10K – BEYOND DEFEAT

RACE REPORT: 137 Grete’s Gallop 10K – 38:36

Posted on October 12, 2017 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running Leave a comment

Nelson convinced me to run the Grete’s Gallop 10K one week before my Chicago Marathon. Training-wise, it actually made sense, so I signed up.

The night before the race was my cousin Morgan’s 24th birthday, so old! Abbe and I went out to Brooklyn to hang with her and my other cousins and a few friends. We were very responsible runners though and were back home by 9ish.

RACE DAY

Abbe and I were up at 6AM and rolled out at 7:30 for an easy warm up to the start on 68th Street and the East Drive. I said goodbye to her as I jumped in A Corral.

A Corral was awesome. It contained all my friends! First off, I saw my neighbor Angus who was attempting his first race in like 8 years. Then, Elizabeth shows up and snaps a picture of me after she says “Do something!” Rowland popped up next and then Michael came and said hi. It was 55 degrees and you couldn’t ask for a more perfect run day.

I had no goals going into this aside from using it as a final speed session. Fire up the engines and let her rip!

The guns went off and I started running at a ‘fresh pace.’ Meaning, my legs felt fresh and pretty quick.

Having to ascend Cat Hill immediately is always a challenge. It’s like pedal to the metal then, whoa, engine trouble.

Miles 1-3 were 6:13, 6:09, 6:16 and I was excited to be running fast.

The West Side Rollers knocked some wind out of me though and Mile 4 was a 6:25.

For a second I thought I might be able to PR as I thought I had to go just under 38 minutes. My PR is actually a 37:02 so looking back on this moment in time I don’t know what I was thinking. So… I started to pick up the pace in the hopes of a PR.

Miles 5 and 6 were 6:04’s. I finished with a 38:36, no where near a PR, but I was still happy. It was such an awesome fall morning!

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG %
M39	3905	65	9	38:36	6:13	71.31%

After the race I ran into my friend Carlos who runs for North Brooklyn and hung with him for a second. Then, Angus pops in. He had crushed it on his first race back!

As I was leaving I saw Rowland and D, so I caught up with them. We were all running Chicago next week and kind of formulated a time and pace plan. Abbe found us soon after, she also had a great race.

Abbe and I finished the day by going to the Medieval Festival up in Fort Tryon Park that afternoon.

Days like today make me so happy to be part of the running community. To see all my friends out there really makes me realize where my place is. Thanks to all of you runners who make it so special.

RACE REPORT: 062 Boomer’s CF Run to Breathe 10K: 39:02

Posted on July 11, 2011 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running, Training: Cycling 4 Comments

The week back from a long vacation is never fun, but I was very excited to have a race at the end of it. The Boomer’s Cystic Fibrosis Run to Breathe 10K was a new race put on by the football legend himself.

The Friday before the race I did some easy spinning to loosen my legs, then went to Abbe’s for dinner. Amanda and Stefan came over and Abbe made us some amazing pasta dish to carb-o-load on!

RACE DAY

Up at 5:30AM! What? Yea that’s early but stupid Irish steel cut oats take forever to make and I am beyond Quaker Oats. Sorry Wilford.

Abbe and I did a warm up run up to Central Park arriving to our respective corrals right on time. I get really stressed (quiet, pensive) before a race until I am in my corral ready to be let loose. Surprisingly there were not that many runners up in Blue. I had front row seats to watch Boomer give his lil speech! I was highly disappointed that Peter Chacha was not there to give race instructions as it’s always a good time (I learned this from Matt6) to yell “ChaCha!” as he takes the mic.

The gun sounded and we were off. First up was the notorious Cat Hill. I ascended it easily and kept my heart rate low, trying to build a nice pace. What I realized as I hit Mile 1 in 6:15 was that I was running to conservatively. My PR in a 10K ha me running 5:58s all day, I would need to make up some time in order to PR, but could I?

I was running steady with a group of runners that I decided were holding me back. Increasing the pain threshold I moved past them and started picking off people.

Harlem Hill arrived like a heart attack. It burned pretty bad and this time I didn’t pace myself, blasting up it. As far as strategy goes, I think I’m a fairly decent hill runner so I try and put some distance on people on the uphills.

