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The weekend started Friday night. I jumped on the train from Philadelphia and arrived in NYC around 5 PM. From Penn. Station I walked over to the Expo at the Jacob Javitz Center. Wow it was a big Expo. The area where they were selling marathon merchandise was larger they most entire Expos at other races. I arrived at a nice time and didn’t have to wait very long to get in. I easily picked up my chip, bib and shirt and made my way into the retail area of the show. I walked one lap through the place (I was carrying my bag so I didn’t want to stay too long) and then began to head towards my hotel.<br><br>
You can imagine how hard it is to get a cab in NYC at rush hour. Well I ended up having to walk most of the way from the convention center to my hotel on the east side. It was a long walk.<br><br>
After trudging through the Expo and walking most of the way to my hotel I’d had enough. There were still no taxis around but there were plenty of these:<br><br><img alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/lgreenberg/615937057_485aca6ae1.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
So I flagged one down and he peddled me to my hotel. It was quite a scene. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink"><br><br>
Got checked in, grabbed some dinner and got to bed.<br><br>
The next morning (Saturday) I woke up early and made my way uptown to Central Park. I met up with <b>Pacer Chris, Maria, Tom</b>, Maria’s Sis and Chris’s friend Dave. We were going to watch the Olympic trials. We staked out a nice spot in the park and watched the guys run through for the first time. Then we began weaving our way across and back through the park so that we were able to see the runners pass by at least eight times. It was amazing to be so close to them.<br><br>
After the race ended we grabbed some brunch and then I walked, again, back to my hotel to catch a nap before my family was due to arrive.<br><br>
My family arrived in the early afternoon and we played around the city for bit (Build a Bear, American Girl etc.) before heading cross-town to Serafina to meet everyone for dinner. <b>Pacer Chris, Maria</b>, Maria’s Sis, Maria’s BF and father, <b>Alexis</b>, My Sis, Sis’s DH and DS and my mother all joined us. We had a great meal and a great time.<br><br>
After dinner it was back to the hotel and time for bed.<br><br>
Woke up Sunday morning at 4 AM. A little before 5 AM I met <b>Maria</b>, <b>Chris</b> and Chris’s friend in the lobby of my hotel. We made our way over to the public library to catch a shuttle bus out to the staging area for the race at the base of the V.N. bridge in Staten Island. There was no line for the bus (it was smart to get there early) and soon we were in the staging area.<br><br>
We staked out a spot in the grass, got some food and waited. We waited some more and some more. At around 8 AM I headed to my staging area (blue) along with Chris’s friend Tom.<br><br>
The weather turned out to be ideal. It started out sunny but clouded over as the day went on. The temp. hovered in the low 50s.<br><br>
Initially my plan was to run with the 4:00 or 3:50 pace group since I was running Philly in two weeks. After a little goading from <b>Chris</b> I decided, along with <b>Chris's</b> friend Tom to run with the 3:40 ING pacing group. Our plan was to stay with him as long as we could. My marathon PR was 3:47:51 (first marathon, this was my second) so I figured it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. On the other I had I’m planning on also running the Philadelphia marathon in two weeks so I didn’t want to kill myself.<br><br>
We found the 3:40 pace group in our start area and after waiting around for what seemed like forever began our march to the start. There wasn’t waiting after that. The cannon roared and we shuffled towards the base of the bridge.<br><br>
Across the start line we went and we were off.<br><br><b>Author’s note</b> – lesson learned, well I actually knew this lesson already but chose to ignore it. Never wear something new during a race! At the Expo I had purchased a new Garmin Pace/Distance watch. Somewhere around mile 4 I looked down at it and noticed it had stopped recording. I must have hit the stop button by mistake. I started it again but my splits were all messed up. So I have no lap information.<br><br><b>Mile 1</b> – Up the bridge. I tried to stay close to the pacer but he was doing a lot of weaving. The bridge was very congested. We managed to stay on pace even with the uphill and the crowds.<br><br><b>Mile 2</b> – Down the bridge we banked some time here and ran below pace.<br><br><b>5K Split 25:36</b>: I was still sticking to the pacer like glue. I had lost <b>Chris’s</b> friend Tom after mile 1.<br><br><b>10K Split 50:56</b>: We were at or below pace. I was feeling very well.<br><br><b>15K Split 1:15:02</b>: Still on pace<br><br><b>Bob and Chris</b> - you'll be happy to know once again I was asked to "hold" the pace balloons for a little stretch through here. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"> No pictures this time though.<br><br><b>20K Split 1:42:57</b>: Still stuck on the pacer like glue.<br><br><b>½ Marathon Split 1:48:28</b>: A little ahead of pace.<br><br>
I was starting to feel a little fatigued as we approached the 59th st. bridge. This was a long but somewhat gradual uphill. I left the pace group and went ahead a bit during the climb. The pacer Dan called to me telling me to drop back which a did for a bit.<br><br>
