2015 poem in your pocket day :D

poem in your pocket day is the last thursday of april - but somehow i always think it's earlier. this is definitely the latest it's come around :O

i wasn't sure what poem to choose - last year it was inspired by the book i was reading.  the poem was part of the chapter i read that morning on the way to work!  how appropriate (and somehow out of place in a book about the war in the pacific)!

this year i've gone back to the beats...

with jack kerouac's

how to meditate

-lights out-
fall, hands a-clasped, into instantaneous
ecstasy like a shot of heroin or morphine,
the gland inside of my brain discharging
the good glad fluid (Holy Fluid) as
i hap-down and hold all my body parts
down to a deadstop trance-Healing
all my sicknesses-erasing all-not
even the shred of a 'I-hope-you' or a
Loony Balloon left in it, but the mind
blank, serene, thoughtless. When a thought
comes a-springing from afar with its held-
forth figure of image, you spoof it out,
you spuff it off, you fake it, and
it fades, and thought never comes-and
with joy you realize for the first time
'thinking's just like not thinking-
So I don't have to think
any
more'

from "scattered poems'

2015 nyrr run as one 4 miler: race photos & results

the nyrr run as one 4 miler was race number 4 on the road to my 9+1 for the 2016 nyc marathon. great weather for it, although i was mildly underdressed on the commute in to central park - packed light, as they say.  despite the early chill, i warmed up by the 2nd mile.

my 29:04, 7:16 pace, was just over my 29 minute target - argh!  i will say, however, it took 40+ seconds to cross the start mat - and the crowded first mile (at 7:30, easily the slowest mile of the bunch) - probably accounted for those 4 seconds ;O

but i'll take it - and the great running weather too!

here are the official race results from nyrr.

2015 nyrr run as one 4 miler packet pick-up

seems like only yesterday that i was at nyrr for a packet pick-up (3 weeks ago for the scotland run)!  well i was certainly colder - thanks to a surprising wind chill - this afternoon, than it was at the start of the month.  winter, it seems, just doesn't want to give up the ghost!

as for running, the run as one 4 miler will be race number 4 on the road to 9+1 for the 2016 nyc marathon.  hopefully the weather will warm up enough to run in shorts (or the winds will die down a little) - haha :D

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

eliot's 2015 boston marathon race report: guest post

it's a pleasure to post eliot's 2015 boston marathon race report.  of all the various "firsts" eliots's written about here as guest posts - this one is probably my favorite (and it has a great mid-race photo too!) :D

nothing (slight exaggeration) beats running boston!
___________________________________________

My First Boston Marathon - #RunsWithASmile - April 20, 2015 - Eliot M. Lee

The gloomy forecast of rain, temps in the low-40’s, and strong 15-20 mph headwinds was not going to put a damper on my first Boston. In fact, once the race started, the raw elements were ‘hardly’ noticeable. Sure, there were times of steady rain, strong wind gusts and unavoidable puddles; but the warmth of the many, many volunteers and spectators spanning the entire course were a clear offset to any discomfort. This coveted first Boston Marathon (my marathon #49) is definitely up there as one of my running highlights as was my first marathon (New York City – November 2008).

I set myself two ‘time’ goals for this race: 1. Have a great time and 2. Finish somewhere around 3:35 – 3:40. My first goal was clearly met; and, the high expectations I had (given the ‘buzz’ of Boston) were far exceeded. As far as ‘finish time’ goes … 3:43:11 … a wee bit off the mark, but, I’m good with it as I can chalk that up to the weather … and to smiling and taking it all in (especially from Wellesley College to the finish).

I ran this one like I run most of my full marathons by targeting a 1:43 first half (+/- 2 minutes). At that point, I usually assess my condition and determine my goal for the second half of the race. I hit Wellesley College a little before the halfway point. I couldn’t resist the creative ‘kiss me’ signs in the ‘scream tunnel’ and went in for a few … more than a few, actually. In total, I think I kissed 25 gals. Surely, they needed to be recognized and rewarded for standing and screaming in the rain for hours … right? That was what I was telling myself anyway. Hehe. This was a PR for me (~25 kisses in about a minute). I was fast and kept good form.

I hit the half marathon mark at 1:45:32. At that point, I knew I would slow my pace closer to 9 minute/miles at around mile 16 through Newton and ‘Heartbreak Hill’ to arrive at Boston College at around 1:20 pm.

