NY Marathon

It is a sunny Monday morning as I type this sitting in LaGuardia Airport waiting for my flight to board and bring me home.  This is the end of my New York Marathon experience.  My legs are a little stiff but I sit, pleased with the trip as I think about all that has happened in the last three days.

I arrived in New York on Friday evening and took my first yellow cab to the Upper West side of Manhattan to 77th Street where I stayed in an Air BnB apartment.  The apartment is located only two blocks from the finish of the marathon.   Also, my entire stay cost as much as a single night in a regular hotel in the area!

Once I got settled, I decided to just walk with no particular objective.  I made my way to Lincoln Square and stood by the fountain and walked by the Met.  I went to a movie on Broadway, which was nice.  It was funny to see a movie preview about a story set in New York.  I made my way back to the apartment and picked up some Indian food on the way!  There is no shortage of food in this city.

The Met on my first night in NY

The next day I got some coffee and walked to the marathon expo.  The place was HUGE and there were so many people.  This will be a theme throughout this entry:  there are so many people!  

Saw this on my walk to the expo.  I just think it is cool.

Walking NYC on a sunny morning.

It is at this point that I met up with my sister, Eden, and her boyfriend, Ashton.  We moved through the bib pick up and got a few samples of power bars and energy drink before leaving to find some real breakfast and make plans to see some of NY City.  

The line to get into the marathon expo.  There were a few items for sale in here!  

Got my bib and ready to run!

We find breakfast at Best Bagel & Coffee, where I savored the best bagel I have ever had.  It included eggs and cheese!  

Next we traveled to Times Square, where I really experienced my first feelings of overwhelming.  So many things happening at every step along the way.  I did manage to snag a warm hat for the November afternoon, as well as some NY t-shirts for my family.  We slowly made our way through the hoopla and strolled through Central Park, including the finish of the Marathon!  We then found the Natural History Museum and Eden flashed her Smithsonian badge and we were in like flint!

Two Abes.

Roosevelt outside of the Museum of Natural History

There is always so much in these museums, but the map here made it very difficult to navigate and frustrating at times to get to the areas we most wanted to visit.  However, we enjoyed our experiences and took in as much as we could. 

The life-sized Blue Whale was absolutely amazing.  

Eden and Ashton in the solar system.

We then take a subway  downtown to visit our cousin, Emma, at the restaurant El Vez.  Emma absolutely spoils us and sends us plate after plate of food!  While I know Mexican food isn't always recommended before a marathon...I couldn't say no!  Emma is the best!

Eden on the subway

We arrive at El Vez

It was so nice to see Emma and she spoiled us at her restaurant!  

It's called El Vez for a reason.

Fresh guacamole and chips.  So good!

I don't even remember what this was, but it didn't last long.

After, we walk to Ground Zero and One World Trade Center.  It is a powerful experience realizing the absolute massiveness of these buildings and the monuments.  I took some time to contemplate life and remember my own experience from September 11th.

One World Trade Center.  Absolutely dizzying.

To balance out the somber emotions, we seek out the firehouse used in Ghostbusters, one of my all time favorite movies.  It was a treat. 

Ghostbusters Firehouse.

                                      

The finish line!  We got to check it out the day before the marathon.

We hopped back on the subway and headed back uptown where we hugged and parted ways.  I savored leftover Indian food for dinner and settled in for the night. They say not to walk around NY too much before the marathon, and I realized that I had covered about 14 miles. Yikes.  I laid out my gear and clothing for the next day.  I slept well. I was up at 3am with daylight savings and nerves about the Marathon.  

Heading back uptown

My run didn't begin until 10:40, but GETTING to the start is an adventure in itself.  I grabbed coffee and a bagel and took the one train to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The subway was PACKED by the time we burst out to the terminal.  At this point I am in the flow with all the other runners.  There is no control.  The ferry is the point at which I became part of the Marathon.  The ferry took us to Staten Island on a beautiful Sunny Sunday morning.  The fresh air and views of the city and Statue of Liberty bring clarity and optimism before the run.