One thing I took note of on this race, is that due to the fact that all my systems were in check and working great (legs, arms, food, heart, mind) that I was having a blast! I try to tell myself on occasion when racing “This is what you love doing, do not be so concerned with time, enjoy yourself.” I didn’t even wear my Garmin so I had no idea what pace I was hitting and you guys know me and my math skills, those Mile clocks are baffling!

At Mile 5 I saw my time and to PR I would need to run the last mile in 5 minutes or so. A tall order. I decided to try. I gunned it, and then I started thinking of my Dad and how although he never got to witness me race in person, he was probably watching at this moment. I was passing people and putting the pressure on my legs and lungs. It was really hot out by now and the sun was on top of us.

Cruising up 72nd Street I saw the finish and also saw a few guys flanking me, attempting to pass. I threw it into overdrive and blasted forward giving it all. I have no idea what my time was for that last mile, but I do now it was the fastest of the race.

This was my ‘Peter Pan’ landing…

My time was 39:02 which is easily 2 minutes shy of a PR for me, but still, it was so fun!

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG %
M33	136	44	10	39:02	6:18	69.6%

After a pear and some water, I marched over to the finish line and cheered on the rest of the runners waiting for Abbe and Erica Sara to finish. They came through, Erica Sara first then Abbe like 10 seconds behind her, both looking very strong!

We had some coffee and then took off to hit the showers.

POST RACE

For lunch Abbe took me out to ABC Kitchen in Union Square. It was amazing!

Then, we went to Brooklyn (I know, wow! so far!) to my friend Dimotta’s birthday party at Berry Park. I saw Dimots, Mirko, Lauren and Molly among others who I had not seen in some time. It was great catching up.

Next up, I took Abbe out to Dinner at Robataya in the East Vil. It’s a fairly new restaurant owned by the same guy who owns Sakagura, my all-time favorite restaurant! We had a plethora of Japanese food, all prepared with such detail. It was amazing. Abbe said to me that night “This should be great fuel for our workouts tomorrow!” We would come to find out that Japanese food is exactly the wrong food for pre-workout dinners.

SUNDAY RECOVERY RIDE (not!)

As I woke Sunday Coach S had me queued up for a 4 hour ride to Nyack. Fun? Of course. Always. I would sleep on my bike if I could.

It was a hot, but beautiful day and I set out on my Tri bike ‘Andraste‘ with a smile. I hit a number of hiccups along the way which really discouraged me and as I saw my mood change I realized I was cranky because I was exhausted.

The South path of the GW was closed so we bikers had to use the North, more ‘walker friendly’ side. I think I carried my bike up and down 7 or 8 sets of staircases.

Once I was in dirty Jersey I got cooking. Then, another problem… there was a roadblock on the Palisades and a No Bikers sign! What? Not wanting to end my ride I ept going straight toward Englewood New Jersey where I discovered the biggest hill I had ever seen in the area. It was a set of 4 or 5 consecutive bomb drop hills! I was flying, tucked in, maxed out on my gears. Then, to the left I saw some bikers walking their bikes UP the hill and I got to thinking, “Oh man, I have to go back up this monster!”

That’s exactly what I did. Nice and slow with an easy heart rate I ascended all the hills returning to the bridge. Then I remembered you can go under the brige to the Park portion which is just as fun. That’s what I did.

I forgot how pretty it is over on the cliffs overlooking he city (where Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr dueled many years ago).

45 miles and 3 hours later I returned home, ready for a shower, lunch and to put my feet in some cozy sneakers.

It was an awesome weekend of races, workouts, adventures and food!

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

Posted on May 18, 2011 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 3 Comments

The Runner Army went to battle today.

—

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

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.

RACE REPORT: 056 Scotland 10K: 37:13

Posted on April 15, 2011 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 3 Comments

Spring is here and it’s quite obvious in ol’ Manhattan.

On Saturday morning I met Brandon at the entrance to the George Washington Bridge for our first Nyack ride of the season.

