tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36396627636352773892024-02-07T12:05:28.040-05:00SAY WHAT?This is the tinny little domain I rule :-D. Whatever pops into my head will go in here so it will be very interesting to see how far this will go.Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-59105566934381085602012-09-27T16:55:00.001-04:002012-10-01T12:44:25.840-04:00Spartan Race "Beast" - Killington, VT- Sept 21, 2012<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let me start by saying "Thank you Amazon Local" for giving me the chance to take on this race for half the price :-)... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This has been by far the craziest and toughest thing I've ever done in my life. Why did I decide to do this race? Besides the unbeatable price from AmazonLocal? I need to keep myself busy and active to keep my head clear. That and the <span style="color: red;">TRI</span><span style="color: blue;">FE</span><span style="color: #38761d;">CTA</span> Medal. This medal is only given to those brave enough to do 3 Spartan Races in a calendar year (<span style="color: red;">Sprint</span>, <span style="color: blue;">Super</span> & <span style="color: #6aa84f;">Beast</span>). I wanted to prove something to myself and I surprised myself at Vermont. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My parents and Jocelyn came with me.. We did not get on the road to VT 'till around 10pm. It was late so I had to drive, and even though I was punching that Equinox at 90-100mph, we made it to VT at 2AM.. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxExNPQlXuhfsqAonoEOau-KwmCA3YUl4JTGDsn5ruzO3j1wEs3m_snJ9c7yoB2RRwheY1HQcBZc9IBbQx0mQER13KFHNkWjA8lzoSFIm44D4dc1Ni6c19C3OHSsq2qHTJohXd96jbDGCP/s1600/IMG_3356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxExNPQlXuhfsqAonoEOau-KwmCA3YUl4JTGDsn5ruzO3j1wEs3m_snJ9c7yoB2RRwheY1HQcBZc9IBbQx0mQER13KFHNkWjA8lzoSFIm44D4dc1Ni6c19C3OHSsq2qHTJohXd96jbDGCP/s320/IMG_3356.JPG" title="Possible last picture together.. lol" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u><b>My race STATS are as follow, and I may add, "NOT TOO SHAVY" for a first timer :</b> </u></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">- 545th overall (2500 male and female) runners</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">- 486th out of all 1817 male runners</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">- 98th out of 377 in my age group</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We went straight to bed but 2hr later, a symphony of snores woke me up.. My goodness.. Both my parents and Jocelyn were snoring.. I could not believe a 5 year old could snore that loud... I could not go back to sleep. My dad woke up at 7AM saying how little sleep he got. I was saying to myself.. (Really?) . They do not believe they were snoring, (Denial).. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We got to Killington and it was cold, but I fell in love with the mountain, it was beautiful up there.. It was 57 but felt like 53 according to the weather app. I did not hear any announcements about the race being longer than 13 miles so that was good. Next thing I know we were off. The plan was to use NJ's strategy to keep moving and keep from injury. I'll be honest, I was scared of what was to come but thrilled at the same time that I had the guts to still be there moving along toward the unknown. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They were not kidding when they said that by mile 3 you may consider quitting. A lot of people left the race, they made sure to brake you on the first 4 miles. There was a lot of trail to run and all uphill at first. "Thank you LifeProof case" for allowing me to bring my iPhone with me.. I was texting back every 2-3 miles.. it was a mother's request.. The first obstacle <i><b><span style="color: red;">"Ditch Jumps"</span></b></i> was pretty easy, but some managed to get in trouble with it. What was so hard about jumping over a hole in the ground? Oh yeah, it was muddy, and chances were that if you landed near the edge you ended up in the water. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXe8h-ngWl5sClZZ44tD8ywCSBu95h8PUu-1PAVM3-d2NDS9OBDXCh4cxT9sWvyQsyDkwd4DhG2KeEUlFdNuGK5NN_PD-e702oVvRojqbih2qkr_8x6sClrTZ7B5GDCr9WJd_qW8RZMqgE/s1600/IMG_3331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXe8h-ngWl5sClZZ44tD8ywCSBu95h8PUu-1PAVM3-d2NDS9OBDXCh4cxT9sWvyQsyDkwd4DhG2KeEUlFdNuGK5NN_PD-e702oVvRojqbih2qkr_8x6sClrTZ7B5GDCr9WJd_qW8RZMqgE/s320/IMG_3331.JPG" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixmNGTJidChvgsV02a7s3TNAsWx0IIaY_NZegCD6n3AUoFm0LR0gjITy0GMQ30bVNsT1zJ7Fy-_QYQ8XNytNnejOo11Cif2PpUYBreuxghTJzfPHnWRhJpLi-kEhAfZiTgtdMTOCAPi72/s1600/IMG_3330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixmNGTJidChvgsV02a7s3TNAsWx0IIaY_NZegCD6n3AUoFm0LR0gjITy0GMQ30bVNsT1zJ7Fy-_QYQ8XNytNnejOo11Cif2PpUYBreuxghTJzfPHnWRhJpLi-kEhAfZiTgtdMTOCAPi72/s320/IMG_3330.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Next on the list a common one in all Spartan Races, <b><span style="color: red;">"Over/Under"</span>, </b>no problem there except there was bit of a congestion at the wall climbs. Right after those you had yet another well known obstacle <span style="color: red;"><b>"Water Pits"</b></span> It required you to go through water waist high.. I'm telling you, my bones felt like they wanted to crack,, that water was so freaking cold it was no joke, there were at least 3 of them in a row.. I remember seeing a set of 3 walls after the pits and right before heading into the woods which took us for a long uphill trip to then come back to the starting line but not before going through <span style="color: red;"><b>"Vertical Cargo"</b></span>, a <b><span style="color: red;">"High Barbed Wire Crawl" </span></b>on this one the wire was set much higher so you had to docked to go through it. After this <span style="color: red;"><b>"7foot Walls"</b></span> I may be missing one more but trust me, this alone got me tired in addition to all the trail we were covering. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKYEGsQrzlxyHG5tewgHvS3Ve1owX0Bvi2SiGD26nQBXPVtWpj4mH9CggADlYDlf8SOPecIIK0VrtHMZZjWBdugHsEbvfLyxH8PxwjyJykCe1pDAIYLRjxpdVKl91LObq5rZOFKhstRUh/s1600/IMG_3318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="1st Barbed Wire Crawl" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKYEGsQrzlxyHG5tewgHvS3Ve1owX0Bvi2SiGD26nQBXPVtWpj4mH9CggADlYDlf8SOPecIIK0VrtHMZZjWBdugHsEbvfLyxH8PxwjyJykCe1pDAIYLRjxpdVKl91LObq5rZOFKhstRUh/s320/IMG_3318.JPG" title="1st Barbed Wire Crawl" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st Barbed Wire Crawl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9QxRYo6pd3E6Ka-QFBZU3PCAPUiSrMi6tZealp2Pv8aGXjs_624MaSUsRcUMmwCcZfC9qWL4a4-EujfzIIRIeBwL_c4hkTS1EreUeuqfXqQc_xHSL75Ce5K5Z9Z2MC0cG5qgN3aIFbY-/s1600/IMG_00489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Over and under" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9QxRYo6pd3E6Ka-QFBZU3PCAPUiSrMi6tZealp2Pv8aGXjs_624MaSUsRcUMmwCcZfC9qWL4a4-EujfzIIRIeBwL_c4hkTS1EreUeuqfXqQc_xHSL75Ce5K5Z9Z2MC0cG5qgN3aIFbY-/s320/IMG_00489.jpg" title="Over and under" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over/Under/Thru it</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The weather got warmer about an hour after we took off, so I took off my long-sleeve and later on, the bib to make sure I would not loose it. Right after the Walls, came the Pain in the ass <span style="color: red;">"<b>Barbed Wire/Mud Crawl #1"</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Which reminds me.. "To the SOB who was loving his job of getting us wet while crawling" WTF man?, I'm sure they said GET THEM WET, not DROWN THEM". Got another set of <span style="color: red;">"Walls" </span>to finally reach the <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">"Monkey Bars". </span>Those suckers were hard. My gloves and the bars were wet and </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">slippery. The bars were also set in a way that a few bars were much higher and further than others. Once those were over there was a small <span style="color: red;"><b>"Trench Crawl"</b></span> and finally we had gone back to where started. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhlRZT8Q9PLv_9HY5BRRCfHS9sNgBKKcbRnxpWd-6_jArZJaxkZVPZMEsY0TkFGkY9AqErPA6_AzbQwl5c4ES0C1eYLuMj0hOPfK8pUTKs4ipdCA1urAPBeXCxmSv8NO1cKHQrLEYDtrW/s1600/DSCN1082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhlRZT8Q9PLv_9HY5BRRCfHS9sNgBKKcbRnxpWd-6_jArZJaxkZVPZMEsY0TkFGkY9AqErPA6_AzbQwl5c4ES0C1eYLuMj0hOPfK8pUTKs4ipdCA1urAPBeXCxmSv8NO1cKHQrLEYDtrW/s320/DSCN1082.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thats me with the yellow pack</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwH2Xufu73CAtK80vCWhHHIygktth9rVZm_jTRLDHqv-H2cH4jOmWsno26jmWzssJcIstf78wu9fQo_J-suBRH-FEho9OTC4n-h7hbf_BjxgOHcysFtJ7pzzx6mAOcGu9aC16995INMti/s1600/IMG_00517.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwH2Xufu73CAtK80vCWhHHIygktth9rVZm_jTRLDHqv-H2cH4jOmWsno26jmWzssJcIstf78wu9fQo_J-suBRH-FEho9OTC4n-h7hbf_BjxgOHcysFtJ7pzzx6mAOcGu9aC16995INMti/s320/IMG_00517.png" width="213" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zaRSpgoKw2PZ-SEQHM8pUcUDcOIuxZ52IDeXK4UMVM2qAH2hIH1eslpQxOIC34yr1AFbrecKJRTpXMgFEDmiW6sstcmxRNQz8gmIO2Sh93GOqq_8_acS3ZPb-5Ebm5BB5VJKK2Weq1e1/s1600/251655_10151027586471861_73172078_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zaRSpgoKw2PZ-SEQHM8pUcUDcOIuxZ52IDeXK4UMVM2qAH2hIH1eslpQxOIC34yr1AFbrecKJRTpXMgFEDmiW6sstcmxRNQz8gmIO2Sh93GOqq_8_acS3ZPb-5Ebm5BB5VJKK2Weq1e1/s320/251655_10151027586471861_73172078_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traverse Wall</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My legs and arms had already started to feel tired and my legs were shaky. I came back out to the starting line were </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>"The Traverse Wall"</b></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> and the </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>"Rope Climb"</b> </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">were waiting. I tackled and completed the wall but took my time, both my arms and legs wanted to give in . As I got close to the rope I hear "Daddy" and my little monkey had a first row view at the action.. It was so nice to see her. I gave my long sleeve and bib to my parents. There was a bit of congestion at the rope so I kept moving around to stay warm. Finally my turn and REDEMPTION.. My daughter got to see daddy climb that rope and ring the bell.. The look on her face was priceless, she was happy and so was I. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After this the race seemed to ease a bit. We made a quick turn after the rope and there it was, <span style="color: red;">"</span><b style="color: red;">The Lake" </b>and the<b style="color: red;"> "Tarzan Swing"</b>.. 40 degree if not colder swim. There were life vests but not enough and you had to wait for them. Some of us decided to hit the 50 burpees to save some time and having to swallow some lake water. I meet a girl who I'm going to call "Fellow Spartan", she was not only beautiful but had the heart to go get water at the water station and come back for another runner who was tripping from exhaustion. She was also from NYC, we walked and talked a bit. We were debating on who will be able to finish the 50 burpees first. Well, turns out we were having such a nice conversation that we didn't stop and blended right in with others and kept going. When we realized it, we laughed and started running, "oh well". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She stopped for water and I kept going (sorry but I had a 5 year old monkey to go see after the run), but call me! :-D. There was a lot and I mean, a lot of trail to cover. After a lot of running we got to a <b><span style="color: red;">"Memorization Poster"</span> </b>yup, that was a challenge. I had to memorize the phrase and #s next to the last two digits of my bib# posted on wall <i style="font-weight: bold;">(Alpha 100-8361). </i>Yes we were going to have a test later on. I kept singing that phrase even after I crossed the finish line. Just in case, I didn't know what to expect at this race. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlas Carry</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>"The Hercules Hoist"</b></span> was next, this was surprisingly not much of a challenge. We did a bit more trail and reached the <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">"Atlas Carry"</span>. I am not sure how heavy this cement block was but it was heavy. Pick one up, carry it over to the flag without dropping it, put it down and pick up the other one and bring it back to where you got the first one. Drop any of them and its 30 burpees. This is where the Hercules Hoist said HAHA Suckers! because your arms felt it. Right after this came the <b><span style="color: red;">"Barbed Wire Mud Crawl #2"</span></b><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"> </span>This was shorted than the first one. I was glad that this time all crawls had actual mud, unlike the ones at NY, MA and NJ, they were over concrete and rocks.. it was a killer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Right after the crawl we had another set of </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">"7" Walls"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. Some people were real team players, others were plain jerks. They ask you for help at the wall and then they just kept on going and left you behind, yeah thats real sportsmanship you JERK. After more trail, we reached a set of </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">"Log Walls with a Rope"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. The </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>"Tractor Pull"</b></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> was not too far from them. This one was different, at least for me. This time the track was longer and uphill. However, I was able to get it done fairly fast. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEbzjVf316Q13S6IqBUWI3wu9LwGJFnJ9-Q8NF04RIf8a3-kXLQhHX9U_gptWzLiJm3bRbxG7uaVVZ0kIuKu5FVkd6H8VQbKR1fw0Ecg9CGVliYBPdK3NyXE_kePgpdeZ8VuP_5Cf27DN/s1600/IMG_00510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEbzjVf316Q13S6IqBUWI3wu9LwGJFnJ9-Q8NF04RIf8a3-kXLQhHX9U_gptWzLiJm3bRbxG7uaVVZ0kIuKu5FVkd6H8VQbKR1fw0Ecg9CGVliYBPdK3NyXE_kePgpdeZ8VuP_5Cf27DN/s200/IMG_00510.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I had cut serious time by taking advantage of every flat stretch and downhill, but what was to come made that effort for nothing. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It all pointed to a 4:30 - 4:45hr race for me, but some one forgot to mention that we were going to be <b><span style="color: red;">"Hiking to Mount Olympus"</span></b> that day.. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Seriously, It was the never ending mountain hike. After 45 min I stopped looking up because it was discouraging to see that there was no end to it. I saw people sitting taking breaks, some injured, some with asthma (not kidding). After about 1hr, we reached the top and tada! another</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"Rope Climb" </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I did not stop at the hike trying to reach the top so my legs were half way done. I still don't know how I rang that bell. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was running down hill and singing my now favorite son (Alpha 100-8361) when the </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">"Sandbag"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> appeared. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Sandbag was a bit longer than the one at Spartan Sprint in MA. Getting it done without stopping was a big challenge, but I managed to do it without stopping. I dropped my bag back on the pile and continued singing my song.. Long behold <b><span style="color: red;">"The Test"</span></b> I got stopped byt two staff members (hey there son, what's your phrase?) I kid you not, I gave it to the guy as a song.. they were cracking up, they confirmed it was correct and sent me off to the <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">"Sled Pull"</span>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It may be simple, but it's not easy. My feeling is that it was loaded with a bit more than 50 lbs. of sand. The weight and the box collecting rocks at the bottom as you pulled it made this challenge very challenging. Not to mention the smoke not helping at all. At the end of this challenge a lady was asking.. Do you know how to swim? Ha, the </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>"Tyrolean Traverse"</b></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> was next. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Again I had to wait for a life vest so I headed to do my 30 burpees. This time they counted them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You had a few <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">"Dirt Mounds with Water"</span> right after that and by then the weather had gotten colder, so we were back to bone chilling water. From here on it was torture. After the Mounds, we had more hills and I had already put my legs trough so much stress on the hike and the sandbags that half way up that hill my legs began to shake and cramps began. Serious cramps both thighs and calves at the same time. Try taking one step like that. I managed to reach for a stick and began to roll my legs and tried to relax the muscle. I lost at least 3-5 minutes doing this. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYo6v4bP9ZYeq7gfTID60_z_4mS4NhfigLnEqQfD-rtpRK0eZJkzdnVSaBv3XbetbXL7KaCBEDwQfsbcrj-lhnbjiMPpVmmJiXu1KSliKgps2hSOHEulFsNWgPkUAVP9Qs5Zp5kzCdHywO/s1600/IMG_3337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYo6v4bP9ZYeq7gfTID60_z_4mS4NhfigLnEqQfD-rtpRK0eZJkzdnVSaBv3XbetbXL7KaCBEDwQfsbcrj-lhnbjiMPpVmmJiXu1KSliKgps2hSOHEulFsNWgPkUAVP9Qs5Zp5kzCdHywO/s320/IMG_3337.JPG" width="239" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After finally overcoming this, I began to walk but the legs were not the same at this point, I was scared to move too fast or make certain movements that would trigger another one. As I got to the top of this hill, <b><span style="color: red;">"The Log Hop"</span></b> came up. I have failed this obstacle on every Spartan Race I've done and with my legs the way they felt, I was for sure to fail it again. I Was having a hard time getting on the first one. The logs were higher than usual. A fellow racer was kind enough to help me get on the first one. One step at a time and next thing I know I nailed the log-hop. The guy that helped me was right behind me so no need to go back and assist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After the log hop, BAM! more uphill. WTH? I was under the impression that the last hike was the peek of the mountain. Silly me, it was tease. Luckily the remaining hike was not as bad and I didn't have a problem with it. After a few turns we reached the <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">"Vertical Cargo Net #2"</span>. This was easy, the net was laid over a wall of rocks and at the top, big surprise, more hills. FINALLY! the freaking top. I could see my house from there, 5+ hrs and 4,000ft later I have finally reached the top, Oh glorious day.. I have spent all that time and sweat to get here just to tackle two <b style="color: red;">"9' Walls", </b>Awesome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Everyone was a team player so we all got them done without a problem. Wait! Like the law of physics says (what goes up has to come down) remember those 4K+ ft of elevation you just finished hiking.. well, you had to get off the mountain somehow.