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Tag Archives: Running

VIRTUAL RACE REPORT: 156 #TCSNYCMarathon – 3:13:44

Posted on November 5, 2020 by admin Posted in Race Reports, Running, Uncategorized Leave a comment

‘The Marathon’

This year would mark the 50th Anniversary of the notorious New York City Marathon. The running community everywhere, especially us New Yorkers, were pumped. 

But…

There is a global pandemic happening and so pretty much Earth was put in a time-out. 

Most race organizers worked to create virtual events since we couldn’t gather in groups. I mean, a race where 40,000 people pack tightly into corrals is basically a super spreader spree right? 

The NYRR decided to have the marathon run as a virtual race.

What’s a virtual race? 

Using GPS tracking… Garmin watch, Apple watch, iPhone, etc. you record your race and then submit it through the proper channels. You are given a window in which you need to complete the race in order for it to count. The honor system also plays a very large role in a virtual race. 

Once the media started exaggerating how NYC was doing in late summer I found myself needing to show the rest of the world that we as a city are working together and rebuilding our community and economy. So I signed up to run the virtual race. 

I registered on September 23rd, giving me plenty of time to train for my November 1st virtual marathon.  I’m kidding. I would have to bend time and space to get this thing in order. 

I also designed my route to be a ‘Circumnavigate the Island’ route, my favorite.

Training? 

For my training I ran all the time (obviously) and worked in two 18 mile runs. Not my usual training regimen, but it was very last minute. Most importantly, mentally I was feeling fiery. 

I was even interviewed by ABC News! Here is the link: NYC Marathon Goes Virtual

Food for Fuel

I actually worked on Saturday the day prior to my race. I’m a Real Estate Agent here in NYC now and the market is on fire. I made sure to drink a ton of water and sit down any chance I had. 

That night Emily came over and I made my version of Shrimp Scampi. Sidenote: After years of testing, my ‘perfect’ race meal is pasta with shrimp. If I eat this the night before I wake up satiated and full of carbo-energy. I think the meal was awesome… I haven’t made it in forever so it was nice to get back to a pasta dish.  

Race Day

I awoke feeling fresh, well rested and somewhat ready to tackle 26.2 miles. It’s different when you’re choosing to run the marathon distance on your own time, not under the constraints of a race director, so it feels really easy to consider bailing. 

I did not of course and after a banana and a cup of delicious Kona coffee I headed out. The weather was overcast and in the low 50’s, absolutely perfect running conditions to set it off. 

First Avenue Freeze Out

I started the run going south on First Avenue. I felt good, but not too speedy. My goal, since we haven’t talked about it yet, was to run around a 3:30, having fun and enjoying the moment.   

I saw many race packs headed north (they were running the actual course) and we cheered each other on which was awesome. The positive vibes all day would be amazing. I saw a few friends on First as well who cheered me on. 

East River Rendezvous

Once I cut over to the East River on 34th Street things were starting to click in. My pace began to drop into the 7:05/10 range and I felt solid. It was here that I noticed that the sun was piercing the clouds and trying to make an appearance. 

At mile 9 I was rounding the tip of mighty Manhattan and passed my friend Allison going the opposite direction. We yelled at each other and kept moving! 

Sharks vs. Jets

As I made my way up the west side I had a solid rhythm going. My legs felt the same, good. Keep moving, keep the fun going. 

I kept thinking of all the New York moments I’ve had along the perimeter of the island within each unique neighborhood over the last 20 years. The towers falling and utter chaos, years of rebuilding, old friends followed by new friends, and many sunset cocktails and celebrations on the waterfront. New York is still (and always will be) New York, the ultimate shape shifter.  

The sun was out full force now and it felt great. The positive vibes were high as I made my way north along the west side. I was loving it and still wondering why I was running 26 miles on my own accord.  

The Appearance of Maura

Around mile 15 I saw Maura on a bike waiting to aid me. She rode alongside me with snacks and water. Eventually we parted ways as I made a beeline up to Riverside. Thanks Maura! 

