It's Official - 2020 NYC Marathon Email :D

The Official "You're In" email from the NYRR's arrived yesterday.  Even though I have guaranteed entry (and signed up 2+ weeks ago) - it was still great to receive the "news" :D

The best part, however, was seeing my officemates expression when I asked him if he had gotten his notification email (he had guaranteed entry via 9+1).  He didn't know the emails had been sent - so watching his face when he checked and saw the gif do it's countdown was pretty cool!  This will be his first NYC Marathon since the 1980's!

I guess it's time to get serious about rebuilding my base mileage :O

2018 NYC Marathon: Race Photos & Results

 

Just a quick update (I'll post a short race report in a couple of days) - my 16th consecutive NYC Marathon is officially in the books!  It was an incredibly beautiful day to be out running the streets of New York City.  Unfortunately for me, the great weather didn't make my 26.2 miles any easier.   At 4:25, this was my slowest NYC Marathon (significantly slower than my 4:15 last year).  But I'm still so happy to have gotten it done - and survived to tell the tale :D

Congratulations to everyone else who traveled those 26.2 miles today!

Here is link to the official NYC Marathon results page.

2018 NYC Marathon Packet Pickup at the Expo

What an awesome surprise I had waiting for me when I picked up my bib this morning at the Javits Center - a cool 15 finishes and counting patch!  Was not expecting that, to say the least.  Thanks NYRR!

This will be my 16th consecutive NYC Marathon.  Like all previous editions, I'm pretty psyched up for it.  No understatement to say it's my favorite marathon (and hometown race).

The only downside to getting there in the morning was missing out on the beer - which wouldn't be poured until noon :(

One other cool thing, seeing your name on a wall (temporary as it may be), never gets old!

As always, if you're running this one - say hello :D

2018 Savin Rock Marathon: Race Photos & Results

Great - if somewhat windy - day to run a Marathon!  The Shoreline Shark's Savin Rock Marathon was a double loop course right on the Long Island Sound.  The bulk of the 500+ participants were doing the Half Marathon (first loop).  About a 130+ kept going past the start/finish and tackled the second loop, for a full marathon!


It was sunny, and solidly above freezing, weather wise.  It would have been great running weather if not for the seemingly endless wind.  The course was challenging (e.g. hilly) but had some great shoreline views.


As for the race itself, I missed my 4:00 hour target my a solid 5 minutes (4:05:14).  My half marathon split (roughly 1:56) was also way off my 1:50 target.  Still, at 1:56, I had a projected 4:02 finish if I could keep it together.  But it took almost 2 hours for me to complete the second loop (no negative splits this time).  There was a great finisher's medal, with the shark logo(!) waiting as we crossed the finish line (and space blankets).  Another great perk was the print out (receipt) for runners that listed their race stats!


Despite not coming in under 4 hours, I enjoyed myself.  It was a well put together event from start to finish.


Here are the official race results (for both Half and Full) from Trimon Timing Company.

2017 NYC Marathon: Race Photos & Results

 

 

Yesterday was a gray, dreary day to run a race - much less a marathon!  But the weather didn't take away an iota of happiness at finishing the NYC Marathon!  Especially since it was my 15th consecutive NYC Marathon finish (and, also completed my 9+1 for the 2018 edition)!  While the 4:17 finish was easily the slowest of the bunch, it was probably the happiest one!

There were many highlights: seeing my mom on the course (my #1 fan, who has been to most of my 15), seeing Michael Ring on the course (in Brooklyn, quite fittingly), and a few others as well.  I'll write up race report with all the gory details in a few days!

Here are the official results from NYRR.

 

2017 NYC Marathon Expo at the Javits Center

Went to the NYC Marathon Expo to pick up my bib and shirt this morning - between classes!  After a quick walk around the place - and a pair of pictures at the PowerBar booth (rewarded with a tee shirt) - I had to grab the train back downtown for my 1:50 class.

