Woke feeling crook

Feeling horid today with headache and upset stomach. Which means I missed my long run for the second week running. Really not good. Cannot afford to miss many more.

Afternoon spent with the gang getting new ski gear.

Park Run

Groggy this morning with post travel sleep deprevation but cajoled Jacqueline and Jack to run Park Run with me.

Jogged over there actually feeling pretty good opting for just a t-shirt with it being 10 dc warmer than NYC. So in the 4k warm up I averaged 4.25s.

A quick 2 minutes rest and we were off and it was blowing a gale on the top straight with me out in front with no Messi or Foxy around to follow. First k buzzed up 3.38 (slow - wind!) and the second even slower through the muddy section. The 3rd quicker again on the flat despite the wind with me purposely running onto the grass to force the Blackheath Harrier guy behind me to pull his weight into the wind and stop clipping my bleedin' heels - he was not having it and followed me onto the grass (scandalous). It was like a scene out of the TdF when the peleton swiches quickly from one side of the road to the other to maintain maximum drafting effect. The 4th k was slow again (muddy section) before a final 3.26.

The guy who had drafted on my shoulder the entire way finally fell away. All up it was a slow 18.19 but ok given conditions and also a first place but purely due to fact that the younger fellas Messi and Foxy were elsewhere.

Jack ran another PB in 22.29 (30 seconds quicker than last week) and Jacqueline 28.29 also a PB and a full minute quicker than last week.

Then dragged family out for brekkie followed by homework and short bike ride with Ryder coming too. 3 more slow ks pushing Ryder some of the way.

To make a change we had glorious sunshine today ahead of the forecast wet weather tomorrow. With Messi crook looks like I will be running solo in the rain tomorrow.

Meanwhile in the FA Cup: Sammy Agnew 1 - Timmy Lindop zilch. Palace have  now beaten 'little' Stoke 4 times and drawn 1 in the last 5 games. Can there be any doubt which is the more mediocre?

My peleton:

Chicken Pox

Overnight flight back with little sleep and then head in screen all day. Knackered and furthermore now surrounded by Chicken Pox infested little people. A jet lag slash chicken pox double whammy! No energy, no time means no run today.

* Left ankle feeling a little delicate.

Manhatten 60 min Tempo

It was freezing (taters*), still -5 probably even colder. But told myself no excuses and crawled out of bed at 6am knowing it will be my only window.  The photos from the office show the West side path that snakes the length of Manhatten which I followed.  I basically said 7.5ks up and back. It was so cold I had to pull my jacket over my hands so did not know what pace I was hitting when my watch buzzed the 1km markers. At 7k I snuck a quick look and the clock was showing 3.58 average which given there was black ice everywhere was pretty solid. I then turned and hung on to complete some quicker ks on the return. 15.6ks completed in 3.52s.
 

Then had to leg it back to the room to shower to make my morning meetings which ended up being back to back before taking car to airport with Amit (from our Mumbai office - he played cricket with Tendulkar up to u13s would you believe - seriously not making this stuff up).
 

The last few days have been on the one hand energizing but on the other gruelling - now to crash on overnight flight back to London.
 

The big news of the day is that our littlest man Ryder Roo has chicken pox and therfore cannot go to school for 5 days. So all of his brothers are hugging him (a first!) so they also get the chicken pox....

* cold potat'as

Today's views back on Manhattan:
 

NYC MLR Bridge run

I always do this run whilst here but this time headed over Brooklyn Bridge first and back over Washington via Canal Street. Ended up being 17 odd ks with a faster 6k finish.

 

It was another stunning fresh winter's day in NYC with the 2nd day of conference (the air is SO much better than London).  In the evening I headed out to Soho and had dinner on my Jackson Jones at the Soho Grand (another 4k).  J and I have spent lots of time there.

 

Today's running themes - I must subconsciously always gravitate toward runners:

 

1. Randomly sat next to a 33 min 10k runner at lunch , he was in his 50s!!  He raced Lance Armstrong on bikes back in the day.  I promise I am not making this up.  I asked him if he knew all along? 'Yes' was his immediate answer.

