The First Weekend of May!!!

Looks to be another action-packed weekend for TAF! Laurel is headed up to PA for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon on Sunday (and some of our other friends are running the half and full too). Kirby is competing in a 24-hour race (I believe it is this one), and some of us are joining Brad for the TAF running of the 12th Annual Titus Van Rijn 1-Hour Distance Classic (7AM sharp, Martin Middle School; results through 2009). GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY... run (and run, and run, and run) AWESOME!!!

Fun Fact #1 - 60 Minutes

Since Brad's "1-hour Track Run" is coming up this weekend, I thought I'd post something related. I came across an article that explains the history behind the "hour run" (didn't realize that this was a semi-common metric)... anyone planning on breaking any records this weekend?!?

1hr Track Records (World):
Men - 21,285m [Haile Gebrselassie (Eth); Ostrava, Czech Republic (06/27/2007)]
Women - 18, 517m [Dire Tune (Eth); Ostrava, Czech Republic (06/12/2008)]

1hr Track Records (US):
Men - 20,547m [Bill Rodgers; Boston, MA (09/09/1977)]
Women - 17,273m [Nancy Conz; Amherst, MA (06/25/1981)]

Hill Training

I was reminded last night about how much I really dislike hills. I know that hill running builds strength, which translates to faster times, and blah blah blah... doesn't make it any less painful! I have tried multiple ways of "tricking" myself into thinking that the hill I was climbing wasn't so awful: (1) only looking a few feet in front of me (the ground looks kind of flat this way), (2) dividing my mental image of the hill by 3 (heard one time that people over-estimate the size of hills by 3x), and my personal favorite (3) thinking of each actual step up the hill as a discrete elevation (points only become a hill when you connect them... beginning electronics might have been a little boring, this made the lecture on analog-to-digital conversion a bit more interesting). With respect to "racing" up hills, I also heard that you should make your move in the final 1/3 because this is where the majority of people slow down. For more on hill running technique, read Killer Hill Approaches. And, when things get really hard, just think:

"At least I'm not stuck in the office"
(someone was yelling this up Heartbreak Hill... made me smile).

Hyponatremia (aka water poisoning)

The challenge was made to try and post something everyday. I will do my best to make these posts running/cycling/swimming-related, although I make no promises. So, here goes...

The topic of hyponatremia (commonly referred to as water poisoning) came up in conversation tonight (Kirby is running a 24-hr race this weekend). We realized that not everyone had heard of it, so...

Basically, hyponatremia means a low concentration of sodium in the blood. This is problematic because it causes water to move into cells, causing them to swell (remember back to biology/chemistry and osmosis... water moves down its concentration gradient... or, more simply, salt sucks). And when brain cells swell... not so good... the skull kind of prevents this! With respect to exercise, hyponatremia can occur when athletes drink too much "plain" water (i.e., when you sweat, you lose both water and salt). That's why it's important to drink some type of sports drink with electrolytes (like PowerBar's Endurance Beverage) in addition to water for longer races! For more information, read Salt and the Ultraendurance Athlete. Have a good night everyone! #20

4/24-25 Race Reports

We rock, we rock, we rock... WAHOOO! TAF dominated this Saturday's races, with AWESOME performances both in the Run for Our Heroes and the Pickle Festival 5k:

• Rita was the 2nd women overall at the Run for Our Heroes, turning in a huge PR!!! James and Keith also ran excellent races, both grabbing 2nd in their respective age groups, and Lisa was 1st in her age group... CONGRATS!!! Results
  
• Dave led the Pickle Festival 5k for the first quarter mile or so of the race. However, Sean soon passed him and finished 1st overall! Continuing on this winning trend, Laurel was next across the line for TAF, and was the 1st female finisher! Dave and Meghan ran well also, finishing 1st in their respective age groups (using traditional "results reporting" format... this might be as official as the Cuke Patch 5k results get). For more on this exciting event, read the full race report below... AWESOME JOB!!!
• Gary Franks was 1st in his age group at the Race of Grace... WAHOOO! Results
• Both Bri and Marty placed in the top 10 in their divisions at St. Anthony's Tri... CONGRATS!!! Results
• Kirby finished 49th overall at the Promised Land 50k! Results
  
• At the Penn Relays, Bobby Mack (TAF Elite) finished 7th in the mile in a time of 4:07... CRAZY!!! Results

Great job everyone! I'll update the race report as more results come in and I catch up on stuff at Cup-of-Joe tomorrow. But, for now, enjoy the rest of the weekend! #20

The Pickle Festival

Now time for the full race report on the Pickle Festival (Cuke Patch 5k). Suffice to say, we (Sean, Dave, Laurel, Nikki, and I) had a TON OF FUN!!!

