RACE REPORT: NYC Marathon – 3:09:25

Posted on by Posted in Race Reports, Running, Uncategorized Leave a comment

I always do this. I run a race and when it comes time to sign up for it again I hesitate – thinking I’d be sick of it. Then, I go running with all my friends who are like “Woo hoo, the New York City Marathon in 2022 is gonna rock!” and I get FOMO. 

For those of you who aren’t psychotic runners, if you miss the sign up deadline for a race you’re pretty much not running it.

Unless… 

ACCESS GRANTED

One morning I was out with BW doing an easy 6 miler and we ran into one of his pals. After they heard of our epic 2021 NYC Marathon, coming in under 3 hours, great weather, etc, they asked if I was running it this year. “I forgot to sign up, so stupid.” They then say, “I can get you a bib (legitimately); email me.”

And the next thing I knew, I was registered for the 2022 NYC Marathon. Big thanks M, drinks are on me.

SUMMERTIME ROLLS

Guess who got injured 3 weeks after race confirmation? Me. 

For starters, I got plantar fasciitis. I think it happened from faulty shoes and constantly walking around barefoot inside the apartment. I ended up messaging all my runner friends, some of whom have run 60+ marathons and have had every type of injury you can think of. To add insult to injury, I got Covid in late August and it took me 3-4 weeks after to fully get my lungs back.

Huge thanks to my friend and fellow runner David Y. I ‘ran’ into him in the park and he heard about what I was going through. “Baker – you go fast all the time. Slow it down.” And so I did.

I basically stopped running at the end of June through July, only going out once or twice a week for slow easy runs. I was icing my foot every day all the time, stretching it, and using Powerstep foot insoles. Strangely enough, it worked and by mid August I was increasing my mileage. To my dismay, all of my running crew were way ahead of me in NYC Marathon training so I had work to do.

RIDE THE LINE

There’s a fine line between trying to up your mileage and speed and at the same time stay injury free. I ran my first 20 miler 8 weeks before race day, keeping my pace moderate. Over the next couple of weeks I was able to successfully execute 3 more 20 milers (some with my crew BW, Row, and D) and get in some speed work. I felt really fit and was pretty excited to race.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

My friend Jenn from DC got into the marathon after 7 years of applying, so she was in town with her husband Rick (also an old friend of mine) and was very excited. We had lunch by their hotel in Times Square at Toloache for some tacos while we talked about race strategy. It was set to be very hot, so hydration was a main topic. 

I spent the rest of the day relaxing and trying to stay off my feet. Emily made us an amazing rib eye steak with sweet potatoes and green beans for dinner. “But Baker – where’s the carbs? What about the pasta dinner?” Thanks for asking. I’ve found that for my last 2 marathons, this meal in particular has worked wonders. The sweet potatoes provide a ton of carbs. 

Flat Baker

I was in bed by 10.

CURTAIN CALL

I awoke at 5 am easily as it was really secretly 6am since we turned the clocks back. I felt supercharged and ready to fly. I’ve recently been making oatmeal with sliced apples and honey pre-running, so I made some of that to go! I also loaded my goodie bag with water, gatorade, bananas (for sharing) and lots of gels.

I jumped on the train at 72nd Street, something I’ve never done in my previous 6 New York Marathons. I normally take a cab to the ferry, but this was way better as the subway was filled with runners! My peoples! 

I easily caught the 6:30am ferry and stood outside on the very front balcony. Another first, as normally it’s like 40 degrees out. But today it was 65.

Hi Lady L.

IN LOCAL ELITE SUPER-SECRET BASE CAMP

The last few years I’ve gotten to start in the Local Elite corral. Upon entering, you find yourself in a smaller camp with your own set of port-o-potties, coffee, snacks and all of your local speedy friends! It was like a Central Park reunion and I was loving it. The warm weather made it even more fun as everyone was comfortable and not chattering about. I found BW, D, and Row easily and we geared up.

Me and Seb. He’s way faster than me. In 2009 we ran a 37 mile ultra together.

BATTLE STATIONS

After the party it’s the marathon. We marched up in front of all the other corrals and took our places. We were about 30 feet from the start line and I was surrounded by not only BW, D, and Row, but many other local running friends. It was fantastic. 

A little Frank Sinatra, the canon sounded, and the herd bolted off.

THE NARROWS

The bridge felt great as we were on the bottom level – out of the sun – and it was breezy. Our group held a tight 4-man position and moved steadily. Mile 1 of the race is straight up the bridge, so you need to stay cool. 

The descent, on the other hand, is fast so you also need to maintain control. 

As we turned onto 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, the crowds were thick, it was just Row and I together. We had lost BW and D somewhere back there and were sure we’d see them again.

WHERE BROOKLYN AT?

I have and continue to love running 4th Avenue in Brooklyn. It’s Miles 2 through 8, the crowd support is fantastic. it’s a straightaway and the first chunk of the race, so generally speaking you feel awesome. Row and I plugged along taking note of things, like the guy running barefoot and the guy in full-body Incredible Hulk paint.

MORE SALT PLEASE

At Mile 4 I was getting dizzy – like bad dizzy where my vision was jumpy. I even thought that I might have to end my race. But that early, no way I would accept defeat. After many years of running races and triathlons, one of the things you learn to do is quickly problem solve on the fly, before things turn ugly. Thankfully, D had given us all a Ziploc bag full of 5 salt pills in base camp. I knew that would help and I took one followed by some on-course Gatorade. 

One mile later I was feeling fantastic and my head was clear. Row and I had been hitting our mile markers in the 6:50 range and it felt right. 

I saw my cousin Morgan and her boyfriend Reed Miller Music cheering us on here as well!

DEATH STAR RUN

One of the parts of the run I hate is when you go from 4th Avenue by Barclays Center into Fort Greene on Lafayette. Here you are running on an avenue 8 lanes wide and then BOOM right turn onto Lafayette which is like 2-3 lanes across plus the crowds are all over the streets. 

Right before I turned I heard this blood curdling scream from across Brooklyn “Chris Baaaaaaaaker! Goooooo!” I looked back and my buddy Trevor (in town from Miami) was standing on scaffolding cheering at me. Impressive!

THE HEAT IS ON

Did I mention it was hot and humid as fuck out? For reference, the other 6 NYCMs I’ve run, I showed up to the start in layers of winter clothes… sweatpants, hoodies, gloves and a winter hat at minimum, only to shed them moments before I started running. This year I showed up in shorts and a tank top as if it was a summer morning.  

I tend to perform okay in the heat and humidity, but I definitely don’t function as fast as if it were 50 degrees. I think at Mile 10 it felt like 75 degrees plus humidity. This is where I lost Row. 

I also stopped looking at the course clocks and my watch, knowing that any PR was certainly not happening. I was running the rest of the race based on best effort.

A quick PSA about the photos I DID NOT purchase. I’ve bought plenty of race photos, and sometimes you want like 3, but these guys force you to buy all because individual images are $25 bucks! C’mon.

THE PULASKI BRIDGE SUCKS

What? It does. After going through WIlliamsburg and Greenpoint, you have to cross over into Queens by way of the Pulaski Bridge. It’s the halfway mark and the bridge is more of an extended overpass with zero shade and not much to look at. I hit 13.1 around 1:31 and change.

LONG ISLAND CITY

I have a soft spot for LIC because I started my real estate career there and have spent many days touring it with clients. The crowds were awesome. I ran by my friend Emily G. here and we chatted for a hot second.

59TH STREET BRIDGE OF DARKNESS

‘Rookie Baker’ hates this part of the race because it’s cold, dark and void of spectators but my older, more experienced self enjoys it. ‘Refined Baker?’ It’s a time to get everything in check. There are no distractions in regards to cheering crowds, so you can focus your pace and breathing back to where it needs to be. It’s a bit like meditation I guess? Slow and controlled up the bridge and then relax and open it up for the descent. It’s very exciting going into mighty Manhattan and definitely a highlight of the race to look forward to. I’ve been brought to tears (happy tears) in this moment.

I ran by this guy and he was like “Hey! Baker!” It was my friend Erik who I sometimes run with on Friday mornings.

STAY COOL

I love 1st Avenue but it’s LOUD! Like crazy loud if you’ve never experienced it. I like to stay to the right side which is less populated so I don’t get sensory overload in this crucial part of the race. 

At Mile 18 I saw Emily and her parents. I couldn’t miss them; Emily had 2 huge CB balloons! I also saw Bojo, Brian, Caitlin, and BH soon after, followed by one of my running partners, Jim. My pace quickened to a 6:57 here due to all the excitement. 

I also passed my friend and coworker Phil here who was pacing an Achilles runner.

Thanks for the pic BH!

RUMBLE IN THE BRONX

Miles 20-22 were my slowest of the race. The Willis Avenue Bridge going into the Bronx took a lot out of me. I was mentally getting beat up, too, and I tried hard to keep my feet moving. I was down to 1 salt pill.

FOUR2GO

Cruising up 5th Avenue I clocked my slowest mile (8:06) because I stopped to high five BW’s wife and say hi to their kids who were all out cheering. I was like “Where is he?” She said that he and D were like 10 blocks behind me. I thought for a brief second of waiting for them but realized that would make my situation worse. 

After I rounded Marcus Garvey Park, my pace picked up back to the mid 7’s. I saw Jim for a second time here cheering. I remember thinking, “How did he get here so fast?” I was getting excited knowing I didn’t have too much longer to go. I also saw my friend and fellow runner Jacqueline on 5th, which gave me a boost too! 

Soon after, I saw Emily and her parents on 93rd Street along with my pal Rick!

Thanks Liz!
Thanks Maura (heard here cheering).

MY BACKYARD

The park was gorgeous this year. The warm weather had stopped the leaves from falling and had in turn allowed them to get more vibrant. I was in pain here but nothing I hadn’t experienced before. And strangely enough it started drizzling, which was a welcome relief. 

I saw my friends Anna and Danny and their kids cheering behind the Met! 

The rest of the race was per usual, a bit of a blur. The last 2 miles were a 7:14 and 6:28.

THE FINISH

I completed the race in 3:09:25 with a 7:14 pace, although it felt like I was moving slower. I got to see my friend and fellow runner Susan who was volunteering at the finish too! 

I tried to wait for the guys at the finish, but volunteers tend to move you along so I had to exit.

FUTURE GENERATIONS

As I exited onto 76th Street, which was completely empty, I had one of the coolest marathon experiences I can remember. This mother and her son started clapping for me and yelled “Congratulations!” I smiled and said thanks and then the son, who I learned was named Noah, said “Can I see your medal?” As I walked over toward them, I said “Sure; in fact, would you like to wear it?” He smiled huge and looked at his mom as if to see if it was okay. “He said you could, go ahead!” I gave him the medal and after inspecting it, he put it on and had his mother take a picture of him. He then looked at me and said wide eyed, “We saw someone puke!” I laughed out loud and said yea that happens. 

As I walked away I turned back and yelled, “Hey Noah! I want to see you out there one day okay!” He nodded as I turned back heading toward Columbus Avenue. 

As if I couldn’t be riding any higher, a cop at Columbus asked to take a picture with me (why I have no idea). Then, my friend Juan popped out of nowhere and hugged me and said to the cop, “Oh, you want a picture with the famous Chris Baker!” We laughed and I explained to the officer that I was indeed NOT famous. 

I helped a few lost people cheering for their loved ones, like a good New Yorker, before heading finally to Playa Bettys.

TACO TOWN

Emily and her parents were already seated when I arrived at Playa Bettys to celebrate. It was around 12:30 and I was ready for some lunch! My friend Kiera also popped over to celebrate.

After a fantastic drawn out meal, Emily and I headed back home. We had some time before Jenn would finish and our next round of celebrating would start.

BURRITO BONANZA 

Back at Playa Bettys, this time at the bar, we waited for Jenn and Rick. She had a great race, although also felt the heat. We had a fantastic time recounting our individual experiences before calling it at like 8pm.

Me, Rick and Jenn and our wide variety of cocktails.

IN CONCLUSION

I’m a New Yorker and I love this fucking town. Why wouldn’t I want to run through the streets with all of my people cheering me on?!

I’m also thankful for my health. You never know what you have until you lose it and when I was sidelined this summer it was really depressing.

But here we are… put in the work and anything is possible. Running a marathon isn’t about me, it’s about you.

I see you. I believe in you.

