My Trips and Races

Run for the Parks 4-miler 4.5.09

2009-04-18T20:23:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 8 (6th 2010 marathon-qualifying race) was the Race for the Parks 4-miler.

Goals: to run between water stations and to finish in 38 - 40 minutes, with every mile run in under 10 minutes.

This was my first race since the marathon and I was still getting back into training, so I wanted to take it a little easy today. It’s also taken longer than I expected to adjust my breathing. After the first couple of days at sea, I had no asthma symptoms at all (except during the marathon). I got to the race early enough to warm up, but squandered my time wandering around the festival and not winning anything at the American Airlines booth (I mistakenly thought that if my spin landed on a place name, I’d get a ticket to that place – I was sorely disappointed).

My warm-up was the quick jog from the baggage tent to the start. I lined up, stretched a bit and waited for the gun. We did our usual stop/start/bottleneck thing and I was able to settle into a good, comfortable place shortly after the start. I wanted to keep it to a comfortable, but hard pace. I ran all the way up Cat Hill, saluting as I passed, and started looking for the first water station. Where I expected it to be, there was just a pile of table parts and a stack of garbage cans (the fire-hydrant water is stored in plastic-bag lined garbage cans), but no volunteers and no water. I assumed that the water would be on the 102nd St. Transverse instead and talked myself into running all the way to the Transverse, so I could hit my first goal. It wasn’t until I had crossed the Transverse and was running up and down the rolling downhills of the west side that I started worrying. I usually take a walk break every mile or 2 at the water stations, but now, I hadn’t been able to stop at all. I wasn’t sure there would be a water station until the finish and was feeling breathless and tired, so I gave up and stopped to walk. I used my inhaler and tried to keep up a fast walking pace. Shortly after I started running again, I heard a volunteer say that the water station was around the corner. It was, in the usual place, so my 3rd mile felt much slower, with the 2 walk-breaks. I tried to pick it up for the last mile, but I’d blown it by missing that first walk break. In the end, though I missed the first goal, I beat my low-end goal by nearly a minute without feeling like I was running too hard!

Official stats: my official time was 37:05, for an average pace of 9:16. My splits were 9:23, 8:57, 9:52 and 8:58. I was 3357 out of 5739 total runners, putting me in the 42nd percentile. It was 45°F with 56% humidity.

Celebratory treats: After Charlotte’s 3rd place win in the 2-year-olds’ race, Andrea, Brady, Charlotte and I headed over to Whole Foods for a mini chocolate tasting.

Next up: Run-as-One 4-miler (4/19).

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157616405900630/.

Mast Chocolate Factory pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157616265192501/.

Antarctica Journal 3.16.09

2009-04-07T21:06:00.000-05:00

Antarctica Journal 3.16.09

I had set my alarm for 5:30 so I could watch the ship come into port in Ushuaia, but turned it off as soon as it started beeping. The next thing I knew, it was 6:30 and I’d missed the best part of the maneuvering; the ship had done a 180° turn and was slowly backing into its berth. I took a few pictures of Ushuaia in the dawning light, then went down to breakfast.

After breakfast, Kathy and I picked up our carry-ons (the checked bags had been picked up during breakfast) and went down to the lobby to wait for our disembarkation. There were hugs and goodbyes and let’s-keep-in-touches.

When we were finally allowed to disembark, we had to claim our checked baggage, which had been lowered to the pier in cargo netting. I’d planned to get pictures of that, too, but had forgotten all about it in the excitement of getting ready to go. My Badtz Maru duffle had been crushed under a much larger and heavier duffle bag (it took me several passes through the bags to even find it).

I got the bags loaded into my bus, then climbed aboard. Kathy and I sat together for the ride to the airport. I was very disappointed to have no time in Ushuaia. I expect travel agents to make arrangements in order that all of their clients receive similar experiences. Instead of arranging for travelers to have equal amounts of time in Ushuaia, the arrangements were based on whether or not you’d had a nonstop flight heading down. I’d had a nonstop heading down, so I was booked on the only flight with a stop, resulting in a total of about 45 minutes in Ushuaia, where other groups had several hours there on both legs. Very poor travel planning on the part of the travel agency, if you ask me and many of the other passengers on the short schedule!

The flight to BA was uneventful, but we received 2 meals: a cheese sandwich immediately after take-off and a full lunch after the scheduled stop (Colafate?). Instead of landing at the local airport, we were directed to Ezeizas. I called Daniel while I was waiting for my luggage, but he had a meeting and wasn’t able to come to the airport, after all. I was disappointed, but he had taken a lot of time for me before the cruise and, of course, he has a business to run. Hopefully, his planned chocolate classes in NY will come to pass and I’ll be able to extend the same hospitality he showed me.

We weren’t able to check in until 4:30 (yet another irritating result of the early flight), so I had to cool my heels for about an hour. I was a little annoyed when I had to show a second ID and answer questions about my identity, but wasn’t about to make a fuss on my way home. On my way to security, I found the Persicco booth on the second level and treated myself to one last Argentinean ice-cream. I had dark chocolate and chocolate with almonds, drizzled with chocolate sauce. Yum!

Past immigration and security, I navigated my way through the Duty Free shops so I could drop my bags in the Admiral’s club. I found Ruth there and told her I was going to go shopping, so she joined me. I didn’t find anything to buy – it was mostly a shopping mall charging higher prices than I would have paid if I’d bought them outside and paid tax.

We went back into the lounge and found Theresa and the three of us sat around talking about the trip, comparing experiences. Theresa’s flight left first, then it was my turn. At the gate, I checked on upgrade status and was told there wouldn’t be any upgrades on the flight.

After boarding, there were a couple of women who wanted to sit together and a flight attendant was asking people to switch, so they could. When one passenger refused, because he only wanted an aisle seat, the FA told him to calm down and then said “Let’s not deal with him” very dismissively to the passenger disrupting the seating arrangements. She asked me to switch out of the emergency row for a window seat much farther back in the plane and, when I refused, because I’d chosen the seat for the legroom, she just turned her back on me and went off to ask someone else. She succeeded, because someone else came and sat in the seat next to me.

The rest of the flight was uneventful and I cleared border control, baggage claim, and customs in about a half hour. I was at work by 9! Oddly, I kept expecting the cubicles to move around me, but they stayed solid. I guess I got my landlegs back pretty quickly.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157616227216054/

Antarctica Journal 3.15.09

2009-04-06T13:24:00.000-05:00

Antarctica Journal 3.15.09

I couldn’t sleep (no more Cokes at dinner), so I tossed and turned. I feel asleep a little after 1:30 and had to drag myself out of bed at 7:30 to shower and get ready for breakfast.

After breakfast, I repacked my duffle and then went down to the presentation room to find photos again. At about 9:30, Kathy and I went to the library to settle accounts. Some of my charges ended up on her bill, so we had some changes to make. It all went very smoothly and we were given our passports and a certificate commemorating our Antarctica landing.

At 10:30, they showed a really cool movie about rounding Cape Horn. Captain Irving Johnson had made the film back in 1929 when he was a sailor, but didn’t narrate it until 1980. I really enjoyed it and hope to buy it when I get back1.

I was feeling cold again, so I went back to my room and bundled up under the blankets. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, the lunch announcement came over the loudspeaker. It was a pretty boring meal – creamy chicken soup, salad from the salad bar, and a chef salad wrap. Dessert was mango tart, so, obviously, I skipped it.

After lunch, I repacked my Badtz Maru duffle and carry-on backpack, then rested until it was time for the 3pm tour of the ship2. We went through the mud room and saw the old scientific/spy machinery that had been left in place because it was too expensive to remove. Is it cynical to reflect that leaving it in place means it’s available should the ship be recommissioned for active service? We saw the emergency steering mechanism, which looked like an over-sized steering wheel, rather than a ship’s helm, not to mention it faced the interior of the storage area, so the helmsman wouldn’t be able to see where he was steering. The engine room was fairly interesting, too. We went up to the bridge and saw Cape Horn for the first time. The Chileans refused to let us get closer than 12 knots, so we weren’t able to “round the Horn” in the classic sense, unfortunately. I’ll have to take a cruise from Chile, if I want to experience that.

After the tour, I headed straight for the bar for the last cookie time. More and more people trickled in, hovering around the bar, waiting for Max to arrive with the tray. Just after 4:30, we could smell cookies, but there was no sign of Max in the corridor. All of a sudden, there was a surge towards the lounge. Max had tricked us by going around the deck and coming in through the lounge. Luckily, there were enough chocolate chunk cookies that I was able to grab one for me and one for my roommate. Unfortunately, before I realized it, I’d eaten her cookie. There were still a few left on the tray, so I grabbed another and carried it up to her, before I could eat that one, too., By then, it was nearly 5 pm and time for Rupert’s Voyage Recap3 and Sam’s photo journal slideshow.

In the half hour between the end of the slideshow and the beginning of the final camera class, I went to the bar to hang out and met Kenny and Karen, who live in NY. I had to run off at 6:15, but probably should have stayed. The camera class was supposed to be an intro to Photoshop4, but Ellen didn’t seem all that familiar with it. She couldn’t show us how to straighten a horizon, which was just about the only thing I was interested in learning. She spent a most of the time showing us how to clone pixels and use them to delete things, like people and wrinkles, from photos, which I don’t really believe in. To me, a photograph is a capture of a moment in time and should be left alone. Straightening a horizon doesn’t bother me that much, but erasing people and wrinkles isn’t something I would do. All in all, I was disappointed with the class.

We were kept late again, so we had to rush off to change for the Captain’s Dinner. I hadn’t brought any formal wear (and neither had most people), but I put on a pair of dark gray slacks with my NY skyline shirt. I sat with Kenny and Karen, Connie and Mike, and Natasha and learned that the $350 fuel surcharge was really to cover an insurance policy, rather than to cover the actual cost of the fuel for the trip. I’m going to request a refund, though I doubt I’ll get it.

During dessert, there were the usual speeches, with thanks and praise going around to everyone, some deserved (the ship’s crew and staff and the Quark expedition team) and some not so deserving.

After dinner, I hurried up to my room to make sure my bags were ready for the morning, then went down to the bar to hear John play guitar and sing (I missed the new song he wrote for this marathon) and to see the Kiwis do the Haka. It was getting late (for me), so I brought down two boxes of Daniel’s chocolates as a bribe and then got my camera ready to record. Tim started the show with an explanation of the Haka, then, with much encouragement from the crowd, he and Rod took off their shirts to the thing right. It was an impressive show. I waited to see if John would do an encore of the Antarctica Marathon song, but, at 11:15, I called it quits and went to bed.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157616227216054/

1 Around Cape Horn – Mystic Seaport sells it on-line.

2 Ship Tour
• Mud room – Russian spy ship, ostensibly for scientific research
• After 4 years, became tourist ship
• Sonar equipment – large microphone – too expensive to remove equipment, so it was left in
• Can go 55 days without taking on fuel or water
• Ioffe and Vavilov are sister ships: Ioffe is the receiver and Vavilov is the transmitter. Both could be used as receivers, with a sub transmitting
• Emergency steering
• Side thrusters – useful for navigating among icebergs
• Stabilizers
• 2 engines – max. power is about 14.5 knots

3 Rupert’s Recap
• Record lifeboat motor/drill
• 2 ships
• 20 zodiacs
• 4 ATVs
• 206 participants
• 36 half marathon runners
• 180 marathon runners
• 7 excursions
• 2 continental landings
• 1530.4 knots covered
• 1 knot = 1.15 statute miles

4 Camera Class 5
• ISO – light sensitivity – higher ISO = more light
• (AV?) AP – aperature priority
• TV or SV – shutter speed
• Composition is key
• Pattern is a legitimate subject
• Diagonals are good
• Picasa, Elements (can’t move pixels)
• Photoshop (can move pixels)

Antarctica Journal 3.14.09

2009-04-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

Antarctica Journal 3.14.09

Back at sea. I wasn’t feeling well when I woke up. The seas were not as calm as they were coming down. I felt overheated at breakfast, then felt really cold. With 2 blankets on, I was still cold, so I asked Kathy to let Tamsin (the ship doctor) know. Tamsin checked my temperature and pulse and both were low, so she told me to take a 20-minute hot shower, bundle up and make sure I ate something for lunch. She thought the “thermostating” problem was a seasickness symptom.

The shower was an interesting experience. The water felt hot, warm, cold, hot. The ship was rocking badly, so I kept having to grab the hand rail to keep from falling. I couldn’t stand it (literally and figuratively) for the full 20 minutes, so I got out, bundled up and got back under the covers. I slept fitfully until lunchtime and carried 2 sweaters with me to the dining hall. The doors opened late, because the salad bar buffet crashed and had to be rebuilt. I had some salad and bread and ordered the chicken, but it wasn’t very good. I skipped dessert, too, because it was peach cobbler. Throughout the meal, my temperature changed several times. Sweater on, sweater on, sweater off, sweater on, sweater off, sweater off, sweater on, etc. After the announcements, I went back up and burrowed under the covers again. The ship was seriously rocking with spray coming up to the 5th floor windows at least! Every now and then, the ship would shimmy and shudder. It’s amazing the punishment it takes.

The gift shop opened at 2 for an hour, but I waited until it was nearly time for the 3pm lecture to go. Liz had recommended the Frank Hurley book, so I wanted to pick it up. Michael’s lecture was on the plight of the albatross and other sea birds.1

After his presentation, I stayed in the bar until cookie time (chocolate chunk), then went to the dining hall for Lynn’s presentation on conservation of Antarctic wildlife.2 Seems like the world has tourism to thank for getting the scientists to clean up their acts down here.

Immediately after Lynn’s lecture, I had to go back to the presentation room for our 4th camera class.3 My photos got critiqued first. I got some pretty good comments, but I don’t really believe in correcting photos, so I’ll have to take better pictures first time around next time. After class, I ran up to my room for a Coke to drink with dinner, which was rack of lamb. It was okay, but I had to send it back to be cooked more. After dinner, I started packing, then went to the presentation room to load photos into the photo journal and to copy my race day photos. I also helped some people with their photos.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157616197288476/

1 Plight of the Albatross
• Seabird conservation in fisheries
• 30 km lines
• 10-20,000 hooks/line
• Pategonian toothfish = Chilean seabass
• Albatross attracted to offal and to baited hooks
• ≈ $20/kg
• Trawl fishing also kills birds
• Methods of protection
o Streamers on lines
o Individual weights on hooks
o Dye bait blue
o Fish at night
o Lay line below water, instead of off the deck onto the surface of the water
o Limit fishing season

2 Conservation of Antarctic Wildlife
• Lynn was a conservation geneticist
• Studied how big/small a species had to be to survive
• Conservation linked to election periods
• Species need to be able to adapt to change over time in order to survive
• Blue whales and fin whales are largest species
• Genetic variation diminishes as population size decreases
• Right whales (called that because they were the best whales to hunt) – high blubber content, pale baleen (easier to paint/dye), float when dead and migrate regularly
• Penguins okay, except where in contact with humans - no defenses

3 Camera Class 4
• Review of previous sessions
• Portraiture – background, lighting conditions, photograph in shade, no light stippling
• Fill flash
• Side light increases texture
• Lens – long lens (100mm) – portrait lens
• Posing (male/female – lengthen)
• Group photos – stagger heights, triangles are good, for families – use touching to establish connection
• polarizer

Antarctica Journal 3.13.09

2009-04-04T21:15:00.001-05:00

Antarctica Journal 3.13.09

Last day in Antarctica, but one of the most exciting of the trip. We hit the farthest point south (64’53”, I think) on this voyage. I’m a little disappointed that we aren’t crossing the Antarctic Circle, but I hop to come back some day and will make sure that’s a part of the experience.

I did my usual bridge visit and was happy to learn we’d be entering Neko Harbor. The channel looked too small to allow our ship through, but, as we got closer, Antarctica pulled its usual magic and the channel widened into a huge opening into Neko Harbor. It was beautiful!

I hurried down to breakfast (late) and had eggs Florentine. Rupert told us during his breakfast announcements that the morning examinations would include a landing and a cruise and only the first 5-6 zodiacs would land, while the rest cruised and, then, halfway through the morning, they’d switch. I was delayed at breakfast talking to someone, then kept forgetting stuff, so I ended up being in a cruising zodiac. We had to hear over the radio that a leopard seal had caught a penguin just off shore.

Instead of checking out the animal activity near shore, our driver went out into the bay to look at icebergs and kept us out so long that we only had about an hour on shore when we finally landed. I was really annoyed. I trudged up the beach, narrowly avoiding stepping on a penguin carcass. Penguins were all around us. As I came around to the snow hill, I saw Nadine lying on the snow taking pictures. Two penguins had come right up to her, so I snapped some shots, because she couldn’t. I went up the hill and took some pictures over the bay and back down the hill.

On my way back down the hill, Kevin handed me his camera and asked me to take pictures of him working with his video camera. He let me take some penguin shots, too, but I wished I knew more about photography so I could have taken full advantage of the opportunity. At that point, Michael, the wildlife expert, started herding us back to the shore to go back to the ship for lunch. I held back as much as I could and was the last person to get in the zodiac.

Lunch was pizza or crab louis, neither of which I like (or can eat, in the case of the crab), so I went for the pizza, obviously. The best part of lunch was dessert: ICE CREAM SOCIAL!!!! As we finished eating, the salad bar table was reset as a buffet of toppings: sauces, fruits, nuts, cookies, sprinkles, etc. I had two scoops of chocolate ice-cream with chocolate and caramel sauces (side-by-side), brownie bits, crumbled meringue cookies, crushed chocolate wafers, whipped cream and sprinkles. Yum!! I also got to talk to people who’d seen the leopard seal with the penguin. What an experience!

During lunch, the ship moved from Neko Harbor to Paradise Harbor. Rupert announced that there would be no polar plunge, which upset a lot of people, but I knew they wouldn’t have denied it, if they could have let it happen. For the afternoon excursions, there was no way I was getting in a cruising zodiac first, but, even so, I was on the 3rd zodiac out. I was a little surprised to see Thom and some of his staff getting on the early zodiacs. As our tour guide, I expected him to make sure we were all on shore first, but I haven’t noticed that he operates as a tour guide out here.

As soon as we landed, I saw a signpost with various destinations and their distance from the base in knots. I took a few pictures, with and without the ShakeAway cup, then explored the deserted Argentine base a bit, taking pictures and video of the penguins. In order to slide down the mountain, I had to climb it first. The sun was blazing and I was hot, so I left my parka at the landing and started trudging. I was sweating by the time I got halfway. It was really steep and I was glad that I had footprints to step into and make my way more easily up the hill (I’m not sure which this was – I’m not good at judging distances or steepness, which are both factors in determining whether an elevation is a hill or a mountain).

At the top of the snow, I climbed up onto the bare rocks and ate some chocolate. I’d forgotten that I wasn’t supposed to bring any food onto Antarctica, but I wanted to eat some of Daniel’s chocolate on the continent. People started sliding down the hill and, after a good groove was carved into the snow, I tucked myself into it, lifted my feet and slid down myself. A bunch of us started out towards the outcropping with the Argentine house, but were waved off from a zodiac in the bay. They’d forgotten to tell us that the scientific buildings were okay to explore (from outside), but not the house.

I took some more penguin pics and video, then went to the landing for my zodiac cruise. People from the emptying zodiacs were trying to get their pictures with the signpost, so I offered to take pictures for them. By the time I finished, the last zodiac had left, but it was going back to the ship to drop people off, so Lynn asked it to come back for me. It was, unfortunately, the same driver from the morning, with the same results. No animals, except for a lone minke whale on our way back to dinner. Some of the other zodiacs saw animals, but not ours. Luck of the draw, I guess.

Back on the ship, it was cookie time, so I grabbed a couple for me and a couple for my roommate (chocolate with white-chocolate chunks). Instead of packing, I played with my photos until dinner.

I sat with Liz and Rod. Dinner was prime rib, which was okay. Dessert was a chocolate molten cake, that was more like a chocolate soufflé cake. Delicious!! I spent the rest of the evening in the library before going to bed with a sleeping pill.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157616101404706/

Antarctica Journal 3.12.09

2009-04-04T14:36:00.000-05:00

Antarctica Journal 3.12.09

I slept until the wake-up call came. I’m getting more and more tired each day. The breakfast special was pancakes, which I ate with peanut butter and a fried egg white.

The morning excursion was a zodiac cruise in Wilhelmina Bay. Scottie was our driver and he took around some interesting bays and to a whaling ship that had been scuttled in 1915 because of a fire. It’s now home to Antarctic terns. We followed some humpback whales around and on several occasions, other zodiacs (or maybe it was the same one each time) would cut in front of us, blocking our view. The last time that happened, a whale came within 5 feet of the other zodiac and we couldn’t see it at all. It was really exciting for them, but frustrating for us, because we were the ones tracking that whale and the other zodiac cruised in at the last minute and took our view. I’m glad they got to see the whale, but would have liked to have seen it up close, too. We did get to see a calving glacier, which made some big noises and some little icebergs.

We got back to the ship at around noon, which gave us time to get ready for the big barbecue. The Vavilov passengers and staff came over to the Ioffe for swordfish, steaks, ribs, wursts, burgers, and various salads and sides. Dessert wasn’t very exciting – some sort of orange bread with a custardy sauce. The best part was taking pictures under the race banner. Towards the end, Thom announced the winners. It would have taken all of 10 minutes to put together a proper list, but he just tried to read them off of the main list, which meant he read the age category winners from 1st to 3rd, instead of the other way around. He also announced them from the middle of the deck, rather than by the race banner, so we didn’t get to see the winners, because they all went to the banner at the stern to be photographed.

It wasn’t clear whether or not we’d be going back out in the zodiacs, but, happily, Rupert announced that, after an hour of gift shop access, we’d be heading back into the bay. I bought some little flat things (no princessy t-shirts for my nieces – I hope they won’t care that I don’t have anything for them) and considered buying more to get a free hat (they were having a “spend $100 and get a free hat” promotion), but decided against it.

At the appointed hour, I suited up and climbed into Lynn’s zodiac. I asked her about ice worms, but she said they don’t appear in Antarctica. Before we’d gone very far, Rupert pulled up with a single passenger and asked if anyone wanted to come over. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to climb between zodiacs in the middle of Wilhelmina Bay in the Antarctic, so I hopped over. I am proud to say that I did not fall on my face or my butt or any other part of me.

Changing zodiacs turned out to be a good call. Rupert was an excellent guide. We watched a leopard seal and some whales, then “parked” behind a glacier, out of view of the ship and tucked into brash ice with icebergs all around us and just drifted. Rupert is a Ph.D. candidate, studying sea ice, so he explained some thing about ice. Then, we heard it. A whale was snorting from deep in the bay. We saw it blow a couple of times, but it was too late to approach it. We started back for the ship, stopping twice to whale-watch. By then, we were seriously late. So Rupert opened up the engine and we flew across the mirror-like bay. It was exhilarating!

Dinner was served at 8 pm, because of the big BBQ lunch. I had the sole, because I wanted to fish at least once, but I liked the wild rice side better than the sole. Dessert was strawberry tart, so I skipped it. After next-day instructions from Rupert, I headed down to the presentation room to review my photos and load any good ones into the file for the photo class. Elizabeth was there and showed me her race photos and then Kevin showed us some of his photos.

I was exhausted, as usual, so I went to bed early.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615673228801/

Antarctica Journal 3.11.09

2009-04-03T20:23:00.001-05:00

Antarctica Journal 3.11.09

I woke up early, so I went up to the bridge to see what was up and check out the latitude/longitude. We were heading into Mikkelson Harbor, our first glimpse of the mainland. After breakfast, we suited up and took zodiacs out to Trinity Island. Leopard seals were playing in the water as we approached.

The shore was lined with fur seals and gentoo penguins. As soon as we landed, we saw an old whaling boat surrounded by whale bones. The island was a whaling factory back when whaling was a profitable industry. I wandered around taking pictures of seals, and penguins, and seals and penguins. Sam taught me how to tell what penguins and seals have been eating by looking at their poo*. I watched Rupert having a dance-off with a bullying fur seal (Rupert won, but, in all fairness to the seal, Rupert has much longer legs).

I walked over the snow bank and nearly stepped on a Weddell seal that was completely zoned out. He never woke up, no matter how much noise we made or how close we came to him. The zodiacs started loading up, so I didn’t get a chance to see the Argentine refugee, where, apparently, an Adelie penguin was hanging out. As I waited in line for the zodiac, I rock-watched again. There were some beautiful green stones.

I sat next to Thom at lunch. I opted for the Croque Monsieur, because it was supposed to be cooked in cinnamon custard, which I couldn’t resist. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t all that good, either. I wished I’d gone for the curry chicken salad instead. I asked Thom if anyone had missed the cut-off and he said no, but I heard that at least two people had been picked up on ATVs.

After lunch, we went on zodiac cruises in Charlotte Bay. There were a lot of ice-bergs, plus some wildlife, including a leopard seal and some fur seals. We got back in time for cookies – oatmeal raisins with a few chocolate chunk mixed in. We all know which ones I ate! Results had been posted in the bar, so we all checked them out. I think I was 15th in my age category, which means I didn’t do very well, but I had a great time.

Before dinner there was a photo class, but we just critiqued each other’s photos. Mine weren’t copied onto the laptop, so I didn’t get any critique. Dinner wasn’t very exciting. The only option I could eat was the zucchini pancakes, which came with mashed sweet potatoes, which I can’t eat. I’ve been feeling pretty hungry at night, which seems strange, because everyone else comments on how much food we’re given. During dessert, Lynn gave a mini lecture on ice.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615781977078/

* Red poo means they’ve been eating krill
White poo means they’ve been eating fish
Green poo means the animal is stressed, such as when they’re moulting
Black poo means a seal has eaten a penguin

Antarctica Marathon 3.10.09

2009-04-01T20:05:00.001-05:00

Antarctica Marathon 3.10.09

I slept a little better without all the rocking. I got up early and went to the bridge to check out the stats. The winds were down to 4-5 m/s and it was a balmy 32°F. We had an early breakfast, because the zodiacs needed to get started by 8. I don’t usually eat before a race, so I only had some white rice and Special K. Back to the room to add the rest of my layers and suit up and boot up for the zodiac ride.+

We were greeted by penguins and a seal (crabeater or Weddell) who didn’t seem all that pleased to see us. After a few photo ops, I decided to drop a layer and didn’t wear my hat or gloves. I couldn’t believe how warm it was! I decided to wear my wrist camera for the first time around the course, then switch to my new Pentax the second time around. A bunch of us were standing and chatting when we heard a whistle and realized that the race had started. We were off!

Even after going over the elevation chart many times before leaving NY, I was somewhat surprised/shocked at the hills. Not just the number of hills (neverending), but the steepness, too. I went out way too fast, because the downhills were fun and I was trying to run up the hills. I didn’t get very far before I realized that I was making a big mistake. Not only was I going to have to do all of these hills twice, but when was I going to have 7 hours to wander around Antarctica? I started walking the steeper uphills and continued tearing down the downhills, but trying to run moderately on the few flat stretches between hills.

I had to carry one of my 3 water bottles out to the first water station, which was at the Vavilov start at the Uruguayan base. I hate carrying stuff while I’m running and this was no exception. I happily dropped it and carried on running until about the 4th mile*, when I hit the mud and quicksand that heralded the approach of the glacier. I did try to run it, but it was rocky and muddy and I nearly lost my shoes many times (other people did lose shoes, some of them multiple times during the 4 times we had to cross that section). I decided I’d rather slow down (I’d calculated a half hour for the glacier, anyway) than lose a shoe. I picked my way gingerly across the mud, trying to step on rocks as much as possible. I knew when I was crossing quicksand because the rocks would sink beneath me.

And then I hit the glacier. It was crazy! Thom had promised no crevasses, but that was before the course change. We ran right along a crevasse to the turnaround point, I took some pictures and turned back down. The glacier was slick and slippery, so I was careful and slow back down. The mud field was just as bad going back to the trail, but I managed not to lose my shoes this time, too. The mile was about 20 minutes, if not longer.

I did all the hills in reverse and caught up with Linda, who was completing her 7th marathon on 7 continents in 1 year. She’d injured her foot and hadn’t been able to train much, so I checked to see if she was okay. We leap-frogged a bit, then I caught a second wind and went on ahead. I don’t know if it was being closer to the glacier or if it was because of the increased wind, but I had to put my gloves on.

Back at the start, I had to go to my bag and grab my second bottle to carry out to the water station on the Great Wall loop. I kept up my walking uphill strategy, which was just as necessary, because the hills on this end were pretty bad, too – they were longer, though less numerous. On the way past the Chilean base, next to a pretty blue church, there was a small water station manned by a very nice Chilean man. He seemed as excited about talking to the runners and photographing them, as he was about giving us water. In the 10th mile, the trail became a stone road. It was not fun at all. I was still on track for a sub-3 half, so I didn’t push it too hard (we had to finish the first half in 3:20 to be able to continue running the full).

After a particularly difficult stretch, where the path narrowed to one lane as it skirted a huge boulder (or mountain), I could see the turnaround at the Chinese base. They had set up a fluid station for us, with beer, water, sodas, orange juice, etc. The commander was there, as well as some of the scientists. I thanked them (I hope – I could have mispronounced it), took a couple of pictures with the commander and headed back. I hadn’t taken too much fluid, because the water tasted funny. Back out to the stone road and I saw someone taking pictures right before the big boulder. I stopped to look, too, and there were 4 or 5 moulting chinstrap penguins sitting in a cleft in the rock. Cute!! I snapped some pics, of course, then carried on, making sure to tell everyone heading that way that the penguins were there.

Another swig of Gatorade and then it was just a mile or two before I finished the half. I stopped at the site to use the bathroom, just to say I had, and, boy, was I sorry!! It was disgusting!! Port-a-potties are luxury toilets compared to the biobox we had to use. It was basically a cooler in a tent. I picked up my regular camera to make sure I got some good shots, in case the Hero didn’t work. I also stopped for a picture next to the “Finish” sign, in case my battery died (it was in the red and I didn’t have a spare battery with me).

As I was getting ready to start my second 8-mile loop, Gert, the winner, was coming in, so I stopped to cheer him in. The “tape” was a strip of torn plastic bag and when he crossed, he collapsed on the ground. Thom asked him to do it again, but then checked and he’d caught the shot, so he didn’t have to after all.

Back to the course for an even slower 2nd half. I’d hoped that all the energy I’d preserved by walking and going slow and stopping for pictures would help me with negative or even splits, but I was worn out and walked at least half of the second time around. On the way back towards the glacier, there was a penguin on the course. He was running along with some runners and wandering around at other times. We found out later that he was probably looking for a place to moult (he was a long way inland from the coast). I was leap-frogging with Deb at this point and we stopped to take pictures, then headed back to the glacier. The runners coming back towards us said the glacier was in better shape now, but the mud was just as bad, if not worse. I was relieved to get onto the glacier. I took more pictures, including one of my feet straddling a crevasse. No-one was manning the turnaround this time and the banner had fallen over, so no pics there. I was able to run down the glacier – it was nice and crunchy, probably from the drop in temperature and the increase in the winds.

Back across the mudfield with no pretense of running at all. I was in survivor mode by this time. My back and hips ached. Up and down the hills, picking up my water bottle on the way, until I was finally back at the start and ready to complete the final 4+-mile loop. I dropped off the water bottle and tried to run through Bellingshausen, at least. That lasted all of a minute, I think. I was trying to stick to my run-downhills-and-flats plan, but gave it up completely when I hit the stone road into the China base. I drank a cup of Coke at the Chinese water station, then strode off to finish my marathon.

I knew it was only about 2.5 miles, but I couldn’t take running on the stones. My lower back ached and my hips and legs weren’t all that happy with me, either. I told myself that when I hit the mud trail again, I would run, and I did, but not for long. Back at the water drop, I picked up my bottle to bring back to the finish. I started looking at all the different rocks and passed some time thinking about how different and how similar is to the rest of the planet.

Back up and down the hills (I kept telling myself I’d see the finish area around the next bend, but it must have been wishful thinking) until I hit the final downhill before re-entering the Russian base. I decided that I would run the rest of the way and I didn’t stop – not when some Chileans stopped in their truck and blew me kisses, not when I thought I couldn’t run another step, and not when I hit the final uphill to the finish. I wish I’d remembered to drop the water bottle before the finish-line photos. My camera battery had died back in China, but Deb was still gathering her things, so she very kindly agreed to put my memory card in her camera so I have finishing photos.

I was covered in mud and there was no way I was going to put my waterproofs on and get them filthy inside and out, so I just picked up my bag and boots and headed back to the landing site. Linda was coming in to finish, so I cheered for her a little, but I was cold and tired and wanted a hot shower, so I “hopped” into the zodiac. As we loaded there were a lot of chinstrap penguins playing in the water and some of them even swam out after us for a little ways.

I’d been worried about getting up the gangway at all, forget about carrying the bag and boots, but I made it with no problem. You can’t take anything from Antarctica, so our boots and shoes had to be thoroughly cleaned before we entered the boat. The boots were easy, but I didn’t see how my shoes would ever be clean. No problem – the guy blasted them with the cleaning fluid while they were still on my feet. I scrubbed at them with the brush and, between us, we got the shoes looking nearly new!

I got back to the room and did the happy dance. I was so excited about having finished the marathon, even though it was a really slow time. I showered, dressed and went down to the dining room, where they were serving a buffet lunch for the finishers. The chili and rice were delicious! The ship was full of clusters of people talking about their experiences on shore, with lots of drifting and changing as people kept coming back or waking from naps.

Afternoon cookies were chocolate with white chocolate chips and peanut butter and I had one of each, plus some of Daniel’s chocolate-covered brazil nuts. Dinner was at the usual time and I had the osso bucco with risotto. Dessert was crème brulee. Yum! I washed my clothes and tried to stay up, but was too tired, so I ate a few more of Daniel’s chocolates and went to bed.

Official stats: my official time was 6:21:19 for a 14:33 pace. My splits were 9:47, 13:00, 13:44, 13:02, 16:45, 13:33, 14:51, 12:42, 27:00 (2 miles), 13:39, 14:49, 12:24, 22:55 (2 miles), 13:00, 6:50 (??), 17:27, 21:54, 14:49, 14:16, 32:09 (2 miles), 13:31, 17:40, 15:46, 13:52, and 1:19 for the last two-tenths of a mile. I was 119 out of 149 total runners, putting me in the 20th percentile. It was 32F, overcast and windy.
Celebratory treats: Daniel’s chocolate-covered Brazil nuts
Next up: Run for the Parks 4-miler (4/5)
Thanks for all your support!!
Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615775785094/

*Theresa and I were running somewhat together through this area and, as we were coming up out of a particularly muddy patch, we saw someone’s Yak Trax stuck in the mud, so we notified the first “course monitor” that it was there, so it could be retrieved.

+ Race Instructions
• Ioffe passengers start at Bellingshausen and Vavilov passengers start at Artigas
• Start at Bellingshausen - run towards Artigas – at glacier, turn left - at 4 miles, run up the back side of the glacier (only 300m) - run back to Bellingshausen - then run to the Chilean base - at orange storage tank, follow the flags - head to China - water stop at turn around - return to Bellingshausen – for marathoners, repeat course
• water stops – leave one bottle at start - carry one water bottle to 2-mile marker at Artigas, at first return to start, take second water bottle to China water stop. Pick up bottles on final return trip.
• Wet weather gear
• 9am start
• 8am first zodiac
• 45 minute to get all ashore
• The moss is an environmental concern – be careful not to step on any moss
• Do not leave the course
• Worst mud is 100 yards in and lasts about 100 yards

Race Strategy
• Race strategy – trail course, pay attention, don’t fight the wind or the hills or the mud, don’t hurry over the rocks.
• Most challenging course – hold yourself back
• Best way to race on hills is to keep effort level the same, not pace.
• Open stride on downhills

Antarctica Journal 3.9.09

2009-03-31T20:34:00.000-05:00

King George Island and Pre-Race Banquet

I got up early to see if we had come in sight of land yet, but, when I got to the bridge, it was really hazy. After about a half hour, Gary spotted a rocky outcropping and then I saw some snow-covered rocks. It was all very exciting, except that it looked nothing like the Antarctica I’d expected.

After breakfast, I went up to the top deck to watch the crew load ATVs into the zodiacs. It was much colder than it had been and extremely windy (16 m/s) and I started to worry about race-day conditions. Being so close to land brought the birds closer to the ship and it was fun trying to guess which they were. We were supposed to go on a zodiac cruise of Maxwell Bay at 10 am, but it was too windy and the waves were too high, so we were invited to watch BBC’s Planet Earth: Ice, instead. I was exhausted after the movie (I hadn’t been sleeping well with the rocking back and forth (head to foot) all night long and hoped that I could take a nap, now that we had dropped anchor.

At 12:30, the lunch announcement came over the loudspeaker and I descended to the dining room to find beef barley soup, salad and quiche waiting for me. I turned down the cherry cobbler dessert. At lunch, it was announced that the winds had abated sufficiently (hooray!) and that we could leave postcards with the ship for mailing from Antarctica (double hooray!). I made a beeline for the lounge and started writing.

At 2:30, we lined up for the zodiacs and I maneuvered myself into position to be in the same zodiac as the photography instructor, because, according to the class schedule, we’d be getting more instruction in the zodiacs. I think she said 2 things. Total waste of money! The first time going down the gangway over open water was pretty exciting, though. Rob, our zodiac guide, took us in to the Russian base (we saw penguins sunning on the way) then around to the Chilean base, where we could look at Collins glacier and panic a little about getting up it twice during the race. We then headed over to Great Wall, the China base, to get an idea about how far away it was. We couldn’t get too close because of a sand bar (the Great Wall?) blocking the way.

We cruised a little more around the bay, then headed back to the ship. I grabbed my postcards and started writing again. I stayed in the bar so I’d be there for afternoon cookies (chocolate with white chocolate chips and peanut butter ship) and spoke with Linda about 7on7. She advised me not to worry about dropping Gatorade (Thom had warned us during the reception in BA that we were not to leave even a drop of Gatorade on the ground) and to take the fuel I normally do, but be careful about it. She and her husband left and Elizabeth and her dad joined me. We chatted a bit, then Rod headed off and Elizabeth and I stayed talking until dinner was called.

