2012 "run as one" 4 miler: race photos and resuls

i had a great time at the "run as one" 4 miler this morning.  the weather was perfect, if somewhat on the chilly side.  my goal was just to run 30 minutes, a 7:30 pace.  i surprised myself with a 27:53, a 6:58 pace.  after a slow start in the crowded first mile (and a climb up cat hill), i managed three sub-7 miles - not something i had expected on the heels of the sybil 50k last weekend!  it was definitely a morale booster :D

here are the race results from nyrr.

2012 "run as one" packet pick-up

yesterday i picked up my bib and shirt for the "run as one" 4 miler in central park this weekend.  i hadn't planned on this running this race.  but since i missed the "run for the parks" 4 miler last weekend - a rare dns because of a sore foot (on the heels of the sybil 50k - pun intended, haha) - i wanted to make up the missed point.  this will be my 3rd point on the road to nine.

the tech shirt given out was wafer thin.  the back is clearly visible in the above photo!

2012 poem in your pocket day

today, april 26, is poem in your pocket day.  it is also the 10th anniversary of this fun event - a highpoint of national poetry month.  in past years i've tried mark it by posting a poem that i'd carry around in my pocket that day - typically a selection from the beats... ginsberg, kerouac, synder - and even whitman (possibly the granddad of all beats) :D

this year's selection comes from gregory corso (yet another beat poet):

The Whole Mess... Almost

I ran up six flights of stairs
to my small furnished room
opened the window
and began throwing out
those things most important in life

First to go, Truth, squealing like a fink:
"Don't! I'll tell awful things about you!"
"Oh yeah? Well, I've nothing to hide... OUT!"
Then went God, glowering & whimpering in amazement:
"It's not my fault! I'm not the cause of it all!" "OUT!"
Then Love, cooing bribes: "You'll never know impotency!
All the girls on Vogue covers, all yours!"
I pushed her fat ass out and screamed:
"You always end up a bummer!"
I picked up Faith Hope Charity
all three clinging together:
"Without us you'll surely die!"
"With you I'm going nuts! Goodbye!"

Then Beauty... ah, Beauty --
As I led her to the window
I told her: "You I loved best in life
... but you're a killer; Beauty kills!"
Not really meaning to drop her
I immediately ran downstairs
getting there just in time to catch her
"You saved me!" she cried
I put her down and told her: "Move on."

Went back up those six flights
went to the money
there was no money to throw out.
The only thing left in the room was Death
hiding beneath the kitchen sink:
"I'm not real!" It cried
"I'm just a rumor spread by life..."
Laughing I threw it out, kitchen sink and all
and suddenly realized Humor
was all that was left --
All I could do with Humor was to say:
"Out the window with the window!"

and don't forget to carry around a poem of your own today!

2012 sybil ludington 50k: race report

the 34th annual sybil ludington 50k on saturday was the 6th time i've run this race over the last 7 years.  in 2006 sybil was my very first ultra.  except for last year, i managed to make it back every year since.  that's despite the fact that each year i repeated swear it will be my last sybil (because of the traffic runners have to compete with over the course).  this year it would be my longest run since the mhrrc "recover from the holidays" 50k in january.  except for a pair of 30k races last month, i haven't gotten in any decent long runs this training cycle.

with that training backdrop, i had a 5 hour time goal in mind.  the course is one large - hilly - loop, starting and finishing in carmel, new york.  it traces the historical route sybil ludington rode on horseback to warn the colonialist that "the british were coming."  except for the first mile, mile markers were spaced at 5 mile increments (with splits for the half marathon and marathon distances noted).  i had a 22 ounce handheld with me for hydration (and a couple of gus).

the first mile went by in 8:34 - which was way too fast.  with the high humidity (the threat of rain was ever present for the first few hours), a nine minute pace would have been more realistic.  i reached the 5 mile split in 42:48 (just over an 8:33 pace).  it would be my fast 5 mile split of the day.  the next 5 miles, at 44:15, also came in under a 9 minute pace.  i had reached 10 miles in 1:27:04 - just under an 8:45 pace.  by that point the sun had started to burn through the clouds.

my half marathon split was 1:56:08 - which was on pace for a 4:40 finish!  regardless of the math, that wasn't a realistic target.  i expected to finish much closer to 5 hours (and was surprised at how close to 5 hours it actually took).  my next 5 mile split, at 46:06, had crept over a 9 minute pace.  my 15 mile split was 2:13:11, still under a 9 minute overall pace.  but the next 5 miles, at 48:13:09, which got me to 20 miles in just over 3 hours (3:01:24), slowed the overall pace to 9+ minutes.

from that point on my pace dropped to 10 minutes miles - with the next 5 mile split at 52:44 (25 miles in 3:54:08).  my marathon split clocked in a 4:07:17 - which gave me just under 53 minutes to finish the last 6 miles.  with 10 minute miles, i could reach that target.  as it turned out, i reached 30 miles in 4:46:53 and had 13 minutes for the last mile.  just before the mile 30 marker i started to get calf cramps (despite plenty of sodium and an s cap at the halfway point).  it took me 11:28 - and i crossed the finish in 4:58:26... way too close for comfort!

all in all, it wasn't pretty - but it was fun.  as usual, i swore it would be my last sybil - especially since dodging traffic seemed unusually fierce this time around.  but i wouldn't be surprised to be there again next year :D

new york running show podcast: boston marathon and sybil ludington 50k

the new york running show last night (episode 73) was all about boston and sybil - mainly because brenn and i were joe's only guests on the show.  brenn recounted his tough day at the boston marathon - and the especially tough hot weather.  i talked about the sybil ludington 50k up in carmel, the prior day. 

sybil is one of my all time favorite ultras - and it was, actually, my very first ultra back in 2006 :D

listen to, or download, episode 73 at talkshoe.

