So when I left my apartment that morning my only goal was to enjoy the experience, and to forget finish times , but to look forward to the journey to the finish line. As I rode the train to the ferry, my brain was running wild, would I see my family, would my injuries flare up and make the race harder than it already was, and would I be able to stick by my friends side no matter what and would they do the same for me? It was decided at our 20 miler that Christina and I would try to run the race together to help pace each other to the end, it was the best decision because I love running with her, we always have an awesome time together! 
So when I arrived at Staten Island to the start villages, once I seen some of my crew I felt less nervous about the roads ahead of us! We met up with my friend and teammate Melissa, she wanted to stick with us also, it was her first marathon and she wanted the support to help get her to the end. I love her personality so I knew the three of us were in for a great day! 
We had a short wait and soon were headed to our corrals! Thankfully the weather has been unseasonably warm, so the weather on race day was expected to be 64 degrees, mostly cloudy, with 60% humidity, ideal running conditions! So the weather on the bridge was no issue this year, the wind was at bay, and most runners were in short sleeves or tanks, so we were ready for this!
All of a sudden the cannons went off and it was time to start this journey! The bridge was crowded so it took lots of weaving through the crowd to keep our pace up, but we were going pretty slow with the congestion anyway. I had to pay attention to where my friends were because wave of runners felt massive and every so often when I was taking a picture or looking elsewhere I'd lose someone ahead of the pack! I love running on the Verazzano bridge, the marathon is the only day of the year pedestrians can cross it on foot, so it's really a privilege to be up there and take in the beauty of NYC from afar. 
Three miles in and we were in Brooklyn! Brooklyn is where the party really gets going, the crowds are really amped up and excited to see runners pass by. There was music all over the place, so many bands played, and DJs were blaring music at times when church was just letting out! It was amazing, Brooklyn gives you that initial rush of excitement, and we were running at an awesome pace, it was exciting and I was looking forward to each new part of the race we were heading in! Suddenly around 7 miles in, Christina started to have some pretty awful stomach issues, and we took a longer than expected potty break, but it wasn't a big deal to Melissa and I, we agreed to stick together as a trio til the end! The next few miles before Queens were a little shaky, Christina was being cautious, and at times she told us to leave her, but of course that wasn't going to happen we were a team! I knew the latter part of the race was when I was going to need her and Melissa most, so there was no way we were giving up on each other! 
I knew our spirits would feel lifted when we were finally in Queens, because Melissa had her husband and friends waiting to cheer her on and my family was also going to be there for me! We ran through Queens, found Melissa's awesome family, and right after my family was there! When I spotted them I had to do my best not to lose it, just having them there means the world to me, and hearing them cheer, and seeing the excitement on their faces means the world to me! My youngest brother had on his old Halloween costume, which cracked me up when I spotted him, he was wearing a mouse head to resemble Deadmau5, and he had a bowl of snickers in his hands, and my sister was holding a sign telling runners to "whip and nae nae" for a snickers! It was so cute, I loved it! I'm also wondering how many selfies are floating of him out there, he said lots of people stopped to take their picture with him! 
Soon after we were on our third bridge! We were on the Queensboro bridge heading into Manhattan, where the fun continues! The bridge really is so silent after 14 miles of non stop loud noise, it's just the runners, and at that point I guess most of us are wondering how the next half will go, how crazy we were to attempt this at all, or if whatever aches and pains we were feeling would get us to the end. It's a moment of reflection before the chaos continues! But it's also really beautiful to be up there, and I always reflect on 9-11 because the first time I ever walked that bridge was on 9-11 and now years later I'm thankful for where I am and that the city I love most is still thriving after tragedy. I felt privileged to be on the bridge, living my life to the fullest running a marathon!
We also bumped into Aki and Tibby on the bridge, our fellow NYIR teammates, they were walking the marathon! Tibby was injured earlier this year and hasn't been able to run any races that she signed up for, but she doesn't back down from a challenge and decided she would walk the whole marathon, and Aki who was also injured walked by her side the whole time as well! 
Once we got into Manhattan I hit my wall. It was the wall for me because those miles up to the Bronx felt never ending. There's also the uphill along 1st avenue that just looks painful from a distance. I was running with my heart and grit because I didn't feel my legs and every time I checked how far we had gone I felt like we were still so far behind! I was feeling out of it, the exhaustion was hitting me hard, I was throwing gummy bears in my mouth every few blocks, I was actually feeling desperate for a banana, I was being careful not to take in too much sodium at that point because I had taken a salt packet at mile 16 to prevent cramping later on. There was a blister forming on my pinky toe at the same time and I was praying that the pain would stay at bay so I could finish, that blister plagued me all summer, and I cut runs short because how bad it felt at times! I was upset also since I was wearing blister preventing socks too! I was texting my family already apologizing that their wait for me would be longer than expected, but they were great, they told me I was doing good and that they'd be there waiting however long it took! Suddenly we were blocks away from the bridge into the Bronx, and an angel in the form of my fellow teammate and NYPD officer Tee Jay was patrolling the race but cheering us on, and she had a banana! Life saver! My mouth and tummy were satisfied at the sweetness! 
