wakeobx

Final Dog Days of Bike Tour

2010-04-09T22:10:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, we biked 31 miles to the Charleston Tea Plantation, the only place in North America to grow and process tea. Since I am a tea aficionado, I really enjoyed the indoor and outdoor tours and bought some souvenirs. (Lauren Pressley: I thought of you while we were there!) Bill is a coffee guy, so he choose to do an extra loop to the waterfront while we were on tour. One of the highlights on the ride was the Angel Oak, a live oak tree rumored by the natives to be 1400 years old. We heard a story that the Spoleto Festival held a ballet on flooring placed under the tree a couple of years ago and two yellow snakes, caught enthusiastically mating in the branches, fell to the floor on top of the dancers! Above is a picture of the Angel Oak. On Thursday night we had dinner at High Cotton, one of the best restaurants in Charleston.

On Friday, the trip came to an exciting conclusion. We only biked 22 miles but we had all kinds of dog encounters, the most exciting of which was when a pretty little black lab mix ran alongside our bikes for THREE MILES. She wouldn't go home, no matter what we did. She was even bowled over by a pit bull on the way and was even more determined after that to stay by the nice bikers she decided to adopt. We finally stopped and called our van support, asking them to take the dog back to where we found it. They couldn't find anyone who knew the dog and left it with some people who said they would take care of it but when we checked later we found that the real owner came looking for her and so the story ended happily. We almost had a sister for Salem and Homer! In all the excitement, I forgot to take a picture of the dog, but here is a picture of two nice horses with whom we shared an apple.

We had lunch at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center and then returned to the Charleston hotel where we left our car last Saturday and drove home. It was a great trip and I highly recommend Carolina Tailwinds to everyone!

Day Off in Charleston

2010-04-07T21:57:00.010-04:00

Wednesday was our "free" day on the tour, which came at a good time so we could rest our seats and do something different. Bill chose to run 11 miles over the Ravenal Bridge, something he had always wanted to do but we could never make it down to the annual Cooper River Bridge Run. He arranged for a pick-up on Sullivan's Island so he wouldn't have to run back!

I chose to play tourist (along with about 10,000 other people in town) and walk through a couple of historic homes. As many times as I've been in Charleston, I've never taken the time to take a house and garden tour. The first one was the Nathaniel Russel House, lovingly restored in all its grandeur to the time of its original owners in the early 1800's.

The second house was the Calhoun Mansion, also dramatically restored after being condemned by the city in the early 1970's. The current owner still lives there and in fact was in his study working while our tour group tramped through his house. He must be rather eccentric, as he crammed the house full of 23 truckloads of antiques from all time periods and all styles: Egyptian, Chinese, Native American, European, etc, topped off by a taxidermy collection of exotic animals. The tour guide said that the most common reaction upon opening the front door is Oh My God. She wasn't kidding. Now I understand why the Historic Charleston Foundation declines to list it on its site.

The final house I visited was the Aiken-Rhett House, which in contrast to the other two was in a state of conservation, rather than restoration. It was purposely left in a state of decay, showing (literally) all layers of the family that lived there from 1817 to 1975. It does a good job at showing how slaves lived in these high society Charleston town houses. This is an image of the stable behind the house.

So after all this touring of historical homes, I was as tired as if if I had ridden a bike all day. Our group celebrated our day off with a Happy Hour on the rooftop terrace and then Bill and I had a dinner on our own at Fish. Truly, it is impossible to have a bad meal in this town!

Tuesday in the ACE Basin

2010-04-06T21:33:00.005-04:00

Today was by far the best cycling day. We returned to the ACE Basin (Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto river watershed). The route was simple, 16 miles out and 16 miles back of low traffic, shady pine trees arching overhead, punctuated with rice plantations, salt marsh, and alligator-laden ponds. See if you can spot the alligator at the bottom of the picture.

We had lunch at the National Estuarine Research Center, where a biologist gave a talk on the ecology of the area. One of our guides is a biologist herself and knows absolutely every tree, flower, bird and mammal in the area. Here is a picture of me on the banks of the Ashepoo River. On the way back, temperatures reached 88 degrees, so we were hot and tired at the end.

After biking, we shuttled into Charleston and checked into the Ansonborough Inn. OMG. What a gorgeous place. There are five pieces of original art in our bathroom! I will never stay at another hotel when I am in Charleston. We had a fabulous dinner at Magnolias and called it a night (except for blogging and email, that is).

Beaufort, South Carolina

2010-04-05T22:35:00.007-04:00

We had a full day today. Up at 6:15, on the road at 7:15 for a bike tour of beautiful downtown Beaufort, SC. There is more money in this town than our beloved Beaufort, NC: bigger houses, and more of them, but not as many boats or docks. The live oak and Spanish moss give it a magical feel. We saw the house and the green where they filmed the tag football scene in The Big Chill. We saw plenty of evidence of social stratification (like this house for sale), which made me think of the South Course with Earl and Angie.

After a huge breakfast, we biked to the Penn Center, where freed slaves were educated by Northern missionaries, and we learned a little about the Gullah language. Then we biked about 25 miles to Hunting Island State Park, truly the most beautiful state park any of us had ever seen. After lunch, Bill put his toes in the ocean but at 66 degrees, it was too cold even for him.

Then we took a 2 hour eco-kayak tour of a salt marsh lagoon, complete with a hike over to the beach where there was serious erosion. At 5:00 we were all pooped and shuttled back to the Inn, where we swapped stories at Happy Hour and then headed off to a light dinner on our own. Watching the NCAA right now. Go Butler!

South Carolina Low Country Bike Trip

2010-04-04T21:09:00.005-04:00

Bill and I are taking a lovely spring vacation on the Carolina Tailwinds Low Country bike tour. We arrived on Saturday evening, just in time to get our bikes fitted and then headed to downtown Charleston where we had a drink watching Butler beat Michigan State (yay) and then went to the Easter Vigil service at the Cathedral Church of St Luke and St. Paul. One hour forty five minutes including Confirmation surely makes up for the fact that we are missing Easter service on Sunday!

On Sunday morning, we left Charleston and shuttled to a convenient put-in point where we road through Forrest Gump territory in the ACE Basin outside of Charleston. Here is a picture of the "Run Forrest Run" lane of trees overhead. We also passed "Bubba's Shed" and Forrest and Jenny's tree. The countryside is quite beautiful with live oak trees arching overhead with Spanish Moss and wisteria that just came into bloom.

I did a leisurely 30 miles before lunch and Bill took an extra loop for 39 miles. After lunch, we shuttled into the beautiful town of Beaufort, SC (that is byoo-furt, as opposed to the North Carolina town of Bow-furt, which we love beyond all other and where we hope to retire some day). The similarities between the two ante-bellum harbor towns are amazing, with many street names the same. We are looking forward to exploring the town in the next couple of days.

OBXers Storm Kiawah Half and Full Marathon!

2009-12-13T20:38:00.005-05:00

(Note: Post duplicated from susansharplesssmith.info - I only have one story in me!)

Race Day at Kiawah was an unqualified success. OBX racers this year were: Lynn, Bill, Ron, Susan, Erik, Wanda, Doris, Carolyn and newbies Mark Welker and Alexander Sutton. Race support members were Mark McCallum and Sandy Welker. The weather forecast was the biggest worry as we knew a big rain front was on the way. We were lucky – the rain held off until after noon and all the Wake OBXers were finished by then. The overcast cool weather was perfect for racing and the course was a beautiful flat one that took us through 13 miles of Kiawah Island neighborhoods. Everyone was pleased with their times. I managed a chip time of 2:14:20. Anytime I come in under 2:15 is a good day for me! My fastest split was actually between miles 12 and 13. It was invigorating to actually pass other runners throughout the race and still have energy to finish strong!

After the race, some of us napped, some chilled out in front of the TV, and one adventurer spent the afternoon exploring the island in the rain (guess who?). Everyone was recovered by dinner and we attended the post race lowcountry bash at the Sanctuary (a very fancy hotel on the island). We ended the day with a small celebration party back at our rental unit. Everyone was in bed and sleeping by 10 pm though! We are already planning for the next iteration of our group's annual effort!

OBX Half-Marathon 2008

2008-11-09T15:58:00.002-05:00

Susan with a Pirate
Originally uploaded by CellPhoneSusie

It wasn't the same being back at the OBX without any of the original wakeobxers except Ron. But we returned for the Year 3 event with our daughter-in-law's family. They had selected the OBX half/full marathon for their yearly family race event. We rented a big house that ended up being right on the race course, which made it handy for the folks that didn't race (including Meredith who cheered hundreds of racers as they passed by). Four of us did the half this time around: Ron, Nancy, Sue (Nancy's mom) and me. Nancy's cousin Karen was the lone marathoner this year.

The course had been tweaked a bit since the inaugural event we attended. They moved the finish line to the waterfront in Manteo (at the Maritime Museum). The made the finish so much nicer: right on the water, a big street party and tons of activity. The starting points were a bit different, but for the most part the route was the same. The biggest difference (beside the fact they did much better with the number of port-o-lets at the starting line) was that the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Once the sun came up, it was a cloudless beautifully sunny day with enough breeze to keep the racers cool. The number of racers had also grown, with 3000 starting the half and around 1200 the full. They started us in waves, which helped with preventing too much jamming up in the first few miles.

I had a much better race than I anticipated, particularly a week after the half ironman. I did the 13.1 miles in just under 2 hours, 15 minutes, at a pace of 10:18. That got me 12th out of 68 in my age group, which was the fastest pace I've managed in over a year!

If you wonder who that pirate guy is in the picture, it's not Ron! They had this whole pirate theme going (giving prizes for costumes, no I did not participate.....). But I did get my post race picture with a wandering pirate as we waited for everyone to come in.

Hey, OBXer's, we should put this race back on the table for next year, it's really a very nice event when the weather is perfect!

Beach 2 Battleship Half and Full Triathlon

2008-11-03T02:28:00.002-05:00

Susan's post nearly says everything there is interesting to say about this race - and about all that I can add is that "it hurt." The event was well coordinated for the full participants as I had just enough time after catching the bus from downtown to look over my equipment before heading to the tip of Wrightsville beach on the trolley. We started the race by running (or walking in my case) into the surf and swimming into the channel. As I made the right turn to head along shore it was as if I had a propeller strapped to my back. After the few days of edginess leading up to the race, having the hour to speed along on the incoming tide was calming. I was amazed when I got out of the water and saw that I had swum the 2.4 miles in 1 hour flat!

