Category Archives: All

In Memory of My Dad

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On May 21st, my Dad passed away at age 59 after a 2 year battle with Lymphoma.

I questioned whether this was an appropriate place to write about such a heavy topic. My Dad was a huge inspiration for me in all of my races. He loved tracking my progress and hearing all the details afterward. He was also running way before I could.

Aside from all of that, his story needs to be told.

—

Thanksgiving was my Dad’s favorite holiday. He always compared it to Christmas, but without the pressure of buying or receiving gifts, you simply just ate and drank with your loved ones, plain and simple. My five brother’s and I (2 blood, 3 step) always looked forward to going back to Virginia to be there for that holiday because it was always a classy, no expenses spared event. Dad and my Bonus-Mom Christine were also very insistent that we join them.

On Thanksgiving 2008, we noticed my Dad acting mysterious, sneaking off to appointments. My family has no secrets and are quite in your face and so this was a red flag for us. My brothers and I just decided to call him out when he got back and sure enough he confessed to being at the doctors. He was going to wait to tell us. He had been diagnosed with Lymphoma, or more specifically for those interested B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, ‘CLL.’  In lay men’s terms, it disables the body from producing antibodies, therefore the patient cannot fight off infection.

We were saddened by this but did not despair. My Dad has always seemed invincible and health problems were of little concern to him for all his life. He would just get treatment and fight.


For those readers who didn’t personally know my Dad, just imagine an older, wiser version of me or my brothers. He was 100 percent optimistic and totally outgoing, befriending anyone. He had few enemies or people he disliked, so we knew if you fell into that category you must be truly evil. He ran, played piano, loved music, golf and his family. We had no doubt that he would crush this disease.

For the first half of 2009 he received treatment from John Hopkins. He had fantastic doctors and by mid-summer the Cancer was in remission.

To celebrate my brothers and I set up a ‘Dudes Weekend’ with Dad down at Bethany Beach, Maryland. We had a blast racing Go-Karts, playing mini-golf and teaching him how to Wii Bowl.

Life went on.

In Early 2010 his Cancer resurfaced, this time stronger.

After some serious consulting by many doctors, his end goal was to live out the rest of his days happy and healthy, whatever had to be done in the meantime. That meant that the solution would be a Bone Marrow Transplant. It is a very risky procedure, but is the only known cure.

In order to qualify for this, he had to get his blood counts up, so back to clinical trials he went. These next few months were grueling for my Dad. He went through so many horrible tests and procedures. One of the harder treatments required him to be hooked up to the IV drip for 5 straight days. He would call us and tell us how much he wanted to go home, but he knew had to endure the pain to get better in the end.

His body was taking a serious beating. After one failed clinical trial, he would have 2 weeks off (where he said he felt great and back to normal) before taking on another. We would constantly get emails from my step-mom Christine (who was by his side for the entire battle) telling us his status.

A sad moment for me was during the NYC Marathon. He and Christine had planned to come up and cheer me on. He had never seen me race so I was very excited. As it turns out, they had to bail on the trip because it was too risky for my Dad’s weakened immune system to be around all of those people. I’m a very positive person, but deep down I knew that was the last opportunity he would have to see me run a race. It was a weird feeling.

My race came and went.

Thanksgiving was a memorable one in 2010 because all 6 brothers were in town. We had such a great holiday with he and Christine. He looked great and seemed normal aside from his swollen nymph nodes. This would be the last time I would see him alive and in a healthy state.

It was also during this time that my brothers, aunts and uncles were all getting our blood tested to help Dad. My brother Phil was the winner. The doctors wanted to attempt a kind of mild white blood cell transfusion that I never quite understood. He underwent this treatment in the beginning of 2011 and after a few weeks we had learned that it failed.

I really am so proud of my Dad’s spirit. Through all this hope and despair, he had such a positive outlook and never gave up.

With all clinical trials failing, the only thing left was the Bone Marrow Treatment, the problem was that my Dad’s ‘counts’ were too low. He started traveling (a 6 hour drive) to Ohio Stet to see another specialist recommended by his Hopkins doctors. They put him on anther clinical trial in combination with some steroids. He liked this one because his nymph nodes immediately reduced in size.

—

On Sunday, May 15th my step-mom and my Dad went to the movies and had dinner out at one of their favorite places. It was nothing out of the ordinary.

Monday, Christine had noticed his speech was a bit slurred and he was a weaker than normal.

Tuesday morning my father couldn’t get out of bed. Christine had to use the wheelchair for the first time. She took him right to Hopkins to have him admitted. She sent the brothers an email explaining what had happened. Alarmed, but not to worried as these emails explaining Dad’s condition were common, we hoped for the best.

As Wednesday came. his condition was worse. Christine sent an email at the end of the day saying that she wished she had good news, but he wasn’t getting better. This isn’t a great email to receive while out at a happy hour, and I was immediately upset and worried. Abbe took me home and we went to bed. I was leaving for the Boston area the next day for the Reach the Beach Relay and had been so excited for it. 20 of my best runner friends (aka the Runner Army) were participating.

Thursday morning at 5:30AM I was startled out of sleep by my cell phone. It was my Dad’s ID, but when I answered it was my step-mom. In a very calm voice she simply said “Chris, you need to get here as fast as you can.” Shaking, I hung up the phone and paced. I started backing my backpack. How long was I going away for? One day? A week? I packed running gear, why I have no idea. After talking to my youngest brother Jeff who lives in the city we were booked on an 8:15AM train to Baltimore.

