NYC Marathon Video

The official video recap of Marathon weekend:

NYC Marathon 2009 from Zack Mansfield on Vimeo.

Living Tiny

And you thought the apartments in NYC were small…

This guy lives in a 100 square foot HOUSE!

Shout out to KMaschhoff for tweeting this link…

New Hansbrough Commerical...Wow!

Carolina’s favorite son of recent years has certainly been hitting the commercial circuit since going pro.  We’ve all see the AT&T commercial by now when he helps to return a lost dog to a cute little girl.  But the new Hansbrough commercial is a local bit for a car dealership and Psycho T gets a speaking role this time.

I’m sure the Anybody but Carolina crowd is going to have a ball with this one.  What can I say besides WOW!

If that doesn’t make you want to buy an Acura, I don’t know what will…

Pain is temporary, but pride is forever

One year ago I experienced the NYC Marathon for the 1st time as a spectator.  About 5 months ago I found out I would run the 2009 Marathon as a Charity Runner for the American Cancer Society.  Three weeks ago I ran my last, long 20 mile run of training.  And a little more than 24 hours ago I my first steps on the Verrazano Narrows bridge on a journey that would take my 26.2 miles through all 5 boroughs.

Three hours, 40 minutes and 54 seconds later I crossed the finish line in the southwest corner of Central Park.

I was a FINISHER in the greatest Marathon on the face of the Earth.

The journey on race day lived up to every expectation I had conceived over the year long wait for the race and the more than 650 miles of training logged during the last 18 weeks.  I had never been a part of an event quite like the Marathon - most likely, because there just aren’t many event like this that exist.

Here’s what I mean - my race day began with a subway ride down to the Staten Island Ferry, where I joined thousands of other runners on a scenic ride past Lady Liberty to Staten Island where the race begins.  It takes hours, and an incredible amount of coordination to get 40,000 racers to the start line in an orderly fashion, but somehow the NY Road Runners figure out a way to get it done each year.

I was in Wave 2 of starters, so I got see the first group of 15,000 or so runners take off before me.  Rather, I didn’t actually see them, as I was answering nature’s call in one of the thousands of Port-o-Johns staged by the entrance when the Howitzer gun blasted, announcing the race’s start to the cheers of the masses.  As Wave 1 took off, the traditional sound of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” blared from the speakers.

“If I can make it there, I’ll make it, anywhere”

The first two miles of the race are a mile uphill on the Verrazano Bridge followed by a downhill into Brooklyn.  With skyline views of Manhattan to your left, open water on your right, and the prospect of the fulfillment of your dreams 26 miles in your future, there’s no way to describe the confluence of emotions of those first steps.

The next 10+ miles are spent traversing the streets of Brooklyn, and the course takes you through every conceivable type of neighborhood in an hour.  While spectators are few in the first several miles, by the time you hit mile 5, there is an endless stream of supporters willing the competitors along.

As you pass through the crowds you realize that there are people of every age, race and creed.  And among all of them - all 2 million - is a commonality on this special day.  It’s the marathon that has brought them together, whether to hand out bananas and towels, or to simply provide a supportive cheer.  It’s a beautiful representation of how the world should be, and inspiring to know that it is this way, at least for a day.

The mid-way point of the race occurs just as you’re crossing a small bridge from Brooklyn into Queens.  At this point I was feeling great about my pace, which had remained pretty consistent and fast by my standards up to that point.  As I crossed the streets of Long Island City I got a boost by seeing a group of friends who cheered me on, and I made my way to the next big hill - the Queensboro Bridge between Queens and Manhattan.  Though the bridge is fairly steep and about a mile long, I felt great the whole way and found myself passing by more than a few runners.  It was great to step foot on the isle of Manhattan and feel the buzz of energy from the thousands who pack 1st Avenue.

Making my way north on 1st Avenue, I was intently watching the street signs as I knew Tracy and our friends Hannah and Stephen would be waiting around 71st Street.  Sure enough, they were there to provide yet another much needed boost.  Tracy made a shirt to mark the occasion (“Run Daddy Run” it said across her belly) and loaned Hannah a shirt with my crazy face on it.  Though it’s only a momentary glimpse along the long race, seeing familiar faces provides an amazing burst.

Not long after seeing the crew at the ~17 mile mark, I unfortunately found myself running headfirst into the proverbial “Wall” that so many marathoners talk about.  I had felt great through most of the race, but suddenly felt completely zapped of energy and the beginnings of cramps in my legs.  I took one of the Energy Goos provided at a hydration station and found that it provided an almost immediate benefit.  The energy boost allowed me to get through a couple miles feeling somewhat normal, which put me into the Bronx and around the 21 mile mark.