The bike was enjoyable but definitely a bit draining. As Susan reported - the day warmed up nicely and before I knew it (I mean after about 2.5 hours) my feet defrosted and I was able to take off my gloves and arm-warmers. I averaged just over 19 mph on the bike and came into the run a bit tired but feeling ok. I started the run at right around hour 7 and headed up the first (of 6) bridge crossings. Like Susan I was a bit concerned about the run and my ability to keep moving for the entire distance.

I really wanted to run the first 13 miles anyway and seeing all the support of the people in downtown Wilmington really helped. The run included a beautiful loop around Greenfield Lake and I have to say qualifies as one of the nicest setup-events run ever. Starting the second loop was both exciting and painful - I took two ibuprofen and decided to try running on a mile-by-mile basis. As lap 2 settled in so I resigned myself to probably not breaking the 12 hour mark I had set leading up to this race but somewhere around mile 17 the ibuprofen kicked in and - in my one real surprise of the day, my pace picked up from what can only be called a 'shuffle' to a 'slow run.' It was my first experience of 'finishing strong' on a long distance race and it felt good :).

As Susan said, the quality of the aid stations and level of support was really amazing. The residents of Wilmington had to put up with long lines to get over the bridges (I had several folks cheer me on from their cars as they waited), closed streets, and exhausted runners all Saturday and all I could think as a rounded the run course a second time was that while my day was about over - those volunteers had another 5 hours in front of them.

Although I've got no pics (well there are a few of me but I don't think we need to be posting them on the web), there is a nice article about the event in the Wilmington Star.

And as a last note - I hear we are getting the OBX group together for the Misltetoe 5K and Half-Marathon. The 5k is walker friendly and the half-marathon features a portion of the now famous WTL5K route. . . .

Beach 2 Battleship Half and Full Triathlon

2008-11-02T07:04:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the Beach 2 Battleship Half and Full Triathlon. This was an inaugural event in Wilmington, NC. The triathlon community is very large and active in North Carolina, and there has been a demand for a full distance event (aka Ironman, but that is trademarked) for a long time (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run). An ironman competition has been a goal for Erik for several years, but it is hard to get a slot in these races since there aren’t lots of them and the competition is so fierce that they often close out registration within an hour of opening! So when this event was announced early in the year, Erik jumped on it and talked me into coming along since they also offered a half distance race as part of the event (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run).

Training for either of these events takes months of dedication on the athlete’s part and Erik was focused and well prepared. I wasn’t quite as ready as I should have been due to my foot problems this year, but was fairly confident that I could muddle through. During the last few weeks, we finished our “build” period of training and worked hard at the recommended “taper”, which was hard for Erik and too much like my regular regime for me. We had to figure out what clothing and equipment to bring, which is harder than it sounds but since it was a Nov. 1 race, we had to be prepared for all types of weather. Think about what is required in equipment: warm up clothing, swim goggles, wetsuit, bicycles, cycling shoes, helmet, gloves, running shoes, sunglasses, hats, arm warmers, cycling shorts, running shorts, nutition, well, you get the idea! So we pulled it all together and headed to Wilmington Friday morning to check in and be ready to be at the race site by 5:30 am Sat.

The most daunting part of the race for me this time was the swim, because of the cold weather. Erik had to be in the water at 7 am for the full distance. We half distance racers got some small break and didn’t have to swim until 8:30. But the air temperature was low to mid 40’s and IMHO, the water wasn’t much warmer. Even with the wetsuit, it was enough to take your breath away it was so cold. And that was after standing around outside waiting for 3 ½ hours! My teeth were chattering before I even got a toe wet. The good part was they timed the swim to take place as the tide came in (It took place at Wrightsville Beach in the Intracoastal Waterway), so the swim times were very fast (the fastest full distance guy did 2.4 miles in 39 minutes!). I managed to have a decent swim, but it took quite awhile to warm back up as I biked.

The day (after the sun came up) was picture perfect for racing: sunny, cool, minimal wind. I had a good bike segment but tried to conserve some energy for the run, which is always torture for me. And I hadn’t been able to properly build for a 13.1 mile run since I only started running again a few months ago. But I actually had a tolerable run and felt good 7 miles into the 13. Then I faded but was able to keep up a steady jog, with a little walking at the food stations (which were every mile and very nicely done).

I completed the race in 6 hours, 44 minutes which pleased me since my goal was to get in under 7 hours. I pulled out first place in my age group (I think out of 4, but they haven’t posted all the results yet).

Erik will tell you his own story, but I’ll simply report that he had a fantastic race and finished in 11 hours and 52 minutes, a real accomplishment for a first iron distance race.

Carolina Tailwinds Bike Trip

2008-10-17T21:29:00.005-04:00

I intended to post a blog entry for each day of our bike trip but I got virtually no reception on the AT&T laptop air card and only sporadic wireless. So this is the one and only entry.

Bill and I decided to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary with a bike trip to the Outer Banks. We used to go on lots of trips with Michigan Bicycle Touring, where the roads are flat and the shoulders are broad. Carolina Tailwinds advertised a flat route in the beautiful Outer Banks so we decided to take a chance.

Day One: We started the trip in New Bern, NC where we were dismayed by all of the McCain/Palin yard signs, including one at our B&B. Nevertheless, the trip started well and we traveled an unbelievable 52 miles before lunch! We shuttled the rest of the way into Beaufort (where the yard signs happily turned to Obama/Biden) and spent a lovely afternoon getting reacquainted with our favorite town, even snagging the elusive Beaufort flag that we had been seeking for years.

Day Two: We cycled 27 miles from Smyrna, NC
to Cedar Island, which doesn't sound like much but
it did include the two biggest hills (aka bridges) of the trip and also was mostly into a direct headwind. We took the ferry 2 1/2 hours into Ocracoke, the funky, mosquito-ridden pirate town.

Day Three: We chose to tool around Ocracoke rather than biking/ferrying to Hatteras Lighthouse. Bill swam in the ocean and I read on the beach - two of our favorite activities. We ran into several swarms of mosquitoes and I swelled up into a hot, red, itchy mass of welts. Yuck.

Day Four: We caught the early 7:00 am ferry and went back to Cedar Island, this time biking south but for some reason meeting headwinds also on the way back. How does that happen? We went 29 miles to lunch in Marshallberg and then caught the free ferry to Oriental. We had always wanted to visit Oriental, thinking it might be a match for Beaufort. It was even prettier than I imagined, but it is mostly for sailors, with no beaches to speak of, so we agreed to stick with Beaufort.

Day Five: We biked out of Oriental 22 miles before the rain threatened and I caught my wheel against a high curb under construction and wiped out. We called it a day along with about half our group and shuttled back to New Bern.

Overall, we had a great time and would recommend Carolina Tailwinds to anyone. The owner/operators live in Winston and stop at nothing to ensure a superb trip for all their guests. They even hauled our bikes to and from the trip because we live so near. They are super-organized and we are already thinking we will try another one (or more) of their trips. The flat ones, at least!

It was a great way to spend an anniversary!

Lynn

Support ZSR Library: Run the WTL5K!!!!

2008-09-21T20:15:00.003-04:00

I know many of us are doing our own thing this fall: short footraces, sprint triathlons, bicycle tours, etc. But, wouldn't it be great if each of our "Wake OBX" group turned out on October 11 to either walk or run the 5K that is benefiting library programs at ZSR Library? If you can't run/walk, you can volunteer: we need people to help with registration, lead the student volunteer groups out on the course, and aid with the race line activities (food, awards, etc.).

Take a look at the race website and make the right decision to join us on a beautiful fall morning for a good cause:
http://zsr.wfu.edu/wtl5k/

Susan

Wednesday: The Trip Ends Early

2008-05-14T07:30:00.004-04:00

Perfect day
Barry and Lynn smile
The trip ends

Haiku aside, our original five day trip was unfortunately reduced to one glorious day, as Lynn and Bill returned home on Wednesday to be with Lynn's mom who was inexplicably mugged at her assisted living home in Winston-Salem. Her purse was snatched and she was knocked down by drive-by muggers while standing outside her building. She was taken to the hospital with some pretty bad scrapes on her arm and leg and later released. Who would do such a thing? The good news is that two men were arrested shortly after it happened. It seems unbelievable she should live 80 years in Detroit with nary a mishap, only to be mugged in sweet Winston-Salem. We are thankful she was not hurt worse.

As to the unfinished great bicycle adventure: we'll be back! The sequel is being planned as I type...

Tuesday: The Agony and The Ecstasy

2008-05-13T19:20:00.006-04:00

The day dawned bright and beautiful and Barry and Lynn were on the road by 9:45 am at the Deal, Pa trail head. We enjoyed a beautiful, bucolic countryside in sunny, crisp weather. Truly, it could not have been more perfect. The trail was hardpacked and fast (at least at the beginning) and humans were few and far between (but those we met were friendly and helpful).

We traveled over a number of stunning viaducts. The most scenic of which was this one called the Keystone.

Barry was fascinated by the windmills and asked me to take pictures of several. This shot was from the Salisbury Viaduct, high over the roadway, with a terrific view of a wind energy ridge.

As most of you would have done, we quoted our favorite poetry to each other. This is a living illustration of Longfellow's forest primeval from "Evangeline:"

Along about Garrett, PA the trail got a little sticky, no doubt saturated from the previous day's rains. We worked our way to Rockwood, PA for lunch and learned that we were smart not to try the trip yesterday as the lady at the convenience store told us that she drove to work in the snow!

We were warned about the detour around the Pinkerton tunnel but took cheer in the fact that it had been "paved" over the weekend. However, two friendly bikers told us that "paving" meant adding two inches of sand and gravel to the surface and in fact it was the roughest mile and a half of the trip. But we persevered and arrived in Ft. Hill, PA 15 minutes ahead of schedule and found our Bill, our tried and true trip support person, waiting for us with bottles of cold water.

Stats:

31 miles in 6.5 hours.
9.018 mph actual peddling time
3 potty breaks
12 pictures taken
hundreds of laughs
cost: priceless

Day Zero (Monday)

2008-05-12T20:23:00.007-04:00

Forecast: Rain and snow this morning transitioning to light rain late in the day. Cold. High 42F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precip 80%.

Given this forecast and considering that discretion is the better part of valor, Lynn and Barry opted to take advantage of our swing day and save the trail for tomorrow, visiting Fallingwater instead.

