Declared Your Fall Marathon Yet?

So finishing one marathon you find yourself already thinking about your next. It is a sick thought process that after you just tortured your body and swore it was the most painful thing you ever did...a day goes by and you think about how you can improve :)

Here is what I have heard so far about the Fall and folks in Charlotte.
1) Twin Cities - several folks going out to that one from CRC. Flat and fast.
2) Chicago - always popular and I know a couple members heading that direction.
3) MCM - lots of folks for Charlotte heading to the Nations Capital for this one. Sold out except for charity spots.
4) NYC - another big one that draws plenty of people from here - sold out
5) OBX - usually between the full and half, about 10-15 Charlotte folks go.
6) Richmond - I am going so selfishly I would love to see as many folks from Charlotte so we can have some fun together :) Would love to return back up to MCM but it is halloween.

Others? Philly is usually popular for folks here at a few people head down to Atlanta.

Of course super late fall/early winter don't forget Thunder Road right here in our back yard.

We will be doing more to try and help link folks up for training for fall full and half marathons and also to help you find familiar faces to travel/room/race/celebrate with for your marathon journey (or half marathon journey).

Happy Running :) - Aaron

UNO MAS!!!

For those of you who have ventured out to the Tuesday workouts that are either at Dowd, JCSU or McAlpine, you might have heard a strange cheer near the end of the workout. I don't even remember exactly how we started this tradition but the credit goes to one of my favorite Charlotte Running Club buddies, Caitlin Chrisman. At the end of our hard workouts, when we are down to 1 interval left, I will ask her, how many more to go? The group then shouts out "UNO MAS". It is a fun way to recognize we are almost done with the workout. Since we started this little tradition months ago, not a hard workout has gone by without the shout of UNO MAS and it is something I look forward to getting to and hearing at every workout.

So, now you know the story behind UNO MAS :) - Aaron

PRs

My father always says PB (personal best) but the more widely used term in Personal Record. I thought I would take a few minutes to congratulate so many folks who had PRs this weekend at the Corporate cup 5k, half marathon and half marathon relay. By design, I requested to run the 2nd leg of the relay. It afforded me the opportunity to see the start of the race, compete myself, and then see as many folks as I could the last 5 miles of the course as I needed to get back to the start/finish after my leg.

What was so much fun was to find out how folks were doing mid race and then be able to share in their happiness after the race. I tried to run a bit with Jay Holder after my leg but he was turning 5.35 miles so I knew he was in route for a PR! Chad Crockford was cranking up the hill next to Myers park and I just knew by where he was in the race and how strong he looked that he was on time for a big PR. Michelle Hazelton came by in 3rd overall and was assisted by club member Thomas Eggar. They were working as a team to get Michelle thru the finish line in a 2 min and 30 second PR. Danielle Walther and Alice Rodger were neck and neck when I saw them with whole entourage of dudes (most were CRC members) pacing them along. Danielle had a 5 minute PR! I know I just scratched the surface of success out there. As an example, after the race I learned that Emily Barrett PRed thru 10k and half (1.50.31).

We send out a lot of praise to the folks up front who routinely place in the top overall spots. Those accomplishments are excellent but to some extent they are expected as the individuals obtaining them are very serious runners who are blessed with a boat load of talent. What I find really inspiring and satisfying is how many of you set a goal and crushed it this weekend! That means you worked hard in training and then delivered during the race to run a time faster than you have every run before! Pat yourself on the back for that as getting a PR is ALWAYS a great accomplishment.

Obviously we can’t PR every race, but I think the general trend in 2010 will be more and more club members achieving their goals and finding new levels of fitness they never thought they could achieve. Speaking from experience, I was so inspired by the Winter Flight crew 2 weeks ago that when it came time for me to race a week later, I had the confidence that I was going to do well because I run every week with that group. I also wanted to impress every one of them with a better performance of my own J I knew there were lots of you who were supporting me and curious/anxious to see how I would do. That gets me pumped up along with my own personal ambition and drive to improve.

