Meeting "Big George"

How many people can really say they have met a legend? Someone they truly admire for their accomplishments?

One Friday evening, at a cocktail reception held at Cadence Cycling & Multi-sports Center in Tribeca, I met George Hincapie, one of the world's undisputed cycling champions.

Not only has he successfully completed 13 separate Tour De France, he's been on a winning team eight times! To many people, he's best know as Lance Armstrong's right hand man. But to me, Hincapie stands alone as a testament to cycling greatness. He's out there, working his ass off, day after day, month after month, year after year. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say he's the "Lou Gehrig of Cycling." Needless to say, he's an inspiring character and it was a pleasure to meet him.

Despite the fact that I've spent much of my adult life coming face-to-face with high-profile people, this was a unique experience for me. Not only was I a pure fan, with no professional reason to be at this event, I was making this effort to meet a professional athlete -- not a rock star!

The event was very small -- maybe 40 people at the most. Ironically, Matthew Broderick was among the crowd and, at least for me, I could not have cared less about a Tony-award winning actor. I was in the presence of a champion.

On Friday morning I did a 4-mile run in Prospect Park as I begin to wind down for the NYC Marathon. The numbers, however, were quite impressive. I managed to do the 3.95 mile route in 34:39 (a pace of 8:43/mile) with an average BPM of 156. In just 34 minutes, I burned 522 calories.

Then, on Saturday afternoon, I went out for what will probably be my last "big" run of 14 miles in Prospect Park. The run lasted 2:12:59, at a total pace of 9:25/mile. I burned 1831 calories (30% fat) and had a maximum heart rate of 164 and an average of 147 (nice).

Here's a breakdown of the laps:

1 - 34:03 (9:19/mile pace)
2 - 30:55 (9:13/mile pace)
3 - 32:02 (9:33/mile pace)
4 - 35:57 (9:50/mile pace)

I experimented with three components of the run and each paid off well:

• I ate a fistful of salt before the run to try and reduce my sodium deficiency
• I did not take any Ibuprofen before the run to try and maximize my kidney function. As a result, salt crystals did not form on the surfaceof my skin
• During the final two laps I ate Shot Blocks, a performance food by Cliff Bar. I had the pina colada flavored blocks and they were absolutely delicious. I'll be packing them for lunch during the NYC Marathon.

I finished the run and really felt well-prepared for the big day.

On Sunday I stopped by Jack Rabbit and picked up a new pair of running shoes and a hat. I really feel like a member of the family when I walk into that store and I will wear their logo proudly on race day.

Early this morning, I did just one lap around the Park (35:14). The weather was quite cold at 7:13am when I headed out. Rounding the turn by the lake, it was really kind of magical to be in the park at dawn. The sun was breaking over the trees and the Canadian Geese were taking off to continue their flight south for the winter.

I'll miss moments like that when the training ends.