admin – Page 26 – BEYOND DEFEAT

RACE REPORT: 019 5th Avenue Mile – 1 Mile: 5:01

Posted on September 26, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 4 Comments

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Net Time	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile
M31	263	113	112	21	0:05:01	0:05:01	05:01

This weekend was to mark another double-header. Saturday was the 5th Avenue Mile followed by Sunday’s 18 Mile Marathon Tune-up.

Friday after work I met Robin, Benny, Tess and some of Tess’s German friends who were visiting at Bravest Bar for happy hour. We had a great time catching up and throwing back some beers… I decided to take off around 8 to have dinner at home. I have been on a vegetarian diet now for 4 days (based on the diet of one of my hero’s, Scott Jurek, 7-time winner of the Western States 100 Ultra-marathon) and had made an amazing 3 bean salad I was looking forward to eating. In bed by 11:30, up at 7.

RACE DAY

The 5th Avenue Mile is a legendary race that starts on 5th and 80th and goes south to finish at 60th. I wanted to finish in under 6 minutes. That would make me happy I told myself. They were to set off heats based on age groups, mine being at 10:15. I had plenty of time to spare and had some Bustelo and Irish Oatmeal to fuel up. Seeing an opportunity to bike ride before the race (as it was a beautiful day) I packed my race gear and headed out, planning to end my bike ride at the start of the race.

It all started so perfectly…

Then, at 6th Avenue and Spring Street (following one of my normal street routes) the chain on my track bike popped off. Those of you who understand the logistics behind track bikes know this is a rare occurrence as there are no gears and the chain is tightly secured around only one sprocket. The other issue when dealing with this is that, now, I have zero control over the bike aside from steering. The drive train is inoperable and there are no brakes. What to do? In an instant I am reminded of Fred Flintstone – I lean over and slam my left sneaker down on the pavement, eventually screeching to a stop. This drew the attention of a few early morning dog walkers, one of whom attempted to help me. As I popped the chain back on I missed the back cog and now the chain was jammed, making it so the tire wont turn. Great. It’s 9:35, I have 40 minutes to gun time. I remembered that Bicycle Habitat was around the corner so I picked up my bike and started running. Luckily, they were open and I immediately expressed my need to fix the chain. The owner handed my a wrench and I went at it BUT the bolts were too tight. As I asked for more assistance the owner said that maybe I should leave it for service instead, implying I pay for their services. I told everyone I had a race to get to and then things changed. A real cool tech helped me out and in 5 I was on my way, everyone in the store wishing me luck in the race!

I was definitely riding too fast up to Central Park, but I was in a tight spot. I made it from soHo to 80th Street and 5th Ave in 10 minutes and had 15 to spare! I geared up and jumped into the crowd. I caught a glimpse of my pals Robert and Sarah who had just ran in their heat.

The gun fired and we were off.

I happened to be way back in my heat so I started picking off people and blazing down the right side of 5th. What was remarkable about this race was how quickly it was over. Next thing I know Im crossing the half way mark and Im really getting into the groove. Soon after, myself and a few others were pacing each other and really cooking down 5th. I had a lot of steam in me but wasn’t sure if I was going to run short at the end.

200 Yards to go mark, still flying. Then I see it- the finish clock… it says 4:45! What!? Was I really going that fast? Something must be wrong ith the clock? All of a sudden I was in the position to finish in a sub-5 category which is unreal! I fired up the legs and really pushed hard those last few hundred yards. I think I crossed at 5:04 with a huge SEG on my face! (Shit-Eating-Grin) My actual time was 5:01 and next year Im going sub-5!

I grabbed some water, my ‘commemorative metal water bottle’ that I will never use and headed up toward my bike maybe hoping to run into Sarah and Robert. Once I was home I grabbed some food and thought ‘Wow, tomorrow I have to run 18 miles. yikes.’

RACE REPORT: 018 Run for the Cure – 5K

Posted on September 13, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 1 Comment

On Friday at work, as I pondered the upcoming Brooklyn Bridge Swim, I saw an Ad in the POST for a Breast Cancer charity run taking place on Sunday, the day after the swim. AND, the registration was a block away at the Hyatt on 6th Avenue. Destiny? Perhaps.

Sunday was a beautiful day, especially compared to Saturday’s rainy mess.

I ran up 7th Avenue and into Columbus Circle to get to the start of the race. It was a charity run so it wouldn’t be timed. Normally this would deter me, but it was a great cause and I had raced enough this season to keep me satisfied.

Everyone was in pink and getting pepped up. SIDENOTE: to any single males, 95% of the runners were female!

I had mentally prepared myself earlier for a crowded ‘mayhem’ of a scene and knew getting to the start line would be borderline impossible.

As I made my way through the crowd I heard “Baker!” It was Anna Silva! I stopped and said hi to the gals.

When the start gun went off it wasn’t as bad as expected. We were headed up CP West which is very wide. As soon as it opened up I picked up my pace and started blazing up the left side of the crowd. It was very fun. My headphones are busted so I was running Sans-music.