Crossing the Jungle

With my mask on I wound my way through the streets of upper Manhattan and finally injected myself into The Central Park… my park and my backyard. My legs were a bit sore but nothing like in past marathons. It was actually quite puzzling.

Central Park Serenade

I knew I had a bit of a battle ahead. 8 miles to go is far from over. I was running in the 7:05/10 range which seemed to be my sweet spot all day. 

Descending Harlem Hill I kind of said a goodbye, knowing I wouldn’t need to deal with her again and moved on quickly. The Park was crowded, but not like it would be on a crazy summer day. I was also watching for other marathon runners that I could chat with. 

Sure enough, this guy started passing me and I said “Hey! What mile are you on?” assuming he was a marathon runner. “2.5 miles but I’m only doing 12. Do you want me to pace you? What are you running?” I was like, “No way man, cool. Yeah I’m running 7’s!” 

Tim (as I later found out) and I ran 6 miles at a 7 minute pace during my peak 18-24 mile range like it was nothing. Just shootin the breeze. I saw many friends in the Park at this point which was so helpful. The most epic part of the Park was certainly passing by the actual finish line at Tavern on the Green. Massive crowds, including a huge NYRR cheer squad, were present.

As we passed Engineer’s Gate up by my place, Emily was there with a whole set of balloons that said ‘Chris 26.2.’ It was awesome and totally took me by surprise!

The End is Near?

After completing a full loop, I left Tim and headed back east into the Great Lawn with 2 miles to go. I also did a little loop in the Ramble and then headed back onto the main drag. Weirdly enough, I had a stupid amount of energy and my legs were fine. Why? No idea. On another note, I had forgotten to eat any Gels the entire race. 

Tim! Big ups man. Miles 18-24 went by so easily thanks to your pacing!

Mission Complete

Barreling down the straightaway I had the finish line in sight. Earlier in the week, a friend of mine from NYRR gave me an actual NYRR Marathon Finish Line Tape to use with branding and all! I felt very legit. 

My time was 3:13 and change which I was thrilled with as it was way faster than what my goal was.  

Maura had made it to the finish line as well, hence this great video. Thanks again Maura. Emily and I were sitting down looking through the amazing Race Bag she had made me (by my balloons) when a photographer from the NY Times (Jose) came and photographed us!

Feed Me Seymour! 

After a quick shower (I was freezing) Emily and I went to Third Avenue Alehouse, which is my local haunt. You can often find me there on weekend eating, reading and in normal times chatting with my friend Chloe who works there. We housed the nacho platter then ended the day in the true spirt of Halloween by relaxing while watching Ghostbusters.

In Conclusion

Damn, you know I love a good ‘In Conclusion’ section!

Today was a blast. Was it as epic and monumental as a normal NYC Marathon? No. But guess what? Shit is super fucked up right now. I’m impressed with the NYRR and their ability to pull off as big a virtual race as they did. Seeing so many fellow runners out there really made me remember all the positive things in life.

Runners! We have such a great community! As I ran today I saw all shapes and sizes of runner. A multitude of different skin tones and different nationalities. You all have wildly different jobs and talents outside of running. We sometime speak different languages! So Fuck yeah, I love you all! Unity through running.

New York (Fucking) City has been kicking ass since 1664. We ain’t going nowhere.

– Baker out.

#TCSNYCMarathon Marathon NYC Marathon Running

RACE REPORT: Brooklyn Half Marathon – 1:26:49

Posted on May 24, 2018 by admin Posted in All, Race Reports, Running Leave a comment

It’s always nice to get out of your own neighborhood to explore. I met my cousins Cat, Gillian and Morgan at Distilled for a pre-dinner drink the night before the Brooklyn Half Marathon. Winter seems to have finally left, so we sat outside and took in the sights and sounds of Tribeca. Off in the distance I see someone familiar… it’s my friend Maria leaving work! She comes up and high fives me and we got to catch up for a hot second.

