Report from David Greenberg of the 40+:
That’s a wrap on 2017, as we put a lock on the silver with our second-place finish at Ted Corbitt. The 15k was a microcosm of the year, as we again put together a fast top three, had a big turnout, set several PRs, had many debuts, ran significantly faster than we ran in 2016…but it wasn’t enough, as Urban simply has some outstanding masters competitors. That was the story all year.
Congratulations to Urban for the win and we’ll see them at Coogan’s come March. Actually, we’ll see them at all the same races next year, since the 2018 club points races will be the same as they were in 2017. Despite our efforts at Club Council to avoid race congestion at the back end of the season.
We have plenty to celebrate.
Let’s start with the seasonal recap then round back to Ted Corbitt.
At the January awards dinner Devon and Tony will award a masters MVP by their judgment. By mine, it’s hard not to point up Brad Kelley. Our own 52-year-old ran eight of the 11 points races and scored in each attempt. He had a tremendous year and we hope he can keep scoring for us as a 53 year old.
The next most frequent scorer was Mohammed Lahseni, who also completed eight points races, scoring four times and winning a free ticket to the awards dinner in January.
The winner of the Daniel Ifcher Cup, named after Daniel Ifcher, who ran all eleven points races in 2016..Is Daniel Ifcher, who ran nine of them in 2017, more than anyone else. Brad and Mohammed ran eight each, and we had a tie for third, between Jim McQuade and Joe Oleary, each of whom ran seven each.
The unofficial points standings should be something like:
Urban Athletics: 144
CPTC: 121
West Side: 104
For me the highlight was winning team champs. It’s a tough race to win. Five score, double points, it’s always hot and humid, and it comes when many are on vacation. Good to win the big one. The big orange pack has been a force of nature as long as I’ve been around.
As for Ted Corbitt, once again we took a major leap up in speed. In 2016 our team time was 2:44:19, while this year we ran 2:41:53. And last year we won. This year we sped up by 2.5 minutes but finished second. It’s a tough town.
Cary Segall led the team with his 53:27/80.89%/3rd 40-44. The race was a 15k PR, even doubling back from the marathon. Actually, Cary has had four straight PRs at 15k, which is amazing when you think about it. This one put him in the record books at #7 all time for the CPTC 40+.
Cary has put a lot of thought into his year so I asked him to give us an idea of how he went from on the shelf to on the podium:
Cary:
As for my 2017, the first half was really absent as I was suffering from plantar fasciitis and going from one doctor to the next as I tried to find a cure. In the end, the best remedy was enough rest and being smart. In looking back, I think the extended down time allowed my body to heal and when I resumed training my legs were fresh.
I was consistently running again in June and was able to reconnect with my morning crew to help get me going. The addition of Greg Cass to the morning group was very helpful as it gave me a faster guy to run with and also had company from two other new faces, Arnaud and Vincent. We had a nice group and really fed off each other.
Personally, my marathon training was very smart and having my son’s rigorous weekend hockey schedule forced me to really plan out my workouts. Many weekends where I could not fit in a LR I adjusted my weekday schedule to include a one hour tempo at 10 mile pace followed by a two hour tempo at MP. I did this three times during the cycle and the course was always the big 6 mile CP loop. These runs gave me a lot of confidence and really raised my VO2 max. In prior years my training was too rigid and just did weekly speed and tempo but the speed was not helpful and the tempos were too short. I noticed a big difference this year in my endurance and recovery.
After the marathon I only needed two days off and then ran easy for two weeks. By week three I was ready for a modified speed workout and then ran a 27:30 for a 5 mile turkey trot.
