Not the Boston Marathon 2020
A Race recap by crystal cun
I hit the ground hard, left leg skidding across the pavement, breath knocked out of me. "Are you ok?" Will Ngo and Jana Trenk hovered over me with worried faces. Instinctively, I reached to pause my watch, and said, "Yes, I'm fine...!" Only a mile into my attempt to run virtual Boston, and things were not going well. Did I mention Jana had also tripped and fallen just minutes before?
Running with Jana over the Manhattan Bridge
Photo Credit: Will Ngo
As many of you know, the road to the Boston Marathon is paved with blood, sweat, and tears, and this morning was proving to be no exception. At this point, I've run Boston qualifying times for several years, but have yet to actually toe the line in Hopkinton. When the pandemic hit, I was hopeful that the rescheduled date of Sept 14 would be far out enough that we'd be able to run it. Within another few months, it was clear that the Boston Marathon wasn't gonna happen, at least not in the fashion I'd planned. "But what about this jacket," I bemoaned, "how do I justify wearing this now?"
My sartorial planning fail aside, I was feeling the urge to run 26.2 miles. The pandemic has made the passage of time hazy and we've lost the normal rituals that mark marathon season. Despite spearheading publicity for the virtual AGSS 5k, the truth was that racing a virtual 5k didn't appeal to me, and I was itching for a different kind of suffering. I quietly circled a date on the calendar—Sept 12—and knocked out a few steady long runs on successive weeks. After finishing my first 20 miler in months, I decided I was going to do this. As in, I was going to fun run* this, it wasn't a race, and there was no pressure. Right?
*Non-Runner Friend: What does that mean, what is a fun run?
Marek: It's a lie that runners tell themselves.
The week of Sept 12, I started mulling over time goals for this fun run. I was fairly confident I could finish under 3:45 comfortably. But then I realized that my BQ time is now 3:35 (hurrah aging!), and if that's the case, what's another 8 minutes? I could even go out at 8:30 pace, and decide at the halfway point to drop to 7:55, and make up that time.
At Bowery and Canal, our Bat signal had worked—Marek was waiting with a pack of tissues. He was also armed with water and signs.
Photo credit: Will Ngo
My route incorporated large sections of the NYC Marathon route (in reverse), which meant there were lots of bridges and traffic lights. "Are you going to pause your watch?" asked Noah. "I don't know, what's reasonable for a DIY marathon on an open course?" "There are as many rules as you want in a DIY marathon," he replied. In keeping with the spirit of the thing, I figured I'd try to pause my watch as little as possible, perhaps run in circles at intersections?
We awoke on Sat to the first chilly day this fall, mid 60s with a brisk breeze. Will and Jana met me outside my apartment for the easiest start ever, and we got going. A mere two blocks away though, we watched in horror as Jana's toe caught on a tree bed cinder block. I immediately paused my watch—we were 0.3 miles in. She recovered and we continued along Flatbush. As we were laughing about the irony of falling so early on, I felt myself stumble and hit the ground. What was going on?
Despite the falls, Jana and I quickly decided that we were fine with continuing on the run. The adrenaline rush from the falls may have even been a boost! However, my left leg was now dripping with blood. I needed something to wipe it off, and at 7 am, nothing was open near us. Will dug through his pockets and found an extra buff. After determining that this was indeed an heirloom buff from his grandmother, I proceeded to wipe my bloody knee with it. We carried on over the Manhattan Bridge, giving each other uneasy looks. "Will, you'd better watch your feet," said Jana. "You don't want to be the 3rd one to fall!"
If I had any concerns about missing out on race day signs, they were quickly dispelled by Marek's sign game. Some examples:
Crystal makes everything (Type 2) fun!
Want to hop on the bike? No one will ever know!
Carbs this way -> There is Negroni
Wait, did you even swim & bike before this run?
You are better than BREAD!
We pressed on to the East River greenway, and up 1st Ave to the club's favorite Starbucks at mile 8. Will dropped off here for a breather, and would join me again for the last 8 miles of the route. Jana and I pressed on to Central Park and through Harlem. I was a little ahead of pace, but still feeling good, so I tried not to worry about banking time. At mile 13, Jana called it a morning, and I headed into the Bronx on my own. At mile 14, Marek met me with water AND a Negroni, complete with an orange slice garnish. Drinking a cocktail during a marathon, check.
Back at the Starbucks, I rejoined Will after his coffee break. I was 18 miles in, and now the real work was beginning. Queensboro Bridge loomed ahead, packed with cyclists, and longer than ever. Coming off the end of the Queensboro, we didn't make the u-turn we needed, and ended up running a few extra blocks as we looked for the Pulaski Bridge. As I made a sharp turn onto the bridge at mile 21, I felt a twinge in my right calf, the kind when you're about to start cramping. Ah yes, this is the kind of fun I signed up for.
Down along the Williamsburg waterfront, Will was valiantly telling me I looked strong, and I was desperately doing some mental math. "Will, I am pretty sure we will end up short of my apartment, but I am not running a step past 26.2 miles," I said. As my brain was fogging, I overheard him on the phone. "Yeah, we'll be between the Navy Yard and Atlantic." As we powered up the hill onto Vanderbilt, we were greeted by Jennie, Karl and Tifenn! I know I wasn't the most talkative at that point, but thank you all for running the worst quarter mile of this run with me.
As soon as my watch hit 26.21 miles, it was over. Final "time": 3:33:58, with a slight negative split, and an automatic PR (pandemic record) for me [Editor’s Note: Crystal ran an elapsed time of 4:17:49, but we’re with Noah, “There are as many rules as you want in a DIY marathon” and one of those rules is that your finish time is your moving time or your elapsed time, whatever you decide].
Some takeaways for those of you doing virtual marathons in coming weeks: Enlist friends to help run with you or cheer you on. Pick a familiar route, ideally one that you can navigate by heart. Respect the distance, even if you've done this before and it's just a fun run. And finally, there can be as many rules as you want in a DIY marathon.
P.S. If you see me next week, the florid bruise on my chin is from tripping on this run, I mean, a pub brawl.
Text by: Crystal Cun
Produced by: Linda Chan & Alison Kotch