I like this photo. I’m really happy.

22 down… and I’m not stopping anytime soon.

RACE REPORT: 158 NYC Marathon – 2:58:30

Posted on by Posted in Race Reports, Running Leave a comment

The New York City Marathon is New York’s biggest all-day block party. I think they estimate that upwards of 2 million people come out to cheer. When it was confirmed that it would take place in 2021, I wanted in. 

The only caveat was that I was running the Boston Marathon 4 weeks earlier. 

POST BOSTON TRAINING?

My legs were SHREDDED after the Boston Marathon. I didn’t run for 1-2 weeks after and when I did start up again, it was only for 3-4 easy miles at a time. I did run the last 9 miles of the course twice. Once was with BW, and the second time it was a week prior to the race. I met up with the Friday crew, all of whom were slated to run NYCM. 

I felt rested and healed, but it was anyone’s guess on what would happen on race day pushing heavier distances. 

FRIYAY

I joined the FriYAY run crew for an easy 4 miles around the park. It was nice to not go balls-to -the-wall like we normally do at 6 am.

I hit the Expo before work to grab my bib. The experience was a bit heavy for me even though I’ve been to the Javits Center 7 times to get my NYCM Bib. This time as I entered, I flashed back to both of my COVID vaccination appointments. They were here at the Javits in April and May and the scene was very different. I felt hopeful as I was getting a vaccination, but the city  was generally in a state of darkness. But instead of the Marines helping me find my vaccination station, I had fellow runners directing me to get my race gear… a total mind fuck.

SATURDAY SHENANIGANS

I met Mike B, my team lead from The Mike Biryla Team at Triplemint, on the Upper West Side at the first of two open houses we had scheduled. After wrapping the first, we headed over to the Upper East Side for the second. Check out the views from our listing on the 37th floor! 

Emily took me to a nice dinner at Vicolina, a Northern Italian restaurant on my block where I fueled up with some fusilli bolognese. This has been my pre-race go to for the last few years. 

Before bed we watched the Jean Paul Jean Paul Seinfeld episode. Soak of the year!

RACE DAY

I was awake 5 minutes before my alarm (5:30am, which was really 6:30am as we set the clocks back) and I felt great. I pumped some coffee into my veins and headed out to Jim’s place on 96th Street with my to-go coffee, bananas, Clif Bar, and Gatorade. We grabbed an Uber to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and were there in 15 minutes flat. We boarded the 6:15am ferry to the start… flawless. 

BASE CAMPING

I said goodbye to Jim as he entered the Orange Village and I headed toward Green. We had made it to base camp by 7:15am, which meant we had about 2 hours to do nothing. A colleague of mine from Triplemint  is very involved with Team for Kids and was volunteering, so I found her and said hi. I ran into a few other running friends in the and then headed to the Local Elite tent where I spent the remainder of my time.

SUPER SECRET PLACE

It was difficult to find the Local Elite area. It was all the way towards the front of the other corrals and next to the pacer tent. It was small, but we had our own coffee, water, and bathrooms. Awesome! Seriously, like no bathroom lines. 

I hung with Brad, Jim, and Myles before Race Officials opened this secret door to the start that all of us casually walked out onto. There I found Dani, Patricia, and Colin and our whole Friday Run Crew. It was sick. Like, me and all my friends were just casually hanging out AT the start line. 

BATTLE STATIONS

At 9:10 we set off for Manhattan after numerous fist bumps from everyone. It was very exciting!

The Verrazano Bridge ain’t no joke people. BW and I planned on running together again and decided to take Mile 1 easy, which is all uphill. 

It was a bit chilly as the wind from the harbor was ripping across the bridge. 

Looking to the left and seeing mighty Manhattan off in the distance will never get old for me; it’s so majestic. 

Mile 1 – 7:43

THE DESCENT

I used my momentum from the downhill portion of the Verrazano to propel me into Brooklyn. 

Mile 2 – 6:27

FOURTH AVENUE FREEZE OUT

Coming out of Mile 2 I was feeling good! Legs fresh and mind clear… I was thinking that this was going to be a good race. In general, I can tell within the first 1-2 miles of a race if I have it or if I don’t. 

We picked up Tara here and she joined us for a bit. The crowds were strong as always and the vibe was amazing. I was all smiles.

THE BATHROOM PIT STOP

I had taken advantage of the bathroom situation at the Elite Tent but I think I’m going to be forever cursed with having to pee at the start of a race just because it’s all I think about. 

At Mile 4 or so I said, “BW, we have a problem. I have to pee and it’s not in my head.” Evidently he did too, so we stopped at the next available station. I always count while I do this so I had a rough idea of how much time was lost. This was just under 30 seconds. Not terrible,  but certainly not ideal. So we ran Mile 5 at a 5:30 pace. 

Just kidding.

ON PACING

We had been running at a 6:45ish pace consistently from Miles 3-8. Around Mile 9, D was cheering. He jumped on the course and gave me a totally bad-ass high five as we rocketed past! It was awesome. 

Then, the annoying 3-hour pace group showed up.

ON WHAT TO NOT DO WHEN LEADING A PACE GROUP

The 3-hour pace group was like 35-40 runners deep and spanned the whole width of the course. We were behind them headed into Fort Green and it wasn’t so much of a problem until we hit an aid station. It was like 40 drunk drivers careening all over to get water. I had to jam on the breaks and move to the center of the course and was not happy. 

I looked at BW and said, “I can’t be behind these guys. They are fucking my head game up.” Unfortunately, because they were taking up the entire width of the route we couldn’t get around them.

THE PASS

You shouldn’t just ‘surge’ in Miles 9-10 of a marathon, but we needed to pass these jokers. I saw an opening on the right and pointed in that direction and made my move. BW followed and after a steady 2-mile surge, we finally passed them. BW busted my chops a bit after but I assured him I needed them behind us for success. 

Miles 9-10 – 6:40

BROOKLYN

As always Brooklyn came out swinging with their cheer game. It was deafening. It was epic. 

I REPRESENT QUEENS

The Pulaski Bridge always sucked and continued to suck. It’s a boring overpass at the halfway point with zero curb appeal. 

I was having an odd moment here where my energy was off and my head was getting foggy. My pace slipped here into the 6:55 range for Miles 13 and 14. I was kind of worried about my race here and was trying to think of ways to correct it. I felt the worst I would for the entire race at this moment (which at the time I wasn’t aware of).

THE DARKNESS IS DEEPENING

The 59th Street Bridge is often described as one of the more challenging points in the marathon. It’s on the lower level, so it is very dark. It is also void of spectators, so it is very easy to get in your head and fall apart. 

I entered the bridge with BW on my heels and was surrounded by the 3-hour pace group. I tucked into the left side, shortened my stride and plugged along carefully. Because of the pace group, a normally quiet moment of the race was very chatty as the group leaders talked it out. I had lost BW at this point. 

At the apex of the bridge, I shook out my body a bit, lengthened my stride, and picked it up. My absolute favorite moment in this race is the descent onto First Avenue. When trying to describe the noise of the cheering and the breadth of the crowds I always use a football stadium as a comparison.

BACK ON MY ISLAND

Cruising down the off-ramp and onto First Avenue I got a surge of energy and felt great again. The crowds were in full force and the volume was as loud as its ever been. 

I strategically moved to the center right of the course in order to keep my pace steady and not let the energy of the crowds push me. First Avenue can be a dangerous place if you let the spectator energy inspire you to run faster than planned. 

Emily was right where she said she’d be at 93rd Street cheering me on along with some friends! My focus at this point was to hold this pace through the Bronx.

Mile 17 – 6:46

Mile 18 – 6:46

Mile 19 – 6:47

Mile 20 – 6:46

THE BOOGIE DOWN

I caught up to Myles and said hi for a hot second before crossing the Willis Avenue bridge into the Bronx. Our crew (Myles included) had done a few practice runs of this part of the course so I knew it well. 

Mile 21 – 6:44

FIFTH AVENUE FRENZY

As we came back into Manhattan I had still not checked my course time. I knew I was on pace for a 3-hour finish, but I wasn’t ready to start running the numbers yet for fear of panic. Also, I can’t do math at Mile 21 of a marathon. Instead, I focused on increasing my pace ever so slowly until I reached my backyard aka Central Park, where I would go into overdrive. 

I saw numerous friends on Fifth Avenue as I made my way south. It was great seeing them and each one gave me a surge. My legs were pretty beat up at this point, but were nowhere near the state of pain that they were in Boston 4 weeks earlier, which I kept reminding myself of. 

At 110th Street as we flanked the park, I noticed a huge number of spectators cheering us on. It was fantastic and much needed as we now had to slow climb up Fifth Avenue. I stayed on the right side of the course and picked up my pace. If I hadn’t blown up by now, I knew I wasn’t going to. 

Mile 22 – 6:48

Mile 23 – 6:43

Mile 24 – 6:37

I saw Emily again right before we crested Fifth Avenue and entered the Park. She had giant silver ‘CB’ balloons so you couldn’t miss her! 

THERE IS NO SPOON

Blasting into the park at Engineer’s Gate, I had loads of energy and my head was clear. My legs were trashed, though, so I had to ‘will’ them to go as fast as possible for the last 2.2 miles. 

The crowds were insane here, too! As we passed by Cleopatra’s Needle I almost yelled out to the crowd at its base, “That’s the oldest man-made object in NYC!” But I needed my energy. The park seemed to be flying by. 

Mile 25 – 6:32

As I passed the Mile 25 marker I decided to see what the course time was and if this was going to be as close as Boston. It read 2:51:xx… I had 8.5 minutes to get 1.2 miles. Overdrive, baby.

ESCAPE VELOCITY

I was on fire and running as fast as I could. I was passing loads of other runners, some walkers by this point, and was laser-focused cruising up 59th Street towards Columbus Circle. I had a few friends text me later saying that they saw me and were cheering me on, but I had no idea at the time. 

As I entered the park from Columbus Circle, I was on a mission. There was no way I was letting a sub3 in New York slip past me. Those last 400M seem to go on forever, just like Boylston Street in Boston. As I approached the Finish, arms swinging like a mad man, I actually heard them announce my friend Jay finishing just ahead of me! 

Mile 26 – 6:07

THIS IS THE END

As I crossed the mats my time registered as 2:58:30, a personal best on this course by over 1 minute! I’ll take it!

I immediately saw my friend Erin from NYRR who was working at the finisher area and got a congrats and a fist bump. Next, I heard my buddy Shane yell, “Baker! Congrats!” He had finished a few minutes ahead of me and crushed it. 

As I walked on after receiving my medal, I was overwhelmed with joy and had the biggest smile on my face. I even think I had a few ‘happy tears’ happen. I was on top of the world and felt a great sense of accomplishment. Sometimes these moments after a marathon are fleeting, so I tried to really feel the emotion. 

I waited for BW at 72nd Street outside the park. We celebrated our victory with some high fives and then got on the subway to head home.

AFTER THE PARTY IT’S THE AFTERPARTY 

I grabbed the crosstown bus home and had a quick shower before Emily and I set off around 2pm for Supply House, where the crew was meeting to celebrate. 

Guess what else happens on a Sunday in November? Football. Supply House was mobbed and we couldn’t even get in, so we hopped into Heidelberg across the street which actually would turn out to be successful. It’s an old school German bar that has what I call ‘big boy’ beers in  one Liter size. 

One by one the crew started amassing. Everyone had amazing races. Myles, Nick, Tara (with like a 30 minute PR of 3:05 holy shit), Colin, Ben, Jay, Erik, Bojo, Brian, Maura and many more were in attendance. It was pretty awesome. 

On the way home I found a credit card in the street. The next morning I was actually able to track down the owner using social media to return it to her and guess what? She ran the marathon too! It’s always fun to make runner friends.

IN CONCLUSION

Wow. What a day. I’ve done this a handful of times and coming back from the pandemic made this probably the most epic NYC Marathon I’ve experienced to date. And that’s what this is. It’s the marathon experience. It’s everything from the weeks of training leading up to it, the Expo, the pre race dinner, the race obviously, the friends you ran with, the emotions and the afterparty. New York City I love you. Thank you for restoring the positivity and faith in our city and ourselves that we have lost sight of these last few years. 

