Hill repeats really, really work . . .

Submitted by: Frank Lilley

I've got to admit I was skeptical about the benefits of hill repeats. I started weekly sessions about four or five weeks ago and expected it would likely be months before I started seeing a real positive difference. And to be truthful, I really don't feel any of the benefits quite yet. But they must be there! Proof is in the pudding! Read on.

Today, I traveled to Wilson, NC to run in the first ever "Run for the One" half marathon. Not the best time of the year to have a half marathon. And we knew the weather was going to be hot and humid Saturday. 90s or so probably. But good training for Boogie next weekend. My plan was to just run this one and enjoy the race. The Rocky Mount Endurance Club showed up in force! Probably 15 club members there!

It turns out, I didn't think I was having a good day at all. In fact I felt like I was having a BAD day. I never do well in heat and humidity, but I felt like I was struggling from mile 4 on. Just no zip in my legs (like I EVER have any zip in my legs!). In my mind this was just a day to finish and go home to "jump in the lake!"

But . . . well . . . I must have been flying! I didn't feel like it. But I must have been. This has never happened to me before. It went down something like this . . .

It was about mile 8 or so and I was just minding my own business and wishing the finish line was much closer than it was. But out of the corner of my eye I saw him. Hiding behind a parked car next to the race course was Sgt T. W. Doughtie, one of "Wilson's Finest," And he was armed . . . with a radar gun. Before I knew it, the blue light came on! Got to admit I was quite confused. I couldn't figure out who he was pulling as I didn't see any cars around!

• COP: "Okay Old Man! Pull it over . . . RIGHT NOW!"
• FFF: "Huh???"
• COP: "Yea . . . YOU! Pull it over to the side!!"
• FFF: "But officer . . . what did I do? What's this all about?"
• COP: "Sir . . . do you realize how fast you were going?"
• FFF: "Officer. . . I really don't think . . ."
• COP: "That's the problem sir! You DIDN'T think!! Don't you realize there are other runners out today, trying to enjoy themselves. And here you are . . . SPEEDING! There could even have been kids crossing the street! Or perhaps a mother pushing a baby stroller. What would you have done then . . . HUH??"
• FFF: "Well, officer . . .I guess I would have . . ."
• COP: "You probably would have run them over. THAT'S what you would have done!"
• FFF: "Officer . . . I'm sorry. I guess I just didn't realize."
• COP: "Well Sir . . . you just need to be MUCH more careful and SLOW DOWN!"
• FFF: "Officer, I promise I will. I'll back off the pace and be much more careful the rest of the way."
• COP: "Okay sir. I believe you. You seem like a nice man. I'm going to cut you a break and let you off with just a warning ticket this time! But if I EVER catch you speeding through the town of Wilson again, you'll be very sorry!"

And so . . . I, race #1530, got a Warning Ticket for speeding with the added note "Careless speeding and endangering public citizens."

But even though this is only a "Warning Ticket". . . I'm thinking I may "fight it." I mean . . . I MUST have been going faster then 2 mph! Either the radar gun wasn't calibrated correctly, or the Sargent made a mistake. Either way they'll have to throw ticket out won't they?? But you can bet I won't be missing any hill repeat sessions anytime soon!

Keep up with Frank at Hurry Slowly. . . but Hurry!

RACE REPORT #2: Run for the One Half Marathon

Submitted by: Ursula Forrester

Just Running. . . This weekend, there was a half marathon race planned in Wilson...less than 30 minutes from home. So, why not run a race so close to home, right? It was a last minute call to sign up for the half (instead of the 5k). I'm thinking it's going to be hot, it is a small, first-year race, it's on roads I don't really know, and there's no medal given to finishers. But I've done the distance enough times that I should be fine. So, what the heck. I will proceed with the mindset that I'm just going out for a long Saturday morning run. Afterall, a lot of running buddies will be there. At least, this was my race mentality as the day got started. I wasn't planning to "race" this race. I just planned to do it. Git-her-done, if you will!

The day started when we followed mapquest directions to the precise address provided on the race web page and arrived in downtown Wilson at an office building. Hmmm...no runners in sight. Now what do we do? Thank you Jeff Miller for helping us navigate to the correct location via phone and internet maps. We arrived just in time to sign up, strap on race numbers, and for me to rush to a desperately needed visit at a porta-potty. Oh, and five minutes before the start I discovered my Garmin wouldn't turn on...so no GPS to keep up with my pace or mileage. Bummer. But at least I still had my iPod and just my regular watch. That's all I would need.

