Category Archives: Running

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

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 19 Comments


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

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 3 Comments

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.

RACE REPORT: 050 Hoboken UMC 5K: 17:37 – 3rd Place

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 2 Comments

This weekend I would attempt a double header 5K. Meaning… the first 5K on Saturday morning and the second on Sunday. I was very curious (scientifically) as to the outcome of both. Would I be faster on the first race, or would that race simply warm me up for Sunday? Stay tuned.

—

Erika and I left Manhattan on the Hoboken Ferry (it’s really the best way to get there, the Path is crap) Friday night after work. Our plan was to meet up with Jenn and Josh, drink our face off, wake up and blaze the Hoboken UMC 5K.

Erika, Josh, and I started at a cute Mexican restaurant and began the night with a few margaritas. Shortly after we met Jenn at their place to relax on their back patio. After a few more drinks we decided that a Nintendo Wii contest was in order.

1:30AM, Wii-ed out (is that a new term perhaps?) and intoxicated, we all went to bed.

RACE DAY

We woke up at 7:45AM after Mike and Meryl arrived to join us for the race. All of us feeling a bit groggy, we made our way out to the start of the race.

It was beautiful out and couldn’t be more perfect for a run.

Jenn (who is pretty fast) and I lined up right in front. I wasn’t sure what I felt like doing as far as the run was concerned, but I knew once we were moving I would figure it out.

The gun went off and the group lunged forward. I held down the left flank and in 30 seconds found myself leading the group. I hate being in this position. It’s called ‘being the rabbit’ and personally I would rather chase the rabbit. (Not to be confused with chasing the dragon.)

Sure enough 3 guys overtook me in at mile 1. It was there that my cousin Phyllis and her boyfriend John made an appearance on the sidelines, cheering me on! Family rules.

It was an out and back course and as the 3 leaders looped around I smiled and pointed at them as if to say “I’m coming for ya!” but they didn’t respond. I was very disappointed as I love fun sportsmen that get my humor. In reality, I would not be coming for them as they were cooking.

At mile 2 I felt good but was really pushing and starting to notice bits a fatigue setting in. I remembered what Danny Abshire from Newton told me during a running workshop in Central Park, “Shake it off, loosen up, then regain your form. It’s what Craig Alexander does.” I did this and it helped a lot. I un-kinked some things and kept along.

I saw Erika and we cheered at each other!

Coming down the finishing stretch there was no way I was going to overtake the lead guys, but on the other hand no one was behind me closing in.

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 306 3 1 17:37 5:40 73.80 %

I finished in 17:37 and in 3rd place overall! One of the guys running in the pack ahead wasn’t registered but just want to run it. And I, and I thought I was nuts!

Jenn came in 3rd female overall, then Erika came in 1st in her age group! The 6 of us walked away with 3 trophies!

Erika and I couldn’t stay for brunch so we took the ferry back home.

Later on, Erika’s trophy planted a kiss on mine.

RACE REPORT: 049 Montgomery River Run 5K: 18:24 – 1st Place

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 7 Comments

A dear friend of mine, Mike Bowman (or ‘Bowman’) was getting married in the Chicago suburbs October 1st. In preparation for the trip I said to myself, “I should run a race out there since I have never been.” After some difficult research I signed up for the Montgomery River Run 5K Oktoberfest celebration. It was at 9AM the morning after the wedding. Crazy indeed.

SIDENOTE: This is a long post.

I left at 5:30AM Thursday morning to catch my flight. It was relatively painless, although I was up so early I felt like I should be running a Half Marathon or something. “Runner Brain.”

I landed at O’Hare roughly around 9:30AM and had until 4PM to get out to Aurora (a suburb 60 miles west of Chicago) and so I decided to have an ‘Adventure.’ Rather than take the $100 cab directly to Aurora, I took the subway into downtown Chicago to check it out, since I had never visited.

Here is a note to all you Chicago Marathon runners, they are ready for you! Unlike NYCM, there were huge ads and billboards canvassing the city to let everyone know what was coming.

