Medoc Meltdown 50k

Don't forget about the Medoc Meltdown 50k this Saturday. Over 30 runners are expected to be at the park for the run. Most are doing one or two park loops, and a few others are going for the full 50k! As a reminder, this is a non-supported run, so bring your own fluids. You will however be motivated by lots of other friendly runners.

This is a great chance to get a training run on the trails before the Medoc Trail Races on October 4th. It is a stress free event. Take whichever pace you desire, and run as much or as little as you want.

If you plan to participate, contact Frank or Cameron through their site. This way they know who is coming. To let the RMEC know, you can post here as well. There is probably a great chance to set up some carpooling.

EVERYONE is welcome to join. Slow or fast. . . experienced or not. . . come out and run!

Brian Sell: Olympic Marathoner. . . Home Depot Employee

Okay, this might only be funny to a few weird people like me, but I know Scott thinks it is funny too (he found the clip). Most of you know that Brian Sell is representing the USA in the Olympic Marathon. You may not know that he is also a pretty regular guy when he is not running 2:10 marathons. He is actually a Home Depot employee. Below is a video clip of Brian that shows an average day on the job.


Brian Sell Bio: Brian Sell, whose recent third place triumph in the 2008 Olympic Trials in New York landed him a spot on the USA mens’ Olympic team, is known as the “man who knows how to run that last 10K of a marathon.” Backed by a powerful network of family, friends and former coaches, Sell will pack his bags, shoes and growing reputation to hit the track at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and represent Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and the United States.

Sell has racked up quite a collection of records and achievements, including: placing 25th at IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2003; membership to USATF World Championship marathon team in 2005; first place in the U.S. Half Marathon in 2006; Chicago Distance Classic Champion in 2006 (1:04:25); first place in the USATF 25K Championships; and third in the 2008 Olympic Trials (2:11:40). His personal best marathon was run in 2:10:47 in October of 2006.

Needless to say, Sell says he’s looking forward to the “hot, flat course in Beijing.”

Calling All RMEC Members!

Even with the addition of 50 runner spots, we still fully expect the Ford's Colony races to sell out. As organizers of the events it is far easier if the races sell out in advance of race day. This way we do not have to worry about race day registrations, running out of the right shirt size, and worse of all turning away runners on race day once the cap is reached.

I have a challenge for every member of the RMEC, and I hope you will all take it seriously: FIND AT LEAST ONE PERSON TO SIGN UP AS A RUNNER OR VOLUNTEER BY WEDNESDAY OF THIS WEEK.

We have 40 RMEC members. If each of you can just find one runner, we will sell out by the weekend. Seriously, that is all it will take. Tell them to put your name in the "How did you hear about this event" question. I would love for you to find more people for the 10k, but I will just be happy if you all accept this challenge as find us some new runners regardless of race.

We are supposed to be promoted in an email that will be sent from the Chamber of Commerce this week, and also on an email sent through Finish Strong. Those two emails will also give us a spike in registrations as well.

UPDATE:

• Scott - has 2
• Eric S - has 1
• Michael - has 2
• Tracy P - has 1
• Misty - has 2
• Eric P - has 1
• Elaine - has 1
• Tim - has 6
• Rob - has 1
• Steve - has 1
• Brent - has 3
• Patti - has 1
• Dave - has one pending
• Amber - has 2 prospects pending. . .

TELL PEOPLE TO REGISTER ONLINE IF POSSIBLE SO WE DONT HAVE APPLICATIONS IN THE MAIL WHEN WE SELL OUT.

RUN RSVP: Saturday 08/16

Last week we had a big crowd with several new faces. We hope to see you all again. Once again we have three different distances planned. As always, all routes can be adjusted. Please be sure to review the directions before the run and print them if needed. To see the turn sheets, look below the map. If they are not there, click on "Notes". The newer maps have it under notes.

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 6:00 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: Yes
• Weather: Forecast (65F at start)
• Routes: 3.7 miles; 12 miles; 14 miles

The three mile route that was planned got a little longer. I was trying to put you on some different roads, and this was as short as I could get it. If there are some new people coming out that only planned on three, you can walk the last .7 as a cool down. I think many of you are already going longer.

The weather is going to be great, but drinking is still important. Fluids will be at the tracks, at my house, and at Co-Ah-Bar (can someone put fluids there again).

Please encourage others to come out and run. If you are not a regular runner, this is a BIG day. The "half marathon train" is starting to warm up. If people want to get on board for the half marathon, they need to get on in the next few weeks. Tell a friend. . . RSVP online with your pace and distance. . . See you tomorrow!

Distance Runners Performance Clinic

I stumbled on to something today that sounds pretty interesting and could be very beneficial to all of the RMEC. Both experienced and new runners could learn something from this.


This Saturday in Raleigh there is a Distance Runners Performance Clinic at the Athletic Performance Center. This is no charge for the event. The goal of the event is to learn how to enhance your running performance. They will cover:

• Running efficiency
• Injury prevention & strength training
• Recovery and regeneration
• Video gait analysis, and more.

The event starts at 10:00, so there is enough time to do your morning run with us at the Harris Teeter, and get to Raleigh in time for the event. Check-in is from 9:30-9:45. This honestly sounds pretty cool. Not sure if you guys are willing to give up three hours of your Saturday, but I hope you will consider this.

Inspirational

The link below is an inspirational story that Eric has shared from ESPN. Regardless of being a runner, swimmer, or cyclist you will enjoy this story. Thanks for sharing Eric. Link to Story

Ford's Colony Is About to Sell Out!

Update: Yesterday was a big day for Ford's Colony race entries. There are now only 15 spots open in the 5k and 23 spots open in the 10k. These will most likely be gone in the next several days. If you have any friends planning to sign up, they better do it now. Assuming we don't fill up this week, the prices go up five dollars on Friday.

Race Cap: There is a chance we may add more entries for each race, but this is not a guarantee. We need to discuss this with Ford's Colony, because the parking is limited. We also need to discuss with Finish Strong, to ensure there are adequate chips for the race. Finally, we need to obtain additional race numbers, and adjust our shirt order. In other words, if you want to guarantee your spot, sign up now.

Wait List: When we fill up, we will create a waiting list until we have confirmed the actually number of runners we can handle. More details will follow on this.

Age Groups: The 5k is short on men under 30, and women over 50. Sign up a friend, and have a great chance at an age group award.

Volunteers: I want to make another push for volunteers. I really want to see our runners run, but I also would love to see your family and friends on the course passing out water, helping with race day registration, and helping to clear the course after the race. Please encourage people to volunteer.

Medoc: Don't forget that Ford's Colony runners get 10% off their Medoc registration. Visit the From a 10k to 10-miler section for more information.