Dinner was served buffet style (this was our past party/carb load), so each deck was called in separately, to avoid congestion. My deck was called first and I gorged on salad, couscous, green beans almondine, lasagna, and penne arrabbiata. Dessert was tropical fruit sorbet, so I skipped it.

Rupert and Thom addressed us over dessert, giving us the final race instructions. There was a significant course change, because the glacier was solid ice and to dangerous to run along the normal course. They found an alternate route around the back of the glacier with a shallower incline, but it was a shorter climb, too, because the Chinese base didn’t want us not to come to their base for the marathon. The new course became an 8+-mile out (instead of 7) and back and a 4+-mile (instead of 6) out-and-back. They also decided to start the two ships out of different bays. Our ship started at the official start at Bellingshausen, the Russian base, but the other ship started 2 miles into the course at the Uruguayan base. I wonder if Thom will have 2 winners, since he has 2 courses.

After dinner, I came back to the room, got my race day gear set and went to bed.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615667198221/

Antarctica Journal 3.8.09

2009-03-29T13:54:00.000-05:00

The Drake Passage – Day 2

It was a really rocky night. I was sliding in my bed from feet to head. Needless to say, not much sleep. I got up a little early and took some pictures from the deck. After a pancake breakfast, I did another bird check, then headed to the Presentation room for Thom’s lecture on the history of the Antarctica Marathon1. He ran over, hurrying through the end, and we had just enough time to get to the dining hall for the penguin lecture2.

After the penguin lecture, I had the second session of the camera class3. It was just as bad as the first. I want to complain, but am concerned about how the rest of my trip will go, if I do.

Lunch immediately followed. I skipped the broccoli soup and just had a small salad, followed by Guinness stew. Dessert was bread pudding, out of which I picked the raisins, but was otherwise pretty tasty. I should have taken a nap after lunch, but went shopping in the gift shop instead. I picked up postcards and a t-shirt for myself. It was the last excursion of the season, so the pickings were pretty slim.

I had just enough time to head up to the top deck to watch for birds before heading back down to the presentation room to learn about seals4. I hope we get to see some! Between lectures, I went to my room to grab some stuff I’d need later, then did some more bird watching (on deck and from the bridge), before going to the bar for Afternoon Tea (aka cookie-time) for yummy chocolate chunk cookies. Heather helped me stamp and organize my postcards, then it was time to go to the dining hall to learn about Scott’s and Amundson’s race for the South Pole. I don’t understand why people reviled Amundson for getting there safely and without any casualties when Scott, who was hailed a hero, made numerous, compounding mistakes that ultimately lost 8 men their lives, including Scott!

After some more birdwatching (I finally got a fairly decent shot of an albatross), I went to the lounge for happy hour. No snacks for me (they served chips and salsa). I sat with Kevin, who is filming Linda Quirk’s Run 7 on 7 Dream Big challenge (this is her last marathon of the challenge) and we chatted about this, that and the other. He said he’d send me some of his pictures after the trip and I gave him my flickr name so he could see my stuff, too.

The dinner announcement came at 7:30 and Kevin and I went in together. We sat with Mike and Connie*, who looks way too young to be a surgeon and the mother of a 20-year-old! I had a small bowl of navy bean soup and some salad for starters, then had chicken breast stuffed with herbed cheese, with rice pilaf and snap peas. Dessert was supposed to be chocolate chocolate cake, but the cake was vanilla with chocolate frosting.

At the end of dinner, we were told that we’d have an early start tomorrow, so I came upstairs to my room to write some postcards and do a little reading before going to sleep.

*I won’t be naming all of my meal companions, but I will say that I tried to find different people to sit with every time. It seemed to me that the type of people who would do something like this must be very interesting and I wanted to hear more of their stories. I learned what I’d suspected before I even signed up – I was way out of my league in this crowd. I heard stories of Kilimanjaro and Everest and the Great Wall of China and many other extreme events. Chuck was on his third time (accidentally) around the 50 states. Dale and Cathy were running this marathon as their first ever marathon! Cecile was running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 80 days. Many were gaining entry into the 7 Continents Club. I was an imposter, pretending I belonged in this group of illustrious runners. The winner trained in the mountains of Kenya to prepare. Patrick, who is from Tahiti, trained in a freezer at -18° with a fan on to simulate the wind. There are a lot more stories like this. If I hadn’t had Elizabeth’s training plan, I wouldn’t have been nearly as prepared as I was and it was only the worry of disappointing her that kept me on track! (You all know how lazy I am and that I’m not a fan of hard work!)

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615664936463/

1 History of the Antarctica Marathon
• John did not interview Thom excessively for the book. The book does not include the underbelly of the event
• MT started in 1979
• 1991 Antarctica Treaty covers tourism
• August ’93 – article brings Antarctica to runners’ attention
• Arctowski (Polish base) – trial run too muddy, a lot of attacking Skuas
• King George Island – course okay, but 4 countries created a lot of politics
• Esperanza – Hope Bay – base commander happy about the race, but the Argentine Foreign Minister said no
• King George Island base commanders were very helpful
• Course change because of quicksand
• Implied that race on boat was his idea, though the book indicates that it was Winkler’s idea

2 Penguins

• 17 species – wingless diver, brush-tailed, true diver, little true diver, little wedge
• Largest – Emperor Penguin - 1.1m, 40k
• Smallest – Little Penguin – 40cm, 1k
• 100°C birds – temperature range of climate
• feathered fish, spindle shape to ease transition between land and sea
• solid bones – helps overcome buoyancy
• all penguins have dark backs and white bellies for camouflage
• no teeth, raspy hooks that point backwards
• thin layer of fat, feathered survival suits, hooks on ends of feathers act as an insulator when penguins are in water
• penguin feathers are all the same size
• heat stress when warm in Antarctica
• warm-blooded egg layer, do not travel great distances, no flight
• breeding – males are “passive pawns” – female drives the breeding season, male nests – serially monogamous, female will not stay with an ineffective male
• fatter males are more desirable
• some females have affairs
• prostitution – females will offer copulation in exchange for good nesting stones
• males – will copulate very often w/female to ensure that they inseminated the female and will also try to be the last one
• nests made of stones – high enough to keep the nest about water
• some nests are thousands of years old
• 2 eggs from Gentoo and Adelie
• incubation lasts 31-39 days
• food chasers - chicks follow adult on a search for food ensuring that each chick gets fed
• creched for 23-30 days
• fledgling for 48-82 days
• high mortality rate up to 80%
• penguins moult once a year over 3-5 weeks
• birds fast during moult
• moult feather by feather – high stress period
• predators – leopard seals, seals peel penguins before eating them
• Gentoo – 76-81cm, 5.5kg, dives to 100m, brush-tail, white band across brow, 3rd tallest penguin, eat krill, nest on open beaches, good rock scramblers
• Chinstrap – 68-77cm, 5kg, dives to 70m, brush-tail, large colonies away from beach
• Adelie – 46-75cm, 5kg, dives to 175m, brush-tail, breeds farthest south of all birds, 2-day limit for last year’s partner to find the female
• Penguins as far north as the Galapagos
• Penguins do not migrate
• Emperor penguin stays on Antarctic mainland

Rules for penguin encounter
• Must stay at least 5m away
• Do not approach, but if they come close, don’t move
• If a group walks up and stares, you’re in their way and should step aside

3 Camera Class 2

• EV compensation – higher-lighter, lower equals darker
• Shutter speed – cannot adjust on Pentax
• Aperature priority – long lens = shallow depth of field, short lens = longer depth of field
• Waterproof case
• Flash fill?
• Composition – for landscapes, go with 2/3 for the more important subject and 1/3 for the rest
• Reflections are okay to have as a double

4 Marine Mammals – Seals
• Southern seals – 4 species – year-round Antarctic dwellers
• True seals – slow-moving
• Eared seals – can run on all four legs
• Fur seals (eared seals) – subAntarctic summer visitors– can’t cope with Antarctic cold – harem breeders, fearless and mean, nearly as fast as dogs, cannot eat while breeding, because of having to protect harem, lose up to 40% of their body weight
• Elephant seal – summer visitor – sexual dimorphism, female: 800-900 kg, bulls: 3 ½ to 4 tons, pup weaned at 12 days
• Antarctic seals have a catastrophic moult
• Ross seal – blubber for insulation, very rarely seen
• Weddell seal – lazy – nicknamed the “Antarctic Blubber Slug” – smiley-faced, no neck, nostrils block salt water from entering lungs (relaxed position is closed) spotted, teeth are sharp, breathing holes in ice, no land-based predators, Weddell seal can hold his breath for 180 minutes – counter-current heat exchange (venous blood is warmed as it goes back to the core and arterial blood is cooled via capillaries), feed on fish and squid, most efficient at digesting fat, live up to 40 years, Weddells take their babies hunting, breed in water, give birth on land
• Leopard seal – similar to Weddells, but bigger mouth, sleeker head, obvious neck, spotted, curious, long flippers, waist, hips, shoulders, single-pup births,
• Crabeater seal – golden body, longer nose, independent breeder, social animals, scarring (mostly caused by male-to-male combat), males turn silvery with age, do not eat crabs, eat krill
• Researching marine animals is difficult, cannot anesthetize until secured because of inability to breathe, not easy to count (10-70 million), attached satellite transmitters moult off in 12 months
• Only predator is orca whale
• Strong muscles
• Not sure about global warning
• Hearing and eyesight are the primary sense for hunting, at one meter distance, whiskers take over

Antarctica Journal 3.7.09 (sorry about the formatting - I typed this in Word)

2009-03-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

The Drake Passage – Day 1

The ship was rolling pretty strongly during the night. At one point, there was a series of little crashes, as everything that wasn’t battened down flew across the room. When I got up to go to the bathroom, I mistimed it and got up when the ship was rolling towards the bathroom, so I hurtled right past it and hit the cabin door. Luckily, I didn’t wake my roommate.

After breakfast, we had two mandatory lectures. The first was on the Antarctica Treaty1 and the second was about zodiac safety2. In the hour before lunch, I did some bird watching, took some pictures (I tried to take pictures that showed the rocking of the ship) and took a nap.

At lunch, I had a salad from the salad bar, wild rice soup, chef salad and pound cake drizzled with dulce de leche and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. During the announcements, we were told that the photo class was starting at 1:45 and would last until 3. The next announcement was that the gift shop would be opening at 2 for an hour. There were lectures at 3 and 5, as well, so I was going to miss the shopping hour and I’d already found several items in the catalog that I wanted to buy. The photo class3 was over twice as large as we’d been told (“limited to 10”) and a lot of time was spent on individual instruction for people who didn’t know how their cameras worked. It took 20 minutes just to get through ISO, so, when the instructor, Ellen, started helping people figure out their flashes, I ran across the ship to the gift shop and picked up the fleece I’d noticed in the catalog.

Ellen was still working on flash, so I didn’t miss anything. I’m more than a little disappointed about how the class started. There are too many people (especially since I only signed up because it was going to be a 10-person class) and we covered only ¼ of the material she’d expected to teach in a 2-hour session. We’re also going to have to fight over who gets to sit in her zodiac during the excursions.

The 3pm lecture was about the birds of Antarctica4 and then we got fresh, hot peanut-butter cookies at Afternoon Tea. The 5 pm lecture was about Shackleton’s 1914 expedition, but I didn’t learn anything that I hadn’t already known. More bird-watching until Happy Hour, but, by the time I got there, the lounge and bar were full, so I did some prep work on my running shoes (we had to clean them thoroughly before stepping foot on Antarctica) and rested in my room.

Dinner started with salad bar and pumpkin soup, which was pretty good. I had the pork entrée and dessert was a total disappointment – rhubarb tart. The ship was really rocking and rolling and the portholes were getting splashed. I tried to get pictures and vide, but wasn’t very successful. Ellen saw me taking pictures and asked me what I thought of the class. So I told her. She asked me to sit down and tried to show me my camera’s settings in more detail, but the battery died at that moment (3rd time in 3 days!), so she showed me on my old Casio. Not that it did much good. After dinner I was going to hang out in the lounge, but it was really crowded and noisy, so, after a few rounds of Trivial Pursuit questions, I went to bed.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615663206027/

1 IAATO Presentation (Mandatory)
• Ioffe is Russian
• IAATO – International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators
• IAATO guidelines were adopted by the UN as the Antarctic Treaty
• Keep Antarctica pristine
• Antarctica is the largest wilderness on earth
• Do not drop or litter anything overboard
• Stow belongings securely to avoid being blown away
• Avoid freshwater lakes and streams to avoid polluting
• Avoid introducing new organisms to Antarctica
• Inspect and clean clothing and equipment before going ashore
• No food ashore
• Take photos, but nothing else
• Leave no evidence of visit (graffiti, etc.)
• Protect Antarctic wildlife
• All species are protected
• Antarctica wildlife shows no fear of people
• Do not disturb wildlife at sea
• Animals have right of way
• Do not feed, touch or handle wildlife
• Stay a minimum of 5 meters (15 feet) from Antarctic wildlife
• Avoid slopes, which may contain burrowed nests
• Avoid rookeries
• Birds will attack if you get too close
• The moulting period is dangerous for the birds; they are stressed
• Seals can be dangerous; show strong front
• Avoid walking on plants
• Protected areas
• Do not remove or damage historical remnants
• No smoking
• Do not enter buildings unless invited
• Respect scientific research
• Emergency refuges are only for emergencies
• Safety – severe and changeable weather
• Dress properly – water- and windproof clothing
• Glaciers and icefields can be crevassed and dangerous
• Hands-free when getting in and out of zodiacs
• Terrain is slippery and uneven
• Be sure to stop and reflect
• Buddy system – stay in sight of the group
• Heed advice of leaders
• We are ambassadors to the last great wilderness

2 Zodiac Safety Presentation

• 7 compartments of air, difficult to puncture, a punction in any of the 7 compartments won’t cause it to sink
• 10-12 passengers, max is 15 passengers
• Waterproof clothing is helpful for landings
• Rubber boots only in zodiacs
• Hands-free embarking and disembarking
• Mandatory life-jacket on zodiac, but not on land
• Gangway is most dangerous part of excursions
• Step onto pontoon, then enter zodiac, sit down right away. Stay seated
• Man overboard – all remaining passengers turn to kneel on floor and try to locate the person
• Zodiac driver is captain and must be obeyed
• Limit drinking and eating prior to going ashore (no port-a-potties on shore)
• No intoxicated person is allowed in the zodiac
• Horn blasts from ship signal time to depart
• Landings last about 3 hours and occur twice a day
• Someone will be at the zodiac, if we want to leave early, need the bathroom, forgot something
• Boots – choose now and place in a particular place in the mud room – no boots in rooms
• Line for zodiacs is along starboard decks on the 3rd floor
• Bring Yak Trax in case you want to walk on ice

3 Camera Class 1

• Basic camera functions
• People are vertical
• Always fill frame
• ISO – light sensitivity of the camera – ASA is same – higher ISO number for darker scenes, lower for lighter
• Flash
• White balance – for photos in bright light
• Camera settings – turn digital zoom off
• Composition – penguin on iceberg, focus on penguin, press button halfway, recomposes photo and complete the shutter
• Macro

4 Birds of the Southern Ocean

Tubenoses
• enclosed nostrils on bill, poor eyesight, good sense of smell
• weigh 20g to 10kg, oceanic, single/double tube, surface feeders
• monogamous, late sexual maturity, single egg each season, shared parenting
• chicks are semi-precocial (already prepared to survive at hatching)
• long incubation and brooding, rich stomach oil
• projectile vomiting to protect themselves and nests, live in colonies of 100-10,000 birds
• natal philopatry – adult birds return to their birthplace to breed
• navigation – birds migrate to places with a lot of food, built-in salt factory

Albatross
• 21 species – 19 threatened – 4 seriously endangered
• can live 50-60 years
• scavenge food from surface
• two tubes
• can circumnavigate the globe without landing – can glide for days
• one was tracked at 30,000 km in 9 days without setting down
• dynamic soaring – on lower wind currents
• slope soaring – upwind, low soaring
• rarely flap wings – not designed for flapping
• wingspan of the Wandering Albatross is 3 1/2m - the longest of any bird
• energy efficient – peach spot behing eye, get whiter with age, 28,000 pairs worldwide
• elaborate breeding rituals
• longest incubation – care for chicks for over a year, breed in alternate years
• Black-browed Albatross – 2.4m wingspan
• Gray-headed Albatross – gray head and orange-banded bill
• Light-mantled Sooty Albatross (Michael’s favorite) – 2.1m wing span

Petrils and Prions
• diverse group, scavengers and predators, less graceful than albatross – 2.1m wingspan
• Northern Giant Petril – tip of bill is pinkish
• Southern Fulmar – 1.2m wingspan, bull-necked, silvery gray top
• White-chinned petrels – 1.5m wingspan, brownish-black plumage, yellow bill, wings flap
• Cape Petrel – 90cm wingspan, distinctive checkerboard plumage
• Snow petrel – at Peninsula, pure white, 85 cm wingspan, not gliders, Furious Fifties
• Antarctic Prion – wingspan contains a broad dark M (like McDonald’s), black spot on tail
• Blue Petrel – similar M marking – white tail
• Wilson’s Storm Petrel – sooty with white butt, can walk on water, 42cm wingspan
• Terns – Antarctic tern, black cap, red bill
• Skuas – large and gull-like, females larger than males, pale color, scavengers, predators, kleptoparasitism (steal food from other birds)
• Kelp gull – white body, yellow bill w/red spot, black wings
• Snow Sheathbill – pigeon-like, no webs on feet, rarely fly, scavengers, kleptoparasites
• Antarctic Shag (cormorant) – black-head, blue eyes, orange bulb on bill, can dive to 100m, wettable plumage

Antarctica Journal 3.6.09

2009-03-27T06:45:00.000-05:00

BA to Ushuaia to Embarkation on the Akademik Ioffe

Another early morning. Heather had to have her bags downstairs by 5, but I just wished her a good trip and went back to sleep until my 6 am wake-up call. I showered, dressed and went to breakfast, taking care of last-minute errands on the way. The bus to the airport left at 8 and check-in went smoothly. My money turned up, too. I had put it in my passport for safekeeping and when I handed my passport to the agent, she handed the money back. We’d been warned that one of the earlier busloads had had to pay for overweight bags, but I wasn’t charged, even though my duffle weighed 20.2 kilos. For some reason, we weren’t allowed through security until it was time to board, so, of course, we left and arrived late.

I was really irritated because I was only going to have an hour in Ushuaia (Thom said it would be two, but he hadn’t factored in the time change), and I wanted as much time as I could get (I already knew that I was on the first plane out on the way back and would have no other opportunity to spend time here)! As soon as they let us go, I hurried to the first shop I saw and bought, wrote and sent postcards. I also bought some empanadas, which were delicious! I took some pictures and went back to the bus (in order to board the ship, we had to be driven onto the pier and unloaded at the gangway), where we were kept waiting until we were cleared to enter the dock and board our ship, the Akademik Ioffe, handing over our passports as we crossed the threshold.

When I got upstairs, my roommate, Kathy, was already unpacking. We had been told to bring collapsible duffles that could be emptied and then stowed under the bunks, but the bunks had drawers underneath, so the brand-new duffle, bought especially for this trip, had to be stowed under the chair. I didn’t bother unpacking the top of it; I used it as my dresser drawer. Kathy stowed hers across the counter and the top of the chair. As soon as I’d stowed my gear, I headed off to explore the ship. There was a reception at about 6, with appetizers, cookies and drinks. During the reception, we learned the lifeboat drill, which came in handy. After the reception, I went up onto the top deck and was there when the alarm sounded (7 short blasts and 1 long). I hurried to my room, put on my warmest clothes and coat, and went out to the lifeboat, carrying my life-jacket (you don’t put the life-jacket on until you’re on deck). We’re competitive runners, so, of course, we all cheered when Rupert, our expedition leader, told us we’d mustered in the fastest time this season, and, possibly, ever for this ship – 109 passengers hit the deck in their winter gear and life vests in under 10 minutes!

After the drill, we gathered on deck to watch the cast-off and see Ushuaia disappear into the distance, then moved forward to watch the Beagle Channel disappear beneath us.

Dinner was served at 7. I sat with Heather, Cathy, Susan and Lisa. We were served wild rice soup along with the salad bar and, for my main course, I ordered the steak with no mushroom gravy. I also substituted a cheese plate for the mandarin orange tart. As we ate, we passed the southernmost settlement (on the coast of Chile) and after we finished, I went back up on deck to watch the channel and the straits. I’ll be asleep when we pass Cape Horn, unfortunately.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615741104714/

Antarctica Journal 3.5.09

2009-03-25T20:36:00.000-05:00

Bean to Bar Chocolate in Buenos Aires!

I stayed up late again and couldn’t get up for my run. My legs are tired and stiff, anyway, so, hopefully, the rest will do some good.

I ate a little more at breakfast today. When I saw Heather come in, I went upstairs to brush my teeth and picked her up on my way back out. We walked across the plaza to General San Martin’s memorial to where the Buddy Bears were set up and walked thorugh them on our way to Recoleto Cemetery. Daniel had suggested we walk up via Quintana and back via Alvear, so we took that route. It was very Upper East Side. At the cemetery, we admired another of the Ombu trees and the cemetery entrance before buying a map and going in. We followed the route in the map as far as the Peron site. Recoleta is an old European-style cemetery with mausoleums, some of which are haunting, like the statue of a young girl at a doorway and the statue of a young girl and her dog. There was quite a lot of stained glass, most interesting because the picture is on the inside of the mausoleum. Presumably, the visiting families enjoy the view, since the occupants certainly can’t.

After admiring the plaques commemorating Evita, I had to head back and Heather decided to go back as well, so we walked down to Alvear (more UES) until we hit Arroyo, where I detoured us to visit the Israeli Embassy Plaza, which is a memorial to the 29 victims of the 1992 terrorist attack on the Israeli Embassy. The memorial is stunning. The wall of the building beside the embassy site holds an imprint of the building that was there and there’s an avenue of trees (either 21 or 29). A little farther along, we passed Plaza Cataluña. The old-fashioned fountain caught our attention and the plaque indicated that it’s a replica of a fountain in Barcelona. As we turned to leave, Heather noted that the building edging the Plaza had trompe l’oiel windows. We got back to the hotel with enough time for me to grab a snack, brush my teeth and repack my bag.

Daniel got there a little after 1 and came bearing empanadas from Tatu, his favorite empanada restaurant. We drove out to Chocolates Fenix (the only bean-to-bar chocolate maker in BA, if not in all of Argentina) and had lunch with Rodrigo Salgado, whose family started the factory nearly 100 years ago. The factory is on the street level and the Salgados live above it in a beautiful, Spanish-style home. We ate lunch on the terrace and it felt like home to me. There was even a poster from the Seville bullring where we used to see bullfights when I was a little girl. Lunch was followed by another nostalgic moment, when we met their yellow lab, Captain Hook, on the way up to the rooftop greenhouse to see the cocoa trees. There were in flower, but no pods. Two appeared last year, but didn’t last long.

The real treat came next – a top-to-bottom tour of the chocolate factory, which was in full production, with the exception of the roaster, which had been shut down so they’d cool by nighttime. I saw the roasting ovens and buckets of fresh-roasted beans. The winnower was going with nibs and hulls going to separate sides of the machine. The nibs drop down a chute into the melanger. I happened to be there right as the cocoa butter press was activated, so I got to see the cocoa butter being separated. There were piles of cocoa mass in various sections of the factory, waiting to be ground into powder or blended with sugar for chocolate production. The temperer was active, too, so I got to see the bars (large commercial blocks, really) being poured, too. Then we returned to the office and talked chocolate and food until it was time to leave. Rodrigo very generously gave me bars of chocolate to take home to my tasting group and I can’t wait to share them.

Daniel wanted to train that night, but graciously agreed to stop at his shop on the way back to the hotel. I bought some truffles (with some argument, because he wanted to give me everything, but he’d been so generous already that I insisted) and then we drove back.

I scrambled around, buying postcards, doing a quick (15-minute) e-mail check, grabbing food to eat in my room and then wrote out my postcards, to make sure I got them out before I left. I completely emptied all of my bags and repacked, with Antarctica in mind this time. I was a bit concerned about going over weight (we were going to be on a domestic flight with tighter weight restrictions) especially with all the chocolate I’d been given. I also couldn’t find my monty. I’d separated my dollars, so I wasn’t carrying all of my cash around (especially after all of the warnings about pickpockets) but it wasn’t anywhere I thought it would be. Instead of going to bed early, I ended up staying up late yet again, this time, lying down, then jumping up to check more places to see if it would turn up. No luck. I was still up when Heather got back from the tango show and she helped me look a bit. All she found was a wrapped box under her bed. We’d already had issues with the hotel and this was the last straw. We’re both going to file complaints. The issues included late housekeeping (the room was never made up before 3), dampness (no mold, but everything was damp, including the things we brought in), ineffective housekeeping (on the last day, the housekeeper had left a bag of trash on Heather’s bed) and, now, we’d found the present under the bed, which means vacuuming was spotty at best. At a $300/night Marriott, our room should have been spotless and thoroughly cleaned by the time we returned from our morning excursions.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615735833766/

Antarctica Journal 3.4.09

2009-03-24T20:40:00.001-05:00

Buenos Aires and the Antarctica Marathon Reception!

After talking late into the night (Heather made the innocent mistake of asking me about chocolate), it was a shock when the alarm went off. We reset it for another half hour of sleep, then I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for the day. Breakfast was a buffet in the hotel with tables for 8 scattered around the room. Inevitably, the conversation centered on marathons – when, where, how bad, how good, etc.

The city tour started at 9:30, but it was pouring rain, so we only got out of the bus at two stops: the Metropolitan Cathedral and Caminito Street in La Boca, where the tango dancers danced and took pictures with us for donations. The guide was good, though, and told us some interesting tidbits about BA and its people.*

Back at the hotel, I cashed in the free gift coupon the guide gave us to use at H. Stern for a nice silver pendant and learned about the Inca Rose (rodocrosita), the national stone of Argentina. The clerk told me that the stone is only found in Argentina, but my own research doesn’t bear that out.

I called Daniel and we arranged to meet at 3, so I went to a local café for lunch on the recommendation of a fellow marathoner and ordered the lomo, which is, supposedly, a specialty cut in BA. The food came and I realized that I hadn’t told the waiter that I wanted it well-done. I was afraid to send it back, though, so I asked for some lemon. The fries were delicious and Spanish-style and I doused them with lemon, too. After lunch, I wandered around Plaza San Martin and took pictures of the Buddy Bear exhibit, General San Martin’s monument and the amazing ombu tree in the center of the park.

Daniel picked me up at 3 and we retraced part of the morning’s tour, giving me a chance to see it without the rain and also giving more information about various points of interest that hadn’t been mentioned on the tour. We also stopped at a couple of chocolate shops. Vasalissa was a beautiful shop, but the truffle we had was old. El Viejo Oso wasn’t as impressive to look at, but the chocolates were much better, although the alcohol truffles were very strong. We stopped for ice-cream (for me) at a Freddo shop, too. It was very good, but the dulce de leche was a bit much after a couple of bites.

On the way back to the hotel, Daniel stopped at the Barbie store for me, but they didn’t have anything that said Buenos Aires, so I just took pictures. By then, I was late for the marathon reception, so we hurried back, with plans for me to meet him at 1 the next day.

At the hotel, the reception was in full swing, so I went in and picked up my bib. I talked to some people here and there as I made my way over to the race memorabilia table, where I succumbed and bought a t-shirt and 2 patches (1 for me and 1 for ShakeAway). I went back up to the room to drop off my stuff and when I got back, the dining room doors had been opened. Heather had saved a seat for me and we all traded names and info. Lisa started a round of “what was your scariest moment” (mine was the moment I was talking on the phone in college and saw that my doorknob was slowly turning back and forth as some man tried to get in) which was an interesting conversation starter. Dinner started with chicken Caesar salad (real anchovies in the dressing) and the main course was salmon with some sort of mashed vegetables. As dessert was being served, Thom gave his presentation, explaining all of the difficulties he’d encountered setting up this year’s race, breaking down the race day logistics and a slide show of photos from previous year’s races (including a trilogy which culminated in a seal eating a penguin). Dessert was a passable chocolate cake, but they hadn’t heated it so the ganache filling was solid, rather than liquid. I left the raspberry ice-cream melting on the plate.

Chocolates were served with the coffee and tea and I was able to correctly identify them as El Viejo Oso chocolates from my earlier visit to their store. After the banquet, Heather and I stayed up late again, talking until 1 am. Heather was planning to go for a run outside, but I wanted so skip the heat and humidity and run on the treadmill, so we made plans to meet at breakfast after her run.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615705164660/

*My notes from the tour:
• The British Tower was renamed Torre Monumental after the Falkland Islands War. The Falkland Islands War Memorial was installed directly opposite the Tower.

• Retiro Station – more people travel by bus than by train to save time, e.g., the 19-hour bus trip to Iguasu Falls takes 40 hours by train

• Floralis Generica – a huge flower sculpture that opens in the morning and closes at dusk

• Eva Peron’s remains were moved 3 times – there was an offer to move her a fourth time, but the Duarte family declined

• Very green – lots of parks, sculptures and monuments

• In the late 19th century, there was a yellow fever epidemic – 500 people died each day. The rich moved to summer houses in the north

• Café Tortoni – oldest in the city

• La Bombonera – soccer stadium

• La Boca - founded by immigrants, colorful houses, Caminito Street, tango

• Tram - US$50,000,000 – 15 blocks, no connections, always empty – we counted the people in the one that went past us and there were only 5, including 2 crew members

• Puerto Madero – used to be the main port of the city, but is now full of nice restaurants and places to shop

Antarctica Journal 3.1-3.09

2009-03-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

The Preamble

On Sunday, March 1st, I received an automated phone call from American, telling me that my direct flight on Monday had been cancelled and that I was booked on a connecting flight on Tuesday instead. In a panic, I called American and spoke to one agent who told me that the Monday flight to BA from Miami was full and that she couldn’t guarantee a seat for me, but that she could get me on a flight to Miami. I insisted on speaking with a supervisor and I’d either misunderstood or the first agent hadn’t been clear. I had a seat, but no assignment. I lost about an hour of my last minute packing time and ended up staying up until about 12:30 trying to get everything done. I absolutely did not pack everything I needed and absolutely did pack things I did not need!

On My Way

Freak-out day – everything was delayed, moving slowly, bugging me. Up at 5, got my cat ready for my absence, threw some last minute items in the bags (though not all that I’d meant to bring) and went to work. B&H opened at 9, so I hit the post office at 9, then B&H. When my sock dampened, then got soaked through, I realized that my right shoe had a hole straight through to my foot and I added buying a new pair of shoes to my morning errands ($10 at K-Mart). I guess the heavy snow that had cancelled my flight did me some good, after all. I couldn’t get out of work on time, because of problems with voice-mail, but my boss agreed to fix it for me so I could leave. The LIRR train stopped outside of Jamaica for over 10 minutes. The AirTrain waited at Jamiaca for over 10 minutes. The priority line at the airport was held up by stupid passengers, including someone paying cash for a first class ticket, who found out that he didn’t have enough, so he ran off to get some more money. The agent just waited, while we stood there seething.

I got through security with just enough time to get to my gate after general boarding had been called, but, luckily, American has priority boarding, so I was settled in my seat pretty quickly. For no reason. We were delayed waiting for baggage to be loaded (why wait until after departure time to start loading the luggage?) and for 10 passengers to connect from a Milan flight. I asked if my connecting flight would be held for me and was told there was no guarantee. When we were finally ready to take off, we were held again for deicing (not that I minded that delay, but it wouldn’t have been necessary if we’d taken off on time).

Once in the air, we learned that there was no in-flight entertainment. So, not only was I stuck on a connecting flight, but I wasn’t going to get the food and movies that I would have had on my original flight. Grrr About an hour out of Miami, the flight attendant I’d spoken with earlier came by to tell me he’d checked on my flight and it wasn’t until 8:30 and I’d definitely make it. (In my journal, I wrote that I was going to send a commendation to American for him. I did.)

We got to Miami late and then got stuck on the tarmac waiting for a plane to get out of the way. I had a pass for the Admiral’s Club, so I hurried through the very long concourses. I was able to send an e-mail to my friend, Daniel, to tell him not to pick me up at the airport. I filled a water bottle with lemon water and got 2 bottles of water with my drink vouchers, so I was set for the hotel in BA. I hurried to the plane and got settled again. My seatmate guessed that I was 22, which made my day! Unfortunately for him, he was on my flight and, carrying through with the theme for my day, the first mate found a problem and the mechanics had to be called out, delaying the flight for over half an hour for a 5-minute repair.

I Have Arrived!

I slept okay on the plane. Lots of tossing and turning, but no insomnia. Over breakfast, my seatmate gave me tips about where to go and not to go in BA. After clearing passport control and collecting my bag, I found the Marathon Tours group and boarded the bus to town. Thom Gilligan, the tour company owner and founder of the Antarctica Marathon, greeted us with a tale of taxi-cab counterfeit-pesos-for-change-of-American-dollars scams and then Laura, the local guide, talked about various other pickpocket and taxi scams. Not an encouraging welcome to BA, especially because it concluded with the news that we would not be checking in immediately, but would have to leave our bags at the hotel and amuse ourselves until 3 pm when our rooms would be ready. I had been looking forward to a nice, hot shower and getting out of my NY-appropriate sweater. It’s over 60 degrees warmer here.

The drive into town was interesting. We moved through suburbs, then tall Soviet-like apartment buildings. As we got closer to the center of town, little gems started appearing among the gray blocks - beautiful mansions with gorgeous architectural details – worn and not particularly well-cared for. Even closer to the center, the ratio inverted and the ugly block buildings gradually disappeared and were replaced by big modern buildings. Big is a relative term, here. Most of the buildings are less than 20 stories tall.

When I checked in, I was happy to learn that my room was ready and that Heather, with whom I’d been communicating on Facebook about the race, was my roommate. There was also a lovely bag of chocolates from Daniel and a SIM card, which, unfortunately, I couldn’t use because my phone isn’t unlocked. After showering and getting settled in the room, I wandered out for a walk. I found a little shop with sandwiches and headed back to the hotel to eat. I called Daniel from a pay phone and he told me he’d pick me up in half an hour. Heather was in the room so we chatted while I ate.

Daniel was right on time and he took me on a driving tour of BA, highlighting areas where he’d trained to run Cruce de los Andes (100km trail run across the Andes). On our way back into town, we passed the big polo field and there was a free match on, so we stopped and watched for a bit. Daniel even asked for a polo ball for me. After the match, we headed to his shop, where he gave me an extensive tour of his laboratorie and I was able to taste lots of ingredients and chocolate. He showed me the pictures from his Andes ultra and then it was time to head back for the afternoon training run.

I scrambled to get ready and was able to catch up to the group for the 6 pm training run. It was really hot and humid. We ran from the hotel to the park (which I found out later was an ecological reserve), then plotted a course through the park. I ended up running with different groups of people as I warmed up and got up to speed. It was very hot and humid. We ended up missing a turn, exiting the park before we were supposed to, and had to run back along the streets, including Puerto Madero, the old port of BA, for awhile. We passed Luna Park, where a long line of (mostly) giggly teenage girls waited to the Back Street Boys. When we got to Florida Street, a pedestrian road leading back to our hotel, it was too crowded, so we had to stop and walk. Heather and I had dinner together at a local café.

Pictures from these days are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157615607243337/

Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrock 5k 3.1.09

2009-03-01T23:36:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 6 (5th 2010 marathon-qualifying race) was Coogan’s Salsa, Blues and Shamrock 5k. The course was changed this year (ostensibly for safety), so we ran from 173rd Street up to Fort Tryon Park, looped the Park (instead of turning around for the out-and-back), then ran back to 173rd Street.

Goals: to run between water stations and to finish in under 28 minutes, with every mile run in under 9 minutes.

I had planned originally to run down to the race and run home afterwards, but it was too cold and I didn’t feel like wearing a backpack all the way down. So, I took the train, wandered around trying to find baggage and ended up walking 5 blocks out of my way, which meant I had to walk 5 blocks back. I had already decided that I should just run this, rather than race it, because of my speed workout on Thursday. Just a half mile in, I knew I’d made the right decision, because my legs felt really tired. I had been skeptical about the new race course, but it turned out to be a really nice addition. If I’d been paying attention, I could have seen my apartment as we ran around the Cloisters! We had a much longer view of the Palisades and a lovely shot of the George Washington Bridge as we came back around to head back out of the park. It was hillier, because of the loop, but I’m looking forward to trying again next year.

After the race, I went to Coogan’s, for the first time (this is my 5th or 6th time running this race). It was very crowded, but I got in fairly quickly and was amazed! Coogan’s puts on a really nice post-race spread, including shepherd’s pie, scrambled eggs, pastrami sandwiches with cole slaw and pickles on the side, and an assortment of mini breakfast pastries. There were also trays of Guinness beers going around, along with juice and soda and coffee. And it was free! I talked to one of the waitresses and thanked her and was embarrassed when she told me that I was the only one who had thanked her. There were hundreds of runners in there and I hope most of them were thanking Coogan’s staff for a great post-race event.

Official stats: my official time was 27:54, for an average pace of 9:00. My splits were 9:04, 8:59, 9:02 and :53 for the final tenth of a mile. I was 2516 out of 4696 total runners, putting me in the 46th percentile. It was 30°F with 74% humidity 10 mph winds.

Consolation treats: a chocolate brownie made from Columbian chocolate (made by a friend) and a Porcelana chocolate tasting in the afternoon.

Next up: The Colon Cancer Challenge has already filled up, so I’m out of that one and the next NYRR race that I have scheduled is the Wall Street Run 5k in May, but I’m sure I’ll sign up for others in the meantime.

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157614542219607/.

If you’re interested, here are pictures from a Walker’s Crisps tasting: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157614617333360/.

Here are pictures from the chocolate tasting, but I haven’t had time to edit them yet, so there’s a bunch of junk in there, along with the regular pictures.: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157614648747710/.

