Go Johnny Go

End of the year wrap up: 2010 Goals

2010-12-26T19:45:00.000-05:00

Looking back, I have to count 2010 as a good running year. I came up short of a couple of goals, but I hit a lot as well. Most important, I had a great time running, and feel more fit than I ever have.
Here's how I did on the goals that I set for the year:

1] Requalify for Boston... in Boston.
- Crushed it. Needed a 3:30:59, but ran a PR 3:20:06.

2] 3:20 Marathon
- Got it. Boston 3:20:06, and again in NYC 3:20:37

3] Sub 7 minute pace Half Marathon
- Success at the Brooklyn Half - 1:30:50 (6:56 pace). There was a time when I couldn't run any race sub 7. Now only my marathon PR is slower.

4] 19 minute 5k
- Came up just short on this one. I ran a 19:06 in Maine and 19:05 in the Percy Hutton 5K in NYC. On the upside, I placed 3rd in my age group in both races.

5] Sub 40 minute 10K.
- Although the running calculators rate this as an easier goal than the 19 minute 5K, I didn't come very close on this one. In fact, my PR from December of 2009 still stands. Something must be done. When's the next 10K?

Other highlights:
- Breaking 5:30 at the 5th Avenue Mile. Between running and spectating, this race is always good fun, and feeling good about my time made it that much better.
- Road trip to the National Marathon in D.C. with Tim and Peter. Good friends, good running, good times.

Boston vs New York

2010-11-14T18:32:00.000-05:00

At the New York Marathon last weekend, I hoped to beat my PR from Boston in April, partly because of my training, but partly because I had decided that NYC was an easier course than Boston. It didn't go that way. I went out a bit faster, but hurt more on the last 10k, and ended up 30 seconds slower. I walked away thinking, no, New York is the harder course. It wasn't a PR, but is was an NYC PR, so good for me!

Hmm, it's starting to sound like every time I run a marathon I decide that it was the hardest course ever. Time to get some hard evidence to support my self serving conclusion. Sure, I had lots of ideas. Boston is famous for it's hills, but NYCM has some hills too. NYCM has more turns, and NYCM is more crowded -- a lot more crowded. Turns and crowds definitely through me off my stride, and in theory could account for increased fatigue. Still there must be a more scientific way to compare.

Comparing average times doesn't work, since Boston is mostly runners that qualified by time. So how about course records? Boston has the faster records both for men and women, by about 2 minutes. That might not work either though, since these marathons pay top runners to show up. If one spends more money than the other, they could skew the results. Except for Margaret Okayo.

Margaret Okayo of Kenya holds the course record in BOTH New York and Boston. She won New York in 2001 in 2:24:21, then won Boston in 2002 in 2:20:43, and then repeated in New York with a course record 2:22:31.

So there you have it. New York is the tougher course. Pure science has spoken.

Digging deep at the end of the NYCM

NYC Marathon Race Report - the numbers

2010-11-11T05:56:00.006-05:00

For some reason, it always takes me a while to post about a marathon. Part of it is just that the energy available for extracurricular activities is low. Energy aside though, it's not as easy for me to write up a marathon as it is a 10k or other shorter race.

I think the main obstacle is that there is so much that happens on marathon day, that it's hard to boil it down to a post that captures the essence of the day. Other bloggers have attacked this problem by posting shorter, targeted entries, so I'll give that a try. Here is the short, cold, hard race report:

My goal was to beat my PR of 3:20:06, which I set at Boston in April. I felt in shape to do it, at least by a little, but NYC is a different course. I decided to go with the theory that NYC is an easier course.

My average pace in Boston was 7:38, so I was looking to start at 7:25-7:30. This seemed like it wouldn't be going out too fast, but give me some room to fade at the end.

I stuck to the plan pretty darn well, but by the time I hit mile 20, I was really feeling it. I had to dig really deep for the entire last 10k. My pace slipped quite a bit, but I kept it together and never completely crashed. In the end, I finished 31 seconds slower that in Boston -- 3:20:37. It's unfortunate that I couldn't keep pace enough for a PR, but I'm proud of myself for hanging in for a solid time.

My Garmin was not much use (a story for another post), so the best numbers I have are the splits published by the NYRR. They clocked me at every 5K, and I did the math to get an average pace for each split. A marathon is 42.1 kilometers, so the last entry is for 2.1k.

Interval	Pace
0-5k	7:29
10k-15k	7:19
15k-20k	7:25
20k-25k	7:23
25k-30k	7:31
30k-35k	7:58
35k-40k	8:08
last 2.1k	8:23

What next for Boston?

2010-10-24T12:15:00.002-04:00

On Monday, October 18, registration for the Boston Marathon opened... and closed. The 21,000 slots were filled in 8 hours. The previous year, registration had been open for months before closing, but it closed earlier than expected, which may have played a role in this year's rush.

This raises 2 questions:

What, if anything, will the B.A.A. change for next year?
How what effect will this have on the broader running community?

In this video, Guy Morse of the B.A.A. makes it clear that they are considering all options:

Here are the options that I can think of:

Do nothing. Many hot ticket events work this way -- first come, first served. (yuck!)
Tighten the qualifying standards (including limiting the time window).
Increase the field.
Institute a lottery.

Boston has a lot of prestige in the marathoning world for a number of reasons; it is the oldest U.S. marathon, it is run very smoothly, has a great course and... it has qualifying standards.

The qualifying standards are Boston's defining feature for many of the runners I know, but I'm not sure that the B.A.A. sees it the same way.

If they don't tighten the qualifying times, it will be interesting to see if other marathons try to take Boston's place for qualifying prestige. Last year, the Exeter Marathon ran it's first race with 54 finishers. This race has tougher qualifying times than Boston, and no other way to gain entry. This year, rebranded as the Gansett Marathon, it will certainly grow. On their Facebook page, they reported 3500 hits on their website in the 2 days after Boston closed.

My guess is that other, bigger marathons will notice Monday's blitz, and market themselves with qualifying times. As more and more people take up running, these organizations will come to see qualifying times not as a way to restrict the field, but as a way to promote an event.

At any rate, it seems clear that marathoners are both increasing in numbers and getting more interested in performance. All good in my book.

Marathon Mojo

2010-10-23T15:45:00.002-04:00

At mile 24 of this year's Boston Marathon, there were some unusual thoughts running through my head. The race was going really well. I was on track for a finish time that I would be very happy with, but it was getting harder and harder to hold pace. In order to summon the will to press on, I promised myself plenty of rest and reward at the end. Strangely, it occurred to me that I would be running yet another marathon in New York, and that thought made me weary -- even though New York was 6 months away.

So, I made myself a deal. If I could keep pace to the end, I would just jog the New York Marathon at an easy pace. After a few hundred more yards, I modified the bargin. I would skip New York entirely.

I finished Boston on pace, and very happy. After a short recovery period, I began training and racing again, but shorter races only. My marathon mojo was gone. I knew it would probably return at some point, but it was not clear that it would be back in time for New York.

Well, long story short, my marathon mojo did return, and I'm very excited about the marathon, now just 2 weeks away.

Training has gone well, including plenty of long runs culminating in a full 26.2 mile training run last weekend. I reached the taper without any issues with injury, and now I just need to get myself to the starting line with fresh legs.

I've done an about-face on the deal I made myself in Boston. Not only am I running, but if the weather cooperates, I'll be looking for a PR.

At this point, I think my biggest challenge will be keep a cool head at the start. I'm in the Local Competitive Start this year, which means that I will probably be standing next to folks that will be taking off at much faster speeds than I should. I'll just have to ignore them, and run my own race. If I can do that, I have a feeling that it's going to be a blast. Hope to see you there!

Museum Mile

2010-09-26T18:01:00.003-04:00

Today was my favorite race of the year -- the 5th Avenue Mile. It runs from the Metropolitan Museum to Central Park South, and to me it is a celebration of what it is to be a runner in New York.

The race is run in many heats, separated by gender and age, and at the end features separate races for local elites and international professionals. I love to run this race, but the format also allows me to watch it. I get to see the top runner over 70 break the tape, and I get to watch some of the fastest runners in the world.

I missed last year's race (grrr!), which meant that I had 2 years of training to beat my previous best time. I was pretty sure I could do it, but I really didn't know what to expect. It's the only race under 5K that I run, so how could I know? At the 5th Avenue Mile, that unknown just adds to the fun. My time from 2 years ago was 5:52. This morning, I fired up the McMillan Running Calculator, and entered my best 5K time. Mr. McMillan predicted a time of 5:30 today. It seemed a bit ambitious, but there was only one way to find out.

I met PL at 9AM to jog down to the start, where we picked up our numbers and began spectating. After seeing one group start, we headed to the finish line where the real fun is. It was inspiring to see the younger runners, but soon it was time to jog back up to the start for my heat. There are no corrals for this race, so you just have to guess where you should be standing at the start. Too close to the line, and I would just get run over by faster runners. Too far, and I would get hung up in traffic. Being 49 in the 40-49 heat, I had to be a little conservative.

Before long, the gun went of and we were running. And when I say running, I mean really letting it fly. I was going as fast I would in pretty much any speed workout, and it felt great.

I finished the first quarter in 1:19 -- faster than I can recall ever running that distance. The second quarter, which was uphill came in at 1:27. The third quarter was downhill at 1:22. From there it flattened out, but I felt great, and managed a 1:21 to finish at 5:29, a 23 second PR. Props to the McMillan Running Calculator for nailing my time within one second.

I felt great after the race, and had a blast watching the rest of the heats with fellow Flyers SJ, GM, KM and NYFlyGirl. We saw TH and PL both PR in the next heat, and all the amazing runners that followed, including awesome performances in the 60-69 and over 70 groups.

Then came the local elites and the pros, who blew us away with their athleticism. Both the men's and women's pro races were down to the wire, with multiple contenders. It was a blast.

Afterward, I put in some easy miles in the park with TH and PL. All in all, a great day.

Next weekend, it's back to running long - November 7 is coming up, and my NYCMarathon mojo is back!

Training Race

2010-09-19T14:38:00.003-04:00

Today was the NYRR Marathon Tune-Up, an 18 mile race in Central Park with the stated purpose of helping folks prepare for the NYC Marathon. The course is three loops in the park, and is well supported including timing, water, and everything else associated with an NYRR race.

Although people train for the marathon with many long runs, folks don't generally race any distance closer to a marathon than a half marathon, so it makes sense for the NYRR to provide something to bridge the gap.

Still, I've always used this event as a supported training run, rather than a race. At this point in the process, it feels like an 18 mile race would be too much of a disruption in training. I was down for a 22 mile long run this weekend. If I raced hard for 18 instead, would I be able to do the 22 next weekend? Maybe if I was more ahead in my schedule, or if I was younger or fitter, but as things are, I think it would set me off course.

Instead, I ran the 18 at a moderate pace, chatting with PL most of the way, and then picked up to marathon pace for an extra 4 miles. It felt good -- challenging, but not too much.

I got the impression that I was not alone in not racing this race. In any given NYRR race, there is probably a decent number of folks who aren't really pushing (say 30%?), but in this race, my guess is that the vast majority of the 4,597 finishers were training rather than racing. What do you think, 85%? Of course, this could just be me assuming that most people think as I do... How could they not?

Percy Sutton Harlem 5K

2010-08-21T17:00:00.004-04:00

Today was the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K, a race run by the NYRR, but not in their home stomping grounds of Central Park. I was my second chance at hitting my 2010 goal of running a sub 19 minute 5K.

Having just run a 19:06 in Maine, the goal seemed within reach, but I didn't know the Harlem course, so it was hard to predict what might happen.

It turned out to be a beautiful morning -- the weather has been brutal in NYC this summer, and this morning was a welcome break. I jogged the 2.3 miles up to the start where I met up with MC. The start area was really nice. We hung out in St. Nicholas Park until it was time to enter the corrals. There, we met up with DK, completing the Fearsome 3 (OK, I just made that up, but it's sure to catch on). We also saw JEF (no, not Jeff, J.E.F), one of my Flyer idols.

The pre-race announcements went on longer than usual, and I started to get antsy. Then, when the starter asked "do we have clearance on the roadway?!", the answer came back "no!". That was a first for me. The delay wound my springs up some more, and when the horn finally sounded, I took off like a lunatic. I flew by JEF (a sign of very bad judgement) in the first few hundred yards. I knew it wasn't right, but there was no stopping it.

After a half mile, we hit the one big uphill in the course, and it was a steep one. I hit mile one at the top of the hill in 6:10. I would have to pick it up from there, but there was only flat and downhill ahead.

Mile two took me 6:18, which surprised me a bit, since it was flat, and I didn't feel like I had slowed down. Then came a big downhill and the sprint to the finish. I did mile 3 in 5:59 -- it wasn't looking good for breaking 19 minutes.

In the end, I had a 19.05 -- a one second PR. It still blows my mind that on a completely different course, a different day, different... whatever, I race for 5K within a SECOND of my last time. How does that happen?

DK, MC and I jogged home together, and MC pointed out buildings in Harlem that he had been looking at. They looked really nice. Just a few minutes jog to Central Park, in what looked like an up and coming neighborhood.

When I got home and checked the official results, I saw that I was 3rd in my age group, and on the awards page, it listed me as 2nd (!). The reason appears to be that the fastest guy in my age group finished 2 overall, so they aren't giving him the age group award as well.

So, on one hand it's really exciting to place in an NYRR race for the first time, but at the same time, it's really humbling to look at this 2nd place overall finish. This is a 45 year old guy, running a 5K at a sub 5 minute/mile pace. That is crazy. His AG% is 92.5. So much for me claiming to be "fast for an old guy".

As for the sub 19 goal, the NYRR only has one more 5K on the calendar, the December 11 NYRR Holiday Run in Brooklyn. That's cutting it a little close...

Team Championships

2010-08-08T14:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the annual NYRR Team Championships race. It's a race I don't usually make, as it falls on a weekend when I'm out of town. This year however, we came back a few days early and I was able to run.

The event is limited to runners who are members of the local competitive clubs, and double points are awarded toward the club points standings. I've mentioned before on this blog the difference in the competition at points races vs non-points races, but this uberpointsrace is the toughest of them all.

In pretty much any other NYRR race I'm assigned to the first starting corral with the fastest runners, but in this race I was in the fourth corral. No doubt about it, when everybody shows up, there are a lot of fast runners in this town.

Although my PR for this distance (5 miles) was just 6 weeks old, I felt that I had a shot at it, as I've been getting faster, and the weather was a bit cooler than it had been in June.

The first mile of the course covered all of the rolling West Side Hills, and it was hard to judge how I was doing. I seemed to be passing a lot, which could be good or bad. I decided to assume good. Then fellow Flyer Crazy B came up from behind (?) and passed me. I wasn't quite sure what to make of that, as I would have expected him to be way out in front by then. Was I going out too fast? Or was he starting cautiously?

I hit the mile one mark at 6:18, which felt like good news. That gave me a 12 second buffer on PR pace, with one of the toughest miles behind me.

I decided to hold effort or even ease off a bit, and see how the second, downhill mile would turn out. I came in at 6:24 -- slower, but still increasing the buffer to 18 seconds. My time slipped again for mile 3 to 6:30 (PR pace), and I was feeling tired. The relatively cool morning was starting to heat up, at least for me, and although I wasn't hurting much physically, my mental stamina was slipping.

I started making deals with myself to keep going. This is what I do when my fortitude starts to go. I felt an obligation to run my best for the team, but let's be reasonable -- I mean, just exactly how fast did I have to go? Surely, they couldn't expect much more than my fastest 5 miles ever? So, if I could hang on to the PR, that would do. No need to go crazy. Just don't use up the whole buffer you've built up.

Of course the whole exercise was absurd, because the Flyers only expectation was that I have a good time and hang out for the team photo, but the deal making was keeping me going so I went with it.

Amazingly, I got through the Cat Hill mile in 6:37 -- still ahead of PR pace, and with nothing but downhill to the finish. After a thousand Cat Hill repeats (give or take) with the 6AM group, Cat Hill is just not the obstacle it used to be.

I continued to conserve however, knowing that I would want to have something left for the finish. Because the men and women race separately in this event, there is a great cheering section at the end of the course, with each club yelling for their teammates. I went through the gauntlet feeling good, and finished strong (6:23 for mile 5).

That left me with a PR of 32:13 (6:26/mile), 10th place amongst the Flyer men -- the last scoring position in the open class.

Afterward, my family showed up, and we watched the women race and then enjoyed the Flyer picnic and team photo. Good times.

One footnote: Crazy B finished over a minute ahead of me, as I would expect. Apparently, he just wasn't going with my "strategy" of start fast and painfully, gradually slow down each mile ;-)

On a Roll

2010-07-25T11:23:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ran the Run for the Sun 5K in Brunswick, Maine. It was small race -- just over 200 runners -- with a really good vibe. The course was mostly flat -- an out and back with just one hill, going down at around the 3/4 mile mark, and back up on the return with less than a mile to go.

In the first mile, a lead pack pulled ahead, followed (not closely) by one older (my age) guy, and then me. I felt that I was running well, with a sustainable effort level. I was very surprised, therefore, at the one mile mark, to hear a course worker calling splits "5:40! 5:42!" and as I approached "5:45!"

I was almost laughing, thinking that these small town folks probably couldn't tell a mile from a kilometer, when my Garmin beeped -- 5:45. The fastest mile I've ever run. My mile PR is 5:52. OK, that is from 2008, but still. My 5K PR pace was 6:26.

I had no idea what was going on. My best guess was that mile 1 was a lot more downhill than I had realized. I decided to just maintain effort, and see what happened.

After the turn around at the halfway point, folks started to pass me. I still felt that I was running well, so I wasn't too worried about it. I did, however, notice three guys go by me that looked like they could be in my age group, which was a little disappointing, as I had secret hopes of an age group award.

