NYC in (mostly) photos

By , November 12, 2011 5:08 am

A small glimpse of our November NYC trip…

Friday November 4

Empire State Building in ING colors for the marathon

Saturday November 5

Dash to the Finish Line 5K (photo from here)

Sunday November 6

Brooklyn Bridge (taken by Gina)

The other Team Kim (taken by Gina)

Fred Lebow Place (taken by Gina)

Monday November 7

We love the Subway!

 

One World Trade Center

9/11 Memorial

Tuesday November 8

The Old Times Square ball

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Atlas

Wednesday November 9

The High Line

Flatiron Building

New York City Public Library

Thursday November 10

S’Mac

Statue of Liberty

Friday November 11

Union Square Greenmarket

abc carpet & home

Washington Square Park

More words to come!

Friday Question #170

By , November 11, 2011 10:36 am

Yikes! Haven’t done one of these in about a month! I think I’ve lost my blogging mojo.

When you travel, do you ever send out postcards from your travel destination? Do you like receiving postcards?

Steven and I attended a comedy show last night and one of the comedian’s jokes was about how lame it is to send postcards. It was kind of a weak joke but we were laughing and smiling at each other because I had just dropped some off at the mailbox that morning!

So, I still send them. And like to receive them. I never know what to write on them though! There is not enough space to go in to any detail!

The day after

By , November 8, 2011 8:56 pm

My name ended up being in the paper after all (27F, at the end)!

Steven and I headed to the marathon store in Central Park yesterday and I decided to pick up a paper even though they said only finishers under 4:30 would get in. I was really surprised to see my name! Gina shared this article with me about fitting names in the paper. 

The marathon store was crazy! We waited in line outside of Central Park to get in to another line inside the park… to get in to the store. But I was very excited to pick up a few souvenirs for my spectators. 

And you know what else was exciting? How many freaking people there were walking around wearing their medals! And not just around Central Park, but all over Manhattan (we got around quite a bit yesterday!). I wore my marathon shirt on Monday and my medal when I was in Central Park. People were congratulating me all day, everywhere. The city really does get pumped about the marathon! So very cool. 

Do people in other cities wear their medals like that the day after? I even saw people wearing their medals today!

We’ve been going all over the last two days. Lots and lots of stairs. I have swollen feet, a sore right quad and a left heel that sometimes has stabbing pain. But other than that I am doing good. All this sightseeing is wearing me down, but the weather is perfect and we are having too much fun not to go out and about! So far we’ve seen the 9/11 memorial, been to SoHo, spent a ton of time in Times Square (did the CSI experience thing) walked up most of 5th Avenue north of Times Square to Central Park, and been in a lot of cool shops. And a ton of other stuff I am not mentioning. And there is still a ton of other stuff we want to do. 

Maybe I will post some overall pictures of that stuff later if people are interested?

Also, guess who my sister met today, for reals! Do you know who this is? 

NYC Marathon Race Report

By , November 7, 2011 10:01 am

Everything I heard about the New York City Marathon is true – it’s an amazing course, with amazing spectators and amazing runners. I met so many different cool people from all over the world, before, during, and after the race. The spirit of the race is so exciting that you can’t help but smile* most of the time. Everyone is so giddy that you feel giddy too. When the canon goes off to start your corral and they play Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” you sing along and cheer*.

I’ve never seen a marathon with this kind of energy – not even Chicago. Run NYC if you get the chance.

And the other part I heard is true too – the hills on this course make it incredibly difficult. The biggest hill – 150 ft in 3/4 of a mile in the first mile – was not that bad. You’re just starting the race and you have a lot of energy. Plus, you are surrounded by so many people that you can’t really tell you are running up a hill. But the rolling hills in the rest of the race got to me. I made up a mantra “You’re not running out of energy, you’re just running up a hill” and would repeat that to myself. But after the Queensboro Bridge at mile 14ish (100 ft incline over 3/4 of a mile) I couldn’t take the hills anymore. I still ran them, but very slowly. 

