Monthly Archives: May 2011

RACE REPORT: 059 Great Hudson River Swim: 43:39

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The Great Hudson River Swim is NYC Swim’s kick off event of the season. It is a 1.6 Mile swim from the Christopher Street Pier down to the North Cove Marina in Battery Park.

The night before Abbe and I went to Todd and Ila’s place in Battery Park for a sleepover party. Abbe made dinner which was a fantastic pasta dish with clams, tomatoes and bacon. Even while in my vegetarian phases (this was not one pf those phases) I can never resist bacon…

We examined the water conditions that night and it was crazy choppy!

Awake at 6AM and Cafe Bustelo began coursing through our veins! Abbe, Todd and I left at 6:30 to walk up to the start. It was a beautiful morning. We checked in and grabbed a spot in the grass on the pier. My friend from previous races, Elik, came by and said hello.

Then, out of nowhere, Jess, Rick, Maria and Maura H. were there to support me! Awesome! (it turns out, as you will see in the end, Abbe had set up a little surprise cheering squad for me!) After high fiving everyone I made my way to my wave. I was in the first, meaning I am in the slowest group of swimmers. This is just something I have learned to deal with, fast on land… slow in water… FOR NOW. Todd and our friend Sam were in the last Wave and I told them to take it easy on me as they passed by during the race. Todd said he was going to dunk me. Fantastic.

Right before jumping off the pier into the water I looked back and saw a few more of the Runner Army waving! What was going on?


I had to wait maybe 1 minute before the Wave Start sounded. I dug in and started my race. My only goal was to finish. It had been a hard week and I did not need to stress out.

Something very scary happened as we swam along the pier before cutting out left into the river. I didn’t have it in me. I was rotating between freestyle and breast stroke and my mind was racing. It had been one week since my Dad passed away (almost to the minute) and I was bummin’ out. At one point I was just said “F this.” and looked over at the pier for a way up to take myself out of the race. I’m not one for giving up, so I gave it a few more tries and I slowly got closer to the turn buoy, knowing that once I got into the river it was sink or swim.

Before my Dad passed away, as I was saying goodbye to him one of the things I told him was that I would race every race for him, in his honor, until I couldn’t race anymore. With my face in the murky cold Hudson, with nothing to listen to but my air bubbles and my stream of consciousness, I thought of that. Before I knew it, I had made the left turn and was in full swim form, cruising down the mighty river on a beautiful sunny day.

I focused a lot on my form and all of the knowledge bestowed upon me by Coach Sonja and Swim Guru Sean. We had come a long way in the 2 months I had decided to take them on to help me, this was the first test. I was still not taking this race to heart as a competitive event, so on occasion I would pop into breast stroke to enjoy the peace and quiet. Maybe it’s because in NYC we never had silence, but I am always so amazed at the peacefulness of swimming ¼ mile off the Manhattan shoreline. I am also amazed at my fearlessness in comparison to the last 2 years. I knew I would finish and I knew there was no possibility of drowning. I thought to myself “Enjoy this.” and I did.

As I finished the swim, popping out onto the dock, I hear a loud cheer in the distance “Baker!” A large portion of the Runner Army had come out top support me and cheer me on! I was thrilled! After they hosed me down, I came around for some serious high-fives. Role Call: Maria, Maura H, Susan, Elyssa, Erica Sara, Matt6, Steph, Jess, Rick, Claire, and Abbe!

Time: 43:39, 10 minutes faster than the year before! PR!


(Thanks Erica Sara for the awesome photos!)

I found Todd and Sam and we high fived.

Before we all headed out for coffee, Maria (my Reach the Beach Team Captain) presented me my honorary finishers medal and tee-shirt. Due to my Dad getting sick so fast last week I had to bail on the relay. This gesture made my day, it was so nice of all of them and they pretty much rock. Also, now I had 2 medals… who else had 2 medals?!

There was a lot of love floating around that day, thanks everyone!

My New Newtons

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My friends took me to the Yankees game last night. It was awesome! The Yanks won it in the 9th inning, something I have never witnessed. Needless to say we (along with most of the other fans) had to go to Stans Bar to celebrate after.

Spilling into my bed at midnight, I knew the next day would not be pretty.

Naturally waking at 5:45 AM can have a negative impact, especially if you need more sleep. Laying awake I thought, “What better way to cure a hangover then a brutal run?”

I have new shoes. Brand new unworn Newton Gravitas to be exact. They were my fathers.


My father passed away Saturday morning after a rough 3 day battle with his Cancer. I am going to write about that another time because I think his story needs to be told, but this is about his Newtons.