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It would have been really cool if we were </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">zip-lining</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> down. That would have been so cool. but nope.. You were on your own. Some were rolling down, others tumbling down, crab-walking, One way or another people were coming down. The trail was muddy, and made it almost impossible for you to run or walk without slipping.. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">20 min into <b><span style="color: red;">"The Descend"</span></b>, my left IT began to complain. I could not slow down.. I was praying it would not fail me at this point because it would have been all over. This is the same IT that went out on me 3 years ago on my marathon. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I got to stretch at a small congestion of runners towards the end of the trail and that helped.. from this point it was everyone for themselves.. I ran as fast as I could passing people left and right to find the </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">"Hobie Hop"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.Wrap your feet with a big rubber band and walk or hop over logs and go under the rope. Sounds silly but you try doing this after 5+ </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">hrs of trail, hills and a shit load of obstacles then come back and tell me how easy it was. Got it done and back to running. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The temperature had dropped significantly and running was not helping keep you warm. Your clothes were soaked in sweat, water, mud and for all you know bear shit. Then Sweet music, a loud crowd cheering, YES! the finish line. SOB, you still had to prove yourself.. I got to the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"Spear Trow"</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> (Epic Fail) my arms were too tired, I hit the mark, but didn't stick. I got some burpees done (I didn't count). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The final </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">"Barbed Wire Crawl"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> was next.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Bless you Lord, it was a tinny one</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. This was followed but the </span><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">"Slippery Wall"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, and finally, time to face the <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">"Gladiators"</span> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Two guys who love their job way too much, </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">but not before setting your ass on fire on the <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">"Fire Jump"</span>. I</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> could not avoid getting hit by the gladiators at the finish line, but managed to remain standing. Got my medal, and a kiss from Jocelyn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I checked my time on the computer, ate my banana (hey, I earned that banana) and ran to the tent to get my Trifecta medal. Oh yes, I was not going home without it. The Trifecta Medal was the only reason why I did the Beast, well, that and staying sane :-). The weather app said 54 feeling like 48 (it was cold due to the windchill) and I still had to shower outdoors with cold water.. But that cold water felt so good on the legs.. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J6G6mh-LCwuEjivUHH2GZ8ojQ4CmW7fer_g7CmjandkPfDNhOiuwk7cBmxrpef_I633zO2uzx_XOCJECru9iHG8IXQ5_Xd1IXoVNjpJZDe3pBNiRsmDapQ7fTp8Ml9GMMUXFV33P1-3E/s1600/IMG_00520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J6G6mh-LCwuEjivUHH2GZ8ojQ4CmW7fer_g7CmjandkPfDNhOiuwk7cBmxrpef_I633zO2uzx_XOCJECru9iHG8IXQ5_Xd1IXoVNjpJZDe3pBNiRsmDapQ7fTp8Ml9GMMUXFV33P1-3E/s320/IMG_00520.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes I framed it already :-)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Got my free beer, a burger and to the car for another 4+hr drive back to NYC. Oh yeah.. It was a long day.. but on the way home, my daughter kept talking about the race and how she liked that she saw me complete the rope climb. The words "Daddy, I am proud of you" from my 5 year old simply cannot match getting 2 medal on this race.. It was just priceless. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Am I done for the year? well, I have a 1 mile race at work this Thursday.. LOL it's an annual thing.. I may not beat my 5:45 time from last year, but you bet your ass I will be running it trying to beat the Cross Country team again.. :-) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This year has been an eventful year for me, good and bad alike but nothing else to do but keep moving forward and make the best out of any situation. I love running and I love pushing myself to the limit. The lesson I learned at Vermont this Saturday has given me a different perspective and showed me that I can still surprise myself. In an effort to teach my daughter that one can do anything in this life, I also thought myself the same lesson. Now lets put it into practice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The question now is, Am I going to do this again? The answer is very simple. YES.. even though I do not plan on beating my time at Vermont, I do plan on beating my time at the NJ Super and once again, claim a Trifecta Medal. Thank you Spartan team for making this races possible and giving every one the chance to overcome our own limitations and strive to go the distance. I will see you all again next year. </span></div>
Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-22841211975624752112012-09-24T17:11:00.004-04:002012-10-01T13:30:47.659-04:00Super Spartan Race - Vernon, NJ - Sept 8 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-MEGKxK1mmYaR2ZLI3UdxZO7dSdG7Fd5QLpTAGR-hh8PKGtMj9CudMqtcHSmoNYuYc-qS-tSzZ6yu6af3_5Lw98Pblp4KUkZv7x1a-a6hAFkQ2LwfDHB-hf1I_rnApxuhtbKMb4up0Fz/s1600/2296_1329779440.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-MEGKxK1mmYaR2ZLI3UdxZO7dSdG7Fd5QLpTAGR-hh8PKGtMj9CudMqtcHSmoNYuYc-qS-tSzZ6yu6af3_5Lw98Pblp4KUkZv7x1a-a6hAFkQ2LwfDHB-hf1I_rnApxuhtbKMb4up0Fz/s200/2296_1329779440.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5P-NXn17Ti6lJAH1AkVZLuzk9-Ba6dF1TZHg8fxqgc-5RqGUNiD7ECOKQp23ShWH6h3Un-jbm3aup_0vLoAnLbmwKS-cJfgdWB6MeRugPRgpCyRy8jer7OfsgQgZ8YxHK8VBGPiXjXub_/s1600/SuperSpartan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5P-NXn17Ti6lJAH1AkVZLuzk9-Ba6dF1TZHg8fxqgc-5RqGUNiD7ECOKQp23ShWH6h3Un-jbm3aup_0vLoAnLbmwKS-cJfgdWB6MeRugPRgpCyRy8jer7OfsgQgZ8YxHK8VBGPiXjXub_/s200/SuperSpartan.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Let me start by saying this.. "You gotta love these guys.." I was expecting a 9 mile run, but right before we took off the following announcement was made "How many of you thought you had signed up for a 8 mile race? Well, you signed up for 11 miles and 30 obstacles instead of the 22" "Oh, and there is a 25' cliff jump too" Huh? That's one way to get your money worth.. Im only going to mention the obstacles I remember..There were a lot more obstacles.<br />
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The setup was awesome.. As soon as you come up to the race site, you see 4 familiar obstacles.. (The Spear Toss, The Traverse Wall, The Rope Climb and The Barb Wire Crawl) All right next to each other and right before the finish line.. This gives you a hint that you will be doing A LOT of trail running and some hills. My Dad (56y/o) and I were in the first open wave and every one was excited. Some were ready to go to war, I mean really, there were people that over packed for this one.. Me included. Prior to the race, there was a note saying that the race had only one water station. My dad and I decided to bring the water pack I got for the Spartan Beast which was 2 weeks later. The pack holds 70 oz of water. I trained for a while doing long distance runs with it and never bothered me and didn't feel the weight. Well, a 10-13 mile run is not quite the same as a Spartan run (I should've known this). <br />
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Right from the start you got punished with a <span style="color: red;"><b>"Hill"</b></span> that was at least 1+ miles. I mean, this was a ridiculously long hill. Everyone began to walk 2 minutes into the hill. Just when you thought you had reached the end of it, SURPRISE! the hill turns left and it gets even harder. Everyone was either cussing or complaining. We overheard someone say that there was only 1 more hill in the race so we thought the next one was going to be about the same. Well, there were a lot and I mean A LOT of hills.. VERY STEEP freaking hills. We did the smart thing to do.. (walk the hills and run when flat at a moderate pace). The goal was to get back fast, in one peace and NEVER Stop. The <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">"Over/Under/Through it"</span> were at the top of this hill.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklysy5Sgrcrop7zEq7oLCFEQoYWELZvD3dlFEt65TIqn-psIkKtENzpFFQCdA-7a3c1IZpJJ9zQ5gRB14L2cauE1mfzICApAeGcLHGmflt4zQsovXhNyXzKlNXn1IBnRqfiVG-7EYQsHr/s1600/IMG_00448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklysy5Sgrcrop7zEq7oLCFEQoYWELZvD3dlFEt65TIqn-psIkKtENzpFFQCdA-7a3c1IZpJJ9zQ5gRB14L2cauE1mfzICApAeGcLHGmflt4zQsovXhNyXzKlNXn1IBnRqfiVG-7EYQsHr/s200/IMG_00448.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesjcShgzYy_4bbb0WoN-5SU4BzzIs3Gd1hz0Z0ViYWBqgC2DiDnOF9w2HlGV6mn39taz0kX2Nt3IArLHOAHDhsaIwV7mVNrCDc9rJb8xpyTEzSSf8SBHvT966E5GkIEgVvXisdAB5xsVx/s1600/IMG_00438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesjcShgzYy_4bbb0WoN-5SU4BzzIs3Gd1hz0Z0ViYWBqgC2DiDnOF9w2HlGV6mn39taz0kX2Nt3IArLHOAHDhsaIwV7mVNrCDc9rJb8xpyTEzSSf8SBHvT966E5GkIEgVvXisdAB5xsVx/s200/IMG_00438.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdhktnLfVg3AIUqiGoBH4OrQbTEq_ui7Lq6USlAQJrSZM2uTokPsUSui8U6OQkF1kPDkuo-Yv8k9BJ3BZXzHtA34ykhSW0zJVQuxMVUbwYRMCkini0DXMIHvwA7nZvhumgTe4wzqwCEzf/s1600/IMG_00435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdhktnLfVg3AIUqiGoBH4OrQbTEq_ui7Lq6USlAQJrSZM2uTokPsUSui8U6OQkF1kPDkuo-Yv8k9BJ3BZXzHtA34ykhSW0zJVQuxMVUbwYRMCkini0DXMIHvwA7nZvhumgTe4wzqwCEzf/s200/IMG_00435.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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We kept meeting the same people along the trail. Some would leave us behind while running the trails, but we would catch them at the obstacles and leave them behind. The walls were not a problem, at least for my dad, I was carrying the pack and it made the higher walls a real challenge. I had good balance on the <b><span style="color: red;">"Log Hop"</span></b> challenge but my pack betrayed me and fell down on the 4th one. My dad almost made it but fell off trying to reach the last one. 30 burpees later we continued. <br />
The weather was great for a race... but you can't help getting hot and the <span style="color: red;"><b>"Lake Swim"</b></span> was a surprise and a gift from heaven. We felt so refreshed after that. The challenge was to swim across and go under a boat. I was so happy to know I was not the only gown ass men to ask for a life-vest. It is impossible to go under a boat while wearing the vest, so we had to around it. At the other side an Aid and water station was waiting for us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was afeter the swim.</td></tr>
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The LifeProof case for my iPhone proved to worth the $$. People kept looking at us taking pictures and texting our wating party (my mom and my 5 year old daughter). There was a lot of trail running on this one and I didn't have a problem with this. 2 miles later we see another water station.. hmmm. okay.. We got to a water park in the resort and long behold.... <span style="color: red;"><b>"The 25' Cliff Jump"</b></span>.. There was a staff member stopping everyone asking "Do you know how to swim?" if you said no, you were sent automatically to do 50 burpees. Several of them said YES and after seeing the jump said.. "F*# No" and off to do 50 burpees. <br />
We got to the <b style="color: red;">"Sandbags" </b>and<b style="color: red;"> "Tire Flip"</b>,, Wait, a water station? WTH? I have been carrying this thing for nothing and we haven't even taken a sip.. Right after finishing the challenge, I told my dad that my arms and shoulders were getting tired.. but I wasn't sure if there would be more water stations further up. I told him that I was now a bit worried about the rope climb. He asked to help, but he had been complaining about his knees on the hills so I wasn't going to ask him to help me with it. After doing the tire flip, we headed back uphill.. a 2 mile long hill. Again, right when you thought you reached the top TADA! Holly Mountain Goats Batman.. it was like a scene from the movie Cliffhanger. The hill was a mix of nets and rocks some twice my hight, steep and not easy to tackle. Somewhere across the world a freaking Mnt Goat was laughing at me takle this thing.<br />
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At the top the <b><span style="color: red;">"Tractor Pull"</span></b> and <span style="color: red;"><b>"Hercules Pull"</b></span> were waiting for you. I took my time with the tractor pull and handled the Hercules challenge pretty good. My Dad and I were talking about how we didnt get that many walls on this race and it seemed like we were not going to see my dad's nemesis (The Monkey Bars). We had not finish with that sentence when the <span style="color: red;"><b>"Monkeybars"</b></span> popped up. I had to take my pack off and my dad went first. He namaged to make it.. I went up and started pretty good but somehow I picked up speed and by the time I got to the end I missed the step and literally kept going and went flying.. Landed on my ass but made it through the challenge. Right after that <span style="color: red;"><b>"9' Walls"</b></span> and a challenge I was never expecting.. <b><span style="color: red;">"Tyrolean Traverse"</span></b> this one didn't want you to cross over, but reach the bell at the center and then drop to the pond. My arms were tired and I got as close as one more stretch and my arms could not go any further and the weight from the pack betrayed me as well. I dropped like a sack of potatoes. Got my burpees done and kept on going.<br />
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After completing the <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">"Vertical Cargo Net"</span>, we saw the kids race course and we knew we were home. We still had the spear trow, traverse wall, the rope climb and the PAIN IN THE ASS mud crawl.. I took my pack off and gave it to my mom who was waiting for us at the <b><span style="color: red;">"Spear Trow"</span></b>. My arms were not in the game at this point and my spear didn't even come close to scratching the target. My dad failed too. We got our burpees done and headed to the <span style="color: red;"><b>"Traverse Wall"</b></span>. My dad went first.. I was waiting for him to finish so I could catch some rest. He failed this one too. I got on the wall and kept moving.. My legs and arms were shaking and I was having a hard time holding on. I took my time but I made it. By the time I was done with it, my dad was done with his burpees. Next, the <b><span style="color: red;">"Rope Climb"</span></b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdLfNDx9PLyaptpHSwCO9ZMXNQrg7xYP9gouSTkTl3jPrwYHsWYD_qVeHZ10ySyHdkszcYDiFbPvJNeOdo_yDT0G6zp5LcPQCWg4ldlwX0-TT-ICrgA116gB9F0bB6E3PXCQkj38uxIiH/s1600/IMG_00444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdLfNDx9PLyaptpHSwCO9ZMXNQrg7xYP9gouSTkTl3jPrwYHsWYD_qVeHZ10ySyHdkszcYDiFbPvJNeOdo_yDT0G6zp5LcPQCWg4ldlwX0-TT-ICrgA116gB9F0bB6E3PXCQkj38uxIiH/s320/IMG_00444.jpg" width="240" /> </a><br />
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You could tell I didn't want to do the rope. I had been telling my dad miles before that I was going to fail this one. So he went on first. I stood still looking at this thing for at least a minute, contemplating the idea of going straight for the burpees. Finally I figure, what the hell, lets give it a shot. Got on, kept going and as I got to the top my arms could not pull me any more. I was within one more stretch from reaching the bell, but my arms could not go any further. It was "try to ring the bell and drop at least 12' to the mud or gracefully try to come down and do the burpees". I began my descend and right before I reached the floor I slipped and went down hard. After that, I looked like a new born pony trying to walk. My legs could not carry me, but I got my burpees done. My dad was long gone at this point and I got stuck in the <b><span style="color: red;">"Barbed Wire Mud Crawl"</span></b> due to some people stopping to sit and talk to each other.. "I mean, Come on dude, I have places to go, why don't you call hubby here and give him tips on how to do the crawl later?"<br />
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I crossed the finish line 4 min behind my dad but still made it in really good time and place. The challenge now is to beat that time next year. Now that I know I don't have to carry that stupid water pack. Overall, we both had an amazing time doing this and knowing that you pushed yourself to the limit to cross that finish line where others gave up, gives you such a great feeling that no one can take away from you. Yes, I will do this one again next year. :-)<br />
<img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklysy5Sgrcrop7zEq7oLCFEQoYWELZvD3dlFEt65TIqn-psIkKtENzpFFQCdA-7a3c1IZpJJ9zQ5gRB14L2cauE1mfzICApAeGcLHGmflt4zQsovXhNyXzKlNXn1IBnRqfiVG-7EYQsHr/s200/IMG_00448.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 620px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 781px;" width="72" />Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0Vernon, NJ41.1947018 -74.493794334.6475273 -84.6012163 47.741876299999994 -64.3863723tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-22737409422423156622012-08-16T14:30:00.002-04:002012-09-28T01:10:04.704-04:00Spartan Sprint, New England 2012<br />
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This race does not compare to the Spartan Sprint of Toxedo, NY. New England kicked ass. !!! Aroo, Aroo.<br />
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Now with that said. My dad signed us up for this race as and made a bet, "Whoever has the slowest time, pays for Lunch. Whatever the winner wants, no restrictions". Well I had lobster for lunch after the race.. :-)</div>
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It is a 5 1/2hr drive from The Bronx, NY up to Amesbury, MA. We turned this into a 4:15hr drive on Saturday night. We stayed in a hotel in NH, 10 min away from the parking lot used for the race.. We arrived around 10is and crashed in bed.. My daughter who came with us slept with me on the 2nd bed.. for some reason, my daughter decided to take a trip on the bed that night and traveled the entire bed.. It was 2:30am and I was still awake trying to get her to stay still but it was just impossible. Woke up at 5am since our race was at 8am.. we had to be at the race site 1hr before the race, so we had a small b-fast at 6am and headed out. </div>
