Sunday Night Run Stinks!

Instead of posting another 8-hour round trip drive to do another distance event, I stayed here at the apartment in Vancouver, rested and got a number of things done - including all of my laundry from last week.

I finished dinner at about 8:45 p.m. I figured that waiting until about 11 p.m. would be good enough to go run.

Although my route tonight had a lot of climbing (1,060 feet over 3.84 miles), I cut it short when I just didn't feel like I would get any benefit from pressing on with what felt like dead legs.

The damage? 42:54.71 over 3.84 miles for an ugly pace of 11:10/mile. (I also logged 30 minutes on the stationery bike Saturday evening although I don't think that that is the reason I felt so dead tonight.)

After looking it up, it isn't that bad; however, it felt a lot worse! But better than a lot of the zeros that I've thrown into the book the past month.

Starting this weekend and for the next two weeks, I get to run a lot with Waverly!

Seven Hills Challenges The Woodlands Running Club

Last August 12 at Run The Woodlands 5K, the Seven Hills Running Club of Huntsville soundly defeated the Houston Running Bloggers in friendly, head-to-head competition that was part of a day that saw a then-record 175 finishers complete the bi-monthly event.

Earlier this evening, president Ken Johnson's work just got a little bit more challenging as The Woodlands Running Club, through its president, Scott Campbell, accepted Seven Hills' challenge and the two clubs will engage in the same competition at Run The Woodlands 5K on Saturday, June 9.

Johnson's report on last year's race was as follows:

The SHRC dominated the Houston Running Bloggers in inter-club competition at the Run the Woodlands 5K on August 12, 2006. Team scoring was based on speed and the number of participants. The SHRC won on both counts.

The SHRC team consisted of 43 runners and walkers (not including Jon and Waverly Walk, who are members of both clubs); the bloggers had 15 (including
Jon and Waverly).

Robert Duncan, 46, lead the way for the SHRC, with a time of 19:07. He was followed by James Spencer, Josh Spencer and Ben Harvie. The first SHRC female was Kelli Kallus with a time of 21:04. She was followed by Lindsey Miller and Lindsey Boeller.

There were six SHRC runners who had already crossed the finish line when the first blogger came in with a time of 21:30.

The Run the Woodlands 5K is held on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Congratulations to all SHRC and Houston Running Blogger runners who
participated in this race.

I had originally proposed this year's June 9 date as a rematch date after HRB had lost.

Ken made the pitch to The Woodlands Running Club on Thursday:

How about the Woodlands Running Club? Would ya'll like to take us on? If so, would June 9 be okay?

The scoring system would be based on the number of participants and speed. Jon Walk worked out a scoring system, which is okay with us.

And by this evening, TWRC had responded:

I poled TWRC board and various committees with this idea in the hope that
we could come back and accept in a most refined manner your gracious challenge.

However, typical of the (printable) responses were . . .
> EAT OUR DUST!
> BRING 'EM ON !!!!
> THEY WILL NEED TO SEE THE DUST CLOUD TO EAT IT!

. . . and such similar unsportsman like responses.

So, I guess this means. "yes."

Looking forward to a great time on 9 June! And the "Jon Walk Rules" it is.

Rumor from Huntsville that vice president and Sam Houston State University soccer team member Nikki Swearingen is talking to the school's men's and women's track teams about joining the club to take on TWRC, which is pushing towards the 200-member mark. :)

This should be fun!

BCRR's Fraser's daughter wins top Rice student-athlete award

The daughter of Bayou City Road Runners' Mark Fraser, Rice University soccer team member Traci Fraser, a junior, was honored, along with Brett Olson of the men's cross country team, with the Dr. Hubert E. Bray Scholar-Athlete Award as 112 Rice student-athletes were recognized on Sunday for their academic success over the past year at the 21st annual Rice scholar-athlete banquet.

The Dr. Hubert E. Bray Scholar-Athlete Award is presented annually to the Rice male and female student-athletes with the top grade point average. Fraser is majoring in biochemistry, while Olson is a civil engineering major.

Fraser is a graduate of Houston's St. Agnes Academy, where she became the only female in any classification or league in Texas to win a state cross country championship all four years. St. Agnes Academy is a member of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS).

Who Owns The Top 30 Marathons in the U.S.?

So far I've been able to determine that 14 of the top 30 marathons in the United States, according to marathonguide.com's ranking of 2006 marathons (listed below), are operated by organizations that are defined as a 501(c)(3) public charity.

This means that their Form 990 is to be made available for public inspection. The Form 990 is an annual reporting return that certain federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS. It provides information on the filing organization's mission, programs, and finances.

