Training Tip 5: Imagine yourself crossing the finish line

What makes the marathon in NY such a unique experience? For me it was the atmosphere before and during the race. You begin to get a first sense for what you can expect when you approach the Staten Island Ferry at 5:30 am. Its still dark, cold. But the streets are already filling up. Runners, wearing little more than shorts and shirt come out of every corner and fall towards the ferry like sand in an hour glass. I felt at that point I am part of something big, something good and slowly started to wake up.

You can hear every language on the ferry. French, german, japanese... they come from all over the world (or NY for that matter!). Faces feature the flags of the world, nervous smiles and tired eyes. The start is more than 3 hrs away but from now on the intensity is only increasing.

One minute to go. At the foot of the gigantic Verizano bridge. The tension is hard to bear now as 40,000 people want to embark on the race they have trained for and thought about for months, sometimes years. We all scream (senseless and full of strength...) as we make the first steps.

We pass the world as we run through NY. The russian, french, italian parts of Brooklyn - you can tell by the sudden support for the different runners around you, which nationality is living next door. A gospel choir in Fort Green - so beautiful I almost cry. A hip drummer in Williamsburg - so cool. Then my favorite fan, in the industrial parts just before Queensborough bridge. A lonely, dangerous looking fellow at the traffic light. He has brought a chair, not for him to sit on, but for his huge stereo. As I pass I hear Tina Turner shout at me: "Simply the best" ... Heavy legs as I reach the Bronx. The amateur rap artists at the curb make me forget my pain - the next mile, I think, I am running for them. A DJ is spinning the turntables a few minutes later.

I feel like fainting now, three miles to go. I think of giving up when my friends appear at the sideline. The next mile will be for them.

The final two miles. By then you will be in Central Park. ~ 1m people are screaming at you now in all the languages you have ever heard (or not). Before you know it, you have crossed the finish line and the feeling beyond that thin white line is up to you to discover... enjoy.