What all runners need before a marathon

This is part two of my New York marathon wrap up. Since I had close to four hours at the starting village, this post is about the time before the canon went off.

Pre-Race Jitters in the Best Starting Village of All time 

For years I have heard two things from people who had run the New York Marathon: You have to do it and the wait before the start is the ABSOLUTE worst. 

So mentally I was prepared for the WORST, which for me is not enough porta potties. Not enough porta potties means lines, and lines mean I could miss my start because I had to do my business. All runners know the pre race poo is of the utmost importance. What I got instead of the ABSOLUTE worst was the BEST starting village I have ever waited in (sorry Boston, you are now second). There was free coffee, SWAG, bananas, bagels, water, Gatorade, gels, hot cocoa, hot tea, and almost NO LINES FOR THE PORTA POTTIES! 

The part about the start that is the worst is the fact that we had to be up at 4:30 AM to get to our shuttle at 5:30 AM. We were at the starting village by 6 AM and my start time was not until 9:50 AM. Thankfully as I fore mentioned, the starting village was incredible. Wanna know how to make runners who are just ready to run happy? Give them coffee, food, plenty of places to poo, and SWAG. Dunkin Doughnuts not only provided plenty of hot coffee, they also gave us free hats. They were only supposed to give one per runner, so I of course took 3. 

I thankfully had my mother-in-law, Patti, with me to help distract me from my pre-race jitters. We got to hang out for an hour and drink coffee before I had to go to my starting village to check my bag. I was grateful for that time before the race. We met other members of Team Fox and I was further reminded of why I was running. 

Before I turned my bag in to be checked, I got one last e-mail about a $250 donation. That donation put me one huge step closer to my fundraising goal. A goal I honestly was not sure I was going to meet. After seeing that, I knew what I had to do. I couldn't let the people who donated down. They believed in not just my cause, but they also believed I could hit my time goal. I was a bundle of nerves, but I was ready to get after it. 

I had about another hour and a half after I checked my bag before I had to race. I chose a place to sit in the sun and took the time to take it all in. I prayed. I prayed for peace, for every runner to be able to give their best our there, and to nana. I asked my guardian angel to be with me on the course when I needed it and she was like always. 





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