Green - Confirmed 501(c)(3) organizations
Purple - Public entity such as city, state or county
Blue - Confirmed for-profit companies
Red - Attempting to confirm

1. New York City Marathon - 37,936 - New York Road Runners Club, Inc.
2. Chicago Marathon - 33,618 - LaSalle Bank (or ABN AMRO)
3. Honolulu Marathon - 24,573 - Honolulu Marathon Association
4. Marine Corps Marathon - 20,879
5. City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon) - 20,169 - Devine Racing
6. Boston Marathon - 19,688 - Boston Athletic Association
7. Rock 'n' Roll Marathon - 15,771 - Elite Racing
8. Disney World Marathon - 10,125 - Walt Disney Company
9. Twin Cities Marathon - 8,215 - Twin Cities Marathon, Inc.
10. Portland Marathon - 7,719 - Portland Marathon, Inc.
11. Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon - 7,428 - Elite Racing
12. Grandma's Marathon - 6,909 - Grandma's Marathon-Duluth Inc.
13. Philadelphia Marathon - 6,119 - City of Philadelphia
14. New Las Vegas Marathon - 5,903 - Devine Racing
15. Houston Marathon - 5,425 - Houston Marathon Committee
16. Austin Marathon - 4,788 - Austin Marathon Foundation
17. St. George Marathon - 4,761 - City of St. George
18. Nike 26.2 Marathon - 4,212 - Nike
19. Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon - 4,172 - Cincinnati Marathon, Inc.
20. Country Music Marathon - 4,022 - Elite Racing
21. The San Francisco Marathon - 4,021
22. Detroit Free Press International Marathon - 3,880
23. California International Marathon - 3,789 - Website states it is a 501(c)(3)
24. Columbus Marathon - 3,764 - The Columbus Marathon
25. Dallas White Rock Marathon - 3,507 - White Rock Marathon
26. Big Sur International Marathon - 2,947 - Big Sur International Marathon, Inc.
27. Richmond Marathon - 2,917 - Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers Inc.
28. Vermont City Marathon - 2,495 - Vermont City Marathon, Inc.
29. Miami Marathon - 2,477 - PR Racing, Inc.
30. Baltimore Marathon - 2,149 - Corrigan Sports Enterprises

This post will continue to be a work in progress.

Next Weekend

My original plans were to run the Spring Fever 5K in The Woodlands on Saturday and then, possibly on Sunday, go to College Station to run the Armadillo Dash Half Marathon.

However, the Alpharetta Marathon in Georgia is calling me for state #9! (Nonetheless, I'll still be out at the Spring Fever 5K!)

Race-day temperatures are currently being forecasted at a high of 54 and a low of 33! Reward travel looks good. I can get a Marriott hotel at a good rate ... it is almost a done deal. I have to register online by Wednesday.

We'll see!

Texas Marathon Challenge Recognition

Just wanted to take the time to formally recognize two friends - Keith Kelleher and Doug Spence - who have now completed the Texas Marathon Challenge this season.

Keith's marathons this season included the following:

Endurance 50 - Texas (October) - 4:17:12
San Antonio Marathon (November) - 4:29:06
Sunmart 50K (December) - 6:46:08
Chevron Houston Marathon (January) - 4:27:52
Surfside Beach Marathon (February) - 4:46:57

Doug's marathons this season were as follows:

Miracle Match Marathon (October) - 6:13:01
San Antonio Marathon (November) - 5:59:28
Sunmart 50K (December) - 8:46:11
Chevron Houston Marathon (January) - 6:00:51
Cowtown Marathon (February) - 6:24:04

Congratulations!

Smelt Run 10K Race Report

For not having done anything since Sunday at the AT&T Austin Marathon, today's effort at the 10th annual Smelt Run 10K in La Conner, Washington was a good one. I finished in 1:01:34.

Like I said, not bad. I'll take it.

For me, it was great weather - even with the winds and a very slight rain. In fact, as I drove south on Interstate 5 from Vancouver towards Seattle, I encountered a bit of a snow storm north of Bellingham.

As far as my finishing time goes, I'm not where I'm capable of being right now (as I have two legitimate 10Ks in the 58s, but that is completely in my control.)

Fact: I need to be running more than what I am, but I'm not going to get down about it.
Fact, part 2: Then again, yikes, I just saw the Austin Marathon pictures ... I really need to be running more.

My goals for today's race were:

1.) to not get myself hurt for running so hard so quickly after not having done anything except brisk walks to and from work since Sunday,
2.) try to work on even pacing (running steady and strong) and
3.) once I got started, try to maintain a good, steady and quick cadence (not a 180-step-per minute, but a steady, solid 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 or 1-to-10.)

Here's the certified course map, but I have a little bit of a rant.

La Conner, Washington is a nice, little town. (By the way, I wondered what "smelt" was and the Chamber's web site says that it is a type of "tiny silver fish.") The downtown area reminded me a little bit of Old Town Spring, but with a lot of water nearby to be able to go fishing. The people that I talked to were extremely nice.

However, Wikipedia reports that the 2006 census states that La Conner had 839 people living there. When we were in the middle of mile 2, one of the volunteers, who was manning an intersection said something about "going to the sidewalk." I'm thinking, "Yeah right," and "spend a little extra money to get the permit and approval and shut the street completely down for 20-30 minutes." So I stayed on the left, ran against the traffic (instead of with and risking getting hit by a car) before turning right and kept plugging to mile 2.

Mile 1 -- 9:31.19
I specifically tried not to go full speed (considering goal #2) and get sucked into the crowd and watch a ton of people pass me later in the race.

