Is Bobby Mack Poland bound???

Well???

2/27 Update

Here's what I know so far...

• Jim Wahl ran an AMAZING race at the Gasparilla Distance Classic 15k, finishing 2nd overall (out of 10,000+ runners)! He ran a 48:27, which was a 30sec PR (which is awesome considering that the 3rd place finisher was over a minute behind him). CONGRATS JIM!!! Marty Gaal also ran the 15k, crushing his previous year's time by over 1min. Bri Gaal raced in the 5k, finishing 3rd in her age group! CONGRATS MARTY AND BRI!!! 15k Results, 5K Results
  
• Braving the wind and freezing temperatures, Gary Franks and Dave Meyer ran well at the Crystal Coast Half Marathon. Gary grabbed 2nd place in the Master's division (1st in his age group). And, despite having an ankle the size of a grapefruit a week ago, Dave Meyer finished 1st in his age group (4th Masters). Dave also saw Claudia from the TAF Half Marathon Training Program out there... way to be an over-achiever! CONGRATS Y'ALL!!! Results
  

AWESOME JOB guys... keep us posted... and hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend! #20

The Weekend

Just wanted to say GOOD LUCK to the TAF Racing contingent headed to Morehead City on Sat. for the Crystal Coast Half Marathon… you guys are going to do AWESOME!!! Don’t know if anyone else is racing this weekend… if you are, have fun and let us know how it went. For those not racing and looking for something to do, come on out and help with the TAF Half Marathon Training Program on Sat. morning. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, and congrats to the former TAFers who obliterated the state 4x800m record (that's amazing)!
... and why is it snowing outside right now, wasn't it like 60 degrees a few days ago?!? #20

State Record

Former TAF racers Sheridan Jordan, Jenna Christensen, Deanna Foshee and Erin Foshee, who are on hiatus from the team to race for their high school, just won the 4 x 800 at the state indoor championships. Their time of 9:30 was a new state record, smashing the old one by 12 seconds. And they are just juniors! Congratulations from all of us!!!

Tobacco Road

I've posted some comments about my next goal race along with a poll to estimate my finish time. What do you guys think?

Brad's next goal race.

Who else will be there? I'm running the marathon and there are logistic issues that emphasise the desire for carpooling. Anyone else running the full?

Winter Du Race #2

James and Meghan (ok... I can't write in the 3rd person anymore) headed to Hagan-Stone Park on Sat. for Race #2 of the Winter Du series... and the race went AWESOME despite some interesting conditions:

• They decided to make it more like a triathlon by incorporating some huge puddles into the run course. Yeah, the trail was a MUDDY MESS from all of the spectacular snow we've had.
• I disagree with the term "GENTLY ROLLING" to describe the bike course... I have never met a gentle hill in my life! Although, I was quite proud of myself for passing a guy on one of the uphills... of course he passed me right after... but, heck, I sounded like I was going to die so I'm pretty sure he still felt pretty ridiculous.
• Despite riding in a giant loop, we had a CONSTANT HEAD WIND... explain that one weather.com!

But, nothing can stop TAF Racing, and James got 4th overall (2nd in his age group) and I was the 3rd female (1st in my age group). And I'd like to point out that James was #1 on the second run... wahooo! Results

Anyone else who raced, let us know how it went, and enjoy the warm weather while it lasts! #20

It's Warming Up (wahooo)!

... just in time for another action-packed weekend for TAF Racing. I think we have some people competing in the North Carolina Law Enforcement Torch Run (aka Polar Plunge) on Sat. (Centennial Campus, 9AM), another group is headed back to Greensboro for Race #2 in the Winter Du Series, and still others are helping out with the Half Marathon Training Program. So, come out and run, cheer, etc... and keep us posted on how the races/runs turned out. GOOD LUCK!!! #20

From t Time In The Future

Looking ahead over the next few months, The Athlete's Foot is sponsoring a number of local races... and it would be great to see TAF Racing out there (especially the * races):

1. Get Your Rear in Gear 5k - March 6
2*. Run for the Oaks - March 13
3. Joggin' For Your Noggin' 5k - March 21
4. Dog Days 5k - March 21
5*. Raleigh Rocks 1/2 Marathon - March 27
6. Raleigh Young Life 5k - April 10
7. Less Fork, More Foot 5k - April 11
8*. Run for Our Heroes - April 24
9. Angels Among Us 5k - April 24
10. Bobbie Boney 10 Miler (trail) - May 2
11. Catch Me If You Can - May 9

Chilly Willy Duathlon

I was in Florida over the Feb 13-14 weekend for work. My father-in-law (who lives in St Pete) let me know there was a duathlon going on Sunday morning at Fort Desoto Park. Fort Desoto in St Petersburg is a popular place for triathlons, kayaking, adventure races and running races because it is an awesome place for these things. Here is a satellite picture:



The island from end to end is about 5 miles, so a round trip from the NW end to SE end and back is about 10 miles. I studied math real hard in skool!

