Friday Haikus

It's finally Friday! After a December in which I hardly worked at all (thank you wedding, honeymoon, and Christmas!) the first two full weeks of January have seemed pretty long. The long weekend for MLK Day always seems to come when I need it the most. Of course, what better way to start off a long weekend than with some terrible poetry?
 
After ages of seemingly total neglect, the Friday haikus are back! Enjoy.

 
Zelle 

Sub-par content, sad
Women have come too far for
Running up-do news



NYC Marathon Registration

The lottery's open
I don't have to sweat; two words--
Guaranteed entry



The Joys of Winter Running

Not enough quarters,
Too few machines, damn all this 
Winter running gear

The 2013 New York City Marathon in Brief

Last weekend was the New York City Marathon as most of my readers are likely aware. This whole week I've been hoping to put together a race report but things have been far too busy at work and at home to allow me the time to do so. Normally, in such a circumstance, I would just say, oh well, I'll get to it when I get to it and the blog can go unupdated a bit longer.

This time around, however, I feel that that the marathon was simply too momentus to go unmentioned. Why? you may ask. Did you re-qualify for Boston? No. Did you set a new PR? No. Did you at least see a celebrity, or something? Again, nope. So then what made it such a noteworthy marathon? I can almost hear you shouting. The answer (with photos), after the jump.

Friday Haikus: 2013 NYCM Edition

It's been a few weeks since I posted haikus, I know, but what better excuse to bring back the beloved tolerable tradition than the New York City Marathon? No matter what the race, if you're a runner and your city hosts a marathon it's hard not to get excited about it, but for those of us in New York there's something really special about marathon week.

I'm so happy to share my city with folks from all over the US and across the globe. On Sunday, no matter what our differences in training, speed, or shoe choice, we'll be coming together to do something much bigger than ourselves. During this whole runup to race week I've been chuckling at this year's slogan "26.2 MILES MAKE IT A RACE, YOU MAKE IT THE MARATHON." It's defnitely more than a little hokie but when you think about it, it is the runners that make the New York City Marathon what it is, a celebration of diversity and the community building power of running. Maybe WE do MAKE IT THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON.

From my instagram

And now, some haikus!


The Expo
Sampled powerbars
Tried new electrolyte drinks
Maxed out credit card


Athletes Village as POW Camp
Bodies all around
Lines for bathrooms, lines for food
Trying to stay warm


The Queensboro Bridge
Silent climb farewell
Crested now downhill you sense
Manhattan-sized crowds

You're Halfway There: Queens and the NYCM

The New York City Marathon may run through all five boroughs, but it doesn't give them equal facetime. In fact, the majority of the race is run in just two boroughs, Brooklyn, with roughly 11 miles, and Manhattan, with roughly 8.5. Staten Island gets next to nothing--runners leave Richmond County as soon as the race begins--and the Bronx gets barely over a mile of love. While the Queens section may be short, it comes at an important point in the race.

*  *  *
Just before the halfway point, runners begin crossing the Pulaski Bridge which links Greenpoint in Brooklyn to Long Island City, Queens.  Named after Kazimierz Pułaski, a Polish commander who fought in the American revolution, the bridge spans Newton Creek, one of New York City's two Superfund sites. Though the bridge is an uphill, it's not terrible and runners can distract themselves with the sweeping views of the Midtown Manhattan skyline to the left. There are few spectators, however--they're not allowed on the bridge.

Once across the bridge runners make two quick rights, one onto 48th Ave, and then another onto Vernon Boulevard, the heart of the Hunters Point neighborhood of Long Island City. The area, which takes its name from British sea captain George Hunter, is dominated by low-rise brick and clapboard buildings, many over a century old.

This portion is largely flat and as runners make their way south towards the looming Queensboro Bridge, the bars, restaurants, and bodegas that line the street give way to industrial buildings. At Mile 14 it's time for another turn, this one right onto 44th Drive just after passing the tiny Gordan Triangle Park, named in honor of an LIC local who was killed in World War I.

