Rain... rain....

I know we need rain... and I'm fine with it raining between 8 and 5 (AM or PM... doesn't matter)... but the weather doesn't seem to like to listen to me! So, here are some tips for running in the rain. #20

... I love that picture, but she's not wearing a helmet, which is NOT cool!

Health in NC

... wanted to give y'all time to read the race report.

While Raleigh-Durham is a fairly healthy city (#17 out of the 50 largest U.S. cities), North Carolina is a fairly unhealthy state... and one of the most obese. #20

9/25-26... The "Long" Awaited Reports

So who didn't race last weekend?!? Seriously, I certainly picked a weekend to be "wicked busy"... lots of catching up on reporting to do (I apologize for the delay)!

Starting on Sat., Mandy and Rita went 1-2 in the Women's Distance Festival 5K (results). Lisa was the 2nd female overall at the Get Pumped for Pink 10K, setting a new PR in the process. Nicole also placed 3rd in her age group at the Wilmington YMCA Triathlon (results). And, not to be shown up by the females, James and Sean went 1-2 in Hope's Hope 5K (and both of James' brothers finished in the top 10; results). At the Salem Lake 30K, John Royal was the 1st Master's runner (5th overall), and David Kirby grabbed 3rd in his age group (results). Oyler also competed well in the Wilmington YMCA Triathlon, despite being stung by a jellyfish on the swim (his son was 2nd in his age group; results).

On Sunday, Rita (2nd age group), Dave (4th age group), and I (4th female) ran in the Anna's Angels 10-miler. Srini Iyer (TAF Elite) was 2nd overall, and we saw a bunch of our friends from the Half Marathon Training Program out there (results). And last, but certainly not least, Brad logged 61 miles at the Hinson Lake 24-hr run, despite the 90-degree temperatures. This brings his 5 year total to 500 miles for this race (ok, that's just crazy... race report).

Whew... AWESOME JOB EVERYONE AND CONGRATS!!! And, thank you for everyone who came out to support us (saw Alli, Sean, Nicole, Ed, and Keith at Anna's Angels). I'll get some more detailed reports up later this week... time to do work! #20

Product Review - K-Swiss Blade

K-Swiss Blade-Light Race

The Blade-Light Race from K-Swiss is their racing flat marketed for triathlon racing. It has a large velcro strap for lightning fast transitions and excellent ventilation for the hottest of days. The K-EVA blades and a layer of Superfoam help make it one of the most cushiony shoes for racing.

I tested this product over several runs totalling approximately 75 miles. The runs took place primarily on pavement, greenway and track. The average run was 5-7 miles with the long being 14.

Pros - The first thing I noticed about the show was how comfortable it was. Most racing flats feel something akin to wrapping your foot in duct tape, but these felt more like slippers. The main draw to this shoe is definitely the velcro strap, which makes for quick triathlon transitions. I only did one race in the shoe, but it lived up to the hype. A quick tug of the heel and a cinch on the velcro strap, and I was out on the run. Also, the few seams inside made going sockless a breeze without worry of blisters. Lastly, the shoe is very well ventilated, making it very comfortable on even the hottest of days.

Cons - If the first thing I noticed was the comfort, the second thing I noticed was the heel to toe slope of the shoe. I suppose this is to get runner in a nice forward lean to better hit a mid-foot to fore-foot strike, but I naturally run that way anyway and did not need the extra guidance. My biggest issue with the shoe, however, was the lack control in the toe box. The upper in that area is a stretchy mesh that is great for ventilation but does a poor job at holding your foot in place. On a couple of off-camber turns, I felt my foot slide off the platform and into the mesh. That's a twisted ankle waiting to happen.

Overall, I like the shoe, but will likely confine use to multi-sport races only and ones without too many sharp turns. The instability of the toe box is just a little too much to overcome to make this a high recommend. I'd give it 3 of 5 stars, disc wheels, locopops or whatever scale you want to use.