Our dinner was across the Street at Terre, a chill Italian spot. The food was really top notch! I had the Rigatoni (Danza) e Gamberi (spicy grilled shrimp, garlic and tomato) and I have been dreaming about it ever since. No visit to Tribeca is complete without a drink at Nancy Whiskey Pub so we popped in for one.

RACE DAY

I randomly woke up at 4:45 and since I was planning on waking at 5 I just stayed up. I prepped some Cafe Bustelo in a go cup, geared up and then called my friend Trevor like 2 or 3 times to wake him up. We were traveling to the start together and he warned me that he might sleep through his alarm. I donned my poncho and headed out into the rain. It was 5:20AM.

We opted for a cab as we were running slightly off schedule. We arrived at the entrance to Wave 1 security right around 6. It was steadily raining and 50 degrees, but I felt great. We met two of Trevor’s friends up by our corrals and hung around until it was showtime. I also saw my friend Sebastien who was warming up, so I jumped in and did some easy running. Then, right before we were to enter the corrals I saw Evan and he gave me a bear hug. He said he was shooting for a 1:15. Spoiler alert, he ran a freaking 1:13 which is a monster PR and generally speaking just a great time!

As we waited in the corrals a few of us that ran Boston were chuckling how these conditions pale in comparison. I was thrilled to be running in a warm spring rain! I also remember being very very calm right before the start, while others hopped around shivering. Was this running nirvana? Runirvana?

The gun sounded and we were off to a pretty quick pace immediately, maybe 6:30ish. Half of a mile in a guy next to me says ‘Hey Baker, how are you?’ It was my friend Brad, a CPTC runner who I have done marathon training runs in Central Park with! We started running together chit chatting. A mutual friend and runner he coaches Patrick was up on the left and shouted a hello. He was aiming for a faster time then Brad and I so we let him slip away.

We were pretty soaked by now, but it wasn’t too debilitating. In fact, I felt perfectly cooled as far as my core temperature was concerned.

Brad and I were on the same page with tempo, we were going to hold down a 6:30 pace until we hit Ocean Parkway at mile 7 and then open it up if we felt good. At aid stations we were working together as well with only one of us going in for fuel and passing it off to the other. It’s a great teamwork strategy where you hardly slow down and can keep the focus on the pace. I felt good, but I definitely didn’t feel fast or fluid.

We were still having fun as we entered Prospect Park and our pace was on track. I am happy to report that even on Prospect’s rough hill at mile 5 we held a 6:33 pace, pushing each other up the hill. It was right around here, as we crested that I heard a runner say, “Hey Baker!” It was Trevor!

We rocked a 6:05 on Mile 7 as we were descending out of the park and onto Ocean Parkway. I was also frustrated as my shorts kept falling down due my drawstring not being tight. They were also water logged which wasn’t helping. I made the decision to say goodbye to Brad soon after to tie them as I couldn’t go another 6 miles like that.

I pulled over and tied them super tight, there was no way I was pulling over again. Having lost 10-15 seconds, I took off again and got my pace back up. 2 minutes later my left shoe came untied! So Mile 8 was a 6:51.

Soon I passed Trevor again who seemed quite confused to see me behind him.

Miles 9-11 were pretty uneventful as I tried to maintain my slowing pace. I was now in the 6:40/45 range and my right hamstring was hurting.

A few people we creeping up and passing me, one of which was a female who was crushing it. She put a solid 30 second gap between us at one point and then at Mile 11 I saw her on the sidelines bent over stretching. She looked frustrated. As I came by I said to her, “Come on, let’s go and finish this. You know you got it.” She popped up and started running. “Thanks man!”

All of us were now doing a bit of leapfrogging as we were nearing the end. At Mile 12 I saw my friend D (Delgado) cheering!

Mile 13 I dropped back down to a 6:30 pace and was feeling a bit more peppy. Then, at the turn onto the boardwalk I hear my name, my cousin-in-law Kelly was cheering! “Is Tommy running?!” I yelled (Tommy being my cousin). “Yes!”

I finished with a 1:26:45, not by best and not my worst.

