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Week of May 23, 2006 - May 29, 2006

Orange Pulp
May 24, 2006

It's Pulp Fiction week at Slate. (The fiction, not the movie.) It's better than anything you'll read here. Then again, most actual pulp fiction is better than anything you'll read here.

More Photos
May 23, 2006

Alan Ruben has more photos from the Healthy Kidney 10K.

Another Best Time
May 23, 2006

Kate Cushing also picked up a best time at last weekend's St. John's Night of Hammering: fifth place on the 800m list. That knocks Coach Devon off yet another list, leaving her with just her eighth place time in the mile. Lucky for her she can encourage all her runners to race the1500m instead.

Barry Bonds
May 23, 2006

Ever wonder how many home runs Barry Bonds would have hit without all those steroids he took? (Oh, okay, "alledgedly took.") Page 2 did all sorts of math that even they admit isn't exact, and came up with 616. They end with this:

Six hundred sixteen home runs. Our best guess. A long way from 715, but still an incredible number. Such is the shame in having to wonder: Without steroids, Bonds was a damn good player. With steroids, he's a good player damned.

Week of May 16, 2006 - May 22, 2006

Healthy Kidney 10K
May 21, 2006

We've heard that NYRR refers to our open women as a "powerhouse squad." That sounds right, considering the ladies — Katy, Lauren, Kathy K, Sarah and Felice — won again yesterday, giving them four wins in five points races. The men — Will, Thom, Michael Trunkes, Joe T and John Roberts — finished second again. To West Side again. We'll get 'em one of these days. Masters men — Turnkes, Peter Allen and Tom Phillips — were fourth. Masters women — Margot, Mary R. and Caryl Baron — were eleventh. And 50+ men — Phillips, Alston, and Chris Neuhoff — were second.

Best Times
May 21, 2006

Katy Masselam grabs eighth place on the Best 10k list. Allison McCabe moves from ninth to sixth on the 1500m list. And Neil Fitzgerald takes eighth on the 800m list.

Photos
May 21, 2006

Chele Modica has some photos from the Healthy Kidney 10K. Westchester Track Club has their own set, which includes many pics of CPTC runners. And Sue Pearsall has photos from the St. John's Night of Hammering at Icahn Stadium.

NYRR TV Commercial
May 21, 2006

Love the spotlight? Here's your chance to shine in an NYRR television commercial. We're seeking six to eight NYRR members to serve as extras in the commercial, scheduled to be filmed at the Reservoir in Central Park on Tuesday, May 23, from 8:00 a.m. to approximately 6:00 p.m. Interested? Please call Stephenie Fernandez at 212.545.8500 or 646.247.6686 or e-mail at stephenie@earthlink.net by Monday, May 22, before 3:00 p.m. Members of all ethnicities are needed. Extras will be in the background running at the northern-most part of the Reservoir, and will receive a complimentary lunch and a hearty thank you!

Wall Street Run
May 21, 2006

From New York Road Runners:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the course of the AHA Wall Street Run had to be adjusted at the last minute. Approximately 5 blocks were cut between mile 1 and mile 2, making the total distance 2.9 miles rather than 3.1 miles. NYRR regrets the late change and thanks you for your understanding.

Best,
Sarah Wassner
NYRR Communications

Not to be a pain or anything, but have they ever gotten the distance right for the Wall Street Run?

Summer Swims
May 19, 2006

Summer's almost here, which means it'll soon be time to beat the heat with a cool dip in the Hudson River. Not on your own, of course, since the Coast Guard frowns upon that. Instead, check out one of the Manhattan Island Foundation's races. They've got 11 events this year, including two aquathlons (swim-run races, so you don't need to drop $5,000 on a bike to be able to compete) and the brand-new Brooklyn Bridge Swim (yeah, that's the East River, not the Hudson).

But, you say, isn't the Hudson really dirty or something? Nope. In fact, the water around NYC is the cleanest it's been in more than a century. Just ask the thousands of people who've been competing in swims and triathlons over the last few years. Plus the Foundation has a solid history of protecting the health and safety of the swimmers. Still not convinced? Then volunteer at one of the events, and see all the happy swimmers coming out of the water.

