Spectating a Marathon from The Living Room

If you didn’t know it, today was the 43rd running of the NYC Marathon! It’s a pretty spectacular day throughout the five boroughs – the inspiring runners, from the elite athletes to those struggling to finish (of which I was one back in 2009), to the throngs of crowds that line the streets. Marathon week was always my favorite week of the year in NYC and Marathon day was far and beyond any other!

^{Watching the start with my 2009 NYCM mug!}

Even though I couldn’t be in NYC for marathon day this year, I was watching (just about) every minute of the ESPN2 broadcast and tracking a bunch of runners, including Oiselle birds and Grace and reading hundreds of tweets from those in NYC! I’m seriously inspired by everyone who got out there today and gave it their all!

^{Inspired, I hit the gym for a treadmill run/walk so I could watch the marathon while working out. I stayed on that thing for over an hour to see Tatyana McFadden win the wheelchair race & catch Priscah Jeptoo speed ahead and capture first in the women’s race.}

Congrats to everyone who raced today in NYC and everyone who raced this weekend!

As some of you might know, Oiselle is the apparel partner for Every Mother Counts (EMC), an amazing nonprofit started by Christy Turlington Burns to end preventable deaths caused by pregnancy and death around the world. This isn’t something we think of much here in the US, but many women don’t have access to good healthcare and often, distance is one of the biggest hurdles they face.

A team of 50 ran the ING NYC Marathon today in support of, and to raise money for, Every Mother Counts, including Christy and Oiselle founder, Sally Bergesen. What’s even more cool is that they’re letting everyone else get in on the action and help Every Mother Counts by doing something we love. Running.

How exactly does this work? Well, EMC has created a Marathon Month Challenge for November (I know, this post is a little late, sorry). All you have to do is download the CharityMiles app, register, and track all your runs and walks for through the end of the month. For each 1 mile logged, EMC will get 25 cents from CharityMiles (15 cents for miles biked). This costs you nothing, except some of your time and a few calories. The goal is to run 26 miles through the month.

At the end of the month, they’re giving away prizes for top participants in categories like the most days run in a row, most miles run, fastest pace, etc. 100% of the funds raised from us running and walking – things we do every day – will go directly to support the programs of Every Mother Counts.

I started logging miles yesterday on my run but because I did a treadmill run today I was sure to walk a couple miles this afternoon when the ESPN2 marathon coverage was over.

Go HERE for more details on the challenge and share your progress on social media with #RunEMC and #EveryMileCounts

On a related, but slightly different topic, I finally signed up for my first races in Colorado! Woody and I are running the Pumpkin Pie 5k on November 16th – with pumpkin pie at the finish line! – and the United Way Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day! My last race was June 8th, so I’m excited to get back at it!

And completely unrelated, the Michigan State football team remains unbeaten in the Big Ten after a convincing win over instate rival, Michigan on Saturday and bring the Paul Bunyun Trophy back to East Lansing! It was an awesome game and I have to say it was great to be in the company of hundreds of Spartans right here in Denver to watch it all happen! My Spartan Pride runs high today! Overall, this has been a pretty spectacular weekend.

How happy does it make you to see running on a major sports network? * Are you going to join the #RunEMC Marathon Month challenge? *Do you start Thanksgiving with a Turkey Trot? * What was the highlight of your weekend?

ING NYC Marathon

The other week I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to volunteer for the Expo as I had signed up months ago, but I followed through with my commitment and I’m so glad that I did!

The volunteer organizers were incredibly accommodating and switched my assignment from goodie bags to ID check – the only seated volunteer position – so I wouldn’t be on my feet on the crutches all afternoon. It was a fun spot to be because you were basically the first line of interaction most of the runners had with marathon personnel or volunteers. I loved welcoming people from all over the world, and learning a little bit about their story. When you think about it, there are 45,000 stories running through New York City on marathon day. Each person has been through a long, and often grueling, journey to get to the start line. I welcomed locals from down the street (one guy I helped actually lives on 1st Ave so his friends and family were going to hang out at his apartment to cheer him on), and runners from Europe, Asia and South America. One woman in particular, broke my heart as she had to cancel her registration and defer because of a torn muscle. She had made the trip from France. And I felt a bit nervous for the people who showed up to the expo with less than an hour left and their luggage in tow. I would be a nervous wreck in that situation. I hope they got some rest before the morning! Overall though, people had smiles on their faces and were appreciative for the warm welcome. I doubt any of the runners will remember me, but I felt like I was playing a part in their marathon experience and I appreciate that immensely.