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As soon as we got on the bus that was going to take us to the race site back in MA, the heavens opened up and it began to pour. Everyones face in that bus changed from excited to "WTH? face" the race has mud and water obstacles, did we really need more mud? 10-15 min later, the rain stopped but it did wonders to the course. So every one is back to excited and hyped about the race 'till we arrive at the site and we see the "mountain" I mean, this was no hill, the freaking race site greets every one with an over 225ft hill/mountain.. My dad asked me; "is the race taking place all the way up there?" I said "HA, I think that is part of the race, look at the dividers".. he looked worried.</div>
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We got to the number listing boards and to our surprise our wave had been moved to 9am, this was to make room for the competitive wave" This worked better,, gave us time to walk around, take some pictures, let our breakfast settle and check out some of the merchandise. Well, in our little tour we confirmed that indeed the monster hill is part of the race.. not only do you go through it round trip with a 40lb sand bag, but you go through it 5 freaking times (2 coming down, and 3 going up)... "Guess where the race starts?" yup, you got it.. you start your race running up a <span style="color: red;"><b>"225ft hill"</b></span>. </div>
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Every one, and I mean every one started running up the hill, and every one ended up walking at least half of it.. "Try running a steep muddy hill".. As you get to the top, you find yourself immediately wet and muddy. <span style="color: red;"><b>"Five water pits"</b></span> chest high are waiting for you. Nope you cannot ease your way in, you have to jump in or its 30 burpees. Those are followed by the <span style="color: red;"><b>"under, over & through it"</b></span> walls. This race had a lot more trail running than the one in Toxedo, NY.<br />
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I made several attempts to run the trail, but I twisted my ankle a few times so I opted to walk most of the trail to avoid injury, it was way too muddy... I have 2 more Spartan Races this coming Sept and didn't want to take any chances. I failed the <b><span style="color: red;">"Log Hop"</span></b>.. "AGAIN". My dad caught up to me while I was doing my 30 burpees. He failed too. The trail took us through a crazy <b><span style="color: red;">"Mud Trap"</span></b>.. I mean, I went in with shoes, and came out with boots.. I had mud up to my knees. All that mud was washed out in a <span style="color: red;"><b>Pound</b></span> that not only was deep, but had vines.. People were tripping and getting tangled in them. There was no way you could stay dry for more than 10 minutes.. right after the pound Hello, hello, here comes the <b><span style="color: red;">"Monkey Bars"</span></b>.<br />
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You come out of the water, drenched. The bars are wet and muddy. I made the mistake of trying to dry my hands with sand. This made it worse, I couldn't get it off. My shorts and shirt were soaked and there was no way to dry my hands. My dad caught up to me again at the bars and he tried going first trying to beat me.. Sadly he fell off trying to reach the 2nd bar. I managed to pass the bars but not without a struggle. I almost fell a few times but managed to stay and cleared them. This was mile 1.<br />
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I didn't get to see my dad until we reached the <b><span style="color: red;">Hercules Pull</span></b>. He was jogging, I was mainly walking the trails. I was just finishing the obstacle when he showed up. I did not see him after this until we reached the sandbag. Before getting there, you go up a <b><span style="color: red;">"Steep Hill"</span></b> after clearing the Hercules Pull. People were literally sitting at the edge because it was so steep and people were tired. Some people were crawling. I went up helping myself with branches. Once you get to the top you see the rope climb on a distance. There were <b><span style="color: red;">"2 more Water Pits"</span></b> where you had to climb and then ease your way down.<br />
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You would think the rope was next.. HAHA there was another mile trail run and after the trail you found yourself at the top of that 225ft hill you ran at the start. you had to go up a <b><span style="color: red;">"Cargo Net"</span></b>, then run down the hill to do the <b><span style="color: red;">"Traverse Wall"</span></b>. My body was tired and this one was not easy but managed to complete it. As soon as you cleared the wall you are to pick up that 40lb <b><span style="color: red;">"Sand Bag"</span></b>, go up that hill as fast as you can while carrying that bag and come back down without falling your ass.. Drop the bag back where you picked it up and head back up the hill to the next obstacle. <br />
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Well, to my surprise there was more trail running after that hill, go figure. Finally got to the <b><span style="color: red;">"Rope Climb"</span></b>. The rope was over a water pit that was as dee as my chin with me tiptoeing. I cleared the rope with no problem. This was followed by <span style="color: red;"><b>"9' Walls"</b></span>. I managed to cleared the first one by running and jumping. I tried to do the same thing on the second one and couldn't. Two guys way taller than me were having issues trying to climb it. One of them was whining and saying that he couldn't. They asked if I could help give them a boost, so I did thinking that they will come around and boost me up too. Nope, both jerks took off and left me there. I wasted at least 3 minutes trying to get over the wall untill finally some one helped me. The guy who helped me was right next to me on the wall so off we went.<br />
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Next was the <b><span style="color: red;">"Spear Trow"</span></b>.. I failed this at Toxedo and was my 2nd and final set of burpees for that race. I walked to the challenge knowing I was going to fail and ready to do 30 burpees. I took the spear, got in position and threw it. HOLY SHIT, I hit the target.. not only did I hit the target but it stuck.. You can hit the target but it the spear does not stick, you failed the obstacle. My spear was the 3rd one of the non-competitive waves.. I was so excited and there wasn't a single camera on sight to capture it..<br />
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Next was the <b><span style="color: red;">"Tractor Pull"</span></b> which wasn't a big deal.. This was followed by more <b><span style="color: red;">"Water Pits"</span></b>, the <b><span style="color: red;">"Truck Tire Flip"</span></b> and the long ass <b><span style="color: red;">"Barbed Wire Mud Crawl"</span></b>. This one was much better, there was actual mud on this one unlike Toxedo that was pure rocks. Well, at least for the first half of it. The second half had a crap load of rocks. I was coming out of the crawl when I saw my dad about to start his.. I knew it was going to take him a while to finish this one.. Once you get out of this one you are sort of home free to the finish line. Well, first you need to do the <span style="color: red;"><b>"Fire Jump"</b></span>. The fire was big and high and the smoke from it made it hard to tell how far or close you were from the fire before jumping. I swear my ass felt on fire because I jumped so closed to it. After clearing this out you gotta rush down the initial hill and climb the <b><span style="color: red;">"Slippery Wall"</span></b> so that you can then fight your way through two <b><span style="color: red;">"Gladiators"</span></b> that won't hesitate to beat the shit out of you before you cross the line.<br />
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I proudly picked up my medal after finishing in 1:15hr. Over an 1hr and 15 min less than the one in Toxedo. My dad came in 5 minutes later.. May not seem like a lot but in a race a tenth of a second will cost you the championship... just ask the Olympians :-).. Nevertheless he did a mazing at his age. Got to clean up and headed out for lunch.. Lobster Rolls baby.. Went to the beach for a bit and then headed straight back to NYC.<br />
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This race was amazing and challenging, a nice warm up for The Super Spartan in NJ on Sept 9th. Definitely looking forward to those two.. </div>
Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-52392622916433650662012-05-07T01:00:00.001-04:002012-05-07T01:00:30.929-04:002012 Long Island 1/2 Marathon<blockquote></blockquote> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdTX_r7ABeUMYB1qOQZHiUifxhBZ-NAzYxms6DTTVhzH0YopDXArXQ30LuPYEicT1bJLiPXcndN3TOeeCJX4GQqNpTj-zO2g1P8voN2RtxCu3lmG868wkWlfaz-GgGEq0H1_U9FOut-bH/s1600-h/IMG_1432%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_1432" alt="IMG_1432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CFao5kRT2-oSIoG7w_nV1FpGjw0AST_vG8USN5voQURUlAF5SCbO6hBGTS0H7Nj9xz4gRWj3Twk2R9bGMk69S5HRIKO1pK6eLOtwrNAHbfZ57JiVV275_mybnTDjZ_GBf3S0k_B3SwAR/?imgmax=800" width="127" height="169"></a>I have to start by saying that I went to this race terrified. For the past 2 weeks, my left knee and calf had been showing sings of discomfort. Things really looked bad the day before the race when I was forced to take Advil twice and iced the knee at least 3 times throughout the day. I have no one but myself to blame for that. I decided to test the legs and see where I was in terms of Speed on my last two long runs, but I couldn’t just withdraw.</p> <p>The day and weather could not be any better. Joyce and I got there with plenty of time and took our time walking to the start line. We placed ourselves at the 8 min/mile group… “we felt daring”. I brought the IT brace with me, I didn’t want to leave anything to chance, and as the hr got closer so did the fear of injury. The plan was to start off at a slow pace and sort of test the knee and increase the speed if I felt ok. The gun went off and in the middle of fireworks, we took off. Joyce and I wished each other good luck and we lost each other in the crowd. </p> <p>I started slow and gradually increased the speed on the first mile.. next thing I know I reached mile 3 and my pace was in the low 8’s. This was a big boost of confidence. So the plan changed… now it was all about taking advantage of every flat and downhill stretch. I’ve always fix my eyes on a faster runner and follow right behind, this time I was some one’s pacer for a change. I notice 2 guys following me from mile 4.. If I went right, they did too… if I went left, they went left.. so I had a little fun with it.. Sadly I left them behind after mile 9. </p> <p>I used two water stops to stretch the legs. Mile 5 and mile 11. Took advantage of every single flat stretch.. Took my time without compromising speed on the hills.”I have to say that having 2 mile hills on my routine runs made a BIG difference on this race.. I didn’t have a problem with the hills this time.” But I think I should’ve slow down a bit more on the hills.. by mile 10 my left calf started to feel as if it was getting a cramp.. so I had to slow down for a bit. By the time I was on my way to mile 13 I had very little left and I was starting to slow down. I had pushed hard to keep the fastest pace for that distance I have even done.. This forced me to take 3 quick walks.. I counted 1,2,3,4,5 and resumed running on each one.. I began to sprint when I saw 12.75 miles on my Garmin.. I was going so fast evading other runners that the announcer at the finish line calling out names called out mine adding “people, move to the left because this one is coming in fast” while laughing. The Garmin has me at 1:46:14 with a pace of 8:02. The official time has me at 1:46:15 with a pace of 8:10.. eh. I’m still happy, that’s an 8 minute Improvement over last year’s</p> <p>At the finish line, I picked up my medal, took my picture and while waiting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhfZHCYUFF_4NXOuU_bZbzLsc3DmIuYT12Ifsek7VKOBJDiN-UI6fQT3EglucfB3UshWZOv853IawM2uVxiklmBYd0MZmhFTtxBnhrv_Wq9g_a9VLBO1TSSqFv-44HZ0jBTRRf1PDAimt/s1600-h/IMG_1535%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="display: inline; float: right" title="IMG_1535" alt="IMG_1535" align="right" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiN0u4HsVNPtNkrl50Em33zBIsySGhORlL3mKrwo0bm8xpyCZ6CJGSI1RdaR8TZaaxmu_EY3_icB3iXhCVdWZNAxxMlSUyjsaNW7JQLorNn7XotNK3eYhBK-Snbc_f1QAxk-V4uu592iU/?imgmax=800" width="180" height="240"></a> for Joyce, I wanted to take a pic of myself with my iPhone to post.. and I couldn’t get a good angle.. A guy noticed and said; “would you like me to take a picture of you? you look like you are about to twist like a pretzel trying to take that picture”. Once Joyce finished, we got our goodie bags, and went to get a cold beer.. I don’t like beer, but I was hungry and dehydrated.. so that beer felt so good. I had an amazing time at the race.. we met my parents and Jocelyn at the diner for brunch and then went for a walk to Glen Island. The knee is holding up but the legs are very sore. Trust me.. I take soreness over an IT injury any day.. </p> <p>‘Till next year Long Island.. Looking forward to yet another PR… </p> Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-87517292983882075412011-03-17T22:58:00.000-04:002011-03-17T22:58:13.972-04:00Desperate need for $$ or a Legit Case???When I heard this news I was shocked. A NYC mother is suing an expensive preschool because after 3 weeks of classes it jeopardized the kid's chances of getting into an elite private school or, one day, the Ivy League. WOW!!<br />
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The law suit claims that all the kid learned were colors and shapes?.. The mother claims that her kid is very smart.. if you ask me, she did not get it from the mother. Maybe, just maybe the kid was not as smart as she claims and they had to take the kid back to basics? who knows, but She paid $19,000 based on the schools rep and she didn't bother to check out a few classes before making a large payment like that?<br />
According to the news the kid only attended 3 weeks of classes. If you ask me, three weeks is a bit to rushed to determine how the rest of the school year will be like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu68ZKNn0I-K59eB9jgkHps-Q9x3aMQ17SmAbwOVpq_fEJLOr24NWfxjrYKaRukDE28bdDKPHU1_hBuQWRaUDLrBBc5pX0VzlmFm-eYc2JMFdkTbu2slQY6hY8VYHj4OwKa09TJvoKcK2/s1600/Picture+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu68ZKNn0I-K59eB9jgkHps-Q9x3aMQ17SmAbwOVpq_fEJLOr24NWfxjrYKaRukDE28bdDKPHU1_hBuQWRaUDLrBBc5pX0VzlmFm-eYc2JMFdkTbu2slQY6hY8VYHj4OwKa09TJvoKcK2/s200/Picture+4.png" width="156" /></a>Sounds to me like my $6,000 a year daycare/Pre-school is giving my 4 year old a rich kid's education, teaching her way more than that fancy school is teaching rich kids in Manhattan. My kid is way passed the colors and shapes. She now knows what basic colors to mix to get other colors, she knows how to count to 75 in English and Spanish without any help. She's now reading and writing in both English and Spanish, and more. Shit my kid knows how to put a computer together, I have the picture to prove it -----------><br />
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... Seems to me like this lady needs my daycare.. LOL <br />
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In the mother's defense I have to say that as a parent we all want the best for our kids. If paying outrageous amounts of $$ for your kid's education tells you that you are doing the best for them, then so be it. I know that if I had money like that, I might pay as well... Ok ok. maybe not that much money.. seriously $19,000? Maybe the colors and shapes were "Special" colors and shapes, lol... I am sorry but that's just crazy...<br />
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Comment as you see fit.. :-)Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-27281081329164761202010-08-28T10:22:00.001-04:002010-08-28T10:22:50.816-04:00Breakfast with StrangersWe came to Main St, Flushing, Queens. While Joyce was doing her hair, Jocelyn and I went for a mini adventure. While trying to get Jocelyn to decide what to have for breakfast, we went to Tai-pan. A great well known in the area Asian cafe. <br /><br />The place is always packed, but Jocelyn wanted to eat on a table. We had to wait for a bit, but from all the way at the back I heard a "hey, amigo" lol a table with 3 Asian people, two old ladies and a guy. They called me over and said, "come come please sit here. Lol<br /><br />The table barely fit 3 trays not to mention 4.. Jocelyn was all shy, but behaved.. All three people were complete strangers to each other, but there they were, eating and sharing a table like they were family. <br /><br />The guy's name was Jimmy, the oldest lady maybe in her 80s was Lin and she said she like young men..and had the courage to ask me if I was single.. Lmao.. I am a tough cookie to crack, but this lady made me blush...she even said,, "oh, it's ok, don't be shy... I don't bite, I don't even have teeth any more.. See" yes she showed me that she had no teeth... The other lady was I think Kim.. Hope I am spelling them correctly, then again, I always hope I spelled my notes correctly. <br /><br />To my surprise, all of them spoke Spanish. Lol the oldest lady spoke almost perfectly. They spoke better spanish than English. Lol.. And suddenly we were 5 complete strangers enjoying breakfast and old stories from the old lady.<br /><br />I said it before and I'll say it again.. I love the Asian culture. Fun fun morning. <br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38th%20Ave,,United%20States%4040.761113%2C-73.830189&z=10'>38th Ave,,United States</a></p>Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-85163500394457544342010-07-23T23:38:00.002-04:002010-07-24T00:06:29.765-04:00The Run That Almost Didn't Happen 2.28 mil (23:48 min)This run almost didn't happen. Towards the end of the day, 3 people decided to show up with wireless problems. Our policy prevents us from doing any work other than network related on personal laptops. This includes OS updates and so on.. Since our network uses Bradford and their machines were out of date, they failed. Of curse they were not going to just let it go and go home to update their machine. Luckily they were only missing one update and I was able to get them running.<br />
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As I was closing the work order a 4th person walked in saying "Oh thank God you are still open, I think I have a virus can you fix it?" I said, Sorry, you'll have to leave it or bring it back monday for a scan, to make it short, it was already 5:10 and I was still trying to explain to her that there was no way to know if she really had something without scanning the dam machine, and a scan would not take 5 minutes.. Finally convinced her to leave the dam thing so I could scan it Monday morning.<br />
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I was so upset that it was already 5:15 and about to miss my run. Joyce leaves her office at 5pm and gets to me around 5:20-5:30 if there is little or no traffic. 95 was clear so I only had enough time to get dressed.. anywho.. I figured "I still have some time, let me go for at least 1 mile to get he legs moving" got dressed in a jiffy and headed out.<br />
