Knickerbocker 60K - Heart of a Champion

It's like a game time decision made on how I can twurk it
If hard work pays off then easy work is worthless
My work habit ain't no habit man, I do it on purpose
I push myself to the limit so my talent'll surface

The Knick is on.

It's the Knickerbocker 60K, another dragon I must slay in my life. My first ultra.

It starts at 8 a.m. ET Saturday at Central Park. After a quick out-and-back for about 1 1/2 miles, this 37.2-miler consists of nine loops around the park's inner 4-mile track. That includes the notorious Cat Hill, but it is clockwise so that means it is downhill all nine times. The west side of the park has a few challenging slow-roller hills that will start to get rough.

There will be maybe a few hundred entrants, a couple hundred finishers. Probably not that many, considering the weather. It is supposed to rain basically all day with abnormally warm weather. It will feel like 59 with 9-mph wind at 8 a.m. racetime. It will get up to 62 at some points, and it will always be humidity at 90ish. Winds will be in double digits most of the day. It will take me a good 8 hours.

They will stop tending to the course after 7 hrs 30 minutes. That means medical care is gone when I finish, so pray hard. The start/finish is at Runner's Gate on 90th and Fifth at the main park entrance. I'll have a bag there (covered from rain) with extra shirt and second pair of socks/shoes, snacks, etc. I just pleaded to my Facebook friends/colleagues to come out and cheer/toss bananas/orange slices/whatever. I really have no idea what I'm in for. I have only run once (4 miles) since the NYC Marathon, and another ultra runner told me that's good.

It was either this or the 4-miler on Sunday, and all of my friends who knows me know that...

C'mon, uhh, uhh, uhh
Guess who's back 'urr derrty, S-T-L derby
I'm like Magic to Kareem, mayne you tell me I ain't Worthy
I ain't speakin 'bout a jersey, I'm speakin 'bout income
DID YOU HEAR THAT ELIZABETH? HERE COME THE BIG ONE!
I put mo' money in the community than you got in yo' budget
I wipe my ass with yo' advance to the toilet then flush it
My last stance be a stance of a General Custard
I hot dog cause I can, I got the cheese and mustard
I got the stats of a hall of famer - in just two records
That's why I'm back up at the Superbowl - with Julius Peppers
I got that cain't stop, won't stop, in my veins
That's why they cain't stop, won't stop, screamin the name
NELLY! NELLY! Go tell a friend to tell a friend
I'ma keep the same grin whether I, lose or win
Up, or down ten, I'ma fight to the end
[breathing hard] Let's go

Ain't no way they can stop me now Nelly
Cause I'm on my way, I can feel my reign comin
It's the blood of a champion, pumpin
Deep inside my veins, too much pride to be runnin
I'ma give what I can and more, even if
My blood, my sweat, and my tears don't mean nothin
It's the heart of a champion (it's the heart of me)
(It's the heart of a..) in me

I'm the first pick, the first round, signin bonus profound
Playin for his hometown, reppin for the home ground
And gettin bucked like Michael Redd, tell 'em again
I gets bucked like Michael Redd, heard what I said?
The MV-P of the game, intensity still the same
I'm shootin out from my reign, with Peyton Manning type aim
Can't stop me from scorin so they results to just hackin
So there's, three of us now - me, A.I. and Shaq'n
From the look to the eyes I say
Cover man with more heart than Hallmark on Valentine's Day
I'm the one that you've been Raven about, like Ray Lewis
I think it hard to go and change your route
Cause you don't know if I'm blitzin or if I'm sittin and readin
Waitin for you to go and trip, drop back and throw up a pick, man
AIN'T NO WAY THEY CAN - no AIN'T NO WAY THEY CAN - no
AIN'T NO WAY THEY CAN - no, AIN'T NO WAY THEY CAN - no

It's like a game time decision made on how I can twurk it
If hard work pays off then easy work is worthless
My work habit ain't no habit man, I do it on purpose
I push myself to the limit so my talent'll surface
So now it's, curtains and drapes, on anybody who hates
Dislikin what I'm recitin, bitin what I've been writin
I've been dogfightin, scratchin and clawin on every hike
Tryin to make you remember me like you "Remember the Titans"
Cause I'm a WARR-IOR, my daddy was a soldier
A Vietnam vet, in the derrty I thought I told ya
I'm supposed ta, whip up your town in Testarossas
Heatin like Folgers mayne, I'm young black and rich
As good as it gets, and givin your point guard fits
He think he done seen pressure mayne, but he ain't seen shhhh...
AIN'T NO WAY THEY CAN - No, AIN'T NO WAY THEY CAN - No
AIN'T NO WAY THEY CAN - No, AIN'T NO WAY THEY CAN - No