Until the next time when we are called to Battle Stations. Baker out…

RACE REPORT: 157 The Boston Marathon – 3:00:00

Posted on by Posted in Race Reports Leave a comment

BACK TO RACING

We were and still are in a pandemic and things have been far from normal for a very long time. One of the things that changed or stopped rather, was racing. How can you justify gathering thousands of sweaty, gross people to race against each other if it’s going to become a super-spreader event? 

Once it was decided that being outside was safe and that the vaccines were available, races started to pop again. The B.A.A. announced that the 2021 Boston Marathon would take place, but in October instead of April for safety, and I wanted in. My 2019 Eugene Marathon time of 2:57 was used as my qualifier and it got me in!

TRAINING FOR A MARATHON AGAIN

Running is fun, right? 

I was very excited at the idea of running a marathon with my peers again so I started amping up mileage this summer. I was doing a lot of 15-17 milers for fun but no speedwork or real structured training. Then, I started running with my speedy friends BW and Jim (and a few others). One day we were out running and they were like, “Baker, where are you in your training plan?” I was like, “Training plan? We have 3 months until the race, so I haven’t built one yet.” They replied, “Baker… the race is in 12 weeks.” 

So I built an aggressive 12-week training plan. 

During this training plan, BW and I would push mileage far with some long runs, getting up to 23 miles. It would turn out to be my best training cycle since the 2015 Paris Marathon (my PR). 

TRAVERSE THE PLANET

Emily and I jumped on an 11AM train out of Penn on Saturday that got us into town by 3. 

It was a brisk 55-60 degrees out and we walked to our hotel (The Bostonian) over by Faneuil Hall. With not much to do until dinner, we decided to hit the Expo and get my bib. It was pretty painless, not crowded and very safe as far as a pandemic goes. I told Emily she was in charge of a place for us to go afterward for snacks and wine. 

This is the old State House… note the unicorn.

She directed us to a place just off Boylston called Krasi. It was a Greek place that was evidently new and pretty hot. As we approached, there were a group of well-dressed Bostonians waiting for Krasi to open at 5. Things were heating up. 

We took the only seats available which were at the bar – the whole place was booked with reservations. We ordered 5-6 items to share off the menu and had a number of amazing Greek wines, which I love. Every time someone came in to grab a table, the staff notified them that were no availabilities until 9:30pm! Emily had rocked it in regards to picking a great dinner spot for us! 

This is spicy whipped feta with fried chicken skin. Yes, it was awesome.

THE HARD ROCK CAFE

We had a room in The Bostonian, right across from the Hard Rock Cafe. I think that if you 100% love getting diarrhea and heartburn, then yes, Hard Rock Cafe is for you. But I’m not a fan. I can confirm because I was employed by them in Baltimore, so I know where that food is coming from. 

Anyway… those assholes have an outdoor PA system playing music to lure unsuspecting victims into their establishment. At like 3AM I woke up because their music was still blasting. I had to call the front desk… in my calmest demeanor. As it turns out, they had already called the cops because a bunch of other guests (probably runners) complained and soon after, the shitty music stopped. But my point is… if this were on race night it would NOT have been ideal. So that’s what I was thinking about the rest of the night. 

THE DAY BEFORE THE SHOW

Sunday morning, I did a 2-mile shakeout run around Boston Common, which is something I’ve done the last few Boston Marathons I’ve run. It’s a pretty simple run, but you get to see a lot of other runners doing the same thing. It’s so fun and inspiring. 

We went to breakfast followed by Barking Crab for lunch, a tradition I’ve kept up since my first Boston Marathon. We met Emily’s friends Matt and Ariel there and had a really fun and relaxing time. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the hotel watching Despicable Me and staying off my feet.

CARB-O-LOADING

I had made us reservations at Fox and the Knife, a restaurant that had popped up on my radar and looked pretty amazing. We arrived at 6:30 and BW joined us shortly after. We had a caesar salad, tortellini en brodo, wild boar bolognese and chocolate cake as a closer. I also had 2 glasses of delicious Falanghina wines while BW chatted race strategy. 

Bib person…

In bed and asleep by 10… and no, Hard Rock didn’t wake me that night thankfully.

RACE DAY

I woke up at 6AM easily… I’m old now so the early stuff doesn’t hurt as much as it used to. I also skipped going out to the club last night. I grabbed us coffee at the Dunks and chilled for a bit as I had a little time to relax. After gearing up, I kissed Emily goodbye and set off for battle.  

PRE BATTLE THOUGHTS

As I was walking through town I got a little emotional and said out loud, “The Gods are with us today.” Trust me, there are races where the elements are not in your favor, and those days are very tough because all of your training becomes void. I knew we had weather conditions in our pocket which meant… perfect training, good health, great sleep, proper fueling… no excuses. I was going to set it off.

THE SH(COOL) BUS

I tried to find BW at our designated meeting place, but he’s bad with directions so was nowhere to be found. At 7:30 I made the call to just go. Approaching the Wave 1 buses I saw my little sister (as I like to think of her) Robin and hugged her. I then heard “Baker!” It was D who was waiting in line to get on a bus. I jumped on the bus that was in front of his with plans to intercept him at drop off. 

In an odd twist of events the bus we were on drove down the road we would normally walk down to the start, bypassing the school waiting area. Totally wild. It was like a limo drove us to the very front. I have no idea why this happened but all of us on board loved it.  

I united with D, Ben, and BW at the porto potty stop right before the start. Weirdly enough this is the spot I’ve linked up with other runner friends in years past. It was a rolling start this year, meaning, you just start running when you feel like it, so I was completely at ease without the anticipation of a start time. 

The Team

BW, D, and I walked up toward the start line (like bad asses mind you as Aerosmith’s ‘Dream On’ was blasting). We stopped right on the blue and gold painted start line, fist bumped, hit start on our watches, and began running. It was beyond cool; it was epic. To be toeing the line in Boston with no one around was a truly amazing feeling. 

FALL FROM THE SKY

Miles 1 to 16 in Boston are all downhill. The goal for us was to hold back and keep it together running a steady 6:50 pace. It’s very easy to get caught up in the downhills and speed ahead of pace, destroying yourself in the beginning only to have a horrible back half. 

BW and I were having a good time. I would shout out paces “48!” meaning 6:48, every time we hit a split. It’s very suburban for the first 9 miles, maybe even rural, but the crowds were out in full swing cheering us on! We started sharing aid station duties to conserve energy. I would take BW’s order, which was either Gatorade or water, and then hand it off to him before getting my cocktail of choice. At the next aid station, BW would take my order. It’s very strategic and really helps keep the pace on target. 

We were hitting the numbers spot on and feeling good. I ate my first of two gels at Mile 9.

WE’RE HALFWAY THERE

At the 13.1 mark we clocked in at 1:30:xx which was good, but not great if we were aiming for 3 hours. It would leave little to no wiggle room, plus we had the Newton Hills to tackle up ahead. 

At Mile 14.5, my Aunt Jen jumped onto the course yelling and cheering me on, which gave me a boost of energy! She lives right off the course and always has an amazing Boston Marathon party. I attended one year and had fun, but also had severe FOMO from not running.

PREPARE FOR LANDING

Just before Mile 16, you finally hit this monster downhill followed by a right turn toward Newton and its many hills. We took it as easy as we could going down the hill and I noted that my quads were already busted bad. 

I then saw Gary and Jill cheering us on!

PREPARE FOR TAKEOFF

Miles 17-21 is a series of 3 uphill climbs ending with Heartbreak Hill. The strategy was to conserve energy and reduce our stride, saving the attack for after mile 21. 

Heartbreak Hill

These hills actually felt good, since it was my quads that were destroyed from the downhills. I stayed steady, used my arms and tried to keep my breathing rhythmic. It was on these hills that I saw friends Shane, Susan (my new colleague… did you hear that I joined Triplemint?), Aimee and a few others cheering me on. It helped push me tremendously. Our pace here was just over 7 minutes per mile.

Photo credit: Susan, who is a Team for Kids member!
Sayin some shit to BW

I was also waving to all the Boston College kids to bring the noise, which they did. 

THE ATTACK

As we crested the top of Heartbreak Hill, BW picked up his pace and I followed. Miles 22 and on are false downhills so if you want to make a move, that’s the place to do it. I had my second of two gels here.

We were still hitting the 6:45-6:50 pace mark, which I thought was good, but BW disagreed. He cruised up next to me at Mile 22 and said, “Baker, you need to run the last 4 miles at a 6:30 pace flat to hit your goal.” I yelled to him, “6:30s?!” His response was a somber nod. I inhaled deeply and took off like it was the end of the world, arms swinging, legs BURNING. 

The aid stations were on the right for the last 4 miles, so I moved all the way left, planning on not taking in any more fluids, focusing on getting to the finish as fast as possible.

I summoned up some strength I never knew I had for this final battle. I did not look at the crowd but straight ahead, with tunnel vision, running the tangents and keeping my running form in check. My legs hurt more than they have ever hurt in my entire life, but my heart was steady and my mind clear. I kept saying my mantra over and over in my head, “There is no pain, only glory.” 

Mile 22: 6:38

Mile 23: 6:41

Mile 24: 6:26

Mile 25: 6:31

Emily was cheering around the Mass Ave. bridge, but it was so crowded, I missed her.

At this point I felt like I was running in some alternate dimension, passing everyone. As I took the right on Hereford and the left on Boylston, the finish line could not have seemed further away.  

Approaching the finish, which only took about 2 minutes in total, I was running harder and faster than I’ve ever ran in a Marathon. I left everything I had on that course. 

Mile 26: 6:37

Mile 0.2: 5:53

As I crossed the finish line, I had no clear idea of what my time was. I checked my Garmin, which said I was a few seconds over the 3 hour mark. 

I was thrilled with my performance. My time didn’t necessarily matter as I knew I had pushed myself to the brink of collapse. 

I walked on past the finish line with a huge smile on my face. I stopped to stretch on the side and to wait for BW to come through. He finished seconds after me and was happy as well. We chatted about the race while walking through the chute before finally parting ways. 

FAMILY MEET UP

I grabbed the bag of crunch Cheetos from the snack pack they gave me (yes, there were actually Cheetos) and munched on them while I walked to the family zone to find Emily. 

After a few minutes she found me and gave me a big congrats hug. She also let me know that my finish time was 3:00:00! 3 Flat! How does that happen? I was thrilled at the obscure finish time. We then hopped in a cab to make our way back to the hotel so I could shower before the after party. 

AFTER THE PARTY IT’S THE AFTERPARTY

After a quick shower and change of clothes, we walked over to The Black Rose, an Irish pub I specifically picked as it sounded ominous. My friend Kiera and her boyfriend Vince were already there. We celebrated with beers and some hearty Irish fare before heading out to the train at 5.

Finally got to put on that dope jacket.

IN CONCLUSION

What a day this was! What a hard, painful race this turned out to be. Was it shocking? No… it’s The Boston Marathon, one of the hardest marathon courses out there. I’m thrilled though. I executed my race plan to the tee and it paid off. Have a plan! Follow the plan and do not deviate!

Thank you to everyone who believed and still believes in me. I saw you on the course cheering. I got your text messages and emails. It fuels me and is why I do this. The running community is tight and I cherish everyone I’ve met through the years that support me. I hope you enjoyed the show.

The human body is capable of so much more than our mind is trained to understand. Free your mind and push your body to new levels. We are all Beyond Defeat… we just need to rise to the occasion.

Baker out…

VIRTUAL RACE REPORT: 156 #TCSNYCMarathon – 3:13:44

Posted on by Posted in Race Reports, Running, Uncategorized Leave a comment

‘The Marathon’

This year would mark the 50th Anniversary of the notorious New York City Marathon. The running community everywhere, especially us New Yorkers, were pumped. 

But…

There is a global pandemic happening and so pretty much Earth was put in a time-out. 

Most race organizers worked to create virtual events since we couldn’t gather in groups. I mean, a race where 40,000 people pack tightly into corrals is basically a super spreader spree right? 

The NYRR decided to have the marathon run as a virtual race.

What’s a virtual race? 

Using GPS tracking… Garmin watch, Apple watch, iPhone, etc. you record your race and then submit it through the proper channels. You are given a window in which you need to complete the race in order for it to count. The honor system also plays a very large role in a virtual race. 

Once the media started exaggerating how NYC was doing in late summer I found myself needing to show the rest of the world that we as a city are working together and rebuilding our community and economy. So I signed up to run the virtual race. 

