Finish Line Medley: You Are Going To Make It
NYC Marathon Course Section: Central Park, Miles 25.5-26.2
In the home stretch of the New York City Marathon, runners leave the park and run along Central Park toward Columbus Circle. At this point the excitement of the crowds reaches a fever pitch. Runners are so close that even if they are hobbling or walking they know they’ll at least make it to the end. Most are able to summon up one last burst of energy just to get them to the finish line as quickly as possible in order to finally stop running! The last .2 miles are back in Central Park and unfortunately uphill. It definitely makes it difficult to speed it up much, but actually seeing the finish line helps numb the exhaustion with one last shot of adrenaline.
Marathoners Rocking New York Song:
Track #17: Finish Line Medley
Time: 2:24
Tempo: 190
Treadmill Elevation: start on 1.0 and raise 2.0 halfway and 3.0 for the last verse.
NYC Marathon Course Section: Miles 25.5-26.2, Central Park South to Tavern on the Green
In Marathoners Rocking New York, as Sheena comes to Columbus Circle, she knows she is going to make it to the end. This cues her imagination to do one final encore to get her to finish line. Picturing her favorite rock stars is one thing, but picturing her own shot at playing to a screaming crowd is the ultimate. In a show there always has to be a big number at the end where the performers give everything to leave the audience reeling. The marathon fans become a rock crowd at CBGB’s losing their minds. In her mind’s eye Sheena blasts them with the Les Paul guitar she’s always wanted through a giant Marshall amp stack. This is the grand finale and she can’t let her audience down. A surge of adrenaline carries her and Sheena gives it everything she’s got. Tears well up in her eyes as she realizes she’s done it: she finished a marathon.
Download “Finish Line Medley” on iTunes
Finish Line Medley Lyrics:
Gather it together, get yourself together.
You’re going to make it so gather it together
When you turn the corner, one more hill
You leave Columbus Circle, then kill that hill
So gather it together, get yourself together
You’re going to make it so gather it together…
ENGINEERING MASTERPIECE
The finish line is up ahead and this tank is not empty yet.
Changing gears to go full speed, push that throttle into overdrive
Go for broke and burn what’s let. In a minute you won’t regret it
One last burst of adrenaline for
CHORUS
Blood and muscle, flesh and sweat, pulsing life with every breath
Inner workings a machine, engineering masterpiece
Verse 2
Stride reduced for efficiency, pulled along by gravity
No up and down or side to side, posture perfectly aligned
One smooth line moving forward and no sign of getting tired.
A steady stream of oxygen to
CHORUS
Bridge
The light at the end of the tunnel draws nearer and nearer – let’s go!
Wheels spin, wheels spin. don’t look back, kick back kick back
Wheels spin, wheels spin. don’t look back, kick back kick back
Wheels spin, wheels spin. kick back, kick back, kick back kick
CHORUS
Original photo courtesy of me
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.