tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25634565950308226922024-02-19T21:32:08.180-05:00Running to DinnerThe adventures of an eater on the run.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-76792661373173056052012-04-15T18:18:00.000-04:002012-04-15T18:18:30.103-04:00Boston tomorrow.This is my first blog entry in about six months. I kept telling myself I would update this, since I've actually been really busy running. I've had some great runs during this time, but I think the thing that kept me from writing was just a string of rather disappointing races. As I sit here writing this, though, one day before I run the Boston Marathon on what will be an 89 degree day, I am looking back on my last six months. And while my running may not have been consistent, certain things have been constant: my love of the sport, the support I get from my friends, and the inspiration that so many of my teammates give me on a constant basis. Because of these things, I am excited about the race tomorrow, and I know that no matter what my time is, no matter how hot it is, I will be guided by the thought of so many others rooting for me and helping me to lead the way.<br />
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Just a brief rundown of my running over the last few months:<br />
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In October, I ran the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon. I really didn't know what to expect from this race. I had done Reach the Beach three weeks before, and the 18-mile NYRR Marathon Tuneup two weeks before. If it makes sense, I think I felt overtrained and undertrained at the same time. I think I did not train enough early on in the process, and then tried to condense it as I got closer to the race. As a result, I didn't feel like I was particularly fit, yet my legs and body felt worn out and never fully recovered. On top of that, I hadn't done much racing in the few months leading up to the marathon (hadn't raced a single Half during my training). I was left not really knowing how I was going to do, or what I should try for.<br />
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Peter, Matt and Michael were also doing the marathon, and they were all trying for a 3:05ish. So I thought I would basically tag along with them. This meant 7:00-7:05 pace. To make a long story short, by mile 8, I was already feeling like it wasn't my race. And though I hit the halfway point at around 1:32:30, just on target, I knew I wasn't going to be able to maintain it. Mile 14 was 7:32, then came the 8 minute mile at Mile 16. Around mile 18, Darin came zooming past me like he was riding a jet engine. I was just doing what I could to make it to the finish. My final time was about 3:19:08. I was indeed very disappointed.<br />
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I spent the hour or so after the race feeling kind of bad for myself. It was a day when Peter, Michael, Onesimo, and many others had great races. And I was really happy for them, but I couldn't help but feel upset about my own performance.<br />
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It took Bernie to make me feel like I was being silly. She also didn't have the race that she was hoping for. We waited for her for awhile, and I think Sanderson and Cindy went back on the course to see if she was ok. It turned out, she knew she wasn't having a good race, but just made the best out of it. She walked, she chatted, and she laughed. She ran in honor of her father, and was determined to enjoy herself. When she came by us, waiting for her by the finish, she was in great spirits, happy to see us, and excited about the finish. All of us there ran her through to the finish line together. It was a truly inspirational moment and so exemplary of the enormously positive attitude and sportsmanship that so many of my Front Runner friends carry themselves with. It made me really proud to be a member of the club and friends with such great people.<br />
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Unfortunately, that feeling of positive energy didn't really stick with me as long as it should have. I spent the weeks following Mohawk Hudson feeling sorry about myself, feeling slow, undertrained and out of shape. Although I had the New York City Marathon on my schedule three weeks afterwards, I did nothing to get my mind into running that race. Instead, I spent three weeks basically sitting on the couch, depressed, and stuffing my face. It wasn't pretty. <br />
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Needless to say, the NYC didn't go so well either. To make matters worse, I got cocky at the start, and went out way too fast, faster than I had gone out at Mohawk. Five of the first 8 miles were under a 7 minute pace. But by Mile 11, I was running a 7:32. By Mile 20, I was just hoping for under 9 minute miles. Final time was 3:22:36.<br />
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To be honest, I don't remember much about that race. But I do remember that after the race, Mikey, Waldon, Sanderson, Matt, Chris and some others met up for beers and burgers, and a little pool. It made me realize that the reason I ran, and the reason I did all these marathons, wasn't so much about the finishing time. It was about doing an activity that I enjoy, and getting to participate in a sport alongside my best friends. While the race itself wasn't so great, the time I got to spend with my friends is what I will always remember about the experience. The training, the ferry ride, the corrals, commiserating, the beers, that's what makes the marathon experience so amazing for me. A time is just a number. But the experiences will last forever.<br />
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Annnnndddd, sooooo, two weeks later, I did another marathon, this time in Philly. By this point, I had resigned myself to the fact that no matter how many marathons I did, none of them were going to be as fast as I would have liked. So, instead of boring you with the details, I'll just say that I did it in 3:18:20. Not great, but whatever.<br />
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So, after doing three marathons in five weeks, what was next? I don't remember exactly how it came to be, but somehow, somehow, I decided that it was a good idea for me to run an Ultra. It turned out that Jonathan, Sanderson, Waldon and Jonathan were all registered to do the Lookout Mountain 50-miler in Georgia / Tennessee. The idea intrigued me. It's a trail race up a mountain. I had never done an ultra before. Nor had I ever done a trail race before. So, what the hell, might as well kill two birds...<br />
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It was pretty brutal. Daniel and I decided to run the whole thing together. I'm really glad that we did. I'm certain there was no way I would have finished it without him. It was just a long-ass run. 50 miles, through river crossings, single-track trails, mud, thorns, darkness, wetness, misery. By mile 15, I didn't think I'd be able to make it. It was like a complete mind-fuck. You couldn't think of how many miles you ran or have left because the number was so big. Like, running 20 miles, and then thinking you have MORE than a whole marathon left. <br />
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What kept me going was the thought of the next aid station coming up. Every 6-8 miles, they would have an aid station, will tons of goodies. Pringles, Mountain Dew, potatoes/salt, fig newtons, M&Ms, and my favorite, ramen noodles. I couldn't wait for the ramen noodles. I had like three cupfuls of them at a few of the stations. At the aid stations, I refilled my water bottle with half Mountain Dew, half Coca Cola. It was disgusting.<br />
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But the whole time, Daniel and I were within about 50 feet of each other. Sometimes he would be ahead, sometimes I would be. Sometimes we chatted, sometimes we gossiped, sometimes we bitched. It was like an 11-hour emotional roller coaster. We'd pass the same people over and over again. There was this guy in green; somehow we passed him like ten times, but he would always catch back up and pass us again. I was so angry at him. At the last aid station, he chugged a beer and we passed him, thinking, "Haha, we finally have you beat, sucker." But then the sun set, and it got pitch black. And we spent the last 6 miles trying to outrun his stupid headlamp. I felt like I was in the Blair Witch Project, with him chasing us.<br />
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The last couple of miles, we were at like 10 hours and 45 minutes of running. Daniel and I had a goal of finishing the race in under 11 hours. At like 10:55, the guy in green passed us, and I also realized we weren't going to make it in under 11 hours. With about a mile to go, I was about ready to give up; fuck it all. Somehow Daniel helped me to pull it together, and we made it to the finish line, 11 hours and 11 minutes after we started. Waldon, Sanderson and Jonathan were right there at the end, cheering us in. They were so excited for us, and we were so happy to be done. I had finished my first Ultra! And I had an amazing experience running the whole way with Daniel! <br />
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As of right now, I don't really remember how we finished compared to everyone else in the race. But this was truly a race where the time didn't matter. What mattered was that I did my first Ultra, with a great friend, and we had the most wonderful time supporting and encouraging each other. It was an experience I'll never forget, and I absolutely thank Daniel for being with me every step of the way.<br />
<br />
===<br />
<br />
So fast forward to now. I've had a pretty good training season for tomorrow's race. And I've been racing well too. In March, I ran the Coogan's 5K in 18:43 (6:03 pace). A new PR!! And then, two weeks later, I ran the NYC Half in 1:27:11, a HUGE new PR (by over two minutes)!! So, I've been really excited about Boston. <br />
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But, that being said, I think I had a very modest goal for myself. I wasn't looking to PR. All I really wanted was to BQ so I could join my friends next year. Just a sub-3:10 would make me happy. A 3:08 would be amazing. <br />
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Of course, tomorrow is supposed to be 89 degrees. The BAA has given us three heat advisories, including:<br />
<br />
<ul><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'Arial MT Condensed Light', sans-serif;">We are now making the recommendation that if you are not highly fit or if you have any underlying medical conditions (for example-cardiac disease, pulmonary disease or any of a number of medical problems), you should NOT run this race.</span> </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">For the overwhelming majority of those who have entered to participate in the 2012 Boston Marathon, you should adopt the attitude that THIS IS NOT A RACE.</span> </li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'Arial MT Condensed Light', sans-serif;">Speed can kill.</span> </span></li>
</ul><br />
Soooo, we will see what the weather holds for me tomorrow. All I can say is I will do my best, run smartly and responsibly, and know that I have the support of my friends, family and teammates no matter what happens tomorrow. For those of you who are reading this: thank you for helping to lead the way for me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIKr_CinlYfV5ZBkjScJPzBwstkFOj2IYHzDOurJNRBy_zsikI4svmnFStrIUl9Y5a8is7o4s50e5SR4VbDOLOQuRimMemaiH8ib_Ni36R4imsV0s-lodDLjJd2rpA2HtbgLvSyPJjaSr/s1600/ready.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIKr_CinlYfV5ZBkjScJPzBwstkFOj2IYHzDOurJNRBy_zsikI4svmnFStrIUl9Y5a8is7o4s50e5SR4VbDOLOQuRimMemaiH8ib_Ni36R4imsV0s-lodDLjJd2rpA2HtbgLvSyPJjaSr/s320/ready.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />
DaveUnknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-78562276429162423702011-10-08T03:44:00.000-04:002011-10-08T03:44:31.108-04:00Reach the Beach 2011!!!I'm writing this the Friday night before the <a href="http://mohawkhudsonmarathon.com/">Mohawk Hudson Marathon</a> and I should be packing for it, but I'm so far behind in this blog, I felt like I just needed to post about Reach the Beach, which happened three weeks ago. I still have another post about my August multisporting, but that one will have to wait until after the marathon post....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_H-I8Svr-myI8n4TSyQEA9-l9cRjfIhrlsRsYyVbo_1DNTXcn3GW-vwsG1Mzq2fUsh2gX2qb0qTC1ytDUrtyZVh-qmYvPgFIg9nC8YQSF46gFhnTSLtI1OAgnTmV48ekhZzeghUqJmzj/s1600/9999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_H-I8Svr-myI8n4TSyQEA9-l9cRjfIhrlsRsYyVbo_1DNTXcn3GW-vwsG1Mzq2fUsh2gX2qb0qTC1ytDUrtyZVh-qmYvPgFIg9nC8YQSF46gFhnTSLtI1OAgnTmV48ekhZzeghUqJmzj/s320/9999.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Anyways, so three weeks ago I did the Reach the Beach Relay again!!! It was my third Ultra relay since May, and my third time doing the NH RTB Relay with team Front Runners NY Ultragays. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's almost gotten to the point where running 30ish miles over 24 hours is not that big of a deal. Almost...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx_VLaY4ph_I_FSfgCHGIsueMJQUDjlp2wx32R4fOGFrGVsrs9ksOFQ9rOhKKEos9YBTuzS1VO3ccEiniKrgMxBqp8kn_uke8ZuDPYfZa9MaHOeUyZRSogWpYqeEiuxYKmJv7Fq6BXLsS/s1600/1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx_VLaY4ph_I_FSfgCHGIsueMJQUDjlp2wx32R4fOGFrGVsrs9ksOFQ9rOhKKEos9YBTuzS1VO3ccEiniKrgMxBqp8kn_uke8ZuDPYfZa9MaHOeUyZRSogWpYqeEiuxYKmJv7Fq6BXLsS/s320/1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>But it's still a TON of fun. The most fun I've ever had doing any kind of running activity has been during these relay races. Part of it is that I get to spend the weekend with some great friends. There's the camaraderie and the friendly competition. There's the support and encouragement that you get from your teammates. There's also the gossip, the jokes, the wisecracks, and chatting. And of course, the grogginess, sleeplessness, stinkyness and soooore-ness. But through it all, I got to hang out with a wonderful group of people, and we all did some really great racing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3M2yqQI0QAe70wcuihML3XPYjET1CXTwoueqo2eRk9ygFqIfpGAdxONZjoGlkzITqEeplzXi87Z4IFbpm1P3UNk4L7_OK-0ySaK1-ApBsFSJdP10JD48Gq5-YNlRRM91-W8B-rQrxpEez/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3M2yqQI0QAe70wcuihML3XPYjET1CXTwoueqo2eRk9ygFqIfpGAdxONZjoGlkzITqEeplzXi87Z4IFbpm1P3UNk4L7_OK-0ySaK1-ApBsFSJdP10JD48Gq5-YNlRRM91-W8B-rQrxpEez/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The Ultragays this year consisted of me, Mike Terry, Josh, Darin, Gabe and Peter. I've done Ultra relays with all of them before (it was my 4th time with Josh and Mike!) We had both a driver AND a den mother, so that was really nice. Bryce took control of the van for the full 36 hours' worth of driving, and Ben was our cheerleader / Gatorade hander-outer / and Twitterer extraordinaire.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgYU8Hw7thuXIeXZKB2LNGsnXzrwM56d1rGbwF1a_syuqUOf1P77fyRW9Z8giUmjLT1BF2KSGQDoG634aTr5FHnVCfI8Vjg1UDRZrV9JCjnJ2NPFjN5GWjqEjVWtG0ROraCIl8LPeQqNE/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgYU8Hw7thuXIeXZKB2LNGsnXzrwM56d1rGbwF1a_syuqUOf1P77fyRW9Z8giUmjLT1BF2KSGQDoG634aTr5FHnVCfI8Vjg1UDRZrV9JCjnJ2NPFjN5GWjqEjVWtG0ROraCIl8LPeQqNE/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gabe did some great work decorating the van!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64KigXFYz55pxZ9S74nibI8PQ5PkSTZL_0OOXNJV9-sno7IiM1VCXyJERgBMwxH1eivvj_0kEj4gtqNGGfo0jlwHQuQj8nLpLTTSj6onn5-WkjjIVSSyUs8hxMmQswErBqggRwrluw-Tb/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64KigXFYz55pxZ9S74nibI8PQ5PkSTZL_0OOXNJV9-sno7IiM1VCXyJERgBMwxH1eivvj_0kEj4gtqNGGfo0jlwHQuQj8nLpLTTSj6onn5-WkjjIVSSyUs8hxMmQswErBqggRwrluw-Tb/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.pollyspancakeparlor.com/">Polly's Pancake Parlor</a> is always one of the highlights of the race!</div><br />
My first leg was about 3.87 miles of uphill, but for some reason it didn't feel uphill at all. I think I was just really pumped up on adrenaline that I felt like I was flying. I had my Garmin on so I knew I was going around 6:30-6:35 pace. One of the other FRNY teams (there were SIX Front Runners teams--4 men's and 2 women's) was just a few minutes behind us and Mikey B was running my leg, so I think I felt a little pressure to not get passed by him. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By Leg 2, though, I started feeling the hills. It was 5.19 miles, which I did around 6:40 pace. I don't remember a whole lot about this leg.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhox6QEZukN8QsNCU2WTLvNFt2eMt_p3vyKtXv9KK0wsM_gPvabhqlc5ZkcJZQ75KtXDKQxwauLQR4JpVPxSXwJMD6_oF9hWBybt_hv4so56ukZvusZ-TE-7jVJyFrQb8TgIklPSTOsxgKr/s1600/rtb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhox6QEZukN8QsNCU2WTLvNFt2eMt_p3vyKtXv9KK0wsM_gPvabhqlc5ZkcJZQ75KtXDKQxwauLQR4JpVPxSXwJMD6_oF9hWBybt_hv4so56ukZvusZ-TE-7jVJyFrQb8TgIklPSTOsxgKr/s320/rtb2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lH7oG6zygc-45koNNZcwknO1lTRUPNucTF5fIaTEpxfDWZl6hye0f_EpdySaggBflyrK8wU2MLYR_UN1N00Ag-7muKiS3-zqDcTdREKvuhes3vlsGhS1tJTlJ1fiQ2p5oy-oK6UxrCnR/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lH7oG6zygc-45koNNZcwknO1lTRUPNucTF5fIaTEpxfDWZl6hye0f_EpdySaggBflyrK8wU2MLYR_UN1N00Ag-7muKiS3-zqDcTdREKvuhes3vlsGhS1tJTlJ1fiQ2p5oy-oK6UxrCnR/s320/4.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Leg 3 was my hardest leg by far. It was just past midnight when I started. Josh was passing off to me, but I didn't see him coming until he was about 50 yards away. I was still wearing my hoodie and sweatpants when he came up to give me the slap-band. I was totally not ready for him. And then, as soon as I left the transition area, I had to climb this enormous mountain. I couldn't see anything and all I knew was that I had a steep, steep climb for over a mile. That first mile came to about 8 minutes, with me running as fast as I possibly could. It was so hard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LuOqX48ai4nNcq2R3h71-3mWdWXQo3RgKv05Yx1jntbHg-3VxIpq93oEinGWDH_Z5JkcKjkz8m96XIsZjb5S0M3G7c3O3EslUDzucRmPdYwTQNRtOjhbODeJK5Qy96OCULwXamOA77QS/s1600/rtb3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LuOqX48ai4nNcq2R3h71-3mWdWXQo3RgKv05Yx1jntbHg-3VxIpq93oEinGWDH_Z5JkcKjkz8m96XIsZjb5S0M3G7c3O3EslUDzucRmPdYwTQNRtOjhbODeJK5Qy96OCULwXamOA77QS/s320/rtb3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And then I had to come downhill, which was even scarier. I was going so fast and it was so dark and so steep, I almost felt like I might not have been fully in control. I couldn't see if there were any cracks or potholes in the road. I remember thinking that if I stepped on a branch and got my legs entangled, I'd be in huge trouble. I ran mile 3 in 6:10. It was crazy. And then I had another huge uphill followed by an steep downhill again. It was just a brutal, brutal leg, and was my slowest. About 6.5 miles at 7 minute pace.<br />
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</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhox6QEZukN8QsNCU2WTLvNFt2eMt_p3vyKtXv9KK0wsM_gPvabhqlc5ZkcJZQ75KtXDKQxwauLQR4JpVPxSXwJMD6_oF9hWBybt_hv4so56ukZvusZ-TE-7jVJyFrQb8TgIklPSTOsxgKr/s1600/rtb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0yBqOY9Abp8LxqG_-hiQ61AX1QeTiUuLcBS_pz2G4Bv6PGjJg_RP4oDTOvL0JNur4ZCQRXRTIvzZXU_8JKTc8sIz4gPYlZsbc9S9laH2T7mKtvakBECn5sXzbg8Qu-PazbCJA1cv1J1q/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0yBqOY9Abp8LxqG_-hiQ61AX1QeTiUuLcBS_pz2G4Bv6PGjJg_RP4oDTOvL0JNur4ZCQRXRTIvzZXU_8JKTc8sIz4gPYlZsbc9S9laH2T7mKtvakBECn5sXzbg8Qu-PazbCJA1cv1J1q/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just to show how all over the place I was, here are my splits (in half-mile increments) for that leg. Fastest 1/2 mile was 6:06 pace, and slowest was 8:09! Ugh, it was so hard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_KTHT7yO3HIUQCvKauJhRvnPQnTtAvx_7RLqqXKBSIdWUbDMnjyKSz0zkBrL46Zr9UgD0hCmfFkn5nD2Schaw3742_1QzU5dUDkWauYHp3NFIh7-WBfLRzqfuP9X9pbpbhrbQ3FKH541/s1600/rtb3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_KTHT7yO3HIUQCvKauJhRvnPQnTtAvx_7RLqqXKBSIdWUbDMnjyKSz0zkBrL46Zr9UgD0hCmfFkn5nD2Schaw3742_1QzU5dUDkWauYHp3NFIh7-WBfLRzqfuP9X9pbpbhrbQ3FKH541/s320/rtb3a.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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My last three legs were a little easier. Leg 4 was 3.5 miles at a 6:37 pace. By that time, I was probably a little delirious. I really don't remember anything from that run.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnR9Fm3_M3my9sOoR2ZgFCxvFeBvXCQ3CFMkKHpZCG1AJm_oC0MEEd0VJwzcA8IZ4naHdo4ZZ10nGk6Ev9Wq3eHATy4c9Xmayvjrx7YJXJJn-wbXdQJt1EDdbLCi-cf4Xaa1On7-XPV4Ne/s1600/rtb4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnR9Fm3_M3my9sOoR2ZgFCxvFeBvXCQ3CFMkKHpZCG1AJm_oC0MEEd0VJwzcA8IZ4naHdo4ZZ10nGk6Ev9Wq3eHATy4c9Xmayvjrx7YJXJJn-wbXdQJt1EDdbLCi-cf4Xaa1On7-XPV4Ne/s320/rtb4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With Leg 5, I was at the point where I was dreading having to go on my run. My legs felt so sore, I could barely walk. But at 5.6 miles, it was one of my longer legs. So I had to pull it together. Somehow I managed, with a 6:47 pace.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdoUB7pLW0W-z4b0QELkAdqfUMG_Rnb2z2P4e0-RvRDvwtXkcbm3-2s-6JPp1r0CnAqeSq_vbGDSM77wjD2Kt2Me33jfggSaGOWMw78QEGMb5C7syP44YCohzayVf31MDByT-kyo-91l2/s1600/rtb5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdoUB7pLW0W-z4b0QELkAdqfUMG_Rnb2z2P4e0-RvRDvwtXkcbm3-2s-6JPp1r0CnAqeSq_vbGDSM77wjD2Kt2Me33jfggSaGOWMw78QEGMb5C7syP44YCohzayVf31MDByT-kyo-91l2/s320/rtb5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
By Leg 6, I just couldn't wait for it to be over. At the transition area, there was another team of Ultra runners (team Are We There Yet?) waiting for their runner as I was waiting for Josh. They had started 20 minutes before us (so we were about 20 minutes faster than them), but we could tell they were competitive and wanted to pass us. The guy running against me looked really fast, so I was nervous. Josh came in first. And when he gave me his slap band, I just booked it fast as I could go. My legs were jello by then but I knew I just had four miles to go I so I pushed strong.<br />
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And then it happened. The friggin stop light turned red and the traffic cop made me stand still while he let traffic through. He had the nerve to joke with me that I was "lucky to get a break." I was so angry. I had run so fast to get ahead of that guy from Are We There Yet, and then I had to stand there and wait for him to catch up to me. For like eternity I was standing there. Ugh.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhLWhYrwJHFBaAaVFhLpuzbTCNNk0uY07nhqhR1SZXqD9MgcZOGv2p2aLYBSDHyKOGdD1TLH5gc_cwy-6bjeFFcavXm_lazeTnu0BWYaG4mb2kMPqNVBsZsdUHJRWZg0P5eQ-6FCKU2wd/s1600/rtb6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhLWhYrwJHFBaAaVFhLpuzbTCNNk0uY07nhqhR1SZXqD9MgcZOGv2p2aLYBSDHyKOGdD1TLH5gc_cwy-6bjeFFcavXm_lazeTnu0BWYaG4mb2kMPqNVBsZsdUHJRWZg0P5eQ-6FCKU2wd/s320/rtb6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I ended up getting to the transition a few seconds before the other guy, but not by much. He definitely made a lot of time on me, since he was faster and didn't have to wait at the light. I did my 4.03 miles at 6:55 pace. If you deduct the 55 seconds I was waiting for the light, then a 6:41 pace, which sounds much better. I was so, so, so glad to be done, though.<br />
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But then, there got to be a little bit of a race between us and team Are We There Yet. Granted, they did start 20 minutes before us, so they weren't really our competition. But their 5th runner ended up passing Peter on his last leg. And as he came running into the transition before Peter, he shouted out to us, in the most obnoxious way, "Oooohhh, where's YOUR guy??" Jerk. I thought it was really unsportsmanlike. So of course, I wanted to kick their ass. Luckily, we had Darin as our anchor, and he just blew right past their 6th runner. Take that, suckers. How you like gettin' crushed by a a group of gays! Hahhaahaa...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSkEKE4Cq-7EwAxxY8C4wlfk5fCUz1X3VAqiam6Ud1cdpZycWiteWSR-LLOYd2fvzOP9q7vAXXyoPWHpcM7uCqfwC4ENpHk4XmADug6qxf3aQKSGGucpCH2307PO_h9Y296R3A93ZpRzp/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSkEKE4Cq-7EwAxxY8C4wlfk5fCUz1X3VAqiam6Ud1cdpZycWiteWSR-LLOYd2fvzOP9q7vAXXyoPWHpcM7uCqfwC4ENpHk4XmADug6qxf3aQKSGGucpCH2307PO_h9Y296R3A93ZpRzp/s320/8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When we saw Darin coming in on the beach, I was so happy! We all ran through the finish line with him, thrilled at being finished, and so excited about our excellent race! We ended up finishing the 191.92 miles in 21:13:29, or a smoking 6:38 pace! (I did my 28.67 miles in a 6:44 pace, which I was THRILLED about!). We were 11th place overall out of 434 finishers, and 2nd in the Men's Ultra division, right behind the FRNY Mission Men. I was so pleased with our performance, and so happy I got to do the race with some of my best friends, and also very glad that I got to see every other Front Runner team along the way. Congratulations to the other FRNY Teams: Mission Men, The Clowns'll Get Me, the Real Front Runners of New York, the U-Haulers, and the Ultragays for Women. And a HUGE congratulations and THANK YOU goes out to my team, the Front Runners New York Ultragays, for your amazing racing and for giving me an wonderful, wonderful experience that I'll never forget.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgRmUWjLRkUjSHWif-7KpzhJEatzsJ1_EeiKzPIetn58wV31Lxat9uftN5f1MdJVo7a9NMwG_QiCondwfR6H3ttz-gUsQLxg22nNqxqIRNVZ5EGbXPooUdhZiWg32FNifx2f3ejD9UCJH/s1600/times.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgRmUWjLRkUjSHWif-7KpzhJEatzsJ1_EeiKzPIetn58wV31Lxat9uftN5f1MdJVo7a9NMwG_QiCondwfR6H3ttz-gUsQLxg22nNqxqIRNVZ5EGbXPooUdhZiWg32FNifx2f3ejD9UCJH/s320/times.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGksG9A1pdX0tBXUfUCAjI3Rh-RVdp3l5lKs7WfMNfpQTD8sAL7bZnDkUqigY1t9sYXOP0pGJn4PMDDf_xms0cUjOrOQBzE00QpwPtjiUaDlDJi_MKtoJsVc6BaJs6Tuk-D_uK4RLvJE9B/s1600/99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGksG9A1pdX0tBXUfUCAjI3Rh-RVdp3l5lKs7WfMNfpQTD8sAL7bZnDkUqigY1t9sYXOP0pGJn4PMDDf_xms0cUjOrOQBzE00QpwPtjiUaDlDJi_MKtoJsVc6BaJs6Tuk-D_uK4RLvJE9B/s320/99.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcX962658R_5r7XoZ_F3prml0fZWhbJoJux_BXR112v8OB35ufd7XPgvr4NXbCkc8l6EkCCu7ogW7VF4nfXyMayGu629dl0IbcyS6-nB1_7z4bMbjjWGrGqrDgfJETT8Wuuy9hD1dVgxgi/s1600/999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcX962658R_5r7XoZ_F3prml0fZWhbJoJux_BXR112v8OB35ufd7XPgvr4NXbCkc8l6EkCCu7ogW7VF4nfXyMayGu629dl0IbcyS6-nB1_7z4bMbjjWGrGqrDgfJETT8Wuuy9hD1dVgxgi/s320/999.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-29962004659557256042011-08-06T13:36:00.000-04:002011-08-06T13:36:44.973-04:00Busy Month!Eeek, I've had a busy month of running and multisporting, but I haven't been updating my blog. So here's a quick rundown of what I've been doing since my last post. <br />
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<b>1. PRIDE RUN (June 25th)</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggus7rOJGJ2oqQ3VLzX6SR61P_PLzGfOArdgZckDjlAoFaT0erddvcu42To1pP9lqNCIMb8AYqPrIpetj60TI03sGX7IwZgRLeo9CSvjxrRH7rdPVZdZNXAQDwgkR8uZdp-WCoyMMZS4tU/s1600/pride+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggus7rOJGJ2oqQ3VLzX6SR61P_PLzGfOArdgZckDjlAoFaT0erddvcu42To1pP9lqNCIMb8AYqPrIpetj60TI03sGX7IwZgRLeo9CSvjxrRH7rdPVZdZNXAQDwgkR8uZdp-WCoyMMZS4tU/s320/pride+run.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The 30th Annual <a href="http://www.frny.org/">Front Runners New York</a> Lesbian & Gay Pride Run was on June 25. This, of course, is my running club's premier event of the year. It was made even more special this year because it was held the day after (in fact, less than 12 hours after) the New York State Legislature approved same-sex marriage. It was a huge time for celebration, among Front Runners, among New York's LGBT community, and among everyone who ran the Pride Run.<br />
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As is our club's annual custom, the night before the Pride Run, we gathered at the <a href="http://www.thestonewallinnnyc.com/Welcome.html">Stonewall Inn</a> for an informal happy hour. Except this year, all of New York City also came to Stonewall. Christopher Street was lined with news trucks, and several Front Runners were interviewed on NY1 about their thoughts on the historic vote. Mikey and John MacConnell's picture made the front page of the Daily News. Thousands had descended upon Christopher Street to celebrate gay marriage.<br />
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Needless to say, I had a bit to drink that night (and by "bit" I mean "lot"), and was not in tip-top shape to run a five-miler. But, I powered through it, and managed to run a 32:08, or 6:26 pace. I think, technically, that counts as a PR. But that has more to do with the lack of 5-milers in my race history than with how good that race was. Since I have a 10k PR of 39:41 (6:24 pace at the 2007 Joe Kleinerman 10k), I feel like I can't have a real 5 Mile PR until it's at least at a 6:23 pace. But, considering I was drinking and celebrating till the wee hours the night before, I was very, very pleased with my time. Also, the course included Harlem Hill, so I think I would have done much better if it was just the normal NYRR 5-mile course. Anyways, it was a great race, not just because of my time, but I got to run it with my club and in celebration of a historic event.<br />
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<b>2. FOURTH OF JULY MULTISPORTAPALOOZA</b><br />
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Over July 4th weekend, Mikey and Rachel and I headed down to the Jersey Shore for another crazy weekend full of multisporting fun.<br />
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On Friday, we all ducked out of work early and took the Seastreak Ferry to the Jersey Highlands, and then biked the 7-8 miles down to the Long Branch Beach.<br />
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Once there, we joined up with the <a href="http://www.sandyhookers.org/">Sandy Hookers</a>, who have a weekly Friday night swim in the ocean. It's not a workout or a clinic, as I had originally thought, but a chance to just swim in the water for and hour or so with a lifeguard watching you. I really enjoyed it. It was a good chance to swim in the ocean without the stress, crowding and competition of a race, but still be able to get in a good swim. Hopefully I'll be able to make it out to some other ocean "fun" swims later in the summer.<br />
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Then on Saturday, Mike, Rachel, Alison, Tom, Cindy and I went to Bradley Beach to do the Jack Wright Ocean Mile swim. I finished in about 33 minutes, which I was really happy about especially since I wasn't wearing a wetsuit. It was Cindy's very first ocean mile swim, and Rachel got an age group award. So a good day was had by all!<br />
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Later that day, Mike, Rachel, Cindy and I joined up with Mike and Dave and George to go on a bike ride. George took us on a nice (but hilly!) ride around the Navesink River. Then I led the group up to the Henry Hudson Bike Path where we rode along the bayshore. After that, we rode up to the tip of Sandy Hook, and I headed back down to Asbury, making for about 50 miles of riding for the day. Then, of course, I had to go on a run, so I did eight miles to the end of Belmar, NJ on the boardwalk and back. So, 1 mile swim, 50 miles bike and 8 miles run. Not bad.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAujNcn86GgcSZYso1tkVEBtzVp-pf4MUOfFuKQwMltbvvFkoWRiPLd80-dM-lSN5OrolOMUz24DJYvcgzyyXkJPYAEzhN8YZcf3063u1S40Etu6iO4gx1P5kgqLLZ1WgVQnn_2utpEHtW/s1600/july+4th+bike+ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAujNcn86GgcSZYso1tkVEBtzVp-pf4MUOfFuKQwMltbvvFkoWRiPLd80-dM-lSN5OrolOMUz24DJYvcgzyyXkJPYAEzhN8YZcf3063u1S40Etu6iO4gx1P5kgqLLZ1WgVQnn_2utpEHtW/s320/july+4th+bike+ride.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Sunday saw some torrential rains down on the shore, so my original plan to go on a 70-mile bike ride with Mike and Dave was thwarthed. But instead, I went on an 18-mile run to look for a bike path that I knew to be in the area but hadn't yet discovered. After getting a little lost, I did manage to find the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Felix_Bikeway">Edgar Felix Bike Path</a>, a 5.4-mile stretch from Manasquan, NJ to Allaire State Park. I didn't get a chance to run very much of it, but I made a note to check it out the next time I was able to bike.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuVl81vnk_gDU7QGD_MKUV91oPEdjftovdiM0dEvAmxE_YDVGo43CvFH5K-v3F5Wt1CVD8ROS86n96BCrcJoywezdWP92MAy2G7kMh7jFWEBj6BZoj7zWRW_BI0d8Q3YKW74x1bD7cNR-/s1600/edgar+felix+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuVl81vnk_gDU7QGD_MKUV91oPEdjftovdiM0dEvAmxE_YDVGo43CvFH5K-v3F5Wt1CVD8ROS86n96BCrcJoywezdWP92MAy2G7kMh7jFWEBj6BZoj7zWRW_BI0d8Q3YKW74x1bD7cNR-/s320/edgar+felix+map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So, sure enough, the next day, Rachel and I checked it out. And I really liked it! It's about 8 miles south of Asbury, about a mile inland, so the ride there is mostly along Ocean Ave. Once you get on the bike path, you feel completely removed from the hustle and bustle of the Jersey Shore. It's so tranquil and quiet. A lot of the path is through farmlands. We even saw a couple of deer! My favorite part, though, is this rickety little wooden bridge that you go over. It's farms all around you, and then all of a sudden, as you're crossing this bridge, you're directly on top of the Garden State Parkway, with its many lanes of highway zooming underneath you. Really cool. It was a great bike ride, a really fun way to cap off a wonderful weekend of multisporting. Thanks to Rachel for joining me!<br />
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<b>3. JERSEY PRIDE TRIATHLON MULTISPORTING WEEKEND</b><br />
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The following weekend, it was back down to the Jersey Shore for some more Front Runner multisport fun.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu61wPLyIO-m8iIcC6qBPP3L7Rr9qM9mdnh-ko1glQbbDTl0x281Nv_yhfn4GSAZuk5SM8NMUWjWLaEhAVyGBJd-Leoe-vb4FlfNZdUphI-nj8vQogfp8l8PwbTpInA32xQJUDddNu3B-/s1600/frny+at+jersey+pride+-+kent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu61wPLyIO-m8iIcC6qBPP3L7Rr9qM9mdnh-ko1glQbbDTl0x281Nv_yhfn4GSAZuk5SM8NMUWjWLaEhAVyGBJd-Leoe-vb4FlfNZdUphI-nj8vQogfp8l8PwbTpInA32xQJUDddNu3B-/s320/frny+at+jersey+pride+-+kent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Saturday was the first ever Jersey Pride Triathlon. It was organized by <a href="http://www.splitsecondracing.net/">Doug</a> and <a href="http://sneakerfactory.com/node/68">Moira</a> of the Sandy Hookers Triathlon Club, and FRNY made it a targeted quarterly out-of-town race. About 45 Front Runners participated in the race, which was a 300m swim, a 10 mile bike and a 3 mile run. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNBhbpTlT-veFDUHGpZnbrAsFNzmZSV3HdcEEGMvhPHpuFCN4ACBThfDLog8ri7_SEibF9wEqqptni1hy8lFeGfAjmw_C2UhOXO4GA2-OrGGOaxKRidr7Xddww8wAJAb_yKapqIaDtExH/s1600/jersey+pride+2+-+kent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNBhbpTlT-veFDUHGpZnbrAsFNzmZSV3HdcEEGMvhPHpuFCN4ACBThfDLog8ri7_SEibF9wEqqptni1hy8lFeGfAjmw_C2UhOXO4GA2-OrGGOaxKRidr7Xddww8wAJAb_yKapqIaDtExH/s320/jersey+pride+2+-+kent.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was a good race for me! The swim was so short, it was over before I knew it. I had a really fast bike ride for me, with an average 19.4 mph, and my run was 6th overall! And, to my surprise, I ended up getting third in my age group! Wooohoooo! My first award in a triathlon! (And yes, there were more than three people.) So excited!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXQPsr4vc3X4J4ZZkZrosFuret4lwkcwLxIrnGYiwTFWW4EqugsXytWbtaFG5F7vFNgSCXr0kQ8R9vclVr6Sjsg2mQIcO3_-xe0OIFirJSHhYpB4dNUvCfG3z-hO7Tj5qp93legZnstqx/s1600/jersey+pride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXQPsr4vc3X4J4ZZkZrosFuret4lwkcwLxIrnGYiwTFWW4EqugsXytWbtaFG5F7vFNgSCXr0kQ8R9vclVr6Sjsg2mQIcO3_-xe0OIFirJSHhYpB4dNUvCfG3z-hO7Tj5qp93legZnstqx/s320/jersey+pride.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are my splits:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Swim Rank</b> 38<br />
<b>Swim Time</b> 8:32.9<br />
<b>T1 Rank</b> 26<br />
<b>T1 Time</b> 1:17.8<br />
<b>Bike Rank</b> 17<br />
<b>Bike Time</b> 30:50.2<br />
<b>T2 Rank</b> 37<br />
<b>T2 Time</b> 50.2 <br />
<b>Run Rank</b> 6<br />
<b>Run Time</b> 19:34.2</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Total Time</b> 1:01:05<br />
<b>O'all Rank</b> 11/140<br />
<b>Age Rank</b> 3/13 [although something seems sketchy about the guy who finished 1st in my age group (4th overall). Did he <a href="http://raceforum.com/2011/jpsplits.HTM">really do a 3 mile run in about 8 minutes</a>?]</span><br />
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After the race (well, actually after breakfast which included a couple of complimentary beers at the Brickwall Tavern in Asbury Park), Rachel, AJ, Matt, Dave and I went on a 70-mile bike ride.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/44580016/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh119Rt6f1yQu8QpIdpaJP54aU4mYZuNAOwNXs22loNu58vghWp8PlRGvuglf9cEm0z7HkAOJl9uRjksrz79N7mH4G3h_yyPfDekhI_K7cQAvDSE3ytuBJOClhGHwALUjGklFxHwnDvSEaG/s320/70+mile+loop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This was the ride that I had wanted to do the previous week with Mike and Dave. It took us down the shore to Sea Girt, then West to Manasquan, through the Edgar Felix Bike Path to Allaire State Park, on a country road (Route 524) then a busy highway (Route 537, ugh, will have to avoid that next time), to the Henry Hudson Bike Path in Freehold, which we stayed on for 27 miles until we hit the Atlantic coast again, and then 12 more miles back to Asbury. It was a great ride, except for that part on 537, and a great way to see some of the interesting scenery in Jersey.<br />
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My favorite part of the ride happened around mile 15. As we were going through New Jersey farm country, I turned to Rachel and said, "Oh, we should stop if we see some blueberries." Not 10 seconds later, she saw a little farmstand on the side of the road selling fresh blueberries! We all immediately pulled over. Not only did they have fresh blueberries, but peaches and nectarines and corn too! The corn was so sweet and fresh we were able to eat it raw! We got some more to take with us for the rest of the trip. MUCH better fuel than Clif Bars!<br />
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But then we had a minor catastrophe. Matt got a flat tire. And he didn't have any spares with him. And he was riding a hybrid bike so none of our spare tubes could fit his bike. And we were about 28 miles away from Asbury. It was Saturday, at about 5:30 pm, and we had no idea where we were. We were kind of kind of screwed. But fortunately, I was able to pull up a bike store on my phone, about three miles away, that was open until 6pm. So I made the trip and picked up a couple of tubes for Matt. Crises averted, and I think Matt learned a very important lesson that day.<br />
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Sunday, after the tri, Dave, Alison, Rachel, Mike, Holly, Cindy and I did the Avon Ocean Mile. I think I did about 33 minutes again. It's all kind of starting to blur together now. It was Holly's first ocean mile swim. Woohoo!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ANxqOWyZ18iaXTsHOm3ToR9Ksx3w_y3tFToBdwS-s0oa0omTBwZ7or8CNw-2mqTMjFou-SbWQrggfEWt6GEqzVYfNr7y_i1jFSmpFRreNri2Us20WsidI-4WHsjvW7lBFfSTCGqXBX4y/s1600/avon+-+rachel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ANxqOWyZ18iaXTsHOm3ToR9Ksx3w_y3tFToBdwS-s0oa0omTBwZ7or8CNw-2mqTMjFou-SbWQrggfEWt6GEqzVYfNr7y_i1jFSmpFRreNri2Us20WsidI-4WHsjvW7lBFfSTCGqXBX4y/s320/avon+-+rachel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>4. TETERBORO 5K AND LONG BRANCH SPRINT TRI (JULY 16-17)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had missed signing up for the Run for Central Park 4-miler on July 16, so instead, I decided to do a 5k at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey with Michael O, Mikey B, Michael S and Steve. It's a flat and fast race, on the runway of Teterboro Airport, but the temperature that day was HOT. Over 80 degrees, and a cloudless sky. Add to that the fact that there were no trees to provide shade on the runway, and I wasn't thinking it would be a particularly good race. Plus, I had gone on a 10-mile run the day before with Jillian, so my legs weren't super fresh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One thing I didn't like about the race was that there were no starting corrals, or even any signs to designate where people of a certain pace should stand. So even though I was way up near the front, there were people all around me who clearly weren't going to be running very fast. One guy, in this race with over 800 runners, stood ten feet from the front of the starting group with a baby stroller! Seriously?!?! That guy was an idiot. Both he and his kid would have gotten crushed and seriously injured had a race official not pulled him out about 30 seconds before the starting horn went off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, anyways, the start went off, and I spent about the first quarter mile or so trying to get settled in and work my way around all the slower people who were in front of me. Finally I did. The course is an out-and-back with one main turn near the start and a sharp turnaround at the halfway point. At mile 1, I saw that my time was 6:15. Ugh. I felt like Was running much faster. When I got to the turnaround, people started slowing down, drastically. I was picking people off one by one, all these people who just started going out way too fast. My split for the second mile was 5:45. REALLY? Holy crap, this meant that I has averaging a 6 minute pace! If I could just maintain the 5:45 for the next 1.1 mile, it would be a huge PR!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Needless to say, the mile markers were quite a bit off. But I did finish in 18:57.47 or 6:06 pace. A NEW PR and an all-time AG% high of 69.15!!! Wooohooo! The last time I PR'd in the 5k was in February 2009, with a 19:17, or 6:13 pace. And not only that, I ended up getting 3rd in my age group too (out of 50)!! And I got to score some nice bling. :-) Sanderson got 1st in his age (17:48), and Steve got 3rd as well (18:10). The two other Mikes also ran great races. So it was a super successful race by all!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_u7fY_-ALgb93qJvEIYtWqhUoqTYsWyoDIAZQnQM39Oh_R8OYfcbxzaCAAnFX5QfS1ZKfsEL8ovLZhWDkb7AvyiCNpzIk2xr3gMwXTmVXXgW69rZeXzlN4goesWAViGC9PLdumxmOJss/s1600/teterboro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_u7fY_-ALgb93qJvEIYtWqhUoqTYsWyoDIAZQnQM39Oh_R8OYfcbxzaCAAnFX5QfS1ZKfsEL8ovLZhWDkb7AvyiCNpzIk2xr3gMwXTmVXXgW69rZeXzlN4goesWAViGC9PLdumxmOJss/s320/teterboro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later that afternoon, Steve and I took the ferry down to the Atlantic Highlands again, and rode down to Asbury for the second installment of the Long Branch Sprint Tri series. It was to be Steve's first triathlon. And he was pretty nervous about the swim. So Saturday afternoon we hit the beach in Asbury and went for a quick swim in the ocean. We went out as far as we could before the lifeguards started whistling at us to come back. I think it helped both of us... it's always good to play in the open water for a bit to get comfortable before a race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTupAju8tIGoKUMS3JJEZDtW0otjkd-GM_CFbSI1kBFtNCqheLxFqIcnZbwy0nsv2m9FV5rTMRrBE2UkG5_7gRM5EtcWA6G3ZQFUT7PGSpoF2rVz71oSpaJIvY55G6KqYvUUQMUCjqvxfM/s1600/lb+tri+-+tina+keppler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTupAju8tIGoKUMS3JJEZDtW0otjkd-GM_CFbSI1kBFtNCqheLxFqIcnZbwy0nsv2m9FV5rTMRrBE2UkG5_7gRM5EtcWA6G3ZQFUT7PGSpoF2rVz71oSpaJIvY55G6KqYvUUQMUCjqvxfM/s320/lb+tri+-+tina+keppler.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't remember a whole lot about the tri. The swim was pretty uneventful. I think I did pretty well on the bike, although I don't have my splits because (1) I messed up my stopwatch, (2) my bike computer died on me mid-race, and (3) the timing mat at the transition area for some reason wasn't turned on. Arrgh. Another annoyance is that I had to take a pee break after the bike ride, so I lost precious seconds then. And that must have been the exact moment when Steve came biking in because when I hit mile 1 of the run, I saw that he was only 45 seconds or so behind me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I tried to hold him off for the next three miles, but he finally caught up to me in the last mile. I was able to stick with him, though, and in the end we both had the exact same finishing time of 1:50:58. It's kind of nice that we had the same time, though, considering our different strengths. I think we were able to work off of each other and push ourselves a little more knowing that the other was right there. So I was pretty pleased with that race. Plus, I beat my time from June by almost 3 minutes. :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDr6Fs2qpKQFRkSE2TfqH5oWGKSYKmEFpBqVM9i6MhsFA09UfmkBxXyGfTofwoI0eQDsTR340hUbwF0jJyidkEtxwMSYCd2XyrFVOnxKEM7M2C1uLgpPpZ_ap4MTFpLReeq1Tv4WqmACy/s1600/lb+tri+2+-+tina+keppler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDr6Fs2qpKQFRkSE2TfqH5oWGKSYKmEFpBqVM9i6MhsFA09UfmkBxXyGfTofwoI0eQDsTR340hUbwF0jJyidkEtxwMSYCd2XyrFVOnxKEM7M2C1uLgpPpZ_ap4MTFpLReeq1Tv4WqmACy/s320/lb+tri+2+-+tina+keppler.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the race, an interesting thing happened on the way to ferry from Asbury. It's about a 14 mile bike ride, and Steve and I realized that we didn't really leave ourselves enough time to make it. But we had to get back to the city in order to make Rachel and Derek's birthday party, so we didn't really have a choice. So Steve and I started flying on our bikes, he was in front, and I was drafting off of him. For most of the ride, I was less than a foot away from his back tire. It was kind of scary to be going that fast and that close to him, but it really did make me feel like I was being sucked into his vortex of speed. It was pretty cool. We had two miles that were faster than 24 mph! The ride to the ferry was probably faster than my bike in the triathlon. Wow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LPptOhkhN-mEmPjnuO873qFp5doTSJcLVtMTRCbn-qvSSvhJxyKIddegTHmrGRpVW8-zy2RuolYTOnpPlPzrdWRdF4pKdMghsaJTjq1GduhYSarGcnCNAhLMReNJIj5ktAsDKZ-Saphq/s1600/splits+to+ferry.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LPptOhkhN-mEmPjnuO873qFp5doTSJcLVtMTRCbn-qvSSvhJxyKIddegTHmrGRpVW8-zy2RuolYTOnpPlPzrdWRdF4pKdMghsaJTjq1GduhYSarGcnCNAhLMReNJIj5ktAsDKZ-Saphq/s320/splits+to+ferry.png" width="289" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>5. SUNSET & SUDS 5K (JULY 21)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The following Thursday, a bunch of Front Runners showed up to Riverside Park to run the Sunset & Suds 5K, organized by Urban Athletics. I was pretty much just interested in the free beer afterwards. It was humid and gross. I stopped at the water station four times to pour water on myself. And I was about 50 seconds off of my 5k time from just five days earlier. Ugh. Not a great race. But all things considering, I'll take my <a href="http://www.bestrace.com/results/11/110721AS5.HTM">19:48 and 11th overall</a> (still 9 seconds faster than my time in Coogan's).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFiNBKGVkb4skh9VpRL43Oq2mh-F6nwRNc8Y7yMhSLpUnVs2Dyq4YOe2Hx5K8RNS2hP8vp8d8J-nKYmHmLNwNufc3ZS4rnREfkxEF1_QJfhq_ceCaU7BfOspCq1fCSXv6EEpgrxTI8KKU/s1600/sunset+2+-+steve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFiNBKGVkb4skh9VpRL43Oq2mh-F6nwRNc8Y7yMhSLpUnVs2Dyq4YOe2Hx5K8RNS2hP8vp8d8J-nKYmHmLNwNufc3ZS4rnREfkxEF1_QJfhq_ceCaU7BfOspCq1fCSXv6EEpgrxTI8KKU/s320/sunset+2+-+steve.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPQT1iMHq6bX769as6H3436P6twpbEIx6V6HJLRUToUSxRKKQNrB-nGVBI6glchn0eEOpcarWoTYopbjz0zLHdece1sJdep8ouwp0VYcLU8FAh40VQarPgfXzP5Z0Hny8Co9b7noLXsHO/s1600/sunset+1+-+steve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPQT1iMHq6bX769as6H3436P6twpbEIx6V6HJLRUToUSxRKKQNrB-nGVBI6glchn0eEOpcarWoTYopbjz0zLHdece1sJdep8ouwp0VYcLU8FAh40VQarPgfXzP5Z0Hny8Co9b7noLXsHO/s320/sunset+1+-+steve.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>6. SAN FRANCISCO MARATHON (JULY 31)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OK, so this past weekend, I went to California with a bunch of other Front Runners to run the San Francisco Marathon. This was definitely not a targeted race for me. In fact, I felt completely unprepared for it. Up until about a month ago, I was planning on doing the Half. But I figured it was silly to go to the other side of the country just to run a half. So I switched my registration and kind of just went for it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because of all of the triathlons I've been doing, I think my marathon training has suffered a bit. So I kind of viewed the marathon as a way to jump-start my training for the Mohawk Hudson Marathon, on October 9. I had a goal of finishing somewhere between 3:20-3:30. Secretly, of course, I wanted to do a sub-3:20 and negative split. That, of course, did not happen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I blame Jeff and Daniel. Friday night, we went out to town. We hit three gaybars (<a href="http://www.sfbadlands.com/">Badlands</a>, <a href="http://www.cafesf.com/">The Cafe</a>, and <a href="http://www.clubtrigger.com/">Trigger</a>). I had way too many beers, and then vodkas. It was not good. Then Saturday, Jeff and I went on a three mile run with the San Francisco Frontrunners, and we did a lot of walking around town and standing on our feet. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JanOxtcIqoIlIygrGOCVecy0i4Mv3Ndl6igk4Eqg9qG00U60njxLT3TKKob0vO6VfdApj4A-2aFbCAkXBXV7_lkua2LxRCKoVFcfmOQ_cbA2ktULlN5xRDhPpovnaBtw-Pn0boSklbv0/s1600/sf+marathon+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JanOxtcIqoIlIygrGOCVecy0i4Mv3Ndl6igk4Eqg9qG00U60njxLT3TKKob0vO6VfdApj4A-2aFbCAkXBXV7_lkua2LxRCKoVFcfmOQ_cbA2ktULlN5xRDhPpovnaBtw-Pn0boSklbv0/s320/sf+marathon+pic.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By Sunday morning, I was already worn out from the weekend. The race started at 5:30 am, so we had to wake up at 4:00, and walk the 1.8 miles to the start. We should have just taken a cab. By the time we got to the start, I had only about 10 minutes to spare, and I was running around looking for the bag check and getting stressed out with the disorganization of the race. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I made it into my corral with about two minutes to spare. I decided to run with the 3:20 pace group. From the very start, it seemed like it was a little fast for me. The group was doing 7:37 miles, but it felt just a bit more challenging than I thought it should have felt. But I hung in there. Pretty soon after the start, I saw Manja, who was also running with the 3:20 group, so we hung together for a while.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://0e6973abf50bbd86ca98c4a480b43153b7c6801e.gripelements.com/pdf/maps/map_full.pdf" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2w6Zr2GkH9ggyihcMnW_-uhRqhykz7qg6e7_G1yGganAtb1wNBTAedRWYkVpxLP_YsSWt2EsrjBi1nyV6KScKuEqAMqWQOIY8xKtg-ADEXTt3DSA0lQMeEpd6UEGX26QbyxqCaAMdMbd/s320/sfcourse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first couple of miles were pretty flat. It surprised me but I don't think the roads were closed. There were a couple of people just, like, out for a jog in the middle of the marathon course and a random guy on a bike. So that was weird.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mile 2.5 was the first big hill, at Fort Mason. I've run up this hill a number of times before when I've come to San Francisco to visit my brother, and it's a steep hill! Luckily it wasn't too long. And it was followed by a downhill too. That's when I figured out that the pacers were running even splits, since I fell way back going up the hill but caught up with them on the downhill.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Around Mile 4 I could see the Golden Gate Bridge, and it was really high up there. I was dreading climbing the big hill to reach the foot of the bridge. Miles 5-6.5 were just up, up, up. First up to the foot of the bridge, and then uphill on the bridge. Ugh. As I going down the other side, though, I got to see the leaders. And in about 5th place, I saw Brad from FRNY. That was pretty cool to see him way up front. I shouted out to him and then felt very cool for knowing someone so fast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGM2rP19FE_8ZckRu2_s09TWU05uMJQjy5C-slSR_PMvhZt14Hb6-QL48RkSjKGnCEJqgFF8FCxfKB4VpJjFc7bMUbkowdqnAW3S4BtmMdIuP5hBsU2bBI_38l7_RfN1Ab_Brhhq4Fqoa/s1600/elevation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGM2rP19FE_8ZckRu2_s09TWU05uMJQjy5C-slSR_PMvhZt14Hb6-QL48RkSjKGnCEJqgFF8FCxfKB4VpJjFc7bMUbkowdqnAW3S4BtmMdIuP5hBsU2bBI_38l7_RfN1Ab_Brhhq4Fqoa/s320/elevation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So there was a turnaround at the end of the bridge, and I got to run uphill again. At this point, I was already getting sick of the hills. Not good at mile 8 of a notoriously hilly race. The run back was made a little easier as I got to see many other Front Runners coming in from the opposite direction. Cenk, Richard, Alex, Tomer, and then Jeff, Daniel and Anthony were all running together (they cheered pretty loudly for me, someone commented that I had a fan club).