Category Archives: Race Reports

RACE REPORT: 060 Lavaman Triathlon: 1:13:17

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The Lavaman Sprint Triathlon would mark my first triathlon for the 2011 season. I was very excited.

Friday night right after work I met Mike and Ed of the ‘Dad Posse’ by Penn Station and we hopped a train to Little Silver, NJ. We popped a few Coronas and caught up on life.

After a brief stint at Mike’s place in Little Silver we headed south to Belmar. We were meeting Jim (he was driving down with our bikes) at a place called Klein’s Fish Market. Klein’s ‘wowed’ all of us with their dockside seating, fresh fish and beach vibe. Personally, I was having a little slice of heaven, a.k.a…. steamed clams.

SIDENOTE: The waitress was cracking us up. She kept forgetting to bring us things (like forks) and proceeded to drop an entire beer in my lap. As it went down it also took some clam butter with it. We all just laughed and made the best of it. Yes, those jeans are in the laundry now.

We made it to Granny’s house (Jim’s grandma) by 11PM. Her house literally sits right on the bike course, it’ so perfect!

RACE DAY

Waking up at 5:30AM is never easy, especially on a Saturday morning. After a quick cup of Cafe Bustelo, we set out on our bikes to ride the 1/8th of a mile to the start.

After check-in and setting up transition we all walked the beach to get to the swim start which was half a mile from transition. We jumped in the bay with 15 minutes until start. The water was perfect! The 3 of us bobbed around close to the start, but not too close as I couldn’t stand in the deeper water… Ed and Jim have a couple inches of height on me. A fist bump and then the start sounded.

The men start was about 200 people and it was pretty rough swimming. For some reason, I was enjoying it. I was pushing legs out of my face and getting my feet tickled by countless other swimmers.

SIDENOTE: Although it has only been 2 weeks since the Great Hudson River Swim, I felt 1 million times stronger, more confident and happy to be in the water swimming.

I really dug in and was focused on my form, stretching my body’s length and pulling the water. Running out of the bay, I unzipped my suit and was doing a good job of undressing while I ran.  Normally, my wetsuit top gets caught on my head and I’m running like a blind man into things.

I was in 141st place out of the swim.

Jumping onto my bike, my legs were ready to unlock and get some speed going. The first place female (who is the sickest female bike rider I have ever seen) was riding along side of me for a mile or so before she made her assault and disappeared.

The bike course is 3 loops with 180 degree turns at each end so you can see who you are chasing and who is chasing you! I was pushing really hard and passing a lot of people. I think once I hit the second lap my legs were really fired up and cranking. I set my eyes forward and just cranked.

During the bike I got so focused on passing people I realized I wasn’t enjoying the ride, or the scenery. I thought to myself, have fun, relax! You love bike riding, so take it all in, not just the chase! And I did.

As I was finishing up my bike, I saw a few guys starting the run. They easily had 5 minutes and I tried to do the math on what it would take to catch them. “Run like an animal.”

Coming out of transition onto the run course I could feel someone on my ass. I let him pass me but kept him in my sights. My legs were a bit wonky (mostly my quads) and the first mile I chased him and tried to get my legs into run mode. At mile 2 that’s exactly what happened. I felt awesome and had no pain. It was at this point that the guy I was tailing started to slow up and look tired.

I caught him and I guess since I was in a pretty happy mood I yelled “C’mon Penn (he had a Penn Cycling hat on) let’s do this!” I flanked him and he held on to my pace. He told me we ran mile 1 in 5:30 which might have been a bad idea. I assured him it was a great idea and that we only had a few miles to go.

Together, we started passing a lot of runners. At one pint Ed was on the other side of the run course and yelled “Yea Baker! Go!” Penn was like “Are you on some kind of a team?” “No, those are just my buddies. We are out for a fun time.”

We didn’t do too much talking during our attack on the run course, but every once in awhile Penn would tell me were were hitting 6 minute miles, which I was happy about. When Mile 3 approached, I yelled to him, “1 to go, lets see how many more guys we can pick off!” He smiled and looked ahead, saying “We definitely got those 2! Lets go.”

I felt a weird presence during the last 800 meters or so, and then I realized some guy was chasing US down! I yelled to Penn that we need to step it up, we were being tailed. We finished with the guy literally steps behind us, but we held him off! It was also the first time I didn’t have the need to sprint the finish like I normally do. I guess I was just enjoying the company.

Total time: 1:13

Penn came in 19th and I was 20th.

 

Sex/

Age

Age

Place

Overall

Place

 Swim

0.4M

 T1 Bike

12.5M

 T2 Run

4M

 Total

Time
M33 5
20
 12:03 1:18 35:06 0:52 23:56 1:13:17

I immediately went to the water station and slammed a few cups. Penn came over and introduced himself. His name was Eric. He thanked me for helping him out back at Mile 2 when he was fatigued. I in turn, thanked him as he kept my pace up as well.

The first place female was hanging out in the tent too and I gave her a congrats. She crushed it.

I then went over the finish line to cheer and wait for the guys. Jim finished, followed by Ed.

All of us had a really great time out there! What a great start to the season!

Next up is the ‘Run for Bruce’ this Saturday.
—

This year marks the inaugural Memorial run for Bruce Baker. Join us at the starting line at Columbus Circle at 11AM. From there we will zip down the West Side Highway with a final destination of PJ Clarke’s on the Hudson (250 Vesey St, New York, NY, 10281) for food and libation.

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!

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.

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!

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…

RACE REPORT: 055 NYC Half Marathon

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The NYC Half Marathon is one of my favorite races. Home turf… good distance… and you get to run down the middle of Times Square without any tourists in your way! Last year I PR’d with a 1:20: 48 and this year I wanted to break that number (at least by a couple seconds).

—

Wednesday before the race was set off with me having a voracious bout of food poisoning or some sort of stomach flu. I staying home from work and tried not to die. I couldn’t drink water (and keep it down) until 7PM. I love water.

You have never felt more alive and happy than you do the day after food poisoning. I may as well have been in the NYC version of The Sound of Music while walking to work Thursday. Lookout Julie Andrews!

Thursday was also St. Patrick’s Day, which happens to be my favorite holiday ever. Our office sits on 5th Avenue so I get front row seats to the parade every year which delights me to no end. After work Abbe and I had planned to find a quiet bar to have a drink, then get some sushi. This is also her favorite holiday as well.

What say you?! No Irish Pub?!

NYC St. Patrick’s Day Explained: From noon until midnight my lovely town gets invaded by people from New Jersey (I’m from NJ so I can say that), Long Island and other strange places. These people disrespect my town and the holiday by being complete drunken morons, peeing on the streets and annoying me. It becomes impossible to enter ANY irish pub because they are packed. I spend a lot of my normal calendar year frequenting irish pubs anyway, so it doesn’t bother me to go experience a different food culture on this holiday.

