December 2009 THE INSIDE LOOP TOM BYRNES and FRIENDS

December 2009
THE INSIDE LOOP
TOM BYRNES and FRIENDS

Had to slow the bike to his pace to chat with PPTCer John Lothrop who was extending his stay in Brooklyn after coming down from Maine to see the NYC marathon. A road warrior from ‘back in the day’ if ever there was one. 

Lots of good times at 2009's NYC marathon but remember, ‘back in the day’, Danny Doherty ‘s time of 2:31 for 26.2 still garners PPTC’s acclaim for the marathon distance. Apparently a few other PPTC runners have been faster but as they say, ‘where are they now?" Danny still lives in Windsor Terrace with Clair and family!

Check out the race results for PPTC performances at the Philly Marathon the weekend before Thanksgiving. Mark Crowther, Brad Stillman, Doron Kentner,Edmund Baumgartner, and Ami Hassler leading PPTC’s fleet feet contingent to the city of Dick Clarke’s ‘American Bandstand. American Bandstand? If you have to ask, you’re not old enough to understand.

As of 11-11-09 , not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse, at least not in the back parking lot of the YMCA on 8^th street where the new olympic- sized swimming pool is supposed to be constructed. That oldie but goodie song, how did it go again? "Any day now, any day now......."
Delays? Lots of us cant figure out what’s holding up the opening of the 15^th street armory for the running public as well. Some insiders mention the City’s logistical issues . Most likely school kids from the neighboring public schools will get to christen the 200 yard oval track before the running public gets to pound the pavement there but hey, when when when..........

Winter running, winter running, if you hibernate , you lose. The older you get, the harder it is to come back after a winter layoff. The key to running through the winter is to just run through the winter. Check the temps, check the windchill ,dress for the conditions, and then get out the door! Hats, gloves, tights, layered clothing, no moisture absorbing cotton next to your skin, socks, suntan lotion on your exposed skin, reflectors if you’re going to run after dark, hey, if anyone asks you what you want from Santa , there you go! PPTC will be out there on the roads all winter long, need to hook up? Get thee to the PPTC-open-forum site and grovel for company. I could never see how Doug Olney could get up and out to the park before dawn with windchill and temps in the single digits but then again, he could never see how I could run with windchill and temps in the single digits after a hard day’s work. You choose your poison, before work or after work, but hey, choose it or lose it! 

Looks like this year was a banner year for PPTC’s Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. The park’s roads never saw as many runners that showed up this year to run the new and improved 5 mile course. The word is out that this is the way to start Thanksgiving Day. Many thanks to all the PPTC members and friends and Bishop Ford student volunteers who made this happen.

This year the Prospect Park Wildlife Center’s Tom the Turkey awoke on Thanksgiving morn and barely saw his shadow which ensured that PPTC’s Harry’s Handicap would indeed take place on the first morning of the new year, January 1 2010 . Welcome the new year in by running an inside loop of the park with PPTC members, friends, and family with a headstart handicap bestowed with the idea that if all goes according to plan, everyone will approach the finish line withing striking distance of each other.. Runners with large handicaps toe the start line first with runners with less of a handicap following. 2009 was Tom Byrnes’ gift year and the handicap he received was definitely a present from Santa. Hey, it’s a race but its not really a race if you know what I mean.Someone comes in first, others finish later, the point is that we’re all off and running , a time with the PPTC family on the first day of the new year. After the running, food and desserts back at race headquarters.We used to serve up XXX egg nog but after reports of hangovers that lasted through the following week, the egg nog custom was voted out. Harry’s Handicap has been a PPTC new years day tradition for FORTY years , even as far back as when some of the younger members might’ve still been in diapers. Or should I say pampers! So just leave a little bit of wiggle room in your New Year’s Eve celebrating to fit this one in the next morning. This is the best way to start 2010 off on the right foot, hungover or not. 

And speaking of pampers, Susan Kegg-Eastman’s son Gabriel just entered the terrible two’s although Susan’s emails from Flagstaff Arizona indicate that Gabriel seems to have been in training for this milestone for the past six months. PPTC’s future, they keep coming and coming.......
Make your list of running resolutions for 2010 yet? What are you waiting for? More quality training? Starting a training log? Fewer junk miles? Enrolling in Coach Tony and Charlene’s speed classes? More cross training? Supporting someone to check out Gil Torres’ classes for beginning runners? Getting a PPTC singlet so all the world can see you run for ‘the’ club in Brooklyn? Just do it! 
Hey, 2010, bring it on, see you all on the roads!