Blogrunner

2012 Al Gordon Classic Strategy

2012-02-18T16:52:00.000-05:00

The race is a classic, but as to whether the strategy will be classic, remains to be seen. Perhaps Judge Judy will have to rule on it. What? You don't like what I have to say? Response: "No."
Too bad. (That was what Judge Judy told someone once on the air. I nearly lost my dinner from laughing so hard).

The "strategy" for this race may be anti-climatic when compared to the strategy required for getting to the start on time. The race starts at 8am in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and we need to drop off the kids at the sitter's in Long Island City, then take the BQE and then go to P.S. 154, on Windsor Place and 11th Avenue to pick up our numbers between 6:30 & 7:30 a.m.

The last time Karen and I ran in the same race together was last March 6th at the Coogan's Race. Yikes! That was almost a full YEAR ago! It's hard to fathom having gone that long not running without my honey! She did run in the Colon Cancer Challenge last year, but she did the 4 miler while I did the 15k.

So, what about the race strategy? Well here it is.

The northeast section of the park is a bitch when run in a counter-clock direction. The race starts on Center Drive heading east. Primarily a slight downhill, it will seem easy, and you'll want to kill it. Go ahead and go for it, but hold back some reserve, for when you make the left onto East Drive you will have a slight uphill for another quarter-mile. For you 7:30 minute per milers, the shit starts to get hard at around the 3:30 to 3:50 mark. For, as you head north to the NE tip of Prospect, you will climb 120 feet in that last half of the first mile. And don't expect a quick turnaround either, because for the entire 2nd mile you will be essentially running flat.

Mile 2 is a boring, mostly flat run. Good time, to start catch your breath and regroup from that hill you've just conquered.

It's not until you begin your 3rd mile, that you will start to see a descent, and it's a nice one too.

It starts on the west side, right after the outlet for West Drive, and continues for a solid mile until you get near the Park's classic entrance near Park Circle on West Lake Drive. It will end From the moment we spill onto East Drive.

Then it's a modest 30 foot climb for the next 2/3rds of a mile, followed by a more immodest climb as you turn left back onto Center Drive for the last 1/3 of a mile.
I recommend to let loose between mile 2 and 2.5, build up back energy till you get to the last mile (past the 3rd mile marker) and then stabilize until you get back to Center Drive. Then, let it all hang out as you rise during the last 1/3rd of a mile.

I think this strategy will work good for me, and for anyone who may be climb challenged like myself. I've no doubt done a lot of running, but most of it has been on treadmills, thus, I need all the help I can get when it comes to scaling.

This week it will be all about fasting until Wed-Thu, and then carbo loading and Red Bulling, B-12ve-ing it & G2'ing right before the start of the race. Let's see how I do what I love to do come Saturday!

February's Thawing

2012-02-18T15:18:00.001-05:00

If I can do 89.4 miles in the next 11 days, I would have hit a record for the most miles in any given February (169.8 miles). That means I need to average a little over 8 miles per day between now and February 29th. Thank God for Leap Year.

Here's a telling stat:
2012: 12 days below freezing
2011: 71 days below freezing

This may have something to do with why I'm running more this year than ever before. It's definitely been kind this year to runners as opposed to last year.

Going back to my potential record, another possibility is my longest run in February. So far the February 5th date in 2008 of 14 miles still stands, and that was at the LA Fitness, of all places. I think I have an excellent shot at defeating that record sometime between now and then.

Now that I have all these records at my disposal (see bottom of my blogsite to see what I'm talking about), I will, of course, have to keep it up-to-date.

I just made a donation for my friend's friend moments ago. Jason will be running in the New Jersey Marathon the first Sunday in May, and I might be joining him, if I don't hear back from the TD 5 Boro Bike tour in the next 10 days.

But first things, first.... and that's my strategy for the Al Gordon Classic. Forthcoming, of course, in my next blog....stay tuned!

Running Benefits Cancer Patients

2012-02-15T20:37:00.001-05:00

Running is a wonderful activity. Not only does it make you feel great, but it can do so much for you physically as well. People of all ages, and in all conditions, run. I can still recall Fred Lebow, who even with brain cancer, finished his first NYC Marathon in 1992 with his friend, the late great Grete Waitz. It proved to me that the spirit can conquer anything, if the will to do so is present.

With that, I'd like you to turn your attentions to a fellow runner, Liz Davies, who has an important message about some of the benefits that running gives. Namely when it comes to the dreaded "C" word, Cancer.

I read her article and it touched me because as you all know, my mother fell to cancer on October 10th of 2010, and my father-in-law succumbed to it as well on the very last day of 2011. So, I wanted to share this very interesting and important writing with all of you, to show how running helps against this dreaded disease.

RunningBenefits Cancer Patients

Whetherlooking for ways to reduce the chances of developing cancer or looking for waysto overcome cancer and prevent its reoccurrence, running offers amazingbenefits. Developing a regular running routine is the perfect way to not onlylook and feel great but to get the body in top working order as well. However,while running may provide undeniable benefits, individuals should recognizethat their fitness level will determine whether or not they are fit to run. Forsome, it may be necessary to build up to running.

Exercise, in any form, helps to boost the body's immune system. Studies haveshown that even moderate running leads to such a large boost in the immunesystem that it actually helps in the prevention of cancer. Doctors believe thatrunning can offer particularly great protection from colon and intestinalcancer because the movement of the body helps to speed up the digestionprocess, thereby allowing less time for cancer to form. For some reason, cancerhas a strong love for fat cells, which is why obese womenare more likely to develop breast cancer. As a result of recent studies,doctors have suggested that exercise can help to reduce the number of fatcells, ultimately reducing one's chance of developing cancer. Duringrecovery running is also beneficial. Cancers like lung cancer and mesotheliomacauses patients to lean towards cardio exercises to improve lung cancer.

In addition, running affects other areas positively, such as hormone levels,heart and lung capacity, antioxidant defense, and energy levels. Of thepositive effects running has on the body, cancer patients and cancer survivorscan also find running to be an escape and a way to lift their spirits. Whenexercising, the body releasesendorphins within the first 30 minutes, which helps to eliminate stress andlift one's mood. Though running may get the body in shape to better prevent andfight cancer, it also prepares the mind. Stress can have awful effects on aperson, especially one suffering from a condition such as cancer. Runningenables a person to channel this negative energy into something positive.

While the benefits of running are numerous, individuals shouldn't refrain fromphysical exercise simply because they are unable to run or are not yet fitenough to run long distances. Any form of exercise will have tremendousbenefits for the body. Before beginning any fitness routine, a medicalprofessional should be consulted.

Liz Daviesis a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested inhealth and wellness. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives becauseshe sees how cancer has devastated so many people in this world. Liz also likesrunning, playing lacrosse, reading and playing with her dog, April. If youwould like to contact her she can be reached at healthylizd@gmail.com.

Forest Park Runners 2012 Awards Dinner for 2011

2012-02-12T14:34:00.001-05:00

This is going to be one of those hit-n-run blogs, because when you have a large family like I do, life does come first. My friend John (Duralia) who saw me last night at the Forest Park Runners awards dinner asked me how I have so much time to do all of this 'blogging' stuff. I ask myself the same question.

But onward and forward before my honey-to-do list catches up with me.

The applause terrified David, as he started to cry when I went up with him to receive the award!

Last night was the Annual Awards Dinner for the Forest Park Runners. I had no expectations to win anything, after a disastrous 2011. And yet, and for my revamping of the website (a complete overhaul, really) www.forestparkrunners.org, I was named Member of The Year, (well a tie, with Tom McGhee).

Today, it was too cold to run outside, and still recovering from a cold, so I ran 15 miles at the Training Station.

Last notes. I saw 50/50 this afternoon. What a great heartfelt comedy that movie was. It deals with cancer, and after what happened to my mom, and Karen's dad, I can be the first to tell you that my eyes were anything but dry.

Lastly, what a tragedy about Whitney Houston. Hope it wasn't drugs, but whatever the case, thank you Whitney for the wonderful music you embraced our youth with.

See? That wasn't so long!

Day 22. And I thought I was going to stop.

2012-02-08T20:08:00.001-05:00

I had to go to NYC today to work on a mini-project of sorts. Nice thing about going to the city, is that I get to do work without interruption of any kind.

In addition to that, I had a quick appt at my docs office on 58th street for my cold. And was to meet Doug to drop off something to him on 25th street. And all on Lex. Ave. too.

Rather than spending my own money on trains, I decided to run. And so, run I did. With jeans and a big coat no less. I took my time, stopped whenever necessary at red lights, and weaved in and out of the masses, and wound up doing 3 miles.

22 days in a row, but tomorrow I really will stop and take a much needed day off.

Hopefully.

21. A new record.

2012-02-07T22:08:00.000-05:00

I'll make this a short 'n' sweet post. I did it. I ran 21 consecutive days. This beats my previous streak of 20 accomplished on April 25th, 2008.

Over those days, I ran a total of 147 miles.

Now tomorrow I'm going to listen to my left tibia, and to my body that is also fighting a cold.

NO RUNNING TOMORROW.

REST INSTEAD!

Twenty-Flight Rock. A Record Has Been Tied!

2012-02-06T19:32:00.001-05:00

On April 24, 2008, I had run to Erwin Maiz's home. He is the son of the woman, Ileana, which I had been on again and soon to be off again with (and for good) after a period of 4 years. It was the 20th consecutive day that I went running. And it was a record that previous to then had been perhaps 12 days in a row.

Little did I know that it would take nearly 4 years later before I would reach that summit again.

Exactly 1,400 days later, to be exact.

Just as it was then, what stopped my streak was a weak interior left tibia, which suffered a severe staight-thru fracture from overrunning back in 2005. This was the fracture that I kept ignoring to the point that I wound up running the Brooklyn Half Marathon with a essentially a broken leg.

Last week as I began to feel the pain, I immediately began to ease off, but the only way to get rid of this, is to stop running for awhile. I didn't want to give up this streak that I had worked at so hard, so rather than abandoning it altogether, I instead cut back my mileage considerably over the last 5or 6 days not going more than 5 miles on any one day.

The result? Still running, and today I've tied my all-time consecutive run record.

TWENTY DAYS IN A ROW. Yeeee-haaaaah!

Tomorrow, I go for the record breaker, but newsflash....I have a bad cold to boot. I am completely congested and am coughing. The race yesterday might have done me in, although it's anyone's guess. Poor little Kayla had a fever a couple of nights ago. So perhaps I got it from her too, I don't know.

RACE REPORT: NYRR GRIDIRON RACE

2012-02-04T21:43:00.002-05:00

RACE REPORT: NYRR Gridiron Race
DISTANCE: 4 miles
LOCATION: Central Park, New York
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 2012
WEATHER: 32F Sunny

So here we are again. It's 6:30 in the morning and getting my head and my gear together and priming up for what I would to be a good day.

And why not? I've already been running 18 straight days, and I was feeling great (well great, except for a mild stress injury to my left interior tibia).

I wasn't sure whether or not to go all out simply because of the stress injury. Most mortals, in fact, would skip the race altogether.
For me, it was just another walk in the park, errr, run. Business as usual in other words.

I drove in with Karen's Jetta, making fabulous timing to Fred Lebow's house on 89th near 5th, and got my race number.

"381". 2nd race in a row where Im in the with the "blue elites" with that number. Nice!

Nice thing about races in Manhattan on Sundays is not having to worry about parking as much, since the meters are not in effect on those days, making the avenues more approachable. Nonetheless, I found a gem of a spot between 67th and 68th street on Park Avenue, the avenue where Ed Norton (fictional character of The Honeymooners) would say, "the sewers there are air-conditioned."!

The Gridiron race usually features a lot of runners donning jerseys of their fab team but nothing better than today. What a sea of "blue". There were Giants fans everywhere. I would hazard to guess that at least 1 in 6 people wore Giants stuff.

The weather was crisper than forecasted , 33, but not necessary enough for a three-layer wear day.

The announcers made much reference to the bet between the Nyrr and Boston Athletics club for bragging rights for tonight's Super Bowl between the Giants and the Patriots.

As I lined up in the Elite Corral, I realized that I not only felt like kicking butt, but that I'd better kick butt, considering all of the talent around me.

The race began, and I started off fast!

One of the best rewards of being in the elite corral, is that there is not much congestion. As a result, I was able to get to a 6:20 pace within 1/4 mile of the start.

I was in such a zone, that Cat Hill seemed a non-factor. I even was able to maintain a sub 8 during much of the hill climb too. Then again, as I had past 96th street, I reached a 6:21 pace.
The speed would continue around the 102nd Street transverse, but I knew that there would be a lot of rolling hills on the west side, and I, unfortunately, was correct. At around the 2.33 mark, I started to feel a little bit of a twinge in my left tibia, and didn't want to risk it up the hill, so I took it back a notch. Perhaps too much, as I hit a low of 9:08 (below)

Again the rolling hills were proving to be a bit much for me, and for a short period I nearly tanked again with another nearly 9+ readout.

But never count me out. Like my man Eli Manning, I always save a little something (and that's putting it mildly, for the end, posting a 6:29 and a 6:36 split throughout the last mile!

When it was all over, I stood at the finish line gasping for air, but it felt great to have 'aced' this run.

Here were my results:

Overall Place: 980 out of 6,058. Top 16%

Overall Gender Place: 814 out of 3,014. Top 26.5%

Overall 45-49 Men: 80 out of 333. Top 24%

And amongst GONZO runners?

2nd place. Not bad!!

Now as for the "streak". Today marked my 19th Consecutive Day running. If this were just a dare, I would go until I would really hurt myself. But everyone knows beginning with me, that that would be stupid thing to do. What I plan to do, is to run tomorrow and tie, and run again on Tuesday and break it. Perhaps I will take 2 or 3 days off afterwards to rest up my tibia. We'll have to see how I feel.

Other records?

The 149.2 miles that I completed in January was a record for most miles ever in a January month.
Also, the 29:49 time was the fastest ever for the Gridiron 4m, I've ever done. A new PCR (Personal Course Record).

2012: 29:49

2009: 32:06 +2:17

2008: 32:19 +2:30

2007: 34:12 +4:23

Records are falling again!

Stay tuned as my next race is in Brooklyn. The Al Gordon run (another 4 miler) which takes place on Saturday, February 25th at 8am in Prospect Park.

And now for the "other" sporting news in New York.....

Congratulations, New York Giants, for repeating (almost eerily) their victory over the Pats the way they did back in 2007. I had the esteem pleasure of having Doug watch this game along with me, Karen and the twinkies. There was a lot of drama, but in the end New York prevailed. My hat goes off to Eli. He is New York royalty now, no question about it....

Carey Pinkowski. No Response Yet.

2012-02-03T13:32:00.004-05:00

...It would be nice to hear from the Race Director for the Chicago Marathon. While I realize that there are no refunds or deferments allowed from the 2011 race, it would be nice if he at least took a moment to read what I had written to him. If it's a question of revenue, I'm already paid up for this year's race. If it's a question of policy, it would be nice if someone could review this as a 'hardship' case. If it's a question of verification, I have my mother's death certificate showing her passing on 10-10-10. I really don't know what more I can say on this topic other than I understand that it would be well within his right to turn his back on me and just say, "Sorry kid. Those are the rules, and I can't bend them for anybody." But it would not be the humane thing to do in this case. All I was looking for was for a credit from last year towards this year's race.

I wrote to them (BOA & Mr. Pinkowski) last year BEFORE the race, and received ZERO response. I spent that weekend mourning again over the loss of my mother, which tragically took place in Riverhead, NY while I was running Pinkowski's race in Chicago, IL.

I have a large family to provide for, and with newborn twins, the financial picture of me travelling to Chicago, staying at an overpriced lodge, and paying $150 to do the race does not help matters much. Worse still,, the scumbag that stole my mother's inheritance from under our families' noses did not help financial matters much either. I really don't know how else to get in contact with him, or who could help me with this, but to tell the truth, this is beginning to really bother me.

Chicago Marathon, I'm Going To Slaughter You.

2012-02-01T14:05:00.002-05:00

While I still await Carey Pinkowski's reply, I've nonetheless not waited and have take the opportunity to sign up for my 2nd of the 5 MAJOR Marathons this year.

Result?

While it was of no fault of my own or of that of the Chicago Marathon that I was running this race, while my mother died, I will be running hard, strong, and looking to KICK ULTIMATE ASS on this day. Persistence, Prudence, and Patience will be the 3 P's. And for the race itself? I wish to inflict upon its course, a fourth "P". PAIN.

Welcome new month...

It's been awhile since I post news that you can use. Blogs are supposed to be about one's own self, but it can also be a powerful tool to advertise and educate as well.

For the month of February, and as my Runner's World Magazine suggests, I think I will start working on strengthening my core. Given my limited ability to spend time with wifey and the twins in tow, this might mean cutting back on some time spent for mileage.

This, taken from Runner's World:

TRAINING

"Test yourself to see how steely strong your abs are, get into a plank position with elbows, forearms, and toes on the ground and back flat. Hold the position and jump them back together. That's one rep. Do as many as you can without stopping. Your goal is 20 to 30. If you can do 40-plus reps, you're bionic.

FUEL

Get Enough D. If you're inside running on the treadmill, you may have low levels of vitamin D, essential for calcium absorption. If you think you're at risk, take a vitamin D supplement containing 1,000 US's.

EXERCISE

When I run tonight, it will mark FIFTEEN consecutive days. 15 days. 5 more to go to get to my record. Can I do it? Will mother nature, injury, private life, work, etal, stop me?

What's In Alex's brain today?

"Shoeless" Al Gonzo

2012-01-31T19:29:00.001-05:00

What a great day it was outside! Not only was the big and-all beautiful sum beaming thru, but it was 52 today on this, the last day of January, here in New York.

Yes. It was indeed a great day to run outside for lunch today.

If ONLY I hadn't left my sneakers at home.

Mother Fu#%*%*#!!!!!!!

How could I possibly do this?!!

What sabotage! What lunacy!
No. Better still .... What Idiocy!!!!

I needed to run to keep my streak .
There was only 1 thing to do....
The treadmill at work AND.....
Go shoeless .

I so wanted to call this blog post , "Barefoot Contenda" as a pin to the cooking show of a similar name ("Barefoot Contessa") but to do that I would have had to run completely barefoot on the mill, and that's the type of a career-limiting move at work that I would wish to avoid right now.

So up on the treadmill I got. Nothing between me and the 'mill 'cept for y double-layered Wright socks, which I still swear by to this day.