The duathlon is appropriately called the Chilly Willy Duathlon, for reasons which I will leave up to your imagination. On Sunday it was about 40 degrees and windy. For us in North Carolina, this is cold but not intolerable. For most of the Floridians it was an arctic blast. Prior to the start I overheard one lady running around asking if anyone had a ski mask with them. I did since I had just robbed three banks, and lent it to her. She thanked me profusely before the police wrestled her to the ground.

Believe it or not, there were nearly 400 people out for the race. At the gun about 100 of them took off ahead of me. It seems there is a universal urge to win the first mile among the runner and triathlon population. I chugged along and was happy to see a 6:20 first mile. The second half of the run was all on hard packed sand, which I enjoy running on but which is not very fast. My first 5k was 20:35 and I ran into transition in about 30th place.

For the bike ride I borrowed my father-in-law's 15 year old Trek. He is a bit taller than me, so I lowered the seat and was good to go. My aero position would be more along the lines of what I would call "as aerodynamic as a sail". Despite that I mashed the heck out of the 10 mile course and passed several more people, finishing with a 23.6 mph, very good for this time of year and on a borrowed bike.

Heading into the final run, I was surprised to feel decent and stayed strong through the run, finishing in 20:50 or so. I passed a couple more athletes and was passed by one fast guy, finishing in 13th overall and 2nd in my nearly old guy 35-39 category. Here is a picture of me looking serious:



After the race I packed up, headed back to my crash pad, cleaned up, drove to the airport, bought lunch, ate lunch on the plane (much to the dismay of my seatmates), and then got home in time to give my wife Bri her Valentine's Day gift, which was me returning home in time for Valentine's Day.

St. Valentines Massacre Marathon

St. Valentines Massacre Marathon

Team TAF had an awesome day at Greensboro's Country Park yesterday (2/14) at the Massacre Marathon Relay. We had some terrific performances by our Master's Male Team (Sean, Oyler, Meyer, John), Women's team (Jennifer, Meghan, Rita, and Nicole), Co-ed Team (James, Keith, Erica, Mary) and two 2-person (and husband and wife teams) (Andrea and Brad, Tim and Angela). In addition, there were also two NCSU Club teams sharing our site/tent that did great.

I'm sure the other teams were wondering who the team in red was as Brad, Tim, John, Jennifer, and James got TAF Racing off to a blazing fast start! It was great to hear everyone out there cheering, and the race was a ton of fun. Everyone looked really strong, especially coming through the finishing line on their final leg (yeah... we're 100% of the way done, we're 100% of the way done, we're 100% of the way done... wahooo)!

The "more experienced runners" on the Master's team showed us how it was done, finishing in 2:42:22 for 3rd overall and 1st in their division (note: the official name of their division was "4-Geezer", but I can't make fun of them too much because they did beat us all). Next across the line for TAF was the Women's team, who also finished 1st in their division (5th overall). And close on their heels was the 4-person Mixed team, finishing in 2:57:11 for 2nd in their division (6th overall). The 2-person teams, who were forced to count off completion in 12.5% increments, also raced well. The Smythe team finished 2nd in their division (8th overall) and the Gautreau team finished 4th in their division (15th overall). So yeah, of the 105 teams competing, TAF Racing held 5 of the top 15 positions... GO US!!! Results

Andrea and I really had a good time and enjoyed the festive atmosphere (and help entertaining Finn, who fell asleep within 2 minutes of getting to the car). Thanks, guys, we'll be back next year for sure! Also, thanks to Matt (and Nicole's camera... and some other people too), we got some awesome pictures of the race (next on the list of things to do is how to get these posted in a reasonable manner).

GREAT JOB TAF RACING... and I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!!!

Here are some of the Pictures taken of the event. If anyone has more please let us know.

2/13 Update

Figured I'd post what I know of results so far:

• Unfortunately, the Myrtle Beach Marathon / Half Marathon was canceled due to weather. I know that Laurel and Lisa were really disappointed... STUPID SNOW... they would have run awesome races. Looking on the bright side, at least they still got a long run in the next day in their TAF jerseys. You guys ROCK!
  
• Kirby braved the half foot or more of snow that was covering the ground in Lynchburg, VA to race in the Holiday Lake 50K, finishing 34th overall (14th in his age group)... AWESOME job!
  
• And CONGRATS to Bobby Mack who finished 7th at the USATF XC Championships! I watched the last half or so, but the stupid announcers cut to a clip from last year's race as soon as the first place finisher crossed the line... then there was an interview... hopefully Bobby will let us know how the race went.

