Motivation When Running a Marathon

Welcome to Day 2 of answering your marathon questions. I really love this format, so please keep the questions coming.

Jenny of Lovely at Your Side (an awesome blog she runs with her sister Olivia) asked:

How do you keep yourself motivated on such a long run? Do you create awesome play lists? 

This is a major question, so I will begin with the easier part - I don't create awesome play lists because I don't listen to music when I run. I find it distracting, and I refuse to do it during races. I tried once and it ended badly. I will listen to music if I am running on a treadmill (almost never), or if I am having serious trouble motivating myself to get outside and run at all. I do listen to music for the mile between my apartment and the park on the mornings I meet T, but that's more to keep myself from getting scared of bumps in the night. I put on a loud, high energy song (frequently Duck Sauce's Barbra Streisand) and just haul ass over there.

You also don't need music for the marathon because of all of the live entertainment. Bands and performers of all genres were out on the sidewalks playing their music, and when there wasn't live music, someone kindly blasted music from speakers. There was a band playing near Kent Street in Brooklyn that was good enough that I wanted to turn around and go back to listen. I love Caribbean music (I know, you learn something new about me everyday on this thing) and there were a variety of bands that reminded me of my travels. Not every performer was any good (I'm talking to you disgruntled pianist with a voice of an ice pick on a chalkboard), but I appreciated the effort nonetheless.

Staying motivated on such a long run can be hard, but the ING NYC Marathon is an incredibly motivating experience. First of all, you're running THE NEW YORK MARATHON, and there are a bajillion people cheering you on. You never run the same portion twice and it feels like a journey through New York City. As a NYC resident who lives on the Upper Eastside, and has taught in both Brooklyn and the Bronx, I felt a connection to the route. My grandmother lives in Queens and my dad works there so I knew where I was when running miles 13-15. The best food is in Astoria and I got psyched to run in a neighborhood I frequent often with my dad. I have no connection to Staten Island except for that one time I brought my students there for a lame-ass rendition of Stuart Little, but we only ran the Verrazano Bridge anyway.

Before the start of the race, standing on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

We listened to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York while waiting for the race to begin and throughout the first mile. It was a special moment.

My all-star reader Samantha asked some questions that I found relevant to this post.

Samantha asked:

2. did you ever feel like you were going to stop? at which mile mark were you feeling the closest to stopping?


I ran the race very slowly by my standards because I simply wanted to enjoy the experience. I am crazy competitive and once I get a time goal in my head, I don't focus on anything else. When I felt like stopping, I got in line for a porta-potty, which is a convenient way to stop for a reason other than tiredness. So, I went to the bathroom six times...

I felt closest to stopping around mile 19 on the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx.

Who doesn't love a good bagpiper?

5. did you really read and respond to my fb post comment while running through the bronx? do you always type on your iphone while running? does that slow you down?


I really did read and respond to your Facebook post comment while running over the Willis Avenue Bridge. I was tired, grumpy, and in desperate need of a cigarette. The crowd had really dwindled (but the crowd in the Bronx is awesome!), and I needed some support. I pulled out my phone to take a picture of the bagpipers when I saw that I had a lot of messages. I was so happy to read that my friends were thinking of me, but I only responded to yours. Feel special. I don't usually type on my iPhone while racing, but I have been known to tweet and respond to text messages on training runs. I do pull out the iPhone to capture good blog photos on longer races, but during a 5K I am too busy kicking ass to record anything.

I loved these t-shirts and had to snap a photo.

4. did you see any of the people who came to cheer for you and did you feel annoyed or motivated when you heard them cheering?


I saw my parents at 65th and 1st, and on Central Park West. I was annoyed with my parents for not understanding the vibrate functions on their phones and not answering when I was trying to call them. They had moved locations from where I had expected them to be and I got confused when I couldn't find them. My mom had my Ritalin. I needed to see her. 


The 34 year-old was MIA when I tried to call him from the 60s to let him know I would be passing our hood shortly. Although I was hoping to get a drag of his cigarette, I wasn't too upset. I also missed my co-workers who were watching in Queens and my friends watching in the 70s and 80s. It's really hard to spot people in such a dense crowd.


I saw a sorority sister of mine who was an alumna when we joined IVY when I was running down Fifth Avenue towards the park. She called out my name and I felt excited to see her. There were times when I was jealous of the people who had friends and supporters all over the race (you spend four hours with these people, you know), but overall I was happy with my experience. I'm kind of a solitary creature when I run anyway. If I run next year, I would consider putting my name on my shirt because random strangers cheer for you, but this year I was afraid I'd get annoyed and hit someone.