Filed under: Inspiration, Marathon, Members, Races | Tags: goal setting, marathon, Races, running, team
The fourth in our Marathon Team Spot check-ins, we talk to the Tuesday Night drill sergeant run leader, Katie Winther!
Q: So unlike most people who knew they were going to be running the Marathon since earlier on in the year, you’ve only had since June to mentally and physically prepare. How do you feel?KW: I’m feeling pretty psyched and appreciate being a procrastinator when it comes to the marathon. I’m not sure how I would manage if I had the marathon on the horizon since before June. Physically, NBR has helped make sure that I had the physical strength and now it’s just working on the mental side of running through a marathon.
Not wanting to let NBR, or myself down. I have a goal and I am determined to try my best to make sure I get to the finish. Plus my mom is flying out to see this so I’d better at least finish.
Q: Do you have any mantras or catch phrases that get you through the long runs?
KW: I had a coach once tell me, “the will to win is worthless, without the will to prepare,” and for some reason that has always stuck in my head whenever I hit a wall. I just think of what’s on the other side and how I’ll get there.
Q: What of your training accomplishments have you been proud of thus far?
KW: Running 20 miles and afterward being alive and able to throw down at Beer Island.
Q: Do you have a favorite running route?
KW: My favorite route starts downtown and goes up the West Side Highway and then around Central Park and then back across the Queensboro to Pulaski to Greenpoint. It’s a favorite of mine because it covers so much of my own NYC history from where I used to live on the UWS to where I currently live now in Greenpoint– and everywhere in between.
Q: What’s your favorite way to refuel after a hard workout?
KW: People’s Pops or really anything cold and delicious.
Q: Have you picked out your “marathon shoes” yet?
KW: New Balance 890s.
Thanks, Katie! We always look forward to your chipper, and yet unrelenting, attitude towards hill repeats– see you out there!
Filed under: Inspiration, Marathon, Members, Races | Tags: goal setting, marathon, Races, running, team
The second in our Marathon Team Spot check-ins, we talk to the smiley and always positive Alex Walsh!
—
Alex (in dark blue) with some of his sources of motivation.
Q: So unlike most people who knew they were going to be running the Marathon since earlier on in the year, you’ve only had since June to mentally and physically prepare. How are you feeling at this point about all of this marathon business?
AW: I feel there is so much built up to the marathon, that I am happy I did not find out about my entry until June. I had been running a lot and had a good base, so if I had not gotten into NYC I would have ran another fall marathon (however I am really happy to be running NYC with/for NBR).
Q: Do you have any mantras or catch phrases that get you through the long runs?
AW: Folk songs like, The Mermaid, “Oh the ocean winds may blow, the stormy seas may roll, bumph pha rump bump bum, but we poor sailors go skipping to the top while the landlubbers like down below, below below,” etc… there are many verses and it can be sung in rounds…
Q: What of your training accomplishments have you been proud of thus far?
AW: I am proud of myself after ever run, and thankful for anyone who accompanied me.
Q: Do you have a favorite running route? Why?
AW: I would usually list the trails around Lake Minnewaska, up near New Paltz, but lately I have been enjoying the company of other runners so I guess I’ll say whatever route the Sunday Funday Runday is taking.
Q: What’s your favorite way to refuel after a hard workout?
AW: Endurox/Accelerade. Healthy eating, stretching, foam roller, yoga.
Q: Have you picked out your “marathon shoes” yet?
AW: Brooks St Racer 5, otherwise known as my clown shoes.
Thanks Alex! Hope you’ve been teaching your Nite Owl and Sunday Funday cohorts the verses to your favorite folk songs so you can all sing together on those long runs!
Filed under: NBR Goings On, Races, volunteering | Tags: fun, goal setting, NYRR, Races, racing, volunteering
Whether you are a member who’s injured, have never come on a run, didn’t get into the NYC Half, or just love muffins… COME VOLUNTEER AND JOIN US AT THE NBR WATER STATION at the NYC Half on the 21st! It’s going to be a blast, mixing up gatorade and screaming for thousands of runners (and a couple dozen of our own) in Central Park on the first Sunday of Spring.
Mary has promised to bring her world-famous PB+J muffins for all of the volunteers but ONLY if we can get at least 25 people!
So far we have about 10.
