This year we had a record nuber of voters: 71 online ballots and 3 paper ballots. All officer positions were up for re-election and one director position was open. All officers ran unopposed, while we had 3 candidates for director. Following are the winners of the 2011 PPTC Board Elections. Congratulations!
President - Tom Meany
Vice President - Sarah Scott
Secretary - Anne Perzeszty
Treasurer - Doug Olney
Director - Tom Tobin
Ami Hassler, Staci Pierson, Krishna Kumbhar and Michael Ring will be continuing their terms as Board Members.
Special thanks to all candidates including Jason Horowitz and Geoffrey Vincent! Don't worry Tom Meany said he will find a way for you to stay involved.........
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
2011 PPTC Election Results
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Al Goldstein Summer Speed Series, presented by JackRabbit
There are simple thing you should know
1. It may be hard to believe, but summer is coming.
2. Al Goldstein will be there.
3. This event has been going on since before people had digital watches, but we have a big digital clock now.
4. Races are every other Wednesday starting May 25 then June 8th and 22nd, July 6th, 20th,August 3rd and August 17th (ALSO August 31!)
5. Registration starts at 6:30 pm at the Oriental Pavilion. (This is near where the ice-skating rink used to be) The race will start about 7:15. Prospect Park closed to cars at 7:00 but we want to make sure the road is clear.
6. Race starts after the Parks Dept closes the roadway of cars; $5: cash. No Tshirts.
7. You don’t have to be fast, but these races will help you find out how fast you
can be.
8. You don’t have to run to have fun. Volunteers needed Membership@pptc.org.
9. PPTC members who are in Coach Tony's speed training group race for free.
10.
11. We have a place to stash your bag.
12. Awards will be given to those who finish the most races at the end of the
Summer.
13. The B/Q Train is really close. Get off at Prospect Park and walk into the Park at Lincoln Rd.
14. We race rain or shine. Thunder and Lightning not so much. The decision to cancel will be made from the park at the start of the race. We don't cancel the race because of a forecast.
Questions????..... Membership@pptc.org
Tell your friends, but tell them not to tell their friends. We don’t want this too get to big.
The results of the May 25th race can be found here
The results of the June 8th race can be found here.
The results of the June 22nd race can be found here.
The results of the July 6th race can be found here.
The results of the July 20th race can be found here.
August 3rd was a fun run because of rain. (We have a new plan to make this work rain or shine, next time.)
The results of the August 17th race can be found here
The results of the August 31th race can be found here
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Great Running Performances: Emil Zatopek
Great Running Performances: Emil Zatotek
By Jim Israel www.mistergripes.com
We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.
Men, today we die a little.
What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.
….Emil Zatopek
There’s an ancient proverb that describes perfectly the life of Emil Zatopek:
“Character Is Fate.”
Every aspect of this extraordinary life is informed by monumental perseverance, grit, discipline and integrity.
His early days were certainly not a harbinger of the great deeds to follow. Born in Koprivinice, Czechoslovakia, one of six children in a working-class family, Zopotek at 16 began working in the Bata shoe factory in a neighboring town. In 1940, when he was eighteen, Bata sponsored a 1,500-meter race; Zatopek was persuaded to enter the run even though he had no interest at all in running, and had, in fact, done no training. Nevertheless, out of 250 runners, Zatotek came in second. A career was born.
Within four years, Zatotek had broken Czech records for 2,000-, 3,000- and 5,000-meter distances. His running style became as well-known as his burgeoning running prowess: he threw everything into his running and this was reflected in his agonizing facial expressions. ‘Gangly, inefficient and unattractive’ were often-heard descriptions. Zatpotek couldn’t have cared less:
I shall learn to have a better style when they start judging races according to their beauty. So long as it’s a question of speed, then my attention will directed to seeing how fast I can cover the ground.
He may have looked ‘unattractive,’ but no one approached the intensity and duration of his work regimen. He’d train in any weather, and endure incredibly punishing routines – he was said to have done 400 meter intervals up to EIGHTY times in one training session. He would often jog in place for hours, reading a book, and even run 2-mile intervals with his wife on his back.
The 1948 Olympics in London made Zatotek: the celebrity and renown of “The Czech Locomotive” was now known around the world. He won a gold in the 10,000 competition and came in second in the 5,000 meter race. Though he lost the 5,000, here’s a description by an English announcer of Mr. Zatotek’s sheer determination during his stretch run:
“Blimey, the blighter’s cracked! The guy [Zatotek] is taking off after the Swede! Look how he runs, like he’s just swallowed some lye and had a wad of steel wool dropped down his shorts! His head rolls from side t’ side like a clapper in the bell on a ship in vomitous seas. This Zatotek is cracked! But he’s catching the bugger! How’s that for guts? Make up more than 20 meters in a half-a-lap. Stupid, but a hell of an athlete!”
Zatotek became an immortal during the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. He won three gold medals at three distances: the 5,000-meter race, the 10,000-meter race and the marathon, in a span of eight days. This feat will never be accomplished again. He achieved the trinity even though a doctor two months before the Games told him not to compete because of an ongoing gland infection. Zatotek was not to be denied.
1952: 5,000-meters:
“Four runners all within a bobbing head of each other. The crowd is frantic, howling wildly. Then the howls coalesce. They are screaming, “Za-to-PEK! Za-to-PEK!
