5K – BEYOND DEFEAT

RACE REPORT: 139 Abbott Dash to the Finish 5k – 19:13

Posted on November 11, 2017 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running Leave a comment

Jeff Baker didn’t know it, but we signed him up for the Abbott Dash to the Finish 5K the morning before the marathon.

His wife, my sister-in-law, had planned a surprise trip up to NYC for them for his birthday weekend, which always falls on marathon weekend. Marathon weekend, for those not in the know, is the greatest weekend in New York City.

Friday night’s dinner was at Elio’s, a local neighborhood italian spot that we enjoy. I had some penne with broccoli rabe and italian sausage and it was perfection! Salman Rushdie was also in attendance at Elios.

RACE DAY

After some coffee, Abbe, Jeff and I set off for an easy warm up run to the start down Park Avenue. It was a cool and crisp 48 degrees out, perfect for running.

The start was bustling with runners, 10,000+ actually! We split up to enter our respective corrals. I ran into my neighbor Angus again in the A Corral! There was a huge international crowd present due to the marathon the following day and it made me really happy. As a New Yorker I always feel inclined to help tourists, so this presented tons of new opportunities.

The race was delayed by 15 minutes, during which my mind wandered around until it landed on the fact that I was thirsty. Wonderful. My mouth kept getting drier and drier and I swallowed, wishing for the first aid station.

Angus and I fist bumped and then the gun went off. I felt a bit sluggish, maybe because I was parched.

Barreling down 42nd Street was quite fun and the low light bounced off the buildings in a beautiful ‘fall morning’ kind of way. I hit Mile 1 in 5:19, which doesn’t seem accurate to me. There wasn’t an aid station either.

After taking a sharp right onto 6th Avenue I felt my pace equalize and settle in. I felt pretty good now and was enjoying all the international cheer squads positioned up the avenue. At the end of 6th we took a right onto 59th Street and had a really nice downhill going towards 5th.

Taking a left and entering The Park, Mile 2 clicked off as a 5:39 and there was finally some water!

I slowed a bit on the uphill towards the East Drive a bit, but was really just having a great time. As we rounded the bottom of the Park we entered the official marathon course. It was (as always) lined with al the flags of every nation represented in the marathon. This is my favorite part of the course (NYC Marathon as well) because it really shows you how broad the running community is. I also always get a bit choked up in a happy way when cruising by the flags.

I heard my name loud and clear right before I finished as the whole Gotham City Runners crew cheered me on!

Mile 3 was a 6:10 and my finishing time was a 19:13.

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG %
M39	8453	232	24	19:13	6:11	70.80%

I waited for Abbe and Jeff up by 72nd Street. Jeff said that what he misses most about leaving NYC is running around the Park. Once we all regrouped we finished the morning with a clockwise loop in glorious fall weather.

RACE REPORT: 128 Fire Island 5k – 19:59

Posted on August 19, 2016 by admin

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On Friday, I left work to meet up with everyone (Abbe, Bojana, Brian and Maura) at Penn Station. It was steamy and I broke out into a sweat immediately on the subway platform, just a precursor of what was to come.

It seemed that my crew had boarded the train, so I did the same. Once we all found each other drinks popped open and a ‘Here’s to a vacation weekend’ toast ensued. Fun, had begun.

One of my favorite parts of the journey to Fire Island is the final 30 minute ferry ride across the Great South Bay. It’s such a gorgeous experience (if you have weather cooperating). The wind in your hair, the sun setting and the smell of ocean water marinating in a boat full of happy beach goers.

Another one of my favorite parts is that there are no cars on the island! Bikes and walking everywhere, it’s so cool!

We arrived at Ed’s place, the Fire Island Hotel, checked in and hit Hurricanes for the notorious Rocket Fuels. A Rocket Fuel is a like a Pina Colada on steroids, and yes, they are delicious. From 7 to Midnight we sat there drinking and eating (the fish tacos are superb) carrying on. Ed (from Dad Posse) eventually joined us around 9 and joined in on the mayhem.

