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Your NYC Marathon Playbook - Everything You Need to Know Before Race Day · At Your Own Pace

• EP03 cleaned restructured (1): Hey everybody, welcome to a special edition of At Your Own Pace. I'm your host, Coach Mike, and this one is a little different. There's no guests this week. Well, I guess actually, there's a lot of guests. Over the past week I asked you on Instagram and threads to give me your best New York City marathon tips. First timers, I asked what's keeping you up at night. Veterans, I asked what you wish someone had told you. And you showed up. We've got bagel debates, fairy versus bust beef, poster board, toilet seat. We'll get there. But this year is huge because November first is the fiftieth anniversary of the race running through all five boroughs. Fifty years of running from Staten Island to Central Park. And for a lot of you listening, this Sunday is your first time on I would say that bridge, but there's actually five. One of the best ones actually the last damn bridge, but we'll get to that. So here's the plan. We're gonna run this race together from start to finish, from the night before through the start village, across five boroughs, up Fifth Avenue, and all the way through the finish line. Which, spoiler. It apparently never ends. At every stop, you'll hear from what the community said. And then I'll give you my take as a coach and as someone who has run this course myself five times. Now, just some quick background on me, New York City is very near and dear to me. Not just the city, not just the marathon, but the city itself. I lived there for 17 years. I moved there right out of high school. And it was probably one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. And choosing New York City as my first marathon only made sense after everything that I had gone through leading up to that moment where I decided that I finally wanted to run a marathon. Because when I started running about a a year and a half before I finally decided to run my first marathon, my only goal was running for twenty minutes without stopping. And I didn't even have the thought of running a five K, running a ten K, anything like that. Not even a half marathon, let alone a marathon. But as I got stronger as a runner, I wanted to see how far I could go. And by no means was I what you would consider quote unquote fast, but I wanted to push myself and see what I was capable of. I had been through a lot in twenty eighteen. Many of you heard my story, but I I went through a suicide attempt. I went through losing really close members of my family who were parent figures to me and needing surgery to stave off cancer and being told that I was essentially a few steps away from heart attack or stroke. So being able to get active for the first time in my life because I grew up hating sports was this was a very significant thing for me because I was not the kind of person you would ever expect to do anything athletic or sports related. And to say that I wanted to run a marathon was like telling me that I wanted to be in the Super Bowl. It just seemed utterly impossible. But I qualified for the my first New York City marathon in the summer of twenty nineteen and did the nine plus one program, which those of you who have done nine plus one in the past, you know how much of a struggle it is to one sign up for the races that you want to sign up for, but two, be able to go and complete nine races, plus volunteer one. And I've done that now. six times. This is the seventh time because I will be coming back to New York City next year for my seventh go round. But I'm also a New York Roadrunners coach. I love New York Roadrunners and I love everything that they stand for. And I love that they give back to the community, that they help run these races in and the company that manages the New York City Marathon. And so I am a coach for Team for Kids and it's been phenomenal watching athletes grow and progress towards their ultimate goal of running some of them their first marathon by just being able to run the New York City marathon with the company that that manages it. And I so I see it from a different perspective now of not just getting myself across the finish line, but also these people that I coach. And I not only coach team for kids, but I also have my own coaching service on the on the side at your own pace, coaching. I know it's a it's a very unique name when you compare it to the podcast. But I have some athletes that I'm coaching who are running New York City for the first time, and someone that I'm training who's running their sixty-fifth marathon on November first, which is absolutely insane and so incredible to hear. But that's my story. New York City is just a wonderful, wonderful city, in my opinion. I love what it has to offer. I loved living in it. it's a little bit different now, having a a family. I don't know if I would be able to handle it the same way that I did back then, but being able to call New York City home and also have it be your first marathon. Which, spoiler alert, it utterly destroyed me. This is going to be my nineteenth marathon. And I gotta tell you, people think that because I've run so many that I'm some, you know, athletic person and s and whatnot. And as I said before, I am most definitely not hated sports growing up, did music and arts and theater, but when I crossed that finish line, I thought my feet were broken. My finisher photos are absolutely horrible. And I always tell people that when you cross a finish line after running a marathon, you're there's two thoughts that go through your head. One, I'm never doing that again. Or two, what can I do better next time? And I can pro you could probably guess which thought went through my head when I crossed the finish line. But before we get into the tips, I want to read a few messages from some first timers because if you're nervous right now, I want you to hear that you are in good company. If you are not scared coming into running your first marathon and you have never run a distance close to a marathon before, I would be very shocked because twenty six point two miles is no laughing matter and it is it is not a game. It requires a lot of work, a lot of training, a lot of dedication. But and someone say I'm nervous about the long morning I have ahead of me before before I even get to Michael Ralph. I'm nervous that I'm gonna hit a wall way sooner than I have in my training. I'm nervous that I'll sleep through my alarm. I'm nervous to finish in the possible dark, but I'm excited. I'm excited but I'm really nervous. Another person said I'm nervous because everyone keeps talking about the hills and how hard Fifth Avenue is. And I'm trying to not psych myself out and enjoy the experience because it's starting to make me doubt that I can hit my goal time. And then one last question that I received. How do you handle that long Staten Island wait and stay warm without chugging a whole bottle of water before the gun? So these are actually some really fantastic questions because they are probably what goes through every single person's head for the New York City Marathon. But here's the important thing, right? For everybody