Fitness Adventures: NYC Tunnel to Towers 5K

Yesterday was the Tunnel to Towers 5K from the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to Lower Manhattan. I've mentioned the race and description a few times, but here it is again. This is a brief explanation of who it is in honor of and what happened that day, which was the unfortunate catalyst for this event (from the Tunnels to Towers website):

Stephen Siller, beloved husband and father of five, was a firefighter from Squad 1, Park Slope Brooklyn. On 9/11, he was off-duty, and on his way to golf with his 3 older brothers.

When Stephen heard on his scanner that the World Trade Center had been hit, he turned his vehicle around and headed towards the site. When his truck was prohibited from entering the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, typically of him, he raced on foot towards the site with his gear strapped to his back.

He was last seen alive on West and Liberty Streets where he, more than likely, went looking for his Squad, all of whom perished. The Tunnel to Towers Run retraces Stephen's footsteps on that fateful day.

In running along his path, we honor the memory of all the Firefighters, Police, and EMS workers who performed their duty that day. In running this race, we are reclaiming still another part of the city for all our heroes and for all of those who died on 9/11.

They will never be forgotten!

As you can imagine, it's a pretty emotional event. Some of you have asked me where I was that day, so I'll give you my story. It's nothing spectacular, so continue below if you are not interested...

It was a Tuesday, and truly spectacular day weather wise - sunny with beautiful blue skies. It was my second day on the job in my current position as Clinical Analyst. I was at work, but in Bronxville at the time, sitting in the radiology department. One of the techs walked in and said "A plane hit the World Trade Center". Now, I had no idea of the severity of the situation, and she didn't seem hysterical, so I envisioned a scene akin to a bird flying into a glass window and falling to the ground. A small bird. Sad, but not much an issue. That was how I envisioned it.

Cut to a half hour or so later when we got the news that another plane hit the other tower. I remember looking at my co-worker, who is more like a Mom to me than my own Mom (and another life long NYer from the Bronx) and shooting her a concerned but "WTF?!" look.

We left radiology and went down to the ER to watch the TV. And plenty of other people were there too, all staring in disbelief - watching the thick clouds of black smoke coming out of both towers - and unsure of what to do or what this meant. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. No one moved. Everyone was transfixed on the surreal images being broadcast.

I remember trying to get in touch with my Dad, who I knew was at work in Manhattan at the time (but in another section). But the phones were jammed beyond capacity. I was unable to reach him.

I managed to get in touch with my (then) husband, who hadn't yet left for work (he also worked in Manhattan). He was home, watching TV, telling me the whole city was shut down - bridges, subways - everything. I was relieved he hadn't left for work yet, but still had no idea what was going on or if anyone I knew was in immediate jeopardy. (Eventually I reached my Dad at work. He was fine.)

I had to return to my job - which seemed more insignificant than ever - and try not to think about what was going on. But how could we not? How could we ignore what was going on just 22 miles south of us in the city I loved? To say I was distracted would be an epic understatement. And I told my co-worker I had to go back downstairs and watch the news. Despite it being my second day in this new position, I simply couldn't continue working as if this wasn't happening. And I returned to the ER.

At some point, after the towers fell - which we watched on live TV like most of America - we were allowed to go home. I remember feeling like a zombie on that car ride. (In fact, I felt that way for days. Nothing seemed real. Nothing could process. Nothing made sense.)

I watched the news non-stop for hours that night, even though it was the same horrific images over and over. And I was still in shock and disbelief. I wept long and hard for hours. Days. Weeks. I knew things had changed. We had been violated and life would never be the same again.

Later that week, I donated money to various organizations and goods to the first responders. I remember driving down the West Side Highway with my husband that Friday evening with our donations (bottled water, socks, and other goods). It was 3 days after the incident and I was shocked to see that there was STILL smoke emanating from the disaster - disgusting putrid smoke blowing north from the site.

