Well, where do I start? I think the fact that this is the 3rd attempt at writing this entry is testament to how surreal and difficult the whole experience was.
Lets start with the title of the blog (as I do enjoying coming up with the titles) as it was going to be called 'Return of a Fat Lad' and be this triumphant account of this amazing thing that I'd done. SPOILER ALERT! I didn't get to do all of that due to the race being cancelled late on the Friday evening. So 'Redemption of a Fat Lad' is what it's become, but more on that later...
So, on Friday morning the tour operator I had booked with organised a 'light' run which would also include a bit of sightseeing. I was originally worried what their definition of 'light' was but I decided to go as it was part of the experience. The run itself was fine and the people I was with (about 20 or so) were all very nice. Most of them were surprised when they learnt that not only was this my first marathon but I'd never actually done an organised run before.
It was when we got to Central Park only to see that we still were not allowed in due to the devastation that it first hit home just how serious the Hurricane had been. We ran up the left hand side of Central Park so we could see the finish line. The gantry, crowd barriers, temporary stands were all up and the television companies were setting up, so at that stage it was definitely still going ahead and there was no thoughts that it might be cancelled. I have to say, running round NYC was cool and really got me excited about the marathon itself.
That afternoon I went to the expo and got my running number. I really enjoyed being there, looking at all the merchandise and collecting my bag and running number! Walking back from the expo to my hotel I was so up for it, I couldn't believe after the week I'd had I was finally going to do it. It wasn't until I was back at my hotel and having already packed my bag for Sunday, and pinned my running number on my top, that I started to hear the rumours that it might be cancelled. After about 30mins of frantically checking Twitter and news feeds that it was officially confirmed.
My first reaction was that I couldn't believe that after everything that had happened this was how it was going to end. 18 months in the making and this is how it ends. The decision to cancel it was absolutely the right one and every other runner that I spoke to agreed. It was just the timing of it and how it was made that people had an issue with. Looking back, the remaining days I spent in New York it hadn't really sunk in and it was only when I came to packing the running top in the suitcase, having not worn it, that I hit me. It was tough, really tough.
Although I was looking forward to seeing everyone, coming home having not done it was hard. It wasn't until I'd spoken to Katie about it all that we discussed the possibility of doing it next year that i began to felt better. Immediately it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders and it already felt like the right decision. It also means all the people that sponsored me can just roll that over to next year, which means a lot to me as I am so grateful for their support.
So, it all starts again. Only this time I can do all the things I'd wished (and probably should) had done the first time. Redemption....
Cheers,
Rich
Lets start with the title of the blog (as I do enjoying coming up with the titles) as it was going to be called 'Return of a Fat Lad' and be this triumphant account of this amazing thing that I'd done. SPOILER ALERT! I didn't get to do all of that due to the race being cancelled late on the Friday evening. So 'Redemption of a Fat Lad' is what it's become, but more on that later...
So, on Friday morning the tour operator I had booked with organised a 'light' run which would also include a bit of sightseeing. I was originally worried what their definition of 'light' was but I decided to go as it was part of the experience. The run itself was fine and the people I was with (about 20 or so) were all very nice. Most of them were surprised when they learnt that not only was this my first marathon but I'd never actually done an organised run before.
It was when we got to Central Park only to see that we still were not allowed in due to the devastation that it first hit home just how serious the Hurricane had been. We ran up the left hand side of Central Park so we could see the finish line. The gantry, crowd barriers, temporary stands were all up and the television companies were setting up, so at that stage it was definitely still going ahead and there was no thoughts that it might be cancelled. I have to say, running round NYC was cool and really got me excited about the marathon itself.
That afternoon I went to the expo and got my running number. I really enjoyed being there, looking at all the merchandise and collecting my bag and running number! Walking back from the expo to my hotel I was so up for it, I couldn't believe after the week I'd had I was finally going to do it. It wasn't until I was back at my hotel and having already packed my bag for Sunday, and pinned my running number on my top, that I started to hear the rumours that it might be cancelled. After about 30mins of frantically checking Twitter and news feeds that it was officially confirmed.
My first reaction was that I couldn't believe that after everything that had happened this was how it was going to end. 18 months in the making and this is how it ends. The decision to cancel it was absolutely the right one and every other runner that I spoke to agreed. It was just the timing of it and how it was made that people had an issue with. Looking back, the remaining days I spent in New York it hadn't really sunk in and it was only when I came to packing the running top in the suitcase, having not worn it, that I hit me. It was tough, really tough.
Although I was looking forward to seeing everyone, coming home having not done it was hard. It wasn't until I'd spoken to Katie about it all that we discussed the possibility of doing it next year that i began to felt better. Immediately it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders and it already felt like the right decision. It also means all the people that sponsored me can just roll that over to next year, which means a lot to me as I am so grateful for their support.
So, it all starts again. Only this time I can do all the things I'd wished (and probably should) had done the first time. Redemption....
Cheers,
Rich
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