Friday was 70 and sunny, strictly amazing. For lunch I wolfed down an entire fresh cut turkey sub (and a pickle) that upset my stomach big time! I wasn’t over my stomach flu from Wednesday and this set it off again.

That night I met Abbe and her parents for a drink before heading to my friend Colette’s birthday party. She had booked the entire roofdeck of the hotel ink48! It sits on the water and has fantastic views of the city. She totally lucked out with the weather! There were some 150 people dancing and socializing until 11PM, a great party. At 10, I left to meet Abbe and Erica Sara in Hell’s Kitchen to discuss the race game plan as far as cheering goes.

Saturday (per Coach Sonja’s instructions) I did ‘Race Pace Intervals’ around the Park to get my system rev-ed up for Sunday. It was a beautiful morning and I felt awesome. I had not eaten anything since Friday at lunch because my stomach was all wonky, but I was doing just fine.

Later, I biked down to meet my friend Brian at the East 6th Street Track and train his 10 year old daughter. She wants to make the track team, so we went over some basic stuff like form, and how to do quick bursts. I also taught her race strategy and the concept of ‘Running Through the Pain.’ I am really excited to see how she does.

That night me and Abbe, her parents, and friends Jason, Jordan and Katie (who is running the Half Mary too) met at Bar Baresco to have pre-race dinner. My tummy was feeling okay at this point so I had some pasta to get my carbo-load on. The food was actually quite fantastic. Seeing as how all of us were waking up early, whether it be to race or spectate, we took off at 10 to get some rest.

RACE DAY

Waking up at 6AM, I had severe indigestion and heartburn. Aimlessly wandering around my apartment I finally got some coffee going. Juts as it started to percolate and the aroma entered the air I got very nauseous and ran to the bathroom. I was very sick and (without going into to many details) I basically emptied my stomach… dinner, water, vitamins, a necklace I thought I had lost…

Afterword, I was really shaky and extremely worried about racing. As Abbe was sipping her Cafe Bustelo, I secretly wanted her to say, “No way mister, you aren’t racing now!” and then I would go back to bed and happily sleep until noon. Instead she said, “I bet a good run will knock that flu right out of you!” and with that we set off to the start.

We met Katie on 3rd and 83rd and walked north, my request was that we find me some bananas STAT!

At my baggage truck I finished eating my single banana and got ready, helping the gals with their pins and bibs. Just then, a woman came up and asked if we were ‘running the marathon’ today and before I could think of something witty to say my gaze went past her to the sealed up UPS baggage truck ready to take off! I booked over to the driver and begged him to wait! Running back and jamming all my crap into my bag then sprinting back I handed it to him thanking him dearly! I honestly have no idea what I would do being left with a full backpack? Cry?

I said goodbye to them and ran up to my corral as it was closing. Weaving into the crowd and moving towards the front it had the usual smell of Ben Gay and farts. Normally I run into some of the Runner Army, but today I saw no familiar faces. After a few words from the usual crew and the National Anthem we prepared for flight.

As we started the race it was pretty packed up front. It always amazes me at a race of this caliber how long it takes for the lead corral to thin out and get situated. In my head I knew I had to break a 6:11 pace in order to beat last years time. This would continue to haunt me all day.

SIDENOTE: When I start a run I know within the first mile or so if it’s going to be good or bad. Today was going to be bad and probably not my day to PR. I would love to hear a few other runner’s opinions on this.

The bottom half of the Park was lined with cheering spectators, making the pain ease up a little and my spirits soar.

Moving up the West Side I started having to deal with all the hills. The plus side, was that I only had to deal with them one time. I saw Erica Sara, Jess and Tavia cheering me on at 86th Street which rocked, especially because it was right before the mighty Harlem Hill.

Speaking of which, I moved up the first half of the hill rather smoothly, keeping my form in tact and anticipating a quick descent. We were all in single file by this point in the race so there was a lot of leapfrog passing going on. Using the downhill to my advantage I just let go (keeping control) and barreled forward. At the bottom I made my decision to have my first drink of the race. “Martini, dry please.” All they had was Gatorade neat. I took it anyway and chased it with a water.

Running up the second half of Harlem Hill wasn’t as pleasant (if you would call the first have pleasant?) at all. It was during these moments I started to have doubts about even finishing the run. This put a dreadful fear into my mind because I never think like this (ONE) and (TWO) I had like 9 more miles of this monkey business left. Mile splits thus far: 6:19, 6:01, 6:04, 6:20.

One thing that lifted my spirits was knowing that the hardest part of the course by far had just passed. That got me thinking about a song by GH and I thought to myself, as the pain in my legs, stomach and core were knocking around, ‘All things must pass…’

Somewhere around 86th Street on the East I heard (as I was passing some volunteers) “Goooooo Baker!” It was Kelly! Then, in the 60’s I saw Susan, who actually yelled at me, but I needed it. Go Runner Army! We are everywhere…

SIDENOTE: I had pulled down my calf sleeves as my legs were hot. I soon realized I looked like I was part of the cast from Flashdance and freaked out a little.

As I made the turn onto 7th Avenue and out of the Park I felt a huge sense of relief, knowing that I was ⅔’s of the way through the race. Miles 5-8 were as follows 6:07, 6:36, 6:34, 6:25… definitely slowing down.

My favorite part of this race is being able to run through Times Square, so I was trying to ignore my body’s signals that death was near, and really take it all in. These 2 miles are also downhill so I was trying to make up for lost time by crushing it. Perhaps not the best idea, but neither is puking before a half mary. As I turned right onto 42nd Street I was actually hungry and took that as a good sign! I hadn’t had an appetite for a few days! Woo hoo, it’s goo time! I bit into my ‘Espresso Love’ Gu and was far from in love with it. It did, however, fill up my stomach with some sort of synthetic nutrient that was going to propel me though the next 3 miles. Mile splits: 5:46, 6:02.

Turning onto the West Side Highway we were confronted with a bone chilling wind. I tried to stay to the right as the runners around me were passing. This would normally aggravate me, but I was not concerned with my time at this point, I was busy just pushing forward. These next 2 miles would be my worst with splits of 7:16 and 7:33.

I saw Lady Southpaw and her band somewhere along the road and she gave me a shout out which was awesome. Then, I saw Maura and Brian at their ‘High Five Station!’ Totally cool guys, seriously!

A few runners were encouraging me to push on (remember, all of us were familiar with one another from running in the same pack for so long.)

I don’t know what happened to me on the last mile but I decided I was going to pick it up and finish this thing. I straightened my posture, took a deep breath and quickened my pace.

Cruising into the finish I saw Eliz shouting at me and a few others! I crossed with a time of 1:27:35 which is actually my 3rd best time out of 6 half marys.

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall 

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M33 228 558 100 01:27:25 6:41 67.86 %

I got my medal and silver superhero cape and pressed forward to get my bag. I ran into my running pals Robert and Antonio who had fantastic races and both PR’d. Congrats fellas!

