Can the Ranting Runner Recant the Rant?

It’s a New Year and even the Ranting Runner can turn over a new leaf, right?  Glorify the good instead of recounting the wrongs?  Indeed, it would be hard not to when recalling the nearly* flawless New York Flyers 21st Annual Awards Gala held on Saturday. 

It was, in short, a wonderful party, filled – as a marathon is long – with inspiration. Herewith, in no particular order, the highlights of the evening, according to the Ranting Runner.  (If it’s objectivity you’re looking for, please see the main Flyers website for a comprehensive recap and complete list of winners.)

    •    Walking through Battery Park to get to the venue - Much cooler and quieter than in August, when it serves as a post-NYC Half-Marathon rallying point, and bereft of the corresponding crowds, the park was a snowy and solemn prelude to the evening’s excitement.

    •    Memories - As it does every year, Saturday’s Year in Pictures slideshow reminded us why we get up before dawn and go out in the rain or the snow or the oppressive heat, or face whatever it is we have to face in order to keep at it and be able to call ourselves runners.  Who can fail to be moved by those skillfully taken and expertly edited photos that managed to capture the fun and the glory of what we do?  (And the inspirational “We Are the Champions” and “Chariots of Fire” soundtrack didn’t hurt.)  Ranting Runner, for one, was grateful for the scrap of tissue in her pocket.

     •    Meeting new Flyers (and Flyer guests) – The Awards Gala celebrates the Flyers at their finest.  And what better opportunity to greet rookie members and recruit new ones, especially if a trip to the bar puts you face-to-face with some unknown faces?  Who knew just waiting for a cosmo could be so much fun?

 
    •    Meeting the Flyers we already know – As winners were announced and their achievements praised, we learned more than some of us might have known about those first-class people we are proud to call our teammates.  That in addition to being a speedy runner, prolific race photographer, and smiliest person you may ever meet, for example, “Marathoner of the Year” and outgoing club vice-president Brian H. works as a coach for NYRR’s Team for Kids.  Or that expert emcees Deb Meyer and Pat Duffy are such a dynamic duo, worthy of stepping in for Billy Crystal or Whoopi Goldberg to host that other popular awards program.

    •    Seeing newlyweds Dorian D’Angelo and Richard Brounstein – merely the latest in a long line of Flyer pairings.  (The club is a veritable lovefest – at last count, over two dozen couples are known to have met and married through the NY Flyers.)

    •    Watching the Staten Island Ferry go by during a quick outdoor break from dancing - Its sparkling lights reflecting off the water were like a floating fireworks display and reminded one of the early-morning ferry rides to the Staten Island Half Marathon, where runners outnumber bemused non-running passengers 9 to 1.

    •    Seeing recently-exiled Blogmaster, Eric S. - He endured a breakdown-filled, several hundred mile bus ride from his native Canada to spend Saturday evening with us, for which we are very grateful.  Hopefully his receipt of the “Unsung Hero” Award for his hard work in, among other things, bringing us this thoughtful blog, will console him on his journey home.  At the very least, he may be able to use the plaque as a pillow. (Blogmaster's note: Alas, I tried and was unsuccessful.)

    •    The Venue – With its view of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty watching over us in the distance, our party spot was the perfect place to stop and remember that we are, after all, the New York Flyers, who call the greatest city in the world our home. Or at least, our training ground.

And with that, Ranting Runner bids everyone a spectacular running year.  May your PRs be plentiful and may your triumphant faces grace next year’s slideshow. -R.R.

* I would not be the Ranting Runner if I failed to suggest that the people talking loudly in the back of the room during the awards presentation, who made it tough for our hard-working emcees to be heard over their selfish din, should be flogged with dirty running tights for their inconsiderate behavior. Publicly. Preferably in a town square or somewhere else where we can watch and taunt them.

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The Flyers Are Dead; Long Live the Flyers!

Every year we race. Like the ebb of the tide, each year comes and goes, and each looks pretty similar to the last. The Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island Halfs. The Joe Kleinerman 10k. The Club Championships. Father’s, Mother’s, Japan Day. Etc. Sometimes a Dash is a accompanied by a Splash, and sometimes the dates change and sometimes the distances change, but it all ends up blending together after that first run at the stroke of midnight at the start of the year.

And as the year comes and goes, we keep running, and striving to set another PR. And another. And another. And another.

So what’s in it for you, in all this running? The question is rhetorical of course. No one has an answer for keeps. Each time you think you’ve figured it out, you run another race and the question arises again, if in a different way.