It was at this point that I really came face to face with the fact that my body was beginning to quit on me.  What followed was 5.2 miles of absolute pain.  With every step I was making a conscious effort to simply move forward, even though every fiber of my body was telling me it was a bad idea.  Just once, for a few seconds, I wondered if I would finish.  It was a temporary moment of doubt, and representative of the type of thought which you have to battle in the last stretch of a marathon.  For as much of a physical test the race is, the mental battle is surely almost as tough. I happened to see one sign that caught my eye on the grind up 5th Avenue - it was a fitting summation of why we all were continuing to run:

“Pain is temporary, but pride is forever”

Somehow, someway, I made it into Central Park for the final 3 miles.  Once again I saw Hannah and Stephen at the 24 mile mark, still slogging along at a pace which was much slower than at our first meeting at mile 17.  I didn’t know it at the time, but our friends Jordan, Trevor (and baby Austin) Smith were on the other side of the street and Jordan captured this action shot at the ~24 mile mark.

Finally, I made it through Columbus Circle and into the SW corner of the park for the last .2 miles of the run.  I didn’t know it at the time, but Tracy had scored a free ticket from a friendly fan and had hustled herself - 9 months pregnant! - across the city to the finish line.  She was there in time to see me take my final steps, as Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind blared on the loud speakers

“New York!
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There’s nothing you can’t do,

Now you’re in New York!
These streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you,

Let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York”

It was over.  I was done.  As I crossed the line I thought of all the hours, all the people who were supporting me, all the time spent thinking about what this exact moment would be like.  And then the moment was here, and I could feel myself getting emotional, almost wanting to cry tears of joy.  Only problem was, I was too tired to cry!  Instead, I settled for one of the infamous foil heat blankets and the plodding walk to get my bag.  A few minutes later I met up with Tracy and superfans Hannah and Stephen on Central Park West.  They asked me how it felt, and all I could say was:

I feel great.  I am a finisher!

(Verrazano Bridge photo from Flickr)

More Marathon Info

Here’s the course:

And two videos for your enjoyment:

1. A little history on how the 5 borough course came to be:

2. A video by a runner in the 2008 Marathon showing what the whole experience is like.  The video is long, but worth it!

NYC Marathon 2009

It’s Marathon week here in NYC and it’s safe to say that I’ve been thinking almost non-stop about the big race all week.

But who am I kidding, I’ve been thinking a lot about this race for the last 18 weeks of training.  And the months before that when I was hoping to get a spot via the lottery.  In truth, I’ve probably been thinking about this weekend a few times a week since a year ago, when I watched new friend James Griffin turn into a real-life hero in the matter of 26.2 miles (covered in a speedy 3hrs 27 mins).

But for all the thinking I’ve done over the last year, perhaps none was as sweet as the 30+ minutes I spent on Wednesday night in Central Park.  It was my last training run, and probably my latest, as the torrential rains all day forced me to push the run back to 9pm or so.

For 4 miles, it was just me and the rain slicked Central Park roads, which are now collecting the orangish-golden gifts of autumn leaves fallen for the winter.  It was a fitting ending to the training - just me and the Park where I’d logged so many miles.

And, of course, the final thoughts.

I thought a lot about the process and how the training plan may be the most disciplined I’ve been about doing anything in my whole life.  I remember looking at the printed out plan before week one and wondering if I’d be able to keep up the pace.  I thought about how that printed out plan, with completed workouts highlighted dutifully, is now a colorful testament of progress through hard work.  I kept it on my desk at work and watched the weeks count down to the big week.

But the plan wasn’t the only thing that motivated me to keep going.  There have been scores of friends, co-workers, neighbors and family who have contributed in ways big and small.  I thought a lot about the radical generosity that I was privileged to see, as those close to me pledged more than $3600 to the American Cancer Society on my behalf.  As my feet pounded pavement creating a rhythmic melody I’ve grown to love, I thought about the people in my life who’ve already battled cancer - and those who are yet to face to battle but surely will.  I was more sure than ever that these funds will be incredibly valuable for all of us.

Among the many who have helped along the way, those closest to me have undoubtedly stood out from the rest by doing anything and everything to make this dream a reality.  I thought about the phone calls and texts on the weekends from family as the “checked in” to see how the long runs had gone.  And how they’d driven out to meet me on long runs to hand me water and provide a friendly cheer.  More than anything, my family has told me how proud they are of me.  And what’s best, I know they are.  And it feels amazing.  Enough to make you want to run 26 miles for them!

As I made my way out of the Park and into the home stretch of my final run, I thought about my most loyal fan.  Tracy has literally been there every step of the way during this process.  Most everyone reading this has an idea of how encouraging she can be in everyday life.  Well, take that and multiply it by 10 to account for this special occasion.  Then multiply it again by 18 weeks.  I think that brings you to about a kajillion times more encouragement than any normal person can muster, which I think sounds about right.  I thought a lot about how thankful and proud I am to have her in my corner.  There’s no doubt she will be screaming herself silly (with a few “whoop whoops” thrown in for good measure) on Sunday.

With my final steps on my final run, I thought about my smallest fan who will be there on Sunday.  Baby Mans has been a constant source of inspiration during the process.  I thought about how someday I’ll have to tell him/her about how daddy once trained for the world’s biggest marathon. And he not only trained, but he ran the race.  And you were there - only you didn’t know it and it would be a few more weeks before you officially entered the world.  But you were there, Baby Mans. I thought a lot about how fun it’s going to be to tell that story.