To be totally honest I had folks today cheering for me and yelling my name that I do not even know and probably should! I sincerely appreciate their support and look forward to meeting them as they are a big reason I ran so well and was able to PR myself on my 5 mile relay leg (fastest I have run 5 miles in 17 years…XC back in sophomore year of college…that was a different chapter in my life so I am counting today as a PR J ). Throughout the race, I saw club members helping each other out by pacing each other, cheering at the end, and or our fabulous bike support crew that zig zagged up and down the course while shouting support.
It is hard for me not to gush about all of you each time I pump out a blog but so far, it has been totally deserved. Thank you all and congratulations! I look forward to sharing in your athletic progression all year.

Race Road Trips

Since helping found Charlotte Running Club, I have had the pleasure to participate in four running road trips for races. If you have never had the opportunity to do so, I highly encourage you to find some folks and make a trip this year. There are always folks looking to carpool to out of town races. To name just a few coming up this year (among lots of them), Tobacco Road Full and Half, Tarheel 10 miler, Army 10 miler, Cherry Blossom ten miler, Marine Corps marathon, Shamrock marathon, ING marathon.

WHY?
Let me describe my experiences from all four to answer why.

1) Army 10 miler – myself, Caitlin Chrisman and Matt Jaskot made the trip from Charlotte to DC together. It is about a 6.5 hour drive so lots of time to talk and learn more about folks outside of a running. We arrived in DC and hit the expo the night before where we met the rest of our party, Dan and Val Matena and Matt’s brother. We got a great group shot of us in front of a army attack helicopter. Dan being from Australia had never been to DC and me having grown up there knows the town well so we darted off to the Lincoln memorial and I threw everyone out of the car to go take a peak and snap some pictures while I hunted around for parking.

That night, my folks had us all over to their house for a pasta dinner. My Mom is all about a full course meal every night so in addition to the homemade sauce and homemade meatballs, we had a couple vegetables, bread, salad and ice cream cake after. The group experience more talking, laughs and sharing of our goals for the race the next morning.

We met each other in the morning and warmed up together. We had some logistical challenges as the Army 10 miler has over 20,000 participants and we found ourselves on the wrong side of the pentagon face to face with soldiers with rifles telling us we were in a restricted area and had to go back around. The Pentagon is massive like over a mile back around it so banding together as a group on the jog helped to calm some nerves. Two of us took everyone’s gear for bag check in while the others attempted to make their way to the start line. We all got positioned in time and everyone ran pretty well. As each of us finished, we hugged the others, got some pixs together and anxiously awaited all of our group to finish. Once we had all crossed, we met up for a post race breakfast at a nearby restaurant before departing back to DC. On the drive back, we talked about everything and kept our tired bodies company on the long drive.

2) Marine Corps Marathon – Flew up this time on my own but met up with Jason Holder as he was staying with me at my folks house. We headed over to the expo and met up with Todd Patterson and Shenna Kevorkian. Adam Mayes met up with us as did Justin Breland and we pumped into several more Charlotte folks which is amazing considering the expo had several thousand people attending. More pasta dinner the night before, more meeting folks at the start line and wishing them well. More waiting for folks to finish and congratulating them on their performances. In addition, for this trip, we had organized a post race party at the Cowboy Café, a friendly little bar and grille in Arlington, VA that is owned by a high school buddy of mine that ran with me back in the day. We had a mix of 20+ folks from Charlotte and several of my friends from the DC area. Again, more talking about running but a lot of just learning about other folks and hearing their stories.

3) Frosty 50k – 6 months ago, I was convinced that all ultra folks were complete nut jobs. I still think that but sadly, I think I might be drifting that way as having experience one now, I see the attraction. For this road trip, we had to get up pretty darn early to make the drive over to Winston. We ended up arriving about 1.5 hours before the 8am start. Salem Lake is a fantastic place to run if you have not had the opportunity. The Salem Lake 30k is very popular and run in October of every year. Ultras are different. There is not the same type of mentality as a road race. Folks are way friendlier and most everyone is out there not necessarily to compete against each other but because they really, really love running and want to challenge their bodies to finish such enormous distances.

