Marathon...DONE.

Dear everyone!

I did it!! I write to you now, 1 day post-marathon, and NO I am not one of the unfortunate souls who had a heart attack during the race...although it may have felt that way near the end. I sit here with sore legs, and my medal around my neck, as it has been ALL DAY. It did get in the way a bit as I tried to examine pets today, but I didn't care - I earned this damn thing, and I was NOT taking it off. It sure is pretty.....

So, my official time was 4:40:21. I was hoping to come in under 4:30, but I also had no idea how hard this would be. Let me start at the beginning so I can try to re-create the experience for you all......

I awoke just before 4am in my sister and her fiancee's bed. Yes, they made me take the bed while they "slept" on the fold-out couch (does anyone ever sleep a wink on those things??). I got dressed, scarfed a Clif Bar, and headed down to meet the taxi at 4:30am. I got into NYC at the meeting point for the bus at about 5am. Met up with the NBC producers, and some of the other interviewees and hopped on the bus. I sat at the back with Jock, the Glaswegian (that's Scottish for those of you in the US who have no idea what Glaswegian means) fellow who had run a marathon for every letter of the alphabet, and New York was the last one on his list. We chatted most of the time, he is an awesome bloke. Also back there with us was David, the 78 year old man who was running his 30th marathon...he ran his first when he was 65. GREAT guy. Also on the bus was Debbie, a WONDERFUL woman who has ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) which is terminal, but she is still so full of life that she decided to give this one last marathon a go. She had done several before, but this is her last hurrah. There was David, a gentleman who's 5 year old son has cancer, and he has started a charity and written an album to raise money to try to find a cure. Also, there was Ivan, a military man who had a mortar explode in his face, which took one eye completely out, leaving him with one visionless eye. This would be his 6th marathon THIS YEAR. Amazing AMAZING people. What a great way to start this incredible experience!

Then, as we were sitting and chatting, who hops on the bus? None other than my new bestest bud, Monica Morales from NBC, who was running the marathon with her sister Cat! We recognized each other right away, and had a nice big ol' hug and proceeded to chat the whole way to Ft Wadsworth. What a lovely surprise!

Then, we were all asked a few questions by David Willey, the editor-in-chief of Runner's World magazine, who would be interviewing us on-the-run during the race, and once the buses arrived, we hopped off and were escorted to the VIP tent. This, my friends, was the BEST thing EVER EVER. EVER.

It was cold out. I mean, like 39 degrees (fahrenheit) with whipping winds. So, imagine my relief at being whisked off the bus (into the cold) then having a silver plastic wristband slapped on my wrist and shown into this HEATED tent. With chairs and tables. And catered food. Ohhhhhhh yeah, THIS I can get used to. Then, like 10 seconds after I step in and put my bag down, WHAMMO, the lovely Lorraine from the NY Road Runners Club (they set the whole race up) grabs me and says, "I need you right away!" And, no folks, it wasn't in a *wink wink* *love you long time* kind of "need", it was the "get the fuck back out into the cold" sort of "need." So, I dropped my stuff and went into the middle of a field with the ABC weatherman (as seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmZgAqjD5Gw) for my pre-race interview, where the wind literally took my breath away as I tried to talk. After that was done, I ran back to the heated tent and grabbed a handful of SCONES. YES! SCONES!! As I was stuffing my face, Lorraine grabbed me again, and pulled me out of the tent - she said that Monica was talking me up to the folks from Fox News, who then wanted to interview me. A lovely woman interviewed me, then ran the marathon herself. My interview never actually made it on to TV, but whatever. Then, back inside I went and resumed my scone ingestion.

I hung out for a while, then decided to try and get my bag checked in (you put some stuff in there that you want at the end of the race, like dry clothes, hat, protein bar, etc) and go see what the rest of my charity teammates were up to. As I was searching in the cold, a girl from high school, Estee, spotted me (what are the odds of THAT happening amongst 40000 people?!?) and we chatted a bit as I checked my bag. Then I went by my charity tent, and popped in - it consisted of a bunch of people huddled up for warmth and a table with some horrible looking bagels and bottles of water. I promptly left to be reunited with warmth in the VIP tent...!

So, I stayed in there the remainder of the time. Coming and going were famous folk like Beth O (Howard Stern's wife), Brandi Chastain (olympic soccer gold medalist) and Kerri Strug (olympic gymnastic gold medalist) - who were all running the marathon. How damn cool was THAT?

