This is a record of my training and adventures. It's a place for me to share my thoughts about running, racing, and anything else that crosses my mind.
"Two Gomers Run For Their Lives" is easily my favorite running-related podcast and quite possibly my favorite podcast overall. So when I got a message from Gomer #1 (Anthony) yesterday asking if he could interview me for the podcast, I was very excited and a little nervous.
Anthony said they had about 20 minutes to fill in their upcoming episode and asked if we could talk about my experience in New York. We made arrangements to talk on Skype tonight.
Unfortunately, Gomer #2 (Steven) was out of town, so it would just be me and Anthony. I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be a very interesting interviewee to begin with and I was hoping Anthony and Steven would make up for anything I was lacking with their witty banter. Knowing I might make for a boring segment on the podcast made me nervous.
Once Anthony and I started talking, my nerves settled down and the more we talked, the more I relaxed. One of the great surprises from meeting the Gomers in Minneapolis in June was that we all got along so well, it was like we became instant friends. Talking to Anthony felt like chatting with an old friend and he lived in New York for a while so he was excited to talk about the marathon and the city. We got a little carried away and our planned 20 minutes turned into over an hour. We kept wrapping up only to think of something else we wanted to talk about.
I had a blast talking to Anthony and he assures me he can edit the interview down to fit the needs of the podcast. It was fun to get a little behind-the-scenes view of the Gomers' podcast and it was great talking to Anthony again. As an added bonus, Anthony's wife, Erin came home just as we were wrapping up and Liz and I got to say hello to their new little girl. Lily is super cute and Anthony is so excited about being a dad!
It was also fun reliving the trip to New York but I think I'm ready for a short break while I figure out my next big adventure.
Tuesday Goal For The Day: Rest.
Distance: 0.00 Miles.
Notes: I'm still walking a little funny but I'm already recovering well. I would normally go for a jog tomorrow but I think I'll take the next few days off.
Daily Miles: 0.00 Miles.
Blog Totals:
Run - 573.62 Miles.
Bike - 144.45 Miles.
Swim - 13,450+ meters.
I assume my alarm went off at 5am as scheduled but I sure didn't wake up for it. I woke up closer to 6:00 and Rick was already up and waiting for our trip to the Today Show. He had been doing some research of his own and found out that you don't actually have to be there that early unless there's a famous guest appearing on the show.
Since we had more time than we thought and were leaving the condo later than planned, Liz decided to join us and we started our walk to Rockefeller Plaza a little after 6:30.
When we got to the taping area, I was surprised by how small the fenced off section of the plaza is. I guess because they usually only show small chunks of the area at a time on tv, I imagined it being bigger. The security guards almost didn't let us in with our "Road Runner" sign but we were eventually allowed to pass. I don't know if they were worried about the plastic sign or the stick.
(Outside the Today Show studios.)
We settled on a spot at the corner of the fencing that allowed us to get close to the barrier and we could still see Ann and Al in the studio through the windows to our right.
(Everyone wanted to be on t.v.)
(Liz waiting outside the Today Show.)
It was a pretty cold morning but our plan was to hang out a while and see if we could get our Team Gomer shirt on t.v. We Love the Two Gomers podcast and one of the Gomers, Anthony, has talked about recording the Today Show every day. We thought the Gomers would get a kick out of seeing their name on national television.
(Waiting like good Gomer fans.)
We waited patiently while the show went through it's first hour but they kept setting up the cameras in other parts of the plaza. Rick walked around for a while and waited with us but he eventually made his way back to the warm condo while we stayed just a little longer.
Unfortunately, this is the week that Matt Lauer is travelling for 'Where in the World is Matt Lauer' so we weren't able to meet him today. The crew passed out little foam-core Matt Lauer's on sticks for the crowd to hold. Liz got one so we were able to take Little Matt home with us.
Eventually, Ann and Al came out on the plaza for a segment. Of course, the crowd went crazy when they came outside.
(Ann and Al live on the plaza.)
(Al working the crowd.)
(Some fellow Cardinals fans at the Today Show!)