Chef #20

While I struggled to choke down the dinner that I had assembled the other night, I came across this Cook Like a Pro article on the Runner's World website, and it cracked me up.

1. Cook what you know -> pretty sure "cook" is not in my vocabulary being that I just used the word "assemble" to describe dinner
2. Keep it simple -> ok, I definitely have that one under control
3. Splurge on "great" ingredients, but use them wisely -> hahaha... probably not going to happen unless the mean dinosaur sprinkles instead of normal ones
   
4. Learn a few simple kitchen skills -> ok ok ok... I'll "learn" to boil water... right after I "learn" to be patient enough to wait for it to boil
   
5. Taste and season

After reading the last comment, it dawned on me what was wrong with my current creation... no seasoning. So, being that dinner couldn't get much worse (at least not without adding roast beef), I opened up the refrigerator and pulled out my favorite condiment. And, ya know what, maple syrup and bananas tastes a lot better than balsamic vinaigrette and bananas! Score... dinner saved! So, while y'all are probably much better cooks than I am, the article is a short read and might save you from spitting out dinner one night! #20

Tendons

Tendon injuries... well... suffice to say they are the opposite of fun. So, what is the root cause? Ok... brief A&P lesson - tendons are composed of collagen bundles (allows them to stretch) and ground substance (provides structural support). Collagen is arranged in a hierarchical fashion (the figure explains it a lot better than anything I could write). The ground substance, which is comprised mainly of proteoglycancs, basically serves as a glue.
Now, being that collagen is what allows the tendon to stretch, one would think that the properties of the fibrils (i.e., the lowest level) are what causes the problem. Not so... it is the "stuff" holding them together (this is by far my favorite quote of the article). To summarize their findings, when the fibrils were tested in isolation, they could stretch to 100% of their original length. However, a tendon can only stretch 10-20% before breaking. Ergo, "stuff" is the problem! They don't really give any suggestions for how to go about preventing injuries, but presumably research into such topics will now be better focused. #20

... y'all will be awarded 1 credit for reading this!

Mileage

Here are the mileage totals for the year (through end of August).

Brad - 1701
Jen - 1525
Rita - 1400
Lisa - 1394
Meghan - 1137
Laurel - 1089
Sean - 876
Dave - 844
Perry - 739

Brad, Jen, Rita and Lisa are well on their way to 2000 miles for the year, far eclipsing the 2010K goal we set out at the beginning. Since we are nearing the end of September, Meghan and Laurel are likely already over the 2010K mark. The rest of us still have some work to do.

Lots of Races

Yeah... that pretty much says it all. On Sat., Oyler (and his son) and Nicole are headed to the Wilmington YMCA Triathlon. Closer to home, Sean and James (and James' family) are running in the Hope's Hope 5K at the ATT and Rita is running in the Women's Distance Festival (and others are threatening to show up and run... just kidding). And then there's Anna's Angels on Sunday, which I think Dave, Rita (two races in one weekend?!?), and I were thinking about. Then Brad is running Hinson Lake, which will span both days (and he'll probably log more than all of us combined... that's just crazy to think about). Anyways, should be busy! Don't know if anyone else is racing this weekend, if you are GOOD LUCK and RUN HAPPY (the Brooks' rep was here yesterday for the Half Marathon Training Program... speaking of which, they also have a training run on Sat.). #20

Head Gear

Not the "one word" kind from the days of braces, but what we wear on our heads during runs... this article reviews headbands, while this one reviews hats... Lululemon made both lists! #20

Training Log

The subject of training logs came up this weekend, and I was surprised to learn that many of you are not making use of them. So I though I'd jot down a few notes on what they are, what a good one should contain and how it can prove to be useful in your training.

The training log is a just that, an historical record of your workouts and races. At the very least, a good log will contain the type of workout (swim, bike, run, etc.), the mileage of the event and the type (easy, tempo, intervals, race). With this basic information, you can control your weekly mileage to insure that you do not increase it too rapidly. General rule of thumb is increasing weekly mileage by no more than 10-15% if you want to remain healthy and injury free. Secondly you will likely see patterns develop based on these mileage numbers. Perhaps at 40-50 running miles a week, you show good progress and good results, but at mileage over 60 a week, you find yourself sickly or more prone to injury. Likewise, at mileage less than 40 a week, you find performance results lacking.