I eventually realized I didn't personally know anyone that perished that day. Nonetheless, I wept and mourned - for those who tragically lost their lives, for the families & friends of those that did lose someone, and for everyone else affected in some way, for the evil some men are capable of, for the everyday heroes and those who sprang into action when thrust into a situation of such magnitude, for our freedom that was stolen, for the horrors the survivors must have witnessed, for the senselessness of it all and though this may sound silly, I wept for the towers themselves - for the buildings that were destroyed. I knew the city and the skyline would never look the same again, and for that matter, would never BE the same again.

I rarely talk about 'where I was' since I don't have such an interesting story, but since you asked, that's where I was and what I experienced that day.

Back to my 5K though, here is how my day went...

I woke up at 6:30 and left at 7:30. I wore a new shirt that I got from the Sarahs from Wisconsin when I met them in Times Square on Friday night. It says "Cows Love Vegans" I *love* this shirt! Thank you, Sarahs! (I'll show them off in my Wednesday blog. Oh, and if you're wondering, I actually wore Spanx under my workout pants just to help minimize ass/thigh bounce - one thing I hate about running - feeling the weight of my ass and thighs bounce with every step.)

I had to take 2 buses to get to the starting point in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Here I am on the bus-

I arrived in Coffey Park but was already registered, so I didn't need to check in like these late peeps-

Instead I wandered around and took photos-

I found out this is a father & son. I think that's awesome -

I got so excited when I saw a firefighter from Yonkers (I grew up in Yonkers)-

I love this shot of a firefighter overlooking the crowd from the roof of his fire station and the American flag waving in the wind-

At the starting line, moments before beginning-

And we're off! We ran a short distance, turned a corner and there it was, the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel entrance -

I didn't realize the majority of the run is actually *in* the tunnel. Not that I minded, I just didn't realize how long that tunnel was. Here are some tunnel shots.

I stopped only twice in the run. This was the first time, for only a few seconds, to get a clear photo of the people running in the tunnel -

Here is a photo of me, taken while running (and obviously sweating) in the tunnel. It was very hot in there-

Eventually we saw the light at the end of the tunnel...

This was the first time I started to feel emotional - Prior to seeing the end of the tunnel, I tried not to think too much about why I was there or the events that led all of us to be there right now sharing this experience. I told myself to not get over-emotional, to focus on running. But seeing that I was about to emerge on the Manhattan side, I couldn't help but thinking about that firefighter, Stephen Siller, running through that same tunnel on 9/11 - those same walls - that same exit - right where I was right now. I tried to imagine what was going through his mind as he ran through there, with all his gear, his primary thought to just get on the scene to help his unit and rescue people. There were probably so many other thoughts that raced through his head about what was happening, about his squad, and his family - I can't even imagine... I thought about how he must have felt a sense of relief when he realized the exit was approaching and realized he was close to reaching the Towers.

And yet he had no idea he wouldn't make it. He wouldn't make it to the Towers. He wouldn't make it home that night. His family would never see him again.

With those thoughts still in my head, I came out of that tunnel - in Manhattan - to the sight of hundreds of FDNY, NYPD and other servicemen and women lining the streets on both sides. Some held and waved American flags, some were clapping, and some were cheering us on. It was very powerful.

The FDNY lined up on the right side of the street were especially tough to see because they held flags - a flag for each of the 343 firefighters that lost their lives that day - and each flag had an image of one of these 343 men. That number is so huge, it's hard to believe one department in one city could lose that many brave men in one day, but they did. The FDNY alone lost a staggering 343 men that day.

I told myself not to cry, but I was very choked up as I ran past these men and looked at the faces of the men who are no longer with us. "Just concentrate on your breathing, keep running. Keep running", I told myself.

Shortly after that, we ran right past 'ground zero' - site of the former World Trade Center-

After passing the WTC site and continuing on, I stopped for only the second time all day to get a clear shot of the Hudson River-

The closer we got to the finish, the more and more people were out cheering for us. It's blurry, but I'm so glad I was able to snap this shot as I ran past this group -

And rounding that corner, I saw the finish line-

And seconds later, it was over. I crossed the finish line and stopped my heart rate monitor. I was done in 37 minutes and 13 seconds.

