1. The Verrazano Bridge is approximately 47 miles long. 46 of those miles are uphill.
2. The locals are very friendly. And they are very open to foreigners.
3. Trust me when I say not to stop moving while on the Verrazano Bridge. Keep jogging until you get off. I moved over to the side to adjust my earbuds and iPod and the entire bridge was bouncing. It's unnerving.
4. The entire city is uphill. NYC is not flat, people. It is uphill in every direction.
5. The Wall of Sound so many people talk about midway through the Queensboro Bridge is a myth. At least for any slow runners. Don't get your heart set on experiencing it like I did. But the view is amazing.
6. Take selfies.
7. Law enforcement in NYC are handsome.
8. Mile 22 is actually 7 miles long.
9. If you are in the last wave, chances are good you will finish in the dark.
10. No matter what kind of race you have, once you cross that finish line, you are a NEW YORK CITY MARATHON FINISHER!! Go straight to the nearest pub and have a glass of wine...or beer....or 17 shots of tequila. I'm not here to judge.
I am SO happy this post is happy.
ReplyDeleteand yes, every bit of those are true.
I feel much better now, thank you! I'm pretty convinced that the NYCM is actually like 57 miles.
DeleteI love both of your blings! Beautiful. That bridge would weird me out for sure. There is a bridge in my town that I run across but I don't like it. I often feel like I might blow over the edge of it. But then I remember that I am so short that the half wall there would save me from going over..haha!
ReplyDeleteHa! Yeah, I'm not a fan of heights. That bridge is pretty crazy but also really cool because its right at the start and you're finally running the NYC marathon, so it's also awe inspiring.
DeleteHow did you tear yourself away from the firemen to go back to the race? That's a wall I wouldn't mind hitting! The thing that really turns me off from NYC is that you have to hang around for so long at the start. I'd definitely be in the last wave too, but you waste so much time and energy waiting. The necklace and medal are pretty cool. You can put the necklace on and leave it on for several years after getting through that!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, we hardly waited around at all. We left our room at 6:45, rode the subway to the ferry, then waited in an insane line for an indoor bathroom at the terminal. The longest part was actually riding the bus from the ferry to the start line. I've read stories about people waiting hours at the start line but I don't see how that would happen unless they took a ridiculously early ferry.
DeleteI haven't taken my necklace off since I got it. :)