2nd October Weekend Race Results

What a BIG weekend of racing for the RMEC.  I will try to hit everyone, but will apologize in advance if I missed you.  I will start with the race closest to home.

Run for Autism:  The RMEC silver streaks continue their onslaught of the local 5k/10k racing scene.  Ashely Bass ran a 17:07 taking 7th overall and 1st Masters in the Run for Autism this past Saturday.   Brian Lankford ran an equally impressive race finishing in 18:19 and taking 16th overall and 2nd in his age group.

In most local 5ks these times would be top three, but Brain and Ashley are acing in events that are part of the Second Empire Grad Prix Series, so the competition is always strong.  It is still nice to see two RMEC Masters running "high school" quality times.  See complete results online.

New River 50k:  At the same time that Brian and Ashley were running a 5k, we had another group running a 50k at the New River 50k Ultra.  This flat out-and-back course has been described by all runners as absolutely beautiful.  Liz Lord ran a steady pace and was the first to finish from the RMEC with a time of 5:02:02.  This was good enough to be the 16th overall woman.  It shoudl also be pointed out that this was Liz's first Ultra. . . and she had never run a marathon!

Eight spots back from Liz were Scott Wingfield and Ted Lord who finished with a time of 5:12:59.  Scott and Ted swapped places several times in the last stages of the race before finishing together.  This was also the first Ultra for the two of them.

Next to finish was the ultra vets from the club.  Ron Fleming ran strong for the first 15 miles, but then felt his body telling him it was not going to be a good day.  It would have been easy to pack it in and call it quits, but Ron pushed through and still managed a 6:18:49.  Frank Lilley had concerns when he realized the cut off for the race was seven hours.  He was thinking it was a 7:30 cut off.  This meant Frank would need a PR to finish the race. . . and that is exactly what he got!  Frank finished in 6:57:06.  A new PR and another Ultra under his belt.

Complete results are available online.  Great job everyone!felt

Steamtown Marathon:  Eight members of the RMEC traveled to Scranton Pennsylvania to race in the Steamtown Marathon.  Hoping to take advantage of a fast course and cool weather, the RMEC did not dissapoint.  John Batchelor wanted to join the sub-3:00 club of the RMEC, and he was successful.  John finished in 2:58:35.  This was 57th overall and 4th in his age group.  Both are very impressive considering the 2000 runner field.

Derek Hurdle was next to cross the finish line with a 3:10:31.  This was Derek's second time qualifying for Boston and a new PR.  I expect his time would have been a bit quicker had he not run over 50 miles in the Blue Ridge Relay a few weeks ago.  Dave Lavely was right on the heels of Derek when he finished with a 3:14:32.  This was not only another BQ for Dave, it was also a marathon PR.

Ryan Bullard was only minutes behind Dave when he crossed at 3:17:04.  Keeping with the trend of the RMEC, this was also a new PR for Ryan.  Eric Pate has been fighting off freak (non-running) injuries during his taper, but showed no signs of problems on race day.  Eric broke four hours for the first time finishing with a 3:59:48.

Steve Cooper had some GI issues early in the race that had a big impact on his pace.  It would have been easy to have quit, but that is not Steve's nature.  He had to make some pitstops in the race and still finished with a 4:16:46.

The ladies of the RMEC were the next two to finish.  Although they never saw each other in the race, the posted chip times that were only four seconds apart.  Ursula Forrester knocked 36 minutes off of here Marine Corp PR when she finished with a 4:21:19.  This was the race that Ursula knew she had in her.  Jeanette Batchelor had been quietly training over the summer.  Each week running farther and faster.  In her marathon debut she posted a 4:21:24.  Heck of a way to start marathoning!  Full results are online.

Great job to everyone in the RMEC.  Nice to see we are off to a great fall marathon season.  If you add up the endurance races this weekend, we had 11 PRs posted!  I look forward to many more great races in the coming weeks!  Please share your race reports.

RUN RSVP: Saturday 6:30 @ Harris Teeter

Another great week of cool temperatures. Hopefully you are all feeling the benefits on your long runs now.  We have lots from the RMEC racing this weekend (Frank, Scott, Ron, Liz, Ted, Dave, Derek, John, Jeannette, Ursula, Steve, and Eric) so there may be a smaller group tomorrow morning at the Teeter.

According to our long run schedule, we will have route of 4, 10 and 20 mile option.  Some of you likely have a long run, and others (those running the Spinx Marathon) are beginning your taper. 
Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 6:30 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: Yes at the Tracks
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 4-Miles, 10-Miles

Because we are expecting a small group, it did not make sense to set up a 20-mile route that required three different water stops.  So if you need to do 20 miles, double up on the 10-mile route above.  This way you will hit the fluids four times.

