Sweetheart 5k Updates

I know not all of you are on facebook, and many of you might now check the race websites very often. . . so I wanted to give you some updates on the Sweetheart 5k!

Dash for the Diamond: Wade Designs will hold a drawing after the race for a DIAMOND! All 5k runners are automatically entered, but you must be present to win. We are very excited about a prize of this size at a local 5k. Please consider Wade Designs for your next Jewelry purchase.

New Shirt Design: We heard the feedback from 2009. . . guys don't wear shirts with cupid in purple hightops! This years new shirt design has more of a "rock 'n roll" edge to it. Cupid is still the official race logo, but the 2010 shirt rocks! (click to enlarge)

Beach Get-Away: The Rocky Mount Residence Inn has made arrangements for a two night stay at the Morehead City Hampton Inn! In a separate drawing, 5k runners will be able to win this weekend stay overlooking the beach. Once again you must be present to win.

Raleigh Running Outfitters: Jim Micheels at Raleigh Running Outfitters has once again offer big support to the Sweetheart 5k with $870 in gift certificates as awards. These will be given out to overall and age group winners in addition to their custom race medals.

FREE sack packs: The first 150 runners to register will receive a free sports sack pack. These draw string bags are perfect for the gym or when packing for your next race. Sign up soon. . . these will go fast! (click to enlarge)

Wine for the "Sweethearts": Ventosa Plantation Vineyard and Winery will provide some of their local wine to the winners of the Sweetheart Couples Division. Ventosa is located in Scotland Neck, NC.

I honestly believe the Sweetheart 5k, will provide one of the best prize packs of any 5k race in North Carolina. Please consider signing up today, and please help spread the word! We rely heavily on word-of-mouth to advertise our races. This enables us to invest more back into your race experience.

RUN RSVP: Holdays!

It is now that time of year when many from the RMEC are off for the holidays. I wish all of you safe travels wherever you go for the remainder of 2009. For those who are still hanging around Rocky Mount we typically gt together some impromptu running groups.

I will not be able to post a unique RSVP post for every day, so consider this an open forum to share your running plans with the group. New members or old members, please post when you are running or if you are looking for someone to run with. (Remember, if you will be out of town, please do not post that on the blog for safety.)

Here are some typical running days for the club:

• 12/24 - Christmas Eve: Anyone up for a morning run?
• 12/31 - New Years Eve: Some are already planning on a 20 miler to end out 2009
• 01/01 - New Years Day: We have done this run the last few years. Maybe a run from Tracy's house again? This one can't start too early. . .

Happy Running!

Updates:

Thursday 12/31 - Leaving from Dave's house at 7:00 am and running by the Teeter around 7:30 am. Running long! Come join us.

Friday 01/01 - Group run planned at Tracy's. We just need to set the time. How does 9:00 am sound? Tracy let us know what works.

Saturday 01/02 - Scott and I are considering a run on the Canal Trail in the morning. We can carpool if anyone is interested in going with us. We will run 13-16 miles.

Race Updates

I wanted to share a few race updates for those of you not on facebook.

Sweetheart 5k:

Just a few "early bird" spots remain to register for the Sweetheart 5k. Sign up soon to grab one. I am also pleased to announce that the race will once again have a drawing for a WEEKEND BEACH GET AWAY at the Morehead City Hampton Inn.

How is that for a prize prize!! Every 5k entry will be entered in the drawing, but you must be present to win! Special thanks to the Rocky Mount Residence Inn and Courtyard for making the arrangements.

Roanoke Canal Half Marathon & 8k:

I am really pleased with the registrations thus far for the Roanoke Canal Half Marathon and 8k. We are well ahead of where we thought we would be at this time. We will have race brochures available in January which should really help to bring more attention to the event.

If you want a preview of the race course, take a look at the short video below.

RMEC 2010 Membership Roster

Thank you for taking the time to register online for the 2010 RMEC. We will be sending our complete roster to the Road Runner Club of America in January which will also make you a member of our parent organization.

Below are the names that are on the roster as of 12/21:

1. Kelly Allen
2. Clifford Amos
3. Andy Barker
4. Ashley Bass
5. Arthur Bennett
6. David Beam (New)
7. Carolyn Beam (New)
8. Kim Blackwelder
9. Ingrid Bullard
10. Ryan Bullard
11. Charlotte Burnette (New)
12. Teddy Cheetah (New)
13. Tampa Cooper
14. Steve Cooper
15. Christiana Cox (New)
16. Abraham Cox (New)
17. Dennis Crossen (New)
18. Carol Dickens
19. Gerry Felton
20. Ron Fleming
21. Michael Forrester
22. Ursula Forrester
23. Jeff Hartney
24. Laura Haynes
25. Tracy Hicks
26. Russ Hinesley
27. Jason Irvin
28. Robin Johnson
29. Brian Lankford
30. David Lavely
31. Frank Lilley
32. Ted Lord
33. Liz Lord
34. Anthony Lucas
35. William Lucas
36. Larry McKeel
37. Levi Moore
38. Wayne Painter
39. Eric Pate
40. Amber Poole
41. Tracy Proctor
42. Lillian Pruden
43. Winslow Rogers
44. Misty Schmitt
45. Jon Shingleton
46. Julie Stutts (New)
47. Nicole Sykes (New)
48. Thomas Thurman
49. Michael Votava
50. Brad Weisner
51. Elaine Wesiner
52. Mary Whitwell
53. Ralph Willey
54. Leigh Ann Wingfield
55. Scott Wingfield

We are updating the 2010 RMEC Membership Roster. 2010 dues will be $25. We will be scheduling an annual club meeting very soon. For now we want to ensure we have a complete roster to submit to the RRCA. http://rmec2010.eventbrite.com/. The password to register is "run"

RUN RSVP: Saturday 12/19

Well, checking the forecast, I don't see the snow I was hoping for. Nothing is more fun than a "snow run". I hate to keep being boring, but I have the same route that we have used the last three weeks. With a smaller group, it works well to keep everyone pretty close together.

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 7:30 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: At the tracks (pending enough runners)
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 6.67 Miles

Note the start time is 7:30. I am not 100% sure I can make it. I may run in Raleigh if we do some shopping. Please let us know if you are coming, or even considering it. I think some of you are waiting to see others say they are running before the commit. We end up with a bunch running on their own. . . so even if you just "think" you will run, post a comment, and say you need a running partner.

2010 Membership: If you have not done so yet (and you are interested), please sign up as a 2010 RMEC member soon. The password is "run". We will be planning a year end business meeting and will collect dues at that time. Thanks!

Thunder Road Results

The RMEC sent five men to Charlotte this past weekend to participate in the Thunder Road Marathon. If you are not familiar with this race, you can safely describe it as "cold and hilly." It is not hills like Umstead, but Scott described it as 26.2 miles of Candlewood. . . non stop rolling hills with little to no flat land. Don't believe me? Take a look at the elevation chart:

So this is not your typical race to set a PR on. Don't tell that to Ron and Eric however. Both set new Marathon PRs on the cold morning! Ron crossed the line in 4:00:23, just barely missing the coveted sub-four mark. Even more impressive is that Ron did this with negative splits, hitting the half way point at 2:03. Eric was only a mile behind Ron on his way to a new PR. His finishing time was 4:09:47. He also ran a well paced race, only running the second half a minute slower!

