Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Roger: Next on the agenda is the Big Sur Trail Marathon, Oct 4. This is a less than zero probability of a Boston Qualify, my eternal quest, since there is about 4000' vertical. But trail runs are really where it's at. Last time I checked, however, about 81 square miles of Big Sur had burned, and they closed 20 or so miles of highway 1. I'll have to juxtapose the burn maps on the course map to see how things look... May not be as pretty as hoped!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
June Racing and Team Roster Update
2008 Team Roster Update
At this point it seems increasingly unlikely that Paul will make to the race this year so I am moving him into the out category. The good news is we have added Emily Williams to the team! To say she is wicked fast is a vast understatement. Her Boston Marathon time was an amazing 3:12:07! Alas, this will likely me that I will lose my coveted "hero" slot but it is all in a good cause. :)
Here is the team roster to date (although I think I am missing somebody as I thought the team was up to 11 members by now):
1. Kathy
2. Erica
3. Chris
4. Merle
5. Sue
6. Chris
7. Nancy
8. Cathy
9. Matt
10. Emily
June Racing Updates
I actually have no idea who ran what! I will update this if I get some responses to my request for information. What I know is what I ran and that is it for now.
Rodger: On June 21 he ran the Duluth, MN Grandma's Marathon in 3:57:57. Alas, he was waylaid by a cold in the few days prior to the race which (as one might imagine) was not a good thing. Wisely, instead of running it full out he slowed down and turned it into a "casual run." On the other hand a LOT of people would be thrilled with his "casual run" time as their full tilt race time!
Matt/me In my quest to get back into racing shape I ran two races last month. The first was the Simsbury CT Iron Horse Half Marathon on June 1 where I managed a 1:38:46 finish. While poor relative to my performances last year, it is about all I could really hope for given my relative lack of racing conditioning after having been sidelined by my calf injury in March. The half marathon was then followed up with the Bridgeport CT Race for the Rock 5K. There the final time was 20:45. While far off my PR it was again all I could really expect. In any case, both races hopefully did what they were designed to accomplish and that was help get me back in racing shape prior to the Missoula Marathon on July 13!
Matt
At this point it seems increasingly unlikely that Paul will make to the race this year so I am moving him into the out category. The good news is we have added Emily Williams to the team! To say she is wicked fast is a vast understatement. Her Boston Marathon time was an amazing 3:12:07! Alas, this will likely me that I will lose my coveted "hero" slot but it is all in a good cause. :)
Here is the team roster to date (although I think I am missing somebody as I thought the team was up to 11 members by now):
1. Kathy
2. Erica
3. Chris
4. Merle
5. Sue
6. Chris
7. Nancy
8. Cathy
9. Matt
10. Emily
June Racing Updates
I actually have no idea who ran what! I will update this if I get some responses to my request for information. What I know is what I ran and that is it for now.
Rodger: On June 21 he ran the Duluth, MN Grandma's Marathon in 3:57:57. Alas, he was waylaid by a cold in the few days prior to the race which (as one might imagine) was not a good thing. Wisely, instead of running it full out he slowed down and turned it into a "casual run." On the other hand a LOT of people would be thrilled with his "casual run" time as their full tilt race time!
Matt/me In my quest to get back into racing shape I ran two races last month. The first was the Simsbury CT Iron Horse Half Marathon on June 1 where I managed a 1:38:46 finish. While poor relative to my performances last year, it is about all I could really hope for given my relative lack of racing conditioning after having been sidelined by my calf injury in March. The half marathon was then followed up with the Bridgeport CT Race for the Rock 5K. There the final time was 20:45. While far off my PR it was again all I could really expect. In any case, both races hopefully did what they were designed to accomplish and that was help get me back in racing shape prior to the Missoula Marathon on July 13!
Matt
Sunday, June 8, 2008
2008 Team Roster Update
We are thrilled to welcome two new members to the team! Chris Herron and Nancy Livingston are '08 SOM grads who decided in the middle of our OB pub crawl that this race sounded just the thing for them. Amazingly, they still thought so the nest morning! So our team thus far (with last names for those new to the blog):
Kathy Ball-Toncic
Erica Dawson
Chris Dawson
Merle Ederhof
Sue Gold
Chris Herron
Nancy Livingston
Cathy Nolan
Matt Spiegel
Count 'em up: Three spots remaining. We have several prospects who will soon be getting nudges of varying degrees of firmness. Look here for updates.
