Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

It's that time of year again - end of October, streets filled with swirling leaves, houses made over to scare... and costumed kids will soon be out collecting goodies (for the most part)!

And it's also NYC Marathon week!  Expo kicks off on Thursday, and the race is on Sunday.  As a bonus, we get an extra hour of sleep after setting the clocks back!

As for today, I need to get home on the early side so I can answer the door when the "trick or treaters" start ringing the doorbell :O

2017 Wilton Halloween Hustle 5K: Race Photos & Results

What a strange morning it was to run a race - and in this case, the Wilton Halloween Hustle 5k!  I woke up to heavy rain and did not think I'd be up for the drive (in the rain).  The weather forecast was pretty awful, and the afternoon Pumpkin Chase 5k in New Canaan had already been postponed (because of that forecast) until next weekend.  But a letup in the rain had me jump in the car and drive up to Wilton.  Ominously, just as the Hutch became the Merritt, first accident of what would be a trio that morning!  A car had skidded and flipped over...

When I got to check-in learned that Rob had already picked up my shirt (I had asked him to get it for me because it didn't seem likely that I'd make the race).  They gave me my bib, but Rob had driven back home because the race had conflicting start times (9 versus 10) and he opted for the earlier one!  Another misfire, so to speak.  We finally met up at the start, completely soaked, as we waited for the race to get started.

As for the race itself, we both won our respective age groups!  My 22:55, 7:24 pace, was a pleasant surprise over the (very) wet course!  But the biggest surprise - and it was not pleasant in the least - was at the post-race award, where we learned that there were no Age Group awards for us (and others).  There were trophies for overall finishers - and a handful of RANDOM age group awards (e.g. under 15, 15-29 and 60+ to mention those that were actually handed out)!  But NO awards for runners between 30 to 59!  That is something you don't see every day :O

Despite the overall weirdness - it was still fun :D

Here are the official results from ClubCt.

Long Island 6 Hour 60th Birthday Run: Race Photos & Results

This morning was a tough day to run (90+ humidity with on again off again drizzle) but weather aside, I had a great time at the Long Island 6 Hour Run (officially, "Fred von der Heydt Memorial 6 Hour 60th Birthday Run")!  It was my first ultra of the year, and after the Sri Chinmoy Marathon in August, longest distance of the year as well :O

I'll write up a short race report tomorrow, but it seemed like old times because I ran a 5K in Central Park yesterday, and followed up with a 50K (32.6 miles, officially) today!  I can't remember the last time I ran a pair of back to back races in recent memory - haha!

Not only was the event first rate - but the post-race party was incredible (subs, pasta, and beer - to mention a few of the things available).  Also, lest I forget, the aid station selection of food and drink was pretty awesome on its own (I have NEVER seen a PB and M&Ms sandwich before today - haha (PBJ and raisons - yes indeed, but not M&Ms).

Here are the race results from GLIRC.

2017 Terry Fox Run in Central Park

For runners of certain age, the name Terry Fox is an inspiration.  If you're not familiar with Terry's story, please take the time to read about him (at Wikipedia, for instance).  After his leg had been amputated, Terry Fox started on a cross-Canada run to raise awareness/funs for cancer research. He covered 5,373 km (3,339 miles) over 143 days before he succumbed to the deadly effects of his cancer.  It's hard to believe that he died 36 years ago.

This was the 24th edition of the Terry Fox Run.  I was finally able to take part in one.  They are basically fun runs (unscored) to raise funds for cancer research.  I wore the race shirt this morning (I rarely wear the given race shirt at the actual event) to express my solidarity with the cause - and Terry Fox's legacy.

As for the run itself it was a double loop of lower Central Park.  Billed as a 5k, it was more like 3.3 miles (according to Strava).  The entire event was underwritten by the Canadian Embassy, which let all the funds raised go directly to cancer research organizations!

 

2017 Paine to Paine Trail Half Marathon: Race Photos & Results

My third consecutive Paine to Pain Trail Half is in the books (5th, counting the 2 earlier course checks)!  I love this race - and the fact it's practically run in my backyard only adds to its attraction.  The wet (e.g. on again off again rain) conditions only added to the trail running atmosphere (though we could certainly have done without the 100% humidity).

This one was my slowest, by 2 minutes, of the trio I've run.  One amazingly cool thing - an email notification from NYCRuns within minutes of crossing the finish line of my time (1:54:45).  That was a incredibly surprise, and only wish more races/timers could incorporate that technology.  While the official results haven't been posted yet, the personalized email was one of those "above and beyond" extras for runners.

As for my performance, this was my 3rd fail at going under 1:50 for the course - arrgh!  While today the weather (especially the humidity) played a role, it was still somewhat of a downer (finishing 2+ minutes slower than my earlier finishes, aside from being miles away from a sub 1:50 (I know, hyperbole... but I contain multitudes).  In my defense (albeit weak), my first 2-3 miles were slow - and I bounced back with a significant overall negative split :D

And, the post-race amenities were first class (I write this with a fond memory of having inhaled 3 pork sliders and drunk multiple shots of chocolate milk within minutes of crossing the finish line - yum)!  There was plenty of other food as well :D

Because of the rain, I really didn't have the opportunity to take many pictures.  I'll add a link to the official race photo galleries once they're up.

Here are the (preliminary) race results from NYCRUNS.

2017 Paine to Pain Trail Half Marathon - Packet Pickup at Westchester Road Runner

Just got back from packet pickup for the 2017 Paine to Pain Trail Half Marathon.  The Westchester Road Runner Store in White Plains is a 10 minute drive from my house (and the race start/finish lines are just over 3 miles from home)!

This will be my 3rd P2P race (5th if I add in the two earlier course checks).  It's one of my favorite events (and the fact it's run in my backyard - figuratively, in lawyerspeak - only adds to its attraction in my book). 

If you're at Paine to Pain on Sunday - say hello!

R.I.P. - Tom Perry

Tom Petty died of cardiac arrest yesterday - a few weeks shy of his 67th birthday (October 20).  Petty was way too young to go.  I've written about Tom Petty numerous times on this blog -  "Live Anthology," "Mojo," and "Running Down a Dream" to name just a few.  I was a huge fan of his music with the Heartbreakers, with the Traveling Wilburys, and his solo stuff.   It's hard to overstate how much his sound was a part of my 70's and 80's world (as can be said of millions of similar souls of my age).


Here is his obituary from the NY Times.


Will be listening to a lot of his music today, and in the coming week.  We will miss Tom Petty!

October 2017 Race Schedule

Hard to believe October is here already!  Seems like I write a variation of that sentence as the intro to almost every month, but time just flies by these days.  It's flown by so quickly that I haven't really been able to decide on any races for the second half of the month.  The only two on the schedule so far are Pain to Paine Half Marathon next week and the Long Island 6-Hour Run the following week. 

I love the Paine to Paine Trail Half - which pretty much covers a good chunk of my weekend running routes.  The 6-Hour is a different story: more of a way for me to confront getting a final (decent) long run before the NYC Marathon next month!  While I will be happy w/at least 20+ miles (26.2 for that matter), my goal for it will to reach 50K and get in 31 miles.

As mentioned, not sure what's on deck for second half of the month.  But I do hope to run some of my favorite Halloween races during the last weekend :D

Here's how it looks so far:

10/8 - Pain to Paine Trail Half Marathon
10/15 - Long Island 6 Hour Run

10/22 - short distance Halloween Race?
10/29 - short distance Halloween Race?

As always, if you're at any of these - say Hello!