Off to New York City I
went in November 2016. The planning for this trip started back in January of
2016 with my husband wanting to go to New York City in the fall to Celebrate
our 14 year Wedding Anniversary. We didn’t have a date set yet for our trip when
I was presented with the opportunity to run the TCS New York Marathon for the
charity organization, Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. So we made it a combo
Anniversary/Marathon trip! 10 days to explore and have fun in New York City
(without the 4 kids might I add!) Once plans were set, the training began. Since
I first started running in the Fall of 2015 I have slowly been running more and
more as well as adding in cross training, weights and yoga to compliment my
running training. Before I started marathon training my longest run was 13.1
miles so I was curious to see how I would handle 20 mile training runs. At
first it was hard…very hard! What carried me through was the motivation running
for such an amazing organization and supporting the Maasai. On those long runs
I would visualize running with the Maasai and my Team Maasai members and that
carried me through those hard days and hard runs. I couldn’t give up! I
couldn’t stop! I had to keep training and running so that I could make the
Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, my team members, my friends, my family
and myself proud. Those long hard runs slowly became easier and easier and a
few weeks before leaving for New York I ran my last 22 mile training run and it
was easy!! I can’t believe I just said that…it was EASY! Just one year early I
had taken up running and it felt like torture, fast forward a year later and
here I was running 22 mile training runs…AMAZING! Even though I did not train
with Team Maasai, I felt them all with me through the 6 months of marathon
training. They helped me reach a goal I never thought I could do…run a
marathon…The TCS New York Marathon!
Arriving in New York
On November 1st
we left for New York bright and early in the morning. We were so excited! As we
took off I remember thinking, “Goodbye California, when I come home I will be a
marathon finisher!” We landed in New York in the afternoon and took a taxi into
Manhattan. With the 3 hour time change we were still ready to go. We walked and
explored until about 1am (which would be 10pm California time) and then headed
back to the hotel for bed. The next day, November 2nd, we went for a
morning 10K run exploring Manhattan before heading off sightseeing for the rest
of the day. It was so cool seeing all of the TCS New York City Marathon signs
and billboards all over the city. My excitement was building, that was going to
be me in a couple days running New York!
Maasai Run
On Thursday, November 3rd
we had our Team Maasai Training run in the morning through Central Park. We
meet at Tavern on the Green which was the location of the finish line for the
marathon. It was surreal seeing the official finish line. It was so big and
fancy. Marathon workers were still setting things up but it was still
incredible to see. Lots of runners were all around taking pictures and lots of
groups from all over the world were doing training runs and taking group
pictures at the finish line too. It was exciting to see everyone so excited!
The energy was unlike any race I had felt before. You could just the feel the
happiness radiating from the runners. In just a couple days we were all going
to cross that finish line, a huge accomplishment! I was trying to soak in all
the goodness and positive energy! As I was standing there waiting for my team
members to arrive I saw the Maasai walking up. I stood there in amazement! Real
Maasai from Kenya! I tried not to stand there with my mouth open but this
moment was so surreal for me that it almost felt like a dream. Soon most of our
team was there and we started our training run. We ran about a 4.5 mile loop
around Central Park. It was just an out of body experience running with the
Maasai. As we were running I just kept thinking “this is so amazing! I, me, I
am running with the Maasai”. I swear it was the easiest training run I have
ever done! I was bouncing on clouds the whole time while running side by side
with the Maasai and my team through Central Park, a once in a lifetime
experience! When we finished our training run I was sweating like crazy (I always
sweat a lot when I run) but the Maasai had hardly broken a sweat! We took a
couple group pictures at the finish line and then we all headed into the
Marathon Pavilion where our microscopic names were on this huge wall! No joke,
50,000+ people’s names on this wall! We looked for some names and then headed
off for a group lunch at the Shake Shack. While we were eating lunch we made
plans to meet up later in the day to go as a group to the Expo to pick up our
race packets. After lunch we all went our separate ways and later in the day met
up at the Maasai’s hotel. We walked as a group to the Expo and it was so cool
because the Maasai were in their traditional red outfits. When we reached the
Expo we got our packets and took more group pictures. I also met a few more
team members who showed up at the Expo and it was exciting that most of our
team members were now here! After a bit we all said goodbye went our separate
ways to explore the Expo. The Expo was HUGE!!! My husband and I spent over an
hour there exploring, I didn’t want to leave but we had more sightseeing to do
in the evening so we left. While exploring NY that night I was so thankful for
my experience that day with the Maasai and the team. Wonderful, amazing people!