You DO NOT have to be a runner– so coerce your roommates, significant others, friends who owe you favors, students, and family members to come join us.
This team volunteering opportunity is one of two parts to help us get 2-4 spots for some of our members in THIS YEAR’S NYC Marathon!
Do NOT sign up through NYRR, please sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/nbrvolunteers or email us — I am submitting a list to NYRR.
SIGN UP BY MONDAY 3/15!
NBR <3,
Aja
P.S. Please read full details here
Filed under: Group Runs, NBR Goings On, Races | Tags: fun, goal setting, group run, Races, running
Here’s the plan for where we’re meeting to head up to the Coogan’s 5K this Sunday…
It’s a hike up to Washington Heights, and in order to best compromise not too crazy early of a wake-up call, but still getting to the start
in good time…
Meet on the Bedford L platform by the cop-in-the-box at 7:15am!
The train leaves at 7:20am! Be on it!
We’ll take it and transfer to the A, getting us to 168th St. (a block
away from the Armory) around 8:08am, giving us a few minutes to drop
off bags, do a little warming up, etc. before getting into the corrals
before they close (8:45/8:50).
[If you want to get there a little earlier, I would recommend the
6:50am L train, which will get you up there around 7:50am. ]
Excited for our first club points race of the year! It’s going to be a
blast.
-Aja
FYI: There are still spots open in this race and you can register in
person at NYRR or on race day. Race day registration/number pickup is
at the Armory (@ 168th St.) ends at 8:30am! If you can pick up your
number (or have someone do it for you), etc. before Sunday, it is
highly recommended.
Filed under: NBR Goings On, Workouts | Tags: fun, goal setting, health, injury, running, salon, winter, yoga
By popular demand, we’ve organized a Yoga for Runners Workshop! This is designed to introduce runners to the practice of yoga as an effective supplement to their training and races. Yoga instructor Maya Seidel will guide participants through a sample yoga session, focusing on poses which are specifically useful for runners. Special attention will be given to proper alignment, breath awareness, and balance. Following a period of guided relaxation and brief meditation, the workshop will conclude with a discussion about how to apply yoga to round out a workout.
Maya Seidel is a certified yoga instructor experienced with teaching yoga to children, adults, and seniors. For more information, please visit www.mayayoganyc.com.
This workshop will cost $2 for Greenpoint YMCA members, and $4 for non-YMCA members. We also will be collecting optional instructor tips to give to Maya.
Date: Sunday, February 28, 2010
Time: 1:30pm – 3:00pm
Location: Greenpoint YMCA – 99 Meserole Ave – Brooklyn NY – 11222
Hosted at the Greenpoint YMCA in the SACC room in the basement.
Also, you might want to bring your own mat if you have one.
See you Sunday!
Filed under: History of Running, NBR Goings On, Races | Tags: fun, goal setting, NYRR, Races
Mark Your Calendars – Register Early & Often!
This is the final word on the Club Points races for the year… Make sure you’re always (for any race) registering under “North Brooklyn Runners” as your team! Be sure to mark and/or enter your planned races for the year here:
http://tinyurl.com/lky333
What’s a “Club Points Race”? Scroll down…
Note: The Gridiron 4M is NOT a club points race, but sounds like a fun day all the same!
———
o Coogan’s Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks Run (5K) / Washington Heights / March 7
o Homecoming Scotland Run (10K) / Central Park / April 3
o Healthy Kidney (10K) / Central Park /May 15
o NYRR Mini (10k) / June 12 (WOMEN ONLY)
o NYRR’s Annual Father’s Day Race Against Prostate Cancer (5M) / Central Park /June 20 (MEN ONLY)
o CPC Run for Central Park (4M) / Central Park /July 17
o NYRR Championships (5M) / Central Park /August 7
o Fitness Magazine Mind, Body Spirit Games (4M) / Central Park / September 11 (Separate Starts)
o Norwegian Festival Grete’s Great Gallop (13.1M) / Central Park / October 2
o ING New York City Marathon (26.2) / November 7
o NYRR Joe Kleinerman (10K) / Central Park / December 5
——–
Q: What’s a “Club Points” Race?
