This page is intended to immortalize the words of Central Park Track Club people. As is customary for this web site, everything is supported by factual details (dates, places, witnesses, photographs, audio-visual clips, etc.). This page will grow over time, but obviously that will depend on your contribution of new stories.

#1100.  WHO:  Roland Soong
PURPOSE: To get more people to make food recommendations for the Central Park Track Club annual awards dinner/party
WHAT HE SAID: "I promise I won't write a food review ..." 

#1099.  WHO:  James Siegel
WHEN:  October 15, 2000
SUBJECT:  On his performance not being listed by the NYRRC two weeks in a row, first at Greta's Great Gallup and now at the Staten Island Half Marathon (a PR!)
WHAT HE SAID: "I am naturally VERY disappointed to see that I once again ran a phantom race.  Olivier Baillet can also help verify the veracity of my claim as I ran with him for the last two miles. And no, I'm not related to Rosie Ruiz!"

SUPPORTING AFFIDAVITS

• Olivier Baillet: "Yes, I can testify that James ran the Staten Island Half Marathon in a time of about 1h22'30, a few seconds ahead of me. He was right in front of him at the start, we were together at mile 5, he stayed right behind me during the next 6 miles, passed me at mile 11, and finished a few yards ahead of me (what a contest !).  It was fun to run with him, and I hope we'll be together for the NYC Marathon."
• Bola Awofeso:  "I have photographic evidence of James Siegel at the four mile mark, and also  photographic evidence of  Olivier Baillet and James Siegel together at the twelve mile mark."
• Michele Tagliati: "Browsing through the results of yesterday's race, I noticed that they re-inserted James Siegel in 82nd position (42nd age place), with 1h22:34 (net 1h22:27).  I thought that it would be nice for him to know that the NYRRC doesn't have a selective neglect of his results ..."
• James Siegel (again): "Because I know you can't live through another day without an update on my travails with the NYRRC, I dutifully report to you that they acknowledged some sort of 'snafu' with my registration.  It is now cleared up.  I officially ran a 1:22:27 chip time. A PR of 1:02!  Anyway, just looking for just accolades from the CPTC community."

#1098.  WHO:  Ian Brooks
TO WHOM: Toby Tanser
WHEN:  Staten Island Half Marathon post-race awards/raffle event
WHAT HE SAID:  "I don't know about you.  You always vanish when I give out your award, but you manage to show up for the raffle."

#1097.  WHO:  David Nager (Personal Best Online newsletter)
WHEN: June 7, 1999
WHAT HE WROTE:

WEBBING IT
Central Park Track Club (http://www.centralparktc.org )

Hanging out in cyberspace with the athletes from CPTC...with lots of running related information, pictures and links. In my humble opinion...it's one of the best running club sites around."

ADDENDUM:  You can also read his footnote to the Diane Lebowitz episode.

#1096.  WHO:  eFit
SUBJECT:  Rating the Central Park Track Club website
WHAT THEY WROTE:

Description:
This home page for the Central Park Track Club has great information including a running map of Central Park, links to members' webpages, information about upcoming races and events, the weather report for the Manhattan area, a photo gallery and running news.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest.

OUR COMMENTS:  Unfortunately, it is almost impossible for some outsider to rate us because we transcend the genre.  There are some parts that they overrate (e.g. the "weather report for the Manhattan area") and there are some parts they vastly underrate or fail to comprehend (e.g. the "photo gallery" or "running news") because nothing comparable exists anywhere else.  To commend us for having a "photo gallery" is like saying Geb is a distance runner --- factually correct, but missing the essence.

#1095.  WHO:  WebCrawler
SUBJECT:  Rating the Central Park Track Club website
WHAT THEY WROTE: "Handy and fun guide to the NYC running club that offers general information, membership details, and race updates. Check out the trivia quiz."

#1094.  WHO:  Mindy Solkin
WHERE:  Weight-Loss: Q&A, in Shape magazine, November 2000, page 2000

Q:  I'm trying to lose 30 pounds and I thought running a 5k would motivate me.  How many weeks do I need to train, and how do I get started?  At this point I am walking four days a week for 45 minutes

A:  "Running a 5K is a great goal," says running coach Mindy Solkin, who is also head coach for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program in New York City.  Just make sure that your enthusiasm doesn't cause to overtrain and get injured, a common phenomenon among new runners.  Give yourself at least 12 weeks to prepare for your first race.

The first month, do your usual 45-minute walk two days a week, Solkin suggets.  On the other two days, alternate walking and running; for instance, five minutes of walking and three minutes of running.  Gradually increase your running while decreasing your walking.  Always maintain a comfortable pace.  "If you're breathing heavily, you're going too fast," Solkin says.

The second month, shift to one day of walking and three days of run/walk.  The final month, include running on all four days, aiming for one day of solid running.  To minimize your injury risk, don't run on back-to-back days.

Before you start, invest in a good pair of running shoes; walking shoes won't offer enough cushion and support.

#1093.  WHO:  Sylvie Kimché
WHEN:  October 8, 2000, Norway Run 5K
WHAT SHE SAID: "I'm very happy with my performance today, given that I finished ahead of two-time New York City Marathon winner John Kagwe.  (pause)  By the way, he was accompanying a kid in the race."

#1092.  WHO:  Tyronne Culpepper
SUBJECT:  This man is a multi-sport athlete who keeps a very busy schedule --- competitive running from 400m to 50km, roller hockey league, softball, baseball, basketball, tennis, football, ...  However, he does not play soccer.
WHAT HE SAID:  "Here is the reason why I hate soccer."

#1091.  WHO:  SwimNYC.org
SUBJECT:  2000 Little Red House Swim Press Release
DATE: September 16, 2000
WHAT WAS WRITTEN:  Scott Willett, 38, of New York City, today won the second annual 7.8-mile Little Red Lighthouse (LRL) Swim.  His time for the Hudson River race, which started at the Little Red Lighthouse at the base of the George Washington Bridge and finished at Chelsea Piers (Pier 62 at West 23rd Street), was one hour, 26 minutes and 52 seconds (1:26:52).

"What a great day! I love these swims and am very happy with today's effort. The water was fine and the current was surprisingly swift," Willett said.

#1090.  WHO:  Ross Galitsky
SUBJECT:  Don Mann, race director of the Odyssey Triple Ironman Triathlon
WHAT HE SAID: "Don Mann is not a race director. Race directors collect money and put on races.  Don Mann really cares about us as racers and you can tell he feels emotional about what he is doing."

#1089.  WHO:  Devon Sargent
SUBJECT:  The problem with registering late at the Armory Track
WHAT SHE SAID:  "I paid more and I got fewer sessions."

#1088.  WHO:  Brian Barry
WHEN:  October 3rd, 2000
IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION:  "Who won the Terrace Bagels 10K?"
WHAT HE SAID:  "Toby Tanser.  Who else?"

SUPPORTING DATA:  Year-to-date wins by Toby ---

1. Run for the Rainforest 5K, Central Park, NYC, April 22

2. L'Oréal Twosome 10K, Central Park, NYC, April 29

3. Flugleiðahlaupið 7 km, Reykjavik, Iceland, May 4

4. The Y-ME Race Against Breast Cancer, Chicago, Illinois, May 14

5. The Firemen's 5K, Central Park, NYC, May 18

6. Uncle Dave's Buddy Run, Long Island, NY, May 21

7. Tommy's American 4 Miler, Central Park, NYC, July 4

8. Tavern On The Green Breakfast Run, Central Park, NYC, July 19

9. Dash & Splash Five Miler, Central Park, NYC, July 29

10. Manhattan Half Marathon, Central Park, NYC, August 5

11. New York City Marathon Tune-Up, Central Park, NYC, August 27

12. Henry Isola XC 4 Miler, Van Cortlandt Park, NYC, September 3

13. Harry Murphy XC 5K, Van Cortlandt Park, NYC, September 10

14. AHA Wall Street Run, New York City, September 20

15. Terrace Bagels 10K, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, October 1

Honorable mention: First-place finisher at the Wall Street Rat Race, but excluded for not wearing proper business attire

#1087.  WHO:  Jennifer Lynch
WHEN:  October 3, 2000
WHERE:  East River Park Track 
SUBJECT:  Priorities
WHAT SHE SAID:  "I'll have to leave immediately after the workout so that I can go home and watch the presidential debate between Bush and Gore."
COMMENT:  Excuse me, did she say playoff game #1 between the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees? 

