Hi everybody. For the next few Fridays I thought it would be cool to post some inspiration in the form of youtube videos. Email me if you have a favorite video that you would like to see posted. Anything goes – historic moments in the sport, or just running related inspiration.
Anyway, here’s the first installment – I was reminded of it on the second 800 in last night’s pyramid workout. It’s the 800m final from the 1972 Olympics. The American entry is Dave Wottle. He was nicknamed Wottle the Throttle – here’s why…
The lesson here is clear – running fast starts with looking awesome so accessorize people! Oh yeah and pacing yourself and running your own race too. If you liked that, check out the current top American half miler Nick Symmonds – he has a similar style – minus the hat.
-Matt
This morning, I got up very early to do an easy run. I headed out my door at 4:45 a.m. on a Saturday, in good spirits (though a little tired). Because it was a Saturday morning, people were still coming home from the night before…
I passed a large group of drunk guys in the park, “You are running girl? We ain’t been home yet! You’re amazing!” I laughed, pushing forward.
A guy stared at me. “Did you get up early or are going to bed really late?” “Early,” I told him. “No going out – I have a marathon on Monday.”
A couple making out in front of a recently-closed bar paused to stare at me. They began talking about whose house they should go to – if they indeed should go home with each other this very first night. I ran past.
People stumbled down the street, towards their homes, out of bodegas, laughing at things that aren’t funny to anyone else.
“Running, now?”
Yes, and many other times.
–Cherie
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Hi all,
Don’t forget – stop by JackRabbit between 6 and 8pm tonight to get:
15% off all items
10% off all electronics
(Sorry this discount is not on top of other discounts)
Mention “NBR” at the register when you’re paying!
JackRabbit is located:
42 West 14th St (between 5th and 6th Aves)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 727-2980
How exciting! Get some delicious gels, a new sports bra, speed suit, sneakers or one of those sexy fanny packs!
Show off your good at your next NBR run and make your teammates drool…
–Cherie
Running the NYC Half? Meet up with your NBR buddies on the Bedford L tomorrow morning! Good luck to everyone running! A crew of 30+ NBR friends and volunteers will be cheering you on at the water station right around Mile 3!
NBR <3, Aja
——–
Remember: Baggage closes at 7am (and they are very particular about this at this race) Corrals close at 7am (or very shortly there after… they are also very particular about this)
…Start Entry Points & Baggage Info below…
Option 1 (Strongly Suggested) – Meet at 5:45am
5:52am – L Train to Union Square
6:19am – 6 train transfer
6:33am – arrive at 96th street
Option 2 (Not recommended, you’ll be in a rush) – Meet at 6:05am
6:12am – Bedford L train departs – get off at Union Square
6:33am – 6 train transfer
6:49am – arrive at 96th street (add a couple of minutes if you decide to get off at 103rd)
BTW, I did check, and it doesn’t seem you’ll save any time if you take an express train, so… just suck it up, it’s an early morning.
——–
The Start
NYRR recommends the following entry points:
* Runners with race numbers between 1-6,999 to enter the park at 5th Avenue and 97th Street
* Runners with race numbers between 7,000-15,999 to enter the park at 5th Avenue and 102nd Street Transverse [Course]
Baggage Facilities
All runners wishing to check their baggage should go to Fifth Avenue between 97th and 102nd Streets, where all the UPS baggage trucks will be located. The lowest bib numbers will be closest to 97th St. and will work their way up. You MUST use the goody bag provided by NYRR as your race-day checked bag. No other bags will be accepted. A baggage sticker that indicates your baggage zone will be included in your race packet. Affix your sticker to the outside of your goody bag. Baggage will open at 6:00 a.m. and closes promptly at 7:00 a.m. Baggage can be reclaimed at the Finish Area on River Terrace between Warren and Murray Sts. All finisher baggage must be claimed before 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. All unclaimed baggage will be transported NYRR Office at 9 E. 89th Street, where it can be claimed for one week. After one week, all baggage will be donated to charity.
Hey Everyone!
First off, thanks so much for your commitment to our Team Volunteering
efforts at the Half this Sunday– we have a great group! It’s an early morning, but our station is right after the 3 mile mark, so we’ll be done by probably 8:30/9am. Feel free to rock your NBR shirts for some
team spirit!
And advanced thanks to Mary and her famed PB+J muffins, without which, I’m sure we would have a much lower turnout.
Okay y’all, brace yourselves…
Sunday Morning Meet-Up Options
OPTION 1 – Meet at the Bedford L
For the majority of us coming from Williamsburg/Greenpoint, we will
meet on the Bedford L platform, at the usual spot, by the cop-in-a-box
at… 4:05am. Specifically, the train leaves at 4:12am, according to MTA’s
TripPlanner.
