Besides being a good way to burn off calories before the big eating bonanza, this Turkey Trot benefits the Ballard Food Bank. More than 1,000 Ballard, Magnolia and Queen Anne households receive food, hygiene items or emergency financial help each week from the Ballard Food Bank, so this is a very worth cause.

Here is some additional information on the Turkey Trot and how to sign up.

• What: 2011 Seattle Turkey Trot
• When: Thursday, November 24th, 2011 – 9:00 AM
• Where: Above Golden Gardens Park (32nd Ave NW and NW 85th St)
• Why: Help support the Ballard Food Bank!
• Who: You! Sign up now!

VOLUNTEER FOR THE RACE CREW!
The Rock ‘n’ Roll New York™ 10K is rockin’ through your neighborhood October 21-22. Nearly 5,000 runners will race to the finish, but they won’t be the only ones out in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. The Rock ‘n’ Roll New York 10K event also features live bands and DJs playing great music every mile and a finish line headliner concert. It’s a 6.2 mile block party!

Volunteering for the Race Crew means you will not only be supporting thousands of aspiring runners and walkers, but also the community of New York. We need your help to make this event spectacular, and with over 400 Race Crew volunteer positions available there is a spot for everyone, including teams, corporate groups, or just friends and family.

BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING
- Official Race Crew T-shirt
- Race Crew drawstring backpack
- Support a great cause
- Fulfill community service hours
- Have a great time!

AVAILABLE RACE CREW SHIFTS
- Friday, October 21, Super Runners Store: 745 7th Ave. New York, NY
o Packet Pick-Up: 10am to 5pm

- Saturday, October 22, Prospect Park, Brooklyn
o Start Line Shift: 5:30am to 8:30am
o Finish Line Shift: 6:00am to 11:30am
o Corrals & Course Monitors at Start Line: 6:30am to 9:30am
o Gear Return at Finish Line: 7:00am to 11:30am
o Water Stations – times vary (contact Volunteer Coordinator)

HOW TO REGISTER
Step 1: Go to runrocknroll.com/new-york
Step 2: Click “Volunteer” on the left-hand side menu
Step 3: Click “Race Crew Information” to determine the shift(s) that best fit your schedule
Step 4: Click the blue “Race Crew” button to sign up!

Beat The Bridge finsih

Part of the training that I would like to complete is financial training. I am looking to raise funds for Juvenile Diabetes and would appreciate if you readers could make a donation to the cause. Click here to make a donation in my name to JDRF and help me along in raising funds for a good cause and getting back into training shape.

Details on Beat The Bridge 2011

Living in the Seattle area, which is home to Brooks Running, I am lucky enough to be near the Brooks outlet store and can usually find some good deals. At their last sidewalk sale I picked up a new type of running short that I had never seen before. It is called the Infiniti Notch (silly name) and instead of a mesh liner it has a compression short built right in. I was a little apprehensive at first since I am kind of careful what kind of shorts I put on, fears of chafing and using something with the word “compression” in certain areas.

Well after a month or so of use I can say these are my new go to shorts. The outside liner material is loose since it does not have to be snug against you to hold down the liner, and does not seem to chafe or rub anywhere it should not. The compression liner is comfortable and supportive and while I am not sure of the benefits to your muscles from the compression shorts and the claims that it fights fatigue, I can tell you that most important , everything stayed in place.

As for the colors and the pockets and the other details , my review is – they are fine. This short is not about some cool secret pocket for your keys or funky glow in the dark colors, but about a really good everyday training short that I think most men would appreciate.  If you need it here is the official product description and a picture. Enjoy!

Men’s high-performance 2-in-1 marathon short features dual rear-holster pockets and CoRe Liner, a Compression and Recovery boxer brief that reduces chafing and fights fatigue on longer runs.Shell: Element Woven (100% waterproof/windproof microfiber polyester) provides protection from wind and wet, breathability for comfort and a fine, soft texture; Liner: (84% polyester/16% spandex) moves moisture away from your skin.

The JackRabbit NYC Running Show is April 22-23!
www.nycrunshow.com

JackRabbit is hosting the first ever NYC Running Show on April 22-23rd.  Over two years in the making, the show features 30,000 sq feet of expo space, clinics, speakers, panel discussions, and social events.   Over two dozen of the top brands in running & triathlon will be exhibiting, including major booths from Asics, Brooks, Saucony, Mizuno, Vibram, & Adidas, along with New Balance, Garmin, Zoot, Sugoi, CEP, Feetures, Nathan, BlueSeventy, Powerbar and many more.

Speakers and panels include Scott Jurek, Matt Long, a panel discussion on the trend to minimalist shoes & barefoot running, a seminar on womens health issues in running, an information session for participants in the Ragnar Relay, clinics on improving running form, stretching and strengthening, nutrition, tackling new race goals, and many more.  You’ll also get a chance to meet the six runners chosen for JackRabbit’s “Run for the Rabbit” fundraising campaign this year.

A $10 ticket gets you $15 off your purchases at the show, and there will be great free gifts for people who spend over $100, $200, or $350.  It’s a great opportunity to gear up for spring and start the season right!

JackRabbit is offering each club a free table at the “Clubs and Races” mini-expo on the second day of the show if at least ten members buy tickets.  Don’t miss out on this chance to market the club, show team pride, and help us recruit new members!  Please visit www.nycrunshow.com to learn more and get tickets.

Apply for NYC Half Marathon via NYRR

Sunday, March 20 – New York City
Start: 7:35 a.m.
Course: An iconic course that runs through the heart of the city including Times Square!

The coolest feature of the headlamp and why it is tailored for runners is the focus of the light beam. It is a strong, oval beam that illuminates the path directly in front of you and not just a dispersed bright light. An easier way to explain it is it shoots a spotlight right in front of your feet so you can really see what is in front of you, not a dispersed light that will brighten a room. For those that care about technical specs the LED produces 68 lumens at its brightest setting, which really means it is really, really bright. Another great feature for runners is a red strobe light in the back so cars and other people can see you coming and going.This switch can be turned off so as not to annoy other runners if you happen to be running in a pack.

Some of the other cool features are a rechargeable battery, which really lightens the load of this headlamp to 100g/3.5oz, probably the lightest running headlamp out there and has a 6 hour charge time, so it will burn for 5 hours on the highest setting and something like 60+ hours on a dim setting.

Forgot to mention one of the most important features of the Black Diamond Sprinter, it actually feels good on your head. It has a great balance and you do not feel it flying around or worry that it is going to come off at any moment. A major problem I have had with other headlamps. I know it might not look that great in these pictures, but at the end of the day, who cares. It is dark out and this light is meant to shine in front of you, not on you.

For those that are interested in running the race I believe registration is still open here in Seattle and you can also register online via Active.com. All the information for the race can be found here http://www.lakeunion10k.com/

Good Luck and hope to see everyone out there. Lake Union is a beautiful place here in Seattle and one of of my favorite running routes

For those that have been rejected, I advise you to think about being a charity runner. I ran the NYC Marathon with Team for Kids and it was a great experience, and recommend to everyone

Entry Number: 468985

We’re sorry, but you were not selected in the ING New York City Marathon 2010 lottery. We appreciate your commitment to running with NYRR, but we must limit the size of the field to make this race safe and enjoyable for participants.

Fortunately, there are still opportunities for you to enter this race and be part of our running community throughout the year.

You can join Team for Kids to gain entry to the November 7 race and benefit from a variety of training programs, online forums and chats, and race-weekend perks. You can register with any of our charity partners to receive exclusive member-only benefits with your race entry and the satisfaction of participating for a cause.

Whether you want to run your fastest 5K or finish a marathon, you can compete nearly every weekend of the year in NYRR races. Our training programs, packages, and online tools are available for runners of all abilities wherever you live and train.

Keep moving toward your goals, and we expect to see you out on the roads!

Sincerely,
New York Road Runners

This year the NYRR have decided to up the ante and are broadcasting the NYC Marathon lottery live April 7th on their website http://www.nyrrvideo.org/lottery Noon ET, 9am PT

I am hopeful that I get in to the race and also interested on how NYRR will run this live lottery. They have had server issues in the past from too many neurotic runners trying to check at once. I hope this works out smoothly

Looking forward to seeing my favorite sign on the marathon course. Always makes me laugh when I see it.

When you run, your hand position is very important. I am not talking about swinging your arms or pumping but what you do with your finger and your hand. I was holding my hand in a fist position and as the running became more intense, especially on hills I would tighten that fist. As you can guess that is the exact opposite of what you need to do.

In an accent that cannot be transcribed to text, our Ethiopian coach explained to me that I need to pretend I am holding a potato chip between my thumb and index finger and make sure it does not break. Yes, imagine you are holding a potato chip when running, it works. I searched the web looking for an image to help and the best I could find was a Cheeto shaped like Jesus, but you still want to hold on to that Jesus cheeto and make sure you do not break him. I think the image works

The neck and shoulder pain went away immediately, but there was also another benefit. I was much more relaxed when I was running and enjoyed running a lot more. Give it a try on your next runs and if you cannot imagine holding the chip try to imagine holding Cheeto Jesus and making sure you keep him intact

I ran across this article in Runners World that gives a good rundown of how to come back after a break which I thought I would share. Here are some of the highlights:

START SLOW Runners returning to action often carry extra weight, which puts more stress on the body. To avoid injury caused by that stress, run no more than 20 consecutive minutes for several weeks.