Surely everyone knows that Fallingwater is Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous architectural design. It is about 45 minutes from 7 Springs and since it was too cold and wet to do anything else, we spent a delightful afternoon tramping around the fieldstone floors of Fallingwater. Lynn and Bill had never been there before and Maureen and Barry were very patient in exploring the lovely but weird house that was built for Pittsburgh's Kauffman family. A nice couple offered to take a picture of Lynn and Bill at the "view" from the woods.

We ended the evening with a delicious dinner (Bill had antelope!) at 7 Springs and trying to figure out this blog. The trip starts tomorrow!

7 Springs

2008-05-11T19:20:00.002-04:00

After a lovely Mother's Day breakfast with Nana in Winston-Salem, Bill and I arrived at 7 Springs about 5 pm, having driven through a tornado watch in Beckley, WV. There was about a 20 mile stretch that had no power along US 19, which was a bit scary. Nonetheless, we arrived safely and enjoyed a very nice ham and butter bean dinner with Mom and Dad. The bad news is that it was 43 degrees and rainy, not exactly like the 78 degrees and sunny that we left in Winston.

Negotiations are currently underway regarding daily and alternate routes, depending on the weather. We will make up our collective minds tomorrow and let you know how and what we did.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Launch: Lynn and Barry's Great Bicycle Adventure

2008-05-10T22:17:00.002-04:00

Some of you know that Barry Kane and Lynn Sutton are about to start out on a great bicycle adventure. The idea was born last October when we were tooling around the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island. "I've always wanted to ride the Pittsburgh to DC trail," says Barry. "I'd do it with you," says Lynn. It sounded like a good idea at the time!

Plans have changed many times, from going west to east, to east to west, from Cumberland to DC, to Deal, PA to McKeesport, PA. Avoiding the eastern continental divide was Barry's best idea yet. Bill and Mom will be our designated support team, hauling ourselves and our bikes from trail to lodging each night.

I will try to keep the blog up to date on a daily basis - with pictures, no less (you'll be proud of me, Susan). Here is a stock photo of Barry and Bill, father and son, in happier times:

Visit this space daily, and wish us luck!

Shamrock Half Marathon Weekend In Virginia Beach

2008-03-16T20:58:00.004-04:00

King Neptune
Originally uploaded by CellPhoneSusie

In spite of dire predictions of horrible weather, the Shamrock Marathon/Half Marathon took place today. The bad weather moved through in the middle of the night and although it was a cold, dark start, the weather improved and the race period even saw some sun!

Our group traveled separately to Virginia Beach yesterday, with some of the group (Ron and me) spending the afternoon exploring by bike, and some by foot (Wanda, Doris and Carolyn). We all met up for dinner at Mahi Mah's on the ocean and then went back to get ready for an early race start.

We all met up at the start line around 6:30 am this morning. It was cold, windy and dark. But everyone dressed for the weather and had a positive outlook. Bill left us to start the race from Corral #3 (yes, they corralled us). He was our only runner. The rest of us gathered in Corral #5, with all the walkers.

I decided last minute to join in, not listening to any good medical sense, giving into the infectious enthusiasm of the race. My foot didn't fall off, so all's good so far.

All racers performed superbly, finishing strongly! I think we'd all vote that it was a worthwhile weekend. All the weekend pictures can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cellphonesusie/sets/72157604128588045/

Last Chance Training Session

2008-03-09T18:14:00.001-04:00

Ron & Carolyn Training Walk
Originally uploaded by CellPhoneSusie

Today, some of the Shamrock Half Marathon racers headed to Salem Lake for a final long training walk or run. Bill, Lynn, Ron, Susan and Carolyn all hit the trail, either on foot or bike (poor Susan who still can't run). Elizabeth joined Susan for a couple loops around the lake.

Final race weekend plans were set too. Bill is handling Saturday evening dinner reservations. Susan will collect cell phone numbers and make sure every racer can reach the race support (Susan and Doris). Susan will help get all racers to the 7 am start line (set that alarm, Mary H.). Saturday afternoon plans depend on the weather, but beach walks and bicycle rides are possibilities. Most are heading up the road to Va. Beach early Saturday morning and returning Sunday afternoon.

Should be a fun weekend for everyone!

Bill and Susan Compete in the W-S Short Course Duathlon

2008-02-16T15:08:00.002-05:00

Team "Still Kicking"
Originally uploaded by CellPhoneSusie

Today, WakeOBX fielded a relay team in a local duathlon: the Winston-Salem Short Course race. The race was held in Lewisville, Bill's hometown and my bicycling territory. Since I can't run right now, and Bill's idea of bicycling is beach cruising, we teamed up to form a formidable team - Bill did the run sections and I did the bike portion. He started out running a 3 lap course for 3.1 miles. Then I took off on my bike and raced 14 miles. When I got back, he took off again for another 2 miles! We pulled a combined time of 1:23.01. The day turned out to be a great temperature for racing and the sun came out enough to keep it from being too chilly while waiting around.

Even though it was a nearby race, we had our usual excellent race support with Ron and Lynn coming out to cheer us on and Ron to take pictures.

It was a good event (with each of us receiving a nice technical t-shirt instead of the usual cotton issue).

Group Training Session Survives Gusty Winds

2008-02-10T20:39:00.001-05:00

Today some of our group braved gale force wind gusts to train for the Shamrock and next week's Lewisville duathlon. Bill and I planned a run-through for next week's duathlon where our "Still Kicking" relay team plans to kick butt and take names. Bill ran the run course and I pedaled the bike course. Once our plan to practice was set, Lynn organized a training session for the group's Shamrock half marathon walkers, and other interested OBXers. We set up for all to meet at Lewisville Square at noon, hoping it would be warm enough to proceed in comfort, and not too windy.

I went out an hour early to warm up, and Elizabeth Skinner rode with me. We covered the 14 mile race course and had a nice, if breezy, ride. Then I met up with Bill, did a little race day planning, after which we each took off to practice our roles for the race. By the time I headed out to repeat the 14 mile route at race pace, the wind had picked up considerably! At one point, I was heading downhill into the wind on Williams Road, pedaling furiously, and only got up to 10 mph. That's how strong the winds had become. I still managed to complete the route in 48 minutes, which I think is a 17.5 mph rate. I hope to be able to cut this down several minutes if there's no wind and with my time trial bike next week.

While Bill and I practiced, the walkers set off on a six mile route. The group was comprised of Lynn, Ron, Carolyn, Mary H., Mary Beth and both her kids. Ron reported that they had a fabulous walk with everyone keeping pace. He was motivated by being surrounded by a group of strong walking females! He particularly noted Mary H's level of endurance since she's been working with a personal trainer. He also was impressed with Mary Beth's ability to keep pace with her daughter riding on her back!

Hopefully, we'll be able to pull together another group practice session before we head to Va. Beach in mid-March.

WakeOBX gears up for 2008

2008-01-17T11:49:00.000-05:00

It's only half way through January and our illustrious group has already had two meetings to plan the year and discuss how to attract more active members.

The first meeting two weeks ago attracted all the beer drinkers, since it was held at Foothills Brewery on a Friday evening. We established that the Shamrock Half Marathon/Marathon in Virginia Beach (March 16) was a good first goal. A few decided to team up and do the Lewisville duathlon in February. People chugged down their beers, rushed home, registered for the Shamrock race and hunted for hotels that still had rooms, with an ocean view and no bugs. Most everyone was successful. Attendees included: Bill and Lynn, Carolyn and Mark, Ron and Susan and Karen.

In the interest of being an inclusive group, a second meeting was held in the ZSR Library Johnson Room yesterday, with pizza (no beer, middle of the work day :-( ). We were really pleased to have two new athletes join us: Welcome Doris and Mary Beth.

Although we are a loosely formed organization (well, we are not much of any kind of organization), Bill did produce minutes of the meeting, which I include here:

present: susan, lynn, carolyn, doris, mary beth, karen, mary, bill, pizza, pop, cake.

much discussion ensued about lack of agenda -- not susan's fault. absent same, here follows a summary of discussion items, maybe not in order:

1. first, a wakeobx organizational history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLxgw5JDQ_4

2. also, http://www.shamrockmarathon.com/site3.aspx is filling up fast.

3. here's a good ~5 mile loop around wfu http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=182544

4. but here's the best route-mapping tool evah: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

5. couple wakeobx'ers are down for http://fsseries.com/duathlon_winston_salem_short.php

6. random training schedule (for old people): http://www.halhigdon.com/senior/Senior.htm

7. batting around a notion of an idea for a concept of an official "wake the library" 5k.

8. learn it, love it, live it: http://backpacker.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?TripID=5748

9. some might still try: http://ncraces.com/Crystal_Coast_Race.php

10. meeting adjourns, right on time.

next meeting: sat, jan 19, 11 am, salem lake trailhead, run/walk/bike as self-directed.

respectfully submitted by,

--wpk

WakeOBX is seeking new members

2008-01-03T12:09:00.001-05:00

Hi all & welcome to 2008. . ..As many of you know, several people in the libray belong to WakeOBX- the ZSR libray fitness club. WakeOBX exists to support the fitness goals of anyone who wants to join. If you are looking for a group to get fit with, want to participate in a race, or just want to hang out with possibly the coolest group of people at the university, come on. . .

WakeOBX has a blog (http://wakeobx.blogspot.com & listserv (wakeobx@lists.wfu.edu) which you are welcome to join.

With the new year comes resolutions, training & race planning. The inagural meeting of WakeOBX2008 will be this friday night at 5:30pm at foothills brewery. Anyone who is interested is invited to come & share their fitness goals for 2008. We have talked about short & long distance running/walking events, triathlons, and bike rides.

See you there!

Erik

Hello OBXers! Ready to Train?

2007-08-30T20:52:00.000-04:00

OK, we had some chatter about a Dec. 8 marathon at Kiawah way back when. I think that Billy O'Banks is the only member of last years OBXers to make a real commitment to the race so far (ie, plunking down the registration and reserving a hotel room). I hear from Craig that Billy has been spotted out training on the roads around Lewisville recently.

My excuse has been my foot injury and I just got the news from the doc today that I have to wear the cast for one more week. But within 1 week or two AFTER that, he has given me his blessing to start "jogging" again. So I am thinking that (and the doc concurs) that I could feasibly shoot for a half marathon in early Dec. Now, Kiawah has that option: marathon/half marathon. You know that it will kill my self esteem to have to "half step" the race, but 1/2 of a marathon is 13.1 miles further than I'm able to do now!

