Al Gordon Classic – Keep Moving

Al Gordon Classic marks our one year anniversary of running with New York Road Runners. The run kicked off with memories of Al Gordon which were shared by his family and NYRR. His grandson said one of Al’s favorite quotes was “keep moving”. Keep moving was exactly what I planned to do in Prospect Park in remembering Al.

Al Gordon passed away last summer at the age of 107. He completed his first marathon at 80. He was deeply devoted to running, walking NYRR and philanthropy.

At the sound of the horn 3600+ runners crossed the starting line at Prospect Park for the 4 mile run course. I am not very familiar with the course being only ran it twice before last year. I went out at a 7:23 mile pace at mile 1. finished with a 7:10/mile average. Finished time 28:40.

In comparison to last week’s Run for Haiti, I felt fresher after today’s race. May just be a sign of speed to come? or Central Park is just tougher :)

May have to stop wearing my heart rate monitor at races. Converted into a waist monitor again today, lol.

Major thanks to NYRR and the volunteers for making this race possible and keeping the course safe.

Post Race: Met with some Dailymiler and Twitter running friends for brunch. Michelle picked out Dizzy’s, which served up a delicious brunch. As always enjoyed a post race mimosa.

Garmin Connect Data.

ALBERT H. GORDON (1901-2009)

Among the most respected and inspiring of Wall Street’s business leaders for more than half a century, Al Gordon also served as a BSUF Director for 33 years.  After earning his Harvard MBA in 1925, he played a dominant role in restoring the iconic investment banking firm of Kidder, Peabody from bankruptcy to a position of industry leadership.  Known for his exemplary lifestyle, integrity and philanthropic activity, Al was an intellectually keen and very generous contributor to the success of this Foundation.  He was elected a Life Fellow of the BSUF in 2004.

Prospect Park Elevation

Warren Buffett’s Annual Shareholder Letter

Warren Buffet released his annual letter to shareholders today. Mr. Buffet is CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Last year Berkshire Hathaway lagged the S&P by 6.7 percentage points (this has only happened 6 out of the last 44 years). Berkshire Hathaway recently acquired Burlington Northern. In part of the deal Warren Buffet had to  split the B class shares of Berkshire 50-1. BRK-B last trading price as of Friday, February 26th was 80.13.

David Sokol who is the CEO of MidAmerican has been speculated as being Mr. Buffet’s successor.

Here are some of the common stock investments that Berkshire holds:

US Bancorp

American Express

Coco Cola

Johnson & Johnson

Wall Mart

Procter & Gamble

In 2009, Berkshire’s largest sales were in ConocoPhillips, Moody’s, Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson.

Mold removal and repainting

This week I had to deal with a severe case of mold in a clients bathroom. I used Clorox and detergent to wash the mold off the walls and ceilings in the bathroom (1/2 cup Clorox and 1/2 cup detergent to 1 gallon water). I used a spray bottle to apply the mixture to the walls and a sponge to scrub the mold off. After the surfaces were thoroughly washed with clean water and allowed to dry. The Clorox/detergent application may have to be repeated multiple times to scrub all the mold out. (a more expensive antimeldew solution can be used), but I find that this application worked just as well. Please wear a mask and rubber or latex gloves when doing this procedure.

Before priming or painting, all surfaces should be completely dried. Light sparkling may be required.

I used the above M-1 mildewcide in both the primer and paint. The M-1 mildewcide can be picked up at your local hardware store. I purchased all my paint and supplies for this project at Janovic. Each bottle of M-1 treats one gallon of paint/primer.

Materials Used

Clorox

Detergent

Rubber/latex gloves

Mask

Sponge

M-1 Mildewcide

We should all be very proud of this great accomplishment

NYRR: Run for Haiti 4 miler

One of my best highs for running is doing it for a cause. Over 9000 runners, walkers and children were registered for today’s run. Also registered were virtual runners including: Usain Bolt, Haile Gebrselassie, Paula Radcliffe, and Meb Keflezighi. With so many runners registered I was somewhat nervous about getting there early. Also the fact that there wouldn’t be any corrals. However NYRR (New York Road Runners) always does a great job of keeping races organized. There were pace times posted from 5 mins, 6 mins, 7 mins pace etc. (thanks again volunteers for making it all possible) So base on an honor system I think most people seeded accordingly.

Going into the race my best time was 29:25. I told myself as I always do just listen to your body while running a hard race. I love running in Central Park, just know about every hill and flat now :) .

After a 5 minute late start and the crowd getting antsy the gun went off.