A: Through New York Road Runners, NBR is an officially recognized
team, which means when you register for races, you can affiliate with
our team! NYRR designates certain races each year (usually one a
month) that are club points races, meaning, they are specifically
targeted for teams to compete against one another. The better your top
5 men and 5 women do in these races, the more points we can earn. All
the points are totalled at the end of the year to rank the teams. It’s
mostly just for fun, for us anyway! More info on club affiliation and races
Filed under: NBR Goings On | Tags: club points, goal setting, group run, Races, running
And the results are…
NBR Men’s Team ranks 7th!
Out of 26 teams in the Men’s Open B Division! [link]
NBR Women’s Team ranks 12th!
Out of 22 teams in Women’s Open Division! [link]
NOT TOO SHABBY!
Way to go NBR, 2010 is gonna be awesome.
<3, Aja
Filed under: NBR Goings On | Tags: goal setting, meetings, running, volunteering
Hey All!
Sorry it’s taken me awhile to do this, I blame Thanksgivingitis.
The meeting went really well and we had a great turnout and a lot of great ideas and discussion.
There are a lot of awesome things in store for NBR and LOTS of things we could use help with, so please send your ideas, thoughts, or if there’s any help (big or small or teeny) you can offer. Please keep an eye out for the capitalized “NEED” notes.
Thanks!
Aja
——
MINUTES: NBR Town Hall Meeting 11/23
1. NBR Events Now Through the End of the Year
- Races: 12/6 NYRR Joe K. 10K Club Points! Race is Full!
- Member Events: 12/7 – Winter Running Salon @ Anita’s, 12/14 Jack Rabbit Club Night 15% off, 6-8pm – Union Square Location
- Spring Track Meet Meeting: 12/13 @ 7pm
- Socials: 12/20 – NBR Holiday Brunch @ Lidie & Erich’s
2. Educational Member Events
For More Info and/or Ideas, contact Cherie
- On the horizon: Sports Massage Clinic, Intro to Ultras/Adventure Races, Injury Prevention Clinic, Recovery Salon/Discussion, Sports Nutrition
- NEED: local (free) spaces to host events
3. Social Member Events
For more info and/or ideas, contact Lidie
- NEED Chairs for Holiday Brunch – who can bring some?
- NBR Prom: 1/30/10 – Need “Prom Committee” – email Lidie if you’re interested
- NEED: venue, award ideas, DJ
4. NBR Gear
- Next t-shirt order in January.
- Cafe Press Shop up soon
- JP researching winter gear options
- NEED: Someone to co-head NBR “Gear Department” w/Helen
- email Aja with ideas, etc.
5. NBR Group Runs
- Randy will begin a monthly or bi-monthly series of Beginner’s clinics in 2010
- Wednesday night beginner’s run absorbed into Road Run with several pace groups and a shorter run option available
- Possibly doing a beginner’s intro to Speedwork 15 minutes before 7:30pm Thursday workouts with a discussion on what speedwork is and a head start on the workout
- Cherie may lead occasional out-of-city trail runs
- NEED: 1 or 2 people to lead Tuesday 7:15AM road runs – email Sherry
- NEED: Coaches, people interested in helping/co-leading: Marathon Training, Beginner’s Runners Clinics – email Randy
- NEED: Co-leaders for shorter Wednesday PM runs, and longer PM runs at 8-10min/mi pace groups – email Matt
6. 2010 Race Schedule
- NBR’s targeted races for 2010 = All NYRR club points races, Brooklyn Half, and Brooklyn Cup races
- NYC Half moved to March 21, lottery application begins 12/1.
- Use the spreadsheet to let us know what races you’re doing
- We have 5-6 NBRs running Boston, and an ever-growing contingent of marathoners for NJ Marathon in May
- Brooklyn Cup 2010: A new program spearheaded by Sherry in cooperation with the Prospect Park Track Club to get our clubs to run in Brooklyn-based races throughout the year– at the end of the year points will be awarded for club participation and other points for speed– indviduals and clubs get prizes. Trying to get other Brooklyn or large running groups to participate. NEED to gather prizes from local businesses. Email Sherry with any ideas.
7. The McCarren Park Track Classic – 4/24/10
- NBR’s first super-big event! A community event to benefit the Park.
- We’re in the process of gathering sponsors, finalizing our budget, and permit paperwork.