My next mission was coffee. With that in hand I stood and cheered at the finish waiting for Abbe and Katie. They both finished in just over 2 hours! Fantastic! After we all headed uptown and had a huge breakfast. That wasn’t the real party though…

After cleaning up, all of us went to watch the College Basketball games and have some beers and hearty food. There were 20 of us, including my little brother Jeff and his girlfriend (fiance) who had gotten engaged the night before! Congrats you two!

Although I was bummed out I didn’t PR my half mary time, I was happy to have finished after such a rough start. My stomach flu was totally kicked from my system too! Running cures everything!

PS= Thanks to EVERYONE who came out and cheered us on. I heard my name many times and if I didn’t shout you out here on the report it’s only because I was delirious when I saw you!

RACE REPORT: 054 The Goofy Challenge

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 25 Comments

What are you made of?

SIDENOTE: This is a long story, grab a cup of coffee, a blanket and silence your cell phone.

I signed up for the Goofy Challenge (a Half Marathon Saturday followed by a Full Mary Sunday) with my girlfriend this summer. Since becoming single, (my girlfriend becoming another infamous ‘ex girlfriend’) the question I had pondered was whether to follow through with the race or bag it?

Enter my Mom…

In September my Mom (who lives in Tampa) started run/walking before work. She would cover roughly 1-2 miles. I was very proud of her for doing so and coached her on how to evolve to run without the walk part.

She bought a pair of Newtons and set out to improve her form and endurance. In less then a months time she could run 3 miles non-stop and was in love with her new sneakers. It was then she expressed interest in running the Half Marathon portion of the Goofy Challenge asking me “Chris, do you think I could do that?” I told that she most definitely could if she kept up with her running.

A month later she called and told me she was signing up! She would run the race in celebration of her being 20 years Cancer free! The Goofy Challenge was on!

FLASHBACK: When I was 13 my Mom was abruptly diagnosed with Colon Cancer. She hospitalized for over a month. My daily routine would be to go visit her after school in the hospital. It was a very scary time for me, my 2 brothers and my father. She just barely made it and now, she is a nurse because of her experience.

I arrived in Tampa on Thursday, and was picked up by my step dad Richard. The following day my mom and I ran errands and I made my ‘Race Burritos.’ She was a mess! She kept asking me if I thought she would finish? “What is the furthest distance you ran under my training program?” She looked worried and said, “Only 3 miles.” I was a bit worried hearing that but didn’t let it show. I mean, I had only ran 9 miles as my furthest run since November, so we were in the same boat and yes, we are related.

That afternoon we headed out to Orlando, checked into our condo and hit the expo.

At 6:30 we went to a restaurant called Fresco Italian Market. It rocks and my mom found it last year when I ran just the Marathon. It’s like the only non-chain restaurant in Orlando perhaps.

One of my best friends, Todd, who my readers might know as swim coach/partner, local swimmer, college buddy, drinking buddy etc. had his parents come meet us for dinner. They are like my second parents and are always the best hosts when I visit them in Boca. Todd’s dad Mike, who I call ‘Coach’ had asked a few months ago if he could sponsor one of my races, and that race would be the Goofy Challenge. Our agreement was that I would wear Boca Hoops branded gear while I ran, a basketball league he has run for the last 30 years.

…In the spring of 1989, in a kitchen in East Boca Raton, three men were brought together by a gentleman named Joe Murphy. Their purpose was to bring the game of “round ball” to the youth of Boca Raton. Their goal was a simple one, to teach the basics of basketball, while promoting sportsmanship and teamwork. Little did Bob Mullin, Mike Doyle, and Jody Forstot imagine that what would start as a league of 340 children in 1989,would grow to over 1350 children. That 34 teams would evolve into 136 teamsthose 18 gutsy girls would pave the way for over 440 girls and four coed divisions would become 5 boys divisions and 4 girls divisions…

bocahoops.com

The 5 of us had a fantastic meal… beer, wine and one of my staples Shrimp Fra Diavlo. At 9:30 we left, all of us knowing that we had to wake up at 3:30AM to get to the race on time. Insane! The Disney Marathon weekend has to be the earliest race starts in history. I even thought about staying up all night… but those of you who really know me understand how I can rarely stay up past midnight.

RACE DAY 1: Half Marathon (Saturday)

I was waking up every hour on the hour. I guess I was anxious, regardless I was glad because if I was to fall into a deeper sleep it would have been harder to pop out of bed.

3:30AM is early, so early in fact that I though of people in NYC getting ready to LEAVE the bars and head home for bed.

My mom and I geared up while her husband (my step-dad) helped out by making coffee and keeping us on schedule. We jumped in the car and headed toward Epcot where he dropped us off. It was 50 degrees and would shape up to be a perfect running day.

Coaching my mom, I instructed her to hit the porto-johns before we get into our corrals. There were a lot of people running (27,000) making the scene pretty chaotic. It took us 45 minutes to get to our corral in the sea of runners. While in the crowds we made some friends who liked that my mom and I had matching Newton sneakers on. I had been telling her all these months how cool runners are and she was experiencing it firsthand!

She was in Corral G and as we entered the guy was like “Hey man, what are you doing, you’re in the first Corral!” I smiled and put my arm around my mom and said “I’m running this thing with my mom, man.” Cool. As we stood there it started to fill in pretty quick. Then, Wave 1 set off and fireworks erupted! Every 6 minutes they let another Wave go and after 40 minutes it was finally our time.

We started slowly running and navigating through the throngs of walkers! I couldn’t believe how many people started the Half Mary by walking! I mean, I love anyone out there doing it, but I would save my walking for the end, right? Even my mom was getting annoyed and she started picking it up and bobbin’ ‘n weavin’! It was all quite amusing. We were holding down a steady 12 minute per mile pace and making good headway. We took turns leading.

At mile 3.5 we took a porto-john break. 50 minutes or so had elapsed. This was also the furthest my mom had ever run.

Pressing forward I shed a layer of clothing is the sun came out, heating us up. At the Aid Stations, it was really fun teaching my mom about how to grab the water cups and make a spigot so you don’t get water up your nose.

As we approached mile 5-6 the crowds started showing and cheering us on. Then, we hit the Magic Kingdom (which in my opinion is the highlight on both days). My mom was thrilled seeing all the Disney characters and getting to run through Cinderella’s Castle. I had to tell her “Mom, smile! We are being photographed all over the place!”

A little after mile 7 she asked if we could walk for a minute. Of course. I had told her that today was her race, anything she wanted to do was okay by me. She even asked a few times if I wanted to run ahead so my time wasn’t bad.

She would walk for maybe 100 meters then pick it up again, which I thought was outstanding! All-in-all we maybe walked ¾ of a mile the whole race!

There were lots of marching bands rocking out as we hit certain points. One of them was covering Cameo’s ‘Word Up’ and I couldn’t have been more excited. I looked at my mom and she was like “What? Why are you smiling?” I said, “Mom! That’s ‘Word Up’! You know, that guy with the funny voice who sings ‘Doin the Butt’?” as I attempted to sing the song. She just laughed.

