08/26/2012 - Storm King 10K

Race Date: Sunday August 26th, 2012
Race Name: Storm King Run
Race Price: $28
Race Description: 10K challenging run along the historic Hudson River. The race started at Washington Gate at West Point and finished at Donahue Memorial Park in Cornwall-on-Hudson.
Race Location: West Point's Washington Gate on NY-218
Race Information: Challenging 10K, 5K, and 1-Mile Kids Fun Run along the historic Hudson River. Proceeds benefit the Scholarship Fund of the West Point-Highland Falls Rotary Club.

  

Race Distance: 10 kilometers (6.2 miles)
Distance Traveled: 22 miles

Race Time: 9:15am
Weather: Sunny & Calm

Swag: T-Shirt & Bag
Food & Drink: Water | Fruit | Bagels | Protein Bars
Number of Participants: 146
Results: http://resultsarchive.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?posted_p=t&numPerPage=100&page=1&rsID=132849&queryType=division&orgID=216374#VIEW

My Results

Time: 43:57
Pace: 7:06
Place: 18 of 146
Men: 16 of 84
Men (Age 30-39): 4 of 32






Personal Race Info
Pre-Run: 2 Tums
                 Salt Stick Plus Pill
                 Gatorade w/ Chia Seeds

During-Run: Water

    I was really excited for this race. I've always wanted to go to Storm King Mountain. I've looked at it from across the river while hiking but this was my first time getting there. I had a hard time figuring out where I needed to go. I use my gps normally but the race didn't provide an exact address. Luckily when I got close there were signs for the race so I made it there without incident.
    Arrived about an hour early like usual. Went and checked in and got my shirt and bag. Walked around and took a few pictures. There wasn't much to take pictures of at the start of the race.

    They had a DJ at the start of the race. I wish I had taken a picture or video cause he was really enjoying the music. I warmed up a bit and just hung around waiting for the race to start. The kids 1 mile race went out about 20 minutes before we got to run. There were actually a lot more people at the race than I expected. There were a lot of West Point Cadets since it was right at West Point.

    I was pretty close to the front for the start of the race. This was a gun start so wanted to be near the front to have the best time. I didn't want to get stuck behind anyone. The race started out with the first mile and a half all downhill. I felt bad for the 5K runners cause they had to turn around and go back up it.

    This was one of the few races where the start and end were in completely different areas. The race was on a road that went up and around Storm King Mountain. The uphill part was pretty tough and really dropped my pace but actually felt I did pretty good since I caught up to a few people. The second downhill felt really nice after the uphill.

    The final stretch was all flat down a road. When I first made the turn onto the road one of the guys who was in front of me was stretching out his leg. Felt bad for him but he actually kept up with me the rest of the run. We thought there was 1 last big uphill but turned out to be completely flat. Even knowing how flat it was I was losing steam but knowing the guy was right behind me kept me going. I sprinted the last few hundred yards to make sure I finished under 44 minutes.

    The finish was at a really nice park right on the waterfront. As I waited for the results I took some more pictures around the area.

    I actually ate 2 cinnamon raisin bagels after the race. They were delicious. :) I was slightly disappointed I came in 4th in my age group cause I really wanted a medal. Looking at my pace and heart rate I probably could have pushed harder throughout the race but this was my 4th day in a row of running and I didn't want to push it too hard. I really enjoyed this course though. It reminded me of the Palisades Half Marathon course. The views were amazing and it was well put together.

08/25/2012 - MudManX

Race Date: Saturday August 25th, 2012
Race Name: MudManX - New York
Race Price: $60
Race Description: Obstacle race through water, fields, and trails.

Race Location: Cousins Paintball - 380 Mt Airy Rd, New Windsor, NY
Race Information: Welcome to MudManX! A call to action that will reignite the primitive instincts for survival and test the organic strength of Man…A series of brutal obstacles encompassing the four primary elements:  Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. Challenge Nature…Resist the Odds…Awaken the Spirits…Conquer the Elements!

  

Race Distance: 5k (There was no official distance but my watch said 3.06)
Distance Traveled: 16 miles

Race Time: 9:00am
Weather: Mostly sunny, calm, temperatures in the lower 70's

Swag: Shirt, Headband, Beer
Food & Drink: Water | Bananas
Number of Participants: 429
Results: http://www.j-chipusa.com/results.php?p=0&eventid=8838

My Results

Time: 34:59.9
Pace: 11:16
Place: 161 of 6497
Men (Age 30-34): 5 of 61




Personal Race Info
Pre-Run: 2 Generic Tums
                 Gu Roctane Cherry Line
                 Water + Gatorade + Chia Seeds

During-Run: Water

    Got to the race around 7:45 and there were no staff on the way in so didn't have to pay the normal $10 to park. Since I was in the first wave things were still getting set up when I went in. Got registered and took some pictures.

