WEEK OF OCTOBER 28 - NOVEMBER 3, 2003

• Marathon Photos 2 [11/03/2003]  The second set of NYC Marathon photos are now up.  These pictures are from Stuart Alexander, Jay Borok, Kellie Quinones and Bill Komaroff's parents.  Still to come:  photos from Bola Awofeso and the webmaster himself, plus photos from anyone else who wants to send some in.  While you're waiting for those, check out a few unidentified photos in the latest Trivia Quiz.

• NYC Marathon [11/02/2003]  Thanks to the original webmaster, we have the first set of marathon pictures up.  Thanks to various other people, we have over 100 photos still to put up.  This should be done by Monday night.

• Monthly Maintenance [11/01/2003]  It's the first of the month, so we paid our rent, changed the air freshener and updated the list of books and the web access statistics.

• Marathon Help [10/31/2003]  Craig Plummer will be a medical volunteer at the medical station at mile 24 of the NYC marathon.  If you need anything, or want him to hold something for you and give it to you as you pass, just let him know.  If you're hurting at that point, need a massge, cramping big time, or just want somebody to talk to, look for him there.  And of course, you'll all be wearing your CPTC singlets so he (and the rest of ) can recognize you.

• Thursday Night Road Workout Report [10/31/2001]  This report was filed by the original original Thursday night road workout reporter.  Just the night before, this was what he was looking at in Boston:
  
  
  
  
  
  but somehow he gave all that up to run in Central Park.

  First things first:  the total headcount was 33 at the start of the workout.  In the middle of the workout, we were joined by Audrey Kingsley in her business suit.  Her explanation:  "I could have changed before coming here, but then I would have logged more miles before the marathon.  I ought to be tapering off now, so more miles tonight would be bad given that I already ran this morning."  So, she ended up walking up and down Cat Hill as well as crossing the park from east to west.
  
  Showing up today are our two 2:42 marathoners from Chicago:  Gordon Streeter and Joe Tumbarello.  What is the secret to their breakthrough performances?  Bizarrely, it was reduced to: "Well ... somehow, he decided that he did not want a life and therefore set off to train seriously ..."
  
  The workout was six times up Cat Hill on a warm night.  It was therefore advisable to run with as little clothing as possible on this warm night.  But it is never advisable to leave clothing unattended. Tonight, we were lucky to have a coat-check volunteer, the same one who had previously been dubbed The Beast of Burden by Alayne Adams.  Such is the power of teamwork.
  
  After the workout, our coach was worried about the logistics of going from his Queens home to the traditional observation point at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and hence to Central Park.  This caused Jack Gleason to say, "Look, if someone on the team can come all the way from Hong Kong to watch the marathon, how can you say that you can't make it from Queens?"
  
  So we will see you Sunday on the course!  And at The Parlor afterwards.

• Tuesday Next [10/30/2003]  We'll be back at the East River Track next Tuesday.  And probably the Tuesday after that, as well, but keep checking here for more info.

• Thursday Night Dinner Report [10/30/2003]  Had to skip the hill repeats for uncle's 50th birthday dinner.  Not really a hard choice; family comes first, especially when family invites us to Peking Duck House.  Despite what some people may assume (see Jen S. calling us a "running team slut" in last month's journal, and again at a Halloween party tonight), we would not have skipped the workout to go to the Flyers' pasta dinner, even though Lornah Kiplagat was there.  Anyway, we can't imagine any of our readers care the slightest bit about our dinner, so we'll just report that the food was the same as always, which is to say, excellent.

• Marathon Fun [10/29/2003]  For those spectating on Sunday, remember that the "Wall of Orange" will be located on East Drive and 89th Street in Central Park, just after the runners enter the park.  Come out and cheer on your teammates.  And don't forget about the post-marathon party downstairs at The Parlour, West 86th Street (between Broadway and West End Avenue) from 3pm-7pm.  All members, friends and family are welcome.  There will be a special $1 clothing sale at the party, with various historic CPTC t-shirts, singlets, shorts and samples available for $1 each!!!  This will also be your first opportunity to reserve your place at our Annual Awards Party on Saturday, December 6th.  James Siegel will be collecting $40 per person, which includes the usual food, drink, DJ and rollicking good time!!!

• Dirty Pool [10/29/2003]  A few weeks ago we asked our reader to identify the 1964 Stuyvesant graduate on the Central Park Track Club.  The answer, as Frank Morton knew, is middle distance runner, and sometime Uptown Track Workout Reporter, Noah Perlis.  We'd promised a free pass to the Sixth Floor Pool to the winner, but we're afraid we can't deliver on it.  As Jonathan Cane rightly guessed, there was no Sixth Floor Pool (or, for that matter, any sixth floor) at the old Stuyvesant Building.  There were, of course, passes to the Sixth Floor Pool, which were sold to unsuspecting freshmen, but as we were never duped into buying one, and were never cruel enough to try to sell them, we have none to hand out.  Maybe next contest we'll offer a real prize.

• Tuesday Night Downtown Track Workout and Dinner Report [10/29/03]  With the big race only five days away most of our marathoners finally showed some sense and skipped the workout.  Oh, a few showed up to do the alternative workout of 3x300 (Alan Ruben though about running the whole workout, saying that he would start his taper on Saturday night, but Coach Tony talked him out of it), but that was probably just because they didn't want to miss the big dinner after the workout.  For the other 23 people who showed up the workout was 4x1200, designed for those of us who plan to run the cross-country race on Nov. 16 but don't plan to do any cross-country running in preparation for it.  No special guests this time, though Joe Tumbarello did make his first appearance since his PR in Chicago.  Wisely, he timed rather than ran.  (Jonathan Federman and Dave Howard were also timers.)
  
  But the important stuff yesterday came after the workout, when a bunch of sore, smelly runners descended upon Two Boots like a swarm of locusts.  First to arrive was Jim Aneshansley's truck, but he could only take two passengers.  As always, the last to arrive were the dozen runners who got a ride in Sid Howard's van, although they were only a few seconds behind the walkers this time.  (Well, technically speaking, the last to arrive was Adam Newman, who stopped by after everyone was already done eating.)
  
  As might be expected, talk around the table tended to gravitate towards the NYC Marathon.  Inspired by the story of the Danish marathoner who stopped along the course to ask out every pretty woman he saw (see yesterday's Journal), Yves-Marc Courtines decided to follow the same strategy, though he did note that "I can't stop too often or my wife will catch up."  Yeah, that could be bad...
  
  Oh, we almost forgot – some guy was trying to learn how to use his digital camera before Sunday's marathon, and took these pictures.
  

• Are You Ready for Some Football? [10/28/2003]  The New York Flyers have challenged us to a game of touch football in November (date still to be determined).  If you are interested, please email us or James Siegel.

• Running Gags [10/28/2003]  From yesterday's Metropolitan Diary:

  Dear Diary:
  
  The approaching date of the New York City Marathon reminds me of two amusing events I saw when I ran in it about 15 years ago.
  