The following day Jim and Mike (also from Dad Posse) joined up. We went to Jim’s place which is a few blocks down from the hotel and has a more than solid beach day. Jim and I surfed and caught some real nice rides. The tides shifted after lunch though and I changed it up with a boogie board. Those were some of the best boogie board conditions I have seen since I was a kid, you could catch anything!

That night we had a cookout at Jim’s. We made everything you could think of… chicken, corn on the cob, green beans, baked beans, ribs, salad and I think there was cheese. Something in that mix had to stick and help in the race the following day right?

Did I mention that John C. Reilly was having a cookout at the house next door?

RACE DAY

I woke up at 6:45 and said goodbye to a sleeping Abbe. Jim and I had morning surfing to attend to.

Coffee in hand I strolled down a very serene pathway to Jim’s, no one was awake yet and the peacefulness was exactly what I needed.

Jim and Mike were awake having coffee on the front porch, I joined them. Soon after the three of us walked up to the beach and jumped into the soup. It was brisk, but refreshing. Mike stayed behind to swim in the surf and Jim and I headed out past the breakers. We were the only ones out there and it was super cool. Not cool if the sharks are hungry as they have limited options, me and Jim.

I caught 2 really nice rides that took me almost all the way into shore. It’s a really great feeling riding a wave, the Beach Boys said it best… ‘Catch a wave and you’re sittin on top of the world.’

We bailed after awhile as we had a 5k to race in an hour. Energy conservation right?

I met Abbe and split a bagel before gearing up. Her, Maura and I did a slow warm up, linked up with Ed, Mike and Jim and headed to the start. Bojo and Brian were going to spectate due to unforeseen injury. We did a pre-race team photo knowing that the post race team photo was going to be ugly. It was 85-90 degrees already.

I jumped in the front corral with 10 others and wandered around in the sun for ten minutes. Anthony, Sal and John Gigangi, race organizers and friends of mine, gave a few speeches before show time. It’s amazing how far the Rose Digangi Foundation has come in helping people and family’s cope with brain cancer.

The gun went off and it was on. 5 people went out blazing fast and I just, well, I just ran right on the threshold of it being really sucky. On the out part of the race we had a headwind, which kept us ‘kind’ of cool. I dumped water on my head any chance I got though.

I ran the entire race with Tara, who always wins 1st Female. We were holding a 6:30 pace steady. I had no interest in pushing it any further. AT Mile 1.5 one of the teenagers that blasted ahead in the beginning was on the side puking. I yelled, “Hey man, you okay!?” He was.

On the way back we had a tailwind. In most circumstances this would be a welcome condition in a race, not today. It was as if someone turned off the fan in a really hot courtroom. Just keep running.

As Tara and I were nearing the finish I realized they had the tape across for her (1st Place Female) so I hung back a bit and let her hit the tape before crossing. I then poured no less than three bottles of ice water on my head and retreated to a shady area by the finish.

I finished in 19:58, over 1 minute slower than the other 4 times I have run this race.

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG %
M38	1	7	2	19:58	6:26	69.60%

One by one the rest of The Battalion came through the finish looking for water. We all got really cool finisher medals that had a bottle opener on it!

Once we had the gang together we made our way into Schooners for the after party, which is quite a fun after party. We hung out, laughed, talked to other runners and hydrated with beer. I got a 2nd Place AG award but more importantly Maura got 3rd AG! Baker… why is that more important?

Maura has been injured for god knows how long and is back on track. This was her first race since November (I think) and she got an AG award! Well done Maura.

We all headed to Flynn’s for a big lunch. Abbe and I caught a ate afternoon ferry home, bidding our friends and Fire Island farewell… for now.

RACE REPORT: 093 – Fire Island 5K – 18:33

Posted on August 1, 2013 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 2 Comments

I met Abs, Stephan, Amanda, Bojana, Maura, and Jodi in Penn Station Friday afternoon to begin our journey. The ‘journey’ would be called a vacation and include beach time, drinking, seafood, drinking and running, in no particular order. In fact sometimes it was drinking, then drinking.

I was excited to show everyone Fire Island. Most New Yorkers have never been and therefore don’t realize what an amazing place it is or how easy it is to get to. You don’t even need a car.

