I hit the wall and the wall was a really big hill

The Sayville Summer Series continued on June 19th with the Shwachman Diamond 5k Dash for a Cure. This was the first race that Dori and I ran one year ago.  I won't bother posting our times from last year, if you scroll back through prior entries you will find them.  It is enough to say that there has been some pretty decent improvement. My first split was 8:10, second was 16:30 and the third was 11:06.  Yeah, I dropped off pretty hard in mile three.  Had I managed to keep up a consistent pace for that last mile i would have broken 26.  There is always next time I suppose. 

Kevin - 19:53

Dan -  27:36

Marc - 32:22

Dori - 36:11

The  second race of the Long Island State Parks Summer Run Series was last night.  A 10k at Sunken Meadow.  More years ago than I care to admit I ran cross country and Sunken Meadow was our home course. I don't think that helped because I knew that at some point during the 6.2 miles I would have to force myself up Cardiac Hill.  I hate running hills, I always have.  To be more accurate I hate running uphill.  The downhills are a pleasure.  

Prior to the race I had set out a goal of around 58 minutes.  More of an arbitrary number than anything else.  I figured if I was able to leg out a 5 miler in 49 last week I should be able to tack on an extra 1.2 miles in under ten minutes.  Oh stupid me.  

The starting line was the cross country course starting line.  I did not know the exact route of last night's course and I was curious to see if all 2,070 people running were going to have to funnel over the bridge that passes over the moat.  If that was the case I decided the best strategy would be to really leg out the open field between the start and the bridge in order to keep from getting caught up in the pack.  Sound in theory at least.  Not so great in execution.  The horn sounds and the pack starts off.  

We did not cross over the bridge.  We keep going past it.  At one point a group of girls on my left ran into a police barrier.  Why there was a police barrier in the middle of the race course I have no idea.  Instead we go past it to the furthest entrance to the boardwalk.  Unfortunately I was nowhere near the front of the pack at that point and was stuck in the human cattle drive as we slowed to a crawl to get onto the boardwalk.  The same process repeated itself as we exited the boardwalk.  First mile in 10:00 thanks to the crush of humanity and having to steeplechase over a bench or two.  

After exiting the boardwalk down by the golf course we ran back towards the starting line, past the bridge again and into the moat.  I hate running uphill.  I hate running in sand more.  Second mile and the clock says 20 flat.  While the pace is a bit slower than I was aiming for I congratulate myself on being consistent.  We do the short incline to exit the moat and for a moment I wonder whether the sadistic bastard race directors are going to make us run up Snake Hill.  Luckily as we get out of the moat we are directed to the right instead of the left.  No Snake Hill then.  

We loop the picnic grounds and start the steady incline towards Cardiac.  I make a mental promise to myself not to walk up the hill.  We leave the picnic grounds and enter the woods.  It is here that the first victims start dropping off around us.  The steady incline and the sandy trail combine and people start walking.  We make the abrupt left up to the start of Cardiac and the collective moan that rises from the mass of humanity around me is the opposite of inspiring.  Both sides of the trail are taken up by people who are walking.  Those who are trying to run have to thread a needle up the middle of the path.  For those who know, Cardiac is a monster not only because it is a bit on the steep side.  It is a monster because just when you think you have reached the top you realize that it is only a brief respite with another steeper climb in front of you.  It was at this point where the pack really just gelled into a solid mass of walkers.  

I finally get to the top and a guy who looks just like Glen Danzig is cheering everyone on and telling us it is all downhill from here.  In the immediate future Danzig would be proven to be a liar.  The downhill was a pleasure and I tried to use it to make up some lost time.  It would not prove to be enough though because as I hit the three mile mark back in the sandy trails behind the picnic grounds I see my time is around 33.  Not good.  Not good at all.  

We cut through the picnic grounds and around a parking lot.  We round a curve and are confronted with a very steep but thankfully pretty short uphill.  Thanks for the inaccurate information Danzig.  The course now follows the ball fields back to the main park road.  We hit the four mile mark and I don't bother looking at the timer.  Actually I couldn't see the timer because I had taken my glasses off the wipe off the river of sweat that was pouring down my face and blinding me.    

