"Is that a banana in your pocket?"
A Marathon After Action Report
Sorry for such a delayed posting - I wanted to wait for some pictures to arrive and was also trying to process the experience into the correct words. I don't know that I can but, in brief, it was fantastic!
A beautiful weather day, a relatively painless experience to the start village and the company of inspiring friends kicked off the day. I started off according to the pace plan but inadvertently sped up once I hit 4th avenue and the cheering crowds. This too-fast pace could have spelled disaster, but luckily at mile 4 I ran into a running buddy who pulled me back to the correct pace for the next 7 miles.
Now, bear in mind that due to my injury in September, I had never run more than 3 hours at a time. So, once I got to the Queensboro bridge the future was a complete unknown. I was told that people often break down there because there is so much more to run, or "hit the wall" at mile 20 in the Bronx, or ratchet down to a shuffle in the 90s on 5th avenue on the dreaded "ninja hill".
Guess what? No breakdowns happened, no walls were run into, and the ninja hill was merely a blip. Just a steady run, then walk, then run, then walk, repeat until I am handed a medal and a poncho.
What made the difference? My training, thanks to my coaches: Amy, Jim, Njomza, Alberto, and Aditi. My health, thanks to Sam at Finish Line PT. My preparation, thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge about running marathons with me. Lastly, all the folks who lined the course and cheered for complete strangers and, most importantly, YOU. If you were on the street with a sign, texting me words of support, emailing me from afar, commenting on a FB post or wishing me luck on a Zoom call, YOU carried me along the streets of NY.
Congratulations, WE just finished our first Marathon!
(and yes, with an uneaten banana in our pocket).