And we had a good time with the Half Marathon Training Program this morning. It was lots of fun running in the snow, we met a puppy named Umstead, and we totally won the snowball fight afterward. Can't wait for the Valentine's Day Massacre Relay Race tomorrow!!! #20

Disney 1/2 Marathon Race Report

I debated posting this, but then decided maybe someone would be so bored they would want to read all the details of the half marathon I did in January. I mean REALLY BORED - it's long. So go get yourself a cup of coffee if you're brave enough to take on this endeavor :)

Anyways, this was my first go at trying to race a half marathon. I've raced the distance within a few half ironmans, but never tried to race a stand-alone half marathon (I typically stick to 5K's and triathlons). You can read my race report here.

Big News!!!

I just found out that the 2010 USATF Club Cross Country Championships will be in Charlotte, NC on December 11th this year! Mark that on your calendars guys and gals.

The "Awesome + Awesome = Awesomer" Approach

Looks like it’s going to be another busy weekend for TAF Racing. On Sat., Laurel is headed down to SC for the Myrtle Beach Half, Kirby is running the Holiday Lake 50K, and Bobby Mack is off to WA for the XC Championship (which you can watch at www.flotrack.org... looks like the race will be at 5ish our time?). We also we have a bunch of people running at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Relay on Sun.

Good luck everyone, let us know how it went, and take pictures! #20

Race Jones

Due to factors beyond my control (work and weather), I missed my first two scheduled races for the year. That makes it now two full months since the last race. I couldn't recall the last time I went two months between races, so I had to look it up. 2001. After winning the cycling state road race and finishing third in the time trial that year, I took some time off the bike and began training for a marathon.

Since then I've averaged a little over 22 races a year. With that being said, I am Jones'n to get the 2010 year going and so looking forward to the marathon relay this weekend. Then, its back to Greensboro the next weekend for a duathlon and down to Morehead City the week after that for the Crystal Coast half-marathon...gotta make up for lost time. sk

2/6-7 Race Report

Rita and Dave and ~5998 of their closest friends competed in the Krispy Kreme Challenge on Sat. morning. They both managed to (1) eat the dozen donuts (well, as long as you believe Dave because his Krispy Kreme split is missing), (2) not puke, and (3) "run PRs"... although their eyes were glazed over by the time we met them at Cup-of-Joe. Dave ran a 39:12 (80th male) and Rita ran a 42:15 (31st female)... from the looks of the splits, Dave made up most of his 2min lead during the donut-eating portion!

Hoping to burn off some of those dozen donuts, Dave ran in the Run for Roses on Sunday. Despite an uphill finish, he still broke 20min. Jack Unruh (who didn't have all the extra calories from Saturday's race) bested Dave to win the 45-49 age group with a time of 18:48. Nice job on the 1-2 age group finish! Results

Both Tim G. and Brad S. raced at Uwharrie on Saturday. Tim raced Uwharrie 20 mile and Brad the 40. While not as many brave people made the starting line for 20 miles of rocks, hills, mud and cold as for 4 miles and donuts it was still a good race. Having been forced to drop out last year at mile 11 due to blisters, finishing was the number 1 goal this year. The course was made a bit easier this year due to the flooding that caused the last 6 miles to be rerouted along a gravel road. After a few near falls, a couple treks off course, a lot of water and mud and a several cramps Tim's race mercifully came to an end. Final time was 2:52:20 and 13th place. Brad finished the out and back course in 2nd place for the 40 mile (for the second year in a row) with a time of just under 6:09. Fantastic Finish Brad! Results

Other than that, we had a good run with the TAF Half Marathon Training Program on Sat. (and we found someone to run for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre Relay... wahooo)! Run at the ATT on Sunday went well too (and Laurel's tiger hat was amazing)... Team TAF is the most totally awesome fantastic running team ever (yo)! And anyone who raced Uwharrie, let us know how it went!

Just for fun...

Taffie:
(from Urban Dictionary)

(n) Member of an elite running force. Although primarily found on the east coast, they have been spotted winning races all across the US and the world. Most often seen in red, white or blue jerseys and compression socks. Rivals include RRO and Fleet Feet. Detest cockroaches. Love coffee.

Drat Katie, we just got beat by another Taffie. Oh, I love those shoes.

That was a great workout Taffies; let's go get some coffee.

- - - - - -
And let us know how all the races went!

Good Luck To Everyone Racing This Weekend!

I know that we have a few people doing the Krispy Kreme Challenge on Sat. (NCSU Belltower - Krispy Kreme, Peace St. - NCSU Belltower @ 8:30AM)... not sure if anyone was planning on doing the Run for the Roses on Sun. (downtown Raleigh - Halifax Community Center @ 2PM)... but in any event, cheer loudly and take some pictures! And, for any TAF runners who are not racing or spectating, come and help out with the TAF Half Marathon Training Program on Sat.

