September 11 - Ten Years Later

2001 was quite a year for the Anskys. In February, we closed on our house. In May, I completed my MBA in Finance at Baruch College. In July, Lil Ansky was born.

Then September 11 happened. To this day, I'm not sure why but I was running late for work that day. I got off the A Train at Broadway-Nassau St. in the Financial District and saw huge crowd of people congregating on Maiden Lane right near my office. At first I had no idea what they were looking at. As I got closer to the street, I looked up and saw that one of the World Trade Center towers was on fire. Before I could ask someone what had happened I saw a plane fly right into the south tower. BOOM! Words cannot describe what it sounded like.

I wasn't quite sure what to do. Do I run for it and go home? Do I go into my office which is built like a fortress and could be considered one of the safest in New York City? I knew my brother worked on a low floor (I don't remember exactly which one but it was in the 20s) in one of the towers so I called him to make sure he was OK. The explosions knocked out the cell service because the call did not go through. I decided to go to my office and try to send an e-mail to his 2-way pager (remember those). Thankfully he made it out safely and he was going to his girlfriend's (now wife) apartment in the Village. I told him I would be in touch and that I might need a place to stay that night. I remember talking to Mrs. Ansky on the phone at the exact moment the towers collapsed. My office is 2 blocks from the World Trade Center and I remember the windows shaking and rattling when the towers collapsed. I was on the phone talking to Mrs. Ansky when the towers collapsed. I didn't know what was happening at the time so I told I would call her back (which I did). My mother was teaching a class in NJ and the person answering the phones refused to interrupt the class to let her speak with me. I don't remember how I replied but I'm pretty sure it went something like this "in case you don't know, both World Center Towers were struck by airplanes. One of her sons works 2 blocks from where it happened and her other son works IN the towers. Now interrupt her [expletive] class and let me talk with her!"  My dad was even harder to get in touch with. At the time, he was teaching in a huge NYC Public School. No one in the school knew where he was and his cell phone wasn't working. Finally, he got in touch with Mrs. Ansky who told him that we were both alive and accounted for.

The next few hours were spent watching TV and learning more about what happened. Security had locked down the building and did not allow anyone to leave until 3:00 p.m. When we got the all clear from security that it OK to leave, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I wasn't a runner then so one option was to walk all the way to the George Washington Bridge and then hitch a ride home from there. The other option was to spend the night with my brother and his girlfriend and figure out what to do the next morning. I stayed with my brother that night, and thanks to my brother's colleague who also spent the night I got home to NJ Wednesday morning.

For a few weeks after the attacks on the WTC, my office was closed and we were working out of our office in NJ. When the main office did re-open, it opened the cafeteria to anyone involved in the recovery effort. There were firefighters, police, and military eating breakfast and lunch in our building. The bone-tired looks on their faces stay with me even 10 years later. I remember struggling with what, if anything, to say to them. Did they want to be talked to or did they want to be left alone? I decided "Thank You" was a simple and appropriate thing to say.

Fast forward 10 years.......in the weeks leading up to the 10th anniversary, I was thinking about how I wanted to mark the occasion. Since I had a 2:45 long run on the calendar, I decided that I would run from the NJ side of the George Washington Bridge to Lower Manhattan. I thought it would be a good way to infuse my long run with some meaning. Sunday was cool day, humidity was low, and there was plenty of cloud cover.

I was feeling some pulling in the back of my leg so I kept the effort nice and relaxed. Despite a uncorroborated terror threat, I was happy to see runners and cyclists out getting their miles in.  As I was getting closer to Ground Zero I started to get chills. A lot of memories started to come back. I thought about seeing the 2nd plane hit the World Trade Center. I thought about my brother who worked in one of the towers and how thankful I am that he made it out safely. I thought about the looks on the faces of everyone involved in recovery effort when they came through my office's cafeteria in the days, weeks, and months afterward.

When I got to what is now called the New Wold Trade Center site, I stopped for a few minutes, as did many other runners and cyclists, for a few minutes of reflection and a prayer. I turned around and the 2nd hour of the run felt great.