Mile 2 -- 9:23.27 (18:54.46)
During this mile, I faced the situation on the street as I mentioned above; however, I didn't feel as if I got any faster. I immediately suspected the mile to be short, since I typically slow down by 15-25 seconds, but the course map showed it to be about where it should be.

Mile 3 -- 10:31.45 (29:25.91)
In turn, this mile could have been long although the first four-tenths of a mile had a good stiff cross wind that turned into a head wind for the next three to four tenths. I was surprised by a differential of over a minute, but I averaged the two it was still under 10 minutes a mile.

Mile 4/5 -- 19:42.94 (49:08.85)
The course did about a three-mile out-and-back outside of town on country roads. I drove the course before hand and one of the things that I worried about -- not knowing if the course was certified or not - is whether or not they set the turnaround cone in the right place. They did, bu the mile 4 marker on the return trip had either blown away or had been picked up. Therefore, both miles were together.

Last 1.2 -- 12:25.86 (61:34.71)
Again, I didn't feel as if I was slowing down even though I had the wind at my back for much of the sixth mile. Plus, I didn't see the mile 6 marker on the right hand side of the street in the start of the final homestretch. Oh well.

Good run. Had fun, even by myself. Stopped in at Barnes & Noble in Bellingham before getting a late breakfast / early lunch at an IHOP that I normally stop in.

I'm thinking about forgoing my trip to Summerland tomorrow and trying to simply run long here in Vancouver. Just never know!

Congratulations to all who ran the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run today in downtown Houston!

The Latest!

I think my readership has definitely slipped under Steve Bezner's 4.6 by now!

For the 4.2 of you that are still with me, work has just absolutely kicked me in the rear this week and I really haven't had time to do much other than work, eat and sleep up here in Vancouver.

However, as one might expect, I'm going to get out of town a little bit and run this weekend.

There was a Fat Ass 50K & 25K on one of the islands (Orcas Island) just west of Anacortes, Washington that I found out about today. The entry fee was priced right - $10, but the ferry ride over and back was almost $60! I think I'll pass, although it looked fun and challenging. If I had planned it more in advance, I might have tried it regardless of the cost.

So ... the second option is the Tenth Annual Smelt Run 10K in LaConner, Washington since I can't do the Run The Woodlands 5K / ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run 10K double. (Yes, Mr. Quarles was going to challenge me to do it, but not try it himself. I understand how those things work. Do I look like Mikey?)

My picks for ConocoPhillips tomorrow (if they're running it)? I'll take Sean Wade and Andreina Byrd. Byrd has won four straight 5Ks in a row -- all in under 18 minutes. However, if any of the winners from the last two years were to show -- Cassandra Henkiel or Kelly Keane, I'd withdraw my pick. Personally, I think it would be interested to see Kim Hager give Byrd a run tomorrow; however, I believe that she is running with some of the Luke's Locker Beat program participants.

The remainder of their program participants will train with three of the most-talented cut-ups in the sport - Bill Dwyer, Andrew Perry and Rick Cook.

Sunday, I may make the drive over to Summerland, British Columbia for the Summerland Centennial Half Marathon. Don't expect another 2:12 from when I did the 3M Half Marathon a couple of weeks ago, if I make it over there.

Races at this time of the year right now are slim pickings in the Pacific Northwest and southwestern British Columbia; however, with temperatures around freezing, it is to be expected. (I just paused to see if there were any runs down around Portland, Oregon and there was a trail run whose web site address was http://www.haggmud.com/! I'll pass. My shoes from Rocky Raccoon are still a mess!)

That's all for now. I have a post upcoming on the RunHouston Chronicle blog on Tim Neckar being one of only three selected to run Badwater this year.

Potentially Dangerous Marathon Relay Team!

Going through the results of Montgomery County residents from this past Sunday's AT&T Austin Marathon, I stumbled upon the possibility of a two-person marathon relay team made up of the only competing residents from the communities of Porter and Splendora.

The team? Hmmm ... Sharp/Bobbitt or Bobbitt/Sharp - just depending on how you wanted to slice it. (And I'm sure that Gillette would step up and sponsor them!)

Porter's Jeff Sharp, 48, turned in a fine performance of 4:15:58 while Splendora's 37-year-old Billie Bobbitt fashioned a time of 4:41:21.

Both runners also ran the Chevron Houston Marathon in January where Sharp covered the mostly flat course in 4:23:13 as Bobbitt got close to her PR with a time of 4:33:33. Sharp's PR was set in Chicago in 2004 with an effort of 4:05:06, according to marathonguide.com.

Crazy Weekend Austin-Houston-Austin!

It is about 3 a.m. Central time Monday morning and I'm here in Vancouver. It has been a crazy weekend and, as you'll be able to see, I'm exhausted - physically and mentally.

Saturday morning, Waverly and I drove to Austin. We left Spring at 7 a.m., got to the Palmer Special Events Center before the doors opened, registered for the full, visited with Lance Phegley of Inside Texas Running/Runner Triathlete News and Jay Hilscher with the Texas Independence Relay. We left late, at about 11:40 a.m., got back to our house in Spring at 2:00 p.m. and was back out the door, showered and dressed, for Cassie and Manny's wedding at - no coincidence I'm sure - Palmer Episcopal Church.

