NYC RUNS HOT CHOCOLATE 5K/10K 2012

Much as I would love to give you details of my bike trip in Queens and Manhattan, i.e. the second part of the PERSONAL TRI-BORO BIKE TOUR, I need to pre-empt that writing to bring you the latest in my road-running adventure, the NYC Runs Hot Chocolate 5K/10K...

So we know the personal tri-boro bike tour was for me to go get my race packet, which consisted of a mug and the bib, as pictured below.  Much as I love T-shirts, I must admit that I do have quite a few already so having a mug as a race souvenir was a good thing.  It is also good that the time tag was attached to the back of the bib.  One fewer thing to worry about, i.e. unlike the D-tag, there is no need to attach the tag to the sneakers.  Of course, the down side is that on the subway ride over to the race, while waiting on the subway platform, without the D-tag sticking out from the laces on the sneakers, it is not easy to tell who your fellow runners are.

The subway ride to Roosevelt Island was uneventful, and that's a good thing.  Earlier in the weekend, I noticed a sign saying there would not be Coney Island bound service.  By Sunday morning, however, the token clerk wrote "Normal Service" on the whiteboard in the token booth.  Not that I dread a little longer walk from the N train station after a 10K, it was good to know.  Many years ago, Roosevelt Island was accessible only by tram or by foot/car via the bridge from Queens at 36th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard.  I did take a tram trip just for the fun of it and still have the tokens I saved as souvenir.  Nowadays the F train has a stop there, aptly named "Roosevelt Island".

The 10K race was scheduled for 10 AM but I wanted to be early to take photos of the 5K runners.  I also picked up race packet for a PPTC member.  I emailed her once I got out of the subway to tell her that I would wait for her in the subway station, away from the cold rain.  She called me back a short time later to ask me to meet her at registration area, near a mutual Facebook friend.  Mug and bib transferred to its owner, off I went to do some stretching and mingling in the crowd to greet PPTC friends and NYC Runs officials.

I took a few photos of the fast runners lining up for the 5K then walked down the corral looking for PPTC members.  Found one and took her photo and just as I was still at the end of the corral the race started.  I rushed back to the front and snapped a few, uh, blurry photos.  It must be the overcast sky and the lack of a working flash on my camera.  Next time I'll use my wife's still-flashy camera.

I had some time to kill before the 10K race started.  Walked around a bit and took photo for a different PPTC member as well as those of the runners milling about waiting for their turn.  I wanted to take a picture of the front-runners for the 10K race, too, but I didn't want to risk having my bib mistakenly picked up at the start mat.  I am perfectly fine with running from the back of the corral, but it would be bad if my time starts at the mat before I actually run across it.

Hurricane Sandy brought about some damages to Roosevelt Island so the course had to be changed.  I was a bit worried that I would get lost somewhere along the slightly different course, but good thing there were volunteers etc along the way to guide the runners.  I was with the bulk of the runners all the time too so I was able to follow the runners in front of me.  I typically run at least 8 km so the 10 km race should not be a big deal, but after a few Ks I did wish it would be over already.  I suppose running on the street I had many forced stops, at unfavorable traffic lights and such, perfect time to catch my breath.  In a race, the road is usually closed for us runners so there's no excuse to stop, unless the body cannot take it any more.  And my body sure could take it!  I ran continuously, through the light rain.  There was some dirt road in the northern part of the island and runners were advised to wear old shoes for the race.  Luckily, it didn't rain that heavily so we didn't have a muddy path to deal with.  I was a bit cold in the beginning but by 5K I felt I had too many layers on.  The course was advertised as flat, perfect scenario to get a personal record.  At the NYRR Queens 10K my time was 1:07.  When I was within earshot of the cheering from the finish line, I started to sprint to end the race.  I was hoping I would beat the few people in front of me but too bad they too stepped on the gas.  I still had a new PR for a 10K, 1:02:44, although I was told later by other PPTC members that had I ran through the finish mats, instead of pausing to stop the GPS watch, I could have shaved 5 more seconds from the finish time.  Oh well, next time, next time I will.

Souvenir mug and bib.  I even brought the mug to the race planning to use it, instead of a Styrofoam cup, so just in case there were other mugs I attached a piece of swimming pool wrist-band to the mug handle.  I got lazy and used a Styrofoam cup after the race though, sigh.

If you run 8 minute-mile or better, you get to be in the front.

Off them 5K runners went!

Race officials setting up the 10K start, which is a short distance from the 5K start.

10K runners already hanging out in the corral.