The course cuts down the road above the bridge that would take you to the beach fields.  So now I mentally start to worry again.  Are those sadistic bastard race directors going to throw us at Snake hill now?  We are headed right for it.  I pledge that if we are running up Snake I am going to quit this stupid running thing and just let myself get fat and diabetic.  Luckily for my blood sugar and waistline we head over the footbridge instead.  

Back over the field, passing the starting line again.  Back to the end of the boardwalk by the golf course.  I hit mile 5 in about 57.  Absent Red Bull actually giving me a set of wings, my chances of finishing in less than an hour are slim and none.  We run back down the boardwalk to the opposite end. Back over the field, passing the starting line yet again and into the finish chute.  It was brutal.  It was disappointing.  It caused my blisters to get blisters.  

I cross the finish line and don't even bother looking for Kevin.  Instead I head to the beer line for my maximum of three dixie cups of warm miller lite.  

Kevin - 46:28

Dan - 1:10:02

In spite of the mental and physical beatdown that Sunken Meadow was marathon training continues.  Fundraising continues.  Between donations made on-line and off-line I have raised $500 for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  It is my goal to raise at least $3,000.00.  Thank you to everyone who has already donated.  Every donation, of any amount, helps this worthy cause. 

Take a moment to make a donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering by visiting Daniel Jimenez's Fred's Team Fundraising Page

Nintzel 5k and Heckscher 5 Miler

On Saturday June 12th Dori and I ran the Kieth Nintzel 5k in Sayville.  We packed up Aidan and headed over to Gillette Park to meet up with grandpa.  Grandpa and Aidan stood at the starting line to see us off and then headed into town to get cookies at the bakery.  So you know Aidan had a great time eating cookies for breakfast.

There were around 550 people running that day so the first few blocks were a pretty tight field.  Once again I will edit the play by play because nothing really out of the ordinary happened.  I crossed the finish line in 27:40.  I had set a goal of breaking 27, but I will take the 8:55 splits happily.  The greatest part had to be Aidan waiting at the end of the chute with a bag full of cookies to share with me.  Of course by share I mean he let me take one bite of one cookie before he took it back.  Dori finished up strong in 39:04 after a very rough start.

On Monday June 14th the New York State Park Summer Run Series kicked off with a 5 miler at Heckscher.  Kevin and I represented UVR&SC.  Sadly John can't get out of work in time to make it to the Monday night madness.  Kevin and I decided we a cool banner or flag or something so we can feel a bit more legitimate when sitting around the picnic tables with all the running clubs with actual members and events. 

With around 2,400 people running you can imagine what the starting line felt like.   It had been threatening to rain all day, and a nice light drizzle started within minutes.  I will run in the rain anyday.  Again, long story short I crossed the finish line in 49:09.  Kevin finished in 35 flat.  It probably took us longer to get through the snack line than it did to run the race. 

I have to say I felt pretty good going out and doing 5 miles at what I hope will be just a bit slower than my marathon pace.  It was shocking because I did this race without my trusty iPod.  The thing decided to die on me earlier in the day.  I thought I would be lost without the ability to check my pace, distance and rock out.  But after the first mile I did not even miss it.  In addition thanks to the rain I had to take my glasses off.  For those who don't know, I have really, really horrible vision. Running blind felt less disorienting than I thought it would though.  Might make it a habit.  So the less learned is that the more sensory deprived I am the better I seem to run. 

Marathon training continues.  Fundraising continues.  Between donations made on-line and off-line I have raised $500 for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  It is my goal to raise at least $3,000.00.  Thank you to everyone who has already donated.  Every donation, of any amount, helps this worthy cause. 

Take a moment to make a donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering by visiting Daniel Jimenez's Fred's Team Fundraising Page

gut check

I am having a hard time believing that it is already June 10th.  149 days to go until I line up for the New York City Marathon.

