Training hasn't even officially started(That'll come June 30) and I'm a bunch of nerves. I know I can complete the race. But I have heard that New York is hilly and definitely not PR course.
Granted I've also heard its a once in a lifetime experience for some. I really needed to hear more about that side of it. So off I went looking for blog posts about it. In my searching I found out that Liz Robbins wrote a book about the 2007 NYC Marathon.
The library near work even had a copy so I went and got it.
You know what? Two thumbs up. It covers a lot of the background stuff that I would have had no clue on, but it also covered the journey on race day of a couple people. Of course it covers the top elites who placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd in that year's race.
I loved how it covered parts of the race by chapter. Would you be surprise to learn there is 26 chapters in the book? It goes over the course mile by mile and the different parts of each mile. Like how in the 8th mile the Emmanuel Baptist Church comes out and sings because parishioners weren't making it to mass on Marathon Sunday? So they brought it to the race that passed by their church?
Or in Mile 20 Pat Duffy snuck onto the Willis Avenue Bridge(spectators are not allowed on bridges) with his bagpipes to play starting in 2002 since he knew this is where it got hard?
Definitely a recommended read. We all know how much of a sap I am and I was getting teary-eyed at points, and cheering on people in others. Never mind that this particular race was 6 years ago.
I'm already getting excited for my chance to be on those streets and to experience the crowds and support from whole city because this book showed how amazing it is when the whole city embraces such an event.
Dude! Go read it!
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