I normally have a fanny pack across my chest to hold house keys, cell phone etc, but for the Hot Chocolate Run, since I wanted to take some photos before the race and after bag-check, I had a separate fanny pack to hold the camera.

More photos can be found at

https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5822721934907065953?authkey=CJ-Bwe7KyciiOQ

NYRR Staten Island Half-Marathon 2012

Somehow I had the feeling that I would achieve a personal record (P.R.) at the NYRR Staten Island Half-Marathon 2012.  It was the first race I ran after becoming unemployed.  I had some extra time to run more often and longer, usually in the morning, with the afternoons spent on tweaking resume, submitting it to job engines etc.  The cool weather, below 80° with no sun, helped, even if it was no where near the 9°F that helped me PR at the Manhattan Half-Marathon in 2011.  For that race, I dressed in layers, with gloves, and was soaked in sweat by the time I finished, in 2 hours and 23 minutes.  I had to run continuously, both to save time and also because I had not discovered on-the-run nutrition.  For today's race, by race time I only had one layer, a singlet and a running shorts, with the long-sleeved layers with baggage check.  Usually I don't eat at all before a race, but since there was much time available, while waiting for the ferry I had a bagel and coffee.  Better training, cool weather, fewer clothes to better dissipate the heat, and pre-race nutrition, all that combined to get me to have a P.R. of 2:14:39, nine minutes from my previous P.R.

The night before, I got everything ready.  D-tag wrapped around left shoelace, bib pinned to the Prospect Park Track Club singlet, cell phone and GPS watch fully charged, eyeglass case, home keys, some money, MetroCard, Gu packs etc stuffed into a fanny pack that I will wear across my chest.  For the pre-race down time in the cold, I set aside an outer layer of long-sleeved garments.

The day started early at 4:30 AM and I was out the door by 5.  I got to the ferry terminal before 6 and would catch a 6 AM ferry, per the schedule on the wall, but the P.A. said the next ferry would be at 6:30.  I had time to go grab an everything bagel, toasted with cream cheese, and a large coffee with milk and sugar.  By the time ferry-boarding was allowed, I was mostly done with breakfast.  In Staten Island, I had time to go the restroom then spent about an hour inside the warmer St. George Terminal.  Out on the waterfront, I had some time to take photos Manhattan Island then the 9/11 Memorial.  Last year I only had time to check the bag and jumped into the race some time after most runners were already left the corrals.  This year, I had time to remove the outer layer of clothes to check them and even went back to the ferry terminal to use the restroom a few more times.  During such a trip, I met Mr. James Lu, a local runner who is regularly seen at NYRR races and well-known for his handbells and for starting to run late in his 60s.

Mr. James Lu, the venerable late-stage runner.  Near his left hand are the hand-bells he is well-known for.

Early in the race, I saw that I was running at about 6:23 minute per kilometer.  That's a bit fast compared to the usual 7:xx I maintain during the almost-daily workout.  I didn't want to lose steam so I actually slowed down but somehow I was still going sub-6:xx min/km.  Probably the excitement of running in a big group.  At one point, the right knee felt weird, just briefly, while at some other point, in the first few miles, the left calf felt a little tinkling, so I had to slow even further, both to avoid any cramps and to avoid injury before the New York City Marathon mere weeks away (on November 4th)

I normally consume a Gu pack every hour, instead of the recommended 45 minutes.  I was going to go with the recommended time but still end up missing actually having a Gu at around 53 minutes into the race, around Mile #5.  Just before that I discovered my right shoelace was loose so I had to stop to re-tie it.  Since I already stopped and a water station was visible, I had the first Gu then, washed down with Gatorade and water.  On the way out to the turnaround mark, about 7 miles out, I looked for fellow PPTC runners to give them a shout-out.  I purposely stayed near the median of Frank Cappodono Boulevard to better spot any PPTC runners but without my glasses I probably missed a few.  Some I caught in time as we passed each other and I was able to greet them loudly, other times they recognized me first and we just waved.  The "game" helped me get to the turnaround mark quickly.  It was already past Mile 7!

I recall last year around Mile 8 the runners entered Fort Wadsworth  then exited onto Bay Street.  For whatever reason, this year we ran along the outside of the fort.  The hill at Mile 8 was brutal but after that it was mostly downhill.  I had another Gu after that hill, again with Gatorade and water from the fluid station.  Around Mile 10 all that Gatorade and water had to be expelled but I resisted the urge.  Knowing how fast I can go, given the distance left, I was sure I would P.R., only if I keep up the modest pace I was running at.  Best not to have any more Gu breaks, but I did grab a water after the bridge around Mile 12.  The last mile, as usual, felt pretty long, with one more hill to surmount.

