Thursday, January 31, 2013

2013 gridiron classic packet pick-up


last week it seemed like a walk through a grey, frigid icebox to get to the nyrr club for the manhattan half marathon packet-pickup.  this afternoon, for the gridiron classic pick-up, it was sunny and about 20 degrees warmer - heavy wind gusts replaced the frigid temperatures.  i'll take sunnier, warmer days (even if windier) any time.

i was on the fence about this race because if conflicts with the trrc freezer 5k at fdr state park sunday morning.  but, since the gridiron 4 miler would be race number 3 of my 2013 nine + one and i won't be able to run another nyrr race until mid-march, i signed up for it on monday afternoon.  and it looks like sunday will be a warm (relative to the 20 degrees at the manhattan half) day for a run in the park :D

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

Sunday, January 27, 2013

2013 manhattan half marathon: race photos and results


it was cold (20 degrees) for the manhattan half this morning.  but for the stretches that weren't too windy, it wasn't a bad day for a run - especially with the sun that broke over the horizon as the race was getting underway.  the park seemed crowded for the frigid weather conditions. surprisingly, the nyrr have yet to post the race statistics, as they typically do with the race results.

as for my race, i missed my 1:45 target by 30 seconds.  i was solidly on pace for the first 10 miles, but the last 5k took it's toll and my overall pace slipped to over 8 minutes (8:04).  given the weather, i was more than happy with that result.  the only downside of the morning was the mess at baggage check.  the bags were arranged in too narrow of a space for the volume and resulted in a sea of bags more than a dozen deep. it was tough to find your bag in that pile up - and then having stepping over the bags in front to reach it.

this was race number two in my 2013 nine plus one for the 2014 marathon.

here are the race results from the nyrr.






Friday, January 25, 2013

"beat memories: the photographs of allen ginsberg" exhibit at the grey art gallery


the only downside to my visit yesterday to nyu's grey art gallery on washington square park to see the ginsberg photographs was the bone-chilling half dozen block walk there from the astor place train station!  and, also weather-related, the museum staff had taken down some photos because of the condensation that permeated the walls that held the photos (which faced the glass facade of the museum).  otherwise, the exhibit itself, "beat memories: the photographs of allen ginsberg," was outstanding.

about five years ago i went to see an earlier, smaller version, of this exhibit (then entitled "beat and beyond") at the suny new paltz samuel dorsky musuem.  many of the same photos were prominently featured - the william burroughs at the met (brother sphinx) was the cover shot for that exhibit.  a couple of years afterwards, many of those photos became the core of this expanded exhibit when it premiered at the national gallery of art in washington, d.c., in 2010.

for any fan of the beat generation, these photos are a must see.  some of the more iconic photos have been seen many times before in various guises.  most are typically found in the photo gallery of beat biographies.  some even emerged as the book covers themselves (kerouac w/his brakeman's manual was the original cover of "jack's book" and a bearded ginsbeg in india became the cover of "a blue hand: the beats in india" - interestingly, both photos were colorized for those book covers).  but seeing the images as the photos they were - and many of them enlarged for the show - is simply a wonderful sensual pleasure.

another interesting aspect of the exhibit is getting to see the physical evolution across time.  one example: the portrait photo of a serious sober gregory corso is a stark contrast to the romping imagines of corso in france during the 1950s.  but, even back then, one image of corso in the garret of the beat hotel clearly foreshadow the skin that he would grow into.  another photo, and for me my least favorite photo of the entire beat generation (and that says a lot) is of a middle-aged kerouac sitting in ginbserg's east village apartment in 1964.  he looks utterly spent and defeated, almost in agony - a victim of his slow suicide by alcohol.  kerouac would be dead five years later.

in addition to photos, there were plenty of beat artifacts - mostly snippets of writing (poems, letters, notes, doodles).  but there were also some first editions - including (obviously), "howl." "on the road." and "naked lunch").  all this good stuff is crammed into four glass exhibit boxes spread across the exhibit space,  it's a fun little detour from the photos that line the walls.

the exhibit runs until april 6h - plenty of time to get there when the temperature inches up a few degrees!  but get there you must if you're a fan of ginsberg and the beats :D



