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Smile Samantha! You Are Our Member Spotlight Of The Week!

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Always with a smile, Samantha has been featured on many NYRR promo ads!

Another week has passed so it’s time to shine the spotlight on one of our members! Today we are happy to shine that spotlight on one of our very first members, the always smiling, Samantha M.!

Samantha has always come to club gatherings with tons of energy, a positive attitude and of course her vibrant smile.

Samantha started running in 2001 in college when she felt she was overweight and as a result, it made her self-conscious. At the time she had an unpleasant dance teacher that would make her feel uncomfortable about her weight so she turned to running to prove that teacher wrong and feel better about herself. Little by little she would set small benchmarks for herlsef measured in city blocks.

When she’s no running, Samantha loves singing and dancing!

 

Eventually she had worked up to a mile and before she knew it she was running as far as 5 kilometers! As running became a healthy obsession, she would run at the gym on treadmills admittedly so she could watch trashy TV (lol). Ever increasing her mileage, she joined New York Road runners in 2012 and ran her first 5k that year. Fast forward to today, Samantha has run over 80 races with NYRR!

Being a runner since 2012, Samantha stumbled across We Are NYC Running club last year while training for the United NYC Half Marathon. Why would Samantha join a running club though after being a runner for 6 years and having success with it? Samantha points to the amount of support that she felt from strangers who shared the same common goal as her and had a true genuine love for running.

3rd from the right, Samantha was at the very first official club meet up!

Samantha was part of the first unofficial meet up of the club back at the 2018 NYRR Gridiron 4 miler run. That day she felt the group had something special just from spending 15 minutes together with the group before the 4 mile race. With many years of running already under her belt, she wanted to be part of something bigger where she could talk to people and not be judged. She remembers many years back still to that dance class teacher where she made to feel so small. Being a part of this club, she no longer feels that at all! Since joining the club, Samantha has loved being a member as she points to the many fabulous, strong, dedicated and down to earth people she has met. She adds that running a race is so much better knowing that you have a lot of people out there rooting for you and running with you. Just yesterday, Samantha ran her 22nd race as a member of We Are NYC Running Club as she ran the NYRR Gridiron 4 miler with the club and celebrated a year of running with her new found running family!

Looking forward, she continues to think about running the TCS NYC Marathon as a long term goal. For now she is concerned with committing time to train for a marathon as she knows the amount of time involved with it and she does not want to take that time away from her family, especially her three year old son Harrison. Speaking of her son Harrison, he himself has already run some races with NYRR. Samantha plans on continuing to have Harrison run more races this year while she continues to prepare for some more half marathons herself with the 2:00 time barrier as her ultimate goal!

Pictured here at the Bronx 10 Mile, Samantha ran 22 races with We Are NYC RC in 2018!

We are fairly confident that Samantha will break that 2:00 barrier if not at the NYC Half Marathon, perhaps the Brooklyn half marathon! Once she has done that, if she hasn’t changed her mind about going for the TCS NYC marathon, she may just be content with continuing another fun hobby of hers – performing and singing famous Broadway musical scores on top of her radiator with her son Harrison!

Here are some words that some of our members had for Samantha!

Fellow Club teammate Marjorie

Fellow Club teammate Cesar

 

Monday Member Spotlight – Meet Carlo!

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Carlo Has Ascended to B Corral & Shows No Signs Of Stopping!

This week our member spotlight is focused on our quiet but fearless Carlo Fervil. Carlo’s love for running has turned into a lifelong passion. Here’s why…

Carlo had no idea that he was going to soon find his passion and something that would take him on a lifelong journey. At the encouragement of a co worker and curious to try running as a way to get fit, Carlo entered his first 5K in Brooklyn. Excited to see what the hype of running was all about, he ended up disappointed when the race he ran was very disorganized. In 2017, his co worker told him about New York Road Runners, so he entered a 5k in Prospect Park. It was love at first run! Every race he ran, he pushed himself harder and harder to see what his limit was. He quickly realized, there were no limits to how hard and fast he could run. Carlo did not see running as a “one and done” thing. He wanted to keep going, learn everything he needed to know and most of all give 100%.

 

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Carlo Was Part Of The Club’s First Ever Ragnar Relay Team This Year!