This will get us our transfer to the A and up to 86th street at 4:46am, which gives us time to find our spot inside the park.
OPTION 2 – Meet in Central Park
If you are coming from elsewhere or have different travel arrangements, please note that our call time is 5:00AM! We are at
Fluid Station #3 – West Drive @ 86th
If we’re not yet there, please note that the the Fluid Station Manager is Louise Kim.
It’s not too late to invite other friends/family, etc. along to volunteer. We could use 2 more to get us into the next bracket. Just let me know, or just show up with them!
NBR <3!
Aja
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Even if you are not attending…
the last day to VOTE for End of Year Awards is this Friday, 1/22!!!
MUSIC: Send in your music requests to Todd ASAP!
RSVP NOW by 1/22: We are nearing capacity so may not be able to guarantee entry at the door!
Catch Lidie at Thursday night speedwork, email nbrsocial@yahoo.com, and/or order your tickets online.
VOTE by 1/22: Send in your answers to nbrsocial@yahoo.com – The winners will be announced at the Formal!
Voting Categories:
1) most team spirit
2) looks best in tights (Male)
3) looks best in tights (female)
4) club clown (the funny guy/gal)
5) sexiest twins
6) team leader(s) – nominate up to three
7) most likely to be spotted doing the walk of shame while you are out on your morning run
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Hey All, 
We’re having a quick track meet meeting on Sunday night (DEC 12) at 7PM at Urban Rustic. You should come if you’re interested in going to local businesses and community organizations for sponsorship. We’ll review our special events permit and distribute materials for sponsors including our sharp new business cards (thanks Christine!). Hope to see you then,
Matt
PS, sorry if I told you 7:30 previously, we changed it. Thanks!
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For those of you doing the Grete’s Gallop Club Points 13.1M race on Saturday (and there’s still time to register, it’s not full!) …
Time: 7:30 AM – we’ll take the first train that swings by, so be prompt!
Meet: Bedford L Platform, by the Cop-in-a-Box
Race Time: 9:00 AM
And click for all the race info
Bring: An umbrella/poncho/small towel
(So hey, we might get wet, who’s afraid of a little water? It will be 70 degrees, though, and that is exciting!)
YAY NBR!
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A few posts back, Owen was talking about runners “who have found an efficiency that makes gazelles look clu
msy.” Several of those runners will be here in NY this weekend for the 5th Ave Mile, including my favorite to watch – Bernard Lagat.
In music, the term legato means to move smoothly from one note to the next without a break in between. This is the way Lagat runs – smoothly, from one stride to the next with every ounce of his energy being used for forward propulsion. If you’re going to be at the race this weekend, you won’t be disappointed if you stick around to watch the stacked men’s and women’s professional races. Here’s last year’s race to get you excited.
Oh – and Lagat has a killer kick face so try to position yourself in the last couple blocks.
Good luck to all those running!
-Matt
For three hours I stood against a wall watching a woman have two centimeters of three surfaces (distal femur, proximal tibia, dorsal patella) of both her knees cut off and replaced with steel platforms, screwed into the sawed bone, on which plastic surfaces were attached to stand in for articular cartilage. If that sentence was hard to read, imagine what it was like to watch the operation wondering whether running was leading me to that surgery or protecting me from it with every day I ran. I was able to watch the surgery because I work in a lab doing biomedical research aimed at finding novel therapies for osteoarthritis. The news now being reported on the disease is that if you live long enough, you’ll get it. It’s apparently part of the process of living. But I’m not writing about osteoarthritis right now (if you’re interested in more on the subject, I’d be happy to address it, but I don’t want to be too dull for the rest of you right now). I’m interested in how we can damage our knees least as runners (and how the sport protects them). I think form is pretty important here.
There is a lot of research on this and a lot of conjecture on how to run most effectively. A very interesting article can be found on the Pose Method of running here.
There are also people trying to make money from changing our style of running: see Newton Running
Then again, I love Newtons, so perhaps you can see Newton as a company that is trying to take care of us. What I know is that there are runners out there who run as if there is no such thing as gravity, who have found an efficiency that makes gazelles look clumsy. And what I believe is that if I – or anyone for that matter – learn from them by watching them run, fewer people will end up on that operating table, forever after with steel and plastic to keep them walking and no longer able to run. You can see one of the people who makes me smile most when I watch him run here (Kenenisa Bekele).
And here’s Tirunesh Dibaba (the baby-faced destroyer), who improves my life just as much.
And with that… go out and heal your knees with a good run. I’ll explain the mechanics of why running is important for your knees later, but please go out there now and enjoy. Seriously. It’s important.
~ Owen
