NYC Marathon: Part Two

I woke up race day waaaayyyyy early, the time change really screwed with me. I got up and drank my usual tea and ate my Uncrustable.

Matt got up because he was going to ride the subway to the Staten Island Ferry and drop me off. I was very thankful that he did because I was a bundle of nerves. 

I didn't take pictures while on the ferry because I was sitting on the floor and didn't want to fight with others for a spot. Once I got off the ferry, we were loaded on to buses that brought us to the start line. I headed to my corral and just hung out with people. Everyone was super nice and supportive, everyone had a cool story to share. I started at 11am and it was kinda crazy. They had an amazing singer who belted out the National Anthem and then came Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York". 

I was kinda annoyed because I forgot to start my watch on time. I started out slow because I knew the bridge was uphill and I figured I'd use the first mile as a warm up. I honestly barely remember anything because I was so focused on not going out too fast. I didn't even take any pictures along the way. Once I hit Brooklyn, my plan flew out the window. The crowds were amazing! I felt like a total celebrity because were shouting my name and cheering me on. I must've heard, "Who ya gonna call, Jen?" and "Don't cross the streams!" a million times! I flew running through Brooklyn and high-fived everyone I could, the energy was crazy! I saw Matt a couple times through out the course, which was awesome. I loved it! 

I had a minor mishap a little bit before mile nine when I tried to undo my safety pin to get on of my bags of chews. I was half paying attention and jammed the damn pin in my thumb. For a small wound, there was A LOT of blood and it was squirting out. I absently wiped my thumb and continued on. I noticed that the blood wasn't stopping, so I headed over to the medical tent and ask for a bandaid. One of the volunteers said, "Whoa! What happened?" I looked at him a little weird and said that it was nothing and wrapped the bandaid around my thumb. He pointed at my bib and there was blood on it! I tried I wipe most of it off, EW! 

When I hit the Queensboro Bridge, I knew I was in some trouble because I had went out too hard and too fast through Brooklyn. My time got slower and slower. Plus, every time I stopped to pee, it took me at least ten minutes because I had to stand in line. I hit mile twenty and the front part of my ankle started to hurt really bad. I slowed to a walk and a bit later I heard, "This is the New York Police Department, the marathon has closed. Please move to the sidewalk for your own safety" over and over again. I started to get a bit teary because I wanted to finish strong but my ankle (which has NEVER given me an issue ever) was hurting worse and worse. I started to limp, the NYPD passed me and the sky turned to night very quickly. At mile 22ish, I saw my knight and shining armor, Matt, and immediately started to cry. I was in a lot of pain and way past my goal time of six hours.  Matt took my arm and I remember is saying the F word a lot and vowing to never do another marathon again. Matt left me at mile twenty five and I just stayed the course. There was a point where it got super crowded and there was some confusion for the runners because we had to turn right and people weren't moving. I finally yelled, "Will you please move, I want to get the f$%k off this course and f$%king finish!!!" and the NYPD pushed me along. 

I finally saw mile twenty six and then I saw (well, actually I HEARD my mother first. Everyone knows her signature WHOO-HOO!) my parents. I was so happy to see them! I waved and my dad tried to take a picture of me and this is how it came out:

I swear I am there-haha! I saw the finish and just ran/limped as fast as I could to the finish. I was done and I was finally a marathoner! I got my medal and headed towards the poncho pick up which was ridiculously too long, it was probably about two miles away from the finish line and some of it was uphill. I thought I'd never get to sit down. I walked forever and finally called Matt and told him I was sitting on a bench and gave him the cross streets. I refused to walk anymore. 

I finally caught up with everyone and it took awhile to hail a cab. I was get really bitchy and all I wanted was a shower. Thankfully, again, my family and Matt didn't tell me to STFU! We finally got a cab, I showered, iced and we headed out. My parents took us The Capital Grill for an amazing dinner. I was starving! I had bread, soup, steak, mashed potatoes, lobster mac and cheese and they gave us a free dessert because Beth and her family had yelled "Happy Anniversary!" on their way out.

