 Into the studio. We're back. Let's do this. Alright everyone, the 2019 New York City Marathon is officially in the books and yes, this book by Liz Robin, the title does not lie. A race like no other. It truly was a race like no other. I can't even, so I did not sleep on the plane right here. If I look a little tired, little haggard, that is why. I probably should have slept the four-hour plane ride back to Denver, but instead I couldn't sleep. I tried because I was thinking and processing what I experienced yesterday in the five boroughs of New York. And on that note, New York is unlike any other race that I've done. One of the very practical reasons why. And so what I'm about to share and you know how I can talk for a long time here in the studio, so I'm gonna try and I have a lot of thoughts to share, but I'm gonna try and keep it concise. But one of the reasons New York is, so I want to give you a lot of insights. But one of the reasons New York is unique is because it's point to point. And so you get to see more neighborhoods, all five boroughs, more culture along the 26.2 miles, more food, like smelling the food in the neighborhood that's being cooked on the sidewalks. You're gonna hear the languages being spoken. You're gonna hear the different instruments being played. You're gonna hear the silence of the Orthodox Jewish Jewish neighborhood. You get to experience the five bridges. So it really really, not just from a, it's hard, you got it, you know it's a hilly marathon course. There's a, yeah, not from the running perspective, just the fact that you go through the five boroughs. So just want to point that out at the beginning. Unbelievable. It really was unique. And I hope to be back just putting that out there right now. I hope to be back someday. Okay, diving in. I'm gonna go from start to finish. Let's break this down. Again, trying to bring you some insights into what I experienced and what I hope you, we're able to experience yesterday in the vlog when I basically collected. And again, a shout out to I think 50 people around there emailed me clips from their phones, from their go-pros, of filming along the way. That vlog does not happen without Demor Global running, uniting on the streets of New York. So thank you for taking the time, putting in the energy to get out on the streets, to keep your eyes up. Keep your eyes up to look for me. Because you know, I guess you didn't know exactly when I was gonna get to those points. So it was a big deal to receive. I don't know what the exact number was, but it was around 50 different video clips from different people. So thank you. And I'm gonna use them again in this vlog right now. So let's dive in first to the Blue Corral, very organized at the base of the Verrazano Bridge. I found my corral very easily. The UPS truck, thank you UPS for the backdrop. That was perfect. And the weather was solid yesterday, but a little breezy. Okay, going through Brooklyn especially. Just a little breezy. I'll get more into that in a minute. And then after the corral, after you're collected there, after you've donated the clothes to the Goodwill bins, unbelievable. I'm talking, I think, well, yeah, I'm gonna say it. Millions and millions of dollars of pretty nice running gear just being tossed in these bins because you're not gonna run with it for 26 miles. So what's cool is that they take all that clothing that's tossed on the ground or tossed in these bins. They wash every single piece of clothing and then it gets put back out into the world for people to use that who knows. Maybe they're getting into running somewhere in the greater New York City area. So I think that's amazing. So we leave the corral and then you head toward the starting line. You're going through the crowd. You know, the DJ kicks it up and it gets loud. So here's what's crazy. And this is what a lot of people are confused about the start from yesterday. You saw the footage. You got a little crazy. You got a little crazy on the Verrazano Bridge. So I get there and I'm about five or six people back in my corral, meaning I'm not right at the front, but I'm about five or six people back. And then five minutes to go before the gun goes off. All of a sudden, these people start streaming in from the side and I see them coming in and I'm like, are they running? And who are they? And are they gonna be running 520 a mile? And so I don't... Okay. So here's the deal. People are asking in the comments from yesterday, Seth, why were you not in the front? Why were you tripping over people at the beginning? Why were you, you know, elbowing people to get out up the Verrazano Bridge? Well, I did not... When I received my registration, I submitted my projected finish time, but I submitted that before Amsterdam. I did not have a road marathon time to submit. So I could not gain entry into the sub-elite category. Who knows? Maybe 223 from Amsterdam would have... No, it would not have gotten me into the elite. So there's them... There's the elite and then there's the sub-elite category and then there's the blue corral and that's where I was. But then five minutes to go, these people stream into the side and I don't know if they... I don't know if they... I don't know who they were, but there was quite a few of them. If it was connected to Footlocker, if it was connected to fundraising and charities, it got ugly. It got ugly. I don't know what else to say. The gun goes off, I take off, everyone... And honestly, it almost got dangerous because you crossed the starting mat. It