Mile 2 passed in 6:17, quite a bit slower, but more in line with what I was expecting to begin with. Soon after that, came the one tough uphill in the course. It was really two uphills, separated by a short plateau. As we approached the hills I notice that I was gaining on the folks that had passed me earlier. On the hills, I picked them off one by one, including the guy that had been ahead of me the whole time. As far as I could tell, I was the first runner over 40. In fact, since the lead pack (now long gone) had looked like a bunch of kids to me, I thought I might the the first runner over 30 (I was apparently delirious). Mile 3 passed in 6:18.

All I had to do was hold my place to the end. I felt that I could keep running hard, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold off anyone who had a real finish line kick. And... there was a runner on my heels. He was lining me up for a finish line pass -- I could feel it. As we approached the finish, I pushed as hard as I could, but the footsteps were right behind me the whole way. Miraculously, he never made the pass, and finished right behind me.

My final time was 19:06 (6:09/mile) -- a 51 sec PR -- 17 seconds a mile. Moreover, it put my most ambitious goal for 2010, a sub-19 5K, within reach. I was feeling really good.

Of course, my age-guessing skills were not as strong as I thought. There were two runners over 30 in the lead pack, one of whom finished second, in 15:47. And there was one 42 year old who finished 4 seconds in front of me. I can't believe that I didn't notice him.

That still got me a 2nd place age group medal -- the first hardware other than a finisher's medal that I've ever taken home. Yes, it was a small race, but I'll take it.

The guy that finished right behind me was, in fact, in my age group, meaning that the 3 top runners in our group finished within 5 seconds of each other - 19:02, 19:06 and 19:07.

When the awards were given out, I was amazed by how young the winner in my age group looked. Also, one of the guys who I passed in the last mile, won the 50-59 age group. I had him pegged at 40.

My take-away is that fast guys look younger than they are. All the more reason to keep training....

Bringin' the Heat

2010-07-17T21:34:00.003-04:00

Today's 4 miler was a club points race, which meant that the fast runners were out. It was also 82 degrees at 9AM when the race started, which suggested that we would all be slower than usual.
The NYRR announcers in the staging area and at the start must have said "today is not the day for a PR" 20 times. Bah Humbug. I had done 27x200 with the 6AM group on Tuesday, and I was feeling fast.
I went out at a pace that felt reasonably conservative, and was happy to hit mile 1 at 6:16 -- 9 seconds ahead of PR pace.
Mile 2: 6:18
Mile 3: 6:31
Mile 4: 6:18

I ended up with a 22 second PR.
Official results:

25:26 (6:21/mile) - 75.1% AG.

I was 13th place in my age group, which is the best I've done in a points race. I also scored for the Flyer in the open and masters classes.

I was really pumped to PR in this tough heat. I'm hoping that when the weather cools, there will be more speed to come. According to the Runworks calculator, my race was the equivalent of a 6:09 pace in ideal temps. That seems pretty generous, but I do think I can step it up when the temps cool.

In the mean time, I've taken action to cool things down by driving to Maine. I'll be training up here for the next three weeks. Hopefully, this crazy heat will have passed by the time I get back!

Denied!

2010-07-14T17:46:00.005-04:00

Well, the mystery is solved - I placed 4th in my age group for last week's race. Due to a glitch in the results, it looked like I might have been 3rd, which would have been my first age group award, but alas, it was not to be. The NYRR fixed the error, and it didn't play in my favor.

To be honest, it wasn't really a fast enough run to justify an award anyway. The three guys ahead of me were pretty far ahead.

That said, I'm getting closer. In 2010, I've been in the top 10 of my age group in 4 NYRR races, including the 4th last week, and a 5th in a 4 miler in May. In January, my chances will get much better, since I move up an age group. That won't stop me from trying in the mean time though.

Thanks to the folks who offered congrats -- don't worry, I'll get there!

Dare to Dream?

2010-07-10T16:51:00.003-04:00

On Thursday, I ran a cross-country 2x2 mile relay in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. For years, I've been wanting to run one of the summer 5Ks that the VCTC puts on there. It was my 6AM training partner JH that finally got me there. He wanted a partner for the relay, and we made a natural team.

After we signed up we looked at our bibs, and tried to decipher the "M91" that was written on them. Finally, we figured out that 91 was our combined ages. Yikes.

I went first, not really knowing what to expect. It was my first off road race. I was told that there was only one hill, and my leg was only 2 miles, so how hard could it be?

Well, the hill was a country hill, not a wave in the road like I'm familiar with. On the way up, my quads were burning but I passed three people -- one guy about my age, and the two lead women. On the way down, they all passed me back. It was so steep going down, that I thought I was going to go head over heels at any moment. At the end of my leg, I felt like I was finishing strong, and I really liked the "high five" that I gave JH to send him on his way -- it was much more satisfying than an awkward baton pass. That's the way they roll in the Bronx.

JH ran well, and finished with an impressive kick. It was great to see him come in.

Flyers SS and RG (above) took second in the over 100 combined age group. The winning team had a combined age of 32. I guess there was no post race beer for them...

Today was the Dash and Splash 10K, which I targeted as an early attempt at my 2010 goal -- weather permitting. Well, weather was definitely NOT permitting. After the race, my iPhone told me it was 80 degrees. At mile 4, it seemed like 90.

Still, I put out a "good effort" and finished with a 6:40/mile pace. Since the weather scared away a lot of the faster (sissy) runners, I placed higher than usual. When I checked the results, I was 4th in my age group, but FA emailed me saying that the awards page had me at 3rd. I checked again, and saw that indeed I was the 3rd runner listed, but for some reason the fastest guy was labeled as 2nd place, pushing the rest of us back one place. There was no 1st place runner listed.

So did I place 3rd, and win my first ever age group award? We'll have to wait and see. Stay tuned, to find out!

60 Mile Week, and The Plan

2010-07-04T15:58:00.003-04:00

This week, I ran my first 60 mile week. My longest run was only 13.5, but I ran 6 days, averaging 10 miles per run. Breaking 60 was not a goal, but ramping up the mileage with medium, rather than long runs was a goal. I just checked my log and I found that in the last year I've run 18 weeks with mileage over 50. I've even had a couple of 59 mile weeks, so this was not completely out of the blue.

By the way, I log my runs using the free online tool at RunningAhead.com. This tool makes it easy to look back and get info like this. I highly recommend it.

Time to set my next target races...

My remaining goals for 2010 are 5K and 10K times.

This weekend is the NYRR Dash & Splash, a 10K in the park, and the timing is right for an early try at the 10K goal, which is to break 40 minutes. It is a stretch, but given perfect weather, I think that I would have an outside chance. Unfortunately, perfect weather does not appear to be what is coming. Current predictions are for hot, hot, hot.

Just the same, I'd like to get closer to the mark, so that the next time a 10K comes around, it seems within striking distance.

For the 5K, I will make my first attempt at the 2010 goal at the Harlem 5K Run in August. I haven't run this one before, but I'm hoping for a flat course. I'll need one.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T10:51:00.003-04:00

The first race I signed up for this week was the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. In December, the startup that I was working for was bought by BNYMellon, with fields a team of 250 runners for the event. Unfortunately, the "Challenge" in "Corporate Challenge" was very different than I expected. My race number, chip and t-shirt were sent via inter-office mail, and were hopelessly lost. I did what I could to find the package, but veteran employees tipped me off that my chances were not good. I could have showed up and run "for fun", but somehow I just wasn't inspired to run a timed race without being timed...

Instead, I turned by focus to today's Father's Day 5 miler in the park. I felt good for this one, but the weather was looking a little warm. My PR was from Jan 2009, which meant I should be able to beat it, but January was probably a bit cooler weather...

The start went smoothly -- for me, anyway. About 50 yards or so into the race I heard noise, and looked to my right in time to see a runner hit the ground hard. The noise that I had heard must have been contact between runners before the fall. Somehow it didn't turn into pile up, although I have no idea how. The guy was on his back, and perpendicular to traffic, which at that point was still very dense. I looked like it really hurt. I redirected my attention to my own position and hoped the runners around me did the same. It would have been easy for rubber necking to have caused another collision.

Continuing on, I saw Flyer JF not to far ahead, and I seemed to be keeping up, or even catching him. JF is very fast, and I normally don't see him until after the race. This meant one of 3 three things: 1] I had suddenly become super fast (dream on), 2] He was having a slow day (more likely) or 3] I was going out WAY too fast. (bingo!).

I hit the mile 1 marker at 6:17. Given that my PR pace was 6:37, this may have been juuuuuust a tad too quick. I tried to relax and settle in, resulting in splits of 6:24, 6:40 (uphill mile), and 6:30.

Right before the mile 4 marker, I came up on a runner who looked my age, or probably older. We greeted each other with the secret exchange of two older guys congratulating each other on being up there with the young folk. He pulled into a water stop, caught back up with me, and offered me one of the two cups he had snagged. This, at a point in the race when most folks were really starting to hurt. What a guy. After a bit, I moved ahead, but I had the feeling I had not seen the last of him. With about a quarter mile to go, the heat and aggressive running caught up with me, and I thought for a moment that my race might end prematurely. I held steady and got through that moment (whew). With about 100 yards to go, the guy who had offered me water went flying past. I thought about trying to catch him, but only briefly. After the finish I congratulated him on the awesome hot weather kick, and we talked for a while. He coaches High School track in CT, and I really enjoyed chatting with him. He made references to his retirement age, which made me realize that he was older than I had thought -- even more impressive. I just checked the results, and he is 9 years older than me, finished 4th in his age group (in a points race!), and had a 80% AG. That's who I want to be when I grow up.

I ended up with a 32:30 (6:30 pace), a PR for 5 miles. I was 15th of 380 men in my age group -- much better than usual for me in a points race. I'm very pleased with this result, especially given the heat, and I'm really looking forward to continuing my focus on these shorter distances.

Fantasy Run

2010-05-22T17:14:00.002-04:00

I was looking forward to the Brooklyn Half Marathon today, but I was also worried.

Last year, I found the course to be very challenging. The first half is run in Prospect Park and is quite hilly. The second half, in contrast, is a flat, straight line down Ocean Parkway. It is this second half that intimidates me. With no turns, no elevation changes, and nothing to see on the side of the road, the only landmarks are the mile markers and the sound of feet hitting the street. With no hills, there is also no reason to change your stride. You just have to keep going and going and going.

Over the last few days I tried to think of a strategy, but came up with nada. Then, today, as I exited the park and passed the mile 7 marker, a plan suddenly came to me. With six miles to go, I decided to pretend that I was running a Central Park loop.

I imagined myself starting with the 6AM group at West 72nd, and running down the hill onto Park Drive. For the next mile and a half I was running the rolling hills on the West Side. Then came the steep incline up Harlem Hill. I shortened my stride (really!), and told myself that it was natural to feel tired at this point. After I topped "the hill", I opened my stride up for the downhill, and told myself to let the speed come.

Believe it or not, this really worked. The miles flew by. Before I knew it, I could see the boardwalk, and the race was nearly over. I had held pace, and I had more in the tank.

I crossed the finish line completely pumped up, in 1:30:50 (6:56/mile) -- a 2:38 PR, and meeting my 3rd 2010 goal -- to run a Half Marathon at a sub 7:00 pace.

Something in the air....

2010-05-09T12:26:00.009-04:00

I went into this morning's Mother's Day 4 Mile race not sure exactly what to expect from myself. I was not targeting this race, but it seemed like a good chance for a post marathon speed check. Before I left home, I checked my current PR at this distance, and was surprised to find that it has come 3 weeks after the NYC Marathon. Hmm... so much for that excuse...

I felt very good off the start, but soon my lungs began to burn. I haven't had this feeling in a long time, and I couldn't figure out why it was happe

ning. The first mile marker came up at 6:29. Knowing full well that miles 1 and 3 are the slow ones in this course, I felt good about my start. Mile 2 was in 6:24, which put me right on PR pace. Mile 3 took 6:33 (no surprise). All I needed was a quick downhill last mile to get the job done.

At this point though, not only were my lungs burning, but I was starting have problems with phlegm build up. I to frequently clear my throat in order to avoid inhaling fluid (sorry if this is TMI). Still I was able to pull out a 6:15 for the last mile, PRing by a couple of seconds. I was feeling good about the results -- all I needed was some water to put out the fire. As I walked down the line of water cups, I was dismayed to find that each and every cup had a layer of schmutz floating on the surface. Eventually, I just grabbed one and poured some out, hoping for the best.

Afterwards, PL mentioned that he had the same issue with his lungs, and we, along with DG, tried to figure out what it was. It took a while, but eventually we realized that the pollen in the air was as thick as snow in a blizzard. The gusty wind was probably shaking loose every last bit of pollen in the park. The intense pollen also accounted for the schmutz layer on the water. At least it was organic schmutz...

Official results: 25:43 (6:25/mile)

114th of 4765 overall

5th place of 207 men ages 45-49

74.3 AG%

Run Faster

2010-04-24T09:19:00.003-04:00

Today, I ran for the first time since Boston, and it felt great. I did a nice loop with the Saturday 7AM group, and it seemed like a fresh start.

It's now time to put Boston, and marathon training to bed for a bit, and look forward. Let's review the goals that I set out for 2010:

Re-qualify in Boston (3:30:59) - AG: 65.51 **DONE**
3:20 Marathon (7:38 pace) - AG: 68.77 % **DONE**
Half Marathon at sub 7 minute pace. (1.31) - AG: 72.67 %
Sub 40 minute 10K. (6:27 pace) - AG: 76.16 %
Sub 19 minute 5K (6:07 pace) - AG: 77.07 %

Taking them in order the Half Marathon is next, and what better excuse to target the Brooklyn Half, which is on May 22. It is very lucky that my training and racing goals are pointing me toward this race, which is one of my all time favorites. All the miles that I've put in for marathon training should set me up well. As I get back into training, I'll shift the focus toward speed work a bit, and I should be in a good position to go for my goal.

If I hit my goal in Brooklyn, I'll gradually target short distances, and increase the focus on speed. The last two goals (10k and 5k) will be tough, but I've got all year, right? I'll just have to run faster.

Boston Marathon 2010

2010-04-20T16:25:00.006-04:00

Short story -- I had a blast in Boston. I PRed, and checked two of my 2010 goals off the list (requalify, and run a 3:20 marathon). The event lived up to the hype, and my family came through in a big way.

Here are some photos that tell a small part of the story.

At the Expo with fellow morning runners.

On my way home from pasta dinner the night before, I walked right into this bad omen on the streets of Cambridge.

The worlds biggest and best pre marathon breakfast (thanks Sis). Eggs, chicken sausage, oatmeal with raisins, bagel, juice and coffee.

With the folks after the race.

2010-04-19T16:56:00.001-04:00

Boston in 3:20:06
:)

Ready, Set

2010-04-15T18:13:00.002-04:00

Central Park is a runner's paradise. The Cherry trees are blooming, and I'm tapering. That combination makes for some very enjoyable runs.

The weather for the Boston Marathon on Monday looks promising, and I have never felt this prepared. It's going to be a blast.

I ran a full 26.2 with four weeks to go, and 20 miler with two weeks to go. When it was over, I felt fine. No soreness. No exhaustion.

Since then, I've toned it down gradually. I feel more healthy than I ever have.

Unless the weather takes a serious turn for the worse, it looks like I'll be really going for it on Monday. Of course, there's a good chance that I'll crash and burn, but for some reason, that prospect doesn't bother me.

I'm looking forward to seeing my sister and her family in Boston, and my parents will be there as well. After the race, there will be a get together of Flyers. It's going to be a fun trip.

Hot Weather Training

2010-03-25T20:42:00.003-04:00

The Boston Marathon is on April 19th, a time of year when the weather is completely unpredictable. If it turns out to be a cold day, I'm ready. Rainy -- who cares? Of course, we all know that the problem is that is could be hot. Last weekend, I ran a marathon on a day that hit 70 (gasp!), and I got the picture. If it had gone to 80, it would have been a problem.

Now, I'm not a guy that's going to just roll the dice. So I grabbed a flight to a Caribbean island (I can't release the name) that is just 20 miles north of Venezuela. Here I'll train in the heat in order to be ready. Sure, some would say that I'm taking a vacation with my family when I should be training for the marathon, but I'm calling it my family tagging along on a training trip.

This morning was my first run in the heat, and ouch -- it was tough. I thought that heading out at 7:30 AM would protect me from too much sun and heat, but I was mistaken. With two miles to go on a six mile run, I was worried about sunburn and dehydration. The main concern though, was that I was sluggish (dying) from start to finish. The heat just sucked the get-up-go right out of me.

After I got back, I was forced to indulge my family with a day of lying on the beach, snorkeling and fine dining. If that's what it takes to get the training in, then that's what I'll do.

Tomorrow, I'll go out earlier. Hopefully, it will be cooler and my body will have acclimatized somewhat. If not, I may have to move at least some of training indoors (!).

Getting the Job Done in D.C.

2010-03-21T10:34:00.008-04:00

This weekend, Peter, Tim and I went to D.C. for the National Marathon. That's right, a road trip, a boys weekend.

The common time goal was 3:50, which would be a PR for both Peter and Tim. I was the pacer. My goal, aside from helping my friends as best I could, was to go the distance without getting beat up. It was to be a training run in preparation for Boston, which is 4 weeks out. If I ran myself into the ground, it would defeat the purpose.

We took the train down on Friday, and when we arrived in D.C. we were greeted by a gorgeous Spring day. We decided to walk from Union Station to the expo, which was really nice, but was a bit longer than we had planned. After picking up our numbers, we took a subway to the mall, and did a little sight-seeing.

We then met up with Peter's parents, who took us to their place, fed us well, and sent us to bed early. When we got up at 4:15AM, breakfast was cooking.

I'm big on eating a lot before a marathon, but usually it's bagels and peanut butter etc that I set aside the night before. Here it was eggs, toast, oatmeal and on and on. I was in heaven.

When we got to the staging area, we were all struck with the how different it was from the NYCMarathon (none of the three of us had every run a marathon but NYCM). The staging area was INSIDE (!), and the wait was a fraction of what it is in NY. Of course, the number of participants was also a fraction of the NYCM number. I woke up at about the same time that I would for the NYCM, but the race started 3.5 or 4 hours earlier.

The start was a little rough. They don't have corrals, just pace signs for people to ignore when they line up. Also, there are more than twice as many half marathoners as there are full marathoners in the mix.