Chicago is great. It’s very clean, has a pretty skyline, and the subway is efficient. I walked around for awhile and then had lunch at a pub.

I took another train out to Aurora and then checked into my hotel. Since all my friends were busy I went for an 8 mile run to explore town and pick up my race number.

That night was the rehearsal dinner and I got to see a lot of good friends.

ROLE CALL!!! Brendan and Stacy, Jeremy, Grant, Leigh, Kevin and Joan, Matt and Kate, Katie, and of course the wedding couple Bowman and Kim. I also made friends with some new people, Eric and Phe, Jay and Snake.

After dinner Kim’s brother Kevin took us all to a ‘speak easy’ of sorts. It was called The Phoenix Club, located in a town hall. You had to be a member to get in and there was a key card swipe to access the bar. This was not the speakeasy that Al Capone frequented. Bright lights, and lots of wood paneling… think truck stop meets Midwest bar. None the less, it was fun. They had the local beer for 75 cents per beer. It was called Old Style and if I knew now what it would do to my head the next day I would have spent the extra 25 cents for a mainstream beer.

We stayed out till 2AM or so and had a blast. All of us as a group haven’t been together in at least 10 years!

The next morning it felt like a squirrel was eating my brain, thank you Old Style.

Jeremy, Eric and I explored the town some more and ended up at a casino for awhile. Nothing like a little roulette at 2PM on a Friday…

The wedding was at 4:30PM so after a shower and getting ‘suited’ up we all made our way to the ceremony. It was really beautiful, set on a gazebo-like structure. The reception immediately followed and everyone jumped into party mode.

At midnight, after a thorough amount of drinking and dancing, I called it a night. The rest of the gang stayed out till 3 or 4 in the morning. A few of them woke me up at 5AM upon their return to the hotel room to give me all the details of what I had missed. After a little coaxing I convinced them to let me sleep as I had to be up at 8:30AM to race.

RACE DAY

In an email dated September 14th to the bride and groom, this was my response to the 5K, “I’m gonna sign up for the race and win it the day after your wedding in honor of you kats.” This was my intention all along, but I was worried about pulling it off. SIDENOTE: I sometimes call people ‘kats’ as in ‘Cool Cats’.

I grabbed a cup of coffee, then Jeremy and I headed out. He was my ride to the race and I am really thankful for him agreeing to do that, otherwise I might have had to run to the run. Ha.

Arriving at the race start, which was the local fire station and town hall, we found Eric waiting for us! He wanted to see this thing go down too. It was sunny and 50 degrees, running perfection and the epitome of Fall.

Everyone knew each other and were kinda milling about. Eric and Jeremy were smiling and they walked over and were like “Baker, you got this man, you can do it!” As I responded with, “Guys! Don’t jinx me!”

The start line was a crosswalk. Yes, it was a small town race. Around 9:15 people decided we could maybe start the race so all 144 of us were huddled in the street. There were a few serious looking runners there geared out and jumping around. A man standing in the lift of the fire truck called the start and then fired the gun.

Taking off in the front 5 runners or so I made the quick decision 50 meters out to just go for it ad I blasted ahead.

There was an ATV leading us down the town roads. It was a pretty simple course in a rectangle. At Mile 1 there was a volunteer and I yelled (as a joke) “How many miles is this thing?” Looking worried she yelled back, “It’s a 3 mile race and you just ran mile 1 in 5:45! Keep going!” I guess my race humor can be a little much at times.

I don’t like to ‘look back’ during races, but if there are turns I do glance back. I did this at one of the turns and didn’t see any runners. I found this odd and had I not been following the leader ATV I might have thought I took a wrong turn.

I felt good and was cooking, but I didn’t feel like I was pushing that hard. Rounding the final turn to the last 1/2 stretch I got pretty excited at the prospect of winning. The finish is a down hill and there were about 10 people (including Jeremy and Eric) cheering us on. Jeremy and Eric were really excited and totally making a cheering ruckus! As I crossed I threw a hand up and yelled “For Bowman and Kim!”