I felt so proud to be supporting their organization!
Maasai Lunch/Yoga Night
Friday November 4th
we had our Team Maasai lunch. My husband and I were one of the first people to
arrive so we found a spot and sat down. It wasn’t long after we arrived that
everyone started showing up. Pretty much everyone from Team Maasai was there as
well as lots of people from the Maasai Organization. Once everyone was there I
was again taken back…I was in a room full of amazing people, me, I was sitting
with them all. Lunch was great and I got to chat with everyone from my Team
Maasai. Even Lee Pace, my Maasai team member from The Guardians of the Galaxy
and The Hobbit movies, sat at our table across from my husband and that was
beyond AWESOME! As we were all talking,
in walked Edward Norton, who is the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust Board
President. Edward Norton sat at my table right across from me…I talked with
Edward Norton…Edward Norton!! He was telling us about the Maasai people and
also told us about his first New York Marathon experience when he ran a few
years back. The best, and funniest part, was when he was describing the end of
the marathon, the last mile to the finish, how runners were dropping like flies
and he described it as a scene from Saving Private Ryan. It was absolutely
incredible to have 2 amazing and talented actors who I admire and look up to
sitting at my table across from me, Lee Pace and Edward Norton…once in a
lifetime experience! After lunch we took some group pictures and I was so
incredible proud to be a part of this team to support the Maasai. The energy
with everyone was absolutely amazing. I was definitely getting super excited to
run the marathon in just 2 days!!
Also, on the 4th
in the evening we had our Team Maasai yoga night. My husband and I were out
sightseeing when we got a text from the Maasai Organizer that the time for the
group yoga session was moved to an earlier time than scheduled. We rushed back
to our hotel and quickly grabbed our stuff and headed over to the yoga studio.
But it was Friday night, in New York, and the subway was packed with people and
the streets were filled so we didn’t make it in time for yoga as the session
had already started. So we just waited in the lobby and when the session was
over everyone got changed and we had our social night there at the yoga studio.
Lots of friends of the Maasai Organization were there for support and we had
some food and drinks as well. I also received my Team Maasai race packet/gift.
I got a team shirt and a Traditional Maasai Warrior red wrap. At that moment it
really hit me hard, the marathon was just about a day away. My excitement was
turning to nervousness. I had trained hard and felt ready but I still had some
fears about running 26.2 miles. This was going to be the longest and biggest
race of my life. But I knew I could do it, I had to dig deep, but I was ready.
Team Maasai was ready to take to the streets of New York! We were coming!!
The day before the race
In the blink of an eye it
was the day before the Marathon, November 5th. I remember waking up
early and staring at the ceiling. “This time tomorrow I will be waiting to run.
This is it, just 1 day away! OMG”. For most of the day on Saturday while we
were touring New York I was on and off nervous/excited/nervous/excited. We
didn’t walk around too much as I didn’t want to wear myself out but we still
did a good amount of sightseeing. In the late afternoon we went to an early
dinner. I got my traditional night before race day meal of pasta and bread,
carbo-loading! Something simple which I knew would not upset my stomach and
would digest well at night. After dinner we headed back to our hotel. I got my
race clothes, throw away clothes and all my race fuel ready. Nerves were really
starting to hit me then. In less than 12 hours I would be heading off to run
the marathon. 6 months of hard training. 6 months of dedication. 6 months of
endless support from my family and friends. 6 months of support from my fellow
bike trail runners who were all excited for me. 6 months of dragging my kids
out for endless runs. 6 months of visualizing this race running with Team
Maasai. This was it, the time was here. Race day was here. It was all or
nothing. I was ready. I was SO READY to go!! And off to bed I went.
Race Day
Pre-Race
November 6th,
Race Day! I set my phone alarm for 4am but I actually woke up 10 minutes early.
As soon as my eyes opened my stomach was tied in knots from both excitement and
nerves. I got up, got dressed and headed off to the Hotel where the Maasai were
staying. We were all meeting up there to go together to the marathon start. I
walked to Grand Central Station Subway by myself but once I arrived at the
subway I saw lots of marathon runners. I buddied up with another runner for
safety and within a few stops I had reached the Maasai’s hotel. Most of our
Team Maasai was there but others we were meeting at the start. When the Maasai
came down they had on warrior face paint and it was incredible to see them
ready to race. A few other team members put on the warrior face paint but I
didn’t want any because I sweat so much when I run that it would look like a
bloody massacre all over my face, clothes and body. I would freak people out at
the finish line; HA…it would look like I would be covered in blood, so no face
paint for me. We took more team group pictures and off we went into the dark
morning to the subway heading to the Staten Island Ferry. When we arrived at
the Ferry terminal it was like an army of marathon ants. Runners everywhere
ready to go. It was exciting to be with so many people from all over the world.
