I started running seriously again during lockdown in 2020 – I had nothing else to do so I thought I might as well keep in shape. I could have never imagined that I would be running more than five miles regularly; what started off as a casual way to keep fit became a competition against myself. I wanted to see how far I could push myself – I wanted to go faster and further run over run. Everything was kicked up a notch when I moved to San Francisco. The terrain was much more mountainous and the sheer possibilities of routes motivated me even further. I found myself going across the Golden Gate Bridge almost every weekend, feeling the dull burn in my legs as I climbed the hills with cyclists whizzing by me. My longest run during my time in the Bay was a solid 16.2 miler going across the bridge, up to Hawk Hill, down to Black Sands Beach and back again – a whopping 1980 ft. of elevation gain.

My running was cut short when I rolled my left ankle towards the end of my stay in the Bay. I took to biking with my best friend Zac and hiking as running proved to be too much. So, I rested for several months before I ended up moving to New York in 2021. Immediately, I got back to running and signed up for NY Road Runners and started running races. It was August already and I needed to get nine races and one volunteering in before the end of the year for the 9+1 guaranteed entry to the NYC marathon. As you can guess from the title of this post, I got the races in (not too exciting, although I really enjoyed the 5th Ave Mile). The most memorable part of all of that was volutneering for th 2021 NYC Marathon Expo. It was the 50th one and the everyone seemed supercharged with anticipation. I found myself flying through a run later that day off of the energy from the expo – even though the marathon was a year away I could almost imagine it.

2022 was not a kind year for me. My asthma kicked in periodically reminding me that I had an additional challenge to overcome. I had Patellofemoral pain syndrome and had to ease up on running and do physical therapy. Not the worst, I was able to bounce back from it in a month or so. Then around August, I got covid. I didn’t think it was a big deal at first. On my first run back after testing negative, I almost passed out as I couldn’t seem to get enough air in me no matter how hard I huffed. I saw a doctor who confirmed what I had feared: I had long covid and it would not be wise for me to run the marathon. I was absolutely crushed as I had put a lot of time and effort into training already but I had no choice but to defer to 2023. Afterwards, I slowly eased back into running only to find myself with another pretty severe rolled ankle. I remember it was so bad I collapsed onto the floor and I couldn’t get up. I sat there trying to put some pressure on it hoping the pain will subside enough for me to limp back home – someone driving by actually pulled over to make sure I’m okay. I’m very grateful for that person as they were a light in the extremely dark part of my running career. I think my Strava caption from that run sums it up: “I honestly want to give up running”.

So I got through the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. I ran on and off until around April due to life. Once I got going though, I found my mileage increasing pretty quickly. By mid June I was doing 30+ miles per week. I certainly wasn’t as fast as I had been in the Bay but I was also dealing with the heat and humidity. Maybe I didn’t push myself enough though as sometimes I felt the runs were too easy and not incorporating enough speed work into my workouts probably did not help me. Otherwise the training was pretty uneventful except the many, many runs in the rain and catching a cold at some point. The cold definitely gave me a scare, especially when I thought about the previous year’s deferral. I ran 20+ miles three times as part of my training and I felt really good by the time I started tapering. I was pretty confident I’d be able to hit my secondary goal of a sub four hours finish.

The few days leading up to the marathon were an absolute nightmare for me – I’m only glad that I had a bunch of plans to distract me as I had trouble remaining calm. My heart rate was constantly elevated and at night I barely got sleep from the excitement and anxiety. At one point I even had a nightmare that I had forgotten to bring my gels to the race (which wouldn’t have been the end of the world since some are provided but definitely not ideal). Somehow, I made it to the day of the race but right up until my legs started propelling me across the start line, I was a bundle of nerves. Once my legs got going though everything melted away: I just had to actually run the race.

If you have never participated in the NYC marathon in any form, I highly recommend you do so. Even as a spectator the air is positively charged with energy and excitement. I had been a spectator once but being the one running was a whole different feeling. I didn’t feel any pain in my legs up until the moment I cramped around mile 20. I was way too busy looking around at everyone and taking in the energy and the scenes. The sheer number of people who had come out to cheer astounded me. More surprising than that was the number of people actually running the race! This year there were ~52000 finishers and it certainly felt like it. This being my first marathon I thought I would have a moment where I could just run without worrying about being boxed in by other runners but that was absolutely not the case. Throughout the whole race I found myself wasting energy dodging people and through constant stopping and starting. First lesson learned for my next race.

This was also my first long run where I didn’t have a hydration vest so I was going off of the water stations at almost every mile. I thought I had hydrated enough but my cramps told me otherwise. I think it was a combination of a warmer day and just not enough water intake that led to an excruciating cramp in my leg. It was so bad that I had to limp it off for a few minutes and even when I could resume running, it took all of my willpower to not give up. My pace was nowhere where I wanted it to be but I was just grateful that I could still run. I was way too close to the finish line. My eyes searched desperately for the distance markers as I closed in on the finish. My legs felt like they would explode at any second. 1 mile. I’m tearing up thinking that I would finally finish accomplish this goal I had been working towards for nearly two years but I force myself to snap out of it – I wasn’t done yet. 800m. Then I see my friends and girlfriend there, cheering me on. Using the last of my strength I veered off to the side to give her a quick hug, almost topping over in the process. Somehow I manage to stay on my feet and keep running. 400m. I find it in myself to pick up my speed – not quite a sprint but a solid effort. Crossing the line was surreal as it felt like my race wasn’t over. It didn’t quite catch up to me until I received my medal and I started texting my girlfriend. At this point I was ready to keep over and bawl. I had finally done it.

Throughout all of this, my girlfriend took it upon herself to support me in whatever way she can. She constantly reminded me that I’m doing great and I just need to get back to it, that it’s only a minor setback. She was also there to cheer me on at the race with a bunch of my friends – there’s nothing quite like having your friends yell supporting words at you as you round out mile 14. Also special shout out to Zac who freaking flew out to see me run this thing, got me on Strava, constantly commented on my activities, and genuinely took interest in asking how my training was going. I’m extremely grateful for all my supportive friends and I can honestly say they made the race a million times more fun and bearable. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Unfortunately, it was a while before I was able to meet up with everyone as the runners were herded out like sheep. I had a lot of time to think and process throughout it. 4:11 wasn’t the time I wanted but I was also extremely happy that I was able to finish the race. My biggest fear going into it was that I would end with a DNF. It also just solidified my resolve to train harder and better for the next one (yes, I already decided I’m going to run more). I actually coudln’t walk the next day and for a few days after, I was limping everywhere and going down the stairs would make me almost collapse with each step. Surprisingly painful despite having run multiple 20 milers during training. Now almost a month after, I can say that this was one of the most fulfilling endeavors I’d undertaken. With that huge weight off my shoulders, I’m looking forward to the future. Next one will definitely be a sub four.