After our very easy 1 hour train ride we caught the ferry to cross the bay over to the island. The ferry over is one of my favorite parts. Sitting on the open air roof of the ferry there is this symbolic ‘leaving’ of reality and heading off into the beachy sunset. The ride home has quite the opposite effect.

We arrived at Ocean Bay Park around 5PM. As we headed up towards the hotel I heard my named called. “Hey Baker!” It was DiGangi (as I call him) but since there are many DiGangi’s on the island for the race he was introduced as Anthony. Anthony and his brother John put on the race, ‘The Run for Rose’ after their mom who passed away from brain cancer. Seeing as how my father recently passed away from cancer this race now has a bit more meaning for me.

Keep in mind there are no cars on the island! Arriving a short walk later at the Fire Island Hotel (Ed from ‘Dad Posse’s’ place) we checked in and then hit Hurricanes for happy hour. Drink of choice on the island are Rocket Fuels. Basically, pina coladas topped with 151. I know some of the staff there so it was fun catching up and seeing how everyone was doing. After a few drinks we walked down and said hi to the ocean. BoJo, Maura, and Jodi were actually brave enough to jump in. It was pretty chilly.

After my amazing dinner of fish tacos Abs and I retired to bed while the rest of the group walked down to Flynn’s and Schooner’s to have a few more drinks and check out the scene.

Abs and I woke up right on schedule at 6AM. Just once I wish I could sleep in. It’s like the Sun runs my life or something.

Ed has really stepped up his game at the hotel and now you can get coffee, bagels (really good bagels) muffins and other breakfast items right in the lobby. While sitting on the front steps enjoying the peace we caught sight of 2 fawns! As far as New Yorkers are concerned, Aliens may as well have landed. Abbe was immediately taking pictures and telling the not-so-awake Amanda “Heeeeey, there are baby deers!”

Once everyone was awake we split up. Abs, Jodi and Amanda did beach yoga while Maura, Bojo and I went for a run. I don’t know what Stephan did, but rest assured it was not beach yoga.

Maura and Bojo had some crazy 15-17 miles they needed to do so I guided them. We had a blast running through the narrow streets while I pointed out landmarks and different Fire Island related factoids. Maura was not so happy once I led us onto the non-paved eastern part of the island. I explained the most of the island in that direction was just sandy paths. A very cool idea, but murder on your calves. We turned around as they made the decision to get their miles in by doing the 3-4 mile loop from Ocean Beach to Ocean Bay Park. I bailed after 5 miles because I didn’t want to over do it and be burned out for the next day’s race.

I found Ed as I was making my way to the beach and he said he was into hanging with us later. We were going to go to Matthews (a great seafood spot) for dinner.

I found the rest of the team out on the beach soaking up the rays. It was an awesome day. Not too hot, slight breeze, no clouds. Behind us it looked like a bus had dropped off the entire Sigma Kai fraternity. They were pounding beers and playing odd beach/drinking games and yet, it was entertaining. They weren’t really bothering anybody. They were just trapped in their own Jersey Shore bubble.

One of them had the John Deere logo tattooed on his chest and we all felt sorry for him. Someday he will meet a cute gal who has an obsession with tractors and farming and they will fall madly in love.

As Bojana and Maura arrived it was time for the rest of us to have lunch. We did so at Flynns. Stephan and I had pretty amazing lobster rolls.

We spent the rest of the day back at the beach.

The 15 minute walk at dusk to Matthews was quite enjoyable. You really don’t know how much cars suck until they are gone. It was so peaceful! I didn’t have to stop talking because a loud bus was passing by.

For my pre race dinner I may as well have been playing Russian Roulette with food. I ate so many clams and oysters and although I love these delicious lil guys, they aren’t really good to race on. After dinner we stopped at 2 more bars. At the last one, Schooners (which happens to be where the after party is the next day), we had more rocket fuels. Bad decision, and yet… so tasty.

Yes, we fed a deer Rocket Fuels!

RACE DAY (I know, it took awhile to get here.)