As an aside, this is also a great way to calculate shoe and bike tire mileage to help you know when to replace.

Two other bits of information that can turn a basic training log into a detailed source of information are the conditions of the workout (temperature, weather conditions, course conditions) and your physical/mental feelings. Was Monday's recovery run sluggish because your legs were tired from Sunday's long run? Did Wednesday's pool workout make you feel fresh for Thursday's bike interval?

If the planned race is long, where nutrition will play a part, keeping track of the types and amounts of calories consumed in training can be helpful as well. Did PowerGels (nutritious and delicious) sit well on your stomach while GUs sent you running into the woods for relief? Which was better the night before the long run, pizza or burrito, Guinness or All Sport?

There are those few days each year where everything seems to fall into place, and you feel like you can ride or run faster and farther than before and with relative ease. The goal of all this training that we do is being able to replicate this feeling come race day. By having a detailed training log, we can look back on the events that led up to that day of awesomeness and employ those same strategies before the big race.

Lastly, when you have some time off during a race taper, it is cool to dig out an old training log from a few years back and reminisce about workouts and races gone by. Compare race times, see how far you've come and relive the journey.

That's all for now, gotta write about the dusty 1000's on the chip trail at Lake Johnson last night.

Swim... Bike... Run... have some fun!

How to PR in your triathlon... hmmmm... aside from training harder you mean?!? Well, you could "bank" some time in the swim by improving your technique (here are some more suggestions). The bike leg is another place to save some time, being that it is proportionately the longest of all three. And the only way to get better at cycling is practice, practice, practice (or better tires... some new trends in wheel design are discussed in this article)! Or, you could finish stronger on the run by improving your form. If you're already perfect at all three... make sure you're not losing time in the transition area (taking off a wetsuit can be tricky). #20

Mag Mile Report

As promised... here is the "full" Mag Mile report:

TAF Racing managed to synchronize their watches and all show up pretty much at the same time. After picking up our chips, we immediately found the TAF tent to try and get out of the sun (plus, Brad needed a spot to store his gear being that he biked from North Raleigh). We saw a bunch of our friends from the Half Marathon Training Program, Fit-tastic, and other triangle-area running clubs... as well as the TAF Elite squad (they were more of a blue and white blur). It finally came time to begin warming up (2 o'clock races are not good for my patience), and we decided to "run the course" (because that's what's awesome about mile races). We saw Jim, who had come out to cheer us on despite having recently undergone surgery for his Achilles, and McCrae and Sarah (who now have a beautiful new daughter named Anna). Keith, Mark N., and Matt were also there to support us.

Ok, so we finished warming up. They called the men to the line and ran through the "Who's Who" of NC running. Gun went off... and so did they... the start looked insanely fast! Rita, Jennifer, and I jogged around the block once... and by that time we heard a "and here comes the lead runner". Bobby Mack came flying across the finish line in 4:08 (yeah, that's what the clock said), and John Crews was right behind him, making it a 1-2 finish for TAF Elite. About a minute later, we saw another line of TAF runners, with Brad, Oyler (3rd AG), and Jack U. (3rd Master's) securing places 24-26. Shortly thereafter, Rusty crossed the finish line, and shortly after him came Dave.

Then the women lined up, another "Who's Who" of NC running, and bang! This start was also insane... so insane that I lost my inhaler about 50ft into the race (got popped right out of my hand, served as a good elbow-blocker though!). Jennifer was first across the line for the TAF women, and Rita and I finished neck and neck, both setting new PR's. Shortly thereafter, Jeffrey (NC State Tri Team) saw me, and handed me my inhaler, which had apparently been found on the ground right around the start line.