who is listening that feels these types of fears and those that have fears about the course. I just want you to be aware of something. You've put in hundreds and hundreds of miles of training to get to where you are today, to get to the starting line of the New York City Marathon. You earned your spot. Don't let anybody try to scare you out of trying to run your best race. Don't let anybody try to scare you out of enjoying the race. And try not to talk yourself into thinking that you have to run a certain pace or or finish at a certain time in order to have a good race. Enjoy yourself. You also don't know what it's going to be like in the morning. It could be 80 degrees like it was in 2022. It could be snowing, it could be raining. We don't know. We have to adjust the day of. So take everything that you hear with a grain of salt from people who are warning you about the hills and about the bridges and about Fifth Avenue and all these things because you really won't know how you're going to feel until race day. But what I will suggest is that you go into it with an open mind and remind yourself that you earn your spot and you also earned your medal at the finish line and you deserve it. Getting the medal is not the goal, right? The the marathon is just the icing on top of the cake of the hundreds of miles of training that you've done. This is just another long run for you. The only issue, the only difference is that instead of running your twenty mile long runs that you did all by yourself in the dark sometimes, in the heat, with no spectators, you're gonna be running twenty six point two miles with two million people so watching you, clapping for you and cheering you on. So I don't know about you, but I would say that if I were nervous, I'd be more nervous about trying to run twenty miles by myself where no one knows what I'm doing, versus twenty six point two miles where Everyone believes in me and is rooting for and cheering me on from start to finish. But this is important. Nerves mean that you care. They don't mean that you're unprepared because the training is in the bank, right? If you are trying to run the New York City marathon without training, I ask you to please 100% reconsider that decision. It is not smart, regardless of whatever marathon you want to run. You need training in order to make sure that you finish that race smart because the last thing that I want is for anybody listening to end up in the mid ten. Before, during, or after the race. So please make sure you're listening to your body while you're running this race. But the training's in the bank. You don't have to do anything heroic on Sunday. All you have to do is just show up and just execute with the plan that you have. Right. It's not like you decided to wake up on November first and say, I'm gonna run the New York City Marathon. No, you decided last year, probably about a year ago, around this time period, was when you finally were making the decision that I'm going to run the New York City Marathon. Some of you saw and spectated. runners last year and said, I'm gonna run it in 2026. Well guess what? This is your moment. This is it. This is your time. And just a reminder, daylight savings time ends at 2 a.m. on race morning. So we get technically an extra hour of sleep. But make sure you set multiple alarms. Use your phone if you have a hotel, do a wake up call. Don't trust the alarm clock or don't trust a hotel clock or anything that doesn't res reset itself. But I usually whenever I would say in a hotel, I would I would do a wake up call. You can sleep through your phone's alarm. But I cannot sleep through the deafening sound of a hotel phone ringing. That sound is on another level. And don't worry, we're gonna talk about Fifth Avenue because there's gonna be a whole segment on it. But by the end of it, it's it's hopefully gonna make it feel a lot smaller. Knowing exactly what's coming is the antitude to fear. But let's talk about the night before. I asked people, the night before, what are your non negotiables? And here are some of the answers I got. Italian. New York City has some of the best Italian spots in the country. If you love gnocchi, there is a spot in the lower east side called gnocchoria. I have made three reservations. For gnocchi brio while I'm in New York City because I love it so much. It's very small, so make sure you make your reservation in advance. But it is the most delicious gnocchi you'll ever have in your life. Not just not just the gnocchi itself, but the sauce. But yes, New York City has the creme de la creme of Italian restaurants, probably. And obviously you cannot go wrong with New York pizza. Obviously, sleep, but tells me that that's probably one of the most important things that we need to do, especially if you're gonna be waking up at five in the morning to catch a bus or a ferry. Less walking the day before. That is something we all forget about during marathon weekend. We are walking tens of thousands of extra steps because we're so excited about the pop-ups and the shakeout runs and things that are going on from different companies around New York City. Be wary of how many steps you take because you might not think that you're overdoing it because you're not running. Because hopefully you're right now you're in taper time, you're in taper period. But you also want to be wary of the fact that like if you're not from a city. Or a town that you walk around a lot in, then it it can wear you down quicker than you think. And the last thing you want to do is wake up on Sunday and realize that your legs are tired from all of the walking you did. Book a hotel close to the finish line. Yes. If you can afford it. It is a wonderful thing to do right after you're done the race, go take a shower and then come back out and spectate if you want to. It also gives a place for your family to hang out if they don't want to stand or stay at the grandstands or stand by the finish line area, which we'll get to. But Italian great as long as it's the kind of pasta dinner that you've eaten before the long run. So don't try anything new the night before with food. So I don't want you to use the night before to discover a new spicy vodka sauce. Or try a new topping on your pizza or something that has a lot of milk and cheese in it. Cause that will that that may not potentially end pretty by the end of the night. And like I said, the expo Times Square sightseeing, it can add up to about 15,000 steps before you've run a single mile. So I'm not going to say don't do anything because it's New York City. You're gonna want to go do things. Let's be real. But get in, get your bib, be wary of what you're doing. Try not to overload. And when you can, get off your feet, rest in your bed, rest in a chair, sit down on the subway, things like that. And just to give a quick tidbit about sleep, the sleep that matters the most is actually two nights before. Race Eve, you'll definitely toss and turn. I cannot tell you the last time I had a good night's sleep before marathon. Everybody has this issue. It's very normal. It will not ruin your race. So just make sure you lay out everything the night before. Your flat runner. And so race race morning is going to be just on