Thursday, April 28, 2011

Rocky Mount Greenways

David Griffin with the City of Rocky Mount wanted to share information about the city's plans regarding our greenways.  Once the plan is completed, it will provide guidance for sidewalk and trail construction in Rocky Mount for years to come. Public input and support is crucial!

Click this link to learn more.  You are also welcome to participate in the online survey.

Monday, April 25, 2011

RACE REPORT: Boston Marathon #2

Submitted by: Brian Lankford

First I must say that Boston is the coolest city I've ever visited, clean, safe, historical and very walker friendly.  Sandy and I thoroughly enjoyed our time there with each other and friends.  Boston also has an incredible marathon they've been hosting for the last 115 yrs.  You may have heard about it.  Let me tell you about my experience in that race.

Marathons require training, lots and lots of training.  No ones training ever goes as planned but come race day you got what you got and you run the race you brought.  In spite of the 19 alcohol injections in the foot, and a 16 mile run as my longest run, I felt like my training went well and I was in great shape (and I was).

I have run 2 marathons in my brief running career and I am fortunate to say that Boston is one of them.  Therefore I am no expert on running marathons and being new to the experience, well sometimes the excitement can be overwhelming.  I'm a reader, one who studies.  I have a great library of running books and I've read them all.  I can talk to you about any aspect of training, VO2 max, aerobic, anaerobic, tempo, speed, interval, I've studied it all.  And during my training I amassed a great amount of information and did numerous calculations of that data to arrive at paces, carb depletion and fluid replacement.  I was ready.

I was fortunate to start Boston in the 1st corral of Wave 2.  That means I started right on the starting line with a clear and empty downhill road ahead of me in Hopkington.  I was right in the middle of the starting line with the official starting clock and starters gun just to my right.  Everyone in corral 1 counted down in unison.  10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.  BANG!  The gun went off in my right ear!, and all my numbers, calculations, deep thoughts of running philosophy, pace, form and all running wisdom went flying out of my left ear!  I WAS RUNNING THE BOSTON MARATHON!!!  Holy Cow, this is so cool.  I don't know if my feet were even touching the ground as I ran.  The crowd started about 5 feet from the start with cowbells and cheers.

I blew through the first mile 10 seconds too fast.  I told my self to calm down.  The 2nd mile was 10 seconds too fast.  I said, "Brian get it under control."  And now it is time to start hydrating.  I have very little experience drinking on the run because...I don't do it.  I made eye contact with the volunteer at the first water station, pointed to her cup as I ran and snagged it like a pro without spilling a drop.  I squeezed the top of the cup to form a small opening just like I read.  And at a 7:00 pace I lifed the cup, put it to my mouth and poured 6 oz. of Gatorade up my nose over my face and down my chest.  2 oz went down my throat and 1 oz went down my wind pipe.  I dopped my cup and kept on gettin it coughing and hacking like a 4 pack a day smoker.  I ran the 3rd mile 15 seconds too fast.  I told myself this would not work and to get a hold of myself.  The 4th mile again was 10 seconds too fast.  I was on fire with enthusiasm and loving every minute of it.  Being in the 1st corral, I believe the crowd was cheering extra loud because the first wave was gone and we were the new group and I was eating it up.  It was the greatest feeling.

It was chilly, no it was cold, at the athletes village and although I stripped down to shorts, I kept my long sleeved shirt, tobogan, and light gloves at the start.  Around mile 4 gloves, hats and various items of clothing were strewn on the road or thrown into the crowd.  The little kids on the side of the road were yelling "Throw us some clothes!"  So I figured I didn't need my hat anymore, it was pretty hot and I was already sweating pretty good.  I hated to take it off because I knew I would have "sweaty head" and my hair would look stupid for any pictures.  But I took it off and made it to the side of the road and tossed it to a little guy about 6 yrs. old.  Running at 8.5 MPH and throwing an object at about 5.5 MPH meant that the unsuspecting little kid got a sweaty sock hat in the face at about 15 MPH.  I believe I lost a little time right there laughing, but the look on his face was priceless.   
  