We woke up at 8AM so we kind of slept in! My stomach was a mess. I felt bloated and was definitely not hungry. The race starts at 10:30AM which is a kind of double edged sword. On one hand, you can wake up whenever. But at 10:30AM on Fire Island, IT’S HOT BABY!

I had some of the worst race day jitters I have had in a long time. I have won or come in 2nd place the 3 times I’ve run this thing so I was feeling this weird pressure.

It was more the fear of the unknown I think. What I have learned in my experiences is that sometimes, no matter how hard you train (and I have not been training hard so there’s that) you never know who will show up on race day. Sometimes the cards are in your favor, and sometimes a guy (or a gal as you will see) that can run 5 minute miles for an entire 5K show up.

The 8 of us were huddled around by the start. The race announcer Terry (a great guy and local NYC runner as well) saw me and we caught up a bit.

They had sub 7 minute people up in the front so I made my way there. I said hi to Sal and John and they introduced me to a CPTC guy, Nigel, who was racing along side me. It’s really such a fun race and there is really no animosity amongst the runners. The DiGangi’s (with the help of the race and donations) have pulled in like $300,000 for the Rose DiGangi Foundation which directly funds Brain Cancer Research. Congrats guys!

Waiting in the corral reminded me of the 2012 Boston Marathon. I was already sweating bad.

The gun went off and we hit the ground hard. We were running pretty fast but not full sprint. I thought to myself, “I can do this. Just hold it together.” For the 1st quarter mile we were jocking for position. It was pretty tight. If someone tripped up we were all going down. This young gal from NYAC (Reilly was her name) slowly pulled ahead and I was like “Whoa, no way can I roll that pace in this heat.”

Did I mention it was hot? Fire Island is pretty shaded unless its oh say, getting close to noon.

NYAC was now 100M ahead of me. I really thought she was going to take the whole thing at that point. Then, to my left this guy also slowly pulls by. He was going for it. After we passed the 1 Mile mark it looked like he was neck and neck with her.

You batter believe I hit up the 1 and only water station at mile 1.5ish. It was right around here that I noticed this dude on my ass. I could hear his breathing and with a few quick head turns I saw that he was drafting me. Dammit!

I was really hurting at this point and wanted to jump in the Bay to cool off. I thought, “No way can I smoke this guy with a mile to go.” I just hung on is what I did. I knew he was gonna make his move closer to the finish and take 3rd place but there was nothing I could do.

I got to see Amanda on the out-and-back which was a fun boost!

As we turned left passing the ‘200M to go’ sign, homeslice made the pass. I really wanted to hold my position and I have done so before, I just had no speed left in me. I came through the finish in 18:33 and in 4th place.

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG %
M35	1	4	3	18:33	5:58	71.16%

I cruised through and congratulated all the speedies then slammed 2 waters and poured a 3rd all over my head.

At the Finish I got to watch all my friends come through one by one… everyone kicked ass.

We were hanging out at the bar in Schooner’s enjoying post race refreshment and free Heinekens when the awards started.

Abbe got a 3rd place age group award!

Maura got a 3rd place age group award!

I got a 3rd place age group award! That’s John and Anthony DiGangi, race directors.

The Rogue Runners were bringing home some hardware! Wooo!

After some more fun at Schooner’s we packed it up and caught a 4PM ferry. It’s always so sad to leave the island head back to reality.

RACE REPORT: 082 Percy Sutton 5k – 18:03

Posted on August 27, 2012 by admin

Posted in All, Fitness, Race Reports, Running 3 Comments

I love 5K’s. Straight up pedal to the metal maximum overdrive with a smile. A breakfast full of pain that ends as quickly as it started.

The Percy Sutton 5K is one of maybe two NYRR races of this distance and just as I predicted, all the speedsters came to play.

Kelly met Abbe and I in front of my apartment (we no longer live next door so she had to hoof it up the 10 blocks) and we set off to the start. It was a 3.5 mile warm up that I definitely wanted. Running a 5K without a warm up isn’t smart. Imagine starting up your car and immediately slamming down the gas pedal.