took me maybe like seven seconds to get to the starting mat before my time officially started and I took off, you know, whatever, 520 mile and I'm elbowing and I'm juke-ing and ducking and diving and so... Anyway, that's what happened at the start and we survived. But then we passed this gentleman, right? What did I type in yesterday's vlog? No excuses, work hard, believe, okay? That gentleman was inspiring. So we passed him going up the Verrazano Bridge and then we start chit-chatting around with Jordan and the third musketeer from Amsterdam. Sorry, I'm blanking your name right now, but basically we start talking, okay, who wants to run 520s? So that was pretty neat. I wish we would have had a bigger group, honestly, because there were some other guys ahead of us that... And this is at the top of the Verrazano Bridge, about mile one, where we're kind of collecting together. So it was neat. We were working together, this gentleman, Jordan, who you're gonna see a lot of and where we start clipping him off together, about a group of four of us, maybe five of us, but then at about mile three or four, it's just Jordan and I going through Brooklyn, going through Brooklyn, trying to relax, trying not to go out in 106.53. Brooklyn is hilly, okay? So for the future, if you're thinking of running... If you're thinking of running this marathon, like Brooklyn is rolling. It's never really completely flat and it's not horrible hills, but you know, it's taking a toll on your legs. So it's definitely smart to save a little bit of energy in those first, well, frankly, those first 11, 12 miles. So we're rolling. Jordan and I are rolling. And real quick note is that it was, I think Brooklyn was the loudest neighborhood. Manhattan was loud as well on First Avenue, but Brooklyn, the streets are narrower. So the noise is that much louder. So shout out to Brooklyn. I think you take the cake for the loudest burrow. And then we're cruising, but then we get to the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. And it was silent for about a mile and a half, maybe two miles. And honestly, it was really nice. And you get a little, maybe too excited. And so you got to chill out. So we go through the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, we're cruising, and then we started to get close to the halfway point, the half marathon mark, the Pulaski Bridge, if I'm saying it right. And honestly, everyone, the Verrazano Bridge, don't worry about it. It's not steep. It's kind of long, but it's not that steep. You have all your energy. It's fine. You're going to get up that no problem. The Pulaski Bridge, the halfway point going from Brooklyn over to Queens, that was hard. It was steeper than I expected. And I think it was maybe, now it wasn't that long, but it was just kind of steep. And there was no one cheering around. It was a little breezy on the bridge because there was no buildings. It was very strange. It's kind of like no man's land. So I did, and I had to ask myself, okay, because my legs at about the halfway point, I had to make a decision like, this is either going to get a little ugly today or we're going to have to pick it up and go for it because I was feeling okay, but I wasn't feeling perfect. I think just the remnants of Amsterdam started to kick in. So Jordan and I are still together. We're cranking. Here's probably one of the greatest clips from the day from a gentleman yelling about butter. You better believe it. And then after that, we keep cranking and we're coming up on mile 14 and the Queensborough Bridge, which goes from Queens over to Manhattan. And I loved it. Queensborough Bridge, the third bridge. Yeah, third bridge. Amazing. It's, it's, so it's, you're enclosed. You're actually on the lower level. It's kind of dark. It's quieter and you're just cruising. I cranked it. And this is where Jordan and I actually started to separate. Jordan and I worked together for a long time. Shout out to Jordan. I can tell we're going to race again someday, Jordan, but that's where I started to pay. You know, I'm just going uphill. I started to crank, crank, crank, and then the downhill and then it pops you out onto First Avenue, baby. And that's where I got, I just, I can't help myself. Like I think I have so much. I want to, I want, I want people to understand the gift of running and that, yes, maybe we're not playing in an NBA arena or an NFL stadium, but the streets of New York, it can be exciting too for a running event. So Jordan kind of got used to it, but probably like maybe three or four times, especially in Brooklyn, but I just kind of do this. It's like, come on crowds, like, you're here cheering, but can we hear you? And so I just like, like let's do this. Like we're out here in New York. They shut down the city for us. Let's show them, let's, let's give it to the city, like show them a show and so that they can have stories to share. Anyway, I just get excited as you can tell. So anyway, we turn onto First Avenue. We're cruising down First Avenue. Love First Avenue. Really fun. Feeling really good. I better pull up some splits real quick. So from First Avenue, it looks like I went like 519. This is mile 16, mile 17, 528, mile 18, 501. See, I was feeling okay. Mile 19, 513, mile 25, 18, mile 21, 517. So the goal was five, you know, five, 20 pace, preferably five. So we, okay, I should also mention we came through the halfway point a little slow, a little slower than I had hoped. It was 111. Oh boy. I think it was 111 23. So a little slower than I had