Unavoidable?

New York Times, Sep 26 '08

Here we are again. Back to the doctor and physical therapy. Races to be forfeited, training to be missed, fitness levels unavoidably to decrease. I tried everything I could to not to get to this point but, obviously, I tried too hard and stopped a bit too late. It all started with a left knee/hamstring pain that flares up after running and keeps persisting after rest. It does go away slowly, but too slowly for my taste. When I saw the doctor about this three weeks ago we didn't come to a good conclusion and we are trying a lot of different things in PT to figure this out. For good measures I also threw in the reoccurring pain in my right hip and for that we actually figured out what it most likely is: a labral tear, i.e. a bit of cartilage that covers the rim of the hip socket is damaged. I still have to get x-rays and maybe an MRI to be certain but looking back on when the pain started many, many years ago (12+ miles non-stop on a kick scooter) I think I agree with this assessment. That, at least, will not stop me from running. So, as soon as the hamstring (or knee or whatever it is) problem is under control I'll be back on the road.

All that means, though, that I won't be able to race (due to the lack of training) until at least the end of February. I already missed the 5/10 miler and the Fred Lebow Half in Central Park a couple weeks ago and I will miss the Riverside Park 5k in a week, and most likely the NYRR 4M in Central Park at the end of next month. I hope to be able to run again in 2-3 weeks and that should give me plenty of time to prepare for the Washington Heights 5k on March 1st without getting injured (while running a pathetic pace.) I added a handy little widget to the right side of this blog that shows you my race schedule for this year. It will be modified and added to as needed.

This Sunday I am scheduled to volunteer for the Super Bowl Sunday Gridiron 4M in Central Park. I thought I should earn the +1 for the 2016 Marathon as soon as possible to avoid the rush. Then the following Wednesday I will be part of the 2015 edition of the Empire State Building Run-Up. This is an event that had been produced by the NYRR since its inception but the ESB management company decided not to renew the contract for this year and gave it to my all-time favorite race management company NYCRUNS. This is a paradigm changing decision because over night the ESB Run-Up changed from an NYRR-produced event with all its pomp, glitter, and polish to a, hopefully, a lot more laid-back, fun, and just awesome NYCRUNS production. As soon as I heard about this change I offered my time to volunteer. I just have to be part of it. This is going to be awesome. Plus, I'll get $25 in race credit! I will write about this experience in a later entry, for sure!

I'll be resting for a while. Hopefully, you all will keep on running!

Another Marathon November

Thousands of medals

It's been a while. Since I got another two races down and some volunteering work at the 2014 NYC Marathon, it's time to catch up a bit. Let's start with November, 2nd. It was a cold and very windy day and I did not envy the runners of this year's marathon for what they probably had to endure at the start line. I was told that it was so windy that running across the Verrazano Bridge (pretty much the first three miles) was hard work. People took turns to run in front of groups to provide cover from the wind. I was standing in Central Park with hundreds of other volunteers and even there it was quite uncomfortable. But let's rewind a bit.

This year I was one of the lucky people to be picked for medal distribution. We were stationed just a few yards behind the finish line and we greeted the runners and handed them their well deserved medals. In the beginning there was plenty of time to hang them around their necks but very soon we had to deal with so many runners that we just had to hand them out. Some runners still begged to have the medal hung around their necks and as long as our "boss" didn't look (we weren't supposed to waste too much time because there were thousands of runners coming by and they all wanted their medals) I was game and did the favor for them. Others wanted to take pictures with me and even others asked if they could have a second medal for their boyfriend, wife, or mother. And then there was at least one guy who put his medal into his back pocket, returned, and told another volunteer that he was still to get his medal. Sneaky dude. I probably should have said something but I had runners lined up to get their medals. We were warned in the beginning that there will always be runners trying to get more than one medal. I am not sure why, though. Anyway, I will never forget the gratitude and relief most runners show immediately after they finished the race. It was a very rewarding experience despite the fact that we had to show up at 8am and I didn't leave home until around 7pm (and some runners were still coming in). I can tell you, though, the whole thing did not feel like 11 hours. It got so crazy busy once the middle pack of runners came in and it kept that way for many hours.

2014 Laurie Harris 5k

Unfortunately, we didn't see much of the elite runners. The first place woman runner came by us but after her all elites were diverted right after the finish line (and before they had to interact with common folks like us) to their own secret hide-out and recovery space. I guess it makes sense, but wouldn't it be great to hang a medal around an elite runner's neck? I assume the first woman was not supposed to walk by us and she was extremely exhausted and possibly not thinking straight anymore.

Two pieces of criticism: While the entire event was managed extremely well, there were a few too many times where I and others had to stop and asked "what are we supposed to do now?" Communication is always key and, unfortunately, many times an issue and for folks like me who do volunteer work at the finish line for the very first time we do need a clearer picture from the get go what is expected from us and what we should be doing next. Luckily there is always somebody who knows but still.