The ceremony, spending some time at Starbucks with Vic, Keith and his girlfriend and Joe, and then the reception, which we left at 8:15 p.m., ended up putting me back home and in bed by 9:30 p.m.

A 2:15 a.m. wake-up call and out the door by 2:45 a.m. found us parked on 5th Street in downtown Austin by 5:35 a.m. I tried to take a short nap before meeting Bill Dwyer and George Roffe - who hit his half marathon goal time, right on the number, 2:00:57 - in the lobby of the Residence Inn near the finish by 6:30 a.m.

Bill and I were off at 7 a.m., stayed with him until the cutoff for the full/half before mile 10, finished the marathon, drove home (getting there at 4:30 p.m.), taking a 2-hour nap, getting packed and off to the airport by 7:45 p.m. All of this for an 8:50 p.m. flight that got me to Vancouver a short while ago.

Mile 1 -- 13:48.54
Mile 2 -- 15:11.85
Mile 3 -- 13:00.18
Mile 4 -- 14:12.91
Mile 5 -- 14:09.72
Mile 6 -- 13:42.17
10K -- 3:22.99
Mile 7 -- 12:09.09 (15:32.08)
Mile 8 -- 15:35.00
Mile 9 -- 15:35.68
15K -- 5:08.66
9.7M -- 8:35.61
Mile 10 -- 1:53.51 (15:38.78)
Mile 11 -- 10:48.17
Mile 12 -- 10:59.87
Mile 13 -- 10:55.16
Mile 14 -- 10:46.84
Mile 15 -- 11:26.71
25K -- 6:05.51
Mile 16 -- 5:13.51 (11:19.02)
Mile 17/18 -- 23:48.00 (stopped a little bit to walk and talk to Paula Boone and Victor Bhatt)
30K -- 7:41.78
Mile 19 -- 4:17.55 (11:59.77)
Mile 20 -- 11:46.53
Mile 21 -- 12:39.44
Mile 22 -- 13:34.34
Mile 23 -- 13:02.72
Mile 24 -- 13:27.28
Mile 25 -- 13:14.69
Last 1.2 -- 16:58.84 -- 5:43:12

Tough course. Completely unlike last year. Last year's course was a dream!

Of the 13 marathons that I've now done, that was one of the two most difficult - the other being New York City the November before last.

Bill finished the half in 3:18:31 and was troubled by shin problems the entire morning. He encouraged me to go on from the first mile! I went to run with him for 10 and I wasn't changing it. He was worried that he was going to hold me back and I said that I didn't come to run that one for time.

Since I had primarily walked the first 10 miles, I was able to pick off people and that is what kept me motivated. In the first mile (11), which was an uphill, I got 30 people alone! I stopped counting around mile 24 and that was approximately 332 or 334. That is when the death march started. By the time, I saw Waverly at the mile 25 marker - I was toast. (And now realized that I'm sunburnt pretty bad too. Sort of like Surfside from last February.)

Good day. Long day.

I checked out some other times. Not a lot. I saw that Desiree Ficker finished second and got her U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying time - "B standard" - of 2:40:28.

Fellow bloggers Christy Gonzales and Jan Poscovsky went 2:26:52 and 3:05:19, respectively, in the half marathon. Steve Bezner set a marathon PR with a 3:37:05. (Nice job on a tough course!)

The Woodlands Running Club's Casey Clark narrowly missed qualifying for Boston with a 3:17:05 showing (after struggling in Houston). The Woodlands TNT coach Dana-Sue Crews had an impressive 3:47:28 showing.

More later ...

Congratulations Cassie and Manny!

Joe, Vic, Jill, Erin, Holden and his wife, Keith and his girlfriend, Waverly and myself were able to be in attendance for the wedding - and reception - of Cassie Cowan and Manny Mondragon this afternoon at Palmer Episcopal Church near Hermann Park.

They're great friends and we all wish them the best!

Off to bed, up in the morning, drive to Austin and run the AT&T Austin Marathon! (Actually, I'm going to run the first 10 miles with Bill Dwyer, before the half marathon course peels off from the full.)

(If you're looking for results, not sure why I did it, I registered under Clydesdale 2!)

Mom And Tot Fitness Video by FLS Member

Hmmm ... should I have put this on before Veronica Hoge's birth announcement? :)

Nonetheless, I'm posting this here since this is the creation of Finish Line Sports member Allie Thummel.

+ Have you heard about the Childhood Obesity Epidemic?
+ Did you know that CDC recommends 60 minutes of exercise for kids EACH DAY?

There's a new DVD on the market called, "Get Fit Together," and it allows parents to exercise with their kids. There are cartoon backgrounds and fun music.

You can visit the web site -- http://www.MomAndTotFitness.com -- to view a demo of the DVD.

There's a $5 discount available; however, I'm not certain that it was intended to be splashed all over the world when the instruction in the e-mail was just, "Please forward this coupon to anyone you think will benefit from EXERCISING with their Tots!"