After walking through the finish I beelined it over to baggage. The Brooklyn Half Marathon is notorious for bad bag check retrieval and I was getting cold. It did in fact take a solid 15 minutes for me to get my stuff even though there were maybe 10 people waiting at that point.

Next up, Ruby’s for our afterparty.

AFTER THE PARTY IT’S THE AFTERPARTY

Ruby’s was actually moderately full with non-runners as I entered. I luckily found a table and posted up.

Soon after D showed up and gave me a high five and hug. His friend Rashid from Cali was there with his girlfriend so we joined them. Rashid finished in like 1:17 or something sick! We also learned that Rashid and I both ran Paris the same year, him finishing in a 2:50 and me a 2:51! We HAD to have been running next to each other.

Trevor showed up next followed by Bojana, Sweendawg and Brian. Tommy, Kelly and Fiona popped by for a little while too. Big ups to Tommy who rocked a 1:36 which is a solid 3 minute PR! Finally, Maura, Kate and some of the Gotham City Runners showed up to join us.

It was great to see all my people out there. That’s one of the reasons I love the Brooklyn Half Marathon so much… and the afterparty is wild and stinky.

Brooklyn Brooklyn Half Marathon Running

London Relocation

Posted on July 11, 2017 by admin Posted in All, Running 1 Comment

I awoke abruptly to Abbe saying, “Honey we have to go now, pack your bags and get in the car! We have 3 hours to catch a flight out of Dublin to London. We have a new assignment… and time is not on our side.”


Driving south by southeast across the Irish countryside I was slipping in and out of consciousness. Our previous assignment had done me in. Abbe was behind the wheel, Eric was asleep (shocker) and Peter was alert and helping us stay awake.

We met Peter at the wedding. He is a good friend of Bojana and an Agent for the Serbian Government, Code Name ‘Hristos Vaskrse’. Part of our new assignment was to get him to Dublin safely.

Sundays are quiet in Ireland, so the roads were practically empty. It was very easy for us to make our projected time of 3 hours and at the airport we bid farewell to our new friend and ally Peter, Code Name ‘Hristos Vaskrse’.

Abbe, Eric and I breezed through security with our agency status and made it to the gate early.

A quick flight later and we were taking the Heathrow Express straight into London. It was 15 minutes from the airport to city center! Most of London made me a sad New Yorker as they seemed to have ironed out all the urban issues NYC struggles with.

It was hot in London, like 65 degrees and gorgeously sunny. We were staying in Convent Garden.

Our assignment… we were going to be contacted and asked to rendezvous with other Agents. The goal was to set up peace talks between agencies. We didn’t know what to expect.

That night we wandered around looking for some good local beer. We stumbled uponTemple Brew House which happened to have a trivia night going on! I may have spoiled one of the answers, but I thought everyone knew graphite was the material in pencils.

Next up was dinner at Red Cow. We were in search of Sunday Stew, a thing in London, but we missed it. The food we had was superb, a common theme in London starting tonight was dining where the locals dine, my favorite!

The next morning Abbe and I did a run tour of (west) London.

We saw St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and most importantly and surprisingly the sister obelisk to Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park. We also happened to see changing of the guard and changing of the horse guard!

Lunch was held at Noble Rot, where we met one of Abbe’s coworkers who is a highly respected wine reviewer, Neal Martin. We had a three hour lunch in which Neal picked out a fantastic White Bordeaux from 1990 for us to enjoy.

The food, of course, was also delicious. In a fun twist Dan, the owner, also happened to have signed the band Coldplay who are Abbe’s favorite band. Epic! Two of the band members are also part owners in Noble Rot as well.

Next up, the British Museum. I had flashbacks to art school the entire time. I was back in Joe Basile’s Egypt Class and then I was in Joe Basile’s Ancient Roman History Class, you catch my drift.

That night, after wandering the streets some more, we went to eat at Hoppers, a Sri Lankan restaurant recommended by Dan from Noble Rot. There was a two hour wait, which we were prepared for.

Just two secret agents, doing secret agent stuff.

We hung out at Dog and Duck Pub a block away and drank delicious pints outside on the street, Why can’t we do that in NYC?