This will be my 15th consecutive NYC Marathon!  It will also be my 9th scored race of the year and complete my 9+1 for guaranteed entry for the 2018 edition :D

As always, if you're running this one - say hello!

November 2017 Race Schedule

If it's November, then the NYC Marathon kicks off the month!  This weekend will be my 15th consecutive NYC Marathon (and my ninth race for the 9+1 guaranteed entry for 2018).  I've said it many times over the years, but this is my all time favorite running event :D

While it may tend to overshadow the rest of the month, there are plenty of other good races out there.  In fact, I plan to revisit the Knickerbocker 60K (now called the NYC 60K) later this month.  Then, on Thanksgiving Day, another blast from the past - the Beachfront Bushwack!  This 5 Mile cross county race at Tods Point in Greenwich disappeared from the running scene a few year ago.  Now it's back as a Thanksgiving Day race.  Two days later, on Saturday, it's back to Greenwich for the annual Turkey Trot 5k (on behalf of the Alliance for Education). 

I may try to squeeze in another race or two this month, but nothing definite yet.

Here's how it looks so far:

11/5 - NYC Marathon
11/18 - NYRR NYC 60K
11/23 - Beachfront Bushwack 5 Miler
11/25 - Greenwich Turkey Trot 5K

As always, if you're at any of these events - say hello!

2017 Sri Chinmoy Marathon: Race Report

 

This was my third time running the Sri Chinmoy Marathon at Rockland Lake (albeit the last time was way back in August, 2009).  Previously, it had been called the Self-Transcendence Marathon.  Despite the official name change to honor Sri Chinmoy himself, my race bib still used the old name.  There are very few official marathons run mid-week, such as on a Thursday (and the 2009 edition was actually held on a Tuesday).  That made running the Sri Chinmoy Marathon feel as if I was playing hooky from my day job :D

I will say that entering the race was a last minute decision.  When I missed the Escarpment Trail Run at the end of last month - a 30k trek up and over a few mountains that typically takes me 5+ hours to complete - I figured the easiest way to atone was to spend 4 hours or so running a marathon!  Since Rockland Lake is 30 minutes from my house, just over the Tappan Zee Bridge, it was a very easy decision.

Despite the relative convenience, I haven't run a marathon since the 2016 NYC Marathon!  In fact, the longest training runs I've done in the last few months ranged from 15-18 miles (with half marathon distances more likely on the weekends).  So my initial plan was to treat the event as a long training run.  I wanted to run 20 miles at roughly an 8:40 pace (around 2:50) and then walk/jog the remaining 10k.  Given the tough heat/humidity that surrounds a late-August event, I thought that was a more realistic objective.

Luckily, the weather Gods smiled upon us yesterday.  While the humidity was pretty high throughout the morning, we started off with temperatures in the 60s!  The course itself, a just under 3 mile loop around the lake, is mostly shaded.  There are a few open patches of road, but very manageable combination.  On the plus side, the course is basically flat! Altogether we did 8 full loops of the lake and 3/4 of a ninth loop.  There were 3 aid stations spread out along the course.

This event reminds me of the typical 6 hour ultra than your typical road marathon.  A good number of runners had drop bags and chairs lining the start/finish area.  Most of the runners were focused on completing the distance, rather than a particular time objective.  It was much more a social atmosphere than would be found at more commercial races.

As for my performance, I ran the first 8 loops in a relatively consistent pace.  After the first two loops you pretty much knew what to expect, what was ahead so to speak.  I was positive that the course was long.  Each mile was clearly marked with a placard (that also listed the loop # in addition to the actual mile itself).  My Strava/MapMyRun programs were consistently reeling off the mile marks before the official markers.  In fact, at the end of the race Strava had 26.6 miles as the distance (and MapMyRun came in at 27.7+)!

