Spinning the Planet

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. 

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Highlights of the 2022 New York Flyers Holiday Windows Run

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: 

1. 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. 
2. 
   Bergdorf Goodman—Always the most elaborate of windows. This year’s theme was “The Magic in the Making.” And it certainly was magical!
   
3. Tourists—Especially the ones that cheered us on like it was marathon day. What, did we look funny?
4. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree—Always at its most impressive from the top of Channel Gardens on 5^th Ave.

1. 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!
2. 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.
3. 
   
   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

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Getting in Gear with Flyers Gear

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^th consecutive 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

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Running and Representing with the Flyers

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

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

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

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