We got on the 5:45am Staten Island Ferry. The Ferry ride took about 30 minutes
and we even saw a runner dressed as Gumby come out of the bathroom! The Maasai
gave us a “what the?” look…it was funny; I couldn’t help but laugh out loud!! Once
we reached Staten Island we got off the ferry and headed to the buses that were
going to take us to the start. The buses were lined up as far as the eye could
see. It was like a steady chain of buses, it was incredible to watch the
organization of such a BIG race! On the bus ride the sun started coming up and
lit up the sky a bright beautiful orange. It was amazing and gorgeous, I got
the chills! As we approached the bus drop off I was so excited! The marathon
was here! Once off the bus everyone had to go through a security check and we
were only allowed to carry our clear see-through race bags. After the check
point we walked a short bit and met up with more of our Team Maasai. Lee Pace
and Will Turner were waiting for us. Our whole team was finally there together!
We only talked for a short bit, took pictures and then we said our good-byes.
The New York Marathon is such a big marathon with 50,000+ people, so to spread
out the people there are 3 color corrals and within those there are different
start times. So some of my team Maasai was in the Orange Corral, some were in
the Green Corral and some were in the Blue Corral. That was why we split up based on our color
corrals. I was very sad to say goodbye to the Maasai group and the rest of the
team because I knew this was going to be the last time I was going to see them.
I didn’t want it to end but I was ready to race and make my team PROUD!! I was
in the Blue Corral with Lee Pace and Will Turner. The 3 of us walked up to our
Blue Corral area and it was crowded full of runners from all over the USA and
World. We walked a bit checking out the area and then found a spot to sit and
relax. We had 2 hours before the race to hang out. We talked, ate bagels and
people watched. Sitting there it was incredible to watch the steady stream of
people walking in. The energy and excitement was incredible! I was trying to
take it all in. This was not some small local race with a few hundred
people…this was a BIG FREAKING race with over 50,000 people. I was nervous but
not as nervous as I thought. Hanging with Lee and Will before the race calmed
my nerves and I was able to relax and enjoy it. I am thankful I got those 2
hours with them and it made my 1st marathon very special. Before I
knew it, it was time for Lee and Will to head off for their Wave 2 start. Sadly
time always goes way too fast when you don’t want something to end or people to
leave. We stood there, the 3 of us, waiting at the entrance to gate D and the
knots in my stomach came back. I didn’t want them to leave. They were the last
of my Team Maasai I would see. Their wave 2 opened, we said our good byes and
off they went. That was it, the last of my Team Maasai, they were all gone. It
was so hard to say good bye when I knew I would not see anyone again. I choked
back tears…I hate good-byes. But I took a deep breath and I walked off and
found a sunny warm spot to sit down by myself. I felt a rush of emotion,
happiness, excitement, nervousness, sadness. I was ready to run and was anxious
to start. I made one last restroom stop and then got myself ready. Soon wave 4
was open and everyone crowded in. I took off all my warm outer layers of “throw
away clothes” except my jacket. I wanted to wear my jacket for the first few miles
to warm up then toss it. Once it was Wave 4’s start they slowly started moving
us down to the official starting line. Once at the start line they sang the
nation anthem and then the countdown began. I was so excited I let out a scream
as did many other people. Cheering erupted from the crowd of runners and then
the start gun went off. We slowly jogged forward and soon I saw the official
starting line. It was surreal! A moment I won’t EVER FORGET! I remember
thinking, “Here we go Angela! FLY! Spread those wings and run, run, run! 26
miles!! Let’s do this”. And off I went!
Race
As I crossed the official
start I was on cloud nine. It was incredible. I headed up the Verrazano Narrows
Bridge and the view was amazing. It was a perfect sunny day and looking across
the Bay to the Manhattan skyline was breathtaking. I found a comfortable spot
and in the crowd and ran. I kept reminding myself, “take it slow, don’t go out
fast, get comfortable, breath-easy, and relax”. After crossing the bridge I was
at about mile 2 and was getting hot so I took my “throw away” jacket off and
tossed it to the side. I was now wearing my complete race outfit with my race
bib, name tag and my “Team Maasai” sign on my back.
