Enough of the preliminary stuff. This is the real thing now. 4th Avenue in Brooklyn is flat, straight and long. Time to motor.
I felt strong and went faster than I had planned. I didn’t want to make the novice mistake of going out too fast, but the road was so smooth. I let it rip.
Nearing the 8 mile mark I heard my name called, “Timothy” (not “Timo”), and I knew it was friends. James Spahr, an associate from work and Michael Kelly, a fellow designer, were there. I handed Michael a camera and got him to run ahead to take this picture. I should have gotten a picture with them.
A few blocks later, again I hear “Timothy!” and it’s Seth who I used to racewalk with many years ago. Marathon Day I expect to see him in the Bronx as a volunteer. He’s been there reliably for years. Why not this year? He said he’d had a bike accident and showed me cuts on his hands. Ouch.
This is at mile 9.5 or so. I get out powdered energy drink in a baggie with a toggle ziplock. Add three cups of water. The mixture is Carbo Fuel, 100 mg of CoEnzyme Q-10 and a pinch of salt. I had one before the start and two out on the course.
Close the zip securely, shake and keep going. Carrying the bag I can bite off a corner and then take the mixture in a bit at a time. This is my secret for surviving long events. There is no “Wall.”