Gothamology

Birthday Self Assesment

2011-12-12T11:11:00.001-05:00

As I sit in grand rounds between patients, I think of the road I am on. Barring an extreme act of self-sabotage, in six months I will be treating patients in our acupuncture clinic. Over the next nine months I will upgrade myself from Half-Ironman to Ironman status. It looks like the making of another fantastic year. Thank you friends and family for this system of good. My patients, clients, the Young Runners, and I thank you for the good vibes.

Only a year until...

2011-08-11T12:12:00.014-04:00

A year from today I am scheduled to race the Ironman U.S. Championship. I wanted a challenge so I gave myself one. What better a way to balance neurotransmitters and hormones than by training the girth away? I hope to reach race weight by November, but right now it looks like it will be a challenge. Besides, I should be getting ready for my finals on Tuesday. Instead, I'm posting to my blog.

On Death and Triathlons

2011-08-09T20:38:00.001-04:00

On Monday, Manhattan Borough president Scott Stringer said in a press release, "New Yorkers signed up for a triathlon -- not a game of Russian roulette." Since the probability of getting shot in a solo game of Russian roulette is approximately 1:6, and the probability of getting shot in a game game played with others is even higher, I'll take the odds of death by NYC Tri over Russian Roulette on any Sunday. These people died doing what they wanted to be doing. How are you planning to go out, Mr. Stringer?

On needling

2011-07-23T14:18:00.002-04:00

"...We are taking an inanimate object -a needle- and making it a living
extension of ourselves, so we must put our whole body behind it."
"...The skillful hand comes firm the complete integration of one's
will, physical energy, and posture. This is why we have to center
ourselves in our lower abdomen, breathe deeply and evenly, and empty
our minds. Our mind has to be serene and our body must be rooted and
immovable like a great tree."
Sorei Yanagiya
Founder of Meridian Therapy

2011-07-16T16:32:00.001-04:00

Our practical is in a month. As the anxiety builds, I wonder if I will suffer a stroke or a heart attack first. I dream of feel confident enough about my skills to saunter into my exam, perform the skill set, and leave without a care in the world. I am counting on a pre-exam swim to take the edge off. I hope Dr. Ratey is right in his book Spark.

2011-03-06T19:40:00.002-05:00

Why does NYC's Police Plaza have to sit on some of the most expensive real estate in America? Even if they command cops in all five boroughs, can't that be done from the cheapest land in the city. I'm sure the surrounding community can certainly use the incidental income. Just saying…

It begins again...

2011-01-22T10:47:00.000-05:00

The temperature has fallen below 20° Over one year has gone by I posted. Back to school. Start running again, but not today. The NYC Half Marathon is fast approaching, and I haven't trained since the New York Marathon last fall. Perhaps signing up for the PPTC's Cherry Tree 10 Miler on 2/20 will help me snap out of it. A month to get back up to 10 miles is reasonable, isn't it?

...and so ends the Grand Prix

2009-10-15T10:08:00.000-04:00

Six half marathons this year. I feel slower, not faster. Was it too
much? Perhaps. Was it fun? Hell yeah! It got me out every week to run
with friends and family, and the connections is what it is about.
Next year it is back to 70.3 and, if all goes well, the New York
Marathon.

NYC Tri

2009-08-16T17:56:00.002-04:00

Hot and humid! I started in the very back of the pack, as the express buses to Manhattan don't run before 5:30. Ouch! Waddling through the crowd in the park, I could not do better that 10 minute miles. Once got out of the park, I felt good, but the clock begged to differ. 2:13:51 was the time. Double ouch! There is always next year.

Falling

2008-09-23T10:21:00.002-04:00

It has been a long time since I added anything to the blog. Life and its twists and turns got in the way. The 2007 Chicago Marathon was my last race of the season, and I just kind of sat around and watched this year go by without racing. I volunteered at the NYC Tri, and I caught the racing bug. Since then I've done the Nike Human Race, the Queens Half Marathon, and the Fifth Avenue Mile. Can I get the nine races in I need to get into the New York Marathon? Stay tuned...

Floyd Bennett Time Trial Race Report

2007-06-03T14:02:00.001-04:00

Team Tortuga races again, and the results are in.
Sunday morning. Site of the Floyd Bennett Time Trial. It took longer than expected to get to the old airport as a car fire shut down the Belt Parkway. I registered and got my one day license on site. Nothing to do but wait an hour for the fun to start. I spot a Concorde parked by the old control tower, and more Lamborghini's than any car show I have ever been to are strutting their stuff in the distance. At 9:30 my number was almost up, so I mounted my trusty steed and was off to the starting line. One of the organizers fixed my number, which i had pinned on upside-down, and he then held me and my bike upright by my saddle at the starting line. After being read the riot act by the ref, I was off. Four runway straights, and for hot corners X 5 laps. I imagined runways to be a lot smoother! My heart rate shot up to 200 bpm, a then it settled down to a more respectable 153. I was lapped by some, and I lapped a few people. The Lambos speeding alongside me kept me going faster, and before I knew it, it was all over. It was my first time trial ever, so I was pretty much guaranteed a PR.