I had the pleasure to run with Michelle Hazelton for the first 18 miles and got to chat about all things in life. Meanwhile, ultra veteran Thomas Eggar was blasting away somewhere near the front and Matt Jaskot was trying to keep up with him as long as he could despite not having run much recently. Mo Campbell made the trip to cheer for us and soak in the experience. She ended up running 15+ miles with Thomas. In 20 degree temperatures, having company out there was awesome. Ultras have the best “Aid Stations”. They include not only Gatorade and water but cookies, donuts, bagels, M&M’s, pretzels and other types of junk food. I can tell you first hand that dreaming about a handful of M&M’s when you are at mile 16 and the stop is not for another 3 miles in route to a 31 mile race is really helpful. Your body definitely needs the calories and energy in the longer events but mentally to “reward” yourself with M&Ms is cool.

Like the others, when I crossed the finish, it was to the cheers of Thomas and Mo who had already finished and we waited for the rest of our crew to congratulate them on the performance. We decided that a huge breakfast was in order so we stopped in Salisbury for some IHOP action. I think we all tore through our omelets and then swung by Starbucks for a coffee to hold us over back to Charlotte.

Since my wife’s car is a bit pimped out, the back seat passengers got to watch Dogma on the DVD head rests while I laughed listening just to the volume of the movie (I have seen this flick way too many times). Another fantastic road trip where I got the chance to interact with runners (Mo and Michelle) that I previously did not know much about.

4) Columbia Half Marathon – driving back from this one is where I realize, gosh all these trips have really been fun! This time our transportation is super pimp (used pimp twice in this blog)! Nothing like an old school dodge van complete with solar panels (yes, matt powers the frig and interior lights with the solar panels), and comfy bench seats and captain chairs. Throw in some cool interior light, jam to a variety of tunes on the ipod and the 5.30am start from Carowinds down to Columbia blasted by in no time. We “used the force” a bit to find the starting line but ultimately found a terrific public lot right in front of a big bank of porta potties that was between the start and finish. The rest was a bit odd and had plenty of issues as an inaugural race but what I will remember most is the following.

Matt and Adam had the horribly unfortunate situation of getting lost on the course as it was full of a ridiculous amount of turns , poorly marked and lacked enough volunteers. As I was cruising to victory I heard large shouts of “Go Aaron”! I was shocked to look over and see Matt and Adam going bonkers cheering for me and immediately saddened because I knew their day must have been cut short for some reason.

I crossed the finish, got my finishers medal (I told the guy with the Puke shirt..aka Duke, on principle I couldn’t accept a medal from him as an UNC guy and he understood so I got it from the next person), did a quick interview with a local news station where I must have mentioned CRC 5 times….All of this took about 2 min or less and then the guys quickly informed me that Boriana would be finishing soon so we immediately set out in a jog back tracking on the course to find Boriana. We found her working her way up the a major hill on mile 12 and to our delight, she was the first female! We all fell in step with her and ran stride for stride with her to the finish shouting encouragement all the way. At the finish, we congratulated her on her victory and took another picture. Oh ya, we had a couple great pictures of our group before the race that were taken by a guy who turned out to be the bass player in the bad that played at the post race celebration before the awards.

The trip home did not get underway until almost 11.30am as the awards were late. We this time chose to treat ourselves to Bojangles and also discovered the most powerful hand dryer in the world at the gas station where the Bojangles was. It was my first chance to spend time with Adam Mayes and Boriana B….(I have given up on Boriana’s last name as it is way too complicated to spell or say so hence forth, she is B3). Both are smart young folks who have a wealth of knowledge not only about running but about life. I think it is safe to say that despite the DNF for Matt and Adam, they enjoyed the trip and certainly would do another one with us.

As a 36 year old father of a 7 year old and a wife who is not particularly fond of running, I don’t get too much opportunity to head out on trips nor should I as I have commitments on the weekends to my family that I want and should uphold. However, these trips have been an absolute blast for me! I get to combine my passion of running and my enjoyment of meeting folks into a day or two of non-stop fun. Knowing there are other folks at a race who are helping you prepare for a race and care about your performance really motivates you and puts you in a great comfort zone to do well. It also just makes the whole experience enjoyable.

