New York Flyers: News on the Run

Jessica Joins the 15+ NYC Marathoners!

2024-11-19T15:54:00.006-05:00

Jessica Baez

I would like to begin this blog by saying I know my story is not unique in any way, shape or form. That being said, I was humbled when asked to write a piece regarding my journey to completing my 15th NYC Marathon just over two weeks ago, on November 3rd, 2024.

I believe this achievement is highly sought after, and has been obtained by many, including a great number of Flyers! It’s an incredible honor to be part of the “15+” group.

I began running NYC Marathons the year that I was 30 years old. At that time, I knew nothing of running teams, training programs, etc., but thankfully, I was able to run with the charity, Team For Kids. Thankfully, they had some long runs, which I joined, & after 4 months of training I ran and completed my first NYC marathon. It wasn’t pretty, but I did it & knew I wanted to run again the following year. 🎉

However, I had an injury & was unable to do so. Thankfully, the year that followed I was, once again, able to join the thousands of other runners who took on the streets of New York & from then on, my love for both running marathons, and the NYC Marathon, in particular, blossomed. 🌸

Somewhere along the way, I realized that running the NYC Marathon had become an important part of my life. New York is home and it feels unnatural to not run the marathon when I have the access and opportunity to do so. That being said, I don’t take said “access” for granted. I know there are many who do not get in via lottery or can’t make the 9+1 happen, so I remind myself to remain grateful for this opportunity. I always look forward to registration day! To me, it signifies the commencement of training & preparing for my favorite day of the year!

At some point along the way, perhaps by my 9th NYC Marathon, I realized that if I ran 15 NYC Marathons, I would have guaranteed entry for life! I found that information intriguing and decided then to make completing 15 my goal!

With each marathon I have run and completed, I have faced various challenges here and there. Sometimes those challenges were with my training, other times I was recovering from injuries. There were moments when I wondered if my goal was actually going to be attainable, but every year I signed up, trained and thankfully, completed another one.✅

For the first time this year I ran the marathon alongside some friends. Their company, along with my own mental willingness, helped me to complete NYC marathon #15!

There was a point during this year’s race when I honestly considered not finishing - a thought that NEVER crosses my mind ever, but this year it did. Unfortunately, starting at mile 5, I dealt with horrible, if not,l unbearable at many times, stomach discomfort. I remember the moment when I thought I should simply call it a day … but I then reminded myself that I needed this one race to complete my 15th NYC marathon and to have the guaranteed entry I’ve been working towards for so long. That realization, along with my friends continuously looking back for me, and knowing there were people on the course waiting & hoping to see me, helped to keep me in the race. I am grateful that I didn’t give up.

This year’s marathon was special for so many reasons, but especially because I finally met my goal.💕 I am proud of myself for working hard over the years to reach this milestone. I am both humbled and excited that I am part of the very special group of runners who have reached this status! I look forward to next years marathon when I’ll get to experience all the wonderful amenities that the “15 +” marathoners have earned.

If doing this is something you feel compelled to work towards, I encourage you to stay the course and continue reaching for your goal. I am both hopeful & rooting for you. 🎊

Thank you for reading!

Jessica Baez

Running with Bikram: Taking on a 30-Day Hot Yoga Challenge

2024-07-22T11:48:00.000-04:00

Running has been a favorite pastime of mine, even if I don’t consider myself a competitive athlete. I love the simplicity of lacing up my sneakers and hitting the pavement, enjoying the camaraderie of the running community, and chasing that endorphin high!

Over the years, I’ve tried to challenge myself to get faster and stronger, but like many runners, I’ve faced my share of setbacks.

I was stuck in a frustrating cycle: building mileage, adding speedwork, getting injured, and having to start all over again.

My hips were continuously in pain, which forced me to skip scheduled races and hindered my progress.

Occasionally, to brighten my mopey mood, I practiced yoga with my favorite yoga teacher, my sister Sharon

While I was still down in the dumps, I came across a quote while scrolling that caught my eye: 👀

Oh? Always up for a challenge, I gave this some thought…..So, if I take 30 consecutive days of Bikram yoga, I’ll get out of this rut? I was intrigued.

I found an alluring Bikram studio near home. As a bonus, if you complete the 30-day challenge, you get bragging rights to sign your name on the beautifully painted challenger wall of the studio!

What is Bikram Yoga Anyway?

In simplest terms, Bikram yoga* is one of the original forms of “hot yoga.” It consists of a routine of 26 yoga poses including two breathing exercises practiced within 90/75/60 minutes (originally only 90) in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit 🔥 with 40% humidity.💦

No matter where you go for your Bikram yoga class, these same 26 yoga poses (known as Asanas) will be practiced in the same order, for roughly the same amount of time. The lights are bright, and the walls are mirrored. Typically, there is no music. The instructor (often emphatically) coaches you through the postures, a moving meditation, encouraging you to push harder, deeper, beyond your flexibility while breathing only through your nose. If you need a break, you are to lie down on your mat instead of leaving the hot room.

The Challenge
Historically, I’ve been intrigued by Bikram yoga, probably because it is known to be a disciplined practice, both mentally and physically. I’ve taken a class here and there over the years and usually left feeling dizzy, disoriented, and freaked out to learn that you can sweat from the tops of your feet.

A few of my strong female runner friends practice Bikram yoga as a complement to their running. Always inspired by their running performances, it was another reason to give this challenge a try!

So, I bought a class package, and I kept a journal for 30 days, jotting down some thoughts after each class. Here are a few highlights:

Day 2:

Guy covered in tattoos flung his sweat onto me during Eagle Pose.
30 days of this?!?
Instructor said to me, “Sure, you can smile.”
I wondered, is there no smiling in Bikram yoga?

Day 7:

Nowhere near “standing head to knee pose.”
But … I noticed when I stand up tall with my spine upright—no sinking into hips— suddenly my balance improves. Magical!

Day 12:

Other than running, I haven’t felt this good after a workout, ever!
Same day - my mother told me my posture looked beautiful. At 5 foot 9 inches, I’ve always been uncomfortably awkward with my height. This may be the first time I’ve ever received a compliment on my posture.

Day 16:

I’ve learned how to tune everyone out in the room. I felt fiercely focused on my image in the mirror: “That English Bull-dog determination, Bengal Tiger Strength,” says the instructor.
If I look at others in the class, I lose my balance.
Biggest gain: staying focused.

Challenge Complete (Sort of):

I didn’t complete 30 consecutive days in a row. On Day 6, my aunt passed away, and I attended her funeral in New Jersey, so I couldn’t make it to class that day. I started over, back to Day 1. During Round 2, on Day 17, a loved one had a medical emergency that brought us to the hospital. Thankfully, he’s okay now, but no class that day either.

Life is full of obstacles, priorities, and obligations, I knew that attending 30 consecutive days was a crapshoot. However, I did complete 30 classes in 46 days, so there’s that. Although I didn’t get my name on the challenger wall, I’m fairly proud of the effort.

Takeaways:
Here is what I learned from my 30-day Bikram yoga challenge:

Increased Body Awareness: My posture has improved and I no longer sink into my hips. I’m now more aware of standing tall with my core engaged. Even the slightest adjustment can unlock a whole range of movement and space. This newfound awareness has improved my running form.

Enhanced Focus: I’ve learned to stay present while running. Before, my mind would wander to music, to-do lists, and past conversations. Now, I relish each moment, running without headphones, fully immersed in the experience.

Improved Running Metrics: According to my Garmin watch, my V02 max estimate increased by two points. While this might not be the most precise measure, it’s the first time I entered the “superior” purple zone in all my years of running!

Recently, I ran the NYRR Mini 10K in Central Park. Last year, during the same race, I walked the westside hills because, well, hills are hard! Though they remain a challenge, I was now able to push through. I could hear the instructor’s voice in my head “… that English bulldog determination, Bengal tiger strength.”

The result? I shaved off four minutes and 22 seconds from my previous year’s time, and my age-group average percentage climbed from 50.78 to 54.87. One week later, I ran the NYRR Queens 10K. Similarly, I improved my performance from the same race, one year later (percentage from 52 to 54.2).

Are these gains earth shattering? Perhaps not. Did I PR? Not quite. But compared to last year, it’s progress in the right direction. I’ll take it!

-Melissa Slobin, NYFlyers Co-BlogManager

*Author’s Note:
Bikram yoga has been the subject of controversy due to allegations of sexual harassment and assault against its founder, Bikram Choudhury. In 2016, a jury ruled against him, and he fled the country. Many Bikram studios have chosen to disassociate with him and have changed the name to “Original Hot Yoga” and similar. I do not condone the man or his actions, but I do appreciate the benefits of this yoga series as a powerful practice.

Flyers Groupies On The Run!

2024-07-22T11:00:00.001-04:00

Let’s run together! The New York Flyers Running Club offers a variety of free group runs where you can socialize while you work out! This is a great way to meet new people or work towards a goal.

Sure, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner is a fabulous iconic cultish novel that has served as inspiration for many runners. But truth be told, the companionship and camaraderie for the long distance GROUP runner is what resonates for so many of us.

This is evident at the NY Flyers various weekly group runs. And for those who’d like to learn more, here’s some information about each of our weekly runs to make certain that you don’t miss out on the fun! 🥳 Members and non-members are welcome - bring a friend!

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Sunday Morning Group Run

Meeting Place: Prospect Park, Brooklyn (Grand Army Plaza)

Start Time: 9AM (Fall-Spring), 8AM (Summer)

Group Leader: Debbie Panek

The Sunday Morning Prospect Park Run meets weekly at 9am during the fall through the spring, and at 8am during the summer. Originally organized by the energetic and enthusiastic Stephanie Tang in the late spring of 2017, the Sunday morning run continues to provide a New York Flyers presence in Kings County. Come meet us on the grass median just above the loop, inside the Grand Army Plaza entrance to the park.

Our group fluctuates in size but is generally a small cohort of 2-4 teammates each week, usually running around 9:30-10 minute per mile paces. Runners vary the distance they choose to run (each Prospect Park loop is 3.3 miles), and during periods of marathon or half-marathon training, folks will adapt their paces to meet their goals. Sometimes we venture out of Prospect Park and run the perimeter of the park, around Green-Wood Cemetery, to Sunset Park, or even across the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges to Manhattan. Flyers from other parts of Brooklyn, Queens, or Manhattan occasionally join in the fun, and when we have visitors, post-run meals often get organized as we go!

We welcome new and longtime Flyers to join us any Sunday! Weekly reminders are posted on the Flyers’ Facebook page and now Heylo too. We’re always grateful to know if others might be joining us.

Quotes from 2 happy Sunday regulars:😊😊

"The Sunday run in Brooklyn is something that I look forward to each week. Running a loop (or two) around Prospect Park is great training, especially for the many races that take place there in the spring and summer. The Brooklyn group is “easy like Sunday morning….”

-Beth Brennan

"Anyone who has ever met me knows how much I hate mornings. It's a testament to Debbie's sunny personality and the enjoyable company of the other runners that I somehow manage to pry myself out of bed on a Sunday. Plus, Prospect Park only has one hill vs 38327850374502463 in Central Park."

-Andrea Mihalko

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Tuesday and Thursday Mornings "6@6"

Place: Central Park (72nd Street and Central Park West)

Start Time: 6AM

Group Leader: Francine Alfandary

The 6@6 group meets at 72nd and Central Park West every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 a.m. sharp, year-round, no cancellations. On Tuesdays we do hill repeats or intervals. On Thursdays we run the 6-mile loop, clockwise.

The first Tuesday of every month is always Cat Hill repeats. Other weeks we mix it up. Our repertoire includes 200’s on East Drive, 880’s on the Delacorte Oval, a ladder work-out on the Reservoir, West Side Hill repeats, and more. We mark the start and finish of each interval with light-up pylons or cards. Our work-outs are designed to keep everyone in reasonable proximity, despite our different paces.

On Thursdays, many of us run 6@6 as tempo runs. Others prefer a conversational pace. We finish each run by 7 a.m.

The 6@6 regulars range in age from late teens to mid 80’s. Our pace range is just as broad. While most 6@6 regulars are Flyers, many are not. Typically about 20 runners come out for each run. Everyone is very friendly, cheerful and supportive of one another. The camaraderie and consistency work wonders!

Everyone is welcome at 6 a.m.! Come for the company, stay for the run.

"I’ve been running with the Tuesday/Thursday group for two years now (thank you again Francesco!), and it has definitely made me a better, and faster runner. Francine’s workouts are always varied, and push me further than I would ever do when trying to train on my own. And even though I have to leave at 5:30 to get there on time, it is always worth it because I know there will be a good crowd of people running at different speeds, and it is an outstanding way to start the day and feel like you really accomplished something." - Keir Buckhurst

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Wednesday Mornings "Hump Day Group Run" 🐪

Meeting Place: Engineers’ Gate (90th Street and 5th Avenue)

Start Time: 6:14AM

Group Leaders: Lisa Konorty, Francesco Presutti, Debi Unger, John Whitfield

The new kid on the block? Not really. Some veteran Flyers will remember the old-time Wednesday group. The group’s first leader, Lisa (Scheerer) James, was succeeded by Louise Corrigan, who was in turn succeeded by Scott Stelk. A shoutout to all three of them!

The group had faded into oblivion. Francesco Presutti felt nostalgic of a Wednesday morning run starting and finishing on the east side and was determined to revive it. John Whitfield, Lisa Konorty and Debi Unger all jumped in as group co-leaders.

The Wednesday Group Run 2.0 kicked off with great fanfare on April 10, 2024, after a long hiatus. Coincidentally, it was two days after the Great American Eclipse. The attendance so far – about 10 runners in the first three month – confirms that there was indeed a demand to fill the gap of an east side run on hump day. The group has been purposely rebranded as the “Hump Day Group Run." Our slogan is: we meet to conquer hump day!

The group meets at 6:14am at Engineers’ Gate, hence its other nickname, the Six-Fourteen Group Run because – guess what – there’s no other group in the whole city that meets at 6:14am – we like to be unique! It generally runs a counter-clockwise 6-mile loop.

"Hump day" is recovery day for most Flyers, who do hard workouts on Tuesday and Thursday. While this may evolve down the road, at this point no hard workout is planned for this group. We expect to cover a wide range of paces. All paces are welcome.

In other words, all runners are welcome – no matter their pace or where they live. The proof is in our co-leaders. On one end of the spectrum, we have Lisa, who candidly confessed to Francesco, who was struggling to keep up with her up Harlem Hill during the group’s inaugural run: “This is how I run, I just cannot run easy!” On the other end of the spectrum, we have Debi, who is a guarantor for inclusivity: “If people know I'm in this group,” she said, “they will have no doubt it is open to all paces!” And we also have John, who lives in the UWS, just like Debi. Since he changed jobs, John can’t run at 8am anymore and was eager to find company for his early morning runs. West side runners like John and Debi can cross the park and get to Engineers’ Gate in time for our 6:14am group photo without violating the park’s closure!

Come along, conquer hump day with us! 🐪

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Thursday Night Fun! TNF 🎉

Meeting Place: Columbus Circle

Start Time: 6:30pm

Group Leaders: Dave Kleckner, Kristin Siegle, Laila Selah.

The Thursday Evening Group Run (now known as Thursday Night Fun – TNF!🎉) has long been a staple of the Flyers weekly group runs. Back in 2012, Flyer Michael Rabin re-established the run (click HERE to read Michael’s funny fake history of the run) and handed the reins over to Dave Kleckner in 2014, who has continued to lead or co-lead the group with various co-leaders. The current Group Leaders are Dave along with Kristin Siegle and Laila Selah.

We do our best to have the run feel welcoming, inclusive and fun for a broad range of ages and paces – from speedsters to party-pace. 🥳 Each run starts off with club announcements, introductions, matching new folks up with others to run with them if needed, a group photo posted on Flyers FB, and sometimes even a silly question of the week to help us learn new stuff about each other.