So, the race starts and off we go. It was a small crowd. Maybe 50 runners? But a good mixture of men and women. And I think at least a dozen or so of us from the Rocky Mount Endurance Club. I started out running with Amber. Then with Amber and Jon for a bit. Everyone got spread out pretty quick. Misty, Elaine, Laura, Frank, and Julie were behind us. Ashley, Michael, Ron and Liz were ahead.

We came to one of our first turns and realized the course was marked with these little (emphasis on the word little) LOWES lawn flags stuck near the curb in the grass. At this particular turn (going right), we looked left and saw where the road looped around and saw some flags over there too. Hmmmm...were we suppose to turn wide left there and go around the loop before turning up this way? We determined maybe, but we weren't really sure. Oh, well. Keep going. A little ways further, Amber dropped back and Jon and I kept pushing the pace a little. I don't know what pace were running. Not too fast but we were maintaining a decent pace. There were no mile markers on the course, so it was our best guess at any given point as to how far we'd gone. I said we should assume an average 10-minute pace as a way to estimate our distance. We also noticed at some of the intersections/turns there were arrows drawn in chalk on the road. Some were purple, some orange. All of them were small and tough to spot unless you were looking carefully.

It was definitely feeling hot. At 45 minutes I said it was hard to believe we still had another 90 minutes or so ahead of us. My sunglasses had sweat dripping down the lenses and fogged up at water stops. Eventually, those were moved to the top of my head. By the one hour mark I think our pace had slowed a little but we were still moving. We came to an intersection (a really busy four-lane intersection) without any traffic control. Whoa! What is going on? This intersection is way too busy to not have someone stopping traffic. We keep moving. I say we need to keep an eye out for those little flags. We could see a few runners in front of us so we felt we were on track. Then we came to another intersection without traffic control. Seriously?!? This doesn't seem right. I don't see any markings. But there are runners ahead. And then, we see another really busy intersection ahead. Tarboro Road!!! Oh no, this is definitely NOT right. We determine we HAVE missed a turn. We decide to turn around. We tell several runners around us we are sure we missed a turn and are going back. They kept pressing ahead; we turned around. We thought it would be better to get back on course and have water stations along the way than to risk it by finding an alternate way back. Regardless, the race wouldn't be "legitimate" with us veering off course.

It turns out our missed turn was more than a mile back. Along the way we encountered Elaine, Amber, and a new friend who had all also missed the turn. Elaine told us Misty had a printed copy of the turn-by-turn directions with her. So, I think she was the most prepared among us. Kuddos Misty! Too bad she was out of sight.

We found a police officer on a motorcycle at the spot where we turned to get back on the course. So, we added on 2+ miles but now we were back on track. Oh well, things like this can happen. We can laugh about this, right? And I was laughing about it. What else could I do? We're just out for a long run. And now it will be longer than planned. At least now we're back on the right path. To the credit of the motorcycle policeman, he drove back and forth for a mile or two checking on us. He also offered us water.

At the next aid station, we stopped for fluids. When we asked the volunteer "what is the distance here?" meaning at what mile is the aid station located, he responded 13.1 miles. He didn't have any idea at what mileage he was stationed, just how long the race was suppose to be. I was thankful he was there though. Very glad. We needed the fluids. I grabbed a luke-warm, half-full water bottle to go. Better that than nothing. Besides, we didn't know it, but that was the last aid station we would find.

Jon and I continued on with our trek through some scenic and slightly hilly Wilson neighborhoods. It was very pretty and peaceful running conditions. Hot, but still a beautiful day. There were squirrels scurrying here and there and the smell of flowers in the air. Oh, and I spotted some "tremenjus" magnolia trees. Not too bad for a muggy day. And so many of the residential streets were filled with gorgeous, old trees giving us nice shade. The breezes would come and go too. Eventually, we came up to Nash St. where an officer waved us straight across. So, we proceeded to go straight. Our pace was still relatively decent even though my legs were beginning to feel weary. You know, it's that feeling when you realize you've gone further than your legs have trained to go. They're feeling tight and a little achy, but as long as you keep moving forward, momentum is on your side. My spirits were still pretty high. After another mile or so, we came to a fork in the road and there were NO COURSE MARKINGS to be found. Ugghhh! This is not a good sign. Jon immediately turns around and says we have to backtrack again. He is sure it isn't right. And, he was right. The problem this time is that we couldn't find it marked at all where we were suppose to turn as we backtracked. We make it back to Nash St. From there, Jon knows which way to go to head back to downtown. THANK GOODNESS!!! So, we head that way.

