President's Day Group Run @ Umstead

For many of us, Monday is a holiday. Scott and I are going to Umstead State Park in Raleigh on Monday morning for our long run. There is a good chance Frank may join us too. We plan to do 20, before a three week taper for the Umstead Marathon. We have posted a message on the NC Roadrunner club site too, so there could be several others. We would love to have more RMEC folks join us.

We will leave from Camp Lapihio in the park, and try to use as many trails from the race course as possible. There are several turn-arounds on the route, so do not feel like you need to run 20 miles to join us. You can run as much or as little as you would like.

Although this is a very hilly route, most of it is on packed cinder. It is not nearly as much single track as Medoc. In other words, it has hills, but good footing. If people are interested, please post a comment, and we can work out some driving arrangements. Thanks!

RUN RSVP: Saturday 02/07

We have been having bigger crowds of runners every weekend with new runners joining us each time. I look forward to hopefully 20+ runners this Saturday as well. It will be a chilly start at 30F, but will be 49F by 10:00 am.

Run Details:

• Where: Saturday, 7:00 am @ Harris Teeter
• Supported: Yes - at the tracks
• Weather: Forecast
• Routes: 10 Miles

The route is a 10-miler that we have not done for a while. It has two "dead-end-turnarounds" which makes it good for a large group. If you plan to run less, you can skip those sections and cut about two miles. There are several other places to cut as well. Please review the route and written directions below the map.

Please RSVP with your pace and distance if you are coming. The larger the group, the harder it is to set up fluid stops, so this is important. I really do not want to see a person running 20 miles run out because we did not prepare enough.

Also. . . our regular water stop at the tracks has been given a face lift! Roger (the person who lives there) has constructed a table for us with some hooks for clothing, and also a clip so we can put a trash bag out for used cups. This is a very nice gesture by Roger. Please be sure to take advantage of the table, and not leave any cups laying around. If you are the last person running and there is still stuff out on the table, please take it with you. I will get the cooler back from you. This way everyone can have something to drink their entire run.

If you are running any morning and go by Roger's house, please do me a favor and toss his newspaper up towards his back door. This is the least we can do to say thanks. I am not certain if I can be there tomorrow yet, so if someone can set up fluids, please post a comment here. Thank you.

Tough Guy Challenge 2009

Scott, emailed me this link, and it was too much fun not to share. If we can find a nearby farm with some ponds, mountains, and a fire field, maybe the RMEC will create one of these. . . any takers? I admire any race that makes the competitors put there number on there forehead.


"Billed as "the safest most dangerous taste of physical and mental endurance pain in the world", the Tough Guy Challenge took place on February 1st, on South Perton Farm, near Wolverhampton, England. Thousands of challengers (men and women) started the endurance race, with hundreds dropping out along the way due to exhaustion or injury - broken bones, dislocations, and over 600 cases of hypothermia. Even the overall winner, James Appleton, was treated briefly for hypothermia. The course takes racers through 21 obstacles - through mud, freezing water, across ropes and burning terrain."

Here is a link to a few more pictures. Some are duplicates.

Tri Reminder & Bike Options

First of all, I wanted to remind the RMEC that it is time to break out of your comfort zone, and do your first Triathlon. There are several options nearby that are great "starter" events.

• 04/04 Tri Roanoke Valley - You can't get an easier swim than 300 yards at an indoor pool! It is only a 30 minute drive too.
• 05/30 Lake Kristi Tri - Okay, ready to get out of the pool? Lake Kristi is a half mile swim, and in very shallow water. This Greenville event is small, fun, and well run!
• 06/13 Buckhorn Sprint - A little more of a challenge, but still a sprint. Plus you have more time to train. This new event is in Wilson

If you are looking for some Bike Options, Eric Seale has a small surplus right now you may want to consider. He prefers to sell locally so he can offer to service them if needed and he will certainly adjust the fit to whomever purchases one.

• Cannondale F3000 (front suspension) in a large size in Volvo Team colors. It has a mixture of XT/LX parts, SRAM twist shifting and Mavic CrossMax Wheels. As I usually ride/rode my Jekyl, this bike probably has around 350 to 400 miles on it. It would be a great Cross Country / Xterra race bike.
• Raven II, Carbon Fiber / aluminum, dual suspension bike (large) with disc brakes and a mixture of XT/LX parts, Shimano rapid fire shifting, and the frame was strengthened at the factory by the lead engineer. I have probably put less than 200 miles on this bike. I would not necessarily suggest using this for racing downhill, but for cross country / off-road riding in this area, it would be perfect - and it looks uber cool. It is fairly light for a dual susp. disc bike.
• Aluminum 56cm (good for riders in the 5' 9 to 6' 0 range) size, CAAD 5 red, white and blue tri bike that I am thinking of (but not totally decided upon) selling. This bike has Ultegra/DuraAce parts and DuraAce/Mavic wheelset with 9 speed cogs.

