Alec's Run X

This year, legislation passed requiring all new vehicles from 2018 forward to have cameras that increase visibility in the blind spot when in driving in reverse. This historic paradigm shift came about largely due to an organization called Kids and Cars, of which Bill and Adrienne Nelson of Dix Hills, N.Y., are a part.

The issue is personal for the Nelsons. They lost their toddler son, Alec, in a tragic accident more than a decade ago, when he was struck by a vehicle backing up. The driver simply could not see him.

Bill, a friend of my dad's, also happens to be an amazing runner, clocking 5Ks in the 17:00 range in his heyday. It made perfect sense that the way to raise money and awareness for Kids and Cars was a race in Alec's honor. Thus, Alec's Run, which held its 10th running this past Saturday in Dix Hills.

I ran this race, with its unconventional distance of four miles, with my mom eight years ago, sticking with her the whole time. Eight years later, in the best shape of my life and faster than ever, I was finally able to show my stuff.

A week and a half of hard training after my 5K PR left me with what might have been a case of hamstring tendonitis. I rested, iced and compressed that sucker for two rest days prior to the race. At go time, I was still nervous that things would go south, but when the race started, all attention in my body was focused solely on fast, efficient leg turnover.

Deliberately holding back in the mostly downhill first mile (starting in front of Half Hollow Hills West High School), determined to run fast but not to push at all, I was shocked to hit an effortless 5:44. With only five guys in front of me, I hung back some more, letting someone pass and hitting mile 2 with a 6:10. 

Mile 3 was entirely uphill, so I focused my energy on conquering the incline without letting it all out. I passed that same guy and another, too, securing my spot in fourth and nailing a 6:02 split. It was time to move. I did not think I would catch up to Keith Guilfoyle in third, but it was worth trying as I laid out every last bit of effort, pushing my body as hard as it would go. I finished with a 5:51 final mile and a 24:47 total.

Check out the finish line video.  I come in about a minute into it.

Sure my leg was throbbing after the adrenaline wore off, but I proved to myself that my new 5K PR was no fluke. Plus, I helped a good cause - one that, we hope, will prevent tragic deaths like that of little Alec Nelson.

Click here for the full results.

KEA Pot o' Gold 5K

The rough March weather caused the postponement of the Kinnelon Education Association's Pot o' Gold 5K.  The rescheduled date was Sunday, April 13 - the same day I ran the Got 2B Safe 5K in Morris Township.  

I spent a great deal of time deciding which race to run and even though I chose the Morris race, the fact that the Kinnelon race was at noon meant that I could attend both.  I even entertained the idea of running both, but quickly thought the better of it.  Instead, I would be a good old fashioned spectator at the later race.

It was a great decision because I got to watch an excellent, photo-worthy start on the Kinnelon High School track. See the guy in the American flag shorts?

That is Michael Soroko, a Kinnelon High grad, and he pulled away early on and relentlessly pushed his way into an enormous lead as the course snaked around behind the school.  I watched as he ran past the first mile mark as he returned on the road in front of the school and had to wait more than a full minute for the second place runner.  It was amazing to see this guy go, disappearing beyond the school again.

When he came back around into the school parking lot for the home-stretch lap on the track, the clock had not even hit 16:00 yet.  He finished with an astounding 16:33.  Absolutely amazing.

It took more than two minutes for the next finisher to hit the line at 18:52.

Sometimes, the excitement of running a race and the small glory of winning an age group prize makes us forget that there is just as much fun to be had as a spectator.  You can not run every race, so you may as well watch and cheer at some of them.  Now is the perfect time since there are multiple races all over New Jersey, every single weekend.

Happy spectating!

Got 2 B Safe 5K

When I started this round of Hal Higdon's Advanced post-marathon training, it was still frigid, with temperatures still in the 20s for my morning runs. As I recovered from the race, my legs would sometimes feel great, which led me to push the pace, which then led my legs to feel like, well, lead. (It led to lead legs!)

Good thing the weather warmed up.  Mr. Higdon's Advanced program is pretty intense, with 400-meter intervals, tempo runs, mile intervals and long runs. Some days, I surprised myself with sub-6:00 miles, as well as 400s at 1:25. Some days, it was a struggle to get near 10K pace (6:11).
 
The last week of training, a short taper, was on completely tired legs with muscles still sore right up until start time.  Definitely not PR shape, but this race was only about getting back into the short-game groove.  

With the temperature in the high 50s on Sunday morning, I arrived at my first short race of the year - the Got 2 B Safe 5K in Morris Township, a nicely compact race that takes place entirely on the Honeywell corporate campus, without a lot of bells and whistles and only around 160 participants, many of whom jogged or walked.

Taking my place at the front of the pack, I assessed the situation - rolling hills and three turnarounds on a sort-of wishbone-looking course, starting on a downhill.  The plan: hold back a bit on the first downhill, then let 'er rip and run as fast as I can for as long as I can.

After the first uphill, I pushed into the lead then barreled downhill to the first mile marker - 5:46.  Too fast.  Damn it.

Uphill again and chugging along, already feeling my quads burning, I fell to third place, hit the second mile marker, then tried to take it easy on the next downhill in preparation for the final uphill.  I felt myself losing a lot a steam on that final uphill, but bounded down the last downhill with all my might - lengthening my stride as far as it would go while my leg and groin muscles screamed for mercy.