Regarding fluids. . . we have had an issue over the summer with trash, cups, bottles, and shirts being left at "the tracks".  I am guilty of this myself.  Please make certain that whatever you take to the tracks needs to be picked up.  I normally try to get by and pick things up when we are done, but I am not always there.  The family who lives there was kinds enough to not only let us use their driveway, they built a table for us to use as well.  Please do your part to keep this clean for them.  Thank you!

Please post a comment if you plan to run.  There will only be enough fluids for those that RSVP.  I am going to rest my knee this weekend, so I am not running.  I am happy to put fluids out in the morning, but if someone else would like to take care of this it would be appreciated.  Remember, we are starting at 6:30 now to allow for some extra sun light.

Dash for Cash Teams

The RMEC is putting together multiple teams for the 2010 Reindeer Dash for Cash in Greeville.  This is a 5k and 10M race that is held on December 5th at 1:00 pm.  It is one of the rare afternoon races, and is easy to get to from Rocky Mount.  Right now I expect 20-30 at least from the RMEC to race.

Both courses are very flat, and very fast.  It is a great place to set some new PRs.  When you race on a team, it is just like any other race.  We all will run the full distance, but they will take the top three times of your team to create a total time.  Each team is made up of 3-5 runners.

My strategy for the RMEC is to build multiple teams for men and women.  I have asked the race director about creating an awards category for Women Teams and she is looking into it for us.  I know there will be other all women teams as well racing. 

For each race (Men 10M, Men 5k, Women 10M, Women 5k) I would like to have an "A" team that will compete to win.  It only needs three "fast" runners, so we can fill in with different people.  My goal is to spread out the RMEC runners so we can field as many teams as possible.  You pace and your experience does not matter.  This is about getting out, having fun, and meeting new people. 

So if you run a sub 6:00 pace or a 15:00 pace you are welcome to join in.  I will make some recommended teams based on who signs up so we can still remain competitive.  If you plan to run, let us stick you on a team.  It can't hurt, and you just might win an award!

Please post a comment if you are interested so we can try to assemble the teams.  Here are the names that have shown interest so far.  Remember, that everyone is welcome to join in.

10-Miler Men:

1. Derek Hurdle
2. Michael Forrester
3. Cliff Amos
4. Kevin Boudreau
5. Mike Barnhill (Tentative)
6. Dennis Crossen (could also do 5k)
7. Ron Fleming

5k Men:

1. Ashley Bass (Tentative - could also do 10M)
2. Brian Lankford (Tentative - could also do 10M)
3. John Batchelor
4. Eric Ghiloni
5. George Mount

10M Women:

1. Kinnie Pruden
2. Tracy Proctor
3. Carolyn Beam (Likely - could also do 5k)
4. Ursula Forrester

5k Women

1. Alane Floyd
2. Mary Frances Bush (Tentative)
3. Brandie Ghiloni

I may have missed a name or two above mistakenly.  The hope is that after the race we can all go by Starbucks, Moe's, or Chico's to celebrate after the run.  With a 1:00 pm. start, we will still be home before the sun sets.  Should be a fun time!

Early October Results

The RMEC had a few members sneak off last weekend for the Lake Royale Triathlon. This sprint distance event is one of the last of the season. The "ever-shrinking" Eric Seale took his new lean swimmers body to the event on last weekend and finished 77th among all men. His strongest leg was the bike portion where he average 18.9 mph, but Eric's run times are dropping every week. After the swim and the bike Eric posted a solid 32:50 in the run. Overall, Eric placed 7th in the Clydesdale division.

Following the mold of Eric, the "ever-shrinking" Brad Kerr also took on Lake Royale. Months of not running from an injury has forced Brad into heavy cross training. This showed up in his swim and in the bike leg where he averaged a solid 17.7 mph. Overall, Brad finished 8th in his age group.

Brian Lankford also decide to sneak in a quick race over the weekend when he drove down I-95 to compete in the Selma Railroad Run. Despite a field of just 114 runners, it was pretty stacked at the front. Brian ran a 6:02 pace on his way to a 18:43 5k. This was good enough for 6th overall, and second in his age group. It should be pointed out the 47 year old Brian was second to a 40 year old.