The first mile was more of a novelty than anything else as I really didn't pay attenion to the things needing attending to. For one, a certain sense of male inadequacy came about for the top of the treadmill was yet another 2 inches closer to my head (guess those sneaks give me a lift after all).

All I kept thinking was, "My lord. What if some executive walks in here and sees me running in socks?" I can see the inter office memo now. "Proper attire must be maintained at all times...EVEN AT THE COMPANY GYM! This means you, Blogrunner!

Of course as I'm even more dedicated to my job, I didn't even get to do y 'lunch run' until 2:30. Most humans have finished eating by then. Also, and then again, to most 'humans', a 'lunch run' signifies a trip to a food place and not an actual RUN!

My 2nd mile was more interesting because my once broken interior left left tibia was flaring a little.

Do I stop?

I already saved the streak but had so so much energy left. What a shame it would be to do a Roberto Duran and walk away.

So instead I focused on changing. My stride and my landing technique. Without shoes, I had abandoned my ball-heel technique but realized that the impact was taking its toll on my unprotected feet.

Mile 3 was where my feet started getting hot. As a beloved Mets fan, I was wondering it Roger McDowell was back in town to give me hot foot.

Mile 4.
Would I make it?
Would I dare even try?
Fuck it.
Did it and done.

14 consecutive days and nothing, not even missing sneakers has deterred me from going on.

And if that weren't enough, here I am at precisely 8 o' clock writing to you from where of all places? A treadmill at the Training Station Athletic Club in Port Washington. In fact, this entire blogpost has been written while I've been hammering out 8:40 miles.

Umm let's see...
Looks like nearly 6 miles done already . Another 10+ mile day and.... A new mileage record for me for the month January.

Fuck off, 2011. I'm gonna blast you 2012-style. Ho!!!!!!!!!!

Sands Point Run

2012-01-30T20:16:00.000-05:00

After having traveled this route a few times by car, it was finally the time to do this on foot.
Sands Point, is a village located at the northernmost tip of the Cow Neck Peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County, New York. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,675. The Incorporated Village of Sands Point is in the Town of North Hempstead.

The village was incorporated in 1910. In 1917, the village absorbed the communities of Barkers Point and Motts Point. It was originally owned by three families, the Sands, Vanderbilts, and Cornwells. In 1910 Daniel Guggenheim bought his 216-acre (0.87 km²) Hempstead House, formerly Castle Gould. His son Harry Guggenheim, founder of Newsday, later erected his estate "Falaise" nearby. Today, the estate is part of the Sands Point Preserve, notable for a medieval fair run by Medieval Scenars and Recreations, Ltd., which is held every September. In the 1960s, under less strict building codes, many homes were built on 1-acre (4,000 m²) parcels. Current zoning allows subdivisions of 2 acres (8,100 m²) or more. The Sands Family Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.^[1]

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Sands Point was referred to as "East Egg". East Egg residents inherited their fortunes and were considered more respected than the nouveau riche in newer "West Egg" (Great Neck/Kings Point) because Sands Point had "old money." The story's fictional Buchanans lived in the western part of Sands Point. Reports suggest^[4] that Fitzgerald – who was often a guest at the mansion of Herbert Bayard Swope on Hoffstot Lane at Prospect Point in Sands Point 40°52′08″N 73°42′51″W / 40.8688876°N 73.7141473°W – used the site as his inspiration for the fictional Buchanan home in East Egg. The 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m²) waterfront mansion had originally been built for A.C. Sloane, originally named Keewaydin, had been designed by Stanford White and built in 1902.^[4] Demolition of the house "Land's End" began on April 16, 2011. It is to be replaced with a subdivision of five houses tentatively priced at $10 million each.^[5] Its owner David Brodsky said it was costing him $4,500/day to maintain and that it was in need of extensive renovations

People Associated with Sands Point

^{Perry Como}^{(1912-2001) Singer.}
^{William Randolph Hearst}^{(1863-1951) Publisher.}^[8]
^{Kenneth Langone}^{(born September 16, 1935) Co-founder (financial backer) of The Home Depot.}
^{Edgar F. Luckenbach}^{(1868-1943) Shipping magnate.}
^{Condé Montrose Nast}^{(1873-1942) Publisher.}
^{John Philip Sousa}^{(1854-1932) Composer.}
^{Carlos Beltran (Once a player for the now HAPLESS METS)}

So, now that you have a "Wiki" point of view, now, it will be my turn to give you a "Blogrunner's" point of View.

First off, if you like running or cycling, then this area is a garden of eden. So many beautiful roads, sparsely traveled. Well appointed mansions everywhere, along with nicely-behaved foliage (I say 'nicely behaved' because people around here have $$$ to keep the streets clear of debris).

Having run 50 miles thus far, I only needed to do 1 mile to break my all-time record for most miles in a week during the month of January. Instead, I was flirting with doing 10, although I had to be responsible, not only to my body, but Karen needed some much deserved time to go and workout as well. It was already 2:30 in the afternoon, so I didn't want to take too much time, and give her some sunlight as it was radiant outside.

With the temps at around 42 (wind chill feel of 33), I headed out in a long sleeve with my Asics jackets, long pants Dunkin Donut hat (obtained at the 2010 NYC Marathon) and gloves. It wouldn't be too long before the gloves when in my pocket. Not just because it wasn't all that cold, but also since picture-taking on the iPhone is impossible without your fingers actually touching the screen.

Above is a picture of Mill Pond, right along side Shore Road on the other side of Manhasset Bay. I ran past here through Harbor Road to get to Middle Neck Road.

Once I reached Middle Neck road and made a left, I would start to head north. It was nice to see a shoulder lane (below), but I would be a little nervous using my bike due to it's narrowness. I will have to tell Karen that it might be better to cross Middle Neck than to actual ride on it.

Port Washington has many "sub" divisions. I was now running through the Village of Port Washington North. Incidentally, I saw only Avenues A & B. Nothing more.

Not long after came the Village of Sands Point....

And with that, the Sands Point Preserve Museum as well

There never are a shortage of large homes in Sands Point. 5000 sq feet? That's nothing in this area.

As nice as the North Hempstead Country Club might be, I can only imagine how much more exclusive this club must actually be.

This house on the corner of Sterling and Middle Neck Road has got to be one of my favorites.

Middle Neck Road

This is the castle at the northern tip of Sands Point near the Long Island Sound. 1 Lighthouse Road, to be exact.

More of the castle.

In the end, another 8 miles logged. For the week, I did 58 miles. 101 in That's the most miles in any one week for the month of January.

And that makes 12 days in a row of running too.

The Beacon Double Hump

2012-01-29T17:37:00.000-05:00

Main Street in Port during the morning.

One of the great things about Port Washington are its hills. Like any neck in Long Island, there are sure to be plenty of hills, humps and bumps. The colony of Beacon Hill just east of the northloop of Harbor Park Drive is quite a hill. As a joke, I called it a hump, because it rhymes with 'chump', something that you are left feeling like after tackling it. A long and ardous rise to 255 feet, and a razor sharp drop. Well, I decided to tackle it on, by going through it, and then back (in reverse).

Nice stone walk work

On Beacon Hill/Harbor Drive. Houses 64 & 66 represent the "summit" if you will. Once you get past here, it's all downhill.

Pictures seldom reflect the immensity of the eye's view. In this photo Harbor Drive is curving to the right and sweeping down. You can see the water. It's pretty intense!

Still going downhill. Perhaps you can better see the view of the "beach" where my first crack at a Triathlon (2005) took place.

This ugly sign and gestapo-like chain-link fence was the 4 mile turnaround point.

Going back up? OMG. What am I thinking????

Intersection of Main Street & Port Washington Blvd on a sunny day. PS-I took a ton of pics along Main, but I'll spare you the boredom!

All crosswalks should look like this!

Very tempted to stop at Starbucks to get a nice 700 calorie drink. I was good though and DID NOT STOP!

Hey! I didn't know that "They Grey" was playing?!

Of course, it was a wondeful day to run outside, and with this, my 11th consecutive day, I needed a nice sunny day to lift my focus on my day, and not worry about streaks.

Finn MacCools'. Someone I once knew told me about this place. I stopped by one evening for a drink with Karen, and they indeed still have the "children eat free on Sunday" rule. Not bad.

Amongst a bevy of shops, the Dolphin Bookshop is one of those rare treasures you find now and again. It's a quaint bookshop, that manages to survive (Thank God), and does special things, like guest authors who come and read to children. Ever see a movie with Meg Ryan called "You've Got Mail?". Yeah, it's a chick-flick, I know. But if you did see it, then it should give you an idea of what this small nice bookshop is all about.

Low tide in Manhasset Bay

Now there a lot of people who may be skeptics about my "hill" work and rightfully so. It's so easy to say that one's hill is tougher than other hills. So let me give you the facts:

First off, here is the elevation chart for my run:

At it's peak, Beacon Hill is 255.7 feet. Given that I start off near Shore Road, I really do go from 0 feet above sea-level, making the overall climb the entire 255 feet. And on the way back my climb from the base of Harbor Park Drive (which that is nearly at sea level +20 feet) is a net of 235 feet in 3/4 of a mile. Now let's compare that with the NYC Marathon. Take from the Marathon website itself:

Starting first with the highest rise, the Verrazano Narrows bridge, we see that the runner's actually start at 100 feet above sea. With it's highest point of 260 feet, that would mean that one would only run up 160 feet, and over the same distance, which is 90 feet less than my Beacon run.

And for those, like me, who hate the Queensboro Bridge for the same reason, you will see that rise is even less. It's highest point is 135 feet. Even from sea level, its nearly half as much as my Beacon Hill run.

And last but not least, my Forest Park Runners Hill Work on Woodhaven Boulevard. You are kidding me, right??? A 50 foot climb. Big Whoop! :-)

Chi Town. Pinkowski. Ten.

2012-01-28T04:26:00.000-05:00

CHI TOWN

Registration for this event begins on February 1. Unlike the Boston Marathon, I don't anticipate it will sell out right away, but nonetheless I will be hawking around my PC at midnight to get in. Karen's already given me the 'blessing' despite the tight budget. I'm going to see about sleeping arrangements, that might not have to involve a hotel and look for the cheapest possible airfare I can find, as this is going to be a "solo" special-ops mission for me.

PINKOWSKI

Back on January 13th, I made a plea to Carey Pinkowski, Director of the Chicago Marathon to please consider refunding or transferring last year's entry I had for the Chicago Marathon to this year. My mother's 1 year anniversary of her dying on the day I did this event had me staying home in mourning/honor of her. Well, I'm displeased to report that I've still yet to hear back from him or from anyone at Bank of America...Don't you just love banks? C'mon PINK! Let us hear from you!

TEN

Not tooting my own horn yet, but "newsworthy" nonetheless is the fact that tonight marked my tenth consecutive day running. It would appear that my longest streak is far from sight. But realize this; When I completed that streak back in 2008 (April 1-April 24), I counted workouts that were aerobic, but not necessarily runs. Elliptical, Walking and even Pool Running made up for some of that streak. The 'pure' streak from what I can see is still from that segment but it really didn't start until

April 5, 2008. So the 'run' streak is really 20 days long, for a total distance of 197.7 miles.

And I will also add that while I averaged nearly 10 miles per day, I didn't do it all in one run.

Many of those days had 2, sometimes even 3 running occurences (ahh, memories of being single - the only way a man can run that often during a day and not get in trouble, lol!) per day. In those 20 days, I ran 44 times. Making the average distance per run about 4.5 miles per run. Now? For those 82 miles you see above, I've run 12 times during the 10 days. Average? Nearly 7 miles per run.

At this pace, the record could be broken on February 7th, which marks 21 consecutive days. However, fate and injury are typically unkind for me to achieve this.

I think I will listen to Ryan Hall quoting Mother Theresa of all people on this one. Just focus on the little things, and they may lead into great things, rather than focusing on the big thing right now (kinda like what I just did above, *doh*). Realize, how it is that I've been able to do this so far, be grateful for it, and press on gently. Each day is a new challenge, a new battle, and a new opportunity to succeed.

9 Days Running In A Row - So Far Perfect This Week For Me.

2012-01-27T01:29:00.000-05:00

Been doing a lot of fun things since we moved to Port Washington. Sure, money is very tight right now, and yes, David STILL is not sleeping through the night, but life is good and eventually will be better soon.

And despite all that's going on in my life, which as you know by now has been nothing but a nonstop amusement park, I've somehow managed to run 9 days in a row thus far. It is early morning right now. Friday 12:35am, to be exact. Will my running streak stop today? Or will it continue onward?

I've done 74.1 miles over the last 9 days. That's better than 8 miles per day. And in the US-Global 1500 Mile Challenge, I've been working my way up the ranks, not so slowly, and yet steadfastly.

This was me "Blogrunner" as of the 25th.

This was me "Blogrunner" just a few days ago.

As you can see, and only a few days ago, I was in 89th place. I am now in 76th place and moving up the ladder. It appears that "HappyFeat" is keeping up with me. Good. I love challenges. :)

Typically, I don't consolidate-post. That is to say, that I won't post more than 1 day's events on one post. But it is late, and I don't feel like formatting so much, so I want to just give you an overview of the last week. Nothing Earth-shattering, but every so often I think its fun to let my audience know what exactly is going on in my wheelhouse, and all who somehow touch it too. First of, and as you know, it snowed this past Friday night into Saturday morning. The NYRRers decided to turn the race into a fun run, meaning, no competition, I was so bummed out by it, that I ran 21 miles on the treadmill. Karen was nice enough to let me run for that long while she took the children to their doctors' appointment in Manhasset. Dr. Stern, LaSala & company run a pretty tight ship over there. David and Kayla went to get their booster shots, and Karen had a friend of hers, Brenda, keep her company.

David & I at a recent circumcision consultation, (it was for him, lol!)

I must admit...I'm a handsome devil, aren't I?

They later on came back to the house, and we all had some Dunkin Donuts coffee and breakfast. Karen, was stressed that she didn't go to the gym, and insisted on shoveling the walk.

NY Cosmo Girl takes to the ardous and domesticated task of shovelling the driveway. Nice Sorento I have, huh? :-)

However, the next day both Karen and I went to the gym, and used the babysitting service there. It was cool because I was able to tune into their room through the cable TV that's hooked up to my treadmill.

Although we miss Cindy's nice picture taking for us while we go to work (see left), I didn't do such a bad job myself snapping up the twinkies myself (see right). Kayla has the most adorable smile.

Awww

Now That's One Happy Boy!

Of course, Sunday was a big day for us Giants fans, and who better than my brother of 35 years to come over to enjoy the Giants on our Giant 67" LED TV. Of course, David loves to watch football, and be a part of it (as you can see by my touchdown dance with him below!)

I don't think David was as happy as he was thinking, "What in the Wide World of Sports is-a-going on here?"

The Giants of course would prevail against the 49ers, and we now look forward to the Super Bowl against the cursed Patriots and their belligerent fans.

Working from home on Tuesday, I took a much needed lunch break and used it for a run through Sands Point. And now I know why they call this area "Sands" Point. Sand, Silt, Mud, and all kinds of 'Earths' seems to be forming along the side of every road. It was a very enjoyable run, as I got to see the affluence in the sunlight this time around.

I did the same run as last time only I added a little by running up to Shore Road and back.

Located at the end of Marwood is a dead end, however the trail behind it leads you straight to Sands Point only about 200 feet in the distance. Technically, I'm barely 2/10ths of a mile from the first mansion house. Not too shabby!

I tried to observe the speed limit but my sneakers were on fire!

I came back out of Sand Point, ran past my Port Washington neighborhood of Manorhaven and down I went towards Manhasset Bay and the Yacht Clubs around there.

I seemed to have been picking up the pace, or so said my MotoActv watch. I was now not only running sub-8 training miles, but sub 7:30s. At one point as I had turned around and had passed Pepe Rossi's, I looked down and my watch said that my pace was 7:02. Now I know that Manorhaven Blvd is a flat surface, but I was really booking! ;-)

And how funny was it that I ran past the court house, for later on that evening, Karen would fight (and win) an alternate side of the street parking that she had gotten shortly after we moved into the neighborhood too. I told her to bat her eyelashes at the judge, but in the end it seemed that the judge was showing mercy on a lot of people (over 100, according to Karen) that night.

The next few days I spent myself at the gym, not only the one at work in Melville, but at my membership club, the Training Station, that's right on Channel Drive, the same one I went to at the beginning of the week. It's kinda tough when you get out of work at 5:30, have to be home by 7, and need to squeeze in a run in between. Manic actually. Yet I somehow managed not only to get in 5 miles in on Tuesday (yep...after my Sands Point run outdoors, no less), and 4 on Wednesday too.

Ya gotta provide a mean look when you do ab work. Ya just gotta do it!

So there you have it. A full weeks' worth of events and oh, did I forget to mention that I got my library card too? And with the library card come.....the late fees. Because yes, somehow I seem to forget how fast 3-days go by on new DVD releases at the Port Washington library. Will need to stop by there on my way to work tomorrow in the morning to drop in box (around 8) before heading to work, as it appears my "mini" reunion with OLQM'ers is still on in Forest Hills later in the Friday evening.

But of course, not without doing another run at the gym during lunch at work later today!

Right now, I'd say that I'm non-stoppable....

2012-01-25T19:31:00.000-05:00

I've run 8 days in a row, and as of tonight will have run 10 times and 68 miles over those 8 days.

Why am I doing this?

Is it because I can?

Is it to stay young and healthy for my beautiful twin children, my other wondeful kids, and my precious wife?

Is it because 2011 is over, and 2012 is a new year?

Am I doing this to vent off steam from the idiot customer service calls that my wife and I repeatedly have to make to Aetna, United Healthcare, and Verizon?

Am I doing this to eradicate last January, when after wiping out and nearly paralyzing myself, I was in so much pain, that I couldn't even get out of bed for nearly 2 straight weeks?

Is it to honor my father-in-law who tragically slipped away on December 31st, and that the mourning period is finally over?

Is it to honor my own mother, a mother who never bothered to get a hold of me during the last 3 months of her life, to tell me that she was dying, and instead who gave her inheritance to this fat, greasy pig that works in Novantas, and whose is initials are EVE?

Or is it, because I feel like setting records again this year like I did in 2010?

What the REAL reason is (and please, if you are the REASON, please stand up and be counted!) it has motivated me more than I can ever remember.

Part of the magic to this streak thus far is that I have been extremely resilient. Being able to feel fine after just a couple of hours after running is a testament to the pavement for which I've been pounding non-stop since 2004.

Commission!