From somewhere deep within, the Czech Locomotive has summoned the courage of the angels!”
Emil Zatotek didn’t intend to run the marathon in Helsinki. He hadn’t trained for that distance, and was not prepared for it. But three days after the 10,000 win, he announced his intention to run in the 26-mile competition. He knew very little about marathon strategy. So, he followed a simple plan: he would stick near a top competitor. [“I didn’t want to follow a nobody.”] The strategy worked: Emil Zatotek was on Brit Jim Peters’ tail for 25 kilometers and then ran away from the pack. He had never run a marathon before, yet shattered the Olympic record by 6 minutes.
Let’s finally look quickly at his overall racing career: he set 18 world records over distances from 5K to 30K, won four gold medals and one silver; at one point, over a span of six years, the great Zatotek won 38 consecutive 10,000-meter races, including 11 in one year.
Emil Zatotek was one for the ages.
His early days were certainly not a harbinger of the great deeds to follow. Born in Koprivinice, Czechoslovakia, one of six children in a working-class family, Zopotek at 16 began working in the Bata shoe factory in a neighboring town. In 1940, when he was eighteen, Bata sponsored a 1,500-meter race; Zatopek was persuaded to enter the run even though he had no interest at all in running, and had, in fact, done no training. Nevertheless, out of 250 runners, Zatotek came in second. A career was born.
Within four years, Zatotek had broken Czech records for 2,000-, 3,000- and 5,000-meter distances. His running style became as well-known as his burgeoning running prowess: he threw everything into his running and this was reflected in his agonizing facial expressions. ‘Gangly, inefficient and unattractive’ were often-heard descriptions. Zatpotek couldn’t have cared less:
I shall learn to have a better style when they start judging races according to their beauty. So long as it’s a question of speed, then my attention will directed to seeing how fast I can cover the ground.
He may have looked ‘unattractive,’ but no one approached the intensity and duration of his work regimen. He’d train in any weather, and endure incredibly punishing routines – he was said to have done 400 meter intervals up to EIGHTY times in one training session. He would often jog in place for hours, reading a book, and even run 2-mile intervals with his wife on his back.
The 1948 Olympics in London made Zatotek: the celebrity and renown of “The Czech Locomotive” was now known around the world. He won a gold in the 10,000 competition and came in second in the 5,000 meter race. Though he lost the 5,000, here’s a description by an English announcer of Mr. Zatotek’s sheer determination during his stretch run:
“Blimey, the blighter’s cracked! The guy [Zatotek] is taking off after the Swede! Look how he runs, like he’s just swallowed some lye and had a wad of steel wool dropped down his shorts! His head rolls from side t’ side like a clapper in the bell on a ship in vomitous seas. This Zatotek is cracked! But he’s catching the bugger! How’s that for guts? Make up more than 20 meters in a half-a-lap. Stupid, but a hell of an athlete!”
Zatotek became an immortal during the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. He won three gold medals at three distances: the 5,000-meter race, the 10,000-meter race and the marathon, in a span of eight days. This feat will never be accomplished again. He achieved the trinity even though a doctor two months before the Games told him not to compete because of an ongoing gland infection. Zatotek was not to be denied.
1952: 5,000-meters:
“Four runners all within a bobbing head of each other. The crowd is frantic, howling wildly. Then the howls coalesce. They are screaming, “Za-to-PEK! Za-to-PEK!
From somewhere deep within, the Czech Locomotive has summoned the courage of the angels!”
Emil Zatotek didn’t intend to run the marathon in Helsinki. He hadn’t trained for that distance, and was not prepared for it. But three days after the 10,000 win, he announced his intention to run in the 26-mile competition. He knew very little about marathon strategy. So, he followed a simple plan: he would stick near a top competitor. [“I didn’t want to follow a nobody.”] The strategy worked: Emil Zatotek was on Brit Jim Peters’ tail for 25 kilometers and then ran away from the pack. He had never run a marathon before, yet shattered the Olympic record by 6 minutes.
Let’s finally look quickly at his overall racing career: he set 18 world records over distances from 5K to 30K, won four gold medals and one silver; at one point, over a span of six years, the great Zatotek won 38 consecutive 10,000-meter races, including 11 in one year.
Emil Zatotek was one for the ages.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Recipes for Runners
Green Tea Smoothies – Ami Hassler
10 ice cube
2 bananas, chopped
2 cups of milk or vanilla soy milk
1 tablespoon of honey
3 tablespoon of matcha ( the powdered form of green tea - available at Whole Foods near the coffee bar. The brand is Rishi )
Throw it all in your blender
2 bananas, chopped
2 cups of milk or vanilla soy milk
1 tablespoon of honey
3 tablespoon of matcha ( the powdered form of green tea - available at Whole Foods near the coffee bar. The brand is Rishi )
Throw it all in your blender
Michael Ring suggests freezing the banana and adding peanut butter – yum!!
Sesame Noodle Salad – Jennifer Bolstad
This one is a winner in my book because it incorporates all five of my favorite running-fuel-foods: peanut butter, pasta, peanut butter, peanut butter and peanut butter. So easy to make and it is delicious served hot or cold. And did I mention it has peanut butter in it?