We had a lovely run through Harlem and up to the start of the race. I saw Antonio and Sebastien before getting corralled up. Speaking of corrals, Abbe got to be in Blue with me for the first time ever! Hey there speedster, nice to meet ya! After a few words from Mary and a very cool trumpet performance of the National Anthem we were off.

It took me 14 seconds to get to the Start mat and begin.

I would like to take this moment to go on a rant. I noticed that there were a lot of people sneaking into the Blue Corral. Not just people in Red from the next fastest corral right behind us, but people who were in Orange and Yellow too. This defeats the whole purpose of having a corral system. If you think you deserve to be in a faster corral, then earn it like the rest of us.

As soon as I was in the mix that little button in my mind ‘clicked on’ and I was on the hunt. Originally, I was just going to get it done and run a nice manageable pace. Maybe next time. I was bobbing and weaving through all of the runners trying to get up to maximum speed. By the first 1/2 of a mile I had broken free and was in a group where we were running roughly the she pace.

Just after this point we starting going up a huge hill! I had thought this was a mostly flat course but was totally wrong! We were running up into the Heights! It hurt bad but I held my pace and made it up to the top of the long ascent.

Right past the first mile I started picking it up a little more. As I was passing some people I saw this guy with his shirt draped over his back with an ORANGE BIB! How did he get so far up? Oh I know, he snuck into the very front of the Blue Corral. As I passed him he hung onto my pace and followed me. Then, as we were taking a sharp left he came around to my right and tried to box me out! My adrenaline spiked and I broke hard right knocking past him with my shoulder and firing my afterburners, leaving him behind. Peace out cheater.

Fun fact: The only sport I ever played growing up was Ice Hockey.

We were now in the Heights running along the top of the park. My legs were tired but actually felt pretty good. I pressed forward.

Past Mile 2 we started heading downhill. You can really wipe out going downhill at 5K speed so I tried to maintain some control and not over do it.

We broke hard left again and were in the finishing straight away. I made a few more passes but was fading out. At the last 100 meters this guy came barreling past me like a bat out of hell! Props to you speedy stranger!

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG %
M34	133	109	23	18:03	5:50	72.7%

I finished in 18:03. Not a PR, but it did knock my NYRR ‘on file’ pace from a 5:52 to a 5:50.

After I dumped some water on my head and slammed 2 cups I found Sebastien and we chatted for a bit. I also saw Antonio and got to meet David. They all had fantastic races.

This moment right here is what I love most about the local racing scene. Hanging out with friends, chatting about our times, having a few laughs. There really isn’t a feeling of competitiveness at all. Each of us complimenting us on one anothers different strengths, whether it be speed or distance.

I found Abbe, Kelly and Amanda after the race. We headed back to my place for eggs, bacon and coffee! Woooo. All before 9:30AM.

RACE REPORT: 065 9-11 Heroes Run 5K: 18:11 – 2nd Place

Posted on September 12, 2011 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 6 Comments

I love me a good 5k…
Who doesn’t? It’s a race where you get to run as fast as you can, pedal to the metal, for 3 quick miles!

Erica Sara convinced me to run in the 911 Heroes Run on the morning of the anniversary of the attacks. It seemed like a worthy way to pay tribute.

RACE DAY

Saturday morning was spent riding my Tri Bike 60 miles, so my legs were a lil tight Sunday morning. I actually didn’t even feel like running.

Abbe and I met Erica on 1st Avenue and we caught a cab over to Randall’s (who’s Randall anyway?) Island. We got to Icahn Stadium like an hour and change before the race start. Just then 2 choppers flew overhead heading downtown and I said, “Hey, look its the President.” A few minutes later announcers confirmed that yes, it was our Commander in Chief flying overhead. Cool!

For such a small race as far as numbers go, this was heavily sponsored. Chevrolet was there and they had like 5 cars on display. I actually thought we might be able to win a car and embarrassed myself by asking the Chevy guys.

After getting my bib we found the course map.

Soon after runners were instructed to line up at the Start while the opening ceremonies took place. These were some of the most touching and inspirational speeches I have ever heard before a race. We were reminded by Ryan Manion (of the Travis Manion Foundation) that there were thousands of others running the Heroes Run simultaneously! The singing of the Star Spangled Banner was one of the best I have ever heard at a race before as well.

