The Sunset Hour - Our third and most magnificent viewing of Angkor Wat, Cambodia - Nov 2002

NY Marathon

months of training & obsessing came down to these mundane decisions
visor or no? mp3 player or no? shorts or pants? Gu or power gel? pasta or bread?

Pre-race carbo-loading the night before
then 5 a.m., swallow oatmeal & banana, a yogurt-peanut-honey 40-30-30
and at 6 a.m., wait in line for the bus, sneak into Bryant Park Grill to pee

Staton Island
stand in line for coffeestand in line for bagels, but no bagels
stand in line for port-o-potty three times
the Herd is on the move
slow crawl over the Verrazano, blue ocean and sky are sparkling

Brooklyn - still lucid, running through Bay Ridge, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Forte Greene, Clinton Hill (port-o-potty stop), Williamsburg (artsy fartsy retro trendy crowd)
scanning crowd for faces
Queens - Hasidic Orthodox Jews, Long Island City, Queensboro Bridge, a dreadful incline

15 miles - green apple gel shot
'Welcome to Manhattan!' sign signals the 1st Avenue Stretch
runners in awe of screaming crowd
buzzing energy, scanning crowd for faces

20 miles - strawberry banana gel shot
The Bronx Lull
21 miles - gulp of gatorade
stretch shins
5th Avenue Rush
scanning crowd for faces
shooting pain, knives jabbing into feet

4 more miles - gulp of gatorade
2 second stretch
crowd cheers, adrenaline pumps
thoughts slur, vision blurs

3 more miles - gulp of gatorade
1 second stretch
crowd cheers, adrenaline pumps
hang in there
feeling faint, tad bit nauseous, too much power gel and Gu

2 more miles - gulp of gatorade
stretch shins
crowd cheers, adrenaline pumps

1 more mile - the longest ever
pure adrenaline now
400 yds left (numbing pain)
300 yds left (will this ever end)
100 yds left (why isn't this over yet)
beebeepeepbeepeep - finish!

shiny tinfoil 'thermal blanket' crinkling but warm
wolf down banana
thank goodness for Coronas with lemon after a long run

Gladiator and Ghetto Fabulous - Halloween at DCLK, NY - Oct. 2002