JOIN A GROUP Athletes respond best when they return to a team setting.

RECOVER WELL Run every other day for the first few weeks. Rest days reduce the risk of injuries.

CROSS-TRAIN After a month, gradually change your recovery days from rest only to cross-training days. It will help build your aerobic development without increasing your injury risk.

If you would like to read the whole article you can read it here, it is worth the read http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-516–13390-0,00.html

There is no way most people can look cool wearing something reflective and I think I now have the proof of that with my new hat. The Brooks Nightlife Hat

This hat is comfortable, adjustable, reflective as hell, but kind of ugly. It has high visibility fabric that gives you 360 degrees of visibility and wait for it…….a flashing rear LED light on the back. Now since it is dark out when I am running I am going to go with function over fashion every night and wear this hat. While it will not a fashion award, it will probably save your life so I recommend this hat when running in the dark, which in Seattle at this time of year is 4:30pm – 7:30am. 

One more note – if you are looking for this hat or maybe some other reflective accessories check out this site night-gear.com. They have all sorts of reflective items for sale. 

Please post any recommendations in the comments and let me know what your favorites are. I would prefer to spend under $100 for a new rain jacket but if someone can convince me that a certain jacket is incredible I could go up to $101, maybe even more.

I am looking to make the purchase in the next week or two as the weather here in Seattle is starting to turn and need something new. Look forward to my review on the new running rain jacket once I have put some miles on it.

* Mile 1 – A little tight at the start, but a nice first mile. Will never understand why people who are slow and know they are slow must start up front. Mile 1 done in 7:36

* Mile 2 – Starting to feel pretty good. Group spaces out and there is now room to run. Find a nice little pace group to run with.Think everyone in the group has a Garmin, we all beep at the end of Mile 2. Mile 2 7:30

* Mile 3 – Crap, here come the hills and a little wind. About halfway through the climb I realize I may have bit off more than I could chew. Starting to fade. Mile 3 7:55

* Mile 4 – These hills will not let up. As we enter Eastlake there are a couple of hills that are short but lung searing, way too steep for a residential area and the shape I am in. Mile 4 7:52

* Mile 5 – Finally some flat areas and I am starting to kick this engine in. Actually feeling good and chasing some girl with an awesome tattoo on the back of her neck. Mile 5 7:30

* Mile 6 – I may have gone a little too early on my final “kick”. Look to finish this in sub 7:00 but cannot muster the energy. 7:03

Overall this was an awesome race and am very happy to be back in the game. Looking forward to a few more fall races, hopefully a half-marathon

The course map does not indicate the hills involved in this race, which while not lung searing are a pain in the ass.

While in the past I would look to run a sub-40:00 10K, I am hoping I survive this one and run this in under 50:00 minutes.

Lake Union 10K

Now that I am finally back in a running groove I am going to try to fix my form, which sucks. I have had my cadence analyzed a few times and the report is always the same, not enough steps and I am over-striding. This causes performance issues (makes me slow) and can cause injuries.

Now for those who do not know what the issue is, when running your stride rate, the number of times your foot hits the floor should be about 180-190 steps per minute. An easy way to measure this, is time yourself on your next run for one minute and count how many times your left foot hits the ground. The ideal number is 85-95, I am barely hitting 80.

This is a problem of over-striding and I really want to fix it and am looking for help. If anybody has had success in correcting this issue please post your ideas in the comments. I am sure it is an answer many people would be interested in.

I wrote a little how to on eHow.com, one of my favorite sites.

Check it out here – How to tie a shoe for runners

My favorite method lacing up a shoe is below, but I do not recommend for running

Let me first start by saying, how amazing all of the Dukes of Flatbush, particularly that guy I call my Husband, was through this whole process. A very sincere thanks to everyone for all of their well wishes, advice and encouragement along the way. And a particular shout out to the lady on First Ave and 96th St who was the ONLY person I didn’t know to call out my name- you will never know how much that helped. THANK-YOU!

I’ve taken a bit of time to write this for a lot of reasons. Partly because I needed to digest what exactly happened in those hours between 5 am and 6 pm on November 2nd, 2008, and partly because I really needed to get some rest! As I mentioned in my pre-marathon post, I was really looking forward to the two-week taper. My body, particularly my right knee and calf, were really giving me hell, and I was in an almost constant state of pain. I sought out the services of an acupuncturist, which helped tremendously, but even still I did not go into Marathon day in top form.

I’ll get this negative stuff out of the way, because as the administrator of this noble blog said- “It’ll be cathartic”. I’ll admit, I was pretty disappointed about not being in top shape on Marathon Day. After 2 + months of training, to be feeling rather questionable about your ability to perform is a bit of a lousy feeling. I didn’t play many team sports as a kid, so maybe this is something everyone else is used to by 32- I am not. I didn’t play through an ankle sprain and kick the winning goal. I didn’t get the MVP for getting two teeth knocked out and staying in the game to score four 3 pointers. I was a cheerleader- I broke my elbow doing a high kick and sat out the rest of the season out. Simply put, I’ve never played through the pain, it’s just not what I do.

OK, that feels better.

So there I was on the Saturday before Marathon Day, with perfect weather (crisp and partly cloudy with high of 50F) to look forward to, and I was a nervous friggin’ wreck about my knee. I went out for a long walk when a friend and fellow Marathoner called to ask how I was feeling. I described myself as the Owner of a Best in Show Contender at the Westminster Dog Show who had to leave Madison Square garden to go get a hotdog because they were too nervous to watch. This training process had done a lot of strange things to my mind, but this was getting out of hand. I was now simultaneously the Best in Breed, the trainer and the Owner. This had to stop!

What was the worst that could happen? “You could do real damage to your knee and wind up in serious trouble, Idiot,” I told myself. OK, fair enough, but really what are we talking about? Collapse in Williamsburg? Ambo in Central Park? I told myself that I could walk if I needed to, and in all honesty, that was fine. “There are plenty of people that walk, it’s not about the time. More importantly, it’s about finishing and raising funds for Jack’s Fund I reminded myself. Well, either the Viszla inside developed language skills or I was being to make sense. Either way, I was calm enough to go home and start the process of unwinding- 5 am does come early.

Per usual, I didn’t sleep much. It was a cold morning, but the spirit of the day most certainly got me out the door and onto the Subway Platform by 6 am. If your listening Mr or Mrs NYC Marathon Logistics Manager Man or Woman, I have to admit, I don’t think the Wave Start plan worked as well as you hoped. There were many, many runners that were in the 10:20 am start that had 5:30 am ferry or 4:30 am bus times. Doesn’t seem that it was the best use of staggered starts to then have people crowding the Staten Island Ferry terminal to stay warm before heading out into the sub 40 degree temp. But, I’m just saying. As I mentioned before, I consider myself a wimp. I know everyone talks about how amazing the Marathon Village is before the race, and how much fun it is to walk around and such, but I was freezing, so I stayed in the Ferry terminal till 8:30 before hoping on the bus to Fort Wadsworth.

Once there, I realized that there was a whole flurry of activity going on, and I clearly was not the only one that was a bag of nerves! People were literally walking in circles, too anxious and cold to sit, but too sore from months of training to move too fast! 9:30 am marked the end of Bag Check and in those few moments before I saw every type of salve, cream, gel you could imagine being applied to any and all body parts. Without shame, I too, joined the Vaseline’d Masses and got myself prepped for the race.

Before I knew it, we were lined up and stripping away our “give away” warm up gear. Without realizing it was really happening we were moving en masse up the platform up to the start line at the base of the bridge. Of course, Bruce Springstein’s Born To Run was playing on the speakers as I crossed over the start line. I chuckled to myself and smiled as I took off up the Verranzano Bridge and looked out over to Manhattan in the distance. I overheard someone say, “Doesn’t it look so far away?”. And strangely to me, it didn’t.

Coming into Brooklyn, I felt great. There was a dull pain in my knee, but it felt manageable. The tightness in my calf had subsided, I felt well rested, my digestive tract co-operated earlier and in all honesty, I felt like I was about to have the run of my life. Once on Fourth Avenue, I could see the Williamsburg Saving and Loan Building in the distance.

I live in Fort Greene, which is just past that at mile 8 so I settled in for an easy cruise up Fourth Ave, knowing that I would get a Dukes Welcome at the end of my block.

And there they were, my Bloody Mary’ed Cheering Section!

Luckily, my Husband brought out the Stick to the end of the road for a bit of mile 8 ITB release.

By this point, I was starting to question that “run of my life” comment. My knee was starting to feel very tight and tender, and each time I flexed my knee back after taking a step, it hurt even more. I slowed down from my 9 minute mile pace to a 9:30 for the next two miles to see where I was at. By mile 10 on Bedford Avenue, I stopped for a few moments to stretch out to see if I could loosen the ITB- it was beginning to feel like a rubber band being snagged on the outside of my knee with each step. No such luck. I stopped at the next Medical Tent to see if they had a Stick- for some reason this made sense to me, but of course they didn’t.

I was only 10 miles in, and here I was contemplating that I might have to serious consider walking for a bit. But walking on my right knee didn’t feel any better. The way I thought about it, it would just take longer and therefore hurt for longer. So I took off on my left leg, and just gently used my right foot to balance myself out. With that first step, I set my mind to running the remaining 16 miles on my left leg. Now I know this sounds insane, and of course it is. But it’s basically what happened. I stopped at two medical tents to have them tape up my knee to keep it from bending too far back, and I went about the business of getting through it.