I am not sure what my next running road trip will be this year with other folks from Charlotte but if any of you are looking to head out of town and need some company, let us know so we can help link you up with other runners. I assure you it will be an experience you will not forget.

- Aaron

Runner in the Spotlight: Tracy Rabon

Tracy Rabon is currently a student with the University of Phoenix Online and is a Charlotte native. Tracy would love to find a group run that boasts runners in the 12-14 minute range per mile. Feel free to email us if you would like to link up with her!

What's your favorite restaurant in Charlotte?

Too many to name but I'm always happy to eat at Cheddar's in the University area! I love their Sante Fe Spinach Dip and Lemon Pepper Chicken!

How long have you lived in Charlotte?

I'm a native - born here, moved away for about 5 1/2 years to Arizona but came right back!

Favorite place you've traveled and loved for running?

The beaches actually. I've ran at Ocean Isle Beach NC, St Augustine FL, and Wrightsville Beach NC. Nothing quite like the breeze in your hair and the view of the water nearby!

When and why did you start running?

My first run was the CPCC Skyline race in 2008. I was immediately addicted to the sport but yet I began for health reasons. I suffered from mild dehydration while in AZ and running was and is part of the cure. My body lacked proper hydration thus I gained over 50 lbs during my first 30-90 days of living in AZ and until the hydration is fully corrected the weight remains (a result of "starvation" mode). Running both keeps me healthy and forces me to learn the habits of proper hydration and nutrition. Late last year I finally had all other health concerns related to the dehydration corrected, weight is the last issue and this is my year to 'get back to my old self'. While I am not yet able to run an entire course, I know that one day I will be and part of what motivates me is all of the support and encouragement that runners (and walkers) give each other. I've never participated in a sport activity that is this warm and friendly towards humanity, thus running truly has become a passion for me.

What do you love about running?

As well as the camaraderie, I enjoy that sense of accomplishment we get when we cross that finish line. I believe we are only in competition with ourselves. It's not about winning, it's about finishing what you start..

What’s the funniest or strangest thing that has ever happened to you on a run?

On one of my earliest runs (during 2008) I fell in with a group of college kids, overweight, carefree, and basically out to enjoy every minute life had to offer. While chiding each other over how far they yet had to go to the finish line and how on earth could they make it, one boisterous male runner (with a prominent "beer belly") told the others to 'remember why we're here' to which he began to very loudly shout out to all those around him. "I would like to take a moment to thank my sponsors!! Thank you Burger King and Pizza Hut! Thanks to McDonald's! A very special thanks to Budweiser and Jack Daniels without whom I would not be here today!!" His perspective was both hilarious and refreshing!

Do you lead any Charlotte Running Club group runs? What time?

No but I would truly love to see a group in the 13-15 min pace range.

What's your most memorable race and why?

I have so many... at the moment though it's a tie between the Ocean Isle Beach Bridge Run and the Rock Hill Hunger Run (at Winthrop University). The Rock Hill run is where I earned my very first placing for my age group. Although my time was nothing to brag about whatsoever, I was out there, I was doing my thing, and boy does it feel good to take home that 'coffee mug' with the pride of knowing you're off the couch, on you're feet and Life is truly good! The Ocean Isle run was my first over a significant bridge. From the top we could see the entire coastline of the island, as well as the community itself. The wind chill factor was around 10 degrees that morning, the organizers were the most gracious hosts I've yet encountered and my running mates (strangers that became friends) were so very welcoming! I actually run in a skirt, it's part of my religious convictions, and am often greeted locally with "Hey, I know you! You ran at the XXX race just recently" not because they actually know me but they remember my attire and, I hope, my friendly self. On this particular race, I ran a mile or so with a lady that had never encountered a runner in a skirt and she had the forthrightness to simply ask why. It put her at complete ease to understand that people of all walks in life enjoy this sport and that the common bond in running supersedes our differences. On a race course, we're all runners, we're all headed for that same goal, and we all feel the pain and the glory of each other's struggles and triumphs.