hoped. Listen, I was trying to pace it well. It's like, you know, you don't want to look at your watch too much. Plus like the rolling hills of Brooklyn, like the pacing was so anyway, it was not perfect pacing. I will admit that the first, but I did not go, I don't think I went out too fast. So I'm proud of that. But then, okay, mile 22, 523, 523, 534. So anyway, I was holding pretty good paces. So after First Avenue, we jump over into the Bronx. And people have said like the Bronx is kind of a quieter neighborhood. This is at about, is it mile, I have the map here. I think it's about mile 20-ish. Around mile, yeah, about mile 20-ish, you hop in there. And it was loud. I would say it was not quiet at all. Now, maybe not huge crowd sizes, because you don't go too far into the Bronx, but it was perfect. Like, I was very impressed with the crowds in the Bronx. So thanks for coming out. And then, and then you jump back into Manhattan onto Fifth Avenue, Fifth Avenue. So let me just make sure I'm not missing anything through these first four boroughs. Yeah, I lost my wingman, Jordan, at about mile 50. That's a note I wrote down here. Let's see the splits, First Avenue, Bronx, and then into Fifth Avenue. So, okay, I still had dreams at mile 16 that I could maybe negative split in a big way and hit 219. Like, that's, you know, if I show up for a race, I'm not going to sit back. I'm not, it's not in my blood to do that. And so I'm happy with the one 111st half. I wish it would have been faster. I'll admit it. I wish it would have been like 110, 15, 110, 20. Oh, what are you going to do? What are you going to do? So, at mile 16 on the downside of the Queensboro, I just said, okay, we didn't get the rest up for nothing. So, let's rock and roll. So, that's what I did. Cruising down first and then back into Manhattan on the fifth and you get into on the Fifth Avenue and the bridges, just so you know, you cross two more bridges, the Willis Avenue Bridge and then, oh, I think it's the Madison Avenue Bridge, maybe, back into Manhattan. The Madison Avenue, nothing to worry about at all. The Willis Avenue was a little, I had a little bit of a climb but nothing compared to Queensboro. So, for those of you who are hopefully running in New York in the future, don't worry about it. Fifth Avenue, okay, coming down mile 22. I'm still in it. Like, I'm still looking at my watch like, four miles to go. It's going to be close. It's going to be tight. I was gunning for it. I just know it like my times were not bad. 523, 523 and then a 534 at mile 24. But then, okay, I should have done, okay, tip of the day. I would, if you have the time, I would recommend going to Fifth Avenue, going up that hill before you take a right into Central Park and just realize that here I am running up the hill. Shout out to this gentleman. I don't even know his name who ran alongside me with a GoPro. You helped me get up that hill, by the way. And this hill was long. It was not crazy steep, but I did not expect it. And it kind of zapped me. My time dropped back to about a 605 it looks like. And so, if I read, yeah, about 605. So it was hard. And then at the top of the hill, you still have, oh man, what is it? Is it two miles to go approximately? About two miles to go. And that I just wasn't ready for Fifth Avenue. So I would, if you have time, study the Fifth Avenue hill. And Jordan and I talked about Fifth Avenue after the race once we crossed the finish line. And then Central Park, not a cakewalk. In fact, it was ridiculously hard. Quite a bit of downhill, which is hard on the quads at the end of the race. And then you get to the bottom of the downhill and you make a hard right at the bottom of Central Park. And it's a slow, steady uphill. And I was toast. And that way that's actually a mile to go, exactly. Right when you make that turn basically. And I had nothing left. Let me just make sure it's a mile to go right there. Yeah, a little bit, okay, a little before that turn. Had nothing left. I, you know, and that's where you're just thinking about your thinking about my mom, looking at my wrist and just like offering the pain up for her. And just pushing through, pumping the, I had, like, you know, when you, it kind of felt like the last four miles of Amsterdam, frankly, like it was the last mile. I think it, I don't know what my, the split, I don't know if this one is actually accurate. It felt closer to like seven minute pace. Like I really dropped off at the end there. So anyway, and then you cruise into the finish. It's amazing, huge crowds. The elites are still kind of hanging around. So that was neat to see some of them. I didn't see Kipchoge. I was kind of looking for him there at the end, but frankly, I didn't have much energy cross, cross in the finish line to, to process much. And, and then you get to, so you cross the finish line just so you know, then you get to walk a mile out of the, out of the park. And that's an interesting experience as well, because your legs are, are burning and barking at you. So I finished in two hours, 24 minutes and one second, about crazy enough, about 20 seconds ish, 25 seconds slower than Amsterdam. And obviously much hillier course. So I'm just going to say it now. I was going to maybe not say this now. I think if my pacing of New York would have been applied to Amsterdam, I think I would have gotten the 219. I really do. Not the exact pacing, but just like, obviously not like holding back way more in Amsterdam. The first like night, like go out in 10950 or 110 flat and