Al Gordon Snowflake 5k 2.21.09

2009-02-22T19:15:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 6 (4th 2010 marathon-qualifying race) was the Al Gordon Snowflake 5k in Prospect Park.

Goals: to run between water stations and to finish in under 28 minutes, with every mile run in under 9 minutes.

I missed 1 ½ workouts this week and was short 13.5 miles, so I had intended to run the 5k course before and after the race, as well, but had ruled out the post-race 5k before I went to bed last night (I didn’t feel like running with a backpack). Because the MTA is still playing with my subway line, I had to take a bus to the train again. Hopstop indicated a 1:22 ride, so I left a little earlier than that, but it took almost 2 hours, instead, so the pre-race 5k was out, too. I should have left even earlier than I did, but we had no heat again and I spent most of the night slightly awake, aware of how cold it was. In fact, there was little difference between being inside my apartment and being outside. Anyway, when I’d dropped my bag, I jogged about a half mile to the start as my warm-up, then stood around shivering, waiting for the race to start. I tried to find Steven before and after the race, but didn’t see him.

I knew we had a long hill to climb in the first half mile, so I started out slowly. I was having a little trouble breathing, because of the cold and humidity, so I used my inhaler (on the run – no stopping) and made it up over the last bump of the hill towards Grand Army Plaza. I tried to maintain pace down the rolling hills and to keep running until the water station, which I assumed/hoped would be at the halfway point. My shin started acting up in the second mile. The muscles started bunching up around my ankle, so I slowed down a bit, trying to take the pressure off of my calf. I stopped for water and took a long walk break, trying to stretch my calf out and even stopped to pick up the last garbage can, which had been tipped over. I jumped back onto the course and tried to catch up to the people who had passed me, but the bunching up sensation starting spreading up towards my knee, so I eased back again. As I came up to the 2nd mile marker, I was hoping that I’d stayed until 9 minutes and was surprised to find that I had by nearly 20 seconds. I had about 25 seconds in the bank for the last mile, which I knew was going to be uphill, because we had to cross the second transverse and somehow get back up to the west side of the park, which is at a higher elevation. I briefly considered walking to ease up on my shin, but my legs kept going, so I decided to take my brain out of the equation and let my legs do the work. The hills on the transverse were a bit steep, but manageable. Coming out onto the west side of the park, we had to continue uphill to the first transverse and then uphill some more towards the finish. I was very discouraged as I approached the 3rd mile marker, because I got the numbers mixed up. I thought I’d gone to nearly a 10-minute mile and was shocked to see that I was only at about 8:40. No finishing spring for me, but I did make my goal.

On my way out of Prospect Park, I did some exploring, trying to find a building I’d seen two years before after the Brooklyn Half. I found it and briefly considered going on to the Farmer’s Market at Grand Army Plaza, but someone told me that going back the way I’d come was shorter, so I headed back to some shops I’d seen on my way in.

Official stats: my official time was 27:13, for an average pace of 8:46. My splits were 8:58, 8:43, 8:41 and :55 for the final tenth of a mile. I was 1978 out of 3987 total runners, putting me in the 50th percentile. I was 614 out of 1945 women, putting me in the 68th percentile and 35 out of 144 in my age category, putting me in the 76th percentile. It’s been a long time since I finished this far forward in such a big race, so I’m feeling pretty good about it. It was 28°F with 53% humidity and 12 mph winds.

Consolation treats: On my way back to the subway, I stopped at the Dub Pie Shop, which I passed on the way from the subway. I picked up two pies to try and a vanilla custard tart. I also stopped at Whole Foods on the way home for a chocolate fudge brownie. And, of course, my slushy Dr Pepper!

Next up: Coogan’s Salsa, Blues, and Shamrock 5k (3/1)

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157614187357301/.

If you’re interested, here are pictures from a Valentine’s Day Valrhona tasting: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157613785218052/.

That same week, I went to a lecture on the Science of Taste at the New York Academy of Science: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157613769217153/.

Bronx Half Marathon 2.8.09

2009-02-22T19:13:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 5 (3rd 2010 marathon-qualifying race and 2nd Grand Prix Half Marathon) was the Bronx Half Marathon. The course is an odd cloverleaf shape. The first loop goes out to the Moshulu Parkway from the Jerome Reservoir and back (about 6 miles). We turn just before we would cross the finish line from the wrong direction, looping around to the Grand Concourse, on which we run a 4-mile out-and-back, returning to the loop around the Moshulu Parkway, then back to the reservoir for the finish.

Goals: This was my 3rd half marathon in as many weekends and part of a 15-mile training run, so I set soft goals for this one. I wanted to run between water stations, as usual, and hoped to finish in under 2:20 (my Manhattan Half time).

I got there early and went into the school to get warm. I ran into some colleagues and we chatted a bit, before I dropped off my bag and headed out to run my 2-mile add-on. I got back to the start, but didn’t have time to get the hat I’d forgotten to put on for the warm-up. We started just about on time and I tried to maintain an easy pace. I got through the first half without any extra walk breaks and began to hope that I might get through the second half without any, as well. This is my least favorite of the five Grand Prix half marathons, but it’s the Grand Concourse (miles 7-11) which are the worst part (not to mention the dead rat I’ve seen every time I’ve run this race). Despite the fact that there are occasionally interesting buildings to look at, the Concourse is just a drag! You have to watch nearly every footstep, because of potholes and irregularities in paving, not to mention waves in the pavement that, if you’re not careful, cause you to run with one foot in a trough and the other on a crest. And it was on the Concourse that I realized that my shoes were dead and that I wasn’t going to beat my Surf City time, though I’d been hanging on in hopes of doing just that. I started taking small walk breaks at the mile markers, but my legs were toast. Finally, I was running down the small hill from the Concourse to the Moshulu Parkwayj, with just over 2 miles to go. And there it was! Actually, it was so squashed that I can’t be sure it was a rat and not a squirrel, but, in any event, the road kill rodent had appeared, disturbingly close to the water station. For some reason, this energized me and I managed to keep running between water stations and not take any extra breaks for the rest of the race. In the last half-mile, I came up on someone walking and as I caught up to him, I told him we were almost there and could make. He started running and whenever he seemed to be slowing down, I tried to encourage him and stayed with him to keep him running. Unfortunately, he caught a second wind and was then pushing me to keep up with him. I hadn’t planned a sprint finish, but that’s what it felt like!

Official stats: my official time was 2:16:41 for a 10:26 pace overall. My splits were 9:56, 9:35, 10:23, 11:00, 10:07, 10:30, 10:03, 10:39, 9:59, 11:01: 21:38 (average of 10:49), 10:53, and 1:02 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 3034 out of 3668 total runners, putting me in the 17th percentile. It was 56F with 64% humidity and 7 mph winds.

Celebratory treats: Sweet Revenge cupcakes, Bespoke chocolates, and a slushy Dr Pepper

Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157613529744284/

Surf City Half Marathon 2.1.09

2009-02-22T19:10:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 4 was the Surf City Half Marathon. It was an out-and-back course along the Pacific Coast Highway with a 3-mile detour up a hill.

Goals: I’d just run the Manhattan Half Marathon the weekend before, so I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel, not to mention jet-lag and the extra 5 miles I needed to run, so I set the usual goal of running between the water stations and hoped I could manage a 2:20.

Expo day: I took no chances and let Shayna know as soon as I’d signed up that I was running Surf City. We met at Alice’s in the Park, with her little one, my siblings and their families, and Pete and Ahi. It was my first time meeting Pete and Ahi in person, so I was especially happy at breakfast. The giant cinnamon rolls were pretty nice, too. After breakfast, we fed the birds (I was super-irritated when a pigeon tried to land on me), then went to the playground to play for a bit, before going to the expo. At the expo, I had another name-rage incident and had to go to the Solutions booth to have my gender changed to female. I didn’t want a repeat of New Year’s Day, even though I knew I wouldn’t be placing at this big event. I found Dane’s booth and stood in line to have him sign my bib. It was my first time meeting him in person, too, though we’ve been acquainted on-line for about 3 years. We had to be back at my sister’s house to see the rest of the family by 1 and still needed to go to Roger’s Gardens, so we had to say goodbye.

Race day: I ended up in bed with a migraine for most of Saturday afternoon. When I woke up on Sunday morning, I was still nauseous, but the headache was gone, thankfully. I had 18 miles on the schedule, so my brother and I ran a bit together, then he stopped to rest and I kept going. I was supposed to run 3 before, but I suspect that I only managed about 2.5. I looked all over the place for people I know, but didn’t see anyone. I thought I saw Ahi pass by when the marathon started, but I’m not sure about that. My brother planned to stick with me until the first water station, so he jogged along with me. I was supposed to be running at a 10:50 pace. I stayed on the left side of the course to watch for my sister, who was running the 5k. I missed her, but stayed on the left to watch for people I knew ahead of me on the course, especially the marathoners. I stayed steady on a somewhat slow pace, but was ahead of where I was supposed to be. I felt comfortable, even though the PCH section after the hills is a bit difficult to get through - long low hills that drag on past oil fields and a marsh. It was a lot nicer this year, than last year, when we ran it in a driving rain storm. In the 9th mile, I realized that I was on pace for a 2:15, if I just pushed it a bit. I waited until the 11th mile and then started building my pace slowly. I took off about a minute in the 12th mile and another 30 seconds in the last mile. I passed my sister, who cheered me on to a sprint finish and then we did the usual post-race thing (water, pictures, post-race goodies). I had two miles left to run, so my sister ran an out and back away from the race and then we jogged slowly back towards the car. I tried to find Shayna, but we had to get back to my sister’s place, because she was expecting guests later.

Official stats: my official time was 2:13:28 for a 10:11 pace. My splits were 9:53, 10:03, 10:08, 10:47, 10:12, 10:23, 10:32, 10:31: 10:48, 20:42, 9:34, 9:00, and :56 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 4958 out of 10790 total runners, putting me in the 54th percentile. It was 46F and foggy.

Celebratory treats: On the way home, we stopped at a coffee place my brother likes and I got a chorizo breakfast burrito. We also had Wonderland cupcakes and a veritable feast for the Superbowl, including Scott’s chocolate mousse.

Next up: Bronx Half Marathon (2/8)

Thanks for all your support!!

Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157613380302857/.

Manhattan Half Marathon 1.25.09

2009-02-22T17:13:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 3 (2nd 2010 marathon-qualifying race and 1st Grand Prix Half Marathon) was the Manhattan Half Marathon. We ran 2 counter-clockwise loops of Central Park, plus another mile or so to make up the half marathon distance.

Goals: to run between the water stations and to see if I could run at 10:45 pace (2:20:50) for the entire run.

I had 21 miles on the training schedule for today, so, to break it up, I decided to run the center 4-mile loop of Central Park before and after the race. This meant that I couldn’t bring a heavy jacket, because it had to be small enough to fit into a backpack I could carry for the final 4 miles. Once again, I had to take a bus to the train, so I had to get up even earlier than usual to get there in time to run the extra 4 miles (I expected it to take about 44 minutes). I was the first person to leave a bag in the baggage area, which made me a little nervous, but I certainly wasn’t going to carry it for 8 miles. I ran the central loop in about 42 minutes and then huddled with the rest of the masochists waiting for the race to start. We were facing the Time Warner building and could clearly see the temperature: 14. It had probably been about 12 when I ran the first 4.

I tried to take it nice and slow and stick to my projected 10:45 pace. The first mile is a mostly-downhill swoop around the bottom of the park and it went by about a minute too quickly. Because of the hills, it’s hard to run an even pace, but I did manage to run easy most of the way. I was a bit too cold at first, but warmed up as the miles went by. As I passed the Time Warner building after the first 6 miles, I checked the temperature and saw the numbers change to 15. When I passed it after 12 miles, it had jumped all the way to 17. I finished the race almost entirely on pace, then put my jacket and backpack on and jogged the final 4 miles. The second time around, the 4 miles took a little longer – 44 minutes. I ended up heading back down towards the start of the half and the Time Warner building let me know that it was now 18. I was so cold that it took me only 8:30 to walk the half mile down to the subway station!

Official stats: my official time was 2:20:06 for a 10:41 pace. My splits were 9:41, 10:46, 9:29, 11:41, 10:46, 10:41, 10:22, 11:24, 10:28, 11:52: 10:44, 10:49, 10:28, and 1:02 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 3962 out of 4596 total runners, putting me in the 14th percentile. It was 14F with 52% humidity and 6 mph winds.

Consolation treats: I had a chocolate tasting scheduled for the afternoon, so that was my treat. No slushy Dr Pepper this time, because I didn’t get home until dinner time and I only drink soda during the day.

Pictures are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157613292196928/.

Here is an album of random food pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157612685507473/.

Resolution 5k 1.1.09 and Fred LeBow Classic 5-miler 1.10.09

2009-02-22T17:10:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 1 was the New Year’s Day Resolution 5k. It was partly on the runway of Republic Airport in Farmingdale on Long Island.

Goals: to run between the water stations, to break 27 minutes, and, possibly to set a PR.

I’d been sick the night before (narrowly missing my laptop, for which my company would be profoundly grateful, if they’d known about it), but felt okay by the time we needed to leave. My parents drove my brother and me to the airport and stayed around to watch, even though it was freezing out! As soon as we got there, we registered for the race, then I spied Roxy, who introduced me to Sean and Victor. We chatted until it was time to venture out into the cold and hit the runway. My brother started out with me, but Roxy was off like a shot! Unfortunately, my stomach did not appreciate the jostling and started heaving. I told my brother to run off without me, but he stuck with me, because he’s the best brother in the world. So, the poor guy ran 5k with me retching and heaving behind him. Whenever I stopped to walk, he walked with me. I saw Roxy on all of the turnarounds and she looked great! Finally, as we were heading back towards the finish, I convinced my brother to sprint to the finish and he took off as if he hadn’t just run 3 miles. I crossed the finish line a little while later as my family watched. We hurried into the terminal for water and snacks. My brother checked my time and told me that I was 13th or something like that, but we waited to see if Roxy had won an age category award (only category winners received medals), but they didn’t announce her name. None of us won the plasma tv raffle, either.

As we headed out to the car, my brother went over to check the results again and I took a look, too, and that’s when I saw it. They had me as male! Grrr!!!! I checked my finishing time against the rest of the list and it looked like I was 2nd in my age category. I ran back inside and told the race director about it and he confirmed that I was 2nd!! So I did get a medal – silver! Woo Hoo!!

When we checked the official results on-line, Roxy had taken 3rd in her category and my 2nd place had been downgraded to 3rd, too. I would still have received a medal, though, so I’m keeping the one I have.

Official stats: my net time was 28:57 for an 9:12 pace. I don’t have any splits, because there were no mile markers. I was 91 out of 129 total runners, putting me in the 49th percentile and 3 out of 7 in my age category, putting me in the 57th percentile. It was no warmer than 25F and extremely windy.

Celebratory treats: It was New Year’s Day, so, of course, the big treat was black-eyed peas and ham hocks. Yum!! Of course, I also had one of my mom’s delicious hot fudge sundae, too! MMM

Next up: The Fred LeBow Classic 5-miler on January 10th and the Manhattan Half Marathon on January 25th.

Pictures are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157612004830823/

Pictures from training runs in Oyster Bay are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157611977136942/

And here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157612061161942/

And here are some pictures from the holidays: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157611934543685/

Race number 2 was the Fred LeBow 5-miler. We ran the lower big loop of Central Park. I don’t remember much about this race, so I’ll just give you the stats.

Official stats: my net time was 49:31 for an 9:54 pace. I was 2473 out of 3235 total runners, putting me in the 24th percentile. It was about 25F.

Race day pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157612685238743/

Pictures from my dinner at Chelsea Market are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157612684903071/

Holiday 4-miler 12.13.08

2008-12-14T21:40:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 31 was the Holiday 4-miler. We ran the middle loop from the 102nd Street Transverse down the west side, across the 72nd Street Transverse and then back up the east to finish on the 102nd Street Transverse.

Goals: to run between water stations, to run all 4 miles at sub-10 pace, and to finish somewhere between 36 and 38 minutes. A PR would be nice, but I ran a tempo run on Friday and a long run on Sunday.

I got to the Park a little early, so I went over to the t-shirt tent to say hi to Emily and Tom, who were volunteering. It was freezing out, so extra kudos to the volunteers today! I looked for Roxy, Mark, Paul and Lou, who were all supposed to be there, but couldn’t find anyone, so I dropped my bag off and hurried to the start to huddle with the rest of the corral. The announcer warned us about black ice on the course and then we were on our way. I tried to run at a steady pace, but the course was very crowded, even into the 2nd mile. Roxy caught me walking at the water station, so I picked up the pace and tried to keep up with her. I managed for a couple of blocks, but then had to drop back. I’m not quite used to running in the cold yet and was having trouble breathing, but didn’t want to stop. Slowing down helped and I decided to take a walk break at the 2nd mile marker. I was still moving pretty well at that point, but really struggled trying to get up Cat Hill. I pushed myself to get past the Cat, then walked to the crest of the hill. There was another water station a little before the 3rd mile marker, so I ended up taking 3 walk breaks in the 3rd mile, which took me out of the running for 2 of my goals in just one mile. I hit the 3rd-mile marker in just under 29 minutes, which meant that I’d really have to pick up the pace to have a shot at my 3rd goal. I’m not sure where it came from, but I managed a burst of speed, though no finishing kick, and came in with over 30 seconds to spare.

After the race, I found Roxy waiting for me and then we met up with Mark at the baggage area so we could go to the Silver Moon bakery for post-race treats. This was my last NYRR race of the year and it was great to run and celebrate it with friends. Happy Holidays, everyone!!

Official stats: my official time was 37:23, for an average pace of 9:20. My splits were 9:15, 9:12, 10:29, and 8:33. I was 2618 out of 4872 total runners, putting me in the 46th percentile. It was 27°F with 51% humidity and 13 mph winds.

Consolation treats: Mark bought us hot chocolate at the Silver Moon bakery and then Roxy treated us to brunch at the Metro Diner. My contribution was dessert, obviously – chocolate French macaroons from Silver Moon bakery.

Next up: Resolution 5k (1/1/09)

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157611186218343/.

Staten Island Half Marathon 10.12.08

2008-10-20T20:08:00.004-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 26 was the Staten Island Half Marathon. This was the final half marathon in the Grand Prix. I missed Queens, but still ran 4 out of 5, so I completed the 2008 Grand Prix and have earned my patch.

Goals: to run between water stations and to run at marathon goal pace (somewhere between 2:15 and 2:20)

The day before the race, I wandered around the Lower East Side with my friends, Brady and Andrea and their daughter, Charlotte (who, for some reason, calls me Cacao). We went to Economy Candy, babycakes (a vegan bakery), and Doughnut Plant, where we had the most amazing doughnuts! We shared three: pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, and blackout, and we each took home a Valrhona chocolate doughnut. I was supposed to save mine for my post-race treat, but I ate it before I went to bed. Probably not the best idea, but I couldn’t wait!

The MTA has screwed up my train-line again, so I had to take a bus, 3 trains and a ferry to the race. I missed my ferry by 15 minutes and had to wait 45 minutes for the next one. Luckily, I had worried about that in advance, so I was still on time for the last ferry that would get me to the race on time. I heard later that not everyone made that ferry and a lot of people started over 20 minutes late, after the start mat had been picked up. Fingers crossed that this won’t happen on Marathon Sunday!!

I was a little better at holding off the pace this time, but it was about 10 degrees warmer than I thought it would be. I trudged through the first four miles before needing to take an extra walk break. In the second mile, we passed some construction workers taking a break from construction on the train overpass. An old train was there and as I came up towards the area, the train sounded his horn for us. The construction workers didn’t even wave back. The rest of the spectators were much better! I was on the verge of crashing and burning in the fifth mile when I thought I recognized someone’s voice. I looked around and there was Roxy! She looked great – you’d never have known she had run the Hartford Marathon the day before! She gave me a hug and cheered me on my way. At this point, the lead runners were coming back towards us, so I applauded and cheered. I love when that happens! It’s much more inspiring to actually see them than to look at my watch and calculate when the winner is probably finishing. When I hit the long out and back I started looking for my friend, LK. He likes to start at the back of the race and pass runners, rather than start in his corral with other runners of similar pace. During half marathons, he usually passes me in the sixth or seventh mile. With the long turnaround, I was sure that I’d see him, but I didn’t. On the way back, I looked for Bonnie, but didn’t see her, either. She had run 7 miles before the race (her last long run before the marathon) and had started way at the back of the pack, so I think I had already made the 8th-mile hill turn before she got to that point. The first year that I ran this race, I chugged my way to the top, thinking I knew when the hill ended. This year, my 4th running of this half, I knew that the turn just leads to another uphill, so I took it easy and walked when I felt like it. The top of that hill takes us into the Naval base and under the bridge. Coming down that road, I knew I’d be seeing Roxy again soon, so I kept my eyes open for her. She was waiting right after a water station with her camera, so I had to start running again. I passed her and had to go back for another picture and I’m glad I did – hers is my favorite picture from the race! Thanks, Roxy!!

Just a few more miles to go and I was flagging. I heard some guys running together talking about their pace and wanted to keep up with them, but they passed me at a water station and I couldn’t catch them. I recognized another voice when I was in the 10th mile and it turned out to belong to one of the trainers from my gym. My plan was to get to the hill in the 12th mile, walk up that hill to the bridge, then run the rest of the way to the finish. As I came to the top of the hill, a car came along the road forcing the runners to the sides. I’m still a little nervous about cars, so I walked until the car had cleared the bridge. Not one of the cops did a thing to stop the car. I thought that’s why the cops were there, but maybe they were on some other assignment, somehow involving leaning up against walls and chatting to each other. I hit the 12-mile marker running and didn’t stop until I finished the race. I tried to keep the pace nice and steady and still managed to run it too fast again. I was just glad to be finished!

I stuck around the finish area looking for Bonnie, LK, Roxy and anyone else running the race and I ran into Fabian. We chatted a bit and took pictures, then I headed off to catch the ferry, but ran into Bonnie. She’d done a great job with her 20 miles, finishing just a few seconds faster per mile than she’d planned. I had to sprint to catch the ferry, but I made it, and turned into a tourist for the trip home. It’s a fantastic ride – everyone should take the Staten Island Ferry at least once!!

Official stats: my official time was 2:16:23, for an average pace of 10:24. My splits were 9:55, 10:23, 9:59, 10:03, 10:56, 10:18, 10:18, 11:27, 10:56, 10:02, 10:33, 11:15, 9:24 and :59 for the last tenth of a mile (sub 10:00 pace). I was 2879 out of 3632 total runners, putting me in the 21st percentile. It was 60°F with 65% humidity.

Consolation treats: I had my treats the day before, as you’ll see if you look in the second album of pictures, but I did stop at Taco Bell for a CrunchWrap to eat on the way home. I had a slushy British Dr Pepper at home and some chocolates from the LES wander.

Next up: Tower of Terror 13k (10/25), NYC Marathon (11/2)

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157607973044603/

Pictures from the Lower East Side wander are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157607969357344/

Grete's Gallop Half Marathon 10.4.08

2008-10-08T19:57:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 25 was Grete’s Gallop Half Marathon. This race is part of Norway Day and honors the greatest New York City marathoner of all time: Grete Waitz, who has won it an incredible 9 times!!

Goals: to run between water stations and to run at marathon goal pace (somewhere between 2:10 and 2:15)

I had to stay home from work on Friday because of a migraine, but woke up feeling okay. I was a little concerned during the race about the effort causing a relapse, but, thankfully, that didn’t happen. I got to the Park a little early and wandered around the festival area, before dropping my bag and heading off for my 3-mile warm-up. My legs were feeling fatigued, but I got through it and they weren’t sore when I finished. I drank some water, then headed back to line up in my corral. I kept my eyes peeled for Roxy and Lou, but didn’t see them. I did run into Paul in my corral. We chatted a bit, but he was planning to run over a minute per mile faster than I was, so he took off when we hit the chip mats at the start.

We started on the east side of the Park heading south to run the loop clockwise. I think this is the most difficult direction to run, but this is the course where I set my half marathon PR, so maybe my legs like hills more than I do. I ran the first mile too fast, even though I felt like I was holding back. I tried to slow it down some, but after a couple of miles, I didn’t need to try anymore. My legs were so tired! I was struggling my way through. I took several walk breaks per mile. The hills broke me. Well, not the downhills. My legs loved the downhills. But I had to walk almost every uphill and not a few of the flats! After my first loop, I added two more goals: finish in under 2:20 on the official clock or just finish in under 2:20. I tracked my splits throughout the race and couldn’t believe that I was still hitting my goal pace (on average). It ended up being a half marathon of sprint intervals. I didn’t get my act together until the last mile. I told myself that I wasn’t going to walk at all in the last mile and that turned out to be my fastest mile. And I had to sprint to the finish to break 2:15, but break it I did (by 2 seconds, but it only takes 1).

I’m worried about how difficult it was to run just a half marathon at my marathon goal pace. I don’t know if it’s because I only ran a 5k last weekend, rather than a real long run, or because I walked nearly a marathon over the 2 days at Walt Disney World, or because I’m still recuperating from the surgery. I’m trying to think positively: this is my fastest half since the surgery, I hit my goal pace, my fastest mile was the last mile and I was able to “sprint” to the finish. I’ve decided to push my legs and only taper for 2 weeks. I think my legs perform better when they’re worked. They seem to forget how to run if I take any sort of a break at all. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I’m happy to hear them. I’m at a loss and guessing, at this point.

Official stats: my official time was 2:14:58, for an average pace of 10:18. My splits were 9:31, 10:14, 9:43, 10:36, 10:31, 10:30, 10:07, 11:17, 10:18, 10:55, 10:43, 10:20, 9:18 and :59 for the last tenth of a mile (sub 10:00 pace). I was 3197 out of 3871 total runners, putting me in the 17th percentile. It was 49°F with 71% humidity.

Celebratory treats: I had a chocolate tasting scheduled for later that afternoon and some of the chocolate was really delicious, but it triggered the migraine and I ended up sleeping most of the rest of the weekend. I didn’t eat chocolate again until Monday.

Next up: Staten Island Half Marathon (10/12), Tower of Terror 13k (10/25), NYC Marathon (11/2)

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157607867166309/.

Pictures from the chocolate tasting are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157607860248670/.

Fred LeBow XC 5k 9.21.08

2008-10-02T20:10:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 23 was the Fred LeBow Cross-Country 5k in Van Courtland Park.

Goals: I had run 19 miles on the treadmill the day before, so this was really just a test to see how well I could race after a long run.

We ran partway around the flats (there’s a lot of construction going on, so the course was slightly changed), then headed up the cow path into the woods. We didn’t have to run up Cemetery Hill, but we did have to run the back hills. I tried to run the entire distance, but had to walk up some of the hills. I ran down all of them, which I’m sure saved me some time. I thought I was about half a mile from the finish when I ran past a volunteer who told me that I had about a mile to go. I was completely demoralized (and slightly confused) when I realized how long it had taken me to run just 2 miles (about 25 minutes) and had to slow down to make it through the last mile. Then, after a couple of turns, I came to the last downhill before hitting the field again and realized that the volunteer had been wrong about how far we still had to go. I’d slowed down, but picked it up as soon as I hit the last hill. I passed a few people and ended up in a finishing line sprint with two kids. I beat one of them, but the other passed me in the chute. It didn’t matter in the end, because NYRR lost my results, anyway.

Official stats: I have no official time. My unofficial time (from my watch) was 30:28, for an average pace of 9:48. I was 184 out of 244 total runners, putting me in the 25th percentile. It was in the 70s and was very humid with 90% humidity.

Consolation treats: I stopped at Target for a Dr Pepper Icee, then made a cheese plate when I got home.

Next up: Expedition Everest Challenge (9/27), Grete’s Gallop (10/4), Staten Island Half Marathon (10/12), Tower of Terror 13k (10/25)

Race pictures are available here.

Disneyland Half Marathon 8.31.08

2008-09-25T20:52:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 22 was the Disneyland Half Marathon. We started in Downtown Disney, ran around the back of California Adventure, then entered and ran through California Adventure, crossed the esplanade and entered Disneyland, ran through Disneyland, came back out onto the streets of Anaheim, ran back and over to Arrowhead Pond (home of the Mighty Ducks), ran along the Santa Ana Trail towards Angels’ Stadium, skirted the stadium, instead of rounding the bases, came back out onto the streets, ran back through California Adventure again, and finished up at Downtown Disney.

Goals: to run between water stations, to run a 2:20 (based on my training run from the previous weekend), or to run a sub-10 pace.

Pre race: I had originally planned to spend a long weekend in Orange County for this event, but, then, my friend, Laurie, invited me to her wedding in Palm Springs the weekend before and, all of a sudden, I was able to visit a lot more of my friends than I’d expected. The wedding was in Palm Springs at the Korakia and was amazing! It was a weekend event and I got to run up a small mountain on Sunday morning before Mass. Then, I visited my friend, Rebecca, and her family in Palm Desert. I got to run through the Living Desert on Tuesday morning. From Palm Desert, I went to Los Angeles, to see my friend Meher. She was very busy, preparing for a trip, but took time out to go to Universal Studios with me. I had a great time, but I think I prefer the Disney parks. From L.A., to the O.C. – a full day at the two Disney parks (taking time out to hit the expo), the kids races, which all four of my nieces and nephews ran, a night at the Disneyland Hotel, where we played in the Never Land Pool after the kids races. Dinner was at the Storyteller’s Café in the Grand Californian Hotel (best bread pudding I’ve ever had).

Race: My brother, sister and I shared a room on the concierge floor at the Disneyland Hotel (I learned my lesson - book early if you want a cheap room), so we had access to the concierge lounge, which overlooks the parks and Downtown Disney and is loaded with snacks and drinks. While I set out my gear and packed my race bag, my brother and sister held a table for me so I could watch the fireworks. Unfortunately, it was while I was packing my race bag that I discovered that none of the three inhalers that I’d brought from NY had made it into my overnight bag for the race. The yellow plastic in my purse wasn’t my inhaler – it was a medicine case that I got at a different race (I’m getting rid of it). That put a damper on my evening, so I skipped the fireworks and went to bed, tossing and turning, trying to figure out how to get through a half marathon without an inhaler.

We got up about a half hour before corral time (the race starts in the parking lot of the Disneyland Hotel) and went over to drop off my bag and see if we could find anyone. Shayna and I sent a few text messages back and forth, but I couldn’t find her. My brother and I were in the same corral, so we headed off to line up in B. The announcements finally started. The announcer proposed to his girlfriend (she said yes) and then we got going. It was very humid and I was nervous about going to fast without my inhaler. My brother stuck with me for the first mile or so, then headed off to run his own race. We skirted the parks, then headed into Disney’s California Adventure. At about the 3-mile mark, I saw the first medical tent and decided to ask for an inhaler. They had it! I took a puff, but was afraid to take more, because it wasn’t my prescription and I didn’t know the dose. I joined the course again, but tried to keep it easy. My muscles were already fatigued from running with diminished oxygen and were burning a little. I tried to focus on my breathing and keep my airway calm and clear.

We left the parks and at the 6-mile medical tent, I asked for another inhaler. This time, the woman told me to go ahead and take it, because she couldn’t use it again. I was so grateful! I tried to keep my pace steady and slow. I made rules for walking that started with walking uphills, then I added walking when I saw stars (which happened a couple of times before I got to the second inhaler), and it seemed like a good idea to walk the underpasses, too. My last rule about walking ended up being walk whenever I feel like it. But, before I got to that point, I was just trying to keep running from water station to water station. The cheerleaders along the course were great and so were the bands and dance troupes. I kept counting down the miles, reminding myself that I had easily run the remaining distance before and that I could certainly do it again. Finally, the back roads of Anaheim were leading towards the Honda Center (formerly known as the Duck Pond), which meant that one of my favorite sections of the course was coming up. After running the hockey player gauntlet (I think the Ducks’ cheerleaders might have been there, too), we get to run along the Santa Ana Trail for awhile. It’s dusty, which isn’t great for my asthma, but it’s beautiful and fun to run along. Unfortunately, this year, it was followed by a big disappointment. Usually, after leaving the trail, we get our Clif gel pack, run the Boy and Girl Scout gauntlet, scoot under the A of Angel Stadium, then run around the bases and smile wide for the Jumbotron. This year, we had to run around the outside of the stadium. Boooo!!!

For me, the stadium is also the indicator that the race is nearly over. Just a few more streets and we’re back inside Disney’s California Adventure. I waved at a Hollywood Hotel bellhop, then stopped to hug Sully, Boo, George, and Needleman (or was it Smitty?). “Monsters, Inc.” is my favorite modern Disney animated movie and with such a big collection of characters, there was no way I wasn’t stopping. I tried to get the photographer stationed there to take my picture, but he refused, because he wasn’t an ASI photographer. Next time, I’ll bring my own camera. Finally, I was running through Downtown Disney and just hoping I could finish faster than the NYC Half. I wandered around, trying to find anyone I knew, but couldn’t for the longest time. Eventually, though, we all managed to meet up again. We got our medals engraved, pictures taken, and collected a lot of pies from the “Pushing Daisies” pie van (my dad even got me a pie cutter).

The most important results: My brother came in first (of the four of us running) and both of my sisters finished in under 3 hours in their first half marathons!! I am so proud of all of them!!

Post race: More fun at the Never Land Pool, then back to my sister’s house. Sallie’s son was ill, so we postponed the post-race treats and just had a quiet afternoon at home. On Monday, we celebrated the race and my mother’s birthday – lots of good food!! I booked a connecting flight through San Francisco, so I could have dinner with Mike and Dan. My favorite SF restaurant was closed, but we found another place with pretty good food. We only had a few hours together, but it was worth it.

Official stats: my official time was 2:25:35, for an average pace of 11:07. My splits were 9:48, 10:27,11:18, 10:32, 11:29, 10:22, 11:50, 11:21, 11:47, 11:52, 23:22 (2 miles – average pace of 11:41), 10:32 and 1:02 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 4562 out of 10845 total runners, putting me in the 58th percentile. I was in the 68th percentile for women runners and for my age category. It was in the 70s and was very humid with 90% humidity.

Consolation treats: My sister, Sallie, made a delicious flan cake for our post-race treat and my parents brought tins of Doubletree Hotel chocolate chip cookies (which I love). I was spending the weekend with my family, so, of course, we ate very well!!

Next up: Expedition Everest Challenge (9/27), Grete’s Gallop (10/4), Staten Island Half Marathon (10/12), Tower of Terror 13k (10/25)

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157607189242661/

Pictures from the rest of my vacation are in a collection of albums from the various stops on my route: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/collections/72157607190401437/

Why did the turkey cross the road?

2008-09-10T20:21:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

I didn’t run this race. In order to automatically qualify for the 2009 NYC Marathon, NYRR members now have to run nine races and “volunteer” at one. I had hoped to volunteer at the Club Championships (I’m not a team member and not eligible to run that event), but I think everyone else had that idea, too. So, I picked the Fitness 4-miler, which holds difficult memories for me, anyway (I was hit by a car the evening after I ran this event in 2006).

My call time was 7:30. I had gotten up early to walk my neighbor’s dog and to cover any delays caused by the MTA’s continuing disruption of my subway line, so I ended up arriving just after 7. I received a goodie bag and a massage (there were no lines and I told everyone I was a volunteer) and then headed over and checked in about 10 minutes early. Because of NYRR’s communication efficiency, I didn’t receive an e-mail telling me where to check in (even after calling the NYRR and requesting the information and receiving a promise that I would get it by e-mail). I assumed I checked in at the start-line area, but was wrong. The woman offered to transfer me to chip-clipping, but I’d committed to being a Northwest course marshal and didn’t want to leave them short a person, so I walked a mile up the west side of the park until I found the group. Doug, the volunteer coordinator (wrangler?), was giving people instructions about course marshalling and pulling people off the group to stand along the course. I positioned myself in the center of the group, towards the inside of the course, so that I would stay in the group as long as possible and guarantee a short walk to check-out at the end of the shift. It turns out that there was an uptown check-in where I was supposed to have gone in the first place. Thanks for the info, NYRR! Anyway, I arranged it so that I ended up at the 72nd Street Transverse crossing. I could see the finish line from where I was standing!

There were 4 of us at the transverse with Doug. It’s a difficult area, because tour groups come in from Strawberry Fields and want to cross the course into the park. We cut off two of the three entryways to funnel the crowds and control them better. We had to keep them, the cyclists, the regular pedestrians, and the racers from colliding. The general plan is to allow a line of five to cross in two sections (first to the edge of the race course, across the cyclists and non-racing runners lane, and then across the race path), but the tourists didn’t always understand that clearly. Luckily, we had no collisions and only one or two nasty cyclists (I had been promised I’d be cursed out, but I won’t hold it against Doug that it didn’t happen). The entire event went fairly smoothly, with only two incidents of note.

During the men’s race, I was on my way up to help guide a tour group to the single pathway to the road and I turned back in time to see a Korean Road Runner fall. He clutched at the fence (wire mesh with 4” open squares), but couldn’t hold himself up and he hit the pavement headfirst. His head actually bounced off the road. I ran back, pulling a fresh bottle of water out of my backpack and Doug was there, too, along with some spectators. He kept insisting he wanted to finish, so, after cooling himself off and getting some fluids in (and washing some of the blood off his face), Doug walked him to the finish (he was on the phone with medical the entire time) and he went to medical after getting his chip clipped.

The other incident was the appearance of a wild turkey on the road. Apparently, there are two wild turkeys in the park and this one decided to wander around on the road while the men were racing past. She was unfazed by the activity, sauntered across the cyclists’ lane to peck around the grass for awhile, then wandered back into the road and settled into the inside course lane for a while. Finally, she flung herself up and over the afore-mentioned wire fence and hung out there ignoring barking dogs and snap-happy tourists (including me) until some curious children herded her out of my view.

Congratulatory treats (I finally qualified for the 2009 NYC Marathon): I went to Bouchon Bakery at Columbus Circle and got myself a chocolate bouchon and a plain scone (which was delicious with and without Nutella).