By the time I left for the train the only news I had from my brother Phil who lives close to Dad was that he had brain hemorrhaging and they couldn’t thin his blood because it was too risky based on his steroid treatments. I was really upset and in a daze.

Jeff and I made the train and had a very quiet ride. We were both in denial at the possibility that this could be the end. After a call from my brother Phil saying “Dad’s humor is alive. He was teasing some nurses and now they are taking him for a CT Scan.” we were confused and changed our outlook to hope.

The next 3 days could be summed up with ‘Hope and Despair’ repeating over and over. One of the worst roller coaster rides I have ever taken.

I went to college in Baltimore so it was refreshing to see the old campus. We arrived at Hopkins just after 11AM. My brother Phil greeted us in the lobby and warned us of what we were about to see.

Nothing could have prepared me. My once invincible father was pale and sleeping with so many tubes hooked up to him. His left side had had multiple strokes and was droopy and disfigured. His breathing was erratic. I immediately broke down and cried.

His condition was that he was delirious and his eyes would roll back occasionally. He woke up and I talked to him, telling him to get better so we could go home. He was so confused and was looking right at me saying something to which I couldn’t understand as his speech was slurred. He was so frustrated, he was in there, he just couldn’t work his body.

We watched the neurological team come to some reflex tests with him that nearly broke my heart. He couldn’t lift his left arm and thought it was November 11, 1973. Once again he was frustrated and tried to answer the doctors questions as if to say “Why are you asking me these stupid questions, I’m perfectly fine.”

The doctors thought it was an infection or possibly something with his brain but had no solid answers. They needed to take him away for another test so my brothers and I went to the cafeteria to get lunch.

When we returned he was worse. He was sleeping but his breathing was totally crazy. It hurt just listening to it. We got the doctors and they woke him up. “Mr. Baker, you are having trouble breathing, would you like us to give you a breathing tube?” I saw him look right at her and say yes. That was the last time I would see my Dad conscious.

We were all a mess. We waited for nearly 3 hours while they outfitted him with a breathing tube and something called a main line.

Finally, they said we could go in and see him. I lost it again. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen, breaking my heart yet again. My father had tubes out of his mouth, in his neck, his arms, everywhere. So many machines surrounded his bed beeping and blinking with data. He was peacefully sedated.

We talked with so many doctors. No one had answers.

Our routine was to go in and sit with Dad (I could only last 10 minutes at a time) then go out to the waiting area where we had started camping out. My step-mother never left his side.

As night fell, a wild storm approached and I remember whispering to myself, “If there is a god, he is here now.”

My Uncle Bill, Aunt Margie and cousin Cat and step brother Matt arrived at 7PM. It was good to have fresh faces but sad to have to relive the heart brake of new family coming to the realization of what was happening here.

Before we left for the night, the doctors explained that Dad’s Kidney’s were failing, he had fluid around his lungs and bleeding in his brain. Measures were being taken overnight to correct these things and we needed to be hopeful.

All of us left for Dad’s place except for Christine and Matt. At Dad’s we were all hopeful, and very confused. We drank and toasted to his health and went to bed at midnight.

Friday morning we all arrived back at Hopkins hoping for some good news. There was none. In fact his heart rate was fluctuating between 125-165 which any of you runners out there know is not a resting heart rate. They put him on meds to stabilize him and it worked.

It was at this time that my brothers and Christine and I had the discussion with his doctors on ‘what to do.’ Never in a million years did I think I would ever have to have this conversation. My Dad never wanted to be hooked up to machines, which was exactly the case at that moment. We made a decision that we would give Dad 48 hours. If there was even just an inkling of recovery, we would keep him going, but if he showed no signs of improvement we would let him go.

The doctors took him off sedation and gave him antibiotics, the theory now being that he had an infection that was attacking his whole body. They wanted him off sedation because they wanted a neurological reaction from him, something that showed he was still fighting and mentally in tact.

Once again, all day we were in and out of the ICU. I was in such a daze, it felt like a dream.

At 3PM, Friday my brother Jeff’s fiance Ali, and my Grandma and her boyfriend arrived. Ali knew by our faces that it was grim. As I approached Grandma (one of the most amazing women I have ever met) she kissed me and smiled saying “Hi Christopher, so is he better?” I started tearing up and she looked down saying, “Okay. Let’s go.”

Walking my dear Grandmother down to see her dying son is the hardest thing I have ever done. We both wept as we slowly walked arm in arm. “Chris, he means so much to me. He can’t, not now.” Crying I repeated, “I know Grandma, he means so much to all of us.” We both wept hard upon entering the room, her caressing his head and whispering to him.

All day we spent calling relatives telling them that needed to get here. Most of them in denial that Bruce would surely get through this. Hope is so powerful, and I was loosing it.
As Friday came to a close the doctors explained that his condition was ‘poor.’ We would need a miracle. His body was basically failing on multiple levels.

Before leaving for the night I was in his room and for the first time I was left by myself with him. Something deep down inside of me knew this was the end. I talked to him. I held his head and told him so many things, most of which he already knew, we were close. I was crying really hard and told him to stop fighting, that he didn’t need to be scared for him or for us, that we would see him later. I told him to watch over me and that every race I would ever run from here on would be for him. “Bye Dad.” as I walked out of his hospital room.

As soon as we got back to Dad’s place Christine called me. “Chris, I’m sorry to tell you this, your Father’s heart stopped briefly. If it happens again we aren’t going to resuscitate.” As I relayed the information to my brothers and relatives everyone lost it and the reality of what was inevitable set in.