During the commercial break, Al Roker walked around saying hello to people in the crowd and Liz got to shake his hand when she met him!
(Liz met Al Roker!)
(For the Gomers!)
After the next segment, Ann Curry made the rounds. She was super nice and took time to chat with people. We both got to shake her hand and when she saw my marathon medal, she congratulated me on the race. She also commented on how cold my hand was and thanked us for standing out in the cold to see the show.
(Liz met Ann Curry!)
(It only looks like her mouth was stuck like that...
she was fine.)
We still hadn't been on t.v. so we decided to stay just a little longer and then we were going to go warm up. At the same time, the people in front of us left and we were able to get right up to the fence. If we were going to get our Gomers shirt on t.v., we were in the right place to do it.
(Front row!)
Al, Ann, and Natalie Morales came out to tape another segment and not long after that, we had our chance. When the show went to a commercial break, the camera man walked right along the fence toward us and right by us! We were only on for a second, but we accomplished our mission! I immediately sent Anthony a text telling him to watch the Today show and what segment to look for.
A couple of friends sent me texts within the hour saying they saw me on the Today Show! The problem was, people only mentioned seeing me. No one mentioned Liz. We started to think we had waited out in the cold that whole time and then, at the moment of truth, I held the Gomers' shirt in front of Liz's face and she didn't make it on t.v.
Luckily, Anthony (Gomer 1) sent out a request to the Gomer Nation asking people to take a picture of the Gomer shirt on the Today Show. A fan in Hawaii snapped a photo of the shirt and it proved that half of Liz's face made it on t.v. and I didn't completely cover her up!
(Weeee did it!)
By the time we were finished becoming famous at the Today Show, Mom and Rick were ready to do some final sight-seeing and came to meet us at Rockefeller Plaza. We had a hot drink at the Starbucks on the lower level near the skating rink and made plans to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
We walked through the lower level of Rockefeller Plaza and got on the subway yet again to get to Brooklyn.
(A significant amount of the weekend was spent underground.)
The Brookly Bridge is amazing and offers a great view of Manhattan as you walk back onto the island. They were doing some work on part of the bridge but there was a lane for pedestrians and a lane for bikes. We merged into the flow of people walking the bridge and enjoyed the view.
(Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.)
(On the Brooklyn Bridge with the Statue of Liberty in the background.)
The Brooklyn Bridge was awesome and our trip was winding down but we had a little time left before we had to leave for the airport so we made one more stop before returning to the condo. Our last stop in the city was FAO Schwarz!
The store didn't look that big when we walked into the lobby but it just kep going. I Love toys! We had a lot of fun looking around and Liz even caved to my peer pressure and put on a Captain America mask.
(Liz doesn't make a very good Captain America.)
There were a lot of cool toys but the Lego sculptures were easily my favorite!
(Hmm... Which is better?)
I didn't realize they actually had a giant piano like in 'Big'!!! It took a lot of will power to resist the urge to ditch my shoes and dance on it.
(Chopsticks, anyone?)
There was a deli across the street from FAO Schwarz so we stopped for a quick lunch and then walked back to the condo to load up our luggage and head to the airport. On the walk home, we passed a building with two fountains that looked like dandelions. Very cool!
After five days of incredible big-city adventures, it was time to go home. A cab picked us up at the condo and took us back to the airport. Our cabbie thought he was in the middle of some kind of race and might have been playing a game to see how close he could get to every car he saw. I was so tired from the long week, I dozed off a couple of times but Mom rode the whole way in white-knuckled fear.
Our flight was delayed an hour so we settled in at the gate and waited for the plane to arrive. When it was time to board, they congratulated all of the marathon finishers over the loud speaker.
I preferred flying into the city with a daytime view, but it was cool to leave with a view of the city at night.
A short flight later, we were setting foot back on St. Louis soil. Rick went to get the car while Mom, Liz, Matt Lauer, and I grabbed our luggage.
The ING New York City Marathon weekend is over. I don't think we could have packed more fun into 5 days and I can't imagine a more incredible marathon weekend. That being said... it's good to be home!!!
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!
