This is my cliché post about what I'm thankful for. I could write a list, but I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to write about the thing I am most grateful for this Thanksgiving even though it could be considered selfish.
I am most thankful for my health. I've been feeling the best I've felt in over a decade. I have a new benchmark for what "normal" feels like and it is mountains higher than it was this time last year. Within the past year, I have experienced the ups and downs on this rollercoaster I call my health. It really feels like I have my life back! NO PAIN! NO BAD BOWL MOVEMENTS! NO FATIGUE! NO DEPRESSION! NO BULLSHIT!
Now that I'm energized and healthy, I am branching out of my comfort zone by trying new things and meeting new people. MarathonFest has been one of the best decisions I've made this year and my good health afforded me the opportunity. I absolutely love my running group. Not only are they fun to run with, but they are also great motivators! They make me a better runner, they make me a better person.
I have energy to get to know my co-workers. Chit chatting no longer terrifies and exhausts me. My lunch hour is no longer used to nap. In fact, now I love going to lunch with a few co-workers to talk about life and work... and of course, running. It's fun!
One of the new things I'm going to try is a Ragnar Trail Relay. I was introduced to a team of 8 people I don't know by one of my MarathonFest running friends. One of the people on the 8 person team broke his collarbone, so I'm going to take his place in the relay. The relay is in Tampa and it involves camping for two nights and tag teaming three different trails until everyone has ran all three trails for a total of 15 miles. We'll be running at all hours. My tentative relay schedule for the three trails is 11am, 7pm, and 3am. Typically, camping with Crohn's disease would sound like a horrible idea, but since I'm healthy I decided to go for it! I don't have any camping skills or trail running skills. Even though I know people on different relay teams, I will be camping with the 8 people I don't really know and I'm excited!
I joined another running club called Ten10. If I wasn't healthy, there's no way I would consider this. They meet every Tuesday at Ten10 Brewery in Winter Park, run a few miles, and then drink beer. I met most of the people on my relay team there yesterday. I can already tell they know how to have fun! Our team name is Sloth Squad and our tag line is "We'll get there eventually". I'm looking forward to getting to know my team better. I'll be going again next Tuesday!
As you know I joined a gym to use the showers after my morning runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Well, I decided to start doing one class a week. All classes are free with a gym membership, so I might as well get use out of it. My class of choice is Camp Apex, which is an hour long crossfit class. It is intense to say the least. In the the two classes I've taken, I was tired after the warmup. I've been sore for days afterwards, so I know its working something. There's good scenery, too. Most of the guys are hot! My station partner this past Monday saw my marathon shirt, and then told me all about the Chicago Marathon he did a few weeks ago.
Who am I? I'm exactly who I want to be at the moment. I'm healthy and able to do anything I want! I'm a marathon runner that's searching for adventure! It's a hell of a lot easier being me when I'm healthy! Count your blessings and don't take a healthy day for granted... I know I'm not taking this season of life for granted. The top of the rollercoaster offers the best view!
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Sunday, November 13, 2016
NYC - Part 2
The Race of a Lifetime:
I was very restless the night before the race. Between the nerves, excitement, and peeing every couple hours because I had been hydrating the night before, I didn't sleep well. One time when I woke up, I checked my smart phone time and compared it to my stupid watch and concluded that my phone did indeed fall back. The final time I woke up was thirty minutes before my alarm was set to go off, but I couldn't get back to sleep. Once 5AM rolled around, I began getting ready. It's always nerve wracking getting ready for a race in a hotel. To my surprise, I don't think I forgot anything. Even though I laid out all of my gear the night before, my pre-run habits were thrown off a bit. I was very slow and methodical as I got ready to embark on what I now consider to be one of the best days of my life. I told Taylor I would see her at the finish line and I left to walk towards the New York Public Library where the start busses pick up tens of thousands of runners.