Kinnie Pruden was also racing a Tri this weekend at the HalfMax Championship.  Poor water conditions turned the event into a biathlon instead, so the race began with a 56 mile bike ride, where Kinnie posted an amazing 2:36:15 averaging 21.5 mph.  The hard push on the bike made for a challenging run, but she was still able to finish with a strong 2:26:47 half marathon time.  In total she finihed in 5:08:03 and 34th in her age group.  Don't let the place fool you.  This was a qualifying event for Nationals, so the field of competitors was stacked!

 
Great job everyone! As always, please let me know when you race so I can get it on the blog. Your running performances is a big motivator to others. Better yet, I always love a race report. It can be one paragraph, or a short story. . . if I can copy-and-paste, it makes thing easier for me.

Best of 2010

RMEC, our club needs five minutes of your time.  This is really important and easy to do.  I honestly hope all of you will take the time to help us out.

Endurance Magazine is a free regional magazine.  If you have never picked one up you should.  They are doing a Best of 2010 poll with 100 questions.  Several of these questions could directly impact the events that we are involved with.  100 questions sounds like a lot, but you don't have to answer them all.  Some of these you actually may not have an answer actually.

VOTE FOR THE BEST OF 2010

Here are the questions that interest the RMEC:

1) Best RUNNING SHOE SELECTION
Raleigh Running Outfitters - Raleigh NC

7) Best CUSTOMER SERVICE
Raleigh Running Outfitters - Raleigh NC

9) Best OVERALL retailer - Running
Raleigh Running Outfitters - Raleigh NC

13) Best TRAIL Run event
Medoc Trail Races - Roanoke Rapids NC

14) Best 5K Run Event
Golf Club at Rocky Mount 5k - Rocky Mount NC

15) Best 10K Run Event
Golf Club at Rocky Mount 10k - Rocky Mount NC

16) Best 10 MILER Run Event
Medoc Trail 10 Miler - Roanoke Rapids NC

17) Best HALF-MARATHON Event
Roanoke Canal Half Marathon - Roanoke Rapids NC

18) Best MARATHON Event
Medoc Trail Marathon - Roanoke Rapids NC

20) Best OVERALL Run Event
Medoc Trail Races - Roanoke Rapids NC

21) Best SPRINT Triathlon Event
Tri Roanoke Valley - Roanoke Rapids NC (Help Halifax out with your vote!)

35) Best ONLINE EVENT REGISTRATION WEBSITE
Medoc Trail Races - Roanoke Rapids NC

37) Best POST-RACE Experience
Medoc Trail Races - Roanoke Rapids NC

38) Best EVENT T-SHIRT
Medoc Trail Races - Roanoke Rapids NC

39) Best EVENT MEDAL (We BETTER win this one!)
Medoc Trail Races - Roanoke Rapids NC

40) Best EVENT AWARD
Medoc Trail Races - Roanoke Rapids NC

42) Best PLACE TO RUN (trail)
Medoc Mountain State Park - Roanoke Rapids NC

44) Best PLACE TO RIDE (trail)
Medoc Mountain State Park - Roanoke Rapids NC

47) Best PLACE TO HIKE
Medoc Mountain State Park - Roanoke Rapids NC
 
Now, please don't feel you have to vote all of the items above. We don't want to cheat the poll.  If you do feel our races are worthy of the vote, then put us down.  If there are better races that you feel are more deserving then vote for them.  Regardless vote!

Nearby Recommended Race Options

PLEASE POST COMMENTS ON YOUR PLANS

Good morning RMEC! If you are reading this later in the day then good afternoon or good evening. I wanted to do a post about some upcoming area races. There are several races that are personal favorites and some others that are new and nearby. New races need the support of running clubs like the RMEC to succeed. After starting four races in the past five years, I like to try to help other independently run races see the same success that our races have had. I will start with those. 

10/23 American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler: This out-and-back 10-miler is on the same trail that we ran in the Tobacco Road Marathon. Don't let the word trail scare you off. This course is on a wide, flat, hard packed cinder trail. It is every bit as fast as road, but easier on the legs. Last year drew a crowd of 300 runners, 60% of which were women. The race has two separate starts for men and women which encourages more women to race. Registration is open now, and will sell out soon.

11/06 Picasso Run: This is a new race held in Roanoke Rapids. I am really excited about the course they have picked out. First of all, the race is a 10k. This is a distance that is becoming harder to find. Second of all the race is a perfect blend of roads and trail. Mile 2 through 4 take in the historic Roanoke Canal Trail. This is the same trail used for the Roanoke Canal Half Marathon. These are fast trails and should allow for quick times. I highly encourage you to register for this inaugural race and to enjoy a fall morning in Roanoke Rapids.