autopilot. Make sure you've practiced what your morning ritual is going to be before the race. I asked for people's race morning go tos. And I need everyone to understand that bagels won in a landslide. And I don't think that this is like surprising for all of us because The number one suggestion before eating in the morning before a marathon is something that is bland, easy to stomach, and hopefully won't cause it to become upset. But we've got things like white toast, bagel, English muffin with some orange, marmalade, plain bagel, banana, some tea, no milk, banana, bagel, peanut butter, honey. And this person said, What I train with, toast or bagel with almond butter, a steamed bagel picked up an authentic deli the day before. And I actually had two people say the same smart thing in different ways. One person said, bring another breakfast. And someone said, if you are in the last wave, eat an extra bagel compared to what you normally would. And there's a couple of things I want to say about that. One, I want you to notice the person who said what I trained with. That is the whole tip. Nothing new on race day. Nothing new on marathonal weekend. Obviously, yeah, you go do a shakeout run, you try out a pair of shoes, whatnot, because of the company. That's fine. But you should not be eating anything new. You should not be any eating anything out of the ordinary because the last thing you want is to get food poisoning. while you're leading up to a marathon. That I I don't want to see any of you DNS because you got sick the night before. Which also means please don't drink. If you drink, don't drink. At least the night before, please. Just to be safe. Your breakfast should be boring. It should be familiar. And it should definitely be tested on your long run days. So please make sure, just like your hydration and nutrition during the race, you also need to make sure that you have trained your body for your nutrition before the race. And second, breakfast is real. I know I'm probably talking like a hobbit right now, but Like I said, depending on your wave, you could be awake for about four to five hours before you start running. So if you eat at five AM before you go and you catch your bus, you catch your ferry, but you start at eleven, that breakfast is long gone by before you start. So pack something simple, a bagel, a banana. They'll have bananas at the starting line. I believe they'll have bagels at the starting area. Bring a a Martin bar or whatever type of chew you might want. Eat it in the Stark Village about sixty to ninety minutes before your wave. Keep those carbs in your body. That is the most important thing that you want to have before you cross that starting line. Enough carbs in you to get you started and to last you towards your first gel and your first replenishment of your nutrition. For those who have never run the New York Center Marathon or don't understand kind of the whole starting process. So obviously the only way to get in Staten Island is you either drive or you take a ferry from the bottom of Manhattan. You cannot drive from Brooklyn because it Verizon is closed. So you either need to go all the way out into New Jersey and come back in, or you take the ferry from the bottom of Manhattan. And I personally have never taken the ferry before. This is this is my sixth time running the marathon. This will actually be the first year that I am. And that's because I'm coaching and leading wave one of Team for Kids athletes in stretching and warmups. So I will be with all of you in the trenches at 5 15 in the morning, getting down to the ferry at 5 45. But It's it is a very long morning. New York City has for some reason a very very late start. The earliest people don't leave until about 8 30 or so. And you have the last way you leave at around eleven thirty. This is also when daylight savings day ends. So we push our clocks back an hour. So technically we'd gain an hour of sleep, which is fantastic for those of us that are trying to rest before a marathon, but that also means that the sun goes down sooner. So this will be the first day, I believe, that the sun will be going down at about five PM. So there is a real possibility for people who are back of the Packers. Or if you get injured during the race and you have to slow down and takes you longer than you normally would to be able to finish the race, then you could finish in sunset or in the dark. But don't worry, as long as you're still on the course during the official course hours, everything will be lit up. You'll still be able to run. You won't have any issues. You won't run into any cars or people like that. And believe me, there will be crowds. Crowds are there from the moment the gun goes off until about 10 PM at night. And if you have the chance to come around and stay for the final finishers. At ten o'clock, I guarantee you there will not be a dry eye in the house. It is beautiful to watch these individuals finish because it becomes like they've all won the lottery and they are achieving the impossible, which they are. But it's it they're showing that strong dedication and resilience to get to that finish line regardless. But yeah, getting to the starting line is is a struggle because you either take a bus from around the Penn Station ish area, I believe, or you go all the way down to the bottom of Manhattan to the South Ferry. You take the ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island, and then there's a bus from Staten Island to the starting line because you land at about the northern tip of Staten Island and you need to go to the eastern point of of Staten Island, which is a military base. And from what I've heard is, and I'm hoping that it's changes here because they kind of tried to make it a little bit more organized and structured, is once you get to Staten Island, it's like a madhouse getting on buses and trying to find a way to get to the starting line because people are rushing and pushing and there's lines. So just be prepared. Right. I always recommend having USB C headphones for your phone if you're going to bring headphones so that you don't waste the battery on your actual headphones if you're gonna try to listen to music during the race. Or even just if you're gonna wait around, bring USB C headphones. They're twenty bucks. You could toss before the race starts, but you're not gonna lose that much money if if if they break or if they get wet or anything like that. So that's my suggestion. So make sure you bring food in snacks. I usually wake up and eat protein waffles in the morning of the marathon. So I'll be packing those with me and bringing them with me to the start village. You can bring your own water. You you are allowed to run the race with a handheld. You can also run the race with a hydration vest, but only if you fill the water bottles in the front. You cannot have a bladder in the back. If you have a bladder in the back, you can run the risk of being either warned, provided with a warning, or they could disqualify you from the race. So don't run that risk. But at the starting village, they will have water and they will have Duncan coffee and and hot tea. So just be aware of that. They'll also have bagels, I believe. at the