As the gun went off I hugged the inside of the track and bolted. I thought of how Jesse Owens qualified for the Berlin Olympics and of Usain Bolt breaking the 100m record on this very track we were on.

Exiting the Stadium we went out into the parking lot and onto some pedestrian paths. It wasn’t long before I could hear footfalls behind me and was consequently passed, moving into second place. If I was running 5:50’s he was clocking 5:30’s, and I knew chasing him down would be near impossible.

I kept my pace, and held him in my sights, moving toward the turn around point. I was really starting to slow and fade and tried to keep it together. As I came around I saw the guy chasing me was only 20-30 seconds back and knew if I faltered he would surely overtake me. I swung my arms, moved my feet and constantly inspected and adjusted my form. I also kept thinking how cool it would be to win a Chevy (were they actually giving away cars as prizes). I mean, they had 4 cars, so 2nd place would surely get a car right?

The last mile was on a gravel path which certainly didn’t help my pace. As I turned back into the Stadium I had a 100m straightaway to the finish which I DID NOT sprint. I was so spent, that Finish line never looked so good.

Time: 18:11 with a 5:52 pace and 2nd Place overall.

Abbe and Erica were there cheering me on at the finish! After I gave Abbe a sweaty kiss, Erica (who told me that if I didn’t win the race she wouldn’t be my friend anymore) assured me that 2nd Place was cool enough to still be friends. Whew!

This is me, spent.

Erica’s friends Grace (CPTC) came blasting in to take 1st Female, followed by Glenn who took 3rd in his age group, followed by Dani who also took her age group! What a day!

After I returned home Coach S. had me go back out for another 8-12 miles to do HR intervals! Whoa that was grueling. Thank god I ate a bagel after the 5K.

RACE REPORT: 064 Fire Island 5K: 17:52 – 2nd Place Overall

Posted on August 15, 2011 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 4 Comments

When it rains, it pours. I mean that literally, not figuratively.

Abbe and I left work on Friday and hit the Lurr (as I like to call it), or Long Island Railroad enroute to Bay Shore for the Fire Island Ferry. The train was so preppy I couldn’t stand it. It was like an Ad for Vineyard and Vines (which I hate). I soon found out that this was also the train out to the Hamptons, hence the preppy dress.

Bunny ears!

After hopping off the ferry you are immediately met with peace and serenity (especially if you are from NYC) because there are no cars allowed on the island. Its just crazy cruiser bikes and walkers. ‘Margaritaville’ if you will.

We were guests of ‘Dad Posse’ Ed and his wife Annelise. This was my 3rd year going and I was very excited, it’s always a fun time. Abbe and I stopped into their house (which is next to the Fire Island Hotel where we sleep). Cocktails started flying. In attendance was the entire ‘Dad Posse’ plus families! Role Call: Ed and Annelise plus Jack, Isabelle, and ‘The Karate Kid’ or Ben; Jim and Lisa plus Josephine and Elizabeth; Mike and Kara plus Kelly and Kevin and last but not least the pups Louis and Daisy!

After a fun barbecue we were in bed by 11.

We woke up at 5:30AM since Abbe had 17 Miles queued up for her training. While she did that I went with Ed and Mike to watch Kelly, Jack and Ben play a pick-up game of baseball. It was pretty exciting, the three kids are really good and knocked in a few runs!

One of the highlights for me was the planned open water swim we normally do. Ed, Jim, Mike and I all being triathletes love this kind of stuff because you cant get this kind of training in a pool. We decided on the 1 Mile course over the half.

We set off, it was a beautiful sunny day by the way, and I focused on my form. It’s so cool swimming open water with just 3 other people because it’s very challenging trying to keep track of where we all are. On the return I noticed my hands ripping through an invisible force field or something. I later found out they were jellyfish.

The rest of the day was spent at the beach and then later, we had a Luau for Elizabeth and Isabelle who were celebrating birthdays. Hawaiian shirts, leis and coconut drink cups… it was awesome! We had tons of great food, all kind of tropical in one way or another.

