Before I get into my NYC Half Marathon experience, I want to talk about a REAL ATHLETE! An AMERICAN ATHLETE! YES, AMERICA. If you happened to catch a glimpse of the NYC Half Marathon on Sunday morning on Channel 7- You would have seen some KICK ASS Olympic Runners, and there is one runner who I have been following. SHe is freaking adorable, and such a BEAUTIFUL runner.
My FAVORITE is Kara Goucher... An AMERICAN long distance runner. Kara did the NYC Marathon in 2008 (November) and ended up finishing in THIRD PLACE! 2:25:53, and was the FIRST American on the podium since 1994-Anne Marie Lauck. She then place THIRD in 2009 in the BOSTON Marathon (2:32:25). I mean REALLY! She is incredible, and if you watch her run, it's effortless, graceful and simply AMAZING! SHE is a role model for me. A woman who is so focused on her goals, regardless. DEFINITELY someone I look up to!
Sunday morning couldn’t come soon enough for me. I was so SIKED that our hotel The Parker Meridian was two blocks form the Park- Central Park that is. Shannon, Raha and I drove into the city on Saturday afternoon big bags stuffed with water, Gatorade, Oatmeal, bananas, GOO, Gummy bears, and our marathon outfits! This was definitely going to be a weekend to remember! Our MAIN concern was keeping Raha rested, healthy and able to run. She was on a Z-Pac as well as Tylenol.
We checked in our room which was spectacular as it overlooked Central Park. We tossed our stuff on the bed and headed over to the REDEYE Restaurant for our Pre-Race Dinner. The city was buzzing and there were still some bag pipers hanging on the streets as we walked up the block.
As we looked at the menu, We all agreed that there was NO WAY we would eat: BIG PLATES of white pasta, gravy filled dishes, Beer, anything that would make us have to CRAP all night or the morning of the race. We wanted to eat just enough to have some stored glucose in our bodies and have enough energy to get us form Central Park to the South Street Seaport! Dinner was great! It was so nice to be with the girls and just talk about kids, husbands, life, oh and the Real Housewives! We had to fill Shannon in because she doesn’t get to watch them that much.
I ordered a small bowl of Gluten free pasta- but OF COURSE they were out. I asked for a bowl of Whole Wheat pasta- which I usually turn my nose up at- Whole what is all bull shit and I don’t eat any of it... But I figured, it’s better than the white shit. Tha pasta has some red tomato sauce on it. A perfect portion, but I couldn’t eat the whole thing, I didn’t want to get stuffed. Before the pasta I had a great salad that just had corn, chopped peppers, tomatoes, avocado, some mixed greens, lima beans- I inhaled it like a starving child! Oh I did! We ate the scrumptious bread, but of course, I ripped out the dough, and added a sliver of butter (WITHOUT THINK IT CAME FORM A COW’S BOOB!) Shannon had SUSHI and Raha had MATZI BALL SOUP. They both a pounded chicken breast with my same salad on top. All in all we ate really healthy and felt “CARBED UP”.
Since I am the “BITCH” in the relationship between me & Raha (A name and role I choose), I organized our stuff. I put the sensors on our sneakers, I ironed our names on our tank tops, I Pinned our Bibs to the tank tops, and layed out the GOO, the gummies, the oat bran and the Kind Bars. We had been chugging water all day as well as some Gatorade and I was drinking some other sugary sodium filled drink. I knew in the morning, I would be in the LOO for quite some time.
Before we knew it, our alarms were going off and it was 5am- Time to get our asses in Gear and get our heads in the game. I’m a pain in the ass with being punctual- I admit it! I HATE being a second LATE for anything, so I made sure I was ready to go. I had a date with the bathroom before the girls got up and was able to take my time (If you know what I mean). Shannon was DYING for coffee so she could go, and Raha says going to the LOO in the morning is not on her agenda. Shannon and Raha wanted coffee so we headed downstairs only to find that my date with the LOO was NOT done. The kind where you get the goosebumps and kinda have to get there FAST or something may expose it’s ugly head (sorry for the visual!). I raced make up to the room. When I was done, I was completely EMPTY in my gut! I think between my nerves, the SHITTY pasta and the sugary drink, my body was a little pissed off at me and rejected everything I had put into it. Well I say, Better off, because the lighter you fee, the better you run, and who wants to start running only to get that signal from your gut saying, “Hey lady! I gotta go!”
We got our layers on and headed over to the park, where it was STILL dark out (6:30am). Checking out all the runners, the set up, the police...really brought some excitement to us sleepy heads who wanted to know WHY THE HECK these things start SO FREAKING EARLY!
When they say start time is 7:30 on the DOT, I am thinking that is when we ALL start running, but sooooo NOT the case! 15,000 people line up according to their bib numbers. There are Groups and so each group goes, and then the next group goes. Of COURSE the ELITE and the OLYMPIC Runners go first.