11/20 Nash Street Mile: Contrary to the race name, this another new 10k that is only 25 minutes away. This race will be held in Wilson, and is not direct by the same group who did the recent half marathon. The race course is very flat with only a total elevation change of 108 feet. The race starts are the Wilson County Library and then runs in the neighborhoods just beside Nash Street. It does have lots of turns for a 10k, but the course should have virtually no traffic concerns.

12/05 Dash for Cash: This event is not new, but it is another great independently run race. The race is held annually in Greenville and has a 10-Miler and a 5k. The 10-Miler is the signature race and has grown every year of the race. It is also a very fast and very flat course. If you are looking for a 10-Mile PR, this is the place to get it! Another thing I really like about this race is the start time and location. It begins at 1:00 p.m. on a Sunday at the Greenville Town Commons. They take advantage of the cool December weather with an afternoon race. This gives runners time to go to church and still be home in time for dinner. I would love to see the RMEC take 40 people to this race. With a 5k option it is a perfect opportunity to appeal to both new and experienced club members!

01/15 Little River Trail Run:  The Little River Trail Run is held annually just north of Durham.  This single track trail race is put on by the Trail Heads.  For those race you should expect a well run, fun cold, and personal race.  A small group from the RMEC has run in this race several times, and they keep coming back.  Trail runners are just a little different. . . they have fun and enjoy the race.  That shows through in the 10 Mile and 7k race.  Both race sell out early so if you plan to run sign up soon.

Moving into next year, there are two events I want to draw your attention to. These are bigger events and run on a much larger scale. I ran both of these races last year, and left wanting to come back in 2011.

03/20 Tobacco Road Marathon: This race began last year and was a big success. It had a few kinks (parking, and minor crowding) but overall was very well done. The race is held primarily on the American Tobacco Trail. There are two out-and-back sections which may sound bad, but actually is one of the highlights of the race. This allows you to see other runners including your friendly RMEC members along the way. In 2011 they will give the half marathon a 15 minute head start to reduce the crowding issues from last year. I HIGHLY recommend the RMEC pick this race as our Spring marathon. Here are reasons the RMEC should run:

• A half marathon option makes it an option for more runners.
• Five and half months of training means everyone in the RMEC could participate.  Even if you run/walk the half marathon.
• Cut off times allow all paces! The course closes at 2:00 pm, giving marathoners 6:45 to finish and half marathoner 7:00 to finish.
• No hotel required! We all drove up the morning of the race last year with no problems
• Friendly! See runners coming-and-going the entire race thanks to the out-and-backs.
• Unique! 20 miles on the tree lined trail is a rare race opportunity.
• Size! This race is big enough to feel special, but small enough to allow for a good experience.

Both races will sell out early. They did last year, and this year the event is even more popular. I seriously want to see this be the big spring race for the RMEC. I am already registered along with close to 500 others. Go ahead and sign up now. Get committed, set a goal, and run the race!

04/09 Tar Heel 10 Miler: This is another race that was a lot of fun the RMEC last year. First of all, running in Chapel Hill is beautiful. The race also has a unique finish when runners get to enter Kenan Stadium. Last year we had about a dozen do the race. Of the three 10M course mentioned in this post, this is not going to be the fastest. This race however will be the biggest and most exciting however. Another big perk to the race is the have a 4-Mile race as well. This is a great way for new runners to make a very gentle step up from a 5k, or for experienced runners to get an obscure PR.

I know there are lots of other great races around North Carolina. These are some that jumped out to me as one's that you should consider. We all love to run, but racing is that "carrot" that keeps us motivated. Don't waste these months with cooler weather. Get out there and have some fun!

RUN RSVP: Saturday 6:30 am @ Harris Teeter

Fall is finally here, but you would never know it based on the mid 90 temps we have been facing.  The mornings have been pretty comfortable if you get an early start.  I don't think anyone is racing this weekend, so hopefully there will be a good crowd running.  According to our long run schedule, we will have route of 4, 8 and 12 mile option.  If you are following that plan you all have a recovery week, or are in your taper.

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 6:30 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: Yes at the Tracks
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 4-Miles, 8-Miles, 12-Miles

The routes start slightly different, so please pay attention to where you are supposed to run.  There are two out-and-backs on the route as well, so you should see people often on the run.


As mentioned in the post below, PLEASE post a comment if you plan to run.  Ursula will drop fluids at the tracks.  We do not want to run out again. When you are running, please know your route. If you do not know the routes, please print them out! As always, it is critical that you arrive hydrated. Please RSVP below with your pace and distance. Remember, we are starting at 6:30 now to allow for some extra sun light.  See you all in the morning.