We post weekly on Flyers FB and Flyers Heylo encouraging Flyers to say if they’re coming and at what planned pace so that others might feel inspired to come join – this is especially important for newbies and others who may be concerned that they’ll have no one to run with at their pace. Stacy Rodriguez-Renard, for example, has been great at finding running companions for herself and getting sub-groups of runners together by commenting on the weekly post:

“I was new to the neighborhood and looking for a running club I could connect with to meet people and enjoy long distance miles. Other city clubs were too competitive for my comfort, and I didn’t feel a click until I found the Flyers on a Thursday night fun run. I first met Dave who intentionally ran my pace and shared the highlights of membership over the course of five miles. He introduced me to others and Thursday nights have become routine. It’s fun and a great stress reliever to meet up and chat the miles away.” -Stacy

TNF, not just in name, aims to be not just about running, but about friends and FUN! When Michael re-launched the run way back when, he instituted a monthly Third Thursday Social following the run every third Thursday of each month. Thanks to regular revelers – such as Guy Simoneau, Matt Olsen, Carla Miragliotta, Jeff Zimmerman, Kristin Siegel, Laila Selah and others – the formerly monthly social has morphed into a pretty much weekly post-run social gathering. Carla even spearheads celebrating the birthdays of many of the TNF regulars post-run.

Here’s what frequent TNFer Paige Schafer – one of our extra-youthful regulars – has to say about TNF🎉:

“I’ve really enjoyed attending Thursday Night Fun Runs over the past year. When I first began running with the group, I felt immediately welcomed. Everyone is incredibly kind, supportive, and provides wonderful conversation throughout each run -- which makes the 5-mile loop fly by! I’ve made new friendships through the TNF run and have even taken away sound running injury prevention and management advice (my ITB pain went away fast -- thank you Dave! 😊 ). Looking forward to continuing to combine my love for running with great company on Thursday evenings!” -Paige

For extra fun, we also dabble a bit in promoting some special events, like dressing up for Halloween, 🎃 winter holidays,☃️ Valentine’s Day♥️ and the 2024 Summer Olympics. 🏆 We’ve even awarded prizes! 🍫 🍭 Come join us every Thursday at 6:30pm at the Maine Monument in Columbus Circle – please bring your ideas and take the initiative to help make this weekly run even better!

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Saturday Morning Group Run

Meeting Place: Central Park (the lamp post at the North-West corner of the intersection of the 72nd Street Transverse and East Drive)

Start Time: 9AM

Group Leaders: Ed Altman, David Gaines

This always popular Saturday Morning Group Run has been ongoing for very many years, including at times in the dual purpose of serving as the Flyers New Members Run (though not currently). Runners generally break off into two or more groups depending on paces. Some Flyers like to incorporate it into their long-run, adding on miles before and/or after the run, sometimes with others in the group. While some Flyers shorten the run to 5 miles or less. As it continues to serve as a very versatile, flexible and always friendly run.

Here are some details: We run a six mile loop on the Bridle path or the paved Central Park Loop. Our paces vary depending on the group. We run for approximately 1 hour. Just show up and join us, but if you have any questions, contact the group leaders.

"I like the Saturday group runs because I know I’ll get to both run with the ‘regulars’ like Peter, Colm, and Sarah, but because it seems to be the run that most often has people who are new to running in NYC. Almost every week there is someone joining us who is visiting or recently moved and found out about the Flyers and wants to join us for the loop. We’ve even had running ‘celebrities’, like the recent winner of the Portland marathon Lydia Tay and Kate Taylor, a junior running champion from Canada. You never quite know who will show up, but you know you’ll have a chance to get to know someone new while you’re running the loop." -Keir Buckhurst

-Co-Blog Managers: Dave Kleckner and Melissa Slobin

Chi-Running

2024-06-02T15:51:00.004-04:00

Marie Svet

“I’m sorry, but your running days are over.” Those unforgettable words echoed in my mind like a relentless drumbeat, each syllable a dagger to my heart. “Your. Running. Days. Are. OVER.” 😭💔

It was a harsh reality check, one I brought upon myself. I had been running since I was 16 years old, inspired by my stepdad when he ran his bucket-list marathon. I loved running with him and followed his lead on everything. We were hardcore runners. No matter the circumstances, lace up and go run.

I ignored the warning ⚠ signs—those persistent aches and pains—and pushed my body beyond its limits. The result? A hip stress fracture followed by a partial hamstring tear, sidelining me from my beloved pastime for two long years. My injuries, the doc said, were the result of overtraining and ignoring red flags 🚩 like pain, swelling, bruising, etc. with the help of ibuprofen which only masked the symptoms.

So, no running. No solace. It was a dark period, until a glimmer of hope emerged in the form of a book and DVD —on ChiRunning—handed to me by my stepsister, an unlikely (non-running) hero who believed it might offer me some relief. Little did I know, it would become my lifeline.

But what exactly is ChiRunning? Pronounced "CHEE – running," it's a fusion of Tai Chi and, well, running. It’s a technique based on a set of principles that blends the relaxation of Tai Chi with the power and energy of running.

As I began reading, I was amazed at the amount of detailed information covered. Rather than be overwhelmed, I focused my mind on something the author and co-founder of ChiRunning, Danny Dreyer, mentioned on the very first page –

"Run Like a Child. It’s such a natural movement when kids do it. It looks effortless and joyful.”

And for me, that remains the sole purpose of ChiRunning – to run with effortless joy (injury-free) for the rest of my life.

I credit the principles of ChiRunning for my return to running without any pain. I learned proper alignment of my posture while paying attention to how my feet landed during a walk (ChiWalking) and then a run. It was as close to a miracle as I had ever experienced!

But a lot more was going on than just alignment and focusing on foot strike. In the simplest terms, ChiRunning, as the origin of its name suggests, breaks down into two components:

The Physical (Running technique) and The Mental (Chi skills):

The Physical

So, getting back to me going from zero running to suddenly running every day: It was a progression: First ChiWalking, incorporating as many of the ChiRunning principles as possible, and when I felt ready to run, I followed these steps:

I let gravity take over.
I would fall forward with relaxed control.
My front foot striking the pavement underneath me.
My rear foot swinging out behind me to counterbalance the force of the oncoming road.

I was ChiRunning, and it felt wonderful! 🎉

After years of moving and running NOT like a kid, running naturally felt unnatural. For this reason, viewing ChiRunning as a practice is key. It takes time to unlearn bad or lazy habits. Undeterred, I repeated the process every day, determined to enjoy the process. Within 8 weeks, I was ChiRunning my entire session.

Shortly after that, I entered races again and even started logging PRs! It was at this point (~ 2012) that I met the amazing Flyer Ed Altman 6 miles out from the finish line of the Brooklyn Half Marathon. We finished together and I joined the NY Flyers not long after that.

To be clear, the goal of ChiRunning is not to run faster (although you may run faster incorporating ChiRunning techniques), rather it’s to run injury-free for life. ChiRunning allowed me to ditch a grim future without running and seize one that included running a lot of races of varying lengths—even marathons and half marathons. 🙏🏼

For those of us who've been sidelined by injury, ChiRunning offers a path to recovery and prevention. By addressing the root causes of common running injuries—things like overstriding, poor posture, and muscle imbalances—ChiRunning helps you build a stronger, more resilient body. ChiRunning is not a quick fix, but with patience and practice, it can help you get back on your feet and stay there for good. This is where the Mental aspect comes in to play.

The Mental

Running doesn't have to be a constant struggle. It's not just about how fast or how far you can go; it's about running with ease and efficiency. By incorporating Tai Chi principles like

Relaxation
Deep Focus
Breathing properly as you run

You are inevitably conserving energy and minimizing impact, making your runs more enjoyable and sustainable over the long haul. For me, this made running a meditation-like experience, a moment of quiet reflection in an otherwise chaotic world. I’m often asked what I think about during long training runs and marathons. I guess I’m thinking about running?

ChiRunning isn't just about pounding the pavement; it's about finding harmony between body and mind. It's about tuning into your body's signals, understanding its mechanics, and moving with grace and efficiency. Unlike traditional running methods that focus solely on physical exertion, ChiRunning encourages mindfulness and alignment, which helps to prevent injuries and prolong your time on the road.

In conclusion, ChiRunning isn't just a running technique; it's a way of life. It's about finding joy and freedom in movement, and embracing the journey, wherever it may take you.

As I lace up my shoes and head out for another run, I'm grateful for the lessons ChiRunning has taught me—the importance of listening to my body, running with ease, and staying connected to myself and the world around me. And I'm reminded that my running days are far from over; they're just getting started.

-Marie Svet

Blog Managers' Note Fun Fact! Marie owns and operates Tiny Kitchen Baker, baking specialty cakes that are beyond extraordinary!! 🎂

This Blog Manager, Dave Kleckner, should know -- she baked a spectacular cake for my wife's recent birthday. It was a magnificent, creative, delicious, artistic masterpiece 😍

These are comments from some of our guests: “That friend of yours is a freakin genius” “I’m in awe” “The attention to detail is unbelievable” “It feels wrong to cut into it” “I wish I’d known for my wedding cake” "She should receive a McArthur genius grant" The world needs to know about her work!"

And here are links to view Marie's work on Social Media: IG: svetstagram IG: tiny_kitchen_baker FB: Marie.Svet.7

Website coming soon at: https://www.tinykitchenbaker.com

Do Hard Things: Strength + Self-Discovery During the Marathon des Sables

2024-05-16T09:55:00.001-04:00

Stephanie Tang

Have you embarked on an adventure that changes the perception of your reality and, in turn, the course of your life? Like a tectonic shift, running the Marathons des Sables moved the sand beneath my feet, allowing the heat from the Earth’s core to escape to the surface of the desert, making space for newness to emerge.

At the seams where the tectonic plates come in contact, just as the sand and rocks rubbed against and split the seams of my gaiters, the crustal rocks cause earthquakes, build mountains and form oceans. These processes ebb and flow over time, but, when they occur, they alter our mindset and our existence.

“If my mind can conceive it, my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it!” -Jesse Jackson

Marathons des Sables (MDS), a 6-stage, 252 km, self-supported ultramarathon across the Sahara desert, truly illustrated how the mind can overcome physical obstacles, and reaffirmed my belief in the power of a positive mindset. MDS was a spiritual journey - a moving meditation over technical climbs and “trudgy” sand in 130-degree heat - but also one filled with immense joy and deep gratitude.

The MDS journey started long before the race. My neighbor Peter Boyd introduced Marathons des Sables to our fellow neighbor Luke McGuinness and myself over beers on Luke’s driveway one evening over a year ago. Pete had completed MDS 20 years prior, and planted the seed of returning into our heads.

We committed to MDS over a handshake and a smile. That was the easy part. 🤝🏼

Running Marathons des Sables in the Sahara

Training: Before Sunrise, Backpacks + Big Volume

Pete, Luke and I agreed that we would plan to run MDS together from start to finish. In order to do so, Pete, suggested that we also train together, so that we could not only learn how to communicate effectively as teammates and determine our race strategy, but we could remind each other to hydrate and fuel properly, and sense if one of us was having a hard time, so that the others could provide aid as needed. We had never run together prior to MDS training! While I had spent time with them separately over the course of the five years since we’d move to Westport, CT from NYC, it was usually, with Pete, during a soccer game for our daughters, or, with Luke, preparing for or celebrating the completion of an active endeavor with my husband Ray, his wife Jenny and sometimes our kids too, as Jenny and I are friends and teammates on the Westport Weston YMCA Triathlon Club.

MDS training began in December, 4.5 months before the race. Our first official long run as a team led us over Compo Beach, our local beach in town, and joined with a run with the Joggers Club, our Westport running club. It would become the first of countless runs over Compo and other beaches to mimic running in the desert.

Our first official long run together, 16 miles, over Compo Beach at Sunrise

Within weeks, I was logging more miles than I had ever, often starting before sunrise or during odd hours, and running with a weighted backpack. What was in my backpack? Whereas Pete and Luke threw in a motley collection of books and tools, including a hammer, in theirs, I found that such items dug into my back, and, thus, I filled mine with a weighted vest, water bottles and towels. The towels seemed to increase in weight as I sweat, an added challenge.

By the month before the race, I was consistently running with 22 pounds in my backpack, had completed two ultra distance long runs - 35 miles with Pete and Luke, and 39 solo miles - and got up to 72 miles in a week, the most weekly mileage ever. The dedicated training, nightly stretching and foam rolling, and biweekly visits to my chiropractor, Dr. Nathan King, to keep niggling injuries at bay provided the psychological and physical fulcrum required to feel poised.

Solo sunrise run while a group of people plunged over the winter

Nutrition: Hydration + [De]hydrated Foods

Pete, Luke and I discussed and researched our nutrition plans even more than we did our training and race strategy. Long runs allowed us to explore our on-the-run nutrition plan. With the exception of the two JFK 50 I’d raced, I had only fueled with gels and limited water in the past. In fact, I showed up to our 35-mile team run, which would take us 6 hours to carry out, with a handful of Maurten gels and 16 oz. of water, the amount of water I am supposed to drink in one hour, as I learned a week later during my sodium sweat test! When I ran out of my water at mile 30, Luke introduced me to Tailwind Endurance Fuel, a powder that dissolved in water - it provided nutrition and electrolytes, and was tasty. With the fact that we would have to carry our nutrition (and everything else!) from the start to the finish of the race, and concerns over sodium loss in high temperatures, I concluded I would run with Tailwind Endurance Fuel in one bottle (as carrying powder is lighter than carrying whole foods), Precision Hydration for electrolytes in another, and both sweet and savory foods too (after I made a pit stop for a doughnut and Cubano sandwich during two long different runs).

My friend Catherine Stillman and me during a sodium sweat test together in NYC

In addition to our on-the-run nutrition plan, we also had to arrange our meals and snacks for the 8 total days in the Sahara. Pete, Luke and I organized a food tasting at my front door using Pete’s camping stove so that we could determine how long it would take to boil a cup of water using the titanium cups we bought for the race, how many fuel cubes we needed for each meal, and which meals we preferred. Some meals were a hit among us and our kids too, and we had visceral reactions to immediately spit out others. Our kids were perplexed and inquired why we were sitting on my front steps and eating dehydrated food from resealable bags.

Sampling dehydrated food using Pete’s portable stove on my front door

Heat Acclimation: Sauna Suit, Sauna + Sweat

I loathe running in the heat. I wear shorts through most winter runs, fade in marathons over 55 degrees, and, if there were one, I would consider high temperatures my Achilles heel in running. Yet, this is exactly why I was curious about MDS. Billed as the “toughest footrace on Earth,” midday temps had been known to reach the 120s historically. In 2021, it got as hot as 132 degrees, and nearly 50% of competitors dropped out due to a combination of heat stroke and suspected food poisoning. While it may seem either overly optimistic or downright sadistic, I believed that, with proper heat acclimation, I could tackle and conquer my shortcomings.

Part of signing up for a race with such extreme conditions such as MDS requires understanding the race conditions. Not only is running in the heat hard, but hyperthermia and hyponatremia are potentially life-threatening concerns.

According to the CDC, it takes seven to 14 days for the human body to acclimate to heat🔥. When acclimated, the body actually starts to sweat sooner, which, in turn, cools the surface of the skin, lowers the core body temperature, and drops the heart rate.

Sleeping bag experiment on Luke’s porch

I spent weeks considering every calorie, gram and brand of an item. I repackaged my food into vacuum sealed bags as the dehydrated food packaging was heavy. I cut off excess straps from my backpack, trimmed down my required emergency blanket to the size of a large washcloth, and convinced myself I’d only need one roll of toilet paper for the week.

Prepping our each of our teammates’ first aid kits meant weighing each item

I packed, repacked, and repacked my backpack again.

My backpack finally weighed in at 17.9 lbs. I gave the final product a test run,

and it felt surprisingly light!

All the items in my backpack, including food, plus my race attire

Packing list

Food list

The Sahara: Arrival + Admin Day

Pete, Luke and I arrived in the Moroccan Sahara with a bus full of enthusiastic athletes after over 24 hours of total travel time! We were greeted by Moroccan musicians dressed in exquisite, white kaftans and playing percussion instruments, and made our way to our tent, Tent #58, which we shared with Brian Zehnder, John Verdon, Tom Mnich and two of Pete’s buddies, Ben Christensen and Theo Hooker. Runners and staff alike slept in open-air Berber tents, constructed using camel or goat hair and held up by wooden sticks. We determined our sleeping order in the tent, which would remain the same throughout the week. This would be my first ever camping experience.

The next morning, we ate breakfast, my first meal using what would become the unwashed bag that I would rehydrate all my meals in for the next 7 days, changed into race clothes, repacked our backpacks, and waited our turn for admin checks, when we submitted our medical certificates and EKG print outs, and had our calories analyzed and our backpacks weighed. We spent the rest of the day taping our shoulders and backs to help prevent chafing, and deliberated on whether to tape our feet too (which I did not do, but perhaps should have).

I tossed and turned in my sleeping bag, as my body parts would go numb if I stayed in one position for too long, my teammates flanked to the left and right of me like sardines in a can. The 6 stages over 7 days across 252 km would start tomorrow.