Runners were already flooding the streets and I just followed the crowd to the back of the library in Bryant Park. This is where they start herding the runners into huge lines that wrap around the block before taking us to the front of the library where we board the marathon busses. At the start of the line, they handed out brand new $28 gloves, which were a sweet start to the morning. There weren't any porta-potties in the area, so I stopped hydrating at this point. I boarded a bus a little after 6AM. It took close to two hours before we unloaded at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island. The guy next to me smelled so badly that I was trying not to gag. Unfortunately, the bus didn't have a working bathroom. Guys were peeing in cups on the bus and walking to the front of the bus every time stopped in traffic or at a light to dump out their urine. Runners, we live a glamorous life. Meanwhile I wish I was dude because I had to pee BAD!!! I wasn't the only lady asking how much further until we get there.
It was around 8AM by the time we unloaded off the bus only to discover that we had to wait in the super long security line to into the start village where the porta-potties were located. In the forty-five minutes it took to get through security, I thought I was going to pee myself a few times. Security searched my approved, clear race bag and had me walk through the metal detector. Once I was through security around 8:45AM, I asked where the porta-potties were and made a bee line to them. I nearly cried when I saw the HUGE line for the porta-potties. I kid you not, I had to wait over 40 minutes in the porta-potty line. By the time it was my turn, I don't think I peed so much in my life. I seriously may have peed for two minutes straight, which means I did a two minute squat before the race. My legs were shaking by the time I was done.
At last, a little after 9:30AM I found a place to sit for a few minutes before I got back in line for the porta-potties. I figured I'd want to go before my corral opened around 10:30AM, so I better get in line even if I didn't have to got yet. It worked out perfectly. Once I was done with my second porta-potty stop of the day, it was time for me to head to my corral. I only had to wait about 10 minutes before my corral opened. While I waited I decided to take off my throw away sweats. After I was in my corral at the bottom of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, time stood still and I took it all in. I was interrupted by the guy behind me asking for a kiss for good luck. I put five marathon pickup lines on the back of my shirt. Folks really enjoyed them during the race. #1 seemed to be the favorite.
The start line was kind of a blur. The National Anthem played, the cannons went off, and Wave 4 was on its way. There were military guys close to the start screaming and cheering for us! The bridge was quiet because no spectators were allowed on the bridge. I heard a rumor that advised you not to run near the edge of the bridge if you were on the bottom because the runners from the top pee of the edge and if it's a windy day, you could find it pissing rain. I don't see how that rumor could be true, but I ran on the inside nonetheless.
Once I made my way off the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn, the crowds didn't disappoint. People lined both sides of the street! Brooklyn was the longest and easiest borough. It was flat and fast which made it pass by quickly. I waited in line for a porta-potty around mile 9. My watch was set for 5 and 1 intervals (running for 5 minutes and walking for 1 minute), but I skipped a lot of walk breaks in Brooklyn. That could have been my demise toward the end of the race, but I was caught up in the energy of the crowd. Queens was really short, but this is where my feet started to hurt. I think my activities from the pervious days were catching up to me. The Queensboro Bridge during miles 15-16 sticks out to me. I walked the bridge in an attempt to save my legs for the finish. No spectators were allowed on this bridge either, so I didn't feel bad walking. After mile 16, in Manhattan, I stopped at another porta-potty.
The Queensboro Bridge took me into Manhattan where the roar of the crowd was unlike anything I had ever heard. Manhattan definitely had the biggest crowd. This is where I really started slowing down and taking more walk breaks through the water/Gatorade stops. I really just wanted to take it all in and enjoy every minute of it! I encountered some hills on my way into the Bronx. They say the wall hits you at mile 20. Even though I was hurting, the wall didn't hit me as hard as it usually does at this point in a marathon. At the 20 mile mark, there are only 6.2 miles left. While that may not seem like a lot compared to how many I'd already completed, that is really where the race starts. It's where I give myself a gut check to see much I want it. Back in Manhattan making my way to Central Park, I struggled with the slight incline on the course. After 20 miles an ant hill feels like a mountain. I should have trained on more hills because the bridges and hills kicked my ass. I felt like everyone cheering my name was my friend. The people of New York are really what make this race so special.
