City Coach | Kevin Starkes' Blog

Brooklyn Half-Marathon Results

I will make sure to post an in-depth description of the race in another post but I wanted to highlight some results first!

Congratulations to the following people are certainly in order:

Blair Heinke (CPTC) - 1:27:46 & was the 14th woman to cross the line

Paul Leone (RUN NYC) - 1:26:41 & was certainly the most colorful runner on the course

James Gray (RUN NYC) - 1:28:03 

Scott Towle - (RUN NYC) - 1:36:28 & came directly from riding 56 miles for Race Across The Window

Derek Cummings (RUN NYC) - 1:45:06 & came directly from his usual pre-race preparation ceremony!

Chris Anderson (NIKE) - 1:40:03 & was still on West Coast time

Joshua Zito (NIKE) - 1:46:12

Sneaky...Sneaky

It seems that our good friend - Gab Taraboulsy - did not get deported back to Canada (he went missing about a month ago). Instead, he went home to run the Ottawa Marathon and decided not to tell anyone. Well the results came in and there is no reason to hide his major accomplishment. Gab finished in 3:25:59 - setting a HUGE 13 minute PR. After talking with him yesterday, he found his second marathon more enjoyable and felt that he had a lot left in the tank near the end of the race. Now, that might have been the booze talking but it does appear that Gab is getting a handle on this running thing.

Congratulations Gab!!! 

On The Road

Heading down to PA - setting up a NIKE Soccer event - but wanted to share with everyone that today is the first day since February that I am pain free. That's correct, I have zero pain in both legs. I cannot describe to you how excited I am. Yesterday, at Run Club, I took the front group for a quick 4-mile run and I must admit that the pace was a little too quick for the condition that I am in at the moment. When the run was over, I was spent! It was one of those runs that make you realize that you have a long way to go. It is always good to be put into check because it makes you want to train harder - wake up early and put in a ton of miles. With that said, I am about one week away from getting back to a normal training schedule and in my opinion, it is happening at the perfect time.

Quick Update

Nothing new and exciting to report at this time. I am still NOT having fun running though I am out there almost every day. The weather is getting really nice so I cannot wait to hit up some longer runs (Bridge Repeats!). It appears that I will be 'running' in the Brooklyn Half-Marathon - in no way will I attempt to race it - but covering 13.1 miles won't be a challenge. If all goes as planned, I'll be close to 40 miles this week (maybe 2 of those runs will be decent) and hopefully will get back onto the track at the beginning of June. There are still a number of things I need to do before entering a race but once June rolls around, I should be totally back to my regular training. Let's just say --- IT'S ABOUT TIME. 

Next Step - BOSTON

I am very happy to announce that our good friend - Scott Towle - is heading to Boston. This morning, Scott ran in the Pocono Marathon  and set a HUGE PR - 3:05:17. I believe that his previous best was around 3:15. Congratulations Scott!!! 

Entering a Race

Last night I received a phone call from my buddy Tristan seeking my help. Now knowing Tristan since I was three (always getting each other into some type of trouble), I could only image what type of ridiculous thing he had in-store for me. Could it be another request to help him move to some far away land with no idea of where to live, nothing packed on the moving day, and no truck to transport his belongings (he really thought that one out) or maybe it would be another request to start a ‘Wham’ tribute band? Whatever the scenario, I was bound to end up doing some crazy with the hopes of it at least being legal. 

To my complete and utter shock, Tristan (being very serious) asked me to help him get ready for his first road race. Needless to say, when he said he was running in a race I almost fell out of my chair. Holding back the urge to laugh out loud, I asked him to repeat himself in order to make sure I heard him correctly and to my amazement, he repeated his request. 

Now before you judge me poorly for wanting to laugh at Tristan for entering a race, let’s just say he is not your typical cardiovascular guy. A smoker for the past 15 years, Tristan is more of a gym rat with a hint of resemblance to ‘Mr. Clean.’ I’m pretty sure his forearm is the size of my calf! But that is beside the point… 

On Saturday, June 27^th, Tristan will be running in the Jimi Gubelli – 5k Walk/Run in Island Park. I share this with everyone because it made me think about how/why I started running. It's been a little more than 2 1/2 years since I walked out my front door and ran that unforgettable 1/2 mile (I had to walk back home). Obviously blessed with terrible feet for running, leading to numerous injuries, I am amazed that I’ve devoted so much time in this sport. I remember calling Tristan and telling him that I could go out one night because I had to wake up early to go for a run. I believe his response was something like ‘What! Running? Are you dying from some fatal disease?’ 