Swinging Bridge 50k

Here's a photo of Brad following Ryan Nebel around mile 11.

I also ran the William Craig Run for Life 15k in Wilmington on January 23rd. I pushed Finn in the baby jogger and just missed out on an age group award. It would have been cool too, because they were chunks of wood from the old deck of the Battleship.

The snow is melting, the snow is melting, the snow is melting... wahoooo!

And weather.com has fixed the "fitness comfort" index at 7 (Moderate), so y'all should come out to TAF tonight and help with the Half Marathon Training Program (starts at 6PM). Oh, and came across this: http://www.wral.com/news/strange/story/6945249/ ... so I guess another good thing about the snow melting is that we won't leave footprints?!?

TAF Races Into 2010!

Before we kick off the February races this weekend, I'll try and recap as much of January as possible. And I'm sorry if I'm leaving anyone out, a month is a long time for me to try and remember everything... so make some comment to that effect and I'll add your results! Oh, and even if I didn't leave you out, please comment on how the races went!

1/2/2010: Dave Meyer (Dave), David Kirby (Kirby), Jim, Laurel, Rita, Sean, Tim, and I headed to Chapel Hill for a trail run hosted by the Chapel Hill / Carrboro Trailheads. According to weather.com, I think it was 18 degrees ("fitness comfort" index of 1: uncomfortable), the trails were a bit muddy, but we did have a ton of FUN! I give Tim a lot of credit because he ran in shorts (I know I had lost track of the number of layers I was wearing)! Most of us made it through 1.5 loops before we left to go get coffee... I think Kirby was one of the few people out there who managed a full 2 loops.

1/9/2010: TAF was well represented at a number of races this weekend. Kirby raced in the Frosty 50K Trail Race (Winston-Salem, NC), turning in a great time of 4:18 and placing 18th overall. Dave ran in the Ocean Isle Bridge Run Half Marathon, and battled the wind to place 3rd in his age group. Bri traveled to Florida for the Walt Disney Half Marathon, running an insane time of 1:25 for 3rd in her age group. And finally, Rita, Andrea, and David Oyler (Oyler) headed to Durham for the Little River Trail Race. This TAF trio turned in great performances-- Rita was 10th in her age group, Andrea was 5th in her age group, and Oyler was 1st in his age group. Ok, I think that's it for that weekend. But seriously, awesome job to anyone who was brave enough to race because it was windy and "wicked" cold!

1/16/2010: TAF's two ultra-runners headed to Richmond, VA for the Swinging Bridge 50K. Brad ran an awesome race and PLACED 1ST OVERALL, crushing the second place runner by over 8 minutes. Kirby placed 3rd in his age group... I will never understand how y'all run that far at one time!

1/30-31/2010 (SNOWPOCALYPSE!!!): However, in case anyone wants to question TAF Racing's dedication to being the best running team ever, the News and Observer has documented proof: http://www.newsobserver.com/190/gallery/312974.html (picture 17). Sean and Dave were still crazy enough to run outside on Saturday (and maybe others were too)... some of us waited until Sunday before braving Umstead.

And in other news, a number of us have been helping out with the TAF Half Marathon Training Program. It's a lot of fun and everyone is very enthusiastic. We meet at TAF on Wed (6PM) and the art museum parking lot on Sat (8:30AM). Other than that, I sure hope this ice melts soon because I hate running on a treadmill (I mean I can't sing "I'm x% done, I'm x% done, I'm x% done... wahooo!" while the treadmill is still moving)!

2010 TAF Racing Team

This is our team roster for the year (non-Elites) in no particular order:

1. Brad Smythe
2. Andrea Smythe
3. Sean Kurdys
4. Erwann Domalain
5. Lisa Howell
6. David Oyler
7. Mark Hall
8. Perry Boseman
9. McCrea Wallace
10. John Royal
11. Gary Franks
12. Marty Gaal
13. Bri Gaal
14. Robin Baxter
15. Laurel Thomas
16. Jack Unruh
17. Erastus Kiama
18. Dan Hatton
19. Cameron Cooper
20. Meghan Hegarty
21. Rita Beard
22. Nicole Lewis
23. David Meyer
24. David Kirby
25. Jennifer Hannen
26. Allie Mercado
27. Tim Gautreau
28. James Lavin
29. Keith Ferguson
30. Andrew Wooster
31. Sam Suarez


We're gonna get some good results this year!

Go Team!

TAF Racing has a blog, TAF Racing has a blog, TAF Racing has a blog... WAHOOOOOOO!