Beginning at mile 3 I
started stopping at the water stations. I usually never get water on a race
because usually I run shorter races…but this was a FULL MARATHON…26 miles…I
needed to drink water! I read on blogs that if you squeeze the top of the cup
to make a spout you can drink it easier while running. Yup, that didn’t work so
well. The first cup I drank spilled all over me and about only 5% got in my
mouth. I was laughing, it was a mess. Tried it again at mile 4 and same thing
happened. So squeezing the top of the cup was not working! After my second
water explosion, I decided at mile 4 to just walk fast through my water stops
and grab 2 WATER CUPS each time. That way if one cup spilled I had a second as
back up. It was still very messy and I spilled it all over myself, but at least
I was getting a good amount of water in my mouth. I drank water about every 3
miles starting at mile 4. And the trick I found was at the water stations to go
straight down the middle avoiding all the slippery cups and grab water from the
second to last water volunteer. That way I could walk quick, drink and toss my
cups avoiding crowding.
Also about mile 3-4 I
started taking my Shot Bloks energy chews. I took 1 Shot Blok chew every odd
mile (so 3,5,7,9, etc.) When I practiced at home running on the trail with my
fuel I had put the Shot Bloks in a zip lock baggie and cut off the zip lock
part and stored the bags in my bra for easy access. At home this worked but at
the NY Marathon it was more difficult because my Team Maasai shirt had a higher
neckline. So trying to reach down my shirt every couple miles for fuel was
bugging me so I decided to just carry the bag I was using in my hand while
running and toss it when empty. Then I would grab a new bag out of my bra and
hold it in my hand. Once I got my system
down I was able to hold my steady race pace.
From miles 2-8 I felt like
I was bouncing on clouds and it was the best feeling to feel so great! I was
thinking about how just one year prior, running 8 miles was so hard and
exhausting…now I was flying at mile 8 through downtown Brooklyn like no big
deal. Miles 8-9 in Brooklyn was narrow and crowded. I wanted to keep my steady
pace so I had to do lots of dodging around people even though I knew it would
eat up more of my energy. What I found worked was I stayed to the side, like in
the bike lane, and was able to pass lots of people on the outside and not get
bunched up in the middle.
Once I passed about mile 9
the race course widened and I was able to avoid the crowds. From miles 10-15 I
was heading into Queens. I still felt great!! I remember seeing a spectator
holding a sign that said “13.1 you are half way, don’t stop!” I felt a rush of
emotion come over me, my eyes teared up. I remembered running my first half
marathon through San Francisco back in April of 2016…just 7 months earlier,
DYING…it was SO HARD! I remembered thinking in San Francisco “no way in hell
will I ever do a FULL MARATHON, JUST NO”! Fast forward 7 months and here I was
running the New York Marathon! I had made it half way feeling just awesome. I
felt so proud! I had come so far and worked so hard to get to this point. I
took that energy and kept running and running and running, still on cloud 9! As
I reached mile 15 I was approaching the Queensboro Bridge heading into
Manhattan. The bridge was so quiet. No spectators aloud so it was just a crowd
of runners. I took my headphones out for a while and listened to just the
footsteps of everyone. Lots of people were starting to walk so I found my
comfortable outside spot and cruised on by. As I came off the Queensboro Bridge
at mile 16 it was still quiet. Then the race course took us down and looped us
around through a tunnel. That is when the wall of sound hit like a tide wave.
The spectators were back and screaming their heads off in the tunnel. It was
unlike anything I have ever heard. The energy was surreal. I got emotional
again and let out a scream and fist pumped the air. It was amazing!!
Once out of the tunnel I
put my headphones back in and focused on the long stretch down First Avenue
heading towards the Bronx. First Avenue looked never ending, just a long crowd
of people as far as I could see. I still felt good and got comfortable and
before I knew it I was passing mile 19 and just ahead of me was the Bronx. As I
crossed into the Bronx at mile 20 I was feeling good but I felt like I was
slowing down. I wasn’t “hitting the wall” thankfully but it was getting harder
to pick my feet up. I kept positive and this where I started talking to myself
to keep my energy up. “You can do it Angela!” “You ARE doing it Angela” “Go,
Go, GO, Don’t stop!” Running through the Bronx was a quick and I was heading
back into Manhattan at about mile 21.