Where is your favorite place to run in Charlotte?

The airport. Yes, I admit it. A flat course with a good view and I am one happy camper!

Favorite distance?

Right now it's the 5K. Somewhere in my future I hope to aspire to a half marathon, but right now I am most happy with a 5K. 38 min has been my best time yet and it was at Susan G Komen in 2008, although to be honest, I am not sure the route was a full 3.1 miles and the timing system for that event was off due to a late start (greater than 30 min with the clock already ticking). It is an estimate at best, 2nd closest to that is around 41 min.

What’s next on your race calendar?

My next race is the Run TOO Overcome 5K at Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics on 3/6 followed tentatively by the first race of the GPX series here in Charlotte. I'm quite excited!

Thanks Tracy Rabon for sharing your story! The Charlotte Running Club wishes you the best of luck in your race on March 6^th! Maybe it will be a PR for her!

Plea for Pace Leaders!

You get the Weekly Runner, you hear about the pasta parties...but are you one of those runners who can't seem to find a group to run with in the Charlotte Running Club? It's time for you to toe up to the line and take the lead. The Charlotte Running Club is looking for people to lead pace groups, especially in the 9:00-10:00 per mile range. What is required of you? That's the easiet part! All you need to do is let us know when you run, where you run and how far you run and be willing to accept some company. Then, we come to you. You don't have to change your schedule, or place. If you run every Monday at the corner of say, Providence and Fairview, just let us know. We'll post it in the newsletter and put it on our website. Maybe you'll get 10 runners, maybe it will just be you and your iPod. But, we want to have as many options as we can for our 200 plus members. If you're interested, don't delay. Email us at run.charlotte@gmail.com

Runner in the Spotlight: Scott Helms

Scott Helms answers some questions for us so that club members can get to know him better!

What's your favorite restaurant in Charlotte?

No way to list just one: Sushi 101, Rusan’s, Harper’s, Del Frisco’s, Big Daddy’s, The Penguin.

How long have you lived in Charlotte?

Born here, but moved away when I was 12 and moved back when I was 29; I’m 39 now.

Favorite place you've traveled and loved for running?

Peachtree Road Race (10K) in Atlanta…awesome event!

When and why did you start running?

Started in 1/09. Because I was literally 100 lbs. overweight, and I thought it would be more healthy and cheaper than golf, my first sporting addiction. Not true on the “cheaper.” Entry fees, shoes, gels, etc. etc. have insured that.

What do you love about running?

Really too much to type. The obvious benefit for me is health. I’ve lost about 60 lbs., but I have quite a bit more to go. I read a quote yesterday on the Atlanta Track Club FB page (they attributed to “Nike”):

"There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open."

Finally, I like that fact that I can COMPETE as I age. I may not be the fastest in my age group or my gender or even in my household, however, there’s always a chance with work and guts that I’ll be faster than ME (in my last race). That’s my quote! J I also am inspired by the people who are really good runners who also take pride in helping newbies like myself. You don’t see that in a lot of other sports.

What’s the funniest or strangest thing that has ever happened to you on a run?

Let’s just say that it’s important to learn how to eat prior to (the night before and the morning of) a long run.

Do you lead any Charlotte Running Club group runs? What time?

No. I’m much more of a “follower” (for now) when it comes to running.

What's your most memorable race and why?

Probably the Atlanta Marathon on Thanksgiving Day. I was using this race as a long training run for Thunder Road with the intention of simply finishing. I did finish, but I didn’t expect to feel the sense of accomplishment that I felt when I finished. It was very emotional.

Where is your favorite place to run in Charlotte?

McMullen and McAlpine Greenways.

Favorite distance?

13.1 because you can race it and use it as a long training run. I love training by racing. PR for half is 1:58:56.

What’s next on your race calendar?

Columbia Half followed the next weekend by the Corp. Cup Half.

Best of luck to Scott at Columbia Half Marathon next weekend!