Berber tent with a women’s changing room in the background at sunrise

Stage 1: 31.1 km (19.3 mi)

The nerves and excitement were palpable the morning of Stage

1 throughout the bivouac.

I remained grounded, contemplating only the present moment,

focusing my energy on my what would become

my morning routine

- drink instant coffee from soiled cup,

eat overnight oats from used bag,

stow away sleeping equipment,

carry toilet paper, toothbrush and toothpaste,

brush teeth while walking toward makeshift shift portapotties,

try to velcro flimsy velcro in portapotty and hope it doesn’t blow open,

attempt to secure poop bag to seat with hole and pray

it doesn’t fly back up toward my bottom or spill beneath

the seat, rush back to tent to change and repack before the start.

We sauntered over to the arch that denoted the start and finish line for each stage,

and sang and danced to

“Born to Be Alive” led by MDS translator Will Speak,

and then ran and walked through the arch with

“Highway to Hell” blaring loudly. These two songs would become the MDS anthems.

The start of Stage 1 of Marathon des Sables

Pete, Luke and I had intended to stick together. In fact, we never discussed any other plan. Our strategy was to walk the uphills and run the flats and downhills, which we had practiced back in Westport. We would move as fast as the slowest runner. Pete also recommended that we walk when the sand was soft, which depleted us of energy. He also suggested that we walk every few minutes to lower our heart rates and drink fluids. We were running with full backpacks, and had 156.5 miles ahead of us, after all.

The weather was cooler than expected and the course was stunning! We galloped along stony and sandy plateaus, hiked over the ridge of a jebel, or mountain, and shuffled through small dunes. The diversity of the desert terrain was remarkable!

With six miles to go, Luke, who had been injured before MDS, discussed slowing down to protect his left side, and we replied we’d see him at the finish. We were detracting from our plan already, but it made sense to do so, given Luke’s injury.

Pete and I were greeted by smiling faces, and grabbed a cup of the refreshing mint tea that was being served at the finish. We crossed the finish line joyfully!

Moroccan mint tea at the finish line

Stage 2: 40.8 km (25.4 mi)

Stage 2 started with the sunrise, 30 minutes earlier than Stage 1, and over more incredible views along jebels. Despite the earlier start, this day would be much more challenging than Stage 1.

It was hot. I faded in the sun, and did not speak to Pete for miles.

The toughest portion of the day came as we ran over what felt like hours of dry lake beds. Whereas I would have thought they would be a reprieve from the sand, the bright beds reflected the sun back to us in the stale air.

We each unearthed a personal relationship with the wind that day: a lack of wind was often stifling, a gentle breeze could mean relief, and we braced ourselves when there were huge wind gusts, as, with it, followed sand in our faces.

Having cold water poured on my neck during a checkpoint to help cool down

Stage 3: 85.3 km (53 mi)

Stage 3, or “the long stage,” started at 6am, before sunrise, for almost all save the fastest 50 in the field, which included our tent mate John, who was also the fastest American male! The top 50 were to start 1.5 hours after the rest of us, our assumption to level the playing field as they’d run in higher temps.

Pete and I devised a plan to get out ahead of the walkers while it was cooler, flat and firm underfoot. We ran most of the first 5k of the leg at a brisker pace, and then commenced a steep, hours-long climb over the rocky side of the mythical El Otfal Jebel. A two-inch long thorn pierced the sole of Pete’s foot through the bottom of his shoe - I pulled it out intact, and we continued climbing. We ran up and down small dunes along the ridge, and cheered on the elite runners, who flew by us. This was the most technical, death-defying run of my life over the most breathtaking views, and I loved every moment! The descent, through knee-deep sand dunes, was even steeper than the ascent. It required that we grasp onto a rope at the top before flying down, barely able to turn our feet over quickly enough to keep up with the pace.

Descent over sand dunes at El Otfal Jebel

We ran across more dry lake beds, feeling a sense of success and preparedness in this stage. Each one that we ran past meant we could let it go into the past.

Checkpoints 4 (mile 26.7) through 6 (mile 39.1) proved to be the most mentally grueling segment of the entire week. Unlike the other days, we had to plod through the hottest hours of the day, when the temps climbed to 130 degrees. The sand softened as it got hotter, making it even more difficult to trudge through. My shoulders and back ached the past two days, but the pains worsened; I shoved my hands underneath the straps or lifted the back of the pack for relief, and noticed other runners doing the same too. My feet also ached, not because of the blisters I developed after Stage 1 or the blisters that developed on those blisters after Stage 2, but rather from all the walking, which I hadn’t trained to do. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, I was able to quiet the “noise,” the physical discomfort, and focus on my breath. It was a moving meditation, and felt like a spiritual, out-of-body journey.

Blisters

Delirium set in during the afternoon. I felt lightheaded, and thought I saw shade, to which Pete replied: “Where do you see shade? There’s no shade.” Pete helped talk me out of the hard miles just as he did two days prior.

Relief came as the sun started to set, and just as we climbed our last dune. We picked up the pace, darting along rocky paths. We shut off our headlamps under the night sky and stars, and looked behind us at the beams of lights coming from headlamps moving toward us.

Last dune of Stage 3 as the sun started to set

We finished just after 9pm, in 15 hours and 13 minutes. Pete had dedicated the stage to his daughter Lila, as it was her birthday - “Lila’s long stage” - and was delighted to have finished within the day to celebrate her!

Finish line of Stage 3 after 53 miles!

Runners had until 3:30pm the following day to complete Stage 3. We rejoiced when all of our tent mates finished by the morning, especially as some had hard moments emotionally the stage prior. It was perspective, I thought; we were not mentally prepared for Stage 2, but, with the Long Stage, we had become ready.

Stage 4: 43.1 km (26.8 mi)

Before Stage 4, Ben and Theo shared that the fastest 150 would start 1.5 hours later than everyone else, and that this included John, Ben, Theo, Pete and me!

While we did not look forward to running into the afternoon, we were excited about the standings, and that 5 out of 8 of our tent mates would start together. Pete and I also enjoyed starting behind all the walkers, which meant we would spend much of the day surrounded by other participants, unlike the day prior, when we spent many miles by ourselves. An unexpected bonus was the fact that we ran into almost all of our tent mates along the course.

We spotted Tom just as we barrelled down a sand dune along the course!

As we trudged along soft sand in the heat, we spotted Ben and Theo under the only shaded area we’d seen in the Sahara, and we ran the last 6 miles together to the finish.

Stage 5: 31.4 km (19.5 mi)

We experienced our first sandstorm the night before Stage 5. Sand flew in our faces in the middle of the night, prompting me to leap up to pull my clothes that I had hung to dry during the day, hoping that they were all still there.

Contrary to the night, it was a perfect race! The course was heart-shaped with milder temps and a breeze. I also realized the night before that I was the 2nd American female, only 10 minutes behind the 1st. My competitive spirit kicked in, as I considered changing my goal for MDS, and picking up the pace to finish 1st. When I mentioned my possible plans to Pete, he looked disappointed, and replied: “But Stephanie. That’s not what you’re here for.” I spent a few miles contemplating his response, and concluded that I would choose not to look at the standings again, as my only goal would be to finish with joy and together as a team. I gave him my word.

Pete and I ran the entire stage with Ben and Theo. Our tent mates and I later returned to the finish line to cheer on the last 3 finishers, 2 of whom were married, hand-in-hand, and in their 70s. There were many tears and cheers.

Our tent mates and me at sunrise

Stage 6: 21.1 km (13.1 mi)

After another sleepless night due to another sandstorm, and feeling an overwhelming sense of disgust when I looked at how soiled my food bag and titanium cup were, I was grateful that the end of MDS was near.

It was an overcast day with a tailwind, ideal race conditions, but I was tired. I trailed behind Ben, Theo and Pete, asking them to slow a bit as we neared the finish. We grasped hands as we ran into the finish, intent on finishing arms spread across the finish line, but we were thwarted by two guys doing pushups at the finish line in front of us!

Holding hands into the finish

As we walked over to grab our much-beloved cups of mint tea, Pete disclosed that he had looked at the standings the night prior. Unbeknownst to me, we had banked 15 minutes during Stage 5, and I finished MDS as top American female and 16th female overall! He shared that he was only fearful of disappointing me, that he could not pace me to the finish that I wanted. He was wrong. The MDS journey was all that I could’ve hoped for and more - team-oriented, joyful and spiritual. It tested our physical and mental limits, and could’ve left us depleted, but, instead, we would return home fulfilled.

I believed that this was self-transcendence.

We cheered on all of our tent mates, apparently a first full tent at the finish for our US coordinator Jay, and we danced at the finish line in celebration of our journey at Marathons des Sables!

Westporters at the finish!

Team photo at the finish with our US coordinator Jay

Strength + Self-discovery

When a friend asked me in the days leading up to MDS what I wanted to get out of this experience, I replied: “to find parts of myself that I had not yet discovered.” And discover parts of myself I certainly did.

10 things I discovered (or reaffirmed) during MDS Legendary:

The human mind is stronger than we can even imagine; it can overcome physical obstacles (giant blisters, 2-inch thorns that pierce the sole of the shoe, heat, nausea), as well as psychological and emotional ones
The group is more powerful than the individual. Pete pulled me out of the hole twice as I started seeing stars and imaginary shade, and the miles flew by when Ben and Theo joined our duo for the remaining 2.5 stages.
Don’t be a “two Coke person,” as my tent mates would say; be a good human, and don’t take more than you should, as in, more than the one Coke that was gifted to us after the Long Stage
Water is life; it’s hydration (and food since it rehydrated our food), helped to bring down our heart rate, and, for the Berbers, indigenous nomads of the Sahara desert, a rare natural resource, as one Berber shared that it had been 5 years since he had last witnessed it rain
We require only a small fraction of the “things” we have - food, sleep, water - and don’t sweat the rest
Let go of what no longer serves you (like those hot, dry lake beds we ran by that made me feel faint, but are in the rear)
Self-discipline means to know when to push forward as well as when to pull back
Savor every moment no matter how small (including the sweat that sprinkles onto you from the runner in front or the trace of fellow runner Amelie’s perfume as she runs by), and don’t forget to “look up” at your surroundings
Celebrate every accomplishment, and lift up those around you
Do hard things; accomplishing your goal is so worth it in the end

Heartfelt gratitude to:

My family Ray, Keira and Quinn for your support;
My Westport training partners, Luke and Pete;
My coach, Flyer Tim Decker;
Flyers Melida Barbosa and Pam Krepchin for gifting me with my NY Flyers shirts to wear at MDS a week before our departure;
Everyone who donated to our cause;
High Atlas Foundation;
All the race volunteers, especially Jay for his incredible energy and music at the checkpoints;
And, most notably, Tent 58 - Ben Christensen, Brian Zehnder, Luke McGuinness, John Verdon, Peter Boyd, Theo Hooker and Thomas Mnich.

-Stephanie Tang

Message from the President

2024-04-27T08:51:00.005-04:00

CARLA MIRAGLIOTTA

I'm excited to address you as your newest elected President of The NY Flyers! First, I want to thank you for your support and votes -- even though I know choices were limited (to just me, haha!😉). I am honored to serve as president of this special club!

As we embark on this journey together, I believe it's essential to articulate our shared goals. I welcome everyone’s thoughts and ideas, so please know that I’m just an email away! Our club stands on the pillars of community, camaraderie, and a passion for running. It's our collective mission to not only sustain but also enhance these values as we move forward.

The 2024 Executive Board:

President Carla Miragliotta

Vice President Kristin Siegle

Treasurer Neil Tipograph

Secretary Chris Long

Member-At-Large Lis Shlanksy

Together, we have many goals, but here are our top three goals for 2024:

I. EXPAND MEMBERSHIP

One of our objectives is to continue expanding our membership to runners of all ages. We would like to attract younger runners while we continue to include runners of all abilities. One thing that makes the NY Flyers so wonderful is the club is warm and welcoming to all! We are indeed the city’s friendliest running club! But truth be told, we need to bring in some younger generations so we can sustain our club for many decades to come.

The EB conducted some informal research and learned that many NYC running clubs use Heylo as their preferred platform to advertise and manage their events. Heylo is a community management platform, available as an app and through the Heylo website.

In an effort to stay with the times, we currently are exploring use of the NY Flyers Heylo Account to gradually start promoting various group runs and events. Check out Heylo HERE.

By showcasing our activities to non-Flyers, we aim to attract new members who share our love for running and community. Meanwhile, Flyers can continue to view upcoming runs and events by looking at the Flyers website, and members also have access to our Flyers Facebook and Flyers Instagram account.

II. INCREASE MEMBER ENGAGEMENT

Our club isn't just about running; it's about developing meaningful connections. That's why we're committed to engaging our members in shaping the future of our club. We encourage all Flyers to participate in conversations about group runs and events, ensuring that everyone's ideas and perspectives are heard and valued. For example, in April’s newsletter, and moving forward there is a form that people can use to provide details of a run they may want to bring to the group.

We will continue to ask for member support in planning and staffing the Flyers many group runs and special events, and the goal is to delegate and share responsibility with our many very active club members. When we have events, we will post a sign-up sheet for people to join in planning and volunteering at runs and events. We hope that this will increase the amount of members involved in planning events as we move forward. For example, for the upcoming Three Bridges Run, we hope to have a meeting with the pacers -- and we also have two people in mind to run that meeting (you know who you are 😊). Hopefully this delegation will allow for members' ideas to be heard and to continue to keep such a large club organized.

While we are always excited to hear new voices, we are continuing on with traditions. The DEBs’ Bookclub spearheaded by Deb Saat and Debi Unger 📚 📕 continues to thrive including by Zooming-in authors from all over the country when they can’t come in person.

OLYMPIAN & AUTHOR BILL RODGERS ON ZOOM AT THE
JANUARY 2024 FLYERS BOOK CLUB

Some members requested to bring back the The Palisades Run -- an extremely popular NY Flyers run for three decades that had been put on hold due to damage along the route caused by Hurricane Ida. And on March 24th, about a dozen Flyers braved the hills on the Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge thanks to the planning efforts of Kristel McKanna and Guy Simoneau.

We are fortunate to have Bradford Goz as an active member of the club who continues to guide historical runs -- in February he led the Freedom Run on Feb 21st that explored the African American experience in New York and beyond. In March, Brad provided the Monumental Women Run in celebrating Women's History Month and showcasing the eight monuments to extraordinary women in NYC.

Back in January, Jeanhie Hahn scheduled a donut run to Peter Pan Donuts in Brooklyn 🍩. The weather didn’t cooperate but the good news about New York City is that there are donut places everywhere, so the group rerouted and the run still went on as scheduled. 😋

RUNNING FOR DONUTS! 🍩

We're also grateful for Franceso Presutti, Lisa Konorty and John Whitfield. They decided to bring back and co-lead the weekly Wednesday Hump Day 🐪 morning run at 6:14am. The run meets at Engineer’s Gate on 90th and Fifth and is another option for the club's early morning runners.

These and many other events and group runs have been a mainstay of the Flyers and we are lucky to have members who are willing to continue with these traditions. I look forward to the many adventures that await us throughout 2024.

III. MAINTAIN FINANCIAL STABILITY

Financial stability is another cornerstone of our club's success. We will diligently review our expenses and resource allocation to ensure that our funds are used effectively. By identifying cost-effective solutions and exploring alternative products, we aim to maintain a healthy financial balance while maximizing the value we provide to our members. Stay tuned for updates as they arise!

I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the Flyers Executive Board and Advisory Board members. Their guidance and support have been invaluable.

I encourage all Flyers to join us at upcoming runs and social events. Please introduce yourself if we haven't met yet! It's our members - our warm, friendly, and inclusive environment that makes our club truly special. Thank you for entrusting me with the privilege of serving as your president.

Go Flyers!

Warm regards,

Carla Miragliotta

Finding My Legs Again in Tokyo

2024-04-02T12:20:00.000-04:00

MARY BETH EZRA

On Sunday March 3, I joyfully ran-walked the Tokyo Marathon, earning my fifth star 🌟 in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series. I’m not typically a run-walker, so let me explain how I got there.