Erik mentions another race available that week that has both a marathon and a half: Charlotte's Thunder Road (http://www.runcharlotte.com/). I would be game for either, although I would lean toward Kiawah because I hate to think of Billy out all by himeself with no cheering crowd :-(. But, are there even any hotel rooms left?

Carolyn M. was just saying this week that she misses the camraderie of the training and the working together to train. Summer heat is almost over and fall training for a Dec. race might be very nice.

So, are any of you OBXers game to make a commitment?

Spring Race Anyone?

2007-03-10T19:51:00.000-05:00

I'm still planning to do the Charlotte Race Fest half marathon on Sat. April 14. It also has a 10K option. If anyone in our running group is interested in joining me, let me know and we can do some car pooling!

http://www.charlotteracefest.com/

Race Season 2007

2007-01-27T06:54:00.000-05:00

Lets get it straight - put on a few pounds in the last Week! - Kiawah would be an excellent venue, nice and fast too. . .That puts the Grandfather Mountain Marathon in the mix for anyone who is interested (july)- prettiest race you will ever run!

Let's Plan!

2007-01-26T18:53:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,
I am sure all of you are starting to think hard about what the next "big" event is for our group in 2007. We've thrown out the idea of Marine Corps marathon, but it doesn't include a half marathon option. I got a suggestion today to consider the Kiawah marathon/half that takes place Dec. 8. I've heard good things about this race; my daughter-in-law did the half a few years ago.

http://recreation.kiawahresort.com/marathon.html

I admit, I'm trying to schedule a marathon that will fit with my plan to do a half ironman in Sept. I need sufficient time to recover and train for the marathon; that makes the Oct./Nov marathon a tad too early for these old muscles.

On another note: who is interested in a spring half marathon? I'm looking to do a repeat appearance in the Charlotte Racefest. It will be held on April 14. It has both a half marathon and a 10k race, so that might be good for most in our group as an early season race. Plus it would be an easy Sat. morning drive down, run the race, and go shopping at Southpark (right where the race begins and ends). I did the half last year and it was a very well run event.

http://www.charlotteracefest.com/

So, no pressure, just throwing out some options to consider. If you are like me, you have been wallowing in your off season and have put on a few lbs. over the past month! It's time to gear up and commit to an event that will jump start your dedication to get your training going!

Music Makes You Smarter

2006-12-07T19:48:00.000-05:00

I came across this article in Runnersworld.com that talks about the benefits of listening to music while you run, including results from one study that indicates listening to music while exercising can make you smarter!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,sssss6-240-363--10348-1-1X2X3-4,00.html

In case you are looking for new music to run with here are some new playlists from the same section:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-363--10350-0,00.html

Motivational songs for 5 Olympians

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-363--10349-0,00.html

Training motivation

2006-12-06T04:13:00.000-05:00

So,

After hearing yesterday that the average blog has an average readership of one (http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=758), I figured that I should update our blog for that poor loney person out there. . .

So, here is our new training motivation video - if we had just had this for obx. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzZklI_9pL4

All the Blog Lynn Can Muster

2006-11-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

For me, the OBX Marathon was all about the camaraderie with fellow wakeobxers. My big physical challenge had come the week before, when I participated in the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk in Phoenix, AZ. I had been training since February to walk 60 miles in 3 days, so when the wakeobx group decided to do the marathon the week after the 3 Day, I thought, why not? What's another 13 miles? Besides, it would give me the chance to actually participate in a race with my spouse. Previously, I had been Bill's race support, which consists mostly of keeping him supplied in dry shirts about every 8 miles! Despite my native INTJ loner/loser persona, I very much enjoyed walking and chatting with Ron and Carolyn, trying to outguess the rain. I think we actually managed to pull off a negative split, as Carolyn was really booking there at the end and Ron and I had all we could do to keep up with her!

The Expo was an unexpected treat on Saturday. It was great fun to see people do a double take when they saw the Wake Forest sign and then delight in scarfing up our freebies. Thanks to everyone who dug through Wake Forest closets to come up with the schwag.

Mary gets my vote as the wakeobx MVP, ably assisted by Mark. Mary hauled the supplies for the Expo in her car on Friday and set up the booth all by herself. Then she hauled our behinds all over the Outer Banks, getting up at ungodly hours of the morning to do so. And finally, she took race photos every bit as good or better than the official photographers and at a much better price! Go Mary!

One last thing: this morning I delivered my "Finisher" medal to Wanda in the hospital and told her that was only until next year when she could earn one herself. It's all for you, Wanda.

OBX 26.2 Epilogue

2006-11-16T21:32:00.000-05:00

The OBX Marathon was a great experience for me. I really enjoyed the group effort part of it and working through things together over the past 5-6 months. we should all be proud of our accomplishments individually, and as a group.

For me, this was the hardest thing I've ever done-plain and simple. This was the first time I've ever had my body tell me things mine was saying to me. It was tough.
The OBX townspeople were super positive and overall the race was well planned and executed. The only things I would change would be more bathrooms-and some food along the way. The route was beautiful and well marked-there were little tents every so often with cheering people inside! That guy with the coconut bra and grass skirt really got me laughing. I also missed Waits and Wanda! WakeOBX was a great group to be a part of.

As many others in our group, I too ran much farther than I ever have in my life. As I inched over 11, 12, 13+ miles this summer, I was amazed at what I was doing. Its changed my perspective on how much I can do. I also learned to eat and hydrate properly. This was something I never did before, making me feel awful after many of the 5K's I ran through the years...now I understand you have to eat and drink to make it through these physical events.

It was interesting to journey up the hill to the Wright Brothers Memorial with Erik. Up the hill with a cold wind and rain which made already aching legs hurt
even more we went to see the moument to flight which closed in 10 minutes. The Bodie Island Lighhouse and Cape Hatteras Lighthouse were inspiring on Saturday night. Thanks to Mary Horton for driving us down to see it and getting us to the Black Pelican for dinner. I had the best burger and fries ever at 5 Guys after the race-thanks to Karen for that suggestion. All around a really good experience-all should be proud of their efforts!

Craig

Capping off the race season (with another race). . .

2006-11-15T06:46:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

I know that now that we are at Marathon + 3 days we are starting to think about all that conditioning that is building back up in our legs. I had been talking about the Misltetoe half-marathon/5k for a few weeks and thought that this was the perfect time to float it out there as our next event! Who's in?

http://central.ymcanwnc.org/content153.html

E

Susan's Race Day Report

2006-11-14T20:17:00.000-05:00

Finally, here came the end of all the months of training, trading tips, comparing techniques and planning for the big day. Back in May, it seemed like an academic discussion, an interesting puzzle to figure out. I never for a minute had considered that I really could complete a marathon. A year ago, a plodding 10k was the outer reaches of my running talent. I really credit the power of our Wake OBX group for being able to succeed on Sunday. All the OBXers, including those who had to bow out along the way, contributed to building my motivation and resolve to see this through.

Being a *typical* librarian, I obsessed about the details. I’ve always gone with the credo that if you focus on the fine points, the big stuff will take care of itself. So, I occupied myself with sticking to my Galloway training plan, deciding on exactly what to eat when during the race, the optimal heart rate to maintain, what run/walk ratio to adhere to and, of course, my illegal MP3 play list.

Nutrition was #1 on my plan for Sunday. I always eat oatmeal pre-race, but was worried that the one shared microwave in the hotel lobby would be overrun with all the other racers cooking their own oatmeal. So I hauled my slow cooker to the OuterBanks and made a big batch of crock-pot oatmeal. It cooked all night and most of the OBXers came to our room for an early morning breakfast. It was just the right meal, for me, at least. Since everyone said they liked it too, here’s the recipe:

1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dates, chopped
4 cups water
½ cup half and half
Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours. Stir well before serving. 4 servings.

The race instructions described the shuttle system to get us to the race, and then cautioned us to use private transportation and NOT the shuttle. Mark drove the half-marathoners to their start point while Mary drove the marathoners. After a somewhat frustrating trip dealing with traffic and bad directions from volunteers, Mary delivered us safe and sound to the start site.

The final pre-race prep any racer wants to do is use the porta-john one last time. Forty minutes before the start, there were hundreds of racers in line to use 22 johns. We (Erik, Craig and I) luckily secured (separate) booths at last, hearing the national anthem play as we took care of business. Then we hurried to the start line, lined up by predicted minute per mile rate and off we went. There were 1500 marathoners who took off at the gun.

The first half of the marathon was a fantastic route, starting by winding through neighborhoods filled with cheering Outer Bankers (?) who had decorated their yards, made signs, and encouraged each racer on. The initial few miles were peppered with racers slipping off into the bushes; I figure they are the ones who never made it to the johns. I saw men with “50 States, 50 Marathons” shirts, racers who stopped to snap photos, heard runners discuss how they had just run another marathon in the past week. We ran along the Memorial Trail on the edge of the Albemarle Sound, through the Wright Brothers Monument, as well as the Nags Head Woods Nature Preserve. Craig and I met up around mile 9 and ran together for the next four miles, until we crossed the half-way point. That was at Jockey’s Ridge. The weather forecast called for really bad rain and wind, but it had held off except for misting until the second half of the run. Then the sky let loose and it rained heavily with a solid headwind. My main worry was that my MP3 player would zap out, but it played on like a champ!

I went with a plan of running to each mile marker (where stations were set up), then walking for a minute to 1 ½ minutes. This worked really well for most of the race. A side comment on the mile markers: they were first class signs. Most races have cardboard signs on a wooden post. These were metal ones that looked permanent, nicely designed (They must have taken money from the porta-john fund to afford these).

The rain also ran the local cheerers inside, but many rooted for us from the balconies on their million dollar houses along the golf course. The big challenge now came from the puddles and potholes. It was important to keep a close watch so I didn’t twist an ankle. I did enjoy a neighborhood entry sign “Craig’s Finish”. I just knew he’d go past it and wish that was his finish line!

I was full of energy through mile 17. Then my legs started to offer up their opinion that I was abusing them. My cardiovascular conditioning was great; never a problem on that front, but my muscles definitely took a beating.

