I can see the sun in wintertime

rainbow kirby

Happy birthday Rachel

racheljev

3.5 miles in 32 mins. Last run in Ireland... Jeez, I'm bricking it now:eek: I can't believe I'm at the stage when I can say, we're going the day after tomorrow. Got an email from UPS to say the gear I bought will be dispatched to the hotel tomorrow (great way to save on shipping ) Holy crap, what have I got myself into??

Still not completely sure on what to aim for. The dream time is, of course, anything sub 4. If training had gone perfectly, I'd have said grand, sub 4 it is. But I got so scared in August / September of getting another injury, so I pulled back and missed most of the pmp sessions. And of course, the left calf is still sore. It gets sore and stays sore, doesn't get any worse, doesn't get any better. Hopefully it won't get any worse till after 2ish on Sunday afternoon I've a few long runs under the belt, 2 of which were 20's, so that's ok. At the moment I'm torn between saying, "fiddle it, I'll go for sub 4 and so what if I blow up, this is the only time I'll be doing New York" and being sensible, going for 4:15 and speeding up if I feel good. My time from the half would give me 4:11, but I had a sh**ty half. Oooh I just don't know! OH said I should go out, "balls to the wind" and see what happens.... I'm very tempted... Any suggestions???

Nules10

I am certainly no expert rachel but i will give my tupence worth. If 4 hr was your original target go out with them... you will know pretty quickly if you are able for it or not. or maybe place yourself between the 4 and 4:15 pacers. I dunno i would imagine it would be easier to slow down than speed up. 4:30 was my original target for monday before injury and i placed myself between 4.30 and 5 hrs. I knew after 6 miles 4.30 was a pipe dream but i tried. Things could very well work out for you on the day. good luck whatever you decide to do. its a tough one. I know how you feel.

dolliemix

Belated birthday wishes and best of luck in new York!

RubyK

Belated happy birthday racheljev!

Best of luck in New York. Definitely think you are on for a sub4! Enjoy

menoscemo

Happy birthday and best of luck in NY Rach!!

Give it socks

Bally8

Best of luck Rachel, have a ball. You're going to do great:)

Emer911

Hope it goes well Rachel. Don't forget to enjoy it - whatever your pace!

pgmcpq

racheljev wrote: »

3.5 miles in 32 mins. Last run in Ireland... Jeez, I'm bricking it now:eek: I can't believe I'm at the stage when I can say, we're going the day after tomorrow. Got an email from UPS to say the gear I bought will be dispatched to the hotel tomorrow (great way to save on shipping ) Holy crap, what have I got myself into??

Still not completely sure on what to aim for. The dream time is, of course, anything sub 4. If training had gone perfectly, I'd have said grand, sub 4 it is. But I got so scared in August / September of getting another injury, so I pulled back and missed most of the pmp sessions. And of course, the left calf is still sore. It gets sore and stays sore, doesn't get any worse, doesn't get any better. Hopefully it won't get any worse till after 2ish on Sunday afternoon I've a few long runs under the belt, 2 of which were 20's, so that's ok. At the moment I'm torn between saying, "fiddle it, I'll go for sub 4 and so what if I blow up, this is the only time I'll be doing New York" and being sensible, going for 4:15 and speeding up if I feel good. My time from the half would give me 4:11, but I had a sh**ty half. Oooh I just don't know! OH said I should go out, "balls to the wind" and see what happens.... I'm very tempted... Any suggestions???

Couple of things to think about. NY is a tough course and it gets difficult around mile 15/16 when you hit the 59th Street bridge that takes you over into Manhattan (your Garmin is likely to loose reception here so ignore it if tells you that you are too slow/fast). So however you feel on the day - I would not go all out and try to hang on. There are a bunch of bridges and drags after entry into Manhattan that make for a tough finish. Beware the deceptive drag around mile 22-23 (110th to 90th on 5th Avenue). It's been known to bring tears. See how you feel on the day but in NY, more than most, it should feel easy until you hit Manhattan - then start thinking about pushing it.

Welcome to the 40s !

racheljev

pgmcpq wrote: »

Couple of things to think about. NY is a tough course and it gets difficult around mile 15/16 when you hit the 59th Street bridge that takes you over into Manhattan (your Garmin is likely to loose reception here so ignore it if tells you that you are too slow/fast). So however you feel on the day - I would not go all out and try to hang on. There are a bunch of bridges and drags after entry into Manhattan that make for a tough finish. Beware the deceptive drag around mile 22-23 (110th to 90th on 5th Avenue). It's been known to bring tears. See how you feel on the day but in NY, more than most, it should feel easy until you hit Manhattan - then start thinking about pushing it.

