My 2011 ING New York City Marathon Recap
How come nobody warned me that my legs would hate me after running 26.2 miles?
—
Marathon morning, I actually slept insanely well. That whole extra hour from Daylight Savings was such a nice luxury! Thank you running gods. I’m a fan.
I took a shower the night before, so all I had to do was scarf down 2 pieces of bread with peanut butter, a banana and wrap up my feet.
Necessary precautions. You’re welcome, Band-Aid Industry.
The night before, I had pasta, chips ‘n salsa and Fig Newtons. A true feast of champions I tell you.
My family was so amazing taking pictures and getting me out the door. Thank you so much for that!
Yay pictures.
GO Airlink NYC was my official sponsor and ended up donating over $3,000 towards my Team LIVESTRONG fundraising goal. How awesome is that?!
In total, we raised $3,900 that went directly towards cancer research.
I was so excited to run in honor of my Grandma and wrote both her name and “26.2” on my Livestrong bracelet right before heading out the door.
On the way to the Staten Island Ferry, I took a cab downtown to pick up Khristian, a good college friend and my teammate.
We may have convinced ourselves to sign up together over a giant bowl of fancy sangria with cucumbers and grapes in it. What can ya do.
The ferry was packed and we both looked at each other like, “Oh wow, apparently this is really happening…LOLZ!”
Walking onto the ferry, someone said, “Is it just me, or is the ferry captain extremely hott?” Yup, he was a hottie.
I was pretty antsy the entire ferry ride.
In Staten Island, we waited in line to board a bus that took us over to the Starting Village.
Khristian and I were basically delirious and burst out laughing at the dumbest things the entire trip. Definitely took my mind off of the pre-race jitters.
After hopping off the bus, we went straight towards the porta-potties and then had to split up because he was in the earlier Wave. Sadsies.
I went over to the Orange Area, found my UPS truck and checked in my ginormous bag.
Last UPS truck aka I must be slow.
After stalking the Runner’s World Marathon Forum for about three months, this is what they recommended to bring:
- 2-3 giant sweatshirts
- 2 trash bags to sit on in case the ground was wet
- Toilet paper in case the porta-potties ran out (they didn’t)
- Whole Wheat Flat Wrap with peanut butter and an apple for pre-race fuel
- Extra socks and undergarments for after the race
- Throwaway gloves and a wooly hat
I didn’t need or use 80% of that stuff, but I’m a total cold weather wimp, so I guess it’s better to be safe than freezing my butt off.
I had about 1 hour until we entered the corral, so I sat in the sun, picked out all of the cereal from a trail mix bag, stretched and used the bathroom about 5 times.
That throwaway jacket was buy one get one free from a thrift store. I miss it already.
The gun shot went off for the Green Wave and runners instantly started pouring across the bridge.
See that?! Runners!
Knowing that I was going to be in their exact same spot in about thirty minutes was the scariest feeling in the world.
15 minutes later, we finally entered the Orange Corral and I mingled with a few runners—a Brooklyn Dad running his first marathon and a lady from Texas who had lost 150 pounds and was running her third marathon! Wowza. Talk about inspirational.
I told them about my secret plan to hunt down Mario Lopez which sadly didn’t happen, but it was thought that counts, right?
All of the sudden, we heard our shot gun go off and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” began blasting from the speakers.
The absolute best feeling in the world.
It was our time to shine!
We inched until the Start Line and then finally began running our way across the Verrazano Bridge.
Hey look, we are running!
I knew I didn’t want to burn out early, so I stayed at a pace I felt comfortable with.
I didn’t have a Garmin, so I just trusted my body would figure out a steady pace on its own. And it did!
The view of Manhattan from the bridge was incredible and everyone around me was so giddy! A ton of people pulled over to take pictures in front of the skyline in the distance, but I kept truckin’ along.
Brooklyn was amazing. The crowds, live bands and funny signs kept me entertained the entire time.
