My Experience Running the New York City Marathon

Post-race pic.

I ran the New York City Marathon with my husband in 2018 and it was pretty incredible, which seems like a strange statement considering it’s a 26.2-mile run. I should start by saying that I’ve been running for a long time, but I’m super slow and not-at-all competitive. If I can do it, anyone can do it.

Training for a marathon sucks up a lot of your social life, but I can’t say that I hated it. Yes, I missed wine-fueled weekend dinners and fun brunches, but doing something healthy on a Saturday morning and working towards such a lofty goal was a good way to shake things up.

We were in New Orleans during the final legs of training, which meant running 20 miles in NOLA…in August. I would 100 percent not recommend. The only saving grace was that on actual marathon day, we stayed cool almost the entire time as our body was acclimated to hell-ish temps.

Waiting for the race to start…

On marathon day, we got to the site four hours early and spent the morning huddled together in a corner eating things like a banana, bagel, etc and drinking some water.

We read the paper, stretched, and basically just waited around, mostly being nervous. When it was time to line up, Nate and I started the race together at a relaxed pace for the first 5 miles, which helped to shake out the nerves and was a nice way to start our first marathon.

Nate during the race.

The next 17 miles were a blur of exhilaration (and probably exhaustion). I definitely recommend putting your name on the last layer of your clothing because hearing total strangers cheer for you is about the best thing ever, and really helps you to push through any tough miles. Something that’s really nice about living in the city where you run a marathon is having friends along the route. We saw people we knew in each borough, and they always seemed to be there when I needed a serious boost. I think my favorite part of the entire marathon was when I reached our neighborhood on the Upper East Side, running up 1st avenue—the crowds were so amazing and it was fantastic to be running such an iconic race in our own neighborhood.

I had received so many great tips during my training, and my favorite was to dedicate specific miles to loved ones as you struggle, especially at the end. For me, this didn’t come until mile 25, which I dedicated in my head to my mom. I thought about how she always has a positive attitude no matter what the circumstance entails, and I really tried to do the same at that moment. I dedicated 26 to my late dad. I know that he would have loved to have been there to cheer me on. While not the most sentimental person, this was a really nice way to end the race. The last .2 miles were a rush and the huge crowds helped to usher me over the finish line. After, we put on our fancy foil capes and walked to a bar to celebrate with friends.