Secondly, why does volunteering on marathon day not earn you the +1 for guaranteed entry for next year's marathon? If you put in 11 hours or your time into this event (longer than any of the runners) why wouldn't I satisfy the volunteering requirement? I've tried to find an answer but I guess I have to bring this up to the NYRR. I'll shoot them an e-mail and see what the reasons are.

After last month's 10k in Bed-Stuy I took a few weeks off from racing. It felt great for my body to get a break and just focus on training a bit more. I am quite happy where I am with my pace and distances and thought it was an extremely successful year. I ramped it up a bit last weekend by running a 5k on Roosevelt Island and a 4M in Central Park. Unfortunately, my ankle/achilles tendon on my right foot has been acting up and something about my left hamstring is giving me a bit of trouble. I decided not to run at all until next week when my next 5k is due. Let me do a quick recap.

The 5k on Roosevelt Island was the 2nd Annual Laurie Harris Hope and Dreams 5k, a race organized by my running club, the NY Flyers, in honor of a past member who died from pancreatic cancer just recently. I was glad to have a race back on the island again because it is so nice not to wake up an extra hour or two earlier just to get to the start line. Unlike last year's event, this time we had quite a few less runners which is not a bad thing per se. It just shows that switching race directors seems to have an impact on the popularity of a race. Last year it was managed by NYCRUNS who took care of most of the publicity of the event - it was listed on their website, and that is how I found out about it before I even joined the NY Flyers. For some reason this time around it was managed by some outfit called Madison Square Consulting and it was entirely up to us, the club, to get the word out. We had some runners from other local clubs, and the president and CEO of the New York Road Runners was there as well (in a non-running capacity, though), but other than that it was mostly Flyers. In the end we had about 130 registered runners which is a lot less than the 450 or so finishers from last year. It was a very nice event nonetheless despite the cold. Plus, I think I found a fellow runner that I will now declare as a fierce competitor of mine and I will always try to beat him. I am not going to name names but he is a member of the Hellgates Road Runners, he's in the same age group as mine (but three years younger), and he beat me in this 5k in the very last mile! But then I beat him by a couple of minutes or so in the 4 milers the next day.

This guy, right there!
Picture by Hellgates Road Runners

As always (and I am not proud of it) I went out way too fast. Everybody already knew who is going to win the race (Brian, our head coach, a 30-something who just ran the Dash to the Finish Line 5k in a 5:20 pace) and I tried to latch on him as long as possible. The first mile went by in 6:06 minutes, the fastest ever for me in a 5k. It was just Brian, another super-speedy guy, two other guys, and me in front for the first 2 1/2 miles. I had a very good shot at getting into third place if for some reason I didn't slow down to a 6:24 in mile 2, and ran an excruciatingly slow 6:45 third mile. I am guessing I just gave way too much in that first mile and the extremely cold air was not helping. In that third mile the Hellgates runner and the first female winner squeezed by and left me in the dust. In the end I still finished in solid 7th place (out of 131 finishers), 3rd for the Flyers, and 2nd in my age group (if there were age groups, that is) with a time of 19:59 minutes, a 6:26 average pace. I made sure that I stayed under 20 minutes and when I saw the seconds tick by when I approached the finish line I knew I had to turn on the afterburner and get it done. And done I got it... barely but I did. Considering the flatness of the course I am not quite happy with my result and luckily I had the opportunity to redeem myself the very next day.

I am somewhere in there
Picture by NYRR

As eighth race for my nine "get into the 2015 marathon" races I signed up for the Race to Deliver 4M which took place the very next day in Central Park. The course was one time around the inner loop starting and ending on the 72nd St traverse. As usual I was assigned to the front corral and, not sure, yet, if this is actually good or bad, went out with the fastest of the fastest. When I entered the corral most runners tend to stay in the back and move only forward toward the start line when told my a race official. I guess very few feel really comfortable starting all the way in the front. Should I? This time I was able to pace myself a little better and the first mile went by in 6:16 minutes and the second in 6:06. Then the three rolling hills came and slowed me down to a 6:38 and I finished the last mile in 6:22. I am not going to add those numbers up (they are after all from the running app) and use the official result instead. My total time of 25:43 minutes, an average pace of 6:26 per mile, placed me 101st out of 5,302 finishers and 10th(!) out of 289 in my age group. If I ran a second or two faster I would have placed in the one-digit in my age group! This, I say, is awesome! Sure, it seems that this race did not attract the best of the best (or at least not that many) but it is still an NYRR event with thousands of participants. This was way cool. Also, I beat that guy from the day before by over a minute. Yes! When I spent some time at the finish line to spectate a bit he walked by me and recognized me. I will have an eye on him from now on...