Thanks & regards,
Allie Thummel
allie (at) MomAndTotFitness (dot) com
281-778-9337

Austin Goes A Leg Up on Houston

According to runtex.com today, the entire AT&T Austin Marathon, for the first time ever, will not only have its entire race on local TV (nothing new here, of course), but it will also be streamed over the Internet (like the Chicago Marathon.)

Plus, it has been reported that KTBC Fox 7 will have a live web cam on the finish line for streaming video of finishers from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Can you see it? At about mile 25, people start whipping out their cell phones. I can imagine a conversation going something like this:

"Mom, Mom, log on to the Internet so you can see me cross the finish line!"

"Wait, Mom, why are you crying? I didn't know that you would be so emotional over me finishing my first marathon!"

"Oh ... Mom, I'm so sorry that you're still on dial-up! I'll cross the finish line really, really slow for you then."

As she hangs up, she thinks to herself, "Sheesh, I'm glad I wasn't trying to qualify for Boston!"

A-Rex Has Arrived!

I swear that it is how the e-mail was forwarded on by On The Run assistant manager Vera Balic!

Last Saturday at the Park To Park 5-Mile Run, Bay Area Running Club's Veronica Hoge, (pronounced "hoagie", by the way,) who was 39 weeks pregnant, asked me what kind of pace that I had planned. I said that I didn't know but that as long as I was faster than her is all that mattered!

As Joe Carey pointed out in his blog, he joined Hoge and fellow BARCer Leeanne Voorhees on a run that saw them get Veronica to the finish in under an 11-minute mile!

And it also may have helped bring on Anders Rex Hoge, who came into the world last night in Clear Lake at 9:26 p.m. The report was that A-Rex weighed in at 8 lbs., 3 oz., measured 21 inches and was very alert.

It was reported that mother, baby and Tom, Veronica's husband, were all doing well.

I have $5 that says that we'll see her on Saturday, March 10 in outfit at the Bayou City Classic 10K.

We just hope with a nickname like A-Rex that he'll take up baseball like A-Rod, make lots of money for his parents, but perform better in clutch time!

Couple of Interesting Web Sites

http://www.navajoeliterunners.org -- A site about the Navajo Elite Runners group that is dedicated to raising funds for a couple of Navajo runners trying to earn spots on the 2008 United States Olympic team.

http://ultracup.montrail.com/ -- A site about the Montrail Ultra Cup Series, which is sponsoring the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. The top three finishers of four (4) different races, including the Sunmart Texas Trail Endurance Run 50-Miler, get automatic spots into Western States. (Plus theirs a short, cool video that has WS100 footage with images of its creator, Gordon Ainsleigh.)

AT&T Austin Marathon Numbers

If the database is there, it is my job to crunch some numbers!

The AT&T Austin Marathon has a link on the main page of their web site for runners to look up their bib number so that they will know it when they go to Packet Pickup on Friday and Saturday.

Put in the first letter of the last name 26 different times and you can quickly get a count of registrants in the database.

The totals? 5,092 for the full marathon. 5,834 for the half marathon.

Do these numbers mean to say that they aren't sold out for the half? If you want to embarrass yourself tomorrow and ask, go right ahead! They said they're sold out. Good enough for me. It isn't my job to figure out where the 166 other runners are!

And as I pointed out on the Chronicle RunHouston blog today, it is evident that Austin's decision to limit itself to 6,000 runners for each event -- since it is the number of medals that they ordered -- will probably allow the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon remain the largest in Texas another marathon season.

Overall Finishers, Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon
2007 -- 12,157 (43.6% men, 56.4% women)

Finishers, Chevron Houston Marathon
2007 -- 5,303 (62.1% men, 37.9% women)

Finishers, Aramco Houston Half Marathon
2007 -- 6,854 (58.0% women, 42.0% men)

And it looks as if the folks with Run On! in Dallas (Racing Systems, Inc.) have got the timing gig this year after Run Far's snafu at last year's event. (Although, I saw Run Wild's trailer just passed the half way point last year.) But Run Far picked up the Cowtown Marathon after there were issues in the rainstorm with the former timing system that was being used.

More later ... I have some more cutting-and-pasting to do!

Thursday Night Workout

Nothing to exciting to report. Especially for the marketing cyborg types and folks who make pottery in Colorado.

1.) Elliptical machine -- One hour, level 16, 5.05 miles
2.) Treadmill -- 45 minutes, ran at 4.0 for 15 minutes, upped it .2 every five minutes, kept increasing it in the last five minutes and ran the last minute averaging 6.3.
3.) Stationery bike -- 20 minutes, hill, level 6

Solid workout after not having done much at all this week after Park to Park 5-Mile Run and The Woodlands Spin For ALS.

I'll be on a starting line somewhere this weekend. Just don't know where yet.

(Wait, make that behind a starting line. Last time I started up front at a small race - Conroe, the day after Thanksgiving - I almost died.)

Huntsville Item "Running Shorts"

Here is a link to the bi-monthly running column that appears in the Huntsville Item, which is written by Seven Hills Running Club president Ken Johnson and vice president Niki Swearingen.

The first two copies of the column did not appear online.

Conversely, many of the copies of the column that I write each Sunday in the Conroe Courier had been appearing online; however, lately they haven't.

