The Day Before the New York City Marathon 2011

My cousin, Celine and I woke up to a slow and sleepy Saturday morning and set out for a half day of shopping ahead.  Of course, shopping had to be brief because I didn’t want to stay on my feet all day.

– We shopped around the midtown area and hunted for my Canon S100 which was out of stock everywhere. Sob sob. –

I dropped by Jack Rabbit, a running store on Lexington Ave. between 83rd and 84th, to buy my Gatorade pre-race fuel and a cool new shirt. I chose to wear my race day shoes already, KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light, because my poor little toes have been getting a beating from walking in the wrong shoes the past few days…

We had a late lunch at an italian restaurant with Jet, NY-based member of Adobo Run Club who is also running NYCM for the 2nd time and a good friend of Celine’s. Celine carbo-loaded along with us. Haha!

– Loved this caprese! –

– with Jet and Cel –

Jet and I bought bagels at H&H for our breakfast during the long pre-race wait at the race. I’ll be spreading peanut butter on my whole wheat bagel and I’ll down it with Gatorade probably at the ferry headed towards Staten Island tomorrow.  Oh, just mentioning my beloved peanut butter gets me drooling. Oink.

– with Jet –

As soon as Cel and I arrived home and after oohing and aahing over our shopping finds, I laid out all my gear for the big day.

On one side of the room, I set all my gear to wear for the race tomorrow: three layers of Nike tops, 2XU compression tights, Nathan hydration belt, Asics gloves and Oakley shades.

Check out that bib. Looks so simple, but it gives so much info about each runner:
– Name
– Color: Green. This means I’m in the green Village. Others are in orange and blue. This tells me which start line I’ll be crossing and what village I should wait in before the race.
– Wave No. 2. This indicates my start time of 10:10 am. Others start at 9:40 and 10:40.
– First two numbers: 37. This tells me I’m in Corral 37 within Wave 2.

Then, I set my PRE-RACE clothes that I’ll be wearing in the morning heading to the race, but not during the race. (Complicated huh?)  Weather is expected at 57F which is awesome! But, I’m still bringing my fleece jacket, throwaway clothes, and tear away gear to be safe.

I packed a lot into my check in bag this time, a lesson I learned from last year’s race. I placed two sets of clothes for changing post-race just in case I head straight for post-race celebrations with other Pinoy runners. I also brought a blanket, trash bags, food, medicine, and toiletries for pre and post race. Depositing and claiming of the bags are quick and efficient at NYCM despite the huge number of runners.

I prepared my pre-race nutrition. I’ve been drinking Gatorade today to ensure I’m hydrated and I’ll take the Gatorade pre-race fuel tomorrow. Results of my Gatorade sweat test indicate I should drink 125mL every 15 minutes.  I’ll also take Hammer Gel 30 minutes before the race and at 10k, 20k, and 30k.

Phew. It took me close to an hour to pack. That doesn’t even include all the brainwork on planning how to get to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and more importantly how to get home to Celine’s apartment which is not a joke when you’re a tourist in New York!  Despite all this, the New York City Marathon is worth all the troubles for me…even the second time around.

I’m all set for the race. Even my toenails say so! NY, here we go…

– Just like Dara Torres, I painted my toenails as part of pre-race preps. I wanted to put NYC 42K but they wouldn’t fit into my tiny toenails! Those Phiten circular stickers are supposed to help circulation around my tired toes. I hope they work! –

Wish me luck tomorrow!