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Since I already know where the 1 mile marker is, I decided to not pay attention to the watch today. I only set them up and forgot about them. Half way into the first mile I sent a text to Joyce. "you'll probably have to wait a bit for me" lol<br />
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I was at mile 1 when she texted that she was 5 min away. I said "I'll be there in 10" lol and I actually made it back in close to 10 min. On the way back, I was a little out of breath, but I pushed. After getting back to the college and checking my records, I noticed that I cut down some time..not much but from that to nothing. In fact my 1st mile was at a pace of 9:22 and the 2nd mile 10:49 this was due to the two walks coming back up hills. so woohoo<br />
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As much as I like this route, I need to find a better one. Two long hilly streets are too slanted and I noticed that my leg struggles there. Right now my knee is bothering me a bit, I guess from going faster than previous runs and the constant slanted streets. I guess if I run this weekend it will be on the TM.<br />
I have to admit, it was a bad idea to not pay attention to the watch. In doing this, I didn't noticed that I was going faster than I should, and caused me the little discomfort on the knee. But I also have to say; it was good to not have the stress of how fast or slow I was going during the run.. <br />
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Over all and to finish this long ass post. I am very happy right now to see that I am cutting time off my runs. Even though I am stuck in the 2-4 mile runs for now, well 1-3 to more exact. I haven't been able to do 4 miles yet, but who cares.. wait, I do..Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-52769807690323610102010-07-20T00:46:00.000-04:002010-07-20T00:46:26.796-04:00My Crazy After Work Run Outdoors 2.46 mil (27 min)Ok this is the Nike+ record, but my Run Keeper says 2.59 miles. The run started really good. I was all hyper and ready to take on the world.. Thank God I took water with me. I was so excited about going out for a run this afternoon, that I only bother to check if it was going to rain, but not the outside temp.<br />
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Since I was in the zone, the heat didn't bother me 'till after mile 1, well by the time I got to mile one, the heat just bitchslaped me and laugh on my face.<br />
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On my way back from Glen Island I just didn't have it in me anymore. All that excitement and happy thought turned bitter. I was forced to take more walks than I would have wanted.. it was just too hot and those dam hills...<br />
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Towards the last 2 blocks to the building entrance at work, I was just running without a clue.. really, it was exhausted. I got to the entrance and I couldn't be happier that it was over.. Dorothy a good friend and coworker saw me and said.. "Israel!!! are you crazy? it is almost 100 degrees outside, what in the world are you doing running in this heat? How fast is your heart rate rate now?" I said, "honestly, I dunno, but right now I feel like I should just drop and die on the sidewalk" she laugh and gave me other motherly advice, in good faith. She is a sweet lady.<br />
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Over all, the run went ok I guess. I pulled the same distance with a minute less on Saturday, but to my defense.. it was on the treadmill with and AC running. Today's run was outdoors, in 97 freaking degrees and a bunch of little hills that just take it out of you if out of shape.<br />
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My gear is ready for tomorrow afternoon. what? Yes... going out there one more time tomorrow. Legs are holding up, just sore, no knee pain, but I am still a chicken-shit to run outdoors without a brace. This time, I will try to keep my pace a bit slower so that I can run longer and avoid walks like today killing my over all pace.Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-78210379744232871932010-07-06T23:56:00.005-04:002010-07-07T11:41:20.599-04:00My Crazy Commute todayOk, so I was sent to a work order in Brooklyn, NY. I had been debating between letting Joyce take the car or me drive her, drive to Brooklyn and then go all the way back to White Plains to pick her up.<br />
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I made the choice to take public transportation to save me the traffic and gas. I had no idea that it was going to be this hot. The temp at home right before I left was 101. Luckily I din't have to wait long for the bus but the #6 train took a while. <br />
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As I got into the train something hit me.. "Dr. Zizmore" is still alive? That dude was old already the first time I saw his add back in 1995. Anyway, train was crowded so it wasn't till Grand Central that I was able to sit. The sit did not bother me at all, but the fact that I heard that stupid "Protect yourself", as well as the "all pkgs are subject to random search by the police" announcements 27 times.<br />
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It's not only enough to know that some crazy ass dude is out to get us all, but really, do we have to be reminded every second of our day by the city?<br />
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From 14th street all the way to Fulton St station, I was annoyed by a guy who decided to turn the train car into his own gym/monkey bar. The guy had to weight at least 200lbs and was not able to lift himself. He tried with a lot of effort I guess, because he sounded out of breath. Instead of pulling up, he was just hanging and swinging since the train was moving.<br />
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The car was almost full and either the doorman/conductor saw him or some one told him. He came out of the cabin and told him to get off, after a few bad words exchange between the two of them, Fulton St was coming up and I got off.<br />
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Took the A train to Brooklyn and I was forced to make a decision; look at the guy dancing to very loud MJ music, or look at the girl across with her left boob popped out. She fell asleep and was wearing a sort of loose tube top. She crossed her arms and since she was asleep the arms were weighing the top down. An old lady that got in with me and sat down next to me said "hay bendito, esta pobre mujer con la teta de fuera" she was Dominican so it sounded hilarious. She asked me if she should wake her up, I said "I think so, will look better if you do it than me" but deep inside "Dam it" lmao. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UXEV0MtzlGTbhGefZRqCQ2FuVnrc__3_wMKOCODBOtnCeugtL1FBvDa-9C-2nlUJN2w5OQmBJjxQrcsiCykauKXK9SiYjK71rjJosUhPGzJ3PLGeMxpK46gXDVrel_IaucuPQSwlQMrw/s1600/IMG_0101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UXEV0MtzlGTbhGefZRqCQ2FuVnrc__3_wMKOCODBOtnCeugtL1FBvDa-9C-2nlUJN2w5OQmBJjxQrcsiCykauKXK9SiYjK71rjJosUhPGzJ3PLGeMxpK46gXDVrel_IaucuPQSwlQMrw/s320/IMG_0101.jpg" /></a></div>The lady woke up and needless to say she was all embarrassed. I got off and got to the Campus where I was told that the user was not going to be in till noon. So I took advantage of time and began to set up the new PC. The office was hot and not fun at all. <br />
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Upon completing the order, I headed out and stopped at Dunkin Donut to buy a bottle of water. To my surprise, the dam fridge was locked. Now, what is the point to have a fridge like that? If I have to get in line to tell you I need you to open the fridge. Won't it be easier to have the fridge behind the register instead, rather than next to the front door?<br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneSpeedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-91477787740713240672010-06-28T15:24:00.001-04:002010-06-28T19:53:20.572-04:00Pro Sports Challenge With Benefit MallMy family and I have been doing charity races for 2 years now. I have to say that it has been a great way to give back to the community and spend your day in a healthy environment. However, I had never been to an event like the one we attended this past Saturday June 26th, 2010.<br />
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The office where my wife works, Benefit Mall, takes part on a yearly event at the New Canaan HS in Connecticut. It is called Pro Sports Challenge. The event has taken place since 1976 and was founded with the intention to move family members with severe and profound mental retardation closer to their parents' homes in Fairfield County. The Center is a 24 hour direct care residential program operated by the State of Connecticut, Department of Mental Retardation. The Center is comprised of 12 apartments with six people residing in each apartment, an Adult Day Program, and an Administration Building. In short, it is for a great cause. If you want to read more about this organization here is the link <a href="http://www.prosportschallenge.com/lfcoverview.shtml">SportsChallenge</a><br />
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It was like a Gladiator type of deal but milder. The challenges were simple, however it was proved that if you do not keep active even with the simplest of activities as jumping, "you are in big doodoo" when it comes to a competition. The activities were as followed:<br />
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1- Obstacle Course<br />
2- Running Water Balloon Relay<br />
3- Long Jump<br />
4-Tug of War<br />
5- Basketball Shooting<br />
6- Softball Throwing<br />
7- Sack Race<br />
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Each team was form by 4 men and 4 women and the prices of course were Gold, Silver & Bronze medals. There were 5 color divisions: Red, Green, Yellow, Blue & Purple. We were in the Green division. Each division had 4 teams. <br />
Even though every one was competing for the medal, the spirit of sportsmanship was all over. Every one had a great vibe.<br />
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Our first stop, The Long Jump: We all thought that we will be running and jumping for the long jump. Boy, was I for a surprise. The rule was; "You jump from the starting point and the next person in your team jumps from where you landed and so on" The trick here was NEVER fall backwards. or your distance will be where your hands land. Every one was doing fine.. a little jump here a little jump there. I came to play and I though I had jump pretty far for a fat boy..lol but on the lading, I landed on my heels, hurt my knee and tried for the life of me to stay up but tripped backwards and gave 3 steps back. Same thing happened to another team before me and they did not take any points off so we all argued ours and won. :), however, we finished 3rd on that challenge.<br />
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Next, Water Balloon Relay: I said, piece of cake, but after displaying my jumping abilities, I had to wear my knee brace. We all had to run carrying a water balloon without dropping it, if you pop it, you had to start all over again. As you came back to the starting line, you had to pass the balloon to the next member and so on. When it came to my turn, the person that handed me the balloon was carrying it by the little knot so when I grabbed it I didn't have a good grip on it. So I dropped it half way but luckily the balloon kept rolling the same direction I was going so I picked it up fairly easy and didn't cost us much, but we were again in 3rd place.<br />
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Next was the Softball Throw: Needless to say I don't like baseball so throwing the ball and make it go through a hoop is not my game. We all got 5 balls to throw, the distance was a good 15 feet away maybe more. I got 1 out of the 5. The first one was too short, the 2nd went in, the rest kept hitting the inside edge of the tire causing it to bounce back. Again, we got 3rd place on this challenge so we were not doing too bad.<br />
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Next Basketball Shooting: Another sport I was never meant to play, lol. Each team member had 30 seconds to shoot and score as many as one could. LMAO, the first few were too short the next were hitting the ring on the inside but bouncing back.. Only made one basket but one of the girls in the team kicked ass and I lost count after 7 of her baskets. So we got 3rd place AGAIN.<br />
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Next, Sack Race: This is an old time favorite of mine. I have not done a sack race since I was 10 years old, and I am not kidding. So this one was a lot of fun. Too bad the distance was too short. I was one of the last ones in the team to take my turn, but I flew on this one. Again, we were 3rd.. Starting to see a pattern? lol After this last one, we all headed to the Cafeteria for lunch.<br />
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After lunch we headed to the school's gym for a contest and the chance to win $100,000. The participants of this challenge are randomly picked (let's just say ok to that). So only 4 people are picked. Sadly no one was able to make a 3 point shot or the half court shot. After this we all headed back to the field for the last two remaining events.<br />
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Next, The Obstacle Course: You had to zigzagged around 5 cones, go through a set of 6 tires, go under a limbo looking thingy, run and turn at the cone located about 30 feet away and do the limbo thing again, followed by a big Pad that you had to jump on or rolled over it to then zigzagged through some real obstacle race obstacles. .lol (sorry, I don't know what they are called). We all had to do it. Some sadly missed some cones, one knocked off the limbo thingy, and some missed some of the last 5 obstacles. This was the second challenge where I did really good.<br />
I was worried about the tires and falling on my ass, but went well. Our team got 2nd place in the division in this event Time wise, but after the penalties we landed on 4th. We all thought, hey we still have one more "Tug off".<br />
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Yes, next is Tug Off War: Ok, I was by far the shortest male in the team followed by the shortest female in the team (Joyce), and I was told that I was the strongest member of the team... WHAT? don't ask me how they came up with that but oh well. I was chosen to go at the end of the rope. I saw some of the players from the other team and said "ok not bad, may turn out ok" That was before I saw Arnold, freaking California's governor Arnold. When I saw that wall of muscle I was like WTF?? He grabbed the other end of the rope and they blew the whistle. It was over in a few seconds.. As soon as the signal went off, I was literally skiing on the grass.. All I had too do was pull tricks and I was skiing on water..the guy pulled like a freaking bull and we had no chance at all. This and the obstacle race got us disqualified and lost the Bronze medal. :-(..<br />
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Man,, now I have another challenge to look forward to next year.. yes.. more workout more jumping, more basketball and more softball throwing is needed.. lol but I have a year to get it done.. lol<br />
In all, this was by far the coolest event I have ever taken part on.. It would be great to put my own team together and go for the gold but the entry fee is $1500.00 yes, it is for a great cause, but ouch.. lol<br />
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Thank you Benefit Mall for letting me be part of this event. Pictures and video of this event are coming up soonSpeedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-90078472264706400382010-06-16T11:57:00.012-04:002010-06-17T12:41:44.255-04:00First Full Mile Run W/No Pain. 1.13 Mil (11:19 min)<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ok, so two things are happening. </span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1- Since I am not running, I am lacking that boost I used to get to keep active and workout. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2- Gaining weight.. Slowly but surely.. uggh.. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Every run I have done since the marathon has ended in lots or serious pain, forcing me to have more rest days than active days. The fear of causing the injury to get worse is always there so the "Run With Caution"sign is always in my mind. I can't run faster for fear of pain, I cant run longer, for fear of pain, I cant run often for fear of pain.. What a pain in the ass.. really.. </span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I wanted to run again this past Sunday, but fearing it was too soon to do so, I held back. Don't get me wrong, the itch and desire to run is still there. The urge to take on The Long Island Marathon again is 100% there. There is no way I will let this go that easy. Yes I finished the marathon and I got my medal beating the clock by 20 minutes. However, I am not pleased one bit with it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a name='more'></a></span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We got home last night and Joyce gave me the Ok to go out for a run, LOL, no I didn't need permission, but she was cooking dinner and I wanted to make sure I had enough time to go and come back. I got dressed and ready. Now, I have to be honest, I was a bit nervous about this run, I didn't know what to expect and if my knee was going to take it. In an effort to make this a painless run, I wore my knee brace again (it hasn't been helping but I wore it anyway)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Headed out my usual route at a upper 9 pace. I tried to keep it steady, short strides and tried not to think about what could happen. </span></div><div></div><div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I got to my only hill on this 1 mile route which is a nice steep one. I noticed that after clearing it, I wasn't getting that usual tingly sensation on the back of my knee (so much for not thinking too much huh?) I figured I was going to feel it shortly after so I kept close attention to any signs. Got to the half mile marker and nothing. I was not going to stop and check so I kept running. Went down the hill on my way back and nothing, got to .80 on my Nike and still nothing.. Please note that by this distance I had already stopped 3 times on previous runs.</span></div><div></div><div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Got to Edison and Lafayette which is about 3 blocks from the house, and holy Crap, next thing I know I was half a block from the house.. HA.. I managed to run a mile none stop.. How sad but how great it felt. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Sad because after running 13-20 miles to try and run 1 single mile none stop is... well I am sticking with sad.. I know it's due to an injury but still, one cannot help thinking like that. </span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> - Great: because for over a month I have not been able to do this, so to finish 1 mile with no pain, is not only great but it is also a PR.. lol. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With no races for the rest of the year (at least for me) I will be focusing on endurance more than speed. For example. I will stick to the 1 mile run for the next 2 weeks. and if it continues to to be painless, I will add another mile for another 2 weeks and so and so on. The goal is to show the knee who is boss and get it back to shape slowly without killing it.</span></div><div></div><div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This will also help me get use to run long distances without the need of taking walks. It will be a long process but at the end it will be worth it (at least in my head seems that way) Looks like I will be getting my Garmin back pretty soon. :-)</span></div><div></div><div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After the run, I jumped on the chin-up bar and did 50 and 20 crunches. Even though I ran only a mile, my body felt as if I had run 13. It is crazy how fast your body looses that endurance.</span></div>Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-8522635624582561532010-05-25T10:49:00.000-04:002010-05-25T10:49:19.580-04:00Attempt To Run #2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">This is a pretty good run/walk, however, it also made me realize that I did a number on my knee this time. Recovery may take much longer than expected. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">The plan to run was there since Friday, but kept putting it off due to unexpected things at home and at work. I got my gear on and was kinda excited to get back on the road.. specially after the first half mile, but we'll get there in a bit.. lol. The target distance for this run was 1 mile. It was simple run to test the legs, nothing crazy. This time I wore my knee brace to make sure the knee had enough support and my ankle wrap. I noticed my ankle bothering the whole day yesterday so I didn't want to take any chances. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">The weather was simply great for a long run, but good enough for a test drive as well. I have no idea what happened to me, but I miscalculated the distance and lost track of where I was.. instead of turning back at half a mile, I kept running. I kept a constant 9:30-9:40 pace and just felt great, no pain, no discomfort. I did feel out of shape, I noticed I was breathing a bit too hard, but it was expected since I have not been able to run for almost a month now. I was so tempted to step it up a bit, but i kept hearing a little voice that sounded just like Joyce telling, "don't do it, you never listen" LOl so I had to keep it at the pace I was running. It wasn't till I got to .80 when I realized "SHIT, I still have to run back home" lol I figured my legs were feeling great, so may be able to run straight back if I keep it at this pace.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">Little did I know my knee was going to start acting up exactly at 1 mile.. It's like it was on a timer. lol exactly at 1 mile I felt a little discomfort so I slowed down and eventually had to walk. I stopped my run on my Nike and began to time my walk home. I figured. "Well, the target was to run 1 mile and i did" lol so not at all a failure. I kept walking and around .30 or so I tried to run again. I was able to run a few block before feeling the same discomfort again. I walked again from there.. I kept walking till I reached Edison and Lafayette which is about .20 from the house and I started to run. Managed to run all the way to the house from there. Let me be clear.. The discomfort I felt was not pain. I avoided the pain during the run and after the run.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">As I got home I had some time to do some pullups/chinups/ab work. Joyce was almost done with dinner so I had to cut it short. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">55 chinups</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">11 pullups</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">55 suspended crunched (leg ups) whatever you want to call them all i know is that my abs are sore right now. lol </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">Few things to consider for the next run and many more to come 'till 100%.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">1- No more road for me.. I noticed that pavement is not helping my situation so our treadmill will be put to work again. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">2- Always, wear the knee brace, it helped big time. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">3- Stretch before and after the run (noticed it made a difference)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">4- Focus on more weight loss. Have not gain much, but enough for me to feel the difference when running.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">5- Keep focused on the goal to recovery and not rush it. this included reading the body and the signs it gives you.. knowing when to quit is a big one, one I refuse to learn, but have to adapt to it for now.. uggghhh </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">Sadly, I will not be ready for my next 5K which is in June 6th. but I guess I can do the run walk thing :-)</span></span><br />
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</span></span>Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-72750734992934095602010-05-01T02:00:00.002-04:002010-05-01T02:33:53.129-04:00My First Carbo-Load Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvXLalfJE-4vqDwpJWYf34dFoiQpLrAhM2Fe6iowLbq-5AaDTDAJt7ScAq6WLqyzpqbJ8Zi-gRalsCCmrNcNqYrWM5E7qH4_1vZE5Qe4j0VOE0Ve8jiSrE-_D-KIAoisW9HDZdIC_OfDM/s1600/Bib1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvXLalfJE-4vqDwpJWYf34dFoiQpLrAhM2Fe6iowLbq-5AaDTDAJt7ScAq6WLqyzpqbJ8Zi-gRalsCCmrNcNqYrWM5E7qH4_1vZE5Qe4j0VOE0Ve8jiSrE-_D-KIAoisW9HDZdIC_OfDM/s320/Bib1.jpg" /></a></div>We decided to go to the dinner this morning. We didn't have anything planned for tonight, so why not go for a free dinner?. Luckily the dinner was at the same location as the expo, so we decided to go over to the Expo and get out pkgs and then hit the dinner.<br />
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We all got our #s and enjoyed a bit of what the expo had to offer. On our way through the maze of vendors, I turned to the right and notice some one that looked familiar. Even the guy said, hey, I know I know you, but I can't point my finger where.. I never forger a face, and it bugged me that I knew him but could not remember from where. So we walked out from that booth with a free shower timer.. :) lol which reminds me, I forgot to use it tonight. lol<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr26Zud8wDD1q21Usp4Anlbi61onns5GiCNCefg9AkkU8pULhU89R-9dvtjIQbfmGyBnHQI7VrvcUdcKvxrVse1PsSDe59rgkKn3-RxHRJFY8fYcIiVd6tDTgvGB6uCAqlYsM02XRbLKN2/s1600/DSCN0329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr26Zud8wDD1q21Usp4Anlbi61onns5GiCNCefg9AkkU8pULhU89R-9dvtjIQbfmGyBnHQI7VrvcUdcKvxrVse1PsSDe59rgkKn3-RxHRJFY8fYcIiVd6tDTgvGB6uCAqlYsM02XRbLKN2/s320/DSCN0329.JPG" /></a></div>We looked for information about Jocelyns' fun run tomorrow, but they told us that the registration is done the same day of the race. Jocelyn is all exited about the race. She was telling me about how she was going to run really fast, and after she finishes, she would get a medal.. :). Of curse she was looking for her Bib, but got her to understand she will get it tomorrow.<br />
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We moved up to the end of the xpo to get out shirts and found out that the shirts were made with dry-fit material. Really nice shirt if you ask me.. not a cotton like other races. Oh yeah, we got a hat as well. The pkg also included:<br />
1 chap-stick, 1 keychain, 1 bracelet, 1 red pouch with first aid items. All inside a really nice bag (pic below). After getting out shirts we left the expo to make it to the dinner.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYb-PqI8dIz-s35Io1BN4ZK-VEu9qt2PScz6Q0cDKSamh3OewLd-1SB7RZYPHBKGT0b9cE1TZIMe_6wviExCSpqFIJVRURhiNwYfIg-qBKiwL735OZHvaESuGLyIOoW_8lLMRGYddwkfw/s1600/DSCN0335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYb-PqI8dIz-s35Io1BN4ZK-VEu9qt2PScz6Q0cDKSamh3OewLd-1SB7RZYPHBKGT0b9cE1TZIMe_6wviExCSpqFIJVRURhiNwYfIg-qBKiwL735OZHvaESuGLyIOoW_8lLMRGYddwkfw/s320/DSCN0335.JPG" /></a></div>The dinner was held at "The Cradle Of Aviation Museum". According to the notes, this museum hosts the only IMAX theater in Long Island. Jocelyn was all excited to see planes. There were planes on the ceiling among other cool aviation related items. The music was pretty catchy and the environment was great. Jocelyn got to make some new friends while dancing to the music.<br />
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We finished our meals and left for home, and I am still puzzled by the guy I saw at the expo. I still can't remember where I meet him before. WTH? <br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/irizo28/LongIslandMarathonExpoCarboLoadDinner?authkey=Gv1sRgCNu7uer0kP6OKw&feat=directlink">More pictures of tonight's event.</a><br />
Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-3550499124322415952010-04-25T01:35:00.003-04:002010-05-01T02:38:19.050-04:00Field Trip To Road Runners Sports StoreWe needed to get some new shoes so, we decided to go up to Paramus, NJ and visit the Road Runners Sport store. I was itching to try two different shoes, the Mizuno Elixir 5 and the new Puma Velosis 1 or the Vectana 1. Sadly, the store did not carry any of them so I ended up trying out literally all of the shoes in the Stability section of the store (I am not kidding).<br />
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Joyce went in and was able to pic one fairly quick. When it comes to shoes, I am very picky.. Not so picky with clothes as I am with shoes.. I look at color, brand etc. I currently use the Asics 2150 and love them, but I wanted something new and different. I got bored with the color blue on my shoes and wanted something flashy, something you don't see every day. I could not just order something online because I could not try what I saw online. The guy who was helping us clearly love Nikes. That was his first recommendation, so I went along and tried the Lunar Elite+.. they felt good on my foot and for a minute I actually thought of getting them. The color was this cool green/yellow/white.. (hey, I said I wanted something you don't see every day right? lol) Once I started walking, my arch started to feel discomfort, so I sent them back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqg47TTKyKFEaobUReJzbdn2axaNyefkzt3uR2GV-WL421ZRH7_D_PDHmg7NEUtsQ2-jEtct5SGSgBryBrOrfldgql3I7p5Zj1U-2V33PSVOEIQ2JtgvoV86irHitR_WvA0M1IL9wbLvjE/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-04-24+at+11.19.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqg47TTKyKFEaobUReJzbdn2axaNyefkzt3uR2GV-WL421ZRH7_D_PDHmg7NEUtsQ2-jEtct5SGSgBryBrOrfldgql3I7p5Zj1U-2V33PSVOEIQ2JtgvoV86irHitR_WvA0M1IL9wbLvjE/s200/Screen+shot+2010-04-24+at+11.19.14+PM.png" width="200" /></a>Next in line was the Adidas adiStar Salvation. The cost? $140. After trying them, I was willing to pay the price. They look good, felt good why didn't I buy them? they felt too heavy as I started walking. I tried some New Balance, but they didn't have the whole line so the only ones they had were in the $140 and up. Did not like any of them. Next were the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9.. Ahh we got a winner.. The shoes were just great.. great fit, felt great when I walked, but the color just didn't do for me. However, I kept them as top choice. After driving the guy crazy going back and forth with shoe boxes, he decided to bring me the last two I had not tried and went to assist some one else while I made a decision. On of the shoes was the Saucony Progrid Guide 3.. Was like love at first sight once I put them on. At first I was not digging the color blue on them but I could not argue with how my feet felt. Yup, we definitely got a winner this time. :-) How long did this take? 1:30 hrs.<br />
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While we were waiting for the guy to finish helping some one else. Joyce found me a pair of compression shorts for the marathon.. awww.. :-) When he was ready, we went up to the register and as he was ringing the stuff up, I realized that I needed something to hold my gels and chomps while doing the marathon so I asked the guy. He started showing me the Bib holder but was too small of a pouch so again, I was undecided on what to get and started to browse. Finally, I got a waist pouch by Nathan. So the guy finally got to ring the stuff up, only to find out that the shoes were in the wrong box. So he went to the back and got a new one. He asked... "So you want the brand new ones or the ones you already tried?" I asked. those are the same ones right? Yes he said.. just brand new.. I said, "Ok, why not" We paid and left..<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p6uwpLfXkZuwPu79pDrHONGpf_EoHwSIgV5m7NkCzsS9beyxlmoWYASVq4IHlTi6fkjVE-H9bFFRZz9RUcQds6ZGy4F5wlLvyK8YUe5FPtL25XR3_3rwmBJnOwqdno0PVyVJfrSoeL1n/s1600/IMG_1285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p6uwpLfXkZuwPu79pDrHONGpf_EoHwSIgV5m7NkCzsS9beyxlmoWYASVq4IHlTi6fkjVE-H9bFFRZz9RUcQds6ZGy4F5wlLvyK8YUe5FPtL25XR3_3rwmBJnOwqdno0PVyVJfrSoeL1n/s320/IMG_1285.jpg" /></a></div>We decided to go to Hulligan's for lunch at <a href="http://www.houlihans.com/home.aspx">Houlihan's</a>. Food was simply great. The whole time was so positive.. to me it was like a date with Joyce, but with Jocelyn in it. After finishing lunch, we headed home. Needless to say, Route 4 was packed.. the GW Bridge was backed up for about 2 miles, I95 North was a parking lot, I had to get off on University Ave to get around 95 via local street. Took us almost 2 hrs to get home. We drove by some crazy neighborhoods.. some that put a chill up your spine, lol. We passed a Men's clothing store with the following sign "Buy 1 suit Get 2 Free" I said What? I asked Joyce if I was reading it right, but the one that took the cake was a girl waling on E Tremont Ave. She was wearing shorts, thin white short, oh yeah.. nothing under, not even a thong. A guy was walking behind her drooling over it.. Joyce and I were cracking up at the guy.<br />
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After a long drive home and the site of a girl displaying the Amazon (if u get my drift) we finally got home. I took out the stuff out of the bag and started to get ready to setup my shoes for tomorrow when disaster stroke. WTF? this are the wrong shoes... they are not wide.. Remember the box switch? yup that did it, I didn't notice the width change. SOB... I called the store and explained.. I had only three choices.. 1) Drive back and exchange them now. 2) Wait 'till next week to go back and exchange because they are close Sundays. 3) Mail them back and wait for exchange.. What did I do? well, I wanted my shoes, so I drove back to NJ.. lol... got home an hour later with my shoes.. :-) . I am ready for tomorrow.. Woohoo..Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-55875396547754057812010-04-18T19:52:00.005-04:002010-04-20T00:30:29.498-04:002010 JFK 5k "3.10 mil) Run (29:57 min)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_cBBa5bdw0w889toj1qWvixELgeYPkU7fQ1Ba3HyB3s1GsfNxuHRwPpRtNGjQ-mJzzPX8V9EI1sLYxKMfexAfxU2VpjlC-_ScMF2Xl73AV2iPwUrp7aYLZTa4M1-6-xZPtfwTqo71RER/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-04-18+at+6.21.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_cBBa5bdw0w889toj1qWvixELgeYPkU7fQ1Ba3HyB3s1GsfNxuHRwPpRtNGjQ-mJzzPX8V9EI1sLYxKMfexAfxU2VpjlC-_ScMF2Xl73AV2iPwUrp7aYLZTa4M1-6-xZPtfwTqo71RER/s320/Screen+shot+2010-04-18+at+6.21.06+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Lets begin by saying; "Today was tough and disappointing" How? Well, the run is NOT called JFK 5k Run. It is called JFK Runway Run. Why? because it is held at a JFK Airport Runway. For a few days before the race, their website has been displaying "Due to airport security, changes to the route have been made. Details at registration on race day" I called the # when I saw this and asked what type of changes were made or if the date had been changed. They refused to give any information over the phone. All they said was "All information will be giving to all participants on race day"All they could tell me was that the date was still the same.<br />
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When we got to JFK, we saw that the finish line was right at the entrance of building 14. Joyce asked me if I knew anything about it, I said nope.. lol. As we were waiting for the the race to start, we over heard a lady ask the official with the speaker... "Why is the finish line here?" the guy said "Oh, the FAA closed the runway 20 min ago so we had to reroute the route. Bullshit.. they knew days ahead and for fear of people not showing up and demanding a refund they didn't say anything till the very last minute. They knew if people would have asked for a refund, they were in the right to do so since they were not delivering what they had promised. The lady who asked said "Oh no,, I came from NJ to register today thinking I was going to run on the runway" the guy said.. "Oh, I know, but you will have a flat course just like the runway".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgrnLKSRkd9YU2N1z-od_VDH1-1oj3V89-GgI79KUn_223stVgbrkwuk3-F-uhxXkji0tM5Yknhp8oATChiAQiLQQ2Alk3V3GrsOePkPw7m_Nm0uAAHG4h5zI7XVoa2mC7RT2TRPCkgQ_/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-04-18+at+7.48.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgrnLKSRkd9YU2N1z-od_VDH1-1oj3V89-GgI79KUn_223stVgbrkwuk3-F-uhxXkji0tM5Yknhp8oATChiAQiLQQ2Alk3V3GrsOePkPw7m_Nm0uAAHG4h5zI7XVoa2mC7RT2TRPCkgQ_/s320/Screen+shot+2010-04-18+at+7.48.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The new route took all runners through the local road at JFK giving only view to the cargo buildings, cars passing by on the Van Wyck Expressway and airport personnel on their coffee break. I get a better scenery by my house than that. The entire run went by and I did not see a single airplane. I don't understand why if they knew the runway was closed days ahead, they didn't simply postponed the race. People would have been more understanding about this than make a unethical change like this to keep their $$$.<br />
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The route was so tight that for the first half of the first mile, you could not move anywhere. People were trying to make way by running through grass, sidewalk and going the against incoming traffic. Oh yeah, they did not close the entire street. Only one lane out of the two way two lane road. Like I said, it was so tight and with over 1000 runners, it took a while before you got some breathing room. The other thing that didn't seem right was that all runners, and walkers were mixed in, so you had to work your way around the walkers as well.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzOAOjldXL8ZW3Mu3buwD-gayz-GEl67-4HvB4OlFZals2wcu5L5ZhDbSp_keA2k8gJ8ZIOcs0uofQsmF4gcXArL6MwCSXh2jRB4LPxx_YoQnaNzEHe9R6ScLCfF_h5TsTyGHEmwcnKmV/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-04-18+at+6.21.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzOAOjldXL8ZW3Mu3buwD-gayz-GEl67-4HvB4OlFZals2wcu5L5ZhDbSp_keA2k8gJ8ZIOcs0uofQsmF4gcXArL6MwCSXh2jRB4LPxx_YoQnaNzEHe9R6ScLCfF_h5TsTyGHEmwcnKmV/s400/Screen+shot+2010-04-18+at+6.21.30+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I was keeping it slow but on the upper 8s to lower 9 to make sure I didn't kill the ankle. My ankle started to give me some trouble on the small hill before mile 1, but I thought, maybe once it warms up. Mile 1 came and my right calf began to get tight in addition to the ankle, and I had to stop cold. My calf got loosen and the ankle felt a bit better so I resumed running. Upon getting to mile 2 I began to feel the same thing but a bit harder.. to the point of feeling a cramp coming on my right calf.. I had to stop again and stretch it and kinda massage it. I resume running and 2 min late my left foot and began to feel numb.. The ankle brace I was wearing apparently began to feel too tight and was cutting blood flow to my foot, and without realizing I was putting more pressure on my right leg causing the cramp like feeling.. I loosen the strap and felt instant relief.. My left foot felt better but not my right calf. I was able to pick up my pace within the last mile, but too late to get a personal PR. I did manage to come in under 30 min on my Garmin. However the official clock marked 30 something.. Weird.. i started my Garmin as soon as I heard the gun go off and It took me a good minute to cross the starting line. Oh well.<br />