Once we entered Central Park the crowd had thinned and everyone was moving at a good speed. I kept telling myself, “Charity, this is for charity, not to win.” It was a beautiful morning for a run so I was taking in the beautiful Central Park morning scenery.

I sprinted through the finish and kept going on to the water stations. I felt great (which is the whole purpose of all of this anyway). I hit a Starbuckers, grabbed a regular coffee and walked home, enjoying the quiet Manhattan morning.

RACE REPORT: 017 Brooklyn Bridge Swim

Posted on September 12, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Swimming 3 Comments

Saturday morning was the annual Brooklyn Bridge Swim. Over 400 participants (NYC Swim’s largest event) swim under the Brooklyn Bridge to the shores of Brooklyn! It is only 0.7 miles as well, which is in my opinion, an easy swim. Who wouldn’t want to do that?

As Friday approached it was clear that the weather would be questionable for the swim. They do have serious safety regulations and if the current is too strong they have the option of canceling the event.

Rain, rain and more rain. All day. It was chilly as well. Now, in my mind, I do these singular swim events for the love of it, for fun. Unlike running or a triathlon, I know I have no chance of placing or winning for that matter. The lead swimmers in these events are animals, well actually, very graceful animals. My point is, if the weather was bad, I could easily bail on the swim.

After a work event around 11PM Friday night I called my swim coach and friend, Todd, who was doing the swim with me the next morning. He suggested I come stay at he and his wife Ila’s place so we could leave as a team the next day. It was way late and I needed rest so I said I would meet them the next day at the South Street Seaport. This would make it easier for me to bail if I wanted to.

Wow did I want to. Now… I know a lot of my friends are like “oh Baker has so much energy he must never sleep or slow down.’ False… and on this particular grey morning I was really enjoying laying in bed dozing. In my mind I had already given in to not swimming, sleeping was now the follow up event.

8AM: Text from Todd “Looks like this thing is on.”

My response ” Cool. Im not really feelin it though.”

I got an immediate call from ‘Coach Todd’ after my last text…

Backtrack… Todd had broken his collar bone in 5 million places the day after we swam the Park to Park 2 Miler and had been training and getting back into action specifically for this swim.

“Bakes. Dude. So here’s my deal. I’ve been training for this swim ever since I got back into physical therapy. I NEED to conquer this thing. “

Me, “I hear you! Okay cool, Ill get my camera and take pictures of you rockin it out!”

“No, I need you to swim it with me.”

…Shit…

“Ok, Ill be at the Seaport in twenty.”

I would later thank Todd for this pseudo pep talk. Sometimes you just need a little kick in the ass.

Arriving at the Seaport (or just North of it) I could see a few hundred swimmers gearing up. It was on. The buoys were all in place along the bridge and people were so excited. I think I have mentioned before, the swim crew is all fun and good vibes.

I met Todd and we geared up. We wore wetsuits but probably didnt need them. I personally like them because its the closest Ive ever felt to being a superhero or something. The organizer gave us a pep talk and our instructions, then we lined up.

I was number 53 which meant the second heat.

As I stepped out onto the natural beach with driftwood and brown sand I had flashbacks to another time. I am a history buff and this was like candy to me. This beach was amazing and as I stood knee deep, barefoot in the water my feet digging into the sand and shells, I could only think of early settlers fishing right off of this beach. It is something I will never forget.

The horn went off and into the water we went. It felt great as usual. People always ask me about the cleanliness of the water. Earth is a very resilient creature, and its moving bodies of water are constantly adjusting themselves pushing out trash and debris. The water, although dark and ominous, had a taste similar to that of any ocean I have swam in.

As I approached the first pylon my goggles started acting up and the right eye was taking in water. This is such a pain and really hinders getting into the swim zone. As I fixed my goggles a gal I made friends with on the shore (because of my odd mirrored open water goggles, hence her nickname for me) said “Hey Goggles! How ya doing over there?” Like I said, everyone is way cool at these things. “Im good, but my goggles are acting up. How are you doing?” She smiled and said “Slow and steady baby, finding my rhythm. Sorry about the goggles, see you in Brooklyn.”

I moved ahead, but not before looking up at the bottom of the Brooklyn Bridge and thinking “Wow, what a rare view of a majestic creature.” Every few minutes I got in the habit of quickly draining my right eye goggle, making the best of the situation. I was actually moving at a pretty good pace too, my stroke had indeed improved since my Triathlon.

Another product of the Triathlon is that, for the first time I was totally comfortable with other people swimming over me and all around me. Someone even kind of tickled my foot once and I almost lost it.

As we approached the end, I thought to myself, wow, what a good time and great way to start a Saturday. Jumping up onto the dock I ripped my goggles off my face, betrayed by them. I have already began to shop for a replacement pair.

At the hose down station Todd was like 4 people in front of me, we did a celebratory fist pound, we had done it again!