So I guess that’s my general overview. The race is truly amazing, but the course was very difficult for me. I have a lot to say, and will break it down in to “before,” “during” and “after” the race below, but if you want to skip all of that, I ran an awesome first half in 2:10ish, then bonked and ran the second half in 2:30ish. My overall time was 4:41:04 (10:44 pace). 

Before the race

I went to the expo on Friday night with Gina and my sister Christina and her boyfriend Will. Race pick-up was extremely easy. They didn’t make you walk pass millions of booths to get your bib and shirts – it was all right there in the front. And there was no line when we got there at 6:45.  I really like the race technical long-sleeved tee, which I wore after the race. 

On Saturday we ran the Dash to the Finish Line 5K then chilled for a few hours, before running errands, getting dinner, and going to a stand up comedy show in Manhattan. One of our very important errands was getting a balloon for my spectator crew to carry. I was hopeful that them carrying a balloon would make it easy for me to spot them, and boy, did it ever. I would see the balloon a few blocks before I saw them, making it easy for me to get over so they could see me. Overall, I saw them three times – at mile 8, 14 and 24 and I was so so excited to see them.That was truly the best part of the race. I felt so honored that Christina and Will came all the way from Iowa to watch me race (and hang out in NYC) – I kept telling random people about how they came all the way out. And Gina and Steve were so incredibly supportive and excited for me. And Steven – well, you all know he’s my #1 fan! They all made me feel so special. 

So… I highly recommend getting a balloon if you are spectating at a really crowded race!

On to race morning (see, this is getting really long). I was scheduled to take the Staten Island Ferry at 7:00. I knew from other blogger’s race reports that you can really get on any ferry you want (it’s okay if you miss yours) but I wanted to get to there early so I wouldn’t feel stressed or rushed. I woke up at 5:00 am, ate cereal, got dressed, vasolined up, and got on the Subway. I made one transfer and got to the ferry at 6:43. Good timing! The subway was full of other marathoners, so I had a fun time talking to them. 

The ferry station was crowded, but I got on within a few minutes and sat outside to take in the great views. 

The ride was not long, then we got off and got on buses to take us to Fort Wadsworth. All this time, I was amazed at how easy everything was. Sure, there were tons of people everywhere, but I never felt like I was getting pushed around, or waiting too long. And I felt like I always knew where I was going and what to do – I was never confused. 

I think I got to Fort Wadsworth around 8:00 then started making my way to the Orange (bib color) Village.

I forced myself to eat a huge NYC bagel (that I brought with me) with peanut butter and two bananas. I talked to a lot of people (guys from Germany, Americans from Florida and California) then checked my bag. I went to the bathrooms a few times (hardly any lines – that was great!). I talked to more people. I generally tried to be chill and not use too much energy, and keep drinking water. I ate another bagel (there were free bagels, coffee and so on). Our corrals opened around 10:00 so I got in line for that. I met people from the Chicago suburbs and talked to them. I ditched my jacket. Then we inched our way toward the start line on the Verazzano-Narrows Bridge…

The Race!

There was such a fun energy in the start of the race. People were just itching to run (after waiting for so long – I had been up for almost 6 hours already!) and were really pepped up. Right away, I noticed we didn’t have any pacers in our wave. I was in the very last wave – wave #3 – the 10:40 am start. I am not sure if the pacers were with another bib color in our wave (we all started in different locations on the bridge and our courses did not converge until mile 8), but I never saw any, and that was kind of a disappointment. I had a bunch of pace bands on though, and my plan was to try to run 10:00 minute miles for as long as I could.  

The start on the bridge was crowded, but to me, I felt like that was the only truly crowded part of the course (sure, I got elbowed and stuff a few times later on, but I felt like I had plenty of space). It was a huge uphill but that didn’t bug me, since I had fresh legs. I got to my pace and felt good. However, I was immediately sweating in the full sun. It was a great day to spectate – maybe in the upper 50s, low 60s? But I was so burned when I finished. You can see it a bit in that picture above of me with the Champagne bottle (Gina had that champagne with her all day in her backpack!). My face is red. And my back is crispy (not pictured).

