#44 - Where Were You When it Happened?

I knew from the noise in the streets around 11:15 on Tuesday evening that Barack Obama had been elected our 44th president. After watching the election coverage earlier until Pennsylvania went blue (I voted absentee in PA where I felt my vote counted a little more) I had turned off the TV intending to check the status later. When I walked outside that was it. Honking and screaming in Williamsburg was all it took to know confidently what had happened. The energy overtook the city. Times Square was packed like New Year's eve as Obama made his acceptance speech. Harlem was jammed at Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. The vibe of great unity continued throughout the next day in New York - strangers smiling at each other on the subway - people not showing up to work at all because there was so much to celebrate the night before. Hope and change to celebrate. They showed Grant Park on TV packed like I couldn't imagine. I had begun the day teaching my 6:15 AM yoga class and felt like I needed to do something special since it was bound to be an historic day. It most certainly was.

My Fourth Marathon

This is my fourth marathon...from the sidelines that is. A spirited cheerleader for all those who enjoy eating gel energy packs to survive and care deeply about how much their nylon/lycra blend could chafe their skin around mile 22. An annual “autumn in New York” milestone for my time in New York is the ING New York City Marathon. I've gone every year since I moved to the city in 2005, cheering from different stretches of the race each year. Every year I cry.

For my first marathon I caught the general public costumed and draped in international flags along Second Avenue with my dear friend Meagan, another newbie to New York. Second Ave was one big street party, alive with bands and pubs that had moved onto the sidewalk for the day. In 2006 I saw the disabled marathoners flying low to the ground on wheels on a stretch across the south end of Central Park. The following year I meandered through the park, watching the tail end of the race, many of the runners finished and already on the sidelines wrapped in the foil capes. This year I saw the top male runners enter Central Park at Columbus Circle. Wow, fitness. Wow, four years in New York! Apparently they speed up after the first few. I have a strange feeling I might even do a fifth marathon.