Sunday morning, after the dust had settled, my brothers and I were at my Dad’s place hanging with my step-brothers and step-mother. They rock. During a conversation about running and what sneakers I wear my step-mom told me how my Dad bought some Newtons at my recommendation. We went into his closet and sure enough, a new pair of Newton Gravitas were present. I tried them on and to my amazement, they fit!

Back in the present ‘hungover’ state, I laced them up and took off toward Central Park. I hadn’t run in 11 days and was looking forward to it. I compared me not running to Top Gun and how when Goose died Maverick didn’t go flying right away. Viper says “Get him up there flying soon.” My mind is a funny place, it’s true.

It was hot, humid, sunny and exactly what I wanted. This run was very difficult. My poor nutrition and lack of sleep were apparent as I cut my run short. My Dad’s Newtons worked perfect and it’s as if he bought them for me. We don’t even have the same shoe size.

3.4 Miles at a 6:02 pace… I ran that hangover right out the door.

RACE REPORT: 058 Healthy Kidney 10K: 37:02

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The Runner Army went to battle today.

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The Healthy Kidney 10K is unlike most of the other 10K’s in the New York City area because it is sponsored by the United Arab Emirates and all of their money. Therefore, there are a lot of big players in the running circuit that come to town. Seriously, the winner gets $25,000 plus the bonus $20,000 if he (yes ‘he’, for some reason only boys are eligible. Take it up with HR.) breaks the course record. I WISH I could win that much cash running on what I consider my backyard!

What I was looking to accomplish in this 10K? Well, put my D-tag on correctly and not attach the instructions as I had for the Scotland 10K! I didn’t put any requirements on myself. Deep down I have wanted to break 37 minutes since last year’s 10K PR at the Healthy Kidney (37:11) but was really just excited to ‘race.’ Coach Sonja has me doing a lot of slow work (which has shown results!) so I get excited now when I get to use my speed.

The day before the race I was queued up for a 1 hour trainer ride from hell. During the entire hour I had to maintain a 145 HR. For those not familiar, this is high for the bike and like a race pace. After sweating my brains out, I then had to throw on my kicks and hit the streets for a 30 minute run!

That night Abbe and I fueled up with some Pasta Primavera I cooked up. It was delicious and filled up the gas tank. Asleep by 11PM!

RACE DAY!

Awake at 6AM and fueling on a nice Cafe Bustelo/Stumptown hybrid blend I made by 6:15! Probably I should have had a more substantial breakfast than toast with peanut butter, but… I was having fun with my coffee.

Arriving at the start with plenty of time to spare Abbe and I met with Erica Sara and Melissa. My friend Dani also popped over to say hi! After a few high fives we all split to get in our corrals.

In my corral I saw 2 speedy runners I always run into on the course. We fist bumped and wished each other luck right as the gun went off!

I crossed the mat a second off the start time, we were already flying! I didn’t get too wild off the bat but we still crossed Mile 1 at 5:49, which pleased me. Soon after we crossed Mile 2 at the 11:45 mark, this also pleased me. Splits = 5:49, 5:51, 5:44.

It was at this point I saw my friend Robert up ahead running with his friend Danny. From this point on I held them in my sights about 25 feet in front of me, trying to reel them in. I wanted to yell out to Robert, “Robert! I’m coming for ya man!” but realized it would definitely take much more energy then it was worth. Thanks to Robert for holding that pace because it helped me for sure.

Harlem Hill sucked just like it always does. I wonder if anyone ever says “Wow, what a lovely jaunt up Harlem Hill that was. So relaxing.” On the second ascent up the hill I really felt it in my chest.

SIDENOTE: For the first time ever I had zero pain in any part of my body, whether it be legs, knees, feet, arms, I mean nothing! What I did feel for the first time was the internal parts of my body in overdrive, like my heart. I was very in-tune with it and at times I would adjust my breathing to calm my HR down a bit. It seemed to work.

As soon as we leveled out on the top of Harlem Hill me and this other chap I was running with laughed about the hill. I was very excited as I knew the worst was over. Focus, move those arms, and keep my posture in tact.

Blazing (Hip Hop n R&B) past the 89th Street crossing I saw Elizabeth and we had a yelling exchange. Soon after I finally caught up to Robert. I like to kinda sneak up on my runner buddies, so I just run right along side them until their like “Who is this guy over here all flanking me and stuff?” Then, they look over and are like “Baker!”  and it’s all happy times. BUT, it’s really not because we are on Mile 5 of a 10K and we are exhausted.

We paced each other the rest of the way and I have to thank Robert again as at one point I was falling behind and he told me to keep up my pace. I did.