The energy on the bridge was great, and the view was amazing but two miles on a bridge without spectators is kind of a bummer way to start a race. I was excited when we got off the bridge in to Brooklyn and had spectators. There were tons of them along the entire course and tons of bands too! 

Once we got in to Brooklyn, I found the blue tangent line and stuck to that as closely as possible (I was really surprised more people didn’t follow it). I only veered off to get water, use the bathroom (more on that later), see my spectators, and take walk breaks. 

I felt decent the first few miles, but never strong. But never like the pace was difficult either. I was enjoying the run, but it just wasn’t one of those super easy ones. The first few miles did fly by though. I kept hearing people cheer for someone named Theodora and I turned over to look at her and thought she looked familiar. I asked if she was a blogger, and indeed, she is!

There were water stations at almost every mile starting at mile 3, so I would stop and walk to drink the water. Later on in the race, I would drink some and pour some down my back. I was incredibly hot the entire time. 

I really liked running through Brooklyn, but I was anxious to see my spectators! Steven texted me to let me know where they were, and I saw the balloon right away! I felt such a rush of energy when I saw them, I sped up, and the next three miles were the best ones (8-11). I felt on top of the world and incredibly strong.

 

But I knew I was going to have to go to the bathroom to make it through the race without crapping my pants. My stomach was cramping up. Must have been that last bagel! I waited until I saw bathrooms without lines at mile 12. I dashed in and out and still was under my time goal (I had banked time). 

Right before the Pulaski Bridge, going in to Queens, was when I really started using the “bridge” mantra. When I passed the 13.1 mark in 2:10 I was excited and still felt good. 

But I must have been fading already. Because you can see it in my face and posture from these pictures when I saw my cheer crew at mile 14. 

Then I think it all went downhill (not literally, unfortunately). I went up the Queensboro Bridge. The only nice thing is that there was a crosswind that cooled me down, but blew me all around. I was so happy to run the downhill portion (I felt my downhills were pretty good, despite my worry). I was really excited for 1st Avenue, which is supposed to be the loudest part of the course! But I just kept running and running (and walking to drink water, eat GUs, etc.) and thinking “I have to run up this, through the Bronx and back down 5th Avenue and in to Central Park?!” I kept telling myself “Only 10 more miles!” And “Only 8 more miles!” But it wasn’t working. I faded hard between 16-18, just like at Milwaukee. What a bummer. I ran as much as possible, and didn’t do the march of death (yay for that!), but my running became so slow. I need to figure this out – why I am hitting the wall so early. I drink a cup of water at every stop and Gatorade at the end. I ate a Gu at 4, 8, 12, 16, 19, 24. This method is not working for me. 

So the last 10 miles felt awful (sore back/no energy, but no muscle pain) and I just wanted to finish. I was really looking forward to seeing my spectators around mile 19, but they couldn’t make it. Gina and Steven both called me and gave me wonderful pep talks. Bobbi was sending me awesome motivating text messages. It all really helped. Without that, I am not sure I would have finished when I did. 

It’s also true what they say about walking – the spectators will tell you to pick it up and keep running. So I did, but not very fast. I just thought, “I need to make it to mile 24 where my spectators are, then I can walk the last 2.2!” (Yes, this is what I thought in my delirious state of mind.) 

When I finally got to mile 24 and saw everyone, I stopped and gave Gina a big hug (and she gave me some Swedish fish). She got the crowd cheering for me, saying “Look at this marathoner!” That gave me some energy to run, but I shortly stopped to eat my fish. Then a French guy named Oliver saw me walk and he turned around and gave me a look then motioned that I had to stay with him. Let me tell you – I would have finished in over 5:00 if it had not been for Oliver. We ran the entire last 2.2 miles together. And we couldn’t even communicate – I don’t speak French and he barely spoke English! I gave him a big sweaty hug when we finished. Then I started crying a little bit. And called Steven. And Bobbi to thank her for her awesome texts. And Erin to say I wish she had been there. 