Pre-race rituals…

With the anticipation of rain (and Ed being quoted as saying “No way is it going to rain.”) we all went to bed just before midnight.

RACE DAY
Sleeping in until 8AM is a treat, especially on a race day in which gun time is 10:30AM and you’re sleeping at the Start. I took a look outside and it was steadily raining. This pleased me as the last 2 years its been 90 degrees and sunny, not ideal sprinting conditions.

We made our way to Ed’s place and fueled up on coffee and bagels, taking our time since we had 2 hours to the start. Ed, Jim, Mike, Annelise, Jack and I were the ones running, everyone else would be cheering (or in the youngsters case watching movies).

As we sat their joking about how many puddles there would be the steady rain turned into a downpour. It would go on like this all day… steady rain to downpour and back.

Jim and I did a warm up run about 15 minutes before the taking our place up at the start. The rain had calmed a bit but we could see huge lake-like puddles down the course and the organizers Anthony and John DiGangi (friends of mine) we warning us to be careful. In mind I told myself I was going to have some fun and just barrel through the puddles rather than trying to run around them. Steeplechase baby!

The gun went off and we lunged forward. The first ⅛ of a mile is a straightaway and 4-5 of us took the lead. I didn’t yet feel good, but have learned a lot about myself the last few months and knew that I need a mile or two at race pace before my engine turns over.

The puddles were insane. Most of them were across the entire path, 12-20 feet long and 3-6 inches deep. It definitely slowed us down when we hit them, especially since we were all kind of looking for holes where would snap our ankle if hit wrong. I have to admit, the first few puddles I was laughing out loud yelling, “This is so awesome!”

By now, the leader Josh (a Front Runner who I befriended after the race) was slowly pulling away from us. I was now in a pack of 3 with Alex and Davis and we were all running pretty steady, hitting Mile 1 at 5:32. It had also started to rain heavy again, but the positive thing was that we were all cooled down perfectly!

At Mile 1.5 a woman yelled “You’re almost there!” and I replied, “No. We are not.” Davis laughed and we both chatted about how we hate it when uneducated spectators yell things like that. Like at Mile 18 in a Marathon, “Looking good! Almost there!” C’mon! Really!?

As Mile 2 approached I was feeling pretty fired up. I saw Josh in the distance but knew I could never catch him with a mile to go. Still, I pushed forward. At Mile 2.5 there was a woman spectator smoking a cigarette. Once again, really?!

Coming down the home stretch I knew Alex wasn’t far behind me and I had to keep up my speed. As we rounded the turn to the 50 meter straightaway finish I punched it just to be sure, coming in 2nd Place overall.

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG %
M33	3	2	1	17:52	5:45	72.6%

As I crossed I high-fived Anthony and John who were flanking the Finish line, then found Abbe and gave her a kiss.

As I was getting water Josh, Alex, Davis and I were all congratulating each other and laughing at the conditions. It was one of the most memorable display of sportsmanship I have seen in a long time.

Back at the finish with Abbe it was completely down-pouring. We watched Jim, Mike, Ed, Jack and Annelise come through before we all decided to take cover as we were shivering. After the awards ceremony a bunch of us headed down to the after party at Schooners Bar. Did it stop raining? No. The DiGangi’s raised over $40,000 for the ABTA!

It was a fantastic race weekend that was capped off with Abbe taking me out to a healthy celebratory dinner back in ol’ Manhattan.

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

Posted on October 13, 2010 by admin

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

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 October 12, 2010 by admin

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

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 October 4, 2010 by admin

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

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: 035 Lincoln Tunnel 5K: 19:24

Posted on April 26, 2010 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 5 Comments

Sex/
Age

Bib

Overall

Place

Gender

Place

Age
Place

Finish
Time

Pace/
Mile

AG %

M32

19:24

6:17

66.0 %

The week leading up to the Lincoln Tunnel 5K was pretty busy…

Monday: My friend Jasika had her birthday party at SoHo Grand. Erika and I hung out with her, Claire and a plethora of other interesting people until we decided it was time to head out as it was Monday after all.