2012-01-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

Today was supposed to have been my first half marathon race since the Staten Island half, which I opted to do instead of the Chicago Full, in honor of staying close to 1 year anniversary of my mother's death.

I was all pumped for this Manhattan J Half however Mother Nature would have her way today by throwing I've, wind and 5 inches of snow. It forced the race directors to cancel the race and forced my ass to go back to TSAC ( Training Station Athletic Club of Port Washington) for some indoor fun.

At first, I was looking to do at least the 13.1 miles I would have done, had our "fearless" race directors let the show go on. But about 5 miles or so into my run I got a call from my kids pediatric office asking if we can bring the kids in an hour earlier, at 11am, for their booster shots. At that point I was figuring that I was going to need to cut my run short, to say 8-9 miles max, then either finish up later on, tomorrow morning or not at all. The last option sucked, so when I called Karen, I asked her about who's running when and how.

Apparently, it turned out that a friend/co-worker of Karen was going to see her today and was really nice to keep her company. This was key because it offered me a fourth option. The option to not only continue running, but even later than I would have originally had intended on doing, even had the appointment taken place at its originally scheduled time (12 noon).

So, I hunkered down and got my mind into a good place. Rhythm is always the key to any long distance run. Rhythm and patience. The days of hot-doggin' it on the 'mill to get the attentions of those around me are long gone (wellll, maybe not that long? lol!), but seriously, I wasn't about to get myself hurt by speeding it, if I intended on going 13, 15 or maybe even longer today.

I didn't want to overdo it either on the mileage, but today is a special day. You see, exactly 1 year ago today (and you can even see the blog that I wrote, entitled "Out Of Commission"), I nearly paralyzed myself, ending my standing erect career (nevermind running or even walking). So today had to be special.

Another reason I had to make today special was because my friend, Scott (Siegel) told me the other day on Facebook to run hard like Bradshaw and Jacobs plan to run against the Niners on Sunday.

So I decided to listen to him.

I was actually posting updates on Facebook as I ran today, and just like my update, I really did not feel any rhythm whatsoever until I hit the 9th mile. Usually that means that I was in for a long run.

Around Mile 11, I was getting "bathed" as I put it, in endorphins. What a wonderful Magical Colorful experience. It's like getting high without the DT's later on.

At Mile 14.54, Motoactv told me, "Congrats. This is your longest run." Little did she know. That's because I didn't have this watch when I ran 31 miles last September in California.

As I kept running, I kept thinking when my internal gas tank would start to go on "E". But it never did. In fact, it was only because I had told Karen that I would be home by 12:30 , that I actually had to stop running. In the end, I put in a good 21 mile workout. This was followed by a nice long shower followed by a 5-minute sit down in the sauna (just to get warm).

So in the end the Manhattan Half Marathon never took place. I never got a shirt or my running number, but I did get in the 2nd longest treadmill workout ever. The longest? 21.2 miles at the Pico Sports Complex in Killington, Vermont. Karen was skiing while I was, well, you know....

And for you audiophiles out there, check out my set list today...

So a year later after "Out of Commission" I am now in "Commission!"

You're not ordinary.
Quitting is not an option.

Two things to live by.

Races, Races, and more Races

2012-01-19T17:31:00.003-05:00

It is official. The "mania" is beginning. I already am accepted into the NYC Half Marathon, I just registered for the lottery into the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour, I am excited about the Workplace Challenge being held in Eisenhower State Park, I'm looking forward to the annual Long Beach 10 Miler Run, and can't wait to see what the Sands Point Preserve 5K is all about. My heart's skipping beats from the excitement that awaits!

Snow for the Manhattan Half? Bring it on.

2012-01-19T10:02:00.001-05:00

So I learned this morning that the probability for snow early Saturday morning is high. I'm running 2+ loops around Central Park at that time. The first of the five "Grand Prix" or "Boro" races in NYC.

Bring it the fuck on.

It's not like I haven't dealt with Mother Nature in the past. I still vividly recall, standing while the reddish icicles breaking off my nostrils and hitting the subway car floor, as seated passengers looked in horror. I had just done the then "snowflake" run. It was 6 with a real feel of minus -20. The reddishness of the frozen moisture from my nose was an aftermath of blood capillaries that had burst from the severe temperatures. Eventually it froze, and then cracked off once I was in the "warmth" of the 6 train.

Sorry if there was a lot of machoism expressed just now. It's just that last year was a shit year overall for me. Sans my twins, it was utter shit. Shit personal life, and expecially shit in the running category, too.
I'm running angry and I plan to be making my way past all the runners, the obstacles and the weather, like Moses making his way through his own-parted sea.

I didn't run as much as I would have liked last night. Partially, because I was still sick (cold), but mostly because I wanted to be fair to our new nanny, and get home by the appointed time. Nonetheless, I did 3.5 miles. I plan to do at least 6 tonight, and perhaps a lite 3 tomorrow morning.

Results from yesterday: Mind you, that MotoActv is also a cadence monitor, and not just a GPS, thus it was able to record (somewhat accurately) the distance I ran. Checked against the treadmill, the final was fairly close.

Soldier

2012-01-15T16:17:00.000-05:00

Was it cold, baby? Was it cold?

If you want to run, then run. But if you want to be dedicated to the run, you need to be a soldier.
Last night, I laid out my clothes and put it in my office. The goal was to go and run in the dark. Right after doing the morning feedings for David and Kayla, too. It was supposed to be about serious business too. I have the Manhattan Half Marathon in Central Park next Saturday. No time for dilly-dallying, no time for bullshit. I was going to do six miles and do it well.

Well, the "sleep" demons kept me in bed after the 5:00am feedings, but right after the 8am feedings, I headed on out. Now, I don't know about you, but in my neighborhood, the "real feel" was 2 degrees. Even with the sun up too. So if anything, the mercury had actually DROPPED during the morning hours.

I layered up, throwing on a hat and a windbreaker with a hood. Gloves too.

There wasn't a soul alive in my area.

The Motoactv was ready to go and so was my mojo. I was a little pissed off at myself that I started off so late. I needed to do something to make up for it. Something that would be worthy of my self-appointed level of insanity, and something that would live up to my Harden-The-Fuck-Up (HTFU) motto.

So let's do it. Let's run a half-marathon in this weather.

Matt and Steffie looked at their old man as if he were nuts and told me so. "GOOD!" I said to them. "Now you will see this old man teach you a thing or 2 about what it takes to be a tough guy!"

I headed out and started running towards Manorhaven Boulevard, away from Sands Point. The blast of cold air, felt like a wall of impenetrable ice, but it made no difference to me. I was on a mission, and I wasn't going to give in, unless I died (and even then I'd come back and finish the run as a ghoul, bwahahahaha!)

I was about 2.5 miles into the run. With the artic air whipping around me, like those evil souls at the unveiling of the Holy Grail in the first Indy flick, I did as Jones did, keeping my face down. Every so often I would need to cover my nose and mouth with my hand to ensure I was breathing in a little less than icicles. My breath not only fogged up my visors, but it actually iced them. One of the notable climbs is running up Main from Shore passing the Port Washington Library, its pinnacle, on the left. Eventually, I crossed Port Blvd, and went uphill onto Beacon Hill Road, an even more significant climb.

The one thing I like about where I live is that the hills are better than those of Central Park, and far superior to Forest Park (my team's home field). For example, Harlem Hill peaks out at +110 ft. above sea level. And with the fact that the lowest point in CP is 20 above sea, that's a 90 feet max climb. Even Cat Hill in CP is only 103 feet. Beacon Hill? 257 feet. The lowest point is Mill Pond at 1.68 feet. Thus, it is a TRUE climb to 257.

The hills and the biting cold, that was making my cheeks feel like slushy ice bags weren't the only challenges. The winds from the last 24 hours had brought down a lot of branches. I had to make sure to skip, hop, jump, as well as run, to avoid being leveled and having a nice frozed face filled with pavement.

Finally, came the long-awaited downhill towards North Hempstead Beach. Open up and say "Ahhhhh"

Taking about "opening" up. The one thing I can say about the cold is that my sinuses do not like it. Do you know what an air-hankie is? It's when you pinch one nostril closed, while blowing out as hard as you can out of the other. The result is a most-disgusting, yet most relieving evacuation of that unpinched nostril. I did this several times, and I tell you, that to the average Joe, I must have looked a like a raging bull with mucus shooting out of his flaring nostrils.

So, this was the first time I was going to do the West Shore Loop in several years. And that reminded me of the beach that is there. A beach for which they hold (or held) an annual Triathlon there.

A beach. Hmmm... How can I make this run more interesting? What about running along the boardwalk. Yes, that would be nice. But that would also lack some teeth too. What if I actually ran on the sand? Now that's a little more like it. I was already struggling with the sand drifts that were under my feet along West Shore, so let's take that head on!

But then an even crazier idea came across my rabid, and now partially-frozen brain. What if I decided to run in the water?

In 19 degree weather?

Screw those polar bear clubs. I'm gonna do it!

Of course, nothing says excitement to me like the word "CLOSED". When I see that I must break the law.

I continued running along this fence, passing all of the parked buses and then I saw a break, literally, in the chain-link fence. Now, there would be nothing stopping me from reaching the frosty shores of the Long Island Sound!

In order to prove my "insane" decision, I videotaped myself running to the shore in this blistering cold. Press play below to watch

The ground looks more like Mars, doesn't it?

I took my shoe off, took my sock off, carefully placing it in my shoe, and then did the unkthinkable on this nice bitter-cold day. Interestingly, the water didn't seem as cold as I thought it would.

Okay, so the deed was done. Now it was time to re-sock, re-shoe, and get the hell out of dodge.

As I ran back out of the park, what struck me was how frozen the right side of my neck had gotten, as it craned beyond its protective clothing while I was negotiating with my shoe.

In fact, by now my whole face was feeling rather frozen, and almost numb, like the numb one feels when they got shot up with anathesia at the dentist's office.

I was leaving the beach when my good friend Pauline (Seto) had texted me saying "Must have been a cold run! Jack was wearing a long sleeve!" She referred to our (Forest Park Runners) President, Jack Berger, who typically runs nearly naked even when the mercury is near freezing. Now that's a Rambo in my book!

As I exited the Beach and continued along W. Shore, I saw (unpictured) a very large and very dead racoon along the road. Good. One less vermin to get at my garbage cans at night.

I even passed the entrance and exit loop to Harbor Park Drive (below), where my wife, Karen works. That's exactly a 10K (6.2 miles) away from the house.

The overpass below is Northern Boulevard looking east towards East Hills. However, I had just entered into Roslyn, if only for a brief moment.

Finally, it was time to actually head back home. I had run nearly 7 miles, and it was time for one last big hill. Old Northern Boulevard, which runs alongside it younger counterpart, is a beast of a climb. The computations suggest that it was a 150 foot climb in about 4/10ths of a mile, but it seems much worse than that. Either that, or perhaps it was the hidden brickwork that some owner had separating his flower bed from the sidewalk, that I nearly wiped out on.

I had to take this second photo along the "climb" on Old Northern. Seeing the "H"ospital sign made me chuckle. Then I nearly wiped out on that stupid brick. All okay, but OUCH!

I finally made it to Northern Boulevard, and ran west till I got to Port. There I made a quick pit stop and bought a bottle of orange gatorade. It was already 9 miles, and I hadn't drank a lick until now. The Gatorade was slightly warm, but as I kept running it got colder. Unbelievably, it iced up by the time I would get back to Shore Road near my house.

As Port Boulevard is very boring, I made my typical inroads to the Flower Hills section of Port Washington (though some argue it should be part of Roslyn).

I did mention the other day how Sands Point BLOWS away Flower Hill, but to be able to even compare Sands Point to Flower is giving Flower a lot of credit. Here's a typical house in Flower Hill. It is very reminiscent to the homes in Forest Hills Gardens, where I grew up and hung out with wonderful friends, like Doug, Jason, Jose, Mike, Jose and Billy Schacht. If you ever want a great, flat run through a beautiful neighborhood, you should seriously consider running through Forest Hills and its gardens. Had it not been for financial considerations, we would have moved to Forest Hills

Once I exited Flower Hill, and ran back along Port Blvd., I could feel my face stinging. There was little that I could do now, other than to run harder, and to suck it up. And thus, sucking it up was what this run was all about. Plus I was already at 10 miles now, so I was already feeling pretty good about the result.

I passed the typical stores, Uncle Giuseppe, Bagel Boss, the Dime Savings bank, and then I knew I was closing in on Main Street. Nice. Made the left onto Main, which was beginning to show signs of life and headed west until I got to Shore Road. I will admit going downhill past the library is nothing short of exhilirating!

It was a joy to finally make it to Shore Road, and onto the walk path.

I started kicking hard because the end was in sight. When I finally made it home, it was somewhere more than 13.1 but less than 13.5, so I ran to end of my dead end street and turned around to run some more until I made my goal.

Here were the rest of my stats:

Oh, and what kind of a runner would I be if I didn't acknowledge a huge running event that took place in Houston yesterday? I was watching Ryan Hall kick butt in the early go, but my man Meb, who I had the honoro of having dinner with a few years back at the NYAC, took home the prize in the end!

Both Ryan and Meb are favorites of mine. It's a shame that Ritz just missed making the Olympics, but coming in 4th means he gets first crack should one of the others fail to attend.

As for the Women, two of my running cuties made it in. Shalane with those hot white leg compressions won in grand style, while my fellow July 9er, Kara made it in as well. Sorry to see Deena come in 6th, but I'm sure she'll back to kick some butt at one of the upcoming Majors.

Well, I wrote all that was needed to be written.

Now it's time to see the Giants hopefully kick some PACKERS ASS!

Go Big Blue!!!

Cary Pinkowski. Humanitarian or Not?

2012-01-13T17:30:00.001-05:00

Last year, and prior to the 2011 Chicago Marathon, I reached out to Cary Pinkowski asking him if he can refund or at least transfer my funds over to 2012. I never heard back from him. Which is why I have sent him another email.

With the untimely death of my mom, which happened without my knowledge on the date of the 2010 Chicago Marathon, I did not want to honor her by doing another marathon the very next year. Let's see what Mr. Pinkowski does, but I hope he is a good man, and can help out a still-suffering son who tragically lost his mom on 10-10-10

Sands Point, My Backyard...Really it is.

2012-01-13T17:21:00.002-05:00

One of the greatest benefits for working hard, is the ability to get to work from home every so often. Though I rarely exercise my right for a full lunch hour when I do work at home, I decided today to go out for a nice run. Last night I had charrted out a course that would take me through some of the many amazing areas of Sands Point. The town of Sands Point is the northernmost community on the second neck of Long Island as you head out east (Great Neck being the first).

With map in hand (below) and dare I say, a finally functioning Motoactv watch (thank you for the last software update-it appears to have made a big difference), I headed out into the 33 degree, 25 with wind chill factor weather.

I live in a beautiful area. Even now, post-run, as I write this and look out of my office window, it's hard not to gaze at the wonderful cumulus clouds that hover over the marina nearby.

The run wasn't going to be all about kicking butt today, but more of a frolicking-sightseeing-picture taking one. The first photo above is a brand new "house". This house is only .18 of a mile from my house. Did I say backyard, or what?

As I was running along the affluent roads of Sands, a thought came across me like a hammer. With all of the sacrifice that my mother made to build her dream estate in the Hamptons. Sacrifices that she took that she shouldn't have, like abandoning me and all of her grandchildren, I came to a few important conclusions. First was that I did not need to live in these houses to feel special. For that I have a lovely wife, and five beautiful children. I do not need a special permit to run along these houses to enjoy their beauty. And so what if I didn't actually live inside these mansions? The fact that I live right next to them, that I can run through them, and fantasize about them is enough to make this man content. With all else that I have going for me, this is just another way of enjoying my life, without having to sacrifice the way my mother did.

My mother abandoned me in the process of achieving her wealth, which she later abdicated part of it to her struggle against cancer, and then the rest of it to that swine that works at Novantas in NYC.
That was her cost, to achieve the sort of life you see in the pictures on this post.

Well, I live in this neighborhood too mom. And while I don't actually live IN these houses, but rather next to them, I didn't sacrifice the one thing that you did back on October 16, 1978 (which by the way, the date eerily has a LOT of other significant events associated with it too). And that was my children.

I love my children with all my life. No house, or material objects of any kind will ever take me away from my children. Ever.

As I kept running through, more huge houses popped up. I love the huge wreath close to the top of the fireplace stack. And the stone work just smacks of Europe to me. Absolutely beautiful.

Some roads are private, some public, and some like this one up here, I can't even begin to tell.
A wonderful place to run through. I can't even imagine how wonderful it will be when springtime rolls in, and the good weather along with it.

More amazing views of the wealthy homes here in Sands Point.

That's not an illusion. That is a beach head right behind this lovely house above.

This house never seemed to end. I can't even begin to guess what the SQ. FT. on this beast is.

What a wonderful view these home owners must have overlooking the water. Amazing.

And for all that I've written in the past about how beautiful the area of Flower Hill in Port Washington is, it doesn't hold a lick to Sands Point. Majestic, sweeping, expanse wealth. No end to the beauty in Sands Point.

This is ONE house.

This house was so big that I had to take 2 photos to really capture its depth (above, below)

And to think, the houses would only get BIGGER....

Nice front yard, ehhh?

This estate (because it was much bigger than even the biggest mansions I saw today) was so large and impressive that I had to take several shots of it. The first one was just the entrance alone which boasted an American Flag waving a good 15 to 20 high.

Can you even see the house in the distance? Some driveway, right?

Here above is yet another estate with an yet another impressive entry. I sweat that house must be a good 1/4 mile from my iPhone!

This person was wealthy enough....to have his own pier! Take a close look above.

Though not as big as some of the estates I saw, I absolutely fell in love with this one. Facing the water, a private beach, gazebo, and amazing tuscany architecture ( i believe), makes this one the pick for me. Now I only have to hit the lottery, right? I will keep dreaming.

Coming back, I can see the beginning of a hill. Nice! Look at the stone work below on this person's property. It goes all the way up the hill. Again, ultra-impressive.

The hill has eyes? No. The hill has 5 karat diamonds.

Eventually, I had to say goodbye to Sands Point, and re-enter the Manorhaven section of Port Washington, but I decided to head straight for the marina to see what kind of big boats these big house owners had....

You see the white wrapping behind me? Those are YACHTS.

Again, I may not own a mansion, or a yacht or a string of polo ponies, but I do have my health, a beautiful wife, 5 beautiful children, and a great job. To say that I'm blessed is an understatement. 2012 will be a great year. This will be my year.

