Stepping Up In Style

Joyce S

Blogmaster's Note: This is a slightly updated version of Joyce's post from about 2 years ago to highlight that registration for the 2014 Empire State Building Run Up opens today (click HERE to register).

As some may say, a typical New Yorker has never been to the top of the Empire State Building. Well, I guess I fell into that category. Growing up in Long Island and living the last 25 years or so in the New York City area, I am one of those people that never visited the top of the Empire State Building.

That all changed a couple of weeks ago, when I not only made it all the way to the top, I ran the whole way up -- all 86 flights, 1576 stairs, two at a time (in the beginning anyway) -- in completing the NYRR Empire State Building Run Up. Okay, so maybe I didn’t actually run. I am not quite sure what it was I did but I managed to keep a steady pace the entire way, and clocked in at 21 minutes 40 seconds.  Five other Flyers also made the climb to the top.

Not bad for a first-timer with no real strategy, except for some training in my apartment building, going up 30 or so flights a couple of times a week. Of course, looking back I start to think of what I could have done better, smarter and more efficiently to get under 20 minutes. There’s always next year. Here’s what I learned:

• Start slow, don’t lose your breath, or you will burn out quickly. I got this training tip through friends and from online reading. A good tip. During my first 20 or so flights I was passed by a number of people, all guys. On the last 20 flights, I passed a number of people, mostly women, but yes some men too!
• Hand over hand on the banister. This tip was given to me by a gal I met waiting on line who has done the stair run for several years. I am really not too sure how much this tip helped or hurt me. During my training I never held onto the banister. But then again, during my training I had to stop to catch my breath a few times. This never happened during the actual event. 
• Take two stairs at a time. For someone with long legs, this method probably works well and saves time. For someone at my height of 5’ 4”, this worked well for about the first four flights until my quads started burning and I went back to single steps.
• 
  



• Don’t carry anything in your hands – you need both hands. This is good advice. During my training I always had my apartment keys, my phone, and usually a bottle of water. Knowing there would be a bag check and 2 water stops along the course, I was grateful to have a hands-free experience.
• A little anxiety is good. The adrenaline is definitely needed to get you through the event.
• It's not so hard.  It is over before you know it, it is really easier than it sounds, and there is no reason to overestimate the complexity of completing a stair climb.
• Doesn't Anyone Dust? Expect to have a dry, sore throat for a day or so. It is dusty in those stairwells!

The actual event was almost a blur, and I think I blocked out all the pain. It was over so quickly. Even a 5K takes me longer. What I remember most were all the great people I met that evening. They started the participants alphabetically, and my last name begins with an “S." There was well over an hour wait to start my wave, so I had the chance to chat with a lot of participants. Most of us got in through the lottery and most of us were first-timers not knowing what to expect. There were, of course, a few veterans happy to give us their advice. It was all good.

When I got to the top, I really didn’t care about the view, which was a good thing because it was a very foggy night. I was so just happy to finally make it to the top of the Empire State Building, giving high fives to all the people I just met that night, and getting my medal. It was definitely a night to remember.

To register for the 2014 Empire State Building Run Up, click HERE.

-Joyce S.

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Get Out the Vote!




It's election time for the NY Flyers! 

It's time to vote for the:

• 2014 Flyer Executive Board
• 2013 Flyer of the Year.  

The Flyer Election Committee (Ed A, Janna G.E, Justine K, Debbie P and Stephanie T) worked hard finding candidates to serve on the board in 2014. And now it's time for your vote to count.

The time has come where each Flyer chooses who will serve on the board. We must also decide who will win the Flyer of the Year award for 2013.

Now each of us has a job to do. We all must all get out and VOTE! It takes only a couple of minutes and can be done easily via the Flyers website. 

How does the Voting Process Work

Thanks to modern technology, our voting process is streamlined, efficient, and very secure. Each Flyer who has been a member of the club as of December 1st, 2013 was issued a VOTING CONTROL NUMBER. This is a simple 6 digit set of characters made up of numerals and letters. You simply enter your control number into the voting page and choose your candidates. Nothing could be simpler.

For the official start of the election, which began on December 18th, your voting control number was e-mailed to you. If you didn’t get or can't find the e-mail, you can locate your control number in your Flyer Member Profile on the Flyers Website. Or, you can e-mail anyone on the Election Committee and they will get you your unique control number.

This number is uniquely issued to you and you should keep this number secret. If you give out the number, then someone else will get your vote. Your control number can only be used once to cast a vote and cannot be used again. Please be aware that you cannot change your vote -- once cast, it is final.  You will have until January 14th, 2014 to vote before the polls close.

Everyone is highly encouraged to get out and cast a vote, even if you don’t know the people for whom you are voting. One voting option you have is “abstain.” This simply means that you don’t like the choices or cannot decide on who you like best. This is a vote in itself and it counts.

