03 November 2015

SO MUCH FUN: 2015 NYC Marathon!!!

at fort wadsworth with NBR!


So NYC Marathon. It's kind of an experience like no other.

Even for someone who has sworn off of marathons, I'll do NYC. NYC is different. It's amazing. It's a giant party in the streets for 26.2 miles. It's 2 million spectators and too much freaking fun. When else are runners celebrated by over 2 million spectators? I think at my last race, Dick Collins 50 miler, there might've been ten people at the finish line....

So at Dick Collins, my asthma was in full F-you force. Meaning I wheezed for 50 miles. As pleasant as it sounds.

I was in regular communication with my doctor for the three weeks in between my races. Asmanex steroid inhaler. Prednisone oral steroids. Back on Asmanex. Nothing.

Chest x-rays. Breathing tests. Doctor's visits. Googling "lung cancer" and wanting to fall apart.

Luckily, all tests came back. I was okay.

My doctor thought maybe I should take off a week or two from running.

I'm a difficult patient. 

But I knew I was getting better.

So I ran. Slowly.

I held back. I walked on a few uphills for a few seconds. I stopped to kiss my love twice. I coughed.

But I finished.

Somehow in 3:47. HOW!??! I was hoping for sub 4, but not sure if I could get that. So I was thrilled to pieces with 3:47.

mile 12 or 13. photo by sheryl yvette.
 I started off feeling super excited. I chatted in Spanish with an Ecuadorian guy and then a Mexican guy on the Verrazano. And then I  thought in Spanish a lot, for some reason.

I ran. I looked at my Garmin, which wasn't always accurately showing times....but why was I running so many sub-8s? 7:20? 7:25? 7:30? It didn't feel like much....how was this possible?

I kept it up as long as I could...then I slowed down.
photo by oh snapper

It went by faster than it ever had before. And it was oh so fun....thank you, thank you, thank you, all of the two mil spectators, my amazing running club for giving me a team spot (GO NBR!!!), and my legs and lungs....

And then I got home and signed up for Brooklyn Marathon....I never learn.