In the corral, we saw a 3:50 pace group and agreed to follow them, at least for a while. During the crowded early miles, we couldn't really run together, so we just tried to keep an eye on each other, and watch the pace group as a reference. By mile 4, I had lost both Peter and Tim. I kept close to the pace group, and thought I would see them at any minute, but as the miles passed, the hope faded. I ran ahead, dropped back and did everything I could think of, but they were gone.

At mile 13, the halfers split off to finish, and the field suddenly dropped to a fraction of what it had been. One effect of this was that my field of vision was greatly increased, and at around mile 14, I spotted Tim way ahead. I picked up my pace and caught him -- in time to be there to support him for the tough miles. He told me that Peter even further ahead, which I was glad to hear. At around mile 23, there was a big out-and-back, and we saw Peter coming back, ahead of the 3:45 pace group, and looking very strong. We all cheered each other, and braced ourselves for the tough final miles.

As Tim and I approached the finish, I could see it was going to be down to the wire. I did everything I could to encourage him, but talking to a marathoner at mile 26, you can never tell if you are helping or just irritating him. When the finish line came into sight, Tim kicked, and we flew across the line at 3:49:55. I love it when a plan comes together.

Peter finished in 3:48:13, so both of them came away with big PRs.

As for me, I was tired, but not beat up. My legs felt really solid. I think I can count it as a run that will build my strength, rather than tear it down.

We went back to Peter's folks', got showered and fed, and Peter's father drove us to the train station. It was a fun ride back -- we return victorious!

(More photos of the trip)

Battling the Elements, or 8 kilometers = 4.97096954 miles

2010-03-13T10:51:00.003-05:00

Today was the NYRR 8000, an 8K race in Central Park. Weather predictions were pretty rough, but I was gung-ho to race.

Standing in the corral, I overheard a lot of talk about it not being a good day for a PR. It was cold, rainy and windy, but it still seemed to me like a decent day to run. I know that heat slows me down, and really, really cold temps are tough, but I didn't really know what effect today's weather would have.

Technically, to PR I would have to beat the 6:43 pace that I ran at last year's 8000. Really though, my 5 mile best of 6:37/mile was the mark to beat (8 kilometers = 4.97096954 miles).

At the sound of the horn, I went out at what felt like a brisk pace. As we crossed the transverse, a big gust of wind hit us from the north. A few seconds later, we turned south, and the wind was at our backs. My first mile clocked at 6:43 -- exactly my PR from last year's 8000. The next mile was downhill, and the pace improved to 6:24. I was cheered on by a gaggle of Flyers, and in mile three, more or less flat, I ran 6:34. Things were looking up.

We turned north just before the 3 mile mark, so we were facing a substantial headwinds along with tough hills. I knew that I would lose some time, but I was still surprised to see my mile 4 split of 6:57. I got a boost from another (even bigger) cheer from the group of Flyers, who were running the other way, and the last 0.97 miles came in at 6:38.

My official time was 33:16 (6:41/mile). This was an 8K PR, but was 10 seconds off my 5 mile best (33:06), even though 8K is slightly shorter.

So, the question is.... how much does rain and wind matter? I certainly noticed the headwind, but did it really slow me down? And didn't the tailwind make up for it? When I got home, my shoes were pretty wet... that could make a difference.

One thing the weather did not mess up was the pleasure of racing. I gave it my all and had a lot of fun, so I'm going to call it a good day and leave it at that.

Always Do the Right Thing

2010-03-07T12:01:00.002-05:00

This morning was Coogan's Salsa, Blues & Shamrocks 5K, one of my favorite events on the NYRR schedule. This year, I decided to prioritize marathon training, so I ran long the day before the race. I knew this meant that I wouldn't be able to shoot for a PR, but I planned to show up just the same.

When I woke up this morning, my half-asleep wife was surprised that I was heading out to run. She had seen how beat I was after yesterday's long run. When she said "again??", her voice had an uncharacteristic edge to it. Here's how "again??" expanded in my imagination:

You go long yesterday, and you are useless for the rest of the day, and now you're going to go race, hurt yourself, and be a whiny-ass b*tch for the next 3 weeks 'cause you can't run? Fine. Whatever, moron.

OK, my wife doesn't talk like that. But the little voice in my head does.

I had promised to meet PL at the race and hang afterwards, so I went. Instead of running, though, I just spectated. After the race, I had breakfast with PL, who PRed by the way, and felt great about my decision. Always do the right thing.

Coogan's, by the way, is a great race to watch. Spirits are high, there's music and other entertainment, and the running is fast. After the last runners pass the start line, it's less than five minutes before the leaders are back. The finish is downhill, and these folks are just flying. Very inspiring.

Long is Short

2010-03-06T16:23:00.002-05:00

The three marathons that I have run were very different from each other in the way I felt at the end, but one conclusion was the same -- "That was reeeeally far. "

OK duh, but the distance is SO far, that I'm not sure it's actually good for me. Don't get me wrong -- I fully believe that RUNNING is good for me, even the marathon training. But the event itself... ouch.

So this year, I'm on a mission to make the marathon shorter. I mean, every new distance was long the first time, right? These days though, when I finish a half marathon I'm tired from racing, not from running an endless distance. Why? Because I run 10 miles at least twice on the weekdays, and often run longer than 13.1 on the weekends.

The marathon is different, however. Conventional wisdom says peak at 20 or 22 miles on long runs, at at least a minute per mile slower than race pace. That means that on race day, you are asking your body to go 4.2 miles farther than any training run, and at a much faster pace. No wonder it hurts!

So why would anyone suggest such a strategy? The only reason I can think of is that running that far is not good for you, so you shouldn't do it in training. You should just get close enough that you can survive race day. Race day won't be good for you either, but you only do it now and again, so you can get away with it.

If, over time, I come to accept that theory, I'll stop running marathons. I don't want to abuse my body. BUT, I haven't accepted that theory yet. So here's what I'm trying.

I'm going to train up to the full distance. Today I ran 24 miles (22.45 in the park, and 1.5 to get there). It was my longest training run ever. I two weeks, I'll run the National Marathon as a training run, at about 45 seconds per mile slower than my target race pace. Four weeks later, I race Boston.

I recently ran the "shortest" 20 miler that I've ever run. Today's run was harder, but I should expect that -- it was the longest I've done. The idea is that as the milage comes up, I'll become fit enough to go the distance without abusing my body. Obviously, this theory can't be applied to any distance no matter how long, but so far, I'm optimistic.

To do this, I need to keep ramping up my other runs, because it's cheating to cut back in order to be able to stretch the long runs. The medium distances have to come up to match. We'll see how it goes....

Staying Young at the Manhattan Half

2010-01-24T13:45:00.005-05:00

Does it start with M? no. N? no. O? no. P? no.

Determination has passed by stubbornness, and is headed straight for desperation. I am at mile 8 of a half marathon, and what am I doing? I'm going through the alphabet, trying to remember the name of a runner that passed me more than 6 miles earlier.

The runner had offered a pleasant greeting when she went by, but I couldn't come up with her name, so "hey!" was all I could offer in return. This is a teammate that I often chat with at the races, but try as I might, I couldn't come up with her name. It was very disconcerting. Was old age catching up to me?" Having just had a birthday a few days earlier, I was on the lookout for telltale signs of slippage, and this certainly fit the bill.

I refused to give in. I decided to greet her by name at the finish line. With 12 miles to go, there would be plenty of time to remember her name. I just had to think...

And think I did. I was on PR pace and holding steady, but my mind was completely focused on coming up with that name. A two syllable first name, and a one syllable, Asian last name. It was on the tip of my tongue. For 6 miles.

So now I find that my goal for the race has changed. I came here to feel young by running a PR. Now I must remember this name, or there will be no way to outrun the feeling of aging. But I'm running out of letters. Mile 9 comes and goes.

Q, R, S, T... don't forget Th.... No. Wait, back up, what about Sh... Sh... Sh... Shirling! Shirling Tsai! That's it! Quick, say it three times so as not to forget. OK. I'm good. Now where am I? Mile 10.5. Pace? Solid PR pace. How much gas in the tank? There is gas in the tank. I pick up the pace, running my fastest mile for mile 12 (6:49). I am young again.

About a 1/4 mile from the finish, I see Shirling up ahead. I catch her at around the mile 13 sign and call out a cheery "Hi Shirling!". One more goal achieved.*

I cross the finish line at 1:33:28 (7:08/mile), a PR by 2 minutes. My 2010 goal of running a half at sub 7 pace seems in reach. And why not? I'm getting younger every day.

_________

* Shirling finished just ahead of me, as she so often does. No worries, I don't have to be faster than Shirling to remain young, I merely have to remember her name (thank goodness).

2010 Goals

2010-01-04T18:48:00.000-05:00

This year, instead of just setting short term reasonable goals as I go, I'm going to set some ambitious, year-long goals. Most of these goals will require me to get substantially faster, but I've got a year to get there, right?

I've arranged the list in order of AG difficulty, so it should be that the toughest goals are last. You may notice though, that the list is also in descending distance order. This reflects my tendency toward better performance in short races. The idea is that for me, these goals are more or less equally difficult -- with the exception of the first goal, of course.

Re-qualify in Boston (3:30:59) - AG: 65.51
3:20 Marathon (7:38 pace) - AG: 68.77 %
Half Marathon at sub 7 minute pace. (1.31) - AG: 72.67 %
Sub 40 minute 10K. (6:27 pace) - AG: 76.16 %
Sub 19 minute 5K (6:07 pace) - AG: 77.07 %

In the mean time, there will be plenty of short term goals, but this list gives me something to look back at when year's end comes.

Until then, May the road rise to meet you...

2010 for 2010

2009-12-31T06:56:00.002-05:00

OK, so the plan was to hit 2010 miles to ring in the year 2010. I hit 2001.2 on the 28th, and it was looking good, but it was also the crux of family holiday/travel time.

Long story short, I hit the 31st still needing that last 8.8, but with blisters on my feet from snorkeling (no size 13 flippers in Japan...), and a very narrow window to fit in my run between a flight and an appointment in Tokyo.

When we got in from the flight, I changed to my running gear, completely under dressing (the flight was from a warmer southern part of Japan), and hit the road. My plan -- average sub 8 minute miles to get back in time. Shouldn't be a problem.

I headed to my regular Tokyo spot, Komazawa Park, and joined the many others doing the 1.3 mile loop there. In my second or third loop, I heard footsteps behind me. I almost never see runners at my pace in Komazawa Park, but after a half a loop the footsteps were still there. I checked the Garmin, and my pace was 7:02. I'd never seen anyone in the park running that fast. I could here the runner breathing, and it sounded like they were working pretty hard, so I took comfort in the belief that I would outlast them. I could also tell from the breathing that it was either a young boy, or a woman.

After a while the runner passed me. Her running shirt had a lot of text on it, but only one word in English: "Ultra". So much for my plan to outlast her. As she passed, I casually said "Ohayou" (pronounced like the buckeye state). The hidden message was "sure, you're passing me, but you're working really hard, whereas I'm not out of breath, and I'm cool enough to say 'Good morning' in a foreign tongue". Unfortunately, the message that came out was "I'm so flustered by you breezing past me, that I'm saying 'Good morning' at 4:00 in the afternoon.

I fell in behind her, and was able to keep pace. After another half mile or so, another runner fell in with her. He knew her, and they exchanged a few words before he fell back. I don't speak enough Japanese to catch what was said, but I do speak "runner", so here is my translation:

HIM: Hey! Ready to run?

HER: Great to see you. I'd love to run with you, but I have to kick the ass of that lame ass American who is following me. I'll find you later, after I've crushed what is left of his spirit.

That might not be an exact translation, but I'm sure it captures the essence of what was said. The guy dropped off, and I continued on the heels of the woman. After a while, my watch beeped again -- 6:31 pace. Good lord, what was I doing? Here are two possible answers:

A] Foolishly screwing up a perfectly good plan by running at race pace in a lame attempt to not get shown up by a girl.

B] Having fun being inspired by another runner.

I'm saying answer B. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

After another mile, the friend showed up again, and this time "Ultra" slowed her pace to run with him.

HIM: Um, that guy's still right behind you. Can we run together now?

HER: Oh, all right. Whatever.

I passed them just as my Garmin beeped another 6:30. After their footsteps faded, I let the pace gradually drop to 7:11 and then 7:30. I had to fight the urge to look over my shoulder. How embarrassing would it be to get caught slowing down...

As a result of these shananigans, I got back ahead of schedule, and felt exhilarated by my last run of the year.

Total miles for 2009: 2010.7.

Happy New Year!

Ted Corbitt 15K

2009-12-19T15:00:00.003-05:00

The highlight of today's 15K was definitely the appearance of Santa and his Reindeer. Santa (TH), and a herd of Reindeer from the 6AM group put on quite a show. Their race bibs had their names (Donner, Blitzen etc) and the race logo of the New York Rogue Runners. They ran the race in formation -- no small task for a 15K in the park -- and brought much joy. I tried to get some pics, but the iPhone does not do well with moving targets.

Last post, I listed some goals that I set during the year, but two were yet to be met.

Today, I took care of one: a 15K at sub 7 pace. Recent results and a little math made me think it was doable, but thinking and doing are not the same. I started out at 6:43 and 6:47 for the first two miles. The pace wasn't too tough, but 15K is a long way. I had to keep reminding myself not to slack off. I ended up meeting my goal with a PR 1:40:24 (6:55/mile), a satisfying race to close out the year.

Just one goal left -- 2010 miles to ring in the new year. That one is going to go down to the wire....

2009 Goals

2009-12-15T19:12:00.005-05:00

About a week ago, it occurred to me that I couldn't remember my goals for 2009. Surely I set some goals back in January....

Sadly, when I checked my December and January posts, I found.... no goals for 2009! I won't be making that mistake again. I'm already drafting my 2010 goals.

Of course, there were short term goals set along the way, and qualifying for Boston was certainly a goal for 2009, even if I didn't write it up.

Here are the goals I found in various posts this year -- looks like I've got a couple left to hit!

Goal: Sub 20 minute 5K -- DID IT (twice)

Goal: improve my times for half and full marathons DID IT (by 4:31 min for the half, and 26 min for the full)

Goal: sub 7 minute/mile 15K GONNA DO IT (this Saturday)

Goal: Qualify for Boston DID IT (NYC Marathon)

Goal: 2010 mile to ring in the year 2010 GONNA DO IT (See Mileage -->)

Setting the Record Straight

2009-12-06T13:32:00.002-05:00

In July of 2007, I ran the Naples-New York Park to Park 10K in 45:24 -- a PR for me. The NYRR, however, posted a much faster time for me -- 41:10. As I posted afterwards, it was a time I couldn't possibly run, but I couldn't get the NYRR to correct it. It's one thing to have an inaccurate time listed, but it was weird to have my "PR" be in error. Just the other day, I was looking at this very cool site that lists your races in PR order, and there it was again, my "fastest" 10K, 41:10.

It took two and half years, but I have finally set the record straight. The Joe Kleinerman 10K was this morning and I knew I was ready to beat my previous best of 42:08. But wait, was the false 41:10 in reach? For the first time, I thought it might be. I needed to average a 6:38 pace. Given my 6:26 pace in the 4 miler a couple of weeks ago, that seemed possible, but my previous best 10K was at 6:47.

I wanted it.

Here's how it went.

Mile 1: 6:42 - PR pace, but not SRS (Set the Record Straight)

Mile 2: 6:40 - Getting better...

Mile 3: 6:34 - I'm thinking I can do this.

Mile 4: 6:37 - Good, good... just don't lose it on Cat Hill and it's in the bag.

Mile 5: 6:37 - Hill? What hill?

Mile 6: 6:22 - Like a horse headed for the barn...

Last .2: 1:17 - Pick out some young fit looking guy and challenge him to a finish line race (fun, but not a winning strategy).

Official time: 40:51 -- 6:35/mile

And there you have it. My PR is real, and my honor (for what it's worth) is restored.

Cheers!

Counting Miles

2009-12-03T08:23:00.003-05:00

I recently read a post by RJR in which he mentioned his goal for yearly milage. I'd always been into tracking my weekly mileage, but RJR's post made me wonder where I stood for the year.

A quick check on my trusty log at RunningAhead.com today showed me at 1851 miles. This puts the 2000 mark well within reach. I wouldn't have to run any more than I have been lately. All I would have to do is not slack off (at all) for the holidays. That will be a bit of a logistical challenge. I hate to get crazy about chasing a milage number, but 2000 is such a nice round number -- I've got to at least try. Right?

Uh oh... I just though of something.... what about.... 2009 miles for year 2009? Or, 2010 miles to ring in the new year? Each year I'd have to run one more mile....

Do You Deliver?

2009-11-22T11:34:00.003-05:00

Today was the Race to Deliver, a 4 miler in Central Park. I have been looking forward to this one, as a change of pace (literally) from marathon training. As I ramped up the milage for the NYC marathon, I cut back (cut out) speed work and short races almost entirely. Since the marathon, I've gotten in 2 speed sessions with the morning group, but today was the first short race.

On Thursday, I had an experience that had me worried that my speed may have slipped last few months. A new tradition has started in the morning group that each runner is expected to "run their age" on their birthday. That is, when I turn 49 in January, I will be sent out to run the six mile loop in 49 minutes. Other runners in the group often go along with the birthday boy/girl to keep them company. Well, 49 minutes I can do, but this week SJ was turning 39. That's a 6:30 pace. Ouch.

Using my usual questionable judgement, I volunteered to keep him company for the first mile or so. I kept up with him from 72nd street to 100th, but then, exhausted, I sent him on his way with my best wishes. I stopped to catch my breath and wait for the next runners to come, and before long AW and JN came along. I tried, but I was too wasted to keep up with them, so I stopped again and waited for the next folks. I finally fell into a group that I could keep up with, but it was hard. All ambition had been sucked out of me. In the end, I cut the loop short, using the excuse that I wanted to see SJ at the finish. He made it, of course, no problem.