I registered on September 23rd, giving me plenty of time to train for my November 1st virtual marathon.  I’m kidding. I would have to bend time and space to get this thing in order. 

I also designed my route to be a ‘Circumnavigate the Island’ route, my favorite.

Training? 

For my training I ran all the time (obviously) and worked in two 18 mile runs. Not my usual training regimen, but it was very last minute. Most importantly, mentally I was feeling fiery. 

I was even interviewed by ABC News! Here is the link: NYC Marathon Goes Virtual

Food for Fuel

I actually worked on Saturday the day prior to my race. I’m a Real Estate Agent here in NYC now and the market is on fire. I made sure to drink a ton of water and sit down any chance I had. 

That night Emily came over and I made my version of Shrimp Scampi. Sidenote: After years of testing, my ‘perfect’ race meal is pasta with shrimp. If I eat this the night before I wake up satiated and full of carbo-energy. I think the meal was awesome… I haven’t made it in forever so it was nice to get back to a pasta dish.  

Race Day

I awoke feeling fresh, well rested and somewhat ready to tackle 26.2 miles. It’s different when you’re choosing to run the marathon distance on your own time, not under the constraints of a race director, so it feels really easy to consider bailing. 

I did not of course and after a banana and a cup of delicious Kona coffee I headed out. The weather was overcast and in the low 50’s, absolutely perfect running conditions to set it off. 

First Avenue Freeze Out

I started the run going south on First Avenue. I felt good, but not too speedy. My goal, since we haven’t talked about it yet, was to run around a 3:30, having fun and enjoying the moment.   

I saw many race packs headed north (they were running the actual course) and we cheered each other on which was awesome. The positive vibes all day would be amazing. I saw a few friends on First as well who cheered me on. 

East River Rendezvous

Once I cut over to the East River on 34th Street things were starting to click in. My pace began to drop into the 7:05/10 range and I felt solid. It was here that I noticed that the sun was piercing the clouds and trying to make an appearance. 

At mile 9 I was rounding the tip of mighty Manhattan and passed my friend Allison going the opposite direction. We yelled at each other and kept moving! 

Sharks vs. Jets

As I made my way up the west side I had a solid rhythm going. My legs felt the same, good. Keep moving, keep the fun going. 

I kept thinking of all the New York moments I’ve had along the perimeter of the island within each unique neighborhood over the last 20 years. The towers falling and utter chaos, years of rebuilding, old friends followed by new friends, and many sunset cocktails and celebrations on the waterfront. New York is still (and always will be) New York, the ultimate shape shifter.  

The sun was out full force now and it felt great. The positive vibes were high as I made my way north along the west side. I was loving it and still wondering why I was running 26 miles on my own accord.  

The Appearance of Maura

Around mile 15 I saw Maura on a bike waiting to aid me. She rode alongside me with snacks and water. Eventually we parted ways as I made a beeline up to Riverside. Thanks Maura! 

Crossing the Jungle

With my mask on I wound my way through the streets of upper Manhattan and finally injected myself into The Central Park… my park and my backyard. My legs were a bit sore but nothing like in past marathons. It was actually quite puzzling.

Central Park Serenade

I knew I had a bit of a battle ahead. 8 miles to go is far from over. I was running in the 7:05/10 range which seemed to be my sweet spot all day. 

Descending Harlem Hill I kind of said a goodbye, knowing I wouldn’t need to deal with her again and moved on quickly. The Park was crowded, but not like it would be on a crazy summer day. I was also watching for other marathon runners that I could chat with. 

Sure enough, this guy started passing me and I said “Hey! What mile are you on?” assuming he was a marathon runner. “2.5 miles but I’m only doing 12. Do you want me to pace you? What are you running?” I was like, “No way man, cool. Yeah I’m running 7’s!” 

Tim (as I later found out) and I ran 6 miles at a 7 minute pace during my peak 18-24 mile range like it was nothing. Just shootin the breeze. I saw many friends in the Park at this point which was so helpful. The most epic part of the Park was certainly passing by the actual finish line at Tavern on the Green. Massive crowds, including a huge NYRR cheer squad, were present.

As we passed Engineer’s Gate up by my place, Emily was there with a whole set of balloons that said ‘Chris 26.2.’ It was awesome and totally took me by surprise!

The End is Near?

After completing a full loop, I left Tim and headed back east into the Great Lawn with 2 miles to go. I also did a little loop in the Ramble and then headed back onto the main drag. Weirdly enough, I had a stupid amount of energy and my legs were fine. Why? No idea. On another note, I had forgotten to eat any Gels the entire race. 

Tim! Big ups man. Miles 18-24 went by so easily thanks to your pacing!

Mission Complete

Barreling down the straightaway I had the finish line in sight. Earlier in the week, a friend of mine from NYRR gave me an actual NYRR Marathon Finish Line Tape to use with branding and all! I felt very legit. 

My time was 3:13 and change which I was thrilled with as it was way faster than what my goal was.  

Maura had made it to the finish line as well, hence this great video. Thanks again Maura. Emily and I were sitting down looking through the amazing Race Bag she had made me (by my balloons) when a photographer from the NY Times (Jose) came and photographed us!

Feed Me Seymour! 

After a quick shower (I was freezing) Emily and I went to Third Avenue Alehouse, which is my local haunt. You can often find me there on weekend eating, reading and in normal times chatting with my friend Chloe who works there. We housed the nacho platter then ended the day in the true spirt of Halloween by relaxing while watching Ghostbusters.

In Conclusion

Damn, you know I love a good ‘In Conclusion’ section!

Today was a blast. Was it as epic and monumental as a normal NYC Marathon? No. But guess what? Shit is super fucked up right now. I’m impressed with the NYRR and their ability to pull off as big a virtual race as they did. Seeing so many fellow runners out there really made me remember all the positive things in life.

Runners! We have such a great community! As I ran today I saw all shapes and sizes of runner. A multitude of different skin tones and different nationalities. You all have wildly different jobs and talents outside of running. We sometime speak different languages! So Fuck yeah, I love you all! Unity through running.

New York (Fucking) City has been kicking ass since 1664. We ain’t going nowhere.

– Baker out.

VIRTUAL RACE REPORT: 155 NYC Duathlon – 2:06:13

Posted on by Posted in Race Reports, Triathlon Leave a comment

On Virtual Racing

If you had told me a year ago I’d be experimenting with virtual races I’d tell you to take a hike. 

But, I am such a sucker for good race swag. The NYC Triathlon (my all time favorite race ever even though it’s so stupidly expensive) sent out an ad for their virtual Duathlon that comes with dope swag… so yeah, I signed up. It was also very cheap in comparison to the actual race.

Here’s the skinny; run 1 mile, bike 25 and then run another 6.2 miles at any time between July 11th-20th. I was going to do the legs of the race back to back, as if it were an actual race. I say that because you had the option to spread out the legs over a few days, which I thought silly.

Training

During COVID lockdown I have been training a lot (mainly running and biking daily) and am in pretty good fighting shape. What else is there to do really? I have not however, done any brick workouts in preparation for a triathlon/duathlon so there was going to be a good chance for ‘baby giraffe legs’ after the bike. 

Greek Food for Fuel

I decided I would execute the race on Sunday. The weather looked to be okay, hot but not crazy hot like it’s been. 

The night before I went out to eat on Second Ave and hit a Greek spot. Were this to be a more serious distance for me, I would have opted for a more Italian type meal, but this would be fine. Greek food can also be heavy and have that ‘stick to you’ quality I love in a pre race meal. 

ManhattanHenge

I was asleep by 10… perfect.

(Virtual) Race Day

The thing about a virtual race is that you can start whenever! You want two cups of coffee pre race, do it! Feel like watching the news until 11am? Lovely. Fix that leaky faucet in the bathroom? It’s your world baby, go for it! I think I left for my 1 mile run at 7:30 or so? 

I ran down Park Avenue to 83rd and turned around (in NYC every 20 blocks is a mile and I live on 93rd Street). I felt like I was moving but in reality I was only clocking 7:30-7:45 per mile, which wasn’t my intention setting out.

Warp Speed

I crushed a banana and then hopped on my tri bike for the 25 miles/4 loops of The Central Park. It felt good, per usual, to get on the bike and getting moving, wind in my face. For fuel, I had 2 bottles of EFS and no solids. 

As I entered the Park slowly I waited until a point I had mapped out that would get me to 25 miles (not 24, as 1 loop of CP is 6 miles). As I got to that point I hit my watch and then exploded into race pace. I’ve never done this before and it felt a lot like auto racing and very fun. 

I tackled all 4 loops in similar fashion and had no deterioration in speed or pace. I was going all out on downhills and flats and then dropping to easy gears and watching my heart rate on the uphills. I was also having a blast, but also being safe as it was busy. I know that there were also a number of people doing what I was doing, but there was no way to tell. So… I just imagined everyone biking to be a competitor I had to pass. 

I did take note that there were a number of Empire Tri Team members out doing the race looking strong! 

I finished in 1:16:07 with a pace just under 20mph average which I was excited by. 

Baby Giraffe Legs

I stopped to meet Abbe at 100th Street on the East Drive (where I had plotted my 25 miles to end). She had my sneaks and other items laid out nicely for me in T2. I changed shoes, sprayed on some extra sunscreen and bolted off. My legs were immediately jello! I haven’t experienced that in a while and it took a solid 5 minutes to shake it off. 

T2

Mile 1: 6:42

I was really happy to get Harlem Hill out of the way at the start. 

Miles 2-4: 6:36, 6:20, 6:25

As I rounded the bottom of the Park I was still feeling peppy! I just kept those legs moving.

Mile 5: 6:25

One thing that was challenging was the lack of aid stations. Had it been a greater distance on the run I might have planned some secret drops. 

As I came up to The Gates (which any NYC runner knows is a straightaway) I tried to keep my pace maxed out. I was really close. 

Mile 6: 6:19

As I got up to T2/The Finish Line I also realized I would have to overshot it by 200M, which was fine. I yelled to Abs, “200 to go!” as I went by. 

The Finish Line?

I finished in 2:06:13 which I guess is okay? This is my first virtual duathlon so I have no idea and no personal benchmarks to go by. 

Wait, that means it was an automatic PR right!?

Celebration?

COVID post race parties aren’t a thing really, so the afterparty situation just doesn’t happen. 

I did however, take my book and go to my local pub Third Ave Alehouse for some lunch and a few drinks. My friend Myles alerted me that he was out as well doing ‘to go’ socially distanced drinks in the hood, so I met him for a few after. 

In Conclusion…

Is virtual racing wierd? Hell yea. Is it all we have right now? Yes, so I’ll take it. I miss the competitive edge of it all though I will say that. Chasing actual racers down, maybe winning some hardware, and drinking beers in gross race clothes with fellow athletes is what I live for. I have faith in (most) of humanity that we will get back there soon, we just need to get our shit together. 

Keep training for battle. Baker out.

154: Grete’s Great Gallop 10k – 37:51

Posted on by Posted in All Leave a comment

Friday.

What better way to plan for a fast 10k than to go out to a cabaret the night before?

One of my athlete’s and now long time friend, Nelson Aspen, was having a performance at the Green Room 42 at 7PM and I wouldn’t miss it. I had an extra ticket and had offered it up to his friend Vicki who had just landed from LA. Her and I grabbed a drink and headed into the show.

His performance, as always, did not disappoint! After the show we all met up in the hotel bar for an after party. I got to meet the ABC7 News Team who had attended. I was sad to see that Amy (Freeze) whom I already know as she is a runner didn’t make it.

I was home by 9 to make myself a cozy oil and garlic pasta dinner to fuel up for the race. Goodnight Moon.

Saturday.

I was up at 7 and out the door by 7:30 for an easy jaunt down to the start in south east corner of The Park.

I did not run into any friends in my Corral and so just did my thing and bopped around to my music. Soon enough the gun went off and we were cruising.

Mile 1 we were in a fairly tight pack and I was analyzing my body. Did I feel loose? Yes. Any pain? No. Did I feel fast? I did. My pace clicked off at a 6:12.

Mile 2 I decided to pick it up a bit and start having fun, passing people and pushing the pain threshold. I couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous it was out. My pace clicked off at a 5:57. Mile 3 I slowed to a 6:12 as we had to tackle the notorious Harlem Hill.