So the park is 6 miles- We didn’t even start yet and the ELITE runners lapped up as we were walking towards the start line. The race DID start at 7:30, but we didn't actually cross the start line until 8:00! How is THAT for FAST! I got a mili second glimpse of MEB and Kara Goucher. These people run like GAZELLES! They have BEAUTIFUL FORM, and such a grace about them- I WANT THAT. WHY can’t I be an ELITE runner. As I watched them, I suddenly got the URGE to hire a running coach and get my ass in gear. In about 20 seconds, my visions were crushed by the reality of my life.... ‘UM HELLO TINA, AREN’T you going to get KNOCKED UP SOON????” OH yea, well I am NOT KNOCKED UP yet, so I WILL try and start this goal when I get back from vacation, just don’t tell Mr. Mario.
As the race started, I grabbed the girls with tears in my eyes and wished them luck. I had the goosebumps and was filled with so many emotions. I guess all the pain and sweat and we endured in the last 5 months, it was finally our time to SHINE. I was wondering what happened to the sun though. I thought it was going to be around 62 degrees. It was 42 degrees instead and VERY CLOUDY!
To run in Central Park was exhilarating! To have thousands of people running with me & cheering for me just motivated me even more than I already was. Us three girls agreed that if someone is feeling strong and fast, then just go. We all also agreed that at the start and through the park we would cruise and then pick up our speed once we got out of the park. I knew in the first mile, it was going to be a GREAT run. I kept saying the Our Father prayer- One line stood out for me- “Give us this day, our daily bread”, and for me that meant, “GOD, please be the sun on my shoulders and the light in my body to get to to the finish line happy, healthy and not in pain! STill wondering where the sun was!
Around mile 3, I suddenly felt the urge to speed up and challenge myself on HEART BREAK HILL. We conquered it on our practice run, so my legs KNEW what to expect! I did it, and as I looked at my heart rate monitor, my heart rate was 175! I better take it down a notch. I kept turning around as Shannon and Raha were right behind me. At around the 5 mile mark, I just took off, but not without one more look behind me. Raha gave me this look like “ GO! You better go”, so I was torn between saying with them or booking it out of the park. I looked up and it’s as if I was being guided by God’s force to run, do my best and listen to my body. When I made that right hand turn out of the park, I smiled and got super emotional, because how often does NYC close it’s streets for anything? This race was HUGE! To be able to run down 42nd street, Times Square, looking at the lights, the buildings, the people screaming my name, How could you NOT do your best, run hard and not be in the moment.
My legs felt so strong. It was a sign that I did everything RIGHT in my training. I did feel a little bit weak around mile 7, so I would run to the Gatorade stand, grab a cup, and sip a few sips, toss the cup, and hope that the stitch in my side would go away. I prayed another “Our Father” Prayer. From mile 7-9 I would grab the Gatorade every chance I got. At mile 10 I got a little delirious. I thought the mile marker read 11, and so when I really got to mile 11, I thought who ever put the marker there was WRONG, I was at mile 12... NOT! It was me, My brain was a little depleted. I pulled the gummies from my sports bra and started chewing. I have to say, I NEVER run with water, and I NEVER drink Gatorade (I HATE THE SHIT), and those gummy things? I am so not a sugar person or candy, but there is NO DENYING, these two things saved me!
The whole time on the WEST SIDE HIGHWAY, I was hoping my girls would appear next to me and we would finish together, but they were no where in site and I wasn’t turning my head back to look. We came up to an underpass, and until we got right up to it, I had NO idea we would go through it! Under there we were all screaming and cheering and the echos gave me goosbumps. I kept thinking: “There is a light at the end of then tunnel and when I come through, I will see my husband and my son. I just couldn’t wait to see their faces! We we came out of the tunnel, there was no sun, but there was light and a curve, I thought FOR SURE we hit 13.1 miles, but NOPE 800 meters to go! FUCK! Yea, I said it out loud, Where is the finish!?!? Then I see 400 meters, Oh yea, baby, bring it home....Take me across that line. When I saw the finish line, I tore up the road and gave it my all! By this time, completely FRIED, I couldn’t see anyone- It was all a blur. I heard my name a few times, but didn’t know where to look..then suddenly I turned to my right and saw Mario & TYLER. I couldn’t wait to hug them. First I went over and accepted my medal, as it was placed around my neck....
I didn’t even know what my time was, but since Tyler was tracking me, he said I hit 13 miles at 01:52:28.... HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!! I did it!!!! I DID IT!!!!!! Then I checked on line, and I guess I finished the 13.1 in 01:58.28, which to me, is still AWESOME!!!!!!!! I am so happy and can’t wait to run again!
| Guaglianone | tinamarie | F40 | 6272 | harr | NY | USA | 7376 | 2634 | 314 | 1:58:25 | 0:29:45 | 0:58:00 | 1:25:14 | 1:52:26 | 09:03 | 1:54:36 | 2539 | 57.45 % |
Raha and Shannon weren’t far behind. Raha’s knee started to piss her off in the underpass, and determined to finish, she take her pace back, but wouldn’t stop. She and Shannon crossed the finish in 02:05:00. Raha ended up getting pulled in by the Red Cross for her severe limping, but ended up with Hypothermia.... If I saw this, I would have lost it! I was so upset when Shannon called me and told me. I felt so guilty, as if it wouldn’t have happened if I stayed with her. She went home and rested and I went there later on. Like I ALWAYS SAY: SHE IS MY FIEST LITTLE IRANIAN FRIEND! I love her so much!
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