Which means if you are in Montgomery County, it is easy to pick a copy up on Sunday - like I do - for a $1 or subscribe to the paper, even on the weekends.

February 21 Peak Performance Nutrition

Peak Performance Nutrition
By Catherine Kruppa, MS, RD, LD

Are you an athlete or fitness enthusiast?
Would you like to eat to fuel your active lifestyle and improve your performance?

This seminar will help you to:
· Estimate your energy needs based on your activity level.
· Develop an eating plan to maximize your workout
· Discuss the effect of nutrition on muscle strength, endurance and performance
· Learn what to eat before, during and after exercise
· Provide recommendations for fluid replacement
· Advise you on the latest research on supplements.

February 21, 2007, 6:00 p.m. in The Houstonian Club Library
Cost: $20, RSVP to 713-316-2707 or ckruppa@houstonian.com

For more information about individual nutrition consultations, your metabolism or grocery store tours, contact Catherine at 713-316-2707 or ckruppa@houstonian.com

The Woodlands Spin For ALS -- Success!

What a great day yesterday with some great friends - and lots of new ones!

Three weeks ago, Kim Hager asked Bill Dwyer and myself if we could pull this off. In an effort to have the maximum awareness, as I stated earlier, we wanted to do this out in Market Street in The Woodlands. (We'll do it next year with having insurance to do so!)

However, Mike Lucas of Luke's Locker stepped up big time and said, "You can host it in our store!" Thanks to Mike, store manager Susie Schreiber, employees Tara Wilson and Andrew Perry (who opened and closed the store for us) and the entire staff, including Cyndy Bhattacharya, who brought in a number of bike trainers for us.

Additional thanks go out to Shari Roberts with Sedona Fitness for Women in The Woodlands and Phil Howard and Carol Steele with Pure Fitness for Women (Louetta Road in Spring) for providing us with spin cycles.

We also received help in getting the word out from Marty Hajovsky with The Chronicle This Week section, Deborah Rowe of The Villager, Scott Campbell of The Woodlands Running Club and TriVantage.

It was a long day, but we had a lot of fun meeting four goals that Kim had in her mind to spell success for The Woodlands Spin For ALS event. They were as follows:

1.) Honor Jon Blais, aka "Blazeman". (Click this link to hear an active.com audio interview before the 2005 Kona Ironman.)
2.) Raise money and awareness for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
3.) Share Jon Blais' story in hopes that it will provide inspiration for others.
4.) Have at least one person riding at all times throughout the 16.5 hours.

We had 21 athletes, riding for almost 38 total bike hours and to date, we were able to raise $1,240. (An anonymous donor said that they would match up to $10,000 raised on a national basis from the 15 sites across the country that were hosting similar Spinathons.)

And we had somebody on a bike for the entire 16 hours and 30 minutes -- all the day way from George Lippert, 2006 Ironman Kona competitor Allan Richardson of The Woodlands and Kim Hager to Luke's Locker employee Andrew Perry and Rocky Raccoon 100-Mile Trail Run finisher Les Ellsworth.

We had four (4) individuals - including first time Ironman Mitch Evans (2006 IM Florida in November) who drove all the way from Pasadena - who had completed an Ironman, including three that had raced at Kona.

Kim and I had a good laugh - especially over music preferences -- as we both biked for five (5) hours.

She asked me what my goals were for the day and I told her, like a runner, that I had a number of multiple goals. One was a time PR on a stationery bike (and that was an hour and a half), another was more than her and the other two were a workout PR (Sunmart; 7 hours and 15 minutes) and then 10-plus hours.

The next two individuals were Debbie Tripp of The Woodlands, who rode for three hours and 30 minutes, and 11-year-old Waverly Walk -- who rode for four hours and 15 minutes!

The Woodlands' Thomas Behe and Jim Braden both ran Run The Woodlands 5K earlier in the morning before coming in to spend time on the bike.

Kim had been in contact with John Wolski of Palatine, IL (who has organized the Spin For ALS effort) the entire time and received the following e-mail from him earlier today:

Kimberly,

You guys did a fantastic job!!!! I have to tell you that I spoke with the Blais family this morning, and they were so moved by the show of support from folks like you. You really cannot believe how much it means to their entire family. Jon told me he was beside himself.

I look forward to seeing the photos! I will post all of the event photos on the website as soon as get them all. I also plan to post a little bit of what everyone did at thier own event - should be fun to see. Final tally coming as I get them all.

Please pass along great thanks to everyone who helped and participated in your event. Let them know how much this meant to the Blais family and ALS families everywhere.

Thanks again!

John

As I shared with Bill and Kim, "We got the word out, we got great help from all involved, we got it done and did something good that was a right thing to do."

The Woodlands Spin For ALS Web Page and Photos

The Woodlands Spin for ALS, Saturday, February 10

2/2/07
Mike Lucas of Luke's Locker in The Woodlands has graciously stepped us to be able to put on the event regardless by having bikes in their store and storefront window!

However, our original goal was to be out in the middle of Market Street - where Ten For Texas finished - all day long. Bill's contacts with the folks in Market Street was able to make that happen; however, we needed event insurance.

