Wecker is the happiest guy you could ever meet. If you want to see some great pics, check out his blog.
Mike ran the NYC Marathon with the intention of having fun, taking pictures and totally taking in the day.
I've always wanted to do that, but it just never happens because my competitiveness takes over.
Wecker, you da man.
What an amazing time in NY. This really was the perfect trip to Manhattan. I was able to combine work, family vacation, personal time and a marathon into one trip. I am totally recharged and inspired on all counts. New York just gets me fired up; more than any other city I've visited.
I am headed to Atlanta for a business summit my company is hosting and will return to Dallas Thursday night.
I had time today to visit the local triathlon store, SBR Multi Sports. An excellent store just South of Central Park. Lots of high end gear...Look, Cervelo, Assos, Scott, etc. Man, do I have my eye on a Look and Cervelo P3...
I also got to see Brenda, a family friend who works in the city, which was a total blast.
With the NYC Marathon behind me, IMCDA is next up for my long term goal. My short term goal is swim technique training before the end of the year and increase my mileage on the bike.
But before saying goodbye to New York completely, here's a the links from my visit.
Day One (pics)
Day Two (pics)
Day Three (pics)
Day Four (pics)
Day Five (pics) - Marathon!
Day Six (pics)
Day Seven pictures
The soreness continues! Today was the day that the family headed back to Dallas. We had until lunchtime for some more sights, so we headed out around 8am.
We went to Rockefeller Center to see The Today Show. What a blast! We worked our way to the railing and got to see the outside set in full action. We did make TV coverage after Al did his weather and after 2 confirming phone calls and a TiVo recording, the Storch family made television history (or at least in our kids minds!).
Next stop was the Staten Island Ferry. We didn't have enough time for a Statue of Liberty Tour, so we got as close as we could with a ride to Staten Island and back. This was a total blast and the free ride on the ferry was a nice touch as well.
Then we headed back for a long subway ride to the hotel. The last subway ride with the kiddos was bitter sweet for sure.
We finished the packing and took a car to LGA. I walked the family to security and gave last hugs and kisses before they went home. I have one more night in the city before I head to Atlanta on Tuesday for a work conference.
I came back to the city for an hour massage that was painfully good. I found a Tower Records that was going out of business and bought a few CD's at 50% off (yes, my music tastes are all over the place!).
I stopped in a local sushi place on 56th and 8th and had a great dinner before heading back to the hotel room.
I have some work and a business lunch tomorrow then catch a flight to Atlanta for a few days.
What a blast. I'll be back for sure.
|
|
|
|
|
Dear K Todd Storch, You did it! Congratulations! You crossed the most famous
finish line in the world a winner. You were one of 38,368 people from more
than 100 countries who tested their endurance and spirit on the streets of New York – and triumphed. Each of you was an important part of the largest marathon ever
staged. Here are your unofficial results: Finish time: 3:24:48 Savor your victory. Enjoy your accomplishment, rest up, and
then get back on the roads for more! In awe of you,
Mary Wittenberg New York Road Runners ABOUT THIS E-MAIL Copyright (c)2006 New York Road Runners Club, Inc., 9 East 89th Street, New York, NY 10128 |
|
|
The day is here! I set 3 alarms on my mobile phone and had a 4am wake up call. Of course, I woke up at 330a.
Got dressed and headed to the NY Public Library where the buses were awaiting thousands of runners. I took a cab at 4am and was surprised to see so many people out and about. Mostly, people were headed home, but there were a few runners on their way to the station as well.
There must of been a hundred buses waiting at the library. They started rolling at 430a and I was on the very first bus that left (yes!). It took about 40 minutes to get to the start.
The starting point was extremely organized; tons of signs to get runners either to the Blue (mine), Orange or Green corrals. I went to a tent in the Blue area and found a cold piece of asphalt to take a nap. There were only 2 other people in the tent when I showed up, but when I woke up around 530a, the place was packed. I was next to a couple of great guys, Jim and Mark, and we shared some running/triathlon stories.
If there was a port-a-pottie shortage in the city this day, it is because thousands of them were at the race start. Even close to race time, there was only about a 3 minute wait.
I dropped my race bag in truck #64 at 915a and headed to the corral. I met up with the 3:30 pace group and met some other guys ready to run (where were all the women?).
As the Jersey Boys sang the National Anthem, all the extra clothes from the runners started to fly. I bet there were thousands of pounds of jackets, long sleeve shirts, gloves, hats and sweat pants at the start line. Some charity really made out.