Dave was the first from the RMEC to finish when he crossed the line in 3:45:31. Dave was having a strong race and was on pace for a Boston Qualifier until cramps get the best of his legs at mile 21. Even with Cramps, Dave was able to push through and finish 329th overall.

Frank had company on this race as Steve decided to hang back and have fun. Steve had been recovering from a calf injury, so his primary goal was to finish uninjured. Frank finished in 5:46:26 which was good enough for 27th in his new age group! Steve pulled ahead in the last bit of the race to finish in 5:39:37. Best of all. . . no injuries!

To read Franks race report, and see some photos visit his blog. Great job to everyone!

Race Report: Second Empire - Final Standings

Submitted by: Brian Lankford

Ashley and I have completed the last race in the 2009 Second Empire Grand Prix Series. The Jolly Elf Trail Run was completed shortly after 9:00 AM Saturday. (more shortly after 9:00 if you were Ashley). The temperature in Cary at Bond Park at 9:00 AM was 26 or 27 degrees depending who you ask. Either way, my thermometer reads "pretty darn cold" at that temp.

It was a nice cross country start, meaning plenty of room to spread out across the starting line. These races are chip timed, but the points are awarded by gun time. This is a distinct disadvantage when you get stuck 20 ft back at the start behind the recreational runner/walkers. You can easily give up 8 sec to your competition before crossing the starting line. We were both happy with the wide open space!

Ashley and I knew going into this race what we had to accomplish. Ashley was out of 4th place overall in the series by about 8 points to his 16 year old competitor. That means he had to beat him by about 20 seconds. Ashley had to run a great race. I had a 15 point cushion going into the last race to hold the 8th place overall position against my 30 year old competition who had found some speed in the last two races and finished ahead of me in both. Could I hold him off on a trail race in miserable conditions?

We stripped down to our little silk shorts and shirt with a little added protection for our hands and ears. The somewhat long winded announcer was torture as we felt the full force of the cold. At the sound of the horn, I employed the "run like you stole it" mentality across the field to the 5 ft wide trail that we would funnel down into. I was passing all the 8 to 10 year old sprinters who could only think about the first 200 yds across the field and the elf clad, jingle bell hat wearing runners going for their 15 seconds of fame. I made it to the trail area with all the traffic behind me. Actually the leaders were just ahead. It was a bold move, but the ones you pass in the field are less you have to pass on the trails. I wondered how Ashley negotiated the crowd as I ran just behind the leaders. I got my answer very shortly as Ashley came up on my right and glided smoothly in front of me. We exchanged the almost non noticeable head nod, knowing we each had our own agenda to accomplish.

I had not seen my competition yet, but I had employed the new "bust a move" right out of the chute. Unfortunately, Ashley's competition was a good 25 yrds ahead of him.

My initial plan of going out fast is working but I can't trick myself into thinking I can run with the leaders, so I find what I think is a "comfortable" pace. I am being passed by the runners that are usually at the front now and each one of them gives the "grunt" of encouragement as they pass. These are truly great competitors. We all know each other's points, and we all know what each other has to do. Ashley is fading off in the distance, but through my teary eyes, (not because of emotion or pain, it's just so daggone cold) I believe he may be catching the kid.

One mile into the race, I have seen all the regulars in the series and our positions are for the most part at their norm. I'm a little closer to them than normal, but one thing is missing. Where is the 30 year old that has been right in front of me for the last 2 races. I don't have much of a points lead. If he is right behind me and staging a last mile or half mile assault on my points lead, I have to stay fast and strong. I can't look back because we all know that is a sign of weakness and fear! I am very much aware that I could still lose the race and the points at this point.

After the 1-mile mark I am joined by a very pleasant and respectful young lad of about 15 yrs old. He graciously gives me the inside on turns and even grunts out "courtesies". I feel like he is a boy scout helping me across the street. We run side by side for the next 2 miles, well actually the rest of the race. He is not a key player in this story's plot, other than pushing my pace, so I can tell you that. At this point in the race, my feet are numb, honestly I cannot feel them except for the occasional root or rock. My hands are in the same state, I am making a fist now trying to protect my thumbs which are in pain. My mustache feels like it has icicles on it. We have passed the 2-mile mark and I keeping a good pace, feeling well, and have my little buddy beside me for encouragement.

At this point, I still have not seen my 30 year old competitor and know he will be making a move very soon. I know he can beat me because he has done it in the past two races. I can still lose this race and drop in the points if I don't run hard. Me and my bud pick up the pace, at least it feels like it. We are burning up the hills and letting it all out on the down hills. If the 30 year old is going to make a move, he better do it now because I've got my pride and the "boy scout" on my side. I can see the 3-mile marker sign in the distance and what do I see coming back to me? I can't believe it! It is Ashley's 16 year old competition! With .1 miles to go there is no crazy sprint from behind by my competition and Ashley's competition is in my clutches, and Ashley is nowhere in sight. I assume he has crossed the finish line and is looking for the kid, counting the seconds and celebrating his victory.

My race is with my little friend that I have run with for the last two miles and we manage a great finishing kick across the field to the finish line for a great show. He got me by about 10 ft., but I knew that Ashley and I had run the race we had to race and we had both accomplished our goals. Every person in a race has there own race to run and it was a great feeling to know that Ashley and I had just won ours.

Ashley ran a 17:25 and gained 40 pts on the kid. That was good enough to raise him from 5th to 4th place in the overall final standings. (Editors Note: Ashley missed 3rd overall by a single point. 5,302 was third, and he scored 5,301). I never saw my competition because my competition never showed up for the race. Ignorance is bliss, because I ran like he was right behind me, calculating his final assault, the entire time. I managed an 18:17 and that clenched an overall final standings finish of 8th.

I would never have known about or even considered running this series if it weren't for the encouragement of Ashley. It has been a lot of work and dedication. We have pushed ourselves to limits we would never have tried and surpassed all of our expectations. I know as runners that's what we're all about, whether it's a 1st 5k, a faster 5k, a first marathon or whatever. Get out there and push yourself, encourage others, and set your goals high. . .You'll be surprised, You will probably reach them and have to set new goals.

Delayed Dash for Cash Results

I am a bit behind on doing a race report, but last Sunday several people from the RMEC went to Greenville to participate in the Reindeer Dash for Cash. This 10 mile and 5k race is not only the largest running event in Greenville it also is on one the fastest course you will find.

In the 10 mile competition, John Batchelor was the first from the RMEC to cross the finish line. His over all time was 1:06:59 (6:42 pace) which was good enough for 14th overall. Derek ran most of the race with John, and finished in 18th with a 1:07:18 (6:44 pace). John was 1st in his age group, and Derek was 3rd.

I finished finished in 31st place with a 1:09:52 (7:00 pace). I was able to pass several runners in the last two miles, but came up two seconds behind the 3rd place finisher in my age group. Tim Shea finished in 1:13:55 (7:24 pace) and earned 5th place in his age group. The RMEC entered as a 10 mile team as well. With the help of John and Derek's running friend Jarrod, we were able to take 1st place out of 10 teams. We won by about 29 minutes.