It was a bit chilly as we made our way into (dirty) Jersey, but we soon warmed up after maintaining a 20MPH pace. There were so many riders out as well. It was sunny and expected to get up into the 50’s. Athletic Weather Perfection.

As per ‘Nyack Ride Law’ we BOMBED down State Line Hill, hitting around 40MPH. I later learned that the reason I was spinning out is that I have a 50 tooth chain ring on my front cog?! What?!

SIDENOTE: Later on, I consulted Coach S about the chain ring and we have come up with a strategic plan to tweak out my bike.

Arriving at Nyack and the Runsible Spoon, we sat and ate a banana chocolate chip muffin and had some coffee. These particular muffins may be my favorite on Earth. Each one weighs like 3 pounds.

The return trip was warmer, but is always a bit harder then the first half. State Line Hill, for instance, is a nightmare. It makes Harlem Hill in Central Park look like nothing.

Our total distance was about 50 miles, with an average speed of 17MPH. Not bad!

Saturday night was spent at Abbe’s apartment. She was cooking dinner for us and our friends Stefan and Amanda. The food was, as always, amazing (Abbe has a culinary degree and is a master chef) and we had a blast. Stefan had brought some moonshine he found, so around 11PM we thought it was a great idea to test some out.

SIDENOTE: There is a race in the morning.

The moonshine was awesome and if any of us thought we didnt have enough wine or beer with dinner, this adjusted us.

Asleep by midnight…

RACE DAY

The fact that this NYRR race was at 9AM and ot at or 7 was really exciting. We could take our time getting ready. While having coffee I got geared up and Abbe made a really cool sign, “Runner Army Unite!”

Following Coach’s instructions I had a really nice 30 minute warm up run over to the start.

There, I ran into Alex and Anh! We chatted a bit before I set off into my corral. (Thanks to Anh for taking some pics of me as I finished!)

This was a points race for all the local teams so I was surrounded by groups of them chanting and cheering. I felt like a rogue operative in my all black outfit, I was clearly on my ‘own’ team.

The gun went off and immediately we were running a 5:58 pace. That morning, I was trying to explain that even in the front it’s crowded, it’s just a faster moving kind of crowded. Man, if anyone slipped up, it would be devastating, like a pack of Gazelles collapsing into each other. Does that mean the Red Corral runners are the Lions?

I had on my racing flats and I felt pretty good. Between Mile 1 and 2 Antonio popped up! We ran together for this mile but I couldn’t keep up with his pace. My left shin was hurting a bit and I was even questioning the future of the race.

I attacked Harlem Hill with a vengeance. For some weird reason I enjoy hills, maybe it’s the challenge? I was swinging my arms and pumping my legs all the while trying to regulate my breathing and heart rate.

Splits 1-3: 5:58, 5:47, 5:43

SIDENOTE: Harlem Hill, when running clockwise, is actually 2 hills. Up, down, then back up again to level ground.

After ascending Part 2 of Harlem Hill, I was pretty wiped and slowed up. I was, however, thrilled to have the hardest part of the run behind me. Once I caught my breath and heart rate, I picked up my speed again. I saw that I was running a 6 minute average, and was wondering if I could PR? My PR for a 10K is 37:11 and it was going to be close.

Splits 4-5: 6:09, 5:44

Rounding the southern end of the Park, I was desperately wishing for the 6 Mile marker to rear it’s head. I was pushing hard but could feel my heart beating through my chest. It hurt. The 6 Mile mark hit and the clock said 36:30! Could I PR? I would have to run 300M (roughly) in 30 seconds, nearly impossible, but lets give it a go?

As I climbed the steady hill approaching the finish I heard my name and saw Abbe, Steph and Amanda cheering me on with signs and cowbells! Awesome! I smiled and burst into a sprint!

My time was 37:13, which was 3 seconds shy of a PR! So close!

At the finish my friend Colette and her 2 adorable little boys were there cheering me on! I gave Grant a high five (it was his birthday) and then the 4 of us went in search of Abbe and the Runner Army cheering section.

We all cheered on as Matt, Sharon, Erica Sara and Stefan (running his first NYRR race!) all crossed.