Next up: Expedition Everest Challenge (9/27), Grete’s Gallop (10/4), Staten Island Half Marathon (10/12), Tower of Terror 13k (10/25)

Turkey pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157607168616558/

9/11 Bells and Flags of Honor pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157607168923730/ (Fr. Judge, who was the chaplain of the fire department when he died on 9/11, was from my church and there is a procession every year from my church (St. Francis of Assisi at 31st and 7th) to Ground Zero. These pictures are from the beginning of the procession when the vehicles and people were gathering in preparation for the Mass before the procession.

NYC Half Marathon 7.27.08

2008-08-02T14:45:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 21 was the NYC Half Marathon.

Goals: to run between water stations, to run a 2:20 (based on my training run from the previous weekend), or to run a sub-10 pace.

Pre race: On Friday, I got to the expo in time to find Wayne and Mike and then meet Dathan Ritzenhein and Catherine Ndereba. They both signed my bib and I got some pretty good pictures, too. We were wandering around Niketown later and ran into Dathan again, so I chatted to him about his plans for the race and for the Olympics. Woo Hoo! On Saturday, Mike and I went to Chinatown for our pre-race carbo-load. We stopped at Ten Ren for bubble tea, then went to Big Wong’s for congee and rice crepes. Before heading home, we got massages. It was so good! I’m going back to my pre-accident schedule of once-a-month massages!!

Race: On the weekends, someone plays music in the park downstairs so loudly that it’s as if there’s a party in my apartment. As usual, this happened both Friday and Saturday nights. Even with earplugs in, I was awakened at 3:15 the morning of the race. We had to get up at 4:30, but we nearly didn’t make it. Only one of the three alarms that we’d set actually went off. Luckily, we did get up - the next train wouldn’t have gotten us to the start in time to get in our corrals. As it turned out, though, it wouldn’t have mattered. When we got off the train, it was raining, with thunder and lightning, and, after walking through the park to get to the start, we were shooed out. For safety reasons, the park was closed until the lightning stopped. That gave us plenty of time to walk nearly 10 blocks to the baggage trucks! As the rain ended, we entered the park and walked up to our corrals. I was in silver and Mike was in brown, but they were adjacent corrals, so we just chatted over the fence until the fences were removed and we were able to move up towards the front together.

The horn finally sounded and we slowly shuffled toward the start. After a few starts and stops, we crossed the line about 5 minutes after the horn. I knew pretty quickly that I was in trouble. The humidity had increased after the rain and was trapped under the canopy of trees. It was like trying to breathe water. My jaw was chattering from the first steps I took and kept chattering whenever I relaxed my jaw. I just tried to keep my teeth from clicking together. Mike insisted on staying with me, even though I wanted him to run his own race. Even when I told him (truthfully), that if the circumstances were reversed, I would have run off, but he decided to stay with me, even though he was running strong. He trains in San Francisco, so our Central Park hills were mere speed bumps to him. During the Central Park circuit (about 7.5 miles clockwise), I had to stop several times to calm down my lungs. I stopped at every fluid station, too. Most were pretty well stocked with both water and Gatorade Endurance, except for the stop at the top of the Park. For some reason, they weren’t prepared and we had to wait for Gatorade. I managed the first North Hill without stopping, but gave up on the second one. My confidence took a real beating in the Park. We picked up a couple of rabbits in the park: Skirty Girl and Shorts. The former was wearing a bright running skirt and the latter was wearing a pair of brightly-patterned shorts, making them easy to spot. We ended up leapfrogging them throughout the race, though I’m not sure which of us finished first.

We came back around to the start and headed down Cat Hill to the 7th Avenue turnoff. This is my favorite part of the race (and not just because the sky opens up and the humidity decreases). I love running down that big avenue with people running all around me and as far down the road as I can see. It’s also where the entertainment begins. Carnegie Hall has a band playing, but they were on a break when we went past. There were Cheer NYC cheerleaders. Bands on either side of the street all the way up to Times Square where the big Karoake screen was playing “Mamma Mia.” Mike and I sang our way through Times Square (luckily I know the music – I don’t know if I’d have fared as well if another show tune had been up), then I ran to the medical tent just before the turn onto 42nd Street. I’d been retching over the barriers on 7th Avenue and hoped that salt would help. I was given two packets and took one immediately, without water.

I felt better running along 42nd Street. There was a blues band playing outside of B.B. King’s and then a fuel stop with PowerBar Gels. I grabbed a few for Mike to carry for me (thanks, Mike!). We got to the Toyota Turn to the Finish and danced past the Brazilian Samba band. This is usually where the race gets tough. The West Side Highway is concrete and the sun usually beats down on us. Luckily, the sky was overcast (I guess that’s why the promised misting stations were missing), so all we had to deal with was the humidity and the concrete. We danced past the music stations and stopped whenever I needed to breathe. At the 11-mile water station, 2.5 miles after receiving it, I took the second packet. I’d carried it in my hand the entire 2.5 miles, but it didn’t get wet at all. It was also at about this point that I started getting cold, breaking out in goose bumps. I was told later that those are symptoms of heat stroke. Mike refused to run on ahead, so we moseyed our way to the finish. Well, almost to the finish. I decided that I was going to run at least one complete mile, since I’d missed all of my goals already, so when we hit the 12-mile marker, that was it. No more moseying. No more stopping. Mike is not very good at encouraging me. When I would say I couldn’t run any more, he’d suggest that we stop and walk. But, that was good for me, because I had to motivate myself to keep going. I can’t expect to count on someone else being there to encourage me through the tough patches – I need to learn to be that person for myself. My friend, Brady, was watching for me as we passed the World Financial Center and he got a great picture of me! You can tell that both of my feet are off the ground, proving that I ran at least part of the way! Brady told me later that he almost missed me because a runner had collapsed nearby and he was watching people taking care of her. He was concerned that it took so long for the ambulance to come get her, too. Mike and I hurried on and finished just over 6 minutes longer than my goal time. We got our towels, water, picture taken, goodie bag, and then hung out at the stage to watch the awards. When the storm picked up again, we jumped on the train to head back uptown.

I had a lot of excuses for not doing well (nutritionally-challenged, sore jaw, tired, humidity, asthma, dehydrated, heat stroke, etc.), but there was only one reason: I’m not tough enough.

Post race: We hung out at the festival, watched the winners accept their awards, got drenched in the post-race downpour, then headed to Chelsea Market for lunch (after showering at the gym). I had tomato soup at Sarabeth’s. Yum!

Official stats: my official time was 2:26:12, for an average pace of 11:09. My splits were 10:08,10:37, 10:51, 10:31, 12:03, 11:04, 11:13, 11:33, 35:40 (3 miles – average of 11:54), 12:16, 9:17 and 1:04 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 8822 out of 10506 total runners, putting me in the 16th percentile. It was 70°F with 90% humidity. No, that’s not a typo – the humidity was ninety percent!!

Consolation treats: a slushy Dr Pepper and a Chocolate Ganache Cake from Whole Foods

Next up: there is a media challenge in August, which I may or may not run, but I am definitely running (well, participating in) the Disneyland Half Marathon (8/31)

Finish line video is available here: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/sports&id=6268519 (we cross about 2:40 into the video).

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157606406397502/.

Pictures from the East Village Chocolate Bar Opening are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157606410741041/.

Pictures of City Bakery treats are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157606495764997/

Pictures of Soft Food (a current obsession, though not in a good way) are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157606504552701/

Race for Central Park 4-miler 7.19.08

2008-07-20T20:47:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 20 was the Race for Central Park. We ran the 4-mile middle loop counter-clockwise, finishing on the 72nd Street Transverse.

Goals: to run between water stations and to run at 9:30 pace (it was already 78°F when I got up at 6:30!)

It has been a month since my last race (I still haven’t written recaps for 2 races from June) and this was my first week of training, after 2 weeks mostly off. I had originally hoped for a 9-minute mile pace, but knew the heat would make things difficult. I decided against a warm-up, so I was able to sleep in again. I ran into Seth near the port-a-potties and he pointed out Rachel for me. We hung out until it was time to drop bags and hit the corrals. I knew from the heat and humidity that there was no way I could go all out, so I just dropped back at the start and tried to keep it slow. I never felt like I was working hard, but every time I stopped running I felt like I was burning. I used my inhaler again at the first water station and that helped a lot. I made it to the second water station without any extra walk breaks, but lost it in the third mile. I felt like I was stopping every few feet or so. I reset my goal, hoping to finish in under 40 minutes and, as a secondary goal, to finish in under 40 on the official clock. I got myself back in the game for the last mile, but not soon or fast enough.

I found Rachel right after the race and we were chatting with her friend, Lindsey (sp?), about running half marathons. Mark found us and we talked until it was time for me to head home to get ready for my volunteer shift at the NYC Tri.

Official stats: my official time was 38:33, for an average pace of 9:38. My splits were 9:31, 8:48, 11:12, and 9:07. I was 2860 out of 4607 total runners, putting me in the 38th percentile. It was in 79°F with 65% humidity and haze.

Consolation treats: I stopped at Bouchon Bakery on the way home and had a cup of hot chocolate (I know it was hot, but I’m restricted to soft food until further notice, so no cookies or cakes for me). I also hit Whole Foods and got myself a chocolate mousse (very soft!)

Next up: NYC Half Marathon (7/27), Disneyland Half Marathon (8/31) (believe it or not, there are no NYRR races in August, though I might run the final Media Challenge)

Race pictures plus some random city shots are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157606277065200/

Bonus Recap! To counteract my dissatisfaction at being forced to volunteer at an NYRR race in order to automatically qualify for the NYC marathon (I run dozens of NYRR races and don’t feel I should have to choose one to NOT run), I volunteered for the NYC Triathlon. I signed up for the expo, to avoid being stuck in the heat all day, but was reassigned to the yellow transition area. I got there (despite all efforts by the MTA to keep me from getting downtown) at 1:30 and was assigned to check bar ends as the cycles were brought into the transition area. It turns out that if the cycle doesn’t have bar ends, the rider will be penalized. If there is a wreck on the course, an open bar end could impale someone. Most people were okay with their bar ends (or had bikes that don’t have them), but I did catch a fair number who had to go to the Toga tent to get them replaced, so I saved them from penalties.

I was also back-up security (there was only one guard at our gate) and had to make sure that only yellow-banded participants came in (which led to trouble when parents tried to bring in their young kids) and no bikes got out. Most people were nice about it, but some people threw fits. I’m impervious to fits, though, so they didn’t get past me and neither did their kids. Or pets. Or the guy who left his media pass at the hotel. Of the people who brought their kids with them and had to choose to either leave their kid outside the transition area alone or trust someone to rack their bike for them (we lost two volunteers during the afternoon – one left and the other was reassigned), my favorite was the last guy I had to stop. I had already trained my replacement and was getting ready to head home, so, as he stood there apologizing for causing trouble, I offered to rack his bike. He agreed, thanking me profusely, and off I went. When I’d finished, I heard him call to me from the fence, thanking me and apologizing again. I was glad to see him, because I was worried that he’d be confused about where his bike was during the event.

I had wondered if volunteering would inspire me to sign up for next year’s triathlon (volunteers get automatic early entry), but all I could think about was how stressed everyone seemed. I did get to see my friend, Stephen, though, and was able to wish him luck! Maybe I'll come back as a volunteer next year.

NYRR 50th Anniversary Run and my 100th NYRR Race!!

2008-06-04T21:48:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 17 was the NYRR 50th Anniversary Run. We ran the lower 5-mile loop counter-clockwise, starting and finishing at Tavern on the Green.

Goals: i) to run between the water stations; ii) to set a PR (sub 45:06); and iii) to finish in under 45.

This race was capped without prior notice by the NYRR and I hadn’t remembered signing up for it (I’d been debating whether or not I wanted to get up early enough to get to a 5:30 am start), but then I received the e-mail from NYRR with the race details, so, after the Japan Day race, I stopped by the NYRR office to pick up my gear. There wasn’t any, so I just thought it was a mistake. Yesterday, though, the reminder message was still on my mind and I decided to call the NYRR to ask about it. Turns out, they did have a bib for me! Luckily, I was able to stop by again after work to pick up my gear – no race day pick-up for this one!

Unfortunately, the trains are bizarrely screwed up between midnight and 5 am, so I had to get up before 4 am to get to the start. It’s normally 45 minutes at most to get to the start, but this morning, I left the house just after 4 am (because I’d checked the train schedule and there was supposed to be a train at 4:11), waited half an hour for the downtown train, which runs on the downtown track as a shuttle, so there are only 2 each hour, had to cross over to the downtown platform at 168th Street, wait there for the train to take me the rest of the way, and arrived at the start at 5:25. I was exhausted and a little stressed, because I hate waiting!! Plus, I could have slept another half hour!!

So, we’re lined up and it’s pouring rain. There are the usual announcements, including a shout-out to one of the runners who was celebrating not just his birthday, but his 50th! He is the exact same age as the NYRR and is a runner!! What wasn’t announced, but was equally important to me, was that this was my 100th official race with the NYRR (not counting the two races that were converted to fun runs due to weather issues)!! So, less than ideal circumstances for a 5-mile run – the metal grates and painted white lines get slippery and I’m afraid to twist my knee, so I tend to be a bit tentative when the ground is wet. I decided that I would run this for fun and be glad that I was participating in such an important event for the NYRR and for me. I also knew from the course map that there was only one water station on the course (on the 102nd Street Transverse)**, so I wasn’t sure what to do about the breaks I usually take. I headed out nice and easy, but the humidity caught up to me and I ended up taking a break in the 2nd mile and then 2 more in the 4th mile. I also hadn’t realized I was running this race until the night before and had run a ladder the morning before, which I wouldn’t have done, otherwise. I’m not unhappy with my performance, though. I managed to hold on the last mile and brought it home fast – no finishing kick, but the entire mile was solid. At previous anniversary runs, they’ve handed out Little Debbie cakes at the finish, but I was disappointed to see that we got the usual bagels and bananas at this one. There were no medals or t-shirts or any other commemorative souvenir for this event, either, which seems strange. I have my bib, though, and I save all of them, so that’ll have to do!

Official stats: my official time was 45:30 for an average pace of 9:06. My splits were 9:08, 9:21, 8:52, 9:37, and 8:37. I was out 1156 of 1784 total runners, putting me in the 35th percentile. It was 55°F* with 97% humidity.

Celebratory treats: I know I didn’t hit my goals, but it was my 100th NYRR race and the 50th anniversary of the NYRR, so I’m celebrating!! I had one of my favorite breakfasts: toasted everything bagel with olive cream cheese from Bagel Maven, plus a Frango dark chocolate mint cookie from Sue, who ran 2 amazing track races the night before and kindly shared her celebratory treats with me. Thanks, Sue!!

Next up: Anaheim 5k (6/14)

Race pictures are available here (I haven’t had time to rotate or caption them, but I will as soon as I get a chance): http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157605437824364/

*The NYRR website says that it was 62°F, but one of the buildings we ran past indicated that it was only 55°F.

**This is not a complaint. Because of the need to have the course cleared for traffic by 7 am, I completely understand why there was only one station.

Japan Day 4-miler 6.1.08

2008-06-01T16:47:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 16 was the Japan Day 4-Mile Run. We ran the middle loop, starting and finishing on the 102nd Street Transverse.

Goals: to run between the water stations and to finish in under 36.

I am trying to get back into my marathon training, so I had planned to run 4 miles before the race and then 4 miles after. Because my subway line is still messed up (bus to train), I had to get up earlier than I’d hoped, but I managed to get to the Park right at 7. I dropped off my bag and started my warm-up. I ran the race course, so that if I got behind, I would be able to start the race as I came around to the transverse again. It was warm, but I tried to keep it slow and I walked up the hills. I’d given myself 45 minutes to run the 4 miles, but I was running 10-minute miles, even with my long walk breaks.

I was supposed to meet Roxy in the yellow corral, but it was impossible to find anyone. They’d only set up 3 of the 10 or so corrals, so there was a lot of mingling going on. I did find Rachel, though, and we chatted a bit before the race started. She took off, looking strong. It had gotten warmer or more humid and it was harder to breathe this time around. I was able to make it to the first water station without walking, but then decided to walk when I got to the 2nd mile marker on the 72nd Street Transverse. I got hotter and hotter and had more and more trouble breathing and ended up walking partway up Cat Hill. I’d been watching out for runners in skirts with ponytails to see if I could find Roxy, but she caught me walking up Cat. I tried to run with her, but had to stop to walk again. Three walk breaks in one mile killed any chance of making my goal. After cresting Cat, I ran to the 3rd mile water station, then, after that walk break, was determined not to stop again until I’d finished. As I was passing the walkway near the top of the baseball fields, I saw a commotion to my right and saw a runner collapse. Someone caught him and a small crowd gathered, but I ran up to every volunteer I passed to tell them about the collapsed runner, anyway. The medical tent was just before the finish and I stopped briefly to tell them, then tried to go back after I’d finished, but one of the court marshals wouldn’t let me go back and told me to walk around, even though I’d explained that there was a collapsed runner. I found another volunteer and he pulled out a map, asked me exactly where I’d seen the runner collapse, and took off. I got my chip clipped, then drank some water. I found Rachel, then Mayumi, then Roxy, then Lou. I didn’t win anything in the raffle. I’d been hoping for the trip to Japan, so I could give the tickets to my sister. She was born while we lived there and I think she would like to take her husband to see her birthplace.

Roxy and I took off for the 4-mile cool-down, but I didn’t get very far. We decided to walk it, though, because the Japan Day Festival didn’t start until 10. We got as far as the Marionette Theater, then cut across the Park to get back to the East Meadow. We passed the Shakespeare Garden and the Belvedere Castle, which overlooks the Turtle Pond. The Festival had started by the time we got there, but the food wasn’t going to be ready for about a half hour and the lines were already long. We wandered around the tents, received loads of tea (both cans and bags), took advantage of a Hello Kitty photo op, then walked back to 59th Street for lunch – pizza at Whole Foods. Yum!!

Official stats: my official time was 38:02 for an average pace of 9:30. My splits were 9:05, 9:20, 10:54, and 8:48. I was 1589 out of 2490 total runners, putting me in the 36th percentile. It was 65°F with 87% humidity.

Consolation treats: While waiting for my Dr Pepper to slush up, I was able to instantly gratify my slushy Dr Pepper yearning with a Dr Pepper freezer pop, thanks to Pete, who told me about them (and would have sent them from CA, if I hadn’t found them in NYC). I also had a bag of Worcester Sauce potato chips from the UK, a hamburger cupcake, and a gold-leaf-covered dark chocolate Buddha, which I’ve been saving for this occasion.

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157605348385359/
Pictures from my weekend in the UK are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157605290657770/
Pictures of Central Park are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157605343065862/

Wall Street Run 5.20.08 and Media Challenge #1 5.21.08

2008-05-22T21:34:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

To avoid overwhelming you, this will be a double recap, covering my 2nd and 3rd races in 5 days. I ran the Wall Street 5k on Tuesday, May 20th, and the first Media Challenge on Wednesday, May 21st.

Race number 14 was the Wall Street Run. We ran 3 miles through the Wall Street area, starting at the World Financial Center, running past the World Trade Center, then zigzagging across the island until we could run back up the west side to finish at the World Financial Center.

Goals: to run between the water stations and to finish in under 30. I had just run the Alumni Run on Saturday and still have the first Media Challenge tomorrow night, so I didn’t want to burn myself out, especially because this race is so crowded and it’s hard to run fast, anyway.

My friend, Andrea, had signed up to run this race, too, so I picked up my gear and headed over to her place (she lives near the World Financial Center). Andrea has a year-old daughter, so she wasn’t able to train much. I think the last time she raced was the Wall Street Run back when it was run to and from the South Street Seaport, which was before my running time. I didn’t tell her, because I didn’t want to pressure her, but I had decided before the race to stay with her the whole time and help her along, if she needed it. We walked over to the start, I dropped my bag, and we lined up, snaking our way through the uncorralled crowd to try to get closer to the front and ahead of as many walkers as we could. We couldn’t hear the announcements, but finally heard the horn and started our walk towards the start. We finally started running and started off much faster than I expected. The first few twists and turns went pretty well. We hit the first mile at 9:13, but Andrea thought we’d been running for about 10 minutes, which I took as a good sign. Every time I looked at her, she was focused and determined. I didn’t keep a running commentary (because I’m not good enough at running to maintain a conversation), but I would point things out or say things just to distract her. At one point, during the second mile, we were in the middle of the snake and could see runners on the parallel streets to the right and left of the street we were on. That is always one of my favorite moments of this particular course. We passed the water station and Andrea said she didn’t need to stop, so we kept going. I had warned Andrea that I would insult her baby to make sure she kept up with me and, at the start, I was telling myself to give her the first mile, but we were nearly at the second mile marker before she started dropping back. I first mentioned that I thought her baby was developing a squint. Andrea told me later that she hadn’t heard me clearly, but she reached out to grab at me, so I know she understood the gist of it! We came around towards the turn back up the west side and I told her I was going to stick with her to help her avoid the temptation of going home as we passed her building. She was doing really well, but when we hit the final stretch along the river, the course bottled up and I lost sight of her. I kept looking for her, but with so many runners in such a narrow place, I finally just gave up and tried to pick it up. The last 100 yards to the finish line were jam-packed and we had to slow to a jog to get across. I pulled off to the side to wait for Andrea, but she had crossed behind me. She told me later that she was nearly directly behind me, which is why I couldn’t see her. I was so happy for her! We finished the last mile (though I think the 2nd mile marker was long, so mile 3 might have really been short) in 9:04!! She did an amazing job and I’m hoping she’ll run some more and maybe join me for more races. She’ll be taunting me about my nieces to help me keep up with her in no time!!

Official stats: my official time was 28:45 for an average pace of 9:35. My splits were 9:13, 10:33, and 9:03. I was 3090 out of 4301 total runners, putting me in the 29th percentile. It was 50°F with 93% humidity.

Celebratory treats: My parents had sent me some Almond Royales and Scotchmallows from See’s candies, so I shared them with Andrea.

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157605122105732/

Race number 15 was the first Media Challenge. We ran twice and then some around the lower loop in Central Park for a total of 3.5 miles.

Goals: I didn’t have any real goals. I haven’t run this distance since August of last year. I checked my PR, which I set in August last year, and it was 29:40. My PR for the previous year was 32:10, so I hoped to finish somewhere in between.

I got to the Park early and ran a loop to warm-up. The rest of the teams showed up and it started to rain. It wasn’t too bad and I’d brought a plastic bag for my jacket. I started off at a fairly comfortable pace and tried to hold it through the race. It was a struggle to get around the first loop, especially when a guy, running against traffic (we run the race counter-clockwise, which is the official direction, according to the arrows painted in the lanes, so we had the right of way and he should have been yielding to us), came towards us yelling “Step off!” as he came. I had to step around him, but I yelled that he was going in the wrong direction. He said something back, but I couldn’t hear what it was. My annoyance kept me going and I started hoping I’d see him on when I came around on my second loop. I stopped for water, as usual, and walked until I got to the start of the final loop. I started running again, picking off some of the people who had passed me while I walked. As I came down to the bottom of the Park, I saw the step-off guy coming at me again, so, as he approached, I yelled “STEP OFF” and totally startled him. He responded by telling me to “Run another mile, white trash.” I was too amused to be offended by the racial slur. At least I didn’t elbow him, which Sue suggested was the appropriate response to his rudeness. With the rain and the humidity, I ended up walking twice on the second loop, including a break to use my inhaler. I managed to get back on track and ran across the 72nd Street Transverse and down to the finish without stopping, but I had no kick left and was extremely nauseous. I gave Sue my card and learned that I was the 3rd female finisher from my team, which means that I was a scored runner!* Sue was running a cool-down, so I grabbed my jacket and headed off to the Time Warner Center to shop for treats.

Official stats: my official time was 30:28, for an average pace of 8:43. My splits were 15:29 (for 1.8 miles) and 15:06 (for 1.7 miles). I was the 42nd female (we track by gender in these races). It was in the low 50s, humid, and rainy.

I found out today that my company took second place and that I’d won a trophy for second fastest female master. Again, this is because Sue, who was jogging the course because she’d raced track Tuesday night (running a 5:27 1500 and a 73-second 400 in her leg of the 4x400), came in second overall. I hadn’t expected to win anything because our young fast runners were held up in a meeting and the first four women from our team were all masters. I didn’t realize that we had all finished ahead of any masters running on other teams. I don’t have my trophy yet (I skipped the after-party), but I’ll take a picture when I get it.

Celebratory treats: I stopped at Bouchon Bakery on the way home and had half of a chocolate chunk cookie and half of a double chocolate chunk cookie. Tomorrow, I’ll have the chocolate Bouchon – I find they taste better the second day.

Next up: Japan Day 4-miler (6/1) and possibly the NYRR Anniversary Run (it starts at 5:30 am on 6/4, so I have to think very carefully about it, especially given the MTA’s complete cock-up of the trains in my area!)

*The Media Challenges are scored by the finishing place of each of the top 5 male finishers and each of the top 3 female finishers, so, the lower the overall score, the better.

Penn Alumni Run 2-miler 5.17.08

2008-05-19T19:15:00.004-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 13 was the U.Penn Alumni Run 2-miler. It was 2 miles through and around campus – the most beautiful campus in the world!

Goals: to place for my class and to run sub 8:00 pace for the 2 miles.

This might be a little long. I’m going to include a reunion recap (I’ll set the race in a separate paragraph so you can skip to it, if you want). First of all, I should say that I loved Penn. I still think those were the 4 best years of my life. Second, I love my campus. It is old (the oldest university in America) and the architecture is stunning. My college was the Wharton School (the first business school in America), but its main building isn’t one of the nicer ones. Anyway, Friday night, I took the local trains to Philly, listening to my smart playlist of the songs that came out while I was in college. I went straight to my hotel to check in. I called my friend, Leib (we were neighbors in our freshman dorm) and he was just heading up to campus, so he picked me up on the way. We parked and then went over to College Green so I could register. We wandered around campus and then I dropped Leib off at Hillel for the evening services. I headed over to the bookstore, where I marveled at the prices. On my way down to our class party at the World Café Live, I stopped in at a new food hall. I wish we’d had a Taco Bell/A&W there when I was in school!! World Café Live is in the radio station and they’d set aside a nice area for us downstairs. I met a few people and hung out until Leib arrived. Some of our wranglers (seniors and early alum) came around asking for song requests, so I begged them to play “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” by the Gap Band (the girl betrayed her youth by asking me how to spell the band’s name!). When I was a freshman, Leib requested it on the radio for me, because I loved it so much. As soon as it started, he came running down from the bar area, so we could dance. Then, because it was late and I had a race the next day, I had to leave.

RACE DETAILS START HERE
My hotel was out in Center City, about 2 miles from campus. I had already decided to run up to the race for a warm-up, so I got up early, packed my waist bag with a padlock for the gym (so I wouldn’t have to wear it during the race), plus some ID, the hotel room keycard, inhaler and my camera. I jogged up, walking only when I crossed the Schuylkill River. Check-in was at the Pottruck Fitness Center. I might have started exercising when I was at Penn, if we’d had such a nice gym. There were 5 floors of fitness equipment and classes, plus a pool on the lower level! Anyway, I picked up my bib and t-shirt, put everything in a locker and walked over to the start at 37th and Locust. Except that it wasn’t there. I saw a sign with an arrow turning onto Locust Walk from 37th and followed it out, across the SuperBlock to where I could see a race clock. During the race announcements, it was all cleared up. There was so much construction going on, that they’d had to choose between shortening the race and keeping it on campus or keeping the course length (presumably 5k, but I’m not sure), and taking it off campus for at least part of the race. Happily, they choose a shorter distance on campus. I’d been looking forward to running through the campus, since I read about the race in the Alumni Weekend activities.

We lined up and were sent off with an actual starter’s pistol. I thought I was going too fast, because I started wheezing before I hit the Locust Walk bridge, which is incredibly steep, but, thankfully, short, as well. I slowed up a bit and decided to enjoy myself and take in the campus as I ran. We passed the Palestra and there was a guy at the approach to Franklin Field (home of the Penn Relays) calling out the time. I couldn’t believe it when he called 7:55 as I passed him. I wished we could run a little on the track in the Field, but the course took us past, not in. I ran up Spruce, then turned onto 36th. I knew there was the arrow turning the course back onto Locust Walk from 7th Avenue, so I thought we had a lot longer to go. I was struggling with the wheezing and stopped to walk the block between Spruce and Locust. I started running again as I turned onto Locust Walk and was confused about the course, then, because I was expecting another turn-off. I had been wrong, though – all I had to do was run straight up Locust, over the bridge, and back across the SuperBlock to the finish. I just missed finishing in under 16 minutes and I really wished I hadn’t seen that sign, because I might not have stopped for the walk, if I’d known it was a straight shot from 36th to 39th, even with the hill on the bridge. Oh, well. I got my medal and my recovery drink certificate, then milled around with the other finishers, including a couple of women, who were 2 of the 3 runners there who had run the race since it’s inception in 1979!! They’ve been running this race for 30 years now!!

We walked back to Pottruck together and I grabbed my stuff. The finishing ceremony was supposed to be at 9:15, so I went over to Cereality (www.cereality.com) to check it out. When I got back to Pottruck, it was just past 9, but they were finishing up with the awards already. I’d missed everything but the overall winners. I went over to check the class winners and couldn’t believe it when I checked my category (86-90). I’d won!! I was the fastest female in my class category and there was a second place finisher (they only listed the top two in each category), so I beat at least one person! I taught a few people how I tie my shoes so they won’t come untied and then jogged back down to my hotel.

BACK TO REUNION RECAP
Leib and his friends were walking up to campus from their hotel, so they swung by mine and we walked up together. We got to Hill Field and found our picnic tent and dug in. Leib knows so many people that he kept darting off or was darted up to. It was so funny! Especially, because back in the day, he studied Environmental Sciences and there were only five students in his class!! Talk about cutting edge!! We missed the check presentation ceremony, which was unfortunate. Our class broke the record for 20th-year reunion donations. We gave over $5M! I can’t wait to see how we do at our 25th, which is our big reunion year. After we’d eaten way more than our share of cookies and ice-cream (okay, that might have been just me), we headed up to Locust Walk to join the Parade of Classes. Some classes had no representatives, but we had a pretty good group. They played the stupidest song for us, though. It was a Rick Astley song! Of all the songs of 1988, THAT’S the one they chose? Jeez! After the parade, we went over to our old dorm. It is so different! The entrance we used back then is no longer open and we had to enter on another street. I was lucky, though. My old room is now the RA room and she hadn’t moved out yet. She let me take pictures and we talked about how things used to be and how they are now. We had just enough time to get to Houston Hall to check out the kids’ activities. We went because there were animals from the Philadephia Zoo, there, but pigged out on candy and grilled cheese sandwiches while we were there. I missed the Penn Press event, but made it to the Alumni Mass at the Newman Center.* I had planned to leave on the 7 pm train, but couldn’t tear myself away, so I called Leib and we agreed to meet back at the bookstore. I stopped at Cereality to buy a snack for the train,** then met Leib at the bookstore. We used our 20%-off coupons to buy shirts (mine is an UnderArmour tech shirt and his reads “Penn There. Done That.” Nice!), then went to Houston Hall for the Taste of Penn event. Several Penn student organizations create menus and prepare food for the seniors and alums every year. My favorite was the pickled pumpkin from the Native American table and the baked macaroni and cheese from the Caribbean table was good, too. My favorite table was the sweets table. I came home with a bag full of sweets, including Bottle Caps, mini Swedish Fish, Lemon-, Grape-, and Cherryheads, Red Hots, Atomic Fireballs, lemon and grape licorice sticks, candy necklaces, and Tootsie Roll midges. But not before Leib and I did Jello shots! And, then, all too soon, it was time for me to head back to my hotel to get my bag and catch my train home.

Official stats: my official time was 16:05 for an average pace of 8:03. My splits were 7:55 and 8:10. I think I was 36th overall, but the results haven’t been posted yet. I’ll update if I ever get the numbers. The most important number is 1, which is where I placed for my class category (Classes 1986-90), putting me in the 100th percentile!! Woo hoo!! (There were at least 2 of us in the category.) It was 48°F, fairly humid, and windy.

Celebratory (I know this should be consolation treats, because I didn't hit my goal, but I am celebrating my win!!): I ate everything I could get my hands on at reunion, but nothing especially treaty. The entire experience was a huge treat, but Sunday morning, I ate my Cereality mix (one scoop of Cinnamon Life and one scoop of Special K, topped with mini Reese’s Pieces and Triple Chocolate Chips) and I slushed up my last British Dr Pepper with lunch. And, I snacked on Taste of Penn candy all day!

Next up: Wall Street Run 5k (5/20), Media Challenge #1 (5/21), Japan Day 4-miler (6/1)

Race/reunion pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157605122105732/

*I converted to Catholicism while I was at Penn, but never went to the Newman Center. I always went to St. Agatha – St. James, which is right next door. But, I thought I would attend the special alumni mass, just because. There were 21 people total, but it was interesting. I’ll plan to attend it at my 25th reunion, too.

**When I was at Cereality in the morning, I was talking to the manager about the concept and she asked if I was going to order anything. I said that I would come back later, because going for breakfast just seemed too obvious. She gave me a funny look and said something like it was the strangest thing she’d heard there.

Mother's Day 10-miler 5.11.08

2008-05-13T21:43:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 12 was the Mother’s Day 10-miler. We started on the East Drive, just south of the 72nd Street Transverse, ran the lower 5-mile loop, crossing the Park at the 102nd Street Transverse, then continuing the loop all the way up to the north end of the Park, then down the West Drive to finish on the 72nd Street Transverse.*

Goals: to run between water stations and to run at marathon goal pace (10-minute-miles). I ran a half marathon PR last weekend, so I knew I couldn’t run a 10-mile PR this weekend, so I wanted to use it to practice running slowly.

I had planned to run the 4-miler as a warm-up, but my leg was hurting, so I quit after about a half mile. Since I’ve had to abandon my plans to run the Rio Marathon, I don’t need to do distance training right now, so the extra 4 miles weren’t necessary. I went to the finish line to see if I could cheer Roxy in, but didn’t see her cross. I headed over to the start and did some stretching. There weren’t very many people in the 10-mile race, but I’m sure that’s because the 4-miler is shorter and was a coed event and the 10-miler was women-only.

I’ll keep this short, because it wasn’t really a race for me. I had a lot of difficulty keeping my pace down to 10-minute miles. My plan had been to run the first 3 miles at 10:30 pace, then try to keep the rest at 10, maybe running a little faster at the end. Even with stopping at every water station, I was running too fast. My slowest mile was the 3rd mile and I only managed to slow down because there were 2 water stations in that mile and I twice tried to tuck myself behind slower runners. Every time I lost concentration, though, I found myself moving up to pass my pacers. Anyway, I don’t like the idea of using pacers. I took long walks at each water station, but was annoyed about that, too, because that’s not running slowly, either. I tried to rein myself in on the last mile, chanting “no finishing kick” to myself, but I ended up running my second fastest mile then.

So, that brings me to my current dilemma. Do I work harder at running more slowly or do I work harder at running my current pace for longer distances?

After the race, I brought a Krispy Kreme doughnut and a bottle of water to Mark, who volunteered for the race. I passed him twice during the race, because he was stationed at the turn onto the 72nd Street Transverse. Thanks for keeping the road safe for us, Mark!!

Official stats: my official time was 1:38:27 for an average pace of 9:50. My splits were 9:45, 9:03, 10:49, 9:57, 10:06, 10:12, 9:15, 10:18, 9:59, and 9:06. I was 892 out of 1347 runners, putting me in the 34th percentile. It was 50°F, 80% humidity, and 7 mph winds.

Consolation treats: I ate a Krispy Kreme doughnut when I finished, but it was cold and I could taste the fat, so I decided it didn’t count. I walked down to the Time Warner Center and picked up a slice of antipasti pizza at Whole Foods. I also went to Bouchon Bakery and got some pastries and a hot chocolate to drink on the way home. When I got home, I slushed up a Dr Pepper, before heading back out to a chocolate tasting.

Next up: Wall Street Run 5k (5/20), Media Challenge #1 (5/21), Japan Day 4-miler (6/1)

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157605005759718/. I went to a chocolate tasting later and pictures from that are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157605010522109/.

*In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Greensward Plan for the Park, the 72nd Street Transverse was renamed Olmsted and Vaux Way, but I’m referring to it by it’s old name to avoid confusion.

Brooklyn Half Marathon 5.3.08

2008-05-04T19:18:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 11 (9th 2009 marathon-qualifying race – I just need to “volunteer” at a race to have guaranteed entry) was the Brooklyn Half Marathon.

Goals: to run between water stations and three time goals: i) to set a course PR (sub 2:06:56); ii) to set a distance PR (sub 2:02:42); and iii) to run a sub-2. I have a very specific strategy for running a sub-2. My plan is to run the first 3 miles at 9:30 pace, the next 3 miles at 9:15 pace and then finish the race at 9:00 pace.

My friend, Laura, let me stay at her place again, so, before the race, I only had to deal with the messed up trains in Brooklyn (getting home was a nightmare!). After a night of weird dreams about Alton Brown (don’t ask me - Laura doesn’t have a tv, so it wasn’t from watching one of his shows), I met Bonnie and we headed to the subway. We had to change trains, because the train was not running straight through to Coney Island. We ran into Lana, then Steve passed by, and then LK joined us. We hung out until it was time for me to head off to my corral.

I went out easy and tried to keep my footing on the boardwalk. As I’ve mentioned in previous recaps, the boardwalk frightens me because the boards are uneven and the bolts aren’t all flush with the surface. I’ve seen bloody gashes on fallen runners and do not want to be one of them. I only saw one person fall this time, but Bonnie saw three and heard another person talking about having fallen. At one point, there was a huge dog standing on a bench barking away and I’m sure he was cheering us on. I skipped the first water station and moved to the inside to watch the front-runners coming at me from the turn-around. As always, John Henwood* was in the lead. I kept an eye out for Sue and saw her (about 11 minutes in front of me), but she was on the other side of the boardwalk, so I don’t know if she heard me call out to her. After I hit the turnaround, I stayed on the inside to keep an eye out for LK, Lana, Mark, and Bonnie, but only saw Lana. I called to her, but don’t know if she heard me. At some point, I realized that the zipper on my tights was cutting into my heel, so at the next water station, I unzipped it a bit. There was a small bloody hole in my heel, but it wasn’t too bad. It felt weird having the tights flap around my ankle, but, after a while, I forgot about it.