—

On a sad note… a man, Richard Harley, died from a heart attack mid race. He was 59 years old and an avid swimmer.

RACE REPORT: 016 Central Park Biathlon: 1:05:15

Posted on September 6, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Biathlon, Race Reports 3 Comments

Sex/ Age	Age Place	Overall Place	Run 2M	T1	Bike 12M	T2	Run 2M	Total Time
M31	3	16	13:18	1:03	35:38	0:51	14:23	1:05:15

The Central Park Biathlon is Run 2 miles, Bike 12, then Run another 2… seemingly easy right? It is more difficult (in my mind) than a straight up Triathlon.

Saturday before the race was a busy day. On my morning bike ride around Central Park a bee flew into my shirt and stung me on the chest as I was flying down the back hill. I haven’t been stung by a bee in like 20 years so I wasn’t sure if I was going to have an allergic reaction as I rode up the hill on the other side.

Benny had a roof party all day which was fantastic… Bocce Ball… Beers… Friends…
I left at 6 to get my race packet, clean up, and head to Amanda’s birthday party.

She chose to have her party at the Boat Basin on 79th and the River, always a good choice. It was a real fun time. I even found out that a few gals I know grew up on the same lake that my 2 cousins Gillian and Cat live on. Small world. I didn’t get to eat my standard ‘night before’ race food so I settled for a burger. I left around 11 or so and was in bed at midnight.

RACE DAY

I woke at the super freakin early time of 6AM. Had some Cafe Bustelo and made my way up to CP. (the race Transitions and Start/Finish were at the Boathouse)

As I may have mentioned before, everyone was cool as hell. People of all ages were chatting and there was a totally good vibe pumping through the air.

My transition spot was totally filled by the time I got there. I had to rack my gear on some random spot. Lesson 1: Get to a race early. My friend Cenk said, “Its good to get there early to get your spot set up” I knew this from our last race and totally showed up late, losing my Transition spot.

We all moved to the start line and I was up with the ‘fasties’. These guys looked very serious. We had a small 5 minute window then they sounded the gun!

Lesson 2. DO NOT run heavy duty sprint intervals 2 days prior to a race. This will turn your calves into baseballs. As we started running I totally felt tight and realized the mistake I had made. Must continue though…

The lead guy was a freakin animal and was easily running a 5:20 mile. I was in the lead 10 guys but this character was way ahead of the main pack. I got a look at him at the turn around and he was like 38-40 years old. props.

At T1 I was mildly quick getting on my bike and starting the 2 lap course in decent time. Lesson 3: get a new freakin bike! I was passed by at least 5 people on the bike course (2 of whom were riding the bike I am looking to buy, the Cervelo P2) hint, hint, right? It was a brutal ride as the Autumn winds were in full force. My legs were on fire too. I’m not used to running, then riding. Its normally the reverse.

Coming into T2 I was quicker to get my running shoes back on and head out onto the track for the final 2 mile run. I didn’t get my full speed until maybe a mile had gone by. It takes some time for the legs to adjust after a bike ride. As I got my act together I started picking people off. I might have only passed 3 guys before closing in on the finish line. About 50 yards to the end I saw a guy ahead of me that gave me a reason to rock out my new traditional ‘sprint like a maniac’ through the finish. I beat him by like 2 seconds or something. Marissa was there waiting for me. High fives to her for waking up at 7:30AM on a Saturday to come cheer me on! She is also responsible for all the awesome photos. We sat in the sunny grass and watched the rest of the racers come in, cheering them on.

I finished in 16th overall and got another plaque for third in my age group. Once my body calmed down I felt amazing. SIDENOTE: the guy I sprinted past at the end was in my age group. Had I not sprinted at the end I would not have gotten an award! crazy right?

—
I don’t know why right now I feel the need to hit people up with thanks and high fives, but why not. I don’t have any real ‘coaches’ per se, but I consider anyone who has given me advice or trained with me a ‘coach.’ These are the people that push us to do better.

SHOUT OUTS GO TO…

SWIM COACHES: Todd ‘Swim Coach’ Doyle, and Carla Uzel

BIKERS: only one… Jae ‘the Hardy Boy’ Hardy for telling me to buy a track bike 9 years ago.

RUN TEAM: Robert, Sarah and Antonio… some of the speediest Ive ever run with. Kevin Masse. My ‘Dad Posse’ Mike, Ed and Jim!

TRI: Cenk Uzel, for showing me the ropes!

STRENGTH: Asher Hoffman for those early years of prep.

MOTIVATIONAL: Ila Doyle, Marissa Bennett

RACE REPORT: 015 Harriman Sprint Triathlon: 1:28:50

Posted on August 16, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Triathlon 2 Comments

Sex/ Age	Age Place	Overall Place	Swim 0.5M	T1	Bike 16M	T2	Run 5K	Total Time
M31	3	31	18:27	2:47	48:29	1:14	17:51	1:28:50

Why did I start swimming? Triathlons… someone suggested I get into
them as I could already bike and run. As you can see from previous
entries, I have completed 2 open water competitions. On this race, my
first Tri, I got to put all the elements together.

