MDF(smash)

Outside magazine’s New York Marathon tips

Outside:

MILE 0: Take energy bars and a sports drink to the starting line. The wait is so long, you’ll get hungry.

MILE 1–2: Start slow. Really slow. If you charge up and down the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, it will haunt you later.

MILE 3: Bring a bottle. You need 4 to 6 ounces of salty fluid every 5K or so, but the first stations can be congested.

MILE 6: Soak up the great crowd support along Fourth Avenue. This is the essence of New York.

MILE 8: When there’s no center divide, run in the middle of the road. It’s flatter.

MILE 9–11: Bed-Stuy and South Williamsburg can be quiet. The slight downhill will keep you moving, as will the bands in North Williamsburg.

MILE 13: The midpoint is a few steps from Queens, but treat Mile 20 as the real halfway.

MILE 15: The Queensboro Bridge is the most challenging hill on the course. Keep your heart rate in check, take in the view, and don’t hammer the downhill.

MILE 16.5: Play the First Avenue crowd for energy: Pump your fists, smile for the cameras. Just don’t start sprinting yet, or stop for autographs.

MILE 18: Gel station! Eat one. You’ll need the boost.

MILE 20: The Bronx: The real work starts here. Trust your training.

MILE 23: Stay positive: The long climb up Fifth Avenue breaks champions; it won’t break you.

MILE 24–25: Power through the hills in Central Park, and run tangents on the many curves.

MILE 26.2: No matter how you really feel, raise your arms at the finish. You deserve it.

So basically the tips are to take your time leaving Staten Island, fist-pump frequently, and soak in all the crowds cheering for you. Running the New York Marathon: It’s just like getting cast in “Jersey Shore.”