Further back around Mile 11 I started to see finishers walking or running against the runners trying to finish.  None had a medal around their necks, so I thought there would be no medal.  It would be big slight to the borough of Staten Island if there was no medal for the half-marathon finishers, since even the Queens 10K gave out medals.  After Mile 12 I saw many finishers with medals so I had the extra incentive to finish even sooner.  I only have a handful of medals so they are big deals to me to have.  Perhaps this year the trip out was further than before, as the finish line seemed to be closer.  So ran faster I did, a lot faster than usual, even faster than my usual finish-line sprint, I think.  2:14:39 it was indeed, a P.R. indeed, by nine minutes!  Normally, shaving a minute or two from a P.R. is a big deal.  Almost ten minutes is a really big deal.  With better training and losing five pounds or so, perhaps some day I can reach the sub-2-hour mark for a half-marathon!

As a slow runner, I usually don't have my photos taken by the photographers along the route.  Them photographers usually just hang around for the first few thousand runners  By the time I make my way to the finish line, there would be no photographers along the route, just some at the finish line.  Today I decided to do a favor for the runners that came after me.  On the way to the ferry, I stopped to take a bunch of photos for these later finishers.  I would take more but the rain was getting heavier and there was a ferry to catch.  The photos don't appear as good as I wish, as the bib numbers don't show well, but hopefully the runners can recognize themselves.  Below are the photos but they are also shared at

https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5796734866780894465

Bib #9829.

Bib #9605.

Bib #8032.

Bib #8089.

Bib #9599.

Bib #8514 etc.

Bib #9248.

Bib #9095.

COOGAN 2012

Another year, another Coogan 5K race.  I cannot remember why I signed up for Coogan 5K race last year.  Maybe it was because it was one of the few NYRR races that are not held in Central Park.  Or because I planned to explore the west side waterfront of Manhattan after the race, which I did, not exactly the waterfront but pretty far west nonetheless.  Or maybe it was the challenge of the terrain, very hilly, I was told.


This year I planned to have a post-race run across the George Washington Bridge and down the east coast of the neighboring New Jersey down to Newport to take the PATH back to New York.  It would be a great run except that it would take time.  It turned out my son missed the regular weekend swimming exercise last week so today we needed to make-up for it, even though we already had a session just yesterday.


With last year's Coogan, I had my fastest time up until then, 10:22 minutes per mile.  I beat that pace later in the year with the Jingle Bell Jog 6K (10:07) and the Ted Corbitt 15K (10:21).  I was on a roll and hoped that with the Coogan race in 2012 I would beat my finish time by a few minutes.  I managed to have a personal record (P.R.) alright, but by only 6 seconds, i.e. last year's finish time was 32:10 vs. this year's 32:04.  What is the margin of error on these things anyway?  Would an improvement of a few seconds negligible?  That only differences of a minute or more count?


I used to run these morning races on an empty stomach but since I discovered GU I do take them as "breakfast" to get a boost for the races.  I took one gel pack this morning, but perhaps not soon enough for the race.  The recommended time is 45 minutes before the race but I did it at 30 minutes.  Who knows, that 15-minute difference could have sent the necessary nutrition to my legs for a faster finish time.


There are a few good things about today's race, other than my meager P.R.  After finishing the race, a woman from behind told me that she used me as a marker, to push herself for the finish line.  Sort of like what I once referred to as stalk-running.  It was such a short race that I think I passed her at Mile 3 and there was only 0.1 mile to go, not much of a stalk really.  Still, I feel honored.


I had the good fortune of having my friend Mike come over from Fort Lee, just across the nearby GWB, to take photos for me at the event.  Brightroom was not at the event so even if you want to buy photos it is not an option.  NYRR photographers took some great shots of the event, but usually the people in the back corrals don't get any exposure, until now.  If you were in the 6000, see if you find yourself below.  If you find your photos and like it, look for a Chinese guy named Mike and buy him a drink at the Coogan Irish pub.

Wait wait don't tell me what Cooganized means.

More waiting.  I was so far back and it was so noisy, I did not hear the national anthem at all.

I was going to check-in the yellow hoodie but it was cold so I kept it.  Instead of fumbling with removing the bib from the official race shirt to put it on the hoodie, I just put the shirt on the outside... and looked kinda weird.

