The fiasco on Wall Street gets worse and worse. As I write, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down around 7%. SmartMoney.com has a great tool called ‘Map of the Market‘ that gives you a top down view by sector. Red indicates a loss, green indicates a gain. Most every stock is bright red indicating a loss of more than 6%. The only company doing well today is one involved in gold mining. You know, something with real value. Ugh.
The internet is abuzz with rumors about the 2008 Baja 1000 course. This was posted on a Baja.net forum:
“At the Primm 300 this past weekend, Sal Fish announced the 2008 Baja 1000 would be about 660 miles and follow this route: Ensenada - Ojos Negros - El Condor - La Ponderosa - Rumorosa - Laguna Salada - San Felipe - Azufre wash - Morelia Jct - San Matias - Mike’s Sky Rancho - Valle de Trinidad - Llano Colorado - San Vicente - Santo Tomas - Ojos Negros - Ensenada.”
I spent time in Baja earlier this year and heard from many people that loop races might be a thing of the past. This speculation was largely based on the growing popularity of the race, both in the number of entrants and worldwide media attention. A loop race (Ensenada to Ensenada) only benefits businesses in the North, while a point-to-point race (Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas) spreads the wealth. A point-to-point race is more dramatic and highlights Cabo which is the biggest tourist draw on the whole peninsula.
If this rumor holds true, it seems loop races are still in the mix, but the most shocking thing is the distance. That’s almost half the mileage of last year! If that proves true, my guess is that the course would be insanely technical.
If anyone hears anything else, please post a comment…
We’ve been heralding the feats of Pepperrtown USA all summer and generally singing the praises of the noble Capsicum genus. Now even the NY Times is getting in on the action.
Surely world domination is the next logical step & I’d like to get out early and on message; I salute our new Pepper Overlords.
This past Saturday saw a collection of hardy Dukes shake the cobwebs off their post-Reach The Beach legs and head on out for a long training run. It was a stellar day in New York and there was only one destination that made sense: Coney Island.
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.
This note was delivered this morning by winged foot messenger form an intrepid Northland Duke…..glory was his this weekend and he’s kind enough to share.
My Esteemed Dukes,
It is with great honor and sense of obligation that I have joined your exalted ranks. As a sign of my good faith and dedication, immediately upon returning to my native lands I set about a conquest to claim lands for the ever expanding Flatbush empire to the north. I am pleased to report that the summit of Mt. Katahdin was claimed for the Dukes as well as all territory visible from its summit (see attached picture). All vassals encountered upon the way were made to grovel before the Flatbush flag, and I would have dispatched any Los Compadres encountered, but I am sad to report that none were spotted. Becoming hungry during our expedition, I hunted down one of Maine’s alpine parakeets with my bare hands. My trusty assistant is seen in the second picture holding our substantial feast immediately prior to roasting.
For the glory of the empire!
Res Firma Nitescere Nescit
-The Duke of the North
Even though it’s starting to feel like fall in New York, the Victory Garden continues to achieve. I had a full pull this afternoon: bell, cubanelle, poblano, jalapeno, cayenne and habanero. I’m making chili this Sunday, as I do every fall, but this year it will be powered by my own garden. Here’s what I have to work with…
Right on. Right on.
With body and mind still recovering from the Reach the Beach juggernaut, I can assure you that there has been no shortage of wine consumed in our house this week. Ran into a delicious little gem acquired from the NH State liquor store on the way back down and thought I’d share. I normally shy away from any vineyard that aligns itself with the “new school”, or relies on cheeky names and such. Generally I find their wines sub-par and the approach ill conceived. Yeah, I’ve suffered through more than my fair share of sharp tannins and unbalanced ho-ha garbage at the hands of Bonny Dune Vineyards.
But every now and then I take a gamble, and the purchase of a bottle of Ro Sham Bo Winery’s Reverend Zin paid off. Granted it’s primarily Dry Creek, which is known for some excellent Zins, but this is a damn tasty bottle of wine. Nice fruit, tanins and and full bodied without going overboard. It puts me in mind of another favorite Zin - Renwood’s Jack Rabbit Flats. Anyway, if you dig Zins, check it out. And I must say, the Ro Sham Bo folks seems to have a delightfully zaney approach to their craft to boot. The Dukes may just have to make a trip to the left coast to take in the annual Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament next year…
I spend a lot of time on the East End of Long Island. Apart from Shelter Island, my favorite spot is Montauk. It’s got a great local vibe, tons of great bars and restaurants and most importantly, feels a million miles from the Hamptons. When I’m in Montauk, I always do two things. I swing by Ditch Plains to get a little sun and watch the surfers hang ten. The second is an obligatory stop at St. Peter’s Catch to pick up as much smoked marlin dip as I can carry. I’m not normally a fan of smoked fish, but this dip is outrageous. You spread it on a ritz cracker, top with a jalapeno slice and you’re off to the races.