The 10-mile race was very competitive. They had several true elite runners sign up to race. The men's winner ran a 49:55 which is a pace of 4:59.9. . . for 10 MILES! The women's winner was equally impressive running a 56:59 (5:42 pace). She finished in second place over all.

The 5k also had some strong RMEC performances. Both Jon Shingleton and Amber Poole had a PRs. Jon knocked over 5 minutes off his Sweetheart 5k time and finished this one in 24:45! Not far behind, Amber finished in 27:01. Nice work guys!

Tim's son, Zach finished 20th overall, and 4th in his age group. This feat is even more impressive when you consider he is only 13. Tom Thurman continues to excel in 5ks, and finished the Dash in 24:57. This performance earned Tom an age group award as he finished 3rd!. John Batchelor was not the only one racing in his family; his wife Jeanette logged another 5k race finishing in 29:03.

So, when you add it all up, I would say we had a good day. Lots of awards, and several PRs. . . most importantly however, we all had fun at a great event. I strongly encourage you to join us next year in Greenville.

Coming soon. . .

• Thunder Road Results
• 2nd Empire Series Final Results
• Updates on the 2010 Roanoke Valley Spring Tri
• 2010 RMEC Roster Update (Have you signed up?)

RUN RSVP: Saturday 12/12

Last weekend was a cold rainy mess, but four of us still showed up to run. Tomorrow will not be wet, but it will be far colder. It will be 29F at 7:00 am, and only 42F at 10:00. For this reason I pushed the starting time to 8:00 am in hopes to get more people out. Be sure to bundle up and wear your Medoc beanies!

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 8:00 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: At the tracks (pending enough runners)
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 6.67 Miles

If anyone is interested, I would really like like to go run the Roanoke Canal Trail on Saturday. I will likely run an 8:00-8:30 pace, and could do up to 13 miles.

Thunder Road: Good luck to Steve, Ron, Eric, Frank, and Dave this weekend at the Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte. Sounds like similar weather to last year. Bundle up and have a great race!

2010 Membership: If you have not done so yet (and you are interested), please sign up as a 2010 RMEC member soon. The password is "run". We will be planning a year end business meeting and will collect dues at that time. Thanks!

March 21st. . . Marathon Day. Are you in?

We have had several emails and conversations about getting a group together for a spring marathon. It looks like March 21st, 2010 is going to be the weekend that many from the RMEC have selected for their race. There are three options all on the same day:

Tobacco Road Marathon:

• Info: This inaugural race will be held in Cary on Sunday 03/21. This makes for an easy drive on race morning, so it would be an affordable option.
• Course: The course uses the American Tobacco Trail for about 18 miles of the race (a bit ironic for a race called Tobacco "Road"). When on the trail you hit two out-and-back sections. There are a few photos of the trail on the race website, and you can see it is not a challenging trail at all. It is wide with great footing.
• Time: The race starts at 7:00 am
• Cost: $60 ($80 on Jan 1)
• Host: FS Series (Finish Strong) is timing this event, but it is directed by a new group of runners.

Wrightsville Beach Marathon:

• Info: This is another inaugural race and will be held in Wrightsville Beach also on Sunday. This is another drivable race, but a hotel would be needed for Saturday night.
• Course This also has an interesting course. It is a point-to-point race, but the first 20 miles are done through two loops of the Landfall development. The loops have some unusual "humps" where it breaks off the main road briefly (I assume to add needed distance). After that runners do a loop through Long Leaf Acres before finishing. I know you run one bridge at mile one, but I assume it is a flat course otherwise.
• Time: 6:30 am. It is an early start, but that is not always bad.
• Cost: $75 and the price does not increase until race day ($95).
• Host: Although they are not the primary race director, this is a Setup Events' race. Bill Scott is known for well organized races.

Shamrock Marathon:

• Info: This is the old standby on the east coast when looking at a March marathon. The race is held at Virginia Beach and always draws a lively crowd and has nice race swag.
• Course: A very fast course. It is flat, but can be windy, which is extra tough it the day is cold.
• Time: 8:00 am. The half starts at 7:00.
• Cost: $100 ($110 on Jan 1). It would be the more expensive option of the three, but it is a proven race.
• Host: Not sure the exact details, but again this is a proven race.

All three options above are on the same date. All three also have a half marathon options. I do sincerely hope if you plan to race a half marathon in March that you will select the Roanoke Canal Half Marathon on March 13, 2010. I also hope that you will consider the 8k for a training run if you plan to race a marathon on 03/21.

So, who plans to race a marathon on March 21st? You don't have to pick a race now, but traveling with a group is the most fun, so please share your choice.

2010 Sweetheart 5k

Open for Registration: The Sweetheart 5k is back for 2010! Registration is now open online. The first 40 people to register get the "Early Bird" discount of only $20. Please help spread the word. 2010 RMEC members an save 10% by using the code "RMEC" when registering.

New Website: We have a new website for 2010. Visit www.sweetheart5k.com to get started. The RMEC is my pilot group, s0 please share any feedback about the site if you notice any errors.

Couple Division: The Sweetheart 5k has a unique couples competition that allows runners to combine times and compete against other couples to find the “fastest couple in eastern North Carolina”. Last year 41 couples competed. We would love to see even more in 2010!

Sponsors Needed: As with all races, we are seeking out sponsors to help put on the race. I really need the help of the RMEC if you know of any potential sponsors. Please take time to review the sponsor page. If you know any local businesses share this information with them, or feel free to let me know their contact information, and I can send them a package. I need to nail these down quickly so we can go to print with the race brochures. Thank you.

Proceeds: The event proceeds will stay local. Proceeds from the Sweetheart 5K will benefit the Rocky Mount Friends of Little League Baseball, Inc. The RMFLLB support the Rocky Mount Parks and Recreation Department Athletic Division Youth Sport programs by providing funding for athletic equipment, supplies, and facility.

RUN RSVP: Saturday 12/05

It has been a while since we have had a big group run. Lets try to use tomorrow as a morning to get a bunch of people running. It will give you a great chance to wear your Medoc finishers beanie and keep your head warm! Not only that, we can spend the morning trying to figure out who will make the biggest idiot of themselves at the Lavely Christmas party!

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 7:00 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: At the tracks (pending enough runners)
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 6.67 Miles

The forecast is cold and rainy. I can put fluids at the tracks, but if there is honestly not anyone interested in facing the elements I will not worry about. So please RSVP if you are coming.

Don't forget about the Lavely Christmas Party on Saturday. All RMEC members are invited. The Lavely's are very gracious hosts to open up their home to such a large group. The RMEC will help to provide some of the beverages for the occasion, so this is the closest thing we get to our annual Christmas party.

Reindeer Dash for Cash

I wanted to make sure the RMEC know about a great race that is only 45 minutes from Rocky Mount. Greenville annually hosts the Reindeer Dash for Cash in December. This years race is this coming Sunday. Because it is December, they take advantage of the cool temperatures, and host an afternoon race. Both the 5k and 10-mile race start at 1:00 p.m. If you have not run an afternoon race before, they are always a good time.

John and I are running the 10-Miler. We are waiting on Tim to confirm as well. We plan to assemble a RMEC team. Teams have 3-5 members, so we have room for two more. You all run the full race, and they take the top three times.