It was a great race... lots of fun... well, as fun as something that fast can be (I think my lungs have finally stopped burning)... GREAT JOB EVERYONE! Pictures

Eat This Now: Candy Corns

I know that Runner's World likes to make "practical" Eat This Now suggestions, but as I nearly consider funfetti to be it's own food group... well... corn IS a vegetable! So, last week I skipped out of the grocery store because CANDY CORN is now ON SALE! However, after talking to others, I realized that only about half shared my excitement. Apparently people either love or hate candy corn, there is no orange area (just white or yellow). So, for all of you "non-believers", here is a list of reasons why candy corn is AWESOME:

1. It can help you get through a long run (straight sugar will do that... just make sure they don't make you sick)
2. It has a long shelf life and doesn't melt (while candy corn has previously received a bad reputation as a result of its "lack of expiration date"... well, one of the comments in the linked post pointed to a "Halloween Candy Buy Back Program" for supporting our troops overseas)
   
3. It improves math skills (which you totally need so you don't mis-calculate your pace 3 miles into a half marathon)
4. It will solve the nation's obesity problem (this is NOT even close to true... it amazes me what you can find online... candy corn is healthy?!?)

Ok... I really can't come up with more than four reasons... but it is the #1 Halloween Candy!!! #20

POTM - May through August (Sorry for the delay)

I know I'm way late here, but wanted to recognize some fine performaces from the past four months. To recap, Brad won this for January, Dave for February, Jennifer in March, and Meghan in April.

May - Goes to Laurel Thomas for her great race under horrible conditions at the Pittsburg Half Marathon. BTW, she bested her 1:32:11 by four minutes at the Rock and Roll Half in August!

June - Keith Ferguson gets this one for his win at the Blueberry Festival 5k in Burgaw, no doubt pushed by the six other podium TAF racers who also did great! Keith's 18:55 won over James Lavin by 45 seconds!

July - Lisa Howell gets this one for her 3rd place age group award at the Grandfather Mountain Marathon in Boone. Not only that, but she improved an amazing one minute per mile over 2009!

August - This one goes to Marty Gaal for winning an ocean 5k swim. That just sounds wrong!

Great job guys! Your award awaits you at The Athlete's Foot!

Motor Neuron Diseases

So I realized the other day that I seldom know anything about the charity that the race is benefiting. The Mag Mile, which a lot of us participated in yesterday, was supporting the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation (SPF). This organization raises money for Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) and Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), which are two upper motor neuron diseases. In these diseases, the motor neurons that control voluntary movement degrade and die, which causes problems with everything from breathing and swallowing to walking and movement in general. There are no known cures for these diseases, which often progress slowly. Treatment involves symptom management (reducing spasticity and cramping, improving joint mobility, etc.). #20

9/18-19 Race Reports

TAF ROCKS!!! Seriously, everyone ran AWESOME this weekend:

• Tim G. ran on a 6-person team for the Blue Ridge Mountain Relay... they were running strong, but I think someone (not Tim) got lost... I need to catch up with Tim for the whole story!
  
• Kirby was back in action this weekend, taking 3rd OA in the Run for Red Marathon.
• TAF dominated the Mag Mile. Bobby Mack and John Crews (TAF Elite) took 1st and 2nd in the men's race. Brad (5th AG), Oyler (3rd AG), and Jack U. (3rd Masters; 3rd AG) took places 24-26... always nice to see a line of TAF shirts crossing the finish! Barry (7th AG) and Dave (12th AG) also ran strong races. On the women's side, Jennifer was first across the line for TAF, finishing in the top 10 overall (4th AG). Rita (5th AG) and I (4th AG) finished neck and neck, repeating the approach that the men took ealier. I know a lot of people set PR's... it was an AWESOME race! Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us too (saw Keith, Jim, McCrae, and Sarah out there). men's results, women's results

I have to add to the Mag Mile report... but I just wanted to get something posted to let y'all know how it went. It was great to see all of our friends from the Half Marathon Training Program and other running clubs in the Triangle-area... missed you guys! Hope everyone enjoys what's left of the weekend, and CONGRATS to all those who raced! #20

