New York City Marathon

I remember reading an interview with Slash, from Guns N Roses, and he was asked about touring and what his favorite city was. He said that it was New York because it's like you're there to do a massive show and everyone in the city knows what you're there for. That's exactly how I felt with the New York Marathon; everyone in the city was incredibly supportive of all the runners. When I was on the subways, complete strangers, who saw me with my marathon bags, would wish me luck or stop me to ask about my training! I am now the proud owner of a NYC Marathon finisher's medal - this is the story.

GETTING THERE
My time leading up to New York found me on travel for business. So, I had to co-ordinate getting to NYC from my job site in Oakland while my car was in Ontario, CA. The (less-than-elegant) solution that I had to come up with was to fly from Oakland to Ontario and then drive to Long Beach for the red-eye to JFK. There simply wasn't enough time for me to stop at my home in La Quinta. This also meant that I had to pack my items for the marathon a week beforehand. That made me a little uneasy, but I also knew that I have done enough events/races to know what I would need. My mental check list always begins with stuff that is absolutely essential at the start line (running shoes, Toyota uniform, hat, Body Glide, etx) to the extraneous stuff that I can always buy on the road (Clif Bars, band aids, etx). This system works well for me and I didn't forget anything critical at home.

FRIDAY
In spite of the red-eye, I had a surprisingly high energy level when I got to NYC. I easily made my way via subway from JFK to downtown Manhattan. I was a little bit early so I had plenty of time for a cup of coffee and relaxation while waiting for the Expo to open later that morning. I also managed to find a "99 cents only" type of store to stock up women's socks and band aids. The socks can be used as cheap arm warmers - you cut the toes off and then put them on your arms. I would usually only wear one pair, but I bought 2 sets and, sure enough, I ended up using them.

The registration process at the expo was surprisingly easy. The crowds were light, so I was able to zip through the entire process in under 10 minutes. Not bad for a big city marathon! The other highlight of the morning is that the Gatorade booth did not disappoint me. Most large companies will have "expo specials", some are better than others (Mizuno, that means you!), and Gatorade has by far the best deals with all Gatorade drinks at only $1 each! I stocked up with a couple of bottles because the deal is just too good to pass up; it's about one-third of the retail price in most stores.

I spent the rest of my day simply getting re-acquainted with New York. It had been about 8 years since I visited last and found some of my old haunts. I ended up having a really good dinner in Little Italy with an excellent canolli for dinner . . . hey, I'm running in a few days, why not splurge the calories!

SATURDAY
The expo on Saturday was really cool because I got to hang out with some fellow Toyota teammates and meet some more people from the team organizers. We took a few photos and I also did some press interviews, which was a lot of fun. However, I am glad that I took care of all my bib/registration info the day before because the expo was packed - there were a lot of people! Overall, I thought the expo was a little smaller than what I expected from a big city marathon. LA Marathon Expo is an event unto itself with many vendors; I thought this would be the same, but it was actually on the smaller side.

The start of the carbo-loading consisted of having lunch with Megan (a Toyota Engines fo Change teammate) and a group of her friends. It was an incredibly enjoyable afternoon at an Indian/Pakistani restaurant with a really nice selection of food. I loaded up on the brown rice and chicken and we all talked away for the greater part of the afternoon. It was really nice to hang out with such a genuine group of people.

Saturday night I attended the official pasta dinner, sponsored by Barilla. I hesitated going because I thought that it would be a complete mess with so many runners to feed. But, I was actually quite impressed by it. The dinner was very well organized and you got through the lines very quickly. There was plenty of Gatorade and pasta and places to sit, so it was very enjoyable. There was also some good music playing along with inspiring images on the big screens in the tent. I sat next to a gentleman from Manchester England and it was cool to hear about his training. He was one of the few people I met where this is their first marathon; most everyone else I met was an experienced marathoner.

Essentially, Saturday was a fun-filled day of meeting new people and eating! I spent a little more time on my feet that what I would have wanted, but it was all very fun and I had a great time.

RACE DAY
The hardest part of this marathon is that getting to starting line involves a lot of logistics, which means that when you leave the hotel, you have to be prepared with everything! So, I packed my check-in bag with just about everything I needed and maybe even a few things I didn't. I opted for the Staten Island Ferry transport option and I was on the ferry with the very first group of runners at 5:30 AM. I was first on the ferry and also on the first set of shuttle buses. Another runner I spoke with said how everyone there this early must be a Type A with maybe some OCD mixed in! I had to agree with him because I hate rushing and being there early was nice. It pays to be first.