As far as the water stops go, I learned by mile 4 that even though there may be 6-8oz of fluid in the cup you grab, you must sqeeze the top of the cup then pour out all but about 3oz. then put it to your mouth and take it all down.  Water stations were a breeze after learning that.  In fact I got to the point where I was taking water from small children and elderly women in addition to the aid stations

At this point in the race I knew I was in flameout mode but I didn't care.  I was having fun and actually just taking it all in.  I didn't know how far I would make it but I couldn't recover at this point and the running philosophy became: Have fun.  I adapted to that philosophy quite well it just felt right.  I ran past the girls at Wellesley (however you spell it) and their screams were just as ear splitting as I was told they would be.  I kept the crazy pace up through the half way point with a potential 3:06 finishing time.  Ya Right.  The downhill and the crowds continued through all the towns with cowbells ringing. 

At mile 16 I knew the hills were coming and the potential flameout also.  And here we go.  The first of the Newton Hills.  Hey, not too bad, in fact that wasn't bad at all.  And here we go again.  Hey, I'm feeling this one, ya I'm feeling it.  And here's another one,  Woah,  this is tough, ya it's pretty tough.  I believe there is one more but I don't see anything ahead.  Oh, there it is.  Ya, that's a big one.  Ya, it's big and I'm pretty tired now.  I'll just shorten my stride and lean forward and pump my arms suck some air and just-feel-like-dying.  The top of Heart Break Hill.  No glory, no medal, just tired.  Well, I was wondering when the flameout would occur.  It was somewhere around mile 20 or so.  I can't really say because the glycogen to the ol brain was running pretty low at this point. 

There's a nice downhill after Heart Break but me and gravity didn't really have any deals going at that point.  My legs really couldn't tell much about the topographics of the course at this point.  The next water station, which I will now refer to as water stops because I used these to stop running at mile 21, 22, 23, 24.  There's a couple of nice things about walking through a water station.  You get a lot more fluid and you get to STOP RUNNING.  The worst thing about walking through a water station is you have to start running again. The legs really don't like this little joke you just played on them and they honestly have more control over who gets the last laugh than you might like to think.  They definitely rebel and make you pay, but in reality they really appriciate it also though they might not admit it.

After mile 24 I knew my loving wife, who had put up with 16 weeks of training, complaining of how cold it was, how hard it was, and how much my foot hurt, would be in the crowd somewhere between here and the finish.  I just didn't know where.  Therefore I had to run, and I had to run the entire 2.2 miles without stopping.  I could never, ever, ever let her see me walking.  It's a man thing.  So I ran.  I passed people who were walking and I felt their pain, I saw people standing still just swaying back and forth about to topple and I wanted to give them a shoulder to lean on.  I passed people who were collapsed on the ground and I wanted give them some of my strenght I had left.  But I kept running, feeding on the cheers of the crowd.  

I made the left hand turn onto Boylston and say the finish lineabout a half mile down the road.  I had nothing left except what the crowd could give.  They gave me a lot and I actually passed people in that final stretch.  I knew the end of my Boston was coming to an end and Mr Boston might be laughing at me but I enjoyed my run he's put on for the last 115 years and I even qualified to run him again with a 3:29:25 as I crossed his finish line.  Not a smart marathon, but a fun marathon.  Not my fastest marathon, but my best marathon.  Could I have run faster, ya I believe so.  Could I have had more fun, no way.  So now I've run 2 marathons:  Qualified for Boston twice and run Boston once.  Would I run another marathon............?