The Weekend Outlook

Run... run... run.... lots of racing this weekend! Tim G. is teaming up with a couple of our training partners in the Blue Ridge Relay today and tomorrow. They decided to step it up and only have 6 people on their team, so I believe Tim is running 45ish miles... have fun with that! I know that Lisa H. is racing this weekend (and I know she told me what, but I was pretty dead after Tues. night's track workout and don't remember which race it was). And Sunday brings the Magnificient Mile (packet pickup is tomorrow from 4-6 at TAF), which is always good to throw in in the midst of marathon training. A bunch of us are running, and Bobby Mack is looking to hold on to his title as the NC USATF 1mile champion for the 3rd year in a row! Should be a fun race.

The Half Marathon Training Program is meeting on Sat., so if you're looking to log some miles, come help out. If not, cheer cheer cheer and have a GREAT weekend! #20

Decided to switch it up and do a "Fun Facts Friday" this week. I got to wondering what the fastest animal was the other day. Turns out, the Spine-Tailed Swift is the fastest flier (106mph), the Cheetah is the fastest runner (70mph), and the Shortfin Mako Shark is the fastest swimmer (31mph)... pretty sure humans are the fastest cyclists (hahaha)!

On the road...

Ok, ok, ok... enough with the "funny triathlon" searches in YouTube

A lot of us travel a lot for races, and I know the last thing I want to do when I get home is cook! Short trips are fine... can basically pack what you're going to eat... but longer trips usually result in a lot of eating out. So, I decided to look up what the "healthiest fast food" restaurants were, and the results surprised me. McDonald's made the list (at #8), but Subway did not. A lot of the other places on the list were not what I'd consider typical "fast food" joints either (Panera was #1). I still haven't been able to find something comparing the "normal" places (McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Subway, etc.), but I did find this site talking about the "healthiest choices" at these places. #20

Open Water Swimming

This Clif Bar commercial says it all! #20

Scrubs

J.D. raced a triathlon?!? I love it! #20

Triathlon Song

The video is... well... BUT THE SONG IS AMAZING! #20

9/10-12 Race Reports

Go us... go us... go us... WAHOOO! Big weekend for TAF Racing:

• Rita and I joined the NCSU Club XC Team at the Seahawk Invitational, and Alli G. was there with Peace! Allie M. raced there on Sat. in the high school meet.
• Keith was 3rd overall at the Golf Course 5K, smashing 18min and setting a new PR in the process. results
  
• Dave was 1st in his age group (9th overall) at the Tunnels to Towers Wake Forest 5K. results
• Brad was 2nd in his age group (8th overall) at the North Hills 5K. results
  
• Marty was 6th overall at the Patriot Half Ironman, and Bri was 1st at the sprint this morning. half ironman results; sprint results
  
• Joey Anderson (works at TAF) ran his 2nd fastest marathon ever this AM at the LVHN Marathon for another BQ.

AWESOME JOB EVERYONE!!! Looks like all of that marathon training is paying off (hahaha). Speaking of marathon training... great run this AM, and have a good rest of the weekend everyone! #20

Saturday Update

It's been an eventful two days for TAF Racing! Keith competed in the Golf Course 5K this AM, smashing the 18min barrier (17:29) to set a PR... and he was 3rd overall! Tim G. was also out there helping with timing. Dave ran in the Tunnel to Towers Wake Forest 5K and was 1st in his age group (9th overall). CONGRATS guys!

