JackRabbit Q&A on Oct. 1

A quick promotional pitch from JackRabbit, if you happen to be in the neighborhood ...

JackRabbit is hosting a marathon Q&A night in each of our three stores at 7:00pm on Thursday October 1st to help everyone who is running a marathon this fall.

Whether you're wondering about how to time your taper, or about race day nutrition, or what to do about a nagging little injury, we'll be able to answer all your questions. Each store will feature a panel of three marathon experts:

A Doctor or Physical Therapist

A Running / Marathon Coach

A Sports Nutritionist

Each will give a 10-minute talk, and then they'll stay as long as needed to make sure all of the questions from the audience are answered.

Everyone attending the marathon Q&A night will also get 15% off everything in the store, so you can make sure you have everything you need for the final few weeks of training and for race day. IN ADDITION, if you bring a friend to the event, you'll each get an ADDITIONAL $5 off any purchase over $100.

Newport Half

Ahh, some feedback and a race to keep an eye on in 2010:

"I'm a big fan of the blog and would like to give a thumbs up to a race you never mentioned, the Newport Half Marathon in Jersey City. I ran it this weekend and despite the rain and some equipment issues I had a great time. The views were great, the course was flat and it was fun to run a race with less than 2000 people! Even though the race was in New Jersey it was super convenient (and easier to get to than the Bronx) and the registration was a five minute walk from the PATH, which links to the F train at 14th street. There was a more and better post-race food than any NYRR race I've ever been in.

Anyway, I hope you give the race some notice next year, I think anyone who runs it will be presently surprised."

From my end, duly noted (the fact that the post-race food kicked a** makes this a formal apology).

I added the Newport Half to a race calendar back in August, but to be fair, you'd have to have pulled out the magnifying glass to find it. We/I tend to forget that there are some great (flat) races right across the rivers in Jersey City and beyond, so worth pursuing.

Random Thoughts on a Monday Evening

I started typing the subject line ... and realized I've done this before. Some quick hits/thoughts before I get sucked into the work week:

-- Some guy on Craigslist is offering $500 for a marathon bib (note this is illegal and will get you banned from future races). I'm interested in discovering how he manages to avoid the NYRR sting operation, since you know they troll the site as well.

-- I'm looking, but not seeing yet, the results from the Brooklyn Triple Crown. I think it's a great concept, and am sorry Brooklyn Running didn't do more to promote it. Some decent local sponsorship, and better marketing - I think it's got a shot to thrive. Chalk it up for a goal for 2010.

-- I ran in Central Park earlier today, and got sucked into the same trap that happens most of the times I run a full loop. I see a runner, I want to pass him/her. Then I start picking up the pace, and all of a sudden I'm running tempo pace for what's supposed to be an easy 6 mile run. (This doesn't happen in Prospect Park, or actually, many of my other solo runs. I'm suspecting this has to do with the fact that my ratio of Central Park runs/races is a lot higher.). Open to any thoughts on how to avoid this, beyond better self-discipline.

-- Following up on some earlier speculation: I'm told that no, you can't get two qualifying races by registering both the short (1.7 miles) and the long( 13.1 miles) at the Norwegian Festival in Central Park this weekend. (Kudos to anyone who pulls it off and gets credit). I bet you get two cracks at the smoked salmon for the bagels, however.

-- My first blog entry on this blog was two years ago tomorrow. Since then, when I'm actively posting, the blog is getting more than 100 page views a day, and I'm now up to 10 followers. (Which is both awesome, and a little creepy).

For a variety of reasons, I don't do a lot of promotion or outreach, pushing this to other Brooklyn sites or setting up a Twitter account (the latter because I think I'd annoy myself.) But I wanted to thank you all for your comments and feedback over the past 24 months, because it shows your dedication.

Stuff like this, which was sent to the e-mail account, makes my day.

"I just wanted to send you a quick email to let you know that your blog is awesome. I came across it a while ago and I check it repeatedly, pretty much because I'm a running nerd myself and I also live in brooklyn."

That's who I'm trying to help. And if one of the things I pontificate about takes off a few seconds from your 10K pace, then I've done my job.

So, please forgive my foibles and occasional lack of timely response (for example, if "Heroes" wasn't entering its death spiral - it already jumped the shark, now it's being eaten, I wouldn't be posting tonight). And good luck to all of you as we enter Year 3.