Hope the RMEC will consider running. This is the largest race that Greenville hosts. I plan to leave around 11:20 to get there in plenty of time.

RACE REPORT: Medoc Rerun

Submitted by: Ursula Forrester

My personal rave run. . . Today I ran at Medoc. At first this morning, I didn't think I would run today. I just didn't feel well. But after Henry was up, we decided to head there and I would at least walk/run the shorter loop (Bluff trail) with Henry. Today was the day of the big "Medoc Re-Run" race for all of us who volunteered or couldn't make it to the actual event in Oct. The majority of people doing the re-run got there around 8 AM. Leading up to this day it looked like there could be as many as 30+ people out there running today but as is often the case, things come up, people are injured, etc. and the total number of runners dwindled. It is a holiday weekend after all. Regardless, there were probably still between 15 and 20. I didn't see everyone so I don't really know.

Henry and I didn't get there until close to 9:30 but that's okay. We headed out on the trail after I took a couple minutes to do some stretching (as I usually do, almost as a ritual, before exercise). Henry was wearing his Lightning McQueen toboggan and some mismatched gloves; Spiderman on one hand, Lightning McQueen on the other. As long as they keep the hands warm, that's all that matters. I broke out my running tights for the first time this year, was wearing my running headband (to cover my ears) and my red/white striped gloves.

I went ahead and set my watch so I would know how long we were out there, but no one was concerned with how fast we were going, or not going. Henry and I would walk some, then jog some, walk some, jog some. And of course, we would have to stop and pick up these perfect "walking sticks" that he spotted along the way. Once we were about a good mile into the trail, along comes the first runner from our group. Frank catches up with us and he is planning to run the full 26 miles today, instead of the 10 miles most people were planning to run. We keep up with him for awhile...sometimes ahead... sometimes behind... sometimes together. Henry thought it was big fun to get ahead of him. I guess it was nice for "little Hank" to have a little motivation, besides the recurring encouragement from mommy: "Come on Henry!" "You're doing great Henry, let's keep moving." "Let's do a little running Henry!"

Another 5 minutes and I hear voices coming up behind me. I knew there were some other runners from the group not too far behind Frank, because he told us they would catch us soon. He was right. I just didn't realize there would be a whole "conga line" of runners coming through. It was impressive. About 10 guys one right behind another moving swiftly along the path. I'm amazed at how fast some guys can run the trails. When the guys caught up, Henry just took off ahead on the trail. He was "leading" these fast guys for the next quarter mile or so. After a couple minutes, all of them were out of my sight and I was moving along, running at a decent pace. I guess Henry wanted to challenge himself? Or maybe it's his male ego (pride?) showing through at a young age. But he was really moving running along on the trail.

It was another 10 minutes before I caught him and I was going quick because I didn't want him on the trail by himself (because I figured eventually he would drop back behind the big group). I was right. We kept moving but I could tell Henry was starting to get tired. We did more walking than running to get back to the car. But he did it! Henry finished 3 miles on the trails and was awarded an honorary medal for his accomplishment.

So, now was the time of decision. I had planned to run 10 miles today so I could earn my Medoc 10-miler medal and shirt. Soooo....that's what I did. I left Henry with Michael, stopped at the restroom momentarily, picked up a water bottle and trucked back out onto the trails. This time I headed in the opposite direction. I was feeling pretty good and the weather was absolutely perfect for running. So, the decision to continue and finish what I started was easy.

It really was a great day to be there running. Most of the leaves had fallen. So, the trails were covered with leaves. I was afraid this might make it dangerous. And I guess to some degree it did. But, it wasn't bad. Either way, running or walking the trails requires paying careful attention to every step and every foot placement. I tried hard to balance watching the trail and admiring the scenery. There were actually points when I stopped just to look around and take in the surroundings. Often during a race, you wouldn't necessarily do that, but I was in no rush. And strangely enough, I didn't even have my camera with me. It was in the car. Oh well! And there were a few times the trail split off and I had to stop and try to remember which way the "course" goes. Lucky for me, I made good directional decisions. My sense of direction is "usually" pretty good. It worked for me today.

When I headed out on the Discovery and Summit trails, I continued along the trail for almost an hour before I ever encountered another person. It was like I was out there by myself. So secluded. Just me and my thoughts. I could hear the shuffle of my feet rustling through the leaves. It was a constant sound of leaves crunching beneath me. And there was the occasional misstep when one of my ankles would turn one way or the other because I landed on the side of a rock or root. It happened enough that I lost count. Or I would trip up some. Enough to scare me but not injure me. I feel fortunate. I got through the course again today without falling. The cool air was brisk. There was no breeze that I recall. The sun was shining the whole time. There were rays of sunshine falling through the treetops onto the trail. It was a beautiful day to be out there.

Just before I exited the trails, I ran into Scott and Ron who were running the marathon. They were on about mile 18. And they looked really good. All I could think is "more power to you." I think doing just the 10 miles is pretty tough, mainly because the trails make it harder. I have a great appreciation for the stamina and mental toughness it must take to complete the Medoc marathon. I had to finish the 10-miler by running the last (almost) 2 miles on the roads leading into the park (running out to the turnaround point and back). I ran the course out of order but finished all of the pieces. It wasn't maybe a fantastic way to finish but felt good to be on solid pavement after navigating the challenging trails. Plus, one of the last songs to come up on my Playlist was "Believe" from The Polar Express. Great song for the finishing stretch. I'm tired now but feeling pretty good. I ran (and walked/hiked) 10 miles today! And I earned my Medoc medal! And I did most of it out there all by myself which was GREAT. And the rest was with my little buddy. GREAT DAY!

Michael's Note: Congrats to Frank, Ron, and Scott for completing the marathon. I still have shirts for everyone in the list below who requested one. We still have hats too. To buy the hat, you must complete the run at some point. . . we are using the honor system!

Lost and Found: Found: one sweaty black Under Armor shirt, one sweaty black Asics Long sleeve "Eagles" Shirt, one sweaty grey Medoc cap. Lost: one Amphipod bottle (Ron), one small water bottle belt (Jeff)

RACE REPORT: Inside Out Sports Turket Trot 8k

Submitted by: Brian Lankford

Thanksgiving morning was a great, and very foggy, day for the Inside Out Sports 8k Turkey Trot in Cary. Yes, this is the continuing saga of Ashley and Brian: The Beasts from the East, running the 2nd Empire Grand Prix Series. On a chilly and very foggy Thanksgiving morning, 670 runners braved the weather to burn some calories before they stuffed themselves with Tom Turkey.

The write ups are redundant but impressive for us both. Ashley, running like a Turkey on Thanksgiving Day (a very fast turkey) claimed a 5th place overall finish and 1st masters with a 28:50, or 5:49 pace. That's haulin some drumsticks baby. Brian had a very good race also but this turkey may end up on someone's dinner table. Perhaps he could use a little more meat on his drumsticks. Anyway, Brian placed 11th overall and 1st in his age group with a 30:16, or 6:06 pace. Again, a pretty good showing for the RMEC boys.

There are 2 races left in the series, the Jingle Bell Run on Dec. 5th and the Jolly Elf Trail Run on Dec. 12th. These are both 5ks so I'm expecting blistering results. Right now Ashley sits #1 in the series points and Brian is #2. Or should I say 2nd.

