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Lara's 2009 New York Marathon Blog
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LATEST POST: 11/11/09
So what can I say about New York City Marathon? It was whoopbloodytastic!!!
I spent just under a week in that fabulous city, sight seeing, as well as running the marathon with my friend Amelia who also ran. It was wonderful to be able to share this amazing experience with her and her family.
We spent the days leading up to the race carb-loading, exploring New York (wasting far too much energy), and getting sick of the sight of pasta and porridge.
After eating yet another bowl of porridge at 5am on the Sunday, we took the subway downtown to catch the ferry to Staten Island where the start line was. Considering there were 39,000 runners, the organisation was fantastic. There were 3 different starting points, all providing coffee, bagels, energy bars and drinks. Before I knew it, it was gone 9am and time to move to the start line - the race was about to begin. This is the first time I have run in fancy dress and was wearing a hot pink tutu, leg warmers, wrist band and hair band, all kindly lent to me by my friend Clare.
Within each of the 3 starts there were 3 waves and I was in the middle wave starting at 10am. As many of you know I'm not an emotional person. I cry in films but not in real life. But as I set off I was filled with emotion and wanted to cry. Perhaps it was because I was achieving my dream of running the New York City Marathon. Or perhaps it was because I was doing this for Gavin, the first person I truly loved. Or perhaps it was a bit of both. Whatever the reason, I could hardly believe that I was now starting my 2nd marathon.
Similar to the London Marathon earlier this year, the first half of the race flew by as excitment took over. I took in all the sights and sounds as I crossed Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and ran through Brooklyn. It was thrilling hearing so many people shouting my name, calling out 'Go Lara', 'Looking Foxy Girl', 'Dance down that street girl', 'Love ya tutu Lara'. I was overcome when I heard a little girl, about my daughter's age, say 'Mummy, Mummy look at the Ballerina, she is so beautiful'. It made me think of Tamzin and this helped and inspired me to run. It was also so encouraging to have Amelia's family, who were dotted around the course, cheering us both on. They kept saying it was harder spectating than running, but I didn't believe them. By the end of the race, I think that they agreed with me!
I decided before I flew out that I wouldn’t be running for speed as I wanted to enjoy the race but knew that if I could beat my time of 4:17 at London I'd be pleased. I ran through 5 different boroughs, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Manhattan - miles 13, 14, 15, and I was going strong, despite having to stop for over 5 minutes to queue for the loo at the 6 mile mark - but when you've got to go you've got to go!
Then just before mile 16, while crossing The Queensboro Bridge, I felt something in my knee go and then intense pain. Tensing my feet to try and shake off the pain, I was starting to worry. Luckily I had a sachet of pain relief gel in my running belt so I stopped and covered my knee with the whole packet, determined to keep going. I had not travelled half way across the world not to complete the marathon! I persevered and passing the Cystic Fibrosis Trust Team encouraged me and made me smile. Energy drinks and gels helped me through the final miles. For the very first time I looked at the Red Cross with the thought that I might need their help but knew that if I stopped I wouldn't be able to start again. So I kept going - miles 18, 19, 20, towards The Bronx and it fascinated me how different the people were in the various boroughs. After running in and out of The Bronx I was heading for Manhattan and now all I had to do was to run the 5 miles round Central Park. I could keep hearing people shouting my name, 'Go Lara, nearly there girl'!
For a moment I needed some Lara time and took myself to the middle of the race in order to take a few moments to meditate and collect my thoughts before dealing with the crowd once again. It takes a lot of energy to run a marathon let alone taking time to talk, smile, thank everyone as well as high fiving kids - it's incredibly draining. Once I hit Central Park, the atmosphere grew giving me the extra strength I needed to finish. When I read a sign saying 'Hello Central Park, Goodbye Weakness', I wanted to cry as the pain was so bad and my body was screaming at me to walk - but I didn't. I kept going proving that my mental strength is stronger than my physical strength!! Only 800 meters to go, then 600 and I began to sprint, putting all my energy into the finish, so much so, that I almost forgot to breath. I overtook everyone at the end and finished the New York City Marathon 2009 in 4:30:05.