Approaching the 10 mile mark we started hearing fire trucks and ambulances. As I looked back a fire truck was barreling down on us and hopped the median full speed, runners scattering like pigeons! It drove up the road and pulled over where someone was in dire need of medical attention. It was here my mom asked what time I thought we would finish? She assumed maybe 4 hours and was startled when I told her we were close to making 3 hours! She was really excited.

Ascending an overpass, this volunteer looked at me and said something. I looked to my left at my mom and she was smiling and said, “She was talking to me, not you! She likes my style!” My mom began explaining how her pink top matched her running capris because they had a pink stripe. Then, she noted that her bib matched her Newton sneakers. Yes mom, you were stylin.

Passing mile 12 I asked how she was doing. I got a thumbs up and so I said to her, “Lets do this! We’re gonna finish strong! Ready?” With that, I led us forward as we passed loads of runners. I knew my mom was hurting, but I also knew she could do this.

Finally rounding the corner, the finish in sight, we picked it up a little more! As we crossed the finish my mom and I threw our hands up! I looked at her and she smiled and said, “I did it!” I gave her a hug and congratulated her. She stopped me and said, “Chris, thank you for helping me through this. You were a great coach.” No prob mom… anytime.

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 20165 16623 1111 03:01:25 13.50 32.6 %

We got our Donald Duck medals and some water, then exited, meeting Richard. He gave my mom a big hug and then took some photos of us. My mom’s main concern was that she have a nice photo to put on facebook!

Richard cooked my mom and I a huge breakfast while we fielded phone calls and text messages from family and friends wishing to congratulate my mom.

I also gave my mom the necklace I had made by Erica Sara (www.ericasaradesigns.com). Aside from making really beautiful jewelry for everyday wear, she also makes ‘Race Bling’ which are cute pendants with inscriptions on them. I had mine say on the front: 13.1, Disney Half; and on the back: January 2011, 20 Years Cancer Free. My mom was so excited. She hasn’t taken it off since and will probably be buying lots more from Erica Sara Designs! Thanks Erica.

We showered and went to play some mini-golf, a favorite past-time of mine since I was 9. Afterwords we all took a power nap, then headed back out to Fresco Italian Market for dinner. It’s such a good place, why jeopardize pre-marathon dinner. I had linguine and white clams sauce. Awesome! We toasted to our success and celebrated mildly.

In bed by 10:30PM, alarm set for 3:30AM for the second day in a row. Pain.

RACE DAY 2: Full Marathon (Sunday)

I was really groggy and a total ‘space case’. It is rare to see me in this state and I encourage anyone witnessing it to tease me and savor the moment.

After a cup of coffee we were off. Richard met a nice lady named Karin the day before and offered her a ride so she joined our crew. My mom and Richard dropped us off at the start and I made my way to the corrals. I made some pals and our conversation revolved around… yes, running. We started talking about goals for the day and they asked me what I wanted to do? I looked up and just said “You know, I think Sub3 would be fantastic.” Moments later I thought, “Don’t write a check with your mouth that your ass can’t cash.”

The corral situation was night and day (or day-n-nite) compared with the Half. Instead of being in the very back, I was now toeing the start line.

As the national anthem came on I was transported to a moment in time, a memory. The president of our company, Mr. Allen Brill, was very patriotic and was always thrilled to hear of my running adventures. In fact, he is partly responsible for me even running in the first place.

He passed away on Thanksgiving weekend and shocked our entire company. He had been diagnosed 2 months earlier with stage 4 Lung Cancer. I had known him for 7 years which is a drop in the bucket compared so some of my fellow coworkers.

One of my last memories of him was being called to his office the Monday after the NYC Marathon. As I entered he looked weaker than normal and I knew he was sick. He was standing, smiling and shaking his head, “Three hours, one minute and fifty-nine seconds. Good god man! That’s outstanding!” We chatted some more before I left, happy, but worried about his health.

Another clear memory that popped into my head. The Friday before the NYC Marathon he called me as the day was coming to a close. “Mr. Baker, it’s Mr. Brill. I understand you will of course be running Sunday.” Yes, of course!” I cheered on. “Do me a favor. Run it for me.”

I didn’t run the NYC Marathon for him that Sunday. I ran it for me, but as I stood there in the cold night, in my bubble of thought, I looked up and said “For Allen. I will run THIS race for him, in his honor and for his love of sport.”

And with that, the gun went off and the race began.

The first mile was pretty uneventful. I was getting warmed up and summoning my energy, feeling my body… was it okay after a half mary the day prior.

I was speeding up and I knew it. Voices rattled in my head, “Negative splits.” “Don’t start too fast.” “Make your bed.” I felt great and was excited to be opening up my pace, passing loads of runners. Miles 2-5 were run at a 6:30 pace and as I thought about slowing down, being ‘logical’, I decided to run this race all heart. I thought, “If I’m running this for Allen, he is going to get a great race.”

The first 8 miles are super boring. Straight up highways where they have bands and clowns or whatever. It’s still boring. I got to see the same band that played ‘Word up’ which helped I guess. I also ate half of my ‘Race Burrito’ without slowing down so that kept me busy.

A few miles before the halfway point we entered the Magic Kingdom which is the highlight of the whole race. I saluted and waved to all the Disney Characters, especially Sleeping Beauty.

Of course, running through Cinderella’s Castle was sweet, especially because I was the only one in it for the Marathon. Exiting the Magic Kingdom was sad, because I knew that dark times were ahead. I was, however, looking forward to sunrise which was in the next 30 minutes.

During miles 15-16 this really cute blond gal and I were running together. The sun came up at this moment too and I tried to not get to overwhelmed at how beautiful it was because, well, I was racing. She was admittedly faster and just toying with me I think because at mile 16 she took off never to be seen again. I ran that mile in 6:22, I’m such a sucker.

Miles 16-18 are in the Animal Kingdom which sounds cool, but I never saw any animals. 19-21 are like th
e worst for this course and they were coming up, so I was frightened. M legs were on fire and hurting pretty bad. I thought, “Make it to mile 19 and then walk a bit.”

I ate a Honey Stinger and munched on my ‘Race Burrito’ some more. As 19 approached I slowed down and walked maybe 5 paces. Looking at my Garmin I realized at this moment that a Sub3 Marathon was within my grasp, but how? I was in so much pain, natural pain albeit. I thought about Allen and ran. I ran hard, tears being choked back as I thought not of him, but of my mom, and her battle with cancer and how proud of her I was.

I did something I have never done before in a race, although it’s such a simple principle. As I picked up my speed, legs burning, I said to myself, “This pain is temporary, it is only your brain telling you to stop running. You will be okay, you always are. Run to the finish,don’t stop, no matter what.” And I did.