I have four Jalapeno pepper plants that produce around 40 peppers every two weeks. With the help of a friend, we put up five jars of pickled jalapeno slices the other weekend. The jalapenos are ridiculously fresh having been picked moments earlier. Can’t wait to introduce these little fellers to St. Peter…
16 Sep
Posted by mfpreyer as Misc, Reach The Beach, Run, Sports, Training
All this running is great and all, but, without getting too personal, it’s not without its maladies- muscle soreness, joint swelling, tendinitis, you name it. I went into this weekend’s Reach The Beach Relay with some pretty serious battle wounds, namely 4 blisters on my feet in all the wrong places– the back of both heals and underneath each of my big toes. I will be honest and admit these are not from training; they were all my reward for the awful transition from flips flops and Birk’s to the dreaded dress shoe. Ugh.
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!
16 Sep
Posted by Graham as Adventure, Reach The Beach, Run, Sports
356 teams competed in the 10th annual Reach the Beach relay race held this past weekend in New Hampshire. The official results are in and I’m happy to report that the Dukes of Flatbush had an impressive showing in their innagural race. We ran 209.5 miles in 28 hours, 49 minutes and 50 seconds, a 8:16 pace. We placed 43rd out of 167 teams in the Mixed Open Division, and were 129th overall.
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.
Word has come down that team Dukes of Flatbush have finished the Reach The Beach relay. Unofficial finish time is 6:10pm ET. That is over 28 hours of running. INSANE!!!
Seems that all members are in solid shape and are ready for a night of rest and relaxation. Good luck winding down tonight and hopefully everyone’s belly survives the night after consuming an unimaginable number of GU’s.
Yours truly is now signing off and ready for a nap and then prepare my trip back to the East Coast for the celebration party next weekend.
This is a quick update as we get near the finish. Just had a call from team captain Chad and team Dukes of Flatbush is cruising along. ETA of Kevin crossing the finish is approx 6:10pm ET.
The team is running like pros and while delirious from lack of sleep, seem composed and super strong and will power through to the finish.
Stay Tuned……..
I now understand what the scholars who tried to interpret the Dead Sea Scrolls felt like as I try to decode the previous text messages from the Dukes of Flatbush team as they near the beach area and come to the home legs of Reach The Beach.
For you reading pleasure, here are some snippets of what I have been able to decode thus far:
I think the notes above really say it all
The latest update is more of a digest, but it is winner and is coming to you from Reach The Beach team captain - The New Guy
It all started (well, at least the second group of legs started) when Van Flatbush roused at 2:30a after a brief nap. A couple bowls of Cheerios later, we were on the road as the fog briefly lifted to reveal a gorgeous moon rising over the Hampshire hills.
Duke Steph, who was to lead the Flatbush charge, had suffered a race-ending stress injury to her right shin during her first leg.(This next section has been removed to protect the innocent, we shall accept it and move on. Nothing to see here)
The Captain got off to a smooth start and covered the 5.5 in just over 8-min miles. Jenn then took the baton for what is certainly the most difficult leg of the entire relay — 9.1 miles with a grueling uphill first 6. Jenn’s a kicker, though, and with a smile on her face she crested her last hill to the deserving sight of a rising sun through the mist, pink streams of light poking gently from behind the clouds. She’s our Van Flatbush MVP, for shizzle.
John took the torch as the day truly broke, knocking out 7.1 in just over 58 ticks, despite a strong desire to pull over and throw down seven hunnie for a sweet motor boat with 80 horses in the rear…would look mighty sweet in the Shelter Island waters…
Kristin threw down a speedy 5.5 in 44, gaining on other teams left and right. The New Guy then came back with a take-no-prisoners promise, laying down a straight 10k in 51:44 despite only a brief reprieve from the unexpected 5.5 pickup.
Kevin brought us home for this set, storming a number of hills on a 7.1 in a low 56:00. He had earned the home stretch on his leg, cruising down a tree-lined street over smooth blacktop for the transition back to Birch and Van Dukes.
To suggest that the Dukes are killing it on their virgin RTB outing would be an understatement on the scale of Kaiser Sose having a limp (who, incidentally, we spotted in the back of a truck just outside the township of Sandwich).
This report is coming to you live as I am on the phone with Birch and he is mumbling his way through the recap of the last few hours. I may have heard the same story 3 times in the last 10 minutes, but loving every minute of it. The Reach The Beach transition areas sound insane over the phone and again, very jealous that I am not there. Now here is our young cub reporter with another update-
Birch live and direct:
Apparently Charlie does surf, the squad is duct taped together and the The Stick is in use. One person has resorted to a marble rolling pin as their stick has evaporated due to overuse.The papier mache designs on the vans have been destroyed and the sun is starting to come up and baking the place.
The next few sentences came through garbled but I can tell you there was a story about queuing up for food and then being denied as their turn came up. A sad story but one of the harsh realities of Reach The Beach.
For all of you in the GJ fan club, I spoke to him, he is doing well and cannot wait to soak in a barrel of beer, or was it drink a barrel.
DOFB
