RACE REPORT: Soupy Air and Calf Beware

WHAT: WABC Father's Day Fight Against Prostate Cancer 5 Miler
WHEN: Sun., June 15, 2008 8:30 AM
WHERE: Central Park, NY
WHY: Insanity. Why else?

There was a lot of soup in the air today. Game time temperature was 70 degrees, but the humidity was at a stifling 93%, and there was not a drop of rain to be found.

According to WABC's televised broadcast, there was about 7000 runners, however I only saw 5504 finishers. I can only surmise, that several chose to wisely stay at home. Bah!

You gotta run!

Scott dropped by, and from there we drove over the 59th Bridge. Fortunately, there was no traffic, and we were additionally blessed with a legitimate spot near the starting line, on 71st near Central Park Drive. When it comes to having to drive to a race, I like to get there extra early. It's one less thing to worry about later on.

The team was to meet at Mineral Springs In Central Park. I found a large low-lying rock and claimed it for the family and I. Soon enough, Bonnie, Jack, and the rest of the usual suspects showed up. We had a nice turnout today. Eleven (11) Forest Park runners in all. Nice job, team!

And in writing about the usual suspects, look at the photo below. He's 70 and motoring well. Probably, been to every NYRR race that I've been at. Heck. He's probably a lifetime member. My daughter stayed away from him though. She thought he had something (not so nice) above his head. I don't think my 10-year old's right about her assertions, but I'll let you see and decide.

One thing I like about this dude. He's got cohones and doesn't really give a crap what anyone thinks of him. Would I ever dress like that, and run with noisemakers though? The noisiest thing I'll have at a race, were the American flag shorts I wore last week.

Before the race started, I was wise to have brought a tennis ball with me. Matt was bored and wanted something to do so we have a nice catch together, which helped me to warm up a little as well.

The start of the race was by corral. Scott and I were in the yellow (2000-2999) corral, and John was in the green corral (3000-3999).

Waiting patiently for the race to begin. It's amazing how close everyone is to each other at the front line.

Overhead shot of us running (above & below). Can you see us?

So..... How did I do?

Scott and I started out at about the same pace or so. With the humidity the way it was, I opted to play a safe hand. Wisely, I would not break the 8min. pace barrier until after the 2nd mile. Without much effort, I accomplished my task. It's feels great to finally know that I have complete mastery over the 8 minute barrier. Last year, I had 7 races where I paced sub-8. This year I've done 6 races with a sub-8 and we're not even half-way through yet.

The humidity was as bad as it could be, I felt like I was pool running at LA Fitness. Central Park had turned into a sweat shop. We, it's hard working migrants.

One thing I was very pleased about was that I ran a negative split. In fact, my Garmin showed me something very upbeat when I got home. Every mile I did was faster than the previous mile. (8:03.26, 7:56.34, 7:50.64, 7:45.1, and 7:36.6).

Above, Demesse Tefra and Worku Beyi fighting it out for 1st. Both of them are from the Westchester Track Club. Powerful.

What was not so powerful however was my right calf. Fortunately, I didn't hear anything pop, but my calf started to give me problems again. It was tight before the race, and I was not able to loosen it enough, I guess. It might also be the 60+ miles I did this week. I think I might have to either take some rest days, or exercise a different way for a little while. My next possible race is not until July 4th, after that July 29th (Corp Challenge), but I don't want to take any chances. I still vividly remember running with that same calf (which at that time was partially torn) during the 2006 Marathon. **UPDATE: I JUST DID A RUN-WALK AROUND MY BLOCK 10 TIMES TONIGHT. I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT MY CALF IS FEELING BETTER**

Everyone in our group did very well today. Gregory Balter, whom I never even met and is from Kew Gardens, was listed in our group. He's in my age category too. His pace? 6:19!
He came in 185th overall! Vincent Vaccaro (Chi-Runner) did a scorching 7:35 pace.

Scott, John and I did the team proud too. We all finished sub-8. Tom (McGee) ran with his daughter, and they both did well. Tom, like our Prez, Jack, is a great runner. Anyone who can break 3 hours in a Marathon is tops in my book. Perhaps, with a lot of work, and a little luck, I might get there one day too.

Overall, I think this team is on the move.....Wait till the next Queens race!

...............Tom McGee.......................... Maggie Carinci...................... Bonnie Harper........... Scott "Real Deal" Siegel

John "Canadian Crusher" Duralia....... Vince......... and our beloved President, Jack!

You Tube:
Look for me. I'm in white to the furthest right hand corner. I appear at about the 2:24 mark until 2:26.
((Looks like You Tube yanked it. Sorry Guys. I guess WABC does not like You Tube.))

But that's not all to the race. My daughter, Stephanie, decided to give her legs a go as well. As always, she made me so proud. It was great seeing her run and finish strong the way she did!!