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Thanks to the most awesome people listed below, I raised nearly the entire amount of my committed pledge. If your name is here, I owe you a massively huge THANK YOU. Thanks to you, $3000 won't be coming out of my pocket. Thanks to you, I've completed an event that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Thanks to you, the Heart Association will be able to do even more to help fight the disease that's killed plenty of people that we know.

THANK YOU!

Bill Baker
George Baluzy
Scott Brunjes
Jeanne Bundrick
Wally Chen
Tom Clark
Anne Corey
Derek Correia
Kristien and Dan Del Ferraro
Natalya Farsun
Rich Feldman
Eric Fleming
pete gallagher
renato ghio
Scott Henderson
David Hunsberger
Matthew Hunsberger
Michael Kaltschnee
Wendy Kosloff
Benjamin Kunz
Steven Lerner
Giuli Lewis
Tally Maffucci
Hugh McCarney
Cathy Miller
Robert Murphy
Francis Pennarola
David Plain
Susan Rapillo
Christina Reddington
Pamela Reitmeier
Linda Rogers
Syd Schwartz
christopher smith
Amy Smith Sroka
Chris Spada
Terry Spano - Rahmsdorf
Becky Terhaar
ada tracy
Per Welinder
Cathleen Winter

(If you're listed here and would prefer to remain anonymous, just give me a shout and I'll remove you from the post. And if I've someohow missed you, please let me know too.) If your name isn't here and you'd like it to be - it's not too late. You only need to make a donation to my marathon fund before November 22. Anything will help.

Thanks for making my marathon possible!

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My sons Devon and Eric met me along the race course for both physical and emotional support. Devon and I are pictured above at mile 23, along Central Park. I was tired, but still feeling in charge. (About a mile later, I'd be struggling to put one foot in front of the other.)

I met Eric earlier in the race, at about 17.5 miles, but sadly didn't get a photo with him. They were both there at the end of the night, to celebrate my finish over the best barbeque that NYC has to offer. We ordered dessert, too. :)

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When you finally cross the finish line, you go through a massive range of emotions. Elation, joy, relief, reflection, and...pain. You receive your finisher medal, and are given a space blanket to maintain your body's heat.

As loud, raucous and wild as the entire course was with noise, this was the exact opposite. People were reflecting on their race, sharing their stories with others, and making their way to the exit as a tribe. The quiet was interuppted here and then by the sound of an ambulance, and people pushing the runners aside, to make room for the emergency vehicle. This was a reminder that all runners weren't as fortunate with their finish.

The walk from the finish line to the actual exit of the course takes about an hour. It's packed with thousands of runners, and you need to pick up the bag that you've checked at your appropriate UPS truck.

My phone was checked with my bag, so once this was retrieved, I could begin to call family and inform them of my finish. And then the text messages, tweets and Facebook updates. It was pretty cool to turn a phone on to a mailbox full of goodwill. :)

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There's a lot to take in while running 26.2 miles, so you can't remember everything. So that I wouldn't forget where my family and friends were going to be at, I wrote the meeting points on the back of my hand. This gave me something to look forward to, at different points in the race.

I had six points along the race where I had intended to see people. Only the last two actually worked out. Thankfully, these came at a time where I needed to see someone that I knew the most. Hugs, fluids and encouragement ensued.

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To say the NY Marathon course is exhilirating would be an understatement. At virtually every step of the way, there are crowds cheering you on. At some times (like on First Avenue, heading uptown in Manhattan) the crowd is 8 - 10 people deep, all screaming for the runners.

At the suggestion of a couple of friends who have run the race before, I wore a sign with my name across my chest, so that fans could root for me. I had no idea what an experience that would be. It's uplifting to run by a crowd of hundreds of people, all shouting your name as if they know you. Definitely keeps the spirit going, even when your body is tiring out.

I shot a few clips of video with my iPod Nano, featured above. You'll see the crossing of the Queensboro Bridge, entering Manhattan at 59th Street, and a couple of clips from the run up 1st Avenue in Manhattan.

I've always loved New York City, but this was beyond anything that I have ever imagined.

At mile 18, I was feeling a little beat down, so I "rewarded myself" with music - by turning on the iPod, and running to a soundtrack of songs that I had selected. To my amazement, the crowd volume was louder than the music. I kept it that way, and enjoyed the spectators all the way to the finish line.

Love you, NYC!

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Getting to the starting line was as much of a journey as anything else associated with the marathon. This was one of the areas that made me most nervous, as there were so many variables where I didn't know what to expect. How cold would it be? Would I bring everything that I needed?

My hotel was in Times Square, so my morning began at 5:30am, at the Starbucks on Broadway. I checked the night before, and thankfully they opened at 5:30am, just for marathon runners. I am eternally grateful for this, Starbucks! This allowed me to start the day with some nice, warm oatmeal.