Just passed seeing another group of friends at mile 14 in Long Island City, the pain was so bad that I stopped, folded over and started to cry. I don’t know if it was the pain, the frustration at my 11 minute pace or what, but I was pissed. All of this training, the resting, the icing, the balanced friggin’ nutrition, the Tetolling- I couldn’t believe it was coming to this. I think I even let out a bit of a Blue Streak- sorry to any kids that may have been nearby. After I few minutes, I got myself back together and got back to the business of the left sided shuffle. If it took me 7 hrs, I was gonna finish this thing.

I had been warned about the 59th St Bridge. With no crowds on either side, and the vibration of the runners pounding the expanse, it can be both daunting and exhilarating I was told.

As I made it up the incline, I got into a bit of a rhythm with the my new left sided gait and I was starting to settle in a bit. Just as I crested the bridge I realized that it truly “all down hill from here”. Not exactly the best thing for someone experiencing ITB pain, but you get the metaphor.

First Ave was pretty unbelievable.

Looking up those 50 or blocks and seeing a river of runners moving up the canyon of skyscrapers is a pretty remarkable site. There are so many spectators at this point too; never before have I felt greeted with such welcome arms to Manhattan. That said; I basically put my head down and wobbled my way up the Avenue, knowing that my Dukes Cheering Section was just 4 miles away.

By the time I got to mile 18, I realized that stopping to stretch was not a good idea; it became increasingly difficult to get started again and was more painful each time. It was also at that point that I realized that despite my difficulties, I was still within shot of my goal of sub 4:30. To do so, I would have to shave about 30 seconds off of my mile pace. One thing that has always been true during my training is that I tend to speed up after I get over the hump and enter the last 3rd of a run. Would that be true this time was the question.

I’ll spare you the grunting, wincing, cursing blow by blow of the last 8 miles, but they were the most intense of my life. The crowds down 5 Avenue and in Central Park were amazing. To each of the crazy spectators with the large “Beer” signs, thank-you for the laughs.

But I think this sign had to be the best-

With one last glance at my husband at the 26 mile mark, I ran those last .2 miles with tears in my eyes and a fullness in my heart that I will hold with me for the rest of my life.

At 4:28: 53, I can now say I know what it feels like to have made my own goal, banged up knee and all.

A week plus later, and I am not quite ready to tackle the pavement just yet. I might go back to Pilates for a bit, maybe even consider taking a Yoga class. I’m waiting for all of the swelling to go down to figure out what to do about my knee. I figure it makes sense to see what is just a result of all that training, and what may or may not be a lasting result before going to see a Doctor. To be honest I don’t want to know yet, I’d rather just bask in the glory for a bit longer.

For me the gold standard of running watches is the Garmin 405 , and was my baseline for comparison and testing for the Accelerator. The first impressions of the watch are that it is a nice fit and of course much smaller than the Garmin. It sits nicely on the wrist and the display is just OK. It could be a little sharper and is probably a level below a Timex Ironman and without the Indiglo feature, so a little tough to read at night, but adequate.

Now lets get to the fuctionality of the Accelerator. My main test of this watch was to see the accuracy of the distance measured against the Garmin 405. For most runners, any watch can tell time and do laps, but the distance measured is the key feature we are looking for. Let me begin by stating I did not really read the manual too well so not sure if I needed to calibrate the watch, but to tell you the truth it did not really matter.

My first run was an easy 4 miler, that wound around Volunteer Park in Seattle. The results were Garmin 4.01 miles, Accelerator 3.98 miles. Not too bad. The second event was a walk around Vancouver BC and the Accelerator and Google Maps both were within 5% of each other. Since I am never sure how accurate Google Maps are, I consider this a win in terms of accuracy. The third and fourth runs were 5 mile runs around Seattle and both times the results were the same. Garmin 5.02 miles, Accelerator 4.97 miles.

So in terms of accuracy, I can say that the Accelerator worked and for a runner that is looking for a general range of distance and is not obsessed like your truly, it is an excellent lower cost alternative to a Garmin. I think the Accelerator is around $70, so compared to $350 for the Garmin, so a pretty good value. The Accelerator has a bunch of other features such as steps, calories burned, dual time and a countdown timer, but I cannot account for how accurate the calories burned works and a timer is a timer and there was no chance I was counting steps.

I will keep the Tech4o in my watch rotation along with the Garmin 405 and a couple of Timex Ironmans

Check out this and only silly door mats at Uncommon Goods.

For my last 20 miler, I ran from the Brooklyn Promenade, across the Brooklyn Bridge, across Wall Street, up the West Side Highway, across Central Park South, and then over to the 59th street bridge. Next, up to Roosevelt Island for a loop, then back over the Pulaski Bridge into Brooklyn for the victory 5 miles back along Kent Ave and the Navy Yard. I thought I might be going insane around mile 18 when inner my monologue turned into a full on debate between three disparate voices- the one telling me to stop- Ms Whiney, the one telling me to get my act together- Ms Tough Gurl, and the one telling Ms Tough Gurl to “DIG DEEP” and “YELL LOUDER”- Ms GET IT DONE. When I end a long training run, I always ask myself if I have the remaining miles to 26.2 in me. As I rounded the corner at the end of that run, I asked myself if I had another 6 in me. Thankfully, Ms GET IT DONE answered, and the response went something like this. “HELLS YES!”

My 16 miler in Tampa, Florida last weekend, while not as entertaining, was quite a feat. Down in Tampa for a wedding, I had to make an early break from the post rehearsal dinner festivities to get some rest for the 8:30am 16 miler the day of the wedding! Who am I? My sister plotted the course for me along the Upper Tampa Bay Trail , which is really something many urbanites don’t see much. 8 miles of paved trail through lush forest, along a canal, with water stops every 1/2 mile- crazy! Even though it was over 85 degrees, that run felt like cake walk to the week before. A bit of soreness around mile 12, but I stretched it out and kept running, it was only 16 miles after all.

Now, I’m all about the recuperation. I’m looking forward to my afternoon dose of Ibuprofen, an easy four mile jog and perhaps an Epson Salt Bath tonight. With my last two big runs behind me and only a 6 on the horizon for this weekend, I’m feeling great.
Oh, yeah, and that 26.2 the week after, but, I got that one- “NO PROBLEM!”

Norther Duke (and key Reach The Beach squad member) Laura passenger pigeoned this report in about her maiden marathon effort this past weekend….RIGHTEOUS!

perfect (adj.): Supremely excellent in quality or nature.

Synonyms: absolute, consummate, faultless, flawless, impeccable, indefectible, unflawed

October in Maine is a tricky thing. Having wed in a record-breaking, torrential rain just under 3 years ago, I knew it was risky to sign up for the Maine Marathon as a first-timer. But as a 40+ year old New Englander, I also knew I could be in for a real treat, and that it was. Clear and cool at 7:45 AM, the weather on the Portland, ME coast was consummately, supremely excellent in nature for the duration of the race. It simply could not be improved upon in any way, and for that I am forever grateful. The course is lovely, winding around the urban inlet of Back Cove for 2 miles, then heading out through the tree-lined streets of the coastal towns of Falmouth and Yarmouth, with a couple of detours for scenic ocean vistas. It’s not too hilly, just enough to be interesting (and nothing like the monsters in Reach the Beach.) The energy of participants was great, the crowds were supportive, and a few spectators pegged me as a first-time marathoner (by my yellow race number) and gave me hearty shout-outs.

My only complaint about the day, aside from the abject misery of the last 4 miles, was the dearth of, ahem, “facilities” for, um, taking care of business, as it were. So, to the organizers of the Maine Marathon, I say: In the name of all that is good and pure in running, for f*ck’s sake, put more port-a-potties on the course!!! Please, just Google the phrase “runner’s diarrhea” and let the results be your guide! I was only two minutes off my target time, and you know why? Because after desperately seeking and running too fast for at least a mile and a half, I finally leapt over a ravine, scaled a stone wall, drew blood on my legs from brambles, found a spot where I was reasonably out of sight of 2,000 people running by on the road, and dug a cat hole so I could finally relieve myself of the pressing burden I had been bearing in my bowels since my last GU shot, then had to scavenge on the decaying forest floor for a reasonable medium for tidying up that wouldn’t leave me itching, chafing, or sprouting mushrooms 17 miles down the road. And once I got back on course, it was at least 3 more miles until the next port-a-pottie. What is *wrong* with you people?!?

There, I said it. I totally recommend this race otherwise, but do beware.

Aside from that one significant complaint, it was all good for the first 16 miles or so. Blue skies, autumn foliage, ocean breezes, great volunteers, adequate water stops. It was heaven. Yes, I started out way too fast, but who cares? I was feeling awesome! Early fall in Maine really can be heaven.

At some point, I slide into Purgatory. The pain creeps in and stays. “OK,” I think, “OK, so this is what the 2nd half feels like. That’s OK. I can take it.” Another mile. And another. That’s OK. I check my stopwatch/heart rate monitor, and although my HR is where it’s been all morning, my mile times are starting to slip. That’s OK. I have a cushion, as long as I don’t have to go on another bushwhacking adventure. I knew 4:05 was ambitious. 4:10 might still be in sight. Another mile. It’s really starting to hurt now. In places I don’t usually notice. In lots of places. In new ways. All at the same time. With every step. In between steps. I’m really tired. I’m really, really so tired, and it hurts so much. I try to find inspiration in my head somewhere. I think of my dad. I start to choke up and can’t breathe well. I change the subject. I pass some spectators, who cheer me on. I look at them and say, “Don’t ever do this.” They laugh.

