MARCH 2010 The Inside Loop Tom Byrnes and Friends

THE INSIDE LOOP

Tom Byrnes and Friends

Let’s hope that Bobby Fisher’s February toe operations will get him back to his bike trek tours without the pains that he formerly had to deal whenever he clipped into the bike pedals. Looking forward to resuming those epic week long bike tours in a few months, Bobby can’t wait for his recoup to be over!

Hey, you in at the Armory yet?   Doesn’t hurt to take a look see! Think it will work for you the rest of this winter or perhaps for November to spring 2011?   As of this writing, no lockers, no showers, no towels, some classes, some bikes and exercise machines but what a grand 200 meter indoor track! Check it out!

Shortly after February’s school closing snow storm, PPTC got on the open forum and started to share what we knew about the conditions of the roads inside as well as outside the park. What was plowed, what wasn’t, what had blacktop showing and what was still snow covered icy.  Wouldn’t it be nice if somehow the City’s Department of Parks or the Prospect Park Alliance could take reports from their vehicles out on the park roads and post the info on the condition of the roads on a website so we’d know for sure? Make sense to you?

PPTC plans to gather for brunch or an early lunch to watch the Boston marathon to see if we can spy PPTC’s runners on the wide screen. With Circle’s at Bartel Pritchard and 15^th street long since closed, PPTC is searching for another watering hole where we can gather. The Boston Marathon is run on Monday April 19^th , elite women going off at 9:30 a.m., elite men and wave two at 10 a.m., wave three at 10:30 a.m. Working?  Take a mental health day and be inspired! Suggestions appreciated.

No watching Boston with PPTC for Doug Olney since he’s out on the course near his brother’s house in Hopkinton watching for his sister who’s in it this year.

Monday, February 15^th, coming back to 10^th Avenue after my late afternoon run in  the park a little after 5 p.m., I heard what I thought might be people shouting for a lost dog. I can’t remember the exact calls but when I saw a group of at least two dozen standing on 10^th Ave and 16^th Street, I realized they were runners. As I approached there were some more cries from runners further west on 10^th avenue harkening the group standing at 16^th Street.  What I soon realized after questioning some of the runners who passed by was that I had encountered a House Harriers run (Brooklyn Hash #500 to be exact).  They were  in the middle of their quest to catch the ‘hare’  who was minutes ahead drawing chalk directional symbols at intersections  indicating the  way the group of ‘hounds’ should follow if they were to be successful in finding him/her at the bar (the Double Windsor, PPW and 16^th Street as it turned out) where everyone would hook up. Interested?  HashHouseHarriersNYC.org tells it all. According to Geoff Vincent, hashing involves a lot of fun stuff. It was begun by ex-pat Brits somewhere out there, running, drinking, and carrying on afterwards. Hmmmmmmmmm  does that have PPTC written all over it?

Hey February, no F ‘n  G trains on  weekends half the month, no track time for PPTC at the Armory, the Union Street Bridge closed. The good news was that this year’s Cherry Tree was the biggest and the ‘bestest’  ever! Hey, with day of race temps in the 40’s, this year’s race was the race for the soft core, ½ an x? Ten miles or three, the Cherry Tree was the place to be!  Michael Ring made his debut as PPTC race director by orchestrating a
record breaking Cherry Tree 10 Miler and Relay.  The weather was beautiful, and the turnout was wildly beyond anyone's expectations with over a record-setting number of  exuberant runners hitting the inside loop.  PPTC thanks all our sponsors, especially Slope Sports and  owners  Kirsten and Haig Marino and to the many volunteers who made this race possible.

PPTC women’s team  took first place at February 28^th’s Al Gordon Snowflake four miler in Prospect Park -- by almost 10 minutes!   Great job!  It looks like PPTC had 12 top-ten age group finishers.   Awesome running,  PPTC!  For more of the specifics, check out the race results page!

Very interesting and helpful talk at March’s PPTC meeting by Doctor Soave, Chief of Podiatry at NY Methodist on causes, symptoms, and treatment of heel pain and plantar fasciitis . Thanks for sharing, Doc!

Coach Tony Watson has us back on the road to faster race times the beginning of March.

Missed this session, catch ‘em on the next go around.

Hey, its getting warmer, don’t you feel it?!

Staying lighter later as well.

Get out there PPTC, see you on the roads!