Week of June 28, 2005 - July 4, 2005

BriX
July 1, 2005

I'd like to invite all memebers of CPTC to a free brix training session on either Tuesday, July 26th or Thursday, July 28th. Both sessions begin promptly at 6 a.m. and we meet in back of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on East Ddrive.

See here for more info, or email me at src@triathlete.com to RSVP.

— Scott Cohen

USATF National Club Track & Field Championships
June 29, 2005

This championship will be held at our very own Icahn Stadium, Randall's Island on July 15th-16th.

This is a competition between running clubs from all over the country and we are encouraging as many of our members as possible to participate.

If you wish to take part you must be a member of USATF* AND you need to register individually on-line from this page by Friday, July 8th.

Double-click "Online Team Entry" then select Association:"Metropolitan", Club: "Central Park Track Club." The User ID and Password can be obtained either from the coollist post or by emailing Devon Martin at DMartin@cravath.com. Then you need to select your name from the drop-down list.

The entry fee per athlete is $20 and you can enter as many events as you wish.

Any questions/problems with entry please contact Devon Martin at DMartin@cravath.com.

* - you can join USATF online here. Enter 262 for CPTC team (if you live in NJ you won't be able to do this and will need to contact Devon Martin at DMartin@cravath.com to sort this out for you).

Greetings From Michele Tagliati
June 29, 2005

... I'm starting to go jogging with Isabella, who is almost 8 and much more promising as an athlete than her dad ... My job has exploded, which is a good thing in general, but has made my evening runs virtually impossible. Late evenings are routine, I travel a lot, in particular during the weekends (and there go the races ...) and unfortunately I'm not a great morning person, so I lazy it out in the only time of the day when I could do something. My great hope, again, is with Isabella, who a few weeks ago came to wake me up at 6am saying"Daddy let's go running" ... and we went! It was great, but we should make it more of a routine ...Anyway, it was great to catch up, even though only by e-mail ... send my best to the team, at least those who still remember me ...

— Michele Tagliati

Philadelphia Triathlon
June 28, 2005

One great thing about running is that, aside from the occasional shoelace coming untied, there are really no technical problems that can ruin your race. That's not true in cycling, where Murphy's Law tends to be reaffirmed in every race. And yet many of our members continue to eschew the safety of running for the perilous world of multi-sport racing. Like Stacy Creamer, who has been doing tris for a while now, but got her true welcome to the sport on Sunday. Our correspondent reports:

Stacy rode the entire 24.8-mile bike leg without the use of her right gearshift-lever, which broke an inner spring and was useless, and she was thus limited to exactly two gears: the lowest one — good only for the steepest of hills — and a middle one, which she was in for 99% of the race. She couldn't pedal at all on downhills — the pedals "spun out" — and her cadence on the rest of the ride was far faster than normal. Her comment afterward: "Something definitely seemed odd, but I thought maybe all the spin classes I've been taking had made me so good at pushing hard that I needed to get bigger gears for my bike." Despite the high level of her finish yesterday, one guesses that her triathlon performance might improve in direct proportion to an increased knowledge of the intricacies of cycling.

It should be noted that, even with her troubles on the bike, Stacy was 15th female and 2nd F45-49, thanks in part to her running the 5th fastest 10k of the day.

Double Trouble
June 28, 2005

We don't really do math, so we rely on a crack team of timekeepers made up of Coach Devon, Stuart Calderwood and Frank Morton to tell us when members have turned in new best times. So when we had a slew of best times last week — Kate Irvin first in the 1500m, Atilla Sabahoglu fifth in the 3000m and seventh in the 1500m, Sean Fortune eighth in the 3000m and Sekou Dilday eighth in the 400m — it didn't even occur to us that there might be something rare about one member making two lists in one day.

Luckily the abovementioned timekeepers pay a little more attention, and after a little research confirmed that making two lists in one day is not rare; it's unprecendented. So extra congratulations to Atilla for pulling off that feat. Now let's see if anyone can make three lists in one day.

However, as Stuart notes, "it's going to be a sad thing to see the name Elmejoubi Yousri dropped off the bottom, replaced by the quotidian Attila Sabahoglu. At least we do still have Amerigo Rossi, Graydon Pihlaja, Anselm LeBourne, and Filip Jagodzinski on there." And at least we can cut and paste all those names, since we have enough trouble spelling Kate Irvin's name correctly.

