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Tag Archives: Marissa

RACE REPORT: 020 Grete’s Half Marathon: 1:25:00

Posted on October 3, 2009 by admin Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 4 Comments

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Sex/
Age

Bib

Overall

Place

Gender

Place

Age
Place
Finish
Time
Pace/
Mile
AG
Gender
Place

AG %

M31 27 96 91 14 1:25:00 6:29 154 69.6 %

Friday night was my friend Brian’s birthday party at Bowery Electric where he and his band were scheduled to play. I brought my friends Robin and Cathy, and as were casually hanging out at the bar a woman came up to us. She looked vaguely familiar. She looked at me and said “Hi. You swam under the Brooklyn Bridge didnt you?” “Um holy crap yes I did!” She was like “You’re the goggles guy.” Anyone who hasnt read my recap of the Brooklyn Bridge Swim should know this, she is the only person I talked to the while event took place, and the conversation took place treading water under the Brooklyn Bridge. So if I didnt have friends around me witnessing this coincidence I wouldnt bother telling anyone as it’s too freakin crazy!

I was home by 11, in bed by 11:30. My vegetarian diet is still in effect and I ate some rice and beans for dinner. So far so good.

RACE DAY

the next morning I had a healthy serving of Cafe Bustelo (as usual) and some irish oatmeal. My roommate Becky was doing the race as well so she hit the Bustelo too. Its addictive, just ask her.

I rode my bike up to Marissa’s apartment and we walked over together to meet Jim and Ed of my “Dad Posse”.

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Today at the Half-Marathon many people were Beyond Defeat.

“Beyond Defeat represents the will and drive to never give up, no matter what challenges you face. It is the acceptance of the challenge. All of us are Beyond Defeat, we just need to rise to the occasion.”

Ed was going to do the 1.7 Mile run earlier, but decided he would be up to the challenge of a Half-Marathon (13.1 wholesome and tasty Miles). Ed has never run a a Half, in fact he may have only run 5 or 6 miles max in a race (Ed excuse me if I’m mistaken) so this was a big milestone, a milestone that earned him bragging rights.

Marissa had never run a Half either (aside from our early morning pre-work 14 miler in June) so this was a big race for her also. I think its funny that she told all her friends she would be finished in 3 hours as she runs like a 7:30-8 minute mile.

The beauty of a Half-Marathon (or one of the many at least) is that the next time you run a race that is, oh, lets say 3 Miles, it seems like nothing!

We all gave a fist pound and then made our way to our respective corrals.

Up in my area I found Robert, Antonio and Rick. We were chatting and got pumped about the race. Antonio had done a 7 Mile warm up! Insane! Once again, a fist pound and then the gun. We were off.

The first few miles are always hardest for me. I think Im just built for the distance or something, I dont get into the swing of things until the pain wears away. I kept thinking to myself, “Wow, I have to do this route 2 times. Seriously?”

As we hit mile 5 and were roughly back at the Start line I was in my groove feeling the enjoyment of the run. My mind was constantly on Ed and Marissa though, always wondering where on the course they might be and how they were doing.

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I was now in a thin group of runners, most of them representing the various teams like The Harriers, Front Runners, Urban Athletics etc. It kept me wondering why our group doesnt form a team. One stand out I would like to give props to is a girl that blazed past me who was named Kate. She killed it and I could not keep up.

As we cruised over the finish line I thought to myself… “One more lap, that’s all.”  I was also very happy once I was done my second round on the Harlem Hills at the top of Central Park. From that point on I knew there were no more crazy inclines to worry about.

When I hit Mile 11 I saw that the clock said 1:11! This excited me as it meant I was on target to hit my 1:25 finish time. Who knew? (SIDENOTE: that’s also a lot of elevens, good luck perhaps?) I had set this goal as my last Half (the Brooklyn Half) I completed in 1:28 and change.

