A week of coming back and Grete's Great Gallop

After the Nutmegman Half Ironman I dashed off to Austria for a week of business meetings. Unfortunately I caught both a bit of a cold and a nagging eye infection, and that, on top of a busy schedule basically set me back my training a full week. So last week my goal was basically to ramp up my training again. The first two easy runs of 4 miles each were anything but easy though. I felt like crap, pardon my expression. My midweek swim workout did not feel much better. Sluggish would best describe it. So I decided to add another swim workout Friday evening, this one a vast improvement already.



And this morning I ran my first New York Road Runners Race in months, Grete's Great Gallop, named after the great Grete Waitz, part of the Norwegian Festival. Actually I ran a bit more than this Half Marathon on the hilly course of Central Park, adding 5 miles after the race to finally get another long run in. The Half Marathon itself was fine, I ran more or less race pace but without pushing my limits towards the end. The 5 mile add-on however, felt rather tough. Guess my pace was a bit too ambitious during the race and my legs more or less gave in. My hamstring started to bug me quite a bit and my fee started hurting. Still, it was a proper ending to a fairly full week of training.

The Nike Human Race 10K

Last Sunday's Nike Human Race 10K was one of the most bizarre running events I ever participated in. Let's start out by saying that I had a really nice evening at the run. Heading to the event with Roy and my friend Sigrid, heading up the East River on a little ferry to Randalls Island, finishing the run in Icahn Stadium, one of the countries premier track stadiums. enjoying a concert by the All American Rejects after the race; all good fun. But as a running event it was more or less a practical joke, no matter that it was held in twenty some cities around the globe. The course on Randalls Island was in no way suited for the thousands of participants. And I never had to wait several minutes to cross a footbridge while running a 10K. Guess thats what happens when a huge marketing ploy goes wrong. But, whatever, as I said, it was a fun evening.

The Ultimate NYC Run - Park to Park

Today's long run (15.5 miles) was easily on of the most beautiful city runs imaginable. I started off at my home heading into Prospect Park for an easy 3 mile loop, then downhill towards the Brooklyn Bridge. In my head I timed this portion of the run so I could catch up with some of my friends from Frontrunners New York who at this stage were in the middle of their long run that started on the Upper West Side. Sure enough, as soon as I went onto the bridge I saw the first one of them. Taking a brief break in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge (about mile 7) I then enjoyed the great company of my friend Michael O. while we ran up the Eastside of Manhattan and Park Avenue. Today was the last Saturday of the New York Summer Streets project, so what is usually bumper to bumper traffic was just one big run and bike party all the way up to Central Park. Hitting both Prospect Park and Central Park in one run is sure something to remember.

Nike + Human Race 10K

It's been quite a few weeks now since my last running race. So today I signed up for the Nike + Human Race 10K on August 31. The race, taking place on the same day in 25 cities around the globe, seems like a fun happening. New York's race will be run on Randalls Island, followed by a concert by The All-American Rejects.

Chicago Lakefront Running

Early last week I had to jet off to Chicago for a few business meetings. Of course I packed my running shoes and hoped for good weather (meaning not too hot and humid) and some spare time to enjoy a few miles along the wonderful running track along the Chicago Lake front.
I cannot think of many urban running tracks I had the pleasure to run that compares. And I got lucky. Not only did I find the time for a late afternoon 1 hour + run on my first day from my hotel near the Loop going north towards North Beach, but then had the pleasure of another hour long run the following morning going the other direction, past Soldiers Field being joined by the Austrian Consul General, not only a pleasant running companion, but also an accomplished sub 3 hour marathon runner.

Brooklyn Half-Marathon

About a quarter mile into yesterday's Brooklyn Half, just when I was briefly turning my head to glimpse at the Ocean to our left, I found myself slipping and sprawled out on the Coney Island Boardwalk. Even with this mishap, the beginning of the run was just about perfect, maybe too perfect. Thousands of runners and a great venue, the new New York Road Runners starting corral system, and I was out of the gate clearly running too fast a pace over the first couple of miles. Once again I failed to hold back a bit, knowing fully well that I will pay a price later. And so it went, 5 miles into the run I had lost the spring in my step, by mile 8 my calves were tight and by mile 9 my harmstrings where shot. The last mile, a slight uphill towards the finish in Prospect Park was pure misery. I was seemingly unable to lift my legs and so I shuffled up the short hill loosing ever more precious time. At the end, I finished in a for me respectacle 1.40.47. This was still a minute faster than my last Brooyn Half four years ago (and thus four years younger), but it also proved my current limitations holding a brisker pace over a long distance.

Scotland Run 10K PR

Today's 10K New York Roadrunners Scotland Run was my third and last late winter running race this year. The course practically mimicked the New York Triathlon run course, with a clockwise run of the hilly Central Park loop. Running this direction, it almost seems as if there are more downhills than ups, with the biggest uphill coming exactly at the half way mark.


With cold, but otherwise perfect conditions, this waas a much better raceday then just three weeks ago. I opted to shed the winter clothes and to run in shorts, something that seemingly lifted my spirits. With almost 7000 runners in the race, the first mile was terribly crowded, which provided me with protection against going out too fast. Ultimately I was feeling quite good during the whole race, finishing with a personal record of 45.20 and a 7.18/mile pace. Not great, but a nice start of spring season.

Huffing and Puffing 15K Colon Cancer Challenge

I have no idea why I thought that today's 15K Colon Cancer Challenge in Central Park would be a good race for me. My running training has been sketchy, the whole week I had been battling sinus issues, and it was cold and windy when I woke up this morning. After the Cherry Tree 10 mile race just a couple of weeks ago in Prospect Park, this was the second late winter race for me. This time I wanted to improve over my decent performance last time out and come in at a 7.30 minute pace. For whatever reason, today, this proved utterly impossible. With temperatures below freezing and gusty winds, I never really hit my stride this morning. The first four miles I was able to stay on target, but then completely fell apart. Every minor hill proved a challenge and the last two mile of the race I had runners of all shapes and sizes just whizzing past me. At the end, with a time of 1.13.12 I barely stayed under 8 minutes a mile and felt completely winded. Time that this winter comes to an end now and a nice Spring season will allow me to get into a a more consistent training routine.