Flyer of the Year

In addition to voting for the Executive Board (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member at Large), you also can vote for the Flyer of the Year (example below). This is a very important vote. Every year, the Executive Board chooses 4 or 5 Flyers. These are Flyers who, for the past few years, have distinguished themselves by volunteering their efforts for the club in athletic, social and other activities. It is a very prestigious honor and only a handful of Flyers have ever won this award. It is a cherished award to win.

Also, this is the only award in the New York Flyers that is decided upon only by the members of the club. It is a very real validation of your hard work and the admiration you have earned from your fellow teammates. This award is presented at the Annual Flyer Awards Gala, which will be on Saturday, February 8th. So, you don’t want to miss this party.

But this award can only be won if members get out and vote so we want everyone to vote!

-Adapted from a 2011 Blog Post Written by Richard B.

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Running The Palisades – Great Trails and Park Roads a Subway Ride Away

by Papa Bear 

I've run the Palisades with the Flyers and with friends many times going back over 20 years.  This report is actually two reports in one: one for running out and back along the road, and one to run out and back along the trail.  And you can mix and match  these in all combinations. 
 
A word on the slideshows: the slideshows are as important, if not more so, than the text.  It's such a beautiful place, that you can't help but  want to go there. Don't skip them!  You'll be missing a lot. The photos were (mostly) taken during two runs we did in February and March of 2012.

The slideshows come up in separate windows in front of the post.  You may want  to use the control to set the interval (the default may be too fast – click on the "+") or you may prefer to advance the pictures manually (click on the arrows),  and since they loop back to the beginning, you'll need to kill the window when you've seen the whole thing. 

Enjoy,
Papa Bear

The Palisades have been popular with runners and especially with bikers for ages. One of the first organized long runs of the New York Flyers nearly 20 years ago and run every year since was a 20 mile run over the George Washington Bridge, out along the park road and back. At the same time, trail runners — rare in those days, but not today — used the Long Path along the top of the cliffs as a great trail run.

Crossing the GWB

There are also a number of trails and roads which connect the top to the bottom. Besides the end of the park road which climbs the steep grade from the Alpine Boat Basin to the Park HQ at the top, there's the road down to the Englewood Boat Basin (with the Dyckman Hill Trail along side), there's the Huyler Landing Trail just north of Greenbrook Sanctuary which connects the top to the botton abnout 8 miles out and lastly, there's the Carpenter Trail, a steep route with no less that 320 stone steps, which climbs the cliff face about ¼ mile north of the bridge.

On the Trail along the cliff top

Officially, the park is known as the Palisades Interstate Park, New Jersey Section, and besides the parkland, this includes the Palisades Interstate Parkway which lies along the west side of the parkland for its entire length. There is an excellent web site Here, which includes maps, detailed descriptions for the roads, trails and public areas and a good deal of interesting historic information. If you have a few minutes sometime, I suggest you check it out.

On the steep and dramatic road up to Alpine

In this article, I'll attempt to enumerate the many ways you can mix and match these routes to make a perfect run. And no matter how you go, it's all spectacular. If you've never been there, you will simply not believe you're just a hop, skip and a jump from New York City.

The Map (in two parts)

First, let's look at the map (in two parts above). The Palisades are long and narrow and they are oriented about 30° to the east of north, like Manhattan. Consequently, it's hard to show the whole of the Palisades in a single map, even a very long one. So I've divided it in half as you can see. The Park actually goes about another 5 miles further north than any of our routes, but that area is beyond what we will cover in this report — but yes, it you're a trail runner or a hiker, there are higher cliffs and lots of spectacular terrain in that far northern section.

Take a look at the map, and you'll see the two primary north-south routes are the trail along the top of the cliffs called the "Long Path" (which I've shown as the way out), and the park road which goes along the whole length of the park from Fort Lee to Alpine (shown as the way back).

This is not to imply that you should take the trail outbound and the road back. On the contrary you can run either an out and back on the trail, or an out and back on the road (like the Flyers do on the annual September Palisades run). In fact this post details two complete 20 milers. So mix and match trail and road to suit yourself. I personally like to do the road out and trail back since the trail is easier (at least for me) and the road has a lot more hills, some rather steep. But over the years, I've run the Palisades in all possible combinations.

After talking about the main routes, I'll also talk about are some of the connecting routes between the top and the bottom (I have included a little section on each of those). Using the connectors, you can take short cuts and cut the distance from 20 miles all the way down to 10. So long or short, trails or road, it's all beautiful and it's all just waiting for you.

The approximate distances are 1.4 miles from the bus station to the Jersey side of the bridge, 8.6 miles on the road from the bridge to Apline, and 8.1 miles on the Long Path between those same two points. You can do the math (remember to add in the bridge twice) and by adding a bit here or there you can get a 20 miler which is all roads, all trails (except fo the bridge) or half road, half trail. I've often gone to Coogan's for brunch after one of these runs, so that will give you a chance to top off your mileage (and your thirst). From the Jersey side of the bridge to Coogan's it's just about 2 miles, so figure that in if you like.