Upon exiting the car in Mt. Olive, we soon realized that, well, pickles or brine or something in that town smells kind of funny. But, by the time we finished registering, we were pretty much used to it and got warmed up. And then, the true AWESOMENESS began...

Laurel and I had decided to wear our "new" uniforms... in other words, red TAF jerseys with bright orange shorts and neon yellow sneakers. Dave, in his American flag shorts, had apparently ditched his "Bye Bye Meghan" compression socks in favor of some new blue ones, which he was also wearing. Sean, who was dressed normally, refused to be seen with us... needless to say, we got some weird looks!

We lined up, the "three commands" were given, and we were off. Dave sprinted out to an early lead, which he maintained through the first turn. Sean soon passed him, and would have passed the pace car too except that it kept getting in front of him (and by Sean's account, he left numerous handprints on the trunk at every turn). Despite this, Sean managed to win the Cuke Patch 5k, crushing the rest of the competition. Laurel was next across the line for TAF, finishing up as the 1st woman overall. However, she was running so fast that the people at the finish line totally missed her crossing... takes a true TAF Ninja to sneak past someone when you're wearing all neon! Seriously, this marks the second "blend into the surroundings" excuse from race officials... new camouflage?!? Meghan and Dave followed... and everyone PR'd for some random distance around 3miles (but hey, a PR is a PR and they told us it was a 5k)!

I have no idea what the official results are... if they will ever be posted, etc. (the race was not chip-timed and 2x the number of people showed up compared to what they were expecting). So, as previously stated, Sean and Laurel were definitely first. Then, depending upon how they figure age groups, Dave and I were first in our age groups (as long as they don't count Sean and Laurel as placing in their age groups... if they do, Dave and I were second). After the awards were settled, we headed to the actual Pickle Festival itself, which was awesome. The highlights of this included the duck and pig and goat races, which were every bit as ridiculous as they sound! We had a great time... will definitely be back next year! GO TAF!!! #20

Where will TAF be this weekend?

We have teammates competing in a variety of races and locals this weekend. TAF should have a strong showing at the Run for Our Heroes (Sat, 9AM - Nash Square). Also this weekend, Race #1 of the "TAF Tour de Festivals" (aka the Pickle Festival) will take place, and a few of us will be headed to Mt. Olive for this event. I believe Kirby is running in the Promise Land 50K (he is officially insane... what, has it been two weeks since his last 26.2+ mile run?!? Just kidding... good luck). Also, Bri and Marty are headed to FL for the St. Anthony's Olympic Distance Triathlon, which boasts "the most competitive Elite Amateur field in the world"! So, GOOD LUCK everyone, run/bike/swim AWESOME, and let us know how it all turned out. Also, if your not competing and looking for something to do bright and early on Sat. or Sun., come on out and cheer on TAF. Have a GREAT weekend everyone. #20

4/17-4/19... The "Real" Race Reports

Ok, now that I'm back in NC and semi caught up on this past weekend's events, time to redo that race report!

• Bri and Tassie (the Gaal's dog) ran in the Umstead Coalition Run (4-mile). Bri was the 2nd female overall, although Tassie apparently "out-nosed" her at the finish line (... so even their dog is fast). CONGRATS BRI & TASSIE!!! Results
• Marty was first across the line at the Triangle Orthopaedic Sprint Tri. However, because of the weird time trial format, he was technically 2nd by 5sec (either way, that's still awesome). GREAT JOB MARTY!!! Results
• TAF was well-represented at the Flying Pirate Half Marathon. John Crews (TAF Elite) was 1st by a full 3min (not only is that crazy... but didn't he just win a race last weekend too?!?). Lisa Howell also ran well, grabbing 2nd in her age group. NICE JOB JOHN AND LISA!!! Results
• John Royal defended his title in the Fiesta Biathlon... CONGRATS!!! Results
• Meghan and Gary ran in the Boston Marathon on Mon. Gary, with camera in hand, ran "for fun"... although he still was well under 4hrs! I had intended to follow Gary's lead (sans camera though)... realized around mile 23 or so that I wasn't dead... so I pushed the last 5Kish and managed to run a PR. Highlights of the run included a little girl yelling to me that she "liked my socks" (apparently bright red compression socks are now in fashion) and running with my sister from 24-25.5miles. Also, saw a lot inspiring athletes, the most memorable of which was watching the Hoyt's tackle the second of the Newton hills. It was a great day for running... 2011 is going to be AWESOME! Results (Gary - 3:48:20, Meghan - 3:22:57).

