As I mentioned in a previous post, the Scotland Run 10K is one of my personal favorite races of the year and it seems the word has gotten out. This year there were 7,000 runners in the race, one of the largest turnouts for a NYRR race.
The morning looked promising with sunny skies and no breeze, but unfortunately it was a little cold for spring, the temperature at 7:30am was 28 degrees. I knew it was going to warm up, but would have to suffer in the cold for a few hours.
The start area for the Scotland Run was set up in Mineral Springs Central Park and where the government of Scotland had set up a few booths giving away Scottish flags and bags as well as the ability to get your face painted. The band was great and for this year we had the Red Hot Chili PIPERS. Good times out there even though it was a little chilly, but starting to warm up.
The race is ready to start as the Pipers lead everyone out to the start line, where I position myself around the 7 minute mile pace area, hoping this will keep me from having to bob and weave too much through the crowd. Even though I know I planned to run around a 7:20/mile pace, to even have a chance to run that pace for the first mile I needed to set up close to the 7:00/mile sign. Let me tell you, I cannot wait for this corral system to start and really hope it will be a success. (I promise not to vent about slow packs of runner in front).
Mile 1 was still a little crowded and and a little uphill but managed to hit Mile Marker 1 at exactly 7:30. This was a pretty good sign.
Mile 2 -3 were spread out more with more downhill than up and I was able to pick up the pace, running 7:00/miles for these two. Nice bonus was seeing my friend Seth running the other way with his son in a baby stroller and hearing my name called out.
Now, I am not sure where, but I believe this occurred somewhere near the end of mile 3, after a long uphill climb, just when I thought I was out of gas, and ready to slow it down, suddenly the sounds of a single bagpipe were blaring through Central Park. One bagpiper in a quilt was standing guard at the top of the hill urging people on with his playing. Score one for NYRR and the race organizers for this move.
The next few miles went along real smooth as I tried to keep a 7:15/mile pace and look to finish below 45:00 minutes for the 10K. One other nice move by NYRR this year was widening the lanes so there was more room to maneuver.
As I hit the 6 mile mark I knew the sub 45:00 was within reach and just pushed through the last uphill portion (this part I hate) to the finish line at Tavern on the Green at a respectable 44:42, a 7:12/mile pace for a 10K, one of my fastest 10K runs and one of my better finishes. I placed 628 out of 7000 runners. This is promising for the upcoming season, because to be honest I have barely ran more than 20 miles a week since the start of 2008 and have not been as healthy as I would like.
Now I wish I could say all the other members of the Dukes of Flatbush were able to make it out for the race. As usual Eve F came out and turned in a stellar performance for the Dukes, but the same cannot be said of the Shampoos.
Seems they heard Nessie was going to be at the race and hid in Brooklyn, scared to cross the waters in to Manhattan.
For many, many years the only scientifically proven method to get high was through illicit drug use and many people have gone that route to get high. No judgements or comments.
Today, an article in the New York Times reports that scientists have proven there is such a thing as “runners high” by use of PET scans and other acronym related tests on runners. You will have to read the article to understand the protocols and tests used, but for most runners this was already a known yet unproven fact.
Why else would we be out there running miles and miles, morning and night through cold, rain, heat and snow. For our health? Well that may have something to do with it, but the feeling after a great run is why I am out there and thank you scientists for giving me demonstrated proof that there is a reason I will wake up at 6:00am on a below freezing morning besides being insane.
Back when I was a young man, Sports Illustrated was THE sports magazine and I read it cover to cover as soon as it came in the mail. It is hard to describe how much this magazine meant to me, so it is even harder to describe how disappointed I have become in the magazine over the past few years. I am not going to theorize as to what drove the quality of the magazine down (FYI - it had something to do with the Internet) , but would rather bring back to you those great times of Sports Illustrated.
The way I am able to do that, is through the generosity of Sports Illustrated who have set up an online archive of 50+ years of articles, covers and photos. I am not going to go through Dr. Z’s predictions which I know to be wrong 80-90% of the time, but have been going through the photos and the covers, especially the covers.
Below is a selection of some of my favorites so far:
Springtime is the time for the auto makers to show off their new cars and there is no better place then the New York Auto Show. Nick and I took a walk over to the Jacob Javitz Center to check out the cars that we hope and pray to afford one day. I also had the chance to catch up with my good friend Alex Roy who is displaying his Team Polizei M5 and promoting his book The Driver. If you go to the show I encourage you to go over to the south concourse and say hello and purchase his book, which I have written about in an earlier post.