16 oz linguine
2 cups frozen peas
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds*
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 Tbsp Chili garlic sauce or other hot sauce**
3 Tbsp creamy natural peanut butter, plus a little more if you're a fanatic
2 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
Pinch minced ginger or ground ginger
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Cook the pasta to al dente, adding the peas in the last minute or two. Drain.
Whisk together everything else in a large bowl. Add the noodles and peas and toss thoroughly.
Yum.
*Fairway and Sahadis sell untoasted sesame seeds in bulk, you can toast them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 325 for about 5 min
** I use the kind called "Tuong Ot Toi Vietnam" with a rooster on it a bright green lid. Asian spices aisle.
315 Pounds of Generosity
315 Pounds of Generosity
Thanks to the generosity of Cherry Tree racers, we filled three 55 gallon barrels with gently used running gear!! For the cost of a pair of running sneakers per barrel, we will ship all of this gear to runners in Belize.
Gwelda and Harry Fairweather express their sincere thanks and appreciation to the entire club. On behalf of the Belize Amateur Athletic Association (BAAA), Gwelda and Harry acknowledge the generosity of Michael Ring, Tom Byrnes, Anne Perzeszty, Sandra & Natacha Ferrari (we were able to fill a whole barrel with the amount of sneakers and tee shirts they gave), Richard & Kathleen Weaver, Veronica Antoine, Maggie Deschamps, Frank Deleo, Doug Olney, Julio Zavala, Ken Locke and the entire Prospect Park Club. As this list was compiled from memory (names weren’t recorded at gear drop-off), please accept sincere apologies and equal thanks if your name was not mentioned *here.
Ian Gray, President of the BAAA also shares his thanks: "On behalf of the BAAA and all
here in Belize we express our heartfelt gratitude for your generous contributions.
The Govenment here will help us by allowing the barells to enter the country of Belize for free. Once the barrels are here I shall take some photos with the runners and your donations. Once again many thanks from Belize."
Thursday, February 24, 2011
What You Do Not Know Because You Are Not Me, by Michael Ring
Packet pickup started on Thursday. On Tuesday we scheduled delivery of the bibs and the D-tags. Wednesday evening we were going to have a little assembly line party.
Not so much. The bibs were not express-mailed to Brooklyn. They were sent to Garrison, NY, 60 miles away. Not good. But the owner of the home it was being delivered to was in Rhode Island. Very Bad. We moved our assembly party to Thursday morning, the morning of packet pickup.
But where are the D-Tags? It seemed Cronotrack just forgot to make them. “No problem,”says the nice man in Indiana at 2:00 PM. “We can make them now and ship them "Overnight-AM Delivery" to your home.” At 8:00 AM, the nice UPS lady rings my bell.
So we get the tags and the bibs together 5 hours before packet pickup starts. And we see that the relay teams only have one number each. We need three. More FEDEX. We make it work.
Oh, I forgot about the headbands, our giveaway. At 8AM Thursday morning I get an email from the guy who ordered them for us. "There is a problem with shipping them here. We got 500 of them, but 1,000 are still in Columbia. Not Columbia, South Carolina. Colombia in South America! So in 10 hours Trail Heads makes, and ships another 1,000 custom headbands to us. All’s well. We also got a delivery of the 1,000 headbands that were stuck in customs.
 |
| Water to be returned! |
I am not even going to get into the insanity of getting a permit to actually have this event in Prospect Park. No, I can not put that in writing.
 |
| My Donald Trump Moment. |
But, nobody noticed. We had over 1,300 people sign up for the event. We collected piles of clothing to give to the young athletes of Belize. We gave out samples of Cherry Juice and FRS drink
.
After the race runners got apples, oranges and massages. We raised $1,000 for the Prospect Park Youth Running Club.
My biggest kick was seeing how much fun the volunteers had. It really make me feel good to get people to do something that they did not plan on doing and then seeing how much of a good time they had.
My biggest kick was seeing how much fun the volunteers had. It really make me feel good to get people to do something that they did not plan on doing and then seeing how much of a good time they had.
When I was almost done I put my name on the list and got the last massage. My teammates came over and whispered last minute questions to me. I thought this is how Donald Trump must take a break too.
And then I go on the read comments on blogs that look like this "Sunday was the annual Cherry Tree 10 Miler and Relay in Prospect Park. This is a great race organized by the Prospect Park Track Club. I highly recommend it, if you’re anywhere near Brooklyn in February.
I am so looking forward to February 19th, 2012.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
I can't keep up the all the people blogging about the Cherry Tree (Update XVII)
 |
| Hardcore |
For one Race Director's point of view check this out.
I gave Majo a bullhorn. Who knew?
Brooklyn Running gave credit where credit was due. You are welcome!
Found some comments on the Runner's World forum and here too
3:59:59. Bitches banged out a 7:40 pace. Boom
Some great photos form the Dashing Wippits can be found here and their pre and post race chit-chat can be found here
Adventureartist ran a 22:30 5K without training.
The Runner's Kitchen did not want to get up at 6 am to run. (I am used to that)
gzambran did not like that wind going up the hill.
Jennifer L hat a PR by 8 minutes.
A-Diddy had a lot of equipment problems but a good time anyway
Peter Priolo thought our hill is a molehill compared to some trail ultras" but he would up sucking wind near the top. Yea, that is why we call it Zoo Hill, because people make animal noises when they run up.
