“I've got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.”- Larry Bird, former NBA basketball player
My marathon journey concluded in Philadelphia on Sunday around 11:30am.
After a night of waking up every hour and night sweats, the alarm went off at 5am and it was game time. I literally sprung out of bed and began the morning race day routine. Surprisingly, my nerves were calm as the sun began to rise. I dressed for the chilly weather and loaded my arms with the
dedication bands. After a Cliff bar and coffee, I was out the door.
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| Who doesn't love a 6am selfie? |
I arrived at the start, which was swarming with bundled up runners. I met up with C, a college friend and also a NYCM refugee. We immediately joined our fellow NYCM runners in the corral and waited for the race. It was comforting to stand in a sea of orange New York City Marathon shirts alongside eager runners ready for some closure. Some people even wrote on the back of their shirts “Thanks Philly”. Strangers were making conversations and sharing tips for the course. Many of us prepared for the 26.2 miles through the burroughs of New York City but Philadelphia was unknown territory. Mayor Nutter (my new favorite person) went out of his way to welcome the New York runners during his pre-race address. We knew that we were crashing a party but he made us feel like we were invited.
The race began and the corrals made their way to each individual start. Before the start of NYCM 1 corral, the race emcee welcomed us again. He told the New York runners that Philadelphia had our back and empathized with everyone affected from Hurricane Sandy. I don’t remember exactly what was said but they were all thoughts of positive support and unity. As I stood amongst the NYCM runners, I felt right at home. I knew this was the race that I was supposed to run and was thrilled to be sharing it with my fellow New York runners. At the start of the race they even played Sinatra’s “New York, New York” which is notorious for kicking off the New York City Marathon each year. The race emcee said, “This is the start of the 2012 New York City Marathon” as the gun went off. We knew it was not but this was close enough for us.
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| That's us! |
Many New Yorkers became emotional (like me) until we finally crossed the starting line. Most runners look forward to crossing the finish line but this group was looking forward to just getting to the start.
I felt a mix of excitement and pure fright. I literally could not believe that I was about to run 26.2 miles for real this time. There was no turning back. I finally had the chance to run a marathon for my city and myself.
The first few miles through Philadelphia were great. It was crowded but I was still in the comforts of orange shirt NYCM runners. I had to pull myself back because my splits were around 8:40’s, which I knew was too fast for this race. We passed through Old City where the streets narrowed although the crowd support grew. We finally got through Center City and I actually turned off my music to take in the energy from the crowd. I'm glad I turned off the music because unexpectedly this is where I saw my first familiar spectator face. As I was making my way up Chestnut Street I heard someone holler out my last name. I turned around to see the enthusiastic and smiling face of Ash, my sorority little and one of my very best friends. I thought she would be along the course but didn’t know where. Seeing her got me excited for what was to come.
The first few miles of the marathon are supposed to feel “fresh”. Unfortunately, I never felt this. Right off the bat I felt tired and my body was not clicking the way I hoped. I had faith that I would run the kinks out because I was only 6 miles in and had 20 to go.
I made my way up Chestnut Street and eventually crossed into the University of Pennsylvania campus. I could not wait to get to my cheering squad. Dad, Kel, and Al were set to be stationed right on the edge of campus as my first cheer zone. As I came around the corner I saw Al jump into the middle of the runners to wave her sign and Dad and Kel equally hollered me down. I didn’t stop for fear of not starting back up again but I handed Kel my spi-belt (fancy name for a running fanny pack), which was driving me nuts. I grabbed some fuel from the belt and kept going. This meant I didn’t have my license or insurance card anymore but it was a risk I was willing to take. Mom, I hope you didn’t read that part…
Before darting away Dad pointed out his special sign. He spray painted “Go Laura” on a sheet and hung it from a point on campus. Don’t worry Dad, you won. Your sign was the biggest and totally the best.
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| MY PEOPLE! (You too Ash...) |
Seeing my crew gave me the pep in the step that I needed. As I mentioned, I didn’t feel fresh and to be honest the beginning of the race concerned me greatly. Their excitement and enthusiasm was greater than I even imagined. It gave me the morale boost that I desperately needed. I really didn’t know if I could pull through the full 26.2 miles. I was hitting my goal times of 9:00 miles but didn’t know how long it would last.
The next few miles of the course really thinned out in crowd support and really beefed up in incline. Great combo, right? Everyone told me that Philly would be a great race because it was such a flat course. True, it did not include 5 bridges but this thing still had some hills! I hit the worst hill of the race I believe right around mile 9. It reminded me of Harlem Hill in Central Park. Unfortunately, I felt the hill physically. It really took a lot out of me and I was worried that I had “emptied the tank” too early. Luckily, I got up the hill and eventually recovered.
Around mile 10, I called my Dad to find out their next spot. I knew that I needed something to look forward to. As Dad picked up he conferenced in my Mom quickly and just hearing her voice helped ease some of the pain. Dad said they would be at mile 14 and they both shared words on encouragement as I quickly hung up to shift my focus back to running. Plus, I think I had Rihanna up next on my playlist.