Once our two hours were up and we were seated, the food and dining experience were top notch. Leo, our waiter, helped us pick out way too much food. So far on the London trip we were notorious for over ordering.

We started with Bone Marrow Varuval and Hot Butter Deviled Shrimps. The two couldn’t be more different, and yet they played into each other so nicely. The bone marrow smooth and mild while the shrimp had a zesty zing that hit you just as it was leaving the mouth.

Next we had the Lamb and Chicken Kari, comparable to curry but more flavorful in a complex way. All of the spices hit in waves, not all at once, like listening to a bands’ full album. Eric insisted we overeat and get the Ceylonese Split Chicken. It was peppery in texture and very good. I just wish we had room for it. Were I to redo the meal I would have ordered two of the Chicken Kari dishes.

We decided that we needed cocktails after dinner so we went to a place called Cahoots in an old tube station.

The drinks were great and so was the vibe. Imagine a post WWII vibe, with swing music and twists on traditional cocktails. Although slightly cheesy, you could only appreciate it.

The next morning Abbe and I went for another run, this time to the east towards Tower Bridge. The weather was even better than it was the previous day, 70-75 degrees without a cloud in the sky. Was this really London? We ran the Millennium Bridge, went into St. Paul’s Cathedral and saw a lot of the western part of town. Eric was at a coffee shop by the Seven Dials, so we set out to finish there.

This was my first time in the Seven Dials and I thought it was very cool, a great place to hide out. Tiny narrow streets that weaved through secret alleys that held interesting shops, one being 26 Grains, a very cool coffee shop. We found a very happy Eric there. I also met a triathlon family (due to my Garmin watch) from northern New Jersey, small world!

Hotel. Shower. Change. Deploy.

We met Dougie and Danika on the Tower Bridge span around noon. Before touring the bridge, I needed a snack, so we hit a local restaurant and sat outside munching on some chips. Soon enough we were in Tower Bridge engulfed in it’s history. For those not aware, one of the attractions is the glass floor on the east and west walkways. Imagine 20 feet of walkway, all reinforced glass, 120 feet over the roadway. My hands are getting sweaty just writing about this. Yes. I have issues with heights. I can ride a blazing fast track bike without brakes through Manhattan traffic, but a very safe glass floor, no way. What’s my deal?

After some persuading by Eric and Dougie I went onto the glass walkway. They even took a photo to prove it. I did trick the staff, which I am most proud of. As they were coercing me to walk I simply said, “So how many times has the glass broken?” Without missing a beat she said three times and smiled. A stranger across from me slowly left the glass walkway.

Lunch was calling so we hit the George Inn which was close to Borough Market. Our original goal was to eat at the market, but due to the recent attack it remained closed.

The Shard, being the tallest building in London, evidently had some terrific views. We needed to see it. As a New Yorker I can pick up on certain vibes when approaching places and this place screamed ‘high end dress code.’ I walked up to the bouncers (reminder that it is 4PM on a Tuesday) and they looked me up and down like I was a homeless bum. I felt a little violated, but I get it. “Hi, we want to have a drink at the roof bar. We are obviously tourists and I get the feeling that there is a strict dress code.” They told us we could take our chances there or at three restaurants on the other side of the building… way better odds if you ask me.

We were able to get into the first place we attempted entry into and had a cocktail and took in the view. Although it was amazing, it was a mere 35 or so floors up. In New York we have bars in buildings 100+ floors up, some so tall they are above the clouds.

It was at this point that we were contacted by the Agents we were here to meet. As it turns it out it was D, Matt and Christina from the Hoboken Operation that we met in Ireland! I wonder if they knew that they would be contacting us on the second part of their mission?

6:30 PM at Casita Andina, don’t be late.

Note: There are no photos on the second part of the write-up to help conceal the identity of the Hoboken Operation.

We had never heard of this place but after checking it out with our local intelligence it seemed safe and like every was on the up-and-up. We had a few hours before dinner so we deiced to hit he London Public Library. They had an exhibition o rare books, yes please!

