26.2!

I finished and qualified for Boston!

Race report November 2, 2008

The start: Woke up at 4:45am, drank coffee, got dressed and headed to the subway. Took the 6:30am Staten Island ferry and then shuttle bus to the start at Fort Wadsworth. Ate a banana, cinnamon raisin bagel, 1/2 power bar, and some water. The start was crowded and quite windy. I curled up on a curb and put my blanket over me like a tent to keep warm. I was scheduled to the 1st wave start at 9:40am, so about 40 minutes prior I started looking for my corral. However, I began hearing announcements that said "wave 1 corrals are now CLOSED - if you are not in a corral you will have to wait for the 2nd wave start at 10am". I started freaking out! If I had to start in wave 2 at 10am - I would be with much slower runners and my family and friends might not be able to find me (I was very specific about when I would be passing certain mile markers). Luckily a nice volunteer let me duck under a barricade to catch up with wave 1 runners. Phew! We stood on the bridge for about 30 minutes and everyone began tossing their sweatshirts, pants, etc.

The race: After the national anthem was sung, a cannon boomed, and Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" began playing. We were off! The first mile was pure adrenaline, but I was conservative - 8:35. The second mile, however, was down hill and probably too fast - 7:25. eek! The next few miles flew by and despite some knee/IT band twinges I felt great. I ate a pack of clif shot bloks between miles 8 through 15. Around mile 13 I stopped to pee in a port-a-potty (~30 seconds) and I hit the halfway point (13.1 miles) in 1:46:36 After running over the Queensboro bridge and rounding the corner on to 1st avenue I saw my mom, sister, and Hannah. I was still feeling great! However, around mile 18 my legs started to feel the pounding, ugh. For the next 8 miles they felt like jell-o and I knew my muscle glycogen was depleted. I had a chocolate power bar gel at mile 20. For the next few miles I was in a daze - luckily the weather was beautiful (sunny and 50 degrees) and I just let the crowd carry me a long. For miles 21-23, I had some great support from Saturday, Tom Hammer, Nate, and some CPTC spectators. FINALLY, we were in the last mile - I saw my mom, sister, and Hannah (and Mad Dog!) again more at mile 25.5 on Central Park South. I crossed the line in 3 hours, 38 minutes, and 41 seconds.
Post-race: After I finished I felt quite dizzy and lightheaded. I don't think I've ever felt so depleted in my life. I told a volunteer that I was going to pass out and he said "no, you'll be fine. you look better than any of the finishers i've seen in the last hour". umm. lucky for him i did not throw up on his shoes. Volunteers passed out mylar space blankets, medals, and food bags. I ate an apple and some gatorade and met up with Nate (gave me warm clothes!) and my family. We proceeded on to Firehouse for burgers and then I came home, showered, and was asleep before 8pm!

Room for improvement: more carbohydrates & salt (and maybe less halloween candy) in the days leading up to the marathon, try to drink more during the race, do at least one long training run of 21-22 miles, and do more core strength work and stretching (IT band!!) during training.

Apple Crisp, yum!

Beautiful crisp jona-mac apples.
Apple Crisp recipe:

Ingredients -

5 medium apples, sliced

1/2 cup sugar

6TB butter(or smart balance)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

cinnamon

Directions -

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Slice apples and place them in pie plate

Sprinkle apples generously with cinnamon

Mix together oats, flour, and sugar (and more cinnamon!)

With a fork, cut butter in to dry mix

Top apple slices with crumb mixture

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until top is crispy and apples are tender

Cool for 15 minutes - enjoy!

Marathon Monday: Red Velvet Cake from Penelope Bakery

Flowers, finisher's medal, and heat sheet.

CPTC uniform and race number #13462.

Pre-race dinner: whole wheat bagel, peanut butter, honey, and banana.The night-before-the-night before: oatmeal, soymilk, raisins, and peanut butter.