Short form: New York, Baby! Only 28 or 29 states to go
I had a tumultuous week last week that left me short on sleep, hydration and calories. I have been anxious about going to New York for weeks and even though my amazing sister, in an effort to calm my fears, hired an escort for me… I still wasn’t sure I was going to get on the plane. But by Thursday afternoon, I realized I had no other option. I hurried home from work just before 6 to shower and pack.
Friday after a red eye was interesting. Lost in the subways without our escort, we learned an unexpected truth about New Yorkers. They are helpful! Any time we produced a map, someone would offer to help. After stumbling upon the world’s best bagels in Grand Central Station, we made it to our hostel – which I never would have booked myself but which was sincerely perfect! We went out to find something to eat after a short nap and we found St Paul’s Cathedral by mistake. My companions indulged me and patiently waited while I said a prayer and lit a candle. I had told someone I would spend some time over the weekend in prayer and contemplation and this was essential. Then to the expo, which was more retail based than expos I have been in lately. I bought a jacket. Tony showed up (finally) and Mary, Cliff, Tony and I had dinner at Sylvia’s in Harlem. It was a short walk from out hostel and it was excellent.
Saturday morning my escort showed up. What a trooper Ruth was! Hotdog lips and facial stitches from a bad fall a few days before, she arrived after her red eye with perky good humor and led the way. Back to the expo for Tony’s number. He makes friends wherever he goes! He took me to the Jamaica booth and introduced me to his friends and tried desperately to teach me Jamaican. He’s irie mon.
We went to see a Broadway show. Million Dollar Quartet. It was excellent! Although I enjoyed my companions immensely, I sat there wishing my family could be there with me.
Then we went out to eat at an italian place that wouldn’t seat us so we settled for French food elsewhere. God it was good!! I wished Mary were there. She would have loved it. Then some souvenir shopping and back to get ready for the marathon. I was short on sleep and hydration. But whatever.
Up and out by 4:30 to get to the start. Ruth took me the whole way! I love Ruth. Did I mention that? I got on the ferry and instantly met a new friend. Hong is an engineer with GM. She works at the proving ground and her work sounded like a lot of fun. We saw Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty as well as Ground Zero. It was a beautiful albeit cold morning.
Waiting around for hours in the starting area, I met the head of HR for Rio Tinto in Australia. He was cool. At the start, I met some interesting women who told me about a foundation to help girls called Strong Women Strong Girls. It sounded like Girls Have IT Day!
In mile 1 I met Kim who grew up in Tempe but now lives in Atlanta. She was interesting and fun and we held a strong pace through 18 miles. She told me about the different neighborhoods and what she had learned the day before on her course tour. Fascinating. At one point, the cheering stopped and I heard a man with a thick Russian accent ask “What happened to cheering?”. I looked around and realized that we were in the Hassidic Jew neighborhood. The men regarded us suspiciously, the women ignored us. At the end of the neighborhood, just before we hit the slums, three Hassidic Jew girls stood holding out lollipops without a grownup in sight. I hoped the didn’t get in trouble.
The cheering got tiresome. I don’t care for big races with big crowds. I wanted to run alone for awhile. Around mile 18, I told Kim to go. I was having trouble. My tailbone hurt. That’s never happened before. Then I realized that while my legs were on autopilot, I had no control over them. I was lightheaded. I was hot. I was cold. I was in trouble. I decided to walk before things got worse – like I ended up in the med tent without a finish. Walking was hilarious because my legs were going at weird angles, like I had seen on a classic Ironman video of a woman approaching the finish and it really is uncertain if she is going to make the three hundred yards or not. I wondered if running would help and my lucid brain said “No! Walk.”. OK. After a mile of walking I decided to try jogging again. I wondered what had happened to my projected 3:45 finish, but I didn’t really care. If I missed my plane, I would just cross that bridge when I came
to it. Walking and jogging, I made it to the finish in something like 4:15.
Grabbing a food bag (thank God for food bags!) I began consuming calories as I made my way to my drop bag. Magically, or not so magically, I felt terrific upon getting some calories! Leaving Central Park, I had 14 blocks to walk to our meet up spot. I could do it, but it was going to take awhile. I hired a bike-cab and off we went. This guy was terrific, deftly weaving through the traffic! At the meet up, there was Ruth in her bright yellow hat and amazing smile. I love Ruth! She took me back to the hostel and then led me to JFK. I wish I had Ruth to lead me around everyday. Seriously, I think life would be more fun.
I caught my plane and am on it now flying home. I miss my family, but I am glad I went to New York. Spending time with my sister and her friends was just what the doctor ordered. I am so lucky.