The last few miles were excruciating (as all you runners know) and I kept busy by watching my Garmin. My mantra was to look at it and the yell, “Come on! Come on Baker!”

FUN ANECDOTE: At mile 23 you round a lake that is part of a Disney Resort, it’s very scenic. To my left was water and to my right, a grassy hill where something was moving towards me. It jumped into the middle of the sidewalk right in front of me as I dodged stepping on it. I simultaneously realized it was a fuzzy baby duck and yelled “CUTE!” I then looked back to see if my competition heard me say the ‘cute’ thing, worried about my street cred.

As the last mile was coming to a close, I realized that my ultimate goal of running a Sub3 Marathon was about to happen. I was thrilled. Crossing the finish I threw my hand up and yelled, “YEAH!” I was given my Mickey Marathon Medal, then walked over to the Goofy area where I got my 3rd Medal.

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 266 61 17 02:58:16 6:47 70.1 %

I saw my Mom and Richard who congratulated me, excited at my time. I had ran the Full Mary faster than the Half Mary, which in itself is bizarre, ironic, mysterious (if you don’t know the story) and straight up awesome.

We checked out of the hotel and headed to a Cracker Barrel at my request. We don’t have them in NYC and wow, I miss their breakfast.

That night we celebrated by having a fantastic steak dinner cooked by my Mom and Richard. I don’t often eat meat, but this was a celebration for my Mom as well as me. Many toasts were made as we reminisced about the races.

I left the next morning, returning to NYC with an overwhelming amount of joy.

“Battle Stations was called as we woke from sleep. The battle, it was real, and we came out of it triumphant.”

—

Triumphant does not even begin to describe the weekend. To see my Mom cross that finish line, with the look of a child who just discovered Christmas morning, is unforgettable. She beat Cancer, and now she achieved what she thought was unachievable. I am so proud of her. ‘There are only possibilities.’

Thanks to Boca Hoops Summer Camp for sponsoring me through this race.

Thanks to Richard, who put up with 2 crazy runners all week and was our unfaltering helper.

RACE REPORT: 053 Tough Mudder

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running, Swimming, Triathlon 12 Comments

While on the mighty facebook a few months ago, my friend Ronny from Belgium (who is a 3rd degree Judo wrestler) suggested we race the Tough Mudder in New Jersey that coming November. He sent me a link which displayed a Half Marathon distance obstacle course… fire pits, icy lakes, rope bridges and mud. Yes, yes, yes I will sign up. Within minutes I had Ed and Jim of ‘Dad Pose’ signed up as well. Little did we know…

The morning of the race (I signed us up for a 12:20 wave, thank you!) it was 38 degrees and was to warm up to 55 or so thank god. Ed picked me up at 9:45 and we then scooped up Ronny and Jim before heading out of the Lincoln Tunnel. I’m not gonna lie. I looked for all possibilities to get out of this one. You see, COLD, is my greatest weakness. (note to all opponents) SIDENOTE: Once the NYC Marathon was over I got very nervous. I knew I had this race coming up and I told myself ‘I would rather run another marathon than attempt this mayhem.’ But, we must confront our fears.

The car ride camaraderie was just what I needed. As we entered the park grounds and saw what was taking place we were all instantly excited. We had a full 360 degree view of a lot of the main obstacles and the race was crossing our path at certain points.

Gearing up I had on tri shorts, running shorts, a long sleeve tech top, racing flats, Zensah calf sleeves and bike gloves. We made our way to registration and basically signed our life away.

Waves started at 9AM so we got to see guys coming in from the race who were shivering and covered head to toe in mud.

Please remember how clean and well kept all of us look in this photo.

Lining up at the start, which was a drag race track, we had the sun shining on us but the wind was fierce. It would be our main opponent all day. A few words (including the tough Mudder motto) and we were off as a monster truck led us out.

As a Tough Mudder I pledge that…

* I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge.

* I put teamwork and camaraderie before my course time.

* I do not whine – kids whine.

* I help my fellow Mudders complete the course.

* I overcome all fears.

We ran the length of the track and back which was maybe a mile, then veered off onto obstacle 1 of 18. It was the “Ball Shrinker” which is a rope overhead, rope below walk across a freezing lake. Ronny was in front of me (did I mention Ronny is 6’3″) so my foot rope was unreachable at times, therefore I used my upper body strength to ‘monkey bar’ it across. The water was numbing and our feet burned as we got on dry ground.

Running along the lake I knew it wasn’t long before we had to take a dip in it and really start to feel some pain.

“Walk the Plank” is where you rope walk up a wall then jump off (20 FT) into a freezing lake. I didn’t think it would be too bad, I was wrong.

Jumping off the platform and into the lake was fun, but as I hit the water my body went into shock. My strategy was to use my triathlon skills to freestyle swim across the 50 yards to the other side. After 3 head dips I became delirious from the numbness in my skull and decided I had to keep my head above water. My body was shutting down and for the first time in awhile I was deathly afraid.

Speeding forward I met the “Underwater Tunnels” which was a series of barrels you had to swim under. Once again my brain was frozen, but somehow I made it to the shore.

Running along the bank, we all talked of how our bodies burned due to the cold. THEN, we had to cross the freaking lake again! This time the water seemed warmer? I breast stroked it the whole way and may have set a world record.

Exiting the lake, we had to run maybe a mile until the next obstacle, warming us up I guess. Next, we hit the “Spider Walls” followed by the “Mud Mile.” Did I say mud? From here on out MUD would be the theme of the day.

“Mud Mile” is a series of pools that were waist high sludge mud with hills between. Think chocolate milk meets Jell-o Pudding. On the first hill I tripped and went headfirst into the mud. The guys laughed at me.

We were really having fun now and our spirits soared. The fact that our extremities were numb and burning seemed unimportant.

Next we went onto a dirt bike course which was a muddy series of ups and downs. I really can’t even begin to describe the mud. It was also very challenging to run on. You have to constantly watch how you place your feet so you don’t really twist an ankle. There were always huge holes under the mud where you would sink in, sometimes up to your waist.

Winding around and around, we arrived at “Cliffhanger” which is a huge assent up a 50 ft muddy incline. I didn’t make it on my first try and had to approach from a different angle. Luckily, the name of the game is to help fellow Mudders, so some guys (forming a human chain) grabbed me and pulled me up. SIDENOTE: Don’t wear racing flats in the mud.

Now we had to hit the “Kiss of Mud” which was a barbed wire net you had to crawl under in the mud. It was messy, but hey, it wasn’t even close to as bad as the lake jump so we were smiling.

After a quick 1 mile jog we had to go through the “Boa Constrictor Tunnels” which were 50 feet long, and 2 feet in circumference and covered with rocks and mud. Not fun.

Next we hit the “Berlin Walls” which are series of 3, 10 foot wooden walls. We nailed this. Ronny would jump up and straddle the wall, then I would go and he would pull me up, followed by Jim, then Ed. Military science at its best. Speaking of which, at this point, looking around at everyone scaling walls I couldn’t help but appreciate our U.S. Armed Forces and my friend Cory. I thought to myself “Baker, this is probably the closest you will ever be to the military, enjoy all of it!” And I did.

