A Classic

Saturday morning was the first in a series of New York Road Runner races selected as "classics". After runner feedback NYRR's this year are offering some no-frills events open only to NYRR members and costing just $10. This meant smaller fields, no t-shirts, no post-race festivities, no awards and according to their website after the race, no complaints! They had water and I made sure I got my free cinnamon raisin bagel at the end.

No real training this week apart from one slightly treacherous bike ride to work but rolled out of bed at 6.45am to jog over for the early 8am start. 5 degrees and sunny, perfect considering it was pouring rain all day Friday.

the start ©NYRR

The first mile was out of the Centre Drive and up the hill then it's a gradual downhill mile, the end of the downhill flat mile and a marginally uphill finish turning back onto the Centre Drive.
This meant I had splits of 6.23, 6.31, 6.05 and 6.25 for a decent average of 6.22.

I finished in 25.25, placing 73rd out of the 1898 finishers and 5th in the 40-44 age group.
All three races this year I have been well over a minute faster than in 2013 but boy were my calves tight after this one and my hamstrings too. But I certainly had to stretch my calves on the way home, oooh wee. Home by 8.50am which is still funny to be home so early after a race but good I guess.

Later in the afternoon we went to our storage unit as Heather needed stuff to use on her upcoming family trip to the Phillipines. Then we walked to The Chip Shop and had haddock & chips. Fish was nice, uk-style chips with salt & vinegar were good for a change but it was more pub style than chip shop as it needs to come in paper and be eaten outside to be proper ha ha.

Next up is actually a duathlon! Something I haven't done for a couple of years so we'll see. I haven't been biking much and I'll have to blow the dust and debris off my road bike. No, I actually will. It has been stored in the basement at work pretty much since I arrived and it has a layer of grime on it.
Just hoping the weather and the roads clear up enough to at least get on it once or twice before race day comes around in the middle of March.

The Cherry Tree 10 Miler

One of the best races in the year I think. It's 10M early in the year, so it forces you into some good training to kick start the years racing and more importantly it's cheap and registration and the start are 10 minutes away. Nothing better than going to your own toilet less than 30 minutes before hitting the start line, all runners will appreciate that!

It had snowed the night before but they had plowed the park drive apart from a few patches of slush, probably the most slush I've ever ran through... for a road race! -5 degrees Celsius but not too windy.

© NYC Running Source

Look! There I am on the right.

So, three laps, steady, felt good. Park was cold for half the course and a bit warmer in the sunnier half. Decided to take a sip of water on the second lap, first time I've done a race where I could feel and hear the ice rattling in the bottom of the paper cup!
Ended up on my own-ish for a little while, then halfway round lap two you start encountering some of the slower runners and some of the relay participants. You get a boost when you go past the finish line turn-off as they have all the relay runners lined up waiting as well as the majority of the spectators.

Finished strong and ended up just over a minute faster than last year, albeit it wasn't quite as windy this year. 1.08.34 for 6.51 pace. 46th from 512 finishers and 7th out of 62 in the 40-49 age group. The overall winner was 52.33 by the way!

Then enjoyed some of the valentine's red velvet cake I made the day before.... after my chicken fingers and pizza were delivered.

Due to another snowfall during the week, later work hours and icy conditions I didn't get up to too much this week but another Prospect Park race on Saturday, a nice 4M.
Hopefully the weather is going to turn soon. Snow is all well and good but the trails are just too icy and hard packed to get any decent running in and I'm avoiding the road for as long as I can.

Superbowl Sunday

My running has been on a bit of a hiatus since the end of last year, even before that actually. But I've started getting back into it, helped by the chance to get out and run in the snow as well as some races I've entered. The first one of the year was the NYRR Gridiron Classic, a 4 miler in Central Park on the morning of the Superbowl.
Apparently the Superbowl is only beaten by Thanksgiving in terms of the amount of food consumed by your average American on that day. The race helps with that but at only 4M I only burned about 480 calories so didn't make that much difference when we had our steak and roast potatoes.... and ice cream... and crisps.

A lot of people in their Denver Broncos kit and a few in Seattle colours, the mid-course vote, two mats with team headers gave 58% to the Broncos. In the end that couldn't have been further from what actually happened that night!

We've had so much more snow than last winter. It seems every few days there is another snow shower. It's fine until it starts disrupting the trains or gets too frosty and icy.

