Ready...Set...

So I set my phone alarm...my sisters phone alarm...my nieces phone alarm...and I called for a wake up call.

3:45am.

I have to be at the NYC Public Library to catch my bus at 5:30am.

Day before I counted the stops from where we were to the stop at Bryant Park/5th Avenue and monitored the time. I knew exactly what time I had to be at the subway to catch the train to get where I needed to be in plenty of enough time.

And so I was.

The bus ride over to Staten Island only took about 30 minutes and it was on some NICE buses too. I sat with a guy that was staying in our hotel (lots of runners there) and we chatted all the way over. He was in a different wave than I was so I made my way to my wave area (which was situated just next to and almost under the Verranzano Bridge. This would prove to be very cool because we could hear the first 2 cannons go off and see the runners as they made their way over the bridge.

I was glad that I had layered so well cause it was colder AND WINDIER ( a head wind going over the Verranzano was something I was NOT expecting) than expected. I had on my shorts and some sweats, but on top I had my trainer top under my UA short sleeve, then my KW arm warmers, a long sleeve tech and then a sweatshirt. Plus my gloves. This was indeed good.

Waited for about 3 hours. Plenty of food and drink including hot teas and coffees, but I stayed away from all of it because I didnt want to do anything differently of course. Made a friend named Neil. He had only found out 4 weeks earlier that he had indeed gotten in (something about a friend of a friend who is part of NYRR). So his longest run was 10 miles a couple of weeks back and his plan was to run 4 miles, walk 1. I got his number but I didnt remember to text him...you know I was kinda occupied :o) Nor do I know if he made it. I kinda think he didnt cause not only was he not trained, but he didnt even know how to put his chip on his shoe or anything; so of course I helped him and told him what I knew about any questions he had. We were in different corrals, so we parted ways.

When they called for our wave and for us to get in our corrals (6 in all, and I was in the 4th one), I started to really get in my zone. I couldn't be any more prepared as I was already. The rest was up to me and only me.

As we made our way closer, and I heard the final cannon, I started stripping off everything except for my shorts, gloves, my short sleeve UA and my Kenyan Way arm warmers. Damn it! it was freaking COLD!!! But the sun was up and high and I knew it wouldnt be long before I was just right...and then...

..as we rounded the corner, there in front of me was the Verranzano Bridge in all its glory...I made the sign of the cross, said a prayer, re-read the words etched in my mind from some good luck cards I had received before leaving Houston, reset my Garmin and started running...