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So then we're off the Golden Gate Bridge, and going through the Presidio, and guess what... ANOTHER FRIGGIN HILL. This one was so long and so steep. I was starting to feel really discouraged. Thankfully, I made it over it and out of the park. But then miles 11-12.5 was another hill leading into Golden Gate Park. And then one you're int that park, it's really hilly inside, and and you have to run like all these loops in different directions and we're in there for seven long ass miles. Oh my god, I couldn't wait to get out of that damn park. I started losing the 3:20 pace group around mile 16 or 17. And then at Mile 18 Manja flew past me, like he had this awesome shot of energy or something, and just left me in his dust. So, yeah, that was kind of discouraging.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the time I exited the park at Mile 19, I had practically lost sight of Manja. And so I decided to take a bathroom break and try to refocus myself. Mile 20 was down Haight Street. It was really steep but downhill so it was pretty scary running on it. A ton of people were flying past me because I was to scared to run fast on it. You can see all the way down into Lower Haight and I couldn't stop thinking that if I tripped and fell, I would roll all the way down to the bottom. So I was treading lightly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSTRlsdPREU-gPUu8ohmOkrQjrE4gd8IQie42ryqJosPjEWIK7WsdEvA2dKL2CeHyhTiUpoodmQsOvC8JnxuCZFoaMsAMZVGs8YjG1gK4ZoqhYNlk7RvakRGsh54LyZvBl31UaeX2HEs0/s1600/audras+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSTRlsdPREU-gPUu8ohmOkrQjrE4gd8IQie42ryqJosPjEWIK7WsdEvA2dKL2CeHyhTiUpoodmQsOvC8JnxuCZFoaMsAMZVGs8YjG1gK4ZoqhYNlk7RvakRGsh54LyZvBl31UaeX2HEs0/s320/audras+pic.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then, at around Mile 22, came the most wonderful moment of the race. I was feeling like crap at this point. Running like 20-30 seconds off of my target pace. And all of a sudden I hear, "DAAAAVVEE LIIIINNNN!!!!" <a href="http://movingdogward.blogspot.com/">And there was Audra</a>, in her Front Runners jersey, screaming her head off for me. And she was surrounded by people in clown wigs! And I was just completely overcome with emotion. It was really great to see her, and she came at the perfect time in the race for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you Audra, for being there!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After that point, the last four miles were brutal, but I powered through. At around Mile 24, I set my goal to finish in under 3:25. So I pushed really hard those last two miles. To be honest, I think I wanted to run faster just so I could finish and stop running sooner. I was so miserable. And then finally I saw the finish line, and I gave everything I had to get there, and I finished in 3:24:12. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGSjHYrQ2jzkVFsbAYZNt1blQqYcDBywyx65VzrC6A-V_m_wpQrINCkb-vrvsHFh-oHHXNqc9QZB3_DQ1JJtsRpXS6abBCLojS1eV9qybpW87SmalitB-nH6vVb_JowqpAnVK3KW4bJhn/s1600/270191_2194916946057_1041205699_2630201_2302224_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGSjHYrQ2jzkVFsbAYZNt1blQqYcDBywyx65VzrC6A-V_m_wpQrINCkb-vrvsHFh-oHHXNqc9QZB3_DQ1JJtsRpXS6abBCLojS1eV9qybpW87SmalitB-nH6vVb_JowqpAnVK3KW4bJhn/s320/270191_2194916946057_1041205699_2630201_2302224_n.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh my god. That was hard, it was so hard. And I was so glad it was over. My body felt destroyed, but I was so happy I finished. And even though the time wasn't my "A" goal, it was in the range of what I wanted, so I was pleased.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Afterwards, the boys and I celebrated our victories with my favorite post-marathon treat: a nice, juicy cheeseburger and a beer. It was definitely well deserved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6fCbO5mosw8VLRi3zrVWn9YZL3fz_bPLDvu6VQkrZCOWzH2M0ct_8PvwhXwj3GipS7V4xm84X3I91lCw04uuzyEOnsOWmRZ0sSLtzmSE4USPFA-rkLwjWs9gCtwrKRZSvlBhXpn7JRS1/s1600/216598_2195445119261_1041205699_2631216_7290797_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6fCbO5mosw8VLRi3zrVWn9YZL3fz_bPLDvu6VQkrZCOWzH2M0ct_8PvwhXwj3GipS7V4xm84X3I91lCw04uuzyEOnsOWmRZ0sSLtzmSE4USPFA-rkLwjWs9gCtwrKRZSvlBhXpn7JRS1/s320/216598_2195445119261_1041205699_2631216_7290797_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-51115536328950283482011-06-24T15:03:00.002-04:002011-06-24T15:08:17.384-04:00Month of Multisporting Madness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I haven't updated this blog in ages. But during that time, I've been super busy with my multisporting adventures, I have so much to write about. To spare all of you from having to read a million pages worth of me being on a bike and in the water, I will do my best to keep this short, heavy on the pictures, and light on the text.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOGRZgq4ubMogIDVft-nAQSp5JO4dsej-PVSgbDIir6Qjuk1ot1ohs3RlpuKfCtgQCImQKZg8PDsmZmk8lzUe2o60Y9F1aKDs1UYA0YCrtacF-5o4GuwGgfhpvPtUg8diRMMP5GNIyoaS/s1600/on+the+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOGRZgq4ubMogIDVft-nAQSp5JO4dsej-PVSgbDIir6Qjuk1ot1ohs3RlpuKfCtgQCImQKZg8PDsmZmk8lzUe2o60Y9F1aKDs1UYA0YCrtacF-5o4GuwGgfhpvPtUg8diRMMP5GNIyoaS/s320/on+the+bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Over Memorial Day Weekend, Mike, Rachel, Jeff, Joe, Aneesh and I did a repeat of <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/08/24-hour-half-ironman.html">last year's crazy bike ride from Newark to Asbury Park</a>. We took a slightly different route this year, but still, the 55-mile trip took us about 7 1/2 hours. The route we took this year seemed a lot more rideable than the one last year, except for a 2-mile stretch in South Amboy on a busy road with no shoulder. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Newark+Penn+Station,+Newark,+NJ&daddr=40.7024159,-74.1954138+to:40.6948951,-74.1999563+to:40.68542,-74.20568+to:40.66965,-74.21581+to:40.66199,-74.21507+to:40.65683,-74.22862+to:40.64385,-74.25758+to:40.61712,-74.28426+to:40.4905841,-74.2861699+to:40.435944,-74.19831+to:40.4144171,-74.046438+to:40.399984,-73.98788+to:40.336366,-73.9742967+to:40.3038611,-73.9812759+to:40.2968961,-73.9813335+to:40.2189012,-74.0025088+to:old+man+rafferty,+07712&geocode=FfKPbQId8lWU-ynTx6t2hFPCiTE3eli2wLgLHA%3BFc8RbQIdK96T-yndyFw83lLCiTFs4-Ht5rUcsg%3BFW_0bAIdbMyT-yn7pFhmw1LCiTEdTahGm56jBA%3BFWzPbAIdELaT-ykBV10luFLCiTHtV4RLPostIQ%3BFdKRbAIdfo6T-ymDJBqOqlLCiTGOssljebMMvQ%3BFeZzbAIdYpGT-ylLfhoIU03CiTHulFjZI0lSog%3BFb5fbAIddFyT-ykTQ4O5sLLDiTHb3I9I-W_zfA%3BFQotbAIdVOuS-ylvEpVB-rLDiTFX7PZRiUJGHg%3BFaDEawIdHIOS-ymhcJLHlbPDiTEn120eyPVoog%3BFVjWaQIdp3uS-ymnfXN4SMrDiTH-hOcjLfjt5w%3BFegAaQId2tKT-yl_wGIJozTCiTF13NzRqGOTPw%3BFdGsaAIdGiSW-yn5iZ3mTjfCiTGqB1wFyyxpjw%3BFXB0aAId2AiX-ym5-q6-gDnCiTHPllrpttqR2Q%3BFe57ZwId6D2X-yktDHFXIjvCiTHZdV25mHfqRQ%3BFfX8ZgIdpSKX-ynd_w7E2CTCiTHroPrgkPiC2Q%3BFcDhZgIdayKX-ykrfAVJ4CTCiTFhmhPTVH_Psg%3BFRWxZQIdtM-W-ynTQJwOQSbCiTG_KPZsrutfEg%3BFcSnZQId9rWW-yG_jIsjGJhRmikrfJobOSbCiTEUAgq5B43OPA&hl=en&mra=mrv&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16&dirflg=b&sll=40.659057,-74.215307&sspn=0.02191,0.052314&ie=UTF8&ll=40.57224,-73.946228&spn=0.351013,0.837021&z=11&lci=bike" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyW80BUEMAigmi4ih5nlaG2ub21Im_bGcDRKY8GL6ce-L2G9510VVgzYypCrXzB0q3Son5WPBGvGrNwE18wGRkyhe_H5qAvGn9n696l-3eN4Ls7Hs7MpbspkuoEiXUHtyBjOLGOcc7x7_/s320/route.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, I did not get any flat tires this year (compared to three flats last year). Jeff, however, did manage to get two flats on the way down. And I had the privilege of teaching him how to change his very first flat tire.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjggdRay58a2oYQ9Dv82RLsu53clDB7xxulXCZFO8HWQ4So1I0NHBaulhOabmj1SRq3ARH3bN7Xfs-hXLTgoHYKv5-FeCa2GIRJnzpWV04HH1DkR4MG-70YMxXpD0v9EYrKGidxXgvTjsgz/s1600/breakfast+at+georges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CP9f7v8rAZt6oYrOjaZDXjH-_yFBtTXcRzAiqgQ5GtVu3ntebtcVzfE1qUotyyxL9i_UyHOoGPlYApQ_LjCgftSilUkcVQHcGJrU0STFLqnMpeHrC983RscgJQGcYg2rN4yTSe2a-JhY/s1600/jeffs+1st+flat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CP9f7v8rAZt6oYrOjaZDXjH-_yFBtTXcRzAiqgQ5GtVu3ntebtcVzfE1qUotyyxL9i_UyHOoGPlYApQ_LjCgftSilUkcVQHcGJrU0STFLqnMpeHrC983RscgJQGcYg2rN4yTSe2a-JhY/s320/jeffs+1st+flat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div>You might recall that last year, Rachel, Mike and I were led astray by a by a friendly motorist; we were told to veer off of the Henry Hudson Bike Path onto Route 36, a scary, shoulderless, busy highway, with no streetlights in the middle of the night. This year, we stayed on the bike path through the Highlands, and I was so happy that we did! We were rewarded with a gorgeous and tranquil bike ride along Sandy Hook Bay, where we took the picture below:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyrMTpFvGUlqEmqiO8Ao5VdpbrNMN6UX6OVHXuPWYMMYOaJIsAIroSNfi-6m050d4eEinhSGltgh9RpQJsFBXxNgRhQd5XZF8GZDftEYJ19XXtarou11J3Zmh-a6q5EuQ_saXml6UP9XH/s1600/highlands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyrMTpFvGUlqEmqiO8Ao5VdpbrNMN6UX6OVHXuPWYMMYOaJIsAIroSNfi-6m050d4eEinhSGltgh9RpQJsFBXxNgRhQd5XZF8GZDftEYJ19XXtarou11J3Zmh-a6q5EuQ_saXml6UP9XH/s320/highlands.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A funny thing happened when we took that picture. Well, actually, about 20 minutes after we took it. As we were riding up biggest hill of the whole ride (Miller Street in the Highlands), after we were all struggling for about five hours of biking, just dying to get to the finish, Aneesh realized that he left his backpack at the scenic spot where we took the picture. Inside it was everything he needed for the weekend, his wallet, his phone, his non-biking shoes... Meanwhile, Jeff and Joe seemed like they were miserable from all the riding, and I felt bad for dragging everyone on this disastrous trip.<br />
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Long story short, Mike biked back down to the spot where we took the picture, didn't find the bag, and kept biking, until he saw a guy literally walking away with the bag over his shoulder. He got the bag back (minus the cash that was in the wallet), and met up with me and Aneesh somewhere in Long Branch (Rachel, Jeff and Joe had pulled ahead).<br />
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Anyways, we finally made it to Old Man Rafferty's in Asbury Park after 7 1/2 loooong hours of biking, where I rewarded myself with a nice big steak and some beers. Yum.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div>The next morning saw part two of our weekend of multisporting fun, as we all went to Rumson, NJ for the <a href="http://navesinkswim.com/">Nav-e-Sink-or-Swim</a> in the Navesink River. The swim was a 1.2-mile or 2.4-mile swim. Mike, Rachel and I did the 2.4 (joined by Alison and Tom Malcolm), and Jeff and Aneesh did the 1.2, and we were cheered on by Joe and George. I was a little nervous, since 2.4 miles is longer than I've ever swum in the open water before. But the way the course was set up actually made it pretty easy. The 2.4 mile swim was two 1.2 mile loops, and between each loop, you had to run a few yards on the beach (where I posed for the picture below).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-PBhgzLpOlipk49IudVsY9wjySFEqIrQRhMof1FFtQetcfRWLnOtrfJHAsS5j2iuP_skAMuIgYzcNRIM30ESL02u4AVKLp0gZeEih34RX7c6ddag97Rg23bNJCTM_lKlr0bezIAhkrIJ/s1600/first+loop+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-PBhgzLpOlipk49IudVsY9wjySFEqIrQRhMof1FFtQetcfRWLnOtrfJHAsS5j2iuP_skAMuIgYzcNRIM30ESL02u4AVKLp0gZeEih34RX7c6ddag97Rg23bNJCTM_lKlr0bezIAhkrIJ/s320/first+loop+done.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, the turnaround point for the 1.2 mile loop was on a little sand bar, so you could actually stand up as you went around the buoy. So the race almost felt like four 0.6-mile swims rather than a 2.4 miler. Anyways, it wasn't too bad, and I ended up finishing in 1:20:40, which I was pretty happy with (even though I was in the bottom 15% of men. Whatever.).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-PBhgzLpOlipk49IudVsY9wjySFEqIrQRhMof1FFtQetcfRWLnOtrfJHAsS5j2iuP_skAMuIgYzcNRIM30ESL02u4AVKLp0gZeEih34RX7c6ddag97Rg23bNJCTM_lKlr0bezIAhkrIJ/s1600/first+loop+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrj-0cieR-sYRyPy6gYE4Fc2YKMD7-a52u9zc1Mg5s7H_lxRHNFMIoeBfryquuGlwEsP6lYfTwVeeHFxIAisrp8fBg5UfNeTtuabojQkrsRytKR-fPQkHmj6o62tDAg5IkwFzJ5i-ESzh/s1600/navesink+swim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrj-0cieR-sYRyPy6gYE4Fc2YKMD7-a52u9zc1Mg5s7H_lxRHNFMIoeBfryquuGlwEsP6lYfTwVeeHFxIAisrp8fBg5UfNeTtuabojQkrsRytKR-fPQkHmj6o62tDAg5IkwFzJ5i-ESzh/s320/navesink+swim.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">After the swim, George treated us to a lovely brunch at his home in Little Silver. It was a great day.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjggdRay58a2oYQ9Dv82RLsu53clDB7xxulXCZFO8HWQ4So1I0NHBaulhOabmj1SRq3ARH3bN7Xfs-hXLTgoHYKv5-FeCa2GIRJnzpWV04HH1DkR4MG-70YMxXpD0v9EYrKGidxXgvTjsgz/s1600/breakfast+at+georges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjggdRay58a2oYQ9Dv82RLsu53clDB7xxulXCZFO8HWQ4So1I0NHBaulhOabmj1SRq3ARH3bN7Xfs-hXLTgoHYKv5-FeCa2GIRJnzpWV04HH1DkR4MG-70YMxXpD0v9EYrKGidxXgvTjsgz/s320/breakfast+at+georges.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
And the the next day, the five of us boys (Rachel had to leave early) took a nice 17-mile bike ride up to the northernmost point of Sandy Hook, where we took the Seastreak Ferry back into Manhattan. That ferry ride (which only took 45 minutes) sure beat having to spend 4-5 hours biking through Newark and surrounding areas. I think I found my favorite way to get to and from Asbury!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RYKND44mRZrM8xSTXp7PEF8zFNsApTNq2_suWsHiIscp4uNRuHRzLm5VdQE_8_lEFvlpJMrhKKUxfR7jT3lpO-ak5U9DnuXXWVHs7io-UrKvacms41Bou47EK2DcmoxHNPpn3Ui1z-cC/s1600/on+the+ferry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RYKND44mRZrM8xSTXp7PEF8zFNsApTNq2_suWsHiIscp4uNRuHRzLm5VdQE_8_lEFvlpJMrhKKUxfR7jT3lpO-ak5U9DnuXXWVHs7io-UrKvacms41Bou47EK2DcmoxHNPpn3Ui1z-cC/s320/on+the+ferry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The following weekend, I had some more crazy sporting antics. On Saturday, I joined some of the FRNY ladies (plus Aneesh and Giordano) to do the <a href="http://www.spartanrace.com/">Spartan Race</a>. It was a three mile adventure race with military-style obstacles mixed in with running. We had to climb rope ladders, go across monkey bars, haul loads of rocks, scale walls, crawl through mud pits and under barbed wire, and jump through rings of fire. The one challenge I hated the most was where we had to fill a 5-gallon bucket 3/4 of the way with gravel, and then haul it like a quarter mile up the ski mountain, and then bring it back down again. It weighed like 100 pounds, it was hot and scary. It was honestly pretty miserable. But I ended up having a ton of fun hanging out with the gang (our team name was "FRNY Outdoor Carpet Munchers"... I think the other teams might have been a little confused by our name...). And when we finished, we all rewarded ourselves with lots of beer. So worth it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJ614cDJWT1C7YnR6tUjk4QtzuldsO8RB84UZAp30YgUE_W9lc-LZqACZ28PjWPEZAvobDA9BZJqo6HWw0pm9odm8nZ08J_N9miRZ_PygeFHkWIFkJBBNRvibn9zdXkeE3ZubRei9wfim/s1600/spartan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJ614cDJWT1C7YnR6tUjk4QtzuldsO8RB84UZAp30YgUE_W9lc-LZqACZ28PjWPEZAvobDA9BZJqo6HWw0pm9odm8nZ08J_N9miRZ_PygeFHkWIFkJBBNRvibn9zdXkeE3ZubRei9wfim/s320/spartan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then the next day, I ran the <a href="http://web2.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/59568.1.587573677119460381">NYRR Celebrate Israel Run</a>. I had really wanted to get a good time on this race. You might remember that I had skipped the Brooklyn Half in May in order to do Reach the Beach. Although I had loved being on the RTB Team, and I wouldn't have traded it for anything, I was disappointed that I didn't get a chance to post a fast time in the Brooklyn Half at a point when I felt I was in pretty good shape. So I saw the Israel Run as possibly my last chance to run a fast race before the summer came and the heat slowed me down .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyways, I ended up having a great race. Splits were 6:13, 6:19, 6:30, 6:10, for a total of 25:12 (6:18 pace). Not quite a PR, but only 3 seconds off of it (and that PR was from over three years ago!). I was really happy! After a long year of being injured, and even though I'm three years older, I'm just about as fast as I was back in 2008. The only thing I was annoyed about was Anthony C. passing me in mile 3. That was a tough mile. I tried and tried but just couldn't keep up with him, and he ended up finishing 6 seconds ahead of me. FRNY was the second fastest men's team in the city for that race. But, alas, I was 6 seconds short of being in the top five, so no medal for me. :-(</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then the next weekend, Aneesh and I went back to Asbury to the the Asbury Park Triathlon (formerly the Metroman Triathlon). I now, officially, hate this f-cking race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/07/swimming-to-dinner.html">Two years ago, I did it and it was a disaster</a>. I was the second to last swimmer. I got lost, got scared, freaked out, everything. It was my first ocean swim ever, and it was pretty much a failure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then last week happened, which was even worse. I completely choked. I don't know what happened, I just couldn't get into the water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qOM6m3p_AecCf5RNjEZHdjarG74vb2pC9eNfS4kzoehcaqynH0jtT7uuZGsFiMrdEdfoeHgJ6-RxgKAE_c_s7S2RiYtCHgM9yguft-B0LF8sh1ugIeQBqPZHjs5BTDXvx35NcM65cmQP/s1600/aptri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qOM6m3p_AecCf5RNjEZHdjarG74vb2pC9eNfS4kzoehcaqynH0jtT7uuZGsFiMrdEdfoeHgJ6-RxgKAE_c_s7S2RiYtCHgM9yguft-B0LF8sh1ugIeQBqPZHjs5BTDXvx35NcM65cmQP/s320/aptri.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They had changed the course so that it was no longer an Olympic distance. Whereas before, the swim was a mile long, this year it was only supposed to be 750 meters. But then on the morning of the race, they shortened it again, to about 300 meters, because the current was too rough and they didn't want swimmers to be pushed into a jetty. So the whole swim course just involved swimming out to a buoy and turning around back. Only about 300 meters; barely even enough to get warmed up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But as soon as they sounded the starting horn, it seemed like the waves became huge. I tried to get into the water, but with the waves getting bigger and bigger, I found myself unable to get out past them. I kept trying, but then this huge wave came in and it just seemed like it was gonna crush me, so I freaked out, and went back to shore. I saw a group of maybe 15 other guys there, standing there, also trying to get into the water. And then this guy next to me seemed like he was becoming delirious, yelling that he lost his goggles in the wave, but they were just hanging around his neck.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thought about keeping at it, waiting for the waves to die down a little, but they weren't letting up. Before I knew it, people were starting to come back in from the swim. Everyone was finishing, and there I was, still standing on the friggin beach. That's when I decided to just screw it. It wasn't worth it. The ocean will always be there, but if I'm not in a place where I felt comfortable swimming in it, it wasn't meant to be.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CvTDjVJpHaXogGMRqiROlhqIkOSy2XzU0P9tJkNoM5UsOBx62NKRNvLVqiYQDihwjLcq67915yiG7-MMAZndi2_koJes34NZDWZ9NsR8T-VC9MpgUJuPMTm1MEZkknozZsii9llGe0lM/s1600/aptribike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CvTDjVJpHaXogGMRqiROlhqIkOSy2XzU0P9tJkNoM5UsOBx62NKRNvLVqiYQDihwjLcq67915yiG7-MMAZndi2_koJes34NZDWZ9NsR8T-VC9MpgUJuPMTm1MEZkknozZsii9llGe0lM/s320/aptribike.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I went on to do the bike course, and then the run. When I got to the finish line, I walked around the timing mat and handed in my chip. In my five and a half years of doing races, this would be the first time that I would not finish what I had set out to do. It was disappointing, and I was embarrassed. But, my inability to do this one swim gave me the determination to conquer ocean swimming. I knew I was going to be back, and I was going to kick some ocean butt next time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, this past week, I returned to the Jersey Shore, this time to do the <a href="http://www.lbtriseries.com/">Long Branch Sprint Triathlon</a>. It was a 600 yard ocean swim, 20 mile bike, and 5 mile run. And, I'm happy to report, I finished the swim!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Gu7cmQZKX-ZDfAyKrgBgwWUOcHVGCbwFqHrYh419bzkxg5LiJDAt5htPlZEonD_DW-gxBvQNfscCwf-q41TMbxcLF6I2v2w-Mb_pif9PmBBtkLujDTGKK5wkat8RII5xfPkLOyAbZiOM/s1600/lbswim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Gu7cmQZKX-ZDfAyKrgBgwWUOcHVGCbwFqHrYh419bzkxg5LiJDAt5htPlZEonD_DW-gxBvQNfscCwf-q41TMbxcLF6I2v2w-Mb_pif9PmBBtkLujDTGKK5wkat8RII5xfPkLOyAbZiOM/s320/lbswim.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Swim 600y: 10:53</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bike 20M: 1:05:03 (18.4 mph pace!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Run 5M: 34:10 (6:50 pace...including a pee break)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzUZp6KiZ5B7xQ2hL41aBu-UI51Bo_JIbfMhmmwBjGvZ4Ilt3dFs5aUCmpfZi9gS0RZwmi5Hou71t-7LiDm0bluCzcJ-bsuE7sUeAj0-Vj5b7Q9ZxbzYQsnFMIK2_tWSYUTzYYFE7FyV3/s1600/lbtri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzUZp6KiZ5B7xQ2hL41aBu-UI51Bo_JIbfMhmmwBjGvZ4Ilt3dFs5aUCmpfZi9gS0RZwmi5Hou71t-7LiDm0bluCzcJ-bsuE7sUeAj0-Vj5b7Q9ZxbzYQsnFMIK2_tWSYUTzYYFE7FyV3/s320/lbtri.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> * * *</div><br />
And... since a tri with a 20-mile bike ride wasn't enough for AJ, Rachel and me, not only did we bike to and from the race from Asbury Park (12 miles round trip), but then later that day we embarked on a 70-mile bike ride down the Jersey shore.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/38691146/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U0LUOsPfvK-d5ZHtWiOc7SKC8Vif7eZTOrNlGWqwCEkDLzC4cyMBxLyp9k1NXURpfVX-uLhlwCQAzdzBhACFvygAlYOaAp5uIsz7ed_B0_O73okXjJMv-ZdxAtfJTS1_C_sKTHlIExmx/s320/aptoibride.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />
It was a very nice ride. We basically just went as far south as we could go. It was fun going through all of the beach towns along the way. From Ocean Grove with its Victorian houses; to Spring Lake with its big stately mansions; to Point Pleasant, home of the <a href="http://www.jenkinsons.com/">Jenkinson's Boardwalk/Amusement Park</a>; to Mantoloking, where we rode along the Barnegat Bay; and Seaside Heights of <i>Jersey Shore</i> fame. At the end was <a href="http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/island.html">Island Beach State Park</a>, where we had nine miles of nice riding. There were some trafficky/scary parts, like the bridge from Brielle to Point Pleasant, and Point Pleasant itself. And the entire stretch on Route 35 was on a shoulder that really, really needed to be repaved.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GECAk2NZbB2IWsqfZZW8Z6S2FKa2tdGoMYuY-LDs7N5jAyXnrCXF10I-I8zf7JWOp8h-2TmBv_VlPVchOZPYznj8uyt-jtKpBuKE0zGt26FaI4tQwndufCZPj9n_5dM6m-2khoFJ8FIM/s1600/islandbeach1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GECAk2NZbB2IWsqfZZW8Z6S2FKa2tdGoMYuY-LDs7N5jAyXnrCXF10I-I8zf7JWOp8h-2TmBv_VlPVchOZPYznj8uyt-jtKpBuKE0zGt26FaI4tQwndufCZPj9n_5dM6m-2khoFJ8FIM/s320/islandbeach1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
But in the end we were rewarded with a nice big beach and a great view of the Barnegat Lighthouse across the inlet on Long Beach Island.<br />
<br />
Well...actually we couldn't find the lighthouse. I had promised Rachel and AJ a great view of the lighthouse the whole weekend, and it was nowhere in sight. Apparently, it was about a mile further down the beach, where you can't ride your bikes to. So we didn't get to see the lighthouse. That was a bit anti-climactic. Next time I do this ride I'm gonna bring a cable to lock up my bike so I can see that damn lighthouse.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWr6vG7udtCeqJjeVfFZoXqnKgtjouVG2uHo2SLwegpdUlrcqabN5MeDFVVuSXCG9hlR3WLlHJer072nYRiTzLxPXcJRlT1SjAut6OBa8rDBZP_8MbMO78gq1MpC9FawNA4oafFdnIpJP/s1600/islandbeach2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWr6vG7udtCeqJjeVfFZoXqnKgtjouVG2uHo2SLwegpdUlrcqabN5MeDFVVuSXCG9hlR3WLlHJer072nYRiTzLxPXcJRlT1SjAut6OBa8rDBZP_8MbMO78gq1MpC9FawNA4oafFdnIpJP/s320/islandbeach2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So my big news of the month is that I decided to register for the <a href="http://ironmanuschampionship.com/">2012 Ironman NYC</a>. Eeek! 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and then 26.2 miles of running. All under 17 hours, next August. I'm a little bit terrified.... But I don't think I've yet fully registered how much of a huge commitment this is going to be. For the moment, I'm trying not to think about too much. But I'm going to have to do a loootttttttt of training next year....<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
PS: Tomorrow is my favorite race of the year, the <a href="http://www.nyrr.org/races/2011/r0625x00.asp">30th Annual FRNY Lesbian and Gay Pride Run</a>, with my favorite people in the world, <a href="http://frny.org/">Front Runners New York</a>. It's going to be a great day, and I'm really excited. HAPPY PRIDE!!!<br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-12824572862317757182011-05-24T13:35:00.003-04:002011-05-25T01:27:25.323-04:00Spring Reach the Beach!!We did it!!! <br />
<br />
After 200 miles, two lost runners, a lost driver, a bloody, nighttime fall requiring a visit to the medical tent, and another fall resulting in the incapacity of a runner, the team of Ultra Front Runners NY battled our horrible luck and finished the inaugural 200-mile Spring Reach the Beach Relay in Third Place overall out of 150 teams, and 2nd place in the Men's Ultra division. It was tough, and at times it seemed that even just finishing the race would be hopeless. But we pulled together as a team, fought hard, and finished strong and proud of all that we had overcome. It was an incredible experience, one that I shared with the greatest of friends, and I will never forget how impressively my team ran and how proud I was to be a part of it.<br />
<br />
The entire experience is even more meaningful because it almost never even happened for me. I was never supposed to be on the team, and, in fact, I thought Kelsey and Josh were nuts to do another Ultra Relay just two weeks after we did the Cape Relay. Then last Monday, I got a message from John saying that Rich was injured and wouldn't be able to run, and asking me if I could run in his place. My first reaction was, "No f---ing way." But then John, Kelsey and Josh tag-team-texted me to get me to join them, with the promise that I could just do five of the six legs, and Josh would run a 7th. I finally relented. I was planning on running the Brooklyn Half this weekend anyway, and I would only have to run about 21 miles, so I said what the heck.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-IFIYOdVW0oEpx-ZCz3iWbs1Z6E6j3MomMLuzs387YYdFCkSE-NihzcHRVtHMmUh0TWzkxnSMMzzy1SrKXDwA185K6-l_c9rR-3xJDAjhv4_CAuv-NQsPC7PYETZ3Ysxdug9S7c7Jlmf/s1600/group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-IFIYOdVW0oEpx-ZCz3iWbs1Z6E6j3MomMLuzs387YYdFCkSE-NihzcHRVtHMmUh0TWzkxnSMMzzy1SrKXDwA185K6-l_c9rR-3xJDAjhv4_CAuv-NQsPC7PYETZ3Ysxdug9S7c7Jlmf/s320/group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I was a little terrified, though. Everyone else on the team was MUCH faster than me. And even though I've been running well recently, I'm nowhere near the same ballpark as they are, and I really didn't want to let them down. But, I was determined to do my best, and was excited about the opportunity to run hard and push myself, especially since I was disappointed that I didn't get to do that at the Cape Relay.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">So, off we went to Massachusetts. It became a running joke throughout the trip as Kelsey, Josh, John and I recounted stories just two weeks prior of our very same trip. Every once in a while, someone would say, (a la <i>American Pie</i>): "This one time, two weeks ago..." Also, I realized that it was my fourth trip with Kelsey to Massachusetts in less than two months: <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2011/04/three-days-to-go.html">our Boston Blue Line Run</a>, <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2011/04/boston-marathon-30654-new-pr.html">the Boston Marathon</a>, and <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2011/05/jersey-to-ptown-to-jersey.html">the Cape Relay</a>. I felt very fortunate to be able to share my big runs with such a great friend and Koach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">After a deja vu-inducing dinner at the Post Road Dinner in Norwalk, Conn., and a hearty breakfast at Denny's in Mass., we arrived at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, Mass. for the start of the race. I was going to run the 5th set of legs, but just the first five times, for a total of 21.58 miles. Frankly, I was relieved that I had so few miles to run. I figured that even if I was significantly slower than the rest of the team, I would have a minimal negative impact on their overall time. I was also happy that all of my legs were relatively short, and my only long-ish leg was early on in the race, when my legs were still fresh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3XqVVWP9bVM_vXl-ATxLEyG8sxpBOh8YCdNbjgvWvtdeiYjfv9GP_805jQlqz6bICnm2LxH20r5XyIFuC8Jhq56d3oguQU7NLQzkYk4I699Kv6yzFi8Elejvu92hJaYUlkFLFQvNj_LG/s1600/legs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3XqVVWP9bVM_vXl-ATxLEyG8sxpBOh8YCdNbjgvWvtdeiYjfv9GP_805jQlqz6bICnm2LxH20r5XyIFuC8Jhq56d3oguQU7NLQzkYk4I699Kv6yzFi8Elejvu92hJaYUlkFLFQvNj_LG/s320/legs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What I was really nervous about, however, was the fact that there was another FRNY Ultra Team that had the same starting time as we did. Of course, both of our teams were out there to have fun, and it was great to have the company of other Front Runners on the course. But I couldn't help but think about the fact that Michael S. was on the other team, also running the 5th leg, and I was dreading, dreading, dreading the--in my mind, inevitable--moment when he would smoke past me and leave me in his dust.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYXHn-Ok_zupxwE013ylsTBAuCKMV0MxTIybtG4NxTHU_PMBNiHGhySlY3JPRRGEu2wZM3n4yNeuuSQh51eThVNusqsFa91-sqohUdQnhfF61pS1vN_Htmgnd2bslgQHTPyiIydvBqt1w/s1600/exchange+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYXHn-Ok_zupxwE013ylsTBAuCKMV0MxTIybtG4NxTHU_PMBNiHGhySlY3JPRRGEu2wZM3n4yNeuuSQh51eThVNusqsFa91-sqohUdQnhfF61pS1vN_Htmgnd2bslgQHTPyiIydvBqt1w/s320/exchange+1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">So, for my first leg, I was a little nervous. Luckily, it was a short leg, only 3.3 miles, and we had amassed about a 7-minute lead over the other team. Still, I was determined (mostly out of fear) to not get passed. When I got the slap bracelet from John, I made a mad dash out of the transition zone and down the hill. That first leg, though, had a net elevation loss of almost 300 feet. And I was flying. But I knew right away that I was going too fast. I knew that I would come to regret flying down that hill and pounding my quads so hard. But I couldn't help myself, it was just so fun to go that fast. After a couple of minutes, my Garmin beeped to let me know I covered a half a mile. I looked down at my watch. Eeek! 2:43... or a 5:27 pace. What was I thinking?!?! I made myself slow down a bit. But I was still leaning forward to take advantage of gravity pulling me downhill. I tried to make my steps as light as possible to minimize the impact on my quads. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN-TJVUGnwNpo20eGZvQ-q1QvoV66952bm-3VCiByyXxgq2SRsBRW6L9SXX2E7lunLshHQdTRdWGPgQJTrV6bDKJmSvYS2AWkL4VY_GnWnlwfBFReF0b8hJgLsDrMkGTT4yEKu3LjlNK-/s1600/leg+1+elevation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN-TJVUGnwNpo20eGZvQ-q1QvoV66952bm-3VCiByyXxgq2SRsBRW6L9SXX2E7lunLshHQdTRdWGPgQJTrV6bDKJmSvYS2AWkL4VY_GnWnlwfBFReF0b8hJgLsDrMkGTT4yEKu3LjlNK-/s320/leg+1+elevation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was also (irrationally, I guess) convinced that Michael was right on my heals. I took a quick look behind me a few times and of course he was nowhere near me. I did end up getting passed by someone from Team Race Menu, the team that ultimately ended up winning the whole race. The guy just smoked me. He must have been going at close to a 5 minute pace for that run, because he completely whizzed by me and before I could even react, he was long gone. And I was still running fast, too. In the end, I finished that first leg in 19:56, or a 5:57 pace. It was my fastest road run ever except the 1.7-mile Norway Run that I did in 2008. If it was two-tenths of a mile shorter, it would have bested my 5K PR by a whopping 16 seconds per mile. I felt amazing, and I was excited about my other legs for the race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDPzQ6p1rkMB6xK2WwpYPvn5yWBC3MLxPl9XfnKQeDvH8L_QbRGqG1IEfRD05c3Au75GL6_alzDVmPTnbf8F9KguafoQIi21KS5hHWQKqxxiaZ4D5Db8bPpVqf6XORRR-Q9UjJIVDBUXM/s1600/leg+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDPzQ6p1rkMB6xK2WwpYPvn5yWBC3MLxPl9XfnKQeDvH8L_QbRGqG1IEfRD05c3Au75GL6_alzDVmPTnbf8F9KguafoQIi21KS5hHWQKqxxiaZ4D5Db8bPpVqf6XORRR-Q9UjJIVDBUXM/s320/leg+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By my second leg, we were about 26 minutes ahead of the other team, and the leading Team Race Menu was way ahead of us so we weren't going to be able to reach them. Kelsey suggested that we run this leg at about 90-95 percent effort, the idea being that we had comfortably settled into our spot and would save our legs for if we needed to really race in the later legs. So I took my second leg a bit easier. At 5.58 miles, it was my longest leg, so I didn't want to start out too fast. I tried to keep my pace around a 6:30-6:40. And in doing so, I ended up passing a lot of teams that started before us. It was a great feeling to slowly catch up to people and pick them off one by one. The van stopped for me halfway through to give me water, and it was good to see them. This was probably my favorite run, because I had no real pressure, my legs were still feeling strong, and I could run it at a comfortable but fast-ish pace. I finished this leg in 37:03, or 6:38 pace, right about what I expected.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was in our third rotation that things took a turn for the worse. We got lost, for the first of many times. But at least we have a good story to tell. John and Kelsey stayed at the transition while the rest of us when to look for Gabe, our missing runner. We found him, about a mile and a half past the transition. Rich stopped the van, jumped out, and pointed Gabe in the right direction. But instead of putting the van in park, he put it in reverse! There we were, in the middle of the night, and our driverless van was speeding down the street backwards. I was in the passenger's seat, half comatose when I realized what was happening. I got up, dived into the driver's seat and reached for the brake pedal with my hand. The van practically screeched to a halt as we narrowly avoided certain disaster! And then all five of us started busting out laughing. It was the perfect way to break up the tense, somewhat frustrating feeling of getting lost on the course. And it was at that moment that I realized how glad I was to be on a team where even in the most difficult situation, we managed to have fun and laugh together. It reminded me that I did these relays not just to run and compete with other teams, but to have fun with my friends, and that was exactly what we were doing.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before long, we were back on course. But this time, only about a minute or two separated me from Michael on our third leg. So, again, I was terrified. Kelsey sensed my trepidation, and pulled me aside to give me a pep talk before my leg. And he told me exactly what I needed to hear to put my nerves at ease. It's times like this that I realize how lucky I am to have a friend who's my coach who also has a background in social work. Kelsey always knows what to say to get me in the right mental place for a big race; just one of his many, many amazing qualities. :-)</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And so, when I got the wristband from John, I busted out of the transition, determined not to get passed. As I was leaving, I think I saw Chris coming into the transition to hand off to Michael, so I knew that it was tight. But I just ran that leg as fast as I could. It was a bit scary because it was past midnight and in the pitch black dark. But I refused to let myself get passed. I also had the advantage of not having to run a sixth leg, so I knew I didn't need to save my legs for a long 7.3-miler at the end like Michael needed to. So I just friggin ran. Rarely have I ever run that hard, pushing both my physical and mental limits like that. It was exhilarating. It was also terrifying. But I wasn't about to let my team and myself down, so I just kept pushing, never looking back. Before I knew it, the 3.39 miles were over, and I was still in the lead! 3.39 miles in 21:50, or a 6:26 pace. Exactly the same pace as my <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2011/03/coogans-club-night-neeps-and-tatties.html">Coogan's 5K back in March</a>, a race that I was very thrilled about. So I was ecstatic that I ran the same pace for a longer distance after already running 9 very fast miles. And of course, I was very, very relieved that I didn't get passed.<br />
<br />
</div>Over the next few legs, we started gaining some more time on the other team. And I was again relieved that there would be some room separating me and Michael so I wouldn't have to push myself so hard. But then we got lost again. We had ended up behind the other team, until Gabe and John was able to pull us ahead slightly. At this point it was actually Michael who gave me a reassuring talk, which I was really appreciative of. Still, I knew that I would leave the transition only about a minute or so ahead of him, so I knew I needed to push as hard as I could. I wasn't looking forward to that, and I had just about resigned myself to getting passed by him.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9gZcoynGvvwMPD4z8rwBoHKgOz5DkkigtXtVdBMEj9pzAco2vUm4OorVdGBRAlbvbzLADu_1nr9Hze5LMgs9CTy8JufPYkEnyCihaotbWzNUd3hImKnVsAITOUiOW6-ORrngC1ypRBcr/s1600/transition+32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9gZcoynGvvwMPD4z8rwBoHKgOz5DkkigtXtVdBMEj9pzAco2vUm4OorVdGBRAlbvbzLADu_1nr9Hze5LMgs9CTy8JufPYkEnyCihaotbWzNUd3hImKnVsAITOUiOW6-ORrngC1ypRBcr/s320/transition+32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>When I got the wristband from John, I couldn't see how far behind him Chris was, but I knew he would be coming in any second. So, again, I busted out of the transition and ran as fast as I could. This would be my most challenge leg of the relay--not because of the distance or the elevation, but because of the circumstances. It was 3:30 in the morning, I was extremely tired from both lack of sleep and having run 13 miles already, I was pushing myself to run as fast as I could, I was running with an almost overwhelming sense of fear that I would get passed by Michael, and to top it all off, I was running in the pitch black dark. I seriously couldn't see anything. The tiny headlamp I was wearing was no match for the thick fog and darkness of the night. I prayed that I wouldn't step on a pothole or a crack in the road.<br />
<br />
And at this point I was getting a little delirious. I thought I was running on the sidewalk, which was separated from the main road by a curb. I jumped over the curb to run on the street--only to realize that it wasn't a curb, but just a painted white line separating the shoulder from the road. The last half mile of the leg was even worse, as I ran onto some sort of park trail for the transition. The trees overhead blocked out any possible speck of moonlight. As I turned onto the trail, one of the race volunteers told me to watch out for potholes. I had to let out a laugh, because how the heck are you supposed to watch for potholes if you can't even see them?!? But somehow, somehow I was able to finish that leg in one piece, and I was so happy to see Kelsey at the transition.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure how I did it, but I managed to fend off Michael for that fourth leg too--although just barely; I think he came in about 10 seconds after me. And somehow, I managed to post another fast time: 4.31 miles in 27:53, or a 6:27 pace. I was, again, so happy that I was able to run as fast as I did. And I only had one more leg to go!<br />
<br />
But after I ran that leg, we got lost a third time. After four rotations, we were 9 minutes behind the other FRNY team. And in his leg before mine, John had fallen in the dark, badly scraping up his hands, arms and torso. It was looking like we just weren't meant to have a successful race.<br />
<br />
The fifth set of legs was probably the hardest one for the team. For the first time during the relay, we were several minutes behind the other team. We were all starting to feel the toil of our bodies, and some of us had already run more than 30 miles. We briefly saw some of the other team's runners on the road, and they looked like they were still going strong. It was disheartening.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlomLvDxDffXAOKtToPvVSi2dZJj2fBg90zALE6NMOHGaCEyiaj1sWPQY7Z2QwPoYRb2ZDPaNxa2dKGI4BfsDSpriTpfHaXsG9JTqyrffckwluam44q7S0f9KvFj9qQXFUNM9f2wFGJdw8/s1600/tyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlomLvDxDffXAOKtToPvVSi2dZJj2fBg90zALE6NMOHGaCEyiaj1sWPQY7Z2QwPoYRb2ZDPaNxa2dKGI4BfsDSpriTpfHaXsG9JTqyrffckwluam44q7S0f9KvFj9qQXFUNM9f2wFGJdw8/s320/tyler.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And then John came running into the transition. And I was off, one last time. I think this was the hardest leg for me mentally, as I knew that no matter how hard I ran, I would never be able to catch up to Michael. Not that I was able to run very hard at all... My legs were beat, my spirits were low, and I just wanted my run to end. I don't remember a whole lot about this leg except that I ran over a rickety little bridge; and each time a car would drive over it, it would bounce and send shockwaves up my legs. I couldn't wait for that run to be over.<br />
<br />
And then, 4.47 miles later, it was over; I had finished in 30:18, or a 6:46 pace. It was my slowest leg of the race, but I was done! I had finished my five legs, totaling about 21.58 miles in 2:17:00 or 6:20 pace!!! (My Garmin says the course was only 21.1 miles, so it would be 6:29 pace; either way I was pleased!). I was so happy I was finished. And I was so glad that I had run strong for all of my five legs. It was an amazing race, and I felt great to be done and be able to rest.<br />
<br />
But that feeling didn't last long. Kelsey, running right after me, ended up falling too. As he limped into the transition, shorts tattered, with a pained expression on his face, our hearts sank. Kelsey had sprained his ankle, badly, and wasn't going to be able to run his 6th leg. I think it's fair to say we were pretty devastated at that point. Not because we weren't going to win the relay, but because our good friend and coach Kelsey, who has never had an injury as long as any of us has ever known him, was suddenly unable to walk without assistance. Finishing the relay seemed at this point to be a lesser priority than taking care of the team's members. But still, we soldiered on, determined to finish despite being kicked while we were down.<br />
<br />
It was during that very last set of legs that I really was so proud to be a member of the Ultra Front Runners NY team. It was pretty evident at that point that we weren't going to win. Our team was exhausted, broken and bloodied. But with our amazing and inspiring resilience, we pulled ourselves together, and made our way to that finish.<br />
<br />
I ended up having to run that sixth leg of mine. And it was brutal... 7.29 miles in what was then the mid-morning heat. I felt like I was running in slow motion, like the leg would never end. But despite it being my longest and slowest leg by far, I knew that I had the support of my team carrying me along the way. They were there at the halfway point, ready with a bottle of water for me. And then, a loooong 55 minutes after I started, they were at the transition area. And I could hear them ecstatically cheering for me way before I even set foot in the zone. Those cheers meant that we had really accomplished something. Running 200 miles despite being kicked down over and over again. Showing our strength and unity as a team when all of the forces seemed to want to pull us apart. And being able to laugh and have fun amidst a disappointing string of bad luck.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexXg_ndjnPPQXMYItjZYnWEwEPlwnLxtMCl-KJB3Y6-or7ZMcMG-lIeJ0w-ovfVvlGi8xjMKdurU0a4bQBiLWLzhvnM_5V9SCC_nAFC-MVCjQw3NrQ1k7Yd2Z8wNkBX3-YeLQ7nwv0YWn/s1600/finishers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexXg_ndjnPPQXMYItjZYnWEwEPlwnLxtMCl-KJB3Y6-or7ZMcMG-lIeJ0w-ovfVvlGi8xjMKdurU0a4bQBiLWLzhvnM_5V9SCC_nAFC-MVCjQw3NrQ1k7Yd2Z8wNkBX3-YeLQ7nwv0YWn/s320/finishers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
About 7 miles later, Josh finished the last leg, and we had REACHED THE BEACH! Our final time was 22:25:29, or a 6:41 average pace. We had finished 3rd overall out of 150 teams, and 2nd in the Men's Ultra division. The other FRNY team, A Case of the Runners, finished about 20 minutes ahead of us, and were there to cheer us in.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ma.rtbrelay.com/results/2011/2011results.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIKTooorfi2HjalGuqFe1uFftRHbDWk0TXhuv_XDx9lVseRSLxkOtDnsii37RYy8p51D95kXBZPJaEMykZvQH6v5BmvWuxRSFC0h7lEKTkd_6W1I6-6_zWx71iXGmD3DoDPTk6Yf5Gs0g/s320/results.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
According to my Garmin, I ran a total of 28.39 miles in 3:12:18, for an average pace of 6:46. The official RTB course maps say I ran 28.87 miles, which would come out to a 6:39 pace. Either way, I am super thrilled with my performance.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHXE-JZ0i3-0Z4U7Rw0WjKxRihBY7Jqf13BKkQlGIyL9cxE1tS2i-ajjqxQFRdJppUDo4IX8UtE7dg6RjUxV7MkdzYkz-cBafNpgUl2AA75WIeoezIHkT06v9S4fR9SkuB20Q9ORVzHqp/s1600/splits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHXE-JZ0i3-0Z4U7Rw0WjKxRihBY7Jqf13BKkQlGIyL9cxE1tS2i-ajjqxQFRdJppUDo4IX8UtE7dg6RjUxV7MkdzYkz-cBafNpgUl2AA75WIeoezIHkT06v9S4fR9SkuB20Q9ORVzHqp/s320/splits.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then we got to celebrate with a nice New England Clambake, complete with a lobster roll, mussels and chowdah. Our first real meal in 24 hours, and it was a tasty one. :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaByFnQW_iJdZHqhRw5Cbwjyh0DtyAdKmGkm3ClJHnWpNATm4Fshzkeo21kl4HAoeU0DQRGlGBHMSRS9Sl6VhTIzRcct4Cm4b-nB3Tl8caQfMyIhV5Do3pumsC0T1F4STC8zKCg8hrWpQ/s1600/lobster+roll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaByFnQW_iJdZHqhRw5Cbwjyh0DtyAdKmGkm3ClJHnWpNATm4Fshzkeo21kl4HAoeU0DQRGlGBHMSRS9Sl6VhTIzRcct4Cm4b-nB3Tl8caQfMyIhV5Do3pumsC0T1F4STC8zKCg8hrWpQ/s320/lobster+roll.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the end, although the race had not gone quite as we had hoped, we were all very proud of our accomplishment, and happy to have been able to run together. I, for one, was so honored to have been included on the team, and so inspired by everyone's resilience and determination. And most of all, despite everything that happened, all of the bad luck we experienced, I had some of the most fun I've ever had. Congratulations to A Case of the Runners for a great race, and thank you, Josh, Tyler, Gabe, John, Kelsey and Rich, for making Spring Reach the Beach 2011 an experience I'll never forget!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuACCVDm608nsQROpHtZZa8ovcNqwuS5svoPtwmbDO5QKLFEZXqrGj7d4XlmdLl9bfSpV40mHClwZKWIvF9AzrwC1RyoApoWy3uCNYubwsD6VRMolEUUlv8GB0iK6CFrbSg9OM3wQP9tHv/s1600/post+race+celebrating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuACCVDm608nsQROpHtZZa8ovcNqwuS5svoPtwmbDO5QKLFEZXqrGj7d4XlmdLl9bfSpV40mHClwZKWIvF9AzrwC1RyoApoWy3uCNYubwsD6VRMolEUUlv8GB0iK6CFrbSg9OM3wQP9tHv/s320/post+race+celebrating.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-44084456809239461772011-05-18T13:46:00.000-04:002011-05-18T13:46:13.292-04:00Jersey to Ptown to Jersey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been a busy few weeks!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Three weekends ago, some Front Runner friends and I went to New Jersey for the New Jersey Marathon and Long Branch Half Marathon. I just did the half. It was supposed to be an easy run for me. It's my third year doing this race (<a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/06/hot-hot-hot-half.html">read last year's race report here</a>), but I've never really raced it since it's always right after a marathon. This year, of course, it was two weeks after Boston, and I wasn't fully recovered yet. So it was just going to be fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI75tpaudfSmK3qw2USRVGop2MBV1xabd1LAZRgVGKMGegYpj1vxM9gpmXw1zEd1KkWkE7zlTJhSZ_enXS3ezKjAMb8RCrWoZN6sToIG81m2Eu39zNlX3rKJbkDBoXpJaMbx1tl5JCzTBt/s1600/218769_1953757957233_1041205699_2347455_2975635_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI75tpaudfSmK3qw2USRVGop2MBV1xabd1LAZRgVGKMGegYpj1vxM9gpmXw1zEd1KkWkE7zlTJhSZ_enXS3ezKjAMb8RCrWoZN6sToIG81m2Eu39zNlX3rKJbkDBoXpJaMbx1tl5JCzTBt/s320/218769_1953757957233_1041205699_2347455_2975635_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So I made myself not think about time. In fact, Daniel and Jonathan almost convinced me to run without my watch, but I wasn't quite able to do that. Still, my primary goal when I was in the starting corral was just to finish and have fun. And when the starting horn sounded, that's exactly what I did, starting out at an easy pace. About two minutes into the race, I realized that I should have peed one last time beforehand, because I kind of had to go. As luck would have it, there was a porta-potty about 3/4 of a mile into it. I decided, in keeping with my goal of just doing a fun run, I would use the porta-potty and then I really wouldn't care about my time.<br />
<br />
When I came out, I saw the 1:30 pace group was couple hundred yards ahead of me. And then, just like that, what started out as a fun run quickly turned into a run with the 1:30 pace group. It just pulled me in. I didn't want to do it, but I felt compelled to join them. Well, the rest is history. I ran with them for the next 10 miles or so, until I realized that they were at least a minute, maybe 90 seconds, behind pace. And then miles 11-13 I started to speed up.<br />
<br />
I dropped the pace group. Once I left them, it actually started to feel like a race. The field was very thin (out of 6,000 runners, there were less than 100 in front of me). I started to pick people off, one by one and try to pass them. I also knew that I had to run some really fast final miles if I wanted to make up for the deficit I was in. But my legs were tired by this point, and I couldn't push as hard as I wanted. My final time: 1:30:04. Ughh! To miss by a mere 4 seconds! If only I didn't make that bathroom break. If only the pace group had been more on pace. Argh, so frustrating. But after a few moments of being annoyed, in the end, I was very happy. My second fastest half marathon time ever, and I wasn't even trying that hard to race it. I was pleased, and excited about the chance to really race my next half marathon, in Brooklyn, three weeks later.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">That race wouldn't have been possible without the yummy carby dinner we made the night before. Farfalle with chicken, broccoi rabe, tomatoes and mushrooms. It was so easy and so yummy. The perfect meal before a big race.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10UwKRLgbBc3K5IFGrfgeT9PpZHn8F3iDw3JtomGaC4UQdCLR4phvPJCI0gK_-wLOykRlqFKIkQpX2uwtUMakebC9fAU6YejVcUFNxQsENJBDtiDVofUtpMDEkWc0_FS5y1MW1PGk2SSu/s1600/pasta+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10UwKRLgbBc3K5IFGrfgeT9PpZHn8F3iDw3JtomGaC4UQdCLR4phvPJCI0gK_-wLOykRlqFKIkQpX2uwtUMakebC9fAU6YejVcUFNxQsENJBDtiDVofUtpMDEkWc0_FS5y1MW1PGk2SSu/s320/pasta+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyI6jaEscSxuuA7OEm_QzTEOMPuInyZO_9KWSWuc_G60P4foi1Opb9rLcI0BqEeJsiU0brevxrbSuk1hVTrzg91y1UfmXgR1LM3-H4BBAxLzAiLPpmYl7B1exsEVcdbg57V95S4pV7LFG/s1600/pasta+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyI6jaEscSxuuA7OEm_QzTEOMPuInyZO_9KWSWuc_G60P4foi1Opb9rLcI0BqEeJsiU0brevxrbSuk1hVTrzg91y1UfmXgR1LM3-H4BBAxLzAiLPpmYl7B1exsEVcdbg57V95S4pV7LFG/s320/pasta+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