One Court Square, better known as the Citibank Building, dominates the horizen and pulls runners along. The 50 story tower, completed in 1990, is the tallest building in New York State outside of Manhattan and it serves as an excellent visual marker. As runners move towards it, the street's character changes from industrial to commercial and soon the course passes under the elevated tracks of the IRT Flushing Line.

By the time runners reach the towering Citibank Building, it's time for another turn, this one onto the two-named 25th St/Crescent Street. It's now a short three block trek to Queens Plaza South  where runners are greeted by a mass of humanity, many of whom have taken the subway to the Queensboro Plaza Station to cheer. It's a good time for runners to soak in the enthusiasm because the next portion of the course may seem rather desolate.

Runners now make a left onto the Queensboro Bridge, arguably the toughest portion of the course. Starting just before Mile 15 runners begin a more than half-a-mile climb, reaching the crest of the bridge just before it passes over Roosevelt Island. Now it's on to Manhattan.

Marathon Week is Queens Week

Last year this blog brought you Bronx week. Well this year in preparation for the 2013 New York City Marathon, and in conjunction with my NYRR social media responsibilities, I'm bringing you Queens Week, a week dedicated to New York City's largest borough.

Like the Bronx, Queens gets short shrift in the marathon. Runners spend only a couple miles running through New York's most diverse borough and with adrenaline running high as Manhattan approaches, it's easy to miss some of the sights.

I'll be highlighting some of what's on the course and some of what's near the course so that both runners and spectators make the most of their time in the city's second most populous borough.

News About NYCM and Some Easy Runs

Those of you in New York may have seen last month that New York Road Runners was looking for social media correspondents for the New York City Marathon. Well, I applied and was accepted! What does that mean? It means that next week I'll be covering marathon related stuff in--drumroll please--Queens.

Huh?

Why am I covering Queens you may ask. It's simple. The marathon runs through all five boroughs and Queens needed some love too. Although I live and work in Manhattan, my apartment is just a few blocks from the Queensboro Bridge and I do almost half of my runs in Long Island City so it made sense.

What does this mean for you, my dear reader(s) (maybe there's more than one of you)? It means that next week, leading up to the marathon, I'll have a bit of a Queens focus. If you want to get the most out of the experience, follow me on twitter (@soharunner) on on instagram (dparks2111).

In the meantime, running is going well post-Chicago. I took several days off last week and have been doing short runs roughly every other day. I'm hoping to get in one longish run this weekend and then call it good. I'll definitely be taking it easy next weekend when I run New York, the goal will just be to have fun. Hopefully, as a social media reporter I'll have even more incentive to enjoy myself and the marathon.

Making Some D*mn Fine Lemonade

If there's one thing runners don't like to do it's sit around. We're an active bunch and when you tell us not to run that only makes us want to run that much more. That has certainly been evident since Friday.

As you already know from my Sunday post (not to mention about a million other bloggers, running magazines, and traditional media), runners in town for the New York City Marathon didn't let the race cancellation stop them. Instead they created impromptu marathon courses, gathered in Central Park with donations in toe, or headed to places like Staten Island and Red Hook with shovels, canned goods, water, and a host of other needed items to aid in relief and recovery.

In addition to these events many runners also looked for alternate marathons. A small number managed to get to one of the other races held this past weekend (a big shout-out to my teammates Kirby and Sarah, both of whom ran their first marathons on Sunday), while others looked for ones in the coming weeks. A lot of small town races have seen a boost with Richmond and Harrisburg (both this coming weekend) setting record participant levels.

Something else really cool is happening too. Other races are taking this opportunity to help NYCM registrants and the victims of hurricane Sandy: The Soldier Marathon in Columbus, Georgia is offering FREE entry to NYC runners; the San Antonia Marathon is offering NYC runners a 20% discount and donating 20% of their registration fees to hurricane relief; the Malibu Marathon is offering NYC runners their early bird rate and donating 25% of their registration fees to AmeriCares; and the Myles Standish Marathon in Plymouth, Mass. is donating half of its registration fees to food banks helping with Hurricane Sandy relief. These are just a few of the races taking big strides to help runners and hurricane victims.