Miles 4 through 9 are straight up Ocean Parkway, which is mostly flat, and very stressful on the muscles. I was so happy to get to the slight uphill and downhill in the 8th mile! Not to mention, I was still going too fast, even with the water stops, which weren’t as numerous as I’d expected and Gatorade was served at only 2 of the stations. In the 9th mile, as I was entering Prospect Park, I was struggling to breathe (there was a lot of humidity) and the camber on the road was killing me. I realized I wasn’t going to be able to hold on for a sub-2. My knee was beginning to ache, so I decided to move towards the center of the road and glanced to my right to see if I could get around the person running next to me. I don’t know how long he’d been there, but it was LK! I was happily surprised and he looked great! He was running along nice and easy. We went along a little ways together and then he moved on ahead, still looking as if he were just out for a long, slow run. I was sure he’d finish in under 2 hours. At the next water station, I made sure to use my inhaler and wished I hadn’t waited for the water station. The 10th mile is almost entirely uphill and it’s a killer. I knew, though, that if I stopped to walk at all, I wouldn’t make my PR, much less the sub-2, so I just kept going and hoped I wouldn’t lose too much time. After the crest of the big hill at Grand Army Plaza, I had to get down the rolling downhills in the 11th mile. There was some relief in the 12th mile, which is mostly downhill and which I tried to use to get back on track a little, then I had to push myself through almost every step of the last 1.1 miles. I was so close to a PR, but I had no spare time and needed to run as fast as I could (at that point) if I was going to set a PR. The turn into the park to the finish area started another slight uphill and the spectators were great, telling us that 13 was just around the corner and we were almost there. I had no finishing kick, but held on to cross in 2:02:24. I wandered around the finish area, but didn’t see LK, who had finished about 6 minutes ahead of me. I got my chip clipped and grabbed my bag, then headed to the start to wait for Bonnie, but I missed her. I was standing in line for my post-race picture when Mark found me. My cell phone doesn’t work on that road, but Bonnie found me, just as I was asking for directions back to Laura’s neighborhood. Bonnie lives just around the corner, so we walked partway back, because I stopped at CocoaBar for treats.

On my way home, I was plagued by train issues, but stopped off at Lumenhouse (www.lumenhouse.com) to see my friend’s work. Thanks to the MTA, I was later than I’d said I would be, so I must have missed Aurora (http://www.aurorarobson.com/), but saw her exhibit. Very interesting! The exhibit (Lather, Rinse, Repeat) is on until May 18th, if art is your thing.

Official stats: my official time was 2:02:24 for an average pace of 9:20. My splits were 9:04, 9:24, 9:53, 9:16, 8:56, 9:34, 9:08, 9:29, 9:16, 9:59, 9:18, 9:04, 9:10, and :57 (pace) for the last tenth of a mile. I was 3707 out of 5832 runners, putting me in the 46th percentile. It was 48°F, 93% humidity, and 10 mph winds.

Celebratory treats: I stopped at the CocoaBar for a cinnamon hot chocolate and a piece of Peanut Butter Explosion Cake (for Sunday). CocoaBar used to have the best red velvet cake with a cinnamon buttercream frosting, but they no longer carry it, so I probably won’t bother going there anymore. When I got home, I had a slushy British Dr Pepper (which I’ve been saving for this occasion), some Baskin-Robbins York Peppermint Patty ice-cream (okay, but not great), and part of a Thornton’s Cocoa Nibs bar (thank you, Jillian!).

Next up: Wall Street Run 5k (5/20) – I’m waiting for some non-running events to be finalized, before I sign up for any races.

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604866347670/
“Cirque du Soleil” performed at MSG this week and pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604871015171/
On my way to and from NYRR to pick up my race gear, I took these pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604866147818/

*John Henwood is a New Zealand Olympian and I’ve seen him run (and usually win) many NYRR races. When the Queens Half was a double-loop course, I tracked my progress each year by how far I got before he lapped me.

adidas Run for the Parks 4.20.08

2008-04-23T20:40:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 10 (8th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the adidas Run for the Parks 4-miler. We started just south of the 72nd Street Transverse and ran the middle loop, finishing on the Transverse itself. This race started the new corral system, for which all runners are seeded based on previous races. I’m in the 4th corral with an 8:20 pace on my bib. I’m going to have to pick that up this year, because my bibs are orange and we all know how I feel about that! I’ll be going for the green this year!!

Goals: to run between water stations and to average between 9 and 9:30 miles. This may seem like a soft goal, but, having just spent 18 hours traveling back to New York, I was extremely jet-lagged and didn’t want to push myself. My “A” race is the Brooklyn Half.

Despite the fact that the construction was supposed to have been completed while I was away, we had yet another weekend of subway changes, so I had to take a bus to get to my subway. There was a little expo/fair at the race and I wandered around a bit. I wasn’t early enough to get a massage (there was a long line) and I have a superstition about eating dairy before a race, so I skipped the Cabot Cheese booth. I stopped at the Port-a-Potty on my way to the start and the guy in front of me in line asked why I wasn’t on my treadmill at Bally’s. Yes, I have a favorite treadmill and, yes, I am irritated if someone else is on it before I get there. I don’t remember seeing him there before, so he must come in after I do and leave before (I’m there for about 2 hours every morning). Anyway, I headed off to my corral and checked out the bibs to see if everyone was obeying the new rules. At the official corral entrances, volunteers were making sure the bibs matched, but, at the last minute, a number of people jumped into the corral who should have been farther back, but no-one stopped them. I heard afterwards that runners in other corrals had pushed people out of the corrals or blocked them from coming in. At the beginning of the race, it seemed as if the seeded corrals were actually minimizing congestion, but then I noticed that we had also been given an additional traffic lane, so there’s no way of telling whether it was the corrals or the additional room or both that made the difference.

Anyway, I kept it loose and easy all the way around. I made myself stop at each water station, even though I didn’t really feel like I needed to. The only real difficulty I had was breathing. It was extremely humid, which is always a problem for me. I tried to just relax and take in the new flowers blooming like crazy all over the Park. When I got to the third mile marker, I realized that I was running much faster than I’d expected, so I decided to push it to see if I could get close to my PR (while I was running, it was in my mind that my 4-mile PR was 34:49). I still took my walk break at the water station, though. As I passed the puppet theater, I picked it a bit more for the last half and came in at 35:12. It wasn’t until I got home and looked up the numbers that I discovered that my PR was only 34:59. I really think that if I’d known the correct number, I might have picked it up a little more a little earlier in the race and set a new PR. Or, maybe, I’m just in a plateau phase and can’t really expect to see any PRs this year.

After the race, I stood in a very long line and got my massage. Then I headed over to drop my raffle ticket in the bin and check my results. They weren’t up yet, but I did run into Lou, who had done very well for himself. I headed off to grab my bag (stopping for cheddar cheese on my way). As I was getting my bag, I heard the raffle winner’s number announced; it wasn’t mine and I was freezing, so I headed home.

Official stats: my official time was 35:12 for an average pace of 8:48. My splits were 9:18, 8:32, 9:11, and 8:13. I was 3032 out of 5863 runners, putting me in the 48th percentile. It was 50°F, 89% humidity, and 12 mph winds.

Consolation treats: I stopped at the Bouchon Bakery at Columbus Circle and had a hot chocolate on the way home. When I got home, I had a slushy Dr Pepper, a brown sugar pecan macaroon, and a chocolate bouchon.

Next up: Brooklyn Half Marathon (5/3) and the Wall Street Run 5k (5/20)

Race pictures (and some pictures from the Park and Columbus Circle) are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604645931134/.

More Half Marathon 4.6.08

2008-04-09T20:29:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 9 (7th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the More Half Marathon, which took us around the big loop of Central Park twice plus a little over a mile more to complete the half marathon. The marathoners had to complete the half marathon course, then run the middle loop twice and then the lower 5-mile loop to finish the 26.2.

Goals: to run between water stations and to set a PR, which would have meant breaking 2:02:42. I had worked out a specific race strategy, but I’m not good at pacing, so I wasn’t sure I could make it work. I wanted to run the first 3 miles at 9:30, the next 3 miles at 9:15 and the last 7 miles at 9 or so.

Despite yet another weekend of subway changes (including having to take a bus to get to where the train was running local, not express) I got to the Park early. I was hungry (I’d forgotten to eat breakfast), so I drank a cup of Gatorade, which was not the smartest idea. I wandered around the festival and lined up for a pre-race massage. I got really ticked when two volunteers cut the line for massages (one of them was male). The massage was supposed to be for the participants and they could have waited until 8, when we’d all be off running the race. Luckily, I made it through the line and had a really nice massage. I dropped my bag, used the port-a-potty one last time then headed over to the 9-minute-mile marker. I’d told Roxy I’d see her there and found her just after the National Anthem. She had Mike Hayden with her and we posed for a couple of pictures before Roxy and I got down to business.

It was a very crowded race and we had a very slow start. It’s only two more races before the walkers will be forced to start at the back by the new corral system and I can’t wait. Roxy and I ran together (she’s faster than I am, but ran a half marathon last weekend, so we were staying together pretty easily) for the first few miles. Our first mile was a 10:10, which immediately put my strategy out the window. I didn’t want to try to catch up to my plan too quickly, but I did decide to skip water stations. After all, I’d had that cup of Gatorade right before the race. Unfortunately, the walk breaks in the water stations are as much about a break for my lungs as a break for my legs and I had to stop in the 5th mile. Roxy shot on ahead and I felt a little badly about having held her back. I walked for about 2 minutes, then started running again. I’d successfully passed the first water stations and was just a minute behind my pace at this point, so I decided to skip the water stations until I’d passed the start again, just after the 7-mile marker. I decided to take my gel and take a bathroom break, just to see what kind of time it would take. My goal time was out of the question by now, so it didn’t matter that much. Except that it wasn’t. I was confusing my PR time with a sub-2 time, so I gave up a little too early. When I came out of the port-a-potty, I looked around to see if Roxy was around and she was just coming up, so I waited for her and we fell back into step again, seeing Mike at the 72nd Transverse. It was so nice of him to come watch us run, especially because it wasn’t the nicest weather and he must have been freezing!

Back around the Park again, I made pretty good time on the hills. I felt strong, anyway. I lost Roxy again, but must have been in the zone, because I didn’t even realize it had happened until she wasn’t there all of a sudden. We’d chatted off and on, but had also enjoyed companionable silences. It was really nice running with her and I hope to get faster so we can do it again. On this loop, I stopped at each water station, but tried to keep the walk breaks brief. It got a little crowded again as we started to lap the walkers. I think it’s great that they’re out there participating, but when they’re walking 3 or 4 (and sometimes more) abreast, it’s difficult to run at your own pace, because we were still limited to a portion of the road (as always). As I came around to the 12-mile marker, I realized that I’d confused my goals and that a PR was still possible, but had miscalculated again. I put on as much speed as I could, but in the last half mile lost a lot of energy yelling at walkers to get out of the half marathon finishing lane. We were supposed to be split into 3 lanes: marathoners on the left, walkers in the middle, and half marathon finishers on the right. I was running in the proper lane, but walkers kept drifting back into the right lane, blocking the way. Even though it was frustrating and I lost some time dodging them, I didn’t miss the half marathon solely because of them. There were several points along the course where I took more time than I needed and the combination of delays lost the PR for me.

After the race, Mike found me and then we found Roxy. We got some pictures taken and then we headed back to the train together. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to join them for breakfast, because I’d already made plans to go to the opening of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, which my friend, Andrea, contributed to, and I had to get home, shower and change, in order to get back down to the World Financial Center in time.

Official stats: my official time was 2:04:10 for a 9:28 pace. My splits were 10:11, 9:31, 9:10, 9:11, 9:44, 9:00, 9:00, 11:51, 8:56, 9:22, 9:11, 9:32, 8:31, and 1:03 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 1352 out of 5948 total half marathon runners (plus 146 marathoners), putting me in the 77th percentile, and 368 out of 1378 in my age group, putting me in the 73rd percentile. It was 45°F, 71% humidity, and 12 mph winds.

Consolation treats: I had a slushy Dr Pepper when I got home Brownies and cookies were served at the opening and I had some of each. Yum!

Next up: Adidas Run for the Parks (4/20), Brooklyn Half Marathon (5/3)

Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604464489559/.

Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604465052035/ (I’m sorry for the poor quality, but my good camera was being repaired, so I had to use my crappy old starter camera.)

Scotland 10k 3.30.08

2008-04-05T09:24:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 8 (6th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Scotland 10k, which took us around the big loop of Central Park and then some to complete the 10k distance.

Goals: to run between water stations and to set a PR, which would have meant breaking 54:49.

Despite another weekend of subway changes (including having to take a bus to get to where the train was running) I got to the Park early enough for a warm-up. I wandered around the festival a bit first and got my face painted with the flag of Scotland before committing to removing my coat (it was only 28°F when I woke up). I took off up the West Side of the Park, intending to run to the first mile marker and back. On my way back to the start, I noticed two fading contrails that crossed to form Scotland’s flag in the sky. I thought it was a really cool effect, but I don’t think very many people noticed it. As I was passing the festival area, I was hailed by Fabian, who was volunteering at the finish line water station (Go, Fabian!!). We chatted until it was time for me to run to the start, a quarter-mile farther along. I got to the 9-minute-mile marker and found Rachel and Lana, but Lana was too far back for me to get to her. The race was incredibly packed! The announcer said there were over 8000 entrants and there turned out to be just under 7000 finishers, about 1200 more than last year. Can you guess what happened next? Well, the race started and it took Rachel and I about 6 ½ minutes to cross the start line. We were completely boxed in and spent quite a bit of energy trying to maneuver around walkers and slower runners (only one more race, for me, until they’re no longer a problem.). I was aiming for 8:50 miles and the first mile was much slower, so I decided to pick it up. I lost Rachel somewhere along the rolling hills up the West Side, but I also killed my PR chance. My pace dropped by over a half a minute, which was way too much on those hills. I tried to maintain, but the north hills did me in. I maintained a fairly good pace around the rest of the Park, but had to take an extra walk break (to use my inhaler) before running down Cat Hill. I just hope I can keep my pace better at the More Half Marathon. I finished a minute off of my goal and then waited in the finishing chute to cheer in Rachel and Lana.

After the race, I skipped my cool-down so I could not win anything in the raffle. The Red Hot Chili Pipers were really good, though, and I did run into Lou, so I didn’t mind not winning. I was sorry to have missed Stephen, Mark and Paul (Congratulations on your PR, Paul!), though.

Official stats: my official time was 55:55 for a 9:01 pace. My splits were 9:23, 8:47, 8:51, 9:25, 8:56, 8:46, and 1:50 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 3590 out of 6928 total runners, putting me in the 48th percentile. It was 37°F, 25% humidity, and 8 mph winds.

Consolation treats: I went to the Orchid Show as soon as I’d showered and changed, so I only stopped for a Cheesy Beany Melt at Taco Bell. There aren’t many pictures, because my camera malfunctioned while I was at the Botanical Gardens. I had a slushy Dr Pepper when I got home and an Alfajor straight from Argentina (thanks, Mom and Dad!).

Next up: More Half Marathon (4/6), Adidas Run for the Parks (4/20)

Pictures from the race are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604318709780/

Pictures from the Orchid Show are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604323029373/

Videos from the race are available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ0Ru-07l8M and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e556p-m_-Q

I’ve also updated the tea brewer video (it’s no longer sideways) and you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5h93dvKb9c

Missed Race - NYRR 8k Challenge

2008-03-16T17:05:00.000-05:00

Last night, I was sitting here with my race clothes laid out on the bed and my race bag packed. I had checked the weather and had a back-up plan for the extra 11 miles I was supposed to run.

Unfortunately, the race was yesterday morning. I planned for a Sunday race all week. I don't know what happened, but I suspect I got mixed up because I'd attempted to run Shamrock and had Sunday in my head.

Even worse, this race was a crucial component of a longer-term goal, which is virtually impossible for me to attain now. At this point, there is nothing that I personally can do to achieve that goal and I can't hope for the necesssary changes, because that will impact thousands of other runners' plans.

My first DNS - but I'm marking it with an asterisk, because I didn't DNS on purpose.

Colon Cancer Challenge 15k 3.9.08

2008-03-09T20:11:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 7 (5th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Colon Cancer Challenge 15k. The course takes us around the lower 5-mile loop and then the middle 4-mile loop in Central Park. I had 15 miles on my training schedule, so I planned to run the 4-mile loop before the 15k, then the lower 1.7-mile loop after the race.

Goals: to run between water stations, to run under 1:30, and to run each mile under 10-minute/mile pace. I knew it wasn’t likely, given the 4-mile “warm-up,” but I was secretly hoping to run a PR. In order to avoid a foolish attempt that might cause injury, though, I did not look up my 15k PR until I got home from the race (1:26:25).

I got to the Park a little early (the MTA is screwing around with my train-line again, so I left extra time), so I checked out the Colon Cancer booths. There was a giant inflatable colon in one of the booths. You could walk through it, if you wanted (I didn’t). I dropped my bag, then ran the 4-mile warm-up in about 38 minutes (about 9:30 pace). That was probably a little too fast, but it felt comfortable. I only stopped once on the 102nd Street Transverse, for water and a walk break.

I headed to the 15k start line, looking for Roxy and Mark, but didn’t find them. I did see Paul and he crossed over so we could start the race together. Paul is a faster runner than I am, but he hadn’t warmed up yet and I was 4 miles in, so we stayed together for about 3 ½ miles. Mile 2 was pretty comfortable, but turned out to be way too fast (8:22), so I put the brakes on a bit and tried to slow down so I could complete the 15 miles without bonking. At the 3rd water station, I had to stop to walk off some stiffness in my knee, so I told Paul to go on ahead. Throughout the race, I tried to keep an eye on him, but lost him after a couple of water stations. I started feeling tired in the 5th mile (9th overall). I had planned to take a gel after the first loop, but ended up running 6 miles before I could take it. I also needed another hit from my inhaler – it was freezing out! I was wearing 4 shirts (3 of them long-sleeved), but still felt cold. I took a very long walk break there, resulting in a 10+-minute mile. I tried to pick up the pace a bit, but my calf started cramping up and so I had to hold to a steady pace. I made it back around the 102nd Street Transverse and, after hitting the 8-mile marker, I decided to just go for it. Even if I ended up walking part of the final 1.7 mile-loop, I wanted to finish strong. There was no finishing kick, but I got myself across the finish line at 1:27:43, having stopped only at the water stations. Two out of three goals isn’t too bad.

After the race, I picked up my bag and jogged the lower loop in about 20 minutes. I stopped to take a couple of pictures, which slowed me down some. My total mileage for the day is 15 and the total running time was 2:25:43. I did have a couple of breaks in the running (waiting for the race to start and then getting my bag after the finish), but, except for the 5 minutes that I was standing at the start line, I was in constant motion the rest of the time.

Official stats: my official time was 1:27:43 for a 9:25 pace. My splits were 9:27, 8:22, 9:55, 9:09, 9:28, 9:21, 10:14, 9:59, 9:08 and 2:46 for the last three-tenths of a mile. I was 2217 out of 3280 total runners, putting me in the 32nd percentile. It was 30°F, wind-chill of about 20°F, and 20-30 mph winds (gusting to 40 mph).

Consolation treats: Merengue soda, Kopali dried organic pineapple, and Van den Berg Cinnamon Stick cookies.

Next up: Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16), Scotland 10k (3/30)

Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604084744091/

Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5k 3.2.08

2008-03-02T15:36:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 6 (4th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Coogan’s Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5k. This race is in my neighborhood, so I got to sleep in this morning! Well, I woke up early, but stayed in bed longer. We run along Fort Washington Avenue from 168th Street until we enter Fort Tryon Park, skirting a big rock formation until we are in the open again and can see not only the Cloisters, but also the Hudson River and the Palisades on the New Jersey side of the river. The turnaround is in the park and then we run the first half in reverse. This is generally a fun course to run – it’s close to home, there are usually a lot of spectators, and bands and cheerleaders are there to cheer us on.

Goals: to run between water stations, to set a course PR (sub 26:37) and to set a distance PR (sub 25:51).

I prepared for a PR for this race, to the extent I could. When I walked outside, though, I knew the PR was in jeopardy – it was really cold and really windy. The MTA pulled a last minute schedule change, running only a shuttle train at my end of the line (resulting in only 2 trains per hour) so I took the bus down instead. A girl and her mother were going to the bus, too, because the girl’s band (she plays electric bass) was playing at the start/finish of the race. Her mom told me that she used to run, too, and I tried to encourage her to start again. When I got to 168th Street, I was a little early, so I wandered around the Armory until it was time for my two-mile warm-up, which took me about 21 minutes. I had spent the entire week visualizing how I was going to run a PR, but, suddenly, when I was on the start line, I started thinking that I couldn’t remember how to run. Luckily the horn sounded and I had to get going or be run over. I lost the distance PR opportunity in the first quarter mile. First, there was the usual jockeying for position, not to mention dodging the walkers,* and then, suddenly, we’re all veering to the right. Three cars somehow got past the cops and were trying to drive down the course towards the start. I don’t know how they got them off the course, but they were gone when I finished.

It seemed to get colder and windier as we ran and I was struggling to breathe. I hit the first mile marker 20 seconds off pace and hoped I could make up the difference. We’d already hit one hill and had another to tackle before hitting that first one on the way to the finish. I stopped for water at the water station, but tried to keep it short. I felt great running down the hill into the park and then chugged back up, passing Rachel (we’ve run a couple of other races together) and then stopping at the water station when I got to the top of the hill again. I kept losing ground as I headed back to the start, but I did manage a good finishing sprint.

Official stats: my official time was 28:18 for a 9:07 pace. My splits were 8:40, 9:26, 9:32 and :45 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 1704 out of 3259 total runners, putting me in the 48th percentile. It was 30°F with 48% humidity and 21 mph winds (gusting to 38 mph).

Consolation treats: An Orangina and some Dale & Thomas Troy Aikman’s Halftime Chili & Sour Cream Popcorn (which isn’t as good as I expected – tastes too much like sour cream, which I don’t like)

Next up: Colon Cancer Challenge 15k (3/9), Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16), Scotland 10k (3/30)

Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604025144122/ and there’s a video of the cool tea brewer my sister gave me at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LozT9awPvL8

*Starting with the Adidas Run for the Parks on April 20th, all runners will be corralled at the starts, according to their recorded pace times, so walkers will no longer be able to start forward of their estimated pace.

Al Gordon Snowflake 4-miler 2.23.08

2008-02-24T20:17:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 5 was the Al Gordon* Snowflake 4-miler. We ran the center loop of Central Park. Because of the snow and rain on Friday, the NYRR cancelled the race and made it a fun run instead. Saturday morning dawned clear and gorgeous and the roads were completely cleared. Mary Wittenberg admitted that the race probably could have been run and I suspect next year they’ll wait until morning before making such momentous calls. This is a club points race for the local running clubs and is so popular that the race is split by gender. Because it was just a fun run, we all ran together.

Goals: I had prepared for a PR for this race, but, because it was a fun run and had been changed because of bad weather, I decided to run it as a training run and aimed for 1 minute per mile slower than my PR pace (34:59), hoping to hold back so I would finish in under 39.

I got there early in hopes that they’d changed their minds, but they hadn’t. I even walked to the finish line to see if the chip mats were up. They weren’t, so I dropped of my chip with a volunteer. I wandered around a bit, happy to see so many runners there, despite the cancellation of the race. I dropped off my bag and walked to the start with Lou. I took it very easy going into the run, hoping to keep my pace down. This was fairly easy for the first 3 miles, especially when I stopped for a long walk at the only water station on the course. The last mile it was a bit more difficult to hold back, because I’m so used to pushing in the final mile. I didn’t do such a great job, but, at least I didn’t race it.

Unofficial stats: according to my watch, I finished in 38:37 for a 9:37 pace. My splits were 10:07, 9:24, 10:10, and 8:57. It was 31°F with 82% humidity and 23 mph winds (gusting to 38 mph).

Celebratory treats: I tried to eat healthy snacks during the movies, but indulged in a TastyKake Butterscotch Crimpet today.

Next up: Coogan’s Salsa, Blues & Shamrock 5k Run (3/2), Colon Cancer Challenge (3/9), Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16)

Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603977478840/

*Al Gordon (now 106 years old) is a founding member of the NYRR. For more information about him, click here: http://www.nyrr.org/races/inspiration/roberts_interview.asp

Movie Madness: I scored a ticket to the AMC Best Picture Showcase and watched all 5 Best Picture Nominees back-to-back after the race. I enjoyed all of the movies, but am hoping that “Juno” gets award. We had about 20 minutes break between each movie (no previews!!) and just before each movie started, we were asked trivia questions and the people who guessed right received prizes. I hope they do this again next year! Twelve hours is a long time to sit in a movie theater, especially after a race, even just a fun run, but I got up between each movie and went up and down the stairs several times.

Long Run Sunday – I had expected to run a slower long run on Sunday, after racing on Saturday, but because Saturday ended up being a training run, I boosted it up and ended up running the 14 miles in 2:19:35 (9:58 pace). As always, I ran it as a ladder.

5-minute warm-up at 5.5 (10:30 pace)
55 minutes at 6 (10:00)
1 hour at 6.2 (9:40)
14:35 at 6.3 (9:30)
5-minute cool-down (1 minute at 4.5, 4 minutes at 4)

Bronx Half Marathon 2.10.08

2008-02-13T18:16:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 4 (3rd 2009 marathon-qualifying race and 2nd Grand Prix Half Marathon) was the BronxHalf Marathon. The course is an odd cloverleaf shape. The first loop goes out to the Moshulu Parkway from the Jerome Reservoir and back (about 6 miles). We turn just before we would cross the finish line from the wrong direction, looping around to the Grand Concourse, on which we run a 4-mile out-and-back, returning to the loop around the Moshulu Parkway, then back to the reservoir for the finish.

Goals: Because this was my 3rd half marathon in a 2-week period (well, 15 days, to be exact), I wanted to take it easy and avoid injury. I lost 3 minutes between the Manhattan Half Marathon and Surf City Half Marathon, so I hoped to not lose more than that again, which would be a 2:15 finish, but anything under 2:18:55 would be a course PR. My usual race “strategy” is to run between the water stations, but, under the circumstances, I had decided to just let my legs set the pace and try to get through the first half before taking additional walk breaks.

The forecast earlier this week was for the low to mid 20s, so I was happy to see that it was in the upper 30s when I got up. The windchill would still be in the 20s, but at least we weren’t starting from there. Instead of taking a car service, I decided to try public transportation. I am kicking myself! It took about a half hour. If I do this again, I will definitely go with public transportation. Hopstop.com had indicated that it was a 45-minute trip, but I made every connection, so I ended up arriving an hour before the race. In that hour, the temperature must have dropped 5-10 degrees. The wind was not going to be fun. I ran into Lou and he commented on how tired I looked. I’m sure he was right, because I have been very tired lately. I just needed to get through another 2+ hours and I could rest (hopefully). I thought I saw Mark before the race, too, but when I called his name, he didn’t respond.

The race started with a lame joke by a Continental Airlines representative, who wished us all an “on-time arrival.” Bleah. Continental Airlines has become the official sponsor of the Grand Prix, so I’m hoping that means something besides a patch (for finishing at least 4) and a t-shirt (for finishing all 5) for the runners who complete it, especially because we are no longer guaranteed entry to the NYC Half Marathon, thanks to runners who complained. If you don’t want to put in the time and effort to finish the Grand Prix, don’t, but don’t take away the rewards from those who do!! And, I say that as someone who did not complete it last year, so I wouldn’t have been eligible this year, anyway.

Enough ranting – back to the race. As we headed out from the start, we passed a woman walking back towards us. I thought she was in the race, until I got closer and saw that she was wearing boots, jeans and a jacket. She was also gaping at the runners, so I don’t think she realized that a race was scheduled for that morning. It was over 2 miles to the first water station, which is a little long for me. I made it, but my legs were tired and needed the break. The front runners were running back towards me in the 3rd mile. It’s crazy and inspiring to see them moving so fast, seemingly effortlessly. I made it to the 5th mile before I needed an additional break. I knew there was still another mile before the next water station, so I just stopped and walked for a minute. I picked it up again, heading towards one of the few major hills on the course. The hills on this course tend to be steep uphills and long sloping downhills in one direction and long sloping uphills with steep downhills in the other. I prefer steep uphills and steep downhills, frankly. It was in the 6th mile that I saw the dead rat. I’ve run this race 4 years in a row now and each time, there’s been a dead rat on the course somewhere. As we came back to the initial straightaway on our way to the turn before the finish line, that same woman was still walking on the street, but had lost her jacket and was now wearing only a camisole top with her jeans and boots. She must have been freezing. This time, she was unfazed by our streaming past her.

After a loop around Bronx High School for Science, we hit the Grand Concourse. This is the worst part of the course. The wind was blowing in our faces the entire time and I had to stop and use my inhaler again. I cannot breathe at all when a cold wind is blowing in my face, whether or not I’m running. The best part of this section was seeing my friend, L.K., as he was running back towards me (he’s much faster than I am). I made it to the turn-back at the 9th mile and then had the wind at my back. My legs were so tired by this point that I was walking twice every mile. I took a Powergel at the 10-mile water station and calculated that I could still hit my goal if I ran 10-minute miles to the finish, which meant no more extraneous walk breaks. So, I sucked it up, hit the pavement and ran from water station to water station. When I left the 12-mile water station, my mantra was “Less than a mile.” I repeated that over and over until I passed a spectator telling us that we only had a half-mile to go. So, I changed my mantra to “Just a half a mile.” At last, I saw the 13-mile marker and then the clock at the finish line. I had nothing left for a sprint, but tried to maintain my pace. My calves were cramping the whole last mile, so I had also promised my legs that if they just got me to the finish in under 2:15, I would go straight to the medical tent, which I did. They stretched my calves and iced my knee and then I left, running into Mark and Athina. We took pictures, then went our separate ways.

Official stats: my official time was 2:13:55 for a 10:13 pace and a course PR by over 4 minutes. My splits were 9:53, 9:34, 10:19, 10:30, 10:22, 10:20, 10:12, 10:36, 10:14, 10:29: 10:15, 10:00, 10:16, and 1:01 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 3652 out of 4989 total runners, putting me in the 19th percentile (up 5% from last year and up 17% from my first attempt at this race). It was 41°F with 67% humidity and 23 mph winds (gusting to 38 mph).

Celebratory treats: Garrett’s CheeseCorn, Dancing Deer Molasses and Clove cookies and the last of my Peeps Peppermint Stars (which I saved for today)

Next up: I haven’t signed up for anything yet, but the Al Gordon Snowflake 4-miler is scheduled for February 23rd.

Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603884490564/. And I’ve fixed the Surf City album, so you should be able to view the pictures now http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603861918768/

Surf City Half Marathon 2.3.08

2008-02-10T20:54:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 4 was the Surf City Half Marathon. It was an out-and-back course along the Pacific Coast Highway with a 3-mile loop back into the hills.

Goals: I’d just run the Manhattan Half Marathon the weekend before, so I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel, not to mention jet-lag, so I set the usual goal of running between the water stations and hoped I could manage a 2:10. This was the inaugural running (it used to be called the Pacific Shoreline, but the name and the course changed this year), so everyone set a course PR.

Expo day: Shayna had suggested that I run this event and when I decided to run it (to support my brother in his first half marathon), I thought I would surprise her by showing up at the expo. I arranged for her to meet my brother at the expo to introduce him to some Big Cats. As we were walking towards the expo, Shayna sent a message that she wasn’t going to make it, so I had to call her to tell her I was there. We arranged to meet before the race the next morning. Next time, I’ll do a better job setting up the surprise. I didn’t get to meet any of the other Big Cats, either, unfortunately.

Race day: It was raining, cold, and windy. On the way to race, I decided to reset my 2:10 goal to 2:15. We donned our black garbage bags, then dropped my sister off at the 5k start (she was walking it with a friend from work) and headed over to the marathon start to find Shayna and company. We huddled together for a while and then headed off to the start. My brother had planned to start at the back, because this was his first half marathon, but I’ve been following his training and knew that he was going to run faster than he expected, so I made him start in the third wave with me. We headed out together and I stayed to the left of the course, so I could find my sister in her 5k. As we passed the start area for the 5k, the announcer asked who was supporting the Giants. I cheered loudly, of course! Then, he asked who was supporting the Patriots. There were some boos, but not as many cheers as for the Giants. Then, he asked who would rather be sitting in a warm, dry living room watching the game and we all cheered!!

I missed the first mile marker while I was looking for my sister. I saw the second one and thought that would help me find them along the way. I was wrong. They were only on the right side of the course and the ones which didn’t get knocked down by the wind were barely head-high. Most of the clocks weren’t even working. In the third mile, we turned off the PCH and headed up into a hill for a brief break from the wind. The front runners were coming down out off the hill, so I stayed to the left in hopes of seeing some Big Cats. No luck! Coming down off the hill myself, I stayed to the left to see if I could find Shayna or Jenn, who I thought was jogging with a stroller (she wasn’t). No luck! Back onto the PCH, we passed oil pumps chugging away. I’m sure the scenery would have been lovely had the weather cooperated, but, as it was, I spent most of my time avoiding looking at the surf and trying to keep the water from washing the contact lenses out of my eyes. There were two chip mats along the course – one at 5k and one in the 8th mile. I wasn’t sure of the significance of that one, but I made sure to hit them both. Clif Shot Blox were supposed to be available along the PCH, but I didn’t get any until the 11th mile station. I took a long walk-break there, eating my Black Cherry Shot Blox (yum!), walking off the stiffness in my knee, and finally getting rid of the big black garbage bag, which was more of a hindrance at this point. There was never a moment when I didn’t feel cold and I had been soaked through before the start, so I might as well have not had it on!! Anyway, I was desperate to get off the course and try to get warm again, so I pushed as hard as I could to get to the finish. I couldn’t find anyone in the finishing chute, but finally caught up with my brother at the expo tents. We called my sister and she came over so we could all take pictures together.

Official stats: my official time was 2:12:19 for a 10:06 pace and a course PR. My splits were 20:28 (1&2), 10:20, 9:59, 10:09, 9:43, 20:51 (7&8), 20:30 (9&10), 10:12: 10:54, 9:42, 8:58, and :58 for the last tenth of a mile (pace). I was out of total runners, putting me in the percentile. It was 30°F with 75% humidity and 6 mph winds.

Celebratory treats: On the way home, we stopped at In and Out Burger for fries and exchanged congratulations with a lot of other Surf City runners who had the same idea. Then, we stopped at Rubio’s for a yummy fish taco. At home, I had a slushy Dr Pepper, lots of yummy SuperBowl snacks, a chocolate peppermint brownie, and a Chokolit truffle (thank you, Lisa!)

Next up: Bronx Half Marathon (2/10)

Thanks for all your support!!

Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603861918768/.

Manhattan Half Marathon 1.27.08

2008-01-27T20:19:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 3 (2nd 2009 marathon-qualifying race and 1st Grand Prix Half Marathon) was the Manhattan Half Marathon. We ran 2 counter-clockwise loops of Central Park, plus another mile or so to make up the half marathon distance.

Goals: to run between the water stations, to set a course PR, and to see if I could run at 9:40 pace (2:06:38) for the entire run (I ran a 15k at 9:40 pace last weekend and wondered if I could stretch that to a half marathon). *Spoiler Alert* – I only managed one of my goals.

Sue gave me a ride downtown so I could be sure to make it there by 8 am. NYRR, in its infinite lack of wisdom, decided that all bags had to be dropped off by 8 am, for an 8:30 am start in sub-freezing weather, a quarter of a mile away from the start. In addition, there weren’t enough port-a-potties and the lines were curving back around on themselves. I was in line for over a half hour, missing the start before I even made it to the front of the line! I had told everyone that I was going to be at the 9-minute-mile marker at the start and I never made it. I’m sorry I missed you all!! As I was trying to get to the start line, some of the NYRR staff tried to make me go to the back of the line to join the race. I ignored them and ran through to the start and managed to join the 11-minute-milers. In another clever move, they’ve scheduled the second of the Grand Prix races for February 10th, giving us just 2 weeks between half marathons, so I wanted to take it a bit easy so I could participate – the Bronx half course is probably the worst of the 5 and takes a lot of energy.

Anyway, I had hoped to run each loop in under an hour and managed it for the first loop. The lead runner passed me just as I was getting to the 6th mile marker and had a comfortable lead over the second place runner (he retained that lead, winning by just under 4 minutes!!). The second loop did me in and I ended up walking quite a bit after the 8th mile. My first walk break was in the 9th mile and I still ended up with a 9:42 split, so I’m considering attempting Galloway’s walk/run method for the Bronx Half. I just read about someone completing a 3:30 marathon using the Galloway method, so it doesn’t necessarily have to slow me down and if it helps me hurt less, it’s all good! I also think that the shoes I was wearing (Asics 2110) are just not good for me for long distances. It’s back to Nikes for me! By the time I hit Cat Hill, I was all for preserving energy and walked most of the way up, making a deal with myself. If I took that walk break, then I had to run the entire distance from the end of my last water station walk break to the finish and I had to make it a good one. So I gave it all I had when I hit the 12-mile marker. As I was passing the 13-mile marker, I saw my friend, Paul, and called his name twice, but I don’t think he heard me.

As I was waiting in line to get my picture taken, I saw Roxy already getting hers taken and I called to her. We hung out, got our picture taken together, then picked up our bags and waited for Mark. I was so glad to see her, because I’d missed them at the last race and at the start of this one. We found Mark, got our pictures taken together again, then walked over to the subway together.

