With less than a month to go, last Saturday was supposed to be our longest run to date. We got up around 4am, wondering if it we would be greeted with the expected thunderstorms that were announced by all the weather people on the television the night before. Little did we know a Wall would be our demise for the day, at least for me it was going to be a “Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day,” a title of the book that Emily just read to her classmates. Okay, maybe it wasn’t as bad as what had happened to the Alexander the book, but it was a tough run.
Barring from any train service interruptions, we would have plenty of time to catch up with Team for Kids running mates, which included the my motley group of Lanie Kantor, who I think is the fastest among us and my brother-in-law, Ray Chan, who is running great and will break 4 hours.
After taking a cab ride with Speed Racer, who weaved back and forth looking for an empty lane on 5th Avenue, we reached the corner of West 72nd Street Entrance into Central Park. There was some confusion as to whether we needed to register for the Greta’s Great Gallop in order to check our bags. Trying to figure out what we needed to do. We opted to register for the race, grab our bibs and shirts, checked our bags and walked over to meet our team mates. We missed our start with our pace group.
Other than the walking, Irene and I didn’t get the chance to warm up as we joined a much faster pace group. Irene wasn’t having a good start and said that we did not warm up enough, so I just slowed down my pace and watched the faster pace group increased their lead then disappeared around the bend of the Bridal Path. Our training runs are usually on pavement around our home; so running on the soft surface of the Bridal Path seemed very foreign for our legs.
I kind of had a general sense of where we were going, but the path all looked the same to me. Irene kept asking, “Do you know where we are?” I said, “Not really, just enjoy the run.” Finally, we saw some TFK runners heading toward us, and that made us feel better knowing that we were heading in the right direction.
We turned around making our Pre-Race run a little short, and headed towards the Starting Line. As we crossed the start, I pressed the lap button on my Timex, and noticed that we would be about 15 minutes behind the last wave of the race.
Greta’s Great Gallop is for Greta Waitz, 9 time NYC Marathon Winner, and the promotion of Norwegian tourism. The race consisted of about 2 and a half laps (a half marathon) of Central Park with bagels and lox at the finish!
Other than seeing the mile markers, it felt like we were not making any progress. Seeing different landmarks makes a big difference, but today all the trees looked that same, and the scenery really played games with my head. It seemed like I was running on a treadmill, basically going nowhere. The distance between the miles seemed a lot longer than they really were, and the humidity weighed me down.
After one full lap around the Park with a lap and half left, we were greeted by Andrew from Harlem by the way of Jamaica, one of the fantastic Team for Kids coaches. I was kind of embarrassed at our slow pace, and at the same time I was very happy that he joined us.
About a mile or 2 after Andrew started to run with us, my left glute started to cramp up, so we paused and stretched. It was all down hill from there, and without Andrew around, it probably would have been worse. About another mile or 2, I started to get light headed, and Andrew said that I “Bonked” or “Hit the Wall.”
This Wall gives you a horrible feeling of being lightheaded, seeing spots and just short of puking. As we walked, we discussed the importance of nutrition before and during the race. Also make sure we get into the routine of drinking every 5 minutes and taking a little PowerGel/GU every 30-45 minutes. That day I think I ate too early and split the GU too far apart. I’ve gotten hungry before during previous long runs, but none made be crash like I did on Saturday.
It turns out that Irene also Bonked. I remember her telling me that she felt she was leaning towards one side. I thought it just might be the road, but Andrew said it was the Bonk, and one of the symptoms is leaning.
It’s very important to stay relaxed during the run, and any additional worries puts more stress on the body, which makes you tire faster. So his advice was to look 6 feet ahead of you, because if you look to far ahead, your brain starts to play games and you begin to worry, then your done! He also showed us how to reset our stride with baby steps and back to normal running, but there was not reset button for me on this day.
Andrew suggested that we grab a Coke, so we stopped by a refreshment cart. The first one was unmanned and the second one wanted small bills. So I owe Andrew a bottle of Coke the next time I see him. The sugar and caffeine coursed through Irene’s body and gave her the kick-start she was looking for. As for me, the Coke should be been feed to me intravenously. No luck for me!
My running really grinded to a halt. There was an older trooper shuffling her feet, and I had a tough time keeping up with her. (By the way, I am not talking about Irene) With about 2 miles left, I seemed to have regained some assemblance of a stride. As I passed her, I applauded the lady and said, “Great job, you looking great!”
My focus turned to my wife, who distanced herself from me. She was about 100 yards ahead, and maintained that lead all the way to the finish line. I was really proud that she beat me. Even when we started training early this year, I knew she was going to be faster than me. Hands down she’s a lot tougher than I will every be.
Again I want to Thank Andrew for being at the right place at the right time, and encouraged us when it seemed very dismal. If anyone is every interested in running the NYC Marathon. I highly recommend that you join Team for Kids on your marathon venture!
With 26 days left, it’s time to taper off the running and give our bodies a breather before the Marathon. Again thanks for all the support and keep the emails and donations coming!
Please feel free to use the following secure link:
https://www.runwithtfk.org/Profile/PublicPage/7701
Remember to eat!
Noah
Transform yourself, family, friends, community, and our world by sharing what you love to do and a pair of running shoes! Get fit with walking, running, a little P90X, and other fitness programs that help you enjoy life to the fullest!