starting area too. So just make sure that you come prepare for to be there for three, four hours, depending on your start time, because most people had to get down there by about six for the ferry, I think at the latest. I was one of those people who started at 1030 in 2021. And yeah, you will you will be there bring a blanket or a sheet, bring throwaway clothes because it's going to be colder before the start because you're going to get there so early. So make sure you bring an extra jacket, sweatpants, a hat. gloves if you need them. Bring whatever you can with you in your little bag. There is a bag restriction. So you can only bring with you into the starting area. They give you a little bag, clear bag, that you can use. Make sure you can only put what's in there and bring it with you. That is it. So please don't try to bring a backpack or anything like that, because they're not going to let you in with that. Now, talking about the ferry and the bus, this is where things got a little heated with people because there are people that have done both. There are people that have done none. And there are people that prefer one or the other and there are people that prefer Neither. So let's talk about team bus first. I had someone say that they've done the race twice and they chose the bus both times and they would a hundred percent choose it again. Someone said after doing this race twice, I'm never taking the ferry again if I can help it. They almost missed their start time twice. Someone else said bus, but bring a layer of warm clothing, a trash bag to sit on from when you get to the starting village and or a heat sheet. And there's other people that have only tried the bus. Someone said that they never took the first bus, they waited It was an extra hour of freezing, but the ninety minute trip only took them thirty-five minutes instead. Now on the other side, we have Team Ferry. People prefer the ferry because it is an experience. It's incredibly chaotic at Whitehall, which is the station that you're going to be at all the way downtown. But the view and the energy was electric. Someone also mentioned that if you do the if you do take the ferry, sit on the right side so you can see the Statue of Liberty. So keep that in mind if you are going to take the ferry. If you want to get good shots of the Statue of Liberty, make sure you sit on that right side. I think they deserve a metal. All on their own for this. I start at a train station in Northern Jersey at five AM. Then they get to Penn Station where then they take a subway train to Staten Island, to the Staten Island ferry to take a bus to the start line for the New York City Marathon. And I just gotta say, Roomby, you deserve a medal before the race even starts because that means that you are getting up at least three, two o'clock in the morning to get ready. That is insane. I hope that you spend most of Saturday sleeping if that's the case. And then of course we had some people that were just against both because they're just they're so chaotic. Both of them are going to be chaotic, which r regardless of whichever one you choose, because you've got fifty thousand runners who are trying to choose their best way to get to the starting line in the New York City marathon. What else can you expect? But here's my honest ver there's really no wrong answer. There's only the answers that matches your personality. So if you want a more direct, fewer transfers, less potential things to go wrong, it's it's great if logistics stress you out, take the bus. If you want more steps, which means you're going to take The subway or what have you, the bus down to the ferry and then the ferry to a bus, which will then take you to the starting area if you want more moving pieces. But on the flip side, you get to see the sunrise with the Statue of Liberty and a boat full of also very nervous, excited runners, just like yourself. It's great if you want the full experience. Take the ferry. But whichever one you do pick, I had someone recommend that you do not pick the earliest possible slot, thinking earlier means safer. Early arrival just means more time sitting in the coal. And also someone recommended that you build in a buffer period because the lines at Whitehall can be long for the ferry. I'm hoping that that has slightly changed now because they become a little bit stricter about start times and the time that is on your bib for you to go to whatever form of transportation you're going to. That is your form of transportation. You cannot go with somebody else on another way, on another time, on another bus, on another ferry. So please make sure you're also paying attention to what is on your on your bib. That will hold what your time is and what type of transportation you're taking. But so you got through the chaotic portion of the transportation, right? You you woke up early, you had your breakfast, you got on your bus to your ferry. Now you're at the start village. Let's talk about some survival skills. So you're at Fort Wadsworth, you're here, you might be here for hours. Here's how the community survives it. Multiple people recommended this and I forgot about it the last couple of years. The Dunkin' Beanie. Dunkin Donuts is there. They have bagels, they have coffee, they have tea, they have bananas. But they also have every year a special beanie that they give out to people. It's Duncan colors. It's not like the best material that it's made out of, but it's special because it has a New York City marathon for that year on it. So make sure you grab one so you don't miss it. So a number of people recommend that the Duncan Beanie try to find a place to put it either in a pocket or in your bag, your hydration vest, what have you. Something new that has started in the last, I think last year was the first year they ever did this, was they have emotional support dogs at the starting area. And someone just said, visit all the dogs. And I cannot agree with you anymore. You'll be able to go up. They have them in there. You have people in there for a certain amount of time and then they kind of just switch. So people come out and people go in. And I believe that there are 10 therapy dogs or something, something along those lines. I just want to let everybody know that there is a corgi within these this group of emotional support dogs named Potato. I've got dibs on potato. That's going to be my ride or die that I'm going to run towards when I get to the starting line. Because are you kidding me? A Korean named potato, they're all beautiful, but I love potatoes. So make sure you check them out and then also stay off your feet after that. Starting area is huge. It's broken down by corral, it's broken down by color, it's broken down by charity, depending on which charity you're in. So make sure you find your spot, find the area you're supposed to be in based off your bib number, your bib color, and stay there. Another person recommended bring extra snacks and a blanket to the athlete's village. Someone said bring a trash bag to sit on. Or a heat sheet. Someone brought up the most important thing that I think is important, which is good wipes. Bring your own toilet paper. Please. Please bring your own toilet paper to the starting