Kathy Ball-Toncic
Erica Dawson
Chris Dawson
Merle Ederhof
Sue Gold
Chris Herron
Nancy Livingston
Cathy Nolan
Matt Spiegel
Count 'em up: Three spots remaining. We have several prospects who will soon be getting nudges of varying degrees of firmness. Look here for updates.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
April Racing and More and Some Less
I am going to start with the, alas, less part. I had to DNS the Boston Marathon due to my injury. But there is good news. My time in last October's Marine Corps Marathon was late enough in the year that it qualifies me to run the 2009 Boston Marathon. So hopefully I will be able to line up at the start next April 20.
RRFC at the RTBR: Who is In Who is Out Update
In
From last month: Erica, Sue, Kathy, Matt, Chris.
New to the team: Cathy my DW! Yes, and I had NO idea! Seems like the whole team knew but me until a few weeks ago. Sneaky gal. Right now she is working on her mileage and ran an 8.92 training run just today. Who knows, maybe she will sign up for one of the longer legs yet? Could a half marathon be in her future? Stay tuned.
Status update: It looks like Merle (our savior from last year) is on the team again this year! That is indeed great news.
Out
Alia: Sorry to lose the team's youngest runner and a speed daemon to boot.
Ulli: Still having trouble running. The whole team is pulling for you to get everything healed and working again.
April Racing Updates
Amy: On May 4 (OK, so it is the wrong month for this update, but otherwise I will need to remember to post it next month) she ran the Burns Park 5K with her daughter Abby who is 10. Abby set a new PR at the race finishing in 39:07. Congratulations Abby! Keep pushing mom along!
Kathy: Ran the 5 mile Cambridge City Run on April 6. She finished in 46:26 for a very speedy pace of 9:18. All of which put her 10/25 in her AG. Nice job on pulling in a top half placing!
Sue: Started with the April 6 Danbury half marathon finishing in 1:36:29. Her AG place? If you have to ask you have not been reading this blog for very long! First place, of course. She was also 13/189 among ALL women! Next up with the 3.5 mile Donnelly Dash which she finished in 24:30. (Who thinks up these distances?) AG Place? You are not paying any attention now are you? First in her AG and 5/96 women.
Matt
RRFC at the RTBR: Who is In Who is Out Update
In
From last month: Erica, Sue, Kathy, Matt, Chris.
New to the team: Cathy my DW! Yes, and I had NO idea! Seems like the whole team knew but me until a few weeks ago. Sneaky gal. Right now she is working on her mileage and ran an 8.92 training run just today. Who knows, maybe she will sign up for one of the longer legs yet? Could a half marathon be in her future? Stay tuned.
Status update: It looks like Merle (our savior from last year) is on the team again this year! That is indeed great news.
Out
Alia: Sorry to lose the team's youngest runner and a speed daemon to boot.
Ulli: Still having trouble running. The whole team is pulling for you to get everything healed and working again.
April Racing Updates
Amy: On May 4 (OK, so it is the wrong month for this update, but otherwise I will need to remember to post it next month) she ran the Burns Park 5K with her daughter Abby who is 10. Abby set a new PR at the race finishing in 39:07. Congratulations Abby! Keep pushing mom along!
Kathy: Ran the 5 mile Cambridge City Run on April 6. She finished in 46:26 for a very speedy pace of 9:18. All of which put her 10/25 in her AG. Nice job on pulling in a top half placing!
Sue: Started with the April 6 Danbury half marathon finishing in 1:36:29. Her AG place? If you have to ask you have not been reading this blog for very long! First place, of course. She was also 13/189 among ALL women! Next up with the 3.5 mile Donnelly Dash which she finished in 24:30. (Who thinks up these distances?) AG Place? You are not paying any attention now are you? First in her AG and 5/96 women.
Matt
Sunday, April 13, 2008
March Racing and More
I am going to start this month's entry with the "and more" part.
RRFC at the RTBR: Who is In Who is Out?
This year's team sign-up for the fall Reach the Beach Relay is on its way! So who is in and who is out and who is still deciding? You want to know? We have some answers.
In
Erica: Not only is she in and captain yet again this last month she also ran a 5K race update with her 8 year old daughter Isabel! Next thing you know Isabel will be demanding to switch from team mascot to fellow runner!
Sue: Plus a race update below.
Kathy: As a bonus we have a race update for her as well!
Matt: Some race updates too.
Chris: Erica's husband Chris will be joining the team this year. We are all looking forward to finding out if they will or will not be in the same van!