I was wiped out for the rest of the day. Work was hard. Staying awake after dinner was hard. I gave up and turned in early. I was shocked that I couldn't recover more quickly from just a little over a mile of hard running. It did not bode well for this weekend's race.

I figured that the race would would be a good test of where my speed is now, so that I could set my goals going forward. As it turned out, the news was good. I ran a brisk, but not crazy first mile, and was very happy to see that it was under PR pace. As it turned out, it was my slowest mile. Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 6:33

Mile 2: 6:25

Mile 3: 6:32

Mile 4: 6:13

Official time: 25:45 (0:31 PR) 6:26/mile

130th overall, out of 4757 finishers, 9th place age group finish.

Better yet, because I wasn't committed to going for a PR, I wasn't pushing like a maniac. I enjoyed some fun banter with other runners and spectators, and generally had a great time. Here's to many more races like this one!

Shortcuts

2009-11-18T08:25:00.003-05:00

Early in Sunday's Chilli Half Marathon, I noticed the pack of runners in front of us moving from the right to the left side of the street. I wondered aloud about it to my sister, who was running beside me. Another runner commented that we should follow -- "it must be the way to the shortcut!". He was, of course, joking. Why would anyone, especially anyone from the mid pack, cheat in a distance race? It would be ludicrous. We actually WANT to run the whole thing.

News broke today that middle-distance runner Rashid Ramzi has been stripped of his 1,500-meter Olympic gold medal for doping. It is sad, but not too surprising that this happens at the highest levels of many sports. But when I hear reports of cheating amongst recreational runners, I just don't get it.

And yet it happens. There has been talk of several questionable results in the NYC Marathon. Not elites doping, but average runners taking shortcuts. The NYRR put out timing mats every 5K, and starting from mile 15, every MILE. If don't hit 5 of them in a row, it's kind of obvious what happened. Why would you do it? Sure there's plenty of temptation to give up in a race that long, but let me be clear: I ever leave the course before the race is over it will be to take the shortest route HOME.

OK, here's a thought. Imagine you get injured at mile 16 of the NYC Marathon. Say you twist your ankle, or pull a hamstring. BUT... your bag is trapped behind the finish line. You really need it. It has your ID and hotel room key. How do you get it? The finish area is completely inaccessible. The only way in is on the course as a runner. So, you grab a cab to Columbus Circle, duck back on to the course and cross the finish line, not thinking to take your D-Tag off. Your time is recorded with a fabulous negative split, and you have become an inadvertent cheater. It could happen to anyone! Mystery solved....

Toward the end of the race, we saw the same "shortcut" runner, and he greeted us by calling out "we must have taken the same shortcut!" I just laughed, but I was thinking "that was one crappy shortcut..."

Bean Town

2009-11-17T16:00:00.002-05:00

I was at a family gathering in Cambridge Mass this weekend when I got an email from AH. I'm afraid I confused my family a good bit when I blurted out the subject of the email -- "Boston is closed". They must have thought it was a terrorist attack.

Fortunately they didn't berate me too much when I explained that I just meant that the Boston Marathon was no longer taking applications for 2010.

I put my application in right after the NYC Marathon, but I hadn't heard back, and it sounded like they might be full. They had said that they wouldn't confirm until my qualifying results were made official, so I knew it might be a while.

Well, NYC Marathon results went official today, and I got the email from Boston immediately. Nice.

Dear John Whitfield,

This is to notify you that your entry into the 114th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 19, 2010 has been accepted

Chilli Half

2009-11-15T15:08:00.004-05:00

I traveled to Boston this weekend to run the inaugural Chilli Half Marathon with my sister. We ran side by side for the whole thing and had a blast. We were met at the end by family, including our parents, and went out for brunch. Yum. Here we are outside the Cambridge brunch spot - me, my sister, and the head cheerleader.

Post Marathon Bits and Pieces

2009-11-07T10:49:00.003-05:00

- Photo: DW and his cousin representing the Giants at the NYC Marathon start. They finished together, and DW got about a zillion photos along the way.

- Rumors were flying that Boston was filling up, so I put my application in on Sunday night. I'm already signed up to run with friends in the National Marathon (D.C) on March 20th, which is 4 weeks before Boston... hmm.

- When I read RJR's comment on an earlier post that he had done a full 26.2 training run, I got the urge to do the same. Maybe I'll treat the National Marathon as a supported 26.2 training run, and shoot for a fast time in Boston. Somehow it seems wrong to show up at a marathon and not go all out...

- I'm running a 1/2 Marathon in Boston next weekend with my sister. I'm pretty much recovered from the marathon, so I should be OK, but my my race mojo has definitely not come back. Hopefully, little sister will go easy on me....

- Oh, and the NYC Marathon site has already put up the "countdown" clock for 2010. Time to start training!

2009 NYC Marathon Race Report - the long version

2009-11-03T23:54:00.003-05:00

Marathon day started and ended well. There were a few sketchy moments in between, but overall, it was a great day.

I met up with friends at 6AM for the trip to the start. Taking the ferry, as opposed to the bus as I have in the past, made this much later start possible. Combined with the extra hour from the time change, I was feeling well rested and ready to go.

The trip (subway, ferry, shuttle bus) went amazingly smoothly, but when the bus let us off outside of Fort Wadsworth, we found ourselves on foot, stuck in a huge, slow moving line. Still we got into the staging area at what seemed like an appropriate time, and we found a place to sit down and get organized.

Soon after, however, PL informed us that he had just heard over the PA that the corrals for the first wave were closed. We hadn't even checked our bags.

When I got to my corral, the entry was cordoned off, but a worker was checking bibs and letting folks duck under the cord to go in. Just as I stepped up she was saying that the she wasn't going to let anyone else in. I ducked under before she could finish her sentence. A lot of folks were behind me, and there was a lot of arguing, and folks were jumping the (8 foot) fence.

All was well, however, for those of us that were already in, so I just focused on relaxing and trying to put that moment of anxiety behind me.

Just then, DW tapped me on the shoulder, he and his cousin were right behind me in the corral. He was dressed as a cheerleader, and she as a football player. If you want to relax and get into the spirit of the event, these two are the folks you want to be with. By the time we were on the bridge and and ready to start, I was really enjoying the whole scene.

When the gun went off I stuck with my plan to run a slow first mile. It's the biggest hill in the course by far, but it's really hard to resist taking off. I was really happy when I saw that my 1 mile split was 8:25, and I told myself that there were plenty of miles in which to make up the time to get to my goal pace of 8:00.

And make up the time I did. In mile 2 (7:30). OK, that wasn't exactly the plan. But, I was on pace, and I had run the first mile slow. I decided to pat myself on the back and move on. I put on the brakes for the next miles, but try as I might, I still kept coming in at under 8:00. I was averaging around 7:55 though, so I decided to accept it. It gave me a little buffer for later.

I felt like I had the brakes on for the first 10 miles or so before the pace felt comfortable. I felt like I could run so much faster, but I knew how upset I would be if I went out fast and hit the wall again.

Near the 59th street bridge, I spotted DW2 (yes, this story has two DWs). We had run a 22 miler together in training, and it was great to see her looking really strong in her first marathon. Just after that, I saw AH on the bridge. It amazes me that in a race of 40,000, you can just bump into folks you know.

Coming off the 59th street bridge, I remember the other promise that I made to myself -- to take the steep downhill off the bridge at a slow pace and try not to abuse the quads. This is a famous place to take off, as the silence of the bridge gives way to the loudest crowds on the course.

Once again, however, my discipline was limited. As soon as I got off the hill and in front of the 1rst Avenue crowds, a began to speed up. Part of the reason for this burst of energy was the gradual realization that I wasn't going to hit the wall. Mile 18 was my fastest of the race at 7:25.

Passing the Gel station manned by Flyers, I got another boost. Big cheers from JN (Mr. Boot Camp), and RJ, in from Seattle to support the gang. I also saw JJ, who had to drop out due to a sprained ankle. Instead of staying home and sulking, he was out handing out gels.

As I navigated the rough roads and turns of the Bronx, I was starting to feel the miles in my legs, but psychologically, I was over the hump. I could tell that it was my day.

I had often wondered what the 5th avenue hill would feel like if I was really trying to keep pace, as opposed to just keep going, and I was happy to find that it was not much of a problem at all. With each passing mile, my confidence grew, and my sore muscles mattered less.

On Central Park South, I was running strong and scanning the crowd for my family. I never saw them, although they saw me, I found out later.

As I approached the finish line, I had no interest in kicking. I was safely under my goal time, and sprinting up the hill just seemed silly. I crossed the line in 3:28:51, a huge PR, and for my age group, a BQ.

Steps from the finish, DW2 found me (she had finished 20 or 30 yards ahead). It was great to share the celebration with her, as she was as happy (at least) as I was.

We walked out together, performing the two phase NYC Marathon ritual of first cursing the race organizers for making us walk so far, and then realizing that it was a really good idea as our legs began to recover.

When I got out of the park, my wife and son were waiting for me :-)

NYC Marathon Race Report - the short story

2009-11-01T19:27:00.003-05:00

I'm way too tired to recount the whole story, but here are the key details.

- Finishing time: 3:28:51

- 27 minute PR

- BQ!

- 4,860th place, out of an expected 40,000

More later. For now, I'll just say that I am very happy, and very tired.

Cheers!

0% Chance?

2009-10-31T09:32:00.002-04:00

About 8 days before the NYC Marathon, I checked the long range weather report. Pure folly, I know, but what it said caught my attention.

It said that there was a 0% chance of precipitation. Zero percent? Really. Do they know what that means? Is this like Wallace Shawn's "inconceivable!" in The Princess Bride? I'm with Inigo Montoya -- "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

In my book, saying that there is a 0% percent chance means that it's just not going to happen. Yet three days later, there was a 40% chance of precipitation on marathon day. Huh.

To be fair, we all know that today's meteorologists would never claim that they could predict such a thing with certainty from 8 days out. So what DO they mean?

Here's my theory. Let's say you look out the window today, and it's cloudy. Is it going to rain? Maybe. Let's say there's a 40% chance, judging from the darkness of the clouds. Or, let's say the sky is blue -- no clouds in sight. Is going to rain? No way. Meteorologists have more to go on than what they see out the window, but they do the same thing. So, when they say 0% in 8 days, they mean they think it's going to be a clear day. 0% is not the chance that they are wrong. That, they do not publicize. 0% is just the chance that it will rain if they are right.

At any rate, the good news is that after a few days predicting rain, the forecast has returned to perfect. With the start 24 hours away, I'm feeling a little better about this claim of 0%.

Sun
Nov 1

Partly Cloudy

56°
45°

Taper Madness

2009-10-30T20:29:00.002-04:00

With the NYC Marathon 2 days away, I seem to be losing my mind.

Signs that I am suffering from "taper madness":

I can't walk down the street without feeling that I am going to step off a curb and sprain an ankle at any moment.
I worry about both not getting enough rest and getting out of shape. Yes, I can do both at once.
When a friend asked about going for a short run tomorrow, I responded that if I ran at all, it would just be to the Marathon starting line and back. She responded that she hoped I meant to the finish line and back (3 miles), not to the start and back (~40 miles).
I found this video of Anthony Edwards about running the marathon to be very funny. (FYI, Edward is actually planning to run).

14 days

2009-10-18T15:58:00.005-04:00

The NYC Marathon is 14 days out. Time to look back at my training and see were I stand in comparison to previous years.

Mileage

Of the last 10 weeks, 8 have been over 50 miles. There were two down weeks, when I was nursing an irritated calf, but other than that, the milage was consistent.

During the comparable weeks in 2007 and 2008, I broke 40 miles only 4 times.

Long Runs

This year: 10 runs of 16 miles or more, maxing at 22.

In 2007, I had only 6, maxing at 20.

In 2008, only 3 runs of 16 miles or more.

Speed Work

This year, I cut back on speed work as the marathon date approached. I have kept up the tempo runs though, and they are faster and longer than in previous years.

No question, I'm in better shape for this marathon that I have ever been. All I have to do is get through the next two weeks without messing up, and it should be a fun race.

I can't wait.

How long is long?

2009-10-10T15:23:00.008-04:00

The first time I trained for a marathon, it seemed that every training program I saw peaked at 20 miles. And those miles were meant to be run much slower than target marathon pace. It seemed odd.

What other race to you prep for without ever going the distance? This approach seems to be counting a LOT on race day magic. I mean, I'm going to run 20 miles much faster than I ever have, pop a GU and whip off an extra 6.2 for kicks?

This year, it seems like a lot more folks are peaking with 22 mile training runs. Today, I tried it for the first time. I have to say, it felt great. I ran with DW, who kept the pace moving, and we picked it up for the last mile.

As DW pointed out, there is a big psychological advantage to running 22 miles rather than 20, in that 4 miles feels like a lot less to "tack on" than 6.

After the run, I asked myself whether I could have gone another 4.2. The answer: "hells yeah".

August Miles

2009-09-01T10:28:00.003-04:00

In preparation for the NYC Marathon, I'm trying to get my weekly mileage up to a level higher than in previous years.

I've run well over 50 miles for the past three weeks (a first), and my monthly total for August was 238, an all time high.

It's hard to tell how much this will pay off in the marathon, but it feels good regardless. The long runs are less traumatic, and the build-up feels healthy, rather than forced.

Knock on wood...

There will be no correct clothes....

2009-08-23T21:19:00.003-04:00

The milage ramp up continues.

I ran 19 today in the park, and suffered no ill effects.

That run made this week my second 58 mile week in a row.

Still, 26.2 seems like a really, really long way.

19 is a lot, but I would need another hour to finish a marathon. I was not up for another hour of running today, that's for sure.

The NYC marathon is still 2 months out though, so no worries, right?

I did a great yoga session with TH at Yoga To The People tonight -- power Vinyasa -- a great way to wrap up long run day.

NYC Half

2009-08-17T10:12:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the NYC Half Marathon. In order to do my best, I felt that I would have to interrupt my marathon training -- taking off the day before, and probably the day after, as well as generally not pushing to hard last week.

I decided instead to "train through" and run the half at a moderate pace. I have been on a roll ramping up the mileage, and it just didn't seem like a good time for an interruption.

That plan lined up very well with the brutal heat and humidity on race day. I was very happy that I was not pushing for a PR in that weather.

The down side was that my casual attitude about the race caused me to make a couple of stupid mistakes. First, I didn't put on any Body Glide. When it is hot or raining, and the race is longer than 10K, I always put some on. Next, I didn't bring a bag with a change of clothes for after the race. Hey, I'm local right? Finally, I wore the brand new Flyers singlet that I had picked up the day before. The perfect storm.

Well, at about mile 3 I was completely soaked through with sweat, and new shirt was seriously irritating my right nipple. I could just picture myself sitting on the subway with a gorgeous blood stain (or two) running down the full length of my singlet. I started thinking about where to exit the course. I wanted out.

Then a strange thing happened. Having given myself permission to quit, I relaxed and got into a comfortable groove. I saw lots of friends, some running, some spectating. DW flew by looking very happy. GW was there, looking smart in his TFK Coach singlet. Someone called my name, and I saw LH standing with CC (did I hallucinate that?). I was really having fun.

I thought I would bug out after one loop, but at the end of the loop I was having a good time, and I knew from the park to Times Square was the most fun part of the course. So... I kept going. The entertainment did not disappoint, and I ran my fastest mile just cause I was having so much fun.

At about mile 10 or 11, I ran into a First Aid tent and asked for a band aid. They gave me one, and I took off, trying to put the thing on my wound as I ran. Of course, it was completely hopeless because I was soaked. Somehow, though, I was still not bleeding.

At that point, I figured I may as well go ahead and finish. The last couple of miles were hard, but the Flyers were manning the water stop at mile 12 -- not to be missed. It was like a party there.

The race brought my mileage for the week to 58 -- a record for me. My time was 1:39:12, four minutes slower than my PR, but good enough to keep me happy. Aside from the skin irritation, my body felt great. And by some miracle, I wasn't bleeding. My new shirt was unstained.

My fears of embarrassment on the trip home assuaged, I called it a grand success and headed for home. There I had a shower (painful), and a nap (completely painless).

Once a Runner

2009-08-15T15:46:00.004-04:00

While in Maine, I visited the Maine Running Company, and saw that they were selling Once a Runner, by John L. Parker.

I had heard that this novel was very popular amongst runners, so I grabbed a copy. I was not disappointed. I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks of themselves as a competitive runner. (By "competitive", I don't mean "fast". I mean anyone who trains aggressively to improve their race times.)

Parker apparently self published the book in the 1970s, and sold it out of his car at running events. It eventually became a cult favorite of runners.

Here's something funny -- someone liked this book enough, that they actually produced a fake movie trailer. Check it out.

Last year, Parker published a sequel called Again to Carthage. I'm sure I'll be picking that up soon.

Summer Streets 2009

2009-08-15T13:03:00.003-04:00

(The gang at one of the quirky water stops along the way)

It's time for Summer Streets, when NYC closes Park Avenue to traffic from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge.

I met up with TH, JF and JS to run the route. We took a comfortable pace, and chatted as we enjoyed the scene. It was really a pleasure, and the time flew by. By the time I got home, I had done 15 miles.

There's one more day of Summer Streets -- next Saturday (the 22nd) from 7 am to 1 pm. Get there early to beat the crowds!

Fresh Pond

2009-08-15T12:33:00.006-04:00

After getting back to NYC this week, I had to turn around and make a quick trip back to New England for a meeting. I took the opportunity to visit my sister in Cambridge, and we enjoyed a morning run together.

She took me on one of her favorite routes: around Fresh Pond. It's a really nice 2.5 mile loop -- a scenic path that's not at all crowded. We ran to the pond from her place and did 2 loops -- a little over 8 miles in the end.

I should point out that this was her regular route and pace, and that the blood soaked socks were just a fluke. It had nothing at all to do with keeping up with her super-fast big brother.

Wrap up

2009-08-10T18:47:00.005-04:00

(Maquoit Bay -- taken during last weekend's 17 miler)

I have been neglecting the blog while on my "Running Retreat" for the past few weeks, so here a quick wrap up. (I returned to NYC on Sunday).

