Thursday, November 02, 2006
Thursday in NYC
Today was my first full day in NYC. I started with a 20-minute run. It was dark and raining but wonderful to think that it was the last run I will do on my own. Saturday is a fun run with the other international participants and then Sunday is the main race day.
I met Jill at the airport at 10:30 and then took a cab into the city to go to the Runners Registration and Expo at the Javitts centre. It was amazing. Very well organized - took less time to register than at the Fredericton Half Marathon in May. Then we toured the various displays of running products and bought a few souvenirs, some running clothes, etc.
From the Expo we took a shuttle to Grand Central Station, walked to Times Square, then up Broadway and over to Fifth Avenue. Everywhere we went we say posters and signs of the marathon and anyone who heard that i was running was quick to wish me the best. It is starting to sink in that this is HUGE. I'm told it is like the atmosphere surrounding the Super Bowl or World Cup.
Ended up this afternoon at the office of my host and friend Nick Mumford. His office on the 30-something floor of 9 west 57th (IXIS Capital Markets) overlooks Central Park. Truly magnificent. Nick's coworkers all wished me well for Sunday.
From there we drove out to where Nick and Isabelle live in Rye (Westchester County). It is absolutely beautiful here. Just finished supper and now we're starting to wind down from the long and busy day. Tomorrow we are going to do some sightseeing and then we will go our separate ways - me to join up with the Team Diabetes contingent and Jill to return to Rye. The next time I will see her is, I hope at Mile 8 or 9 (Brooklyn) where she and Isabelle are going to position themselves to cheer me on. then they'll move to Mile 18 on the upper east side and finally to mile 24 in Central Park.
I met Jill at the airport at 10:30 and then took a cab into the city to go to the Runners Registration and Expo at the Javitts centre. It was amazing. Very well organized - took less time to register than at the Fredericton Half Marathon in May. Then we toured the various displays of running products and bought a few souvenirs, some running clothes, etc.
From the Expo we took a shuttle to Grand Central Station, walked to Times Square, then up Broadway and over to Fifth Avenue. Everywhere we went we say posters and signs of the marathon and anyone who heard that i was running was quick to wish me the best. It is starting to sink in that this is HUGE. I'm told it is like the atmosphere surrounding the Super Bowl or World Cup.
Ended up this afternoon at the office of my host and friend Nick Mumford. His office on the 30-something floor of 9 west 57th (IXIS Capital Markets) overlooks Central Park. Truly magnificent. Nick's coworkers all wished me well for Sunday.
From there we drove out to where Nick and Isabelle live in Rye (Westchester County). It is absolutely beautiful here. Just finished supper and now we're starting to wind down from the long and busy day. Tomorrow we are going to do some sightseeing and then we will go our separate ways - me to join up with the Team Diabetes contingent and Jill to return to Rye. The next time I will see her is, I hope at Mile 8 or 9 (Brooklyn) where she and Isabelle are going to position themselves to cheer me on. then they'll move to Mile 18 on the upper east side and finally to mile 24 in Central Park.
# posted by FreddyBeachPete @ 9:27 PM 
