New York City Marathon Recap
Race Recap:
I had many big goals going into this race. Ever since I ran a 2:53 at Boston in 2014, my goal was to obtain a OQT (sub 2:43) before 2016. While that seemed very obtainable at the time, my body never quite got that level of running. From hamstring injuries to a broken toe and good old piriformis syndrome, my body felt beaten up over the past year. Despite that, I signed up for races that (I thought) would help me reach that goal. As I signed up for NYC, I thought it would be a fast flat course. Ha, wow, was I wrong! Brett and I compared the NYC elevation map to the Boston course and I thought NYC would be a faster course. With this thought, I did not do as many hill workouts as I should have and probably only completed 2-3 “hill workouts” during the past 16 weeks. Lesson learned for sure to never assume anything. Before I rehash my marathon experience, I need to note that the last 35 days of my training leading up to NYC were sub-par. During my “dress rehearsal” run (20.5 miles at close to marathon pace), I developed a very obnoxious pain in the butt. I thought stretching, heat, massage, and hip/butt exercises would get rid of the pain. Unfortunately this combination did not work as quickly as I wanted. The pain lingered throughout the final days leading up to the marathon. Rest, massage, and daily prayer were the only things that really seemed to help this pain. I cut back my mileage significantly and spent a lot of time in the pool. I went from being a “runner” to a “swimmer” and tried to stay mentally focused to run a fast marathon. This was very difficult for me as I have never had to deal with this during tapering. Every run during those last few weeks hurt like crazy. The only days that didn’t seem too bad were the days after my massages! Elissa, my wonderful massage therapist (and friend) worked on various parts of my body to help work out the "kinks." She did an amazing job and I’m so so so grateful for her expertise! I truly don’t think I would have made it to the starting line without her. The last 2 weeks before NYC, I also decided to get at least 7-8 hrs of sleep and focused a lot on my nutrition and stretching (trying to get my mind off the fact that my body was not in 100% racing shape). I am so glad I did this — I really think it helped my body prepare for race day. Lastly, before reading this race recap, I apologize for being such a “debbie-downer” and all of my negative thinking. As Brett and I talked after the race, I am very glad I did a lot of mental prep before the race because physically, I do not believe I could have made it through without being mentally strong.
Sub-elite program: AMAZING! I met some awesome girls who all run about my pace and have very similar goals to me. LOVED this so much! I wish every marathon had this program. I even got to warm-up and hug Meb!!! So cool. (I’ll write more on this later)
Miles 1-3: (1. 7:17, 2. 6:15, 3. 6:35)
Uphill start. The first two miles of the race were on the bridge. I just focused on starting slow and hitting around 7:00 min/mile pace. Once the race started, I immediately felt the pain in the butt. Ugh. Mentally, I felt very frustrated but tried to remain calm and focused. This was not how I wanted to start the marathon. Thankfully I had a great running friend (Rhea) at the start who helped me be patient with the first 5k and we just ran comfortably. After getting over the first bridge (~2 miles), I briefly thought about dropping out but then I told me self to “buck up” and just use the pain to push me forward (thank you to my friend Jac who told me this piece of advice before the race!).
Miles 4-7: (4. 6:32, 5. 6:29, 6. 6:31, 7. 6:25) The first 5k was done! Woo hoo! In my mind, I just kept thinking about how if I got through the 10k, I had a good chance at making it to the half. I also began counting down the miles until the finish. Yes, 20-23 miles to go seems like a lot but mentally, I knew I could do that since I did it on my training runs. The pain in my butt during these miles started to affect my stride. I began to notice little aches and pains in my achilles and hamstrings but tried to use that pain to get my mind off of the pain in the butt. Cardio wise, I felt fantastic. I wanted to run faster! Although I was not running as fast as I wanted, I was pleased with the fact that I could maintain a sub 7 min mile for this portion of the race, despite not feeling 100%. This stretch of the race was mostly rolling hills. Minimal flat sections once again. On a positive note, I was doing well with my nutrition (an area that I seem to struggle with in most marathons). I was eating every 4 miles and I stopped at EVERY water stop. I usually do every other or every 3rd water stop but I knew today I would need that extra hydration to get me through.
Miles 8-10: (8. 6:45, 9. 6:29, 10. 7:27) Chugging along. Miles 8-10 went relatively fast. I think a big part of this was that at mile 11, I knew I would see my family for the first time during the race. The crowds were awesome throughout the first 10 miles (and beyond). Since Boston is the marathon that I usually run every year, I often compare other marathons to it and I have to say, the crowds were very similar to Boston. People every where, providing endless support!! I wish I could say I knew what borough I was in at this point but I never really realized where I was unless I made a point of looking around at signs. I just wanted to finish.
