I Attempted Running the NYC Marathon... with no experience

Eight weeks ago, the longest run I'd ever been on was about five miles. Yesterday, I ran 26.2. This is the story. It all started with a text from my friend Shervin on August 29th. Taylor, would you want to run the 5th Avenue mile on September 7th with Endorphins and New Balance? It's a one-mile race and you just have to go as fast as you can go. I told Shervin yes, but by the time I was in touch with the New Balance Endorphins team, it was too late to join the mile run. But then... I was sitting in this telephone booth when I got that text. After I clarified that he meant the New York City marathon that was in eight weeks and not the one next year, you'd think that's where all these doubts would start to rush in. Taylor, you don't even like running long distances. Running a marathon is no joke, Taylor, even if you go slow. Taylor, it's in eight weeks and the longest run you've ever been on is like five miles. No. I can do anything. And that was it. One text later, I had just agreed to run the New York City marathon, something most people usually train for for months and months and months. I had eight weeks and I was starting from basically zero. Marathon training plans for beginners to safely build up to race day are usually 24 weeks or longer. I had eight. Each week consisted of three runs, two short runs and one long run. Now, the short runs are important, but the weekly long run... Seven miles. Nine miles. Thirteen. Fourteen. Twenty miles. Non-negotiable. Coming from my longest run ever being five miles, I needed to get comfortable with more time on my feet. A lot more time. Okay, howdy. We are on my nine mile long run. I'm running outside of Prospect Park and honestly, I'm feeling good. I just hit five miles a second ago. That's 5.07 miles now. Going like a nice steady pace. Not too fast, but the pace where I can kind of comfortably go for a while. And I don't hurt. I was hurting more in Berlin on my seven mile run at this point than I am right now. So that's good. And I've been prioritizing stretching and mobility stuff before and after going on my runs because my friends who have run marathons have told me to do that and to be very strict about it. So I'm doing that. Good morning. It is Sunday, which means long run. The long run mileage is increasing precipitously, if you ask me. Last week was nine miles. And for some reason, I had it in my head that this week was like 10. It's 13. So it is a half marathon. I'm going to go run a half marathon today. I am feeling a little bit nervous. Like 13 miles is no joke, especially when I just started this journey a few weeks ago. I am a bit sore. I worked out yesterday. Feeling strong. Little flex. Locked and loaded. Putting on my little thingy here. Howdy. We made it to Central Park. Wow. Beautiful day! Fun fact, this is my first time ever running in Central Park. But I am so excited. Look how beautiful it is. Even if I get sore, it's just going to be the best experience because Central Park, baby. It's the best park in the world, as far as I'm concerned. So all right, I am a little over four miles in. So I'm taking my first walk. I'm tired. It's a hot day. It's beautiful. But oh my god, I'm starting to realize like I'm four miles in. Almost a third done with this run. Oh, I can't think right now. But on race day, I'll just have 22 more miles to go after this point. So anyways, a little scared. Okay, let's get back to it. It was in these moments when I was really starting to feel it that I would remind myself of my three goals for this training and for the marathon. Goal number one, cross the finish line on race day. Not chasing a certain time. Just chasing the experience and the pride of doing something really freaking hard. Goal number two, don't get injured. This was a big one for me. It meant pacing myself, walking when I needed to, fueling properly, and not skipping strength training in the meantime. Goal number three, cliche as it may be, have fun. The New York City Marathon is famously the most special electric day of the year in the city, and I had the opportunity to be a part of it. I wanted to soak up every moment. Okay, we are officially 9.23 miles in, which makes this the longest run I've ever been on to date. I'm struggling, guys. I'm not gonna lie. I think I had it in my head this whole time that as long as I jog and go slow, I'll be good. But it's tough. Even going slow, like your legs, obviously, they just start to hurt. Even if you're healthy and strong and all that, it's tough on the