Rounding the southern end of the Park to finish out the last mile, my chest was burning something fierce. I pushed hard and as I passed the 6 Mile mark I knew I had a slight chance of breaking 37 minutes, but it would be close, really close. Blasting through the finish with all I could muster my time was 37:02! Even though I didn’t break 37, it was still a 9 second PR and I was happy. Splits = 6:11, 5:49, 6:00, 5:33 (for .2).

“Hi Mary!”

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall 

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M33 134 64 10 37:02 5:58 73.3%

I met up with Robert, Antonio, Danny and Helen right after and we celebrated our race.

Right after that I ran into my friend Kevin and Micheal and chatted with them for a hot second before I realized I was holding up the Front Runners Team photo! (my back was to the camera) Sorry guys!

After getting my bag I ran into my neighbor (and fellow blogger) Kelly who had a fantastic race, then, back at the Finish Line I got to see Abbe finish! We waited for Erica Sara then the 3 of us went off to find the Joyride Truck to get some Balzac (which is a blend of coffee). We sat on the steps of Lincoln Center pondering the meaning of life and other fun facts.

SIDENOTE: While we were sitting on the steps having coffee this guy on a bike pulled up and asked where my skateboard was?! It turns out he rides past me on Park Avenue everyday while I’m skateboarding to work! What a small town!


—

It was a great day for all our runners and as if it couldn’t get any better, Maura and Bryan
(of the Runner Army) were throwing a party later that night. In attendance were Abbe, Erica Sara, Elyssa, Maura H, Neal, Robin and our gracious hosts! It was a really fun time and capped off an excellent day.

How I became a Runner.

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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.

RACE REPORT: 057 NJ Half Marathon: 1:23:01

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Last year I ran the New Jersey Marathon. It was 90 degrees and it looked like a battlefield by the end, bodies strewn all over lawns, ambulances everywhere. This year I would opt for the Half Marathon.

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Becoming a tradition, Ed, Jim and I would spend the night at Mike’s (and Kara’s) house in Red Bank the night before the race. The infamous ‘Dad Posse’ and I were ready for some redemption after last year’s inferno.

We arrived on Saturday night in time for dinner. Mike took us to a place called Brother’s Italian in Red Bank that’s been around since the 60’s! It was amazing. Family style, it had a huge ‘cafeteria-esque’ dining room with a bar at one end and the kitchen at the other. The tables were full of families dining and most of the kids had on soccer or baseball uniforms from the afternoon’s local games. The interior walls were covered in wood paneling and all things Italian… flags, paintings, photos. Waiters were moving massive amounts of food out of the kitchen with speed and precision.

Arriving at a white and red checkered 4-top, our 80 year old server (not even kidding) presented us with the laminated menus. She was really sweet and I wanted to help her carry our plates out when they were ready. Her sweet exterior masked a tough interior, probably hardened by years of dealing with Red Bank, as she quickly got our drink order and moved on.

I ordered the lasagna for my pre-race meal. Due to the giant mass of melty cheese involved with it, it maybe wasn’t the most logical choice, but it was delicious! Mike also insisted we get the ‘cheesy bread’ as an appetizer, therefore making it official, dinner, was sponsored by cheese.

Back at Mike’s, we all wound down and were in bed around 10:30 PM.

RACE DAY

I woke up naturally (unaided by an alarm clock) at 5:30-6:00AM and could smell coffee. I had a flashback to that 80’s Folgers commercial where the mom wakes up from the coffee smell then comes downstairs and her son is home for the holidays, back from the military. That did not transpire, instead I quietly sipped coffee in the kitchen waiting for the guys to wake up.

We all fueled in our own ways. A few of the guys had bagels, or cereal. Since I was stuffed from my cheese dinner I opted for a banana. Kara had offered to drive us to the start which was a 10 minute drive. We were geared up and out the door by 7:15, excited as the weather was perfect.

After our drop-off we had a short walk along the boardwalk to the start. We discussed our goals and what our training had been the last month. Personally, my goal was to gain redemption from my ‘stomach virus run,’ aka the NYC Half Marathon a month earlier. That would mean running a sub 1:28 and not puking my guts out before the race. I was already ahead of the game with a full and happy stomach at this point.

As far as training goes I felt very confident. Coach S has had me doing roughly 2 workouts a day, 6 days a week. I have also been skateboarding to work again, so… whatever that does. She also has me doing limited speed work, so I was very excited to put the pedal to the metal and feel some burn.

I separated from the guys and jumped into the corrals. SIDENOTE: The NJ Marathon and Half Marathon do not have pace based corrals. It’s one giant corral and can be a headache. I was pretty sure I was in the front 10% – 15% of the runners and wasn’t stressing. I’m always out for a PR, but I was anticipating bumping into the slower Marathon runners who had started 30 minutes before us, so was just out for some fun.

