Back in February 2018 I entered the New York Marathon lottery, along with 105,183 other hopefuls. The day after my birthday I found out that I was among the lucky 14.9% to get in via the lottery. First reaction: OMG!
Training began on July 2nd. I was getting back into a running regimen following a fall in April during a trail race which left me with a broken rib. Training was just swell for the first couple of months. In early August I started experiencing some acute pain in my right Achilles. My podiatrist ordered rest along with other aids like wearing a night splint, regularly icing the afflicted area, wearing compression socks, and other forms of treatment to help heal. I was eventually given the go-ahead to run but continued to include a lot of rest in my plan and drastically reduced my weekly mileage. I cut back my longest runs from 18-20 to a max long run of just 16 miles on October 20th. I thought about deferring my New York Marathon entry to 2019 but eventually decided to give it my best shot in 2018.
Arthur and I flew into New York on Thursday, November 1st. We attended the Late Show taping that evening. Friday morning, it was Expo time!
Visiting the Expo is essential -- that's where runners pick up their race bibs, race-day bags, and participant t-shirts. Arthur and I lined up for the Expo about 30 minutes prior to opening time. Once we got inside, pickup for bib, bag, and t-shirt was smooth and easy.
Next it was time to check out official merchandise (I purchased a branded visor), find my name on the wall of runners, scope out all of the run-related vendors, pick up free swag and samples, and attend a course briefing. There were also a lot of photo ops at the Expo.
I left a simple note of encouragement and was so happy to get this note in exchange. Thank you, random stranger runner!
Here's a sampling of the swag I picked up, including the purple visor I purchased, plus official race shirt, bib, and informational literature.
After the fun of the Expo we headed out to explore more of New York. Race day was just hours away!
Over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, Arthur and I took an 11-night Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Dawn. I did one 5K on the ship for a virtual race (Stress Buster), which I completed while the ship was at sea on Christmas Eve.
My second marathon, the world's biggest marathon, is in the books! At first I was a bit bummed about my slow time but now I'm feeling proud to have finished and very grateful I did not hurt myself or aggravate my injury. I started the race with 53,120 others....
Due to pandemic-related race cancellations and postponements, 2020 has seen a rise in popularity of virtual races. Are you looking for your next virtual race?I found the following virtual races with both t-shirts and medals as swag. Many are at budget-friendly prices, especially...
Due to pandemic-related race cancellations and postponements, 2020 has seen a rise in popularity of virtual races. Are you looking for your next virtual race?I found the following virtual races with both t-shirts and medals as swag. Several of these runs have budget-friendly...