Once the canon fired, I timed that we were 2 1/2 minutes behind the start clock. This would go into the mental bank for later in the race. As I crossed the start line, I hit the Garmin start and the race was on...or at least the shuffle for position was on.
The first 3 miles or so were slow due to the crowds and crossing over the bridge.
Miles 3 thru 8 were at a good pace. I left the 3:30 group because it was too crowded and I wanted to find my own pace. My ultimate plan for the day was to leave everything I had on the course and break 3:30. My true goal was to hit 3:25, but anything under 3:30 would be a win for me as it would be a PR.
I kept an eye on my pace and I think it was around mile 10 when I had my average pace down to 7:30. It was about now that I started the "Boston math" in my head. I needed to average 7:26 to hit my Boston qualifying time of 3:15. I never believed 3:15 was possible for me on this course, but when you are feeling good with perfect weather, anything starts to feel possible.
I had to jockey for position through mile 16 or so. There were always people ahead of you and used every bit of the road/median possible to keep my stride. There were water and Gatorade stations every mile after mile 3 and I took in 2 cups of water and one cup of Gatorade at every station. I never stopped but had to time the stations correctly not to slam into those that decided to stop way too short (take your drinks and get out of the way!). I kept to my nutrition plan of a GU every 5 miles (Clif Shot Cola).
The miles were really clicking by fast until about mile 22. Then the mental game was on. I started to get tight in my hips and I knew that my 7 minute miles were done with. I began to listen to the pre-programmed songs in my head (Metallica, KoRn, Lamb of God...my "get mad and run" music).
Each mile had its own goal: run this mile no slower than 8; run this mile at an 8:15; run 10 more blocks at an 8 minute pace...
Crossing the East River into Harlem made it seem like the race was getting close to finishing. The problem is seeing the street signs. Knowing that we make a right turn at Central Park, or 59th Street, doesn't sound good when you are on 125th Street. I made a decision to never look at the street signs again because I didn't want to count them down. Too painful.
I really tried to feed off the massive crowds on 5th Avenue, but I truly went into a zone. Mile 22 to mile 25 were a blur. With 1.2 miles to go, I knew that I had 3:30 in the bag and it became a race to break 3:25. I knew it would be close, but felt like I could do it. Once you make the right turn into Central Park and see the "800 Yards To Go" signs, the slight incline begins. Ugh. Run, run faster!
The crowds were amazing at the end. It really felt like the entire NYC population was there for the last 1000 yards. I must of heard my name yelled 50 times coming towards the finish line (thank you Dan Banse for the reminder!). I crossed the line and I noted the close said 3:27:something. I knew I broke 3:25 due to the time 2:30 gap at the start line. Nice. The official time came in at 3:24:48.
I got my finishers medal, the after race blanket and then limped for 15 minutes to truck #64 to get my race bag. After changing clothes, I headed to the "S" section to meet Tara, Taylor and Ryan. Seeing my family with a Finishers shirt they bought was fantastic.
I got a number of text messages and phone calls from friends following me back home and that was really special.
This marathon is everything and more from what you hear. The crowds, the history, the course...it is an instant favorite.
I couldn't of had this race without my family and friends. Thank you for the support. Tara, Taylor, Ryan, Peyton; without your love and support, my addiction wouldn't be possible.
To my training partners that fuel me, huge kudos. Matt S., Curt L. and Todd L. especially. Thanks for helping me push and leave it out there. My ave. HR was 175. My LT level is 176, so I would say that I hit the mark pretty well.
I'm sure I'll be back for another NYC Marathon. 2007? Why not?! Peyton needs to see the city too!
Day 5 pics and full Marathon trip pics here.
Today was full family day in the city. Of course, walking the streets of Manhattan isn't the best pre-race preparation, but this was the day to show off the city to the kids!
We went all over this town! After taking the train into the city from Brewster, we dropped the families bags at the hotel. Then, it was off to the NBC Studios for a tour. Tara and Taylor volunteered and got to be the studio newscaster and weather girl!
Another highlight for me was getting to see the Saturday Night Live studio. It was much smaller that it appears on TV, but that's what she said...or he said (sorry, The Office reference...hello? Curt? Anybody?!).
Checked out Rockefeller Center and then lunch at Ellen's Stardust Diner. Great singing waitresses and way too expensive blah food. Kids were happy and that's all that mattered.