My friend Cenk, who has completed a number of Tri’s, signed us up for
the Harriman State Park Sprint Triathlon. This was great because I like
having a guide the first time I attempt anything of this caliber.

Cenk and Carla picked me up Saturday afternoon and we headed into
Jersey. They took me to one of their local restaurants which was really
good. Cenk and I decided to fuel up on pasta and steak. It seemed to do
the trick… I added beer into my pre-race diet as usual.

Later that night at their house Cenk gave me the run down of how the
race works, with transitions etc. It was very helpful and I would have
been lost on race day without this important knowledge. I went to bed
at 11 or so anticipating a solid 6 hours of sleep.

RACE DAY:

5AM… Im awake but so sleepy. I think it was a rare treat for Carla (her and I work together 9-5) to see me docile, quiet and spaced out. We packed up our gear and headed out to Harriman State Park which would take us 50 minutes.

The park was beautiful! rolling hills and still lakes surrounded by thick cliff covered forest.

Arriving at the transition area, there were already a lot of people gearing up. We grabbed our bike number, running number, timing chip, swim caps etc. Its funny to me because Im used to only getting one of the 3 or 4 elements. Now, I had all of them at once to piece together. We went to our transition areas and I set mine up like Cenk had instructed me the night before.

Cenk and I then (since we were ready ahead of time per his instruction) went to the lake to take a pre race dip. It was a great idea especially since I hadnt taken a swim in over 2 months so it eased my anxiety. My wetsuit is two pieces and my pants might be a size too small so i have to constantly hike them up. It was at one of these moments that a few members of Team Lipstick (an all female group of 10) started teasing me. They were a real cool group and very bad ass. One gal thought I was starting a new trend with my ‘low-rise wetsuit bottoms’. Funny.

2 minutes to start we were all lined up on the beach.

The gun went off and we all ran into the water and began our swim portion. What a sight to see! It was a relatively easy 0.5 Mile swim out to a buoy and back. A few people swam over me but nothing to stressful. I was actually working on some new techniques this time that I think might have helped me out. I finished in 18 minutes in change and as I turned around I realized I was in maybe the top 50 out of 400 swimmers which was way better than I expected. I made my way up the beach undoing my suit and high-fiving Carla who was watching and cheering. Mad props to Carla for taking al the great photos as well! Looking back on it, I should have been hustling a bit more to get to my bike, but hello, have you ever tried running in a wetsuit? Its hard.

At T1 I dried my feet and chest and put on my bike shoes and my tank top. I also put on my ceremonial Nautical Star wristband (which can be seen on me throughout past races). I grabbed my bike and headed to the road taking off in a hurry. I did take quite some time in T1 and my friend Jim (who has done an Ironman) asked if I was cooking burgers on the grill while getting ready for the biking!

In my mind the hardest part was over. Now I had to play catch up with the fast swimmers and overtake them.

Wow was I wrong. I had just started the hardest part. The hills were mild at first and I was pushing hard, passing riders. About 3 Miles in I caught up to Cenk who was really flying! As I got next to him I planned on hanging out for a minute but he yelled at me and pointed “Go get them!” Adrenaline! I booked. These guys had some sick bikes too. I was rocking a 1975 vintage Mercian with the shifters on the down tube! She a worthy ship though. SIDENOTE: get a new bike. Next thing I know we are going down a huge decline so fast I couldn’t pedal anymore. Id say 45 MPH at least. My fingers were on my brakes ready for any sudden emergency. At roughly Mile 6 we hit this crazy U-turn. You had to slow from 45 MPH to almost a standstill so as not to slide out. Then, the pain began.

As we came out of the U-turn with no propulsion we were confronted with a 3 Mile incline. It was brutal. The next 5 Miles would continue like this with ups and downs through the woods. I took a few moments here and there to take in the scenery which was beautiful. I also made a few friends along the way with some fellow bike riders. Mostly we talked about how bad the hills sucked. I have never looked forward to getting off a bike to start a run so much in my life.

I cruised into the transition area fast and saw lots of runners ahead of me leaving. I just kept thinking to myself, “I will chase them down.” I popped off my bike and slipped into my running shoes. I was off again.

It was a bit difficult to just start running after blazing the hills on a bike. Id say at Mile 0.5 I was in full range of speed. Not to sound cocky, but the run was very easy compared to the last 2 events. I was picking off runners and trying to figure out how far from the lead I was. (I would later find out that the winner was finished the run at the time I was starting. He was an animal, putting a gap of 10 minutes between him and the 2nd place person). Cenk and I crossed paths as I was ending my run and we cheered each other on, very exciting. The finish was a downhill and I saved up some sprint energy for the end. I blazed in at full speed crossing the line at 1:28: 50. To be honest I was just excited to finish my first Tri.