Training is going pretty well.  I am doing my best to stick with the training program that the Fred's Team coaches have put together.  This past Saturday I managed to leg out seven miles in 80:30.  Definately not the pace of 21-year-old Dan, but 32-year-old Dan was pretty stoked when he finished.  In fact I would have jumped for joy but my legs hurt way too much to actually jump.  Seven miles is the longest I have run in one shot, without stopping or walking, in years. It felt pretty damn good.  Maybe it was the fact that I am rocking new shoes.  Mizuno Wave Elixir 5's.  They seem so much lighter than my Asics.  Full review to follow at a later date.



Sunday I suffered through an easy three.  The suffering was so bad that I won't bother sharing how long it took.  In my defense Aidan was riding in the jog stroller, but it was still just a bad run all around.


Tuesday night was a gut check moment.  Having had about four hours of sleep the night before and about that much the previous night I was feeling awful.  About an hour before Aidan's sitter arrived I contemplated just taking the evening off to get some sleep or something else (Netflix on demand is my latest productivity sapper).  In fact laziness made such powerful oral arguments that I wound up calling the sitter and telling her to take the night off. Shame then made it's rebuttal argument and two minutes later I called her back and told her to disregard my cancellation.

Once I actually got out there and started moving I felt better.  Long story short.  Five and a half miles in 62:06.


Tonight's goal is eight miles in around 93 minutes and change.  18.2 more miles equals 26.2.  Awesome 

Remember that I am running the NYC Marathon this year as a member of Fred's Team. Fred's Team is an organization that raises money for cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Take a moment to make a donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering by visiting Daniel Jimenez's Fred's Team Fundraising Page

one of the reasons i decided to run for Fred's Team

Since I started telling people I am running this year's New York City Marathon as part of Fred's Team I have had more than a few people ask why.  Why did I decide to raise money for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center?  I have a lot of reasons.  For now, I'll share one.

Back in the summer of 1988 I was 11 years old and a new member of Boy Scout Troop 86.  My parents had signed me up to go spend a week at Camp Yawgoog in Rhode Island.  This may be difficult to believe, but at 11 years old I was not the charming, outgoing, witty and generally wonderful person I am now.  I was introverted and quiet.  I was so introverted and quiet that other introverted quiet kids probably thought there was something wrong with me.


My mom, being a worrier, mentioned to my Tia Iris that she was worried that I would have a miserable time and basically be that kid who didn't make any friends.  Thanks mom.  So Iris proceeded to guilt, nag and bother my cousin Carlos into going with me.  Carlos had been a member of Troop 86, but he was in college for the love of god.  He may even have been done with college.  He most likely had better things to do that week than make sure I didn't go nuts at the archery range and cause tragedy.  However, the power of a puerto rican mother to guilt their offspring into any number of things is immeasurable.


A few words about my Tia Iris.  There are very few memories I have of my childhood where she was not present.  Her house was an old red farm house with nooks and secret rooms that a kid could hide in for hours.  She lived down the block from my parents.  If you stood at the corner of Nichols Rd and Patricia you would see a dentist or doctor's office with a circular driveway.  If you hopped the back fence you were in my Tia's backyard.  I don't recommend doing it today though.  I have no idea who lives in that house and they probably wouldn't like strangers hopping into their yard.

Back to my story.  Carlos wound up going to scout camp with me.  I indeed survived the experience and actually wound up having a good time.  Carlos had a better time than me I think.  He managed to flip and sink a sailboat.

Some years go by, and one day around 1992 my mother comes home and starts crying as she tells my sister and I that Iris has lung cancer.  The woman never smoked, but was probably surrounded by secondhand smoke at work for most of her life.  Weekend drives with my mom out to St. Catherine's became part of life for my sister and I.  The family mobilized to get her house ready for her to come home to.  In order to get that house accessible and ready for her to come home to we basically gutted it.  My dad would come home from work and go straight to the house to run electrical, replace hundred year old plumbing, put up drywall, remove and reverse a flight of stairs.  An army of uncles, cousins and friends would be there.  There were days when my friends would find themselves drafted into painting trim and sanding spackle. I am pretty sure not one building permit was ever issued and there were no certificates of occupancy ever obtained for the work we all did. 