I give a section below on each of the main routes and I've included just about a zillion pictues, many of them in slideshows hosted by Picasa, which is a photo hosting site I use and it's free!

Most of the photos were taken during runs on February and March 2012, which I did with some friends. In February we did a loop running the trail out to Alpine and the road back, and in March we ran the opposite way. Each way to do it had some plusses and minuses but both were spectacular and pleasurable runs.

So now it's your turn — what are you waiting for?

Over the Bridge

If you tried to imagine the perfect transition from the urban hustle and bustle of Mahattan to the wild and spectacular beauty of the Palisades, you would be hard put to come up with anything as perfect as the George Washington Bridge (aka the "GWB") spanning the majestic Hudson River. The bridge is so huge it rivals the 400 foot cliffs of the Palisades and so majestic it mirrors the Palisades' natural beauty with the best of human achievement. And when you run across it and experience the Hudson River hundreds of feet below, you feel just as small as when you look down from the rocky pinacles facing you across the river.

Getting there: The traditional meeting place for Palisades Runs is the George Washington Bridge Bus Station. It is connected directly to the A subway line, it's enclosed and it has bathrooms. Until recently, it also had lots of retail shops for candy bars, Gatorade etc., but a renovation just started has dislocated these. Hopefully they will return in the future. It's good to have such a place since meeting others who depend on various buses, subways etc., especially on weekends, can be problematic. Delays happen. Be happy you're waiting inside.

The New York Flyers used to meet there for their yearly Palisades run (usually in September) but the turnout has gotten so large that now they meet outside on the other side of 179th Street

To get to the bus station, take the A train uptown to 175th Street. Upon leaving the train, walk forward to the front-most stairs and then continue along the passageway that leads to the bus station. At the end of the passage way go up the stairs and you'll be there. If you get on the train along Central park West (72nd, 81st, 86th, or 96th Street stations) you will need to take the C train to 125th, and then switch to the A.

You can also take the #1 train to 181st Street. This is a few blocks away and the #1 is usually slower than the A, so I don't reccommend it unless the A is out of service. You can also switch from the #1 to the A train at 59th Street or 168th Street.

Slideshow: The George Washington Bridge

 

When you're all there and ready to go, go out the Fort Washington Avenue exit, go a half block south and then go 2½ blocke west on 178th Street. There you will see a pedestrian ramp the brings you up to the south pedestrian walkway over the bridge. Next stop, New Jersey!

Occasionally they close the south walkway and open the north walkway. If that's the case, worry not. Just go a half block north to 179th Street, and 2 blocks west and take the entrance to the north walkway opposite Cabrini Boulevard. You'll duck under an entrance ramp on a pedestrian underpass and then you're home free

The Park Road to Alpine and Back

We recently ran a loop of the road combined with the trail in both directions. In February we ran the trail to Alpine and then the road back to the bridge. Then in March we did it in reverse. If you plan to run only on the roads (or only on the trail), that's fine too. The traditional NY Flyers Palisades group run, usually run every September, follows exactly the same route we did on the road out to the Park HQ in Alpine and then they return the same way.

But first a few details.

• Getting on the park road: Go left when you reach the NJ side of the bridge. You'll be on Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee. Run south for about 1/2 mile, passing the entrance to the Fort Lee Historic Park on the left (don't go in). Enter Palisades Interstate Park at the turnoff on the left about a quarter mile further south as the road starts to drop steeply and local housing appears on both side of the road.
• Car Traffic: In the off-season, cars are only allowed at both ends of the roads so they can get to the boat basins. In the summer, cars are allowed on the whole length of the road and traffic can be heavy. See Park Road Rules for details. My advice: avoid running on the road during summer months.

It's always nice to run a route forwards and backwards. You see different things and you almost think you're on a different route entirely.

Heading Out on the Road

Some points of interest on the way out were going by Fort Lee Historic Park just after getting off the bridge, (you should visit this some time; I've been there a number of times and it's a unique place), passing under the GWB on the park road, passing by the three large recrational areas (we didn't stop), hitting a couple of fairly steep hills, making a quick jaunt to the beach with lovely views where the road came down practically to the river and spotting a huge Red Tail Hawk way up in a tree. Check out the following slideshow which is for the outbound half of the run.

Slideshow: Heading out on the park road

 

Ther are two hills to worry about on the outbound run on the road. The first is steep but not long. Starting at the Englewood Boat Basin it rises to the traffic circle. The road to the top (Dikeman Hill Road) turns sharply to the left and the park road continues to the north. Ironically, this hill can be nasty on the way back as well, since having risen from basically sea level at the Boat Basin. The road then descends almost the same amount and is nearly at water level just past a place called Undercliff. So you get this hill both coming and going.