I raced a 5K in Portsmouth, N.H. with a few work mates. (Company HQ is in Portsmouth). My predicted time was "just under 20", and I came in at 19:59. No joke.

I knew three other people in the race. We each placed 6th in our respective age/gender groups. Now that's just weird.

I took advantage of the cool Maine mornings to ramp up my weekly mileage. I'm running 50 mile weeks now, which is more than in previous years .

Each Saturday, I ran long: 15, 13 and 17 miles. The long runs felt good -- much less painful then in previous years. Part of this (I think) is because the long runs are a smaller percentage of my weekly miles. I may be getting the hang of this....

Running into culture

2009-08-02T22:43:00.003-04:00

Symphony Hall, as seen on this morning's 13 miler.

Summer Training Retreat

2009-07-26T13:14:00.003-04:00

I'm in Maine for three weeks, and although it's not really for a running retreat, I'm pretending it is. I run in the morning before work (like usual), but the routes are very different from my New York habits (Central Park, Central Park or Central Park).

I'm trying to take advantage of the cooler temps and beautiful country roads to kick the fall marathon training into full gear.

So far, it's going well. I've had some really nice 7 and 8 mile runs, and yesterday I did my first real long run in preparation for the marathon. I went 15.21 miles (thank you, Mr. Garmin), on a gorgeous route winding through farm land and along the coast.

The only time in even momentarily stopped was to attempt to photograph the three wild turkeys that I came across. OK, it's not much of a photo, but you get the idea.

Actually, one of the more telling aspects of the photo is that you can tell that I'm standing in the middle of the road. I spent a lot of the run cruising right down the center, as there were almost no cars to be found on an early Saturday in the country.

The non-stop approach is a key to this year's training plan: Get used to running for long stretches without stops. We'll see how it pans out...

As for this run, it didn't do much damage. I'm not at all sore, and I look forward to gradually increasing the long runs as I go. Hopefully building up more than tearing down.

Ah, a new rule to live by: Build up more than you tear down.

An Awesome Win

2009-07-05T18:51:00.004-04:00

For the 4th of July, we were visiting my folks in Pennsylvania, and I entered the local Firecracker 4K race. So did my mother.

Here she is, on her way to winning the 60 and over age group -- all the more impressive given that she is 75.

Results

Female 60 and over

Place Name City Bib No Age all Time

1 Grace (MOM!) State College PA 606 75 770 32:42.85

2 Carol ------ Bellefonte PA 60 61 776 33:06.00

3 Bonnie ----------- State College PA 630 68 836 38:24.55

4 Ruth ------ State College PA 773 60 852 40:26.90

5 Ania --------- Spring TX 188 63 853 40:29.95

6 Sue ------- State College PA 570 61 855 40:33.10

7 Linda -------- Port Matilda PA 240 62 859 41:52.30

8 Judy -------- Westerville OH 872 64 860 41:52.60

Go Mom!!!!

How many shopping days is that?

2009-06-05T18:31:00.004-04:00

I got my first "countdown" email from the NYRR today. Seems a tad early to start counting, but hey, why not?

June 5, 2009

Countdown to the start November 1, 2009:

148 Days

15 Minutes of Fame

2009-06-02T08:13:00.003-04:00

This just in...

One of my training buddies told me this morning that my ugly mug is included amongst the handful of pictures the NY Road Runners posted after the Brooklyn Half. See it to believe it.

Apparently, the photographer thought I was giving him a "thumbs up", when actually I was just trying to flag a cab.

Got Away With It

2009-05-31T13:08:00.004-04:00

The plan was to ramp up my training and peak for a series of three races over four weeks , ending with yesterday's Brooklyn Half Marathon.

Three races in four weeks is a lot, but the distances were gradually increasing, as was my interest in doing well. There was the Mother's Day 4 miler, which hoped to do well in, but it was more of a warm up to the Healthy Kidney 10K, which I was targeting more. Then a week off before going for it in the Half.

Things started out according to plan, but we went to visit my folks for Memorial Day weekend, and it turned out that there was a race in my home town while we were there. I had never run in my home town before, and there was simply no way to resist.

It turned out to be great fun. The race had a wonderful local feel to it. It was 500 people instead of 5000, and the vibe was

very positive. I had a great time running the course, which was 3.8 miles, with a long tough hill in the middle. When I rounded the corner before the finish, the family was there cheering -- three generations worth. Can't beat that. My pace was a little slower than I hoped (6:44), but I was happy with my 33rd place finish.

Racing on Monday was definitely not in the original plan, so I tried to make up for it by taking Thursday and Friday off before Saturday's Brooklyn Half. That worked pretty well, and I felt fresh at the start. Too fresh in fact, as my first mile was a good bit faster than I intended. I really pulled back on mile 2 to make up for it, and then settled in to a good pace.

The first half of the race was in hilly Prospect Park, and my splits reflected the changes in elevation. The second half of the race was totally flat, and my pace was incredibly even -- no more than 1 second of variation from mile 8 to the end.

I ended up with a 34 second PR. Not much for a 13.1 mile race, but once again, a PR is a PR. The splits are at the end of this post.

The race ended at the Coney Island boardwalk, and PL and I jumped into the ocean to cool off. It was a spectacular feeling. The water was ice cold, but that's just what we needed. The Brooklyn Half is a race not to miss.

The next day, PL talked me into coming out for the Japan Day 4 miler, as a "recovery race". We took it easy, and it felt good to stretch the legs out. I can't help but notice though, that technically, I ran three races this week... Not usually recommended.

Anyway, I'm now headed for some down time. I'll cut back on milage, skip speed work, and generally give my old body a chance to regenerate. I consider myself lucky to have survived this push, which was a bit over the top. Next time, I'll try to control myself a bit better (ha!).

Looking back though, it does seem that I got away with it. I PRed in all three target races (I could even claim the home town race as a PR, since I've never run a 3.8 miler before), and I seem to have escaped injury. I can't wait for the next big push!

Brooklyn Half Marathon Splits:

6:56

7:26

7:15

7:09

7:34

7:31

7:08

7:10

7:18

7:17

7:19

7:17

7:19

0:41 (last 0.1 miles)

What a Difference a Day Makes

2009-05-16T15:11:00.005-04:00

Today was the Healthy Kidney 10k, a race I have been targeting. In fact last week I made wild predictions of a PR.

My brilliant plan was to take the day before the race off, therefore starting the race "fresh", as opposed to last weekend, when I did a long run the day before the race.

So how did it work? Actually, pretty well. I was ahead of PR pace from the get go, and felt strong throughout the race. There was a sudden but brief rain storm during mile 2-3, and I was pretty thoroughly drenched, but the temperature was perfect, so the rain didn't slow me down at all.

OK, I have to admit that the photo on the left is not from this morning. It's actually from last weekend (photo by Flyer Photographer Bob Cowin) . But the look of confidence in the photo matches this week's race better than the day it was taken.

In fact, the truth is that I spotted Bob (the photographer) that day, and mustered up the best pose I could. I regretted it immediately though, when I felt like I had pulled something in my back. For a moment I thought my race was over, since it hurt to breathe, and I needed all the air I could get. Fortunately, the pain passed pretty quickly and I was able to go on. Next time I see Bob with his camera, I'll just smile, or maybe wink. I'll save the arm pumps for after the race.

Getting back to today's race, I finished with a satisfying 23 second PR. Afterwards, I saw a bunch of Flyers many of whom had PRs. In particular, the bloggers seemed to be on a roll, as The Laminator, jb24 and (reportedly) Trakmaniac all PRed. I just goes to show you -- want to run faster? Start a blog.

The morning Flyers also made a great showing. There were too many successes to mention them all, but I have to single out CB, who finished fourth in her age group, and led the Flyers women to a first place age group finish.

Trakmaniac and GW, who organize the Flyer Marathon Training Program, gave me a copy of their brilliant booklet with this year's schedule, including tons of organized long runs. They have really done an amazing job.

Splits from today:

6:39

6:42

6:49

7:01 (all uphill)

6:44

6:47

1:21 (last 0.2)

42:10 official time (42:06 according to my watch....)

Three Seconds

2009-05-10T12:38:00.003-04:00

Today was the first of three races that I'm sort of treating as a series. Four miles today, 10K next weekend, and two weeks after that, the Brooklyn Half. I've increased my weekly milage lately, and speed work and tempo runs have been going well, so it's time to see how well it will pay off.

With the longer races coming up, my plan was to not let today's race interrupt my training schedule, so instead of taking the day off yesterday, I did my scheduled long run.

I've been feeling in such good shape, that I thought I could challenge my PR today. It's only four miles, after all -- who needs a day off for that, right?

In the first mile I felt reasonably fast, but not.... fresh. I had the feeling that that my legs might start to fade. Just the same, I kept charging, running 6:37 and 6:26 for my first two miles. That put me slightly ahead of PR pace, with the toughest mile coming up. I toughed out the third mile in 6:42, leaving me a couple of seconds behind.

With just a few seconds to make up, and a downhill last mile to go, things looked good. The only problem was that I had worked really hard to get there, and did not have much left in the tank. I kept pushing though, and ran the last mile in 6:29, beating my PR by.... 3 seconds.

I checked my last 4 mile PR race report, and can you believe it, that was a 3 second PR as well.

That's just weird.

My time of 26:16 was good enough for a tenth place finish in my age group, but I think that a lot of the faster guys had other things to attend to on Mother's Day.

Next up: the Healthy Kidney 10K. It's a club points race, so I won't be in the top ten of my age group, but here is my pledge: To PR by at least 4 SECONDS!

A Weekend to Run

2009-04-19T12:21:00.005-04:00

I celebrated the great weather this weekend by doing a 10 mile run, a 4 mile "Fun Run" and a 4 mile race. Good times.

On Saturday, I met up with some of the AM Flyers who were planning various long runs, with differing paces and distances. I ended falling into pace with KD, who was out for a 12-14 mile run. The conversation was entertaining and the miles went by quickly. I cut off after 10 miles to head to the start of the Concern For Hunger charity Fun Run.

There was a strong Flyer turnout for the charity run, and it was fun to catch

up with some folks that I hadn't seen for a while.

Not surprisingly, the run itself had a very different feeling than an NYRR race. The number of runners was smaller, of course, and there didn't appear to be any tracking of results. It was fun to run in a less crowded, and less competitive field, but it was sparse enough that there were a lot of non racers in the same lane as us. Probably, some of the folks out for a run didn't know that there was a race going on.

I ran semi-aggressively, and was happy that after my 10 mile "warm-up" I was able to keep a sub 7 minute pace.

My favorite part of the run was the finish. The Concern for Hunger volunteers were out in force cheering for the runners. I took the opportunity to cheer back, and collected tons of high-fives while kicking to the finish.

This morning was the Run As One 4 miler. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel after putting in 14 miles yesterday. I had also suffered a weird stomach thing the night before. Once I got going though, I felt strong, so I gave it the full press.

My splits reflected the hills - 1 mile up - 6:44, 1 down - 6:33, 1 up - 6:44, 1 down - 6:22. In the finish line chute, Flyer AW introduced herself. We had been swapping places toward the end, but because she wasn't wearing any Flyer gear, I hadn't realized that she was a teammate. She ended with the faster time (next time, AW!), and an age group award to go with it.

I also ran into jb24, who finished with a huge PR. He has been on fire lately.

My official time was 26:24 (6:36 pace) - just 5 seconds behind my 4 mile PR (26:19). I'm quite happy with that. My plan is to do a couple of weeks of good training, and then get a little rest to shoot for a PR with fresh legs.

Solid

2009-04-11T21:17:00.002-04:00

Today was the Scotland Run 10K -- always a highlight of the season. The Scots give out flags, and other items showing the flag such as rain ponchos and the usual t-shirts. Runners show up in plaid and kilts, and spirits are high. This year, it was a club points race, which added a whole other element of excitement.

The weather was miserably cold and rainy, but the NYC runners still turned out in full force. There were 7600 finishers -- something of a mystery since the race was supposed to be capped at 5000...

The weather was fine for running, but rough for standing around. When the race was over, I was freezing. I saw Trakmaniak wearing his kilt -- I can't imagine how much water weight that wool took on in the pouring rain. PD left his kilt at home, but has to be forgiven due to his speedy run, which was the fastest in the club. Lammy was there, enjoying his Boston taper by taking photos instead of running.

Since the 15K three weeks ago, I've been taking it easy. I had been training and racing aggressively for a while, and it seemed like a good idea to let my body recover for a while.

I cut back on miles and replaced speed work and tempo runs with easy paced runs. I ran a short race, but started in one of the back corrals and ran at a comfortable pace.

I balanced out this change (somewhat) by doing a bit more swimming and core work. It seemed to be working, so today I let myself go a bit in the Scotland Run 10K.

I showed up so late that race officials had already removed the barriers between the first two corrals and everyone had moved up. I was able to squeeze into my corral, but effectively I was a corral back. As a result, the first mile was slow, but it didn't bother me. Because I had been so late, I was not able to warm up properly, and starting out conservatively seemed like a good idea.

I hit my stride in the second mile and felt good. From there I continued to gain speed, and more importantly, felt strong. The end result was 43:03 (6:56/mile). Five seconds per mile slower than PR pace, but I found it very encouraging.

If I continue to feel strong, I'll ratchet the training back up and shoot for a 10K PR soon. The Healthy Kidney 10K is coming up in a month.... seems just about right.

Here are the splits from today.

Mile 1] 7:19

Mile 2] 6:58

Mile 3] 6:49

Mile 4] 7:02 (Great Hill - East Side)

Mile 5] 6:45 *

Mile 6] 6:45 *(Missed my split at mile 5. Based on 13:30 for miles 5 and 6)

Last 0.2] 1:24

2009-03-22T19:24:00.002-04:00

Well, I've been a little out of touch (insert excuses here), so in addition to reporting on today's 15K, I've got some old business to catch up on. Here's the agenda.

Old Business:

NYRR 8000
Dual Birthday Party

New Business:

Colon Cancer 15K

Old Business

Last Saturday, March 14 was a big day. In the morning, I ran the NYRR 8000, and that night my wife and I attended a birthday party that was thrown for two of my favorite runners, CB and VB, who turned 50 and 70 respectively.

The race was fine. I had never run an 8000 meter race before, so there was no PR to beat, but 8000 meters is very close to 5 miles, so I had some idea of what my pace should be. I felt pretty good, except for the moment when I had to stop to tie my shoe at mile 3. This was the first time I've ever had a shoe come untied during a race, and it was quite shocking, given my recent claims of shoe tying mastery. I'm sure I just slipped back to my old habits and tied a granny knot that morning. The perfect knot could not possibly have come untied!!!

I ended up with a 33:25 (6:43 pace). I'm good with it -- that will be the time to beat at my next 8000.

The birthday party was spectacular. A video was played, made up of birthday wishes from a gaggle of runners, all praising CB and VB. The praises were well earned. The two of them have inspired many, including myself.

When I first started running with my 6AM group, I tried to stay with VB as I struggled to make it around the loop. It was tough to keep up, but it was worth it for the excellent company.

CB has also been an inspiration. She is a triathlon monster, despite a demanding (and interesting) job and a family. She is forever making me push harder in speed work.

The party was packed with runners who share my admiration for these two. I knew that they were universally admired, but to see so many folks in one place -- it was very cool.

New Business

It wasn't the best week for training -- in fact I've slacked off significantly since Coogan's. This was partly by design (I pushed pretty hard leading up to Coogan's), but it was also due to being busy with work, having jury duty, etc.

Once again, I tried to convince myself that the training slow down was, in affect, tapering for the race. The mind trick worked pretty well, and I was able to run hard. My pie in the sky goal was to go under 7 min/mile, but I couldn't quite do it. I held a sub 7 pace for most of the race, but starting slipping at mile 5. I ended up with a 1:05:40 (7:03 pace). I have to be happy with that, given my 10K PR at 6:51 pace, and Half Marathon PR at 7:19 pace.

There were some excellent Flyer sightings at the race, such as the Laminator, who passed me early on. I yelled out to him, and he made a valiant effort to turn around enough to see who was calling out, but wisely redirected his eyes forward, continuing on to a very fast finish. I also saw EF, another Flyer who finished way ahead of me as usual (3rd in our age group). Crazy Bandana was there snapping photos -- I watched the finish of the 4 mile race with him. He and several other Flyers I saw (CM) are training for Boston in four weeks. Gotta get there someday.

Scoring at Coogan's

2009-03-01T11:34:00.006-05:00

My first goal for this year was to run a sub 20 minute 5k. I planned my first attempt at this goal for lasts week's Al Gordon 5k, but I couldn't make the race because of a family trip.

Today's Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks Run was the next 5k on my list, and I felt ready to give it a go. I lined up aggressively in the corral, and found myself standing next to some of my faster teammates. This year, Coogan's is a club points race, so a lot more of the fast folks showed up. It wasn't really appropriate to be starting with these guys, so when the crowd moved forward, I hung back a bit.

Off the starting line, I was passing a good number of runners, but not so many that it was really holding me up. I hit mile one at 6:21, better than the 6:26 pace I needed to hit my goal.

In the next mile, I surprised myself by passing a couple of runners that usually finish way ahead of me. Sure, they might have been going easy today, but I still took it as inspiration to keep pushing. Mile 2 had the big hill, and despite pushing hard, my pace slipped to 6:38. That put me behind, but the last mile was mostly downhill, so I knew I could at least come close.

For the last 1.1 miles, I dug deeper than I ever have. It looked like I was going to miss my goal by just a few seconds, and I wasn't going to let that happen without a fight. For almost all of the last mile, I was running at finish line kick effort.

When I saw the finish line clock I had a glimmer of hope, but it was clear that it was going to by down to the wire. I pushed to line, and when I looked at my watch it read 19:57. Unbelievable.

My lungs were burning, but I was elated. There's nothing like running really really hard and hitting your goal.

After the race, PL and I skipped the free beer at Coogan's Pub, and instead grabbed some eggs and plantains with onions (and hot sauce) -- quickly becoming our Washington Heights tradition. Good eatin'.