We slowly made our way to Hummus Kitchen to feast! Role call: Sharon, Jeremy, Matt, Steph, Peter (Russian Bear), Erica Sara, Abbe and me! It was so delicious! I didn’t even know they did a breakfast menu. Also, with Sharon’s help I coined the Runner Army’s tag line. Are you ready for this? The Runner Army. We Run the World.

As the results came in I got strangely curious as there was no record of me racing, not even by queuing up my Bib #?! It was at that moment I noticed that I had put on the INSTRUCTIONS (or left tear-off side) to my D Tag and not the actual timing chip! Such a rookie move!

Needless to say, the Runner Army relentlessly teased me, and I deserved it for sure. I am really glad to have ran with my Garmin to have my exact time on record. I blame the late night moonshine…

RACE REPORT: 037 Healthy Kidney 10K: 37:11

Posted on May 19, 2010 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 5 Comments

Sex/
Age

Bib

Overall

Place

Age
Place

Finish
Time

Split
Time

Pace/
Mile

AG %

M32

129

161

37:11

0:18:14

5:59

72.7 %

This Sunday would mark the second running of the Healthy Kidney 10K for me and also be the first time in 2 weeks I had run (pending a track workout Tuesday) since the NJ Marathon.

I was in fact quite excited to NOT be running a race of marathon distance!

As work ended on Friday my mind wasn’t in ‘work is over’ mood, in fact I was getting fired up. That’s because I was slated to move Tuesday from my Chelsea 2-bed apartment to a new Upper East Side 1-bedroom! I had been packing since Wednesday and had lots more to do.

My co-worker and friend Annie offered to give me some boxes (as she had just moved) so I went to her apartment. I then went home, grabbed my laundry, and headed to the grocery store. One thing I overlooked in moving was that I needed a solid pre-race meal!

Shrimp Scampi it was. This dish never fails me on race day. Proteins, carbs, butter… everything the body needs to survive!

After dinner, I watched the KONA Ironman World Championships 2004 (one of my favorite ones) to get inspired, packed and then went to bed around 12.

RACE DAY

I woke up at 6:30Am and got some coffee on. SIDENOTE: not sure if any of you know this, but for some reason I don’t need an alarm clock to wake up if it’s not earlier than say 5AM. I blame my Dad.

I packed up a few more boxes before heading out on my bike.

It was amazing out and was turning into perfect racing conditions! I locked up my ride by the Band shell and after searching for Ed to no avail, I headed to baggage and then my corral. It was here that my old pal Kevin Masse from Front Runners ran into me. We caught up a bit and wished each other well on our race.

Blue Corral was pretty empty when I arrived but it was soon teeming with runners stretching, jumping and smelling of Icy Hot which incidentally makes me nauseous.

A word from our sponsors (namely the people supplying the huge cash awards for the winners)… a little National Anthem action… and then we were off!

The first mile was a bit packed but we were cooking. In a big money race like this you get all the Olympic runners and speedsters out so even the front of the pack is crowded!

We hit Mile 1 at 5:50 which disappointed me as I wanted to break 37:59 which was my PR. SIDENOTE: I’m horrible at math. 5:50 as it turns out, is good.

Mile 2 to 3 opened up the group a bit and we were running single file ‘race style’ now. I can normally gauge my body and how I’m feeling at this point and make a decision as to whether this was a ‘good’ race day or ‘bad’ race day. I was leaning more toward the bad as I was feeling a touch winded.

Harlem Hill came up and I blazed up it swinging my arms like a a madman (as I was taught to do on Tuesday Speed training). At the apex I took a deep breath, then started striding down the other side attempting to gain some time. Mile 4 hit at 24 minutes and change.

Running down the straight away by 89th street I kept trying to remind myself of the Ultra in November. During that race I had to run 9 laps around the park and the finish line was here. When I was getting tired I just said “Baker, you ran this 9 times! This is just once, you’re almost done, go go go!” It did help, but only psychologically, my legs were still burning.

At Mile 5 I ended up running along a Central Park Track Club racer and we paced each other for the last mile. Another taller fellow joined in pursuit behind me soon after. I really think this may have helped my finishing time a lot.