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 658 1 1 18:24 5:56 70 %

I got high fives from the fellas and then we cheered on the rest of the runners as they came through. My time was 18:24 which I was happy with even though it wasn’t Sub 17 which is my new 5K goal. Second place came in 50 seconds later followed quickly by the third place guy who was close to overtaking him.

I won a plaque for first place. We couldn’t stick around to watch all the awards as we had to get to the Wedding Brunch which would be ending in the next 30 minutes.

SIDENOTE: the first place female was 54 years old! Totally bad ass!

Arriving at the wedding brunch there were looks of disbelief, then loud cheering! Everyone wanted to hear how the race went down. Some people wondered why on earth I would want to run a race the morning after a wedding? I have no logical answer for this question accept that if you know me, then you know why.

I gave my trophy top Bowman and Kim as a wedding keepsake.

Most of us said goodbye shortly after. A group of us decided to go into Chicago for lunch to kill time before our 7PM flights. I got to be a tourist in a big city for once, instead of being the tour guide. It was actually pretty fun. After lunch we all went to the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower).

It was awesome! They have these clear glass boxes you can stand in and you are literally 1200 feet above the streets. I wont lie, I was scared.

At sundown we headed to the airport to leave the windy city. It was an amazing trip that once again made me realize how great it is to see friends you haven’t seen in ages, and everything is still the same as it always was.

RACE REPORT: 048 5th Avenue Mile – 1 Mile: 4:59

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 10 Comments

This weekend would mark my second time running the famed 5th Avenue Mile. To my surprise, last year I ran a 5:01, and this year, I wanted more than anything to go sub 5. Putting this goal in my head would stress me out and haunt my thoughts all week, right up to the race.

—

Saturday morning I went for a 20 mile bike ride on my track bike to get my quads in gear. Since the bike can’t coast nor are there any brakes, you rely on your legs to slow down and stop, making it an ideal pre-sprinting workout.

Later that night Erika and I met at a German restaurant to have some beer and snacks (it’s almost Oktober after all) and then head over to see the play ‘Brief Encounter’. I would recommend the play as it’s a short 90 minute trip to 1938 with a few great musical numbers, although it’s not going to be winning any Tony Awards.

RACE DAY

Since my heat was to start at 10:15AM I didn’t even set my alarm! What a refreshing difference it is to wake up for a race when the sun has already risen!

I ate some Irish Steel Cut Oats and had some Cafe Bustelo before heading out the door. I walked Erika to her start (she was to go off at 9:30) before heading down to 72nd street to cheer.

What an exciting day for spectating! Only second to the NYC Marathon itself. Every 15 minutes a wave of speedy runners comes zipping by! I got to see Steph, then Erika cruising down 5th, me yelling at them to pick it up!

On my way up to my heat I ran into Erin and then Elizabeth (who took this silly pic of me at the start).

Pre-race I did a quick run up to 84th and back down again where I ran into my friend Sebastian. He’s a really fast runner. We became friends last year during the Knickerbocker 60K when we ran the first 3 or 4 laps of Central Park together.

Getting into the corral I was far left and maybe 4 guys back. It was right where I wanted to be.

SIDENOTE: It’s funny what happens on game day. All week I had been questioning myself… could I really run a sub 5 mile? Last year I was 2 seconds off, but had I trained well? Did I eat a good breakfast? Were my legs and heart ready to go in overdrive? It would all be over so fast, and then there would be 1 year to think about the outcome.

The gun sounded and we all took off. I crossed the start mat about a second off from the gun time, which would play into my results later.

As we cleared the start, the Avenue opened up and I shot far left, passing a handful of people before settling in. As we hit the 1/4 Mile marker at 1:10 I was thrilled, but focused and kept pushing forward feeling great.

Between 1/4 Mile mark and the 1/2 Mile mark is a gradual uphill which you would think isn’t that big of a deal, but trust me, it is. Anything that slows you down by even 10 seconds in a 1 Mile race is a huge factor. Swinging my arms like a mad man, I hit the apex and the 1/2 way mark at just about 2:25. Once again, I was happy, but knew it was only going to get harder.