Saturday morning at 5AM my brothers and I sped to the hospital in silence. I cried under my sunglasses the whole way.

In Dad’s room it was very somber. Dad’s condition had gotten worse again and it was time to let him go. We waited until the rest of our group arrived 30 minutes later before doing anything. The nurses had removed everything except the breathing tube and had redressed his bed, making space for us to lay with him. He was very peaceful.

Each family member had some privacy and said their goodbyes to Dad. Soon after, the nurse said it was time to remove the breathing tube. A few of us left the room because we are queasy.

All of us surrounded Dad, quietly crying as we all tried to tell some fun stories of him. He was breathing slowly. He was sitting up a bit and we were holding his hands and talking to him. It was so heart wrenching seeing everyone in tears. Every time I heard my Grandma’s cries I cried harder. Then, his eyes opened! It was so amazing, he just sat there watching us. His eyes were so colorful and beautiful at that moment.

His breathing slowly stopped and he left us peacefully.

We all hugged each other and were crying profusely. I had thought the whole ordeal took 30-40 minutes but the nurse told us it was only 7 minutes.

—

2 weeks later on June 4th we had his Memorial Service. It was a celebration of life, 5 friends and family members got up and told stories of him before bagpipers led us to his burial site. It was so beautiful and I know he was up there smiling down upon us. Afterwards, we had a huge reception at the Lansdowne Resort with food and drink. There were around 300 people in attendance.

He will be missed.

—

I have been thinking a lot about life (obviously) lately.

My Dad lived a great life, and had amazing experiences and friendships. Have I? Have you? Are you happy? If not, time to get working on that. Do you dream about taking a trip to the Grand Canyon? Take the trip. Do you want to learn the guitar? Take cooking classes? Have kids? Stop wasting time. Do you want to run a marathon? Don’t be scared, I believe in you.

My father’s wishes were to raise money for Lymphoma research so this doesn’t happen to another family. If you wish to contribute, please follow the link below. Any money we raise is going to be doubled by an anonymous donor.

Thanks for listening.

http://www.lymphoma.org/teammates/beyonddefeat

RACE REPORT: 059 Great Hudson River Swim: 43:39

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The Great Hudson River Swim is NYC Swim’s kick off event of the season. It is a 1.6 Mile swim from the Christopher Street Pier down to the North Cove Marina in Battery Park.

The night before Abbe and I went to Todd and Ila’s place in Battery Park for a sleepover party. Abbe made dinner which was a fantastic pasta dish with clams, tomatoes and bacon. Even while in my vegetarian phases (this was not one pf those phases) I can never resist bacon…

We examined the water conditions that night and it was crazy choppy!

Awake at 6AM and Cafe Bustelo began coursing through our veins! Abbe, Todd and I left at 6:30 to walk up to the start. It was a beautiful morning. We checked in and grabbed a spot in the grass on the pier. My friend from previous races, Elik, came by and said hello.

Then, out of nowhere, Jess, Rick, Maria and Maura H. were there to support me! Awesome! (it turns out, as you will see in the end, Abbe had set up a little surprise cheering squad for me!) After high fiving everyone I made my way to my wave. I was in the first, meaning I am in the slowest group of swimmers. This is just something I have learned to deal with, fast on land… slow in water… FOR NOW. Todd and our friend Sam were in the last Wave and I told them to take it easy on me as they passed by during the race. Todd said he was going to dunk me. Fantastic.

Right before jumping off the pier into the water I looked back and saw a few more of the Runner Army waving! What was going on?


I had to wait maybe 1 minute before the Wave Start sounded. I dug in and started my race. My only goal was to finish. It had been a hard week and I did not need to stress out.

Something very scary happened as we swam along the pier before cutting out left into the river. I didn’t have it in me. I was rotating between freestyle and breast stroke and my mind was racing. It had been one week since my Dad passed away (almost to the minute) and I was bummin’ out. At one point I was just said “F this.” and looked over at the pier for a way up to take myself out of the race. I’m not one for giving up, so I gave it a few more tries and I slowly got closer to the turn buoy, knowing that once I got into the river it was sink or swim.

Before my Dad passed away, as I was saying goodbye to him one of the things I told him was that I would race every race for him, in his honor, until I couldn’t race anymore. With my face in the murky cold Hudson, with nothing to listen to but my air bubbles and my stream of consciousness, I thought of that. Before I knew it, I had made the left turn and was in full swim form, cruising down the mighty river on a beautiful sunny day.

I focused a lot on my form and all of the knowledge bestowed upon me by Coach Sonja and Swim Guru Sean. We had come a long way in the 2 months I had decided to take them on to help me, this was the first test. I was still not taking this race to heart as a competitive event, so on occasion I would pop into breast stroke to enjoy the peace and quiet. Maybe it’s because in NYC we never had silence, but I am always so amazed at the peacefulness of swimming ¼ mile off the Manhattan shoreline. I am also amazed at my fearlessness in comparison to the last 2 years. I knew I would finish and I knew there was no possibility of drowning. I thought to myself “Enjoy this.” and I did.

As I finished the swim, popping out onto the dock, I hear a loud cheer in the distance “Baker!” A large portion of the Runner Army had come out top support me and cheer me on! I was thrilled! After they hosed me down, I came around for some serious high-fives. Role Call: Maria, Maura H, Susan, Elyssa, Erica Sara, Matt6, Steph, Jess, Rick, Claire, and Abbe!

