July 2009

I’m becoming restless. Time to break up the drudgery of distance training by running somewhere new. I choose the NY Marathon Long Training Run #1 in Central Park. The run costs $15.00 if entered ahead of time and a little more to pay on the spot. The run is billed as a “noncompetitive” 6-20 miler.

Saturday night, Chelsea, NY:  Paul, consummate theatre enthusiast and fun time addict, absolutely must attend the last performance of Twelfth Night, a Shakespeare in the Park production starring Audra McDonald, Anne Hathaway and Julie White. Goddesses all. The play has earned stellar reviews and the requisite buzz. The tickets are free (that is, if you can line up early enough).

Paul stays up late and sleeps in, while my definition of a late run, alas, is 6 am. But tonight is not like any other night. After drenching thunderstorms pass, Paul leaves his Chelsea apartment at 3 am and bikes to Central Park West, where the ticket line begins. Paul encounters a mighty line in front of him formed in defiance of the storm. I leave 3 hours later to make my way to the run’s starting point, at the Park on 5^th Avenue and 102 Street.            

The run’s start is low-key and upbeat. I take in the pre-run chatter. Runners are wowed by a Polar triathlon watch (it records time and distance on the run and in the water.) We talk of our next marathon: NY and Chicago are mentioned most often. Runners bitterly compare notes about the perpetual conflict between Central Park bikers vs. runners. (Heidi: how do triathletes’ traverse this divide?)

The run consists of 4 loops; one 6 mile loop, two 5 milers and the last loop of 4 miles. Water is provided throughout the run. At mile 6, 11, 16 and 20, Gatorade and pretzels are provided. GU is located at miles 11, 16 and 20 (does anyone actually down a GU at the end of a run?)

The run starts about 20 minutes late. The course is hilly throughout (see map). Each mile is marked. The sun is blazing hot. Then, we run into luxurious, jade colored shade. The sites that keep my mind off the miles: the Lennon/Ono Dakota, the stately Met, the newly spiffed up Guggenheim, the jewel-like Reservoir and the Fred Lebow statue (checking his watch.) Lebow was a beloved runner who helped organize the first New York City Marathon along with many other notable races.

I pass Paul and the Shakespeare line three times. Line holders eat. They doze. They read the Times and play Charades.  Parents are reading the Shakespeare plays to their teenagers (Ann Hathaway fans.)  Everyone is fretting about their chance to get a ticket. Anxiety is a faithful friend.

The staff informs Paul that his place in line is directly across from the Rock of Hope. Meaning that he has a 50% chance of scoring 2 tickets.  50%!?!  Paul has bonded with his line-mates as they share tales of ticket-waiting hell. To pass the time, they track my progress throughout the loops.

Unlike most races, the pace groups are well-defined. The event organizers purposefully create time and space between each pace group. It’s a good thing because there are no pace balloons or identifying markers. When I inevitably slow, it’s as if a herd of caribou are behind me.

Most of us end our run after the third loop, at mile 16. Unlike a race with a definite finish, this run allows my running devil to go wild; “stop now, it’s hot and hilly. Quit while you can; with a modicum of dignity!”

I cool down with a 2 mile walk to the Shakespeare line and spend some time with the line dwellers. At 1:30 pm Paul and his compatriots are awarded with tickets. Everything is cool!

Twelfth Night is all that Paul hoped for, a splendid production and a luminous summer evening in the Park.  A perfect way to spend the day on the Twelfth.

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