Out
Amy and Sally: Coming all the way to New Hampshire from Michigan a second year running seemed like a long shot. We will miss them in the van and on the team. For their the good news is that they are putting together a relay team for a race in Michigan. It is off road and it should like it will be a lot of fun. Best wishes on your race from Team Rosie!
Rodger: We are, alas, losing Rodger to the west coast sometime this summer. We are going to miss him on the Orange Line as well as on the team.
Maybe
Ulli: Actually in if her knee recovers. I am pretty confident this means she is in!
Heather: On the fence and from what I can tell she is not moving! The team will have to work on that. But, she is back to racing and you can find the update below.
Paul: Alas, Paul is recovering from a slow healing hip injury. Still I have confidence that once it is all healed up he will move into the Yes category.
March Racing Updates
Now for our monthly race updates!
Sue: As always we can count on Sue for a race update. This month is no exception. On March 2 she ran the last race in the local Boston Buildup series. This is a 25K route along what must be one of the hilliest part of Connecticut. On this course the hills (no kidding) have hills! She clocked in with a super time of 1:58:15. This demolished her 2:06:15 from the last time she ran the race two years ago. Congratulations!
Heather: Heather resumed the racing season with the March 16 4 Mile St. Patrick's Day race in Fairfield. Her time of 33:22 seems like a good way to kick off what will be many races to come this year.
Kathy: On March 16 Kathy ran the Ras Na Heireann USA 5K coming in with a time of 28:49 which landed her 23/60 in her AG! Another great start to the new racing year.
Matt/me: Matt/I ran three races last month. The first was the 25K Boston Buildup which I finished in 1:48:49. Next came the Fairfield 4 Mile race with a time 25:32. Good enough for a new PR and 4/41 in my AG! My last race of the month was the 30K Boston Blowout on March 30 which I finished in 2:13:41. Alas, in this case "blowout" is all too accurate. During the race I suffered from a calf injury that I am still struggling to fully recover from. Bad timing. Let that be a lesson to anybody reading this: if you feel like you may injure yourself in a race (especially one you are not "targeting") you are way better off pulling up right then and there. A DNF is nothing compared to weeks of healing. On a happier note, the calf is getting better and will hopefully be solid in time for the Boston Marathon on April 21.
News to Come
If you want to see how I do in the Boston Marathon the race webpage will offer real time tracking every 5K. Given my calf injury I think a PR is out. But hopefully I can run the race and have some fun for 26.2 miles.
That is all the news until next month!
Matt
RRFC at the RTBR: Who is In Who is Out?
This year's team sign-up for the fall Reach the Beach Relay is on its way! So who is in and who is out and who is still deciding? You want to know? We have some answers.
In
Erica: Not only is she in and captain yet again this last month she also ran a 5K race update with her 8 year old daughter Isabel! Next thing you know Isabel will be demanding to switch from team mascot to fellow runner!
Sue: Plus a race update below.
Kathy: As a bonus we have a race update for her as well!
Matt: Some race updates too.
Chris: Erica's husband Chris will be joining the team this year. We are all looking forward to finding out if they will or will not be in the same van!
Out
Amy and Sally: Coming all the way to New Hampshire from Michigan a second year running seemed like a long shot. We will miss them in the van and on the team. For their the good news is that they are putting together a relay team for a race in Michigan. It is off road and it should like it will be a lot of fun. Best wishes on your race from Team Rosie!
Rodger: We are, alas, losing Rodger to the west coast sometime this summer. We are going to miss him on the Orange Line as well as on the team.
Maybe
Ulli: Actually in if her knee recovers. I am pretty confident this means she is in!
Heather: On the fence and from what I can tell she is not moving! The team will have to work on that. But, she is back to racing and you can find the update below.
Paul: Alas, Paul is recovering from a slow healing hip injury. Still I have confidence that once it is all healed up he will move into the Yes category.
March Racing Updates
Now for our monthly race updates!
Sue: As always we can count on Sue for a race update. This month is no exception. On March 2 she ran the last race in the local Boston Buildup series. This is a 25K route along what must be one of the hilliest part of Connecticut. On this course the hills (no kidding) have hills! She clocked in with a super time of 1:58:15. This demolished her 2:06:15 from the last time she ran the race two years ago. Congratulations!
Heather: Heather resumed the racing season with the March 16 4 Mile St. Patrick's Day race in Fairfield. Her time of 33:22 seems like a good way to kick off what will be many races to come this year.
Kathy: On March 16 Kathy ran the Ras Na Heireann USA 5K coming in with a time of 28:49 which landed her 23/60 in her AG! Another great start to the new racing year.