We saw, among many artifacts, the Magna Carta, Handwritten Beatles songs, handwritten songs from Mozart and Handel, handwritten notes from Michelangelo and Da Vinci (what?!) and finally, the showstopper for me, an original Beowulf written in 1,000. Priceless? Yes.

We had a drink at the Lyric Bar close by to Casita Andina before dinner as well. How come in London you can take your drinks out on  the street but not in NYC, or America? Lame.

D, Matt and Christina rolled in and we were seated within 30 minutes. This was a neighborhood spot, tiny and crowded. The food, tapas, was great!

The 6 of us laughed and told stories of the irish wedding while eating great food and drinking delicious wine.

Our assignment was over quickly once it was agreed upon that we should merge forces and work together back in the States. Some days we would hang out in the ‘Boken, others in Manhattan. It was all too easy, but then again, solutions to global espionage are often simple. Abbe and I left early. Once we reported in that our mission was finalized headquarters put us on a 6:45AM flight out of Heathrow. Thank you? I was dreading going back to desk work, but I guess that’s the name of the game in international spy work.

Thanks London. Thanks Ireland. You were good to us.

End Transmission.

 

 

London Running

Fall in New York… Run.

Posted on October 2, 2012 by admin Posted in All, Fitness, Training: Running 3 Comments

This weekend (for me) was not the end of Summer, but the start of what looks to be an amazing Fall.

I had a manly steak dinner with my second youngest brother Jeff Friday night at Keen’s Steakhouse, one of the oldest in New York City. In fact, it has Peter Luger’s beat by merely one year. He is getting married this weekend so I was just making sure he didn’t have cold feet. Kidding…

Saturday morning I rode my bike up to 168th and Broadway where I met Josh (aka Speedy Sasquatch) and his crew. He was hosting a 20 mile training run in the Pallisades, the same Pallisades where the Ironman run took place, and needed bike support.  It turns out my friend Allen was biking too so we got to hang out all morning and catch up!

We had a blast riding up and down the Pallisades handing out water to the 15 or so runners. They were a great group and all of them are gong to kill the NYC Mary! Here a few shots of the gang as they ran. Nice to meet all of you!

I was secretly jealous that I wasn’t running.

So, Sunday morning I set out on a long run. My goal was to just maintain a 150 heart rate and see where that leads. It was gorgeous out and I was really having a blast. Around the Park and down the West Side path to the Battery. Even ran (ha!) into my friend Sebastien doing his long run. I haven’t ran further than 14 miles since Ironman in August and the NYC Mary is like 6 weeks away or something so this was a necessary workout. I was so thrilled because I ran 7:30’s flat with a 150 heart rate! I used to be more of an 8:00-7:50 per mile with a 150 heart rate, which means I am improving overall! Thanks Coach, it worked!

I bumped into Erica Sara at the end of my run and had a fun chat before realizing I was late for brunch at the Waldorf!

Booked it home and had 15 minutes to shower and get dressed to make the brunch. Did I pull it off? Hell yes! I even dressed in a suit.

Fall is here and with it, Marathon season!

Fall Running Waldorf

Product Review: MuscleCare

Posted on July 8, 2011 by admin Posted in All, Fitness, Tips and Tactics, Training: Running 1 Comment

I don’t often use pain relievers, but I was recently offered a chance to test a product called MuscleCare. It came in 2 forms, one was your typical gel and the other (my personal favorite) was a roll-on!


So… first things first, I needed to put myself in some serious pain.

I geared up and hit the Great Lawn in Central Park. Coach S. had assigned me some sprint intervals that day which seemed perfect to generate some muscle pain. The workout consisted of 5 intervals; 3 minutes at a 6 minute pace followed immediately by 5 minutes at an 8 minute pace. They were pretty brutal, but I love these kinds of drills. My total mileage was around 6 miles and by the time I had finished I was on fire.

I slowly slogged home, anxious to have dinner. My legs were toast.