I grabbed some water and found Carla. We waited for Cenk and cheered him on as he crossed the line!

All 3 of us were quite excited and the vibe in the air was all positive! Triathletes are a little different from singular athletes I found. They are competitive, but very supportive of one another. I made friends with a 65 year old guy who had been doing Tri’s for like 20 years. He was inspirational.

We took a few pics, packed up our gear and hung around the finish to see if the times would be released. They started giving out the awards and they were doing age groups when I heard 3rd Place for the 29-34 Group goes to Chris Baker! Carla practically punched me in the shoulder out of excitement! I went up and got my plaque. It was very cool! I had no idea I would get a prize.

Afterward we went to the Coach Diner in Jersey for a big meal. We were all really starving.

It was a great experience and Im very grateful that Cenk helped me through this first one. Im very addicted to this as he predicted and just signed up for my first Half-Ironman next June.

I am officially a Triathlete now, cool.

RACE REPORT: 014 Fire Island 5K: 18:21 – 1st Place

Posted on August 9, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 3 Comments

Sex/ Age	Bib	City	State	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile
M31	37	NEW YORK	NY	1	1	1	18:21	5:55

New record. Old record 18:35 by Andrew Tourney in 2008

A few month ago as Mike, Ed, Jim and I were wrapping up a race in Central Park, Ed suggested that we all come out to Fire Island to run the annual Fire Island 5K. How could I resist a race on the beach? I was allowed to bring someone with me and Marissa accepted my request. Unfortunately, Mike and Jim were unable to make it this time.

Co-incidentally, Marissa’s step-mom and my good friend Colette happened to be going to the island as well, staying a few towns over! She offered to give us a ride with her awesome toddler Grant. He is just over 1 years old and like the cutest kid ever.

After splitting at the separate ferries with Colette, Marissa and I arrived just after 1 on Ocean Bay Park. SIDENOTE: there are no cars on Fire Island, only bikes. Its very cool and very laid back. All the streets are narrow sidewalks with a little sand overlapping.

Ed and his brother Don own and operate The Fire Island Hotel, which is a really cool place for anyone interested in visiting Fire Island. We stayed there for the first night and it was such a pleasure. I liken it to Margarita-ville. Imagine a few small buildings surrounding a pool and a tiki bar (pumping classic rock) flanked by the beach.

Marissa and I immediately hit the beach. At around 4 we decided to grab some food and then take a run on the beach. I convinced her for the first time that a Pina Colada pre-run would not affect her. I was right. We cruised down the beach and later learned that we ran around 5 miles, although it didnt seem that long. Running on the beach at sundown is maybe the greatest thing ever.

We met up with Ed right after and he advised us on some spots to hit for dinner.
I was happy as I got to eat my beach staple… Lobster, corn on the cob, and steamed clams. We hit up Ed’s tiki bar for some drinks and made a few new friends, one of which took Marissa and I down to a place called Schooners. We were out pretty late that night, it was really a fun time. We also walked home on the beach and there was this fantastic full moon!

The next morning we moved over to Ed’s house (which is two doors up) and then hit the beach with he and his family… Annelise, Jack (9), Isabella (7) and Ben (4). We spent the day boogie boarding and making sand castles with them. They are really a great group. Marissa some how managed to conjure up some pina coladas for lunch which was total brownie points. Colette and Grant rolled up on us at like 5PM to say hi as well.

That night we met Colette, Grant, Ed, Jenn, Rick, Amy and Abigail in Ocean Park for dinner at the Mermaid. I juiced up on some Frutti Di Mare and Red Wine.

RACE DAY:

The following morning The Eschmann’s, Marissa and I geared up for the race. Ed, Annelise, Jack, Ed’s brother Don and I were running. After I did a few interval sprints with Marissa I jumped in place at the front of the pack of 400 or so runners.

As the final countdown was in place a guy asked anyone who thought they could run a 6 or better mile to step forward. I decided NOT to step forward and be stealth. The 4 guys who did step forward were in their 20’s and like 3 feet taller than me. As the gun went off the four of them shot into a V formation with me tailing them at high speed.

The first mile was nice and we were probably cruising at a 6:20 pace. As we took a turn I noticed we had developed a big gap between the other runners at which point I knew we were the lead 4 in the race. Around Mile 2 the 3rd place man dropped back and I was now in his place. We had picked up the pace and were going very fast. So fast in fact that I was a little worried about maintaining my speed.

At Mile 2.5 the number 2 man was slowing so I thought it was a good opportunity to pass him and trail the leader (who was the defending champion from last years race).

As we rounded the final turn coming up to Mile 3 I looked back and realized it was just me and the number 1 man in contention. I was very excited.

As we cruised forward I knew we had a right turn, a quick left and then a 100 yard straight away to the end. lots of things were going through my mind. I was worried that this guy had saved up a little fight for the end, as I sure had. When would I pass him? Could I win this?