The group of 30 or so runners I was in was now spread out like a flock of geese and I was on the far left wing holding on. I could barely see the leader of this flock as by now my vision was blurred and I was red lining in overdrive. The triangle started to tighten up as the 3/4 mark hit. I still thought I had this sub 5 thing locked.

400 Meters to go may not seem far, but it is an eternity in this race! The crowds were now thick and cheering us on, although I barely took notice. It’s as though all of my life support functions and senses rerouted everything to my legs, lungs, and heart as my hearing and vision were totally out of whack. Slow motion would be a good description… everything was moving in slow motion.

As I hit the 200 Meter mark I looked ahead to the finish and my heart sunk. The clock read 4:50! How had I lost those precious seconds I thought I had captured in the beginning? My dismay turned to quick anger at the thought of not fulfilling my goal and I got pretty fired up.

With 10 seconds to go, I threw down the clutch again into some unknown gear and blasted forward, my eyes on the clock the whole time! 4:52, 4:53, 4:54 and my heart was on fire, lungs burning. As the clock went from 4:59 to 5:00 I took my last step and bolted across the finish, unsure of my exact time. I was excited, but not quite ready to celebrate without knowing my time.

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 274 131 30 4:59 4:59 75 %

The walk home was rough, my lungs burning the whole time. Many of my runner friends experienced this as well. I think it was the cooler weather compounded by high speed racing.

Later that day I was hanging out at Dorrian’s Bar with my brother, his girlfriend Allison, and few others as the final times came in. Scrolling down the listing there it was, 4:59 on the dot! I threw my hands up and yelled out, a big smile on my face. Everyone at the table thought something related to football had occurred, until I explained my crazy runner excitement! Relief rushed over me. I had accomplished my goal.

I left and met Erika at Dinosaur BBQ to celebrate. She also ran the race and did great with a 6:26 pace! It was the perfect ending to a triumphant weekend.

—

This race to me, represents the concept of ‘goals’. It’s the perfect race for it, as it’s a mile. All of my friends who were out there racing today, from fast to slow, all set a goal that they wanted to achieve. It really makes me proud to be friends with such a dedicated group of people who all take time to go all out and give it their best! Just watching the twitter feed all day was enough to motivate and inspire anyone! Congrats to everyone who raced this weekend whether it was the 5th Avenue Mile, the Newport Liberty Half Mary, or a 100K Ultra!

RACE REPORT: 047 NYC Marathon Tune up 18M: 2:01:32

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 6 Comments

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 818 60 11 02:01:32 6:46 66.8 %

On Friday, if you had asked me what I was going to do Sunday morning, an 18 Mile race would not have been on the agenda. But, I can succumb to peer pressure quite easily under the right circumstances.

—

Saturday morning at 7:45 I met Jim of ‘Dad Posse’, Gio, and Anne Marie for a 50 mile bike ride up to Nyack. It was a little chilly but once we got cooking our body temperatures got regulated. We were cruising at 18-20 MPH for the majority of the trip. A highlight for me was clocking 39.6 MPH on the big state line hill. I was spinning out my top gear and just had to tuck into aero position to try and max out my speed. What a rush!

We stopped at Runsible Spoon for refreshments (of course). I can’t resist their Banana Chocolate Chip muffins. They are like ‘Muffin Crack’ to me.

During the ride home Jim notified me that he was running the 18 Mile Tune-up in the morning. I was going to do a long run on my own anyway so I wasn’t really interested. That is… until he told me it was an actual ‘race’ with bibs, timing chips, national anthems and all! SOLD.

We rode over to NYRR on the route home and I signed up half thinking “This is a bad idea. I really want to sleep in tomorrow, especially since I’m going to a concert tonight.”

