What I Wish I Knew before NYC

It had been four years since I last ran a marathon.

Four years ago I said “never again.”

My last was in San Francisco (coincidentally I was living in New York at the time), so it was a destination race requiring a whole different level of planning and preparation.

And there I was, four years later, sitting on a cold curb in Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island thinking “how did I get here and why didn’t I bring a yoga mat?”

Everyone knows the tried and true “bring throw away layers purchased from the Salvation Army.”

Here’s a few things I wish I had known in preparation for running NYC. May they serve you well should you ever be #blessed enough to run them streets.

1.       Bring a yoga mat or a nice piece of cardboard. The grassy areas of Fort Wadsworth are wet and the curb space is limited. Also, it would’ve been nice to carve out a space for me and my crew, a la Central Park picnic blankets.

2.       Bring food, magazines, anything else you might think you could do to waste HOURS while sitting on said curb or yoga mat. I was promised a breakfast burrito by a friend, but that didn’t come to fruition. Would’ve been great!

3.       Bring a big coffee cup. Seriously. Dunkin Donuts gives out free coffee but they are in paper cups the size of shot glasses. Throw all decency to the wind and bring yourself a mug you’d be happy to fill up and then toss.

 

4.       If you’re bold enough, swipe the airplane blanket on your arrival flight. I can think of no better layer that is compact enough for rolling into your Tent City Survival Kit but still acceptable for donation.

5.      This.

 

 

       I maybe, okay definitely, had a pre-race panic attack. I had someone there to play this for me over and over again. It was a welcome distraction (critical in panic attack situations) but also provided much needed mantras to repeat to myself in the hardest parts of the race.

6.       This is probably controversial, but I brought along some sleeping pills. I knew the jet lag would kill me...and quite frankly, I am a big P.I.T.A. without sleep. After a somewhat restless night-before-the-night-before the race, I popped some pills the night before the race (after setting no less than five alarms) and slept like an infant. An infant about to run a marathon.

7.       Flip Flops for the flight after—ugly runner feet be damned. Until that flight, I knew of no worse pain than removing your shoes midflight, and despite taking the requisite walk / stretch breaks, still needing to unlace your shoes to shove your now swollen feet into and shuffle off the plane.

8.       Ask a spectating friend to hold a boost for you. I was nervous to ask friends for anything more than what they had already done. I had been the recipient of lunch and Wifi (thanks, Jenna!); I had friends meeting me in TWO spots along the course (Heyyy, Saira); I had the promise of a donut and a companion for the train ride back to Queens (that’s you, Big). I didn’t think to ask a friend, if maybe, possibly, could they hold my last two Honey Stingers and a Diet Coke? I’m sure they would’ve said yes, and I could’ve used the mid-race boost, but I just didn’t think I could ask for more.

Ten would make for a much nicer list, but that’s all I’ve got. Prepare your little heart out for races that require travel. Overpack. And remember to soak it all in.