I ran a mile yesterday.
Other than it marked the 16th day in a row I have run (yes, comeback!), it wasn't all that special.
But I know some people who ran just a mile yesterday who *did* do something special! :-) Yes, those hardy few who dared to venture outside of the safe environs of Brooklyn to go run the Fifth Avenue Mile.
Lest anyone think I'm mocking here (and, in rereading this, I'm only mocking myself, so let's be clear), racing a mile is hard, HARD, HARD! The one time I did the Fifth Avenue Mile, I coughed for 20 minutes afterward - yes, my best-age graded performance ever in a NYRR race, but it came at a cost.
Anyway, some highlights from yesterday's race (based on the data on the NYRR Web site that I'm analyzing, so if the data are wrong or I've taken one too many shortcuts, apologies):
Among the men:
*Ciaran O'Donovan, 31, from NBR, took top Brooklyn honors, speeding to a 4:29, good enough for 50th overall by time (this includes I believe all races) and 7th in his category
*Stefan Lingmerth, 38, who hails from Sweden and runs for WBTC, ran a 4:31, tops in his category
*Daniel Gercke, 49, of CPTC, raced a 4:49, taking 5th in his category (NOTE to self, I need to get a lot faster to get onto the awards stand). Gercke also topped men for age-graded performance with an 87.59%
*John Shostrom, 61, of BRRC, grabbed 3rd in his category with a 5:36
Among the women:
*Two people are listed on the top, both with a 5:18. Marie-ange Brumelot, 22, with QDR, and NBR's Sayo Yamagata, 30.
*Hope Sanders, 42, with RNYC, was the top female master from Brooklyn with a 5:25, and had the highest age-graded score at 83.5%
*Local clubs had a presence at the top, with Melissa Burgin, 30, from PPTC at 5:32, Connie Fried, 26, also from NBR at 5:35 and Grace Eginton, 27, from SBRC at 5:43
Congrats all!
Showing posts with label North Brooklyn Runners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Brooklyn Runners. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2015
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Brooklyn Half: Quick Reax and Random Thoughts
Some highly subjective comments about today's race - as always, feel free to agree/disagree/comment away:
*The volunteers at this race rock. Seriously. Mary Wittenberg said they were on hand at 1 a.m., and the effort showed. From the directions and the organization to the water stops (more on these in a sec) - they did a great job.
*The weather was ... well, as predicted, those who love heat and humidity had a great day. Took me a mile before I was dripping (and that was even before I started dumping cups of water on me). Thankfully, Ocean Parkway was mostly in the shade as I was running down (I'm wondering if the sun had gotten higher though as the race progressed?)
*The past several days of rain had a minimal impact in Prospect Park, though I wouldn't be surprised to hear of some slips and falls - in a few cases, parts of the inside lane really weren't suitable for running, and the puddle at the southern end of the park, while smaller than usual, was very present and made for interesting navigation during the first loop
*I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on the second loop of the course, when the faster runners and slower intermingled. During the long downhill on mile 6, when people separated, I think it was fine. But mile 5, from GAP to 15th Street? A bit messy.
*No way to back this up, but was mile 6 a tad long? (and I would think that mile 5 possibly a tad short as a result). Until losing it in the final mile of the race, it was my slowest mile by a good 10 seconds (and yes, I realize that part of the run was on Zoo Hill).
*Water stops at every mile (almost) on Ocean Parkway were incredibly helpful. The one quibble I'd have is the very first water stop (at mile 1), which may have been set up there because of the park construction, was a little too soon for most runners (of course it was welcome at mile 4).
*I think I've expressed some doubt about the change to the course a few years back, but I think I'm now a total convert - it's a hassle to finish in Coney Island and get back, but I like getting the hills out of the way early and being able to pound it out (or in today's case hang on) during the flat part for the second half of the race. (For the first time in three years, I wasn't fixated on the alphabet streets, which certainly helped.)