I feel like I have not reached my full potential, yet. I used to a bit faster and I realize that it is mostly my mind trying to convince me to stop what I am doing. If I can get that reigned in (and I admit it is hard especially with the ongoing nagging tendons and/or muscles) I think I can get down to a 6 minute mile. We will see. I am focusing right now to stay under 7 minutes for longer races like the upcoming Ted Corbitt 15k (in December), the NYCRUNS Winter Series 10M (in January), and the Fred Lebow Half (also in January).

As I said above, I am taking a week off from all kinds of running, hoping that my right ankle will recover enough, and will jump right into the very technical NYCRUNS Winter Series 5k in Riverside Park on Sunday. At least, I will have a shot at an age group award again.

I will try to get my next blog entry out a lot faster than it took me to write this time. This is not a promise, though. Until then, as always, keep on running!

Black and Purple

Not good

Just great - I had two races lined up for this coming weekend and I have to forfeit both of them plus the last 5k in Prospect Park for this season. Why? Because I am unable to walk through my apartment without breaking a toe. Yup. I just walked from the living room to the kids' room to fetch something and hit my pinky toe on the workout machine we store in the hallway. I was hoping that I just sprained it but the cracking sound/sensation that came with stubbing the toe made be suspect something more that just fleeting pain. I did hope for the entire night, though, that ice and pain killers would make it go away but the urgent care visit the next morning and a few x-rays made it clear that I better take it easy for a couple weeks. The good thing: it is just a fraction, it is just the pinky toe, and it is not displaced. According to the doctor it should be as good as new within two weeks but, me being me, I will test it as soon as the bruising, i.e. the pain, subsides. Maybe a week? I really do not want to miss the Labor Day 10k and the Autism Speaks 4M. I am afraid I would lose my fitness and have to start from "semi-scratch" again... I've got points to collect in order to get guaranteed entry into next year's NYC Marathon! Since I will be missing the Percy Sutton Harlem 5k Run I have to make up for it and, fortunately, I will have the Dash to the Finish Line to do so. If I miss the Autism run, I have to find another NYRR race, that I haven't planned on running. Maybe the Poland Sprint 5M or the Ted Corbitt 15k. Or I will run those anyway...

On the volunteering side of things I have done a Long Training Run pace leader job for the 8 minutes per mile group with the NY Flyers and I volunteered as course marshall on for the MS Run the US New York Finish 5k, an NYCRUNs event. I am debating if I should volunteer at the race I registered for on Sunday but my gut says that I shouldn't spend too many hours standing on my feet with a broken toe. I will probably just eat the registration fee and not bother with it any further. I also signed up as a volunteer for the upcoming NYCRUNS Narrows Half Marathon, the NYCRUNS Queens Half Marathon (but I may be running it), and the Yonkers Marathon. I am just not ready to run those distances, yet, but I want to be part of it. And since I get race credit for every time I volunteer I cannot think of any better opportunity to be there through volunteering.

Last but not least, just a quick recap of the seventh installment of the PPTC Al Goldstein Speed Series on 8/13. I improved my time once more and was able to stay under 20 minutes. I finished the 5k course in 19:54 minutes (6:52 pace), placed 38th/292 total and 4th/24 in my age division. I doubt I will be able to run the last one on this series so I just want to mention that this was a great race series with a lot of bang for the buck.

Not sure what my next race is going to be. In the meanwhile, keep on running!

Double header weekend

Go Flyers!

Only six weeks or so left in this year's summer and one more month with a full racing calendar. I have been taking advantage of this weather and raced pretty much every NYCRUNS and some selected NYRR races and have a few left. I also enrolled in a coached running class offered by the NY Flyers, won a first place in my age group twice, improved my 5k, 5M, and 10k PRs, volunteered in this year's iteration of the Marathon Long Training Run, and injured my right knee once more. Let's start with an overview:

Date	Name	Distance	Time	Pace	Overall position	Age group position
7/13/14	NYCRUNS Shore Road Summer Series #2	10k	42:27	6:50	6/193	1/13
7/16/14	PPTC Al Goldstein Summer Series #5	5k	20:02	6:28	67/353	5/20
7/23/14	NYCRUNS Riverside Park Series #3	5k	20:53	6:44	19/334	1/33
8/2/14	NYRR Team Championships	5M	32:47	6:33	323/842	48/117
8/3/14	Sgt. Keith A. Ferguson 5K Run	5k	19:31	6:18	19/860	5/80

It all started with a very humid day out there in Brooklyn on Shore Road. After I missed the first race of this mini series (last year I only ran the very last one) I was able to attend the second one. It was again a very simple out and back race that made us cross underneath the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge twice. Unfortunately, I bought a new pair of running shoes (New Balance 510v2, I am still trying to figure out if I like them or not) just the day before and decided to use them for this run. There was nothing really wrong with them except that one of them came untied and I had to stop a mile away from finish line. I could have run a new 10k PR if it weren't for that but nevertheless I finished just slightly slower than the Queens 10k and even won the first prize in the 40-49 age group. My first first place award! I repeated the same feat 10 days later in the third installment of the Riverside Park Series. There is one upside to winning awards rather regularly: your name gets noticed a lot more often now, especially at NYCRUNS events. I think I mentioned that already in a previous blog posting. That became especially clear at the Brooklyn Bridge race which I will cover in a bit. Stay tuned.