I hit the wall at mile 23. I'd like to know who put those freaking hills in the last three miles of the race. I walked a lot, make one last pit stop and put in a new phone battery between miles 23 and 25. Not long after I passed mile 25, I tried going live on Facebook. It was a weak connection, but it connected and that's all that matters. After 25 miles, it's difficult to look good and strong. However, being live on Facebook was good motivation to not look like I was experiencing a lot of pain. Hopefully, it wasn't too boring. Perhaps I should have talked more to make it interesting. I was totally in the zone.
In the last mile, three moments stand out to me. The moment I saw mile 26, the moment I saw Taylor, and the moment I saw the finish line! When Taylor came into sight, words cannot express how great it was to see her. She was cheering me on and the look on her face told me how proud she was of me! I gave her a high five, which has to go down as the best high five in the history of high fives! I took my time to take pictures of the mile markers, Taylor, and the finish line. As I was taking a picture of the finish line, I was overcome with a level of joy I've never felt before. Facebook Live lost connection as soon as I crossed the finish line, but I'm glad everyone that wanted to experience it with me was able to. I didn't cry, I just relished in the moment of victory. No matter how difficult life gets with illness, I can't give up on the possibility of better days ahead. This was my best day! I was strong and healthy and I believe the future holds more days like.
I took pictures and posed for others. A volunteer placed my medal around my neck and I took and posed for more photos. I had to shuffle my way a half mile North to get out of the runner zone around the finish line. Thankfully, I opted for the post race poncho. The poncho is fleece lined and kept me warm on my trek to meet Taylor at the hotel. I was not moving very fast after the race. Everything hurt so good. My feet and legs were on fire. I found the subway I needed, but I had to wait for three trains because it was so crowded. While waiting for the train, I was reading through all of my messages and that's when tears found my cheeks. The support I had from family, friends, and co-workers was incredible! Everyone seemed to understand how much this race meant to me and helped me embrace and celebrate it!
I stopped for coffee on my way back to the hotel, but once I was back Taylor was my hero! She helped me take off my shoes and took care of me! She went to the hotel restaurant and brought up burgers and fries to the room so that I wouldn't have to move. I was super sore after the race. It felt like I ran a marathon or something.
Overall, it was the race of a lifetime. Checked that off my bucket list, but I totally want to do it again! Exploring New York City and sharing the marathon experience with Taylor made it a trip I will never forget. I think we made memories to tell for decades and I absolutely believe we would kick butt on the Amazing Race! THANK YOU, TAYLOR!!!
I was very restless the night before the race. Between the nerves, excitement, and peeing every couple hours because I had been hydrating the night before, I didn't sleep well. One time when I woke up, I checked my smart phone time and compared it to my stupid watch and concluded that my phone did indeed fall back. The final time I woke up was thirty minutes before my alarm was set to go off, but I couldn't get back to sleep. Once 5AM rolled around, I began getting ready. It's always nerve wracking getting ready for a race in a hotel. To my surprise, I don't think I forgot anything. Even though I laid out all of my gear the night before, my pre-run habits were thrown off a bit. I was very slow and methodical as I got ready to embark on what I now consider to be one of the best days of my life. I told Taylor I would see her at the finish line and I left to walk towards the New York Public Library where the start busses pick up tens of thousands of runners.
Runners were already flooding the streets and I just followed the crowd to the back of the library in Bryant Park. This is where they start herding the runners into huge lines that wrap around the block before taking us to the front of the library where we board the marathon busses. At the start of the line, they handed out brand new $28 gloves, which were a sweet start to the morning. There weren't any porta-potties in the area, so I stopped hydrating at this point. I boarded a bus a little after 6AM. It took close to two hours before we unloaded at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island. The guy next to me smelled so badly that I was trying not to gag. Unfortunately, the bus didn't have a working bathroom. Guys were peeing in cups on the bus and walking to the front of the bus every time stopped in traffic or at a light to dump out their urine. Runners, we live a glamorous life. Meanwhile I wish I was dude because I had to pee BAD!!! I wasn't the only lady asking how much further until we get there.