Instead of boring you with descriptions of the cars which nobody wants to read, I figured some serious car porn is the only way to go.
Enjoy!
For those of you who are new to Formula 1 racing and the world of motorsports, Michael Schumacher was the king of the sport. He won the F1 championship 7 times including five consecutive titles and earned over $50 million a year, not a bad career and for a normal person the end to a career racing.
Well Schumacher had recently decided he wanted to compete at motorcycle racing and is course racing this year on a Ducati MotoGP, seen here.
So what happens when Michael Schumacher shows up at Pannonia-Ring in Hungary for a race that mixed professional and amateur riders. On his debut race he ends up taking the pole position from the amateur group only after a couple of practice laps. Not too bad.
The professionals started in the back of the grid as this was sort of a Pro-Am and Schumacher decides to start in the back with them (last row) on a 1000cc Honda Superbike. While he does not win the race, he does come in 3rd place, not too bad for his first year riding professionally.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to concerns in the Brooklyn community, the date of the 2008 NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix has been changed from Saturday, April 26, to Saturday, May 3, at 9:00 a.m.
The Brooklyn Half Marathon is one of the premiere events in the Dukes of Flatbush racing schedule and is on home turf. The race starts on the Coney Island boardwalk and then is a flat pancake run down Ocean Parkway and a fantastic finish inside Prospect Park.
I hope that this last minute schedule change does not impede anyone from joining (myself included) and may allow for more entrants as it does not conflict with Passover and gives all aspiring runners an extra week to train.
Here is the official note from the NYRR regarding the date change and what runners can do about it:
For those who have already registered, NYRR is offering three options to resolve issues resulting from this change:
* Leave your entry as it stands and run the race on May 3
* Contact NYRR by 11:59 p.m. on March 31 and request that your entry be transferred to another equivalent NYRR event of your choice
* Contact NYRR by 11:59 p.m. on March 31 and request a coupon good for entry to another equivalent NYRR event that you will choose at a later time
I leave for Baja in the morning - going to ride from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas. Although this is going to be a lot longer than Training Run #1, I can’t imagine it will be more difficult. Excited to log miles and see that part of the world though - going to be fantastic. I flew out to LA early and spent the weekend in La Quinta, CA watching a DOFB alum play polo, and caught the Men’s Semi-final Games at the Pacific Life Open. Here are some pics. Will post the ones from Baja when I get back in a week.
March 20th 2008 is the first day of spring and it is cold and windy here in NYC so we are not really feeling the warm temps on the way.
The one saving grace of this first day of spring is that we are getting closer and closer to summer. To get that summer feeling I decided to post this picture of many members of the Dukes of Flatbush out at Sunset Beach, Shelter Island last summer.
Hope this picture puts a smile on your face and builds anticipation for Summer 2008
Although you can only wear one helmet at a time, most motorcycle owners end up with a collection of helmets over the years. I’ve somehow ended up with 5. Two are for highway riding, one is for motocross, and the other two offer little protection, but are just flat out cool - the move for short trips. A friend just sent me a link to check out Ruby Motorcycle helmets which are made in Paris, France. All I can say is WOW. These helmets are an aphrodisiac for the opposite sex - helpful in running game and closing deals.
In the beginning of this year I was very excited to hear Garmin would be releasing the new Garmin 405 and I promptly placed my order with delivery dates expected February 21st and a late date of end of Q1 2008.
Well now Garmin has delayed the release date to the mysterious Q2 2008. It seems they are pushing back the release date to coincide with the 2008 Boston Marathon. Great for marketing, terrible for us early adopters who need to receive the first shipment of running gear.
Garmin has decided to appease us with new shots of the display of the Garmin 405 and this did not help. It only made me wish I had this yesterday.
UPDATE ON 04/29/08 - See my post on delivery
Check these out:
This past weekend we took a much needed retreat to Shelter Island. I would like to describe the weekend, but I think the pictures will do a much better job of what it was about
And of course a nice full breakfast after a 7 mile run on the island
14 Mar
Posted by Birch as Baja 1000, Motorcycle, Training
The trip to Jesse’s Secret Utah Desert Training Lab yielded much in the way of skill development, supporting bruises and hilarity. The following are a few things learned which might be of use to someone. No doubt remedial to most who are riding the Baja 1000. But we never said we’re experts; just hell bent on doing it.