As soon as we took the last left and the finish was in sight I moved to his left and did what I had been practicing out on the West Side Highway all week- a super fast interval sprint. when this begins I normally throw my hand down in a hip-hop gesture (see photo). As I passed him he said “Oh S%^T!” I was blazing and was focused on the banner in front of the line. As I hit the finish I may have been moving as fast as I ever have just out of sheer excitement! It was really cool to hear my name announced as the new winner. I waited for the second place man and congratulated him on a great run.

After getting some water I found Marissa and gave her a sweaty hug. We were totally excited about the whole thing. We waited for Ed and his family to come through the finish, which was a very cool sight to see I must say! Jack was so excited to be running across the finish with his Dad!

At the after party festival we all met up (The Eschmann’s, Colette, Grant, Ed, Jenn, Amy etc) and we had some beers (Heineken sponsored event).

An hour or so after the race they did the awards ceremony and I got to go up and get a medal and some prizes. It was really awesome. Jack got an award for number 1 in the 12-15 age bracket too, so he got a medal! Not bad- 2 of our crew got awards! Jack and I took a photo together to celebrate our win.

Yes, I am excited. Look how tall my competitors are!

Jack (Ed’s son who won the first place in his age group) and I thought we needed a Team Eschmann-Baker photo! I see a definite running future for Jack, the guy’s fast!

After hanging out for a little while Marissa and I decided to hit the road and make our way back to Manhattan as we were exhausted.
It was a weekend I will not soon forget.

RACE REPORT: 013 Run for Central Park 4 Miles: 24:15

Posted on July 18, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 1 Comment

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG %
M31	33	167	151	22	24:15	6:03	24:08	69.8 %

The day before the Run for Central Park 4 miler was our annual Rolex Fishing Trip in Pt. Pleasant, NJ. I took Ahern as my guest. It was a great day, although we could have maybe caught more fish. Ahern and I, dedicated to seafood, decided we would ‘buy’ our catch at a local market on 1st Avenue and still have a feast.

Robin was taking a nap when we got back and by the time she woke up we had steamed clam, peel-and-eat shrimp, blue fish, salmon and some wine. Ahern took a nap while Robin and I watched the DVD I bought at a 7-Eleven on the way home, ‘Horton Hears a Who’ which I think is hilarious.

The only reason this relates to my run by the way is that I like to keep track of my meals the night before a race. This, in my mind, was a great way to charge up before a run.

I awoke in a great mood, it was a sunny beautiful morning. As I went to my laundromat to get my stuff I came across a huge metal gate. The laundromat was closed and wouldnt open until 9, the exact time of the race! ahhh! My running shorts were in there! My back-up plan was to wear track pants.

Arriving at my corral 10 minutes prior to the race who did i run into? Kevin Masse of course! After saying hi he simply said “Um, what’s with the pants? Its like 80 degrees?” I was now worried that this would affect my time.

Gun goes off and its on. My goal was to run as hard as I could the entire 4 miles to break 24:00.

It was all going presumably well. I was picking off people and at mile 1 and had broken free of the main bulk of the crowd. At Mile 2 it felt like the bottom part of my body was chillin in a hot tub! I was on fire. At water stations I was dumping cups on my head.

At Mile 3 I was really burning up and considered stopping and rolling up my pants all 8th Grade style but knew that would be a losing battle. I just kept going. Then, I see Kevin cruise by me! I yelled “Go Kev Go!” to which he gave the thumbs up wave. I couldnt keep up and pace him so instead I found a gal who was cooking right around my speed and trailed her. It helps to do this as you dont reduce your speed.

I actually finished and broke my own personal record clocking 24:15 which I was happy about even though I was 15 seconds behind my set goal of the day. This brings my mile average time down to 6:03. I found Kev and congratulated him, then made my way to the water area and chugged 3-4 cups. Now I remember why they do less races in July and August.

RACE REPORT: 012 The Boilermaker 15K: 59:23

Posted on July 12, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 1 Comment

Sex/ Age	Bib	State	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG %
M31	816	NY	355/10584	329	33	59:23	6:23	69.4 %

Where do I begin?

This weekend was to mark my second running of the fabled Boilermaker 15K in Utica, New York.

Danny, Anna, her Aunt Essie and I rode up Saturday morning making few stops and getting to Utica in nearly 4 hours. Anna’s Mom’s side of the family is from here and that night there was a decoy party for her Grandma Ruth. Sunday after the race the siblings had arranged a large surprise party at a local restaurant so we had to convince her that this night was her actual birthday party.

We were staying at the Hotel Utica which is quite a cool place. It reminds me of prohibition era NYC. (i say that like I lived that era… i did not, but I am a history buff). After checking in we had a few drinks with Uncle Josh, his wife Katherine, Sasha and Max. SIDENOTE: Anna’s family is awesome and I know a lot of them quite well. They welcome all people into their homes and it is always a pleasure spending time with them. Next, we went to Grandma Ruth’s house for a delicious meal orchestrated by Uncle Josh. As a gift I had brought Grandma Ruth Champagne Truffles from Teuscher Chocolates which I believe are the best things in the world. I think she liked them. If you ever need to bribe me for anything these would do the trick.