Negative splits make me happy. Now I just need to learn to ride fast.

Lap 1 time: 0:06:13
Lap 2 time: 0:06:20
Lap 3 time: 0:06:05
Lap 4 time: 0:06:01
Lap 5 time: 0:06:00
Total time: 0:30:39
Average speed: 21.73 MPH

Beer Power!

2007-06-02T23:59:00.000-04:00

Killmeyer's Old Bavaria Inn yesterday. Brooklyn Brewery tour today. Tomorrow's time trial shoud be interesting...

Shop till...

2007-05-06T11:10:00.001-04:00

Question I get asked a lot are where is a good place to get a first bike, and/or where should I take my bike to bet a tune up. Gerald Brown at Racer's Edge in Canarsie is a good resource. Tell him Dave from the Staten Island Bicycling Association sent you. He will not remember me, but he will take good care of you. ;-) Other good resources for bikes in Brooklyn are Christine Dercole and Mike Rodriguez of Bicycle Station @ 560 Vanderbilt Ave. Their number is 718.638.0300, and I don’t think they have a website. Finally, there is Recycle a Bicycle in both DUMBO and Alphabet City. Their’s is a good cause.

Where am I racing?

2007-03-02T14:13:00.000-05:00

Twenty-five meter pools make me feel like swimming in the harbor. The Manhattan Island Foundation is putting on a nice slate of events this year. It may be time to make my calendar for the season.

2007 Cherry Tree

2007-02-17T23:11:00.000-05:00

Finally! A race! My first race of the year.

I ran in the Cherry Tree 10 Miler in Prospect Park today. My time was 1:37:25.0 for a really slow pace of 9:45 a mile. It was freakin' cold, though.

Team in Training Kickoff

2007-02-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

It has begun. Only six months until the New York City Triathlon. I met my mentees and my mentor buddy last night. Nice crew. This should be good...

Año Nuevo

2007-01-08T12:43:00.000-05:00

Now that Los Reyes and the rest of the holidays are over, I should pick up the pace of my tri training, right? No, I didn't get that shiny new set of 606's I asked for, but it should be as easy or easier than it was before I eased off on the intensity and allowed my body to recover. Instead, I feel like I am carrying a 50# pack on my back. It doesn’t matter if I am spinning, running, or in a yoga class. I feel so heavy I am afraid I’d snap the beam on my Softride if I were to sit on it. I hear fat floats, so maybe now is the time to focus on stroke technique.
Tomorrow is my first meeting as a mentor for Team in Training. I am also just a week into my first semester at Pacific College, so I am feeling just a little overwhelmed. I need to install a velodrome in my backyard. No place to start like the beginning. Again.

The future is now

2006-12-19T12:18:00.000-05:00

My friend Alvina of Bloomabilities fame recently completed the New York City Marathon. She seems hell-bent on doing a triathlon next. I’m recommending she start with either the Staten Island Flat as a Pancake or the Danskin Women’s Triathlon in Sandy Hook. Does anyone know of any better picks for a first timer?

She also asked what was next on my agenda. Right now it looks like I will be competing in the Timberman in New Hampshire (70.3) and the New York City Tri (Olympic) right here in Gotham. Then it is on to the Chicago Marathon, my first. Of course, Team Tortuga also needs to defend its title at the Staten Island Flat as a Pancake. Full schedule to follow.

It's a wrap!

2006-12-11T10:28:00.000-05:00

We had the Brooklyn Tri Club Holiday extravaganza yesterday. Great fun at the Park Slope Ale House. I was on the award committee with my teammates Emily and Tony. How did everyone get so fast? Practice! I may have to cut my off-season R & R back and leave the wine and cheese on the tray. Perhaps I should sign up for another round of Team in Training.

Will Camp for PS3

2006-11-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

Got it. But what a week. Becoming number 67 at Sony Wonder in line for my PS3 required that I camp out on the corner of 56th and Madison since Tuesday, but I was rewarded with a night of entertainment featuring Ludikrus and Charlie Murphy. A special shout out goes to Apple for their 24 hr store on 5th with an always clean restroom. Now I must sell it on eBay to pay for more school so I can graduate and buy a 1080p television and another PS3 when they are not going for 500% of their sticker price. It beats my day job.

2006 NYC Tri

2006-07-17T02:15:00.000-04:00

Team Tortuga races again, and the results are in. Sunday morning. Site of NYC Tri. After getting kicked out of the transition area at 5:55 am or so, I trekked over to the swim start to begin my 2hr wait. Mine was the absolute last group to hit the water. My swim split was a little slower than last year, but I expected that as the rocking current was conspicuously absent this time around. After a quick unexpected detour to hit the head (it had been two hours!) I mounted my trusty steed and was off.