line. It's porta potties galore, but they will most likely run out of toilet paper and do not expect it to be restocked by the volunteers that are there. Bring your own. That way you can use it when necessary. Same thing with hand sanitizer and whatnot. Pack everything in your little clear bag that they give you at when you go to pick up your bib. Another person said that their must-pack item is glitter. I don't think that really needs a further explanation. And we respect that. So make sure you make yourself pretty for all of the pleasure of cameras that are going be out on the course for you. Especially if you're going to pay the $85 for that marathon photo package. Gotta make sure you look good. Someone recommended this is very, very smart. I've never thought about this before. Someone said, get a piece of poster board before the race. Cut yourself a toilet seat so you don't have to squat in the porta potties. You can just fold it up and put it in in your clear bag at security. And now There's no quad strain. I have been running for years and I've never heard this before. And I think that this is actually a genius idea. I would love somebody to try this out and let me know how it goes because if this is something that works really well, I think that we should probably make this a well known thing for people. Someone said, do not go to your corral at the last minute. Go the moment your wave is called. And that there are porta potties by the corrals. There are. They'll have them all broken down by the the color of your bib. So it's pink, orange, and blue. They'll have it broken down by that, but then they'll also have it broken down by your wave and they'll have it also broken down by your bib number. So once you cross into the area for your actual corral, where you're actually in line to get ready to go to the starting area, there are separate porta potties in there than there are outside where everybody else is waiting for their corral to be called. So don't think that if you get into your line for the corral, you're not gonna be able to go to the bathroom again. You have rows of toilets. So don't feel like that that's not the case. But yeah, do not wait. To go to your corral at the last minute because it's they will cut you off and they will not let you through once a specific time is hit because then they need to get ready to load the next corral. So then you'll be behind and you'll have to go 30 minutes later to the starting line than you initially thought you would. And I think probably one of the most important things that's so unrecommanded here, don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Trust and follow your process. I think that this is huge. There is a wonderful company that I recommend everybody check out called My Race Tats, and they make motivational. Temporary tattoos that you can put anywhere on your body that you can look at during your race, on your arm, on your hand, where where have you. And I think that now this tip is one that I would legitimately get tattooed on every first timer if I could. You'll see people doing everything. You'll see them doing stretching, strides, eating things you may never even heard of. Ignore it all. Don't feel like you need to be doing strides. Don't feel like you need to be running in place. Don't feel like you need to be stretching constantly while you're in the starting village. I guarantee you everyone else that's there is scared shitless too, just like you. And they're trying to figure out what to do. Just ignore all of it. Do your own thing. Follow your own traditions that you do for your running, whether it's for your races or just in your training overall. But staying warm is is very important. There are a multitude of different bins that are there for throwaway clothes. So bring whatever clothes you don't care about. I had someone tell me that what they do every year, because they run they try to run the New York City Marathon every year, is they bring the previous year's poncha with them as their As what they sit on, or to keep themselves warm while they're waiting to start, and then they throw it out at the throwaway bin. And then when they finish, they get the new poncho. And it's just a recycling thing. So they never have more than one poncho at home, which would be great because I have five and my wife does not like that. I have so many. But everything that you leave in those bins gets collected, gets donated. Same thing, they have one now for technology. So if you bring headphones that you don't want to keep, you bring a portable chargers with you that you don't want to keep, you just toss them in the bin and they will be donated at the end of letting all the waves through. But make sure that you have something good to keep you warm, something good to sit on, because you don't want to sit one on the cold ground and you don't want to sit on the ground if it's wet. Especially if it's going to be early morning, it's probably going to be a lot of dew. The ground's probably going to be wet in general. And then stay off your feet. So that means sitting down, chilling on your phone, maybe for a little bit. There is little to no cell phone service at the base. So don't expect to be able to, you know, Film your YouTube videos and post them or your Instagram stories and post them at the starting area. I remember last year I had to legitimately use the iPhone's satellite emergency feature in order to get some form of service to send a message to my family and letting them know it's about to start. That's how bad it is. Important note for hydration: make sure you sip things and don't chug them. You want to take small regular sips through the morning. Chugging a liter of water right before the gun is how you are going to meet a porta potty at mile three. And I guarantee you it's not gonna be pretty. So the gun goes off. You're on the Verizano and you're heading into Brooklyn. There's a couple different things. You've got the cannon fires, Sinatra starts playing. And I had somebody explain just the feeling of once the gun goes off, how that whole moment feels. This is once Frank Sinatra starts playing and starts spreading the news. I get so elated, full of joy, and feel blessed to be one of the many running 26.2 on that given day. Now let's talk about the Verizonto real quick. Someone said don't try to make up time on the Verizonto downhill after the mile one uphill. So it the first mile is gonna be very slow because there's gonna be so many people, but also it's uphill. Going downhill is gonna be much faster. So don't try to make up for that time on the first mile in the second mile going downhill. You'll make up for it throughout the course. I guarantee it. There's also the upper or lower levels of the Verizontal Bridge. depending on your bib color. So just keep that in mind. Upper deck, obviously you get better views when you run and potentially better pictures. But the lower level you get lower elevation. So you're not running as high. So keep that in mind as to what which one you want more. Good pictures or lower elevation to keep your legs less sore. But then you hit Brooklyn and this is probably something that was recommended multiple times by people. Someone said