*One wonders whether the MTA and NYRR talked about the date before the race. I completely understand that work has to be done on the tracks, but having the F out of commission (shuttle buses aside) isn't a very smart move. (And, this probably could have been avoided by the people who got burnt by this, but the Brooklyn Bridge was also closed to Brooklyn bound traffic early in the day, which didn't help some folk.) It's never a good thing to see a couple of hundred people sprinting to the start during the national anthem (very beautiful today, btw).
*Part of that may also have to do with the bathrooms. The lines looked really long today. Longer race commute means more bathroom needs, me thinks.
*Is there a way to avoid closing baggage claim at 6:30? I'm sure there are reasons, but it gets messy, especially when folk are getting to the race late.
*Set the Brooklyn Half date now. Saturday, May 19, 2012. Get the speculation out of the way. Just do it.
*The water at Coney Island: a bit chilly, but was definitely worth walking into the surf to soothe some sore muscles.
*Runners are good people. After suffering brain freeze when I checked my bag with my Gu (so much for my perfect pre-race preparation), a friend's friend gave me a strawberry-banana Powergel as I was getting a bit desperate. Without that, my final mile almost-collapse would have happened a) a lot earlier and b) would have been a collapse. So thanks.
*I've got ties with/friends on both clubs, but I'd love to see a North Brooklyn Runners (95 finishers)/Prospect Park Club (89 finishers) showdown (and throw in Brooklyn Road Runners (17 finishers) to boot).
*The volunteers at this race rock. Seriously. Mary Wittenberg said they were on hand at 1 a.m., and the effort showed. From the directions and the organization to the water stops (more on these in a sec) - they did a great job.
*The weather was ... well, as predicted, those who love heat and humidity had a great day. Took me a mile before I was dripping (and that was even before I started dumping cups of water on me). Thankfully, Ocean Parkway was mostly in the shade as I was running down (I'm wondering if the sun had gotten higher though as the race progressed?)
*The past several days of rain had a minimal impact in Prospect Park, though I wouldn't be surprised to hear of some slips and falls - in a few cases, parts of the inside lane really weren't suitable for running, and the puddle at the southern end of the park, while smaller than usual, was very present and made for interesting navigation during the first loop
*I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on the second loop of the course, when the faster runners and slower intermingled. During the long downhill on mile 6, when people separated, I think it was fine. But mile 5, from GAP to 15th Street? A bit messy.
*No way to back this up, but was mile 6 a tad long? (and I would think that mile 5 possibly a tad short as a result). Until losing it in the final mile of the race, it was my slowest mile by a good 10 seconds (and yes, I realize that part of the run was on Zoo Hill).
*Water stops at every mile (almost) on Ocean Parkway were incredibly helpful. The one quibble I'd have is the very first water stop (at mile 1), which may have been set up there because of the park construction, was a little too soon for most runners (of course it was welcome at mile 4).
*I think I've expressed some doubt about the change to the course a few years back, but I think I'm now a total convert - it's a hassle to finish in Coney Island and get back, but I like getting the hills out of the way early and being able to pound it out (or in today's case hang on) during the flat part for the second half of the race. (For the first time in three years, I wasn't fixated on the alphabet streets, which certainly helped.)
*One wonders whether the MTA and NYRR talked about the date before the race. I completely understand that work has to be done on the tracks, but having the F out of commission (shuttle buses aside) isn't a very smart move. (And, this probably could have been avoided by the people who got burnt by this, but the Brooklyn Bridge was also closed to Brooklyn bound traffic early in the day, which didn't help some folk.) It's never a good thing to see a couple of hundred people sprinting to the start during the national anthem (very beautiful today, btw).
*Part of that may also have to do with the bathrooms. The lines looked really long today. Longer race commute means more bathroom needs, me thinks.
*Is there a way to avoid closing baggage claim at 6:30? I'm sure there are reasons, but it gets messy, especially when folk are getting to the race late.
*Set the Brooklyn Half date now. Saturday, May 19, 2012. Get the speculation out of the way. Just do it.
*The water at Coney Island: a bit chilly, but was definitely worth walking into the surf to soothe some sore muscles.
