NYC marathon summary

The NYC marathon is behind me. Was amazing, justifying its slogan – “a race like no other”.
A bit late (and a bit long...) below is my race summary, feel free skipping the details and scrolling all the way down to Paula...
Thanks for all the support along the last 6 months!
Raanan


First, the bottom line:Time- 4:17:05; 18,180-overall (out of 38,377); 13,865-men division; 4,605-Men age division; 1-hapoel ramat gan fans division.

Before getting into the race itself, some memories from the weekend. It seems as NY during the marathon weekend is ALL around the marathon. TV, news, events and thousands or runners walking the streets of Manhattan with flags and running uniforms.

Thursday - Arrival in NY and the Marathon Expo

Thursday was Expo day, almost directly from JFK, collecting my marathon gear, Fred’s team uniform, and 5 hours of obsessive sports shopping (didn’t really buy that much but still made sure I go threw every booth). Best purchase of the day – throwable set of jacket-pants-gloves that would save me on the freezing wait for the marathon start.

Friday - last training run in Central Park

On Friday we (=first lady & me) went to do the last 5k of the marathon course. It was so cold I didn’t manage to get any sweat during a 30 minutes jog. But the skies were blue and the park was full of runners from all over the world running with uniforms and flags, singing songs and greeting each other

Friday - Finish line rehearsal and Respect to Fred Lebow

Saturday morning was the International Friendship Run – 5km from the UN to central park. The amount of ppl is overwhelming, many running in national costumes carrying flags. Later, brunch at 7A in the East Village followed by the movie Run For Your Life

Saturday - International 5k Run, Runners from Japan & The Netherlands

Early evening we went to Tavern on the Green in central park that hosted the traditional pre-race pasta party. 40,000 runners + spouses having dinner. The evening included pack, check, unpack, check again and so on of the race gear.

Saturday evening - Pasta party

Sunday started with 4:30 wakeup, 5:30 Fred’s team breakfast. Coffee, banana and a bagel with a couple of Gatorades.

Sunday wakeup

At 6 we all went out for a team picture at times square and boarded the buses. A dozen buses with a police escort leading the convey opening traffic lights for us (nice…). Later i found out that the first bus was carrying the elite runners (Paula too?...)

Sunday 6am - Fred's team at times square

The start village under the Verrazano is an amazing logistics operation hosting 40,000 runners. The freezing weather was a killer with 3 hours to the start at 10am.

The race started at 3 waves, 9:40 10:00 & 10:20. I was assigned to the 10:00 wave and at 9:15 I entered the orange corals (Orange & Blue – upper bridge, Green – lower). The next 45min were slow progress toward the start line at 9:55 I threw away my long training pants.

Sunday - at the start village under the Verrrazano Narrows bridge

The thing with the cloths is an amazing example of turning a big problem into a great feature – since its freezing during these several hours at the start camp you need plenty of layers, hats, gloves etc. After checking in your bag at the UPS trucks there is no way to deposit anything. So runners are encouraged to keep their warm cloths and get rid of them along the way. Yes – just throw them away to the sidewalks and volunteers collect these cloths that would be later cleaned and given to charity.

Sunday 10am - what a start...

At 10:00 I was getting close to the start line at the base of the Verrazano bridge and suddenly it started – the huge mass of people move from walking to running. At 10:05 I crossed the start line and started the 1 mile climb to the top of the bridge. What a site, the skies were clear blue and the bridge was a carpet of runners. Very exciting and emotional start, my hr was over 170bpm (my overall average hr was 150..). Got rid of the wind jacket and feeling great ready for Brooklyn. Brooklyn is the longest part of this 5 borough race, and definitely with the most diverse human scenery - the churches sometimes have their choirs out singing, hasidi men and women (seporated…), families, fire stations, police, students. At my 10k checkpoint I was feeling perfect, exactly on my 6:00 min/km pace, low hr of 145, gor rig of the gloves and the sweatshirt.

Brooklyn

Pulaski Bridge is the half marathon point, on pace, no pains, and Queens is on the other side of the bridge. Queens was my home for 3 years when I was seven years old, I have clear and wonderful memories from that period. At 25k entering the Queensboro Bridge. At the end of the bridge, a sharp left turn and its welcome-to-Manhattan. Up first avenue through the largest and loudest crowd on the course. Over two million people gather along the race course. Where else can a person see with his eyes 2 million people?..

Manhattan- 1st avenue 25k mark

After 500 meters up first Avenue I hear my name, looking back I see Ravit, 100 meters of suicidic run the opposite direction and i hand her my head and arm warmers and get some action pictures.

Fred's team & MSKCC Hospital at 27k

At mile 17, under the MSKCC hospital I pass by the Fred’s team staff and hospital patients. During 1^st avenue I passed by a naked runner who would later be named as “the naked guy”. Also saw Larry the Lighthouse , but didn’t manage to see the famous Mr. Testicles.

The Bronx

At 32k, crossing Willis Avenue Bridge and entering the BRONX. Exiting the bridge cant miss a very loud DJ, with hundreds of fans welcoming the runners with “this is not the fuxxen upper-east-side, this is the Bronx! you better start moving”. Two more kilometers over the Madison Avenue Bridge and its back to Manhattan through the laud crowd of Harlem.

At this point, with about 8km to the finish I am almost on pace, hr around 150bpm, my legs start hurting, nothing fatal but the pain is there and growing. At around 36k entering the Central Park, no “Wall” but the pain deepens.

After 40k with the smell of the finish line and the Central Park crowds all the pains disappeared.