Brooklyn will light a fire under you and you will forget you are even running a marathon. Please save a little for the second half. Someone else said, don't get caught up in the energy of Brooklyn. It's easy to get swept up and have nothing left for the other boroughs. And most importantly, someone said, let the Brooklyn energy carry you, but not push you. The crowds in Brooklyn are incredible. But yes, they will entice many of us to just feel like I'm invincible. I can do anything. And so I'm just going to run and my goodness, I just hit a five KPR. I said a k a 10 KPR. Then you get to the half marathon portion, you realize I'm tired. I can't believe I did that. How am I going to be able to get over the Queensboro Bridge? So make sure you pace yourself, follow your training plan. Don't go out too hard. Don't go out too fast. And take in the moment, but don't let the moment consume you and make you someone that you're not as a runner. There's also a debate about high fives. Someone said high five all the kids in Brooklyn, whether you're having a good day or a hard day, it's worth it. While another person said, I would contradict the high five all the kids in Brooklyn. I would say save your energy, which is a fair point. Play it by ear, see how you how you feel, and go with your gut. And obviously there's always the question about headphones during the New York City marathon or just a marathon in general. A lot of people recommend turning off your headphones on the streets, soak it all in, and then to turn the music back on while you're going over the bridges. Because that's usually the areas where the there's the least amount of people. Someone said that I kept my headphones off because I couldn't hear for most of the race anyway, because the crowds were just that loud. There was one practical tip that I thought was really important, which I think is something that every runner needs to pay attention to during a marathon. When you have 50,000, 60,000 people running all at once. Know if your people are on the runners left or right. You the last thing you want to do is be on the right side running, but your family's on the left side and you have to dodge all the way over to the other side. You're gonna put runners in danger. Also make sure you're aware of your surroundings, the runners that are around you, to the left, the right, the behind you, even in front of you, because you don't want to step on anybody's toes. You don't want it to trip, fall into anybody. try to make a beeline for a different direction. Someone else is in that direction already. Run into each other. It's a whole issue. So just be aware of your surroundings. But mile one is actually the longest climb of the course. A lot of people think that Queensboro Bridge is the most elevation. That is not the Verizonto is. So that is the very first thing you do. And then mile two is actually a downhill. And that's going to feel like a gift because you're going to be running slower, both because of the uphill and the crowds for mile one. Mile two is just going to feel like straight speed work, right? But it's not a gift. It's a loan. And you pay for it with interest back at around mile 20. So keep that in mind. Don't try to hit a new mile PR at mile two of the nearest city marathon. And like I said, for the high fives, go with your gut about how you feel. And if you want to save energy for later and high-five people on Fifth Avenue or high five people in the Bronx, by all means, do that. And make sure you know exactly where your people are. Right? If you have friends, family waiting for you, run club members waiting for you on the course, make sure you know what side they're on and also what mile they're going to be at. and know what they're wearing and let them make sure they know what you're wearing because there's 50,000 runners. Not only will these people that are looking for you not find you by vibes, but the other runners around you will not be very happy if you decide to just run in front of them at a moment's notice. Now the infamous Queensboro Bridge. Around mile fifteen, you get up to the Queensboro Bridge. This is past the halfway point. So I want everybody to keep this in mind. You are not halfway through the race when you get to the Queensboro Bridge. You're actually almost two thirds of the way through. And this is really important because there's no spectators on this part. The Queens World Bridge is you're running on the lower level, it's completely silent. All you hear are the steps of the runners around you and you your breathing and the breathing of other runners. That's it. So I asked what goes through your head up there. And these were some of the my favorite answers, probably of this whole project. Someone said, So that's what quiet sounds like. Another person said, That whole thing has me just think, crop, what am I doing? Another person said, Enjoy the views, soak in the calm, take a deep breath and get ready for first avenue of energy. Think one of the most important things, respect the Queen Spurrow Bridge is what they finish with. Remember, don't speed up the crowd noise and to conserve your energy over the bridge at mile sixteen because the adrenaline and the excitement on First Avenue can drain you before the critical 20 to 26.2 stretch. Someone also said Queensboro Bridge actually isn't awful. Don't let it get into your head. But there are two answers that I think are the best pieces of coaching advice in the whole episode. One, treat every bridge as a chance to reset, not an obstacle to overcome. And to have even effort instead of pace when it comes to the hills and the bridges. Cause you will slow down. There's no ends, if, buts about it. And I could not agree with that anymore. Run the bridges by effort. Your pace will slow down on the climb. That's just a fact. And if you try to hold goal pace uphill, you're spending energy that you'll want in mile 23. And also a technical warning, because your GPS is probably gonna lose its mind on the bridges and among the tall buildings in Manhattan. So If your watch says that you're running a pace that makes no sense, it's probably the watch. So trust your effort and use those official mile markers. And I do have to be honest, the the answer, what am I doing? is probably the most honest answer that anyone has said in any of these questions because everybody has that moment. Usually around the Queen's Road Bridge when they're up there. It's it's a moment of solitude in the middle of an incredibly difficult situation in a scenario that you put yourself in. So you're wondering why you're doing this. But let it pass because what's waiting for you at the bottom of that bridge is a wall of sound unlike anything you've ever heard before. Because as you come off the bridge on the first avenue, it's like walking into a stadium. It's like you are the quarterback of the team that just won the Super Bowl. You're the pitcher of the team that is that just won the World Series. You are Ellie Kipchoge when he broke the two hour marathon world record some odd years ago, or even Sebastian Saway this year in London when he broke the two hour marathon world record. Right. This is where a lot of people lose themselves for a number of