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SkinnyVinny
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 Posted - 09/10/2009 : 10:43:48
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Skinny Vinny’s NYC Marathon Journey
I ran my first marathon today, 26.2 miles, through all 5 boroughs of New York City. I started in Staten Island and finished at Tavern on the Green in Manhattan's Central Park.
My favorite part of the day is right now- that moment at dawn, just as the sun rises from the east. As I plan on what my objectives are for the upcoming day, I am proud, I am amazed, I'm at peace, I am complete when I am running.
The temperature was chilly at the start. What a beautiful day to be alive! Nerves were my constant companion throughout the early morning hours. Did I get a good night's sleep the day before the biggest race of my life? Of course NOT!
The smells, the sounds, and the sights: there were multicolored shirts, shoes of every design, and people of every age, ability and build. As the anticipation built and I took my place at the starting line, along with 40,000 of my fellow runners, I just let myself get lost in the thrill of the moment.
Before I knew it, my feet were running under me. What could I do but follow the person in front of me! Up the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, back to the place where I was born and raised. The comforting smell of the bakery in the neighborhood I used to live in as I passed the first mile marker. Only 25.2 miles to go! I said to myself, "I got this covered!"
The camaraderie of everyone around me was amazing, fellow runners and spectators cheering their hearts out for every runner who passes them. We were all just strangers, but now we were bonded together through a SIMPLE 26.2 mile race. Perhaps NOT so simple! What journeys had others gone through to get to this moment? Did they fight past injuries as I had? Conquer self-doubt and fear? I had lost 150 pounds to get to this moment. Does anyone here even know my story? How hard I worked to get here! I then realized all that mattered was that right now I needed to RUN! All I said to myself was Vinny JUST BREATHE.
Everything melted away as my feet ran in rhythm on the asphalt beneath me. The race went by so quickly, the next thing I realized I was entering Central Park! As I rounded the corner for the very last leg of the race, I began to realize that I WAS going to finish, perhaps even meeting or exceeding my personal goals. All of the anxiety, the hours of training, the sacrifice of free time became worth it.
As the finish line neared, it motivated me to kick it into "high gear". Did I have enough left in me? All I kept saying to myself was "let the finish line pull you in!" As I crossed that finish line, crying with tears of joy, I realized that this was more than just a race. It was the beginning of my new life!
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My first NYC Marathon