*Runners are good people. After suffering brain freeze when I checked my bag with my Gu (so much for my perfect pre-race preparation), a friend's friend gave me a strawberry-banana Powergel as I was getting a bit desperate. Without that, my final mile almost-collapse would have happened a) a lot earlier and b) would have been a collapse. So thanks.
*I've got ties with/friends on both clubs, but I'd love to see a North Brooklyn Runners (95 finishers)/Prospect Park Club (89 finishers) showdown (and throw in Brooklyn Road Runners (17 finishers) to boot).
Sunday, March 27, 2011
NBR Runners Take 2nd in Colon Cancer Races
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Most Competitive Brooklyn Club?
There was a query a little while ago: What's the most competitive Brooklyn club if you want to be racing?
At varying age levels, competitive is all relative. And, frankly, sometimes getting out the door for five days a week can be seen as competitive. So let me define this before answering, and opening the door for any comments:
Competitive, in my mind, is a mission within the club to support runners as they seek to achieve faster and faster and goals, and also achieve certain team goals. Within Manhattan, for example, Central Park Track Club is a competitive team, with an application to join.
I have tons of conflicts in answering this question, so please take with a grain of salt:
*If you're a superfast male (at this point, let's say you have aspirations for a sub-1:25 half or a sub 3 marathon), I'd go with North Brooklyn Runners or Brooklyn Road Runners
*If you're a superfast female, I'd go with Prospect Park Track Club, which has greater depth than the others.
There are plenty of options out there for runners - look at the club Web sites, go for training runs with the teams, get a sense of what's the most comfortable. Geographically, you may not find a fit, so be willing to travel a bit.
Also, go to NYRR and look at the race results: See how the various runners are placing. Just because the runners are placing doesn't mean that you're able to run with them - we all have unique schedules, so top runners may not be reaching group runs.
I'd love it if club representatives would make a case as to why they are the most competitive Brooklyn club - feel free to send an e-mail, or post a response.
At varying age levels, competitive is all relative. And, frankly, sometimes getting out the door for five days a week can be seen as competitive. So let me define this before answering, and opening the door for any comments:
Competitive, in my mind, is a mission within the club to support runners as they seek to achieve faster and faster and goals, and also achieve certain team goals. Within Manhattan, for example, Central Park Track Club is a competitive team, with an application to join.
I have tons of conflicts in answering this question, so please take with a grain of salt:
*If you're a superfast male (at this point, let's say you have aspirations for a sub-1:25 half or a sub 3 marathon), I'd go with North Brooklyn Runners or Brooklyn Road Runners
*If you're a superfast female, I'd go with Prospect Park Track Club, which has greater depth than the others.
There are plenty of options out there for runners - look at the club Web sites, go for training runs with the teams, get a sense of what's the most comfortable. Geographically, you may not find a fit, so be willing to travel a bit.
Also, go to NYRR and look at the race results: See how the various runners are placing. Just because the runners are placing doesn't mean that you're able to run with them - we all have unique schedules, so top runners may not be reaching group runs.
I'd love it if club representatives would make a case as to why they are the most competitive Brooklyn club - feel free to send an e-mail, or post a response.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
North Brooklyn Runners
Nice writeup on North Brooklyn Runners in the most recent issue of New York Runner.
Founded a year ago, the group has almost 400 runners, the group mixes talent (NBR's men top the open B division in the NYRR team-points standings) with diversity, attracting runners experienced and new.
"I've had an incredible experience, and there's something for everyone" says new member Katie Winther. "It's great for people new to the neighborhood, and also for those like who me who want to get faster." Most members live in Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint, though members are from other parts of Brooklyn as well.
The group's Web site is here, and there's a copy of the article as well.
Founded a year ago, the group has almost 400 runners, the group mixes talent (NBR's men top the open B division in the NYRR team-points standings) with diversity, attracting runners experienced and new.
"I've had an incredible experience, and there's something for everyone" says new member Katie Winther. "It's great for people new to the neighborhood, and also for those like who me who want to get faster." Most members live in Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint, though members are from other parts of Brooklyn as well.
The group's Web site is here, and there's a copy of the article as well.
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