But the last hill, from the Alpine circle to the park headquarters is the mother of all hills in the park. It's quite steep and almost a mile long. Luckily when you get to the top there a nice place with facilities for a break.

We have measured the distance with various electronic gizmos several times and got similar, but not identical results. Just for the record, my friend Susan's iPhone claimed the distance from the bus station to Alpine on the road was 10.01 miles. I got 10.20 using my hiking GPS, probably because I had set the interval between sampling points as small as I could set it. This would minimize the effect of "cutting the corners" on a track. And I had lots of corners, alwasy moving across the road for a photo or a view. If you run in perfectly straight lines with no curves, all the measurements would agree, but that's just not how real runs work. Bottom line: stop worrying!

We have always called the park road "River Road", but Google Maps has "Henry Hudson Drive". The Palisades Interstate Park web site also calls it that so I guess I'm outvoted.

Heading Back on the Road

When we went back to the GWB on the road in February, we had run out to Alpine on the trail. And although both Susan and I were tired from the trail when we finally reached the road (trails are more tiring than running on a road), the roads, especially the down hills felt easy. So instead of getting more tired in the second half, if anything the second half was easier than the first half. That mey not be the case if you run both out and back on the road since at the turnaround point you will have just finished the toughest hill in the park.

The main points of interest were the two Boat Basins — Alpine and Englewood. We usually skip the Alpine Boat Basin since it is about a quarter mile further north off the main road, so the 5 miles to the Englewood Boat Basin was the heart of the return run. But I have occasionally stopped at the Alpine Boat Basin instead of climbing the steep hill to the park headquarters. There's bathrooms and water, and if you're only after 18 miles, this is a good choice. On the other hand, we have often stopped at the Englewood Boat Basin (a bit past the 15 mile point) for a little break since it has bathrooms and water and in season, a snack bar and lies very close to the park road.

Slideshow: Heading back on the Road

 

An interesting point of interest comes just before the hill on the road which lies a bit before the boat basin. It's an area called "Undercliff". Looking down on the river side of the road you can see various old stone structures and on the uphill side there is a picnic area. It was originally a colony of fisherman which disappeared when the park was created.

The last hill on the road is from the Englewood Boat Basin, all the way south under the GWB and then up and around to the park entrance in Fort Lee. But that's not the end of it — the last half mile up Hudson Terrace to the bridge can be a killer especially after you've run close to 19 miles. Just do it.

The Long Path to Alpine and Back

When we ran out on the Long Path, we actually came back on the road. We used several of the options to get from the top to the bottom or vice versa. Melissa used the Huyler Landing Trail down to the park road and then returned all the way back to the bridge on the road. Susan and I went all the way to Alpine on the trail, then returned via the road — but cut off the last mile of road by climbing the Carpenter Trail. But for simplicity's sake, you can ignore those details and just imagine running out along the trail and then returning the same way. It's pretty easy to stay on the trail. It's marked throughout its length with light blue paint blazes on trees. There are lots of lookout points and several places where paved roads intrude, allowing muggles of all ages and sizes to intrude on the wilderness. I'll mention a few of these.

Heading out on the Long Path (aka "the Trail")

Once over the bridge, turn right and go under I-95 on the local Street (Hudson Terrace). The entrance to the trail is at a stairway on the right, just after the underpass. You have to go up, and then cross over an exit road, and then you are in the Palisades Interstate Park and the beginning of the trail. There a good web site for this park which includes some good maps and I recommend you check it out: Palisades Interstate Park.

Soon after getting started on the trail, you'll pass a gas station on the Palisades Parkway on your left. The park is sometimes a very narrow strip between this highway and the cliff edge, and so sometimes you are very close to — or even ON — the margin of the highway. The first major interruption comes soon thereafter where you enter Allison Park in the Town of Englewood Cliffs. You used to have to skirt around and go in the front entrance, but a storm last year brought down a section of the park fence, so now you can run right in where the trail first encounters the park. It's a lovely little park with a water fountain, bath rooms and a dramatic lookout. Spend a few minutes enjoying this place — you don't have to run every d*mn inch of the way! . After leaving the park, you come to St. Peter's College and you are forced to run along a very narrow strip between the Highway and a chain link fence. But soon after, you enter a fairly wide section with rather beautiful ponds,

Slideshow: The outbound trail along the cliff-top

 

Next up is a brief crossing of the Englewood Boat Basin Road, aka Dyckman Hill Road. Runners doing a very short route can go down the hill here (there's a walkway with lots of stone steps that parallels the roadway) and take the road back to the Bridge. After this there is a fairly long trail section with more ups and downs until you hit the Rockefeller Lookout, one of two such places on today's route. Luckily, today there were no families of fat children eating fried chicken and climbing on the fence by the cliff edge , so this place was a fairly attactive place to take a break.

