Here's my LONG race report. You've been warned:
ING NYC Marathon Race Report - 11/7/10
After a decent night's sleep and the Staten Island Ferry/Bus Ride to Fort Wadsworth, I made my way to the Green Corral holding area around 6:30AM to stake out a place. Mid 30s temperature and gusty winds made sitting around a bit uncomfortable until the sun rose above the treeline. The holding area was just south of the Verrazano Bridge with a mix of paved and small grass sitting areas, amidst the various food and drink tents. I wandered past the wheelchair athletes tent and got myself some Dunkin Donuts coffee and bagels and huddled down in a grassy patch towards the ambulance parking section. I was able to spread out a couple of trash bags and set my gear bag as my pillow to catch an extra half hour of sleep. The loudspeakers were broadcasting in various languages announcing cutoff times for corrals, bag drop deadlines and No Smoking policies (obviously aimed at our International friends), etc... I spent most of the next hour speaking with runners seated around me and doing the hydrate>pee>hydrate shuffle until a woman came through our "camp" announcing that the Wave 1 bag drop was closing in 10 minutes and the Wave 1 corrals were opening in 20. Whoa. Better get moving.
I made my way into the Green section, Corral #21 about 8:30AM. Still bracing myself from the wind, sitting on the curb in the narrow corral and trying to preserve energy while many nervous runners jogged in place to keep warm. I was terrified to exert any more effort than absolutely necessary so I turtled for the next half hour and kept pretty much to myself, trying to visualize my first couple of miles. Just after 9AM, the corral lines opened up and we slowly surged towards the start line, about 50 feet every 5 minutes or so. Mother nature called one last time and in the wait to empty my bladder, I got stuck at the very back of the Green Wave 1 as we made our way to the starting line.
Gun went off promptly at 9:40 and we all snaked around the corral line to the on-ramp to the Verrazano, crossing the starting line shortly after 9:50AM.
First 5k: 25:35 (8:14 per mile pace):
I was actually pleased to be on the lower level of the bridge for the start since the incline is much less severe than the top level. The Green Wave also has a distinct advantage of having its own route for the first 5k so there's lots of room between runners and not nearly as crowded as I'd expected. In this first 5k, I made an effort to take the uphill slowly, running the first mile in approximately 8:45 pace, making up much of that time against goal in the downhill off of the bridge into Brooklyn. The wind was whipping pretty hard at this point and I felt some strong gusts in my face all the way through the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn. Picked up some Gatorade at the Mile 3 mark and I breezed through this first 5k feeling "light and loose", which was my mantra for the first half of the race.
Second 5k: 25:23 (8:10 per mile pace):
Coming into Bay Ridge, the crowds began to fill up the sidewalks and were very enthusiastic, particularly once our Wave merged back in with the other 2 starting groups. At this point, I was very pleased with my choice to put my name on my long-sleeve running top at Niketown the day before as fans were chanting my name and giving very spirited high fives down 4th Avenue. I had easy speed through this segment even though the wind out of the North was pushing hard against us during this stretch. At mile 6, I took my first Gu and chased it with a couple of healthy swigs of Gatorade at an aid station. It's around this point that I passed the Chilean Miner, who was surrounded by two camera crews and two NYRR pacers. I yelled "Good Luck" to him and left him in the dust.
Third 5k: 25:43 (8:16 per mile pace):
Making my way into Park Slope and Prospect Heights, the crowds got thicker, the fans more energetic and more inebriated. This was a really run stretch for me since my wife was waiting at Mile 9 and cheered very loudly - A great boost heading into the relative "dead zone" as we were turning on to Bedford Street. Made a quick water stop at mile 8.
Fourth 5k: 25:42 (8:16 per mile pace):
Williamsburg to Greenpoint was pretty uneventful for me and I honestly don't remember too much about this segment other than focusing on my breathing and realizing that the crowds thinned out quite a bit, especially when we got into the Hasidic part of town. I still had tons of energy and picked up quick Gatorade hits at both miles 11 and 12.
Fifth 5k: 26:12 (8:25 per mile pace):
I stopped at Mile 13 for Gu #2 and a quick 10 second walking break to scarf down a full Gatorade cup to gain a little bit of energy for the two bridges in this stretch. The Pulaski Bridge into LI City, Queens was actually surprisingly steep and very windy and I struggled to maintain my pace just a bit for the first time that day. A few twists and turns through Queens certainly affected my time through this stretch and I was consciously holding back as we approached the Queensboro Bridge along Queens Blvd. at the 15 mile mark. It's a long, steady incline as you cross the bridge over the East River and for the first time, I began to see runners losing serious pace and a few people walking. I was holding back as we crested the bridge.
Sixth 5k: 25:05 (8:04 per mile pace):
Down the back half of the Queenboro, I opened it up a bit and heard the famous "wall of sound" even before I saw the first Manhattan crowds down below along the winding ramp to my left. Taking the short turn from 59th street onto 1st Avenue, I was blown away by the throngs of cheering people on both sides of the street. It was hard to hear any individual voices, just a muddled chorus of noise that propelled me through the rolling hills into the Upper East Side. I saw my wife again at 90th and 1st and took a quick Gu and Water at the 18 mile mark. It's not surprising that this was my fastest 5k of the day.
Seventh 5k: 25:46 (8:17 per mile pace):
On the straight shot up through Harlem, the crowds were still very supportive. At this point, I noticed some odd pain in the ball of my right foot, which intensified when I started flexing my toes. Nothing too severe at this point but I made it a point to land a little more gently for a while. The Willis Ave Bridge into the Bronx was short, steep and very windy, slowing my pace a bit. We wound through the Bronx and I crossed back into Manhattan at the Madison Ave bridge at Mile 21 wondering if The Wall would ever come. So far, so good.
Eighth 5k: 25:20 (8:09 per mile pace):
My training really paid off down 5th Avenue. Known as one of the toughest stretches, I was picking people off, passing hundreds of slower runners in this stretch. My mantra here was simple: "THERE IS NO WALL". I felt fantastic and my pace was actually sub 8:00 since I stopped around Mile 22 for my final Gu, a full cup of Gatorade and a quick 20 second walk break. Saw my wife one final time on the corner of 90th and 5th. She yelled my name very loudly and screamed "I Love You!" and I shouted back "Order me a beer at the bar!" which pretty much cracked up most of the runners and spectators around me as we turned into the park.
Final 2.195k: 11:13 (8:15 per mile pace):
Rolling hills through Central Park and I'm still feeling really strong until we took the turn from Central Park South to Columbus Circle. There's a deceiving hill up Central Park West and I was starting to fade as my energy level dipped for the first time all day and my right foot began to throb. The stretch to head back into the park for the finish seemed endless. Finally entered back into the park and the final half mile stretch was a beast. Still heading up slight inclines were pretty brutal and I willed myself to the finish line with my Garmin showing 3:35:56 - Pretty close to my unofficial chip time:
3:35:53 - 8:15 per mile pace overall. A new PR by nearly 9 minutes on a much hillier and windier course. I couldn't be happier with my effort and I'm really starting to think seriously about BQ strategy next fall. Between the conditions, course and crowds, I feel like I could run a 3:30 on a fast/flat course right now. If I pick an "easy" BQ qualifier and dial up the speedwork in the next 6 months, I've got a 3:20 in me for sure.
Thanks for reading.