The following weekend, seven Front Runner friends and I went up to Massachusetts to run the 2nd annual Cape Relay, a 184-mile run from outside Boston to the tip of Cape Cod. It was a great experience, so much fun! I ended up running about 27 miles with some of my best friends, and I'll never forget what a great time we had. All this, despite the fact that the race itself was extremely unorganized and poorly managed, and I definitely will not be doing it again.<br />
<br />
The weekend started out with a nice carby chicken parm and pasta dinner at the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/post-road-diner-norwalk">Post Road Diner</a> in Norwalk, CT, where we met up with the other FRNY relay team.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JNCGhD1uiWXa32XLctF4J8TcA5XFllUG3o5vwK_pfFrmNlYKU49OvL2qBPeRvJC4Pl3cHeoY2zI2C_ENzkfs3jynp6oI8xDmX0Zz_AFnpG1IQW1aoIUaaHi5bdH6rIdI1uJDTmLd8uAh/s1600/210051_1963653164607_1041205699_2361970_5310628_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JNCGhD1uiWXa32XLctF4J8TcA5XFllUG3o5vwK_pfFrmNlYKU49OvL2qBPeRvJC4Pl3cHeoY2zI2C_ENzkfs3jynp6oI8xDmX0Zz_AFnpG1IQW1aoIUaaHi5bdH6rIdI1uJDTmLd8uAh/s320/210051_1963653164607_1041205699_2361970_5310628_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And after a night at the Mansfield, Mass. Red Roof Inn, the FRNY Ultragays had breakfast at the charming <a href="http://www.massmenus.com/cafeonthecommon.htm">Cafe on the Common</a>, where we enjoyed what would be our last proper meal for the next 24 hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHkTgGkDTNsLMpBS0eQrCiQULKhwD6EAlO751HIxgjjCtD6xxE0SlcJ_XfznTM0T4cZmMivxkwOBV2nEiga2i8qPQBP87CETMw1g8XDHvva8sIMDWxpULA5fT17XverBzi8VC8SUQ55Lu/s1600/218954_1966269630017_1041205699_2365441_3044980_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHkTgGkDTNsLMpBS0eQrCiQULKhwD6EAlO751HIxgjjCtD6xxE0SlcJ_XfznTM0T4cZmMivxkwOBV2nEiga2i8qPQBP87CETMw1g8XDHvva8sIMDWxpULA5fT17XverBzi8VC8SUQ55Lu/s320/218954_1966269630017_1041205699_2365441_3044980_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The relay started in Borderland State Park in Massachusetts, about 30 miles south of Boston, and headed almost the entire length of Cape Cod, to end in Truro, Mass, about eight miles shy of Provincetown. Our team was seeded to start the relay at 12 noon, in the very last wave. I was to run a total of 27.6 miles over six legs, and my legs ranged in length from 2.9 to 6.7 miles. My goal was to average around a 6:45-7:00 pace for the entire course.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiAb_Aaf_cqV0TrKr3W9CQQmMnqoSPJFauTyHamZiuNGXjNmbz8oJiN148AFAfJwP8VAd6jOjhQ9Hw4YBn4_a8btefInxL1Icne7WXebvV2tJyMplG2-cw3IUF9prYHJb5YoAfi7OGeL6d/s1600/218482_1966278230232_1041205699_2365485_3692671_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiAb_Aaf_cqV0TrKr3W9CQQmMnqoSPJFauTyHamZiuNGXjNmbz8oJiN148AFAfJwP8VAd6jOjhQ9Hw4YBn4_a8btefInxL1Icne7WXebvV2tJyMplG2-cw3IUF9prYHJb5YoAfi7OGeL6d/s320/218482_1966278230232_1041205699_2365485_3692671_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
At the start, we met some of the other teams who were seeded with us. There was another gay Ultra team, the "Fanny Packs," from Boston. And there were two college Ultra teams, the Dartmouth Endurance Racing Team, and "We Is Fast" from Northeastern University--they looked like they were going to be our toughest competition.<br />
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Jonathan was the first runner on our team. The first leg was run on trails that sounded pretty technical, which is Jonathan's expertise. When we met him at the transition area six miles later, he was several minutes ahead of every other team. After that point, we pretty much never saw any of the other teams who started with us again.<br />
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Jonathan was followed by Josh, Mike, Drew, Me and Kelsey. Peter and John were our drivers. My first leg was 4.68 miles, mostly flat. It was not too memorable. I ended up passing two or three people. But I was running a little faster than I planned on running, mostly because I didn't want to be the one on my team that let one of the other teams pass us. So every few hundred yards, I looked back to see if anyone was behind me. But sure 'nuff, there was no one.<br />
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My second leg was 6.35 miles, again mostly flat. It wasn't quite dark yet, but I wore my reflective vest. This time I passed at least a dozen or so runners. Each time I passed someone, I would say to them, "Good job, keep it up." But it would actually give me a little energy boost. I finished in 42:23, or 6:40 pace.<br />
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So with two sets of legs done (or one-third of the race), the FRNY Ultragays were well in first place. None of the teams we started with were anywhere near us. And that's when the race started to fall apart. We noticed on our third set of legs that we weren't passing any runners anymore. That seemed a little odd. Could it be that we were in first place? Apparently we were! We had somehow passed every single other team in the first third of the relay, and were already leading all of the other racers! That seemed really cool--for a moment, until we realized that the race organizers were just not prepared for us.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjB4UCirDVguJpNF8hNsYe7279vey1zdFUptBz_3KU2AABPwjbW_6yr7626XvNoIjQIspTNnGSNZRuTD0AA4xGYOQuJzpYdM13Gwafq6UgqZUGlxXN3MOQb7TOsFTMBwKRpoowvGcdC5P/s1600/226290_535662826050_80900162_31202237_3510538_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjB4UCirDVguJpNF8hNsYe7279vey1zdFUptBz_3KU2AABPwjbW_6yr7626XvNoIjQIspTNnGSNZRuTD0AA4xGYOQuJzpYdM13Gwafq6UgqZUGlxXN3MOQb7TOsFTMBwKRpoowvGcdC5P/s320/226290_535662826050_80900162_31202237_3510538_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We started arriving at transition areas before they were set up. At one transition, the porta-potties were still all tied shut. The volunteers didn't know what to do with us. And then we learned, the awful, awful news. Transition 18 was not ready to open. It would not be opening until 11:45pm. But we were on pace to get there an hour earlier. So what would that mean...? Apparently our team would be held, for an hour, until the race organizers got their sh-t together. Meanwhile, all of the other teams would catch up to us, and there would be a mass start of all of the teams at 11:45. And would they deduct the HOUR we would have to wait? According to the race official, "This isn't a Boston Qualifier; we're not serious about times here."<br />
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Are you F-cking kidding me?! I was ripsh-t. Why the f-ck would you organize a RACE if you're not going to give a sh-t about people's times?!?! Don't tell people it's a race, and charge a thousand dollars a team if you're going to f-cking SCREW OVER the fastest teams. WTF are they thinking?!?! I was so pissed off and felt completely deflated and used. Basically, the 11 miles that I had run at 6:35-6:40 pace were completely wasted. I could have run 10 minute miles and been in the exact same situation. What a f-cking joke.<br />
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So the experience of running my third leg was pretty much ruined. It would have been a wonderful run--2.73 miles across the Sagamore Bridge onto Cape Cod. Finally reaching the Cape after about 100 miles of running. It would be quite a dramatic moment. But I wasn't racing. There was no point to running fast, since we would just be stopped after reaching Transition 18. So Peter joined me, and we jogged the leg together--in 21:31, or 7:52 pace. By this time, the race had just about lost its excitement for me.<br />
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As if to make up for the fact that we'd have to wait at Transition 18 for an hour, the race officials kept promoting the "pasta dinner" there. We'd get delicious hot food, blah blah blah. And here's the difference between the organizers of the Cape Relay and the organizers of a quality race like Reach the Beach. Whereas RTB invited members of the community to sell food and raise money for community groups (the Girl Scouts, little league teams, schools... remember <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/09/reach-beach-2010.html">my picture of Transition 13 here</a>?) the Cape Relay charges you for sh-tty food so they can continue to profit off of runners' exhaustion and lack of choice. The whole thing just made me feel like some corporate race organizer was getting rich by cheating the runners out of a quality (or even just passable) race experience. I've never before participated in a race where I felt completely duped, until now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpF-p1vLqblwMMR5xS-YGBPYz25_nQl6VgRTAlu4aETaxjD2aLwP9-TPNSGrZCi6fH-x53aale_F-hIDOAtcpHpcjQGKrwY3Q-Ai68-K3EbKuNAV0PQ4rxeAC8qTqT6MMMgzWhXDK52r0/s1600/218645_1966287190456_1041205699_2365524_6595846_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpF-p1vLqblwMMR5xS-YGBPYz25_nQl6VgRTAlu4aETaxjD2aLwP9-TPNSGrZCi6fH-x53aale_F-hIDOAtcpHpcjQGKrwY3Q-Ai68-K3EbKuNAV0PQ4rxeAC8qTqT6MMMgzWhXDK52r0/s320/218645_1966287190456_1041205699_2365524_6595846_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
11:45 came, and the race officials said they still weren't ready for us. Then midnight came, and they said 15 more minutes. Finally, at 12:15, the race officials said that the first 5 teams that had come in could start, and then they would let the other teams go, 5 at a time, in 5 minute intervals. Of course, another team that had just come into the transition at 12:14 also left with us at 12:15, so by this point it was pretty much a sh-tshow. Whatever.<br />
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We were told they would maybe hold us at Transition 24 too. So frankly, I didn't know how fast to run. If I ran it fast, the effort could be wasted again, if we were all going to just have another mass start later. I asked Peter to run with me again, since it was dark and it was my longest run--6.72 miles at around 3:00 in the morning. This was the leg where I discovered another huge difference between the Cape Relay and Reach the Beach. When you are running at RTB, there are signs--reflective signs--that tell you, the runner, where to go, and that tell DRIVERS to be careful of runners on the road. At the Cape Relay, there was completely inadequate signage for runners, and the few that they did have were NON-REFLECTIVE, save for a little two-inch piece of tape that was stuck on them. Even worse, there was NOTHING to tell oncoming traffic that there was a race going on. Trust me, you don't want to be the runner leading a race at 3:00 in the morning when oncoming traffic has no idea anyone is there. Just another example of how the race organizers had no regard for safety, let alone the runners' enjoyment of the race. Miraculously, Peter and I ended up not getting hit by a car and finishing the 6.72 mile leg in 46:09, or 6:52 pace.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9czZbQCmSTamIeYGoymcVs1aCjErt80_ltZldu1wkQIMhOuQoBzbslJHsqEBBa3oI_32TlEewtaHwLITE_Sd4KUOC_CNsNbyl7WH5sb7PUNSgddBzeQMD5H92OffXaeEtKzR0OcFGCMr8/s1600/229627_535663045610_80900162_31202258_6881930_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9czZbQCmSTamIeYGoymcVs1aCjErt80_ltZldu1wkQIMhOuQoBzbslJHsqEBBa3oI_32TlEewtaHwLITE_Sd4KUOC_CNsNbyl7WH5sb7PUNSgddBzeQMD5H92OffXaeEtKzR0OcFGCMr8/s320/229627_535663045610_80900162_31202258_6881930_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>By my 5th and 6th legs, we were so far ahead of the other teams that there was pretty much no reason to run fast anymore. We got to most of the transitions before even the volunteers checking in the runners arrived. At this point, I decided to just have fun with it. There was no point killing myself when we were going to win anyway and the time was going to be wrong anyway.<br />
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Thank goodness, though, that my last two legs were both under 4 miles. My very last leg had about a quarter mile start in the sand dunes, which was not fun. But I enjoyed the scenery, and tried to take in the sights.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiud3eHhdZobIhrqEVNW5y_MQaFCNI3P5942i0461kRUer5bGqUrMLSu2cXzRbfaFcyx1kkm5EhsjcifWUv3GyiHz0IMYgF_qkHTC6CgdtoEQLKhBPxgE4v0mfXUpbgx55k6sct3B0Q87sJ/s1600/finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiud3eHhdZobIhrqEVNW5y_MQaFCNI3P5942i0461kRUer5bGqUrMLSu2cXzRbfaFcyx1kkm5EhsjcifWUv3GyiHz0IMYgF_qkHTC6CgdtoEQLKhBPxgE4v0mfXUpbgx55k6sct3B0Q87sJ/s320/finish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>While it was nice not having to run that fast for my last two legs, to be honest, I wish it was more of a race. I remember that my last leg at Reach the Beach last year was one of my faster legs, because I was neck-and-neck with another runner. It would have been fun to push myself a little more and see how fast I could go.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnxqHgalNy4ffPeWycQDqaz7e8wfgLP59aYnHogQy7zUDJf-DZPycY9u-r6kiu2KQq8ujsnsUtAwFiXoSFKLf6gjDouO0IbcPGXIopjv9l7uEOWLVe7l2AnqErfHnNQK7fDoZ61r3fWMh/s1600/221764_535663265170_80900162_31202277_4310542_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnxqHgalNy4ffPeWycQDqaz7e8wfgLP59aYnHogQy7zUDJf-DZPycY9u-r6kiu2KQq8ujsnsUtAwFiXoSFKLf6gjDouO0IbcPGXIopjv9l7uEOWLVe7l2AnqErfHnNQK7fDoZ61r3fWMh/s320/221764_535663265170_80900162_31202277_4310542_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
But in the end, I did have fun. Some of the best fun I've ever had while running. Despite a poorly organized race, the eight of us had an amazing time together. I got to spend the weekend with some of my best friends in the world, and we were all doing what we loved to do. That's the real reason why I run these relays, not for the competition or the medal or even the bragging rights, but to have fun with a wonderful group of people. And the Cape Relay organizers, no matter how bad a job they did, could not take that away from me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sT_NEwS6BtZcvPc0yONztC0pTDZU1AgB-GVk_QZ_dBrukcoY5hHLdW52PIumhQzTEXpqxd4qysHVOGsunEM1uAcspfbjSAqkjaauoZ4Tj5hMBi2G38Ecz5PX5lf0eJ-WwFvZqTXTJk7j/s1600/cape+relay+times.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sT_NEwS6BtZcvPc0yONztC0pTDZU1AgB-GVk_QZ_dBrukcoY5hHLdW52PIumhQzTEXpqxd4qysHVOGsunEM1uAcspfbjSAqkjaauoZ4Tj5hMBi2G38Ecz5PX5lf0eJ-WwFvZqTXTJk7j/s1600/cape+relay+times.jpg" /></a></div>After the race, the eight of us celebrated our victory and recovered our bodies with a night in Provincetown. For dinner, we went to the <a href="http://www.ptownlobsterpot.com/">Lobster Pot</a>. Of course, I couldn't resist the lobster clambake. After all, we ran nearly 200 miles!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMW0QBZ8QRv7P44bwiKcGsP9HLgqbV_OsP6VFBkRsqrpqW1coYh5nlXVNscbrgkH3n2AafXs3tB0P1U-GzROfIE4k2w_twq2Xqyp30pWlcaPe1z_fU2JAAd1uN361-alIy2NxMeuhAkpm/s1600/241267_1969553952123_1041205699_2370825_7146120_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMW0QBZ8QRv7P44bwiKcGsP9HLgqbV_OsP6VFBkRsqrpqW1coYh5nlXVNscbrgkH3n2AafXs3tB0P1U-GzROfIE4k2w_twq2Xqyp30pWlcaPe1z_fU2JAAd1uN361-alIy2NxMeuhAkpm/s320/241267_1969553952123_1041205699_2370825_7146120_o.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, this past weekend, I kicked off Triathlon Season with a sprint triathlon and an Olympic tri relay.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Saturday, Timmy and I went to Toms River, NJ for the <a href="http://jsmultisport.com/race_05-1516-10.shtml">Jersey Shore Kickoff Tri</a>. You may recall that <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/06/hot-hot-hot-half.html">we both did it last year</a>. Since this was just a little Sprint Tri, I didn't really give it much thought before the race. However, Friday evening, as we were driving down to Jersey, I realized for the first time that I had never actually ridden my brand new tri bike outdoors before. <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2011/01/bitter-melon-bitter-cold-bitter-year.html">The bike that I got in December</a>, I've only used in Computrainer sessions. So I had no idea how to use the aerobars. And I had no idea whether the bike would fall apart if it hit a bump. Uh oh... I called Rachel, hoping she would reassure me by telling me that aerobars were easy to use and I had nothing to worry about. But she made me feel like I was nuts to even consider riding the bike for the first time in a race. I didn't really have any choice, though; we were on our way to Jersey and I had no other bike to use...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GfbqcHy0iIzumO6HeZTK9epxs-7a0jxl0Zyh4xFtFrJYCbQQjXGbmIevLyFwIYg3uU7_VttMurWsFdpqEIv2MT6yqqpNrYZNmOnAOSnN9qBlDU-WS7Rvgnd_mT9xGPfB6w68V34unhiy/s1600/jsm+kickoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GfbqcHy0iIzumO6HeZTK9epxs-7a0jxl0Zyh4xFtFrJYCbQQjXGbmIevLyFwIYg3uU7_VttMurWsFdpqEIv2MT6yqqpNrYZNmOnAOSnN9qBlDU-WS7Rvgnd_mT9xGPfB6w68V34unhiy/s320/jsm+kickoff.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So at 6:50am Saturday morning, we started the race. The swim wasn't particularly eventful. It was just 400 meters, and seemed to be over almost as soon as it started. One thing I remember was that it was a bit of a zoo at the start. I guess because the swim was so short, people were fighting more than normal to get a good start. So pretty much the first half of the swim felt like people were kicking and clawing all over me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The bike is where I got nervous. And once again, I forget to set my bike computer so during the whole race, I was fidgeting with it. The aerobars, however, didn't pose a problem for me. I pretty quickly got the hang of them, and I actually felt quite comfortable in the aero position. And switching from the aerobars to the outer handlebars to brake and turn, while a little scary at first, turned out not to be that big of a deal. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was, however, one problem. When I got my bike in the mail in December, it came in a few pieces, and I had to screw everything together and tighten the bolts. Well, apparently I didn't tighten the bolt to the handlebar setup enough, because every time I went over a bump, the whole front assembly would shift downward, and I had to pull it back up. Not by a huge amount, but just enough to make it annoying. I'm glad it wasn't any worse, because otherwise the aerobars could have come completely unattached. Oyyy, that would have been bad. Note to self: tighten all screws on my bike.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, the run came. Since the bike was so short, my legs felt strong. I must have passed 20-30 people on my run, and it was a great feeling. The only issue was that for some reason I thought the run was a 5k (that's what it was last year, and that's what it usually is for a sprint tri), but it was 3.55 miles. So I was not really prepared for that last little bit. (I am, however, a little skeptical that it was really a full 3.55 miles; it didn't feel like I was running a 6:25 pace. Maybe more like 6:45 or so...).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the end, I finished in 1:12:46, or 11th out of 18 in my age group. OK, I guess, for my first tri of the season. But I'd like to finally get to be in the top half of my age group at some point. I guess that means I have to work on my biking. And swimming. Ugh...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Place.......48/131 [11/18 AG]<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Name........David Lin<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Bib.........78<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Sex.........M<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Age.........35<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Swim Rank...58 [13/18 AG]<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Swim Time...12:49.1<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Swim Rate...1.87</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">T1 Time.....2:21.4<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Bike Rank...72 [14/18 AG]<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Bike Time...33:57.0<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Bike Rate...17.7<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">T2 Time.....0:53.7<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Run Rank....16 [5/18 AG]<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Run Time....22:45.2<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Run Rate....6:25<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Total Time..1:12:46.4</span></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dinner Saturday night was dumplings with homemade dough for the wrappers, sauteed broccoli rabe, and scallion pancakes made with the leftover dumpling dough. It took a bit of effort to make the dough from scratch, but it was worth it. And we got plenty of carbs for the next day...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6pTJO-a1v7Ai0JXlruCaR7zqWMjNXfrN0wYzgcpC8JslCi0ytYs9XEJbtaUn4mBGOROt2e9nsQQVMA8QzSdMZOtecqNqFW-hhOgO1I9NmJD_voRaJ81VXpCaRRz_3Wjh6kp2oPTugVcc/s1600/dumplings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6pTJO-a1v7Ai0JXlruCaR7zqWMjNXfrN0wYzgcpC8JslCi0ytYs9XEJbtaUn4mBGOROt2e9nsQQVMA8QzSdMZOtecqNqFW-hhOgO1I9NmJD_voRaJ81VXpCaRRz_3Wjh6kp2oPTugVcc/s320/dumplings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sunday morning, we did it all over again. This time, Daniel, Paul and I did the tri as a relay, and Timmy was our cheerleader. I did the 1.5k swim, Daniel biked 40k, and Paul ran 10k.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think my swim went really well. I was pretty much in a zone the whole time and able to just focus on my stroke. My one problem was that I forgot to look at the course beforehand and count the buoys and figure out the difference between the yellow and orange buoys that I saw. So, when I was in the water, I had no idea how far I had gone until I was almost at the finish. I'm sure I'll remember the next time I do an open water swim to look at the course beforehand....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The official time for my swim was 27:32. I didn't wear a watch, but based on the race pictures, I suspect that time was 5 minutes off. I think they gave me the wrong color swim cap so I started 5 minutes earlier. So, with a time of 32:32, I would have placed 134th out of 238 swimmers, somewhere in the middle. Daniel finished the bike in 1:19:46, and Paul ran in 45:12, so we came in 2nd place in the relay division (even with 5 minutes added on). Pretty good for team FRNY!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RdDVdoHAlVU-uIZD93e0S4UjjpAhS1GaObnQkw-1R2xsKKfhbOQYmgcBxNMg1CbfyUJcr70Fp8f_29za78YgESAMzw3jvYlRb45381OKTcILV6AVUIagyMl0CQbcsl8mBDeHOKIKwGF0/s1600/red+bank+tri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RdDVdoHAlVU-uIZD93e0S4UjjpAhS1GaObnQkw-1R2xsKKfhbOQYmgcBxNMg1CbfyUJcr70Fp8f_29za78YgESAMzw3jvYlRb45381OKTcILV6AVUIagyMl0CQbcsl8mBDeHOKIKwGF0/s320/red+bank+tri.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I enjoyed the race, but I do have one big complaint. The race directors made a point of telling us in email communications that there were going to be "ample porta-potties." Well, there were FOUR of them. Four porta-potties for about 300 athletes. I ended up waiting in line for about 40 minutes, and that's why I didn't have a chance to look at the swim course beforehand. Hopefully next year they'll plan it better, because it was a good race otherwise.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My whirlwind month of racing craziness is not yet over. I was planning on running the Brooklyn Half this coming weekend, and finally getting a sub-1:30 time for an NYRR half marathon. But Monday, I got word that a runner on one of the Spring Reach the Beach teams is injured and can't run. So I was asked to fill in. I feel so honored to have been asked, especially since the rest of the team is, like, much much MUCH faster than me. I'm pretty nervous, since I really don't want to let them down. But I'm also excited. I've been running really well recently, and this is my chance to help out my friends who need a last minute replacement. Also, I didn't really get to run as hard as I wanted to at the Cape Relay, so here's my chance to push myself a little harder in a relay race that's a bit more amenable to faster runners. The team is me, Kelsey, John, Josh, Gabe, and John's friend Tyler. Rich will be our driver. This is gonna be fun!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-52871310704469988232011-04-21T10:30:00.000-04:002011-04-21T10:30:10.643-04:00Boston Marathon!!! 3:06:54!!!! New PR!!!I did it!!! A year and a half after running the race that got me to Boston, a year and a half of a long, bumpy road that saw an injury that never fully healed, and that saw me decide at the last minute not to run the New York City Marathon this past fall, I went to Boston, hungering for redemption, and ran the race of my life! Not only did I requalify for Boston, not only did I smash my PR by over two minutes on a much more difficult course, but I broke every possible goal I had set for myself. After a year and a half of disappointments, I am back, stronger than ever, with a renewed passion for running, a love of everyone who helped get me here, and a drive to be the best I can be.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFcKTvQLU1ZeE7gi1wHB11Egc5DFXea0HMbu93huEXxU8KxztlmOOy7xeJvWor9uJrBpiUamCQ4wh432QZTl8hqoLUx0HYya42-YVeQ15E-Lu4Hh3pJ3WG6VkLwAfeF6gAR1BQveFLQw7/s1600/finisher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFcKTvQLU1ZeE7gi1wHB11Egc5DFXea0HMbu93huEXxU8KxztlmOOy7xeJvWor9uJrBpiUamCQ4wh432QZTl8hqoLUx0HYya42-YVeQ15E-Lu4Hh3pJ3WG6VkLwAfeF6gAR1BQveFLQw7/s320/finisher.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
I don't even know where to start. But I think it's fitting to note, as shown in the picture below, that I went to Boston knowing that I had the most amazing support I could have asked for. Over 30 people I knew made the trip to Boston wanting to see me have a great run. My parents flew in from California to cheer for me. I knew many more in New York and elsewhere were constantly refreshing their computers to track my every move. I spent the last hours before the race with the best of friends. And I was encouraged and supported every step of the way for the final long stretch by one of my closest friends in the world. The whole thing was just a wonderful, wonderful experience, and I will never forget how so many of you did so much to give me the most amazing time of my life. Thank you!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpNogOozdzSXJv9FWlIWf2ymTN9TImGpLzyDgpHZhVMgHEh_NRrn8izdBk7vwhlnPLL_BGSB6O0GKItnJELE38_Hx2w9wTrQ0LCY5QD_uXMVPKCcEJDV7xgNZOk3W21vilCKLo-vIqgyU/s1600/grp+antonios.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpNogOozdzSXJv9FWlIWf2ymTN9TImGpLzyDgpHZhVMgHEh_NRrn8izdBk7vwhlnPLL_BGSB6O0GKItnJELE38_Hx2w9wTrQ0LCY5QD_uXMVPKCcEJDV7xgNZOk3W21vilCKLo-vIqgyU/s320/grp+antonios.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The night before the race, 27 Front Runners and friends joined together at <a href="http://www.antoniosofbeaconhill.com/">Antonio's of Beacon Hill</a>, the same place we went to last year, for a grand pre-race carbo-loading dinner. We took over almost the entire restaurant! It was the perfect way to spend the time before a big race calming my nerves and reminding myself that so many people were pushing me along the way, and that regardless of the time I ran, I was so blessed to have the support of so many great people in my life.<br />
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The food was great, just like last year. Mike pre-ordered a bunch of pastas for the table, so there was no long wait or difficult decision making. My favorite was the penne with broccoli and chicken, but we also got linguine with pesto, and a fusilli with marinara. The homemade fusilli was so much fun, its long corkscrews were like eating little pasta Slinkys.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9JIzMm4IZMlzAgcukuHRk3TxCoDrxbUwdlTChzSiRE2QKxfU1lAzMK361g_ox5zVOl5nz_lojiNXuQDYBbodiB1_NKTRwtp4ndlZapVQ1BgVNJVXf1fl11oRspWmTKn_hoRepvNAXNKU/s1600/broc+chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9JIzMm4IZMlzAgcukuHRk3TxCoDrxbUwdlTChzSiRE2QKxfU1lAzMK361g_ox5zVOl5nz_lojiNXuQDYBbodiB1_NKTRwtp4ndlZapVQ1BgVNJVXf1fl11oRspWmTKn_hoRepvNAXNKU/s320/broc+chicken.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6l6B64GvUXHoQfBXtKWUb6ESu7G3veJsMw42WX2UgpAMV5VDiJuLF1HRio1AYBkvNaAA5xWTI2i27dXa2_4aNF5_O3DJFnKegUYGDYUfEFwAGQhBcsjCN747cSPsShTe8cbY-Vz102mii/s1600/mike+pesto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6l6B64GvUXHoQfBXtKWUb6ESu7G3veJsMw42WX2UgpAMV5VDiJuLF1HRio1AYBkvNaAA5xWTI2i27dXa2_4aNF5_O3DJFnKegUYGDYUfEFwAGQhBcsjCN747cSPsShTe8cbY-Vz102mii/s320/mike+pesto.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the highlights of the evening was when Koach Kelsey handed each of us who were running the marathon 10 individual M&M's. It's one of Kelsey's pre-race rituals; long ago, the night before a big New York City track meet, Kelsey happened to have exactly 10 M&M's after dinner, and the next day, he had an amazing race. He now made sure to have exactly 10 M&M's before each of his big races, and I felt lucky and special to be able to share in this tradition with him.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvsu7OeHCsEtb-xbqgIxBNdDdN5G92f-ik21y0mqYKh5k-XE6FE7kup15ZFbqsabYMFVf8U9CCCwgbaVO6I3NtTvZKa2wshrfs1PGdzoNwuZJsFXEUyk2ZakvOJck_UizA7SbWrv0myO6/s1600/mms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvsu7OeHCsEtb-xbqgIxBNdDdN5G92f-ik21y0mqYKh5k-XE6FE7kup15ZFbqsabYMFVf8U9CCCwgbaVO6I3NtTvZKa2wshrfs1PGdzoNwuZJsFXEUyk2ZakvOJck_UizA7SbWrv0myO6/s320/mms.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The biggest moment of the night, though, was Kelsey's customary pre-race pep talk. Anyone who has run a marathon with Front Runners over the past several years knows exactly what this means. Check your baggage with your bag, he said. There are a million reasons to slow down or give up during a marathon; all you need is one reason to keep you going; find that one reason and have it take you to the finish.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUNVah3bbWSlhTW9_Dw0ED_c5aB_C-rHuUC4r19gMKk3wuDsZvv8rXCJEvfqEpoyMzSxm9axBvDbX7wVLED-Tgbv0arD8I11cnKCZEJ8FInroGUaWoGdpwVhF0rlgs7jcJysWoSJmJ-N9/s1600/runners+circle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUNVah3bbWSlhTW9_Dw0ED_c5aB_C-rHuUC4r19gMKk3wuDsZvv8rXCJEvfqEpoyMzSxm9axBvDbX7wVLED-Tgbv0arD8I11cnKCZEJ8FInroGUaWoGdpwVhF0rlgs7jcJysWoSJmJ-N9/s320/runners+circle+2.jpg" width="279" /></a></div><br />
I knew what my one reason was going to be. During dinner, Steve sent me a text message that almost made me cry. He said, "Your training will pay off and you are going to make a lot of people happy tomorrow." It was exactly what I needed to hear. I knew I had put in the right training. I knew I was prepared to run a great race. But most of all, I knew that so many people, particularly my Front Runners family, would be so proud of me for running my best race. I decided to make that my motivation--to make people as proud of me as I am about being a Front Runner. This club has done so much for me over the past five years, taking me, a non-running, out of shape smoker, and turning me into an athlete, a marathoner, a Boston Qualifier. I was so happy to run in honor of Front Runners New York, and to wear its logo on my singlet. And I knew that that motivation would carry me to the finish line.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj7jswpsf6m2LOIIAhxN8hN6oqUfUoDDtzL3TQntmw0RP_0V9vmYV0JkXS3aB6REwuFpLinwcu9k_DT7f5GP8mw7Ks2WY1R6hDvsy-q17I0TnkU931_me2QrFSzgqYr9WTPdHwBuoA14p/s1600/prepared.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj7jswpsf6m2LOIIAhxN8hN6oqUfUoDDtzL3TQntmw0RP_0V9vmYV0JkXS3aB6REwuFpLinwcu9k_DT7f5GP8mw7Ks2WY1R6hDvsy-q17I0TnkU931_me2QrFSzgqYr9WTPdHwBuoA14p/s320/prepared.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I slept surprisingly soundly that night. Monday morning, I woke up, ready to go. Kelsey and I met Jerry at Boston Common at 6:25 to catch the bus to Hopkinton. Last year, I remember it was only a few minutes' wait, but this year was probably at least 45 minutes. On the bus, I had my breakfast of a <a href="http://www.dunkindonuts.com/content/dunkindonuts/en/menu/muffins.html?DRP_FLAVOR=Coffee%20Cake">Dunkin' Donuts coffee cake muffin</a>--650 delicious calories in a stomach-friendly easily digestible treat (it's Kelsey's usual pre-marathon breakfast; I'm now looking forward to long training runs so I can have a reason to eat more of these muffins...they're really yummy!).<br />
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The drive took forever. Having been hydrating for two hours until that point, Kelsey and I both had a pressing bathroom issue to contend with on the bus, which was seriously delayed because of all the traffic going to Hopkinton. Luckily, we were able to improvise. A Gatorade bottle and coffee cup were involved. I suspect other people on the bus had the same idea.<br />
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By the time we got to the Athletes' Village, it was close to 9am, and we didn't have much time to spare. We made one final bathroom visit (where we randomly found Janice and took the picture below), checked our bags, and headed off to the start corrals.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb1wltSpYLPZRguZmu3wjjJs0XkuCQq0Lgql1nJFkHubLBbRpejaAHYCCYprKnAOl4eUQHixQBLg6ibKNq5rb3GHcRi5c9dvzWGglZRekyNeUmqCf2E-yJN4aSceoh0l6xyXZKPC3pOBG/s1600/janice+pre+race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb1wltSpYLPZRguZmu3wjjJs0XkuCQq0Lgql1nJFkHubLBbRpejaAHYCCYprKnAOl4eUQHixQBLg6ibKNq5rb3GHcRi5c9dvzWGglZRekyNeUmqCf2E-yJN4aSceoh0l6xyXZKPC3pOBG/s320/janice+pre+race.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
At the start, I found Daniel, another Front Runner who was in my corral. He said he was going for about a 3:05, so I made a mental note to keep him in front of me throughout the start.<br />
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And then we were off! It was exhilarating! I felt so excited and fortunate to be a part of this race, one of the greatest and most storied sporting events in history.<br />
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But it didn't take long for me to focus on the running. Anyone who knows the Boston Marathon knows that the first six miles are generally downhill. And you always hear people say that Boston is made or broken on how fast you run those first six miles. Run too fast, and your quads take such a pounding that they become mush by the time the hills of Newton come 16-20 miles later. Instead, you always hear people say, take the first six miles conservatively.<br />
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Kelsey thinks of it differently. It's not about how fast or slow you run the first 10K; it's about how your feet strike the ground. Run too fast, and your feet will be pounding down the hill and your quads will be destroyed. But slowing down against the natural pull of gravity means forcing your feet to brake with each step and increasing the ground's force against those same quad muscles. Instead, run lightly, with the feet tapping the ground and picking right up, without the constant stomp-stomp-stomping that people so often do when running down hills. That would prove to be very wise advice.<br />
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I was wearing a customized terrain-adjusted 3:08 pace bracelet (<a href="http://mymarathonpace.com/Pacing_Spreadsheets.html#Pacing_&_Info_Spreadsheets">available here</a>), which I configured to give me a "fairly even effort," a "fairly slow start," and a "medium fade." It had listed the pace of my Mile 1 (mostly downhill) as 7:27, the exact same pace it listed for mile 21 (mostly uphill, including Heartbreak Hill). I was skeptical. A different terrain-adjusted 3:08 pace bracelet that I got from Nike said I should do that first mile at 6:55, over 30 seconds faster. So I was a little confused. I ended up just deciding that I would use the pace band that let me start off slower, although I would not fret too much if I ended up being slightly faster than its prescribed times.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqslzQZnIBdP405Jqs0Yt5kskBTAK8RIogv2h3-KSbAopiU0W3KzLtTumWhyphenhyphen0Bw7ZdRY9qH1tN9a_XKhMgHjQHY5_YVc6PKYI8rWnH_NjiiFKo_k2uignVJXXPKg3DI4aV7CIx-zIx3Dn/s1600/pace+band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqslzQZnIBdP405Jqs0Yt5kskBTAK8RIogv2h3-KSbAopiU0W3KzLtTumWhyphenhyphen0Bw7ZdRY9qH1tN9a_XKhMgHjQHY5_YVc6PKYI8rWnH_NjiiFKo_k2uignVJXXPKg3DI4aV7CIx-zIx3Dn/s320/pace+band.jpg" width="50" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mile 1 ended up being 7:15, or 12 seconds faster than goal. I thought that was within the range of fine. So I just made sure to keep going forward, picking up my legs with each step. Then Mile 2 came: 6:54. Eeek! 25 seconds faster than goal time. That was clearly too fast. I tried to reel it in a bit, being careful not to brake with each step. Miles 3-6 were all 5-12 seconds within my goal pace, so that was better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To be honest, I don't really remember too much of the first 6 miles except trying not to go too fast. But once I got to the Framingham train station at Mile 6, the race kind of started for me. That's where we began our "Blue Line Run" two weeks ago when we ran the last 20 miles of the course (plus 2 extra miles), so I was now in familiar territory. I started dividing the course up into memorable landmarks. I knew, for example, that at Mile 10, we would go through downtown Natick, and then hit the Dunkin' Donuts where we picked up Matt two weeks earlier. Sandi and her crew would be at 11, the Wellesley girls at 13, the first Newton hill at 16, and Mikey waiting for me at 19.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next several miles were all about 5-10 seconds faster than goal pace. I felt, however, like I had settled into my proper pace, and I felt good. I started feeling comfortable enough to enjoy the scene around me, noticing more the other runners and spectators. There was a cute runner in a speedo. There was another cute runner wearing a "glee" singlet (hmm....). The spectators were wonderful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At Mile 11, I was running with Daniel. I mentioned to him that there should be a group of Front Runner cheerers coming up. And sure enough, a few seconds later, Sandi, Leah, Katrina and A.J. were on the left screaming their heads off. I was on the right side, and must have annoyed a few runners as I darted across the street to say hi to them. But it was great to see them, and it definitely helped me to get to the next landmark: Wellesley College.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU-60NgDlo2qIc6YsyifDEKp6ejxMvZnbqMDqYCU1CX6e6apbQum5GMQMZPnrcixaPcu1fNpbFyx5PJmvfTE-RoDtyB1HF3x4Ajfboq9jlheWZd0ArZ3y1aI07QK4eWgKB4U361gesjgG/s1600/me+sandi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU-60NgDlo2qIc6YsyifDEKp6ejxMvZnbqMDqYCU1CX6e6apbQum5GMQMZPnrcixaPcu1fNpbFyx5PJmvfTE-RoDtyB1HF3x4Ajfboq9jlheWZd0ArZ3y1aI07QK4eWgKB4U361gesjgG/s320/me+sandi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Everything they say about the Scream Tunnel is true. You hear it about a mile away. It makes you feel like a rock star. It propels you. This year, I decided to forgo a kiss from a Wellesley student, and instead channel their energy into an increased focus on my running. It was incredible, but instead of letting their screams push me to run harder than I should, I made a quick mental check to see how I was doing. At the halfway point I felt very good, especially considering my time for the first half (1:31:49) was, until just a month ago, only 19 seconds off of my PR in the half marathon. I've had two marathons fail miserably before (Chicago 2008 and Virginia Beach 2009), and in both of those races, I knew by the half that it was going to be a bad run. This time, though, I felt like I had a lot more juice in me, and was excited about the prospect of having a good time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Wellesley, I was in a zone. I knew Mike would be coming up at Mile 19, but before then, I would have to tackle the first two of the Newton Hills. I almost missed the first one. I think I was so focused that I didn't even realize it was one of the hills until I crested it and realized I was going downhill. The second one, after the turn onto Comm. Ave., I was ready for. But again, it didn't seem too bad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But, these few miles in Newton also saw the first time that I had slowed to below my goal pace. Mile 17, at 7:25, was 7 seconds slower than goal. I wasn't too worried about it, since I knew I had more than 2 minutes in the bank, but I refocused myself to stay on pace for the next mile. Mile 18 was better, a 7:18 pace, or just 1 second slower than goal. But Mile 19 was when it started to get tough. It was supposed to be a fast mile, coming down from the second hill. I started feeling that my legs were heavy. I realized that I didn't know whether I should let up a bit and save my legs for Heartbreak Hill, or just try to run it fast. I picked something in the middle, ending up with a 7:13, or 9 seconds slower than goal.</div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydlE6IMvVvCnEaZIFFJ2a-Xqr4tYgCIdSNiJ0Qikmrae4KnaFWzH3zGA2RVjSyt7x06NWl9DSBmKryTJkhGjQjtUf79CmsMiJ0e-kxoG1O8PQOXv_I11Eabqd0D70bj9LqyaXjfwv_MAw/s1600/me+mikey+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydlE6IMvVvCnEaZIFFJ2a-Xqr4tYgCIdSNiJ0Qikmrae4KnaFWzH3zGA2RVjSyt7x06NWl9DSBmKryTJkhGjQjtUf79CmsMiJ0e-kxoG1O8PQOXv_I11Eabqd0D70bj9LqyaXjfwv_MAw/s1600/me+mikey+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydlE6IMvVvCnEaZIFFJ2a-Xqr4tYgCIdSNiJ0Qikmrae4KnaFWzH3zGA2RVjSyt7x06NWl9DSBmKryTJkhGjQjtUf79CmsMiJ0e-kxoG1O8PQOXv_I11Eabqd0D70bj9LqyaXjfwv_MAw/s320/me+mikey+cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then, just as I started to get worried that my pace was slipping through my fingers, there I saw them. I thought it would just be Mike (he said he would be by himself), but it was a big group of Front Runners cheering wildly for me! Todd, Derek, Chris, Mike, they were all there! I could tell they knew that I was running really well. And they were ecstatic! And then Mikey jumped in, and my next four miles were all within a second of my goal pace! It's amazing how much of an effect your friends can have on you, but as soon as I saw them and Mikey, I got a sudden, new burst of energy. And I went into my zone again.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the next six miles, Mike ran by my side. Until we departed ways, I think I only said one word to him (an extremely faint, scratchy "Gatorade"). But I knew he knew I was so, so, so happy to have him there running by my side. And honestly, he did everything, everything right. He told me that I was doing great. He said I was running the race of my life. He said that I had trained so well and so hard that I was going to rock the race. He said everyone was going to be so happy for me. And he did this for six long miles, during which I said but one single word. And I couldn't have done it without him.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unfortunately, I got all caught up in my zone that I totally missed my parents standing by Mile 20 cheering for me. But they saw me, and screamed their lungs out for me. I knew they were there, though, and even though I didn't get to see them, I took their energy as I went up Heartbreak Hill.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdCcEZxA0DACBhdbErwuJfx37coQ6jlf2DVo-BHbTVS9L-WEEd0rNtLbG9RfaOKsxamn7h2e7hfaGfb6C2BSV3oEAaDgQ1UuzIiKtXdbScPOaFAUoXoRth9OV45i72MH6_2PPUZk8koHb/s1600/mom+dad+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdCcEZxA0DACBhdbErwuJfx37coQ6jlf2DVo-BHbTVS9L-WEEd0rNtLbG9RfaOKsxamn7h2e7hfaGfb6C2BSV3oEAaDgQ1UuzIiKtXdbScPOaFAUoXoRth9OV45i72MH6_2PPUZk8koHb/s320/mom+dad+20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was tough, but Mike talked me through it. "This is it, Dave! This is what you've been training for for six months! You got it, Dave!" As luck would have it, it was right at Heartbreak Hill that we caught up with Patrick. The three of us were able to work together up that hill. It was amazing. Just by our presence, we carried each other over the top of the hill. It was the hardest part of the marathon, and I had two friends alongside me to work my way up.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then, finally, after a brutal and long haul, we had made it. My legs were beat, but my head was clear: I had just finished the hardest part of the Boston Marathon, and I was on a solid PR pace. Nothing was going to stop my from having the run of my life!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The downhill after Heartbreak Hill was nice. I was spinning my legs quickly, leaning forward, letting gravity take me down. Miles 20, 21, 22 and 23 were all within a second of my goal pace. Everything was going well.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsmTKk9VNSsYN2s6yYZQIwhyvqo5EjjJTZ8y33wE7w3NsO9n1wKZv9pRVOgBybTE9TGo7VtN0CaD9VX3MRuV4XznyztKfE35SYvsfpCfqhpLUontd2dje1FrSDA6bukp4EHxwR9xfioMB/s1600/mile+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsmTKk9VNSsYN2s6yYZQIwhyvqo5EjjJTZ8y33wE7w3NsO9n1wKZv9pRVOgBybTE9TGo7VtN0CaD9VX3MRuV4XznyztKfE35SYvsfpCfqhpLUontd2dje1FrSDA6bukp4EHxwR9xfioMB/s320/mile+21.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
And then I started to slow down a little bit. Patrick had pulled the tiniest bit ahead of me. We had made our way into Brookline, and the crowds were going crazy. But I was starting to lose focus. I had a hard time converting the spectators' cheers to energy; instead, I seemed to block them out and try to muster my own strength to go forward. By Mile 25, I was struggling. What was supposed to be a 7:14 mile turned into a 7:34. But I knew I only had 1.2 miles to go. I broke it down into 200's, telling myself it was just over 9 times around the track. Still that last mile seemed to take forever.<br />
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And then came the moment I was dreading, the little underpass beneath Mass. Ave. It's just a little ramp that you have to go down and up, over not even a tenth of a mile, but why the hell do you have to go up a ramp at Mile 25.5 of a marathon I just don't understand. Luckily, Mike stuck with me all the way until we turned right on Hereford Street.<br />
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And that was it. I thanked him and said good-bye, no hug or anything, and off I went to finish my race. It was like I was left all alone with 30,000 runners and for a moment I got sad and nervous. But then I decided I would honor all the work Mike did by pushing myself hard for that last half mile. And when Mile 26 came, I saw my time was at 3:05:25. I realized that I had about 90 seconds to finish the race and get under a 3:07. So I mustered up every last drop of energy I had left in me to make it to the finish line. I knew it was in my grasp. And when I got to towards that finish line, I knew it was going to be huge!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPHn1MsWoXcU-D2lVvrjtcSlaPBGOyWU1pJisGRMCydYsCaKs6PnEmUsPG8Me5ky8481CWlEqhWPP7zKlGJ-LH4gBl50G99x_GjikW0jA4BYanEGg_StH0tlb8YqgQLhp1Ov1ph2izHTW/s1600/mile+splits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPHn1MsWoXcU-D2lVvrjtcSlaPBGOyWU1pJisGRMCydYsCaKs6PnEmUsPG8Me5ky8481CWlEqhWPP7zKlGJ-LH4gBl50G99x_GjikW0jA4BYanEGg_StH0tlb8YqgQLhp1Ov1ph2izHTW/s320/mile+splits.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br />
And then I made it!!! A huge PR of over two minutes!!! On an unforgiving course, a race where the best runners in the world come to compete, not only did I just break my own personal record, I shattered it. I far exceeded my goal! I felt like a superstar. I felt like I conquered Boston! Like I came back and rose up after a year and a half of struggling. It was an amazing feeling.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX2hZWFX7m-c5kWhx150g_FISOW0NlsnbU2wSF6uSgpoab7sLagwIaqvDvqAfxvpmrwtyxem2jQRZGZI5Zq_LSlPLbxKUNVYCjJICFPhnuMhTvRwGtkI3nWkszP69xuy_IDLo5esiGFp1/s1600/patrick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX2hZWFX7m-c5kWhx150g_FISOW0NlsnbU2wSF6uSgpoab7sLagwIaqvDvqAfxvpmrwtyxem2jQRZGZI5Zq_LSlPLbxKUNVYCjJICFPhnuMhTvRwGtkI3nWkszP69xuy_IDLo5esiGFp1/s320/patrick.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
I saw Patrick right at the finish line and we gave each other a huge hug. We had both done it! Just a few weeks ago, neither one of us were sure how we would do, but we both rocked it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yvGpzKr-UDpDLjcWVM3pyXK7fGL_oCGzRasWnjIkZGz18GlGPXprbMpDg4Rzd-7vQ3OF14H6yYYMRw2G7DT_W_EGaR7uJ0EV50HPIzbKyjQL3sI15sYQ-IGcrLlG_C2v11nQTcvKOdCB/s1600/group+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yvGpzKr-UDpDLjcWVM3pyXK7fGL_oCGzRasWnjIkZGz18GlGPXprbMpDg4Rzd-7vQ3OF14H6yYYMRw2G7DT_W_EGaR7uJ0EV50HPIzbKyjQL3sI15sYQ-IGcrLlG_C2v11nQTcvKOdCB/s320/group+finish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Of course, I wasn't the only one running on Monday. I am so, so proud of my teammates who raced as well. And while everyone had a different race experience, we are all able to say that we finished the Boston Marathon this year; the oldest, most fabled and prestigious road race in the world. And we've all become part of history. Congratulations to Kelsey, Jerry, Lavar, Kevin, Daniel, Patrick, Richard, Paul, Audra, Rachel H, Rachel K, and Janice. You all make me so proud to be a Front Runner, and I feel so honored to be able to share the road with you.<br />
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Thank you to Koach Kelsey. I am not exaggerating when I say I literally would not have been there (and I don't know if I would ever have run a marathon) if it weren't for you. When I joined the club in 2006, you made me feel at home. And when I started running marathons, you gave me the physical training I needed. But most of all, you've been a wonderful friend, mentor and coach. Thank you so much for all that you have done for me and the club.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQjmBP1fkLWJn2RGuqzydbkZinYOnzg47sSGfp1W33ted0Gau4XEPSRaGlnXIG5crulmUAFNz-TGQ-4WDYm3nbQhzVLjVMIqDaTr179VJuL3HsvHTO5SqUsU2Cht6b9ucwwXoh3ZI9pMp/s1600/me+kelsey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQjmBP1fkLWJn2RGuqzydbkZinYOnzg47sSGfp1W33ted0Gau4XEPSRaGlnXIG5crulmUAFNz-TGQ-4WDYm3nbQhzVLjVMIqDaTr179VJuL3HsvHTO5SqUsU2Cht6b9ucwwXoh3ZI9pMp/s320/me+kelsey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And thank you Mike Terry. You know how much I love you! There's no one who I would have rather shared those last 6 miles with. You're an amazing friend, and I'm so lucky to have you in my life.<br />
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Thanks to everyone else who has supported me, encouraged me, run with me, or just put up with my running. You've all made me a part of who I am today. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such great people.<br />