Let the 2012 season begin! RACE REPORT:Joe Kleinerman 10K

2012-01-07T10:20:00.001-05:00

Coming back to Manhattan, I can finally refer to it as coming back to my old haunts.

It is nice to see the minions of runners, the Mecca of running known as Central Park, and that wind! That cold biting wind to indicate that the winter season of running has begun in earnest!

With any new year comes new challenges. I just realized that to get my number, I had to run to the roadrunners club on 89th st to get my number. Oh well. So much for relaxing before the start of my inaugural race of this Mayan-favorite year.

I'm glad I ran to and fro the club as I barely made it to my already-closed off corral. And it was the blue elite corral. #242..my best race number yet.

Of course, my 6.2 mile run instantly became an 8 mile run, thanks to my poor planning, but that's okay because I needed to warm up anyway. The run before the run was a good way to warm up those muscles (especially the calves) before the start of the race. If you look below, you can see that I never paused my Motoactv once inside NYRR.

Regardless of the season or the year, you best can be certain that if there are portable toilets....they will come!

As so far as the race went, it went fairly better than I had expected. I didn't do a sub-8 pace, but I do believe I came close to breaking the 50 minute mark for the 10k, which is not terrible at all considering this was my first race since the Marathon in early November some 2 months ago.

Christmas In Port

2011-12-26T14:53:00.001-05:00

20 Miles in the last 3 days. And I took off for good behavior for Christmas Day too... ;-)

Port Washington is a great place to run. There are so many places to run through too, the possibilities seem endless. I would be totally surprised if there wasn't already a running club in the area as a result. However the ideas of starting my own formidable running team are swirling in my head.

Amazing that nearly a year ago today, the entire nightmare had begun of injury followed by more injury followed by my mom's death, Karen's loss of work, and all of the other wonderful (NOT) things that come with it.

I can't tell you now, how relieved I feel to be running, or should I say, basking, in this wonderful sunlight by Manhasset Bay.

I decided on Christmas Eve to run from the intersection of Port Washington Blvd., and Northern Boulevard to my home. I took a short break trying to recharge my useless MotoActv watch (the worst watch that a lot of money can buy) and ran back to the Whole Foods parking lot to collect my SUV.

The run I did is a really nice varied run. There are private streets and big roads, and there are straightaways, curves, and hills. Country Club Drive off of Port Washington Blvd. has one big fat ascent. It felt so good on the calves too (I must be a masochist, right?). One thing that didn't feel so good was when this huge St. Bernard, for whom I will refer to as "Cujo", came running from the back of its home on Farmview Drive, moments after I turned right onto it from Hewlett Lane, in the Flower Hill section of Port. I think there must have been an electric fence, because this huge beast had nothing that I could visibly see to stop it from mauling me!

And today, again I ran outside, this time from my gym, the Training Station, over on Channel Drive. I did the same run all the way out to Port & Northern. It was a bit warmer today (45 as opposed to 30), but I wore my Asics jacket to get a good heated sweat going on. The plan worked. I'm down to 160 now. Amazing how my body works too...I didn't even get the urge to run until I was 3/4 of the way back and passing Nassau Knolls cemetery on my left, that I got the runner's high. But once I did, I was kicking butt (oh, and the Red Bull I bought at the Mobil, near the Landmark Diner didn't hurt either!)

I love running down Main Street with its decorative stone crosswalks. Also are the endless BMWs, Mercedes, and SUVs too. Nothing like that in East Harlem... That's for sure. :-)

By the time I passed Ayhan's, I was really motoring, flying fast than the Canadian Geese along the Bay on Shore Road.

So much to prove this coming year, and so much to achieve. A world of running awaits in this renewed and recharged soul!

Anyway, and like I said, there are so many places to run in and around Port Washington, Manhasset, Plandome, etal. The potential for great runs lay ahead of me and I can't wait!!!

Port Washington By Day!

2011-12-10T14:08:00.001-05:00

Today was my first full day of athletic frolicking through the neighborhood of Port Wash. I drove to the Training Station, where they took my car (via valet, no less!) and I went inside. It's a very nice gym. True it's not one of those Equinox gyms where most of the stuck-up pretentious people go to spend $180 dollars a month, but it was nicely appointed with stone ground showers and temperature controls, tv's in the locker rooms, a eucalyptus steam room, and a good ole-fashioned sauna too.

There's baby-sitting, massages, a rec area, and a juice bar, and the towels, while not eucalyptus-medicated and fluffy, are a little better than the cheese-grating towels at NYSC.

I ran 1 mile, then another one, and then I said, "I need to go out and run!" You know me, treadmills suck!

So in a short-sleeve t-shirt, and shorts that were nearly pornographic in size, I took my nearly clad bod out and about in the beautiful town of Port Washington (Manorhaven, North Port, Baxter, ehhhh WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, FOR PETE'S SAKE!!!). And ran to Shore Boulevard.

The gym is also nice because it's not too far from where the start of the Shore Road Running trail begins. Again, I felt like as if I was running along Chelsea and the West Side (just without the big buildings or the big ruckus either!).

As I ran, I would stop to take photos, partially because my Motowatch wasn't able to get a signal (later on Karen would tell me that when she ran she got a signal right away from her Garmin 310XT. Score one for Garmin, I guess).

I even ran out to the edges of the piers as you can clearly see on the photos above. It felt pretty exhiliarating (as well as cold too, brrrrr!!!!)

It was a really nice run. And I'm glad it was too, because there are going to be a lot of runs along this path, and I need to make sure I don't get bored of the scenery anytime soon either.

Just a few feet away from the water in some cases. And you can feel the sound of the water breaking too (though just a little bit).

Different areas looked like different places. In the photo above, it almost felt like I was running along La Jolla in California. Strange, huh?

Empty benches thanks to Mother Nature, but I'm sure once the summer comes around it should be bustling again.

The sidewalk is not too badly cracked. Evidence that I live in a nicer neighborhood.

I love how the sun beams over this park bench. Memories from the past and new ones to form for sure!

All that's missing from here is my yacht!

Back to the gym for another mile. And then I went off to do weights. Took a great shower and really liked the place. What does this all mean?

Goodbye SLIMY NASTY NYSC!!!!

Port Washington has a new runner!

2011-12-05T22:59:00.001-05:00

Eventually and at some point, I will post my blog about this year's New York City Marathon. I will tell you that I was very pleased with the outcome. Especially when you consider all that I've been through this year, the NYC Marathon this year was awesome.

I don't want to beat around the bush with this, but I am uber-ecstatic to report that we've moved out of Manhattan, and we now live in Port Washington, NY. Quite familiar I am with this area, this was ironically Karen's choice after we decided a place that would give us a better living space, and all the while keep us close to Queens and Manhattan. You just can't beat a 37 minute express train to Penn Station. It's like we have the best of both worlds. Also, living very close to Sands Point, affords us the ability to get some not good, but GREAT runs in. True, NOTHING will ever compare to Central Park, but I will find a way to make this neighborhood as fun now, as it was for me back during 2003-2005 when I used to frequent an ex of mine who lived in Flower Hill (PS - for her peace of mind-in case she reads this, which I highly highly doubt, her name is to never be mentioned, ever).

Tonight (Mon. Dec 5) was my first run in nearly a month. Had not run since the NYC Marathon. Mother Nature gave me a chill and a lot of fog. But it did not disrupt me from doing what my body had been craving for, for so long now.

So, I brought the gym bag with me to work. I changed at quarter of five. Left promptly at 5:30. Got home at 6:05, and was out the door running at 6:10.

It was chilly! I ran back inside to get my marathon jacket on. The temp was around 50, but with the low hanging fog all around me, the wetness of it all got right down into my 46-year old bones.

Out into the dark, I began my run into a foreign area. Didn't bring my headlamp though, darn. 'Must hi-step', I kept reminding myself, so as not to get my feet caught on any unsuspecting raised a/o broken sidewalk.

I ran down till I got to Shore Road, and headed east all the way to Sunset Park. The jogging trail along the water was very reminiscent to the path along the west side and Chelsea piers (another area that I will miss running through, wahh!)

I had to be back in time before Cindy got off of work, but remembered something Karen had mentioned about getting food. So I texted Cindy, and as part of my "run", I ran into Stop N Shop. Imagine a grown man running home while clutching a chicken like a football down Shore road at night and in the fog!!!

I ran a little over 4 miles and it felt great!

Grete's (and Gonzo's) Grateful Great Gallup.

2011-10-05T22:25:00.001-04:00

DISTANCE: 13.1 Miles, 21.1 Kilometers

DATE/TIME: Sunday, October 2, 2011 @ 9am
PLACE: Central Park, New York
WEATHER: 60 degrees, 93% humidity, wind 3 mph, overcast.

Let me begin by saying that I did not want a repeat from last week.

Yesterday, I went to Road Runners and got my number from Janet Cupo (Thank you, Janet). I figured that was ONE less headache for race day.

Then, after promising Karen to do the midnight feed, I went to bed at 9:30pm after seeing Boardwalk that I had DVR’d (love that show, btw).

Also, I drank a LOT of water too.

See, how much I remembered from last week? (The answer is...A LOT!)

This morning I got up at 7am. The race started at 9, which gave me plenty of time to get ready, both physically and mentally. I even had time to grab a Red Bull and Gatorade at the corner bodega on 2nd and 102nd, right before jumping into a cab that would take me to the start, 40 minutes before racetime, another plus.

The humidty was at 93% but it didn’t feel so bad because the dew point was at 58, and the temperature was at 60 degrees. Plus there was a light breeze, AND I was wearing a singlet. Also, to lighten my load, I did not take the iPhone/Nike+, choosing instead to go back to basics and re-embrace my Garmin 310XT. Strategy. Strategy. Strategy!

I did a little stretching near the bandshell right before the baggage on 70th. Then I made my way to the starting line. For being a last minute entry, I got a green corral bib (4th from the front BLUE corral). That’s okay though. No pressure to perform, and I’m figuring I might even pass a lot of people as I would eat my delicious, nutritious helpings of asphalt in Central Park.

With the race being named after the great (and sadly, late) runner, Grete Waitz, Mary Wittenberg gave a touching tribute before the start of the race. During her speech, she had asked anyone who had gotten advice from Grete, to raise their hands, and a handful did. Then she asked how many got a high-five from Grete, and I with a lot of other people raised their hands. By the time she was finished, everyone had their hands raised. Grete was an even more amazing person than that of an already amazing runner, and all I kept thinking was how nice it would be to have a bronze statue, like the one erected for Fred Lebow on 90th and Central park Drive East, to be erected for Grete near the finish line of the New York City Marathon. A fitting tribute to a nine time NYC Marathon winner, to say the least.

When the race got underway, I had my mental faculties on. My fitness level is nowhere near where it was a year ago at this time, but again, given all the duress from my mom’s death, and subsequent legal disgrace that is still going on, my grandmother, for whom I don’t even know if she is dead or alive, and my recent time split between an extra heavy load of work….and extra heavy load of diapers for my twin lovelies….it’s even a wonder that I am running at all.

The start was very crowded. Typically running a 4 mile race in Central Park means running 4.08 miles, so running a 13.1 mile race in Central Park equates to 13.26 miles. Too many angles and hills that you have to be perfect on, and with thousands of runners around me like there are in the green corral and area, there was just no way I was even going to try and overtake.

But still, I tried.

I ran my first mile in 8:48. The course is a clockwise one. Two loops starting from 70th street and Central Park Drive East, finishing up at the finish line of the New York City Marathon, by Tavern On The Green. What a fitting finish, to a race named after the wonderful runner that Grete was, and whose spirit was with us all during this great moment.

My second mile was a little better, 8:35.38, and keep in mind that I calibrated my watch to give me splits every 1.02 miles, and not 1 mile. So in honest, I was going faster than these splits. However keeping in mind that the finish line is the finish line regardless of how much more I run, and hence the reason for why I chose this split interval of 1.02.

Then came the rolling hills, but in reverse for me since I normally run this park counter clock like most do. I knew I had to conserve energy because running up Harlem Hill in reverse is more challenging to me, and typically these rolling hills chew me up before I get digested in Harlem. Yet, I still managed to run my 1.02 miles in 8:24.54 (8:14 pace).

When run clockwise, Harlem Hill ends just beyond Mile 4. It was a surprise to me to see me clock in Lap 4 at 8:23.79 (8:13 pace). Still, I cautioned myself not to get too giddy. This is not a streaker’s run (haha). This is a long distance run. People who run ahead of me now, will be looking at my ass later, because I know all about what it takes to survive and outlast. Case in point? This woman blocks me from getting water slightly after Mile 2. She runs in front of me and gets in my way. I miss the water stop. Not a big deal, because I still remember Coach Shelly telling me how good long distance runners don’t even take a sip until mile 4 or 5. However, a little bit further up, this chic spits to her left, narrowly missing my shoes. I’m thinking it was more coincindence, and shrug it off. I finally make my way past her but as we depart Mile 4 and start entering those winding, sweeping hills neer the Meer, she passes by me, and within a few seconds of it, spits again, and again in my direction!

What the fuck?

I normally don’t let stupid shits like this distract me. I have a running plan for every race. For this race, for instance, my plan was to bank energy for the second loop. However, it was time she got what she deserved. Good thing she wasn’t a dude, or there would have been some shit to deal with for sure. I ran past her past Lasker Pool. That was the last time I would see her shitty-sissy-spitty-self again.

I finished Mile 5 in 8:39.02 (pace 8:28). Again, these are not splits that I normally would have been proud of. Why, only a year ago, I was cracking 7s for every mile. But again, I’ll take them. Much better than my splits just a week earlier, for sure!!

Mile 6, I was sure would be a fast mile. And it was. Starting near Fred Lebow’s status at the entrance of what would be the last leg of the New York City Marathon, most of the mile is downhill. I actually offered a peace sign to the black cat on Cat Hill as I passed it by. Just like I did on the uphills, I made sure to once again shorten my stride on the downhills too. Why? Impact is harsher on downhills, and it’s important to have my feet landing directly under my torso, and not overextend my strides, which happens mostly on downhills. I finished Mile 6 in 8:22.59 (pace 8:12).

Mile 7 is essentially going from the 72nd street entrance on the East Side, and looping around Central Park South until near Tavern on the Green. If it weren’t for the uphill grade the last ¼ mile, I might have come close to 8 flat, but was happy to settle with an 8:23.26 (8:13 pace).

Now we come to the second full loop. Physically, I was ready for it. I didn’t feel the fatigue that I felt at the tune up run last week. Mentally though, I might have been obsessing a bit much on being able to hold up. Confidence these days is not like it was last year. However, I did manage to reach inside and think of my 30 mile odyssey less than 2 weeks ago, and it helped. Mile 8 was completed in 8:44.34 (8:34 pace).

If the rolling hills had an impact on me on Mile 8, then I definitely did something about in Mile 9. Despite the increase in hill work on this mile over the last, I managed to somehow shave off 11 seconds, and at 8:33.05 (8:22 pace), I was pleased. The smile on my face was like Martin Landau at the end of the original Twilight Zone TV series episode, “The Jeopardy Room”. Ear to ear, baby!

I was looking at the time clocks however, and I didn’t know whether or not I would or could break 1:50. Statistically, it didn’t mean a thing, but morally it would be nice.

Mile 10 and another pass through Harlem Hill. No spitting sissies this time ‘round, just plain old good fashioned running. My 8:34.62 was a little slower than at my first pass (8:23), but still not bad!

Mile 11 was my worst mile. And I knew it would be. My game plan was to give it all I could the last two miles. Perhaps I mentally held back too much? Or was it the incline grade along the East Park Drive? Or perhaps, did that second pass along the winding and great uphill curves near Lasker Pool, finally did me in? I was beginning to huff a little. And with a finish lap of 8:55.05 (8:44 pace), I knew any chance of breaking 1:50 was gone. This meant that I would have to do well under a sub 8 for the next 2.1 miles, which of course is really more like 2.15 miles in reality.

Still, I had a lot of fight left in me. If I was going to go down, I would go down swinging. I came to wage war here today, and I wasn’t about to let anything break me.

And maybe that’s why I did Mile 12 in 8:06.33 (pace of 7:56). This was my fastest mile in the entire race and to do this at the tail end, is definitely a sign of encouragement.

Of course, it would not end there. I felt the old Alex, the 2010 Alex wanting to break through. The legs were a little sore now, as were the feet, but my strides were getting longer. No longer the half-gallon strides anymore. We’re talking a full gallon now, baby! I was whipping around past Sheep Meadow on my right, Wollman Rink on my left. I had to do everything I could to break 1:50.

The final nail in the coffin of 1:49:59 came when I passed the entry point of where the NYC marathon comes back into the park from Columbus Circle. Garmin was complaining that I was already at 1:49 and I knew I had too much distance to cover to break the finish line in under 1 minute. Still, I gave it all I could. I never quit, even in the face of personal secretive defeat, I always prevail, always giving the best I can possibly afford to give. I leave nothing at the end. Like Prefontaine, I run everytime as if it were my last run.

When I finished mile 13 at a cool 7:56.30 (7:46 pace), I didn’t notice. Honestly, I was sprinting the last tenth towards the finish, which was already nailed in sight. When I crossed the finish, I let out a primitive grunt of satisfaction followed by a Yeah! Such a fucking alpha male I am when it comes to this shit. The testosterone is already flowing through me again, even as I just sit on my ass to write this to all of you!!!

My finish time was 1:50:53. Pace of 8:28. I came in 1601 out of 4957 runners. Better than the top 3rd.

Not bad, but I will aim to do even better on my next half marathon!

After the race, I was trying to look for the guy dressed up in a ram costume, but wound up even better by seeing Thor and Flash in person. Incidentally, Thor ran the Grete race in 1:42. I only did better than that 1 time, LOL.

Not long after the race was over and before the raffle got under way, Jack Waitz, beloved husband of the late great Grete Waitz, appeared onstage at the bandshell with Mary Wittenberg.

Of course, what would Norwegian Day be without the famous homemade waffles? Hardly surprising was a line of which I counted 97 people in front of me, to get their hands on a tasty mouthful.

Being a good husband, and appreciating my wife's selfless act to take care of the kids this morning, I decided to wait on line to get the waffle. Not for me, but for her

Alas, I finally arrive to the waffle finish line!

Of course, now came the hard part.....Getting the waffles home, in one piece....AND UNEATEN....

(In my hot little hands--protected by a red nap) (can it survive me & a NYC cab ride home?)

Hours later, and with help of my microwave....another satisfied customer....