The series kicks off next Sunday, May 28, with the 1.5k Lady Liberty Swim, which is run in conjunction with the Liberty to Liberty Triathlon. Spots are still available in both races, and volunteers are always welcome. It's guaranteed to be more fun — and much cheaper — than that summer share your friend is trying to rope you into where you'll split a two-bedroom shack with 16 other people. The aquathlons are on July 23 (Freedom Tower, .5M swim, 3M run) and August 20 (Stars & Stripes, 1.5k swim, 5k run), and a look at last year's results shows that CPTCers could pick up some nice hardware at these events. (And we do mean nice, since they don't skimp on the awards.)

We should add, by way of disclaimer, that we do a lot of work with the Foundation (in those few minutes of free time when we're not working at the office, working out or working on this site, which is why we're such a dull boy). So if you don't start signing up to race or volunteer soon, we're just going to have to print even more shameless appeals here until you do.

Thank God They Don't Read This Site
May 19, 2006

From Overheard in New York:

Teenage Lobotomy, the Aftermath

Queer: Who's Joey Ramone?

Hipster girl: Oh my God, are you kidding me?

Queer: Uh, no. Who is he?

Hipster girl: He's a singer! He was like, in some huge band in the '80s!

Queer: What band?

Hipster girl: Um...

Queer: See? You don't know who the hell he is either. You don't even know what band he was in.

Hipster girl: It's on the tip of my tongue...

Queer: Sure.

Hipster girl: Oh well, I can't think of it. I think he's dead now anyway. Who cares.

--Irving Plaza

Overheard by: i hope they were joking

Healthy Kidney Singlets and Post-Race Brunch
May 19, 2006

If you are racing in Saturday's Healthy Kidney 10K and have not yet got your complimentary Nike singlet you can pick one up at the Daniel Webster Statue (72nd Street and West Drive) from 8:00am-8:50am Saturday morning.

Also, all those racing or spectacting can drop stuff off at Coach Devon's apartment before the race, and head back there for brunch afterward.

Devon Martin
16 West 76th Street, Apt. 5F
(off Central Park West)
917-596-0476

Here's the detailed schedule for runners and spectators:

7:30 am Drop off stuff at Devon's
8:00 am Meet at Daniel Webster Statue for Warmup and Race Strategy
9:00 am Race starts at 62nd and Park Drive West
9:00 am Westside Spectators meet at the 1-Mile Mark around 81st and Park Drive West
9:20 am Eastside Spectators meet at the 5-Mile Mark at 72nd and Park Drive East and then head to the Finish Line
10:00 am      Brunch

Blue Nike Singlets for Healthy Kidney 10K
May 18, 2006

If you are racing the Healthy Kidney 10k and have not yet got your complementary Nike singlet, you can pick one up at Devon Martin's apartment, 16 West 76th Street, Apt 5F (off CPW, four blocks from the Daniel Webster Statue) this evening immediately before or after Tony's workout.

Week of May 9, 2006 - May 15, 2006

Best Times
May 15, 2006

A big day for Best Times. Kate Cushing moves from sixth to third on the 1500m list, with Caryn Waterson taking Kate's old spot. And both of them make inaugural appearances on the 400m list — Caryn at fifth; Natalie, tenth — where they're joined by Natalie Gingerich in sixth. We've noticed that we spend a lot of time updating lists for the ladies, and very little time doing so for the men. What's the deal, guys? Let's see some records!

Philadelphia Distance Run
May 15, 2006

We would like to field several five-person teams for this year's Philadelphia Distance Run scheduled for Sunday, September 17. This well-organized race, on a fast, flat course, is one of the premier half-marathons in the country and is an excellent tune-up for a fall marathon.

Jim McQuade will be doing the organizing, so if you would like to run the Philly Distance Run with CPTC, contact Jim at jmcquade@orrick.com before June 15, which is the early registration deadline. Once we have a final list of CPTC entrants, Jim will register the teams. If you plan to run as part of a CPTC team, please do not register for the race independently.