Greenbrook Sanctuary is the next in-holding and it's the largest such in the entire park (see Greenbrook Sanctuary). It's run by a non-profit (I'm a member) and consists of 165 acres of bogs, ponds, streams and upland wooded areas whose aim is to preserve and protect native flora and fauna. It's a marvelouss and beautiful place where I have enjoyed many hours exploring and enjoying the area. But not today. Soon after passing the northern end of Greenbrook, we came to the intersection with the Huyler Landing Trail where Melissa left us. It's a short, steep route down to the road (and beyond to the Shore) and takes about 2 miles off the total mileage.

After that there are a few things to mention: 1) the Alpine Lookout, much like the Rockerfeller Lookout, and 2) remnants of several estates which were bought out by the Rockefellers before they donated the land to the State of NJ for the park. But our outbound trail run had ended and it was time for a little break at the park headquarters (which also serves as the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police station).

Heading Back on the Trail 

We  actually made our return journey along the trail two weeks later. Both of our recent runs involved the trail one way and road the other way. But feel free to do the out-and-back on the trail alone. You'll be surprised how different the route will seem running in the opposite direction.
At the Park HQ, we both ate something — I had a Snickers Bar: the best trail food in the whole world and Susan had a bagel: not bad but not up to the Snickers level . This place has bathrooms, water and if you are very lucky, a lovely picnic area out the back, This is normally closed to visitors, but we were fortunate to hit the place on a day when there was an "open door" policy.

The first thing we saw after getting back on the trail, was a pair of deer off to the side. We watched them (and they watched us) for a couple of minutes and I got some good photos. It was a pair of does. Susan thought they might be mother and daughter. A precious moment indeed. Did I ever mention that you should not be overly obsessive about your running: if you see something special (a hawk, a deer) stop and look for god's sake. This is not the olympic trials!

Slideshow: Heading back on the trail

 

We made brief stops at the Alpine Lookout, the entrance to Greenbrook Sanctuary, The Rockefeller Lookout and Allison Park. All with great views (except the Greenbrook entrance). We also saw a friend Deanna with a group of her friends at the Rockefeller Lookout who were heading out just as we hit our 15 mile point. They looked fresh but by then we were beat (and I'm sure we looked it).

Breaking News: I found out a few days later that Deanna and her friends were doing a celebratory 32 mile birthday run! And here I thought 20 miles was a big deal! Happy birthday Deanna, and congratulations. And I guess I won't be doing my birthday mileage any time soon!

When we finally reached the GWB at about mile 18 we were exhausted, but happy to be (almost) done. Somehow the last 2 miles to Coogan's seemed easy.

The Carpenter Trail

The Carpenter Trail is one of the wonders of the Palisades. Built, I think, in the 1930s, we used to call it "The 1000 Steps". Well, if you know me you will not be surprised that I actually counted the steps, and I did it 2 or 3 times to make sure. It's 320 steps with a few places where you're not sure it's a step or just a rock. But the thing goes up the sheer cliff. It's the closest you'll get in the real world to what Frodo, Sam and Gollum faced when they climbed the stairs to Cirith Ungol.

I've used the stairs numerous time over the years, always from the bottom to the top and almost always as a short cut and avoid the long climb on the park road the climbs under the GWB and swings around to Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee. You're actually climbing the same elevation but it seems easier to climb steps than to go up the 1.5 mile long and tiring hill on the road. That's not to say the stairs are not tiring. They are true quad killers, climbing about 300 feet in a bit over ¼ mile.

Slideshow: The Carpenter Trail

 

The Carpenter Trail has in two sections. The lower section goes from the shore up to the park road, where it crosses under the road (actually two roads) in a tunnel. You don't get to climb that section on this run (but it's shown in the accompanying slideshow). The upper section, starting at the road, climbs the rest of the way to the cliff top.

You can pick up this trail from the park road right before the road coming up from the Ross Dock picnic area joins the park road at a small traffic circle. The GWB is in front of you about ¼ mile away. The picture above shows this point on the road (looking backwards from the direction of the run) and the stairs going up (northward) along the cliff.  If you have very strong quads, you might try running up the stairs. I'm satisfied if I make it in a fast walk without any breaks. You'll never see the likes of anything like this in Central Park, and that's for sure.

The distance saved over going all the way on the road is less that you would think — about 1/2 mile. That's because there lots of switchbacks and a goodly amount of the Long Path to do once you get to the top.

The Huyler Landing Trail

The Huyler Landing Trail is another potential shortcut of you're running the Long Path. The trail starts shortly after passing Greenbrook Sanctuary (northbound), soon after the end of the chain link fence. If you're heading south and you get to the fence, you missed it. See the southbound trail slideshow which shows the trail intersection. But why would you want to take it going south anyway? You already did the full loops distance. Whatever! If you take the trail down to the road you can save about 2 miles from a loop to Alpine and back.

