The masters team will get a very swift addition in July, as Thom Little crosses the Rubicon and heads for the 40+ front. I called him up to hear how one of the team’s finest open runners is approaching his 40th birthday.
After consulting my thesaurus, I will go with confident insouciance. “I don’t think about how old the guy in front of me is,” Thom says. “I don’t see how my drive or competitive spirit will be affected.” That said, a 32:58 10k guy can do some serious damage in the 40+, even in New York City. With Thom’s addition, the CPTC M 40+ may have the firepower to match any team in NYC.
Thom has had an unusual running career for a guy who came within a few minutes of making the 2008 Olympic marathon trials. He ran in high school but not in college, since he was at D1 powerhouse Villanova. He came back to the sport in his late 20s after being inspired by watching the Marine Corps Marathon, and quickly ran a 3:17. Over the next ten years, Thom had a streak of constant improvement that took him to a 2:25 marathon on the New York course.
I was keen to ask a guy with that kind of trajectory for some tips to pass on to teammates. Thom feels his breakthrough occurred in the mid 2000s, after a few years with the West Side Runners when he did most of his workouts alone. His work, as a video producer with an advertising agency, made training solo an attractive option. But he made the jump to CPTC and immediately saw an improvement from working out with a group. “Joining CPTC was a game changer,” Thom says. “Doing a tempo run when you’re not feeling (good) is hard, but when you have a group to keep up with…” Results came quickly once he switched from red to orange, including a 1:11 half marathon after he had run 1:14 just a year earlier.
Besides having a strong group to run with, Thom stresses quality over quantity in his training. He averages around 70 miles per week normally and might move up to 90 in key marathon prep weeks. He runs both Tuesday and Thursday night workouts when work permits, and cites Tony’s classic double four (four miles at marathon pace, four miles at half marathon pace) workout as a favorite.
The mental aspect of running is of course half the battle, and Thom made a decision to skip racing for 2010, after a disappointing NYCM. He was under stress from a new job, and felt racing and training at the sub elite level was producing diminishing returns. So he kept running and training – and even was able to watch the 2010 NYC Marathon with decidedly mixed feelings – but focused on work. The result was positive, as he came back to racing in 2011 stronger than ever with a near PR 32:58 in the Scotland 10k, and a promotion at work. We’ll see if it works as well for Isinbayeva.
What seems to motivate Thom more than anything is competition and being on a team. Whenever I asked him about his own training the conversation would inevitably move back to his teammates and how important they are to him. He races most points races, and plans to continue doing so. Probably the most revealing story is that once he was caught in another city on the same weekend of a half marathon points race. Thom worked out a way not only to get the work done, but fly into NYC, run the race (a PR), and fly back to keep working.
Speaking for many of us, Thom says “Running is not what I do, it is who I am.” I look forward to seeing what he can do in what may or may not be a new chapter in his running career.
The Portugal day race was sweet like a good vinho verde to the CPTC men, as all three age groups ran like Lopes and made the podium. The M 50+ vintage was, as usual, the winningest, as they bubbled their way to another win. The 60+ had a fine finish with an aftertaste of silver, and the soon to be much improved 40+ showed some hearty backbone with a third place finish.
Captain Hank led the 60+ with another age group win, our only one on the day. However, yearly PRs were set by Stuart Calderwood (5:46 pace/86.9%), Alexandre Tilmant (5:53/77.4%) Casey Yamazaki (6:25/74.9%), and Fred Chiao (8:41/53.7%). Also of note: Giovanni Caracci ran his 21st race in 52 weeks.
From Hank, captain of the 60+: We can do, and did: Mens 60+, second to the mighty Taconic team, proof that the thing to do is to register for team races, show up and run. It is simple: the first three team members who cross the line score. A runner who had finished fourth, fifth or sixth for the team on one race might be the third man for the next. We get nothing unless we have three scorers. Every member who races contributes to the team whether he scores or not.
This year’s Father’s Day 5, now the Portugal Day race, has been further evidence of positive results for our 60+ men. Chris Neuhoff’s 35:31, Dan Molloy‘s 37:04 and my 32:27 put us about four and a half minutes behind Taconic and about twoand a half minutes ahead of Greater New York.
Backing the team up was Jim Hanrahan at 38:10, sixth in mens 65-69, Frank Wilson at 39:51, ninth mens 65-69, and Roger Yergeau at 42:37, thanks guys. Thanks to our team for supporting us out there. And thanks to our coaches for giving us the skills to get the job done.
I regret missing our runners at the finish line for a chat. I was out there talking away but my net must have a hole in it.
As our team matures our roster of 60+ runners will grow. Looking at today’s results, Kevin McGuire and Harry Lichtenstein come on line in the next 12 months.
Is it possible for us to take home a Tiffany award on Club night if we keep getting 3 runners to cross the line for the rest of the team races this year? Let’s give it a try. Put in some miles, sharpen up your legs with track practice and get out there on the starting line.