When I got home and checked the official results, there was more good news. Amongst my teammates, I finished 4th, and 2nd amongst the masters runners in the club. That means I "double scored" (scored in the open and masters divisions) for the team. It's the first time I've scored for the team in any club points race.

The only bad news is that now I need a new goal (yes, I must always have a goal). I think it can wait until tomorrow though...

Fit to be Tied

2009-01-30T21:59:00.017-05:00

Once again, my running life has caused me to question one of the fundamental building blocks of my personal foundation.

After reading an article in Runners World, I realized that I didn't know how to tie my shoes. Ouch.

For my entire life, I have been tying "Granny Knots". I don't mean that I occasionally mess up. I tie my shoes the same way every time. The wrong way. Oh, the shame...

Now I am retraining, and the results are well.... satisfying. I will definitely try some training runs without double knotting, and if that works, I'll try racing that way. That's right, you heard me. I'm going to race single knotted. I expect at least a 5 second per mile improvement. After all, a double knot must be heavier, right?

The article claimed that about 50% of folks had the same problem. Are you wondering if you do it right?

If you are more the "intuitive type", I suggest this video:

If you are more the "analytical type", take a look at this:

Be prepared, though. If you find out that you've been doing it wrong, it may be a bitter pill to swallow. All I can say is, tomorrow is a new day.

Better Half

2009-01-25T15:50:00.003-05:00

Race Report: The Manhattan Half Marathon

I showed up at the Manhattan Half with TH and PL (as usual), and I was pretty fired up to run. One of my goals for 2009 is to improve my times for half and full marathons, which don't compare well to the times I run in shorter races.

This is a long term goal, and I hope that my half marathon times will improve throughout the year. That said, my PR for the half marathon distance was old (Queens, 2007) and needed to be broken. Today certainly felt like the day.

The first mile went quickly, at 7:18 -- well ahead of PR pace. Either I was going out too fast, or I was headed for a solid PR. As it turned out, I was able to hold pace pretty well. I was even able to run really strong in the last mile. It was the first time I've had anything left at the end of a half marathon. I ended up with a 1:36:01 (7:19/mile), a PR by almost 4 minutes.

After the race, PL, TH and I stumbled upon a very quirky place called Patisserie Saint Honore at 189 Columbus (68th Street). It's a tiny hole in the wall with just a couple of chairs along the wall, but if you happen to look up, you'll see a very cool, out of the way upper level with a couple of tables made cozy with some benches and cushions. We had "Morrocan Eggs", which were a delicious semi spicy tomato-y creation, and coffee. We took our treats to the upstairs area, which we had to ourselves, and told our races stories. Good times.

Resurgence of the 5K in NY?

2009-01-24T11:49:00.004-05:00

The NYRR just announced that this year's Al Gordon Snowflake race will be a 5K in Prospect Park (Brooklyn). This is good news, from where I stand.

I like the 5K distance, but I have only run it twice (Coogan's 2007 and Coogan's 2008). The only time I've run Prospect Park was at the end of the Brooklyn Half Marathon (ouch!). A 5K would be a chance to give Prospect Park a try on um... fresher legs.

From what I've heard, the NYRR used to run 5K races in Central Park. The routes were "out and back" however, which meant using twice as much road space as a loop race. When the races got too crowded, they stopped running 5Ks in favor of 4 mile races, which can be done in one "inside" loop of the park.

Hopefully, the Al Gordon change is a sign that the NYRR wants to run 5Ks again, even if they need to explore new locations.

This year we have at least two 5Ks in town: the Al Gordon 5K on Feb 21, and the Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks Run in Washington Heights just a week later. This gives me two shots at my first official goal for 2009 --- (drum roll please)

Run a sub 20 minute 5K.

If I can't hit my goal in one of these two races, well there are 5Ks outside of the city, and plenty of training time left. But hey, why put it off?

Good Start

2009-01-11T12:41:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was my first race of 2009 -- the Fred Lebow Classic, a 5 miler in Central Park. It wasn't really a target race, but I've been feeling good, so I figured I'd see if I could push my PR of 33.52 (6:46/mile).

I jogged over to the start with TH and PL (it really is nice to have so many races just a jog away!). It was cold, but not too bad, and the roads were clear. I saw cap'n GW near the corrals. He wasn't racing -- just saying "hi".

I ran mile one in 6:41. I didn't feel like I had gone out crazy fast, so the PR attempt was on. Mile two (mostly downhill) was faster at 6:36. Mile 3 held steady at 6:38, and I was starting to believe.

I had worked up a pretty good buffer for the expected slow down in mile 4 (Cat Hill). This point in a 5 miler, with 2 miles to go, and a big hill coming up, is usually when the going gets tough for me. I have to really dig deep for the next mile before the home stretch burst of energy comes. This time, however, I wasn't feeling the usual struggle. I actually felt pretty strong.

When I topped the hill and saw that mile 4 had gone by in 6:41 -- below PR pace -- I realized that it was in the bag. For the cherry on top of the sunday, I looked up and saw several of my fellow morning runners, including FA, CB and I think VB, jogging the other way. I waved to them and they gave me a huge cheer.

I really felt like a million bucks. The other racers around me were giving me looks varying from laughing to envy to "is that fair?". I felt bad for them. Not only did I have the unfair advantage of a cheering section, but those same folks cheering had also made me train with hundreds of repeats on the very hill we had just raced up.

The last mile flew by, ending on a fast downhill. With a 6:30 mile 5, my time was 33:06 (6:37/mile), a 46 second PR.

Afterward, I saw a bunch of folks including a lot of the morning crew. There were plenty of PRs, and a whole lot of smiles. The speed work must be paying off.

Running to the Edge of the World

2009-01-02T01:42:00.007-05:00

On my first morning in Japan, I took advantage of the jet lag and went out for an early run. I was in Tsudanama for one night, in the Chiba prefecture just outside of Tokyo. This area is a combination of urban sprawl, suburban and rural cultures that you don't find in the US.

I headed out from the house in a residential area near the Kesei (Train) Station, and headed North. After taking a long pedestrian bridge over the JR tracks, I found myself on a paved path running through farm fields. The sun was just coming up, and roosters were crowing.

After about a mile, I came out of the farm area, to a good sized road that had a nice looking bike path along it. There was a line of trees between the road and the path, and occasion park benches. I followed the bike path for a long time, and it changed in character as it passed through commercial, residential and more remote areas. I kept expecting the path to come to an end, but it just kept coming.

It was a Saturday morning, so most of the office workers were still in bed. For company, I had the elderly folks, out for their morning constitutionals. The older folks in Japan never cease to amaze me. They seem to stay healthy and active to impossibly advanced ages. At times like this, when they own the street, the country takes on a wholesome feeling that

contrasts strikingly with the cell phone hustle of the younger generations.

As the path stretched on, I started to imagine what its end would look like. At first, I pictured a nice park,

with a map of the path on a sign. Later, my imagination became more dramatic. Surely I would arrive at cliff overlooking the ocean. Japan, after all, is an island. How much longer could I run in a straight line? When I started to imagine I would find the edge of the world, a la "The God's Must Be Crazy", I thought I better turn around.

Running back through the farm fields in full daylight, I had a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji. I had forgotten that on a clear day Fuji-san was visible from so far away. And this was shaping up to be a clear day if there ever was one.

Running on the Road

2008-12-27T20:27:00.003-05:00

The concierge at the hotel gave handed me the Boston jogging map but didn't let go of it right away.

"So... when are you planning on running?"

"In the morning..."

"OK, but... it's gonna be pretty nasty out there..."

It had been two days since the last snow storm, but there was still a lot of snow on the ground. My hope was that the paths were clear enough that I could experience the legendary running paths along the Charles River.

The concierge was not optimistic. Through a combination of words and facial expressions, he suggested that a sane person might consider one of the perfectly good treadmills in the hotel health club as an alternative.

I managed to get the map out of his hand and had a look. Paths on either side of the Charles with numerous crossings allowed for loops off virtually any distance desired. It looked like about a 3 minute run from the hotel to get there. I really wanted to go.

The next morning, Christmas Eve, I woke at 6AM. I would have to head out right away in order to get my run in before we had to get packed and head out of town. I contemplated the pitch black darkness and the possibility of ice on a strange route, and I headed to the health club, head hanging in shame.

When we finally got on the road, we selected "go home" on the GPS, and it guided us along the Charles toward the highway. From Memorial Drive, it was easy to see that the running path was completely impassable.

I couldn't help but think that the roads of Central Park (home, sweet home) had to be completely clear by now. Boston -- bah humbug.

The next day I verified this with a beautiful Christmas morning run in the park. A few hours later we were airborne, headed for Japan. With 13 plus hours in a tin can ahead of me, it gave me great comfort that I had some outdoor miles under my belt. I'm not talking about treadmill miles. I mean real running, where you move forward, climb hills, feel the wind and see the world.

Short Summary...

2008-12-17T21:27:00.007-05:00

This week's topic from Take It and Run Thursday at the Runners Lounge is a summary of your running year in 52 words or less. So... here we go.

Start word count.... now!

____

Running at 6AM with Francine and the gang was a twice weekly inspiration. Running and scheming with my best buds PL and TH was a pleasure. Struggled with injury in the Spring, but seem to have it licked.

In the end, 1250 miles, 20 races and 6 PRs. Running -- good.

____

Wow, that was tough. I'll do a more wordy recap of the year later.

4 for the Holiday

2008-12-13T17:39:00.005-05:00

Today's Holiday 4 Miler was my last race of 2008, and it was a blast. Cowboy Hazel suggested that I run the Jingle Bell 5K tomorrow, but I think I'm raced out for the weekend. Next weekend, I'll be on the road for the holidays, not to return until after the New Year.

I had originally planned to go easy in this race, but as usual, the excitement of the day got to me, and I ended up running hard. I jogged over to the start with TH, and met up with the rest of his clan. The boys were both racing as well, and mom was spectating and holding down the fort.

We took of our outer layers and headed for the start, probably a bit too early, as we froze our butts off in the corrals waiting for the start. In the corral, I saw SJ and a couple of other Flyers. I also recognized a guy whose blog, rundangerously, I've enjoyed reading. I'd never met him, so I tapped him on the shoulder and let him know that I liked his blog. He runs at a similar pace to me, so I expect to see more of him in the future.

I ended up a little closer to the starting line than usual, and got a thrill as I could see the lead truck for most of the first mile of the race. Chasing the truck, I ran hard, and ended up with a 6:35 -- on PR pace. Honestly, I was a little disappointed in that time, as I felt like I was really pushing it. On second thought, I realized that mile one is quite hilly, and I would probably wail on mile two, which was mostly downhill. I was disappointed again, when I hit mile 2 with a 6:43. With Cat hill still ahead, it wasn't looking good for a PR.

Around that time ST passed me. I wasn't sure it was her from behind, since she was wearing a hood and no Flyer gear, but I caught her again on Cat hill and was able to see her face. ST was just the person I needed to see right then -- a fast runner to try to beat, rather than a long hill to climb. We ran most of the rest of the race together, pushing each other hard. There was also another Flyer there, who I didn't know.

Mile three came in at 6:42. Very odd. I ran the Cat hill mile at the same pace as the down hill mile before it. A quick calculation told me I needed a 6:20 to hit my PR time. That was a stretch, but not completely out of the question. The last mile was downhill, and it was, well, the last mile. I kept pushing eventually outpacing ST toward the end, and momentarily caught up with the other Flyer, although he out kicked me in the end. We shook hands afterward - he's KM -- always good to know another Flyer.

I was trying so hard at the end, that I didn't get right to my watch at the finish, so I wasn't sure of exactly what my time was, but it did appear that I had PRed. What a way to end the season.

After the race, I caught up with a number of Flyers, including TH, SJ, ST, Captain GW and the FlyGirl, who had capped a great season with yet another PR.

When I got home and checked the official results, I found that I had PRed by THREE SECONDS. Hey, a PR is a PR. I was 17th of 206 men in my age group and 183 of 4878 overall.

Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG Gender Place	AG %
183	170	17	26:19	6:34	23:34	90	71.4 %

That's good enough for me -- for 2008 anyway.

Happy Holidays!

Help Me Pick the Next Goal

2008-12-11T21:14:00.003-05:00

OK, I've PRed my last two races, and I'm ready to step back, regroup, and aim for a new goal. The question is....

What should my new goal be?

It has to be some kind of obvious landmark to make it worth the trouble. I'm looking to take a few months or longer of targeted training before taking a shot at the prize. I'm up for intervals, tempo runs, long runs or any combo to hit my new goal.

The problem is, I've passed all of the obvious times that I was close to. Now, my PRs are mostly at a pace a few seconds below a minute mark, and my finish times are not particularly near an :o5 or :10.

I could use some help with the next goal. Here are some ideas:

1] A sub 20 minute 5K. This seems like the most obvious nearby milestone, but I usually only race the one NYRR 5K road race a year. Perhaps I should look for some others nearby. Any suggestions?

2] A Half Marathon at sub 7:30 pace. This would be a PR, and although beating an X:30 pace is not like beating an X:00 pace, it would be a solid improvement on my current best.

3] A Half Marathon at sub 1:35. This would be a 7:15 pace. More ambitious, but more of a reward.

4] Some marathon goal. I have definitely under performed in my two marathons, and I'm ready to go for something better, but what?

5] ????

Any suggestions would be welcome. My current PRs are posted here on the lower right.

JK 10K 2008

2008-12-07T10:21:00.004-05:00

Over a month ago, I went public with my plan to target today's Joe Kleinerman 10K. My goal was to beat my PR of 44:31 (7:01 min per mile), and get the new record under a 7 minute pace.

Coming into the race, I felt prepared to achieve my goal, but it is always hard to predict what will actually happen.

As usual, the NYRR corral system produced a clean start, and I was able to set my own pace from the beginning. I finished mile one in 6:59 -- right on target given that this mile included the biggest hill in the park. The next three miles were slightly faster - well under 7 minutes each. As expected, mile 5 was the crux of the race. It's quite hilly, including Cat Hill, and it's at the toughest point in the race psychologically -- you're tired, yet the finish still seems far away. When I got through mile 5 in under 7 minutes, I knew my PR was in the bag. Mile 6 is mostly downhill, and that just left the last 0.2.

Toward the end of the race, I noticed a runner that seemed to have targeted me. We had swapped places a few times earlier, but I really noticed him when he put on a charge at about 1/4 mile out. I waited for my kick until later, and we found ourselves side by side with just 30 or 40 yards to go. We exchanged looks, and the race was on. I was really surprised at what I had left, but he had even more, beating me by a step at the finish. I was going for a PR, but I never would have run that hard to the finish if this guy hadn't been there. I don't know why it was so much fun, but it was.

Afterwards, I met up with friends and teammates, and there were lots of good reports. TH had a PR, as did nyflygirl. Both of them are on a roll.

My official time was 42:33 (6:51 min/mile), so I am marking this goal as met. Now I have to starting thinking about what the next goal will be...

The Splits:

6:59

6:55

6:43

6:52

6:58

6:45

1:18 (0.2)

Zero One

2008-12-05T18:39:00.002-05:00

Let me start with a story. My good friend PL ran a brilliant PR in the Queens Half Marathon in 2007, destroying his previous record by over 5 minutes. After the race, he told me with hint of sadness, "you know Doc, I don't ever want to run faster than that."

Here was a man who had just run a great race, but it hurt. And he thought he might have reached his peak.

That night, PL got home and checked out the official race results on line. His pace for the race was recorded at X:01 per mile.

It doesn't matter what the X was, the point is that it was one second from being a minute faster per mile. The next time I spoke to PL, he was looking for a Half Marathon to run. He couldn't let the X:01 stand. He wanted to run faster.

Here is a quiz:

Runner A runs a race in 8 minutes and 1 second per mile.

The next month, Runner A runs a race in 7 minutes and 59 seconds per mile.

How much faster did Runner A get?

Answer: One minute per mile (i.e. a LOT faster).

There are some who would say that Runner A only got 2 seconds per mile faster. I'm sure these people are excellent mathematicians, but any runner will back up my answer.

That's why I'm driven to beat my own zero one. My 10K PR is 7:01 per mile. If I can hit 6:59 on Sunday, I'll be as happy as can be.

As for PL, he's beaten that X:01 PR twice since that day in Queens, and I don't think he's hit his fastest time yet. Not by a long shot.

Turkey Trot Not

2008-11-30T19:31:00.002-05:00

I love the idea of a Turkey Trot -- a short race on Thanksgiving weekend, ideally on the morning of or the morning after.

In my imagination, it would offer so many benefits; a bit of vigorous exercise on the day of gorging, a possible family event (if there are other runners in the clan), and a spirited break from the general lethargy of the holiday.

Sadly, I've never run one. They exist here in NY, but I'm usually out of town. When I visit the parents, it is in a town that folks leave for the holidays, so the races are at other times of the year.

Still, running has really changed the holiday vibe for me. If I get up early, and get in a good run, it is much easier to relax and enjoy just hanging out and chatting with the family. I don't feel stuffed all the time, partly because I've exercised, and partly because at the end of dinner, I'm starting to think about the next day's run instead of whether to have whipped cream, or ice cream AND whipped cream on my mince, pumpkin and pecan pies.

This past Tuesday started at home in NY with speed work with the 6AM group. We ran short (~100 meter) intervals. I've never run intervals this short (fast) before, and I found myself feeling sore toward the end. I actually jogged the last (10th) interval out of concern that I might be overdoing it.

That afternoon, we loaded the family into the car and headed out to grandma and grandpa's. The next morning, I ran an easy 5 miler, but my quads and hamstrings were sore in both legs. Whenever I hit a hill, I had to shorten my stride to avoid freaking out the hamstrings.

It was hard to believe that this level of soreness was set off by a few short sprints, but maybe it was a bigger deal than I realized. I immediately began to fantasize about destroying all my PRs by doing more short intervals. Clearly, my soreness was a sign that a could make huge improvements by doing more sort intervals. Or the soreness was a sign that I guy my age shouldn't be sprinting at all (nah, couldn't be that).