In the late afternoon I made 3 ‘Race Burritos’ then met up with Ahern, Robin, Billy, and Jess to have some pizza before the show. We then headed up to Central Park for the Broken Social Scene concert! I love Broken Social Scene and this would mark my 4th time seeing them. If you like concerts, they never disappoint! On 3 occasions they played for 4 hours straight!

Robin and I were really excited when we saw that the Summer Stage had beer tents! Score! I also told her, shaking my head “I will be back at this spot in less than 10 hours to run 18 miles.”


Another surprise was that the opening band was The Sea and Cake! I’ve never had the opportunity to see them live and they are also a favorite.

To sum up BSS, they rocked as usual! As the show was closing I led us out a back gate to avoid the crowds. Countless races ending at the Bandshell will definitely improve your Central Park navigation skills!

We ended the night at a pub eating hot dogs and drinking beer. Not ideal pre-race food, but we were having fun.

In bed by midnight…

RACE DAY

Woke up feeling pretty good, but a little malnutritioned. I had some Cafe Bustelo and popped out front to meet Jim at 6:30 and we biked over to the start.

It’s always so cool to see the thousands of people migrating to the start of the races. It’s something I always embrace, thinking about the millions of people sleeping at that moment who have no idea this is even happening.

At the baggage check I ran into my friend Dani who has been running with Team in Training. This would be her longest run ever and she would do great! Heading to the corrals (and chowing down on a ‘Race Burrito’) we saw Josh, Joe, and Sharon gearing up!

As I entered the blue corral, I immediately saw Daniel hanging out in the center so I made my way up to say hi. A weird thing we noticed… no national anthem! My goal for the race was to finish in 2 hours which I knew would be a long shot.

As the gun went off we kicked it up and took off. We were chatting about various running/triathlon related things before we parted ways at Harlem Hill. We had different goals and pace times for the race so it wouldn’t have done either of us any good to stick together aside from the camaraderie and jokes!

Happily hitting the apex on Harlem Hill I thought to myself, “I have to do that 2 more times before the day is up. Yikes Scooby.”

Coming into miles 2 and 3 I was on target with my pace of 6:30’s. SIDENOTE: I’m like the worst pace keeper ever. I just like to run as fast as I can all the time which tends to mess me up during marathons. Duh.

Trucking along the west side heading south by the Sheep’s Meadow I was trailing a few really fast runners, one of whom was easily 60 years old. We were playing leap frog for the next 5 miles until we started our second loop. This guy would then jump ahead of me and finish a good 2-3 minutes before me. I kept thinking “Wow! This guy is amazing. If I see him at the finish I would like to shake his hand.”

Ascending Harlem Hill for my second time I did a once over, aka: Systems Check. Legs, knees, heart… was I hungry or thirsty? Everything felt good so I held my pace. It was right about here that I saw fellow runner and twitter friend ‘experiri’ cheering me on. He was volunteering so I would see him a few more times. Thanks for the encouragement along the course. it really helps!

One thing that always kills me on multi-loop races in the park is when there are overlapping mile signs. For instance, I was on mile 9, but right next to it was mile 15 for when I came around again, thus reminding me that this thing was far from over!

By now I started to use some visualization to get through the remainder of the race. I would speed through the course in my head, as if I were on my bike, preparing for what was ahead. It gave me moments and markers to look forward to, making the course seem smaller than it actually was.

By now I had started catching up and lapping the slower paced runners. It got crazy crowded, but I really liked it because I enjoy having lots of other runners around, all of us on the same mission.

I had planned to eat my ‘Race Burrito’ (that I had been carrying this whole time) at mile 10, but I decided to wait until the final Harlem Hill approach which would be mile 13. It was delicious as usual! The trick, in case anyone ever attempts this, is to eat it one half mile before an aid station so you can wash it down with your choice of Gatorade or water. It was here that I saw Matt6 and Steph (who were volunteering). They gave me a huge shout out which lifted my spirits and sent me flying down the street.

Making my way down the west side again, the pain in my calves was really kicking in. I tried to ignore it and do some more visualizing. Once the energy from the ‘Race Burrito’ processed, I started feeling better. Crossing mile 15 I also said to myself, “3 miles, Baker. You got this!”