Iris was ready to come home from the hospital a few weeks before we managed to put her house back together.  She spent a night or two at my parent's house and that is when I really got to see the grim reality of what that disease can do to a person.  It was one thing to see her in a hospital.  Everybody looks sick in a hospital.  But to see her in a place where you had seen her so many times before and realize how weak she looked was shocking.  However, she was a tough lady and she was a fighter.  She didn't want anyone fussing over her.

Once the last coat of paint was dry we moved Iris back into her house. As the summer of 1993 approached I found myself hopping that fence to visit and one day I told her that I was thinking of skipping Scout Camp.  I may have even said that I was thinking of quitting it all together.  I was always able to tell Iris things that I would never think of mention to mom and dad.  She told me give it another shot and go to Yawgoog. She told me to think about whether I really wanted to quit or not.  I told her I would.  I probably saw Iris another one or two times before I took the long bus ride to Orient Point, followed by the ferry ride to New London, followed by the longer bus ride to Yawgoog.

About midway through the week, I was coming back to our campsite from somewhere or other with some of the other guys.  As I walked into the center of the camp I saw my father standing in front of the senior patrol tent.  My dad was never able to get time off to visit for camp stuff.  I did not even need him to open his mouth to know that something bad had happened.  Sure enough, he confirmed my worst fear when he told me that Iris had passed away.  All the friends that my mother was worried I would not make helped me gather up my gear and pack.  My dad and I left and did the long drive back to New London, the ferry ride to Orient and the longer drive to Deer Park in silence. 

Iris was never a patient at Memorial Sloan-Kettering.  I didn't play tetris on my gameboy in the hallways of Kettering while my mother visited her sister.  But in the years since I have known others close to me who have had to battle many forms of cancer under the care of many doctors at different hospitals.  The work at Sloan-Kettering everyday helps increase the understanding of these diseases and develop new treatment protocols for them. 

That is just one of the reasons why I am running.

P.S.  Carlos is now a pediatrician.  In fact he is my son's pediatrician.  And to this day I will not let him live down that he managed to sink a sailboat in a dead calm lake.  He of course won't let me live down the fact that I was such a momma's boy that he had to go to camp with me.  In response I refuse to pay the co-pay for office visits.

Please take a moment to make a donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering by visiting Daniel Jimenez's Fred's Team Fundraising Page

Remember, give early and give often.  It is my goal to raise $3,000. 

So it begins

 In case you haven't heard I am running the NYC Marathon this year as a member of Fred's Team. Fred's Team is an organization that raises money for cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Take a moment to make a donation to Memorial Sloan-Kettering by visiting Daniel Jimenez's Fred's Team Fundraising Page

On May 12, 2010 I had the chance to go to the Fred's Team kick off party for the 2010 ING New York City Marathon Team at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  Against my better judgment I decided to trust my GPS, rather than my own instincts on the ride into the city.  I typed in the address on 67th street and figured i would go over the 59th (i refuse to call it the queensborough bridge, deal with it).  Instead I wound up going south on the BQE.  Once I got to metropolitan avenue, I discovered that the GPS was taking me to 67th in Brooklyn, since i neglected to type in East 67th street.  Garbage in, garbage out  I suppose.  So I had to take the Manhattan Bridge across the river, cut up Bowery, head east on 27th to the FDR and exit at 61st, which is where I would have wound up if i just took the 59th street bridge to begin with. 


Dr. Richard O'Reilly, Chair, MSKCC Department of Pediatrics spent part of the evening talking about the strides in treatment made possible by the money raised by Fred's Team runners through the years.  I am not going to pretend to understand half of what he said, because I barely squeaked by in biology back in high school.  However, I can understand what it means to say that the survival rate for certain types of childhood cancers has gone from 5% to 50% and better. 

In addition we got to meet our coaching staff and hear some wisdom from Coach Jeff and Anna about how to not only survive this experience, but to enjoy it as well.  Group runs are scheduled to start soon on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  NYC is not just around the corner from me, so for me being able to go to these sessions is going to be more the exception than the rule.  I am going to try to stay on top of the training program and make sure I am putting in the work.  Today I put in five and a half miles on the treadmill in 60 minutes. 

