Splits (I ::heart:: Garmin):

Mile 1 - 13:17 (Verrazano Bridge)
Mile 2 - 11:29
Mile 3 - 11:26
Mile 4 - 11:24
Mile 5 - 10:57
Mile 6 - 10:22
Mile 7 - 10:27
Mile 8 - 10:46
Mile 9 - 11:17
Mile 10 - 10:28
Mile 11 - 11:11
Mile 12 - 11:16
Mile 13 - 10:14
Mile 14 - 11:17
Mile 15 - 12:38 (Queensboro Bridge)
Mile 16 - 13:36 (Queensboro Bridge)
Mile 17 - 10:11
Mile 18 - 10:32
Mile 19 - 11:37
Mile 20 - 11:59
Mile 21 - 12:01
Mile 22 - 11:49
Mile 23 - 11:05
Mile 24 - 11:35
Mile 25 - 11:50 (cramp)
Mile 26 - 11:45
Mile .2 - 9:33
FINISH! - 5:05:45
Avg pace: 11:39
Avg HR: 156

2006 Houston Marathon Time: 5:45:55
Avg pace: 13:12

PR of 40 minutes!!

*********************

The New York City Marathon was absolutely incredible. Going into this race, I told myself this would be my last marathon - finally, I could stop running and get my evenings and Saturday mornings back. But the second I crossed the finish line in Central Park, I wanted to do it all over again. (as it turns out, I am - the Houston Marathon on 1/13!) And as for my super shocking, “where the hell did that come from” 40 minute PR, I attribute it to the awesome weather, the screaming crowds and the kick-my-ass SMART training program. But who cares about PRs - I beat Katie Holmes! woohoo!

Pre-Race (Friday):

My first agenda item after arriving in New York was to pick up my race packet and bib from the Expo. After wandering around Times Square with my friend Abe, searching for the non-existent Expo shuttle, we ended up walking to the Javits Center.

When we arrived, the Expo was buzzing and packed full of runners. The butterflies in my stomach went into overdrive (and would continue until I heard the beep of my chip crossing the starting mat, two days later). Even Abe, a non-runner, was impressed. We took some pictures, gazed at the race course video, then wandered up and down the aisles checking every booth for free samples of food. The back of the Expo was filled with Asics branded Marathon gear, and of course I plopped down some alot of money for obligatory souvenir gear.

Afterwards, we took the marathon shuttle back into Midtown. Sitting behind me were two guys - one from Paris, the other from Orlando - who tried making small talk. Below are my favorite parts of their conversation:

Orlando Guy: What other marathons have you done?
Paris Guy: Mostly in Europe. My last one was the Amsterdam Marathon.
Orlando Guy: Amsterdam? Where is that?
Paris Guy: It’s a the capital of The Netherlands.
Orlando Guy: Netherlands? Where is that?
Paris Guy: Holland. Netherlands. You know, dutch people. Van Gogh.
Orlando Guy: Is that near France?
[silence]
Orlando Guy: So, are there tall buildings in Paris?
Paris Guy: Yes, we have many tall buildings.
Orlando Guy: Wow! I should go there someday.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sorry for the sudden drop off in posts. Just wanted to put in a quick I’m-not-dead post. I’ve been consumed by a work project which should (if things go according to plan) be completed on December 13th….after which I’ll be able to return to my regular schedule of running slowly, obsessing over shoe problems and posting embarrassing pictures of my cat.

Quick news:

1. My NYC Marathon race report (with pics) will be posted by Friday. No, really.

2. I’m doing the Houston Marathon again! I was able to nab (is that a word?) a registration - and it didn’t cost me $300….or whatever crazy amount they’ve been going for on eBay. woohoo!!

3. Ack, 45 days till the Houston Marathon! Gotta get back on track again with SMART.

25k

Originally uploaded by escapevelocity

Got back from nyc last nite at 10pm. Did cpr/aed duty at the hot 25k this morning and saw lotsa striders - woo!

Sent from my Treo

(mobile update)
5:05:45. That was my final chip time, which means I finished 40 min faster than Houston - I never imagined this big a PR!! The crowds were incredible, the weather perfect, feet felt great. Had a cramp at 25 but otherwise felt really good the whole way…and never once hit the wall. Full race report to come - spent the evening with fam, and am exhausted.

2008 New York Marathon!  Click here for race report.

It’s noon on Saturday, and surreal that in exactly 24hrs, I’ll be running somewhere in Brooklyn or Queens on my way towards Central Park. Hopefully I’ll be doing well, keeping things at a good pace. Actually, since arriving in NYC, I’ve become less nervous and more excited about the marathon tomorrow. Saw lots of people walking around midtown Manhattan carrying their distinct Asics marathon race packets. Went to the Expo yesterday to pick up my race packet and bib. It was in the Javitts Convention Center (never been there before) - the expo was big, well organized, and a gave me a huge boost in excitement. I got my bib, race shirt, visited the booths, and bought some obligatory souvenir gear.

They had some pretty cool things at the expo, but by far, the absolutely best thing was the picture below (click on photos to view full size):

At the ING Marathon Booth, there was a video (filmed with “NYC Runner Cam”) taking you on a high-speed tour of the entire 26.2 miles, complete with mile and km counter, names of the neighborhoods, course info like “4th ave in Brooklyn, longest straightaway on the course” or “routes converge at Clinton Hill”, etc…..all the way to the finish. It was an incredible visualization tool, set to great music, and I have to say I was feeling pretty emotional by the time it got to the finish. They had the video playing on a loop. The booth was always packed with runners, standing/sitting around the video monitor, silently focused on the screen. It was mesmerizing.

We’re about to head off for lunch, then I’m going to check in at the hotel.

can't wait for that moment tomorrow when this beautiful sight comes into view…..