NYC Marathon 2024 Part II: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens

NYC Marathon 2024, Race Recap Part II: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens.

The New York City Marathon course runs through all five boroughs of NYC and crosses five bridges, as you can see in this map I nabbed from the NY Times:

Along the way, we saw tons of famous landmarks and smelled those New York City smells (for better or worse). I didn't catch all of these, but loved reading this after the fact: NYC Marathon course landmarks.

And these are particularly beautiful pictures of race day from: Back Left Media.

Staten Island: miles 0-2

We started in our first borough, Staten Island, and immediately left. The Pink start took the bottom level of the Verrazzano Bridge, which disappointed many, as we didn't get the iconic top-of-the-bridge views. I actually enjoyed the bottom level: it had slightly less elevation gain, plus shade! And the views of the water and Manhattan were still pretty. 

 

I started my 3:1 intervals (run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute) and my music. I made a playlist NYC Marathon 2024 for the quiet parts of the course. There was such good camaraderie on the bridge, everyone was fresh and excited! 

An aside on fueling and how I carried everything

Fueling this year for me was Skratch Hydration Sports Drink Mix, Salt Stick chews, Hüma gels, and, because they were the on-course nutrition, SIS isotonic gels. I follow Featherstone Nutrition's advice of fueling early and often (she assured me it's even more important to do this when you'll be out there for as long as I will), so my tactic in training was to take my first gel 5-10 minutes into the long run and then every 25 minutes after that. I alternated Hüma and SIS to keep textures and flavors interesting, and caffeine and no caffeine. Give or take timing with my running intervals; I'd wait for a walking break. That meant in order to make sure I didn't run out in a worst-case scenario, and knowing SIS was on the course at miles 12 and 18, I carried 16 gels. How? In my awesome SpiBelt and shorts' pocket. I also had my inhaler, toilet paper, and a couple sanitizing wipes in a second belt (I needed all three, so no space was wasted!), my phone in my other shorts pocket, and my credit card and battery pack in a pocket on the back of my bra. I had a handheld water bottle full of Skratch, with extra Skratch powder and salt chews in baggies in its pouch. I got tired of holding the bottle during long runs in training, but I never once thought about it during the race! (Until the final time I saw my family, when I tossed it to Jasper.) I had a salt chew when I took lower sodium gels. (If it had been hotter, I'd have taken several more than I did.) My plan was to *not* take Gatorade from aid stations, but in the back half of the race, take candy and whatever else sounded good from strange-I mean, spectators. More on that later. I am so pleased to report that I had zero stomach issues and zero emergency portapotty stops (I stopped twice but it wasn't an *emergency* iykyk). Thank you, Meghann Featherstun!! 

Brooklyn: miles 2-13

As we ran into Brooklyn, we were still mostly alone, with the few spectators up on overpasses. They had good signs though, and hearty cheers! Eventually we entered cute residential and small commercial neighborhoods, where the streets became increasingly lined with people. I loved the variation in character of housing and shops in Brooklyn! This was a theme throughout the day: nothing has shown off the diversity of New York City to me like this marathon! So many different bands and DJs played all genres of upbeat music along the entire course. I kept my music off for most of this borough. 

As soon as they were close enough to read my shirt, spectators started yelling "OMG, BIRTHDAY GIRL!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" At first it was incredible, I waved and beamed and called "Thank you!!" back. But then that got tiring, so I just smiled at them. 

A runner asked, "do you regret putting that on your shirt?" 

"A little, actually!!" 

"Yeah well *points to her shirt* try being Adele in London..." Apparently it was raining the time she ran it, and they kept asking if she'd set fire to the rain for them. Bless.

I'm really happy with many of my official race photos, but for some you just have to laugh. One caught me texting Jasper that I was about to use the restroom and to not worry if my pace dipped, and another gave me proof that I fueled. 

One of the prettiest and also most overwhelming neighborhoods in Brooklyn was a gorgeous tree-lined street of brownstones. The crowds were loud and intense, several deep on each side in places. This is where I started to feel sort of panicky and the screams of "Happy Birthday!!!" started to get exhausting rather than encouraging. I felt like I had to acknowledge everyone and couldn't focus or get in a groove. I started to not be able to catch my breath even on walking breaks. I wondered if I breathed something in that was starting to trigger an asthma attack? Or was it just overstimulation???? Eventually I stopped to use my inhaler and that helped. I think I skipped a gel or two in Brooklyn just because I got distracted. (In the future, I would work out a timer on my phone or something to remind me to eat I think. Or just not have my name or "BIRTHDAY GIRL" on my shirt, so I can zone out a bit better. :P )

 

After a millennium, we reached the Pulaski Bridge and hit mile 13.1!!! HALFWAY! I was much more tired than I wanted to be at this point, and my feet ached (that started around mile 8). The panicky feeling made it hard to stay strong mentally, but I'm stubborn. I tried to keep breathing deeply, stick to my 3:1 intervals (they started to slide), and smile because I was halfway done with the iconic NYC Marathon!!