We felt like the greater visual impact of having multiple bikes going in the open elements from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. would bring curious onlookers all day - as there is a theater there that is open at all times - where we could explain what was happening and our mission.

What's holding us back from that original plan?

The cost of the event insurance. It is three figures, but certainly not three figures that either Bill, Kim or myself can necessarily put down ourselves.

If anybody that reads this entry knows of somebody that would be willing to sponsor this event in that amount, please contact me.

All monies raised nationally - up to $10,000 - will be matched by an anonymous donor.

We think that with a planning lead time next year that we can raise that amount in The Woodlands alone!

2/1/07
Team Timex professional triathlete and 2004 U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon trialist Kim Hager, RRCA-certified coach Bill Dwyer and myself, with generous location assistance from Luke's Locker in The Woodlands, are pleased to announce The Woodlands Spin for ALS!

The Woodlands Spin for ALS will take place on Saturday, February 10th, beginning at 6 a.m. and ending 16.5 hours later at 10:30 p.m.

We will have two trainers set up at Luke's Locker in Market Street (of course, you are welcome to bring your own trainer) and we are beginning to take 'reservations' for those interested in raising funds for The Blazeman Foundation, which was established to raise awareness and funds for ALS.

Donations can be made on-site or via online (go to www.spinforals.com to learn how you can donate online). We are asking individuals to sign up for a minimum of 30 minutes. You can donate a lump sum or donate a certain amount of $ per minute that you ride.

The event will have various individuals riding bikes (on trainers) for 16 and a half hours - the amount of time it took for the first individual with ALS, Jon Blais, to complete the Kona, Hawaii World Ironman Championship in 2005. He completed the race (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 run) in 16 hours and 30 minutes.

On February 10, there is a nationwide effort to hold ALS Spin-A-Thons lasting the duration it took Jon Blais to complete the Ironman (16 hours, 30 minutes.)

To reserve your spot, please contact Kim Hager and please make sure you reference 'Spin for ALS.'

Park to Park Run 5-Miler Race Report (Brief)

Saw lots and lots of people and friends. Ran well, all things considered.

Mile 1 -- 9:18.09
Mile 2 -- 9:24.81
Mile 3 -- 9:40.09
Mile 4 -- 9:59.12 (included mile 3 water stop)
Mile 5 -- 9:47.40

Gun time -- 48:26.72
Chip time -- 48:09.41

I'm at home eating (at 10:50 a.m.), getting showered and off to Luke's Locker to hit the bike.

I'll probably report on the race through the Chronicle blog by tomorrow morning and I'm sure that Edwin will have a complete Surfside Beach Marathon report as well.

If you ran the race today, e-mail me at walksports(at)aol.com and tell me how your race went!

Park To Park Run and The Woodlands Spin for ALS

We're all ready to go bright and early at 6 a.m. for The Woodlands Spin for ALS in the morning at Luke's Locker in The Woodlands.

We will have somebody on at least one bike for 16 and a half hours -- the time it took for Jon Blais in 2005 at Ironman Kona in Hawaii to finish the course after having been diagnosed with ALS.

Come on up to The Woodlands, do Run The Woodlands 5K at 8 a.m. (and you're wondering why I'm going to do Park to Park Run ... probably because it is a HARRA event) and then stop by the store anytime during the day!

Meet Team Timex triathlete Kim Hager, talk road, ultra and trail racing with RRCA-certified coach Bill Dwyer and see how long I can stay on one of the bikes.

I'd like to challenge individuals to donate a certain amount of money -- 50 cents, $1 or more -- for each hour that I can stay on a bike. It could be an hour or it could be 10:42:57 - Kim's time at Kona in 2002!

Have a great weekend no matter what you do -- training, racing at Park to Park or Surfside or just having fun!

0-0-0-0-0-20! My Life as a Rocky Raccoon Pacer!

If we listed our running mileage like a baseball line score, that's what mine would have looked like last week!

Actually, it would be 13.1-0-0-0-0-0-20 -or- 0-0-0-0-0-20-0 depending on how I framed the week! Pretty ugly I know, but it works for me.

(It is what it was last year at this time between Surfside Beach and Austin. No Surfside Beach for me this year; however, Austin isn't out of the question though. Ask me after this Saturday!)

As you read late last week, I was able to make it back into town to pace Rick Cook on loop four (4) - miles 60 to 80 - of his second attempt to complete the Rocky Raccoon 100-Mile Trail Run in Huntsville.

My plane from Vancouver landed early and Gena, Waverly and one of Waverly's friends came to pick me up at the airport. We made it home around 3:20 p.m. or so and I began to get all of my clothes together. I asked Gena to make me a plate of spaghetti as I really hadn't eaten enough that day before boarding my flight (and I slept through the light breakfast served in first class on the plane ride home.)

I got my gear together as I was planning for everything - including going a second loop. I had a second pair of shoes (knowing that the course was going to be muddy) as well as another two pairs of socks. For the first time ever, I ran with two pairs of socks on because I knew that it was going to get cold in the woods once the sun went down.

