The Flow: Get Into the Zone In The NYCM
NYC Marathon Course Section: Upper Manhattan, Miles 18-19.5
Upper Manhattan can induce a flow state (AKA “the zone”) during the NYC Marathon with it’s downhill, fuel stations, and crowd support. First Avenue goes on for about 6 miles in the first Manhattan leg of the race. The road feels wider so there is a lot more space to move than there is in Brooklyn and Queens where the running pack is so thick it makes it nearly impossible to set the exact pace you want. In Manhattan you are freer to move as you want. It is very flat to downhill so it’s easy to start speeding up pretty considerably if you’re not careful. For as much as it is downhill now, you’re going to have to climb uphill on Fifth Avenue when you’re more fatigued so be forewarned.
Marathoners Rocking New York Song:
Track #12: The Flow
Time: 1:52
Tempo: 180
Treadmill Elevation: 0.0
NYC Marathon Course Section: Miles 18-19.5: Upper Manhattan
In Marathoners Rocking New York, Sheena gets a little carried away on the upper part of First Avenue. She is feeling so good she gives herself permission to speed up her pace and she feels better and better as she goes. This is the second wave of her runner’s high and she’s feeling on top of the world at this point. It is the experience of being in “flow” or what is sometimes called “the zone,” where time seems to melt away and you feel completely content with what you’re doing.
The Flow Lyrics:
Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi!
VERSE 1
Now, now, I get it now, it’s all coming together right now
Now, now, I finally found the reason why I’m here right now
CHORUS
No one can stop us
From riding this wave
What once seemed so arduous
Is now the thing we crave
This is my flow … Oi! Oi! Oi!
Welcome to my zone … Oi! Oi! Oi!
VERSE 2
Now, now, come with me now, let’s unify our forces now
Now, now, time’s stopped somehow and all that matters is right now
CHORUS
VERSE 3
Now, now, it’s happening now, feels good to be alive right now
Now, now, am I leaving the ground? I might as well be floating right now
CHORUS
This is my flow … Oi! Oi! Oi!
Welcome to the zone … Oi! Oi! Oi! Yea! Yea! Yea!!!
Original photo courtesy of Nurse on the Run
Marathoners Rocking New York is the rock’n’roll-fueled journey of a 70’s punk loving young woman named Sheena. She’s on the cusp of turning 30 with nothing to show for it. Her rock star dreams are not coming true. She succeeded at the downtown party lifestyle but not at keeping a band together. After stumbling on the New York City Marathon with friends, Sheena accepts a drunken dare to run it the following year. To her surprise, and everyone else’s she actually does the training (with a little help) and makes it to the start line on time.
Sheena runs the marathon without music, so Marathoners Rocking New York is the guitar-driven soundtrack going on in her mind as she navigates the course. The songs are influenced by the early punk movement in 1970’s New York with bands like the Ramones, Blondie, The Patti Smith Group, and Television. The album is in an excellent tempo for running playlists and a useful tool for marathon training that can be downloaded through iTunes.