Saturday Medoc Rerun

Don't forget that this Saturday is the "Official Unofficial Great Medoc Rerun!" Below are the people that have posted comments about joining the run. As it stands right now everyone should be able to get the shirt the requested. If a few more volunteers decided to run, it could bump some down the list, but I expect we will do okay. Everyone is still welcome to join! If you just want to run and get the medal, it is FREE!



We are running at 8:00 am, but you are welcome to start early or late. This is a very laid back run. Come ready to just enjoy the cool morning and have fun. We will have a cooler of Gatorade at the main shelter and GUS. If you need more fuids, bring your own. If you are running more than 10 miles, I highly recommend it.

If you are writing a check, please make them out to RMEC. Cash is fine too. There are some other extra items that I will have with me on Saturday as well:

• $7 - A few white long sleeve 2008 Medoc Tech shirts
• $7 - A few Medoc 2008 Finishers hats
• $5 - Some 2008 Ford's Colony cotton shirts
• $5 - Some 2009 Ford's Colony cotton shirts (a variety of colors)
• $5 - A few black and/or grey cotton RMEC shirts

RSVP: Thanksgiving Day @ 7:00 am

I have heard that some of you plan to burn of some calories early on Thursday so they can eat more Turkey in the afternoon. Just in case others are interested, I am doing a RSVP post. This is once again a bring your own fluids run (unless someone can drop them at the tracks).

Run Details:

• Where: Thursday, 7:00 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: Bring your own fluids
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 6.67 Miles

Feel free to add to, subtract or change the route to meet your needs. Also, don't forget the Medoc Rerun is this Saturday! I will have a post with additional details shortly. Let us know if you are coming.

If you would like to race over the holidays, there are a few Turkey Trot options out there as well:

• 11/26 - Inside Out Turkey Trot 8k - Cary
• 11/26 - Ridgewood Turkey Trot 8k - Raleigh
• 11/26 - Gallop and Gorge 8k - Carrboro

RUN RSVP: Saturday 11/21

The group is running at 8:00 am tomorrow, and we are leaving from the Red Oak Park. This is right across the street from Red Oak Middle (3170 Red Oak Battleboro Rd, Battleboro, NC 27809). This is bring your own fluids unless someone has a suggestion to drop them on the route. The park is about 10 minutes from the Harris Teeter.

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 8:00 am @ Red Oak Park
• Supported: Bring your own fluids
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 10 Miles

This is a 10 Mile route on pretty quite roads. If you do not want to do 10, review the map closely, and do an out and back route instead. Please stick around after the run and help Tracy with the RMEK race at the park. Bring and extra RMEC shirt to wear at the 10:00 event. We really need your help!

RMEK Race Weekend

The RMEK working together with Nash Parks and Recreation is happy to announce a Fun Run for all RMEK participants and family/friends this coming Saturday.

• When: Saturday 11/21
• Time: 10:00 am
• Location: Red Oak Park
• Distance: 1.5 mile or 5k run.

Nash Parks and Rec is closing down the trail just for our participants during this time! We want to make sure these kids feel special for completing the program. They will be getting their RMEK dog tags, and t-shirts.

The RMEC will hold our normal Saturday group run at 8:00 am from the park. This gives everyone ample time to get in a long run, and get back in time to help set up and cheer for the RMEC. Tracy, Misty, and Elaine will be looking for help, so please come ready to volunteer. If you have a RMEC or RMEK shirt, please wear it to the event. It will be a short event, and all contained on the jogging trail, so please try to find the time if you can.

2009 Richmond Results

The RMEC continues to shine in fall marathons. This past weekend seven from our club made a trip to my favorite marathon, and raced in the Richmond Marathon. Jeff Hartney has been training hard since he moved to Wilmington, but has stayed in touch with the RMEC through the blog and facebook. His hard work paid off big time, finishing in 3:07:37 (while running negative splits).

Next across the finish line was Abraham Cox with a PR time of 3:42:03! Abraham just set a PR at the Marine Corps Marathon with a time of 3:57, so he cut 15 minutes off his time and just three weeks!. I would love yo know your secret.

Soon after Abraham came 21 year old Anthony and and 45 year old William Lucas with times of 3:53:13 and 3:53:28 respectively. This was a marathon debut but both father and son who ran virtually the entire race together. Great job guys! Just two weeks after a 1:51:56 at the Battleship Half Marathon, Levi Moore logs another impressive marathon finish. This week he added Richmond to his list. with a finishing time of 4:37:15. This was a six minute improvement over his Shamrock time earlier this year.

Amber Poole and Jon Shingleton have trained together for countless miles over the summer and into the fall. This would be Amber's second marathon and Jon's first. Amber was trying to improve on her Flying Pig PR of 5:34. . . she finished Richmond is 4:46:54. That is almost a 50 minute improvement!

Jon's marathon training has gone great. He has lost so much weight, he looks like a different person. On Saturday, he successfully completed his first marathon with a time of 5:31:32. At the half, he was on pace to break five hours, so I have a feeling Jon will be back for another before long. Welcome to the "26.2 Club" Jon. . . now go get your window sticker!

Free to Breathe 5k Results

It is time for yet another race update for Ashley and Brian. As most of you know both are racing in the Second Empire Grand Prix Series and doing very well. This past weekend the two raced in the Free to Breathe 5k in Raleigh. This is the 5th race

Ashley had yet another PR in him this weekend running a 17:28 which would have won most Rocky Mount races, but was good for a 10th overall in Raleigh. Brian managed an equally impressive 18:23 earning him a 16th place finish. Both men won their age groups.

Ashley still sits atop the leader board with 4,271 points. Brian is in second place with 4,056 points. Ashley and Brian have both run all of the series races so far, so these standings will change as runners are allowed to drop their 2 slowest times or no shows for the series. As of now RMEC is proudly holding down the top two spots. Even once the races start to get dropped, both still are in contention. If you exclude any runner who has already missed three races, and look at the average points per race, this puts Ashley in 6th overall and Brian 9th.

Ashley and Brian may not be out on the marathon circuit right now, but these two have put in some serious training to produce the results you are seeing. Make no mistake. . . this is some seriously impressive work.

RUN RSVP: Saturday 11/14

After three days of wind and rain, this weekend is setting up for nicer weather. By Saturday morning the rain will be gone. It will be 50F at 7:00 and not break 60F until noon. The wind speed will also cut in half. I know most of you hit your "big race" for the fall, but don't let that keep you away from the group runs.

Once again, I just used a 10 mile route that is on our regular roads. It is easy to add or subtract to meet your own needs. Please RSVP if you are coming. I cannot put out fluids tomorrow, so if you can help please post a comment.

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 7:00 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: Yes at the Tracks
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 10 Miles

I know most of you hit your "big race" for the fall, but don't let that keep you away from the group runs. Things typically slow down in the fall/winter. This is when we all exercise less, and eat more. Keep your running going.

Red Cross Bike Ride

The Rocky Mount Red Cross is organizing a ride (fund raiser) for May 8, 2010. Eric Seale from the RMEC is going to help with the route, route marking and the distribution of fliers. The committee is looking for some volunteers for helping with the organizing and maybe even on event day. This is also a great way for the runners in our club to get a fun "low-stress" introduction to bike riding.