joints. Oh my god. That was freaking hard. That was harder than I expected. Anyway, we finished. Slow and steady, but we finished. And I got myself a little treat. So I'm gonna have this and then slowly inch my way back to my apartment. Now, something that gave me confidence that I'd be able to do this was my impromptu walk of the length of Manhattan a few months back. A route which is normally 13.4 miles, but I zigzagged it in 21 miles. I figured if I could walk 21 miles and feel for the most part fine, I could jog 26.2 miles, right? I also work out a lot. And even though long distance running is a very different type of exercise than my usual lifting and sprint intervals, that would still help, right? No, I'm sure it did. But inevitably, I did start to face some challenges. Good morning. We are 14 today. Excellent. Five miles down, nine to go. Also, I used to live in that building. Aircraft carrier. All right, we're on the Queensborough Bridge, which I've never been over before by foot. So we're just seeing new parts of the city. I'm honestly feeling good. I'm at 8.73 miles. At this point in my last long run, I was getting more... I was more defeated. So this is a good sign. Just a more fun run too, honestly. We're here in Long Island City. This is my first time in front of the campus, guys. Oh, God. Doing a bridge crossover from Long Island City to Greenpoint. Hi, I finished. I didn't film when I finished because I was just... My mind was everywhere else, I guess. But it was honestly a really great run. This one, 14, felt better than 13. Hi, I'm in it. You can't see it because I'm not wearing pants this time, but I'm in it. Now would be a good time to go over a few FAQs you might have. Why I'm doing this. I have just been really inspired for a while by doing hard things. First of all, from a physical perspective, I think we're just capable of so much more than we think. And then a big part of this whole challenge is mental as well. And how often are we naturally in those challenges unless we kind of take it upon ourselves to do them? Even though I am not an endurance athlete. And so that kind of leads me to why this is a big deal for me. If you've seen a number of my videos, you might know this already. But I was an athlete growing up. Once an athlete, always an athlete, I like to think. And during my growing up years, I ran track. Specifically, I was a sprinter and a high jumper. So endurance running and endurance in general was just never, ever my strong suit. And therefore, it was never what I enjoyed doing. And that's why I want to do it all the more. Like I want to get better at something that I'm not good at and see what I can see what I'm capable of. And then I guess some small part of me wants to use this challenge, not just to prove to myself, but to prove to hopefully a couple people watching this that you can do more than you think you can. Just when I thought everything was going pretty well when I was getting used to these long runs and many hours on my feet, I unknowingly was about to face my biggest challenge of training. A challenge that would actually make me question whether I'd make it to the finish line on race day. Let's run 20 miles. Let's try to run 20 miles in Central Park. It is really, really pretty, but we have to add six miles to the route that we did last week. And this is kind of the perfect way to do it. So let's do a loop. So casual, I'm at almost eight miles, seven and a half. This time, like a month ago, I had never been on a seven mile run before, let alone this be just about a third of the way through the current run I'm doing. It's so crazy. At 9.3 miles, having my second gel. Bad news, that part of my foot is really starting to hurt. I don't know what else to do. I've been icing it, I've been resting, and it hurts a lot. Probably a pain I can't ignore for however many more miles it would be. Uh, geez. Yeah. Anyways, I'm going to walk for a bit, have my gel, and start again. Central Park is also really hilly, which seems to bring it on. But the marathon is hilly, so I can't just avoid hills, you know. Um, we'll see. Hurts a bit, but it's really pretty. All right, third gel, 14 miles. Officially the longest run I've ever been on after this point. It hurts, I'm not gonna lie. I wish I could. It hurts a lot. It does. I think I hurt more at nine miles. I think I'm just kind of, like, getting used to the pain right now. Getting on the Queensboro Bridge, which is so long, by the way. The Brooklyn Bridge feels like it's done in two seconds. This one goes on for a freaking long