Let's Hear It For New York

After a few post-marathon days of gentle recovery doing the touristy thing around New York City and a few gentler days with my lovely aunt, uncle and cousins in Virginia, I'm now at the airport in Dubai, waiting (and waiting AND waiting ....) for my connecting flight to get me home to my husband and babies in Perth. Goodness me, Australia. It's just as well you're such a nice place to live because you really are an AWFULLY long way from everywhere else.

Before I lose it completely (the memory, that is, not my mind. Although the latter can never be ruled out), I thought I would use the waiting time to record some of my favourite things about The Wonderful Marathon Day That Was.

First and foremost, finishing. Obviously. I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to. But I did! Hoorah!

And I have to say that starting was pretty cool too. You spend a fair amount of time hanging around at Staten Island and everyone had told me to bring lots of warm stuff because it can get chilly. And considering it had been snowing the previous week, we were expecting an unpleasant wait. Luckily it wasn't actually all that cold so we only needed was beanies and some black-market Qantas airline blankets (it was the least they could do, really).

Fortunately, my WVBFF Jane and I were in the same starting corral so we could take turns saying 'What the #*&! are we doing?' and daring each other to make rude hand gestures at the sniper stationed on the roof of a nearby building. But the BEST bit of all? As you are lining up waiting for the starting gun to go off, they actually play Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York'. HOW FREAKING COOL IS THAT??? 

I've mentioned the groovy spectators in my last post and what a helpful bunch they were with all their verbal encouragement. A hugely fun aspect was all the signs people were holding up. There were lots of 'You can do it!' and "Hello complete stranger, I'm so proud of you!' encouraging ones but some brilliantly funny ones as well. I loved 'This is the worst parade ever', 'You think it was easy getting up early to make this sign?' and 'Because 26.3 miles would be just crazy, right?'  But my ABSOLUTE favourite?

Courtesy of WVBFF Jane

 I made the classic first-time marathoners mistake, though, due to those aforementioned groovy spectators. You can't possibly slow down when people are calling your name and cheering you on so I ended up running for a lot longer in the early miles than I had originally planned. It was a relief to get to the the wonderful hasidic Jewish area of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. There were very few spectators there so I took the opportunity to have a bit of a walk and catch my breath. (And wouldn't you know it, there was a fabulous Judaica shop open along the marathon route, just like in my dream. I'm embarrassed to admit for a split second I actually considered popping in for a quick shop.)

After crossing over the psychologically important Queensboro Bridge,  I caught up with Jane at the 18 mile mark. It was good to have a chum alongside to help get through those potentially wall/bonk-hitting next 4 miles. At about the 20 mile mark, a super cool funk band was playing and we found enough energy to have a bit of a boogie. I'm really not much of a dancer, I have to say and sadly, I believe the photo below captures me doing what Billy Crystal in 'When Harry Met Sally' referred to as the 'white man's overbite'.

It pains me to admit I actually did not know Jane's sister was taking my photograph at this point. So I can't even pretend I was mugging it for the camera.


After a couple of miles in the Bronx, then another through legendary Harlem, it was on to Fifth Ave for the final stretch before getting into the finishing zone of Central Park. Team WorldVision were stationed just before the park at Mile 23 to provide some much-needed encouragement. And it worked! Their cheers and hugs and the fact that it was almost over gave me a huge boost and I even managed to pick up my pace a bit.

And then, there it was. The FINISH LINE. I'm not sure I have the words to describe how it felt to cross it. It was relief/elation/exhaustion all at once - let's call it 'ex-re-lation'. (Because it's my blog and I'll make up words if I want to). And then, since my Assistant Coach wasn't there, I hugged the nice lady who gave me my medal. And she didn't seem to mind at all.

Thank you Nice Medal Lady, thank you Team WorldVision, thank you Jane, thank you New York Road Runners and thank you Groovy Spectators. That was a day I'll NEVER forget.