I live in the desert where it still hasn't cooled down for the season, so being in NYC was just plain cold for me. One of the last-minute decisions I made was whether to wear shorts or running tights. Even though I was concerned about chaffing, I chose the tights and didn't regret that decision. I wore my hat and gloves the entire time I was running even though I had intended to strip them off. In fact, the only clothing that I did strip off was my (cheap) arm warmers and I regretted doing that because I got cold again quickly afterwards. Basically, I could have run the whole course with all of the items that I started with, which is rare for a 26 mile run.

I have never been to a more confusing start than this marathon. It takes about 20 minutes to cross the starting line and there are runners coming from ALL directions. There's different entrances and balloon arches, so you're never really sure which is the start line until you cross the timing mat. I started in the Orange corral, which wasn't my assigned corral, but I doubt that it makes a big difference.

The course itself was very enjoyable and generally flat; the bridges are the hills and there's only 5 of them. I started with the 5:30 pace group and pretty much stayed with them through the half way mark. I hit the 13.1 at exactly 2:45 and the group was already 50 yards ahead of me at that point and they really only sped up from there. So, I'm not really sure what happened to the pace group leaders, they seemed very nice and capable, but they were much faster than 5:30.

The crowds along the course are really good. Los Angeles, I love you, but the people of New York put LA to shame when it comes to supporting the marathon! There's so much music playing and people are rows deep that some sections of the course go by so fast. One of my friends has described a marathon as "a moving party" and I never really understood that until NYC. This was definitely a party! On the course I heard requisite songs that you hear at every Mary like Van Halen's "Right Now" but there were also new ones like AC-DC's "Back in Black" which I will now add to my iPod because it's awesome for running!

Like most other Mary's, I had very little fun in between miles 16-19. You're on First Ave, so the crowd support is incredible, but I just remember slogging through those miles. At one point, I even got goosed by a spectator egging me on! I had to laugh at that (how could I blame them, I WAS wearing tights!) even though I was really in pain. Fortunately, I hooked up with a Toyota teammate (Amy) right around the 20 mile mark which helped because it takes your mind off things. Shortly after that, at around 21, I met up again with Megan from Toyota and we ran the rest of the way together which was great! We had intended to run together from the beginning, but we didn't quite meet up. But meeting up at 21 was ideal because thats where the hills of Central Park and then end begin so it made those miles go by a lot quicker.

The finish in Central Park is pretty damn cool! There's a lot of people and there's 100-meter marks all throughout the final stretch and the finish line is so bright that you feel like a rock star! I finished a little slower than what I had intended, but I did this marathon for the experience, so that goal was achieved. I navigated the finish area with Megan, my Toyota teammate, and that ended up being a good thing because so many aspects of the finish were confusing. There was little info on food, we weren't really sure where they took your chip and walking to the UPS trucks was a marathon in itself! So, both of us were pretty loopy at this point, but we managed to get through it.

Overall, the race itself was a great experience. The course was lively (no dead spots like San Diego) and the crowd support was incredible (significantly better than Los Angeles). My only complaint would be the lack of food on the course. You come to expect that late-stage stop with a PB sandwich or bananas or gummi bears or something like that. But, there was ZERO food out there. The only food items consisted of a mother and her two kids handing out Jolly Rancher candies (leftovers from Halloween) which hit the spot. At least have some pretzels out there or something :)

Previous to this marathon, I had told friends that this would be my last marathon. But this was quite an enjoyable experience and I might reconsider that. I don't like to get "philosophical" about running, but there really is something magical about the 26.2 distance. I hadn't felt it before at other races, at least not as much, but NYC was very nice and I wear my medal proudly. I'm not ready to run tomorrow, but I might look at putting LAM on my calendar again this year (was going to skip it). There's no doubt that running 26.2 is a painful experience and it can really test the limits of both your mind & body. But the process that you go through, and the pure will you discover to go on (or not!), is worth it to me.

Many thanx to Toyota, and the Engines of Change team, for getting me the entry and making the trip possible.

Medal(s) Rule(s)!

I am an admitted medal whore. There’s nothing that I like more at the end of a long running or triathlon event than a nice shiny medal. My friend Alva, who has more than 10 marathons to her credit, doesn’t do 5Ks because the distance just isn’t long enough for her. I don’t do 5Ks because most of them don’t give medals. It doesn’t matter how chintzy or how nice the medals are, I just like adding them to my collection. I once did two events in one day because I wanted the medal from each one. Some medals have a very unique design. The medal from the Disneyland Half-Marathon has Cinderella’s Castle and an elaborate ribbon. Others are just a really good story; one of my smallest medals is the one I treasure the most because it’s from my first race as a sponsored athlete.