  First, as I ran through Brooklyn, I saw a young man who looked to be in his late 20's running easily alongside the curb.  Every so often, he stopped, spoke briefly to a woman in the crowd, handed her something and ran on.
  
  After about 10 of these stops, I ran alongside him and asked him what he was doing.
  
  He said:  "Oh, I am Danish, from Copenhagen, and have worked in the New York office of a Danish bank for the last five years.  I have run the marathon every year since I have been here. The first year, I noticed all the pretty women cheering the runners on.  So ever since then, I stop when I see a pretty woman, tell her who I am and that I would be pleased if she would have dinner with me, ask her to call me if she would like to, and give her my business card."
  
  He laughed then as we ran along, and added, "I have never had to ask a woman for a date since then, and have had a dinner date almost every weekend for the past four years."
  
  Second, as I ran through Queens, I noticed a very tall, very muscular man who looked to be in his 40's.  He was wearing a pseudo-Viking helmet, carrying a long, plastic trumpet and wearing a T-shirt that said 'Goteborg,' a city in Sweden.
  
  As we approached Manhattan, he stopped, climbed on the railing of the Queensboro Bridge, raised the trumpet to his lips and blew a fanfare.
  
  He then announced:  "I take possession of this island and all within it in the name of good King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, who has declared me governor-general; you are now all citizens of Sweden, loyal subjects of good King Gustavus Adolphus, and subject to my benevolent rule!"
  
  He blew another fanfare, climbed down and continued his run to cheers, laughs and salutes.

  — David C. Garron

• Downtown [10/28/2003]  It seems that last Sunday's Race to End Domestic Violence was mismeasured.  Just like every other downtown race this year.  Is there something about the downtown area that keeps measuring devices from working properly?  The bright lights?  The music of the traffic?  The rhythm of a gentle bossa nova?

• Victory is Ours [10/28/2003]  Three more victories from Sunday and two from earlier in the month make it 55 for the year, with seven just this past Sunday.  Or maybe six, since a reader did note that Catherine Stone-Borkowski's win came on a track, and therefore may not qualify as a road win.  Well, that seems like a pretty arbitrary rule,. so unless we get any more complaints we're just going to leave it up there.

• Around the World Update #8 [10/28/2003]  Hello everybody,
  
  Here we are, in the second part of our trip, the "Asia & Oceania Tour."  We have just left Indonesia and are now in Cairns, Australia.
  
  Singapore
  We first made a one-day stopover in Singapore.  This permitted us to see a very dear friend from NY who moved there, and to compare with the Singapore we saw 10 years ago (we had made a one-day trip during a one-month travel in Malaysia in 1993).  The perception one has from a place often depends on facts that are not directly related to the place itself.  10 years ago, we stayed in a bad hotel mid-town, and we had the feeling that Singapore was all skyscrapers, stress and people everywhere.  This time, we stayed at our friend's, in a lovely condominium with swimming pools and palm trees, and we loved the city.  It looks a bit like Hawaii, very clean, very green, with lots of gardens and neat parks.
  
  Bali
  Just pronounce the word "Bali" and you start dreaming, and rightly so.  We explored the island from Ubud, its cultural centre.  We stayed in a hotel with a superb garden, decorated with beautiful statues.  People in the city were incredibly friendly, helpful, and never seemed to stop smiling.  Religion (Buddhism/Hinduism) is very important there and there are spectacular temples everywhere, as well as little offerings to gods all over the streets, in front of shops, statues, on motorbikes, cars, etc.  We rented a small motorcycle and discovered that Ubud is surrounded by beautiful rice fields cultivated in terraces.  At night, there was a large choice of cultural events, mostly traditional dances (4 or 5 different every night).  We attended two of them.  Finally, the island is also famous for its Balinese massage, so we tried that too:  an hour of traditional massage followed by a body scrub, then a yogurt cream, and finally, a plunge into a jasmine-scented bath covered with flowers.  1h45min of absolute relaxation!
  
  Yogyakarta
  A cyclist friend of ours always said to us:  "there are two kinds of cyclists, those who have had an accident, and those who will have one." We invented a new phrase:  "there are two kinds of backpackers, those who got robbed and those who will get robbed one day."  We just changed category.
  
  In the night bus from Bali, to Yogyakarta, ALL our belongings of material value got stolen:  cash, traveller checks, airplane tickets, credit cards and a few other things.  Our bags were tied with a bike anti-theft chain to our legs and shut by a locker, and we are still wondering how they did that.  We were seating in the front row, close to the assistant and the driver, and next to the two other guys from the crew:  the bus company crew was AT LEAST complicit.  When we discovered we got stolen, we checked the bags and clothes from everybody.  Each time someone was getting off, we would check their luggage thoroughly.  When we arrived at the bus station, we called a police agent, who did not want to come.  We then went to the bus company office and made a huge scandal.  We got to the police station, and made the claim.  They never seemed interested by our suspicion on the company:  they are all friends!  We came back to the bus company, where we were told that "the office in Bali informed us that your passports and other things are in a letterbox at the post office in Surabaya (500 km away!), sealed in an envelope to the attention of the French Consulate in Surabaya."  It turned out to be true, and we got back passports and flight tickets.  The money and travellers are lost for good, and we are now struggling with Amex to get travellers back, but we will get them eventually (by the way, don't believe what American Express says, 10 days after the theft, we still do not have our money back!).  You may wonder why they gave our passports back.  Well, we think that we made such a big scandal in the bus, at the bus station, at the police and everywhere else, that they might have preferred to get rid of us quickly.
  
  Yogyakarta surroundings
  We decided to start living a normal backpackers' life in spite of what had happened, so we visited Yogyakarta and its surroundings before leaving Indonesia.  Borobudur is one of the 3 largest Buddhist sites in Asia (together with Bagan in Burma and Angkor in Cambogia).  The architecture is unique and remarkably preserved (built in the 9th Century).  Prambanan, the other must-see around Yogyakarta, is an Hinduist temple.  We got lucky to be able to combine the visit with attending a open-air ballet in front of the temples.
  
  Itinerary
  Oct 12:  SINGAPORE
  Oct 13-17:  Bali, INDONESIA
  Oct 18-23:  Yogyakarta
  Oct 24:  Transit via Bali to AUSTRALIA
  Oct 25-27:  Cairns.
  
  We have now recovered pretty well from our misfortune, and are about to go diving on the Great Reef Barrier.
  
  Talk to you soon,

  — Anne Lavandon & Olivier Baillet

WEEK OF OCTOBER 21 - OCTOBER 27, 2003

• Signed, Sealed, Delivered [10/27/2003]  Toby Tanser will be signing copies of his books The Essential Guide to Running the New York City Marathon and Train Hard, Win Easy:  The Kenyan Way at the Mizuno Booth at the NYC Marathon Expo this Thursday from 5-7 pm.

• These Boots Are Made for Eating [10/27/2003]  Remember, dinner at Two Boots (37 Ave. A, between E.2nd and E.3rd streets) after the workout Tuesday night.  Good carbo-loading for the marathoners.  Beer in a glass shaped like a boot for the rest of us.

