Back at it!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Below is a picture of some of those who gathered on Thanksgiving morning. What a great turnout! Thanks for organizing Paul & Annette!

A slideshow will follow when photobucket decides to cooperate.

Reminder - No Team R.E.D. Thanksgiving Evening

.... but, there are several opportunities available! Also, I've been working on the results of helmet cam from the Living History Farms cross country run. I've posted some stills (captured from video) below but still have a lot of editing on the video footage. -- note, if you're on facebook, several others pictures are posted there as well.

Thanksgiving Day
Paul Chmielewski is heading up a group run in Byron on Thursday morning at 8am, starting at his house, 507 9th St NW. The group will consist of runners and walkers alike. They plan to head toward the High School to slap the Bear on the backside.. at that point you can turn around for approx a 2.4 mile route, or continue toward Oxbow Park, and turn around at Cty Road 4 for a 4.8 mile route. If you have any questions about this run/walk you can contact me at bryon.teamred@gmail.com

Renee Saxman is leading a group run in Rochester on Thursday morning. They'll get started at 7am from Dunn Bros. South, (by TJMaxx). If interested in joining or have questions about this run, you can contact Renee at rsaxman@charter.net

Friday
Booker Mini Foundation 5K at the Rochester International Event Center (next to the airport) at noon on Friday - should be flat and fast! Details at rochestertrackclub.com Or if you have any question, you can contact Wally Arnold at arnoldw@live.com

Saturday
Gravy Train 12 Mile & 5K Fun Run at the Running Room at 8am Saturday. Meet inside the Rochester Running Room - doors will be open at 7:15a.m. Awards (most festively dressed) kick off the event! Just like dessert, its best to have awards first. Run to start immediately following awards. There is No-Entry Fee... just go and have fun!

Stills from Living History Farms.. what a blast!

Jim Raasch entering the creek!



Aaron Nepstad celebrating a crossing!



Shane Nepstad & Jim Mason Celebrating too!



Dan Lovik singing & sporting some antlers!
This whole team has quite good voices!



Shane O'Leary looking good, hanging with the crew!
Note: Jim's shirt reads "We've got the Runs!"



Jim Mason taking it all in!





Tom O'Leary running scared!



Aaron Nepstad follows the pretty girl through
the creek... smart guy!



Paul Melby taking the Short-cut!
No walking on rocks for Team RED.
Un-like those people in the background.



These girls just couldn't get muddy enough!

Living History Farms - 7 Miler

Eight of us made the trip to Urbandale, IA for the Living History Farms 7 mile cross country race. We somehow managed to have a blast without breaking much of a sweat! The course was packed with 7500 runners! Additional pictures, video and stories to share.. all in due time, check back for the fun!


Picture above: Jim Raasch, Shane Nepstad, (random woman) Shane O'Leary, Tom O'Leary, Aaron Nepstad. Also making the trip but not shown here, were Team R.E.D. members Paul Melby, Jim Mason and Dan Lovik.

Wonderful Night!

Thursdays Team RED had a nice mix of veteran REDers, along with some visitors as well! We even had an appearance from someone all the way from St Cloud. wait, no, that's Renee, she's Rochester... but she is a member of a great club in St Cloud, the St Cloud River Runners. All 3 of Thursdays routes were put to use on such a nice night, very little wind, good temperature.

The 5.9 mile route is heading to the archive as it had too many twists and turns, it was tough to keep track of! In fact, I was running with a group, a block or two behind another group, when BAM! Suddenly we were in front of them! haha.. they had accidentally added about 3/10ths to the route... overachievers!

After the run, the Bears Den was able to score us a couple high-top tables and we were able to continue with the E.D. portion of the evening. Great stories, great fun!

Truth is Revealed (Again!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8367141.stm

Thursday 11/19 - Bears Den @ 6pm!

It's nearly Thursday again! Seems like just a week ago it was Thursday. We'll meet again this week at the Bears Den at 6pm. Routes will be posted on the side of the blog later today.

