As predicted

As predicted NYRR raised the price of the entry fee to the NYC Marathon.  What might you think the price they raised it to would be? Well some might say ten to twenty dollars might be fair, after all it is the NYC Marathon.
Well forget that, how about $60! Oh yeah I know what some of you are thinking because heard this all before. "NYRR does a great job and blah blah blah" Shut up, please just shut the F**** up because you know you are that same person that complained about your taxes coming out of your pay check and the price of gas going up, your rent and so on but because you have a hard on for running NYRR races so they get a free pass to rape you and everyone you know and we'll just call it inflation.  But think about it, sixty bucks a person by forty thousand runners is twenty four million dollars! That's a lot of "not for profit."
Hers a few things That were shared with me through North Brooklyn Runners that I would like to share:

Guidestar.org has a lot of basic information available for free. For instance, I've already learned that NYRR shelled out $ 11,324,727.00 in "salaries, other compensations, employee benefits" compensation in 2010, vs $ 9,915,302.00 in 2009; that the total number of individuals receiving compensation of $100,000 or more was 12; that Tavern on the Green received almost $484,000 for the pre-Marathon party, and that Robert H. Glover Associates in in Sleepy Hollow made off with $328,000 for "running classes" in 2010. Oh, and in Section B: Policies: I learned that this organization does NOT have either a whistleblower policy, nor a "written document retention and destruction policy".In "Part III- Statement of Program Service Accomplishments", they justify the tax-exempt status of their marathon revenues by citing the number of people they reach via televised broadcast and live spectatorship, and further state [all CAPS are theirs, not mine]: THIS MASS PARTICIPANTS [sic] AND WIDELY-VIEWED ANNUAL EVENT ALLOWS AND INSPIRES PERSONS OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES TO ADOPT AN ACTIVE AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE THROUGH RUNNING, WALKING, AND RELATED FITNESS ACTIVITIES"
hm. Maybe if they had a "couch to marathon" outreach program that included babysitting services.(Don't laugh: community colleges such as BMCC offer babysitting on premises. Many of their students would not be able to study otherwise.) Regarding inspiration: I grew up in Greenpoint and came out to watch the Marathon every year, but all it ever served was to perplex and awe me---I never imagined it to be a physical accomplishment that could be ever be accessible to me. Kinda smells like BS to me.

But the plot thickens.  Here's a  story in the New York Times last February about the NYPD raising fees....

Race Directors Raise Concern Over Proposed Police Fee

In an effort to generate revenue to cope with the city’s budget deficit, the New York Police Department wants to charge the organizers of the New York City Marathon and dozens of other races the full cost of controlling traffic and other services.
By charging a new, separate fee, the police are trying to offset the rising costs and increasingly burdensome job of shutting down traffic for popular athletic events. ...
The Road Runners, which last year paid more than $850,000 to city agencies, including $107,000 to the police, is willing to reimburse the police for more of its costs, Wittenberg said. But because many race fees are set months ahead of time, they want the police to put off changing the rule until at least 2012.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/sports/10running.html?pagewanted=all

Thanks NBR for keeping me informed.

You know either way this is bullshit. This is a day at the parade for police officers minus the rowdy drunks. Let's be honest they're out there cheering with the rest of the us and getting paid to watch cute girls run by in tight clothes all day. Sure as hell beats working the night owl shift in the South Bronx on a Saturday night.

 As for NYRR not sharing any of this information on their website only goes to show their lack of concern when it comes to their paying customers.  Because thats what we are as runners paying for these races, customers. You know it's beyond me why they don't even mention why prices keep going up the way they do. Hell they might even have a good answer as to why in 6 or 7 years races in the park have more than doubled while giving the runners less than they had before. But in case you want to be reminded of what your paying for when you run the NYC Marathon here's a photo.

This and a medal are the reason they need so many porto johns on the course.