I took the next day off. Unfortunately, that was Thursday, the one day I wanted to make sure to get some exercise. I took it easy in the feast though, and did an 11 mile run on Friday afternoon. I still felt some traces of soreness, so I skipped Saturday. Thankfully, I felt great on the Sunday morning 9 mile run.

Then we piled back in the car and headed home. There was no Turkey Trot, but I did log 25 miles while I was at grandma's house, and I got over the soreness from Tuesday (what soreness?), so all in all, I can't complain.

Next Sunday is the Joe Kleinerman 10K, which I have declared as my next target race. The goal is to beat my current PR of 7:01/mile pace. I'm pretty confident that I should be able to make it, depending of course, on what abuse I suffer this Tuesday during speed work...

Spy Belt

2008-11-21T20:05:00.005-05:00

At the NYC Marathon expo this year, my friend Tim found a great new product called the Spibelt (pronouced "Spy Belt"). It is a small pouch on an elastic belt that serves as a race belt and a pocket to store some Small Personal Items (the SPI in SPIbelt).

For some time, I've been running with just an apartment key and a $20 bill. I have a Road ID on my shoe, so my minimum needs are covered.

Still, I would prefer to have a cell phone with me, but I hate to have it bouncing around while I run. The Spibelt somehow holds my cell without any bouncing or chaffing. I wore it in the marathon and literally forgot it was there.

The Spibelt also serves as a "race belt" with clips to hold a race bib. Last weekend I found myself at a race about to suffer with two common cold weather problems; my fingers were too cold to manipulate the safety pins, and I wasn't sure whether to pin the bib to my outer or inner shirt.

My problems were solved when I realized that I was wearing my Spibelt, which

comes equipped with clips for a race bib. I slipped the bib onto the belt with ease, and left the decision about which shirt to wear for later. Good times...

Baby Steps

2008-11-19T18:29:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday mornings, I meet a group of Flyers at 6AM to do speed work. Normally, the group alternates between running intervals one week, and hill repeats the next. We do different hills and different sets of intervals in various locations to keep things fresh.

This week, we tried something new. Some new folks in the group suggested that running on stairs would be a good workout, so we headed for Bethesda Terrace in Central Park to give it a try.

My day started out with the close to 2 mile run to the meet point, followed by another mile plus to the stairs.

Once there, the rules were explained.

- Single steps only. No taking 2 steps at a time.

- Focus on leg speed. Think of running on hot coals.

- Run fast (duh!)

We ran 5 x 5 sets up and down the stairs. The Bethesda Terrace stairs have two "sides" separated by a bridge of sorts. Between sets, we wouldn't stop, but rather jog over to the opposite side. You can see the two sets of steps in the picture below, but it was a very different scene at 6AM in November. As you might imagine, we had the steps to ourselves.

The effect was much different than I had imagined. I expected a hard core quad workout, but it turned out to be more cardio. Trying to run fast without taking two steps at a time meant moving the feet REALLY quickly. I almost felt like running in place.

I think this was an excellent workout. For one thing, it was very different from the usual speed work we do, and it's always good to mix it up. Also, it was great way to work on leg speed -- something that I could definitely benefit from.

Finally, it was FUN. We had a good group of folks, and although there were a range of paces, we never got far apart -- there was nowhere to go. At the start, some folks were singing the theme to Rocky, invoking the image of the boxer training on steps in Phili. Later in the workout, when the going got tough, someone yelled "where's the singing now?!" Sure enough, the singing returned. You can't keep a Flyer down.

Race to Deliver

2008-11-16T15:43:00.006-05:00

This morning was the Race to Deliver, a 4 miler in Central Park.

I've targeted the Joe Kleinerman 10K coming up in a few weeks, and this was a chance to check my progress. My target for today was to run at a solidly sub 7 minute pace, but I did not plan to shoot for my PR 6:38 pace.

The race started on the 72nd street transverse in the park, which meant that we were more cramped than usual for the first 100 yards or so. I was fortunate, but I heard reports from many friends about collisions at the start. Once we made the turn onto East Drive, it was all clear.

I ran an aggressive pace, but not too crazy. It would have been easy to go out too fast, especially since Cat Hill was right near the start. When I checked my watch at the first mile marker, I didn't really know what to expect. The time -- 6:36.

Realizing that I was two seconds faster than PR pace, I went into PR pursuit mode. My strategy was clear:

- Maintain effort level for mile 2, and hope for a faster mile since it is downhill.

- Tough out the West Side Hills in mile 3, but expect to lose some time.

- Pick it up to make the last mile my fastest and secure the PR.

Here's how it went:

6:36 Mile 1

6:32 Mile 2

6:48 Mile 3

6:27 Mile 4

26:22 (0:13 PR)

Net Time	Pace per Mile	Overall Place/ Total Finishers	Gender Place/ Total Males	Age Place/ Total in Age Grp.	Age-Grd. Time	Perf. %
26:22	6:35	224 / 5981	210 / 2742	21 / 246	23:37	71.3%

Toward the end of mile three, I saw AW, one of the Flyers I run with regularly in the mornings. He just finished the NYC Marathon 40 minutes faster than I did, so I was very happy to be anywhere near him. Of course, he was probably just taking it easy after the marathon, but still...

At the end of the race, I was exhilarated. In fact I still am. I love beating my previous best times. I love running a hard fast race. It just feels good.

After the race, I saw AW and DW, another morning Flyer, and my friend PL. It seemed like everyone had a good race. It was especially great to see DW all fired up. He's back in training for his next marathon. I guess that means that the pace of the morning runs is going to pick up over the coming weeks. I'll just have to do my best to hang.

Company Run

2008-11-15T20:32:00.004-05:00

This spring, I joined a young company as employee number four. We now have a few more folks on board, but we are still very small.

The "home office" is in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, so I occasionally go up there for face to face time. I started a

"tradition" with one of my coworkers that lives in Portsmouth of going for early morning runs when I'm in town. Portsmouth is a great place to run, with beautiful coastal sunrises to en

joy.

On my last trip (last week), a couple of the other folks got tired of hearing about how nice our runs were, and they decided to join us. They are both in great shape (a swimmer and a biker), but they don't usually run.

And so I found myself at 5:3

0 AM on Wednesday, out on a 6 mile run with employees 1-4 of our company.

The run was a great success, and as far as I could tell, fun was had by all. That night, we had a company dinner, with spouses and kids. I couldn't help but notice several more runners in the group.

Who knows, we may have a regular running group. We'll see. It certainly looks like my job is not going to interfere with my running addiction, and that is a very good thing in my book.

Running on a Track

2008-11-09T16:01:00.004-05:00

Although I live in an ideal location for running, one thing that I've been missing is the chance to run on a real track. I've done speed work at various locations in Central Park, including the reservoir, and the cinder track at the top of the Great Hill, but these spots fall short of a real track.

Folks who run with me know that I'm not a fan of uneven surfaces. The result is that I prefer to run on the road rather than on dirt, which most people think is a bad choice.

I suspect, however, that I may not be the only one who feels a little funny about doing speed work on uneven surfaces. If I run a 440 intervals on the reservoir, for example, it feels like every 5th stride or so is a slight misstep, and at that effort level it seems risky.

I've known for some time that there is a track at Riverbank State Park, and this morning I finally got up there. It turns out that it's just a 20 minute run from my apartment, which works out perfectly. 20 minutes warm-up, some intervals at the track and 20 minutes cool down, and I'm home in a reasonable time. I could even fit in a speed workout on a weekday morning before work.

The track itself is really nice. An eight lane, 400 meter track made of that nice soft red surface they use these days. It's the ideal for me - softer than dirt and smoother than the road. It felt really comfortable, even running hard.

This morning, I had a relatively light workout: 4x400 and 2x200. Next time, I'll do more. Here are the times:

4x400 meters:

127

131

130

127

2x200

The park is open 7 days a week from 6AM, so I imagine that I'll be up there again soon. PRs, watch out!

Back at it

2008-11-05T09:43:00.004-05:00

After two days off, I was back out running this morning. TH and I did a four mile loop at an easy pace, and I was very happy to find that I had no marathon soreness at all.

Aside from my wingman duties, my main goal this year was to finish without feeling beat up, and it seems that I succeeded. This makes me very happy. I now have hope that if I train and run smart, I can include marathons as part of my long term running life. Woo hoo!

So what's the next goal? (Yes, yes, must have goal must have goal must have goal must have goal).

Goal: Run a 10K at sub 7 pace. My current PR is at 7:01 (this won't do, no no no).

When? I'll give it a try at the NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K on December 7. As good a time as any.

Before that, I'll see what I can do in the 4 mile Race to Deliver I don't think I'm ready to PR there yet, but it will be a good prep run for the 10K.

One more thing.... I've been slacking off on the blogging lately, but I'm feeling more motivated now. So for those few who read these pages, I promise to do better.

See you out there!

Wingman

2008-11-03T18:14:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I ran my second marathon, and it was an entirely different experience from the first. I went as companion, pacer, wingman, whatever you want to call it, to my good friend Peter, who was running his first.

Peter's goal was the official goal of all first time marathoners -- to finish the race. Of course, as with most first timers, he also had a "secret" time goal. In his case, it was to finish under 4 hours.

Since my first and only marathon was barely under 4 hours, I was hardly qualified to be a pacer, but I planned to stick with him and offer what support I could.

At the start, we met up with our mutual friend TH. The three of us actually stuck together for the first 18 miles, which was quite a feat in the crowded marathon field. It was truly a blast. The first 18 of the NYC Marathon is a giant party, and it was great to share it with my friends.

Heading up the Queensboro Bridge at mile 15, I saw a runner with a pair of odd looking sandal-like things stuck in his belt. I recognized the footwear, and I when I caught up to him, I recognized the runner. We had run together in the Flyers "Bridges and Arches" run in Central Park earlier this year. During that run he had actually been wearing the unusual footwear, which he explained were Vibram FiveFingers. They were VERY thin, and I was amazed at how tough he was to run in them. At the marathon, however, they were tucked in his belt -- so what was he wearing? NOTHING. That's right, he ran the NYC Marathon barefoot. I seriously can not even imagine. Did he finish? Yes he did. Absolutely stunning.

Last year, I finished in an OK time, but I felt really beaten up (even though I wasn't barefoot). It took quite a while to feel fully recovered. This time, I was able to finish feeling strong, which is a huge win for me.

So how did we do? Peter and I finished side by side in 3:58:54. This morning Peter called to talk about training for the next marathon.

Starting Small

2008-09-25T20:21:00.004-04:00

Last weekend I ran the annual Fifth Avenue Mile, one of my favorite races.

Last year, I set the ambitious (for me) goal of going under 6 minutes, and just managed to do it. It was a great day. This year, I was still coming back from my "non-injury" slump, and I didn't know if I was going to be able to match last year's time.

The race is unique amongst NYC races, in that there are age group heats. This means that each age group winner gets to literally break the tape -- a real plus for the masters and veterans. Although I am not in contention to break the tape, I still love it that I can see the winners finish ahead of me.

With all the separate heats, comes another difference. There are no starting mats. It's "gun time" only, which means that if you are really watching your time, you have to line up early and get to the front. I was not feeling so confident, and I ended up in a starting position a good bit behind last year's.

Once the race started, though, I felt good. It took a few seconds to reach the start, and there was a good bit of bobbing and weaving after that, but I still hit the first quarter mile at 1:30. I tried to maintain effort for the up hill second quarter, and hit it just under 3:00. Again, maintaining effort on the downhill third quarter, I came in well under 4:30, and I knew a PR was within reach. At the 1500 meter mark, GW was there, screaming at me

to kick it into gear. I gave it everything I had and finished with a 5:52.

I was very happy with this time. Five seconds ahead of last year's time, 35th o

f 151 men in my age group, and a 70.5% AG.

The over 70% AG in particular, I take as a sign that I am returning to top shape and ready to challenge my PRs at longer distances.

To view more photos of race winners like the one on the right, click here.

Half Solid

2008-09-14T19:21:00.002-04:00

As I work my way back into good weekly mileage, I am trying to gradually build the long runs as well. This weekend offered the NYRR LTR (Long Training Run) and the Queens Half. I went with the half for two reasons. First, it was the right distance for where I am, and second, because my two regular running buddies were doing it.

The three of us drove out together, which was MUCH nicer than the bus that I took last year. The race starts at 7AM in Queens, and driving allowed for a lot more sleep and a lot less time hanging out at the staging area. Most of all, going to a race with your friends is just good fun.

The course was the same as last year (very nice), but ten degrees hotter (74) and 17 percent higher humidity (87). I have run in tougher weather, but those numbers are not ideal for 13.1 miles.

My main goal was to prove that my legs were strong enough to go 13.1 miles. I "planned" to go easy and treat it as a training run, but once I put that chip on my shoe....

I ran with moderate intensity, never in sight of a PR, but still trying to come in with a decent time. I was very happy to find that the limiting factor was my fitness, not the strength/health of my legs. I finished with a 1:43, four minutes from my PR on the same course, but a solid run for me. Most importantly, my legs felt great. It looks like I can safely continue to build fitness and speed, which makes me very happy.

Next up: the Fifth Avenue Mile on Sunday. I love this race. Last year I barely made my goal of going under 6 minutes, and I vowed to train specifically for the mile this year. Unfortunately, life got in the way. I'm going to try my best to match my time from last year, but it's a stretch. I know I have a faster time in me, but I just haven't been doing the speed work. Still, I'm looking forward to giving it everything I've got.

Flat Out

2008-09-09T11:18:00.002-04:00

I ran intervals this morning with the 6AM group. It's been a while since I've run speed work, due to a hamstring that I've been "watching". Today, I finally felt ready.

We ran a "reverse pyramid":

2 x 440

1 x 880

1 x mile

1 x 880

2 x 440.

I was cautious at first, but when it came time for the last 440 I felt really strong (strong as in healthy), so I went flat out. It felt great.

So where does the expression "flat-out" come from? The internet has failed me. I see references to dates of origin (20's - 50's), but no explanation. I associate it with the accelerator of a car, as in "pedal to the metal", but I really have no idea.

Whatever the derivation, there's just nothing like giving it everything you've got if you want to feel alive.

Here's to going flat out every chance we get!

Fitness Games

2008-09-06T11:52:00.004-04:00

Today's Fitness Games four miler was well named for me, as I wanted a fitness check. My goal was to go under a 7 minute pace to prove to myself that I'm getting back into shape.

It seems like I've finally gotten past the nagging leg issues I was having, and I've had 2 weeks of solid milage feeling good.

The predictions of heavy rain didn't come true, but that left us with brutal 94% humidity. I was feeling it before the race even started. The first mile included Cat Hill, but it didn't slow me down as much as it does in other races when it looms near the end of the course. I hit the mile one mark at 6:58, which seemed about right.

Mile two is mostly downhill, but I tried to keep a handle on it, as I knew the West Side Hills awaited in mile three. My split was 6:54, which seemed on track, but at this point I was really feeling the humidity.

The West Side Hill cut me down to size a bit, and mile three took 7:12. That left me a bit behind, but well positioned for a fast, downhill mile 4. Unfortunately, I just didn't have much drive left to make the final push.

I ran the last mile in 6:56, crossing the finish at exactly 28:00, a 7:00 minute pace (doh!).

OK, I missed my goal by a second, but I have to count it as a success. The weather was brutal, and I ran a well paced, steady race.

The event was split into two races -- the men started at 8:30, and the women at 9:30. It was also a team points race, so the faster runners were out in force. Generally, I think co-ed races are more fun, but running separate races does provide more opportunity for cheering. Thanks to the Flyer ladies who came out early to cheer this morning!

At the finish, I ran into a bunch of Flyer men who were headed out to find a good cheering spot to watch the women's race. I had a great time doing this at the Club Championships, but this morning I couldn't stay due to family obligations.

The plan now is to gradually start adding speed work and more milage into the coming weeks, and be ready for some fast races when the weather cools!

Ribbon of Recreation

2008-08-23T14:25:00.012-04:00

Today was the final day of an NYC event called Summer Streets in which the city closed Park Avenue and connecting streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park for for the entire morning. Many of the cross streets are closed as well, and walkers, runners and bicyclists are invited to take over. The video above is views of the event over Mayor B. talking about what he calls a "Ribbon of Recreation".

I, of course, would never have known about this, but for the group run organized by the Flyers. The club plan was to run downtown from Central Park, and then go out for brunch.

I met up with TH on 96th, and we ran through the park to the meet point at 72nd. From there we ran with the Flyers out to Park Avenue and headed south. I have really enjoyed the few times I've gotten to run on the car-less streets of New York, and this was no exception. Park Avenue is quite spectacular. As far as I'm concerned, they should do this every weekend. Hey, they close the road in Central Park, right? OK, I am a bit biased -- I don't drive in the city -- I imagine that Summer Streets was a huge inconvenience for some folks....

Anyway, we ran all the way down park, "through" the Met Life building (very cool), and past Union Square and onto Lafayette. From there we ran to the City Hall area where we regrouped to talk about brunch. I was feeling like running some more, so I skipped brunch and headed back north with a handful of like minded folks, including TH and JF. We never committed to running the whole way back, but we were having a great time, chatting about anything from politics to parenting. Before we knew it, we were back at 72nd street.

Given our the milage on JF's GPS, and our pre-run from 96th, TH and I called it a 12 mile run - longer than I have gone in a while. I've been shy about the long run for a while, but I feel like I may be back. This run certainly went easily, and I did close to 10 miles on Thursday. Both runs were at an easy pace, with an emphasis on socializing. That may be my key to building up endurance. When I run alone, I set a distance goal, and then just naturally push to complete it quickly. As a result, I don't get in as many "recovery" or easy runs as I probably should.

At any rate, things are looking up, running wise. Cheers!

Gay Pride

2008-06-29T23:17:00.003-04:00

Saturday was the Front Runners Lesbian and Gay Pride run. I had seen many runners in Front Runners singlets at races in the past, but I had no idea how big the club was. The event had a great vibe, and a lot of that was due to the Front Runners that were there volunteering and running.