By now I was running in a flying V formation with 2 other guys. One was named ‘Johnny’ who had quite a few local friends yelling hi. I was a bit jealous… where were my peeps today!? We were doing a really solid job of working together as a pack. After we crested Harlem Hill I moved ahead of them and lead us for the next mile while they tucked in behind me. Mile 4 was a 6:18, which I wasn’t pleased by.

With two to go I pushed it hard again. I lost my guys and was pretty much running solo coming into the lower half of The Park. Mile 5… 6:02. I told myself ‘Just hang on a bit longer.’ as my body was burning up.

Then up ahead, I saw my friend Emily! She’s a super speedy runner friend that I had trained with and got to know earlier in the summer as we had similar paces. She is aiming to break 3 in NYC in 2 weeks and I think she’s got it covered. She has also recently asked me to pace her in the race which I’m super excited about and very honored to do! Anyway, I cruised up along side of her and we chatted for a hot second before I pushed on.

I blasted up 72nd and finished in 37:51 (Mile 6 was a 5:59).

I was really happy with my performance. It wasn’t a PR but one of my top 3 finishes in a 10k and mind you, those other top finishes were in my younger days!

On Heart Rate.

An interesting thing I noticed (for the first time ever) when analyzing my HR was that it didn’t spike until Mile 2! Totally wild right. My engine needed to warm up?

Saturday Post Race.

After cleaning up after the race I headed over to Third Avenue Ale house with my book to grab some lunch. It’s always super chill and the bartender Chloe is a big reader too so we can chat books.

That night I travelled off the island all the way to Brooklyn to my cousin Morgan’s apartment warming party.

It chalked up to a pretty dope Saturday.

153: Mightyman Montauk Half Ironman – 5:25:08

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running, Triathlon Leave a comment

The season closer, which was ironically my season opener, was a race ‘The Dad Posse’ and I decided to race based on a night of drinks out in Midtown after work. Most of my most epic races have been chosen during a beautifully inspired happy hour.

To Train, or not to Train… that is the Question.

You may have noticed a huge gap in my writing even though I was participating in races. There have been some big life changes and I honestly just haven’t been inspired to write. But life thrives with struggle, and as this Half Ironman neared execution date I needed to get my head back in the game.

I did two 50+ rides with my Ironman training partner Dougie Dee a few weeks prior to the race and did one open water swim at ‘Super Secret Tri Training Camp’ (aka Aunt Margie and Uncle John’s lake). These were the only cycle rides and swim I had done in a year… so I was basically relying on my running skills to get me through the race.

To the End of the Earth

Jim and I (Ed and Mike couldn’t make the race) headed out on Saturday morning. It was a gorgeous day for a drive and we kinda just took our time getting out to Montauk, which ended up being around 3 hours.

To those of you who understand what ‘The Hamptons’ are… go 15 miles past them to the last town on Long Island and you get to a beautiful place called Montauk. Old salty sea dogs and surfers alike populate this earthy beach haven where there is no judgment. Jim and I immediately loved the place.

We checked into our motel and walked the 1/16th of a mile to Transition to check in. Whoa race morning was be gonna easy.

The Point Bar & Grill

Have you ever walked into a bar and felt totally welcome and at ease? Welcome to The Point. Dark with slender windows designed in the 50’s around a brick structure, the bar was primarily old wood from a different era. Everyone knew everyone and I wanted to be those people.

Jim and I posted up, grabbed some beer and ordered our late lunch. I chose the catch of the day blackened… when in Rome. Soon enough, Mike, the older salty dog to our left started talking to us. “You guys Coast Guard?” Holy shit did he just make my day. I looked at Jim and said, “He thinks we’re Coast Guard! Do we look like Coast Guard?” We corrected him and explained that we were here for the triathlon. He wanted to buy us some beers but it was gorgeous out so we left. We would return in time…

The Ocean

We hung out on the beach for a few hours catching up on life which was cool. It was a different kind of beach hang. It was Fall beach, the kind of beach you needed a sweatshirt for, and it was nice.

Pre Race Dinner?

We hit up Montauk Brewery for pre dinner drinks and then landed at Montauk Circle Burger for dinner. Both of us had not trained and were taking this race very light heartedly. So yea, no huge pasta dinner. (Beer is a carb.)

Showtime Bitches

Jim was up at 4:30 and I was up and ready to roll by 5:30. Transition was already open and the swim waves started at 6:50… we were right on time.

We met our new friend Rob (also staying in the motel) and rode over to the start in the deep, dark and spooky fog. It was amazing, especially since the temperatures were hovering in the 55-60 degree range. Lost in the darkness and feeling extremely relaxed I did what I have done time and time again in triathlons. I was setting up my transition area and taking it all in. It can have a very eerie silence to it, all the athletes internally contemplating their day.

Me? I don’t know… let’s go have some fun chasing each other.

Coffee contemplation.

Into the Soup

I was in Wave 1 which started 10 minutes late. I waded out with my peers and was pretty damn excited about digging into this cushy clean lake. Our turn buoy, the furthest out, looked very daunting as far as distance goes. I fist bumped a few strangers (now friends?) and after wishing them well on their journey plunged into the liquid fun.

The first half of my swim was so relaxing. I thought about so many things and solved so many of my problems. Being in a swim is like a deprivation chamber, just you and your thoughts. I was focused on my form (since it had been a year) and was making nice headway.

Then, we turned around and eventually hit the back of the pack Olympic and Sprint swimmers… like a traffic jam. Now, I’m not a great swimmer as far as speed is concerned, but I can get kicked in the face have my head thrust down and manage just fine. These guys were all over and totally throwing off my game. In their defense, there were a lot of first time triathletes out there, which I highly support, but they were fucking up my cadence.

Ride Your Bike

Off into the oblivion that was the bike course I felt pretty damn good. I was wearing my Italian Torbole bike jersey because my Iron buddy Dougie Dee was doing a bike race simultaneously. We both got the same jerseys in Italy so it’s meaningful to me.

The Half Iron folk had to do two loops of this course while the Olympic people were doing one. I had a nice crowd as we cruised out on the empty highway. Then, we hit this big ass hill. It wasn’t as long as State Line Hill (if ya know it) but it was more condensed.

I found this guy I was calling ’61’ (since that was his age as marked on his calf). I had my age printed on my calf too. We leapfrogged most of the way for the next 10 miles which turned into a lot of fun. And… he was super badass. Like, if I make it to 61 this is the kind of athlete I want to be.

We passed Montauk Point and headed back east. Then, we turned kind of up north, east to another point. Both lookouts were super cool and in my head I was like “I’m coming here before we leave to check it out.”

’61’ left me as I had to do the turn around to do the whole freaking bike course over again. I gotta tell you, a point to point course is so much better than a looped one. It’s so mentally challenging.

Loop Two… Where is everyone?

As I made the U-Turn I immediately noticed I was by myself. A few things run through your head… am I back of the pack? Is this the wrong course? Am I in the front leading?

I was hoping for the latter so I started riding hard with my head down. I was enjoying myself but fatigue was clearly setting in. “Do a systems check Baker.” This is where I do a once over on all body parts and try to figure out what is slowing me down or causing my body to fail. I started slowly eating bits of a Cliff Bar, immediately noticing a difference. I also started taking salt tablets every hour. Life and energy was being restored, hope renewed.

I certainly had major ups and downs on loop two, especially since I was riding by myself most of the time. I tried to keep my spirits up and stay focused on the end game. My bike pace did pick up on certain stretches, so much that I zoned out and was just cutting through space and time in a daze. I finished in 2:50 with a 20 mph average speed.

Running is so fun

I came in hard to transition. Like, I skidded. Then, I popped out of the zone.

In T2 Jim was waiting for me as he raced the Olympic and had already finished. I was secretly very jealous. He hung out while I was changing and asked how I was doing, he had a great race and I told him I’d be done in an hour thirty. As I hit the course and started running I was like ‘That’s probably not gonna happen.’

The first hill was so cute. I thought that was the hill everyone was talking about and was like ‘seriously’?

I was also chugging along and my splits started coming in… 7:30’s! My standard issue for triathlons which made me happy. Sometimes in a triathlon you feel as if you are moving very very slowly, so to have some statistics come in that say otherwise can be up-lifting.

Somewhere around Mile 2 we took a left turn into a neighborhood. ‘The Neighborhood of the Biggest Hills Ever.’ Holy smokes, this one hill (and if you did the race you know what I’m talking about) came out of nowhere and was brutal. I started running up it then walked most of the way to the apex. I was looking forward to bombing down it on the return downhill.

The positive factor was that I was passing by lots of fun people who were receptive to my jovial positive reinforcement. Later, we would become friends. Oh, and it was crazy hot out, like 80, with occasional shade. If there wasn’t a gorgeous Montauk ocean breeze we all might be dead.

Things changed at Mile 5. This happens to me all the time, but normally around Mile 2. I cannot explain what went down, but I was watching my heart rate and trying to regulate it. Some new source of energy surged into me and the fatigue and pain I was feeling went away. People became targets and my pace quickened.

Halfway to enightenment

As I passed through the transition area, mile 6.5 or so, I knew I was half way done. I also knew that something was happening. I ran and I ran, in that odd place by the lake, knowing I would hang a left into the hilly neighborhood I now knew so well. My triathlon legs were gone and my runner body was here. I was in some sort of overdrive.

I ran (slowly up the hills) but kept momentum going. I saw all my old pals finishing who high fived me, competitors I would not beat as they were on fire and crushing it. I found myself running at a steady consistent pace hitting 7:30’s. In fact one spectator yelled at me ‘Nice cadence!’ An odd compliment in my head I was like ‘Cool, thanks.’

Exiting the neighborhood, we had 2 miles to go on the highway. If you wanted to talk to me about why endurance athletes can endure, I suppose I would say something like ’10 percent physical, 90 percent mental.’ That was what was going down in this moment… my mind and body were in total sync and in an unfaltering pace aimed for the finish. As I write this and reflect on it I realize that these moments are the most important in the sport. The mind and body working together in some sort of nirvana carrying you to the end. I honestly didn’t feel tired.

The Chapter Closes

During the entire race I often said to myself, especially in times of need, ‘This is what you live for. Do not wish for the end to come so soon, enjoy the moment.’

Unfortunately, the end did come and I welcomed it as the heat was getting to me. As I cruised to the finish my favorite spectator (who had been stationed all over and was great at well, spectating and getting me amped up) was by the finish. She gave me one final shout out as she left the scene waving goodbye.

I finished with a jump shot, an homage to my original coach, Coach Sonja, who taught me a lot. My run time was 1:40 flat.

Jim was there waiting and looking, might I add, super fresh. Very jealous! I accidentally had a non-alcoholic beer before collecting my things in transition. It was there I saw one of my competitors and now friend Baris. He happened to be across from me in transition and so we laughed a bit about the race. He is from Brooklyn! Hi neighbor.

Post Race

After cleaning up, Jim and I headed to the awards ceremony. I had won 2nd Place in my age group (26th overall), so I got a trophy! For those of you new to me… I am an artist. Growing up I did not participate in any sports at all. I started all of this nonsense when I was the ripe old age of thirty. Point being, I never won trophies, so it’s a big deal to me when I do.

After the awards we hit The Point for dinner. We were both pretty wiped out so we spent the rest of the night chilling out in our hotel.

Back to Mighty Manhattan

We were up pretty early, which meant one thing… coffee run to Sevs! (7-11… if ya don’t know, now ya know). I wanted to hit the lighthouse before leaving but Jim did not, so we parted ways.

I drove out to the tip of Long Island, the ‘End of the Earth’ as you might call it. It was remote, it was cold, rugged and so cool. I walked around a bit and watched the dedicated fishermen in the surf. It was truly another world out there and so very amazing to take in.

Go West

I had off of work, so I took my time headed back to the city. I stopped when I wanted to, making it a true road trip. I made it home by early afternoon and just like that… it was over.

In Summary

Since May I have been a walking mess. Often wondering about purpose and decisions, time and space, but mostly time. When you race for 5:25 hours you get to think about a lot of shit. I think I did most of my thinking in my total garbage 48 minute swim, finally clearing my mind. That left me open to actually compete in the bike and run and to take home a trophy after almost no training. Am I back? I think so. Battle Stations, Bitches.

RACE REPORT 147: Gothenburg Half Marathon – 1:26:40

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running Leave a comment

Sweden?

