Super Bowl Sunday 2011

This year I decided to run the Gridiron Classic in Central Park.  It would be a good opportunity to run outside and get some physical exercise on a day when many Americans just sit around and overeat while waiting for and watching the Super Bowl.  In keeping with the occasion, the event also had a interesting twist in that there was a competition before the race to see who could throw a football the furthest.  All the elements of the day made for an attractive event.

The longest football throw event started first.  Two lines were created, one for the guys and one for the gals.  Standing in the men's line, it took almost fifteen minutes before it was my turn to throw.  Orange cones were set up as distance markers.  There were cheerleaders cheering, a small brass band playing football fight songs, and individuals dressed as "zebra" referees to lend the event an authentic football game atmosphere.  These referees were also responsible for spotting the location where the football throws landed.   You would think such an ideal environment on a bright, sunny morning would produce an abundance of record breaking throws.  Wrong.

I have played sports, including touch football, regularly since I was a child.  Some people may even describe me as an athletic person.  Even though I am rarely the biggest person on the field, I have been known to uncork a long throw from the outfield to throw out a baserunner at home plate or a long touchdown pass to a receiver.   My background and experience would suggest a good, long throw.  However, when it was my turn, I only threw the football approximately 30 yards!  Friends would naturally ask, "What happened?  You have the ability to throw a football at least 50 yards."

No excuses, but as it turned out, the officials gave me and all later participants slippery footballs.  Not intentionally of course, but after scores of sweaty hands had used (thrown) the footballs,  alot of moisture and dampness would have formed on the them.  After touching the football provided, I tried not once, but twice to dry away the moisture from my right throwing hand by wiping it against my pant leg.  Getting a good grip was impossible.  Maybe I should have asked someone for a towel to dry off the football as much as possible.  Anyway, once I placed my hand back on the football for a third time, I knew it would be hopeless and at that point, I just gave it the old college try.  It was all in good fun.  Contestants, including big guys, before and after me had the same problems with the football.  Slip, slip, slip away!  Maybe they'll let us bring our own footballs the next time.

Well, it was on to the main event.  Slowly, walking over slick and slippery ice, other runners and I made our way to our respective waiting areas, organized by bib color.  This was my first race in more than a few years and the Road Runners club had deployed new racing technology in the interim.   All runners must now tie an electronic tag to their shoelaces prior to participating in the event.  These tags allow the electronic timers positioned at the start and finish lines to precisely measure the amount of time it takes for runners to complete the race.  So your time does not start until you actually cross the starting line, and you are not penalized for the time it takes you to travel from your waiting area to the starting line (as in the past).

The race turned out to be a challenge. I have not been running outdoors consistently for many years, and I had not run a race in more than a few years.  Although I am running better and stronger than ever before on a treadmill at the gym, a treadmill cannot duplicate the winding and hilly road conditions present outdoors.  I averaged only an 8:25 mpm.  Nevertheless, it felt good just to finish the race, like an accomplishment long overdue.

Apples and bagels waited for runners at the end of the race.  No lie, but NYRRC events carry some of the best tasting bagels in the city. 

All in all, it was fun to be running outdoors again.  And it was nice to have a few cheerleaders around too.

Starting the 2011 new year running out of the gate

To start off the new year, a few weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure of joining up with my running team and doing a speed workout outdoors.  What was unique about this occasion was that it was the first time I had ever done a track workout in freezing, subzero temperatures.  (When I ran track in high school, whenever the temperature outside was too cold, we would move our speed workouts indoors.  A fun workout at the time was doing sprints up the school staircase, always careful not to trip.)  It was also the first time I had trained on a track in many, many years.  The workout took place at McCarran park, a park that straddles the Brooklyn-Queens border not far from the East River and the Brooklyn-Queens expressway.  Although I have passed literally thousands of times over the expressway, I had never been to that part of the city.  Despite having grown up here in the city, there are still places I have never visited.  Now I can cross one more place off that list.

The workout was challenging, consisting of several timed quarters around the track and finishing with a half mile time trial; the weather certainly did not help.  The track was icy in most lanes and I had to slow down slightly in some sections of the inner most lane in order to avoid slipping and falling.  Many other team members are already in marathon shape so the workout was probably not strenuous for them.  I admire their conditioning.  For me however, running outdoors in training mode seemed like a long time ago.  In recent times, I have done most of my running on the treadmill at my gym.  Nothing to report to the Guiness Book of World Records, but the one glimmer of hope during the evening was that I did run one quarter in around 90 seconds.   We all have to start (or restart) from somewhere, but meanwhile I hope to build on that time.  I can't wait for warmer weather to return so that I can run outdoors on a more regular basis.  I'm not a penguin and training in subzero temperatures is not recommended for us warm blooded folks. In the face of the cold weather, I still concluded the evening with a sense of accomplishment and look forward to future runs and races with the team.