When I crossed back into
Manhattan for the final 5 miles I started getting cold. I had been spilling
water all over me at the water stations as well as soaked from sweat. So back
in Manhattan with the tall buildings making lots of shade I started stiffening
up. I was getting cold, VERY COLD. It felt like I was being put into a freezer.
It was getting hard to lift my legs as they felt numb. Plus, this is the part
where my mental game started going downhill. I tried so hard to keep positive
but running is very much as much mental as it is physical. Thoughts started
popping in like “Your team is Gone! Everyone from Team Maasai is gone! Give
up!” I really was hoping up until that point to catch up to someone, anyone
from Team Maasai…but deep down I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I tried to
tell myself “You never know who is around the next corner. Keep going. Keep
going!” But I was having a difficult time staying positive. As I approached
mile 23 at Central Park the crowd of spectators carried me through. My legs
were completely numb and I was freezing cold and was getting emotional. Miles
23-26 were the hardest mentally. I kept chanting “Go, Go, Go, Go, Go” It was
also getting crowded again, so I found a spot on the outside right next to the
crowd so that their yelling energy would help me. I remember a lady, bless
her…she yelled at me so loud I could hear it through my headphones! She must
have seen me getting emotional and making an ugly face because she screamed “GO
ANGELA, YOU MADE IT! GET THOSE LEGS UP! DON’T YOU STOP GIRL! GO!!!” She
definitely got me moving and put a huge smile on my face. She was exactly what
I needed at the moment and she lifted me up when I was crashing! Thank you
lady, whoever you were!
Next I knew I was
approaching mile 25, the home stretch!! This is where I lost it and emotions
overcame me and I started crying! And this is also where my energy
skyrocketed!! Even through my tears I was smiling so big my face hurt. The
feeling was unlike anything I have ever felt…the rush was incredible! I started
thinking about EVERYONE!! My family, my kids, my friends, my Warrior group, my
gym buddies, my trail friends back at home, everyone who had cheered me, supported
me and believed in me along my Marathon journey…and of course I thought about
my Team Maasai and wanted to make them all proud. That last mile I ran with my
heart. Never did I think in my wildest dreams I would be running a Marathon,
EVER, let alone the New York Marathon with the incredible Maasai Organization!
It was beyond a dream come true. Tears streamed down my face, the crowd cheered
louder and it felt like an out of body experience, like I was floating. All
those early morning training runs, all those hours in the gym strength
training, all those days swimming laps in the pool, all those long bike rides,
all those hard training days, all those training runs dragging my 4 kids along,
all those weekends spent training…it had all come down to this!! I was going to
accomplish something harder and bigger than I ever thought I could do. As I
crossed the mile 26 marker, this was it! I could see the finish line and I took
my headphones out and ran on in to the finish with my hands up and tears
rolling down my face. I DID IT!! I ran 26.2 miles!! I was now a New York
Marathon Finisher!!
Post-Race
As I crossed the finish
line I almost couldn’t stop. My legs were on automatic. But once I came to a
stop the tears flew out my eyes like a tsunami, not exaggerating! I was
completely overcome with emotion. I could hardly see, everything was blurry I
was crying so hard. I tried to wipe my tears and tried to take some pictures
because I wanted to remember this moment. Within seconds I was approached by a
volunteer who put my medal around my neck and gave me one hell of an amazing
hug. Sweet lady, she grabbed by sweaty face, wiped my tears and looked me in
the eyes and said “Honey, you did it, you are amazing, CONGRATS!” and she
hugged me again. I looked down at my medal and my eyes were still blurry so I
just held it tight in my hand. I knew the Marathon Photo workers were going to
take my picture so I wiped my tears so I could see again. After I got my medal
I was wrapped in a thermal heat blanket, which, honestly, really didn’t help me
much. I was shaking like a leaf. Funny thing is, when I saw the Marathon Photo
person I took off the heat blanket and posed all normal, HA! So it looked like
I was fine in the pictures but in reality I was a frozen Popsicle shaking like
a maniac. Another marathon finish line volunteer saw me shaking pretty bad and
she gave me a second heat blanket and wrapped my lower body too. So once I was
wrapped up like a sardine, they directed me down the long walk out of Central