Abbe, Bojana, Brian, Susan and I decided to run a Half Marathon in Sweden. Why?

Months ago, we ended our lunch run at As Is in Hells Kitchen for lunch and a few drinks. The conversation turned to running at some point (obviously) and Bojana and Brian had said they were visiting our mutual friend Anders, a Stockholm native and running the Gothenburg Half. After a few quick airline searches we found out that we could get there for around $350 round trip. Game on.

Who is this ‘Anders’ guy?

Anders lived and worked in the States for 10 years or so, with the last stint being here in NYC. He worked with Bojana which is how we were introduced. He and I became fast friends. He is one of the few guy friends I have who run a similar pace as me, so we would go on these long runs and solve world problems. It was awesome. He and his wife Alena eventually moved back to Sweden.

Departure

I left work Thursday, unfortunately skipping my company kickball game, and made my way to JFK. I popped into the Alaska lounge for a few wines and some dinner (and plane spotting) before departing at 8PM. For the first time in a long time I slept the entire way to stop one, Iceland. If you have ever traveled to Europe you know how important it is to get sleep in along the way to adjust, otherwise you are a train wreck.

Alaska Lounge Planespotting

Reykjavik’s airport is one of the most amazingly designed airports I have ever seen. Dark, with great signage and seating that is so well thought out it should be in MoMa. I was impressed. I was also disappointed in my own country which often touts its greatness. This would be a theme throughout my trip.

The next leg of my trip was quick and I arrived in Stockholm around lunchtime. I jumped on the amazingly efficient and (again) well designed Arlanda Speed Train to Stockholm city center. It takes 18 minutes. Not 20, not 17 but 18 minutes. And of course there is free WiFi in every corner.

Hello Stockholm

Bojana and Brian were chilling out in a large park in the middle of the City Island of Stockholm. After a quick 20 minute walk I found them. It was 70 and sunny and we were all so thrilled to be there. This outdoor bar opened a few minutes after I arrived and we posted up. Shortly after Susan followed by Anders arrived.

We boarded the high speed train to Gothenburg at 5:30 to arrive at 8:30. Once again, we all had assigned seats and everything was so organized and civil. In our car we had free coffee, fruit, cookies and water in the front and guess what, there wasn’t a line of people taking everything. The train itself wasn’t fancy, but it was well designed with wood trim and folding things everywhere.

We had our fair share of train beers as we enjoyed the gorgeous and sunny ride through the country.

Gothenburg Pre Race

Our hotel was basically in the train station which would be very convenient the next day. We checked in then headed over to dinner at Taverna Averna, which was recommended by my friend Delia who lives in town. We split a bunch of pizzas and had a really fun time. The race was at 1PM the next day so we could cut loose a bit and not worry. I think we were in bed by 12.

Race Day

I woke up at 7AM being acclimated to the time difference but realized that we had nothing to do until around 10AM so I went back to sleep. I had some crazy dreams too.

Bojana, Brian and I had breakfast, showered (separately) and met Anders and his brother in the lobby before heading out to the Start. We took a tram which was packed with runners. This is the largest Half in Europe at 60,000 runners (10K-20K larger than the NYC Marathon for those not in the know) so the vibe was similar.

Interesting warm up…

The race festival area was bumpin! There were all kinds of warm ups happening and tons of runners. It was cool to see. Anders and I bid farewell to our friends as we started in Wave 1 and needed to get corralled. He and I did a half assed warm up run as it was so packed before saying goodbye. He was in Corral 2 and I was in Corral 1.

It was no different than any other race, lots of amped runners jumping around getting in the groove. I was all smiles. Would I race it? Would I just run it? I wanted to hit a time of roughly 1:25, I didn’t think anything faster possible as I had run the Eugene Marathon 3 weeks earlier. See how I feel is what I told myself.

Start

The gun went off and we hit the streets at a pretty good clip and in a very packed group. The streets were narrow. I also immediately said to myself, “Holy shit, it’s really hot and humid.”

Miles 1 and 2 were 6:25 and 6:14. We were going up and around this wooded park, which was nice but I think it was a steady uphill. It was here, out of nowhere I heard (in English) “Go Chris!” I turned and looked to see my friend Delia yelling and cheering me on! Here I am on the other side of the world and I find a familiar face… very cool.

No Hills

When we signed up for this race Anders had said it was a relatively flat course. Anders you are a liar. At the end of mile 3 as we exited this cute neighborhood we began a brutal leg burning ascent. I knew we had to get to the start of this big ass bridge, I just didn’t know it would be like this. Just as you thought it was over you took a turn and saw more uphill. Then, you saw the base of the bridge (like a big ass bridge like the Queensboro) looming with the apex out in the distance. By the time we got to the top I was really thinking I was having a heart attack. My pace was a 6:38.

Then, we bombed downhill to the base of the river on the other side. It was a relief and also fun but I was pretty spent. Miles 5-8 were along the waterfront going through various neighborhoods. The crowds never let up and there were loads of fun bands rocking out. I was hitting 6:30, 6:41, 6:37, 6:46 and was concerned with my pace as it was sporadic.

The Other (Better) Bridge

Mile 9 (6:51) had us going back over the river but on a way more manageable incline. I had like 30 minutes to go is what I was telling myself. Keep it together, no stopping.

The Straightaways

The rest of the race were on these really straight and narrow (narrow like 2 people wide) roads. I felt better but was still fatigued. The city now reminded me of Paris a bit, with its tree lined streets. People were out eating and drinking and watching us from all the cafes. Ah so jealous. Miles 10-12 were a 6:36, 7:03 and a 6:47… sporadic.

I think it was around mile 12 where I saw this gal and her husband jumping and waving madly at me. As I got closer and the haze and fatigue lifted I realized, ‘Whoa that’s Delia and her husband Johan!’ I high fived him and ‘kind of’ high fived Delia! Great to see them again!

The End

C’mon Mark!

I knew we finished on the track stadium so I held back a bit. Once we entered the stadium I knew this was the end and enjoyed my finish. I ran a 1:26:40 with a 6:38 overall pace which I am very happy with. It was a brutal course and it was hot humid as well.

After I finished I walked over to the grandstands to wait for my friends (that was our plan, which was flawless). Anders, followed by Susan, Bojana and Brian showed up and then we hit the tram back to our hotel. We were even able to shower in the hotel’s spa!

Classic Anders
The Battalion takes Sweden by storm!

Return to Stockholm

We waited for our train at a pub where we all housed some serious heavy foods to replace our lost Half Marathon calories. Then, we jumped the train back to Stockholm and had a repeat ride of the day before. Our conversation got so deep we even invented some new food concepts.

Train party

Arriving in Stockholm at 9:30PM we needed one thing… food. We popped into a ramen spot and then all went to our respective hotels to rest before the following days big tourist attractions.

Stockholm: Day 1

Once again I found myself eating breakfast with Bojana and Brian. We left to meet Susan for our Duckboat tour of Stockholm at 11. Have you ever been to Boston? Did you ride the Duckboats? Same thing. The tour was awesome and Max and his team were very funny. Guess what, America is the laughing stock of the world still… shocker. Remember when you could be proud to be American in foreign countries? Now I find myself keeping my identity a bit of a secret.

Next, we met Anders at the King’s Palace, had Fika (a coffee break) and then went on to our Segway tour!

No, this is not some freakish mug, it’s a panorama so I could capture all of it’s greatness.

It was raining so our guide Ryley insisted we wait a bit and have more coffee, which he personally brewed. None of us were willing to Segway in the rain, so yeah we will wait. 30 minutes later it was clear and we jumped on our rides. My Segway was named Caro, seriously, they had names.

He took us on a 2-2.5 hour tour of the bigger island, Soldermalm, which is supposed to be the cool place to hang out. The tour was great, very historic, and no one was maimed.

We hit up Akkurat for snacks and beers after. Then, we set off on a Stockholm sunset walking tour.

Anders used to live there so we hit a number of he and Alena’s local bars before ending at a super fun Thai restaurant.

After dinner, we navigated the Stockholm subway flawlessly to get us home. Bojana and I were very proud of ourselves.

Stockholm: Day 2

City Hall. Notice the Triple Crowns.

Susan and I went for a pretty cool run on Day 2. We followed the water similar to the route our Duckboat tour went. We then went up into the King’s old hunting island and ran along some pristine paths. She even taught me how she does her cool running ‘in action’ photos.

King’s Gate… entrance to the King’s private hunting grounds OR our running playground.

After a quick shower we were all at the Vasa Museum which ironically was 50 feet from where Susan and I turned around on our run. The Vasa was a heavily designed warship that was built in 1628 and sank 300M off the coast to be rediscovered in 1965. It was raised and restored and is 98 percent the real deal and trust me, it’s epic.

Upon entering and seeing this massive warship I was immediately reminded of Goonies, a movie I have seen hundreds of times. If you haven’t seen it please stop whatever you are doing and go watch this movie so I stop judging you.

Look at the detail and the craftsmanship that went into this thing. It is a functional piece of art.

Anders met us and then we went to see Alena, who is a chef at this dope restaurant in what one could only describe as Stockholm’s Central Park. It’s laid back though in a greenhouse and everything made there is grown in the surrounding gardens. I had a salad she had created as we all sat out in the beautiful sunny weather.

Post Lunch hedge maze!

The rest of the afternoon we spent sitting outside in various restaurants taking in the sun and the sights. Even though it was a Monday it seemed like most of Stockholm had the same idea.

Before dinner we signed up for a Stockholm Walking Ghost Tour. We started in Old CIty. Out of nowhere, this guy walks up in a cloak with a cane and begins this amazing adventure. It was funny and at times (like in the crypt) very scary.

Dinner was at a pizza place Anders recommended. It did not disappoint.

We said goodbye to Bojana and Brian as they were leaving at 7am and then we all dispersed to get some sleep.

Stockholm: The Finale

I woke up early and went for another run. My flight was at 1:50PM and the weather was 60 and sunny, spectacular… so let’s go see more Stockholm.

I mapped a solid 5 mile route that went through the Old City area and up into Soldermalm along the cliffs. I was feeling really great and knew I had all the time in the world, which helps. Up in the Soldermalm I found myself in some really steep hills that had cobblestones, double trouble. I was moving fast though and felt wickedly invincible almost gliding instead of running. Crossing the western bridge back to my island I noticed another small island with a park in it so I jumped out. I managed to find this sick vista where I captured this panorama view of the city.

Look at that monster hill!

Susan and I met in Old City and bounced to this coffee shop she had found. Anders met us there.

Our time was running out and I was dreading saying goodbye to my friend. He and Alena are having a child in 3 months, so it is up to me to visit again, which is very possible. Susan and I said our goodbyes then her and I made our way to the airport. Once there I posted up in another lounge with the thought that she could get in too, but she was in a different security class and had to stay at her gate.

Back to the USA

My flight back was great. I read, watched movies and reflected.

I crushed customs and was through in a record time of under 5 minutes.

Then, America happened. I used the bathroom in JFK and was like “What the F…” Americans are animals. Gross, filthy animals. No one respects their environment. How many times have you seen some punk throw trash on the subway tracks? Me, a lot. Until we care about where we live we won’t be able to enjoy a beautiful environment.

In Conclusion

Sweden Rocks! What a great trip this was… I will certainly be back!

RACE REPORT: 145 Eugene Marathon – 2:57:05

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running Leave a comment

Abbe and I grabbed a cab and headed to JFK on Thursday at 5:30AM. I was sleepy, but this getting up early for races thing has become the norm, so I wasn’t too out of sorts. I was teetering on that fine line of ‘Am I awake for good?’ or ‘Should I try and nap on the plane?’ I opted for the latter and passed on a coffee.

After a 60 minute snooze I felt fresh. I am reading three books for the first time since college and so I started bouncing between them. I am reading ‘Atonement’ for Book Club, ‘The King in Yellow’ which is super weird and I forgot why I even chose it and ‘Calypso,’ David Sedaris’s latest. (He is my favorite author).

Hello Portland!

A dear friend of mine from college days, Mikey, lives in Portland so we were very excited to spend some time with him. He picked us up and we set off for lunch.

Abbe’s friend Brad Farmerie (chef and owner of Saxon and Parole) had sent a very extensive list of places to eat. Since Abbe has a love of all things sandwiches we headed to Lardo. It did not disappoint! I might also note that it was gorgeous out… 75 and sunny, so sitting outside felt amazing.