ALF2617 Noticed that our hills always come with a head wind. But this runner took advantage of the downhills and broke 1:20!
Norma was 12 minutes faster than last year!! Wat to go!!! (and took a great photo of some of Prospect Park's swans). and here.
Coach Cane reported on his whole team!
NSQ had many reasons to have a "glass half empty" attitude but instead took the glass half full approach!
The Running Laminator had a 16 mile worm up for our 10 mile race. Well, he miss our race, I think he deserves an award for his effort.
@cdonahue twittered about the race. (I am still trying to figure out how that works)
Kenny Baldo Had a huge PR and then went out to L&B Spumoni Gardens for some pizza. Good choice!
Bridges Runner is a streaker. We gotta start giving out new awards!
A-Ditty had trouble with here watch but a great time anyway. This is what she wore.
Frank conquered the weather. He is Hardcore! He also came back a week later and liked it so much he asked "why there are not more races in Prospect Park."
The Running Gourmad met an old high school buddy (Hay, you went to Lafayett, I went to Sheepsheed) and the race and then joined him for a dip at Coney Island. So much for everyone complaining about the cold.
Kanoshiro only ran the one leg of the relay but had a 18.26 mile day. Like!
Dogpound used some excitement the relay area provided to accelerate.
Kristan Lucas warmed up by "warm up was disjointed- started with running from my apt to Duane Reade, into the subway, across the transverse in the park all while holding 5 bags of race materials." Next year you can help me clean up after the race too.
You can listen to people talk about the Cherry Tree here
We made the news in Staten Island
Tracy did not run. That's OK, too.
Over and Across only mentioned it in passing.
The North Brooklyn Runners have a great slide show!
Jeen in Eat, Sleep, Run Disney thought three times up the hill "wasn't as horrible as I had imagined." I will take that as a complement. But look at her blog. She has a great photo of my butt. Yes, I am the dude in the orange vest.David Lin has another photo of my back in his blog. But this Photoshop is cooler. -------->
South Brooklyn had a good showing! and they demonstrated their understanding of chip timing here.
seanv2 is back on the mend. We are glad to provide the means for that.
The Wannabees and Former Track Stars posted some photos and videos.
TK understood that the first leg of the relay was about 2 millimeters shorter than the other two legs.
Coach JGB reports that
Hills are my Friends filled in for a friend at the last minute and ran the relay. She ran her own race and "went out last Sunday and ran my own “race”, taking it nice and slow" because she is newly ....... pregnant. I am really happy for her.
I just found We The Runners. He (I think) did the best he could and won his age group!! Yay you. That is whay we will keep this small.
Lindsey had a slight hangover so it took her 5 miles to be ready to kick butt.
It is November of 2011 and I just found this. It is an interview with me about the 2010 race!
It 2012 and I just found this from Frank in North Queens Runner. He knows parking by Prospect Park is not so bad.
Give some paw to Sophie
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Braving The Snow
I am a seasoned snow runner, having had the good fortune to grow up in Wisconsin. I was visiting my family there when the Boxing Day blizzard hit the Northeast this year -- scheduled to return to Brooklyn on 12/26... rescheduled to 12/30. We had about 3 feet of snow on the ground in southwest Wisconsin and everything was functioning business-as-usual. So, ironically, I was not snowed IN Wisconsin, but I was snowed OUT of New York.
I took the extra time on the farm to put in some snow mileage, not only in my running shoes, but also on snow shoes and cross-country skis. In high school this was how I trained from the end of cross country season in the fall to the start of track season in the spring. I could count on a heavy covering of snow on the ground continuously from November to April. It's what I miss most about the place.
Every year I start dreading the winter as soon as the leaves start falling. You'll see me running in denial, I mean shorts, until the temperatures are well down into the 30s. But every year, winter running wins me over. This year has been no exception. When I make it out the door in my heavy layers, I revel in the surrounding silence amplifying the crunch of my shoes in cold, crisp snow and the sounds of my breathing; deep breaths of cold air that render the shape and volume of my lungs inside my chest. The heavily edited palette of the world makes the mundane magical; the sky is never more blue that when everything below it is coated in a diamond dusting of pure white snow.
This is no spring crush. My love of running endures through seasons and conditions when it holds no obvious appeal. I feel joy even as my eyelashes frost up and my fingers and toes get so cold they start to feel warm again. Let the fair-weather fitness enthusiasts, the gym rats and the couch potatoes say that runners are crazy. I suppose they're right. By Jennifer Bolstad
"A Magical Ending " It began as a dinner date at a Mexican restaurant called El Charro in Greenwich Village. It was snowing heavily that Friday winter eve in 1978, but my date and I decided the snowfall would add to the romantic mood. By the time I dropped her off in Brooklyn Heights the snow was tapering off; it had left a good four to six inches on the ground , it was well past midnight, and waiting for the infrequent bus or train back to Park Slope seemed a dubious option. So having finished the 1977 NYC Marathon, and in training for the Winter Series I decided to run back home. The streets were silent. The snow, slowly whirling down,reflected in the street lights made me think of the movie Dr. Zhivago, I began to hear the theme from the movie keeping time to my every footfall as I headed down Pacific Street towards Fourth Avenue. The silence was beautiful; my imagination saw covered tree branches as all sorts of forest creatures. The stillness was only broken by the sounds of my footfalls. The whole world was wrapped in a deep Winter's sleep. As I ran up the hill on Union street, approaching my destination I was gratified for the opportunity to finish off a wonderful evening with such a peaceful run through such pristine surroundings, but saddened that as I shook off the snow from my shoes and clothes it had come to an end. By Paul/Soave
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Inside Loop by Tom Byrnes and friends February 2011
Thank you all for taking a time out from shovelling and clearing your car out from under the snow to read this. Hey, there are priorities!