Matt/me: Matt/I ran three races last month. The first was the 25K Boston Buildup which I finished in 1:48:49. Next came the Fairfield 4 Mile race with a time 25:32. Good enough for a new PR and 4/41 in my AG! My last race of the month was the 30K Boston Blowout on March 30 which I finished in 2:13:41. Alas, in this case "blowout" is all too accurate. During the race I suffered from a calf injury that I am still struggling to fully recover from. Bad timing. Let that be a lesson to anybody reading this: if you feel like you may injure yourself in a race (especially one you are not "targeting") you are way better off pulling up right then and there. A DNF is nothing compared to weeks of healing. On a happier note, the calf is getting better and will hopefully be solid in time for the Boston Marathon on April 21.
News to Come
If you want to see how I do in the Boston Marathon the race webpage will offer real time tracking every 5K. Given my calf injury I think a PR is out. But hopefully I can run the race and have some fun for 26.2 miles.
That is all the news until next month!
Matt
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
February Racing
February saw another light racing month with just Sue and me out on the roads. What the heck are all those teammates of ours doing?
Sue and Matt/I both ran the 20K legs of the Boston Buildup Series in our area on February 10. Our finishing times were 1:34:20 and 1:26:44 respectively. That put Sue 6/41 in the 40+ AG, and me 15/67 in the 40-49 AG.
March looks to be a LOT busier for us. On March 2 there is the 25K Boston Buildup Race and on March 30 the 30K Boston Blowout. In between there is a 4 mile race celebrating St. Patrick's day on March 16. See you all next month.
Matt
Sue and Matt/I both ran the 20K legs of the Boston Buildup Series in our area on February 10. Our finishing times were 1:34:20 and 1:26:44 respectively. That put Sue 6/41 in the 40+ AG, and me 15/67 in the 40-49 AG.
March looks to be a LOT busier for us. On March 2 there is the 25K Boston Buildup Race and on March 30 the 30K Boston Blowout. In between there is a 4 mile race celebrating St. Patrick's day on March 16. See you all next month.
Matt
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
January Racing
It looks like just Sue and I were on the race course last month.
Sue opened up the year with the Resolution Run in Weston on January 1 completing the 5K course in 22:12 and coming (big surprise here) first in her AG and sixth overall.
Now for a brief detour in our story:
The Boston Buildup is a race series that includes a 10K, 15K, 20K, 25K, and 30K race. The first four of which are on the hilliest courses you can imagine! They are designed to either get you ready for a spring marathon or drive you into the ground. I am not sure which. The winter cold, the challenging courses, and the general paucity of available distance races this time of year brings out a very tough crowd. If you have any doubts you just need to know that the West Point Marathon team often shows up to run them!
We now return to our regular programming:
On January 20 Sue ran the 15K race held in Ridgefield finishing in just 1:10:39. Need help visualizing the course? Imagine starting the race at the lip of a really big bowl. Now run down the bowl and up the other side. Then turn around and run back the way you came. The elevation change involves about 350 feet of climbing. Ugh is probably the appropriate expression!
Matt/I ran the January 6 10K BB race in Norwalk finishing in 42:54, a time I must admit to having been disappointed in. It just goes to show how fast a 40+ year old body will slow down once training slacks off! So it is back on the road for me as I try to recover my speed from last fall before the Boston Marathon hits in April.
Matt
Sue opened up the year with the Resolution Run in Weston on January 1 completing the 5K course in 22:12 and coming (big surprise here) first in her AG and sixth overall.
Now for a brief detour in our story:
The Boston Buildup is a race series that includes a 10K, 15K, 20K, 25K, and 30K race. The first four of which are on the hilliest courses you can imagine! They are designed to either get you ready for a spring marathon or drive you into the ground. I am not sure which. The winter cold, the challenging courses, and the general paucity of available distance races this time of year brings out a very tough crowd. If you have any doubts you just need to know that the West Point Marathon team often shows up to run them!
We now return to our regular programming:
On January 20 Sue ran the 15K race held in Ridgefield finishing in just 1:10:39. Need help visualizing the course? Imagine starting the race at the lip of a really big bowl. Now run down the bowl and up the other side. Then turn around and run back the way you came. The elevation change involves about 350 feet of climbing. Ugh is probably the appropriate expression!
Matt/I ran the January 6 10K BB race in Norwalk finishing in 42:54, a time I must admit to having been disappointed in. It just goes to show how fast a 40+ year old body will slow down once training slacks off! So it is back on the road for me as I try to recover my speed from last fall before the Boston Marathon hits in April.
Matt
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