I have to admit, from the moment we had to turn around again, and then couldn't figure out where we were suppose to turn, my spirit was broken. I felt defeated. I was mad! I was just ready to be done. I had done all the running I wanted to do. I was wishing I had my cell phone. I wished my Garmin had worked so I'd know how far we'd gone. I was contemplating hitchhiking. I knew Michael would be worried by now. I was so GRATEFUL I wasn't alone. Thank you Jon for running with me and for knowing we needed to turn around. Another half mile down the road, I spotted a police car and waved him down. I asked him to give us a ride back to the finish. I WAS DONE! I didn't want to finish. I just wanted to BE finished. We didn't even know how to get back "on course" at that point. And I didn't want to. For the first time ever, I did NOT finish a race; something I never thought I would choose to do. DNF, on the record books. Sigh...

On the way back, we passed Elaine. She was still going. I admire her for that. She could have piled in the car with us, but she kept going. It occurred to me as I sat there in the back seat of a police car peering out of the window, that I felt a little "criminal." Oh no! I've somehow cheated (myself). I've let myself down. My fellow runner is still going and I've given up. But, even so, I did the right thing for me. Afterall, I really was JUST out for a long run. I was just running. I made it back safely. And just in time. Michael was frantically worried and just starting the car to come and find me. But I was done. I was finished, but in my own way.

RACE REPORT: Run for the One Half Marathon

Submitted by: Elaine Weisner

Julie asked if I’d be interested in doing the One For the Run ½ Marathon on 6/5/10. The profits would go to 2 charities, one of them being Communities in Schools (CIS). I’ve been a CIS mentor in Rocky Mount for 15 years, and it’s a great organization, so I thought it would be nice to support the race. I thought it would be warm in June, so I was not expecting a PR or anything. I checked the race day weather for Wilson this week. When I saw it was going to be low 75, high 94, I had to question my sanity, and thought I might get my first DNF (did not finish.) I was also concerned because it was the first time this race was being run, and I didn’t know how well prepared they would be.

A small group came out. The starting line wasn’t clearly marked, and I wasn’t sure which way we were going. I found myself at the front for the first time, and was quickly passed as the race began. I planned to walk a minute at each mile marker to begin with, and walk more as the heat of the day increased. It was hot. I stayed hydrated and kept pouring water on myself to cool off. I met up with Amber at the water stop around 6 miles. We ran together for awhile, and she questioned if we were going the right way. “Are you serious?!” I thought. She said if we got to Tarboro Street, she knew we weren’t going right. I was clueless about where I was or which way to go, but Amber was from the Wilson area, so I had a sinking feeling she might be right. We saw Ursula heading back towards us, and she confirmed our fears. We had missed a turn somewhere. “Are we really going to backtrack?!” I thought. 13.1 miles was more than enough for this hot day, and now it would be over 15 miles.

As we headed back, we met Cara from Fort Bragg, and turned her around. It was Cara’s first ½ marathon, and we gave her a warm RMEC welcome. We saw the turn we had missed with the white flags, and I realized I had not been paying attention to the flags along the way. (I would now.) I was disappointed that the race wasn’t marked better, but I remember the first year we did the Medoc race several people were upset that they had taken a wrong turn, so I told myself to take it in stride. We let a patrolman on a motorcycle know that several people had taken a wrong turn.

Our small group spread out again. It was hot, but I was doing okay. The police were great. The one on the motorcycle, circled back several times, and brought me a bottled water. Another one stopped to see if I was okay, and offered to give me a ride in the sag wagon. Then one pulled up behind me in his big jeep, and said “I’m not stalking you, but I’m going to stay right behind you.” I asked if I was last. Yes, I was. I said I’d be doing some walking and jogging. That was fine with him. At this point I was walking 2 minutes, and jogging 3, and those 3 minutes were tough. I knew I could opt for a DNF, but I thought I could finish. The policeman stayed right with me for several miles, and it was a comfort to have him there. At every major intersection police would block traffic for this last lone runner. When he told me it was a straight shot in, I thanked him, and he said “I’m not leaving you”, and he went with me to the end.

So I ended up doing over 15 miles on this hot day. I later figured I ran a mile for every year I’ve been a CIS mentor. The CIS mission is for students to stay in school and graduate, and have a relationship with a caring adult. I realized a long time ago that I could do my best to try to raise my children right, but all children are not born with the same opportunities. I’m proud to be part of an organization like CIS.

After we showered at the Wilson YMCA, Misty and I went out to eat and shopped in Smithfield. It felt great at my age to be able to finish 15 miles, and be able to walk without limping to enjoy the rest of the day.

RUN RSVP: Saturday 06/05

Several RMEC members will be racing in Wilson on Saturday. For those of you staying in Rocky Mount, I am still posting our regular Saturday group run. It will be very hot, so get out early and knock your miles out! After that go hang out at the pool feeling good about yourself!