It was around 8AM by the time we unloaded off the bus only to discover that we had to wait in the super long security line to into the start village where the porta-potties were located. In the forty-five minutes it took to get through security, I thought I was going to pee myself a few times. Security searched my approved, clear race bag and had me walk through the metal detector. Once I was through security around 8:45AM, I asked where the porta-potties were and made a bee line to them. I nearly cried when I saw the HUGE line for the porta-potties. I kid you not, I had to wait over 40 minutes in the porta-potty line. By the time it was my turn, I don't think I peed so much in my life. I seriously may have peed for two minutes straight, which means I did a two minute squat before the race. My legs were shaking by the time I was done.
At last, a little after 9:30AM I found a place to sit for a few minutes before I got back in line for the porta-potties. I figured I'd want to go before my corral opened around 10:30AM, so I better get in line even if I didn't have to got yet. It worked out perfectly. Once I was done with my second porta-potty stop of the day, it was time for me to head to my corral. I only had to wait about 10 minutes before my corral opened. While I waited I decided to take off my throw away sweats. After I was in my corral at the bottom of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, time stood still and I took it all in. I was interrupted by the guy behind me asking for a kiss for good luck. I put five marathon pickup lines on the back of my shirt. Folks really enjoyed them during the race. #1 seemed to be the favorite.
- Let's finish at the same time
- Do you need a kiss for good luck?
- Who's cheering you on today?
- Is this your first time, too?
- I get lost easily...Can I follow you to the finish?
The start line was kind of a blur. The National Anthem played, the cannons went off, and Wave 4 was on its way. There were military guys close to the start screaming and cheering for us! The bridge was quiet because no spectators were allowed on the bridge. I heard a rumor that advised you not to run near the edge of the bridge if you were on the bottom because the runners from the top pee of the edge and if it's a windy day, you could find it pissing rain. I don't see how that rumor could be true, but I ran on the inside nonetheless.
Once I made my way off the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn, the crowds didn't disappoint. People lined both sides of the street! Brooklyn was the longest and easiest borough. It was flat and fast which made it pass by quickly. I waited in line for a porta-potty around mile 9. My watch was set for 5 and 1 intervals (running for 5 minutes and walking for 1 minute), but I skipped a lot of walk breaks in Brooklyn. That could have been my demise toward the end of the race, but I was caught up in the energy of the crowd. Queens was really short, but this is where my feet started to hurt. I think my activities from the pervious days were catching up to me. The Queensboro Bridge during miles 15-16 sticks out to me. I walked the bridge in an attempt to save my legs for the finish. No spectators were allowed on this bridge either, so I didn't feel bad walking. After mile 16, in Manhattan, I stopped at another porta-potty.
The Queensboro Bridge took me into Manhattan where the roar of the crowd was unlike anything I had ever heard. Manhattan definitely had the biggest crowd. This is where I really started slowing down and taking more walk breaks through the water/Gatorade stops. I really just wanted to take it all in and enjoy every minute of it! I encountered some hills on my way into the Bronx. They say the wall hits you at mile 20. Even though I was hurting, the wall didn't hit me as hard as it usually does at this point in a marathon. At the 20 mile mark, there are only 6.2 miles left. While that may not seem like a lot compared to how many I'd already completed, that is really where the race starts. It's where I give myself a gut check to see much I want it. Back in Manhattan making my way to Central Park, I struggled with the slight incline on the course. After 20 miles an ant hill feels like a mountain. I should have trained on more hills because the bridges and hills kicked my ass. I felt like everyone cheering my name was my friend. The people of New York are really what make this race so special.