Back home, I grabbed a shower then applied the roll-on MuscleCare to my quads and calves. I was really impressed with how quickly the roll-on took to apply and I didn’t have any goop on my hands like when using Tiger Balm. Also, Tiger Balm smells like Vicks Vaporub and makes me nauseous every time I smell it, like in the start corrals of a race.

As I started cooking dinner my legs had this tingly coolness set in. I wondered if I was going to collapse as my muscles went numb, dinner still cooking and me unable to reach up to it. This did not happen. Instead the MuscleCare really did work at relaxing my muscles. I’m not going to go as far as to say ALL of my self induced muscle pain was gone, but my legs felt great.

The following day my legs were not nearly as trashed as they normally would be and that in itself is worth it for me.

—

“MuscleCare is an all natural topical pain reliever (containing no parabens, wax, petroleum or colouring agent), which comes in a 3 oz roll-on and an ointment.
The active ingredient in MuscleCare is Magnesium, which elicits the relaxation of arterial smooth muscle and aids in enabling skeletal muscle to relax.

MuscleCare products are available at DUANEreade retail stores and online at www.musclecare.net, www.amazon.com, and www.cvs.com.”

MuscleCare Running

How I became a Runner.

Posted on May 9, 2011 by admin Posted in All, Fitness, Tips and Tactics, Training: Running 9 Comments

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

 

—–

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

Bye. Wooooooosssssshhhhhh!

 

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

Running

A Taste of Spring!

Posted on February 19, 2011 by admin Posted in All, Fitness, Training: Cycling, Training: Running 2 Comments

This Thursday and Friday in NYC were slated to be in the 50’s and 60’s. You better believe everyone was outside doing something whether it was running, biking, or drinking.  I did all 3.

On Thursday night some of the Runner Army met in Central Park for a tempo run. In attendance: Joe, Matt6, Samantha, Susan, and Abbe. Clearly, Abbe and Matt6 need blogs.

We split into 2 groups of 3 and blazed the northern loop of the Park. So many people were out and it was really fun wearing single layers of clothes in the mighty February.

We finished up the run (strategically) by Tavern on the Green, where Joe had parked his car. He had brought us all a sample beer from his latest brew, Coffee Stout. We sat in a circle in the Park savoring this amazing beer, i was so fun. After the beer, Susan, Abbe and I hopped in a cab headed East to continue our ‘Bamboozaling’ as Abbe dubbed it.

We grabbed a table at Brother Jimmy’s, all of us still decked out in running gear. We drank and ate runner style til 11! How did that happen? ‘Time flies.’

Friday was even warmer than Thursday! I had been skateboarding to work again and today was no exception!

After work I jumped on ‘Athena’ my trusty track bike that has never let me down. Once we crashed headfirst into an SUV going 25MPH (through the windshield) and rode away unscathed, but that’s anther story.

SIDENOTE: Fellow run/fitness blogger Kelly from Meals for Miles and I discovered a few months ago we are neighbors. I ran into her  (our first time meeting) leaving for my ride and we discovered that we live in neighboring buildings! How wild. Who says NYC is a small town?!

She is the ‘Fastest Bike in the Galaxy’ and is very responsive. It is a Cyclops Track bike made my Mike Mulholland for a US Track rider. It was made in the early 80’s with Columbus tubing and weighs nothing.

I set off down Lexington full throttle. It was amazing out and I was really having fun. I decided to ride through Times Square and by the Empire for nostalgic reasons. It wasn’t the best idea seeing as everyone was out in large groups, making it dangerous at major intersections. Why is it that a car going 30MPH inhibits pedestrians from crossing the street, but a bike at the same speed doesnt? Its still going to be quite painful when I crash into you.

SoHo was bumping and people were eating outside everywhere in the sidewalk seating. Such a refreshing change from piles of snow. (and I like snow)

I jetted up 3rd and 1st Avenues to get home. The cool thing about now riding for awhile is that your legs get stronger, like scary strong on a track bike. At stop lights I could ‘0-60’ sprint very fast and get my max speed up in no time at all. Did I mention that it has no brakes? That’s where the scary part comes in.

