't in a low-enough zone to carry me through 6.2 miles. And it wasn't long before I had to start taking walk-breaks. I saw Ann running an easy pace about 50yds ahead and finally caught up with her. We ran/walked together briefly but I couldn't keep up and sent her on her way. There were aid stations about every mile and they all had fantastic delicious wonderful ICE! I took a cup at every station - put it down my top, under my cap, let it melt in my mouth. I also took a cup of fluid at every station and did another gel at about 3 miles. I ran when I could and walked when I had to; I somehow managed to average a 11:00 pace. Rick and then Ann passed me on the out-and-back course. Finally, I turned back into the park and I could hear the finish-line announcer. I timed my last walk so that I could run strong to the finish. Rick and Ann were waiting for me and I ran it in! It was my slowest 10k (1:07:47 for a 10:55 pace) but that didn't matter. Being some of the last folks to pack up didn't matter either:

Summary. I finished in 3:11:25 and was last of seven in my age group. But that was still nearly four minutes faster than my "A" goal time! I did some things right (took enough electrolytes to prevent cramps on a HHH day, gelled just before the swim, remembered my pre-run sunscreen, drank to overflowing on the bike) and some things I'll do differently next time (tuck gel/e-caps into the back pocket of my tri-top when starting the run instead of wearing the gear belt, taking the entire flask of gel on the bike). I was pleased with my swim and plan to take a few private lessons to improve my stroke efficiency and get faster. If it's not too expensive, I'd like to get a compact chainring set on my bike to make the hills a bit easier. And I'm even more confident that I'll have a rockin'-good time at Cedar Point for the Half!

NYC Marathon 2010

Here's my Race Report, with a little bit of the before and after. I'll add something about the Expo later...

We laid out our running clothes Saturday night, woke up Sunday at 5:30am (loved the extra hour of “fall-back” sleep) to start our morning routines.






Tammy, Michele and I left the hotel at 6:30 as planned and walked north in the dark to the subway station at Lexington and 59th Street. While we waited for the train, a family of about six people came down the stairs and were stunned to find out that they needed to buy a fare card to get in; one woman said “we’ve always been able to ride free to the marathon, when did they change it?” and they got a little panicked. Michele showed them how they could duck under the turnstile, they did it and got in – crisis averted.

As we got closer to south Manhattan, more and more runners boarded the train. We finally reached the end of the line and started walking to the Staten Island ferry station at about 7:30. The sun was coming up and reflecting off the tall buildings (Elizabeth lives in one of those), while a mass of people from all over the world migrated south. There was a mass of people inside the station. Soon we were able to board the next ferry and we all managed to fit.





The ferry ride took about 20 minutes and was very smooth. We passed by the Statue of Liberty and many people took pictures – including me. My grandparents entered the United States via Ellis Island; I thought about them and their first view of Lady Liberty.




We disembarked on Staten Island, stopped at the porta-potties to unhydrate, and got in the bus line for Fort Wadsworth. There was an amazingly long line of buses waiting and we were able to board fairly quickly. The 3-mile ride to the starting area took as long as the ferry trip, thanks to the traffic, but we chatted up the other riders and tried to settle our nerves. I got a text from Mikaila, who was waiting for us in the Blue section.

We were dropped off at Fort Wadsworth (a Coast Guard station) and security got very tight. Every fifty feet or so we had to show our race bibs (buried under layers of sweatshirts) to another set of soldiers and allow our clear plastic “drop bags” to be examined. When we finally reached the actual starting area at 9:00, the nerves really kicked in. Since the gear drop-off area closed at 9:20, we decided we should do that right away and we dropped off our bags at the UPS truck with the number that corresponded to our race bibs, then went to the Blue area and found Mikaila.



We definitely overpacked. I’d read tips from former NYC runners who recommended ways to stay warm and pass the time while waiting for your wave to start. Well, we barely had any downtime and we never used Michele’s sleeping bag (to sit on) and my disposable hospital haz-mat suits or paper sheets (to wrap up in). After we dumped our throw-away sweats, all we ended up using were the mylar blankets I pulled from a trash can at Columbus.

Announcements were made in multiple languages and we were soon told to head to our starting corrals. As we entered, we found Chad and his wife Kira (the official 4:30 pacer).



We made a final trip to the potties and swarmed forward to the actual starting line. There was a loud cannon blast at 10:40 and we heard Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York.” I got a little teary as I thought about my dad dancing to that song at my wedding reception in Las Vegas. It took five minutes for us to reach the timing mats at the starting line (right in front of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toll booths) and we were off!



The bridge incline is 260 feet over half a mile (corresponds with the final hill after our MIT Saturday long runs) and felt effortless. Runners chatted with their buddies in different languages, jumped onto the median barrier and took pictures of the swarms. Helicopters hovered overhead. I’d heard that the tug boats below us would be spewing red, white, and blue streams from their water cannons, but we weren’t close enough to the edge to see them. We crested the bridge and entered Brooklyn, where the first of many groups of enthusiastic sign-holding spectators awaited us.

During the scrum at the start, Pacer Kira got about 50 years ahead of us; we caught up with her by the third mile and planned to stay with her as long as we could. We continued through Brooklyn and although I didn’t get close to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital where my mother went to nursing school, we saw several unique neighborhoods along Fourth Avenue.




I have studied “A Race Like No Other,” the book by New York Times author Liz Robbins about the 2007 NY Marathon and made notes about what we might see along the course. I looked for Carmine, the captain of the water stop at 23rd Street for over 25 years, but couldn’t find him. I recognized the huge Williamsburgh Savings Bank and the band at Bishop Loughlin High School (but I’m pretty sure they were playing something other than the “Rocky” theme as we went by). After we passed the gospel singers at Emmanuel Baptist Church (mile 9), the streets narrowed and the mass of runners were pressed even closer together. Somewhere around here, Mikaila fell back into her own groove.

