The best night of indoor track in NYC happens this Saturday, Valentine's Day
The Millrose Games are from 2pm - 8pm on Saturday at the Armory. Tickets are still available and you can also watch live on the NBC sports network or USATF.TV
The End Of Indoors is Fast Approaching
3-4 weeks and it's over. Amazing how fast this season always flies by.
100m repetitions
Great for developing top-end speed; more efficient, smoother form; and a killer kick.
Treadmill Runs
Comes in handy when conditions are bad or you're just a bit under the weather and aren't up for a zero degree run outside. Can be a great supplement for specific workouts as well i.e. hill workouts.
Skiing, Running, Sledding
Central Park looks lovely in white and there's no stopping us from getting out there and having fun.
Daylight Savings is Mar. 8th
Mark the calendars. For me, that's when winter officially ends and I'm ready for it. In the meantime, we'll have to make do with the cold and snow.
Wishing Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to our neighbors in Carnegie Hill!
CPC 2014 Armory Open & Youth Indoor Track Schedule
Dec.
- Sat. 27th 5pm Armory Open Sprint Night - 400m/200m/60m/Throws/Jumps | Pre-registration $20
- Sat. 27th 9am -5pm Armory Youth Holiday Classic - All events | Pre-registration $15
Jan.
- Thurs. 15th 7pm NYRR Thursday NATR #1 – 1 mile | Pre-registration $20
- Thurs. 29th 7pm NYRR Thursday NATR #2 – 600m, 3000m, 1000m | Pre-registration $20
Feb.
- Mon. 16th 9am Armory Youth Championships – All events | Pre-registration $15
- Thurs. 19th 7pm NYRR Thursday NATR #3 – 800m, 5000m | Pre-registration $20
Mar.
- Thurs. 5th 7pm NYRR Thursday NATR #4 – 1 mile | Pre-registration $20
- Sun. 8th 9am USATF-NY Open & Masters Champs – All events | Pre-registration $20
- Tues. 17th 7pm Front Runners Invite – All events, Ages 14 and up | Pre-registration $20
- Sun. 22nd 9am Armory Youth Last Chance – All events | Pre-registration $15
New Testimonial From Greg
"I've been training for over 6months with Sean. I've gotten considerably faster, and truly enjoy Sean's intense workouts. He is pushing me more than I ever would have on my own because I wanted to get faster and in better shape. Sean is a great guy who knows what he is doing, and would gladly recommend him to anyone looking for any level of running training."
New Testimonial From Steve
Getting a public endorsement from one of my runners is the greatest honor I can receive as a coach. Every training session I spend with a runner feels like true privilege - being apart of their running endeavor is always such a meaningful and personal experience. I'm humbled and grateful to be entrusted to share in it with them. Thank you, Steve.
"I've been training with Sean since July 2013. I knew Sean from a time I was coached by him at Urban Athletics back in '08 and had good memories of then so wanted to see what one-on-one coaching might be like.
During that brutal winter last year, Sean and I trained outdoors every single week. Usually 2x a week. Seriously, we didn't miss a week. That's the kind of coach I want. Rain, sleet, snow, freezing temps -- he showed up for me and helped make me a better overall athlete.
I mostly depend on Sean for my speedwork. He keeps me accountable, on track, and informed of the progress I'm making through his solid feedback. This has made a big difference in my running speed and strength.
He's very knowledgable, direct, and to-the-point which is my preference for a coach. I'm not much for chit-chatty coaches and he's not that. I want Sean as a coach, not a friend. Tells it to me like it is. Acknowledges breakthrough workouts. But also tells me when my performance and output stinks.
Highly recommended."
The marathon and xc season's are over
Indoor track is up next along with the Winter road racing season. To see some of my favorite snaps from the Fall, click on the image.
CUNYs on Sunday
This weekend was a day a beach; next is a war.
City Council Member to Present Proposal to Ban Cars from CP
Join me on Thursday, Nov. 6th, to support City Council member and Parks & Recreation Chairmen - Mark Levine, as he presents his proposal to ban cars from Central Park to Community Board 8 residents.
Ice & Compression
110% PlayHarder is a recovery gear company that sells compression wear with space for ice packs. Personally, I find it to be very effective for recovering after hard efforts. Great product.
Carnegie Hills Neighbors Association
Every year we support the Carnegie Hill Neighbors Association as a merchant member. The association preserves, protects, and improves this very special neighborhood on the Upper East Side. Every Fall and Spring, we like to advertise in their semi-annual newsletter. Our way of saying thank you and getting the word out about our running service. Here's the latest ad.
