Run for your life!

self-portrait in Gatorade cups

Yes, someone ran 26.2 miles in THIS.

Vaseline anyone?

Sunday we bundled up to go cheer the NYC marathon as the runners passed through our neighborhood. This year approx 40,000 runners ran, and for the first time they implemented a staggered start. When my friend Julia and I ran it in 2002, we spent the first 12ish miles weaving our way through the crowds and trying not to lose each other. This time there was plenty of elbow room for all, a beautiful sunny and cool day, and the race seemed to spread out FOREVER. But the cheerleader in me waits for this one day per year, and Adam and I managed to rally our 16 month old to stay out for almost four hours cheering. Incredible.

Our first position was right after a hydration station (H20 & Gatorade)and a Red Cross Station (volunteers handing out gobs of Vaseline on tongue depressors). This made for quite an interesting morning. First of all, if you have run a marathon, you know that after you drink fluid, you THROW the cup to the side of the road. This resulted in us getting splashed by lots liquid and baby girl desperately trying to pick up and drink the cups of thousands of runners. She was successful on several attempts. We're awaiting the onset of multiple diseases. Glad we vaccinated.

But the best part was the Vaseline. Chaffing is the worst part of running, esp. when you chafe in those regions that are most delicate (yes, THOSE parts). Many employ the use of Body Glide b/c it will wash out of your clothes, but Vaseline does the job, too. We unabashedly watched runners of all ages, both genders, and different sizes remove clothes and shove hands into bodily cracks and crevices loaded up with petroleum goo to prevent that horrid burning sensation when you get in the shower post-race. It was slightly perv-y, but also fascinating.

The crazies we saw: a man dressed as Marilyn Monroe, a fish, the same old Asian guy we see every year that runs with bells on his ankles (it was his 70th marathon!), a juggler, and, last but not least, a guy running in the infamous Borat bathing suit!

The poor Borat man didn't stop for Vaseline. I can't bear to imagine the chaffing of his man parts after 26.2 miles of running in that....ouch!