    I was really nervous for this cause there was an obstacle that had wires that hung down and hit you with electricity. I also noticed a lot of the walls didn't have any "help" and I knew this would cause me some problems as I don't have a lot of upper body strength. I warmed up a bit and got ready for the race.
    I was at the front of the pack at the start of the race and there were a bunch of good people right there with me. The first obstacle was through the water and I took the track more through the water which was a mistake since the water was a lot deeper than I expected it to be. Nothing like getting all wet right at the start of the race. The trails, which I've run before but not this exact route, seemed to be more trouble this time. I think I came close to twisting my ankle 3 or 4 times throughout the run.
    Like I mentioned earlier the obstacles themselves were pretty tough. The 2 walls that you had to climb over I used the supports on the side to help me get over. The final wall was slanted but still gave me a lot of trouble but I got over with a lot of effort. Luckily for me the "lightning" obstacle didn't get me. I don't know if it wasn't on or I just got lucky but I was happy to have not gotten shocked. The other obstacles weren't tough but some were tedious like the hurdles you can see in the picture above, there were just so many of them. They also had 4 times where you had to go up and down a hill and that was just tiring. The other obstacle I liked was they had floating balance beams. It wasn't a difficult obstacle but I just couldn't calm myself down so it took a lot longer to cross than it should have. I kept worrying I was going to fall in. Finally there was a kind of monkey bar obstacle with a straight metal bar that you had to climb across and then move to another one. I knew I wouldn't do well but I actually made it past half way before falling. Luckily this isn't a Spartan Race and I didn't have to do Burpees.
    Overall of the 5 events I've done at this location this was definitely the best of them. It was also the hardest of the races I've done here. I didn't stick around for too long after I finished so I can't say how the "after party" was. It definitely looked like more people were showing up and I'm sure it would have been lively. A couple issues that I did see...first, the staff was young and didn't really know what was going on. Second, there was no water available before the race which is not a good thing. Not sure if they remedied this as the day went on. Also the showers weren't hooked up when I went in to try to clean up. They were hooked up later as I was leaving. Not a huge deal as I don't normally clean up before I head home anyway.
    While not as good as a Spartan Race, or even the Warrior Dash, I hope this one sticks around and gets more attention moving forward. I look forward to trying it again next year.

08/18/2012 - Run 4 Downtown Middletown

Race Date: Saturday August 18th, 2012
Race Name: Run 4 Downtown
Race Price: $20
Race Description: The Run 4 Downtown is a 4 mile run/walk in Historic Middletown NY. The course features a mix of suburban and urban neighborhoods and passes scenic SUNY Orange and the National Shrine of the Carmelite Friars. The R4DT is a challenge event - that is females will start before males (4 minutes and 21 seconds in 2012) and awards are given based upon order of finish!
Race Location: 17 North Street, Middletown, NY
Race Information: Created in 2006 by Dave and Anna Madden, owners of Something Sweet Cafe, with a desire to revitalize historic Middletown. The R4DT was born, a 4 Mile run every third Saturday in August. The R4DT is a philanthropic event - all proceeds benefit the Downtown Middletown community. Restoration of Post Office Park on North Street was made possible by the donations of past events.

  

Race Distance: 4 miles
Distance Traveled: 32.6 miles

Race Time: 9:00am
Weather: Sunny, calm, temperatures in the lower 70's

Swag: Long Sleeve Shirt | Travel Mug
Food & Drink: Water | Taste of the Town (Fine food from local independent restaurants)
Number of Participants: 280
Results: http://resultsarchive.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?rsID=132589

My Results

Time: 27:53
Pace: 6:59
Place: 31 of 280
Men (Age 30-39): 9 of 30







Personal Race Info
Pre-Run: 2 Tums
                 Salt Stick Plus Pill
                 Hammer Gel
                 Water
                 Coconut Water w/ Chia Seeds

During-Run: N/A

    Did not feel like getting out of bed at 6:30. Did what I had to and ate some cherries and almonds to start the day. Headed out to the race around 7:15. These weekend morning races are always nice because there is never much traffic. Arrived in Middletown, parked and checked in around 8. Took some pictures around the area.