Then, at 8:40am, we were taken to the corrals. We basically were outside standing in the freezing cold for an hour before the start. Then, the gun went off....and Frank Sinatra started blaring over the loudspeakers...and we didn't move. That's because there were several thousand people in front of us. Eventually we started to walk a bit, and then trot. Then we hit the starting line, I hit the "Start" button on my GPS watch....and we were off, running up the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. This was an amazing start, a spectacular view of the city, and VERY difficult to keep my pace SLOW, which was my aim. Especially coming DOWN the bridge into Brooklyn, it was just about impossible for me to slow down. I knew this would come back to haunt me, but what the hell, it was my first marathon, I just did the best I could to maintain my speed. When we entered Brooklyn at mile 3 ish, this was when the fun started. The crowds were in full force, and it was incredible running through the different neighborhoods - each neighborhood seemed to have a predominant nationality, i.e. there was a Latino neighborhood, an Indian neighborhood, an African-American neighborhood, etc. Each one we ran through, the crowds were INCREDIBLE, screaming my name (which was written on my jersey), extending their hands for high fives (the kids seemed especially thrilled when you obliged!), handing out bananas, candy, oranges, water, tissues, Vaseline, etc etc. The diversity of the cultures along with the kindness towards these lunatic strangers who were running through their city was astounding to me, and it makes one wonder why we can't get along like that all the time! Just hearing all of these people cheering for me had me choked up, and nearly in tears - I became very emotional at this point, as the enormity of what I was a part of started to sink in. I think this was my favorite part of the race.

We traveled up Brooklyn like this for a very long way. My sister popped out around mile 10, and gave me a quick hug along the way. At just about the halfway mark, I stopped for a potty break and a stretch...and David the 78-yr old chap happened to see me, and we trotted along for a bit together before he said "Young fella, you go on ahead - I know you are faster than me!" I shook his hand, and said "David, I hope we meet again someday." and took off up the Pulaski bridge. My halfway time wasn't too shabby, 2:13:08.

I still felt quite good at this point...as I anticipated the dreaded Queensboro bridge. I knew this was a killer, yet I was ready for it, because I was waiting for the roar of 1st ave as you enter Manhattan for the first time at the other end. The bridge came up around mile 15ish, and I felt ok - I managed to pass several walking folks, and I felt strong...until I got to the top, and I knew I was in trouble. My legs felt spent, and I still had 10 miles to go. I stopped just before the end of the bridge for a stretch, and forced myself on. On to 1st ave I went, and to be honest, wasn't that impressed. No roar. A zillion people, yes, but pretty damn quiet. Disappointing.

So, we turned the corner and headed UP. ALL the way up. the road was wide, and completely packed with people. It was an impressive sight, yes, but much more impersonal than Brooklyn. Noone cheering my name, just a general cheering sound which I tuned out. I reached a little apex at one point, and all I could see was a sea of people ahead of me as far as my vision could reach. It was astounding...and daunting. I still had a LONG way to go. As I got to mile 18, my legs felt like lead. I had to stop for a stretch again. On I pushed.

Finally, around mile 20, we hit another small bridge which put us into the Bronx. There was a great band there playing some tunes, and as I turned the corner, they shouted "Welcome to the Bronx!!" I felt welcome. Unfortunately, we were only there for about a mile, then another bridge put us back into the city. At this point, mile 21, I called the NBC folks on the cell phone they provided me, and told them my location. I was told David Willey would meet me at the next mile, on the corner of 121st St and some other road (can't remember the name now) on the SE corner. I told them I had just run 21 miles, and I could barely remember my name, let alone determine which corner was SE, so could they PLEASE just tell me left or right. They said left. I said thanks. Off I went.

Just before I was ready for my close-up, I nearly get run over by an ambulance. Which would have been ironic, I guess. But anyway, I ran past a fellow collapsed in a heap on the side of the road with a scarily cross-eyed glazed look in his eyes. I hope he was ok.

Then, I hit my meeting point, saw David, and flagged him down. He interviewed me for like 30 seconds, shook my hand, and was off on his motorized scooter thingy. The interview never made it to TV, but whatever. I got the VIP treatment anyway.

So, now...the home stretch. The crowds started to intensify. We were nearing Central Park - the killer part of the course. Leading up the park was a gradual incline which seemed to never end. We finally made the turn into the park around mile 23ish. I was so weak at this point, my legs were on autopilot. My vision started to blur, my brain was foggy. I just wanted to be finished - I told myself just a half hour more and I could stop. Then I realized that these final 3 miles may as well have been 30 - it seemed like it would never end. I saw my sis and Dan at about mile 24 - I ran across the road to get a hug, and they were going NUTS with excitement. I gasped "I want to die." They screamed at me "GO GO GO GO!" So, I went.

