The Shelter Island 10k

On Saturday, I ran the 30th Annual Shelter Island 10k. It was the very first race I signed up for after I decided to start running again back in February. I had targeted the race for a couple reasons: (1) I wanted redemption at the distance . . . I was perilously close to finishing last in the 2004 Running of the Bulls 10k in Fayetteville, NC and (2) I'd heard wonderful things about the course.

I'm pleased to report that I set a new Personal Record: 56:46, almost 15 minutes faster than that horrible 2004 time. The result was made even sweeter because less than 24 hours before the race, I had no idea how I would get there.

Shelter Island is not only an island accessible only by ferry but to reach it, you have to travel to Greenport. LIRR only sends two trains each weekend day to Greenport and both of the departures were hours before the race would end. Luckily, I happened upon the Hampton Jitney. The Jitney has a couple options for getting to the race, but only one for getting back: an 8:05 p.m. departure. So, after starting at 5:30 p.m., commuters from NYC need to (a) finish the 10k; (b) shower -- facilities are provided; (c) take a shuttle bus to the ferry; (d) take the ferry; and (e) walk the relatively short distance to the bus stop.

I had some doubts about whether it would work out for me. As soon as I finished the race, I quickly grabbed a couple snacks from the post-race recovery tent, rushed to the showers (cost $1 and located right next to the bag check; shower only, no lockers, no sinks, no toilets -- there are port-a-johns across the street), and flagged down the first bus I saw. Got back to Greenport at about 7:10. Searched the town for a place to grab a quick snack -- found a Starbucks across the street from the bay-side carousel (along the boardwalk) -- and got back to the bus stop by 7:40. A tight fit, but I made it.

With a slight delay, we made good time back to New York and I was at Grand Central around 10:45 p.m.

As best I could tell, I was one of only three people who did the same-day commute out to the race. And while the Jitney can only accomodate so many, it is a shame that more folks can't make it out to the race. It's one of the few non marathons that's treated like a big deal to the community: radio stations cover it, names are called out over the loud speakers when you finish, etc. In short, it makes you feel like you completed something impressive. And while marathons provide nicer shirts and fancier medals, I have no doubt that my Shelter Island memorabilia will be some of my most cherished running swag -- it was an all-around wonderful experience.

Paul Bunyan Statue

Saw the Paul Bunyan statue in Bangor, Maine. It is located across the street from the Hollywood Slots Hotel and Raceway. And behind it is a skate park.

That was the only stop we made in Bangor.

Great Head Trail at Acadia

During our weekend trip to Maine, we drove to Acadia National Park. I was obligated to agree to a hiking excursion. I bought new shoes for the occasion and chose a moderate trail. Great Head Trail promised evergreen forest along sea cliffs. It begins on a beach and it is a 1.4 mile loop. Perfect!

Sand Beach. Quite foggy in the morning.

Lots of trees

Michael did not wear appropriate shoes, so he had to wade across the little ravine to get to the other side of the beach.



The beginning of the trail begins with pink granite stone steps. A little freaky.

Because the trail is a loop, there is a decision to be made: turn left to the forest or turn right to the sea cliffs. I thought it would be cool to end with the sea cliffs. Into the forest we go. The forest part is fairly easy.

We get to the sea cliffs. Still foggy.

Still foggy.

Fog is starting to clear! Now we can enjoy the view!

Time to continue on the trail to get back. Trudge, trudge.

Sheer rock to climb down. Really?!? This made me really glad that we did not start this way. If I had to go up those, I would have balked and quit right then and there. The other way, I had no choice but to continue or else I would have been stranded.

The trail markers were either wooden signs, cairns, or little painted blue strips. With those lovely blue strips, I didn't have to worry about being lost and could just concentrate on getting the heck out of there! Hiking 1.4 miles is definitely more strenuous than just walking 1.4 miles.

Harvard on the Hocking

As a campus tour guide, I liked to tell parents that Ohio University was known as "Harvard on the Hocking." And not just because of the Harvard squirrels brought to Athens by its Harvard founders. And not just because we emulated the style of architecture found in Cambridge. But, because it was a great academic school wrapped up in a party school reputation. (I've since learned that Harvard's a great party school wrapped up in an academic school reputation. So we didn't have that in common.)

Nine years later, there's proof that OU really is on Harvard's level: a joint study conducted by Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, and Ohio University determined the unfortunate, ridiculously prominent role that medical bills play in bankruptcies. Not just Harvard but Harvard's Law and Medical schools. Nice work OU.

A 5k a Month

Now that I'm running on a consistent basis (~20 miles per week), I've tried a couple 5ks. The first, back in April, was the JFK Runway Run. My unofficial time of 30:20 was disappointing -- I'd set sub-30 as my goal.




That's me behind the girl in the pink sweater. That she's walking should've been a sign that I was not moving quickly.


An 'action' shot. I believe runners call what I'm doing here "shuffling." The other guy in the picture spent the entire race taking pictures. And he finished before me.




At least I finished hard . . . I had been ~100 yards behind the guy in the yellow as we hit the final turn.

One month and 60 miles of training later, I ran the NYPD Memorial 5k in Battery Park. With 1156 finishers, it was a big race. Using my stopwatch time (because it took a minute to get to the actual starting line), I finished in a respectable 27:29 and easily surpassed both my official goal of sub-30 and my unofficial hope that I'd finish under 28.





I started out well back, even behind more walkers than I care to remember. The perk to the crowd was that I couldn't start out too fast. By the time the crowd thinned a little, I was already one mile into the race.

Unfortunately, I finished in a crowd and my finisher picture only captured my sleeve:



(That's my sleeve/shoulder on the right, behind the man in the white t-shirt.)

One of the perks to running in New York is that you get to see celebrities every so often. My first racing celebrity is Kathryn Erbe.

I spotted her while awaiting the pre-race ceremony standing within 10 feet of me. But I didn't recognize her until I saw someone go up and ask her for a picture. She seemed really friendly and approachable. And I'm a big fan of two of her movies: What About Bob? and Mighty Ducks 2. But I make it a rule not to strike up conversation with a stranger unless I've got something important to say. And the world's no worse off for my not saying, "My wife thinks your character on Law & Order: CI should get to solve things and not just ooh and aah when your partner figures it out."

Next up, the Shelter Island 10k. Allegedly, I 'could' run it in ~57 minutes. I've set my goal at sub-60. At the very least, I'd like to improve on a poor Running of the Bulls 10k in 2004 when I was so near last place that I risked being chased across the finish line by a guy in a bull costume. As of right now, Ann's planning on watching this one so I'll have to try and put on a good show.

Unwigged and Unplugged

Shearer, McKean and Guest performing "Stonehenge"

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer singing music from This is Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind and Waiting for Guffman.

Should I be slightly upset that they did not play "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight." Does that mean I'm not a hard-core fan???? Their final encore song was "Heavy Duty."

Feeling Like a Runner

My high school math teacher (I had several, but I really only remember the one who I constantly clashed with) was a runner and one of his favorite quotations to our track-heavy math class was something along the lines of, "I love running in the rain because I know that my competition isn't." In the many years since I first hung up my Brooks shoes, running in the rain became my litmus test for knowing whether I was a runner again. Every other year, I'd start running again and invariably the first inclement day would arrive, I'd skip my run, and that would be the end of it.

Last Friday and today, I found myself heading out into the rain to run because I had a run scheduled and didn't want to miss it. And now, two months after first lacing up my Brooks shoes, I finally feel like a runner. It's one of those accomplishments in life where you don't have a medal (or anything really to remember it by) but somehow you know it'll stick in your memory.