Slideshow: The Huyler Landing Trail

 

The trail is very well graded and it's obvious that it was once a road, probably in the 19th century. Huyler's Landing, on the shore, is still evident — there's an old stone jetty that survives. This was one of only a few crossing points of the Hudson since the topology afforded this as the only place where a road could be built between Fort Lee and Alpine. The current Englewood Boat Basin Road, aka Dikeman Hill Road would obviously have been impossible to build before the 20th century.  The Slideshow shows the trail all the way down to the river.  You will be stopping when you get to the road and heading south.  It also shows some summer pictures from another run.  You notice the green leaves which stand out like a green thumb!.

And on to Coogan's

No matter which way you went on the Palisades, trail, road or both, you gotta refuel when you're done. On our February 20 miler, we thought we needed about another half mile or so to make it to 20, so we decided to run the rest of the way to Coogan's Restaurant and Bar at Broadway and 169th street. So help me, that's the only reason we ended up at a bar.

Slideshow: On to Coogan's

 

So we zig-zagged along Cabrini Boulevard and then Fort Washington Avenue and finally got over to Broadway at 170th Street and in one more block we were at Coogan's, the final stop. And the beer I had (see the last picture in the slideshow) was not bad at all. Truth be told, this was not the first time nor I expect the last time we will visit this great Washigton Height's establishment.

I would say if there's any other bar in the city that supports runners more that Coogan's, I have yet to find it. The walls are literally covered with photos of famous and not so famous runners and the rafters are hung with hundreds of team singlets. It's proximity to the Armory has determined the focus of this establishment for many decadses.


The Palisades is a great and beautiful place where you can have a fantastic run! Just do it!

Papa Bear
 

This post is based on a report on Papa Bear's web site: Beyond Central Park: The Palisades Run

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An Unexpected Path Towards Becoming a Runner and a New York Flyer

Liz C

I never really cared for running. My sister, Susan, got me intrigued a few years ago when she began signing up for races. She, her husband, and my gorgeous 8-year-old nephew have bibs galore peppering an entire wall of race achievements—but even still, nothing ever really motivated me to run, much less sign up for a race.  Nothing, that is, until April 15, 2013.

Although I consider myself a proud New Yorker (been here for 15 extraordinary years), I call Boston home. On April 15, 2013 at 3:03 pm, I received a text and a Facebook post from my sister that read: “Explosions at the Marathon finish line!! We are all here at my parents’ house. No idea if pipe bomb.” —my heart stopped.

My parents live less than a mile from the finish line, so they and my sister’s family always go to cheer on the runners approaching the finish. Moments later, I got another text that my beautiful cousin and her husband were also at the finish line but couldn’t be accounted for and weren’t answering their phones. Later it was confirmed that they were among those injured by the first bomb. How could something so horrifying happen at such a wonderfully celebrated event, in my childhood back yard, and with my family in harm’s way?

A Family Tradition
My Parents Crossing the Boston Marathon Finish Line with my Nephew in 2009

Both my cousin and her husband sustained severe shrapnel wounds to their legs, and my cousin’s left hand was left shattered and partially de-gloved. She’s undergone numerous surgeries to reconstruct her hand, and more surgeries lie ahead. To help with uncertain and undeniable mounting medical bills, I launched a fundraiser website on GiveForward.com. Desperate for support, I posted links to the fundraiser on Facebook and Twitter and got much reception, but something was urging me to get off of my couch and get the word out—physically. So, I turned to my local running community.

In keeping with the family tradition, this is my nephew, flag-in-hand, at the 2013 Boston Marathon. The flag was given to him by Carlos Arrendono, "The Cowboy Hero" who, about an hour after this photo was taken, saved Jeff Bauman's life.

I signed up for my first timed NYRR race (Run as One), and I ran the race on April 28, 2013 while wearing a sign on my back directing folks to my cousin’s fundraiser site. At first I didn’t enjoy the race. I found myself out of shape and gasping for air, but I got so many thumbs-up from fellow runners that all those good vibes somehow carried me to the finish line. Inspired, I decided to sign up for a few more races, again, with the sole intent to wear the fundraiser sign on my back.

My First Timed NYRR Race (Run as One) on April 28, 2013

By June, the fundraiser was in full swing. We had just hit $30,000, and I had just completed my fourth race (Achilles Hope and Possibility). While my pace was still a morbid 13:00-14:00 minutes per mile, I really started enjoying these races—especially the thrill of crossing the finish line. To ward off discouragement, I told myself that my slooooow pace gave people enough time to read the fundraiser sign on my back :)

Moreover, I suddenly realized I only had five more races to go to qualify for guaranteed entry in the 2014 NYC Marathon! “Me? Marathon? Never. Maybe? Nooooo…this is not what these races are about…oh…but that would be SO COOL!” So there in June ensued the spark of interest toward next year’s NYC Marathon.

On June 30, 2013, I posted this picture on Facebook with the following caption: “Boston was pretty strong today. We had a Boston Marathon victim, (Mery Daniel) race and finish with us today.”