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Oh.. did I mention that I was giving the wrong Bib #? LOL I received Bib #226. While still at the race site, I checked the results and could not find myself. So I figured, it will be posted later tonight. The results were posted by the time I got home. When I checked my bib #, the name under that bib was some one else's. Joyce's # was 233 and my dad was 234, so I tried searching in that range. I found out my bib was supposed to be 232 and showed as if I did not run. Yes "THE CHERRY ON TOP" lol So I called and got a hold of Rudy about it who said to email him all the info and he will have it fixed. This is the same thing that Joyce was told last year and never heard back from them since the email was sent and was never corrected. Lets see if Rudy will keep his word.<br />
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Not completely disappointed with my time. I was originally shooting for a slow run, but even with my stops and problems, I managed to come in under 30 min, and still get a new PR on this race. so Woohoo.. LOL.Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-66469092078485692972010-04-05T17:25:00.001-04:002010-04-05T17:58:00.771-04:00Bike Ride With Jocelyn 1.07 miles (Not Kidding)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5elCPbaSicKJ3FK0pnYFUM0oJQnGh7RC2wr0_vb9f29u_RmtokwlVDGGSfGqtG7FNjXcVa3K05G4OvkztCHBq_ysU3vVjBDr7RRaqbIY9FKg4NqE3TpEkMVcWn-5nnJmeHSdclVH-BIY/s1600/IMG_1230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5elCPbaSicKJ3FK0pnYFUM0oJQnGh7RC2wr0_vb9f29u_RmtokwlVDGGSfGqtG7FNjXcVa3K05G4OvkztCHBq_ysU3vVjBDr7RRaqbIY9FKg4NqE3TpEkMVcWn-5nnJmeHSdclVH-BIY/s200/IMG_1230.jpg" width="150" /></a>Grandma and Grandpa got Jocelyn a bike yesterday afternoon, obviously, she was all excited. Since daycare is closed today, I was the appointed person to stay home with her... Jocelyn and I made a deal early in the morning.. "If She behave, ate her food and took a shower, I would take her out to ride the bike" She said OTAY (Okay).<br />
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We were all ready to go around 11AM when she said to me "Daddy, I am hungry" So, I went ahead and prepared Mac&Cheese and some chicken strips. After we finished, she grabbed her helmet and told me that she was ready.<br />
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Joyce took the car to work today and the ride to the park is roughly 2 miles, so we rode along the sidewalk instead.. I was thinking that Jocelyn will at least get tired by the 3 block.. lol she surprised me by riding a whole mile, actually a bit over a mile. By the time we got within a block from the house, she told me that she was tired and that it was hard. She also mentioned that she wanted ice scream. I could not say no after that ride.. The first thing she did as we got in the house was "ask for ice scream". We had a cone each and right after she crashed on the sofa.. she was exhausted. <br />
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I forgot to take my Garmin with me today or at least my nike+ uggghh.. so no miles to load but its ok. I mapped the route to see how far we went and it made my day to see that a 3 year old would push that hard. Who knows what her reasons were to get that done, but she did it. Although, I think one of them was me telling her "If you get off and walk, I will leave the bike right here, because I will not carry it home" Her face looked worried when I said that.. lol but if this did it.. mission accomplished.. LOL <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbjZSDtldv6-lSj_NhHbJfl4n9CkVRCO-xTYFrcsQ0iLmzaw4bI36u89vYthAOdgWOV-UYmYvpqZ-DEdkVCmiKxDDpyl_SdD4rRwnNKzqmUwtKD746V87bLDtLbzH1fH0ER8V1DQbqwN9/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-04-05+at+2.45.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbjZSDtldv6-lSj_NhHbJfl4n9CkVRCO-xTYFrcsQ0iLmzaw4bI36u89vYthAOdgWOV-UYmYvpqZ-DEdkVCmiKxDDpyl_SdD4rRwnNKzqmUwtKD746V87bLDtLbzH1fH0ER8V1DQbqwN9/s320/Screen+shot+2010-04-05+at+2.45.10+PM.png" width="289" /></a></div>Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-9363168946861123702010-03-21T18:01:00.006-04:002010-05-03T17:17:26.209-04:00LIRRC 8 Mile Relay Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeumYIvYe2ouOaUeAs6fHoF4y7JYpx9Kxi8BQ4xsTvHudV_LoyN-ROXoAUIb9sd3AldufugeFujvLz2wu7EMuSAWKehzo37T_LLxhEbcVizb1SdhzhXqnwERminDNRyXOCb88IMTmZFmV9/s1600-h/IMG_1113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeumYIvYe2ouOaUeAs6fHoF4y7JYpx9Kxi8BQ4xsTvHudV_LoyN-ROXoAUIb9sd3AldufugeFujvLz2wu7EMuSAWKehzo37T_LLxhEbcVizb1SdhzhXqnwERminDNRyXOCb88IMTmZFmV9/s200/IMG_1113.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
I have to say that I was not expecting this to be good race for me. Turns out it was an amazing race. We got there with plenty of time to register. I had originally understood that 4X2 meant "4 miles by 2 people" LOL well I learned today that it means "4 people, 2 miles each" oh well.. So good thing we had 4 people. The lineup: 1st leg= Joyce, 2nd leg= Dave R.(my coworker), 3rd leg= Me, and my dad had the last one.<br />
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I was a bit nervous due to my ankle. It had been bothering me over night and was bothering me the whole time we were waiting for the race to start, but I knew that once it had warmed up, it would feel ok. Joyce took off and the pressure was on for every one. The first runner came in at 12+ minutes.. Obviously, we all felt intimidated by this, but in the heat of the race, we were all cheering and just having a good time. <br />
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Joyce came in and David took off. 17 minutes later he came and I was shacking in my boots. I was afraid that my ankle was going to be a big factor on my time.. On my first steps I felt my ankle tight, and hurt for a few seconds.. I took off a bit too fast, but I think it helped put my ankle in place. I felt a quick pull on my shin and a big relieve right after.. <br />
<a name='more'></a>I kept going at an upper 7 pace and felt no pain, so it was a no brainer; I kept going at that pace. I figured I was going to last only a mile at that pace, but once I got the 1 mile marker, I still felt good, not tired and no pain. I saw that I was catching up to 3 runners, so I kept pushing and made it my goal to pass at least one of them. Ended up passing them and gaining about a good minute or so of distance.<br />
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When I saw the last 1/2 mile marker, I knew I was almost home, so no way I was going to slow down. at the last quarter mile or so, I saw this old lady that took off a good 4-5 minutes before me. I began to push at the last turn to see if I could catch up to her and still the overall place on the 3 leg, but she was too far, so I was only able to beat her by a 2 seconds window. My dad took off and 15:06 minutes later he came in, giving us a group time of 1:06:35. The team's overall place was 11th. The team's open category place was 4th, and thanks to my dad's age, we got 1st place in the Senior group division.. LOL. This was funny.. we saw that they were marking the places on the board as the last leg runners were coming in, and saw a 1 on our team under my dad's name. So, obviously, we thought that he had gotten 1st place in his age group. Turns out the whole team was given medals under the Senior division.. lol Dave was cracking up and excited that he was getting one being his very first race ever.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZOM49hnfHuwDLtIl5SUZu6gy2ls_9xdLu5Pn4AsB4MC2h9qdxxRedNnTXkYhiLPzcgLbRxrZI-hZUrc8unnEOkXqGdacU4q9iHo2uKbZ96Fj9yc_U4Q274bbycgJO1-yg5uzP4d37gKB/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-03-21+at+1.42.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZOM49hnfHuwDLtIl5SUZu6gy2ls_9xdLu5Pn4AsB4MC2h9qdxxRedNnTXkYhiLPzcgLbRxrZI-hZUrc8unnEOkXqGdacU4q9iHo2uKbZ96Fj9yc_U4Q274bbycgJO1-yg5uzP4d37gKB/s320/Screen+shot+2010-03-21+at+1.42.57+PM.png" /></a><br />
After the race my ankle began to cool off and therefore, it began to hurt again. Left the race site limping but proud. Now in the comfort of my house, I can cry like a bitch about how much the ankle is bothering me, but feel better once I look at the medal. :-), and at the fact that for the first time, I pulled the same pace as my dad did.. Well sort of.. just a few seconds off. If my ankle would have been ok, I think I would have beaten my dad today.. Oh well. Next time.<br />
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Great day, with great people and amazing results.. what can possibly make this day go blah?? oh yeah.. the though of "tomorrow is Monday" lol .....Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-62923617804400201382010-03-15T14:53:00.005-04:002013-05-14T12:59:03.657-04:00Home again?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ok, so the day didn't go as planned. This morning, on my way to drop Joyce off at her new job, I got a message from the main office saying; "the college is closed due to power loss" So, I got yet another day off. LOl cool huh? Gave me time to run some errands before going back and pick up Jocelyn. I wanted to run, but I waited at the bank for too long and I didn't have breakfast. Got home around 10 with enough time to eat something. Left the house 11:30 and got Jocelyn by 12 noon. On our way back, I asked Jocelyn: " what would you like to eat for lunch?" she said Pizzas, I guessed she meant Pizza. lol We went o the pizzeria which is located a the corner by our house. The plan was simple.. pick up and go home to eat.. little did I know, Jocelyn was going to make a friend.. A 4 year old girl was so interested in Jocelyn since we walked in. While we were waiting for the slices, the little girl came to the table we were sitting and stated to talk to Jocelyn.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jocelyn looked excited and opened up to the little girl. I got up to go pay the guy and as I did, the little girl made her mom move her plate to where Jocelyn was sitting. Our slices were in a box since they were to go, but I felt bad to just take off, and since Jocelyn was having a nice conversation with the little girl I had to ask the guy to get me two plates and cut Jocelyn's slice in pieces. They talked as if they had known each other for a long time. The mom and I were laughing at the topics.. the little girl said, "oh, I love (not like, but love) your pink shirt" Jocelyn replied; "I like your shoes" Jocelyn brought up the weather and the rain, the little girl talked about her father's car not working so they had to use grandma's car. I have no idea what Jocelyn said, but</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">she mentioned "my car".. I have never seen Jocelyn on a conversation with another kid.. its amazing how much they understand and how well they can elaborate a conversation. They were both showing off how well they knew how to count, by counting the fans on the ceiling, the tables and chairs, even how many pieces of pizza they had left on their plates. On the picture below, they were both trying to spell the sign on the window (they both got it right too.) lol </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The last topic of the day was about their babies.. the little girl had a TY Cat named "kitty" lol figures..lol so Jocelyn mentioned that she had 3 babies: "a monkey, a tiger, and a sea-ion (sea lion) lol, Oh and that she also had 3 ballies; a pink one, a blue one and a white one... she did not forget about her birds either.. lol she told the little girl that she has 2 birdies at home; "a blue and and a yellow one" The little girls mom was amazed by Jocelyn's character and how well she behave and how nice she talked and played.. she asked me for my #, I said; "lady, are you crazy? you are married and so am I" LOL just kidding. I bet some of you went "OMG" LOL .. The conversation came to and end when Jocelyn said "Daddy, I wanna make Peepee" lol Freaking pizzeria does not have a bathroom, so Jocelyn said she could hold it. The house is literally 2 doors away, lol so we said bye and ran home.. lol </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Jocelyn is a sleep now, but she is sleeping on the sofa, which means; "I can't run 'till she wakes up" and from the looks of it.. by then, we'll be getting ready to go get Joyce at work. So hopefully, I'll run tonight, if not, I will at least do some core... It has been a very interesting day for me so far.. hope it continues and stays that way. </span></span>Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-50421576823801183432010-03-05T16:05:00.002-05:002012-09-28T12:28:41.282-04:00For the love of the sport? or for the $$$?...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">WARNING</b><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">: If you are a NYRR fanatic, you may get pissed by reading this. LOL Oh well.. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">As you all know, I like controversial topics. Why? they are fun, and they are a great way to also learn about a topic, and YES it is a lot of fun to see people's reactions and comments. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">A while back, I was talking to two co-workers who also run, we were talking about upcoming races. One said; "I am dying to run the NYC Marathon and will pay any amount to run it". The other said; "hey, give me a map and I'll run the course for free, any day of the week" I share his idea too.. Sure you will not be able to run over the Verrazano bridge, but is it worth $200 to cross it on foot?, when you can do it in your car for $11 and even cheaper if you have EZ-Pass. Is it the attention you'll get while running it, that drives you to pay that much?. This is easily solved.. <i>"Try running over the Verrazano bridge and see how much attention you'll get"</i>.. with in 2 minutes or less you will be surrounded by men and women, but what you think are fireworks, are gunshots to the air followed by "Drop to the floor and don't move" lol The headlines will say <b><i>"I had the wrong date for the Marathon"</i></b>, and a picture of you with surprised face. How is that for attention? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, we all like to be rewarded or get something back for our $$. After all, almost all of us work hard for it. I was crushed on my very first Half Marathon. I read that all finishers would receive a shirt, finisher's medal and other goodies. When I crossed the line I was looking for the person holding the medals. I was so excited about getting one that I probably looked like I had just being dumped when I found out that there were no medals that day.. I had a printout of the page showing that, but when I got back home that day I checked the website again and the medal part had been removed. Oh well, I got one the next half I did in CA. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">My favorite club right now is the <a href="http://www.lirrc.org/" target="_blank">Long Island Road Runners Club</a>. It is not as big as the New York Road Runners, but it's nice. Why do I like them? They are all about the runners and promoting the sport. They are not out there trying to get rich at the expense of other runners. To compare:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">1-The NYRR membership: $40/yr. Long Island's? $20 for individuals and $25 for a family of 4. (as of Sept 2012) </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">2-The cost for each race: NYRR $30-$200+ (not kidding). LIRRC $10 and $5 for members period. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">No, I am not promoting LIRRC, simply comparing the clubs. It seems like Hosting races has become a big business. Has me thinking of doing that myself so I can finally drive a Mercedes. I still don't understand why some organizations charge so much, and claim that their goal is to promote the sport and a healthy life. I understand that getting the medals cost money, making the shirt cost money, getting the bibs and chips cost money, but how much does all of that really cost? where does all of that money go to.. They can't say, they have to pay all the people that worked at the event... would be funny, because 80% of the people working at the events are volunteers, and some if not all (in some cases) the goodies are donated by companies promoting their products. It seems that our fees are paying for the CEO's trip to the Caribbean, their head quarter's mortgage, the prize money for the winners.. sorry, but I hardly doubt the guys at NYRR will pull that $$ out of their pockets out of kindness. anyway..</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">The other day, they had a 1 mile race in the city, who? NYRR who else.. lol.. 1 mile, the fee? over $30, you can do a half marathon for that price. What amazes me, is the fact that those organizations get away with those charges, because they know people will pay the money even though they know its outrageous, and if you are doing a marathon, to simply say "Hey, I ran NYC, BOSTON, etc etc". What happened to the love for the sport? I can see it from the runners who some times go to the extreme to do a race, but not from the organization(s). I understand that a lot of work and time goes into organizing an event, but come on.. In the case of a marathon, they should charge at least $50 to the none Elite runners, which entitles them to a shirt, chip and medal, and charge whatever they want to the Elites since there is money involved for winning the marathon (depending on the marathon). The marathon I am doing in May is in Long Island, NY. The fee is $50 and I am getting a medal and a shirt.. same thing I would be getting at NYC, just $150 less. After all, that is all you really need.. something to remind you of that experience. Goodness, even to get a picture of you at the race will cost you an arm and a leg, unless you don't mind having the watermark on your picture. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">I was talking to two co-workers who also run, about upcoming races. One said that he is dying to run the NYC Marathon and will pay any amount to run it. The other said. "hey, give me a map and I'll run the course for free, any day of the week" I share his idea too.. Sure you will not be able to run over the Verrazano bridge, but is it worth $200 to cross it on foot?, when you can do it in your car for $11 and even cheaper if you have EZ-Pass. lol, is it the attention you'll get while running it? easily solved.. you try running over the Verrazano bridge and see how much attention you'll get.. with in 2 minutes or less you will be surrounded by man and woman, but what you think are fireworks, are gunshots to the air followed by "Drop to the floor and don't move" lol The headlines will say "I had the wrong date for the Marathon, and a picture of you with surprised face".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">In my opinion, I think it is crazy to pay that much for a run/race. With this said, I do have great respect for those who do it and achieve the goal of crossing the finish line, specially on the marathons. A marathon is not something some one can just get up in the morning and say "hmmm I feel like running a marathon today" and go on about it.. But I am sure some random runners actually do that.. I would love to meet one of them one day, and get his/her inside on that. I would not buy the book they wrote to find out time he got up or how many times they snooze the alarm clock before they go out for a run. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Do I think some organizations take full advantage of runners who love the sport? Oh Yeah, many, not all do. Should we boycott the NYC, Boston, Chicago, etc etc Marathons? HAHA! could be fun to see what would happen if people actually do something like this. But can that be done? Possibly.. Will you see me marching at one of them with a sign? probably not. But I do believe that there should be a regulation on the costs for this events, after all, don't they all claim that they are all about the sport, and not the money?... </span></span><br />
