Well, put marathon #3 in the books. This time it was the iconic New York City Marathon, held yesterday on the streets of New York. I thought I would offer a couple of reflections on the experience.
What a town. I mean, I’ve enjoyed my other two marathons, in San Diego and Fresno/Clovis. It was fun to see those cities on foot. But, with all due respect, those two fine cities pale in comparison to New York. It’s an amazing place. We ran over not one but two mile-long bridges. We saw the UN building. We toured Brooklyn. We spent about 15 minutes in the Bronx. We ran past the Met, the Guggenheim and what seemed like 25 other museums. We finished running through Columbus Circle and, finally, into Central Park. Through it all, we probably touched 100 different cultural groups. Nothing beats New York!
What a crowd. After careful consideration, I think that “deafening” is the right word to describe the cheering at several sections of the course, most notably North Brooklyn, 1st Avenue right after the Queensboro Bridge and 5th Avenue just before you turn right into the park. It’s impossible not to give it your all when there is that much passion flowing your way!
Next time, better training. I had a tough onramp to this year’s marathon, and it showed. My longest run turned out to be just 13 miles, in August. Not good. And so my left calf spasmed for the first time around mile 10, and by mile 18 both legs were on fire. There was a good deal of walking, shuffling and jogging through the end of the race. Let's just say there's a reason why I'm posting a picture from EARLY in the marathon and not LATER!
I dug deep. Because of the lack of training, this was a marathon to be endured. After realizing at one point that I had a chance to keep my time under 5 hours, I muscled up and ran the last 3 miles. It was painful, but it made getting the medal around my neck all the sweeter! Oh, and I should be able to walk right again by about Christmas...
Running is better with a friend. A big shout-out to my running stud of a friend Adam, who had no business running alongside an old, out-of-shape forty-something. When my calf seized up, he said, “We’re in no rush here. Let’s stop and stretch it.” Who says stuff like that when the clock is running?!? A good buddy. Thanks Cleary.
We’re famous. At one point, in Brooklyn, we noticed a camera crew doing an interview with a runner while in motion. So, naturally, we got in the shot and hammed it up. Cue a barrage of text messages and screen shots from friends and family. Ethan Hawke, you weren’t the only celeb on the streets of New York yesterday!
So put marathon #3 to bed! What’s next? London? LA? Hmm...