 As of yet I haven't made up my mind if I want to run the Marathon again in 2012. Because even with all the B.S. that comes with running this thing it's a really cool event when you're in top condition. But running a marathon can be like "chasing the dragon."  Sometimes the best way to slay that dragon is to forget it till you get your mojo back. Only then can you sneak up on it and cut it's head off. Right now I have to forget it for a while.

--

New York City Marathon Week 2011 Pt. 2

The day of the New York City Marathon wasn't as eventful for me as it has been in the past. As I mentioned in my previous post the week leading up the race was way more fun.

Marathon day started out with The Beatles singing "Come Together" at 4:00am on my radio alarm.  I thought, “yes, come together beat up

body and lets run this bitch.”

This is my 7th NYC Marathon in a row and I would have liked to have

had a better feeling going into this than I did. Instead I was somewhat apathetic. I got dressed and ready in no time, called a cab and

contemplated taking a hit of my roommates’ pot pipe before I left.

"Maybe that will make this more interesting. Naaah, I might leave

my bag on the ferry if I do that" I thought.

So, off to the ferry I went where I ran into my friend John from North

Brooklyn Runners. John was a few pounds heavier and a much slower

runner than me at his best and my worst a little more than a year ago.

John lost about 20 to 30lbs and is kicking my ass all day long without

even trying. Me? I can't even work up enough leg power for speed

training without an injury acting up these days. In fact, I trained for

this marathon without so much as one tempo run or speed work of any

kind. I am officially in the worst shape of my life which, by the way,

is still much better than most Americans even if I'm not a happy

camper.

The ferry ride and the bus after the ferry had me running into a few

more key members of NBR including it's founder Aja. Aja is my guidance

system and unknowingly my pacer for most races we run in together. She

runs a steady even pace throughout her races and her form is great. We

used to finish within seconds of each other or at the same time. This

of course is no longer the case so it was just a bitter reminder of

what was to come.

   Sleeping 3 hrs is never a good look for me.

By the time we got to Marathon Village we all split up except for John

and myself. John gave his predicted race time (I had a healthy dose of

reality after he accomplished it) and I half jokingly said I'll see

you in five hours.

   On the ferry with North Brooklyn Runners

          Our fearless leader 

             Fun times                                           

As the race began to the usual sound of the gun and to the tune of New

York, New York I got going. This year I had the uneventful start

which is under the bridge. I could tell from here how it was going to

go as people passed me by as I wobbled myself through the first 2

miles.

When we entered Brooklyn I looked down at my feet and was happy my new kicks I never ran in before (NB 860 taxi cab NYC marathon edition) were holding up. Yes, a straight up rookie move I know but I wasn't racing.

I was practically speed walking and it was the only thing that inspired me to get out there that morning.

A few miles later at 6 miles I did my “how do I feel” check in. I felt

like I was dragging to be honest and I knew it was going to be a long

race. By the 8^th mile I started seeing familiar faces cheering me on from

North Brooklyn Runners. At mile 12 the team volunteers at the water

stations, so I got another round of high fives there. It was a great

feeling coming in to this area from mile 11 through 13. Bedford Avenue is

packed with loads of crowds screaming "NBR!!!’ People later said they

saw me on Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, but I didn't notice them.

I was doing a blistering 12 minute mile here

As I plodded over the Pulaski Bridge at the halfway point I decided

to eat the Pro Bar which I was carrying. I knew this was going to be

a long one for me so I approached this race much like I did with

Ultras in the past, meaning I carry portable food and anything that will

help me get though. I can't tell you what a help it has been for me

through previous trail runs and training. They are packed with 400 wall

crushing calories with all natural goodness that won't leave you

running for the porto john. Check it out - http://theprobar.com/.

The Queensboro Bridge. For some it’s the worst part of the race but for me

it's my favorite part. The quiet sound of hundreds of runners’ feet hitting

the ground at 16 on the bridge is down right meditative. If you're

having a good race, you're in the zone. If you’re having a bad day, you're

already walking, I was going so slow I could hardly tell if I was

walking or running. Coming off of the bridge the silence turns into

cheers from onlookers waiting on First Avenue. By 63^rd Street I saw my

Special Someone waiting for me with a sign. It was the best part of the

race and I ran over to give her some love right back.