By mile 11, we were back on familiar running turf for me as we ran along the Schuylkill River. The most painful part of the race mentally came right before mile 13. That’s when the race went two ways. One arrow lead marathoners with 13 miles to go and the other for half marathon runners directed them to the finish.
As I came towards the fork I was surrounded by a handful of NYCM runners. We all saw the sign at the same time and one of the men remarked how painful that sign was to see. I admitted it was so tempting (to go the half marathon way) but the third man sternly told me that I didn’t really want to and I was going to finish this. Thank you strange but stern man. I promise I was kidding?
After losing the half marathon runners the race definitely thinned out again. We made our way up Kelly Drive and I had another spot with my pep crew approaching. They were waiting for me around mile 14 as promised with signs, shouting, and now Kel even held out some Shot Bloks (my fuel). I gave them a wave as I passed by not stopping again in fear of never starting up again. You think I'm kidding but the wheels had to stay in motion.
Somewhere around mile 15 I felt a pat on the back from a fellow runner. I turned around to see a lime green Team for Kids jersey running alongside me. I never met this man but for the next minute he was my very best friend. He asked how I was feeling and if this was my first marathon. It was his seventh and he said that I looked good and encouraged me to keep going. He wished me luck and then ran off ahead. I later saw him at the finish. Again, I don’t know his name but we were TFK teammates and that’s really all that mattered.
Unfortunately, not long after I hit the wall around mile 17. Usually, runners “hit the wall” around mile 20 but lucky for me this one set in a little early. I contribute it to the extended taper and two week delay of race day. My body still did not feel fresh but I knew at this point that I was absolutely finishing.
The next few miles of the race were challenging. We ran up to Manayunk and back. The scenery was just okay and the crowd support, until we hit Manayunk, was somewhat mild. I entered Manayunk around mile 18/19 and it was like entering First Avenue in that I felt like I was running into a party. The bars were packed and there was even a station on either side handing out beer in shot cups around mile 19/20. This was not a light beer but rather a dark lager that had quite the smell attached. I thought about it until I got a whiff and then I feared gagging. Many runners felt much wilder and took a swig to keep going. At this point, my shoes started sticking to the ground, which really didn’t help the whole KEEP MOVING aspect of the race. I don’t know if it was from the Gatorade or beer but I had to find humor in this new and unexpected obstacle.
I thought about calling M around mile 18. That would have been the point in the New York Marathon where she may have jumped in to join me for a few miles. M unfortunately couldn’t make the trip to Philly and I knew she was upset to be missing out on race day. I partially wish I had called her although I know that I could not have physically contributed to the conversation. I promised her if I ever do this again, she is MORE than welcome to jump in with me and keep me company. I learned through this race that I desperately need it.
Mile 20 is when I really started to feel like I was running a marathon. The bottoms of my feet felt like they were going to burn off they were in such pain. My IT Band started to act up as well but I was happy that I had made it this far pain free. This sounds fun? Right? Not only did the physical pain kick in but the race got much worse mentally. I started to see many runners dropping. They did not physically drop luckily but many stopped to catch their breath or stretch it out. I thought about stopping almost every other step but I knew that I couldn’t. I feared if I stopped that I would never start again. Around this point my splits slowed down dramatically. As mentioned, I hit the wall a little after 17 and I went from 9:00 miles to around 9:45’s. I think I even had a 10:00 mile in there too. At first, I was disappointed since my initial dream goal of breaking 4 hours was not going to happen. Honestly, the upset lasted for a few minutes until I realized that I didn’t have time to worry about anything silly like a time goal. The only thing I needed to worry about was finishing. Philly got me to the starting line and it was all up to me to finish.
Miles 20-24 were painful. I had my last stop with my pep crew coming up and I literally counted down the minutes until seeing them. I needed their burst of energy to get me to the finish. I saw them as promised right after 25 and it was the loudest and most excited I had seen them yet. It almost brought me to tears. I wanted so badly to stop and hug all of them but I was REALLY worried at this point that I would not finish. I waved and shouted that I loved them but moved on. I had 1.2 miles left and just wanted to be done. This point on felt surreal. I could not believe that this was actually happening.
I saw a fellow runner friend D around mile 25 ½ and it was the last push that I needed. Again, I didn’t know where she would be but hearing my name hollered from a familiar and smiling face went a long way.
I didn’t have any energy left in my body to do anything but run. I wanted to check my phone or even call my Mom. I had grand plans but when the ending was near, I just needed it over.