The Morning After The Day Before

Days to Go: -1!!!
Money Raised: $18 463.70 ($2311.00 off line)

There is SO much to process post-marathon but a quick update for those who have not heard - I completed the marathon in 6:44:53. Slooooooooow but completed nonetheless!! Hoorah! (And yes, you probably could have walked it faster than that :) )

I feel better than I thought I might today. I'd anticipated needing to be wheeled around in a bathchair but I actually feel quite ok. I woke up a bit sore and headache-y but after breakfast with colleague and sub 3:30 marathoner(!!!) Tony at world-famous Carnegie Deli, followed by a quick spot of shopping along Fifth Avenue, I am feeling pretty good. I suspect the fact that I spent birthday money from my parents on a post-marathon reward at Tiffany's helped my perception of pain quite significantly.

*Sigh*. Isn't this pretty? Thanks Mum and Dad!!

The marathon itself was physically hard. No surprises there. On Saturday, I was genuinely wondering whether I would make it but that night (where I slept quite fitfully) I had a dream in which I was running a marathon at my usual ponderous pace. In my dream, I knew I just had to get to the 25km mark and that if I could do that, I would finish. That, of course, makes ABSOLUTELY NO sense whatsoever. The first 25km are the easy ones - it's the last 5km, according to Rob de Castella, that can undo you. And yet, when I woke up, that dream was stuck in my head.  So when I got to the Queensboro Bridge that takes you into Manhattan (the 25km point) I felt sure that I would get to the end. Strange. But whatever works, n'est pas?

The marathon was also an unexpectedly joyous experience. The crowds that line the streets (and there were heaps of people still there, even for me and the rest of the plodders at the back of the pack) were wonderful, calling out my name and yelling 'Go girl!', 'You can do it, Kate!!' and 'It's yours, girlfriend!'. I, the show-poniest of show-ponies, lapped it up and high-fived everyone who wanted to high-five me the entire route. It was awesome and has totally spoiled me for any other marathon.

Any other marathon? I've been telling people all year that I am strictly a one-marathon girl and lots of people told me to wait until afterwards, as apparently lots of people say that and then find themselves wanting to do another. Guess what? I am strictly a one-marathon girl. This whole year has been life-changing but I don't feel any need to do it again. What I do feel the need to do, though, is maintain my fitness but I am looking forward to incorporating variety into my regime; swimming (and not just as a recovery tool), pilates and bike-riding. And yes, running. But I think I'll stick to the 5km and 10km distances. And maybe work on my speed a bit.

There are more posts to come, more thoughts about what this marathon has meant but that's for later when my brain has made sense of what has happened. For now, there are some thanks that must be given to a few very important people.

As always, my Assistant Coach and children get a nod. Tom stayed up all night tracking me on the TV that had been turned into a computer for the event. Being able to talk to him a few times as I was on the course was wonderful. And the pride I heard in the voices of him and my babies when I rang them post-finish was very special indeed.

I've also got to thank my fellow journey men; Holly Ord (3:51:37!! The 'Bus of Shame' hadn't even got out of the garage by then!), Jane McCormack (6:47:10) and Mike Edyejones (5:57:36). I'm lucky I've made such cool new friends and shared this adventure with them. Thanks guys!!

There is so much more to say but for now, I'll let some photos do the talking ...

I look like I still need to be in bed in this photo. Which frankly, I did.

The view of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at the start

That all important 25km mark on the Queensboro Bridge

Happy days for a Judeophile like me in Queens!

The good bit at the end

By the way, if you're still reading... check out the comments on Dash to the Finish. They are lovely. Oh Internet, what did we ever do without you?

Erev Marathon

Well. What can I say, people? It's finally here. Erev Marathon.

What does one do on Erev Marathon? That's a good question. It definitely involves eating pasta. But my roomie Holly 'I Ain't Riding No Bus of Shame' Ord and I have also been doing the following:

a) Getting all of our running gear set out.

It's going to be an early start tomorrow. We need to be on the bus that takes us to the start line at 5.30am because the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that links Staten Island to Brooklyn closes to traffic at 7am. Fortunately, New York puts the clock back 1 hour tonight so there will be a welcome extra hour in bed in the morning. Even so, that's an early start. So things need to be right there and ready to put on.

b) Sorting out the layering situation.