I hit the wall at mile 23. I'd like to know who put those freaking hills in the last three miles of the race. I walked a lot, make one last pit stop and put in a new phone battery between miles 23 and 25. Not long after I passed mile 25, I tried going live on Facebook. It was a weak connection, but it connected and that's all that matters. After 25 miles, it's difficult to look good and strong. However, being live on Facebook was good motivation to not look like I was experiencing a lot of pain. Hopefully, it wasn't too boring. Perhaps I should have talked more to make it interesting. I was totally in the zone.
In the last mile, three moments stand out to me. The moment I saw mile 26, the moment I saw Taylor, and the moment I saw the finish line! When Taylor came into sight, words cannot express how great it was to see her. She was cheering me on and the look on her face told me how proud she was of me! I gave her a high five, which has to go down as the best high five in the history of high fives! I took my time to take pictures of the mile markers, Taylor, and the finish line. As I was taking a picture of the finish line, I was overcome with a level of joy I've never felt before. Facebook Live lost connection as soon as I crossed the finish line, but I'm glad everyone that wanted to experience it with me was able to. I didn't cry, I just relished in the moment of victory. No matter how difficult life gets with illness, I can't give up on the possibility of better days ahead. This was my best day! I was strong and healthy and I believe the future holds more days like.
I took pictures and posed for others. A volunteer placed my medal around my neck and I took and posed for more photos. I had to shuffle my way a half mile North to get out of the runner zone around the finish line. Thankfully, I opted for the post race poncho. The poncho is fleece lined and kept me warm on my trek to meet Taylor at the hotel. I was not moving very fast after the race. Everything hurt so good. My feet and legs were on fire. I found the subway I needed, but I had to wait for three trains because it was so crowded. While waiting for the train, I was reading through all of my messages and that's when tears found my cheeks. The support I had from family, friends, and co-workers was incredible! Everyone seemed to understand how much this race meant to me and helped me embrace and celebrate it!
I stopped for coffee on my way back to the hotel, but once I was back Taylor was my hero! She helped me take off my shoes and took care of me! She went to the hotel restaurant and brought up burgers and fries to the room so that I wouldn't have to move. I was super sore after the race. It felt like I ran a marathon or something.
Overall, it was the race of a lifetime. Checked that off my bucket list, but I totally want to do it again! Exploring New York City and sharing the marathon experience with Taylor made it a trip I will never forget. I think we made memories to tell for decades and I absolutely believe we would kick butt on the Amazing Race! THANK YOU, TAYLOR!!!
NYC - Part 1
Day 1:
After I met Taylor at the LaGuardia airport, we took a taxi to the hotel. The morning rush hour traffic was so terrible that it took us 45 minutes to go 5 miles. By the time we made it through the tunnel bridge from Queens to Manhattan, the GPS was estimating it to take 18 minutes to go 0.9 miles. We decided to ditch the taxi and walk the rest of the way to the hotel. Dare I say we walked faster than the taxi.
Upon arriving at the Renaissance at New York Midtown hotel, they had trouble locating our reservation because I reserved our room through a travel agency through the marathon website. Once they found our reservation, I think they felt bad because they let us check in five hours early. Our room was on the 22nd floor with a cool view of the city. The hotel is only a block away from the Madison Square Garden.
The Expo was first on our long list of things to do, so we grabbed a bite to eat, bought our unlimited 7 day metro card, and took a bus to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The Expo was HUGE! I picked up my race bib and race shirt, and then we explored the Expo. I bought a tank, beanie, visor, coffee cup, and glass with the race logo. We tasted different energy bars and protein shakes. Taylor even made a sign that said "TEAM LAUREN" and a customized bib that said "RUN LAUREN RUN!" We walked down every aisle and took advantage of photo ops. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to drop off everything. However, we realized we forgot to pick up Taylor's grandstand seating ticket, so we made our way back to the Expo to pick up her ticket. Shoutout to Taylor for being cool about my forgetfulness!