• Nifty Fifty [10/27/2003]  Four wins on Sunday give us 50 for the year.  With two months to go we've already equaled our best total (from 2001).  John Affleck tried to downplay his cross country win ("I am almost embarrassed to say this, but technically I won a race on Sunday."), but a win is a win, and is never anything to be embarassed about.

• Marathon Men and Women [10/26/2003]  One week to go before the New York City Marathon, and we noticed the following CPTC members signed up:  Peter Allen, Amy Alsip, Bethany Aquilina, Reginaldo Azevedo, Brian Barry, Jarl Berntzen, Jay Borok, Roland Breitenberger, Stuart Calderwood, Glen Carnes, John Cinelli, Ryan Cleary, Fidel Colonio, Arthur Cooke, Yves-Marc Courtines, Patrick Cowden, Stacy Creamer, Morten Degnemark, Dave Delano, Anthony Demaio, Daniel Doebele, Lauren Eckhart, Kent Edens, Dawn Eggerts, Ronald Elkhuizen, Maureen Elmaleh, Guenter Erich, Doron Fagelson, Sean Fitzpatrick, Joseph Frazetta, Kent Freeman, Anna Fyodorova, Joseph Gravier, Sarah Gross, Gregory Hagin, Robert Haig, Holger Hartenfels, Richard Hollander, David Howard, Vito Iacoviello, Robert Jamieson, Scott Johnson, Guillaume Joly, Elizabeth Kaicher, John Kerner, Nicole Kikoski, Larry King, Audrey Kingsley, William Komaroff, Michael Konig, Luis Lima, Alexandra Maringer, Anthony Mayorkas, Gary McCraw, James McQuade, Sherri Miller, James t Milne, Chele Modica, Jesus Montero, Dion Mulvihill, Anthony Munk, Yumi Ogita, Victor Osayi, Andrea Ostrowski, Luis Pena, John Prather, Kellie Quinones, John Roberts, George Robertson, Tom Rodman, Michael Rosenthal, Alison Rosenthal, Alan Ruben, Michael Rymer, Shula Sarner, Robert Schulz, Bob Selya, Richard Shaver, Gabe Sherman, Michael Siegell, Johannes Smeets, Chris Solarz, Paul Sommerstein, Mark Sowa, Robert St Jean, Charles Stark, Susan Strazza, Gordon Streeter, Ross Taylor, Larry Thraen, Vincent Trinquesse, Electa Varnish, Philip Vasquez, Brad Weiss, Ken Winfield, Takeshi Yamazaki.  If you're running but don't see your name on this list, please email us, since we're not planning to search through 30,000 names to find missing runners.
  
  For those not running, we will have our traditional "Wall of Orange" cheering section on the East Side of Central Park, at about 88th Street, (just after the runners enter the park) on the East side of the road.  Come join us (or find your own spot) and cheer on your teammates.  And take photos!
  
  And both runners and non-runners should remember the post-race party at The Parlour, 250 W. 86th Street (corner of Broadway).  Start your recovery right – with a beer.

• Gu to Work [10/26/2003]  Our friends at GU are looking to staff up their booth at the NYC Marathon Expo this week.  The booth will be open from 10 am to 8 pm, from Wednesday through Friday; and 9-5 on Saturday.  They pay $12 per hour, plus parking and food. If anyone is interested, or has a friend who is interested, please email us, and we will put you in contact with the right person.
  

• The Missing Link [10/26/2003]  Due to a computer glitch, yesterday's journals entries did not upload properly.  If you read them now you'll notice that you didn't miss much.

• Treadmill Half-Marathon [10/25/2003]  Snickers chocolate bar is launching an energy bar called SNICKERS MARATHON Long Lasting Energy Bar.  The company is promoting the launch with a Half-Marathon "race" to be run on treadmills.  Two winning prizes of $5,000 each will be awarded to the top male and female runners who win the half-marathon race. There will also be other prizes, drawings and goody bags.

  Jackie Joyner-Kersee is the guest athlete and will fire the starting pistol.  (She's not running.)

  Here are the details:
  Tuesday, October 28th at ESPN Zone (this will be an indoor event)
  1472 Broadway (42nd Street)
  Check-in time:  7:30am to 8:00am
  There will be a bag check area, water, Gatorade and bib numbers.
  
  To register, call 212-601-8143

• Rocks for Jocks [10/25/2003]  We thought sports couldn't get any dumber.  Then we saw this article on Ananova.  At least it won't be telvised...

UK to do battle with scissors, paper and stone

The UK's scissors, paper, stone team is preparing to do battle as the game's world championships kick off in Canada.

The five team members will face more than 1,000 rivals in the playground game - officially called Rock, Paper, Scissors - for the largest purse in professional RPS history, £3,400.

Magician Derren Brown, who once unfailingly predicted an opponent's throws on his TV show, has already given the squad his backing as they prepare to go hand to hand in the knockout in Toronto. It is the first time in the championship's two-year history that the UK has fielded a team.

Team captain James Lawson says he hopes the British public will get behind the team "in a big way".

"After all, our chosen sport has all the intensity, drama and excitement of a Rugby World Cup and the team I've put together is determined to carry the trophy home."

Mr Lawson added that RPS is a skill-based game with two halves to it.

"First there's the physical side, actually getting the throws out, and on the other side is the psychological game," he said.

"It's about working out what your opponent is going to throw by doing things like looking for signs on their face."

Championships organiser Graham Walker says he is delighted the UK team will be competing.

"It's evidence of the growing international appeal of RPS as a sport, which has been used in various forms over the millennia to resolve disputes and test an opponent's reactions and dexterity," he said. "A game of chance it's not."

The UK team, who are all based in London, also includes Rob Roscoe, Andrew Cumming, Will Blackwell and Dougal Kerr. They are all aged 27, with the exception of Mr Cumming, who is 28, and are all English apart from Scottish Mr Kerr.

• Workouts [10/24/2003]  Usually our Tuesday night workouts move to the reservoir in November, but this year construction around the reservoir prevents that.  Depending on the weather, we'll either stay at the East 6th Street track, or run in aonther part of Central Park.  Coach Tony Ruiz will be making a decision soon.  Whatever it is, we're still going to Two Boots after next Tuesday's workout.

• Thursday Night Road Workout Report [10/24/2003]  A few years ago we had a job on the midnight shift.  Working in such opposition to our body's clock was an interesting experience for a few months, but it's hard to do for too long without ending up a little crazy or, at best, "colorful" (which is a polite way of describing people who are slightly nuts, but in a non-dangerous kind of way), and the most colorful guy we worked with was Rodney.  Brother Rodney (everyone called him that around the office since he was rather active in his local church) had grown up in Missouri, and on windy, wintry nights he would always greet us by saying "The hawk is out tonight!"  ('Hawk' being some Midwestern slang for a strong, cold wind.)
  