time. Okay, hey, you know where we are? I am at 16.6 miles. Nice view of the city. I hurt a lot, that's why I'm not filming so much. Uh, I'm a little worried, not gonna lie. I've been taking some walking breaks because it hurts a lot, and it's beyond just regular achiness. It's, like, the kind of pain I don't know if I could do for 10 more miles. So, anyways, I ordered some patella straps for my knees during one of my walking breaks, and, uh, we'll see. Okay, last gel. We are at 17.5 miles. I'm about to cross over the bridge into Greenpoint. I'm pretty worried, guys, I'm not gonna lie. I don't know what else to say. I did it. Well, I did the 20 miles, but, wow. I, uh, I feel a few things. One, I feel pain, but two, I feel silly. Forever, ever thinking that just going slow means anyone can do it. No, no, no. Not for me, at least. I think some people are built diff where they could just do it tomorrow if they wanted to, but, uh, oh my god, I can't believe I thought that. PSA, for those of you who have friends or know anyone who's running the marathon, this ---- is hard. It's hard to even go slow, it's hard to walk it. I don't know, I'm already strategizing for the day itself, because if it hurts this much after 20, you know, maybe I should be taking walking breaks earlier and just pace myself more throughout it instead of waiting until I'm in pain. That sounds pretty reasonable. But, hell of an accomplishment, nonetheless, if you ask me. This was my lowest point. Aches and pains are normal on these runs. They are inevitable. But having such a short training period had finally caught up to me. 20 miles challenged my body in a way it was still not used to, even after the 7 and 9 and 13 and 14 mile runs. I was officially nervous. Good morning. Hello. Wait, we have so much catching up to do. Sorry, let me start from the beginning. I'll go sit on the new table because that's fun. Prop you up right here. Okay, so last time we talked was after my 20 mile run, and I've been taking it very, very easy since then because of how bad that hurt. So I've done my little 3 mile, 4 mile runs here and there and they've felt good. I finally feel like ready to get after it again, which is good because we are t-minus 5 days from the marathon. And this also means that this is the week for me to try out the crazy shoes that New Balance sent me. Well, they sent me like five pairs and I've been using the training ones for training, but they sent me these which are the race day shoes and they come with carbon fiber plate inside of them and they're just super bouncy and propel you forward. And, you know, serious marathoners only wear these shoes one time just for the race. I've been recommended to just try these on a couple little 3 mile runs before the race. So today's my first one. Yum, good coffee. I guess another update, I am a bit sick. I have a cold. So nothing crazy, but still, you know, just with the brain fog, the sinuses, and you just don't sleep as well either. Like my aura ring picked up that I had minor signs of sickness. So I'm not feeling my best. Hoping I'm feeling better by Sunday. And if I don't, then I will cross the finish line not feeling awesome. But I will cross it. One mile done. Another update is that after the 20 mile pain, I decided to try out run walk where I jog one mile and then walk 60 seconds. So that's what I'm doing right now. Mile two done. Kind of a cool setting. Run walk is feeling good. And the shoes feel amazing. Last run before tomorrow. This is what they call the shakeout run. Feeling good. Got the shoes on. Good weather. I think tomorrow is supposed to be perfect just like this. My start time's not till 11 30, which is really nice. So it'll be a little bit warmer. It's like 11 30 right now. So this is emblematic of what it will be like tomorrow. How are you feeling? I'm feeling great. I am nervous. Not nervous like I would get in track when I was racing people. I'm nervous that it will hurt a lot, which of course it will. But hopefully it doesn't hurt too bad. Feeling good though. Very, very excited along with the nerves. Is there anything that you're specifically scared will happen? Yeah, my knee is hurting really bad. We're all like have to stop. But I can push through. I think I can push through. Going into the Javits Center to get my bib. My parents are here. Say hello. So excited for her. Glad it's her, not me. Okay, picking up your bib at the Javits Center is a famous part in itself of the New York City Marathon. The energy is already electric. You're surrounded by thousands of other people