Posts tagged nyc

26.2

It was two days ago, but I think the endorphins are still pumping from running the 26.2 miles of the NY Marathon. I had so much fun and the energy I felt all day was incredible. My fellow runners were great, the weather was perfect, the crowd was AMAZING… I’m getting chills again now just thinking about it.

From the moment I woke up, I was just excited to enjoy the day, but when our bus crossed the bridge to Staten Island, and I realized how cool it was that the city streets were literally cleared for us, how much time and energy goes into organizing a race like this, how many people trained so hard and raised money and supported friends… I just got this intense feeling of tremendous gratitude. 

How lucky am I to be able to run around the streets of NYC with 46,999 friends? How lucky am I to be healthy enough to do so? How lucky am I just to be able to pursue this crazy opportunity?

While I knew plenty of people running, it was so crazy at the start and I was happy to make new friends of smiling faces everywhere I looked… from Wales, Holland, Italy… I was struck by just how international the runners were and it made for a lot of fun. One new friend was Janet - who was running her 13th(!) marathon with Fred’s Team (the same charity I raised money for). Such a sweetheart and she gave me all sorts of tips before the start (thanks Janet!). [btw… if you ever run the NYC Marathon, do it with Fred’s Team. 1. everyone involved is super-nice 2. you totally get pampered over the other organizations].

[Thanks to my buddy Zach who spotted me 800m from the finish and snapped off this pic of me doing my best “deer in headlights” impression. I swear I was actually moving in this pic…]

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m usually a competitive freak when I run races and my whole goal is to beat everyone, but this time, I just wanted to hug everyone. As the race started, and I saw jersey after jersey with “For Dad” or “remembering my mom” or “cancer free for 10 months,” I just welled up with emotion and made a point to cheer for them. Same went for the blind runners. Incredible.

Running through the 5 boroughs was super cool. Brooklyn was epic! 1st Ave is nuts. And Central Park… so many fans, the streets were overflowing and I loved the music throughout - be it punk rockers in Williamsburg, steel drums in Queens or hip hop in the Bronx - it was dope and it kept me going.

The fans are really what made the experience though. You were everywhere. You screamed. You cheered. You offered beer. Loved seeing familiar faces in the crowd, as well as all the strangers who just said “go Reece!” because my name was on my shirt.

The one bummer for the day was my friend Joe. He trained really hard and was running really well, but his calf locked up on him at mile 20 and he walked the rest of the way in. Amazing that he walked through that pain though. It’s a testament to his insane willpower and I know  this just means he’ll dominate next year. 

I also got a huge boost from Henry and Dan. Henry popped into the race out of nowhere to join for about a mile or so right when I needed it ~mile 21. He took my mind off of my legs which were finally starting to cramp up. And right after he jumped out, Dan jumped in and though he accidentally made me pick up the pace(!), on a hill(!!) which taxed my lungs a bit(!!!)… I was pumped to see him. 

After that, it was just plugging away at the last few miles and finishing healthy. I’m psyched with my time for a first marathon - 3:39:25 - and very proud to announce that I finished first for all Reeces!

Immediately after I was pretty cold and dehydration took its toll. I was hungry, but didn’t feel like eating. I knew I needed to stretch, but couldn’t bring myself to do it… cramps were imminent and a HUGE thanks to the people in the med tent who tackled the cramps in my calf and hamstring.

But really, that was it. I walked out of the Park - and all the way down to Shake Shack in Madison Square Park actually - with some hardware around my neck and dug into some much needed calories with friends. Then I was good to go. No shower - straight to the bar. I swear… the marathon supercharged me. I may have to do this again. ;)

embracing chaos: part 1 of 2

I ride my bike to our office most days and I love it. I’m not subject to a crowded subway, it’s faster - especially getting home at night - and I get some fresh air/exercise. 

But at first, it was a frustrating experience… really f***ing frustrating.

Between the trucks, buses and bad drivers… the potholes, broken glass and tumbling garbage… the loiterers, pedestrians and running children… and the deliverymen or the hipsters on fixies… riding a bike in NYC is a chaotic experience.

You’d think this would make other riders really cautious, but I’ve seen deliverymen riding their bikes the wrong way up a bike-lane at night with no lights and I’ve seen inattentive riders rolling through busy intersections on their cell phones!

It’s baffling behavior and it used to drive me #$@%&*^ nuts… until I stopped fighting it and just embraced the chaos.

In dynamical systems, there are just too many variables to accurately predict the outcomes and humans in general are simply too illogical to follow any one individuals’ expectations. But rather than fight this, I’ve turned it into a game…

There are the usual metrics for success - like fastest time - but I generally go for more subjective grading like how well I dodge pedestrians or avoid using my brakes.

Sure, this means I’m riding through NYC hard, fast and consequently a bit dangerously, but I’d rather be aware of the dangers around me, understand and accept them, and believe in my ability to handle any situation thrown at me, than be forced to play by the rules in a game where no one’s playing by the rules.

And at the end of the day, I love a challenge and riding a bike in NYC is anything but easy. Just watch a few minutes of this video to see what I mean… 

3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.

Northside Ideas Festival

This Thursday is the kickoff for the Northside Ideas Festival [tickets available here].