By August, the fundraiser was finished. You can click HERE if you'd like to see the page with its warm thanks from my cousin. The link to my fundraiser website no longer is active, but donations to help the victims may be made via the One Fund Boston website. GiveForward.com gave us 133 amazing days, during which we raised $66,451 from 690 donations made by family, friends, and complete strangers. GiveForward and other websites were being used by other fellow Marathon victims, and we all visited each other’s fundraiser sites and gave. So many runners and fans of runners left the loveliest messages on all the different fundraiser sites, including ours. What an amazing community.  

Meanwhile, back in NYC, I’d been running with thousands of fellow runners over the course of what eventually became eight races. It felt rewarding, but something was missing. I’d yet to make any friends or acquaintances among the runners. Though fulfilling, running became an individual activity. My co-worker and friend, Mark Pendarvis, kept urging me to join a club if I was serious about training for the 2014 NYC Marathon. He told me I needed a community around me for such a demanding endeavor. He was right. To my blessing, Mark recommended the New York Flyers.

The morning of my first Half-Marathon, Grete’s Great Gallop. A huge personal accomplishment, but a little lonesome at the start and finish line, since I had yet to find a group in the running community

A few days after I joined the Flyers, I had the pleasure of meeting my first NY Flyer, Alan G. What a blast he was! He and I were among the volunteers giving out medals at this year’s ING NYC Marathon. I gave out medals to hundreds of finishers, but only a few stuck out as most memorable. One was that of an utterly gorgeous woman who approached me after she crossed the finish line. She had this gorgeous cascading hair that flowed gracefully past her shoulders. She looked like a Marathon Goddess, and of course she was wearing a red NY Flyers shirt. She was the second Flyer I’d ever met. She told me she’d completed several Marathons prior to that day, and I felt so honored to place the medal around her neck. I believe she had the name “Isabel” inscribed across her Flyer shirt. I can’t wait to meet her again. I’ve been told she’s Flyer Isabel J.

Marathon Sunday, the Day I Met my First Two NY Flyers

Now here I am a full seven months from my first real race in April, and I'm delighted to have spent Thanksgiving with my family—including my dear cousin and her husband who are both recovering amazingly well. Also, I am officially training for the 2014 NYC Marathon, although I’m no longer training alone—I am now training as a New York Flyer. In fact, the day I completed my ninth official qualifying race (Join the Voices) on November 17, 2013, I began at the start line with a fabulous crew of fellow NY Flyers, Victoria S, Dave K, and Howard C.  Starting my ninth race, which I needed to complete for guaranteed entry to the 2014 NYC Marathon, alongside these lovely Flyers was so sweet and meaningful on so many levels. I guess it’s true when people say that life’s paths can lead you to unexpectedly wonderful places.

At the Start of my 9th Qualifying Race with Three Wonderfully Amazing Flyers:
Howard C, Dave K, and Victoria S

For someone who never really cared much about running, I now can’t imagine NOT running. What started as a desperate attempt to help my cousin with her recovery from the injuries she sustained in the Boston Marathon tragedy, unexpectedly turned into my embracing running and then qualifying for the 2014 NYC Marathon. It also turned me onto a new path with the wonderful community of the New York Flyers. Next stop: The NY Flyers Holiday Party!!!!!!

-Liz C.

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Under The Influence (and Over The Top): Reflections on the Run SMART Project Marathon Training Program and the 2013 NYC Marathon

Bobby B

To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift -- Steve Prefontaine

That quote really inspires me every time I read it. In no way am I implying that I have such a gift, either for running or writing a blog post, but I feel very strongly that if you are going to do anything, you should always give it your best.

I’ve been a proud singlet-wearing member of NY Flyers since 2003, but really began running seriously way back in 1990 when I ran my first NYC Marathon (no chips or net times back then!). Since then I have run more than 150 NYRRC races, and 22 marathons or ultra-marathons including: 

• 17 marathons (14 New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Paris) and 
• 5 Knickerbocker 60k ultra-marathons.

I have always strived to give it my all for each and every one of these runs. However, over the past few years my results have more consistently not met my expectations (especially since “graduating” to “Flyers Vet" status) even while following some dedicated personal training routines.

So in May 2013, and with the NYC Marathon in mind, I was ready to do something bold and decided to join the affordable 18-week fully personalized Fall Marathon Training Program (MTP) designed by legendary coach Jack Daniels and the Run SMART Project, sometimes affectionately referred to as “Running Under the Influence of Jack Daniels” (or so says the very cool t-shirt that I bought at the pasta dinner).

I’m really glad I signed up. Here's a summary of what stood out for me:

●    PHILOSOPHY: The program’s ultimate goal makes a lot of sense to me:

Get each and every runner to the start line fully prepared, rested, and healthy to run a great race. 

It’s too bad that elite American distance runner Ryan Hall didn’t follow this mantra, trained too aggressively, and was forced to withdraw from the 2013 NYC Marathon.