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Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-26390935152480933422010-03-01T12:18:00.003-05:002010-03-01T13:51:41.227-05:00The long awaited results for Team #17..In the past few days, there was great commotion about something I posted. Anyway.. not going to base everything on it. I have been waiting to see the results from our Relay Race at Prospect Park on Feb 21st. For some reason it is not listed on their "Race Results" page, but found it via a follower.. I still dunno who it is but glad to have you as a follower. I have learned my lesson in not mentioning names so I wont say it was chickenunderpants. ooops I said too much. HAHA j/k..<br />
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Anyway, I am happy to report that our time was not 1:26, but 1:25:35.. woohoo.. Not bad at all. So to confirm, I did pass #90.. :-) here is a link to the actual <a href="http://pptc.org/pptcRaceResults/2010_Cherry_Tree_Relay_Overall_Results.txt">results page....</a> I don't want any one saying later on that I am making it up.. ;-)<br />
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Yes, the other team was fast, the runner I passed was fast, so I take my hat and pay my respects to team #90. The reason I make such a fuzz about this, is because it was a challenge for me as a runner to have done this. When I race, I usually spot one or two runners that start out faster than me and use them as pointers and my goal to beat them. Is it wrong to do this? Nah... why? you use whatever drives you to do your race and beat a time (it is called a race after all). You are there to be clean competitive. You do not start feeling bad about slower runners and let pass you just to be nice, right? So far the only one that I have never been able to beat is my own dad.. lol he may be old, but freaking fast, very efficient with his time too. When I grow up I want to be just like him. LOL<br />
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Something funny I found out too is, the name of out team was literally "The Three Stooges".. When we were brainstorming about a name, I was being myself and in a joking way said "The Three Stooges".. Little did I know, that's what was used when the team was registered.. LOL Cool.. it would have been hilarious, if there was some one calling out the name of the teams as they crossed the line.. LOL hey, its a fun race.. gotta have fun right?<br />
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Again, this race was a great race. Lots of fun, a lot of things learned.. for one, "slow down on that big ass hill" I am still feeling the effects from it..Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-21619122828589222072010-03-01T02:15:00.005-05:002010-03-01T14:26:13.692-05:00Using iFit Live<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0yBsLJRaPoBhTMuZJtPrSHIEaUDXU6Q_bhqUJOwBa3TJx-lT5WRbWdYiCgaFu3bwvSBDnZAnGPr2Vjpf_VoIQ5GpACjjlfYtkCK_-yy5ly33bXi9sH75hXpro_ur_nJF9j7E76WHwPSx/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-02-27+at+12.17.58+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0yBsLJRaPoBhTMuZJtPrSHIEaUDXU6Q_bhqUJOwBa3TJx-lT5WRbWdYiCgaFu3bwvSBDnZAnGPr2Vjpf_VoIQ5GpACjjlfYtkCK_-yy5ly33bXi9sH75hXpro_ur_nJF9j7E76WHwPSx/s320/Screen+shot+2010-02-27+at+12.17.58+AM.png" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Let me begin by saying that iFit is a great tool. It definitely made a believer out of me, and it only took one workout to convince me.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For those who've heard a bit about iFit or if this is your first time hearing about iFit; here are some highlights about this feature. You can read more about this features </span></span><a href="http://www.ifit.com/iFitLive/contentAboutiFit.do"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here...</span></span></a><br />
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1- Run The Globe: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">iFit Live, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">powered by Google Maps</span>, is the first ever technology that combines large-format fitness equipment and Google Maps technology. With this new technology, you can get on your treadmill, elliptical or strider at home and run or hike through national parks, world-famous cities and scenic outdoor locations on special iFit trails found at iFit.com.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, sans-serif;">2- This Will Keep You Running: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">If running the globe isn't part of your program, perhaps working out with Jillian Michaels, TV's Toughest Trainer, is! On iFit.com you'll find all you can handle with Jillian's Fat Shredding workouts. And best of all, you'll actually hear Jillian coach you through each step. Talk about motivation!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, sans-serif;">3- Track It So You Can Attack It: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">With your own profile on iFit.com, you can track every workout and watch virtually every calorie. And when you compare that against your fitness goals, iFit will automatically adjust your workouts to keep you on track.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, sans-serif;">4- WOW It's Wireless: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Now with our newest iFit technology, you can manage your entire fitness profile wirelessly. The iFit module makes communication between your fitness equipment and your iFit.com profile automatic. As you work out, your progress is uploaded almost instantly. Plus, each of your new workouts can be downloaded directly to your fitness equipment.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">iFit works as advertised. Once the workout is downloaded to your machine, it is all smooth sailing "sort of speak", but lets take a look at some highlights that are not mentioned at all or until you get ready to use the module. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Lets start with Setting up an account with iFit. If you like getting free stuff, you will like this a lot. When you buy the module from NordicTrack, you have two options; a) Buy the module with a 1 month subscription and you will pay 9.95/month thereafter. b) Buy the module with 1 year subscription for $139.94 total. We got lucky and took advantage of a promo they had and ended up with a free 1 year membership (no longer available). No this is not the free part... </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Once you get your module, and sign up for iFit you will be told that the site is running on beta. What does this mean? You will not be charged or the membership you bought will not start counting until "BETA" is removed from their site. Until then, you can use all the features iFit offers for free. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Next, getting the module to work with your Home Wireless Network. The module works with WPA/WPA2/WEP security settings. If your network is hidden (not broadcasting) it will not work. If you have a MAC address restriction list for your wireless network, you may have a hard time finding the module's MAC address. It is not listed anywhere in the documentation included with the module, so you may be forced to remove this setting on your router in order to get your iFit to work. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE67hJRgXI467Ib2A6JGR0AS8XIKIG-PED2pq3wTaOODaxwUak2QkAXrhZSOgrVX011nkg9Ql289l1VRpiZJsFcbb9r_BRjgXrONo1XjLKcAzwIr7px18ac5pnmkLGks3OBDB-4d1uzrkA/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-02-27+at+12.17.31+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE67hJRgXI467Ib2A6JGR0AS8XIKIG-PED2pq3wTaOODaxwUak2QkAXrhZSOgrVX011nkg9Ql289l1VRpiZJsFcbb9r_BRjgXrONo1XjLKcAzwIr7px18ac5pnmkLGks3OBDB-4d1uzrkA/s320/Screen+shot+2010-02-27+at+12.17.31+AM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Next is using the iFit web site. Once you create your account, and have followed all the steps to upgrade the firmware on your machine. You'll get to add workouts and send them over to your equipment. Note that you will not be able to send or save any custom workouts until you have upgraded and synced your equipment. The site is very simple and straight forward.. It is very easy to enter information and update your daily workout/eating data. However the site and logs are a bit too simple for my taste. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzRitc_YYUSSAaU6TV6nLfYCrFjfz-3kV38X2Jnif6_ggoYlF2iLCWZd_OQWQzt5P2s7b7hSULusDz8nN5SwFxPZ6zmaicvpc3_mNSMXAOvkwfI0O7QEZlcnWX5iIGxWJCfv9-VLz8aCd/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-03-01+at+9.43.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzRitc_YYUSSAaU6TV6nLfYCrFjfz-3kV38X2Jnif6_ggoYlF2iLCWZd_OQWQzt5P2s7b7hSULusDz8nN5SwFxPZ6zmaicvpc3_mNSMXAOvkwfI0O7QEZlcnWX5iIGxWJCfv9-VLz8aCd/s320/Screen+shot+2010-03-01+at+9.43.42+AM.png" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you happen to have more people in your household that will use the machine, you can set up user accounts (it wont cost you extra) I am not sure how many user accounts you are able to create under one account. So far I only have mine and my wife's. My guess is at least 4. Each user has their own profile and can set their own goals, join their own events and map their own routes. The machine will prompt you to select a user each time you are going to use it. I found this little feature very convenient. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Routes and mapping. You will find a lot of different workouts to use. The beauty of using iFit, is that you can map your own route. Yes, you can map a trail or regular street route and run it on your treadmill. The treadmill will simulate the incline on your route. Like everything that sounds too good to be truth, this is one of them. The idea of mapping a route is great, but the catch is; "you can only map a route 10 miles or less" So if you have a 13 mile run or more that you want to do, you will have to split it in two or three depending on how many miles you intend to run. Not been able to map more than 10 miles is not the only thing you will find odd. If you are mapping a round trip run, you will have to trace the entire route manually. There is no round trip button, so it will take you a while to get your run mapped. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Upon completing your workout, your route will be removed from the list of workouts and the next one on the list will take priority. If you plan to run a route more than once, I suggest adding it to your favorites for easy access. If you join an event, this will take priority over any routes 'till completed or removed. The list of workouts is similar to a Netflix Queue. As soon as you are done with one run, the next one moves up and will load upon you pressing the Enter Key on your machine. You can alter the order of your workouts at will.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICsGQ25btrmKl_qx31coxwAP3Rm4PevdWpJw_qEwcB5bFPjPkigVfdXkVcQcEdL1o7QEkA0qaeLIvKMNXa6NupeGatRIK1TwGnMjl-H5wNHmXdxD5uoWXesCh-QClkfwRpLCZsAHvek6f/s1600-h/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICsGQ25btrmKl_qx31coxwAP3Rm4PevdWpJw_qEwcB5bFPjPkigVfdXkVcQcEdL1o7QEkA0qaeLIvKMNXa6NupeGatRIK1TwGnMjl-H5wNHmXdxD5uoWXesCh-QClkfwRpLCZsAHvek6f/s200/IMG_1004.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The first time you use iFit live to do a workout, you will greeted by this screen. It will of curse have your name. Simply select "Load Workouts" and it will do exactly that. The work out will not begin until you press START. The data will sync almost instantly to the iFit website even as you run, so rest assure that your workout will upload without you needing to do anything else. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You can change the speed and incline during the workout if you find yourself in the need to do so. I found myself in the need to lower the speed at some points.. it all depends on the user. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As I said before, this feature works very well and will definitely make your workout equipment more enjoyable. Is it worth the expense? I think so. One thing you need to keep in mind. It is not the same as running on the street. When running outdoors, you get to speed up or slow down at any given point at your convenience. Hills play a big roll on how fast or how much you will slow down on your run. On the treadmill you are running at a constant speed and if you are not careful you could injure yourself. Trust me, I hurt my knees tackling several hills without changing the speed. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You will definitely get to love it, and will find it very useful. I give the iFit an 8 out 10. They will get my 10 until they fix the round trip issues and the limit to 10 miles per route.</span></span>Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-3396082787454650012010-02-22T15:06:00.001-05:002010-02-22T15:07:20.278-05:00#90First things first...this is so cool, you guys found this blog, don't mean to sound like an A#%$@ (too late I guess) but it is cool to know others are reading your blog..<br />
Second- I believe you guys were ahead unless you still had one more runner to go.. so YAY. you were killing us. I simply got lucky to come in at the time I did. ..<br />
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Now, I believe every one has the right to post what happened or what one saw or heard at an event.. They are called reports.. or whatever you want to call them. We can both sit in front of out PC/Macs and type back and forth about who said or did not say. I do see your point on me trash talking..<br />
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#1- The word trash talking is deff not a good choice of word in that sentence. I do have to correct the part where I said that you guys were trash talking. The sentence is not meant to say that you guys were trash talking the entire time I was waiting for my dad. That indeed was a bad choice of word... as a matter of fact the entire sentence "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The girl was trash talking other runners"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">is incorrect, and for that I do apologize. My wife did mention last night, that the sentence was difficult to understand and could be misunderstood. (She is deff going to love this one.) </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><a name='more'></a></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">#2- Posting detail info like names, or in this case bib #s was also a not cool thing to do.. My fault for always being too detail about the things I see.. This is indeed trash talking and that is not cool. However, it was not done intentionally, but it part of my race report. As you may possibly writer in yours,, "After finishing our race, I found this blog where this SOB trashed talked about our team.. etc, etc, etc) so I do give you that,, and again, I publicly apologize for that. It was never my intention to portrait you as bad people.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">With that said.. I cannot take back about the moron part.. because that is what I heard.. and as I said before, we can all go back and forth on this a life time. All I can say is "that is what I heard". If i had the slightest doubt that I heard wrong I will retract myself, I can admit my mistakes. Something I need to clarify is that my post is not emphasizing on you guys or what I heard or trying to make you the bad guys of the race. If it was or if I wanted to really trashed talk, I would have wrote a whole blog post just about that.. but that was never my intention, I simply happened to throw that in there, because it was one of the things that happened during the race that popped in my head as I was typing. "I guess I will be expecting an email from the race coordinators about my comment on the porto potties as well"...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">Other things happened that popped up after I posted the blog, like: how cold it was, how crazy I though some people were to wear sleeveless shirts and shorts, how ridiculous I looked in what I was wearing that day, how the guy I passed as I was sprinting to the finish line said "Mother efer" but we congratulated each other with a big smile as he crossed the line and so on.. The only reason why I mentioned #90 again later on towards the end, is because I really thought the runner was fast, and catching up to her after taking off minutes after was a big deal to me as a runner. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">If you got offended by what I said, I am sorry, again, it was never my intention to portrait you as a bad person... i will fix the wording on the main post to make sure other readers do not get that impression. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">You are always welcome to comment on any of the blogs here.. Like I said before, it is exciting to see that others are reading this blog.. </span>Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-24500317093009423622010-02-21T18:48:00.004-05:002010-02-21T19:00:03.306-05:0010 mile Cherry Tree Relay Race - Brooklyn, NY<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;">Lets begin by saying; "This was so much freaking fun" Our first race for 2010 and turns out to be a great family event. We had originally made plans to do this race with Michelle, a friend from DailyMile.com. Sadly she got injured and was not able to run. We asked my dad if he was interested in doing the race, needless to say he said yes. We left the house around 8:20 am and made it to Brooklyn in 20 minutes. It took us longer to find the race site and parking than getting to Brooklyn Bridge. We got lost as we got to Prospect Park we ended up around the Zoo and Botanical garden entrances. When we realized it, Joyce TomTomed the address to the Bishop Ford HS, but we concluded that it was too far to walk back with Jocelyn and make it in time to the race. I made a turn on 8th ave and the next thing we know, we were right in front of the race site. How? well, I dunno because I was honestly lost. We found parking half a block away from the entrance, and from there things worked pretty good. </span></span></span></span><br />