From here on out, First Avenue was all up hill (as is most of the race) and is about the longest three miles of the race for me. In fact by mile 18 I

was seriously considering dropping out. "What, another eight miles to go?

I am so freaking bored, what is the point of all this? I'm going to

finish in five hours? Ugh." Then there it was, a woman holding up a

sign with a picture of a badger on it that said "Honey Badger Don't

Give a Shit!" In case you don't know Nasty Ass Honey Badger is a

nature video on Youtube narrated in a way I can only describe as

"fabulous." I was laughing at this video for two months prior to the

marathon and it was just the thing to shake my mood. I thought yes

"honey badger don't care about marathons, he don't give a shit,” and

with that I was off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5

In the Bronx my leg started to give out. My piriformus again. I went

to the med tent to see if they had anything to give me, ben gay or

whatever. You know most marathons carry stuff like that, but not the New

York Marathon. "I just ran a marathon last month and they had all

sorts of stuff, including free packets of Biofreeze they were handing

out." Then it hit me, I have that free packet of Biofreeze. So I ducked

into the nearest porto palace (shit house on wheels) and poured this

packet all over my leg and butt and wouldn't you know it worked. I was

able to pick up my pace a little and keep going. On 5th avenue I saw

my manager from the running store where I work cheering me on and he gave me a power bar. I was again grateful and ashamed at the same time (for my slow pace)

   I had to stop and pose for this one                                      

During my run in the park I was again bored shitless until I

spotted another coworker that dressed like Steve Prefontaine for

Halloween and he was still sporting the mustache.  I wasn't sure at

that point if it was because of Pre or not but I was re-energized again as he

paced me for a mile and I shouted "Stop Pre!" the whole time. Coming

down the stretch I looked for my pretty girlfriend but instead spotted

yet another coworker cheering me on. I didn't expect to see him

there and it threw me off guard. Distracted as I was I missed Kristy

shouting for me.

When I came through the finish line I heard all the congratulations

but I was grateful just to be done. New York Road Runners puts

on this race. This year it was $160 and next it will be much more I'm

sure. Here's what we got at the end:

The last thing anyone wants after a marathon is more gatorade BLEH!

As a result of this race and lack of funds I bailed out on the Las

Vegas marathon and as of right now I don't even feel like running

another marathon. To do well in a marathon you need to be 100% fit and

then you need a good training program to follow. I've been injured for

way too many races and decided to take the winter off from running. In

a way I feel like I'm over it. I ran for fitness originally and now

its led to injury which is affecting every other area of fitness in

my life. This is going to take some time to heal, probably more time

than I expect. Till then I'll keep my fingers crossed and cheer on my

fellow runners while I practice yoga and continue stretching all

winter long.

New York City Marathon Week 2011

The New York City Marathon 2011. This makes seven NYC’s for me and overall almost twenty. This year wasn't any less difficult than it was last

Year, That's not a good thing since I was in pretty bad shape last

year injury-wise. Anyway, I signed up for this beat and decided to

listen to my guru god Nike and just do it. Last year I was pretty bad

because of my injuries but somehow I managed to get in around 4:11.

The non-injured me would have scoffed at the idea of coming in over four hours but my last couple of marathons had me running injured resulting in a very bruised ego. This year my injuries have not let up or allowed me to run any sort of speed work resulting in much slower times (not to mention more excuses) than usual.

The marathon itself was sort of dragged on for me but the build was nothing short of awesome. Since I work with runners in a running store I got the benefit of soaking in the energy from hundreds of tourists that stop by work every day during the week leading up to the big day.  On top of that many cool, new shoes were unveiled and special

editions came out that week as well, which meant lots of free stuff

for yours truly.  Let me not to forget to mention celebrity runners that stop in to appease their sponsors. This was Christmas for runners.

Look what I scored marathon week!