Then Carlo had something happen that changed his perspective and made him realize that he also needed to learn how to train properly. He entered the Staten Island Half, his very first half marathon. Not sure how to train, he used an app but didn’t quite follow the training the way it was prescribed. Not training properly resulted in injury to his IT band, during the race. Unable to walk he realized at that moment that he wanted to do whatever he could to avoid injury, so he began doing research on how to train properly. Carlo learned there are three important components to running injury free. Cadence, hip strength and heart rate. He used that to develop his own training, worked it into every run and started to see that he was becoming a stronger, faster and more efficient runner.

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“Coach Carlo” Is Always Willing To Give His Teammates Running Advice!

It didn’t stop there for Carlo. Now he wanted to share everything he had learned with everyone around him. In 2018, Carlo joined his first training run with We Are NYC Running Club. He quickly became part of the team, but also felt that he wanted to help others run better too. Carlo started offering teammates small tips on how they could improve their form and ways to run better. This would lead to many of his teammates calling him “Coach Carlo”! Last fall, he organized some of his own training runs to work on interval training. Now some of his teammates were seeing their own gains and improvements. Coach Carlo was making a much bigger impact.

Carlo has big plans for his future. He is looking towards becoming a Certified Running Coach through the Road Runners Club of America. In 2019, he will be running both the Chicago and Berlin marathons. But both of those races are going to be a small step in preparing him for the biggest journey of his life. To begin his training, in the hopes of obtaining a spot in the Olympic marathon trials. Carlo’s dream is to take his passion for running all the way to the Olympics.

Carlo leaves us with his motto in the hopes that everyone will apply it to all areas of their life.

“Patience and consistency are the keys to success and it stands true when applied to fitness and running goals.”

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Always With A Smile, Carlo Is Aiming For The Olympics One Day!

 

 

Monday Member Spotlight Time!

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Our Member Spotlights Bassem Reaches “50” Days On His Run Streak

In continuing with our We Are NYC Running Club member spotlight, our next awesome member is one of our more vocal, motivated, and loveable members. Bassem has been a long time runner and has logged well over 60 races just with New York Road Runners alone. Three of those races have been the New York City Marathon. In 2018 he opted not to run the NYC Marathon and focused on the Philadelphia Marathon instead. It resulted in him running a personal record of 3:49:22 after having a previous record of 4:52 in NYC! An outstanding PR of over an hour, but what makes this even more fantastic, is that Bassem just turned a young 50 years old!

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Bassem Last Month At The Joe K. 10k

Realizing his accomplishment this year, Bassem now has his eyes set on qualifying for the Boston Marathon. He would have to knock off another 25 minutes on his marathon time but he says there is something different now about his training. As noted earlier, Bassem is a long time runner, but this year he has seen improvement thanks to the support that he has received from his “We Are NYC Running Club” members. He points at the motivation factor as well as accountability being a huge boost to his training. While his pursuit of the Boston Marathon is currently a long term goal, his short term goal is to keep his current run streak alive. A couple of months ago when he turned 50 years old, Bassem decided to start a “run streak” where he runs at least one mile each day. Last week during one of our weekly group runs, Bassem reached 50 days on that streak and doesn’t plan to stop any time soon! How long can Bassem go? We shall see!

Seeing how much the club has given him this past year, Bassem is always willing to give back. At group runs and on race days, Bassem is always willing to give runners advice based on his past experiences. Whether it may be about running apparel, nutrition or race logistics, you can count on Bassem to give you his words of wisdom.

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Bassem (on the right) With His Vuvuzuela @ The Fred Lebow Half Marathon!

Bassem doesn’t stop there either in supporting his running club teammates. Coming out and cheering with the club as part of our infamous cheer squads is something Bassem enjoys doing. If you have run any races in Central Park recently, you may be familiar with the loud echoing sound of a “vuvuzuela”! Yup – one of those vuvuzuelas is likely Basem!

His energy and dedication to the club make him a clear candidate for today’s spotlight and he is just another reason that We Are NYC Running Club continues to thrive today!

We will leave you with some words from Mr. Vuvuzuela aka Run Streak Man, aka Ragnar Guy aka Boston Marathon hopefully, aka BASSEM!

 

Upcoming Races In September!

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These guys just want to race!

September is here and for those running the 2018 NYC Marathon, their training is in full effect. However for those not running the Marathon, maybe they want to try their hand at some races? Here is a nice list provided to us by a running friend of our, Roy. If you know of a race that you would like to add to this list please reach out to Roy at runnerinchief@gmail.com ! Enjoy the list and happy racing! We should be coming out with a similar list for the month of October in the near future as well!

