Running a major marathon was something I never envisioned doing, but I have a medal to prove I did!

For years, I swore the universe would tell me when it was time to run the NYC Marathon. Each year, I would register for the lottery. Each year, I felt relief and disappointment when I was not selected. 

I remembered about the selection this year when someone posted about it online. I checked my credit card throughout the day. Nothing. I was home with Covid and spent most of the day on the couch, idly surfing my phone. When I checked it one last time, there was a charge.

Holy crap! This was happening!

My first steps allowed me to shine where my strengths lie- certainly nothing involving running. Running the New York City Marathon requires so much planning. The race starts on Staten Island, so the first decision involves how to get there, either by bus or ferry. After reading blogs and learning that the ferry situation was a disaster the past few years, I decided to take the 6 am bus, even though it would get me there with hours to spare. I’d rather be early and find a spot to read a paperback than stress about being late. 

My most challenging part of training was not the long runs, which is what you would expect to be difficult.  My biggest struggle involved the short weekday runs. Michael is involved in cross country and baseball. He is also still attending physical therapy. So he had an activity every weekday. Although training was supposed to include multiple runs during the week, my training mainly consisted of long weekend runs. 

My next situation involved where to stay. Since deciding to take the bus, staying near the New York Public Library bus pickup made sense. I found a small hotel and booked it immediately before prices increased due to demand.

I went into this marathon with one goal: to finish upright and uninjured. 

The actual event exceeded all of my expectations. We arrived in the city Saturday around one and decided to divide and conquer. Mike and Michael went to the hotel to check in; I headed to the expo so that we were not lugging suitcases through the crowded expo. I refused to buy any finisher gear ahead of time and risk jinxing myself, so I purchased one T-shirt and headed out to look around. I refused to wait in the long lines; patience is not my strength. So, I did not get my picture taken with Elmo, in the NYRR props, or a few other cool opportunities. I did find my name on the wall. Like me, it was introverted and chose to hang out in the corner. My favorite moment was getting to meet Latoya Snell and Martinus Evans. I teared up a little.

I met up with the boys at the MLB Flagship Store. Seeing how Michael has grown since last visiting the city is funny. At our previous visit, he was all about the Nintendo Store. They spent over an hour scouring the jerseys, shirts, and hats. They found a hat representing the Salem Red Sox. Before heading to the city, the boys bought me a Mets hat to replace the Red Sox hat I usually wear while running. This hat, worn by my cousin’s son, seemed fitting. I was thankful they discovered it and hoped it would bring me good luck.

I had not made plans to eat anywhere in particular, so the next task was to find a good meal. Yelp directed us to Jackson Hole, which claimed to sell the best burgers in the city. (Cue the reference to How I Met Your Mother. “The best burger in New York comes from a place with a green booth and a picture of Regis Philbin.”) Jackson Hole did not disappoint! The burgers were huge. The fries were perfect. We ordered a deep cookie sundae for dessert. It was a perfect last dinner before the race.

I was terrified that I would not sleep, but sleep came easily.  Daylight savings time ended that evening, which gave us an extra hour of sleep. It was interesting to hear people from other countries speak hesitantly about the time change as it is not recognized worldwide. It reminded me of high school seniors who attempt to sell first-year students rooftop pool passes. In all honestly, the concept does sound ridiculous. 

Being me, I made sure to be out of the house early. My bus was supposed to pick me up at 6, so I ensured I was there at 5:40. I was quickly yelled at to get in the correct line. The right line spanned three city blocks! When it started moving, the line also wrapped around a building. After waiting for over an hour, I was on a bus. My first instinct was to panic that I wouldn’t make it to the bus on time, but no one else seemed concerned.

My bus arrived on Staten Island around 8:00. The village was vast and confusing, so I stayed where I felt comfortable. I had heard they offered Dunkin coffee and bagels and set out to find caffeine. I’d also been told about the beanies Dunkin gives out and that they are a small, silly souvenir. I attached mine to the elastic strings that were supposed to hold gels.

The waiting was better than I hoped. I had three and a half hours to kill before I started running. I’d picked up a paperback, intending to donate it before entering the start. When I arrived, prime space was limited, but I could secure a spot by the ledge of a parking lot. I waited until the bathroom lines died down before attempting them. So, I had plenty of time to sit, eat a bagel, and read. After a while, I could even upgrade to a grassy spot leaning against a tree. Being me, I did not attempt small talk.

I was concerned about my old, cracked phone running out of battery, especially in the city, and had packed several portable batteries. I brought the paperback book to ensure I was not tempted to play on my phone for several hours and drain the battery. This was not an issue because there was so little service in the village that I put my phone on airplane mode. Just trying to send Mike a text would use several percentages of battery. I was able to call him to explain the situation quickly.

After several hours of waiting, I almost lost my motivation to run. By the time I was running, I’d been up for seven hours and out of the hotel for six!  I also nearly had my steps in for the day- just over 9,000. I had already experienced a day’s worth of excitement! However, it was finally time to line up and get ready to run.

The bridge was everything I’d hoped it would be. It was fantastic and beautiful. I was fortunate enough to start on the top of the bridge. The views were spectacular! I do kind of wish I had bothered to place myself better in front of the cameras when passing the photographers. Seeing other peoples’ bridge photos makes me wish I had better ones and had shamelessly jumped in front of the camera and posed like the people around me did. 

I’ve never experienced crowd support like I did at this race. It was overwhelming at times and made using headphones impossible and useless. Some people complained about spectators pulling down the blue tape and spilling onto the street, but I loved it. Seeing people treat you like a star was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It motivated me to run faster. By the time I went through Brooklyn, I had established myself as a back of the packer, so there weren’t too many of us trying to get through at once. When I see footage of faster waves, I can understand why people running with a particular time goal were frustrated. 

The New York City Marathon requires running over five bridges; the bridges also allow quiet breaks to reflect before returning to the crowds, creating the perfect balance for reflection and excitement.

There was a November Project group at mile 14. I was emotional and drained, so seeing my friend Kerri at the moment was everything! I don’t know her very well, but I grabbed onto her and almost sobbed. As a fellow runner, she was pretty understanding. I saw my old friend Liz at mile 16 and a dear friend, Maria, right after. Knowing that they waited for me meant the world to me. 

As always, the hardest part of the race came around mile 18, when you’re exhausted but still have many miles ahead of you. Surprisingly, they went by pretty quickly. Runners go through the Bronx and Queens at the end of the race. The energy was contagious and well-needed in the home stretch. Finally, I reached Central Park. I saw Michael and Mike at the last corner. By this point, I just focused on finishing the last bit of distance. 

Crossing the finish line felt like everything I imagined. I’ve seen so many pictures of the area. I received my medal, then a cover-up jacket. As we wrapped up, my fellow finishers and I looked like a strange tribe of orange zombies. I wish I had the energy to take a picture; we were a sight!

My only hiccup came when trying to meet Michael and Mike. I knew the race sold spectator tickets but didn’t realize that the finisher’s area was closed, so they couldn’t get into Central Park. We tried to find each other, with Mike finally seeing my location from my phone and telling me to stay put. I leaned against a barrier. When I saw them, I stood up and passed out. Thankfully, Mike was there to make sure I was okay and get me back to my hotel.

I can now say that I have run a major marathon.  I was not fast. I did not PR. But I set a goal and conquered it.  Sometimes, getting through is the goal. And I reached my goal!