Another long run and then we arrived at the “Tired Yet” obstacle. A million tires on the ground that you had to run through like a football drill. I was really excited about this because I never played or tried out for football so I wanted to see what I was made of. I did well. Right after was the “Rubber Necking” obstacle. Grab a tire and run it 1/4 mile to the drop point. This was easy.

We were about halfway done the course at this point and frozen to the core, so seeing the burning fire pits ahead excited us. Remember, this whole time we were all running together as a team, that’s what Tough Mudder is all about.

Cruising up on the smoke filled area (patrolled by the local Firemen) we ran through a track laced with burning hay bails. It was really hard to see with the smoke but the heat felt so good!

Next we were back on a dirt bike course weaving along, up and down the muddy hills again. Mud, Mud, Mud, all day. Ed took a really nice digger that would later leave him with ‘Most Muddy Award.’ Really though, I’m so surprised no one twisted and ankle seriously injured themselves! We had to dip under the “Devils Beard” obstacle which was a 50 foot long rope net you had to army crawl under in the cold mud. Awesome.

After running in the mud for 2 more miles we entered the forest. It was very peaceful and for some reason there were less Mudders around. We had to leap over fallen logs (the “Log Bog Jog” obstacle) before running into a mud pit that was crazy hard to get out of! Ronny actually jumped the whole thing which the rest of us hadn’t thought about!

I really thought I wouldn’t have to get into freezing cold water again. Wow. I was wrong. After a 1 mile stint around a lake we approached the “Funky Monkey” – “Twinkle Toes” combo. Alright here it is. Greased monkey bars over a lake that have an incline, apex, then go down to a platform. Next, you walk across a thin beam to the shore. Easy right? How about being covered in mud and totally shivering cold? Exactly.

Going first, I ditched my gloves thinking that would make it easier. I made it 2 freaking rungs before falling in! Lame! I swam to the platform. Then, 2 steps into the beam I fell in! Double Lame AND I was soaked and freezing. The rest of the guys did way better than me, all of them making it across the thin beam.

Finishing that obstacle, I knew the hardest part of the day lay behind us. We had to hit some tunnels again before entering the race track where we started.

The 18th and ‘Secret’ obstacle was a bunch of electrified wires hanging down that you had to run through. Seriously! I got hit once in the right shoulder should sent a shock wave through me, but whatever, I was frozen anyway!

After that there was a half mile jog around the track to the finish! We were so excited!

Probably the hardest part of the whole day was peeling off our clothes and putting on warm replacements. Impossible! I had my socks half way on and just gave up, jamming my shoes on over them.

We grabbed our free beers and hung out by the fire pit before heading off to a diner to have a big meal. We were all Tough Mudders now and I really believe in it. Even now as I type this some 7 hours after the finish my fingers are still tingly. It was really quite a fun experience and I really enjoyed the team effort, instead of the usual ‘every man for himself’ attitude. It also hardened me up, so maybe now I won’t complain during those easy races in Central Park during the winter!

RACE REPORT: 052 – NYC Marathon: 3:01:59

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This year’s New York City Marathon was a milestone as well as a day of reflection. 2 years ago, the 2008 NYCM marked my introduction into the world of running and later on, triathlons. At that time, my only intention was to run a marathon, little did I know it would change my life forever.

In the weeks prior to the marathon I kept being asked an interesting question. “How long have you been training for this?” Well, any of you who keep up with my blog know that I like to race every weekend if possible, therefore, I am in training year round. The only difference is that I up my weekend mileage 2 months before a marathon.

Friday after work Erika and I headed over to the Expo to get our numbers and meet up with some fellow runners to have dinner. Upon arrival we met up with Ronny, Hernan and Walter to get our race numbers. As always with NYRR, it was smooth sailing and I had everything in check within 10 minutes.

Wandering the Expo I made my way to the Zensah booth where Michelle, Mary, Jen, and Eva were already hanging. They initiated me into the Zensah Mafia and I walked away with both calf sleeves and arm sleeves. We were all slotted to have dinner together so we departed for 44th and 10th to eat.

On the way out I spotted Danny Abshire at the Newton booth and got caught up chatting with him. I had bought a pair of Distancias after doing a natural running clinic with him and now my mom is a Newton owner so we had a lot to discuss. I would be running the marathon in Newtons as well.

Dinner was great, all of us talking shop and getting excited for Sunday.

Saturday morning I went for a quick 4 mile run. I followed the course of the finish for Sunday but DID NOT go through the finish line. I’m superstitious and didn’t want to jinx myself.



Mid-day was spent making race preparations. I made 6 ‘Race Burritos’ and made a lethal Gatorade/Redbull/Emergen-C/Rock Salt blend (I cant believe I’m giving away all my secret formulas!) Pictured is the burrito process since so many people have expressed interest.

I spent the afternoon briefing my friend Ahern’s father Steve on the course and other FAQ’s he had. Although it wasn’t Steve’s first marathon by far, he wanted the scoop on NYCM since I had raced it before. I would have done the same if I were in his shoes.

For dinner Erika and I went up to Harlem to eat at her favorite Italian restaurant, Pisticci’s. It’s pretty amazing. I kept my beer consumption pretty low at 2 total. We watched a movie and were asleep by 10:30.

RACE DAY

Up at 5:30AM (that’s 8 hours of sleep with the time change people, aka PLENTY) and got some Irish oatmeal going. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all these running adventures, its to eat a hearty breakfast! I also made a to go cup of oatmeal (which would come in handy later) and had a to go cup of Cafe Bustelo. Oh yeah, where’s my coffee sponsorship?

Jim met Erika and I in front of my building and we all split a cab down to the SI Ferry. We met Ronny, Hernan and Walter there as well and all of us jumped on the 6:45 to fulfill our destiny.

Ferry to the bus to the fort… it was pretty painless. I did have to pee like a race horse all morning though for some weird reason. I think I was over hydrated. Thank you Brooklyn Lager.

At the Blue area, or ‘Club Blue’ as I had dubbed it (Daniel and Alex, didn’t see you guys at the hot tub area?), I ate my second big cup of oatmeal and a banana. I was ready. One more pee stop then off to my corrals.

I was wearing my running shorts, a blue sleeveless race top, Zensah sleeves, Rudy Project ‘Gozen’ sunglasses, gloves and a winter hat. It was perfect and so were the conditions, sunny and 45 degrees.

In my corral everyone was totally amped and I made friends with a few of the guys around me. A few speeches, announcement of the leaders, national anthem (which was horrible this year) and then the cannon! Sinatra’s ‘New York New York’ was blasting as we began our assent onto the Verrazanos Bridge!

