All of the planning has lead to the big day….the day I came to the NYC specifically to live out….the day of the 2017 TCS NYC Marathon!!!! My day will begin early. I have a 6:30am bus reservation at the New York Public Library. I’ve already talked over my reasons for taking the bus. As I’ve gone through my planning, I’m really glad I chose this option. I only have one mode of transportation. I may arrive earlier than if I had been driving to the start. However, there will be less that could go wrong.

I’m in a Green Corral. However, this is how they organize everyone before the start. One thing I think is pretty cool about the runner’s village is that they have therapy dogs! Therapy dogs! I think every race could use some therapy dogs. Don’t you? You just know I’ll head over to see the doggies.

Also, there we be lots and lots of bagels for my second breakfast of the day.

Yep, I’ll be eating like a hobbit on race day. I’ll have my first breakfast on the bus ride to the start area. However, with an 11am start time, I’ll need to eat another breakfast while waiting to start.

There will be a lot of this for me in the morning. The current plan is to have something to sit on with me as well as throw away clothing. After all, it will be cold for this Southern Californian. I’m in wave 4 to start. So, I’ll be waiting for a while. I’m still working on what I’ll do while waiting. However, I’ve ordered a back up cell phone battery charger to have my phone fully juiced for the start and hopefully give me what I need after finishing.

At around 11am EDT, I’ll be starting off over the Verazano Bridge. I won’t be on the top deck. Since there are very few pics of the start on the lower deck, you know I’ll grab a few during that first mile.

So, here’s the course elevation chart for the first 15 miles. I’m still working on my race strategy. However, this gives you an idea of what I’ll face on race day.

Here’s the how the last miles will be. As you can see, the last 3 miles could be quite a challenge.

I’m not going to lie. I could get to the finish line after the sun sets. After all, we change our clocks the night before the race and it will get dark earlier. With an 11am start time, this is a very real possibility. No matter when I finish, I will be happy to get to that finish line.

Once I finish, I’ve probably got around another half mile to go before I get to leave the finisher’s area. On my way to 77th Street….

I’ll get one of these ponchos because I am not checking any gear.

 

A few blocks up 77th Street, I noticed there is a Shake Shack. So, I’ve got a couple plans for post-marathon. First, if I’m totally crazing non-runner food (and the lines aren’t too crazy), I can hit up the Shake Shack for a burger. If the lines are too crazy, I have noted a few other places I could stop to just get “something non-runner related.” Then, I’ll head to the subway to head back to my hotel to get cleaned up and maybe a brief nap.

One of these guys will be my true post-marathon celebration. These beauties are served at Black Tap. I will make sure to post which one I ended up with on social media. But, this is my jam. Now, if I’m not too starved for non-runner food, I could eat dinner here. From what I’ve read (and seen pics of), they have some pretty spectacular burgers. No matter where I choose to eat, I really want one of these shakes. So, if one of these shakes ends up being my dinner, I’ll be okay with that. I may have a pic of one (or more) of these shakes in my phone as motivation to get to the finish line.

 

At the end of the day, the big goal is to have one of these bad boys around my neck.  As long as I have one of these guys, I’ll be good. This is what race day is all about. Finishing 26.2 miles through the 5 Burroughs and earning one of these medals.