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Making a Brand New Start of it: New York, New York

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Matt W
Diego
nkrichards
Dave Wolfe
Randy E
Kenny B.
Natalie
Jim Lentz
John Kilpatrick
Sara Jane
Michele "1L" Keane
Seth Harrison
Dave P
Chris M
Vivian
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Post  Vivian Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:47 am

First of all, thank you for all the support from the 365 Community, and friends and family who tracked me. I thought about you all at every timing mat--in New York they have them every mile, every 5K, and at the half--that's a lot of love.

New York 2011 was my fourteenth marathon overall and second NYCM. My first NYCM was back in 2007 and I had a great experience there too. Although I could not tell you what I remembered from that first time if you had asked me before this year's race (except that it was a PR), it all came back to me as I was running this year's race. Mile by mile, I was struck by how special New York is--it's the neighborhoods, the boroughs, the bands, the enthusiasm. The energy of the race simply carried me through all 26.2 miles.

Going into this race, I had mixed feelings. I hadn't PR'ed since spring of 2009 at the Flying Pig. Since then, it's been a string of disappointing races--undertraining, circumstances out of my control, and/or plain lack of mental fortitude. I seriously questioned whether I wanted to even continue in this sport. One thing that went right was that I had trained very hard and very consistently over the summer so that I could target a BQ at the Lehigh Valley Marathon in September. Unfortunately, things didn't work out as the day turned out to be in the 70's and the course conditions were very poor due to flooding and rerouting. Although I had run a BQ time at Lehigh Valley, I did not run fast enough to register and missed the cut-off by 6 seconds.

I normally would not run a marathon so close (8 weeks) to another marathon, but I had signed up for NYCM way before I had even thought about Lehigh Valley. Despite a visit to the emergency room after Lehigh Valley, I recovered fairly well and after two weeks of little to no running, I decided to put in a few strong weeks of training and then taper for three weeks. The training went well but I was preoccupied by other things and could not focus at all on preparing myself mentally for the marathon. Typically, I will study course maps, elevation charts, make a race plan, look at logistics, but even within days of the marathon I had looked at none of those. I simply didn't have the time or the energy to even think about those things. Sara Jane had posted Wendy's race plan for her in her blog and I told SJ that I would just "steal" hers. She told me go for it and it worked out perfectly.

My family and I drove up to New Jersey to stay with my brother in New Jersey on Friday night. We went to the expo on Saturday and had no glitches there. For a race of 47,000 people, packet pickup was surprisingly easy. I did not do any sightseeing as I go to New York all the time anyways. I just went back to my brother's house to rest while my kids entertained themselves with their cousins. I went to sleep later than I would have liked and still never had a chance to sit down with my thoughts to concentrate on getting in race zone. Even my husband commented later that I seemed oddly apathetic about running and he was a little worried.

Sunday morning, he dropped me off at the New Jersey bus and I expected a problem free ride into Staten Island. Unfortunately, the driver didn't know where he was going and stopped on the shoulder of a highway until he could flag down another marathon bus to ask for directions. Idiot. I should have arrived in Staten Island with plenty of time to spare. I had planned to meet up with Michele and Kevin since we were all in the Green Corral of the first wave. I particularly wanted to meet Michele as I had never met her before and we were also targeting the same finish time. That was not meant to be. In fact, the bus got me there so late that the corrals were already closing for the first wave. I hurriedly checked my bag (thankfully quick work) and went to look for my corral as they were announcing 10 minutes to corral closing. I asked for directions to the corral and they directed me the opposite way so I wasted more time. I started running and was still pretty far away when they announced that the corral had closed. I stopped running. I thought I would have to start in the second wave which would have really stunk (my family had planned to meet me at several points on the course based on 1st wave time). When I got to the corrals, however, the volunteer didn't seem to know it was closed and she let me in. Crisis averted. In the corrals, I still had about 20 minutes to spare before the start so I got a last chance to use the porta-potties and line up. They did a great job of lining people up because I never felt crowded even though there was a mass of humanity. I enjoyed this--the sense of anticipation, slight nervous chatter amongst like-minded people, the strains of Frank Sinatra's New York, New York (Natalie, I can't recall if it was played live or on speakers, but nevertheless it made it uniquely the New York marathon). One thing I did not like was being in the Green Corral. It is under the bridge whereas the other two corrals start at the top of the bridge. Last time, I started on top and the view is breathtaking and inspiring. You get some view in the Green Corral, but it's not the same. I also didn't like running underneath the bridge because it is dark and claustrophobic.