For starting in the top 1000-2000 people I kept running (literally) into slow runners with high bib numbers. Had they cheated their way to the front? Did they hop a fence? It was causing quite a bit of traffic problems as the swarms of faster runners would overtake them. This was of course forgotten by the time we were making our descent and everyone was peeing off the side of the bridge! I ran my first mile in 8:40.

At the bottom of the bridge I ran into (or next to) my friend Robert! We used to train together 2 years ago. We chatted a bit and would be running within a few minutes of each other all race, which I thought was awesome! He would overtake me towards the end though as he is a machine when it comes to the marathon distance.

The first 2-8 miles are pretty much a straight shot up 4th Avenue in Brooklyn and, in my opinion, it is the most fun part of the race. The cheering in non-stop, with all walks of life joining in! I was feeling pretty good and should have slowed down. I ran a 5:40 for mile 2 to which is just plain stupid, but I think I got too excited and lost myself. I also pulled over to the first rest area to pee again. I don’t know what was going on – I never have to go that many times before a race.

At mile 4 one of the guys I was chatting with in the corrals earlier came up along side of me. He had arm sleeve tattoos, was from Great Britain, and this was his first time in New York City! “Wow.” I told him “You are going to see every part of town and have a blast!” His name was Kev and he was pretty cool. He got a big kick out of my ‘Race Burritos.’ I invited him and his girlfriend back to our after party before loosing him in the masses.

As we hit downtown Brooklyn ( mile 8 ) we veered right into Fort Green. In my head I had broken up the course into ‘Sectors’ and we had just cleared ‘Sector 1.’ Sweet! Fort Green might get the best cheer zone award. I mean, REALLY! It was like Tour De France (no I have never raced the TdF) with all the people out in the streets yelling! Strictly amazing!

Worst cheering goes to Williamsburg this year (and not just because I hate hipsters so much I made a shirt expressing it) but because there was a lull in the energy.

At mile 11 I said aloud “It’s lunchtime.” I proceeded to chomp away at the ‘Race Burrito’ I was carrying. Some of my friends wanted me to get some photos while I ate, so I waited till I saw the Brightroom gang and made some funny faces. In the photo above you can see me prepping to eat it.

As mile 13 came around I saw the Pulaski Bridge (separating Brooklyn and Queens) and thought, “Holy cow, when did that get so steep?” Fighting over it I thought ‘Sector 2, clear.’

Cruising through Queens I was excited as I knew I had a few sets of friends cheering people on. First up was TK on the right! 100 Meters down the road on the left were Josh and Susan (plus a few more I couldn’t make out). It lifted my spirits which was exactly what I needed because the dreaded Queensboro Bridge lay directly ahead. (Cue Darth Vader theme from Star Wars please.)

2 years ago the Queensboro kicked my ass. I walked a bit and may have even cried. This year, this race, things were going to be different. I steadied my pace and started pumping my arms in rhythm, leaning into the hill. I was taking quick, small strides and if I felt myself slowing, I would pick up my turnover rate. Looking into the distance I kept wondering when we would hit the apex. I managed to get in a 8:05 mile for the ‘painful’ part of the bridge. As we hit the descent I felt like a kid running down a hill, all my weight behind me, legs and arms relaxed, it was awesome!

Nearing the end of the bridge, I knew what lay in store from last time and was getting choked up and energized at the same time. I cued up ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ (Erika’s idea) and picked up my pace as I turned down the off ramp. Deafening crowds 8 deep all along the bridge exit greeted us! I threw my hands up and egged the crowd on, their volume increasing! Looping under the bridge and coming out onto 1st Avenue is overwhelming. Crowds that would rival any parade line the avenue as far as the eye can see and the noise is so great that even a runner’s headphones are drowned out. This is the time to soak it all in, this is the time to celebrate, because in a few more miles things get rough.

Running by 83rd Street (my street) I saw Ed (from ‘Dad Posse’) and his son Ben cheering me on. Ed yelling, “Kick ass Baker! Go!” Approaching 87th Street I started to put on the brakes and look for my pit crew. I saw Robin, Jeff and Allison among many others and stopped for a few high fives and for my Gatorade High Octane Blend. Off again, I tried to keep my spirits up and my pace steady. I had just under an hour to run 8 miles.

At the Mile 18 Aid Station I heard “Hi Chris Baker!” It was Jess! I was past the station by the time I realized who it was and didn’t have a chance to stop and say hello.

Nearing the Bronx, I noticed a guy to my right who people were cheering on as ‘Paddy.’ Then I saw his shirt ‘Paddy Runs for Haiti’ and I thought “Hey, Ila has a cousin that runs for that team! We are friends on Facebook!” I approached and said “Hey! You run for Team Paddy!” to which he responded “It’s not a team, I AM Paddy.” Too wild! As I was explaining that I knew Ila he stopped me and said “Wait, you’re Baker! No way!” We had a pretty good laugh about the whole thing. He and I had never met but were planning on meeting to talk shop at happy hour one night, but what are the odds of meeting during a 45,000 person marathon?! We ran together for awhile before loosing each other in the mayhem that is miles 20-23 aka PAIN.

The Bronx wasn’t nearly as bad as I remembered it, as far as crowd support goes. I knew we were only there for a hot second so I tried to take in as much of the course as I could. Looping around to the 5th Avenue bridge we were now back on the island and entering my least favorite part of the course.

Miles 21-23 follow 5th Avenue from the north all the way south to 90th Street, where we enter the Park. At this point in the day, the sun reflects off the street and all of the people cheering are silhouettes. It’s pretty weird and very ‘dreamlike.’

Marcus Garvey Park is straight up annoying because its like someone just dropped a plot of land right on top of 5th, blocking you so you have to run around it. Hello? I just lost 3 minutes Mr. Garvey.

Once I rounded Garvey’s ‘in-the-way’ park, I was confronted with the mighty uphill stretch leading to the Park. It’s a pretty heavy incline and at mile 23 it’s not exactly something you’re looking forward to. I looked at the ground and dug in. I also reached into my pocket and ate my last Honey Stinger. It was so good. I felt a little bit like a bear. I’m not going to lie, I wanted to quit on that hill. Throw in the towel, call it a day, hit the showers. Looking at my Garmin I was filled with a bit of hope as I saw my time, 2:45.
I had 15 minutes and just about 2 1/2 miles to cover. On any given day PRIOR to running 23 1/2 miles of a marathon I would have no problem pulling this off, but could I do it now while my calves burned like the devil?

Entering the Park was like stepping into my backyard. In the last 10 years I have run, biked and walked this Park thousands of times and knew its intricacies well. I picked up my pace and started feeling really good, all of my pain washing away as I knew the end lay near.

At Mile 24 I saw Sam and Erica and WOW did they ever give me a loud cheer! Cruising down ‘Cat Hill’ I was grateful we weren’t having to run up it. I was clocking 6:50 miles now and was on target for my goal, but it was going to be close, like Death Star close.