Thursday, April 21, 2011

RACE REPORT: Boston Marathon

Submitted by: Derek Hurdle

It was finally here the week leading up to Boston and I was feeling confident. And rightfully so, my training had been spot on-my long runs were done and they were ran fast and almost effortless. The training was over and this week was all about avoiding turning an ankle on a rock or consuming too many calories too early in the week and putting on extra weight. All week I went to bed early cuz thats what you do marathon week-except I couldn't sleep. I was too excited-way more than last year(my first Boston) because this year I was finally going to get over my marathon plateau (3:10 the last several marathons). Not only had my previously mentioned training go well but the B.A.A. had provided motivation by going to a rolling registration and increasing the Boston "standards" in years to come. So motivation was there and I felt like I had something to prove not to anyone in particular-well maybe just one person...myself

So the wife and I hit the road on Friday picking up John and Jeanette along the way. We drove to do this thing on the cheap (or as cheap as possible). I had laid out the whole weekend which was gonna be kinda low key filled with just dinner reservations (you gotta eat) and the only definate event was Gena and I going to a Sox game on Saturday.

We arrived in Boston Friday night checked into the hotel got a good nights sleep and then it happened...I woke up Saturday. I woke up with a little scratchiness in the throat-not a big deal I thought just the AC in the room was turned up. Then we went to the Sox game and yeah it was really cold. But it seemed not to bother Gena (who is always cold) and I was shivering. We went to dinner that night and I felt a little feverish. Saturday night I couldn't sleep coughing, clearing throat I definately knew I had something now. Sunday came and I feel asleep watching Bart Yasso and Amby Burfoot present a Seminar on how to run your best Boston. I had a fever and I was on edge all day-I snapped at everyone around me. I was depressed, down, I knew I didn't feel my best and I was worried what it would do to my perfect race I wanted to run. All my Sunday energy was used in aggervation and negativity-a complete 360 to the positivity that I was gloating with just a few days earlier. I went to bed Sunday night mad at the world. I woke up several times Sunday night in a pool of sweat.

Race day morning came and while throat was still scratchy I didn't feel that fever anymore-maybe I had "broke" it in my sleep the night before. I still couldn't escape the negative thoughts as we left the hotel to set out to the athletes village I still couldn't find my "happy" place. We arrived in a wind-blown athletes village to rest for a few. But I was on edge my stomach hurt but I was having trouble having "sucess". 

Finally at 9:20 I had my "sucess" too bad I was suppose to leave for my corral at 9:15. So I ran back saw John who had been waiting for me and told him to head on as I applied Body Glide, changed shoes, etc. Nothing was going to plan-gotten sick, battled with everyone the day before instead of resting and instead of taking my time walking to my corral-concentrating on the road ahead I was rush, rush, rush.

I tried to leave the negativity at the starting line and for awhile fooled myself. I ran the first half of the race as I trained-I hit my mark at the halfway point but felt in my head that this day was not gonna turn out well for me. Then something weird started to happen-my head went a little loosy, I couldn't concentrate my legs were fine but my head had gone amuck. I remember thinking it was all the negativity I brought to the race catching up to me-No thats not it I am just getting a little dehydrated...so now every water stop I would drink water + gatorade. Hell when I saw a kid with a cup of water I would accept (I usually say no thanks to civilians and only take course certified fluids). I drank everything offered to me maybe that will clear my head. By the time I hit the height of heart break hill I felt weak. Weaker than usual-my legs felt strong I just didn't feel like I was fueled. I had taken my Gu's every 6 miles or so-drank plenty I thought....so maybe I need to drink more. Put fuel back in my body.

The last 4 or 5 miles were a blur-I mean a long slow blur to me. My splits went down, my motivation gone, I felt sick and had no energy...again my legs were fine. My goal went from 3 hours to surely I got 3:05 that will meet the new "Boston standards" to with 2 miles left I thought I would have to settle for 3:07. And then I finally crossed the line at 3:09:04. 

