Wasn't sure if I would be able to run well today given that I had run only once in the last two weeks, and also haven't had good sleep in a few weeks. Consequently I am thrilled to have achieved my goal of completing the marathon in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The early start at 7:00 AM meant I had to wake up at 4:15 AM to get ready and drive to MacNeil Park in Queens. I was quite motivated to get going today morning; easy traffic conditions ensured I was there at the start point way ahead of time. Turned out to be lucky as I got a partking spot very close to the start point. Got my number and speed chip, and had time to walk to the nearest Dunkin Donuts for a pre-race breakfast of Bagel with Cream Cheese and Coffee ;-)
The race was run through the residential area of College Point all through with the police blocking the roads for vehicular traffic; an unusual experience for me!
Met one interesting guy at the beginning of the race. He had dislocated his shoulder a month ago while racing against a colleague who had challenged him by saying "he is too fat to outpace him". This guy has been running the Queens Marathon for the last 9 years continuously and was here to keep his streak alive! I didn't wait at the end to see if he finished though.
The weather was pleasant to begin with and started to get hotter after a while. There were fluid stations at every even mile-marker. I stopped at each one to get a glass of gatorade and pour a glass of water on my head.
The 'band-aid-method' to cover my nipples while running did not work out today. I put on the band-aids after I had warmed up and sweated a bit; consequently they did not stick and fell off within the first two miles. Took off my shirt and ran without a shirt on for the rest of the distance to avoid bleeding.
Today's run was a thoroughly enjoyable run. It gives me confidence that I can finish strongly at the Philadelphia Marathon later this year, with regular long runs over the weekends till Nov 23rd!!
The early start at 7:00 AM meant I had to wake up at 4:15 AM to get ready and drive to MacNeil Park in Queens. I was quite motivated to get going today morning; easy traffic conditions ensured I was there at the start point way ahead of time. Turned out to be lucky as I got a partking spot very close to the start point. Got my number and speed chip, and had time to walk to the nearest Dunkin Donuts for a pre-race breakfast of Bagel with Cream Cheese and Coffee ;-)
The race was run through the residential area of College Point all through with the police blocking the roads for vehicular traffic; an unusual experience for me!
Met one interesting guy at the beginning of the race. He had dislocated his shoulder a month ago while racing against a colleague who had challenged him by saying "he is too fat to outpace him". This guy has been running the Queens Marathon for the last 9 years continuously and was here to keep his streak alive! I didn't wait at the end to see if he finished though.
The weather was pleasant to begin with and started to get hotter after a while. There were fluid stations at every even mile-marker. I stopped at each one to get a glass of gatorade and pour a glass of water on my head.
The 'band-aid-method' to cover my nipples while running did not work out today. I put on the band-aids after I had warmed up and sweated a bit; consequently they did not stick and fell off within the first two miles. Took off my shirt and ran without a shirt on for the rest of the distance to avoid bleeding.
Today's run was a thoroughly enjoyable run. It gives me confidence that I can finish strongly at the Philadelphia Marathon later this year, with regular long runs over the weekends till Nov 23rd!!
Congrats Friend,
ReplyDeleteWonderful and Inspiring to the lot who are just been doing the 5K and 10K races. And I really was wondering how you did it within your targeted time of 2h30min inspite of your out of shape running recently. Great and proud that my friend achieved, I really was thrilled when I saw your message of finish timings, Cheers once again !!!