 Weather turned out to be a mild 4 degrees with little wind, much better than last year. Again, with 5200 runners the first mile wasn't that enjoyable, trying to find a gap and not trip up people.

I didn't really feel that great, it was a bit of a struggle. I had just gotten over having the cold and it must have still been present as my heart rate ended up averaging 199, topping out at 211 at the finish, I didn't even do much of a sprint finish either.

But I must have maintained some strength from last year as I average a decent 6.22 minute mile for 25.27, 114th overall and 12th in my age group.

Next up is the local Cherry Tree 10M on Sunday. I haven't ran more than an hour for what feels like ages so on my day off and with our soccer continually being cancelled, last Friday I ran the 8M to work, used the showering facilities and then took the train home. Now I feel a bit better about it and although 3 laps of the park isn't that enjoyable the fact that race registration is at the school at the top of our road and the start is short jog away makes it worth doing... as well as getting that race distance in early in the season.

It's a Polar Vortex

The big winter storm hit New York last week. Of course, it wasn't as bad as the constant news coverage made out but temperatures did drop to minus double figures at one point and there were a couple of really cold days. One day of snow gave us a few inches on the ground but it was all but gone a few days later.

Did get out for a good run through the park though, that's what the snow is for!

The bike lane

Saturday snow

Friday night we had our soccer playoffs. It was a bit frosty around the pitch and cold on your throat while breathing but good for running about trying to keep warm!

Unfortunately we got beat on penalties in the semi-final.

Then we had escaped so far but the city got a few inches of snow on Saturday.

I went for a late afternoon run in Prospect Park. The lake was mostly frozen and it was great to run in the snow, I love that.

Of course we had a show that night, Queens of the Stone Age at the Barclays Centre. We can take the bus from the bottom of our road right to the venue but it meant standing in a light blizzard for 20 minutes as the bus times were way out probably due to road conditions.

Outside the Barlcays

But it was really good. I love the new album although the crowd seemed very sedate compared to our last visit there to see Pearl Jam.

Then I worked Sunday but because it is soooo busy at work on Saturday/Sunday they provided pizza, sandwiches and crisps for all the staff. Not healthy but it takes a lot of will power not to have a slice... or two.

Winter update

Lots of small news items over the last few weeks.

I got my Permanent Resident Card (green card) a few days after the interview and acceptance letter arrived.

Just as the weather was getting a lot colder, Heather found a little kitten sitting shivering at the top of our street. So the whole "Don't be mad, but...." was the start of the first conversation we had later that day.
Rue is 50% cute and loveable and 50% a pain in the ass, running, jumping and biting everything. It took a couple of weeks for the other two cats to get anywhere near her or let her go anywhere near them. Slightly better now, she's just trying to play!
 

Yup, she did that.

Awww, but she's so cute

Like a small monkey on my back

Sleeping on my computer

Awww, look. They get along now... for the moment

Then we had Thanksgiving on the 28th November. It's a mega holiday here, especially on the food and shopping front. To me, an outsider, it's like Christmas without the presents.

We did the whole food thing. No turkey though, we went for a stuffed pork loin instead. I was on my own with the brussel sprouts though.

Then while I was in the mood, I stocked up on a couple of pre-Christmas goodies from the British store and another impulse buy.

Last week we had our works Christmas Party. As well as a tonne of mostly homemade food the budget was mainly blown on a large bouncy assault course castle. Not recommended AFTER you've just eaten all that food.

The cake house - 24 hours later

As of now, it's a little below zero and the snow has finally started falling!

Marathon Sunday

This morning we jogged down three avenues and walked along 4th Avenue in Brooklyn to watch the NYC Marathon.

It was about 8 degrees outside and there was a cold breeze so it got really cold for spectating but was generally good for running. Once we started a run back it was fine but I did have to take one of the free Dunkin' Donuts hats they were handing out as I was freezing.

Got real close to the elites as they sped past.

Then we wandered further up 4th Avenue. There was really good crowd support out between 5 and 6 miles and for runners who like to get involved with the crowd there were plenty of kids to high-5.

There were so many people with either their names on their tops or running in national colours, tonnes of French kit, lots of Swedes, Italians, a few Poles and a lot of Mexicans & South Americans getting their Spanish speaking support from this generally latino area.

Run a marathon? Never say never.