SEPTEMBER 15, 2018

*NYCRUNS GO NUTS FOR DONUTS 5K

Location: Roosevelt Island, New York

Time: 09:00am start

Info: https://nycruns.com/races/?race=nycruns-go-nuts-for-donuts-5k–10k

*NYRR Fun Run: Bagel Run (4 miles)*

Location: NYRR Run Center featuring the NB Run Hub (320 West 57th StreetNew York, NY 10019)

Time: 9:00am – 10:00am (Race is free!)

Info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nyrr-fun-run-bagel-run-tickets-48337460646?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

*The Triboro Adventure Tour Half Marathon*

Location: 2919 24th Ave, Astoria, NY US 11102

Time: 5:00pm – 8:00pm ($75 Race fee)

Info: Each Finisher who completes the race by being properly counted at every checkpoint will be awarded a Personalized 6″ Custom Trophy to commemorate their journey!

There will be water/sports drink and snacks at the start/finish line area. Please be sure to load up for the trip as the checkpoints will only be able to provide minimal supplies. ”

https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Astoria/TheTriboroAdventureTourHalfMarathon

*The Color Run New York City – 5k race*

Location: Citi Field 123-01 Roosevelt Ave New York, NY  11368

Time: 9:00am

Info: https://www.active.com/new-york-ny/running/distance-running/the-color-run-new-york-city-9-15-18-2018?int=72-3-A11

NYC Color Run Takes Place September 15th!

*12th Annual Woodlawn Run for a Cause – 5k Race*

Location: St. Mark’s Church, 7 St. Marks Place Yonkers, NY  10704

Time: 10:00am

Info: https://sites.google.com/site/woodlawnrunforacause/home

*13th Annual Run for Your Life*

Location: 20 Randall’s Island Park, New York, NY 10035

Time: 9:30am Kids run / 10:00am Walk / 10:30am 5k run

Info: Kids 12 and under free

https://odysseyhousenyc.org/event/opioid-recovery-run-2018/

SEPTEMBER 16, 2018

*NYRR TCS New York City Marathon Training Series 18M (sold out)*

Location: Central Park, Manhattan

Time: 7:00am

Info: https://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2018/tcs-new-york-city-marathon-training-series-18m

*POLICE OFFICER CHRIS HOBAN 5MILE RUN AND 5K*

Location: Xaverian High School, 7100 Shore Road, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY

Time: 10:30am

https://www.xaverian.org/page/alumni/events/po-hoban-80-memorial-run-

*NYRR Kurt Steiner Cross Country (5K)*

Location: Van Cortlandt Park, The Bronx

Time: 11:30am

Info: https://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2018/nyrr-kurt-steiner-cross-country-5k

*The Prospect Park 10k!*

Locaiton: Prospect Park, 15 Prospect Park West Center Drive, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Time: 10:00am

Info: https://www.active.com/brooklyn-ny/running/distance-running-races/prospect-park-10k-2018

*Imagine Academy for Autism Fun Run 5K*

Location: Marine Park Brooklyn, E. 32nd St. and Avenue S, Brooklyn NY

Time: 10:00am

Info: https://www.elitefeats.com/upcoming-detail.asp?ID=536

*Newport Liberty Half Marathon*

Location: Newport, Jersey City, NJ

Time: 8:30am

Info: https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/JerseyCity/NewportHalf

SEPTEMBER 22, 2018

Never run a cross country race? Here’s your chance!

*Front Runners New York Cross Country 5K*

Location: Tortoise & Hare Sculpture, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx NY

Tome: 10:30am

Info: https://www.elitefeats.com/upcoming-detail.asp?ID=539

*2018 New York City Undy RunWalk 5K, 1M Kids Run*

Location: Firefighters Field, 425 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York

Time: 9:00am 5k / 9:10am – 1mile

Info: https://www.ccalliance.org/events/2018-New-York-City-Undy-Runwalk

*Westchester Medical Central Trauma Mud Run*

Location: Westchester Medical Center, 100 Woods Road, Valhalla, New York

Time: 8:30am / Kids Dash 10:00am

Info: “The Kids’ Dash course will be shorter and less challenging than the adult course, but just as muddy!” http://events.westchestermedicalcenter.com/site/TR?fr_id=1240&pg=entry