Around mile 10, we entered the Hassidic Jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg with few spectators. Then into another business area and past the Peter Pan Donut and Pastry Shop – but I didn’t notice the employees holding out trays of donut holes in time to grab one.

At mile 13, I had the first of several GI issues, so we said goodbye to Chad and Kira and stopped at the porta-potty. The gals patiently waited for me.




Then we crossed the Pulaski Bridge into Queens and found Marathon Sherpa Dawn cheering us on! We dropped off our long-sleeved shirts (removed during the run on Fourth Avenue) and continued on. Until I had to stop again. There was a longer line at this loo, so we lost about six minutes.

We were feelin’ groovy as we ran onto the Queensboro Bridge at mile 16, aka the 59th Street Bridge of the Simon & Garfunkle song. Although the elevation is not as steep as the Verrazano, this is the bridge that seems to get the most press for difficulty. We cruised along at a steady pace, passing some people, woohooing, listening to the multi-lingual chatter, offering encouragement. Off the bridge, we made two sharp left turn, then onto First Avenue in Manhattan and smack into the Wall of Noise!

Legend has it that the bars open early here for Marathon Sunday, to cater to the brunch and spectating crowd. This stretch lived up to the hype – spectators were three and four deep and screaming incessantly. When those of us in the third starting wave reached this part of Manhattan, it had been nearly four hours since the elite women flew by. They say that the entire city comes out to support this race and it really felt that way to us.

The First Avenue leg went gently down, then up. From the south, we could see three miles of runners ahead of us. As we reached the Willis Avenue bridge into the Bronx, we caught up with Chad. He said Kira and the rest of the 4:30’s were about ten minutes ahead of us. I started getting pretty tired around this point. I remember seeing myself on a Jumbotron at one of the turns and gave a weak wave at the camera.

Approaching mile 21 and the Madison Avenue bridge, my gut protested a third time. I apologized profusely to my running buddies as I ran to the potty. Michele waited for me, but Tammy had to keep walking. After we crossed the bridge, the wheels started falling off the bus. I felt my quads beginning to tighten, so I sent the others on ahead. Somewhere in Harlem, my quads seized up and I stopped at the side of the road. (It should be noted that my calves were the offending muscles in two previous marathons – but they were behaving this time, probably thanks to compression socks). A couple of spectator-angels asked if I was ok and if they could help me get to the med tent across the street. At the tent, I dropped onto a chair and asked for a massage. Two lovely guys pulled their chairs in front of me, scooped up handfuls of white goo, and rubbed the knots out of my quads. I was soon back on my way.

I rounded Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem at mile 22 and was thrilled to find *both* of my Marathon Sherpas, Lisa and Dawn. They ran with me for a block or so, told me I was doing great even though I felt like sh*t, and sent me off renewed.

At mile 23, Central Park was at our right and the rolling hills began. Here is where I passed Edison Pena, the inspirational Chilean miner who ran every day during his two months underground. Two men ran with him, holding the Chile flag. Afterwards, we learned that he ran the first half in a strong 2:07, but that he had to finish the race with bags of ice wrapped around his swollen knees. In an NYT interview, he said: “I struggled with myself, I struggled with my own pain, but I made it to the finish line. I want to motivate other people to also find the courage and strength to transcend their own pain.”



We entered beautiful Central Park. About this time, I would have passed the Loeb Boathouse (although I didn’t notice it), near the spot where runner Ryan Shay collapsed and died in 2007 during the Olympic marathon trials.

We made a right turn out of Central Park at mile 25.5, onto Central Park South. I was so tired, yet so uplifted by the crowds and their shouts of encouragement. Somewhere here, I saw flags announcing “800 yards to go.” I told myself that was only two loops around the track at Thomas Worthington High School. Another right turn at Columbus Circle back into Central Park and there were the “400 yard” flags – wow, I ran that loop faster than I’d thought. A rise, a dip, and then….the finish line! I remembered to assume the correct finish-line posture (standing tall, arms upright, huge smile) then looked at my watch: 4:58:57. Not my best time, not my worst, but definitely one of the best experiences. Since I lost a good twenty minutes at the potties and the med tent, I was pretty happy with the sub-five finish.

I got my medal, posed for a picture (smiling, I hope), wrapped a mylar blanket around my shivery shoulders, grabbed a bag of food/fluids and started migrating north with the masses.



Spotters with walkie-talkies were stationed every thirty yards or so in “deer stands,” ready to summon medical assistance for runners in need. My hands were too cold to open the Gatorade bottle and I was getting a little dizzy, so I moved to the side of the corral and sat on a sand bag. A woman and her husband stopped just downhill from me – she vomited, several times, apologizing to me each time. I smiled and assured her that it was just fine. They moved on, I still sat. Then a race official bent over to check on me. Feeling better, I accepted her offer of a boost up and I continued on to the UPS van with my drop bag. Here I found Michele (4:49:46) and Tammy (4:54:32) – and boy was I happy! I put on my warm clothes and we continued on to the park’s 77th Street exit, where we found Dawn and Lisa (who quickly finished their beers).

As we walked the mile and a half back to the hotel, we relived the day. We walked by an Asics store, and the employees called us in to sign their marathon poster.





Three quick showers later and it was time to eat. Tammy and I were beat, while the others wanted to party. So they went to a nearby pub for dinner and brought back burgers and fries. We drank a beer, updated our FaceBook accounts, took pictures of our medals, and fell deeply to sleep.