Focused!
Picture by Bob Cowin

The next race I want to recap a bit more in detail was this year's NYRR Team Championships. The New York Road Runners hold this event every year and it is open to members of local running clubs only. It's supposed to give us teams the opportunity to race each other. The women went first this year and the men followed an hour later on a 5 miles loop around Central Park. I actually planned on being on location to watch and cheer on the women but I wasn't able to get out of the house early enough. I arrived just in time to see the first woman cross the finish line, though. It is nice to see that a front of the middle of the pack runner like me struggles just as much as a world-class runner. The latter is just a lot faster but we all give everything we can. Oh, one more observation: puking after a race seems to be normal. One of the top-three female finishers made a pit stop on some grassy area, threw up for a while, and was then joined by a team mate of hers to comfort her. Then they chatted as if nothing happened. So, whenever you feel like throwing up, just pretend you ran your guts out and let it all out, literally.

The weather was perfect when the men lined up at the start. It was raining all morning long and the ladies had a little tough luck but we men were lucky. It was a rather smallish group of runners (less than 900) and we were not assigned to start corrals according to our predicted pace. If it weren't for all the NYRR branding you wouldn't have known it was the NYRR that organized this event. The course was a simple loop starting on 102nd St Traverse, going all the way south, back up on the East Drive, and ended a few yards away from the start. My strategy was pretty much to just run as fast as I could and keep it up and I was pretty successful with that. Within my team I ended up in third position which I am very proud of.

I think there are two dominant running teams here in NYC: the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) and the Westside Runners (WSX). The first is a very exclusive private club that takes in new members by invitation only, is extremely expensive, has a swanky building on Central Park South with overnight accommodations and dining facilities, and churns out Olympic medal winners. So, it is a quasi-given that these athletes rule most events, and that they rarely attend any of the NYCRUNS events. The WSX is open to everybody, dirt-cheap, and also has some extremely capable members. While I would love to run for a more competitive club like the WSX I am going to stick with the New York Flyers mostly because the average age of its members is around 40 years old and I don't feel like an old timer.

Rain does not discourage us.

The other race I want to talk about it one of my favorites: the Brooklyn Bridge 5k, aka Sgt. Keith A. Ferguson 5K Run. It was great fun again even though the weather just barely cooperated. It was the second race in the same weekend I ran the team challenge and it just stopped raining a bit after the start of the race. The wooden planks that cover at least half of the distance were a bit slippery and caution was needed not to fall and hurt yourself. I was surprised, though, how fast I went out and that I was able to hold a very good pace even though it was a bridge, i.e. up, then down, then up again, and finally down to the finish line. I assume the downslopes helped a lot to keep my pace up and the adrenaline made sure that I didn't slow down too much on the upslopes. Despite my new 5k PR I placed fifth in my age group which was a bit of a bummer but definitely added more motivation to keep on training and get the endurance up and upper! The race was spectacular but there was one thing that made it even better. While I was waiting for the award ceremony I hung out at the finish line to watch the runners come in. The race director was sitting there announcing each of the finisher over loud speakers as they come in and all of the sudden I heard him say: "Michael Hocke, how did it go?" Over the speakers. I looked and realized that he meant me and I gave my thumbs up. Then he just talked about me being a member of the New York Flyers etc. etc. I guess I earned my chops for real now and am officially a well known participant of NYCRUNS events. Even though I am not the person who wants to be the center of attention it sure gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling and I was validated for my efforts in running. I will make sure to volunteer as much as possible as well to keep my newly found status.

Running two race in two days was not such a great idea, though. My right knee flared up once more. Luckily a week of rest and some very easy running (NYC Summer Streets is back!) fixed this but it definitely has something to do with my arthritis in my knees. I have top be careful when going down hills fast. That said, tonight is the sixth installment of the PPTC Al Goldstein Speed Series in Prospect Park. One nice long downslope just before the finish line. Will I go easy? Nah, I don't think so. Ice and rest will do wonders.

I will dedicate a separate blog entry for the coached training class I am taking to prepare for my first half marathon that I want to run ready and hopefully injury-free. Stay tuned for that.