- Next Planning meeting: Sunday, 11/13 – 7pm
- FYI: Marketing Team = Procuring Sponsors, Money, Website, Registration, Advertising; Operations Team = Day-of, Equipment, Set-up/break-down, Marshaling, race organization, etc.
- NEED: LOTS OF HELP! in Marketing/Sponsorship and Operations – email us.
8. Money Money Money
- Opting not to go officially non-profit at this time; NBR will continue to be fee-free
- Received a $500 donation to NBR, Cristina is applying for a $1500 grant
- Putting up a donation button on website by year’s end
9. NBR NEEDS…
Can you do any of these things to help out NBR? Email NBR, unless otherwise noted
- Website manager/synch: regularly update the events pages – Projected time commitment: 10 minutes/week
- NBR Gear Department Co-Head – Projected time commitment: 1-2 hours a week, when we have shirts in
- Track Meet Sponsorship Team and Operations Team - Projected time commitment: 2-3 hours/week, or less depending on your preferences
- NBR Prom Committee – Email Lidie
- Bloggers: Write blogs on the .org site! Anyone can do this! Email for the login info.
- Twitter Brigade: We need more people to Twitter on NBR’s acct.! Anyone can do this! Email for the login info.
- Google Calendar Manager: add any NBR events posted on FB or Google Group to our Google Calendar – Projected time commitment: 10 minutes/wk. Email for the login info.
- Graphic Designers: support for track meet, ongoing projects
- Flyer Brigade: Flyering on a regular (monthly) basis – Projected time commitment: 1 hour/month
- Ideas for spaces to have events: clinics, meetings, salons, etc.
10. Group Volunteering Initiative
In keeping with NBR as a group who is making a positive difference in our community, in 2010 NBR will have bi-monthly volunteering opportunities partnering with and/or to benefit: Northside Town Hall, Open Space Alliance, NB Compost Project, park cleanups, Greenpoint Soup Kitchen, etc. Ideas welcomed!
11. Website
- The new website is generally well-liked and Google Group well used.
- Working on expanding run descriptions with pace info, etc.
- Adding glossary of common running terms and what different workouts benefit/do
- NEED: someone to create said glossary
- Change name of “Speed Work” to “Track Work”?
- Possibly adding a simple calculator to determine pacing for workouts.
Filed under: Thirty by Thirty | Tags: goal setting, marathon, New Jersey Marathon, Nike Women's Marathon, Philadelphia Marathon, Rochester Marathon
A few months ago, in the tradition of the type-A persona that us runners tend to be, I decided that I needed a running goal. Earlier that week, I had decided to run my first marathon upon the urging of a few runner friends. But, that day (ironically, in the shower after a particularly long run) I thought “A lot of people run marathons — how am I any different?”. So I thought I would try to trump myself. Create a goal so lofty, yet still possible, that I would seriously have to push myself extremely hard to achieve it…
I am going to run 30 marathons by the time I turn 30.
Keep in mind, when I set this goal, I hadn’t even run one marathon. Ever. I’d run two half marathons, a 10k, and a 5k. That’s it. I hadn’t ever logged a distance longer than 13.1 miles at one time. But in the shower that morning, I decided that I could push myself to race 26.2 miles 30 times in the next 6.5 years. That averages 5 marathons a year. Some people do one marathon in their lifetime and I’m trying to do 5 a year for the next SIX years.
I did set some rules for this, so that I can stay motivated and so that in six years, I can say that I did what I set out to do. So here they are:
1. I must complete 30 marathons by the time I am 30 years old. Should I walk, run, crawl, crutch to the finish line, I must finish.
2. I will run the 30th marathon on my 30th birthday: May 30th, 2015 (which happens to be a Saturday and I’m pretty sure, a sign from the running gods that this is something that I am meant to do).
3. If I complete an Ironman, the marathon run at the end of the Ironman can count (hey, 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles, no matter how you slice and dice. But seriously, if I have time to train for one of those while also completing 4 marathons in that year then I’m out of my mind).
So thirty by thirty is my new goal. So far I’ve completed one (New Jersey) and am signed up for two more in the fall (Rochester on September 13 and Nike Women in San Francisco on October 18th…I’m also contemplating Philly on November 22 but we’ll see how the first two go). I hope in 6 years I’ll be able to write a blog entry that says I am out of my mind, but I completed my 30th marathon.
1 down, 29 to go.
Lauren 