When I crossed the Washington-Baum Bridge, I experienced my slowest mile split time. That bridge seemed like Mt. Everest! It took me almost 17 minutes to go between mile 21 and 22 (I've since read that mile marker 22 was further than a mile away from 21 so that was a relief. They must have decided that they couldn't mount a station on top of the bridge where 22 would be). But I was passing people by this point, they were fading, I was actually maintaining. It did bother me when I spotted one of the OBX blue t-shirts with a race number attached, wet and abandoned on the shoulder of the bridge, as though its occupant had either jumped off the bridge or been blown out of his shirt as the wind swept him into the sound……So you see, I was starting to feel very sorry for myself at this point and was thinking I’d never make it.

But I did get over the bridge and once I hit the 23 mile marker I decided the run/walk was over and I was just going to run it in the last 3 miles. It wasn’t a question of whether it felt better walking or running….Everything hurt, so I decided that running all the way in would get me there faster. During the last mile I passed a half-marathon wheelchair racer. It really humbled me to think how he had run his race. He wasn’t a young athletic guy, but he persevered. How could I bitch about how hard the bridge was when this athlete had wheeled himself over it?

As I entered the high school stadium and put my sights on the finish line, I heard our group of OBXers cheering me on. I gave a final push and crossed the finish line in 5:03. Not bad for a librarian 2 weeks from her 55th birthday, huh? I am happy to state I am no longer a marathon virgin!

Erik's race recap

2006-11-14T19:51:00.000-05:00

Well OBXers. . .it was quite a day wasn't it? Our initial concerns over race day thundershowers faded as we struggled towards the start line thanks to Mary's chauffeuring support. After dropping our dry bags on the UPS truck, Susan Craig, and I braved the 40 minute port-a-jon line while Bill made other arrangements.

After a quick ra-ra from fellow OBXers I headed up to the 8:00 minute mile section of the pack. The race was quickly underway and I found myself dodging eager runners as we all jockeyed for position on the road. The cheering from the crowds was welcome as we wound our way through the first of several neighborhoods & past beautiful views of the west side of the island. The first 8 miles or so went by quickly as I listened to my breathing and gauged my pace while moderating my heartrate. As it turns out this (analog) attempt at pacing myself turned to failure later in the race.

Scenic spots along the next few miles included the Wright Brothers monument, the forest run & the Nags head golf course. I hit 13.1 miles in pretty good pace (just over my 3:10 goal) and struggled through to mile 20 not too far behind. As I turned onto 158 headed south towards the bridge, the rain and wind started in earnest. My shoes had long sense been soaked by running through puddles & as the wind blew my time got slower & slower!

By the time I hit the bridge I was reveling in the leg pain and fatigue that is the last 6 miles of every marathon (for me)! I slogged along over the bridge (which was nearly obscured by the fog & rain) and tried on a few occasions to pick up the pace. I watched my 3:10 fade and began to focus on 3:30, hoping that I could push hard enough to make the pace. As it turns out the only decent pace I ran I mustered as I saw Lynn, Ron, and Carolyn at mile 23. I was glad that shortly after that there was a turn and I could settle back into a shuffle for those last three miles!

Although I crossed the line in 3:33 I was amazed to see that I still placed 20th in my age group! It was great to have a cheering section as I came across the line and I enjoyed joining the group to watch the rest of our WakeOBX crowd come in. I was just glad that we all got done before the weather turned even more sour in the afternoon.

I was glad to hear Craig say he was up for a field trip after a few of us went out for lunch so Craig & I headed up to the Wright brothers monument for a quick tour. We hobbled around the park and up to the top of the monument where the wind proved to be a bit stronger than our legs! As we headed back to the car the wind whipped rain around us & I have to admit I was glad to head back to the hotel and to Owens for an excellent celebration dinner.

Thanks to Mary & Mark for providing SAG support & to everyone who joined up and trained for the event. We are already talking next events (Misletoe Half Marathon on Dec 3rd) so get ready . . ..

GOBX! .. . . .E

Mary's Race Photos

2006-11-14T12:41:00.002-05:00

Here are more race photos and with these, all Wake OBX competitors are represented!

Erik is sprinting to the finish line

The Half Marathon walkers, Lynn, Carolyn and Ron, stride through the stadium

Bill wraps up his run

Craig powers on to the end

Can you tell Craig is happy to cross the finish line?

The Wake OBXers proudly display their finisher medals
Top Row L-R: Bill, Lynn, Susan, Carolyn, Craig, Karen
Bottom Row: Erik, Ron

Piggly Wiggly goes to Manteo

2006-11-14T07:40:00.000-05:00

These little piggies went to Manteo
These little piggies didn't stay home
These little piggies gave up roast beef
These little piggies had fun
These litle piggies went #@% ! from milepost 6.5 all the way home

I can't wait to do it again. This was a fun bunch. Thanks for all the support.

Ron

A Preliminary Race Report

2006-11-13T19:37:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share the few pictures that Ron took at the finish line of the marathon. The real photographer was Mary whose photos we'll post tomorrow. BTW, she and Mark made the whole day so much better with their superb race support. They hauled us to the start line, arranged to get us home, waved to us from the route, waited for us to arrive at the finish line, and gave us much appreciated moral support throughout. We couldn't have done it without them. Karen was first across the finish line, having run the half marathon in 2:35. Erik followed at 3:33, completing his third marathon. Our half-marathon walkers. Lynn, Carolyn and Ron, surpassed their time goal, pulling in a 3:54 finish. Bill was the second OBX marathoner across the line, adding another marathon notch in his race belt. Susan almost met her goal by pulling in at 5:03 and Craig completed the goal that all the OBXers successfully cross the finish line.

The weather was very dicey. The forecast called for horrible rain and we all were treated to running in a windy downpour at some point during each of our races. But the really horrific weather managed to hold off until post-race where we could watch it from the indoor hottub at the hotel!

Look for individual reports from each OBXer, but here are a few pictures to get us started in telling the day's tale:

Karen: Our Half-Marathon Runner

Susan races toward the finish line (and did blow by this dude):

Half-Marathon Walker Carolyn with Mark, Race Support Crew

Mary: Race Support Crew and Official Event Photographer

OBXers Congregate at the Race Finish

Marathoner Craig, Still Smiling at the Finish Line

Results are in!

2006-11-12T22:08:00.000-05:00

We'll put up all the pictures that were snapped today, but all our OBX racers completed their races and there are stories to tell :-) But it's late and we want to give the full story; so look tomorrow for the scoop.

In the meantime, the results have been posted. So that can hold interested parties curiosity at bay til we get home and get our report up.

http://www.doitsports.com/results/page.tcl?id=116205

Big Day Tomorrow - Expo and a Day at the Outer Banks

2006-11-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

All the Wake competitors have arrived by mid-day Saturday, ready for race day tomorrow. We are all staying at the Nags Head Inn. Mary arrived on Friday and set up our WFU Expo booth so it was ready for business today. Lynn and Bill had a late Friday evening arrival and manned the booth this morning. Susan, Ron, Carolyn, Erik, Craig and Karen caravanned down this morning and after finding the Inn, headed to the Expo to get race numbers and related goodies. The booth was seeing brisk business thanks to the wonderful schwag we offered for free! After everything was gone, all racers and support crew enjoyed a variety of activities to keep our minds off the pending race. A little touring around, a walk on the beach, some lighthouse touring filled the beautiful afternoon. Mark worked all day to travel here from Florida and we all met up at the Black Pelican for a final carb-loading meal before heading back to get race gear ready and a good nights sleep.....

The intrepid travelers and hopeful marathoners arrive at the Nags Head Inn

Lynn and Bill at our Wake Expo Booth

Erik, Carolyn and Mary enjoy the OBX Marathon Expo

Ron, Susan and Karen walked on the beach and enjoyed an unusually summerlike November afternoon.

Karen, Mary, Craig, Bill, Lynn, Mark, Carolyn, Erik, Susan, and Ron at the Black Pelican restaurant

Race Prep Advice, too late to help

2006-11-09T19:17:00.000-05:00

I have been anticipating my new race belt (to carry my sport beans) all week. I even paid a premium to get it here on time for the race.

I tracked its progress across the country and knew it would be on my doorstep tonight! Well, the package arrived and what do you know? It was a pair of workout pants, not a belt. The packing slip showed the correct item, just whoever pulled the item (SU initials) and personally wrapped the item (Ed Mundo) evidently don't know the difference between a grey waist belt and a black pair of pants......

I just had a nice chat with Will at Road Runner sports who assures me that they will overnight my belt directly to the Nags Head Inn. He was very polite, I hope they are more accurate this time around.

Now the question is, do I assume the replacement order will be correct, hope that the Expo sells something I can hang off my pants to hold my beans (hmmm...), or head to Fleet Feet tomorrow and get an alternative item....

Moral of the story, don't wait til race week to get your stuff together!

News Flash: Important Pre-Race Prep

2006-11-09T08:22:00.000-05:00

Taking Bill's advice to heart:

Schwag and Crosstrain Tapering

2006-11-04T17:35:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Ron and the closets in IS....He delivered us a box of beautiful individually wrapped Lenovo pens (do you think leftovers from Technology @ WFU 2005?), wrapped mints, other swoopy pens and post-it notes!

I am seriously into my taper schedule, result has been an unneeded weight gain. So today, Erik and I opted for a nice long bike ride to the Amish bakery (it was donut day!). We had a great ride (only 1 dog almost got me), two fresh donuts apiece and by the ride back, the day was gorgeous. We did 63 miles in under 4 hours (didn't count the donut eating break time). I've got to say that 4 hours on a bike beats 4 hours running any day of the week, even when it's not donut day!

Tomorrow, I'm doing my last 10 mile run in Durham, on the American Tobacco Trail:
http://www.triangletrails.org/ATT.HTM.

Plus I get a little Meredith time. Grandmother plug: http://smith-nc-family.blogspot.com/

14 days til race: Time for important preparations

2006-10-29T21:25:00.000-05:00

Are we all tapering now? And paying close attention to our bodies and nutritional needs?

So, let's get to the important stuff: music.....

In the lastest "Runner's World" (Dec 2006), an article lists the 10 favorite songs runners listen to:
Lose Yourself (Eminem)
Gonna FLy Now: Rocky Theme (Bill Conti)
Runnin' down a Dream (Tom Petty)
Running on Empty (Jackson Browne)
Beautiful Day (U2)
Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen)
Pump It (Black Eyed Peas)
Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
Chariots of Fire Theme (Vangelis)
Back in Black (AC/DC)

So, I grabbed my year-old Walmart music download gift certificate and bought all of the above, plus a bunch more so that I have all the inspirational music I'll need as I plod along on 11/12! I tried them out on today's 10 mile run at Salem Lake and they seem to do the trick. I averaged a 10:30 minute mile for the 10 miles. It was a gorgeous day.

