2015 broadway ultra society 3 hour run & grand prix awards brunch

it was a challenge to run in sub-zero wind chills this morning - especially when the race was a 3 hour run!  it was a great locale, hendrickson park in valley stream - which featured a 1.453 mile loop around a lake and small stream.  the last time i ran here was the 6 hour version of this very event, which also preceded the grand prix awards brunch (that one is in slightly warmer conditions).

it was so cold that after taking off my mittens to tie my right sneaker during the third loop my hand almost frozen in the two minutes.  as a results, when my left sneaker laces became untied, i couldn't bear the thought of taking off my gloves again - and as a result ran with it untied for 10+ miles (the lesser of two evils). seriously!

when all was said and done i managed to finish just under 14 loops - for 20.2 miles. that worked out to an 8:55 pace for the 3 hours.  i was more than pleased with that outcome - somewhat shocked actually.  my reach goal, under the weather conditions we faced, was 30k.  but i would have been just as glad to knock off 15 miles and head inside for some warmth!  i still don't know how i managed to stay out there for the full 3 hours :O

i finished 8th overall and 2nd in my ag - but age group awards only went to 1st place finishers - so no race hardware.  still, the real reward was the post race pizza!  and cake!

here are the race results from ny ultarunning.

lawsuit commenced against estates of kerouac and cassidy over title to joan anderson letter

last week jean spinosa, the woman who discovered the long lost joan anderson letter, filed suit against the estates and heirs of jack kerouac and neal Cassidy to judicially determine title (who owns the letter and contents thereof).  according to the report in courthouse new service, in addition to the letter itself (18 pages), there is also an additional page (the 19th) not part of the letter, per se, but contains material written by cassady where he "separately details the loss of his virginity and other sexual encounters[!]"

the lawsuit seeks to resolve claims between spinosa and someone who has alleged he is entitled to a portion of the proceeds from the auction of the letter, pursuant to an agreement that they made.  he alleges that he is entitled to one half of the proceeds from the sale.  spinosa denies there was any agreement and that he is entitled to any proceeds from the sale.

stay tuned.  i'll update this when the defendants submit their answers to the complaint.

2015 boston buildup 15k: race photos & results

given the snow on saturday (and the forecast of a blizzard to come) we had relatively great weather to run the boston buildup 15k this morning.  except for a decent patch of black ice on the hill we climb around 3.5 miles, road conditions were fine - and it was sunny to boot :D

as for the race itself, i was very pleased with my 1:13:37, 7:54 pace.  my only goal was to bring it in under 1:15 - and i managed it (w/out any leg speed to speak of).  i actually went out too fast - with a pair of sub-7:30 miles.  but i knew that the mid-course hills would bring it back down to a more realistic number in short order.  in fact, my 10k split was 49 minutes - the 7:54 pace  i would hold for the final 5k :D

next up - the broadway ultras society 3 hour run next saturday.

here are the race results from clubct.

 

 

 here are the rest of my photos up on facebook.  thanks to tony for the start photo - and ted for getting me at the finish :D

winston churchill died 50 years ago today

sir winston churchill died 50 years ago today, on january 24, 1965 - he was 90 years old.  as one of the most significant individuals of the 20th century, i couldn't let today pass without thinking about his impact on the world.  the most significant, in my opinion, was his role during world war II - in which he almost single-handedly saved great britain from falling to the nazi.

two years ago this month, i read roy jenkins' one volume "churchill: a biography." it was an enjoyable read - and interesting because it presented a non-American perspective.  it was almost like a memoir, written by a politician who witnessed portions of churchill's life up close and personal.  it wasn't like the more comprehensive takes by gilbert or manchester - but it was enjoyable.

the highlight of my own churchill interaction was about two decades ago - when i managed to read all 6 volumes of his "history of world war II" - it was a fun commitment of time.  it's like committing to read all of robert moses' "power broker" - and was just as rewarding.

so take a minute to think about churchill today.  flaws and all, he was a towering figure.

2015 nyrr joe kleinerman 10k: race photos & results

i didn't take many photo's yesterday morning at the joe kleinerman 10k because at 17 degrees and a wind chill in the single digits... way more concerned with keeping warm, getting the race done, and getting back home!  as it was, i could hardly drag myself out of bed for the 8 am start.  what motivated me was a facebook post from one of my friends that he was heading down to the park - talk about peer pressure!

despite the harried start - i literally ran from baggage check to the start, getting into my corral during the national anthem! - i had a pretty good race.  ran a 46:10, 7:26 pace. which proves my unscientific theory that you get better result the colder the weather because of the built in self-preservation instinct to get it over as quick as possible kicks in and makes you run faster!  a weather triggered fight or flight instinct, if you will ;O

here are the race results from nyrr.

next up is the boston buildup 15k next weekend, in ridgefield.

here are the rest of my photos up on facebook.