Park. I had a special wrist band to get a race Poncho which meant my walk would
be longer. Also at the finish line they had lots of Medical Spotters who were
on the look-out for anyone struggling or looked like they needed medical
attention. Well, I stood out like a sore thumb obviously! I was wrapped in 2
heat blankets, looked like a Chipotle burrito, shaking like I was having
seizures and walking about as slow as a snail! It was a no brainer to come over
to me. The medical spotter asked me “are you okay, do you need help?” I told
her I was fine BUT FREEZING TO DEATH. I was in no pain, nothing hurt, I was
just beyond cold! After being covered in all my spilled water and sweat, I was
literally soaking wet, my clothes were like I had just jumped into a pool. I
asked her if they do massages and could warm me up. She took me up to the
medical tent. It was SO WARM INSIDE!! I was instantly hit with a heat wave of
warm air and it felt SO GOOD!! What I really needed was a hot tub but they
didn’t provide that! They laid me down on a cot, asked me a million medial
questions and then brought me lots of treats, food and Gatorade. I was like
“fill my bag up!” Then they covered me in a warm blanket and started stretching
my legs. It FELT AMAZING!!! But I wasn’t a medical emergency so after a quick
stretch and rub down they sent me back out into the Arctic cold. I snail pace
walked my, what seemed like, a mile walk to my poncho pick-up station. I tried
to get in the middle of the crowd of people so their heat would keep me warm. I
seriously HATE, HATE, HATE being cold, did I mention that? When I finally reached
the Poncho station I was so cold I couldn’t move. Seriously, the wind could
have blown me over and I would be stuck on the ground frozen stiff…I am not
even joking! The lady next to me looked at me shaking and yelled for my Poncho.
She wrapped me up and I started to warm up a bit. Then I got a text from my
husband and he was just one block up. I told him I was too cold to move much so
he came over and met me at the Poncho exit. He gave me a big hug and it felt
good to be back in the comfort of his arms. I started crying again and showed
him my medal. He was so proud of me! Then he told me he saw me twice running by
and that he saw most of my Team Maasai too and that he had videos and pictures of
everyone to show me. I started crying more. I missed my team. I missed everyone
so much! I wondered how they did. I wondered how they felt. I was SO PROUD OF
MY TEAM MAASAI!! My tears were unstoppable. You would think after running 26.2
miles I would have run out of tears…but, nope, still crying! That was it, it
was over. Months of training and build up to the big day…and it was all over.
My husband guided me to the subway so we could get back to our hotel. I started
down the first subway step and stopped. I looked at him and said “I can’t go
down the stairs my legs are going to give out”. I started laughing. What was I
going to do? Another marathon runner, obviously more experienced, said “turn
around and go down backwards and you will be fine”. So I walked backwards down
the subway stairs. I was wrapped in so many layers I almost couldn’t bend my
legs enough to even walk down backwards, but I made it down to the subway! It was
so warm and cozy down there (and crowded) that we just stood in the corner so I
could warm up and move more. Once on the subway train the other riders made
room for me to sit, which was nice but once I sat, I literally couldn’t get up.
My husband had to help me up. When we reached our Grand Central Station stop
the stairs were ridiculous. I think it took me longer to walk the stairs than
actually run the marathon, HA! Once we reached ground level and I was walking
straight I was fine, but those stairs, good god those stairs killed me! On our
way to the hotel we stopped and got take-out pizza. I practically ordered an
entire large pizza and my husband got a few slices. I had just burned like
4,000 calories but surprisingly I wasn’t starving. My body was probably still
in “what the hell did you do to me” mode, but I honestly felt fine. Back at the
hotel I finished pretty much the whole large pizza except for 1 slice. I have
NEVER eaten that much pizza before. I thought for sure I was going to puke
later that night but never did. After dinner I took a boiling HOT shower and it
felt WONDERFUL!! While in the hot shower
I was finally loosening up and did leg stretches. Then after I was all clean my
sweet husband gave my legs, butt and hips a good massage rub down. I was still
on a running high so it was hard to unwind but we put a movie on and before I
knew it I was asleep. What an amazing day. A day I will never EVER FORGET. A
day that will forever hold a special place in my heart. Dreams do come true!!