Staten Island Ferry

View from the ferry to Staten Island

Bundled up on the ferry ride.  

Lady Liberty!!!

After departing the ferry and waiting in line for the bus to Marathon Village for over an hour, we arrived at the starting corrals.   I barely had time to retie my shoes and take my sweatpants off before America the Beautiful was sang and the cannon fired and Sinatra was singing "New York, New York!"  And then I was a part of it!  I am actually running int he New York City Marathon.

Waiting in line for the bus to Marathon Village.  Bored.

The race itself is a blur.  My cousin, Emma, and her friends followed me throughout the race and provided much-needed cheering support and inspiration.  There were so many people, both in the race and lining the streets as spectators!  Nearly 52,000 people ran, making it the largest marathon in history!  We began by running over the Verrazano Bridge, in giddy excitement that the moment was actually upon us all.  After a couple miles, we reached Brooklyn, and the roars of spectators never stopped until we reached the next bridge.

On our way to the starting corrals

A marathon is special in that it takes long enough to really experience a lot of emotions and see different things all around oneself.  The elite runners and the back of the pack runners are all on the course at the same time, which does not happen in any other sport.  The entire city really comes out for this marathon.  The streets are lined with rows 2-10 deep on each side.  There is no break in the cheering and high fives and signs the entire run.  I had times of absolute focus on my run, and a lot of times where I couldn't get into the groove because of the natural response to smile when someone cheered my name (I wore my name on my shirt).  I had to wear headphones and listen to music at times just to be able to focus for a while!  Each borough was grander than the last, and the encouragement from the crowd really carried me through.  The race support was ample, with water stations every mile or so.  Cold sponges were also a wonderful treat somewhere mid-run.  Music, both live and recorded, was constant throughout the streets.  Little kids and grown-ups alike reach out for high fives, and signs bring laughs ("If Trump can run, so can you!") and encouragement ("Toenails are temporary, pride is forever!").  I saw people in wheelchairs being pushed by their adult children.  I watched as some fell down with cramps, only to be helped immediately by a fellow runner, who was a stranger a minute ago.  Everyone is on their own journey, which began well before the start of the race.  It ends, however, at the finish line.

Cousin Emma rocking the Abel Bar Mitzvah t-shirt

A much needed boost to my race!

I am noticing the Abel's Bar Mitzvah shirt.  

The post-race is difficult, as runners must continue to walk another mile or so to receive medals, nutrition, and the official ponchos!  I finally exited out onto 77th Street and met-up with my cousin, Emma.  After getting cleaned-up, we hit the town for some authentic New York pizza!  It was wonderful.  No, I will not compare it to Chicago deep dish pizza.

It really feels official when I get my poncho!

Bib and Finisher Medal

After, we hopped the subway to the Village and strolled around on the cool November evening, stopping for ice cream and then continuing on.  We made it to the Washington Square Arch before finally deciding to call it a night and part ways after a subway ride back uptown.

The Washington Square Arch.  A thing like that.

A day like this reminds me that life is short, and having the opportunity to embrace an adventure and spend time with family is important.  Emma and my sister reminded me of this over the weekend.  It is comforting to know that I will see them both again in just a couple weeks at Thanksgiving.

So now the marathon is over.  I have spent so much time preparing for and planning and thinking about it, that I feel a sense of relief of sorts.  I don't know what my next goal will be.  I think Thanksgiving, the holidays, and a new son should hold my time and attention until a goal presents itself.  The New York Marathon is truly a bucket-list item, and I am glad to have achieved it.  There is always some post-marathon blues of sorts, once all the hoopla is over and a temporary void is created.  So I follow my mantra of "relentless forward motion," because I understand that the finish line is simply a point in time, not the end. 

My shirt I had made for the New York City Marathon.  Whenever I struggled, I just touched my chest to remember who I was running for.