I saw Bill out doing his thing, and I assume Lynn was doing her final preps for next weekend's Phoenix event (but didn't cross paths). Ron did 7 miles and has a little blister that developed.

Another article in the magazine recommended Band Aid Advanced Healing Blister Cushion to help heal blisters. Ron will try it out and report back.

GOBX! - 15 days until the run!

2006-10-28T11:56:00.000-04:00

OBXers. . how is the taper going? I did 14 miles on a treadmill this morning and am just now backing off the brain-melt of boredom (also still a little nauseous - try running right next to a pool for two hours - I think I have mild chlorine posining!

I decided (of course) to hammer out the miles & did pretty good until I hit mile 10 at which point I started slowing the pace down from my MP goal to something less admirable. That's ok, I have been preparing myself for the reality that I may not break 2:10 for a few weeks now.. . .

Nashville is pretty, and since they are just over the central time line, the sun comes up around 6:45. . .I may head out for a few miles tomorrow morning before the poster session - just to 'calm the nerves' a bit.

Hope all are enjoying your training weekeknd. . .15 days to go!

From the public library in Nashville, TN

Erik's long run

2006-10-22T04:54:00.000-04:00

Way to go Susan. . .24.4 miles!

After a bit of golf in the morning I decided that given the difficulty that I had on last week's 23 mile run that a repeat might be worth the effort.

My route isn't as interesting (imagine running in circles at tangelwood for 3 1/2 hours) so I won't bother with the map but can report a successful finish. I am not sure that I had 3 more miles in me at the end though so hopefully the taper over the next few weeks will build me up for the final push. I am right there with Susan on the pain thing, things started hurting early & did not let up. I have to say though that I am not nearly as sore this morning as I was last week.

Hope everyone has enjoyed the long training. . .Now is the time to start tapering & carbo-loading. I started with a solid dinner which included reduced fat oreos and soy milk.

E

Susan's Last Long Run

2006-10-21T14:25:00.000-04:00

Only 3 weeks to go til race today and this morning was my day to do my last long run. The Galloway plan calls for 24-26 miles (heck, no need to show up to race after going that far.....)

I worked out an out and back route down to Salem Lake from home. This was to prevent me from wussing out early if I did smaller loops closer to home. It turned out to be 24.4 miles.

I started out at 7 am (can't believe it is still dark at 7) and finished an amazing 4 hrs and 58 minutes later. Whew! I purposefully kept it slow the first half and stuck to my 8run/2 walk routine. I got in the middle of the Mercy 5 Mile race out of Salem Lake and saw Cameron Kent in the pack.

My hamstrings started to tighten at about 11 miles. It doesn't seem to matter how much I train, my legs get fatigued early on. Must be age. My cardio was fine throughout. I did manage to have a negative split by about 3 minutes, so that was good even though a 12+ minute mile pace isn't anything to write home about.

Anyway, I am estactic to be done with my last long run. I didn't come out of it feeling as good as Waits did after his most recent one, but I did manage to run it in the last 2 miles.

Enjoy your weekend!
Susan

Honolulu long run

2006-10-08T11:38:00.000-04:00

You all may have seen a brief mention about my Friday long run in my vacation blog, but I thought I would report in with a bit more detail to this group!

I was disappointed that I fell short of my planned 23 mile route, but when I discovered that part of the route was potentially dangerous, I went with another shorter route and added on to it. But the map got ruined because I was dumb enough to tuck it into my shorts pocket and it got soaking wet and unreadable (Erik got my original map all laminated....). And every road here seems to be named the same. So I got a bit lost. Luckily, Diamond Head is a really good landmark, so I managed to find my way back to the route. Long story short, I had to meet my group for a planned rainforest tour, and ran out of time.

So, I think I did around about 20 miles, give or take. It may have been a bit more since I spent some time running back and forth looking at street signs. I was out for about 4 hrs and 15 minutes, so that would make a very slow run for 20 miles.

I was tired but it was a good experience, and the views did a lot to ease the pain. I do think gawking at all the scenery may have slowed me down too.

But here is the real thing I want to throw out to this illustrious group: The Honolulu Marathon: http://www.honolulumarathon.org/. It runs in early Dec. Wouldn't that be a good goal for our group for 2007? The route is one that covers some of the territory I've run this week (including the segment I thought was dangerous!).

We should start our plans now!

Well, off to Kauai this morning, Susan

Kudos to Waits!

2006-09-30T18:43:00.000-04:00

Waits reported to the list today that he had a great long run of almost 25 miles. First, I'll admit right out, I am jealous! That 23 mile goal is really a high bar, IMHO. That Waits has done it, and did it strongly, deserves a hooray from all of us OBXers! Way to go Waits!

I plan to do my 23 mile run this coming Friday, if the weather lends itself. We arrive in Honolulu Tuesday. I want to do a regular old training run my first morning on Oahu. I hope to be revved up for a Friday long, long effort. I spent yesterday evening mapping out a route from our hotel that I hope works well. I wrote out a specific directional cue sheet to help me not get lost!

I'll report in Friday afternoon!

Susan's Women's Distance Festival 5K Race 9/30

2006-09-30T18:11:00.000-04:00

I cancelled out of my triathlon this weekend, but remembered an earlier invitation from my daughter-in-law to run with her and my granddaughter in a 5K race in Cary today. Since my training schedule calls for either an 8-10 mile training run or a 5K race....

I signed up and joined them in the Women's Distance Festival, a women-only race that has been put on annually in various cities since 1979. So, for the first time, 3 generations of Smith women raced (Meredith slept through the entire event!).

I have to report I had a fabulous time and race. I had a 5K PR at 25:33. That's a per mile average of 8:14. I took third place in my age group (out of 23 I might add, and remember I'm on the long end of the 50-54 age group). I was 46th overall, out of over 300 ladies!

So, I think I have found my venue: women's races coupled with beginner races. It was totally heady to be at in the front quarter of a running event :-)

Salem lake 10k/30k race report

2006-09-23T20:25:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful morning for a race and there were tons of racers at Salem Lake. Erik and I started off on the 30K route at 8 am and Karen took off on the 10K route a half hour later.

For me, it was a tough race today. I did my 8/2 Galloway plan and it was the first time I could see how well it can work. People would pass me as I walked, but as soon as I started running again, I would breeze by them. That may be why I did the first half of the race at a faster pace than usual. I hit the halfway mark at 1 hr. 40 minutes and stayed under an 11 minute mile for the first half of the race. However, I made a few mistakes - I left my sport beans in the car over 1/2 mile from the race start. The rest stations only had water/gatorade, so I went the entire race on my bowl of oatmeal at 6 am. The most stupid thing I did was embarassing to admit for a professional IT type person. I didn't check my mp3 battery, and it went dead 5 miles into the race. That meant I had to listen to me in my head for over 13 miles, and it wasn't a motivational conversation..... I kept passing people until about the 13 mile mark and then I slowed down so much, I don't think I passed hardly anyone the rest of the route :-(

I ended up doing the race in 3 hrs. 31 minutes, which shows I bonked on the second half of the race. Erik did the race in 2 hrs 20 min (correct me if I'm wrong). Karen did the 10K in 1 hr. 12 minutes.

We all feel that participating today was really good for our training, if not for specific accomplishments today.

But, it showed me I have alot of work to do before Nov.

Race pace eady?

2006-09-20T20:50:00.000-04:00

Hi all,

I hear that there is only a small contingent running the salem lake race this weekend. . . What gives? Are we lacking in enthusiasm, dedication, preparation? Are we just too busy?

I know that we are all going to be riled up by O'Connor's speech tomorrow, so how about a post judicial fun run at 5pm?

E

Music and Exercise Success

2006-09-17T20:11:00.000-04:00

In today's Parade Magazine (my scholarly publication of choice on the weekends), Michael O'Shea (PhD Sports Medicine) reported that a study (where half the women listened to CD players while they worked out) showed that the music listeners dropped twice the pounds and fat compared to the women who didn't listen to music.

The reason is thought to be that music relieves stress, tension and anxiety, so you end up focusing on the song or your surroundings instead of your discomfort.

But be safe and keep the volume slightly lower when you head outdoors, so you don't get creamed by our lovely southern drivers.

weekend updates?

2006-09-17T18:44:00.000-04:00

We've been awfully quiet on Wakeobx the past week or two....

This weekend I was scheduled to do either a 5K or 8-10 miles. I looked hard for a race because I would have rather done 3.1 miles, but.....

So, I stuck to the plan and headed out to do 10 miles this morning. I did the same route I did a few weeks ago and am happy to report that I bettered my time by 3 minutes. That put me under an 11 minute mile average. Maybe not a big accomplishment for you fast youngsters, but I was pleased.

I've been sticking with "run-only" on these short runs (and I can't believe I'm calling 10 miles a short run).

Next weekend is the Salem Lake 10k or 30K. I'm only aware of Erik, Karen and me having committed to one or the other. I am going to need to do a 23 mile training run in another week or two, but between Salem Lake and my Wilmington Triathlon on the 30th, I don't seem to have a weekend to accomplish this prior to leaving for Hawaii.

Erik has managed to talk me into the benefits of doing this long run in Hawaii.....So I've been researching how best to do this and where. I found a great site called "Favorite Runs" where I found many routes in Honolulu. The site is http://www.favoriterun.com/. It looks like I can work up a cool run from our hotel around Diamond Head (without climbing it). Will 23 miles be easier in paradise? I'll let you know!

Report on Salem Lake runs

2006-09-10T18:25:00.000-04:00

It was great to see everyone out today. Even though we all ran our own pace, because we were doing multiple loops in different directions, we passed each other and gave encouraging thumbs up (at least until there was no energy left for non-vital movements).

Karen ran a 7 mile loop, followed by once around on her bike. Ron did 13.8 miles of walking with his (new to him) mp3 player. Waits and I started out at a bit after 7 and finished not too far apart (well of course he finished before me!). We completed 20.6 miles. Erik arrived after we had been out for awhile, looped me on the second lap and still finished 30 minutes before I did. We also spotted Bill on the trail. He'll have to report his accomplishments as he wasn't finished when we finally left.

