The Start of the NYC Marathon is a bit daunting!
The excitement of getting into the New York City Marathon wanes a bit after a couple of weeks and although my training remains a priority, everyday life responsibilities as well as other priorities puts the Marathon a little on the backburner.
Then, the excitement along with a dose of anxiety returns with the email that says I have to choose my baggage and transportation options. The baggage option was a no brainer for me because I don’t want to have to worry about waiting in another long line to retrieve my belongings. Plus, my husband can bring along some warm clothing when he meets me at the family reunion spot.
But the transportation to the start is a whole different story. I know absolutely nothing about NYC being that I have never been there. I know several people that want to run the NYC Marathon, but I don’t know anybody that has actually ran it that can give me some much needed advice on what method I should pursue.
There are really only three transportation options: Ferry, Bus, or Taxi. And for me, according to my NYRR, there are only two time options for the bus but several time options for the Ferry. It is hard to decide which to choose being that I don’t even know what wave I will be in, but it’s a pretty safe bet to say that I won’t be in the first one. The latest option I have is taking the Ferry at 7:30 am. Apparently, organizers of the NYC marathon have an idea of which wave runners will potentially be in based on their projected finish times. Those available options will ensure that runners make it to the start on time.
I was feeling really pressured to make a decision due to the fact that it is on a first come first serve basis. I don’t see the need to be there at 6 am and the latest bus is already full. So I signed up for the 7:30 Ferry slot. Now, how do I get to there?
I am just one of those people that just has to know exactly where I need to be, when I need to be there and the time frames I need to be aware of. I do not like being late! And there is this fear that I won’t make it to the starting line on time.
I like going to youtube to get real life experiences and explanations of situations. So, I reviewed several youtube videos that gave really good information about the layout of the city plus details on how to use the transit system. One of the videos on how to use the transit system gave a really awesome tip: if all else fails go to https://www.hopstop.com. All I had to do was put in my address of where I was and where I wanted to go. And wow! It gave me detailed directions on the short walk to the nearest train station and which train to take! Awesome!
Then, I went to http://web.mta.info/maps/submap.html to map my route, which after watching the videos was not difficult at all (I am definitely not an expert when it comes to map reading). My stress level plummeted once I was able to figure out all of these details. I felt really excited again!
This is just one step in the process of figuring out the logistics of running the New York City Marathon. There are many other things that I still need to figure out but it is a process that I will be taking one step at a time so that I don’t get too overwhelmed!
Also, I found these two web sites to be extremely helpful with lots of valuable information:
http://community.runnersworld.com/forum/new-york-city-marathon – Just ask a question and these guys seem to have all the answers!
http://www.runarweb.com/nycm_e.php – Gunderson has a wealth of information about the NYC Marathon. Awesome website.
Leave a Reply