Running the NYC Marathon was a great analogy on life and relationships. During my training routine for this monumental moment I had a few personal and physical setbacks. But I still managed to train when I could and to be honest there were a few days I felt straight out lazy. Approximately two weeks before the race I suffered from heel spurs and had to rest just to be ready for my big day. But on November 2, 2014 was show time pending if Im ready or not . The night before I could hardly sleep and tossed and turned the whole night and could hardly calm my nerves. So I decided to simply get up around 4:45 to have breakfast and get dressed. By 5:58 I arrived at 42nd and 5th Ave. via the Subway. There was a plethora of charter buses taking thousands of runners to the starting line in Staten Island. During the bus ride to Staten Island, the view of the city from the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge was picture perfect, the air was crisp, heavy winds were gusting and it was flat out cold. In my mind I was thinking “damn, I have to run all the way back.” But I wasnt fazed by the elements, but sheer thought of completing my 1st marathon was a warm sensation. By 9:42 a.m. I was off and running, For the first half of the marathon running through Brooklyn and Queens everything was going according to plan: I was running about a 7:56 minutes per mile pace. By mile 15, both of my hamstrings started to cramp up and my legs started to feel heavy and I was in pain which summoned me to head into the medical tent to stretch out my hamstrings. My muscles were as hard as a rock and the pain didn’t let go. The race wasnt fun anymore. After a few minutes of stretching and some fluids, I wasnt going to let a little pain stop me from completing the race. I received great advice from a friend who told me when I hit the wall and your body tells you to stop just keep going. On the charter bus the lady who sat next to me told me when you start to feel the pain its only going to last about four minutes and it shall pass. This became my mantra for the rest of the race. By the time I got to mile 20 my shoulders, hamstrings started to cramp up again, calf and vastus medialis (that muscle right above your knees) were all aching me. I had to stop again and stretch, some lady helped me stretch and gave me some salt and water to help with the muscle spasm. I kept trucking on and I knew if I made it to Harlem to see my friends and family I’ll be fine. I eventually saw them and was determined to finish with muscle pain and all. With three miles left, I eventually saw the finish line and with a winning spirit, with hands raised to the sky, I crossed the finish line @ 4:13:43. The marathon taught me a great lesson in life, whatever your goals may be in life, keep on trucking until your mission is accomplished. There will be pain along the way, great obstacles to bounce back from, personal issues and doubt along the way thats impeding your advancement. Keep on pushing until you get a break through; eventually the pain will stop and things will get easier. Keep your eyes on the prize every inch by inch, step by step and mile by mile until your dreams come true. 26.2 --Gary https://facebook/nycmarathon/posts/10152884753468324
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 23:45:00 +0000
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