#1086.  WHO:  Ross Galitsky
BACKGROUND: In September 2000, Ross finished the Odyssey Triple Ironman Triathlon (7.2 mile swim, 336 mile bike, 78.6 mile run) in a time of 42 hours 27 minutes in third place.  In such an endurance race, it was extremely important to have a support crew who must work in shifts.
WHAT HE WROTE: "I stand even more in awe now when I think about past Central Park Track Club ultrarunners (Stu Mittleman and company), who were running multiple marathons with splits that I can't even dream doing a single one in.

I'm humbled by the efforts and dedication my crew displayed at the Triple --- the most professional, experienced, and laid back crew anyone ever seen. And I'm sure you are not aware that some of my crew (as Ramon Bermo) stayed up on their feet, running and walking for hours for the rest of race, even after I finished, to nurse and crew for other racers who were in need of help.  It was common knowledge that the credit for at least 2 other finishes should go directly to the knowledge and direct support by my crew.   I estimate that Ramon and other crew members did almost 100 miles on foot while supporting other racers!"

#1085.  WHO: Jennifer Stockbridge (New York Runners Foundation)
WHEN:  September 27, 2000
TO WHOM: John Kenney
WHAT SHE WROTE:  "I would like to thank you and the members of the Central Park Track Club for your support and contributions to Running Partners, the New York Road Runners Foundation's after-school running program.  Several Central Park Track Club runners have given miles of time and energy to the students, and we are sincerely grateful.

For the volunteerism of these CPTC individuals and the gestures of support that we have received from you and the rest of the Club, thank you!"

#1084.  WHO:  Devon Sargent
SUBJECT:  Fifth Avenue Mile, September 2000
WHAT SHE SAID:  "I broke my own rule of never racing when I am injured.  How was I feeling?  During the week before this race, I visited the physical therapist, the masseur, the acupuncturist, ..."

#1083.  WHO:  Shelley Farmer
SUBJECT:  Graeme Reid, who has been moving ahead of his group at the workouts
WHAT SHE SAID:  "Graeme needs to get an upgrade into the next group."

#1082.  WHO:  Toby Tanser
WHEN: September 25th, 2000
WHAT HE SAID: "From September 16th to 24th, I ran three 5km races, one 4-mile race and a half marathon ... and was criticized by my fellow racers for not running the 5th Avenue Mile.  I think I'll take up photography from now on."
COMMENT:  ... he has no idea how much criticism our photographers get ...

SAMPLE COMPLAINT ADDRESSED TO A MASS DISTRIBUTION LIST (from Noah Perlis): "If that photographer of ours shows up for a workout, can we require him to leave his camera (and associate cohorts) at home? I think we should be concentrating on running well and not have to even think about looking good (he has a particular knack for capturing many of us in less than ideal running form, grotesque facial expressions, in various elements of disrobing or even partial nudity (!), and, worst of all, camera angles accentuating receding hairlines (which is why I always look up to him - if I looked down on him he might capture my receding hairline at an exaggerated angle again).

When you want to compete at your best, you want your potential competitors (who may lurk upon our website) to see photos of you that will send fear and self-doubt into their minds, rather than have them think you look like a pushover (I know this is more from a sprinter's perspective because some runners like to come from behind and want to lull a competitor into a false sense of bravado to go out in front).  At the sprinter's level, I think psych is more of a factor - just look at the glares sprinters use to psych out their opponents.

I have tried to bribe our photographer to assist in my efforts to send fear into my potential opponents in how he occasionally portrays me on the website, but so far he has not reproduced my practiced "death-stare correct-angle expression" with my head grafted onto Craig Plummer's body in full stride.  I am now left to resort to a planned painful weight-lifting program for upper and mid-body strength and tortuous middle distance workouts that will only serve to allow me to actually perform at my best in order to psych-out any opponents.  In some of my age-group races last year there were actual opponents - I even lost to more of them than I beat (although I did manage to win all the races in my age group in which I had no opponents, preserving a perfect record).  I have been thinking of possibly starting a class action against our photographer to compel him to cooperate, but I don't know if I am only a class of one."

#1081.  WHO:  Craig Plummer
IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION:  "Craig, why do you run everything from 100m sprints to marathons, week after week?"
WHAT HE SAID:  "At forty-one years old, I am in the best shape of my life.  I do these things because they are there and I can do them."

#1080.  WHO:  Sid Howard
WHEN:  September, 2000
WHERE:  Southeast corner of Madison Avenue & E66th Street in Manhattan
WHAT HE SAID:  "Why is Margaret Angell's face on the mural?"

#1079.  WHO:  Janice Brown
WHEN:  September 21, 2000 road workout, less than two days before the Fifth Avenue Mile
WHAT SHE SAID:  "Yes, I can do the whole workout today and still run the Fifth Avenue Mile, because I know what my body can take.  I can run hard today and still recover for Saturday.  (pause).  In fact, I'm even going to run tomorrow."
COMMENT:  Oh, yes, it is great to be young and energetic ...

#1078.  WHO:  Jerome O'Shaughnessy
WHEN:  September, 2000
WHAT HE WROTE: "This is a picture from my vacation in Australia taken three days before the 2000 Olympic Games.  I have another 216 shots but I figure this one with me holding the torch in front of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge is the most appropriate for the club site!"
TECHNICAL NOTE:  Please scrutinize the picture very, very carefully ...

#1077.  WHO:  Toby Tanser
SUBJECT:  Review of the Yonkers Marathon
WHAT HE WROTE: "The Yonkers Marathon course should come with a Surgeon General's health warning."

#1076. WHO:  Craig Chilton
WHAT HE WANTED TO KNOW: "How do you keep track of people's PRs when results are published on the website?" 
ANSWER:  You don't.  In the case of the Philadelphia Distance Run, the only person whose PR I kept track of was Craig Chilton's --- and everyone else will write in to report that they also matched that standard of excellence!"

#1075.  WHO:  Olivier Baillet
SUBJECT: Mis Mas Destacbales Experiencias de Corredor Nuevayorkino 
WHERE:  FC Max, Bolletin #24, September 15, 2000
WHAT HE WROTE: "Hace un poco menos de 4 meses que estoy aquí pasando mis noches y fines de semana en el Parque y ya tengo unos recuerdos de primera para contarles.

El mas raro:

Un día de Diciembre, bien lluvioso, decidí salir a correr tipo 10 de la mañana, motivado como nunca. Hacia un par de semanas que había llegado, estaba un poco perdido en esta ciudad de loco, estaba solo en este momento (mi franchute preferida estaba corriendo en Bs. As. con un grupo de amigos que recién se había denominado FCmáx, y que mas tarde se transformo en una organización internacional de primer nivel). Correr era mi única forma de sentirme bien, y la lluvia no era un obstáculo suficiente en este momento.

En el Parque me crucé, a contra corriente, con miles de yankees todos mas locos que nunca (imagínense, si pueden), con millones de chicos ruidosos, comiendo porquerías malolientes que ni te cuento el olor.  Decidí seguir corriendo, a ver que diablo estaba pasando. En pleno Central Park West, (calle que mas tarde eligí para vivir), apareció un ENORME pez rojo, caminando, bueno nadando, no, en realidad volando, tipo Carnaval Brasileiro (sin el interés del Carnaval, sí ven, Señores, a que me refiero.).  Corrí unos metros mas, y un dragón de 10 metros me corto la ruta. Atrapado entre un Corre Caminos y un Coyote tan altos como un edificio, creí que vivía mis últimos momentos. Hasta que entendí que era no sé que día feriado yankee, día que elige un negocio famosisimo aquí, Macy's, para realizar una Carnaval con estos animales de dibujos animados cada ano.  Pero que susto que me pegue, che !

El mas yo-ne-se-que (je-ne-sais-quoi):

Ya les paso correr en un silencio absolutamente perfecto, hasta sin entender sus pies (que tengo muy grandes, aparte, 45.5) tocar el piso? No? Entonces, vengan a correr en el Park abajo de una tormenta de nieve, cuando nadie se aventura afuera.

Cada invierno, NY es atacado por tormentas de nieve mas o menos devastadoras. La primera fue la mas linda. Tomo todos por sorpresa. A la mañana, me di cuenta que el cielo era tremendamente negro. Nevó todo el día, paralizo la ciudad. A las 7 de la noche decidí salir a correr. En las calles del Parque no se había arriesgado ningún coche, y había una capa de 50cm por todos lados.