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Finally, I am proud to say that Audra, Janice and I have raised over $5000 for the Trevor Project in our quest to run the Boston Marathon. To those of you who have donated, thank you. Your contributions will make an enormous difference in the lives of LGBT youth. For the rest of you, it is not too late. Please considering making a donation by clicking on the image below. Thank you so much.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crowdrise.com/BostonforTrevor/fundraiser/davelin"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNNHGfY0Gw1E7l1VkFl1jAyX31Jg9bn9Cfcl639YsszZTwd8fmioe7A74zeatVQxhucq2kC4G7kqMU0Mnta9vlLUpHwVJEkkn4PKsAFhAlp_WHUVm3EIGBdfuEMUdnt8rSFfuz4MgIJmk/s1600/trevor.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-49488582302870881452011-04-15T12:26:00.000-04:002011-04-15T12:26:53.110-04:00Three Days to Go!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm three days away from running in the Boston Marathon, and I can barely contain my excitement. The funny thing is, I'm not as nervous as I often am so close to a big race. I think the difference is, this time, I KNOW I am going to have a great marathon. (I'm not being cocky, Koach Kelsey told me long ago that it's important to KNOW you're going to achieve your goal.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I feel like I've done everything right in my training. I've put in more miles than I've ever done before while training for a marathon: 555 since the beginning of the year. I've been diligent about getting in speed work, going to the Armory workouts as least once a week, usually twice, since it started in November. My weekly swim workouts have helped me with my overall fitness, and my weekly computrainer and spinning sessions have readied my quads for the tough hills of Boston.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwISFbn_n6_LaYUAhVB4tMfSdOaFAJvA8Xv170mnfREEUmZsExNss5KejwLctK72LjamsXf4GLMi6N-KeLDHC58qF19uQzxIZ5RKUQCQ32NMDt8BGbkIe955J6x3k44zTrtAaFMql5XXD/s1600/pic+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwISFbn_n6_LaYUAhVB4tMfSdOaFAJvA8Xv170mnfREEUmZsExNss5KejwLctK72LjamsXf4GLMi6N-KeLDHC58qF19uQzxIZ5RKUQCQ32NMDt8BGbkIe955J6x3k44zTrtAaFMql5XXD/s320/pic+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>And during this time, I have gotten faster and faster. At my first Armory workout, I was running my 400s in the 1:30s. Now I'm finishing my workouts with sub-6 minute miles. My Manhattan Half in January was a disappointing 1:42. Two months later, I set a PR in New Jersey of 1:29:28. And that was followed by a 2:15:18 in the Wurtsboro Mountain 30k -- 2 minutes faster than my time in 2008 when I was in great shape (and 23 minutes faster than last year when I was in not-so-great shape). <br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And to top it off, two weekends ago, I did a <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/77183719">Boston "Blue Line Run"</a> -- running the last 20 miles of the Boston Marathon (plus two additional miles) -- where I kept up the whole time with Kelsey, Jerry and Kevin, who are all fast, strong runners. And the last four miles of our run was at about a 6:40 pace! And I felt great!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOOSxNZIpiuoAfRHmu0PnbLSr-ZKsAx4jA7mUKZsledOqFDC0x2t_YdLa6HLSIOIHfQ1e7xAupiIdhUb0fJU-5tu-53Fvk_ipM6-8MUtjFB_OvarllQgqwGU6bdezkvmbxnRpvNwuJBlf/s1600/boston+blue+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOOSxNZIpiuoAfRHmu0PnbLSr-ZKsAx4jA7mUKZsledOqFDC0x2t_YdLa6HLSIOIHfQ1e7xAupiIdhUb0fJU-5tu-53Fvk_ipM6-8MUtjFB_OvarllQgqwGU6bdezkvmbxnRpvNwuJBlf/s320/boston+blue+line.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Boston Blue Line Run</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7cTM_oFirg1Zkll17WuyTSqz2rVxASwX8oEZ7tkjxFWcXeSldytib1NxSX2HTeZ_md0Bh1e8065OYcFjkMoS5pe47OW5z3RxX_Ghml6kVpBciI95Xs1jZ8WCISIAbTO_mrhhPnU9qkkL/s1600/boston+garmin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7cTM_oFirg1Zkll17WuyTSqz2rVxASwX8oEZ7tkjxFWcXeSldytib1NxSX2HTeZ_md0Bh1e8065OYcFjkMoS5pe47OW5z3RxX_Ghml6kVpBciI95Xs1jZ8WCISIAbTO_mrhhPnU9qkkL/s320/boston+garmin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Actual Boston Marathon</div><br />
So I'm announcing it now, for all the world to hear: I am hoping to get a PR in Boston. A sub-3:09:20 (3:08 has a nice ring to it). I know I can do it even though my PR is from Chicago, which is pancake flat. And even though in Chicago I had the benefit of running with a pace group. And even though I am almost two years older now. My training has been there. I've had the support of my club, my friends and my Koach. And I'm leaner and meaner now than I've ever been in my life. This is going to be a great race, and I'm so excited for it!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgCouZGFylKx_UkuKliUKQg7RfN-QrwWNB-yFPqTy3JMLUnmm9ZlrF2BoaMr4N2VcOXVVRev-P7I8ENZq6jVeZyT2errVX_pinM_n5EA8zlugbMJVpdZ6_NPHHLrv6G9kPQMSpwTzHBwa/s1600/me+paul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgCouZGFylKx_UkuKliUKQg7RfN-QrwWNB-yFPqTy3JMLUnmm9ZlrF2BoaMr4N2VcOXVVRev-P7I8ENZq6jVeZyT2errVX_pinM_n5EA8zlugbMJVpdZ6_NPHHLrv6G9kPQMSpwTzHBwa/s320/me+paul.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me and Paul, sporting our Boston '10 shirts. We'll both be getting new ones this year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevho0M90I5WKmjxxhfxVsgSdF3jlKM1b8IMvKVXEptsPCnfhLYx1Tr5pF795A9oo9uL8F6cFeavyLP8-R7k1zC-hYbua7_D22jKsR86O2_Qfx2HUXkv7ar_rYoYnwpMMe7mjfr5cquyV0/s1600/scale1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevho0M90I5WKmjxxhfxVsgSdF3jlKM1b8IMvKVXEptsPCnfhLYx1Tr5pF795A9oo9uL8F6cFeavyLP8-R7k1zC-hYbua7_D22jKsR86O2_Qfx2HUXkv7ar_rYoYnwpMMe7mjfr5cquyV0/s320/scale1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This might be my lightest since about 7th grade.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1Sps44e18Fz2lA-O-UrDyrqYwJtt3IwpOlL81HF9zD59L_vlHRocaG5fcjg_EUye2TgMMj1gNClffb83MKan4IK3EmvBBKlGPYp2bfQmRBGVZiDIvjP8zAPmwxeQlUPtEuixUq58CK9c/s1600/7th+grade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1Sps44e18Fz2lA-O-UrDyrqYwJtt3IwpOlL81HF9zD59L_vlHRocaG5fcjg_EUye2TgMMj1gNClffb83MKan4IK3EmvBBKlGPYp2bfQmRBGVZiDIvjP8zAPmwxeQlUPtEuixUq58CK9c/s320/7th+grade.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">7th grade.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcA8puivfVdiE9cM3rObe3zrkXD-v-Ptfho_Z6_oD-L2M6gSYdPJahB1nSXiseRHHCQCLVJ46J9v4VLx9r7KEE4XcRzkhTCo1c8SzuZUD0Ie74-JuhX4lSWrRugS6Ou_q6BCxlTySfGTDm/s1600/scotland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcA8puivfVdiE9cM3rObe3zrkXD-v-Ptfho_Z6_oD-L2M6gSYdPJahB1nSXiseRHHCQCLVJ46J9v4VLx9r7KEE4XcRzkhTCo1c8SzuZUD0Ie74-JuhX4lSWrRugS6Ou_q6BCxlTySfGTDm/s320/scotland.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This past weekend at the Scotland Run</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had another meeting of the Front Runners Secret Recipe Exchange Society the other night. Our theme ingredients were eggs and bitter greens. This gave me a chance to showcase some fun and traditional Chinese dishes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">At first, I had wanted to make a trio of Chinese egg-based street food. This would have included tea eggs, salted duck eggs (you take eggs and put them in a saltwater brine for a month and the salt infuses and cures the egg), and 100 year-old eggs with tofu (you take eggs and cover them in ash and lime for a month and the eggs take on the delicious aroma of sulfur and ammonia). But then I thought some of those would be too weird for the group.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjoHXRqYtZVIhiawT1swABaksaR5Ngkb0v7m245zHXP5KFkDWuoUEU_AvkKoZcfj8czeWkkkniOCZl2GvphaRacd0QUW5wjz6ovLlIZJP143OZRZIT_wVn5TTudXk5nisovIossde6nTn/s1600/dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjoHXRqYtZVIhiawT1swABaksaR5Ngkb0v7m245zHXP5KFkDWuoUEU_AvkKoZcfj8czeWkkkniOCZl2GvphaRacd0QUW5wjz6ovLlIZJP143OZRZIT_wVn5TTudXk5nisovIossde6nTn/s320/dinner.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I kept the tea eggs, a popular snack item in China that's as ubiquitous on the streets and in 7-Elevens there as the hot dog is in the U.S. I also made two traditional dishes of Northern China: Scrambled Eggs with Tomato, and Preserved Mustard Greens with Soybeans and Tofu Skin. I think they were all pretty popular, although I noticed Chris Stoia didn't touch his tea egg. >:-( If he had unpeeled it, he would have seen a pretty, marbled pattern on the egg white. Recipes are below. Just giving you a hard time, Chris...there was so much food that night.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><strong>Preserved Mustard Greens with Edamame and Tofu Skin</strong></span></div><div class="mts fbGroupDoc fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 5px;"><div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_4da86e97a61e15198469394" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">This dish is customarily made with the milder “Sher Li Hon” leaf mustard greens,<a href="http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/cb_sherz.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">http://www.clovegarden.com</span><wbr style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>/ingred/cb_sherz.html</a>; but I like the spicier variety that comes in heads known as “Gai Choy” <a href="http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/cb_green.html#gaic" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">http://www.clovegarden.com</span><wbr style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-left: -10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span>/ingred/cb_green.html#gaic</a></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Ingredients:</div><ul style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 35px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1.5 pounds mustard greens, chopped</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">2 tablespoons salt</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1 cup edamame beans</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Tofu s<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">kin, chopped</span></li>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Optional: sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Optional: 1 clove garlic</li>
</span></ul><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Sprinkle salt over mustard greens and mix well. Let sit 1-2 hours, mixing every 30 minutes. Squeeze the water. Mix with other ingredients. If desired, lightly sauté everything together.</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojKZT1_QT31dLyzEEsX8JeoJFvUhanAXjew6Mk7vdXiVQ3MlsplnAQnlePhs8MVdo-qjSc8qhvD1sA8B2HIIkr1t_li1OlJGiPtjTD5Q8cHy7G7al18vg7govx6NPhaQBeuvCG0F1YUP4/s1600/mustardgreens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojKZT1_QT31dLyzEEsX8JeoJFvUhanAXjew6Mk7vdXiVQ3MlsplnAQnlePhs8MVdo-qjSc8qhvD1sA8B2HIIkr1t_li1OlJGiPtjTD5Q8cHy7G7al18vg7govx6NPhaQBeuvCG0F1YUP4/s320/mustardgreens.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><strong>Scrambled Eggs with Tomato</strong></span></div><div class="mts fbGroupDoc fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 5px;"><div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_4da86e97a69435f71691075" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Ingredients:</div><ul style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 35px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">One dozen eggs, beaten</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">4 tomatoes, cut into bit-sized pieces</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Soy sauce</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Sesame oil</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Ground white pepper</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Ground Sichuan pepper</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1 Tbs. vegetable oil</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">4-6 cloves garlic, chopped</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">2 scallions chopped</li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Oil the pan and scramble the eggs. Stir the eggs occasionally; you want to end up with pieces of egg that are approximately the same size as <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">the tomatoes you cut. Remove the eggs from pan when almost done. Oil the pan again, add garlic and tomatoes. Saute for a minute, adding soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper. You don’t want the tomatoes to turn to mush. When almost done, add the scrambled eggs. Mix well. Adjust seasoning and add chopped scallions at the last minute.</span></div></div></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrdCjqqVmhz9xwOyr6CMsKHydvJHElvH31VzcqtCS6B_fmc2GBS23n8Mln8LAW2DhX2pP1gOQIg_PLiIwyOVY9K8NqzbVuEaDrdK4d6xwhSuMwYGqcQIVzj7Uq9A8_shybGbFkLZfP5ep/s1600/tomatoes+eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrdCjqqVmhz9xwOyr6CMsKHydvJHElvH31VzcqtCS6B_fmc2GBS23n8Mln8LAW2DhX2pP1gOQIg_PLiIwyOVY9K8NqzbVuEaDrdK4d6xwhSuMwYGqcQIVzj7Uq9A8_shybGbFkLZfP5ep/s320/tomatoes+eggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><strong>Tea Eggs</strong></span></div><div class="mts fbGroupDoc fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 5px;"><div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_4da86e97a56721e88296107" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Ingredients:</div><ul style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 35px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">One dozen eggs</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">2-3 black tea teabags</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1/2 cup soy sauce</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Five spice (you can get sachets of the five spices or make your own: cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cloves; five spice powder is OK but not ideal)</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Dried orange peels</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Ginger</li>
<li style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Scallions</li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">In a pot, cover eggs with water. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove e<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">ggs and crack shell evenly around each egg. Return to water and all other ingredients. Simmer for 2-6 hours. Enjoy hot or cold.</span></div></div></div><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-40753574680253420482011-03-29T12:19:00.000-04:002011-03-29T12:19:57.861-04:00Wurtsboro Mountain 30K; FRNY Track Meet; Tuna Tartare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What a week of racing! With just three weeks left till the Boston Marathon, I have been putting out some of the best racing I've ever done, and I'm feeling really strong and very excited for April 18th.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This past Saturday was the Wurtsboro Mountain 30k. You guys might remember that <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/04/wurtsboro-last-20-miler-taper-time.html">I ran it last year, and had a terrible, terrible race</a>. The night before was Koach Kelsey's birthday party, and some of us continued the festivities well into the night. I had about two and a half hours of sleep before the race. It was miserable. I vowed that this year would be different. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So Friday night I was good. I stayed in and even made a delicious pasta dinner to carb up for the 18.6 miles the next morning. I was inspired by <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-300--13615-0,00.html">this article in Runners World</a> to make a delicious and simple salmon pasta. I've been trying to incorporate more Omega-3 fish into my diet, and canned salmon is an easy way to do it. Most brands use wild salmon, and the canning process softens up the bones so you can eat them for some fun texture and added calcium. I sauteed a bunch of broccoli rabe and added a pound of cooked pasta, and just dumped in a can of salmon and a can of peas. Then the zest and juice of a lemon (I have an continual source of organic lemons from my parent's tree, which my mom mails to me every few weeks). And voila, a healthy simple pasta dish in about 10 minutes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although I've done the Wurtsboro Mountain 30k twice before, this was the first year that Front Runners New York was supporting it as an "official" out-of-town race--which meant we got free transportation to the race start, in Wurtsboro, NY, about 90 miles north. So we had something like 37 Front Runners doing the race! In a small-town race that only had 138 finishers, FRNY definitely made a presence!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">My goal for the race was to run under a 7:30 pace. My first time running it in 2008, I did it in 2:17:08, or 7:21 pace. Last year was 2:38:40 (8:30 pace...ugh). I didn't necessarily want to beat my 2008 time, but I did want to get something respectable to make up for last year.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">As soon as the race started, the uphills began. The first 4.5 miles are pretty much all uphill and cover about 1000 feet in vertical gain. Unexpectedly, I found myself running on my own at the very start. I didn't really think it through, but I kind of assumed I would be in small group with other FRs my pace, like Mikey B and Jeff. But they hung back, which made me a little nervous. Was I going out too fast? I couldn't tell. Meanwhile, the only people ahead of me in the first mile were Sanderson, Jonathan, Waldon and Beganics (all much, much faster than me). I struggled with trying to decide if I should slow down or not. But I kept going. It felt good, and my Garmin (which I wore for the first time since Reach the Beach in September) said I was going at about an 8 minute pace, not exactly speedy.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70J7Nl7O1clwqO-ViobA2QNuw-qJHsWAxSywj-MTh5l6qC5wNEgxBSkC5A19MNkci1Ug8ML-zp6eBCMl4OPjS6DJJ4BJHJuDbf1Zj47BvPYYAI9TuEAv12ztEC0cM1ZxYzI8ah3mzO1KH/s1600/wurtsboro+elevation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70J7Nl7O1clwqO-ViobA2QNuw-qJHsWAxSywj-MTh5l6qC5wNEgxBSkC5A19MNkci1Ug8ML-zp6eBCMl4OPjS6DJJ4BJHJuDbf1Zj47BvPYYAI9TuEAv12ztEC0cM1ZxYzI8ah3mzO1KH/s320/wurtsboro+elevation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Around mile 3 or 4, I caught up to Steve. I told him that I felt like I was doing something really wrong if I had caught up to him. He said he was just doing a fun run, not racing, so it made me feel better. Still, I was nervous about whether I could maintain the speed. I decided to stick with him, keeping about a step behind him; there was no reason to get carried away and outrun him at this early point in the race. We stayed together for the next several miles.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Because I was running with Steve, and because I had been similarly tailing another guy for the first 3 miles (I hope I didn't annoy him), the uphill 4.5 miles at the beginning seemed to go by really quickly. Some memorable points were a sharp, steep left turn at around mile three that I felt like I had to walk up. And after mile 4, when, after a brief downhill section, when you think it might all be over, there's another damn hill. Ugh. But all in all, it wasn't as bad as I feared. I finished the first 4.5 miles in 35:37, or 7:55 pace.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8JLkKzqYLTamD5l5lUWpzVBTIzYCHIVfuLPhAUOxY85hPWcR5hh8pSaS4S-9RQnPrLev0RIYAP5NZDfalRqsJhzZ69uxb4Ee3jHUki0fuZ8VpSaLst5YvvT4jTqK9tf2JD79lP1e8zKF/s1600/wurtsboro+w+steve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8JLkKzqYLTamD5l5lUWpzVBTIzYCHIVfuLPhAUOxY85hPWcR5hh8pSaS4S-9RQnPrLev0RIYAP5NZDfalRqsJhzZ69uxb4Ee3jHUki0fuZ8VpSaLst5YvvT4jTqK9tf2JD79lP1e8zKF/s320/wurtsboro+w+steve.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Then came the downhills, and they were steep! For a moment around mile 5, I was going so fast that I started pulling away in front of Steve, but then I reeled myself in after realizing that there was still a half-marathon to go. There were other parts that were so steep that I had to slow myself down since it was scary to go that fast. Mile 10 was about a 6:27. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Mile 11 was when I started to get nervous. I knew that after one more mile, the course would level off. It's easy to go fast if I had gravity pulling me down. But could I really go another 6 or 7 miles if I had to propel myself on my own? I wasn't quite certain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">And sure 'nuff, as soon as mile 12 came, and the course wasn't downhill anymore, Steve started pulling ahead of me. I took my second gel hoping it would give me the energy to push through the last 10k. But I just saw him get further and further away. I had slowed down to about a 7:40 pace. And I remembered what I had completely forgotten about the course--that the last 10k was hilly as well! No, it wasn't like climbing the mountain for the first 4.5 miles, but the hills were still like Cat Hill and the Westside Hills in Central Park. After taking 13 miles of pounding on my legs, even small hills seemed brutal to me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">There was nothing that I could do but keep pushing on. I kept Steve in my sights. One thing that helped was that at this point there were quite a few Front Runners on the course who had gone out at the early start, 30 minutes before me. As I passed them, we encouraged each other, and pushed each other along. But those last few miles were just brutal. I kept waiting for my Garmin to beep at me every half mile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPfwnQATtJ8QBislKla__FRLTTJv45HdxOjnx-mX8vrJcHA9GkO_SbUYeJlX8KFh7TfzaDJSfVs_5yOtgMLR0qZrnbInCfkXitpzP0RZOyklHmMOkjGNmZjT11dDzTSEXnJsA6tm2zg-W/s1600/wurtsboro+finish+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPfwnQATtJ8QBislKla__FRLTTJv45HdxOjnx-mX8vrJcHA9GkO_SbUYeJlX8KFh7TfzaDJSfVs_5yOtgMLR0qZrnbInCfkXitpzP0RZOyklHmMOkjGNmZjT11dDzTSEXnJsA6tm2zg-W/s320/wurtsboro+finish+3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">The last 2 or 3 miles, my mind started wandering. I started getting nervous, thinking that I had slowed down so much that people were going to pass me. I didn't want to waste all that great running I had the first 15 miles only to fall apart for the last three. I focused myself, and just headed forward as best as I could. I tried to make up time on the short downhill stretches by lengthening my stride and leaning forward a little. I told myself only 20 minutes to go, then 15, then 10. About a quarter mile from the finish, I saw Jonathan waiting at the side of the course. He started running with me towards the finish line. I couldn't muster up even an ounce of energy to say a single word to him, but it was so good to have him there. He helped give me the push that I needed to finish strong. Off in the distance I saw the finish line, and then Megan was there cheering, yelling, "You got it, Dave." And then I did it! 2:15:19! A 7:16 pace! For a brutal, brutal, brutal course, I was one of the first people to cross the finish line, I raced the best that I could, and got a time that I was proud of! What a great day. THANK YOU to Steve, for letting me tag along with him for 8 or 9 miles. And thanks to everyone along the way!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSrXQFz3TWjY522fxhvvybbT203HzdvSptB4N81GkDjg6Y6NL3fvt21IzFZYH5lsvwMB8aLYBdZ3by4ZwfgHdxfbFL6doAiqZ_gOQg-p9yH8IMhyVuCXFwU9UzlQNT2wEON5yGXt3MmhB/s1600/wurtsboro+medal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSrXQFz3TWjY522fxhvvybbT203HzdvSptB4N81GkDjg6Y6NL3fvt21IzFZYH5lsvwMB8aLYBdZ3by4ZwfgHdxfbFL6doAiqZ_gOQg-p9yH8IMhyVuCXFwU9UzlQNT2wEON5yGXt3MmhB/s320/wurtsboro+medal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And guess what?!?! My time of 2:15:19 made me the 4th fastest person in the 30-39 age group. But since the overall winner of the race was 37 and doesn't get two awards, I got bumped up to 3rd. Yayyyy, I got a medal!!! What a great race, with the best of friends, and I even got a little shiny piece of hardware to show for it! Overall, just an excellent day!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfEnFQwSKPLYXDFnWlsdRVQxvUIvbBYVNb0FV-qIbm3CPqdI1knC5JPq4vu8Ad2BUtoPFcm18ihKmvetF5v-RcPNlxdewLGYF_Lqsk4b0h1Ik3uJLVSokJ6NstMfYwr4m0M1gNH_n3HfW/s1600/wurtsboro+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfEnFQwSKPLYXDFnWlsdRVQxvUIvbBYVNb0FV-qIbm3CPqdI1knC5JPq4vu8Ad2BUtoPFcm18ihKmvetF5v-RcPNlxdewLGYF_Lqsk4b0h1Ik3uJLVSokJ6NstMfYwr4m0M1gNH_n3HfW/s320/wurtsboro+group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b><u>My Half-Mile Splits</u></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> <u>Mile Time </u> <u>Mile Time </u></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span>0.5</b> 3:53.28<o:p></o:p></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 11px;"> 10.5</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 11px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 11px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 11px;">3:20.61</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 11px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span>1.0</b> 4:03.77<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> 11.0 3:17.42</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span>1.5</b> 4:22.87<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> 11.5 3:22.33</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span>2.0</b> 4:06.34<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 12.0 3:33.07</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>2.5 4:06.22<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 12.5 3:32.74</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>3.0 3:54.99<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 13.0 3:42.76</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>3.5 3:57.14<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 13.5 3:38.28</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>4.0 3:36.37<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 14.0 3:52.26</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>4.5 3:35.90<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 14.5 3:43.39</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>5.0 3:24.05 <o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 15.0 3:50.23</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>5.5 3:28.31<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 15.5 3:38.31 </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>6.0 3:18.71<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 16.0 3:49.53</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>6.5 3:22.49<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 16.5 3:35.75</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>7.0 3:18.69<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 17.0 3:42.27</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>7.5 3:25.55<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 17.5 3:42.92</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>8.0 3:14.56<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 18.0 3:43.01</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>8.5 3:17.31<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 18.5 3:37.52</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>9.0 3:18.14<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> 18.7 1:20.00</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>9.5 3:18.60<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>10.0 3:12.81<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><u><b>10k Splits</b></u></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><u><br />
</u></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>1st 10k: 47:09 (7:36 pace)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>2nd 10k: 41:31 (6:42 pace)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b> </b>3rd 10k: 46:39 (7:31 pace)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><b><u>TOTAL: 2:15:19 (7:16 pace)</u></b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
If you are interested in seeing entirely too much data about this run, I uploaded my Garmin info <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/75888103">HERE</a>.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another big piece of running news for me was that last week I participated in the 12th Annual Front Runners New York Track Meet at the Armory. Some of you might remember <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/03/frny-track-meet-nyc-half-and-long-bike.html">reading about my experience running at the track meet last year</a>, when I did the Distance Medley Relay with fellow gaysian Front Runners Da, Anthony and Tsing (Team Joy Luck Club!). The Joy Luck Club was back this year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But before I did the relay, I also decided to race the mile. The last time I raced the mile was at the NYRR Thursday Night at the Races in February, <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2011/02/aids-service-center-track-meet-and.html">when I got a 5:44</a>. And the only other time I raced a mile in my life was the <a href="http://www.mastersrankings.com/indresults.php?pseason=Indoor&cyear=2008&idno=112307201011131977DAVLIN">FRNY Track Meet in 2008--a 5:33.42</a>. I seeded myself as a 5:40, hoping to shave a few seconds off the mile I did a month ago, but knowing that my three-year old time was unobtainable. It turned out that my heat was almost all Front Runners, so that made things a little more interesting. And I was seeded right between Spencer and Mikey B.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqPx2CelobAbTjrgR9hdlpL1vqWQFx2ID-UiydwCdknb1jB7IWuWsRLN0GLLBNX919yXEhqpPpikrywDgunwNvJq32XGNEe-zZqX2p9PzMhy3vRYOF5f0rzkPom-RuR5eCw6EuoSpQpDS/s1600/track+1+mile+start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqPx2CelobAbTjrgR9hdlpL1vqWQFx2ID-UiydwCdknb1jB7IWuWsRLN0GLLBNX919yXEhqpPpikrywDgunwNvJq32XGNEe-zZqX2p9PzMhy3vRYOF5f0rzkPom-RuR5eCw6EuoSpQpDS/s320/track+1+mile+start.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't remember a lot about the race anymore, but for the first 5 laps or so, I was right behind Spencer. We were averaging about 41 seconds per 200, so about 5:28 pace. Then in the last two laps I kind of fell apart. Spencer got further and further ahead of me, and I couldn't close the gap between us. Then Mikey passed me on the very last lap. And I felt myself just giving up. Mikey had a really strong kick to the finish, and I was disappointed that I couldn't keep up. He ended up beating me by a pretty wide margin; about 5 seconds, which I thought was huge considering he only passed me about half a lap from the finish.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I definitely had mixed emotions, though. I ended up beating my goal by 6 seconds, and beating my mile from just a month prior by a whopping 10 seconds. But alas, my official time of 5:34.02 was six tenths of a second too slow to be a new PR. I could have made up that fraction of a second by not giving up at the end, and I was annoyed at myself for doing so. In the end, it would be a good run, but not one that I'm particularly happy about.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4B-2ASJBmaI12RlvTizBw7itiealxm9YpQgd9jbJrJwRL0xNm8SxHCOfrzEvGrJawumDe9g2riZQagD08rP_r8rmb3hCoLiy9PQBsH-Vc0f-BiOtbr9POI1bMtI7dSl_B4aVaA9pTXQG/s1600/track+1+mile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4B-2ASJBmaI12RlvTizBw7itiealxm9YpQgd9jbJrJwRL0xNm8SxHCOfrzEvGrJawumDe9g2riZQagD08rP_r8rmb3hCoLiy9PQBsH-Vc0f-BiOtbr9POI1bMtI7dSl_B4aVaA9pTXQG/s320/track+1+mile.jpg" width="213" /></a> </div><br />
About an hour later, I was back on the track again. I was running the 1600, the final leg of the DMR, with the gaysians. It was tough. My legs were like jello, and I had just gone through the rather trying emotional trauma of racing a mile where I started strong and faded hard.<br />
<br />
And so I ran my eight laps. People watching said later that they could see the misery on my face. I don't know how people run multiple events at the track in the same night, because neither my legs nor my head were working as well as I needed them to.<br />
<br />
I think I probably did run a pretty decent 1600--maybe mid-5:40s, I wasn't really paying that much attention. But it felt awful, and as soon as I started, I couldn't wait for it to end.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoHRqcWCbNBBiZ0ZGKGJKYABsjx0Xa0vjHqrc8fXCGSBnqpFvOxFEJgJylJ_UfERCYqXnQf7UClOA537NdWmvTObyAcx3J9z7rfMZtfD2hDnKqcK5LIJGZO5eCAHJpGZA99rD0fLrSXSX/s1600/track+relay+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoHRqcWCbNBBiZ0ZGKGJKYABsjx0Xa0vjHqrc8fXCGSBnqpFvOxFEJgJylJ_UfERCYqXnQf7UClOA537NdWmvTObyAcx3J9z7rfMZtfD2hDnKqcK5LIJGZO5eCAHJpGZA99rD0fLrSXSX/s320/track+relay+finish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The good thing, though, (as is seemingly all Front Runner events at the track) was that there were a ton of Front Runners all around the track cheering me on. I couldn't have done it without them and my Joy Luck Club teammates. But next year, I might just do one event.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiD23nCtQUBA6vv4bYuMMrWjAJX5aYB0cR5EmK5Ol41uhP8eF5nDTAzWRKBTjljnTVvsEhM64aJ1sr1dhi3FxG9yKVhTAh47Z4dmi3P1i_Sg98OVNW553oDuekGYHV6ec9TgCAKFRr-ku/s1600/track+joy+luck+club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiD23nCtQUBA6vv4bYuMMrWjAJX5aYB0cR5EmK5Ol41uhP8eF5nDTAzWRKBTjljnTVvsEhM64aJ1sr1dhi3FxG9yKVhTAh47Z4dmi3P1i_Sg98OVNW553oDuekGYHV6ec9TgCAKFRr-ku/s320/track+joy+luck+club.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had another meeting of my Secret Front Runner Recipe Exchange Society. The theme ingredients this month were cheese or lemons/limes. I picked lemons and limes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been on a tartare kick lately, ever since I had the Koi Soi at <a href="http://nymag.com/restaurants/reviews/70462/">Lotus of Siam</a> in the Village a couple of months ago. The Koi Soi was a spicy raw beef salad with cilantro, scallions, lime juice, fresh and dried chilis, and it was delicious! I've never really been a fan of raw or even rare beef, but this was honestly one of the best dishes I've ever had. This <a href="http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2009/03/las-vegas-lotus-of-siam.html">other blog has some pictures and a nice mouth-watering description</a> of Lotus of Siam's Koi Soi in their original Las Vegas restaurant.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I decided to try to recreate that dish for the Secret Recipe Society. Because Rachel keeps a Kosher kitchen, I had to use tuna. And I made a separate lentil version of my tuna tartare for her since she doesn't eat fish or meat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKzmgPj3mD5bk10-UDO-6xtJwE2ccIbZV5CEht00XsYpwFj7wJTf_OCh2iXmFmR_vSX5TZNHOWSLat6BMnCSqjlhLGUfFRsw7zBVqLaqkirTj_xywdlsRQqvQBGQuHPpYq96hKOE1fIKd/s1600/tuna+plating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKzmgPj3mD5bk10-UDO-6xtJwE2ccIbZV5CEht00XsYpwFj7wJTf_OCh2iXmFmR_vSX5TZNHOWSLat6BMnCSqjlhLGUfFRsw7zBVqLaqkirTj_xywdlsRQqvQBGQuHPpYq96hKOE1fIKd/s320/tuna+plating.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In an effort to emphasize the theme ingredient, I used three lime components, the zest and juice, and the leaves of the kaffir lime. Kaffir lime leaves are a key ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking, and adds a distinctive citrus-y, flower-like flavor. I got them at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/bangkok-center-grocery-new-york-2">Bangkok Center Grocery</a>, my favorite Thai grocery store in Chinatown. It's on Mosco Street, conveniently next to a dollar dumpling place and across from the Chinese cupcake bakery. Yum.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the tuna, I just used chunks of frozen ahi tuna that Trader Joe's sells for $2.99 a pound. Mike Terry told me originally that he would be afraid to eat raw tuna from TJ's because it would be somehow inferior, farm-raised or made gross from being frozen. But, I don't think there's any such thing as farm-raised tuna, and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/08/nyregion/sushi-fresh-from-the-deep-the-deep-freeze.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm">almost all fish at sushi restaurants, even at fancy places like Nobu and Sushi Yasuda, is previously frozen</a> (a federal regulation requires it).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The night before our big dinner, I made a practice run with my tuna tartare. I chopped the tuna, and mixed it with lime juice and the other ingredients. Within minutes, the acid in the lime juice started cooking the tuna, and turned it a gross grey color. I remembered <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-7/blogs/tom-colicchio/buy-me-some-peanuts-and-tuna-tartare-not">a similar thing happened on an episode of Top Chef</a>. In the episode, Eric Ripert said that the tuna should be cut up at the last possible moment, and can be coated with oil to prevent it from turning grey. So that's what I did. (The picture below still makes it look grey, but it was beautiful and pink when I served it, I swear!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A lot of recipes I looked at suggested adding chopped up avocados to the tuna tartare. But I thought that was a little too predictable, and also too much of the same soft/mushy texture. So I added some diced zucchini for some interesting crunch. I think that worked well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, people were all very impressed by how I plated it. I just used a clean tomato sauce can and made a little circle of tuna tartare on each plate. If I had some extra time, I would have fried up some wonton skins or something crunchy for scooping up the tartare, but some Pringles substituted in a pinch. It turned out to be a big hit!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6DqpZa_3zfpcsEINPt3MkfhCnn0IVDwstjxkOUs7p1m7O5RTvkTiko4EdL1VEXrSLrZkzOgClsNa-kj0vhAxJTO96NgSf_NE7bR5UXvVyD7b7tqgp-WpSOwOhTfcDsKjiaHyRO068fN1/s1600/tuna1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6DqpZa_3zfpcsEINPt3MkfhCnn0IVDwstjxkOUs7p1m7O5RTvkTiko4EdL1VEXrSLrZkzOgClsNa-kj0vhAxJTO96NgSf_NE7bR5UXvVyD7b7tqgp-WpSOwOhTfcDsKjiaHyRO068fN1/s320/tuna1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><b>Tuna Tartare</b></span><br />
<div style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Ingredients:</strong></div><div style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1 pound tuna (I used yellowfin (ahi) tuna... you can use bluefin if you want to be fancy); may be substituted with 1/2 pound cooked lentils</div><div style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">2 scallions, chopped fine</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1/2 a zucchini, diced into 1/4" cubes</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Olive oil (about 2 Tbsp)</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Salt</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Pepper</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Sesame seeds</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Pringles</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Dressing:</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Grated zest + Juice of 2-3 limes</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Grated zest + Juice of 1 lemon</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Sugar (about 2 tsps)</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Sesame oil (about 1/2 tsp...a little goes a long way)</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Red chili oil (about 1/2 tsp)</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Wasabi powder (about 1 tsp), reconstituted with 1 tsp water and let sit for 5 minutes</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">6-8 kaffir lime leaves, center vein removed and minced finely</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Make the dressing first. Taste it constantly. Add just enough sugar to counteract the sourness of the lime/lemon juice; it shouldn't be sweet.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Chop up the tuna into about 1/4" pieces. Immediately mix in the olive oil. Add zucchini and scallions, salt and pepper. Add enough of the dressing to dress the tuna but not too much that it gets soupy. Plate with circle mold or a small can. Garnish with sesame seeds and Pringles. Makes 6-8 servings.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Note: do not make more than 15 minutes in advance or lime/lemon juice will cook the tuna.</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-77201118376675108192011-03-18T15:39:00.001-04:002011-03-18T15:40:52.132-04:00Asbury Park Half Marathon! 1:29:28!! New PR!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">I did it!!! After years of trying, and then putting my attempts on hold due to injury, I've FINALLY met my half marathon goal!!! At this past Sunday's <a href="http://www.runasburypark.org/">Asbury Park Half Marathon</a>, I not only got a new Personal Record, but I got my very first sub-1:30 half marathon!!! 1:29:28! Hoorray!!!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I didn't even know what I was doing until well into the race... I woke up Sunday morning not knowing if I was going for a training run or actually "racing" it. I had thought, being five weeks out from Boston, it would be nice to have a good race under my belt before the marathon. But I also thought that it would be a big confidence-crusher if I tried to do well and couldn't (like my 1:42 Manhattan Half in January... It was such a total disappointment that I didn't even mention it in my blog because I just wanted the whole experience to go away).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So at the starting line, I decided that I would run a couple of miles, and if I felt good, I would try to get a good time. If not, then I would enjoy a nice 13.1 mile training run. I was thinking, if everything went well, I would run around 7:00-7:15 miles, ending up with a 1:32 or 1:33.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8f27qCu3x7S2NtYz43T-hhcxXhi4KmqZaFUA7f4QSlvvw6sSOgm3fqoCduqoSxEr6r9zcApuzR0s8eWKmoHZe1C-RZbu5wdzWyueHY-s-fDs06n58I-HPjAtsw0EtZFqrniAS-26h4GER/s1600/asbury+park+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8f27qCu3x7S2NtYz43T-hhcxXhi4KmqZaFUA7f4QSlvvw6sSOgm3fqoCduqoSxEr6r9zcApuzR0s8eWKmoHZe1C-RZbu5wdzWyueHY-s-fDs06n58I-HPjAtsw0EtZFqrniAS-26h4GER/s320/asbury+park+cropped.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A bunch of Front Runners either ran the half or did the relay. Mike Terry, Jonathan, Rachel, Alison, Audra and Steve all did the half, and Peter, Derek, Gabby and Tyler were a four-person relay. So at the start, I was lined up with Mikey, Jonathan and Peter. They made me stand with them, way in the front. I didn't think that was a good idea, since they're all so much faster than me, but there was a race photographer up there and I wanted to get in some pictures with the boys. So there I was, way in front when they sounded the horn. And Peter and Jonathan took off. They were leading the whole field... 500 or so runners, and FRNY had the #1 and #2 spots. Mikey wasn't far behind, either. But I tried to keep my distance. 13.1 miles was a long way to go, and I didn't want to get sucked into their pace at the beginning and crash and burn a few miles later. But it was tough. People were going out so fast. And before I knew it, I hit Mile 1: 6:37. Yikes! That's way too fast! I knew I needed to slow down... This was only 11 seconds slower than my 5k pace two weeks ago; there'd be no way I could sustain that for the whole race.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MmrQynxQL-StWMeI1noKPQ7_m1oibrc31pKMG0yJU7KmfOAhAZyYHCGxWhYgjIsb5-WmOVwRkp1QDJC2HKHGaW6TatWG9XZDFDp_niVnGvhEp8_a33tCqqOoO4_9OC1r_bsm6knd02s0/s1600/AsburyParkHalfMarathonCourseMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MmrQynxQL-StWMeI1noKPQ7_m1oibrc31pKMG0yJU7KmfOAhAZyYHCGxWhYgjIsb5-WmOVwRkp1QDJC2HKHGaW6TatWG9XZDFDp_niVnGvhEp8_a33tCqqOoO4_9OC1r_bsm6knd02s0/s320/AsburyParkHalfMarathonCourseMap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So I tried to slow down. But then this girl, #545 ("Glenna") started running right by me. And she was running about what I was running. For some reason, I couldn't break loose from her, even though I knew it was a tad faster than what I should have been going. So I stuck with her for a little while. I missed the second mile marker, so I had no idea how fast I was going... then mile 3 came and I saw that my split was 13:12. Eeck... that meant my second and third miles were at 6:36 pace. I forced myself to break off from Glenna, but there was no one else to pace off of. So for Mile 4, I was mostly on my own.<br />
<br />
I started to get worried about my pacing. Luckily, though, this was my favorite part of the course. The race consisted of four loops of about 3.3 miles each, about half of which is an out and back on the Asbury Park Boardwalk. The part of the run on the Boardwalk meant a lot of opportunities to see the other Front Runners, both running along the two out-and-backs, and running through Convention Hall, where the relay transition was. All the other Front Runners cheered for me, as I did for them. It was great to see so many on the course.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfjqg_ht-mhKh8s1P9KTEQctIqpfAiiNjepPdMc3AxYT96O8DLgOLT9np_8hNKy9w-RxJGF27l7uwWMNEnt22Vvm45pJgCMS8gEdhafbMWgcgDoLA3PMPyz7t8fw-ywRSKOA7BKCLu_eO/s1600/ap+google+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfjqg_ht-mhKh8s1P9KTEQctIqpfAiiNjepPdMc3AxYT96O8DLgOLT9np_8hNKy9w-RxJGF27l7uwWMNEnt22Vvm45pJgCMS8gEdhafbMWgcgDoLA3PMPyz7t8fw-ywRSKOA7BKCLu_eO/s320/ap+google+map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Mile 4 was 6:54. I wasn't tiring too much, but I knew I still had almost 3 laps to go. At this point, I thought that a sub-1:30 was out of the question (not that I ever really thought I going to do it), since mile 4 was 6:54 and I needed a 6:52 average to make sub-1:30. But I still stuck with it, thinking maybe I could still beat my PR of 1:31:30 (6:59 pace, set at the 2008 NYC Half).<br />
<br />
The part of the course that included Miles 4-5 was by far the hardest part. Not that the course itself was difficult but there was a brutal headwind coming from the West, so running West on Sunset Ave meant we were heading directly into it. On the first loop, I hardly noticed it, since the adrenaline of Mile 1 caused me to barrel through. But it was definitely tougher on the second loop.<br />
<br />
Mile 5 was 6:52. This was when I started getting excited. I realized that not only was a PR quite possible, but I could maybe--just maybe--also get under 1:30. The headwind in Miles 4-5 slowed me down a little, but I could make it up going back towards the boardwalk.<br />
<br />
I was in a zone during Miles 6-8. I don't remember much except seeing Jonathan, Derek and Mike as I went towards the turnaround in Ocean Grove, and then seeing Audra, Alison, Rachel and Steve on the way back. Ugh, and the crazy headwind at Mile 8. It got stronger and I felt it was pushing me back so hard. I remember staring down at the ground because I didn't want to know how much more I had left to go on Sunset Ave before I got out of the wind. I completely forgot to get my splits during this time, until Mile 8: 20:44. This was when I started doing math. 20:44 was 7 minute miles, minus 16 seconds, divided by three, whch was three seconds more than 6:52, and I banked 45 seconds in my first three miles... Hmmm, maybe a sub 1:30 was actually possible. I was getting excited.<br />
<br />
Miles 9-10 were more of me in the zone. Most of those two miles were on the boardwalk, except for the first half-mile, which had a tailwind. 6:50 and 6:55, right on sub-1:30 pace!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiy15bj_Pr1uRwlaLnhNAnU0qNToH8e0DjBRcD3sxaDBY5Jls-38Mg0rjHCw9FIRyM3zBs44MDQiC9-8vOnFJbAR9C4NHpbgj5-hc-xMzbmJVhJHx0ZruHKRmbO6QZsL7Flc8AcnSawV-n/s1600/asbury+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiy15bj_Pr1uRwlaLnhNAnU0qNToH8e0DjBRcD3sxaDBY5Jls-38Mg0rjHCw9FIRyM3zBs44MDQiC9-8vOnFJbAR9C4NHpbgj5-hc-xMzbmJVhJHx0ZruHKRmbO6QZsL7Flc8AcnSawV-n/s320/asbury+group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Mile 11 was the most miserable mile of the whole race. It consisted of the entire stretch on Sunset Ave into the headwind. I felt like I was barely able to do anything faster than a walk. Each step was a struggle against the wind tunnel, and there was no one to draft off of or hide behind. Time? 7:15. WTF?!? How did I slow down 20 seconds in one mile?! I was so angry. I almost gave up. But I knew I still had a few seconds in the bank. If I could just crank out a couple more 6:52s, I'd be all set.<br />
<br />
I had the nice tailwind pushing me through Mile 12, so I lengthened my stride a bit going across 5th Ave. It felt like I was flying! And then, when I turned onto the boardwalk again for the last time, I knew I was almost home. I saw Rachel, who looked like she was enjoying the race, and then Jonathan, Tyler and Mike pushing hard in their last mile. I looked at my watch at Mile 12 and I saw 6:50... with a total elapsed time of 1:22:13! I knew I was on my way towards a huge PR. I had 7:47 to run my last 1.1 mile and still be under 1:30.<br />
<br />
So in that last 1.1, I made my move. I sped up my turnover, and focused on the finish. I picked people off and passed them, which was easy to do since many people were still on their 3rd lap. The last half mile or so before Convention Hall seemed to take forever. I was pushing hard, and as I passed Mile 13 right before entering Convention Hall, I saw that I ran it in 6:33--my fastest mile of the day! And I had over a minute to finish the last tenth! I knew I was definitely under 1:30! And as I exited the other end of Convention Hall, I could see the finish line ahead of me. And right next to the finish line were all of the Front Runner boys cheering and screaming for me. I pumped my arms as hard as I could and barreled toward the finish and I saw... 1:29:28!! A TWO MINUTE PR!!! My first sub-1:30 and I crushed it!!! Holy Crap!!<br />
<br />
OMG, I had no idea I had that in me. My head just started swelling up with emotions. In a way, this was even more emotional than when I qualified for Boston because I've spent the past year and a half dealing with my butt/hamstring injury, thinking I would maybe never run fast again. The finisher in front of me congratulated and and I gave him a hug, I was just so overcome with everything. THANK YOU to everyone who came with me on the trip to Asbury Park, to all of you who cheered for me along the course, and to everyone who supported and encouraged me on the way through my injury and training. I'm now really excited for what April 18th holds for me.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 1: 6:37</span></span><br />
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 2-3: 6:36 avg</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 4: 6:54</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 5: 6:52</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 6-8: 6:55 avg</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 9: 6:50</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 10: 6:55</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 11: 7:15</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 12: 6:50</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Mile 13: 6:33</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Last 0.1: 0:41 </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><u>FINAL 1:29:28</u></b></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-52368158226107813622011-03-10T15:51:00.000-05:002011-03-10T15:51:31.519-05:00Coogan's, Club Night, Neeps and Tatties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had a busy but good week this past week!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The biggest running news of the week was that I ran the <a href="http://www.nyrr.org/resources/photos/2011/coogans/event/gallery.asp">Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K</a> in Washington Heights on Sunday. It's the first club points race of the year, and it's always one of the more popular races of the year. I had been looking forward to this race for quite some time, mainly because it was my chance to get a fast pace in a short race so I could keep my blue starting bib. My current bib time of 6:13 is from a 5K I ran in Prospect Park two years ago in a race that doesn't even exist anymore, and that time should have expired long ago.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because the race was on Sunday, I decided not to do my long run of the week on Saturday, but to do it on Friday instead. It was <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/28738642/">a 20-miler that I ran with Patrick and Paul</a>, and it was a lot tougher than I expected it to be. I'm pretty sure we were going well under a 7:45 pace, whereas usually my long runs are around 8-minute miles. The last three miles I was struggling quite a bit, and ended up finishing about a minute after Paul and Patrick. In my defense, though, I was the only one racing Coogan's on Sunday, so maybe I was holding back a little.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCYOs6ddr_VhFgmC1QkxSr4mROILLQodVKtMboMqPi-pRbL_0RdRzVHiTqX6V_ZokkB02sG1bgPGVgTj3wDicqJ-Q_Dh1fujE-GmDMkM1hZgy1iLbMrVs-yLNsSchveLHXLkO6oWOS8A4/s1600/coogans-elevation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCYOs6ddr_VhFgmC1QkxSr4mROILLQodVKtMboMqPi-pRbL_0RdRzVHiTqX6V_ZokkB02sG1bgPGVgTj3wDicqJ-Q_Dh1fujE-GmDMkM1hZgy1iLbMrVs-yLNsSchveLHXLkO6oWOS8A4/s320/coogans-elevation.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coogan's 5K Elevation Profile</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyways, fast forward to Sunday, my legs were still a bit sore when I woke up. (On Saturday, I could barely walk, and ended up doing a slllooooowwww 3-mile jog at the fun run.) So I didn't know if this was going to be a good race or not. To top it off, it was a little drizzly the whole race, and I was concerned that the wet ground would slow me down. Nonetheless, I stuck with the two goals I had for the race: an "A" goal of sub 6:20 miles, and a "B" goal of sub-20 minutes for the race (6:26 pace).</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The start was very crowded. It took about a quarter mile just to be able to have some space around me. Then I realized that Mikey was running right next to me. He had mentioned earlier that he had a goal of sub-20 minutes for the race too, so I decided to stick with him. My first mile was 6:26. So, exactly on pace for a 20-minute race, but probably off my "A" goal, considering I hadn't even gotten to the big climb yet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the downhill part of the second mile, I ended up passing Mikey. I knew my lead wasn't goin to last, though, since having done a million hill workouts with Mikey, I know that he's much stronger than me on the uphills. And sure enough, a half mile later, after the turnaround as we were going back up the hill, he passed me back. He actually opened up quite a big lead, too. So much so that I didn't know if I should just let him go or try to reel him back in. Mile 2 was 6:31. Ugh. There goes my "A" goal and possibly also my "B" goal...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the cab ride up to Washington Heights that morning, Kelsey told me that this race was made or broken in the last mile. If you saved your legs a bit for mile 2, you would have it in you for a good strong kick to finish the last, mostly downhill, mile 3. So as I got over the last hump of mile three, I kicked it up a bit, and tried to charge down that hill. I kept telling myself that it was just 3-4 laps around the track left. Mile 3: 6:27. WTF?!?! I was so pissed. It looked like I wasn't even going to make 20 minutes. So in the last tenth of a mile, I booked it so friggin fast, pumping my arms as hard as I could, widening my stride, leaning forward, trying to get to the finish line. And then I saw... 19:57!!! I just made it by 3 seconds! And my last 0.1 mile was in 33 seconds (5:30 pace).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcDCNHxcjbwDCUO9bVWoGoWCK7RyZcZxbb_KOfWGRayrXTAOkybaMIHLrq2nLyrQhiR1gpfwI1V-izVDJPCan5dc2HhEV6vpHB25gBZjnvfGcf-PbAsvhfNuMDiLMZAoQZrfNVG0jk_HV/s1600/coogans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcDCNHxcjbwDCUO9bVWoGoWCK7RyZcZxbb_KOfWGRayrXTAOkybaMIHLrq2nLyrQhiR1gpfwI1V-izVDJPCan5dc2HhEV6vpHB25gBZjnvfGcf-PbAsvhfNuMDiLMZAoQZrfNVG0jk_HV/s320/coogans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">BTW, I beat 1293, just in case you're wondering.</div><br />