The #1 finisher, look at how that leg kicks back!

Almost there!  I think this was at Mile #3.

2011 Look-Back

Is it too late in the year to have a look-back at the old year?  Never mind, just pretend this is a bi-monthly magazine that did not cover the topic early enough, i.e. late in the old year before, and now have to push it out anyway.  A quality magazine, I might add, not one of those that back-date to make it looks like the blog, uh, magazine, comes out regularly.  Just kidding, TOTA!

So what happened in my life in 2011 that I considered memorable?  Or at least the event somehow got stuck that I can recall without too much brain-wracking.  To be fair to the months of the year, below I try to list at least one event per month.  As expected, with aging and brain cells destroyed by cell phone use or other forms of radiation, for some months I could not recall anything at all.  Luckily, there were old status updates in Facebook to re-visit.  I sure could have used the Timeline feature so that I did not have to click Older Posts many times.

January - A very cold day to run, but the NYRR Manhattan Half Marathon turned out to be the PR to beat for the entire year.  I ran non-stop, no water (!), and clocked at 2:23, the record remained unbeaten for the year.

February - While vacationing in the Orlando area, I finally got to meet Bill and Tahir.  I know Bill for years as a work colleague.  After many email messages, phone calls, and text chats, we finally met.  Tahir and I went to Newtown High School (Elmhurst) together, Class of 1985, and did not know each other but that's the wonder of Facebook.  I even got a nice welcome treat from Tahir and his wife.

March - I became hooked on the Millennium Trilogy and really needed to read the last of the series, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.  Unfortunately, none of the public library systems in New York City had it soon enough.  But the local Jersey City branch has it, only catch was it was the Large Print edition.  I tore through the book (not literally) and came to appreciate large-print books more.  Ever since then, unless I have to read a particular book, I usually just pick something off the large-print shelf.

April - Ugh, St. Louis Marathon.  It was to be my first Marathon in 15 years, but because of hot weather it was cut short, for slow people like me who did not reach the half-way point at certain time.  Luckily, the trip to St. Louis was also to see TOTA and her husband.  I had the most relaxing few days of my life in a long time.

May - Being a resident of Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Half Marathon is one race I definitely had to be in.  It was the Brooklyn Half that I bumped into at Coney Island in 2010.  Up until then, I did not know such a thing, i.e. half-marathon, existed.

June - Somewhere along all that running my left foot got hurt so I decided to take the whole month off.  I missed running a lot and found cycling really boring.  Technically you operate a machine so you do not use that much of your own muscle power.  Most mornings I come home not even breaking a sweat.

July - With the cost of running in official races costing so much, the Holiday Marathon series was a welcoming experience.  The locale, Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, bordering Westchester, is far from convenient, but I finally made the trip, for the July 4th Run.  I missed some trail markers and only ran 4 miles, not the 6 miles intended, but it was still a good group run.

Aug - Two weeks in China.  Being not born in China and not one of those people who think greatly of the country just because some grandparent came from there, I was not that thrilled to be there, but hey, two weeks away from work is still two weeks from work.  I heard much about Shanghai Beach and finally got there, only it was not a beach but just a waterfront.

September - Thanks to my friends on DailyMile and elsewhere, I discovered the joy of gu - they really make a difference.  The body can carry only so much fuel, you need to replenish the fuel during long runs.  Energy Lab GUs and such stuff do wonders for the long-distance runner.  Speaking of long-distance, I also had my first U-haul driving experience, driving a truck from NY to Atlanta.

October - After years of living without a smartphone, I took the plunge.  It was not an iPhone, but rather an Android phone, to be exact, the Samsung Galaxy.  It sure is nice to have almost-constant access to email and such.  At a price.

November - I did not get into the NYRR Marathon via lottery but there was the Inaugural Brooklyn Marathon.  I actually did a full marathon, after a 15-year hiatus.

December - A new Personal Record!  At the Jingle Bell Jog 6K, I had a new P.R. with pace of 10:07.  Previous record was 10:22, from Coogan's Run, which was just 5K.

Sorry for the many references to running, but that's my life outside of work and family.

Mr. 23 and Me at the Ted15

In the excitement of having a Personal Record with the NYRR Jingle Bell Jog, I wrongly concluded that the next P.R. to beat would be the Manhattan Half Marathon.  I did not realize that this weekend I could also take a crack at the 15K P.R., in particular the NYRR Ted Corbitt 15K (Ted15).


