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Tag Archives: scotland

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…

10K scotland

RACE REPORT: 033 Scotland 10K: 37:59

Posted on April 4, 2010 by admin Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 4 Comments

Sex/
Age
Bib Overall

Place

Gender

Place

Age
Place
Finish
Time
Pace/
Mile
AG %
M32 35 149 139 24 37:59 6:07 71.2 %

This week started out with torrential rain up until around Wednesday. It was miserable. Luckily, Thursday came around and was 70 degrees and sunny, not a cloud in the sky.

I had work off on Friday, so in the morning I biked around town and soaked it all up. I was sore all over though, the ‘got hit by a truck’ kinda sore. Why? Thursday night my presence was requested to help my good friend Todd (Swim Coach Todd that is) move his company’s office spaces. Lots of heavy things… desks, computers, couches, and yes… a soda machine.

Later on Friday afternoon, my brother and friend Matt came over to have roof beers. We lounged around for a few hours catching up before we parted ways, all of us having other engagements.

It was my piano teacher Sugar’s (and friend) birthday so she was having a dinner party down at Cafe Gitane. I arrived there with Walter and Amanda. It’s a really cool room in an old hotel. I am a history buff, so this was right up my alley. In fact, did you know that the survivors of the Titanic stayed there right after the incident? True story.

You runners out there know why going to a restaurant the night before a race is dangerous don’t you? Anyone, anyone? Bueller? Bueller? What if there isn’t any good pasta on the menu for carb-o-loading? There was only one pasta dish, the ‘baked pasta’ which was the equivalent to baked ziti. It was awesome. I quietly slipped out of the party around 11PM in order to get some rest before the race.

RACE DAY

I had pancakes for breakfast, which were amazing! Then, I met my new friends Michael and Jay and we walked over to the race together. It was a beautiful morning and the Park was bustling with activity from every angle.

The blue corral was packed in like sardines by the time I got there so I had to post up at the very back. Whatever.

The gun went off and it took me at least 30-45 seconds to get going. Yes, it was a crowded race. Not to sound snobby or anything, but a slew of random slow people were in the Blue. We were bobbing and weaving all around them the entire first 1/2 Mile. Im not sure how they slipped through security…

For the first mile I was flanking the left side, pushing past people trying to get out into the open. As I was cruising I hear “Baker!” to my right. It was my friend Kevin Masse running along side of me! I hadn’t seen him in awhile since he took a running break after running Philly. We chatted for a hot second before he told me to get going.

At Mile 2 things were getting better. Erika was there on the right snapping photos and cheering me on. Thanks Erika!

The Harlem Hill came up quick and it hit hard. It never ends man! I tried to push up the hill as best I could. Once we rounded the top corner and started to head back south I smiled big, knowing that the hardest part of the run was now behind me. I mean, I still had to finish, but there were no more monster hills.

By now we were a single file line of runners and were all cruising around the same pace. Mile 5 happened fast as well, which was a relief. Right around this time a few guys kinda boxed me out and were passing me. I just thought to myself, ‘let them go by, chase them down at the end.’

As we rounded Columbus Circle I was holding back… wait for it, wait for it… (not wanting to burn out right before the finish which I did once by starting too soon).

As soon as we hit the uphill and I could see the Finish coming into view I hit the afterburners and brought it into full sprint! I think I might have taken out 7-8 people that were in front of me, it was awesome! SIDENOTE: It’s true that sprinting past people at the end isn’t that big a deal if you aren’t contending for the 1, 2 or 3 spot, but for me, I get like a movie soundtrack ( the end of Teenwolf or Karate Kid for example) in my head and pretend I’m winning. It’s these little personal moments that make it fun for me.

When I stopped running I did feel extremely light headed and nauseous. This was the first time this has ever happened. I needed water, STAT! After slamming 2-3 cups I felt back to normal.

I finished in 37:59 which is a personal record by 10 seconds which makes me happy. What a great day for a run!

Central Park chris baker Erika Kevin Masse scotland
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