Took my bite out of the Big Apple on November 1!

I had to wait to get this race in and my patience definitely paid off.  Everything about the experience was off the charts!

The weather in NYC race weekend was near perfect.  The few showers we had were mostly overnight and didn't interfere.  The organization of this event from expo to finish line was remarkable!  The NYRR deserve a LOT of credit for figuring out how to move 43,000 runners around without incident (at least none that this runner witnessed).  My hotel was right on Central Park which provided easy access to those paths for warm-up runs, and a really short walk after crossing the finish line on race day.

Most importantly is the fact that the knee injury that interfered with the final weeks of my training didn't completely derail my race.  While I definitely experienced discomfort during my warm-up runs and during the race, I think the rest I gave the injury in the days leading up to the race proved to be invaluable.  That...and the new taping technique my Physical Therapist demonstrated with Knesio Tech Tape.  That stuff is "da bomb!"  

The bottom line is that NYC was my eighth consecutive sub-4:00:00 marathon with a finishing time of 3:41:29.  This race also completed the U.S. portion of the World Marathon Majors for me.  Only London and Berlin remain.

Of the eight marathons I've run, this was one of the more memorable.  Every marathoner should put this race on his or her "to do" list.