Next stop was the Empire State Building. Took a cab so the kiddos could experience the wild ride. We made it to the top after about an hour wait. Wow, they have really mastered the up-sale since the last time I was here. Stand in line for pics, stand in line for audio tour tapes, stand in line for additional pics; $10 bucks here; $14 bucks there...
Next stop; Ground Zero. We wanted to see the WTC Memorial. Took the subway downtown and spent quite a bit of time here. A very powerful scene. We had some great conversation with Taylor and Ryan about 9/11. They have been asking a lot of questions about the Twin Towers and seeing all the photographs and names of the "Heros of 9/11" on site, made for some good discussions about helping people.
We didn't have time to see the Statue of Liberty, so we headed up to Little Italy for an early dinner. Tara and my favorite restaurant, Luna, had closed down, so we went to a joint called Puglia. It was perfect. Pizza, manacotti, cheese sticks, you name it, we probably ordered it.
Roamed around Chinatown and Little Italy a bit, got some Gelato for the kids and headed back towards the hotel. I had an early morning ahead of me, so we called it a night.
I packed my marathon clothes and made sure I had all I needed for the 4am wake up call...
Day 4 pictures or see all the NYC Marathon pics here.
Today is the day that Tara, Taylor and Ryan fly into Hartford, CT. Our good friends Katie and Don moved from Coppell about a year and a half ago and we wanted to see them and their new baby.
I started the day by heading down to the CBS studio to potentially see Lance Armstrong. He was going to be on The Early Show, so I figured, why not? I got down to the studio around 730a and it was cold and windy. I met some great people that worked at ING and also their advertising agency. I got to meet the Account Executive for ING and also the Account Supervisor for New Balance.
Lance wasn't going to be on the show until almost 9a, so I bagged it after 45 minutes or so to head to Grand Central Station. I wanted to catch the 1048a train to Brewster, NY where Don was picking me up to see the family.
After taking the hour plus train ride to Brewster, we got to hang out with Katie and Don. What a cool house they have in Southbury, CT! It really reminded me of St. Louis with all the trees and the land.
Connecting with the family was great. Taylor and Ryan were so excited about heading into the city the next day and Tara and I were really looking forward to showing them Manhattan.
Got to bed at a decent hour since we had a busy day ahead of us.
See all the Day 3 pics or all the Marathon pics.
The day started when I woke up at 715a. No alarm clock set!
Looked outside and it was windy and had been raining earlier. I put on the running clothes and walked 5 blocks North to Central Park. My Garmin never synced up with the satellite network and I was really cold, so I started running.
About 5 or 10 minutes later, it had found the satellites, so at least I could officially "claim" a run (you motionbased.com users understand...).
I got in a 4+ mile run (link) or so through the park and down 5th Avenue. Weather was in the 40's and just perfect.
After the run, it was time to get ready for the Expo. Caught a subway to Penn Station and then walked over to the Jarvis Center. The Expo was the Mother of All Expos. Huge area with tons of signage to make it easy to navigate.
Tons of interactive booths. Nike, Mizuno, PowerBar, Asics, Garmin, Blackberry, Craft, Addidas, New Balance, LiveStrong, Gatorade, ING Bank, etc.
The goody bag was ok. I'd give it a 6 out of 10. Best part is the dry fit, long sleeve shirt. Of course, the race number is very cool and there is a custom Champion Chip. If you don't give it back, they charge you $20, but it would be pretty cool in a case after the race.
I took a break after lunch and hung out at the Times Square Marriott. I had to get off my feet and relax. Definitely don't want to over do it before the race and Saturday we will be showing the city to Taylor and Ryan.
I have dinner with a friend and former co-worker tonight who is now working in radio here in NY, so that will be a good time.
Check out the Day 2 pictures or all the pics so far.
More later!
I caught a 640a flight this morning and made it to NY around 1145a. I had some meetings in the city this afternoon and then dinner with a coworker.
Got checked into the hotel and made my way to a favorite Jazz club, Birdland. I haven't been to the club in probably 12 years and it was every bit as good as I remembered.
Chilled out with the Dave Holland Quintet and loved every minute of it. I could hang out in a Jazz club every night and be perfectly content.
Anyway, I'll get in an easy run in Central Park in the morning and head to the Expo.
Mmmmmm...Expo!
Flickr pictures here
Zen and the Art of Triathlon – 8/25/05/05
Podcast Expo, BCP – 11/14/05
Guest on Podcast Bros. – 6/3/05
Podcast #3 - 5/27/05
How to Create a Podcast My EnduranceRadio Interview
My First Podcast
Talking Portraits Podcast - 5/1/05