I entered my assigned starting corral and immediately spotted a bevy of Flyers, both old friends and new faces. We chatted and there were a few introductions. There were some folks there that I would have liked to have kept pace with, but I knew that on this day, it wasn't going to happen. When the race started, I fell in behind one of the Flyers I had just met, J.E.

I was able to stay with him, but it was an ambitious pace. I decided to go with it, and let him pull me along. We ended up running the first few miles side by side. There was no conversation, but there was a nice teammate vibe.

I knew, from the heaviness of my breathing and the ease of J.E.s breathing, that he would be ditching me before the race was over, and as expected, I fell back around Cat Hill. Unfortunately, J.E. stayed in sight, which meant that I had to continue to give it my all. I finished with a 35:04 (7:00 pace), which is pretty good considering that I'm just starting to get back into shape.

Most importantly, I felt as high as a kite at the end of the race. I had really pushed myself, and it felt great. The vibe of the event, chatting with teammates afterwards, and the satisfaction of leaving everything I had on the road made this a high point of my month.

I have a ways to go before I'll be able to PR again, but if this race was any indication, I'm going to enjoy getting there.

My Need for Speed

2008-06-08T21:36:00.002-04:00

Today was the 2008 Need for Speed 50 mile relay race. I ran again with Flyers Team Black which had all but one runner returning from last year.

Last year's race was an important day in my new running life, and I really looked forward to this year's version.

Certain aspects of the experience were just like last year -- the camaraderie and the excitement of running with a team in a sport that I have only otherwise experienced as an individual. Sure, I run as a Flyer in all the races, but this is different.

So what was different this time? Well the weather, for one. It was brutal. It started hot and got hotter, reaching the mid nineties at its peak. Also, coming off injury, I opted for a short leg, rather than taking the challenging (and rewarding) lead off leg that I had last year.

So, do I have a personal "Need for Speed"? Yes, I do.

The heat made it impossible to run at the pace I would have otherwise expected. But just going out and running hard felt so good....

The Good

Hanging with Team Black again!
Matt from the Hellgate team who rode with us in our team van for two legs. This is a whole story that I will post on separately.
Every minute of my leg. Me like to run.
The two new additions to the team -- my good friend TH, and new Flyer the Laminator. It was great introducing TH and Team Black to each other, and it was a pleasure to meet the Laminator, who up until now I have known only from his blog. The reality lived up to my image.
The Flyers had 4, count 'em, 4 teams in the relay. With 8 or 9 runners on each team, this meant that the transition points were loaded with Flyers, adding even more good vibes to the event.

The Bad

A lot of folks got of course during their legs. Whenever a runner didn't show up for any team when expected, we had to worry that not only may they have gotten lost, but that they might be in serious trouble due to the heat. Fortunately, all of the Flyers participating made it through safely, although a few were pretty teed off at the extra miles they ended up running.
Oh yeah, and late in the day, the "race was canceled" Chicago Marathon style. Everyone was allowed to finish the leg they were on, and since some teams were on the last leg, they completed the race, but many didn't. We missed by just a few minutes, so we didn't officially complete the last leg. Nyflygirl ran the leg anyway, without a chip.

A Good Start

2008-06-01T20:07:00.005-04:00

I ran my first race since March today. I've been nursing a "non-injury", but I've missed the whole race scene so much, I just couldn't stay away.

The event was the Japan Day Race, a four mile loop in Central Park. My plan was to run at training pace, or just a bit faster if I felt good.

This was my first race since the NYRR started using the new corral system, and I was very curious to see how well it worked. My pre-non-injury race times earned me a spot in the first corral, but I wasn't planning to match that pace today.

I followed my friend PL to the corral entrance, which was at the front of the corral. Uh, the front of the first corral would be right at the starting line. I definitely did NOT want to be there. One look at the eyes of the contenders that would be running over me, and I made a bee-line for the back of the corral.

Meanwhile, the corral barriers had been removed, and I ran into my friend TH at the front of the second corral. I didn't plan on keeping his pace either, but at least I knew he wouldn't push me of the road to get by.

When the starting horn sounded, TH was off like a shot, and I was left on my own to find the right pace. Despite my plan of moderation, I felt that old race day high. Boy have I missed that. I didn't push hard, but I felt good so I kept a brisk pace. At mile one, I was pleased to see my pace of 7:13.

My non-injured leg felt better than it has in a while, so I kept the pace up. I was nervous that I might be benefiting from adrenaline, and that I might regret it later, but... what can you do.

Each mile got faster, and I ended up averaging under a 7 minute pace (6:59). It was not a PR by any means, but it was very satisfying run.

Mile Splits
7:13
7:06
6:56
6:41

I stretched thoroughly afterwards, and there hasn't been any tightening or soreness, so hopefully today was a good step toward feeling 100 percent.

The corral system seems like a total success. Combined with the widening of the racing lane, there is no more crowding, and no one strays outside of the cones. The race marshals, who used to stand in harm's way trying to get people to "stay to your left!!", now just stand there and watch the race. Today's was a smaller race than usual, but still, it looks like the NYRR has gotten it really dialed.

I started back further than I needed to, since I expected to be running slower, but I had no problem moving through the pack. The corral system makes sure that there are no completely off-pace runners (walkers) blocking traffic in the front, and that's all that was really needed.

The "I" word

2008-05-18T11:50:00.003-04:00

Today was my third run since taking 2 full weeks off. There are those that would say I was injured, but I don't like that word. I'm just going to call it "taking a break, as one should periodically to rejuvenate."

Of course there are also those who would say that I'm in denial, but I figure denial is only bad if you don't take a rest or seek treatment. Since I did both, I figure I can call it whatever I want. So there.

I gotta tell you though, after a two week break I was completely miserable. I felt the fitness slipping, and then going into free fall.

Probably the worst part of denial, if indeed you believe such drivel, was that it kept me from posting to this blog. A lot of folks I know have posted in detail about injury and the steps they took to recovery, and I imagine it was therapeutic for the writers, as well as good material for the readers.

Enough about that - let's look ahead. The future is bright! My second year running the Need For Speed Relay is coming up next month. I just met with my Flyers - Black teammates, and it looks like the entire team will be back this year (WOO HOO!). Last year I ran leg one, a challenging, steep run that included crossing over Bear Mountain. Sadly, I begged out this year, as it wouldn't be the smartest choice for me during "recovery". I'll run a shorter, flatter leg. Probably when race day arrives, I'll be feeling 100% and be really pissed that I wimped out, but it was the "smart" thing to do.

No matter which leg I run, it's going to be a blast. I can't wait. In the mean time, I'll be focused on the slow and steady return to my previous fitness.... and beyond!

Running into Pierre

2008-04-26T11:52:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite running bloggers, Harlem 26.2, decided to stop posting recently. He used to title a lot of his posts "Running into ...". In some cases, the reference was literal, such as "Running into a Train", and sometimes less so, as in "Running into a Double Latte". It was a great blog, and I'll miss it. When I decided to post about an unexpected sighting of a runner that I had met once before, it just seemed natural to title the post "Running into Pierre" in honor of Harlem 26.2.

A few hundred yard into the the 2007 NYC Marathon, a runner approached me and asked what pace I was targeting. It turned out that we had similar goals, and we ran together for a while. In the next few miles, I learned that Pierre lived in my neighborhood, was also running his first marathon, and had trained entirely on his own. I found this last bit very impressive, as I had relied heavily on my running club for support -- especially in completely the long 18 and 20 mile training runs that one needs to do before running a marathon. Pierre had gone out and run 20 miles in Central Park on his own. That's a long way.

I really enjoyed meeting him, and I was disappointed when we got separated in the crowds after three miles or so. I've often wondered how the rest of the day went for him. I didn't know his last name, so I couldn't even look up his results.

This morning, as I was heading down 96th Street to the park, a runner coming the other way called out asking if I was John. Sure enough, it was Pierre. I was amazed that he was able to recognize me -- it's been 5 months since we briefly meet. I was really happy to hear that he ran a really good time -- a lot better than I had done. We chatted a bit -- we're both signed up for this year's marathon but not yet committed, etc.

We ran on our separate ways, and I realized that once again, I hadn't gotten his last name or even suggested that we run together some time. I could have at least suggested that he look into joining the Flyers. Hopefully, it will continue to be a small world and I'll see him out there again.

Target Race

2008-04-06T11:03:00.004-04:00

Had a great run yesterday with PL and TH. We had talked about going back to Rockefeller State Park, but with all the rain we were having we decided it might be a muddy mess. Instead we got together in Central Park for a couple of loops. PL wanted to get a feel for a race pace he was targeting, so in the middle of the first loop, we did a half mile pick at 10k pace or so. Then at the top of the Great Hill, we veered off to the cinder track that's hidden a few hundred yards off the road, and ran a few fast laps there. At the end of the second loop, we also picked up a bit to finish strong. The weather turned out to be beautiful, and I had a great time running with my two good friends.

I'm looking ahead at targeting the Brooklyn Half Marathon on May 3rd. Brooklyn is a great course, and I haven't run a half since October. I'm hoping to be up for a PR. Either way, it should be fun.

This morning, TH and I went out early, as we each had family obligations for most of the day. Runners were just starting to gather for the More Marathon in the park. The More Marathon is an amazing event that is only for women over 40. You can run the full marathon, or get a partner, and each of you run half (the partner doesn't have to be over 40). There were 146 marathon finishers, and close to 6000 folks who ran the half.

We passed by the Flyers water station, where a large group of Flyers were setting up. It felt bad to wave and say hi to the folks that were volunteering as we ran by, but there was no way I could have helped out today. Note to self: get out and do more Flyers volunteer activities!

Other Parks

2008-03-23T11:23:00.002-04:00

I had two spectacular runs this weekend. Saturday at Rockefeller State Park, and Sunday at the Inwood Hill Park.

I posted about a great run at Rockefeller before, and this one was just as good. Maybe better. I drove out with two good friends, and we took an easy pace, just soaking in the beauty of the park. There were lots of hills, and occasionally I charged up one, just to get the heart pumping. We stopped for a scrumptious breakfast at a Salvadoran restaurant in Washington Heights on the way back. Hopefully, we will do this many more times.

Inwood Hill Park was entirely new to me, and another place I hope to revisit soon. Located at the northern tip of Manhattan, the park has great views along the rivers, and a labyrinth of trails through a large wooded area. Running in this park was a little a remote, so I probably wouldn't do it alone, but with a friend there is a ton of territory to explore. I'll get up there again with my camera soon, and post some pics here for your viewing pleasure. In the meantime, here's a stock photo to give you an idea.

Before

2008-03-22T19:57:00.005-04:00

Some of the folks that I run with have requested a "before" photo, so here you go. I started running in the summer of 2006, and by the fall of 2007 I had dropped 58 pounds. I've kept the weight off since then, and it feels great.

Running -- good.

Second time over 70

2008-03-15T14:51:00.006-04:00

This morning was the Central Park Challenge 8K. It was a light turnout (1,700 runners) due to the early start just after DST kicked in, and the fact that so many folks ran last weekend in either the 15K points race or the 4 miler.

I arrived at the race with TH, and met up with PL there. We ran into DW from my morning training group, as well as MR and other Flyers at the start.

Although this wasn't a "target race" per se, I felt up for running a hard 8K (just under 5 miles), so I came ready to race. The small crowd made for an unusual opportunity as there was no need to bob and weave anywhere on the course. I ran the first mile in 6:42, perhaps my fastest first mile ever.

I kept a steady pace until mile 4, which was a bit slower as Cat Hill took its toll. The splits:
6:42 Mile 1
6:41 Mile 2
6:46 Mile 3
7:03 Mile 4 (Cat Hill)
6:35 (last .9 miles)

My 33.47 time was good for a 70.4% AG -- my second time breaking that tough 70% mark (woo hoo!).

After the race I reconnected with the folks I started with, and chatted with RB, JE and others. It seemed that a good time was had by all.

Running -- good.

Discipline... sort of

2008-03-09T14:34:00.005-04:00

I ran the Colon Cancer 15k last week as a training run. I had run 35 miles already in the week, and given the recent inconsistency of my training, I wanted to be sure not to over do it. 15K was a nice distance to top off the week, and I knew that this week was going to be light. Starting next week, my schedule should allow me to get back into steady 40 mile weeks. Then, hopefully, I'll see what I can do to train hard for a target race and keep pushing my fitness.

The 15K (9.3 miles) was two loops -- a 5 mile loop and a 4+ mile loop. I started off with two friends running at an easy pace, but after a mile or two one of them picked up the pace. In keeping with my non racing plan, I stuck with the slower of my two friends. After the first loop, I succumbed to temptation somewhat, and set out to see if I could catch up with the friend who had run ahead. I never did catch him, but I enjoyed running negative splits. It's great to feel strong at the end of a long race.

I got faster in each of the final miles, and only momentarily broke the "training run" plan by running the last mile at a sub 7 minute pace.

In the end, last week was a really solid week of running, but I knew this week would be tougher. Next week, no more excuses.

See you out there!

Washington Heights Week

2008-03-02T15:08:00.005-05:00

A few months ago, I named this weekend's Coogan's 5k as my next "target race". When I made this declaration, I had built up a solid training base of 40 mile weeks, and was poised to add speed work and other focused training for the race. Unfortunately, my training plans were interrupted by life, and my training took a dive, including one week of 0 miles (!).

Returning home from a long work trip, I saw that I had scheduled two events for this week -- indoor races at the Armory on Thursday, and Coogan's on Sunday -- both in Washington Heights. The Armory was running four races that night, 1500 meter and 800 meter individual events, and two relays. I had organized a group of Flyers to run the relays. The Armory events are full of young fast runners, including college track teams and the like. Even though we couldn't be competitive in this field, it was a chance to run on a first rate track and have some fun.

Fortunately, the Flyers are good sports, and good at having fun. I ran a 200 meter leg in a relay, and an 800 meter individual event. That was enough for me, and I hoped it would leave me something for Coogan's. Some of the other folks ran the 1500 meter race, which gave them a little more track time. Afterward, a few of us went by Coogan's Pub around the corner for refreshment and some laughs.

On Sunday, I headed back up to the Heights for Coogan's, which starts right in front of the Armory. I had a great time in this race last year, and this year did not disappoint. I don't know if it's the music (live bands all along the course), the kids races, the police and firefighter participation, or the promise of free beer at Coogan's pub, but the vibe is great at this run.

I met up with my usual cohorts, PL and the H family (dad and both son's were racing), and I saw a few Flyers at the start including PD, RB and met RP, a Flyer I knew only from the forums.

At last year's Coogan's, I ran 23:15. This year my goal was to go under 21 minutes. Last year, that would have been a top 10 age group finish.

I ran hard and had a blast. I just love the 5k distance. I wish the NYRR ran more of them. I finished with a 20:48 (6:42 pace), hitting my sub 21 minute goal, and good enough for 13th out of 185 men in my age group.

Still, it was slower than my best 4 mile pace (6:38) from just a month ago. The course was hilly, but I suspect that most of the reason was that my training fell off in the last month.

Starting tomorrow, back to putting in the steady miles!

Fun Run

2008-02-24T06:57:00.002-05:00

I got into JFK from Sydney on Friday night, so my plans for the race on Saturday were to just use it as a reason to get out of bed and get moving.

I called a friend from the cab, and he told me that the race had been changed to a "Fun Run", due to weather. It didn't seem that bad out, but I guess they were worried about rain turning to ice.

The race had been scheduled as a club points race, which would mean that there would be a big turnout from my club mates, and that in general, the fastest folks would be out. As a fun run, however, there would be no chips, clocks, awards or scoring of any kind. When this happened last year, I didn't go out, but later heard that it was a really fun event, with just a few people running in a snow covered park. I was pissed that I didn't go out that day, so I wasn't going to miss this one. And let's face it -- a fun run was all that I was up for anyway.

When I got out to the race, I was clear that this was not going to be the same sort of event as last year's fun run. That time, the weather had in fact been really intimidating. This time, the forecast was wrong. There was no new snow -- I think the concern had been about ice, which didn't materialize. It was actually a nice morning for a run, and a good number of people showed up.

I wandered in late -- hey, why show up early for a fun run? When I got there I found the starting area was pretty full. There were no pace markers, so it was even more of a free-for-all than usual. The front section had metal gates, and hopping those to push my way in didn't seem in the spirit of a fun run, so I just entered at the back and moved up as much as I could. I could see that it was going to be a slow start, but I reminded myself that I wasn't trying to break any records. Geez, just relax. It's a FUN RUN dammit!

After the start, it was really slow. I was actually walking a couple of times on the 102nd transverse (itsafunrun,itsafunrun,itsafunrun). After we made the first turn turn, it opened up and I was able to get up to pace. Although my training had dropped off (stopped) during my last week abroad, the upside was that my legs felt fresh and I was loving the feeling of running.

For the fun run, the NYRR had not put up the usual big mile marker signs, and had instead just drawn markers on the road. I missed the first marker, so I don't know my first mile time, but I hit the two mile point at 14:55. My guess it that this broke down to something like 8:05 and 6:50. The third mile (cat hill) was at 7:05, and the final mile was 6:37. Besides the first mile, these were real race pace times for me, so I didn't really take it as easy as I thought I would.

Hey, it was a Fun Run right? And what's fun for me is going out and running as fast as I can. May we all have many fun runs ahead!

Sydney

2008-02-23T04:53:00.012-05:00

The last few weeks, I've had to cut back on running, due to work and other life circumstances. I'm through the tough period now (famous last words), and ready to get those steady miles going again.

I have just returned from a 2 week work trip to Sydney. I didn't run as regularly as I would have liked, but I did have a couple of wonderful runs. I took the camera with me on just one run, but it was a great one, with gorgeous views. Temps in the 70s made it that much nicer.

The Route: From my hotel, I ran to Hyde Park, to the Domain, down along the water to the point at Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, around the U to the Sydney Opera House, through the Circular Quay to the Rock, up the steps to the Harbor Bridge and across. Turned around and crossed the bridge back, took the pedestrian path on the Cahill Expressway above the quay, and the steps down into the Botanical Garden. Wandered through the garden back to the Domain, and returned to the hotel the way I came (via Hyde Park).