New York 10k (updated)

Although this race did not count towards the 12, it still is worth writing a little something about.  I decided to sign up for this because it was one of the Rock n’ Roll races and would make for a good training run two weeks before Savannah (my 11^th half).  The race was a 10k (6.2 miles), which makes up roughly 2 laps around Prospect Park in Brooklyn.  I generally find ways to avoid going to Brooklyn, due to the overwhelming number of “hipsters,” but this was reasonable exception.

The weather was perfect, sunny and about 52 degrees at race start.  I decided to try and make this a speed workout, of sorts, and wanted to break 50 minutes, which would put me right around 8 min per mile.  The race had one hill at the 2 mile and 4 mile mark, which was not fun, but the rest was slightly rolling or down hill so it was a pretty even course.  I pushed myself at the end and ended up finishing at 49:57; it was very satisfying to reach my time goal and gives me hope to get back under 1:50 in two weeks.

The best part about this race was that I had some good friends running it as well.  Giuseppe (“Pep”) and JR decided to sign up for the race as a test to see if they would be able to run the Vegas half with me in December.  Both of them ran great and I am ever hopeful they will pull it together and run the final race with me.  3 other friends – Stephanie, Vinny and Jonathan – also ran the race, and of course they did a fantastic job running.

Vinny and Pep Pre-Race

JR, Vinny, Stephanie and I had a pre-race meal at Lil’ Frankies, which was highlighted by some delicious pizza, Gnocchi by me and 2 bottles of wine (somehow we thought this was a good idea).  It did help for a sound sleep - but definitely made our 6am meet up time a little rough.  Vinny was nice enough to drive all 6 of us to Brooklyn, and let me tell you, you really get to know someone when you see them at 6am in the morning and are driving someplace that none of us were familiar with.

Vinny and Steph feeling good post-race

We got there in plenty of time and despite a little griping about the cold, the time of day and the parking situation, we all got started without much of a hitch.  I have to say the best part of this race was having some great friends to start the race with and being able to go cheer them on as they finished.  We met up after the race for a couple complimentary beers provided by the Rock n’ Roll series.  I couldn’t have asked for a better race or better group of people to share it with.  It’s amazing I only have 2 races left of this challenge…it has gone by so quickly!

Yep, it's real.

6 Happy Racers

As usual, Rock n' Roll did a great job with the medal:

Triple Crown - for running 3 Rock n' Roll Series Races

Staten Island Half Marathon

Now that was a good race.  I am not sure if it was the weather, the course or my conditioning, but this race felt a hundred times better than the last race, and it showed with my best time since March.  Although not my fastest race, it was a 7 minute improvement from two weeks prior.  Time may not be everything, but it certainly is indicative of how I felt during the race.  All in all, it felt like I was close to being back to my running form earlier in the year (I even had a kick at the end).

The race was on Staten Island, NY, which is the least accessible borough in NY.  The only way to get there is by take a cab and a ferry; subways are not an option.  Luckily my good friend Giuseppe was kind enough to wake up and go over to Staten Island with me, where he grew up, and kind of usher me along.  He even stuck around the island to hang out afterwards - had to give him a special shout out here.


The race started on the north end of Staten Island facing north towards Manhattan: as is fitting for NY, it actually started in the Staten Island Yankees’ stadium parking lot.  We ran through “downtown” Staten, along the water, then turned around and came back.  The course seemed like it was going to be pretty flat, and it was except for what I dubbed heartbreak ridge of Staten; this was an incline that rose 100ft. in a ¼ mile – that is a steep incline for a race.  Downtown had a bit of incline at the end, but was nothing terrible.

Good feeling at the finish

Finished Strong

Because the race was along the water there was a gentle breeze the whole race, even when we ran through the barbed wire fenced in shipping areas (which is what you really would think of when you think of Staten Island.

The best part about this race was probably getting there and the view from the start.  If you have not been to NY, the Staten Island ferry (free to all passengers) leaves from financial district in Manhattan, which is not far from Ground Zero.  The ferry takes you directly past the Statue of Liberty and upon arrival on Staten Island you have an unobstructed view of Manhattan across the water where you can see the Freedom Tower.  The best place to see Manhattan from this area is from the 9/11 memorial built on the water’s edge.  Looking back to Manhattan in the morning, the fog along the water made it look like Manhattan was rising out of the mist.