Once we had her grandstand seating ticket, we made our way to our first subway ride. We took the 7 train from the convention center to Grand Central! Grand Central Terminal looked just like it does in the movies! From Grand Central we walked to the New York Public Library. The library was really neat. I loved the architecture. Taylor even looked up her last name in the Genealogy room!
Our next stop, Ellen's Stardust Diner! On the way through Bryant Park we came across a Carrousel and I just had to go it! Taylor was a good sport and humored me. I rode a cat on Le Carrousel in Manhattan! At the diner, waiters and waitresses sing while they serve as they await their big break on Broadway. This was a really cool experience because they sang two of our songs "For Good" and "Let it Go"! We called it a night after dinner and headed to the hotel to get some sleep for our second day in the city.
Day 2:
Our first stop was the Marathon Pavilion near the finish line. We practiced taking the exact subway line Taylor was going to take on race day. The finish line stood in its full glory awaiting thousands of runners. It was surreal to see the finish line that I trained so hard for. I didn't cry, but I was still overwhelmed.
On our way to The New York City Fire Museum, we enjoyed Starbucks. It had a touching 9/11 exhibit. My favorite part were the fire engines from the late 1800's to early 1900's where they changed from being horse drawn to motorized. Also, the history of how the Dalmatian became the fire mascot was interesting. Dalmatians became the popular breed with fire departments because they used them to keep critters away from the horse drawn fire carriage. They were long winded and worked well with the horses, but they were smart enough to realize they could hop on the motorized engine once the horses were no longer necessary.
We finished the NYC Fire Museum just in time for lunch at Black Tap. They serve out of this world shakes and burgers. I got the Salty and Sweet shake that was peanut butter with pretzel bits and a delicious display of candies, whipped cream and drizzled chocolate. It was AMAZING!
After lunch, we headed to Wall Street. Wall Street found its way on my bucket list while I was a finance major at UCF. Although it's not for the public, it was still neat to see. We had a photo op with the Charging Bull of Wall Street where we rubbed its balls for good luck, and then we walked by the New York Stock Exchange. Security was really tight around the NYSE. The public isn't even allowed on that side of the street.
The Staten Island Ferry was only a few blocks South. We walked there just in time for the 2:30PM. It's a free 30 minute ride each way from Manhattan and Staten Island. The view from the ferry was picture perfect. I got great photos of lady liberty and Manhattan's skyline with the One World Trade Center.
Once we were back in Manhattan, we took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge. There is something about bridges that fascinate me. The Brooklyn Bridge is on my list of top three bridges I've visited along with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and the Golden Gate Bridge. Although we didn't walk all the way across the bridge, it was still cool to see up close in person. After the bridge, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for Broadway.
On the way to see Wicked, we found an Irish Pub and grabbed a drink and some food before the show. I had my first Irish coffee (whiskey and coffee)! I am so in love with coffee and it rocked my world. I dressed as Elphie with black over the knee boots, black dress, black jacket, and green leg warmers to pull the witch look together. The show was phenomenal with powerful vocals, a talented cast, and Broadway style performances! It was so special to share the experience with Taylor! The story line and main characters closely resemble our own story and the friendship we share. When Glinda and Elphaba sang "For Good", it was the cherry on top of the experience. "For Good" is our song and while I was nearly moved to tears, a reflex fought back the emotion and I just soaked up the meaning and promise of every word. "Who can say if I've been changed for the better? / I do believe I have been changed for the better/ And because I knew you / I have been changed for good." Taylor was a champ the whole trip! Even when I was moody no matter how well I tried to control the taper madness and prerace jitters, she was right there along for the ride snapping me out of my funk and bringing me back to reality. There's no doubt she makes me better and I love her for it!
Day 3:
We explored Central Park and it was absolutely beautiful! The leaves were changing color and it made it a picture perfect walk in the park. We saw the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain and the Loeb Boathouse. Even the hotdogs we ate in Central Park were supremely better than a normal hotdog. Central Park is where Taylor seemed most at home with the trees and lakes and without the stink of the city.