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 6:30 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: TBD
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 4 Miles; 12 Miles

Call me lazy, but I used the same routes as last week! I cannot put out fluids again because I plan to race. if anyone can provide fluids please post a comment and save your receipt for reimbursement. Route adjustment options can be found a few posts below if you need to cut the route.

Two important reminders:

• SHIRTS: Over half of the club has not ordered shirts. You need to let us know what you want by Monday, or you will not be in the order (see post below)
• MEDOC: The 10-Miler could easily sell out in a week. If you plan to run you honestly need to sign up. We are not bluffing. There are 60 spots left, and we are averaging 10 runners per day in June.

Run for the One

There is a new race this weekend in Wilson that has a 5k and Half Marathon options. The is called Run for the One. June of course is not an ideal day to race a half marathon, but many of us would be running that far anyway, so why not sign up and support a race instead!

• Time: The half marathon starts at 7:30 am. The 5k & 1M is at 7:45 a.m.
• Weather: Even with an early start it will still be a hot day. The low is 74.
• Cost: Registration fee is $40 for the half
• Course: Flat, Shaded, Flat, and Flat. (Map)
• Website: http://www.wcsac.org/ (Very Limited Information)
• Awards: No medals for half marathon finishers. Not certain about other awards.
• Size: Less than 50 runners are currently registered for the Half.

So if you plan to run of Saturday, come join us in Wilson! Who is planning on running?

Shirt Order Time!

Okay, it is now time to place your shirt order. After all of the voting for colors, I have now confirmed you can pick your own personal favorite. This means we will once again look like a big bag of Skittles at the next group run.

THE COST: We are discounting your first two shirts by $4 each. After the first two, you need to pay our price. In other words, add $4 to each shirt you order after two. Prices are in the table below.

• Z1050 Boston - Unisex Tech $5 (All colors)
• IL108 Sedona - Women's Tech $5 (All colors)
• IL109 Jasper - Women's Tech $5 (Gold or Red only)
• Z1066HV Boulder - Unisex Hi-Vis Tech $9 (Green or Orange only)
• Z1090 Allessa - Unisex Cotton Blend $5 (Thunderstruck grey only)
• Z5090 Allessa - Women's Cotton Blend $5 (Thunderstruck grey only)
• Z1050Y Boston - Youth Tech $5 (Most colors)

THE COLORS: Check the links to determine the colors available in the shirt style you want. There are a few limitations. We can not order black or white shirts, because those are the two colors we are using to ink the shirts. In the cotton blend shirt, we are only ordering grey (Thunderstruck). The Hi-Vis shirt only has two colors, and the Women's tank only has two options as well. There are a few less options in the youth shirt too. Just make sure you verify the color you want is available. . . and ladies, you can order pink now!

THE STYLES: We added a women's tank style, but do not have a tank top style for men (sorry). Ladies, don't feel like you have to order a women's style. If you prefer a traditionally style tee, order the unisex options. The women's styles typically run a little smaller.

THE ORDER: Fill out the order form below. You have to repeat this for every shirt you plan to order. Sorry about that, but the order form was very confusing when I tried to allow multiple orders at the same time.

THE DEADLINE: I will submit the order on Monday 06/07. So please help spread the word to people that they need to put their order in.

Shirt Update and Potential Logo Change?

General Update: Okay, we are getting VERY close to submitting the shirt order. There are two companies we are taking bids from and we are trying to secure the best price. One thing I have confirmed is the Hi-Vis shirt is more expensive. So those want that shirt will need to pay more. I am also checking to see if we can all pick our own personal favorite shirt color for the order (don't get too excited yet. . . not sure if they can do this).

Club Discount: As we stated from the beginning, the RMEC will discount these shirts for club members below cost. Because the club is "eating" the difference we need to limit the number of discounted shirts each member can order to two shirts. If not, this will quickly depleat our membership budget. You are welcome to order more, but you will need to pay our price (which is already discounted because of the volume we are ordering). More details will be available on pricing in the next blog post.

Logo Change: I had hoped to refresh the RMEC logo for the next shirt order. I wanted to keep it similar in style (because it is recognizable), but update it some. Below is our current logo, and a proposed logo. Don't worry about the colors. This is just what it was designed in. The logo will be B&W in our shirt order.

Here are the changes (current logo is on the top, proposed logo is on the bottom)

• Two new runner images.
• Letter R is not cut off, and there is a little more white space between the M and the E
• Text below now has a drop shadow instead of two color words
• Removed Rectangle

So take a minute to vote (yes. . . another poll) on which logo you prefer.