●    INTRO: The program kicked off with a "Meet and Greet" at Finish Line Physical Therapy in June which provided the opportunity to hear about the program from Run SMART Founder and Head Coach Brian Rosetti, to meet his coaching staff, and to ask questions.

●    PRE-HAB NOT REHAB: The program included a free Finish Line PT peak performance/injury prevention analysis screening. From my own peak performance analysis “report card” I learned a lot about my gait (e.g. heel striker, limited hip extension with high knee lift, lazy right arm swing, tight hip flexors) and was given some specific dynamic three-dimensional stretching exercises (e.g. hip flexor stretch, calf stretch) to help me strengthen these muscles and improve my running form. 

I even bought a The Grid foam roller and followed these Self Myofascial Release techniques which helped me keep loose both before and after runs. Finish Line PT also provided some very good strength training workouts:  (Workout A / Workout B)

●    SIZE MATTERS: The program was capped at 80 runners to maximize personal attention. My Run SMART coach (Steve Mucchetti), leader of the Lennon team (each one of the running groups was named after one of the Fab Four) offered additional advice, support and guidance throughout the training and was readily available to answer my questions and address my concerns. A big shout out to Steve and best of luck to him in his move out to London!

●    PERSONALIZED TRAINING SCHEDULE: The program included an individualized 18-week training schedule designed by Dr. Jack Daniels and every runner was given a precise pace for each and every one of his/her workouts and runs based on running history. An easy-to-use online training calendar was provided to log and manage this training. 

One key value listed in the calendar and computed for each runner is something called VDOT. According to Jack Daniels it is a better value from which to assess fitness and determine training paces. With the result of a recent competition, a runner can find his or her VDOT value and determine an "equivalent performance" at a different race distance.  For example, my current VDOT of 40.2 predicated an estimated 4:15 NYC Marathon finish.

●    WORKOUTS: Probably the single most valuable aspect of the program for me was the in-person group coaching led by Run SMART coaches every Wednesday evening in Central Park at 7pm. Workouts consisted of repetitions, intervals, and thresholds, mostly on a rotating bases. There also were three MTP organized long runs, including two in Central Park and the famous NY Flyers Three Bridges Long Training Run.

●    NUTRITION: World-class distance runner and coach Alicia Shay provided two very helpful live Google Hangout marathon nutrition Q/A sessions at the beginning and end of training (please click HERE to view the video for Part 1 and HERE for Part 2).

●    JACK DANIELS: Listening to guest speaker Jack Daniels at the NY Flyers Pre-Marathon Pasta Party was a truly inspirational event. At 80 years and looking as fit as can be, his charisma was contagious and I pocketed a few of his pearls of wisdom for the approaching marathon just a few days later. 

Jack Daniels Holding Court at the
NY Flyers 2013 Pre-Marathon Pasta Party

Some of his classic quotes included these:

If you want to do something special, do it in the last 4-5 miles. When you run any race of any distance, run with your head for at least two thirds of the race, and run with your heart for last third.  Don’t get carried away early.

Focus on the task at hand, e.g. you should never have to breath harder than a 2x2 breathing rhythm = 2 steps bringing in, 2 steps breathing out.

There are 3 kinds of people in the world: 1. Those who are dumber than they look, 2. Those who are not as dumb as they look, 3. Those who are exactly as dumb as they look. You might be an optimist and say that you are smarter than you look but that’s really the same as saying that you are not as dumb as you look.

You need to practice drinking. Avoid losing 3% of your body weight.

Long runs shouldn’t be more than 25% of your total week. Instead, consider “bunching” weekend runs (e.g. 10mi on Sat night, 12mi on Sun morning).

30 minutes is big time. Your body function improves tremendously with 30 minutes of exercise. 60 minutes is more but only a very little more.

In the end, the proof is in the pudding. As my old NYU accounting professor was fond of saying, "figures don’t lie, liars figure." So, what results can validate this 18-week training investment?

Well, for this year’s NYC Marathon, I did not meet the 4:15 time goal that my VDOT would have predicted. Instead, I came in at 4:36, a difference of just over 20 minutes, a reasonable portion of which I’ll blame on the ~15mph headwind that brutally greeted runners for a majority of the race.

Still, I am very satisfied with this result. This NYC marathon finish time represents my best in the last 5 years and my 6th fastest marathon ever. I should have mentioned much earlier, too, that I’m a middle-of-the-pack runner.

As a footnote, I felt so good after the marathon that I also ran my 5th Knickerbocker 60k only 2 weeks later and posted a PR of 7:16, almost 20 minutes faster than my previous best set back in 2009 (I guess those 20 minutes were owed to me from the NYC marathon just a few weeks prior).

So, did the Run Smart MTP contribute to my improved performance over recent years? Well, all I know is that I ran Under the Influence (and Over the Top). I ran SMART. I truly gave it my best.

-Bobby B

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