Isnt it great to learn that the 2011 PPTC Awards Party went so well ! In the words of Richard Weaver, “a good time was had by all." More details and the award winners on the PPTC blog and in this newsletter. The party, the awards ceremony, none of this happens without lots and lots of behind the scene time and energy. Muchas gracias to all those who devoted their time and energy to making this happen.
Louie Rios sighting on the inside loop the last day of January, just back from the Bermuda Marathon weekend .
Bobby Fisher reports that he went south for the Miami Marathon weekend late january, having walked the Half.
The latest word about Christine Boutross ( from Christine Boutross) is that as
a certified Personal Trainer she's working for the New York Sports Club in Cobble Hill.
For the past 2010 year she's been one of the top 100 trainers for Town Sports International
which includes New York Sports Club, Boston Sports Club, Philadelphia Sports Club
and Washington Sports Club.For the 2010 year she's been ranked #47 out of over 2,200 trainers. This ranking
means that she 's trained a certain amount of sessions. For this year she's trained 1344 sessions.
Her certifations as a trainer include ACE, National Academy of Sports Medicine, Cancer Exercise
Specialist, TRX Susupension Training, Kettlebell Instructor and Corrective Exercise Specialist.
and she's curently in the process of obtaining her boxing certification.Christine's also a Holistic Health Coach who works with runners and triathletes who want to improve their performance through fitness and nutrition. Her website is www.christineboutross.com
Thanks to PPTC vols who hooked up with USADA and their drug testing efforts at 2011's 104th annual Millrose games Friday nite January 28th at Madison Square Garden . Wayne Bailey, Doug Olney, Lynette Gonis, and Tom Byrnes.
Sean Rice's Prospect Park Youth Runners were also on the Garden track at the Millrose games in the late afternoon's youth relay events . Don't have the names of the PPTC parents who cheered on their PPYR children but their voices cheering on 'da youts' were certainly appreciated. Watch for the PPYR contingent manning and womening the Cherry Tree water stop !
When the sun rose on February 2nd, the day's break heralded Groundhogs's day as well as the news of only a few more days left to train for PPTC's annual Cherry Tree 10 Mile and Relay XXX Race for the Hardcore . Almost weekly updates on the Cherry Tree will be appearing on the PPTC blog so check them out! If you're in town, run 10, run on a relay team , or volunteer!
And in the spirit of giving back and instead of throwing out your old, used, or unwanted sneakers, after the Cherry Tree race, at Bishop Ford , PPTC's Harold and Gwelda Fairweather are coordinating their donation and collection for forwarding for a whole new life in a whole new country , Belize! So make room in your closets and track down what's only been gathering dust. If you haven't used 'em, lose 'em to Harold and Gwelda. The runners in Belize will certainly appreciate your help!
Mid month, the 15th to be exact, will also see the beginning of another 10 session speed workout with Tony Watson at the Park Slope Armory 's 200 meter indoor track. Be alert for emails and blog mention of the up-coming registration. PPTC is on the track Tuesdays and Thursdays but check which workout nite is best for you.
In an effort to increase PPTC presence at key Brooklyn, NYRR and other local races, Lynda Mules and Tom Tobin have stepped up to lead PPTC's women's and men's teams in 2011. Lynda and Tom are developing details for a PPTC team approach to racing that will further solidify PPTC as the dominant Brooklyn running club and a top club in the New York area. Hey, when we got it, we flaunt it! PPTC runners in PPTC singlets at the races and on the medal stand is what we all want to see!
Registration for 2011's NYC Five Boro Bike Tour opened February 1st. If youre thinkling of this year's ride, register now! Where else can you ride all five boroughs of NYC in one day - and with snacks and other cyclists? Although the ride is not until May 1st, this always sells out. Always.
Theres a limit to the number of riders and registration closes when the max is reached. See y'all there !
PPTC's sympathies and condolences to Kathleen and Richard Weaver on the death of Kathleen's sister in late January.
The happiest and healthiest of Chinese new years, the Year of the Rabbit, on February 3rd to PPTC's Chinese brothers and sisters. Anyone remember when PPTC would gather and go for a run and then hunker down at Mister Wonton' on 7th Ave. and Berkley Placef for a Saturday afternoon lunch?
Stay warm everyone. You may now resume your snow shovelling.
Some Stairy Statistics
A couple of weeks ago, the NY Road Runners Club sponsored the Empire State Building Run Up. (A belated thumbs up to Arther Gonzalez for his successful 18:36 ascent!). There was a little Blog conversation as to the best staircase to use to train for this event within the NYC Subway system. (Did you catch my pun?)
Today I went for a ride.