Whew! What a relief. It was a great feeling to reach my goal. After almost 20 minutes of slowly seeing my goal almost escape my grasp, I was able to pull it back in in the last half mile or so and accomplish what I had set out to do. I felt really good. Of course, it would have been better if I had broken 6:20 pace, but I'll save that for my next 5K. At this point, I'm thrilled with my 19:57.<br />
<br />
One reason Coogan's is such a popular race for the Front Runners is that every year, Patrick and Johnny host a fabulous post-race brunch at their apartment not far from the finish line. They always put out quite a beautiful and tasty spread for us, which this year included various kinds of quiche, deviled eggs, and a delicious homemade potato salad. Here's a sampling of the great food:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUCblN4666vuZhglk4ruvrX53CuDySe_FFR_W_l3pg5HAgi1dNpZ6ABv9Hmyvhx8Ej4giG8-IPRTF2xtR9GJ8NbT7KlDRs6vYxMY6Kd5_qbvIMA0tzvdCPlCOl5cKGPD9pCLuJw-5NDiT/s1600/coogans+brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUCblN4666vuZhglk4ruvrX53CuDySe_FFR_W_l3pg5HAgi1dNpZ6ABv9Hmyvhx8Ej4giG8-IPRTF2xtR9GJ8NbT7KlDRs6vYxMY6Kd5_qbvIMA0tzvdCPlCOl5cKGPD9pCLuJw-5NDiT/s320/coogans+brunch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And later that afternoon, it was another Computrainer session. Only, this one was MUCH much different from before. Out of seven bikers, I came in THIRD place!!! Woohooo, it looks like I'm getting better!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE29CfOMKu2kg9G1Pc1n4wGSNPuBzqj6tRqqpoH0C4EEfX6tibY8xE2t7pU0KDZcqlfo2xM8bti1cMeTsH2R8QN1gmI10Pv5c6DWjznCki2XsWlAIFpuawI_QfDKMPFUtr4JVh2YGcPdU1/s1600/computrainer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE29CfOMKu2kg9G1Pc1n4wGSNPuBzqj6tRqqpoH0C4EEfX6tibY8xE2t7pU0KDZcqlfo2xM8bti1cMeTsH2R8QN1gmI10Pv5c6DWjznCki2XsWlAIFpuawI_QfDKMPFUtr4JVh2YGcPdU1/s320/computrainer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last Thursday, I attended the Annual New York Road Runners Club Night, an evening that honors the achievements of the city's various running clubs. I'm very proud to report that Front Runners New York was one of the clubs nominated for the first ever Team Spirit Award!!! It's such an honor to be recognized among the NYC running community, because I know first hand that FRNY really does have the best team spirit out there. It's always amazing to me that we can regularly get 100+ runners out to a race, and have dozens of other members on the course cheering or volunteering. As a runner, every time I see another Front Runner, I get a boost of energy that helps propel me to the finish line. And as someone who also cheers for our runners, I'm so happy to show my teammates and the NYC running community how much Front Runners rock. While we didn't win the award this year (that honor went to the North Brooklyn Runners), we all knew that the love we all had for our club, and the pride that we have as members of FRNY, is just unparalleled anywhere else. Yayyy Front Runners!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtawOJHsfrAn7605a9pjuUFO9ERmVLqH6JNuYmPXRllGlHMIujo8ZesGPzTmYOMpKEYJAbju4fOIoV38GLlQzyURE4BkOnMtOTE1BU8e2kdZzKBKMJrJBffe28qhIEBRH1MCMKgXBNkgnz/s1600/club+nite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtawOJHsfrAn7605a9pjuUFO9ERmVLqH6JNuYmPXRllGlHMIujo8ZesGPzTmYOMpKEYJAbju4fOIoV38GLlQzyURE4BkOnMtOTE1BU8e2kdZzKBKMJrJBffe28qhIEBRH1MCMKgXBNkgnz/s320/club+nite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, here's a picture of me and Ginnie, the Age Group winner for the women's 75-79 category. For a number of reasons, she's somewhat of a legend in the NYC running community. She so graciously agreed to pose for a picture with me. What a gal!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2OcO4LYXwtLefzfs37E0y8rUdMy0cYMijtvOBuzlABbW9zhnhXyxpPapULjuP-Vv6bWtNJVZcAMIX2uQw4PJcrWOUlqvsA0inYmURjxJazbDODK76xK10z_70VbLD0p1vfKZ6MNyDh00/s1600/ginnie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2OcO4LYXwtLefzfs37E0y8rUdMy0cYMijtvOBuzlABbW9zhnhXyxpPapULjuP-Vv6bWtNJVZcAMIX2uQw4PJcrWOUlqvsA0inYmURjxJazbDODK76xK10z_70VbLD0p1vfKZ6MNyDh00/s320/ginnie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I want to report a very successful track workout the other day. We did 5 x mile repeats. Here are my times:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. 6:28</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. 6:18</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. 6:08</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4: 6:12 (ok, this one could have been a bit faster, but I started my kick a little too late).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then, after having already done four solid mile repeats, I decided to try to stick with the front group in my last mile -- Steve, Kevin and Andrew. My first few laps were 45 seconds on the dot. I started wondering if it was a bad idea to start out so fast. My first 800 was 3 minutes exactly. I didn't know if I could keep that pace up, but I pushed through. After 1200, I was at 4:28... Only two more laps to go, and I was under a six minute pace! Chris, the timekeeper, was yelling at me, encouraging me to go for it. I could tell people on the side were watching me, seeing me almost keep pace with Andrew (who had been running a lot faster than me all night). At that point, I knew I had to go for it. Those last two laps were HARD . . . the straightaways seemed to go on forever! And at 5:12 for my 1400, with just one lap to go, I knew I was gonna do it, even if I slowed down. But I didn't let myself cruise. Instead, I picked it up, focused myself hard, and ran as fast as I could. And there we had it: 5:55 for the finish!!! My fastest mile in a track workout! My first time running under 6 minutes in a workout. It was so cool! What an awesome feeling!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I feel like I'm really making some progress now. I have to say, after a year and a half of being injured, and running disappointing races, and being afraid to push myself, I feel like I'm starting to get my running legs back. This is coming at a great time for me, being less than six weeks away from running the Boston Marathon. I'm getting really excited about the marathon, and I'm starting to think that I can have a really successful run. This past year and a half have been quite difficult for me, as I saw myself steadily losing both speed and endurance. But as I start to enter my peak training weeks for Boston, I'm thinking that it's really good to be back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One last note. A few weeks back, Dan and Dave invited some of us runners out to a Scottish Burns Night dinner, a night to celebrate Scottish food and heritage, and to commemorate the great Scottish poet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns">Robert Burns</a>. I ate, for the first time in my life, traditional Scottish Haggis, which is a dish containing sheep's "pluck" (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally simmered in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours. It was, uh, interesting. Much more to my liking were the "neeps and tatties," or mashed turnips and potatoes, and a beef and mushroom pastry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzboGE2cIJC0loN0KnVgff2hTPznK90euhMJy1MQmfGi1ZkbDSAQnNmohFcJvcyKMg1mPFuW21Jlr0aGEXx-4lB8cXD1vty753tVynF5Adc5NQNBz_ILg5JH-tcsr4QiyXjoUgtnD03xu/s1600/nips+tatties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzboGE2cIJC0loN0KnVgff2hTPznK90euhMJy1MQmfGi1ZkbDSAQnNmohFcJvcyKMg1mPFuW21Jlr0aGEXx-4lB8cXD1vty753tVynF5Adc5NQNBz_ILg5JH-tcsr4QiyXjoUgtnD03xu/s320/nips+tatties.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The best part of the night, though, was being able to play dress up and enjoy some fun Scottish dancing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWa3SG480q8BaRrTUaUTXnwexdbcXIdK14QkSFrgfNA7oh2P4FrndG8PKl2D_WGJa57iyTM-FCS3pvrUYkZPwHS-CNEQ7XUHbaH2LjKbp7MLyHIEhBh9uGVN6S8GDjhCCTMKd5cbhn9YFy/s1600/burns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWa3SG480q8BaRrTUaUTXnwexdbcXIdK14QkSFrgfNA7oh2P4FrndG8PKl2D_WGJa57iyTM-FCS3pvrUYkZPwHS-CNEQ7XUHbaH2LjKbp7MLyHIEhBh9uGVN6S8GDjhCCTMKd5cbhn9YFy/s320/burns.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-36501923479691893742011-02-25T18:27:00.000-05:002011-02-25T18:27:31.388-05:00Breakthrough Week! Cherry Tree and FRNY Relay Inv-ASIAN!!!I'm happy to report that the past couple of weeks have been a breakthrough period for me.<br />
<br />
First, my past three indoor track workouts have been really great. I won't bore you with all the details of the workouts, but last Tuesday we did 5 x mile repeats, last Thursday we did 8 x 800, and this Tuesday we did 5 x miles again. Each night, I got progressively faster and faster with my repeats, and I finished strong at the end. My last miles on both nights were 6:04, and my last 800 was 2:51. Even more exciting is that I'm starting to almost be able to keep up with the front pack of the fast group. Kevin, Peter and Mikey are such strong runners that I think running even in their vicinity helps me to push myself harder and run smarter. I really feel myself improving on the track, and it's getter pretty exciting.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * * </div><br />
On Sunday, I got to test out my training at the <a href="http://pptcblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-cherry-tree-ten-miler-and-3-person.html">Cherry Tree Relay</a>, a 10 mile relay that takes place in Prospect Park and is organized by the Prospect Park Track Club. Those of you who are regular readers of Running to Dinner may remember that I ran it <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/02/cherry-tree-relay-chinese-new-year.html">last year</a> and, while I had a ton of fun, it was a bit of a disappointing race. This year I did much better, and felt much better.<br />
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My team for 2011 was with Rachel and Kyle, and our team name was A Guy, A Girl and a Monster. Rachel took the first leg and I was the second and handed off to Kyle. When it time for me to run, I immediately felt that my legs were still sore from the 20-mile run I had done the day before. I started cursing myself, wondering why I was so stupid to do a race the day after my longest run in almost a year. After the first mile or so, my legs loosened up a bit, but I continued to hold back because I didn't want to overstrain my legs. Plus, both Rachel and Kyle were doing the Computrainer session with me later that afternoon, so I suspected that they were going to save some of their leg strength for that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7AFbaunTCfasKrMjPnJgo-U3YQ9AO277J8l6TTB9x31RYfiXFRwMzUV81FaHSmSbkcGsqYjzV32GbPt1BJvU1fHDx46FDt8Ebo2NqiT_3E4Z0Ll6enSj_hdNP8DdcnJ7l1NcT8jF7ZSt/s1600/ctr2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7AFbaunTCfasKrMjPnJgo-U3YQ9AO277J8l6TTB9x31RYfiXFRwMzUV81FaHSmSbkcGsqYjzV32GbPt1BJvU1fHDx46FDt8Ebo2NqiT_3E4Z0Ll6enSj_hdNP8DdcnJ7l1NcT8jF7ZSt/s320/ctr2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
It was nice, though, that even as I was running very conservatively, I was passing lots of people. (Many or even most of them were doing the full 10 miles themselves, so it wasn't like I was really that much faster than people. But still, it felt good to pass people.) When the dreaded Prospect Park hill came around mile 2, it actually felt smaller than I remembered it as I felt myself breeze over the top. From there, it was smooth sailing to the last few hundred meters, where a nice downhill ushers the runners to the transition area. That was the part where I really sprinted since that's where everyone sees you, haha.<br />
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In the end, I finished in about 22:30 (about a 6:45 pace), which was a minute faster than last year's time. It wasn't particularly fast, but it felt good, and it was much better than last year. I'm hoping that this means next week at the <a href="http://www.nyrr.org/races/2011/r0306x00.asp">Coogan's 5K</a>, I will be able to do it in under 20 minutes (6:26 pace). It sounds like a big difference, but I will have rested legs and be mentally prepared to do it at that time. I need to get a fast race time before they take away my blue bib at NYRR races, which is based on a 6:13 pace I raced way back in a 5k in 2009. What I wouldn't give to be able to run that pace again...<br />
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You may remember in last year's Cherry Tree post that all of the Front Runner relay teams make fun team posters for the race. I made ours this year, after spending way too many hours trying to figure out how to use <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">Gimp, the free alternative to Photoshop</a>. It's based on the poster for the 1953 film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_Monster">Robot Monster</a>, which is often credited as being one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_considered_the_worst">worst movies of all time</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBdG-At6LNgGps6W6K925wXcJLRE-hAEzfQr32tW-zjIPalRMT7uoH8i0__ohRkIXQOvrMqlfOLw-cB4V5u6soobp6YFuEyPC0Qm0lfQ6imUqcHd0jEepZ1EfI60RRoPN4LAJ6uCmGrms/s1600/monster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBdG-At6LNgGps6W6K925wXcJLRE-hAEzfQr32tW-zjIPalRMT7uoH8i0__ohRkIXQOvrMqlfOLw-cB4V5u6soobp6YFuEyPC0Qm0lfQ6imUqcHd0jEepZ1EfI60RRoPN4LAJ6uCmGrms/s320/monster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * * </div><br />
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A few hours after the Cherry Tree Relay -- or, I guess more accurately, after a few Bloody Marys and Jello Shots at the Front Runners New York Post-Cherry Tree Relay Brunch -- I headed over to my much-despised Computrainer session for some more workout fun. I'm going to spare you all of the details, but I just wanted to report that, for the first time, I was actually able to finish the whole workout in the allotted time!!! Hooray!! 30.43 miles an an hour and 54 minutes. Yes, I was still the last one to finish, and yes, I came in 22 minutes after Peter and Kyle, but I still finished! And not only that, I actually sped up in the last 5 miles! (Mostly I sped up because I was just so sick of the whole thing and wanted it to end, but still, I think that means I'm getting better and more determined.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8k6xLtdTw12DhzViYDg8aItJkuo0y_PVP-7tquahIG4TjI-WVZpFfs7NCzri0UP6gj_FoSZHLYF09n6hZ66QRVYVyUZUMKi69laajv-OD6IHVa6DRvrEb0z78ueF_NOQpaT6pvNRLZ_F/s1600/computain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8k6xLtdTw12DhzViYDg8aItJkuo0y_PVP-7tquahIG4TjI-WVZpFfs7NCzri0UP6gj_FoSZHLYF09n6hZ66QRVYVyUZUMKi69laajv-OD6IHVa6DRvrEb0z78ueF_NOQpaT6pvNRLZ_F/s320/computain.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
One thing I did a little differently this time was to watch my cadence. My <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA40CETft8L1ohdYDv8uAwd5svdc-ySW6kPBYryZHUUKTiOsAGLVmr7Om-SSx3qoTAl-3HOjwyn22lOa-xD3iwXhNCR5apdPCAJLiad8WvrGr4ohE2tVCdQsuVpciLRfN-j7eOiNhA6now/s1600/bike.jpg">fancy schmancy new bike</a> has a cadence counting thingy on the bike computer, and I tried to make sure I was going around 80-90 the whole time. Any lower and I put it into an easier gear; any higher and I made it harder. That seemed to help so that my legs didn't tire out so fast. I'm going to try it out again at the next Computrainer session and see if it still works. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * * </div><br />
Last night was the fourth and final installment of NYRR's Thursday Night at the Races. They had three events: the 3000 meter, the 1500 meter, and a 10,000 meter relay. I did the 3000 and the relay, and it was just a great, great, great night!<br />
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First, the 3000. I was a little nervous about doing the 3000 before the relay, since I knew my legs wouldn't be fresh for the relay. But I really needed to get one last race in before the Coogan's 5K next weekend, and I thought a good 3000 would go a long way towards boosting my confidence for that race. And, well, I had a really good race! <br />
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I was in the 6th and final heat of the race. In retrospect, I guess I probably should have been in the 5th heat, since most of the people in my heat were quite a bit slower than me. Oh well. When the starting gun went off, one guy took off...way off. After a bit of jostling, I tucked in right behind the second guy. He did his first 200 at around 42 seconds. I knew that was too fast for me, since my plan was to start off at 45s and try to speed up at the end. I stuck with him, though, because I could tell he was slowing down for the second lap. I think it was about 45 seconds; good. Third lap was maybe a little slower. Then the forth lap came and we were like 2 seconds slower than 6-minute pace. Ugh. I knew this guy was fading fast, but I was nervous about passing him and being on my own for over a mile without a pacer. But I had to do it. I just ran right past him and went out on my own.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmvQZ6kUEM0HCn8SABwl2phCDPJXNDugmxRj574gLYpZ0XRNKmnWx9Suazk7uY527zaZxIgeJzgmIxSlZE2euy4jbLzhQOtjCBpswI8MTcm539QUe0GNDW9zD6kmTs24_JDM92NOIIrmA/s1600/relay+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmvQZ6kUEM0HCn8SABwl2phCDPJXNDugmxRj574gLYpZ0XRNKmnWx9Suazk7uY527zaZxIgeJzgmIxSlZE2euy4jbLzhQOtjCBpswI8MTcm539QUe0GNDW9zD6kmTs24_JDM92NOIIrmA/s320/relay+1.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />
Luckily, the clock was there, and it's easy to figure out 45-second splits in my head. Also, FRNY Assistant Coach Chris was calling out my splits each time I passed him. I managed to get a bunch of consistent 45-second 200s. But 15 laps is a long way to go, and without a rabbit to pace off of, I was concerned that I could fall off my pace at any moment. That's when seeing all the other Front Runners on the course cheering for me really helped me along. Gemma, Martha, Scott, Paul, AJ -- every time I passed that long straightaway they were there yelling and clapping. And on the other side there was Chris, telling me exactly what I needed to hear. The other thing that helped me was the fact that almost everyone in the heat was much slower than me. I was lapping people one by one. And every time I passed someone, it gave me an extra little boost of energy. I felt great.<br />
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But the last three laps were hard. I wanted it to end so bad. Then I thought about the very last workout that I did on Tuesday (5 x mile repeats; first 1000 at 10k pace, last 600 faster). And I just channeled all my energy into speeding up for the last 600. On my very last lap, I lengthened my stride and charged around that track so friggin' fast, so excited to finish that damn race. And I did it! 11:11!!! Woohooo! Just under a 6-minute mile pace. It felt great.<br />
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That was exactly the race that I needed. Going into Coogan's in one week with a 3000 in under 6 minute pace, I'm feeling really confident that I can get a great time in the 5K. Not only am I physically ready, but I feel that I am mentally pumped up for an awesome race. I'm really excited.<br />
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And the night got even better.<br />
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The last event of the evening was the biggest race. A 10,000 meter relay, which is actually a 10 x 5 x 200m relay... Each team has 10 runners, with each runner running five separate legs of 200 meters each. It's a fast race. And with 8-10 teams competing in each heat, it's an incredible race to watch.<br />
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A couple of months ago, someone said in passing at an indoor workout, "Wouldn't it be fun to make an all Asian relay team?" I remember Kelsey joked, "OMG, they wouldn't be able to tell us apart...'didn't you just run?'" But then I started counting, and just from the people who went to the workouts we had enough for an all-Asian 10,000 meter relay. So that's pretty much what we did! Me, Kelsey, Kent, Onesimo, Thomas, Chikara, Steve, Tsing, Da and honorary-Asian Ekong joined together to form FRNY Relay Inv-ASIAN!!! OMG, it was so much fun and so perfect!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hO95XMe2NakLsrpLgng4zWTCSDdJyHl_ZUHIUgHthW97gbPAXKmC-Za5Snzy3qcDI1tpiOf3eSsUpGOnb9OcoIKKYnYlCQIi_TgllEB_fdaJCVkAt1FJvUCEgoXffIhfUG6enHkYKJ7D/s1600/asians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hO95XMe2NakLsrpLgng4zWTCSDdJyHl_ZUHIUgHthW97gbPAXKmC-Za5Snzy3qcDI1tpiOf3eSsUpGOnb9OcoIKKYnYlCQIi_TgllEB_fdaJCVkAt1FJvUCEgoXffIhfUG6enHkYKJ7D/s320/asians.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We actually had THREE Front Runner teams competing last night. An open team that joined with members of Central Park Track Club and Urban Athletics ran in the first heat, and the first-ever FRNY all-women's 10,000 meter relay, who ran with us in the third heat.<br />
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Because of the many, many, many runners and heats throughout the night, our race didn't start till after midnight! So we waited, and waited and waited. But finally our time came, and there was just so much excitement. There were 7 or 8 teams in our heat, so 70-80 runners lined up on the track. It was a really cool sight. But then runners 3-10 of each team lined up on the side and the first two runners took their positions on the track. I was runner number 1 on the Asian team, so I got to start with the gun. When it when off, I booked it as fast as I could around the track. I have no idea how fast I was going, but I think it was probably in the mid 30s. Some people zoomed wayyyyy past me, and other were behind. But the distance is so short that there's no time to think about anything other than running as fast as you possibly can around that track. <br />
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I handed the baton off to Chikara. It was not graceful. But it worked.<br />
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And then I waited for the nine other runners to finish their legs before I went again. The problem was, it seemed like they ran their legs really fast. By the time I finally caught my breath about 3-4 minutes later, Steve was up, which meant Tsing was next to hand off to me. And it just kept repeating.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyw9OGVB8MIxRh5zw9IgzKF1bacgXsLZSIM_pTUdexLOCW3MFbIwW9v-FWRiJGl5bCFjQX6EQEKsVi5DppjmOtVbfaaoGyS856O750_SYCHXJTfZiTYXQE2keD5WAYlw9t9IWXH6K1NeIq/s1600/thurs+night+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyw9OGVB8MIxRh5zw9IgzKF1bacgXsLZSIM_pTUdexLOCW3MFbIwW9v-FWRiJGl5bCFjQX6EQEKsVi5DppjmOtVbfaaoGyS856O750_SYCHXJTfZiTYXQE2keD5WAYlw9t9IWXH6K1NeIq/s320/thurs+night+group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was so intense and so fast. But what made it so much fun was that there was a mess of Front Runners just all over the place. It was great to be in the same heat as the FRNY Women because we could run with them on the track, and when we weren't running, we could cheer with them. The Asians finished in about 27 minutes, and the Women finished in 34:03. Way to go, team!!! And to make the experience even more amazing, as the women were finishing their race, the Race Director called all of the Front Runners onto the track. He had us all line up in lane 2, so that when the last few women passed by, they would run by our thunderous applause and cheering. Even some of the runners at the meet who weren't Front Runners lined up with us to cheer the women on. And then, as Megan took the anchor leg and ran toward the finish line, all of the other Front Runner women followed her through and celebrated the club's huge achievements of the evening. It was really an amazing experience that made all of us so proud to be part of a great club. What a wonderful night!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * * </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I don't have a lot of fun eating news to report this week, so I've decided to post a picture from a grilled chicken sandwich on focaccia that I had earlier this month at the <a href="http://www.amsterdamalehouse.com/">Amsterdam Ale House</a> in New York. Lately, I've been going to AAH about once a month, on the first Wednesday of every month. The first Wednesday is "Wild Women Wednesdays" at FRNY, and the women show up in larger numbers and pick the place where we go to dinner. They usually pick the Amsterdam Ale House, which is fine with me, since they have a great selection of draft beer and really tasty onion rings. Yummmm..... I'm looking forward to this coming Wednesday!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gbQXQ7Y3qdrOOzMH1fAxteGHPIYyFxfp5Z2Ph49iQbib80jbQQwMxygAJDvwQFxwcA6aH9Hao-MxNSKKpstxS_EANqTJPAALxvQqmAI9gPkqF2VKUtY_6i0ICjwSY8flPH1tInybPgT5/s1600/burger2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gbQXQ7Y3qdrOOzMH1fAxteGHPIYyFxfp5Z2Ph49iQbib80jbQQwMxygAJDvwQFxwcA6aH9Hao-MxNSKKpstxS_EANqTJPAALxvQqmAI9gPkqF2VKUtY_6i0ICjwSY8flPH1tInybPgT5/s320/burger2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-6535463128079626302011-02-15T12:17:00.000-05:002011-02-15T12:17:59.507-05:00AIDS Service Center, Track Meet and Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, The Trevor Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lots of running and eating news to report this past month. Sorry for cramming it all into one long post!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First, I am so super proud to say that I've received an award from the <a href="http://ascnyc.org/">AIDS Service Center NYC</a> for the work that I've done for them on behalf of Front Runners New York. FRNY has had a great relationship with ASC over the past few years. For those of you who aren't familiar with ASC's work, they're a community organization that provides services for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. Their programs include peer education and training, harm reduction, specialized women's services, HIV counseling and testing, and a host of other services that help NYC's most vulnerable individuals and families survive and thrive in the face of HIV/AIDS.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxy-_LDB19GNsd9EDV8qVav_dM_pBAfaqkG_ISHc4sq1TP4UiBiokdteQtcoRaMOOKxhH0LnmUuGxRi4b2Wpn2RULS2sZ4aiVmpcVAgLf2cxgnQzu_DtIDrDmXBqOjBtxMa0cd6XIEGS6/s1600/asc+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxy-_LDB19GNsd9EDV8qVav_dM_pBAfaqkG_ISHc4sq1TP4UiBiokdteQtcoRaMOOKxhH0LnmUuGxRi4b2Wpn2RULS2sZ4aiVmpcVAgLf2cxgnQzu_DtIDrDmXBqOjBtxMa0cd6XIEGS6/s320/asc+pic.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've actually been involved with ASC for longer than I have with FRNY, since my good friend David Berman used to work with them. (By the way, ASC holds a great party every June, <a href="http://safersexinthecity.org/">Safer Sex in the City</a>, which I've been proud to be on the planning committee for.) FRNY's partnership with ASC started out in 2009 when FRNY's Charitable Foundation provided ASC's clients with hundreds of holiday gifts bags (which consisted of hats and gloves and the like). We then gave ASC a large financial gift so that they could continue doing the valuable work that they do. In honor of FRNY's gift, ASC named their new wellness room the "Front Runners New York Wellness Room," and even held a dedication ceremony for it. That's when I, along with several other Front Runners, received our awards, which honored us for our "spirit of giving" which has "touched the lives of countless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS."</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_4MiTS6DzU8xOH0qrxJcDdmbWZ6UkarHtAibOI-8oNZvhoKiAkuMOjQwPsrVI5CvKi2KUg5xEvrcdfXige5P_59oTYSHnr19OxizVghc9y51icszKjnB-o1DQwoie1ukhrK-Sri4vIYZ/s1600/asc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_4MiTS6DzU8xOH0qrxJcDdmbWZ6UkarHtAibOI-8oNZvhoKiAkuMOjQwPsrVI5CvKi2KUg5xEvrcdfXige5P_59oTYSHnr19OxizVghc9y51icszKjnB-o1DQwoie1ukhrK-Sri4vIYZ/s320/asc2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was a really touching gesture by ASC. I'm so proud of the work that they do, and so happy that FRNY has been able to develop a great partnership with them.<br />
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The picture above is of me and <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/stories/Sharen_Duke.shtm">Sharen Duke, the Executive Director of ASC, and a current member of FRNY</a>. Sharen actually ran in the 2010 New York City Marathon wearing the Front Runners singlet, and finished in an amazing 4:22:29, earning her the 3rd fastest FRNY Women's Masters time in history. Awesome job, Sharen!!!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Remember <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/11/cheering-to-dinnerand-it-gets-better.html">my post about cheering</a> with the Front Runners at the ING New York City Marathon? Well, the New York Road Runners did a story about our cheering group in their New York Runner Magazine! Check it out below!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdT19mYODZCcL1BS_iFo0JWosRiO4a4YputdDJaQKZ5DtXKzKAIFyb6G0OH6h1se4Q1hpKFwZh3OCP4AhtkHdlPZDduynvn6AbcV1XEQTCjIQPu8lLJN26oLLuRFCmW6TlXzajOCOgdt2/s1600/cheer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdT19mYODZCcL1BS_iFo0JWosRiO4a4YputdDJaQKZ5DtXKzKAIFyb6G0OH6h1se4Q1hpKFwZh3OCP4AhtkHdlPZDduynvn6AbcV1XEQTCjIQPu8lLJN26oLLuRFCmW6TlXzajOCOgdt2/s320/cheer1.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FcgW3Ra3YxypOzUUu7xN_WT3gF7PjERPQ3Y4SFspd6_Nv-ZRBO8lbxNRze7lfn4fKeN1ou9zxhagOroyHa0Mq5O00S43AEF5OyIp5CGdZ_rv8LwB9NOl5rXa9sK2sbpW8iqJ87EbsuCV/s1600/cheer2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FcgW3Ra3YxypOzUUu7xN_WT3gF7PjERPQ3Y4SFspd6_Nv-ZRBO8lbxNRze7lfn4fKeN1ou9zxhagOroyHa0Mq5O00S43AEF5OyIp5CGdZ_rv8LwB9NOl5rXa9sK2sbpW8iqJ87EbsuCV/s320/cheer2.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
This past week was a week of tough races. Last Thursday was NYRR's Thursday Night at the Races. I decided to run the mile on the track. It was my first track race since last year's FRNY Track Meet, <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/03/frny-track-meet-nyc-half-and-long-bike.html">when I did the 1200m in the Distance Medley Relay</a> with Team Joy Luck Club, and only the second time I've ever raced a mile in my life (the first one was at the FRNY Track Meet in 2008... <a href="http://www.mastersrankings.com/indresults.php?pseason=Indoor&cyear=2008&idno=112307201011131977DAVLIN">a 5:33.42 that may forever be out of my reach now...</a>).<br />
<br />
I knew this wasn't going to be the race of my life. I had done a speed workout on Tuesday, and then a pretty fast 6-mile loop on Wednesday, so my legs were tired even before the race started. I really wanted to break 5:45, though, but wasn't quite sure if I'd be able to do it.<br />
<br />
I was really nervous. There's something about running on the track that terrifies me. Maybe it's the fact that everyone is standing in the middle of the track watching you. Maybe it's that in short distances, you're pushing your body harder than you ever would in a road race. Or maybe it's that the track sometimes seems dominated by people who are running 4-minute miles. Either way, I felt a huge pit in my stomach, a feeling of utter terror that I haven't experienced before a race in years, if ever.<br />
<br />
Then the starting gun went off. Through the sheer randomness of how we lined up, I was placed in lane one. All of the other nine runners in my heat were outside of me on the track. That meant that everyone had to merge together after the start, except for me. So for the first 75 meters or so, I was out ahead of everyone. I didn't know what was going on, and where everyone else was. Then I realized that I was out in front. I hate running in front of everyone, since I'm so bad at pacing myself. Koach Kelsey saw me kind of confused and panicking around the bend, and he yelled out to me to run my own race. It was definitely comforting to hear that.<br />
<br />
Finally, as I was finishing the first lap, I was passed. This was actually a relief to me, as it made me think I wasn't going out too crazy fast. My first lap was 41 seconds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRV0uGQiwYYyeVt2jtadYuM9FhLIsgnNMJk1F7w-k3Az96G6TkeXpOh6gi86n_lIINhbkCFvbcagDGheX4NDbs959DKLpOF3KQy8QgHU8c9d0qBSAbI_3f9Pw4HvVvnx-khSNwJFTcNXV/s1600/armory.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRV0uGQiwYYyeVt2jtadYuM9FhLIsgnNMJk1F7w-k3Az96G6TkeXpOh6gi86n_lIINhbkCFvbcagDGheX4NDbs959DKLpOF3KQy8QgHU8c9d0qBSAbI_3f9Pw4HvVvnx-khSNwJFTcNXV/s320/armory.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Around lap three was when I wanted the race to end. I had completely forgotten that feeling you get when you run really, really fast at the Armory, and your mouth, throat and lungs can't deal with the dry, disgusting indoor air there. I felt like I needed a giant glass of water, but I still needed to go five more times around that damn track. And I started getting passed by two more people. Kelsey was telling me to keep up with them, he said he knew I could do it. I knew I could too, but my legs and my breathing just weren't cooperating. I felt myself slowing down rather than trying to reach them. I saw that my splits had fallen closer to 44 seconds. I just couldn't get myself to push harder. It was a bit disappointing, especially when I was passed again towards the end of the mile.<br />
<br />
But I knew I could still make my time of 5:45. I managed to pull it together for the last 100 meters, pump my arms harder and broaden my stride a bit, and I charged for that finish line. I put everything I could into that finish, and got there, at 5:44, just in the nick of time! OMG, I was so happy! So relieved that it was over. So glad I had accomplished what I set out to do. It was a great feeling. Even though it was 11 seconds slower than my mile from 2008, it made me realize that I have it in me to run fast, to set a goal and then grasp it. It's a great feeling.<br />
<br />
But it wasn't just me that got myself around the track those eight times. I think I saw Kelsey 16 times during those eight loops, as he ran back and forth and back and forth to encourage me to do my best. And then there were at least a dozen other Front Runners, at various points along the track, always cheering me on whenever I ran by. What a great way to run a race, knowing that I'm being helped out every step of the way by my friends and teammates. Thanks to all of you who pushed and pulled me along!<br />
<br />
After last Thursday's experience, I think I'll run the Mile again at the FRNY Annual Indoor Track Meet in March. You should join me! Click below to register:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.formstack.com/forms/frny-track_meet_2011"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAY8HEwAR3DVd34EXhFOeMM_g08kYLdUpBqbO4yAkvHbceX5XvHtKItQH59bXZAAvRrq8pAvzJg_73sVP-pWARqUBLc7a8vSC9iAQHrmjWHXxXFeYEYHIJtBM4OnZKdM_yUO_BoV8pstc2/s320/FRNY-Track2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
Sunday was the <a href="http://www.thevalentinesdaymarathon.com/">Valentine's Day Marathon / Half-Marathon / 10K</a>, the Valentine's Day version of <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2011/01/bitter-melon-bitter-cold-bitter-year.html">the free race that I did with my parents on Christmas Day</a>. I had gone to the race intending to run three loops (about 19 miles), but instead, ran-walked one loop, through treacherous ice and snow. It was brutal, slippery, and dangerous, and it took me almost an hour and a half to finish. But once I realized that this wasn't going to be my long run of the week, it was actually kind of fun.<br />
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Here's a picture of the 10K group. Some other Front Runners decided to run a second loop. No, thank you!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SbEKMT2DDNZAKPU9K0DmtmxJeqAKeCT-Y7i5NbvLautQMqtBBChc5UuzZDNH6DwfPgTBl4oUvfVwwfF597iXP4QJdXuvHvYxmejQinkon8NN_d3hQYFgB06PBDNWBAsPuuKW-TGtlg9n/s1600/vday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SbEKMT2DDNZAKPU9K0DmtmxJeqAKeCT-Y7i5NbvLautQMqtBBChc5UuzZDNH6DwfPgTBl4oUvfVwwfF597iXP4QJdXuvHvYxmejQinkon8NN_d3hQYFgB06PBDNWBAsPuuKW-TGtlg9n/s320/vday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
It was Chinese New Year a little while ago. I invited a bunch of Front Runners out to <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/02/cherry-tree-relay-chinese-new-year.html">me and Fatai's annual Chinese New Year's Dinner and Booze Fest</a>. I decided to do things a little differently this year. Last year, the gays all complained that the restaurant's set menu was too weird and Chinese-y. Nobody liked the jellyfish and the baby octopus, and the fried flounder, and blah blah blah. So this year, I pre-picked all the dishes and just ordered everything a la carte. I was a little nervous, since it's hard to order for 24 picky gays (and Rachel, a vegetarian). But everyone uniformly said that the food was MUCH better than last year, so I think it was a big success.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbG-fdQMJmoLNuAkf4xmCh7wNXjGC9Q6aUck99qeUPHvnYToKQvnfcaiIEvetbNuIm0hz8OZ-hgxtfmym-9p6oPBIO2P8Mb3S4lpzRi8SOVexmKqz3oTg2YuGjVas33XIuh00Dv11CC4Wh/s1600/chinese1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbG-fdQMJmoLNuAkf4xmCh7wNXjGC9Q6aUck99qeUPHvnYToKQvnfcaiIEvetbNuIm0hz8OZ-hgxtfmym-9p6oPBIO2P8Mb3S4lpzRi8SOVexmKqz3oTg2YuGjVas33XIuh00Dv11CC4Wh/s320/chinese1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here's what I ordered. For just $25 per person, we all filled up on some really tasty Chinese food, and around 20 bottles of wine (plus a bottle of Stoli--thanks, Anthony!).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>Soup</b></u>:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-minced beef, egg white and parsley soup (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">veggie bean curd soup for Rachel)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>Meats</b></u>:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-peking duck</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-sliced beef w/ black mushrooms + bamboo shoots</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-pork chop w/ peking sauce</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-steamed chicken w/ mushrooms</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-diced pickles and bacon w/ snow peas</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-beef chow fun</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Seafood</u></b>:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-steamed buffalo fish</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-prawns w/ crispy walnuts in mayonnaise (always a big hit!)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-salt baked squid w/ chili</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-clams w/ black bean sauce</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><u>Veggies</u></b>:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-assorted veggies + mushrooms buddhist style</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-braised eggplant</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-braised bean curd w/ brown sauce</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">-sauteed snow pea shoots</span></span><br />
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Here are some pictures of the food, fun and booze:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjremdiJYIxiatSHNIEzgfKy30pYmg_f2LTjdLqq1AW7QGhyphenhyphen5AejKXAPW8fNnzMRDr3vEI1k8zlxz6JEQ4J9P0oK5gHB4-SSCVmmUU1rTwkrCPupPgvEMsWhzOKfZtjNX1MlBCB_PwCwhOY/s1600/chinese2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjremdiJYIxiatSHNIEzgfKy30pYmg_f2LTjdLqq1AW7QGhyphenhyphen5AejKXAPW8fNnzMRDr3vEI1k8zlxz6JEQ4J9P0oK5gHB4-SSCVmmUU1rTwkrCPupPgvEMsWhzOKfZtjNX1MlBCB_PwCwhOY/s320/chinese2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRp-swVBOvA9DKZnFbEocyRaGpCe0mXibM1T3Y_FchzSXLgu7LR-xYwX5ZG5RW0EJ7riglWZUQYN17UIZwuSsZgCuZjRu8loKQspqNwgJ6jOtmcWj7FxZrv1AMP6RN9sHN-VHwnBc2Fxf3/s1600/chinese3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRp-swVBOvA9DKZnFbEocyRaGpCe0mXibM1T3Y_FchzSXLgu7LR-xYwX5ZG5RW0EJ7riglWZUQYN17UIZwuSsZgCuZjRu8loKQspqNwgJ6jOtmcWj7FxZrv1AMP6RN9sHN-VHwnBc2Fxf3/s320/chinese3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
OMG, it's less than nine weeks to the Boston Marathon! I'm definitely getting nervous, even though I think my training has been pretty good so far.<br />
<br />
I was chatting with my friend <a href="http://movingdogward.blogspot.com/">Audra</a> the other day, who's also running Boston, and she came up with a great idea. She told me that last fall, she went out for a bike ride over the George Washington Bridge, where she saw rainbow streamers left by individuals and a few "You Are Not Alone" signs bolted to the railings. This was shortly after <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/nyregion/30suicide.html">Tyler Clementi, a gay student at Rutgers, had committed suicide</a>. Audra approached me with the idea of joining together with some other LGBT runners to raise money for the <a href="http://www.thetrevorproject.org/">Trevor Project</a>, a national organization that provides a 24-hour confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth. <br />
<br />
I have a special fondness for the Trevor Project because, as you might remember <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/11/cheering-to-dinnerand-it-gets-better.html">from an earlier post</a>, several Front Runners and I created a video as part of the Trevor Project's "It Gets Better" campaign. If you haven't seen it, or would like to see it again, click below (note that Janice who appears in the video with me is also running in Boston and also raising money for the Trevor Project; so is Paul, who appears towards the end):<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6yBx8hanu5I?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
In this time when incidences of anti-gay bullying and suicides of gay youth are rampant, the Trevor Project's work is so important. I'm so proud to be able to support an organization that is working to save the lives of LGBT youth all over the country. Please join me in donating to the Trevor Project by clicking below so they can continue their amazing work. Thank you!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crowdrise.com/BostonforTrevor/fundraiser/davelin"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruJ5hRs2b2vj7yfGB0hwLzqjaYpreiT6GrtzHkou9FVfUM0vLn1IM6FyGgnZvBFmnCVAkRWtHlQvdw_h6rFjRuEPfG6XeFXlSgtqJYHMJzR2zjb9nYKx1oqDb-6Kgi7LOaaJp2dq50I7h/s1600/Trevor.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-88092340655890338612011-01-28T10:36:00.000-05:002011-01-28T10:36:19.273-05:00Front Runner of the Year!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have some really, really big news to report. This past Saturday was the Annual Front Runners New York Awards Night -- the one big night of the year when we recognize all of the great running the club has done, all the the members' achievements, and everyone's huge successes. I'm so honored, and so, so happy to report that the club awarded me with Front Runner of the Year!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLx54DlOXzrpQYU7b7FSAKE6RiwWrPhwCSK-wGGYJ2jb-Q6oLTC9Orxy6Ndw43PwlFS3rKdO6-GwraTS68ibTyEDBsxJ52fDSLBUW-MYed8WU3FTMdyxb1ZFbWYQTdnZnS4K7wqbs9pkLk/s1600/acceptance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLx54DlOXzrpQYU7b7FSAKE6RiwWrPhwCSK-wGGYJ2jb-Q6oLTC9Orxy6Ndw43PwlFS3rKdO6-GwraTS68ibTyEDBsxJ52fDSLBUW-MYed8WU3FTMdyxb1ZFbWYQTdnZnS4K7wqbs9pkLk/s320/acceptance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I couldn't believe it...I really didn't expect it at all. But I am so proud to be able to represent FRNY in this really meaningful way. So THANK YOU, to all of the Front Runners out there, who have all contributed to making the club my home. It's through the club that I started running five years ago. And it is because of the club that I've not only grown to love the sport, but have come to find a real family. You're the people who I train and race with, but more importantly, you're one who I share the best times of my life with. You inspire me, you make me proud, you make me happy, and you make me who I am.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Congratulations to the other nominees for Front Runner of the Year: John, Rachel K, Bernie, and Darin. You guys are amazing, both terrific athletes and wonderful people. You're all part of the reason why I love this club so much. Thank you for being you.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>This award means especially much to me this year, as I'm beginning my tenure on the Front Runners Board as Men's Vice President. I'm excited about the opportunity to help lead the club to great things this year, and I'm really happy to be serving on the Board with the great people below. 2011 is going to be an awesome year. :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-XoM12e07Lal_ao9lK6owIC8C1f6CSg-xwxTxYWPDFmxNu7AGhNGoQHXkmApngz5lxtCq-2sqkdZjtQbXhm8d3IzWR_s8nO9pn58dOsTNt2xzA7hs5JIi8e8RdDCddKB_InF_psqm1gC/s1600/board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-XoM12e07Lal_ao9lK6owIC8C1f6CSg-xwxTxYWPDFmxNu7AGhNGoQHXkmApngz5lxtCq-2sqkdZjtQbXhm8d3IzWR_s8nO9pn58dOsTNt2xzA7hs5JIi8e8RdDCddKB_InF_psqm1gC/s320/board.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
The day after Awards Night, I joined seven other Front Runners at <a href="http://ridebrooklynny.com/">Ride Brooklyn</a> for my first group <a href="http://www.racermateinc.com/computrainer.asp">Computrainer</a> session. For those of you unfamiliar with Computrainers, it's basically like a course simulator. You hook up your own bike (in this case, I got to use my brand new Cervelo trike) to a trainer, which is hooked up to a computer system. The trainer applies more or less resistance on your back tire depending on where you are in a particular course. So it tightens automatically if you're going up a steep hills, and lets off the tension if you're going downhill. In a group Computrainer session, everyone watches the screen which shows the course's elevation profile, where they are on the course compared to the other bikers, and various metrics like the rider's MPH, % incline, watts expended and so forth.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYnw1LEM8AACnS6p0pKzWYlLlhbJZVc0KyeSYpfLTFB-oia81QQLhY4FHAO3efg1Ea4Pcu4pjVYCCcHS50IREkIWNXkBupCpen7rwmG33ElAQYH4_AJoA5joECpR6Kr4rWg8kSgzXF9Qr/s1600/computrainer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYnw1LEM8AACnS6p0pKzWYlLlhbJZVc0KyeSYpfLTFB-oia81QQLhY4FHAO3efg1Ea4Pcu4pjVYCCcHS50IREkIWNXkBupCpen7rwmG33ElAQYH4_AJoA5joECpR6Kr4rWg8kSgzXF9Qr/s320/computrainer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
With the utmost in love and admiration of Rachel, who organized and promoted the group Computrainer sessions, I absolutely hated the experience. I was miserable, miserable, miserable. And not only that, I felt utterly humiliated. And frustrated. It was just really bad.<br />
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I hated not being able to adjust the resistance on my own. Instead, every few miles there was a crazy 6% incline that lasted for miles and miles. And you're stuck with it. You just have to pedal until the damn thing is over. And the slower you pedal, the longer it takes. It's just miserable. And I don't know if my trainer was mis-calibrated or what, but it put SO MUCH resistance on my tire every time I went up a hill...I've ridden up plenty of hills before and none them were as hard as the ones the Computrainer had us do. (Incidentally, the course that we were riding was supposed to be the bike course from the <a href="http://www.cdatriathlon.com/">Coeur d'Alene Triathlon</a> in Idaho. That's one race that I'm NEVER going to do).<br />
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Worse yet was the fact that you just can't hide. The whole time, everyone is staring at a screen like the one below that tells them exactly where they are in relation to the other bikers. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXagYwRBSFdn5HuSwruQZcZE44qxGVNAYCUMvO4vmHS0rO7AwGaxJsjgggFciXek0k0vFtgnurMBmCtYXQ8YPrtnsFUysUg-OEIh3-YlMmCuaUGO3VC-jBzRBTI_LZhXsv5UyNlRsudM93/s1600/compu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXagYwRBSFdn5HuSwruQZcZE44qxGVNAYCUMvO4vmHS0rO7AwGaxJsjgggFciXek0k0vFtgnurMBmCtYXQ8YPrtnsFUysUg-OEIh3-YlMmCuaUGO3VC-jBzRBTI_LZhXsv5UyNlRsudM93/s320/compu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So basically, everyone saw that I was in last place. And not only that, but I just got further and further and further behind. I wasn't even close to the 7th place person. Now, I know it's not a competition, and we're all among friends, and no one really cares about how slow you are... but it's so depressing when everyone in the room kicks your ass on the bike. By the time Dan finished the 25 mile course, I was still on mile 16, and I had pretty much had enough. I went to the bathroom just so I could get a few minutes off that damn bike. It was just so, so, so brutal.<br />
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I paid for six sessions on the Computrainer. And at the end of the first session, I was all but certain that I was going to sell my other five sessions to someone else. But now, after having a few days to think about it, I've decided to stick it through all six sessions. I can't even explain how miserable and humiliating the experience was. But I have to admit, it was probably the best bike workout I've ever had. Never before have I pushed myself quite so hard. Even if it takes the fear of public humiliation to get me moving, it did get me through those 6% inclines. But probably the thing I enjoyed the most about the workout was being able to train with a group of people who are awesome, who push me to do my best, and who are among my best friends. It was great sitting next to Rachel, who helped me trudge up those unrelenting hills. And Peter, Mike and Kyle have all seen me at my worst before too, when we spent a <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/09/reach-beach-2010.html">loooong 200 miles together this past year at Reach the Beach</a>. I know I would never be able to do anything like this on my own. So I'm going to stick with it, and hopefully, in due course, I will learn to love it, or at least get a little better at it and not hate it so much.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
Here's a picture of the Lane 3 Boys at a recent Monday night swim workout. What a group of hotties. :-) Come swim with us at the Long Island City YMCA on Monday nights!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7qvzsN-PmWyDzD9taadrJjBXbDVSTNeWxRppY5kMVWOBASNUwRA6P8TgK615b0-HPx-_MSsuszeS6wbpW4iGxh4c4SzJ4OhbiuipeJhxR9N9v_by7IfDRrrGxuF_Q9eiiLoT8mS_8hS4/s1600/swimming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7qvzsN-PmWyDzD9taadrJjBXbDVSTNeWxRppY5kMVWOBASNUwRA6P8TgK615b0-HPx-_MSsuszeS6wbpW4iGxh4c4SzJ4OhbiuipeJhxR9N9v_by7IfDRrrGxuF_Q9eiiLoT8mS_8hS4/s320/swimming.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I briefly <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2011/01/bitter-melon-bitter-cold-bitter-year.html">mentioned before in my bitter melon post</a> that I'm part of a potluck group. We get together about once a month and each bring a dish based on one or two theme ingredients. Last month, it was gourds (hence, the bitter melon). This month, it was legumes. I decided to make one of my favorite dishes, dry-fried Chinese long beans. Dry-frying the long beans -- sauteing them in a pan with nothing but some oil -- preserves the slightly leathery texture of the beans that distinguishes them from traditional green beans. Some restaurants cheat by deep-frying them, but then you just end up with greasy beans. The recipe is below. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggD1-1SIJ_cBsFJa_QhrPfBMHGxSeMtgVow1rZfRqWxUmHCYfH2VFWCcib2we_5nJ9lgWok0gneyu1N9Jyz0LD1j5l4dTZVEh3DZvDa9aPyGavJXKF4WLFxsKPwtJ8v6t-qCg_Twz4c5ni/s1600/longbeans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggD1-1SIJ_cBsFJa_QhrPfBMHGxSeMtgVow1rZfRqWxUmHCYfH2VFWCcib2we_5nJ9lgWok0gneyu1N9Jyz0LD1j5l4dTZVEh3DZvDa9aPyGavJXKF4WLFxsKPwtJ8v6t-qCg_Twz4c5ni/s320/longbeans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><strong>Dry-Fried Chinese Long Beans</strong></span><br />