Gena had gotten from REI the same type of headlamp during the week that Rick recommended. (They're pretty cool actually and I'll be darned if it was the only thing I forgot to bring with me to Vancouver today so I could run around Stanley Park after dark.) My patience wore kind of thin in trying to get the compartment open to put the batteries in so I elegantly asked my wife to handle that for me before I blew up unnecessarily.

I headed to the park in the same red thermal long-sleeved shirt that caused me to roast at the Houston Marathon when it warmed up with my windshirt from The Half in Dallas from November 2003 on top of it. I also carried a new cold weather top with me that I got for Christmas as well as a blanket (in case I had to sit and wait for awhile) and a complete second set of running gear - not knowing what might be thrown at me.

I left my house in Spring at about 4:20 p.m. with plans to be in the park by 5 p.m. I tried calling Rick on the course, but got his voice mail. I next tried to call Bill Dwyer, since I knew he was going to be at one of the aid station, but Bill hadn't made it to the park yet.

I got parked at about 5 p.m. and headed to the Lodge to find Race Director Joe Prusaitis so that I could fill out a waiver to run as a pacer. They needed to print some new ones off and Joe asked if I could wait until they got the 50-Mile Run awards ceremony done.

In the meantime, they had a closed network of four (4) laptops that you could check on the time of each runner and see what loop they were on. I checked Rick's and it said he had done the first loop in about 4 hours and 10 minutes. It was a little after 5 p.m. and there wasn't a second loop time. I checked the time of somebody else that I knew that he would be running with and found his time to be about 3:25 (but also lacking a second loop time.)

That assured me that Rick hadn't run into any problems on the course and had to call it a day early.

Standing close to the finish line was good friend Lee Greb of the Houston Striders. He was there to see Yong Collins finish. (Lee's getting ready to run both the Mardi Gras and Little Rock Marathons so we had a chance to visit a bit and talk about the courses since I was fortunate enough to have run both of them last year.)

Yong, who continually impresses me with her long distance prowess as well as speed, finished the 50-Miler in 10 hours, 36 minutes and 11 seconds.

I stood around the start/finish area until about 7 p.m. when Rick came in off of his third loop.

During that time, I also saw Kathryn Vidal of Houston finish in 11 hours, 20 minues and 47 seconds. I was talking to a gentleman from California (a lawyer named Erik Priedkalns who finished the Western States 100 last year and made the cutoff by 3 minutes and 30 seconds -- 29:56:30) who ran the first 40 miles as well as a man from Montauk, New York (that's on the far end of Long Island) that was going to be pacing 37-year-old Kyle Cashin from Pennsylvania on his last loop.

I got a little distracted and was embarrassed when I mistakenly called Kathryn, "Kathleen" as I know her and Kathleen Mahon (a good friend of Bruce Mansur) because they both are members of the Bayou City Road Runners.

I saw German Collazos of the Houston Masters Sports Association finish his third loop as well as a woman who ran with Rick quite a bit at Sunmart, Nancy Warren from California. (I told the guy that I was talking to that she had a Badwater finish under her belt. Actually, two!)

We also saw last year's winner, Jorge Pacheco, and this year's women's winner, Virginia's Jenn Shelton, 23, both come in and go out. A year ago, Pacheco finished less than a minute off of the course and world record set by Eric Clifton in 1996! But the buzz on Saturday was whether this year's Leadville 100 winner, Anton Krupicka, 23, of Colorado was going to beat both of their times.

As Rick and I were about at the Interpretative Center heading out on his fourth loop, our watches showed the time that Krupicka would have needed to beat the record and we didn't see the shirtless runner come flying by us.

More to come ....

February 3-4 Weekend!

Because changing the back end of a ticket is almost as bad as changing the whole thing, I'll be flying home, as originally planned, this weekend. (It is cheaper to fly home and fly back into Seattle for next week.)

However, I won't be racing, but I will be getting in some miles! (Had I stayed here, I would have done a half marathon down in Olympia, Washington.)

I'll be heading straight to Huntsville State Park to begin running with Rick Cook at mile 60 in his attempt to complete the Rocky Raccoon 100-Miler - and by doing so earning the Texas Trilogy Award for finishing the Sunmart 50-Miler, the Bandera 100K and RR100!

As many of you know, Rick and I have become good friends over the past year. Not sure how it happened or why ... but it just did! He's as crazy about ultra running as I am about statistics!

We ran much of the Texas Marathon in Kingwood together on New Year's Day of 2006.

But we probably ran much of the then hp Houston Marathon as well in January 2005.

I knew, before I got a chance to meet Sarah Graybeal in 2005, that she had run the marathon because I kept hearing people saying, "Go Sarah!" Why? Because she had this big piece of masking tape across her chest with the words on it.

Later that spring, we actually turned up in the same picture during the Conoco Phillips Rodeo Run of '05 -- click here! (I'm bib number 118 and Sarah is 807.)

But check out this picture -- click here (Rick in the middle and me cutoff to the right) -- and see by going back to his group pictures (#3512 Photos) to see that Rick and I crossed the finish line within a second of one another!

I was there when Rick started the Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler last year.

I hope that I'm able to say that I'll be there on Sunday morning when he finishes!