Time: 43:39, 10 minutes faster than the year before! PR!


(Thanks Erica Sara for the awesome photos!)

I found Todd and Sam and we high fived.

Before we all headed out for coffee, Maria (my Reach the Beach Team Captain) presented me my honorary finishers medal and tee-shirt. Due to my Dad getting sick so fast last week I had to bail on the relay. This gesture made my day, it was so nice of all of them and they pretty much rock. Also, now I had 2 medals… who else had 2 medals?!

There was a lot of love floating around that day, thanks everyone!

My New Newtons

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My friends took me to the Yankees game last night. It was awesome! The Yanks won it in the 9th inning, something I have never witnessed. Needless to say we (along with most of the other fans) had to go to Stans Bar to celebrate after.

Spilling into my bed at midnight, I knew the next day would not be pretty.

Naturally waking at 5:45 AM can have a negative impact, especially if you need more sleep. Laying awake I thought, “What better way to cure a hangover then a brutal run?”

I have new shoes. Brand new unworn Newton Gravitas to be exact. They were my fathers.


My father passed away Saturday morning after a rough 3 day battle with his Cancer. I am going to write about that another time because I think his story needs to be told, but this is about his Newtons.

Sunday morning, after the dust had settled, my brothers and I were at my Dad’s place hanging with my step-brothers and step-mother. They rock. During a conversation about running and what sneakers I wear my step-mom told me how my Dad bought some Newtons at my recommendation. We went into his closet and sure enough, a new pair of Newton Gravitas were present. I tried them on and to my amazement, they fit!

Back in the present ‘hungover’ state, I laced them up and took off toward Central Park. I hadn’t run in 11 days and was looking forward to it. I compared me not running to Top Gun and how when Goose died Maverick didn’t go flying right away. Viper says “Get him up there flying soon.” My mind is a funny place, it’s true.

It was hot, humid, sunny and exactly what I wanted. This run was very difficult. My poor nutrition and lack of sleep were apparent as I cut my run short. My Dad’s Newtons worked perfect and it’s as if he bought them for me. We don’t even have the same shoe size.

3.4 Miles at a 6:02 pace… I ran that hangover right out the door.

RACE REPORT: 058 Healthy Kidney 10K: 37:02

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The Runner Army went to battle today.

—

The Healthy Kidney 10K is unlike most of the other 10K’s in the New York City area because it is sponsored by the United Arab Emirates and all of their money. Therefore, there are a lot of big players in the running circuit that come to town. Seriously, the winner gets $25,000 plus the bonus $20,000 if he (yes ‘he’, for some reason only boys are eligible. Take it up with HR.) breaks the course record. I WISH I could win that much cash running on what I consider my backyard!

What I was looking to accomplish in this 10K? Well, put my D-tag on correctly and not attach the instructions as I had for the Scotland 10K! I didn’t put any requirements on myself. Deep down I have wanted to break 37 minutes since last year’s 10K PR at the Healthy Kidney (37:11) but was really just excited to ‘race.’ Coach Sonja has me doing a lot of slow work (which has shown results!) so I get excited now when I get to use my speed.

The day before the race I was queued up for a 1 hour trainer ride from hell. During the entire hour I had to maintain a 145 HR. For those not familiar, this is high for the bike and like a race pace. After sweating my brains out, I then had to throw on my kicks and hit the streets for a 30 minute run!

That night Abbe and I fueled up with some Pasta Primavera I cooked up. It was delicious and filled up the gas tank. Asleep by 11PM!

RACE DAY!

Awake at 6AM and fueling on a nice Cafe Bustelo/Stumptown hybrid blend I made by 6:15! Probably I should have had a more substantial breakfast than toast with peanut butter, but… I was having fun with my coffee.

Arriving at the start with plenty of time to spare Abbe and I met with Erica Sara and Melissa. My friend Dani also popped over to say hi! After a few high fives we all split to get in our corrals.

In my corral I saw 2 speedy runners I always run into on the course. We fist bumped and wished each other luck right as the gun went off!

I crossed the mat a second off the start time, we were already flying! I didn’t get too wild off the bat but we still crossed Mile 1 at 5:49, which pleased me. Soon after we crossed Mile 2 at the 11:45 mark, this also pleased me. Splits = 5:49, 5:51, 5:44.

It was at this point I saw my friend Robert up ahead running with his friend Danny. From this point on I held them in my sights about 25 feet in front of me, trying to reel them in. I wanted to yell out to Robert, “Robert! I’m coming for ya man!” but realized it would definitely take much more energy then it was worth. Thanks to Robert for holding that pace because it helped me for sure.

Harlem Hill sucked just like it always does. I wonder if anyone ever says “Wow, what a lovely jaunt up Harlem Hill that was. So relaxing.” On the second ascent up the hill I really felt it in my chest.

SIDENOTE: For the first time ever I had zero pain in any part of my body, whether it be legs, knees, feet, arms, I mean nothing! What I did feel for the first time was the internal parts of my body in overdrive, like my heart. I was very in-tune with it and at times I would adjust my breathing to calm my HR down a bit. It seemed to work.

As soon as we leveled out on the top of Harlem Hill me and this other chap I was running with laughed about the hill. I was very excited as I knew the worst was over. Focus, move those arms, and keep my posture in tact.

