2019 VCTC Urban Environmental Challenge 10K

Great morning to run - and great conditions (dry) at Van Cortlandt Park for the Urban Environmental Challenge 10k!  This year the VCTC added a 6k race (and one for the kids as well).

Ran into a couple of old (non-VCTC) friends as well!

As for the running, the second loop was tough.  I wound up walking up the hills on the second go around.  But I was more than pleased with my 55:50 (unofficial), 9:00 pace.  It was almost 3 minutes slower than I ran last year, but have a lot fewer training miles run so far this year :O

I'll add a link to the results once they've been posted.

2019 VCTC Tough Love 2x2 Relay

It may not have been the proper training plan to line up for Van Cortlandt Track Club's Tough Love Relay this morning - with the prospect of the Boston Buildup 20K in Fairfield tomorrow morning!  The wintery blast of cold weather was simply the icing on the cake (could not resist that chill pun)! 

But I love VCTC events - and I love running at Van Cortlandt Park - so this was a no brainer.  Plus, the prospect of winning a carrot cake muffin sealed the deal.  And, despite the frigid cold (the wind chill alone had to take the real feel temperature down to low single digits - but when the wind stopped blowing, the conditions were excellent)!

Don't know how we managed it, but Emmy and I teamed up and finished 3rd (behind Susan's team and Benny's team) in our AG.  So in addition to the race gloves - took home carrot cake muffins!

As always, VCTC put on an excellent event (and Carolyn, as RD, did an excellent job as well).  Hiroshi and I did a deja vu photo - a reprise of last week's photo from the TRRC Freezer 5K up at FDR park :D

I'll add link to the results once they've been posted.

2018 VCTC Summer XC Series Relay: Race Photos & Results

Last night was a bit of speed work - 2 miles with a hill (Cemetery Hill, to be specific) tossed in - at Van Cortland Park.  It was the VCTC Summer XC Series Relay - and even with a strong breeze across the flats, it was Hot and Humid!

The relay was 2x2, with each person running the 2 mile loop.  I teamed up with Emmy (I believe we last teamed up for this one back in 2013?) and we managed to take second in our age group!  That was good enough to score those fabled Lloyd carrot cake muffins as prizes :D

Here are the overall results from Van Cortland Track Club.
and the age group results, as well.

2018 VCTC Flats Mile: Race Photos & Results

Celebrated Global Running Day with a trip to Van Cortlandt Park to run the Flats Mile!  It was a fun time, running and socializing.  But as for racing, after a long day at the office, all I could eke out for a mile run on the cinder track encircling the parade grounds was a 6:50 finish.  It was certainly one of my slower miles, but I'll take it :D

In addition to the great patch we received for signing up for the race itself, the NYRR were set up with their "finish line" for the Global Running Day runners - and I received a great buff as some nice bonus swag!

The official results have been posted on the VCTC results page.

2018 VCTC Urban Environmental Challenge 10K: Race Photos & Results

It was sunny - on the positive side - for the Van Cortland Track Club's Urban Environmental Challenge 10K this morning.  Unfortunately, temperature-wise it was still Winter, with a pretty stiff wind chill tossed in for good measure!  But, that detail aside, there was a great turnout for this awesome trail race!


The course is a double loop that splits the back hills into 2 trails (the "high" road on the first, the "low" road on the second).  The second loop, in contrast to the first loop, had a lot of debris and fallen trees/branches on the trail. I had a 55 minute target in mind at the start.  I didn't think there was too much speed in my legs going in - and looked as it a final trail tune-up going into next week's NJ Ultra Fest.


Somehow I managed to run a 52:58 (squeaking in just under 53 minutes)!  That's my second fastest finish at this race (just a minute+ over my 2015 finish of 51:49)!  It was a solid 2+ minutes better than last year's finish of 55:17).  As a bonus it was good enough for 2nd place in my age group (which in turn was an improvement over last year's 3rd place AG)!


Here are the official results from VCTC.

February 2018 Race Schedule

February has seems to have snuck up on me.  My race schedule for this month is still something of a work in progress.  The only definite item so far is the running the 3rd Boston Buildup race (20K) next weekend.  There are a couple probable ones as well - including the "Looper" bowl (a/k/a Leatherman's loop) this weekend - instead of the NYRR's Gridiron 4 Miler and the Stratford's "Last Chance for Romance" 3 Miler (a/k/a the "Sweetheart").  The Stratford race is a bit late in the month, hence the "Last Chance" :D


That one also conflicts with the Colchester Half - one of my favorite events!  But I'll go with the shorter distance because I seriously thinking of running the Hyannis Marathon the next day.  That one is all about the logistics.  If the travel to and from gets worked out, count me in!