40k mark Central Park

Finish line, medal, mylar blanket, food bag, in the route toward the exit. Two minutes after the finish everybody was shivering from the cold weather. The streets of Manhattan were loaded with tired but happy runners that would continue to wear the marathon medal all week long. Two hours after the finish line, an ice bath, massage (courtesy of Fred's team of course...) and ready for celebration dinner. Was AMAZING!...

was amazing!

the one and only Paula - crossing the finish line and on the cover of Monday's NY Times

New York City Marathon – the day after

Was an amazing event and an astonishing experience. 

Exciting, tough, overwhelming and great fun.

Overall feeling well with relative minimal damages.

Results: Time - 4:17:05; overall place - 18,180

Details and pictures to come…

Thanks for all the ongoing support

Raanan

Its coming…

Four days to the NYC Marathon. 

Almost 100% healthy & very happy with my training season. Logged over 1,000km, hills, weights & lots of (boring) injury prevention stretching. No excuses or understatements. I am ready as I’ll ever be and no “one tough course” can reduce my expectations for a great race.

I have no illusions it would be painless but I definitely want a great run. Feeling good, finishing happy with no physical surprises. Although I’m running for fun, definitely not chasing a result, deep down, just like with every runner (or every one), there is a target result we shoot for that can‘t be ignored… So… any time under 4 hours & 20 minutes would be great, going below 4:15 would be fabulous, 4:25 or above – fadiha.

I cant wait to see the scale of this event. The ING New York City Marathon Creates $220 Million in Economic Impact on the city Not bad for a run…
The amazing video clip below provides a peek on the logistics required for creating such an event.


This week's educational corner courtecy of Sir Charles:
“Charles Barkley was asked how does he dominate the rebound in spite of his disadvantage in height and athletics, “my tactics is simple” he replied “I am going to get the fucken ball”

See you in NY!

http://raananrunsthenycmarathon.blogspot.com/

Tzeala Race & Peak week

Just finished week#5, with a fun field race in Tzeala. 

The Tzeala race which was formed only a year ago became a very popular event and was sold out with 1,400 runners from babies to grandparents.

This week is the peak week of my marathon training with 75 weekly km's and my longest long run of 35km comming up this Friday. 4 weeks to go...

Hatima Tova,

Raanan

participents of the 600 meter and 200 meter races during mental preperation prior to race start

The MONSTER MONTH

After over 600 summer kilometers, the marathon is (still) 6 weeks away.
This period is the money-time of the marathon training, the Monster Month - These 4 weeks are the most critical and most difficult weeks of the marathon training. Mileage peak (300 km/month), the longest long runs (35k), more hills. 

And we're tired. Or injured. Or Both. 

It is during this month that many runners get injured - pull hamstrings, knot calf muscles, get ITBS (Iliotibial Band Syndrome), inflame knees, and more. If the injury is too serious, its bye-bye marathon. Every ache and twinge is a warning sign. It is a time of anxiety and stress.
Mental fatigue also catches up, getting tired of training, tired of 4am weekend wakeups, tired of energy gels, tired of the ice baths…

But now we need to get through Monster Month. And do it in one piece. Over-motivated pre-40-crisis amateurs stick to the training plan. No matter what. Even though something feels physically wrong, if the spread sheet says “this Friday 30k at marathon pace+10” - you do. And the cruelest side of marathon training – injuries don’t have a clear warning sign saying “stop here or get injured”. Since pain permanently escorts you from the day you start with the 30k long runs, it is does not serve as a stop sign.  

The positive side of Monster month is to get to see the rewards of the last training months. A 24k weekend run is now considered as an easy long run that does not require recovery days.
As for motivation during Monster Month, runners are recommended to 'visualize the race' – ahh Verrazano Bridge, Central Park...

Till the Verrazano, its the 2nd Tze’ala race on October 4th.
Shana Tova! 

The best running shoes

New running shoes get me excited like a kid with a new toy. I recently got the new model of the Mizuno Wave Creation 9 shoes. Me very happy...

I’m often asked “how good are they?” “are they better than Sacouny/Asics/Brooks” etc.The quest for the “best” running shoe is a popular journey most runners go through. 

Our search for “the best” product isn’t unique to running shoes. “Blackberry or iPhone”, “Sony or Sharp”, “Prada or D&G”, “Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet”, “Mercedes or BMW”, “Morgan Stanley or Merrill Lynch”?...

Personaly, the minute a sales person includes the word “best” in a sentence when pitching to me I get an immediate turnoff from him, from the store and from the product he is trying to push.

This is my 3^rd Mizuno, I came across this brand an year ago. While trying various brands at the Miami marathon expo, one of the shoe fitting guys (a marathoner of course) asked me “so which brand inspires you the most?”. “Inspires” – it all came down to “inspires”. It’s a given they all fit my foot biomechanics, have top technologies, comfort and durability. INSPIRATION becomes the decision parameter. Insperation as the USP. After most commodities (almost every product or service today) reach their product stability (cell phones are soon there), inspiration becomes that main selling parameter.

I recently started using a Mac laptop, still running windows on it, but a Mac. How is it compared to my previous IBM? The feeling is great, I don’t think it has anything to do with its features…

Bellow is a video of Apple’s brilliant “I’m a Mac, I’m a pc” campaign. Although they are supposedly showing of features, I can bet their campaign brief top requirement was “inspire”. 

Finishing week #8. Climbed to 64 weekly km with a 32k long run. Feeeling the load but no major injuries (hamsa hamsa…). Next week starts the money-time month of my training plan that would lead to 70+ weekly km