Week of June 21, 2005 - June 27, 2005

Interviewees Sought: Buying and Selling Marathon Entries on Craigslist
June 27, 2005

A friend of mine, Aimee Picchi, is doing a news story for Bloomberg Newsroom on the buying and selling of marathon entries on Craigslist.  If anyone on the team knows anything about this, knows anyone who has participated in such transactions, or (God forbid) has done it themselves, she'd be most grateful for a brief interview.  You can contact her directly at:  APICCHI@bloomberg.net

Thanks a lot,

— Neil Brenner

Off HIs Rocker
June 27, 2005

John Rocker's self-imposed deadline for making it back to the major leagues isn't until July 15 , but the mighty Long Island Duck has decided to pack it in early, announcing today that he's leaving the team. While Rocker managed to lower the number of hits he gave up, he never achieved any consistenty, striking out 19 batters while also walking 28, and throwing 6 wild pitches in 18 innings. His final stats:

Corporate Challenge
June 27, 2005

The event website only lists the top five finishers, but we've received the following results:

Wednesday, June 22
Stacy Creamer, 22:22
Stuart Alexander, 22:444
Craig Chilton
Felice Kelly
Ben Gutman
John Gleason
Laura Ford, 24:50

Thursday, June 23
Sean Fortune (10th man?)
Andrea Costello (6th woman)
Nicole Sinquee (9th woman)
Sue Pearsall

Anyone else?

I Know It When I See It
June 27, 2005

We suspect that even those readers who are not First Amendment geeks scholars (i.e., most of you) are familiar with Justice Potter Stewart's view on pornography: I can't define it, but I know it when I see it. Or, more acurately:

It is possible to read the Court's opinion in Roth v. United States and Alberts v. California, 354 U.S. 476 , in a variety of ways. In saying this, I imply no criticism of the Court, which in those cases was faced with the task of trying to define what may be indefinable. I have reached the conclusion, which I think is confirmed at least by negative implication in the Court's decisions since Roth and Alberts, that under the First and Fourteenth Amendments criminal laws in this area are constitutionally limited to hard-core pornography. I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.

— Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184, 197 (1964)

Alas, Prof. Volokh reports that Stewart later concluded that he didn't actually know it when he saw it. How disappointing.

Behind the Website
June 27, 2005

Back when the web was young, there were only a few sites worth checking out on a daily basis: ESPN, CNN, and Suck. As the internet moved from techie plyathing to overhyped stock phenomenon to just another utility to be taken for granted, Suck (motto: "a fish, a barrel, and a smoking gun") was there to mock every step along the way. And then, with no warning it disappeared on June 8, 2001, leaving us in what the site acknowledged was a tough world.

Without Suck, who will challenge America's foulest blowhards? Without Suck you've got a whole country of people who think loathsome drizzlerods like Maureen Dowd are incredibly daring and insightful and self-infatuated lardasses like Thomas L. Friedman are shrewd commentators on the world scene. Without Suck who's going to challenge the sad little weasels with nothing going for them? Without Suck it's just grinning idiots all the way down, Steve Martin humor columns, asswipe behind-the-scenes specials about the making of Tomb Raider.

For a time, things did look that bleak. And then came blogs, and the snarky attitude that defined Suck found new homes all over the web (some even written by Suck alumni). But none of them can match the original, so relive the glory days (or learn about them for the first time), as keepgoing.org recounts the whole story of the rise and fall of "the first great website." Toss in a car crash, and they could have been the first website to get their own episode of Behind the Music.

Nationals Blog
June 23, 2005

Want to keep up with all the action at USATF Outdoor Nationals this weekend? Ken Stone will be "live blogging" (i.e., updating every few minutes) throughout the competition, which kicks off today.

Distance Runners Track Workout Next Tuesday
June 22, 2005

There will be no official workout at the East 6th Street Track next Tuesday, June 28. Instead, Coach Tony and the distance group will be at the new Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island for Tuesday Night at the Races. We encourage you to try one (or more) of the track races (1500m, 400m, 3000m, 4x400m).

Doesn't This Really Belong on a List of Buildings That Should Be Destroyed?
June 21, 2005

The Times reports that 2 Columbus Circle has now made it onto the World Monument Fund's 2006 list of the world's most endangered sites. Our feeling has long been that this eyesore isn't endangered enough. It may be that the building "represents a turning point in Modernist design," but it's still ugly and has sat empty for decades now. While the planned new facade isn't a great improvement, it will at least bring the Museum of Arts and Design to what is now a derelict block in the middle of Columbus Circle.