My favorite was, “Toenails For Sale.”
I’ll take two!
Definitely my favorite borough in the entire race.
In the first 6 miles or so, a ton of guys veered over to the side of the path to go to the bathroom alongside the street.
The porta-pottie lines were ridiculous, but luckily I didn’t have to go.
At Mile 6, 11 and 16, I took Gu and started to dilute Gatorade with water at Mile 6 as well. Mile 21 I ate Fruit Punch Sport Beans and Mile 23 had 1 Fig Newton that my family handed me.
Nothing quite like a sign that says 20 miles to go.
Think I will have nightmares about that one.
The Half Marathon mark was on the first bridge exiting Brooklyn, and right away I thought, Oh crap. I’m only halfway done with this thing? Bah.
I think my time was around 2:33 at this point.
Queens was quick and easy which I liked.
They played some awesome songs around one bend and I sang along and made up an America’s Got Talent-worthy hand dance to pep me up.
The Queensboro Bridge at Mile 15 was pretty awful. There were a lot of walkers by this point and I had to do a lot of dodging.
Some girl started singing, “This is the bridge that never ends….” which cracked me up.
My family was waiting at Mile 18 and I texted them that I was running late (oh puns).
Texting while running over a bridge? An interesting experience.
I was really looking forward to First Avenue because a “Wall of Sound” was supposed to hit you from the cheers at the bottom of the bridge.
Sadly, that never happened.
The crowds just stared at everyone blankly and the people who did cheer said, “Go Shawn!” instead of “Go Shan!”
Oh it was so bad. I cranked my music up because there was no way I was going to make it 60 blocks without it.
When I finally spotted my family in the distance at Mile 18, I was SO happy and felt a giant boost of energy. Words can not describe how good it feels to finally lock eyes with your spectators!
“Am I done yet?”
Next up was the Bronx.
The crowds had thinned out big time by this point and I was ready to finally knock out the fifth borough.
It was weird, but literally everyone around me walked this bridge.
I jogged up to the top and then pulled over to use one puff of my inhaler and stretch out my legs.
At Mile 20, volunteers blasted Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” which gave me major goosebumps.
In my head I thought, “You can do this! Only six miles to go. That’s like what—one loop around Central Park? You’ve done that hundreds of times.”
Totally doable.
—-
Around Mile 22, I completely hit the wall. How do people run these things for fun? This is tortureeee.
I got pretty delusional at this point and honestly don’t remember running through about 10 blocks.
I tried to stay positive and then got a text from my Dad who was tracking me online in Florida that said, “Almost there Shan. Hang tough you are amazing.”
His text perked me up and carried me to Mile 23 where my family was waiting on Fifth Avenue.
Yay family!
I started hyperventilating and wheezing when I saw them again. GAH! I wish I could get that under control.
Notice that I have one glove on. I am weird.
About a minute later, I calmed down and told them I’d meet them at the most northern column of the Natural History Museum.
Literally one block after that, I felt someone pull on my shoulder and say, “SHANNON!!!!”
It was Ashley! She said, “Come on, we are doing this! We are finishing together!”
Ashley said she had a horrible shin splint and we walked a water station together at Mile 24. I knew I had to keep my legs moving though, so I jogged the rest of the way.
Rounding the bend near The Plaza, I heard my friend Lindsay and her boyfriend screaming “GO SHANNON!” and it was just what I needed to finish.
With Ashley at my side, we ran as fast as we could towards the finish line.
(photo via Ashley)
The last .2 miles were definitely the hardest part.
I remember gritting my teeth and just giving it everything I had.
Hand in hand, Ashley and I threw our arms up and crossed the finish line together with a final time of 5:29:12.
We did it!
Boy did it feel good to be done.
I honestly never imagined how hard or painful running a marathon would be and I was just so glad it was over with.
Ashley looked pretty pale, so I told her I thought she should go to a medical tent. She gave me Bo, her husband’s number and I called him to tell him where she was and to come meet her asap.