Official stats: my official time was 2:09:24 for a 9:52 pace and a course PR. My splits were 9:26, 10:20, 9:18, 9:43, 9:59, 10:00, 9:30, 10:22, 9:43, 9:50: 10:43, 10:44, 8:48, and 1:06 for the last tenth of a mile (I fumbled a little at the finish, so that’s probably not quite right). I was 3652 out of 4989 total runners, putting me in the 27th percentile (up 5% from last year and up 17% from my first attempt at this race). It was 30°F with 75% humidity and 6 mph winds.

Consolation treats: I had a slushy Dr Pepper, a Chipwich, and some Hotel Chocolat Chocolate Buttons with delicious Italian hot chocolate.

Pictures are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603805054614/. There are some pretty cool pictures from the recent sailing of the Queen Elizabeth 2, the Queen Mary 2, and the Queen Victoria 2 in my flickr account, too, if you're interested.

P.S. There’s a chance I may have to give up the longer distances. My latest test results show that my lung capacity has diminished over the past year and, if it doesn’t improve with my new inhaler, I’m going to run the races I’ve already signed up for, but, otherwise, focus more on the shorter distances (maybe up to 10 miles).

Fred LeBow 5-Miler 1.12.08

2008-01-14T20:41:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 2 (1st 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Fred LeBow 5-miler. This was the first race of a very important year for NYRR. This is their 50th year and I’m hoping for some really fun events in celebration. The bib itself commemorates the years and the t-shirt is a special tribute to Fred LeBow, who was instrumental in taking the marathon out of Central Park and across the 5 boroughs of New York City. There is a statue of him timing us all as we pass the Engineers Gate.

Goals: to run between the water stations and to run 47:30 or better (45:06 is my 5-mile PR).

Because I’d done so well without a warm-up at the 5k, I wanted to see what I could do with a warm-up, so I got to Central Park early, but not early enough to manage the changes. I guess there’s construction going on or something because the race start was shifted back along the East Drive. I dropped my bag and had time for a 20-minute warm-up. I bumped into Mark – well, he bumped into me – and we chatted a minute, then I took off, very slowly. I just couldn’t seem to get my legs to move. I turned around about 8 minutes into the run and took only 7 minutes to get back to where I’d started, so I thought things might be okay. I ducked under the tape at the 9-minute-mile marker, but didn’t see anyone I knew there.

The horn sounded and we were off, but very slowly. We were hemmed in by the tape and then by the narrowness of the 102nd Street Transverse. It took a lot of effort to get out and around so that I could run comfortably. Well, there was really nothing comfortable about my running. My legs felt dead, as if I’d been running for 10 miles, not less than 2. Every step was a real struggle and the “stop” switch in my head was really looking appealing. I made it to the first water station and walked through it, wheezing slightly, but pretty sure I could get into stride once I’d had this brief rest. I was wrong. I felt even more dead heading towards the second water station. And it took forever to get there! It was about 2 miles after the first one. About halfway through the race, it dawned on me why I was having so much trouble. I’d completely forgotten that I’d given blood on Monday and that, of course, was affecting my performance. It also explained why I’d been so dehydrated, tired and lethargic all week.* At that point, I knew that it didn’t matter how badly I wanted it, my body would not be able to overcome the loss of a pint of fluid. I quit racing. I kept running, but started taking walk breaks and, when I hit Cat Hill, I walked all the way up it. My focus right now is the Manhattan Half and I didn’t want to jeopardize that race by knocking my body out of training. I did promise to myself that I would run from the water station to the finish and I was able to keep going for that last mile or so. Somehow, I even managed to put on a finishing sprint, though it wasn’t very fast (but still faster than I’d been running). I looked for Mark and Roxy at the finish, but was told by a volunteer that the hot chocolate was on the Transverse and it wasn’t. I was too tired to walk back to the finish, so I just went home.

Lesson learned: When setting goals, be sure to factor in all elements that might affect your race!

Official stats: my official time was 48:10 for a 9:38 pace. My splits were 9:25, 9:17, 9:13, 11:21, and 8:59. I was 3030 out of 4409 total runners, putting me in the 31st percentile. It was 44°F with 53% humidity.

Consolation treats: I passed out when I got home, sleeping for an hour and a half, without even realizing I’d fallen asleep. I had my slushy Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, of course, but I saved my treat for this morning, when I had peppermint hot chocolate with peppermint marshmallows and a chocolate walnut bun from Fay Da Bakery.

Next up: The Manhattan Half Marathon on January 27th.

Pictures are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603703635198/.

*I usually give platelets, which don’t have much effect at all on me, because I get back my blood volume and the platelets are regenerated in 3 days.

New Year's Resolution 5k 1.1.08

2008-01-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race number 1 was the New Year’s Day Resolution 5k. It was partly on the runway of Republic Airport in Farmingdale on Long Island.

Goals: to run between the water stations, if any, and to break 27 minutes (or, at least, my pace in the Holiday 4-miler – 9:07).

My sister and brother joined me for this race. It was a first race for both of them and they decided to run it together. I told them I would run my race and then jog back along the course to meet them and run in with them. My dad drove us to the airport and stayed to watch and take pictures. I had pre-registered, so I got a t-shirt, but my sister and brother registered on site (paying less than I had) and didn’t get the t-shirt, but they did get Clif Shot Blox and Bear Naked granola, which I didn’t get. We all got beanies, though. There were only about 150 people in the race and it was very informal. We stood around on the tarmac waiting for the course instructions and then lining up behind two cones. The horn sounded and we were off. We ran up and down the runway, then up and down the taxiway, then hit the roads around the airport to complete the 5k, finishing right outside the airport doors. The race was billed as flat and fast and it was. It was a bit difficult to figure out the course, but I just followed the advice of the volunteer at the check-in desk. She told someone that unless he was planning to be first, he should just follow the other runners. There were no mile markers, so I wasn’t sure how fast I was going. This was my first time wearing an ankle-strap chip and I don’t think I like it. My right leg felt funny almost the entire race and I ended up with just one chafing wound – can you guess where? The course description indicated that the first mile and a half were on the tarmac, but I was somewhere between 12 and 13 minutes when I got to the first water station (just off the tarmac near the finish), so I was sure that it wasn’t quite that long. The road section was an out and back, but it was fairly curvy, so I wasn’t exactly sure where I was on the course. I did start counting the females coming back towards me from the turnaround and was pretty sure I was in the top 20. I got mixed up about the finish and thought I was supposed to make a loop around the parking lot, so I missed my chance for final push, but I did have a good sprint finish. I drank some water and then went back out on the course to find my brother and sister. They were about a half mile back and we ran up to the final turn together (with me telling my sister to try to sprint to the finish). I peeled off to let them finish on their own and yelled at my sister to sprint and finish ahead of my brother, but he crossed the chip mat first. Congrats to both of them on their first race!! I’m hoping to get the two of them to join me for the Disneyland Half Marathon (yes, I’ve already signed up!).

Official stats: my net time was 25:27 for an 8:11 pace. I don’t have any splits, because there were no mile markers. I was 77 out of 151 total runners, putting me in the 49th percentile. I was also the 20th female finisher and the 4th in my age group. It was 47°F (8°C) with a wind chill of 41°F (5°C), 80% humidity and 13 mph winds.

Celebratory treats: It was New Year’s Day, so, of course, the big treat was black-eyed peas and ham hocks. Yum!! I had to rush off to catch my train home, but my mom made a batch of her home-made hot fudge sauce, so I had a delicious hot fudge sundae, too! MMM

Next up: The Fred LeBow Classic 5-miler on January 12th and the Manhattan Half Marathon on January 27th.

Pictures are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603612494208/.

P.S. I just realized that this is a PR! My previous PR was 25:51! I wish I'd had my head on straight - I might have run this race differently. It's only a PR by 24 seconds, but I'll take it!! I love that I've started this year with a PR!!! :D

P.P.S. I just learned that I was right about the course seeming short. It was only 3 miles, so my pace was actually 8:29.

2007-12-31T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

I started out 2007 with a “resolution” to run only 2 races a month. I finished with 34 races on my schedule, so I overshot a little and, with only two races in November and just one in December, I really missed the mark earlier in the year. September was my heaviest month with 4 total races, including 2 races on one weekend (1 mile and 18 miles – PRs in both). I did a lot of speedwork in training, but not as much endurance training as I should have.

Happily, the speedwork paid off. I set distance PRs from the mile to the marathon – some of them just barely, but pushing it at the finish is what I do best, apparently.

I won a trophy for 2nd Fastest Masters Female in a 3.5 mile race, but only because my friend (and team captain) took 2nd overall.

Overall, it was a pretty good year. I ran two marathons, including one at the Arctic Circle. I traveled for six races – the Draft Day 5k at Giants Stadium, the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia, the Arctic Circle Marathon in Rovaniemi, Finland, the Disneyland Half Marathon in Anaheim, the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco, and the Tower of Terror 13k in Orlando. I’m going to try to combine racing with all or most of my future travel.

Next up: New Year's Day Resolution 5k (1/1/08)

Thank you for all your support this year!!

Happy New Year!!

Holiday 4-miler 12.15.07

2007-12-16T17:48:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

The Holiday 4-miler was my 34th and final race of the year. We ran counterclockwise around the 4-mile course of Central Park, starting and finishing on the 102nd Street Transverse.

Goals: To run between water stations and to finish with a 10:00 pace (40:00).

As some of you know, I’ve been sick off and on since the end of October. This was my first race since the NYC marathon (recap to come) and I’ve barely run 20 miles since then. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Every run has been a struggle. But, there was no way I was going to miss the last race of the year and certainly not the Holiday 4-miler!! I want my hot chocolate!! Not to mention, Freaky and Crazy Legs were going to be running it, too!

I took it easy this week and even waited to pick up my gear on race day, which I usually do in winter, anyway, because it’s very inconvenient to go to the NYRR office for pick-up during the week. The races start much later in winter (9:30 in this case), so I was able to sleep in and take my time getting there. Imagine my surprise when there was a line around the block for number pick-up! I hurried to the end and kept my eye out for Freaky and Crazy Legs. They got there shortly after I did. The line moved pretty quickly, but it was really cold and Freaky was shivering pretty badly by the time we got inside. After getting ourselves sorted, chipped and bibbed, we headed over to the start together. We passed Lou Just Lou warming up on our way over, so I just called hello. I decided to skip the warm-up myself. I dropped off my bag and went over to the start, looking for Lana and Bonnie, but finding Freaky and Crazy Legs instead. We started together, but they both quickly passed out of sight. The first couple of miles were a real struggle. I felt like I was pushing myself forward, dragging my body through a thick fog, and was already wheezing within the first mile. I made it to the first water station, just past the first mile marker, and was grateful for the walk break. I tricked myself through the next mile, but telling myself that the next water station would be just after the 72nd Street Transverse. It wasn’t, but by then, I was already more than halfway through the race and all I had to do was talk myself up Cat Hill to get to the next water station. One of the benefits of running so many of these races is that I know where they usually put the water stations. This time, I got it right - the water station was right across from the Met. I walked my way through the water station and used my inhaler to stop the wheezing. I started running again and the retching started right before the third mile marker. It wasn’t totally unexpected, but I’d made it through the first 3 miles and thought I might make it all the way. I kept to the side, but it stopped and I turned the corner onto the flat final mile and was able to pick it up a bit. At this point, I was finally feeling comfortable. I didn’t understand what had changed, but I went with it, finishing the final mile in 8:16!! I should have done that warm-up, after all! I had my first hot chocolate of the season and then Freaky, Crazy Legs and I headed off downtown together.

Official stats: I finished in 36:31 for an average pace of 9:07 over the 4 miles. I was 2618 out of 4951 total finishers, putting me in the 47th percentile. It was 29°F with 36% humidity and 6 mph winds. My splits from my watch were: 9:33, 9:14, 9:29, and 8:16.

Consolation treats: Freaky, Crazy Legs and I met up after the race for bubble tea, dim sum, followed by a food tour along Broome Street. When I got home, I had a chocolate brownie from Pret a Manger and my usual slushy Dr Pepper.

Thank you for all your support!
Pictures from the race and random pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603472609848/ and here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603476592217/

International Friendship 1.75-Mile Fun Run 11.03.07

2007-11-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 32 was the International Friendship Fun Run. We started at UN Plaza, turned onto 42nd Street, which we ran along to 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) and finished at 54th Street for a total of 1.75 miles.

Goals: I’m trying to limit myself to running at my marathon goal pace, so I was hoping to keep it to 10:00.

This was the first time that Americans were allowed to run this race and there was no way I was missing it. You know how much I love inaugural events!! On the way there, I met a woman from Aruba, who was lost, so I brought her with me. When we arrived at Grand Central Station, we ran into the rest of her group and walked together to the start. The crowds were great! I didn't see an American contingent, per se, but other countries had banners, flags, costumes, painted faces, etc. I tried to find the Andalucia group, who I had agreed to run with at the expo, but couldn't find them, so I just hung out, waiting for the start. I met a Canadian man and we chatted until the horn sounded. No speed here, just a light jog. I'd been sick with a sinus infection all week and hadn't slept, so I was glad of the opportunity to run (because of being sick, I hadn't been able to run since the Tower of Terror race). At some point, I found myself running alongside a German man named Uwe and we chatted the rest of the way. He was surprised that I was taking picutres of my own city, but I love New York and there is always something beautiful to see. You could live here a hundred years and not see everything!! We finished the race together, taking pictures of each other at the finish line.

Official stats: I finished in 16:35 for an average pace of 9:29 (oops – guess not running all week made my legs a little crazy).

Celebratory treats: Uwe invited me to have tea (we ended up at Whole Foods, because every place we passed was full of other Fun Runners) and we shared a Carmelita Bar. His eyes widened after his first taste, so I let him have the lion’s share. I can get them any time.

Next up: The NYC Marathon (11//4)

Thank you for all your support!

Pictures are available here: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=19531194115396957/l=321990120/g=106844724/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB Enjoy!

Inaugural Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13k 10.27.07

2007-11-01T22:33:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 31 was the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13k, the newest Disney Endurance event. We ran in and out of Disney’s MGM Studios and around the Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex. It was a multi-terrain course, including asphalt, gravel, dirt, mud, concrete, cobblestones, track, and the spongy surface of the Park itself.

Goals: I’m trying to limit myself to running at my marathon goal pace, so I was hoping to keep it to 10:00, plus running between water stations, etc.

There was no expo, to speak of, just the packet pick-up, commemorative pin pick-up, and a merchandise counter. The “glow-in-the-dark” t-shirt does glow in the dark, but it’s cotton, so my plan of taking pictures of everyone running in the dark went out the window (and with it, my reason for bringing the second camera – oh, well). I bought the commemorative tech shirt and a picture frame.

I caught the bus to Disney’s MGM Studios and was happy to see another racer waiting. The driver was confused about our trying to board, because the park closes at 7:30, but we convinced him that we knew what we were doing. Debbie and I talked about various Disney events and racing and stayed together until the start. There was a giant screen playing videos of mostly themed music (Twilight Zone, scary, heavy metal), but every now and then a real clinker would drop (Reba McIntyre’s rendition of Because of You). Two songs from my running playlist came on, which made me happy and got me pumped. I used my inhaler at 9:15, for the 9:30 start. Two Tower of Terror Bellhops were mcing the event and at 9:33 came back onstage to tell us that a lot of people were still trying to get to the event, because of traffic. I hope they realize that having no transportation for the event will cause horrible traffic jams with 4000 people trying to get into a single park at the same time that the day’s revelers are heading home after the park closes. Back to the race – the announcer told us that the new race start would be at 9:50. A twenty-minute delay because people hadn’t gotten to the race on time. I was there! There were tons of people there and they were all pissed! Everyone had fueled, hydrated, peed, inhaled, warmed-up, stretched, etc., for a 9:30 start and we weren’t told until race time that there was a delay! Grrr

So, we watch more videos and listen to more babbling by the bellhops and finally get to line up. The 6.5k fun-runners/walkers were told to move to the side so the racers could start and then the fireworks went off. I can’t tell you how annoyed I was when I started passing walkers in the first mile! They didn’t have chips, so they weren’t in the race. I can’t really blame them too much, though. Their start was delayed by 26 minutes, because the official start for the fun run was 6 minutes after the race. It was very crowded at the start and dodging walkers took up quite a bit of time, so I had a slow start. After a while, we were directed off the road onto a dirt and gravel path by a lovely voice telling us that the course surface was changing to dirt and gravel. That was a nice touch. The course was lit, but there were short distances between the generators where it was pitch black. The heavy rains of the days before had turned portions of the path into mud. Every now and then, you’d hear a splash, then splatter, then a chorus of surprised “Ahh”s. I let out one of those myself at one point (and caused a chorus once, too). All along this path, “escaped lunatics” were taunting us, redirecting us, etc. I guess that was supposed to be scary, but it was kind of cheesy. There were 3 roads with very bad cambers, which is usually bad for me. When I run in Central Park, it’s usually my right leg that is on the incline and it feels as if my leg is jamming up into my hip. This time, the first two cambers had my left leg on the incline and my right leg got stretched and felt great! The course felt like it clover-leafed a lot. We seemed to be running away from the Park every time we got close. We headed through the Wide World of Sports and then a great stretch on the track. Finally, we headed back into the Park. To give you an idea of the scale of the parks, we still had 2 miles to go. More clover-leafing was involved, but 2 miles is a pretty long way to run inside the park. Finally, I turned a corner and saw the finish! I got my medal, my treats (two kinds of brownies and Powerade) then headed to the baggage check to get my camera. I rode the Tower of Terror once and the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster twice, but ran out of time for more rides (thanks to the late start, which did not mean that the party would last an additional 20 minutes, unfortunately). The DJ played my power song (Jump Around by House of Pain) – three of my running songs were played at this event!! As I was leaving the Park to take a circuitous route back to my hotel, I saw a bus and ran towards it. Disney Transport had apparently heard that runners were being left to fend for themselves after dark and had arranged to bring buses on a will-call basis. The bus I saw was going to my hotel, so I was back in my room by 1:15 and showered and in bed by 2!

Official stats: I finished in 1:20:39 for an average pace of 9:59 (a course PR because I’ve never run this race before). I was 759 out of 2590 total finishers, putting me in the 71st percentile, 295 out of 1522 female finishers, putting me in the 81st percentile, and 39 out of 209 female finishers aged 40-44, putting me in the 82nd percentile. My splits were: 10:33, 10:38, 10:01, 9:59, 9:54, 9:27, 9:58, 9:28, and :50 for the last .1 mile. It was in the upper 70s and very humid, but I don’t have the exact numbers.

Celebratory treats: Well, the entire weekend was a treat! And, when I got back to work on Monday, there was a package from Elizzabeth with a yummy bar of Knipfschildt chocolate, which I designated a post-race treat.

Next up: The NYC Marathon (11//4)

Thank you for all your support!

Pictures are available here: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=425311193886210194/l=321869285/g=106844724/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB Enjoy!

18-Mile Tune-Up 9.30.07 (including Fifth Avenue Mile pictures and treats)

2007-10-10T18:50:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 29 was the 18-Mile Tune-Up. We ran three counterclockwise loops of Central Park, starting on the East Drive at the 102nd Street Transverse and finishing on the 102nd Street Transverse.

Goals: To run between water stations; to set a PR; and to finish in 3:03 (10:10 pace, which is what McMillan Running Calculator suggests I should be running for endurance training, based on my 5k PR). I wanted to run the first loop in 1:05 or less, the second loop in 1:00 or less and the third loop in less than an hour. I also wanted to see how far I could go without refueling (not to be mistaken for hydrating).

Because of the mile race yesterday, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel, especially because I didn’t do a cool-down run. I expected to be a bit sore, but was feeling okay. I got to the park early (more random disruptions by the MTA) and milled around a bit before heading over to the start. Mary Wittenberg told us that this was the earliest race start in NYRR history (7 am). While it can be nice to be part of historical events, I would just as soon have had more sleep. I took it easy going up the first set of hills and just tried to focus on keeping my pace down (up?). My downfall in the distance races (more than a half marathon) seems to be going out too fast and I really wanted to try to stay on pace today. Sometimes, I felt like I was plodding, but I reined myself in. There were only 2 water stations with Gatorade and they were both on the East side of the park, which seemed very strange to me. I would have preferred to have a Gatorade station on each side of the Park. Oh, well. I finished the first loop in just over an hour and was happy that I’d stayed on pace. I continued around the Park for the second time. Each time I ran through a section, I would remind myself that I only had two more times (then one more time, then on my last time) to get through it. That helped me quite a bit. And, yes, the first time around, I was telling myself that on the next loop, I’d only have one more time around and on the last loop it would be my last time. The second time around, I was telling myself that the next time around I would be on my last time. I like counting – what can I say? I also wondered when I would get lapped by the front-runners. Happily, I was in the 8th mile before that happened. On the second loop, I worked hard to keep from running too fast. My splits seemed to be pretty even, given the hills, but my knee started bothering me on the west side, so I stopped for a stretch break at the water station just after the 72nd Transverse, resulting in my only 11:00+ mile. As I passed the 102nd Street Transverse, Ian, the announcer, was telling us to keep going and not slow down at all because we’d be tempted to stop with the other finishers. I completed the second loop in under 1:02. I had promised my legs that if they could keep their pace down, I’d give them their way on the third loop. I had planned to try to keep my pace down through the 15th mile and then go all out, but I was tired and sore and wanted it over with, so I just ran. I took longer breaks at the water stations, stretching and doing knee swings. As I came up the East side, I started moving up, passing runners here and there and, while I didn’t quite get up to a sprint, I did manage to run a 9:11 for the final mile. The final mile was just under an hour. I was sooooo sore. I’m really not sure about the additional 8 miles I’ll need to cover for the marathon.

Official stats: I finished in 3:01:53 for an average pace of 10:06 (a PR by almost 6 minutes). I was 2475 out of 3523 total finishers, putting me in the 30th percentile. My splits were: 10:30, 10:36, 10:01, 9:38, 10:25, 9:48, 9:49, 10:51, 10:12, 9:44, 11:11, 9:47, 9:48, 10:35, 9:43, 9:33, 10:37, 9:11. It was 65° with 63% humidity and 5 mph winds.

Celebration treats: As soon as I left church, I went to Taco Bell for a Cheesy Beefy Melt (I substitute Baja sauce for sour cream) and I ate it on the train ride home, where I had a slushy Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper and a Chipwich. My treat for the Fifth Avenue Mile PR is a dark chocolate ganache cake.

Next up: The Nike Women’s Half Marathon (10/21); the Tower of Terror 13k (10/27); and the NYC Marathon (11//4)

Thank you for all your support!

I’m trying a new photo site: flickr. I forgot to get a picture after this race (first race without a picture!), but photos from the 5th Avenue Mile are available here: http://www.flickr.com/gp/7411850@N04/8gy6Y8

Fifth Avenue Mile 9.29.07

2007-09-29T16:44:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 28 was the Fifth Avenue Mile. We ran one mile down 5th Avenue from East 80th to East 60th. The race is run in heats by age and gender categories. I ran with women 40-49, in the 8th heat.

Goals: To run between water stations (just kidding – there are no water stations in a 1-mile race); to set a PR (I ran last year’s mile in 7:22); and to break 7:15 (set a really big PR). These aren’t really fast times, but they’re fast for me. According to the McMillan Running Calculator* and my fastest 5k race time, I shouldn’t be running a mile faster than 7:27, and I ran faster than that 2 years ago in my first mile.

I was worried about this race because I haven’t been doing any interval training at all. Last year, I was doing Yasso 800s at 7.5 mph (8:00 pace) and managed a 7:22 for a 2-second PR. This year, I’ve been focusing on tempo intervals, which are a different type of speed work – slower pace (7 mph/8:35 pace) sustained for a longer distance (I’m up to 9 miles in 2.25-mile intervals). I’d already decided that I wanted to race this one and just use the 18-mile Tune-Up (tomorrow) as a training run, so I wasn’t going to hold back at all. I got to the Park early, wandering through an area I’ve never been through before on my way to the start. I dropped my bag and headed out for my warm-up. I ran down the course, but inside the Park (asphalt path), rather than on 5th Avenue (cobblestoned sidewalk). This is also a much more scenic route – I got to run past the boat lake (where you can “sail” remote-controlled miniature boats), the children’s playground, and the Central Park Wildlife Center (I didn’t see any animals). I headed back up to the Start on the sidewalk so I could say hi to Sue and the rest of the Central Park Track Club, which form a “wall of orange” at the ½ Mile Marker, cheering their team members and others (including me). I got back up to the start, took another puff of my inhaler and lined up for the start of my heat. I was amazed to hear the announcer refer to Haile Gebrsalassie as “she,” but shook it off and got ready to head out.

The gun sounded and off I went. I was nervous about going too fast and tried to find rabbits to keep track of on my way up 5th. Technically, we’re running down 5th, because we’re heading south, but the first half is uphill. It’s barely noticeable when walking, but it was daunting while I was trying to maintain my pace in the second quarter! I hit the first quarter mile marker in about 1:40, I think, and panicked that I had gone out too fast. I resigned myself to losing it in the second half and decided to hang onto that first bit as banked time. In the second quarter, my mouth had completely dried out and I could barely breathe. Asthma seriously sucks!! I kept going up, trying to hold pace and passed the half mile marker (and CPTC) at about 3:30 or so. I knew I was slowing down, but was happy to see that the shirts in front of me all looked the same as they had, so I wasn’t necessarily losing ground. Going down into the third quarter, I could feel the downhill and my legs were very happy. They weren’t in any pain and it actually felt really comfortable in the 3rd quarter. Except for the breathing – my chest was on fire. I caught up to the ¾ mile marker at about 5:30 and realized that there was no way I was going to set a PR. But, I kept repeating my mantra (it’s only 1 mile, it’s only 1 mile) and tried to sprint a bit as I counted down the last 5 blocks (20 NYC streets - not avenues - are approximately 1 mile). To my amazement, when I could see the finishing line clock, it was still at 6:40! I had a chance for a PR and not a small one, either. I wasn’t able to get across in under 7, but I did manage to get there in 7:09!!

I wobbled over to the side and retched a bit, then found Margot (a CPTC member) and we started back up to the ½-mile marker. My chest was still on fire and I realized I needed help. I went back over to the medical tent (thank you, Margot, for making sure I got there) and spent about a half hour with them. They told me the burning was due to inhaling cold air while running too fast and that it had triggered the asthma. One of them took my pulse and, after telling the one working on my breathing that it was too low, checked it again. There’s nothing wrong – my heart just has a rapid recovery time. On the treadmill, it drops by 30 bpm within a minute of stopping. So, now, I’m resting and trying to get my breathing under control and to get the coughing to stop so I can get through the 18 miles tomorrow.

Official stats: I finished in 7:09 for a 13-second PR. In my heat (women 40-49), I was 59 out of 195 finishers, putting me in the 70th percentile. Including all heats, I was 1852 out of 3245 total finishers, putting me in the 43rd percentile and 395 out of 1275 female finishers, putting me in the 69th percentile. It was 73° with 32% humidity and 6 mph winds.

Celebration treats: Because of tomorrow’s 18-mile race, I have to take it easy on the treats today, so I’m just having a chocolate-covered pretzel (it was also covered in peanut butter chips) from Whole Foods. The real treat will come after tomorrow’s race, no matter how I do there. Okay, I wasn’t going to do it, but I’m having a slushy Dr Pepper, too. At this point, there’s really nothing I can do to hurt my chances tomorrow – my lungs are taking care of that all by themselves.

Next up: The 18-mile Tune-up (9/30), the Nike Women’s Half Marathon (10/21) and the Tower of Terror 13k (10/27).

Thank you for all your support!

*Of course, if I go by the calculator, I should also be able to run a 4:12 marathon and that hasn’t happened, either. I’m too fast on the short distances and too slow on the long distances. Guess I need to work on my endurance. Or is that stamina?

100 Races and Counting

2007-09-28T15:05:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

The Queens Half Marathon was a very special race for me. It was my 25th Half Marathon and my 100th race overall!! I started running on February 18, 2004, by running 1 minute and walking 1 minute for 20 minutes on a treadmill at the gym. I ran my first race on April 24, 2004 – the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I had no idea how foolish it was to try a half marathon just 2 months into running, until I was standing at the start and people were staring at me incredulously. I survived that race, finishing about 42 minutes faster than I’d expected to! And went on to run my second race – the Queens Half Marathon – just 3 weeks later. Don’t worry – I’m not going to recount all of my races here, but I have made a list of the first, slowest and fastest times I’ve run each distance (except the funky ones) and listed the total number of times I’ve run those distances (including the funky ones). I would tabulate the chocolate treats for you, but they’re just too numerous to count!! There were lots of slushy Dr Peppers, too!

Enjoy!!

Click on the chart above for the stats.

Random stats:

The slowest and fastest half marathons were both run on the same course (clockwise around Central Park)

First out-of-town race: Woodbridge Valley Association 10k (7/4/06) – set a PR (since beaten) in 58:06 (it was the first time I broke 1 hour in a 10k)

First cross-country race: Henry Isola XC Classic 4M (9/4/05) – 43:15

Favorite race – Disneyland Half Marathon

Favorite local race – NYC Half Marathon

Race closest to my home – Coogan’s Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5k (1.83 miles)

Race farthest from my home – Arctic Circle Marathon in Rovaniemi, Finland (3,935 miles)

Weirdest distances: 2.9M*, 4.7k**, 3M*, 3.2M*, 4.8M**, 18M

Not including the first race at a given distance: I set 1 PR in 2004; 5 PRs in 2005; 6 PRs in 2006; and 8 PRs in 2007 (so far). These are distance PRs and do not include either the course PRs or multiple PRs set for the same distance

I celebrated at a chocolate tasting. The pictures are at http://chocolate2007.snapfish.com/snapfish. You can get to them by logging into snapfish with runnerakalalynx@yahoo.com as the login name and myspace as the password. The password for the album is myspace.

Thanks for all your support!!

*Mismeasured courses that were supposed to be 5ks – almost 50 years and NYRR still can’t measure a 5k course correctly

**NYRR Anniversary Races – the distance represents the year of the anniversary

Queens Half Marathon 9.23.07

2007-09-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 27 was the Queens Half Marathon. It was a new course for the Queens Half (not to mention a new time of year – it’s usually in April or May) and you know what that means – guaranteed course PR! Instead of twice around a 6+-mile loop, we ran a single, complicated loop around northern Queens (a half hour bus-ride north of the furthest point out on the subway!): http://www.nyrr.org/races/2007/pdf/queens_half_map.pdf - the announcer at the finish was saying that there were 66 turns on the course. I believe it!

Goals: My usual goal of running between water stations; to set a course PR (I didn’t know until I was on the bus to the start that the course had been changed, so I made this goal before I’d even set foot in Queens!); and for my third goal, I was alternating between trying to run a distance PR and trying to maintain marathon pace for the entire distance (my hoped-for marathon pace is 10:00).

In order for me to get to this race, I had to take 2 buses and 2 subway trains, so I split the journey, thanks to my friend Utsuki and her husband, who allowed me to stay at their place in Sunnyside the night before the race. They even went to bed at 10, so I could get enough sleep (I was in the living room, as Utsuki’s mother is visiting and sleeping in the guest room, though she very kindly offered the room to me). Because the race was starting 7:00 am (according to Mary Whittenburg, president of NYRR, this was the earliest official race start in NYRR history), I had to get up at 5, so catch the train that would get me to the bus that would get me to the race before the start! I caught up with Lana in the port-a-potty line and we dropped our bags, then headed to the start. We started together, but got separated at the first water station. I thought she’d run off ahead of me, but I wasn’t able to catch up to her, so I just settled in to run and figure out what my ultimate goal would be. The first couple of miles were in a fairly industrial area and were followed by a “Corporate Park.” We did get to run through some beautiful areas of Queens, including Malba, but there were so many hills and turns that it was difficult to sightsee (I know, I know, I was supposed to be racing). I did think it was a bit strange to see all the new brickwork buildings. There are a lot of large homes there, too, with some incredible ironwork. Some day, I’d love to go through there in a car and take pictures. I was moving along pretty well, but started to feel my knee at the end of the 6th mile. I started doing knee swings at every water station and that helped me get from station to station. As I was running down a hill in the 7th mile, I could hear a bird squawking loudly and people around me were commenting on it. I looked up at a utility pole and saw a large bird’s nest with a large bird standing on a wire next to the nest. It sounded like a parrot and as I got closer, I realized that it was a parrot! A green parrot! Nesting in Queens, New York!! I love this city!! There was an even bigger nest around the corner, but I didn’t see any birds on it. At this point, I ran into Rachel (I met her at the Run to Home Plate race) and we ran together for a little while, but I lost her, too. That always happens to me at water stations. Several more hills and turns later, I came into the 11th mile and stopped at the water station. My knee was getting bad again and I needed to do knee swings and stretch my hamstrings. I checked my watch as I took off and I’d been there for 1:30. The last two miles had the best view – we ran along the Sound and the water was so blue, it was almost surreal. I hit the 11-mile marker at 10:41, which meant that I’d run that mile in about 9:10! I’d heard that the last mile was very hilly and they weren’t kidding! There was one steep hill that wasn’t too long, but then another steep hill that was very long and continued even steeper after a short flat bit! Finally, though, we rounded the corner and were heading back towards the park. I hit the cobblestoned path into the park and, as I passed the 13-mile marker and tried for a finishing kick. Fabian and Roberto were there and they cheered me on, helping me to keep up the “sprint”! When I got to the official photo line, the woman getting her picture taken turned out to be Roxanne! I can’t believe how many people I ran into at this race!

Official stats: I finished in 2:08:10 for an average pace of 9:47 over the 13.1 miles. I was 2406 out of 3589 total finishers, putting me in the 33rd percentile. My official splits from my watch were: 10:25, 9:51, 9:38; 9:19; 9:53; 9:13; 10:13; 9:39; 10:01; 9:30; 11:41; 9:14; 9:44; and :52 for the last tenth of a mile (8:40 pace – not bad for my finishing kick). It was 64° with 60% humidity.

Consolation treats: Utsuki and her mom prepared a feast for me: sushi (rice wrapped in tofu skins), gyoza (pork and scallop, but, because of my shellfish allergy, I ate only the pork dumplings), bok choy, cooked in garlic, and home-made chocolate ice-cream. Delicious! And, because I’m greedy, I also had a slushy Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper and a Chipwich ice-cream sandwich (http://chipwich.com/chipwich/products.htm) when I got home. :D

Next up: The Fifth Avenue Mile (9/29), the 18-mile Tune-up (9/30), the Nike Women’s Half Marathon (10/21) and the Tower of Terror 13k (10/27).

Thank you for all your support!

Yahoo photos is closing down, so I had to switch to another service. I’m on snapfish now. Hopefully, you’ll be able to see the pictures here: http://queenshalfmarathon92307.snapfish.com/snapfish. To view photos on snapfish, you need to have an account with them. Sign in as runnerakalalynx@yahoo.com and use myspace as the password. The password for this group of albums is 092307. Let me know if you have trouble and I’ll see what else I can do.

Here’s a video of a blimp flying over New York from the 42nd floor of 7 World Trade Center: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLCuaSWYx-w

Disneyland Half Marathon 9.03.07

2007-09-19T21:08:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 26* was Disneyland Half Marathon. We started in Downtown Disney, ran around the back of California Adventure, then entered and ran through California Adventure, crossed the esplanade and entered Disneyland, ran through Disneyland, came back out onto the streets of Anaheim, ran back and over to Arrowhead Pond (home of the Mighty Ducks), ran along the Santa Ana Trail towards Angels’ Stadium, entered the stadium and circled the bases (not on the field itself, though), came back out onto the streets, and finished up at Downtown Disney.

Expo day: The best thing about the expo this year was Yamaha’s BodiBeat booth. http://www.yamaha.com/bodibeat/consumer.asp I am definitely getting one of these when they come out. The expo wasn’t as good as last year, even though it was bigger. I spent a lot of time trying to find a visor to wear during the race, but no-one had any that were designed for runners. There were a bunch of cotton twill visors and caps, but one of the necessary features for a visor, to me, at least, is a sweat band to keep sweat out of my eyes and contacts! I ended up buying a cap from Race Ready. I went back to the expo on Sunday, because my parents wanted to check it out. I met up with RunJoeRun and Shayna K (who had very kindly taken family photos for us at Alice’s the day before). I stayed at the Radisson Main Gate again this year (thanks, again, Mike and Dan!!), so I could either take a shuttle or walk about a half mile to the start.

Goals: I had a seriously ambitious time goal for this one. I wanted to go sub-2. My half marathon PR was 2:02:49 and beating that would have been good, too. Plus my usual goal of running between water stations.

I took the shuttle to the race (it pulled up right as I was leaving the hotel) and walked through Downtown Disney (DD) to the start. BodiBeat was giving out flashing buttons under Merlin’s Hat, but it fell off about halfway through the race. I was trying to figure out how I was going to find Shayna in the crowds and there she was. With Vanessa, who I’d missed at the expo and hadn’t reached by phone yet! What luck! We hung out a while, then I dropped off my bag and found them again. One of the Toy Story soldiers got on stage and told everyone that it was going to be hot and that everyone should drop any extra gear (wings, tutus, etc., though he did say we could carry our wands). We eventually made our way to the start. I was in Corral B, in the first wave. I stretched and waited and finally the opening ceremony started. With a confirmation of Shayna’s news – there was a 3-flag system: yellow, which meant that we should be careful and not run too hard; red, which meant that it was getting dangerous and we should take it easy and anyone with heat issues should drop out; and black, at which point they were turning off the clocks and it would be a fun run instead. There is nothing fun about a half marathon, even if it is run partly through Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure (DCA)! Then, he told us that we were already in a red flag situation. Yikes! I started reconsidering my goals at that point. The dignitaries were paraded out (including Mickey and Minnie in track suits), the monorail arrived with the special guests (including Goofy and other characters), and then the countdown started. It was really cool – soundless firework stars arced upwards from either side as the countdown hit 3, 2, 1 and then the big bang and the full fireworks display started as the gun sounded (presumably – I couldn’t hear it).