TRACK BIKE 101: A true track bike (or fixie as those god forsaken hipsters I hate so much dub it) has one gear per se. It is always locked into this gear and cannot coast. Meaning, at a standstill you could pedal backwards and the bike goes backwards. The handle bars have nothing but grip tape on them, no shifters, no brake levers etc. It is the purest form of a bike. In order to stop you must slow your legs down or skid. Another way is to throw your legs in the air (like you just don’t care) and while the back tire is off the ground, reverse the drive train. I live for this.


I finished up my ride and felt great having taken advantage of the amazing weather!


Running Track Bike

Run, Bike… Rock Climb?

Posted on November 16, 2010 by admin Posted in All, Fitness, Training: Cycling, Training: Running 2 Comments

You would think that after running a marathon, someone would take the month off from running? Well, any crazy runner out there (and you know who you are) will tell you no way. In fact, we are just WAITING until we can go out for that first successful post-marathon run and it’s such a test of patience.

Saturday was that moment for me. (I ran 3 miles on Wednesday but that didn’t count as I was just running to get somewhere fast, not workout.)

Aside from it being gorgeous out, 63 and sunny, I was itching for some speed. I set out for Central Park with no set goal, I just wanted to test out my body to see where it was post-marathon.

I jumped in at 84th Street on the East Side (my local entrance) and took off. I felt great and had zero issues with any residual pain or soreness. I ran mile 1 in 5:59 and 2 in 6:16 but it felt like I was going at a slower pace. Rather than question it, I just kept going, basking in the sun. Erika took this photo from her office which I am now appropriating so you have an idea how gorgeous that Park is in the Fall.

I ran 4.5 miles at a 6:09 pace and had really enjoyed myself. I think the marathon might have upped my speed?

On Sunday I rode my bike up to Brandon’s apartment in Inwood. It’s 7 miles, but (for any of you who have yet to bike the northern part of the island) it has crazy hills! My legs were burning something fierce when I landed at Brandon’s. I chose to ride my track bike Athena as I had been neglecting her all season in lieu of my TT Bike. It cannot coast nor does it have brakes, so hills become quite a challenge.

Our mission was to rock climb around Inwood Park, Manhattan’s most natural park with its untouched primordial forests.

Brandon was on point for this mission since it was his neighborhood and I was new to the park. As we entered I was immediately blown away by it’s natural beauty.

SIDENOTE: I am an avid NYC history buff (go ahead, call me nerd, I stand by my obsessions) and had always wanted to explore Inwood Park so I was ecstatic! Our first stop was the famous rock where the Native Americans sold the island to Dutch settler Peter Minuit in 1626! Just so you know, that rock was not there at the time. In fact, a huge tulip tree (native to the island) was on that spot. It died in 1933 so they put the rock there in it’s place.

Soon after we confronted our first set of cliffs. They were massive rock outcroppings with natural caves (that’s right, caves) where the Indian’s used to take shelter. These were no joke. We made a few attempts and got half way up before deciding we needed better gear… like rope and harnesses. Oh right, I forgot to mention we were free climbing. After ascending the cliff from it’s sides we went on to hike and explore the rest of the park.

We really couldn’t have picked a better day. The leaves were a rustic array of yellow to red for as far as you could see.

The highlight for me, was navigating to a small beach at the island’s most northern tip. I never thought I would ever get to this spot after seeing it n passing on an Amtrak Train, but we managed to find it.

We spend around 2 hours hiking the hills and paths before heading back.

I then biked the 7 miles back down to my neck of the woods which was extremely difficult as I was wiped out. I kept thinking of it as some weird Triathlon or something. Bike, Rock Climb, Hike.

Biking History Inwood Running
  • RACE REPORT: NYC Marathon – 3:09:25
  • RACE REPORT: 158 NYC Marathon – 2:58:30
  • RACE REPORT: 157 The Boston Marathon – 3:00:00
  • VIRTUAL RACE REPORT: 156 #TCSNYCMarathon – 3:13:44
  • VIRTUAL RACE REPORT: 155 NYC Duathlon – 2:06:13
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