In April of last year, I completed California’s Big Sur Marathon. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the course, it’s very hilly 🌄 with almost 2,200 feet of elevation gain and over 2,500 feet of descent along the beautiful Central Coast. Miles 10-12 are particularly beastly, featuring a 500+ foot ascent to Hurricane Point. In preparation for this iconic race I spent a lot of time training on hills, including nearly 20 ascents of Harlem Hill in a week, 11 of them on a single long run. Little did I know I was overworking my body and would pay for it dearly after the race.😓

My husband David Ezra and I ran Big Sur together, and we had a lovely experience taking in the scenery along the Pacific Coast while being challenged by the topography. We enjoyed a few days afterwards on the Monterey Peninsula and tasting wines 🍷🍷🍇 in Paso Robles, recovering from the marathon.

Back in New York a week later, I took my first running steps and immediately felt pain in my left hamstring that grew worse as I continued. The same thing happened on a subsequent run the next day, so I stopped and made an appointment with my physical therapist that turned into three months of treatment. When I resumed running, the pain discouragingly returned. It was time to figure out what was happening inside my body.

An MRI revealed two high partial tears of my left hamstring tendons along with moderate tendinosis. Plans to attempt to train for the Amsterdam Marathon in October were abandoned, and after some rest and time moping around feeling sorry for myself it was time to find a new PT who could nurse me back to health. Adding to the pressure were the Tokyo and London marathons looming in Spring 2024, for which David and I had each secured charity bibs and which would mark the end of our World Marathon Majors six-star journey.

Friend and fellow Flyer Shitij Arora recommended Josh Grahlman at Clutch PT, with whom I got to work on a careful program for recovery. I committed to daily strength training and performed all of the exercises he gave me, of which there were many.💪 At the same time, I began communicating with Flyers Coach Amy Sitar. Both were a little unsure of my ambitions to run Tokyo in just a few months but we set our sights on it.

After two months with Josh and as the December holidays passed, he gave me permission to start working with Amy. With only about eight weeks to get ready for the race she devised a training plan, which she and I evaluated from week to week, to get me to the starting line in Japan. The secret sauce would be run-walking, which I’d had no experience with before, along with runs only every other day to lessen the impact on my hamstring and continue to give it time to heal. We would rely on my decade of experience running marathons to make up for the short and light training cycle.

The plan worked, amazingly. My body held up. I packed my bag for Tokyo cautiously excited, and off David and I went on a journey halfway across the world. Four days later on a cool and sunny morning, having (mostly) adjusted to the fourteen-hour time difference, I stood in the corral with a big grin on my face. It was showtime.

Never was I so appreciative for the opportunity to run a race. As I crossed the starting line, I found a run-walk rhythm. I took in all of the sights and sounds, looking at the inspiring people around me, from my fellow amateurs to Eliud Kipchoge and all of the other elite runners as they passed by across the road during an out-and-back section of the course. As I grew tired and began to fade, I kept smiling and thinking about how lucky I was to be racing again.😊

When I finally crossed the finish line, I jumped for joy and began to cry. I had feared maybe my marathoning days were behind me. But no, with the help of Josh and Amy, it was possible once again. After receiving my medal, I found David and we slowly walked back to the hotel together, ready to rest and enjoy a beautiful visit in Tokyo and Kyoto. And to think about London, up next.

-Mary Beth Ezra

A Flyer of the Year's Guide to Running with the Best Team in Town

2024-03-01T16:40:00.035-05:00

FRANCESCO PRESSUTI

When Flyers past-president, John McCreesh, wrote me last November that I had been nominated for Flyer of the Year (FOTY), my first thought was: really? Why me? 🤔 I knew many incredibly big-hearted Flyers who truly deserved to be honored with this prestigious award. But me?

Then at the Flyers Annual Awards Gala in February – to my surprise – Hiromi Nobata, recipient of last year’s FOTY award, announced that I had received this year's award together with Brad Goz. The award recipient is selected via voting by the Flyers membership, and it turned out that Brad and I received the exact same number of votes!

Receiving the FOTY award from Hiromi Nobata

Thank you NY Flyers -- the world’s friendliest running club -- for honoring me as co-recipient of this year's award. I would also like to congratulate the other FOTY nominees: Lisa Konorty and David Gaines, along with fellow recipient Brad Goz. They all contribute significantly to the club, and they are also deserving of this award.🏆🏆🏆🏆

Flyers are nominated for the FOTY award because of their personal contributions to the club, but that's not what I'll talk about in this Flyers Blog post. Instead, I would rather highlight what the Flyers have done for me - including how the Flyers have profoundly changed my life. And..little did I know that I would become the Flyers Spokesmodel on the NYRR website! 😂 I'm happy to represent this club that has provided a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for my running since I joined nearly 12 years ago!

Flyers Spokesmodel (not by choice!)

I became a Flyer in the summer of 2012 thanks to Sungwon Hwang and Nikhil Hutheesing. Training with the Flyers became an instant performance booster for me. The proof is in my race results. I started running in 2005 at age 43, but I set my PRs in all the classic distances only after I joined the Flyers.

Yet, running is not only about racing, and joining a club is not only about athletic performance. As highlighted on the NYRR "Get Involved" link, the club offers something for everyone. The Flyers’ mission statement makes this very clear:

The lead point in the club’s mission is to "promote friendship and camaraderie through organized social and athletic activities."

I've found this mission to reflect my experience as a Flyer -- participating as a member of the club has been a transformative experience on so many levels beyond competitive racing -- and our team spirit resonates strongly within me.

Beyond Competition: Flyers Giving Back!

My Top Three Transformations Thanks to becoming a Flyers:

1- LAZYBONES LEARNS TO RISE & SHINE

I owe Francine Alfandary and the Flyers Tues/Thurs 6am Group Run a debt of gratitude for helping me discover the joy of waking up at 5am to run twice a week.🌅 The idea of running at 6am would have been unthinkable until I began running with the Flyers early morning group. In the nearly two decades I spent in two French-speaking cities, Paris and Brussels, I picked up an expression that perfectly describes my gusto of lingering in bed in the morning: faire la grasse matinée (translation: "sleep in").

It all changed in 2012. I learned that visualizing a crowd of warm, welcoming, friendly, cheerful, good-looking, athletic runners meeting up together to run in Central Park will help the laziest bones to get out of bed – even at 5am!😊

Warm, Welcoming, Friendly, Cheerful, Good-looking 6AM Runners!

I built my new early morning running habit while my children were school-aged and living at home. If I drove them to school instead of putting them on the yellow bus🚌, it gave us an extra hour in the morning. This was a win-win situation since my kids were happy to have the extra hour of sleep and I could do the daily run needed for my marathon training.

The 6AM Group Before Sunrise

By the time I had completed my run with the Flyers 6am group, taken a shower, eaten breakfast,🥞🪺🥓🥛 driven my children to school and reached my office desk at the European Union Mission to the United Nations, I felt at peace with myself, energetic and ready to tackle a full day of negotiations at work. Much more effective than gulping down caffeine all day long!☕

My children have now both finished college 🎓and are in the workplace. But I have kept my habit of early morning running before starting my day!

2 LONELY WOLF 🐺 MORPHS INTO CHATTY 📣 RUNNER

The importance of holding a conversation while running is often underrated.

At what point in time in our running did we discover that talking while running is even possible? For many of us it feels like a lifetime ago. We probably all started running with the sense that running equals exhaustion.🥵

When did we realize that 80% of endurance training must happen at an easy, conversational pace, the so-called 80/20 training? I still know plenty of people who work out too hard too often. Of course, they get injured all the time.

As a running coach, I often use the “talk test”🗣with less experienced runners. I start a little conversation. Can they talk back in full sentences? In single words? This is how I measure their rate of perceived exertion (RPE), i.e. their effort level.

Not only are we capable of talking and physically benefit from it while doing easy running, but it also can make running more enjoyable. This is why running is such a compelling physical activity compared to swimming and cycling.🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️ We can share opinions, tell jokes, and talk about our life problems. We can even combat loneliness and fend off anxiety and depression simply by joining a group of friendly runners.

Many people have told me that I talk too much when I run. (Too much of a good thing? 🤔). A longtime friend from Brussels once compared running with me to running with the radio on without an on/off switch. 😇 Another friend, this time a New Yorker, made a point of telling me that he missed the peace and quiet in Central Park when I was around. 🤫

Great company in torrential downpour for 5th Ave Mile!

The truth of the matter, and the irony in that, is that I have always been a reserved person. No wonder I started running on my own. As a child, I could go entire days without uttering a word. It is hard to believe that child is the same person who has made a career as a diplomat for the European Union, given scores of public presentations, taught law school students, and even recently joined the ranks of the Met tour guides. I suspect it is also thanks to my daily runs that I have managed to turn things around and to overcome my introversion.

Well, this is who I am now! Thank you, Flyers, for helping me to transform from a quiet lonely runner into a chatty sociable teammate!

Newport 5K in NJ with Teammates!

3- FLYERS TEAMWORK CAN'T BE BEAT 🏆

The idea that running is not a team sport is a false notion. It takes a team to win – and running with the Flyers has transformed me into a member of a winning team. Not surprisingly, the Flyers have been repeatedly nominated for the prestigious NYRR team spirit award, most recently this year.🎉

Despite the Flyers’ broadly non-competitive nature, our team has very competitive runners, especially in the older cohorts. I was very proud to bring the Flyers 60+ men team to the podium for two years in a row, together with John Whitfield, Jérôme Bérard and all my other fellow teammates. Did you see how our eyes gleamed with excitement when we hoisted our trophy at NYRR club night? Competing for the NYRR team awards is for me one of the most rewarding aspects of being a Flyer.

Every Flyer should rightfully feel that they are a winner. When I write my race reports for the Flyers, I make a point of congratulating both the award winners and all other finishers. What fun is there in completing a race, coming back from an injury, setting a PR or winning an age group award if we cannot share our moment of glory with our teammates? Celebrating with our team is what really makes us all feel like true champions.

Thank you again for honoring me as co-recipient of this prestigious award!

Go Flyers!

-Francesco Pressuti

Streaking with Emily Altman

2024-02-07T13:43:00.013-05:00

EMILY ALTMAN

As I sit down to write this blog post, it is Day 1,413 of my Covid-19 Running Streak.

The odometer reads 15,366 miles.

DAY 1: MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2020

New York City was locked down. 😷

Something inconceivable was happening and the future was uncertain, unclear, and indeed very scary.

I recall my apprehension. Despite the thick cloud of fear looming over me, I rationalized the following:

I may lose my job, all of my savings, my apartment and my life. But, there is one thing that the situation can not take from me: the ability to put on my sneakers and go running.

STREAKING

The pandemic would not stop me from running. I focused on this mantra as I started to run every day. I decided I would run every day until Covid was gone.

In my mind, each daily run represented one more chunk of 24 hours of survival. Between each run I navigated the horror of going to work at a hospital.

I estimated that we’d make it through it all in around 3-6 months. It did not work out that way. Covid-19 is still with us, and will be for the duration, but we have figured out how to exist with it.

There was so much uncertainty. What would be the definition of Covid-19 being over? When I can drive to Massachusetts with New York plates? Fly in an airplane? Ride a train? Stay in a hotel? Attend a conference? Eat at a restaurant? Go to someone's house? Go see a movie?

Gradually over the months and years we all began to do those things again…but Covid-19 was not gone. So I kept running.... Every single day.

In time, I began to create challenges within the overall challenge of running every day. They have included things such as: The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee 2020 and 2021, a marathon in November 2021, running 100 miles in a week, getting to certain average-per-day milestones, beating previously achieved yearly mileage totals, and more!

MY FINISH LINE FOR THE
GREAT VIRTUAL RACE ACROSS TENNESSEE

In general, my focus is on miles only. I don't do speed work and I don't really care about pace. The one exception was when I chose to run a marathon. I did about 3 months of weekly speedwork sessions. When I ran the Northern Central Railroad Trail Marathon in November of 2021 I did not meet my own time goal, but I did qualify for Boston! I then forgot to enter during the "window". Oops. 🤣

I go through phases of setting slightly different mileage goals, based on nothing very scientific...mostly "I wonder if I can do...this...or that". My pace doesn't vary much. So far, knock wood, I have remained injury free. It does help that I am a physical therapist so I have a pretty good sense of the status of my own "machine."

Dome of Silence with Amy

I run many many miles alone, but I have also run hundreds of miles with my good friend and running buddy and longtime Flyer Amy Stern. When I'm alone, I think mostly about the projects I am immersed in at work. I am convinced that more oxygen is getting to my brain because I figure out a lot of things while I'm running. When I'm with Amy, we talk about so many things. We run in what we call the "Dome of Silence." Anything that is said in the Dome is OK, and will not be judged or repeated elsewhere (what happens in the Dome, stays in the Dome 😊)!! Also, of course, very many miles with running partner/life partner Ed Altman. 💕

Have there been threats to the streak? 🌋 Yes! Apologies for TMI, but, the biggest challenge was navigating a routine colonoscopy. For those who know, you know! I ran 3 miles on a treadmill at 2:00 a.m., in between doses, on the day of the procedure. Not so bad.

There were other minor challenges like a snow storm ⛄ and a day-long family event, but I have always been able to eke out at least 2 miles.

Before the streak I was happily running 5 days a week, 6-8 miles each run.
Yes, there are quite a few days that I am not excited about going running.
I ran with a mask for an entire year.
For 2 years I ran only counter clockwise on “the loop” so I could be on the outside and could move away from oncoming runners.
I run early in the morning, starting at 4:30am on some days and up to 6:15am on other days.
I use 8.5 pairs of shoes per year.

COMPLETING 10,000th MILE!

Truth be told, I may have a tendency toward streak-like behavior. 🤣

From grade 10 - 12 I ran 10 miles per day with my best friend Michelle. 🏃🏃

Michelle and me

And for the past 27.5 years, I have shown up, on premises, for work every single day without one unplanned day off. Not one sick day or unable-to-show up day! 🤧

Run Distribution:

Miles/day Frequency

2	5
3	15
4	39
5	10
6	187
7	30
8	83
9	10
10	118
11	102
12	406
13	36
14	281
15	34
16	35
17	5
18	1
20	7
21	1
22	1
26	1

People often ask: "When will you end it?" It will end. That is for sure. Something will come up, something will happen. I don't worry about it and I will not be upset. In the meantime, I just keep going. It has very much become a part of my life and I like the consistency of it.

Many elements of my day-to-day life are challenging and unpredictable. Running helps offset that element. Although I am often tired, I like the sense of solid baseline fitness. My streak was absolutely a critical anchor to windward during the intense, horrible days of the first 2 years of Covid-19. And I remain eternally grateful for running as an extremely important part of my life.

-Emily Altman

Rock ‘n’ Roll in Arizona

2024-01-24T13:42:00.001-05:00

Joanna Gunderson

January in NYC can be rough for us cold-averse runners! The air can hit hard and the sun sets way too early.🥶Delightedly, I escaped the frigid temperatures for a long weekend with fellow NY Flyers and friends Lisa Konorty, her daughter Romi and Manuela Montagnana. We welcomed the warmth of Phoenix, Arizona along with each other's company, great brunches, happy hours and Personal Records at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Race Series! (Of course, good music too!). 😎🌞🍸🥞☕

This annual event always takes place during Martin Luther King Day weekend, which can make for a quick getaway to recharge⚡right at the start of the new year!

This was not my first time, rockin' (so to speak) Arizona's Rock 'n' Roll series. In 2022, I took on the marathon, though as a training run. Lisa and former flyer Vanessa Koury opted for the half instead.

Hot, sunny, 68 degrees and a late start would not lead to a PR (4:15:06) but I embraced the opportunity to escape NY's cold 🧊 while practicing a long run with my new hydration camelback. The dry desert's heat 🌵🔥, rolling hills and bridges made for a challenging run indeed, and it was no surprise that they cancelled the marathon option moving forward.

Now they offer a 5K, 10K and Half Marathon; much more enjoyable distances in such challenging conditions.

FLYERS ROCK THE HALF AND THE 10K IN 2024

Lisa with her daughter Romi graciously hosted me at Lisa's house in Sun City. Manuela opted for a hotel, but joined us for brunches and happy hours as we ate and ran our way through the fun-filled weekend! 🥳

Flyer women Manuela Montagnana, Lisa Konorty, Joanna Gunderson, and Lisa’s daughter Romi attend the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona expo.

I was pleased to learn that Rock ‘N’ Roll moved the start time of the event to 7:15am to accommodate the heat. The weather was a lot more comfortable than in 2022, with a 42-degree average temperature. 🎉

Since I was on the mend from COVID and also busy with life's obligations, I choose to run the 10K with Romi, while Lisa and Manuela raced the Half. This scenic race was beautiful! The sun rise in the desert made those rolling hills and three bridges more bearable.