I also had the opportunity to run with Ryan Hall who proved to be a pretty cool guy. Foot Locker’s RUN was sponsoring this run and I made it on my

dinner break at work toward the end of the event.  When I saw the group running with Ryan I noticed a few people hanging on to his every word. A couple of guys running behind him were drooling over his calves (I kid you not) and others were running ahead of him and that struck me as funny. So I used it as an ice breaker,  "Hey Ryan, you think those guys are running ahead of you so those can post on Facebook  that they were faster?" It got a laugh out of him. He replied "You wouldn't believe how many people post pictures saying just that." I was satisfied. We bonded over my sarcasm. I got to run with him for a little over a mile. He asked me about my marathon and I told him my sob story (whaah I'm injured, whaah I haven't run like a normal person in 2 years whaaaah). I also asked him if he ever heard of Phil Wharton and I was pleased to receive a very enthusiastic yes. He asked if I had been to Phil’s studio. I mentioned that I had his DVD on stretching and it was a big help so far. I told him about a friend who went to their studio and was impressed at the amount of Olympic and pro athletes they work with on a daily basis. Ryan said they were great there and suggested I make an appointment. If you're interested in learning more about Phil Wharton, you can visit the website at http://www.whartonperformance.com/. The DVD has been a tremendous help so far and I also bought his book on stretching to get a little deeper into it.

After my run with Ryan 

I also had the opportunity to meet Desiree Davila at Paragon Sports. In case anyone has forgotten, Desiree ran the 2011 Boston Marathon, finishing in 2^nd place by two seconds and setting a 4 minute PR. Her time of 2:22:38 is the fastest time ever run by an American woman in the Boston Marathon. In my opinion had the race gone on for another 400 meters she would have won. I came to this opinion because the winner passed out at the finish line while Desiree hardly seemed out of breath.

I had a little fun with Desiree too. I asked her if she thought Meb

Keflezighi was a sell out for sponsoring those god awful Sketchers.

She smiled and gave me the politically correct answer which was "if a

company like sketchers wants to sponsor an athlete like Meb I'm sure

they are going to custom make an great shoe for him."

I got to meet up with Ryan Hall a second time and asked him the same question and he let out a little laugh and gave a similar answer. I then told him when that story came out all the runners and I at work "laughed our asses off” and wondered if he was going to run in Shape-Ups.  With that said, I can not begrudge Meb for trying to make a buck. He won New York in 2009 and that may be the only time he wins a marathon so he should cash in now before it’s too late. I always say it is not the shoe that makes the runner but the genetics and training.

Desiree and Ryan were good sports

Ryan getting my autograph

Marathon Day to come in Part 2…the race recap you wouldn’t want to write but don’t want to miss.

Born To Sleep

I was thinking of cashing in on all this minimalist crap. How to begin

you ask? Well, first you must think outside the box and ask yourself what

else did cavemen do besides walk around barefoot? Answer:  A whole lot.

So, with that information I can write a series of "Born To" books. My first will

be “Born To Sleep.”  Think about it.

Actually, the idea came to me as my four year old pillow top bed started

to cave in the center leaving me with lower back pain in the

morning and aggravating my already bum leg. Since I couldn't (and

still can't) shell out a grand and change for a new bed that is much

firmer, I opted to take the minimal route. I put down my vibram mattress  (A.K.A. a

yoga mat)  and set out for a good nights’ sleep and that bare back

ride.

I have to admit the first couple of nights were shaky, but my back and

leg weren't hurting so I stayed with it. Then at work I thought of all

the minimalist hypocrites buying vibrams and complaining about

racing flats having too much heel and so on, as if wearing the silly

toe shoes were going to instantly label them authentic runners. When a newbie

runner asks me about vibrams, I ask them right back if he or she

would sleep without a mattress or pillow because I'm sure there are

tons of people online who would promote the benefit of doing so.  That

pretty much  puts things in perspective and gives them a laugh.

