RUN RSVP: Saturday 04/26

Note the time change. We are going to start meeting at 7:00 am now. The sun is up earlier, and the weather will soon be getting hotter. This may be a small group, as a few of you are racing, and several are swimming on Saturday. Unless people are opposed to it, I was going to use the same routes we used last weekend, and leave from City Lake. I have family in town, and having a water stop at my house makes it easier to set up.

The 10 mile route is pictured below, but there is a shorter 7.5 mile route that uses the same roads if anyone is interested.

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 7:00 am @ City Lake
• Supported: Yes - My House and fountains
• Weather: Forecast (61F at 7:00 and 68F at 10:00)
• Route: 10 mile route is below. Shorter 7.5 Mile Loop

Please RSVP in the comments if you are coming. If you can provide your estimated pace, it will help. This lets people know if there is someone near their speed to run with, and will help encourage others to come out for a run. Thanks!

Tour de Georgia

Hello all. You may not know it, but the Tour de Georgia is taking place this week. It is a great race - I just wish it did not take place during our busy season so I could go watch a couple stages. There is a very good field this year with Team Slipstream, Astana(last year's Team Discovery basically), Jelly Belly, High Road, and CSC(possibly the strongest Team Team in the world) involved to name a few. If you have never seen a stage race, they occasionally have something called a Team Time Trial. Basically, the 8 members of a team (or however many are remaining in the race - you start with 8) work together to set the fasted time possible on a course by working together. One difference for this one will be that they are not allowing time trial / aero bikes to be used due to the hilly nature of Road Atlanta.

Tomorrow, 4/24/08 they are racing 4 laps of Road Atlanta (2.5 mile lap) as the first Team Time Trial in the US since 1986. They will keep the time of the 5th team rider to cross the finish line which opens up different strategies. It is pretty short and exciting. Anyway, you can watch it live on the internet starting at 1PM. VS will show highlights from the entire tour on May 4th at 2PM. If you get SportSouth on your dish package - you might be able to see daily coverage - I'm jealous!--Eric

Fiesta Biathlon Results

Okay, I willingly admit the following race results are not as impressive as a Boston Qualifier, or a debut marathon time, however in the Rocky Mount Endurance Club, we acknowledge all race performances for the sheer fact that it takes guts to sign up for a race. That being said, four RMEC people raced this weekend in the Fiesta Biathlon in Greenville, NC.

Ursula and I, had issues arranging childcare, so we entered as a relay team and took turns watching the kids. We placed 5th in the coed division. I ran a 20:03 in the 5k, and Ursula rode 55:03 in the 15 mile bike. This combined for 1:15:05, and placed us 32 out of all finishers (relay and individuals).

Our combined relay time was still not good enough to hold off Eric Seale. After setting a 5k PR of 28:40, Eric posted the 8th fastest bike time of 43:30. His bike speed allowed him to pass 35 racers! This moved him up from 64th place after the run to 29th by the end of the race. All of this was good enough for a 4th place age group finish.

Right on Ursula's back wheel was Rob Powell with a time of 1:15:14. Rob was one of the original founders of the Fiesta Biathlon over 20 years ago, and he is still racing! Sunday, he began with a 22:35 5k and finished with a 52:40 on the bike. Despite finishing 33rd overall, Rob was in a super competitive age group and only managed 11th in his age group. He would have placed no worse than 5th in every other age group.

Congrats everyone on taking on a new challenge!

Runner Safety: Please Read

As runners in Rocky Mount, we often get spoiled by the seemingly endless roads we have to run on. We should however never forget to take precaution when we go out to run. One of our runners recently had an encounter when they were running this weekend. A red haired man in a white 4x4 pickup truck pulled up beside them, asking questions, and eventually exposed himself to the runner.

In situations like this, you need to know how to handle yourself.

• First and foremost, never engage with a person who is trying to upset you, or doing something inappropriate.
• If a car is looking for help, don't stop moving, and never go to their window.
• If you feel uncomfortable head to the nearest house, and ring the doorbell.
• If there is nowhere nearby and you do not have a phone, hold your hand to your ear like you have a cell phone and pretend as if you are making a call. Most people will not stick around to see if you have a phone.

The items above are how to handle a bad situation. The best thing to do is to prevent them.

• Don't run alone.
• Carry a cell phone if you can.
• Don't run with head phones, so you can stay alert and aware of your surroundings
• Always let someone know when you are going running, and the roads you will be on.
• Always carry ID, like a drivers license or a roadid.

Men and women need to be careful. I have had cars swerve directly at me on a run, so don't think mean are not a risk. As we enter the summer months, the heat will be tough, so these rules become even more important. Bottom line. . . take care of yourself.

Charlottesville Marathon Recap

Congratulations to Jeff Hartney and Levi Moore on their completion of the Charlottesville Marathon this past weekend! For those who are not familiar with the course, it is a peaceful and beautiful race through the mountains of Charlottesville Virginia. All though the views are stunning the course is the most challenging I have ever seen.

This was Jeff's first marathon in many years, and it was Levi's first ever. It is safe to say that Levi picked a challenge for his marathon debut, and he did excellent finishing in 4:12:17! I forsee faster finishes in Levi's marathoning future, but to begin with a 4:12 in Charlottesville is very impressive. This was good enough for 245th out of 511 total finishers.

Jeff has been posting some impressive half marathon times of late, so I expected good things in his return to the marathon. Jeff did not disappoint. He finished in 3:16:24! In case you did not know, Jeff is 44 which means he was well under the 3:20 qualifying time for Boston. WOW! Jeff finished 30th overall and 5th in his age group. Just think about what time he could post on a flat course.

Jeff and Levi have recently begun running with the RMEC on a few weekends, and have both joined the club. You have probably seen them at the Y. Be sure to introduce yourself the next time you are out on a run. Congrats to both Jeff and Levi. Excellent races! Here is a link to the complete results.

SWIM RSVP: Saturday 04/26

Kinnie, is coordinating an open water swim practice at Lake Gaston this coming Saturday. The tentative plan right now is to swim around noon, and give people a chance to experience the open water in a wet suit. Even though many of you have done open water swims in the past, refreshing yourself on how it feels is a good idea before the race.

Run Details:

• Day: Saturday @ noon
• Where: Lake Gaston
• Weather: Forecast

More details will follow in regards to carpooling, and when they will leave Rocky Mount. If you are interested, post a comment now. If there is not enough interest, she may try another day/time. I am also going to check about doing a reservoir swim as well. It will likely be one day after work early next week. Andy and Tracy both live on the reservoir, so I will see what I can find out.

RMEC is now official!

Scott filed to become a non-profit organization, and we have now received our Tax ID from the IRS. We have opened a checking account, so we will be depositing the $25 checks for membership beginning next week. If you have not sent a check yet, and completed an application, please do so as quickly as possible!

The next step is to file with the Road Runner Club of America. To do this, I need to send our check for each member, so lets get your checks in, so I can write one to RRCA. Thanks everyone!