Needless to say, I have quite a few medals. I have friends that have been running for years who would put my collection to shame, but I can hold my own. When my non-athlete friends see the medals that I have out in my house, their eyes always light up when I tell them, “That’s just the ones from this year; you should see the whole collection”.

After completing the 2007 New York City Marathon, I had dinner with a fellow Toyota teammate, Megan. We got to talking about the marathon medal because I was proudly wearing mine in the restaurant. That’s when I realized that even though medals are very nice and they add to your accomplishment, there are definitely rules for wearing them.

The day of the event is important for you & your medal. On that day, you can wear the medal anywhere you want and I mean anywhere. If your post-race plans involve a State Dinner at the White House, wear the medal. It makes for great conversation and people will surely congratulate you on your accomplishment. It doesn’t seem weird at all to wear it on the day of the event.

This presents a unique problem for me because some marathons (like New York and Los Angeles) have a late start in the day. And since I’m a 5-hour-plus kind of marathoner, this seriously cuts into my medal wearing time. I might get an afternoon out of it, but I’m mostly limited to the evenings. Some people might try to improve their PR to qualify for Boston but I just want to be able to wear my medal longer!

The day after a marathon is still a viable option. This works a lot better if you’re still in the same city as the race since the marathon will be all over the news and people will recognize the medal. I wore my NYC medal on the plane ride home the next day. People at JFK chatted with me about the medal, but once past the Mississippi, I was just the weird guy in 22E with a way-too-short ribbon around his neck. Once I was back in Los Angeles, I looked like a total dork wearing the medal.

At this point you should notice that I’ve been referring to my marathon medal. I don’t discriminate because I like medals from all events! But, the day-after opportunity only applies to marathons. You really can’t wear any other medal the day afterwards. I was pretty proud of my first Olympic distance triathlon finish, but once the day of the race is over you have to put the medal away. You might be able to wear a half-marathon medal the next day, but it’s a risky proposition at best. Of course, the opposite applies too. If I had a medal from a major, life-changing event like Race Across AMerica (RAAM) or Badwater, I would pay a doctor to permanently attach the medal to my chest!

Finally, there is the second day after the marathon. Since most marathons are Sundays, now we’re talking about wearing a medal on a Tuesday. This is a big no-no. If your running club buddies refer to you as “Pops” and you’re in the 75-80 age-group, wear the medal. If you finished first and the mayor is giving you the key to the city (along with a fat check), wear the medal. Anything short of this and it’s time to put the medal away.

So, of course the question arises of what to do with your medals. I used to hang my medals in my cubicle at work. I did about 14 events last year (all with medals of course!) so the collection can get crowded very quickly. Not to mention that it can also get noisy if you ever tap them or otherwise move them. You could pay one of those companies at the race expo that put the medal along with your picture and finishing time in a shadow box but they’re very expensive and nothing screams, “this is my first race!” more than being caught filling out one of those order forms.

My solution is actually quite simple: I have my medals sitting in a big pile on the desk in my bedroom. Actually, I just have the ones from this year there. I’m pretty sure the desk would collapse under the entire collection! While this may seem odd from an admitted medal whore, it’s actually quite motivating. I walk in-and-out of my bedroom, past my desk and least a dozen times each day. Giving a quick glimpse to all of my medals as I pass by reminds me why I get up early in the morning to go running or why I have to launder so much cycling clothes. I think that it’s these quick motivations throughout the day that really get you working towards your goals.

It’s also nice to know that I’ll be adding even more medals to that pile of colorful ribbons very soon.

I didn't need those toenails anyways!: LA Marathon Race Report

I have now had the time to reflect on the LA Marathon and I'm proud to say that I finished! I completed the course in 5:16 and am feeling pretty good. The over/under on the number of toenails that I'm going to lose currently stands at 3 but its worth it to know that I am now an LA Marathon finisher!

PRE-RACE
My race started the day before by attending the runner's expo. Wow, what a show! There were so many booths to visit and things to see. My girlfriend and I have been to many expos before, but this one is so above & beyond what you usually see at races! We did our usual rounds of sampling new health foods and also picked up some good coupons since we routinely buy some of the featured products. The coolest thing was that some of the flagship sponsors had specials just for runners. For example, Gatorade had 38oz bottles of Endurance for only $1 - they're usually $3 in stores, so this was quite a deal.

We spent an hour at the expo and then headed out the door. On the way out, we ran into a friend from the Las Vegas Marathon board and it reminded me how much I miss that community and made a commitment to myself to get back to it.

