ING NYC Marathon

It was nearly a week ago that I completed a goal of mine that I set out for myself this past January. I ran the ING New York City Marathon! I still can't believe that the months of training came and went and the marathon itself came and went already...all 26.2 miles of it...all 5 boroughs in one day...behind me and my running shoes that I wrote about here.

I wanted to remember the experience of the actual race day just in case I decide not to run it ever again, so I took pictures all along the route. Somehow, I managed to post most of them to my Facebook account while I was running so people could keep up with my adventure in real time.

In case you missed it though, here's my adventure of the ING NYC Marathon just before the race, as I ran it, and my last shot as I completed the adventure.

Candice (co-worker at Tiffany) and I pick up our race packets and found the Tiffany booth as we do so.

I received my favorite flowers from my sweet Caroline!!!

Day before race day! We headed to Central Park for the pasta dinner & to check out the winners circle.

The Tiffany & Co. VIP section was located right at the finish line.

My Hero and I are both a little freaked out that I am going to run the marathon!

Here's a serious picture of us with the finish line in the background.

I took a practice run to the finish.

The Empire State Building was lit up orange in honor of the ING Marathon.

Race Day!!! 6:45 AM. Heidi and I are on the bus headed toward Staten Island and the starting line.

Here's The Village = a.k.a. the start of the race on Staten Island!!!

Yep, I put on my college intramural jersey that was retired at Campbell University this year. I'm the first Killer Bee to run the ING Marathon! Go Beez!

Here I am walking to the starting line.

One last picture of the Tiffany chiquitas before the start. Freaking out a little bit here. I am with Candice who's glam in her Ray Bans and Heidi in her amazing tu-tu!

We're off and running across the Verrazano Bridge!!! No turning back. Months of training are put to the test.

Pit stop in Brooklyn to take a quick picture. Hi, Heidi!

We made it to Queens!!! Looking good, Girls! We are still smiling at this point. Phew!

Somehow, I have enough energy to run backwards for this shot. Just trying to make it through Queens.

Thank goodness!!! We made it to the Queensboro Bridge...almost into Manhattan. This is the quietest part of the race. No onlookers are allowed on the bridge. Just trying to keep our spirits up at this point since we are nearly 15 miles into the race.

Manhattan is such a beautiful site from the Queensboro Bridge. It's such a relief to get back into the city.

My Hero!!! What a site for sore eyes for this bee. Thank you, Lord, for the support of this man! I couldn't have run the race without him.

Here's Candice's family and friends!!! Love the sign, Candice!

Here's Heidi's precious family! Heidi is such an amazing roll model for her daughter. "Run Like a Mother!"

We made it through the The Bronx (sans pictures and hitting a wall) and to the finish line! I literally turned green after this picture as we made our way through "Death Row" to get our goodies and pick up our bags. I did it!!!