Queens: miles 13-16

Absolutely no offense to Queens, but I have no strong memories of our time there! I was fighting an internal funk battle, just trying to keep swimming. I did enjoy seeing the towers from the old family favorite movie Conspiracy Theory: "That's where the music's playing!" "...the music is playing in Queens?"

And at least in my official race pictures from Queens, I am actually running!

The final test in Queens is the dreaded Queensboro Bridge, which crosses Roosevelt Island on its way to Manhattan. People almost universally HATE the QB part of the course. They cite the steep, almost mile-long climb to the peak of the bridge. They recall the darkness of being on the lower level. And they always, always mention the silence. No spectators on either side. 

Okay, it turns out, I am not most NYC Marathon runners. I actually *loved* the Queensboro Bridge. After the overstimulation of most of the previous 15 miles, this beautiful Tunnel of Quiet was so refreshing. I even kept my music off. I walked much of the incline and relished the peace. A slow refocusing occurred. I moved my bib to cover "BIRTHDAY GIRL." I hit the top of the bridge, and started running again.

Around Mile 16, we heard the famous Wall of Sound coming from 1st Avenue as we rounded the corner into...MANHATTAN!!!!!!

Not the most triumphant picture, but it marks the milestone. Just two more boroughs to go!

NYC Marathon 2024 Part I: Getting to the Start Line

NYC Marathon 2024, Race Recap Part I: Getting to the Start Line. After running the virtual marathon to get entry to this year's in-person marathon and a year of training with my running coach, we flew to New York City, started carb loading, celebrated my 40th birthday, and then...then the real journey began. 

The Empire State Building looked resplendent in NYC Marathon Colors on Race Eve

While I went to sleep a bundle of nerves, I woke up a ball of excitement. Jasper spread peanut butter on bagels and made coffee while I got dressed, ate a banana, and triple checked the contents of my Start Village bag: a foam pad and garbage bag to sit on, two bottles of Skratch Hydration, a battery pack, toilet paper, sanitizing wipes, bracelets to trade, vaseline, sunscreen, sunglasses, inhaler, my running belt full of gels, my handheld water bottle for the run, my headphones, another banana, and three bagels with peanut butter.  

Ever the caring husband, Jasper left the hotel room with me at 5:25am to walk twelve blocks up to the New York Public Library, where the official buses to the Start Village were waiting. Actually, a humongous queue was waiting. We had to snake around Bryant Park to find an entrance to the line. Jasper kissed me goodbye and I joined the shuffling stream of runners.

 

Despite the masses of people, I'm impressed with NYRR's organization. They told us to arrive half an hour before our assigned bus time. I got in line at 5:45am, and was on a bus at 6:15am. Boom. The cozy coach ride was about an hour and a half, I think. I dozed. It was nice. I woke up for the crawling traffic across the Verrazano bridge from Brooklyn onto Staten Island: a sneak peak at the route! Glancing across the river at Manhattan underscored what a long, long day this would be. I had to run to there.

 

Runners had the option of taking (subway or taxi or walking to) the Staten Island Ferry (and then bussing from there to the village) later in the morning. I chose the direct bus and am very grateful I cut down on some logistics, even if it meant I killed time in the Village for 3.5 hours. 

Off the bus and on my way into the Start Village at Fort Wadsworth, I passed Gabby Thomas, Olympic gold medal sprinter!! She was there as Grand Marshall of the Marathon and being escorted somewhere for media somethings. I squeed quietly to myself.

The Village had to house a total of 56,000 runners plus volunteers and staff, but not quite all at once. There were five start Waves, from about 9am to 11:30am. Each Wave had three Start Colors (Pink, Orange, Blue) that had their own Corrals (A-F) to organize people by estimated finish times and reduce bottlenecks. After orienting myself (Pink Start, Corral D), I found Dunkin Donuts.

Dunkin is not my favorite. But it was there. They brought coffee, tea, hot chocolate, bagels, water, and Gatorade. And NYC Marathon 2024 hats. The hats are items of legend: every year Dunkin brings these hats with the official marathon logo and year, alternating pink on top/orange on the bottom and the opposite. I brought a safety pin to keep mine with me on the run...even though it's really quite ugly:

I waited in a very long bathroom line and then plunked myself down on the grass (on my garbage bag and foam pad) for the next couple of hours. I forgot to pack magazines, but kept myself entertained by sleeping, eating two bagels with peanut butter and my second banana, drinking all 24 oz of Skratch Hydration, people watching, texting Jasper (poor data connection, but SMS worked), listening to the "Wave X corrals are now open. There are clothing donation bins in the corrals, we do not pick up clothing on the bridge. Please use the restrooms in the corrals, there are no restrooms on the bridge. Do not urinate on the bridge, or you will be disqualified. Wave X corrals are now open" announcements in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. 