 

2. For the concluding comments of the day the host put up a picture of Roger Bannister before going into one about the importance of 'belief'. I was made to look temporarily good as was the only one in the room who put his hand up when asked who he was. The host effectively used Bannister as a sporting analogy to explain that without belief you don't achieve the long time unachievable. I do the same at work, stuff along the lines of: 'do you want to play for Palace, a top quality Premiership team or a Stoke?

 

Interesting fact: about 30 days later an Australian also broke the 4 min mile.

 

More interesting fact: the following year more than #20 runners broke the 4 minute barrier after a long period of failed attempts.  It got me thinking about the 2hr marathon. I suspect that once it finally has been broken it will open the flood gates. Am predicting that Kipsang & co are going to go very close on April 24.

 

 

The US is gripped in a Primary election frenzy. To think that this is going to continue until November is mind boggling.  Don't get me started on the candidates.

My morning Bridge run:

New York's Manly ferry over to Jersey:

 

NY conference

Epic day in NYC. The conference lived up to expectations and met some pretty amazing people from across the globe (+ speakers). It was also a brutal day starting before 7 with ferry across the Hudson and finishing with dinner at Chelsea Pier.

Got out for my a 12k loop starting in Battery Park and then Wall Street etc. Felt good but the snow was still very heavy.

I absolutely love NYC. I came here and worked with underprivileged kids from the Lower East Side in 94 for three months and have been coming back most years ever since.

 

NYC

Took boys to school after hot chocolates at Costa and then headed for airport.

Bumped into Chris Coleman there who was grabbing coffee so invited myself to sit with him. Nice guy as we reminisced about the Palace glory days. He was impressed that I remembered he that he played half his games at centre back and half at centre forward.

Then my dad called who mentioned he was also at T5 so met mum and dad quickly before running for the gate.  They were flying to Basel for their first of 25 annual holidays.

Read most of 'Walking in the Humalayas' by Levison Wood on the plane. Right up my street and an enjoyable read. 

On arrival at JFK the snow was still very thick which made for a tricky journey to the hotel - incredible given the pandemonium over the last 48 hours. Now back from dinner and shattered. Early start tomorrow.

Hanging with the Beckhams

Ditched my long run to take Jack to his Millwall game vs. the Arsenal youth academy at their training ground in North East London.  Impressive facilities.

 

Managed a 7k jog whilst he was warming up and then met Jacqui and Lucas on the touchline completely unawares that we were standing next to none other than Beckham Snr plus his mum and dad.

 

It quickly became clear he was also there watching his son play. Bizarrely Cruz #7 was playing right wing and Jack left wing so they collided a lot. After 5 minutes Jack turned and Cruz upended him which was met with a 'stay on your feet' muttering from his dad. Cruz goes well and it cannot be easy for him - huge expectation as well as an awful lot of talent in the Arsenal u11s youth academy.

 

The whole experience was surreal - Jacqui was totally star struck! There was a nice moment at half time when Cruz came over and got a pep talk from his old man.

 

Lucas was on at me that he wanted his photo with him so in the car park afterwards I plucked up the  courage: 'Mr Beckham would you make my son's day?' which he duly accepted with a smile.

 

I have a tremendous amount of respect for David Beckham and have always been a huge fan - we ran against each other in London schools x-country races (he was the year below).  It has always amazed me how he has conducted himself impeccably throughout his entire career. The fact that he was 'being normal' watching his son play with his parents alongside is a great testimony to him.

 

As we were driving out of the car park the Beckham's car came side by side with Jacqui screaming in my ear 'it's the Beckham's let them in for heavens sake'. I politely declined, payback for the earlier challenge :)

 

Got home and stuck the running shoes back on as was feeling guilty that had missed my long run. I could only muster 7ks. 93ks for the week and knackered.

 

Now trying to figure out if I have any chance at all in making it to NY tomorrow for my dinner.

 

Lukie and Mr B:

 

 

Jacqui star struck:

 

 

 

 

Jack and Cruz:

 

 

Jack and Cruz