Shirts, Shirts, and more Shirts!

There are lots of post today. This is what happens when I go on vacation and I need to catch up. . . I am still trying to get all of the technical shirts in from Bay Six. Most of you already have yours, but the white cap sleeve shirts were missing from the box, so I am trying to get that corrected still. I believe the order was already printed, but just left out of the box.

Most of the extra shirts I ordered have already been claimed. Here is what is currently available in the technical shirts from my inventory. Some of these were ordered intentionally as extras, and others were printed in error. You can't beat $13 for a technical shirt, so speak up now if you want any of the extra stuff:

• 2 orange sack pack bags
• XL White Cap Sleeve Shirt
• L White Cap Sleeve Shirt
• M Navy Cap Sleeve Shirt
• M Purple T-style Shirt
• M White T-style Shirt (reversed logo)
• XL Hunter Green T-style Shirt
• L White T-style Shirt (reversed logo)
• XL Red Sleeveless

The black cotton t-shirts should be in this week too. These are great for family members to have on while they cheer you on during your next race. I order some extras of these as well.

• Two XL black T-shirts (Blue/White logo)
• L black T-shirt (Blue/White logo)
• L black T-shirt (Pink/White logo)
• M black T-shirt (Pink/White logo)

Also, if you want to add to your order with something else, let me know ASAP. I was planning on ordering some Small Pink and/or Teal T-styles if any of the women were interested in getting a different color.

Duke Tri Updates

Fees: If you have not paid for your race entry, please do as soon as possible. We want to make sure no one keeps the full entry fee on their credit card longer than needed. If you have not entered your team, please do before 08/15. On this date the entry fee goes up. You can still enter, but it will be $10 more per team.

Cookout: BIG Thanks again to the Eric and Heather Seale for hosting the cookout on Saturday. They both did an exceptional job! We had a great turnout, and I think it helped us to get to know our teammates. In total we had nearly 50 people stop by. The food was great, and the friendship was even better. As a reminder, there will be another cookout later this summer for all RMEC members.

Awards: I have emailed Setup Events and confirmed that relay teams are grouped into three categories for awards: Male, Female, and Mixed. They go three deep in each category, with all members of the team getting an award. I have checked, and there will be competition for the awards. Right now there are 29 teams entered in the event! This total does not include the four pending RMEC teams below.

Wave Start: Tris have wave starts that are primarily divided up by Age Categories. The relay teams however will all start in one wave. Unfortunately, this is the last wave. This means the swimmers may have some traffic to deal with if you start catching the previous groups. Hopefully, they will start us with the novices (as opposed to behind the novices). This would avoid the potentially slowest group.

At the Event: Setup Events said it would not be a problem if we wanted to set up a tent for our group, and they could help us find a good place to do it. Remember, we will be spectators for two thirds of the day, so having shade and a seat will be good. We don't need 30 chairs, but having 10-12 would be nice. Not sure how much space we can get, so a modest sized tent would probably be best.

Teams: I think most teams are starting to solidify, but a few are still a little questionable. Primarily, we need to get confirmation from some swimmers. Last I heard Max was still looking for a team too. He could fill a swimmer spot if he is still interested. Here are the teams thus far.

• Entered Teams:
  · Team 1: (S) Mary W, (B) Kinnie P, (R) Patti M
  · Team 2: (S) Mike S, (B) Jeff M, (R) Dave L
  · Team 3: (S) Doug S, (B) Eric S, (R) Michael F
  · Team 4: (S) Elizabeth, (B) Ursula F, (R) Jenni
  · Team 5: (S) George, (B) Tim S, (R) Ryan B
  · Team 6: (S) Rebecca, (B) Val, (R) Tracy P
  
• Confirmed but not entered Teams:
  · Team 8: (S) Brandon, (B) Larry P, (R) TBD
  · Team 9: (S) Emily B, (B) Rob P, (R) Tracy H
  
• Teams still trying to get finalized:
  · Team 7: (S) Mathew?, (B) Cliff A, (R) Matt C
  · Team 10: (S) Dave?, (B) Eric, (R) Josh

There is still plenty of time to create more teams, so let us know if you are interested!

Ride Information

Good morning. First of all, I want to say how great it was to have so many show up to ride. I believe we had 15 and I sincerely hope that all enjoyed it. I do have a favor to ask so that we can hopefully continue to grow the group and offer people what they are looking for in a group ride. Please shoot me your constructive criticisms, complaints, ideas, things you liked, etc. You can send them directly to me and I will do my best to integrate the ideas. All submissions will be treated as 'anonymous' contributions.

July 30 to August 5 rides:

• Monday morning group rides: Start time 5:55AM, meet at the dentist office.
• Afternoon Rides: With the later AM start time, I am too rushed to get to work on time. I am going to start riding in the evenings beginning Tuesday. I will leave from either the Dentist's office (Southern routes) or Harris Teeter (Northern routes) - I will try to post my plans daily. Rides will usually start at 6PM. Weather permitting, I will ride Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings this week.
• Saturday Morning Group Ride: Given the positive response and positive feedback I have received from the participants this past Saturday, I would like to try for another group ride this coming Saturday. Unless feedback indicates otherwise, let's plan to meet at 8 AM at Harris Teeter again. Please RSVP your plans to attend along with your desired mileage. I will put together the routes by Thursday depending on responses.

Thank you. - Eric Seale

3rd Annual Crossing of Lake Gaston

Frank has a suggestion for the RMEC that I wanted to share. For the third year, there will be an organized swim (or float) across Lake Gaston. The event includes a t-shirt, and fruit and drinks at the finish. For those who do not want to swim, you can bring your own flotation and paddle across as well.

Frank lives on the lake and has offered to organize a run for those who would like to run around the lake area. We could do this after the swim if people are interested in doing both. We could then enjoy some time relaxing on Franks dock and splashing around some more in the water. We could probably do a little water skiing, but keep in mind Frank has a boat that will only seat six, and he will not be driving the boat all day.

This year's Crossing will take place Saturday, Aug. 11, at 9 a.m. It starts at the Eaton Ferry Marina and parallels the Eaton Ferry Bridge until the finish line at Waterside Restaurant at Dockside Landing.

If there is enough interest, we can pick up some hot dogs and chips and grill out too. Reply here ASAP if you are interested, so Frank can plan accordingly. This really does sound like a fun event.

What are you racing?

I know many of us our running Richmond, but not everyone is. Some of you are doing races in addition to Richmond, and some are doing different marathons, half marathons, and 10ks completely. We all meet on Saturday's but I am not sure anyone other then me knows who is running which races, so. . . tell us know. What are you racing? Include running, biking, swimming, and tris!

RUN RSVP: 07/27

This week is a recovery week. Take advantage of the shorter miles. Next weekend things jump up again, so you want to be sure you are well rested.

Run Details:

• Day: Saturday @ 6:30 a.m.
• Where: Harris Teeter
• Novice Distance: 5 miles
• Intermediate Distance: 8 miles
• Supported: Yes - Powerade
• Weather: Forecast

Even though the routes are short, I will still have fluids at the tracks. I just got back from vacation, which is why this is late. Can someone please print extra directions for people? Our home printer does not work, and I figure it would be best to bring the directions because I was so late getting the routes published. please post a comment if you can print a few extra copies.

See you in the moring! Stick around after the run for a 8:00 am bike ride if you are interested. Se below.

Saturday Cycling

Please let me know if you plan on riding Saturday morning at 8AM from Harris Teeter. We are trying to determine the group, distance and pace.

Thank you. - Eric