Sunday, November 6, 2011

Marathon Weekend - Day 4 - Sunday

After the marathon, I took my time walking back to the condo. The marathon course ran along the south side of Central Park from Mile 25 to Mile 26 so getting back to the condo took a while because of street closures and the amount of people walking where I needed to be.

I told Liz, Mom, and Rick that I would just meet them at the condo after the race so they didn't have to worry about finding me in the mob of finishers. Plus, Mom and Liz were thinking about going to Times Square to see about buying same-day tickets to a show on Broadway.

I found out later that Liz stuck with our plan and went back to the condo but Mom and Rick decided to try finding me by the UPS trucks. I didn't see them though and they realized they weren't likely to find me when they saw how crazy it was down there. I got back to the condo and Liz was waiting to give me a hug and congratulations. I think she was curious to see how I felt about qualifying for Boston but not being able to actually run it. I reassured her that I was still happy with my finish and I don't think I left anything out on the course. I didn't have another 5 minutes in me today.

Liz pointed out that we could see the marathon from the condo and when I looked down to see people struggling through the last mile of the race, it felt good to know I was done for the day.

(Our view of the marathon from the condo.)

(Liz was impressed with the condo.)

I took a nice, long, hot shower and it felt good to put on some clean clothes. Mom and Rick got back to the condo while I was getting cleaned up and we all talked about the race, what it was like to run it, and what it was like for them to watch it.

I wasn't sure how I would feel after the marathon so our original plan was for me to rest and maybe take a nap while Mom and Liz checked out show tickets. But I was feeling pretty good and I've learned that I recover faster if I do a lot of walking after a marathon so I told them I would just go with them. Our plan was to buy tickets to an evening show and then see how much time we had to do some more sight-seeing.

When we went to the subway station to go to Times Square, there was a guy dressed like a stereotypical pimp sitting on a bench and I just had to take his picture. I tried to be subtle but unfortunately, he took off the sweet pimp hat before I could get my camera out. He also looked away so he might have been on to me. Either way, I felt like it was a great 'New York' experience. I think I forgot to mention it before, but on Saturday, we also saw a huge rat in a subway station... very New York... and we saw an all-black squirrel in Washington Square Park. I don't think I've ever seen a black squirrel before.

(It's hard out here for a pimp.)

We went to the TKTS booth in Times Square to buy same-day show tickets. There was a board with show times and some guys were there to tell us about each show and help us pick the kind of show we were looking for. We wanted something none of us had seen but that we would all enjoy and that wasn't easy to find.

Eventually, one of the guys told us about a show called Traces and described it as "A more intimate Cirque du Soleil". That sounded good to everyone (or at least, didn't sound bad to Rick), and it turned out to be relatively inexpensive so it was the show we decided to see.

Mom was disappointed to find out that Traces was an off-Broadway show but she and Liz had already waited in line and the group had already decided so she just went with it.

(Mom and Liz buying tickets to 'Traces'.)

(Times Square near the TKTS booth.)

Once we had our tickets in hand, we went back north toward the condo to see Rockefeller Plaza. On the way to the Plaza, we cut through the 'NBC Experience' store. You could buy souvenirs for pretty much any show that NBC airs. This store reminded me how much I Love television!

(On our way to Rockefeller Plaza.)

(Our first encounter with Matt Lauer in
the The NBC Experience store.)

When we came out of the store, we were in Rockefeller Plaza and it was beautiful! We were standing right next to 30 Rockefeller Plaza (30 Rock) and looking out across the plaza and skating rink. The trees were filled with lights and the skating rink is surrounded by flags blowing in the wind.

(30 Rock)

(Rockefeller Plaza)





The Plaza is very cool and it was fun to be in a place I've seen on t.v. so many times.


