National Marathon Interest?

Dave, Frank, and I have kicked around the idea of running the National Half Marathon on March 29th. Frank plans to run the full. I have run this race the last two years, and have really enjoyed it. It is a great way to see Washington DC.

Although the race is growing larger every year, you do not have to fight the crowds of runners like you do in the Marine Corp Marathon. The race starts at RFK, which has ample parking, so you do not need to worry about taking a shuttle or riding the Metro.

If anyone else is interested, let us know. We can carpool and split some hotel rooms. The half is a great training race if you are doing any spring marathons.

RUN RSVP: Saturday 02/23

This weekend may be a smaller crowd, but I hope people still come out to run. If you are planning to run either Crystal Coast, Raleigh Rocks, or the National it would be good to keep up some reasonable miles.

Run Details:

• Day: Saturday @ 7:30 am
• Where: Harris Teeter
• Route: 9 miles or 13 miles
• Supported: Water Fountain early
• Weather: Forecast 47F at 8am and 54F at 10am.

The rain should be gone tomorrow, and the temperatures will be up a good a bit. It actually looks to be great running weather.

I picked a nine and 13 mile route that shares the same roads. They are easy to adjust if you need more or less miles. I am not sure if I can run or not tomorrow. For that reason I am not sure if I can get out other fluids. There is a water fountain by the baseball field in the park off Winstead, but it may be turned off with the cold weather. Your safest bet is to bring your own fluids.

Please post a comment if you plan to run.

Raleigh Rocks Updates

The Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon apprears to be progressing nicely. The have unveiled a new race logo, released the race course, and have anounced several bands that will play on the course.

Here are some links you may find helpful:
Official Web Site
Race Course

I beleive the race already has over 300 runners signed up. The race starts at 8:00 am on April 5th. The entry fee is currently only $40, but will increase to $55 on March 15th, so don't delay if you plan to run.

Frank the Tank!

This picture was too fun not to share. Yes ladies and gentlemen, that is a beer in Frank's hand at mile 26.15. Congrats Frank!
For a complete list of official race photos, go to Brightroom's website and enter your race number. If you don't know it click the results link in the Myrtle Recap post below.

5ks, 8ks, and 10ks. . . OH MY!

Some of us our still "marathoning" as late as June, but most of us are now moving on to shorter distances or even triathlons. The spring is a great time to have fun in shorter events. After months of building up your endurance, racing a 5k or a 10k is a great way to improve your speed.

Here are some shorter events that might interest you. Best of all they are all drivable.

• 02/23 Hearts on Franklin 5k - Chapel Hill - A small 5k that is this weekend in Chapel Hill. If you are ready to race, and have nothing planned. . . Sign up!
• 03/15 Shamrock 8k - Virginia Beach - Part of the Shamrock Marathon weekend. Get a new PR running an 8k (4.97 miles). Just a short drive to the beach. You can also go cheer Steve on in his marathon!
• 3/16 Hard Climb Hill Series - Durham - I can't find much information on this, but it sounds fun. It is put on by the Godiva Track Club. There are three races in Duke Forest. They are a 3, 7, and 10 mile option. Could be a fun event, and only costs five bucks.
• 03/29 Great Human Race - Durham - This race brings out about 500 runners annually. It has been run for 13 years now, so they should know what they are doing.
• 04/05 Cooper River Bridge - Charleston - Not the closest race, but one of the biggest 10ks around. Frank may be running, and Charleston is a great city to visit.
• 04/05 Monument Ave 10k - Richmond - Another big race, and lots of fun. Join 30,000+ runners on Monument Avenue in a six mile party!
• 04/05 Raleigh Rocks 5k - Raleigh - Don't feel like running the Half? Try the 5k instead. This new event could be fun with a "rock-and-roll" type atmosphere.
• 04/05 Tarboro Community 5k - Tarboro - Want to stay close to home and enjoy a small race? Check out this new event just 20 minutes away. Local events are always fun, and present a chance for age group awards. This race could really use runners like us to increase their entries.
• 04/12 Cary Road Race - Cary - This event has a 5k and 10k and has been running for 29 years. They also have a free fun run for kids, so it may be a good option for those of us with kids. About 700 runners do the 5k and 10k combined.
• 04/19 Capital City 10k - Raleigh - I know very little about this race, and their website tells you even less. It could be an interesting race, but it may also be a dud. Being in Raleigh, I still expect it would have a fair number of runners.
• 04/26 Skirt Chaser 5k - Raleigh - This still sounds like a fun race to me. It has an afternoon start which gives it some extra appeal, and it has a fun theme.
• 04/26 Angels Among Us 5k - Durham - This 5k runs through the Duke Campus, and had almost 700 finishers last year. This is for a great cause and also looks to be a family friendly race.