No hacia tanto frío.  Me crucé esta noche, en una hora, con no más de 3 o 4 corredores, ninguna bicicleta (que son normalmente nuestros enemigos porque tenemos que compartir la calle con ellos), y un par de esquiadores. El reservoir, un lago en pleno centro del Parque, estaba blanco de nieve, como el resto, los arboles, también, mis Asics, también.

Durante esta salida, el ambiente era tan raro, tan particular, que yo sentía en el aire como algo superior, una fuerza, una paz, algo casi religioso. Les puedo asegurar que este tipo de ambiente, no la van a encontrar en ningún otro lugar de Manhattan.

El mas jodido:

Debo haber hecho unas cuarenta carreras en mi vida, y la peor, fuera de mi primer Maratón en Bs. As. donde me prometí que NUNCA MAS iba a correr ningún Maratón de vuelta, fue mi segunda carrera en Central Park.  Mi primera no fue tan mala, era de 4 millas (6.5km), iba a mi ritmo, y como disfrutaba ni me di cuenta cuando termino la carrera (pense que faltaban una milla mas porque creía que la carrera era de 5 millas).

La segunda era de 10 millas, 16.1km. Es largo, saben, 16.1km, cuando uno empieza demasiado rápido. Muy largo. Hay que saber que cada carrera cuenta con gente de muy buen nivel y que es muy fácil quemarse sin darse cuenta. Las carreras empiezan casi siempre en el mismo lugar, at "Engineer's gate".  Empieza con una bajadita liviana, progresivamente más agresiva, un poco como la carrera del día del Vidriero en Berazategui (otra carrera trampa). Es fácil hacer 15 segundos menos por km. de lo que una planifica en este pedazo. Y justo después, pichus, viene THE cuesta, la cuesta de Harlem. Aquí no hay comparación conocida por el escritor, quizás la Heartbreaker en Boston, que no tuve el honor de conocer TODAVIA. Después, bajada, después subida, y así durante 14km más. En realidad, todo el Parque es así. Ahora, sin agrandarme (no es mi estilo . bueno . no tanto), estas cuestas, me las como crudas (les uso para mis entrenamientos de cuestas, 10 seguidas!).  Pero aquel día, Mama mía, como sufrí. Termine en 1h08, que para mi no es bueno (hice 4 min menos un mes después), pero en un "positive split" desastroso (segunda mitad mucho mas lenta que la primera).  Detalle que todavía no pude digerir, corrí aquel día la carrera con un franchute muy bueno (tiene 4 maratones entre 3h y 3h05 en NY y Boston, que no son maratones "fáciles") que tenia su reloj de Polar pero no su coso para el pecho (termino exacto desconocido). Yo tenia todo mi equipo puesto, de tal forma que él podía ver en su reloj mi pulso. Este animal vio que yo tenia, al km. 2, el pulso a 180 (ya les dije que fue una carrera desastrosa !) y me dijo: Estas mal, no ? Aceleró, me distanció, y me mató. Después tuve mi revancha, pero es otra historia.

El mas lindo

El reservoir, que ya mencione arriba, es un lago en el medio del Park.  Dicen que el agua de la ciudad viene de aquí, me cuesta creerlo (esta lleno de patos y de no se que pájaros que cagan adentro.).  A lo largo del reservoir hay una pista de tierra que usamos para nuestros entrenamientos de velocidad en invierno (después tenemos una pista para la primavera y el verano).  Básicamente, hacemos cambios de ritmos. En los días claros, cuando uno esta al Norte del reservoir y mira hacia el Sur, se ven todos los rascacielos iluminados del Midtown reflejarse en el agua.  No pasa un entrenamiento sin que un integrante del equipo diga, en pleno esfuerzo, algo como: miren eso, que maravilloso. Y es cierto, aunque no me gustan las ciudades grandes (no me pregunten que estoy haciendo aquí, por favor), hay que reconocer que un paisaje así es una cosa seguramente única en el mundo, realmente fantástica.

Estos días claros y despegados son muy numerosos y I love entrenarme en estas condiciones.

GONCHO BAILLET

Nota del editor

Olivier "Goncho" Baillet (29) es integrante honorario de Grupo Fundador, excelente nadador, corredor y actual triatleta. Es francés, y estuvo en Buenos Aires en el nacimiento de FCmax junto a su simpática mujer Anne.   Actualmente corre en el Central Park de New York y se lo puede ver en www.centralparktc.org Central Park Track Club.   Corre 10,y 21 y 42Km PR 3:02:57

#1074.  WHO:  Kiet Vo
BACKGROUND:  The September 12th, 2000 track workout contained this paragraph: "It was emphasized that the last mile should be run at the projected 5K race pace.  Here, we will note that Kiet Vo ran 5:24, which translates to about 16:46 for 5K, good enough for fourth place on the team last Sunday .  We will be watching him closely in future races ..."
WHAT HE WROTE:  "You must stop posting my workout times on the website!  :P We all know that I can't possibly hold that mile pace another inch on the track, let alone over 5K in Van Cortlandt Park.  Please pick on someone faster. :).  P.S. Let me guess, you're going to post this email on the website too?"
COMMENT:  ... you betcha!

#1073.  WHO:  Eve Kaplan WHERE: Runner's World, October 2000 issue, page 59 SUBJECT:  Shortcut #17 to Success  WHAT SHE SAID:  "Sometimes it's tough emotionally to be 200 meters behind the fast group's last runner, but it has enabled me to push past my fears of competition, realize my potential, and set attainable goals." FOR THE RECORD: "Weird that my quote showed up in Runner's World now... they interviewed me at the race expo for the 1999 (!) Chicago marathon! I was hoping you wouldn't catch it ... I know who told you, I know where they live, and I am coming after them.  Have a nice day!"

#1072.  WHO: James Siegel
WHAT HE SAID:  "I want you to note that I tried to enter the park at two different points on the East Side on September 7th, 2000 to attend the workout, but I was turned back by the police who were protecting the heads of states attending the United Nations meeting.  I decided then that I must have been destined not to do this workout." 

#1071.  WHO:  Toby Tanser
SITUATION:  Upon being informed by Isaya Okwiya that the September 12th, 2000 track workout shall consist of 4x600m at 5K race pace, with 20 minute rest in between
WHAT HE SAID:  "You're just putting me on!  What gave you away was not the 20 minute rest in between, but the 5K race pace."

#1070.  WHO:  Shula Sarner
SUBJECT:  New Haven 20K, September 2000
WHAT SHE SAID:  "This was my first time running this race.  After running for some time, I calculated that I must be nearing the finish.  I looked down the street and I saw this yellow banner across the street at the other end.  So I sped up for my finishing kick.  When I got near there, I asked a policeman on duty if that was the finish.  He told me no.  When I reached the end of the street, we had to turn into another street.  Again, I saw this white banner across the street.  The guy running next to me had apparently done this race before.  When I asked him if that was the finish, he said no.  When I reached the end of that street, we had to turn into another street.  Once again, I saw this white banner at the other end of the street.  When I got there, I asked a bystander if that marked the finish.  He told me no, because that was for the accompanying 5K race only.  Thereafter, I stopped looking for signs."

#1069.  WHO:  Shelley Farmer SUBJECT:  Her cover photo on the website during the second week of September, 2000 WHAT SHE WROTE:  "You sooo bad!!! With your quick eye, you actually caught me paying attention!!" COMMENT:  Our thousands of photos to date have people caught setting world records, winning races, accepting awards, running, biking, rowing boats, walking, bull riding, pitching, softball, disco dancing, sticking their tongues out, napping, eating bagels, drinking alcohol, throwing up, taking off their pants, coming out of the bathroom, attempting to commit suicide, ... but this is the first time that someone was caught paying attention!  QUESTION:  Do you have a picture of someone NOT paying attention?   REPLY: Ah, that is too easy -- here is one (technical note: Since you have all been guilty before, you all better click on this because it can be YOU!)

#1068.  SUBJECT:  Gender identity
WHEN:  September 7th road workout, the Thursday before the weekend's scoring race.
AUDIENCE PRESENT:  44 people present --- 10 women, 34 men
WHAT Tony Ruiz SAID:  "I'm glad that I don't see the men here today.  I take it that they are resting in preparation for the big race."
WHAT John Megaw SAID:  "So he doesn't think that we are men?"
WHAT Richie Borrero SAID:  "If I am not a man, then I must be ... a boy?"

#1067.  WHO:  Michele Tagliati
WHEN:  September 4th, 2000 upon learning that 61-year-old Sid Howard just ran an 18:53 5K road race
WHAT HE SAID:  "I remember that Tom Hartshorne once said that he could afford to lose fractions of a second per year in order to be able to run at Sid's time at age sixty (see Famous Saying #692).  In my case, I'm going to have to improve 2 seconds a year from now on in order to run Sid's time."