    Warmed up a bit and just walked around waiting for the race to start. They did things a little different at this race and had the walkers start 15 minutes before the women who started about 5 minutes before the men. I actually liked this as it reduced the clutter at the beginning of the race.
      Got a pretty good starting position behind the faster people. Only had to get past a few people in the beginning but overall got a good start. Looks like I had a sub-6 minute pace for the first couple minutes. I then settled into a nice pace for me. My legs actually felt pretty tired at the beginning of the race for the first couple miles. Luckily they warmed up and didn't cause any issues.
      My original goal was the come in under 30 minutes which would have meant I would have paced at 7:30 per mile. The first 2 miles I had an average pace of 6:47 so I decided that I needed to keep my sub-7 minute pace for the whole race. This really motivated me to keep moving and keep pushing myself. The 3rd mile was the hardest as there was a good incline. That caused my pace to drop to 7:13 for that mile and I knew I had to really make sure I kept pace on the last mile. The 4th mile came in at 6:55 and I had done it...barely! :)

      I hung around and enjoyed some of the food on offer. Had a hot dog, a meatball & a small gyro slice. Everything was really good and it was a nice deal to be able to taste all the food that was available. I probably should have taken more advantage of it but I knew I had to go meet some friends at The Hudson Valley Ribfest. Before I left I checked the results to make sure I hadn't won anything. I knew I didn't stand a chance of winning a age medal since this was part of the Hudson Valley Grand Prix which draws a lot of fast people. Always surprising when I finish, what I think, is well and end up so low in the age group. Oh well...I was definitely happy with how I ran and the event in general. Hope they continue to do it and keep working on revitalizing this area since it was a bit sketchy.

08/16/2012 - Amber Room Run From The Sun 5k

Race Date: Thursday August 16th, 2012
Race Name: Amber Room Run From The Sun 5k
Race Price: $25
Race Description: Certified 5K course runs from the Amber Room to Candlewood Lake and back.  Passes scenic water views, stately homes, and lake communities.
Race Location: Amber Room Colonnade: 1 Stacey Rd. Danbury, CT
Race Information: Amber Room Run from the Sun 5K benefits Ann’s Place. Ann’s Place services include: individual and family counseling, support groups, a peer mentor program, wellness programs such as yoga, reiki, art therapy, writing workshops, and a resource library.  All services are provided FREE of charge to cancer survivors and their loved ones.
Awards: Given to top 3 finishers in the following age groups (M & F):  12 and under, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+

  

Race Distance: 5k
Distance Traveled: 39 miles

Race Time: 6:30pm
Weather: Mostly sunny, calm, temperatures in the lower 80's

Swag: Tech Shirt | Gatorade Bag / Hat / Water Bottle
Food & Drink: Water | Gatorade | Beer | Cheeseburgers | Hot Dogs | Veggie Burgers | Chips | Pasta Salad | Fruit
Number of Participants: 392
Results: http://www.jbsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2012-Amber-5k-results.txt

My Results

Time: 21:51
Pace: 7:02
Place: 28 of 392
Men (Age 30-39): 5 of 27






Personal Race Info
Pre-Run: 2 Generic Tums
                 Salt Stick Pill
                 Accel Gel
                 Water
                 Coconut Water w/ Chia Seeds

During-Run: N/A

    Had to leave work around 4:30 to head out to this race. I knew there would be some traffic on the way since I'd be driving during rush hour. Hit a good amount of traffic as I got closer to the race but overall it wasn't bad. Got to the race about an hour early and was surprised by the number of people that were already here. Picked up my bib and t-shirt and took some pictures around the event.

    Warmed up a bit and made sure I took my pre-race foods. I felt pretty warm and the sun didn't help. Luckily most of the course was shaded. I was able to get a spot near the front of the pack which helped at the start. The course started out with some small rolling hills and then started a long descent downhill. It's always scary when you keep going downhill cause you know you'll have to come back up. First mile pace came in at 6:30.
    The second mile things started to get real. A few people passed me heading into the turn but I knew I'd pass them on the way back up the hill. Have I mentioned how well I do on hills?  For the next 1.5 miles I was running in sync with another guy. Pace for the second mile slowed to 6:59.  Kept going up the hill pushing somewhat hard but I don't think I gave it everything. This is kinda one of the issues I have now. How hard do I push during the race...I always tend to have enough left at the end to sprint it out.
     The guy who was running next to me started to pull away in the last half mile. There was another guy who was somewhat behind us but there was no way I was going to let him pass me. I thought I had enough that I could overtake the guy who pulled away but he must have saved some energy for the end as well. Of course he also had 13 years on me. In the end I finished strong although my third mile pace was 7:27. I got somewhat worried that I didn't hear my timing chip go off.
     Picked up a water and headed over to where the food was. They had a ton of beer available ...too bad I don't drink it. They had 2 buffet lines set up with hot dogs, veggie burgers, cheeseburgers, pasta salad, chips and fruit. I had a veggie burger, some pickles and went back for a hot dog. Also ended up walking back to the finish line to pick up a Gatorade. They had a bunch of nice seating set up and music playing. They gave away bags from Gatorade that had a hat and a really nice water bottle in it. The awards looked nice but having finished 5th in my age group I knew I wouldn't be receiving one.

    With more people heading to the food, and seeing some cars leaving, I decided it was time for me to try to head out. There were still some people finishing up the race but I was able to slowly get out of the event. Overall this was one of the best races I've been to. With the really nice shirt and the food it was an excellent value as well. Looking forward to this race next year and hopefully winning an award.