Right after that cheer squad I heard my name again, and up on an outcropping of rocks was Annie and Moses with their awesome dog Guapo. They might have had the best seats in the house. It was getting hard to cheer back at people by this point, but I made the best effort I could.


Mile 25 hit and I heard (yet again!) “Baker! Yea man!” It was Robin’s brother Nick B. and his crew! I saluted and barreled forward. One factor I didn’t calculate was that we didn’t go around the bottom of the Park, we went out onto 59th Street to cut across. Making the westward turn I was once again surprised at the incline we were climbing. It hurt bad and slowed me down tremendously.

As we turned into the Park at Columbus Circle I had 1 minute to get to the Finish Line. I knew this couldn’t be obtained but was still excited at being so close.

For me the Finish Line at NYC Marathon is always the most non-memorable part. I think it’s because all other parts of the course are run on legitimate city streets, neighborhoods where people had just walked out their door to cheer. Here, in the Park, was a fabricated gate system and banner that (although very cool) is very unremarkable looking back at the race as a whole.

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 4321 1050 198 03:01:59 6:57 68.64 %

I crossed at 3:01:59 with a 12 minute PR and my first ever Boston Qualifier!

Walking to get my baggage I ran into Antonio and Robert. We chatted about the race and had a few laughs before parting ways.

At 86th Street I took the X86 across the Park with no problem. Well, when I was getting on the bus I said to the driver “Hi! I get to ride free right because I ran the marathon!” She casually glanced up at me and said “Um, no you don’t.” Feeling like a child who was just told Christmas was canceled I paid my fare and sat down. A few of the riders said congratulations to me.

I exited the bus and was walking down 87th Street heading to the bar where all of my friends and family were hanging. It was now 1:00 PM, I cued up “Babba Riley” by the Who while walking and kinda had a ‘moment.’ For the first time all day I felt proud of my accomplishment and my new PR. A few spectators here and there saluted me and were thrilled about my time, lifting my spirits even more.

Entering the insanely crowded bar, I made my way straight back to the tables. I heard a loud cheer from my brother Jeff and was then bombarded with high fives from the whole gang. A few in attendance were… ROLE CALL: Jeff, Allison, Robin, Stephanie, Billy, Shamin, Peate, Cousin Phyllis, John, Cousin Cat, Jonboy, and many more. We stayed till 3 or so before heading out to Stag’s Head Tavern on 51st Street.

We had the entire outside area to ourselves. What a great time it was. Erika showed up after rocking a 4:28 finish. Some other marathon finisher friends showed up too like, Mr. Ahern, Sharon and Ilka! It was a glorious day for all! Stag’s Head ROLE CALL: Allen, Casey, Nick, Rayna, Eric, Asher, Todd, Ila, Andy, Michael, Tim, The Ahern Family, and probably a lot more I missed. We stayed there till 8PM before finally calling the night.

I finally get to race in Boston.

RACE REPORT: 051 Little Silver 5k: 17:38 – 11th Place

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After Saturday’s 5K I headed back to my apartment to pack for the Little Silver 5K I was racing on Sunday. Jim, Ed (from ‘Dad Posse’) and Jack (Ed’s son) and I left around 2:30 to head to Mike and Kara’s house in the Red Bank area.

After a lovely jaunt down the ever-scenic New Jersey Turnpike we arrived at our destination. The sun was setting and Fall was in the air, so we caught up over a few beers in the backyard. The rest of the wives (minus Erika 1- because she was running the Staten Island Half Mary in the morning and 2 – she’s not my wife!) were arriving the next day for post-race festivities, so the guys were let loose to roam Red Bank.

Jim, Ed, Mike and I set off to The Globe Bar to grab some food and more beer. It was supposedly a ‘Dive’ but all 4 of us have spent many years in ‘Dives’ in NYC and this was way off. It did have a cigarette vending machine though! They had great food, especially the wings. We spent a few hours there before setting off to Dublin House.

The Dublin House is a very respectable irish pub. Unfortunately, all 4 of us were wiped so we headed back to Mike’s house to ride out the night after just one Guinness.

Once there we got the fire pit going and all sat around continuing our conversation. Kara joined along with the neighbors, Jim and Amy. I ducked out around 11PM because I was really feeling tired from the day’s events. I was also worried… how would my legs feel tomorrow for the next 5k?

RACE DAY

When I woke up at 7:45 I could definitely tell I needed more rest. Mentally substituting Santa Claus for coffee, I tip-toed downstairs to see what might be waiting for me.

After a cup of coffee and a banana we were off to the race. It really couldn’t have been more perfect as far as weather goes. 55 degrees, not a cloud in the sky.

As we prepared to line up at the start there were a bunch of college track runners warming up. Jim told me not to worry, but looking at them I thought “These dudes look fast! Yikes!”

The gun went off and I hung back. Not wanting to be the rabbit this time around, I let 3 guys lead us. We hung together in a 2 and 2 formation (envision us sitting in a car) and were blazing. We ran our first mile in 5:20.

Soon after Mile 1 the 3 underage speedsters I was running with separated from me. A few minutes later, another fast underage group overtook took me. I held onto these guys for the remainder of the race though.

SIDENOTE: How did my legs feel after racing a 5K the day before? Like crap. Imagine starting a 5K with that feeling you have at about Mile 8 of a Half Mary.

Mile 2 was hit at 5:40, and I was struggling.

Not much to report for the last mile aside from me just hanging onto the back of the heels of this college track runner named Alec. Rounding the corner and entering the high school track where we were to finish, I tried to punch it and take him, to no avail.

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 11 11 1 17:38 5:40 73.80 %

I crossed the finish at 17:38 and a 5:40 pace. Only one second slower than the Hoboken 5k the day before… science where are you when I need you?! This makes no sense at all but I’ll take it.

Jim came in followed by Mike and Ed. We all had goals set (without going into them as people’s race times can be personal) and all of us accomplished them! We hung around for the awards presentation as I won 1st in my age group (11th overall which is weird as my bib number was 11) and Jim got 3rd in his!

We went back to Mike’s where we had a fantastic BBQ. The rest of the wives and kids showed up as well. I helped all 7 of the kids paint pumpkins for Halloween which was awesome as I’m an artist at my core (even went to Art College) and got to be creative.

The weekend was fantastic for racing in general. I would like to say ‘hi fives’ to all my friends and acquaintances who raced this weekend whether it be Chicago Marathon, IM KONA World Championships (so jealous), Staten Island Half Mary, or the Hartford Marathon. Big thanks to the Farley’s for hosting us crazy runners!

—

In conclusion, Racing a 5K on both Saturday and Sunday is very strenuous, especially when it involves social activity, not movies and sleep. But, my times for both were just 1 second apart. It’s very strange and I can’t come up with any logical explanation as I should have been more tired the following day. Is there a doctor in the house? Please explain!

Also, in analyzing my almost exact race times from both days and how I placed (3rd and 11th), it just goes to show… you never know who is going to show up on race day.