Return to Racing at Grete's Great Gallop
Big Walt keeping me smiling and focused
Grete’s Great Gallop HM is one of the highlight races on the NYRR calendar. Always a large, competitive field due to it’s timing as a set-up race for the NYCM (and a club points scoring race), sizable crowd support - especially thanks to the enthusiastic FRED’S TEAM supporters, post-race treats, and prize money. All of this adds up to an event that has a ‘big race’ feel, befitting its namesake - 9-time NYCM winner: Grete Weitz. 2014 was no different, though some familiar, fast local racers were notably absent from the field.
As this was my first road race back after a 3 year break - mostly due to a series of false starts derailed by injury (mostly attributable to the adjustment of my new running-reality of training a 'mature’ body), I was excited to be back and experience the challenges and strategies of running a competitive road race.
Ladies to left, Men to the right
Before the gun went off, I noticed the NYRR has implemented 2 new classy touches to the start of the race - 1. Men and women with very low bib numbers get some space to breathe in a cordoned off area. 2. They separate the lead men and women runners right down the middle so the two groups don’t get tangled. Nice. Not sure how long they’ve been doing this, but it’s smart.
WSX pack running and dominating
With my 21-minute warm up and 3 strides completed, I positioned right behind the speedy front-runners, feeling ready to go and eagerly awaiting the starting horn. As such is the norm with these races, the first 800m feels like a kind of silly charade where people are jostling and surging then slowing, surging and slowing. It’s always comedy - that is until you have a guy drop right in front of you (wearing strong cologne?) and then slowing down, forcing a quick reaction and awkward change of stride to avoid tripping. Anyway, after that mess was sorted out by the around the first mile marker - 5:58 for me, it was time to get in a groove and enjoy the ride for the first 6 miles.
Unfortunately, for me, that wasn’t so easy to do. For the first 4-5 miles, my legs seemed unsure, slightly weak, and my stomach had that slightly uneasy feeling - the one that is usually accompanied at much faster pace than my current breathing rate would indicate. I tried not to focus on that disconcerting cue, rather instead paying attention to staying relaxed and monitoring my effort/pace. Sandwiched between old teammates and occasional training partners - experienced distance runners: Jim McQuade and Brad Weiss, I felt comforted that the pace was within my current fitness level.
Lead women: finishing first in 1:17:01
Soon enough, on the steep decline around the Harlem Hills, McQuade, with his skilled downhill running dropped Brad and I - within 10 seconds putting 75 meters on us. That would be the last I’d see of ol’ Jimmy. I was telling myself I’d see him again in the last 5k - but only briefly as I passed him - though that would not come to pass. Jim would finish in a fine 1:16:32. On Jim's surge, Brad quietly remarked “that’s a nice move by Jimmy;” in a way that expressed what we both felt - the eye-opening ease with which he moved away - but a complete lack of surprise, as that’s what Jim does.
By mile 5, on the straight near Engineers’ Gate, I started to feel like myself and my stride came easy. Now was when I started to play around with seeing if I could move up without blowing up. I was cautious, though, as I respected the course and my lack of racing sharpness. Looping around the lower part of the park, twice I was cheered on by Big Walt, one of the runners I coach at Hunter College, which kept me loose and focused on having fun and embracing the challenges of racing.
3rd place women's finisher - Kate Palldry of CPTC
So, up the west side for the second time we drudged, I would split a 5:46 mile on the downhill mile right before the Harlem Hills. I was pleased to see it, not worried as I’d done my homework on the hills, and was focused on picking up all the dead bodies that lay ahead of me. I will admit, I was especially looking for some CPTC guys to take down - for the fun of it. Unfortunately, that will have to wait for future races, as per usual: most of them ran smart, gutty races.
All in, shark-mode at Mile 12
Coming out of the Harlem Hills, back on the straight by the Gate, the race was to be over in a blink of eye. There’s 2.1 miles to go now, mostly downhill. It was then when I felt my race instincts (at first unconsciously) kick in and I could feel my turn over quicken. Now I'm motoring, basically not holding back down Cat Hill and around the lower loop, and then up the final turn to the inclined marathon finish. It was that hard, but gratifying feeling of racing that I felt - that I missed, and that was so recognizable and familiar. Racing against yourself, the clock, those in front of you. Within moments, you’re enveloped in that post-race bliss. It's all over.
Obligatory embarrassing race photo - kicking it in to a 1:17:22 finishing time, 40th place overall
Later in the evening, I checked my splits and was pleased to see I averaged 5:39/mile for the last 2.1m of the race. Surely, a good sign as this wasn’t a goal race, but just another stepping stone to the big day on Nov. 2nd. Overall, I averaged 5:55/mile, about 10 seconds faster than I want to run in the marathon.
A producer is looking to cast Track athletes for a commercial
See details below. Pays $1000!
Some favorite running snaps of this summer/fall
Creating challenging/innovative workouts in CP is easy
Inspired, tested, coach-approached.