It was right at this point that this gal who had been flanking me the last 3 miles blew past me. I tried my best to keep up, but she always had 30 yards on me… until the end. As we rounded Columbus Circle and started approaching the finish I mustered up my strength for a sprint. How? No idea as the last mile my legs were burning. Everything gets a bit blurry and surreal when I sprint, you almost forget you’re running. I managed to pass that gal and 2 others on my finish, clocking a 1:25 flat. I love the competition for some reason. I congratulated her with a “Nice run Speedy.” She returned the compliment, all of us being totally winded and red-faced.

Grete-2.jpgI went to the finish and cheered on Robert, Antonio, Jim, Elizabeth (my new friend by way of Robert), Becky and Marissa. Lots of high-fives were exchanged.

Marissa, Jim and I stayed and waited for Ed. We watched as in the distance we saw his trademark orange running hat. His head was down and he was pounding out the last 200 yards of his 13.1 Mile run. We were pretty excited for him to say the least and as he cruised over the finish we made some serious noise! Ed, his head still down, turned at us with the funniest look, as if to say without words “This sucks!” After a drink of water and some cool down time his attitude turned to excitement at his accomplishment. I remember (or Ila can recount my similar attitude after my Marathon “I will never do this again!”) Fat chance.

We all parted ways and Marissa and I headed to her apartment. Once there Colette and Dan gave us a warm welcome. Colette made us some “life saving” pasta which was so refreshing. We hung out with young Grant for a little while as well but I had to leave as I had to get to Jason and Mary’s wedding by 3.

I stayed out dancing til maybe 11 when my mind and body told me it was system shut-down time. What an amazing wedding, Jason and Mary are quite the couple.

What a day. Like I said, a lot of people were beyond defeat today.

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antonio baker Central Park Ed elizabeth. becky Half Marathon Ila Jim Marissa NYC Robert

RACE REPORT: 016 Central Park Biathlon: 1:05:15

Posted on September 6, 2009 by admin Posted in All, Biathlon, Race Reports 3 Comments

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Sex/
Age
Age
Place
Overall
Place
Run
2M
T1
Bike
12M
T2
Run
2M
Total
Time
M31
3
16
13:18
1:03
35:38
0:51
14:23
1:05:15

The Central Park Biathlon is Run 2 miles, Bike 12, then Run another 2… seemingly easy right? It is more difficult (in my mind) than a straight up Triathlon.

Saturday before the race was a busy day. On my morning bike ride around Central Park a bee flew into my shirt and stung me on the chest as I was flying down the back hill. I haven’t been stung by a bee in like 20 years so I wasn’t sure if I was going to have an allergic reaction as I rode up the hill on the other side.

Benny had a roof party all day which was fantastic… Bocce Ball… Beers… Friends…
I left at 6 to get my race packet, clean up, and head to Amanda’s birthday party.

She chose to have her party at the Boat Basin on 79th and the River, always a good choice. It was a real fun time. I even found out that a few gals I know grew up on the same lake that my 2 cousins Gillian and Cat live on. Small world. I didn’t get to eat my standard ‘night before’ race food so I settled for a burger. I left around 11 or so and was in bed at midnight.

RACE DAY

I woke at the super freakin early time of 6AM. Had some Cafe Bustelo and made my way up to CP. (the race Transitions and Start/Finish were at the Boathouse)

As I may have mentioned before, everyone was cool as hell. People of all ages were chatting and there was a totally good vibe pumping through the air.

My transition spot was totally filled by the time I got there. I had to rack my gear on some random spot. Lesson 1: Get to a race early. My friend Cenk said, “Its good to get there early to get your spot set up” I knew this from our last race and totally showed up late, losing my Transition spot.

We all moved to the start line and I was up with the ‘fasties’. These guys looked very serious. We had a small 5 minute window then they sounded the gun!

Lesson 2. DO NOT run heavy duty sprint intervals 2 days prior to a race. This will turn your calves into baseballs. As we started running I totally felt tight and realized the mistake I had made. Must continue though…

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The lead guy was a freakin animal and was easily running a 5:20 mile. I was in the lead 10 guys but this character was way ahead of the main pack. I got a look at him at the turn around and he was like 38-40 years old. props.