Runners running during the desert sunrise of the 10K

Congratulations to Lisa and Manuela! They both ran strong half marathons and both of them PR'd -- Lisa ran her PR in 1:52:33 and Manuela beat her prior PR by 3 minutes!

Reflecting on her race Lisa said:

“The half was a PR for me by more than one minute. I thought the course was fun and full of energy with the bands along the course. I especially loved the challenging two miles of hills; mile 10 and 11 in Papago Park. It was so cool to run through Tempe, Scottsdale, and Phoenix all in one race. And I loved the Flyer ladies’ camaraderie.”

A stunning sunset in Sun City, Arizona.

While you're out there, take the time to see the surrounding region of Phoenix including Tempe, Scottsdale, and Sun City. We also enjoyed a few walks through Sun City with "Harley the Corgi" and Lisa's neighbor Marv -- (Marv just finished his 90th marathon in December and is 83 years old!).

With Romi, Marv, and Harley the Corgi 😊

The colors of the desert are stunning, Arizona is beautiful, the desert desserts were delicious and the coffee flights are fantastic!

A tasty coffee flight at JOJO Coffeehouse in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Overall, I would recommend Arizona's Rock 'n' Roll Running Series for a beautiful long weekend getaway and a healthy dose of vitamin D for those of us trudging through these frigid and frosty NY winter months! 🌞

-Joanna Gunderson

Run Moys Run – A Dynamic Duo

2023-07-18T09:21:00.002-04:00

VIVIAN AND CHRIS MOY

On April 29, 2019, my husband Chris and I took our first steps on a treadmill after my best friend enticed us to train for our New Jersey 5K race. I (Viv) had always dreamed of running a race—so why not start with a 5K. Lo and behold, it wasn't long before we were training for the NYC Marathon as well! Ever since I was a kid growing up in the Bronx, running the NYC Marathon was on my bucket list!

My late mom and I always watched the NYC Marathon together on TV during my childhood. I continued the tradition on my own during my adult life, which fueled my dream of running the marathon. Running the 5K in NJ was a kick-starter that led me to sign-up for NYRR’s Bronx 10 Mile Race. When Chris heard there’d be a finisher medal, he was all in! 🤣

BRONX 10-MILER

This race began our 9+1 journey, and culminated on New Year’s Eve at NYRR’s Midnight Run. We gained guaranteed entry to the 50^th Anniversary of the NYC Marathon in 2020! 🥳🎉 This bucket list dream of mine was to come true thanks to the help of a longtime friend and fellow Flyer, Andy Tse, who had explained how easy it was to qualify for the marathon by completing the 9+1 program.

In February of 2020, Chris and I joined The NY Flyers with hopes of having a great marathon training cycle. Andy Tse was the driving force in recruiting us as Flyers. He told us all about the group runs with the club, the great running events the Flyers would host, and how awesome it would be to run with others who were as passionate about running as us. We even had a little FOMO when we saw Andy post pics while at the 2020 Flyers Awards Gala! It looked like so much fun seeing runners all dressed up! We needed no more convincing and signed up to become new Flyers!

We decided to join evening group runs in Central Park in addition to the Flyers large organized summer long runs. I remember our very first race as Flyers. It was a cold Manhattan 7 Mile Race in Central Park, and it took me more than two hours to walk the course. I was on pain medication at the time from a recent surgery to remove my thymus gland.

OUR FIRST RACE AS FLYERS! 😊

I had recently learned that a malignant tumor, a thymoma, had attached to my thymus gland, located in the middle of my chest. The pain that I felt in my chest after a 10-mile training run led me to go to the ER two days later which was when the mass was discovered. As a result, I believe running saved my life.💖 I don’t know if the tumor would have made itself known otherwise. Surgery was successful, and with the clearance of my medical team I got the go-ahead to return to running. I was determined to continue training along with Chris, expecting to run our scheduled half marathons and the 2020 NYC Marathon. Then…the world shut down.

During the difficult days of Covid, being separated from loved ones and Flyer friends, Chris and I continued training together to keep some sort of routine and normalcy in our lives.

What wasn’t normal were the completely deserted streets of NYC. We were able to run everywhere and anywhere without worrying about traffic. Long runs were a dream even though the world was a nightmare. By June, it was announced that the NYC Marathon was cancelled, but we continued to run together and decided to run it virtually.

After months of training together, and when it was safe to do so, fellow Flyers and I cheered and supported Chris and other Flyers running four-plus loops of Central Park in late October of 2020. I had the same support group two weeks later when I ran my 26.2 miles. I ran the virtual marathon on the day the "real" marathon would have been held on, November 1, 2020. I ran along the actual NYC route except for the Verrazano Bridge. The last 10 miles, there was a downpour and I was cold and soaked. But, I made it to the finish line that NYRR laid down in the park. It was an emotional moment as Chris ran the last 200 meters with me, captured my finish, and draped the iconic blue poncho over me that we purchased second-hand online.

When races slowly began to resume in 2021, Chris and I trained together and raced together. We signed up for two more marathons, making what was just a bucket-list dream to run New York City into also running Berlin and Chicago! All in 6 week’s time!

Running together has taken us around the world, visiting cities we always wanted to see.

We realized that we already were halfway towards completing all six of the Abbott World Marathon Majors so we decided to pursue attaining the Abbott Six Star Medal. We recently completed London in October ’22 and Tokyo in March of ‘23. Only the Boston Marathon remains for us to claim our final Six Star Medal! I’m hoping to secure a Boston entry via a charity, and Chris’ dream is to time-qualify for Boston.🦄 I know we can both do it!

After having less than stellar marathon finish times training on our own, I decided to invest in proper coaching and was coaxed by our wonderful Flyers Member at Large, Wendy Mitchell, to sign up for the Flyers Marathon Training Program (MTP). Chris followed along and signed up for training, too! This is what solidified what we especially enjoy as Flyers -- the camaraderie and friendships we have formed after joining the Marathon Training Program. There really is a wonderful social aspect and support system to group training - something we didn’t know we were missing in 2020. We also enjoy the personal bests we’ve been achieving while participating in this marvelous program. Being individually coached based on our fitness levels, Chris is nearing readiness for a sub-4 marathon. And me? Well, I’m happy to be out of the 6+ hour range! Last year in NYC, MTP helped me have a course PR of 1:02:12! 😍

When you don’t see me running races, you’ll see me cheering at races. My team spirit always emerges as I love cheering for Chris at races, along with cheering my fellow Flyers and everyone I’ve met from different running clubs and the running community. 📣

Although we started our journey together by stepping on those treadmills back in 2019, we’ve needed to train apart and at different paces to improve our marathon times. And that’s totally fine! It’s a small price to pay for the successes we’ve had. 🤗 We continue to celebrate one another’s achievements and continue to encourage and motivate each other for every upcoming race. Both of us joining the Flyers, joining MTP and both of us making wonderful running friends is the best investment we ever made in our fitness lives. 💕

- Vivian Duran-Moy with Chris Moy

Battered & Bloodied: Steve's Throwback to BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON 2008

2023-06-07T17:10:00.006-04:00

STEVE KAIRYS 2017

Prologue

Less than two miles into the 2008 Brooklyn Half-Marathon, my race hung by a hairbreadth. I found myself prone on the Coney Island boardwalk, having incurred multiple injuries. Would I have to drop out of a race for the first time in over 170 starts?

Not if I had anything to say about it.

Battered and bloodied, I tried to get up…

Mile 0: History Lesson

In 2008, The Brooklyn Half was not this major party with more than 25K runners, finishing at Coney Island. It was a smaller race (5,839 finishers) that, for the final time, started there, and challenged runners by concluding in hilly Prospect Park. 🏔

(Map from usatf.org.)

Mile 1: Want a Hot Dog?

On this cloudy, cool morning, the race began on the boardwalk, with the ocean to my left.🌊 My goal: under-10:00/mi. I passed the shuttered eateries (such as Nathan’s). Thanks to a restroom stop, my split was 10:33.

Mile 2: SPLAT!

Shortly after the turnaround, I stumbled, and apprehension swelled as the boardwalk rose up to meet me. I connected five body parts with the boardwalk: knees, hands, and what I thought was a bone on the left side of my chest.

I stood, tried to run…and I could! Still, I had emerged from this tumble with significant damage. While not bleeding, both knees were scraped: the right, barely; the left, however, sported an ugly red blotch. My hands briefly felt a bit sore, but inspecting them showed no damage. Of greater concern, however, might have been my chest or ribs. Now and then, I’d feel a twinge.

I defiantly stated to one of the concerned runners that after putting in two 10-milers, I wasn’t going to let a little tumble stop me. I was going to run competitively as if I had never fallen. I think this incident increased my determination.

Split: 10:06, Net: 20:40, Deficit 0:40

Mile 3: Goodbye, Boardwalk

Around mile 2.8, the race mercifully left the boardwalk and descended onto city streets. Soon, we took a right onto Surf Avenue and before long, I hit the Mile 3 marker in an estimated time of 9:50.

Miles 4 - 9; Ocean Parkway to Prospect Park

The race proceeded north on almost-flat Ocean Parkway. Now and then, I’d draw on the company of my fellow runners with whom I would share my story about how lucky I was to still be in this race.

I settled into a nice rhythm, most of my miles under-10:00, and took the lead on my goal pace by Mile 5. While I wanted to accumulate a time cushion before the dreaded Mile 11 hill in Prospect Park, I needed to save something. The race was going by pretty quickly, a testament to the good day I was enjoying. What injuries? Adrenaline and determination were getting me through the half-marathon.

Eventually, I ran up an exit ramp and soon entered the park near Mile 9 with a comfortable lead.

Net: 1:28:41, Lead: 1:19

Mile 10: Gobble, Gobble

Now, around a 10:19 pace would attain my goal. I soon would pass landmarks I recognized from the Turkey Trot; however, my planned post-race dinner was steak. I gained another 10 seconds by Mile 10, body still feeling good.

Split: 9:50, Net: 1:38:31, Lead: 1:29

Mile 11: That Looming Hill

Shortly thereafter, on East Drive, the hill appeared. The slope is significant and lengthy. I met the challenge head-on. Finally, on West Drive, I would reach Mile 11. Relieved, I checked my watch.

I had conquered The Hill in 9:44 for Mile Eleven. About nine miles earlier, I could’ve taken a DNF. Now, I stood just 2.1 miles from a triumphant finish.

Split: 9:44, Net: 1:48:15, Lead: 1:45

Miles 12 - 13.1 – Hanging On

My injuries were still holding up. At Mile 12, I lead by 1:49. I could taste it.

I was tiring though, and challenged by the long, gradual uphill on Wellhouse/Hill Drive. I had defeated that big hill, but now, the course walloped me with the back end of a one-two punch. I refused to give in, looking, looking, looking for the end of this road. Would that intersection ever appear?

Mercifully, it did, and I returned to East Drive. Shortly thereafter, I made the final turn, onto Center Drive. Somewhere along this road came one more short, slight uphill. Finally, I spotted the Mile 13 marker, hitting it in 10:00. I still led by 1:49. My battered body had nothing left for a finishing sprint, but I had fully earned the right not to kick. I would cross that Finish Line, and secure my first competitive triumph in over ten months.

I had started adversity in the race, turning a fall that could have ruined my race into victory.

Split 1:01; Net: 2:09:11 (Pace: 9:52/mi)

Miles 14 - 15: Celebration! Celebration!

Now, my body could allow itself to feel beaten up. My left knee started hurting, all I needed when I had to climb the steps of the baggage bus.🚌

Still, I reveled in my achievement and enjoyed the generous post-race team brunch hosted by New York Flyer couple Sara and Gary Heard, including a bagel, meatballs, and quiche.🥯 As my rib injury pained me when I coughed, I remarked that I hoped that no one would tell me any jokes so that I did not have to laugh. The fabric of my post-race sweatpants rubbed uncomfortably against my knee. After the gathering, fellow Flyer Ed Altman saved me from a taxing subway ride home by driving me back to Manhattan. Thank you, Ed! I’ve met so many wonderful people through the Flyers.

By evening, it hurt to get in and out of bed. It didn’t matter. Especially during my celebration dinner. Nothing like steak and plentiful wine🍷🍷🍷to ease the pain after one of my proudest races.

-Steve Kairys

New Member Profile: Meet "Fast" Albert, Mystery Flyer

2023-05-29T22:07:00.000-04:00

Albert Pedemonte

A Q&A with Co-Blog Manager Melissa

The Flyers has a new, talented teammate!

Just last weekend, while The Blog Team was editing and formatting Francesco’s race report for the Brooklyn Half Marathon, the first-place 🏆 finisher for the men (and the team) caught our eye for a couple of reasons. First, his finish time was an astounding 1:18:26, a 5:59 minute mile; also, none of us (Dave, Francesco, nor myself) had ever heard of this fellow NY Flyer, Albert Pedemonte. So, after a little investigation, I found our mystery fast Flyer, and he graciously answered some questions for a brief interview.

Melissa: Hi, Albert! Nice to “meet” you. Congratulations on your incredible Brooklyn Half performance! Have you been running your entire life?

Albert: Hi! My background is in cycling, so running was always part of my off-season winter training.

Melissa: Oh, are you a professional cyclist?

Albert: I wish I was a pro-cyclist! No, cycling is my hobby and my passion. I wasn’t a “pro” but I used to race in some serious competitions at the regional and national levels, both road racing and mountain biking.

A cycloross race 2007

Melissa: Where are you from?

Albert: I am from a small town north of Barcelona. In Spain, cycling is very competitive, so you had to train hard if you didn’t want to get dropped.

Melissa: Wow! Ok, back to running. You just run on the off-season of cycling and yet you are so speedy?

Turkey trot 2019

Albert: I guess I was kind of fast from day one because I was in good shape from cycling. In 2006, when I knew that I was moving to New York City, I thought that it would be cool to run the NYC Marathon. I did a couple of half marathons in Barcelona to get the qualifying time for guaranteed entry.

Melissa: How did it go with the NYC Marathon?

Albert: I had two goals: Do it under three hours and beat Lance Armstrong. I achieved both!

After the marathon, I stopped running and went back to cycling for a couple of years. Then I had my children: my son, Pol, and soon after, my daughter, Mia.

Then, for the next 10 years, I did some running and some cycling but no races and nothing regular.

Melissa: When did you start running more consistently?

Albert: At the end of 2018 is when I started running more regularly, and I registered for a NYRR10K race. I didn’t do as well as I was expecting and that motivated me to train more. Since then, I have been pretty consistent with my running.

Melissa: When you say consistent, how often do you run and what’s your mileage per week?

Albert: I average four or five days a week. I would like to do six, but there is always something that comes up, either working late or family obligations. I run the most when I’m training for a marathon, and I get up to 50 or 55 miles a week. When I’m not marathon training, I run 30 to 40 miles a week.

Melissa: Do you do any cross-training?

Albert: I don’t do any specific cross-training, but I do still cycle quite a bit in the summer. I also have a physical job. I am a cabinet maker, so I am pretty active all day. I guess that can count as cross-training.

Melissa: Do you have a favorite race distance? Any marathons coming up soon?

Albert: If I have to choose a distance, I will say half marathon. I can almost keep the same pace for a half as I run for a 10K. When I run a full marathon, my pace gets a lot slower.

I only did three marathons: NYC twice, 2006 and 2022; and last April, I ran the Jersey City Marathon where I had my PR 2:54:27. I will run NYC again this year (I need a NY Flyers singlet!), and I plan on running Boston in 2024. 🦄

Melissa: How did you find the NY Flyers?

Albert: I am a good friend of Adolfo Ferrando. We run together pretty often on weekends. He and his wife, Teresa, are very proud Flyers, so I am now too!

Melissa: It was so nice chatting with you, Albert! Do you attend the Flyers group runs or events?

Albert: The Three Bridges is the only run that I did so far with the group when I was training for the NYC marathon. Hopefully, I can do some more soon and meet more Flyers, too.

Brooklyn Half Marathon Mystery solved! Be on the lookout for "Fast Albert!" Just don’t blink … you might miss him! 👀

Flyers Volunteer in Central Park: Giving back. Getting more…

2023-05-16T22:06:00.005-04:00

HEATHER MARCELLIS

In 2004, a group of eager Flyer members volunteered their time to “dig in the dirt” alongside the Central Park Conservancy for the very first time.🌳 This outing became a perennial favorite for the club and, Covid aside, has continued to this day.