then come back. I think things would, but you know, it's water under the bridge. That's why you go and race. You, you go out to figure out what you can muster and to learn and to fail. It's okay to fail as long as you learn from it and you come back and you come back. And so that's what I did yesterday, hopefully in New York. And I think somebody tweeted to me, I was like, maybe the 13th American. So that's kind of cool. 36th overall. So I carried you guys with me the whole way. Absolutely. Like I was thinking of you and oh my goodness, just listening to the cheering. So thank you again for the support for that's my analysis. I could say so, so much more about the day, about the race. Overall, okay, I will just say, I just thought of this. I had five Morton gels. Okay. So throughout the race, I carried six. I didn't eat the last one basically because I was cranking and I, I just didn't want to, I didn't really, I had the energy to pull it out and tear it. I don't, anyway, I, maybe I should have had that last one, but I had five and then water at the aid stations was perfect. Way better than Amsterdam grabbing the bottles. Now I splashed the water all over myself, but there are so many aid stations. I just took little sips at not every aid station, probably 80% of them. And pinching the cup at 520 a mile was okay or 525 or whatever the mile was, grabbed it, pinched it, put it back, not a ton. In fact, at one point I said, okay, I got, I don't want to drink too much water. One of the times I accidentally grabbed one of the Gatorades. It was for me, it was too sweet. I had to spit it out and it was just too much for me. So I just stuck to water and the Morton gels and it sat pretty well the whole way. Maybe like a little bit the last mile in my stomach, but it wasn't bad. And then the shoes, I will, okay, I just mentioned real quick, the 4% versus the next percent. The next percent, my feet felt better, a lot better at the end. Like my feet, I didn't really even think about my feet at all until mile 23 in New York. Whereas it was definitely like 18 or 17 in Amsterdam, probably because I was going faster, but I must say, okay, the next percent was pretty, it was nice. And okay, another tip of the day, I know I'm putting a lot out there. The next percent upper scrunches a lot for me. So I put the shoes on in the motel and then I walked, I did not tie the shoes. And then I walked around the village at the Verrazano Bridge going to my corral and the vapor weaves seemed to kind of settle onto my foot, like the tongue and everything. And when I laced it up, it really was nice. So anyway, maybe you don't lace your shoes up in the motel, kind of walk around a little bit in the shoes just to, I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it, but just to let the shoes kind of figure out how they're going to fit and conform onto your foot, if that makes sense. I know it's going into a lot of detail there, but I was happy, very, very happy with the next percent choice for the big apple, for the big apple. All right, everyone. Okay, let me just make sure I didn't miss anything. Here is the metal. Absolutely epic, just an epic metal. And I think I didn't get it done, but I think I will get it engraved on the back. I got the bib number 1008. You know how I will write my time on there. And I will just say this is an audio book as well. But I would strongly recommend reading this book before you run New York. I learned so much. It is down below from the Amazon. If you want to pick it up there, but you can do audio book, you can pick it up. Probably at a Barnes & Noble as well or a local bookshop as well. So that is it, folks. I could, again, I'm going to stop. Oh my gosh. It was amazing. And I'm just humbled by you, humbled by you. Question of the day. Oh boy. Oh boy. Have you begun to put together your 2020 racing schedule? Have you begun? All right. Now that New York is in the rearview mirror, you better believe I'm starting to make some decisions. And so I'm going to share those with you. This week, not right now. This week, some percolation that's happening in the racing department for myself. So I'll be excited to read. Like, are you getting ready for Boston? Are you getting ready for New York next? Like, who knows? Maybe you're going to get into New York next, but I guess you wouldn't know yet. But maybe Berlin or anything as far as marathons or maybe you're doing peach tree or the Boulder Boulder, which is a 10K here. Or maybe some half marathons 100 mile race, right? I actually rode alongside a gentleman in the subway who he just completed the Leadville 100 this year. And he did New York as well. So that was impressive. But all right, I'm going to cut it there. Cut it there. I hope that helps paint the picture a little bit more as to what was happening on the course. Maybe some tips and tricks for if you ever get into New York. I hope you do. Keep applying. Keep fundraising. If you can do it through charity, that's one way to get in. And I think I'll be back in New York. So maybe we'll do another group run in Central Park next year. You better believe it. Butterman bread, butterman bread. All right, everyone. We're tossing it back tonight to two vlogs. We're going to go back to the Amsterdam Marathon race analysis from two weeks ago. And then also just from a couple of days ago, the group run in Central Park, which was absolutely epic. That'll be on the left and Amsterdam on the right. All right, here we go. Security, work hard, and love each other. See you tomorrow.