NYC Marathon - Part 1

LaGuardia bound.  Let's board already!!!!

Where do I even start to blog about a race like the NYC Marathon?  For the sake of my sanity and trying to remember every small detail, I’m going to break this into two updates.  You would think this race was a big deal or something.

We're here!!!!

Keith, Kevin and I landed in NYC on Friday right around lunch.  We went directly to the hotel and checked in. Kevin decided to catch some zzz’s while Keith & I walked to the convention center for packet pickup.  Well, we tried to take the free shuttle but it never came so we walked.  When we got to packet pickup, I was so pumped.  People were everywhere and everyone seemed to be speaking a different language.  Unlike packet pickup at Ironman races where I’m in awe of how in shape everyone is, I didn’t feel out of place at all.  I felt like I belonged!  The line to get the race number was short and the volunteers were awesome.  After checking my bib and getting my participant shirt that states I’m a “marathoner” on the back, we headed into the expo.  Yes,we bought some pre-race gear but didn’t go too over the top. A few cute shirts and a pace bracelet and I was good to go. 

We took the shuttle back to the hotel and then Keith took a nap while Kevin and I walked to Times Square.  Kev had never been to NYC and to see his face when we hit Times Square was awesome.  Sensory overload!  We weren’t there too long and headed back to the hotel after a pit stop at a liquor store where Kev picked up the always trusty bottle of Crown. 

Dinner Friday night was at Serendipity 3, a restaurant I have wanted to go to ever since watching Serendipity. Much to our surprise, we learned they don’t serve alcohol there.  This wouldn’t have been so terrible if the place wasn’t so much like a tearoom.  I caught a lot of crap for this dinner selection, trust me.  The meal itself was ok, not great.  I was there for the dessert though and trust me when I tell you that it didn’t disappoint.  Keith and I shared the Frozen Hot Chocolate and it was everything I had hoped.  For those of you who have this restaurant on your list to check out, I would recommend only going for dessert vs dinner.

I started Saturday with my pre-race run at around 6:30am.  The streets were relatively empty by NY standards.  There were a lot of runners doing what I was doing and that was super cool to see.  I saw a huge group from Brazil taking a picture in Times Square and then another big group from Australia running together.  Very, very cool.

This space was actually bigger than our hotel room.   Kidding!

Following my run, the 3 Musketeers made their way to the Intrepid Museum.  This is a must see if you’re going to NYC!  The museum was awesome.  We got to go on a submarine (the Growler) and then of course check out the Intrepid.  We also got to see the Space Shuttle Enterprise.  Props to Kevin for putting this on our itinerary.  It was a blast!  After the museum I took the boys to Shake Shack as Kevin had this as a “must eat at” place for this visit.  The line was out the door of course (lunch time on a Saturday in Times Square) but we waited anyway. We took the food back to our hotel since we couldn’t find a place to sit. 

Now THAT'S a meatball!!!!

Dinner that night was in Little Italy at Il Cortile with several friends and the boys.  I had penne with sauce and a giant meatball…the perfect pre race meal in my book!  We had to eat early given the race was the next day.  At this point, I was getting super anxious for my race.  Thinking about my plan, wondering if there was anything I was forgetting and hoping for a smart race. I did let myself enjoy a glass or two of wine to help me relax my nerves.  Don’t worry, I skipped on dessert! After dinner, we hopped on the subway back to the hotel where it was lights out for this girl!