All – Page 26 – BEYOND DEFEAT

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.

RACE REPORT: 009 CP Dash – 10K: 39:02

Posted on June 13, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 2 Comments

Sex/ Age	Bib	State	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG Gender Place	AG %
M31	663	NY	38	36	9	39:02	6:17	38:50	96	69.1 %

This Weekend was set to be a brutal double header with the Dash 10K Saturday and the Park to Park 2 Mile Hudson River Swim Sunday.

Friday, I went to Robin’s house and hung out with the Ahern’s for a bit. Mike’s Dad is a Marathon runner so we swapped some stories. They headed out and Robin and Jess (Mike’s sister and soon to be resident of NYC) and I ordered some take out. We were drinking Rum and Ginger Ales and listening to some music. I headed out around 11-1130 to get some rest.

The next morning shaped up to be very nice, especially for a run. I Vespa’d up to 103rd Street and 5th Avenue and waited for Jim. Antonio bumped into me and we wished each other good luck as he pressed on. Jim didnt show and I figured it was probably his knee acting up so I headed in to the corrals.

I got caught way behind my normal start and spent much of the first mile bobbin ‘n weavin to get up to speed. I hit mile 1 at 6:45 which is not good for me. I started cruising and actually really enjoying myself. This was a great run and for the first time, this 10K went by effortlessly, which is weird. It was getting hot and sunny towards mile 5 so I started to pick up the pace. Once I saw the 6th mile marker I blazed full speed, I had a lot of energy left evidently. For the first time ever too the announcer said my name as I crossed and it was definitely not as exciting as I expected.

After the race I sat at the finish line and cheered my fellow runners in for 15 minutes and then headed back to my apt. I will certainly do this race again next year.

RACE REPORT: 008 BK Half Marathon: 1:28:15

Posted on May 30, 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	50	291	276	71	1:28:15	6:44	1:28:15	67.1 %

The Brooklyn Half Marathon was to take place on a Saturday morning. My ritual, the night prior to any race, is to meet with some friends and have a big meal and a few drinks. I met Ila, Nancy, and Rachel at a bar in Hells Kitchen and we played iphone trivial pursuit, drank beers, ate some food and had a pretty good time. I was home and in bed by 11:30 or so.

Saturday morning I had my Cafe Bustelo and set off on the F Train to hit Prospect Park. It was so thrilling to see the subway packed with runners in their bibs ready to go!

I was late and so when I got tot the front corral it was packed, but thanks to some friendly guys they suggested I just hop over the gates as I had proper bib credentials!

The race began at 8 AM and it was already getting hot. We did 2 1/2 laps around prospect park (which I quite enjoyed as it was ever changing scenery). at mile 7 they threw us out onto Ocean Parkway heading south. It was a straight away of 6 miles into Coney Island. I was doing great running 6:20 miles until that straight away. It was out on the highway and so freakin boring. Miles 10-13 were of course brutal and I was grabbing water at every possible station. It was here, at mile 12, that my old running partner and friend from last summer Robert ran by, yelling “Hey Baker!!! How are you?” I was like “Im dying out here man!” and his reply was “Hang in there, one more to go!” This actually helped fuel me so thanks Robert! Running down the final stretch of the Coney Island boardwalk was memorable and scenic for sure, but I was winded and fighting to keep up my pace. I finished in 1:28:15 which is a personal record, but I had hoped to do better.

After the race I met up with Robert and then what do you know, Antonio (another running partner) rolls up beside us! We all decided to go have a few beers and watch the race finish out on the boardwalk. It was great! We had some laughs about our times and performance, caught up and relaxed in the sun.

RACE REPORT: 007 Great Hudson River Swim

Posted on May 23, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Swimming Leave a comment

Time	Distance	Place
41:01	1.3 Miles	156

Todd had agreed to coach me and train me in my swimming starting January. My goal of course, being Triathlons. During all this training Todd discovered NYC Swim, a group that organizes open water swims in the waters surrounding Manhattan. He decided we need to do a few of these swims, and he being my coach, I couldn’t refuse.

Our first race (and our first open water swim) was The Great Hudson River Swim, a 1.3 mile race from Christopher Street to the Battery Park Marina.

The night before Todd, Ila, and I went out for pasta and some wine, heading home early and getting to sleep by 11.

It was beautiful out the next day, highs reaching 70 degrees. The water temperature however, was a mere 60 degrees, very cold. We arrived on-time and checked in, getting our swim caps, tracking chips, and race numbers. We lounged in the grass until it was time to swim. We lined up according to our numbers and one by one jumped in the soup staying behind a set of start buoys. The minute I hit the water my hands and feet went numb (Todd and I had on wetsuits) and we treaded water for ten minutes until the first heat sounded.

As we set off I let the faster swimmers take off, as I was a rookie at this point and wasn’t sure of how I was going to do. Immediately I was having trouble. It was the cold, every time I put my face in the water to begin my form, it was like plunging into and ice bucket. I did some breast stroke to get moving and was really not happy with my performance. In fact, I was ready to quit. It was then I thought about my marathon run and everything leading up to that point. I couldn’t quit, so I plunged in and started doing 2 strokes per breath patterns.

