#9 is fine!

Sunday's NYCM was the 9th of marathons I've run and wow, it did not disappoint!  I took the approach of having a grand ole time along the course, soaking up the unbelievable crowd support and amazing course through so many of NYC's diverse neighborhoods and not worrying about a goal time, splits, etc.   Again, it did not disappoint.   Spots that were a little bare and lacking support back when I last ran this race in '07 were now 3-4 people deep!   It didn't hurt that the weather was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!!!  And for all of you who have read here long enough, you know that means no heat, no humidity and no freak conditions.  It was cool and crisp but sunny and we were kissed with a nice breeze (windy, even, in parts) ....all heaven to a too-warm runner like myself.  I enjoyed every single aspect to the day including the extra early wake-up call to board a bus and camp out on Staten Island for several hours prior to lining up for the start; this year I even scored a sweet spot inside a tent!  And for a day that lasted essentially from 4:15 a.m. till after 2:00 p.m. it went by in a heartbeat.  

One aspect to race day that I hadn't encountered before was the excitement in knowing several runners not only experiencing their first NYCM but also running their first marathon.   I often thought of these peeps ...Kelly, Elgin, Carlos & most especially the lovely Sharon, wondering if they were having as good of a time as I was and hoping it was my adventure tenfold!   Quickly these thoughts led me back to my own first marathon and what I remember from that June day in San Diego back in '06:

• Where's sissy, where's sissy?
• Why oh why did the race directors think a cambered stretch of highway to be suitable for miles along the course?
• Every mile after and including mile 21 must measure 2 miles long each, no way are these markers accurate
• This Rock & Roll bs isn't really even worth it, I'm past a band before I even really hear them
• How are we still circling around Sea World, just how many turns can we take to make up a mile or two?
• [seeing a runner fall within the last mile of the race] Holy shit that would suck so very bad... keeping moving forward Maria, keep moving forward
• I'm just going to walk a little through this water station, surely that won't hurt
• OMG, there it is... OMG, there it is!   I see the finish line.
• Where's sissy, where's sissy?
•  And immediately, I mean immediately after crossing the finish line - where can I sit down?!?!?!?!  I don't want anything to eat, I don't want my baggage or my medal, I just want to sit down. :) 

Funny enough, after 9 full marathons, countless hours/days/weeks/months of training [and other race distances] and more miles than I'd care to calculate, I ran Sunday's race slower than that first marathon in 2006.   And despite my finish time on Sunday, or perhaps in celebration of, I love this beast of a race distance more than ever!!!  Thank you New York City, you have been my home for the last 10+ years and I never felt more a part of you than I did on Sunday.