#1066.  WHO: Toby Tanser
WHEN:  September 4th, 2000 in the middle of the middle-distance runners' track workout consisting of 4x800m with 10 minute rest in between
WHAT HE SAID:  "We are halfway through the workout, and I have already taken twenty minutes of rest.  That was much longer than the four minutes or so of running."
COMMENT:  Toby, you are a long distance runner and you just don't understand what those guys do ... here is what you should do during that long rest ...

#1065.  WHO:  Shula Sarner
WHEN:  September 4th, 2000
HEADLINE:  Tragic Discovery at New Haven 20k Road Race
WHAT SHE SAID:  "I discovered that I could not eat Ben & Jerry's ice cream after a race.  The race organizers were distributing them for free, and I just could not eat it."

#1064.  WHO:  Marnie Mueller
WHERE:  Green Fires, page 279-280.
WHAT SHE WROTE:  "Once on the beach on Long Island, in the early fall, about a year after I'd met him, Kai had gone for a jog down the shore.  I had never been with anyone longer than a few months, and I was doubting my feelings for him.  I found him too stodgy, too unpolitical.  Maybe he wasn't even handsome.  Maybe I didn't even like to make love to him.  Why had I picked a German?  Was it out of my own anti-Semitism, and on and on.  As I sat on the empy beach a fog came in off the bay and enfolded me in its damp chill.  I wrapped the blanket around me to keep warm.  An hour went by and he didn't return and I began to shake with fear.  Please, I pleaded.  Please don't leave me.  Abruptly my mood changed, and I thought, I don't need you.  I don't want you.  I hope you never come back.  But I didn't get up.  And I didn't stop shaking.  A half hour later he appeared through the fog, his face red, his breathing labored.  He fell down on the sand beside me.
     "I got lost.  I couldn't find you.  I think I must have gone past this spot ten times."
     I didn't say anything, just continued to shake.
     "What is it?" He sat up and looked at me.
     "Nothing"
     "You were afraid I'd left you."
     I found myself trembling more uncontrollably.
     He put his arms around me.  "Don.t you know?" he said.  "I have to work all the time to keep you from running away from me.  Twenty, thirty times in this year you would have left me.  I don't know, I'm crazy maybe, but I won't ever let you go."
     I slipped out of the hammock and made my way unseeing, feeling along the outer wall of the building.  I no longer cared if anyone was out there.  I had to find Kai's backpack.  I felt along the floor.  There it was.  I unzipped the outside pocket, found what I wanted, and groped my way back to the hammock.  I climbed in, wrapped the sides up so they closed over my head like the sheets my mother hung out to dry on washday in the backyards and on the landings wherever we lived.  Before that terrible day in winter, I had loved hiding among the sheets.  I loved their fresh smell, how they embraced me when the breeze blew, and the way the sun glowed through.  I lay softly crying and twining my injured hand in Kai's cotton neckerchief, bringing it to my nose to smell his scent."

#1063.  SUBJECT:  How to increase your name mentions on the Central Park Track Club (check the Google search box on our home page to see your current standings, and compare against the leaders Stacy Creamer, Audrey Kingsley and Alan Ruben)

1. Be around the club forever
2. Run every race that you can get into, be it running, swimming, biking, climbing, rowing, weight-lifting, body-building, ...
3. Be cited for being at the workouts, and be cited even for not being at the workouts (e.g. "We looked longingly down 72nd Street for Audrey Kingsley but she never showed")
4. Cause mass destruction at the workouts
5. Become landmark names (e.g. the Stuart Calderwood mile that begins with the S near Tavern On The Green)
6. Show up  whenever a camera is present
7. Show up on every occasion, just in case a camera might be present
8. Have lovely children

#1062.  WHO:  Ross Galitsky
WHEN:  August 24th, 2000
SUBJECT:  Revisionist history re: workout description item (2/3/2000): "Jumping out a cab right next to the Daniel Webster statue to join the workout was Ross Galitsky, with this explanation: "Those three blocks from my apartment to here are treacherous."  That may be a statement of fact, but this is a privilege not extended to the rest of us lumpenproletariats.  And what would Fritz Mueller say to this sort of running ethic?"
WHAT HE SAID:  "You know, I really did not take a taxi.  I was crossing the street and I had to get around this taxi in front of the stop light, which looked as if I was exiting."
COMMENT:  Next thing you know, they're going to airbrush Nikita Krushchev out of the photo of the Poliburo ...

#1061.  WHO:  Dave Howard
TO WHOM:  Audrey Kingsley (of the Banc of America)
WHEN:  August 31st, 2000
SUBJECT:  Why he did not finish the workout
WHAT HE SAID:  "Tonight, I was the Bonk of America."
FACT:  He did win the Media Corporate Challenge Race 48 hours ago

#1060.  WHO:  Audrey Kingsley's mom
WHAT SHE SAID:  "Audrey, they spelt your name wrong on the website."
COMMENT:  Again?  
FACT:  Traditionally, we have used a poorly paid foreigner to type in the text that we wrote, and it has come to our attention on many occasions that Kingsley has been entered as Kinsgley.  We are not sure whether he is dyslexic or has motor dysfunction, but we do know that we can't afford to pay more to hire someone else.  You don't believe it?  You can go to our home page and use the Google search box to locate 'Kinsgley' on our site.  Even Audrey's mom couldn't find all occurrences.

#1059.  WHO:  Olivier Baillet
BACKGROUND:  On August 28th, 2000, this notice appeared on our home page --- "BIBLE READING:  What is so good about The Triathlete's Training Bible:  The Complete Training Guide for the Competitive Multisports Athlete?  We just sold the third copy of this book through Amazon.com."
WHAT HE WROTE:  "I'll tell you the answer in a few weeks, when I finish reading it."
REVIEW FROM Ross Galitsky:  "That is not a bad book."  Additional disclaimer from Ross:  "You can't blame me.  He's the one who wants to become a triathlete."

#1058.  WHO:  John Scherrer
WHEN:  August 29th, 2000 workout
WHERE:  East River Track
WHAT HE SAID:  "I saw someone taking a photo of me.  I don't want the website to report on my secret workout.  (pause).  On the other hand, I've been injured so often lately that maybe you should report it and let other people try it."
COMMENT:  Aren't you curious?  From this photo, we observe that he is running on the inside path along the track in the clockwise direction.  What gives?  For further information about the secret workout, please write john_scherrer@hotmail.com
COMMENT FROM John Scherrer:  "I actually liked how you inaccurately framed the context of my quote."

#1057.  SUBJECT:  The Central Park Track Club website visitors
SITUATION:  At the Club Championships on August 19, 2000, we had a mass turnout of more than 80 runners and our photographers took over 120 photos at the race, the brunch and the softball game.  Here are our website statistics for the next 3 days:

Of course, some people spent more time (or, a lot more time) than others.  Was anyone working on that Monday ... ?

COMMENT FROM Dave Newcomb:  "I got on the website, and I was clicking and clicking.  I couldn't believe how many pictures there were!"

#1056.  WHO:  Ross Galitsky
SUBJECT:  The runners in the 2000 Bronx 50k race
WHAT HE SAID:  "This race covers all the major parks in the borough.  There was ample food offered by the race helpers.  For example, they cut off banana slices and place them into small plastic bags.  But I am really shocked how little the other runners in this race ate."

#1055.  WHO:  Sid Howard
SUBJECT:  Purchasing food and drinks for the 2000 Club Championships brunch
WHAT HE SAID:  "I went to Gristedes and paid ninety-nine dollars for this little bit of stuff.  I can't believe how expensive they are."
COMMENT:  ... let's hope that they read this review ...

    1999 Central Park Triathlon

#1054.  WHO:  Stacy Creamer
BACKGROUND:  At the bottom of the 2000 Central Park Triathlon listing of results, this note of apology appeared: "What?  No photos?  Sorry, but the alarm clock didn't work (note: should have borrowed Rob Zand's four alarm clocks)."
WHAT SHE SAID:  "Somehow, I think photos of me going around Central Park in a bathing suit will not be missed by me ... "

#1053.  SUBJECT:  2000 Club Championships

HISTORY LESSON # 1
QUESTION:  At the 2000 Club Championships, Toby Tanser finished third overall in a time of 24:29.  Afterwards, our coach Tony Ruiz wondered if that was the highest finish ever by a member of the Central Park Track Club
ANSWER:  Upon reviewing the records of the 1990's only, we found that Michael Trunkes finished second overall at the 1990 Club Championships in a time of 25:17.  His time should be considered in light of the fact that the temperature and humidity were both in the 90's back then, so bad that a couple of our top female runners could not finish.
ADDENDUM:  Although our records only go back to 1990, we are pretty sure that Toby Tanser's 11 road race wins in 2000 (as of August 19th and with more than 5 more months left in the year) would have already given him the club record for the most number of wins in one year.