Waiting for the start, this gal in front of me turns around and is like “Baker!” It was Elyssa and Eissa! (aka Team E) I get so excited seeing The Runner Army! We chatted and had a few laughs before setting off on our runs.

The first mile was congested, but we were moving. As I took a turn at a corner I heard “Baker! Go man!” It was Amy! Cool, I didn’t even know she was going to be there. I ran a 6:26 and felt great, so I picked it up a bit. I had some shin splints for the first 3 miles which I attributed to not warming up my legs properly. (Sorry S!)

Miles 2-4 were great as the field really opened up and I was running with just a few others and was pushing my speed. Splits 2 – 4: 6:15, 6:27, 6:16.

As we entered the bridge (the only hill) for the out and back loop consisting of miles 4-8 I saw Amy again! I remembered this part of the course from last year and knew once I got back to the bridge it was over the halfway mark.

By now I had caught up to the slower marathoners. I was flanking them on the left and it was going just fine until we hit the bridge. At this point the slower half marathoners were coming across so it was jam packed with people all the way across. I basically ran down the center line of the road. It was a lot like running head first into traffic or something. Splits 5-8: 6:12, 6:12, 6:09, 6:10.

The second half of the course is roughly straightaways. I was busy on the left again trying to push forward. I felt really good at this point and started ‘tracking down’ half marathoners. By now I was starting to catch up to some people who passed me early on and were fading. The sun was high in the sky now and the heat was on. It was here that I realized that I think I run better in the heat as opposed to a nice 45 degree running day. Strange I know.

At mile 10 the crowds started to get thick and this one guy yelled to me “There are only 4 half marathoners in front of you! You can catch them, go, go, go!” Now, I always take this kind of chatter with a grain of salt. Had this guy just strolled up to the course a few minutes ago? Was he messing with me? Perhaps he is a bad counter like me? As I looked off in the distance I did only see one guy going my pace. I kept at it, trying to muster up some more speed, but I was cooking already for 10 miles out. Splits 9 – 11: 6:14, 6:14, 6:15. (I’m so consistent! A rarity in my case.)

It was at this point that I was doing some rough ‘Baker math’ in my head which is often wrong. Last week I told Coach S I swam a 300 YD Time Trial Swim in 5:98. That’s right, in my world it take 100 seconds to equal a minute. Anyway, I had hopes of possibly making a PR on this course. Since half mary PR is 1:20 and change, I would just have to shave some time off the last few minutes. Easier said than done.

Right after mile 11 the course splits and the marathoners take a right to start another loop, while the half marathoners head left toward the boardwalk. As I made that turn it got very quiet. There were 2 guys ¼ mile in front of me and I thought “There is no way I am gonna catch them in under 2 miles!” I made an attempt at another speed push but I was pretty tapped at my 6:15 pace. Also, now that we were on the beach the sun was beating down on us.

SIDENOTE: In my history of racing I have heard some really funny cheers from people. You racers know the ones we often hear. “You look great!” “Almost there!” (at Mile 2) “Great pace!” As I was cruising down the mile 12-13 stretch this older woman yelled to me, “Keep going!” I laughed a little and yelled back “I’m gonna!”

As I came down the final stretch I picked it up a little bit and finished feeling great! Splits 11 – 13: 6:15, 6:17, 6:21 and a 0.1 blast of 5:53.

My final time was 1:23:01, my second best half marathon time. I was very happy.

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall 

Place

 Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M33 10721 17 4 01:23:01 6:15 71.39%

I immediately went down to the finish line and cheered on the rest of the runners, waiting for my gang to come through. I saw Elyssa and Eissa come through and yelled quite loudly, startling other spectators. Sorry, I was amped.

Jim, Mike, (who had a serious 20 minute PR! Congrats Mike!) and Ed all came in and we made a group decision to hit the outdoor bar at the finish. We rolled up to this packed bar and by some act of divine runner intervention a handful of seats opened up right in the front at the best spot!

We hung out celebrating in the warm weather cheering on everyone while feasting on what my Kung-Fu Master used to call ‘Magic Water’ aka Coronas. I saw Joe at one point and he came over for some high fives! Runner Army represent!

We ended the day back at Mike and Kara’s place for a backyard BBQ! Thanks again for hosting us!

Back in New York, Abbe insisted she take me out in celebration of my race. Celebrate? Me? Ok. We went to Cask and then to Penelope for some light salads. My appetite was really off after the race, but a salad was exactly what I needed!