  We wouldn't go quite so far as to say that the hawk was out last night, but something stronger than 'the pigeon' (perhaps 'the egret'?) was blowing, and the temperature was down in the low 40s.  And still 47 people were present when the workout started at 7:10 pm.  Forty-nine when you add in Michael Rosenthal and Elizabeth Kaicher, who both arrived at 7:11 and had to race off after the D group, and 51 when you include Yves-Marc Courtines and Margaret Angell, who arrived at 7:12 and 7:13, respectively, which was just in time to start with the B group.  We're not counting Margaret Schotte, Sid Howard, Lauren Eckhart and David Smith, all of whom were out in the park running on their own.  And with all those people, many of whom hail from arctic climes, only one was stripped down to a singlet and shorts – Jerome O'Shaugnessy, who asked "What will you guys do when it actually gets cold?"  I don't know – run on an indoor track, or maybe a treadmill, or maybe just lie around the house and get fat.
  
  But before it gets that cold there's still this workout to get through.  Warm up, 1 mile pick up, short recovery, 4 mile pick up, not quite as short recovery, and another 1 mile pickup.  The pickups were 10k pace for the 1-milers and half-marthon pace for the 4-miler, with the recoveries at marathon pace, prompting Chris Price to suggest "Let's do the recoveries at my last-five-miles-of-the-marathon pace, which was about 12:00/mile."  Hey, sounds good to us!  But we refrained from slacking off by because we didn't want to embarass the team in front of a potential new member (Kristen, from Tuesday's workout report), especially after she managed to get Coach Tony to hold her bags for the entire workout.  Yes, here at CTPC we'll do anything to get people to join the team.  Of course that all stops once you do join, so enjoy it while it lasts!

• Dopes [10/23/2003]  In the wake of the latest doping scandal, USA Track & Field has proposed new penalties for steroid users:  a lifetime ban and a fine of up to $100,000.  (Currently, the top penalty for first-time offenders is a two-year suspension.)  Another proposal would punish the coaches of athletes who are caught doping.  While the latest scandal concerns a new steroid called THG, USATF has repeatedly faced criticism from the United States Olympic Committee and various Anti-Doping Agencies over both the number of track and field athletes who have tested positive for steroid use, and the perception that USATF is covering up these results.  It's too early in the process for USATF to cover up anything, since United States Anti-Doping Agency has only completed the first round of testing.  (During testing the urine samples supplied by athletes are dividid into the "A" and "B" samples.  Athletes are informed if their A sample tests positive, but no determination is made until the B sample is also tested.  So far, the USADA has only tested the A samples.)  We're not yet convinced that USATF has gotten serious about testing, only that, given their reputation, they had little choice but to respond aggressively.
  
  Meanwhile, the THG scandal rolls on.  The feds are investigation BALCO, the California lab thought to have created THG, and have subpoeaned some 40 athletes, including baseball stars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, sprinter Kelli White, and United States shot put champion Kevin Toth.  Other athletes with connections to BALCO include football player Bill Romanowski and sprinters Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones.  Montgomery and Jones are displaying a knack for picking friends, after spending part of last winter training with Ben Johnson's old coach.  Toth was the second athlete to be identified as having tested positive, following British sprinter Dwain Chambers.  A third athlete was idenfitied today – Regina Jacobs.  Jacobs, of course, is one of the biggest stars in American track.  Because the new rules would not apply retroacitvely, any athlete who is convicted of steroid use would face only the two-year suspension, although that would be enough to keep them from competing at next summer's Olympics.
  
  Using steroids is cheating, and there is no place for it in any honest competition.  Nor is there a place for cover ups of cheating.  Some oberservers fear that track and field cannot survive another scandal, but that's a risk we'll have to take, since the sport definitely won't survive another cover-up.

• On Bread Alone [10/23/2003]  We used to think the Atkins diet was complete nonsense, until we heard Dr. Atkins talking about it on the radio a month before he died.  After that we thought it was a decent idea (worry about sugar more than fat) carried to a bit of an extreme by Atkins (cut out almost all the carbohydrates in your diet) and pushed beyond the point of insanity by his adherents (cut out all carbs, but eat lots and lots of meat).  There is one thing we like about it, though.  Morning conferences at our office are usually catered.  Any food not eaten at the meeting is put in the pantry for the staff.  As more and more of our coworkers take up the Atkins diet, we find there are more bagels, muffins and coissants left for us.  Lately there's been so much breakfast that we sometimes don't even need to eat lunch.

• Two Boots [10/22/2003]  Remember, we're going to Two Boots (37 Ave. A (between E. 2nd and E. 3rd) after the workout next week.  This is our last downtown workout for the year.  Even if you aren't running because you're recovering from a marathon, or tapering for New York, you should all still show up to eat.

• Annotated¹ Tuesday Night Downtown Track Workout Report [10/22/2003]  Last week's workout report contains an oblique reference to a unnamed person who was characterized as the 'original Tuesday night workout reporter.'  The absence of identification information was sufficient to cause the original original Tuesday night workout reporter to hop on an airplane and travel 18 hours to set the record straight, with the following report.²
  
  This report is filed by the original original Tuesday night workout reporter.  I am not the original Tuesday night workout reporter referred to in last week's workout report.
  
  There were 45 people present when the workout started.  We can add one more because latecomer Margaret Angell was unable to sneak in under the cover of darkness.
  
  I know that I have been away from for only five months, but already there are many new people.  Among the newcomers, I do recognize one person, because she has the distinction of having beaten Scott Willett in a swimming race (The Race for the River).³  I should clarify that the only reason that I even read the swim results is that I want to know which female has beaten Scott.  In any case, Fritz Mueller will be happy to read about the presence of so much new blood.
  
  Was I missed?  James Siegel said that my absence has lifted the reign of terror because people were finally able to speak freely without fear of attribution.  Still, he obliquely declined to say whether I was missed or not.  The same James Siegel would later be lauded by Coach Tony Ruiz for having set his fourth personal record in a row, 'in spite of the fact that he obviously lacked mental capacity.'  How so?  Because James is a Mets fan, thereby showing a complete lack of judgment and commonsense.⁴
  
  The workout was advertised to begin promptly at 6:40pm, but the actual start time was 6:53pm.⁵  This is not a record for an early start, because the earliest start time ever recorded in the original original workout reports was 6:58pm for a 7:00pm workout — thunderclaps and lightning bolts were falling on that occasion.  I am sad to report that the self-appointed official watch (a Casio watch purchased for under US$10 on Canal Street) used in the original original workout reports has been retired after more than five years in service.  Tonight's start time came from a fake Nike watch purchased for under US$3 from a Hong Kong street vendor.
  
  Jeff Wilson wishes to enter the following statement into the official record:  "I am timing tonight, but I am not injured."⁶  Jeff is a founding member of the club sub-division of runners who like to run on the bridle path in the dark.  All runners who are interested in breaking their ankles (sorry, strengthening their ankles) are welcome to join Jeff for his late evening runs.  This has been a PSA from your favorite website.
  
