RUN RSVP: Saturday 12/15

It will be interesting to see who is out for a run on Saturday. Now that Fall Marathon season is winding down, and the First Carolina State Bank Half has come and gone, some of you may be looking forward to relaxing for a while. If people are interested, I have two routes below.

The 10 mile route is the Myrtle Beach group, or any one looking for a longer run. I also have a 4 mile route for anyone that is looking to stay in shape. This route is also good for anyone who would like to come run for the first time with the RMEC. New people are always welcome. Please use the comment section if you plan to run.

Run Details:

• Day: Saturday @ 7:00 a.m.
• Where: Harris Teeter
• Route: 10 miles or 4 miles
• Supported: No - Bring Your Own Drink
• Weather: Forecast

The temperatures will drop substantially today and tonight. It will be a cold 43 in the morning, and really will not warm up at all. So dress accordingly.

Written route directions are included in the map links above. As always, we are just a group meeting to run together. Roads have cars which are bigger than people. Run at your own risk.

25% off at Sports Authority

Thought I would share a discount code with everyone for the Sports Authority. This will get you 25% off any SINGLE ITEM Purchase. The coupon is only valid today through Sunday, 12/16/07 . When checking out use the coupon code: TSAFFSAVE (case-sensitive)

There are lots of exclussions (like Underarmor, North Face, and Garmin) but you can still find some deals. This is great for those of you looking for running gear, Christmas gifts, or something for your ski trip!

Tar River Trail Connectors

UPDATE: I wanted to bump this message back to the top. This meeting is tomorrow. Frank has done a good bit of reading on what the city has planned. The overall project is much bigger than just connecting the YMCA to Battle Park. This really is about increasing bike paths all around Rocky Mount. This would include adding a bike lane to the reservoir, and connecting more parks (such as connecting the current green ways with Horn Beam park).

Please, find a way to to make it to one of these meetings. If you have friends who run or bike, tell them to come to. Having a safe system for biking and running is a big deal for Rocky Mount. If we can get a connector from the YMCA to Battle Park, it gives us the ability to create 5ks that could start at the Y. It could even give a chance to put in a local sprint triathlon. Bottom line, this is needed in Rocky Mount. Take an hour out of your day, and let Parks and Recreation know how important this is.

Frank Lilley and Carol Dickens are serving on a City of RM Parks and Rec. committee to evaluate and promote the Tar River Trail Connectors.

• The first of these connectors will connect the Sports Complex area and the Battle Park section by the animal shelter.
• The second will connect the Battle Park area on Falls Rd to the Sports Complex area.

These connectors will be funded by grant money. One key element to receiving this grant money is to show community support for the projects. Anyone that has run or biked from the Y knows how dangerous the Centura Blvd and the Falls Rd area can be for those of us navigating them on foot or bicycle. We need a strong showing at the public meetings to be held on Dec. 13th.

I want to encourage all of the RMEC group and the YMCA Nooners to show their support for this endeavor at one of these hearings. Again, it was said at the meeting Carol attended, that NUMBERS DO COUNT. Please plan to attend one of these hearings! If we could fill up the room for one of these hearings (maybe 7:00) we will have an impact. Take the family out for dinner, and head to the meeting.

Myrtle Beach Training

After several blog comments and a voting poll, it became pretty obvious that Myrtle Beach on February 16th was the next race of choice for those doing a half or full marathon. Some of you who were interested in other races had told me later that Myrtle may work better for them as well. So that being said, here is a training plan for Myrtle.

What you see below is taking the last 10 weeks of the Richmond Novice plan. Some of you will want to run more, but I would not recommend less (with the exception of those that substitute in cross training). This plan is only a guide. You should adjust it to what meets your needs. Most of you already have a base. You just ran a half marathon on Saturday after all, so this plan picks you up exactly where you are today. In fact this coming weekend is actually a recovery run.

No one has to commit to running the race, but I really would like to know who at least wants to give it a shot. This includes anyone who is interested in the Myrtle beach Half Marathon. We can create a plan for the half folks as well. I am essentially trying to get an idea of how many of you I can expect to see on Saturday runs, and what length routes I should be creating.

Please comment on the blog if your are interested, and let us know what distance (half or full). New people to the blog are welcome and encouraged to post. We are always looking for more runners. If you run 3 miles or 20 miles you will fit in.

Note: There is also a 5k, a Marathon Relay, and three Bike Rides (10 miles, 30 miles, or 63 miles) as part of the overall Myrtle Beach weekend.

Newspaper Stories

There were three stories written in the Rocky Mount Telegegram on Sunday about the Half Marathon. I have linked to those three stories below. I also have the story written back in November about the race. If you have a copy of the paper you can see some race photos. I know Frank and Brad are in one of them, and few others show up as well.

• The 'beautiful' race: Half marathon earns respect
• Half marathon attracts full crowd of runners
• Street crusade - Falls Road Baptist athletes enjoy running long distances
• Runners to compete in half marathon race

Official race results are now posted. There were 244 Half Marathon finishers, and 123 5k finishers. I estimate another 75 in the kid race, giving us a total of 442 runners. Great job everyone!

• 5k Results
• Half Marathon Results

Half Marathon Photos

Ursula took lots of pictures from the race this weekend. Several were taken "on the run" so those may be a touch blurry. As always, some firewalls block the Google picture site, so you may need to view these from home.

FCSB Half Photos
Main Directory

What did you think?

Congrats to everyone who raced this morning in the First Carolina State Bank Half Marathon and 5k. Good or bad, let me know what you thought. You are welcome to post anonymously if you would like to. I am looking for feedback from anyone, even if you do not post here normally. I will share feedback with Butch. I also strongly encourage you to contact Butch directly by going to ncraces.com.

Finally, it is important for Tim Taylor and the team at First Carolina State Bank to know how valueable this event is to Rocky Mount. You can email their general email box at ebank@fcsbank.com. It is worth the time to send them a message.