I took a break from writing last week because I was dealing with a nasty cold. It isn’t quite gone yet, but it’s on the way out, thank goodness — I can’t be sick next weekend. Why? Well, it’s Halloween, and I have plans to bake a lot of delicious things, but you don’t have to be in NYC to enjoy Halloween.

You do have to be in NYC, though, to enjoy the NYC marathon, which is happening next Sunday! I’ve made it a point to go out and cheer on the runners every year that the marathon has been run since I moved to NYC, and I plan to be out there this year, too!

Wikipedia tells me that the first NYC marathon was held in 1970 and has been run every year since, except for 2012, when the aftermath of superstorm Sandy led to its cancellation. My dad ran the marathon when I was a kid, long ago enough that I mostly just remember how tired he looked when we met him in Central Park at the end. Maybe that’s why I got so excited my first year in NYC when I realized the marathon route passed just a few blocks from my apartment. Time Warner was giving out bells and I still have mine — it’s pretty useful, because once you get out there and start cheering, you can lose your voice surprisingly quickly!

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NYC marathon 2013

For the last couple years I’ve had friends who were running, and I’m pretty sure I know a few people running this year, too. If you are, send me your bib number and I’ll look for you! There are ways to track runners, making it a lot easier to ensure that you’re at the side of the route when your friend runs by.

But even if you don’t have any friends running, if you live here in the city I highly recommend watching some of the marathon next Sunday. Seeing these runners — from the fastest people in the world right down to the back of the pack — push themselves to run 26.2 miles is inspiring, and while I could never run with them, I can certainly cheer them on. Be careful, though — if you’re like me, you’ll want to stay and make sure that everyone gets cheered for. Last year I went out late and only caught the end of the race. As the clean-up cars came along and the road opened to traffic, there were a few stragglers still running behind, and my friend had a hard time pulling me away from my post. They needed cheerleaders too!

I’ll be out there next Sunday — will you be?