Waiting for the Staten Island Ferry

Battery Park/Downtown

I have mentioned patriotism and US pride many times in this blog and I have to say, NY brings it out of me more than any other place.  There are patriotic people all over, especially in the South – which I love, but New York is truly unique.  People outside New York see its people as rough, course and rude.  But once you live here and spend time around New Yorkers, you will quickly realize they really are the embodiment of the spirit of our country.  You have a mix of every type of person from every walk of life.  They may not agree on everything – or anything - but when they come together they are a force to be reckoned with.  As Yankee haters have learned, the one thing you do not want to do is pick a fight with a New Yorker because they rally behind each other better than any other group of people – just like Americans.  And just like this country, you may knock us down and think you have hurt us, but all you have done is brought us together to unite as one.  When we rally together, we are one heck of a force.  And no matter what happens, we will rebuild and rise above the mist.

This is the flag with the names of all the victims of 9/11 -
He ran the entire half marathon with it.

Hamptons' Half Marathon

If the race in Providence was fun and enjoyable, then this race has to be categorized as cerebral and pensive.  I do not mean that in the sense that it was a mental battle to finish, but that the course allowed me to get lost in my thoughts. 

The race was in East Hampton, NY at the beginning of the fall, thus the leaves were just starting to change color and the weather was cool, but not cold.  It was supposed to rain, but luckily that held off during the race leaving it 70 degrees and humid.

Pre-race.  A little hazy

The race wound through the back streets of East Hampton, which are heavily tree lined and all the homes are set back from the road as if they are back in the woods; it was almost as if you were running through the forest.  Occasionally the course would take us through wide-open fields that seemed to emerge out of nowhere.  Canvassing the fields was a layer of fog caused by the humidity.  The venture through the fog was always short lived; as quickly as we entered the field, the road took us back across the tree line. 

Although we mostly ran through these seemingly isolated areas, there were still a number of spectators: people out supporting the runners were at many of the intersections where we made our turns - a special recognition has to go to the American Cancer Society and Team in Training for Leukemia (which holds a special place due to my Grandmother).

The sleeves were down, so
I was still doing ok.

Missed my start group

The 11-mile mark hits right along the beach to the Long Island Sound, so you get a breeze off the water and a relaxing view of the open water, which is refreshing so close to the end.  There were even girl scouts handing out water at the turn around at this point, sadly they didn't have any tagalongs or thin mints - yes, I asked.

Yep, that big a dork even 11.5 miles in.

The finish was at the local elementary school and there was a great showing of fan support from runners’ families and friends.  Overall it was a well-managed race and I bet it is great to run on a cool, sunny, fall day.  My finish time was not great, for whatever reason I just did not have it today.  I wasn't exhausted or struggling, I just couldn't crank it up another gear - even my finishing kick didn't have very much kick.

That look about sums it up.

Mixed feelings about the race

I mentioned earlier that this race was more cerebral and pensive and I probably should explain what I meant.  As you are running through the trees, especially during the longer stretches of the race with just trees, you quickly develop tunnel vision and it is almost as if you are out on the road by yourself.  The only occasional interruption came from Nicki Minaj, Pitbull or some other up-tempo song playing on my iPod.  During these stretches I found myself lost in thought on things that have been on my mind: thoughts of life, my future, my family, missed opportunities, girls that have come and gone or related issues (told you it was deep) and of course Laurie Markham and her perseverance - she is the one who I am running these races for in case you have forgotten.  I finally had the opportunity to think about things that get pressed to the back of my consciousness for the day to day necessities. 

At one point during the race a woman ran past me with a shirt saying "In memory of Mary Anne" and I started to think about my family - my mom or dad, my brother and his family, my best friend/brother Dave who is soon to be an FBI agent after being a SWAT officer in Miami – how I have spent less and less time with them as I have gotten older.  I got sad thinking about how I am not able to spend enough time with the people who matter to me most, despite that we really only have limited time to share with the people we love. Despite the slightly depressing nature of the thoughts, it made me think about the bonds I have with my family and that these bonds are what make our relationship special.  I realized that these bonds can never be severed by time, distance or even an eventually passing.  These people are always with me.  The person I am today has been irreparable shaped and molded by my family and I carry them with me ever step of the way.  No matter what I do in my life, where I go or what twists and turns my life will take, I will never face them alone because the people we love are always with us.

The Boys

The Family.

It probably would be an injustice to categorize this race as "therapeutic".  I can definitely say that it was good for the mind and the soul.  It turns out running can actually be good for clearing your mind and sorting through whatever has been pushed to the mental back burner.  So although this may not have been the fastest or "most fun" race, it may have been the best race I have run yet.

The next race is in two weeks (although due to a delay in getting my pictures from this race, this post is actually going to come up after that race).  Stay tuned for more coverage.   Oh, and how about this medal? Well done on the design.