HISTORY LESSON # 2
QUESTION:  At the 2000 Club Championships, our coach Tony Ruiz noted that 11 men went under 27 minutes on the third-place team, and deemed this to be one of the best in recent years.
ANSWER:  This website contains the results for the years 1997, 1998 and 1999, from which you can easily tell that this year's outcome was a major improvement.  For a historical comparison, we list below our top ten finishers (which also finished in third place) at the 1995 Club Championships.  

In considering these results, you should know that the temperature was 96 degrees at the start with the humidity around the same number in the race back then, while it was a picture-perfect day this year.  We quote from the 1995 race report: "Alan Ruben was having difficulty with the heat.  Alan's 27:10 was below par, but the effort he put out was as intense as ever.  Witnesses attest to seeing the 2:30 marathoner look 'very pale' and even 'green' towards the end.  Rumors quickly circulated that he had collapsed or fainted or puked past the finish line, although he later claimed that he was OK and had just gone through his normal dramatic finish line chute routine."  P.S.  Even back then, then assistant coach Tony Ruiz was described as a 'low-mileage maven.'

HISTORY LESSON #3
QUESTION:  At the 2000 Club Championships, our coach Tony Ruiz noted that our top five women all ran 31:XX (Stacy Creamer 31:00, Margaret Angell 31:03, Shelley Farmer 31:19, Margaret Schotte 31:34, Stephanie Gould 31:36) by working together in one of the best team efforts.
ANSWER:  This website carries the results of the 1997, 1998 and 1999 races.  For a historical comparison, we list the top 5 runners at the 1995 Club Championships.  By coincidence, the 1995 and 2000 teams both finished in fourth place.

The 1995 Quote of the Day came from Manuel Caneva:  "It was a marvelous display of talent ... grits ... determination ... and ... and ... beauty, the likes of which I have never seen before."

We also comment that the 2000 team members were not at peak form due to an assortment of injuries and training problems.  All of them should be able to easily run 30:XX or better based upon their previous accomplishments --- Stacy Creamer 30:14 PR in 2000; Margaret Angell and Margaret Schotte both with 9:XX at 3000m in college; Stephanie Gould 30:37 PR at 1997 Club Championships; Shelley Farmer with a 3:01 NYC Marathon in 1999; and not forgetting Audrey Kingsley with a 3:00 NYC Marathon in 1998.

HISTORY LESSON # 4
QUESTION:  In the preceding two history lessons, we have made a comparison of the 1995 and 2000 open men's and women's teams.  What about the other divisions?  
ANSWER:  In 1995, we did not even have enough people for either women's masters or men's senior masters.  Whereas the 2000 men's masters team was the top team in their race with the five scorers in 27:XX or faster, the 1995 men's masters was eighth with these five scorers: Jeff Kisseloff (30:34), Phil Vasquez (30:54), Chris Sicaras (31:14), Roland Soong (32:58) and Chip Olsen (34:19).  At that time, the fourth-place scorer was heard to say, among other things, 

• "This team must be really, really bad for someone like me to score."
• "This should be very, very encouraging to everybody, because it goes to show that anyone can score for the team."
• "Now that I've scored once in my life for the team in the Club Championships, I think I'll take up photography."

HISTORY LESSON # 5
QUESTION:  Apart from talking about the team performance, what about the individual performances?  
ANSWER:  To be sure, there are many, many interesting stories, but we thought there is a terrific story on Stuart Calderwood.  In the following table, we have listed his performances at the Club Championships in the three years that he has been with the club:

Every year, Stuart has improved his time and his overall place in the race, but he is falling in the ranking among his teammates.  Thus, he has seen his individual and team performances move in the right direction.  But Stuart can take individual pride in the team performance, since his exemplary leadership at races and workouts has been a major influence.  For those of you who have followed our website over these same years, you will remember how often our 'young' runners groan at the sight of those two 'old' guys (Alan Ruben and Stuart Calderwood) doing the 'horizon thing' on them again and again at the workouts until they have become (almost?) equals now (remember Famous Saying #309?).  So, thank you, Stuart!

HISTORY LESSON #6
When we do comparative history, there is more than just figuring what the people this year used to do in the past.  We also noted that in the 1999 Club Championships, our sixth master finisher was Sheldon Karlin (28:52), who passed away early this year.  The team misses him ...

#1052. WHO: Toby Tanser BACKGROUND:  Although this page is about the famous sayings of the famous people on the Central Park Track Club, you have never heard anyone literally say anything so far.  So we thought that we would let you listen to Toby's description of the Bronx Half Marathon (July 9, 2000) in a television interview. WHAT HE SAID:  (click) COMMENT:  ... this will be known henceforth as the Death March speech ...

#1051.  WHO:  Sid Howard
SITUATION:  At the 2000 USATF National Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene (Oregon), Sid was disqualified in the M60-64 800m finals for having stepped on the lane line more than 3 times.  Although he has been running for over twenty years, this has never occurred to him.  In this race, he crossed the finish line two seconds ahead of the runner-up, so that any advantage he might have gained is immaterial.  When the race director told him that he was disqualified ...
WHAT HE SAID: "You can change the outcome of the race, but you cannot change the performance.  I am satisfied with what I have done."

#1050.  WHO:  Devon Sargent
SUBECT:  Her 1500m time of 4:56 at the MAC mini-meet (August 1, 2000)
WHAT SHE SAID:  "I am now running the time that I ran in my college freshman year.  Several weeks ago at the USATF-CT meet, I was running the time that I ran in high school.  At this rate, I may get back to my college senior year."

#1049.  WHO:  Guillermo Rojas
TITLE: "Can Your Pooch Keep Up with Your Pace?" (eFit.com)
WHEN: July 26, 2000
WHAT WAS WRITTEN: "Running with my dogs has been a great way for me to change my workout," says Guillermo Rojas, New York City Road Runners Club member and dog owner.  Rojas has two mutts: Chewy, a greyhound, pit bull and black Labrador mix and Pharaoh, a shar-pei, retriever and pit bull mix. "It's helped me change the pace of my runs.  My dog will sprint sometimes for 30 seconds and then go back to a jog, so it's a very effective way to alter the pace of your workout."

HIS OWN REVIEW: "The reporter interviewed me on the phone for about 30 minutes and only used one quote.  I told him about how I've run with Chewy on trails for two hours, talked about trails vs. roads, about how to bring water with you, and more ..."

#1048.  WHO:  Richie Borrero WHEN:  Every workout, every race and every other occasion WHAT HE IS THINKING:  "I wonder when Tony is getting around to say that I run too much and too hard ...  Something is incomplete until he does that ... "

#1047.  WHO:  Michele Tagliati WHEN:  Before the start of the Club Championships race, August 19, 2000 SITUATION:  Upon reading a website announcement prior to this race --- "Ladies, don't forget to line up and give Michele Tagliati a birthday kiss after the race on Saturday.  This will be the occasion of his first Masters race." WHAT HE SAID:  "I made sure that I shaved this morning."

#1046.  WHO:  Stacy Creamer
WHEN:  Club Championships 2000
WHAT SHE SAID:  "When I got to a quarter mile left in the race, I came across the Central Park Track Club cheering section.  All our men had finished their race and came back on the course to cheer.  When I saw that screaming line of people, I immediately thought of the gauntlet that the Navy women were forced to run through in that infamous Tailhook incident!  But it was really great to see and hear them."

#1046.  WHO:  Craig Chilton WHAT HE WROTE:  "I thought people on the team might be interested to know about a new race (located just north of the Rockie Mountain area where I grew up) ... it's the Canadian Death Race.  They grow 'em tough up there!"   Note: We note that no sooner than we post this message than the Canadian Death Race website went kaput.  We think that we can see the cause-and-effect ...

#1045.  WHO:  Ross Galitsky / Roland Soong
SUBJECT:  Odyssey Triple Ironman Triathlon
WHAT Roland asked: "Ross, how much is the entry fee for this race?"
WHAT Ross said: "Oh, $350."
WHAT Roland said: "Liar!  The only reason that I asked was because I knew it was $400!"