In closing, remember to give early and give often as it is my goal to raise $3,000.00 for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.    

Kevin runs some more, while I am lazy

At least someone is out there making sure the club's good name or bad name stays intact.  Over the weekend Kevin ran The Bench 5k in Stony Brook.  To paraphrase Kevin, "Never miss a race that finishes at a bar."

The course.  Well according to Kevin, it was two hills and a fraking mountain.  So there you go.   Kevin finished in 21:49:10.  In recognition of this accomplishment, and his great showing at the Long Island Half Marathon Kevin has been awarded with a new club title, "Minister of Stamps and Jeter Bombs."

Kevin placed 4th in his age group.  This has lead to a new club policy.  Anytime a club member places and gets any type of prize purse, it must first be used to buy other club members drinks.  Now, I am the first to admit, that as the only club member in any danger of winning a prize purse, this rule really only applies to Kevin. Some might say this is unfair.  To them I say, too bad.  The motion has been seconded and carried.

Registrations have been sent in for the Summer Run Series and in my case, the Sayville Summer Series.  I would love to say that I have been out putting in the miles, but that would be a lie.  And we all know you can't lie on the internet.  The pollen out here in god's country has been so thick the past few days that I haven't even gotten out the door.  Tomorrow I get back on track, with a 5 mile day.  Wednesday is a quick three, Thursday another 5 and Saturday is a sixer. 


In case you haven't heard I am running the NYC Marathon this year as a member of Fred's Team. Fred's Team is an organization that raises money for cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Take a moment to make a donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering by visiting Daniel Jimenez's Fred's Team Fundraising Page

Remember, give early and give often.  It is my goal to raise $3,000. 

Kevin runs a half and the Bamboozle review

Approximately a week ago Kevin "El Guapo Jr." Gill learned that the RXR Long Island Marathon was happening on May 2, 2010.  On a whim he decided to sign up for the half marathon.  Keep in mind that Kevin never ran more than nine miles before May 2.  Also keep in mind that the night before the half marathon Kevin was out till god knows when at a show at the crazy donkey.  UVR&SC is very proud to congratulate Kevin on finishing the half marathon in 1:49:30. 


While Kevin was busy slogging out 13.1 miles Dori and I headed over to the Meadowlands for Bamboozle.  Angry old scenester Dan was in full effect for most of the day.  My review of the show in the form of the facebook postings of a semi dehydrated lunatic follows. 

Daniel Jimenez: going to jersey and am not going to be anwhere near a windmill to satisfy my craving for cheesefries. roadtrip fail.

Yesterday at 13:42 via Facebook for BlackBerry

No surprise, we hit traffic at the Throgs and on the CBX.  We left the house around 2:30.  We arrived just in time for Motion City Soundtrack's set at 5:05.   On the way to the stage where Motion City is about to begin playing we catch the last five minutes of Minus the Bear's set.  Impressed.  

Daniel Jimenez: just saw a kid with justin bieber's haircut wearing a shirt that says f$ck justin bieber. I am ashamed of my part in all of this. I officially am handing in my punk rock union card. and my jersey union card. I hate the meadowlands.

Yesterday at 17:15 via Facebook for BlackBerry

Motion City Soundtrack is up on stage.  These days I can't be bothered to push my way to the front.  I need to get kicked in the head by some moron crowd surfing like I need to get hit by lightning.  So Dori and I settle back into my new standing area of choice.  Near the sound guy.  I have wanted to see MCS live for years now and am glad I finally got a chance.  They were excellent.  Also, got a kick out of seeing Diaz hard at work.  

After MCS, I decide it is time to enjoy a cold beer.  I mentally prepare myself to part with ten bucks for the privilege.  I wait in the line and present my ID to the beer lady.  She asks where my bracelet is.  I tell her I tend not to wear bracelets.  She tells me that I need a bracelet to get beer.  I respond that I have shown her my driver's license and I want a beer now.  She is not compelled.  I respond that I have gray hair in my beard for god's sake, now give me a beer.  My arguments, while entertaining are less than compelling.  I am rebuffed and told to find the bracelet tent.  