Erik's prediction came true for me, as 3.5 miles from the end, a root reached up and grabbed my toe. I took a dive, rolled and recovered with only a scratched elbow. I was much more worried about damage to my new outfit or mp3 player. All survived.

A stop at Moe's on the way home, a hot bubble bath and nap on the couch managed to get me almost back to normal, but I doubt any of you will see me at the gym in the early Monday am......

Feels good to have the first REALLY long run behind me!

Come on out to Salem Lake Tomorrow!

2006-09-09T20:20:00.000-04:00

As Erik said, some of us are planning to do our long runs at Salem Lake tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 10. I originally planned to get started at 8 am, but have since decided that 7 am would be better (once I found out the gates should be opened at 7). That way, if I live through it, I can have a little lunch and then nap all afternoon.

I have heard "maybes" from both Waits and Erik (a definite maybe). Karen says to look for her at 8. Ron will be doing two walking loops for 14 miles starting at 7. I'm going to do 3 loops or die trying. I've decided to go with an 8 min run/2 min. walk pattern. We are bringing a cooler full of ice and bottled water, so if you are out, we'll leave the back door on the CRV opened, help yourself!

I'm excited, my new 512 MB Iriver mp3 player arrived today. That's 17 hours of music. Certainly I can do 3 loops in less than 17 hours???

Hope to see some of you there.

Howsthetraininggoin?

2006-09-09T07:03:00.000-04:00

things have been pretty quiet on the obx here recently. . .I know we are all struggling as the long runs are getting longer. This weekend is a big run for me - 20 miles. I may only get 18 holes in after that ! *grin*. Just a quick reminder that today is the deadline for the cheap entry fee to the salem lake race on Sept 23rd. Let's get out there and kick some runner butt.

Susan is even heading out to Salem lake tomorrow to scout out the route (probably trying to figure out why the roots get so much bigger on the third lap!). I have been thinking about visiting that venue as well so if you hit the lake around 7am tomorrow morning you might see me there.

In searching for that last bit of edge to use for the marathon, I came across the following article on Ice Baths this morning http://www.runningtimes.com/rt/articles/?id=8731. I wonder what the temp. of the ocean will be on race day . . .

Enjoy your training this weekend!

E

Looking for excuses not to run? Need motivation?

2006-09-01T17:30:00.000-04:00

Here's a quote from Jeff Fisher, NFL head coach for the Tenn. Titans, in the latest Runner's World:

"There are days when you don't feel like running. Those are the days you have to do it. Discipline is doing what you don't want to do so you can do what you really want to do. Got that?"

Foot sweat

2006-08-31T14:00:00.000-04:00

An interesting post in my Fleet Feet newsletter:

Top 5 Reasons to Wear Non-Cotton Socks

* At rest, the average foot releases 1/4 cup of sweat each day.
* On a 5 mile run, your feet produce enough sweat to fill an 8oz. glass.
* 55% of foot perspiration evaporates through the shoe's upper. The other 45% is absorbed in the sock and footbed.
* Two trillion bacteria live on your feet (that's 12% of all bacteria in the human body).
* The naked foot temperature is approximately 94 degrees. The non-active foot in a shoe is 105-125 degrees. This temperature increases with activity level.

So, Waits, there's our answer as to why we end our runs in sopping wet shoes :-)

Fatigue Factor

2006-08-24T10:56:00.000-04:00

The past two weeks, I've done long runs of 12 and 13 miles. After each run and into the following day, I've been pooped! These runs represent the longest runs I've done....ever. I've gone from running 8-9 miles a week for as long as I can remember, to running 24 miles this week-a significant increase. I'm wondering about the tiredness though and if anyone has experiences or strategies to suggest. My only strategy so far has been to avoid my 2nd daily workout.

A new run plotter tool

2006-08-22T15:28:00.000-04:00

Try out this site:
http://www.walkjogrun.net/index.cfm

I actually found where someone plotted a 3 miles route right through my neighborhood.

Oh, p.s. in case someone might be wondering why I am playing around with this during office hours, I have been researching "mashups" for LIB100 :-)

This morning's 7 mile route

2006-08-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

Our early morning run/walk training sessions continued this morning as Carolyn, Ron, Wanda, Waits, Craig, Erik and I met at the ungodly hour of 6 am. It is now still very dark at that time! We decided to reverse last week's route and add a mile by going into Woodbury Road.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=382350

I think everyone had a good run/walk, I guess we'll hear about it this afternoon

Tuesday Morning Walk/Run

2006-08-14T14:40:00.000-04:00

So I hear we have a group training session tuesday morning?! Glad to hear so much banter about it on the list. . . . Tuesday morning training walk/run! 6Miles. . .Here is our route!

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=364164

6 am, at the back door (ready to walk). The route takes us down Gulley Drive towards Reynolds Gym and then around the quad before we head towards the admission house. Before getting there, turn right on Allen Easly Dr and go all the way to polo dorm & back. Turn right and head out the main gate. Turn right onto Reynolda (Imagine the bridge at mile 21/10.5!). At the top of Reynolda, turn right onto Polo, then right on University and right into the University gate of WFU. Take WF rd until it meets Wingate, then right on Wingate to Faculy drive and out our favorite Fac drive loop. Head back in Fac dr back to the library 6.2 miles (10K).

Looking forward to it, only 14 weeks to go! Bring your best shoes & stories!

Jeff Galloway's book

2006-08-14T06:36:00.000-04:00

While browsing at Borders over the weekend I came across Marathon: You Can Do It! by our run/walk guy Jeff Galloway.

What I've read so far has me sold on continuing on the run/walk path. He also is big on the value of training groups so we're doing that right, even tho we don't all exercise together, we have the motivation bit going.

He really focuses on the importance of the long run. Its total purpose is to build the endurance you need for race day and he gives detailed advice on how to increase it successfully. He stresses that speed on these runs works against you in the long run. He says "You can't run too slowly on the long runs."

There is also a chapter with 6 different training plans, different ones if you have specific race time goals. So Erik (who is the only one I know in our group who is aiming for a specific time) could use the training plan for the 3:15 time goal marathon.

Anyway, I'll bring the book to tomorrow's meeting to show and tell!

P.S. Ron wants to know if anyone is planning a morning walk this week? And wants to see who would want to start at 6am and do 6 miles?

Counting to 26

2006-08-06T22:22:00.000-04:00

couple tricks, for whatever they're worth.

1) hypnotize yourself into thinking:

26 miles = 1 mile
1 mile = 4 laps
1 lap = 6-7 miles

since 26 miles is too much to think about, really, you gotta chunk it up into sections, and since everyone's used to running 4 laps around the track to make one mile, the idea is to imagine yourself running one (very, very long) mile instead.

so, if you pick a 6 (or 7) mile loop from your house, or use the loop around salem lake (which is perfect for the purposes of this exercise), you have to think to yourself the whole way through the first loop that, yeah, you're tired, and want to quit, but you're only in the first lap, and you gotta be able to finish at least one stinkin' lap so you tough it out and then on longer days when you do two such loops, the whole time through the first loop you're thinking that you can't quit because you've got another loop to go and then during the second loop reminding yourself that, yeah, you're tired, but you're still only doing two laps and everyone can run at least a half-mile and then on those few really long days (like 18 or 20 or 22 miles) you do the loop three times and still you're saying to yourself at least you don't have to do the whole mile today so that when marathon day comes you can say to yourself in that last fourth of the route, yeah, you're tired, and want to quit, but you've only got one little lap to to go.

b) get a mantra. like, say, the "hail mary". unbelievable how the cadence of that can coincide with your steps and breathing:

hail mary, exhale
full of grace, exhale
the lord is with thee, exhale
and blessed is the fruit, exhale
of thy womb jesus, exhale
holy mary, exhale
mother of god, exhale
pray for us sinners, exhale
now and at the hour, exhale
of our death amen, exhale

could say like a million rosaries thus in the last four miles, making up for all those times you were goofing off in your parochial school daze, and rendering moot that you blew off church and went to salem lake instead. plus which, that last line about the hour death becomes ironic seeing as how you've got a long way to go yet, and in any case you are currently lucky enough to be strong like bull.

alternatively, you could use that catchy white stripes song, "now mary":

now mary, exhale
can't you find a way, exhale
to bring me down?, exhale
i'm so sorry exhale,
that I had to go, exhale
and let you down, exhale
sumpin' sumpin' sumpin', exhale
what a season, exhale
to be beautiful, exhale
without a reason, exhale

a post-modern prayer -- "what a season to be beautiful without a reason" -- it's uplifting, inane, and maddeningly repeatable.

three) otherwise, you could likewise use a list -- like, say, the presidents of the united states in reverse chronological order, or the pittsburgh pirates starting line-up during their last world series season, or the periodic table -- and saying same (to yourself, of course) towards the end of each "lap" will help pass the time, is all, such that you don't focus on your wet clothes or emerging poison ivy or mild leg cramp or dull headache or declining speed or impending rainstorm or the unmowed lawn or unfed children/pets.

iv) don't forget: www.bodyglide.com is your friend.

--wpk

Susan's Sunday Run

2006-08-06T12:11:00.000-04:00

Reporting in since I will miss this week's marathon meeting!

Today I was scheduled for 7 miles. Since I have been under the weather for the past two days and even missed a much anticipated donut day bike trip yesterday, I decided to go for at least 8 miles this morning. I lounged around until 9:30 and then took a 8.4 mile route from home down into Buena Vista: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=345008

I decided to try to stay running the entire time, and I managed it, but felt much more beat than I did after the run/walk 13 mile run last weekend. Don't know whether to attribute that to being ill or because run/walk is superior. I will go back to it for my next long run which is due to be 15 miles, my longest run ever. But I averaged an 11:25 min/mile. And it was hot and humid, even though the thermometer only says it's 81 with a 60% humidity. Go figure.

For a little travel excitement, I may just try to accomplish that 15 mile run while in Ottawa, maybe figure a variation on this 8k route:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/Media/PDF/ottawa.pdf

Well, Ron and I are heading out to case out Dick's Sporting Goods. I really need to find some seamless shirts (ouch today).

2006-08-06T07:51:00.000-04:00

Good morning WakeOBX! I hit Asheville yesterday and got my 14 mile run done in the morning before visiting the black cat festvial. Here is my route - http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=344652. It is not the prettiest route but the northwest corner of the city had a nice neighborhood and I enjoyed looping through downtown. I ditched the run/walk idea for today since I was essentially doing a 'tourist run' and just wanted to ramble around the city. This morning was supposed to be the followup but after sleeping in I just don't think that it is going to happen.