Submitted By: Eric Seale

I attended a meeting last evening for the Red Cross ride that has been on hiatus since 2004. They are trying to re-start the ride. I did the ride in 2003 or 2004 and it was quite well run. I am going to be helping with setting up / marking out the courses and with flier distribution. The committee is looking for people who would volunteer to help now with the organization and possibly during the event. I know that they need someone to help with organizing the food for the start, finish and SAG stops at the moment - I believe that Judy (overall organizer) has some contact information to help.

The event is scheduled for May 8, 2010. It will start from the parking lot by the Dunn Center. There will be a 1 mile fun ride for families around the campus, a 19 mile ride and a metric century (63 miles).

If you think you would be interested in volunteering for helping with Corporate sponsorship, SAG support, goodie bag stuffing, flier distribution, registration, or donations, please let me know and I will pass along your contact information to Judy or Kristin.

Happy 60th Birthday Frank!

Here are a few pictures from the "birthday run":

RACE REPORT: Beach 2 Battleship 2009

Submitted by: Kinnie Pruden

I hardly know where to start, but my first inclination is to give thanks to God for shining down on me in so many ways. A second thanks to my husband and kids for putting up with me, their sacrifices during this journey and their support. And many, many thanks to my best friend Patti for all her support, especially on race day. Thanks to my coach Val for a brilliantly conceived training plan. And thanks to my extended family for their prayers and support. (Sorry, Mom, for all the anxiety I caused you.)

We headed to Wilmington Friday morning. My last couple of days were marked by a nagging headache that now I know was stress induced. I was distracted over the last couple of weeks during my taper by illnesses experienced by my children. I was in prayer constantly that I would stay healthy and make it to the starting line. The last few days prior to the race were mostly about organizing my five race bags that were to be distributed throughout my race; clothes from swim to be used at the finish, T1, bike special needs, T2, and run special needs.

We stayed with dear friends in Wilmington who were all about my comfort. What more could you ask? But Friday night I had to try hard to simply not think about the next day. I had to concentrate on the little things. Because whenever my mind ventured to the big picture it was more than I could grasp and would send me into a panic. So, I decided to fret about T1!

Here’s the deal: After swimming 2.4 miles in 66 deg. water, the air temperature around 40 deg.s, we would exit the water, have someone strip off our wet suits, go through a cold shower, then run/jog, half naked, carrying a cumbersome wetsuit, about 300 yds to the transition area. I was not happy with this prospect. It sounded like some contest out of Survivor. However, I did it. And it wasn’t awful! Once in T1 I entered a tent with about 20 or so other women trying to dress for a 40+ deg. bike ride (at least for the start). The first thing that caught my eye was a completely naked woman standing right in the middle (everyone else was seated around the walls of the tent). She was covered with tattoos on her arms and back. I decided to stop there and get about my own business.

I had decided before starting the race that it was not my style to get naked in front of strangers, so I simply added layers to my wet clothing. Well, anyone who has tried to put on spandex when you’re wet knows that this is no easy task. Needless to say my T1 was not quick. I also discovered that I had two right handed gloves in my T1 bag. That’s O.K., wore them anyway. Headed out to the bike (had to first make a potty stop). Heard the cheers from Patti and Billy; got some pics, and headed out for my 6+ hour ride. Another fact I had to break down into small increments.

At mile 5 a man wrecked his bike behind me. Sounded awful! He ran into a traffic cone and proceeded to skid on the pavement. I stopped to see if he was O.K. Fortunately one of the referee motorcycles was directly behind him and stopped to take care of the matter. I proceeded onward. My memories of the bike were beautiful scenery, wonderful volunteers, and a bear of a head wind for the last 40 miles! My averages dropped from 19 mph to 16 to 17 mph and I was working harder to achieve that miserable pace. That hurt the psyche, and unfortunately took more out of me than planned. I made two stops along the bike (not including the one after the crash) and never used my special needs bag. As I came into the Battleship area I saw this very large bridge looming, not a problem on the bike, hills I can handle. However, I noticed people running over that very large bridge. “Awwwwwe,” I wined in my mind. “Please tell me we’re not running over that!” Yep, we were. I dropped off my bike, had a much better T2 and headed out on my run. Saw my boys for the first time, Patti, my husband and friends, heard their cheers; very nice!


Took a right out of the Battleship and headed straight up hill. Half way up the hill someone had painted on the bridge, “Just Run Bitch.” That gave me a well needed chuckle. I ran/jogged up that bridge for the first and last time. I would go over it three more times but I would not be jogging. I descended the bridge, not bad. Took a right and stared at another bridge, not good; first two miles, two bridges. “I thought this was supposed to be a flat course.” I guess that depends on whether you’re a racer or someone marketing the race. Another mile and I descended a hill so steep if I had run fast I would have done a nose plant.

I continued along the water front of downtown Wilmington. Lots of spectators there which was nice, also cobblestones which were not nice. (Saw Jeannie and Eric Standal. They sent me an interesting pic. My body was slumped over and my head was hanging, but I had a grin on my face.) Well, had to leave the waterfront at the other end which naturally meant straight up hill. Gotta walk! I had a hard time walking up that hill! Take a right, continue to climb. Finally, headed for the lake and flatter countryside. Whew! But what kept nagging at me was I had to traverse those hills, yep, three more times. Finally at mile ten, my mind went dark. I was not finishing this race. “How was I going to tell Patti and my family and friends that I was not doing this out and back again?” “What would they say when I tell them I’m done?” “I’m not even to the turn around and my body can’t go any further, my foot is killing me, and my mind is out of the game.”

In comes Patti, “Kinnie Pruden!” I hear. “Go, Kinnie Pruden!” as she approaches. Finally a familiar face, one that will have sympathy and let me wallow in my self-pity. Well, if you know Patti Miller, given a competitive venue, that description does not suit her- thankfully. My eyes started to fill with tears, my lip quivered and Patti said, “Ah, ah, ah, they’ll be no crying! We’re not crying ‘til the finish line. Try just running 30 seconds.” “I’m walking the next 16,” I said. “My foot hurts.” (Notice my mind had immediately turned around. 16 miles was my goal instead of quitting.) Patti then gently continued to push me to run a little. “Why is she trying to get me to run?” I remember thinking. Tough love pulled me through. So I did start to run again, until I looked straight up that next steep hill.

But I persevered after that well needed kick in the pants from Patti – thank you from the bottom of my heart. I saw David Rose soon after that, who so nicely walked a little with me and offered tips; drink some Coke. I did, and it was great! (Peppermints were also a well needed break from all the sugary carbs.) Came in on the first loop. Patti had told a whole crowd my name and they loudly cheered me on by name; very cool. I actually don’t remember the turn around after that; just moved forward I guess. Oh yeah, grabbed my two left-handed gloves and arm warmers. Back up the bridges, done. Down and out of downtown, done.