After 30 minutes of inching out of the park, I hobbled over to the Natural History Museum freezing and called my mom.
Oh man I can’t even describe to you the pain I was in afterwards.
Totally worth it though! 
My family helped dress me in the middle of the street which was a very New Yorky moment.
Since all the streets were shut down, we had to take the subway, a bus and then a taxi to get home.
Pure torture, but definitely a funny memory.
I can’t believe I actually did it!
My post-marathon meal was going to be pizza, but then I got a random craving for chicken fajitas.
Extra Guac please!
Now this is more like it.
–
Would I ever do it again?
If you asked me right after the race, I would’ve told you OMG NEVER AGAIN. (Ashley heard a lot of this from me LOL)
If you asked me today… totally. 
Muwahaha.
Awesome job on the race! I am so happy you finished and did such a great job at it
CONGRATS again! I’m so proud of you!!!
Congrats! I thought I was the only one who didn’t notice the “Wall of Sound”! (Of course, I didn’t notice much for those last ten miles.)
Congrats Shannon! I remember feeling all of those emotions and have very similar photos of my family dressing me after Disney. That instant pain when you finish is probably the worst pain in the world, but it fades quickly and you’re usually too high on finishing a marathon to let that memory stick. You did great and I’m so happy you and Ashley finished together. I love races like that! Congrats again!!
OMG I’m in one of your pics!!! (Mile 23) Bib #47-421
I was crying and in so much pain at that point and frantically trying to call my husband because I needed someone to encourage me to keep going!
congrats on your finish!! I totally said I would never do it again but now that my legs have the feeling back in them — yeah I totally would
That’s too funny you’re in the picture! Good findin’.
We survived!
Congrats MARATHONER! You are amazing! Nothing beats the first marathon, and to have NYC be your first is a great experience. Those last miles don’t really get easier (ever…) and NYC is a really tough course. I’m sad you missed the wall of sound on First Ave because I thought it was amazing….where’d those people go??
Rest up and get ready for the next one!
Thank you so much, Susan! Really really means a lot.
Yay!! Congratulations!
Congratulations, Shannon! Personally, I love the kitty-cat helping you get ready in the first photograph! Haha.
Thank you, Tara! For some reason my sister’s cat always takes over my pillow hahah.
I am exhausted just reading that re-cap.
Four words: You Are A Rockstar!!!!
Congratulations on a wonderful achievement!!!
Thank you!
I’m exhausted too — longest recap ever lol.
OMG!!! First of all, congrats on the race – quite an accomplishment!! Anything decided over a giant bowl of sangria is a fantastic decision. Such a cute text from your dad, too. Second of all, HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT YOUR BLOG UNTIL NOW!?!?! Susan just left me a comment about how we had the same NYC anniversary so I had to check it out and after reading your about me and marathon playlist I’m not sure why it had to be so long!!!
-courtney
Oh my gosh that is AMAZING.
We are New York Anniversary Buddies!
Congratulations! What an accomplishment! Way to push through the tough parts!
wow wow wow!!!!! you are AMAZING! can’t believe how you went from just watching the marathon last year to promising yourself you’d train to run it this year. that is a huge accomplishment!
glad you’ve caught the bug
Thank you so much, Christine!
Congratulations! Way to push through it. It’s amazing how much energy seeing family and friends can give you in a race. AWESOME Job!
You did it! Congratulations, Shannon! I’ve loved following your training (and seeing you in the park on Saturdays busting out those long runs) and I’m so proud of you. You’re a marathoner! Enjoy the recovery, pamper the heck out of yourself and be very, very proud.
Thank you so much, Ali! Yay Marathon Club.
CONGRATULATIONS! I’m so glad you loved it in the end, and I can’t wait to hear which one you tackle next
I’ve been SO looking forward to this post! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! What an awesome recap. I hope your legs/feet have forgiven you.