Thanks for that, it's helped make my mind up. 4:10 it is, with anything else a bonus. 59 hours and counting.....

claralara

Best of luck Rachel! We all know what you deserve after your training and I really hope it all comes together on the day. You have sub 4 in you so may the stars align! And bloody well enjoy it - it's the opportunity of a lifetime! Any ole eejit can run in Dublin

metamorphosis

All the best this weekend Rach. Enjoy it!

Nules10

Good luck Rachel hope you have a good one

pgmcpq

Best of luck tomorrow ! Don't forget - the clocks go back here tonight !!!!

Emer911

Following Rachel on the NYC Marathon here

She's gone through 20 miles in 3:20:29

only another 6.2 to go Rachel - COME ON!:p

Emer911

Well done on the run Rachel.
4:28:13 according to the website.
Well done. Enjoy the post race celebration.

Nules10

Well done Rachel. Enjoy the celebrations. Hope you enjoyed it

racheljev

Long report folks, apologies in advance!

So, the big day had finally arrived. After months of preparation and panic, I was on the Staten island ferry, on my way to the start line. Honestly, I was terrified. I normally have a bit of pre race nerves, but this time – jeez, I was in shreds. I was tired, my legs felt heavy, any confidence I might have had was well gone. I’d been awake pretty much all night. Stomach started playing up big time from 3.30 a.m. After a few bites of breakfast, 2 immodium and a lot of tears, OH and I got a taxi to the ferry terminal

Walking into the terminal, the buzz started to hit. I was in New York! I was doing the marathon! Holy crap, cop on and enjoy it! OH left me with words of wisdom and encouragement, and I got on the ferry. The view of sunrise over New York was amazing and a real lift to the spirit. When we got to Staten Island, it was onto a bus and off to the start area. I was sitting on my newspaper, with a bagel, coffee and free Dunkin’ donuts hat by 6:45. I couldn’t enter the corral till 9:20... eh, that’s a long wait in the freezing cold. I tucked myself into my throwaway sweatshirt and waited

By 9 a.m. I was frozen solid and bored stiff. I’d walked around a bit, just for something to do. But the legs still felt heavy so whatever rest I could get, I grabbed. After 3 trips to the loo, I dropped my bag at the UPS truck and headed to the corral. Found my spot fairly quickly and stood with 999 other people in my section. There were 15 sections in each wave – 45,000 people over 3 waves – wow. While we were waiting, we heard the cannon going for the first wave – the adrenalin shot through the crowd, amazing! And then it was almost our turn. We moved forward slowly, slowly. A firewoman sang “America the Beautiful” and a crooner sang “New York, New York” – corny as hell but hey, it still sent up the hairs on the back of my neck. And then our cannon went...

Took my time up the Verrazano Narrows bridge. I had put on a 4:10 pace band, hoping that I’d make it closer to 4:00. But.... realistically I knew that it wasn’t going to happen in New York. And I wasn’t being overly negative. I lost too much training in the second half of the cycle to worry and fear. I spent so much time analysing every last ache and twinge for the past 2 months, terrified it was something serious. In my mind, for this marathon, getting to the start line and finishing was more important than the time.

Miles 1 to 6 were ok. It was very hot all of a sudden. Talk about extremes – freezing to roasting in the space of an hour. My sister and brother in law were staying in Brooklyn, and were hoping to meet up with OH, my Mam and sister. I knew they’d be on the left, after the 3 mile mark. So I decided to stay on the left of the road – which is where the sun was shining brightly. Runners on the right were in the shade... crap. After I saw my cheerleaders, I contemplated swapping sides but it just seemed like too much trouble. I reckoned my side would have to get some shade at some point....

I was still on 4:10 pace at this stage, but I wasn’t getting over obsessed about it. I took a drink at each aid station – water at one, Gatorade at the next. I was also taking a Clif shot blok, every 15 mins or so. The crowds were amazing, shouting and roaring for everybody. I had my name on my top and every “Go Rachel” lifted me. I was going okay through Brooklyn, coping. The garmin had already picked up 0.1 mile extra at this stage, but autolap was off so I was using the pace band and stop watch to keep an eye on things. Still on track...