“It’s dark. Why am I still out here?” They were giving out glow sticks so people could see me on the roads. Saw the same volunteers again, and again, and again. They were starting to look as tired as I was. “Coke, do you have Coke?” No we’re out. “What!” My much desired new friend, Coke, was not available on the second loop until mile 24. Bummer! Keep moving anyway. Talk to others. Notice on the return, last 6.5, there are people behind me! Hadn’t thought about that until now. Some of them actually starting their first loop! All of a sudden it was good to be me! I’m finishing this blasted thing! Moving along now with new vigor. My watch beeps another mile, 12:36. Maybe not as much vigor as I thought, but it’ll do.

One bridge down, last really big bridge looming. It’s O.K., I’m going home. Walked up the bridge, enjoyed the cool dark night and the lights at the Battleship which were ahead of me and the lights of downtown Wilmington which were now behind me. The lights reflected off the water as I reflected on my day. “Don’t cry yet, you’ll hyperventilate.” Over the top, start jogging/shuffling, whatever. 100 yards from the finish a guy with a walkie-talkie asked me if I was turning around or finishing. “I’m finishing.” and pointed in the direction of the finish line. I ran/jogged it in. And finally cried in the shoulder of a complete stranger (volunteer at finish line). She said, “I don’t even know who you are and you’re making me cry!” I finally got in the arms of my husband and my best friend. That’s where I had wanted to be since mile ten. 12 hours, 41 minutes and 33 seconds, done.

IRON WOMAN!

The RMEC now has a new Ironman! This past Saturday while most of us were watching our favorite evening TV shows, Kinnie Pruden became the third member of our club, and the only woman to earn the dubious distinction of being called an Ironman.

With a support team of Billy, Thorne, Will, and Patti the stage was set for a great day of racing at the Beach 2 Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon. This race begins with a 2.4 mile open water channel swim that connects with the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Kinnie was the 9th woman overall out of the water with a time of 53:15.

The 112 mile bike came next. We all know this is Kinnie's strength, and she did not disappoint! She posted the 21st fastest bike time of all competitors when she completed the leg with a time of 6:21:18. At this point in the race, Kinnie is sitting in the top 20 among all women in the race, but she still had a 26.2 mile marathon ahead of her. . .

Keep in mind that Kinnie has already been doing hard exercise for over seven hours, and the sun was about to start setting. Her muscles had become conditioned to pedaling in circles for six hours, and now she needed to teach them how to run again for 26.2 miles. . . off she went proudly wearing her RMEC logo in her quest for an "M-Dot". Five hours, 22 minutes, and 40 seconds later, she was back crossing the finish line under the lights. Mission complete!

GREAT JOB KINNIE!

• Total Time: 12:41:33
• Total Distance: 140.6 miles
• Overall Place: 32nd
• Complete Results: Link

OBX Results

I love the fall! RMEC runners are everywhere taking on new endurance challenges. This weekend was no exception, as several RMEC members, families, and friends all traveled to race at the OBX full and half marathons.

Frank Lilley returned to OBX after a tough race in 2008 when he was just coming off of being sick. Once again however the race challenged Frank as he finished with a time of 5:46:17. In Frank's words "OBX Marathon:2. Frank: 0". You can read his race report on his blog. One of Frank's coworkers Digit also raced finishing in 5:42:03 despite racing a few weeks early at City of Oaks. Deb Brondyke has also been quietly training for OBX over the summer months. She was able to post a strong 5:35:16 finishing time. Congrats to all three of you!

In the half marathon, we had several runners debuting at the distance. Scott and Leigh Ann Wingfield ran together the entire race. This was Leigh Ann's first half marathon, and she posted a very impressive 1:51:58, finishing 17th out of 380 runners in her division.

Laura Haynes and her son both ran the half as well. Her son finished in 1:54:09 and Laura in 2:04:34. I am not certain but I think this was the first half marathon for both of them. Great job Mom and son!

Mike Votava had an impressive race finishing in 2:03:09. About 30 seconds behind Mike came Sean Epps and Julian Martinez with times of 2:03:46. The Epps, Bullards, and Matrinez families made a weekend event of the race, taking in the ECU football game on Thursday, and then running on Sunday. Ingrid and Jennifer made their half marathon debuts as well, finishing in 2:36:54 and 2:38:55 respectively.

After spending a weekend in DC supporting Wanda, it was Michael Sohns turn to race. He did not disappoint when he finished in 2:15:49. I think we need to get Michael signed up for a marathon now!

Congrats to everyone! Glad to see so many people taking on new challenges and staying active. Do let the shorter days and colder weather keep you all inside. Keep hitting the roads.

1:51:57 Scott Wingfield
1:51:58 Leigh Wingfield
1:54:09 B Haynes
2:03:09 Mike Votava
2:03:46 Sean Epps
2:03:47 Julian Martinez
2:04:34 Laura Haynes
2:15:49 Michael Sohn
2:36:54 Ingrid Bullard
2:38:55 Jennifer Epps

RUN RSVP: Saturday, November 7

Sorry this is late getting posted, but Michael has been in an all day meeting. There will be group run in the morning.

Where: Harris Teeter
Time: 7:00 a.m.
Fluids: Bring your own fluids. Choose your own route.

Come out and join the group for a nice fall run. It should be nice cool running temps.

RACE REPORT: New York City Marathon

Submitted by: Derek Hurdle

First off, let me reiterate the comments of John about the support of this running group. Not living in Rocky Mount means interactions with the group are few and far between-but let me tell you I can feel the support from this group all the way in Greenville. So here is NYC from my perspective.

It all started with a 5:30 Ferry Ride to Staten Island with a bunch of runners and some interesting characters coming in from the night before(it was Halloween after all). Then there was the 3 hour wait in the runner’s village with John and I layered in throw-away sweats and trash bags. We laid there for 3 hours talking race strategy and trying to figure out if we could manage to poop something out before the “Johns” got too busy and nasty.

Finally it was time to line up at the starting lines with a view of the Verrazano Bridge, a whole bunch of confidence and of course some jitters we listened as they announced the lineup of professional runners and then we heard the starting gun which was followed by Ole Blue Eyes himself(never been so jacked to hear Sinatra).

Mile 1 was what I thought it would be, a straight incline that takes a toll on even the most experienced hill runner (I learned you can do all the hill repeats you want but there is no replicating the real deal). Mile 1 was also super crowded this was no surprise, John and I talked all weekend how the first mile would be slow but that we would take it slow and not try to make it up in one shot. We broke the first mile at a frantic 7:45..30 seconds off our race pace BUT good considering what we had been through . Well, lets just say John Batchelor was a beast on November 1st and there was no holding him back. I spent mile 2 chasing John, I thought if I would slow down so would John, that didn’t work. We broke mile 2(which was downhill) at a 6:40 pace…we just made up that first mile in ONLY mile 2! We then calmed down and ran the rest of Brooklyn(first 13 miles) at about a 7:10 pace.

As we reached Queens and the halfway point I felt different then any other race. My Quads. were fatigued and had been so for many miles. My plantar fasciitis and right ankle (previous injuries) were screaming. John and I continued to talk-we stayed positive I told him how good he looked(without his shirt….I mean running) and he tells me the same. Of course, in my mind it was becoming clear that I might make 3:10 today but its going to be much tougher than it was last time, because today is not my best day.