Please talk to your coach, either Tony or Devon, before committing yourself to this race. When considering doing this race please bear in mind that there is a half-marathon NYRR team scoring race two weeks later — Grete's Gallop on October 1 — and it is generally not a good idea to run two half-marathon races so close together.

Famous Not-Quite Quote
May 14, 2006

Those of you who read the training section of Runner's World Magazine may have noticed a fimliar name at the end of an article this month. Yes, it's our coach, Tony Ruiz, who was asked for advice about what to do when your training falls short, but then not actually quoted.

Lastly, consider your race a stepping stone to future personal bests, not a climatic event in itself, says Tony Ruiz, distance coach of the Central Park Track Club in New York.

Singlets
May 11, 2006

If you are racing the Healthy Kidney 10k and have not yet got your complementary Nike singlet, you can pick one up at Devon Martin's apartment, 16 West 76th Street, Apt 5F (off CPW) this evening immediately before or after Tony's workout. (4 blocks from the Daniel Webster Statue)

CPTC Board Election Results
May 11, 2006

The description of the CPTC Executive Board has been updated to reflect the recent CPTC Board Elections. We welcome new board members James McQuade, Sue Pearsall, Michael Rennock and Christopher Solarz and thank our outgoing board members Audrey Kingsley and Zebulon Nelessen for their service to our club.

Hearts and Minds
May 11, 2006

It looks like the CTPC brain trust consists solely of Toby Tanser. At least, he's the only person who had any comment on the Polar HR monitors malfunctioning near the Guggenheim.

I was coaching the Flyers with a Polar Rep who came to demonstrate the products the other week and he mentioned, "I hope we don't do the workout at the dead spot -- I don't know where it is but there is a point in this park where the HR monitors don't work." So there you go, straight from the Polar Bear's head.

Now that we have confirmation that this is a common problem, and not just one balky monitor, anyone have any guesses as to why HR monitors don't work in certain places?

Week of May 2, 2006 - May 8, 2006

Heart of the Matter
May 8, 2006

It's only Monday, but this has to be the email of the week:

Question for the CPTC Brain Trust

Whenever I run past the Guggenheim, my Polar HR meter displays 00 until I am across the street. I am fairly certain that proximity to modern art is not causing my heart to stop. Does this happen to anyone else? What is going on?

We're don't know exactly who the CPTC Brain Trust is, though we're pretty sure we're not part of it. So, anyone else have any ideas?

K-K-K-Katy, Beautiful Katy, You're the Only G-G-G-Girl That I Adore
May 8, 2006

Katy Masselam jumps from fifth to second on the Best 3K Times list after running 9:53 at the Joe Wynne Invitational on Friday. In the same race, both Kate Irvin and Alison McCabe each missed improving their own best times by roughly a second. (Thanks to Jeff Wilson for supplying us with the source for this entry's title.)

CPTC In the News
May 8, 2006

If it's in the Times — and wasn't written by Judy Miller or Jayson Blair — than it must be true. So CPTC runners are officially cooler than all those poseurs who only use the park when it's warm out. Or "riffraff," as Margaret Angell put it. The article also quotes Dan Seidel and Coach Tony, who apparently uses a bullhorn. Now if we could just get professionals to show up every Thursday to write the workout reports

But Which One Crossed the Road?
May 8, 2006

Last week's entry on fowl play implied that there was a distinction between a rooster and a chicken. Of course, roosters are chickens. The distinction should have been between a rooster and a hen. Thanks to Frank Morton for reading a little closer than we did, and for submitting the relevant Seinfeld excerpt:

GEORGE: This is delicious, Mrs. Ross.

MRS. ROSS: Oh.

MR. ROSS: What are you complimenting her for? She didn't make it Rowenna did.

FRANK: What is this thing anyway?

MRS. ROSS: It's Cornish gamehen.

FRANK: What is that, like a little chicken?

GEORGE: It's, uh, it's not a little chicken. (laughing) Little chicken. It's a gamebird.

FRANK: Gamebird?

GEORGE: Yeah.

FRANK: What do you mean? Like, you - you hunt it?

MR. ROSS: Yes.

FRANK: How hard could it be to kill this thing?