I spent the rest of the day celebrating with Amelia (who completed the marathon in 3:56:21) and her family, and meeting the Cystic Fibrosis Trust Team in Times Square.
After the London Marathon, I was asked if I would do it again, and my reply was a definite YES. Now I have completed 2 marathons this year, in spite of being told I wouldn't be able to run one!
I can't begin to tell you how encouraging it has been receiving so many emails, letting me know how I have inspired people to run and enter races, and how my Mum brought tears to so many with the article she wrote for the Exeter Express & Echo. If I can touch so many lives simply by being me and my running, imagine what you can do by letting people watch you achieve your dreams. Together, step by step, we can all make the world a happier place, after all we only get one shot at life and this is it!
Now I have completed the New York City Marathon, would you all please be so kind to have one less beer or glass of wine this week and donate a few pounds to help me reach my target of £1200 (no donation is too big or too small). Not everyone is as lucky as we are, having our health and I thank you in advance. You're all Fabulous!! Simply click the following link www.justgiving.com/larawadeynym
If you would like to sponsor my friend Amelia who ran in aid of Brain Injuries, then please click the following link www.justgiving.com/Amelia-Derbyshire
So what's next? It's the Virgin London Marathon 2010!!
Lara xx
9/11/09
New York is fast approaching - 16 weeks worth of training under my belt. Now I'm off to the concrete jungle, to see the lights of New York and to experience one of the world's greatest marathons - making another one of my dreams come true.
I've found this harder than training for the London Marathon earlier this year. I'm not sure if this is because I didn't let my legs fully recover from London or because I've done more off road and cross country training. Either way I've enjoyed my training, races and the people I've met who have inspired me along the way.
When I started training for New York, my goal was to break 4 hours. However the goal posts have moved slightly as I now want to take in every moment, soak in the atmosphere, high fiving the kids, eating my way round, and looking at the sights of New York as I run. Kind of like a 26.2 mile sight seeing tour. So after doing all that I'll see how my time pans out.
The Express ∧ Echo in Exeter asked my Mum to write an article on what it's like to be my Mum. It was published over 3 days last week. If you would like to read what she wrote, following are the 3 links in order of the story. Mum you have written an honest account of what we went through as a family, I'm so grateful that I had a lovely family to support me through the ups and downs. I've had a lot of encouraging feedback telling me how you have touched people, bringing tears to many. I can't wait to finish my book to help others like I was helped.
Article 1 | Artilce 2 | Artilce 3
You're able to track my pace and location as I run the marathon using the free athlete alert service. To do this you will need my name & running number 38866 - click here
Thank you to everyone who have supported me so far in so many different ways. If you would like to sponsor me helping me raise money for Cystic Fibrosis in memory of my friend Gavin Fallon, you can do this securely via justgiving or you can contact me personally if you would rather do it offline. My email address is crofty778@hotmail.com or mobile 07801 735780. Thank you in advance for you generosity.
So let's hear it for New York. I will be writing my final blog on my return, making you all jealous of my amazing week. I wish I could take you all with me as my own personal cheerleading squad!
Love yourself and each other
Lara x
23/09/09
After the disaster with dehydration at the Burnham Beeches race, I was forced to take a few days rest. It is amazing what rest and good food can do to the body, as I have since proved when I ran the Bristol Half Marathon. There were 16,000 people running and not only was the atmosphere was amazing, but I was lucky to have my family and a few friends in the crowd to support me. I took to heart what Tony told me - that 'success is a planned event' - so I planned, nourished my body correctly and had sufficient sleep.