The corral system worked for me because I never felt closed in or had to dodge people. In the first two miles, I did feel I was working slightly harder than I should be and that had me a bit worried. Not enough to freak me out, but the thought crossed my mind that it could be another bad race. The weather was perfect though (40's to 50's) and I thought that could work to my advantage. Once we were out from under the bridge, I started to feel much better, and then an amazing feeling happened, one that has eluded me for many marathons now. The miles started to click by, I was running smoothly and pacing evenly, I got into a rhythm. Every mile, I took a few steps to get some water, and checked my splits against the clock. Every even split gave me a boost of confidence. I had planned on averaging 8:30 min/miles to get me in under 3:45 (2013 BQ standard) with a couple minutes cushion (I don't like pace bands and prefer to memorize splits so I need an easy multiple). I had a gel every 4-5 miles and my nutrition plan was working out well. In the past, I've been plagued with all sorts of stomach problems leading to poor fueling, but my stomach held up this time. I had felt largely apathetic leading up to this race, at times consigned to "just finish" but something about this marathon made me come alive. I have never been one to care much about the crowds or surroundings, but I can tell you in this marathon, they energized me. Each neighborhood told a story and I felt like I was running through a novel that I've read before--every turn familiar yet unexpected details pop up through the reread. I even saw my family in the same places I saw them last time (miles 17 and 24).

I factored in that I would bleed some time on the hills, but I didn't end up bleeding any time. Although I have heard people describe NYCM as hilly, I don't personally think it is all that challenging. I could scarcely believe that miles 17, 18, even at miles 21 and 22, I felt good and was still pacing evenly. The one thing I didn't factor in was that I ended up running a bit more than 26.5 miles and that ate into my cushion of time. I knew that I had to stay consistent in the last miles because I didn't have as much cushion as I thought. I thought this would be a difficult feat, as the last time I evenly split or negatively split a marathon was 9 marathons ago. I hadn't come into this race with any prepared mantras but the words that came into my head during the last miles were, "come on, close it, let's close it." I kept repeating these words. As I entered Central Park, I was ecstatic to see that I could actually make it. I saw my family one last time and they and the wild cheering allowed me to run a faster than average last mile. In the past, I cursed the signs that said 800 meters to go, 400 meters to go, etc., (400 meters is a long freaking way when you're hurting), but this time I celebrated them. They made me feel emotional that I was actually going to close it. 3:44:02. This is how a perfectly run race should feel like and I will savor it for a long time. I was really down on marathons for awhile, really considered whether I should change sports, but this race made me realize I can still do it, and more importantly, I still love it.
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Post  Chris M Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:34 pm

What an awesome report and race! Way to CLOSE IT! I'll be remembering that mantra and hopefully using it for a long time. Like you going were before NYC, I'm 2+ years out from a marathon PR and have seriously contemplated being done with it. But races/reports like yours do a ton to restore my faith that the training can pay off and it can all come together for a fantastic marathon result. I'm not actually that surprised - I saw you finish Lehigh on a much worse course and much tougher weather day and knew that you had 2-5 minutes better than that easily. Coming back so soon after that max effort was probably the only "X Factor" I thought would keep you down but wow you blew away that concern and rocked it all race. Way to go - FANTASTIC RACE!
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Post  Dave P Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:37 pm

Woot!

