finishing is your only option

"Finishing is your only fu*king option" This was my favorite sign at the marathon. Truer word were never said. and I am pleased to say that I did finish. It wasn't my fastest time ever. Heck - Katie Holmes beat me. But hey - I have the same finisher medal as her - and she has the same one as Lance Armstrong - and he has the same as the Kenyan who crossed the finish line 1st. So we are all equal. And I am excited as hell to have finished - my 3rd marathon.

The great thing about the New York marathon is the people. Hands down - the people. No other city has the crowd support like NY. "Hey - San Francisco - Bay to Breakers isn't the only race in that town!" My favorite Borough was Brooklyn. Heck - half the race is pretty much in Brooklyn. I loved the people cheering us on. The city is such a diverse town. But the great thing was - it didn't matter what your skin color was - religion (including Scientology) - or back ground - people cheered everybody on - in their own special way. One of my favorite sights was a gospel choir on the steps of their church preaching and praying away. It was marathon day!

As we approached the 4th street bridge I waved to the final remains of the crowd and yelled "Thank you Brooklyn!" As Jodi and I made our over the bridge - we approached one lone woman standing on the exit ramp. She calmly said "Ladies and Gentlemen - welcome to Queens". Then came the crowds. People came out of their homes to cheer. Partied at bars to cheer - and stood for hours to cheer. And who was running this race? Katie Holmes? Lance Armstrong? How about Jodi B and Big Jay? In 2000 I tried and failed my first marathon. On the eve of this race - I got a gift. A shirt that said 'Go Big Jay'. It became my marathon alter ego - and people love to cheer it. I'll be running next to a Steve - A Chuck - or a Jodi (ahem) and - oh sure- they will get cheers - - but people love to yell 'GO BIG JAY'. Granted - I spent way too much energy high fiving my fan base - but it was worth it.
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So it turns out we made several stops on the route. We made 2 bathroom stops - and quick first aid stop - Mile 11, 17 and 23ish we stopped to say hi to Lisa, Cronk, Anne and Shelly - friends from San Francisco. At Mile 15 we saw more peeps from San Fran - Peg and Craig - and made a quick stop for a quick hello. At this point I knew I was not going to break my PR - I was there just to soak up New York. When ever I am in New York - I feel as if I re-charge my battery - like Superman absorbing yellow sun rays.

Sadly Kryptonite hit me at mile 17. We stopped to say hi to our SF friends - and suddenly I felt dizzy and my left leg buckled. I grabbed some pretzels and a sip of water - and moved on. I hi-fived more big jay well wishers - hoping for a recharge. But energy was fading fast. We trotted on into the Bronx. A DJ welcomed us - "Big Jay - you in da Bronx now - welcome to the hood!" Mile 20 - my legs stopped. "No thanks", they said. Miles 20-26.2 was a speed walk - jog - slow walk type thing. Jodi got me through the rest. Pushing me just one more step. Mile 23 saw my friends the Braine family. Bill followed as we pushed on - and reminded me of the 1st time I ran NY. He met me at the exact same spot in 2004. Mile 25 saw my parents and my sister. My mom reminded me that they were standing there all day - and asked that I hurry up. Hello!?!? What have I been doing all day. My whole day was based on 'hurry up'.
Finally - - I saw the 26 mile sign - and some how I managed to muster the strength to fall .2 mile to victory. We collected our medals - our heat blankets - and made the mile long hike to get our sweats and exit central park (seriously - another whole mile). As we were walking back to our hotel - I texted a friend and said 'if I say I am running a marathon again to sop me'. But as my achy quads heal - I wonder - maybe one day again I will make the hike of 26.2 miles. And perhaps Big Jay will run through the streets of New York City another year. Perhaps - perhaps -perhaps.

People to thank:

1. all the people who supported my team fox efforts - especially the people directly effected by Parkinson's. I ran this for them.
2. All my friends and family who came out from SF, FL and NY to cheer us on. Knowing you were just a mile away kept me going.
3. The City of New York who just reminded me that I still do still love you.
4. And most importantly Jodi - who trained with me all summer. There are many hills to run on in San Francisco - but the steepest hill always lead home (she lives on top of a really steep hill - no really).