From there I caught the subway train downtown, to the Staten Island Ferry. It was pretty energizing seeing Times Square buzzing with runners, on their way to the start line. When the train arrived, it was packed with runners. This is not something you'll ever see in NYC, and it was inspiring. There was a lot of nervous energy in the air.

Once at the ferry terminal, we waited for our ferry, which are scheduled to leave every fifteen minutes. I was on the 7am departure. I shared the ride with two new friends, one from California and the other from Colorado. You arrive at Staten Island and are immediately hit with the image of the Manhattan skyline, which looks like it's a hundred miles away. It's hard to believe that that's where we're headed.

From the terminal, you board a shuttle bus for a ten minute ride to the starting village.

The starting village was absolutely surreal. It felt like you were in a post-apocalyptic scifi movie, where the government is hearding people together in camps. The village is organized in several camps by color. I was in the orange wave. As you're finding your way to your camp with the thousands of other runners, announcements are broadcast through outdoor PA systems, in languages from across the world. People are wearing garbage bags (another layer for warmth), dishevelled thrift shop coats and sweats (that they can leave behind at the starting line) and even Tyvek suits (that retain the heat while waiting for the start.) You can hear the conversations around you in French, German, Japanese and other languages. Coast Guard and media helicopters are circling the camp. The video clip above gives you a sense of what it was like.

Once in your village, you see giant video display screens, with rotating messages about start times and logistics. Again, in languages from across the globe. At this point you need to check your bag at a UPS truck (and they bring it to the finish line for you), and prepare to wait for your start.

At the appropriate time (9:15am for me), your "corral" opens up, and you're summoned to head there. This is exactly what it sounds like. It's a corral of humans, each funneled into the road that leads to the Verrazano Bridge. It's at this point that people begin to shred layers of clothing, slather vaseline on their nipples and legs, and various other pre-race rituals. As you slowly move forward to the starting line, you're stepping over bottles, discarded clothing and various other sundries. Totally, completely unreal.

As we near the bridge, we hear the first cannon. The first wave has just kicked off. I'm in the second wave, and so we head onto the entrance of the bridge. I shed my thrift shop jacket and old sweat pants, and walked with the crowd that made up "wave two" of the "orange bib" section. They play the national anthem, Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York", and the cannon fires. It's exactly 10:10am.

We're off.

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Here's how my NikePlus logged my run. You can see exactly when I hit "the wall", and didn't think I could go any further, right at about mile 24. That's not a bad place to hit "your wall", but it didn't seem so at the time.

Those last two point two miles felt like a hundred miles. My feet felt like cinderblocks, and I was afraid to stop for fear that my body wouldn't let me get re-started again. But I plodded along to the finish line and weakly held my arms in the air. I had imagined myself crossing the finish line in a stronger fashion, but I'm grateful for just crossing at all. :)

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Wow. I did it. The official time: 4:35:57. That's 27,447th place out of over 45,000 runners. I placed in 2,997th place in my age group. And I survived to tell the story.

This was easily one of the most amazing life experiences I've had to date. I can see why it's on the "bucket list" for so many people. If you've never run a marathon, you should put it on your own bucket list. And if you're a runner and have never run the NYC Marathon before, well this is something you absolutely must do.

Congratulations to all NYC Marathoners on a most spectacular day, and a day that I will undoubtedly remember for the rest of my life.

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I'm carbed up, all of my gear is ready for the morning, and I'm feeling ready. Still nervous about the morning, and the three hour wait in the cold for my starting time, but I believe I have enough gear to keep me warm in the starting village.

If you're looking for me on the course, I've snapped a pic of the shirt I'll be wearing during the race. I start at 10:10am, and I'm in the Orange wave.

I'm planning to meet family/friends at the following locations on the course:

+ 14th street in Brooklyn

+ Mile 7 in Brooklyn

+ Mile 8 @ Fulton Street, Brooklyn (right hand side)

+ Mile 17.5 @ 86th Street, Manhattan (left hand side)

+ Mile 22.5 @ 102nd Street, Manhattan (left hand side)

It's only a few hours away now!!

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Please don't pay for text message alerts - it's really not worth it. (All you really need to know is that I finnished the race alive, right?) Anyway, you'll need my bib number to find me on any of these services, so here you go:

I'll be racing in Bib #31365 tomorrow!

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It was a special treat to actually get to meet Liz Robbins, the author of the book today! Her advice for my first marathon? "Don't go out too fast at the start." Thanks, Liz!!

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Ron brought his wife with him to NYC from their hometown in St. Louis, and she's his inspiration. Not just because they're husband and wife, but because this past Mother's Day, they found themselves on a flight and Linda had a heart attack. In mid air. For real.