I felt so happy to finish. I wish I would have PR’d (and run under 4:30 so my name would be in the paper), but I was just happy to be DONE! And excited to have participated in such an amazing race. 

 

I felt very proud despite my awful last half. 

I wish I could remember more details of the actual race to share with you, but I cannot right now. But the spectators and volunteers were AMAZING! It is louder than Chicago. If I remember more this week, I will share. 

After the race

You get your medal and space blanket immediately, but then you have to walk through Central Park forever to get your baggage and exit. I should say hobble, instead of walk. I was definitely hobbling. My feet were killing me for the last 10 miles. A volunteer stopped me to ask if I needed medical attention. I was surprised – isn’t that what everyone looks like when they finish a marathon?! Ha ha. 

 

I got my baggage, talked to some other cool people, and finally made it out of Central Park to see my spectators. I was very bad and did not drink or eat anything until an hour+ after the race. I didn’t feel like I could!

I was so happy to see everyone! I gave big sweaty hugs (I should note, I was sweating from the beginning and smelled DISGUSTING) then took off my top and cleaned off a bit to put my Team Kimbot shirt on. 

And I put flip flops on. I had blisters on almost every toe and one was bloody. Eww! Gina had some Gatorade, Swedish Fish and vegan cookies for me. Christina had some marathon presents for me! We hobbled our way to the Subway – marathoners ride free on race day! – and began the long journey back to Queens. 

I had fun talking to them and hearing about their race day adventures. That could probably be a blog post of its own! I cannot express  how grateful I am that they were all there, and did so much to see me and support me. It truly made the day for me. It would not have been the same without them. Knowing I would see them kept me going and made me feel like I could finish, even when I just wanted it to be over!

 

 

After we made it home, we took a quick group pic then everyone told me I had to shower or leave. 

I knew I had incredible amounts of chafing on my upper body and some lower body. Luckily, my shower was not awful. I should have reapplied vasoline! I think I sweated it all off before the race started!

We ordered Chinese food and I gobbled mine down. Then Gina and Steve had another surprise for me – vegan cupcakes! They really are too nice to me! I am lucky to have such amazing** friends. 

I didn’t think I could eat an entire one, but they were so good that I did. And we had champagne too! It was the perfect way to end the night. I should note, I hobble around all night and have swollen feet, but I feel okay. 

Conclusion

Reading through this, I feel like I missed a lot of detail and did not capture the spirit of the race well. But this is all I have in me right now. I will try to remember more later. 

I think I need to take time off from running marathons and focus on losing weight. Running is so much easier for me when I am lighter. I feel like I have so much more in me, but am not taking care of myself very well. That will be my focus now. No more marathons for awhile.

Thank you for all of your support during my training and all of the “good lucks” before the race! I was thinking of many of you!

*Well, I actually tried to hold back the smiling and cheering to conserve energy.
**How many times did I use the word “amazing” in this post?
 

Dash to the Finish Line 5K Race Report

By , November 5, 2011 12:05 pm

As part of the marathon weekend, Gina and I participated in the Dash to the Finish Line 5K! The race started near the United Nations then went down 42nd street and turned uptown in to Central Park, allowing runners to run the last part of the marathon course.

Gina started training for the race when she came to visit about 4 weeks ago. Our plan was to do a run/walk. Unfortunately, during training, her knees started to really bug her. She went to the doctor and found out her right knee was inflamed and that she has Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. Ugh! Gina was super frustrated because she was really liking running and following her training plan. The doctor gave her some exercises, and a prescription for a high dose of ibuprofen… and the okay to run the race! Phew.

So we still did our run walk method, and Gina was awesome! We ran for long stretches of time, then took short walk breaks, until the last mile, when the pain in her knee was too much, and we walked a bit more. We finished in under 45 minutes. 