Miles 11-15: (11. 6:37, 12. 6:34, 13: 6:46, 15: 7:03) Miles 10, 11, 12, and 13 were great. Miles 14 and 15 were not so great. The mental and physical fatigue began to kick in at the half way point but I knew if I could get through the first half, I would be able to finish the race. My butt and achilles were rather sore during these miles. Thankfully, at mile 11 I saw my entire family — so awesome to see my mom out on the course!!! Her smile made my day (along with seeing my awesome dad, husband and friend, Brittany). I don’t think I could have made it through without them. I am glad they didn’t see me any earlier though because I’m pretty sure I would have stopped running to head back to the hotel with them. Ha! Mile 15 was tough but another friend of ours was out on the course — Spencer was cheering louder than anyone else in the crowd! Little did I know that the first half of the marathon was going to be easier than the second half.
Miles 16-20: (16. 6:44, 17. 6:32, 18. 6:32, 19. 6:38, 20. 6:51) Wow, these miles were not easy. The bridge around mile 15/16 was the absolute worst hill ever. I remember getting to the top of that bridge and telling the guy running next to me, “that fucking sucked!” I never curse and when I do, you know I’m hurting. I thought about walking at some points up the hill but knew that if I did, the race was over for me. So I just slowed the pace down and ran up the hill and took advantage (or at least tried to) of the downhill. Apparently, my family was around mile 16 as I was coming down the bridge but I didn’t see them. My mind was not focused on the crowd. All I could think about how sore my legs & butt were. Lactic acid definitely kicked in as I climbed this hill too.
Miles 21-24: (21. 6:42, 22. 6:47, 23. 6:53, 24. 7:12) Making my way to central park seemed like it took FOREVER. I really started to slow down at this point. I saw more of the sub-elite girls during these miles which seemed to help. Despite soreness everywhere, I maintained my focus on just finishing as strong as I could. I began to play the number game again in my mind. I knew I’d have a Boston time, regardless of how slow I finished, I knew I wouldn’t PR but could run under 3 hours if I just kept a consistent 7:30 pace, and I knew I would finish, even if I had to crawl to the end. Thankfully, my family was everywhere during these miles. I am not quite sure which miles they were at exactly but I saw them at two different points near Central Park.
Miles 24-26.2: (24. 7:12, 25: 7:06, .2. not sure, didn’t turn off Garmin immediately after the race). I think I was running during the last 2.2 miles? I started to get super dizzy and uncomfortable around mile 24. All I could think about was my sweet nephew Ellis saying “go go go go.” So I “go go go” to the finish. The "small" hill into Central park was a lot harder than it should have been but I managed to trot up the small incline and crossed the finish line! I usually am able to run through the finish but this time, I stopped as soon as my foot went over the first timing strip. I was smiling thankfully but that took more effort than it should have. I was SO happy to be done. As I finished, the volunteers escorted me to the sub-elite tent where I spent some quality time recovering. I felt better after about 5-10 minutes and spent time catching up with the other sub-elite girls.
Despite all of my negative thoughts, I must say this marathon experience was AMAZING (and very humbling). Even though I did not PR, did not obtain a OQT, and felt like crap at the end, I am still so happy with everything that took place over the weekend and during the marathon. I pushed through a lot of pain and discomfort and I proved to myself that I could accomplish something difficult if I just stay mentally strong. I am beyond blessed to have such an amazing support team as well. Not every race is going to go as planned and after each one, I always seem to learn something new (which I’m grateful for). Thank you NYC for a great experience. 8 marathons done …onto my 9th in April! See you soon Boston!
Brett: My loving husband and coach: I couldn't have made it through 16+ weeks of training without him. He has been so patient with me and has helped me so much with all of my physical/mental struggles. I am one lucky lady to have such an awesome husband, best friend, and forever running buddy. :)
Mom & Dad: My wonderful parents. Although they like to give me a hard time about my crazy running, they have always provided endless love and support me through all of my races. Having them both on the course was also so fun! My mom is usually 'home base' but this time she came out to enjoy the spectating experience. I hope she continues to do this too -- it was so nice seeing her with Brett and my dad.
Elissa: My awesome massage therapist (and friend). Her expertise, support, and patience helped me make it to the starting line feeling somewhat normal. I am not a patient person when it comes to running injuries and being able to see her once a week for the last month, before the race, was beyond helpful.
Friends: Crotty/Douple family, Schmigs and Spencer -- my Dayton & NYC/CLE friends. Thank you for making a special trip to the course to see me run!! You guys rock!
Finishing time: 2:58:06
Overall place: 635/50,000
Gender place: 43rd female
18th American (139 countries represented)
1st female in Ohio
Garmin breakdown of the race: https://connect.garmin.com/activity/946094725