The day after the race
I woke up Monday about
normal time and just stayed in bed looking up at the ceiling. It almost felt
like my marathon was a dream, that it wasn’t real, that it didn’t happen. But
as soon as I moved my whole body was stiff…so…nope…marathon was NOT a DREAM…it
definitely happened! It took me a few minutes to actually get out of bed and
when I did I sat on the side to make sure I could stand. It took me a couple
tries to actually stand as my legs were like Jell-O and couldn’t hold my
weight. Once I got on my feet I hobbled to the bathroom. Then trying to sit on
the toilet was hilarious. I practically fell in when my legs gave out. After
that fiasco I went back to bed for a bit while my husband slept. We both got up
and started our day about 8am. It took me a while to get dressed and my husband
had to help me get my pants on. But once on my feet, as long as I was walking
straight, I was fine. A bit sore but mostly stiff. Thankfully no pain anywhere
which was GOOD! That means all my training worked and I survived my first
marathon. We headed for breakfast and then to Central Park to walk around. You
might think that after running 26.2 miles that I should rest and sit, right?
WRONG. To help with recovery you need to keep moving and getting the blood
flowing to the muscles. So walking as much as I could handle is what we did.
Walking wasn’t so much the problem as going up and down stairs and
inclines/declines. My husband had to help so I wouldn’t fall but I felt fine
and it actually felt GREAT walking. It was when I stopped walking or sat down
that I would stiffen back up. So we walked all over Central Park to sightsee
all the spots we missed. It was so fun because there were so many marathon
runners out walking too and many of them with their medals. Lots of Congrats
going around!! After spending most of the day in Central Park and surround
areas we headed back to the hotel and I texted a few of my Team Maasai
teammates to see if they wanted to go for a celebratory ice cream treat. Most
everyone was busy but my team mate Ian Coleman was available and met up with us
for ice cream. We went to this awesome place called Black Tap and they have
insane crazy over the top ice cream milkshake sundaes. Of course at Black Tap
they had a table for us on the lower level which meant STAIRS! Ian and I looked
at each other, laughed and slowly walked backwards down the stairs. It was
actually nice to know he was sore/stiff too…I didn’t feel like I was the only
one. Ian ordered some type of chocolate ice cream sundae and I ordered the
cotton candy ice cream sundae. I brought my medal so Ian and I took pics with
our medal and ice creams. We did a short toast/cheers and then dug into our
treats! I ate all of mine except for some of the hard candy on the outside. IT
WAS SO YUMMY!!! Definitely recommend Black Tap if you are ever in New
York…totally worth it!! After our treat we walked around a bit window shopping
and then stopped for some evening coffee/tea. Then it was time to say good-bye
to Ian, which was again hard. This whole trip and marathon exceeded my
expectations and was such a dream come true. I just didn’t want it to end! Once
back at the hotel I did lots of stretching and foam rolling and then headed to
bed.
We had 1 more day to
sightsee and then it was homeward bound we went. It was a hard plane ride home.
I couldn’t wait to get home and see my kids and show them my medal…I missed
them SO MUCH!!! But at the same time I was beyond sad to leave New York and
that the Marathon was over. It was just an amazing trip and experience to have
and one which I knew was going to be a “once in a lifetime experience”. It was
amazing to have run the New York Marathon for such an incredible Organization
and with such an awesome Team Maasai! The people I met, the experiences I had…absolutely
priceless! Hands down this whole trip will forever hold a special place in my
heart and memories. It is still hard to not tear up from happiness and joy when
I talk about it but as time goes by it’s getting easier. I know this Marathon
was the most incredible way to start my Marathon running journey. The TCS New
York City Marathon will forever be my very 1st Marathon, the race
that started it all!
Thank You
So many to thank for this
experience! I would like to start with a huge thank you to my husband for
helping to make this trip a reality. His love and support while I was training
was amazing and without him this trip and the marathon would not have been
possible. Also my 4 kids, who supported me, ran with me on long training runs
and cheered me on! Their support meant so much to me. I also want to thank the
amazing Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust for welcoming me onto their team
with open arms. From the moment we met in New York, the Maasai were kind and
generous. I was so very proud to run for such an incredible organization! Also,
thank you to my amazing Team Maasai. Parashi, John and David from the Maasai
Warriors, Mark Somen, Luca Belpietro, Ian Coleman, Lee Pace, Will Turner and
Jing. I am so proud of what we all accomplished and I am thankful to have experienced
the amazing New York Marathon with each and every one from Team Maasai! And
last but definitely not least, thank you to everyone who supported me, who donated,
who cheered me on, who texted me, who messaged me, who called me, I felt the
love far and near and it meant a lot to me, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!
What an incredible 1st
marathon! The start of it all…the first of many marathons to come. Can’t wait
to see what the future holds!
