Well, where have I been? This blogging lark is tough to keep going, I think I have a new found respect for those that have the discipline to write day in, day out.
The last time I made any update on the running situation, I was still a few weeks away from my first 5K of the year. Well the day came and went, actually 2 days before
Sandy hit, and I beat my 2010 time by more than a minute - a
scorching 27:46.1! I had lofty ideas at the start of the summer of beating 25 minutes, but it's hard to be disappointed 2 years older and after about a year and a half of really not running at all.
Before my run, I was getting quite hopeful of a much better time. I managed some new personal bests, although I am now questioning the accuracy of the GPS on those runs. My iPhone 3Gs may have been a little less than perfect in tracking my progress. I now have an iPhone 5 (oh yes!) which might be a little more accurate.
Here is a graph of my average speed up to and including race day (October 27th).
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| GPS Accuracy is questionable |
My celebration after this race was short-lived, as 48 hours later, the largest storm ever to emerge from the Atlantic Ocean headed towards the north east coast, and New York was subjected to an 11.8 foot storm surge, which crippled the city and boroughs for several days. In fact even now, 2 weeks later at the time of writing, much of my neighborhood is without power.
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| The Morning After - Van Brunt, Red Hook in Brookyn, NY |
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| Fairway Supermarket in Red Hook, 1 day after Sandy |
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| A week after Sandy, snow in Red Hook |
The public housing in Red Hook has been hit most badly. The most vulnerable people in the neighborhood have had the least luck, with no power, running water or heat, many people have been using their stoves to keep warm. The police have flood-lit much of the neighborhood with powerful lights that make the homes resemble prison buildings.
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| With no power, heat or water, much of the neighborhood is uninhabitable |
While it's really the least of anyone's concerns, including mine, a blackened neighborhood after a storm has meant that running during the week, now that the days are much shorter, isn't really viable. Many streets are cluttered with the left-overs of people's belongings or debris washed up from the ocean.
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| This isn't here anymore! |
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| Not much of a hindrance in the day, but virtually impossible to see at night |
If you're interested to know more about Red Hook and the effects of Sandy, visit
RestoreRedHook.org
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| Residents and non residents alike support Red Hook |
But, having written all of that, there is about 2 hours of light left now. Time for a run!