If interested, Eric will be happy to show them to you, let you ride them. Pricing will be advantageous to encourage a sale and not have them collecting dust.

Shirt Order #2

REPOST: ORDER IS GOING IN TONIGHT. PLEASE POST IF YOU NEED A SHIRT

We are going to replace an additional order for RMEC shirts. Several of the ladies in the group had some size issues. Overall, people really like the shirt quality and design, but they ran a little snug. The main goal is to replace those shirts that caused people a problem before, but we should be able to add in additional shirts for those who missed out the first time, or for new members.

We will be ordering the following:

• $16.00: Men's Alosports Sleeveless Tee (Navy/Grey)
• $16.00: Women's Alosports V-Neck Tank (Navy/Pacific)
• $7.00: Cotton Long Sleeve Tee (White)
• $6.00: Cotton Short Sleeve Ringer Tee (Grey/Navy)

All shirts have a volume discount and a "RMEC Member" discount. These are good quality shirts. The tech shirts in particular retail for $24 without any silk screening, so we are getting a good discount. The shirts come in S, M, L, XL, and XXL. The cotton shirts also have youth sizes (YS, YM, and YL) so they are great for cheering family members!

Please post a message with exactly what you want. (Name, Style, Size, and Quantity). Checks should be made to "Rocky Mount Endurance Club". The shirts will be shipped at the same time the Sweetheart 5k shirts are shipped, so you will have them by the second week in February.

Umstead Marathon Volunteers

RE-POSTED TO ENCOURAGE MORE INVOLVEMENT

Okay RMEC, we need your help! Frank, Scott, Dave, and Michael are all entered in the Umstead Trail Marathon. This annual event is put on by the Carolina Godiva Track Club (CGTC) in William B. Umstead State Park located in Raleigh.

The Godiva Track Club was one of the first sites to list the Medoc Trail Races, and also sent lots of talented runners to participate in our inaugural event. We would like to show our thanks and general support of the running community by volunteering at an aid station for the March 7th race.

This will be a fun thing to do, and I really hope the RMEC will step up to help.

1. You get to cheer for four our your RMEC teammates in the race.
2. You get to experience a beautiful park, and see some of the top trail runners in the state (not us).
3. The race starts at 9:00 am, so you don't need to get up too early.
4. You can help us promote Medoc by wearing your race shirts!
5. You get food and all the Gatorade you can drink!
6. You can have a nice afternoon in Raleigh after the race.

This seriously is a big deal for us that work on Medoc. This is a great opportunity to promote our race while helping another one out. Never forget that you are able to race, because someone else is not. . . it takes volunteers!

Please post a comment ASAP if you will volunteer. I need to let the race committee know how many we will bring. Thank you in advance!

UPDATE: We have been assigned one aid station that has fluids and food. It is at mile 10 and 19.5. You do not need to be there until 9:30 am, and there is easy parking. The first runners will arrive at mile 10 around 10:00 a.m. The last runner must be at mile 19.5 by 1:50 pm or they will miss the cut off. Although there are only 200 runners, you will have a steady stream the entire time you volunteer, so you will not be bored.

RMEC Relay for Life Team

Eric Pate has set up the RMEC Relay for Life team. You can find our team page at this link. Just click on the link to "Join Our Team". At the moment the Early Bird registration is still an option. I don't know how long this will be in effect. It was supposed to expire 1/31. Registration will be $10.00 once this is removed.

Eric has a paper registration forms for anyone who needs one, but I urge as many as possible to register online, so Eric does not have to manually enter the information. There is a plethora of information on the site for anyone who is not familiar with the Relay for Life.

Please note that we have a commitment from "Triple F" for 50 miles, so this should make it easy on the remaining team members to cover the 24 hour event. Thanks to Frank for his early support and for setting such a lofty goal.

This is a big deal guys. Please consider participating. Eric is currently listed as Captain of our team, but we really need someone else to step up in this role. He has a larger role of the Relay for Life Committee, and should not have to pull "double-duty" as our team captain too.