Rita and I joined the NCSU Club XC team yesterday at the Seahawk Invitational... Alli G. was there with Peace... and Ali M. was there with her high school team (and is racing today... thank you for cheering for us yesterday). Sean and Gavin also came to coach and cheer us on... it was like a mini-team reunion. On the starting line, the NCSU club team lined up next to Peace, so Alli, Rita, and I got to exchange high-fives (got some weird looks since we were on different teams for that meet... but TAF Racing trumps all)! The gun went off, and it was a quick start... really quick... and I remembered what it was like to race in college again! It was fun though, and everyone ran well. The men's NCSU Club XC team also turned in some great performances. I have no idea how we finished as a team, Gavin had us as "unofficial 4ths"... WAHOOO! (women's results; men's results)

Weekend Outlook

Let the racing season begin! Yes, since Labor Day is the "unofficial start of fall", that means its actually "comfortable" outside (or so says the Fitness and Comfort Index). This translates to an increase in the number of racing "opportunities", which equates to an increase in the amount that we actually compete -> Given: TAF Racing is AWESOME; Solution: TAF Domination is inversely related to the heat index (the proof of this is left to the reader... yeah, I need to get out of the lab).

Ok, so Rita and I are joining the NCSU Club XC team at the Seahawk Invitational on Friday, and Keith is hoping to set a PR at The Golf Course 5K on Saturday. The Half Marathon Training group is also meeting Saturday morning for a training run, so come on out and help if you're around. Other than that, GOOD LUCK if you racing and hope everyone has a FANTASTIC weekend. #20

Ok, so I tried to find something related to funfetti cake for this "world record Friday" (I had already managed to link 3 of my favorite things afterall). This was the best I could do: (1) biggest birthday cake -- 102' x 52' x 20" (the Sara Lee Foods facility in NC made the 30,240 cakes for this), (2) biggest icecream cake -- 5m x 3m x ??? (32,000 pieces... mmmmmm), and (3) biggest wedding cake -- 17'' tall, 15,000+ lbs (bridezilla... the gingerbread house on that page was way cooler)!

Cheating just got harder

German scientists have developed a method that can detect gene doping up to 56 days later. Better yet, it's relatively inexpensive, easy to perform, and very effective. Good... I'm glad... I'm sick of hearing about all of these professional/semi-professional athlete scandals. For more information on preventing doping in sports, visit the World Anti-Doping website. #20

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream...

For ice cream! Yes, ice cream is among my favorite foods, and is just plain AWESOME. Ever wonder what the differences in ice cream "varieties" really was? This article explains it, and the "benefits" of each.

Ok... enough with the serious stuff... on to the real reason for this post-- a review of "funfetti" ice cream! Most brands refer to this flavor with the keyword "cake". The ice cream base generally tastes like yellow cake batter, and there is everything from blue frosting swirls, sprinkles, rainbow chips, and actual pieces of cake thrown in to the mix. My favorite combination is the blue frosting swirl / rainbow chip variety, which the Harris Teeter brand has perfected (this is awesome since they usually have their own ice cream on sale). Edy's also capitalized on this combination, but they seem not to have as much of a frosting swirl, which is my favorite part. Blue Bunny uses real sprinkles in place of rainbow chips (which I'm pretty sure are just colored white chocolate), and Turkey Hill has "real cake pieces" (I've only just recently heard of this and haven't found it in a store here yet). Ben & Jerry's switches it up with a chocolate frosting swirl... never had this one either. Cold Stone also has a Birthday Cake Remix concoction (which is amazing), and Zaxby's does too (on my list of things to try in the near future... it will be my reward for finding my mailbox and learning to parallel park).

Exercise Zones

There appears to be a divide as to how best to determine your "effort level". In my post on lactate threshold, I described the "percent max heart rate" formula. However, after reading this article, it appears that power can also be used. From what I gather, the people in the power camp feel that the heart rate varies too much from person to person. Power can be measured independently of wind speed, rolling resistance (for cycling), etc. I don't know which is actually "better". I guess power can really only be practically applied to cycling, and it seems to me that heart rate is more sensitive to other factors that influence "effort level" (ambient temperature, current health, etc.)... but hey, I'm not an exercise scientist. What I really thought was cool, however, was that the authors describe an easy, relatively inexpensive method of determining your zones. They used a bike, bike trainer, and a power meter (equipment which a lot of cyclists already own). There testing protocol made use of a simple, all-out 3-min test. They found that the pace held in the last 30sec of the test matched the pace that the cyclists could maintain for 20-30min. #20

After reading the "bio" at the end of the article, I had to laugh-- turning your research into something you love anyways... hmmmm...