Tomorrow is going to be sunny and COLD. About 1 or 2 degrees at that time of the morning. And I am in the final wave (surprise!) so I don't start running until 10.40am. To that end, I come equipped with the following items that can be discarded at the start line or along the marathon route; a favourite jumper that has been moth-eaten beyond redemption, a pair of Sam's old thermal leggings, a black faux sheepskin jacket that I got from the Good Samaritans, a hand-knitted West Coast Eagles scarf and a Nedlands Rugby Club beanie (you might want to google those terms, non-Australian readers!). I also brought a sleeping bag polar fleece liner and I plan to top that off with a garbage bag to keep the wind off, if necessary. I am, quite frankly, going to look a treat.

c) Eating.

Holly and I ducked out for some pasta, naturellement. We also stocked up on goodies for the morning and for the post-marathon feast. The usual suspects; Powerade for recovery, bananas, pound cake and chocolate. Breakfast is served at Staten Island but Joan from Virginia, the Advice Angel I sat next to today, suggested I take some things I like to eat. For comfort-food related purposes.

Thanks for being such a great roomie, Holly. You shall vanquish the Bus of Shame and it will haunt you no more

And so, here I am. Nothing to do now but talk with my far away Assistant Coach and the Coachlettes then go to bed. I have done all that can be done. There is nothing left to do now but try and get some sleep and, in the morning, just run this thing. I am most definitely in that 'anticipatory moment before jumping off', as the article in Zeek so beautifully describes.

I will be tweeting and updating 'The New Walker' page tomorrow from Staten Island before I head off on the longest of long runs. For those of you at home, my beloved Assistant Coach has turned the TV into a large mission control screen and will be tracking my progress. Since the time between New York and Perth is now 13 hours, he will be awake throughout the night so if an unexpected bout of insomnia hits and you find yourself wondering how I'm doing, feel free to give him a call.

See you in the morning!

Dash to the Finish

Hours to Go: 18!
Money raised: $18 000+

This morning was the NYRR Dash to Finish Line! How excitement!! This is the warm-up race for many of the marathoners and something friends, family and spectators can take part in as well. As I said last post, I opted not to take part. Never having run a marathon before, I just want to finish. And I didn't want to do anything that might interfere with that. It is terribly tempting to get caught up in all the excitement and I didn't want to risk overextending myself before the big day tomorrow. So I was strictly a spectator this morning in beautiful Central Park.

Central Park looks deceptively empty of people in running gear in this photo.  

This was my first look at the actual finish line. 

I'm hoping the time shown on the clock here isn't a premonition

But the finish line today was all gussied up for the Dash to the Finish.

The winner, Chris Thompson of the UK, did it in 13:53. How crazy is that! I was right at the front of the spectators box as he walked past so I said 'Congratulations, well done!' to him and he replied 'Thank you so much'. What a polite young man. Well done Mr and Mrs Thompson. Your boy has lovely manners.

The fastest woman was Sarah Hall of the USA and her time was an amazing 15:56! I spent most of my time yelling out 'Beleza!' in support of the Brazilians (in honour of my Brazilian sister-in-law) and 'Allez, allez!' in support of the French (in honour of my French sister-in-law). I would have cheered for the Danes, as they have such a lovely country, but all I can say in Danish is 'I have a big daffodil' and this was neither the time nor the place for such statements. I didn't spot any obvious Australians in the crowd, other than the ones I know, but I saw some Japanese runners dressed as sushi and some Dutch people walking in clogs (not running, obviously. Tres uncomfortable.). This is a truly international event indeed!

A post-dash trip to le Pain Quotidien in Central Park for a warming cafe au lait and pain au chocolat was the least I could do to celebrate Rose from WorldVision and Amanda from Amnesty's fabulous efforts in the 5km dash. We sat next to some lovely women from Virginia who have all run the New York marathon many times and they were full of helpful tips. It's cold and sunny here - STUNNING weather, just beautiful - but it's going to be freezing, quite literally, tomorrow morning at 5.30am. The lovely Joan told me to get a newspaper to sit on to provide some insulation for my bottom on the cold Staten Island ground. Excellent tip. Thanks Joan!

Empire State of Mind

Days to Go: 1 (Excuse me??)
Money Raised: $18 013.70 (including $2311.00 offline)

Oh my. I am actually in mythical New York City! (How else would I be able to post this?)


