By 
The starting point of all achievement is desire. – Napoleon Hill
I keep thinking to myself “I wish I could relive some of the moments from the marathon”. I’ve never experienced something so epic.
Going into the race, I heard that it was going to be fun but I didn’t know what to expect.
Fundraising for Team For Kids and marathon training simultaneously was difficult. Thanks to many donors I was able to reach the fundraising goal and receive the entry into the race. Once in my focus became training properly. My primary was focus was making sure I stayed healthy and finished strong. https://www.runwithtfk.org/
On race day I woke up with no anxiety. I was more curious than anything. I’ve run marathons before so I prepared myself to the best of my ability. I went in telling myself “Take it all in and do your best”.
We started the day off by taking a ferry from Midtown/ 34th street to Staten Island (the start of the race). We were escorted to our charity tent where we ate breakfast and relaxed until the race started. I was in Wave 3 Corral B so my start time was at 10:40 am. We did a quick warm up and then headed out to line up.
The energy at the start line was amazing. People from all over the world were in New York City to run at the same time.
When the gun went off for our wave to start, we ran up the first bridge of the race. I kept thinking as I started the run, “Wow, this is really happening”. As I always do on my long runs, I took it easy the first few miles.
At Mile 4, I started feeling good. The weather was perfect for running! The energy of the crowd was unbelievable. The cheers from the crowds in Brooklyn were so loud that I turned my music off so that I could hear it all. As I ran, I thought about capturing some of the moments on social media but I decided not to. I lived in the moment and focused on the run.
When your legs can’t run anymore, run with your heart
The course was more difficult than I expected. We ran up several rolling hills and across 5 bridges. The hardest bridge to run on was the Queensborough bridge around Mile 15. This is when the race got real.
The great energy of the spectators kept me going when I got tired. I thought about my family and friends who helped me get to the start line. Keeping them in mind gave me the motivation to keep going.
We ran through Queens and then around to the Bronx. I stopped a few times because I started cramping at mile 17. I knew that my family was at mile 21 so I kept going until I could take some medicine for pain relief.
During the tough moments of the marathon, I try to run to the beat of my music and smile.
When I ran into Manhattan, I knew that my finish was coming soon! The burst of energy in Harlem made me happy. I saw my family and took some Motrin and pickle juice (salt). 5 miles away seemed so close but so far. My legs were so heavy and it was hard to run at the pace I wanted to.
When my right hamstring cramped and my legs started shaking, I knew I had to do the “run/walk” method. One of the Team For Kids volunteers ran up to me when she saw me hugging my leg and massaged it so that I could keep running.
Nothing, not even pain last forever.
At mile 25 the meds and electrolytes kicked in. I thought “Just one more mile and you are a world major marathon finisher!”. My legs were still so stiff but the cheers from the crowd got louder and I was so happy.
I could see the finish line in my sight. I ran the last few miles in Central Park with all the effort I had. In the last final moments, I thought back on all that led up to NYC marathon.
All my hard work paid off! I finished 5 minutes faster than my previous marathon time.
If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you- Fred Devito
I’m grateful for the lessons I’ve learned during training and the marathon. I learned how to manage my time effectively, sacrifice and perseverance. All that I endured leading up to the race was worth it.
NYC Marathon, a dream come true!
I’ve learned that finishing a marathon isn’t just an athletic achievement. It’s a state of mind. A state of mind that says ‘anything is possible’. – John Hanc
Official Race Time: 4:49:30
Team For Kids Fundraised Amount $2,980
#TCSNYCMarathon #TeamForKids #MovedMe
What do you think?