I pass by Ground Zero/New World Center Site every day on my way to work. In the years since the attacks, I'll freely admit that I have become somewhat desensitized to the significance of what happened there. Not that I have ever forgotten what happened, but when you're rushing to get to work it's very easy to develop tunnel vision and ignore the huge construction project right next to you. I am very lucky that I live close enough to Lower Manhattan to be able to do what I did yesterday. It helped put things back into perspective.

Ground Zero - September 11, 2001 (not my photo)

New World Trade Center - September 11, 2011 (my photo)

Last Long Run and Tapering

It's hard to believe that the Vermont City Marathon is only 13 days away. I haven't had much time to write recently so I'll catch you up on how my last long run went and how my taper is going.

I did my last long on Sunday, May 8. Coach Jeff assigned 3:15 in zone 2 to close out my last hard week of training before the taper. I had to start earlier than I usually would on a Sunday because of a family obligation. It was quite chilly in the morning but I dressed lightly knowing that it would warm up while I was out there. The run went really well. I practiced my hydration and nutrition strategy for the race, and had no issues. Around mile 16.5 I ran out of fluids so I stopped at a local CVS for a bottle of Gatorade. The line to pay was longer than usual for an early Sunday morning because people were out buying last minute Mother's Day cards. I ended up running 23.2 miles in 3:15 which averaged out to 8:24/mile. Coach was happy with the effort, he said I'm where I needed to be heading into the taper.

Coach's approach to the taper is to cut back the time on your feet but to increase the intensity. Case in point, the first run of my taper was 8 x 7 minutes in zone 4 with 2:00 recovery in between. That morning, I woke with intense stomach pains and I know there was no way I could run. Later that day I flew to Atlanta to present at a workshop on Wednesday. Summer came early to Atlanta (70 with 100% humidity at 6:30 Wednesday morning), but I still wanted to get a run in a new city. My hotel was a few blocks from Piedmont Park. There were lots of runners out and several "boot camp" type classes going on in the park. I followed some runners until I got my bearings then went off on my own and ran several loops of the park.

This past Friday was 20 minutes in zone 2 then 1 hour in upper zone 3. I was really pleased how well this went. My pace for the upper zone 3 was 7:37/mi. My stomach was a little queasy most likely because my nutrition was off while I was in Atlanta.

Yesterday, Coach assigned me a step-up run: 10 minutes in easy, 10 minutes in zone 2, 30 minutes in zone 3, 45 minutes in zone 4. It was raining pretty hard in the morning and my eyes were burning and watering because the pollen count was extremely high. For these reason, I decided to run on a treadmill at the gym. Zone 3 was done at around 7:45 pace and zone at around 7:30. It's not easy being on the treadmill for that long, but I got through it. Even though I ran on the treadmill, Coach was happy with the effort. He said I'm all juiced up and ready to go.

This week I'll be on the track Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday for some mile repeats to keep the leg turnover high. It's almost showtime!

Passover 2011

It's hard to believe that Passover is over. So much goes into preparing for the holiday and now it's over. I had a great holiday celebrating with family in Boca Raton, Florida. My mom and aunt teamed up to make some amazing food, we drank some great wine, and the seders, while traditional, were still very entertaining. I also soaked up plenty of sun sitting poolside and at the beach.

I was only able to run during 4 of the 10 days I was away so I was determined to make them count. I had to early in the morning because, as soon as the sun comes up, it's way too hot to run. Coach planned out the 4 days like this:

 Monday (April 18, the 1st seder was that night): 20 minutes in zone 2, 1 hour in upper zone 3, cool down 10 minutes with an easy jog. The 20 minutes in zone 2 went fine but once I started the upper zone 3 portion of the run, I was instantly reminded why I hate running during the summer months. I started at 5:30 am and it was already 75 and 100% humidity. I know everyone is different but my asthma gets really bad when the humidity is high. I cut the tempo part of the run short at 55 minutes. My heart rate was much than it should have been for the effort I was exerting and I didn't want to risk an attack. 9.61 miles in 1:15:53 (7:53 average pace).