As described on The L Magazine blog, the Northside Festival is… “a four-day showcase of the work [Brooklynites] do behind the closed doors of rehearsal spaces, studios and makeshift home-offices, as well as glimpses from their contemporary creative communities around the world. Above all, it’s a celebration of these so-called dreamer types. Because they’re the reason you’re here, at the center of the universe.”

Pretty “dreamy” description, but we wouldn’t get anywhere if we didn’t chase our dreams, so I’m really excited to participate in a panel discussion called “An Overnight Success Years in the Making” with Alex Rainert (Foursquare) and Jim Moran (Yipit), moderated by Alyson Shontell (Business Insider).

Should be a fun discussion to wrap up the evening, especially given that it’ll be at the Brooklyn Brewery, but the whole night will be great as it starts off with Charles Smith (Extension FM) and Emily Hickey (Hashable) talking about “Where Ideas Come From - How to Come up with an Idea and Actually Execute” and then Fred Wilson (Union Square Ventures) will be interviewed by Caroline McCarthy (Google) about “Institutions: Record Labels, VC and their place in a new era of creativity.”

That is a stacked roster of people speaking, but hopefully by the time you get to us, the Brooklyn brews will make me sound smart. ;)

The best part is all the ticket sales go to DonorsChoose and it’s just $10. So go buy your tickets and come hang for a fun night in BK!

NYCEDC Startup Exchange: My 2 Cents

In early December, I attended the NYCEDC Startup Exchange - a networking event/party/whatchamacallit at the IAC building.

I don’t know how I got on the invite list, but the email said my boy Fred would be there and I assumed there’d be some free food for this starving founder, so I planned to attend.

The event itself was… “eh” and according to this NYConvergence post in which I was quoted recently, I’m not alone.

Sure - put a bunch of vaguely relevant industry people in the same room with some booze and you’re bound to create some interactions that go somewhere. I met one associate VC that may prove to be a useful connection, so +1 there.

But I honestly didn’t understand the point of the event, I didn’t feel as though it showed an understanding of NYC startup culture and I certainly didn’t recognize many of my peers from the NYC startup scene (Not that I want to see the same people all the time, but hell, I learned more at the Hashable 100 Party held earlier that week and it was WAY more fun).

Now, in the wake of the NYConvergence article, I was contacted by a reporter from Crain’s. So before any of this gets spun out of context, or the NYCEDC smites me for criticizing them, I’ll lay it down simply…

NYC is a great community for startups, but it is still nascent. As such, it CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE. Therefore, the NYCEDC would do well to lay the groundwork for solving some of the real problems excellently outlined by Fred here:

1. Creating excellent lines of communication. [If they’re already doing great stuff - as it’s been pointed out to me - then why haven’t I heard about it?]

2. Work from the “bottom up.” Get out on the street and really understand the major issues facing startups. [Big hairy monster - how do we get top talent to join startups instead of Wall Street?]

3. Help NYC get a BIG HIT. [We need a couple homeruns that spawn many other angels/advisors into the community in order to keep this momentum going.]

This list is incomplete, but the point is there is room for improvement and it seems there is a genuine interest on BOTH SIDES - startups and politicians - to help each other, and make NYC a fantastic, enduring destination for innovation.

I’m in. NYCEDC - ping me anytime you want to chat and I know plenty more people with great ideas.

UPDATE:  I just got a great email from David Lombino, EVP of the NYCEDC. In it, he thanked me for my feedback, informed me of a number of the initiatives they have lined up and opened the lines of communication for the future. That’s effing awesome. GO NYC!

27

I turned 27 this past weekend.  Thanks to everyone for the well wishes.

And after living in NYC for over 2 years, I finally got my parents to visit - which was my mom’s first trip to NYC… ever.  Yes… really.

We lucked out on the weather and spent a lot of time outside in SoHo, the West Village, on the Highline, Central Park, etc. and hit up a couple ‘chef’s’ restaurants (my dad’s a chef by trade).

Other highlights include:

- A few games of intense pickup basketball with Dan, Joe, Nick and a bunch of scrappy punks at Stuytown.  I’ve got skinned knees and elbows from laying out for rebounds and I love it.

- Meeting up with 4 of my closest friends - Dan, Joe, Matt and Mark - for a couple beers.  Doesn’t matter where we are, we have fun together.   I love these guys.   

- Talking to Mark Suster on the phone for a bit.  I have a ton of respect for him as an entrepreneur and it was great to connect in a solid conversation about HomeField.  Thanks Mark!

- Dinner at SD26 thanks to Daisy’s connections with Massimo Vignelli whom I was able to meet, too.  Very cool place, excellent food and service.  If you’re a baller or have parents willing to foot the bill, try it!

- First game of the year for my NYAC lacrosse team.  We won 21-3 I think.  I’ll take it. ;)

- Allen Morgan making intros to tons of great entrepreneurs, investors and the like.  In a matter of 24 hours, I’d lined up meetings with some excellent people who I’m excited to meet.  Thank you Allen!

- Seeing the premier of “The Startup” - a mini documentary on my startup featured on NYC 3.0.  It’s great to see the finished product after almost 5 months of filming.  If you’ve got some time and/or interest in startups, it’s worth watching.  Hopefully it’s back up - all the traffic yesterday crashed the site!  Nice work Alex and Vadim.

Great weekend with lots of my favorite people.  Thanks all!