And fresh from the press: I was accepted to hand out finisher medals at this year's NYC marathon! This is exciting!

Keep on running!

The Scots are coming but let's talk about the Irish first

A Beautiful Day

So much has happened in the last few weeks that deserves mentioning on this blog but before I do so I want to give you a recap of a race that I ran on September 14th, 2013. For some reason I never found the right words to put my experience on paper and kept postponing it until now. That one day in September has been the pinnacle in my very short race career. I ran the fastest ever. It was the Great Irish Fair 5k, an NYCRUNS 5k race on the boardwalk of Coney Island and I finished it in 20:52 minutes, a pace of 6:44 minutes per mile. I placed 10th out of a field of 176 finishers but awards were only given to the top three male and female winners. That's fine because we all got free food and beer at the Irish festival afterwards. From that race on things went pretty much downhill pace- and injury-wise because I started to run longer distances without training for it correctly.

Just as you would expect it from an Irish event it started rather late, at 11am, which gave me enough time that day to get down to Coney Island without waking up in the wee-hours. The race was a good one. It started on the Coney Island boardwalk right under the Parachute Jump and led us West for a bit, back East all the way to the Aquarium, and once more West to where we started. The board walk itself wasn't the safest ground to run on because of broken wood and the occasional nail poking out but as long as you stayed on the planks that are parallel to your running direction you were fine. To this day I am proud of what I achieved that day and I hope that I will be able to get back into even better shape. I don't think I reached my best, yet. After the race I helped myself to a cup of beer and a hot dog, and did one of the things I always wanted to do after a race: I took off my shoes and socks and walked in the Atlantic Ocean. It was perfect (with the exception of having sand all over and getting wet quite a bit) and I will sign up again once registration for the Great Irish Fair 5k opens up for 2014.

We all know what has happened after that and how I have been plagued with injuries in my knees and feet for the last few months. After the last half-marathon I developed an unpleasant clicking in my right knee that just didn't want to go away and I eventually decided to see a doctor and have it checked out. When ice and rest doesn't do much you better get professional advice. The doctor figured runner's knee but sent me off for an MRI which agreed with his preliminary diagnosis. In my case I am suffering from chondromalacia patella, degradation of the cartilage under my knee cap, that causes my bones touch each other, bruise slightly, and keep the tissue surrounding them inflamed. For the medically inclined among my hardly existing readership here is the official diagnosis:

• Focal degenerative complex along the posterior portion of the lateral tibial plateau, with full-thickness cartilage defect, and subcortical reactive marrow edema.
• Focal grade 1-2 chondromalacia of the medial facet of the patella, with accompanying focal marked synovitis in the adjacent medial joint capsule. There may be an underlying medial patellar plica at the site, but this is difficult to visualize.
• Mild to moderate "iliotibial band syndrome."
• Evidence of old Osgood-Schaltter disease with superimposed acute component in the distal patellar tendon, and in the superficial and deep infrapatellar bursae.
• Small joint effusion.
• Study negative for meniscal tear or knee derangement.

Phew. That was just as hard to type as it is to read. Well, my cartilage in my knee is thinning, things are inflamed, there are some leftovers from a condition that I unknowingly had when I was a child, but the tendons in my knee are in good condition. I assume the fact that my right foot is not parallel to my knee is not helping my condition especially when pounding the pavement during a run for a prolonged time. Nevertheless, it is not bad enough to require that I give up running but if we don't do anything about the current condition I may end up with knee replacement down the road. So, for now I will get an injection into each knee. Two injections per knee once a week for three weeks, to be precise. Sounds bad? Yeah, I am not looking forward to it but it is not supposed to be as bad as it sounds. What's going to happen is that the medication that will be injected will act as a lubricant to keep the bones from doing damage to each other. It is supposed to reduce the pain I would get from too much running and prevent further degradation of the cartilage. The bad thing: that medication is extremely expensive (almost $2,500 for one full treatment of both knees - 10% of which will have to come out of my pocket, health insurance will luckily cover the rest) and it needs to be re-applied every six months. I will definitely do a progress report over the next few months and talk about how things improve, if at all.

The other thing that I was prescribed was physical therapy to make sure other muscles in my legs take off as much load from my knees as possible. The first evaluation showed that my glutes did less work than they are supposed to, especially in my right leg. So we are focusing at the moment on getting my glutes stronger and make myself more conscious about the bio-mechanics so that I activate my butt and hips more when climbing stairs or running or walking. I must say that I do feel a lot better after my first five sessions and the only thing that is left is the clicking (which only shows when climbing up stairs and may not go away ever again) and a bit of ITBS left over from my last race. We are working on it. Today I got a gait analysis and I was told that my running technique is almost flawless. I just need to work a bit on my hip extensions - I tend to turn out my legs a bit too much when running.

