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My First Marathon Morningby Anezka Sebek© 2006 Great Strides Shelly Glover |
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I got up at 5:30 and did the usual check through of all the things I had gathered to bring with me. Old clothes for the holding area at the Bridge. My new running clothes. My heart rate monitor. I turned on the Weather Channel and wondered how the day would unfold. Heavy rain was predicted to start at noon with temperatures in the 60s. I didn't know how to dress for it so I piled all my choices in the UPS bag. I was psyched! I had been looking forward to this day for months. I was coached along by Shelly-lynn Florence mostly through phone conversations and e-mail. I had a very busy year and yet I managed to train for the biggest running event in the world! I made my first short film, Landfill, and submitted it to the Sundance Film Festival. I went home to Indonesia for the first time in 40 years in the month of August. I wrote the first draft of a screenplay that I want to shoot next year. I was one of the founders of an organization for my industry called the East Coast Digital Consortium. I freelanced in the film industry to support myself. I renovated my apartment and am living on my own for the first time in 22 years. Needless to say, I had to be very committed to running to be ready for a marathon. I had made plans to meet a new friend I had made at the start. I had met him on the plane home from Indonesia. I made the choice to ride the bus out with all the other runners. We arrived around 8:45 to the holding area at the Verrazano Bridge. It was a damp, foggy day. The Verrazano was cloaked in a blanket of mist. I changed into my old clothes to stay warm and put a garbage bag over myself to stay dry. I found my friends and had another silly adventure, typical for me, when I thought I had lost my keys. I went frantically looking all over the places where I had been on the grounds. I even went into the NYPD tent to see if anyone knew if there was a lost and found anywhere. People were already starting to assemble at the start and I had to start getting ready for the event. I was so distracted! I peeled off my outer trash garments and found my keys still neatly tucked into the waist pouch I had put them in.
Back Letter to First Time Marathoners |
The StartMayor Guiliani said his good luck speech at the Start. The choppers were flying overhead in the mist. The National Anthem was sung. The countdown began. The cannon blast fired. I saw the men start off in the green and blue area of the Bridge next to us at a pretty fast pace. We were still not moving. I clocked almost six minutes before I got to the start. The crowd was so thick that it was almost impossible to pass anyone. I lost my friends right away. We did the first mile in 18 minutes! It was the biggest party I had ever been to. We were shuffling along like a bunch of old folks. 2nd MileThe second mile wasn't any better. There was a pile up at the exit off the Bridge. Finally we broke into the first part of Fourth Avenue. The crowds were thick and enthusiastic. There were bands playing to help us along. Every time the band played, I noticed that I sped up. Music and crowds are definitely a big help! I was running at a perfect 155 beats per minute. I use my heart rate monitor like the rpms in a car. Sometimes on hills I would speed up to 163. The field of runners was still pretty heavy. I had decided that my strategy would be only to stay at a comfortable pace throughout. If I found myself going slower than 155, I would speed up. Mile 8I filled my bottle at the water stations and continued running through some of the most crowdedones. At mile 8 we started on Gatorade and I mixed water with it. Brooklyn was just one big party after another. I ran with a group of rhinoceroses and a group of oriental genies. I ran most of the time with a father and daughter. The people with their names on their shirts had the best time. The crowds called out to them and cheered them along. I ran past all the little kids who had their hands out to touch us. There were babies and dogs and people with costumes on the sidelines so their running friends would see them. I was looking for my friend David. Ifound him at mile 8 and he ran with me. I was so excited to see him that I hyperventilate and got a stitch in my stomach. I got some advice from a woman who had "Paula, mother of four, 7th marathon" on her shirt. She told me to put my hands up on my head and breathe into my diaphragm. It helped.
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1/2 MarathonI had made some time up so I was feeling great. I was passing a lot of people. By the time we got to the half marathon mark it started to drizzle slightly. I made it there by 2:34 into the race. Much slower than I ever wanted to go. I was a bit discouraged. But it didn't stop me from pushing on. I changed from running with my vest to my waterproof jacket. I did a complicated switch of all that while I was running! I tucked my vest into my running shorts. Then the rain started while we were in Queens. It was a steady, light rain. Tolerable. 15 MilesThe Queensboro Bridge was a steep incline and I passed many people who were walking it by this time. I never stopped. I plowed on. The Bridge seemed endless. The rain was starting to fall pretty heavily. Finally I was at the top of the crest and over on the other side. The incline on the other side is relatively short and steep. Coming into Manhattan was the most awesome sight. Thousands of people were gathered on First Avenue to cheer us on. I stopped to take a picture. I got a second wind from the cheers of the crowd. Suddenly I heard my name. Amy was there with a bag of goodies that I did not need. I shoved my running vest at her, told her I loved her and plowed on. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, the NYC Marathon is one up hill after another. 17 to 18 milesThis is where hill training is essential. Manhattan means "many hills" in Native American. First Avenue was one long incline. Maybe there was one downhill area but then it climbed up again as you go North. I was looking for David again at 125th Street. It turned out that I missed him. He was standing in the rain (not under the overpass where he could have been dry) without an umbrella because he thought it would make the runners feel better. The winds had started to pick up by then and he caught a case of hypothermia and had to go home to get warm. 19-20 milesI was feeling pretty miserable by then. It was mile 19 and 20 when I
hit the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx that God poured his wrath
down on us. I didn't even care about making it to Central Park before
the five-hour mark. I was happy just to be slogging on in sneakers
that were filling up from the top with water. The road deck was covered
with
a flood of water that was exactly the height of my sneakers. Then,
on the metal bridge, the lightning and thunder began. Someone yelled that
God is telling us all that we are crazy to be doing this. I told 21-22 MilesWe slogged on and then a miracle happened that carried me to the finish
line. 23-26 MilesOnly three more miles, only two more miles, only one more. . . I turned onto 59th Street and the crowds were going crazy. These people are so dedicated to be standing in the crazy weather and cheering us on. I got lots of smiles and encouragement. I had been afraid of this last hill but it went really quickly. I turned into the Park and was definitely at the end of my rope. At the 26-mile mark I got a spurt of energy and ran in to make 5:14:45 an exact 12:00 mile pace. I was elated. I got someone to snap my picture at the finish line. I walked to find the UPS truck with my stuff, I went behind the truck and stripped all the wet clothes off and got into my dry stuff. I walked to the restaurant where I had decided to meet my friends and had a fabulous dinner and a drink to celebrate. My friend Vicky walked 40 blocks home with me to keep my legs going. I thought I would have energy to go out dancing but I decided to stay home. It was just as well. I ended up falling asleep to Nick at Nite at 10:00pm. A Little MoreRunning Coach Shelly Glover is has a master's degree in exercise physiology from Columbia University. She co-authored The Runner's Handbook and The Competitive Runner’s Handbook is a veteran road runner and marathoner. She also coaches The Greater New York Racing Team is available for private coaching. Coaching Services
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