We took off running down and then up under an overpass, heading out of DD, passing the Convention Center and then coming back into DCA. I love running through the Parks!! The surface is great to run on and the characters were out to cheer for us. I remember passing Flik, Koda (or was it Kenai?), Stitch (I flashed the Surf’s Up sign at him as I passed), Lightning McQueen, and Mater. And, like last year, in addition to staff cheering us on along the way, there were wranglers there to take pictures of runners and characters with the runners’ cameras – a very nice touch and one of these years I’m going to take advantage of it! We left DCA and headed across to Disneyland, running behind Main Street, passing Chip (or was it Dale) and Pluto, Alice, the Mad Hatter, Buzz Lightyear, running through Cinderella’s castle, then past Woody and Jessie, Captain Jack Sparrow and the other pirates (he fired a cannon at us, but the ball fell short, splashing into the water instead), we passed the Genie and Jazmin on our way back to Main Street, which we ran down on our way out of the park and onto the streets of Anaheim. I knew that this was where it was going to get tough, because it was blazing hot and there is no shade in Anaheim! I should say, too, that I don’t usually start sweating until the 3rd mile, but I was soaked by the end of the first mile and already knew I wasn’t going to get a PR, much less a sub-2. So, I spent the first couple of miles out of the park trying to figure out what my revised goal should be. I would have been happy with anything under 2:10, but knew from my Bronx Half Marathons in July that 2:15 was more likely, given my recent running times (my fastest July Bronx Half was 2:23:26).

In the 5th mile, the palpitations started and so did my walking. My heart-rate generally stays fairly low when I run, so when it started going crazy, I paid attention and started walking whenever it got a little crazy. There were lots of cheerleaders and high school bands along the way, as well as a Mexican band with dancers (who had just finished a number when I passed, so I didn’t get to see them) and what looked like a Polynesian dance troupe (again, they’d just finished performing when I got there, so I missed them, too). Finally, I saw the hockey stadium coming up and knew that the end was in sight. Well, not in sight, literally, but I knew I was going to make it. I just had to hope that the clocks weren’t turned off until I got to the finish! Outside of the stadium (we don’t get to run inside that one), there were cheerleaders and youth hockey players giving us high fives as we passed. We hit the Santa Ana trail, which was a nice break from the asphalt, and then came up to the Clif gel mile for yet another walk break. Next up is Angels Stadium and on the way there, we passed Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Eagle Scouts, Brownies, Girl Scouts, and more cheerleaders, along with parents and spectators cheering for us. At the end of the gauntlet, we headed into the stadium and ran along the warning track around home plate. This year, the camera was lined up along the 3rd base line, so that the runners could see themselves on the Jumbotron. I waved frantically, hoping my family back at the finish area would be able to see me.** I headed out of the stadium, walked through another water station, then headed, gratefully, back towards the parks.

When I got to mile 12, my heart sank. The clock was off. Twelve miles in and all for nothing. I slowed to a jog and headed over to the clock. As I passed, I asked someone standing there about the clock, but he just told me what time it was. I had already run 12 miles, so I just decided to run it in. About a half mile later, just inside DCA again, there was another water station and a medical tent, which had a red flag! I told someone about the clock being off at the 12-mile marker and that people would think we’d gone to Black Flag and stop racing. She said “Oh Shit” and immediately ran off to get the situation resolved. I was very happy to see her immediate response and that she took it so seriously. I was completely done in by this point and just decided that I was going to enjoy the rest of my run. My favorite modern Disney movie is Monsters, Inc., and, last year, Sully was cheering us on as we headed through DCA in the last mile of the race. He was there again this year and, even though there was a line and I didn’t have a camera, I stopped, waited and gave him a hug, telling him I loved him. ‘Cuz I do! Rejuvenated, I took off running again, zoomed through DD and headed for the finish line. I heard my name called as I ran towards Mickey and Minnie (still in their track suits, but not sweating at all) and turned to wave to my parents and brother. I crossed the finish line in under 2:15 on the official clock, so I made my revised goal – the only goal I hit!

As soon as I crossed, I headed over to someone and reported the 12-mile clock situation and, again, was happy to see him run off to find someone to take care of it. Last year’s race was fairly well organized, but getting the official photo was a nightmare. This year, we passed through another gauntlet, getting our medal, mylar blanket, water, PowerAde, bananas, oranges, bagels, fruitcups and then found the photographers. There was an official photograph station set up outside each baggage tent, so that the lines moved smoothly. After the photograph, I grabbed my bag and passed through the tent into the family reunion area, where I found my family waiting for me (sort of). This year, for the first time in my racing career, I was able to get a post-race massage! My brother waited in that line for me while I got my medal engraved with my name and time and the rest of the group went to the Disneyland Hotel to wait. I was very impressed with Disney’s handling of the post-race crowds, but they’re so used to crowd control that it would have been surprising if they hadn’t improved the situation from last year. I love Disney!

Official stats: I finished in 2:13:00 for an average pace of 10:29 over the 13.1 miles. I was 2163 out of 8763 total finishers, putting me in the 78th percentile!! I was 821 out of 5779 female finishers, putting me in the 86th percentile. I was 143 out of 826 finishers in my age/gender group, putting me in the 83rd percentile. My official splits from my watch were: 9:29, 9:49, 9:24; 9:51; 10:06; 9:36; 10:25; 10:20; 10:20; 11:19; 11:21; 10:21; 9:46; and :57 for the last tenth of a mile. It was 84° by the time we finished with approximately 70% humidity.

Consolation treats: Forget slushy Dr Peppers – I had a Dr Pepper Slurpee!! Thank Heaven for 7-Eleven!! And my brother who found it for me!! After that, we went to Chuao Chocolate Café at the Spectrum and, after a little difficulty explaining that I wanted a drink without coffee, I had the Chuao 73% (I think that’s what it’s called). MMM A few days later, I had some very special treats – the pictures are in the album.

Next up: The Queens Half Marathon (9/23), the Fifth Avenue Mile (9/29) and the 18-mile Tune-up (9/30).

Thank you for all your support!

*What a difference the accident made. Last year, this was my 32nd race of the year. The accident cut me back by 6 races and I added 3 races this year that I didn’t run last year, so I should have been at 33, not 26, given that the race was moved up two weeks this year.

**My parents and brother were waiting right at the finish line, so they couldn’t see the Jumbotron. My sister and brother-in-law were in the finishing area, but only my brother-in-law saw me.

Yahoo photos is closing down, so I had to switch to another service. I’m on snapfish now. Hopefully, you’ll be able to see the pictures here: http://www2.snapfish.com/groupview/groupname=disneylandhalfmarathon07/groupid=1947802/groupownerid=106844724/t_=106844724. You’ll need a password to get in. It’s 90307. Let me know if you have trouble and I’ll see what else I can do.

Media Challenge #5 (3.5 miles) 8.28.07

2007-08-29T20:16:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 25 was the fifth and final Media Challenge of the year. We run 3.5 miles – twice counter-clockwise around the lower loop in Central Park and then some.

Goals: There’s only one water station on this course and it’s at the finish, so I was going to have to run over 1.7 miles at a shot to keep from walking between rest stations. I was heading towards 35 miles in 3 days (including my elliptical machine work-out on Sunday and my 1-hour ladder in the morning), so I told Sue that I thought I would finish in 34, but I was really hoping for a 32.

No warm-up today. This was the last race of the season, so we had to make a strong showing to gain the 40 points we were behind. I started out at a comfortable pace and started passing people right away. I thought I might be going too fast, but was able to maintain, so I just held on and gave my legs their way. I had a little trouble with the humidity. I kept passing rabbits, so I decided to give it a real go. I knew my PR for the course was 30, but thought it might be too much, though I really felt like I was moving fast. I passed several more News Corp runners (they were in first place, so I needed to concentrate on passing them) runners and runners from other teams as well. By the first time around the 72nd Street Transverse, I was desperate for water and needed to use my inhaler. I carry it with me always, but wanted to see if I could wait until my water break. I came up around the last uphill off of the transverse and headed into the little rolling hills to finish the first loop. I just couldn’t stop myself from passing more people, even though I knew they’d all pass me when I stopped for water. The water was just before the finish line and I walked past the timer (Sue’s boyfriend, Armando, kindly agreed to stand in at the last minute) and then, just before I started running again on the downhill, I used my inhaler. I caught up with and passed every female who had passed me when I stopped for water, though it took me over half the loop to manage it. I even passed one of my own team-members (luckily). As I came around to the 72nd Transverse, I picked another rabbit and was able to pass her and another News Corp female as we came off the transverse. As I passed the start, a woman came up and passed me and I wasn’t able to catch her again. No finishing kick for me, but I still managed to finish with a 46-second PR.

I don’t usually go to the post-race dinner, but it wasn’t pizza this time and I’d already decided that I was going to rest the following morning. Oh, am I glad I went!! After dinner and before dessert, they passed out the awards. There were no grand masters, so they started with the female masters, warning us first that the company had given them four Male Masters trophies, but that two of them had female figures, so those were going to the female winners. The second place female master had finished in 29:40. I knew I had, but didn’t think anything other than to recognize that was my finishing time. When they called my name, I just sat there. Then I realized that that was my name that had just been called. I was numb and still just sat there. It finally all clicked together and stood up and happily accepted my trophy. While I sat there holding my trophy and grinning like a fool, one of my teammates, leaned back and told me that he hadn’t realized I was a master – he thought I was his age – 25!! Woo Hoo!! That’s almost better than getting the trophy (except that memory fades, but this trophy is going nowhere, even though it’s slightly flawed!!).

Official stats: I finished in 29:40 for an average pace of 8:29 over the 3.5 miles – a PR by 46 seconds. I was the 16th female finisher (!!) and won a trophy for being the second fastest female master!!* My official split from my watch were: 15:05 (8:23 pace for the 1.8 miles) and 14:35 (8:35 pace for the 1.7 miles). It was 73° with 68% humidity.

Celebration treat: I know, I know – the dinner, trophy and compliment would be treats enough for most, but I’m a greedy cow, so I also had Mo’s Bacon Bar from Vosges (to celebrate the PR) and a Crème Brulee from Kee’s Chocolates (to celebrate the trophy) and a gingerbread caramel from (thank you, Lisa!).

Next up: The Disneyland Half Marathon (9/3), the Queens Half Marathon (9/23), the Fifth Avenue Mile (9/29) and the 18-mile Tune-up (9/30).

Thank you for all your support!

*Sue was second female overall or I would have been edged out – only the top two for each category win. The categories include open field, masters (40+) and grand masters (50+, I think). We were unable to make up the 40-point deficit and finished the season in second place.

Random pictures from the past two weeks (race pictures are at the end) are here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762405174840&pid=&wtok=z5eu94DP5DdHyYDb.IgfOA--&ts=1188436341&.src=ph (with commentary in the slideshow, of course).

Run to Home Plate 5k 8.11.07

2007-08-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 24* was the Run to Home Plate 5k. The 5k course is part out-and-back and part loop. The out-and-back course takes us through the parking lot and then a left turn out onto the street, past Arthur Ashe tennis stadium and the Queens Museum of Art, turning back into the park grounds where we looped around the Unisphere (left over from the 1964 World’s Fair) and an additional section of the World’s Fair park, then back to the original course around the Unisphere and back onto the street to finish the out-and-back. When we came back into the parking lot, instead of continuing along the course we’d left, we turned right and ran around the stadium, finally entering the stadium just to the right of the bleachers, turning left and following the warning track** clockwise around to finish behind home plate.

Goals: to run between water stations (or possibly skip them to see if I could set a distance PR), to set a course PR (sub 28:42) and to set a distance PR (sub 26:37).

After an unrestful night of strange dreams (I wish I could remember what I’d eaten that might have caused them!), I got up at 5:15 to make my way out to Shea Stadium in Queens by 8. Because of ongoing construction, the journey took 3 trains and a bus ride! I’d given myself too much time and ended up arriving at about 7:20, including the 15-minute walk from the train station to the start. Oh, well – better early, than late. It was quite cold – only 58°F when I got up, so I was pretty confident that I’d make my course PR goal. While wandering around the start area, waiting to go on my warm-up run, I ran into Margot and Mary, of the Nike Central Park Track Club, and we chatted for a bit. Margot and I had the same goal: to set a 5k PR (she set hers with a 21:17!!). I took off on my warm-up and jogged around the parking lot for a little over 20 minutes, then did strides for about 3 minutes. There are Mets signs posted along the fences and I would run alternately fast and slow between the signs. I jogged over to the start and went straight to the 10-minute marker to look for Bonnie. As I stretched and craned my neck to look over the crowd, Bonnie tapped my arm – she was standing right in front of me. D’oh! We chatted a bit, then I moved up to the 8-minute marker. I’d promised myself I was going to give it my all today, so I decided to start with my actual pace group this time. There was a couple standing just outside the tape and she had the coolest socks on. The pattern was puzzle pieces, but one sock was sort of blue and green and the other was red and orange. When she moved into the corral, I complimented her on them and she told me that it’s a set of three and the third one is yellow and orange; they’re meant to be mismatched. I’ll be scouring the shops for them.

A few speeches and the National Anthem and the horn went off. I tried very hard to keep myself at a strong, but steady pace and was happy to see that I was keeping up. Despite the cooler temperatures (we’ve been very lucky with our racing weather this year!!), the humidity was still very high and I was having a little trouble breathing, but holding on. The first water station came and I walked through it in order to catch my breath. As I started to run again, I could see the mile marker and it looked like it said 8 and change. I hustled up and passed it in under 9!! This is the first year that I haven’t seen the front runners pass me on their way back to Shea!! I was looking forward to the run around the Unisphere, but missed it this time, because I was focused on getting to the next water station. I needed a break (was wheezing a bit), but kept going, managing not to stop until I got to the water station, which I walked through, using the break to take a puff on my inhaler. At this point, I almost caught up with Socks and decided to use her as my rabbit when I came out of the water station. Unfortunately, she was walking when I caught up to her, so that plan went out the window. As I passed, I yelled “Come on, Socks, you can do it!!” and then forgot about her as I concentrated on my finish. I was hoping for a nice strong finish, but felt like I was slowing down. In my head, I kept counting down my estimated distance left (less than a mile, half a mile, quarter of a mile) in hopes that I wouldn’t break pace. I came into the stadium, passed the 3-mile marker and then focused on the finish line. I don’t even remember seeing any other runners. I shot across the finish line, breaking my distance PR on the official clock!! As soon as I got past the finish, I proceeded with my usually classy finish – retching violently, then staggering to the medical area for ice. I was swaying and staggering, so the medic checked my breathing and said I wasn’t wheezing too badly and should just use my inhaler. I waited for Bonnie to finish and she came in under 30 (great job, Bonnie!!) We walked out together and got in line for our commemorative towels. Cheesy, but I love the Mets!! I was really disappointed not to get a picture with Mr. Met this year. L In the towel line, I ran into Socks and we chatted a bit. She’d heard me call out as I passed and that helped her get moving again and she finished in 26:30 (officially, that is). She’s going to run the Queens Half Marathon, too, so I might see her there – we’re about the same pace so we might be able to run together.

Bonnie had brought her son and her son’s friend, so we stayed to watch the kid’s races. Some of them were quite exciting, with photo finishes as the kids sprinted to win. Bonnie’s son was just edged out in his race – he hadn’t heard the kid behind him until it was too late to get past him. Next time! Then, my 3 trains and bus ride home.

Official stats: I finished in 25:51 for an average pace of 8:19 over the 3.1 miles – a distance PR by 46 seconds. I was 603 out of 1564 total finishers, putting me in the 61st percentile; I was 114 out of 601 female finisher, putting me in the 81st percentile (!!); and I was 14 out of 63 female finishers between 40 and 44, putting me in the 78th percentile (I love these numbers!!) It was 63°F with 68% humidity. My splits from my watch were: 8:25 (my slowest mile!), 8:15, 8:23 and :53 for the final .1 mile (8:50 pace).

Celebration treats: I had a lovely lunch (French bread, paté, Zamarano cheese, pear salad), with a slushy Dr Pepper, followed by Ben & Jerry’s Crème Brûlée ice-cream and some Chuao Chocolate (http://www.chuaochocolatier.com/) from my friend, Laurie (thanks, Laurie!!).

Next up: Disneyland Half Marathon (9/3), Queens Half Marathon (9/23), Fifth Avenue Mile (9/29), 18-Mile Marathon Tune-Up (9/30).

Thank you for all your support!

*Media Challenge #5 was cancelled because it was too hot and humid to run on Wednesday evening. It may be rescheduled – I’ll keep you posted.

**I learned that’s what it’s called from Bonnie’s husband, Jim. Thanks, Jim!

Pictures from the race and some random pictures from the past week, too (sorry for the quality of the pictures – my new camera is still at the shop): http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762405139835&pid=&wtok=rkycXmWu.bhCVJC0FSKRFQ--&ts=1186870822&.src=ph (commentary in the slide show).

NYC Half Marathon 8.5.07

2007-08-07T22:53:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 23 was the NYC Half Marathon. We ran a loop and then some clockwise around Central Park, down 7th Avenue through Times Square, across 42nd Street and down the West Side Highway to Battery Park.

Goals: to run between water stations, to set a course PR (sub 2:08:49) and to set a distance PR (sub 2:02:49).

The event started at the expo on Friday afternoon. I timed my visit to coincide with the appearance of Haile Gebrselassie and Catherine Ndereba, who answered questions from the crowd and then gave autographs and took pictures (except with me, whose camera broke the day before). I had them autograph my bib (picture in the album). I wandered around, had a badge made, got a pace bracelet, picked up some freebies (Vaseline, hair bands, sunblock), then went home for a nice restful evening. Saturday was expo day again. Hendrick Ramaala and Abdi Abdirahman did the appearance and signed my bib. In the general questions session, I asked them about cross-training. Hendrick said he doesn’t do any and Abdi said he does abs after his long runs. The moderator was quick to point out that they’re professional athletes and that running is their job and that it’s good to be physically fit in a variety of ways. I was first in line for the autographs (I learned where to stand at the Friday night appearance) and when I told them my goal, they kidded each other that I was going to be right behind them. They wished me luck and signed my bib. This bib is going to be framed!! I went to work to wait for Elizabeth, who was arriving later. We met back at the expo at around 3. Well, by the time I got there, she and Jenna had finished with the expo (which I know now is tiny and nothing special, expo-wise) and were shopping at Niketown. It was so nice to finally meet Elizabeth in person after getting to know her through her blog. We chatted while Jenna finished shopping, then I went to mass. I can barely kneel before running a half marathon, so I was certainly not going to attempt it after one!

Race day – I had to be in my corral by 6:15, so I was up at 4:30 and out the door by 5. I missed the bus at 86th Street, so I walked across the Park to the starting area (that counts as a warm-up, right?). I got myself ready (inhaler, sunblock, etc.), dropped my bag and headed to the 7000 corral. Elizabeth was already there and while we were chatting, my friend, Paul, with his friend, Mitch, showed up. They are both training for a triathlon and were using this race as a training run. Elizabeth and Paul both decided to use me as a pacer (no pressure there!), because they wanted to run slowly and not race. As we started moving forward, compacting the corrals (we were about a half mile from the start), another friend, LK, found us. He’s on a new training regimen and was supposed to keep his heart rate at or below 145, so he was going slowly, too. We continued to move forward until we started hearing snatches of the national anthem and then the horn. We finally crossed the start line at 4:55. I’m not very good at talking while running, so I limited myself to pointing out landmarks to Elizabeth. I’m apparently not very good at thinking while I’m running, either, because I missed out on some pretty big ones, including the finish of the NYC Marathon. Sorry, Elizabeth!! As always, I stopped at every water station, drinking water and Gatorade and taking a short walk break at each one. There were plenty of spectators and I even saw someone I know in the crowds: Brenn, who is also a member of our corporate running team. We hit the 5k marker at 31:25. The first few miles were a bit of a struggle, especially getting up the hills on the upper west side of the Park. Elizabeth and I ran together for about 5 miles at which point we separated, though Paul and I continued on together. In the 7th mile, my first goal went by the wayside. I had meant to use my inhaler at the last water station, but forgot. My chest was getting tighter and tighter and when I started feeling light-headed and seeing stars, I stopped, puffed, and walked until I felt calmer. It didn’t take long and Paul hung with me until I was running again. We crossed the 10k mats at 1:01:17 (I learned later that the winner had already finished by that time). My total time for the 7th mile was 9:35, so I was clearly running too fast for this kind of humidity. And then, after a short sweeping uphill, we turned left and headed out of the Park onto 7th Avenue. Not only was this an environmental change, from a beautiful green park with trees rising on either side to city streets with skyscrapers rising on either side, but the crowds swelled and the music started (there was no music in the Park). From the brass band at Carnegie Hall to the DJs and dancers along the West Side Highway, you could still hear the band you’d passed fading away as you started hearing the band you approached. The buildings of Times Square are visible as soon as you hit 7th Avenue and I tried to keep my eyes on them to pull me forward. As with last year, I completely forgot about being broadcast on the jumbotron in Times Square until it was too late. I hope someone saw me and recognized me, but I didn’t recognize anyone on the screen when I looked up. As I turned onto 42nd Street, I was gasping for a water station – I needed the walk break and the fluids! Three times, we had to run 2 miles (more or less) between water stations. I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to have one of those long breaks 8 ½ miles into a half marathon in August in NYC! We passed several bands and DJs and then 7-Eleven (no more Kwik-E-Mart) and finally arrived at the water station. There were boxes of Carb-Boom gel for us to take, but I used my own (plain PowerGel). I probably should have taken the Carbo-Boom – it took nearly 2 minutes for me to get the stupid packet open!! Oh well, at least I had a nice long walk break. Paul couldn’t wait and took off, but I caught him before the turn onto the West Side Highway. In contrast to the glorious transition from Park to city streets back at mile 7+, the turn-off onto the West Side Highway was a transition to the most difficult section of the course. As hilly as Central Park is, the trees provide plenty of shade, as do the buildings in midtown. No such feature on the West Side Highway. Not only were we completely exposed to the blazing sun, but we moved from asphalt to concrete! The crowds were still good, though, and there were water stations in every mile. There were also supposed to be misting stations, but I didn’t see any. I crossed the 15k marker at 1:32:04. By the last four miles, I was getting grumpier and grumpier. On a walk break to drink water, I got irritated by a spectator standing in the road and waved him out of my way. Coming into the last water station, someone decided that it didn’t matter that people were running down the Highway; he was going to walk across it by way of my left foot. I called him a not-very-nice name, throwing in a glare for good measure. Bad me – we were all tired by that point and I’m sure he just wasn’t thinking straight. Hopefully, he didn’t hear me. I had gotten separated from Paul by this point and saw him go flying past in the last mile. I was beginning to chase after him when I remembered that his plan called for him to run the last mile fast, so I let him go. I had long ago realized that I couldn’t make my time goals, but thought I’d try to see how close I could get to a course PR. I crossed the 20k marker at 2:02:22. In that last half mile, I passed a downed runner, surrounded by cops, and a little farther along, the EMTS were moving a stretcher onto the course to retrieve him. I didn’t hear anything more about it, so I assume it was dehydration. I hope he’s okay. I also passed Brenn again and he cheered for me a couple of times, which helped push me along to the finish. I missed my revised goal of finishing in under 2:13 on the official clock, but it was close.

Paul was waiting for me at the finish and we picked up our medals, then got our picture taken together. We found Mitch, then Paul and Mitch took off while I headed over to grab my bag. I ran into Fabian, Roberto, Lou and LK (whose heart-rate average was exactly 145 – way to go, LK!) on my way out. I got a little confused and ended up back in the finishing chute, but eventually made it to Andrea and Brady’s place, where I took a quick shower and then we headed back out for dim sum and Divalicious!

Official stats: I finished in 2:08:23 for an average pace of 9:48 over the 13.1 miles – a course PR, by just 26 seconds. According to the Nike+ results, I was 6099 out of 9920 total finishers, putting me in the 39th percentile - the NYRR website has me listed as the 6362nd finisher, which would put me in the 36th percentile. It was 71°F with 61% humidity. My splits from my watch were: 9:59, 10:49, 9:46, 9:49, 9:40, 9:35, 9:38, 9:25, 10:44, 10:03, 9:41, 9:03 and :59 for the final .1 mile (9:50 pace).

Celebration treats: Andrea and Brady are fellow chocophiles, so they provided me immediately with some Valrhona chocolate (Manjari and Araguani), then we walked up to Chinatown for dim sum and then stopped at Divalicious for chocolate-fountain-dipped treats (I had the ice-cream-filled cream puffs – yum!). When I got home, I had my last Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper (don’t worry, Nathalie, I still have yours) – slushed, of course, and (again, provided by Andrea and Brady – thanks, guys!!)*

Next up: Media Challenge #5 (8/8) and the Run for Home Plate (8/11).

Thank you for all your support!

*This may seem like a lot of treats for someone who only hit one goal, I did set a course PR and it's my 3rd fastest half marathon time. Not too bad for someone who ran a marathon a month ago and is still recovering from some pretty painful injuries, not to mention it's a half marathon in NYC in August!

Race day pictures here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762405076910&pid=&wtok=I5jP.Q1OY04w20jDDxU.tQ--&ts=1186450092&.src=ph

For those of you who missed it, the Anheuser-Busch Libation Loft album is here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762405067110&pid=&wtok=f6RXDnpfTQuZd9CrAD6qvQ--&ts=1186193758&.src=ph (if you want to see the videos, let me know and I’ll send the links).

Media Challenge #4 (3.5 miles) 7.24.07

2007-07-25T20:44:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race 22 was the fourth Media Challenge of the year (timing and injury prevented me from running the second and third – you haven’t missed any recaps). We run 3.5 miles – twice counter-clockwise around the lower loop in Central Park and then some.

Goals: There’s only one water station on this course and it’s at the finish, so I was going to have to run over 1.7 miles at a shot to keep from walking between rest stations. I was hoping to run 9:15s (based on my 9:11 pace in the 4-miler last weekend).

No warm-up today. I lined up towards the back with John (we were discussing the wonderful Jany) and took it easy going around the bottom of the Park, at which point I told John to go on ahead without me. I didn’t want to start out too fast without having warmed up and breathing was a bit difficult with the heat and humidity. I chugged along, keeping my eye out for News Corp runners (unlike my team, they actually have matching shirts, so were easy to spot). My team is now in third place, but close enough that even one good night could bring us to the top and I knew that News Corp is one of the teams we need to beat.* I passed a number of runners, including from my own team and picked a rabbit wearing the News Corp shirt and bright red shorts. I didn’t catch her on the transverse, so I knew I’d lose her when I stopped for water after the first loop. I started running again on the downhill and felt good going around the loop. I caught up with and passed every female who had passed me when I stopped for water (I only compete with females in these events). As I came around to the 72nd Transverse, I saw my rabbit again. I didn’t want to push it too hard, but as we moved towards the west side of the transverse, I started counting down the pavement lines between us, finally passing her just as we hit the turn onto the West Drive. I passed several other runners, but was only passed by one man before the finish.

Official stats: I finished in 31:45 for an average pace of 9:04 over the 3.5 miles – not a PR, but my second fastest time for this course, so not too bad. I was the 56th female finisher. My splits from my watch were: 16:08 (8:58 pace for the 1.8 miles), 15:36 (9:11 pace for the 1.7 miles). It was 74° with 65% humidity.

Celebration treat: hot chocolate soufflé

Next up: The NYC Half Marathon (8/5), Media Challenge #5 (8/8), and, hopefully, the Run for Home Plate (TBD).

Thank you for all your support!

*Each runner is scored by their place in the race. The scores of the top 3 females and the top 5 males are combined to determine each team’s score. The team with the lowest number of points wins. Our total was 68, so there’s a very good chance that we won. I’ll let you know when Sue, our team captain, gets the details and passes them on to us. She’s on vacation, so thanks to Mayumi for stepping up to the plate and leading us on to victory!

Race for Central Park 4-miler 7.21.07

2007-07-22T20:31:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 21 was the Race for Central Park 4-miler – we ran the new 4-mile course of Central Park, starting on the East Drive, just south of the 68th Street, crossing at the 102nd Street Transverse, then down the west side to finish on the 72nd Street Transverse.

Goals: To run between water stations and to finish with a 9:30 pace (38:00).

After staying up ‘til midnight to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I got less than 5 hours of sleep, and was sorely tempted to skip the race. It was originally meant to be a training run, because I intended to race the Run for Home Plate 5k, but with the postponement of that event, I had to race this one. I had arranged to meet Lana and Barb at 8 at the baggage check, but ended up at the Park by 7:30. I wandered around, wishing I’d eaten something, and checked out the various sponsors’ tents. I found Lana and Barb and we headed over to the start with plenty of time to stretch. We lined up at the 9-marker, wished Peter Ciacia (as far as I can remember, he has started all of the NYRR races) a happy birthday, then started at a slow walk when the gun went off. Three minutes later, after a false start or two, we were able to pick up the pace and cross the start line. With no warm-up, I knew it would be a slow first mile, so I skipped the water station. We hit the first mile marker at 10:08 and I calculated that I’d have to run 9:20 miles to hit my goal and wasn’t confident I could make it happen. I started pulling away from Lana and Barb, though, so I waved back and just let my legs go. I didn’t push myself and I felt comfortable. After crossing the 102nd Street Tranverse and heading down the rolling hills on the West side, though, my legs started to feel tired. At times, it felt like I was dragging my legs forward. I tried my visualization trick of imagining the world passing beneath me as I lifted my feet, but it didn’t work. I continued to struggle until I hit the water station just before the 3rd mile marker. I walked a bit longer through this water station (about 30 seconds), then took off running again. As I got up to pace, someone passed me and looked back at me. It was my friend, LK, whom I haven’t seen in over a year!! I was so happy to see him, but he told me to go on ahead because I had only 8 minutes to make my goal time. We agreed to meet up at the finish and I started putting on the speed. I wasn’t feeling tired anymore, but I didn’t push myself too much, either. I waited until I caught sight of the 78 lamppost,* which meant that I had about a half mile to go. At that point, I picked up the pace and started picking off the yellow- and orange-shirted runners. I was disappointed to find nothing left for a finishing kick, but was delighted when I stopped my watch with a final mile at 8:16! I don’t mind not having a finishing kick with a mile time like that!!

I walked back to try to watch LK, Lana and Barb finish, but there were so many runners coming through that I only saw Barb finish. I grabbed some plums for Lana (I can’t eat them, but I know she likes them) and headed over to where we’d agreed to meet after the race. We chatted a bit, then I went back to the Bandshell to watch the awards ceremony and to not win the raffle. I also stopped by the Cabot Cheese tent for some samples (there was no way I was going to eat cheese before the race), then headed home.

Official stats: I finished in 36:47 for an average pace of 9:11 over the 4 miles. I was 2427 out of 4038 total finishers, putting me in the 40th percentile. It was 63°F with 70% humidity. My splits from my watch were: 10:08, 8:46, 9:44, and 8:16.

Consolation treats: one of my favorite breakfasts – Golden Syrup-flavored oatmeal with Hotel Chocolat chocolate gems and Chocolate Abyss (hot chocolate that Lisa sent from England) and for lunch, a cheese soufflé with a spinach salad, a slushy Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, and some Carnival Skittles.

Next up: Media Challenge #4 (7/24) and the NYC Half Marathon (8/5)

Thank you for all your support!

*The lampposts in Central Park are numbered according to the corresponding street number. I use them to count down the blocks as I head towards the finish of my races. For non-New Yorkers, there are about 20 street blocks in a mile.

Pictures from the race and random pictures are available here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762404971960&pid=&wtok=0wurESBBcZ8g4NFKv_SOHA--&ts=1185153845&.src=ph

A Very Special Night

2007-07-20T18:50:00.000-05:00

Bobby Bostic, who recently ran the North Pole Marathon as a fundraiser for CFA, invited me to sit at the table he sponsored at the Challenged Athletes Foundation Celebration of Heroes, Heart and Hope benefit. I accepted not only for the opportunity to attend this amazing event, but also to meet him in person, finally, after exchanging comments and messages on-line for a while now.

The event started with a cocktail reception and silent auction at 6. I arrived at the Waldorf-Astoria to find crowds of people running up Park Avenue and clouds of smoke billowing out from behind the MetLife building. People were saying that a bomb had gone off in Grand Central, so I called my parents and had them check the news. It took about 5 minutes before the news broke, but the report was that a transformer had exploded and that terrorism was not suspected. So, I changed my shoes (to put on heels) and went inside.

At check-in, people were nervous and talking about the explosion, so I passed on the information I had, collected my bid number, and wandered into the reception (after being rerouted from the VIP recepetion, which I mistakenly tried to enter - I guess I didn't look fabulous enough). There were some very nice items up for bid (see the catalog here: http://www.challengedathletes.org/ (the link to the pdf is in the middle of the left-side of the page), but I was already out-bid by the time I got to the items I wanted. I sipped some Pellegrino and then wandered out to the restroom. Where I discovered not one, but two major ladders in my hose! On Abby's very good advice, I decided not to ignore it and left the hotel to get a new pair of hose. I left the hotel on Lexington to find a drug store and found avenue traffic at a stand-still. Well, to be accurate, there were no cars at all. North/south traffic had been stopped (cross-town traffic continued, presumably to get the cars out of the area) and the road was full of people looking downtown at the aftermath of the explosion. I called my parents again and learned that it was now being reported (accurately) as a steampipe explosion. I rushed uptown, got the new hose, rushed back and barely made it in time to sit for dinner.

The tables were laid-out beautifully and the appetizer was already available. I found my table and met Bobby and a few others at the table. The waiters informed us that it was time to tuck in (I'm paraphrasing) and then Sarah Reinertsen joined us, sitting between Bobby and me. I'm sure many of you know what a strong athlete she is, but I'm happy to tell you that she is also a very nice person - sincere and genuine. We chatted about New York and I explained how I'd met Bobby and then, between appetizer and entree, she headed off to mingle. She got back just in time to eat a quick bite before the presentations began. We saw wonderful films about various athletes, including Jim McClaren (the inspiration for CFA), Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, Major David Rozelle, Randy Garcia Tolson, Team Hoyt, and Sarah, each of whom (except Jim McClaren) also spoke. The entire event was just so moving and inspirational. Several board members were also spotlighted, including Bobby, who has personally raised over $500,000 for CFA. Some of their stories are on the CFA website, if you're interested. http://www.challengedathletes.org/athletes_stories/

When the presentation was concluded, we were served dessert and then the fun started. There was a live auction of some very special items (see the auction brochure). The bidding was slow, at first (though it exceeded my reach on the first call already in the thousands of dollars). The autioneer was pretty funny and made some good-hearted digs trying to get people to increase the bids for each item. The highlight of the auction was the bid for the slot in the 2007 or 2008 Ironman World Championships in Kona (which the auctioneer described as a chance to be totally exhausted). The winning bid was $40,000 and the man who won has just beaten cancer!

I was truly honored to be there and will be adding CFA to my list of charities. If you'd like to make a direct donation to CAF, click here: https://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Simple/Donor.asp?ievent=96433&en=rwKYK7NSKdJQK6OVJhLQI6NTJmL9IqN5JmLYIdP3IwLfH. If you'd like to donate through Bobby's fundraising site, click here: http://www.ponyexpressrun.com/. They're doing amazing things to help challenged athletes around the world and the impact these challenged athletes are having is tremendous (e.g., Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah (http://www.challengedathletes.org/athletes_stories/Emmanuel_Yeboa.htm) is changing the way his country thinks of physically-challenged people.)

Pictures (of some of the hotel decor, Lexington Avenue, and the food): http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762404980039&pid=&wtok=eBmahd1LCwG53JE2_owPjQ--&ts=1184964009&.src=ph

Naples Park to Park 10k 7.14.06

2007-07-17T21:23:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 20 was the Naples Park to Park 10k – we ran the 6-mile loop of Central Park, starting on the East Drive, just south of the 102nd Street Transverse, continuing around the Park and finishing on the 102nd Street Transverse. The NYRR has “twinned” itself with the Napoli Road Runners and the first race of the Park of the Park event took place in June at the Royal Woods of Capodimonte in Naples.

Goals: To run between water stations and to finish with 10-minute miles. The tendonitis in my left leg was still bothering me, but one of the PTs who works on my leg suggested that I wrap my foot. I bought an Ace bandage and it really seemed to help. Rather than take the chance, I wrapped my foot for the race, too.

I’m still in recovery from the marathon, so I decided against a warm-up, but I did do some strides. As I lined up by the 9-minute marker, I saw Mark on the other side of the road and gradually worked my way over to him. We chatted a bit, but I knew I was going to go slow and told him to go on ahead. He very nicely ran with me a little longer, then went off to run his race. I struggled up the Harlem Hill, but managed to get to the top without stopping. The rolling downhills on the West Side were a welcome relief, especially because I knew that I’d have to run up Cat Hill on the other side of the park. I walked through the water stations (the first of which didn’t appear until the 3rd mile – not good in this heat, NYRR), but did have to make one extra stop. My top of my left foot was bothering me, so I stopped at just about the 5k point to retie my laces. I needn’t have bothered – it made no difference. I think it was the tendonitis acting up a bit. I thought about stopping quite a bit, but tried to keep myself going to the water stations. At one point, the water station wasn’t quite where I expected and I realized that it was only my perception that made it seem out-of-place. Running through the winter months, I could see quite clearly where the water stations were because the trees and bushes were mostly bare. Now, though, the Park is lush and full and the water stations are hidden around corners. I can’t say which I prefer, but it certainly is prettier now. I made it to Cat Hill and fully expected to have to stop and walk a bit, but I was able to climb the hill at a run, saluting Cat as I passed. As I came up to the flat section of the East Drive, I was able to salute Fred (LeBow – the man who made the NYC Marathon what it is today) and then count down the blocks as I neared the finish. The first 5 miles were really tough, but this last mile seemed to be much easier. I felt like I was flying (and, compared to the pace of the first 5 miles, I almost was) and I tried to push it towards the finish. After the race, I wandered over to the awards area to wait to not win the raffle and Mark found me holding down the fort at the Naples table (no-one was there, so I sat down). We directed a number of runners to the raffle bowl at the next table, then listened to an Italian guitarist sing along to his guitar. A number of runners were given medals, though it wasn’t clear why they were singled out. It’s possible that they ran both events (this one and the one in Naples). We walked back to the subway together and then I headed out to LI to visit my folks.