The following morning Anna, Danny and I awoke at roughly 6:30AM to gear up for the race. I brought my own Cafe Bustelo to brew in the room which I did. Its really the best coffee ever and a race ritual.

We all parted ways at the start and made our ways to our respective corrals. I happened to be in the orange corral. With 15 minutes to spare I was fidgeting with my ipod when all of a sudden my friend Kevin Masse appeared! We were both totally shocked that we A, were running the same race outside of NYC and B, standing next to each other in a crowd of 11,000 people. Earth gets smaller and smaller it seems. We gave each other a little fist pound as the gun sounded and we were off.

Boilermaker is a really fun time even though there are some grueling hills. The entire town comes out and they have bands and all kinds of craziness. Aside from all the chaos, there is just a totally positive vibe coursing through the air. Its awesome. I like positivity they say.

Miles 1, 2 and 3 happened rather easily. As we made our way up ‘Heartbreak Hill’ (which is a winding path up a golf coarse) I had a little acid indigestion. I attributed this to me not eating my standard banana or two pre race. Stupid Baker, very stupid. So! I started hitting the water stations like crazy. This alleviated the issue and by mile 7 I was cooking. Along the way I saw… Role Call! Uncle David, Gibby, Dave, Anna, Grandma Ruth, Bev, Uncle Stevie and a few others. My friend Raina was there at mile 8 cheering her other friends but I didnt see her.

I got in the habit, starting at mile 7 or so, of clapping at the crowd and yelling and then they would all cheer back. It really fuels you and totally rules out the possibility of me stopping to take a walk break. As we came close to the 9 mile mark I saw that I was still in contention for breaking a 60 minute 15K so I started really pushing myself. As we came down the final stretch I was flying but was in total overload. I crossed at 59:40 but would later learn my chip time was 59:23. I had done it! I broke the 60 minute mark. I had also shaved 11 minutes off my time of 1:10 from last year.

When you finish the race they corral you in to the backyard of the Saranac Brewery. What does that even mean?! It means free beer all day. Questions? Yes, we had beer starting at 9AM. Yes, it goes down easy. Yes, its hydrating. I was actually drinking a gatorade when I found Kevin. We did some high five action and then he said ‘um where is your beer?!’ Peer pressure, I tell you. After having a beer with Kevin we split to find our respective friends.

Danny and Anna came in and met me and we all did some more high fives, then got more beer. and more beer. and more beer. There are bands playing so we watched them and then found a spot on the lawn to sit. They did and F15 fly over which totally kicked ass Top Gun style. ‘Maverick!… You can be my wingman anytime.’

At around 11 we made our way to the Hotel Utica to change for Grandma Ruth’s party.

It was a fantastic surprise. There were 80-100 of her friends and family at a classy Italian restaurant. A few of the siblings made speeches and we ate some amazing italian food. It was basically a flawless good time. We all left at 4 and caught a nap back the hotel. It was so needed. We then headed over to Aunt Tracy and Quinn’s house… aka… the afterparty.

They have a litter of 5 week old boxer puppies! (if anyone wants one they have 4-5 left for sale) and they are so cute!

We stayed there til 11 or so and then went to bed as we had to drive back the following morning.

We had a quaint breakfast with Dave and Gibby at our board meeting oak table basked in morning light and then made our way back to my Rome. We will be back next year and for many years to come Im sure. Thanks to all the great hospitality we received while visiting!

RACE REPORT: 011 Father’s Day 5 Miler: 30:54

Posted on June 21, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 1 Comment

Sex/ Age	Bib	State	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG Gender Place	AG %
M31	43	NY	149	147	30	30:54	6:10	30:45	278	69.3 %

As many New Yorkers will testify, this weekends theme was rain. Therefore my Saturday night ritual of a big meal with friends was squashed as no one wanted to go out. Instead, I made some fresh salsa and grilled up some swordfish. It was amazing and in my head I thought it would be a fantastic energy boosting meal.

The following morning I had a weird dream that I was running the race and at some point I took a wrong turn and backtracked 2 miles. I was then confronted with the option of pseudo-cheating but cutting through the fields or to re-run the 2 miles. I chose the re-run option and was very upset as my time was horrible. I woke up startled and looked outside, it was a light drizzle but looked generally okay for running. I decided I had to run based on my dream. After emailing Mike, Jim and Patrick (whom I was meeting prior to the race) that I was in, I noticed on the NYRR website that the race was at 8:30 and not 9 as I had planned! I was now late.

After a quick cup of Cafe Bustelo I headed out and decided I had to run to the race in order to make it on time. I sprinted up 9th Avenue and made it in good time. Upon seeing the fellas Mike told me that baggage check was a good distance away, so off I went again to drop off my stuff, just barely making it to my corral in time.