This has been quite a long blog entry already but there is more! Because of my injury I wasn't able to run the Spring Fling 10k but since NYCRUNS has an awesome volunteering program I helped out with the race doing course marshaling and I got credit for the missed race that I will apply to a future race. Volunteer for a race and get $25 race credit and whatever swag they handed out to runners, including the food. You cannot beat that!

Long sleeves wasn't the best
idea. Photo by Marathonfoto

And then the NYRR Scotland Run 2014 came along. I paid for it, I would get a point for guaranteed entry into the 2015 NYC Marathon, plus my knee didn't feel that much off, so... I ran it. I even finished it and not in last position. It was hard, though, but not unsurprisingly because I haven't run for almost four weeks now and jumping right into a 10k took a lot of effort. The fact that I was able to finish it and was still able to maintain a better than 7:30 minutes per mile pace still shows that my fitness level hasn't degraded too much, yet. It is far off from the 7:10 or so I did in a 10k last year but I am confident that I will be able to get back into it. I mean, I was in the middle of a 10k training program when my knee acted up.

The race was one complete loop of Central Park. We started on the West side at around 63rd Street, went all the way up north, back down on the East side, all the way down south, back north and a little bit further than the start line. The weather was great and the atmosphere awesome. Thousands of runners getting together is always an awesome experience - especially when you are one of them. Thanks to my performance in the Dash to the Finish Line from last year I earned my lowest bib number ever and I started in the second start coral from the front. In the beginning of the race I was able to keep up just nicely but when the rolling hills started up in Harlem I lost a lot of time. I think I have to run a lot more often in Central Park. The hills, no matter how small they are, really got to me very quickly. The mile that had the most hills was my slowest mile. I recovered in the end a bit but I spent my very last dose of energy that I had. It was hard. I crossed the finish line in 1,229th place out of 8,067 finishers, 126th out of 571 finishers in my age group (40-44), and 19th place (out of 87 participants) for my running team. I am proud that I was still able to stay in the top-20% of the entire field. My net time was 46:18 minutes which equals to an average pace of 7:28 minutes per mile.

Today is Friday and I am planning on getting back into a much more relaxed 10k training plan tomorrow. It is supposed to be a gorgeous Saturday outside and I really need to get back out there and run my heart out. I will officially be training for a 10k in July but will run multiple 5-10ks during that journey. No more half-marathons until fall, i.e. the Yonkers or Philadelphia Marathons may be downgraded to halves for me this year. I am in no rush, am I?

I want to finish with what's coming up next. The next race will be the Dawg Dash, a 5k on Roosevelt Island, organized by the University of Washington Alumni Association. Then May's schedule has volunteering three times and racing twice. Considering the condition of my knee I may have to postpone my first marathon to 2015 and focus on half-marathons only for this fall. I think I really have to take it slow and get a lot more miles under my belt before I do anything crazy.

Keep on running!

Sidelined and volunteering

All lined up

Last weekend's NYC60k race (aka the Knickerbocker) was probably the most low key running event the NYRR is in charge of that I have attended so far. I assume the XC runs up in the Bronx and the announced Classic runs for next year are very similar? No fancy signage, no DJs (AFAIK), no thousands of runners, no national anthem and pre-start entertainment. Just 500 runners lined up in a no-frill race ready to run 37.3 miles in nine loop in Central Park.

Oh, just to make sure we don't misunderstand each other. I did not run it. It did look like a lot of fun, though, so maybe one day? In a couple of years or so? Let's say three years. I volunteered, though. I thought that would be my +1 credit to get into the NYC Marathon next year but since that's not going to happen (I was only able to run three out of the nine required races to get guaranteed entry) I volunteered to a) to do something good, and b) to be part of something exciting. If I cannot run a race I still love to watch. And you may think that watching the same runners go pass you nine times can't be exciting but you would be wrong. It is great to watch how these amazing people make the best out of a situation that tests their physical and mental limits and since I was stationed right in front of the start/finish line I loved to see the beaming smiles every time they had another lap in the sack. Some of the volunteers and spectators were amazing to keep the spirits up even hours into the race (the winner finished in a little over four hours). You could hear them scream and shout the runners' bib numbers and encourage them to keep going. The watching crowd was in no way close to, say, the Marathon but it was just as noisy and up-lifting.

After watching these runners go by round after round I got a feeling who is in the leading group and who has how many more laps to go. The NYRR has a very nice write-up about the race but let me just add my few cents. The first seven laps were dominated by Vinicius Tavares (he's the guy in blue working his watch in the picture above) who clicked off one mile after another with a below seven minutes per mile pace. He really looked like he could keep it up forever but eventually he was overtaken by the winner and came in on a still respectable second place. Did I say these guys are amazing? Even when my shift was done at 11:30am (it started at 6:30am and, let me tell you, standing non-stop for five hours hurts just as much as running for an hour or two - at least for somebody like me who sits all day long on his job) I stuck around to at least see the top three finishers for the men and women. I finally made my way back home at around 1:30pm.