MS 136 Benefits From Hall Foundation

I need something to wash the sarcasm away. Happily, there's also this post on the NYC Marathon Web site, talking about the foundation that Ryan and Sara Hall have set up to promote running and help people live better.

"The Hall Steps Foundation, a charitable initiative that will fund programs to create a better life for youth living in poverty in the United States and abroad."

The Halls are one of the pre-eminent running couples in the U.S., both in accomplishment (cheer for Ryan at this year's NYC Marathon) and deeds.

One of the five schools that will receive funds from this is "M.S. 136 in Brooklyn, a school that hosts a run-a-thon every year as a fund-raiser."

Pretty awesome, I must say.

Virtual Marathon? Pay for Q-Race

So ... MapMyFitness and NYRR are promoting "virtual" races, including the first annual virtual marathon (where you can run as few as three miles) and get one of the 9 racing credits you need for next year, as part of New York Marathon Week.

For $25, you can run a virtual marathon or a 5 mile race and receive a) a qualifying credit to the 2010 NYC Marathon (part of your nine races) and b) if you're among the first 1,000 entrants, you get guaranteed entry into the NYC Half Marathon next year (you still have to pay the entry fees, however).

From the Web site:

"Start, run, and finish your race anywhere you want! A Virtual Race gives you opportunity to join in the excitement of the ING NYC Marathon week activities in your own backyard. Map out a personal race course, run it within the designated dates, upload your results, and then compare how you did against all other competitors -- virtual and live!"

So basically: You can shell out money, run 3 miles with folk (read the rules) and get credit for a race. You also have a chance to win a 6-month weekend subscription to the New York Times. (Life is hard - you don't get the full week -- ohh, wait, it's free online).

BTW, if you run just three miles, check this out: "Runners must complete a minimum of three (3) miles or up to a maximum of a complete marathon (26.2 miles). Any distance shorter than the 26.2 miles will be mathematically extrapolated to the marathon distance, regardless of the actual distance run. "

Ummm.

Wow.

Ummm.

(Words escape me (which is probably a good thing)).

I've got a better idea. I'm not going to hit the 9 qualifiers this year, so I'm happy to sell my qualifying credits for $20 a pop. First come, first serve ***

My favorite part: You don't even get at T-shirt. However, you can pay $20 for a medal, or a T-shirt. $35 for both.

Obviously, this isn't for me. And I'm missing the point. So please, I'm looking for anyone who is doing this to explain why they are shelling out the money to do this. Extra points if you pay for the T-shirt.

*** Please note, as of now, NYRR does not allow for transfer for qualifying credits, so this is obviously illegal and won't help you get into the NYC Marathon in 2010. So you won't get the marathon credit. You can still send me the $20 though :-).

Weekend Race Results

Beautiful Saturday, rainy Sunday - suspect some of the results reflect that. Congrats to everyone who participated this weekend in the local races.

Some links:

From NYRR: For the Fifth Avenue Mile: Professional results, and then the rest of us. If you see David Peters, originally from the UK, but listed as a Brooklyn resident - don't challenge him to a race. He scorched a 4:14.

Also, on Sunday, the 18 mile tune up, run by many for purely the reason that it's an 18 mile training run -- with support (check out my post from yesterday for a run for a similar distance, though you don't have people at tables giving you water and Gatorade.) For the 3,500-plus of you who made it out there, good luck on your fall marathon.

Nothing yet from Music that Heals 5K in Prospect Park today, but here's the link for the main site. Also, not yet seeing a link for Tunnels to Towers.

Ban Bikes on the Brooklyn Bridge?

It's not going to happen anytime soon, but this op-ed in today's New York Times raises some interesting ideas about the ongoing battle between pedestrians and cyclists, and suggests that a protected bike lane be added during the forthcoming road rehabilitation.

As much as I love running over the bridge, it's also - run at your own risk - during the summer months and peak tourist weekends. And especially when it gets crowded and I am running, I spend an inordinate amount of time with my neck getting an extra workout as I look behind me to avoid getting crunched.

I'm not a regular cyclist, but I'd be willing to posit that the Manhattan Bridge bike lane is a much more preferable route of getting into the city (or back into Brooklyn.

Thoughts from those who bike? run? or both? over the bridge?