START - MILE 8
Had an early morning with a 5AM wake-up call but this worked out great because it let us beat the crowds to the start area. We used the free parking lots at the Metro station and only had to ride for one stop. So, we made it to the start area with plenty of time to spare, which is good because I'm usually a nervous wreck. The morning was quite warm and I didn't even have to wear my gloves; I could tell that it was going to be a good day for a long run!

I find that any time I run for more than 10 miles, there comes a point where you have to "tune out" and just move without thinking about it. This usually happens to me later in races, but for some reason, this happened to me very early on during the Marathon. I honestly didn't start paying attention to the course until about 7 miles into it. I was so caught up in the moment and enjoying the atmosphere that I hardly noticed when I passed the 7 mile marker. This worked to my advantage because it felt like a much shorter run than it actually was.

MILE 9 - MILE 20
At this point in the race it was quite warm and I was running with my shirt off. Residents and firefighters alike had their water houses out and it felt good to run underneath the water. There was one street in particular that had people spraying water from both sides. So, I feel sorry for runners that may have wanted to avoid getting wet, but then again, it was so hot that I can't imagine someone not wanting the cooling water on their body.

The halfway point of the Marathon was near the LA Coliseum and running through the grounds was pretty cool. However, shortly after leaving that section, the course enters a very industrial area and the crowds die down considerably. I hit both a physical and mental "dead" spot at this point. I remember that miles 15 & 16 were not very fun - the scenery was bland and the crowds were not very dense. It felt more like a long run than the usual party atmosphere. But it's at this point that I usually put on my iPod and listen to music to help me focus. I listen to things like "Push It" by Garbage and "The Jump Off" by Lil' Kim and that usually gets me moving again. I took a restroom break at around 17 miles and used that as a time to refresh a little bit.

My saving grace was that I had arranged for my girlfriend to meet me at about the 20 mile mark near Staples Center. The crowds were so dense that I ran right by her but she managed to spot me and ran up to catch me. I walked with her while sipping an energy drink she brought for me. I use energy drinks (like Rock Star) to help me calm my stomach and just get a different taste in my mouth on these long runs. It felt good to take a brief walking break and she massaged my shoulders for a little bit. That was just enough to get me going again and feeling great! I was mentally re-awakened because I knew that I only had about a 10K left to the finish.

MILE 21 - FINISH
The Marathon organizers made an interesting selection for the last few miles of the course. For the first time ever, the LA Marathon ventured into East LA and brought you into downtown via the LA River Bridges. It's a good idea, but there's two significant downsides. First of all, there is a massive hill during Mile 22 and that was not fun! I think that for most people that were on their last legs, that hill comes at just the right time to cause many, many DNFs. Second, this part of the course once again becomes very industrial and the crowds are non-existent and the scenery is uninspiring at best. The final bridge into downtown does provide a nice view but by then you're so ready to finish that it just sits as a blur in my memory.

I can usually power through the last 6 miles of a Marathon but I decided to break it up into two sets of three miles. At around the 23rd mile marker, I decided to take one more bathroom break and refresh my mind a bit. I put my shirt back on and adjusted all of my gear (hat, sunglasses, belt, race number, iPod, etx) and started out again on the last 5K. Its funny how things like how your running belt sits on your hips can feel so different after 20+ miles. So, taking the time to simply re-adjust everything really helps you feel like you're starting over again and mentally prepares you to start running again.

The finish in downtown was fantastic and I was so happy to see the crowd out there. When you turn on 6th street, the crowds line-up both sides of the road and you can see the 26th mile marker off in the distance . . . it's pretty damn cool! I felt pretty good during this stretch and tired to open up my stride a bit. At this point, many, many people were walking but I still felt good enough to run and had a great time with the final mile.

Once I crossed the finish line, I had to fight back some tears. When I was fat, I would always see the advertisements for the Marathon but always knew that I was too overweight to participate. So, finally having that medal around my neck was quite overwhelming and I still can't believe that I did it!

POST-RACE
Overall, the LA Marathon was a very well run event. My only complaint with it was that the finish area was not very well organized. Instead of the typical mylar blanket they had plastic wraps that were just not very good. This was evidenced by the fact that the finish line was littered with them because runners were deciding to forgo them. Also, there was little mention of the family reunion area and I had a heck of a time finding my girlfriend. There was hardly any staff to direct you or tell you what was going on. It was such a disorganized ending to an otherwise excellent event.

When we finally got in the car after the race, we headed to my girlfriend's brother's house and had a great barbeque. Protein makes for a great recovery meal, so the meat and chicken there were ideal for a post-race meal.

I sat at the table with my medal around my neck, incredibly proud of the fact that I had finished!