I finished very strong. In fact, I had a really good run. From the moment we crossed the starting line, I just kept running. I was even surprised that I kept pace with the majority of the pack - no slower or faster than the majority. And I was pretty impressed with that. I thought I'd be trailing behind the pack, but I wasn't. I was running pretty comfortably.

I actually ran non-stop from the time I started until I felt like I needed to slow down for a bit at one point in the tunnel. When I reached that moment, I looked at my heart rate monitor for the first time since beginning and I was at the 20 minute mark almost on the nose. I had managed to run for 20 minutes straight, just like that run I did the day before I turned 39. I hadn't done it since, so I was really impressed with myself.

I didn't fully stop though, I just slowed down to a very fast walk for about 90 seconds, and then began running again. And I continued to run until I crossed that finish line. Even though this 5K wasn't about time/speed, I was pleased with how I performed and how I felt.

While waiting for the UPS trucks to arrive (where I had checked my bag), I found one of my Twitter/blog followers who I was hoping to meet. This is Trixie. She also lives in Brooklyn, is tattooed with black hair, and is a WW gal who hit goal right around the same time as me (how did I not know her before now, I have no idea). She also lost about 100 pounds! You should check out her bio and her blog, including her recap of the Tunnel to Towers 5K. Hi Trixie!!!

And as luck would have it, while talking to Trixie, another blog/Twitter follower found me! This is Jenn. I knew she was running that day too but wasn't sure I'd find her. Fortunately, she found me! (Jenn, I'm super proud of you, really. You did a great job, and thanks for helping me find my way home. See you at the Mud Run!)

I am only sorry I never had the opportunity to see my other blog reading pal, Susan (the one who let me use her stairs last month). She also did the 5K but I couldn't find her. And my phone was locked up on the UPS truck so I couldn't get in touch with her (or Tweet, or four square for that matter. It was making me nuts!). Susan, congrats to you!! I'm sorry we didn't see each other!

On our way to the UPS trucks to get our things, Trixie, Jenn and I posed for a photo together at the finish line (Thumbs up, ladies, we rock!)-

I took the subway home and when I got off the L in Williamsburg, I said to myself - "You know what? $%#@&! it, I'm running home!" I figured why not? I was in running attire (opposed to my usual heels/tight skirts) and feeling proud and strong and I knew I could run a short 3/4 of a mile, since I had just run 3 miles.

Later that night, in keeping with tradition, I posed for my traditional event t-shirt (*cough cough* gratuitous panty shot) pictures:

Heart Rate Monitor Stats: 

Total Time to Run 5K: 37 minutes, 13 seconds

Time in Heart Rate Zone: 37 minutes, 5 seconds

% of Time in Cardio Zone: 99.78%

Average Heart Rate: 171 (wow, that's really freaking high!)

High Heart Rate: 184 (holy moly!)

Calories Burned: 396

Some fun time stats for the day:
Time spent sleeping the night before: 5 hours

Time it took to get ready: 1 hour

Time it took to get to Red Hook: 1 hour
Time spent in Red Hook before the race began: 1 hour
Time it took for me to run: 37 minutes
Time I waited for UPS trucks: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Time it took to get home:  (just under) 1 hour

I think it goes without say that this was a really fantastic experience and I'm so glad I could be a part of it. I want to thank Susan for suggesting it. I don't think I would have signed up otherwise. And despite the hours it takes getting to and from the event, I would love to do it again next year. It was really moving and unforgettable.

And thank you to the FDNY especially (I have a soft spot for them) but to all the firefighters and first responders everywhere whose job it is to risk their lives every day just to keep us safe. They really are everyday heroes and I don't think they're thanked nearly often enough.

Oh, and if you happen to know any sexy FDNY firefighters who are single, feel free to send them my way... ;)

(the entire set of Flickr photos can be seen here)