We checked out Mikey’s place and chilled for a bit before headed to dinner at Xico. Susan and her brother Ryan joined us. After another amazing meal we jumped in the car and headed to Eugene.

Tracktown U.S.A.

As a runner, how could you not be excited to wake up in TrackTown USA? Bill Bowerman invented the waffle shoe here that would later become the sneaker that we now know and take for granted! He also cofounded Nike, you may have heard of them? And then there is the legendary PRE!

Anyway, we woke up and went for a walk to the stadium which was through Alton Baker Park across the street. As we exited and were on school grounds Abbe said, “Hey look, the track team!” It was a group of runners at first that then turned into a thousand. Then we realized, “Oh! It’s the 5K!” You chase two really fast runners wearing the Krusteaz Pancake outfits in the 5K and hope to beat them. Holy smokes it must be hot in those pancake suits while running a 5k, gross.

We eventually made our way down onto the field, like the actual football field, and were able to cheer on the finishers as they came in. Tomorrow we would be finishing the same, right on the 50 yard line!

Is this what it’s like to score a touchdown?

Did Someone Say Lunch?

We headed to the Tap and Growler for some some sandwiches to fuel up. My strategy the day of a race is to focus on proteins for lunch and carbs for dinner, so I had a pork burrito bowl. We were also taking it pretty light on beer and focusing on hydration.

Birds of Prey

Fun Fact: I love hawks and eagles and owls and anything that is a bad ass bird. Hummingbirds too. Did you know that Central Park’s Red Tailed Hawk population is booming? So I guess I’m a bird guy. We went to the Cascades Raptor Center to kill time and because, whoa, so many amazing creatures in one place!

It was on the side of a hill and had 25 small enclosures where the birds were kept. I at first got very sad seeing these majestic creatures penned up, but then upon further reading learned that all of them had been injured or basically could not survive in the wild. We even saw 3 Bald Eagles… what!?

Dinner was at Ciao Pizza Trattoria. We had planned it carefully weeks before after studying the menu. It was a family owned homemade pasta kinda spot. I opted for their version of linguine bolognese which has been my go-to pasta for the last few years. It didn’t disappoint one bit. Abbe, Susan and I were in bed by 9:30 with a 5AM wakeup call. Plenty of slumber time.

Strange Days

I had the wildest dreams I can remember in some time on this night. I only write this so I can reflect back. I was actually running a race of some distance, in and out of buildings, and kept getting sidetracked which for some reason didn’t stress me out. I was also talking to God, yes God, which is odd as I have spent 2 days in church ever. He (yes it was a he) was helping me dress and he was very relaxed. It was so weird and yet simultaneously cool, like hanging out with Prince. What does it all mean? Was it battle preparations for the next day?

Race Day!

We all woke around the same time. Getting older has one advantage, waking up early is getting easier. The temperature was 38 degrees and would climb to 50-55 at the end of the race. The ladies were wearing singlets but since I tend to run a bit cooler when I race I made a game time decision to switch to my long sleeve Battalion shirt. I had brought numerous options to choose from including rain gear because… always be prepared!

Our Lyft driver was great. She got us to where we needed to be and she was very calm about it all. Thank you. We scurried off in the cool morning air to hit baggage check and maybe a bathroom stop. Our timing could not have been more perfect. As we were exiting the stadium, goals accomplished, we had 5 minutes to game time. We said goodbye and popped into our respective corrals, ready to crush.

And so it begins…

The gun went off and we took off pretty quickly. I was right behind the 3 Hour pacer, which was perfect as my goal was to go just under 3, maintaining a 6:50ish pace as I had done in New York last Fall.

Sometimes you got it and sometimes you don’t. I tend to know within the first mile how my day is going to go. That doesn’t mean I won’t finish, it just means this thing is gonna be rough. Today I felt liquid, and I knew I had something in me. Mile 1 ticked off at a 6:56, which was a good warm up, but I needed slightly better if I was going to hit my goal.

As we entered Mile 2 I saw Mikey cheering on the right. We were running through the city, which consists of low lying buildings so the sun was just piercing the roadway. It was really pretty actually.

The next couple of miles were a series of straightaways through some fun neighborhoods. The crowds were very energetic and kept us moving. Miles 3-7 were under 6:50 by a few seconds.

We were now on an out-n-back section of straightaway that would conclude at Mile 10. It was really shady with shards of sunlight piercing through the trees to our left. Once we made the turnaround at Mile 7.5 we would be in full sunlight. I was plugging along pretty steadily.

The Decision

I was having a great race thus far and Mile 8 and 9 were a 6:38 and 6:39, which one would say is too fast for what I had been training for. When you train for a marathon, you are only as good as the conditions on race day allow you to be. You are at the mercy of the weather gods. Today, on this morning, the gods were with us. If there were any time to dial it up it would be when conditions were in your favor. I thought to myself, ‘You’re going a bit fast.’ and then looking around and taking it all in I thought, ‘Conditions this perfect only arise every few races, set it off.’ And so I did, all smiles. This is when I passed the 3 hour pace group.

At Mile 10 I saw, or rather heard Ryan yell “Go Chris!” I knew it was him as we had just met, and people I have just met call me by my first name only. Or, if it were a female voice it would have been my Mom.

The Halfway Point

On the Mile 12 straightaway I saw Mikey who gave me a solid high five AND shot this video. 6:41 pace. It was here I took my first gel.

I was very curious how the Half Marathon and Full Marathon breakaway point would look. Would I be all by myself? It’s hard to tell who is racing the Half versus the Full until you hit this moment.

At 13, we pulled hard left and some of the guys I had been racing with hung on. We had a solid 3-5 guys in race formation going hard as we entered this park/bike path area. It was my least favorite part of the course as it weaved along the river and offered no insight to who was overtaking you and it made footing a bit tedious. In times past when the 3 hour pacers pass me I tend to fail, so I was hyperconscious as to where they were and at Mile 14 they were on my ass!

I knew I had to keep my pace under 6:50 to avoid those punks, so I held to that, even though I was now in a bit of pain. My energy was great, but I was feeling it in my legs. 6:42, 6:47. 6:40 to the 17 Mile turnaround on the other side of the river.

I was looking across the river now, in case I saw Abbe. She never left me all day as I knew this was a bigger race for her as she has never qualified for the big show, Boston, and this was going to be her day for it. I didn’t see her, but conditions were favorable, so I was hopeful.

The Annoying Guy

From miles 10-19 I ran with this beefy annoying guy. When people would pass him he would look at them in anger, which is odd as a marathon is you versus you, unless you are an Olympian, which homeslice was not. He was doing this odd thing with me. Every time we hit an aid station my pace was consistent as I grabbed water and gatorade. He walked the aid stations to take in fluids. Then, 30 seconds later I heard this sporadic pitter patter of footfall as he caught up to me and then leveled off.

I knew he couldn’t keep these antics up, but I also didn’t care to ruin my own race. Until… this pack of young 20 somethings started cruising by in flying V formation and I decided to hang on. We clocked mile 19 at a 6:33 and it felt great. I never saw that guy again.

20 On…

Miles 20-22 were 6:45, 6:42 and 6:40. We were cruising in some shaded forest paths now and I knew I had this thing in the bag if I kept up and didn’t falter, which was of course possible in Miles 23-26. I didn’t see Mikey or Ryan and was wondering where Abbe was, hopeful she was having as good a day as I was.

Heatwave

Mile 23-24 was on the open field of Alton Baker Park and had no shade from the sun. I felt it immediately and my pace entered the 6:50-6:56 range, the slowest all day. I knew I had just a few miles to go and had created a solid buffer for my sub3 time, so i wasn’t very stressed. I thought about pouring water on my head at an aid station but was glad I didn’t as we finally reentered the shaded forest. I would have been chilled.

Right before Mile 25 I felt something odd. Fatigue in the way of energy, not leg power. I had one gel in my pocket and even though I had a mile to go I decided to take it. Did it help? Yes. A few moments later I had a slight sugar and salt energy surge, helping me push through.

Mile 26 was a 6:36 pace and I was reaching hard for that sub3, my mind was a mess. The clock said 2:51:xx and I had to get around the stupid stadium. It took forever! In reality it took 6 minutes.

The End

I turned and entered the stadium feeling like I was going to have a heart attack and saw the time, 2:57! I have in the past withheld emotion from my finishes, but have recently wanted to embrace it, and so I did.

As I crossed I threw up my arm and yelled “Hell Yea!” (not evident in the pictures) and then let forth a wave of excited screams. This was marathon number 20 and I had not only gone under 3, I had gone 2:57:05, my third best time ever at a 6:45 pace. After gathering my medal I stopped on the side of the field and looked around at it all and laughed a bit, tears in my eyes. You see, the glory of a marathon is fleeting and very personal. You must savor those seconds after it as they cannot be recreated, and so I did.

Abbe and Susan

I gathered my belongings from baggage and headed into the stadium where I soon found Mikey and Ryan on the 50 Yard line. I had a stream of texts coming in from the friends that were tracking me, thanks to you all! But where were Abbe and Susan?

Right on cue Susan showed at 3:32, nailing a BQ, followed by Abbe with a 3:34! I yelled my face off. I was so elated. Abbe has been chasing the Boston Qualifier for some time now and she had finally caught it. It was an epic day.

The five of us celebrated with beers once we all found each other. Basking in the warm sun, legs happy again, we had all achieved our very challenging goals and were all smiles.

After the Party it’s the Afterparty

We all went to lunch at the Bier Stein before heading back to Portland.

Dinner was at Pok Pok, the ultimate Thai restaurant. New Yorkers might know as we had a spot in Brooklyn that closed sadly. Not surprisingly, it was amazing… some of the best Thai food I have ever had without actually going to Thailand.

We hit Richmond Bar for one more drink before calling it.

After the Afterparty… it’s Monday

We had planned to have an entire day in Portland after the race. After sleeping in and like a thousand cups of coffee Abbe and I went to a Chinese Garden in the heart of Portland. It was really cool and very relaxing.

Once Susan joined us we went to Country Cat Kitchen for some heavy food to reload. I ordered the fried chicken because I love fried chicken and may even consider myself a slight connoisseur on the topic. I took a few bits of piece one (of two) and told Abbe it was a 9. I was in heaven. I was also taking my time so I could make sure this moment wouldn’t just slip by. By the time I had dialed into the second piece everything had settled and it was even better than the first. “Abbe, this is a 10.” Holy cow!

Next up we hit the Mississippi area for some bar hopping. Mikey and Susan’s friend Jason met us. We eventually arrived at Prost where another dear friend from college, Pete, was in wait! Man, it was good to have everyone back again telling old stories and laughing.

Reflection

We took a 6:20AM flight the next day. It was sad to see all that fun go by but it was time to return.

I (we) trained really hard on this one. I really enjoyed the ride and every one of those challenging runs. Especially the ‘Bridges’ long runs, and the feeling of getting one step closer to accomplishment after finishing them.

Marathon 20, you were awesome. You made me realize that age is just a number as I ran my 3rd best time ever at age 41. Running is hard if you let your mind get in the way.

Portland bitches, I love you! It’s great knowing we will always be friends.

And Abbe… YOU DID IT! XXOO

    RACE REPORT: 144 NYC Marathon 2:59:16

    Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running Leave a comment

    How do I even begin to explain the significance of this race? 

    10 years ago I was dared to run a marathon by the President of Rolex, Allen Brill (rest in peace). That single dare altered the course of my existence. I mean, I wasn’t stealing cars or on my way to prison, but this created new goals.

    Running and triathlon have changed my life for the better. Thanks to running I have countless friends pushing their boundaries in the sport. I coach numerous athletes who continue to impress me. Running… who knew?

    I’ve broken 3 hours three other times, but never in the four times I have ran the NYC Marathon. 

    Present Day…

    Abbe’s folks arrived Thursday and so we did what any logical New Yorker would do, we went gallery hopping in Chelsea. It was great as usual although I didn’t run into any old college friends which was odd.

    Friday after work we went to Reema’s birthday party in Cobble Hill at Black Forest. It was a great turn out finished with a pasta dinner (carb loading begins).

    Saturday

    It was cool and misty rainy day on Saturday. Good! Get it out of your system and let us run rain free please.