  When asked about the state of the Men's Masters team, our fearless leader mumbled something about having lost interest with the competition.  See, this is what happens when we don't get on their case in every workout report...
  
  The D Group timer probably does not wish to enter the following statement into the official record:  "I have a group of talkers here."  In principle, this is really not so bad.  After all, our signature runner is know to "stop 'n chat!"  (Note:  email of complaint will come in momentarily, because our failure to mention her name has deprived her of another Google hit.)
  
  As always, I got to go home with a ride in the luxury Sid Howard van (note:  not the white ice cream truck).  The subject of conversation tonight was ... Germany?  Paging Margaret Schotte...
  
  P.S.  I am not the person to whom you should be directing complaints about spelling mistakes on the website.  There is no need to fret, because Stuart Calderwood will be watching.⁷
  
  Notes:
  
  ¹  This report comes to us from the Webmaster Emeritus/Hong Kong Correspondent.  As he has not filed a workout report in nearly six months, we fear he may be a bit rusty, and therefore have decided to aid him in the production of this report.
  
  ²  The names and titles of various staffers of this site, including the Original Tuesday Night Workout Reporter, were supplied in the June 2 Journal Entry "Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due"  The Original Tuesday Night Workout Reporter was the first person whose sole responsibility was to cover the workouts, starting in December of 2002.  Prior to that all content on this page was produced by one author, now known as the Webmaster Emeritus, or, if he prefers, the Original Original Workout Reporter.
  
  ³  That would be Rebeccah, who was also present at last week's workout.  In the interest of accuracy, we must point out that she runs for Moving Comfort, and we are making no effort to recruit her (as per our Policy on Accepting Members from Other Teams).  Other non-members present included Ehud, also from last week; Eric, who's attended a couple workouts since hearing about us at a Van Cortlandt XC race; Kristen, who learned about us after meeting Kevin Arlyck while running in Prospect Park; and our dad, who showed up because Sid kept asking us "When is your dad coming to another workout?"  (Dad runs for the Prospect Park Track Club, so we're not trying to recruit him, either.)
  
  ⁴  Tony's support of the Yankees was met with loud boos from the assembled runners.  The consensus at the workout, therefore, is that it is the Yankee fans who are the ones lacking in judgment.
  
  ⁵  Remember when every workout report included the start time?
  
  ⁶  The other timers last night were Frank Morton, Roland Breitenberger, and the Webmaster Emeritus.  This is the first workout in a while where we have had one timer for each group, leading Tony to exclaim "I can actually be a coach tonight!"
  
  ⁷  There are no typos on this page.  They are all figments of your imagination.

• Read All About It [10/21/2003]  We play poker a couple times a month.  We're better than most of the people we play with, though certainly not the best in the group.  Most of the time this doesn't matter, since in our group it's usually more important to be lucky than to be good, and we're usually not particularly lucky, but on the whole we're up about $100 this year.  So, not enough that we'd want to play with anyone better than our current crew, but we do plan to get better some day (like Kenny Rogers said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, you better learn to play it right).  In preparation for that day, we've been making a list of people we never want to find sitting across from us with a large stack of chips.  At the top of the list are several hundred professional poker players, but close behind them are the publicists who have mastered the art of telling the most ridiculous lies while keeping a straight face, and the latest name we're adding in that category is Allan Adler, attorney for the Association of American Publishers.
  
  It seems that American college students, tired of being overcharged for textbooks, have started ordering them from overseas.  According to the Times, many textbooks purchased overseas cost about half what American stores charge, even when international shipping is included.  The reason, according to Mr. Adler, is that foreign textbook prices are based on the per capita income and economic conditions of the foreign countries.  And the country most students are ordering from?  England.  Well that explains why so many British runners have come to New York.  We always thought they had come here because they fell in love with the city, or got tired of British food or just wanted to run with CPTC.  Apparently, though, they were really fleeing a country still mired in Dickensian poverty.  Take heart, you desperate refugees; you've made it to the New World.

• All Fired Up [10/21/2003]  Time was, angry cranks had a choice of raving at the wind like King Lear, or complaining endlessly to their friends, and driving them away.  Then came the internet, and now angry cranks can post their complaints about anything and everything on a website and have it read by thousands of likeminded individuals.  No, we're not talking about our own bitter ramblings here, but about the new site, www.firegradylittle.com.  That's Grady Little, manager of the Boston Red Sox, of course.  Our initial reaction was to call for his head, as well, but now we're not as sure.  Would the Sox have made it as far as they did without him?  Should one incredibly stupid decision in the most important game of the year erase everything he did in the 173 games before it?  We're still not sure.  We do know that about 20 million people were watching the game last Thursday, and 19,999,999 would have pulled Pedro Martinez after the 7th inning, or, at the very least, after he gave up a double in the 8th.  Little said that his decision to leave Pedro in was made with his heart, not his head.  The pressure's on Red Sox owner John Henry and CEO Larry Lucchino not to make the same mistake.  Whether Grady Little stays or goes, the decision should be based on more than just the fans' anger.

WEEK OF OCTOBER 14 - OCTOBER 20, 2003

• Just Another Ordinary Joe [10/20/2003]  Readers with a good memory may recall that back in January we mocked the show Joe Millionaire.  And then, without mentioning it again, we watched most of the episodes.  It's not that the show had a good premise, or even particularly interesting people on it.  What it did have, however, was an incredible team of editors and producers who were so shamelessly manipulative that we kept tuning in just to see what they would do next.  Eight months later they're back, and better than ever, with the creatively titled The Next Joe Millionaire.  Somehow, despite a barrage of advertising during the playoffs, we'd actually forgotten this was on tonight, and came across the end only by accident.  All we saw was the hoodwinked women waiting expectantly in front of their Tuscan villa.  As the camera alternated between close ups of the different women and shots of the clock ticking towards noon, the producers laid on music reminiscent of Ennio Morricone.  Well, any show that brings to mind the climactic shootouts from both The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and High Noon looks good to us.  Alas, when the minute and hour hands met we got neither Frank Miller on the noon train nor Blondie, Tuco and Angel Eyes facing off in the middle of a cemetery, but just the latest Joe Faux, a poor rodeo cowboy, riding up to introduce himself to the International House of Golddiggers.  We don't mind being manipulated, but couldn't we get a better payoff?  See if we tune in next week.  Except that next week's Monday Night Football game is Miami at San Diego, which couldn't interest us less, and there's nothing worth watching on the other channels, either.  Maybe we'll just read a book instead.

• Same Old Same Old [10/19/2003]  Our favorite stories are back this weekend.  The somewhat-good news is that the U.S. Olympic Committee has reorganized itself, and cut its board down to a reasonable size. Whether this will result in the USOC becoming in any way a functional organization remains to be seen.  The bad news is that new tests reveal American track and field athletes may have been using the steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG.  Anti-doping officials only learned of THG's existence early this summer, but soon developed a test for it.  While the US Anti-Doping Agency and USA Track & Field will not confirm the number of positive results, it is rumored that at least six athletes tested positive, and could face two-year suspensions from competition.