Clearly, she survived and is doing great. She'll be rooting Ron on during the race tomorrow!

Ron and Linda show us that heart disease is real. It impacts (and sometimes kills) the people we love. It's the reason that I strarted running a couple of years ago, and the reason I'm running tomorrow.

The Heart Association is making a real difference in peoples lives, just like Ron and Linda. You can help them do more, by making a donation. Go to Ron's donation page or mine, and give what you can. But I'll love you more if you go to mine. (Sorry Ron. ).

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Music is what allowed me to become a runner. Without music, I never would have been able to complete my first mile. Music is an important part of my life, and will be a great motivator in Sunday's marathon.

At the same time, I've learned to run without music, and from what I understand, there's a lot to take in on the streets of the NYC Marathon, so I don't want to lock myself into an ipod coccoon.

So here's my plan: when I get to mile 15, I'm rewarding myself with music. I've prepared an extra long playlist of some of my favorite running songs, just in case I end up needing it early. But hopefully, I'll be strong to at least mile 15.

The song that motivates me most this weekend? Temper Trap's Sweet Disposition (video above.) This song kind of sums up where I'm at emotionally right now, and inspires me to push through any challenges. That's my official marathon song, and when it hits my iPod, I'll be extra motivated to propel myself forward.

Here's the other stuff that's on my NYC Marathon playlist:

✓    My Girls    5:41    Animal Collective    Merriweather Post Pavilion  
✓    Walking On A Dream    3:19    Empire Of The Sun    Walking On A Dream 
✓    Sleepyhead    2:55    Passion Pit    Manners
✓    Rock Star (Jason Nevins Remix Edit)    7:42    N.E.R.D.
✓    Mr. Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix)    8:50    The Killers   
✓    Tik Tok    3:20    Ke$ha    Animal   
✓    Dreams (Featuring Stevie Nicks)    4:39    Deep Dish    George Is On (Disc 1)   
✓    High Roller    5:30    The Crystal Method    Vegas     
✓    Hold On    5:58    Holy Ghost!    Hold On - EP   
✓    Sweet Disposition    3:51    The Temper Trap    Conditions   
✓    Kids (Soulwax Remix)    5:38    MGMT    Kids (Soulwax Remix) - Single   
✓    The High Road    3:52    Broken Bells    Broken Bells   
✓    Lisztomania (Classixx Version)    5:02    Phoenix    Lisztomania Remixes - EP      
✓    Two Weeks (Fred Falke Extended Mix)    7:59    Grizzly Bear    Two Weeks (Fred Falke Mixes) - EP   
✓    Relator    2:34    Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson    Relator - Single     
✓    The Reeling    4:48    Passion Pit    Manners   
✓    Fences    3:50    Phoenix    Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix   
✓    West Coast    3:32    Coconut Records    Nighttiming     
✓    Daylight    2:51    Matt & Kim    Grand  
✓    Are Friends Electric?    5:56    Gary Numan    Scarred   
✓    Here (In Your Arms) [Young Americans Remix]    5:21    Hellogoodbye    Hellogoodbye Remixes - EP   
✓    Cards to Your Heart (feat. Nick Littlemore of Empire of the Sun)    5:34    Groove Armada        
✓    Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)    4:37    Jay-Z    The Blueprint 3 (Deluxe Version)  
✓    Sewn    5:57    The Feeling    Four Stops and Home - EP   
✓    In This City    4:06    Iglu & Hartly    And Then Boom
✓    Let It Rock    3:51    Kevin Rudolf & Lil Wayne    In the City (Bonus Track Version)   
✓    This Too Shall Pass    3:08    OK Go    Of the Blue Colour of the Sky   
✓    Dancing On My Own    4:46    Robyn    Body Talk, Pt. 1          
✓    Sucked Out    2:47    Superdrag    Regretfully Yours  
✓    Home    5:06    Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros    Up From Below (Deluxe Edition)     
✓    The Only One    5:00    The Black Keys    Brothers (Deluxe)       
✓    Dominos    3:46    The Big Pink    A Brief History of Love (Bonus Track Version)  
✓    Raindrops    4:10    Basement Jaxx    Scars (Bonus Track Version)    
✓    Technologic    4:44    Daft Punk    Human After All  
✓    Beggin'    3:38    Madcon    Beggin' - Single  
✓    A Kick In The Teeth    4:21    Fischerspooner    Odyssey   Alternative    25   
✓    Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1    4:46    The Flaming Lips   
✓    Paper Planes    3:24    M.I.A.    Kala   

I still need to raise just under $500 for the American Heart Association, for entry into the race! You can help with a super generous donation!

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Just ran the last training run before Sunday! Nothing fast or long or impressive in any way - just a run to keep the muscles loose, with a goal of avoiding injury. At this point, I'm either ready, or I'm not - so I just need to stay healthy and safe for the next couple of days. (That's not as easy as you think when you're super accident prone.)