Karen was nice and shared some with me! Guess my willpower for food is not as bad as I thought (on the other hand, had this been pizza? Fugghedaboudit!!!!!)

The ING NYC Marathon 18-Mile Tune Up Run Race Report

2011-09-25T16:13:00.000-04:00

The priviledge of having been promoted to the elite statuswas overwhelming. So to even things out, I guess I would have to have an“underwhelming” performance. Blech.

Yes. You heardright. Alex David González was finallyawarded an elite corral start. Myrunning number was 381, and it was BLUE. And BLUE means you are one of the best. Too bad, I didn’t return the favor. More than likely, I may get bounced out of blue, just as fast as I gotin there.

The preparation for this race first off, could not have beenworse. I basically took 8 years ofknowledge, and flushed it down the toilet. Despite my need for sleep, I couldn’t let Karen do another night offeedings, so I slept in the same bed, getting up with her to feed David &Kayla. The dastardly, but extremely cuteduo, kep me up all night too. I neverhad more than 2 hours of continuous sleep, zero rem sleep, and in all only 5hours of horrible sleep. This is bad,bad, bad. When I got to the startingline, I felt more like laying on the asphalt and snoring, then to start running18 miles. What up wit’ dat?

The next issue was that I had done a 30 mile run (yay! Mylongest ever!) only a week earlier. Now,you tell me, is 7 days proper recovery? And considering the fact that I ran 3 more times in between, umm,yeah. You get the point!

If my improper recovery couldn’t have been helped, I atleast had the control to properly hydrate the day before. But I didn’t. I totally broke the rule here. Onlong runs, it is important, no wait, VITAL, to consume mass quantities of waterthe day before. It flushes you out ofimpurities and hydrates your system, like a car just having gotten a new oilchange. In my case, my oil was old andrusty. Meh.

Mother Nature didn’t give two shits about me (or anyone elsefor that matter) either. Anotherdisgusting dew point, 69. Remember, whenI scaled 1,039 feet during my 30 mile run last week? Well, with a dew point like that, it feltlike I was running right into mountains and thru them.

Another great factor for failure, is to stress out about notmaking it to the starting line on time. I was hustling all over the place just to get to the starting line. So in addition to wanting to go back tosleep, I was already huffing and puffing before the horn even went off.

The course itself was tedious. 3 counter clockwise loops around Central Park. That’s 3 times

around Harlem Hill, 3 times around the rolling hills of the west side, and 3 times aroundCat Hill.

Ardous and Boring.

During my moments of “darkness”, I even walked. Not just at water stations, but right in the

middle of miles too. I was out of gas. My head wasn’t into it. Totally a bad bio day all around.

However, all was not lost. For one, I completed another long run. 18 miles is nothing to sneeze at.

Plus, I did another 2 miles afterwards. So 20 miles a week after 30 miles, is prettyterrific, I think.

Also, I never cramped up once whilerunning. That ended quickly after I gothome, and my right

foot felt like it wanted to curl up the back of my spine andscratch the back of my neck…But other

than that, I felt perfect!

And….I finished!

Of course the Elite status was nice. But who knows if that will last. We shallsee.

When I got home Steffie and Matt had askedhow I did, and I gave them the story.

(the finish line...finally!)

(should 've read 'Dying Lane')

Farmingdale, Bethpage & Plainview – A Fall Evening Run

2011-09-22T15:37:00.000-04:00

Karen was out with me in Long Islandtoday. While she was at a job fair, Iwas working, and when she came by to pick me up at work, she needed to go toTarget for the twinkies. Me? I needed to run!

Having the sense to bring my duffle with me, I had hoped togo to SUNY to run at the track. But thetrack was closed. Oh, well.

But Karen, who is a relentless optimistic, reminded me tograb hold of my adverturous nature and to just run. Anywhere.

I will admit that I was a bit nervous at first. People in Long Islanddrive pretty fast and nighfall was coming. However, I also had packed my Black Diamond Headlamp with me, thus I wasprepared for anything.

We were on Melville Road in Farmingdale, when we turned in on Reeves Avenue,where we then stopped. I got out, gavemy wife some well earned kisses, and we both parted ways for awhile. She by car, and me? By foot!

I headed south on Melville Road, nearly missing the right turn onto Powell Place. Powell was residential which was ratherrelieving, considering how fast people were zooming past me. I always run opposite of traffic. I like to see who is potentially going to hitme so that I can jump into the woods and out of the way.

Powell’s quickly became Bethpage Road, and Quaker Meeting House Road not longafter. Quaker was a shaker. Cars were whizzing by me around blind curbs,and the shoulder was gone, forcing me to run on the uneven grass and dirt fromtime to time. At least the sun was notdown….but it was getting there.

I was running with my iPhone tonight, utilizing my Nike+GPS. It was doing well, but somewherejust after I crossed Round Swamp, the GPS just diedon me, without warning. It would be niceif a voice came on and said “Nike Sucks” when that happens, so at least I wouldknow then and not a mile or so later, that my time & mileage is all screwedup.

I decided to bear left down onto Merrits Road which took me to the startof Hempstead Turnpike. Here I ran on thesame side of traffic because there was no sidewalk on the otherside, and to runon Hempstead Turnpike, you might as well put on a sign that says “Go Ahead. HitMe. I Dare You.”.

Nonetheless, the sidewalk on my side came to an end, and forat least 1/3 of a mile I was running on the grass as I ran towards the SeafordOyster Bay Expressway.

The dew point was a disgusting 72, and running through thegrass with short socks all I could think of was Lyme Tick. God Forbid.

I passed New Island Hospitalshortly after crossing Route 135, which reminded me of Dr. Shapiro, myex-orthopedist, who refused to give me a cortisone shot on my partially tornright calf muscle. It was a month beforethe 2006 NYC Marathon.

Before I knew it, the sun was gone. Nightfall had set in. I quickly turned on my headlamp, with thesetting on spot light, as I made a right turn on Stewart Avenue, heading back northnow. Nike+ mentioned that I had alreadyrun over 3 miles, but it was closer to 4 miles for sure. Wish I had my Garmin now. Meh.

As I was heading up Stewart, I did not notice how horriblethe sidewalks were. The cement squareswere all misaligned, thanks to the tree roots pushing it up from beneath.

Even with the headlamp on, you can’t see what you don’t see,if you are looking at the Nike+. And atone point, somewhere between Russell and Emma crosses, my foot caught theraised edge of one of these squares. Itsent me flying.

My iPhone came right out of my hand, landing on the groundpretty violently. Fortunately for me, Idid not do the same, catching my balance back somehow before falling. Still, I must have looked like Earl Hollimanin the famous TV pilot episode of the Twilight Zone, called “Where IsEverybody?” where he runs into abicycle. Poor, poor man! Victim of themodern age! (to be said like it was read off of “A Clockwork Orange”).

Licking my wounds, I made a right onto Central Ave, just to make another quickleft onto Broadway. This time I was onthe opposite side of traffic, and there were plenty of stores and ambientlighting from them, to complement my headlamp. At one point, I think around Bishop Av., I saw a woman turning ontoBroadway and was running. Not that Iminded, but the sidewalk was narrow, and she was running at a slower pace andwould not get out of my way. Thus, I didwhat any normal alpha male would do….I took to the street and ran opposite oftraffic with the headlamp on, for a block or two.

Once again the Nike+ GPS fails me, this time right after theintersection of Broadway and Linden. If I could make the same product, fit it onsomething small, like the new nanos, make the headphones wireless, and moreimportantly, improve the GPS satellite reception, I would retire a millionaire. Investors? Please give me a call and I’ll explain all the rest!

(This picture is no shit. It was really this dark outside.)

It was pitch black now. I had done close to 6 miles, and here I was crossing under the SeafordOyster Bay Expressway once again. I wasin Plainviewnow, and aptly so, I had just made a left onto Plainview Road.

I continued onward and crossed the street because thesidewalk had ended. Yet the sidewalk wasatrocious on the east side of the road. I passed a school, and then it was residential. And that’s when the road got really bad. Not only were the cement squares to thesidewalk all raised, but it appears that the tree removal service in the areadid not do their job, when the hurricane had struck a month ago. I nearly beheaded myself a few times on lowhanging branches from fallen trees that were still on the ground.

Then I nearly tripped again. Ugh! What an obstaclecourse! All of this, and but verythankful that my plantar fascitis has not yet acted up. Well, it shouldn’t with my new sneaks.

Karen gave me a call. We started to plan where to meet. I mentioned to meet me at the intersection of Sunnyside Blvd. &Sagamore Road. But after I hung up, andas I ran, I noticed that there was no way I could get there in 10 minutes asthis point was at least 2 miles away. Then came the debacle. Karencalls me and mentions that she was going to come down to pick me up as Iran. I told her to meet me at theintersection of Manetto Hill and Old Country Roads. I shouldn’t have picked this, because it wasa busy intersection, and in hindsight I realized it would be hard for her tostop here. But this became a moot point,when our TomTom in Jenna decided to go haywire, sending my wife all the waynorth (instead of south) up to Woodbury. At one point she called me telling me she is near Jericho Turnpike. I’m sure by now, anyone who has lived inLong Island, and has moved, let’s say far away, is getting a kick out of all ofthese street names, for living in Long Island,means driving everywhere!

Anyway, this whole meeting of each other became a debacle,and we both got pretty stressed out. Iwas actually contemplating telling Karen to go home and meet me there, but ofcourse, even for me that would be impossible since it would have been at leastanother 35 miles!

We tried again on the call. Washington Ave. & Manetto Hill Road. Fail. Then Howard Court& Joyce Road. Finally she got there. I was so glad to be in a car for once!

The one consolation prize to this was that it afforded methe ability to head even more northward, thus my mileage was around 8 milestotal. Not bad for a weeknight right?!

Glad to be home!

2011-09-20T21:55:00.001-04:00

Yes I got SLEEP. And yes I got an amazing 30 Mile training run in, but I am glad to be back from LA, and back in NY, to see my beautiful wife and my irresistable children.

That's all. Nothing about running tonight. Just about good times. :-)

30 Miles

2011-09-19T05:13:00.000-04:00

What a year this has been thus far. And with the amazing, wonderful & fantastic birth of my twin children (twinkies), it has been anything but glorious. Since, last year’s PR at the NYC Marathon, I have had one physical condition after another. In December it was the after-effects of a procedure known as an aspiration, because I had decided that I wanted children again, and I had already had the big “V”. They told me the pain after the operation would be gone a lot quicker than when I had my vasectomy, but they were oh, so terribly wrong. I even remember one day as I was driving to get my kids, where I had to pull over the side of the road, because I thought I was going to pass out in pain. And that was 3 weeks after the procedure!

No sooner did I heal from that, that I had my next doozie. How about going airborne on a thin snowbank on Pilgrim Hill in Central Park, landing on my back with a metal camera that came within a half inch of my spine, which potentially could have paralyzed me? $2,000 dollars, and several MRIs, pain killers, trips to the Hospital For Special Surgery, and acupuncturists later, I finally healed. But that little stint caused me half of January and screwed up my February too.

Now enter March. Here I am getting back into form. And all of a sudden I learn, and on my own, that my estranged mother had died….back on October 10th of the previous year. The same day that I had done the Chicago Marathon. My heart sank, but it was the scumbag who stole my mother’s inheritance, and perhaps the most incompetent lawyers I ever had the unfortunate disgust to hire which not only cost me any chance at seeing my grandmother alive, but has delayed (so-far) that pig from going behind bars over it ( NOTE: I’ve since gotten another lawyer. Get ready, you piece of shit. )

Anyway, the stress from all of this, sent me to a hospital by mid July. My blood pressure clocked in at 167 over 110. Even for a normal person, this is really bad. But for me? My pressure is usually 120 over 70. My pal Doug stayed with me overnight at the hospital, and days later, I realized that I still wasn’t well. My docs gave me an inhaler, but tests later showed my lung capacity was fine. They also did an echo stress test, but my heart was good too. Then I started to realize that this pain was coming from my upper stomach. I needed to rule out anything with my spleen, pancreas, liver and kidneys (which came back with a clean bill of health, Thank God) and decided to give me Dexilant, a powerful acid reducer, to finally get the rest of the poison out of my system. Thankfully, it worked, because I was very close to getting an endoscopy done otherwise.

The following week, my handsome son, David and my beautiful daughter Kayla, were born a minute apart. Naturally, life since then has not been the same. I didn’t think I could be happier then by being with Karen, the love of my life. But having these two little babies have made me feel complete in a way that I haven’t felt since Matthew was born some 10 years earlier.

A few weeks later, and in August, I got a severe case of food poisoning. It was so bad, that not only did I have to take off from work for two days, but I also had to stop running for almost a week again, until I got better.

And when I did feel better, I started running again (Naturally) only to strain my right hamstring. I was feeling so great, but was on such unfamiliar territory that I forgot not to overdo it, and running a 3:40 pace for an 1/8 of a mile was overdoing it. Result? It laid me out for another 10 days.

The issue with injuries is that once you get one, you are prone to getting more. It’s like a vicious cycle, really. Last year I was a well-oiled machine. I didn’t get hurt once ( a first) and as a result, I was able to do remarkable work on the road. This year however, I just can’t seem to get started.

But I don’t give up. I was never a quitter, and I never will be. Not now. Not ever. Those who know me, can set their clocks by my response to adversity. I just don’t go away.

Last weekend the curse continued. After doing my “obstacle course” run along the streets of the UES and Midtown during the rush hour, I started feeling some pain in my foot. I knew I needed new shoes, but I figured I would stretch the soup and save some cash until the treads started getting bald. A couple of days later, I was running with KJ and his two friends. I had completed 11 miles, but as I was jogging home, the tenderness in my right foot came back in the form of an acute pain. I self-diagnosed it. A pain just above my heel running along my arch on the inner side of my right foot. A classic case of Plantar Fascitis.

Here we go again, I thought.

It’s been a busy year at work, so it doesn’t take much to convince me to work overtime instead of running, and that’s to say nothing about my sweet wife and how hard she’s been working herself taking care of the babies. So of course, I oblige to help without regret since it seems I’m always hurt lately.

Throughout the week I was hoping to get better because I was going to California on work assignment. My job, if I do it right and everything goes well, typically avails me to be free on Sunday. I was hoping, no wait, yearning, to head back to Redondo Beach, where back on April 17th, and despite all the newfound bullshit I was dealing with at the time over the loss of my mother and the estate, I laid out a blistering 23.6 mile run. I had hoped to get back to it this weekend, but all signs pointed elsewhere.

I spent for example, icing my foot at the hotel room for like 5 hours on Thursday night. Only to wake up the next day and still feel the same crap going on down there.

Friday, I worked from sun up to sun down. I was on my feet all day, and while our facility rep exclaimed, “Alex, I’ve never seen you work so fast and hard before.”, my feet were killing me!

Saturday, I worked yet another 6 hours, but had opportunities to run. Still, I was so afraid of blowing any chance I had at a long run, that I dared not push that envelope. God, just give me one more day of rest, and make my feet feel better?

I went to bed at 11pm, and woke up today (Sunday) at 7am. The California skies from my 6th floor hotel room in Woodland Hills were already brightening. I knew I had better get a move on, so as not to run in the heat of the day.

By 8:15, I was already locked and loaded, heading for a gas station where I was get mass quantities of Gatorade, Red Bull, water, and power crunch bars. I already had nine power gels in my spi-belt too. I was obviously being optimistic, because despite being full up on supplies, my foot was still not right. Still, I’m not backing down from a challenge, And when it’s all said and done, accomplishments are easy to see, but effort, which may not be as easy to spot on a data sheet, is what really matters in life. At least to me, anyway.

The weather was nearly perfect. It was on the short side of the 60’s, humidity seemed low (then again compared to the East coast, every other place is), and their was a nice breeze. Added for good measure was a cloudy sky, which is great, because sunshine can be a terrible enemy to the long distance runner.

It is 9:30am. Time to perform.

I started right from my car at the Redondo Beach Parking lot, and running across the parking lot, and down the steps to the dockside marina. I weaved around from one walk way to another and before long I had passed Veteran’s Park on my left, and suddenly found myself at the north end of Redondo Beach. Had there been sun here, I would have been cooked by the time I would’ve gotten to the mountain.

I ran south along the walkway with the sands and water on my right. I finally had gotten new sneaks (Brooks Adrenaline, what else) and although I wore them during move-day Friday, today I would break them in, the way they were MEANT to be broken in.

It felt so good to be running again. And to be running in California too. What a great state to run in. Thanks to the weather there weren’t as many walkers, or even cyclists for me to have to struggle against while I ran. I did need water though. At the end of the Paseo De La Playa there is a little shack that sells food and drinks, but when I got there it was CLOSED. However there was a water fountain, and a bathroom, and I figured I would hit them both. The mountain was dead ahead, and I needed to make sure my “bios” were in order.

The end of ‘Paseo’ is an incline of 67 feet (according to my research). Not an issue, except the grade is insane, something like 17 degrees, and it reminded me of my running in Vancouver back in ’07.

As I headed down Palos Verdes Dr W, I began thinking that this area was unfamiliar to me. Did I get lost already? I hadn’t even hit 4 miles yet, and here I was questioning my visual memory, which typically is very good. Something told me to back track and make a right by the Fire House (yep, it says Police Dept on the map, but it’s a ladder & hook company). I continued through a parking lot when for a split second I started getting annoyed because it wasn’t a through street. Alas however, I stumbled across a set of steps almost completely ensconsed by bushes on either side. Let me tell you, the steps in the movie, “The Exorcist” had nothing, and I mean NOTHING on these. I must have gone up two hundred steps over two sets too. Trooper that I was, I did not stop, and for a second I kept wondering, why why why would ANYONE want to do that Empire State Climb Up Race?

At around the 4.5 mile mark, I had got notified that my GPS signal was very weak. Mind you, I was already 218 feet high, but nothing compared to what was to come. I really needed Nike+ to not fail me because I stupidly failed to charge my Garmin and it was dead. Then again, neither has anything to do with GPS. If you don’t get a signal, it doesn’t matter what device you have, you’re just gonna get squat. Or perhaps as my buddy Doug would say, “QUENK!”

Mile 5 took me 12:35 to do and rightfully so. Nonstop elevation which started around 200 feet and finishing at 600 feet. And I wasn’t even done yet with the climb, either.

I kept wondering how the hell my foot was holding up, but I was so charged with life that I think a truck could have hit me, and I would have gotten up, dusted off, flipped the truck the bird, and continue on my merry way. I was that determined.