At T1 I was mildly quick getting on my bike and starting the 2 lap course in decent time. Lesson 3: get a new freakin bike! I was passed by at least 5 people on the bike course (2 of whom were riding the bike I am looking to buy, the Cervelo P2) hint, hint, right? It was a brutal ride as the Autumn winds were in full force. My legs were on fire too. I’m not used to running, then riding. Its normally the reverse.

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Coming into T2 I was quicker to get my running shoes back on and head out onto the track for the final 2 mile run. I didn’t get my full speed until maybe a mile had gone by. It takes some time for the legs to adjust after a bike ride. As I got my act together I started picking people off. I might have only passed 3 guys before closing in on the finish line. About 50 yards to the end I saw a guy ahead of me that gave me a reason to rock out my new traditional ‘sprint like a maniac’ through the finish. I beat him by like 2 seconds or something. Marissa was there waiting for me. High fives to her for waking up at 7:30AM on a Saturday to come cheer me on! She is also responsible for all the awesome photos. We sat in the sunny grass and watched the rest of the racers come in, cheering them on.

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I finished in 16th overall and got another plaque for third in my age group. Once my body calmed down I felt amazing. SIDENOTE: the guy I sprinted past at the end was in my age group. Had I not sprinted at the end I would not have gotten an award! crazy right?

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—
I don’t know why right now I feel the need to hit people up with thanks and high fives, but why not. I don’t have any real ‘coaches’ per se, but I consider anyone who has given me advice or trained with me a ‘coach.’ These are the people that push us to do better.

SHOUT OUTS GO TO…

SWIM COACHES: Todd ‘Swim Coach’ Doyle, and Carla Uzel

BIKERS: only one… Jae ‘the Hardy Boy’ Hardy for telling me to buy a track bike 9 years ago.

RUN TEAM: Robert, Sarah and Antonio… some of the speediest Ive ever run with. Kevin Masse. My ‘Dad Posse’ Mike, Ed and Jim!

TRI: Cenk Uzel, for showing me the ropes!

STRENGTH: Asher Hoffman for those early years of prep.

MOTIVATIONAL: Ila Doyle, Marissa Bennett

baker Bike Central Park Marissa Run

RACE REPORT: 014 Fire Island 5K: 18:21 – 1st Place

Posted on August 9, 2009 by admin Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 3 Comments

 

Sex/
Age

Bib

City

State

Overall
Place
Gender
Place
Age
Place
Finish
Time
Pace/
Mile
M31 37 NEW YORK NY 1 1 1 18:21 5:55

New record. Old record 18:35 by Andrew Tourney in 2008

A few month ago as Mike, Ed, Jim and I were wrapping up a race in Central Park, Ed suggested that we all come out to Fire Island to run the annual Fire Island 5K. How could I resist a race on the beach? I was allowed to bring someone with me and Marissa accepted my request. Unfortunately, Mike and Jim were unable to make it this time.

Co-incidentally, Marissa’s step-mom and my good friend Colette happened to be going to the island as well, staying a few towns over! She offered to give us a ride with her awesome toddler Grant. He is just over 1 years old and like the cutest kid ever.

After splitting at the separate ferries with Colette, Marissa and I arrived just after 1 on Ocean Bay Park. SIDENOTE: there are no cars on Fire Island, only bikes. Its very cool and very laid back. All the streets are narrow sidewalks with a little sand overlapping.

Ed and his brother Don own and operate The Fire Island Hotel, which is a really cool place for anyone interested in visiting Fire Island. We stayed there for the first night and it was such a pleasure. I liken it to Margarita-ville. Imagine a few small buildings surrounding a pool and a tiki bar (pumping classic rock) flanked by the beach.

Marissa and I immediately hit the beach. At around 4 we decided to grab some food and then take a run on the beach. I convinced her for the first time that a Pina Colada pre-run would not affect her. I was right. We cruised down the beach and later learned that we ran around 5 miles, although it didnt seem that long. Running on the beach at sundown is maybe the greatest thing ever.