Smith and 9th Street is definitely the tallest subway station in NYC (It was built on over a drawbridge! What were they thinking?) From the Street to the platform there are 139 steps. The top section is 36 steps to either platform. You will not get in anybody's way if you are running up and taking the escalator down, and the air was fresh, but it is kinda run down. The view from the platform is legendary.
My next stop was the station at Lexington Ave. and E63rd St. It is known among commuters as a tough transfer. Here is a movie of someone running down There are 42 steps from the street, another 131 to the downtown platform and 36 more to the Queens bound platform. There might be a nice quantity of steps, but I would not recommend this for training. First, the stairs are spread out, meaning you have to cross the path of the people using the escalator to continue your run up the stairs. But the main reason not to run up these stairs is that it is usually a busy place.
The next stop on the F is Roosevelt Island. I have been there once before and knew it would be a great place to train for a stair climb. From the subway level
to the "mezzanine" there are 24 steps. Then there are 135 in a straight line. You can easily run down the escalator and do this as much as you want without bothering anybody. The air was fresh, even though the whole thing was underground.
These two pictures are from the Roosevelt Island Station, the view from top and the bottom.
My next trip was to New Jersey, to count the stairs at the Exchange Place station on the PATH. On my way to Exchange Place, I started counting the stairs at WTC station. I stopped counting; this is not a place to run.
The signage at Exchange Place said it was 101 years old. To me it looked as new as the Roosevelt Island Station which is the newest in the NYC Subway system. There is only one set of stairs from the subway level to the street and there are 128 of them. Like Roosevelt Island, you can run up and speed down the escalator as much as you want without bothering anybody (except maybe during rush hour). I took two pictures. The first is the view from the top; you can see the Verrazano Bridge from New Jersey! I took the second from t
he bottom of the stairs after the PATH Police officer told me to put my camera away. (Don't tell)
Today I went for a ride.
Smith and 9th Street is definitely the tallest subway station in NYC (It was built on over a drawbridge! What were they thinking?) From the Street to the platform there are 139 steps. The top section is 36 steps to either platform. You will not get in anybody's way if you are running up and taking the escalator down, and the air was fresh, but it is kinda run down. The view from the platform is legendary.
My next stop was the station at Lexington Ave. and E63rd St. It is known among commuters as a tough transfer. Here is a movie of someone running down There are 42 steps from the street, another 131 to the downtown platform and 36 more to the Queens bound platform. There might be a nice quantity of steps, but I would not recommend this for training. First, the stairs are spread out, meaning you have to cross the path of the people using the escalator to continue your run up the stairs. But the main reason not to run up these stairs is that it is usually a busy place.
The next stop on the F is Roosevelt Island. I have been there once before and knew it would be a great place to train for a stair climb. From the subway level
to the "mezzanine" there are 24 steps. Then there are 135 in a straight line. You can easily run down the escalator and do this as much as you want without bothering anybody. The air was fresh, even though the whole thing was underground.These two pictures are from the Roosevelt Island Station, the view from top and the bottom.
My next trip was to New Jersey, to count the stairs at the Exchange Place station on the PATH. On my way to Exchange Place, I started counting the stairs at WTC station. I stopped counting; this is not a place to run.
The signage at Exchange Place said it was 101 years old. To me it looked as new as the Roosevelt Island Station which is the newest in the NYC Subway system. There is only one set of stairs from the subway level to the street and there are 128 of them. Like Roosevelt Island, you can run up and speed down the escalator as much as you want without bothering anybody (except maybe during rush hour). I took two pictures. The first is the view from the top; you can see the Verrazano Bridge from New Jersey! I took the second from t
he bottom of the stairs after the PATH Police officer told me to put my camera away. (Don't tell)
On Tuesday, I will take a run in Prospect Park. I will count the stairs on big hill.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Our Awards Shindig!
In the words of Richard Weaver, “a good time was had by all,” at the annual awards shindig. On Thursday, January 20th, fifty PPTC members gathered at Abigail on Classon for a little wine, beer, and yummy hors d’ouevres. The cozy restaurant allowed for much mingling, but about an hour into the event, the real purpose for the evening took hold. Is that “the real purpose”? Even if it is, perhaps we should not say it that way “allowed for much mingling, and provided a friendly setting for the awards presentation.”
Club President, Tom Meany, began the awards ceremony by presenting the President’s Award to Geoffrey Vincent for his expert creation of the race calendar. This tool has become so useful to our members that many were surprised to learn that it was actually new in 2010. Way to go, Geoff!
The evening continued with Ami Hassler recognizing all of the members who volunteered throughout 2010. Certificates were given to about 75 people or 15 percent of PPTC’s active members. We are very lucky to have such dedicated members!
Sarah Scott then took over as MC and handed out the Fastest Female and Male Runner Awards. Helen Dole won the female award with such amazing performances as a 19:08 in the Lincoln Tunnel 5K, a 1:27:16 in the Staten Island Half, and a 3:08 flat in the NY Marathon. Much like Helen, our male winner, Matthew Frey dominated in all distances with a 17:14 5K during the Summer Speed Series, a 1:21:11 in the NYC Half, and 1:18:43 a few weeks later in the much harder Brooklyn Half. Matthew recently moved to Chicago, but was happy to hear of his award via email. He will back running in the five boroughs for the Marathon. Congrats to both these blazing fast runners!
