Thanks to daylight savings time, I managed to pull myself out of my post-Halloween stupor and get myself over to Engineer's Gate in time to see Paula Radcliffe and the other top runners in the ING New York City Marathon. I just missed the front runners by a matter of minutes last year, so I was thrilled to finally catch a glimpse of the runners I grew up reading so much about.The atmosphere in the park was infinitely more mellow than the one on First Avenue, so after scrambling to snap a few photos of the speed demons in the front, I moseyed on over to First to watch the masses run by. I just love the noise, the excitement, the balloons and homemade signs, the live bands at packed out bars, and of course, the free goodies (I scored running earmuffs, pom-poms, almonds, organic apples, and juice while walking around).
The whole event is just so uplifting and inspiring. I definitely need to get back into racing. There is such camaraderie among runners. You share your joy, your pain, and your love for your sport. I especially love seeing groups of people cheering for a friend or family member and the smile it puts on the runner's face. There was one little girl who cheered for her dad and the dad came running over to the sidelines and stopped mid-race to give her a kiss. Too cute.
Time to go for a run!
