Back to Brooklyn for the Al Goldstein 5K
Week 3, Day 3 of NYC Marathon Training: A 5K and a 10-minute Peloton ride
I had a busy Wednesday, starting with a business conference at the Javits Center in Manhattan (the place where we pick up our TCS NYC Marathon race bibs!)
I spent all day at American Express’ Business Class Live 2022 event. They had a slew of great speakers (Jay Shetty was the high point for me, but everybody I heard was fantastic) and interesting breakout sessions on things like work/life balance.
Breakfast, lunch, and a cocktail reception were included as well. We also got our choice of free business books. And there were so many interesting people attending to talk to. The staff was great as well.
And the whole event was all free! Still pinching myself on getting the opportunity to go to this.
The Javits Center now has a garden on its roof, which is wild to see in Manhattan. If you get the opportunity to go to an event there, be sure to check it out. I went there after lunch yesterday and was amazed by the whole thing.
After the conference, I headed to Brooklyn for the fifth race in the Prospect Park Track Club Al Goldstein Summer Speed Series 5K. And guess what? It was really hot!
Because of the heat and humidity, the club decided that you didn't have to complete this particular race to earn the medal for doing all the seven races in the series.
Even so, I still did the race anyway and finished in just around 45 minutes. My Garmin watch demanded that I update it just as the race was starting, and I was unable to delay that message, so I'm not sure of my exact time last night! (Update: it was 45:27!)
It felt like I was running in a steam room, but I finished.
I did feel like I was hallucinating for some of the race, though, seeing spectators that I was later not sure I actually saw!
Before the race, PPTC did a very moving moment of silence for Gary Heard, the NYRR coach who passed away two weeks ago after doing this race. (Here is my tribute to him.)
Speaking of Gary, I went to a viewing for him last week and met his widow, Sara. I got to learn a bit more about his remarkable life — in addition to his running career (19 marathons!), he had a successful business career, a great family, and hobbies like golf and genealogy.
I felt honored that the article I wrote about him was part of the memorial, and that his family and friends liked it.
It still breaks my heart that he is gone.
The viewing also had Gary's marathon medals. And he was posthumously awarded the PPTC medal for this summer race series.
Turns out that in Gary's last full Al Goldstein 5K, he finished in 29:29, and placed first in the 70-74 men's age group. He also did better than not just me, of course, but my younger, male co-worker, who also ran that particular race. Amazing.
Sorry to have missed you last night, and thanks for the heads-up about the Javits roof.