Whatever you decide, get out there and run a race! It does not matter how fast, or where you place. . . just do it. Racing is a great way to set goals and make your running fun. If you plan to run any races in the next few months, post a comment so others will know. You may end up not running alone.

Myrtle Beach Recap

What a great trip to Myrtle Beach. We all worried about the weather, but the winds died down, and we had perfect race temperatures. We all picked up our race packets on Friday at the expo. It was a small expo, but had the standard items. Most importantly they had two beer stands which always makes expos more enjoyable.

Saturday morning was an early wake up call. The race started at 6:30 am while the sky was still dark. We actually had a gentle mist just before the start, but never another drop during the race. This is really a well run race. There were ample bathrooms at the start, countless friendly volunteers, and a reasonably well marked course. The finish line had more beer, so again another plus. Here is how the RMEC performed.

Full Marathon:

• 148th - Derek - 3:24:31*
• 1443th - Frank - 5:21:47
• 905th - Gerry - 4:19:31*
• 665th - Kevin - 4:04:07*
• 186th - Michael - 3:29:00*
• 607th - Scott - 3:59:40*

Half Marathon:

• 1287th - Arthur - 2:08:01*
• 119th - Dave - 1:34:03
• 1286th - Russ - 2:08:03
• 1094th - Steve - 2:05:29*
• 1734th - Tampa - 2:22:48

* indicates PR set

Highlights: Here are some random highlights from the race. Some are RMEC related, others are not.

• Derek was the 13th in his age group, and set a new RMEC record for the marathon!
• Scott broke the four hour barrier on his way to a new PR.
• Kevin and Gerry both ran impressive races in their first marathons.
• A new course record was set at 2:28:33.
• Dave narrowly missed a half PR, and was the 119th person to cross the line.
• Steve set a new PR, and seems poised for a great marathon at the Shamrock.
• An 11 year old from Florida ran a 1:38:38. He also ran it barefoot.
• Russ and Arthur ran together, with Arthur knocking almost five minutes of his half PR. Great team work!
  
• Even a trip to the House of Blues the night before the race couldn't slow down Tampa running another great half!
• Frank finished with a beer in hand, and even toasted the announcer, who said loudly over the PS system, "Here comes Frank Lilley from Littleton. It looks like he has a. . . wait. . . IT IS A BEER! Go Frank!"

For photos from the weekend, click Race Photos link under Quick Links. For complete race results follow this link.

Crystal Coast Half Marathon

A few post ago, some discussion started about the Crystal Coast Half Marathon. I know there are several RMEC people who are planning to run. It sounds like there are even chances to offer up some rooms to spend the night in. This is a pancake flat course and could set up well for a PR. There are currently about 300 runners registered.

The race entry fee goes up $15 tomorrow (02/15), so if you plan to sign up do it today. If a half marathon is not in your plans, they also have a 5k course to consider. Use the comment feature here some we can get a firm headcount on who plans to run.

After Myrtle Beach, we can try to set up our Saturday morning runs for those running this race if there is interest. Those needed to go further know how to add miles if needed.