That sucked I thought....atleast my legs were fine. Medical staff wanted to help me walk I told them I was fine but my back hurt so I bent over to stretch it-then I lifted my head up and when I did that I got a lil woosy. Or apparently enough to catch the medical staffs eye and there in wheel chair I sat on the way to the medical tent. Well atleast I can get a message here without waiting in line and then I can get back to the hotel and start swallowing beers to drown my sorrows. As soon as the doctor saw me he wanted to draw blood-I looked around the room and saw runners in a lot of pain so I told the doctor no worries here just get me a back massage and I am on my way. He said not quite so fast, took my blood and said I had hyponatremia. How can it be I thought I drank plenty of gatorade. The next 2 hours of my life were spent with this doctor (I am only attracted to women but this guy could have doubled for Dr. McDreamy) as he served me hot water and chicken bonoun cubes-to try and get my sodium level back to normal. I left and I felt totally zapped (my legs were fine) but I was weak and had no energy. But no stiffness

I won't really know what went wrong that day. Hyponatremia seems like it should be totally avoidable I had a gatorade the day before the race and the morning off (I only drink Gatorade around marathons-other wise I will not drink the stuff) and thats my usual practice. I drank gatorade at every stop a long the course. I have asked several physicians if 1+1 =2 with my virus leading to my hyponatremia experience-they wouldn't say a definite yes but said it probably contributed. And as far as being sick it has gotten much worse since the marathon-I lost my voice on Tuesday and Wednesday, and now its totally turned into a full blown Sinus infection.

So what have I learned from all this? Other than the fact that you can feel so high and on top of life one day and so very low the next...I guess I am reminded that life is not always fair. I was reminded that the marathon humbles you and there are so many variables that go into the actual marathon that just 1 little wrinkle can throw your whole day off. I was also reminded that there are more important things than the time it takes you to finish the marathon-its the journey. I couldn't have done anymore that day with what I was given-and thats all that matters. Do the most with what you are given in life no matter your circumstances, talent level or financial status just like Pre said "to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift".

Monday, April 18, 2011

Congrats Boston Finishers!

The RMEC had an excellent showing today at the 115th running of the Boston Marathon.  It was a world record day with Kenyan Geoffery Mutai running a 2:03:02 to outlast fellow countryman Moses Mosop (2:03:06).  This was a marathon debut for Moses.  Ryan Hall set the American record taking fourth overall with a 2:04:58.  A time lime Ryan's would have won most Boston Marathons, but not today.

On the women's side, an American had the lead coming in to the final mile, but it wasn't the favored Kara Goucher.  Desiree Davila had the lead, but was out kicked by Kenya's Caroline Kilel who finished in 2:22:36.  Desiree came in only two second behind.  Kara Goucher took 5th in 2:24:52.

Closer to home, the RMEC posted the following equally amazing times:
  • 2:54:33 - John Batchelor (622nd AG)
  • 3:06:53 - Ashley Bass (95th AG)
  • 3:09:04 - Derek Hurdle (1696th AG)
  • 3:11:02 - John Clark (1900th AG)
  • 3:20:42 - Dave Lavely (588th AG)
  • 3:22:53 - Jeff Miller (2764th AG)
  • 3:29:55 - Brian Lankford (986th AG)
If the age group place looks odd, that just goes to show the caliber of runners that race Boston.  This truly is the best-of-the-best.  Granted, not everyone who qualifies races Boston, but the age group placing above gives you a rough idea of how these runners stack up against all marathoners in their age group.  I don't like to single out any one performance, but it is hard not to acknowledge John's time as the fastest every run by the RMEC, and Ashley's time which placed him in the top 100 of his age group. 

My sincere congratulations to all six of you for amazing performances at the crown jewel of marathon races.  Well done!
Derek, Jeff, John, and Dave

Friday, April 15, 2011

RUN RSVP: Saturday Harris Teeter @ 7:00 am

Oh wow!  You can't beat this weather (minus the pollen).  It is going to be a great morning for a run.  Please come out and join the RMEC tomorrow at 7:00 am.  If you have not been to a group run for a while. . . or even if you have never been.  Come join us!
The forecast 56F at 7:00 am and 61F by 10:00 am.  Don't waste your time inside.  I will once again have RMEC hats to give out to members, so please come by and grab yours. 