As I ran by Boston College, I kept my eyes and ears open for Taylor. Taylor is my first cousin’s daughter. I heard this loud cheer and scream from the side and saw Taylor as she reached over the barrier to ‘tackle’ hug me. She wanted to take a picture with me for her mom and started running along the course at my side. This was clearly the highlight of my day. So, we stopped to take a proper photo.

The rain and wind seemed to stop for the remainder of the race. I didn’t care about pace anymore and the last 5 miles were really a blur. I was simply absorbing the energy from the building crowds as I drew nearer to central Boston. I almost wanted to go slower just to prolong the experience. All I clearly remember was the ‘famous’ Citgo sign … then, making the left from Hereford onto Boylston. As most runners were making sharp left turns onto Boylston still cutting tangents; I went purposely wide, was all by myself and felt like everyone was cheering just for me. Running faster on the final Boylston stretch, I couldn’t help noticing the movement of the colorful flags to my left. Then, seeing the finish line getting closer made me throw my hands in the air. Done! My first Boston Marathon in the books and I think I smiled for the entire 26.2 miles.

I can’t wait to make it back here again.

2015 scarsdale 15k & 4 mile races: race photos and results

we had great weather for the scardale races this morning!  not the mini-heat wave that kicked off the weekend Saturday.  it cooled off enough that the occasional breeze brought a chill with it.  i had planned on running he 15k, but at the last minute dropped down to the 4 miler.  that was mainly a consequence of having done 10 miles yesterday and didn't feel up to pushing it for 9+ miles today.

the 4 miler was the perfect distance because i pushed enough to get in a solid workout.  the 28:40, 7:10 pace was tough.  i don't think i could have pushed it under 28 because of the hill climb at the mid-way point.  still, i was very happy with the outcome - it was good enough for 2nd place in my age group :

i'll add link to the results once they're up on the scarsdale rec department website.

2015 world amateur radio day!

today is world amateur radio day!  so here's a shout out to all hams out here - as well as all radio listening enthusiasts!

i became a ham 25 years ago (my first call sign was n2vub) - when i was still living in nyc.  that was after more than a decade of sw/mw radio listening and dxing.  my current call sign is kc2rvy, but haven't be on the air much with it these days.

here's the official statement from the international amateur radio union:

Every April 18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. It was on that day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris.

Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that the short wave spectrum — far from being a wasteland — could support worldwide propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, Amateur Radio was “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” the IARU’s history has noted. Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support Amateur Radio worldwide.

Just two years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference, Amateur Radio gained the allocations still recognized today — 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. Since its founding, the IARU has worked tirelessly to defend and expand the frequency allocations for Amateur Radio. Thanks to the support of enlightened administrations in every part of the globe, radio amateurs are now able to experiment and communicate in frequency bands strategically located throughout the radio spectrum. From the 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has grown to include 160 member-societies in three regions. IARU Region 1 includes Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia. Region 2 covers the Americas, and Region 3 is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific island nations, and most of Asia. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognized the IARU as representing the interests of Amateur Radio.

Today, Amateur Radio is more popular than ever, with over 3,000,000 licensed operators!

World Amateur Radio Day is the day when IARU Member-Societies can show our capabilities to the public and enjoy global friendship with other Amateurs worldwide.

 73s :D

2015 vctc urban enviro 10k: race photos & resutls

it was a perfect spring day to run in van cortland park - the urban environmental challenge (shortened to the urban enviro) 10k.  it was a day to forget how long winter held on for, refusing to recede in favor of spring!  interestingly, it had warmed up enough to dry out the course - no water crossings, and practically no mud! 

as for the race itself, it's a double loop course - with two different trail systems run over the course of the loops.  this race is a great way to run on either side of the main route through the back hills!  it's a hilly and challenging tour of the park.

as for my race, the hills took their toll by mile 4, and had to walk a few yards to crest two hills on the way to the finish.  that was slightly dispiriting.  still, my 51:49, 8:21 pace, was almost a solid 4 minutes faster than my 2013 finish (55:42).  i missed my sub 50 minute target by a wide margin, but was more than pleased that it was good enough for 5th in my age group :D 

here are the race result from van cortlandt track club.

brewery ommegang's game of thrones three-eyed raven

just in time for season five premiere sunday night!  picked up a pair of ommegang's newest game of thrones release, "three-eyed raven" this afternoon.  it was officially released last week, but took a while for it to reach my neck of the woods (decicco's ardsley).