Rock 'n' Roll... The Real Race Report!

First off, let me just say, everyone ran AWESOME! Laurel (1:28:02) and Rita (1:32:51) both ran PR's... AND LAUREL WAS 3RD IN HER AGE GROUP! I might have started off a little quick... but it was still a great race! And and and... LAUREL, RITA, AND I WERE IN THE TOP 50 FEMALES!!! Sean and Gavin were THE BEST PACERS EVER... and we were very thankful to have them running with us! John Crews (TAF Elite) was 9th overall, and I also heard that our friends in the Half Marathon Training Program ran well... wahooo! (results)
Ok, now for the race itself. We awoke at 4:50AM to my cell phone alarm, which was no Eye of the Tiger. However, after I realized it was my alarm... it was pretty much throw on our uniforms, out the door, and ready to take on the world! We made it to the start of the race in good time, and WE GOT TO GO IN THE VIP AREA! That was really cool... and and and the woman that won the marathon at the Beijing Olympics was there... and and and we saw John Crews (TAF Elite) and talked to him for a bit... and and and I'm not sure who else because I was pretty nervous and running circles around the tables.
We lined up in Coral 1 with 10min to the start of the race, and met some of Laurel's running friends from Richmond (they were really cool and ran crazy fast). After the national anthem, the gun went off, and off we went. The first couple miles were kind of fast... and I can't do math in my head! The first half of the race was well-shaded, and really nice. The bands were great, and the cheerleaders were chanting some crazy "13.1 cheer". The sun was out by the military base, and we were grateful for the misters. They were handing out Blackberry GU, and kept repeating how it was "the best flavor ever" (they are totally right). We hit the bridge somewhere around the 10 or 11 mile mark, and it felt like a mountain at that point. We saw a bunch of members from Team Hoyt out there, so that was neat. The last couple miles were pretty windy, but it's always fun finishing a race right at the ocean!
After the race, we chilled in the VIP area for a bit (which was again really cool), got some coffee (at least I really needed caffeine by that point... I know, hard to imagine), and headed back to the hotel. We ended up hanging around VA Beach for a little bit, watching some local bands, and catching up with Laurel. We all had a GREAT time, and it was a ton of fun (although, next year, I say we do the race as a relay). CONGRATS again to Laurel and Rita for setting PR's, and thank you Sean and Gavin for running with us! #20

Labor Day

Oh thank you eHow... you have made my day! I was trying to think of something related to Labor Day and running, swimming, biking, exercise, anything else we do... but Googling this just turned up a bunch of races and "fun" events. Boring... and then I came across this eHow "instructable": How to Celebrate Labor Day. Don't worry y'all the "difficulty" rating is easy... whew... and it's just 5 easy steps... score! Seriously, the thought of someone typing in those search terms cracks me up!

So, the first two steps involve eating... and 2 is really just a contingency plan for 1 in bad weather. I know they suggest hamburgers and hot dogs, but we have a lot of vegetarians on the team... hmmmm... you know what doesn't have meat, FUNFETTI CAKE!!! And since my discovery that I really only need a can of soda and cake mix, well, you can't get much easier! Ok, 1 and 2 down... step 3 is beach and step 4 is relax. We got the beach part down right by running Rock 'n Roll at Virginia Beach (which was AWESOME), and the relax part down right by going to the concerts after the race (which were also AWESOME). Now "labor day themed crafts"... hmmmm.. what profession? A lot of us are still students, others have real jobs... but who wants to think about work on Labor Day?!? Oh well, 4 out of 5 isn't bad! #20

Rock 'n' Roll Report

We awoke to "Eye of the Tiger" at 5AM, leaping out bed and into our racing gear, ready for a day of total TAF domination. Over a breakfast of PowerBars and 5-hour energy drinks, SK cautioned us about "banking time" and reminded us "how to draft" since it might be windy by the beach. Bouncing out the door at 6AM, we were prepared to take on any runner that stood between us and the finish line.