So now it is his turn to jump on the bandwagon and start running. I am excited that Tristan is deciding to lace up his sneakers (I’ll make sure he is not running in basketball sneakers). I do not expect great things from him nor do I expect him to decide to run on a regular basis but it’s awesome to hear him talk about running/training. I will certainly be on hand for this race (maybe running in it), supporting my good friend. I doubt I will be able to hold back my laughter though! To be honest, this might be his craziest idea to-date – crazier than the time when we were 14 years old and he tried to get into a New York City bar with a 45 year-old African-American male (named Jamal) ID.  

For more details about the race, visit http://jimigubellifoundation.org/.

 

 

Motivation

There is something to be said about the power of music. Though I rarely listen to music when I run, I always have my iPod with me at the gym. I must admit that my music taste is very limited (I tend to find a band that I like and play their albums over and over again) but I cannot help it – I like what I like. That is why I have no problem endorsing ‘Rise Against.’ There is something about their music that makes me want to workout longer, train harder, and push myself to utter exhaustion. 

Last year when I went down to New Orleans to run in the Mardi Gras Half-Marathon, the only song that I had playing on my iPod was ‘Give It All’ by Rise Against. Needless to say, I had my best race of the season (in my opinion) and I had that song going through my head for the entire 13.1 miles. Now I know this type of music is not for everyone but I thought I would share with you what gets me going prior to a race or an intense workout.   

Still Standing

I wouldn't classify myself as a smart runner. I usually fail at ‘easy runs’ and I do not follow the traditional method of increasing my miles (jumping up to 80 miles per week with my previous high at 55 might have lead to my current injury though the jury is still out). Anyway, this past week was my first week back running and I have to admit it did not go as well as I had hoped. The week started off fine going out Monday and Tuesday for decent runs but as the week went on the pain increased. Deciding to play it smart (yes – I used the word smart), I stopped running after I reached a total of 25 miles. It was not an easy decision (I really wanted to run more) but I figured that it was in my best interest to listen to my body and relax. 

So tomorrow begins a new week and I am sure that I’ll face a number of different challenges that will cause me to become aggravated, upset, and disappointed in my running. I guess this is expected when overcoming an injury. Last week was not fun and I do not expect this week to be any different. I must admit that it is difficult to get up and run when it is not enjoyable!!! 

*Lesson from last week – Running on uneven terrain causes a lot of pain in my Achilles. For now it will be smart to run most days along the East River. 

Amazing Video

If you are looking for a little inspiration to get out on the road, check out this video! My good friend Gab Taraboulsy did it. I think it basically sums up the belief that all runners have about running. 

And yes… I’m the one Gab runs by in the video! I’ll make sure it’s the only time that ever happens.  

The Road Runner

There is something to be said about running on concrete. I know it is not the greatest surface to run on because of the constant pounding on your knees but I really do enjoy running along the East River. I cannot think of a better place to run in New York City. Don’t get me wrong, I like Central Park and the softer terrain but when I think of places to run, my first instinct is to head south along the East River. Location obviously plays a huge role in my decision process but I never have a problem making the trip to Central Park (leaving me stuff at NYRR) and hitting up the Reservoir and/or Bridal Path. 

Nevertheless, today was my first day back running and I took it out easy. I ran a little over 5 miles with zero pain in my Achilles. My legs are sore now and icing them down is certainly in my future. I have no idea how long I was out there today since I lost my watch last week (it should be noted that I found my watch after the run when I did my laundry) but I do plan to monitor my runs because it is always encouraging to know that each run is getting easier and faster.  

So tomorrow is day 2 (pacing at NIKE Run Club) and hopefully with each day of running, the runs get better, longer, and more enjoyable! Until tomorrow…