I made two other big changes this cycle that included one day of leg/core strength training and elimination of “big carbs.” The strength training consisted of one hour and focused on squats, straight leg bent overs for hamstrings/glute/lower back, and Roman chair to focus on lower abdominal. I believe this strength training significantly reduced fatigue from workouts and had minimal soreness after the marathon. On the diet front, I have always been a vegetarian with a small amount of fish. In the past year I eliminated bread, pasta, potatoes, and beans. I was finding that these big carbs weighed me down and contributed to feeling lethargic. Especially as all of my runs/workouts start at 5:00am, those foods were just not being digested from dinner time and caused stomach issues. My diet is very high protein from soy products along with various supplements. I can say that this diet has made me even more lean and light although my weight is still the same around 180. Just an overall better feeling.
I think this is my best analysis and just hope to keep the good times rolling
Peter Brady
Photo: John Tran
Peter Brady was second man, with his 53:29/82.18%/1st 45-49. Not bad for a half miler, but we know he isn’t training for 15k races on rolling terrain. If you see him, wish Peter luck on his indoor campaign.
Third man was Brad Kelley, scoring for the 8th time this year, all of which from the other side of the fence, as a 50+ guy. Not his best race of the year, but considering all the racing Brad does and coming back from the marathon, not too bad to get second in the 50-54.
Incoming co-captain Larry Go ran his second PR in a month, with his 66:40/67.03%/29th 45-49. He ran a PR at four miles in November.
More PRage – David Fanfan (63:05/66.96%/28th 40-44) stopped the clock with a three minute lifetime best, after four attempts.
Sean Fortune donned the orange for the first time since Brooklyn and managed a fifth place in the 40-44 with his 57:16/76.12%.
Mohammed Lahseni
Photo: John Tran
Mohammed Lahseni is a 15k specialist this time of the year – he won his age group at the Pete McCardle at VCP, and then came back for more at Ted Corbitt. 6th in the 45-49.
Duncan Mcverry has had quite a year – fourteen PRs!
Duncan, from a note thanking Tony and Devon:
I’ve wrapped 2017 with a 100% strike rate – 14 PRs this year in 13 races (I PR’d at 18M during the marathon as well as 26.2). Of the goals I set in my application, all have been blown clean out of the water. I ran an AG80+ at the 5th Ave mile, went under 40 at 10k – twice – under 19 at 5k, BQ’d comfortably and I won 2 top-3 age group awards, admittedly against weaker fields, but you can only beat those that you’re up against.
David Greenberg did not set a PR, but his 57:48/79.3%/5th 50-54 did put him at 7th all-time for CPTC 50+. He’ll take it.
Always fun to try a new distance – we had three debutants at 15k:
Joe Oleary (who ran six consecutive points races this year)
Herve Megras
Robert Peszkowsi
Top 10s at Corbitt:
1st 40-44: Peter Brady
2nd 50-54 Brad Kelley
3rd 40-44 Cary Segall
5th 40-44 Sean Fortune
5th 50-54 David Greenberg
6th 45-49 Mohammed Lahseni
7th 40-44 Richard Sullivan
10th 40-44 David Alm
2017 scorers:
8: Brad Kelley
4: Mohammed Lahseni
3: Peter Brady, Jim McQuade, Cary Segall
2: Sean Fortune, Stephen Curtis, Gerry O’Hara
1: David Greenberg, Brian Halusan, Matt DeAngelis, Alexandre Tilmant, Nick Thompson
Daniel Ifcher Cup: Most points races completed
9: Daniel Ifcher
8: Brad Kelley, Mohammed Lahseni
7: Joe Oleary, James McQuade
5: David Greenberg, Larry Go, Gerd Zeibig, David Fanfan
What will happen next year? Will Cary Segall be healthy all year? Will Matt DeAngelis make a comeback? Will newby 40-year-old (and 16:20 5k guy) Jeffry Sarkisian make an impact in his rookie season? Will Brad Kelley be able to score for us another year? Will someone start running 80 miles per week and surprise us all? Just how many more PRs can Duncan Mcverry set? Can anyone do all 11 races? What improvements can new captains Larry and David bring?
I’ll be watching from the other side – good luck to everyone.
See you on the starting line.