I went out hard knowing I could maintain a solid 5K race pace. Decided not to watch my Garmin or glance at the course clock. Just keep striding along. At about mile 2, I felt that my heart rate monitor was loosening up. After adjusting it slightly, oops it fell off my chest. Thankfully my undershirt was tucked in so it stayed above my waistline.

Just kept striding hard for the remaining 2 miles. Still not keeping track of my pace. Left turn to the finish line at 72nd traverse. Final result PR baby! Official finish time 28:23. (7:05 / mile). 483 overall.

Garmin race data (funny how the heart rate chart shoots up when it falls from my chest)

Post run. We met Daniel and we joined some friends along with Michelle for brunch. Celebrated with a mimosa and poached eggs with blue crab, um!

Race Result

Half Ironman – a decision was made

The decision was made today. It will be the Westchester Toughman. So the training continues.

Active.com: You are now registered in the 2010 Westchester Toughman Half on Sunday Sept 12!”

Half Ironman – which one will it be ?

Since December I have been doing more consistent swimming in anticipation for my Olympic triathlon in July. The Nautica New York City Triathlon, 1.5K swim, 24.8 mile bike, 6.2 mile run. It’s February now and I definitely feel much stronger as a swimmer. My endurance has greatly improved, breathing and technique. Today I was able to swim a straight 1600 meters. Back in December on a long swim I would have to stop occasionally to catch my breath. I have devoted about 3-4 days for swimming per week since December. Mixing my swim workouts with short and long sets.

My tentative race schedule going into 2010 called for two “A” races. The NYC Marathon and the Nautica NYC Triathlon. An update may be required. Half Ironman!

With my swim improving considerably I am thinking of signing up for the Half Iron distance. The Half Ironman calls for a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. In the New York Area there a two races I am looking as possible choices: the Westchester Toughman and the inaugural Ironman Syracuse 70.3. A choice needs to be made. The Westchester Toughman is September 12th and the Syracuse 70.3 is September 19th. The two courses have their differences. Syracuse is described as having a “challenging” bike course, however the run leg is a massive down hill and point to point run contrary to the Toughman which uses loops for the run. As far as proximity, the Toughman is much closer to home, which is a huge economic advantage, especially during this current downturn. Doing a M dot race would be cool. Although next year I am planning on signing up for my very first Ironman, Ironman Lake Placid. So the decision process continues. If anyone reading this has done the Toughman, I would be glad to hear from you in regards to your reviews of the race.

Oscar Nominations – Best Picture

After watching all the Oscar nominated movies below. I have to say I am hoping “The Hurt Locker” walks away with the award on Oscar night. I also enjoyed, “Up”, “The Blind Side” and an “An Education”. This year with 10 nominees it will be very interesting to see what genre of movie wins the award, will it be the high budget, blockbuster “Avatar” that practically everybody on this planet, omitting Pandora :) have seen, or will it be “The Hurt Locker” a movie about a job that needs to be done to protect and spare civilians and our armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the dismantling of sophisticated IEDs and bombs. A reality our troops face continuously in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Best Picture

For a continued list of the remaining categories and nominees, visit Oscar.com

Happy Chinese New Year – Year of the Tiger

Lunar New Year Events Around New York City

Traditional Art and Chinese Dance

Saturday, February 6, 3pm

P.S. 124 Yung Wing School

40 Division St

The NY Chinese Cultural Center welcomes the Year of the Tiger with the 25th Annual Lunar New Year Festival. Bring the whole family and enjoy traditional Chinese dances.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Family Day

Sunday, February 7, 10am-1pm

Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave
Stop by MOCA’s arts & crafts table to create unique pieces inspired by the New Year.

Lunar New Year Flower Festival

Friday, February 12, 10am-10pm

Saturday, February 13, 10am-7pm

Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Canal and Chrystie Streets

Come for the flowers, the cultural shows, and the display booths!

New Year’s Day Firecracker Ceremony and Festival

Sunday, February 14, 11am-3pm

Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Canal and Chrystie Streets

Lunar New Year is kicked off with 600,000 rounds of colorful firecrackers by highly trained specialists, a traditional Lunar New Year practice believed to scare away evil spirits.

Flushing 14th Annual Lunar New Year Parade

Saturday, February 20, 11am-1pm

Begins at Union St and 37th Ave and ends at Main St and 39th Ave.

11th Annual Lunar New Year Parade and Festival
Sunday, February 21, 11:30am-4pm

Parade starts in Little Italy and winds through Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Visit MOCA (Museum of Chinese in America) for more events.

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