January 2014 – BEYOND DEFEAT

Why Aren’t You Training

Posted on January 30, 2014 by admin

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Sometimes it’s really hard to wake up and get a training session in. Sometimes it’s really hard to get a training session in at night. Just to clarify, if you run, bike or swim to race (singularly or in triathlon) you are not working out, you are training. You are part of a militia, a ‘Runner Army’ or a breed of killer athletes setting the streets on fire. This is your life.

Any of you who know me or follow me know that I had the worst season (since my start in 2008) I have ever had last year due to a mysterious knee problem. Granted, I ran a few marathons and had a triathlon now and again but I did not complete my 3rd Ironman as I could not start it. Mentally, it took me down.

After seeing the amazing Dr. Levine and months of trial and error on what caused my knee issue I have finally been cured. It is as if I have been reborn. I now bound up stairs two at a time as I used to. I love when crosswalks are going to change and I can run across the street pain free. To quote the not-so-with-it band of the late 80’s ‘Cinderella’… ‘You don’t Know What You Got til it’s Gone.’

So tomorrow, when you wake up, or get out of work and are like “Man, I don’t really want to train. I’ll be fine. There is always tomorrow.” imagine if you couldn’t run. Imagine if something you took so matter-of-factly was gone.

Go. Be. Do what you love to do, even though it might be arctic outside. Embrace the pain, love the sweat and feed the hunger. No matter what speed you run, or what caliber athlete you think you are, you are one of us. Go out there and kill it, because you can.

* This post is dedicated to all my peeps (you know who you are) who can’t train due to more serious issues. I know you’ll be back, and so do you. Battle Stations.

Thursday Night at the Races

Posted on January 30, 2014 by admin

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NYRR hosts track meets during the winter months here in NYC. I went up to run with the Team (Gotham City Runners) this past Thursday, fearing for my life as I haven’t done track work since… oh maybe September?

We had a great turnout, especially since it was so cold it was actually chilly in the Armory, something I have never experienced. It’s normally steamy hot in there, and kinda stinky.

The night’s line-up was as follows…

– 1 Mile Mens- 1 Mile Womens
– 800 M Mens
– 800 M Womens
– 1 Mile 2 Person Relay

I signed up for the 800 M and the 1 Mile Relay with my friend Doug as partner.

It was a long night, but very fun. Generally speaking there were 8-9 heats per men’s race and 4 heats per women’s race so there was a lot to watch! Gotham City Runners were doing great! Lesley, Lauren, Alina, Kate, Alexandra, and Maura were holdin it down! In the men’s races we had Josh, Daniel, Stark, Doug and myself puttin down some speed as well.

While watching everyone race I spent time taking pics and hanging with Lily and Dexter.

Everyone kept telling me that the air was dry and wonky in the Armory. I didn’t know what they were talking about until I hit my 800 M. Doug and I set it off taking the lead. I felt great on lap 1 and 2, then I started fading. The fade wasn’t leg pain, it was my lungs in blistering pain. Doug took lead and I just hung on. As we rounded lap 4 some guy came outta nowhere running Mach 2 and blasted past me! There was nothing I could do, but Doug held onto 1st Place. Nice.

As partners on the 1 Mile Mens’ Relay we decided to break it up into 400s. Doug set it off pretty hard. After the hand off I blasted into the circuit following a Front Runner pretty tight. Doug’s second lap was fast but he looked like he was in pain and therefore I was about to experience said pain. I grabbed the baton and my legs were like ‘Whaaaaaaaa…t?’ I tried to maintain some semblance of pace but I may have looked like a baby giraffe just learning to walk. We finished in 04:46.88.

After the show we hit Coogan’s (of course, that’s what you do when at the Armory) and had a few celebratory brews.

Great night Team!

The 2014 Whiskeython

Posted on January 22, 2014 by admin

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The 2014 Whiskeython took place last Sunday. “Whiskeython? Whoa, what’s that?!” Put simply… 2 laps of the lower loop in which the winner takes home a bottle of booze. For all you non-runners, 2 laps of the lower loop is just over 3 miles.

The race is put on by the infamous New York Rogue Runners. These folks put on crazy races throughout the NYC area (normally on the ‘off season’ so more runners attend). The races are free and they welcome anyone and everyone to attend, regardless of athletic ability.

Abbe and I showed up at the 72nd Street Transverse with about 30 minutes to spare. It was quite cold out and I was jealous that I had decided not to run as it would clearly be a warmer option then cheering.

Soon, people started approaching and putting on the specially made bibs, sans timing chip. The group of (now 30 plus) were very excited. A lot of my good friends popped out to run the race too (Doug, Danika and Eissa to name a few). Some race announcements were made regarding the course and a few future races like the New York Hot Dog Challenge and Galway Bay Gallop. The New York Rogue Runners also thanked TimeoutNY and Blood, Sweat and Cheers for featuring the race in their publications. Our friend Claire had volunteered to help guide runners at the bottom of the loop so she set off for that location. Everyone lined up and then set it off, it was anyone’s game as far as I was concerned.

As lap one came to a close it was a guy named Eric followed 30 seconds by Doug and Ryan. The women’s race was very exciting as Mia was followed by Eissa by a were 5 paces! All other contestants were gunning it, running their own races and doing very well.

As lap two ended Eric had pulled ahead of teh guys by a minute or two, securing his win. Doug, followed by Ryan trailed behind him. They were running between 6 to 7 minute miles and hauling.

As the women came around Mia was in front of Eissa in almost the exact same position as the first lap! Both women are experienced runners and both women had punched it in the end, cancelling out a reversal.

Once all our runners had come in there was an awards ceremony in which the male (Eric) was awarded a bottle of Dewar’s and the female (Mia) was awarded a bottle of Copper Fox.

After the awards we all headed to Dive 75 on the Upper West where we celebrated the race. It was great seeing a bunch of strangers all come together, mingling and chatting about the race. Mia even opened her prized whiskey and was pouring people samples! I made quite a few new friends who I’m sure I will see at future New York Rogue Runner events.