I came in 2949th place out of 4597 finishers and finished in a time of 46:42.
It was a good experience to get ready for the race: checkin, pick up my bib, put a chip on my shoe (to keep my time). All of these things were new experiences for me, as was running in a huge mass of people. I ran the race by myself so I had to bob and weave my way through slower runners and mind the faster runners coming in behind me.
Our coach gave us some tips for how to approach the race, but all I really remembered was 1) to start slo - slower than I wanted to run so I could conserve energy and 2) finish strong by pumping my arms hard.
Starting slow was easy, this was my first race & I didn't think that I am a particularly good runner. I noticed after about a quarter mile that instead of getting passed, I was passing a lot more people than were passing me. I took this a sign that I actually am in decent running shape and am capable of running at a faster rate that I expected.
I struggled at a few points and needed to slow my pace to recover, but I only slowed to walk once and that was at a water station (s it shouldn't really count). Several times, mental weakness got the better of me though. Between the 2nd and 3rd miles I was silently cursing to myself about how my lungs (or legs) were burning & then I thought about Poppop and how I never ever heard him complain about anything. If I remember correctly he suffered silently with Leukemia for 5 years, yet he was always upbeat. I saw him sick and visited him several times in hospitals, but he used those times to make new friends with nurses and doctors & not complain or feel sorry for himself. I realized that there was no reason that I should be upset when I was in good physical shape, challenging myself and enjoying a beautiful morning outdoors.
As the race went on, I continued moving past other runners. Our coach told us to find runners about 200 yards ahead of us and accelerate until we passed them and then find someone else to pass, etc. This was helpful advice that carried me through the finish line.
The last several hundred meters of the race were lined with fans cheering us on and the boost from the cheering was incredible. I saw my brother and ran over to high five him and then I felt stronger and actually was a little disappointed the race ended so quickly. I wanted to run more...
Fortunately, I had made arrangements for my friend Joe to meet me in the Park after the race so we ran another 8k loop in Central Park!!! Just because I participated in a race, doesn't mean that I can slack off and not put in my long distance run today.
If my Nike+ is to be trusted, between the 2 runs I ran 10.8 miles this morning. Definitely an all time high!!!
My results:
| Last Name | | | | | | | | | | | | | | AG | |
| DZIEKAN | SALVATORE | M28 | 5233 | LEUK | ASTORIA | NY | | 2949 | 1957 | 368 | 46:42 | 9:23 | 46:41 | 2174 | 45.6 % |
Sam, Thanks for that entry. I was just expecting to hear a little about your progress and was pleasantly surprised to read about how Poppop still inspires you. He was definitely an inspiration to all of us and I still think about him all the time. My thoughts about him and Nauni and Aunt Sandra are often that I wish they were here to share in all of your and Jake's successes. Even though I know they know ... it would be nice to have a conversation with them. I always imagine their responses though... They were all always so supportive. I can just hear Poppop's excitement ~ he loved you (loves you) so much! Love, Mom
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