reasons. You're going into a crowd that is going to be you're gonna hear screaming and cheering like you're the main character of a movie. And you're you're gonna wanna go hard and fast and you're gonna wanna make them proud, these random strangers. And that's just natural. But I gotta warn you about a couple things. So first Avenue up to the Bronx is a slow. Incline. So it's a rolling hill, but it's mostly a slow incline uphill that you will feel as you get up into those later blocks. You start on 59th Street, you're going up past 130th Street. So keep that in mind that you're running almost 80-ish blocks up Manhattan. So someone said I saved my energy for the Bronx. I hydrated more. I didn't run with someone who was a much better runner than I I paced myself better and especially near the end. And someone said to make sure that you also do not Go out too hard on First Avenue. This is also a good area to meet people. This is First Avenue is a good place because it's all on First Avenue and you just tell each other what street to meet up at and you're good to go. Because someone said, I told a friend to have a bottle of Coke in the Bronx for me. And so you'll run all the way up First Avenue. You'll go into the Bronx over the Willis Bridge. The Bronx portion is actually very small compared to the rest of the race. You run north into the Bronx, you go west a little bit, and then you come back south and you cross into Manhattan again over the Madison Avenue Bridge. So it's it's very tiny, but the Bronx probably has the biggest party going on. So just be aware of that, even though you're leaving First Avenue and that's screaming, it's going to continue like it never left when you get into the Bronx. So pace yourself, remind yourself that you're in the 20-ish mile area now. And this is around the time when most people hit the wall. Gotta pace yourself because you might think you're close to the end, but you still have another Two boroughs to go because you have to run the Bronx and then Manhattan again. But I did ask people about best signs, and I wanted to just bring up my favorite sign because when you run back into Manhattan in front of the Bronx, you run over the Manhattan the Madison Avenue Bridge. It's the fifth and final bridge. There is a lovely woman by the name of Emily who started a tradition that has now come become a New York City marathon legend known as the Last Dam Bridge. Fifteen years ago, she stood out there with a sign that said, Last day and bridge for her sister in law who was running the marathon. And it became such an incredible hit and it impacted her in such a way that she decided that she wanted to come back the next year and the next year and the next year. And it's been fifteen years since she first began holding that sign and it has grown into a community of people that show up every year at the Madison Avenue Bridge holding that sign to celebrate those people that are running back in the Manhattan to say, Listen, you might want to quit, but you just finished the last day and bridge and you're almost done. So keep going. And because the Bronx is short and you're at the 20 mile mark, it's often where races are made or lost. You're running pretty almost in succession, the Willis Avenue Bridge and then the Manhattan Avenue Bridge. They're not huge bridges, huge bridges, but they are, you know, on tire legs. They can feel impossible. So if you held back through Brooklyn and First Avenue, this is where you start to feel the payoff. You either may have gone out too hard and you're too tired now. Or you've been pacing at a good speed and you might be able to speed up or continue what you're doing. And a reminder that mile twenty, your body runs out primarily of its carbs and calories and things that keep it moving. So make sure that you are running a race, you have a proper nutrition plan. I hate to see people who after mile twenty stop because they're stretching or they're cramping, they they don't have the right nutrition with them, their stomach issues, they get dizzy, they fall over, they pass out, things like that. There's it's a classic move. With marathon runners, especially with first time marathon runners. So just make sure you have that locked down and ready for these last six miles because Fifth Avenue is a doozy. Jumping back to what was said earlier from a first timer who said that they were afraid of Fifth Avenue, this one's for you. Fifth Avenue came up more than any other part of the course from when I asked questions about the marathon. Someone said Fifth Avenue is a lurking monster and it will get you. And then they came back and they said in the next post after that, just remind me that. 22.5 to 24 is the hard part. And that right there is Fifth Avenue, for the most part. Someone else said, save your legs for mile 23. It's after the bridge at mile 16, but you are not, and I repeat, not done after that. Fifth Avenue is one mile of a steady incline and it's brutal. Mentally prepare for Fifth Avenue. It's a doozy. I ran the last 10 miles of this route this weekend and realized how much of a doozy Fifth Avenue is going to be. It wasn't fun when I was eight miles in, so I can only imagine what it's going to be like when I'm 22 miles in. Be prepared for a gentle incline on Fifth Avenue. And so depending on who you ask, it's either a monster or a gentle incline. It's probably both, depending on how you ran the the first twenty miles. But just in general, if you've run twenty miles, it's going to be difficult regardless of how your run has gone. But then I asked people how they survived it. Someone said, Not well. I took fuel at the top and I found another win for after that hill. Prayers in the crowds. Then you're blacked out, to be honest. Prayers. Vibes. Remind yourself. of the epic thing you're doing one foot in front of the other. And I think that's really important because here's how to shrink that monster of Fifth Avenue. Because it's only a mile, right? You're bending and winding before you get to Fifth Avenue. And then you run on Fifth Avenue and then you turn into Central Park. And that's the only portion you see of Fifth Avenue. That's it. It's about a mile. It's not 10. And remind yourself, you can do anything for a mile. You've run 22ish miles up until this point. You can run one more and make sure you fuel before Fifth Avenue. Take a gel pile 22, 2021, So it's kicking in when the climb starts. That way you can only find a second wind as you hit that hill and start to slowly run up it. Obviously, as you run uphill, shorten your strides, have quicker feet, faster cadence, drive your arms to help push your feet up and let your pace drop and keep your efforts steady. So don't try to sprint up this hill. You're obviously going to slow down. That's okay. You make up for it when you get in the central park. And then break it into blocks. This is what I do. You just say I'm going to get to the next cross street and then the next one. Or if you want to do math in your head, you can see what street you're on and do a subtraction to see how many more blocks you have until you get to Central Park. You also see a giant screen when you get to the portion where you turn into Central Park. So if you can see that