Throughout the afternoon, I was able to catch up with some friends – both old and virtual! And that’s always fun! In particular, fellow bloggers Molly and Amanda were in town and we made plans to meet up at the Expo. Molly was in town to run the marathon (Congrats on an awesome finish, lady!) and Amanda (fellow Team Oiselle runner!) was here for a Birthday celebration weekend! While I wish we could have chatted longer, it was so great to meet them in person!

I admit I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got home (although I’m sure that the fact it took me nearly a half hour to get a taxi), but I am so glad I was able to volunteer. I love the excitement and production of the expo, seeing all the people, emotions, great races, charities and companies in attendance, pro-athletes galore, and experts giving last minute advice. Everyone is there with one thing on their mind: The ING NYC Marathon.

Speaking of the marathon – what a women’s race, right? Firehiwot Dado pulled out an awesome win after Mary Keitany was on a record pace for most of the race. I was kind of pulling for Buzunesh Deba to win, as she’s been living in the Bronx for 6 years, but her 2nd place win was stellar! And a men’s course record was set by Geoffrey Mutai!! And even though Meb finished sixth, he still set a PR! The weather was gorgeous and it was a great day for running in the city! I hope ALL the runners had a fantastic time and are feeling great today! Whether you met your goal or not, just getting out there and tackling 26.2 is amazing. You did something absolutely incredible and you should be so proud! Hope you enjoyed your tour through NYC!

• Did you run a race this weekend? NYC, Savannah, or another? What was your favorite part of your race?
• What’s the best encouragement sign you’ve seen while running or spectating?

ING NYCM Expo Training

I have been all over this week and it’s only Wednesday morning! I am not letting these crutches stop me!

As you know, I’m volunteering at the ING NYC Marathon Expo Saturday afternoon. I’ve volunteered for several races and I’ve been to the Expo a few times but I’ve never volunteered at it, so I’m pretty excited. For some runners, it’s the first taste of marathon excitement that they get and it can be a bit overwhelming and runner heaven all at the same time. I haven’t been to very many expos, but I have to imagine this is one of the biggest. I mean, it’s gigantic. Monday night, as an expo volunteer, I had to attend a training session at the Javitz Center.

Several hundred volunteers were there and we were right in the middle of everything. They had us meet in the massive hall where the expo is being built. Actually, they were building while we were there. It was pretty cool to see things in such a state. While we could have easily been out and on our way in much shorter time than we were, we did get an inside track on a few things. For those running on Sunday, it might be helpful to know that bib pickup isn’t color coded this year; it’s all by numbers only. Also, new this year, the marathon shirts are in men’s and women’s sizes. Ladies, you know what this means….you may not get the size you want (which really isn’t new though, is it?). NYRR ordered shirts using their ‘best guess’ so who knows how many there will be of the size you want. My suggestion is that if they don’t have your size, it’s best to go up a size instead of down because women’s shirts are typically slim cut and you’d rather have it be a little loose and be able to wear it than not be able to because it’s too tight.

Part way through the orientation Mary Wittenberg stopped by to say hi. She spoke about the importance of this race as it’s the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 (the marathon was the first big event to happen in the city post-9/11 and almost didn’t happen) and the race is being dedicated to Grete Weitz.

Check out the new NYRR logo!

The expo is open to everyone, so if you want to learn about races all over the world, pick up some cool new gear, meet runners (both casual runners like us and elites) and learn where the best places are to watch on Sunday, then I suggest you check it out. It can get a bit hectic, so you’ll need to bring along some patience too! I’ll be working ID check (just for the runners) Saturday afternoon, so if you come to the expo stop by and say hi! I’m looking forward to finally meeting MissZippy and Molly!

If you’re coming, here are the details: Location – Jacob Javitz Center – 11th Ave and 33rd St (It’s huge, you can’t miss it)

Thursday & Friday – 10am – 8pm, Saturday – 9am – 5pm

If you’re running this Sunday, I hope you’re having a great week and feeling good!

Quick injury update: My leg is feeling really good, but not quite 100% yet. I have a follow up with my Sports Doc this morning so we’ll see what she says! I know I’ll still be on crutches a few more days but I hope I don’t have to take them to Denver with us next week.

• What do you think of the new NYRR logo?
• What makes an expo a great expo in your opinion?