• Reboot to the Head [10/19/2003]  Relatives of an older generation call us often for help with their computers.  And the first thing we always tell them to do is to reboot the computer.  So why can't we remember that advice when we have our own problems with electronic equipment?  We're getting tired of navigating through eight submenus on the voicemail system just so a technician can tell us that unplugging the satellite receiver/cable modem/alarm clock/toaster oven for 15 seconds will solve all our problems.

• Access Denied [10/18/2003]  Marty Levine got the following notice when he tried to view this page on Thursday:  " RESTRICTED - You have attempted to access a restricted site. This restriction is to prevent you from inadvertently bringing offensive/non-business related material into the workplace.  If you are attempting to reach a sport related website, due to the afternoon Yankee game, this particular category will be blocked for the remainder of the day."  We're not surprised that this page might be considered "non-business material," but "offensive?"  We must be doing something right.

• No Joy in Mudville [10/18/2003]  "Baseball breaks your heart," wrote A. Bartlett Giamatti, years before he became the game's commissioner.  "It is designed to break your heart.  The game begins in the spring, when everything else beings again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops, and leaves you to face the fall alone."  (Don't baseball commissioners have the best names?  The other sports are always run by Pauls and Daves and Garys, but baseball gets Happy and Bowie and Kennessaw Mountain.)  But even though baseball breaks our hearts every fall, there are some years that the game is particularly cruel.  What sick, twisted sport would dangle the best World Series match up in decades before our eyes, only to snatch it away at the last second?  "Looooook ... Cubs-Red Sox ... Wouldn't you love to watch that?  Haven't you dreamt of that for years? HAH!  Try again next year!"  Yankees-Marlins?  The most dynamic set of playoffs in years ends with a Yankees-Marlins series?
  
  Oh, there are good reasons to root for the Marlins (their feisty young players; their feisty old manager; Dontrelle Willis' leg kick), and they may even outweigh the reasons to root again them (owner Jeffrey Loria's shameful abandonment of the Montreal Expos; memories of the overnight dismantling that followed the Marlins' 1997 World Series victory; the teal in their uniforms; the fact that baseball just doesn't belong in Florida in any month after March).  There may even be good reasons to root for the Yankees, but we're damned if we can think of any.  But in the end what are we watching for?  To see how many people George Steinbrenner will fire if the Yankees lose?
  
  Of course, deep down we knew it would come to this.  Not that we believe in any curse (except perhaps the curse of the dumb manager), but because we knew having both teams make the series was just too good to be true.  Despite a lifelong commitment to the Mets, this fatalistic view may give us at least honorary memberships in the Cubs and Red Sox nations.  As one Chicagoan observed in Slate, "On only Jews and Cub fans would God heap such tragedy.  Why? Because only Jews and Cub fans can suffer like that and keep coming back.  And ultimately, that is the essence of being a Cub fan.  It is also, coincidentally, the essence of being a human being on this planet."  The comparison's a little extreme, but we understand the feeling.  Bart would have understood it, too.

• Thursday Night Road Workout Report [10/17/2003]  Coach Tony was there early to give one-on-one advice, but we didn't notice that many members taking advantage of the offer.  Guess this means you're all ready to run some PRs.  The crowd did increase as we got closer to (and then past) 7:00, until we had 52 people, which is our best in a while.  Must be the nice weather.  Even Catherine Stone-Borkowski was there, for what may be her first CPTC Thursday night workout.  More announcements than usual this time.  Send in your check for the Armory!  We've got a bus for the marathon.  We're going to Two Boots on the 28th, and The Parlour after the Marathon, and then there's the big Awards Dinner on December 6. (Regular readers of this page already knew all of this, but reminders are always good.)  Kevan Huston, Joe Tumbarello, and Gordon Streeter ran PRs in Chicago but, wisely, weren't at the workout to hear their applause.  Margaret Angell wasn't there when her victory in the Staten Island Half was announced, so Tony had to announce it again after she showed up.
  
  A simple workout tonight:  warm up around the lower 1.7 mile loop, then do the inner 4 at half-marathon pace, and cool down with the 1.7 again.  Amazingly, all the street lights were on this time.  Brad Weiss had successful walkman-removal surgery.  When asked if he would now get bored while running, he answered "No, I'll just listen to Radio Yves-Marc."  To which Margaret replied, "I thought you liked music, not talk radio."  Yves-Marc had no comment, other than to point out that the group might be running a little fast.  Really?  Just because we ran the 4-mile loop only a minute slower than our 4-mile PR?  How do you know that's not our half-marathon pace?  There's no reason it couldn't be.  We don't actually race half-marathons these days, so we're just assuming that our pace would be about 5:00/mile, which means we were actually running too slow.  Whatd'ya think of that?
  
  Remember how Tony showed up early?  Well, he made up for it by yelling at people to leave as soon as the workout was done.  Something along the lines of "Why haven't you gone home to watch the game?"  Because we're still in mourning for the Cubbies, that's why.

• NYC Marathon Bus [10/16/2003]  CPTC is organizing a bus to the start of the New York City Marathon.
  
  When:  6:45a.m. Sunday November 2, 2003
  Where:  Leaving from 72nd and Broadway (look for the bus parked off Broadway towards West End Avenue)
  Closest subway:  1,2,3,9 at 72nd & Broadway or B,C at 72nd & Central Park West
  Friends:  You can bring as many friends as you wish, but if they are not CPTC members we ask that they contribute something to defray the cost of the bus (suggested price $10)
  RSVP:  to reserve a place please email Margaret Angell at magsangell@aol.com.

• Best Times [10/15/2003]  Kevan Huston, Joe Tumbarello and Gordon Streeter all move up on the list of best marathons, and Alexandra Horowitz takes over the number 7 spot for the 5K on our Best Times page.

• Marathon Man [10/15/2003]  Sammy Korir, who finished one second behind Paul Tergat in September's Berlin Marathon, will run the New York City Marathon next month.  We once ran two marathons five months apart and felt there wasn't enough recovery time between them.  Korir is running his five weeks apart.  We hope he knows what he's doing.

• Tuesday Night Downtown Track Workout Report [10/15/2003]  The Original Tuesday Night Reporter is back in town this week, but he refused to send in a report, so it falls to us again.  Quick announcements:  James Siegel ran a PR in Staten Island.  Coach Tony doesn't have any other results because he couldn't print them off the website.  We're not sure why, since they were up there Monday night.  Emile Beniflah won his race this weekend.  This doesn't get added to our road race winners page because he's only four years old.  We're all going to Two Boots after the workout on the 28th.  Then we're going to Central Park for a couple Tuesdays.  Then we're going to the Armory, so get your checks in ASAP (see notice below).  But first, we're going around the track a few times.
  