Thursday (April 21, first intermediate day of Passover): warm up for 8 - 10 minutes then run 4 x 7 minutes in zone 4 with a 2 minute recovery. My body felt fresh after 2 days of no running because of the holiday but I was somewhat nervous about another fast paced workout in the Florida heat. Thankfully it was less humid and I got the workout done. 6.83 miles in 53:30 (7:49 average pace).

Friday (April 22, second intermediate day of Passover): recovery run. very, very easy. This run felt easy but when I looked at the data after the run it was much faster than my recovery runs I do in NJ. I chalked it up to the pancake flat terrain in South Florida. No hills to speak of what so ever. 9.07 miles in 1:15:29 (8:19 average pace).

Sunday (April 24, last intermediate day of Passover): 2:45 in zone 2. After Shabbat, my mom and I mixed up my kosher for Passover "sports" drink and I portioned out some dates for Sunday's long run. Even though it's not the most exciting route, I stayed within my parent's development because there are plenty of water fountains and bathrooms. I also didn't want to stray too far from my parent's place in case I didn't feel well and needed to stop. I hydrated often, taking in 8 oz. of the drink every 35 - 40 minutes and eating 4-5 dates every hour (just as I would with gels). The last 6 miles were a grind. The sun was up and it was hot. There were a few moments during the last 45 minutes where I wanted to call it quits but I got through it. 20 miles in 2:45 (8:14 average pace).

Monday and Tuesday (April 25 - 26) were the last days of Passover, and today (April 27) I was traveling home from Florida. I definitely made my running days count, I logged about 45 miles over the 4 days  I got all my running done early, often before Mrs. and Lil Ansky woke up. Getting the miles in were important but so was spending time with family.

Good End to the Week

If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that 2 out of my 3 mid-week runs did not go so well. This past Tuesday I had a 1:30 run in zone 2 with 3 minute surges into zone 3 every 20 minutes. The run started off well but then it started to rain. For some reason people forget how to drive when it rains. The rain, crappy drivers, and lingering snow and ice on the ground, created less than ideal running conditions. I knew if I stuck to the main streets I'd be able to complete the run. About 40 minutes into the run I took a GU for extra calories so I could finish the run without bonking. All I'll say is, thank goodness for the laundromat along my route that was open early and had a bathroom. After that, I knew I wasn't going to get the full 1:30 so I pushed the pace for the rest of the time I was out there.

Friday's assigned run was a 12 mile step up interval run where I was supposed to run miles 1-3 in zone 2, 4-6 in zone 3, 7-11 in zone 4, and cool down for a mile. The run was going well, and I was feeling great. Just as I was starting my 4 miles in zone 4, I stepped in a pot hole and rolled my ankle a little bit. Instead of risking a potential injury, I cut the run short and headed home. Thankfully, the ankle did not hurt and was not swollen. I rested it for the remainder of Friday and Saturday hoping I'd be able to bounce back on Sunday with a solid long run.

Today's long run was 2:45 in zone 2 with surges every 20 minutes. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. We were out with friends last night and I went to bed a lot later than I am used to. I was surprised how good I felt considering I didn't get much sleep. About mid-way through the run I caught myself racing the workout. I slowed myself down so I would have plenty of energy to finish strong. I had to stop at 2:30 not because I wasn't feeling well but because of a family obligation. I ran 17.69 miles for an average pace of 8:30 per mile. A good end to a week that didn't start off well.

Sunday Long Run

Coach Jeff scheduled a 2 hour zone 2 long run with 3 minute surges every 20 minutes. I wanted to put in a good effort today after last week's less than stellar long run. I needed to get an early start as I had a busy morning ahead of me and Mrs. Ansky had to work today so an afternoon long run was out of the question. When I left the house at 5:50 the temperature was 16f with a Real Feel around 6. I started out slowly and eased into a comfortable pace. The first few surges came easily and I was able to recover settle back into my zone 2 pace with no problem. Needless to say, as the run progressed, the surges became harder. The seconds would not move fast enough on my Garmin. I covered 13.80 miles in 2:00:09 for an average pace of 8:42/mile. It was definitely a better effort than last week. When I uploaded my run to my log I saw that my average heart rate was more in the lower end of zone 3 than in zone 2. I felt nice and relaxed and didn't feel like I was working too hard. I am still learning how to train by heart rate so it'll be a work in process. Jeff has some interesting runs scheduled this week so I'll be sure to write about them as the week goes on.

