This past week, I ran 14 miles for the first time. It really solidified the feeling of a transition from half marathon to full marathon training for me. It was a really cool feeling! Since I was transitioning physically and mentally, I thought it would be cool to fuel my motivation with a little bit of actual NYC Marathon footage.

So, the other night, I decided to shave my legs because I couldn’t sleep. Usually when I tackle such a task, I enjoy having something fun to watch to keep from getting bored. This seemed like the perfect time to check out those YouTube videos I’ve been thinking about.

The first one I watched was footage of the wave start on the MTA Bridges and Tunnels’ Verrazano-Narrow’s Bridge that connects Staten Island and Brooklyn:

Just seeing all of the people running gives me goose bumps! How cool is this!!??

The second video I watched is a time lapse video of the entire race course from a runner’s perspective. It also shoes a map of the course with en elevation profile. I think it’s really cruel to have a hill at mile 23….but hopefully by then, my legs will be numb and I won’t care about the pain!! Here is the video:

I am probably going to end up watching this quite a few times before the race. Since I won’t have the opportunity to run on it beforehand, at least I can try to familiarize myself with some of the key landmarks, bridges, and quirks of the course.

Here are a couple of really awesome NYCM race recaps from some bloggers I follow:

Carrots’n’Cake’s NYC Marathon Race Recap from 2011

SkinnyRunner’s NYC Marathon Race Review from 2011

The Hungry Runner Girl’s NYCM Recap from 2011

Here are some really cool pictures I got when I Googled NYC Marathon pictures 2011:

How cool is it to know you are running a race where famous people are probably running, as well!?  Did you hear about what Jennie Finch did last year? She started at the back of the pack, and for each runner she passed, $1 was donated to the Road Runner’s youth program. She raised $30,000, and finished in 4:05. Wow!! You can read more about her here.

And the medal! How cool is the medal!? race bling!

I’m definitely going to continue looking up fun stuff to keep me motivated and pump me up for the race! I’ll be sure to share the cool stuff that I find .

Happy Weekend to everyone! Enjoy your long weekend if you have one, and try not to work too hard if you’re working. I am off all four days for once, and am SUPER excited to do next to nothing (besides run of course ).

Happy Trails!

Stacey