Blazing (Hip Hop n R&B) past the 89th Street crossing I saw Elizabeth and we had a yelling exchange. Soon after I finally caught up to Robert. I like to kinda sneak up on my runner buddies, so I just run right along side them until their like “Who is this guy over here all flanking me and stuff?” Then, they look over and are like “Baker!”  and it’s all happy times. BUT, it’s really not because we are on Mile 5 of a 10K and we are exhausted.

We paced each other the rest of the way and I have to thank Robert again as at one point I was falling behind and he told me to keep up my pace. I did.

Rounding the southern end of the Park to finish out the last mile, my chest was burning something fierce. I pushed hard and as I passed the 6 Mile mark I knew I had a slight chance of breaking 37 minutes, but it would be close, really close. Blasting through the finish with all I could muster my time was 37:02! Even though I didn’t break 37, it was still a 9 second PR and I was happy. Splits = 6:11, 5:49, 6:00, 5:33 (for .2).

“Hi Mary!”

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall 

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M33 134 64 10 37:02 5:58 73.3%

I met up with Robert, Antonio, Danny and Helen right after and we celebrated our race.

Right after that I ran into my friend Kevin and Micheal and chatted with them for a hot second before I realized I was holding up the Front Runners Team photo! (my back was to the camera) Sorry guys!

After getting my bag I ran into my neighbor (and fellow blogger) Kelly who had a fantastic race, then, back at the Finish Line I got to see Abbe finish! We waited for Erica Sara then the 3 of us went off to find the Joyride Truck to get some Balzac (which is a blend of coffee). We sat on the steps of Lincoln Center pondering the meaning of life and other fun facts.

SIDENOTE: While we were sitting on the steps having coffee this guy on a bike pulled up and asked where my skateboard was?! It turns out he rides past me on Park Avenue everyday while I’m skateboarding to work! What a small town!


—

It was a great day for all our runners and as if it couldn’t get any better, Maura and Bryan
(of the Runner Army) were throwing a party later that night. In attendance were Abbe, Erica Sara, Elyssa, Maura H, Neal, Robin and our gracious hosts! It was a really fun time and capped off an excellent day.

How I became a Runner.

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Due to some documents that have recently been revealed, it seems that my claim of only being a runner for the last 3 years to be false. The following transcript was published in 1988, when I was only 11 and paints a dramatic account of my running abilities.

 

—–

Hi, my name is Chris and I am the world’s fastest runner. I can run up to light speed! Not only can I run up to light speed, but I can fire lightening bolts out of my fists! Let’s go back to 1982. It was a Saturday night and I was going to sleep. Then, I heard someone calling my name and I ran over to see who or what he wanted. “Hi, there” he said. “What do you want?” “Nothing, I just want to give you something” “What?” “Super Powers!” “Wow” “You will be able to stop robbers and burglars.” I woke up, it was a dream. Woooshh! “Wow! I can get out of bed super fast! That dream must have been real!” And so that’s how I got my super powers.

Bye. Wooooooosssssshhhhhh!

 

I was probably looking like this when I wrote that and no, Adidas wasn’t sponsoring me yet.

RACE REPORT: 057 NJ Half Marathon: 1:23:01

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Last year I ran the New Jersey Marathon. It was 90 degrees and it looked like a battlefield by the end, bodies strewn all over lawns, ambulances everywhere. This year I would opt for the Half Marathon.

—

Becoming a tradition, Ed, Jim and I would spend the night at Mike’s (and Kara’s) house in Red Bank the night before the race. The infamous ‘Dad Posse’ and I were ready for some redemption after last year’s inferno.

We arrived on Saturday night in time for dinner. Mike took us to a place called Brother’s Italian in Red Bank that’s been around since the 60’s! It was amazing. Family style, it had a huge ‘cafeteria-esque’ dining room with a bar at one end and the kitchen at the other. The tables were full of families dining and most of the kids had on soccer or baseball uniforms from the afternoon’s local games. The interior walls were covered in wood paneling and all things Italian… flags, paintings, photos. Waiters were moving massive amounts of food out of the kitchen with speed and precision.

Arriving at a white and red checkered 4-top, our 80 year old server (not even kidding) presented us with the laminated menus. She was really sweet and I wanted to help her carry our plates out when they were ready. Her sweet exterior masked a tough interior, probably hardened by years of dealing with Red Bank, as she quickly got our drink order and moved on.

I ordered the lasagna for my pre-race meal. Due to the giant mass of melty cheese involved with it, it maybe wasn’t the most logical choice, but it was delicious! Mike also insisted we get the ‘cheesy bread’ as an appetizer, therefore making it official, dinner, was sponsored by cheese.

Back at Mike’s, we all wound down and were in bed around 10:30 PM.

RACE DAY

I woke up naturally (unaided by an alarm clock) at 5:30-6:00AM and could smell coffee. I had a flashback to that 80’s Folgers commercial where the mom wakes up from the coffee smell then comes downstairs and her son is home for the holidays, back from the military. That did not transpire, instead I quietly sipped coffee in the kitchen waiting for the guys to wake up.

We all fueled in our own ways. A few of the guys had bagels, or cereal. Since I was stuffed from my cheese dinner I opted for a banana. Kara had offered to drive us to the start which was a 10 minute drive. We were geared up and out the door by 7:15, excited as the weather was perfect.

After our drop-off we had a short walk along the boardwalk to the start. We discussed our goals and what our training had been the last month. Personally, my goal was to gain redemption from my ‘stomach virus run,’ aka the NYC Half Marathon a month earlier. That would mean running a sub 1:28 and not puking my guts out before the race. I was already ahead of the game with a full and happy stomach at this point.