#1044.  WHO:  Eden Weiss
TO WHOM:  The Central Park Track Club photography crew
SUBJECT:  Club Championships, 2000
WHAT HE SAID: "You better not leave your post until I have gone past.  But it will be easy for you to find me, because you will hear me groaning a quartermile away."

#1043.  WHO:  Kiet Vo
BACKGROUND:  At the Tuesday track workout just before the Club Championships 2000, the team was told to run one mile at the projected 5 mile race pace.  Later that evening, the workout description on this website contained this report: "Kiet Vo was timed at 5:34 for the mile, so his projected 5 mile race time is 27:50 --- we'll be looking out for him!"
WHAT HE WROTE: "Rather unfair of you to single me out at the track workout :P I hadn't planned on racing this Saturday and so ran faster than a five-mile race pace. But this admission will not go well and so I guess I will run...hopefully around a 30min!"
COMMENT: ... we'll still be looking out for him! ...
POSTSCRIPT:  Kiet Vo DNF'd when he saw that he would not meet his stated time.

#1042.  WHO:  Bola Awofeso WHEN:  August 15, 2000, 7pm WHERE:  East River Park track WHAT HE MIGHT BE SAYING:  "I finished the book that I was reading last week (see Famous Saying #1032).  This week, I should be able to finish the Pocket Handbook of Clinical Psychiatry before this workout begins.  Yes, coming down to these workouts has helped me tremendously to catch up with my reading." COMMENT:  ... be sure to read the chapter on obsessive-compulsive behavior that runners never have ...

#1040.  WHO:  John Scherrer
SUBJECT:  Variation on the theme of 'No pain, no gain'
WHAT HE SAID: "'No brains, no pain.'  That quote had better appear on the website."
COMMENT:  That's a no-brainer.

#1039.  WHO:  Sid Howard
WHAT HE SAID:  "I don't understand all these people who use their own watches when human timers are present at the workouts."
COMMENT #1:  Well, we have heard timers call out while people ran by ...
- "Oops! Sorry, but I had no idea that you were in my group!"
- "Oops! Sorry, but I pressed the wrong button on my watch!"
- "Oops! Sorry, but I haven't figured out how to use a watch yet!"
- "Oops! Sorry, but I thought 1000m was three laps around the track!"
- "Oops! Sorry, but I was having an argument with the soccer players!"
- "Oops! Sorry, but I was trying to recruit someone on the other side of the field!"
- "Oops! Sorry, but I could not read anything in the dark on the far side of the field!"
- "Oops! Sorry, but I would have to be a rocket to give you the splits on both sides of the field."
COMMENT #2: The modern watches allow you to keep all the splits in memory, so that you can go home and review your splits for the 12 quartermiles: "97 seconds, 82 seconds, 88 seconds, 93 seconds, 91 seconds, 84 seconds, 76 seconds, 99 seconds, DNS, 71 seconds, DNF, DNS" and know for sure that this was not the way it was supposed to be.

"I can do mental as well as physical gymnastics"

#1038.  WHO:  Shula Sarner SUBJECT:  Her photo that appeared on our home page during the week of August 5-11, 2000 WHAT SHE SAID: "I was away for the weekend.  When I got back, I got online to see what everybody else is doing.  Then my boyfriend pointed to the photo and said, 'It's you!'" WHAT ELSE SHE WROTE: "Thanks for the mental gymnastics photo, which has now been sent, (by way of my horrid boyfriend who saw it before I could get it away) to Italy (his family), Britain (my family), across the continental USA (many friends), Berlin (my little brother) and as far south as Santiago de Chile (my little sister) and Australia (my other sister)." COMMENT:  ... other appreciative parties of photos on this website include Craig Chilton's mom in Canada, Stuart Calderwood's dad in San Diego, Max Schindler's daughter in Idaho, ...

#1037.  WHO:  John Kenney
WHAT HE SAID:  "Given some of the illegible information scribbled on application forms, we should perhaps institute hand-writing tests for prospective new members."
COMMENT:  Alternately, we'll scan some of these sections and offer prizes to decipher them.

#1036. WHO:  Guillermo (G'mo) Rojas
IN RESPONSE TO Ross Galitsky's admiring statement, "I am on the same top-secret tough training schedule as G'mo."
WHAT HE SAID:  "Oh, then you stay inside the office all day too."

#1035.  WHO:  Ramon Bermo
SITUATION:  In response to the question from Margaret Angell, "Do you triathletes train together all the time?"
WHAT HE SAID: "Usually, we each do our own thing.  But when you are going out for a hundred mile bike ride for six or seven hours, it makes more sense to go with someone else."

#1034.  WHO:  Shelley Farmer
WHEN:  August 6, 2000
WHERE:  BMW Greenwich Cup Triathlon, Greenwich, CT
SUBJECT:  The answer to the question, "What is happiness?"

(click to see close-up)

WHAT SHE WROTE:  "Gotta love that prize money!!!"

The "A" team --- lean, mean and fit for the Club Team Championships

#1033.  WHO:  Jonathan Pillow, Stuart Calderwood, Isaya Okwiya
WHEN: August 8, 2000 track workout, in 90+ degree heat
WHAT JONATHAN SAID:  "Look at this--I've got little bugs all over my chest.  Hey, Stuart--why don't you have any bugs?
WHAT STUART SAID:  "Because I've been using you as a windscreen all night."
WHAT ISAYA SAID:  "I have bugs all over me, but you can't see them because they're the same color as my skin."

#1032.  WHO:  Bola Awofeso
WHEN:  August 8, 2000 track workout
WHERE:  East River Park
WHAT HE MIGHT BE THINKING:  "These workouts take so long to get started that I have enough time to read the entire human genetic code during the wait."

#1031.  WHO:  John Megaw
WHEN:  August 8, 2000
WHAT HE SAID:  "I don't have internet access these days, so I don't know what is on the website."
COMMENT:  Well, we can't say that much is going on --- except maybe this picture of John Megaw that he can't see ...?

#1030: WHO:  Roland Soong
TO WHOM:  Mary Wittenberg
WHEN:  Manhattan Half Marathon, August 5, 2000
WHERE:  Eight mile mark at the top of Harlem Hill
SITUATION:  As Roland Soong was standing there with his camera, racer Mary Wittenberg came by saying, "How're you doing today?"
WHAT HE SAID:  "Stop talking!  And keep running!"
COMMENT:  On the whole, when she is running in a race, we prefer her to show us that 2:48 marathon form of hers rather than talk to us.

#1029.  WHO:  Eve Kaplan
SUBJECT:  Why she joined the Central Park Track Club
WHEN:  At the annual baseball game after the 1998 Club Championships, she observed people driving a van right up onto the Great Lawn and unloading green transparent glass bottles of beverages in full view of NYC park rangers
WHAT SHE THOUGHT:  "Cool, they run fast and they break the rules!"

#1028.  WHO:  Harry Morales
WHEN:  August 5, 2000
WHERE:  Manhattan Half Marathon
WHAT HE SAID:  "When I got around to West 72nd Street, I swear that I heard someone cheering for Central Park Track Club in a Sevillian accent.  I can't imagine who that might be.  Then I realized that it must have been Raphael Devalle."
COMMENT:  We were once told that races are emergency situations, so why is he trying to analyze accents ... ?

#1027.  WHO:  Olivier Baillet
SUBJECT:  Complaint to the Federal Telecommunications Commission
cc: "El tipo apasionado por Internet"
WHERE:  FC Max, Bolletin #9, February 11, 2000
WHAT HE WROTE:  "Que me deben extrañar todos (tal como les extraño), les indico un dato imperdible. Vayan esta semana al sitio internet Centralparktc.org, cliquean Latest Race Results, cliquean Lucky 7 Mile, cliquean Photo album, y busquen las fotos con mi nombre.
Central Park Track Club es el club al cual me anote, y les aconsejo que se  fijen en el sitio, que es el mejor de todos los clubes.  Quizás podrían Uds. copiar ideas para FCMax (tal como hacer reportes sobre las carreras, sacar fotos, poner los entrenamientos).  En el caso del club, hay un tipo apasionado por Internet que pasa sus días trabajando para mantener al día y ampliar el sitio.  Se que la idea - y los medios - de FCMax es distinta, pero igual, es un sitio muy interesante.  Después de 4 semanas en mi nuevo departamento, todavía no tengo Internet y recién tuve teléfono hace 2 días. Y yo pensaba que NY era en el primer  mundo..."
Saludos.  Olivier "Goncho" Baillet  obaillet@hotmail.com

Winter 2000, Central Park, New York City

#1027.  WHO:  Olivier Baillet
SUBJECT:  Running in the cold ( alternate title: "El congelamiento de las joyas de familia")
WHERE:  FC Max, Bolletin # 11, March 10, 2000
WHAT HE WROTE: "Con mucho gusto les voy a mandar a partir de hoy artículos sobre mi vida de corredor Neoyorkino. Este es el primero, otros están por venir, peor no les puedo garantir la frecuencia ni el contenido. Empezamos con un tema que ninguno de Uds. deben conocer de verdad: CORRER EN EL FRIO.

