running

New York Marathon done

/ middleageslowrunner / Leave a comment

I finished!   This Bubbie, Grandmother, Still Has IT!!!! I had a good race.

Number 3 New York Marathon is done!!!!!!!!! Team for Kids!  Improving the life of children through running!

 Ed, Thank You for keeping me company this weekend and being my cheerleader.  Love ya!

Saturday

Saturday, my spouse and I flew from Boston to New York.  

We took the early 7:30 flight.

 I had a delicious breakfast at the American Airlines Lounge, and then we boarded our flight.

It was a quick one-hour flight.

Once we landed, we took an Uber to our hotel.

  We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Midtown Manhattan hotel.

It is very welcoming.   

The room was clean and spacious with a nice king-size bed, a lovely bathroom, and a large vanity area.

Once we checked our bags, we strolled around the city.  

We also decided to do a “practice run” on the New York MTA red line train to familiarize myself with the transportation system on Marathon Sunday.

Once we were on the train,

I was counting all the train stops from our hotel’s nearest train station to the closest train stop located near the marathon finish line.

My goal was to be familiar with how to get back to our hotel once I crossed the marathon finish line.

Later in the day, I went to the Javits Convention Center to pick up my bib number.

I also wanted to double-check that I am registered for the ferry to take me to Staten Island for the start of the New York Marathon.  

My spouse and I walked around a bit, and then it was time for dinner.

We had dinner at our hotel.

After dinner, it was time to head back to our room and sleep.

Sunday

The next morning, I was on the way to the Marathon!!!!

I met up with the (Wave 4) Team for Kids runners, and we all boarded the 8 am ferry to begin our trip to the start line. Once we arrived in STATEN ISLAND, we all boarded buses for a 15-minute ride to Fort Wadsworth, the starting village of the 2025 New York City Marathon.

I love being part of Team for Kids because we had our own private tent at the starting village that provided us with coffee, tea, bagels, and bananas.

Around 10:15, our team coaches lead us in a warm-up stretch.

Then all the runners headed to our Wave 4 corral.

Time to get excited, nervous, anxious, and feel all the emotions as we stood at the start line of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The National Anthem played, and then thousands of runners were on our journey to Central Park, New York.  

We also heard Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York playing in the background.

My plan for this race is to use Jeff Galloway’s “The Run-Walk-Run Method”

The course goes through the 5 boroughs of New York (Staten Island/ Brooklyn/ Queens/ Bronx/ Manhattan).

Staten Island Mile1 and 2

The first 2 miles were awesome. I love running on the Verrazzano Bridge. THE scenery from the bridge is epic.

Miles 3-10 Brooklyn

I love all the cheering fans on the course.  

Running through Brooklyn is like a big party on the course, especially downtown Brooklyn.

I was having a really good time on the course.

  The fans are dancing, drinking booze, and are amazingly happy. I had so many fans giving me high fives.

I honestly felt like a superstar. Luckily, no one high-five me to hard!

Miles 11 and 12

This part of the course has a very different vibe, but I still love it!  

Runners pass through the Hasidic Jewish enclave.

  It is very quiet.   

No one is cheering us on.  

Marathon Sunday is not a holiday in this stretch of the race!

Peace and quiet at last!  

Trust me, the silence is so refreshing after running through the noise from the previous miles.

I love the quiet!

The men go about their regular Sunday business.   The women enjoy walking with their children to Hebrew school or around the neighborhood.

Miles 11 and 12 are also known as the modesty miles; people living here look away in modesty as runners pass.

Mile 13 and 14 Queens.

The fans are very cheerful.

For the first 13 miles or so, I felt awesome. I kept up with my plan of walking and running.

Yeah, I am halfway there!

Miles 15 and 16.  

I absolutely hated this part of the course. Crossing the Queensboro Bridge is the most dreaded part of this race for me. The race started to get tough mentally.

The Queensboro Bridge seems to go on and on and on forever. The scenery is ugly, and there are no spectators.

Mile 17 – 19 Manhattan

I finally made it to the Mile 17 marker! 9 more miles

I just kept on putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying myself.

Mile 20 – 22, Bronx

The race enters the Bronx at mile 20.

6 miles to go.

Mile 23 to 25 Back to Manhattan

We are now heading to Central Park.

I am enjoying the festive atmosphere of the Marathon.  

It is dark now because of Daylight Saving Time!

 I am officially in  

Manhattan.

The last 3 miles of the course are lit up for our safety with so many glowing lights!   Its beautiful.

  I can see Central Park, the location of the finishing line.

New York City at night is truly magical, with all the city’s lights from the tall buildings.

Mile 26 Central Park.

I entered Central Park.

The marathon finish line was lit up for a dramatic visual effect.

I crossed the finish line.

Best feeling in the world. My time was……….  07:10:20

 After the race, I manage to find my way back to the hotel.   My hotel was just  5 red line train stops away from the finish line! 

 I had a few nutrition runners’ bars for dinner.  I got into my pajamas and snuggled up in bed as I wrote this post.

Goodnight, all,

Dopey 48.6 miles Completed

/ middleageslowrunner / Leave a comment

This woman in the pictures is 55 and has reached a big running goal.

I just completed my 5th official Dopey!