Somewhere around mile 21, I realize I have been periodically shaking my head violently from side to side like a lunatic, telling myself no, No, NO! I’m not going to stop. I’m not going to walk. I can’t slow down. “Pain is temporary. Regret is forever.” I’m strong. I’ve trained for this. It’s a beautiful day on the coast of Maine, and I’m outside. Look around. Enjoy the scenery. I am going to make it. Another mile. 4:10 is not happening. That’s OK. 4:15 was always my true goal. I can do that. I can do that and I will live. I do not have to stop and walk, in order to live. I will live through running a 4:15 marathon. No, no, no, no, no, I am not going to walk. Just keep going. As the sun has risen in the sky, a few clouds have rolled in to keep it cool and comfortable. The setting is still heaven, but I am in hell.

I hit the wrong button on my stopwatch. I’ve lost my cumulative time. I’m too mentally hopeless to do math at this point, so I have only my heart rate to go by.

Sean meets me at mile 23, to run with me for the last 3 miles. Sweet fancy moses goddamn motherf*cking sh*t jesus mary and shiva this hurts so bad. I say something like that to him. I moan, grunt, complain, plead, groan, and he knows exactly where I’m at because he has done this 5 times. He goads, cajoles, coaches and distracts me toward my goal. Around mile 24 my right butt cheek seizes up, and along with the demented head-shaking I now have an ass-punching tic. I want to stop so badly. Would it be so bad to miss my target time? I feel utterly wretched. But I’m so close. Maybe I can still do it. I hit mile 25 and pick up the pace, but I have nothing left. I am whimpering.

I’ve done some pretty tough sh*t in my life, but never before have I ignored the raging demands of my body to just stop, for such an extended period of time.

Sean leaves me to run the last .2 on my own. “This is all yours,” he says. “You’ve done it. Enjoy it.” Man, am I glad I married that guy.

As I limp across the finish line, I hear my name and town. The race clock says 4:17:something. It doesn’t matter. It’s done. I can finally stop. I stagger through the chute, refuse the space blankets, let them remove my timing chip, bend down to receive the finisher’s medal, and collapse in a heap in Sean’s arms.

My final time is 4:17:00:00. Just 2 minutes off my target. I’m OK with that. I’m finally done, there are no mushrooms sprouting in my underdrawers, and it’s still a perfect day on the coast of Maine.

With the Tune-up miles locked in, I needed to add two extra miles to the start to meet my 20 mile run requirement for the week. This meant a 5am wake-up, train to 57th street, then the 2.6 run up to the start at 102 st on the East Side for a 7am start. (I know, boo-hoo, but hey, it’s my first marathon and I’ll moan if I want to!) After a bit of a battle with shin splints after an 18 miler to Coney Island last weekend, I will admit, I wasn’t feeling all that strong going into Sunday’s race/ run. I had been slow all week, and just couldn’t seem to get the lead out. I knew it was gonna be another difficult one when I stepped out of the house that morning- it was muggy and already 70 degrees– oh dear.

By the time I arrived at the start after my warm-up, I was already drenched with sweat. The humidity was at 93%, and I was praying for the sky to open up- no such luck. Knowing my body, I resolved to take it slow and just see what running with the crowd felt like, and listen to what my mind and body were doing and just take it nice and easy. After 3 miles I realized I was running a 9:20 mile pace and there wasn’t a darn thing I could do about it- nice and easy was all I had.

Running loops is definitely not my preferred training method. Even though I have a pretty nifty hill mantra (I love hills, I love *%$@*&% hills), I don’t like to have to use it on the same hill again and again- it seems to lose efficacy. That said; round and round the park I went for a good 15 (17.5 for me) miles with all systems pretty much in check. Slow, but in check.

It was at mile 15 that I realized that I must have dropped my 3rd Gel Pack somewhere. Opps! It was also at this moment that I also started to feel really cold. From sweaty to shivering in a matter of seconds. “Why didn’t I eat breakfast this morning?” Fearing a premature introduction to “The Wall”, I assured myself that I was fine, and reminded myself of the “Gel” table just past Columbus Circle at the bottom of the park on Central Park South. “All good, just get around the corner”, I told myself.

Just as I inched around the corner, and felt my head fill with cotton and my feet turn into 100 lb weights, I noticed that the table was empty.

“Well, hello Mr. Wall. So nice to finally meet you in person.” Maybe some good manners might soften the blow, I thought.

And it did. He’s a funny fellow that Mr. Wall. We laughed for a few steps, talking about what a crazy fool I am for taking this on. I should still be in bed, he’s right. Or better yet, glass of wine and a cozy couch. I know it’s only 9:30 am, but I’ve been up for almost 5 hours. TAXI!

We talked for a few more steps as warmth started to return to my arms, and we got near the Gatorade table- oh sweet nectar! “Three more miles, eh?” he asked. And with that, I was off. “What the hell is 3 miles?” was I needed to ask myself.

Just as I hit the 16 mile mark, I looked down and saw the brand of Gel I prefer. “Oh, wouldn’t that be nice,” I thought to myself. Then I thought for a moment and tried to do some math. Surprising how difficult that can be. My last gel was at 10 miles, the park is 6 miles. 10 plus 6 equals…come on Math don’t fail me know- 16! Oh my, it’s my Gel! Without thinking of how dirty NYC truly is (read: Horses in Central Park), I turned around, scooped it up and slurped it down- delicious, yummy, goodness, I love you Gel!

I don’t know if I really needed it or not, but I’m not trying to be a hero. Could I have run this race faster, sure? Should I have eaten breakfast? Yes! Will I run faster than a 9:40 pace on Marathon day? I don’t know. All I do know is that I ran 20 miles this weekend and I met “The Wall”- hopefully they will both be as gentle the next time we meet.

If you’ve never been to Coney you should make a trip ASAP. Those pernicious developers have their clutches on it and it’s fair to say that the next few years will likely yield a much different place. The result may be a more dynamic, vibrant and “safe” destination, but there are many amongst us who delight in the old, some what dilapidated carnie-hollow that Coney Island is today.

With that in mind, 5 of us headed out early Saturday for one of my favorite long runs. It’s a flat and easy 16 miles RT to Coney Island from Prospect Park and the payoff on this one is awesome. I mean, how many runs in NY involve a old-time carnival boardwalk??

A couple of those on-board have looming marathons in their sights; the White Witch is running NYC and All Business has the Philadelphia on deck. So I expect it was particularly encouraging to both of them that the distance felt so easy….especially one week after Reach the Beach. Just one of those magic days where the temperature is perfect, all systems check out, and the miles disappear in the rear view mirror with unusual ease.

Knowing that 2 days of running would put those blisters through the paces, I invested in a box of Dr. Scholl’s Blister Treatment Pads in hopes of protecting the now open blisters from getting rubbed raw and terrorizing my every step. While the box promises they will stay in place for up to a week and goes on and on about how you are going to have to soak with water water to remove, I can assure you these suckers can barely hang on for three miles, let alone a few hours!

In all fairness, while they were in place, they definitely provided a much needed cushion between the open wound and my sock, making it much easier to run than if there was nothing there at all. Further, I know it’s not totally fair to put these things up to such a challenge as a 208 mile over night relay race as a product review, but seriously. At almost $1 per pad, they should stay on for at least a few miles. Unfortunately, for all they promise-

* Helps heal and prevent blisters
* Stays comfortably in place
* Thin and flexible to conform to the heel and other areas of the foot
* Sterilized for safe use on open blisters
* Nearly invisible
* Water-resistant

I think they only thing they succeed at is being sterile, which while in an overnight endurance race (read: no shower) is very useful in treating wounds.

So, the search continues for a comfortable blister treatment. Until then, I guess it’s back to a sterile pad and moleskin for me.

Go Dukes!

Big props to the team that brought it home this year: Birch, Fayth, Laura, Sean, Christina, Steph, Kevin, Jennifer, Jon, Kristin, yours truly and the indefatigable team leader, Chad. Additional posts will follow that document the amazing stories that happened along the way, but it was an epic journey and I couldn’t have been happier to share it with my fellow Dukes. We killed it.

Supported by our trusty west-coast Mission Control, we’ll be doing our damndest to live blog the effort. Expect up-to-the hour reports with all the latest on conditions, DOFB feats of strength, churlish rants and NIST certified chafe ratings.  So check here early and often, and keep your fingers crossed for our intrepid squad of running reprobates.

9/9 RTB Update
9/8 RTB Update
9/3 RTB Update
8/20 RTB Update
8/15 RTB Update
8/6 RTB Update

For those who may be in NH and inclined to come out and witness a spectacle, the Dukes are slotted for a 1:20pm Friday start and expect to finish on the coast sometime around 6 the following evening. Check out the course info for the nearest segment of the route & and do come out to properly heckle the teams.

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In totally unrelated 24 hr racing news, I recently came across another race that would likely appeal to a number of us – the 24 Hours of LeMons:

Each LeMons race is for cars purchased, fixed up, and track-prepped for a total of 500 dollars or less. But before reaching the grid, you’ll have to survive trials like the Personal-Injury-Lawyer Anti-Slalom, the Marxist-Valet Parking Challenge, and the Wide Open Throttle Rodthrowapalooza. Twelve hours into the race, the car voted People’s Choice is called in and awarded a cash prize; simultaneously, the car voted People’s Curse is called in and summarily destroyed. At the end of 24 hours, a gala awards ceremony plies the survivors with trophies, plaques, and four-figure purses in canvas bags full of nickels. What’s not to like?