I made a right onto Via Mirabel, and I gotta say, the higher I rose the nicer the mansions became. Talk about a top-down organization!

I continued onward and upward rounding Via Visalia and continued back onto Via Mirabel, not realizing that the road ended. However, I could see Paseo La Cresta, for which I trailed ran the sucker to there. I had to be careful not to fall and slide end over end onto the dirt!

By the time I got to Via Fernandez, I was now at about 700 feet. I want to say that at the time I had no idea how high I was, but thanks to the Nike+ elevation chart that I’m admiring right now as I write this, I can tell you that’s how I know. I will tell you though, it was an uphill battle the whole way. I kept thinking that downhill will have to eventually come before me. But it was at this point, where the clouds had cleared completely a/o were below me. Wow! I can’t tell you how cool it was to be able to run above the clouds. Something, that everyone should try at least once in their life.

The europhoria of the cloud running got me off guard however. When I got to Via Coronel, I made what will go down as one of the happiest blunders in my running career. I made a right instead of a left. The mistake will cost me having to run an additional 2.6 miles. Now keep in mind, I had access to my iPhone, I was already down to 70% at 6 miles, and I could not afford for me to have my phone die before I could get the final mileage tally uploaded by Nike+. I kept envisioning me cursing the shit out of my phone along the beach, with people telling me things like, “Buddy, I think the beach you want to go to yell at yourself is a little north…Venice Beach” (since they are all nuts up there,  ) Also, I will admit that I should have done a better job of pre-mapping my way,but I didn’t want to be presumptious to think that I could run this far given the nature of my still nagging foot, and thought AGAIN, that my good, albeit again, visual memory capacity would pull me through such challenges. Well, I failed at that , but in the end, it turned out to be a wonderful thing …Keep reading….

I headed back up Via Castilla, openly cursing at every “Not A Through Street sign” I saw. I wanted to get over to Golden Meadow Drive, which ran parallel to Via Castilla, but every cross street to my right was a “Place” and a dead end. Then I thought I had it, when I actually drained the cell phone further and saw something that looked like a foot path just before Via Andres. But it wasn’t there! UGHHH!!!!

I then went up Via Andres in disgust (and confusion) and saw an elderly woman who saw my Chicago Marathon shirt. “Oh my, you ran the Chicago Marathon?”

“Yes, and I will probably run another one today if I don’t find a way to get to Abbotswood Drive. Well, I never did get to Abbottswood drive, but…. 

The other annoying thing about my unwanted detour was that I actually noticed I was losing elevation (about a hundred feet, now that I look). When I got to finishing 9 miles, I was at about 600 feet again. But now it would get a LOT, LOT, LOT worse.

The Lower Paseo De La Cresta is a road that was meant for me. By the way…did I mention I am a masochist? In one mile, I scaled another 300 feet. I was now at 900 feet, but still not done.

There is a reason why the town of Rancho Palos Verdes has a road called Granvia Altamira. Altamira is Spanish for “High View”. Indeed. Prior to getting to Hawthorne Blvd (Co Hwy # 7), I had scaled to 1,039 feet. Remember….I was running along the water some 8 miles earlier.

The pain to get to the summit was taxing beyond words. I could not believe what I was undertaking, and yet here I was, far from home, far from my car. I might have well had a spacesuit on, and walking on the surface of Planet Mars. This was a personal quest gone crucibel now.

It was also at this moment, where a Moby song that I had never heard before called, "Be The One" started to play. What was brilliant about this song, is that it only had 4 lines of lyrics, yet it was incredibly impactful and insightful.

"I'll never see what you wanted... love

I was the hell that you needed... oh

I was the one when you needed love

I was the one when you needed love"

So many inferences from so few lines. I kept thinking that the mountain had been singing these words to me, telling me that I needed this hell to validate my need to triumph over it and feel successful, and that the end result of running is a way to not love myself but that its an entity itself outside of me, that loves me for doing what I do. The other inference that came to mind was that I was wondering if my mom had been singing this to me from her grave. Telling me that by not being there for me for most of my life, she never knew what I wanted, and yet her lack of love and involvement, has shaped me to be the person that I am, to overcome whatever obstacles that come my way, because she wasn't there to do it for me. Finally, it almost sounded as if she says that she was there to love me, and that perhaps that I turned a blind eye to it because she "was the one when you needed love", and had I done that, perhaps I wouldn't have married so young and so often. Poignant, alluring, and the subject for intelligent discussion, no matter what you select as the driver behind the words.

When I finally did get to Hawthorne, I saw salvation in the form of a 7-11. “Water! Water! Gatorade!!” Despite still having 5 Power Gels left, I was completely depleted of liquids.

Running down Hawthorne was a blast. I went from 1000 feet down to 200 feet in the matter of 3 miles. The sun was scorching me however, which I’m a little burned now, and really did not need to be since I had SPF with me and should have reapplied. My SPF is sweatproof, but I REALLY sweat!!

Another amazing thing was that I noticed that I was actually well EAST of the Point Vicente Lighthouse, thanks to the different route that I took. Another thing that was ominous…I was down to 40% on my iPhone. This meant that either a) I needed to run much faster, or b) I needed to do something to cut down my energy consumption, else, and like I said earlier, I would be yelling at my inanimate cell phone in public, and that’s only works if you want to wind up like Jim Carrey did in Ace Ventura Pet Detective, “GIVE ME THE BALL, COACH!”

I paused the workout, and changed the display setting to nearly illegibly dark. I also lowered the music all the way to zero, figuring that the output port of the music playing was probably a main, if not the main culprit in my phone’s degeneration.

Perhaps the most ominous thing of all was this:

I hadn’t even gotten to the light house, the halfway point, and I was already past 13 miles.

Uh oh.

I tried not to think about it. Just keep moseying along was all I needed to do. Before, making the the left onto Crestmont Lane, entry point to the home of the Salvation Army Training facility, I decided to pause my workout and give myself a few minutes rest. When I started it again, I didn’t hear “Begin Workout’ but thought nothing of it, because remember I had the volume all the way down (remember this for later)…

LOL, as I started into Crestmont, the first thing I saw on my right were some real nice tennis courts. Is this for real? I thought. Shouldn’t these “cadets” be wearing Santa Claus outfits and shaking their bells? Who knows…perhaps Rafael Nadal is under one of those Santa costumes after all. As I turned around the bend, I finally passed the facilities, and the parking lot. Pretty impressive, almost as much as the downhill too. As I read the photo below, I must have dropped another 200 feet in like what, a half-mile?

Perhaps the best surprise of all was waiting ahead of me. I was supposed to empty out onto Palos Verdes Drive South, when up ahead what do I see but an unguarded electronic rolling fence closing the entire way. No way was I going to run back up. NOT AGAIN. Fortunately, the drama ended quickly; as I drew closer, I noticed that I was able to go around it. Still, ‘what up’ with not placing the same fence off of Hawthorne? What? The residents of Palos Verdes Drive are of a lower, more menacing class requiring fencing? I wasn’t sure if the fence was electrified either, but I wasn’t about to whiz on it, let alone touch it to find out!

I headed my way west on PVD with the sight of the marvelous light house up ahead in the distance. Of course, as I had expected, entry to it was again closed (meh). Thank you, 9-11 terrorists. Can’t we ever go back to a time where Americans can ever feel free to roam wherever they please? I guess not.

Anyway, I got close enough to see it, and then continued onward to the welcome center because I was again thirsty as hell. This was not a good sign. My frequency for thirst was increasing, a sure sign of dehydration and degeneration. Albeit, I was already past Mile 15 or so ( as I look now ) and I really did not think I was in shape given all my maladies this year. Unfortunately, my ‘sitch’ would get a whole lot worse…

Before getting change from the female clerk in side the Welcome Center, I went to go and pause my workout when horrors of horrors, it was already paused. WHAT???? The last time I paused my iPhone I was on Hawthorne. SHIIIIIIT! Despite how lousy I am with my Garmin about this, I really had done a stellar job at timekeeping…Until now that is. I bought a Dasani water, and downed yet another gel pack. 4 left. Rather concerned about the GPS not acquiring a signal, I decided to go back the way I came back to Hawthorne. Plus, I figured that I could start my workout again at the last spot where I had paused it (and never unpaused it, ugh). This would be another blunder which too would be a historical blessing in disguise. Had I decided to take the chance and run along the cliff, I would have done at least three miles less. Another blunder resulting in….MORE MILEAGE done…..Alas, a silver lining in these confusing clouds? Keep on reading please!

By the time I got to Mile 14, I started getting some muscle twitching in my right posterior calf. I was also getting tired, but not because I thought I wasn’t in shape either, I had never factored in that I actually had done an extra 3.20 miles, which made it 17.2 miles. And if you are a runner, you will understand when I say that Math is one of the first thing that goes in your brain. It’s too wrapped up in getting electrolytes replenished, and it is scrambling to heal every muscle that just wants to die, especially in your legs.

I was back on Palos Verdes Drive W, and heading north when my photographic memory finally kicked in advising me to make a left onto Via Anacapa. Up ahead in the distance, I saw the Lunada Bay Elementary School, or my “OASIS” as I had better thought. Back on that April 17th day, it was hot and sunny the whole way, and I was out of water, and out of gas. I needed water in a real bad way. I had seen this school, and decided to detour into it. When I found a working water fountain, I nearly cried and drank for like 5 minutes from it. Well I wasn’t as emotional this time around, but I did drink again for a few minutes. I remembered to cross north on Anacapa till I got to Paseo Lunado (because Paseo Del Mar would have taken me the wrong way) and continued on. While I was still in good spirits at Mile 16 (which I knew was more than that), I had reminded myself that I always got a second wind around Mile 16, but warned that it might be my last wind. My brain was playing tricks on me, because I wasn’t at Mile 16…I was at 19+ Miles already.

It all started going to hell on me as I went north on Paseo Del Mar. The sun was hot as fuck and I was breaking down and breaking bad in every which way. I even stopped briefly to login & post in Facebook;

“Just enterd my 18th mile, glycogrn at Zero. Re-entering rancho palos verdes. 2 poeer gels left. Massive cramping in quads, hamms and right posterior calf. LosIng Gps. Time to separate the marathoners fron the men Time for a miracle...”

Not only were my legs shot…so was my brain! I had actually left Rancho Palos Verdes and was approaching Palos Verdes Estates. Also I was over-reacting to the “Weak Signal” message, but then again I had this come on at least a dozen times throughout the course of my run. The rest I was dead on with though. My legs were a mess, with my Plantar Fascitis being the least of my worries. Also, I did only have 2 power gels left. And yes, at this point, I felt as I was going to need a miracle to get me back to my car. I kept thinking some rich Palos Verdians were going to stop their Bentley to pick up some poor collapsed runner and nurse me back to health with Pellegrino, and tips on how to finally make some money. Yah, right. Hey….I was over the 21 mile mark!

On top of all of that, I was noticing buzzards flying everywhere. What? Were they waiting for a meal from an expired Alex? I better put on my sunglasses. I hear they beak away at the eyeballs first. No need to be resuscitated, just to be blinded! This is what I was thinking too. Another proof that I really had lost my marbles.

Somewhere, just shy of the 22 (REAL) mile mark, I saw steps taking me off Palos Verdes Dr and down to Via Almar, which was fine by me, since there was little or no shoulder up ahead and I wanted to get back in one piece, or at least whatever was still good, which by now was from the waist up only…

I went down the steps walking gingerly because my feet especially the metarsal bone in my right foot was going nuts in spasms. I made the right onto Via Almar, which then became Via Corta and which then took me back to Palos Verdes. Up ahead, in addition to the outdoor art fair (which, LOL, was there in April…AND WITH THE SAME ART!), was a deli. I ran in and got a Diet Red Bull and a Gatorade. I then crossed the street at Via Chico ( a dangerous place to cross – they sorely need a street light, or at least a stop sign for peds) and made my way along the wooded off-street path, the same one I came up on some 19 miles earlier.

As I came out of there, a sharp pain came up the right side of my leg. It wasn’t just the calf, but the thigh as well. With my headphones on, I can only imagine how loud my “FUCK YOU!” rang through the nice neighborhood. Better yet, was the sign I would pass just seconds later...“St. Francis Episcopal Church”. Great, just great….

Now, who ever said that running on grass is great because it’s soft and good for the knees, is like someone telling me that they like solitary confinement, because the one-off cockroaches that crawl into your cell are tasty protein laden delights. Give me a damn break about the grass already! Along Bluff Cove I had no choice but to run on the grass since there were no sidewalks or shoulder. Yes, the grass was soft. It was also laden with holes, rocks, and was uneven as shit. Between that and my all out leg and feet spasms, I was almost hating life, but I knew something special was happening today, so the resentment was short-lived. Hence, the 13+ minute mile.

My photographic memory kicked in again. Amazing, since I was a 46-year old mindless, running fool by now. I made a right on Calle Mayor, a right onto Cam De Encanto, followed a by a quick left onto Vista Del Sol.

Eureka! The beach was in sight now! I was passed the 20 mile mark on the workout, but in reality I was past the 20.36 miles which I had completed the last time I came here. Woohoo!!!!! :-)

Now came that 67 foot drop (which before was a climb). Injuries tend to happen more when you go downhill, and I wasn’t to add to my already handsome roster of broken shit. So, I walked down the ramp, thank you very much!

Okay,that’s it. I now am back on the beach. People are watching me now, and I don’t think it’s because I’m a looker, or because I was wearing a Chicago Marathon 2010 tek shirt either. And it defintely wasn’t because I was wearing spandax tight fitting shorts either, something I learned about on how to virtually eliminate chaffing. Perhaps it was my gait. I looked like a wounded animal. Interestingly, I was actually feeling better physically. I really didn’t have an answer for it. Perhaps it was the knowledge that I would be finished soon?

Speaking of that, I looked at my iPhone again. I was down to 22%. SHIT. What was worse was that now, I had this crazy idea that I wanted to do a FULL MARATHON, but despite the fact that I was actually going to do it, that my Nike+ missed three of the miles. I didn’t want my workout to show anything less than 26.2….How vain, right?

So by the time I got back to my car, which was an accomplishment in it of itself, I was at 23.6 miles. In order to get to 26.2 I was going to need to run more. I figured if I could run north to at least 24.6, that I should get to 26.2 by the time I got back. I was taking a huge risk though as I was running under 20% as the iPhone had warned me of it.

Sometimes risk is worth the reward it brings.

I headed north on North Harbor Drive. Totally new territory for me. There were lots of people walking around. It was after 2:30pm. Bars were buzzing with football games, and women were out and about shopping, etal. I remembered passing the Chart House and suddenly I was on Hermosa Avenue, hence I was in the community of Hermosa Beach. I was slightly confused that I was near Venice Beach, because it appeared somewhat similar when I looked to my left and down the streets.

I continued until I got to 15th street, before crossing the street and turning around. I was down to 15%.

I really needed to push myself to make it, now. Grunting with every stride, I just started throwing down the hammer, which is funny, cause as I look at my mile splits now, it was no faster than any other mile!

I got back to my car, and Nike+ said 25.75 miles. For the first time in my life, I was actually upset about this? I have some nerve, right? This was already my longest training run EVER, but I really wanted to end this above 26.2 miles. And this with the good guestimate that I had probably run 3 more miles than what it said!

I was down to 9% on energy on the iPhone. Dangerously close to losing my workout entirely due to shutoff. I felt like Kramer from Seinfeld. “LET’S SEE HOW LONG THIS CAR WILL GO BEFORE IT STOPS!”, I think those were his words in the episode where he had an OCD about gambling with his fuel reserves.

So, here I was running towards my car again, and thinking, “What to do?”

Fuck it. You only live one time.

And not only was I going to do 26.2 on the Nike+ but I was going to do 27.

At 25.75, I figured I would need to get to 26.4 before turning around.

No Fear.

I ran back onto the marina, and again made my way around the crowd of people. I figured that if I passed out, someone, anyone, would help me. 26.4 miles actually took me to the very start of the beach walk way, and then I turned it around, I was now down to 5%. “Holy Shit, Alex. You are going to McGyver this, aren’t you?”

Again, I ran as hard as I could (which again, LOL, was no faster than any other mile!) and made my way back to the car as fast as I could.

I did it!

I looked at my watch, it said 1%

OH SHIT!!!!!!

End Workout! End Workout! This is what I was yelling as I was trying to end the workout. Then I realized I had to pause it first.

And….

I JUST MADE IT!

27.04 Miles according to Nike +. But I knew I did at least 3 miles based on the lighthouse, so I wasn’t done yet. I had to get back to my hotel to find out the truth.

But first…..CHURROS!

I called Karen, and nearly bawled I was so happy, and in disbelief over what I had accomplished. And then...I went to buy 3 greasy overpriced Churros for $5 dollars.

It would take hours before I would notice that she too finally banged out 5 miles on what was only Karen’s 2nd run since getting her C-section 7 weeks ago. I’m very proud of my wife. Like me, she is a determined soul and will not quit!

I got all kinds of kudos on Facebook from my friends, and when I got back and did the math I was indeed in shock. 3.19 extra miles not recorded. Bring my total folks from 27.04 to 30.23 miles.

The longest run, training, racing or otherwise….EVER.

Finally. Something to put on my running resume for 2011!!! :-)

East Side Obstacle Course

2011-09-09T12:53:00.000-04:00

In celebration of the upcoming NFL season, I decided to throw myself into harm's way. I left my apartment at 7pm, not for the park but for the streets of Manhattan. My goal tonight was to run 7 miles, 3.5 out, 3.5 back. The evening temperature was pleasant and there were hordes of people everywhere. For most runners, this would not be a desirable situation to run in, but I totally disagree.

When you run in a race, are there not hordes of people around you getting in your way?

I deliberately did this run to focus on my running more than ever. People walking or standing, vehicles making sharp turns onto cross streets, barricades, obstacles, doors swinging open, etc. All of this forces you to really focus on your outside surroundings. Anything less could mean injury or death!

I made my way across to 3rd Avenue, then headed south from 102nd street. I tried not to stop if at all possible. Sometimes I found that I could, but other times there were actual vehicles crossing the street and I just wasn't going to be stupid and cross. With 3.5 miles each way in mind, my goal was to run down to my doc's office on 40th and Madison, since that was close enough to the distance goal.

I crossed 3rd at 65th and headed down to Lexington Avenue where I made a left to continue going south. Lexington Avenue's sidewalks are a bit narrower than 3rd, so I had to step up to the added challenges of zigging and zagging around people. It was a lot of fun though, as my run had "obstacle course" written all over it. The goal was to do whatever I must...to not stop. Sometimes, I'd have to do some highstepping to time a small opening between people and things just right. I totally felt like a running back in the NFL.