In 2020 I ran my first Dopey.

From then on, I challenged myself to run Dopey every year, as my personal goal.

In 2020 I wanted to be a Dopey “streaker”.
Age 55 ….5 Dopeys!!!!! I like to set the bar high for my goals!

2020 DOPEY
2021 COVID canceled
2022 Dopey
2023 Dopey
2024 Dopey
2025 Dopey
I am so grateful that, I was able to do this. I succeeded.
5 Dopey’s in a row.

That night My spouse and I headed to Boardwalk Bakery for a celebration cake. We spent our last night in Disney World walking around the boardwalk.

Tomorrow Monday, we check out of Old Key West and we fly back to Massachusetts. My body is sore, but it has been a great Dopey.
I am so proud of all my running friends, I met while running.

My husband and I will finish packing all my Disney stuff, relax, and then bed.

Ed, thanks for keeping me company for 5 years at Run Disney.
I hope you had fun shmoozing at the bars as I ran. Cheers!

Dopey Challenge 2025 is also a mark in time for me.

I have been married for 30 years to a great spouse Ed; I am 55 years old.

My two kids, Carrie and Izzy, are doing well, as are our two grandkids, Sarah(4) and Issac(1), and my son-in-law, John.

My youngest daughter is engaged and getting married this July to a fellow named Bobby.

Overall, life has been good. We are blessed.

Time for Dopey

/ middleageslowrunner / 1 Comment

Hello, I am in Disney World.

I am here to participate in A CRAZY THING called the Dopey Challenge.

Dopey Challenge is a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon held back to back over four days, a total of 48.6 miles.

It’s Disney’s ultimate race challenge because well, you’d have to be Dopey to do it!)

My husband and I flew down to Florida, early this morning.
It was a nice flight.
Later during the day, we went to the Run Disney expo at ESPN Wide World of Sports to pick up my bibs and shirts. 

  Afterward, we went to Il Mulino Italian for dinner.
My good luck meal.
I am a creature of habit; this has been my go-to restaurant for every marathon weekend in the past 5 years.
I had a pizza.

Our home for the weekend is awesome. We love staying at Disney’s Old Key West Resort Villas because the villas have a fully functional kitchen, which allows me to cook my meals.
I am also a picky eater, especially before a big race.
The Villa’s also has a nice dining room, a washer and dryer room, and a jacuzzi in the bathroom creating a more “at-home” experience during our Disney vacation.

Let the races begin!

New York Marathon

/ middleageslowrunner / Leave a comment

I FINISHED!!!!!!!! 

New York Marathon Done!!!!! 

I completed my second New York City Marathon.  

I love Marathon Day in New York City.

  After the race, I hauled a bicycle pedicab taxi ride back to my hotel.

It was nice to be greeted by you Ed Stairman, on the sidewalk next to our hotel. 

That meant a lot to me.  

Love you. 

Why I Love Team for Kids

……Running gave me a purpose, confidence, and identity. I know firsthand the work this charity does. I want all kids to discover running and blossom. 

……………………………………………………….

MY MARATHON STORY……..

Saturday 

My spouse and I flew to New York on Saturday.

My husband was my marathon supporter this weekend.  

We arrived in New York around noon and headed to the expo to pick up my bib number and some swag. 

We had a nice dinner at Il Mulino, and then it was time for bed.

I am a creature of habit; this has been my go-to restaurant for past marathons.

I am also superstitious when it comes to running a marathon. 

I consider it bad luck to wear my Celebration New York Marathon 2024 Jacket anywhere until I cross the Finish line. 

Also, nothing New on Race Day! 

Marathon

Sunday morning arrived, and I left my hotel around 7:15 in the morning. 

I walked to the private Team for Kids ferry, which took the team to Staten Island.

The ferry even cruised right past the Statue of Liberty on the way.

Once on Staten Island, our team was guided to buses for a 3-mile ride to Fort Wadsworth public park.  

Team for Kids had a tent area, complete with food, drinks, heat, volunteers, and porta-potties.

We also stretched and mentally prepared ourselves to run 26.2 miles.

Around ten thirty, it was time for my corral to line up. 

We lined up for the start of the race on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The national anthem played, and we were off. 

I got in the “focus zone “and ran.   

Fellow runners have told me I become so hyper-focused that if someone yelled, “Go, Robin,” I probably would not hear them.

I trusted that my body knew what it was supposed to do from all the past training. 

I used the Jeff Galloway run/walk method.  

The weather was also in my favor. 

It ranged from 49-60 degrees. 

I walked through every water station and took walking breaks throughout the miles. The run-walk intervals kept me comfortable without feeling miserable. 

I reached 20 miles, 6 more to go.

The last 6 miles are always the hardest.  

I only had 6.2 miles to go.

I counted my steps…1, 2, 3, 4 and repeated right foot, and left foot several times. Hopefully, no one heard me counting to myself or saying right foot, left foot repeat. 

Also, I waved to all the spectators gathered along the course. 

I high-fived volunteers, thanked the folks at the water stations, talked to fellow runners, and waved to the fans, EMTS, police, and firefighters along the course.

Soon, the finish line appeared.  

I sprinted and crossed the finish line. 

I had a good race.