So, how was my volunteering experience? This time I signed up to help out in the start/finish area because I thought this would be the most exciting and rewarding spot to be. I definitely wasn't wrong with that and not just because it was a great place to be to celebrate with the runners and the spectators. Our captain, I assume an NYRR employee, was also a very interesting character. He sure knew how to secure the start/finish area. Most of us were positioned to secure the cross walk in front and at the back of the start and finish line at 90th Street and East Drive and made sure that pedestrians and bicyclists don't interfere with the runners. The NYRR got permits to use the pedestrian lanes of the upper short loop of Central Park and everybody else had to use the bike lanes instead. It sure got busy later that morning and in the afternoon and we had our hands full directing traffic across. We also had to make sure that non-participating runners would go around the start/finish area and most did do just that but some people couldn't care less and gave us the "but I don't want to" speech and just ran straight ahead. It wasn't such a big deal but it would have made the folks in charge of keeping tracks of the runners' laps a bit easier. They needed to see the runners' numbers and always had to remind folks to show their numbers when they cross the line. So folks who didn't want to help us out made things a bit harder but, again, luckily there were only a very few (I counted two) who behaved like the Lords of Central Park. After all it was a great experience, especially interacting with onlookers when I told them that this is a 60k race. Many couldn't believe that anybody would run such distances - especially on such monotone routes like Central Park. I also have to add my own kudos to the runners here. For volunteering my time I got a nice tech shirt and a great time. I will so do this again.

A few closing words about my own running. Well, my IT band sidelined me. After my last race I promised myself not to run until it cleared up. It's been two weeks now and it is getting better - very slowly, though. I am itching to get back on the road and run my heart out but I really, really, really shouldn't. For now I reset my training calendar for December, 1st to start a training program for a half-marathon that I want to run in the spring but I will keep this open because if I still cannot run for at least half an hour pain-free it is back to sitting it out until at least the start of 2014, which after all, would mark my first year anniversary for being back in running. We will see. I am not signed up for any races so the temptation is limited.

Marathon weekend

Running up on 6th Ave
Picture by MarathonFoto

It's the pinnacle of almost every runner's running career, I would assume. Running a marathon and keep running them. Last weekend was the NYC Marathon. It was an exciting few days and I got really into it. I did not run, for many obvious reasons like I only started running for "real" this year, my knee needs a lot more healing, and I didn't do any training to run 26.2 miles, but I did participate in a 5k the day before which finished at the Marathon finishing line in Central Park and I volunteered with my fellow team members at the Power Gel station on mile 18. It was an awesome experience and it just made me want to participate in the New York marathon in the future even more. Maybe not for 2014 due to not having a guaranteed spot but definitely for 2015. Let's cross fingers and knock on wood.

Almost at the finish line
Picture by MarathonFoto

Let's start with the Dash to the Finish Line on Saturday, a nice little 5k race that started in front of the UN, brought us over 42nd Street to 6th Avenue, all the way up to Central Park South, into Central Park at the corner of CPS and 5th Ave, up to the 72nd Street traverse, and going over the south loop to the finish line. This race, the NYC Half, and of course the NYC Marathon, are the only three races per year where Manhattan streets are closed to car traffic for us runners (I guess we have to count in NYC Summer Streets for leisure running) and it is such a rush to run Manhattan Streets with spectators lining up on both sides of the street. It was a sold-out race with 5,000 runners and it got a bit crowded. I believe it is rather hard to run PRs in short races with such huge crowds because you always end up jockeying for position. You rarely run in a straight line for the first 10 minutes or so and lose a lot of momentum when you have to find a way to get ahead of runners in the way or cutting in, etc. My knee was not recovered at all (thanks to my inability to just not run for a couple of weeks) but I just ran through it and made it to the finish line in a decent time despite everything including not really seriously running for a few weeks now. I finished in 316th place, 28th/496 in my age and gender group, first for my team, with a pace of 6:56 minutes per mile and a total time of 21:28 minutes. Not the best time (I had better) but considering everything not bad at all. Of course, the fact that thousands of really good runners were running the marathon the next day they either didn't attend this one or ran really slow to avoid any injuries. I know, for example, that there are a lot of faster guys in my running team, but they didn't show up.