This video of what happens to a cheater’s car is not to be missed – genius. We’ve already missed the East Coast season’s races, but I suspect you’ll be seeing a menacing DOFB beater entered in the years to come.

The Jack H Marston II Melanoma Fund (Jack’s Marathon Team) has 6 guaranteed entries available for anyone interested in running in the ING New York City Marathon 2008.

For details or to register please visit www.jacksfund.org/jmt_wmm.htm by August 29. Or contact Amy@jacksfund.org

Join Jack’s Marathon Team and help fight melanoma every step of the way. Donations received through Jack’s Marathon Team fund vital research and awareness programs.
Please note: The fundraising goal has been lowered to $1000.

Amy Saletta
amy@jacksfund.org

This evening one-third of Dukes: Team RTB took to the streets and bridle paths of Central Park for an evening jaunt. The run is of special significance because it marks two team members’ foray into an elite RTB training regimen; for our very own Stephanie and Kristin, it was their third run in 24 hours. They managed 6 last night, 5.5 this morning and capped it off with 4 tonight. Now that’s impressive! Meanwhile, reports suggest that Duke MFP has been knocking out two-a-days while Laura has been putting in 20+ mile days. And speed-demon Sean’s team The Chipmen rocked the Vermont 100 on 100 last Friday in a blistering 6:34 team pace, winning the Masters age group. Team Dukes will not be stopped!

RTB Training Tips:
*from now until race week, work in at least one two-a-day every week w/ 6+ mile legs
*train for your night leg: start wearing your headlamp or carrying a small flashlight on a long run each week (even if it’s a day run)
*if you don’t already own two new-ish pair of sneaks, get them; you’ll want to rotate shoes across your legs to prevent shin splints and other injuries

The Dukes showed up six runners strong and opted for the “longer” run which, while not really long, did provide all kinds of awesome scenery. I ran there and back as well, effectively doubling my mileage and upping the bridge-crossing ante (12 Miles, 4 spans crossed; 3X Manhattan & 1X BK). Great miles logged and hill training for RTB as the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges have looonnnnnng grades. All in all, an excellent evening spent running with friends and some good new runners met.

RTB:
RTB Training Report 2
RTB Training Report 1
RTB Announcement

A study released two days ago by Stanford School of Medicine confirmed what many in the running community have long known – running slows the aging clock.

“When Fries and his team began this research in 1984, many scientists thought vigorous exercise would do older folks more harm than good. Some feared the long-term effect of the then-new jogging craze would be floods of orthopedic injuries, with older runners permanently hobbled by their exercise habit. Fries had a different hypothesis: he thought regular exercise would extend high-quality, disability-free life. Keeping the body moving, he speculated, wouldn’t necessarily extend longevity, but it would compress the period at the end of life when people couldn’t carry out daily tasks on their own. That idea came to be known as “the compression of morbidity theory.”

Fries’ team began tracking 538 runners over age 50, comparing them to a similar group of nonrunners. The subjects, now in their 70s and 80s, have answered yearly questionnaires about their ability to perform everyday activities such as walking, dressing and grooming, getting out of a chair and gripping objects. The researchers have used national death records to learn which participants died, and why. Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of the nonrunners had died, compared to only 15 percent of the runners.”

Perhaps not the fountain of youth itself, but an elixer almost as good. Maybe ol Ponce de Leon shoulda pulled his conquistador head out of his armor ass and laced up a set of kicks.

Q: How should I train for a road relay in which I’ll run about five miles three times in 24 hours?

A: Train as you would for a half-marathon, but add these strategies: (1) Do two-a-day runs of five miles each at least once a week starting six weeks before the event. (2) Run a hilly route once a week to increase overall leg strength. (3) head out for a few runs in the dark (with friends, reflective gear and a headlamp); night runs are an inevitable part of the relay experience. (4) Find foods you can digest easily because you’ll be eating at all different times of the day and night.

The cumulative mileages vary for each runner on the RTB team and some will log a good deal more than 15 (more like 20-22). But this seems like sound advice and a good place to start. Seeing as the author is Sean Coster, I’m guessing he knows what he’s talking about. I can’t say as I’m looking forward to initiating 2 x days much, but think I’ll get cracking on that this week. My dogs be barkin’ just thinking about it.

Stay tuned for more Dukes RTB updates from our RTB Captain: The New Guy.

Update – Now with 100% more Eve

Enjoy

The Brooks Axiom 3 is going to contain their secret weapon MoGo. This is the midsole that everyone seems to rave about and has been held back from the Axiom line so far. I have yet to try a shoe with Mogo, so I cannot comment on the feel, but I can tell you the logo looks cool on the sneaker.

Below is a picture of the Brooks Axiom 3 I found on a french Brooks website. Hope to be back soon with a review.

No course records or PRs were set that I’m aware of, but everyone did managed to finish the race strongly amid much DOFB howling. Special congrats go out to Paolo, Lydia, Deirdre, Amy, PT & NG for completing their first race under the DOFB flag and earning their stripes (shirts). Righteous work folks!

Typical DOFB pre-race stretching routine. Works best with some horrible disco blaring to, you know, get Paolo pumped.
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Ivan showing strong form and gettin’ it done at the finish
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Juanito bringing it home
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GJ showing pluck at the end.
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The White Witch cranking towards cold water and a mojito
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PT making it look..well…something.
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NG & Amy showing that the Dukes will get it done no matter what. Neither rain, nor snow, nor pregnancy, nor a complete lack of training can quell our ferocious spirit. I salute thee.
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Big Lydz & Sam cruising home. There is no way on earth Lydia ever considered, a year or two back, that this is what she would be doing one beautiful June afternoon in the year 20 Ot 8. Seriously nice work to you both.
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One critically overheating Paolo as he nears the finish….huge showing P.
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Post-race Deirdre….who the hell knew she was so damn speedy?!?!?
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Much happier post-race Paolo grin. Thank god – I was afraid he was going to cross the finish and slug me for getting him into this sweaty mess.
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Lydz and staff photog Alixa…thanks for snapping all the great shots lady!
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DOFB Team shot for the Shelter island Reporter. Graham has a standing bet with an old friend and fellow islander about who can get in the reporter first (and not in the police blotter!). If this makes the paper, he wins. Hands Down. Seems like the prize should be paid in shellfish – no?
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A second group shot where we attempt to show our missing compatriot Jeff just how much we value and understand his life decisions.
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And, finally, expressing our club dominance by throwing the DOFB up right in the middle of the finish area. I’d say the “O” could use some work, but let’s see Los Compadres try something this daring. Hmmmm? Hmmmmmm?
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Dukes celebrate post race with a White Party involving amazing Fried Chicken from Commander Cody’s, outrageously good Margaritas & Mojitos and a fantastically prepped outdoor space….sweeeeeeeeet.
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Eating outdoors under a flawless night sky was the perfect way to end an amazing day ’cause, you know, that’s how we do.
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White lights in the trees…ladies in white on the lawn; very naaaace.
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The White Witch & PT. The post-race festivities were all her idea and everyone helped realize the vision. She rocks.
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P-funk livin’ the smoooove.
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As you can see, a shite time was had by all. Thanks again to the the great folks of Shelter Island for their amazing support over the length of the course. Especially those dudes with the hose at the top of horse hill…you really saved my butt from imminent heat-induced bootage. And to Graham for hosting us ne’erdowells and Fayth a& everyone else involved in making the post-race party such a fantastic time.

And, especially, to Jeff, for not ruining our fun by attending this year’s event.

Well……..I think the reaction to my decision can best be expressed below:

Ok , on to the fun stuff. Hills!!! Seattle is extremely hilly and will whip your ass if you are not ready. Some of the hills are so steep that it is not really safe to run down them, because there is a good chance you will launch off. These are the small lessons I am picking up the hard way and keep thinking to myself that if I ever qualify for the Boston Marathon I will be ready for Heartbreak Hill.

As for were to run in Seattle, I have not done a lot of exploring yet but my two favorite places are Volunteer Park and Interlaken Park. These are just minutes from my apartment but once you enter you feel like you are far away from the city. Found some pics online that will have to do until I bring out the old Sure Shot.

The Dukes at the 2007 Finish Line

Sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do and, I guess, this is one of those times for our beloved admin, erstwhile coach, training partner extraordinaire and certified master of the grill Jeff. He’s packed up the shop, loaded what’s important and is redeploying to the left coast in search of fortune, adventure and cracked crab. As we all navigate the fog caused by last night’s sayonara wumpus, I’d just like to pause for the cause and give a hearty HUZZAH to our partner in crime.

Fare thee well sir. You’ll be sorely missed but we’ve every confidence you’ll quickly get to holdin’ it down out there and swelling the ranks of the Dukes West Coast Chapter. Write when you get work and we’ll come inspect your beachhead.

Vaya con dios y un gato en tu pantalones Amigo.
-mismanagement

With last week’s miserable Brooklyn 1/2, Eve, Fayth & Jeff’s inspiring progress and the looming Shelter island 10k….my mind is on training. Those of you who’ve been around here a while are aware of our intense fondness for the SI 10k. For newcomers – this is really one of the best races out there and is easily my favorite of the year.