Dont forget you can also race this weekend a the Galberry Stampede 2k/5k/10k in Scotland Neck.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Good Luck to the Boston Crowd

The RMEC is fortunate to have six club members racing this coming Monday in the Boston Marathon.  Lets all wish Ashley, John, Derek, Dave, Brian, and Jeff a great race.

If you can work it out to watch the Boston Marathon on Monday, I highly recommend it.  It will get you excited for doing one of your own.  You can also sign up to track athletes online.  You will need their bib numbers to do this:
  • 1750 John - Wave 1 / Corral 2
  • 1982 Ashley - Wave 1 / Corral 2
  • 5030 Derek - Wave 1 / Corral 6
  • 5945 Jeff - Wave 1 / Corral 6
  • 6296 Dave - Wave 1 / Corral 7
  • 9351 Brian - Wave 2 / Corral 1
Good luck everyone.  Have fun!

Tar Heel and Flying Pirate Results

The RMEC had a good group of runners out racing this past weekend.  We were running anything from 4-milers, to 10-milers, to half marathons.  Below are the results:

Tar-Heel 10M
  • 1:17:37 Scott Wingfield
  • 1:18:00 Greg Delbridge
  • 1:22:03 Leigh Anne Wingfield
  • 1:27:15 Jon Shingleton
  • 1:37:17 Brad Weisner
  • 1:38:11 Amber Shingleton
  • 1:43:05 Elaine Weisner
  • 1:43:43 Misty Schmitt
  • 1:53:31 Eric Ghiloni

 Tar-Heel 4M
  • 1:00:32 Alane Floyd
  • 1:00:33 Brandie Ghiloni

 Flying Pirate Half
  • 1:29:54 Ron Fleming

The Tar-Heel 10-miler is a challenging course through Chapel Hill.  It is not called "Chapel Flat" afterall.  Everyone did exceptionally well on a near perfect race morning.

In the Flying Pirate Half Marathon, Ron Fleming was literally "flying"'.  Ron has discovered a new level of speed that not even he saw coming.  After running a 19:00 5k last weekend, Ron decided to test things out at a longer distance.  His 1:29:54 was good enough to crack the top 20 overall, and take third in his age group.  Make no mistake about it, this is an impressive time in a big race.  Ron has now joined a select group from the RMEC to have broken 1:30 in the half.

Congrats to everyone.  Keep up the racing RMEC!  If I missed anyone, please let me know.

Friday, April 08, 2011

HAT RUN RSVP: Saturday 7:00 am @ Teeter

Lots of RMEC members are racing this weekend (Tar Heel 10 Miler and Flying Pirate), but we should still have a big crowd on Saturday enjoying this beautiful weather. Accuweather is calling for 57F at 7am and 59F by 10am. Can't beat that.
If the weather wont get you out the door, then maybe an RMEC hat will. I will bring these to the group run in the morning. There are several styles and colors, but most are white or two-tone. If you want to grab something different get in the box first. To confirm if you are on the hat list, the 2011 Member roster is available to the right of the screen (plus Andy and Carol).

Hoping on a big crowd, I picked the dead end route again. This way we see each other often. In total it is 13.4 miles, but it can be easily adjusted to any distance you prefer just by removing the out-and-back sections. REVIEW THE ROUTE so you know what you plan to do. See you in the morning!