I thought I'd fall right asleep and sleep in the next day, but nope. I was up at five thirty going through Facebook messages, voicemails, tweets, Instagram and emails from everyone. It was so fun and I'm appreciative of all the support from everyone! I was up early enough to have breakfast with my parents before they left and plus, I wanted to get the NY Times to see my name in the paper. We sat down, I got the Times opened and MY NAME WASN'T IN THE PAPER. The cut off time was 5:14 and obviously I didn't meet that cut off time. I was LIVID! Stupid NY Times! Everyone's name should've been in the paper, super annoyed. 

After my parents left, Matt and I walked to Central Park for Marathon Monday and to get my medal engraved. We stood in line for about an hour and I checked out some of the merchandise. I didn't buy anything because to be honest, I didn't want wait in line anymore. 

Well, the not waiting in line thing didn't last long because we had to stand in line for Stephen Colbert for two and a half hours. Yeah, super uncomfortable. We got our tickets and had some time to kill, so we went back to our hotel and I napped. Our tickets for Colbert were FANTASTIC! We were in the second row center! The guests were Allison Janney, Colin Quinn, and Margaret Cho, but the real stars of the Colbert Show were his band, Jon Batiste and Stay Human. They were awesome! 

The next morning, I wanted my fancy leftovers from dinner so I ate those and then we headed out to the airport. We got in, got the dogs, and I walked into the house. When I walked in I saw a HUGE sign up in our kitchen. Jess made it and had everyone sign it, it was such a surprise! I loved it! 

Jess has been trying to help design a tattoo to commemorate the marathon and she left me another fun design. She is super talented! You can check out her blog here.

So, that is it! I can't believe it's over. NYC was an amazing marathon and I loved the experience. I know I will never do another marathon, but I'm so grateful I got through the lottery. I highly recommend this marathon. It was well organized, had phenomenal crowd support, and the volunteers and NYPD made the race. 

I can't thank Matt and my parents for being there and supporting me. It meant so much to have them there. I also want to thank my friends, my family, everyone that follows me on Twitter and Instagram because you have supported and have dealt with me talking obsessively about running and the marathon since May. Thanks to Katie at Chase This Skirt for designing my fun Ghostbusters skirt. I also want to thank a few Etsy shops for getting my patches out to her with impressive speed. I highly recommend this shops, their customer service was fantastic. Please check out: TenYellowEyes, they did my personalized name patch, check out their Instagram page. I got all my ghostbuster patches from three awesome shops: Your Patch Store, StarlitNight Patches, and Diablo Jo. Thanks to everyone who left messages on my voicemail. I want to thank my friends for decorating my kitchen and my office. I also want to thank my coach Lou Ann at Off To Run training for motivating me and keeping me on track. I also want to thank my physical therapist, Erin, who lovingly inflicted pain on my poor body so I could cross that finish line in one piece.

Matt has dealt with the brunt of my training because, obviously, he is my husband and lives with me. Matt hasn't make it a secret that he didn't want me training for this marathon, or any marathon for that matter. He has woken up to my alarms that have been set for 5am, he has dealt with my complaining about aches and pains and being exhausted, he has made me whatever food I've wanted after long (or not so long) runs, he has filled endless ice packs for me, he has let me nap even thought we've had plans to do or go somewhere, he has rubbed my feet, filled my hydration packs, and so much more. The most memorable moment was when he found me crying on the course and grabbed my elbow and we walked together until I calmed down. He talked with me, distracted me and got me through the last few miles. He kept telling me he was proud of my and loved me through all my cursing and complaining. He made me smile, laugh and got me back on track to finish the race. He is amazing and I don't think I would've finished without him. 

It has been suggested that I don't run for eight to ten weeks, so I'll be taking a break from running for a bit. I'm not going to lie, I don't really mind. My body and mind are exhausted from marathon training and traveling. I"ll be working with Erin to get my body back in running shape and my nutritionist, Shelly, to help shed these pounds that are slowing my ass down. I'd really love it if I could get my half marathon time to 2:30, I think that's my next goal. 

Thanks again for all your support, I really appreciate it!