The Bronx is only a mile long, but it was painful, my blister was the only thing I could feel, and I wanted my feet to go faster but it felt like it was taking forever! The Bronx was barren of spectators too, there weren't many, the music helped us push through the borough, but as soon as I was there I was ready to say goodbye! I wanted to be back in Manhattan and through the last few miles! 
We made it over the last bridge and the sounds of Harlem were with us! I felt excited to be in the city, my team was waiting for us on 125th street, and I knew seeing them would make us feel alive again! And we were so excited to find them dancing to "whip & nae nae" on the course, that the three of us stopped to take a dance break! It was short but it was what we needed to push past Harlem and head to Central Park! After we saw the team, I crashed a little over the excitement, I suddenly was over come with thirst and I felt like I was getting dizzy, and like any second I was going to have to stop. As soon as I said I need water we found two spectators on the course with pretzels and Coca Cola! I am not a soda drinker at all, but these kind women assured us that they were runners themselves and that we should try it for a small boost, and at that point I was so desperate I gladly took a cup from them! In those few seconds Coca Cola was the best thing I've ever tasted in my life! It was a change from everything else I was ingesting and the sugar gave me some new energy, which I needed to get over the hill on 5th ave just before Central Park! I wish I knew who they were to thank them again! 
Mile 23 my head was blurry, my feet were going, I was feeling pain in my butt from my siatica and my blister, and the three of us were racing against the sun! It was just starting to go down and we didn't want to run much in the dark, so we pushed as hard as we could when we could! Once we were in the park, I started focusing on seeing my family at mile 25, and just finishing strong! Those last two miles felt so long, and we gave our all to get to the finish, I was just telling myself to stay strong because we were so close to the end! And suddenly as we were exiting the park, my left hamstring gave in! It got so tight and painful, I had no choice but to start walking, but when I did that it felt even worse, I gave myself 30 seconds and told the girls to keep running! I ran and it was still there but I had to slow down so it didn't feel as bad, but inside I was praying I could run through to the end! I didn't care how long I was running, I just prayed to God that I could finish running, walking wasn't an option for me! I got over it quickly because then the blister on my foot felt like it exploded in my sock and that pain took over everything! My foot was hitting the pavement and sending waves of shock through my toe and up my body, in my head I was screaming bloody murder! But in reality I kept it together, and focused on finding my family just before Colombus Circle, I just kept running and praying for the strength to keep on. I saw my family, got super excited hearing them cheer us on, and it gave me the final wind I needed going back into the park toward the finish! 
This was it, there was no going back, because we really did it, we ran a marathon together, took in all the good, and pushed past all the bad, and there we were, just feet from the finish! Christina was doing her best to hold it together, thinking of her late aunt and uncle, and Melissa was the strength that bonded us at the end, yelling at us that this was it! I was struggling so bad those last few feet, my toe felt demolished, my hamstring was cursing me, my heart was racing, and my emotions were doing everything possible to keep it together! We held hands and crossed the finish line, strong, unified, and accomplished! And slightly delirious, I was so thirsty for water, and I almost lost my stomach just after we crossed, scary few seconds after running 26.2 miles! 
But then I saw my girls, Amy, Michelle, Helenita, Heather, and the rest of the NYIR girls at the medal racks with beautiful smiles and the hardware we just earned! I hugged Amy and I cried like a baby, I was so happy to see my sole sister, I told her every sign that said "go Amy!" or anytime I heard anyone say Amy, it made me think of her at the end, waiting for us, and helped pushed me ahead! Then I hugged my girls Christina and Melissa, and thanked them for being the best running partners I could've asked for! 
It was such a special moment to share with them, and then my family over dinner! I was so exhausted and hungry, I had fajitas and beer for dinner!
Running a marathon is life changing, every mile changes you, and anything can happen along the way! But it's how you face each mile, and overcome every challenge that makes you so strong when you cross the finish line. I don't know when my next marathon will be, I will most definitely revisit the distance again, but for now I am so thankful for all the support I've had along the way! And I'm so glad I never once gave up on myself, I'm glad I fought for the finish through a summer of crazy training that had me doubting myself so many times, because I would never want to miss out on this experience, it was really something special and almost magical! 
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