One of the benefits of running is that I will not feel the least bit guilty chowing down tonight at a Super Bowl party at our friend's house. I honestly can care less who wins. I am looking forward to some good food, a beer or two (maybe 3), and good friends. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Yankee Stadium Run

The seeds of running to Yankee Stadium were planted in my head when I read about the BxM Run in the Summer issue of New York Runner Magazine. Part of the route takes the runner past Yankee Stadium via River St. in the Bronx, over the Macombs Dam Bridge, onto the Harlem River Speedway, and finally into Inwood at the Northern tip of Manhattan.

Not that I need an excuse to run in New York City but it does take more planning on my part since I live in New Jersey. The boys and I had tickets for today's game vs. Chicago. Game time was at 1:05. Going with boys involves going a few hours early to tailgate in one of the outdoor lots before the game. So instead of going with the boys in the car, I decided that I would meet them and run to the Stadium.

Last night, I arranged with Allen to meet up at the George Washington Bridge and run some miles together. We planned to meet at 9:30 on the NY side of the bridge. Before I headed out, I dropped a bag of clean clothes and other supplies with my buddy MB. Around 8:30 I started my run. It's about 5 miles from house to the bridge. To get there on foot, I would have to conquer a nasty hill. I ran at a comfortable pace knowing that I needed fresh legs for the climb up to the bridge.

The base of the hill (Fort Lee Rd., to be exact) begins at the entrance to Overpeck County Park which borders Teaneck and Leonia, among others. I started off slowly, focusing on keeping on foot in front of the other.




 

 The hill seemed to go on forever. Finally, I crested the hill and saw this sign. I knew I had done it. I kept going knowing that is was all downhill (literally) from this point to the GWB. When I arrived at the GWB, Allen was already there waiting for me. About half way across the span I looked down at my Garmin and saw that nothing had changed since I crossed an intersection near the bridge. Oh well, shit happens.



My original plan was to extend the run by running up the West Side Greenway to Dykman St. and then cut across Dykman St to the Harlem River Speedway. Allen kept saying he knows where he's going so I followed him. Next thing I know, we're in Inwood Hill Park running more hills than I wanted to. We exited the park at the Northern tip of Manhattan near where the Columbia Lions play football. The rest of the run was either flat or downhill. We picked up the Harlem River Speedway at Dykman St.and ran along the East River to 155th St. It started to get hot and I was running out of water since I didn't plan on such a long run.

We stopped at a bodega at 155th St. for some Gatorade. I poured the rest into my bottle and parted ways with Allen. He headed south towards home and I towards the Macombs Dam Bridge. I ran across the bridge like it was the last half mile of a marathon. Finally my "finish line" came into view: the old stadium (top) on the right and the new stadium (Bottom) on the left.

I cooled down by walking to the Harlem River North Parking lot to meet up with the boys. DG was already cooking appetizers, jalapeno poppers with non-dairy cream cheese and lox. Next came the main course: homemade sausage patties, BBQ beans, non-dairy cheese (because mixing meat and milk is forbidden), and guacamole in flour tortillas.

I took my bag of stuff and headed to the nearest port-a-potty to change and "freshen up." I overcame the "ick" factor courtesy of MB's canister of Wet Ones. I wiped a few of those over my grimy body and felt pretty fresh.

As for the game itself, the Yankees won 8-3. Damon and Teixeira hit home runs. Here is the view from our seats, Main Section 208, Row 15. It was a great day with a good run, good food, good friends, and a Yankees win.