We met up with Ed right after and he advised us on some spots to hit for dinner.
I was happy as I got to eat my beach staple… Lobster, corn on the cob, and steamed clams. We hit up Ed’s tiki bar for some drinks and made a few new friends, one of which took Marissa and I down to a place called Schooners. We were out pretty late that night, it was really a fun time. We also walked home on the beach and there was this fantastic full moon!

The next morning we moved over to Ed’s house (which is two doors up) and then hit the beach with he and his family… Annelise, Jack (9), Isabella (7) and Ben (4). We spent the day boogie boarding and making sand castles with them. They are really a great group. Marissa some how managed to conjure up some pina coladas for lunch which was total brownie points. Colette and Grant rolled up on us at like 5PM to say hi as well.

That night we met Colette, Grant, Ed, Jenn, Rick, Amy and Abigail in Ocean Park for dinner at the Mermaid. I juiced up on some Frutti Di Mare and Red Wine.

RACE DAY:

The following morning The Eschmann’s, Marissa and I geared up for the race. Ed, Annelise, Jack, Ed’s brother Don and I were running. After I did a few interval sprints with Marissa I jumped in place at the front of the pack of 400 or so runners.

As the final countdown was in place a guy asked anyone who thought they could run a 6 or better mile to step forward. I decided NOT to step forward and be stealth. The 4 guys who did step forward were in their 20’s and like 3 feet taller than me. As the gun went off the four of them shot into a V formation with me tailing them at high speed.

The first mile was nice and we were probably cruising at a 6:20 pace. As we took a turn I noticed we had developed a big gap between the other runners at which point I knew we were the lead 4 in the race. Around Mile 2 the 3rd place man dropped back and I was now in his place. We had picked up the pace and were going very fast. So fast in fact that I was a little worried about maintaining my speed.

At Mile 2.5 the number 2 man was slowing so I thought it was a good opportunity to pass him and trail the leader (who was the defending champion from last years race).

As we rounded the final turn coming up to Mile 3 I looked back and realized it was just me and the number 1 man in contention. I was very excited.

As we cruised forward I knew we had a right turn, a quick left and then a 100 yard straight away to the end. lots of things were going through my mind. I was worried that this guy had saved up a little fight for the end, as I sure had. When would I pass him? Could I win this?

As soon as we took the last left and the finish was in sight I moved to his left and did what I had been practicing out on the West Side Highway all week- a super fast interval sprint. when this begins I normally throw my hand down in a hip-hop gesture (see photo). As I passed him he said “Oh S%^T!” I was blazing and was focused on the banner in front of the line. As I hit the finish I may have been moving as fast as I ever have just out of sheer excitement! It was really cool to hear my name announced as the new winner. I waited for the second place man and congratulated him on a great run.

After getting some water I found Marissa and gave her a sweaty hug. We were totally excited about the whole thing. We waited for Ed and his family to come through the finish, which was a very cool sight to see I must say! Jack was so excited to be running across the finish with his Dad!

At the after party festival we all met up (The Eschmann’s, Colette, Grant, Ed, Jenn, Amy etc) and we had some beers (Heineken sponsored event).

An hour or so after the race they did the awards ceremony and I got to go up and get a medal and some prizes. It was really awesome. Jack got an award for number 1 in the 12-15 age bracket too, so he got a medal! Not bad- 2 of our crew got awards! Jack and I took a photo together to celebrate our win.

Yes, I am excited. Look how tall my competitors are!

Jack (Ed’s son who won the first place in his age group) and I thought we needed a Team Eschmann-Baker photo! I see a definite running future for Jack, the guy’s fast!

After hanging out for a little while Marissa and I decided to hit the road and make our way back to Manhattan as we were exhausted.
It was a weekend I will not soon forget.

18:21 1st Place 5K Annelise baker Ben Colette Ed Fire Island Grant Isabelle Jack Jenn Marissa NY
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