Package pick-up for this race was at the Marathon Expo at the Javits Center on the West Side of Midtown. It was crazy there. Thanks to security (I tell you, the terrorists have won...) I had to stand in line to get into the building, stand in line to get through security checks, stand in line... you get the picture. In the end I got my shirt and my bib but no bag. Only marathon runners got a bag for their goodies. We 5k-ers are second class citizens who had to wait until bag check-in or crossing the finish line to get a clear plastic bag. Ugh. Well, I did throw it away eventually after eating the meager snacks that came with it (one apple, a baggie of pretzel sticks, and a pint-sized bottle of water) so none of this really matters in the big picture. And that big picture was: I ran the streets of Manhattan and I crossed the NYC Marathon finish line without actually having to run the marathon. It was awesome. Period.

Cheering on some runners
Picture by Linda Chan

My motto for this weekend was: if you cannot run the marathon at least do some volunteering work. And that I did happily. My running team has been staffing the Power Gel station at mile 18 of the race for a few years now (I think). This year I signed up for it and helped out. It was amazing. By the time I arrived at my spot the wheelchair racers were just passing by. Image propelling a wheelchair for more than 90 minutes just with your arms, shoulders, and back. Some people say running is hard but doing that motion non-stop? Then the hand-cycles whizzed by, followed by the woman pro-athletes (which I missed because I jumped into a deli to get some water), then the pro-men, followed by the amateurs. I was able to stand right there at the curb, without a barricade, and have the runners pass by me just like that. Very few of the pros and the wheelchairs needed gel - I assume they have their own fueling system - but as soon as the masses of runners (more than 50,000 I read) started to come by we all were handing out packets of gel non-stop. I wasn't able to stay there for the entire day (the last runner crossed the finish line after 10pm) but was able to see probably the first half to 2/3s of the runners. We had runners of all kinds. Serious ones, costumed ones, always smiling ones, picky ones ("does this have caffeine" or "ugh - hate that flavor"), polite ones ("thank you!" or "It's awesome you guys are doing this"), you name it. I even had two people recognize me (one co-worker and one other runner from Roosevelt Island who I met on the way to the Bronx) and I was told a few others noticed me but didn't make themselves noticeable to me. I was just standing there, stretching out my hand, with a packet of gel in my hand, for everybody to grab. Some women runner had long fingernails which scratched my hand when they pulled the pouch out of my hand. After a couple of hours my hand was cramped up but I did what all endurance athletes do - push through it. If I can run a few miles, I can keep handing out gels for a few hours.

Marathon is over now. The races are not slowing down, though, but I will for a few weeks. I promise that I will not run for at least two weeks and then pick it up very slowly. I have to let that IT band heal. Starting January I will start a training program towards marathon distance for the fall of 2014. That's the plan and will, as always, be adjusted.

Sore legs

8:30 group just started
Photo by NYRR

Last weekend I did something crazy. I volunteered to be a pace leader for NYRR's Long Training Run #2. My task was to keep a constant pace of 8:30 minutes/mile (pace groups started at 7:00 minutes/mile up to 11:00+ in 30 seconds increments) for a length of 6, 11, 16, or 20 miles so the runners behind us were able to meet their training goals. Training for a marathon is not to run as fast as possible from the get go but to stay at the fastest pace possible that keeps your body run most efficiently so you will not run out of fuel half way in (aka hitting the wall). That usually means you train to run a certain pace all the way through the 26.2 miles. That's why pace leaders in long distance runs are extremely helpful. You don't have to keep checking your watch. Just follow the group leaders.

Quick break after first six miles
Photo by NY Flyers

I initially signed up for 11 miles (the 6 and the 5 miles loops in Central Park) but decided to run one more 5 miles loop at the last minute. It was quite the experience. The first 11 miles were rather easy. It sure helps that you run in a group and keep each other in check. The third loop was a challenge, though. I was lucky that midway of the loop another runner was curious and asked me about this event. The conversation I had with him took my mind of the thoughts that were trying to convince me to throw in the towel and actually gave me one more boost to get back in front of the group. Thank you, stranger! The last couple miles were surprisingly easy but when the lead asked me if I would join him for the last four miles I had to say no. All in all I ran 16 miles in a bit less than 2 1/2 hours. It felt great to know that I was actually running a half-marathon and a 5k on top of that. My legs were wobbly and my joints stiff and now, a day later, I am still sore but it is all worth it. Imagine how many days it will take to recover from a full marathon.

On the way back home - bubbles!

After the run I sat myself on a rock and watched the other groups come in and leave for the last loop. Another runner, who also ran 16 miles, joined me and we talked a bit about running. He is also more of a newbie runner (he started in October of last year) but he keeps himself busy with a race every weekend. That's quite ambitious. I will probably see him again at some race in the future. Good luck, Robert!

Before I headed back home I stopped by the Bethesda Fountain (thinking how good it would be to put your legs into the water) and walked/limped by a guy making gigantic bubbles. Central Park in the morning is an interesting place to be.

Tonight I will leisurely run another six miles down the Hudson River to the Battery and then take a couple days off. I've got a 10k race to prepare for.