Aún Omar Alba o Miguel Sepúlveda (*) con sus experiencias en el Medio Maratón del Fin del Mundo no deben haber vivido lo que tuve que pasar durante estos dos últimos meses.  Cuando llegué aquí el 15 de Noviembre pasado me congelé.  El primer fin de semana sentí  los 10 grados muy húmedos. Fueron, de hecho, los días mas calurosos que tuve desde que llegue . En Diciembre pasamos abajo de cero, y quedamos unos dos meses y medio en el negativo.  Lo que mata es el viento.  El Windchill que podemos - aproximadamente - comparar con la "sensación térmica" porteña, hace bajar la temperatura a -30 grados regularmente.  Como saben todos, los franchutes somos tipos muy fuertes, es por eso que me pude  entrenar.   Tengo como proyecto a mediano o largo plazo subir nuevamente  montañas, y creo que correr en condiciones de "mierda" - perdonen la palabra pero es la mas adecuada y a los franchutes nos gusta mucho usarla - como este frío,   es un buen entrenamiento para ese fin.  Nunca postergue una salida por el frío (pero por lluvia si, soy MEDIO-loco).

Todo es cuestión de saber vestirse y equiparse, y aprendí bastante en este aspecto. Todo tiene su precio, y tuve que invertir en mucha ropa: guantes, gorro cubriendo las orejas, calza de la marca "Patagonia" (o sea, para la montaña, supuestamente no para correr) mucho mas abrigada, caliente e impermeable que cualquier otra de Nike o Adidas o lo que sea, lana polar y "primera piel" de material especifico para no retener en sudor. Ya tenía un rompeviento, que es el elemento mas importante de todo.  Siempre se escuchan historias de virilidad congelada, gracias a Dios a mi no me pasó, y me parece un poco exagerado. Pero creo sin problema que correr sin guantes podría llegar a ser problemático.

También es cuestión de ser realista: en estas condiciones, conviene trotar un rato mas largo que de costumbre para entrar en calor y no conviene hacer estiradas, porque al parar de correr se entra en congelación inmediata. Los tiempos realizados en entrenamiento no se pueden acercar a los tiempos realizados en el calor, yo pensé que estaba en un bajón de forma en pleno invierno pero un día hizo mas calor, e hice mis mejores pasadas.

Competir en estas condiciones es toda una historia. Alguna vez les pasó a algunos de Uds no poder tomar en el  puesto de agua porque estaba congelada? Uno tiene que romper la capa de hielo de 2 cm para poder absorber lo que queda en el fondo del vaso. Peor en  las carreras largas en la cual pasamos dos veces por un mismo puesto, la segunda vuelta es imposible porque se congela todo en el piso (por causa del agua caída de los vasos durante la primera vuelta) y no se puede acceder a los vasos sin patines para hielo. En realidad, todo eso es tan peligroso, que al final yo prefiero no tomar para evitar el accidente. Que locura, no ?

En esos días de frío increíble, hay carreras CADA semana y CADA semana hay entre 1000 y 2500 rayados - y rayadas - para competir. Y que nivel ! (tema de un futuro texto.).

El peor potencial problema de todos (después del congelamiento des "bijoux de famille" - joyas de familia - que ya mencione arriba) es la caída.  Imaginense el estado del piso cuando hace 15 bajo cero, con una capa de hielo, una capa de nieve, otra capa de hielo, un capa de sal o arena para evitar de caer, anulado por otra capa de hielo. Correr fuera de los caminos ? Sorry, pero eso es imposible (que van a hacer con medio metro de nieve) ? y casi reservado para el esquí de fondo y la caminata con raquetas, dos deportes que tienen mucho éxito en el Park en Enero y Febrero (están locos, estos yankees). Fuera de broma, no es fácil. Por suerte, los cuidadores del Park hacen un trabajo muy eficiente y las calles mejor cuidadas y mas limpias de la ciudad son las del Park y de hecho yo personalmente no me caí nunca.

Afortunadamente el tiempo va mejorando últimamente y ya no hay mas nieve. Por un lado es una pena porque el Park es una hermosura bajo la nieve, pero por otro lado que bueno es correr sin guantes y con las patas al aire (que tengo blanquisimas, como se pueden imaginar)!  Take Care! Me gusta mucho esta expresión, que significa algo como 'Ten cuidado', y que implica una cierto grado de amistad.

(*) Corredores de FCmax

Nota del editor
Olivier "Goncho" Baillet (29) es integrante honorario de Grupo Fundador, excelente nadador y  runner. Es francés, y estuvo en Buenos Aires en el nacimiento de FCmax junto a su simpática mujer Anne.  Actualmente corre en el Central Park de New York y se lo puede ver en www.centralparktc.org (Central Park Track Club).   Corre 10, y 21 y 42Km PR 3:02:57."

After reading #1027 and #1028, Olivier Baillet has this to say:

Amazing ! How did you find out that I was a French spy contracted by Argentine runners to give secret information on my running experiences in New York City and on the Central Park Track Club website (also known as The Matrix)?  Flabbergasting, stultifying, incroyable.  I should have known that privacy is a right that you lose when you give your soul to the Central Park Track Club ... Thank God, I haven't written anything negative on you !

Comment:  It is not too late to quit - you can always take the red pill ...

#1026.  WHO:  Richard Kixmiller / Tony Ruiz
SUBJECT:  Ironman USA, July 29, 2000, in which Richard Kixmiller qualified for Ironman Hawaii
WHAT Richard SAID: "I qualified only by beating someone in the final quartermile of the run."
WHAT Tony SAID:  "So you outkicked him!"
WHAT Richard SAID:  "No, I wouldn't say that I outkicked him.  I just stayed on his shoulder and when I made a move with one hundred meters to go, he couldn't respond."
WHAT Tony SAID:  "In other words, you outkicked him."

#1025.  WHO:  Sid Howard
WHEN: August 1, 2000 track workout
SUBJECT:  How far he is willing to carry his teammates in his disco van after the workout
WHAT HE SAID:  "Eugene, Oregon would be too far!"

#1024.  WHO:  Victor Osayi
WHEN:  August 1, 2000 workout
SITUATION:  Victor came dressed in street clothes as he was racing the next day.  When asked to be a timer, he said that he was willing provided if someone would lend him a watch.  When asked why he does not have a watch ...
WHAT HE SAID:  "I don't need a watch when I race ..."
COMMENT:  Ah, we get it.  His sense of performance in a race is relative to Tyronne Culpepper (see Famous Saying # 935) ...

#1023.  WHO:  Etsuko Kizawa
WHEN:  August 1, 2000 workout
SITUATION:  This workout was a game of attrition in the group as people kept dropping out, such that there were only two runners left for the final 200m --- Etsuko Kizawa and Brian Barry.  When the timer said, "You would be glad to know that this is the last 200m" ...
WHAT SHE SAID: "I thought we were supposed to go on until only one of us is left."
COMMENT:  Been watching too many gladiator movies ... ?

#1022.  WHO: Jonathan Pillow
WHEN:  August 1, 2000 workout
WHERE:  East River Park
SITUATION:  Upon hearing Stuart Calderwood tell a newcomer that they can meet at 6:45 promptly to run in the park
WHAT HE SAID: "What do you mean, 6:45!???  These guys never start running until 7:15!!!"
COMMENT:  Stuart was referring to his early morning run at 645am (prompt) with Alan Ruben ...

#1021.  WHO:  Craig Buckbee
WHEN:  August 1, 2000 workout
WHERE:  East River Park
BACKGROUND:  Seen for the first time in about two years (or something like that), he was asked how he felt afterwards.
WHAT HE SAID:  "About 15 pounds overweight."

#1020.  WHO:  Tony Ruiz
WHEN:  July 25, 2000 workout
SITUATION:  After this road workout, the coach Tony Ruiz held a meeting with the women runners that lasted for one full hour.  When asked why he needed only 15 minutes to meet with the men a couple of weeks ago ...
WHAT HE SAID:  "The women need me!"