Rounding the bottom loop of the Park by Columbus Circle we hit the 6 Mile mark with 400 meters to go at 36:30 or so and then it dawned on me… I had been doing bad math the whole time, I was indeed on point to hit my time!

I tried to kick it up a notch but I was already blazing. It wasn’t until I saw the finish line (don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!) that I pulled the trigger. I flew through the finish line with a time of 37:11 which was a whole 50 seconds under my goal! I felt great and had a huge smile.

After grabbing a few waters I headed down to the Finish to cheer on all my friends who were running… Ed, Matt 6, Erin, Frankie, and Elizabeth to name a few. I watched for 30-45 minutes and didn’t see any of them! I was also texting Erika so they may have slipped by while my head was down.

Back up at the main area I ran into Matt 6, Erin and Frankie. We decided to go grab some food and at Matt’s suggestion we hit Time Warner’s Whole Foods. It was amazing. They have a breakfast buffet and delicious coffee. We ate and chatted about our races before heading our separate ways. What a great start to a beautiful day! Now back to packing…

RACE REPORT: 022 Nike Human Race 10K: 43:16

Posted on October 24, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 2 Comments

Sex/ Age	Bib	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile
M31	216	43:15	6:59

The Nike Human Race’s concept is that everyone around the world runs together at the same time. Very conformist, but I like it.

Friday night I spent being a homebody. A few friends called and invited me out- but it sounded potentially dangerous. Dangerous, like, I would oversleep. Instead I decided to make some Shrimp Fra Di Avlo from scratch! My buddy Ahern has cooked it for me a few times and it really has some power in it the next day during a race… therefore it has become my ritual. It turned out really well and I saved enough to make some for Saturday night, as I had another race Sunday.

RACE DAY

The race started at 8AM in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. I was to run it with my friend Soo Young, Soo Kueng (they are twins) and 3 of their friends. We had said that if it was raining we would bail.

I woke at 630AM and was pretty excited to maybe sleep in, so I texted Soo Young “It’s raining, guess its off.” She replied with something like “Really, you’re not running? We are leaving soon.” Damn. Last time I didnt run because of weather conditions I never heard the end of it, so I texted back “see you in 30!”

I jumped on the Q which was running very late, so late in fact that the 1 hour ten minutes I gave myself to get to the start would dwindle down to 5 minutes by the time I got to the race.

Sitting on the train headed to BK I could make out lots of other runners because we had to wear the stupid Nike dry fit shirts. (They never make them aerodynamic and it feels like youre running with a sail on). At Canal, this gal got on and sat next to me. She had on ‘the gear’ and I knew she was part of the movement. She kept glancing over at me and I took it to mean maybe she wasnt sure what stop we were to get off at. As Prospect Park approached she looked my way and said “Is this our stop?” “No, one more.” I told her. She smiled and said, “Youre Jeff Baker’s older brother arent you. I grew up in the same town in Virginia as you and went to your High School. My name is Amira.” Holy cow small world! I knew her brother! Gotta love NYC for stuff like that. We chatted and walked to the start, gathering her pal Alan along the way. I bid farewell and made my way to baggage drop.

As I got there I saw that it was mayhem! A school bus with crowds around it, you had to actually enter the bus to drop gear off. Do I wait? Just then the announcer says “2 minutes to the start!” Oh really? I ran (with my backpack) up to the 6 minute miler area and ducked into an area 50 yards back from the start. The gun went off right after and we started the run.

I was trying to break free of the crowds but I was way back in the thick of it all. It wasnt until mile 2 or 3 I was able to get some breathing room and open up.

This was my first ‘crappy’ race in a long time. Here is why… picture this… I have on an oversized red shirt, a backpack full of various items (extra sneakers, extra track pants, extra jacket, extra shirts, iphone, change) in case of rain? I also didn’t have time to change out of my track pants so I was wearing them, and underneath were my running shorts. I was a mess.

To shed some positive light on the situation, it turned out to be a beautiful morning in Prospect Park, the trees changing color… it was the epitomy of Autumn.

Miles 4 and 5 I had my usual “I should just walk the rest of the way” feeling I get during a bad run. I did not, however, succumb to these ideas. I finished the race with a sprint and as I neared the line I heard taunts from the announcer regarding me running with a backpack. Whatever… I love attention, anyway you cut it.