That said, I reached 20 miles between 2:50/2:55 and felt pretty good.  Not sure what to attribute that to, but I reckoned that I had just over an hour to finish the last 10k and come in under 4 hours.  I went for another 2 miles in that mindset - then boom, I hit the wall!  At the start of mile 23 I just fell into a dark patch and switched over to walking (this happened without warning, as if someone had simply flipped a switch).  I wallowed in that mood for about 5 minutes or so, then just as suddenly it lifted.  I started to shuffle along - and by the end of mile 23 was back to running!

Except for that patch in during mile 23, I kept moving at roughly the same pace.  During the last few miles, beginning at 22 and continuing straight through to the finish, I was beset by some calf cramping.  I wore compression sleeves to forestall that issue.  From prior experience, I'm sure the cramps would have been much more pronounced/worse without the sleeves!  Other than that, I had no physical issues.

I finished in 3:56:43, a 9:01 pace for 26.2 miles (slightly faster for 26.6 - haha).  Afterwards I filled up on watermelon - and then headed home.  The traffic Gods must have been on board with the weather Gods because the traffic back across the bridge was surprising light!  All in all it was a fun morning!  Many thanks to the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team and volunteers for putting on another fantastic event!

Here are a few of my race photos.

 

2016 New York City Marathon Race Report

The 2016 NYC Marathon is in the books!  By the numbers, it was my 14th consecutive NYC Marathon!  It also capped off my 9+1 requirements for guaranteed entry for the 2017 edition - so, God willing, I'll be back next November for #15 (it is my all time favorite race after all) :D

As for the race itself, after running a 4:10 last year and the year before that one (2015 and 2014), I got something of a groove back and came in below 4 hours, with a solid 3:57:42 finish.  It was all the more satisfying because for the 3 year in a row I started off the race with a relatively poor base, averaging just 40 training miles a week during September and October. 

I did run 4 half marathons during those 2 months and one long run of 15.5 miles.  But that's far from an optimal training plan.  For the second year in row I just could not get in the runs during the work week, leaving me with Saturday and Sunday to log 20-25 miles.  It's  not for a lack of running motivation, but rather a more onerous teaching schedule.

The summer was a different story, which included a pair of 250 mile months back in June and July.  The base was there, just not close by - haha.  It was a good deal muscle memory that got me over the course.  I say that somewhat seriously because while I expected to hit the proverbial wall, it never happened!  I did slow down over the last 5 miles but I didn't need any walking breaks.

As for the nitty-gritty of the race itself, I ran a 1:56 first half and a 2:01 second half.  I can't help but smile as I write that because our minds love to play tricks on us.  Running up First Avenue I was harboring the completely humorous illusion that I could run a negative split (and win a free pair of running shoes from Strava - haha).  While half my brain clearly understood the simple math of pace, the other, more idealistic, part of my brain refused to engage reality :D

I will say that, despite not having a real chance of running a sub 3:52 that day, the goal of running a negative split did pull me along "fast" enough to run a decent sub-4 hour finish.  For that I'm very grateful that half of my brain (or maybe it was really my heart) held out for the negative split!  That said, next year, after number 15 is in the books, I'd like to summarize the lot of them (3:20 to 4:10).

A couple of race observations - this year I was in the green corral and began the race on the lower level of the bridge.  Not my favorite place to begin, but as my friend Eric pointed out on the bus ride to Staten Island, it meant a smaller hill to cross!  That did make me smile (and, despite the oft-repeated urban legend, no umbrellas were needed crossing the lower level).

On the Brooklyn side (and easily this Brooklyn boy's favorite stretch of my favorite race) I looked forward to seeing my mom at Bay Ridge Parkway and Fourth Avenue.  She is my number one fan on the course - having spectated at almost all (seriously) of the 14 I've run.  I think she's only missed 1 (but no more than 2) of my races.  God bless all moms out there.  They are amazing!