ESTELLE: I couldn't help but notice that you have quite a library in there.

MRS. ROSS: If I had a dime for every book he's actually read, (laughing) I'd be broke.

SUSAN: More wine anyone?

FRANK: Yeah. I'll take some.

SUSAN: Hmmm?

FRANK: Thank you.

SUSAN: How do you like the Merlot?

ESTELLE: Merlot? I never heard of it. Did they just invent it?

MRS. ROSS: Oh, mother.

GEORGE: She's, uh, she's heard of Merlot.

FRANK: Let me understand, you got the hen, the chicken and the rooster. The rooster goes with the chicken. So, who's having sex with the hen?

GEORGE: Why don't we talk about it another time.

FRANK: But you see my point here? You only hear of a hen, a rooster and a chicken. Something's missing!

MRS. ROSS: Something's missing all right.

MR. ROSS: They're all chickens. The rooster has sex with all of them.

FRANK: That's perverse.

Cars Out of the Park
May 4, 2006

From Transportation Alternatives:

Act Now to Pass the Car-Free Parks Bill

After 40 years of advocacy, the loops of both Central Park and Prospect Park may finally return to their original, pristine and intended state, at least during the summer months.

On May 9th at 10am, the City Council Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on Intro. 276, a landmark piece of legislation that--in response to 100,000 petition signatures and the record level of recreational demand for both parks--would close the loops to vehicular traffic* and return them to the exclusive domain of recreating New Yorkers from June 24th through September 25th.

This bill is the direct result of tireless advocacy, the backing of progressive elected officials, your support and the hard work of countless volunteers and believers.

To get this bill passed we need City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn on our side.


How much time do you have to help make history?

10 Minutes: Send a personal letter to Speaker Quinn encouraging her to support Intro. 276. We have provided a sample for you below or you can download a template here.

5 Minutes: Using the sample letter below as your guide, call Speaker Quinn at (212) 788-7210. Be polite, say "thank you" and mention that you will "be calling back early next week" (and please do in fact call again early next week).

Also, write or call your Councilmember and let them know that you support Intro. 276, encourage them to do the same, and follow up your phone call with more calls. You can look up your City Councilmember's contact info here.

The hearing is at City Hall in the Committee Room on Tuesday, May 9th at 10 am. If you want to attend and/or submit testimony, please be sure to come early as all entrants will be screened for security.

For more information on the legislation, the hearing or other car-free parks issues email communications@transalt.org.

* Prospect Park's loop would remain open to cars on weekdays from 7-9 am


Sample letter to Speaker Quinn:

Hon. Christine C. Quinn
Speaker of the New York City Council
City Hall
New York, New York 10007

Madam Speaker,

I sincerely hope that you will support Intro. 276, the legislation that would grant car-free summers in Central Park and car-free summer evenings in Prospect Park.

A car-free summer is important to me, but this issue is also supported by more than 100,000 individual New Yorkers. There are also dozens of New York City's most prestigious health, environmental, civic and transportation groups that now support a three-month summer closure of the loop drives in the two crown jewel parks of Brooklyn and Manhattan. These groups include Transportation Alternatives, the American Lung Association, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the New York League of Conservation Voters, the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign, the Regional Plan Association and West Harlem Environmental Action.

Intro. 276 is a simple, low-cost, commonsense way to improve the health, safety and quality of life of millions of New Yorkers. The potential benefits of car-free summers in Central Park and Prospect Park are innumerable while the risks of instituting the program are minimal and, at most, temporary.

The bill requires the City to conduct a study of the 2006 car-free summer program's effects on "motor vehicle traffic volume, disruptions of pedestrian traffic flow [as well as] environmental factors." If unanticipated problems result from the adoption of Intro. 276, they can be corrected for future car-free summers or, should no other options exist, the program can be repealed entirely.

On October 4, 2003, the late Jane Jacobs, in one of her last interviews, came out in favor of a car-free summer in Central Park and a studied trial to achieve this end saying:

I enthusiastically endorse the campaign to close Central Park's loop drive to regular automobile traffic. We had the same sort of fight in Washington Square Park in the late 1950s and in my neighborhood here in Toronto a couple of years ago: same prediction of traffic chaos, same result of no chaos, diminished traffic counts and no counts increased elsewhere in consequence. Isn't it curious that traffic engineers are so loath to learn something new even after repeated demonstrations?