By this point, coming up the east side, the sun was blinding and I tried hard not to run into other runners or random people crossing our path.

With 2 miles to go I realized I might obtain my goal of finishing in 2 hours, but, I would have to run both miles at a 6:30 pace on the dot and my legs were burning bad. Mile 16-17 might have been the hardest and that 6:30 mile didn’t happen by any means. But, for some strange reason, the last mile I felt really great and kicked it up. Maybe it was the finisher chute? Maybe because I knew I could stop running? Maybe it was that box of tasty bananas they always have waiting for us?

I came through the finish at 2:01:32 and got to high five Matt6 and Steph as I crossed! Awesome!

I immediately chugged two cups of Gatorade and one water. As my body slowed everything down, I started to feel great. I hung out at the finish for another 30 minutes cheering people on as they came through. Daniel popped in, then, to my surprise Josh gave me a sweaty Speedy Sasquatch hug as he crossed.

It was a great day for a run and all of us had success. I always get a little teary eyed when I look back on races this distance or greater, thinking about everyone and our accomplishments as runners. It’s truly amazing.

—

Later that night Erika and I joined a few fellow runners to welcome our friend Sarah Stanley to the big apple! She has been biking all week from D.C. and stopping along the way to teach young kids about childhood obesity. Congratulations Sarah!

RACE REPORT: 045 Fire Island 5K: 17:54 – 2nd Place

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 9 Comments

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 2 2 1 17:54 5:46 72.2 %

The “Battle for Fire Island” is what I’m calling this weekend’s race. Why? I had won this race randomly last year which was great, but the amount of pressure I felt coming back to defend my title was ridiculous!

Erika and I left Friday afternoon, set to arrive around 7PM. It’s really quite fun getting out to Fire Island, especially the ferry ride. This is a picture of some guy sleeping on the van ride that reminded me of ‘Weekend at Bernie’s.’

It was a “Dad Posse” weekend if you will. Ed has a hotel out there (insert plug)… The Fire Island Hotel, which is the hub of the race every year. It’s also a really fun laid back hotel right on the beach complete with a tiki bar.

The gang for the weekend was ROLE CALL: Ed and Annelise (Jack, Isabelle, and Ben); Jim and Lisa (Josephine and Elizabeth); Mike and Kara (Kelly and Kevin); and finally Todd and Ila. (AND Louie and Bella… see photo)

After checking into our room, Erika and I hit the tiki bar ‘Hurricanes’ and had some pina coladas and apps before heading over to Ed’s house which is right next to the hotel. At ‘Hurricanes’ a big group of gals came in… a bachelorette party. While they were contemplating what shots to take I realized that I recognized one of the girls. I looked over and simultaneously we both said each others names laughing. It was Amanda, Ed’s niece who I had run a few races with over the winter. Erika and I spent the rest of the night over at Ed’s socializing and catching up.

Saturday morning Erika took off for a 4 mile run (she wouldn’t be racing Sunday) and Ed, Mike, Jim and I went over to the bay for a 1/2 mile open water swim. Wow! Amazing and I really needed it. As Ed was saying, there is something very natural about swimming in open water. We also needed the training as the Harriman Sprint Triathlon is the following weekend.

The rest of the day we all congregated on the beach. It was a beautiful day. Frankie showed up to hang for a little while followed by Todd. Ila had to bail on the trip as she was sick unfortunately. We built giant sandcastles, played football in the ocean, and body surfed. It was awesome. I was in some serious need of beach time and this was doing the trick.

We had a huge feast at Ed and Annelise’s house that night in preparation for the race. We carbo-loaded on beers and had birthday cake and cookies in celebration of a few of the youngsters’ birthdays. We all crashed between 11:30 and midnight I think.

RACE DAY

We were all up around 9AM Sunday. The race didn’t start ’til 10:30 AM which is cool on the sleep tip, but very scary on the heat factor.