2015 nyrr joe kleinerman 10k packet pick-up

made the chilly trek over to nyrr this afternoon for the joe kleinerman 10k packet pick-up.  it's nyrr 2015 race number 1 for me, on the road to 9+1 for the 2016 nyc marathon!  this one is going to be cold - on the heels of this 3 day deep freeze that settled over the city :(

interestingly, the kleinerman shirt is very similar to last month's ted corbitt shirt :O  in contrast to the ted corbitt race, this one didn't offer a large bag option - not very helpful when i expect to have at least a jacket and warm-up pants to stuff in there (+ some dry clothes) :(

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

trip to ann arbor, via clarion :O

it was an interesting 72 hour road trip to ann arbor this weekend.  in what typically is a 10 hour drive, the weather conditions driving out to michigan on saturday were so lousy that we had to stop over in clarion, pa (with 4+ of hours driving to go).  in a rambling succession of snow, sleet, rain, fog and dreary darkness, we opted to finish the drive sunday morning.

sunday afternoon in ann arbor (after an easy drive) was spent moving katie into her new apartment for the spring semester.  the first two trips from her old place were pretty straightforward - then the snow arrived.  the third and final trip to get her settled into the new place was a bit challenging given the single degree weather and snow.  but when it was all said and done, we went over to the blue tractor for dinner :D

on downside to the trip was having to miss the kick-off 2015 boston build-up, the 10k in norwalk.  last year it turned into an icy adventure race - this year it would revert back to a regular road race.  but a 10k is on deck for this weekend, in central park.  the joe kleinerman 10k will be my first nyrr race of the year. 

the drive back home, sans katie, was uneventful (mostly sunny and dry!) - and less than 10 hours after we left her, we pulled back into our driveway - home!  hard to believe that the winter break went by so quickly.  katie probably won't be back home again until the summer :(

january 2015 race schedule

january kicked off with a windy "dash before the splash" run at compo beach in westport yesterday.  the follow-up, this weekend, would have been the kick off of the 2015 boston build-up series on sunday - the 10k in norwalk.  however, instead of racing on sunday, i'll be in ann arbor helping katie move her stuff over to a new apartment for the spring term!  one benefit of that change in plans will be visiting a couple of wolverine powered brew pubs when the works done :D

the following weekend is the joe kleinerman 10k - my first nyrr race of 2015.  i'd rather do the nycruns 10 miler the following day, but i need to start accumulating my 9+1 points for the 2016 nyc marathon.  given the upcoming schedule, my 2nd nyrr race might not come until the nyc half in march.  so have to grab this one.

next up, on the 18th, will be the boston build-up 15k in ridgefield.  somehow - albeit unscientifically - this one always turns out to be the series race with the lousiest weather!  maybe this year will be different.  not likely, but there's always hope :D

not sure what's on deck for the following weekend - i didn't register for the fred lebow half (since it was replace by the nyc half in the nyrr 5 boro series).  one possibility is the nycruns brrr-ooklyn half, or a shorter distance event in connecticut.  still need to decide this one.  

finally, to end the month will run a non-traditionally - but tradition nonetheless - 3 hour run in valley stream, long island.  it precedes the annual broadway ultra society awards brunch held immediately following the run.  since i only ran one b.u.s. event in 2014 (sybil 50k), it's more of a social event for me this time around :D

here's how it looks so far:

1/1 - "dash before the splash"
1/10 - joe kleinerman 10k
1/18 - boston build-up 15k
1/24-25 - tbd
1/31 - b.u.s. 3-hour run

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

2015 dash before the splash photos :D

 

the new year kicked off this morning with a few windy miles at compo beach!  if it wasn't for the wind chill factor, the sunny weather by itself would have been great for running.  the actual dash was just over 2.7 miles, but i ran a little longer to bring it up to 4.2 miles before heading over to the watch the splashers brave the freezing water!  every year i toy with the idea of joining them - yet managing to come to my senses (a/k/a chickening out) before coming into contact with the water :O

 

happy new year to everyone! 

 

here are the rest of my photos posted on facebook.