#1019.  WHO:  Tony Ruiz WHEN:  Outdoor track workout, July 18, 2000 WHERE:  East River Park SUBJECT:  Jackie Cortes WHAT HE SAID:  "The problem with many of you is that you don't pay attention to the workout description so that you always have to ask again.  However, today, Jackie is not chatting with someone over the cell phone while I give the workout description.  Rather, she is trying to arrange for the babysitter to stay longer because I am calling for a team meeting after the workout.  That is dedication for you!"

#1018.  WHO:  Harry Morales
SITUATION:  Upon learning that the 2000 Manhattan Half Marathon will start at 730am
WHAT HE SAID:  "There is no way that this race is ever going to start on time.  There are always far too many people at late registration and number pickup, so that they always start late.  Moving the start time up is simply a way of allowing them to start at the originally scheduled 800am.  Mark my words!"
COMMENT:  Ah, we get it ... it's that old LIRR trick in which they get improve their on-time performances by revising their schedules ...
COMMENT:  By the way, we will be out there with our stopwatch on Saturday ...

#1017.  WHO:  Kim Mannen
WHAT SHE WROTE: "As of August 1, 2000, I will be the Culinary Products Manager at Saveur magazine.  Now, I can help write the Central Park Track Club restaurant reviews - ha!"
COMMENT:  We are not sure if our team members are in the target group for Saveur, not just because the median annual household income of their readers is $120,000+, but because our revealed tastes seem to be narrowly confined to just bagels and lattes.

#1016.  WHO:  Karl Paranya
WHEN:  July 29, 2000
WHERE:  Dash & Splash 5 Miler, Central Park, NYC
SITUATION:  In this race, Karl finished second to our Toby Tanser, who said:"After the race, I naively tried to recruit this guy in the finish area.  Later I heard the name ... then it clicked --- Karl Paranya of the Asics team is one of America's top milers! Mind you, he said ..."
WHAT HE SAID:  "I'll look you guys up."
COMMENT:  Hello there, Karl ...

#1015. WHO:  Serge J-F. Levy
WHERE:  Letter Editor of The New York Times
WHEN:  July 27, 2000
WHAT HE WROTE: "Having looked at thousands of photographs taken by friends and relatives who suggest that they captured a striking moment, I have become convinced that great photographs are not 'accidental.'  Rather, a careful skill of connecting one's intent with an ability to compose and time a moment leads to a masterpiece."
COMMENT:  Ah, we get it ... he is saying that some of our photos achieve greatness not because of the states of illumination of their subjects (see our Top 10 photos of 1999), but because we were relentless in our dogged pursuit of them here, there and everywhere all of the time.

#1014.  WHO:  Tyronne Culpepper
WHEN:  At 712pm, Tyronne sauntered into the road workout area
WHAT HE SAID:  "I'm so glad that Tony (Ruiz) is back to coach."  
COMMENT:  This reference is to the fact that last week the substitute coach Ramon Bermo began the workout promptly at 700pm and sent the groups out by 709pm.  But is this any way to win a popularity contest ... ?

#1013.  WHO:  Paul Stuart-Smith WHEN:  July 25, 2000 track workout SUBJECT:  Standard of excellence SITUATION:  Upon being complimented by John Kenney for running 'tough' tonight WHAT HE SAID:  "Yes, but I'm not ready to run a 25-minute 5 miler yet." MINI-QUIZ:  Whose famous elbow is that in the photo?  Five minutes of fame, if you get the right answer.  (Hint:  It's NOT John Scherrer)

#1012.  WHO:  Blair Boyer
SUBJECT:  What he did on Tuesday evening, less than 12 hours before the Tavern on the Green Breakfast run
WHAT HE SAID:  "I had planned on running the Tuesday track workout prior to the Breakfast Run but commonsense, still trying to make its debut in my running life, forced me to settle instead for 9 easy miles."
COMMENT:  Commonsense has a long journey ahead in Blair's life ...

#1011.  WHO:  Paul Stuart-Smith
SUBJECT:  His New York Road Runners Foundation t-shirt for Running Partners
WHAT HE SAID:  "Oh, that's for my other family."
COMMENT:  And his Central Park Track Club singlet is for his other other family ...

#1010.  WHO:  Unnamed (for good reason) person
SUBJECT:  How the previous generation of Central Park Track Club runners ran race times that were faster than this generation's
WHAT HE SAID:  "That was before there is electronic timing.  Those times must have been recorded with a sundial."
COMMENT:  ... you mean this one?

#1009.  WHO:  Unnamed (for good reason) person
SUBJECT:  How the previous generation of Central Park Track Club runners ran race times that were faster than this generation's
WHAT HE SAID:  "Oh, that must have been before they introduced hills into Central Park."
COMMENT:  Did you realize that the road workouts at one time started from West 72nd Street up to the George Washington Bridge and back?  And did you realize that group included Robin Williams who was polishing his act at that time? 

#1008.  WHO:  Bola Awofeso
WHEN:  July 25, 2000 track workout at East River Park
SITUATION:  In response to a soccer player's request that our runners not traverse the soccer field en masse during the workout
WHAT HE SAID: "... only if you make sure that your soccer ball does not roll across the track when we run!"

FOOTNOTE (why we are right and they are wrong, according to Tony Ruiz):  "We've got them outnumbered."
HARD DATA:  We were fifty-four people strong, plus unlimited moral support from the Millrose masters women ...

#1007.  WHO:  Luca Trovato
SUBJECT:  His professional photographer's portfolio

Santorini, Greece

Auberge du Soleil, Napa Valley

Naples, Italy

Machrie Links, Scotland

COMMENT:  Just thought you'd like to relax a little bit with some pretty views ...

#1006.  WHO:  Julie Denney
SUBJECT:  Hudson Valley Triathlon
WHAT SHE SAID:  "I was accompanied by the television crew on the bike leg.  I had no idea why they wanted to do that.  When I reached the transition area, the race director yelled, 'First woman!  First woman!'  I had not expected to be leading, because there was a pro in the race (Donna McMahon).  It turned out that she had some mechanical problems with her bike.  As I got into the run, I wondered how long before she would catch me.  Sure enough, she came and passed me.  Still, I would like to know when they are going to show this race on television ..."
COMMENT: ... so would we ...

#1005.  WHO:  Scott Willett
SUBJECT:  His competitive status in the year 2000
WHAT HE SAID:  "I would like to state that I am not competing this year --- I am just participating."
FACT #1:  He 'particpated' in the Hudson Valley Triathlon, and happened to win the whole thing
FACT #2:  He 'particpated' in the Great Hudson River Swim, and happened to finish behind 46-year-old Nancy Stedman-Martin.

#1004.  WHO:  Harry Morales
SUBJECT:  2000 Utica Boilermaker 15K results
WHAT HE SAID:  "I just received my official results in the mail.  The good news is that my chip time was 17 seconds faster than my clock time.  Unfortunately, there were still 44 people ahead of me in my age group."
TIP ON HOW TO FINISH HIGHER IN YOUR AGE GROUP: Grow old fast ...

#1003.  WHO:  Roger Liberman
WHEN:  July 18, 2000
WHERE:  Track workout, East River Park
QUESTION:  "Did you thank the timer today?"
WHAT HE SAID: "Yes, I thanked him in every language that I know."
COMMENT:  ... beginning with merci ...

#1002.  WHO: Roland Soong
SUBJECT: HATRED!!!
WHEN:  July 22nd, 2000 during the live broadcast of the Women's 5,000m race at the US Track & Field Olympic Trials
WHAT HE SAID: "There I was watching this race on television.  With a mile to go, Regina Jacobs and Deena Drossin have broken away from the pack together.  So who is it going to be?  The 1,500 champion (Regina), or the 10,000m champion (Deena)?  Just as it got really exciting, the television screen cuts to John Denver singing about the sunshine on his shoulders for one of those 1970's hit collections from Time-Life available through calling an 1-800 number immediately.  It was at that moment that I realized, for the first time in my life, that I am a person capable of intense hatred and rage ...  So did you hear my curses all the way uptown?"
POSTSCRIPT:  "You have no idea how many people have spoken to me about that commercial since ..."

#1001.  WHO: Ramon Bermo
WHEN:  July 20, 2000 road workout, in which he acted as substitute coach
WHAT HE SAID:  "At many workouts, I have pretended to give out the workout before the real coach arrives.  This time, I am actually going to be the coach.  Unfortunately, it is likely that no one will believe me when I start giving out the workout."