Yes, I suppose I could have just downloaded it from the Internet. But I haven't. You'll just have to trust me on this one.  


I do not have superlatives superlativey enough to adequately describe what a knock-out, cool, groovy place New York is. I have fallen totally in LOVE with this city and have been a complete tourist the past two days, taking in the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building, Grand Central Station, the Guggenheim and the Russian Tea Rooms. And I just want to take photos of every street sign I see. New York is every bit as amazing as I thought it might be.

But it's not all fun and games, peoples. I have a job to do! And to that end, on Thursday some of us headed over to the Jacob Javits Convention Center to pick up our race bibs. I also needed to meet with the guys from the New York Road Runners and pick up my official Social Media Reporter t-shirt. Woo hoo!



I picked up my bib from the VERY last booth. Coincidence? I think not.



The JJCC, if I may be so bold to call it that, is the site of the marathon expo and is filled to the BRIM with running paraphernalia of all sorts.  We were a bit pooped from hoofing around Midtown all day that we didn't hang around super long but long enough to stock up on power bars and a nifty little gadget called The Stick, which is hopefully going to sort out my playing-up-again ITB.

And last night, Team WorldVision Australia got to meet Team WorldVision US at the All Angels Church in Manhattan. We had a great dinner, shared some good stories and inspirational moments and I met a guy with the coolest name EVER. Rusty Funk. I am totally not kidding. 


Team WorldVision Global Division 

It was really lovely to realise we are part of something bigger and connected in to this amazing group of people all sharing the same goals and beliefs. Our orange t-shirts are certainly going to be out in force on Sunday. And we're even going to have our very own cheer squad at the 23 mile mark. Assuming I am not delirious and unable to recognise my own name at that point, I think that encouragement is going to be rather welcome.

The NYRR Dash to the Finish Line which is a 5km run, starting at the UN Building and ending at the finish line in Central Park, starts in a few hours (and yes, it is 4.30am New York time as I write. Boo for jetlag.) It's open to everyone but I'm not running in it - I'm thinking that 5km might come in handy tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to covering the race in my first outing as an NYRR Social Media Reporter. Ooh, and I've created a Twitter account for this weekend. My user name is #newwalkerblog so sign up and follow me (just not in a creepy way, ok?!). I'll be using my Facebook page, 'The New Walker' to post photos and updates as I go as well. More to come soon peoples!!

The Off

Days to Go: 5!!
Money Raised: $17 883.70!!

Peoples. It's happening. Rather than wait to see whether the Qantas situation would resolve itself, my Assistant Coach, primed and ready to strike, booked me on an Emirates flight instead. It looks like I would have got there anyway on Qantas given the dramatic termination of the industrial action but we didn't want to take the chance of me getting there the night before (or worse, missing out completely). So, instead of flying via Sydney I am now flying direct to New York via Dubai tonight. Yes. I am flying to New York tonight. Cue spontaneous outbursts of New York themed show tunes!


New York, New York! The Chrysler Building! Iceskating at the Rockefeller Center! Broadway! Eating bagels!
Running 42km, quite possibly in the snow! Woo hoo!


It seems appropriate, nay NECESSARY, at this point to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has donated, supported and encouraged. It would not be possible to name you all but know that your support has meant everything to me. A special thanks, of course, go to my friends and family and, in particular, my wonderful Assistant Coach and my three most excellent progeny. This year would not have been possible, not even a LITTLE BIT, without them and they make my actual life better than even that fantasy one where I wear berets, write edgy beat poetry and live in a Soho loft.
 
As I mentioned in my last post, after entering this blog in a competition, I got chosen to be one of the official bloggers of the marathon! How cool is that!! I don't think I'm getting ahead of myself when I say it's really only one small step to a movie of the same name, with the part of Kate to be played by Sandra Bullock. (That white-haired guy from 'Mad Men' will most probably play my Assistant Coach). So I will be blogging. Oh yes. I will be blogging. And also posting regular updates and photos on 'The New Walker' page on the Book of Face. So pop on over and click 'Like' if you haven't already. And stay tuned!