  It's a ladder workout this week!  400m, 600m, 800m, 1000m, 800m, 600m, 400m.  Think of it as climbing up and down a ladder (hence the name).  Jeff Wilson did some timing.  Our kid brother made a rare appearance, muttered something about how slow he is these days and how he'll be lucky to be bringing up the rear of the D group, and then went and ran in the front of the Bs.  Margaret Angell showed up late, missed the warmup and the first 400, and still kicked everybody's butt.  And all this a mere 56 hours after winning the Staten Island Half.  Rebeccah, who heard about us from Jonathan Cane, and Ehud, who saw the website, came by to run with us.  (Our chief goodwill ambassador, Sid Howard, made sure they'll return.)  Most important, though, were the people who didn't show up – the soccer players!  And, come to think of it, the other runners; about 90% of the people on the track were from CPTC.  If only this would keep up.  Actually it probably will, but at that point it will be to cold, and there will be a little too much snow and ice on the track.

• The Armory [10/14/2003]  It's time to re-up for the Armory.  If you're interested in training with Tony's Distance group on Tuesday nights ("late" session at 8:00 PM) or Devon's Middle Distance group on Tuesdays and Thursday nights ("early" session at 6:30 PM), please write a check payable to "Central Park Track Club" and mail it to Stacy Creamer as soon as conveniently possible.  The amount due for Tony's "late" session is $150; the amount due for Devon's "early" session is $250.  Please send your check to:
  
  Stacy Creamer
  175 West 93rd Street, 8C
  New York, NY 10025
  
  Please note:  it's important to send in your check now.  Tony's Distance group may move indoors sooner than usual (as early as 11/12, but wait for official word on the exact date) since the Reservoir is still out of commission.  And also please note:  you don't have to send in a photo this year.  So if you want to train indoors this year, please do both yourself and us a big favor and put the check in the mail now.
  
  Note:  Anyone who wishes to assist members of our club who cannot afford some or all of these fees please send a check payable to Central Park Track Club to:
  
  Alan Ruben
  801 West End, 5E
  New York, NY 10025
  
  Individuals who wish to avail themselves of these funds, either as a loan or a grant, should contact Alan Ruben either in person, by mail at the above address, or by email at alan@montran.com.

• Fund Raiser [10/14/2003]  The Friends of Jamie Metzl sent us the following invite:  (Jamie Metzl is the brother of CPTC's friend Jordan Metzl).

  What:  Fundraiser for Jamie Metzl
  Where:  Gavin Brown's Enterprise and Passerby Bar, 436 West 15th Street
  When:  Tuesday, October 21, 6:30pm to 9:30pm
  
  Please join us for a party showcasing the work of seven artists who have created original pieces in support of Jamie Metzl, a Democratic Congressional candidate from the 5th district of Missouri.  Your $50 contribution at the door — checks only, no cash, please — and all proceeds from the sale of art works are considered contributions to Friends of Jamie Metzl.  (No corporate contributions are permitted.)
  
  We believe that Jamie's zeal for making the world a better place, combined with his integrity, intelligence and demonstrated track record in public service, make him a candidate worthy of our support.  Jamie's government experience ranges from Coordinator for Homeland Security Programs at the Council on Foreign Relations to Human Rights Officer for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia.
  
  According to Jamie, he is running for office because "I believe that public service really makes a difference on many of the issues that I care deeply about, like homeland security, the environment, civil rights and international affairs.  I feel the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction, and now is the time when people who care about the issues need to come forward and fight for the democratic values that can make this country as great as it can be."
  
  Bottom line:  we feel he's the kind of person our country needs in a leadership position.  Please help us get him there!
  
  Contributions and gifts to Friends of Jamie Metzl are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.

• Winning Season [10/14/2003]  Victories this weekend by Margaret Angell and Ali Rosenthal bring our total listed for the year to 44.  That's more than we've had in any year other than 2001 (at least since we started keeping records), and we're already ahead of the pace for that year.  Actually, we have at least 45 wins, but we're still waiting for the official results that prove Alan Ruben won the Pfalz Point Trail Challenge last month.

• West Coast Winner [10/14/2003]  Moving to the West Coast hasn't affected Ali Rosenthal's fashion sense, as shown by this photo of her and her classmates after Ali's win in the Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run 10K.
  
  

• Cross Country Meets [10/14/2003]  For those not running marathons (or who recover from them quickly), fall is cross country season.  Here are a couple of upcoming races:
  
  October 19th, Van Cortlandt Park — NYRRC Kurt Steiner
  October 26th, Van Cortlandt Park — MAC Championship
  November 16th, Van Cortlandt Park — NYRRC Championship
  November 23rd, Holmdel, NJ — Open & Masters Nationals

• Race to Stop Global Warming [10/14/2003]  Because everyone loves evening races, it's the Race to Stop Global Warming 5K, this Wednesday at 7:00 pm in Central Park.  Registration is at the bandshell.  Look for National Honorary Chair Blythe Danner and special guest Joan Benoit Samuelson.  The race is organized by New York Climate Rescue, and the proceeds go to the Green House Network.

• Women Athletes' Study [10/14/2003]  We've mentioned this study before, but we got another e-mail about it, so here it is again:

  I am writing this notice to inform you of a study that we are conducting looking at the reproductive and sexual health of female runners and cyclists.  I am a Gynecologist at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine Montefiore Medical Center.  I am recruiting women for this exciting study.  All participation is voluntary and confidential.  Persons completing the study will receive $50 for their time and inconvenience.  Estimated participation time is 1 hour.  If anyone is interested in learning more about our study, please feel free to contact me by phone (718-920-2220) or email (mguess@montefiore.org).  Thank you for your time.

  — Marsha K. Guess, MD

• Movie Trivia [10/14/2003]  Last night we watched "Bowling for Columbine" on DVD.  Imagine our surprise when a Central Park Track Club member was quoted about two-thirds of the way through the documentary.  The trivia question:  identify this person.  A small clue:  This person never appears on camera.  A big clue:  This person is a past president of the club.

WEEK OF OCTOBER 7 - OCTOBER 13, 2003

• No Updates [10/10/2003]  We're off to the land of no-internet access for the weekend, returning very late Monday night.  Good luck to all running marathons and half-marathons this weekend.  Results will be here on Tuesday.

• Thursday Night Road Workout Report [10/10/2003]  Almost everyone racing this weekend wisely skipped the workout, but we still had forty people runners show up.  No announcements, because Coach Tony wanted to get us running while there was still a little bit of light left.  The workout was one 6-mile loop, with a pickup from W.84 to W.102, then a quarter-mile recovery uphill, a two-mile pickup from the top of the hill around the Harlem Hills and down to the statue of Alexander Hamilton, a (thankfully!) downhill recovery, and the Stuart mile in reverse.  Sounds easy enough, until it became apparent that nobody in our group knew where 84th street was.  (In the park that is; we can all find it with street signs, thank you very much).  So, we probably started the pickup a little late and then tried to guess about where it might finish.
  