Just two days, 11 hours and 9 minutes till marathon!!

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For me, I have a couple of meet ups that are important to my performance. I've trained on my long runs around Lake Waramaug, running 8 mile loops, and stopping at my car for water/Gatorade breaks. So my body is accustomed to 20 oz of Gatorade every eight miles. There are water/gatorade stations along every mile of the marathon, but it would be super nice to be able to count on a full 20 oz of fluid at mile 8, 16 and 23.

In an attempt to make that happen, I've planned very specific points to meet up with family. So they'll be on just the right corner, at just the right time (based on my rough estimated race pace), and we'll meet up, pause for a minute or two, and drink 20 oz of golden green juice.

That's the plan anyway...we'll see.

Maybe you'd like to help me to the starting line? I must raise $3K for the American Heart Association to get in the race. You can help get me there! Give often, give generously!

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lake_waramaug.m4v Watch on Posterous

My virtual coach Bill Baker turned me onto Lake Waramaug, and I've posted about it before.

For me, Lake Waramaug is how I will remember my training for the 2010 NYC Marathon. While I've literally run all over the country the last few months, it was the long loops around Lake Waramaug that prepared me mentally and physically for what I believe I'll need to endure in NYC on November 7.

Last week, while taking my last long run around the lake, I took some video with my iPod Nano to share the experience. I wanted to test the video on my Nano, and see how much battery it ate. If all goes well, I'd like to shoot some video while running in NYC, but also need battery power for music to get me to the finish line. It worked well! The clip above features a few minutes of my training run around the lake, and I still had the power to blast music for more than ten miles or so.

I'll clearly need to work on the stabilization while running, but if I have the energy, wherewithall, and battery power, I'll shoot video of the start of the race on the Verrazano Bridge, and as I enter Manhattan over the 59th St Bridge. Both are supposed to be iconic moments, so it will be cool to share the experience.

In the meantime, you can help me out by making a donation to the American Heart Association. I need to raise $3000 for entry into the race. I'm a little over halfway there, and could really use your help!

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I've run 321 miles in these shoes. That's probably more miles than I've run in any three month period in my life. These sweaty beasts have been my training partners since July 1st.

You'll see that I wrote the date 7/1 on the inside heel. That's the date I took my first run in these. Once you've made running a part of your life, you forget when you purchased your last shoes, and how long you've been running in them. Shoes vary by runner, but I usually need a new pair once I step over the 300 mile mark. I've learned that writing the date that you start with a pair of shoes on the actual shoe is a good way to remember just how old they are. Every pair of running shoes has an expiration date.

These shoes took me through one of the best summers ever. I ran in these while on tour, driving from Maine to Miami with Humongo Nation, through some of the hottest, most grueling runs around Lake Waramaug, and even on a fun run in Las Vegas. More importantly, these are the shoes that got me ready for my very first NYC Marathon. These are the shoes that built my confidence, gave me the experience and helped to build stamina to survive the upcoming 26.2 mile festival of pain.

I now have a new pair, with a 10/1 date now scribbled on the inside heel. They'll be worked in nicely by the time I hit the starting line on November 7.

If you're interested in my old shoes, you can now find them at Goodwill - but honestly your money would be far better served by making a donation to the American Heart Association to help cover my donation/entry fee into the marathon! I've already spent all of my money on shoes. ;)

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You need to know that I hate being cold more than anyone on earth. I was born a Texan, and brought to the northeast against my will as a teenager. While I've grown to accept New England as my home, I hate the cold from deep inside my heart. But I've been hearing about ice baths.

My training partner @spadachris tried one last week, and raved about it. Other athlete friends and general tough guys like @irj have proclaimed the merits of an ice bath. So after completing an "easy" 14 mile run this morning, I figured I'd give one a try. My left knee was feeling a bit funky after my run, so in theory it could only help the situation, and perhaps even better prepare me for my 21 mile training run next week.

So I filled the tub with COLD water, dumped in all of the ice from our refridgerator, and dived in. It's COLD. Really, really, really, really cold. The upper part of my body immediately started shivering, in an attempt to bring a Texas defeat to the numbing cold now attacking my lower body. After a couple of minutes, your lower body numbs...and I suppose it is like having a giant massive ice pack on your legs. I sat for about ten minutes, and then jumped into a warm shower.

End result? My legs do feel refreshed. My knee is still a little sore, but less than before, and nothing that some pain meds can't kill. :)

(Oh, and if you were wondering...yes - an ice bath causes shrinkage like nothing your body has ever seen before.)

As always, feel free to make a donation to the American Heart Association to help cover my donation/entry fee into the marathon! I can't do this without you.

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