Also, I was running with my newly acquired Black Diamond Headlamp, but hey, in New York City? I had enough illumination, at least on the way down anyway.

My run down Lex didn't last too long though, as I made another right heading down 63rd, where I would make yet another left down Park Avenue. Park Avenue is never as crowded since commercial activity in the Upper East Side is held to a minimum. Also, and unlike the other avenues, you can actually see other runners. The street lights however, are another thing, as they are "batched" cycle, insuring me that I will have to stop every few blocks. I wasn't going to have any of this shit, and so after crossing Park and back again, I finally made a right turn down 58th and another left on Madison, for my last 'drive'.

One thing I forgot to bring was my Garmin. But I had just recently downloaded the Nike+ app, everyone's been talking about. It's been out for awhile, but I've resisted, simply because Nike has real buggy apps. My shoe pod never worked well years back, and I remembered that going forward.

The good thing is that the Nike + app actually sync'd with the sats right away. The other cool stuff was the women's voice giving me updates on my distance and time in between my music. I must say it's pretty liberating alternative to having to look at your watch so often.

I had my women's voice giving me updates every quarter mile, and was impressed to see that I kept going faster with each ensuing segment. By the time, I had gotten to my destination, my pace had gone from 10 something, to 8:13 per mile. Very nice.

I took a break, and paused my workout. Actually, I did several pauses along the way, whenever I had to fully come to a stop, like at a red light. I didn't think it would have an impact on the app, and while I ran I was never given a reason to think it would. I kept getting my quarterly mile updates from the women (for whom which I have to give her a name someday)

Heading back north after my break, I decided to go north on Madison till I got to 57th (near Central Park). I believe Manhattanites are experiencing "Fashion Week", because there must have been hundreds of "supermodels" just walking about between 52nd and 57th. Plenty of lines of people trying to get into these "chi-chi" places, including some new Italian restaurant, I'd never seen before. Must have been a grand opening.

Made my way back to Park Av., where from there I would head north till I got to 96th.

I already started feeling some raindrops, and with the wind kicking up, it actually felt good.

I made my way back to Lex and from there up to 102nd and finally home. I was sweating real good, considering I had just finished my run in 1:01:14 good enough for an 8:14 pace. Yet, when I logged onto Nike it did not show my pace being graphed after the half-way point. See? Nike always has problems!!!

Why does R.E.M. want for me not to go to Rockville?

2011-09-07T19:30:00.000-04:00

For one, my Uncle Antonio lives there. And secondly, it's a nice place to run through too. I hadn't run there since August 12th of 2007, a day (Aug 11, 2007) later after doing a 16 mile run through the abandoned but beautiful North Central Railroad Trail that connects Glencoe and Monkton just north of Cockeysville, MD too.

The dew point was really bad at 72, and without having slept much with the night feedings and all, just doing 7 miles was good enough.

I left my Unc's house off of South Van Buren heading south on Glen Falls road. Eventually, the side walk was no longer but there was access to a path that was a nice little private way up a hill.

Along the way were a plethora of private little communities tucked in between the Rockville and Potomac communities.

Kept running and found my way through another private path. Looking at the picture below, I was kinda wondering when Opie Taylor would pass by me with his pa and fishing pole...

More communities....

At one point, I had to go to church, but not to pray, but rather visit the restroom. Nonetheless it was a very holy event for sure.

As I kept running, I saw a nice pool and kept thinking "If I jump the fence, and jump in to cool off, will they be able to catch me afterwards??"

Then, I came up on an interesting cross street, called Victory Lane. Hey, I'm a runner. How could I pass up on this opportunity, right?

And now I can clearly see why it's called Victory Lane. Some of the houses here were as beautiful as the ones my mother had built in the Hamptons. Karen's friend Lisa, grew up in this area, no doubt the product of successful parents. They live only about 5 miles from where my Uncle lives too.

Overall, the course was very hilly, and challenging. The humidity alone was oppressive, but it was nice to get a run in a new place.

Alex Discovers The 'Dark' Continent.

2011-09-01T20:59:00.000-04:00

Today was another extremely busy day at work. Again, I had packed a change of clothes, and again I had hoped to be able to run outside during lunch. But yet again, I would not succeed the way I wanted to. In fact, I didn't even run at lunch at all, barely even had time to eat at my desk, and by the time I survived work, a two plus hour commute, a stop to Ann's for baby stuff, and my visit with my doc, I was already looking at a 9:20pm start time. Did I give up?

Think again.

On my way home, the futility of my commute threw my head into thinking about a plan B. There was no way that I would be able to run during daylight, which is okay because I've run at night before. It's just that I hadn't done it in a while.

Awile ago, I figured that a headlamp would be a great tool for this superhero's running arsenal. I had mentioned to Karen about getting me one for my birthday. I found one on REI's website that looked good. Though the price tag was a bit rich, $70 bucks. I never bought it, being that we had two little sacks of joy and I figured those little sacks would be doing a good job emptying my wallet (and trust me, they are)!

I was on the LIE with my windows rolled down when I felt the breeze. It felt...cool. Even more unusual was the absence of humidity. At a crawl on the Northern State, we came to a stop. I checked quickly, noticing that the dew point outside was beneath 60%. Optimal conditions for running indeed.

I decided to go and get myself a headlamp. Fortunately, REI had a store just one exit back, so I turned it around and made my way into the store. Great store too, especially if you are into hiking, biking or camping. Damn amazing, actually.

After asking the clerk, I found my way to the "headlamp" section. A dazzling display of many offers for sure. The prices ranged from $29 to $49, but the one that had the most lumens (strongest light), was actually on sale for $39 (originally it was $59, which would had made it the cadillac of headlamps!)

Blogrunner went ahead and closed the deal.

Hours later I was all set to run in the park. I had my iPhone in my neoprene waist band. I had my 7th Gen Nano perfectly inserted into my home made docking station of my wireless headset. I had my Garmin GPS on. And now I had my Black Diamond 100 Lumen Storm Headlamp on too. Shit, foo'!!! I was ready to go!

Karen begged me not to go north or across the 102nd street transverse, so I promised to make wifey happy, by running to the 96th Street entrance on 5th and then headed south on Central Park's East Drive, in a clockwise motion looping around Central Park South, Columbus Circle, and up to Tavern on the Green. I then turned onto the 72nd Street Transverse and headed back east to Central Park East Drive, and headed back north from there and eventually back home. Drawing the design out on paper, it would look like a musical note, but more importantly, it meant at least 6 miles.

Well, I felt a little embarrased to turn the light on when I was running to the park along the streets. And that's to say nothing that in Manhattan there are lights on at all hours of the night anyway. Except though, for Central Park. Lights are on there too, but they seem dimmer, making me wonder if Mayor Doomsberg had anything to do with that.

Once in the park, I couldn't hold back the excitement much longer. I had to turn this thing on and see for myself if it was worth the coin that I forked over.

And it was.

Wow! What amazing little piece this thing was! The light was brighter than that of my car's headlight! It was great. Betweeen that and everything else electronic that I was now sporting through the dark, and surprisingly, not so runner-barren path, I was beginning to feel like a Running Cyberborg!

Resistance to Running is futile.

I really liked how this product performed. The light was incredibly powerful, and I was able to adjust the angle. The headband, though soaked by the end of my run , was very comfortable. It never jostled while on my head, and it had just the right amount of tension, so as not to leave any marks when I got home either.

The reaction from the runner friendly environment was mostly smiles, or people saying "Cool". Some laughed, and that's okay too. For I am the class clown, and I always aim to please! :-)

Here's proof of just how bright the light was. Also note, that there are several lighting options; strobe, solid flood, spot, emergency, etal. I decided to go with the spot as it was bright as hell!
See here...

Here are the tech specs for those of you gadget nerds like me out there that want to know more...

The ad:
"When you need bright, reliable light in the worst conditions, the fully waterproof Black Diamond Storm offers up 100 lumens of illumination for spotting rap anchors or lighting up the trail. In addition to versatile proximity, distance and strobe modes, the Storm's 2 red LEDs preserve night vision and activate without cycling through white mode. We also included a lock mode to stop accidental battery drain when the lamp is stored in your pack."

The shit:

1 TriplePower LED, 2 SinglePower White LEDs and 2 SinglePower red LEDs emit 100 lumens (max power)
Red night vision mode activates without cycling through white mode
Sleek low-profile design uses 4 AAA batteries
Settings include full strength in proximity and distance modes, dimming, strobe, red night vision and lock mode
Three-level power meter shows remaining battery life for 3 seconds after switching on headlamp
Protected against water immersion down to 1 m (3.3 ft) for 30 minutes (IPX 7)

Honestly, this was a great buy. And as for me the world of night running has opened up even more than ever. Tonight was my exploration into the Dark Continent (hmm...sounds like a risque 70's caballero movie, doesn't it) with many more to follow...

6.63 miles done tonight!

Never Give Into The Rat Race. Even A Little Is A Lot!

2011-08-31T16:30:00.000-04:00

Normally, I would never waste my time (or yours) to write about a 2 mile run, unless it was an oddball race of some kind.

I had promised myself that I would go for a run during lunch, but I also had needed to get the oil changed in my car as well. As a compromise, I found a High School track near the Jiffy Lube on Hempstead Turnpike, that would take care of both necessities.

However, life is complicated, and to make a long story short, I just didn't have enough time to do the run that I wanted to do. Also, I knew that I would not have a chance after work either, which would mean a 'goose egg' for the day.

There are plenty of us (and we know who we are, don't we?) that would just forego the run altogether and try again the next day. My instincts did not want the 'goose egg' however I knew that the most I would get would be 1-2 miles at best.

The oil change 'only' took 10 minutes. Well it was more like 15, which may have cost me nearly 2 miles right there.

But I didn't let that stand in my way, and drove the 5 blocks or so to the Island Trees High School in Plainedge, NY.

There was a girl's soccer team practicing there, but I paid them and their coach no mind, and figured that if I wasn't supposed to be there, that it would take the coach a good two laps to get me off the track, since I had my MP3 player on. But, that didn't happen, and I was able to get 2 miles done.

Moral of the story? If you want something bad enough, you will get it.

Wednesday was a busy day at work, but I would not let it get in my path, and I executed nonetheless. Shoot, 2 miles wasn't what I had hoped for, but in cases like these, even a little is a lot. It proves determination, and helps build character and confidence. And those are two traits that are priceless.

Photos from the mini-jaunt:

Tito "Tres" Puentes

2011-08-31T00:18:00.000-04:00

OK. I know. The great latin orchestra leader does not have an 's' at the end of his last name. It's a play on words to describe my 10 mile run this afternoon.

I took the day off to go to handle some personal shit, and after coming home and helping Karen and the twinkies, we all went to Randall's Island.

(David chillaxin' at Randall's Island)

I did about a mile and 1/2, and stopped to help feed the twinkies at the park before bidding farewell to them and taking off in an eastwardly direction. None other than running up the staircase and ramp of the RFK (Triboro) bridge, and running over it. I must say, it's a creepy run to a certain extent. No guard rail on the Randall's side, and a nice 200 foot plunge into Hellgate and the East River. Not good for people with vertigo. Not good for for runners who don't pay attention to the narrow lanes either, as a couple of cyclists whizzed by me. Good thing I had my radar up and at full attention (no, not that radar, lol).

Crossed over the bridge, and made my way to the Greek diner in Astoria on the corner of 31st Street, where I took a quick bio break and continued on. I decided to take a direct approach, by going south on 31st Street all the way to Northern Boulevard.

All along the way was the overhead el, with the "R" train "R"oaring overhead. Of course, there was the occassional nimrod driver, who thought he had the right to make a right onto the street I was crossing, when I had the right of way, and blasted his horn at me. Ahem... nothing that like a good 'fuck you' and middle finger up in the air to return my love back to the ignoramus behind the wheel.

The weather was very delightful. Again, nothing like a hurricane to pass on by to remove all of the 'schmutz' in the air. The skies were a bright blue, and the sunset was equally stunning, as I made my way west down Northern Boulevard in search of the Queensboro Bridge. New buildings and traffic patterns had me run a little bit more, but trust me considering the alternative, running in traffic, it was not an option.

The Queensboro Bridge was abuzz with runners, walkers, dog walkers, and cyclists. Always a challenge, but I felt fresh as I went up the long and ardous hill. As I looked down, I saw Roosevelt Island, and wondered why I haven't done a training run there yet. So, stay tuned.

Ran off the bridge and made my way to the East River Esplenade just beyond York and 60th. I ran north as far as I could, realizing that the Esplenade would be closed for construction, but was unaware that there was no outlet detour in sight, so I had to run back south to 71st after arriving at the 78th St. impasse. I ran up York, re-entered back to the riverwalk at 81st, and finished my trek all the way home. Three bridges were crossed, or as they say in Spanish, "Tres Puentes" (hence, the title) In all, I did 10 miles. Not bad for a Tuesday! So far, 16 for the week with 5 days left.

Reminiscing @ Randall's

2011-08-29T21:52:00.000-04:00

How long has it been since I ran over the Ward Island bridge and into Ward & Randall's Island?
I decided it was time to hike east this time. I've been staying away from Central Park, giving it a rest for a while to make sure trees are not going to fall on me from the aftermath of 'Irene'.

As I ran over it, I saw a security guard and when asked he mentioned that the bridge would be closed at 8:30pm. It was barely past 7, so I knew I had time for some heavy asphalt and trail crunching.

My feet flew forward as I lurched down the narrow but runner friendly bridge, begging the most important question that all runners ask of themselves when they get to the Randall's side of the bridge...DO I TURN LEFT OR RIGHT?

I turned left and headed for the nut house. Literally. There is a psychiatric ward (and yes, okay, I will be more sensitive, and retract my nutty statement) about a mile in as you go north along the west side of the island. I turned around at that point, and ran back on a nice gravel trail. Trail running helps to save your knees as it absorbs a good amount of impact, but you still need to be careful on uneven terrain, and always look for the odd item that left unseen, could mean a trip to your local orthopedist.

It was nice running at Randall/Ward, if only for a couple of miles. I went back over the bridge and repeated my previous run of heading south to 79th and back along the Esplenade. A far cry from the Bronx Half Marathon that was cancelled due to Irene (and no refunds either, hmmpff) but 6 miles is not a bad start to the week.

More views of the bridge...

(Manhattan on the right. Citicorp Building in L.I.C. on the left and in the distance)

(Some buildings in Astoria on the left. Also, nothing says 'New York' like a touch of grafiti across the green steel crossing Hellgate!!).

SUNY Farmingdale - Under Construction... As Were My Legs

2011-08-25T23:53:00.001-04:00

The first real run since I did those 23 "EASY" (Yeah, umm, right) miles days earlier. I'm glad that I went when I did, because I finished just moments before a deluge of rain came down. It was the start of what would become Hurricane Irene, a category 1 storm about the size of Europe, and it was already giving us a sneak preview.

I wasted no time since it was my lunch hour in getting myself prepped. I actually went to the john while at work and did a quick, under-the-clothes change, so that while in my car, I pulled a "Superman", ripping off my business casual motif, to reveal my true self; brooks sneaks, skimpy shorts, and a tek t. Life just doesn't get any better than this!

When I arrived, I noticed that the stands for the track were under construction. Yet I wasn't going to turn around and quit either.

Noticing the very large tract of land that SUNY had, I decided to do the next best thing. Run on the grass around the perimeter of the track. Grass running make you strong, I feel, because you have to lift your calves to clear the blades. And if you don't you will feel like you're wearing lead boots as you drag your feet across it. Either way, you are guaranteed a good workout. Caution however, for running on grass is one of the most dangerous forms of running too. Lots of things hidden in that grass. Unseen objects, holes, uneven surfaces, all make for easy injury.

I did 3 miles, or 3 loops around the entire campus area. I kept seeing that track, and wishing I could get in. Then I saw a construction worker, and had to ask. I needed to know if there was a way I could get in, seeing now how I saw a couple of soccer players in the field that was surrounded by the track itself.
To my delight, he showed me an alternate entrance.

It required me to crawl under a fence, but heck, it was worth it. I ran another 2 miles on the track, and it was sweet.

Then, and like I said, I just barely made it out alive before the rains came!!!

No Guts. No Glory. The NYRR Long Training Run.

2011-08-22T12:24:00.001-04:00

I've done this run 3 years in a row. First time, I didn't do all 20. Second year, I quit half-way, then got a second wind, and decided to finish it. Last year, I never stopped after each completed loop. This year, my hamstring was in question.

But I did it anyway.

Not having run since the 12th, I decided that I had nursed my hamstring long enough. It was time to test my repairwork, if you will, and test my resolve. Back in 2004, when my odyssey in running came back (and for good), I decided that I was no longer going to hold back from living anymore. As Andy DuFrames, character in my beloved Shawshank Redemption movie once quoted, "You either get busy living, or you get busy dying." I had decided that I would going to learn as if I were to live forever, but live as if I was going to die tomorrow.

I hated having to not be able to run for yet another week worth of maladies, ailments, injuries, and yet I knew I was going to have a suckass time if I did the race. Nonetheless, I laced up this morning at 6:30am. I was running late as it was, thus I had to run all the way to baggage and back to the start, with a bag on me most of the way.

I wasn't even sure how much of this run I was going to even be able to complete. The training run is hosted twice annually by Road Runners. I had already missed the first one due to illness, and now I was wondering whether I could even do the expected minimum of 6 miles, forget 20.

The dew point was extremely high. It felt like I was running through a bowl of condensed New England Clam Chowder. It was so bad early on, that as the day wore on the temps went up, but it felt better because the humidity cut back a bit.

Running from home to the baggage area, and then to the start was 1.4 miles. Typically, I would've included this as a separate run, but I never stopped running. I literally chucked my bag over the fence to the number corresponding to my bib, without stopping, and to the starting line. And good thing I did too, because the last corral started flight. I just ran right into the group that had just started.

The Long Training Run is done completely in Central Park and is run in a counter-clockwise fashion.
It starts on East Drive near 102nd Street and head north around the northern end of the park. The course consists of four loops of varying distances:

Loop 1: 6 Mile Loop – Continue south on West Drive around the southern end of park to East Drive. Continue north on East Drive. Turn west/left onto the 102nd Street Transverse.

Loop 2: 5 Mile Loop - Start on the 102nd Street Transverse and head west. Turn left/south onto West Drive and continue around the southern end of the park to East Drive. Continue north on East Drive. Turn left/west onto the 102nd Street Transverse.