2012 sybil ludington 50k: race photos and results

i ran the sybil ludington 50k this morning. it was my longest run of 2012 since the mhrrc recover from the holidays 50k back in january. i had a 5 hour time goal - and just managed to squeak in under it with a 4:58:28, 9:41 pace :D

i'll write up a race report.  here are the race results from trrc.

here are a few more pictures posted on facebook.

packet pick-up for run for the parks 4 miler

yesterday i picked up my number and shirt for the city parks foundation "run for the parks" 4 miler.  in a twist, last year i did my volunteer service requirement at the packet pick-up for this race - this time around i'm running it.  the 4 miler in central park will be point number 3 on the road to 9 (plus 1) for the 2013 nyc marathon.

since i'll be running the sybil ludington 50k tomorrow, this race will essential be a fun run - get across the finish line and collect that point.  luckily it's only 4 miles because the forecast is for rain on sunday.

as always, if you're at this one - say hello!

leatherman's loop group fun run redux: photos

this was my second consecutive weekend back at wards pound ridege reservation to run the leatherman's loop course. it was even more fun this morning because i managed the water crossings without a fall - and stayed on course to avoid some bonus miles :D

i wish i was coming back next week for the actual 2012 edition of the race, but i'll be running the sybil ludington 50k on saturday (and the 4 miler in central park on sunday - to nab another nycm point).

to everyone running it next week - have a blast!

rms titanic sank 100 years ago today

one hundred years ago this morning the titanic sank in the north atlantic, more than 1500 lives were lost. it was the ship's maiden voyage and just over 700 souls survived the sinking. news of the anniversary has blanketed the media this week. and this weekend has seen hours of t.v./cable programming on the story. james cameron's epic has been rereleased in 3d and is in theatres now (the original was bdcst on t.v. last night).

while i haven't gotten to caught up in the anniversary i have watched some of the documentaries - including cameroon's take on the story.  it was fascinating to learn that since he made the movie he's dived down to the titanic twice - and is still obsessed with the ship.  cameron gathered a dozen experts to definitively recreate the fatal hours of the ship.  while he wasn't going to remake the film, he did recreate an animated timeline of the sinking (redoing the original created when he was made the original film).

my only contribution to the collective wave of nostalgila will be a trip to the southstreet seaport musuem later this week to see the new exhibit, "titanic at 100: myth and memory."  i had wanted to get over there last week, but tax season business prevented it..   when i do get there, i'll post a couple of pictures - inlcuding one of the memorial lighthouse just outside the seaport :D

leatherman's loop 10k fun run: photos

what a great way to spend easter morning - running the leatherman's loop course at wards pound ridge reservation! great weather to boot! i managed to fall during the first water crossing - scraped knee aside - which made for a relatively wet run! the second and third crossings went w/out incident. but i did manage to log a few bonus miles going off course a couple of times (the course wasn't marked).

the main event is in two weeks!

2012 scotland run 10k: race photos and results

at the start of the scotland run this morning, they announced a record field of more than 11,000 runners!  i barely made it there in time to join the fun.  i ran from the 77th street station to baggage, then down to my corral, with about 2 minutes left to spare.  it took over a minute and a half to cross the mat once it got underway.

but even with the slow start (an 8+ minute first mile), eventually the road thinned out a bit and i managed to finish in 46:34, a 7:30 pace.  while i didn't have a time goal in mind, i was more than pleased with the result.  even with mile one, this was my fastest 10k in a while :D

here are the race results from nyrr.

packet pick-up for the scotland run 10k

it's hard to believe the scotland run on saturday will be my first nyrr race of 2012! i had signed up for the Manhattan half in january - but the only snowstorm of the winter turned it into a fun run (and a point toward the 2013 nyc marathon). i've run this 10k before - and even volunteered at it's packet pick-up a couple of times.

as for this weekend, i don't have any particular time goal in mind - just cross the finish and collect point #2 of the year :D

if you're at this one, say hello!

april 2012 race schedule

this month sees a return to nyrr races, with a pair of them on deck: the scotland run, 10k, next week and the run for the parks 4 miler on the 22nd. unfortunately, both races conflict with other events. the scotland run conflicts with one of my favorite spring races, the bunny boogie in darien. the run for the parks conflicts with the leatherman's loop. the things we must do to satisfy nine + one.

the rest of the month is pretty sparse. i haven't found a race to do the weekend of april 14-15. i'm sure something will turn up, but it's just as likely that i'll be stuck doing some tax work that weekend. the following weekend is the sybil ludington 50k - normally a staple of my spring calendar. this year i don't plan to run the 50k, but am seriously considering the 2-person relay instead.

last, but not least, is a new race that i've just stumbled upon: the race around briggs mountain, 8.2 miles, in dutchess county. what's amazing is that it's in it's 15th year(!) - and this is the first i've heard of it. i'm really looking forward to this one!

here's how the schedule looks so far:

4/7 - scotland run 10k
4/21 - sybil ludington relay, 25k?
4/22 - run for the parks, 4m
4/28 - race around briggs mountain, 8.2 miles.

as always, if you're at any of them, say hello!