<div class="mts mts fbGroupDoc fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 14px; margin-top: 5px;"><div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_4d419a8c018012896331586" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Ingredients:</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">(All measurements are approximate and can be adjusted according to taste.)</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">2 pounds long beans, cut into 3" lengths (can be substituted with green beans, but it's not quite the same)</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1 tablespoon vegetable oil</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">2" piece of ginger, minced</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">6-8 cloves garlic, minced</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">2 scallions, minced</div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1 tablespoon chili-bean paste (made with fermented soy<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> beans and chili peppers, available in Asian markets and pronounced "la dou ban jian" in Chinese)</span></div><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1 tablespoon soy sauce</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1 tsp sesame oil</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1 tsp dried chili pepper flakes</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">ground white pepper</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">ground Sichuan peppercorns</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">salt</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">In a wok or other big pot, heat on high until smoking. Add vegetable oil and heat until really hot. Add long beans and stir-fry for 4-6 minutes, until skins start to pucker. Add half of the minced ginger/garlic/scallion and continue stir-frying for 2 more minutes. Turn heat to medium, and add remaining ginger/garlic scallion and all other ingredients except salt. If pan is dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water (or, better yet, rice wine). Cover and cook for 4-6 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. Adjust seasoning and add salt if desired.</span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-24184140305476567082011-01-11T16:18:00.000-05:002011-01-11T16:18:34.297-05:00One Hour Swim and Smothered Pork Chops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Sunday, I did the Team New York Aquatics One Hour Swim. The event is exactly what it sounds like...you have an hour to swim as much as you can. It's all in a pool, and you just keep going, back and forth and back and forth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had set myself a goal of doing 3000 yards for the hour. I had no idea if this was realistic or not, it just seemed like a nice round number. It meant sustaining 60-second 50s for the whole hour. I knew I was able to swim that fast for 200-yard intervals, but was really nervous about having to do it for an hour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before the swim started, we had about 5 minutes to warm up in our lane. Each of our lanes were divided into two. I shared my lane with a nice woman whose name I forgot. On my second warmup lap, I crashed into her. It wasn't just a bump--my right arm locked onto her right arm and we became stuck to each other. Then she yelled at me, in front of everyone at the pool. I was so humiliated. And I knew then and there that this swim was gonna be a sh-tshow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Twenty seconds before the swim started, I noticed that just about every other swimmer kept a bottle of water on the deck. I hadn't even thought to bring water. And I was already a little dehydrated from a night of karaoke and dancing Saturday night. This was going to be a disaster.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My first lap, I tried to keep up with the lady in my lane (46 seconds). That was way too fast. So I slowed down the second and third laps (51, 55). By the fourth lap I was tired. But after the first six or seven laps, I pretty much settled into a groove where I was between 58-61 seconds for the rest of the hour. One exception was at the halfway point, where I decided to do one lap of breast stroke to loosen up my arms (71 seconds, followed by two fast 56 second laps of freestyle).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Peter McGrane was standing on the deck, being a great cheerleader. Many, many, many times when I got to the wall, I heard "GO DAVE LIN!" which definitely encouraged me to keep going. As my mind was wandering through all those laps, I contemplated asking him to fetch me a cup of water, but didn't want to lose the time. But then I couldn't stop thinking about it, and the more I thought about it, the thirstier I became.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I stayed relatively on my side of the lane pretty much the whole time. Two times I bumped against the the lady, but they were both minor. I was trying to hug the lane divider the whole time, and I'm actually quite surprised that I didn't jam my fingers into it--something that I do with quite some frequency.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmno-rxFzMvk0M-7LpmU8GrXs9CEUCmWIb47qp6pD0YIlxIF_Yo5etZ_aSzJg8KEt3XRw6x30akZle-Rt5dmJYADZmIqg9fcKmyIudzjUL422mZhBW8LRhePuqsPfEYUD-XdsbDvITSij/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmno-rxFzMvk0M-7LpmU8GrXs9CEUCmWIb47qp6pD0YIlxIF_Yo5etZ_aSzJg8KEt3XRw6x30akZle-Rt5dmJYADZmIqg9fcKmyIudzjUL422mZhBW8LRhePuqsPfEYUD-XdsbDvITSij/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After about 45 minutes, I started getting a little bored. Like that feeling you get when you're running on a treadmill and just waiting for it to end. I found myself looking at the clock after every lap to see how much more time I had left. I felt fine physically, but it was just a long time to swim.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, I was in the last few minutes. I was really happy that I was able to make it the whole hour. And my very last lap was actually one of my fastest laps, 55 seconds. And then they called time... and I was so, so happy I was done. The longest I've ever swam continuously in my life. It was so great to be finished.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But my real happiness didn't come until a few minutes later, when I was able to track down my timing sheet. It turned out, I made my goal of 3000 yards!! In fact, I had JUST BARELY made it, with 3040--not even a single lap to spare. Wow! I was elated. It was such a great feeling to know that I had done exactly what I had set out to do, to have succeeded in reaching my goal. It also made me realize how far I've gone in swimming over the past year or so. Just a year and a half ago, I had my <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/07/swimming-to-dinner.html">disastrous Metroman swim</a>, where I was second to last out of 190 finishers. And now, I can go 3000 yards without a problem!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVpHsO1ViMb6KMgUKFtes4exy9JMRS_hUH-E6y3UbHMMr5zabIaA3R4Zck3HSJk4L8y_bGVV9awMb3FndC-eQksDr4Md3gsJuSrB0_DAW91DK2hKaLTr88cMk3qeF_Ep7OxBvpkxwtbVR/s1600/ohs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVpHsO1ViMb6KMgUKFtes4exy9JMRS_hUH-E6y3UbHMMr5zabIaA3R4Zck3HSJk4L8y_bGVV9awMb3FndC-eQksDr4Md3gsJuSrB0_DAW91DK2hKaLTr88cMk3qeF_Ep7OxBvpkxwtbVR/s320/ohs.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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As you loyal readers of the blog may have noticed, I've become quite a big fan of Southern/soul food (see <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/10/blue-line-run-and-chicken.html">here</a>, <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2009/11/heart-and-soul.html">here </a>and <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-will-be-spectator.html">here</a>). So when Jonathan came over for dinner the other night, I was happy to get to test out a new recipe on a real Southerner. He wanted pork, so I decided to make some tasty smothered pork chops. Yummmmm....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYhyVlBWqMoiy2DXcS3_q8_C7UowIhPOn16HhDkDeqYDfrx7PHN-9_WTZYqTfMeSCcy3Xk7NHoUEaO0Gat-6SiErcn-n9gbTRgCoRyDWgGmZ6UkgnxhIsdRI3i2Jd3qrGpOi1x5PHNkZ5/s1600/1+dredge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYhyVlBWqMoiy2DXcS3_q8_C7UowIhPOn16HhDkDeqYDfrx7PHN-9_WTZYqTfMeSCcy3Xk7NHoUEaO0Gat-6SiErcn-n9gbTRgCoRyDWgGmZ6UkgnxhIsdRI3i2Jd3qrGpOi1x5PHNkZ5/s320/1+dredge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I cook pork pretty frequently, but I just about always make it Asian. And it's usually mixed in with a bunch of vegetables, never just a big hunk of meat. When I do buy pork chops, it's usually the thin variety, which I think is a better vehicle for delicious Asiany marinades.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But this time I got 1" thick chops, better for dredging, frying, and covering in creamy gravy. Mmmm.... Since this was my first time making smothered pork chops, I decided to loosely follow <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/smothered-pork-chops-recipe/index.html">Tyler Florence's recipe</a>. Except Jonathan used the wrong pepper mill and put in ground Sichuan peppercorns instead of black pepper, haha. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZi4biQtSF6SaWkvmegWieDiuBNtgi6ZtHmDTkUjr3YxP0emFf2NpiLxYiQ0KFwAmz0krlGYco2_dabJcgeOk7vY17PhzROsJ-Vb7HGKB2c_6EzGY1NPyZZnbmHArMX0w0g8C09QyUSNq/s1600/2+frying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZi4biQtSF6SaWkvmegWieDiuBNtgi6ZtHmDTkUjr3YxP0emFf2NpiLxYiQ0KFwAmz0krlGYco2_dabJcgeOk7vY17PhzROsJ-Vb7HGKB2c_6EzGY1NPyZZnbmHArMX0w0g8C09QyUSNq/s320/2+frying.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXial9Sn-3XYE-iqyu5piVDsKuPqR4851iF2AnuE2FNUfFPoTdteMi0b29BeE6HGPGVpX1TSqW-jwH1tq-X-jIrnO2-0fhlaXRrFbzQtVaNHRnaoBuDgPNxSzVwExAVnQYiam6E6F2uNx/s1600/4+smothering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXial9Sn-3XYE-iqyu5piVDsKuPqR4851iF2AnuE2FNUfFPoTdteMi0b29BeE6HGPGVpX1TSqW-jwH1tq-X-jIrnO2-0fhlaXRrFbzQtVaNHRnaoBuDgPNxSzVwExAVnQYiam6E6F2uNx/s320/4+smothering.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They came out pretty good, I have to say, and only took about 12 minutes to make in my cast iron skillet. I even liked the slight tingliness of the Sicuan peppercorns. :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My go-to Southern side dishes are always collard greens and sweet potatoes, since they're easy and pretty healthy. But I think I need to branch out into other things. Still, they came out pretty tasty this time... I used smoked pork neck bones (very cheap at Fairway!) to flavor the collards.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hoE9FyAtH5SusPrFTQvaFIUEzz_EcPMtoZ1_UpKbI0uIduHCAP2bU6ChBbHYV8YmaFiwzLYkabjAF0BoUp_lcYH-pBKhNDTk0ML8oNlh9tvfj7F8dLPOr6pnwOVwJjDsHmHnzYdXoSnZ/s1600/collards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hoE9FyAtH5SusPrFTQvaFIUEzz_EcPMtoZ1_UpKbI0uIduHCAP2bU6ChBbHYV8YmaFiwzLYkabjAF0BoUp_lcYH-pBKhNDTk0ML8oNlh9tvfj7F8dLPOr6pnwOVwJjDsHmHnzYdXoSnZ/s320/collards.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizut70JlYss1C-NMRKLRrMlVLW4antJnOEskmsgiwWRHz9vJoV88-3ubfOpFojKVBq-qnkqO4x__OPq61hn9LnMCLuyf_HjzvugejZs2jSB3OawYOkEkp52FVY5qtvGdq-3ZGY0vgE-Lfo/s1600/yams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizut70JlYss1C-NMRKLRrMlVLW4antJnOEskmsgiwWRHz9vJoV88-3ubfOpFojKVBq-qnkqO4x__OPq61hn9LnMCLuyf_HjzvugejZs2jSB3OawYOkEkp52FVY5qtvGdq-3ZGY0vgE-Lfo/s320/yams.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jonathan said all three dishes tasted just like back home (except his grandmother would have put an extra stick of butter in everything). I took that as a great compliment. Not bad for an Asian guy in New York City.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8MKmWKf3E23kedFaOUQxohEC55av4EENHHNvt-VAdHdV3T9Nkkcw9ZKSc_FLXvLKNdyWyUCMGvLittsQh2PA-x5XkCJq6xb5h63zLwjb3QxYQ1HneeY6cl8AdDjYvZvJ5MVVDyfxUaCX/s1600/dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8MKmWKf3E23kedFaOUQxohEC55av4EENHHNvt-VAdHdV3T9Nkkcw9ZKSc_FLXvLKNdyWyUCMGvLittsQh2PA-x5XkCJq6xb5h63zLwjb3QxYQ1HneeY6cl8AdDjYvZvJ5MVVDyfxUaCX/s320/dinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-39582521517401952432011-01-06T16:40:00.000-05:002011-01-06T16:40:12.998-05:00Bitter Melon, Bitter Cold, Bitter Year.<div style="text-align: left;">Good-bye, 2010, and good riddance. 2010 was a pretty disappointing year for me running-wise, and I am glad that it's over. My total mileage for the year was a dismal 987, which was 25% less than <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2009/12/last-run-of-year.html">last year</a>. Thanks to a butt injury that never fully went away and some other unfortunate occurrences, I lost a great deal of my fitness level, gained a ton of weight, missed out on the New York City Marathon, and felt that I lost a part of my identity.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I try to look on the positive side, though, and 2010 did have some good moments. I managed to <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-did-it.html">run a decent Boston Marathon</a> (though 12 minutes off my PR) despite only about 25 miles per week of training. I didn't let my team down (and had a lot of fun) at <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/09/reach-beach-2010.html">Reach the Beach</a> and the <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/07/lockport-100-mile-relay.html">Lockport 100-Mile Relay</a>. And, thanks to both the FRNY Multisport group and the Tritons, I've grown to enjoy, and have become somewhat decent at, swimming. My biking, though, still leaves something to be desired; I guess I'll work on that in 2011.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's my running log for 2010. I also kept track of the number of times I went swimming (62), biking/spinning (26...that needs to go up) or did yoga (22). I'm kind of embarrassed to post it since I feel like the numbers are so low and there's so much blank space on it, but hopefully this will inspire me to train better in 2011 and have a really great year.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYr5f86b22MSvv8UtXLgF6PkIANflzENPmIqfPnbIJQRO12ZgZGBKstIndezjnIcDt0ubNmPeMhqHIXqiNtjCK98ROWYkLQ_4Kt1YyPT4FThgoyFl8yAntTaBBKwMqonYPkea2g9FLwul/s1600/log.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYr5f86b22MSvv8UtXLgF6PkIANflzENPmIqfPnbIJQRO12ZgZGBKstIndezjnIcDt0ubNmPeMhqHIXqiNtjCK98ROWYkLQ_4Kt1YyPT4FThgoyFl8yAntTaBBKwMqonYPkea2g9FLwul/s320/log.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
My last race for 2010 was the half-marathon course for <a href="http://www.thechristmasmarathon.com/">The Christmas Marathon</a>, part of a series of free (that's right, FREE) races called <a href="http://theholidaymarathons.com/">The Holiday Marathons</a> organized by a bunch of "passionate marathon-crazed local runners." The race took place on the trails of Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, and consisted of 1, 2 or 4 loops of a 6.55-mile course, depending on whether you were doing a 10K, Half, or Full Marathon. And especially considering it was free, the race had a lot of fun goodies: candy canes for all finishers (varying in size from normal to humongous depending on how far you ran), Santa hats for everyone, bib numbers for everyone (well... they all said 1225, haha), photographers, bananas, apples and bottles of water. I was very impressed.<br />
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This was a particularly special race for me because my parents were in town for Christmas, and I got to participate in the race with them. My parents walked the 10k while I ran the Half; it was our first time ever doing a race together. I think they had a lot of fun, and it was great to be able to take part in the race together, to give them an idea of what plays such an important role in my life. It was definitely a nice way to celebrate Christmas.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbu-lqSU4_4fPoUHEZXrPvRqQJaSwvzm-qnApoe7J-ifmW66h3YzjM8NVmhIU_I90ex7IEWiCSI0GhT8aGWfGyJ0L2GEkvIV_hQ-YgsTVPDGKDA5wR3eQmb2wblin_bOecMxgLYug7ciPW/s1600/xmas+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbu-lqSU4_4fPoUHEZXrPvRqQJaSwvzm-qnApoe7J-ifmW66h3YzjM8NVmhIU_I90ex7IEWiCSI0GhT8aGWfGyJ0L2GEkvIV_hQ-YgsTVPDGKDA5wR3eQmb2wblin_bOecMxgLYug7ciPW/s320/xmas+run.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The race itself was tough but fun, and my performance OK. Although I haven't run this course before, I've run in Van Cortlandt Park several times, on the 5K course or in the <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-dont-think-it-worked.html">VCTC 2 x 2 Relay</a>. So I knew it was going to be hilly. And hilly it was. Right at the start was a steep downhill really rocky trail, where I pretty much had to walk down or risk spraining my ankle. And about a half mile later was what has apparently been dubbed "Holiday Hill"--a steep but short climb that almost stops you in your tracks. Of course, they stationed a photographer there to capture everyone struggling up it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7-1ne8cO638tnXdovVpoPP8G2zOlj87G_O_wEo-pADLaCCy8gPW7yvJM_DVNSzDg5Z-0cNU3MVm8tIV20TDNQ1NJImoV4VmnH7gz4GW3nYx84CHS3tmsYoEUoW73-h3YxwYKELsiR34r/s1600/xmas+holiday+hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7-1ne8cO638tnXdovVpoPP8G2zOlj87G_O_wEo-pADLaCCy8gPW7yvJM_DVNSzDg5Z-0cNU3MVm8tIV20TDNQ1NJImoV4VmnH7gz4GW3nYx84CHS3tmsYoEUoW73-h3YxwYKELsiR34r/s320/xmas+holiday+hill.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
There were only about 100 runners total in all three events, so after a couple of miles, I was just running by myself. It felt nice, actually, to run in the woods alone. I never get to do any trail running, so this was a welcome change of scenery for me, and I felt really at peace.<br />
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My first loop was about 55 minutes. When I saw that, I couldn't believe it! I knew I wasn't running particularly fast, but it definitely felt a lot harder than 8:23 miles. I tried to speed up a little bit for the second half, but there were just so many hills and obstacles that I was never able to maintain it. I lapped my parents at around mile 11.5 (their mile 5), and they looked like they were enjoying themselves.<br />
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At around 12.5, just as I was turning onto the final finish flat area, some guy passed me. At first I was like, "whatever," and let him go ahead. But then my competitive side took over, and I decided I wasn't going to let him win. So I busted it out and tried to outkick him. But he had the same idea. It was a final sprint to the finish, and I even heard people standing by the finish line commenting on how we were neck-and-neck. With about 20 yards to go, I kicked it up as hard as I could, didn't look back, and ran right to that finish line. And I won! Yayyy!!! Of course, it was an untimed race, and no one will ever see the results, but it always feels good to outkick someone at the end of a race. :-)<br />
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Despite the strong finish, my second loop was quite a bit slower than the first one, and I ended up finishing in 1:54:57. Not really anything to brag about, but I was satisfied.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIvru3USsnNNX6Mu5Bg4jCZNpXCiLNbEwHSLjBIO5ihejX621H_igZHWPOgloOjg15HhugWwLlOUE_iBwszRSGY62kCF85XNmf7xwzChxojneeHum2oiZaxO1nL5hBE-XLazDtUj-apr5/s1600/xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIvru3USsnNNX6Mu5Bg4jCZNpXCiLNbEwHSLjBIO5ihejX621H_igZHWPOgloOjg15HhugWwLlOUE_iBwszRSGY62kCF85XNmf7xwzChxojneeHum2oiZaxO1nL5hBE-XLazDtUj-apr5/s320/xmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Lin Family Racing Team</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBikmsSa8PP5avlwhWRfVBhBsT04TMsECpNg_a39nFR-BZh6koBQic0RH-kM4FCQ5YckjVEzlTilKEzMh2xPzPYvqc8D8hCysIyjr3Dqa5Bisn1s_6VmfXaZicNZGXnK0hsJbPuUblWXz-/s1600/xmas+frny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBikmsSa8PP5avlwhWRfVBhBsT04TMsECpNg_a39nFR-BZh6koBQic0RH-kM4FCQ5YckjVEzlTilKEzMh2xPzPYvqc8D8hCysIyjr3Dqa5Bisn1s_6VmfXaZicNZGXnK0hsJbPuUblWXz-/s320/xmas+frny.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Daniel ran the full marathon (he's nuts!) and Manja did the 10K</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of my goals for 2011 is to be a better biker. To that end, I recently got a new baby--a brand new, gently used <a href="http://www.cervelo.com/reviews/one-pager%20Dual.pdf">2005 Cervelo Dual</a>, my very first Tri Bike. Cervelo doesn't make this bike anymore, apparently deciding to replace it with the <a href="http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2011/P1/">Cervelo P1</a>, which, as far as I can tell is pretty much the same thing. The only difference I can see is that I saved about a thousand bucks by not buying something shiny and brand new. Back when they did make the Dual, it was consistently rated the <a href="http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/06CerveloDual.shtml">best Tri Bike for under $2000</a>. So I think I got a good deal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I haven't taken it for a ride yet...but I can't wait!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA40CETft8L1ohdYDv8uAwd5svdc-ySW6kPBYryZHUUKTiOsAGLVmr7Om-SSx3qoTAl-3HOjwyn22lOa-xD3iwXhNCR5apdPCAJLiad8WvrGr4ohE2tVCdQsuVpciLRfN-j7eOiNhA6now/s1600/bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA40CETft8L1ohdYDv8uAwd5svdc-ySW6kPBYryZHUUKTiOsAGLVmr7Om-SSx3qoTAl-3HOjwyn22lOa-xD3iwXhNCR5apdPCAJLiad8WvrGr4ohE2tVCdQsuVpciLRfN-j7eOiNhA6now/s320/bike.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The seat post looks a little weird because I couldn't figure out how to stick it in when I took the picture. I later learned to unscrew the little screw.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
Some of the runners and I recently got together for a potluck. I always love a potluck! But this one had a theme ingredient (or two) that we had to include in our dishes. We either had to use a gourd or cranberries. And it had to be vegetarian.<br />
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I decided to forgo this tasty looking <a href="http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/11/leftover-cranberry-soy-sauce-tofu.html">Cranberry Soy Sauce Tofu</a> recipe that I found online and go with a traditional Chinese dish, hoping to broaden people's taste experiences. My gourd of choice was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_melon">bitter melon</a>--and I was on a mission to make it palatable.<br />
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For those of you who aren't familiar with it, bitter melon is extremely, extremely, extremely bitter. Nothing else can compare to it...it's like dandelion greens, arugula and broccoli rabe combined times a thousand. It's also known for its various health benefits. In particular, many scientific studies have shown bitter melon to have <a href="http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69138.cfm">anticancer, antiviral and lipid lowering effects</a>. But I like it just for its bitterness.<br />
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Nonetheless, I didn't think everyone at the potluck wanted to know how bitter bitter melon could be, so I had a few tricks up my sleeve. I decided to make a stir-fry of bitter melon and scrambled eggs with black bean sauce. I thought the sweetness of the eggs and the funkiness off the black bean sauce (they're actually soy beans, not black beans, which turn black in a fermentation process) would offset the bitterness.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotsu9PnVT5t8FagSBQ_3zkKJYIul8Ay3uQJmuO0tDaF0pippaIqPMDD7GQNNF0SNx19S01Z8cTcGlnrBO_BEUDVFt1S-Sy9d0GnkndgYztvJWvvOA3N0Dz0gqfGCQL09uYhffYhr32GJt/s1600/b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotsu9PnVT5t8FagSBQ_3zkKJYIul8Ay3uQJmuO0tDaF0pippaIqPMDD7GQNNF0SNx19S01Z8cTcGlnrBO_BEUDVFt1S-Sy9d0GnkndgYztvJWvvOA3N0Dz0gqfGCQL09uYhffYhr32GJt/s320/b1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
In preparing the bitter melon, the white pith inside is the most bitter part, so I was careful to scrape out every last bit. Then I blanched the slices of melon in boiling water to remove some of the bitterness. And in the stir-fry itself, I added some sugar and lots of spices to temper the flavor of the melon.<br />
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Despite my efforts, when I got to the dinner, I was totally nervous. In fact, I was sweating bullets throughout the appetizers because they were so tasty and I thought everyone was going to get turned off by my bitter melon mess. OMG, I should have just stuck with the cranberry-soy tofu!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98c1EjX5XdYXJOgE4xPmG-ClnkE2qGQp6-s1CgdcNSHGxgDu9uCCUkHWvOH79YJkLfK4XEcbq858NzIRBEeP_dfXWdou9FWskdQXR5S519todYd2oiUoeOidYj5LChJywnckpHzFfM0Pd/s1600/b2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98c1EjX5XdYXJOgE4xPmG-ClnkE2qGQp6-s1CgdcNSHGxgDu9uCCUkHWvOH79YJkLfK4XEcbq858NzIRBEeP_dfXWdou9FWskdQXR5S519todYd2oiUoeOidYj5LChJywnckpHzFfM0Pd/s320/b2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
But to my surprise, people actually enjoyed it! I think I had done a good job of balancing the bitterness so you could tell it was obviously bitter melon, but it wasn't quite as aggressively bitter. It went really well with the eggs and black beans. Here's the recipe in case you'd like to try it out. Enjoy!<br />
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Bitter Melon with Eggs</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">2 quarts water</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">3 medium sized bitter melons (about 1.5 - 2 pounds)</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">6 eggs, beaten</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">3 cloves garlic, chopped</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1 T. vegetable oil</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1 T. soy sauce</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1 T. sugar</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1 T. fermented black beans or prepared black bean sauce</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1 tsp. sesame oil</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">salt, ground Sichuan pepper, ground white pepper to taste</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">1. Bring water to boil</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">2. Cut off ends of bitter melon. Cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and pith. Cut into slices on the bias about 1/4" thick. (Note: do not peel the bitter melon)</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">3. Blanch bitter melon slices in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">4. In a skillet or wok, heat vegetable oil and garlic. Add bitter melon, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and beans/bean sauce. Stir fry until bitter melon is tender. Add eggs, stirring slowly until egg is cooked. Season with salt and ground pepper. Remove from heat and serve.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7zSORCQC3NWbW_DgcNvaQoDQ3aJ3yYSHzaA5Un_DNktrBk3Me0LLY_Mc-KCX4-s7xFJ4APjSIc6W85tKXFLBgLovDjJU9h_0oSjZoiIJh3AjIJgarfN9bvvithJLsts-5GZHSXk84vAS/s1600/Bitter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7zSORCQC3NWbW_DgcNvaQoDQ3aJ3yYSHzaA5Un_DNktrBk3Me0LLY_Mc-KCX4-s7xFJ4APjSIc6W85tKXFLBgLovDjJU9h_0oSjZoiIJh3AjIJgarfN9bvvithJLsts-5GZHSXk84vAS/s320/Bitter2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-4513842607815088882010-12-09T17:02:00.000-05:002010-12-09T17:02:28.604-05:00November... Indian-Chinese, Cheering, Biking and Beef PartsSorry for a long post! This has been a busy month with running and eating!<br />
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Right before Thanksgiving, the FRNY <a href="http://frny.org/training/multisport.php">Multisport Mondays</a> group got dinner after our swim workout. Aneesh suggested we go to <a href="http://www.tangrafusionnyc.com/">Tangra Asian Fusion</a> in Sunnyside, Queens. I'm generally not a huge fan of Asian fusion, since I think it usually take the most overdone aspects of Americanized Asian cuisines and combines it to make dishes that are completely boring and lacking of an personality. But Tangra was different. First of all, it was an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Chinese_cuisine">Indian-Chinese</a> place, which I've never been to before. The restaurant boasted of taking Chinese dishes and cooking techniques, and preparing them in the style (and with the spices) of Indian food.<br />
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But what made me really appreciate the food at Tangra was that it wasn't the sort of "Asian Fusion" that's invented by a chef or restaurateur because it's the trendy cuisine of the time, like all those places in Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen that make a <a href="http://gaytravel.about.com/od/gaydestinationgalleries/ig/Photos-of-Gay-Chelsea--NYC-/Nooch.htm">better lycheetini than a tom yum soup</a>. No, at Tangra, you got the sense that the cuisine was made out of necessity, by generations of ethnic Chinese expats who found themselves in the ghettos of Calcutta or Delhi, forced to recreate their favorite dishes with unfamiliar ingredients. There were spices like cardamom, coriander and turmeric, rarely used in Chinese food, that worked very well in our dishes. Overall, it was a very tasty dinner. I'm hoping the Multisport Monday group makes these dinner outings a regular thing (are you reading this, Rachel?).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEXZW_DSgoI8CDGsG2c8G3B_nPQk9yQtCStTuZEgBlnLDfukLD5E0EU8CDWfBElA_8J6QMSlq64UxJh1i4dzeAUrdyOu34PRA1HkTMKxoDCYnq5keZxfJCgHGPWVxdRh35xFM4Y7_NpdO/s1600/indian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEXZW_DSgoI8CDGsG2c8G3B_nPQk9yQtCStTuZEgBlnLDfukLD5E0EU8CDWfBElA_8J6QMSlq64UxJh1i4dzeAUrdyOu34PRA1HkTMKxoDCYnq5keZxfJCgHGPWVxdRh35xFM4Y7_NpdO/s320/indian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGArykHfaH003HtEYdj-Gw8oKpMYCBO1AnYwDVFrT395xc764baFAy33sjLxiPx7EhF8ugiOWBcCBPpucb-PkcxIdn5l5tp_TggI2RNT1ENDlQRHZzvnPoyWvSKJf0skSwW30JSWKz_nx/s1600/derek+indian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGArykHfaH003HtEYdj-Gw8oKpMYCBO1AnYwDVFrT395xc764baFAy33sjLxiPx7EhF8ugiOWBcCBPpucb-PkcxIdn5l5tp_TggI2RNT1ENDlQRHZzvnPoyWvSKJf0skSwW30JSWKz_nx/s320/derek+indian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Derek playing with his food.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtxx_4XH1aI6yRmFI-myJjnaZp2Ww13Fk78TUyEyuwA00WGeNq58khyphenhyphen9mIl7avD3E1pQ9jWsnFTh4O32_C6o5gGZm7jIb6edOiK7UIQJOXdHIlOldxat5MuCzqyo7PACwqaBCce7Q5Zok/s1600/phillip+indian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtxx_4XH1aI6yRmFI-myJjnaZp2Ww13Fk78TUyEyuwA00WGeNq58khyphenhyphen9mIl7avD3E1pQ9jWsnFTh4O32_C6o5gGZm7jIb6edOiK7UIQJOXdHIlOldxat5MuCzqyo7PACwqaBCce7Q5Zok/s320/phillip+indian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">They brought out a big flaming ice cream platter for Philip's birthday! (It wasn't really his birthday, though)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
I spent a busy weekend in November cheering on Front Runners in various races.<br />
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The Saturday before Thanksgiving was the NYRR Knickerbocker 60k. Yes, that's right, 60k. Or 37.2 miles. Or nine times around the middle four-mile loop of Central Park. Seven Front Runners were crazy enough to run that race. This was Anthony's first Ultra, and I decided to help pace him during one of his loops. I got him on his 8th loop, so by that time, he had already run about 28 miles. He was in amazing spirits when I ran with him, and was even doing quite a bit of talking as I ran with him.<br />
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Anthony finished in 6:08:09, which is a 9:53 pace. Personally, I think it's a little nuts to want to run for six hours straight. But it's just amazing to me to see how much Anthony has really progressed as a runner over the past two years since he joined FRNY, and how he was able to set a goal of doing an Ultra and finishing it. Congratulations, Anthony!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg_HxNHGhPykeI_f0obX8KoWQz2PCIhejYD2UvFrAnVmRhF7Q6x35neDGjsxqH5UEDlDrko7ucfdM95CwvrylPk6lSXxd_cNCLBDO1MjKj4ZwwrEbU80mwGNTTVTi1gPUWo_vojgM-jtG/s1600/anthony+knickerbocker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg_HxNHGhPykeI_f0obX8KoWQz2PCIhejYD2UvFrAnVmRhF7Q6x35neDGjsxqH5UEDlDrko7ucfdM95CwvrylPk6lSXxd_cNCLBDO1MjKj4ZwwrEbU80mwGNTTVTi1gPUWo_vojgM-jtG/s320/anthony+knickerbocker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's a picture right after Anthony's 8th loop, as I handed him off to Kelsey to finish off the race.</div><br />
Later that day, Kelsey, Jonathan (who had just done the 60k!) and I took a Chinatown bus to Philly, to cheer for the Front Runners running the Philadelphia Marathon (and to hit some gaybars). Ten Front Runners went down to run the race, a few more did the half, and even more joined as part of Cheer Force One!<br />
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Ray K had an awesome sign. People were cracking up as they ran by:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jB07Nl8JvxE46K8qW9CW31VLf2JR5CS8Cu6fIXAxFoyZV0uvOkm3yrtShmj5Rt8SBMScnnn9jj0khX8D6soxRZkxhB3m1T2i2ld4TLZ6cyJsL03WEnlOOz3qQm94kOaHQI0yJpdKDMZv/s1600/philly+rayk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jB07Nl8JvxE46K8qW9CW31VLf2JR5CS8Cu6fIXAxFoyZV0uvOkm3yrtShmj5Rt8SBMScnnn9jj0khX8D6soxRZkxhB3m1T2i2ld4TLZ6cyJsL03WEnlOOz3qQm94kOaHQI0yJpdKDMZv/s320/philly+rayk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We had an ambitious plan to see the runners at four different spots along the course, miles 1.5, 5, 16 and 23. We actually were able to hit all four spots in time to see the runners go by (Although my original plan of jogging the four miles from mile 5 to mile 16 was replaced with taking a taxi. It was much warmer and faster.)<br />
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One of the highlights of the marathon was seeing Ryan run a fabulous race. After being sidelined with a heel spur for much of 2010, Ryan came back, stronger than ever, to run a 3:15:48, qualifying for Boston with 11 seconds to spare. Way to go, Ryan!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy8MYjWwMOT6NRqQSgRLSOeNW2hJchpeppP3EwWvIIbOUL_Hs3hArtXp0RNIwI5gdphcfK1aTI8FWh-CnavnTvFWBQtCgZGSKkuHysd-IwR0zbrDT77toBOWuN0uUp3gDNOCYiAwxmos-/s1600/philly+ryan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy8MYjWwMOT6NRqQSgRLSOeNW2hJchpeppP3EwWvIIbOUL_Hs3hArtXp0RNIwI5gdphcfK1aTI8FWh-CnavnTvFWBQtCgZGSKkuHysd-IwR0zbrDT77toBOWuN0uUp3gDNOCYiAwxmos-/s320/philly+ryan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Bernie ran a great race too. Here's team Cheer Force One celebrating her PR and BQ time of 4:00:38. Awesome!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyGyIOXxEvJoQw9ExYRFF8P8jR1B9R3-vE_Yc8WU0GD1rRkfZWY3kXBWUPf1DH55o8MkT6M-wGJU99KAj6WdpC8zPPQUQydh6arRvtaVP70Vk00umWu0QVM550UBWBSrdRmjDhI3PlhDv/s1600/philly+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyGyIOXxEvJoQw9ExYRFF8P8jR1B9R3-vE_Yc8WU0GD1rRkfZWY3kXBWUPf1DH55o8MkT6M-wGJU99KAj6WdpC8zPPQUQydh6arRvtaVP70Vk00umWu0QVM550UBWBSrdRmjDhI3PlhDv/s320/philly+group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Afterwards, Cheer Force One celebrated in true Front Runners fashion by having a boozy brunch. We went to <a href="http://www.mixtorestaurante.com/">Mixto</a>, a Cuban place in the heart of Philly's Gayborhood. I couldn't resist the "Bacon Bloody Mary," which was made with bacon-infused vodka and garnished with a slice of crispy bacon. It was really good. And potent. :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge94GA5T3eeWptweGoQRrPKhHCUN_7pk9pzZzuXllgQ3xlLERF64FDg05QYMKdrTC4XKZgiIuNTW3_ZNnXCmGRc7nWCwbp2hHkdeK7BlL12d7oso9l57_Ot4eWQB7edJTdty61mqg1DDMF/s1600/philly+bloody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge94GA5T3eeWptweGoQRrPKhHCUN_7pk9pzZzuXllgQ3xlLERF64FDg05QYMKdrTC4XKZgiIuNTW3_ZNnXCmGRc7nWCwbp2hHkdeK7BlL12d7oso9l57_Ot4eWQB7edJTdty61mqg1DDMF/s320/philly+bloody.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
For Thanksgiving, I went to see my parents who live in San Jose, California. While there, my older brother and I embarked on what is now <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-am-thankful-for-not-rolling-off.html">a family Thanksgiving tradition</a>--we made the trek up Mount Hamilton, which is the highest mountain overlooking Silicon Valley. The 19-mile road to the top rises over 4,000 feet. I honestly can't describe how brutal this ride was. I pretty much had enough after the first couple of miles. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8Z3gwle8HLKAnPTchfoyFsghdNiW9xMCo22XwcnSQ1Ok59wR5gmYARaSql3Yw7StRUvVujkE9Y3eCyRsgRcI0MXWd0TttUHeFJFx-V50uZJwdEtaqWLgRifoSlBqxZcQ3d1uHoAyfvmb/s1600/biking+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8Z3gwle8HLKAnPTchfoyFsghdNiW9xMCo22XwcnSQ1Ok59wR5gmYARaSql3Yw7StRUvVujkE9Y3eCyRsgRcI0MXWd0TttUHeFJFx-V50uZJwdEtaqWLgRifoSlBqxZcQ3d1uHoAyfvmb/s320/biking+1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here we are about halfway up. You can see the <a href="http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/">Lick Observatory</a>, at the summit, waaaayyyy behind me.</div><br />
I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say it took us about two and a half hours to reach the top. So, like, 8 miles per hour average. I can run faster than that! The good thing is, I think we beat last year's time by almost an hour! So maybe I'm getting better on the bike after all.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgMrlcrgnwRoidpfBC-sjbkEHr7CkkJfC20Bela26ym2QlGnQMlGj4P5VcPUt8zVXoVH-BcjCyzxI0_XWPPPllGCFFY7M9BjbwNxPz6g9cdpp9OOTUblm76t7DEGsECudMXqxAt7rqpJl/s1600/biking+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgMrlcrgnwRoidpfBC-sjbkEHr7CkkJfC20Bela26ym2QlGnQMlGj4P5VcPUt8zVXoVH-BcjCyzxI0_XWPPPllGCFFY7M9BjbwNxPz6g9cdpp9OOTUblm76t7DEGsECudMXqxAt7rqpJl/s320/biking+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When we reached the top, there was snow on the ground and it was freezing! But we got a good picture and were very happy to rest our legs a bit.<br />
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Going down the mountain was not as simple as just letting gravity bring us down. There are two dips along the route, for about a mile or so each, where you have to go back uphill. When I reached the first dip, my quads just completely gave out. I had nothing left to give. I had to get off the bike, and my quads were throbbing. That's never happened to me before...they pretty much completely seized up. I stood there for a few minutes, massaging them and trying to warm them up. (I think it was a combination of the intense hill climbing, followed by the freezing cold descent that caused it.) For the rest of the descent, I was in agony. Even when I was just going down, I could barely muster up the strength to spin the pedals. I had to stop another time to massage my quads. It was pretty rough.<br />
<br />
In the end, we finally made it up and down the mountain. I was so glad it was over. And I was ready to tackle some turkey.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2009/10/peking-carbs.html">mentioned before</a> that my parents have a persimmon tree in their backyard. When I came back to NYC from California, my carry-on bag weighed about fifty pounds, since my mom insisted I fill it up with persimmons. If anyone wants some, I have about a million still left in my fridge.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjgG5V6lDUnmfna8scPcSh2ouNxejbiI4-E4e7dAOdNWpALsekyfRlEPSf1GKdqREAnHDdOS23OuajDO6y0KpPMFwWcuyTX3ysUDVTA8uKMjM_uBRUgz9PRxCgJnVtCJ9iWZQAwByv8XV/s1600/persimmons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjgG5V6lDUnmfna8scPcSh2ouNxejbiI4-E4e7dAOdNWpALsekyfRlEPSf1GKdqREAnHDdOS23OuajDO6y0KpPMFwWcuyTX3ysUDVTA8uKMjM_uBRUgz9PRxCgJnVtCJ9iWZQAwByv8XV/s320/persimmons.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
This past Sunday was the Joe Kleinerman 10k, a club points race. The night before, I carbo-loaded / went drinking at <a href="http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/ralphs/">Ralph's Italian Restaurant</a> in Hell's Kitchen. Ralph's is a kind of nondescript neighborhood Italian place, not one of my favorites, but Dane love it since he lives around the corner. One thing I don't like is that their menu doesn't include my <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2009/11/marathon-weekend.html">favorite pasta dish</a>--linguine with frutti di mare. But on this day they had a special: a linguine with frutti di mare that included a half a lobster AND came with fra diavolo sauce. OMG so perfect! It totally made my night. :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdsoo9ji52TYssK95_7-0-c5chj9tP4R1Rn1ugXlWEtjwKu4JR3sUxYoIY_1J0I0BmXK8r6tAeGFjSz9i32KN_MNyOHX8foZQfzpzvUHbBcJD1_YfE-EqfKOvEwDWZXgPHqOruv_6zc_O/s1600/lobster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdsoo9ji52TYssK95_7-0-c5chj9tP4R1Rn1ugXlWEtjwKu4JR3sUxYoIY_1J0I0BmXK8r6tAeGFjSz9i32KN_MNyOHX8foZQfzpzvUHbBcJD1_YfE-EqfKOvEwDWZXgPHqOruv_6zc_O/s320/lobster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The next morning, I could feel the glasses of wine that I had the night before. I could tell when I woke up that it wasn't going to be a good race.<br />
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And in fact, it wasn't. I probably ran faster on Saturday's fun run. Oh well, whatever. Maybe next year will mark my return to racing competitively.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITjkS5WaeljG3pyN0fsLl5PR_RU35j-jNkCFF1BwXbMq25ya7p5Y7wm8T48N1mPOzMQive7zcPS0lWV3z7Rwuk7Wj574jNgLPhyphenhyphenM4iry7WfT9sTF3rOHTcl5nvMed4bsoVKoM2vEWi8Tu/s1600/kleinerman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITjkS5WaeljG3pyN0fsLl5PR_RU35j-jNkCFF1BwXbMq25ya7p5Y7wm8T48N1mPOzMQive7zcPS0lWV3z7Rwuk7Wj574jNgLPhyphenhyphenM4iry7WfT9sTF3rOHTcl5nvMed4bsoVKoM2vEWi8Tu/s320/kleinerman.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Waaayyy underdressed for the 30 degree race!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm kind of surprised that I've never posted a blog entry about my tasty homemade Chinese beef noodle soup. It's one of my favorite things to cook, and it's my absolute favorite comfort food. So I was excited that Mike Terry came over Sunday evening, which was one of the coldest days so far this year, because it meant I could make a nice big pot of "niu rou mian." (牛肉麵).</span><br />
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The meal started off with a trip to the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ghAF3f4a68kbAtptLsvxyg?select=TIbit7pOn-0W_Z7E1YU5rQ">Deluxe Food Market</a>, my favorite Chinatown butcher, where I got all the tasty cuts of beef that I lik<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">e. First is beef brisket. They call it "beef frank" at Deluxe food, which I don't really understand. In Chinese food, the whole point of the brisket is not the meat itself, but the layer of gristle / silverskin that's attached to the underside of it. You have to cook it for a long time in order to get it tender enough to be edible, but it has a fun, chewy texture to it.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVbJg3Um1KnoojZzPImks2hyphenhyphenRqjdFFzwAmmm4shCVKQ95SBQ32DpD7AjBnwWCE5FIbVzW73eNAGmm2oW3gpm-vnqzz1hFDbPGBSSMwMTY1KIo_lA4vtWQBCUH-orwx9RGpaF8ZB-nEPbL/s1600/beef+frank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVbJg3Um1KnoojZzPImks2hyphenhyphenRqjdFFzwAmmm4shCVKQ95SBQ32DpD7AjBnwWCE5FIbVzW73eNAGmm2oW3gpm-vnqzz1hFDbPGBSSMwMTY1KIo_lA4vtWQBCUH-orwx9RGpaF8ZB-nEPbL/s320/beef+frank.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Beef shank / shin meat is also a very gristley cut of beef. But here, the gristle is marbled throughout, like the fat in a filet mignon, so that each bite is combination of tender and chewy. Yummmm. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/09/offal-of-the-week-beef-tendon/">Beef tendon</a> is one of my favorites. It's tough and rubbery if undercooked, but if you let it simmer for a few hours, it practically dissolves in your mouth, leaving a wonderful, gelatinous, meaty taste in your mouth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RAzRCC0D0Yu8ZA_RTPMbfHE1cBGSRNW-qTg2Xtu77jTFdDgJkFzll6m6JMPDY0K-i2mnf7Vf5fpF73iEQ10GqmYkC2MWdsAxIKtUnK9IRT0Lw0b3ncNSZDpoQxrztKClvyOkvBJT2tpV/s1600/beef+shank+and+tendon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RAzRCC0D0Yu8ZA_RTPMbfHE1cBGSRNW-qTg2Xtu77jTFdDgJkFzll6m6JMPDY0K-i2mnf7Vf5fpF73iEQ10GqmYkC2MWdsAxIKtUnK9IRT0Lw0b3ncNSZDpoQxrztKClvyOkvBJT2tpV/s320/beef+shank+and+tendon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last was the tripe. Cows have four stomachs, but the second and third one are the ones I think people usually eat. The second one, called the "reticulum," is where honeycomb tripe comes from. The third one, which I prefer, is called the "omasum" but is known euphemistically in Chinese as "100 leaves," since the many layers make it look like the pages of a book. The thing with tripe is that before you cook it, you should boil it for a long time, a couple of times in order to get the stinkyness out. After all, that's where all the digested food hangs out until it's ready to be...eliminated by the cow. But once you get the smell out, it tastes really good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeR8abIES90DUwpNkM0GpsphkiLgb_B216avvfhyphenhyphenXA6nwIhlkXje5dBiLqnnij77CbyjFiZP9jhir4zu8oaxnWQ8HkQ1s8cBCzhv8wQrWEYSlGaRUjaQ2h8sYI29sNwKqq-RKfONUsumO-/s1600/beef+omasum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeR8abIES90DUwpNkM0GpsphkiLgb_B216avvfhyphenhyphenXA6nwIhlkXje5dBiLqnnij77CbyjFiZP9jhir4zu8oaxnWQ8HkQ1s8cBCzhv8wQrWEYSlGaRUjaQ2h8sYI29sNwKqq-RKfONUsumO-/s320/beef+omasum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">100 leaves tripe, next to the "pork uterus," which I have never eaten.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To make the meat, I just simmered everything in a big pot for about two and a half hours. In the pot was water, lots of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, brown sugar, Chinese five spice powder (which is a combination of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan peppercorn, and fennel seeds), whole star anise, dried orange peels, some sweet bean paste, and scallion, ginger and garlic. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiC9-zHSHq1670hSfaBLkbt0tvjub0Q6Z_TVtgtmf7LH5Glu-WuhLlZybGKUkcZHXwl2DSyxtYbo1niT1wP2u9vFyYU_Fl1KJkfncByIZ7J7Vjc3DbT5LwLYcltPIHhr9TGHe8Wlgd0_I2/s1600/Soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiC9-zHSHq1670hSfaBLkbt0tvjub0Q6Z_TVtgtmf7LH5Glu-WuhLlZybGKUkcZHXwl2DSyxtYbo1niT1wP2u9vFyYU_Fl1KJkfncByIZ7J7Vjc3DbT5LwLYcltPIHhr9TGHe8Wlgd0_I2/s320/Soup.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two and a half hours later, I cut up the meat, put it on some noodles with some of the braising soup, added some blanched baby Chinese broccoli shoots, chopped scallions and cilantro, and spicy bean paste. Mmmmmmm.... the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter night.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVcy_S40plCIjSXGNxRAtlQPrOo1qyjgFdC-it_8VVYFwFyea0VCQ_DjpTcc1QCF7-wVE8cgY0szCeUFD2Bvewv3xNPyHjzkwW0tZSz1qMIHxOlPCdedhHY4sD1zF_5LXPOYog83IxNc6/s1600/beef+noodle+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVcy_S40plCIjSXGNxRAtlQPrOo1qyjgFdC-it_8VVYFwFyea0VCQ_DjpTcc1QCF7-wVE8cgY0szCeUFD2Bvewv3xNPyHjzkwW0tZSz1qMIHxOlPCdedhHY4sD1zF_5LXPOYog83IxNc6/s320/beef+noodle+soup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-51276566211675051462010-11-19T15:22:00.004-05:002010-11-19T15:43:21.096-05:00Cheering to Dinner...and It Gets Better!It's been almost two weeks since the New York City Marathon, and I have lots of news to report.<br />
<br />
First off, cheering for the marathon was SO MUCH FUN! I have to admit, the weekend leading up to the race was kind of a bummer for me. As I mentioned <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2009/11/marathon-weekend.html">last year</a>, marathon weekend is one of the biggest weekends of the year for Front Runners (next to Pride weekend), as we host a big pasta dinner, a pancake breakfast, and the water station at mile 24. But this year, I couldn't help but think that I was an outsider, undeserving of all of the carbs since I wasn't running. When it seemed like all of Front Runners, indeed the whole city, was preparing for the run of their lives, to me it felt like it was just another day.<br />
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To get my mind off of not running the marathon, I tried to completely immerse myself in cheering for those who were running. I was determined to be the best Front Runner cheerer ever! To that end, Mikey and I dubbed our cheering squad as CHEER FORCE ONE, and we embarked on a momentous crafting project--making a huge banner with the FRNY logo so we could cheer our teammates and have them notice us as they ran by. It was one of my first major sewing projects since last year's <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2009/11/yoga-to-congee.html">yoga mat bag</a>. And it came out really well!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhiGZlJe6m0JBvMesU9LF4aLxQ1qGQYDip_vtJ3wQrrso7QFbYJ844U-GwlcZIru_Q_DZ65u6y6e5Wm-CE07N7khhnVeUoW7hRmO5lVgJHnFnHdvG9sa5uB4hrWXzzALbqCMDvCufJmSA7/s1600/banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhiGZlJe6m0JBvMesU9LF4aLxQ1qGQYDip_vtJ3wQrrso7QFbYJ844U-GwlcZIru_Q_DZ65u6y6e5Wm-CE07N7khhnVeUoW7hRmO5lVgJHnFnHdvG9sa5uB4hrWXzzALbqCMDvCufJmSA7/s320/banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Sunday morning, team Cheer Force One gathered at Mike's house in Greenpoint, where we were treated to a yummy breakfast spread. My favorite was a marscapone whipped cream that went on the French toast. Very tasty. :-) Oh, plus we had some mimosas and Irish hot chocolate, and I made a giant thermos full of bourbon and hot cider. Heehee, we were definitely going to be toasty despite the cool temperatures.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDgC6noI_uqVCS-GmhUVbokTwLWoBTHwHojUpB_Ml97SW_Ir16MrcB9M5f2M0FAvUEtUgMqw6YkHthAT4JluGkr7axTxr7RYWnrVite9ZxZpr73ZPyEy2IOshOOjYmMFIpVImqHyXb5_Z/s1600/Breakfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDgC6noI_uqVCS-GmhUVbokTwLWoBTHwHojUpB_Ml97SW_Ir16MrcB9M5f2M0FAvUEtUgMqw6YkHthAT4JluGkr7axTxr7RYWnrVite9ZxZpr73ZPyEy2IOshOOjYmMFIpVImqHyXb5_Z/s320/Breakfast.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Our first stop was around mile 8. This was a great spot to cheer from, since everyone was still feeling pretty fresh, looked good, and were happy to see us. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPQuxxpaJxQhvE8LItPIUYg6Ztc0jSCCrBqXsPCfjwic5EsdMpT0Ju6tFBLc0y4smAliiBgBVGmQ-D94FPLHPXw-bTf-1g3WrOmbwwnKVTsYztneNnHHlvGS7UdgfgjKV9LiUmDVVswYK/s1600/Three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPQuxxpaJxQhvE8LItPIUYg6Ztc0jSCCrBqXsPCfjwic5EsdMpT0Ju6tFBLc0y4smAliiBgBVGmQ-D94FPLHPXw-bTf-1g3WrOmbwwnKVTsYztneNnHHlvGS7UdgfgjKV9LiUmDVVswYK/s320/Three.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As you can see, there were about a dozen members of Cheer Force One!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaw2FuYGczocOvGN1qptHUEhVu_6QgeCZp0WgHSYxt73735KA6I8CqnYVqgy-Ks_uppwzQlNz2rPIWheb_VjmV3T0UYedUvO1mJCIjYY9SFPtiGXG-Osj_LR4tTDChutezW3qofL1ESeZl/s1600/Group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaw2FuYGczocOvGN1qptHUEhVu_6QgeCZp0WgHSYxt73735KA6I8CqnYVqgy-Ks_uppwzQlNz2rPIWheb_VjmV3T0UYedUvO1mJCIjYY9SFPtiGXG-Osj_LR4tTDChutezW3qofL1ESeZl/s320/Group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here's John and Rich, the 2nd and 3rd Front Runner finishers, whizzing by us at mile 8. John ran a 2:41:53--that's a 6:11 pace for the whole marathon--and came in 159th out of almost 45,000 finishers! Pretty amazing that his marathon pace is faster than the pace for my 5k PR (6:12).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmN1jF07bDN-WoIwc-WVIUl8DqzpXGgBkcseP0LlLdCumH3MJeWaJK2ZFBmFmhyphenhyphen0cGR5pNPQT_6dKpjE6VazKC-kUN5bbyAAKKE_NbHsMEwcAj3UkqOoc1pXxIRzKSyNYb98dnLoa15n4Y/s1600/Richjohn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmN1jF07bDN-WoIwc-WVIUl8DqzpXGgBkcseP0LlLdCumH3MJeWaJK2ZFBmFmhyphenhyphen0cGR5pNPQT_6dKpjE6VazKC-kUN5bbyAAKKE_NbHsMEwcAj3UkqOoc1pXxIRzKSyNYb98dnLoa15n4Y/s320/Richjohn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was somewhat bittersweet, though, to see another group of Front Runners come by. Mikey, Cenk, Darin, Manja and Marty formed a 3:30 pace group and all came by together. For the week leading up to the marathon, even two days before the race, I seriously debated doing the marathon and running with them. They looked like they were having so much fun; it would have been great to run the whole race with a group of friends around to help pace me. But in the end, I decided that it was wiser to just be a spectator. Trying to run a marathon with the little training that I had, and just coming off two injuries, was probably not a good idea. And I didn't even know if I could run a 3:30...I would have been really upset if I had set out to run a relatively modest pace for a marathon, and not even be able to keep that up (my Blue Line Run was at about a 3:30 pace, and <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/10/blue-line-run-and-chicken.html">we all know how that went</a>). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdeWWaH9FQW_drQ9gs2A7YpeZIrlNK6QpmG_RSNmzsBXqZbzIZYiHsGZTo4RqxL3y2NmrFK5pcB8-Li0cD9QJHQGx8V2b0vOH_K_7EZN2ameCjN0pV4Nif9ybE1hOkxeGTl_3YmOKz1oU/s1600/330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdeWWaH9FQW_drQ9gs2A7YpeZIrlNK6QpmG_RSNmzsBXqZbzIZYiHsGZTo4RqxL3y2NmrFK5pcB8-Li0cD9QJHQGx8V2b0vOH_K_7EZN2ameCjN0pV4Nif9ybE1hOkxeGTl_3YmOKz1oU/s320/330.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Team 3:30 came by, Team Cheer Force One headed to our next stop. I had wanted to try to see the runners at three locations--Miles 8, 18, and 23--but John was just too damn fast, and we decided that we probably wouldn't be able to make it to 18 in time for him. So we went directly to Mile 23, around 95th and 5th, with our banner, hot toddy, and bullhorn in tow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpbZ4yLqSAOiqMcHVHYMlfjLpKNZclsQ1Z2iiCk92jqhxnZdtRK82Sa-5DCYF7QseWyrhyphenhyphenZ0y7mebgFGCSwEoLTzEoBHw-fPHQS6aPwwslIU8QoWSQhTpP0OFcEuPnBM0zZje8kbZMAJt/s1600/Megaphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpbZ4yLqSAOiqMcHVHYMlfjLpKNZclsQ1Z2iiCk92jqhxnZdtRK82Sa-5DCYF7QseWyrhyphenhyphenZ0y7mebgFGCSwEoLTzEoBHw-fPHQS6aPwwslIU8QoWSQhTpP0OFcEuPnBM0zZje8kbZMAJt/s320/Megaphone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This was a great spot, pretty much at the top of that looooong 5th Avenue hill that I always hated running this late into the race. With our banner, I think the Front Runners could see us cheering from far away, and it was good to think that we might have helped boost their energy and spirits as they motored up the hill. We stayed there for a while, and got to see everyone from the lead men to the middle-of-the-packers. It was great to see so many Front Runners! And every time a Front Runner came by, I went berserk and started screaming, jumping, and waving the banner. By the end of the day I had no voice left. But it was so much fun!!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">My other big news of the week is that my running club, <a href="http://www.frny.org/">Front Runners New York</a>, released its video for the <a href="http://www.itgetsbetter.org/">It Gets Better Project</a>. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, the It Gets Better Project is a collection of videos that were made in response to a recent and heartbreaking string of suicides following instances of anti-gay bullying. The videos are directed towards kids facing bullying and harassment or considering suicide. It's a terrible tragedy that 9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment at school, and more than 1/3 of all LGBT kids have attempted to commit suicide. I hope our video can reach some of these kids and possibly make a difference in their lives. <br />