This 5K was a bit on the crazy side. There were tons of runners (10,000) but we never felt crowded. What was crazy was all the costumes, the stopping to take photos, the singing… it felt more like a spectacle than a race! I am all for having fun though, and the craziness did not bug us (except for the pedestrians who kept crossing the street in front of us). It distracted and entertained us! (But it really made me think “I hope the marathon is not like this”)

The finish line is SO COOL. There are country flags on both sides for a really long stretch. And the canopy of trees overhead is so cool. I am excited to run down it tomorrow! When we ran it today, the announcer said Gina’s name!

I am really proud of Gina for doing so well with her knee issues. I hope we can do a race together in the future where she feels better. At the expo yesterday, we were getting ideas for races… Hawaii? Disney? Ha ha. We like to dream big. 

Oh, and I am really happy the matching shirts I ordered for us were delivered today after we ran the race. Nice. 

How many hours until the marathon?

By , November 4, 2011 11:11 pm

I don’t feel like I am in NYC to run a marathon. I feel like I am here to spend time with my awesome friends Gina and Steve (and Luca and Manny!) and bonus – spend time with my sister and her boyfriend who are also here! I better get my act together, because I do have a marathon to run! 

And a 5K too! Gina and I will be doing the Dash to the Finish Line 5K tomorrow! 

Our flight was a bit late today so we immediately booked it to the expo when we got in. I think we were cutting it short with getting our bibs for the 5K, but we were successful.

I also was really interested in the marathon themed orange arm warmers, so I had to get them. Along with a pair of gloves I thought were silly until I saw them in person, a tee, and gifts for two friends. 

We didn’t spend too much time at the expo though. It was in the middle of nowhere and we (Gina, Will, Christina and I) made the trek back to Gina’s for pizza…

And Gina and Steve surprised me with a marathon goodie bag! They are too good to me! How did I get so lucky? This is going to be a great trip!

I just need to make sure not to have too much fun tomorrow and wear myself out for the race on Sunday!

Not right

By , November 1, 2011 7:13 pm

Wearing a tank top. On a Run. In the Midwest. On November 1.

This is not right. 

I am a cold weather runner! Where is my cold weather, dammit?!

Any other cold weather runners out there?

This run was actually fine. I am just making that face to be funny. Or scary. You choose. But seriously. I do love running in cold weather. Mid 30s feels great to me. Last year I ran in negative temps and didn’t mind it (except my ski goggles kept fogging up!). 

Unable to share (in Google Reader)

By , November 1, 2011 12:54 pm

Have any other Google Reader users noticed you can no longer “share” items or follow people? Google Reader was updated yesterday, and the share post button is no more. Now we are supposed to +1 or add items on Google+. Here’s a short article about the changes. And here’s an article that thinks it’s a good thing, overall.

Basically, in the old version of Google Reader, you could click on an article to share it with people who signed up to follow you. Then you could comment back and forth with them, all within Reader. When they shared something new, it popped up as an unread item. Now, Google want us to use Google+ to share things. It’s easy enough to hit “share” at the top of the screen to put items on Google+, and within certain “circles” but I no longer get a feed of the things my friends are sharing. I have to go to Google+ and look for it. It was better when it was all in one location.

Image from here

Basically… I had a lot of fun sharing things with my friends on Reader, and now they’ve just made it more difficult. I don’t want to use Google+. It’s not intuitive to me, and gee, I already use Facebook. For awhile Steven and I have been talking about how they should incorporate circles in to Reader, so you can only share with certain groups in Reader. We got it the other way around. Maybe I will get used to it. Or maybe enough people will sign the petition to bring it back that Google will! Doubtful.

This is funny. Just yesterday I was thinking about how much I love gmail, and gcal and gdocs… then they do this stupid crap. Oh well. If this doesn’t make sense, or you don’t care, I am happy you don’t waste as much time on the internet as I do!

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