The ride to the Bronx and back felt fast, probably because of all the folks I got to pass. There were even a few mountain bike equipped with state of the art wicker baskets. The whole ride was a series of passing maneuvers. I think this may have lulled me into a false sense of speediness. My time would tell a different story.

The run is where I expected to show some real improvement. I was feeling good, and my heart rate was in my comfort zone, so I cruised over to the park confident that I would improve on my time and maybe even sacrifice a few age groupers in the process. At about mile 1 I started to cramp in my glutes. Against my better judgement I decided to take the Cytomax and drink it. Bam! Within seconds my stomach constricted to 2% of its previous volume. In retrospect, I should have adopted a quadrupedal form of locomotion. Instead, I shuffled. Buy the time I reached Harlem I was starting to pull it back together. I hope I at least managed to look good for Brightroom.

My swim was slower, my bike was slower, my run was slower, and my transitions were slower than last year. Maybe it is time to take up bocce and beer at the Union Hall.

1.5K Swim 19:57
1st transition 8:16
40K Bike 1:21:53
2nd transition 3:23
10K Run 60:31
Total Time 2:53:57

The Brooklyn Half Marathon

2006-03-19T14:36:00.000-05:00

Just call me tortuga. Yesterday was a beautiful day for a run. The temperature went from a little over 30°F at 8 in Coney Island to a little under 40°F at the time I finished in Prospect Park. It took me a little less than 2:05 to finish this my first half marathon. At least now I know I can run the distance. Only 8 weeks until Disney. Maybe I should get serious.

Bi-Bridge Run tomorrow

2006-02-24T19:10:00.000-05:00

It looks like the plan for tomorrow is a run from Grand Army Plaza to the Brooklyn Bridge, over it and than back over the Manhattan Bridge. It will be worth it just for the scenery.

Cherry Tree 10 Miler

2006-02-18T20:07:00.000-05:00

Fun 10 mile run in the park today. Freezing, though!

Back for more

2006-02-07T14:10:00.000-05:00

After seeing these I have decided to resume training. Plus, Triathlete Magazine is running a 13 week plan to a Half Ironman. Like I need an excuse to go to South America.

The Recap

2005-09-27T15:41:00.000-04:00

This season's results:

The NYC Aquathalon
Date: 18 June 2005
Time: 00:52:33:01

The NYC Tri
Date: 10 July 2005
Time: 02:45:32

The Flat as a Pancake Tri
Date: 18 June 2005
Time: 01:17:48

The West Point Tri
Date: 18 June 2005
Time: 01:38:00

The Westchester Tri
Date: 18 June 2005
Time: 02:47:03

With previous sprint distance times of 1:11:56 (2003 S.I. Flat as a Pancake) and 1:31:00 (2002 CopaAmerica in Condado, Puerto Rico) it is hard to tell if I am getting faster or slower. I am pretty sure I am getting older, though.

The Season Ends and Begins Again

2005-09-26T16:18:00.000-04:00

2:47:03

That is how look it took from the time I swam away from Playmand until the time I returned running. Twenty minutes of swimming, eighty minutes of cycling, sixty minutes of running, and a ride on the Dragon roller coaster later, My 2005 tri season is over. Westchester was worth the trip. I guess it is time to sign up for the Ironman Lottery.

The aftermath

2005-09-07T16:01:00.000-04:00

"I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.' 'I'm homeless, the government must house me.' They're casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There's no such thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation."

Margaret Thatcher PM, "Women's Own" magazine, 31 October 1987

I have to think...

It is a real blessing to be able to take time to run for the sake of running, to travel for the sake of traveling, and to swim for the sake of swimming. No one is chasing me, I am not being ordered out of my home, and I am not swimming for my life through a fetid soup of feces, petroleum distillates, and rotting flesh. I have time to choose what I want to do regarding work, recreation , and education. It would be wise to choose wisely and deliberately.

One Down

2005-07-11T17:57:00.000-04:00

2:45:32

Team in Training is over. The New York City Tri is behind us. Memories...

I guess that is my new p.r.

Sucks to be slow. ;-)

One more week

2005-07-01T17:17:00.000-04:00

This has been hell! My knees don't want to hear it anymore, my friends are too poor to give to charity, and I have spent the last 20 weeks begging for money. Now I get to swim in the Hudson. Again. Where is my bike? I need an endorphin fix.

Send off

2005-07-01T02:19:00.000-04:00

Well there you have it. We are offically in the taper stage. I'm taking my wetsuit to the shore for some final open water swimming. The Nike Free's come too. That, a good book, and, of course, some Roman Candles!

In the beginning...

2005-06-01T20:19:00.000-04:00

Not a great start, but I am short of time. Training in Central Park. More later.