OBX Newby

2006-07-25T13:26:00.000-04:00

I was just invited to this group and happily accepted the invitation! I registered for the OBX marthon this morning and aside from feeling poorer, I'm excited about the possibility of completing a marathon. The Jeff Galloway idea of periodic walking gives me hope as well. I have 2 big events this year-this event and Cycle North Carolina September 30-October 7. These have left a hole in my pocket-but will no doubt be fun. My goals this year are to run a triathlon-completed May 20th, and ride a century (100 miles) which I hope to do on CNC. Looking forward to November in the Outer Banks!

Craig

Some routes from TCTC site

2006-07-23T17:56:00.000-04:00

Looking for a 3, 5, 10 or 13 mile route? Here are the ones that the Twin City Track Club follows:

http://www.twincitytc.org/ClubInformation/RunningRoutes/tabid/89/Default.aspx

After plotting the 13.1 mile route from the Mistletoe half-marathon, it looks as though it can be easily adapted to leave from our favorite departure spot at the back of the library. Instead of the YMCA being the start/finish, just make our parking lot the place to leave from. The route takes you down faculty drive, around campus, through Reynolda Village/estate, through Graylyn, Buena Vista, to Forsyth Country Club and to the Y next to Hanes Park. This may be the route I try next weekend for my 13 mile run:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=315426

Good route in hilly neighborhood

2006-07-23T12:43:00.000-04:00

Town and Country is near campus and I live next to it (I think Bobbie Collins and Steve Kelly both live there). So today, I decided give it a go for my 7 mile run. It was a good workout with lots of possibilites for alternate routes and distances.
I live a bit under 2 miles from campus, so it might be a good destination for a mid-distance run as you progress.

Here's my route:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=314810

fartlek?

2006-07-16T18:24:00.000-04:00

Who knows what fartlek training is? Once I stopped giggling at the word, I looked it up:
http://www.time-to-run.com/training/methods/fartlek/definition.htm

Training programs

2006-07-16T17:39:00.000-04:00

We've all discussed our various training programs but I thought it might be helpful to link to the ones we are using.
I'm going with the Jeff Galloway "run injury free" marathon training plan. He advocates combining run/walk training. I admit I don't walk, but as my distances get longer, I may give it a try. I did 11 miles this morning and I'm hurting this afternoon :-(

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/index.html

Beat the Heat 5K

2006-07-16T13:39:00.000-04:00

Five of our Wake OBXers were able to turn out for the Beat the Heat 5K race yesterday evening at Groves Stadium. We all agreed it was a tough course, simply because of the heat. It was in the 90s all day long. The route took us onto Deacon Blvd and Reynolds Blvd. Everyone achieved some sort of personal goal:
Erik managed to eek out a 19+ minute race inspite of running 6 miles that morning, followed by a golf tournament, followed by a 40 mile bike ride in the heat of the afternoon. Just think what he would do if he had rested in air conditioning all day! Carolyn did excellent, bringing in a 46+ minute time, 10 minutes less than her first 3 mile run two days previously. With this race, Mary completed her longest walk to date. Susan managed a sub-30 minute effort inspite of going along with Erik on the 40 mile ride! And Karen finished in35+ minutes after housecleaning all day. The post race party was worthy with pizza, subway sandwiches and lots of beer! Racer support was provided by Mark and Ron. Group Photo by Ron! Race pic snatched off TCTC site.

Check out the race results:
http://www.twincitytc.org/ResultsFrame.asp?keyword=464

Way to go everyone! What's our next race gonna be?

for your downloading bemusement

2006-07-13T09:16:00.000-04:00

in case you run to techno (and/or somehow weren't aware that the internet is a series of tubes):

http://www.boldheaded.com/podcast/steves_viral/DJ_teds_techno_tubes.mp3

--wpk

Salem Lake 30 K and 10K

2006-07-09T20:04:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder that there is a good event for us Wake OBXers on September 23, right at Salem Lake:
a 30 K OR a 10K:
http://www.twincitytc.org/Default.aspx?tabid=91

I'm planning on doing the 30K, it will be a real challenge but if I can't manage 18 miles by the end of Sept. I'm in deep dodo for the marathon :-)

Our discussion list

2006-07-06T19:30:00.000-04:00

Here's a reminder of how to get to our discussion list:
http://lists.wfu.edu/mailman/listinfo/wakeobx

I don't know which is best to post info, this blog or the list??? The list forces receipt of the information but this is easier to browse through.

However, the list does have an archives.......

a nice little 3 mile route around campus

2006-07-06T19:20:00.000-04:00

I have become a big fan of Gmaps Pedometer. It is much more accurate than my #@!** GPS unit. Anyway, here is a straightforward little 3 mile route from the back library parking lot and back. Good for walkers and runners alike :-)

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=280641

not bad for driving home (all sweaty (from salem lake (or anywhere)))

2006-06-29T22:09:00.000-04:00

i'm just say'n, is all: http://www.seatshield.com/

--wpk

newsphlash re obx marathon...

2006-06-29T22:06:00.000-04:00

...in case you missed it, as per http://www.obxmarathon.org :

The OBX® Marathon Course has been certified and is a Boston Qualifier!

--wpk

fun with bookmarks

2006-06-19T08:36:00.000-04:00

shooz, gear, whatnot:
http://www.roadrunnersports.com

marathon nooz and reviews:
http://www.marathonguide.com/

if you get the travel bug (to antarctica?):
http://www.marathontours.com/

a little closer to home:
http://www.running.net/calendar/NorthCarolina.html

(cheep) books :
http://tinyurl.com/ryjjv

--wpk

Feetures: Susan's Favorite Socks

2006-06-15T16:02:00.000-04:00

I love these socks. They are seamless in the toe, they fit my feet perfectly! You should try them. They are not 50 cent socks, but are well worth the price. I recently got a few pairs at 4 runners only. I like the light version because I like a thin sock. They also feature a cool feet ventilation system that is wonderful in the hot weather.

Try them, you'll love them!

http://www.feeturesbrand.com/

Beat the Heat 5k

2006-06-13T15:46:00.000-04:00

Mark your calendar for July 15

http://www.twincitytc.org/Default.aspx?tabid=70

2006-06-12T14:55:00.000-04:00

Neat site. . .

My WFU 4.2 mile loop

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=233639

the most awesome route mapping tool ever

2006-06-12T09:24:00.000-04:00

dudes, check it out: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com

--wpk

Kerr Lake Triathon news

2006-06-09T15:27:00.000-04:00

Hey gang,
Here is a reprint of a newspaper article about this year's Triathlon and info about the death of a triathlete at last year's event. Everyone should take heed and watch their overall health. Overtraining can be harmful too.

Cardoso is winner of Kerr Lake triathlon

By BRENDAN O'MEARA, Dispatch Sports Writer

Where last year's Kerr Lake International Distance triathlon was successful but tragic, this year's was simply successful.

And everyone is okay with that.

200 yards into the swim leg last year, Wayne Stellar died of a heart attack. This year, two of his teammates on that relay team - Nick LaRaia and Bob Cray - came back in Stellar's honor and brought along a new member - Dan McLaughlin - to swim in place of their late friend.

On a Sunday with perfect weather, the 76-degree water was not the site of tragedy.

“It was an honor (to swim in Stellar's place), he died doing something he wanted to do,” said McLaughlin, a massage therapist. “I could feel him with me. I just felt honored to do that, I could sense his presence, it's bittersweet, it was a motivator for me and I had a good swim.”

Having not only a good swim, but good bike and run legs, was overall winner Cid Cardoso Jr. of Cary. He blistered the 24-mile bike course and 10K run leg, breaking Eric Zack's 2:00:12 time from a year ago by over nine minutes with a 1:50:42.

“It always feels good (to win), the race was not over because of the wave you start in,” said the native of Brazil. “I could tell I had a big lead, but you can't ease up too much, it was a great race.”

Cardoso has been competing in triathlons for the better part of the last 20 years including 17 Ironmen races. Through his experience, he knew he had to have a good run despite opening up a four-minute lead off the bike.

“I've been doing these for 20 years and if there's one thing I know is that's it's never locked up,” he said. “You can ride well and you cramp up on the run and another guy is hammering the run, it (the lead) goes like that.”

David Williams of Durham had a fine swim, toeing the beach with a 1500 meter swim time of 16:01. Cardoso kept him in sight, coming out of the water just 30 seconds behind his friend and competitor.

“On the bike I'd rather get to the front as quickly as I can,” Cardoso said. “I caught him at mile six or mile five and for a split second, I thought maybe I'd ride with him, but I was riding faster so I've gotta put the hammer down and took the lead.”

Kristin Price came in first place for the women with a time of 1:59:31. She could not be found for comment.

The Wayne Stellar tribute team plodded on in memory of their buddy taking 13th place with a time of 2:50:03. Cray, a sales manager, wearing a flowered lei, took off and crossed the finish line after running 10 kilometers in 49 minutes winded and smiling.

“I felt pretty good the whole way, with a mile to go I kissed the lei, came down and gave it a kiss, looked to the sky and was super charged from above,” he said.

Reflecting on Stellar, he noted how personable his friend was.

“Wayne was such an incredible person,” Cray said. “He had so many friends, he exuded enthusiasm and energy. He'd see somebody he didn't know and five minutes later you'd think they were best friends.”

Nick LaRaia, the cyclist for the Stellar Tribute team and physical therapist at Maria Parham hospital, shared the same sentiment.

“Well, I guess you had to know Wayne to understand, he lived life as much as he could,” he said. “He loved his friends and family so much, he kept in touch with people for 30 years, he never forgot a friend, we keep going in memory of that.”

LaRaia was also awarded the Wayne Stellar Spirit Award at the end of the race, having helped someone on the bike course change a flat tire, something Stellar would have done without even thinking.

“He was a colleague and good friend,” LaRaia said. “He was on the relay team last year when he passed away, this is kind of a tribute to him.”

In the relay group, Henderson's YMCA team finished fourth with a time of 2:13:35. Out of the 20-24 age group, Henderson's Jonathan Anderson took third with a time of 2:21:31.

Contact the writer at bomeara@hendersondispatch.com.

2006-06-09T13:47:00.000-04:00

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