Another race that's in the probable category is the VCTC "Tough Love" 2 x 2M Relay in Van Cortland Park next weekend.  It's the day before the Buildup 20K, but if I can line up a partner to run it with me - again, count me in!


Finally, the major question mark for this month is what to do the weekend of 17/18?  There are a couple of options I'm looking at right now, but nothing definite at this point. 


Caveats as above, here's how it looks so far:


2/4 - Looper Bowl 10K
2/10 - VCTC Tough Love 2x2M Relay
2/11 - Boston Buildup 20K
2/17-18 - ???
2/24 - Stratford "Last Chance for Romance" 3M
2/25 - Hyannis Marathon?

Pre-Christmas Trail Run in Van Cortandt Park

Running the old Holiday Marathon course on the trails of Van Cortlandt Park this morning was a trip down memory lane!  Back in the 2011-12 "era" - a much more innocent age- we had a series of holiday themed "marathon" in VCP.  Runners could do four 6.5 mile loops for a full marathon (or any number, for that matter).  The results were recorded on the honor system via a sign out sheet at the start/finish (Tortoise & Hare statue).


The tradition was brought back this morning when the trail runners meet-up group set off with about 15 or so runners, following the old route.  Interestingly, in the intervening years the one major change was the addition of a concrete switchback at the one mile (or so) mark to reach the highway overpass.  In the old days (did I really write that - haha), we climbed the steep embankment up to the highway (and in winter an old rope would be added to make the icy, slushy climb more manageable).


I had a great time - and if I had more time would certainly have gone out for a third loop!  One funny fact: I got a parking spot on Broadway, not to far south from the Tortoise & Hare statue, for the 1st time in years!  Typically, I find myself parking at the Horace Mann school - that's how hard it is to get a spot right off the park! 


Great trails, great company, and even great weather - an awesome way to spend Christmas Eve day!

2017 Van Cortlandt Track Club Run for Puerto Rico

This morning I drove down to Van Cortlandt Park for the VCTC Run for Puerto Rico - a fund raiser for hurricane victims.  Most of the runners were VCTC members, but there where a good number of friends participating as well.  The highlight, pre-run, was the singing of the Puerto Rican national anthem ("La Borinquena") before we set off across the flats to the start line!

The run itself was 2.5 loops of the parade grounds.  It worked out (according to my GPS) to slightly less than 3.7 miles.  But the more interesting aspect was the widely disparate running conditions on either side of the flats - wind tunnel like on the east side, calm with breaks of sun on the west side! 

Thanks to Hiroshi, I wound up running a much faster pace (couple of second over an 8 minute pace) than the easy run I had planned (e.g. 9+ minute miles).  All in all it was a great morning, and it was great that VCTC organized it.  I think Bobby said it raised over $1600 for the relief effort - which is outstanding!

I only took a handful of photos - but the event was covered by local cable news (channel 12, I believe) and a clip was posted on FB.

2017 Urban Environmental Challenge 10K: Race Photos & Results

It was a great day to run on trails (even if there was a bit of pesky wind that wouldn't leave) this morning.  This was my 4th VCTC Urban Environmental Challenge - and probably my favorite course layout at Van Cortlandt Park.  The double loop course takes runners on two separate, rarely run trails, along the main path on the back woods of the park.  It was definitely hilly than I remembered (but I pretty much say that about every trail race, near and far).

As for my result, the 55:17 was 3 seconds faster than my first (2011) run at this course, but a solid 3 minutes than my last (2015) UEC.  Either way, it was good enough for 3rd place in my age group - and an awesome carrot cake muffin to go along with the great race patch (instead of tee shirt) given out this year!

I'll add a link to the results once they're posted.

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.

2014 pete mcardle xc 15k: race photos & results

after the frigid conditions in the days leading up the pete mcardle xc 15k in van cortlandt park, it was something of a surprise to run in shorts again!  for a race that's had weather conditions notoriously all over the map - in 2008 ran it in a torrential downpour - we had perfect (springlike) conditions.

the nyrr also had a 4 miler going on in central park - and at least a couple ran the 4 miler as a warm up to the 15k (bette and sal come to mind)!  i was more than happy to get in three loops of the park and log 15k for the day.  my 1:18:40 was well off my target of 1:15 (even if the minute bathroom break is taken off).  but i was pleased with that finish - and the great running conditions that went along with it.

afterwards, there was a excellent post-race party of socializing and rehydrating, hosted by the van cortlandt track club!

here are the race results from nyrr.