David Greenberg
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Report from Chris Donnelly of the 50+:
Frigid racing conditions, a hint of new snow, a tight grouped start racing elbow to elbow with the other side of a fiercely contested – on the road anyway – rivalry. This could just as well describe the Washington Heights 5K as the Ted Corbitt 15K which capped the 2017 club points season. Thus, we end just exactly as it all started, with Urban Athletics taking an individual first place and CPTC New Balance as runner up. The season ends in an utter tie, 138 points apiece.
For this one race, however, we posted a very solid second place. The frenzy of competition rent huge time gaps between the top three teams. UA put up an amazing 2:45:07; CPTC countered with a still formidable 2:52:28, with Brad Kelley, David Greenberg, and Michael Nolan as our scoring team. Third place was a distant 12 more minutes back.
Brad, who tells us only “I tried,” underestimates the depth of his efforts on behalf of the team in 2017, as he led the scoring team in nearly every race. This time out, running 54:57, Brad again took second-place AG behind UA’s Paul Thompson.
Congrats David Greenberg whose 57:48 vaults him to seventh on CPTCs all-time best list for this distance, an achievement all the more notable as David moved well out of his comfort zone onto the long roads. David also took fifth place in the 50-54 AG
David:
This was my first points race in the 50s so I wanted to score and I wanted to get on the top 10 list. Both accomplished, so I am pleased. Because I’ve been training for 5k and below, I settled on a realistic pace and tried to hold it for the full race. I think I finished with dignity, which was satisfying. Thanks to the orange crew that ran from one side of the park to the other, cheering – I needed that. I’m looking forward to a full year of races with you all in 2018.
This isn’t the first time Michael Nolan has stepped up for us big in 2017. And his 59:43 time was good for eighth into 50-54 bracket.
Michael:
I was focused on posting a solid result in the Corbitt 15k because this has been an erratic year of running for me and I wanted a good ending to set me up for a stronger 2018. My training tapered off after the Brooklyn half due to some non-running issues that took priority. I was able to ramp back up in September, ran a decent 5 mile turkey trot in Newport, RI, and felt in good shape for this race. I felt ok through most of the race but was hurting the second time up Cat Hill just before the 8-mile marker. I was happy to come in under an hour and didn’t end up losing too much time in the last two miles. I enjoyed the conditions (nothing wrong with a bit of snow, and the wind wasn’t really a factor), and am finding that this has become one of my favorite races for the year! I’m hoping to be more consistent in 2018 so look forward to another competitive year.
We’re not even done with top 10 finishes, that’s how deep this team is. David Dorsey (59:59) rounds out the top 10 in the 50-54 age group.
Ron Romano grabbed fourth place in the 55-59 age group (1:01:41) to cap an amazing training cycle that included two strong marathons.
Ron (via social media):
Dashing through the ☃️snow, putting a bow on such a fun season! Working with my @centralparktc teammates David Dorsey and Duncan Mcverry helped pull me along to a Masters 50’s PR!
Noel Labat-Comess ran 1:04:05, not only besting by more than five minutes his XC 15K from the prior week but also taking seventh place among men 55-59. It’s great to see Noel back in action after a three year break.
Charles Parchment! the 59-year-old wunderkind chalked up another top 10 finish with his 1:04:52, taking ninth in the 55-59 grouping. This looks to be Charles’ debut in 15K. Watch out, 60+ people, in 2018.
Stephen Menlove closed it out for us. Steve hung back crossing the line at 1:06:36. Even with the peddle decidedly off the metal, Steve still took 12th in the 55-59 bracket.
Great, thrilling season in the books. Thanks to everyone who ran this year. Looking ahead, next year will feature the same races, and Coogan’s is already open (so, sign up now, nudge, nudge). With so many long races looming so late in the year, let’s try to target the ones we want to race early on. Such a deep bench, we can surely manage it.
Can’t wait to see it all come down.
Chris D.