FLYERS VOLUNTEERING IN 2012

IN THE RAIN IN 2016

WITH CONSERVANCY'S CHRIS McDUFF

We reconvened this May - across from Tavern on the Green - to clear the cobblestones of unwanted weeds and greens.🍀 Chris McDuff, our enthusiastic leader from the Conservancy, likened the gardening activity to dental floss for the cobblestones.🦷 After a couple of hours of pruning with crack weeders, dandelion weeders, trowels, bags, and brooms, we could stand back and admire our work.

Besides the fresh air, the smell of cut grass, rich soil, sweet blossoms and flowering trees, one of the best parts of volunteering in Central Park is the not-so-instant, yet oh-so-satisfying gratification of seeing the fruits of your labor after the toil.

Over the years, the Conservancy has changed the hours, changed their personnel, registration and vetting process of its volunteer days, but what has remained the same in nearly 19 years of working in our beloved 843-acre “backyard” is the great feeling of a job well done and experiencing first hand just how much a difference a group of hard working individuals can make.

This urban green space boasts endless activities for the garden enthusiast. Our club alone has raked and bagged leaves, weeded endless flower beds, fence lines, fields and now cobblestones, painted park benches, and planted daffodil bulbs - to name a few of the jobs we’ve held.

My all-time favorite was the day we filled potholes in the bridle path along the reservoir. For this, they gave us heavy pick axes to swing! Not at all easy. We used the axes to carve out larger holes, which we then filled. This was definitely the most vigorous of all our assignments (and that’s saying something for very fit runners) but our crew loved the challenge. We also loved fixing that well trodden spot because we ran those bridle paths often and cursed the potholes that threatened to capture and contort our sacred ankles. Now, to now provide the cure (in part) to this hazard, was immensely gratifying. The pictures were a hoot.

The history of the Flyers association with the Central Park Conservancy officially began during Gabi Diblasi’s presidency. I was Vice President at the time and took on the charge of organizing the events. To help reward the hard working volunteers, I started bringing cookies to the events.🍪 In 2010, I was blessed to receive a fabulous co-chair to help out. Dave Kleckner, whose enthusiasm has never waned in 13 years, is the true driver of these events today. Dave handles all the communication and advertising for our members and does most of the outreach to the Conservancy now, too. I still worm my way in for the love and nostalgia. and the cookie oven is still going, but full kudos to Dave who’s kept the event alive the last few years.

2004 Volunteers
Heather Marcellis, Jim Nichols, Lloyd Hoo, Lara Kail, John Ward, Janet Hanson

And to all of the many volunteers (shout out to Richard Brounstein for being one of the most steadfast and loyal), thank you for your time, energy and enthusiasm. It is the members who take time out from their busy (and short) weekends to help nurture and maintain the greatest park in the world! 🌳🌲🌳

Please come join us for the next one!

-Heather Marcellis

15 Years to Boston -- Worth the Wait!

2023-05-07T16:22:00.003-04:00

Stephanie Tang

Some people qualify for the Boston Marathon on their first attempt, but, for others, it can take years. I qualified for Boston on my 25th marathon, 10 years into my marathon journey and 7 years after my first BQ attempt! It took another 5 years after my first BQ to finally toe the line this past April 😊

Bib Pick Up Before the 2016 NYC Marathon
At 36 Weeks Pregnant 👶

I ran my first marathon, the 2008 Potomac River Marathon, in 5:25:17. I was the second to last finisher, and my husband Ray walked me into the finish during the last 10K. I had only run a half marathon distance as part of my training, and the race was painful, to say the least! Still, I was hooked. The oxytocin released on my runs and higher highs when I conquered goal races replaced my former addiction to smoking cigarettes.

Reuniting with the Family after the 2019 NYC Marathon

Three years later, I had shaved more than 1 hour and 30 minutes off my marathon time and felt ready to attempt a 3:40 goal at the 2011 Chicago Marathon. I missed the mark by 4 minutes, and the BAA announced that BQ times would be made 5 minutes faster the following year, making a BQ feel even more like chasing an imaginary unicorn 🦄

In 2011, I opened a yoga studio, Sacred Sounds Yoga. I turned to distance running as my “moving meditation,” helping to lessen any feelings of stress and anxiety while keeping me sane. After Ray and I had two children in 2014 and 2016, my entire social life was centered around running, the only time I spent interacting with adults sans children outside of work. Through growing the business, moves, pregnancy, breastfeeding and sleep regressions, I ran.

I started training with Coach Brian Rosetti and the Flyers Marathon Training Program (MTP) the year Brian took on the role of Head Coach with the NY Flyers in 2013, but it wasn’t until after the births of my children that I was able to train consistently. I strongly believe in the VDOT method that Brian employs in his coaching and noticed that I continued to see improvements in my time with every season. In late 2018, I finally achieved my first BQ at the Clarence DeMar Marathon in 3:32:06, a 9:35 PR!

I was set to run Boston in 2020, but the world had other plans - COVID.

I was also set to run last year, but this time it was my body that had other plans - I tested positive for COVID the Friday before the race 😢 Six weeks after COVID, I hurriedly signed up for the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, MI, and ran a PR of 3:25:48!

TCTC Bayshore Marathon 2022

This past year brought more changes, as I graduated from accelerated nursing school, and started working night shifts as a labor and delivery nurse. Despite the lack of sleep and training, I was excited to finally run the Boston Marathon, with Ray, my children and parents cheering me on. We celebrated with friends from NYC and where I now live in Westport, CT, and reunited with some of my father’s family after 15 years!

Family Cheering Squad at Mile 17 😍

Race day looked promising for runners, though not so for my family and other spectators, as it was cloudy and the forecast was for rain. I planned to hold back my pace for the first 16 miles, which I was aware was mostly downhill, and then reassess whether I could continue the pace or pick it up at that point. However, as with others, I got swept into the excitement, and ran 15 seconds per mile faster than I had intended for miles 1 through 16, and then struggled over the hills, finishing with a big positive split.

Family Reunion Dim Sum Lunch

Flyers Pre-Race Indian Food Dinner

Despite the race pace challenges, I was moved to tears as I high fived the Wellesley College girls through the scream tunnel, overwhelmed with gratitude at the opportunity to run such an historic race, one in which women only became allowed to run starting in 1972. I gave big hugs and kisses to my family at miles 17 and 25, as they stood out in the pouring rain, cheering me and others on with fervor. I grinned as I caught sight of the infamous Citgo sign, and as we made the right on Hereford and left on Boylston before the finish line.

I finally finished the Boston Marathon 15 years after my marathon journey started. I would not have changed a thing. As one journey ends, another begins.

-Stephanie Tang

Friends and Food

2023-03-15T13:01:00.001-04:00

Guy S

Our fun filled Flyers Friends and Food gatherings date back to June of 2017 following the NYRR Mini 10K. Flyer Frank Annino invited me along with others for a Post-Race beverage 🍺 (side note: I miss Frank!).

Flyer Debi Unger and I were brainstorming 🤔 💡ideas for getting a Flyers Friday Happy Hour 🍸 off the ground. I don't recall how the conversation started but I believe Flyer Beth Brennan was behind it all!

Our first meet up in 2017!

Every great idea needs a brand. Through sheer marketing genius 🧠, Frequent Flyers Breakfast Club was born. The concept was simple. Flyers could log their Happy Hour 🍹🧉🍻 and Breakfast 🥞 🍳attendance and after a certain amount, the club would buy them a free lunch, or a glass of wine 🍷. The challenge was to convince the Executive Board to spend the money on pancakes instead of GU gels for long runs. 🎶"I fought the law and the GU won 🎶(Sorry, silly joke 🙃)

Holiday Windows Run 2021

Though Happy Hour attendance dwindled, the Post-Race Brunches remained consistent. During the early gatherings, we bounced around to different venues. When we landed at The Boathouse , we started to gain momentum while attracting larger groups. (Side note: just in case you didn't hear the news, the Boathouse will return in June and we’ll be back on the patio!). We'll return for pancakes and Arnold Palmers before we know it! 🎉

The Boathouse

We try and meet up after most races and after holiday runs. Flyers also have been socializing for many years on the third Thursday of the month after the Thursday TNF 6:30pm Run . You can find some of us at All Star Bar and Grill on 57^th Street at 8pm on most Thursdays (and some Wednesdays, and Tuesdays, too!).

So, if you're looking to meet up with Friends and Food please join us for some schmoozing and laughs!

Bronx 2022

Come to think of it, how about a song?🎶

My next open mic 🎤 performance is on Tuesday April 4th at Bunnii Cafe in Inwood. More performances will be announced on my Facebook Page as well as on Instagram (IG Handle: Guyrone).

Hope to see you soon!

- Guy Simoneau

2022 Flyer of the Year -- Hiromi Nobata

2023-02-10T13:29:00.001-05:00

Hiromi Nobata

Thank you so much – I am truly honored.

I’m not really sure what qualifies me for this singular distinction but I hope it means I lived up to what exemplifies the spirit of the Flyers. 😊

When I joined the Flyers, I had some vague idea that if I joined a club that did speed workouts and offered coaching, I might stop (or delay) what felt like an inevitable slowing as I aged. But what I got out of joining the Flyers was much more than a little speed work and some people to run with but a community of people who were welcoming and engaged and LOVED RUNNING like me!

I am now going to make a statement which may sound ridiculous coming from someone who was just voted as Flyer of the Year but – I am not a joiner. While I won’t take it as far as Groucho Marx, my instincts have always been to avoid groups. Maybe it’s just my social awkwardness – “Oh! Please don’t make me interact with others – I NEVER know what to say!” Or maybe I am just an unfriendly grouch…

But I joined the Flyers against my instinct to just keep doing what I was doing – running every day and ruing the indignity of aging. I guess the ego hit of losing speed overpowered my inertia and (I’m not sure how many years later) here I am – a full-fledged member of a group and FOTY!

Since I’m not really sure what makes me worthy to be called FOTY, here’s my take on what being a Flyer means:

YES, YOU CAN GET FASTER!

At least, I did. Joining the Flyers didn’t just stop my getting slower, I actually got faster as a Flyer (and Master+)! Just when I thought my days of PRs were over, the combination of everything I learned from our SpeedPass workouts with Coach Brian and the support and enthusiasm of my fellow Flyers made me a faster runner. While I am still mainly a solo runner (the “run with others” part didn’t really happen) -- don’t follow my example -- running with a group of people cheering you on and encouraging you can make all the difference in your running.

COMMUNITY IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL (AND SOLE)

I knew I had found a home of like-minded people when not long after I joined the Flyers, I got an email inviting me to join a club organized volunteer opportunity to help the Central Park Conservancy with park clean up and maintenance. These opportunities were organized (pre-COVID) twice annually by Flyers Dave Kleckner and Heather Marcellis (Heather started the program years ago) to give back to the park that we spend so much time running in. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get back on their schedule sometime in the near future.

The Flyers also head the Mile 18 Gel Station on the NYC Marathon course and the fluid station of the NYC Half course (Andrea Mihalko and Rachel Duncan have done a brilliant job filling it!) and run a donation drive for a local food relief organization (Thanks Dana M for organizing every year!) While I joined the Flyers because of running, it was very reassuring and heartwarming to find myself among people who didn’t just care about running and how fast/far they could run but about the community at large as well.💕

I was also encouraged to see how many of our fellow Flyers volunteer to make possible all the fun things we expect to be a part of “the Flyer experience”– monthly long runs, social events, NYRR club benefits access, etc. are only possible because of volunteers.

Flyers like my fellow FOTY nominees – Bradford Goz who organizes ad hoc runs all over NYC and with various run crews near and far and Deb Unger who never hesitates to help organize the many social events the club puts on (special kudos for the very popular Debs’ book club events) are at the core of what I think it means to be a Flyer.

And of course, a special thanks to the Executive Board – John McCreesh, Deb Saat, Jeffrey Wollman, Marc Feldman and Wendy Mitchell for all the hard work they do. It’s great to belong to a community of people who share my belief that if we want to have good things, we need to be a part of making them happen.

SHARING IS CARING!

And last but not least – it’s been great to be able to share running experiences with fellow Flyers who have done a whole lotta running and racing here in NYC, around the US and around the world!🌎 Ask a question about a race or running route on the Flyers Discussion Facebook page and you’ll get a flurry of answers. Whether you’re just starting on your Abbott Six Star journey and wondering how to get into the hardest of the hard to get into marathons (I’m looking at you London and Tokyo) or you’d rather stay (sort of) local and wondering if the Brooklyn Marathon is worth running, someone in the Flyers will be able to share their experience and offer advice.

I have shared early morning bus, train and ferry rides to the start lines of the New York City, Big Sur, Boston, and London marathons with fellow Flyers. I traveled with fellow Flyers to run the Victoria Falls (in Zimbabwe), Havana and Napa to Sonoma half marathons and will soon complete my Six Star journey in Tokyo with a few fellow Flyers. As one of the many international runners who was deferred from 2020, I can’t wait to finally be able to run the most elusive of the Six Majors!

Whatever the race, wherever it is – it’s great to be able to share a successful race or to commiserate after a tough race with friends -- reach out if you’re running a race away from home. It looks like there’ll be a fair number of Flyers traveling to Berlin and Chicago this year so make sure you keep an eye on our Facebook page to see if any Flyer get togethers are happening or reach out with questions.

Thank you again for this great honor – it really has been a great experience being a Flyer and I hope that I can continue to contribute to making being a Flyer a special experience for others as well!

-Hiromi Nobata

Detective Scrutinizes Flyers Blog Race Reports!

2023-01-04T21:05:00.011-05:00

FRANCESCO P.

Blogkeepers' Note

From our perspective here up on the Flyers Blog mountaintop, planning and implementing the broad array of Flyers events and services involves a tremendous amount of volunteer initiative, work, time, energy, caring, and love 💖.

All of us Flyers can--and hopefully do-- feel gratitude for what goes on behind the scenes. We recognize the selfless efforts of Flyers, and we Blogkeepers believe sharing what goes on outside of the public eye may help inspire even more of us to volunteer and contribute to keeping the Flyers running smoothly and happily.

With this in mind, we think you'll all enjoy learning about what it takes to be the Flyers Blog Reporter as Francesco Presutti shares his perspective, goals and ideals!

-- Dave Kleckner and Melissa Slobin

FRANCESCO P:

I am Private Eye Francesco P, your Race Reporter, and I will be your guide on this behind-the-scenes journey to shed light on the Flyers race reports posted on the Blog.🧐 Each report provides highlights of the results of the club and notable member achievements at NYRR races, but also are intended to go beyond simply reporting on race times.

Follow me as we embark together through the six classic detective questions: why, what, when, how, who and where!🕵

#1 WHY Me?

Our first detective question is the one I asked myself when I received an email from Flyers Blogkeepers Dave Kleckner and Melissa Slobin inviting me to become the Flyers Blog Race Reporter. According to Dave and Melissa, they reached out to me because they know that I'm very detail-oriented -- a quality they felt is ideal for the detective work involved in sleuthing and revealing the intricate details of Flyers race results -- an assignment that they felt would be far more complex than may be obvious to even our most meticulous Flyers. I was surprised to be invited, but excited too.

Accepting the offer was a no-brainer, and not without good reason. I have always loved writing stories about people. I was in high school when one of my short stories won a literary award. My parents drove me to a small town 35 miles east of Florence to accept the award. It was a small, unpretentious medal.🥇

Little did I know that my quirky medal would become the first of a series of oversized medals I

would receive for each marathon I completed during the coming years. My medal reappeared in a box during the recent move of my household belongings from Brussels to New York. Until then, I had forgotten all about my literary award, but I never stopped writing! Writing about my fellow Flyers – I thought – would be a terrific opportunity to get to know them.

#2 WHAT is Racing About?

My next detective question is tricky. A race is first and foremost about competition and results. A good place to start in writing a race report is by gathering and rearranging all relevant data. There are tons of data in the NYRR race results database, and going through all of them after a race may take up to an hour. Luckily the NYRR website allows the user to filter results by team, so whoever is registered with NYRR as a Flyer pops up on my screen.

It is pretty straight forward to spot and pay tribute to the top 3 male and female Flyers runners (or the top 5 in the case of club points races). I find it very important to give credit also to those who won an age-group award. This requires a bit more of work, as some of our more senior runners may appear close to the bottom of the team’s list. I also go to the award webpages to doublecheck that I am not missing any award-winner. Finally, I identify all the Flyers who finished in the top 10 of their age group and those with a high age-group performance percentage, the AGP%.