WAHOOO AND CONGRATS EVERYONE ON SOME AWESOME PERFORMANCES!!! Enjoy the rest of the week, and remember that registration for Run for Our Heroes (TAF-target race) is this Thurs. at TAF from 5-7. Oh, and make sure you wish Mike Z. a happy birthday if you haven't already!!! #20

POTM - April

This may seem a week premature, but the performer of the month award for April goes to Meghan Hegarty! Meghan was 1st woman overall at the Run for Young Life 5k on April 10th and set a new P.R. at the Boston Marathon yesterday.

Congratulations, Meghan, great job(s)! If there ever was a team member who displayed as much enthusiasm as you, I'd be scared to meet them!

POTM - March

Congratulations to Jennifer Hannen for being named March's performer of the month. Jennifer is recognized as a result of winning the Cary Distance Festival 5k (finishing 2nd overall) and her great debut marathon to finish as 6th women at the Wrightsville Beach Marathon.

Keep up the great work, Jennifer!

4/17-18 Race Reports

The Gaals are awesome! Heard (well... I guess you can't hear Facebook posts) Bri did well at the Umstead 4 Miler, and Marty got 2nd place at the Triangle Ortho Sprint. If anyone raced, please let us know how it went. Hope everyone has an great week! #20

Product Review - Asics Velostretch Shirt

With the hot and humid North Carolina summer quickly approaching, having the right running gear to deal with the heat and the sun is most important. I tend to be a minimalist and often discard a running top in favor of feeling the sun on my back and becoming one with nature. But, with the ever present threat of skin cancer, that's probably not the wisest move.

My biggest knock with most tech shirts is that they tend to be useless when the humidity saturates the air and doesn't allow the shirt to wick (move moisture from your skin to the shirt surface where it can evaporate). You end up with a second skin of polyester stuck to your body like wallpaper.

Asics claims to combat this with their Hydrology fabric products of which I tested the Velostretch V2 shirt. I logged approximately 50 miles in the shirt in all sorts of weather from mild 50's to sunny and humid 80's, and I found it to do an excellent job at moving sweat from my core and keeping me relatively dry, even on the warm humid days. The waffle-like fabric seemed to create air channels which kept my chest and back cooler than even my uncovered arms. Asics also claims that the fabric provides UV protection between 15-40.

As for comfort, I really liked the flatlock stitching. Although the seams looked substantial from the exterior, they were very smooth on the interior and caused no chafing issues. I only wore the shirt during daylight runs, but the grey panels are said to also serve as reflectors.

It was cut just a little larger than I am accustomed to seeing in a medium, but I did not consider it to be too big or mis-sized. It is marketed as semi-fitted, which appears to be midway between fitted and relaxed.

For those of you who are eco-conscious, the Velostretch is also a member of their Ecoline products and is made from 100% recycled polyester.

My only knock was the price. The Asics home site lists the suggested retail at $38, which seems to be a bit high. Then again, most of my running tops came from race goody bags, so I might not be the voice of reason here. Looking around, that price seems to be pretty standard for the high end products of all the major labels. So, if you are looking for a quality, comfortable running top to keep you cool in the summer, I'd certainly recommend the Asics Velostretch.

Final Countdown

In the triangle-area, Bri Gaal will be racing in the Umstead 4 Mile on Sat., and Marty Gaal will be competing in the Triangle Ortho Tri on Sun. Gary Franks and Meghan will be running in the Boston Marathon on Monday... we'll check out the course for Team TAF's exciting return in 2011 (it's going to be AWESOME)!!! Not sure if anyone else is racing this weekend... if you are, GOOD LUCK!!! As usual, keep us posted and have fun. #20

Oh, and if y'all could keep your fingers crossed that weather.com decides that sun and 50's is the correct forecast, that would be great!!!

New Sponsor!!!