We met up with Laurel at the start, and said hello to some of the people in the Half Marathon Training Program. Everyone was "nervous excited", and then someone pointed to the sky. It's not supposed to be this dark at 6:30... I mean, it's been getting lighter later, but yeah, it was currently getting darker... hmmmm... oh no... those look like rain clouds... wait, weather.com said it was supposed to be nice today when I checked last night (fitness and comfort index of 9)!

The race started, and still no rain. Our first few miles were right on pace, and then somewhere around Mile 3 the wind picked up. By Mile 4 we were quoting Twister... "we got cows" (not really, but I was thankful that Coach had reminded us how to draft). Somewhere between miles 5 and 6, the rain started, and by Mile 8 I suggested that we trade our sneakers for some flippers (and The Little Mermaid "flippin' your fins you won't get too far..." song got stuck in my head)! At Mile 10, three things occurred to me: (1) I have a 5K left and I'm tired and sopping wet, (2) but at least I don't have to run 90 more miles (thank you Brad), and (3) maybe if I pretend that I'm running away from a tornado, I'll run faster! So, that's what I did, for 3.1miles. With half a mile left, we looked up... the sun was out and the rain had stopped... and THERE WAS A RAINBOW RIGHT OVER THE FINISH LINE! Awesome... the best prize ever... the finishing chute...

Yeah, I have no idea how the race went since this post and the start of the race should have occurred simultaneously! I'll post the real report when I get a chance (hope you enjoyed reading this one though). Have a great day everyone! #20

Labor Day Weekend Outlook

The Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon is this Sunday... WAHOOO! I'm pretty sure everyone in the Half Marathon Training Program, as well as within a 2-block radius of the Rose Garden, knows how excited I am about this race. RnR is the goal race for the summer training program, and we have some members of TAF Racing heading up there too... should be an AWESOME time! The fall training program is also meeting for a run on Saturday, so if you're looking to log some miles, feel free to help out. Not sure if anyone else is racing this weekend... if you are, GOOD LUCK, if you're not, HAPPY TRAINING! #20

And for world record Friday, life, the universe, and everything... the fastest harmonica player is Nicky Shane. He played Oh When the Saints Go Marching In at a speed of 285 bpm in September, 2005.

The American Tobacco Trail

The American Tobacco Trail (or ATT for short) is one of the few flat places to run in the triangle area. It runs along an old railroad bed, and the surface varies from hard-packed dirt to pavement. Although the trail is 22 miles long, I have never covered the whole thing. I've always started from the parking lot located on White Oak Church Rd. From here, it's ~10.5 miles out-and-back to the right (marked every half mile... you start between the 5.5-mile and 5-mile markers). I have no idea how far the trail extends to the left (the mile makers are harder to see and not as regularly spaced... I know the 8-mile marker is there). One of our teammates' aunts is involved with the Hope's Hope 5K, which is at the ATT (9/29, 8:30AM)... would be great for setting a PR! #20

WakeMed Soccer Park

The WakeMed Soccer Park is another great place to train. There is a trail that basically runs around the perimeter of the complex. It is marked off in both kilometer and mile increments (this is kind of cool... never thought about marking a 5k in km... but it makes sense). A lot of local cross country races are held here. The course is basically a figure-8 (with a smaller first loop and a longer second loop). It starts off downhill, and does a small loop (you'll hit the mile mark) before heading back up the hill it started on (this is not so fun... the 2000m mark is about halfway up the hill). Then, the course levels off for a bit before hitting two smaller, steeper hills (the 2-mile mark is at the top of the second). The next bit of the course is downhill or flat, which is nice. Slightly past the 4k mark, it heads back up the starting hill (this is definitely not fun... I think the worst is seeing the 3-mile mark... it's a "long 0.1 miles" to the finish). The course is challenging to say the least, but it is a great surface to run on and good for doing intervals / hill repeats. #20