I mention any Flyer who hits an AGP threshold of 70%, which is conventionally regarded as regional class level (80% is typically national class, and 60% is local class). To be sure that I am not missing any Flyer, it is not enough to scroll the list, and I need to check many of our team’s finishers one by one. Whenever a race counts as a club points race, I look up the results of each of our 10 teams (open, 40+, 50+, 60+ and 70+, both men and women), and I check where each team stands in the cub points standing after the race.

Number crunching is important, but it's not enough. Any reader would agree that there is more to racing than listing results and awards.

To learn how to do a good job as a blog race reporter, and to write about what really matters to my fellow Flyers, I thought the fundamental question I needed to ask myself was (and this is where the detective question gets tricky): what do we like about running races? And why do we like them at all?

We know running per se can be both addictive and fun, but what makes us put up with the physical, mental, and emotional exertion of competition – or even crave it? What pushes thousands of us to line up at the start of each NYRR race (other than to get a guaranteed entry to the New York City Marathon through the NYRR 9+1 program, and why does anyone sane and in their right mind want to compete in a marathon anyway)?

There is no single answer to these questions. Racing makes runners more self-aware of their pace, form, and cadence – and that is the running coach in me speaking. But there can be an array of motives behind the choice to compete in a race.

As human beings we come from different places. As athletes we embrace competitive running to satisfy all sorts of impulses within us. Our differences are what makes us stronger. They are the beauty of belonging in a community of athletes.

My job was only just starting to take shape when I first began to consider what to include in the race reports, and it was quickly dawning on me that a race report could not be only a list of results. It had to be about the dreams and the aspirations of the runners in our amazing Flyers’ team.

#3 WHEN We Dream About Running.... 🌈

Considering dreams and aspirations led me to my sixth detective question: what do Flyers dream about when they dream about running? What do YOU dream? If in your dreams you win the New York City Marathon, thumbs up, my dear overachiever!

But certainly not all Flyers dream to win the New York City Marathon, and not all are overachievers. To test the ground, I asked Blogkeepers Dave and Melissa what they dream about when they dream about running. Dave’s reply was that he has a recurring dream/nightmare that he gets hopelessly lost on the course while running the Boston Marathon. I loved that. Melissa told me that when she dreams about running, running is effortless and feels so good. Not bad either.

Not getting lost in a race, running easy and effortless: Dave’s and Melissa’s replies exemplify the variety of aspirations in our running community, which are usually more down-to-earth than winning a big glamorous marathon. I would love to hear from all of you what you dream about when you dream about running!

#4 HOW to Make a Report Engaging?

My goal is to make a report speak to the people about the people. But the massive field of a typical NYRR race makes it impossible to speak about all the Flyer participants. How can I still make my report appealing to a large, diverse audience? My fourth detective question was clearly the most daunting of all. This is where I turned to Flyer Dana McLaren for inspiration.

Dana had written race reports on the Flyers’ website homepage for 17 years. Her lively, entertaining reports within the scroll-down menu of the former FLYERS NEWS FLASH motivated hundreds of Flyers, myself included, for which she deserves huge credit. I spoke with Dana about her job as race reporter.

“Doing the race reports for 17 years was not part of a plan for the website,” she told me. “Over time, the race reports started taking shape in a format that was fun to write, didn’t take an excess of time, and let me indulge what my mom always nicely called a quirky sense of humor.”

Ah, Dana’s legendary humor!😂 I asked her what she did to keep her reports so interesting and entertaining.

“I honestly didn’t do anything except write with plenty of adjectives,”Dana said. “A little embellishment, and a headline that I tried to make a little funny, a little snarky, or worded so that it might make people laugh inappropriately.” Dana did not need to make things up in her reports to keep them engaging. “With all the exciting race stories that unfolded every week,” she told me, “there was always something interesting to try showcasing in words!”

#5 WHO Do We Talk About in a Blog Race Report?

With Dana setting a very high bar, I have some pretty big running shoes to fill!🩰👟👠👢👡 A good way to grab readers’ attention – I figured – would be to let the Flyers speak for themselves and join in the storytelling. The fact is not all of us may come on top of the team or win an age group award or score a high age-grade performance percentage.

But we all have a story to tell and a personal achievement to be proud of. Your achievements can bring something extraordinary to the team. Whether you are proud because you set a PR, you ran with a child or a parent or a puppy, you managed to keep a streak alive, you ran in a neighborhood you are especially attached to, or you demonstrated unique singing skills in singing the national anthem at the start of the race, you are all winners, and I want the whole Flyers community to read about your win in our Blog Race Reports so that we can all celebrate together with you.

That is why I make a point of listening to different voices and getting quotes of people who have a significant connection with the race, and an important story to share.

Interviewing people is probably what I love most about writing my race reports. It is also the most challenging part of the work, because it requires picking someone who has a particular story to share in connection with the race.

I seldom know which Flyer I will feature in a report before the race. My pick usually becomes apparent after the race, as information starts flowing in about the race through my informal contacts. Think for example of the Grete’s Great Gallop 10K last August. When it turned out that the Flyer who led the women’s team, Jeanhie H, had just returned from Norway, Grete’s home country, less than 48 hours before the race, there could possibly be no doubt she would be the one.

Once I know who I want to feature in the report, I reach out to the person to check if they are available for a short interview and I ask them a couple of targeted questions. The response is usually enthusiastic, and I quickly rearrange and edit it in the overall story. I loved it when Jeanhie H talked about her runs during her trip to Norway and her plans on running the Oslo Half in 2023!

Unfortunately, there are plenty of Flyers outside my network, and there are loads of nice stories I am missing out. Please let the Blog Team Know of Your Achievements So We Can Celebrate Together!

#6 WHERE does the Teamwork Start?

Once I have finished writing my draft race report, I call into action the rest of the Blog Team -- Blogkeepers Dave and Melissa. Their input to the process is terrific. They take turns in reviewing my draft for editing and embellishing, add photos to the piece, and format it to publish on the Flyers website, Melissa usually beautifies the graphics with her own personal selection of emojis 😍💕💥

After each report is published on the blog, the Blogkeepers promote it via Flyers Facebook and via Flyer Lisa Konorty on Flyers Instagram. We want you to know as soon as the report is out there for you to read and enjoy!

Pulling out and aggregating all the relevant data from the NYRR database is tricky. Mistakes or omissions occasionally slip through the cracks. We once forgot that a run was a club points race, and another time we did not mention an age team award. It hurts when mistakes happen, and all we can do is correct the piece and apologize. No one is perfect after all! 🙏

And There You Go! 😊

The Blog Team hopes you like the new format of the Flyers race reports. 2022 has been a trial period. Going forward, the team decided we will post comprehensive reports only for the NYRR club points races (there will be 11 of them in 2023), plus a 12th race (to be announced) that will count towards the Flyers awards🏆 according to the club's award guidelines, as well as any additional NYRR half-marathons.

All NYRR marquee events, as they are called in NYRR lingo (such as the NYC Half), will thus be covered. All other NYRR races will still be reported, but in a more succinct way and only on Flyers Facebook.

That’s all folks! Happy New Year to all Flyers!🎉 Enjoy running in the new year – and we hope you enjoy the race reports!

-Francesco P

NY Flyers Blog Race Reporter, #NYRRstaff

Spinning the Planet

2022-12-27T12:43:00.003-05:00

AUTHOR: John Whitfield

Illustration by George Whitfield

I love running. I don’t just mean that I feel good about having run when I’m done. I mean I enjoy it while I’m doing it. When I run with my Flyer friends I enjoy socializing, but when I run alone I am left to my own thoughts. Occasionally, I think about what’s going on in my life, but most of the time I think about running. I’m “in the moment”, thinking about my form, stride, pace, and level of effort. I also enjoy visualizations – abstractions that help me indirectly, and also entertain me as I run. One favorite that I’d like to share is “spinning the planet”.

This visualization is an extension of a more real scenario that I relate to running – that of spinning a merry-go-round. I’m talking about that big heavy metal disk with handles at the playground that kids ride on, sometimes with a parent (like me) standing on the outside in one place, spinning the wheel. It’s really hard to move at first, and hard to stop once it gets going. At speed, the challenge is to grab a handle as it comes by and add a little force to keep it going or speed it up in the brief moment it is passing by. Once you get it really moving, it becomes impossible to increase the speed, and if you miss your timing, it can feel like it’s going to pull your arm out of the socket.

To convert this real experience to a fantasy visualization for running, the heavy merry-go-round is replaced by the earth itself - an impossibly large object to spin - and instead of our arms, we apply the spinning force with our legs.

Imagine that as you start your run, the steps that drive you forward are also having an effect on the earth itself. The earth is massive, but as you run, it starts to spin underneath you in the opposite direction from that in which you are going.

The earth has tremendous inertia, so any changes in speed will have to be gradual. Trying to take off in a sprint would be pointless, and attempting to slam on the brakes would be downright dangerous.

Your job now is to apply a little energy with each step to keep the spin going. To do this safely and efficiently, when your forward foot touches the ground, it needs to be in sync with the motion of the earth – already moving along with it. If you stride such that your foot strikes out in front of you rather than under you, the force of the earth will deliver a blow to your leg that you will not enjoy.

As you finish your step, the momentum will toss your leg back as your foot leaves the ground, resulting in that butt-kick effect you see from fast runners – not because you are lifting your leg, but as a natural follow-through.

From that high back leg position, you’ll bring your foot around as though you were pedaling a bicycle so that when it returns to the ground, it is already moving backward again to match the earth’s speed.

Spinning the planet is a “virtual reality” in which I focus on running. In a training run or race, it grounds me. As I think about any aspect of my form such as my stride length, strike point, posture, or forward lean, this image somehow helps me to find balance. In particular though, it makes me aware that I have forward momentum, and helps me efficiently grow and maintain that momentum. I think we can have a tendency to treat each step as though we are starting from stationary, and that is not as fast, or efficient, and most importantly not as FUN as recognizing that you are moving already.

Happy running!

- John Whitfield

*Note: You may ask, “John, aren’t you worried about your running actually changing the rotation of the planet and causing some sort of global catastrophe?”. To that I say, of course not, silly. One person running could hardly affect the motion of the earth. Well, unless a bunch of Flyers read this post, and all start pushing the earth around. That could start to add up. Just to be safe, let’s be sure to always run a loop or an out-and-back so that any effect you have in one direction will be countered with an equal force in the opposite direction. If we follow that guideline, I think we’ll be ok.

Highlights of the 2022 New York Flyers Holiday Windows Run

2022-12-18T15:56:00.002-05:00

RACHEL DUNCAN

New York City is always dressed to the nines for the holidays. Everything is bigger, grander, brighter. There’s Saks, the library lions wearing wreaths, and ice skating in Bryant Park. But for most New Yorkers, midtown during the holidays is akin to going to see the ball drop in Times Square at midnight. That’s for tourists.

But why shouldn’t we get to share in all the fun? It’s our damn city!

My first Holiday Run was simply a chance for me to see the sites before the streets got too crowded. I grabbed a few running partners and said, “Let’s do this.” We had so much fun, we did it the next year, and the next. And then yesterday we had more than 35 Flyers and friends join us!

Here are seven highlights from the run this year:

The easy pace—I’m not the fastest Flyer by far, but I also can’t imagine running through the city streets at an 8mph pace (unless of course it’s marathon day, then have at it!). All of us running together gave us a chance to catch up with people we don’t always get to talk to.
Bergdorf Goodman—Always the most elaborate of windows. This year’s theme was “The Magic in the Making.” And it certainly was magical!
Tourists—Especially the ones that cheered us on like it was marathon day. What, did we look funny?
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree—Always at its most impressive from the top of Channel Gardens on 5^th Ave.

Like-minded New Yorkers—like the group of ladies dressed for the holidays that we saw exiting Central Park at the beginning and then again on 5^th Ave. just south of the library. We made new friends!
Macy’s—the OG holiday windows displays. Macy’s started decorating the windows of their store on 14^th St. in 1874, and they never disappoint.
New York Flyers! Having a chance to spend some holiday time with the greatest running club in the city is a highlight of the season. I had a great time spending the morning with all of you and I hope everyone has a healthy and fun-filled holiday.

-Rachel Duncan

Getting in Gear with Flyers Gear

2022-12-05T20:41:00.003-05:00

WHO AM I?

When I was 4 years old, I would run circles around the outside of my house in North Minneapolis singing “Born Free.” 🎵

I loved running and singing. I joined my school choir in 3^rd grade and quickly discovered that I was completely tone deaf so I gave up the singing dreams. Instead, I joined my school track team in 6^th grade and have not stopped running.

I am on my 47^thconsecutive year of running and still love it 💕 I ran on my high school and college teams and then I ran solo for more than 30 years until I joined the NY Flyers in 2019 (best darn running group ever!).

MN State Championship Cross Country - Team finished 1st in State! 🥇

WHAT AM I?

During one of my first Flyers group runs in 2019, the Flyers Apparel Coordinator at that time said she was ready to retire from the position, so I volunteered to take on the job. I have worked in the retail/apparel sector my entire adult life so my work experience made it an easy decision to volunteer as the Flyers Apparel Coordinator.

The Apparel Coordinator has quite a few responsibilities including to:

Set the Flyers team store schedule
Work with New Balance to maintain a product assortment
Update logos/designs
Add new product to the line
Source non-apparel items (running hats, beanies, buffs, etc.)
Promote the Flyers Team Store openings for Flyers gear sales on Flyers Facebook and Instagram
Provide updates for the Flyers website for the Team Store as warranted.

WHEN MAY FLYERS PURCHASE APPAREL?

The Flyers Team Store is open 3 times per year for a period of two weeks. During the open period, active members can order New Balance Flyer apparel directly via the Flyers website. Additionally, there is usually one non-apparel item offered to Flyers one to two times per year -- in the three years that I have been the coordinator I have sourced the Flyers Buff, Flyers Face Mask, Flyers Running Cap and the newly released Flyers Beanie.

WHERE/HOW MAY FLYERS PURCHASE APPAREL?

The New Balance Flyers Team Store is online, and active team members are allowed access to order Flyers apparel while the non-apparel items (buffs, face masks, hats, etc.) are sold at Flyers events and gatherings throughout the year.

Flyers must sign in with their member login and password to access the Team Store. The Team Store will next be open from Dec 14th - Dec 28th!

FLYERS IN THE BUFFS

WHY WEAR FLYERS TEAM APPAREL?

It’s a fact, we all run faster and smile more when running in Flyers gear!

Q/A:

Q: Why is New Balance the provider of Flyers team apparel?

A: The Flyers have worked with other suppliers over the years, and we've been sticking with New Balance because of quality, reliability, and most important the ease of setting up a supplier-managed shop, rather than managed by the Flyers.

Fun fact: there were prior years when everyone needed to schlep out to pick up their orders stored at individual running stores -- or even at the home of the Flyers 2013 VP Michael Rabin -- and other arrangements that were far from ideal!

Sadly, Michael Rabin was Forced to Flee His UWS Home in 2013

When Overrun By Flyers Gear and Invading Flyers 😢

Q: Why is the Flyers Team Store open just 3 times per year for two weeks, and not more often or year-round?

A: The limited Team Store purchasing windows are because for New Balance it's not profitable to allow sales more frequently or year-round, and so they don't allow it.

Q: Are there new items soon to be available for Flyers?

A: New products are offered when New Balance adds or expands their assortment. They just added the track jacket, modeled here by Flyer Deb Saat -- it's a winner!

Q: Why aren't the singlets mailed directly to each Flyer?

A: The singlets are made in South America and the factory isn't equipped to ship to individual buyers. The other products are stored in bulk in the USA, customized here with logos, and can be shipped out directly to individuals.

Q: When will the Flyers Team Store next be open?

A: December 14th - December 28th, 2022

- Lisa Konorty

Running and Representing with the Flyers

2022-11-16T13:18:00.005-05:00

MELIDA BARBOSA

Several years ago I was looking for a group of runners to share in the pain of completing long runs together. During races I spotted many runners wearing NY Flyers gear, and I knew one of my Hunter College classmates had run with the Flyers in the past, so I signed up for my first NY Flyers Three Bridges Run and that’s how it all started.

Since that day I have gained a family! In all the years that I had been running I had never shared it with more than three friends. Sadly, all three of the women that I have run with consistently have moved out of NYC. The first was a childhood friend who relocated to Seattle, Washington 17 years ago, the second was a mommy friend who helped me survive the first few years of motherhood and who moved about 7 years ago, and lastly my dearest friend who was parenting teenagers at the same time as me moved almost a year ago. Since then the Flyers have helped me mourn the departure of my running buddies while creating new memories.