Ready at the start line, I took in everything around me, then the gun went off. It was a strange feeling being back in Bristol, a place that has few good memories for me, but the music on my iPod counteracted any bad memories and told me that this was the end, and that I was free! I felt inspired and was happy that I was running well and enjoying every moment. For the first 3 miles I took in the atmosphere. For miles 6, 7, ∧ 8, I began smiling back at the people smiling at me and looking down at my watch, I did a double take. Quickly doing the maths in my head, I realised that if I kept this up I was on for a good time. At mile 10 I had to laugh as my sports bra unhooked itself, but I wasn't prepared to stop and waste seconds doing it up. I did wonder if anyone could tell that I wasn't supported! Then at mile 12 I needed the loo, but again, I wasn't prepared to stop as I hadn't run like this since 2006. So I did another Paula Radcliff moment - runners understand that you do what you have got to do! Less than a mile from the finish line I saw my brother who tried to run along side me, but I knew I had to stay focused and keep going. I was pleased and shocked to cross the finish line in 1:52:55, only 22 seconds off my PB (personal best). I had run the best race I’ve run in years and couldn't stop looking at my watch as I rushed to tell my family. All the hard work that I had been putting into my training was starting to pay off. The Bristol Half Marathon was amazing and brought back so many memories of the London Marathon. It all reinforced my excitement and anticipation for New York!
The following week, I ran the Dunstable Downs 20, which was my first 20 mile cross country race. Although I had been doing cross country training leading up to this race, and earlier in the year did a 10k cross country for fun, I still didn't know what to expect. A friend asked me that morning what time I was looking for and I said that I honestly had no idea, perhaps 3-5 hours? I had no idea what pace I would be running, nor how running cross country would effect my body compared to that of the road. I also did not know how I would cope with the new experience of map reading while running. Normally I follow the person in front of me and have mile markers all the way round to follow. Before the start of the race I was a cocktail of nerves and excitement but it helped to have other runners from Bearbrook Joggers taking part and then Linda kindly offered to let me run with her. What a beautiful run it was to cross the 20 miles of Dunstable Downs. The beautiful scenery reminded me of The Sound of Music and I had the urge to sing as I ran 'The hills are alive..........' and left the map reading to Linda, who had done this many times before. There were 3 check points during the course to help break the race up at 6, 10 & 15 miles. My muscles started to kick in at about 19 miles, the same feeling I had running the London Marathon at 25 miles. I was told that 20 miles cross country is about the same as 26 miles on the road. It was perfect running weather, and I was delighted to find that I had completed the race in 3:41:12.
After two fabulous races, I will be taking it easy this week before picking up the pace again. I will do cross training in the gym to work on my fitness and combine this with a few light runs.
Until next week.....
01/09/09
Each week I wonder what am I going to write about this time. What can be so different week after week and how much can you actually write about running? Trust me, running is more than just putting one step in front of the other. It's a planned event and this week I found that out the hard way.
So following on from my last blog, I was refreshed and running again. My next challenge was the Burnham Beeches Half Marathon. It had been a crazy week at work and it hadn't even dawned on me that I wasn't looking after myself until after the race. After all life happens and you just get on with it, routine doesn't always happen.
It was a stunning morning, the sun was shining, runners were dashing about putting their baggage away and using the loo for those last minute nerves and the gun goes off. We are off to do 2 laps of a course situated in a beautiful part of Bucks. For the first lap I was flying, using the running techniques that I had been practising and did half the race in 54 mins. I was excited that this could be a PB (personal best)! Then the heat kicked in. To my horror I found that my body was slowing down and it was impossible to get enough water down me. At the 11th mile my back was hurting so badly that I wanted to stop. I couldn't breathe. I was so tired. I desperately wanted more water but none was available until the finish line. So I kept going as my mind is stronger than my body and crossed the finish line at 2:00:04. So much for that PB I was looking at an hour ago! Graham, his son Paul and I went to enjoy the pool, but I found that I was too tired to enjoy it. My body and mind would not settle down. I didn't feel right. The heat had affected me so much that I spent the rest of the day cold, tired, shivering and being sick. I lost 6 lbs over night and was not able to stomach food or even water. I found that this is what dehydration does.
Looking back now, I can see why it happened. I had barely eaten during the days leading up to the race, and even on the race day I didn't have my usual breakfast and water. So I have learnt that although life does get busy, I have to plan my food and water and listen to my friend Tony who tells me that 'success is a planned event'. Not giving myself the correct nutrition caused my body to break down resulting in me not getting the results I aimed for. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, it's happened and I've learnt from it so it wasn't a wasted day!