Ed’s house is basically right in front of the start line. It’s so cool because you can literally hang out there having coffee and bananas (which is what I was doing in fact) up until like 5 minutes to gun time, then you just walk out his front door.

There were 2 waves this year as the race has almost doubled in size! It’s put on by Anthony and John DiGangi who I have become friends with over the last year as they do a lot of the local NYRR races and triathlons. The 5K’s purpose is to raise money and awareness for the American Brain Tumor Association.

“In 2006, Rose DiGangi was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma, a malignant Brain Tumor. After a courageous battle, Rose passed away on October 20th, 2007. In her memory, the DiGangi Family will continue to raise awareness and support for Brain Tumor Research.”

A few minutes to 10:30AM those of us in wave 1 walked out to the start line. I said hi to some of the guys from last year. It’s a pretty friendly race.

SIDENOTE: 30 seconds to the start the clouds dissipated and the sun blazed high and strong. Wonderful. It was now 85 degrees and climbing.


Just like last year, I hung one row back, trying to be discreet. The gun went off and it was a mad dash to take lead. I was boxed in right away but we weren’t going too fast so I just pushed through the crowd and took off. I was half thinking that this technique will either benefit me or cost me a good race time.

Half a mile into the race I was like “Wow, this is hard being in the lead and not knowing whats going on behind me!” Most of you runners out there will agree, chasing people down and passing them in a race is very fulfilling and gives you something to focus on. Here I was just running as hard as I could with no end in sight! At certain points where there were crowds I yelled “How far back is #2?”

1.5 – 2 miles in is where it started to really get hard. My legs got heavy and I was overheating. It’s a 5K so it’s not like there are aid stations around every corner, but when I did see one, i grabbed water dumped it straight on my head. It was so hot and I was so delirious I was teetering on walking and/or calling it quits.

At this point I could feel someone catching me. He slowly approached and we joked around for a bit, me asking him “Hey man isn’t the race over yet?” His response was “No way man, 1 mile to go.” We ran together for a little while but as we neared the 3/4 mile to go area he picked up the pace and I’m pretty sure I slowed mine down. I kept him in my sights but I couldn’t muster up any more effort. For the first time ever I thought about running straight to the medical tent!

I rounded the corner to the finish line and just tried to hold onto the pace I was working with and try and muster up a smile! Erika was there and gave me a big kiss! I quickly left her heading straight for the water area. I took a big bottle of water and dumped it straight onto my head. As I looked up I saw Kevin and Isabelle laughing at me as I did this. Trying to explain a near death run in a lava field to 7 year-olds is difficult.

I walked over to the shaded tent where all the early runners were convening. I found the number one guy and congratulated him. His name was Sebastian and he was an 18 year old track runner from Bay Shore. He starts college at Albany in the Fall and has a good future in running if you ask me!

Jim came in shortly after followed by Mike, Todd, and then Ed and Jack. We were all exhausted and the general consensus across the board was that it was brutally hot!

The gals came and joined us in the shade once all of our runners were in.

The fundraiser after party is really fun. Heineken beer, hamburgers, silent auctions, a band… We all hung around re-carbing with some beers (all the money spent went to the ABTA so we weren’t drinking in vain.)

Around noon, we all gathered around as the DiGangi’s started the awards ceremony. It was really inspiring as there were runners as young as 13 clocking times like 25:14 and guys in their 60’s matching it.



Of our group 3 of us got medals! Jack came in 2nd in the 12-14 age group, Jim 3rd in the 40-49 age group, and me for second overall. Go Team!

We hung around the after party for awhile then headed to the pool. Erika, Todd, and I left on a 2:50 ferry back to the mainland as we were all so tired.

It was a great weekend and we all killed it out there under those rough weather conditions!

Big ‘ups’ to the Eschmann’s for once again being fantastic hosts. Thanks!

RACE REPORT: 044 Queens Half Marathon: 1:28:39

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 7 Comments

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M32 119 56 18 1:28:39 6:46 66.8 %

In preparation for the Queens Half Marathon (and by preparation I mean ‘carb-o-loading’) Erika took me to her favorite Italian restaurant, Pisticci’s.