Thanks to the kindness, fortitude and enduring patience of founding Duke and all around menace Graham, the club’s membership is regularly treated to all the awesome that Shelter Island has to offer. As if the island’s beauty, copious ocean action and serenity weren’t adequate; once a year they’re kind enough to host a world class 10k complete with speedy Kenyans, top notch race support and cheering crowds. It seems like the entire island comes out (appropriate summer cocktails in hand, of course) to cheer the racers & the result is a singular racing experience.

That in mind, it’s easy to understand how central the SI 10K is for the Dukes of Flatbush. For some reason the organizers had last year’s race early in the season (about this time) and we still fielded a strong 10 person squad. This year the race has shifted back to a summertime event and is, in fact, going to be on the official first day of summer: June 21.

This race can inspire feats of strength and many Dukes, myself included, are aiming to turn in PRs this year. With 5 weeks between now and then, training is full on. I ran a 40:30 (6:31 mile pace)last year, so I’ve definitely got some hard workouts to get in if I want to have a shot at cracking 40:00. Encouragingly, I actually mustered a pretty quick 12 miler out in Shelter yesterday and feel none-the-worse today.

Best wishes to everyone training for the SI 10K; especially to all the dangerous Dukes out there. Hopefully we can field a 15 person squad in this year’s race and get our team picture in the Shelter Island Reporter!

From Eve:

I just wanted to let you know I ran another for the team today. The
Mothers Day 10 Mile. It was a rough one for me, central park and those
damn freaking hills on top of just being damn tired it wasn’t the
greatest for me but it was fun. Just wanted to give you a DOFB heads
up.

F         EVE     DOFB    NEW YORK        NY    1:28:11  8:49

First 6 miles were largely without incident. I was running a pretty strong 7:05-7:10 pace though I felt a little fluttery. My left foot started to get pins and needles numb, which is rarely a good sign. It’s previously only happened in full marathons, but for some reason my left foot starts to go numb whenever I’m creeping on my limits. Never the right, only the left….go figure.

Anyway, about the time old lefty was checking out I pulled up on Jeff. I drafted behind him for about a quarter of a mile watching his stride. As has been noted many times, Jeff and I train together regularly and I was noticing how his mechanics seemed to have improved of late. You know a runner is coming into form when you can see the energy tensed in their muscles release seemingly without effort. Sort of like a large cat when it looks like it takes more exertion for them not to pounce and un-spring the stored energy than it does for them to bound along. Anyway, Jeff had that stride going where he was sort of floating effortlessly above the pavement and I was deep in considering how very different I was beginning to feel when he finally caught on to my lurking.

We cruised along for a bit together, but I was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain pace and sent him ahead just before we reached Prospect Park. Not more than a quarter mile into the park I had to pull my ship over on account of grinding stomach cramps. Somewhat mystified, I walked along for 20 or 30 yards and was every bit as surprised as the poor woman next to me when I projectile yakked. Mind you, I run this very loop 2-3 times a week, so it was an odd sort of thing to be feeling so utterly lousy on ground that I normally sail over. Another boot about 50 yards later I managed to pull my shit together and get a shuffling head of steam before heading up the last looming hill before Grand Army Plaza. I don’t normally mind this one, as I’m a hill lover, but I can assure you this was one of the hardest climbs I’ve ever stuck with. Had to resort to all sorts of mental cheats…..the older lady in front of me will never know it, but she actually towed me up that thing and I owe her a psychic debt of thanks.

Anyway – managed to gut it out and finish with a 1:37:15. Not the worst, not the best, but definitely the toughest half marathon I’ve run. I really don’t know what the issue was. The indicators could be read to point to dehydration, but I was well hydrated. And I was equally well rested etc. Certainly all the pints of Guinness in Ireland a month back didn’t help; I was under-trained, but that’s hardly a first. Guess I’ll just chock it up to the borough of Brooklyn reminding me who’s boss.

All that said – congrats Jeff on running an excellent race and establishing a new PR. Tremendous shouts out to the other three Dukes who turned in awesome performances as well. Eve with her first half completed and she, Jen & Fayth all turned in sub 2:00–righteous!!

This is the first time we’ve had 5 Dukes for one of the NYRR half’s and it’s sweet to be officially in the hunt for club standing this year. Nice work all and remember, there are few better feelings than looking at a Los Compadre in your rearview!

Getting to Coney Island for the start was little bit of the pain due to track work on the F train but made it there with 20 minutes to spare before the start. Tried to find the rest of the Dukes of Flatbush at the start, but no luck, this race was going to be solo.

I have to give a huge hand to the NYRR and the volunteers for a great start using the seeded corral system. My bib color was red and number was 15xx which meant I was in the 2nd corral, right near the start. This was especially useful since the first 2.5 miles of the race are on the Coney Island boardwalk, which is a little old, warped and sandy. Not a place you want to have to jostle for space.

Toeing up on the line, I got my Garmin 405 ready for its maiden race, and then the cannon went off.

Mile 1 & 2 were on the boardwalk and according to the Garmin I average a 7:15/mile pace, a little quicker than planned but I was feeling really good.

Miles 3 – 9 were along Ocean Parkway and were flat and built for speed, except for a little headwind blowing here and there. I was cruising along at a 7:20 pace and feeling strong and then a minor miracle happened. At mile 6, Birch, fellow DOFB member and training partner pulled up alongside me. I think he may have been behind me for awhile, checking me out from that perspective , but he said nothing. Seems suspicious.

Birch and i cranked along at a little faster clip, about 7:10/mile until the end of Ocean Parkway, where Birch started feeling some pains and needed to slow down and told me to go on without him. This is a first as Birch is normally running sub 7 minute miles and I am ready to die trying to keep up.

Mile 9 – 13 saw me entering Prospect Park, fan support started to build and so did the hills. There is a small downhill in the beginning but then we came up the big hill that leads to Grand Army Plaza. The thing I hate most about this hill are the false peaks. Each time you think you are done there is another climb. Damn those park architects.

The last few miles were a race for me as I tried to break 1:35 for the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I pushed and tried but the final small hills at the end drained me of the precious few seconds and finished the race in 1:35:55, a new PR for me. I am not going to say the Garmin 405, made the difference, it was probably training, but running a race with a GPS watch changes the whole race. I strongly encourage anyone serious about running to purchase one.

Overall another great Brooklyn Half Marathon and look forward to race reports from other members. More important, I believe the Dukes of Flatbush finally had 5 racers finish which means we earned club points. Look out Los Compadres, here we come in the Club Competition

The Garmin 405 is way smaller than the 305 or other previous generations. I do not have a big wrist and this watch felt “normal” on my wrist as opposed to an alarm clock on my wrist, which is how I would describe the previous generations when I tried them on. You can wear this watch on a daily basis and not notice it.

Now comes the interesting part, figuring out how this works:

Setup – The Garmin walks you through a menu set up and is very simple to get set up. Piece of cake

Satellites - I am not sure if it is NYC or this watch, but acquiring satellites for the first time took a few minutes. Once acquired I think I lost the signal a few times as the time on the watch showed a half hour before actual time. It took about 25 minutes for the correct time to appear

Screen – I have not gone through many screen, but viewing the screen was easy. I know there were worries that the screen size would be too small but I could see all readouts simply. The other cool thing is if you touch both sides of the bezel at the same time the backlight will go on, super simple and easy. This is a great feature when running at night.

Bezel – I am still working out how the bezel works and it is not that simple. The first thing I did was shut off the beeps for each touch of the bezel, it will drive you insane. Going through the menus is simple but figuring out what to do next and programming is not easy, but a few days with the manual and I think it will be OK.

Heart Rate Monitor – I have not tried this part out yet, so TBD

Pace Accuracy – I ran a route that I know is 5 miles and the Garmin came back with 5.01 miles, so pretty good there. I felt a ran a solid 7:40/mile pace and the Garmin told me I was running a 7:37. Unfortunately the pace was not accurate the whole way through as the satellites went in and out.

Overall I am a big fan of the Garmin 405 and if you do not mind spending (it is pricey) then pick one up if you can find it

As soon as my Gamin 405 is delivered I will take it out for a test run and have a review with pictures. Pray for UPS and some nice weather tomorrow.

To prepare for the pace, I have gone back to the track for some speed workouts, which are horrific and vomit inducing, but would love to share with you for those who want to speed work.

On a standard 400m track, do one lap below 1 minute 30 seconds, then slowly jog (hate the word) or shuffle your feet to keep moving for 1 minute, then repeat the fast lap. Then wash rinse, repeat for 8 fast laps, trying to stay below a set time (mine is 1:30).

I have no scientific proof for this method as I have cobbled it together from a few training gurus, but give it a shot, if you do not get faster, you will puke, gonna be fun either way.

Tomorrow morning I will try to hook up with the Shampoos for an easy 8-10 mile run before our annual Crawfish Boil. Then let the good times roll.

Crawfish Boil pictures and report to follow later this week

“The marathon was an incredible experience. Just running a course with so much history (112 years – oldest except for the original Greek Olympiad) is pretty amazing. And, some of my earliest memories are of watching my dad run it.

The race is incredibly well organized – making 26,000 runners safely and timely move through an urban course is no small feat. High points for me were finally getting under way in Hopkinton, charging through the “wall of sound” at Wellesley College where hundreds of college women uphold a tradition of nearly blowing your eardrums out, Summiting heartbreak hill with my stride intact and realizing ½ way down the final stretch of Boylston Ave that I had my sub 3:10 in the bag. Low points included a scary hip pain in the early miles that went away, struggling on the first of the Newton hills (I recovered), and struggling mightily in the final 5 miles to maintain a sub 3:10 pace.