The Bob Mueller Award was presented next. This unisex honor goes to a member over age 50, who is a top masters runner and has volunteered for at least one PPTC event in the last year. The award is voted on by the membership, and the nomimees for 2010 were Arthur Gonzalez, Mark Pendarvis, Tom Tobin, Charlene Kholer-Britton, Anthony Watson, Al Prawda, Gil Torres, Geoffrey Vincent, Patricia Perlo, and Yves Roger. And the winner is Tom Tobin. Tom logged an impressive 33 races this year, not including triathalons. Tom particularly specializes in 5Ks where he generally runs under a 7 minute pace. Well done, Tom!
Next Sarah recognized runners who had battled injuries during 2010. While no runner specifically met the requirements for the Comeback Runner of the Year Award, Patricia Perlo, Coco Dartigues, Corre Kombol, Mark Crowther, Anthony Watson, Charlene Kholer-Britton, Rob Ploccica, Frank DeLeo, Maggie Deschamps, and Lynda Mules all suffered with ailments and still managed to race well. The perseverance of these runners inspires us all.
The New Member of the Year Award was given to Yoshie Niitsuma. Yoshie quickly proved her dedication to PPTC by volunteering for most of the Summer Speed Series races. This is particularly admirable given the 100-degree temperatures we endured this past summer. In addition, Yoshie tested herself as a runner with a 31:02 time in the Jingle Jog 4-Miler. Thank goodness Yoshie joined PPTC and not some other Brooklyn club!
Next on the menu was the Outstanding Single Contribution Award. This award is given to a club member who has improved club image, operations, or has provided a unique opportunity for member participation. The nominees were:
Geoffrey Vincent for his maintenance of the race calendar.
Sarah Scott for working with EastBay to make PPTC clothing more accessible.
Ralph Yozzo for finding a lower cost alternative for registration for PPTC races and events.
Michael Ring for his work with the PPTC newsletter.
Richard Weaver for organizing the annual PPTC picnic.
Al Goldstein for transporting all of the baggage to the school after the marathon.
While all nominees were worthy, Michael Ring won for his tireless work with the newsletter. Michael emailed award committee chairs, Ami Hassler and Sarah Scott, less than two hours after receiving his award to write an article for the newsletter about the gathering. Now that’s dedication!
The next award on the agenda was the Most Races Award. Our winner, Arthur Gonzalez, ran 58 races during 2010 - more than one a week! Arthur, we’re not worthy!
Frank DeLeo was the recipient of the Ultra Runner of the Year Award. Frank ran 326.95 miles in races this year with 216.39 of those miles being in races of marathon or ultra marathon distance. What an amazing accomplishment!
Gil Torres then took over the mic to announce the Run Brooklyn winners. In order to be eligible for this lottery-drawn and lucrative $100 award, a member must have run 6 Brooklyn races in 2010. Our winners were Frank DeLeo, Maggie Deschamps, Amy Duquette, Charlene Kholer-Britton, and Yves Roger. Congrats to you all.
The Most Inspirational Award was the final award of the evening. Club President, Tom Meany, gave this honor to Sarah Scott. Sarah puts in 70+ miles a week rain or shine, hot or cold (she really hates the cold), and continually represents PPTC well with amazing times like a 3:06 marathon in Phoenix or a 3:08:04 in NY, just a mere 4 seconds after amazing member Helen Dole. Add to this Sarah’s work with the PPTC Board, PPTC Clothing Committee, and co-chairing this very event, and we would all be hard-pressed to find a member more inspirational than Sarah in 2010. Way to dig deep, Sarah.
The evening ended with a little more wine and beer, a lot more socializing, and Abigail’s awesome mac and cheese, barbeque chicken skewers, healthy chard, and not so healthy brownies. Indeed, a good time was had by all!
PPTC Team Racing in 2011
In an effort to increase PPTC presence at key Brooklyn, NYRR and other local races, Lynda Mules and Tom Tobin have stepped up to lead the women's and men's teams in 2011. Lynda and Tom are developing details for a team approach to racing that will solidify PPTC as the dominant Brooklyn running club and a top club in the New York area.
PPTC can clean up at local races, as we've demonstrated in recent years. Here are just a few examples:
While we do well at local races, we can have stronger team representation at NYRR Club Points races and improve our rankings in all divisions. The NYRR Club Points series will be just one aspect of a focused approach to team participation; members are equally encouraged to participate in key Brooklyn and other local races where our individual and team talents can shine, including Cinco de Mayo, the Bed Stuy 10k, and the Brooklyn Triple Crown series. We also have the opportunity to participate in a new Interclub Challenge announced by NYCRuns which just happens to include our very own Cherry Tree 10 Miler.
To keep key races on the radar, the list of races will be available on the PPTC website, distributed by email announcement, and posted on the forum.
Here’s some of what we’re working on:
PPTC is a strong and diverse team with talented men and women who win races, age group awards, and team events. By focusing on key team races, PPTC members of all abilities and in all age groups can meet individual goals while having fun, increasing club presence, and spreading the word that PPTC is the best club in the borough and beyond.
Stay tuned for more details. And email your comments, suggestions and questions to Lynda and Tom at team@pptc.org.
GO PPTC!
PPTC can clean up at local races, as we've demonstrated in recent years. Here are just a few examples:
- Bed Stuy 10K, 2009: PPTC won the women's overall; 5 PPTC age group winners.