After Rockefeller Plaza, we took the scenic route back to the condo. There were several street vendors with tables set up selling posters and art along the way. Mom and Rick bargained for a three-dimensional piece of art depicting Times Square. They talked the guy down from $30 to $20. Two blocks later, I talked a guy into selling me the same thing (only depicting the New York skyline) for only $15.

On the way back, we saw St. Patrick's Cathedral and stopped to look inside just before they closed the doors for a service.

(St. Patrick's Cathedral.)


(Liz posing next to the 'St. Elizabeth'
section of the door.)

The Cathedral reminded me of College Church at SLU but it was cavernous.

(Inside St. Patrick's Cathedral.)



(Across the street from St. Patrick's Cathedral.)

We made one last stop on the way back to the condo. I never pass up an opportunity to visit Niketown! Niketown was like a big party celebrating the marathon. There was a DJ playing music so loud Liz and I could hardly hear each other. Liz found the running gloves she had been looking for and I was told I could get my medal engraved for free. They announced my name, my time, and that I set a new PR over the sound system and we walked all four floors of the store drooling over all the gear.

After Niketown, we went back to the condo to change for our night out off-Broadway. We took a short subway ride down to Union Square and found the theatre for Traces.



There was chalk in the lobby of the theatre and people could write all over the walls. Apparently, Sarah wanted to tell me hello.


The theatre was pretty small and we were in the second row. No one sat in front of us so we had a great view of all the action. Traces was amazing! It was like urban acrobatics and gymnastics. It was a lot like a scaled-down Cirque du Soleil. The intimate setting of the theatre made the show even more impressive and the performers weren't just talented athletes, they were also incredible entertainers. At one point, each of the performers said a little about themselves and the only woman in the cast described herself as "flirtatious". A few minutes later, she came into the audience and sat in my lap to flirt with me to demonstrate her "flirtatious" personality. Later in the show, a few of the cast members were standing off to our side of the stage while the others were in the spotlight. A couple of the guys saw my marathon medal and started asking me about the race. On the other side of the stage, the show was still going on, but by us, the guys were asking about my time and congratulating me on the race. The tricks and stunts in the show were memorable enough but interacting with the cast during the show made the experience unforgettable. I would definitely go to see Traces again if it came to town.

After the show, we went back to see Times Square one more time and to get dinner. We went to the Irish Pub we saw our first night in town. The restaurant staff had us in and out of the pub pretty fast but the food was great. It's official... I Love shepherd's pie!


(Mmm... Shepherd's Pie!)

It was our last night in town and we were all spent. It had been an early morning and a busy day. My legs started to tighten up while we sat through Traces and I was walking more and more stiffly as the night went on. By the time we got back to the condo, we were all ready for some sleep but Liz and I packed so we wouldn't have to spent time getting things together during our short day tomorrow.

I was still going back and forth about whether I wanted to wake up early to stand outside the Today Show. Everything I read online said I would need to be there around 6am if I wanted to have a chance of getting on t.v. I brought my 'Team Gomer' t-shirt hoping to get it on the air because I know Gomer #1 (Anthony) records the show every day and I thought he would get a kick out of the Gomers making it on the Today Show.

In the end, I decided I would get up at 5am and try to leave the apartment between 5:30 and 6:00 to walk over to the show. Rick said he wanted to see the show too so we planned to walk over in the morning. Liz and Mom opted for sleep and decided they would meet up with us later. Then we would see what we had time to squeeze into the rest of the day before we had to go to the airport.

One more day and then the adventure ends.

Sunday
Goal For The Day: Ran the Marathon. Tour New York and Walk It Off.
Distance: 26.2 Miles.

Notes: This morning's race seems like a long time ago already. I always wear my race medal for the rest of Race Day but I think I'll wear it again tomorrow. I just want to enjoy it a little longer. I'm definitely wearing it to the Today Show!

Daily Miles: 26.2 Miles.
Blog Totals:
  Run - 573.62 Miles.
  Bike - 144.45 Miles.
  Swim - 13,450+ meters.

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