My goal was to run under 3:10 and I managed to cross in 3:09:13, 2290th place out of 25000+ finishers. The weekend was even sweeter because 4 college buddies of mine were all running as well. One of them even got to run with Lance Armstrong for about 2/3 of the race. For any of you who ever have the desire to run a marathon – there is truly nothing out there like Boston.”

Nice work Sean; may all dofb membership in good standing toast your mettle forthrightly!

As a runner and native New Englander I can’t help but love the Boston. I was peeved to miss qualifying in this year’s NY by a minute and change, but it’s with no small amount of pride that we’ll be cheering one of our own on from afar. My cousin (in-law?) Sean Kerwin, an iron-man, all around kick-ass athlete and soon to be Duke (he’s on our Reach the Beach team), will be competing in this year’s race. Sean’s a machine and I have no doubt he’ll be high-steppin’ over heartbreak hill.

Best of luck to Sean and all the other runners….we’re pulling for a cool, windless and slightly overcast day Monday!

On that note I came across the results from the London Marathon this past weekend and Ryan Hall kicked ass. He finished in 5th place (behind 4 Kenyans) with a time of 2:06:17, which is the 3rd best American marathon finish ever. I think the coolest thing I read about the race is that sometime in the middle of the race, Hall in the lead pack rolled up to the front of the Kenyans and told them to pick up the pace, they were running too slow. Granted that may not have been the best move as the Kenyans picked up the pace to 4:30/mile (insanity) and dared him to keep up, not much of a chance.

Overall, congratulations to Ryan Hall on a great performance and look out for him in the Beijing Olympics this year when he tries to win a gold medal for the USA in the smog, smoke and debris of the streets of Beijing.

 I had been following the Atacama Crossing race online this year which was won by Dean Karnazes and the people who compete/participate in this endurance event are nuts. Besides that you are racing for 7 days straight, in the driest conditions in the world (it is a desert) you have to carry all of your own gear and there are no support crews. Is there a purpose to this type of insanity? If there is someone needs to explain this one to me. I can understand ultramarathons and team endurance events like the Eco-Challenge or whoever is sponsoring it now, but this one is beyond comprehension. I think the only cool thing are the pictures.

That being said, if someone can come up with a good reason, and convince me, I will see meet you in the Gobi Desert and run across China.

The bridge has both the North and South paths open and was full of people enjoying the sunny day. As usual everyone stays on the North path (pictured), which I think is due to the entrance on the Brooklyn side for the South entrance being hidden.

Running through Williamsburg for the first time in 4 months, I had a chance to see the incredible construction going on and the progress that has happened in 4 months. Kent Ave has become a full on construction zone, where in the next year thousands of people will live. Is a always strange to think that a few years ago I would run there without seeing a soul.

One soul that I did see on the corner of Kent & N.12th asked me for directions, which unfortunately I could not help them with. My question to other runners, when you are out there do you stop if people ask you for directions or do you wave them off? I know everyone thinks they would stop, but would you? Do you?

On that note I wanted to alert all of our readers about another charitable event coming up in the next few months. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Rock & Run on the River. Here is a description of the event from the event organizers of this run/walk event, so far all of you aspiring runners and walkers here is your chance to make a difference.

Come and share the excitement and inspiration of Rock & Run on the River – a 5K run/walk along the beautiful Hudson River that celebrates life beyond cancer and raises awareness and support for Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Cancer Survivorship Initiative.

Date: Sunday, June 8, 2008
Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Registration opens at 7:00 AM)
Where: Hudson River Park’s Pier 84 (12th Ave. and 44th St.), New York City

Now to step off my preachers box and explain why this new product from Nike makes me happy, which is strange since I really do not like most Nike running gear.

The Nike + Sportband is the first product that allows runners to use the Nike + system without having to use their Ipod Nano at the same time . So this means you can use all the cool Nike systems without having to listen to music while you run.

Below is the info from Nike and their marketing wizards:

Nike+ SportBand allows runners to see their distance, pace, time and calories burned when they run, in addition to gaining access to all of the features and tools on nikeplus.com. Designed for runners who choose not to run with music and for those times when you can’t use music, the Nike+ SportBand provides all the benefits of Nike+ technology, but opens up the Nike+ experience to a broader audience of runners. Runners who enjoy that extra motivation, or who are music fans, can continue to hear their run details through an iPod nano system.

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.

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.

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

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 race always includes some world class runners, real nice gift bags, a 10am start and bagpipes. Not really sure what else you could ask for in a 10K.

If you are reading this now then you still have 25 days to prepare for this race, so get yourself in gear. It is only a 10K – 6.2 miles for the metric phobic

Now for the uninitiated, let me explain what a seeded corral system is. Runners are assigned to corrals according to their per-mile pace with faster runners in the front and slower runners in the rear. This is supposed to ease congestion at the start of the race and allow runners to not have to bob and weave their way to the front.

In concept this is a great idea and will ease the whining by so many people about the 10:00/mile people clogging up the roads. I have been known to be one of those whiners, especially on a short race and I am looking to set a PR.

In practice this is going to be real hard to enforce. Even with the new volunteer system in place to gain access to NYC Marathon, having to check the bib times of 5000+ runners and placing them in corrals is going to be one massive undertaking.

I hope the volunteers have an easy a time as these cowboys, putting runners in the corrals will be tough. Only time will tell.

Here are some of the details for April 19th

“The Great Causeway Challenge”

• Biathlon (30 Mile Bike & 10K Run),
• 30 Mile Bike Race/Ride Only
• 10K Run Race Only
• 5K Run Race Only

and a Kids 1 Mile Fun Run, on Saturday, April 19, 2008 to benefit Pediatric Services for Southern Ocean County Hospital.

Seems like there are a lot of events to choose from and a very worthy cause, so encourage anyone in the area who wants to start their spring running season to head over to Long Beach Island (LBI) and have a good time

A fixed gear bike has one gear. You use the same gear to go up hills, ride the flats, cruise downwhill. It also has no freewheel that means you can’t coast – if the wheels are moving,the pedals are also turning in the same direction. You can pedal a fixed gear backwards.

A fixed gear forces certain behavior from the rider:

“Riding a fixed gear on the road is excellent exercise. When you need to climb, you don’t need to think about when to change gears, because you don’t have that option. Instead, you know that you must just stand up and pedal, even though the gear is too high for maximum climbing efficiency. This makes you stronger. Really steep hills may make you get off and walk, but the hills you are able to climb, you will climb substantially faster than you would on a geared bicycle.

When you descend, you can’t coast and the gear is too low. This forces you to pedal at a faster cadence than you would choose on a multi-speed bicycle. High rpm’s force you to learn to pedal in a smooth manner–if you don’t, you will bounce up and down in the saddle.

Most cyclists coast far too much. Riding a fixed-gear bike will break this pernicious habit. Coasting breaks up your rhythm and allows your legs to stiffen up. Keeping your legs in motion keeps the muscles supple, and promotes good circulation.”

I’ve been riding mine for a few years and it produced noticeable results in a short period of time. I ride loops of Prospect Park which includes a steep, mile-long hill. At first, I could only manage one loop on this bike, standing in the saddle, huffing and puffing up the ‘widowmaker’. In a month, I could do three loops. In a few more, I could comfortably ride five. These bikes don’t let you rest, but don’t let that turn you off. You really get into a groove – very different from a typical bike.

If you haven’t checked one out, I recommend that you do. These bikes don’t have many parts so they are generally quite affordable. I splurged on a Bianchi Pista track bike that cost around $500. Note that track bikes don’t come with brakes so I added a front one. You can also find a number of these on Craig’s List.

“NYRR members as of January 31, 2008, can qualify for guaranteed entry to the ING New York City Marathon 2009 by meeting the following criteria:

• Members must complete nine (9) qualifying NYRR races within 2008.

• Members must volunteer for one (1) NYRR race in 2008 (registration for volunteers begins March 1, 2008).”

What do you think about having to volunteer?

April 26 – Brooklyn Half-Marathon, Brooklyn, NY

May 18th – Bay to Breakers 12k,San Francisco, CA

June 21 – Shelter Island 10k, Shelter Island, NY

July 13 – Montauk Point Lighthouse Sprint Triathlon & Relay, Montauk, NY

August 23 – Queens Half Marathon, Queens, NY

September 6 – NYC Hash House Harriers Red Dress Run XI, New York, NY

September 14 – Staten Island Half Marathon, Staten Island, NY

The Half-Marathons are pretty standard, but you’ve gotta get fired up about the Bay to Breakers and the Hash House Harriers Red Dress run. Both of these races require liberal doses of foolishness and skullduggery. The Hash House Harriers probably say it best – they are a drinking club with a running problem. On on!

Bay to Breakers

Hash House Harriers Red Dress Run

I have to say I do not mind going out for a 5 mile run in February with shorts and a long sleeve shirt. Not freezing my a$$ off on the way to subway in the morning. Maybe I need to move a warmer climate, I do come from a desert people, but while I ponder these questions I have to say I do not mind the effects. For those that are out there reading and enjoying these mild temps, get out there and get your winter base miles in and RUN. You really have no excuse when it is this warm out.