screen, just keep telling yourself, I can get to that. But when you hit the park at the top, you're done. The hardest stretch is behind you. So those of you that are afraid of Fifth Avenue, you've got this. Everyone who scared you by Fifth Avenue, they still finished and you're going to as well. Now let's talk about. The whole last portion of Central Park, fifty fifty ninth Street, and then the finish. Because you enter the park, you think you're almost done. This is the important thing. Someone said you aren't done when you enter Central Park, not even close to done. Do not start looking for the finish line because you won't find it. Instead, call on all the motivation that got you here and use it to make the final push. Soak in the experience because it is hard to get to, and you're strong enough to keep pushing all the way to the end. Everyone talks about Fifth Avenue being uphill, but they fail to mention that fifty ninth Street is also uphill. That was a real shocker the first time I ran the race. Let the crowd there carry you to the finish. During my first marathon, when I thought I couldn't make another step, I found a complete stranger by looking into their eyes who told me, You're doing so great, just a little more, a 5k left, and I believed her. And then you crossed the finish line. And I asked, what do you wish you'd known after the finish line? Someone said, The finish line never ends. And then someone pointed out the infamous Mile 27. And this is my quick take on this. The rolling hills in the park that drag along Central Park South are real. Right. Expect them so they don't steal your joy. And the zombie mile is no joke. After you finish, you will keep walking a lot. So no before Sunday, whether you check the bag or if you chose no baggage, poncho exit, because there are different routes out. You're gonna have to walk out further to do your baggage pickup versus being able to leave a little bit sooner on Central Park Central Park West. And also make sure you have a meeting spot outside the park with your people and tell them to be patient. Keep moving, get your poncho, get your bag of goodies, get your metal. And meet them, I would say probably on Broadway. Cell phone service is probably going to be shoddy around here, so don't expect to be able to send text messages very quickly or at all until you get further away from the crowds at the finish line. And in terms of the rolling hills for Central Park, one last thing. You have the rolling hills in Central Park. You'll run in Central Park, out of Central Park on the 59th Street, north, or then you'll run west along the bottom of Central Park to 59th Street. When you get to 59th Street, you'll run back in the Central Park. That is where you're going to be getting towards the finish line. Once you enter Central Park again after getting to Columbus Circle, you are at just about mile 26. This is also another rolling hill. To get to the finish line, you have one final hill, and it will feel like Everest. So just be prepared for that. But when you see the flags, know that you are almost there and that finish line is yours. And so is that metal. But those are all the tips that were given to me, and some of the tips that I wanted to share with all of you about the New York City marathon. Before we wrap though, I wanted to read a few messages that reminded me of why we do this. And Teresa say, I'm gonna start my eighteenth New York City marathon next Sunday. My advice for first timers would be just have fun. Don't worry too much. You're a rock star. And if you have to slow down, do it. Doesn't matter how long it takes you to finish, just finish the damn thing. I happen to be the second to last finisher last year. I ran eight times since 2018, and every time it was different. And I wish someone had told me, You're crazy. Wait, actually they did. Yes, I am crazy. I'm crazy strong. Soak in the crowds. They'll carry you home and feel all the love. And then one last person, have so much fun. It was one of the best days of my life. Enjoy Metal Monday. The New York City Marathon is an incredible day, not just for marathon runners, but for the city of New York in general. It is the one day year where you might hear people talk about New Yorkers being assholes and uptight and and quiet and they stick to themselves and they don't want to be bothered. It's one day of the year where Everyone forgets everything else. They forget what they're doing for work, personal life, what have you. And they all come out and they cheer on random strangers for hours. And that is one of the most beautiful things about this race that I love is that it feels like New York City, a city of over nine million people, all at once just surrounds fifty-five thousand people that they don't know with so much love and support to chase a goal. That so many of them think is impossible. And so if you go into the trace not believing in yourself, just know that you have two million people out there who don't know you who strongly believe that you will get to the finish line and that you will get that medal and that you will be able to celebrate and say, I ran the 50th anniversary of the New York City Marathon running in all five boroughs in 2026. So that's the course. 26.2 miles, five boroughs, five bridges, and one very long walk out of the park. I asked for tips. And yes, you guys gave me tips, but underneath the bagels and the beanies and the poster board toilet seats, almost every single one of you is saying the same thing. You won't do this alone. It's the stranger at Fort Wadsworth who shares her hate sheet, or the kid in Brooklyn with her handout, or the friend in the Bronx that holds your coke, or the woman on Fifth Avenue who looks you in the eye and says there's only five K left, then you believed her. That's New York. That's this race. So my final briefing quickly. From your coach for for New York City. Be boring at breakfast. Be patient in Brooklyn. Be quiet on the Queensboro. Fuel before fifth. And when the crowd starts to carry you, let it. You've already done the hard part. Every early alarm, every late night run, every run at in on your lunch break, in between work, in between taking care of the kids, and every long run that nobody saw. Sunday is your victory lap. Remember the hundreds of miles that got you to that starting line. It just so happens that this victory lap is 26.2 miles long. I've got to thank every single person who sent me in their answers for this podcast episode. This is the first time I've ever done it. And I would love to do more of these in the future. So please, if you like this episode, share with another runner or leave a comment, leave a review. Let me know what you thought. Because I love making these episodes for you. So definitely, definitely feel free to let me know what you thought. But I will see you on the other side of that last damn bridge on November first. Good luck getting your bibs starting on Thursday. If you're running the 5k the day before the marathon, I'll see you there. And hopefully I'll see some of you in the starting village on Sunday morning. Get your extra hour sleep, eat your bland breakfast, and remember to run your race at your own pace. I'll see you in the next one. Bye.