From mile 8 onwards, the times started to slip. From 10, it got worse. From Brooklyn to Queens, and then onwards just felt so fricking hard. My head was down but the shoulders were up so high, I was nearly wearing them as earrings. I was trying hard to keep the head but the end seemed so far away. 10 miles was way too early for me to be already giving up! 12, 13, 14 ticked by and I knew 4:10 was not going to happen. I gave myself a very stern talking to, and celebrated by running and puking at the same time – none of that “stop on the side of the road” lark, I’m a classy bird, me

The Queensboro bridge was up next and holy crap, that was tough. But I knew the crowd would be waiting on the other side. And they were – wow. The only problem was that it felt like the finish line and there were still 10 miles to go. First Avenue seemed to go on forever. And it all seemed to be uphill. And then we were in the Bronx. (Saw my fave sign here – run like you’re trying to get out of Jersey) The part of my head that was enjoying New York was shouting “You’re in the Bronx, how cool is this??” The rest of my head was saying, shut the f*** up, do you know how hard it is to put one foot in front of the other

Just before the Madison avenue bridge, back into Manhattan, I thought I was going to give up. I was crying (again!) and I puked (again!) I felt like absolute crap, my legs hurt, my stomach hurt, I was too hot and I’d had enough. So, I called on my Nana. I had her ring with me and I took it from my pocket and put it on my finger. Right, I said, you got me into this (I got in through the lottery 3 weeks after she died), come on, get me out of this. And then I was on 5th Avenue. Just keep going, just keep going. 21 miles done, 22 miles done, 23 miles done. Nearly at entrance to Central Park. If I get to Central Park, I’ll definitely finish. And then we were in Central Park. Ok, I can do this, I can finish. Now, can I get in before 4:30? Come on, HTFU, get a move on. My cheerleaders are at 40k, roaring their heads off. I scream at them, “I’m going to do it, I’m going to make it”. It’s uphill but I’m not walking. I’m not running very fast but I’m moving. All of a sudden, 25 mile marker, then a sign saying half a mile to go. It’s down to hundreds of yards. I do this all the time, I can do this now. 26 mile marker and I’m roaring. The finish line comes and I’m still roaring. I’m crying and laughing and waving my arms like a lunatic. I’ve done it. 26.69 miles in 4:28:13. Unbelievable, the most amazing feeling ever

And now? Well, I’m still on a bit of a high. I’ve put my time to the back of my mind. It’s slower than Barca in March, but honestly it was a tougher marathon. If I’d kept going on the training cycle and if I hadn’t been so nervous and if my stomach had been okay and if I hadn’t been so tired and if, and if, and if, and if.... I could go on all day but it’s all shoulda woulda coulda at this stage. I’ve done the New York marathon. I have my medal. I’m happy.

RayCun

Great report. You ran the New York Marathon! Go you!

shazkea

Good job Rachel, high 5...enough with the Americanisms

Sounds like a tough day out but enjoyed reading the report. Congrats again missus

Nules10

Well done Rachel. Sounded tough out there but you sure as hell gave it your all. Great report had me choking back tears well done again

Bally8

Nules10 wrote: »

Well done Rachel. Sounded tough out there but you sure as hell gave it your all. Great report had me choking back tears well done again

+1 Im welling up reading it

racheljev wrote: »

celebrated by running and puking at the same time – none of that “stop on the side of the road” lark, I’m a classy bird, me

Ha ha you are hardcore Rachel!

Im delighted for you, its a great result. I know it wasnt the time you were hoping for but I still think sub 4.30 is amazing. Not something I can ever seeing myself achieve. Well done girl!

Emer911

Great report Rachel.
I feel your pain! If I was puking (at all) I'd have been finished :eek:.#
Fair fcuks for getting to the end!

The elusive 4 hour marathon is out there waiting for you us?

dolliemix

Congrats Rachel. Loved your emotional report.

RubyK

Well done rach! Brill report. Fair play to you for battling on

jcsmum

Brilliant report Rachel. Well done on a wonderful achievement! Once in a lifetime experience for sure!

jprender

One of the best race reports I've read. Inspirational stuff.

Great effort and achievement, well done.

Dory Dory

You totally rock!! Brought tears to my eyes - well done!!

pgmcpq

Congratulations Rachael,

Great race, great recovery and great report. No one PBs in NY.

(Saw my fave sign here – run like you’re trying to get out of Jersey)

Hey, I have to object. Jersey's not that bad !

racheljev

pgmcpq wrote: »

Hey, I have to object. Jersey's not that bad !

I know, I just liked the sign - along with "Worst parade ever", "Go anonymous runner, go!", "Run like you've stolen something", "Puke and carry on", "Your feet are hurting cos you're kicking ass-phalt"... Brilliant signs and a great boost
Thanks for all the nice posts as well, still coming down from the high. I've spent a lot of time processing last Sunday and I'm still happy with it. I honestly don't think I could have given any more on the day. So what's next? I'm thinking of the Luxembourg marathon on 19th May, my sister in law lives there and she'd put us all up for the weekend. It's an evening run, it starts at 6 p.m. so I'll think about it over the next few weeks and decide for definite. I'll give the Aware 10k a go in December and the Raheny 5 in January, haven't thought about much beyond that.

So recovery - 3.3 miles today in the rain, nice and easy. No twinges anywhere, DOMS gone now, hamstrings still sort of tight but not painful. A few more stretches and they'll be grand.