Also on the Brooklyn stretch (along 4th Avenue) - one of the all time worst race moments of all-time!  I pulled off to use a porta-John, waiting patiently for the one in front of me to open up.  Another guy was pacing impatiently up and down the other 5+ occupied ones.  "My" porta-John opened up and as I got in he grabbed the door and said menacingly, "I got this one!"  Part of my was about to laugh in his face, but I ignored him and turned to do my business.  Amazingly!  And I will say this again - Amazingly - he pulled open the door and screamed for me to get out!  In one of the only times I ever directed an expletive at someone (other than a car driver) during a race I growled back at him "Get the f*ck out of here!"  Despite my partial immodesty, I was ready to punch him in the face (forget the laugh).  Luckily, for him - another one opened off and he ran over to it. 

The silver lining here, if any, was my adrenaline level shot thru there roof.  So I had no trouble flying down 4th Avenue after that sideshow.  I wonder if he would have been as threatening if he hadn't been twice my size?  Or maybe it was the desperate urge to relieve himself that caused the scene.  Be that as it may, it left a bad taste in my mouth for a couple of miles.  By mile 8 it was old news.

Running the remainder of the race was completely uneventful.  I just kept my focus of keeping it together mile by mile.  I love crossing the bridges (hills they may be) - so I looked forward to them.  Even so, my lowest point (mentally) is crossing the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan.  That sounds crazy, considering the wall of sound that awaits at the Manhattan side, but the typically windy and seemingly endless stretch never fails to get to me.

First Avenue itself, however, is another story.  I love this stretch - even though it's also mentally challenging as we get closer to the Willis Avenue Bridge.  This time around I felt pretty strong during 1st Avenue and over into the Bronx.  I had eaten an Expresso Luv Gu as I came into Manhattan and had a Tangerine PowerGel up at the mile 18 station (2x caffeine) - so I was very alert.  The caffeine did it's magic and I was fine for the rest of the distance.  I had another Expresso Luv Gu tucked into a compression sleeve, but never needed it.

As I mentioned, even though I slowed down in those last 5 or so miles, it didn't seem that way until I reached the Park.  In fact, it wasn't until mile 25 that I felt the wheels coming off the bus.  I was on the edge of 4 hours - and would only come in under 4 if I kept running.  I could have walked it, but that would have kissed a sub-4 goodbye (although I probably would have finished sub-4:10, ahead of my prior two finishes).  Thankfully I managed to keep it together :D

And, as always, regardless of the actual race, the toughest part of the day was the dreaded walk to the baggage bus!  Do I exaggerate - yes, but it is a dreadfully long trek to get to my dry clothes!  One great new thing this year was having the Tour buses parked on Central Park West, just north of the Family Reunion Area.  That was simply fantastic - as contrasted with the walk down to Lincoln Center where our buses were parked in years past!

Well, that's the story for 2016!

2016 New York City Marathon: Race Photos & Results

What a great day to run... a marathon!  It was exactly 15 degrees warmer (53) when I woke up Sunday morning than it was at the start of my Saturday (38).  Even so, I somehow managed to run the race a bit overdressed.  But I'll write up a short race report and cover all the details tomorrow.

The short version - I finished my 14th consecutive NYC Marathon!  The 3:57:42 was 13 minutes faster than my 2015 and 2014 finishes (my slowest NYC finishes).  It also wrapped up my 9+1 requirements for guaranteed entry in the 2017 edition - big, big smile :D

Congrats to everyone who finished yesterday!  Race report to follow.

Here are the official race results from NYRR.

2016 NYC Marathon Expo at the Javits Center

This morning headed over to the Javits Center to pick up my stuff for the Marathon!  I'm lining up in the last Green Corral of the first wave - which means running on the lower level of the bridge.  Haven't started off the race on the lower level in a few years :O

This will by my 14th consecutive NYC Marathon.  It will also be my 9th NYRR race of 2016, which gives me guaranteed entry for the 2017 edition - and, hopefully, sets me up for my 15th one!

Good luck to everyone running!