The subway trip to the race, in Central Park, was as messy as the typical New York weekend.  I already knew that the D train runs on the N line toward Manhattan, but I forgot to check #4 train, which I would need to take to get to the NYRR office to pick up the bib and time chip.  Upon transferring for the #4 at Pacific Street Station, I noticed the stair opposite the elevator had a red tape stretched across it.  However, in another nearby stair the red tape was broken and there were people in running clothes heading up it, so I followed them up.  As us New Yorkers often do, I and the few runners quickly started up a chat about the lousy weekend subway service.  I had a long chat with one particular elderly man, who I shall refer to as Mr. 23.  A #4 train heading further into Brooklyn stopped at one side of the middle platform where we were and people got off.  On the Manhattan side, a #4 arrived but it stopped on the far side of the platform, where the #2 and #3 usually stops.  Shouting the classic "Hold the doors!" we ran down the stair then up again the other side.  Someone actually held the door and we all thanked him profusely.  It was horrible mismanagement.  There was no sign whatsoever to tell the riders that the #4 train would not stop at its usual place right next to the platform.  It was a good thing that we were runners - and somehow held the door.


I continued chatting with Mr. 23.  I learned that he started running late in life, like 49, and has been running 29 years!  He is in his 78!  His memory is not so good and his eyesight is bad, but he sure can run, from what he told me, and he looked the part.  He ran a total of 23 NYC Marathons.  Yup, he's one of those automatic entrants - no need for 9+1, lottery with the non-refundable $11 fee, or qualification time.  He told me he qualified for Boston Marathon so he is probably good enough for NYC Marathon, given his age.  Very impressive, Mr. 23.  I would be happy if I still can walk when I reach 70.  There is hope of course.  I am not even 45 yet and already have a few years of running under my belt.


At last year's Ted15, I arrived late and just joined the race as people thinned out.  As long as you do not arrive so late that the start line got totally dismantled, your race does not start until you and your time chip cross the start mat.  Technology at work!  For today's race, even with the side trip to the NYRR office to pick up bib and chip, I still had some time to walk to the start line to get the T-shirt, use the john, wolf down one pack of GU, and stretched a bit before the race began.  My bib number was in the 7000 but perhaps because fewer people signed up for winter races, the 7000 people were moved up to the 6000s corral and then 5000s, or maybe even further up.  Soon someone sang the National Anthem.  Is it still general practice to stand still and place one's right hand over the chest during the singing of the "Star-Spangled Banner"?  I have the image of that Norman Rockwell painting and still do that.  I got my Garmin ready and pressed Start as I crossed the start mat.  Off we went!


At the first mile, my pace was more than 10:07, that wonderful minute per mile number which I just achieved at the Jingle Bell Jog.  I worried that I would not be able to keep that pace.  Silly me! I was comparing a 6K race to a 15K one.  Much as I would like to, my body will not be able to maintain the same speed for a longer distance.  It helps to be realistic.  A few more miles and I came up with another crazy idea.  Somehow I thought my P.R. for a 15K race at the time was 1:21 plus some seconds.  It was already 21 minutes into the race (net time per my Garmin) and I still had so much to cover, there was no way I would beat the 1:21 time.  Again, I was off the mark, as the real time was 1:41:28, at the Cancer Colon Challenge in March 2011.  Luckily I corrected my mind and pressed on with a more achievable goal in mind.


I think for the Ted15 in '10 I stopped for water only once.  I did the same today, around Mile #5, except this time I also had a pack of GU to take.  There was no Gatorade so I took two cups of water.  My hands were so cold I could not open the pack of GU and had to bite it open.  It seemed like forever while I walked to drink the water and eat the GU.  People were passing me left and right, but once I had the GU consumed I ran past many people.  When Mile #9 came up, I mistakenly thought the finish line was just a tad beyond.  I started to sprint for it but it was still far off, or 0.3 miles (0.52K) to be exact.  Luckily, I did not lose too much steam and, thanks to the Garmin, knew very well that I would finish less than 1:41:28.  But by how much?  As I crossed the finish line, the Garmin said 1:36:20.  A day or two earlier, NYRR announced that the office had some upgrade to be done the day before the race and may affect posting of the race result.  Thankfully result posting was not affected and I soon learned that officially my time was 1:36:15, which made it an improvement of 5 minutes and 13 second!  Woohoo for a new P.R.!!!


In case you wonder, Ted Corbitt was the founding president of the New York Road Runners club.  He was also the first African-American to compete in the Olympic Marathon, in Helsinki (1952).  According to Wikipedia, he was an active runner into his 80s.  Amazing!