-Hank
The women were nursing lactic acid hangovers from big efforts the week before at the Mini. The 60+ women won their race by a massive 13 minutes, with Sylvie Kimche, orange returnee Marie-Louise Michelsohn, and Judith Tripp rolling over the hills with elan. Marie-Louise ran a remarkable 7:52 pace/92.0%, which in a flash, made her the second best age-graded performer of 2011, behind Rae Baymiller. The 40+ took second and the 50+ were 5th.
The CPTC open team was led by none other than our Jill Vollweiler, who set a 52-week age graded PR with her 6:11 pace/82.8% and finished second in her age group. Audrey Kingsley also scored for the 40+ team and also set a PR.
From Captain Sylvie: The CPTC W60+ team handily won first place (by more than 13 minutes over the 2nd place team) in yesterday’s 40th running of the NYRR Mini 10K in memory of Grete Waitz. It was a great morning for running, feeling cool at 69F after the 90F+ temperatures of the past few days but still very humid. We welcomed back to the team Marie-Louise Michelsohn in her first road race since joining back CPTC. Congratulations for breaking the single age (W69) record for 10k in 48:46.
Marie-Louise was 2nd for the team. She went out a little too fast for the tough Northern Hills of Central Park and slowed down in the last two miles, allowing “yours truly”, Sylvie, to pass her in the fifth mile and finish first for the team in the official time of 47:48 ( seven seconds faster than two years ago).
I have to thank Marie-Louise for that effort as I kept pushing in the last 1.5 miles, knowing how tough she is! Judith (Tripp) took third for the team in a strong 52:14 (which equals her time of two years ago, but not quite as fast as last year’s 50:17). In any case, she was strong throughout the race yesterday with almost negative splits of 25:59/26:15. Considering how tough the fourth mile is, this is as close to negative splits as you will get on this course!
Deborah (Barchat) was disappointed by her sixth place W60-64 finish in 53:41, a bit slower than her 51:18 from last year. After suffering from injury at the end of 2010, Deb is intent on getting back to her pre-injury level, but according to Coach Tony, she may have left her legs in a too-hard Tuesday night track work-out…. So Deb, make sure you get enough rest after your last work-out before the next team race in July!
Caryl (Baron) entered her first road race since recovering from intensive surgery on March 29, to commemorate Grete Waitz with thousands of other runners. She valiantly ran and walked the course. Congrats! We are all happy to see her back on her feet and can’t wait to cheer her on again at the team Championships in August. Again a big thank you to Caryl for designing the artwork for the “CPTC for Grete” ribbons (I hope someone took a photo of our team members wearing these ribbons) Thanks too to all the CPTCers lining the course and cheering for us all. A great day! Go Orange!
-Sylvie
From Captain Ani and the 40+: The 40+ master ladies of CPTC brought the game full force to yesterday’s Mini 10k, a special race in itself, but even more so as it was dedicated to Grete Waitz. Jill Vollweiler was on fire as she lead the entire open pack at mile 1 and finished not only first for masters, but first for open as well. The entire team brought great performances, as Yumi Ogita and Audrey Kingsley rounded the team to score us into second place. Wanda Wang, Aubin Sullivan (welcome back to racing! her second race this season), and Maria Luz Caballero showed strong representation for the masters 40+ pack. Congrats ladies!
Heading back to the prior scoring race, the Brooklyn Half, only the M 50+ brought home the goods with a win. The W 40+ were third, and the M 40+ were seventh. Wanda Wang had the race of the day, setting a new annual age-graded PR in a long race.
CPTCers seem to like races named after countries, as several CPTCers ran Seko-esque races at Japan Day. Yumi (and daughter Erika Yamazaki) won their age groups, and four men set annual age-graded PRs: Michael Ahern, Larry Kellogg, Nigel Francis and Laurence Go. Peter Allen did a solid Nissan GTR imitation by becoming the fifth fastest age graded racer on the year (81.9%). At the Israel Day fete in June, Michael Siegell kept the running tourism streak going with his age graded PR.
Outside of the green hills of Central Park, Yumi won outright the Great Hyannis 5k, in what looks like a crazy two-second-margin sprint finish in 18:48.
Does Healthy Kidney qualify as named after a nation? I do know that race has helped thousands understand what the UAE is and maybe where their kidneys are. Two of our finest, Sylvie Kimche and Stuart Calderwood, won their age groups in this big money race. Michael Siegell started a two-race yearly age graded PR streak at the Kidney.
Going way back to late April and the NYRR 4-Mile, a big 52-week age graded PR was set by Sylvie – just missing the magic 90% barrier with her 7:24 pace/89.9%. Frank Morton and Nigel Francis also set 52-week age-graded PRs.
Club Standings as of press time (after the Brooklyn Half):
First Place: M 50+
Second Place: W 40+
Third Place: M 40+
Fifth Place: W 50+, W 60+
Sixth Place: M 60+
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