Yasuke Hosokawa
All win streaks must come to an end and ours did at the Queens 10K. We had another strong lineup but were bested by the West Side Runners on this day. However, our strong 2nd place finish keeps us at the top of the standings.
Our scorers:
- Mark Senter
- Jay Sullivan
- Eduardo Ribeiro Ferreira
Mark Senter
Newly minted 40 year old and scoring in his second ever race as a master, Mark had this to say about his race:
Pleased with how this went given I was coming from 4 months out with a hamstring tendon injury and very little speed work. That 4 months also coincided with my move into masters 🙂 I raced the course last year and this year the weather was much more cooperative, the course however remains tough with so many turns. The start felt overly crowded with lots of grass running and curb jumping the first K. We ran nicely as team the first 5k and then I ran the latter half with the 5th place woman. Pleased I managed to keep consistent low 5.40s throughout. Onwards to the Bronx 10 and then Chicago Marathon. Annoyed to miss the team champs due to work plans! Happy to be part of the masters team and hope I can continue to contribute!
Jay who was our second scorer and has scored for the team in all four races this year, had this to share:
This was my first time racing the Queens 10K. I did not really know what to expect as it was also the first real summer race of the year. The race started out as planned and I held back to see how my legs and lungs felt during the first 5K. Mile 3 was my fastest split and the plan was to drop the middle miles down around 5:40. After crossing the 5K mark in 17:51 I quickly realized that dropping the pace in the second half was not going to happen. I just focused on getting through mile 4 and holding on as long as I could. If I could break the last 5K down by mile and push through I knew I had a shot at my PR. The last 2 miles felt like they went on forever. Not being familiar with the course it made it impossible to visualize where I was in relation to that next mile marker. Thankfully I was still passing people and hanging onto a couple other runners which motivated me to keep going. I knew they had to feel as terrible as I did and they had not given up. At about mile 5 I saw Tony and he gave me a huge shout out. If I ran hard I knew I was right on my PR pace and any time I could make up would potentially be a huge benefit for the team so I just gave it all I had left. The last 50 meters of the race might be the worst finish in racing with a sharp left turn then right turn. Regardless I snuck in at 35:44 just 4 seconds under my PR! Fun race and glad I was able to contribute.
Our 3rd scorer Eduardo, who has scored in both points races he has run this year:
I was hoping to finish within 35 minutes, but unfortunately that did not happen. Though, I am ok with my result. Felt the heat a bit , and I did not feel 100% coming into the race and during it. I felt I had to fight through it. Anyways, I was glad I was able to score for the team. Many Thanks to the support of Tony and teammates along the course. Focus now mainly on team’s champ and the NYC Marathon.
David Alm, our co-captain, coming off an injury and running in his second points race this year:
I ran a (soft) master’s PR of 36:37, which really surprised me. I’ve been slowly rehabbing a 50% tear in my right hamstring and a torn labrum in my right hip since January, so I’ve done barely any speed work and only in the past few weeks has my mileage gotten up to training-level. But the decent weather and flat course allowed me to lock into a 5:40 pace for the first half, and then just a notch under 6 flat for the second. It was a huge boost to have Jay Sullivan, Osvaldo Martinez, and Eduardo Ribeiro Ferreira to pace with at various stages of the race. Feels great to come back from injury and be able to hang with the speedsters on the squad. Nice work M40!
Duncan McVerry, coming off a strong Brooklyn Half had an even stronger race at the Queens 10K:
The weather for Queens was the best I remember – I remember it being in the 80s at gun time. I felt strong but 10k for me is the hardest distance, you can’t just hold on like at 5k and you don’t have distance like in a half to make up for a bad mile. I went under 39.00 for the first time last year & when I looked at the pace for that, I saw a 6.15 would get me through, so that was the goal with an A goal of 6.12 pace. Went out a little fast – 6.07 and then the hill in mile 2 slowed me, mile 3 was back to 6.08 so at at 5k I was in a good place but feeling it a little. I knew I would have to focus and dig into my resolve as I moved through mile 4. I was overtaking people the whole way so that helped a lot and as we came on 5 I saw 2 teammates up ahead so focused on catching them Tony did his usual motivational thing, but as I moved through mile 5, I felt good, at no point was I fighting the urge to back-off. Managed a short burst to the line and came home in 38.50 which I’m happy with as I know I can continue to build on that. Also 38.50 would get me 4th in the 50-55 group so if I can continue to improve over the next 18m-2y then there’s a good chance I can score when I hit 50, which is now my ultimate ambition.
Yusuke Hosokawa, a member of CPTC for only 6 months is a PR tear with this being his 2nd 10K in 2 months:
I have never run on a track in my life until I participate the practices at the Armory (200m) and the East 6th (400m). As Coach Tony teases me often, that I have transformed to a jogger from a walker and now starting to learn how to run, and he is absolutely right that I was incredibly fortunate to be picked up by Tony, which he says it was by an accident.
But first and foremost, it’s a great honor to train and race with the team, and dress in the CPTC uniform. It’s been more than 20 years since I last felt such an excitement in a team sport. And I could sense the strong foundation of this team. I personally was targeting a sub 42 but ended up 42:02 which I was asking myself why didn’t I push more with a feeling of somewhat regret, but with positive comments from the team and Coach Tony at Tuesday track workout, yes indeed I have to be happy considering where I started from and be grateful just able to run. Going back to the race, even being a flat course, with lots of corners and the weather being picture perfect for BBQ and hot, it was just merciless for me. And my mind started to drift away, especially when every elite athlete at CPTC passes by me coming back from that turning point of the course, it was like watching runners with beautiful forms on a TV screen at home but coming directly at me! Getting back to reality, the sun started to beat me up and the last resort was focusing to keep up with the other CPTC runners in front of me which I couldn’t, and as often and thankfully the voice from the coaches gave me that last boost.
“Queens 10k”, more than anything, I would like to congratulate all the runners whom crossed that finish line in that brutal weather condition!
Standings after Queens:
CPTC – 57 pts
Dashing Whippets – 40 pts
West Side Runners – 39 pts
With 4 races under our belt let’s not forget about the coveted Osvaldo Martinez Cup which is heating up with a four way tie at the top:
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Congrats to everyone and let’s start a new win streak at Team Champs!