Harvesting Time Outside

If you are anything like me, you fear the prospects of sitting in the basement doing interval training while the snow piles up in the driveway. I think that may be the reason I am so keen on getting outdoors more now than when it was 80 degrees this summer, or maybe it is because it seems that summer was very short and very cool and it seemed like a long spring instead of the traditional long summer days. In any case, I took a friend’s advice (who started cycling the same time I did and has surpassed me since then) by getting outside before work for a run—any run, just run and enjoy the morning.

I did, slower run, but the stars were bursting and, aside from a skunk who wanted to show me the exit to the woods, it was one of those painless deeply cathartic exercises that makes you happy and ready to face the day. Thanks Doug for the advice. Even though I will not be able to get on my bike again today (early morning start and late evening work dinner), I harvested some outdoor time before ‘old man winter’ forced me into solitary winter interval training.

There is about a month left before the Iceman Cometh Mountain Bike Race, and the culmination of fund raising for the MADC Family Support. Check out the website. If you have a family caregiver who would like a retreat, there are events starting as early as October 6. Spread the word! http://alzheimers.med.umich.edu/live-well/

Spring Into Action 10k

[caption id="attachment_1190" align="alignright" width="225"] Check out my shirt![/caption]

I decided the Wednesday of race week to sign-up for the 10k race.  It was my forst 10k running race and with the goal of an Olympic triathlon distance this summer it was a perfect time to see where my pace and endurance levels were at.

The morning of the race was chilly but turned out to be great once we started running.  The course is fast and perfect for setting PR's.  It was great to see the team there leading us out onto the course.  Just prior to the start I was able to take a picture of the team volunteer's and thank them for coming out and volunterring their time.

The start of the race was on the Lakeview HS track.  We went 3/4 of the way around the track before heading off onto the strret.  As a tech consultant, I have been trained to plan "go-live's" and I treat race days in the same manner.  Pre-race checklist, estimate race time based on training times, etc.  For this race, I was planning on a 9 min mile pace.  In order to help me stay on pace, I set a 10k workout on my Garmin 910 to keep a pace between 9:00 and 9:05.  From the start of the race my watch was alarming to let me know i was heading out too fast.  I was at an 8:23 pace as i was leaving the track to head out on the road and managed to start slowing my pace.

As i made my way around the course, I was hoping I was not annoying other runners with my watch alarm.  I was maintaining a a faster pace than what i had set but I was feeling comfortable and strong in the run and made it a challenge to stay under the targets I had set in the watch.  As we made our way back to the HS, I got a photo opp from Nikki Elder (Thank you) and got encouragement from our team of riders.

As it turned out, I finished second in my age group.  I missed the award ceremony because it was opening day for Avery's LYA team.  It was a pleasant surprise to receive a medal in the mail about a week after the event.  My kids thought it was pretty cool!

Male 35 to 39

                                                                                              Total  
    Place    Name                              City              Bib No  Age   Overall         Time        Pace  
       1    Eric Greene                       Battle Creek  MI      159   39        2          46:15      7:28/M
       2    Robby Robertson                   Battle Creek  MI      116   37       18          53:53      8:41/M

Girls on the Run is so much fun!

It was a beautiful sunny evening as cars busses and groves of people filed into Binder Park Zoo. The attraction today was not the animals, but over 700 3rd-5th grade girls from Calhoun County. The vibrant spirit in the air matched the bright green of the girls' shirts and one could definitely feel that this was a special kind of event. Each and every one of these girls would be accomplishing great things today. Today was the culmination of a 12 week program where the girls learned about being joyful, confident and giving while incorporating running. Today was their final 5k and WSI was honored to once again be a part of the event.

[caption id="attachment_1104" align="alignright" width="300"] Dwight, April, Rose, Marie, Andy, Angela, Paddi and Kevin [/caption]As the girls filed into the start corral with their families lining the start line the excitement was overwhelming. The WSI riders rode past making their way to the start and a cheer rose up from the crowd. It was almost time. And what better way to support a Girls on the Run race with a cycling crew of mostly women? (Go girl power!)

The girls shouted out a "boom chicka boom" cheer and the race began. The WSI cyclists led the girls through the zoo, up the paths and boardwalks of Africa and back out into wooded trails all the way to the finish. As the cyclists rode back by signaling that the lead runner was a step behind, the spectators all rose to attention and cheered. Our cyclists did not stop there. They continued to pedal back into the woods riding in, encouraging and cheering on more and more girls until each and every girl had crossed the finish.

[caption id="attachment_1106" align="alignleft" width="300"] Although Katie and Nikki were not on bikes, they have had the honor of being coaches for the last 12 weeks. [/caption]Volunteering at events like these is definitely a rewarding experience. Being able to see these girls and the pride and joy on their faces as they cross the finish line will make you want to come back every year, which is exactly what we have done. WSI Cycling has and will proudly support the achievements of our local girls working hard on building healthy lifestyles and self-confidence.

Girls on the Run is so much fun!
For more information about Girls on the Run locally please visit www.gotrofcalhoun.org

What a Way to Ring in the New Year...

So Sara and I finished off the year with a 5k in Detroit on New Year's Eve. The race was on Belle Isle which always provides cold and windy conditions. Not a lot to talk about a 5k race other than run and run fast. We finished together in 22:50. Sara finished 2nd in her age group and I took 12th in mine.

On January 4th we started the new year with a 50k at Yankee Springs "The Yankee Springs Winter Challenge". We couldn't have asked for better conditions for a winter challenge. The wind was mild and the sky beautiful blue with bright sunshine. Footing was tough and the hills were just as bad. We had to do two 25k loops of a combination of the mountain bike trail and the Chief Noonday trail. After our two loops and nearly 7hrs of running we reached the finish. Sara placed 5th in the women's division with a finishing time of 6hrs, 23min. I took  3rd in my age group with a finishing time of  6hrs, 55mins. What a great way to start off the new year and looking forward to even more races in 2014!

~Chuck