*Northwell Health Great South Bay Run (13.1M, 10K, 5K Family Fun Run/Walk)*

Location: Bay Shore, Long Island, NY

Time: 7:30am – Half Marathon / 7:45am – 10k / 8:00am – 5k run, walk

Info: https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/BayShore/GreatSouthBayRun

*Music That Heals Half Marathon*

Location:  Beach 102nd Street and Boardwalk, Rockaway beach, NY  11694

Time: 7:30am

Info: https://www.active.com/rockaway-beach-ny/running/distance-running-races/music-that-heals-half-marathon-2018?int=

*La Cima Back to School 5K Color Run/Walk*

Location: La Cima Elementary Charter School, 800 Gates Ave Brooklyn, NY  1122

Time: 9:00am

Info: http://www.lacimacharterschool.org/?DivisionID=23260

*Sacred Heart Academy 5K*

Location: Sacred Heart Academy, 47 Cathedral Ave, Hempstead NY

Time: 9:00am

Info: https://www.elitefeats.com/upcoming-detail.asp?ID=551

*Federation of Organization 5k Run/Walk, Kids, Pee Wee*

Location: Eisenhower Park, Field House, Parking Field 2, East Meadow, NY

Time: 8:00am

Info: https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/EastMeadow/FederationofOrganization5k

*Sunset Marathon NYC (Half Marathon)*

Location: Prospect Park, 153 East Dr Brooklyn, NY  11225

Times:

8:00am / 8:30am / 9:00am – Half Marathon Waves

9:30am / 10:00am / 10:30am – 10k Waves

10:30am / 11:00am / 11:30am – 5k Waves

Info: https://www.active.com/brooklyn-ny/running/distance-running-races/sunset-marathon-nyc-2018-47184895?int=

SEPTEMBER 23, 2018

*Barry & Florence Friedberg JCC 5K Run For A Cause*

Location: 15 Neil Ct., Oceanside NY

Time: 8:00AM

Info: https://www.elitefeats.com/upcoming-detail.asp?ID=531

*Sri Chinmoy 5K & 10K*

Location: Alley Pond Park, Queens

Time: 10:00am

Info: ” The course is 99.5% paved, with two very short sections across gravel/dirt. Full disclosure: this course does have hills! ”

https://us.srichinmoyraces.org/5k-10k-alley-pond

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

*Bubble Run Long Island*

Location: Jones Beach Ampitheatre, 1000 Ocean Parkway, Wantagh

Time: Various starts (see info)

Info: http://bubblerun.com/upcoming-locations/long-island-ny/

*5K Race for Freedom Run/Walk*

Location: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Meadowlark Circle Queens, NY  11375

Time: 9:00am

Info: https://lifewaynetwork.org/lifeway-events/

*NYC Runs Governors Island 5k & 10k*

Location: Governors Island, New York

Time: 9:00AM

Info: https://nycruns.com/races/?race=nycruns-squirrel-stampede-at-governors-island-5k–10k

*Smithtown Running of the Bull 5K*

Location: New York Avenue School, 26 New York Ave, Smithtown NY

Time: 9:00AM

Info: https://www.elitefeats.com/upcoming-detail.asp?ID=530

*The Inaugural New Yorker Run (Half Marathon 13.1M)*

Location: Riverside Park, 108th St. and Riverside Dr., New York, N.Y.

Time: 9:00am

Info: http://www.citytri.com/the-new-yorker-run

*Bethpage Federal Credit Union Ocean to Sound 50 Mile Relay*

Location: Jones Beach State Park, 1 Ocean Parkway, Wantagh, NY US 11793

Time: 8:00am

Info: Teams of eight runners each will traverse a scenic course through the rolling countryside of beautiful Long Island. Each participant will run between five and seven miles. https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Wantagh/OceantoSound50MileRelay

*4th Annual Sunnyside Post Mile*

Location: Torsney Playground, Sunnyside Queens

Time: 10:00am / 10:45am – Kids run

Info: https://raceroster.com/events/2018/19147/4th-annual-sunnyside-post-mile

SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

*Tanger Fit 5K (Run/Walk)*

Location: Tanger Outlets 152 The Arches Circle,  Deer Park NY

Time: 8:30am

Info: Finisher Medal https://www.tangeroutlet.com/race

The NYRR Bronx 10 Miler is back for another year!