<br />
I'm so proud that FRNY has decided to take part in this project, and I'm so honored that I was able to have a part in it. Please take some time to view the video and forward it to your friends, families and colleagues, especially to any young people or anyone who works with young people, like teachers and coaches. Together, I think we can really help make a difference in the lives of countless LGBT youth.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6yBx8hanu5I?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6yBx8hanu5I?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
This week, Front Runners also restarted its indoor track workout season. Our first workout was Tuesday. Even though this will be my fourth year doing the Armory workouts, I always get butterflies in my stomach before every workout. And it was no different on Tuesday. Our first workout was 8x400m. I was really nervous. The last time I ran on a track was at the <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/07/lockport-100-mile-relay.html">Lockport 100 Mile Relay</a> in July. And I have lost like pretty much all of my fitness since then. So this was going to be interesting.<br />
<br />
I decided not to run with the "fast" group, settling instead in one of the "medium" groups. I didn't want to run first in the group either, so luckily Tsing was in my group and I was able to tuck in right behind him the whole time. My plan was to try to just maintain 90-second 400s. The first one was a little slow, like 93 seconds, but we gradually got faster and faster. I finished the 8th 400 in 84 seconds, and I felt like I could do a lot more. It felt great to be back, running fast-ish. But for now, I'm trying to take it easy for a few weeks; there's no sense in rushing into the speed workouts right now. I have my eyes on Boston in April 2011. Until then, I'm going to train smart, stay as injury-free as I can, and enjoy my gradual progression back into shape. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSTou1vQeYVMjrcow5_rqdPAByXaLTwPd21g6kWXlOPZpySpsnhDAE2afLxzUhD8SW3iNLd2mYWqJXDd4cILBvZZd39uvhncjWvY1qoRWNWvsf8kI9k6GgeNqIh11KsET6ZndXzR1pn6D/s1600/post+armory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSTou1vQeYVMjrcow5_rqdPAByXaLTwPd21g6kWXlOPZpySpsnhDAE2afLxzUhD8SW3iNLd2mYWqJXDd4cILBvZZd39uvhncjWvY1qoRWNWvsf8kI9k6GgeNqIh11KsET6ZndXzR1pn6D/s320/post+armory.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the Subway after the Track Workout.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-20651535217316457602010-10-25T18:47:00.001-04:002010-10-25T18:51:57.509-04:00I Will Be a Spectator<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I've decided I will not be running the 2010 ING New York City Marathon. This was a very difficult decision, but I believe it was the right one. I am seriously undertrained, and have been battling injury for the past year. My mileage has been way, way down from where it was even in the spring, and I've had very few successful long runs this season. For me to run a marathon in just two weeks would be extremely difficult, possibly risking even more injury. It would also be a really really really slow run, and would just not be an enjoyable experience for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I came to this decision on Sunday, in the middle of what was to be my last long run before the marathon. <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/10/blue-line-run-and-chicken.html">You'll recall that last week was the FRNY Blue Line Run</a>, the last 20 miles of the marathon, and I had a pretty disastrous run, pretty much falling apart and having to take a taxi after 17 miles. After last week, I gave myself one more chance to have a good long run before the marathon. I came up with <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ny/new-york/570128801824660303">a great 22 mile route</a>, which traces the last 15 miles of the marathon, following a 7-mile run from my apartment to Williamsburg. I specifically wanted to do the end of the marathon route again so that, on race day, I wouldn't be dogged by the reminder of how crappy I felt during the Blue Line Run down Fifth Avenue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR7utw3cBBMkYMFfV9PXCc3L2lvH4MbrrQVUamv3g-EELFCCQkMPIqnP5SDXaNeWZsYI1z2nxTdLPgWVAYdRUJ7z_DwuPjpnKMikk1cj0QPrefDGr9xjAMPxTvYvbKOCwWdKeSAR02O_k/s1600/22+mile+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR7utw3cBBMkYMFfV9PXCc3L2lvH4MbrrQVUamv3g-EELFCCQkMPIqnP5SDXaNeWZsYI1z2nxTdLPgWVAYdRUJ7z_DwuPjpnKMikk1cj0QPrefDGr9xjAMPxTvYvbKOCwWdKeSAR02O_k/s320/22+mile+run.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So Sunday, I headed out for my planned 22-miler. I felt fine for the first 12-13 miles. But then I just started to get tired, and kind of lost my energy to keep it going. I could probably have still continued, but I knew it would be a struggle, and mentally, I knew that it just wouldn't be fun. About mile 14, I stated thinking that I just didn't <i>want</i> to run 8 more miles to finish my planned run; and the thought of running 12 more miles in the marathon just seemed like it would be miserable. So I decided to just stop, enjoy the run that I had, defer on this year's marathon, and head home for some lunch.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a difficult decision, but one that I think I'm glad I made. Running is supposed to be enjoyable. Even when it's difficult and I'm pushing myself to the limit, I enjoy it. But pushing myself to do a race that I'm not properly trained for is just not fun. It's also not responsible running. I'd like to think that I've matured enough as a runner that I don't have to be out there for every race, pushing my body to do things that it really shouldn't be doing. It's not always about the distance covered, or the time that I ran it in, or how many times I can do a race. Running is more about the love of the sport, and the ability to continue pursuing this passion. I know that, by making the difficult but responsible decision to pass on this year's NYC Marathon, I am strengthening my love for running, and taking care of my body so that I can have other great races in the future. While I'm definitely disappointed in missing out on New York, I am even more inspired to take care of myself and train properly in the spring in order to have a kick ass Boston. I'm so excited to get back in shape and renew my love of running.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> * * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After deciding not to run the marathon, I was definitely a little bummed. But fortunately, I had previously made plans for some runner friends to come over for dinner. Among them were Mikey and Derek who got me excited to be a part of "CHEER FORCE ONE," our marathon cheering squad. I'm hoping we'll get to see our teammates in three separate spots--Greenpoint, 1st Ave and 5th Ave. I've never actually been a spectator at the marathon, so think this will be a lot of fun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ever since Mikey's chicken dinner last week, I've been thinking about making some pulled pork. The last time I cooked up a pork shoulder, though, I ended up eating pulled pork for weeks, and I got a little sick of it. So this time I decided to have a pulled pork party, with a bunch of fun side dishes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This time, I made my own barbecue sauce (although I kept handy a bottle of store-bought sauce just in case I was unsuccessful). I actually make barbecue sauce often, but I only know how to make it with asian flavors (soy sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger, hoisin, oyster sauce, bulgogi sauce, etc.) But I didn't want this sauce to be too asiany, because I didn't think that would work so well with my side dishes. So my sauce consisted of: sauteed chopped onions, garlic power, ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili power, cayenne pepper powder, Manishewitz grape wine, red wine vinegar and a little bit of sriracha sauce. It came out really good! A perfect blend of tartness and sweetness, with a little bit of a kick. Someone even commented that I would make a lot of money if I bottled it. :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmMfJcbbUvucuby31K7AUqDkMekdnmgASA-pJs00BCUOI6SVcP1TsjuaSEch_SQf_tEAttgdfSiF0C_77O6k13tLZ6tviS-mCUwiEWrY3bBjn3Mb4z6zVk7bigGf0zSQIAz2VCCZAdr_i/s1600/bbq1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmMfJcbbUvucuby31K7AUqDkMekdnmgASA-pJs00BCUOI6SVcP1TsjuaSEch_SQf_tEAttgdfSiF0C_77O6k13tLZ6tviS-mCUwiEWrY3bBjn3Mb4z6zVk7bigGf0zSQIAz2VCCZAdr_i/s320/bbq1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For my side dishes, I made cole slaw, baked beans, collard greens and a corn pudding. Mikey and I got into a disagreement about the collard greens. He thought they should be sauteed and served crisp and bright green. I thought that, when serving collard greens with barbecue, they should be cooked for a loooong time, and super wilted to the point where they practically melt in your mouth. We ended up in a compromise and served them somewhat wilted but still crisp. Feel free to comment below on how you like your collard greens!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think the biggest hit of the night was the corn pudding. I decided to make corn pudding because I thought it would be a more interesting alternative to cornbread, which I'm not always a huge fan of. Everyone liked it! It was completely finished by the end of the night. The consistency was kind of half-pudding/half-cornbread, and it was really able to showcase the sweetness of the corn. I thought I'd include a recipe, which I adapted from a combination of <a href="http://firstlookthencook.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/sisis-corn-pudding/">this</a> and <a href="http://www.momswhothink.com/dinner-recipes/corn-pudding.html">this</a>:</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span> Dave's Delicious Corn Pudding</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b> 3</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b> 15-ounce cans of corn (2 cans drained; 1 can pureed)</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>1 medium chopped onion, sauteed</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>2 eggs</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>8 oz sour cream</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>1 box jiffy corn bread mix</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>1 tablespoon sugar</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Combine all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Enjoy!</b></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizywbVsukRO6DZLx7JcYuL2OrqMUutdQlU_1vFe9nZipq4uYrNfilra4Bx1VEIjKwJmcj3h_OHlX_wPsYyN_pKSLrqZaXG5jP0Wma9DR6_hmad2IQto-bD_PKecwZQY5rHjL4pBgTb85XH/s1600/bbq2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizywbVsukRO6DZLx7JcYuL2OrqMUutdQlU_1vFe9nZipq4uYrNfilra4Bx1VEIjKwJmcj3h_OHlX_wPsYyN_pKSLrqZaXG5jP0Wma9DR6_hmad2IQto-bD_PKecwZQY5rHjL4pBgTb85XH/s320/bbq2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And for dessert, homemade sweet potato pie. Yummmmmm!!!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-7592021464666014242010-10-21T17:49:00.003-04:002010-10-22T16:22:03.073-04:00Blue Line Run and ChickenThis Sunday was the Front Runners annual Blue Line Run. It's definitely my favorite run of the year. Every year, three weeks before the New York City Marathon, FRNY meets in Brooklyn and runs <a href="http://ingnycmarathon.org/documents/INGNYCM10_Course_Map_For_Media-4.pdf">the last 20 miles of the marathon</a>, from Brooklyn through Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Manhattan again, to end up at the finish line in front of Tavern on the Green. I had missed the Blue Line Run for the past two years because it was the same weekend as the Chicago Marathon, so I was especially excited about doing it this year.<br />
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And so were a LOT of other Front Runners. We had 120 people show up to the start!!! (I remember when I did it three years ago, there were maybe 30-40 people.) We also had about 15 FRNY volunteers to hand out Gatorade along the course, and Steve and Jim were on bikes directing us. It was quite an impressive production and I think everyone really enjoyed the run, especially the FRs who are doing the marathon in three weeks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTN8_8oX8EMVdrRY1zXb0HwzvmB-NLFX9DK_6jxBpsjqlLr6IhXN34g8rTv1_lRcNHJZIWtzrbgmfnxZRjryehfFzEUMxXEJ0z4ZiNW53ZFxXYFFNyRDCwUO3WZrP9OxyqgsePTaifOkPV/s1600/blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTN8_8oX8EMVdrRY1zXb0HwzvmB-NLFX9DK_6jxBpsjqlLr6IhXN34g8rTv1_lRcNHJZIWtzrbgmfnxZRjryehfFzEUMxXEJ0z4ZiNW53ZFxXYFFNyRDCwUO3WZrP9OxyqgsePTaifOkPV/s320/blue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I, however, had kind of a sucky run. You may remember from my <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/10/literally-hardest-thing-ive-ever-done.html">last post</a> that I got kicked really hard in the knee at the MightyMan Triathlon a couple of weeks ago. Well, that kind of messed up my running for two weeks. I had run exactly three times in the two weeks between MightyMan and the Blue Line Run. The first time, three days later on a Wednesday fun run, I was only able to run about a mile and half before my knee got in so much pain that I couldn't even bend it without it hurting. I then took off the next week and made an appointment with Jordan Metzl for the following Tuesday. Dr. Metzl looked at the x-ray and said I was fine, that it was probably just a bruise on my knee, and that I should not change my plans to run the marathon. So the next day, Wednesday, I went back to the fun run. At mile three, my knee felt fine, so I decided to do the six mile loop. But it hit me at mile five, and I pretty much had to walk the last mile. I was pissed. Dane and Ryan passed me and I was mean to them. Michael O asked me afterwards how my run was and I pretty much snapped at him. I was just so upset that after all this time (about a YEAR) of dealing with my butt issue, I finally start to get back to the point where I'm running consistently, and I friggin f-ck up my knee. UGH. I was, however, slightly reassured by the fact that I was able to run longer than I had the previous Wednesday, and took it as a sign that I would improve, hopefully before the marathon.<br />
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So on Sunday, for the Blue Line Run, my hope was just to finish. I had run the first 10 miles at about an 8-minute pace, with Marty and Paul, and I felt pretty good. Then, turning onto First Avenue from the 59th Street Bridge, I had a pretty abrupt and devastating downward crash. My knee locked up and my energy level came spiraling down. I stopped to stretch my legs at 60th Street. By this time, most of the people in the 8-minute mile pack had passed me, so I ended up slowing down drastically. I told myself I would probably just run across 90th Street and cut off the top of Manhattan and the Bronx (saving 5 miles). I spent the next mile and a half jogging and sometimes walking, stopping another time or two to stretch. When 90th Street came, I started feeling fine again, so I decided to run to 125th Street. The stretch down 5th Avenue from 125th to 90th Streets is, I think, one of the harder parts in the Marathon, and an area where I don't run very often; so I wanted to get at least that part of the course in.<br />
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I spent the next mile and a half with more jogging/walking/stretching until I fiiiinnnally got to 125th Street. As I contemplated turning left onto 125th Street to cut the run short, the Willis Avenue Bridge stared me in the face, taunting me, enticing me to cross into the Bronx. Against my better judgment, I decided to cross the bridge, intending to finish the entire twenty mile run. But as soon as I crossed, I started to really feel like I was falling apart. My knee was hurting, I was tired, my butt was aching, and I was getting chaffed from my shorts. But I pushed on, taking more frequent walk breaks and stretching my legs. I felt miserable. I finally decided that I would run to 90th Street and just take a taxi to the finish. That last mile, from 110th to 90th, I felt would never end. It seemed like I was practically walking it. Rob and some others were manning the water stop at 100th Street, and when I saw them, I felt so embarrassed for being so beat up after only 17 miles, and lagging so far behind people who I should have been running with. I knew I wouldn't be able to finish the 20 miles, so I mustered all the energy I had to basically crawl down to 90th Street, where I promptly jumped into a taxi to take me to Tavern on the Green.<br />
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It was a humiliating, completely disappointing run. And in that taxi ride, as I tried to come to terms with the run, I wondered if I should admit defeat and withdraw from this year's NYC Marathon. But at the same time, I was somewhat encouraged. This was my first real run after two weeks of very little running, and I did manage to do 17 miles. My knee felt fine for the first 10 miles, which is such a huge difference from just a week ago, when I couldn't even run two miles without pain. And I'm guessing that part of the reason I ran out of steam during the run was because I had one or two too many beers the night before at Coach Rachel's housewarming party. (Damn you, Rachel!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4DMRLChMrC0_dp2-bkN1D25CUfyYOo09wosDeNPDzgxAoK1GB4zZTkBnmcj6pE0jZ1nfWNfsTmd2csureWwOLrhjP4O8_u4SkmtmdJwA-nZwnULilwbcjW-yoA5z13JVurFdXLrfq-h_/s1600/blue+line+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4DMRLChMrC0_dp2-bkN1D25CUfyYOo09wosDeNPDzgxAoK1GB4zZTkBnmcj6pE0jZ1nfWNfsTmd2csureWwOLrhjP4O8_u4SkmtmdJwA-nZwnULilwbcjW-yoA5z13JVurFdXLrfq-h_/s320/blue+line+after.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Post Blue Line Run (Photo by <a href="http://tepee.arloartists.com/">Ted Paszek</a>)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>So right now, I have mixed feelings about the marathon. I still haven't decided if I'm going to go through with it. But I've gone running since Sunday, and my knee feels pretty good. My plan is to run one more long run this weekend, 20 or 22 miles, and see how I feel. If I can finish it and feel good, I'll do the marathon. If not, then I guess it's just not going to happen for me this year. It would be really disappointing, but I'm not going to force it if it isn't in the cards. Besides, I've never been a spectator for the NYC Marathon, and I've never worked the FRNY Water Station at Mile 24, so watching the marathon could be fun too. I guess I'll see how this weekend's run goes.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
Sunday after the Blue Line Run, I went over to Mike Terry's house to help him cook dinner for some of the runners who were coming over. We decided to make soul food because it is sooooul delicious. :-) <br />
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We made "fried" chicken, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes and collard greens. The fried chicken was actually oven baked, but it was nice and crispy because we made a crust of crushed seasoned cornflakes. I bought whole chickens which we had to butcher ourselves. I've butchered hundreds of chickens before, but I've never been really good at it. And I always end up leaving the <a href="http://yeschefnochef.blogspot.com/2008/03/oysters-on-chicken.html">oysters</a> hanging on the carcass, which is the best part. Mikey was cringing at how much meat I was wasting. But I don't really mind since I usually freeze the carcass for soup at a later date, and a little extra meat on the bones makes the soup taste good.<br />
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Mikey made the mac and cheese, which was delicious. I need to get the recipe from him. The collard greens and the sweet potatoes were pretty simple, though. I found some smoked ham pieces at Western Beef that I was able to add to the greens, and I put in a touch of brown sugar and vinegar. For the sweet potatoes, I cut them up into little medallions, mixed them with the juice and zest of an orange, some salt pepper and more brown sugar, and baked. I love the freshness that orange zest provides. Yumm.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After Sunday's disastrous run, I was able to cheer myself up by registering for next year's Boston Marathon. Registration opened at 9am on Monday. After several attempts to get through the BAA's servers, I was able to register around 10:30. Unfortunately, the race filled up at 5:03 Monday evening, so a lot of people who were planning to register didn't get in. I'm kind of bummed about this, since part of the reason last year's Boston was so much fun was that there was a big group of Front Runners there (16 of us running, with lots more cheering). I'm definitely going to miss being part of a big group this year. To the Front Runners who qualified for Boston but weren't able to register, you guys are a huge inspiration to me, and I'm going to run the best race I can run in your honor.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-31102089917192066482010-10-13T02:01:00.004-04:002010-10-13T17:09:18.041-04:00Literally The Hardest Thing I've Ever Done In My LifeOh. My. God. It's more than a week later and I still can't get over how brutal it was. It was so hard. I just wanted it to end.... Writing about it now is bringing back all these awful, horrific memories of it. Ugh.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I'm referring to the <a href="http://eventpowerli.com/events/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:mightyman-half&catid=35:events&Itemid=65">MightyMan Half Ironman</a> that I completed last Sunday in Montauk, Long Island. I was my first Half Ironman distance race, and it may well be my last. I certainly am not in any rush to do another anytime soon.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkby48P7MvJsscRjh4wEn3ieqVn-6PI24RTafmjRrN74_To2ZXLqeDPXB5CPg0x8nXnmed54l2jBP7iGDDqgsJgrmPaQvTjPiGVKPr1QC04c_X2NzdhLb0fyCgYGQO245qgsJ5_ouS87Jr/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkby48P7MvJsscRjh4wEn3ieqVn-6PI24RTafmjRrN74_To2ZXLqeDPXB5CPg0x8nXnmed54l2jBP7iGDDqgsJgrmPaQvTjPiGVKPr1QC04c_X2NzdhLb0fyCgYGQO245qgsJ5_ouS87Jr/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mike and I at the transition area the day before the race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I admit that I was terribly undertrained for this race. I wasn't looking to break any records or anything; all I wanted to do was to finish the race. But I had no idea that even my modest goal would be so difficult to accomplish.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Three of us Front Runners did the tri: me, Mike Terry and Dave Pitches. It was me and Mike's first Half Ironman; Dave has done a bunch of them. Dave and Dan Elliot invited me and Mike to stay at their cottage in Montauk; I think that was the highlight of my weekend more than the race itself. Dave and Dan fed us really well, drove us around to check out the course, and gave us some much appreciated tips about the course and conquering the distance. </div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6N6sxQXpxPcrhuude3S0eF78F0zBoy2J8iY35Q4VxrmTQetfqRH02fSl6hRJDGq-ZneiZWmXvJbRxYW2gFgFdhLSma7gTwhxy-fyBBq6yyTG_mY3Bnha9pHwXoVw69InPGwBqMOYJpD1/s1600/dave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6N6sxQXpxPcrhuude3S0eF78F0zBoy2J8iY35Q4VxrmTQetfqRH02fSl6hRJDGq-ZneiZWmXvJbRxYW2gFgFdhLSma7gTwhxy-fyBBq6yyTG_mY3Bnha9pHwXoVw69InPGwBqMOYJpD1/s320/dave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dave drove us around to check out the course.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEPHcWywA1NPybeqbfrEQZH-zFdqZtLZ4BXgc17AbOHBNlhV6BZLc7Ac5_FLubmy9dYmUpaahJZFF4TO3nA0uIIkIl0ByjsYEda8o8jarPFHoAq8cL51ZnPex7p3nKsWptQvdvbHpv2Ba/s1600/pumping+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEPHcWywA1NPybeqbfrEQZH-zFdqZtLZ4BXgc17AbOHBNlhV6BZLc7Ac5_FLubmy9dYmUpaahJZFF4TO3nA0uIIkIl0ByjsYEda8o8jarPFHoAq8cL51ZnPex7p3nKsWptQvdvbHpv2Ba/s320/pumping+air.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Pumping my tires before the race...hoping I won't have to do it again <i>during</i> the race!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">We woke up at around 5:00 the morning of the race. Mikey and I were in Wave 1, which started at 6:40. Dave started around 6:55. After a breakfast of Clif Bar, coffee and banana, the three of us biked to the start, about a mile away. It was still dark out, and there was this ominous feeling of the calm before the storm, as there were several other bikers on the street all riding to the start.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">It was cold at the start, in the 50s. And the day was going to be a windy one. A wetsuit was definitely necessary. I also brought with me a pair of arm warmers for the bike ride. We had to set up our transition area in the dark. Looking around me while setting up, I started to get a little nervous. The bike racks are set up by waves, so I was with everyone else in the under 35 men's group. And pretty much all of them looked like they were serious triathletes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryYwNIZT_c8N431K3WkKWMHYn_dFrzlP6ou_-Vwjea2hPF_9fwhIlIlAlzdOdrZax5ZjytHlZiktcC6yjb2Q2nA4jT4UQsskHTcnIHfm04qF9wxffupFoRuhGoESq1_V6bz0GhUI3gL0u/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryYwNIZT_c8N431K3WkKWMHYn_dFrzlP6ou_-Vwjea2hPF_9fwhIlIlAlzdOdrZax5ZjytHlZiktcC6yjb2Q2nA4jT4UQsskHTcnIHfm04qF9wxffupFoRuhGoESq1_V6bz0GhUI3gL0u/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At the transition area before the race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few minutes before 6:40, Mike and I went into the water. The swim was in a freshwater lake in Montauk, Fort Pond. When we stepped in, Mike and I were both pleasantly surprised to feel that the water was actually quite warm, in the mid to upper 60s. Wearing a wetsuit, the water was actually very nice, much more comfortable than the cold, windy air. The start of the swim was in the water, but it was shallow enough that we could stand and not have to tread water. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then, with very little fanfare or warning, the starting horn sounded and everyone was off. I got stuck in the middle of everyone and within the first 30 seconds, someone kicked me really, really, really hard in the knee. I felt an explosive pain in my knee and let out a big "Oww, F-ck" while underwater. I immediately thought the my race was over before it even really started. But within a few seconds, the sharp pain went away and I was left with just a slightly sore knee. I didn't really notice it anymore for the rest of the race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful. It was a 1.2 mile swim, in kind of a big triangle. As the later waves of swimmer started every four minutes or so, I found myself getting passed by the faster ones in each group. But I was always able to see people in my wave around me, so it gave me some comfort to know that I wasn't the very last person. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">About 3/4 of a mile through, I looked up, and I realized I was swimming sideways. One of the lifeguards saw me and asked if I was ok. I said that I was, he pointed me in the right direction, and I proceeded ahead. But just 10 seconds later, I looked up again and I realized that I had done it again. For some reason, I kept turning myself 90 degrees to the right and swimming off course. The fact that it happened twice in a row made me nervous, wondering if I was having delusions or something. I had to stop swimming, tread water, take off my goggles, take a few deep breaths and try to reorient myself. After a few seconds, I calmed down, found my place, and continued again--this time, in the right direction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>The swim took me about 48 minutes. I was quite pleased. There were still a number of people in my wave behind me. And I felt great exiting the water. I knew my hardest event was coming up, but I felt like I had a lot of energy in store.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first transition took a little longer than I would have liked, mostly because it was a pain to put my arm warmers on my wet arms. But I was soooo glad I had them. The bike was freeeezing! And it seemed like there was always a headwind or a crosswind to deal with. The 56-mile ride took us around two loops of Montauk, with lots of little out-and-back offshoots that were kind of annoying. It was pretty hilly, although I guess it could have been much worse (the website says it's 2200 feet of elevation gain). A lot of the offshoots were down narrow streets where you had to bike around a cul-de-sac, which meant a lot of slowing down. But the one thing I liked about the course was that there were lots of opportunities to see the other bikers. I got to see both Mike and Dave several times during the race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't remember a lot about the specifics of the bike. All I really remember is just how miserable I was. The sucky thing about this distance is that even when you're halfway through there still another 28 friggin miles to go. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished my first loop at 1:46. I was a bit disappointed about that. I knew that even if I was able to somehow maintain my speed for the second half, I wouldn't be able to break 3:30 on my bike. (My only other time riding 56 miles in a race was last year when I did the Mooseman Triathlon as a relay with Dane and Ryan. I did that bike in 3:28:30. My training last year consisted of maybe four bike rides, none of which were longer than 30 miles. This year, I've logged several 50, 60, and 70-mile bike rides, but somehow I've gotten even slower. WTF?!?!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On my second loop, I found myself getting out of the saddle a lot, since my legs were quickly being depleted of their strength. But I think this ended up tiring my legs out even more since I was pushing harder. My legs were so tired and one hill was so steep that my cyclocomputer said I was going just 6 miles per hour. (Going back downhill, though, I clocked a 34 mph, which I think is the fastest I've ever gone...it was a little scary.) As I came biking in towards the transition, I saw Mike on what must have been the middle of his second loop on the run. Oh, and the 2nd place overall finisher was about to come in. Kind of demoralizing when people are finishing and I didn't even start the run yet. But I trudged on...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJlhkaZDW4rbmhSVeH2z7R7k_0Wc0J76kxAnC1DvFIIMps7ks2XygxOuf74udX5Iv2oxar6U3l3cGQKZMWbfmes-fm88igSkFAz2Q46Jg6Cp5gyS6k6Y9MfiRkfRvTgjxrKK0TxTWWOXX/s1600/bike4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJlhkaZDW4rbmhSVeH2z7R7k_0Wc0J76kxAnC1DvFIIMps7ks2XygxOuf74udX5Iv2oxar6U3l3cGQKZMWbfmes-fm88igSkFAz2Q46Jg6Cp5gyS6k6Y9MfiRkfRvTgjxrKK0TxTWWOXX/s320/bike4.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I started the run, my time was around 4:33. I was a bit relieved, since it meant I had almost two hours to reach the goal I had in the back of my mind of finishing in under 6:30. Even if I ran the worst half of my life, I would be able to make it. But as soon as I started running, I knew it was going to be tough. My legs felt like I had cinder blocks attached to them. The bike had just completely drained me and I had nothing left to give with my legs. At first, I was passing people, but then it just became too much work. I also realized that most of the people I was passing were probably on their second loop, so the fact that I was passing them wasn't really that much of victory. So I settled into about a 9 minute pace, feeling that every step was like going into quicksand and I was moving in slow motion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did like two things about the run, though. First, it was two loops, and each mile was marked, so it was easier to subdivide the course into manageable segments, and tell myself, say, that I was 2/3 of the way done with the first loop, etc. Second, at the water stations they gave out defizzed Coca-Cola. It was my first time ever trying it in a race, and I just loved it. It was nice and sweet, didn't upset my stomach, and gave me a little caffeine boost afterwards. It was good not having to drink the nasty Gatorade Endurance Formula that they always give out at marathons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The run also included its share of brutal hills. One of them was aptly named "Murder Hill." It seemed like it was pretty much vertical. About half the people I saw were walking up it. I managed to stare straight ahead and continue running up the whole thing (twice!). I was actually very pleased that I didn't have to walk at all on the run (even though my running was slooooow).</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBoLb0HzMzR0X8EuLRXVrjGwXcMiZWe9y4_QHtQf_-YGAJjV-hibXGekGrEJG0L72L-ObawtKtuG8SZ2pTT50U6gAxunclBOUzFZjiJRjhUqkcM9DU9dYk0AjNACtJnEsFPQq-1X5MsPa/s1600/mightyman+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBoLb0HzMzR0X8EuLRXVrjGwXcMiZWe9y4_QHtQf_-YGAJjV-hibXGekGrEJG0L72L-ObawtKtuG8SZ2pTT50U6gAxunclBOUzFZjiJRjhUqkcM9DU9dYk0AjNACtJnEsFPQq-1X5MsPa/s320/mightyman+finish.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
Around halfway through with the run, I realized that I wasn't going to get under 6:30. Ugh. But around mile 12, I realized that I might not even be able to finish my half in under 2 hours. That would have been really upsetting, considering that my PR is about half an hour faster. So I mustered all the energy I could to run that last mile as fast as I could. I was passing people left and right. I felt like a superstar, though in reality I think I must have been like an eight minute pace. Still, I had a little tiny kick left to pass some guy about 100 meters from the finish and snag that finishing tape all to myself. Final run time: 1:59:41. Total race time: 6:33:28. I was never so happy to be done with a race before in my life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskTPnJmxeHGPo_GWtoL4Aij7aO6OokUzDgUeJsHegFjnRcEQvV0aAabbWeQGgXXMTzDuEqJY5mlOtb0CPuLTCFAQhWEcuZ4DtqhFl8zWpEb0rUac72t08lrA4oHR_HuEKGVXJ_3w31PGk/s1600/group+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskTPnJmxeHGPo_GWtoL4Aij7aO6OokUzDgUeJsHegFjnRcEQvV0aAabbWeQGgXXMTzDuEqJY5mlOtb0CPuLTCFAQhWEcuZ4DtqhFl8zWpEb0rUac72t08lrA4oHR_HuEKGVXJ_3w31PGk/s320/group+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I pretty much collapsed as soon as I finished. I've never been so physically spent in my life. I barely had the energy to even realize that I just finished a Half Ironman. But then it dawned on me, that I had just completed 70.3 miles of swimming, biking and running. I had pushed myself so hard, in an event that was so demanding and difficult that most people probably can't fathom the distance. And it really made me proud of my accomplishment. Even though I didn't have the best time, or do as well as I would have liked, I still finished the most challenging athletic event of my life. I was happy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks to Mike Terry (who finished in an amazing 5:02:18 in his very first Half IM) for letting me convince him to join me in this race. Thanks also to Dave Pitches (6:42:34 and First in his age group!) and Dan Elliot for their great hospitality over the weekend. And thanks to Coaches Rachel and Mike Totaro, without whom none of this multisport madness would ever have occurred. As for me, I am very glad that the tri season is now over and I can take a break!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUtDJi6MCqeHZsAttiwGPSsBbTcYZNVDUJXxOAk1zUGG9fNC12BwA3EKZFQbBcWXGdH9XsnGoaTssPlk0D4ZKQxE8b4mujtnq_a4VAdy-sOh2_Lr8oeN2J4bJabgR5JNBIB4fZBwoVm5s/s1600/mightyman+final+result.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUtDJi6MCqeHZsAttiwGPSsBbTcYZNVDUJXxOAk1zUGG9fNC12BwA3EKZFQbBcWXGdH9XsnGoaTssPlk0D4ZKQxE8b4mujtnq_a4VAdy-sOh2_Lr8oeN2J4bJabgR5JNBIB4fZBwoVm5s/s320/mightyman+final+result.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-84895384360556967582010-09-21T16:07:00.001-04:002010-09-21T21:51:22.980-04:00Reach the Beach 2010!!!We did it!!! After 209.06 miles, 25 hours 9 minutes and 27 seconds, team Front Runners NY Ultragays ran from Cannon Mountain to Hampton Beach, covering countless miles of misery, sleeplessness, terror, darkness, cold, and agony. Along the way, there were many unforgettable moments of jubilation, excitement, and just plain fun that made Reach the Beach 2010 one of my favorite running events of all time.<br />
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In a first for FRNY, we sent SIX teams of runners to RTB this year: a regular 12-person men's team ("The Real Front Runners of New York"), four men's ultra teams ("The Ultra Mission Men," "Fast Not Furious," "The Clowns Will Get Me," and "The Ultragays") and one mixed team ("The Ladies Tea Society")--in total about 50 runners and support people. And from what I can tell, everyone had a ton of fun and put in some really impressive racing.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWfZserWm1nAQppn5TVBD9vatCkDQG7-cOAzugfuZAM3Tf81Df6QfY0A-jDzQuNz1vLnaS_gWSSiNqAvvwEUdrDXG9w3CsRdUMBvooL989Axr8FUlA1XXEGcZZ_TANetIlAGF4maQcroy/s1600/pollys_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWfZserWm1nAQppn5TVBD9vatCkDQG7-cOAzugfuZAM3Tf81Df6QfY0A-jDzQuNz1vLnaS_gWSSiNqAvvwEUdrDXG9w3CsRdUMBvooL989Axr8FUlA1XXEGcZZ_TANetIlAGF4maQcroy/s320/pollys_2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
We started the morning with FRNY's traditional pre-RTB breakfast at <a href="http://www.pollyspancakeparlor.com/">Polly's Pancake Parlor</a> in Sugar Hill, NH. These are seriously the best pancakes anywhere! You get to choose your own batter and mix-in for each pancake.... I got buckwheat/blueberry, oatmeal buttermilk/chocolate chip, and cornmeal/coconut... yummm!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7hh631zD2FBiW-XqpwIHm4QCOTygDcsdLAZysEivlpU97_YeHYjbAI60SDpZWDdMgFCq5o82dbwD2AnmpJT4r6DkgSDKQAprqoSczG5BsUv4L777F0eepyHGgcCZ3R0G_IwNysejnSR8/s1600/pollys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7hh631zD2FBiW-XqpwIHm4QCOTygDcsdLAZysEivlpU97_YeHYjbAI60SDpZWDdMgFCq5o82dbwD2AnmpJT4r6DkgSDKQAprqoSczG5BsUv4L777F0eepyHGgcCZ3R0G_IwNysejnSR8/s320/pollys.jpg" /></a></div><br />
After breakfast, team Ultragays got to Cannon Mountain for our 3pm start. This year, our start time was the same as three of the four other FRNY men's teams. This was both good and bad. Good because, at least at the beginning, we would be seeing the other teams along the course. Bad because the fact that we would be "competing" against each other could make things a bit more stressful. The other two ultra teams (the Mission Men and Fast Not Furious) were quite a bit faster than us, so I expected them to take off pretty quickly and probably lose us not long after the start. But I figured we were pretty evenly matched up against the Real Front Runners team (even though they were 12 and we were just 6), so I was a little nervous that it could become an intense fight for the finish the whole way. Actually, the thought of a competition made me feel super anxious...during the pre-race orientation, Mike Terry had to calm me down because I was pretty much hyperventilating. I tried to convince myself that we weren't really competing against the other FRNY teams--we were just running the relay to have fun.<br />
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There are indeed many opportunities to focus on having fun at RTB in a way that does not involve the stresses of racing. One is our wardrobe. The Ultragays of course were wearing cute little custom singlets. We got navy Asics singlets this year, very similar to the official FRNY racing singlets, but with "ULTRAGAYS" emblazoned on the front with our team motto, "Live FAB or Die!" People definitely noticed us, and we got a bunch of compliments. We also decorated our van proudly proclaiming that we were the Ultragays. I think we were able to bring a lot of good attention to both our team and FRNY. Probably in part due to our van and singlets, and partly due to our fabulousness, we found out there was another gay running team in the race, a non-FRNY team, "GURL Boston." I think GURL stands for Gay Urban Running League. We met some of their runners and they seemed very nice. If any of you GURLs are reading this, feel free to come to an <a href="http://frny.org/training/fun_run.php">FRNY Fun Run</a> the next time you're in New York!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZxJcQPdvTj2btvxrj6CvPZy7oHrHA9O1cjcrKlMg8TeSpYVnArLCSeL_bOFjhZxrarJmDoJRmoYnR6_sVPJxsLYqqYYJgGq70g6ZSX36l_oMCMpChXwbWBEATXVZ7VNxys523TTgL1vf/s1600/ultragays+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZxJcQPdvTj2btvxrj6CvPZy7oHrHA9O1cjcrKlMg8TeSpYVnArLCSeL_bOFjhZxrarJmDoJRmoYnR6_sVPJxsLYqqYYJgGq70g6ZSX36l_oMCMpChXwbWBEATXVZ7VNxys523TTgL1vf/s320/ultragays+group.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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At 3:00, our teams were off. Kyle was the first to run. His first leg was a moderate-hard 7.97 miles, leading out of Cannon Mountain onto the the roads of Franconia, NH. We had planned to meet him halfway to give him Gatorade. As we entered the van and drove off, this was when our first (and, thankfully, only real) stressful incident came. The time was ticking, we had to meet Kyle about 30 minutes after he started, and I realized that I lost my cell phone. I was torn between just letting go and hoping the phone made its way to the lost and found, and having my whole team turn around to look for my phone. We ended up turning around the van, getting a little lost on the highway, running back to the start, where the race official had found my phone and was holding it for safekeeping. Apparently, as I was jumping up and down cheering on Kyle and the other Front Runners, my phone fell out of my pocket. Anyway, crisis averted.<br />
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I was the sixth leg in my team, so the last one to go. The order was Kyle, Evan, Peter, Onesimo, Mike Terry and me. Paul was our driver. Here's our list of legs:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfObumYIZKOo8EoxBXFwbWnwOSeWnVWDJXVYyUCiMh1mBdvFN4tS6q-AZ1BrxqlHD_mjYlQqdOCHty0fYMmgweEI6kWiFcWZc2hye4bor1I_vQrGxjXSJ8PAeat-03NHeuk_Sj0uAEIV_F/s1600/RTB+Ultra+legs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfObumYIZKOo8EoxBXFwbWnwOSeWnVWDJXVYyUCiMh1mBdvFN4tS6q-AZ1BrxqlHD_mjYlQqdOCHty0fYMmgweEI6kWiFcWZc2hye4bor1I_vQrGxjXSJ8PAeat-03NHeuk_Sj0uAEIV_F/s320/RTB+Ultra+legs.jpg" /></a></div>My hope for the relay was to keep all of my legs to a 7:00-7:30 pace. I started my first leg at 6:10 pm, so I had to don a reflective vest with flashing lights and a headlamp even though it wasn't dark yet. For my first leg, which was also my longest at 8.62 miles and a net downhill of 373 feet, my concern was to not go too fast. I knew that the downhill pounding would be killer on my quads, which I would definitely regret by leg five or six, so I tried my best not to let myself get carried away. RTB is the one time of year when I break out my Garmin, since the miles aren't marked and I would go crazy not knowing how fast I'm going or how much I have left. I set the watch to beep every half mile so I could adjust my running accordingly. My pacing was a little inconsistent on this first leg, with half-mile laps between 3:23 (6:46 pace) and 3:39 (7:18 pace). But I finished leg 1 pretty much right on target in 60:52 (7:03 pace).<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkp9j6nlBJvKP9P2cB8UUgXt1rAAMVpbTINIPZUlzaUFVrVFhFXCvvEya2Fyu4eNJHr_lgsqBJXHdRw18zen6G6pHat_gTSVgeiwpqPldbiBaTu3gc-CltEflutkEtaCVjWUpe1bSGYGH/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkp9j6nlBJvKP9P2cB8UUgXt1rAAMVpbTINIPZUlzaUFVrVFhFXCvvEya2Fyu4eNJHr_lgsqBJXHdRw18zen6G6pHat_gTSVgeiwpqPldbiBaTu3gc-CltEflutkEtaCVjWUpe1bSGYGH/s320/me.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My second leg was at 10:36 pm. It was short, just 3.87 miles, but there was a bit of a vertical climb. This was my first leg in the dark. To make matters worse, the first half mile was in the woods. It was pitch black, not even any moonlight could get in through the trees. And while the first quarter mile was on a paved bike path, it soon turned into a dirt trail. OMG, are you kidding me?!?! There was no light, and twigs and rocks were all over the place. I could just imagine myself twisting an ankle and taking a spill. I was going slowly in this area, and I got passed by two runners, but I thought that it would be better to be safe than sorry. This leg was more consistent, though, with half-mile splits between 3:32 (7:04 pace) and 3:43 (7:26 pace). My final time was 27:41 (7:09 pace). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Right after my second leg, we drove to Transition Area 13, which is always my favorite TA. Here, some local townspeople set up a veritable smörgåsbord of hot, tasty, home-cooked food. I filled up, and it really hit the spot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvXmB2r9m1rBkTNuFHoUU8zyf53ShNSS1x4-AR54YWL5YcruZpwF1rA999kc3dNGQ8ZqwGgkJF_AFw9UfLilbuuj0IFNLFkZneMSfQWe7n-D3yL7HLe7khlT5WMop2DfhMJhquh29v0jd/s1600/transition+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvXmB2r9m1rBkTNuFHoUU8zyf53ShNSS1x4-AR54YWL5YcruZpwF1rA999kc3dNGQ8ZqwGgkJF_AFw9UfLilbuuj0IFNLFkZneMSfQWe7n-D3yL7HLe7khlT5WMop2DfhMJhquh29v0jd/s320/transition+food.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was definitely concerned about my third leg, which I started at 3:10 am. It was 4.89 miles and, although it was mostly downhill, the last mile had a 250' rise. I took my first half mile out at 3:18 (6:36 pace), which I soon realized was way too fast. I slowed down a bit and my next three miles were all around 7:30 pace. But then the hill came. It was pretty brutal, although I did pass three people. My Garmin beeped but I refused to look at it because I didn't want to know how slow I was going. About a third of a mile from the finish, a runner passed me, and I mustered up all the energy I could to try to stay with him. But I couldn't really hang on, and he finished quite a bit before me. So the splits for the last 2 miles were:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Mile 3.0 - 3.5 3:56 (7:52 pace)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Mile 3.5 - 4.0 4:04 (8:08 pace)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Mile 4.0 - 4.5 4:16 (8:32 pace....yikes!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Mile 4.5 - 4.89 3:10 (8:08 pace) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">This was my slowest leg, which I finished in 38:22 (7:50 pace). Ugh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tVyZ3tNEuLaj7s8ALqpjJ5u6ir9rb1ieys1uvk09Z8xFurcIHVmku4duvPkylF2Xhm5gkvH1I-M5IZMYiDzlYeathaDT0igNwJRAO63azgadjwk1MSUru78Nxnbwt2UduqxsMWvSURDN/s1600/rtb+leg+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tVyZ3tNEuLaj7s8ALqpjJ5u6ir9rb1ieys1uvk09Z8xFurcIHVmku4duvPkylF2Xhm5gkvH1I-M5IZMYiDzlYeathaDT0igNwJRAO63azgadjwk1MSUru78Nxnbwt2UduqxsMWvSURDN/s320/rtb+leg+18.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After leg 3, I pretty much passed out. I felt like crap. As you can see, I looked like crap too:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSy7h307-LJga1iDYwP2Ls2U6WTj6iERhHKayXu9DZfYuwDZz3zPbBb0WfgT0ZYDoSnaDaoWzu1r2SKnoO26Z-dT5gaMhVGclNr9yoCbps2Mgd0kYGjmVKbfh-dsTc8H265K4voNQVVTl/s1600/crap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSy7h307-LJga1iDYwP2Ls2U6WTj6iERhHKayXu9DZfYuwDZz3zPbBb0WfgT0ZYDoSnaDaoWzu1r2SKnoO26Z-dT5gaMhVGclNr9yoCbps2Mgd0kYGjmVKbfh-dsTc8H265K4voNQVVTl/s320/crap.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I ended up sleeping through the next several transitions. I just didn't have the energy to cheer on everyone or help give out Gatorade. Apparently, at one point I abruptly woke up from my slumber and yelled out mean/funny things about certain other people...I don't really remember, I was pretty delirious at that point.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJzCrKWa_2gpfIB4cF-_BLJA0BJOD0kMBiXbJ-Eer1yDQdNTVPLHm9KtGNBq3tsI3CJp9MEAttB877C2ASYpRgQNF4tUwwpj1tv1Aj0_qQHEIQy8X4AhzzC7nDdzLG-OaB788jv_rVCp2/s1600/sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJzCrKWa_2gpfIB4cF-_BLJA0BJOD0kMBiXbJ-Eer1yDQdNTVPLHm9KtGNBq3tsI3CJp9MEAttB877C2ASYpRgQNF4tUwwpj1tv1Aj0_qQHEIQy8X4AhzzC7nDdzLG-OaB788jv_rVCp2/s320/sunrise.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was really nervous about leg 4. It wasn't particularly difficult, except for a half-mile, 90 foot hill at mile 5.5 (pretty similar in size and distance to Harlem Hill), but it was my second longest run at 6.87 miles. I felt like my legs had nothing more to give. I popped an Aleve beforehand and hoped for the best. I don't remember very much about this leg, but it began at 7:45 am, so I didn't have to wear the stupid vest anymore. (You can see from the picture above that I had to put medical tape on my neck because the vest was chafing it so much.) The van stopped about halfway through to give me Gatorade. A woman passed me, going really fast and I couldn't keep up with her; that annoyed me. But I did manage to pass about a dozen other people. I finished in 51:42, for an average 7:31 pace on this leg. The half-mile that included the big hill was at 4:07 (8:14 pace).</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PVfCsdkOyIraZLnuuCrlbOIqiFxQyUiTraH3b2Kc8T4AXis4SGO1NgxRWLic_p5An5Z0LZEPvpJA42LBb5v11b03doj7TWHvyYKJFm2D6-8K9eN7J_07QFdJi-fyIdpQumTnHbEwKvCy/s1600/rtb+leg+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PVfCsdkOyIraZLnuuCrlbOIqiFxQyUiTraH3b2Kc8T4AXis4SGO1NgxRWLic_p5An5Z0LZEPvpJA42LBb5v11b03doj7TWHvyYKJFm2D6-8K9eN7J_07QFdJi-fyIdpQumTnHbEwKvCy/s320/rtb+leg+24.