Thursday, January 24, 2013

2013 manhattan half marathon packet pick-up


it was a bitterly cold walk over the nyrr building from the train station this afternoon!  the manhattan half closed out a couple of weeks ago.  but, if the weather is this brutal on sunday morning, there may be plenty of no-shows for the 2+ loops of central park :O

the half will be my second nyrr race of the year.  and, hopefully, point number 2 on the road to nine + one for the 2012 season.  they gave out a long sleeved tech shirt (and handed out chocolate power gels).  under the circumstances, i can't say that i'm looking forward to this race - unless the temperature rises up to a toasty 20 something degrees ;O


Sunday, January 6, 2013

2013 boston buildup 10k: race photos and results

  
the winter raceing season arrived with the kick-off of the 2013 boston buildup 10k at the brien mcmahon high school in norwalk this morning!  it was as much a reunion of old friends as it was a competitive event.  and, as if anticipating the high spirits, the weather warmed up (inching above the freezing mark for the first time in days).

it was my second 10k in as many days.  i had gone down to central park for the klienerman 10k yesterday.  it was 32 degrees for the 8 a/m. start.  this time around we didn't line up until 10 - which was fine with me :D

amazingly, despite the different courses, i ran basically the same times (48:41 in central park, 48:44 in norwalk).  the major difference was the pacing - which i kept at 7:45 miles for the first 5 miles this morning, only to it all back climbing the last hill (with a whopping 8:20+ split)!  still, it was fun (both days, actually).

here are the race results from clubct.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a few more race photos up on facebook.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

2013 joe kleinerman 10k

 
this morning, on the way out to the train, i forgot to take my camera - so no pictures to post for the joe kleinerman 10k.  the race didn't sell out, so i wasn't surprised that the park didn't seem crowded.  the post-race stats showed that just over 3,100 runners finished the course.

i was well off my sub-48 target with a 48:41 finish.  i had hoped to run a 7:45 pace, which i did run for half the course.  but starting with the trio of hills on west drive, my pace inched up 8 minute miles - and a 7:52 overall pace.

next up, the boston build-up 10k in norwalk tomorrow morning :D

Thursday, January 3, 2013

2013 joe kleinerman 10k packet pick-up



this afternoon i went to the nyrr club and picked up the bib and tee shirt for the joe kleinerman 10k.  i'm not a fan of the kleinerman 10k as a january race.  for the last decade or so it's been a fixture of the december race calendar.  to make way for the kleinerman 10k, the nyrr got rid of the fred lebow 5 miler - the race that traditionally kicked off the start to the new running year.  call me old fashioned, but there was a certain sentimentality (if you will) to the idea of having the nyrr race calendar begin with a nod to fred's memory.

anyway, if you're at this one on saturday - say hello!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

january 2013 race schedule


the january 2013 schedule kicked off yesterday with the dash before the splash 5k it compo beach in westport, connecticut.  and, for the second year in a row, i skipped the splash into the long island sound (maybe next year).

this weekend will see a pair of 10k's - the nyrr joe kleinerman 10k and the boston build-up 10k in norwalk.  i've run the kleinerman 10k many times in the past (as a december race).  i'm not a fan of replacing the fred lebow 5 miler w/this race - but it's a done deal... so why dwell on it.  the second 10k is the first race of the build-up series (and includes a tough climb in the last half mile)!

the second boston build-up race, the 15k in ridgefield is on the 20th (historically the coldest - and most frequently rescheduled of the series).  i don't have any plans for the prior weekend yet (1/12-13), although there is a long island fa 50 planned for that weekend.

the last weekend of the month will be a return to central park for the double loop manhattan half.  and, if history is any guide, the last weekend of january may also included a complete run around manhattan in the ted corbitt fa 50k+ :D

here's how it looks so far:

1/1 - dash before the splash 5k
1/5 - nyrr joe kleinerman 10k
1/6 - boston build-up 10k
1/20 - boston build-up 20k
1/27 - manhattan half marathon

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

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2013 dash before the splash 5k+


for the second year in a row i headed over to compo beach in westport for an easy 5k fun run before a bunch on intrepid polar bears took their annual plunge into the long island sound.  and, for the second year in a row, i skipped the plunge - and stuck to the run (which, incidentally, stretched closer to 3.5 miles than a 5k) :D

maybe next year for the plunge :O








the rest of my photos up on facebook.