Lastly, I'll share the elevation profile of the run so you can see the hill I had run up on the way to the GWB. You can see the full route here.

Hope everyone everyone had a great weekend of running.!

Hot, Humid, and Hilly Sunday Run

I'm sure all of us have our favorite routes. We run this route for tempo, that route for recovery, and the other for long runs. I'm certainly guilty of relying of running the many of the same routes over and over again. The problem with this is they become familiar and dare I say boring.

Today I decided to switch things up today and run a new route. Today was a very hot and humid day in NJ. I decided to take it easy and enjoy some new surroundings. The toughest part of the run came right after mile 7.  This is where an almost 2 mile uphill began. I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking incorporating a long climb into my run on what felt like the hottest day of the summer but I stuck with it and finished the 9.84mi run in 1:25:00 for a 8.38 pace. I walked in the door just in time to see Paula Radcliffe wint the New York City Half Marathon.

Later in the day I was in the car with a friend who is not a runner who said you only begin to appreciate hills when you're on a bike or on foot. It's easy to go up a hill in a car but not so much when you're cycling or running.

Lastly, congrats to everyone who completed the New York City Half Marathon. It was not an easy day for racing.

Mr. Mojo Rising

View Larger Map

If you recall, I lost my mojo last Sunday. Well it's officially back! I decided to follow Chris Russell's lead and make up my long run by running to work on Friday. I live approximately 6 miles from George Washington Bridge. However, it's not an easy 6 miles, it's basically all uphill. I'm not talking about rolling hills or "goofy little speed bumps" it's a significant climb. To get a better sense, check out the route and view the elevation profile.

I therefore decided to take a short bus ride to Fort Lee and start my run at the NJ side of the GWB. My adventure started at 5:30 am. I'm happy I brought my rain jacket because it started to rain, not hard but enough to be a pain. I don't usually stop during my runs to take pictures but I felt compelled to. For a moment, I thought about getting on the A train at the GWB Bus Terminal due to the weather but I kept going. For safety purposes I ran down Ft. Washington Ave. until 165th and headed down to Riverside Drive. I stayed on Riverside Drive until 96th St. Daybreak arrived in NYC around 120th as I was passing Grant's Tomb. At this point, the rain had stopped and people were starting to come out to walk their dogs, get their miles in, or going to work. I knew I had many miles ahead of me so I took out my Ipod and decided to catch up on some of running podcasts. I picked up the West Side Rec Path at 96th st. From there it was straight run to lower Manhattan. I stopped to take picutres of the 72nd Boat Basin, the Intrepid, Circle Line, and Chelsea Piers. At Styvestant High School, I took a right and passed the World Financial Center. I caught my first glimpse of Lady Liberty shortly after that. She gave me the motivation I need to keep going. The rain picked up as I looped around the Staten Island Ferry Terminal on to South St. I decided to run past Maiden Lane and try and get as close to 20 miles in as possible. I continuted up the East Side, past the South St. Seaport, the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg Bridges. I turned around at the E. 10th st. Track where I've been doing speedwork with the Nike Pacers since Janaury. At this point I'm completely soaked as are my shoes. I hit the stop button of my Garmin at South St. and Maiden Lane at 18.64 miles.

I walked into work soaking wet, picked my clothes from my cubicle and headed up to the showers. After that I treated myself to big breakfast of oatmeal, a bagel with peanut butter, chocolate milk, and some fruit. I went on with my day as if nothing had happened.

As I started sharing what I did with co-workers, on Facebook, and Twitter, I got 2 totally different sets of reactions. My non-running friends called me insane, crazy,etc.. while my running friends totally got it. A bunch of people asked me if I would do it again. Without hesitation, I replied yes. I can totally see myself doing this every so often if I have a busy Sunday planned. I'll leave you this faithful readers, if you are able to run to work, try it you might like. If those of you in NYC, seeing the city on foot during the early morning hours is fucking awsome.

Enjoy some pictures:

Update: I totally forgot to share the run details. My splits were all over the place because of the weather and because I stopped to take pictures.
Rainy Run to Work