I queued up some tunes just as the gun sounded. We were off.

The first mile was fun, we were still in a relatively tight pack, but moving fast. I hit mile 2 at 12:20 and was dead on pace, by now we were thinning out and it was getting harder. I was picking off people and then around mile 4 I recognized my friend Kevin Masse cruising at a speedy pace. I ran along side and we both said hello. We paced each other for the rest of the race which was really fun and mentally helped a lot. I finished in 30:54 which I was happy with, although I had set my goal to be 30 flat.

Kevin and I went to the finish line to cheer on our fellow runners and catch up. Jim, Mike, then Patrick all finished with great personal times.

Mike, Jim and Patrick are all fathers and had received word after the race (via very cool flyers in manilla envelopes made by Mike’s wife) that they were free to do as they wished for the first part of the day. Stop one was Starbucks. It was there that we decided to reconvene at Brother Jimmy’s a few hours later for beer and food as it was still a little early to have a pint.

12:30: Brother Jimmy’s

We were all seated up at the bar having a few as we discussed the days race. We also made the perfect decision to get the rib special, very suiting for our race finish and it being Father’s Day. Jonboy and CJ made a quick appearance but then had to jet out to other plans.

Mike, Jim, Patrick and I split ways around 5 and I made my way downtown to meet up with an old college friend who was in town for the Bike Film Festival. It was a solid Sunday.

Certificate of Freedom001.jpg

RACE REPORT: 010 Park to Park 2 Mile Swim

Posted on June 14, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Swimming 2 Comments

Time	Distance	Place
01:19:54	2 Miles	127

I woke up Sunday not knowing whether the Park to Park 2 Mile Hudson
River Swim would take place as the night before there were
thunderstorms. Their website said it was on, so I mentally started
prepping myself.

I had Todd and Ila over for breakfast on my roof as the start of the
race was 11:45. I made us bacon and eggs with strawberries and bagels
on the side with… of course… Cafe Bustelo! Come to think of it
Cafe Bustelo should sponsor me.

This race was the final qualifier to make the Liberty Island Swim.
Todd was already in and our plan was that he would swim in front of me
and I was to draft him to increase my speed. Plan in order we set out
to the start at the new Harlem Piers Park on 125th and the water. We
checked in and surveyed the water. The current was definitely still
moving out to sea (the opposite direction we needed to be going) and
we were all little worried the Ebb wouldn’t cease in time. We geared
up and Ila set out to the finish with ours tuff. She is our number one
supporter and we totally love having her cheer us on.

While we were waiting to set off who shows up? Danny! He was on a run
and spotted us. What a small world NYC can be at times!

We were now lined up in race number order ready to enter the water. I
had made friends with all my surrounding swimmers and we were
exchanging stories. The sun was out and it was going to be a beautiful
swim. I jumped in the soup second! it was an honor. We all swam out a
bit and once all 200 of us were in it they sounded the gun. Todd and I
began our mission.

This was my second open water swim and the difference between this one
and the first was night and day. I was really having fun splashing
around out there. The other thing that was weird was that I had no
concern that we were attempting a 2 mile swim, the same (more or less)
distance used in the Ironman Triathlon which is my end goal in 2
years.

My goggles were acting up which was quite annoying. We took little 5
second breaks here and there for Todd to correct my form and tell me
to get moving, he was in full coach form. I was plugging away as hard
as I could and wasn’t really tired. It was a great feeling mixed with
disappointment as well. Even though I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t utilizing
my full potential (as Todd would discuss with me after the race). This
messes with my competitive nature because out on a bike or running I
can really excel, but I’m still a rookie out here in open water.

As we neared the finish Todd went ahead to finish in style with a
sprint. As I came in after my hands hit sand, yes a beach, in
Manhattan! As I got my feet I fell over a little. It’s a very funny
feeling ending a long swim… it’s like… you stand up and are
instantly drunk for like 60 seconds. Then, your muscles and
equilibrium come back to you, its all quite silly as you can see from
the pictures.

Ila took some shots of us and we made our way to the sun drenched
grass and change and regroup. I knew I hadn’t made the Liberty Island
Swim, but that was okay as we just accomplished a 2 Mile open water
battle. Todd tried to see if there was another way to get me in the
Liberty, but we found out you have to be elite because of the currents
and I wasn’t there yet.

The three of us set out in search of food. We remembered that Dinosaur
BBQ was back by the start and made our way in that direction. I have
never been to Dinosaur, but let me tell you BBQ lovers, go there! It
was fantastic and more reasonably priced then the other Manhattan BBQ
locations. We were so hungry; we ate everything on our plates! It was
then that the sleepiness started to set in and to quote Todd, “Thank
you ribs.”

We took a cab back downtown and parted ways.

I showered and then hopped on my bike to go to Central Park to meet up
with Ben and Tess. It was 5 PM by now and I was very late. I lasted
another few hours and then couldn’t fight off my sleepiness anymore.

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