Tuesday: Speed Sessions in Central Park led by Josh. We did 1/2 Mile intervals around the Great Lawn followed by (at Erika’s suggestion) a group meal at Shake Shack. It was a blast. Lets see if I can get everyone… Role Call: Josh, Erika, Amy, Elyssa, Michelle, Serene, Matt, Joe, Nancy, Erin, Anna, Frankie, Bill, and Jenna.

Wednesday: Hung out with Ed and Daniel discussing serious stuff like ‘stocks.’ We may have had beers too.

Thursday: Erika and I went to Carnegie Hall to see Frederika Von Stade’s farewell recital. It was beyond amazing.

Friday: My friend Matt’s 40th birthday party at Hill Country BBQ that involved overeating.

Saturday night Todd, Ila and I went out to Rick and Molly’s place in Hoboken to stay the night. We went out to a cute Italian place where I had Shrimp with Penne pasta as my pre-race meal. We all went to bed at Midnight, anticipating bad weather for the morning.

RACE DAY

We woke up at 7AM to cold rain, making the process of getting out of bed quite hard, especially knowing we would have to trek out in it to get to the start of the run.

After some fussing, Todd and I convinced Ila that “Yes, this is gonna be fun!” and we geared up.

We grabbed a cab and headed over to the Lincoln Tunnel start area. The dialogue between Todd and the cabbie was funny… “Where to?” says the cab driver. “The entrance of The Lincoln Tunnel,” says Todd as the driver turns in confusion.

The start area was a mess. It was raining and people were trying to find cover once they obtained their race bibs. I was queued up to start in the faster 8AM race but missed it the start, therefore slotting myself to run in the 8:45AM start.

Ila made friends with some of the head Lieutenants in the police squad running the event and they shared their Dunkin Donuts coffee with the three of us. Ila is good at this type of maneuver and we are always thankful when she pulls it off, case in point.

We headed off to the Toll Booths to get in the start pack. I led us up to the front of the gang, explaining to them the whole bottleneck thing that would take place as 1000 people scrambled to get into the tunnel.

The gun went off and we started moving slowly. Its not a corral based race so there were all different paced runners around. I ran the first mile in 9-10 minutes.

By now I had passed the bulk of the people and I opened up my stride and picked up my pace to a full sprint.

Imagine the run like this… a 3/4 of a mile downhill, followed by 1/2 a mile straightaway, then a 3/4 mile uphill… rinse, repeat.

As we made our way uphill toward the New York side I was in the very front (or so I thought). I had dreamed about this one moment prior to the run… looking down the Lincoln Tunnel, seeing a bit of light coming from around the bend, and no one else around, as if it were some surreal movie where I had to escape through the tunnel on foot. Maybe the entrance to heaven? I have a vivid imagination…

Approaching the bend my dream came to an abrupt close as 2 runners passed me coming the other direction at MACH 10! I was not in the front, I was 3 back!

Exiting the tunnel into New York is such a strange feeling. Part of me wanted to stay, thinking to myself “Um, I live right down the street, I could just go home right now.” Instead, I hugged the orange cones and made the quick turnaround back into the darkness hoping to chase down the speedsters in front of me. This, of course, would prove to be impossible as they were easily 400 meters in front of me moving at the speed of light.

The return trip was pretty cool as the large groups of people coming at me were cheering me on. Todd and I high fived as I cruised by!

Basically, the rest of the run I was just truckin’ down the tunnel making sure I didn’t slow my pace. As I came out of the tunnel to the end I experienced one of the most anti-climactic finishes of all time. I was all by myself with no one in sight as I crossed in 3rd place, arm in the air and then… no friends, no cheering crowds, just cold rain and the ramp leading up to the turnpike. I took cover back under the main tent thinking “Well, at least they have bananas.”

I finished in 19:24 at a 6:17 pace which isn’t even close to a PR, but it was fun nonetheless AND I got to run with my 2 good friends Todd and Ila. This was their introduction to NYC running and I’m glad to have been there with them.

We celebrated, or warmed up rather, back at Rick and Molly’s where Rick prepared a huge breakfast for us. Thanks for being great hosts!