Loop 3: 5 Mile Loop - same as Loop 2

Loop 4: 4 Mile Loop - Start on the 102nd Street Transverse and head west. Turn left/south onto West Drive, left/east onto the 72nd Street Transverse, left/north onto East Drive, and left/west onto the 102nd Street Transverse to the finish.

Truthfully, I didn't know how long my hamstring would last, so being in the slowest (10+ minute pacers) seemed fine by me. Gone, was the showboating at the East River Track. Today, I would use nothing but pure logic, and continual internal body checks. And to do that for 20 miles is no easy feet (feat, haha) let me tell you.

As we headed over Harlem Hill, and back down the west side, I noticed how tightly packed our group was. It was such, that I dared not zig or zag. I felt like a male version of Mary Decker Slaney, because there was nothing but Zola Budd's all around me. If you are too young to know what I mean by this, send me a comment/email, and I'll explain.

In the meantime, my right hamstring was holding up rather well. I made sure not to overstride, especially on up and down hill areas. I was running a lot slower than I normally did, but I really didn't care about time this time, like I have in years past. I just needed a good long run, that's all.

The first 3 miles went rather well, and the "tiger" was beginning to talk to me, asking me to ditch this group at the first loop's end to try to catch up with the 9:30 pacers during the second loop. Thankfully, that feeling would not last too long. Who knows, if I would've re-aggravated my injury.

No, what happened instead was that while I felt I could do another loop, I actually started lagging behind a little. The lack of aerobic exercise over the last few weeks, coupled with the swampy bayou-like weather in the Big Apple made for a lackluster feeling. Still, I went ahead, or rather drudged ahead, and was completing my second loop.

The second loop was the least interesting of all loops. I was literally zoning out, forgetting to take off my sunglasses when it got dark in some areas. Along with the fact that by Mile 9, I was running by myself on and off (the pack had disintegrated a little), it was a very surreal feel. Was I running, or was I sleeping thinking about running?

One thing about the way NYRR measures a mile. No matter how many angles you cut, their mile is never just a mile. Every mile mark flag I passed through had an extra .02, .03 or even .04. Then again, I wasn't even paying attention to the road as much as i was to my body, thus I'm sure my angle-cutting methods were not too sharp.

The end of each loop puts you on the 102nd Street transverse. There are bathrooms and water and snack stops provided for the runners. I never once had to go to the bathroom, a feat that for me is normal, and for Karen, my wife, simply amazing. However, the Gatorade and GelPack stops were not missed. I just kept wondering when the Bananas and the Pretzel Bags would start getting handed out. I needed to make sure I had as many electrolytes as possible in me, since the heat and humidity were forcing me to drink cups of water at nearly every stop. That was another thing, the water stops. Typically, I would coast right by, but this time, I stopped. Hell, this was a training run not a race so time was not a factor anyway.

I was feeling tired and was dying to run over to my bag at the checkpoint and gulp down a Red Bull and two gel packs. I finally did so at the end of the 2nd loop. Red Bull (Diet) actually makes you crash, but I figured I would take it half-way to avoid crashing until the end. Smart move!

Not sure if it was the Red Bull, or the Pretzels (finally) or the Gatorade, but the electrolytes reinvaded my body, and the cramping that had started curling my toes in my left foot went away. Good sign. Plus, I started feeling good about possibly completing 16 miles. A nice long run.
Entering into my third lap, I also started wondering if this would be the time where my hamstring would start giving way. Then I hit Mile 12. Then 13. And 14. But it never happened and alas, though I was drained, I was still running, and was ready to do my fourth and final lap. Emotionally, I was way high, even if physically I was at the other end of the elevator cord.

The fourth lap, I started finding myself running with less people. I thought it was because I was running faster, but the opposite was true. Just ahead was a truck. It was removing the Mile 17 marker just as I was approaching it. 'Man, that's pretty deflating.', I thought. Yet, I turned around and saw plenty others behind me, so I definitely wasn't the last runner. That was about the second and last time that my EGO got a hold of me during the run, if only for a moment.

Funny thing was that soon after passing the 19th Mile Marker, my Garmin buzzzed about a quarter mile after to tell me that I had reached my 20th mile. Just north of the 90th street entrance, my LEFT hamstring started tightening. Wow. I felt like I was running a marathon now! Obviously, it was from fatigue though as I slowed to a walk, got water spritzed as I was massaging my left leg (no jokes, please) and then started up again. I was going to make it to the finish line, but it would be tough. I remember the lady at baggage in the morning telling me that the baggage area was closing at 11am.

It was now 10:57am and I just made a left onto the transverse. Finished! But still had to make my way to baggage so I kept jogging, or hobbling, as by now my quads and calves were talking now as well. Seemed like everything went to pot EXCEPT for my right hammy. Amazing!

I made it to baggage at 10:59. Not a second too soon, Mr. Bond.

After I got my bag, I actually started jogging home with it. Between the distance I jogged in each direction and added mileage due to my uneconomical routes while running, I completed 23 1/4 miles. Easily the longest run of the year for me.

I came home and took an ice bath. Ouch. But necessary.

**FOOTNOTE: As of today, Monday, August 22, I am sore when I stand up, sit down, but other than that, I'm feeling fine. May do a light run tomorrow. I don't think I'm doing Chicago in 7 weeks for several reasons, but I'm on target for my 7th consecutive (and 10th overall) New York City Marathon in 11 weeks.

Looking forward to it. :-)

I beat Hicham! And then, payback.

2011-08-12T21:32:00.000-04:00

First of all you might be asking, "Who the hell is Hicham?" Not to stereotype but no, I win at outdoor chess against a rabbi.

Hicham El Guerrouj of Berkane, Morocco holds the current records for 1,500 metres and the mile. He broke the world record set by Noureddine Morceli in Rome on July 7, 1999. The time was 3:43.13.

Okay keep that little nugget in your head. For now.

Tonight, I decided I needed to change pace a bit, so it was time to try something new. Having run along the East River Esplenade a few times now, including some "monster" runs. It was during those 20+ monsters where while running along the lower east side, I spotted a nice quarter-mile oval track right along the river. It's tucked between 6th and 10th street, and East of the FDR.

I had a doctor's appointment tonight to get a pertussis booster and flu shot, to protect my babies, and decided to run from there on down. I actually had run from 86th street down to my doc's office on 56th and then continued trekking south, with innoculations in tow and all too.

(plenty of activity tonight. low dew point. hooray!)

(nothing beats running along the water!)

(even the FDR looked surrealistically nice!)

It's always a nice feeling when you run along somewhere that's new. Even though my Garmin had died (due to the owner forgetting to charge it previously, duh), I had my iPhone with my various GPS charting tools. A comfort to provide when going to new places.

I finally made it to the East River Track. I decided that I was going to take it nice n' easy as I figured I could do 12 miles. Karen was being extra nice staying home with the twinkies and affording me this added trip.

I did in fact start slow, and then the rise of the tiger came from within me. I had wanted to just do a nice and easy run, but the weather was amazing, and even with all of the 'potions' circulating through my arterial subway system, I was getting charged for something else. Perfection is impossibility but striving for perfection is not. I wanted to do the best that I could, which in the end is what counts, and being on an oval track, you have to be a track star, right?

Without wasting another minute, I started turning the jets on, to see what I could do under desirable conditions. I would do a lap fast followed by a recovery lap, and so on. When you are 46, Interval training is even more intense than a Tempo workout, because in Tempo, you are sustaining a desired fast speed, but you are not sprinting. In Interval, you are exploding for a short period, then recovery, then exploding, then recovery....you get the point.

I was beginning to feel really strong now. And I decided to see what it would be like if I decided to show off to the rest of the people in the track. Goodbye sanity, hello Ego Trip.

I lined up at numbers. Of course, with lanes 1 thru 8, I chose #1. :-)
After my self-spoken, "On your mark, get set.....gooooooo!"
With my GPS still tracking me, I blasted out. The goal? To see how fast I could do an 1/8 of a mile.
My legs were felt like well oiled efficient cannons. Movement was fluid, more so than I could've imagined. For that 1/8 of a mile, I didn't feel like a 46 year old. Heck, I didn't even feel like the guy who just ran 200+ races in the last 7 years either. I felt like a kid, with lots of energy.
There were a few people in jogging in the other lanes. I just blasted right by.
When I came to the end, I slowed down the way a track star does at the Millrose games, with a gangly-like poise.
I looked at my watch. 27.5 seconds.

What???

I looked again. I wanted to make sure that my tracking device didn't malfunction. I looked at the other intervals, and they seemed fine. Then I looked again to this interval. Indeed it was 27.5 seconds. Which, when you convert to that of a mile, the result would have been 3 minutes and 40 seconds!!!

Remember what I said about Hicham? There are numbers that a runner never forgets. For me those numbers include 2:03:58, which is the time that Haile Gebreselassie ran the Berlin Marathon enroute to a World Record, and then there's Hicham and his 3:43 Mile. Now, if I can find a way to string those 1/8th performances eight consecutive times!

Of course, all a pipe dream. But still, a nice dream to have nonetheless.

At this point, the logic side began to rise back to the surface and it spoke.
'Alex, don't overdo this. You didn't really stretch too well, and you don't need an injury to blemish what is a memorable night of running for you'.

But did I listen?

For the next mile, I did listen. I ran nice and slow around the oval, letting everyone and everything pass me by. I was enjoying my music all the while, and the cool breeze and low humidity was something else.

But then the tiger began to rise again.

Sometimes, a tiger can protect. Other times, it can kill.

Tonight proved deadly.

As I took off in fast flight again, I didn't know if I could outdo my previous heat. Sometimes a little doubt in yourself is all it takes to open the door to........POP.

My hamstring.

The right leg, and about a third of the way up to be exact.

S-H-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-T!!!!!!

I immediately stopped and walked off the track. The self-generated applause from my fictional audience soon turned into laughter, and shouts of "Old man! Who did you think you were foolin'?" Oh, the humiliation!

I hobbled my way to the bench. And sat down. I grabbed my hammy, and held it tight for a few minutes.

Then, as if I thought I were the second coming or something, I stood up to see if I really hurt myself, by taking myself back onto the track to try once again to see if I could even jog, let alone run or sprint.

"Houston, we have a problem."

I immediately texted Karen, letting her know what happened. Told her I was going to have to shut down the Gonzo running operations for awhile. Extremely deflated, I hobbled my way out of the park and over the FDR overpass. Initially, I had planned to take the bus/subway home, but if there's one thing runners should learn from this blog, is that you don't waste a moment in reducing the inflammation of a strained or pulled hamstring. Every minute is really crucial. I had gotten on a bus, because where I was (the Bowery) was not exactly a nice place, but hopped off and jumped (not literally) into a cab.

Got home, immediately applied ice & ACE banadaged my area of discontent. I would do this for the next few days.

Would I be able to heal in time for the New York Road Runner's Long Training Run next Sunday?

Time heals all wounds, but would it be enough time?

I finished up the week with 28.5 miles. Obviously, I did nothing on Saturday or Sunday, but it didn't matter, as I was taking care of two little babies and Matt and Steffie came over too. My life's a full boat now, so quiet moments of self-reflecting (defeating) how dumb I was for not heeding to logic are much more fleeting

I think I found a new route....

2011-08-10T15:40:00.002-04:00

...and that's to Babies R' Us. All I have to do is leave my house and run 4 miles, and voila. There I am at the Babies R' Us at Union Square for Pampers or whatever it is I need.

The weather was very balmy, and warm, but at least there was a little bit of a wind. Took some photos on the way down.

Also, I wasn't the only one running down Park Avenue either. There was a young woman, who ran in front of me, and looked back. First rule of running, is never to look back. And that's not because of someone gaining on you, it's because of the person with a small wheeled luggage directly in front of you, to slam into, like she did. Really now. Am I that much to look at?? LOL.

Another run tonight means I've run 5 of my last 6 days. When I get back to work, I will schedule time to run during lunch.

Back to the Reservoir

2011-08-10T15:11:00.000-04:00

....for light speed and practice on soft ground.
That was my run for Monday night. A great place to run, as you're surrounded by runners, and runners only.

As for my babies, they are doing great. Double fed them earlier today and think I got the hang of it. Can't wait for them to get older, but having been down this road three times already, this stage is a magical one that doesn't last too long, so I will relish every moment of it.

21 miles in 3 days.

2011-08-06T22:51:00.001-04:00

Let me make it abundantly clear when I say that under any normal condition, doing 21 miles in 3 days, is nothing to me. I’ve logged nearly 10,000 miles over the last 7 years.
However, when your wife has given birth to twins, anytime you can sneak in a run, is a good time. For the next few months, it’s going to be all about the “sneaking” in more than about the “sneakers”.

Yesterday, I decided to do some bridge work, and ran to Queens over the Ed Koch bridge. It was great getting to Queens, like an emotional victory after having been sick for awhile. I knelt down and nearly kissed the sidewalk (but not really, I’m not that naïve). It was nearly dark by the time I headed back into Manhattan, and with bikers whooshing by me, it was a little unnerving, but it went well.

Running up along 1st was more of an obstacle course, with all of the Friday night restaurant goers milling about.

At the end, another nice run. This time of 9 miles.

Tonight, I ran along the Esplenade, and did an out and back too. Only 4 miles, but it was extremely rewarding and sad at the same time. Rewarding because it helped me break the 20 mile mark for the week, but sad, because as I passed by PS. 158 on 77th and York on my way down, I saw a piece of cardboard standing up on its end along the front steps of the school. It made no difference to me, until I ran past it, and notice a pair of male adult legs and barefeet sticking out of it.

There are people you will see who will panhandle for money. Some of them are indeed your poor and underprivileged, but for everyone of those, there are at least 3 others doing the same thing, that really are just trying to scam you. Just take a look at them. Brand new sneakers, designer pants, brand new “New Era” baseball caps. You know the type.

This person was not one of those people.

When it is raining outside, if you are outside sleeping barefoot on the stoop of a public building, you really are in need. When you are laying behind a piece of cardboard, instead of panhandling to the masses, because you are too weak or ashamed to do so, then you really are in need.

As I ran to my turnaround destination, I felt enough was enough. This is supposed to be a great country, but yet we are always depending on our government to take care of our own. What ever happened to common decency, and kinship among others, especially the needy?

On my way back, I stopped to pull out whatever I had in my shoepocket. Typically this is the money I keep as an emergency, in case I am thirsty, or whatever. But clearly this person needed it more than me. As I came to this man, I stopped and said, “Excuse me.”

He pulled up from his makeshift cardboard divider that separated his personal life from this cruel harsh life, and looked at me. By my accounts, he couldn’t have been older than 30, 35.

“Look, I know it’s not much, but you need this more than I do. Please try to get some food or drink with this.” I told him.

“God bless you” he told me.

“No. May God bless you.” , I mentioned to him.

As I ran back home, I felt like this run tonight was worth one of the best runs ever. It was meaningful. I had helped someone, and it felt great. No, I didn’t find “God” either. He’s been inside of me all along. I just decided that it was about time, that I opened my doors, and start to help those less fortunate than me.

However, that was unlike the rat, that ran across my path on the Esplenade heading back.
21 miles. I’m stronger, faster, and better today than I’ve ever been.
Our team ran in the Team Championships this morning, and I wanted to salute everyone, Pauline, Bonnie, Andrea, Nike and Margaret (who came in 2nd place in her age group!), and KJ, Sean, Alan and Jack as well for rounding us all up to a respectable show!

Tomorrow will be another day. And another run!

Getting Stronger.

2011-08-05T17:10:00.003-04:00

After a month of insanity both physically and emotionally, it was great to hear that my little boy is out of the ICU. Digestive systems are not always fully developed at 37 weeks, so it was not surprising that someone had to stay a little longer at the hospital.

David was released today and he's home with Mommy Karen, Baby Kayla, and me. :-)

Seeing them together today, has brought a wonderful feeling over my body. one I haven't felt since the day before I learned of my mom's untimely death.

Meanwhile, and in the right here and right now, my children are doing wonderfully, while my wife is on the mend and doing well herself.

And as for me, I hit the road yesterday, and did 8 miles at Central Park. To tell you the truth, a runner never loses his run, and a run never loses his runner. It was nice to be out there last night, and will need to do it again real soon. Perhaps, I'll run along the East River Esplanade tonight or tomorrow.

I'm getting stronger. New York City Marathon, here I come!

Four months...

2011-07-15T15:16:00.000-04:00

So much to tell, so little time.

First off, I'm going to be a father again, and this time...to TWINS!

How's that for a start to my blog which had been abandoned now for what, 4 months?

Karen is due in a few weeks in fact. We can't wait, as I've been helping Karen to "nest" our home in the joyful and anxiously anticipated arrivals.

That's the great news.   In other good news, I redid our club's website and I'm getting great feedback on it. A huge thanks goes to my dear friend Bonnie, for letting me have access to do these changes. It's been a great learning experience, and am having a blast managing it. The website is http://www.forestparkrunners.org/

My parents are coming up this weekend and I'm looking forward to seeing them.

My children will also be with me, so we've got a full house of love and joy again. Matt and Steffie will be excited to see their grandparents for sure.

My training has been very poor I hate to say, but with the coming arrivals, what can one expect right?

The Boomer Run 2 Breath race was a paradox by name. Given that the humidity was at around 93%, breathing was anything but easy, for everybody in the race. Boomer Esiason took the mic, minutes before the race, and even he mentioned that he couldn't believe how all us "maniacs" were out to run, given the hot and sticky weather conditions.  I will say though, that the trees in Central Park helped to give us some form of protection against the sun, at least.

The course was a new one.  Yes, it was the 6-mile loop, the same loop that thousands of races have started and finished on, but it was new because of where it exactly started (just south of E. 70th on Central Park Drive), and went counter-clock finishing up on a slight uphill on the transverse on 72nd. I remember cursing to myself seeing the last little hill.

The weather was so stifling, I had to run bare-chested the last 2 miles.   Having not really trained in quite awhile, I was happy just to break 8:30 per mile, and even then I was still in the top 25% of the field.

The high point of the race: When crossing the starting line, I saw Boomer, and fist-bumped him.
The low point of the race: Nearing mile 4, a tall guy dressed up in a head-2-toe lung outfit made of pink shag hair, passed me by.

I didn't see anyone from Forest Park there, but later on would see that KJ scorched the race. He came in 22nd overall. Unimaginable!

I did see Julio (Aguirre) as I was heading back East to exit the park and waved hello.   Some videos and pictures are listed below.

As you can see, I was making (or trying to make) light of a hot and sticky situation!!!!