The Queensboro Bridge at Mile 16 leads you into Manhattan…this bridge is ridiculous and lead us to a mile split at 15 of 7:57. The downhill was much the same as our first bridge experience, a sprint to make up time, despite my better judgment. Internally I was battling between telling John to slow down to conserve energy or letting him go because he looked so strong and I didn’t want to hold him back. I choose the latter. We had trained together, we had talked about this race since June and I was gonna run it with him as long as I could.

Entering 1st avenue in Manhattan was amazing, the crowd support off that bridge was incredible and we made up that bridge easy (mile 16 7:02, mile 18 6:54). Our splits looked good, John looked strong but my quads were on fire. But I was almost to mile 20 maybe I can hang on I am still on pace for under 3:10. About the same time a lot of things happened-I guess we call it the wall. I have experienced the wall before and it was usually all mental this time it was physical too. In an evil twist put in by the organizers of this event no doubt-Another bridge-Willis Avenue bridge happens to be ahead, John is pulling away and for the first time today I felt like I was not keeping up, and the gradual incline of 1st avenue and the earlier bridges has made my quads reaching an all time-pain(so much I no longer was concentrating on my foot issues) and to top it off I glanced at my Garmin-the mileage lets me know that I am going to have to run much FURTHER than 26.2 miles (meaning I needed to pick up the pace EVEN faster).

I got to the top of the Willis Avenue bridge and all that came crashing on me-John had gotten too far ahead to wish him luck, so I stopped against the bridge and stretched my quads. Miles 20-22 were about 7:30’s and I remember even thinking near 22 if my watch and the race distance had matched up I may still have a shot. It was at that point I again noticed the variance in the distance, the burn in my quads., and maybe some pitty I felt for myself and the last 4 miles would just be about finishing. Retrospectively I know mentally I could have done a little better (I walked through the last 4 water stops) but I also remember the physical struggle I felt between 22-23.

A new muscle pain came in the form of cramps in my left calve- which just happened to happen at the mile point in the race where the tv camera man followed me the entire mile on a golf car. I took a GU shot at 23 and believe it or not no more cramps, maybe I should have done that a mile or 2 ago? That last 4 miles was through beautiful Central park but was no walk in the park and I hated being there (7:50, 8:38, 8:32, 8:36).

So I crossed the finish line with a time 7 minutes later than I wanted and a lot of questions. What if I had not stopped and stretched that first time, maybe I would not have stopped at all? What if I had stuck to my game plan and not tried to make up so much time and energy from the bridges, maybe my thighs would have not gotten to that point? Was that wall real or just in my head? What if I had taken caffeine GU’s more frequently like John did? Speaking of John, what if he didn’t realize the distance variance and never made Boston?

Of course he did, and that’s what this marathon was all about, it was the reason we picked such an aggressive training plan instead of leisurely enjoying the NYC experience. The reason I got up at 5 AM in Greenville every day since June because I knew he was doing the same in Richmond.

So while I am left questioning what went wrong for me in NYC, there are a couple of things I know for sure. First, this marathon is not like any other and I recommend all of you do it at least once. Second I have to come to peace with the fact that I lost 3 minutes or so in central park because of self-pity on not being able to reach a PR-this is really hard for someone with OCD. Third while we didn’t execute our game plan and run tangent lines both John and I were faster than our times by probably 2 minutes (so John probably had 3:08 stuff in him that day) given the extra distance. Lastly and most apparent is that no bridge or over paced mile , no smorgasbord of slower runners blocking the road, and no matter how hard I tried to steady the pace…on November 1, 2009 there was no stopping John.

RMEC Gets Recognized

Submitted by: Eric Pate

Sorry for the slow response time, but I do have some tremendous news for the RMEC. Our club won the Best Rookie Team award for 2009; but that's not all. The RMEC also won the South Atlantic Division All Star Team award! Please note that is not just Nash County relay teams; this is the entire South Atlantic Division. We accomplished this award by raising the most dollars per team member.

All members worked hard and really put on a great showing for the RMEC. As Team Captain for 2009, I thank all members and supporters. THIS IS REALLY SOMETHING FOR RMEC TO BE PROUD OF!

The Committee Chairs also awarded Brian Lankford with the Purple Pillow award for his amazing performance and his touching motivation. Many thanks to Brian and his "ultra-trainer"/partner Frank.

November 28, 2009: The Great Medoc Rerun!

WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT: We had a fantastic group of volunteers at this years Medoc Trail Races. Any time a person volunteers, this means they are unable to race. The Meoc Rerun is created to give those volunteers, and anyone else who is interested a chance to do the race, and earn some swag! Once again we have extra Medoc items that we plan to sell to RMEC members and friends. There is a small catch however. . . you have to run or walk the course. So, for those of you who could not make it to Medoc Trail Races or were volunteering, here is your chance!

THE GROUP RUN: Please join us for the Medoc Rerun on November 28th. It will be cold, there will be leaves on the ground, there will only be one fluid stop, and the course will be unmarked. It will be a challenge! We plan to start at 8:00 am., but you are welcome to start early or late.

COST: So, how much does it cost?

• $0 - Standard entry (includes trails GU, and one fluid stop)
• $10 - Regular entry (includes a finisher's medal, hat, and all you can eat GUs)
• $20 - Premium entry (includes a shirt, finisher's medal, hat, and all you can eat GUs)

If you volunteered, you can take $5 off the cost. All items are available on a first-come-first-serve basis, however volunteers go to the top of the list. There is no guarantee on shirt colors or sizes. If we do not have the size you want, you of course do not have to buy it.

MEDOC BAGS: We also have some Medoc "sack-pack" bags that are available to runners. If you are interested, in one of these they are $5 each. We will limit these to one per person, unless there are still extras.

WHO CAN RUN: Everyone! This is a group run. Even if you raced already, come join us! There are lots of you who did not get a chance to run the official Medoc Trail Races, so we are hopeful to get a BIG crowd out for the Rerun. I honestly would not be surprised if we end up with 50 runners.

WHAT IF I CANT MAKE IT?: The Rerun is based on the honor system. If you can't be there on 11/28, you can still earn a medal and finishers hat. Sign up like everyone else, but indicate you will not be there on the Rerun date. This way we will set aside your "goodies"

INVENTORY: We do not know how much we have of everything yet. There are plenty of medals, and I estimate about 30 hats, and maybe 20 shirts.

AWARDS: Yes, we have extra awards too, so we will find some way to give out pint glasses as well. This in no way is intended to diminish those who earned awards on race day. We just don't need a box of glasses collecting dust in my garage.

WHY CHARGE ANYTHING?: Keep in mind, you can come do the Rerun for FREE. The only cost is for those who wish to take home some of the race swag, and we are actually under charging. You must remember that the RMEC is a non-profit organization. Any proceeds collected from the Rerun go directly into the Medoc race budget. This is exactly what we did last year as well.

SIGNING UP: Post a comment here if you plan to join us. One comment per person will be helpful. I need to know the following:

• Name:
  
• Distance: 10M, 26.2, Other
  
• Entry Type: See above
• Shirt Size (if applicable): list 1st & 2nd choice (if you are willing to take a different size)
• Medoc Bag: Yes/No
  

For shirt size, list a 1st and 2nd choice in case it is not available (Only put a second choice if you are willing to take a different size). If you know you will not be there on 11/28, let us know that as well.