TAF Racing is proud to announce the addition of XTERRA Wetsuits as a 2010 sponsor

4/10-11 Race Reports: Blinding Fast Speed

... or just blinding! Anyways, looks like it was another GREAT weekend for TAF. We had teammates competing in everything from swimming to running to triathlons:

• Out at Falls Lake, Nicole got 3rd in her age group at the open water mile swim. I give her a lot of credit for even getting in the water on Saturday morning, let alone swimming a crazy time... I was debating wearing arm warmers to run!!! Results
  
• Casting aside his plan to "just run for fun" after realizing he was in the top ten after the first few miles, Keith chased down runners to finish 4th overall (and 1st in his age group) at the Mountains-to-Sea Trail 12-miler!!! Andrea also raced well, finishing 3rd in her age group despite battling problems with her IT Band starting around Mile 9. Results
  
• Tim G. competed in the Beaverdam Olympic Distance Triathlon, finishing 3rd in his age group. He was ranked 10th on the run even though he strained his calf muscle... the competition better watch it! Results
  
• John Crews (TAF Elite) finished 1st at the Tar Heel 10 Miler in a time of 49:01 (that's insane). And, despite having scar tissue scraped from his ankle just days before, Dave Meyer raced well, finishing 80th out of 1300+ runners. Results
  
• The finish line was a sea of red at the Young Life 5K (5 of the top 8 runners were from TAF, with 4 of us finishing in the top 5... those are some pretty good numbers). James finished in 18:42, for 1st overall (and a PR). Sean was 3rd overall despite being nearly sidelined by a hula-hooping walker who was just finishing up her first mile as Sean was finishing his third. He was followed closely by a planet-print-toga-clad Joe Miller, who grabbed 1st in his age group. On the women's side, Meghan and Rita were a formidable force, helping each other through the first mile to finish 1st and 3rd respectively. Results
  
• Kirby finished 7th overall in the Pilot Mountain Pay Back Marathon (that just sounds painful).
  
• Gary Franks was 1st in his age group at the Cary 10K Road Race. Results
  

TAF IS AWESOME, TAF IS AWESOME, TAF IS AWESOME... WAHOOO! Congrats everyone, and keep the results coming in! Hope everyone has a good week. #20

Right Back At It

Apparently, that week off (for some) of racing was too much for us to handle! On Saturday, Nicole, Keith, and Andrea decided to mix things up and head to Falls Lake for (1) a 1-mile open water swim race and (2) the Mountains-To-Sea Trail 12 Miler. Kirby will only be running a marathon this weekend (I can barely type that with a straight face), and is off to Pilot Mountain. Back in the triangle-area, we have teammates competing in the Tar Heel 10-miler and Kay Brewer Memorial 5K for Greater Raleigh Young Life. So, come out and do something because this weather is awesome! Good luck everyone and let us know how it went! #20

4/3-4 Race Reports

While some of us were enjoying blueberry pancakes and biscuits with molasses at the Farmer's Market, our ultra runners were out racing.

Brad and Andrea competed in the Camp Lejeune 4 Mile Mud Run on Saturday (for the full report, see Brad's Blog). Brad turned in a time of 28:55 for 1st in his age group (6th overall). Andrea finished a few minutes later as 8th woman and 2nd in her age group. Results

And one week after running in the Terrapin Mountain 50k, David Kirby claimed 2nd overall in the Sweet H2O 50k, finishing in a time of 5:24:47!!! Kirby described it as a "killer race", and looking at the website, that might be an understatement (and this time it's not an April Fool's joke). Seriously Kirby... that's INSANE... you are AWESOME!!! Results

CONGRATS Brad, Andrea and Kirby on some SPECTACULAR performances. If anyone else raced, please let us know how it went. Hope everyone is enjoying "summer" and have a great week! #20

What's Next?!?

Brad's running in the Camp Lejeune 4 Mile Mud Run this weekend. I believe the rest of us might be taking a week off from racing?!? In any event, GOOD LUCK if you are competing and hope everyone is enjoying this AWESOME WEATHER!!!#20

Where are we now?

If my math is correct, the 3/27-28 weekend racing/pacing total is 182.1 miles:

7.5 (TAF Elite) + 160.9 (TAF Racing) + 26.2 (TAF Recruits) = 194.6

So, for these past two weekends of ultras / marathons / half marathons, TAF has logged over 400 miles (and this doesn't take into account the TAF Half Marathon Training Program totals)!!! That brings us to Atlanta, GA... CRAZY!!!
But what's even more CRAZY is that, the TAF contingency has added 1 overall 1st place, 1 overall 2nd place, 2 age group 1st places, 2 age group 2nd places, 3 age group 3rd places, and Bobby was at the IAAF World XC Meet all in two weeks... WAHOOO!!!