Rising above it all is our little club. OK, big club. Although we might run alone during the races, away from them we’re part of something big. All those races might blend together, but we relish – or hate – each and every one for their most subtle differences, and love to ponder those differences with our friends in the club. One 10k is not the same as the next, even if they’re the same race on the same course at the same time of year in the same conditions. So we tell our stories and bond together.

When it’s all done, we gather to party. We figuratively hoist our success stories on our collective shoulders and cheer, while we sweep our misfortunes under the rug and let them go. We embrace the volunteers who motivated, maintained and carried the club over the past year, and we send newly elected and appointed ones on their journey forward to lead us. At this cold, dark, and snowy (very snowy!) time of year, we can look ahead to renewal and rebirth. The days are getting longer. The temperature will rise. The snow will melt. Spring will come. And we will – our club will – set many more personal records again. And again, and again, and again.

This Saturday is our Gala. We will eat and drink. We will celebrate the year gone by. We will dance. Oh my, we will dance! We will share our love of our sport and say good bye to our past and from the night we will emerge, a new club, eyes set to the future, with one collective, uniting thought:

Go Flyers.

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The New Flyer Rundown

Emily S., Member-at-Large

Hello!

As we wrap up the Executive Board’s 2010 season and I write my last post as MAL, I wanted to take a moment to talk about our New Flyers. A big thanks to everyone who was profiled in the last year: Megan T., Deborah G., Stephanie L., Laura M., and Brian D.

If you didn’t join one of our New Flyer Runs before you joined the Flyers, you may be asking what the run entails. We meet at 10:15 am either Saturday or Sunday, about once a month. Group leaders John, Nick and I walk everyone through all aspects of our club, what is offered for running (group runs, race participation, etc), the social aspects (happy hours, picnics, and the Awards Gala), and volunteering in the park. We field questions about the pace of most people, the frequency of group runs and the size of our team.

Social events are an important part of being a Flyer!

We then run the 4 miles of the inner loop of the park, and give somewhat of a guided tour to any prospective members who are new to New York.


The New Flyer Run is a great way to introduce new members to our club. Throughout the past years, we’ve had runs of one person or a dozen people, running in 10 degrees and 100 degrees. We talk about all that our club has to offer, including the recent additions of the Marathon Training Program runs and discounts at local retailers.

We always welcome additions to our run and love to have current Flyers help out. Next run is Saturday, Feb 5th, meeting at 10:15 am at the East end of the 72nd St. Transverse, after the 9am Saturday Group Run. Join us! - Emily S.

We were all New Flyers once!

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Hot Winter Races and Cool Fun Runs

Got the winter running blues? Well, even if you don't, here are some hot races and fun runs within and beyond NYC (in addition to the NYRR racing schedule) to spice up the frosty months.

Beer Run Sounds Fun

Beer run anyone? Visit the Chelsea Brewing Company during a 5-mile guided running tour of the Chelsea section of Manhattan. Drink early and often during this thirst-quenching run that's scheduled for 11AM on Saturday, January 29th.

Beach Bum Races

Avoid the summer beach crowds as the NYS Parks Winter Series continues with the Robert Moses 5K on Sunday, January 23rd, and the Jones Beach 5K on Sunday, January 30th. Click here for race info and application.

Queens Football Relay Race

On February 6th -- rain, snow or shine -- each relay runner will chug along a scenic 1-mile loop through beautiful Alley Pond Park. At the completion of their loop, each runner tosses a football in the specified zone to the next player on their team to run the next one mile loop. Every team will get to keep their football, too! Info and pdf application here.



Hit the trails

The NJ Winter Trail Series continues on February 5th with both a 5 mile and 10 mile option in Lewis Morris Park, not far from NYC in Morristown, NJ.




Romantic Running

Running around in circles trying to come up with romantic Valentine's Day plans, or a person to spend it with? Then the Valentine's Marathon on Sunday February 13th, one in a series of Holiday Marathons, is the place for you. Bring your honey, or find a new honey, while working up an extra-large appetite for post-race lovey-doving.

And/or for something shorter, and charitable, on Saturday February 12th there's the Cupid's Chase 5K in Riverside Park at 97th Street. The race is one of many that will be held throughout the nation, and it benefits people with disabilities.


Indoor Triathlon

For Flyers looking to avoid winter's blast altogether, but bored of the same old treadmill, consider a JackRabbit Indoor Triathlon. Register to go to the Upper West Side JCC to swim for 10 minutes, bike for 30 minutes, and run for 20 minutes while competing for prizes provided by JackRabbit Sports -- the Flyers' exclusive apparel provider.



These are just a few of the interesting races and organized runs scheduled for this winter. Tell us about others in your reply to this post, please! - Dave K.

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