Started out the 2011 Season with the “Run for Your Life” 5 k in Berea

Henry/Karen and I were flying the Team colors.

Had good weather for 5k today- 47 degree’s – slight wind, overcast

Got a good warm up in, felt sluggish- was worried had a hard week of biking, didn’t know how it would effect me.

Had a couple guys in my age group I had battled in past, a nice crowd at 350 or so runners- so I knew that would push me.

Started out way to fast – first mile in around 6 minutes, but settled down to my goal pace of 6:25, and felt good. Coming into last 1/2 mile, was picking off a few people, felt solid, so pushed it for all I had.

Ended up with a 19:35- 1st in age group, and 8th overall -so really happy with race.

My Garmin showed a 19:35:61- a 6:24 pace- there timer showed 19:35:00 6:19 pace( ok , so maybe I jumped the gun a hair)

 Henry had a great race, finishing 5th in our age group, and starting out 2011 strong.

 Karen set a PR, and finished 12th in Her age group of 23, so Her best race ever! ( Must be the new shoes She picked up at Ritchie’s!!)

 A solid race- and hope it’s the start of a good year

 Ken

Hey all,

I’ve been enjoying these weekends of racing and apparently will continue to!

On Saturday the 2nd I ran the Black Squirrel 5k at Kent State, put on by the KSU Rec. Fun race, I think Kent is wanting to show off its newly completed Esplanade….The race was a fast gradual incline (not the quickest course but not bad) and the weather conditions worked out better than the forecast had shown. There were a good amount of people doing the race and it was definitely a fun time with prizes afterward. I finished at 19:22 (6:14 pace) but for some reason the chip times were off. I actually received a call yesterday from the race director apologizing but that’s okay. The time was good enough for 1st age group and 8th overall. I’m slowly moving my 5k time down, this one was better than the 5k I ran last fall and I’m hoping to keep it going.

On Sunday I ran the Towpath 1/2 Marathon and was able to see Karalyn and her man-friend tear up the course! It was a really well put-together race and apparently the first time they have done it. The course was particularly great for seeing your friends, I saw Karalyn probably four times with all the twists, loops and turns. I felt pretty good and was using this course as a training tool for the Pittsburgh Marathon coming up. I wanted to find my threshold for keeping pace over 13 miles as I feel the middle 13-14 miles in a full marathon is where you make the largest impact. So I headed out and again the weather was cooperating well, lots of sunshine and a fun course with a couple bridges. I felt really good the first few miles and felt I could keep around a 7 minute pace so tried to stay there up until the last couple miles. I looked down at my watch, then up at the two guys ahead of me on the course. I saw I was at 1:20 at this point and decided I wanted to push the pace for the last couple miles….and catch the two guys ahead of me. About a half mile later I passed and said, “keep it up” to this first guy. Then a mile later I came up to the young guy and asked him whether he wanted to push the pace…he said maybe and so I picked it up but he didn’t. I crossed the finish line at 1:33:16 (7:07 pace), about a minute off my best half time but a good time for having a sore calf and coming back from injury. The field was competitive and I finished 24th overall and 5th age group. Fun race with a nice Great Lakes Pilsner waiting for me at the end! Cool medal to go along with it and a great training race to see where I’m at…now I just have to double my half time to make it to Boston again!

This week I’m doing another double race weekend. The Jackson Laughs 25k is in Kent on Saturday and goes to benefit the Fragile X Foundation (a great cause for a childhood genetic issue) and it’s cheap too! Then I’m headed to the Medina Master’s Swim meet on Sunday with the Kent Master’s team to swim a few races. Hope training and everything else is going well.

On another note I’m still waiting to hear from people regarding a run time for the weekends and morning weekdays. If I don’t hear I’ll set something up anyway but wanted to throw it out there!

be well everyone,
Pete

I forgot to mention my results, 22nd overall and 2nd age  in the Shamrock 15k. The season is almost upon us!
Be well,
Pete



Hey team,

I finished the first part of the Towpath Trilogy yesterday. I ran the half marathon and finished in 10th place in my age group.

It was an awesome part of the towpath and we ran in the only sunshine of the day early in the morning. I saw Pete out at the race- who looked strong, as usual:) We also enjoyed a free and delicious Great Lakes seasonal brew at the end of the race!

My next race will be my first attempt at a marathon in Cleveland!

Happy training everyone!

Karalyn

Hello,

I hope everybody’s training is going well. The season will be here soon.

I ran the St. Paddy’s Day 8k in Chicago this weekend. I was not planning on running it and saw it on-line the night before. I ran a 33:30 or so. I had to use my dress watch to time myself because I did not have my Garmin.

