The Joe Nation 2007 NYC Marathon Log

Not in this side of the continent.
The coldest weather I've run in is about 37F in our dry winter. The warmest may have been in the low 70s. Our rainy season echoes the baseball season, and the heat subsides.

Good luck on the half marathon.

(And yes, it's never flat enough).

I'm sure you are right. This New York/New England weather is a crapshoot .

When I lived in Oklahoma my best friend and biking buddy, Jim (r.i.p.) used to joke that you could announce the following forecast for any day of the year in Tulsa:

Partly Cloudy to Mostly Sunny with temperatures in the low 70's and winds out of the South at 5-7 mph.

and you would be right at least 90 percent of the time.

Here in New York, if the forecasters get it right three days out of five they get themselves a big high five. I want that job. What other work lets you be wrong more than half the time and still show up on Monday?

Note: even in Oklahoma there are no flat places. I've been on farm road that looked flat but that you had to pedal the whole section line because there was just enough grade to prevent you from coasting. Of course, if you turned around and rode the other way the wind would be in your face and slow you down even more.

Joe(It's a two hour train ride to Brooklyn)Nation

FBAEZER was kind enough to send me the weather report from Mexico City. It's as bland and temperate as the mind of an associate CPA. Stick your hand out the window and it's the same as it was yesterday. Hmmmm.

It was supposed to make me jealous. It did a little. (yes, fbaezer is a bastid for sending me such information but let's leave that for later.)

Tomorrow, if we are lucky, the skies will be cloudy all day with middling winds. Sunday's forecast is for , I kid you not, the arrival of a NorEast'r!!! Windy, cold, RAIN slanting into your face!!!! How could a person not love such wild swings??? What are the chances that if will arrive just as I hit the ten mile mark? (None, but whatever, the thrill of possibility is there.)

Besides no weather looks good unless it is falling on something that looks like this:


Joe(I always carry a cramtogether rainjacket)Nation

Best of luck in the Half-Marathon!








...and happy sixtieth, youngster...

It's 4:05 AM. I don't know about your family but my mine has a long history of surprising people on or near their birthday.

My 'birthday present', which my wife told I might need to use the drill to assemble, is sleeping on the sofa. Yup, I spent most of yesterday morning clearing a space in the living room for what I thought was going to be a new office chair and when the door buzzer sounded I pressed the Open Door button and braced the apartment door open for the delivery.

My son Ben, all the way from Dallas, walked out of the elevator.


Life is good.
I'm off to the race in about thirty minutes, results today by five.

It's a good day.


Joe(My eyebrows are still arched in surprise)Nation

Happy Birthday, Joe! What a great present.

Hope you do well in the race.

Joe ought to be in Prospect Park by now with three quarters of the race
behind him. Go, Joe, go!

Clear and Cold on Coney Island
About 5000 intrepid runners (if you look up intrepid in the Runner's Glossary it means 'cold'.) gathered near the Cyclone Roller Coaster to start the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I'm sure it sounds romantic to say that the first three miles of this race will be up and down the Coney Island Boardwalk but when you are actually trying to run the race it occurs to you and everyone else with you --- Dude, this is a frigging boardwalk!! -- .
There were loose boards and boards sticking up and boards that shimmied like your sister Kate. I was very glad to get off that thing.

The next six miles was uphill to the park. The thought came to me as I passed the six mile point.,,,, If you start at a beach no matter where you go from there, it's uphill. Of course, the wind was in our face so we didn't really notice the hills until we got to Prospect Park.

The four mile loop in the park was really fun. No, really. People were laughing and having a good time, really enjoying a beautiful Spring day.

Oh, I tried Gels for the first time and I have to say that really helped. One at 45:00 minutes in and one at 1:30:00, very easy on the swallow and a noticeable boost in energy about ten minutes later.

2:17:58

I'm taking everyone out to lunch now.

Joe(please pass the bagels)Nation

Nice one, Joe!
Here, have another bagel.

I'm taking this as a challenge.

About nine miles in my phone rang (yes. I carry my phone which took the picture above AND I wanted to call my wife when I was finished.)(I also have my Zen musicplayer)( I also carry a little shoulder wallet with my ID and some money and my metrocard. I figure if they steal my baggage bag all they get is my dry sweatshirt.)I look like the frigging techo-creep I am with things strapped onto both shoulders and my waist.)>>>>>

Anyway, I answered it.

It was my sister, just returned from China, wishing me a Happy Birthday.
She wanted to know if I was taking the day off. I told her (puff puff puff) that at that particular moment I was 15K into a 13 mile race (huff huff huff) and could I call her back?

So later ,we had lunch at French Roast on Broadway, lovely 'aumberger fromage and Cabernet.

Then we head down to Cafe Lalo, you know, the place in "You've got Mail" for some dessert
( I call my sister and ask her how the trip to China was and then tell her that if I hadn't answered her call I might have set a new personal record. (It's not true, but never let an opportunity to guilt trip one of your sisters go by.)


Anyway, this has been a lovely day.
They sang Happy Birthday to me.
It's nice having strangers sing to you.

Joe and his kiddo Ben( Nation

Does that Joe guy look sixty??

Hell no! I had some a dream about you recently, Joe. I don't remember the particulars, but it had something to do with taking photographs. We lived in the same apartment building and you always passed by (I lived on the first floor) dressed all in black with a long black trench coat, camera in hand. You're very lucky that you were in a separate dream from the boiled goose used instead of a clutch purse dream that I had yesterday. That one was weird.

That guy Ben next to you..is he very married?

The real reason you didn't set a new personal record is that you had
Mission Control strapped to various parts of your anatomy!!!


I don't even like to run with a key in my pocket.

Hope you like chocolate, Joe.



Glad you had a great celebration. Sounds like fun.

I'm singing you happy birthday. Be glad I'm not using audio.

You don't look a day older than me.

That guy Joe looks to be moving on to, oh, 48?? And that guy Ben, who's adorable, looks like that guy Joe. Wonderful light filled day.







The real goose clutch purse... even Bjork can't beat that...

A lovely day indeed, Joe. Thanks for telling us about it.

Dag
A dream about me in a black trench coat taking pictures is only off by the color of the trenchcoat.

Ben is not married. He is a drummer with a rock and roll band.

PM for his myspace.


But here in the city you have to pack everything with you as if you are going on an all day hike.



Thanks for the cake, Roberta. When I run another 13, I can have a piece.

Joe(goodnight)Nation

What a great day! you and kiddo look fiiiiiiiine.

May this be the beginning of another fabulous decade or three.

~thud~

PM-ed.

Great time, Joe. Could've been even better were it not for that nagging sister of yours.
And it was uphill, too!

HBD