HUGE CONGRATS Vivian!!!

I'm really happy for you. Praise the Lord! Very Happy
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Post  Seth Harrison Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:49 pm

An awesome race and report Natalie! I just love how you got swept up in the excitement and energy of this marathon, and how it rekindled your enthusiasm. You ran a perfect race, and I loved reading your report, especially when you entered the park realizing that you would hit your goal and than celebrating the signs as they counted down the remaining meters until the finish line. Like you, I don't find the hills to be particularly tough on this course. Having a good starting position is crucial to avoid having to weave past slower runners for much of the course. Getting into the 1st wave took care of that for you. Having such a great marathon 8 weeks after Lehigh is a fantastic job.
As long as I do my job in Philly in 10 days, I'll look forward to seeing you again in Boston in 2013!
Congratulations on a having such a great day in the Big Apple!
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Post  Michele "1L" Keane Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:50 pm

Wish I had met up with you, Vivian. Kevin and I were concerned in the corral, but we knew you'd get there. Congratulations on a perfectly executed race! Too bad I didn't start with you as you would have indeed kept me in check. Nice going!
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Post  Sara Jane Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:51 pm

Well done, Viv! (Though I have no idea how you don't find that course challenging - you must have been on some kind of high! Even the pros I talk to say it's the hardest major course in the world! You are just THAT hard core)...

I am so happy (and a little jealous) that you were able to enjoy the course so much - it truly is special.

Sorry we didn't get together...let's grab sushi here in town soon.

Congrats, again, on a great race!
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Post  John Kilpatrick Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:02 pm

Great race and great report! That race really sounds like a lot of fun and I can only hope to run a race like that someday with even splits. Excellent work..

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Post  Jim Lentz Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:52 pm

Very nice job, Vivian!
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Post  Natalie Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:59 pm

Love it!!!! Great job Vivian! So sorry I missed you. Sad
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Post  Kenny B. Thu Nov 10, 2011 7:18 pm

Great reports, great time and great last few sentences. Someone is back!
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Post  Randy E Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:32 am

Way to go Vivian! I am so happy for you. Yes, you can do it. Believe in yourself! See you in Boston 2013.
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Post  Dave Wolfe Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:33 am

Great race -- always nice when it all comes together.
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Post  nkrichards Fri Nov 11, 2011 12:52 pm

WOW! Can I borrow your mantra?
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Post  Diego Fri Nov 11, 2011 2:00 pm

Vivian, you have come a long way in the last few years. I'm glad you put together a great race and hopefully, I will get a chance to meet you again in 2013 at Boston.
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Post  Matt W Fri Nov 11, 2011 2:03 pm



Hi Vivian. I'm so happy for you that you nailed another marathon. You did a great job of shaking off the pre-race chaos and putting things together on the course. Congrats on a well-run race. You certainly did close it and took advantage of a great day to run. It was a lot of fun seeing your splits during the race and knowing that you were going strong. I hope you recapture this magic in all your future races.
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Post  fostever Fri Nov 11, 2011 2:28 pm

Nice excecution of that goal time, congrats!
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Post  Jerry Fri Nov 11, 2011 4:52 pm

Vivian, way to close it especially in NYCM. Congratulations!

Btw, it is hilly. lol!
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Post  KBFitz Mon Nov 14, 2011 6:00 pm

I firmly believe that the best way to approach a marathon is nonchalance -- no big deal -- nice n easy. Then, if conditions are right and you're in prime condition, it can all come together. It did for you in New York. Brilliant report. Brilliant race.

Yes. Your bus driver was an idiot. Because of him, we didn't get to hear your Lehigh Valley story before the race and you were not able to start with M i c h e l e. But you stole SJ's race plan and then ran like you stole it! That's good enough to overcome all obstacles. Well done!
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Post  Jack_Scaff Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:56 pm

Great report, Natalie. Funny how marathon running can be such a manic experience from one race to the next. Now how I recreate the highs?

Congrats.
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