Everybody wore green during the race (Luckily our team t-shirts are green). Everybody also dank Guiness beer after the race.

Peace,

Hayes

Hey everyone!

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you out on the race course this coming year! As I write I’m enjoying some family time in Oregon but wanted to update you all on what’s been going on.

Last weekend I decided to race all weekend so I swam in the Ohio Master’s swim meet in Wooster on Saturday. This was my second meet ever (if I didn’t email something out I had done some relays and the 50 and 100 freestyle in the first meet). This meet I decided to challenge myself a bit so I signed up for five events. When I told my Kent Master’s swim buddies they told me I was nuts, I told them I was a triathlete and they mostly replied, “oh yeah, you are all crazy”. So I bested my previous time for the 50 free, finishing in 30.89, swam the butterfly for the first time with a 37.60 and the 100 free with around 1:14. The 100 free was a little disappointing but I also figured I could conserve my energy a bit. Then came the 200 free which I also could have gone a little quicker on at 2:54:09. Then came the 1000 meter swim, I was pretty pooped but chugged out a 16 min 50 sec effort. Then I was ready for a nap. Cool thing about the meet is the people and that I noticed many elite triathletes there (so that’s what they do in the winter).

The next day after some rest I ran the Shamrock 15k. I had not run this race last year but wanted to hit the decent hills on the course. We had decent weather for the race and missed the snow that had been forecast. I felt my pace was good most of the race and I was really enjoying being out there racing again. My ankle rehab seems to be a continual process and I did push it a bit this time around with an average pace a shade over 7. I was hoping to best my time on this challenging course from 2 years ago but ended up coming in a little over a minute slower at 1:05:32. I was pleased with the overall effort though and will keep working hard. I saw Henry post race and Mark Gorman on the race course which was awesome and inspiring.

I hope to see you all soon.

 Take care and be well,

Pete

Submitted By – Mark Gorris

Raced the Lorain Intl Triathlon on Sunday and ended up taking the top spot on the podium. After many a near miss, it was nice to put together a complete race.

Originally I had planned on the sprint race b/c of the hard effort the prior week at Carnation. By Saturday I was feelin’ it, and decided to enter the longer race.

We spent the night up in Westlake and had a nice birthday celebration for my father in law the night before.

Race morning saw a nice stiff wind out of the NW, and the Coast Guard notified the RD that there would be no swimming beyond the breakwall. Hence, the swim for both races was shortened. I use the term “swim” loosely here. The Intl was two loops including a beach run back to the start, I think we walked/ran more than we swam. The water was very shallow in certain areas so swimming was not an option. I thought I saw Moses on the breakwall, white beard blowing in the wind, parting the waters of Lake Erie….that is how shallow it was on different parts of the “swim!”

I was fortunate to exit T1 first and laid down the fastest bike split of the day. Looking at last years times, I wanted to try to break 56′ for the bike, ended up coming in at 55:46, just under a 23.5 avg. Exited T2 with a good lead and looked to hold things steady for the run. Thinking back to prior year’s results, a sub 40 10k would be a very good time so that was my goal. Miles went by pretty easy and I was holding pace between 620/630. Ended up hitting my goal of a sub 40′ run, 39:45 to be exact. It has been nice to put down some nice run splits as the season has progressed. All the running with my long run group from the Jackson Y is starting to pay dividends, makes getting up at 4am worth it ( – :

After the race I was interviewed by a reporter from the local fish wrap. Ended up having a pic taken that made the web-site, some good pub for our wonderful team sponsors. If the article makes the paper, I will be sure to send on to Jerry.

Season winding down, only one more tri to go, Portage Lakes. I am sure we will have a strong showing there….hope to see you all there

Raced the Lorain Intl Triathlon on Sunday and ended up taking the top spot on the podium. After many a near miss, it was nice to put together a complete race.

Originally I had planned on the sprint race b/c of the hard effort the prior week at Carnation. By Saturday I was feelin’ it, and decided to enter the longer race.

We spent the night up in Westlake and had a nice birthday celebration for my father in law the night before.

Race morning saw a nice stiff wind out of the NW, and the Coast Guard notified the RD that there would be no swimming beyond the breakwall. Hence, the swim for both races was shortened. I use the term “swim” loosely here. The Intl was two loops including a beach run back to the start, I think we walked/ran more than we swam. The water was very shallow in certain areas so swimming was not an option. I thought I saw Moses on the breakwall, white beard blowing in the wind, parting the waters of Lake Erie….that is how shallow it was on different parts of the “swim!”