there to do the same crazy thing. And that's when it finally hit me. I was less than 24 hours away from the start line. I didn't know exactly what tomorrow would bring, but I was very excited to find out. Real party! Okay, this is kind of tricky. I think it's just through the first layer would be good. Nah, I'll do the whole thing. See, this would be a pain to do again. My mom's putting it on for me. It's kind of hard. You know, I came here for a reason. Put your bib on. Yeah. It's been a couple years since I put a bib on. We were just on the subway to the Staten Island ferry and everyone is carrying their little bags and supporting each other. It's really cute. All right, getting to the start village and they just checked our bags. I'm so excited to see what it's like because I know they have a lot of different stations and fun stuff. All right, insane amount of good luck that at the therapy dog station, they had a Cav, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. For those who don't know, I've had four Cavaliers. They're the best dogs ever. Now I have a Bagel. Life is so good. It's about 45 minutes before I start. Really starting to stretch and then I'm sipping on electrolytes. I just poured a liquid IV in here. Mile one, done. 60 second walk. Even though I'm feeling good, 60 second walk. Mile two, done. 60 second walk. Sticking to it. Feeling good, but sticking to it. Energy is so good. I'd rather listen to this and listen to music. Cheers. Mile three, done. Feeling so good, the energy is amazing. Mile four, done. I'm going to have a gel too. Mile five, and I need to pee. Mile six, I got to pee. Mile seven, I got to pee. All right, almost mile eight. My friends are going to be at like 8.5. I'm so excited to see them. Knees hurting, but vibes good. Mile ten. Sore, knees hurting, but vibes carrying me through. I'm not even close to halfway, not close. There are a lot of sayings out there about the marathon. One that I've heard a lot is, run the first 10 miles with your brain, the next 10 miles with your legs, and the final 6.2 miles with your heart. In other words, the first 10 miles is the warmup, where you can actually think and execute your race plan as you had trained. And in New York City, you're riding a high on those 10 miles. Two million spectators screaming your name and cheering you on. The next 10 miles is the workout. Fatigue creeps in and your legs clock in to do the job step after step when you can't think anymore. And those final 6.2 miles, that's what everyone talks about. We'll get to that one in a bit. Thirteen, sore. It's really starting to feel it. Nearly halfway. Feeling it, but I see friends soon again. Here it is, here it is, here it is, here it is. Queensborough. Not usually up to 15 miles, but we've been here before. This is where a lot of people say the race really begins. Brooklyn was absolute magic. Queens was loud and cheerful. And the Queensborough Bridge is silent. This is an infamously tough part of the race. No crowds to keep your energy up, coupled with your legs really starting to fatigue. It's just footsteps and doubts echoing in your head. Mile 16. Knees hurt. There you go, Taylor. Thank you. Mile 17. T-Taylor. Sad day for my enemies. Oh my god, keep it going, girl. Keep going. Everything after this is a new record. We're in the Bronx now. 21. 22. As if to ask you one more time, how badly do you want this? The course saves its most challenging test for last. The long, punishing climb up 5th Avenue at mile 22. You're gonna make it. Thank you. This is uphill here. It doesn't look like it. And now, back to our saying. The final 6.2 miles. You run with your heart. That's when every part of your body is telling you to stop, but you choose to keep going. The saying is, it's about the journey, not the destination. Well, I'm not gonna lie. The destination was pretty sweet. Not too many things move me to the point of immediate tears, quite like this day and this finish line did. And so, my spin on that saying is, destinations matter. They are proof. Evidence that you can do hard things when you commit to them. And every time you decide to show up for yourself, whether it's 26.2 miles or just getting yourself to the gym on a day when you don't feel like it, you add another point to that scoreboard of self-trust. And the beauty of it is, once you hit a destination, a lot of the time, you don't actually feel done. You feel capable. You feel ready for whatever comes next. So, you catch your breath and keep going. Hey, Siri, how many steps have I taken today? 65,320. So crazy.