From Central Park, we went and rode the Roosevelt Island Tram. It's like a sky ride that takes you to and from Roosevelt Island and Manhattan along the Queensboro Bridge. We used our unlimited 7 day metro card for the round trip. The tram offered awesome views of the city! It was great for sightseeing. After the tram ride, we enjoyed NY pizza at Patsy's Pizzeria. Seriously, the best pizza I've ever had!
We quickly walked through Rockefeller Center and took a photo with the gorgeous St. Patrick's Cathedral before heading to the Love Structure for a picture. The Love Structure was a lot smaller than I anticipated it was going to be. Afterwards, we went to the hotel where I took a three hour nap.
When I woke up from my nap, we went to Barilla Restaurant - Bryant Park and got lasagna to go for my pre-race pasta dinner.
I'll blog about race day in another post. We walked over a marathon while exploring the city during the three days leading up to the race. Between the walking and the stairs to get to and from the subway, Taylor was sore and swollen. I was a little sore myself, but I like to think that my marathon training prepared me for exploring the city as well. Although there's no doubt it made race day a little more difficult, I don't regret it. Our days were packed with activities and I think we made the most of our time in the city!
After I met Taylor at the LaGuardia airport, we took a taxi to the hotel. The morning rush hour traffic was so terrible that it took us 45 minutes to go 5 miles. By the time we made it through the tunnel bridge from Queens to Manhattan, the GPS was estimating it to take 18 minutes to go 0.9 miles. We decided to ditch the taxi and walk the rest of the way to the hotel. Dare I say we walked faster than the taxi.
Upon arriving at the Renaissance at New York Midtown hotel, they had trouble locating our reservation because I reserved our room through a travel agency through the marathon website. Once they found our reservation, I think they felt bad because they let us check in five hours early. Our room was on the 22nd floor with a cool view of the city. The hotel is only a block away from the Madison Square Garden.
The Expo was first on our long list of things to do, so we grabbed a bite to eat, bought our unlimited 7 day metro card, and took a bus to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The Expo was HUGE! I picked up my race bib and race shirt, and then we explored the Expo. I bought a tank, beanie, visor, coffee cup, and glass with the race logo. We tasted different energy bars and protein shakes. Taylor even made a sign that said "TEAM LAUREN" and a customized bib that said "RUN LAUREN RUN!" We walked down every aisle and took advantage of photo ops. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to drop off everything. However, we realized we forgot to pick up Taylor's grandstand seating ticket, so we made our way back to the Expo to pick up her ticket. Shoutout to Taylor for being cool about my forgetfulness!
Once we had her grandstand seating ticket, we made our way to our first subway ride. We took the 7 train from the convention center to Grand Central! Grand Central Terminal looked just like it does in the movies! From Grand Central we walked to the New York Public Library. The library was really neat. I loved the architecture. Taylor even looked up her last name in the Genealogy room!
Our next stop, Ellen's Stardust Diner! On the way through Bryant Park we came across a Carrousel and I just had to go it! Taylor was a good sport and humored me. I rode a cat on Le Carrousel in Manhattan! At the diner, waiters and waitresses sing while they serve as they await their big break on Broadway. This was a really cool experience because they sang two of our songs "For Good" and "Let it Go"! We called it a night after dinner and headed to the hotel to get some sleep for our second day in the city.
Day 2:
Our first stop was the Marathon Pavilion near the finish line. We practiced taking the exact subway line Taylor was going to take on race day. The finish line stood in its full glory awaiting thousands of runners. It was surreal to see the finish line that I trained so hard for. I didn't cry, but I was still overwhelmed.