It's all well and good to talk about preserving a building on Ellis Island or Ernest Hemingway's house in Cuba, both of which are already used as museums. But some buildings are poorly designed from the start, and others — even ones far more attractive than 2 Columbus Circle — can outlive their usefulness. In those cases, preserving the past must be balanced against living in the present and planning for the future. Since the past will have to lose out in some cases, why not start by replacing the types of buildings that should never have been put up in the first place?

Hooray Beer!
June 21, 2005

Assemblyman Joseph Lentol is sponsoring a bill to create an "I Love NY Beer" guide to all of the state's breweries. And now we know what to do on our next vacation.

Road Bike Needed
June 21, 2005

On July 10th I am participating in an olympic distance triathlon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am looking to rent a decent road bike for the race, preferably late 90's model or newer. I ride a 53 or 54. I am willing to pay $100 for the use of the bike for the 25 mile race or will pay to have your bike tuned and possibly for new tires, if necessary.

Thanks,

— Micah Adriani
madriani@aol.com

Week of June 14, 2005 - June 20, 2005

Weekend Results
June 20, 2005

CPTC men were 4th Open, 3rd Masters and 4th Veterans at yesterday's points race. Margaret Schotte won another race, which just happened to be the Canadian International Distance Duathlon Championships. And there were a bunch of PRs and Best Times at the New England Championships. We'll update the lists tonight, but Coach Devon spotted a few already:

Kate Irvin - #1 in the 1500m
Atilla Sabahoglu - #5 in the 3000m
Atilla Sabahoglu - #7 in the 1500m
Sean Fortune - #8 in the 3000m
Sekou Didlay - #8 in the 400m

Achilles Race
June 20, 2005

This Sunday is the Achilles Track Club's Hope & Possibility 5-Miler in Central Park. This is a great competitive race with lots of stuff going on (celebrities, awards for clubs, cash prizes, food!), and it goes to support a good cause. It'd be great to have a bunch of CPTCers out there either running, cheering, or volunteering.

Toby Tanser adds:

I know I took running for granted for many, many years - so please come out and race, even if you can't please pass on the word to all in your team, and come out to yell! I promise you it is an inspiring event!

Welcome New Members
June 16, 2005

We don't have the month by month breakdown yet, but here are all the new members since February, and all the recruitment points. We have no idea who's in the lead right now.

Best Times
June 16, 2005

We've made fun of the Times Thursday Styles section in the past. Now we think it's the greatest section of the paper, thanks to this:

WHETHER you are a competitive runner or a weekend jogger, the kind of data you want your sports watch to provide is a matter of preference. Lap time and elapsed time are basic information. Pay a little more, and the watch will include a heart rate monitor, typically tuned to a chest strap, that can gauge your effort along the way. Pay even more, and the watch will also have a built-in global position system sensor that can tell you how far you have gone, how fast you traveled, and even show you the route you took.

Are they worth it? Some runners, even some serious competitors, may never think so. They eschew fancy but cumbersome hardware, preferring to rely on their own well-honed sense of how hard they're working and a trusty old watch. But many, some casual joggers included, find it useful or even motivating to monitor their progress in detail. And then they are faced with a wide choice of watches.

Competitive runners from the Central Park Track Club in New York agreed to help sort out the selection. Last week they wore some of the latest watches during their Thursday night practice and gave us their assessments.

[emphasis added, obviously]

Read the whole article for sports watch reviews from Alan Ruben, Nicole Sinquee, Margot Sheehan, Brian Schaffer, Allison McCabe and Audrey Kingsley.

Best Time
June 15, 2005

Plenty of PRs at Tuesday Night's Track Race, including Kate Irvin's 2:10.9 800m, which improves her standing at the top of the Best Time list.

Casting Call
June 15, 2005

NIKE IS CASTING ASAP FOR NYC RUNNERS AGES 15-28.

THE LOOK: COOL, UNIQUE, FIT, INTERESTING LOOKS, GREAT PERSONALITIES!!!

ALL ETHNICITIES MALE AND FEMALE

YOU NEED TO BE A SERIOUS RUNNER (YOU RUN REGULARLY!!)

SHOOT DATES: 22-24 JUNE IN NYC

WE MUST SEE YOU ASAP !! EMAIL HEAD SHOTS WITH CONTACT INFO ASAP!!!

COMPENSATION WILL BE A PAIR OF NEW NIKES OF YOUR CHOICE!