the official description from ommegang reads:

Push through the thick brambles and present yourself to the Three-Eyed Raven. Abiding in the shadows of the Three-Eyed Raven lies this deceptive Dark Saison. The ominous Three-Eyed Raven inspired us to brew a Dark Saison ale, a hybrid style open to brewer’s imagination. In the end it is neither a pure saison nor your typical dark beer, but instead a delectable blend that both deceives and thrills the senses.

i love session beer, and brewing it dark should be interesting - think dark wheat beers (dunkel weizen).  looking forward to tasting one tomorrow.  and the question is will any remain for Sunday's premiere :D

2015 nyrr scotland run: race photos & results

the 2015 scotland run is in the books!  it's my 3rd nyrr race of 2015, on the way to 9+1 for the 2016 nyc marathon.  this one was a last minute addition to my race schedule because had katie come home for easter weekend (happy easter everyone!) i would have gone to darien with her to run the bunny boogie (a race we've done many times when she was younger).

as for the 10k, i had something of an adventure getting there since the lexington line was running express from 125th street to 42nd street.  instead of taking it from 125th down to 77th street, it let me off at 86th street - and by the time i covered those extra blocks, dropped off my bag, and got to the south end of the park for the start, there was only a minute left before the horn went off - literally.  i had enough time to say hi to david before the race started.

that led to an unplanned bathroom stop at the start of mile 2!  i had been going non-stop since getting off the metronorth at 7:15 - but no time for the bathroom along the way.  it only set me back a minute - and i still managed to finish under my 48:00 minute target - with a 47:39, 7:41 pace.  without the bathroom stop it would have been a less stressful loop, but it's all good :D

here are the race results from nyrr.

 

2015 nyrr scotland run 10k packet pick-up

went to nyrr after work yesterday to pick up my bib and shirt for the 2015 scotland run yesterday.  it'll be my third nyrr race of the year (on the road to 9+1).  in an interesting twist, there was a line for shirts - and no lines upstairs for bibs!  the bib pick up was split into two rooms upstairs, which made it less crowded.

hopefully the spring weather will continue for tomorrow's start.  given the hold winter has had this season, wouldn't be surprised at a temperature drop!  this is a club race, so expect to see many team colors in the field (taconic included) :D

as always, if you're out there tomorrow - say hello!

oh - missing yesterday were the traditional scotland run wool caps.  maybe they'll turn up at the race itself?!  and, no drawstring bags - clear plastic shopping bags instead?  what's up with that?

april 2015 race schedule

my april kicked off with a car covered in frost this morning - and the hassle of scraping it off before driving to the station!  so much for the arrival of spring - and we had snow flurries last night, as if the cold mornings aren't enough :(

as for races - hopefully things will warm up in time for the Scotland run 10k this weekend.  it's a team race, and will be nyrr race #3 for me this year. forecast seems to point to a wet morning.  if it wasn't a team race (and, more importantly, i didn't need the 9+1 point), i'd rather do the bunny boogie in darien :D

the following weekend with be the second off-race race in as many weeks - the vctc's urban environmental challenge 10k.  it's a fantastic event - and, thankfully, the water crossing isn't as wide as mudders & grunters! also, we'll celebrate our deferred easter that afternoon (since katie can't make it back this weekend, for easter proper).

the next weekend is a local affair - the scardale 15k.  it's a surprise date, landing in the midst of boston marathon weekend.  it's typically held the last weekend of march or first weekend of april.  it's a tough - e.g. hilly - course.  sometimes i opt for the 4 miler, instead :O

the longest race of the month, the sybil ludington 50k, rounds out the month.  i've run this one many times (it was my very first ultra) and it's one of my all-time favorite events.  even so, i really don't like having to battle traffic on certain stretches of the course.  in the end, the post-race festivities (food) make the trek well worth it :D

and, if there's anything left in the tank, will line up for the nyrr run as one 4 miler the next morning.  that's mainly a recovery run, with the bonus of collecting race #4 of my 9+1.  if i wasn't running sybil this year, the leatherman's loop would be the highlight of the weekend!

here's how it looks so far:

4/4 - nyrr scotland run 10k
4/12 - vctc urban environmental challenge 10k
4/19 - scardale 15k
4/25 - sybil Ludington 50k
4/26 - nyrr run as one 4m

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