As far as training goes I felt very confident. Coach S has had me doing roughly 2 workouts a day, 6 days a week. I have also been skateboarding to work again, so… whatever that does. She also has me doing limited speed work, so I was very excited to put the pedal to the metal and feel some burn.

I separated from the guys and jumped into the corrals. SIDENOTE: The NJ Marathon and Half Marathon do not have pace based corrals. It’s one giant corral and can be a headache. I was pretty sure I was in the front 10% – 15% of the runners and wasn’t stressing. I’m always out for a PR, but I was anticipating bumping into the slower Marathon runners who had started 30 minutes before us, so was just out for some fun.

Waiting for the start, this gal in front of me turns around and is like “Baker!” It was Elyssa and Eissa! (aka Team E) I get so excited seeing The Runner Army! We chatted and had a few laughs before setting off on our runs.

The first mile was congested, but we were moving. As I took a turn at a corner I heard “Baker! Go man!” It was Amy! Cool, I didn’t even know she was going to be there. I ran a 6:26 and felt great, so I picked it up a bit. I had some shin splints for the first 3 miles which I attributed to not warming up my legs properly. (Sorry S!)

Miles 2-4 were great as the field really opened up and I was running with just a few others and was pushing my speed. Splits 2 – 4: 6:15, 6:27, 6:16.

As we entered the bridge (the only hill) for the out and back loop consisting of miles 4-8 I saw Amy again! I remembered this part of the course from last year and knew once I got back to the bridge it was over the halfway mark.

By now I had caught up to the slower marathoners. I was flanking them on the left and it was going just fine until we hit the bridge. At this point the slower half marathoners were coming across so it was jam packed with people all the way across. I basically ran down the center line of the road. It was a lot like running head first into traffic or something. Splits 5-8: 6:12, 6:12, 6:09, 6:10.

The second half of the course is roughly straightaways. I was busy on the left again trying to push forward. I felt really good at this point and started ‘tracking down’ half marathoners. By now I was starting to catch up to some people who passed me early on and were fading. The sun was high in the sky now and the heat was on. It was here that I realized that I think I run better in the heat as opposed to a nice 45 degree running day. Strange I know.

At mile 10 the crowds started to get thick and this one guy yelled to me “There are only 4 half marathoners in front of you! You can catch them, go, go, go!” Now, I always take this kind of chatter with a grain of salt. Had this guy just strolled up to the course a few minutes ago? Was he messing with me? Perhaps he is a bad counter like me? As I looked off in the distance I did only see one guy going my pace. I kept at it, trying to muster up some more speed, but I was cooking already for 10 miles out. Splits 9 – 11: 6:14, 6:14, 6:15. (I’m so consistent! A rarity in my case.)

It was at this point that I was doing some rough ‘Baker math’ in my head which is often wrong. Last week I told Coach S I swam a 300 YD Time Trial Swim in 5:98. That’s right, in my world it take 100 seconds to equal a minute. Anyway, I had hopes of possibly making a PR on this course. Since half mary PR is 1:20 and change, I would just have to shave some time off the last few minutes. Easier said than done.

Right after mile 11 the course splits and the marathoners take a right to start another loop, while the half marathoners head left toward the boardwalk. As I made that turn it got very quiet. There were 2 guys ¼ mile in front of me and I thought “There is no way I am gonna catch them in under 2 miles!” I made an attempt at another speed push but I was pretty tapped at my 6:15 pace. Also, now that we were on the beach the sun was beating down on us.

SIDENOTE: In my history of racing I have heard some really funny cheers from people. You racers know the ones we often hear. “You look great!” “Almost there!” (at Mile 2) “Great pace!” As I was cruising down the mile 12-13 stretch this older woman yelled to me, “Keep going!” I laughed a little and yelled back “I’m gonna!”

As I came down the final stretch I picked it up a little bit and finished feeling great! Splits 11 – 13: 6:15, 6:17, 6:21 and a 0.1 blast of 5:53.

My final time was 1:23:01, my second best half marathon time. I was very happy.

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall 

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M33 10721 17 4 01:23:01 6:15 71.39%

I immediately went down to the finish line and cheered on the rest of the runners, waiting for my gang to come through. I saw Elyssa and Eissa come through and yelled quite loudly, startling other spectators. Sorry, I was amped.

Jim, Mike, (who had a serious 20 minute PR! Congrats Mike!) and Ed all came in and we made a group decision to hit the outdoor bar at the finish. We rolled up to this packed bar and by some act of divine runner intervention a handful of seats opened up right in the front at the best spot!

We hung out celebrating in the warm weather cheering on everyone while feasting on what my Kung-Fu Master used to call ‘Magic Water’ aka Coronas. I saw Joe at one point and he came over for some high fives! Runner Army represent!

We ended the day back at Mike and Kara’s place for a backyard BBQ! Thanks again for hosting us!

Back in New York, Abbe insisted she take me out in celebration of my race. Celebrate? Me? Ok. We went to Cask and then to Penelope for some light salads. My appetite was really off after the race, but a salad was exactly what I needed!

Bridges Run with Baker’s Mom!

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Soon after my Mom and I ran the Disney Half Mary together she started see all the comments and reading other people’s running blogs. She was really inspired and told me how great this ‘Runner Army’ was.

When she told me that my Step-Dad and her were visiting she made a few requests, one of them was to meet a lot of these famous runners!

Friday night she met my friend Elizabeth or Ms. Ritz at my brother Jeff’s engagement party. She was thrilled and Eliz gave her so many great stories.

