New York City Marathon Race Recap Part 2

November 5, 2014

Friday was a long day between traveling from DC to NY and the expo. As expected, Halloween night was a low key affair and I went to bed early.

I spent my Saturday reading the “Race Day – At the Start: Do’s and Dont’s” guide, uploading music to my iPod shuffle (thanks for the idea Nevie), sleeping, stretching, and waiting for Cliff to arrive. I also picked up a couple of bananas and slices of bread for the next day (free hotel breakfast for the win).

That evening we met my friend Laurel at Thai Select for a pre-race dinner. I had the Chicken Pad See Ew and it was delicious! We also finalized Cliff and Laurel’s spectator strategy! Based on the course map, logistics (metro stops) and my estimated pace I would meet them around miles 7, 16 and 23. Soooo exciting!

We got back to the hotel and I laid out my gear. Thanks to everyone who commented/tweeted on my NYC Marathon Countdown: Race Day Outfit post. I selected the Oiselle singlet because I figured it would be the “easiest” for Cliff and Laurel to spot me in (the pink outfit was a close second).

Right before I went to sleep I got a text message from my friend JR (who runs tons and tons of marathons, including this one) who kindly reminded me about Daylights Saving Time. Oooops!!! Definitely forgot about that one! With the clock set back another hour I got an a good nine hours of sleep. I woke up at 6AM, got dressed, drank water, and ate my peanut butter banana sandwich (I ended up rearranging my fuel plan a bit). All layered up and ready for the 20-30 MPH winds!

Because I selected the “No Baggage” option I was provided with a bag to bring to the Start Village. I had toilet paper (which I did not need), fuel, my gear, and running shoes (I wore old shoes there in case the village was wet from the rain).

I left the hotel around 7AM to meet Prianka (who is on the Oiselle Team with Courtney) at Whitehall Terminal. We learned that we were in the same corral color and wave and thought it would be nice to have company before the race. There we would take the Staten Island Ferry to the start!

Once inside, we tried to board the 7:45AM ferry but it was full. No problem we boarded the 8:00AM ferry instead. We were not too worried because we were in the last wave that would start at 10:55AM.

The ferry ride was quick – it was about 15 minutes long and there was a nice view of the Statue of Liberty.

Once we docked we got in line to board the buses that would take us to Fort Wadsworth (the start of the race). There were also plenty of porta potties before reaching the buses (the line was long but it moved quickly).

The bus ride to Fort Wadsworth took about 20 minutes. I ate my Picky Bar and drank some water. After stepping off the bus we immediately went through security. They checked bags and waved their wands. I felt safe and there was a large police presence. Once we got through security we headed towards the Orange Start Village .

There was plenty of signage and volunteers directing runners to their respective village and corrals. I made another stop at the porta potties (there was no shortage of them and the lines turned over quickly).

By the time we arrived Waves 1 and 2 already started. I could see runners on the bridge.

Dunkin Donuts provided runners with coffee and bagels (I ate half of one). There was also water and Gatorade. Unfortunately, there were no bananas – so I am glad I ate one before I left the hotel.

We waited about 30 minutes before heading to our corral. It was cold and windy, but it did not bother me too much (I had my layers and handwarmers). At this point I was excited to go! I don’t think it hit me that I was about to begin my 26.2 race! I don’t know how to describe it, but it didn’t feel real.