    Abbe and I made our way to Grand Army Plaza (in Manhattan) to cheer on our friends running in the Dash to the Finish 5K. I saw all of my friends and even got a high five from Bojana. Next up… bib pick up at the Javitz. 

    This would be marathon 19 and so I think Marathon Expos have gotten played out by now. I enter them as if it’s a Supermarket Sweep… “Where’s my Bib? Okay, got it. Next, the tee-shirt. Cool, thanks lady. Now get me the hell out of here!” 

    We had lunch with Abbe’s folks plus special guest star Brian H. at Randolph Beer off the Bowery. It was solid fuel. The rest of the afternoon was spent off our feet relaxing at the apartment before our 5:30PM dinner down the block at Paola’s. I opted for the bolognese which has been my pre-race go-to for like 3 years now. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. In bed by 10:30PM… 

    Race Day

    Why can’t all major races coincide with an event that gives you an extra hour of sleep? Thanks Daylight Savings! So we woke up at 5AM but it was really 6AM to our bodies… piece-o-cake. Abbe and I jetted out of the apartment at 5:45, caught a cab, picked up Meredith and were at the Staten Island Ferry by 6:15. We linked up with Brian and his friend from Germany, Jimmy. We were shooting for the 6:30 ferry but the 6:15 was loading and we had an opportunity to jump on so we did.

    I remember gazing out as the sun was coming up and thinking to myself, ‘The Gods are with us today.’

    It was a beautiful morning in the mid 40’s and sunny. The day was designed for running and we all felt it as the rising sun blasted into the ferry windows warming us like a beacon of hope.  

    Entering Fort Wadsworth we said goodbye to Brian and Jimmy as they were Blue Camp and we were Orange. Abbe and I applied sunscreen and ate our pre-race fuel. Mine consisted of 1 banana and some GENUCANN drink mix. I was ready to roll…

    After a hug and a kiss Abbe and I parted ways and entered our respective corrals. We had 30 minutes until showtime and I felt great. In my corral I was sipping my GENUCANN and having a fun time people watching. Then the guy next to me started asking questions about the race and you guessed it, we became friends. His name was also Chris. New York Chris meet London Chris.

    We had a gorgeous rendition of the National Anthem, I even said to London Chris “Wow, she is good.” Next, Peter Ciacia did his usual race instructions. I’d like to give a special shout out to Peter. Ever since I started racing in New York Peter has been the voice of the NYRR. Every race be it a 5K or a Marathon has been announced by him… “Lead vehicle, do I have clearance on the roadway?” We’re all gonna miss you Peter, happy retirement.

    The canon sounded and ‘New York, New York’ started pumping through the speakers. Showtime. 

    Wow, the Verrazano’s Narrows Bridge is long. Like, 2 miles long. I enjoy it though as all the early explorers like Hank Hudson came right under us through ‘The Narrows’ to discover mighty Manhattan. I tried to take it easy on the uphill and was doing a 7:04 pace, fine. Mile 2 on the other hand I was rocking a 6:12 which was kinda dumb.

    I hit Mile 3 in 6:31 which was also a bit too fast, but it felt fine on the legs. I had to pee so bad and in the past that it has destroyed my time so my mind was all over the place as on what to do. So I stopped, but it was gonna be quick, real quick! I was even counting out loud in the porto john… “29, 30, 31, fuck this is now too long.” 40 seconds and I was back on the streets, minor delay.

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Brooklyn brings a solid cheer game to the marathon. The bands were totally killing it! I was looking at the bands, grooving and nodding to them in appreciation.

    After my bathroom stop my paces started falling into place. I started to hover in the 6:45-6:50 range, which was what I needed to hit for my sub 3 hour race. I normally go out way hard knowing that I will fade out anyway, but my amazing wife Abbe convinced me otherwise. 

    At Mile 6 I heard, “GO BAKER!!!!!” and as I look across 4th Ave I see Steph and Matt6 cheering! (Great to see you both.)

    I was rotating between Gatorade and water every other aid station. I’ve done this many times and it reduces the possibility of getting cramps from ‘course Gatorade’ which can be too concentrated at times. 

    At Atlantic Avenue I was watching for a bunch of my cousins who live nearby, but that area is so chaotic I knew it might not happen. Blasting right onto Lafayette headed into Fort Greene I checked off ‘Sector One’ which to me is the 4th Avenue stretch. 

    Miles 8-13 are pretty tight as you wind from Fort Greene to Williamsburg to Greenpoint. I was still somehow holding onto my 6:45ish pace and feeling peppy. I was, however, starting to have those beginning doubts of making my sub3 time. I was having so much fun yelling at the cheering crowds that I told myself I would be okay with an over 3 hour finish, which was partially true. 

    To take my mind off things, like running, I waited until I saw a super lame quiet cheer squad and I would start this ‘underhand pitch’ move with my arms and yell, “BROOKLYN MAKE SOME NOISE!” After the initial reaction, which was fabulous, I started doing this a lot. In fact so much I was wondering if my fellow runners were getting annoyed with me. Like, ‘Who’s this guy, Mister Cheery McCheererson?’

    The stupid Pulaski Bridge reared it’s ugly head at Mile 13. It’s so bland. I knew I had cheer squad in Long Island City though so I kept things moving. Up ahead I noticed a familiar shirtless figure… it was my buddy Rowland! For those new to my really long and drawn out race reports, Rowland is a friend and a training partner. We run the same pace and often find ourselves side by side during marathons.

    I approached him and tried to be funny, just hanging to his left for a second, but he knew it was me. We chatted for a bit and he noted that he didn’t think he was going to break 3 at this point. In my head I was kind of thinking the same thing. My legs were starting to hurt (at Mile 13?) and I was doubting myself. I figured I would hang with Rowland and run with him, giving up on my sub3 attempt.

    Then, Long Island City happened. As we hit 48th Avenue or Street or whatever, LIC is confusing still, I saw Stephan, Amanda, Vivian, Silas, Leonora and Brad! Amanda was holding out a Redbull which I had requested and so I sped up and grabbed it, sloppily popping it open and chugging a few ounces. As I was rounding the corner I saw Carlos and Heath cheering me on as well! With this added cheer support I lunged ahead and was back on track. Mentally I was like ‘F-Yea, if I’m gonna go for this, let’s push it.’ And so I did.

    Miles 15 and 16 were a 7:01 and an 8:04 as it was the notorious Queensboro Bridge, which is a steady incline. This was not my first time dealing with this cold, gothic, lonely place… I knew exactly what to expect and how to deal with her. With my head looking into the distance I plugged along, slowing my heart-rate and pace so I didn’t blow up. I was amping myself up for the descent into mighty Manhattan, one of the pinnacle moments in the race. At the apex of the bridge I let out a yell of triumph, hoping to inspire some fellow runners, but all I received was silence. Was it something I said?

    The sound of Manhattan hits you as you are on the bridge making your way down. It’s like the roar of a football stadium, the sound of deafening white noise just waiting for you to arrive. It’s something so epic I will take it with me to the grave.

    Welcome to Manhattan.

    You are in the center of 1st Avenue, the Mayor of your own Parade and you can lose the run right here in this moment. Get too caught up in all of the excitement and you blow up, leaving nothing for Miles 20-26. And yet… you really need to soak this in and enjoy it as it’s one of the coolest experiences. I took my time and reeled it in a bit (I’ve blown up here in the past). My pace was still holding steady, and it surprised me.

    Thanks Jon!

    At 93rd Street I saw my Battalion cheer squad… Bobby C, Jill, Jon, Jenn, Kerryn, Cat, Morgan, Gillian, Phil, Bojana and Brian. Next, only a few blocks up I saw Kelly and Beth. Then, it was Bardy and Dana followed by Elizabeth and Juan! Go Upper East Side cheer squad! Great to see all of you.

    I really only had half a mile until I hit the Bronx after my last cheer patrol, not bad. Entering I knew Noah would be stalking me somewhere in the hood. Sure enough I saw him at like Mile 21. He chased after me insisting that I break 3 hours. Another huge boost and I was still in the 6:50 pace range.

    The day before the race Dougie Dee was texting me some positive vibes and he said something that stuck with me. ‘Coming back over the Madison Avenue Bridge I expect you to be on fire bro.’ Hell yea. I was on fire and I used my Brooklyn tactics to get Manhattan pumped. “Manhattan make some noise!” as I was bombing down the bridge. It felt great! 4 miles to go. 

    Rounding Marcus Garvey Park I got a huge salute from TMIRCE led by Chris Ho! Then, right after, I see the Gotham City Runners crew cheering me on as well! My pace was in check, but I was still uncertain about my final outcome. 

    As we neared The Park I knew I had the ever challenging 5th Ave to deal with. It’s a steady incline for around 1.5 miles, yeah it’s a delight. Just like the Queensboro the strategy is to slow down and keep it together. I was running on the far left ‘shaded’ side of 5th and everyone else was on the sunny side. Why?

    As we were hitting the top of the hill I saw Uncle Billy, all my cousins, Bojana, Brian, Jenn and many more high fiving me! It pushed my energy as I hit 90th Street and made my way into The Central Park.

    Entering The Park truly is like entering my backyard, I know every twist and turn, every landmark. It felt good is my point and I knew I had a few miles to go. As I rounded the turn by the Met hitting the Mile 24 marker with roughly 15 minutes to go I had a freak out moment. 6:50 pace doubled plus 0.2 miles (which is always annoying) would leave no room for error. I needed to dial it up.

    I made the decision to drop the hammer and set the course on fire. The sun was blinding and there were people cheering me on, but I don’t remember who as I was so laser focused. Mile 25 was a 6:43, not amazing, but also not slower than my overall pace. Right around Mile 25 I saw my friend Paddy (a fellow runner and theater actor) who jumped out at me on the course making sure I saw him.

    As I descended toward Central Park South I really pushed it. I’ve given a lot during a race before, but never at the end of a marathon, so this was new pain territory. I was on overdrive and passing runners left and right, I wanted this sub3, it was attainable, and I wasn’t going to let it slip away. I kept looking at my watch and as I crested 59th Street and turned into Central Park. I had just over 2 minutes to get to the Finish Line. I think the clock said 2:57:55… not a great time.

    With the flags of every international runner surrounding me, pushing me on, inspiring me, I ran so hard. I mean, I turned on some kind of fire that I had never tapped into before. I was totally having an out of body experience too, if that makes any sense. My legs were in such pain but my head and heart were fine and I had an amazing amount of energy. As I turned the bend coming in towards Tavern on the Green I couldn’t make out the clock time. I was confused but didn’t care, I pushed harder and harder and as I neared the Finish and the clock read 2:59:16… I had done it, sub3 in NYC. My final mile’s pace was a 6:15 and I was holding back tears. I laughed, “Ha! Yes!” as I kind of looked through everything happening around me and into some blurred reality.

    I walked on in a daze and then saw my other friends and training partners D and Brad! We took a few photos after high fiving and hugging, of course.

    After the Party it’s the Afterparty

    I walked the entire way back to The District on the Upper East. It’s a long story, my plan got sidetracked and I’ll tell you in person one day. I will say this though, I led a number of lost cheer squads over to the course to route on wives, moms and loved ones, so not all was lost.

    As I entered The District I was met with a roar of applause from the restaurant, led by my crew already present. I was home. There were so many friends and family there I can’t begin to name them all!

    Run squad

    I felt amazing, which isn’t always the case after a marathon. Trevor showed up followed by Abbe and Brian H. Then Brianna and Meredith arrived. Every time a runner entered we erupted in cheer! Man I love this day! Positivity gets injected into you from the time you wake up. We even have a few friends that are signing up to run the race for the first time… Mike! Christophe?

    Legs.

    Epic doesn’t even begin to describe the day. All of my friends had amazing races. Abbe ran her second fastest marathon! I’m personally still wrapping my head around everything that transpired.

    Thank you so much to all of my friends out there cheering. I relied on you this time and you came through like shining rays of light. This emphasizes what running is, we are one big family out to help push and support each other through our own goals and achievements. You make me proud. 

    And finally, on a personal note. I’ve been chasing the unobtainable sub3 in New York since I started running in 2008. I can tell you that I gave everything I had in this race, I wanted this so bad and pushed myself to pain thresholds I hadn’t experienced before. Our bodies can do so much more than we know, but our mind stops that from happening. Free your mind, make the impossible possible. I’ll be the first one on the sidelines cheering you on. – Baker out