So now you're probably wondering what I'm doing. Well, I've decided to run the Philadelphia Marathon for Covenant House's Home Team. Covenant House is the largest privately funded organization in the U.S. dedicated to helping homeless youth. These kids are at the margins of society in good times and so when natural disaster strikes it's more important than ever to make sure they're not forgotten. I'm really excited that I have the opportunity to do some good with this run.

If you're interested in helping me meet and surpass my fundraising goal, there's a link at the right side of the page. If not, I still encourage you to get involved somehow. If you live in the tri-state area, there are still plenty of people in need of assistance and the Red Cross is in desperate need of blood donations.

I can't wait for some things to return to normal (like the L train and the heat in my office), but I hope this sense of community and togetherness that we've discovered over the past few days (as long as we ignore all of yesterday) doesn't go away.

Understanding

Knowing that a tough decision was the right decision doesn't necessarily make it easier to deal with. By the time Friday afternoon roled around I knew that cancelling the New York City Marathon was the right move, a move that should have been done on Tuesday or Wednesday. That doesn't mean that waking up this morning to no race was any easier.

Yesterday I went to Hoboken with two runner friends to find a way to help with the recovery. First, it was truly incredible to see how different the scene is just a few miles away. While Harlem looks as though nothing happened,* Hoboken suffered serious water damage, with as many as 20,000 residents initially stranded by flooding. Walking to Hoboken High School which was serving as a donation collection center, my friends and I struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the damage. Much of the town is still without electricty and heat, many of the streets still choked with debris.

Second, it was also truly incredible to see the outpouring of warmth and kindness by so many people. Homes that had power put power strips on their stoops, many also providing hotwater and food. Restaurants and other local businesses that could offered free hot foot in front of their darkened store fronts. Volunteer sites were so packed that my friends I and were turned away from two before finding one where we could be of use (I can only hope that with this manpower at the city's disposal, my two college friends who live in Hoboken and who are getting married next weekend can concentrate on their upcoming nuptials).

Given this scene in Hoboken, I can only imagine what things look like in coastal Staten Island, the Rockaways, and Coney Island, areas directly exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. I just don't see how a marathon held in the backyard of these disaster areas could be justified.

Those who read this blog (or the blog of any runner who was planning to run today's race) knows how much time was spent training over the past four months. You also know how much runners were looking forward to what for many is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For many runners, committing to New York is also a big financial decision as well. For those coming from out of town, the hefty race fee combined with hotel, travel, and dining costs amounts to a sizeable chunk of disposable income. Yes, cancelling the race was without a doubt the right move, but that doesn't diminish any of the sacrifices runners made in preparation for the race that wasn't.

It was impressive to see so many runners in Central Park this morning, but it was even more impressive to see so many runners and their families in other areas of the city and region this afternoon, putting their presence to use. I can only hope that when next year's race rolls along, people remember the positive efforts of runners, the donations made by NYRR, and the other ways in which the city came together, rather than the two days of controversy between Wednesday's premature decision and Friday's attempt to rectify an grave mistake.

With that, happy running and rebuilding everyone.

__________________
* If you live in Harlem and suffered damage from Sandy, I apologize profusely. I simply mean that in my neck of the woods, the streets look virtually the same post-Sandy and they did before. No one that I know of in the area lost power, though there were plenty of downed tree limbs and even some toppled trees and shrubs.

What a Difference A Day Makes

Update: See my new post-script for an update.

If you'd asked me last week how I would be spending the Wednesday before the marathon I would have looked at you funny and then said, I'll go to work and then come home. I would not have answered, I'll be moving boxes. Of course, last week I didn't foresee that Sandy would leave half of Manhattan in darkness, shut down the trains and my office, and nearly cancel the marathon.

So where was I yesterday? At the Javits Center helping set up the marathon expo. Even before Bloomberg had officially announced that the marathon would go on, Jack Rabbit Sports--the folks behind much of the expo--put out a call for volunteers.

A look at the Asics area after several hours of work.