Dori and I make our way over to the next stage to catch some of Say Anything's set.  I have a soft spot for lyrically clever obnoxious music.  It makes up for the fact that they took the stage wearing matching outfits.  They looked like Mormon missionaries.  

Some random thoughts as I stand in the crowd. 

Ladies, bikinis are a privilege, not a right.  Gingers, it is called sunblock, you should all invest in it.  

After Say Anything wraps up we do a lap around the merch tents.  In addition we find the fabled bracelet tent.  ID's are produced and bracelets procured.  Dori is upset that the ID guy does not scrutinze her drivers license.  I see the parent's tent on the left.  I suddenly feel sad and out of place. Twenty five dollars later a beer and chicken fingers have been accomplished.  There is still a long gap until Weezer takes the stage at nine.  

We call grandpa and grandma to see how Aidan is doing.  They took him to the Holtsville Ecology Center and Zoo.  We are told he had a good time until a peacock stared him down and honked at him.  

We decide to walk back over to the main stages and check out Matt and Kim. I take the opportunity to use my new beer bracelet again.  I had started to think that my loathing of the crowd was due to the fact that most of them are half my age.  My time in the beer line proved that wrong.  I was in front of two guys talking about how much better Cochella was because you could get Heineken there.

Daniel Jimenez: thoughts from bamboozle. if you love or even like matt and kim please do society a favor. go back to williamsburg and commit suicide. they are awful.

Yesterday at 19:35 via Facebook for BlackBerry

Now I know that may sound a bit harsh.  Maybe I was dehydrated and perhaps my agoraphobia was really firing on all synapses.  But I stand by it.  They were not my cup of tea.  To those who are fans I say potato, and you are free to say potato.

Daniel Jimenez: Also please take all the idiots jumping around to the musical stylings of girltalk with you. Post haste.

Yesterday at 19:52 

How can I even begin to describe Girl Talk (two words, thanks Diaz for the correction)?  A guy wearing a headband with a macbook pro set up on a folding table in the middle of a stage mixing hip hop lyrics over beats.  Was he a DJ?  I don't know.  He spent too much time jumping up and down on his table to really be doing anything.  I think he may have been updating his facebook status from the stage. At one point some feedback hit the monitors, I am pretty sure he was playing on chatroulette too.  

 

Daniel Jimenez: more thoughts from bamboozle. the crowd gathering for mgmt looks like an urban outfitters vomitted all over them. there is a girl wearing neon green socks and wooden clogs. life fail.

Yesterday at 20:05 via Facebook for BlackBerry

Again, I know that alot of people like MGMT.  Good for you.  They were okay.  But by that point, Dori and I were staking out real estate for Weezer at the other main stage.   

Now I enjoy Weezer. I haven't seen them live since the Blue Album.  Dori on the other hand LOVES Weezer.  Correction Dori loves Rivers Coumo.  Another thing about Dori is she is short.  That puts her at a significant disadvantage at general admission shows.  We set up camp at extreme stage left far enough back to avoid the crowd.  In short we set up in pretty horrible real estate.  I passive aggressively complain about the spot until she agrees to move.  We wind up right next to the soundguy again.  

Weezer took the stage at 9:05ish.  Great studio band and a great live band.  Of course they didn't play "in the garage" which has to be one of my favorite songs, but the mix of old and new stuff was really good.  

At one point during the set Rivers ran through the middle of the crowd and climbed up on the soundcage to sing.  The picture above, while just as crappy as the rest, was taken without zooming.  You are welcome Dori.  

We left a bit before the Weezer set ended to avoid getting stuck in the meadowlands parking mess. Somehow or other I wound up on Rt 17 on the way home.  We drove by a SONIC.  Yes, a SONIC.  Sadly there was a line of cars running down the shoulder trying to get into the place and we could not be bothered waiting.  

In case you haven't heard I am running the NYC Marathon this year as a member of Fred's Team. Fred's Team is an organization that raises money for cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Take a moment to make a donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering by visiting Daniel Jimenez's Fred's Team Fundraising Page