- Holiday 4M (NYRR), 2009: PPTC women's team took 2nd place; 14 top-ten age group finishers.
- Jingle Jog 4M (NYRR), 2010: PPTC women’s team took 1st place; we had 11 top-ten age group finishers, including 4 award winners.
- Al Gordon (NYRR), 2010: PPTC women's team took 1st place; 12 top-ten age group finishers.
- Bed Stuy 10k, 2010: PPTC won the women's overall; 3 PPTC women in the top five overall.
- Cinco de Mayo 5k, 2010: PPTC women's team took 1st place AND placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd overall; men's team took 3rd place; 5 top-three age group finishers.
- Brooklyn Triple Crown 2010 (combined finishes at the Kenny Dolan 5K, Cosme's Boardwalk 5K and Chris Hoban 5M): 7 age group winners.
While we do well at local races, we can have stronger team representation at NYRR Club Points races and improve our rankings in all divisions. The NYRR Club Points series will be just one aspect of a focused approach to team participation; members are equally encouraged to participate in key Brooklyn and other local races where our individual and team talents can shine, including Cinco de Mayo, the Bed Stuy 10k, and the Brooklyn Triple Crown series. We also have the opportunity to participate in a new Interclub Challenge announced by NYCRuns which just happens to include our very own Cherry Tree 10 Miler.
To keep key races on the radar, the list of races will be available on the PPTC website, distributed by email announcement, and posted on the forum.
Here’s some of what we’re working on:
- brief online survey for members about your racing interests and goals
- email group for specifics about upcoming races
- online ‘roll call’ for races
- organize carpooling to events
- highlight and celebrate individual and team accomplishments
PPTC is a strong and diverse team with talented men and women who win races, age group awards, and team events. By focusing on key team races, PPTC members of all abilities and in all age groups can meet individual goals while having fun, increasing club presence, and spreading the word that PPTC is the best club in the borough and beyond.
Stay tuned for more details. And email your comments, suggestions and questions to Lynda and Tom at team@pptc.org.
GO PPTC!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
What you do not know because you are not me January 2011
What you do not know because you are not me January 2011
Michael Ring
Last week I got to accept an award for a teammate who was unable to attend the Shindig.
“Top Male Fastest Runner.” It was a short corny moment. But when I got the plaque
home I realized how cool that was. Not the awards part, but the fact that I was in a room,
having a beer with athletes of that caliber. If my favorite sport was tennis or baseball or
figure skating the people who were at the top of the game would not even talk to me, let
alone drink with me.
It got me thinking about how I got into running and I realized I wrote this two and a half
years ago. We have a lot of new members so I figure I would rerun it now…
What you don’t know because you are not me June 2008
“Why did you run?” The question is often asked of me. My answers vary and
depend on the time of day I’m asked, my mood and how much I care for the
questioner. But, today I am not going to attempt to answer that question. This
month’s question is “Why did you start running?”
I think it was the fall of 1977. I started 9th grade at Sheepshead Bay High School.
Little league was not so good. My parents fought for me to play, but the couch
was really doing me a favor by benching me. I was usually picked last for any
pick-up ball game. So, gym class was really not the best part of my day. Stinky
locker-room, dodge ball, climb a rope or wrestle or sit ups on the gym floor, then
back to the stinky locker room. No, not fun at all.
A few weeks into the school year there were no mats in the gym, there were
some desks. All the coaches were there. They said that if you made it on to
any varsity team; 1) You would be exempt from gym, 2) Gym would actually be
moved to the last period, so you could just go home early and 3) You would get a
grade of 95 on your report card. This was good, very good.
There was a problem, teams had tryouts. I had to be able throw or catch a ball
or I had to be willing to pin somebody. This was not good. Then I saw the track
couch. I remember asking him what I had to do to get on the Track Team. Coach
Silverman said all I had to do was show up. (In PSAL Track the fastest runners
score points for the team, the slower runners do not affect the scoring, kinda like
Club Team Points in NYRC events.)
Show up I could do. I also enjoyed the fact that the faster kids actually talked to
me; they became my friends. (Also like the Prospect Park Track Club.)
I was never fast, but I learned that I could just keep going if I maintained a steady
pace. I actually enjoyed the cross country events, mostly in Prospect Park and
some in Van Cortlandt Park. I think the coach actually noticed me in 11th grade.
I remember that he took me aside and gave me an application to a 5 mile race in
Mill Basin. “This is a real race with grown ups,” he said, and “I just think you
might enjoy it.”.
The next day came the funny awkward meeting. Silverman probably talked to a
colleague and found out he had made a mistake. He told me that PSAL (Public
School Athletic League) runners are not allowed to compete in AAU (Amateur
Athletic Union, the predecessor the MAC, Metropolitan Athletic Conference)
events. He realized that he could get in trouble. The he nervously smiled and
said that this rule would only come into play if I score, if I finish in the top 3 in
my age category. I realized he was really trying not to hurt my feelings; he was
being realistic.
And I really liked running with the grown-ups. In my Junior Year in High
School, I joined the New York Road Runners Club. I ran races with sponsors like
Pepsi and Mazola and a race called the Hispanic Half (Is that politically correct?)
I eventually applied for the New York City Marathon. But that is a story for next
month.
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