When my husband and I decided to do a couples weekend trip to NYC, I decided to make it into a runcation. Of course I did! So, this is both a race report and a vacation report. 😂FridayWe flew into Newark on a Friday night, checked into our hotel in Newport, had poboys and crab fries from a place called Just Beclaws (there was a 1.5hr wait at the restaurant so we did takeout). The crab meat fries were the best. Our weekend was off to a great start!Saturday – Race prep + Touristy stuffThe next morning, we took the PATH train into Manhattan, walked to Times Square to take some running photos (PRIORITIES!) and then we walked to the race kit pickup.Kit pick-up was held at the NYRR Run Centre which is a store that sells running stuff and looks like they host a lot of group runs. There were lots of runners who had just come back from a run and we chatted with one of them. After race kit pick-up, we went to line up for rush tickets for the Book of Mormon. We met Katie and Dora in the line and had a great chat with them. More on Katie later.After we scored some standing tickets for the matinée show, we had ~1.5 hours to eat lunch. We walked to a fresh pasta place called Pasta on Hudson so I could load up on carbs. I love fresh pasta! I’ve never had pasta from a Chinese takeout container but it was delicious! 🥡 😂To our surprise, Katie and her bf Elon came to join us! After we finished, we walked back to the theatre together for the matinée show. It was like we were old friends just going to see a musical together. 😊We stood for another 2.5 hours during the show…probably not the best idea for the day before a race but oh well! I had no idea what the show was about. Turns out it was super offensive but my husband really wanted to see it because it’s by the same writer as South Park. At least we didn’t pay full price!After the show, we parted ways with Katie and Elon. We rented Citibikes and rode toward the Hudson River. I’ve always wanted to try those bikes. The bad thing about the bike is that you have to dock them every 30 minutes and 30 minutes passes by really fast, especially when you aren’t familiar with the city.Next we walked to the Hi-line and then to Chelsea Market for dinner. Hi-line was super crowded but we managed to take some photos of the cherry blossoms.Chelsea market had lots of different food options but I wanted to have a lighter meal before the race so I just had salad. I was so sad… It wasn’t even a good salad. Meanwhile, Jeremy went all out and had a burger, sweet potato fries, and a milkshake. 😭😭😭I was pretty tired after all the walking and standing that we did. I soaked my feet in the bathtub when I got back to the hotel, posted my flatrunner, and then tried to get some sleep.

Lesson #1: Don’t do too much walking, standing, and sightseeing the day before a race.

Sunday – Race DayWe woke up just before 6am. I had my usual pre-race PB&J but I also made myself a coffee. I don’t think I’ve ever drank coffee before a race and (TMI ALERT) I wasn’t able to go 💩 before we left the hotel… More on this later…

Lesson #2: Don’t try anything new on race day.

We left the hotel at 6:45am and walked to the Path train just like the day before and expected it to take us to Manhattan within 30 minutes. Since the race started at 8am, I thought I allocated a lot of time to get there but after waiting for over 20 minutes and the train was still not coming, we decided to go with plan B and took an uber instead. 🤬🤬🤬 Even with the uber, we only got there 10 minutes early so I’m sure we would have been late had we not switched to plan B.

Lesson #3: Allocate lots of time to get to the race and have a plan B.

There were so many corrals! I was technically in H but the 1:55 pacers were in E so I just snuck in. A Broadway star and avid runner (didn’t catch her name) sang the American national anthem beautifully and before I knew it, we were off!Because the route is 2 loops around Central Park, Jeremy was able to see me 3 times. It was great to see him on the course.The first 2 miles, it was really crowded and I was just trying to keep up with the pacers. After that, the crowds thinned out and I passed them. By 5k, I actually caught up to the 1:50 pacers so I just stayed with them for the next little while.There was tons of water and Gatorade on the course. Because Gatorade doesn’t agree with me, I had my own Nuun. I also took an Endurance Tap every 45 minutes.TMI: At about 10k, I started to feel like I needed to go 💩 but I also didn’t want to go to the port-a-potty. The next 11.1km was the longest 11.1km I’ve ever ran. Let’s just say, there are port-a-potties on the course for a reason.

Lesson #4: You (likely) aren’t going to the Olympics. Use the port-a-potty if you need to!

At the last 5k, the 1:55 pacers passed me but I was still determined to catch up to them. I was secretly hoping that they were going too fast.Despite my GI problems, I ran 1:55:29!! Finally, a sub-2 PB and I was so happy that I ran so close to 1:55!The post-race snacks was an apple, bagel, and a bag of pretzels. After going to the port-a-potty (finally), I inhaled the apple and we looked for a place with proper washrooms so I could change into dry clothes. We bumped into the 1:50 pacer and she told us to go to the food court inside the Plaza Hotel. What a great tip! Not only were the washrooms beautiful and clean, the food court also had a beautiful selection of pastries! I was in post-race croissant heaven.Next we took the subway to Yankee Stadium and caught a Yankees game. I’m not a baseball fan so thank goodness for free WiFi. 😂After the 7th inning, we subwayed back downtown to have some steamed rice rolls from Joe’s Steamed Rice Rolls, recommended by Katie. They were the best rice rolls I have ever had! And right on cue, Katie and Elon showed up again! 😄They took us on a food tour for the rest of the night. Elon is a great tour guide. He knows NYC like the back of his hand and Katie is a huge foodie. We walked to a place called Prince Street Pizza and lined up for some pizza. So worth the wait!Next we walked to this cheesecake place but sadly it was closed.We ended up going to Ferrara’s for Italian desserts. The tiramisu was great and it was my first time eating Italian cheesecake. It was pretty good too!Then, as if we needed MORE food, we walked to a place called Pommes Frites. Guess what they serve? 🍟 By then, it was getting late and a bit drizzly so we called it a night. It was so great to have met Katie and Elon. Total serendipity! We will have to return the favour when they come to Toronto!Monday – Korean Spa DayWe checked out of the hotel and ubered to a Korean spa that was recommended by Grace, our Korean friend.I was super looking forward to going to this spa but because it was also Boston Marathon race day, I was super distracted for the first few hours. I went back and forth between the (no clothing allowed) pool area and the change room to check the live tracker app. I had a 1.5 hour body scrub and massage scheduled at 11:40 so I checked my phone right before my the appointment and managed to upload a video of Jim to the RunNinjas FB page, courtesy of Don.

When I was done the massage, Jim was almost finishing. Perfect timing! He finished in 3:12 despite his injury. He is a machine! So proud of him!After Jim crossed the line, I continued to track my friends Lily, Ryan, and Carolyn. I’m so proud of each of them for making it to Boston and for running an awesome race! I hope to get there in a few years!We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the spa, eating Korean food, going in and out of all the sauna rooms and pools. I had a wonderful time there. It was the perfect way to end our trip.Good bye NYC. I think the next time I go, I will be there to run the NYC marathon!