On Sunday, I had a planned run for us.

There are Beer Runs, Doughnut Runs, and Bridges Runs… throw my Mom into the mix and you get Bridges Run with Baker’s Mom! This was a 3 Mile route (planned by Maria, thanks again!) starting at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, going into Brooklyn then back into Manhattan via the Manhattan Bridge and ending at Doughnut Plant! Awesome.

On a sunny and beautiful Easter Sunday, we started at 10AM and blasted up the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a light crowd seeing as how this weekend was Easter and Passover but we still had Abbe, Maria, Joe, my Mom and me! It’s a pretty dramatic ascent and I think my Mom started a bit too quick, there are no hills in Florida remember. Once we hit the apex our pace smoothed out.

My step-dad Richard was right past the first tower and took some great shots of us!

We played ‘Running Leapfrog’ (as I have dubbed it) the whole time. Meaning, we were all bouncing around talking to different people in our group. My Mom had a real fun time talking to Joe, Maria and Abbe.

Once we arrived in Brooklyn we pit stopped in the park for a photo op.

It was very hot and humid and the sun was really starting to cook us. Big high fives to Maria and Joe who were in the middle of long runs. Maria, who was finishing her’s with the Bridges Run, was 7 Miles deep when she met us. Joe was about the same, but he had 7 MORE to go after we were done the Bridges Run.

We set off and began our ascent of teh Manhattan Bridge which is a bit more gradual then the Brookyln but as my Mom said, “It never ends!” The Manhattan is also more noisy as the Subway runs right next to the pedestrian path. This is my favorite bridge to cross for that reason (it feels more urban and edgy) and there are 90% less people on this walkway.

We finished the 3 Mile run at the base of the bridge and quickly made our way towards the Doughnut Plant for nourishment. My Mom was checking out her run data on her newly acquired (and first running watch) Garmin 405CX. I needed a new Garmin and so not knowing what to do with my old one I figured she could use it. At Doughnut Plant we met up with step-dad Richard, my brother Jeff, and his fiance Allison.

Before feasting we said goodbye to Joe who had to continue on his run. He escorted us to NYC’s #1 doughnut spot only to turn around and keep running without enjoying a doughnut! High fives to Joe for ‘taking one for the team’ and showing some serious willpower. Everyone else had a delicious treat and water or coffee. It was amazing as usual! My Mom got a cinnamon bun as big as her head.

I’m really glad we lucked out with perfect weather to introduce my Mom to some New York City running!

 

 

 

 

RACE REPORT: 056 Scotland 10K: 37:13

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Spring is here and it’s quite obvious in ol’ Manhattan.

On Saturday morning I met Brandon at the entrance to the George Washington Bridge for our first Nyack ride of the season.

It was a bit chilly as we made our way into (dirty) Jersey, but we soon warmed up after maintaining a 20MPH pace. There were so many riders out as well. It was sunny and expected to get up into the 50’s. Athletic Weather Perfection.

As per ‘Nyack Ride Law’ we BOMBED down State Line Hill, hitting around 40MPH. I later learned that the reason I was spinning out is that I have a 50 tooth chain ring on my front cog?! What?!

SIDENOTE: Later on, I consulted Coach S about the chain ring and we have come up with a strategic plan to tweak out my bike.

Arriving at Nyack and the Runsible Spoon, we sat and ate a banana chocolate chip muffin and had some coffee. These particular muffins may be my favorite on Earth. Each one weighs like 3 pounds.

The return trip was warmer, but is always a bit harder then the first half. State Line Hill, for instance, is a nightmare. It makes Harlem Hill in Central Park look like nothing.

Our total distance was about 50 miles, with an average speed of 17MPH. Not bad!

Saturday night was spent at Abbe’s apartment. She was cooking dinner for us and our friends Stefan and Amanda. The food was, as always, amazing (Abbe has a culinary degree and is a master chef) and we had a blast. Stefan had brought some moonshine he found, so around 11PM we thought it was a great idea to test some out.

SIDENOTE: There is a race in the morning.

The moonshine was awesome and if any of us thought we didnt have enough wine or beer with dinner, this adjusted us.

Asleep by midnight…

RACE DAY

The fact that this NYRR race was at 9AM and ot at  or 7 was really exciting. We could take our time getting ready. While having coffee I got geared up and Abbe made a really cool sign, “Runner Army Unite!”

Following Coach’s instructions I had a really nice 30 minute warm up run over to the start.

There, I ran into Alex and Anh! We chatted a bit before I set off into my corral. (Thanks to Anh for taking some pics of me as I finished!)

This was a points race for all the local teams so I was surrounded by groups of them chanting and cheering. I felt like a rogue operative in my all black outfit, I was clearly on my ‘own’ team.

The gun went off and immediately we were running a 5:58 pace. That morning, I was trying to explain that even in the front it’s crowded, it’s just a faster moving kind of crowded. Man, if anyone slipped up, it would be devastating, like a pack of Gazelles collapsing into each other. Does that mean the Red Corral runners are the Lions?

I had on my racing flats and I felt pretty good. Between Mile 1 and 2 Antonio popped up! We ran together for this mile but I couldn’t keep up with his pace. My left shin was hurting a bit and I was even questioning the future of the race.

I attacked Harlem Hill with a vengeance. For some weird reason I enjoy hills, maybe it’s the challenge? I was swinging my arms and pumping my legs all the while trying to regulate my breathing and heart rate.