The Express & Echo in Exeter wrote another article about me this week. It was concerning my running the New York City Marathon on 1st November to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis in memory of Gavin Fallon who was taken by the disease 3 years ago. If you missed the article you can read it here
I am also delighted that once again Amway (UK) Ltd. have agreed to support me by providing all the nutritional supplements, vitamins & minerals that my body requires leading up to the marathon.
Until the next time...
14/08/09
Every runner wants their running programme to go perfectly as they commit themselves to achieve their goals.
I have only just started my training for NY and to be honest it all went wrong before it even started. Part of me didn't even want to write this blog as I felt a failure. My self confidence was at an all time low and I needed to break through my negative thinking.
Somehow it seemed that I was running someone else's race. I was running to gain approval from others. My identity was about what others thought of me, rather than my opinion of myself. I was advised to write about it, as if I was going through this hole, surely others must have experienced it as well.
Since The London Marathon I didn't give my body the chance to recover, even with a sprained toe. My body was saying 'No' and my brain was starting to agree.
After the High Wycombe 10k, the following week I was mean't to run the MK half. I got up ready for the race but broke down. I didn't want to run. I just wanted to cry and sleep. So that's what I did. I took the following week off running and went home to Devon to spend time with the family. I had a fun week which helped to re-charge my batteries.
I returned home rested, ready and positive to start training so prepared a fresh training plan and got myself back to the running club. I went speed training, cross country running (which I'm loving at the moment as it makes me feel so free), took long runs alone and attended my gym classes which are a big part of my fitness training.
One really interesting experience that I had last weekend was to look at running from a completely different angle. Our club was having their 10k race and I was asked to help marshal. This helped make me feel part of something much bigger and it was also great to see a friend of mine, Lee, run his first race finishing in 45.11 raising the bar for Graham and myself. Thank you Lee!!
It was magical to watch a race, to watch other people accomplish something real, and to feel their energy and passion. For the first time in my life I was really getting excited for other people, which in turn motivated me. Helping others turned around into helping me.... wow!
So now I feel back on track. I have only 12 weeks until I'm in the Big Apple to experience one of the world's greatest marathons.... and you know what? I can't wait!!!
INTRODUCTION
Photo from the Wycombe 10k....its of Graham, his son Paul and me...The double act plus 1.
For those of you who do not know my history, I started running about 3 years ago and what started out as a bit of fun has turned into a passion. It has been fascinating running so many different kinds of races, the last challenge being The Flora London Marathon 2009 where I ran as part of the MIND Team. I personally raised £2058 of the £256,100.00 raised and many of you followed my blog here on City Runs.
My next challenge in 104 days, 7 hours and 42 minutes is the world famous New York City Marathon. The reason I decided to apply for this before I ran The London Marathon was that I knew that after this event I would be lost as a marathon really does take over your life. There is much more involved than just turning up and running 26.2 miles.
This time I have chosen to run for a charity that is close to my heart, Cystic Fibrosis, in memory of my ex boyfriend, Gavin Fallon, who sadly died from this disease some 3 years ago. Gavin this is for YOU!
For those of you who are not aware of what Cystic Fibrosis is, it is the UK's most common life-threatening inherited disease, affecting over 8,000 people in the UK. It affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, by clogging them with thick sticky mucus. This makes it hard to breathe and digest food. There is currently no cure!
I have joined a local running club called The Bearbrook Joggers to help me train, to improve and to achieve my real potential.
My training kicked off with The Grant & Stone Wycombe 10k. This was my first 10k as I have only run 13+ mile races before and it involves a totally different style of running. The first and last quarter mile were on grass, there was a hill, no on second thoughts it could be best described as a mountain, rising 225 feet over 3/4 of a mile. And what goes up must come down! In spite of the fact that this must have been one of the hardest courses I've run I ended up running at a half marathon pace, enjoying the beautiful scenery as I was doing so, and finishing at 54:14.
Please stay in contact with my blogs on City Runs over the next few months when I will keep you updated on my training, races, the walls I hit, and the achievements I make.