PS….love your kitty in the first 2 pictures!
Thank you so much, Krista!
Really means a lot to me and glad you liked the kitty pictures!
CONGRATS SHANNONG! so happy for you!!!!
you can email me if you have a desire to share! marathonwiner@gmail.com!
ive been following your training for a while now, and im also running my first this saturday–few questions for you?
- where did you buy the amazing bogo throwaway jacket?? i thinkkkk i need to make a trip!
- what was your general running/eating schedule in the days leading up to the race? im having a miserable time with my taper
- any advice for a fellow first timer??
congrats again!!!
Thank you so much! I’ll send you an email later tonight.
Great job girl! I can’t even imagine doing that and you did amazing.
Congratulations!!!!!
Enjoyed following your journey! NYC was my first and I remember how hard the end was. NYC is a tough course, but then the end is always sort of miserable…Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Congratulations!! Great marathon recap!! I love reading everyone’s journey. You did awesome! btw, I noticed you from the ferry…I was sitting behind the guys in front of you and when I looked back I overheard you telling one of them about the letters on your shirt that you picked up from target? did i get it right?
LOL!! pretty cool! ps…I’m a NYC girl who is now a florida beach bum…we switched places ;/ NYCM was great but definitely hard…my first marathon! can’t wait to do it again!
Thank you so much, Marlene! That is too funny you were right behind us on the ferry!
Yup, got the peel-off letters from Target.
Great job on rocking your first marathon! Want to switch places for the winter months?
I’m so proud of you
So proud of you! You’re amazing. And, dannnggg, you look good after running 26.2 miles. I shudder to think of what I would look like. GO SHANNON!
Thank you SO much, Kaitlyn!
The weather was pretty chilly, so I didn’t sweat a lot which was weird. You’ve gotta come visit!
Yay!! You are a MARATHONER. Such an awesome thing to be
HUGE congrats.
Thank you so much, Gia! Feels amazing to be apart of this cool Marathon Club now.
!@$£^VG&&&& *insert hyperventilating screams here* I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!! xoxoxo
YOU.ARE.AWESOME.
love your post. I hope you do another marathon!!
Congratulations! And, how fun to finish with a friend!!! Way to tough it out!!! NYC was my 3rd marathon and the hardest course I’ve run. It was tough. Way to go!!!
So great to read your recap, Shannon! I’m so proud of you and never forget what you accomplished- it’s a big deal! So glad your family and friends were out there supporting you. Best feeling ever to see familiar faces during a race. I always start cry – hahaha. Such a sap. xo
I am so happy for you! You are a marathoner! I can’t believe New York was your first… Lucky! Granted I ran my first in a country where I did not speak the language and could not read the signs… You did great and I loved reading your recap… Mile 22 SUCKS. That is the mile my feet hated the most! What are you going to run next?
MAJOR congrats Shannon!!!!
You did so awesome!!! What a great recap!
Congratulations Shannon!!!!!! I am soooo proud of you and this recap literally brought tears to my eyes. You are amazing!!!!
Beyond proud of you! You finished your first marathon!!!!!…and so glad you’re up for another, you can run with me next year
haha
Congrats! I love how you posted this!!! Sometimes people are a tad too wordy! lol
Congrats Shannon…. you inspire me to start my training… didn’t you try the ice water bath to sooth your leg??? you should give it a try….
Thank you, Villarina!
Never tried the ice bath– was too chicken haha. Did splash some freezing water on my legs for a few seconds when turning the shower off and it definitely helped a little bit.
Good luck with your training and let me know if you ever have any questions!
-Shannon
Congratulations! I love the recap and totally want to run NYCM someday after reading this. Kudos for sticking with it when it got rough!!
Thank you so much, Brittney! You should DEFINITELY sign up for the NYCM.
Congrats! You did amazing! I love all the pics!
I didn’t notice the wall of sound on 1st either. I wonder if I ever saw you. I was also in orange corral 3