And then I was home.

Shrek on Broadway

Tracy’s parents arrived in NYC yesterday for a brief mid-week visit.  While the weather is not cooperating too well at the moment, we do have some fun items on the agenda.  Last night we took in a Broadway show, as we saw Shrek.

I was a huge fan of the Shrek movie when it came out and the stage production does a good job of taking some of the best parts of the cinema version and including them verbatim (Ogres are like onions, “Not my buttons!”, “I’m not a puppet, I’m a real boy”, etc).  The cavalcade of fairy tale “freaks” (as they’re called in the play version) are excellent, as is the stage design and overall set production.

All in all, the show is a blast.  The first act is good and fun, but the 2nd stanza is excellent.  We had a blast the whole time, including at the end when the whole cast signs off (a la the movie version) singing “I’m a Believer”.

We got a little extra treat after the show, as one of my buddies here in NYC (Noah Rivera) is a performer in the production. He plays the White Rabbit and a couple other ensemble characters and was able to show us the backstage area and costumes.  I can’t imagine what a madhouse it is backstage during the show because it’s TINY back there - and yet the crowd only sees precision on display the whole time.

Sadly, they’re pretty vigilant about no pictures of the theater, so we didn’t get any shots inside.  But we can give the green light to anyone looking for a fun and relatively cost efficient Broadway show.  The only downside - they just announced that the Broadway version will be shutting down in early January.  But there’s plans for a nationwide tour that will start in May and hit many of the bigger US cities - so if you get the chance, maybe you can see the show a little closer to home!  If so, we highly recommend going.

Photo from Flickr

Movie Review of the Year

Tracy and I contemplated going to a movie on Saturday (before the monsoon).  We checked out a few reviews online since going to a movie in NYC is quite an investment.  We ended up checking a few critics but you never know who to trust.  Sadly, I didn’t find this video until today.  I think from now on I’m going to get my reviews from Jonah. :)

Jonah Reviews Movies, Episode Four: Kung Fu Panda from Compton on Vimeo.

Rain and Shine

It’s hard for me to remember a weekend which featured such a juxtaposition in weather and overall “feel” from one day to the next as what we experienced over the last couple days.

We went into Saturday knowing the weather forecast was ominous.  So we made a point to get up and get our one true “to do” out of the way early.  My 8 mile run in the park was the last true long-ish run of training and though there were periods of rain and many puddles, it was a pretty enjoyable experience.  That is, until I got home and turned on the shower.  I was greeted by NY’s finest, ice cold city water.  Perfect.

When it became clear that the lack of hot water was building-wide, it was time to shift into Boy Scout mode.  I put a stock pot of water on the stove and ended up rinsing off “Little House on the Prairie” style, a cup full at a time.  TMI? Perhaps.  But I think you get the drift of how miserable the shower experience was.

As I was dumping the last cup of water down the drain my phone rang and it was good buddy Michael Fulton telling me the key to our house in Durham wasn’t working.  Fulton (and his lovely wife Grace) were going out of their way to help us show the house to a potential renter.  After 15-20 minutes of frazzled telephone tage with our current renter, we finally got them in, albeit with our nerves shot and the need to rent the house weighing ever heavily on our minds.

With no real plans and cloudy with a chance of downpour outside our window, we proceeded along with what ended up being the relative highlight of the day - cleaning the closet by transferring in cold clothes and moving the warm weather garb to the foyer coat closet.

Yes, my friends, that 3 hours of monotony was actually the highlight.  Unless you count the 15 minutes Tracy spent on the phone with our neighbor at 7pm, commiserating in the lack of hot water (still!).  At least said neighbor had experienced a bright spot that day - she and her husband sat RIGHT NEXT to Sir Paul McCartney at brunch at the Lexington Candy Shop (83rd and Lex) and the former Beatle was an absolute gentleman the whole time.

It was just when she was telling us the story that the bottom fell out on the sky and the monsoon began.  When it rains, it pours.

The dregs of Saturday were but a distant memory on Sunday when we woke up to bright, shiny light in the bedroom window.  Perhaps it’s because of the fact that Saturday was craptastic, but we seemed to appreciate everything a little more on Sunday. The quiet routine of Sunday morning-ers as I grabbed a cup of coffee in the neighborhood. Intimate, reverential and profound church service on the West Side. A delicious brunch at a new spot (Fred’s) with some new friends after the service.  The autumn pallette of leaves on display in full majesty in Central Park during a late afternoon run.  An inspriring and encouraging time with our new small group of married couples from Redeemer.

And to top it off - we had a celebrity sighting of our own.  Walking back from brunch, Tracy turned to me and said, “Hey, that was Kevin Bacon”.  We turned around and sure enough we were 6 feet (not degrees!) from Kevin Bacon.  You’ll have to trust us I guess, since the only shot I got of him and his wife Kyra Sedgwick was this slightly creepy paparazzi shot from behind.

It was no breakfast with Paul McCartney, but it was a (double) celebrity sighting nonetheless.  So we got that going for us, which is nice.  All in all, not a bad weekend.