Usually expo set-up begins the weekend before the marathon, but because of Sandy no one had access to the Javitts Center until Wednesday. To make things worse, because of all the cancelled flights, cancelled trains, and generally difficulty getting into and around the city, many people who were supposed to come work set-up were unable to get into Manhattan.

Thankfully my friend Helen, who was also volunteering, has a car, so we were able to get to the convention center even though there was no subway service yesterday. We actually had a pretty good time helping with the set-up, though after being at home all week, I was surprised at how tired I was after a few hours. Thankfully, the folks from Power Bar were there early and they hooked us up with some Harvest Bars (actually really good) and eventually there was even some pizza.

Even though there were a ton of us volunteering, when Helen and I left around 2 it was hard to see how they were going to finish everything in time for today (Thursday) by the expo's 10am opening.

Looking picture perfect this morning.

Well, when I went back this morning, I was amazed! Not only did the expo look almost as good as it did last year (there were a few small empty boothes), but there was a huge line that seemed to be comprised solely of Europeans. Some how these people found a way to get here and some how the organizers found a way to get the expo set up in time.

I'm not sure what to expect this weekend, but I have faith that NYRR, volunteers, and the city will pull through.

P.S.  After seeing the damage that Sandy did later in the week I felt kind of bad for spending my volunteer time at the expo, but at least now I know it wasn't totally in vain: Asics donated all of the proceeds from Saturday's sales to the recovery effort.

An Unscheduled Rest Day

Well, Frankenstorm is fully upon us here in Harlem and after taking today off, it doesn't look like I'll be running tomorrow. Normally I would be freaking out about two days without running but for once the taper crazies are working in my favor.

On Saturday I did my final pre-NYC double-digit run, 12.4 miles including the final 10 miles of the marathon course. I had planned to take Sunday as a rest day but since it seemed unlikely I'd be running the next two days  I snuck in an easy 5 last night. Again, I worked it the final miles of the course, getting in one of the last runs in Central Park before the Parks Deparment shut it down.

Right now NYRR expects everything to go on as planned and so do I. Last year they had to deal with the aftermath of a freak Halloween snow storm that damaged nearly 400 acres in the Park, leading to the loss of approximately 1000 trees. The Central Park Conservancy worked around the clock and by the time runners began to arrive for the festivities later in the week the Park was ready to greet the world.

As for me? I'm keeping myself busy with cleaning, reading, and cooking. Oh who am I kidding? I'm glued to the TV watching images of the carnage around the tri-state area. Stay safe everyone!

A Runner's Guide to the Bridges of the New York City Marathon

Since the New York City Marathon is just over a week away, I figured I would take a break from Friday poetry to post something that could potentially be useful to runners. For those readers not running New York, I'm sorry, but poetry will make a triumphant return in the near future.

 

During the course of the New York City Marathon, runners visit three different islands (Staten Island, Long Island, and Manhattan Island) with only the briefest of visits to Mainland, U.S.A. In order to get from island to island, runners pass over 5 different bridges, two that are somewhat well-known and three that get short shrift. Because I like to mentally divide the course using the bridges, I present to you my runner's guide to the bridges of the New York City Marathon.

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Length: 13,700 ft

Type: Double-decked suspension bridge.

Year Opened: 1964

The Verrazano Bridge marks the start of the marathon, carrying runners nearly two miles from Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. For blue and orange runners on the top, it provides sweeping views of New York Harbor; for runners on the bottom…forget the views and stay in the middle. The bridge also forms the biggest hill of the race, something to remember when you encounter the Queensboro

Pulaski Bridge

Length: 2,810 ft

Type: Bascule bridge (a.k.a., drawbridge)

Year Opened: 1954

The Pulaski Bridge, named after a Polish general in the American Revolutionary War, connects Greenpoint, Brooklyn to Hunters Point in Long Island City, Queens. It crosses Newton Creek, one of the most polluted bodies of water in America. But you don’t care about that. You care about that fact that the Pulaski Bridge comes at the halfway point in the race. Congrats! Only 13.1 more miles to go.