RUNNING BUDDIES

QUEENS GIRL

WHY I RUN

My “why” is simply to stay sane. When I started running two decades ago, my friend Claudia who lived just a couple of blocks away would ring my bell and say “let's go Mel.” I would begrudgingly throw on shorts and slide into my sneakers and run the streets of Woodside, Queens. In my twenties it was more for vanity than anything else but we got it done.

PURE JOY! 😍

Fast forward to 2009 and I found myself completing 9 races with NYRR and decided I might as well volunteer and get guaranteed entry to the NYC Marathon. I ran my very first NYC Marathon in 2010 and it was magically painful.

NYC MARATHON 2010

Since then I have run nine more NYC Marathons and I had the fortune of also running the Berlin Marathon in September this year -- where I ran a personal best marathon and achieved a Boston qualifying time for the 2024 Boston Marathon. Six weeks later I ran my 10th NYC Marathon where I finished just 20 seconds behind my Berlin finish time and set a new course record for myself for NYC 😊 An important contributor to these recent racing achievements was my participation in the Flyers Marathon Training Program (MTP) -- doing speedwork alongside Flyers friends including Jennifer Coyne, and receiving the advice and support of MTP Coach Amy Sitar proved integral to my progress and made marathon training extra fun! 🥳 🎉

FUN WITH FLYERS

All these years later I still run to keep sane. As a wife, mom of three and teacher, life pulls me in a million directions every day, and running helps keep me steady. I am now looking ahead to future marathons with the end goal of one day completing the Abbott World Marathon Majors. Next is Chicago in 2023 and Boston in 2024. Then Tokyo and London remain for me to complete all six of the World Marathon Majors!

REPRESENTATION MATTERS

What is representation and why does representation matter? As a Colombian woman living in the Borough of Queens here in NYC -- the most diverse place in the world -- diversity has always been a reality. However, as I got older and entered certain institutions I realized there were less people that looked like me than I expected. When I started running more regularly outside of my neighborhood and in organized settings this was definitely more apparent. Then in the wake of incidents including the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbury and Breonna Tayler, the running community began to more fervently discuss representation and its importance in helping build a community that embraces and uplifts diversity.

This is around the time when some members of the Flyers started talking about starting a Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Committee. In June of 2020, the Flyers Executive Board announced that the club would:

Examine and revise the club's Code of Conduct to express the club's anti-racist commitment, and require all members to sign and adhere to it.
Form a Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (DIB) Committee to explore a variety of tangible, sustainable ways to be better citizens of the running community, support Black runners and the larger Black community and be more welcoming of everyone.

In my short-lived experience with the Flyers I recognized that although welcoming, the group was in its majority white and male with white women a close second, and with relatively few Asians, Blacks and Latinos. Within the DIB Committee we discussed how we could begin working to make our organization more representative of the rest of the city.

Based on the results of the 2021 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau, the race and ethnicity makeup of NYC is as follows: White (not Hispanic or Latino) 31.9%, Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 28.9%, Black or African American 23.8%, and Asian 14.3%. Surveys such as this one highlight that we have lots of work to do -- but we are optimistic that through continued efforts we will be able to reach our goal of having a membership that is truly representative of the great city we live in!

As a component of the Flyers DIB initiatives, the club conducted a membership survey in 2021. Survey results and analyses are available at the following two links -- click HERE for the survey results and HERE for comments and analyses.

Various initiatives have emerged within the Flyers since the formation of the DIB Committee in June 2020 and a Flyers Town Hall Meeting in June 2021. The Flyers:

Examined and revised the Flyers Code of Conduct. Click HERE to review the new Flyers Code.

Appointed a BIPOC member to the Flyers Advisory Board. After leading the DIB Committee since its inception in 2020, I was pleased to accept the position.

Began to seek to Increase the geographic diversity of the Flyers by conducting some runs throughout the five Boroughs, with the intention of increasing awareness of the club and its prominence in other areas of NYC.

Commemorated Juneteenth 2021 in partnership with Harlem Run by supporting the group's 5K run/walk BBQ where Flyers served as volunteers on the course to help keep the route safe and runners hydrated.

Sponsored its first Queens Run on August 8, 2021, and a Staten Island Run in 2022 -- a 17-mile run spearheaded and led by Bradford Goz on Sept 3, 2022, and that included participating in a nested SITRAC-sponsored 5K race!

Promoted in December 2021, with the help of the DIB Committee, the Extend Your Run Fam event in the Bronx with other running clubs. Special thanks to the co-leaders -- Tim Decker and Bradford Goz who co-led this initiative with me.😊

Promoted in April 2022 an annual Bronx Community College event that included a 10K, 5K run and a two mile walk to help raise money and promote health and fitness in the community. A great family event!

DIB Extend Your Run Fam Event

The DIB Committee has held monthly meetings for the past two years. We usually take a hiatus for the Summer months and return in the Fall. We meet monthly via Zoom, so if you would like to get involved -- OUR NEXT EVENT IS THE HARLEM HEROES RUN ON DECEMBER 11TH, COME JOIN US! -- you can email me directly at melida.barbosa@yahoo.com

-Melida Barbosa

Cathy’s NYC Marathon Mania: From Spectator to Streaks, Peaks … and More!

2022-10-29T22:52:00.003-04:00

Cathy C.

A Note from Co-Blogkeeper Melissa:

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Flyer Cathy Caulfield, a retired NYC Department of Education school teacher who now teaches pre-school and religion for her own enjoyment. Cathy says that running the NYC Marathon is the second best thing she’s done in life, after marrying her husband (which takes first place). 😍

Cathy will tell you that her favorite holiday is Marathon Sunday. Is it mere coincidence that her birthday, November 5th, often falls on this cherished day? Maybe her love for this “national holiday” is innate. See what you think when you read what Cathy has to say about her love of running, the NY Flyers, and her marathon mania!

Melissa: Hi Cathy! Tell us about your NYC Marathon journey … from the beginning!

Cathy: Sure! In 1976, my parents drove my brothers and me into the city from Long Island to watch the first time that the NYC Marathon left Central Park to run through all five boroughs. At the time, there were so few runners compared to today, and they didn’t even close off the streets to traffic. While crossing the 59th Street Bridge in our station wagon, we picked up a runner who needed assistance, and I remember thinking how fascinating it was to have a “real marathon runner” in our own car!

Over the years, I lived in three different apartments along First Avenue just to be on the marathon course. I became obsessed with the NYC Marathon, and every year I would host a “watch party” where we would cheer on the runners as they passed by.

Melissa: Wow! I love that. And what led you to start running marathons?

Cathy: I was always a big cyclist. In 1997, I rode my bike across the country. I raised money for my friend, Dennis, who is a quadriplegic. When I thought about his situation, I felt tremendous gratitude and appreciation for God and for everything I was able to do. So, despite being known as someone who hated running, I put my name in the lottery in 1998 and won an entry to my first NYC Marathon!

As soon as I found out that I was “in” for the marathon, I started running and training with Bob Glover of NY Road Runners (NYRR) for 16 consecutive weeks before the big day.

Melissa: Rumor has it that you’ve got quite a marathon streak. How many NYC Marathons have you run in a row?

Cathy: Well, I did take some breaks throughout the years. Initially, I ran seven in a row, but then I took off while I was trying to start a family. It turned out that we were fortunate to adopt two children from Guatemala. My husband and I chose Guatemala since we both speak Spanish and we wanted the children to share our religion, which is Catholic.

Then I took a break, and I didn’t run while our children were young. Eventually, my husband encouraged me to return to marathon running on my birthday, November 5, 2006.

Melissa: How was your first marathon back after your long break? And did you start a new streak?

Cathy: I had a great new experience. I ran with Team for Kids, the charity running team of NYRR, which was the first time I ever ran with a group of other runners. I used to train by myself, and joining Team for Kids made me open my eyes to the joy of group training runs. I used to think group runs were only for the pros.

And to answer your question, yes! I started a new streak. This year will mark my 18th consecutive NYC Marathon!! 🎉

Melissa: How long have you been with the NY Flyers?

Cathy: I have been a NY Flyer for approximately three years. I wasn’t very active at first, but once I joined the SpeedPass and Marathon Training Programs (MTP), I became more involved within the club. I loved MTP so much that I trained for the Providence, Rhode Island Marathon last spring. I will join this winter’s MTP group while training for Nashville for the spring of 2023. MTP has really inspired me to train for marathons throughout the cold winter months.

Sometimes, I join the FlyersThursday Night Fun (TNF) gang for a loop with the Run-Walk group.

Oh, and here’s a fun fact. I am a Double-Flyer — A NY Flyer and a Dayton Flyer from my college days, both sharing red as their main color.

Melissa: Do you belong to any other clubs?

Cathy: I’m a member of the Kidney Donors Athletes (KDS). I donated a kidney to a woman in Georgia in 2019. I don’t know her name, so I gave her the nickname “Peaches!” 🍑

After I donated a kidney, I did not want to break my marathon streak again! So, getting back to running after my surgery made for a good recovery goal.

Melissa: One last question: Do you have any other goals that you would like to share?

Cathy: Yes! My long-term running goal is to stay healthy so I can qualify and run Boston at age 90! 🦄

Melissa: You are very inspiring, Cathy! It was a pleasure chatting with you. Wishing you a fantastic 2022 NYC Marathon, and many more to come!!

-Cathy Caulfied with Melissa Slobin

Lis' Journey: MTP to a Marathon PR!

2022-10-14T17:43:00.000-04:00

Lis S.

In 2018, I moved back to NYC after 30 years away, where I'm so happy I found the New York Flyers. Prior to my return, I lived in Simsbury, a suburb of Hartford, CT and had found a wonderful group in West Hartford out of the local Fleet Feet store. I had felt at home, welcomed and challenged by the group and community runs based out of the West Hartford Fleet Feet store.

I often remarked at how negative my work place could be sometimes, but when I would come to Fleet Feet in West Hartford for their Wednesday evening Community Run (free), all faces were bright, perky and ready to roll. I was inspired by the great sense of community and sharing I found there.

I love the energy and bustle of New York City, but I missed my Fleet Feet running group. I asked a coworker (also a marathoner) for recommendations for a group. She had been running for years with NY Flyers Coaches Amy Sitar and Jim Purvis, and recommended I try the Flyers. So I signed up in December 2021 for the New York Flyers first Marathon Training Program (MTP) season after the COVID hiatus.

My first MTP was early 2022 as everyone was emerging from the COVID pandemic. Masks were still mandatory in NYC everywhere and the group was smaller than in prior seasons. Coach Amy was my coach! We had one weekly practice and 3-4 assigned runs throughout the week. Paces were determined individually based on recent performances including to help us avoid injury.

I had run a few half marathons before but never more than 13 miles so this was all new territory for me. I was assigned ‘bunched runs’ to add to my endurance. Bunched runs acclimate the body to longer distances and involve breaking the long run into two shorter runs within less than 24 hours to gain the endurance benefits of a single long run while reducing the associated injury risk and allowing for quicker recovery to avoid undermining the speedwork that follows later in the week.

In April 2022, at 60 years old, I ran my first marathon ever, the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Marathon!! Coach Amy was hanging out at Grand Army Plaza to run with me and take some of my unneeded layers. She was also at my finish to cheer me on when my energy level was less than ideal. I did it!! Wahoo 😄

I signed up again for MTP in the fall of 2022. This group was bigger (80) and we were divided by running pace into 4 groups of 20. My coach is Brian Rossetti.

I honestly love my team. There are so many interesting and lovely people in my group. The ages range from 20’s to 60’s. Everyone is happy to be there and works hard. It’s an inspiring group. We learn from our coaches but we also learn from each other. It is one of the most positive groups I have ever gotten to experience!

My goal race for my second MTP was the Hartford Marathon (my old backyard) as I did not qualify or get picked in the lottery for NYC Marathon.

Hartford hosts the marathon the same day that they host a 5k, half marathon, and marathon relay. I have run the 5k many times and even the relay once. Running anything over a 10k is new for me in the last several years.

The 2022 Hartford Marathon was perfect weather. The whole race -- all 4 components -- totals about 8,000 people. Parking is easy and getting to the race simple. It’s a Boston qualifier as well. The race starts in front of the Connecticut State Capitol building, and Governor Ned Lamont did the intros. The marathon, half marathon, and marathon relay all start together.

The half marathon splits and heads west to the suburbs of West Hartford, while the marathon wraps through Hartford's Riverside Park and heads north thru East Hartford and Windsor. It’s an ‘out and back’ course; in the northern extreme of the course, there are horses, goats and sheep, amongst many 200 year old houses. There was even a prize goat 🐐 being displayed for photos and pats on the head! There was music every mile or so: DJs, bands and talented solo musicians. Technically the course was PDF (pretty darn flat).

After the race there’s a party and beer garden. The course is well laid out: hydration stations were almost every mile with Nuun and water, three GU gel stations and a candy station at the end. There was lots of spectator and community support. Thanks to coach Brian, MTP and my team mates advice, I PR’d by 8 minutes and placed in the middle of my age group.

Hartford Marathon 2022

I can’t say enough about how wonderful the New York Flyers are. They are an inspiring group. They put on well organized events. I am proud to say I’m a New York Flyer. 💖

-Lis Shlansky

Grete's Great Gallop 10K

2022-10-13T14:56:00.004-04:00

Fewer races are closer to our heart than Grete's Great Gallop. Grete Waitz is a legend in New York and every year the race held in Central Park to honor her legacy draws huge enthusiasm from the New York running community. 48 Flyers were among this year's finishers - and 3 of them were on the podium! Needless to say, they all enjoyed the Norwegian-themed post-race festivities.

Many of us will remember that Grete's tribute run originally started as a half-marathon in 1995. That was 7 years after the last of Grete's nine NYCM victories, and just 3 years after her last, iconic marathon in New York, which she ran with Fred Lebow. He was in remission from brain cancer. We've doubtless all seen the touching images of the two crossing the finish line together. Since 2017, Grete's Great Gallop has been a 10K. It has finally returned this year, for the first time in August instead of October, after nearly a 3-year hiatus.

Today's star was unquestionably Jeanhie Hahn, who led the women's team with a time of 48:24, a pace of 7:48, and an age-graded percentage of 73.54%. Jeanhie's fast result earned her a second place in her age group.

Jeahnie is very happy with her result, and she has good reason to be. "I was back home less than 48 hours from Norway," she said after the race. "Also, I raced a half marathon on a treacherous course in Helsinki only a week ago." Yes, can you believe that Jeanhie is just back from Norway, Grete's home country! "I did not make the connection between Grete Waitz and Norway until I arrived at my corral, so the race felt extremely special to me especially because Norway really captured my heart." During her trip to Norway, Jeanhie managed to squeeze in two runs: the Bergen waterfront and hill repeats at the Royal Palace in Oslo. "Norway is a great country to run!" Jeanhie said. "And I am already thinking about the Oslo Half in 2023!"

10 seconds behind Jeanhie, we find another irredeemably fast Flyer: Kristel McKanna, who finished in 48:34 (pace 7:49, 6th AG, AGP 70.03%). Hiromi Nobata completed this trio of fabulous runners with a time of 49:35 (pace 7:59, AGP 75.3%). Hiromi also finished second in her own age group! Congrats to all 3, and especially to the 2 podium finishers, Jeanhie and Hiromi!

On the men's side, James Dunham delivered another of his top-quality performances and finished first in the Flyer's team with a fast 41:31 (pace 6:41, 8th AG, AGP 73.69%). Zac Charlton came second for the team in 42.50 (6:54). Vincenzo Pascale came third in 45:44 (pace 7:22, 8th AG, AGP 70.51%). Congrats to Delton Mace, who was again on the podium: he was third in his age group with a finish of 1:00:49 (9:48)!

The team’s full results can be found here: https://results.nyrr.org/event/22GGG/teams/NYF
Well done, Flyers!

-Francesco P, NY Flyers Blog Race Reporter

2	5
3	15
4	39
5	10
6	187
7	30
8	83
9	10
10	118
11	102
12	406
13	36
14	281
15	34
16	35
17	5
18	1
20	7
21	1
22	1
26	1

2	5
3	15
4	39
5	10
6	187
7	30
8	83
9	10
10	118
11	102
12	406
13	36
14	281
15	34
16	35
17	5
18	1
20	7
21	1
22	1
26	1

2	5
3	15
4	39
5	10
6	187
7	30
8	83
9	10
10	118
11	102
12	406
13	36
14	281
15	34
16	35
17	5
18	1
20	7
21	1
22	1
26	1