USAGE: 2 YEARS WEB AND PRINT BUT NO ADVERTISING

NEED TO SEE YOU ASAP FOR POLAROIDS!

ML McCarthy
Urban Productions Casting and Locations
20 West 20th St. #310
NY, NY. 10011
(T) 212-645-3433
(F) 212-645-3443
www.urbanlc.com

Week of June 7, 2005 - June 13, 2005

Randall's Island Track Race
June 13, 2005

Important info on getting to Randall's Island in this message from Mary Wittenberg:

Following this weekend’s exciting Reebok Grand Prix meet at Icahn Stadium, we hope you and your teams are ready to return to Randall’s Island to burn up the track tomorrow evening! In this third of four NYRR Outdoor Track Meets, events to be contested are the1500m, 800m, and 5000m. (Can anyone beat Ethiopian sensation Tirunesh Dibaba’s June 11 5000m time of 14:32.42? We'll find out!). The 1500m will start promptly at 7:15 p.m.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The 103 St. Footbridge is now closed for construction through the end of June. Due to this closure, our group run from NYRR is cancelled for the two remaining meets. We recommend that runners take the bus or subway to 125th Street in Manhattan, then take the M35 bus across the Triborough Bridge and warm up at Icahn Stadium. It’s a quick 10 minute bus ride from 125th Street in Manhattan to the stadium on Randall’s Island. On weekdays, the M35 runs between Harlem’s 125th Street and Randall’s Island every 10-12 minutes.

Thanks for your support of NYRR and the 2005 NYRR Outdoor Track Series!

Best Time
June 13, 2005

Sekou Dilday grabbed the number 8 spot on the Best 400m list with a speedy 49.96 at Saturday's New Jersey International Track Meet

Photos
June 13, 2005

Yes, we actually have some photos! A handful from the Shawangunks Group Run, courtesy of Stuart Alexander, and a ton of photos from the Mini 10K, thanks to Stuart, Alan Ruben, Richard Brounstein of the Flyers, and Joe Golden from Westchester. For even more photos from the Mini, check out the NYRR's professional and open photo pages for glimpses of various orange-clad runners and spectators.

We're working our way through all our other photos now, and will have more soon. Maybe even tonight.

In Which Universe Do the Mets Start Winning More Often?
June 13, 2005

We're printing this only because it's funny. Really, the fact that it makes fun of the Yankees has nothing to do with it.

E=mc² (Yer Out)

To the Sports Editor:

The Yankees will never again perform as expected. To understand why, watch the replays of the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 of last year's American League Championship Series at Fenway Park.

Kevin Millar gets his leadoff walk, Dave Roberts pinch-runs and takes off for second at the first opportunity. The replay clearly shows that Roberts does not beat Posada's throw — he touches the bag at the exact moment that Jeter applies the tag — it's a tie, and because the tie goes to the runner, Roberts is safe.

But Einstein's theory of relativity teaches us that two events cannot be judged to be simultaneous because this judgment depends on the observer's frame of reference. At that instant, with a cosmic belch, the universe splits in two. Somewhere, at some unknowable distance across the space-time continuum, Roberts is called out. And Red Sox Nation retreats to the Hot Stove League for another off-season of wistful imaginings.

But we have spun off in the Alternate Universe, the one in which Roberts is called safe, and the Red Sox stage the greatest comeback of all time, while the Yankees — the mighty, invincible Yankees — become the biggest choking losers in baseball history. That is the universe we now inhabit, Yankees fans. Get used to it.

Alan Meyers
Cambridge, Mass.

Interview
June 11, 2005

The Andrea Haver interview series returns. This time, Benita Johnson is the one submitting to the interrogation.

Sports Watch Testing
June 8, 2005

If you want your opinions to be read in The New York Times here is your big chance. At Thursday's workout up to twelve people will have the opportunity to test drive a new sports watch. The watch itself will have to be returned either at the end of the workout or a couple of days later. No more than five minutes of your time will be needed to give feedback to a reporter from The New York Times. The article will run in the Thursday's Style section.

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
June 8, 2005

In honor of Frank Lloyd Wright's 138th birthday today, Google adopted this cool reworking of their logo.

For a good time-waster, check out the other special logos Google has used.

New Arrival
June 7, 2005

Congratulations to Ana and Kevan Huston on the birth of their new baby girl, Emily Isabelle, born on June 4th, weighing 6 lbs 2 oz.