Rounding the final turn at the three-mile mark, I saw the clock still in the 17-minute range.  I spent the final 30 seconds of my race in stunned disbelief of what was about to happen - a new personal record!  It looked to me like 18:27 when I crossed the line (one second faster than my previous PR), but the official recorded time was 18:24.  I do not know how a three-second discrepancy could happen like that, but I figure that if I have to live with results that are slower than I suspect they should be - <cough, cough> Lower Potomac River Marathon - then I should darn well accept the opposite.

The Got 2 B Safe 5K was a well-organized, enjoyable event, with lots of friendly staff and volunteers, a ton of bagels, bananas and apples at the finish line, and nicely unique prizes.  For taking third place overall, I received a pint glass with the race logo, a $30 massage gift certificate and a mini-USB drive. 

A beautiful opener to spring short-race season!

Scored a SPAC pav ticket!

With five of my six ampitheater tickets being for the lawn, I decided to give the "Ticketmonster" a try and see if I could score at least one more pavilion seat. 

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center tickets went on sale to the general public at the end of last month, but since all three nights went on sale at the same time, the best anyone could hope for was one pavilion seat.  If you are lucky enough to nab one, chances are that by the time you make the transaction, the other two are sold out.

The question was this: Which night does one go for?  Which will have the best odds of scoring a pav?

Night one, July 3? Being the first night of the run and the night before a day off from work for most people, it could be a popular choice.

Night two, the holiday?  Every good Phish phan knows that Fourth of July shows are usually bested only by New Year's, Halloween, and the festivals.  Might be a tough get.

Night three, the Saturday?  Even people with holiday plans can still make this show and have the next day off from work.  Could be a crowded field.

Hey, what the heck.  I attempted to get the one I wanted most - July 4.

And I nailed it!  It will be my eighth show at SPAC and my very first time in its pavilion!

So, who wants to buy my lawn ticket?

'Hoist', 20 years later

Last year was the 20th anniversary of Phish's album 'Rift', a highly regarded masterpiece in the band's canon, and the Phish blogosphere and Twitterverse were all abuzz about it.

Last week marked the 20th anniversary of its followup, 'Hoist', and I can not find but one mention of it anywhere.

Even when it was released, it did not get the praise of its predecessor, at least not in the (much smaller) circle of phans. It was too poppy, some said; too slickly produced, said others; trying too hard to be commercial, said many.

Two decades later, many of its songs have been played dozens of times in concert, some hundreds of times, and it is to those performances that we have attached ourselves. Because a few have taken on lives of their own in concert, the album versions have been almost erased from memory.

Consider the following - who hears a huge "Down With Disease" jam these days and is reminded of its release as a (much slower) single? Who can imagine "Scent of a Mule" without the Trey/Page musical duel with the "Russian dance" theme? Does anyone remember that "Wolfman's Brother" used to be in the key of E? What about the long-lost "Part II" lyrics to "Axilla"?

What is fascinating about listening to 'Hoist' today is picking up on the details - the things that would never be recreated live. They made a true studio album, and that is the charm.

There are the front-and-center features, like the horns on "Julius" (not to mention its gospel choir) and "Wolfman's"; the strings  in "Lifeboy"; and the weird ending to "Axilla" ("Don't shine that thing in my face, man").

Listen to "If I Could" and hear studio recording at its finest. It starts as a basic Phish arrangement, but then Allison Krauss shows up for a lovely vocal turn; an acoustic guitar subtly underscores the rhythm as the electric plays the arpeggiated leads; a tamborine shakes with the chorus; and swirling strings swell into a climax that features backing vocals that have long since been abandoned ("Whooaaaaaa, if I could I would!").

Elsewhere, the more closely you listen, the more you are rewarded with sonic delights - the toilet flush in "Julius", the banjo in "Mule", the long pick slides and the stick-hitting-bottle in "Wolfman's".

Side note: If you do not know what the latter refers to, get your hands on a copy of the old VHS tape 'Tracking', which chronicled the making of 'Hoist'. Or just listen for it on the "and" of "two" every other measure. Once you hear it, your ear will never be able to avoid it.

At the end of the album, there is "Demand", a cute little ditty in its own right, with a winding riff that takes up about half of the actual song's two minutes. For the next seven, though, you get caught up in a wild car ride (complete with police chase) with a phan listening to a tape of the era's definitive "Split Open and Melt" jam from 4/21/93, until finally the car crashes (a la Kiss' "Detroit Rock City") and you float into the ether to the a capella harmonies of "Y Rushalayim Shel Zahav".

Phish would never be this theatrical and playful in the studio again. The arrangements would never be this detailed and rich. The next studio album would be a stripped-down, slower affair; followed by a rounder, funkier vibe; a country-tinged rootsy sound; a rough, unpolished collection; a lean, punchy record; and a jubilant, sparkling but mature rocker.

But in late March of 1994, we were treated to a version of Phish that remains singular in its sound - a young band doing the full studio treatment, playing in its sandbox, and throwing in the kitchen sink for the hell of it. Today, it is endlessly re-listenable. Too bad no one even notices.