Upon arriving we were immediately greeted by a server who knew Erika. I was impressed. We were promptly seated and ordered our drinks, mine being a fancy beer and Erika opting for a fancy cocktail. The food was amazing. For my entree I had a goat cheese and red pepper stuffed ravioli, topped with a vodka sauce laced with shrimp. Perfection!

I’m not sure if any of you were out Friday night, but around 8:30PM all hell broke loose. The skies opened up and an intense thunderstorm ensued! It looked straight out of a movie and I blame the full moon.

I was once again impressed, when Erika insisted that we would have no problem getting a cab right across the street, and she was spot on. It was a great night and I was no doubt ready for the Queen’s Half the next morning.

RACE DAY

At 5AM it was already 80 degrees.

The Queen’s Half Marathon (most Royal of races…) takes place in Corona Park Queens, which is an easy subway ride. I always love pre-race subway rides to the course because at every stop groups of runners get on. Its like a real-life Nike commercial or something.

At baggage we met Erika’s friend Jen and then headed to our corrals.

Up in the front, as the announcements were being made ( “Don’t try and PR as it’s brutally hot” and “Be careful”) I was in my head and getting amped up for the run.

As the gun went off I held onto the lead pack (which was thick as thieves) for the first mile before it thinned out and the speedsters took off.

The first 6 miles were an out and back course along College Point Blvd. At mile 2’s water station I passed my buddy Lam and yelled out to him! It was right around this point when I thought to myself “Holy cow, it’s freakin’ hot already and the sun isn’t even blazing yet!”

At mile 3 there was a factory or something spewing some sort of smoke and for a moment I felt like we were running a Sci-Fi race in the not so distant industrial future. Think Blade Runner meets Mad Max.

On the return trip I saw my friend Elizabeth (or Ms. Ritz) and we yelled hi! Soon after I saw Erika and we yelled to each other as well. This lifted my spirits and kept my head high.

It’s pretty safe to say that at every aid station (there were 13) I dumped 2 cups of water on my head. In fact, I may have only drank a total of 4 to the 26 that ended up on me. I was also running THROUGH the big puddles left behind from the night’s thunderstorms to help cool my feet, which were now on fire.

At mile 9 something happened where I felt awesome and kind of kicked it up a notch. It was 8AM now and the sun was high in the sky projecting its rays with no mercy.

I’m not going to lie. Pretty much from the start of the race to the finish I wanted to stop running and call it a day. Looking back, I have no idea what kept me going, but I actually sped up as the miles decreased.

At mile 11 we were heading back to the finish area and I was pretty excited. Looking at the clock times, I thought I had a chance at staying sub 1:30. Why I chose that number I don’t know, but it kept me motivated! It was here I passed a guy whose outfit looked strangely familiar. I turned and looked at him and it was the guy who I finished the Rev 3 Half Ironman neck-and-neck with in June! I said hi quickly and then kept on pushing forward.

Mile 12 we got to run around the giant globe sculpture which was kinda cool, aside from the pain we were all experiencing at this point that is.

The crowds got thick and as the finish came into view I picked up and finished fast, but no sprint. I was pretty excited to be done AND that there was a fire hose just past the finish.


My time was 1:28:39 which is my worst Half Marathon time, but I was still happy to have just finished a battle like that in such extreme conditions.

I made my way to a good vantage point to see Erika come through the finish chute. I was walking around barefoot which never felt better.

I saw Jen come through and then Erika a little later. Both gals looked great and finished strong!

After the race, we had a fun subway ride back to Manhattan as we ran into Sharon and Maria.

A few hours later we would regroup with Sharon to have some beers with her to celebrate her birthday AND the fact that she ran an extra 5.5 miles to top her run out at 30K! Nice work.

A lot of my running friends ran in this race (some of which I didn’t get a chance to see). I know runners get down on themselves if they don’t PR, but they should all be proud of themselves for finishing such a tough Half Marathon!