I walked up to the finish to wait for my friends. Soo Young and Saemi were first out of the group. This was Soo Young’s first official race and she did great! The other 3 gals met up with us then we went in search of food! We found a cute diner and had a fun breakfast together, parting ways after.

I attempted to enter the closest subway I could find to make my way back to Manhattan, BUT, all the subways were messed up today. So I had to walk 20 blocks to GAP (Grand Army Plaza)! Thank you iPhone for your guidance; Brooklyn, lets get it together will ya?

RACE REPORT: 009 CP Dash – 10K: 39:02

Posted on June 13, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 2 Comments

Sex/ Age	Bib	State	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG Gender Place	AG %
M31	663	NY	38	36	9	39:02	6:17	38:50	96	69.1 %

This Weekend was set to be a brutal double header with the Dash 10K Saturday and the Park to Park 2 Mile Hudson River Swim Sunday.

Friday, I went to Robin’s house and hung out with the Ahern’s for a bit. Mike’s Dad is a Marathon runner so we swapped some stories. They headed out and Robin and Jess (Mike’s sister and soon to be resident of NYC) and I ordered some take out. We were drinking Rum and Ginger Ales and listening to some music. I headed out around 11-1130 to get some rest.

The next morning shaped up to be very nice, especially for a run. I Vespa’d up to 103rd Street and 5th Avenue and waited for Jim. Antonio bumped into me and we wished each other good luck as he pressed on. Jim didnt show and I figured it was probably his knee acting up so I headed in to the corrals.

I got caught way behind my normal start and spent much of the first mile bobbin ‘n weavin to get up to speed. I hit mile 1 at 6:45 which is not good for me. I started cruising and actually really enjoying myself. This was a great run and for the first time, this 10K went by effortlessly, which is weird. It was getting hot and sunny towards mile 5 so I started to pick up the pace. Once I saw the 6th mile marker I blazed full speed, I had a lot of energy left evidently. For the first time ever too the announcer said my name as I crossed and it was definitely not as exciting as I expected.

After the race I sat at the finish line and cheered my fellow runners in for 15 minutes and then headed back to my apt. I will certainly do this race again next year.

RACE REPORT: 005 Healthy Kidney – 10K: 37:55

Posted on May 16, 2009 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Running Leave a comment

Sex/ Age	Bib	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Split Time	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG Gender Place	AG %
M31	37	202	181	40	0:18:44	6:08	37:55	350	70.8 %

The Healthy Kidney was my first 10K in quite some time. I spent the night before in Brooklyn at my friend Stephanie’s house warming party with the intentions of getting home by 11. Try 1:30 AM.

SIDENOTE: After much taunting from Mike, Jim and Ed about how I wear track pants to run, I decided to get some shorts. This was my first race with them and I did feel the difference.

I was tired the next day, but in good shape for the run. It was overcast and looked like rain.

I arrived at the front corral and it was very empty. I had been told that there were Olympians running in this race so therefore overlooked any chance I might have had at placing. The people around me in the front pack were indeed hard core. You can normally tell when their legs come up to your head.

The gun went off and we all bolted. This was the first race I had been in where I literally crossed the Start a second or two after gun time. I was up to pace in no time and ran my first mile in 5:54. Not bad but I needed to slow it down. At the top of Central Park it started to downpour. My headphones came out and wouldn’t stay in so I ran n the rain. It was actually very serene and peaceful, the sound of the rain and the footsteps. Mile 5 and 6 I got to run next to some Olympic fellow named ‘Alex’. I know this because everyone kept cheering for him and I was like “What about me? I need some pep too!” I gunned it through the finish line and thought my heart was going to explode. I wanted to finish in under 38 minutes and I had just made my mark!

Out of nowhere I hear “Yeah, go Baker” from the sidelines! I look over and its my friend of 12 years Melissa sitting sideline! It turns out her boyfriend (another good friend of mine -I matched them up years ago) was running the race as well. I came around and waited with her to see Joey D finish. We cheered him on then met up and grabbed some snacks catching up on life.