I knew that my Dad and other family members were around the Finish but I did not know their exact location. I planned to look for them but once the finish was in sight, all bets were off. Once I hit mile 26 my body felt FANTASTIC! I booked it for the last .2 miles and somehow the energy came to me to sprint to the finish. I ran as fast as I could and saw Philadelphia’s Mayor Nutter standing right in front with both arms out for high fives. I gave him a high five and finally crossed the finish line at 4:06. Not too bad for a 4 week taper and first marathon if you ask me…
Once I stopped running, the pain subsided as the tears flowed out. I became emotional and received a hug from a stranger standing behind me. Anyone that knows me will find this humorous. I don’t particularly love hugs and detest any form of physical contact with strangers. However, I embraced this hug and enjoyed every second.
This was the ending that I dreamed of. This was the ending that I hoped for. This was the ending that I set my alarm every morning before dawn for 6 months to earn.
I ran my first marathon and I have to admit that I ran it damn well.
After the finish, I stopped for a photo in front of the step and repeat. I called my Dad and eventually met up with all of my supportive spectators. I hugged each and every one although I could barely move. I was overwhelmed by their support and pride, as the accomplishment hadn’t hit me just yet.
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| MARATHONER. BOOM. |
We smiled for photos and I honestly didn’t want it to end. I absolutely did not believe what had just happened. I didn’t believe the ending was finally here. I was just relieved to not be running anymore and could not think about anything else.
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| My boys |
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| Family! |
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| The world's GREATEST friends! |
The plan to take a shower was scrapped, as I just wanted to sit with my friends and family. We landed at a local bar and indulged in football, food, and beer. I didn’t say much and I could barely eat. I just sat there with tbe best "runner's high", once I got down the stairs.
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| ...because the signs needed to take over the bar. |
Ironically, Sunday marked 6 months to the day that I joined
Team for Kids and signed up to run the 2012 New York City Marathon. I ran 629.2 miles in that time and raised close to $3,000 for an organization that I am proud to be a part of.
Will I do it again? Well, I am in no rush. I have my sights set on New York 2013 but luckily that is a ways away. Again, we still don’t know our status for the race next year but my fingers are crossed that I will be a part of Team for Kids and given an opportunity to attempt this adventure once again.
I am happy to let my running shoes take a break for a week or two. I am in an incredible amount of pain still but let me tell you, the pain feels SO good.
It still does not feel real and I wonder if this weekend was just a dream. I returned to work on Tuesday to find my desk covered in signs from my co-workers and friends. People still are hugging me and offering thoughts of congratulations that help it kick in.
Thank you to everyone for the countless texts, calls, and messages after the race on Sunday. I could not keep up and my phone was flooded. Thank you more importantly for your support during this long and eventful journey.
I knew that I had a lot of fantastic people in my family, friends, and colleagues. This experience really showed me just how FANTASTIC these people are.
I’ve never felt so loved as I did in the last 6 months. I’ve never felt as tired, stressed, and challenged either. One of my favorite musical Rent says to “measure your life in love”. I don’t believe there is a measurement in the books to measure the amount of love that I feel in my life right now. I am overwhelmed and humbled beyond words.
I do not know if I could have ran this race without the support of so many people. My pep crew along the course kept me moving forward and hearing every text message come through reminded me of all of you that couldn’t be there.
Al & Kel- I’ll never be able to thank you enough for joining me this weekend in Philadelphia. You are the greatest friends and cheerleaders that a girl could ask for.
Ash- Thanks for dragging yourself out of bed to cheer me on at the crack of dawn. I know your bedtime the night before might not have bee ideal, but you didn’t show a hint of it. Your support meant the world to me.
Aunt Anne, Uncle Mike, and Mimbo- Thanks for coming out to Philly so early to cheer me on in the race. Sorry I missed you at the Finish but I am glad you got to see the gladiators...
Pj- Thanks for making it to the finish. Sorry that I threatened your invitation to Thanksgiving if you didn’t attend. But I am glad you did…
Dad- I don’t know how I could have ran 26.2 miles on Sunday without knowing you were there. Thanks for giving up your only weekend at home this fall to be at my impromptu race weekend.
Mom- Thanks for booking yet another flight for Dad. You knew how much it meant for me to have him there. You always make our lives a little bit easier.
My 2012 NYC Marathon story is over and it has a happy ending. I don’t really know if I could have asked for anything more. This ending was different than the one I expected when I signed up on June 18th but I must say that I love this one just as much. I made history in 2012, the year that Mother Nature dealt us a tough set of cards. I took the cards and thanks to Philadelphia, I still played them to my advantage.
This experience taught me so much.
I learned that a positive attitude will get you through anything.
I learned that Philadelphia is a fantastic city and incredibly friendly and generous regardless of its rap. I didn’t encounter a single person along the race that didn’t want the New Yorkers there. Every volunteer, supporter, and even the Mayor treated us like one of their own.
I learned that I am the luckiest girl on the planet thanks to the people that I call family and friends.
Most importantly, I learned that I can run a marathon.
I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow with family and friends. I plan to do the same back in Philadelphia.
I have so much to be thankful for this year; it’s more than I ever dreamed of…
Lots of love and laughs!
XOXO
LA
(A Marathon Runner)
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| 2012 was the year after all... |