Off the bridge and on to 1st ave. and the sea of people. What a scene. It’s hard to describe the feeling but I felt like running into a sold out football stadium on opening day of the season. Just thousands and thousands of people cheering.<br><br><b>30K Split 2:35:19</b>: 1st ave. seemed to go on forever. I kept looking ahead and I could see people what seemed like a million miles away. I began to hear the pacer behind me and knew I had slowed up a bit.<br><br>
I knew to look for friends and family along 1st ave. but missed them all. Both sets of friends said they did manage to see me though. Here’s a shot of me at around mile 17. Thanks to Bob for the photo.<br><br>
You can see me in the white visor just to the front of the blue balloons.<br><br><img alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/lgreenberg/DSC00466.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><b>35K Split 3:03:35</b>: Around mile 19 a let the pace group pass me. I was feeling quite fatigued and a combination of not wanting to kill myself as well as wanting to be able to be in shape for Philly in two weeks told me I was making a wise decision.<br><br><b>40K Split 3:33:55</b>: I ran the rest of the race on my own. I kept looking back hoping I’d see Chris’s friend Tom but I never did.<br><br>
The hills of 5th Ave. and the Park were hurting me but I tried to keep it together to the finish. The crowd support was amazing and I pushed as hard as I could.<br><br>
I spotted my family in the bleachers at the finish line and pointed to them in victory.<br><br>
Crossed the line with a final chip time of <b>3:45:21</b>, <b>good enough for a 2+ minute PR.</b><br><br>
After another long walk to reclaim my bag, get my medal and leave the park I met my family.<br><br>
Post race picture: (I have no idea where this goofy smile came from.)<br><br><img alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/lgreenberg/Untitled-1-18.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
After meeting up with my family we walked down at met up with more awesome KR friends. Bob and his DW, Alexis and Lori. So cool of them to come out and support us! I missed Lora who was also there and was bummed.<br><br>
Then it was more walking (can you sense a theme here.) We walked to the subway stop at 72nd and CPW. After waiting for a good 15 minutes and watching two jammed packed trains come through we decided we weren’t getting out via this stop. Back up the street and more walking. We hoofed over to 72nd and B-Way where we were able to get on a train to Times Square. Walked back to the hotel, got in the car and drove the 2+ hours home.<br><br>
It was good to get home. We grabbed some chow and unpacked.<br><br>
My legs are a little sore today but nothing unexpected.<br><br>
Thanks again to all the 30s who were there this weekend. You made it one I’ll never forget.<br><br>
Philadelphia is in two weeks and I think I’ll be ready.
You can imagine how hard it is to get a cab in NYC at rush hour. Well I ended up having to walk most of the way from the convention center to my hotel on the east side. It was a long walk.<br><br>
After trudging through the Expo and walking most of the way to my hotel I’d had enough. There were still no taxis around but there were plenty of these:<br><br><img alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/lgreenberg/615937057_485aca6ae1.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
So I flagged one down and he peddled me to my hotel. It was quite a scene. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink"><br><br>
Got checked in, grabbed some dinner and got to bed.<br><br>
The next morning (Saturday) I woke up early and made my way uptown to Central Park. I met up with <b>Pacer Chris, Maria, Tom</b>, Maria’s Sis and Chris’s friend Dave. We were going to watch the Olympic trials. We staked out a nice spot in the park and watched the guys run through for the first time. Then we began weaving our way across and back through the park so that we were able to see the runners pass by at least eight times. It was amazing to be so close to them.<br><br>
After the race ended we grabbed some brunch and then I walked, again, back to my hotel to catch a nap before my family was due to arrive.<br><br>
My family arrived in the early afternoon and we played around the city for bit (Build a Bear, American Girl etc.) before heading cross-town to Serafina to meet everyone for dinner. <b>Pacer Chris, Maria</b>, Maria’s Sis, Maria’s BF and father, <b>Alexis</b>, My Sis, Sis’s DH and DS and my mother all joined us. We had a great meal and a great time.<br><br>
After dinner it was back to the hotel and time for bed.<br><br>
Woke up Sunday morning at 4 AM. A little before 5 AM I met <b>Maria</b>, <b>Chris</b> and Chris’s friend in the lobby of my hotel. We made our way over to the public library to catch a shuttle bus out to the staging area for the race at the base of the V.N. bridge in Staten Island. There was no line for the bus (it was smart to get there early) and soon we were in the staging area.<br><br>
We staked out a spot in the grass, got some food and waited. We waited some more and some more. At around 8 AM I headed to my staging area (blue) along with Chris’s friend Tom.<br><br>