Finally, it was time to move around a bit and prepare. I used the bathroom again, took off my sweats and put them in the donation bin, dropped off my trash. I never handed out bracelets...I didn't see anyone else doing it, even though many said they would in the Facebook groups. I just left them by the clothing donation, maybe someone found them. :) 

I was so cold all morning that I was going to run with my long sleeve on:

But then in the corral, I got so hot. I took off the long sleeve, and that was the right choice for sure once I started running. (I tied it around my waist and kept it there until I saw Jasper and my parents at mile 16.7ish.)

Please notice my shirt. BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!! Someone in the corral said "Oh Birthday Girl, meet another birthday girl!!!" she turned 50 that weekend. He (her partner?) led the corral in singing Happy Birthday to us. It was incredible. I could not stop smiling!! ("She would later wish that she didn't have to smile," says the narrator.)

Finally, we of the Wave 5 Pink Start moved en masse out of Fort Wadsworth and walked up the on ramp to the bottom level of the Verrazano Bridge.

Someone sang the National Anthem, the Howitzer fired, and Frank Sinatra started crooning New York, New York. I teared up for not the first time that day and very far from the last time. Guys, we're doing this.

What were my three favs doing during this time? Climbing the Empire State Building:

A Casual 40x40

So, I like lists. And am nostalgic, and enjoy celebrating milestones, and marking the passing of time. But I also struggle with guilt if I don't accomplish a goal I set for myself! Therefore, for the final year of my thirties, I embarked on a casual journey through a Forty Things to Do By the Time I Turn Forty list. My Casual 40x40 List. Casual meaning I could change it as many times as I wanted. Aahh yessss.

Don't worry,  I won't share all 40. Some are too personal. Some are boring, like "replace old makeup and skincare/clean out bathroom cabinets", "try taking a liver supplement every day for 40 days", or "buy tickets to New Zealand for belated honeymoon" (okay boring but EXCITING RIGHT???). 

A few were simple: "buy fancy slime and enjoy," "dance at a wedding", and "make a snow angel."

A couple were pretty complex: "learn to play an organ piece that involves pedals." (This was one of my casual modifications. I did play a couple pieces on the beautiful pipe organ at church that used exactly ONE pedal each.) And my belated 39th birthday present to myself: "bake a succulent cake." 

Many involved the people I love. "Ski with Jasper to the Bavarian" was our 4th wedding anniversary celebration and the culmination of his series of ski classes at Taos Ski Valley. He skied the hardest greens at Taos and made it down the backside of the mountain for brats and beer! 

"See the Nutcracker with the Thrussells and Roses" ticked off a dream we had of seeing the ballet in London with my in-laws. We attended the English National Ballet's production with Jasper's whole family. It was so special, especially as we lost Jasper's dad later in the year. 

"Visit the Imperial War Museum" finally got the both of us to this very cool museum, with Jasper's sister Laura and her husband, Matt, who works there. Highly recommend if you're in the city!

"Attend Vie class with Jenny and Amy", "Hike with Jenny and Matt," and "Shoot guns with David" were all excellent adventures with my siblings and their spouses. Next time, I would not take the cardio+weightlifting class the day before the eight-mile, full-of-literal-stairs hike up to Lake Serene...but I *would* go target practice in the national forest with my siblings and husband!

"Go to Olalla Landing with my parents" involved visiting the bougie renovation of the old Al's of Olalla convenience store of my childhood. Oh we want to return. 

I managed quite easily to "eat donuts pie with niblings," though it was impossible to get a picture of this happening, so here's the whole gang:

"Bake something from Great British Bake Off with Emily," "Try Ojo Santa Fe with friends" (<3 you, Clarissa!), and "Host soiree on the patio with the French doors flung open" were some wonderful times with friends. Especially the soiree: we've been talking about hosting that for a couple of years. And Jasper became a U.S. Citizen this year! So his America party was the perfect excuse. We didn't take many pictures during the soiree, we were having too much fun.

Soon after the soiree, we had to say goodbye to my sweet Faraday cat. My grumpy buddy of 15 years. That was not on my 40x40 list. 

Some things are still in progress, which you know what? This is a chill adventure. A relaxed journey. A tranquil trek. Maybe I'll finish them *while* I am 40. Like "Finish reading the Bible in a year" (ahem), "Get the Tron bike on Zwift" (iykyk), and "Learn a song from your birth year on the piano." I will play it for you here, but it's a WORK IN PROGRESS, yes? Okay, this was released on June 8, 1984. 

In case embedding didn't work...

Did you recognize it?! Thanks for reading, friends. I'm excited to turn 40. Every decade has been better overall than the last, though obviously with new, tough, and exciting challenges. I'm hoping this decade brings many snuggles on the couch with kitty girl Tesla and hikes with husband Jasper. First challenge up is "Run a race in another state" and "Follow Coach Caitlyn's Plan and Get to the Start Line Healthy": running my seventh 26.2 miles in the great New York City Marathon. Eep!

P.S. It's the Ghostbusters theme song.