Official stats: I finished in 1:01:16 for an average pace of 9:52 over the 6.2 miles. I was 3122 out of 4556 total finishers, putting me in the 31st percentile. It was 67°F with 61% humidity. My splits from my watch were: 10:03, 9:40, 9:55, 10:49, 9:40, 9:22, and the final .2 mile split was 1:50 (9:10 pace).

Consolation treats: Dark chocolate mint Cadbury Fingers, which my friend, Lisa, sent me from the UK, and a Blue Woo Hoo Vanilla Squishee from 7-Eleven.

Next up: Run for Central Park (7/21) [the Run to Home Plate, originally scheduled for 7/22, has been postponed]

Thank you for all your support!

Pictures from the race, and from a very special shop here in New York, are available here (these pictures are pretty self-explanatory, so, contrary to my usual practice, the only commentary in the slideshow is a description of the last picture: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762404944364&pid=&wtok=fkVZwJ1F8RXiLnfkHToH8Q--&ts=1184724813&.src=ph

Santa Claus/Arctic Circle Marathon 6.30.07

2007-07-11T18:26:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 19 was the Santa Claus Marathon, also known as the Arctic Circle Marathon. We started on the north side of the Arctic Circle, ran south over the line, then 26.2 miles around northern Finland (around Rovaniemi).

Goals: I wasn’t sure what to expect after my recent bout with tendonitis and the adverse reaction to the medicine I was given to treat it. Rather than having a time goal, I wanted to run smart and finish without hurting my knees. Also, in researching the race, I read comments about people getting lost, so one of my goals was to not get lost. There were comments about the hilliness of the course, which I sort of disregarded until about 2 days before the race when I found the elevation profile on the race’s webpage: http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/6412/reittiprofiiliss8.gif. At that point, I wondered if “flat” and “very easy” have different meanings in Finland. And reset my goal to stop running whenever my knee hurt to make sure I’d be able to get through the entire race.

Jany and I took a nap in the afternoon to get some rest before the night race. We got up, dressed and went to the lobby to wait for the bus to Santa Claus Village. The few marathoner runners were milling around (I even saw some warming up and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t warm up myself), but Jany and I wandered around taking pictures. I loved that I was at the Arctic Circle. Santa came out and all of the adults suddenly turned into children, rushing over to get their pictures taken with him. Including me! In my pictures, he’s mostly walking away, trying to get over to start the race. All of a sudden, I realized that it was time to begin and I hadn’t even checked my bag. Jany took it for me, I ran over to the start and, before I had time to get my watch ready, the gun went off. I started my watch on the run and headed south. I had planned to start out at 12-minute miles, but hit the first kilometer marker at 8:25 pace – not good. I spent the first half of the race trying to slow down. The course was supposed to include Santa’s Workshop, but they discovered mold or some other fungus and it’s been shut down for reconstruction until November. I was very upset when I learned this. We ended up running through a residential area along the pedestrian road. The rain started shortly after the race did and for quite a while, it was a downpour – I nearly lost my contacts. I think it rained for about an hour and a half, including the light rain after the downpour. It wasn’t horrible, but our clothes were soaked and we had to carry that water with us the rest of the race – it was too cold for them to dry on the run. Anyway, I kept running the kilometers too fast and trying to slow down, but I felt like I was trudging. There was a British couple (an assumption based on their wearing Union Jack shorts) running in front of me that I tried to use for rabbits, but they got away from me during the rain. When I got to a certain point in the first half of the race, I started seeing runners coming at me. I freaked out a little, thinking I’d gotten lost (the turn-around is between 30 and 35 kilometers). I asked one of the guys if he was running the half (they were supposed to be on the same course as the full marathoners, but they started an hour later and split out at about 19k), but he was actually running the 12k. So I quit panicking and kept running. It became obvious, at about this point, that the rain had presented an unexpected hazard. The course was marked by chalk (the town would not allow paint) and the rain washed away the route in several sections. A number of people did get lost, including Jany and John and a couple of other runners we talked to at the finish. We ran into town and then past my hotel (temptation point 1). We crossed the railroad bridge after a slightly confusing turnaround (I saw one guy miss the turnaround and have to come back down off the bridge and run it properly). At the end of the railroad bridge was the split-off for the half marathon finish (temptation point 2). I followed the marathon course, but had to double check with the guide about which way to go. I trudged on and on, stopping every other kilometer or so to walk out my knee and do knee swings to loosen up the tendon. I was getting slower and slower, but I was still going (and wondering why the hell I was doing this with every painful step!). I concentrated on getting to the 25-kilometer marker, thinking that I would only have 17 to go after that. I don’t know why I picked 25, but that was an important marker for me. In fact, it was so much on my mind that I started thinking I’d already passed it. I had started counting down to 30 (my next important marker point, because then I could count down to 40), but the next marker I hit was 25. Confused? Oh, yes. But, I rallied and started the countdown over. When I hit the turn for the 5k to the turnaround point, I started on the wrong side of the street, but the volunteer called me back and got me onto the right (and correct) side of the street. This was the closest I came to getting lost. At this point, I started seeing runners coming back at me. I tried counting them, but when I got to 40, it was too depressing to think about how far back I was, so I quit counting (after I hit 50). I’d started passing runners by now (including the Union-Jack-butted couple) and, happily, was only passed again by only one of those people. The rest stayed behind me. At 30, I was desperately trying to speed up. I was tired and I hurt everywhere. My entire pelvis was aching (does that happen to anyone else? The bones were hurting so badly that I just wanted to curl up in a ball – I tried, but you can’t run that well when you’re curled over) and I really wanted to stop. But, I kept going. I hit the turnaround, running past the water station to make the turnaround before I stopped to drink and walk. Less than 10k to go now! I passed a woman who was running with a man, but heard him say he couldn’t help or needed help (they were German and my German is definitely poor, but I know the word help) and she ran on without him. We ended up passing each other for the rest of the race. I wasn’t exactly racing with her, because I was stopping to rest my knee whenever I had to (and probably more often than that – I’m very embarrassed about my mental performance (lack thereof) in this race), but she was running and walking at about the same pace I was. When I got back to the main road and was heading back to town, a mantra developed in my head: campers, festival, ValdeMare (the restaurant that hosted the pasta party), bridge (Lumberjack Bridge), hotel, finish. Those were the remaining landmarks and they sounded over and over and over in my head. I felt a genuine sense of relief pass over me as I passed each one and dropped it from the mantra. When I hit the 41km marker, I decided that I wasn’t going to stop again until I’d finished, no matter how slowly I had to go. I ran up the slope to the bridge, ran across it, and headed back towards town, passing my hotel again (temptation point 3). Turning up towards the town center and the finish, I hit the hill that I had told Jany I would be running up – and I did. She and John (a Runner’s World writer that I’d met before the race) were having a drink at Hemingway’s and I saw them briefly when Jany called my name. She ran alongside me, but I couldn’t stop. The German woman finished about 10 seconds before I did and waited at the finish for me, which I thought was so nice! I hadn’t meant to be racing her, but I think I helped push her along, after she lost her running partner nearly 10k back. My legs turned to rubber and I couldn’t move. Jany caught me and walked me to the food table for water, then walked me around, refusing to let me sit down, though she did let me lean at one point. I was shaking hard and turning blue, so she gave me her jacket. When I was leaning against a wall that was about thigh-high, another runner, Gina, who was in the same condition, came and leant with me. Jany went off to check the results and John came up to chat. Jany came back very excited, because she had WON the half marathon!!!! I knew she would – I’d told her and everyone who would listen (including John and the race directors) that she was going to win, but everyone, including Jany pooh-poohed me. I was soooo happy for her!!! She wanted to take me back to our room so I could shower and change into warm clothes (I’d forgotten to pack my warm coat, which I’d brought especially to wear after the race). Gina and I decided to walk back together, because I didn’t want Jany to miss the winning ceremony (she couldn’t get confirmation of when the ceremony would start and it was already close to midnight). Gina’s friend had come in 3rd in the half and Gina herself came in 3rd in the full, but we didn’t know that. She and I hobbled back to the hotel, cursing the hill that we now had to get down after having just run up it to finish. I had to lift my legs with my hands to get into the tub, but I made it. I showered in the hottest water I could tolerate, but as soon as I turned off the water, I was shivering again. I turned the water on again, but couldn’t get warm, so I just got out, dressed as quickly as I could (which was still pretty slow), and “hurried” back so I wouldn’t miss Jany’s winning ceremony. I ran into her before I’d even gotten back to the hilly street (whew). I was very sorry that I’d missed seeing her win, but we met some guys the next day who’d videotaped it and they’re going to send it to her (hopefully). My fingernails were still blue, so I was going to get back into the shower, but Jany told me to just get under the covers and I’d warm up soon enough and I did.

There weren’t very many spectators, but the few that were there definitely made up for it: one guy cheered us on right after the start, then biked across to where we circled back to head south to Rovaniemi; there was an entire family dressed in costumes; the volunteers at the 20k water station were dressed as elves and ringing jingle bells; the volunteers at the turn-around point were calling out cheers to everyone; there was a family on the turnaround road that called out “hup, hup, hup” to give us a cadence; another family was cheering and ringing bells and the children ran along with the runners for a little way (I know it wasn’t just me, because they ran back from running with me to run with the guy I’d passed before reaching them). And when we got back into town, everyone I passed was supportive and cheering – I didn’t encounter any of the smirkers complained about in the comments I read about the race.

The refreshment tables – these were well-stocked, but there weren’t quite enough of them! There were 12 possible stops, including the ones that counted double (10 separate tables) and the table at the finish. They had water, juice, Gatorade (plain, not Endurance), and a combination of 2 or more of the following: raisins, pickles, orange slices, bananas. Because my stomach was still bothering me, I was afraid to eat anything, so I just drank water and ate 3 of my gel packs. I should have eaten more, but I kept forgetting about them.

Official stats: I finished in 4:43:51 for an average pace of 10:50 over the 26.2 miles – no PR for me, which really distressed me. I was 66th out of 82 total finishers, putting me in the 20th percentile, and 17th out of 24 female finishers, putting me in the 29th percentile*. I was 4th in my age group, out of 6, putting me in the 67th percentile. It was about 50°F (10°C) and it rained for about the first hour. My kilometer splits from my watch were: 5:14, 5:53, 6:11, 5:44, 6:01, 6:29, 6:01, 5:44, 6:06, 7:08, 5:59, 6:08, 7:05, 6:18, 6:20, 6:18, 6:17, 7:11, 6:30, 7:17, 6:35, 6:13, 6:48, 7:46, 6:43, 6:37, 7:40, 6:59, 6:35, 8:01 [my watch only holds 30 laps – have to find a new watch] and the final 1.165 km split was 8:40 (7:26 pace).

Consolation treats: Eventually, I was able to indulge in some treats, including a Finnish Dr Pepper (oh, yeah – I found one – okay, more than one), some of the Thornton’s chocolates that Jany brought me from London, some Finnish candy (I love licorice), a cinnamon-bun-flavored ice-cream bar (!!) and a sauna (Finnish-style)!

Post-race wounds: the usual chafing, plus bands around my ankles from my tights; bloody holes in my heels from the zippers at the bottom of my tights; a swelling in the small of my back from the gel packs banging into me while I ran; a gel-pack-sized chafing wound on the right side of my back; a big bruise on my thigh (I have no idea where that came from, but it’s going away now); plus, every joint ached and my knee was really pretty bad. The joint pain was so bad that I couldn’t sleep all night, even though I took a Celebrex before I went to sleep. I also had to get up in the middle of the night to get food and water, because I hadn’t eaten anything or had more than a small cup of water to drink after the race. All I had was water (good) and Greek flavor Pringles (I’m going with good on that – carbs and salt!).

Next up: Naples Park to Park 10k (7/14), Run for Central Park (7/21) and the Run to Home Plate (7/22).

Thank you for all your support!

Pictures from the race are available here (as always, there is commentary in the slideshow): http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762404822748&pid=&wtok=wAe2FmnIZ4bIz1vFc5BEZw--&ts=1183864401&.src=ph

I’m thinking about writing recaps for the pre- and post-race activities – let me know if you’d be interested in reading them.

Pictures from before the race are available here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762404809330&pid=&wtok=3rNBi09E6vt5ai9h0Rih3g--&ts=1183864585&.src=ph

Pictures from the Hiking/River Rafting excursion are available here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762404809536&pid=&wtok=SCmIEIQxcOttBD7B2QOlFA--&ts=1183864526&.src=ph

Pictures from the Shaman’s Village excursion are available here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762404818927&pid=&wtok=FXxEUAKv9rTEV52JyN5yEg--&ts=1183864641&.src=ph

Pictures from the ATV excursion are available here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762404823105&pid=&wtok=TxCbhXmqK9LYtOOROvV7kg--&ts=1183864479&.src=ph

Pictures from my last day and some random pictures from the trip are available here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762404843896&pid=&wtok=lIi6rtGAusd.julXTrbN2g--&ts=1183864285&.src=ph

*One of the women in the 60+ category finished the marathon in 3:02, but I suspect she actually ran the half, rather than the full marathon. I was very impressed with her time and thought she might have been an elite runner at some point in time. My research, however, showed that her previous marathon times were 5+ hours. If she didn’t run the full, then I was 65th out of 81 total finishers, putting me in the 20th percentile and 16th out of 23 female finishers, putting me in the 30th percentile. Not much difference, but I like 30th better than 29th.

Japan Day 4-miler 6.3.07

2007-06-05T21:27:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Race 18 was the Japan Day 4-miler. The new 4-mile course in Central Park starts just below the 72nd Street Transverse on the East Drive and circles around the inner loop to finish on the 72nd Street Transverse.

Goals: My overall goal was to run 4 miles before and 4 miles after the race, so that I would have a total of 12 miles. I didn’t want to overdo it, so I set 36 minutes as my goal time for the race (my 4-mile PR is 34:59), plus the usual run between water stations and keep from further hurting my knees.

This week, I knew in advance that the trains were screwy, so I got up early and left just in time to catch the shuttle bus to the subway (about 32 blocks south). I switched to the subway and was a little anxious because, as is always the case, when the MTA cuts the express trains and runs only local trains (which take longer than the express trains, of course) for some reason, they also cut the number of trains running, so it takes even longer than it would usually take on the local! I still made it with enough time to run the 4-mile warm-up, but I wasn’t quite as relaxed. I picked up my gear and mentally kicked myself for not picking it up beforehand. I’d forgotten that special races usually have goodie bags and there had been (I know because I saw people walking around with the bags), but there weren’t any available for race-day pick-up. I won’t forget that again! I love free stuff!!

I had an additional goal of running the 4-before and 4-after in 45 minutes (each, not cumulative, of course). I was meeting Lana at the start at 7:45, so I had to get a move on. I started my warm-up at 7:05, following the race course around the middle loop of the Park. The Park is just beautiful now. As pretty as it is in winter, now that Mother Nature has shaken out her skirts and is showing us her finery, it’s such a beautiful place to run! The races are run on the roadway that winds around the outer edge of the Park, utilizing the transverses when necessary. Flowers are few and far between on the roadway, so the random bursts of brilliant color amongst the varying shades of green are that much more breathtaking. As I trotted my way up towards the 102nd Street Transverse, I saw a huge white shaggy dog chasing a squirrel around and around the base of a tree. I didn’t see anyone with the dog and they were tearing around at top speed. I whistled to get the dog’s attention and the squirrel was able to run up the trunk past the dog’s jaws to safety. As soon as the squirrel was out of reach, the dog wandered off. I didn’t stop running, so I don’t know if anyone came to get him. It was very humid and not yet too hot, but I was concerned about what would happen during the race when I was racing, rather than just running. I checked the time as I passed each mile marker and actually hit each one at just about 10 minutes. I arrived back at the start at 7:45 exactly, for a 4-mile warm-up in 40 minutes – 5 minutes faster than I’d wanted.

I jogged over to the start to find Lana. We were supposed to meet up at the 8-minute marker, but when I got there, some guy was yelling at people for “cutting the line” by coming into the corral. Maybe the reason so many people start in the wrong place is their ignorance of the corral system. I’m not sure why that would be – the announcer advises runners on the rules of lining up and the pace markers are clearly visible – but it’s a possibility. Lana found me, introduced me to her friend, Barb, and we “cut the line,” joining the 8-minute corral. The race started soon after that we were off. The start was very narrow and we were confined again so there we were held to a slower pace for the first half mile or so. I tried to move along the crowds, but didn’t want to push myself into race mode, so I didn’t try too hard. It was also much warmer now and I was having trouble breathing with all the moisture in the air. I tried to settle into a good pace, but the course just isn’t designed for an even pace. Keeping in mind the next 4 miles, I walked through all of the water stations, did knee swings, and held back on my finishing sprint. I came around onto the 72nd Street Transverse and watched the clock tick away as I approached, missing my time goal by about 30 seconds.

After the race, I found Lana and Barb and, luckily, double-checked the bag-check. I had assumed, because the kid’s races were at 9:30, that bag check would be available until at least 10. I was wrong! So, I couldn’t do the final 4 miles. I was a bit irritated, because I should have made better arrangements to get my miles in and, if I’d known, would have raced the 4 miles, rather than treat it as a training run.* So, for the second time this year, I did not set a PR. Mark appeared at about that time and, after watching the raffle (neither of us won), we wandered around to the Japan Day Festival. It was pretty cool and featured digital imaging, robotics, video games, and traditional foods, dances, and costumes.

Official stats: I finished in 36:31 for an average pace of 9:07 over the 4 miles. I was 3038 out of 5267 finishers, putting me in the 42nd percentile. It was 71°F (22°C) with 73% humidity. My splits from my watch were: 9:44, 8:24, 9:52; and 8:36.

Consolation treats: Garrett’s CheeseCorn, a slushy Dr Pepper, and a piece of the new Lindt Creation 70% Chocolate Mousse bar (only okay – but I’m not a big fan of Lindt, generally).

Next up: The Arctic Circle Marathon on June 30th (though I may also run the Father’s Day 5-miler), Run for Central Park (7/21) and the Run to Home Plate (7/22).
Thank you for all your support!

Pictures from both races are available here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762403565132&pid=&wtok=zTPu1Tz9tobkv0GyYFgeQg--&ts=1180983886&.src=ph (as always, there is commentary in the slideshow).

*To make up for the missing long run, I'm going to try to do at least 6 miles each day. I know it's not the same, but I need to do something - I've got a marathon in 3 1/2 weeks!! Next Sunday is my last 20-miler before the big day.

Wall Street Run 5/22 and Media Challenge #1 5/23

2007-05-31T19:20:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

It's a 2-in-1 - I had races on consecutive days last week and didn't want to overwhelm everyone. I'd already written the recaps when I learned that I would need to wait until today for the results of the second race. What can I say? I'm lazy!

Race 16 was the Wall Street Run. It’s supposed to be a 5k, but, due to construction, the course was just under 3 miles. Here’s the NYRR’s description of the course: “The starting line is on Murray Street at Fourth Place, just west of West Street. Start eastbound on Murray and turn right (south) on Church Street. Turn left (east) on Liberty Street, right (south) on William Street, and pass the one-mile mark as William crosses Wall Street. Continue on William, turn right (west) on Beaver Street, left (south) on Broad Street, and left again (east) on Pearl Street. Turn right (east) on Fletcher Street, right again (south) on Water Street (using the southbound lanes only), and pass the two-mile mark on Water between Coenties Slip and Broad. Turn right (north) on State Street, left (west) on Battery Street, follow Battery as it curves north, turn left (west) onto Third Street, and make your final turn left (north) onto the Battery Park Esplanade. You’ll pass the three-mile mark just north on Albany Street and finish on the Esplanade near North Cove. View the course map here.” I just followed the people in front of me!

First, I want to thank everyone who donated! I really appreciate it and I know the American Heart Association does, too!

Goals: There was no chance of setting a PR here,* and I needed to rest after my hard weekend of running. I also knew I’d be racing again the next night (see below) and my performance in that race would be more important than in this one. My friend, Nancy, wanted to run, too (she’s walked the event in the past), so I told her I’d run with her. She has asthma, too, and was coughing a lot, so we took it slow. We got to the start and waited patiently, along with the other runners. The horn sounded and we moved very slowly. We couldn’t figure out why we weren’t moving and then realized that the walkers were walking around the runners along the sidewalk and coming back in to cross the start line ahead of the runners. It was a big mess! We ended up finding our way around and crossed the start line almost 10 minutes after the gun sounded! We struggled past walkers, who were walking 4-6 abreast, sometimes blocking the entire street! It was really strange! The course was also strange and difficult to maneuver. The only water station on the course was on the narrowest street, bringing everyone to a standstill, whether or not they stopped for water (we didn’t). We tried to make up time on the wider avenues, but with all the walkers it was really difficult – we were zigzagging almost the entire 3 miles. We were also dodging pedestrians who ignored the police officers who were supposed to be guiding the traffic as we ran past. In the 3rd mile, I heard sirens and pulled Nancy over to the side. We kept running, but I didn’t want to block the emergency vehicle. This year’s finish was really nice, but not logistically sound. The final quarter-mile or so was along the waterfront, which meant we were running along a fairly narrow path, lined with benches. The view of the Hudson River was incredible, but it was almost impossible to spring to the finish – there were just too many people crammed into too narrow a pathway.

Nancy and I ran almost the entire way – we stopped for a brief walk, just before the final turn to the finish. We got our chips clipped and then lined up for water and sandwiches. We both have TMJD and were dismayed to find that Subway had cut back on its donation and they ran out of sandwiches before we got to the head of the line. Our only other option was a bagel, which neither of us can eat. We headed towards the stage to find our team captain (the famous Sue) and Mark found me just as we got to the top of the stairs. He very generously gave Nancy his vegetarian Subway sandwich and we commiserated on the difficulty of the race and the general nastiness of the walkers (some even called out “Block Him” when he tried to run past). I wish the runners here were as nice and respectful as Shayna and Debs are! Something is going to have to change or this event will lose runners.

Official stats: I finished in 31:44 for an average pace of 10:35 over the 3 miles. I was 3038 out of 5267 finishers, putting me in the 42nd percentile. It was 65°F (12°C) with 52% humidity. My splits from my watch were: 10:48, 10:25, 10:38.

Celebration treats: I didn’t get home until late, but I had some of my Jacques’ House Blend bar from Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Haven.

* I define “setting a PR” as running a particular distance or course faster than I’ve run it before. If it’s a course PR, I denote it as such. If it’s a distance PR, I just call it a PR.

Race 17 was the first Media Challenge of the year. We run 3.5 miles – twice counter-clockwise around the lower loop in Central Park and then some.

Goals: There’s only one water station on this course and it’s at the finish, so I was going to have to run over 1.7 miles at a shot to keep from walking between rest stations. I was hoping to run sub-9s, but wasn’t sure, after the 10k race, 18-mile training run, 6+ ladder and 3-mile race in the past 4 days. Setting a PR involved breaking 32:10 and I hadn’t run this distance since last August, but it was still there in the back of my mind.

I got there early enough to do a warm-up loop and did not like the way I felt. In fact, I started writing my recap in my head, assuming I’d have to write that for the 2nd time this year, I did not set a PR in an eligible race.* I lined up towards the back and took it easy going around the bottom of the Park. I started feeling better (thank you, warm-up run) and started looking for rabbits. I picked off as many yellow and orange shirts as I could find, but ended up following a blue-shirted runner who seemed to be moving at my pace, but about 10 yards in front of me. I stopped for water after the first loop and did some knee swings to keep my knee pain in check. I started running again on the downhill (I’m no dummy!) and felt good going around the loop. As I came around to the 72nd Transverse, I passed my rabbit, but she passed me again as we came off the Transverse. I didn’t push my pace, though until I passed the start line and headed for the finish. I could hear the time-caller and it sounded as if she were calling 20-somethings as people were crossing the finish. I didn’t know if I could get there before she started calling 30s, but I went for it! I didn’t make it.

Official stats: I finished in 30:06 for an average pace of 8:36 over the 3.5 miles – a PR by over 2 minutes!! My actual time was 30:01, according to my watch, but this isn’t a chip-timed race, so my gun time counts. I was the third female in for my team, which means my place counted towards the points used to determine the winning teams (top 5 males, top 3 females). I was 101st out of 156 total finishers (35th percentile) and 29th out of 62 female finishers (53rd percentile). My splits from my watch were: 14:38 (8:36), 14:48 (8:42 pace), and :36 for the final tenth (6:00 pace!) – these were 1.7-mile splits, rather than 1-mile splits.

Celebration treats: Another late night (for me), but I did make time for a treat – dark-chocolate-covered hazelnuts from Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Haven. I have to get back down there for a bigger bag – they’re delicious!!

Next up: The inaugural Japan Day 4-miler on June 3rd and the Arctic Circle Marathon on June 30th.

Thank you for all your support!

Pictures from both races are available here: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762402585098&pid=&wtok=qXyuzd5ICHN3saVxh42htw--&ts=1180495183&.src=ph (as always, there is commentary in the slideshow).

Healthy Kidney 10k 5.19.07

2007-05-20T17:38:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 15 was the Healthy Kidney 10k. We ran the 10k loop in Central Park, going clockwise (aka the hard way), finishing at Tavern on the Green.

Goals: My knees are still cranky and the bruise and lump from the cortisone shot are still there, though the lump is smaller and the bruise is mostly green now. I can't wait until I can delete that sentence! I had my usual goals of running between the water stations, beating a 10-minute mile pace, and setting a PR (56:14).

After a bad night's sleep (I must have been overhydrated!), I got up early and headed down to the subway. Unfortunately, the subway wasn't running from my neighborhood. I could either wait for a bus to take down to 168th Street and transfer there for the train or walk across the island to the 1-train. There weren't any buses in sight, so I jogged over to the 1. I still managed to get to the Park by 8:30 and I wasn't planning to warm up, so I wasn't overly stressed. As I was walking up to the registration area, I saw someone wearing a really nice tech shirt from what I thought was a previous Healthy Kidney 10k. Then I saw someone else wearing the same shirt and saw that the date was for today's race! Woo Hoo!! I was already feeling a little warm in the shirt I was wearing, so I was really glad to change into the new tech shirt before the race. I lined up at the 9 marker, looking for Fabian, Lana and Mark along the way. Just before we started, I saw Lana. We went through the start together (it took about 5 minutes to get to the start!!) and then I headed off.

Random conversation: Me, as I dodged the group of walkers (walking abreast, rather than single file) in the first quarter mile: "Walkers start at the back." The leader of the group of walkers: "Oh, shut up!" Nice.

I kept going up the West Drive, wanting to hold back a bit and keep my knee safe. I stopped at the first water station and did knee swings while I drank. I knew this would slow me down (I usually walk all the way through the water stations, so that I keep moving forward, but had to stop to do the knee swings), but I wanted to keep the damage to a minimum. As I came back onto the course, I saw someone in a David Wright Mets shirt and used him for my rabbit. I kept working my way up the hills (rolling hills up and then a steep hill at the north end of the Park) and tried to keep it pretty easy so my knee didn't blow up. When I came around the top of the park, I tore down the long downhill. I tried to find my rabbit, but either I passed him without noticing or he smoked me. I hit the second water station and stopped for knee swings. Someone called my name and it was Mark*, who turned out to be my Wright rabbit (who I'd obviously passed without noticing)! We ran together a little while, then I moved off to get up the final hill before the East Drive. My plan was to run easy up the hills, then make up the time on the easier downhill and flats towards the uphill finish. I passed the 3-mile marker and noticed that each of my first 3 miles was faster than the previous, so I set a new goal of running successively faster miles. There was a 5k chip mat, which I made sure to stomp on (at 28:18), assuming that they were using the mat as a means of disqualifying people who ran outside of the rec. lane. I'd been struggling with my breathing for about a mile and tried to keep going without using my inhaler, but gave up as I approached the 5-mile marker. Unfortunately, I waited too long and struggled a bit through the end of the race. The problem with asthma is that not being able to breathe also means that your muscles aren't getting enough oxygen. But, I'm planning to run 18 miles tomorrow, so saving a bit for tomorrow was part of my plan, anyway. Long story short, I was able to meet all of my goals, including the new one! Dathan Ritzenhein not only stopped Craig Mottram's streak, but he also broke the 10-year-old course record with a 28:08 and donated his prize money (not sure if it was just the first-place award or also the $20,000 course-record award) to the National Kidney Foundation!! The UAE, represented by their sergeant-at-arms, surprised everyone (including Mary Wittenberg, who didn't look especially thrilled) by awarding the top 3 female finishers and the top 7 male finishers (!) with trips to the UAE for a race in December. I ran into Lou after the race, but didn't see Fabian.

Official stats: I finished in 54:49 for an 8:50 pace over the 6.2 miles – a PR by 1 1/2 minutes! I was 3034 out of 5413 finishers, putting me in the 44th percentile. It was 54°F (12°C) with 66% humidity. My splits from my watch were: 9:32, 9:01, 8:49, 8:46, 8:44, 8:16, and 1:45 for the final 2 tenths (8:45 pace).

Celebration treats: I went on a behind-the-scenes tour of Jacques Torres' Chocolate Haven, led by Jacques himself. Of the many treats I came home with, my special treat for the race was a chocolate banana dacquoise. I also had a slushy Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper – I'm so glad they're available again!!

Next up: AHA Wall Street Run 5k on May 22nd and the first media challenge (3.5) on May 23rd

Thank you for all your support!

Here are the pictures: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762402098178&pid=&wtok=dxFthXXNMPeAH5Pdu0ahyg--&ts=1179699845&.src=ph (there's commentary in the slideshow, as usual). Enjoy!

*Mark is such a nice guy. I saw him in the crowd waiting for the awards ceremony, so I sidled up to him, brushing against him. He politely stepped aside. I brushed against him again, and, again, he side-stepped. I increased the pressure until I was leaning on him (I was wearing a jacket, so I wasn't sweating on him) and that was the moment that he finally turned and realized it was me.

**The 18-mile training run went well - I ran 17.99 miles in 3 hours (I slighly miscalculated the number of seconds it takes to get the machine up-to-speed). In the first two hours, I paused the machine at 30 minutes to do knee swings and refuel (1st hour - lemon-lime Jelly Belly Sport Beans; 2nd hour - fruit punch Jelly Belly Sport Beans; 3rd hour - Black Cherry Clif Shot Blox (these weren't bad - the texture has been improved, so they're firmer and don't melt as easily), with a swig of lemon-lime Gatorade Endurance every 5 minutes during the run). In the last hour, I paused at 20 and 40 minutes. I ran 55 minutes at 6 with a 5-minute cool-down, 55 minutes at 6.2 with a 5-minute cool-down, and 55 minutes at 6.4 with a 5-minute cool-down.

Broad Street Run 10-miler 5.6.07

2007-05-16T21:13:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Race 14 was the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia. We ran 10 miles straight down Broad Street (except for a slight jog around City Hall) to the finish, about a quarter mile inside the Navy Yard.

Goals: My knees are still cranky and the bruise and lump from the cortisone shot are still there, though the lump is smaller and the bruise is a bit greenish now, though still mostly purple. I can’t wait until I can delete that sentence! I had increased my mileage during the week, getting to 31 miles, so I took both Friday and Saturday off to rest for the race. I kept it to my usual goals of running between the water stations, beating a 10-minute mile pace, and setting a PR (1:38:03).

Abby convinced me that I needed to run this race and I’m so glad she did! Ignoring all of the chores I needed to do over the weekend (knowing I had two – yes, two – trips to California the following week), I took an early train down on Saturday. Abby, George, Lilian and Hana picked me up at Trenton and we headed down to the expo. I was hoping to meet Abby’s Dr. Dave, but he disappeared before the expo was over and all I did was catch a quick glimpse of someone tall, dark, and handsome (my favorite type)! Oh, well – there’s always the Philly Distance Run (and no, this is not my promise to run it). So, I register in person (this will be important later) and get my bib and t-shirt. I also picked up a Stick and some PowerGel. When we got back to the house Lilian took me on a whirlwind tour of their house (it’s beautiful) and then George showed me the wine cellar. It’s a beauty! We went to Buca di Beppo for dinner and I learned that I don’t have to eat Amy’s Pesto Tortellini Bowl the night before a race. I can eat spaghetti with pesto and/or marinara sauce and meatballs and be just fine. We headed back, put the kids to bed and then Abby and I talked until it was time to go to bed. I slept amazingly well and was ready to go early. Unfortunately, the weather was drastically different from what I’d packed for. It was supposed to be in the 50s with calm winds, but it was actually in the mid-40s with 20+ mph winds. George very nicely lent me a “throwaway shirt” to wear until I got warm. We dropped off the girls, drove to the stadium and caught the subway to the start. I dropped my bag off, used the port-a-potty (nearly tipping over backward in it because it was on a downward slope), then jogged over to the start. I was already worried about overheating but afraid that I’d freeze when the race was over, so I tied George’s shirt around my waist under my shirt. We started off and I tried to keep pace with the people around me. I was a bit stiff but the course was supposed to be downhill so I didn’t worry about it too much. The race actually begins with rolling hills for the first 2-3 miles, but I did what I could to keep up. I stopped at the first water station (at mile 2.4*, near a Taco Bell) and stretched. At the next water station (at mile 4.1), I had to retie my shoelace. At the last second, I panicked and retied my shoe too loosely and it came untied in the 4th mile. Thank you to all the kind people who told me about the untied lace. We passed through some pretty, old neighborhoods, most of which were run-down, but you could see that the buildings had been very fine at some point. Not all were as nice as the Victorians, but Philadelphia has some fine architechture, especially the Divine Lorraine Hotel at Fairmont. It’s abandoned now, but will make gorgeous apartments in the hands of the right developer! I tried to keep my eyes on William Penn (who stands atop City Hall smack in the middle of Broad Street) as I struggled through the first 6 miles. I wanted to make sure I got through the first 6 miles in under an hour. There’s no way to run through City Hall, so we had to make a jog around it and I got to see the Clothespin statue, which I remembered from my days at Penn (I went to the Wharton School undergrad). After passing around City Hall, we headed back down Broad Street and passed the Union League Building (http://www.aviewoncities.com/building/unionleagueofphiladelphia.htm) where my friend, Abby, received a Good Citizenship Award. I managed to get to the 6th mile marker on pace, skipping a couple of water stations to make sure it happened. At that point, I knew that even if I slowed to 10-minute miles, I could still set a PR. I focused on getting from mile-marker to mile-marker, recalculating in my head as I ran. At mile 7, I knew I could probably break 1:35 and at mile 8, I thought I might even make 1:33. At mile 9, I almost forgot to check my watch, but I’m so glad I remembered! It said I had been running for 1:21 and change – if I really pushed it, I could even break 1:30!! And you all know me, so you know what happened next. I had already skipped the last water station, so I just had to keep going and hope I could make it across. I ran hard, trying not to hurt my knee too much (I’d been doing knee swings at every water stop). We started passing the people who had already finished. One guy yelled that we had only a half mile to go, but I told myself not to listen, that it might be farther. I knew that the finish was a quarter of a mile inside the Navy Yard. I was really excited to pass under the gate – I went there for medical care and groceries when I was in college, but I don’t have access to military bases anymore. I kept looking for the finish, but couldn’t see it and was despairing of breaking 1:30. I knew I had taken about 2 minutes to cross the start. All of a sudden, I realized that I couldn’t see the finish line because it was set low under some trees. It came up on me fast (thankfully) and I crossed the chip mats at exactly 1:32.

Abby and George were there in the crowd and we all happily announced our PRs. We collected our goodie bags (I was given 2 for some reason), then headed back to the car. I was supposed to run another 4 miles, but couldn’t manage more than 2. My knees were not happy at all. We ate cheesesteaks then went to the Israeli Independence Day Festival where I got to see Abby and Hana and George and Lilian ride camels. My visit with Abby and her family was wonderful. From the moment I stepped into the car, I was made to feel welcome – it was if it were my twentieth visit, rather than my first.

Official stats: I finished in 1:29:29 for an 8:57 pace over the 10 miles (my official time was 1:32:00) – a PR by 8 1/2 minutes! I was 6802 out of 15882 finishers, putting me in the 57th percentile.** It was 48°F (9°C) when we started, but warmed up to the 50s (teens) by the time we finished. My splits from my watch were: 9:02, 8:50, 9:36, 8:51, 9:27, 8:55, 9:32, 8:27, 8:46, and 8:06.

Celebratory treats: We went to Geno’s for cheesesteaks (Whiz with for me). It was delicious! It’s been years since I had a cheesesteak. For dessert when I got home, I had a scoop of Baskin-Robbins peanut butter cup ice-cream. The real treat for me was the time I got to spend with Abby, George, Lilian and Hana!

Next up: Here are the races I’ve scheduled: Healthy Kidney 10k on May 19th; AHA Wall Street Run 5k on May 22nd; the first media challenge (3.5) on May 23rd; the NYC Half Marathon on August 5th; the Disneyland Half Marathon on September 3rd; the Nike Women’s Half on October 21st; the inaugural Tower of Terror 13k on October 27th; and the NYC Marathon on November 4th. There will undoubtedly be other races in between those, but those are the races I’ve entered so far. There’s a distinct possibility that one of these will be my 100th race. I’m really looking forward to that milestone!

Thank you for all your support!

Here is a link to some random pictures, including pictures from the race: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=mytripsandraces&aid=576460762401657090&pid=&wtok=PxCw8OOdlAEVvV7YPAVyrA--&ts=1179367179&.src=ph (as always, there’s commentary in the slideshow).

*Broad Street is very well-organized. The exact locations of the water and Gatorade stations were listed in the Runners’ Guide. There were also maps of the start, the course, and the finish and listings of previous winners in various categories.

**Unfortunately, despite registering in person and my e-mail message and phone call and their return call to me assuring me that everything would be taken care of, I am listed as a male in the results. My name is also misspelled, despite the fact that I paid by check. I am very disappointed and will continue to harass the BSR until they correct my record. It’s my personal opinion that if there’s a question about any information provided by a participant, then the information should be taken as offered until verified. They had no right to change my registration application. The man who checked me in marked my gender correctly on my bib, for Pete’s sake! Grrrrr