The weather turned out to be ideal. It started out sunny but clouded over as the day went on. The temp. hovered in the low 50s.<br><br>
Initially my plan was to run with the 4:00 or 3:50 pace group since I was running Philly in two weeks. After a little goading from <b>Chris</b> I decided, along with <b>Chris's</b> friend Tom to run with the 3:40 ING pacing group. Our plan was to stay with him as long as we could. My marathon PR was 3:47:51 (first marathon, this was my second) so I figured it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. On the other I had I’m planning on also running the Philadelphia marathon in two weeks so I didn’t want to kill myself.<br><br>
We found the 3:40 pace group in our start area and after waiting around for what seemed like forever began our march to the start. There wasn’t waiting after that. The cannon roared and we shuffled towards the base of the bridge.<br><br>
Across the start line we went and we were off.<br><br><b>Author’s note</b> – lesson learned, well I actually knew this lesson already but chose to ignore it. Never wear something new during a race! At the Expo I had purchased a new Garmin Pace/Distance watch. Somewhere around mile 4 I looked down at it and noticed it had stopped recording. I must have hit the stop button by mistake. I started it again but my splits were all messed up. So I have no lap information.<br><br><b>Mile 1</b> – Up the bridge. I tried to stay close to the pacer but he was doing a lot of weaving. The bridge was very congested. We managed to stay on pace even with the uphill and the crowds.<br><br><b>Mile 2</b> – Down the bridge we banked some time here and ran below pace.<br><br><b>5K Split 25:36</b>: I was still sticking to the pacer like glue. I had lost <b>Chris’s</b> friend Tom after mile 1.<br><br><b>10K Split 50:56</b>: We were at or below pace. I was feeling very well.<br><br><b>15K Split 1:15:02</b>: Still on pace<br><br><b>Bob and Chris</b> - you'll be happy to know once again I was asked to "hold" the pace balloons for a little stretch through here. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"> No pictures this time though.<br><br><b>20K Split 1:42:57</b>: Still stuck on the pacer like glue.<br><br><b>½ Marathon Split 1:48:28</b>: A little ahead of pace.<br><br>
I was starting to feel a little fatigued as we approached the 59th st. bridge. This was a long but somewhat gradual uphill. I left the pace group and went ahead a bit during the climb. The pacer Dan called to me telling me to drop back which a did for a bit.<br><br>
Off the bridge and on to 1st ave. and the sea of people. What a scene. It’s hard to describe the feeling but I felt like running into a sold out football stadium on opening day of the season. Just thousands and thousands of people cheering.<br><br><b>30K Split 2:35:19</b>: 1st ave. seemed to go on forever. I kept looking ahead and I could see people what seemed like a million miles away. I began to hear the pacer behind me and knew I had slowed up a bit.<br><br>
I knew to look for friends and family along 1st ave. but missed them all. Both sets of friends said they did manage to see me though. Here’s a shot of me at around mile 17. Thanks to Bob for the photo.<br><br>
You can see me in the white visor just to the front of the blue balloons.<br><br><img alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/lgreenberg/DSC00466.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><b>35K Split 3:03:35</b>: Around mile 19 a let the pace group pass me. I was feeling quite fatigued and a combination of not wanting to kill myself as well as wanting to be able to be in shape for Philly in two weeks told me I was making a wise decision.<br><br><b>40K Split 3:33:55</b>: I ran the rest of the race on my own. I kept looking back hoping I’d see Chris’s friend Tom but I never did.<br><br>
The hills of 5th Ave. and the Park were hurting me but I tried to keep it together to the finish. The crowd support was amazing and I pushed as hard as I could.<br><br>
I spotted my family in the bleachers at the finish line and pointed to them in victory.<br><br>
Crossed the line with a final chip time of <b>3:45:21</b>, <b>good enough for a 2+ minute PR.</b><br><br>
After another long walk to reclaim my bag, get my medal and leave the park I met my family.<br><br>
Post race picture: (I have no idea where this goofy smile came from.)<br><br><img alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/lgreenberg/Untitled-1-18.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
After meeting up with my family we walked down at met up with more awesome KR friends. Bob and his DW, Alexis and Lori. So cool of them to come out and support us! I missed Lora who was also there and was bummed.<br><br>
Then it was more walking (can you sense a theme here.) We walked to the subway stop at 72nd and CPW. After waiting for a good 15 minutes and watching two jammed packed trains come through we decided we weren’t getting out via this stop. Back up the street and more walking. We hoofed over to 72nd and B-Way where we were able to get on a train to Times Square. Walked back to the hotel, got in the car and drove the 2+ hours home.<br><br>
It was good to get home. We grabbed some chow and unpacked.<br><br>
My legs are a little sore today but nothing unexpected.<br><br>
Thanks again to all the 30s who were there this weekend. You made it one I’ll never forget.<br><br>
Philadelphia is in two weeks and I think I’ll be ready.