RACE RESULTS: Tarboro 5k

The RMEC sent a small crew to Tarboro last weekend to race in the Movin' For Community Outreach 5k.  This is a nice small town race that is locally run on a pretty course.  A total of 237 runners came out to enjoy the day on Saturday morning.  Below is a list of results.
  • Ron Fleming - 19:03 - PR - 1st in Age Group and 4th Overall
  • Milton Pitt - 19:11 - 1st in Age Group and 5th Overall
  • Eric Pate - 20:00 - PR - 2nd in Age Group and 13th Overall
  • Jon Shingleton - 23:21 - PR
  • Tom Thurman - 24:58 - 3rd in Age Group
  • Amber Shingleton - 26:11 - PR - 3rd in Age Group
  • Arthur Bennett - 26:25 - PR
  • Lucas Ghiloni - 34:09
  • Eric Ghiloni - 34:58
  • Ethan Ghiloni - 35:00
  • Brandie Ghiloni - 36:22
Ron blew the doors of this race setting an amazing PR.  Heck he almost went sub-19.  Eric, John, Amber, and Arthur all set personal bests on this day as well.  The ageless Tom took home yet another age group award, and the Ghiloni's had their first ever family race day (with more in the future).  Great job everyone!

BIG thanks to Amber for summarizing the results for me.  I am always happy to have help!

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Umstead 100 Report - CONGRATS FRANK!

Frank likes to commonly say he is the "sweeper" of a race. . . or the "world's slowest runner". . . or he finishes last.  So when he decided to enter the Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Race he knew he was in for a challenge. 

The unofficial results list Frank 185th out of 251 runners.  So why did the self proclaimed "sweeper" finish so far up?  Simple.  He kept pushing and moving ahead.  Frank completed 62.5 miles (100k), and finished ahead of 66 runners who ran fewer miles. 

Just think about that for a minute. . . 62.5 miles.  That is further than a drive to Raleigh.  That is two marathons plus another 10 miles just for fun.  That is longer than most of us run in two weeks.  That is a frick'in long run.  Not only that Frank, covered these miles in Umstead!  Ever been to Umstead?  It is not flat.

So my sincere congratulations to Frank.  I know he fell short of his original 100 mile goal, but still set a PR in the process and continues to earn my respect every day.  Well done Frank!

Frank's Race Report

Under Four Weeks Until the Relay

As most of you know the RMEC has three teams doing the upcoming American Odyssey Relay.  This 200 mile run through history begins in Gettysburg PA and finishes in Washington DC.

There is still time to register more teams. Also, Eric S. has a friend with a 12-person coed team that may have three spots available. This means you can potentially join a team with some of your friends. The team is looking for pace of 7:00-9:00 for the runners. A 12-person teams means you will only need to run three times, and it will be a combined total of under 18 miles for you.  Comment here ASAP if you are interested and we can get you in touch with the team captain.

Most of you have seen this, but below is our PG-13 rated video from the Blue Ridge Relay that we did last fall. This will give you an idea of what is involved.



I would LOVE to see the RMEC put together a fourth team. All you need is 6-12 runners who are looking for a fun, challenging, and memorable weekend.  Come join Michael, Dave, Dennis, Derek, Ryan, John, Kinnie, Tracy, Leigh Ann, Patti, Jeanette, Liz, Scott, Ron, Steve, Greg, Levi, and Eric for the weekend of your life!

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Race Report: Movin' For Community Outreach 5k

Submitted by Eric Ghiloni

After an April Fools email telling me that Ethan and Lucas had decided NOT to run in the Movin' For Community Outreach 5k…and the beating they survived for “getting” me - just kidding…the Ghiloni Family settled in to just another Friday evening….a little eagerness…a lot of questions.

10:00 AM races make for a decent wake up time, so we were ready early and you could sense the excitement. I had mentioned several times last week that I thought a 40 minute time was what we should expect (knowing they would destroy that) so they had a goal…and a very reachable one at that. 

The weather this morning was perfect…especially after the cold, wet week we had. 

Several RMEC’ers were there..Ron, Eric, Thom, Milton, Amber and Jon, Arthur…my memory is suspect, so If I forgot you, I am sorry. Everyone was friendly…it was a great race for the kid’s first. We all know the pre-race “buzz” and I really had hoped the boys got the buzz…and they did…you could feel the nerves…the excitement…a little fear…It was awesome. 