(back on the road in ’18)
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Report from Hank Schiffman of the 60+:
With confusion over what the lay of the land would materialize into at race hour in light of the impending snow storm, running conditions proved to be very good. It was just above freezing with little wind but increasing falling snow as special effects, the surface was wet but not slippery. People would pay money to run in these conditions, in fact we did.
Although our 60+ men went into the race leading the division in points outright, our 3rd place finish in light of the 2 mandatory mulligans reversed the order. We were 10 minutes and 10 seconds behind Brooklyn, and 13 minutes and 11 seconds ahead of the Flyers. Thus Taconic won the day on the field of play and took 1st position for the season. Brooklyn stayed in second position both for their finish today and for the race season. CPTC ends up in 3rd place for the year: amen and hallelujah. The other 60+ men teams were more than a few subway stops behind us. With Alan Ruben as our knight in shining armor, we will again find ourselves on the podium come Club Night. So many others of our group have contributed to make it happen, directly and indirectly.
Alan Ruben
Photo: John Tran
Alan Ruben, 1:04:42, 5th in age group, last year 1:01:06, best Corbitt’s was 2013, 58:53 / 83.63%, is our pirate king. “And it is, it is a glorious thing. To be a Pirate King!“
Hank Schiffman, 1:08:10, 2nd in an age group, last year 1:01:06, best Corbitt’s was 2013, 58:53 / 83.63%, was his first mate:
Aside from suffering numb thumbs for the first 5k and any number of extra clothes, at my current level of training I don’t think I could have run it any faster. The conditions were fine. The road surface, although wet, did not appear to foster perceived slippage. Once again I ran my age in minutes. Thus the only wiggle room to run faster would have been more training miles prior to race day.
Kevin McGuire, second mate and last minute addition to our roster (thank you David Greenberg and Coach Tony for procuring him a bib) 1:15:01, 5th in same age group, last year, 1:14:59, best Corbitt’s was 2014, 1:12:52 / 71%. Kevin has proved a reliable scorer for our team. His commitment to coming in from Nassau County for each race and his consistent, positive attitude has earned him a special place in our hearts.
George Hirsch, 1: 44:24, 1st in age group, did not race this last year, best 2011, 1:19:10 / 79%, cabin boy and deck hand, was our 1st and only alternate. His intention was to jog the race yet he still finished 270th out of 2493 in men age graded place. The next finisher in his age group was a half hour behind him. Being an inspiration to others is one of the last refuges of scoundrels, but George is no such beast. He is the real deal. Like Alan, and others who sit on our 60+ bench, he earned his stripes. In his prime he was a force to be reckoned with. If the seas aren’t as rough as you thought they would be, thank George; he has been out in high seas breaking the waves:
Yes, I kept going thanks to a few walking breaks!
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
In other races:
Jingle Bell 5k:
Alan Ruben 20:27, 1st AG
Fred Lebow 5k Championships:
Alan Ruben 23:30, 2nd AG
Hal Lieberman 28:35, 1st AG
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
A yearly wrap up:
Washington Heights 5k: 4th place.
Scorers: Hank Schiffman, John Kenney and Kevin McGuire.
Backups: Phil Vasquez, Dave Delano and Fred Trilli.
Takeaway: Cold and clear; clearly the coldest race I ever ran.
Healthy Kidney 10k: 3rd place
Scorers: Alan Ruben, Hank Schiffman and Kevin McGuire
Backups: Phil Vasquez, Doug Labar and Bill Allert
Takeaway: Alan Ruben turned 60 and that has made all the difference.
Brooklyn Half: 3rd place
Scorers: Alan Ruben, Hank Schiffman and Dennis O’Donnell
Backups: Phil Vasquez, Rick Shaver, Dan Molloy and Bill Allert
Takeaway: Alan runs sub 90 minutes, Dennis pushed on in spite of injuries to get 3rd place by one minute.