*New Balance Bronx 10 Mile Run*

Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx NYC

Time: 8:00am

Info:  https://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2018/new-balance-bronx-10-mile

*Catch A Cure 5K Run*

Location: Beach 102nd Street and Boardwalk, Rockaway beach, NY  11694

Time: 9:00am

Info: Finisher Medal https://www.active.com/rockaway-beach-ny/running/distance-running-races/catch-a-cure-a-family-5k-fun-run-2018?int=

*Domestic Harmony Foundation 5K (Run / Walk)*

Location: Peach & Pear Picnic Area: Parking Field #2, Eisenhower Park: 1899 Hempstead Tpke, East Meadow NY

Time: 10:30am

Info: https://www.elitefeats.com/upcoming-detail.asp?ID=568

*Friends of Montfort 5k Run / Walk, for the Education of Deaf Children in Haiti)*

Location: Hempstead Lake State Park, Parking Lot Field #1, Eagle Ave, West Hempstead , NY US 11552

Time: 10:00am

Info:https://runsignup.com/Race/Events/NY/WestHempstead/FriendsofMontfortFundraiser5kRunWalk

*2018 Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk *

Location: Ikea Parking Lot 9 Red Hook Brooklyn, 1 Beard St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Time: 9:30am

Info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-tunnel-to-towers-5k-run-walk-new-york-city-registration-46069410848?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

OCTOBER RACES WILL BE POSTED SOON!!

This Guy Is Getting Antsy

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The older I get, the more I despise winters in New York City. The last few years my angst has been more about the snow than anything else. By all means you can say the same thing about this year as we have already had 5 instances of snow this winter and it has driven me nuts!

This year however, the winter has frustrated me because it seems like forever since I have run a race. I was supposed to run a race this past Saturday but it was cancelled due to the pretty bad snow storm that we got smacked with! Aside from the informal 5k that I ran on New Year’s day, which for me wasn’t an official race since there was no clock to keep track of it, I have not run a race since Thanksgiving. That’s the longest drought since I started racing over a year ago.

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The focus on race day is real!

 

For me, races are what keeps me going! The adrenalin that I get from races makes all of the runs worthwhile and it keeps me hungry. That is not to say that I am losing the desire to run – not at all! However for me, races bring out something more in me. My times are definitely reflective of that. There are times where I will do a training run and look at the pace I have run and compared the same distance to a race and wonder to myself, how did I ever run that much faster during a race? That’s what a race does. The other runners, the adrenalin, the fact that you are focused on nothing else at the moment but that race is what makes all the difference when compared to training runs.

These days also, my training has been impacted by severe cold and snow, I have been forced to do more treadmill runs which I really do not like to do. Side note, a friend recently sent me a link for some treadmill reviews that they did. I thought I would share it here with all of you in case treadmills are your thing! Back to my training runs, since I am doing more treadill runs and less races, I am becoming a very cranky runner lol. I need some racing in my life!

Winter has made me do more treadmill running than I would like to!

 

So I decided to try something different. Something that when I first saw it two weeks ago, I admitted to saying it was “stupid”. Earlier on Tuesday, I signed up for a “Virtual 5k” via the New York Road Runners club website.  A virtual 5k is a 5k race that you run on your own, at your time and leisure. You must measure your time and distance with one of their pre-approved apps. In the case of this particular race, they are using the Strava app to record your time. On the Strava website, they are tracking everyone that is doing the virtual 5k. The person with the fastest time is obviously the winner of the race. So this weekend, most likely on Sunday, I will wake up and go thru my regular prep for a race. I don’t know if I can mentally psyche myself up for a race when I am the only one running it in real time, but I guess you can say I am desperate at this point!! I will let you know how the “virtual race” goes!

Aside from the virtual race I am hoping to run a 4 miler on Super Bowl Sunday. When NYRR cancelled the Joe Kleinerman 10k this past Saturday, they offered me a free race or an automatic entry in this year’s “9+1”. I took the free race since I personally am looking to record times for my races. I opted for the NYRR Gridiron/4 Mile run but I haven’t been confirmed on whether they will accept my entry for that race. So the wait for my next official race continues. Never have I been this antsy for a race – it’s almost comical!

Is anyone out there running any races soon? If so which ones? I may hop on a plane just to go run one! (joking lol). While I wait for my next race, I will remember a favorite quote of mine that the great sprinter Jesse Owens once said. When I remember this, I am reminded that re-focusing on our workouts and training runs is not a bad thing!

A great quote by Jesse Owens!