Splits 1-3: 5:58, 5:47, 5:43

SIDENOTE: Harlem Hill, when running clockwise, is actually 2 hills. Up, down, then back up again to level ground.

After ascending Part 2 of Harlem Hill, I was pretty wiped and slowed up. I was, however, thrilled to have the hardest part of the run behind me. Once I caught my breath and heart rate, I picked up my speed again. I saw that I was running a 6 minute average, and was wondering if I could PR? My PR for a 10K is 37:11 and it was going to be close.

Splits 4-5: 6:09, 5:44

Rounding the southern end of the Park, I was desperately wishing for the 6 Mile marker to rear it’s head. I was pushing hard but could feel my heart beating through my chest. It hurt. The 6 Mile mark hit and the clock said 36:30! Could I PR? I would have to run 300M (roughly) in 30 seconds, nearly impossible, but lets give it a go?

As I climbed the steady hill approaching the finish I heard my name and saw Abbe, Steph and Amanda cheering me on with signs and cowbells! Awesome! I smiled and burst into a sprint!

My time was 37:13, which was 3 seconds shy of a PR! So close!

At the finish my friend Colette and her 2 adorable little boys were there cheering me on! I gave Grant a high five (it was his birthday) and then the 4 of us went in search of Abbe and the Runner Army cheering section.

We all cheered on as Matt, Sharon, Erica Sara and Stefan (running his first NYRR race!) all crossed.

We slowly made our way to Hummus Kitchen to feast! Role call: Sharon, Jeremy, Matt, Steph, Peter (Russian Bear), Erica Sara, Abbe and me! It was so delicious! I didn’t even know they did a breakfast menu. Also, with Sharon’s help I coined the Runner Army’s tag line. Are you ready for this? The Runner Army. We Run the World.

As the results came in I got strangely curious as there was no record of me racing, not even by queuing up my Bib #?! It was at that moment I noticed that I had put on the INSTRUCTIONS (or left tear-off side) to my D Tag and not the actual timing chip! Such a rookie move!

Needless to say, the Runner Army relentlessly teased me, and I deserved it for sure. I am really glad to have ran with my Garmin to have my exact time on record. I blame the late night moonshine…

Bike. Swim. Cheer. Run.

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55 degrees and sunny both Saturday and Sunday? I’ll take it, and you better believe everyone else in NYC will too!

Coach had me queued up for a 2 hour trainer ride, but after running an errand outside I was like, “Stay inside and ride? No way, I’m terrorizing the town on my bike!” and with that I was off.

I chose to ride my track bike as I figured that would simulate the trainer best as I can’t coast. I also have no brakes, and since you never brake on a trainer ride that seemed logical too.

Any time I take a ride in the streets and avoid Central Park (especially since al the police have been ticketing bikers as of late) I like to say that I am ‘Saying hello to all the neighborhoods’ and seeing what’s going on in each one. The Garmin map below shows where I visited.

Pizza is a common theme for this post and halfway through my ride I popped over to Nino’s drive by window for a slice.

SIDENOTE: I have very strong opinions on the best food in NYC. Nino’s happens to be one of top 3 pizza joints.

Later that day I had swim instruction. We went over my form and worked on some drills that will improve my speed over time. Very exciting stuff!

Saturday night? Yeah I was tired.

I was really looking forward to Sunday. Maura, Bryan, Matt6 and I were to cheer on Maura H., Erica Sara and Steph (long with countless other women) in the More Fitness Half Marathon for Women.

I was supposed to wake up at 7AM but instead woke up at 6AM because my ‘smart’ alarm clock from 1998 still thought ‘Spring Forward’ was April 2nd. Save the Robots? Maybe.

Arriving just after the start, Matt, Bryan and I… ‘The High Five Station’ were on fire. We were obnoxiously loud with Thunder Stix, Cowbells and a sign made by Bryan and Maura. (Maura and Robin K. arrived shortly after, they were getting a run in first… Runnerds!)

There were somewhere around 7,000 runners and probably 1,000 of them high fived Bryan. It was awesome. We saw Maura H., Steph and Erica Sara a couple times before we headed out to get some breakfast, celebrating the gals running achievements. Both Erica Sara and Steph PR’d! Nice work gals, well done!

After the race I was supposed to run a 1:45 minute aerobic threshold run. Arriving home at 1PM I was in some kind of a funk. Maybe it was all the bad walkers cutting me off? Anyway, me being in a funk is a rarity. I pretty much swore the run off.

At 3PM I had the craving for some pizza. I embarked out to my favorite Upper East Side location on 79th and 1st, acquiring a slice of hot cheese pizza. After thoroughly enjoying it I had the secondary craving for Pretzel M&Ms. This may be due to the fact that there is a huge bowl of them on my coffee table. I had 20-30 and they were everything I had dreamed they would be.

Slowly, my attitude was changing. Inside, energy was forming.

30 minutes after my feeding… I was like “Hey, it’s nice out. I haven’t missed a day of Coach’s super charged plan (see image below) so why stop now?!”

It was an amazing run at a 147 HR Average. This means I was running 8 minute miles. On occasion I pushed into the high 7s which is great because it means I’m progressing!

I wanted to kick out some speed a few times as people passed me but I held my ground. Then, I heard these footfalls coming up behind me like a bat outta hell… I was like “Who? What?” As the runner passed they patted my back looked back and gave a shout. It was Antonio, one of my running partners from early on!

Gotta love Central Park… it’s the Runner Army’s backyard.