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Somewhere between my 4th and 5th legs, the "Real Front Runners" team passed us. I felt completely defeated. Of course, it wasn't really a competition, especially since they had twelve runners compared to our six. But we had been ahead up until now, and it was so disappointing that with their much fresher legs, they had caught up and then overtaken us. At this point, I started to get stressed out. Our teams were pretty much neck and neck. I was running against Manja from the Real Front Runners. Leg five was a short one, only 3.15 miles. It was 12:47 pm, and I felt like it was a new day. As I stood at the transition area with Manja, I saw that Mike, from my team, was the next runner to come in. He had taken the lead back for the Ultragays! I couldn't see where the next Real Front Runner was, so I knew I had a comfortable lead. I grabbed the baton/wristband from Mike and proceeded to BOOK IT out of there. My emotions were all over the place. But I knew I couldn't let myself get passed by Manja. I ran so friggin fast. My first half mile was 3:18 (6:36 pace). I knew there was no way I could sustain that speed, after already running over 24 miles. But I couldn't help it -- I was terrified at the prospect of being passed by another Front Runner. My first two miles were well under 7 minute pace. It was so hard. I looked over my shoulder after a left turn to see if he was behind me. I didn't see him, and let out a huge sigh of relief. I slowed down a tiny bit for the last mile, and made it to the transition at 21:38...a 6:52 pace, my fastest pace of the day! Manja must have been flying for that last mile too, though, because he came in right after me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the time I was up for the final leg of the race, the Real Front Runners had passed us again and were well ahead of us. I actually felt this was a bit of a relief. I couldn't bear another intensely stressful, fast leg. My last leg was 4.09 miles. It was also the very last leg of the relay, so I got to actually "Reach the Beach." The leg started at 3:40 in the afternoon, and I was so exhausted by this point after 24 hours of racing. The first two miles headed straight towards the beach, and the last two miles ran along the coastline. About a mile in, I could smell the sea air and I knew I was getting close. I had passed several people along the way. But one guy who I passed at mile 1 decided to stick with me. He proceeded to follow me, about 3 steps behind me, for the entire rest of the run. I couldn't shake him off. And he was pushing me to go faster and faster. All I wanted was for him to pass me so I could finish my last couple of miles without killing myself. But he just stuck on, three feet behind me. As we were at the last half mile or so, spectators were cheering for us. They loved the fact that we were almost neck-and-neck. I heard someone shout out that there was a fight to the finish. Around this time, I also heard, coming from above, people shouting "DAAAVE LIIIIINNN!" I didn't know who it was or where it came from, but it just pushed me to go harder and faster.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gj8_ORgBXeXHo2_JJ0J8eRv4d5ARkNiJj3inV-LRdsuUyLBLLYgRhDoom3KmlMAlqZlBmxVmnbCNrj4INch3870FhuuDF8XEQh85pgt24EGnMQQVxuSNov-nc8eiQyxWjit9K60TdIZc/s1600/finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gj8_ORgBXeXHo2_JJ0J8eRv4d5ARkNiJj3inV-LRdsuUyLBLLYgRhDoom3KmlMAlqZlBmxVmnbCNrj4INch3870FhuuDF8XEQh85pgt24EGnMQQVxuSNov-nc8eiQyxWjit9K60TdIZc/s320/finish.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then, with about a quarter mile left, I made a turn, and I had reached the beach! But... I had to run on.... SAND?!?! Not even packed beach sand but loose sand, that almost stopped me dead in my tracks. But I knew that the other guy was just a few feet behind me, so I kept pushing, trying to wade through the ankle-deep sand. And finally, FINALLY, I saw the finishing chute. I looked for my team but they were nowhere in sight. I heard other Front Runners though, cheering for me, and I just ran as hard as I could possibly go through that finish line.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was exhilarating. It was such of rush of emotions. I had no idea I could push myself that hard. I was so relieved it was over. I was so happy to see other Front Runners at the end to cheer me through. But I was so heartbroken that the rest of the Ultragays weren't there to share the moment with me (their van had apparently gotten stuck in traffic and couldn't make it to the finish in time).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That last leg, miles 27-31, was one of my faster ones, which I ran at a 7:04 pace. I was elated. This past year has been a tough one for me and my running. I knew I was undertrained. I've had to deal with my butt injury for almost a year now. Through x-rays, MRIs, loads of physical therapy, and even a steroid injection, my running (and my sanity) have taken quite a toll. I truly, really had doubts about whether I would be able to finish this race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXG8OpDQg6qt4dQ2-jcPGjNoFOwz2uQKGsBWaHeJ1a1MWhXE4Z_BfaDkEaj5pW_UftbEENPWPVoX5h0-ffbzjyTnt_iH0zumj6n_qzjovQ__EfMIqPsQ37zdIkMc_5ApBQSvn-aaIDL2sO/s1600/medals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXG8OpDQg6qt4dQ2-jcPGjNoFOwz2uQKGsBWaHeJ1a1MWhXE4Z_BfaDkEaj5pW_UftbEENPWPVoX5h0-ffbzjyTnt_iH0zumj6n_qzjovQ__EfMIqPsQ37zdIkMc_5ApBQSvn-aaIDL2sO/s320/medals.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But in the end, both my team and I (and my Club) did great. I finished my 31.49 miles at a 7:16 pace. A little bit slower than last year's 7:03 pace, but a solid time nonetheless. I felt great at the finish and proud that I could push myself so hard. My team, the Ultragays, was the fifth FRNY team, but I was so happy of our achievement. We finished the 209.06 miles at an astonishing 7:13 pace, enough to place us 25th out of 429 finishers (most of whom were 12-person teams). And even more important than our clock time, was the fact that we had just a great time together. Due to several dropouts, the Jewish holiday, injury and last minute conflicts, our team was not assembled until two days before we left for New Hampshire. At times, I had doubts about whether there would actually be an Ultragays team. But in the end, we all raced remarkably well, and we had a time that none of us will ever forget. Thanks Mike, Kyle, Peter, Onesimo, Evan and Paul for making Reach the Beach 2010 such a great, exciting, crazy, memorable and fun experience!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcEOzS9GnUSvapyeNZNsHZ8b8RbUNMHvIxZivqNewpEtTrN28NZWiNyFCEw0ph7kiEBo1FFEDTXQHZH_asDcLcphJL8u26FUOlklox2NJLyuRn2Sv1bicwmRbU4b_2G2yNhG8Eh7ibJ7o/s1600/results.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcEOzS9GnUSvapyeNZNsHZ8b8RbUNMHvIxZivqNewpEtTrN28NZWiNyFCEw0ph7kiEBo1FFEDTXQHZH_asDcLcphJL8u26FUOlklox2NJLyuRn2Sv1bicwmRbU4b_2G2yNhG8Eh7ibJ7o/s320/results.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Congratulations to all of the Front Runners New York teams, and to everyone who ran Reach the Beach!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><b></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><b><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">Team Name </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">Overall Category Cat/Plc. Pace Finish Time</span></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">-------- -------- -------- ---- ----------</span></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">FRNY Ultra Mission Men </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">10 </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> 1-Men Ultra 1/19 6:27 22:31:00</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">Front Runners Fast not Furious </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">13 </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> 1-Men Ultra 2/19 6:38 23:07:43</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">FRNY - The Clowns Will Get Me </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">19 </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> 1-Men Ultra 5/19 7:08 24:52:26</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">Real Front Runners of New York </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important;"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">24 </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> 2-Men Open 6/118 7:11 25:04:29</span></span></div><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">Front Runners NY Ultragays </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important;"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">25 </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> 1-Men Ultra 6/19 7:13 25:09:27</span></span></div><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">FRNY Ladies Tea Society </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important;"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">330 </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> 14-Mixed Open 104/148 8:53 30:58:53</span></span></div></b></span><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-39081300059247098082010-09-15T17:19:00.001-04:002010-09-15T17:55:26.241-04:00Oh My God, What Did I Get Myself Into?I am truly, truly, truly, truly terrified. In 24 hours, I will be riding in a van full of Front Runners to run in the Reach the Beach Relay, a 200-mile relay race that starts in New Hampshire's White Mountains and ends at the Atlantic coast. This will be my fourth time running Reach the Beach. But I've never been so scared to do it.<br />
<br />
The first two times I ran RTB, I was in a "regular" 12-person team. 200 miles divided by 12 people isn't too bad... about 16 miles total, spread out over three legs in around 24 hours. Last year, I was in an "Ultra" team, so there were only six of us splitting up the 200 miles in six legs each. I ran about 31 miles last year, and it was so brutal. I hated every second of it. I hated running up hills in the pitch black darkness, having no idea how much farther the hill would go on, or even if my next step would be up or downhill. I hated running completely sleep-deprived, to the point where I was imagining other runners creeping up behind me when there was no one, absolutely no one, within half a mile of me. I hated running 20 miles of the steepest hills I had ever experienced only to realize that I still had 11 more miserable miles to go. I even hated finishing each leg, because I knew that I had less than three hours before I had to do the whole thing all over again. <br />
<br />
And most of all, I hated the fact that there was another Front Runner team, perfectly matched up against us in their pace, who ran almost side-by-side with us throughout the whole race. It was so intense. So stressful. I just wanted it to be over as soon as it started. I had never been so exhausted, scared, miserable, almost delirious in my life.<br />
<br />
And as soon as it was over, I couldn't wait to do it again. It was the most amazing experience ever. I have never felt myself pushed to the absolute limits quite like that, both mentally and physically. I was in a great van with people who were among my very best friends in the world, whose support, encouragement, camaraderie and general craziness helped pull us through those 209 excruciating miles. It was an experience I will never forget.<br />
<br />
But this year, things are different. My running has been crap. I still have this damn butt issue that I think is just never going to go away. And after last year's experience, I'm just plain scared. And to top it off, I'm just getting over a cold now, which kept me from running over the past few days. And my ankle is still sore from when I, in a state of semi-drunkeness combined with lack of adequate lighting, fell off the boardwalk in Fire Island several weeks ago.<br />
<br />
When I realized that RTB was fast approaching about a month ago, I tried to ramp up my running a bit. I've met this with some very limited success. Last week, I joined the Front Runners on the Saturday long run. It was supposed to be an 18-miler, from W. 73rd Street around the northern tip of Manhattan. I started off the run kind of following my running buddies Mikey and Matt. But after about 4-5 miles I realized that there was just no way I could keep up with them for 18 miles. So I fell back a little, and I started running with Jim.<br />
<br />
Jim promptly got us lost. Ugh, I was so annoyed. Not because of where we ended up, though. He had led us into Inwood Hill Park, at the very northernmost tip of Manhattan. It was my first time in the park and it was actually quite nice, with some pretty dramatic views. Its valleys, boulders and ridges were apparently formed by glaciers thousands of years ago and seem virtually untouched since then. I was happy to have discovered this new part of New York City that I had never known of.<br />
<br />
I was annoyed, though, that our 18-miler was going to turn into a 20-miler. However, we ended up accidentally taking a shortcut, which cut about a mile and a half off from our run, so we were back on course without that much added mileage. I was so relieved. At ten miles into our run, though, I began to feel like I had had enough. I was thinking of places to turn off and just take the subway back. The last 5 miles of the planned route had us going along the last five miles of the New York City Marathon, and I couldn't imagine going up that endless 5th Avenue hill. In the back of my mind, I thought maybe I would run to Marcus Garvey Park (around mile 13.5) and just call it a day.<br />
<br />
About 12.5 miles in, Jim clipped his foot on the uneven sidewalk and fell, scraping himself up a bit. He was fine, but that was the end of his run. (One mildly amusing sidenote: several people witnessed the incident and told Jim to call a lawyer. Jim and I are both lawyers!) I did not trip. But I was handed the perfect excuse to cut my own run short. I decided to hitch a ride back to the start with Jim, ostensibly to make sure he was OK, but in reality, I just had enough. I went back to the church, somewhat disappointed and ashamed that I couldn't finish the long run.<br />
<br />
That afternoon, though, I forced myself to go outside and finish the last six miles. It was slow. And instead of the gentle incline of 5th Avenue and the rolling hills of Central Park, I did my six miles with Dane on the pancake-flat boardwalk in the Jersey Shore. I wasn't proud of my running that day, but at least I got in my miles. I viewed it as a small victory in getting back, slowly, into shape.<br />
<br />
The Tuesday afterwards I made myself go to the outdoor Central Park workout. It was my first workout since May or June, and it was a tough one: two times 25 minutes of nonstop hill running. Just up and down and up and down Harlem Hill, continuously for 25 minutes. The first time I did ok, but the second one, I pretty much fell apart. The awful thing about this workout was that since it was just going back and forth a bunch of times up and down the hill, everyone who was running downhill could see the pain and agony on my face as I struggled to trudge uphill. Many people offered words of encouragement--"Keep it up, Dave!"--but I just wanted to hide in a hole somewhere. The only thing that kept me going was my fear of being lapped by Josh and Rich. Each time I reached the bottom, I contemplated stopping and cutting the run short, but I felt that would be even more embarrassing. So I just kept going, slowly, through the 25 minutes of agony.<br />
<br />
With last week's disappointments, though, came some runs that I thought were pretty successful. On Wednesday's fun run, I ran the full six-mile loop with Matt. When I got to Harlem Hill this time, I charged up it like a speed demon, doing whatever I could to redeem myself after the prior day's disappointing workout. It felt so great, so exhilarating, to be able to climb with such power. And then, when we hit the last mile or so, Matt and I kicked it up even more. It felt like an all-out race, but I didn't let myself fall back. WOW! I had almost forgotten how it felt to run fast. It was so much fun! Matt's Garmin said we finished that last mile in 5:53...amazing! I haven't run a mile that fast in a very, very, very long time. It made me feel like I'm back, back to running!<br />
<br />
And on Saturday, I ran the Fitness Magazine 4-Miler. It wasn't one of my faster 4-milers, but I think I did respectably well. It was the first race in a long time where I pushed myself. My final time was 27:02, or a 6:45 pace (splits were 6:46, 6:41, :59, 6:36). I'm encouraged, though, because I know I've been getting faster, and I know I can do even better.<br />
<br />
I just don't think I can do much better by Friday, when I have to run 31 miles. :-/<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The evening after Dane and I ran our six miles on the boardwalk in Jersey, we went to <a href="http://jimmysitalianrestaurant.com/">Jimmy's Italian Restaurant</a> in Asbury Park with Josh and Chris. Jimmy's is one of those old school, old world New Jersey Italian restaurants where you would maybe expect to see Tony Soprano sitting at the next table. They serve classic Italian dishes in hearty portions. I got the linguine with broccoli rabe and sausage and Chris got the lasagne, pictured below. The food was among the best Italian that I've had in a very long time. Josh got the veal marsala, which was soooo good. I never order veal because, you know, the whole animal cruelty thing. But every time I taste a little bit, I feel like I've been missing out on a little bit of heaven. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguanIfdfduhU8vGS065C1JvioHFXifMd1D1J3inGqtD5sSZJbcDFM2iGQEhCCXoouXwDBsougMVYbrX967EjIqiTPA4X_o1vR2ohdJTXU1r89cEiTWG7J_aU7yvx_UWmVPQnRscMpgOnZW/s1600/2010-09-04_22-22-13_170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguanIfdfduhU8vGS065C1JvioHFXifMd1D1J3inGqtD5sSZJbcDFM2iGQEhCCXoouXwDBsougMVYbrX967EjIqiTPA4X_o1vR2ohdJTXU1r89cEiTWG7J_aU7yvx_UWmVPQnRscMpgOnZW/s320/2010-09-04_22-22-13_170.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3ZuDzEIc2NrPM60BwGHBEwc-W0D-whtAC9gYoUNbg7dPnR6n9M1xS7-VwDYfsMhsQBNgGHkDoIRFcEK2qywr1VAKXyNj4WSUXYvTxKu8Wnivsvpz9CpWxzRQ70ngR9zKwbt0VFrv26s0/s1600/2010-09-04_22-21-57_880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3ZuDzEIc2NrPM60BwGHBEwc-W0D-whtAC9gYoUNbg7dPnR6n9M1xS7-VwDYfsMhsQBNgGHkDoIRFcEK2qywr1VAKXyNj4WSUXYvTxKu8Wnivsvpz9CpWxzRQ70ngR9zKwbt0VFrv26s0/s320/2010-09-04_22-21-57_880.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-63128238084792166132010-08-24T19:20:00.000-04:002010-08-24T19:20:59.422-04:0024-Hour Half IronmanI did my first Half Ironman this weekend! Well, not really. But within 24 hours, I did 14-mile run, a 70-mile bike ride, and a one-mile ocean swim, all with some good friends. I think I felt just as exhausted afterwards as I would have if it were a real half ironman. But I definitely had more fun.<br />
<br />
On Saturday, I did my first long run of the season. I received a horrifying reminder last week from Mikey B that the <a href="http://www.rtbrelay.com/">Reach the Beach Relay</a> was just four and a half weeks away. RTB is a 200-mile relay race that starts on the northern edge of New Hampshire's White Mountains, and winds its way through fields, lakesides, moutaintop vistas, and many, many, many small towns, to eventually finish at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire's little slice of the Atlantic oceanfront. A normal Reach the Beach team consists of 12 runners, each running three legs of varying distances to cover the 200 miles. This year will be my fourth year running RTB, and my second year as part of an Ultra team ("Team FRNY Ultragays!"). The Ultra teams consist of just six runners, running six legs each. Each runner will cover between 27 and 44 miles. You can see why I'd be nervous that it's just four weeks away.<br />
<br />
So I guess I need to get in shape. The official Front Runners Long Run this weekend was <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/ny/new%20york/729128258817197963">14 miles, from Rutgers Church, down Park Avenue and across the Brooklyn Bridge and back.</a> This route took advantage of <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/home/home.shtml">Summer Streets</a>, where the city closed down Park Ave to traffic for three Saturdays in August. I thought this would be the perfect first long run of the season since the many traffic lights along the way would mean frequent breaks. My plan was to go and hope that someone would be up for running some sloooow miles with me.<br />
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Luckily Michael O showed up and we decided to run together. It was the perfect relaxed pace for me, and I got to catch up on all of the good club gossip that I've been missing out on. :-) Running with Michael is always fun because he has such great stories to tell, and it makes the miles go by so much quicker. <br />
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I'm not gonna lie, though. This was my first long run since the Brooklyn Half, and it really felt like my first long run. At mile 12, the two of us walked for a few minutes. But in the end, we finished, with plenty of time for bagels at the church afterwards, and I felt pretty good. For the next four weeks, I'm planning on beefing up my running, doing a full 6 miles (or more) on Wednesdays, and maybe even doing the Tuesday hill workouts (starting out slowly). In four weeks, 27 miles will be a snap.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
Forty-five minutes after we left the fun run on Saturday, Rachel, Mike and I met up again--this time, with our biking gear on the Westside Highway to go on our ride to Asbury Park. The plan was to bike down to the World Trade Center PATH station, take the train to Newark, and then <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=NJ-21+S&daddr=NJ-21+S+to:NJ-21+S+to:Emmett+St+to:Frelinghuysen+Ave+to:Frelinghuysen+Ave+to:Broad+St+to:Elizabeth+Ave+to:S+Elmora+Ave+to:S+Elmora+Ave+to:W+Elizabeth+Ave/State+Route+514+to:Main+St+to:Cutters+Dock+Rd+to:Amboy+Ave/Co+Rd+653+to:Amboy+Ave/Co+Rd+653+to:Prospect+St+to:County+Rd+684/Main+St+to:County+Rd+673/Ernston+Rd+to:Bordentown+Ave/County+Rd+615+to:Kearney+Ave+to:County+Rd+516/Old+Bridge+Matawan+Rd+to:40.334899,-73.974037+to:Ocean+Blvd+to:Ocean+Blvd+to:Kingsley+St&geocode=FQaObQIddU-U-w;FbSGbQIddEyU-w;FSKCbQId3EiU-w;FehXbQIdNBmU-w;FS5MbQIdvACU-w;FS72bAIdeM2T-w;FRqGbAIdbJGT-w;FeZzbAIdYpGT-w;FTRcbAId3FuT-w;FUpWbAIdbGST-w;FaLGawId0MmS-w;FcbRagId9p6S-w;FYimagIdLK-S-w;FdOCagIdVbSS-w;FWI2agIdDqWS-w;FQQmagIdgqSS-w;FbjgaQId_mSS-w;FXtlaQIdYReS-w;FSgcaQIdKfOR-w;FfKdaAIdIluR-w;FQaZaAIdiO6S-w;;FYz9ZgIdtiKX-w;FRjVZgIdfh-X-w;Fda3ZQIdKNKW-w&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=21&sz=13&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23&dirflg=b&sll=40.349553,-73.968372&sspn=0.093409,0.154324&ie=UTF8&lci=bike&ll=40.532589,-73.957214&spn=0.745237,1.234589&z=10">bike down from Newark to Asbury Park</a>. Getting out to Newark Penn Station took us a little longer than expected, and we didn't really start our bike ride under about 2:45.<br />
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The first 20 miles were the worst part of the trip. It was very urban, somewhat technical, and not particularly fun. I suppose there's no better way, though, to get out of Newark (other than, of course, taking the NJ Transit further South, but that feels like cheating). About 10 miles into the ride, we had a little picnic of Clif Bars and Gu in Rahway, where we took this picture:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4JERwjzT7PgeoN48YaqGikb4s8oDlMQc_vTmEjJrbXVaHJZZpSCKu-HDmKg5ixZpXphZL5EP10CQuHOnkvJOoThpRzr2z84A3nzy4182uT9Bz9se5EiK7hkAqGLWxCRlcRi0a8hC0VeX/s1600/image001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4JERwjzT7PgeoN48YaqGikb4s8oDlMQc_vTmEjJrbXVaHJZZpSCKu-HDmKg5ixZpXphZL5EP10CQuHOnkvJOoThpRzr2z84A3nzy4182uT9Bz9se5EiK7hkAqGLWxCRlcRi0a8hC0VeX/s320/image001.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Then we were off again. At about mile 20, we hit one of the highlights of the ride, which was crossing the <a href="http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/roads/rt35victory/">Victory Bridge</a> over the Raritan River in New Jersey. The bridge connects Perth Amboy to the North and Sayreville to the South. With a 440 feet span, it has the distinction of being the longest precast cantilever segmental bridge in the country (whatever that means). It was also the hardest hill climb in an otherwise completely flat course. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/roads/rt35victory/images/sunsetbridgelg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/roads/rt35victory/images/sunsetbridgelg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(This isn't my picture, but it's a pretty one of the bridge)</div><br />
It was around this time that I got my first flat tire. I didn't notice it pop or anything, I just felt something wasn't quite right. Mike was riding behind me and he actually pointed out to me that I got a flat. It wasn't really a big deal, since I had <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/06/hot-hot-hot-half.html">changed a flat before</a> and I brought two spare tubes with me. It was actually a nice little break from riding, and I got to practice changing a flat. This was my first rear-wheel flat, so Rachel had to show me how to disengage the chain from the gears. But other than that, it was a breeze and we were soon on our way again.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHsY7ygFZjWezVfXFIXVe208mdN72uVoBob0ki9GHHlNITkF1_G6L4PndHbEdvTgJAysQGpdGgEwLVquNYYMHpBN0lzbITrvnu_3KoySMGSULY2249v_ezL3xVkZ51zMA8mT2r2AzEeWE/s1600/image002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHsY7ygFZjWezVfXFIXVe208mdN72uVoBob0ki9GHHlNITkF1_G6L4PndHbEdvTgJAysQGpdGgEwLVquNYYMHpBN0lzbITrvnu_3KoySMGSULY2249v_ezL3xVkZ51zMA8mT2r2AzEeWE/s320/image002.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Two miles later, I got a second flat, this time in my front wheel. I couldn't believe it. I had gone hundreds of miles with only one flat tire, and then all of a sudden I get two flats in 10 minutes? What are the odds? This time, I must have hit or run over something, because I suddenly heard a very loud hissing sound coming from below, and in a matter of a few seconds all the air was gone. I had an extra spare tube, so again, it was no problem, and we were on our way again.<br />
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Then we got a little lost. Our cue sheet told us to turn left on Cheesequake Road from Bordentown Ave in Old Bridge, NJ. Well, apparently Cheesequake Road intersects with Bordentown Ave at two different locations, about a mile apart. So that took us a while to figure out. And then we had to renavigate because the cue sheet told us to go on Old Water Works Road, which, we found out a little too late, was an unpaved road. Ugh. Fortunately, <a href="http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/ci.Motorola-DROID-X-US-EN.vertical">my new cell phone</a> has a fancy GPS function, so we were not left stranded.<br />
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About 35 miles into our ride, we hit our first segment of the <a href="http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?Id=2525">Henry Hudson Bike Trail</a>. The 22-mile trail transverses Monmouth County, New Jersey, from the marshy regions of the Bayshore to the woods and fields of Marlboro and Freehold, NJ. Much of the trail is tree-lined, with some pretty views of surrounding wetlands, streams and fields. By this time, it was starting to get a little dark. It wasn't too bad, but the treetops blocked what little light there was. <br />
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Around mile 42, we made a stop in Keansburg, NJ for some pizza. It felt good to fuel up and rest our legs a bit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1xXJYeT1BlFFhJw6uodAFNCPZGdrajW3c4lpWL_AdKmmJrwzodNMkhp8gPn1TVjoivKWP58UP2_rBdk4w5IbaRwfZWLOB_bWxIFswAPuEbmfmJ4pnfTpBGmXAI6ULD5l3l5Cff8irEWd/s1600/image003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1xXJYeT1BlFFhJw6uodAFNCPZGdrajW3c4lpWL_AdKmmJrwzodNMkhp8gPn1TVjoivKWP58UP2_rBdk4w5IbaRwfZWLOB_bWxIFswAPuEbmfmJ4pnfTpBGmXAI6ULD5l3l5Cff8irEWd/s320/image003.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Our planned route had us switching over from the Henry Hudson Bike Path to the <a href="http://www.boblucky.com/Biking/NewJersey/Bayshore/Bayshore.html">Bayshore Trail, a scenic bike path the hugs the waterfront of the Raritan Bay</a>, and then <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Ave+D&daddr=Ocean+Ave&hl=en&geocode=FU6maAIdnB2W-w;Fc9gZwIdIDqX-w&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=13&dirflg=b&sll=40.352562,-74.014549&sspn=0.115382,0.198269&ie=UTF8&ll=40.393757,-74.013348&spn=0.115312,0.198269&z=13&lci=bike">across the Highland Bridge into Sea Bright</a> (on the northern, barrier peninsula part of the Jersey Shore). A random guy passing by in a truck told us that it was <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Ave+D&daddr=Center+Ave+to:1st+Ave+to:40.404118,-74.020858+to:Ocean+Ave&hl=en&geocode=FU6maAIdnB2W-w;FQKuaAIdNj-W-w;FaeZaAIdbj2W-w;;Fc9gZwIdIDqX-w&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=3&sz=15&via=1,2,3&dirflg=b&sll=40.412254,-74.022102&sspn=0.02882,0.049567&ie=UTF8&z=15&lci=bike">just a straight shot on Route 36</a> that would bring us directly to the Highland Bridge. I'm not sure why, but we decided to take his advice, even though it deviated from out map. Big mistake. Before we knew it, we were on Route 36/Memorial Parkway, a scary highway with really fast cars and barely any shoulder. Not a good place to be as the sun was setting.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Fortunately, this was about the time that I got my third flat tire. Now, when this happened, I kind of thought to myself, "OMG, we're all doomed." We're in the middle of a highway, 20 miles away from our destination, with no idea how to get there and I keep getting flat tires every few miles. As I changed my flat, starting to get nervous about the whole situation, Mike looks again at the GPS on my phone. He found a new route for us, <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Ave+D&daddr=Center+Ave+to:1st+Ave+to:Leonardville+Rd%2FValley+Dr+E+to:40.361523,-73.998585+to:Ocean+Ave&geocode=FU6maAIdnB2W-w%3BFQKuaAIdNj-W-w%3BFaeZaAIdbj2W-w%3BFXxtaAIdcISW-w%3B%3BFc9gZwIdIDqX-w&hl=en&mra=dvme&mrcr=0&mrsp=4&sz=15&via=1,2,3,4&dirflg=b&sll=40.373359,-73.995495&sspn=0.028837,0.049567&ie=UTF8&ll=40.366689,-73.994465&spn=0.115358,0.198269&z=13&lci=bike">taking us off the highway, across the Navesink River, into Rumson, and across the Shrewsbury River Bridge into the Southern part of Sea Bright</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlE2OluuUBWYYK2XWnt9lcK6qVCfmb_y-gqoaDwHms7ZkuMPDqqDpVCn8B2zo9fvtnxQkPAbu7bLoQkbXeoeegUpFymubak2MQw1697ARowNKrNQS_5cuU5XwFGqFlbfLocqdhUKi9PBU0/s1600/image006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlE2OluuUBWYYK2XWnt9lcK6qVCfmb_y-gqoaDwHms7ZkuMPDqqDpVCn8B2zo9fvtnxQkPAbu7bLoQkbXeoeegUpFymubak2MQw1697ARowNKrNQS_5cuU5XwFGqFlbfLocqdhUKi9PBU0/s320/image006.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It turned out that the new route Mike found not only allowed us to escape the scary highway, but it brought us to what I thought was the biggest highlight of the ride, the Oceanic Bridge. The 2,712 foot bridge connects Rumson and Middletown over the Navesink River. There's a marina by the bridge, and it all just looked really spectacular. I wish I took a picture, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pentastisch/4145302183/">but the one here</a> gives some sort of idea.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div>Shortly after we crossed the bridge, we had FINALLY made our way to the Jersey Shore! But we were still about 10 miles away from Asbury Park. The ride from Sea Bright to Asbury, though, was a pleasant one, well lit and a straight shot down Ocean Avenue, and it's a route that we had all covered much of during the Metroman Triathlon.<br />
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As we rode down Ocean Ave, I felt energized and started pedaling stronger. I went over a bump, and seconds later I heard Rachel calling my name. Apparently something had fell from my bike. Mike circled around and went to see what it was. It turned out that my WALLET had fallen from my bag, which I had left unzipped since my flat tire about five miles ago! Wow, I was glad Rachel caught that. And I was glad that it didn't fall out about 2 miles earlier, when we were biking on the darker residential roads. And I was glad that my keys, in the same unzipped pocked, didn't fall out. Disaster (barely) averted!!<br />
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Off we go again. As we reach Long Brach (about 8 miles from Asbury), we got ANOTHER flat! This time it was Mike's tire, though. I was so happy that, for once, it wasn't me who got the flat! Since Mike had given me his spare tube, he had to use Rachel's. Which meant that, for our last 8 miles, we had no more spares!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtnuNdXQ0czECjrNxWIC8NbfJj3fOMmOSBZR7jEqfO6HsahHeDDsyOzBqykoey_MYBGMeFMX-YXYm1iO7G8T50Zuuv5U9LXAaW4PmOTvW9F7_MMIaK-03cnYnJVtcdFGUuciNTVLIUSDP/s1600/image010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtnuNdXQ0czECjrNxWIC8NbfJj3fOMmOSBZR7jEqfO6HsahHeDDsyOzBqykoey_MYBGMeFMX-YXYm1iO7G8T50Zuuv5U9LXAaW4PmOTvW9F7_MMIaK-03cnYnJVtcdFGUuciNTVLIUSDP/s320/image010.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77PTyOFhn95C7a_vzlMEKpZvhnshZb7F0higjTom3ubSiqaT87OZlilRjnVlDXyZLRP2ZdAPxtRaAB_7jND1Xqk_CMS0vtQPYUK2nbhJWtPbmm_YizKtRI6wCUneGYahYg1I4xHSeVufJ/s1600/image009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77PTyOFhn95C7a_vzlMEKpZvhnshZb7F0higjTom3ubSiqaT87OZlilRjnVlDXyZLRP2ZdAPxtRaAB_7jND1Xqk_CMS0vtQPYUK2nbhJWtPbmm_YizKtRI6wCUneGYahYg1I4xHSeVufJ/s320/image009.jpg" /></a></div><br />
But finally, after 70 miles, four flat tires, and many, many, many hours, we made it to Asbury Park! By that time, we were all completely physically drained. But we were so happy we made it. We were also famished. So we biked directly to <a href="http://www.oldmanraffertys.com/">Old Man Rafferty's</a>, where the other patrons' and waiters' jaws dropped when we told them we biked in from Newark. We each had a delicious (and big!) dinner, topped off with two slices of their decadent desserts (peanut butter silk and rocky road cake)! Yummmmm! It was a great end to a wonderful, crazy and exhausting day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fjuLHOsYLRGu3RMQM2qq1xdlp1H_-6WpVlvL5nbQQ-IVQECE_7nS6mC8eSJM2_U6VKe40yumkMLO69q8taxbXYwN0QAXyeKoYI8qXE5SNiSNHSbsh5UA3FQGchvu5h2ENiZzlDe4nUex/s1600/image011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fjuLHOsYLRGu3RMQM2qq1xdlp1H_-6WpVlvL5nbQQ-IVQECE_7nS6mC8eSJM2_U6VKe40yumkMLO69q8taxbXYwN0QAXyeKoYI8qXE5SNiSNHSbsh5UA3FQGchvu5h2ENiZzlDe4nUex/s320/image011.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">So one of us had the bright idea to do a swim race the next morning. I don't think any of us could believe we were actually going to go through with it. But sure enough, we all woke up at 6:15 Sunday morning to bike the 7 miles from Asbury to Sea Girt for the 15th Annual Sea Girt Ocean Mile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">To say my entire body was sore from the run and the bike ride the day before was an understatement. I figured, though, that I could do the swim at an easy pace with no pressure. My legs felt kind of like Jello, so there would not be much kicking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">When we got to Sea Girt, the ocean didn't seem too bad. Alison, who lives in Monmouth Beach, also came down for the swim. She said the water was quite choppy today. But again, it didn't seem so bad to me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">I don't remember if I said this before, but I'm becoming quite the pro at running into the water and diving underneath the waves. Just a couple of months ago, I couldn't make myself go under the waves at all, it just terrified me to much to have the waving crashing over me. But now I think it's actually kind of fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">Once we got into the water, though, it was like the waves didn't stop. On my previous swims, we would just swim out past the waves and then the rest of the swim would be pretty smooth. Not this time. I finally realized what Alison meant by "choppy." I felt like I was in a clothes dryer being tumbled around. There was no way to escape it. I kept going up and down, up and down, and getting pushed around by the water. It was so hard, I couldn't swim in a straight line. And to make things worse, there were absolutely no buoys on the course to help guide the way--only one at the start and two waaaaayyy down at the turnaround point, so they might as well have been invisible because they were half a mile away and I couldn't see where they were for most of the swim.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">I honestly didn't know if I could finish it. The field of swimmers had drastically thinned out, and I was just starting out the swim and couldn't see where the buoys were at the turn. I tried to calm myself mentally when I realized that I would probably have to swim the whole race with no other swimmers anywhere near me. For a moment, I got nervous, thinking that the lifeguards with with the rest of the swimmers, and I was all by myself. It was a little bit terrifying. And, my goggles were super fogged up, so it was hard to see where I was going. And every time I stopped swimming to take the goggles off so I could see, I ended up swallowing a big gulp of seawater. So it was easier to just put my head down and swim, hoping I was going in the right direction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">Eventually, some of the faster swimmers started coming toward me, which made me realize I was going in the right direction and I was approaching the turnaround. A while later, I finally made it to the bouys, turned around, and headed back again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">But, again, there were no buoys on the course, and I had no idea where I was going, and the waves were pushing me in all different directions. Probably 5 minutes after the turnaround, a lifeguard on a canoe stopped me. He asked if I had already done the turnaround. I said yes. So he asked me why I was swimming back toward the bouys that marked the turn. I was so confused. It took me a second to figure out what had happenned, but apparently the waves had pushed me around a full 180 degrees without me noticing it. The lifeguard pointed me in the right direction, and sent me off, shouting out: "Concentrate on your navigation!" How embarrassing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">I still couldn't see where that damn buoy was that marked the end. A few moments later there was another lifeguard. I asked her if I was going in the right direction, and she said I was. Then I asked her if I was the last swimmer. She laughed and said, "Not at all!" This made me feel a lot better. Of course, I spent the next few minutes wondering if she was lying to me, so I asked the next lifeguard the same thing, and he also said I wasn't. By this time I had seen the buoy and was able to focus on finishing. I could see the huge crowd of finishers gathered on the beach--and knowing that Mike, Rachel and Alison were there, I tried as hard as I could to show them a strong finish. I heard them screaming my name as I exited the water and ran as fast as I could on my wobbly legs to the finish line. As I ran by them, I knew they had been standing there for about twenty minutes waiting for me, but I was just so glad to get out of that water and finish. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">Of course, I forgot to look at my time as I finished, but I think it was around 49 minutes. My slowest one-mile swim ever, and a full 15 minutes slower than my swim last week. My place, I think, was 127 out of 145. Still towards the bottom, but definitely not in last place. I was happy, though. This was probably my most challenging swim ever, and I made it. Even better, it meant that I was done with exercising for the weekend!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2563456595030822692.post-45539734273116970142010-08-18T21:56:00.002-04:002010-08-19T11:29:28.572-04:00Born to Tri and a Different Kind of Butt Issue<div style="text-align: left;">The other weekend I did the <a href="http://www.jsmultisport.com/born_to_tri_081609.shtml">Born to Tri Sprint Triathlon</a>, another tri in Asbury Park, NJ. This one was a 500m ocean swim, 15 mile bike and 3.5 mile run. It was also the same day as the <a href="http://www.nyrr.org/nyrunner/team_championships.asp">NYRR Club Team Championships</a>, which is usually a big race for Front Runners. My running has been kind of sucky / nonexistent lately, though, so I decided to skip the race for the tri.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I went with my friend <a href="http://andrewthetrainer.com/">Andrew</a>, who some of you might remember <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/06/hot-hot-hot-half.html">did the Jersey Shore Kickoff Triathlon with me</a> in May. </div><br />
The swim was a point-to-point swim, and the start was in the ocean (not on the beach). I had mixed feelings about the start. On the one hand, it meant that I didn't have to start the swim by diving into the crashing waves, a la Baywatch, which always makes me nervous. But I also hate wasting all my energy treading water before the race even starts. And the ocean start made the treading water even worse because the waves kept making everyone crash into each other, and that meant getting kneed in the stomach a million times. Very annoying.<br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The swim itself went very smoothly. It was so short that it was over as soon as it started, and I was with the pack pretty much the whole time. The bike ride was pretty uneventful, except that my bike is full of problems. For one thing, my cyclocomputer is a piece of crap; the little sensor thing that registers how fast my wheel is spinning is held in place by just a little zip-tie, so it seems like every time I go over a small bump, it gets all out of alignment and stops telling me how fast I'm going. Also, I've been meaning to have my bike checked out because I think there is a gear shifting problem. When I shift from the big front gear to the small one, half of the time my chain shifts too much and falls off the gears. Because of that, I usually just stay in the big front gear the whole time. I'm guessing this is an easy alignment issue, so if someone knows how to fix it, please let me know.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the end of my bike ride, I remembered advice that Chris Stoia had given me. For about the last 20 seconds or so, I shifted my bike into the lowest gear and just spun my legs as fast as I could. Apparently this gets your legs ready for the run by loosening them up and changing the blood flow or something. I'm not sure I noticed a big difference, although I guess it didn't hurt.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The run for me was actually quite tough. I haven't been running at all recently. I was just hoping that I wouldn't have to walk--my last fun "run" the previous Wednesday turned out to be a disastrous 3-mile jog/walk (although it was around 90 degrees and humid). However, I was happy that, as hard as the run was, I did pass a bunch of people, maybe 20 or so. That was a good self-esteem booster. But I did get passed by two people. The first one was a woman. She was fast, and just whizzed by me within the first half mile of my run. I figured she was probably the first place woman, so I didn't really mind getting passed by her. The second guy who passed me, though, I was annoyed about. I passed him about 100 meters from the finish line; he looked like he was in bad shape. But then, like 5 seconds after I passed him, he gets this burst of energy, sprints to the finish like it was a 60-meter dash, and leaves me in the dust. I could sense that he was trying to humiliate me for having passed him. But I didn't have the energy or desire to play his my-penis-is-so-big-because-I-smoked-you-at-the-finish game. In retrospect, I should have just kicked his butt.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_X5fu02hzj9w_jDEYseRtit_h4PeRso8mRMtaXVpsYd5N4jg5M800J43q8SY64QPlScHVtQ-4MgfreuWKD_QMgGJmd1WCdbxRQOyEkrk90US8pFH8-23c7-8AGLb9paNxwg2s8FsUnph/s1600/dsc_7864_(small).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_X5fu02hzj9w_jDEYseRtit_h4PeRso8mRMtaXVpsYd5N4jg5M800J43q8SY64QPlScHVtQ-4MgfreuWKD_QMgGJmd1WCdbxRQOyEkrk90US8pFH8-23c7-8AGLb9paNxwg2s8FsUnph/s320/dsc_7864_(small).jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the end, though, I was pleased with my performance. I actually placed in the top half of my age group. My bike and swim still need a lot of work. But I'm getting more comfortable with both, and with practice, I think I'll see my times go down. Here are my splits:</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Age place 14/31</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Overall place 81/273</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Swim rank 23/31</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Swim time 11:27.9</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Swim rate 1.73</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">T-1 1:16.4</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bike rank 16/31</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bike 42:41.5</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bike rate 19.7</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">T-2 0:50.4</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Run rank 11/31</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Run time 22:45.4</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Run pace 7:15</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Total time 1:19:01.6</span></li>
</ul></blockquote></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOtjQ1dm3z28GNwh6flR3IzzpdoOvzR6OFjOGj67xgfJM4etIZaATZH6_cvOBNiciq8qLnokJOx0dDc9_z8CYd8bIzHu2eLx3egyjvX0W9pbx8UbJZO1NnMr596a-saazgMOkQJLwo2P6/s1600/borntotri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOtjQ1dm3z28GNwh6flR3IzzpdoOvzR6OFjOGj67xgfJM4etIZaATZH6_cvOBNiciq8qLnokJOx0dDc9_z8CYd8bIzHu2eLx3egyjvX0W9pbx8UbJZO1NnMr596a-saazgMOkQJLwo2P6/s320/borntotri.jpg" /></a></span></div></span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I mentioned in <a href="http://runningtodinner.blogspot.com/2010/07/lockport-100-mile-relay.html">my earlier post</a> that a group of us Front Runners spent the weekend at Derek's parents' house in Lockport, NY for the 100-mile relay. What I forgot to mention was all the tasty food Derek's mom cooked for us. Mrs. Petti is a whiz with the Crockpot, and had prepared for us a bunch of delicious slow-cooked dishes, including a tasty barbecue pulled pork. It was so good that it inspired me to make my own.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had never made pulled pork before, but the recipes online all made it sound really simple. (1) take a big-ass piece of pork, (2) cook it for hours and hours, (3) shred it, (4) add some barbecue sauce, and (5) cook it a little more.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, I started by going to the place I always go to whenever I want a big-ass hunk of meat, Western Beef. Despite its name, they also have every cut of pork imaginable. I ended up getting a pork shoulder (also called a "<a href="http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/porkbuttselect.html">pork butt</a>". It was about eight pounds of meat. For under 10 bucks. Wow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyw6w2Pv0T1NvaFasxnyrXphcmWKQbvlj4yVivAz204lItAlz4rSyREnyzMNXNg4NeYT85qqQVLPJcYYTGiYBN2HK0InoO5w88EEweTU8iRd-HSwWv9VWXoJEH2TFgX6TZKO9bMKLkHLd/s1600/pork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyw6w2Pv0T1NvaFasxnyrXphcmWKQbvlj4yVivAz204lItAlz4rSyREnyzMNXNg4NeYT85qqQVLPJcYYTGiYBN2HK0InoO5w88EEweTU8iRd-HSwWv9VWXoJEH2TFgX6TZKO9bMKLkHLd/s320/pork.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I got home, I discovered that my eight-pound butt was about four pounds too big for my crockpot. So I broke out my ginormous 22-quart stock pot, the only thing I had that it would fit into. Other than a chopped up onion and some bay leaves, I pretty much filled up the pot with water, threw in the butt, set it on simmer, and just forgot about it for the next six hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3KCl5YiJsTpxfvZxl4aK-sJJ6L-1kk3sqtm02c7drcHscHKdMoNay_PFOnuBCVK6A3HZc_A1auczyYpAeVMu4LEuecNtZJsgPtFppHtGMYXaQwpHE3qNljxrru_F4Uejt8hnxc3caKnI/s1600/pork+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3KCl5YiJsTpxfvZxl4aK-sJJ6L-1kk3sqtm02c7drcHscHKdMoNay_PFOnuBCVK6A3HZc_A1auczyYpAeVMu4LEuecNtZJsgPtFppHtGMYXaQwpHE3qNljxrru_F4Uejt8hnxc3caKnI/s320/pork+1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Six hours later, the meat was pretty much falling apart. It was soooo tender. The skin was barely any firmer than Jell-o. (Despite being tempted to turn the skin into some tasty Chinese deliciousness, I ended up just throwing it out. So sad!) The meat pretty much shredded itself. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSo2HJQD48XTkT2nY6-9Xi7BdMxAl6KbV2MYUvUUKOJn4aok81nDqVHmTHYGo5M9Mu8im6AAu6KOa38BPPi_gSdeOIo1i1XvG6k3_feN7fJ44B56hxw_k21b2cgkc0XLJVNn9kqzonwazR/s1600/pork+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSo2HJQD48XTkT2nY6-9Xi7BdMxAl6KbV2MYUvUUKOJn4aok81nDqVHmTHYGo5M9Mu8im6AAu6KOa38BPPi_gSdeOIo1i1XvG6k3_feN7fJ44B56hxw_k21b2cgkc0XLJVNn9kqzonwazR/s320/pork+2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With the meat shredded, and the bones and skin disposed of, my pork butt was able to fit in the crockpot for one final cooking, this time slathered with lots of barbecue sauce. I cheated, and just used sauce from a bottle; it was fine. But now that I know how easy it is to make pulled pork, and how much of the taste depends on the sauce, I'm going to make my own sauce the next time I make it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM95pf9J6X6v8l2lIhskXbCUY_5R2lHfchIAP35Gn-F7VEWHMCuiuYswVYT80D8fn3ZGNDOFJLW_EYNzqjBee0R-UngXc4isCJcEh_VDqqrbKKJ40Jg0SlIxvFCzQ3UdCsUX9Xn-UAlT9e/s1600/pork+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM95pf9J6X6v8l2lIhskXbCUY_5R2lHfchIAP35Gn-F7VEWHMCuiuYswVYT80D8fn3ZGNDOFJLW_EYNzqjBee0R-UngXc4isCJcEh_VDqqrbKKJ40Jg0SlIxvFCzQ3UdCsUX9Xn-UAlT9e/s320/pork+3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I paired the pork with some homemade coleslaw--another first for me, but it was so easy! Shredded cabbage and carrots, mixed together with a dressing of vinegar, lowfat mayo, salt, sugar, ground celery seeds and dry mustard. Also, I had some cheesy grits, which were just grits boiled with some and parmesan cheese (I think chedder would have been better, though). It turned out to be a great barbecue meal, which was almost as good as Mrs. Petti's.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div>This past Sunday I did the <a href="http://www.raylicatamemorialswim.com/">Ray Licata Memorial Swim</a> in Long Branch, NJ. It was a one-mile ocean swim. I'm becoming quite comfortable with ocean swimming now. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The swim was pretty uneventful except for one thing: before the swim even started, I almost wound up breaking my nose. It happened right before the race, as I was trying to get into the water for a little practice swim. Just as I was getting in, and before I realized what was happening, a huge wave started coming right at me. I hesitated, not knowing if I should stand or dive underneath it. At the last millisecond, I decided to go underneath. But it was too late. I'm not sure what happened next, but the wave came crashing down on my head and before I knew it I had kneed myself in the face. Ouch. I seriously thought I broke my nose. It hurt! And I was bleeding a little bit. But the shock, numbness and blood soon subsided. Amazingly, I did not freak out about the waves after that. Instead, I turned around, faced the waves, and went right in.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Still, not very fast, though. I finished the one-mile swim in 34:59, which placed me <a href="http://www.raylicatamemorialswim.com/index.php?subject=Results&year=2010">193 out of 225</a>. One of these days, I will break out of the bottom 25%. Or at least the bottom 15%.</div><div><br />
</div><div>One nice thing about the race was that I ended up seeing and meeting a bunch of <a href="http://tnya.org/">Team New York Aquatics</a> people who were also doing the swim. Afterwards, we all went to Chat & Nibble, one of my favorite breakfast spots in Asbury Park, where we celebrated our achievements with a nice cold bottle of Veuve Cliquot!<br />
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This Saturday I'm planning a <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=NJ-21+S&daddr=NJ-21+S+to:NJ-21+S+to:Emmett+St+to:Frelinghuysen+Ave+to:Frelinghuysen+Ave+to:Broad+St+to:Elizabeth+Ave+to:S+Elmora+Ave+to:S+Elmora+Ave+to:W+Elizabeth+Ave%2FState+Route+514+to:Main+St+to:Cutters+Dock+Rd+to:Amboy+Ave%2FCo+Rd+653+to:Amboy+Ave%2FCo+Rd+653+to:Prospect+St+to:County+Rd+684%2FMain+St+to:County+Rd+673%2FErnston+Rd+to:Bordentown+Ave%2FCounty+Rd+615+to:Kearney+Ave+to:County+Rd+516%2FOld+Bridge+Matawan+Rd+to:40.334899,-73.974037+to:Ocean+Blvd+to:Ocean+Blvd+to:Kingsley+St&geocode=FQaObQIddU-U-w%3BFbSGbQIddEyU-w%3BFSKCbQId3EiU-w%3BFehXbQIdNBmU-w%3BFS5MbQIdvACU-w%3BFS72bAIdeM2T-w%3BFRqGbAIdbJGT-w%3BFeZzbAIdYpGT-w%3BFTRcbAId3FuT-w%3BFUpWbAIdbGST-w%3BFaLGawId0MmS-w%3BFcbRagId9p6S-w%3BFYimagIdLK-S-w%3BFdOCagIdVbSS-w%3BFWI2agIdDqWS-w%3BFQQmagIdgqSS-w%3BFbjgaQId_mSS-w%3BFXtlaQIdYReS-w%3BFSgcaQIdKfOR-w%3BFfKdaAIdIluR-w%3BFQaZaAIdiO6S-w%3B%3BFYz9ZgIdtiKX-w%3BFRjVZgIdfh-X-w%3BFda3ZQIdKNKW-w&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=21&sz=13&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23&dirflg=b&sll=40.349553,-73.968372&sspn=0.093409,0.154324&ie=UTF8&lci=bike&ll=40.532589,-73.957214&spn=0.745237,1.234589&z=10">65-mile bike ride from Newark to Asbury Park</a> with Mike and Rachel. We're going to stay overnight and then on Sunday morning do a <a href="http://www.dvmasters.org/pdf/2010_Sea_Grit.pdf">one-mile ocean swim in Sea Girt, NJ</a>. Let me know if you'd like to join us!</div><div><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0