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We got to the site 30 min before the race started. First one up was Joyce.. The original plan was to leave Jocelyn with my dad at home while we did the race. Since he joined us, the plan changed to take turns watching Jocelyn. I was first to stand watch, 2 minutes before the race started all runners doing the first leg were called to the starting point and all relays to the relay spot. Jocelyn decided to call for a bathroom break. lol She was a trooper, there were at least 10 people ahead of us and no one was willing to let a 3 year old go first. When we finally made it in.. both Jocelyn and I went.. "Eewwwwww" You do not want to know how that one went, but it went well thank God.. As we were waiting for Joyce to finish the first lap, my dad was already waiting at the relay station. Jocelyn found a stick twice her size to play with.. Pictures and videos <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/irizo28/10MileCherryTreeRelayRace?authkey=Gv1sRgCP-qtc3vk9yJ3gE&feat=directlink">here....</a><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/irizo28/10MileCherryTreeRelayRace?authkey=Gv1sRgCP-qtc3vk9yJ3gE&feat=directlink"><a name='more'></a> </a><br />
Joyce finished here lap and My dad took off. I figured he was going to finish in 20-25 min. I wanted to go to the bathroom because it was too cold...lol but Joyce was in the bathroom with Jocelyn so I was watching the stuff. By the time they got back time was running short and the the line was getting bigger. So I didn't go. There was a lot of people screaming and cheering (except Michelle. LOL j/k) but one in particular was #90. The girl was trash talking other runners and talking to her friend about how she was going to have the best time in her team. I felt bad for one of the runners that came in and his partner was MIA.. lol he went back and forth looking for the other team member. And she just said "Oh man what a moron" The guy found his relay and life went on as it should be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZgwK0CRoo8-YTwMzzX5crFokJzu-iEH34Qgk_dYK5CIAk6jhysSMPZS4lUeZ4wrUkbLLS7jhowWm0fYGHMpEXPIyCqHDmvrpjUXZRjxiSf7Ksz-wQoUBI5XamLgCxD87ZP7lO5X0Ja9i/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-02-21+at+6.54.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZgwK0CRoo8-YTwMzzX5crFokJzu-iEH34Qgk_dYK5CIAk6jhysSMPZS4lUeZ4wrUkbLLS7jhowWm0fYGHMpEXPIyCqHDmvrpjUXZRjxiSf7Ksz-wQoUBI5XamLgCxD87ZP7lO5X0Ja9i/s400/Screen+shot+2010-02-21+at+6.54.19+PM.png" width="400" /></a>My dad came in at 26 min which was not bad at all.. I took off and I though I was going slow. HA.. I checked my Garmin and it was reading a 5:26 pace and I was already at .20. I was shocked, specially after confirming with my Nike that I was running at that pace.. I slowed down, according to me... Mile 1 came in and the Garmin showed 7:56 pace "WHAT?" I was feeling really good, not tired, I felt fresh. Guess who I saw at mile 1? yeah that #90 girl. She took off a good 3-4 minutes before me and I caught up to her at mile 1. I heard of a hill at Prospect, but I was not expecting this SOB to be so long.. I was determined to tackle the sucker, and that's exactly what I did..of course my pace slowed down,, the Hill beat me but all the way at the top when my legs just could not keep up.. So I took quick walk. It was literally 5-10 seconds Just to loosen up the right knee. The #90 passed me when I took this walk but she was not too far from me. Mile 2 came up and was still feeling good, so I began to speed up again. I passed that girl and I kept increasing the pace little by little. The longest stretch was from mile 3 to the finish line. LOL I was trying to eyed the crowd so that could start sprinting.. As soon as I saw the crowd it was Flash Gordon time.. LOL I was sprinting from 3.10 till the finish line. I saw Joyce who tried to get a pic of me or a vid of me but I was too fast for the camera.. LOL .. woohoo... I crossed the finish line at 1:26:?? Which means I got a new 5K PR, but I just dunno what the exact time is and the data on Garmin is not making it any easier, but if some one can figure it out, please let me know. :-)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFD_IDTdCLLDkdPJyyTLGPnCotepdwo8lEJV08siXrEPw5GxPdDyfeaIORq2KhXonc64xGKDznCt3DUYgLE3Rv2fb-LgUMTOwqqs9F38mh63VzI2vHvLDjrLc6wTDHHYg7nGRcDHukoVr/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-02-21+at+6.53.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFD_IDTdCLLDkdPJyyTLGPnCotepdwo8lEJV08siXrEPw5GxPdDyfeaIORq2KhXonc64xGKDznCt3DUYgLE3Rv2fb-LgUMTOwqqs9F38mh63VzI2vHvLDjrLc6wTDHHYg7nGRcDHukoVr/s640/Screen+shot+2010-02-21+at+6.53.53+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The race was a great experience and a great first race for the year. We didn't get to meet Michelle today, but we got to text a lot in past 2 days.. at the end, the event turned out to be awesome. After the race, we headed to Larchmont for brunch and then home. Amazing, Amazing day.Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-3442202485125485312010-02-09T13:09:00.003-05:002010-02-11T17:34:57.466-05:00Our Very First TreadmillOk, so we have been contemplating the idea of getting our own treadmill. I have to say, it is not an easy task. Took us months to decide on one and at the end we ended up getting a different model. With Tax season here, its is easier to get this done. You know how it is, you spend the $$ before even getting your refund check.<br /><br />- First rule when shopping for a treadmill or anything big from a retail store: Do not believe everything the salesman tells you.<br />- Second rule: Do not believe a salesman that doesn't give you actual measurement, rather he shows you using himself as a ruler. (BIG NO NO)<br />- Third rule: If you live on a second floor apartment with no elevator, and if you have the extra $$ and do not mind spending a bit extra to have it delivered.. (Freaking Do it)<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br />Since my mom is away helping my sister after surgery in TX, we have been hanging around with my dad a lot. It works for all of us; we get a sitter and he gets dinner and next day lunch prepared by Joyce (she's a sweet heart). So we ended up at my dad's last night and the treadmill topic came to the table during dinner. In all the excitement he got us to call Nordic Track and place and order. While Joyce was on the phone with them, I was on the laptop checking Sears's website to compare prices and all that good stuff. Turns out we were going to have to wait 2 weeks or so to have it shipped. On top of that if we wanted to have it installed, it was going to cost us $150. So we said, Nah.. lets go to sears and we can have it delivered by this Saturday.<br /><br />We called Sears and started to place the order when my dad came up with the bright idea.. "Why don't you go pick it up now? see if they have it in stock at Cross County Mall." Yes, it was a nice idea and we fell for it. The guy on the phone said that the store had plenty of them in stock and they closed at 9:30pm. it was then 8:20pm. The store is only 10-15 min away from my parents so we made it there with plenty of time and knowing exactly what we wanted it was supposed to be much easier. Joyce stayed home with Jocelyn because we would not fit in the Matrix once the box was in.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9IzEz67FagbLY8_5fValty4YJ3Zycxoij9EHcaFhuwKWnglEuVFZ34PoNMT0ko_i684mk3cB7s74Vs_C3SxQxIyOkUKajZSZmzVeHNzrWT3wuULIdrpGwkyF5YI4FspMgwIqFW2Nhtzi/s1600-h/A2550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9IzEz67FagbLY8_5fValty4YJ3Zycxoij9EHcaFhuwKWnglEuVFZ34PoNMT0ko_i684mk3cB7s74Vs_C3SxQxIyOkUKajZSZmzVeHNzrWT3wuULIdrpGwkyF5YI4FspMgwIqFW2Nhtzi/s200/A2550.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />We wanted the Nordic Track T5 zi. When we got there the salesman explained the difference between the motors and showed us other models with commercial motors. The lucky one coming home with me was the Nordic Track A2550. The salesman asked if we were having it shipped or taking it with us.. The fee for delivery and setting it was $65 weekdays and $75 weekends. My dad and I asked. How big is the box? the guy said."let me go check for you and we go from there". when he got back he said. Well, what are you driving? I said a Toyota Matrix. He said; the box will fit.. Using himself as a ruler he said; its about this high and this wide.. My dad and I looked at each other sand said; "ahh it fits, no big deal" LOL.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxWC4M4Y_AK4csNHLcb5GHbRf6wswXKsMjCX8JJlaBPE_SrY6_Dej9BEOZchWVnDtRhvomy3mQryRqa-5FEoKOn_BZd7d2pXOWYgpuJAs5mSmkhHWua-xDsh9RXnXXP2pCGZNEyL1rV2g/s1600-h/IMG_0858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxWC4M4Y_AK4csNHLcb5GHbRf6wswXKsMjCX8JJlaBPE_SrY6_Dej9BEOZchWVnDtRhvomy3mQryRqa-5FEoKOn_BZd7d2pXOWYgpuJAs5mSmkhHWua-xDsh9RXnXXP2pCGZNEyL1rV2g/s320/IMG_0858.jpg" /></a></div>We paid for it and I went to get the car. 5 minutes later we see this guy come out with a box twice my size and as wide as a coffin. All my dad said was "oh shit". The guy asked where the care was and when he saw it he started to laugh.. He said.. are you sure you want to take this? I was having second thoughts but my dad said. "sure.. just put it in and we'll take care of the rest.. We folded the seats and pushed as much as we could but the dam box was too big, so the box was sticking out of the car.<br />We tied the hatch and drove 20 min on the highway praying there were no cops around. with the temps ins low 20's and the hatch opened, we were freezing in the car even though we had the heat going.<br /><br />We made it home, it was windy, it was freaking cold and we still had to take the box out and carry it 18 steep steps to the 2nd floor. The box probably weighted 200+lbs. We only managed to get the box from the car to the front door of the building. The box was too bulky to be carried so we decided to simply do it the Hispanic way.. "pull the dam thing out of the box on the street and carry it piece by piece" seriously, there was no other way. We took everything out of the box, I wish I took pictures, but it was way too cold to take my time for it and my dad was already showing signs of grumpiness. We made sure we didn't misplaced anything and took the small parts upstairs. Hey this was easy and fast.. then came the belt and motor....<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqAWJl6qJqsUpD3wqHfCDkzaCnBDvNiHY52zpsXmYijmt_9PzQd6XA3CAC6sov2vrVYZlujoNsnYu1tz3LLlkVtsK0tnUZcKjshL5dKR5LpAajI00MVzy4pIjUATIMV3CDjKABbEr0ACX/s1600-h/IMG_0860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqAWJl6qJqsUpD3wqHfCDkzaCnBDvNiHY52zpsXmYijmt_9PzQd6XA3CAC6sov2vrVYZlujoNsnYu1tz3LLlkVtsK0tnUZcKjshL5dKR5LpAajI00MVzy4pIjUATIMV3CDjKABbEr0ACX/s320/IMG_0860.jpg" /></a>My dad was being brave and said that he will push where the motor was and I would pull the other end. He couldn't get the thing off the floor. So obviously we switch places, but in this case, I was pulling the motor rather than pushing. Thank God I have been working out. We managed to pull the freaking machine to the apartment where later I realized that it was a freaking monster.. But after all of that I said.. F it.. I am not bringing this back to sears.. lol. Took my dad back to his house and picked up Joyce and Jocelyn. Jocelyn's reaction to the mess when she came up was: "what happen? it's broken.. daddy fix it. I want to run" LOL<br /><br />I started working on it as soon as we got home, it was 10:30 by then. Joyce gave Jocelyn a bath and made some coffee, put Jocelyn to bed while I was working on the machine. I was surprised how easy it was to put it together. Even though the manual was a bit confusing. The list of parts was all the way at the back of the manual and the pics of the screws were at the front page.. so you constantly had to flip back and forth.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFFb2QptvhQsMGfZMFbEf649w1bOS5w_PMXT4Vr-wKBgkfNqT_99OIIXDogev8NRNqGXFaLF-AW8udBz9kRHtR_vYkYt0gjkTWVPZi1xzt2_uuGjMLUXL2LHByaZmwolP_8jCL81ZtjcQ/s1600-h/IMG_0863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFFb2QptvhQsMGfZMFbEf649w1bOS5w_PMXT4Vr-wKBgkfNqT_99OIIXDogev8NRNqGXFaLF-AW8udBz9kRHtR_vYkYt0gjkTWVPZi1xzt2_uuGjMLUXL2LHByaZmwolP_8jCL81ZtjcQ/s200/IMG_0863.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>We managed to put the arms in place and the handles. Oh yeah we did this 3 times. At first we forgot to put in a cover that goes at the bottom of the arms. So we had to unscrew the handles. The bolts were so hard to get in both ways it was no joke. Then when it was time to put in the dashboard, we had tighten the bolts a bit too hard that the handle was not latching with the dash. So we had to unscrew it all over again.. We kept asking ourselves "why are this things so freaking hard?" My hands were red and shacking from all the force I was using to get them in and out. We just kept going and got to fix the problem so that the dashboard would fit.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjyavPbZQNFPg9g6Cj69dLUqQz3uoCwMmJmWt-UjQ5iggZRAZxgxQeZKjzfksSY1_F9QUWxSBazTa0se43vRVOyod7MAnwsQxlu1nj2ize3y2LAPTpB0QrvEHDalR7qeOH4JkWU1DH7fJ/s1600-h/IMG_0866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjyavPbZQNFPg9g6Cj69dLUqQz3uoCwMmJmWt-UjQ5iggZRAZxgxQeZKjzfksSY1_F9QUWxSBazTa0se43vRVOyod7MAnwsQxlu1nj2ize3y2LAPTpB0QrvEHDalR7qeOH4JkWU1DH7fJ/s200/IMG_0866.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Once the Dashboard was on we noticed that we had a weird set of screws left over. LOL What happened? well my little assistant mixed up the screws, but not entirely her fault. The way the instructions are in the manual is very confusing so I was surprised we didn't mix the whole thing.<br /><br />The bolts that were so tight were in the wrong spot and they were bigger than the correct ones. So yes we had to take then out again. and put the correct bolts. Once we had everything in place and made sure it was not going to fall apart, we just had fun with it and test some of the features.. It was 3am and we didn't want to do anything crazy and wake up Jocelyn, but apparently Joyce will be doing the honors tonight.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTchL9fDFl0Pp5bP7mSja2-f2kKG-Kcn75mjbHGnKD54W4z7rtwZ0zBtc4b-7nVskwgppDuUA0u3mUxeBmEQF_BwPKlmGC4MV2-j_TO33K7pNGjgxruMuo4c1sRRFjoQ4wtPtD9826FGVa/s1600-h/IMG_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTchL9fDFl0Pp5bP7mSja2-f2kKG-Kcn75mjbHGnKD54W4z7rtwZ0zBtc4b-7nVskwgppDuUA0u3mUxeBmEQF_BwPKlmGC4MV2-j_TO33K7pNGjgxruMuo4c1sRRFjoQ4wtPtD9826FGVa/s200/IMG_0869.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>The machine is big but nice.. not noisy at all. Joyce likes it and thats all that matters to be honest. She's happy, I am happy, we are all happy.. even Jocelyn is happy because she thinks she is going to run on it. lol.<br /><br />So, what did we learned about this? Pay the extra $65-75 to have it delivered and installed people.. or at least delivered if you are like me and like to put things together. ;-)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Speedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639662763635277389.post-19582736877594029242010-02-08T17:03:00.001-05:002010-02-08T17:03:32.772-05:00Is Walking A Form Of Cheating? or Is Walking A Need?Ok, I agree, the word Cheating sounds rough. I titled it like this after a chat with my dad yesterday afternoon. He went out to do his very first 13 miler yesterday morning. I mapped the route for him two nights before. The map showed a 13.12 mile run but when he ran it, it only recorded 12.75 on his Nike+ in 2:03hrs.<br />
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Now, what does all of this have to do with walking? Well when I got back from running and I got to sit down and relax after freaking out over my horrible new shiny blood blister on my right foot. LOL yes.. Ewwww too.. My dad and I were talking about his run. He was bragging about him running non stop, but that came to an end when I told him that I ran 13.7 in 2:02 hr.. I explained to him that after mile 3 I made quick stops every 2 miles to get a bit of gatorade. He started laughing and said.. "ohhh that's cheating" you can't say that you ran that long when you walked part of the run.<br />
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Hmmm. Now, the question is; Is it cheating to take a quick walk here and there durning a run? there are so many ways to see this. Based on my experience alone, I have to take quick walks regardless.<br />
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1- After 4-5 miles of non stop running I need to start taking liquids, and I have not yet master the art of running and drinking at the same time.. My gatorade ends up all over my shirt and face. I've tried it. lol<br />
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2- Having a history of knee injuries, me running is against everything the Dr has told me. lol I am not supposed to play soccer, nor run for long periods of time. Screw the Dr I am running.. LOL what does he know right?<br />
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The liquid factor is not a big deal to be honest, I only need a few steps to get this done and I can be back to my regular pace in just seconds 'till I have the need to get water again. That usually happens every two or 3 miles after the first 5 miles. The longest I have run without stopping is 6 miles and I have only done this once in my entire life. The funny part is that I didn't do this on a treadmill but on the road. I never really understood how I did that.<br />
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The knee factor is a different issue. Now this is what happens; As stated before, I can run 5 miles non stop.. I can last for another 2 or so miles before starting to feel this really uncomfortable pressure on my knees. The first few times this happened and I did not payed attention, I ended up injured for almost 3 weeks without running. I noticed that taking a quick walk once it starts it helps me relieve that pressure and it actually stops completely allowing me to run for another mile or 2 before it starts again. So I have to do this throughout the rest of my run or depending on how hard the run is.<br />
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Lately I have been doing my long runs in a very hilly area so the walking part has become a big factor. However, I have noticed a decrease in my time for 13 and 15 mile runs, so even with a few walks, my times are getting shorter. it does not mean I am getting faster pace wise, because when I run I am keeping my regular pace 8:40-9:30.. my overall pace is crappy to my standards because I track my walks rather than pausing my Nike and Garmin. I figured, the clock at the race is not going to stop every time I take a walk so why should I do it while training?<br />
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Like I said, this is based on my own experience. Other people may have different reasons for taking a walk or two. I can see my dad's point when she says. "when you race you are doing a run not a run/walk, so if you walk then you are cheating" Again, I can see his point but I do not agree with it one bit. lolSpeedy828http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758090631786661714noreply@blogger.com0