At this point, my tank was EMPTY. I was done. I had no glycogen left for my muscles to burn, and I was dying. This is where the crowd took over. The people were packed in 10 deep. And they were ALL screaming. Screaming my name. "Go BRIAN!" "YOU CAN DO IT!" "YOU ARE ALMOST THERE!" "YOU ARE LOOKING SO GREAT!" "COME ON BRIAN!!!" How did these people know my name? I was starting to get delirious...but I gave everyone the thumbs up and they cheered even harder. This enormous amount of energy brought me home. Mile 25 I exited Central Park and ran along the bottom of it. The cheers and shouts became a droning hum at this point - I could feel my heart beating in my ears. How much farther was this? It had to be close now...

We turned back into the park, and there was a big video screen where you could watch yourself. I couldn't make myself out because I forgot what I was wearing. Yes, seriously. I turned in and saw a sign that said "400 Yards to go" - then I decided that I was going to expend every last ounce of energy I had to get to that finish line and smile like a goofy lunatic in the hopes of getting a crazy looking photo-finish. That would rock.

So, I picked up the pace a touch. Hit the 26 mile mark. The crowd vibrated. My legs were a blur below me. 200 yards to go. "GO BRIAN GO BRIAN GO BRIAN GOOOOOOOO!" 100 yards to go. I could see the finish line, I was pushing as hard as I could but my legs were not moving any faster. I put my hands on the top of my head in disbelief - I was going to finish !!! 26.2 motherf**king miles!!! I hit that line with my hands raised in exultation...and it was done. I AM A MARATHONER.

They herded us along like sheep, to get our medals, snap our photos (which I managed to smile like a big doofy loser despite feeling like I was going to die at any moment), hand us our space-suits (i.e. mylar blankets), stick them to us, and give us a bag containing the worst bagel ever made, some water, some granola, and a power bar. The thought of eating any of it made me want to puke my gatorade out, so I didn't just yet. I wandered up to get my post-race bag. Then I collapsed on the floor. I called Angela to tell her I was alive, and that I loved her and Ella so much. Then I called Barbara Barker for my post-race impressions which she printed in today's Newsday. Then I tried to call Melissa to tell them where we would meet. Then I shoved something in my mouth which was in the form of a bagel, but was actually a large round soft cracker. It was so dry I couldn't swallow it. Delicious.

To add insult to injury, in order to get out of Central Park, I had to walk UP STAIRS to cross a bridge, and then DOWN STAIRS. Yeah. That was really pleasant. After that, I met Melissa and Dan, and Dad and Maura on 72nd street. We left the park...and headed home. My 2008 marathon experience was complete.

So, I sit here with my medal and legs that hurt whenever I ask them to move. Yesterday, I SWORE this was the craziest god damn thing I had ever done, and I would never EVER consider doing it again. Today, I am thinking of how I am going to get my wife to agree to let me do it again next year. Amazing, isn't it, how quickly your mindset changes?? We'll see what the next year brings. But in the meantime, I will reflect on the amazing experience I just had. For the past couple of weeks, I have almost been a mini-celebrity with all of this press coverage - I have been on major TV networks, in major newspapers and magazines. How many people can say that??? I spent 5 months getting myself in shape, and pushed my body to the brink of exhaustion in such a way that I could never have imagined doing. I have garnered a ridiculous amount of support from SO many people that I can't believe it is really real. I have met new people, made new friends, and had such a BLAST. I can't wait til my legs feel better so I can start running again...to the exasperation of many (i.e. my wife, my mom), I won't stop running until I can't run any more. Because I am always runnin...from a lifestyle that is long gone, and a person that ate way too many pringles.

Well, there you have it. The 2008 NYC marathon experience is over, and I am honored to have shared it all with you guys. Your comments/emails/messages have inspired me to push on when training got tough. I knew I couldn't disappoint so many people, and I refused to quit, thanks to all of your support and love. ALL of you are very special to me, and I think you for sticking with me through this, the most difficult physical undertaking I have ever done. I endured, and even made it in to work today (albeit quite stiffly) - and hopefully via my fundraising for Team for Kids, managed to help a few people along the way.

And with that, I say: Mission Accomplished.

Until next time (NYC 2009?)...

I love you all.

-Brian

PS: Here's today's Newsday update!