Queens 10k: 3rd place
Scorers: Alan Ruben, Hank Schiffman and Yasuhiro Makoshi
Backups: Kevin McGuire, Phil Vasquez and Rick Shaver
Takeaway: Welcome back Yasuhiro. Kevin had just run the Mendocino Coast 50k.
Team Championships 5 miler: 1st place
Scorers: David Blumel, Hank Schiffman and Yasuhiro Makoshi
Backups: Victor Osayi, Chris Neuhoff, Kevin McGuire, Phil Vasquez, Harry Lichtenstein, George Hirsch and Dave Delano
Takeaway: Alan misses this race in umpteen years but David Blumel blows the field apart in 30:50/ 85%. Victor turns 60. Chris rejoins the old guard.
Percy Sutton 5k: 3rd place
Scorers: Hank Schiffman, Alan Ruben and Kevin McGuire
Backups: Phil Vasquez, Harry Lichtenstein and George Hirsch
Takeaway: Harry and George run 2 in a row. Alan ran from the C corral with son Dan.
5th Avenue Mile: 2nd place
Scorers: David Blumel, Noel Haynes and Alan Ruben
Backups: Victor Osayi, Hank Schiffman, Sam Mann, Chris Neuhoff, Dan Molloy, Hal Lieberman, Norm Goluskin, Harry Lichtenstein, Sid Howard, Dave Delano and Robert Haig
Takeaway: Once again, David comes out swinging. Noel, our 2nd scorer is 71. After many years, Norm runs for the team. Sid continues his streak. 1st time since Hank has run for CPTC that he does not score for team in a team pointer.
Bronx 10 miler: 4th place
Scorers: Alan Ruben, Hank Schiffman and Yasuhiro Makoshi
Backups: Kevin McGuire, Art Palmer, Phil Vasquez and Harry Lichtenstein
Takeaway: Not our day. But Art Palmer begins his post injury comeback. Harry runs in his Bronx.
Staten Island Half: 1st place
Scorers: Alan Ruben, Hank Schiffman and Yasuhiro Makoshi
Backups: Art Palmer, Phil Vasquez and Rick Shaver
Takeaway: Return of heat and humidity resulted in a lesson in humility. Irony was not lost as we still did well with Alan’s abysmal, great running.
NYC Marathon: 1st place
Scorers: Alan Ruben, Yasuhiro Makoshi and Dennis O’Donnell
Backup: Rick Shaver
Takeaway: Rick does 40, Alan runs brilliantly, Yasuhiro continues his comeback. Dennis knocks out another marathon this year.
Corbitt’s 15K: 3rd Place
Scorers: Alan Ruben, Hank Schiffman and Kevin McGuire
Backup: George Hirsch
Takeaway: George was there to catch us. Kevin registers late, but made all the difference.
Scorers for team pointers:
Alan Ruben 9
Hank Schiffman 9
Yasuhiro Makoshi 5
Kevin McGuire 4
David Blumel 2
Dennis O’Donnell 2
Noel Haynes
John Kenney
Number of team pointers raced:
Hank Schiffman 10
Alan Ruben 9
Phil Vasquez 8
Kevin McGuire 6
Yasuhiro Makoshi 5
Harry Lichtenstein 4
Rick Shaver 4
Dave Delano 3
George Hirsch 3
Bill Allert 2
David Blumel 2
Dan Molloy 2
Chris Neuhoff 2
Dennis O’Donnell 2
Victor Osayi 2
Art Palmer 2
Norm Goluskin
Doug Labar
Robert Haig
Noel Haynes
Sid Howard
John Kenney
Hal Lieberman
Sam Mann
Fred Trilli
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Last evening I ran the Coogan’s/Salsa route as warm up for Tony’s track session. Each hill is right where I left it. Inside Fort Tryon Park things get more personal. This is a wonderful thing to do. This morning I registered for the coming race, only 3 months away. May the circle be unbroken.
Captain Hank