Both in Washington Square Park and in my Toronto neighborhood we got our way by pressing for an experimental trial period. A trial, with traffic counts on the Central Park perimeter streets, will be more persuasive than any amount of talk, letter-writing, resolutions, and other endless wheel-spinning.

Madam Speaker, I know that your district was Jane Jacobs' home and that your neighborhood would not be what it is today had it not been for her vision and protest. Please trust in that vision, in her protest, and support Intro. 276.

Sincerely,


[Your Name]

And Suddenly, the Next 10 Years Are Looking Much Brighter
May 4, 2006

From The Post: "We have no intention of submitting a bid [for the 2016 Olympics] at this time," said Stu Loeser, a spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg.

Central Park Runner Teases Cock
May 4, 2006

As distance runners, we've all had our share of nasty tangles with dogs, but Sue Pearsall has an animal story with a new twist. While on a run this weekend in the wilds of New Jersey, she was confronted by a rooster ("or maybe a chicken, I'm not really sure," Sue says) that was crossing the road — what else? — but stopped strutting when he/she saw Sue. The rooster/chicken then chased after Sue, pecking and generally acting nasty. Fortunately, Sue escaped unharmed, using the speed that won her a medal (with her teammates) at the Penn Relays. The disappointed rooster headed back across the road.

Sue told Coach Devon about her adventure at the Yale Invitational, in a conversation that went like this.

Sue: Devon, I got chased by a chicken!
Devon: What the hell's wrong with this team?

Meanwhile, on the track, Yale turned out to be a really good day for us. Everybody gave a great effort and we had several outstanding finishes, including two second-place finishes (John Roberts, 5K and Caryn Waterson, 1500). We felt so good, in fact, that some of us stopped for ice cream on the way home.

— John Affleck

Runners Needed for Nike Show
May 4, 2006

Nike needs runners for a show, and will pay $200 for 3 days. The times needed are as follows:

Monday, May 22nd - 10am - 1pm AND 6pm - 8pm
Tuesday, May 23rd - 8am - 12:30pm
Thursday, May 25th - 1pm - 3pm

If interested, please email both Kendra Jett at kendra@nowandzenprod.com and Devon Martin and dmartin@cravath.com.

Photos
May 3, 2006

Patrick Cowden has photos from the Queens Half-Marathon, including the one we stole for the homepage. Sue Pearsall has photos of the Yale Invitational. And fast-women.com has a photo of Katy Masselam.

We Blame Canada
May 3, 2006

Page 2 has an interview with newly-crowned Hottest Female Athlete Tanith Belbin. There's not much worth reading, other than this final exchange:

Umm, what would Brian Boitano do?

Ahahaa. He's the one you should ask that sequins question to! I think he beads out just about everything he owns!

Actually, I'm glad you finished with this question because it brings up a good point. Figure skating is a great sport to be a part of if you can sit back and laugh at yourself at the end of the day. And that's like anything else. I think the worst thing that you can do is take yourself too seriously. I'm just happy to be here.

Nice try, but the correct answer is that Brian Boitano would kick an ass or two. To be fair to Tanith, Boitano's own answers weren't very good.

Apology
May 3, 2006

We received a few complaints about our recent journal entry titled "The KKK (Kate, Katy, Kathy) Took My Best Times Away." It was not our intention to offend anyone, but looking it at now — as opposed to in the middle of the night when we wrote it — we can agree that is was a pretty dumb choice. Obviously we don't support the Klan — and they hate us. The title actually came from a song by the Ramones, as did the other two posts that day:

Of course, it would have helped if people actually knew these songs, but probably no more than a handful of CPTCers are familiar with the less-famous parts of the Ramones' catalog (basically everything other than I Wanna Be Sedated and Blitzkrieg Bop).

We'd like to apologize to anyone who was upset by the title, and we promise to be a little more careful in the future.
  Walrus Internet