We hung out...got pooped on by a flock of birds (berry eating freaks)…another story all together…and just enjoyed a fine morning in the Lord’s creation. We walked to the starting line…socializing…just a very relaxed event.

Time to start:

I told the kids to be sure NOT to go out too fast…that is something I STILL fight…and lose…LOL. Ready-Set-Go! We went out about a minute and a half too fast…corrected…and settled into a very comfortable pace. The course was great…I look forward to running it for speed next year. 

I have not enjoyed a run as much as this one since my journey into health started last year. The weather…the course…the pace…everything was ON today. Lucas left Ethan and me about ½ mile in…and never looked back…his race ended 35 minutes after the start…destroying the 40 minutes I put in his head and he was proud as a peacock. Ethan and I followed at about 36:30…I pushed Ethan just enough to show him how much he really had in him…but not enough to make him mad…OH…and he told me that the 3 high school girls at the 3 mile marker helped him puff up and dig deep and got him to run through some discomfort…MY MAN!

Brandie had some challenges with her asthma today and was frustrated when she finished, but she forgot all that the second the hug-fest started. 

Despite a few snags with the results (I really like chip-timed events)…and this one drug out a little too long…which was actually good cuz we got to hang out as a family without phones and TV’s and Xboxes, etc…and despite the fact that this was BY FAR the slowest 5K I have ever run, I will always look at this as my favorite race ever.

God is good. All the time. So good that the kids asked, on the way home, for us to register them for Scotland Neck and the Fun Run 5K’s….Amen.

REPOST: Runners. Yeah, We're different.

There are some posts that make their way to the RMEC blog on a somewhat annual basis.  I know we are always finding more runners that follow our blog and somethings are just worth sharing again.  This is one of those posts. . .

Adidas really has never made it to the front of the pack with their running shoes, but they have always had great ads. In 1999 and 2000, Adidas created some fantastic ads that captured the true uniqueness of the endurance runner. I would bet that most of you can related to almost everyone of these ads. . . well, maybe except the last one. Special thanks to Charles Hayden for hosting these pictures on his site.
See you on the roads everyone!

Friday, April 01, 2011

RUN RSVP: Saturday 04/02 @ Harris Teeter 7:00 am

Anybody ready for Spring?  How about a little sunshine?  The weather is finally supposed to dry out starting a 7:00 am tomorrow.  Perfect for our weekend long run.  Please come join us at the Teeter for a run.

Please, comment if you are coming.  Even if you are starting early or coming late.  It makes a BIG difference to motivate other runners and encourages more to come out.  Slow or fast. . . comment if you are coming.

I picked an old route full of dead ends.  In total it 13.4 miles, but it can be easily adjusted to any distance you prefer just by removing the out-and-back sections.  This route guarantees you will see lots of each other on the run.  REVIEW THE ROUTE so you know what you plan to do.  See you in the morning!

Also don't forget that the Movin' for Community Outreach 5k is going on tomorrow in Tarboro.  The race starts at 10:00 am, so sleep in and go represent the RMEC!

Umstead 100 or Bust!

Submitted by: Frank Lilley

Saturday and Sunday is the Umstead 100 . . . Fun starts at 6am and hopefully I'll finish before noon Sunday. Training done. Planning done. Pacers all set. Packing done. Only thing left to do is actually run this thing!

Several folks have ask how they can keep up with my Umstead 100 lap results. Last year they posted lap by lap results . . . I believe you can find the link here if you are interested (you may have to click around a bit!!!). Race starts at 6 am Saturday morning and hopefully I'll be finished by noon Sunday.

While I will have my cell phone with me, I doubt if I'll post any progress reports. Sorry. Kind of worried about my cell phone battery dying!

Positive wishes and prayers are encouraged and appreciated!!