In the meantime, I think we may not be the only ones enjoying this weather

Unfortunately there were still unforeseen hurdles between our hearty team and racing success. Namely, queues for the porta-johns that stretched a hundred people long…per unit! To understand the absurdity of the situation you really have to put yourself there. Imagine standing out in the crisp cold at 8:00am, just you and 6,000 other idiots. Seemingly half of them lined up waiting to gain admittance to what must surely be 10 of the most revolting thunder-shacks this side of Lalapalooza on a 100* day. I kid you not, there were plooms of rancid steam pouring out the eves of these things.

And then, as the camera pans back, you grasp the location; just outside of the glass walls of the Temple of Dendur exhibit at the Metropolitan. Any of you who’ve been there have experienced the quiet majesty of the place, the eerie whisper of history. No small irony to have that on one side of the glass and this cacophonous, cold, hopping, grimacing, insistent throng of “modern” humans on the other. Not so much has changed perhaps? Thousands of years of beautiful history, from Isis’s Nile to Central Park, only to witness this view from the front porch? I’m guessing the Temple’s view was rather more civilized back in Egypt.

Anyhow, needless to say, did not brave the bathroom lines and opted to try my luck on the course. Like my esteemed colleague, I too spent the first mile or so thinking of little more than the dire need of a pre-run constitutional. Yeah, I know, not classy talk, but once you’ve been running long enough, you become inured to such stuff. Just the way it is, and I’ll do extreme deeds to avoid pulling a Gretta Weiss.

So when I rounded the turn at mile one (Also the finish line at Mile 13 as this course was a double loop) and saw the shimmering gleam of two pristine Banos set back in the woods behind a tent, there was no stopping me. I hopped two fences, one a white picket plastic jobby that should have been an indicator that this john was like no other, and found both of the units occupied. I positioned myself behind a large oak and hoped none of the race minders mulling around would notice me pining for what had to be the coordinator’s private bathrooms. Finally one of the occupants started to make the rustling sounds of impending exit and, at that exact moment, an angry looking woman with a bullhorn grasped my intention and started goose-stepping in my direction. It was only by sheer luck that I managed to duck inside, just as the current tenant evacuated, and fling the lock as she reached to bar my destiny.

Not the most relaxing, having a big angry woman banging on the plastic door of the shack and hollering about “VIP Only”, but I managed to git’er’done, escape the honey-closet, and, um, thank the kind lady for her hospitality.

I rejoined the race a newly invigorated runner with only a light wind and her loud opinions at my back. The rest of the race was without incident; it’s was a brisk morning lope around Central Park and the city, racers and weather all seemed in good spirits.

Race time was a 1:42, pretty respectable for being woefully out of shape. Especially in light of the couple minute sideshow.

6:45am – alarm goes off and it is still dark outside. The feeling of what the hell am I doing comes over me like a ton of bricks. Hit snooze a couple of times and finally wake up, get dressed and begin chugging an XL can of sugar free Red Bull. Remember do not look for me for diet advice.

7:10am – the boys from Brooklyn are on time and scoop me up in the East Village on the way to NYRR headquarters on E.89th street. Dukes are on the way.

8:30am – start line is freezing and the gun goes off. I start the normal trot at the packed start and realize I really should have used the potties before the race.

8:30 – 9:02am – Running the first 4 miles and cannot stop thinking about bathroom. Lines at potties are too long so I press on.

9:10am – Mile 5, stop at pottie and wait close to 5 minutes for the bathroom. I guess a PR is out of the question for today.

10:16am – Finish the race in 1:46:00 a pace of 8:05/mile. This was a pretty good time and pace considering I have run about 6 times in the past 30 days and waited about 5 minutes in a bathroom queue.

Overall impressions are that for a race I should not have run, I ended up having a great race and good time. Slowing down once in awhile and not racing can be a smart move. I think that I am ready to get back into training and the Dukes overall look very strong coming into the 2008 season. Once we have full matching gear I believe we will be a force to be reckoned with.

Oh yeah for those members that missed today – We had a pact!!

Heeding my own advice, I went out to Santa Monica, CA for a little business and pleasure, and tried to squeeze in a nice run in between. Setting out on Saturday afternoon, I walked down to the Santa Monica Pier and just started heading north. Even through there are crowds and rollerbladers, it is still a great place for a run.

Running along the beach towards Pacific Palisades and Will Rogers Park, in the late afternoon is just something amazing. The crowds thin out, the sun starts setting over the Pacific and you can just flat out run till you drop. It is so nice out there, you do not care about mileage or time, you just want to be out there. This is actually my favorite time of running, just going out and doing runs for the hell of it. Not caring about what mileage Pete Pfitzinger says I need to do that day (still love his book and training) or if I need to stay under a certain heartrate, just going out there.

On that sappy note, I went out for too long (12 miles), did not have enough water and was sore for the next two days. Still worth it.

Some California Dreamin for you

I have to have at least one sunset photo in the mix, it is only fair

New York Road Runners have spaced the races further out and dramatically changed the dates. The Manhattan Half-Marathon used to occur in August, but this year it’s on January 27th. It’s fairly easy to ascertain the reason for the change: these races are wildly popular so why not have them at an off-time? They can count on a high turnout and it frees up space for other races in the Summer that are more likely to attract a recreational runner.

What I find troubling is that the next race in the series (Bronx Half-Marathon) is only 2 weeks later! What the f*ck? A lot of runners are coming off the New York Marathon and take a bit of a breather in the Winter. Scheduling these races in the Winter is a bit of a stretch, but having them so close to one another is a disservice to the running community. I plan to run the Manhattan Half-Marathon, but I honestly don’t known if I can physically turn around another Half-Marathon two weeks later. I wish the NYRR would rethink it’s schedule. What do you think?

If she heals anywhere near as fast as she runs, she’ll be back in form in no time. Rest and work that PT lady; we’re pulling for you!

Now I wish I could impart some great advice or trick on how to get out there, but there is none, sorry, you just need to brave it and get the hell out there. What I can give you are some items that I think about when going out there for those cold runs in the dark which trust me I do not look forward to, but end up enjoying once I am done

• Wear something reflective – this may not look cool but it will keep you alive.
• Wear something wind resistant – the wind is what really chills you when you are out there. I take care of the reflective and the wind with one item. A Pearl Izumi Barrier vest. This is a favorite among the Dukes of Flatbush, as I think we all own a model of this vest.
• Plan on running with a partner – If you make a date to meet with someone, you are less likely to just stay home and order General Tso’s chicken.
• Warm up in your house – Do some jumping jacks or something like that, so that by the time you go outside you are warm and ready to run.
• Forget your times – running in the cold night, you need to focus on where you are going and the cold and layers will slow you down, so do not worry that your normal 5 mile run takes you a little longer.

My last bit of advice which I plan on following, is GO SOMEPLACE WARM. Why suffer all the time when in two hours on a plane you could be in a much warmer location. On that note I am packing my gear for 5 days in sunny Los Angeles, everyone needs a break.

So we are on the right path, click below for the registration page for the race:

Event Registration

Well it looks like Garmin may have come up with a solution. They recently announced the Garmin 405, a “normal” size watch that performs all the functions mentioned above and to top it all, wirelessly sends data to your computer and other Garmin 405 users in range. I really hope that the Garmin 405 lives up to the announcements and I can finally purchase a GPS watch.

Garmin has announced that this product will be available at the end of Q1 of 2008.

If the folks at Garmin are looking for people to test wear their products, the Dukes of Flatbush would be happy to oblige and you can be sure we would put the Garmin 405 through its paces.

This shoe is designed for some serious racing weighing in at a lightweight 7.9oz and with a name like Gel Bandito these shoes have to be awesome. Report to follow after purchase and a few races.

Looking ever onward, 2008 looms large and Baja preparations are in full swing. It looks like we have the riding team pretty much set and in the coming weeks there’ll formal announcements on the team, equipment package(s), pit/support strategy and evolving sponsorship and partnering relationships. All in all – it’s already beginning to feel like 10 months isn’t going to leave a whole lot of time for anything but work and preparation for the race.

For those who have been keeping up with the evolution of DOFB and our various exploits – we wish you the safe and relaxing close to 2007 and look forward to prosperity and great deeds in the coming year; cheers!

Sorry to pat ourselves on the back but it is pretty mind boggling considering the number of 6am nights logged by this team.OK, back to the purpose of this post

For those of you interested in running the NYC Marathon there are three ways too gain entry:

1. Guaranteed entry by becoming a NYRR member and running 9 qualifying races
2. Lottery
3. Raise $2500 for a NYRR charity

Well I wanted to discuss option 1 and explain the quirks in the system. For eligibility for guaranteed entry to the 2009 New York City Marathon runners must become members by January 31 of 2008 to qualify for the following year’s New York City Marathon. Then run 9 races during the 2008 year.

So – for those of you thinking about running in 2009 join the NYRR by January 31st 2008 and maybe one of these will be around your neck

Let it be known that the Dukes are hard at work to unite the blogs so you can follow all shenanigans and feats of strength as we roll into 2008.

In the meantime I encourage you to follow the individual blogs until the unification occurs and keep your eyes here before the Dukes evacuate the NYC for the Christmas to New Years Eve stretch run.

http://tastytuesday.tumblr.com/

http://dukesofflatbushmc.tumblr.com/ 

Official results are below, but do not really tell the whole story. This was the first time Jon 9 had run this distance and only the 3rd race of his life. To come out and run that good a time is impressive.

Look out for this rookie in the 2008 season as he goes out to prove that this was not a fluke and he has what it takes.

NYRR Hot Chocolate 15K
List by Team: DOFB