I was fortunate to exit T1 first and laid down the fastest bike split of the day. Looking at last years times, I wanted to try to break 56′ for the bike, ended up coming in at 55:46, just under a 23.5 avg. Exited T2 with a good lead and looked to hold things steady for the run. Thinking back to prior year’s results, a sub 40 10k would be a very good time so that was my goal. Miles went by pretty easy and I was holding pace between 620/630. Ended up hitting my goal of a sub 40′ run, 39:45 to be exact. It has been nice to put down some nice run splits as the season has progressed. All the running with my long run group from the Jackson Y is starting to pay dividends, makes getting up at 4am worth it ( – :

After the race I was interviewed by a reporter from the local fish wrap. Ended up having a pic taken that made the web-site, some good pub for our wonderful team sponsors. If the article makes the paper, I will be sure to send on to Jerry.

Season winding down, only one more tri to go, Portage Lakes. I am sure we will have a strong showing there….hope to see you all there

First off, major props to Julie and Karalyn at Buckeye yesterday.  Taking down their first half on a rough day was quite the accomplishment.  Congrats to both of you!  Congrats also to my usual partners in crime, the Triple T crew, Matt G., Pete and Hayes, on their strong days.  Hayes rolled out of bed after very little training for months and still kicked ass!

The weather conditions at Buckeye were the story to say the least.  From overcast and windy at the start, to scorching and calm at the end, it took us through some extremes.  As Matt mentioned in his report, the swim was choppy which was bad news for the entire field, especially for those of us not so gifted in the water.  The overcast skies and choppy water made seeing the buoys a challenge as spotting off of our fellow athletes was nearly impossible because everyone was hidden in the waves.  It was a pretty discouraging way to start the day but I finally got out of the water near the 1:04 mark, 19 minutes slower than planned.

The bike went much better on a pretty smooth and flat course.  We had a decent headwind at certain points but thankfully it was only for 4 or 5 miles. The entire ride for me was a mental battle to erase the horrible swim which is something I really hadn’t dealt with up until this point in my short time racing.  The voices in my head (and my lower back) started telling me to give it up around mile 36 and I really struggled to quiet them down before finally pushing on.  I’ve been told about experiences like this but those of you that know me well know that the word “quit” isn’t in my vocabulary.  Something was making me question my motivation and it was scary.  All of this made for an interesting last 20 miles but I ended up hitting my target at 2:48 which got my head back in the game.

The sun and heat were in full effect by the time I got off the bike.  I saw Matt G. in T2 where he told me about his crazy swim and tire issues which both shocked and motivated me at the same time.  Team ER was going to have a strong day if I had anything to say about it so I slapped on my shoes, grabbed my nutrition and set off into the oven.  The first 5K of the run went according to plan with no complaints aside from the heat and some tight quads.  The last 15K on the other hand was more challenging.  The voices in my head returned and asked me again what the hell I was doing and they just wouldn’t quit.  Well, neither did I.  15K later, with Pete and Hayes pushing me the last hundred yards, I finished at 6:28:42 which was 28:42 slower than my target of 6:00.  I still PR’d by 1:10:06 but my only other half was at the Triple T which is a completely different story.  I actually think this race was harder for me than the Triple T which sounds crazy but it’s true.  I never once had doubts or thoughts of quitting at the Triple T, not even when I was a frozen block of ice floating slowly towards the shore.  It’s amazing how many highs and lows I had in one day but they provided me with a ton of invaluable lessons to learn from.  I’ll never again go into a race not understanding the dark side that lurks in the shadows, waiting to beat me into submission.  For that, I am thankful.

I’d like to thank everyone for your guidance and motivation in my rookie season as it has been one of the best years of my life.  Special thanks to Matt G., Hayes and Pete for pushing me and pointing me in the right direction.  That and for tackling the Triple T with me, even though you pushed me to do it and told me I was crazy in the same breath!  This was my last race for this season as I’m in need of some serious off-time to get my mind and body prepared for 2011 which is already promising to be a huge year if Matt G. and I have anything to say about it.

Finish the season strong Team ER

This five mile race, part of the XTERRA trail series, is held at Oak Hill in the Cuyahoga National Valley. Chrissy Bowser, one of Team ER’s up and comers, ran this extremely challenging (i.e. hilly) event in 45:49 earning her 6th overall female and 35th overall.

The Canalway Classic along the restored Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail is one of northeast Ohio’s FASTEST 5K Run. It is a certified, point-to-point 5K run (and walk) and is mostly down hill, flat, and shady. It is the site of many 5K Personal Records. Sponsored by Nickles Bakery, the proceeds go to support the development of the historic Towpath Trail.

Team ER’s Chip Wilson ran this years race at a time of 17:36 and took 2nd in his age group.