  Then there was no light in the upper part of the park, but our group was able to stay together by following the voice of Yves-Marc Courtines.  Yves-Marc was trying to engage Victor Osayi in conversation, but eventually accepted that "Victor never chitter-chatters." To which someone replied, "That's okay Yves-Marc, since you talk enough for all of us." We tried to figure out who it was, but everyone must have thought it was a good line, since five different people claimed credit for it later on.
  
  After the workout, various marathoners gathered around Tony and tried to get permission to overtrain for the next three weeks.  Not content to risk only his own well-being, Michael Rosenthal tried to convince Elizabeth Kaicher that she needs to overtrain, too.  It looked like she had enough sense to ignore his advice, but we'll see.

• Talk to the Coach [10/09/2003]  At the next two workouts (October 14th and October 16th) Coach Tony Ruiz will be arriving 30 minutes prior to the workout (6:00 pm on Tuesday and 6:30 pm on Thursday), and will be available to address any coaching concerns which you may have.  Please take this opportunity for a one-on-one session focused solely on your running.

• Welcome New Members [10/09/2003]  Welcome to new members Morten Degnemark, James McQuade and Matthew Wendeln.  Recruitment points to go to Stuart Calderwood, Stacy Creamer and Alan Ruben.  That makes 37 new members so far this year.  For full details, see the Recruitment Scoreboard.

• Swimmers Needed [10/08/2003]  Swimmers are needed for a Ceremonial Dip into Hudson River tomorrow as the United States EPA and New York State DEC will announce the end to discharges of treated sewage from all boats sailing the Hudson River for a 153-mile stretch — from the Battery to the Troy Dam.  The EPA has determined that there are sufficient number of Hudson pump-out stations to serve all impacted vessels.  This Hudson River "No Discharge Zone" is another important step for the River to return to its former glory.
  
  The water temp is 64 degrees, so please bring wetsuits.  If you are interested, please email Friendsofnycswim@aol.com, advising that you will be able to participate and provide your contact information.
  
  Details:

  WHEN:	Thursday, October 9, 2003, 11:00 AM (Swimmers Arrive at 10:30 AM)
  WHERE:	Hudson River Park, Pier 45, just north of Christopher Street
  ATTENDEES:	EPA Regional Administrator Jane M. Kenny New York Secretary of State Randy A. Daniels Hudson Riverkeeper and Executive Director Alex Matthiessen, DEC Hudson River Park Trust, President and CEO Robert Balachandran Manhattan Island Foundation - swimmers.
  PHOTO-OPS:	Officials looking on as several swimmers, affiliated with the Manhattan Island Foundation, take a celebratory dip in the Hudson at Pier 45 in Hudson River Park; Jane M. Kenny signing new restriction and presenting to state officials
  DIRECTIONS:	Subway:  1 or 9 train to Christopher Street Station, walk west on Christopher Street to the River

• Faster, Higher, Older [10/08/2003]  A couple of new age group records from the Toronto Marathon:  Ed Whitlock (age 72) ran 2:59:10 and Fauja Singh (age 92) ran 5:40:04.  Said Ed, "I hope to keep going.  I think old people can do more than old people and young people give them credit for." So the pressure's on for one of our masters runners to run the first 70+ sub-2:30.  Luckily they've got a few years to train.

• Tuesday Night Downtown Track Workout Report [10/08/2003]  We had the Half Marathon in the park last weekend, and a big weekend coming up (Staten Island Half, Chicago Marathon, Hartford Marathon, etc.), so this should have been a lightly attended workout.  Of course it wasn't.  Alan Ruben was there after leading the team for the (according to Coach Tony) 1,000,001st time on Sunday.  (In the novel Watership Down, the rabbits can't count higher than five, so every number above that is a million.  Tony's fast like a rabbit, but we never thought he counted like one.)  Brad Weiss was there, after running a ridiculously fast PR on Sunday.  Imagine how fast he'll be once he has the surgery to remove that walkman from his arm!  Joe Tumbarello and Adam Newman were there, but wisely didn't do most of the workout, since they have the Chicago Marathon this Saturday.  Team custom demands that anyone who wins money at a race give the coach $1, so James Siegel was there to hand over 1/75th of the prize money from his 3rd place finish in the TK O'Malley 10K (also a PR).  Alexandra Horowitz wasn't there to hear the applause for her 5K win (and free trip to Norway), but we get the feeling another announcement might be made about it on Thursday.  Can she pay her $1 fee in frequent flier miles?  Shula Sarner's sister traveled all the way from England to be at the workout (Shula was there, too), but didn't run.
  
  One other announcement:  Last workout of the track will be on October 28, after which we'll move to Central Park for a few Tuesdays, and then up to the Armory.  At Sid Howard's insistence, the last track workout will be followed by dinner at Two Boots (37 Ave. A, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd).
  
  And then the workout of 12x400m.  Why short intervals all of a sudden?  Tony:  "When the Yankees win, I'm happy and I give shorter intervals.  If they win the pennant, we'll run 100s.  If they win the series, I'll let you all do your own workout."  To which we respond:
  

  GO RED SOX!!!!! Other details:  Mary Diver timed.  A woman from the Wall Street Journal leant a bunch of us heartrate monitors to test for a review in that paper (remember to bring them back at the workout next Tuesday).  The little hill on the backstretch of the track bothered some of our newer members, but we're sure they'll get used to it soon enough.  Tony complained that the B Group didn't run all the intervals consistently, but ignored the fact that we ran them all too fast.  Sid's still the slowest driver out there.

• One Day, Two Races [10/07/2003]  We've received note of two races taking place on October 19.  At 9:00 am is the New York Pioneer Club's 5K Cross Country Meet in Van Cortlandt Park.  (There's a NYRRC Cross-Country race there later on that morning, as well.)  At 10:00 am is the Stuyvesant Strut, a 5K run/walk from the "Old" Stuyvesant Building to the "New" Stuyvesant Building.  (We use the quotes because the new buildng is already 10 years old.)  The Strut is open to alumni, students, parents, and current and past staff and administration members, a group that includes a few CPTC people.  Local sports anchor Len Berman (Class of '64) is one of the emcees.  A free pass to the Sixth Floor Pool to anyone who can tell us which classmate of his is on the team.

• Coupling [10/07/2003]  We caught a few minutes of the new sitcom Coupling the other night.  For those who've missed NBC's overhyping of this show, it is an American copy of a British imitation of Friends.  We rather like the British version, but were appalled by the American copy.  We meant to write a scathing review here, but Nancy Franklin beat us to it in this week's New Yorker.  In her short-but-sweet review she writes, "At least half the characters in the show are badly cast; the actors rush through their lines as if they were late for an appointment elsewhere; and to watch the show is to experience all the joylessness that the title connotes."  In defense of the casting director, the characters are so poorly defined that finding the right actor is probably a challenge.  We've learned our lesson, though, and are going back to our old strategy:  Don't watch any new shows for the first month, so that the really awful ones are already canceled before we waste any time on them.  Anyway, we're too busy with the playoffs to watch anything else.  Still can't believe the Cubbies blew it tonight...