                                                 Queensboro (59^th Street) Bridge

Length: 3,724 ft

Type: Cantilever truss bridge

Year Opened: 1909

While the Pulaski Bridge marks the halfway point in the marathon, for many runners the race truly begins on the Queensboro Bridge. That's because runner's must climb roughly 130 ft as they cross the East River before beginning their descent to Manhattan's 1st Avenue. As you get closer to Mile 16 and Manhattan you begin to hear the crowd. The trick is in enjoying the crowd's energy without speeding up and wasting too much of your own.

Willis Avenue Bridge

Length: 3,212 ft

Type: Swing bridge

Year Opened: 2010

After 109 years of service, the Willis Avenue Bridge was replaced in 2010. The roadbed of the old bridge was made of open steel grating prompting marathon officials to cover it in orange carpeting for the race. With solid deck that no longer requires carpeting, the new bridge may no longer stand out for its odd appearance but it’s still notable to runners because it comes at Mile 20, the point when many runners hit “the wall.” It also carries runners out of Manhattan and into their final borough, the Bronx.*

Photo credit: Steve Boyle Photo

Madison Avenue Bridge

Length: 2,893 ft

Type: Swing bridge

Year Opened: 1910

The shortest and second-oldest bridge on the course, the Madison Avenue Bridge carries runners out of the Bronx, depositing them on 5th Avenue in Manhattan at Mile 21. Yes, the Madison Avenue Bridge connects to Madison Avenue too, but since that’s not part of the marathon, who cares? If you make it over this bridge you know you're going to finish the race!


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* After the Bronx, runners return to Manhattan, but by that point they have already run through all five boroughs.

The Blue Line Run, Improvised

This weekend was all about running for me. Saturday I did the Sleepy Hollow 10k (expect a race report with some great photos in the next day or so) and Sunday was Front Runners' Blue Line Run. Front Runners has been putting on the Blue Line Run for some time now, but this was the first year that it was a full partnership with my team, the Dashing Whippets, and North Brooklyn Runners.

The Front Runners coach telling us to "Be cute!"

What is the Blue Line Run, you ask? Basically, it's a supported long run on the final 20 miles of the marathon course. Folks from each of the three teams volunteered to staff aid stations along the way, operate cars as mobile bag checks, and serve as bike marshals. I was incredibly impressed with the organization and planning that went into this--with over 200 participants it was a lot of work!

Anyway, the run was great, but in Williamsburg someone told us the pedestrian path on the Queensboro was closed* so we doubled back over the Williamsburg Bridge and took 1st Avenue all the way up to rejoin the course at 59th Street. It was a valuable reminder that no matter how well your advance planning, you really do need to be ready for anything come race day.

Because of the extra miles we ran doubling back into Manhattan we also skipped the Bronx part of the course--in other words, our 4 borough tour was cut in half. Still, I got in 17 miles, had a lot of run running with teammates and some new runner friends, and got to enjoy a beautiful Sunday. I have no complaints and I'm really getting excited for November 4.

13 DAYS TO GO!

_____________________
* Throughout the rest of the day I heard conflicting stories so for all I know the bridge was open, but with the 7 train not running into Manhattan, there's no way I was going to test this.

A Different Kind of Friday Poetry

Friday has rolled around and once again the mood feels right for some poetry. While I love haikus, I figured I would switch things up a bit today with some limericks. Don't worry, there's no one from Nantucket in these so they're (relatively) clean.

A Difficult Double Life

There once was an amateur jogger,

Who dabbled a bit as a blogger,

But the blogging was tiring,

The jogging perspiring,

So he gave up both tasks and drank lager

A Marathon World Record

There once was a race with a urinal trough

That set a world record with the length of its slop

But the stench and the sight

Gave some runners a fright

So this world wonder eight, it was stopped*

P.S. Sorry about the formatting on the poems. For some reason I couldn't get it quite right.
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*Starting in 1998, NYYR began set up a 290-foot open trough "urinal" near the marathon starting line at Ft Wardsworth. According to the New York Times, "race organizers always thought the trough was a tad disgusting," so around 2006 the discontinued the practice, replacing this world record breaker with a string of porta-potties.