The Front Brake Must Be Used With Caution: For those of who have spent a lifetime on street bikes, this one’s pretty tough. On a street bike at least 80% of your braking power comes out of the front end & I know some folks who’ve probably never even used the rear set. Dirt bikes, however, are different. First and foremost, there’s little in the way of a traction coefficient on sand or dirt. If you hit the brakes they lock and you’re sliding. While the front disc remains the more powerful of the two brakes, as it has greater capacity to slow rather than lock, the nature of the terrain adds far more variables to the equation. Long story short, until you master some of the more formulaic braking techniques, front braking has a tendency to make the bike duck/tuck the front end which leads to immediate instability. As a result, speed in loose pack, especially downhill, is best controlled with a combination of engine breaking/clutch feathering and rear breaking.
Riding MX is All About Legs and Core: The key to good riding, (and by that I mean keeping the tires down and the plastics up), is rapid weight redistribution. Everyone has different styles but I find that the best way to do this is to spend the majority of time standing on the pegs. Standing allows you to more rapidly react to the forces that are acting on the bike as a result of uneven terrain; especially at speed. Keeping your weight deep in your heels further helps keep your center of gravity low and your chassis glued to the machine rather than rocketing through the air with every bounce. Standing on the pegs for long periods, and essentially acting as a human shock absorber, requires serious leg and core strength.
Acceleration is the Solution to Most Problems: Acceleration on loose terrain (sand, soft-pack, talus) = traction. In almost any situation, whether coming into a sand turn, climbing a hill of fractured shale or negotiating single-track, a firm grasp on the surface is what you’re lookin’ for. It’s sort of like driving at speed on slipper snow. Counter intuitive as it may feel, giving it the juice seems to be the best way to get out of situations that are heading south.
Weight forward on turns: Turning in sand, gravel or on a steep dirt incline is sketchy business. Your natural inclination is to sit back and try to force the handlebars around the turn. What you really want to do is try to put as much weight as possible on the front tire to ensure it tracks tightly around the corner. In sand, gravel etc. the easiest way to do this is by sliding way up front on the bike so your humping the tank and then use your inside leg as an outrigger as necessary. On the steeps it’s easiest to stand and then force your weight forward onto the bars.
Air time Is Good Time: Can’t be afraid to air it out. On the whoops - just gas it till your bounding across the tops. In the pits/dunes…well, try to keep your weight as centered and let’er rip.
For more riding tips, check out Dirt Rider. Man this shit is fun!
The Dukes of Flatbush planned to use a SPOT Satellite Messenger in their bid for the 2008 Baja 1000, but just learned that another device with the same capabilities has been mandated by SCORE. It’s called IriTrack and was already mandatory equipment in the Paris Dakar rally.
Here’s a description of the unit from that site:
“IriTrack satellite monitoring is a new system which enables you to benefit from enhanced safety and is a real communication tool. It enables real-time monitoring of positions and tracking of competitors, thereby making it easier to follow the race.
The system responds to most situations which require vehicles or participants to be monitored in all parts of the world, including those not covered by telephone networks as in the desert. Clearing any doubt by voice phone questioning, alert following a violent shock, automatic transmission of alarms to the PC, satellite telephone, etc… a host of options making the system an indispensable tool.
IRITRACK and your safety
IriTrack enables you to transmit qualified information to the race PC in real time. If you come up against a problem, you can be pinpointed by the organization whom you can speak with remotely.
Fields of application are as follows:
* Triggering or requesting emergency help in case of a serious incident (you or another competitor).
* Signal a distress situation which might prevent you from continuing / or compromise your health.
With two possible modes:
* Transmission of an alarm and/or telephone contact with the race PC
* Automatic: if a brutal shock or a prolonged halt of the vehicle is detected, the system transmits an alarm message to the race PC indicating the competitor’s GPS position. With the telephone function, the race PC may contact him without any action on his part (automatic receiver pick-up and inbuilt microphone) to establish dialogue.”
This device will also allow SCORE to monitor a team’s speed on paved sections of the Baja 1000 course which is limited to 60mph.If you exceed that speed, your team receives a time penalty which could affect your standing or worse, your ability to complete the race in the alloted time.
These units are available for rental and for sale - I guess we’ll figure out what option makes the most sense. One big question: where the hell does this thing go on a bike?
Good discussions about this issue on baja.net forums - read the thread.
DOFB