On our way to The New York City Fire Museum, we enjoyed Starbucks. It had a touching 9/11 exhibit. My favorite part were the fire engines from the late 1800's to early 1900's where they changed from being horse drawn to motorized. Also, the history of how the Dalmatian became the fire mascot was interesting. Dalmatians became the popular breed with fire departments because they used them to keep critters away from the horse drawn fire carriage. They were long winded and worked well with the horses, but they were smart enough to realize they could hop on the motorized engine once the horses were no longer necessary.
We finished the NYC Fire Museum just in time for lunch at Black Tap. They serve out of this world shakes and burgers. I got the Salty and Sweet shake that was peanut butter with pretzel bits and a delicious display of candies, whipped cream and drizzled chocolate. It was AMAZING!
After lunch, we headed to Wall Street. Wall Street found its way on my bucket list while I was a finance major at UCF. Although it's not for the public, it was still neat to see. We had a photo op with the Charging Bull of Wall Street where we rubbed its balls for good luck, and then we walked by the New York Stock Exchange. Security was really tight around the NYSE. The public isn't even allowed on that side of the street.
The Staten Island Ferry was only a few blocks South. We walked there just in time for the 2:30PM. It's a free 30 minute ride each way from Manhattan and Staten Island. The view from the ferry was picture perfect. I got great photos of lady liberty and Manhattan's skyline with the One World Trade Center.
Once we were back in Manhattan, we took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge. There is something about bridges that fascinate me. The Brooklyn Bridge is on my list of top three bridges I've visited along with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and the Golden Gate Bridge. Although we didn't walk all the way across the bridge, it was still cool to see up close in person. After the bridge, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for Broadway.
On the way to see Wicked, we found an Irish Pub and grabbed a drink and some food before the show. I had my first Irish coffee (whiskey and coffee)! I am so in love with coffee and it rocked my world. I dressed as Elphie with black over the knee boots, black dress, black jacket, and green leg warmers to pull the witch look together. The show was phenomenal with powerful vocals, a talented cast, and Broadway style performances! It was so special to share the experience with Taylor! The story line and main characters closely resemble our own story and the friendship we share. When Glinda and Elphaba sang "For Good", it was the cherry on top of the experience. "For Good" is our song and while I was nearly moved to tears, a reflex fought back the emotion and I just soaked up the meaning and promise of every word. "Who can say if I've been changed for the better? / I do believe I have been changed for the better/ And because I knew you / I have been changed for good." Taylor was a champ the whole trip! Even when I was moody no matter how well I tried to control the taper madness and prerace jitters, she was right there along for the ride snapping me out of my funk and bringing me back to reality. There's no doubt she makes me better and I love her for it!
Day 3:
We explored Central Park and it was absolutely beautiful! The leaves were changing color and it made it a picture perfect walk in the park. We saw the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain and the Loeb Boathouse. Even the hotdogs we ate in Central Park were supremely better than a normal hotdog. Central Park is where Taylor seemed most at home with the trees and lakes and without the stink of the city.
From Central Park, we went and rode the Roosevelt Island Tram. It's like a sky ride that takes you to and from Roosevelt Island and Manhattan along the Queensboro Bridge. We used our unlimited 7 day metro card for the round trip. The tram offered awesome views of the city! It was great for sightseeing. After the tram ride, we enjoyed NY pizza at Patsy's Pizzeria. Seriously, the best pizza I've ever had!
We quickly walked through Rockefeller Center and took a photo with the gorgeous St. Patrick's Cathedral before heading to the Love Structure for a picture. The Love Structure was a lot smaller than I anticipated it was going to be. Afterwards, we went to the hotel where I took a three hour nap.
When I woke up from my nap, we went to Barilla Restaurant - Bryant Park and got lasagna to go for my pre-race pasta dinner.
I'll blog about race day in another post. We walked over a marathon while exploring the city during the three days leading up to the race. Between the walking and the stairs to get to and from the subway, Taylor was sore and swollen. I was a little sore myself, but I like to think that my marathon training prepared me for exploring the city as well. Although there's no doubt it made race day a little more difficult, I don't regret it. Our days were packed with activities and I think we made the most of our time in the city!
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