Save money on that chiropractor, forget back surgery and tell your

physical therapist to jump out a window, because you were born to

sleep without a bed, mattress, pillow, blanket…and outside in all variations

of weather. It’s totally natural and don't let anyone tell you

otherwise.

What’s next? Write a book, of course. I'll call it "Born to Sleep" and I can cash in. I'll

give the same line that “Born to Run” uses,  we weren't born with mattresses and comfy

beds and pillows. In fact we are the only primate to actually do this sort of thing. What I

suggest is give up your bed, pillow, blanket and go minimal. You'll love the way the ground feels.

How silly are we listening to those robber barons at department stores and mattress and bedding retail

shops.  What a complete waste of money. Then I'll reference a bunch of people who would agree with

me such as http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1119282/.

It will make perfect sense. Then I'll transform my yoga mat into a minimalist bed by putting

a vibram tag on it for street cred with the barefoot crowd.

After this occurs, I will make a whole series of “Born To ...” books.  My follow-

up will be called "Born To Bone"  and this will be a book on having sex the

natural way. After I give all the data on how men are meant to spread

their seeds and  how much better it is for Mr. Happy to go raw dog (and

I'm sure there is data on it), imagine how guys will eat this up

and then spit out to data to potential sex partners. Sure, some people

will get hurt or pregnant but this is what we were born to do and isn't

that the most important lesson?

The simple life

Ahhh...life. I'm taking a break from life and the grind and replaced it

with a new kind of grind. One that is less demanding in an environment which I can

relate.

So, after "fun-employment" ran out and realizing that being a personal

trainer meant still being a sales person, but now I was liable for the

well-being of unmotivated masses that were only interested in getting

thin rather than working out, I decided to take a job that was

offered to me in a yoga studio. Around the same time I also took a job in a running store

selling running shoes. Now, these may not seem like glamourous jobs to most

people but they are my two passions in life right now, running and

Yoga, and it only makes sense that I want to be closer to them any way possible, 

even if it means taking an enormous pay cut.

I often wonder how many people are judging me when they see me selling

running shoes or wonder why I'm not the yoga instructor but rather

the person behind the desk signing in their names. It doesn't really

matter to me and I don't care so much. I like what I do right now and the

people I surround myself with are spiritually beautiful. I used to

spend most of my working days stressed out and depressed and now the

only things that seem to bum me out are my running injuries.  Yes, they

are still here with me and they get in the way of both yoga and

running.

Not to go on and whine about this and that but I really thought I

would but done with this piriformis syndrome by now. I have signed up

for three fall marathons hoping for the come back of Ultra Mega Mark (my

former myspace tag, in honor of my ultra races and a Soundgarden

album.) Everything seems to be going wonky now, even my foot pain from

last year has returned. And then the last straw...my knees. My Knees?

WTF?? Isn't that the excuse for every non-runner out there? Thankfully

I have resolved the knee issue with the use of a DVD from Phil Wharton -

http://www.whartonperformance.com/. I won't go into what they do but

all I can say is that it works as a warm-up and a stretch. Phil has worked with
Olympic athletes for over 25 years. I'm sure this will aid in my recovery from my 

other injuries too once I stop running for a couple of months and give my body a break.

In the meantime I've just run the Steamtown marathon in Scranton, PA

in over 4hrs (4:28.) I said it was going to be a long slow run for me

and not a race but I have to tell you it sucks coming in and seeing

the clock at 4:30, especially when I would get upset over coming in at

3:45 in the past. But I'm putting my ego to the side for now. I'll run the New

York Marathon next week and probably do worse since the course is much

harder. But I will take a page from last year and remember to be in

the moment and enjoy the experience. Because in the end that is what it's

all about.

My last adventure this year will be in Las Vegas. This would be a lot

more fun if I was fit. I hear the course is nice and it starts at 4:00pm

which makes sleeping a lot easier. I may switch and do the half marathon

instead but we shall wait 'til after the NYC Marathon to make that decision.

Until my next post, adios!  Good luck to all the runners out there. Do

your best but more importantly, enjoy the process and remember you're

only running this because you want to. Peace.