Taking a left out past the first buoy I was now in the current and heart of the Hudson River (aka The North River up until about 1950). I was doing just fine at this point and was getting comfortable with my pace, mostly I think because my body warmed up. The crazy thing about the whole thing is that at no point was I even concerned with drowning. 6 months ago I would have been freaking out.

Halfway through the race I stopped right in the middle of the Hudson. ( I had no intentions of winning this race) I just wanted to really take in the surreal moment of being smack in the middle of the Hudson, looking at Jersey City, and then over to downtown Manhattan.

Pressing onward I really got going. I was back to my 3 strokes per breath routine and moving. At the marina entrance I nearly missed the left turn and could have been swept out into the sea! I had a few swimmers by me making the last 50 yards of the swim which fired me up to really go. We climbed the ladder and were on dry land! My legs were very wobbly. My friends and family were yelling my way and snapped a bunch of photos.

They hosed us off on the dock and I made my way to find Todd to high five him. We had done our first open water swim and it was a great accomplishment.

RACE REPORT: 006 Wall Street Run – 3 Miles: 18:22

Posted on May 19, 2009 by admin

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Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile
M31	85	68	68	14	18:22	6:07

Jim, Ed and I signed up to the American Heart Association Wall Street Run after work on e Tuesday Mike missed the deadline so he would cheer us on at the finish.

The race was mayhem as there were no corrals at the start, oly packs of people varying in speed. We all agreed to just enjoy ourselves.

At the start I was basically bobbin and weavin in and out of the crowds trying to get up to an enjoyable pace. I eventually did. It was a really fun run because we would through the financial district like mice! At John Street Todd and his team from Expand the Room came out and cheered me on which was a goo booster!

I met up with Mike at the finish and we cheered on Jim and Ed as they finished. This marked the first race we had run together where we could actually go get beers after. We made our way up to Broome Street Ale house in SoHo and did just that. It was a great end to the night.

RACE REPORT: 005 Healthy Kidney – 10K: 37:55

Posted on May 16, 2009 by admin

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Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Split Time	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG Gender Place	AG %
M31	37	202	181	40	0:18:44	6:08	37:55	350	70.8 %

The Healthy Kidney was my first 10K in quite some time. I spent the night before in Brooklyn at my friend Stephanie’s house warming party with the intentions of getting home by 11. Try 1:30 AM.

SIDENOTE: After much taunting from Mike, Jim and Ed about how I wear track pants to run, I decided to get some shorts. This was my first race with them and I did feel the difference.

I was tired the next day, but in good shape for the run. It was overcast and looked like rain.

I arrived at the front corral and it was very empty. I had been told that there were Olympians running in this race so therefore overlooked any chance I might have had at placing. The people around me in the front pack were indeed hard core. You can normally tell when their legs come up to your head.

The gun went off and we all bolted. This was the first race I had been in where I literally crossed the Start a second or two after gun time. I was up to pace in no time and ran my first mile in 5:54. Not bad but I needed to slow it down. At the top of Central Park it started to downpour. My headphones came out and wouldn’t stay in so I ran n the rain. It was actually very serene and peaceful, the sound of the rain and the footsteps. Mile 5 and 6 I got to run next to some Olympic fellow named ‘Alex’. I know this because everyone kept cheering for him and I was like “What about me? I need some pep too!” I gunned it through the finish line and thought my heart was going to explode. I wanted to finish in under 38 minutes and I had just made my mark!

Out of nowhere I hear “Yeah, go Baker” from the sidelines! I look over and its my friend of 12 years Melissa sitting sideline! It turns out her boyfriend (another good friend of mine -I matched them up years ago) was running the race as well. I came around and waited with her to see Joey D finish. We cheered him on then met up and grabbed some snacks catching up on life.

RACE REPORT: 004 Run as One – 4 Miles: 24:39

Posted on April 20, 2009 by admin

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Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG Gender Place	AG %
M31	27	115	108	20	24:47	6:11	24:39	218	68.3 %

This race would mark my third 4 miler in a row. I was very concerned at this point about beating my following time.

Enter Jessica. Ive known her since we were 11 years old, a long time friend in good standing. She was visiting me this particular weekend and I had told her about the race at 9 AM on Sunday morning. She assured me that we would be home Saturday night no later than 11 so I would be good for the race. Fast forward to 1:30 AM Saturday night (or Sunday morning however you want to look at it) and we are in a club trashed off of champagne. We had been out since 8 or so and I had just taken a moment to look at my watch. “Jessica! Its 1:30! We need to get outta here!”

The next morning both of us were a hot mess. We did manage to meet up with Mike, Jim and Ed at the bandshell for our pre-race pep talk. Jess went off to find the finish line and we went to out marks.

The gun sounded and we started the race. I followed this one guy for awhile who was really cruising. Then, around mile 2.5 or so I thought I was going to have a heart attack and thought about stopping. But I couldn’t, I had to make good time, although I was pretty sure at this point that I was running very slow. As we neared the finish line I actually had some juice left and sprinted the last 100 yards out. This was painful of course and I have never been more excited to finish a race (besides the marathon).

Amazingly enough I broke another personal record and finished in 24:39! Jess came around and high fived me. The other guys finished and we all went our separate ways. After Jess and I had a very quiet brunch we both decided it was nap time.

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