NYCM RR: Finishing on a horse

I’ve felt that having done this marathon two times before… it gets really easier if you know how diabolical it can be… And I crested the Queensboro without even noticing, slowly and with short steps, and I was able to take the monster downhill into the wall of sound and own it. This is one of the best spots in the course for me, when you leave the bridge, it’s loud and there are spectators piled up as far as the eye can see, but it could be hard to enjoy it if the steep downhill is thrashing your quads (which happened to me last year). This one was mine. I waved, I screamed back, I jumped, a total lunatic! A few minutes later I see JFlecks, she saw me coming two blocks away, and she said she had never seen anyone run so relaxed. Which I think is one amazing compliment.

Mile 17 and I feel brand new (??? seriously!!??!!!). First avenue is MINE, there is not suffering in this race!!!! I felt the race slipping away from me, just like when you’re having the most amazing time. But this is a marathon, shouldn’ there be a bit of pain? Oh, yes, there it was. It’s name was Monster Blister. It had started hurting on mile 13, just on the Pulaski bridge, I felt it under my toe, big and juicy, and I remembered how blisters were the main reason people would drop out of marathons… so I tried not to think about it, but by mile 18, every step was painful… Around Mile 20, the little @#$@$ burst and it was all a bit better… Anyway, a few minutes after I see JFlecks I spot the Chileanminer, around 70th street. He looked dead tired. I go up to him and I talked to him in Spanish a bit, he could barely respond, so I wished him luck and he thanked me with his eyes and I went. I then saw my friend Maricela (who just did the Philly Half, her first!) with her DH. She’s screaming and holding a sign. A few blocks later is my sis again and Flor. Then Maria and I am off to the Willis Bridge and the Bronx. This didn’t hurt. I always get totally lost in the the Bronx, mentally. I was zipping through it with a pep! My arm had started doing weird things by then, I assumed it was the torn rotator cuff. I was having some spams and tingling, strange, not constant but every few minutes. Other than that, and the blister, I was fine, I think I’ve gotten pretty good at ignorig pain. Also, I was not tired. I didn’t feel any muscle problem, I could have kept going forever at that pace! There was no wall, hello Boston!!!!!! I even wondered how could I feel so good, how not normal this was. Well, add this amazing sport, a great city, osomest friends, best spectators, and being (almost) healthy, what else could a girl ask for???? During the whole race I felt so grateful that I could be there, that I get to do this, that I just couldn’t give any second away to doubt or pain or a goal. It was like every bite of a donut. The last bit is not less tasty… And I didn’t break my legs… how lucky am I? By mile 22 I was thinking they should make this race like 30 miles, 26.2 was not going to be enough for me today! Sooooo, back to the city, and I see my sis and Flor again (if all went well, they’d see me 4 times!), and then Mari again.

That’s Flor all draped in my colors.

Now, Fifth Avenue is tough… it’s a long climb, it gets narrow and crowded and we had the sun in our faces, but it was over in a sigh. I see Jeff’s calves again!

And there’s the park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could barely contain my excitement, this was GO time. And on the other hand, I was sad this was going to be over SO SOON…!!! NO! I knew my aunt and cousins would be around there somewhere… Soon enough, it’s Central Park West and I spot the Argentinian flag. I yell, they jump and now it’s just me and the last bit of it. I was pushing. I went up, it’s a bit of a steep hill. Sis and Flor were in the bleechers (remember the tickets I won in the Scavenger hunt???).

Check out my sister’s shirt:

And it was done. Over too soon. I crossed the finish line and weep like a baby, as usual. Soon enough I get asked if I need help. Yeah, mental help, for sure! This was over. One whole year waiting for this and it felt like a minute. I had PRed by almost three minutes: 3:42:33, average pace of 8:30. AND, the last two miles were the fastest. Yes, I got in one piece to the Queensboro to enjoy the downhill, and I managed a 8:01 and 8:04 in the last two miles. I mean, am I dreaming? Is this really really happening? I saw Jeff and Sonia two seconds later and we walked the slow mile out of the park together. I soon saw my friends and family in Central Park West.

Of course, more and more pics soon…

Like I said, it was over too soon, unless it was a dream!

This was a lot more than I could have expected. Blaise (my training partner) did amazing with little sleep: 3:36!! Last year we finished withing seconds of each other, so maybe next year I’ll close the gap, but for now, I am more than happy with the race I had. I feel like my horse is on top of a horse.

PS. I just realized I did negative splits!!!! WHAT??? I thought that was just a myth in this course…. Can someone hit me in the ribs? I think I dreamed all this!