Come one, come all! Let's go for a run or walk!

Better Late Than Never!

Hi all.. I'm reposting the slideshow below, as I discovered the link appeared to be broken. These pics are from the Mayo Open 5K. It sure brings back memories of warmer, brighter days!

Updates

Team R.E.D. is on for 6pm this Thursday, 11/19 from the Bears Den. Routes should be posted sometime Wednesday. If you have a headlamp, please bring it, as we're finding them to be fantastic on the run & walk. Again, I'll keep us under street lights as well.

**********************************************************

Casey Graham is ready for speed work, if you're interested in hitting the track let us know. Next track workout is tentatively planned for this Wednesday at 5pm at the Byron Track. (It'll be getting dark, but you can see the white lines, this i know from some early morning workouts there).

Keep in mind this weeks workout is tentative, so please drop an email to byron.teamred@gmail.com if you think you want to join.

**********************************************************

As you may know, a few of us are heading to Urbandale, IA (near Des Moines), to run the Living History Farms. Our group consists of Team RED members, Paul Melby, Jim Mason, Aaron Nepstad, Dan Lovik, Matt Schrader, Jim Raasch and myself, we're also taking two non-team red guys... Shane & Shane (Nepstad & O'Leary).


I'm fully prepared with my newly built Team RED Cam! Yee haww! This race consists of 7500 people running an off-road course, complete with 8 creek crossings and steep embankments to climb. Team RED Cam will capture the action, and keep my hands free for grabbing the climbing ropes, I hope!

MN Grahaminator at Oxbow in the books!

It was a great turnout for the 1st ever Minnesota Grahaminator at Oxbow! We had 9 people complete the 10 mile (10.1!). Along with another 11 participants going distances ranging from 5 to 7 miles!

A special appearance was made by Mark Carey and Alex (sorry, I don't know his last name). They were out for a run in oxbow when they happened upon us and said "is there a race we don't know about?" The answer of course was "Yes, care to join us?"... and they did! They had already put in 6 miles.. so the 10 was just frosting on top!

This course offers several challenges, complete with steady inclines, leaf covered roots & rocks, and even a deer hunter!

Pictured here are our top male and female finishers, both Team RED members. Congrats to Casey Graham and Matt Schrader!

It's time....

... for the 1st annual Grahaminator at Oxbow! The 10 mile event kicks off at 9am Saturday from the 1st Bridge at Oxbow park. It's a wonderful course with fantastic views, along with a few challenging climbs!

There is no entry fee, provide your own aid on the run, and there will be bananas and oranges available at the finish. Casey and I are heading out there this afternoon, to try and mark the route. (hopefully the rain holds off, so I don't melt). Maps will be provided as well.

Our Grahaminator at Oxbow race director, Casey Graham, is seen here rubbing elbows with this years NYC Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi. Casey is flanked by two friends in this pic, no cropping like she might prefer to make it appear it's only her and Meb. Despite the many rumors, Meb is not likely to appear at Oxbow park this weekend.

What is this course like? The Grahaminator at Oxbow has a little bit of everything! You'll climb a series of steps leading to an early challenge of a hill loop. Upon completion you'll get a nice downhill through the bison and deer exhibits. Next, a flat stretch heading to 3rd bridge where you'll cross the river into the woods. Enjoy the beautiful winding climb to the prairie loop where you'll circle it -- No taking the Prairie Short-Cut! -- and re-enter the woods for an up & down rolling section of the course, you'll approach another steady climb only to be rewarded with a wonderful downhill ! This should bring you out near the 1st bridge and you'll now travel on the lower trails along the river until you reach the climb for one more loop around the prairie. Back into the woods and head toward 1st bridge. This time you'll cross the river as you prepare to celebrate your success! Should be fun! Come on out!

http://www.co.olmsted.mn.us/upload_dir/pw/oxbowpark.pdf

If this trail run opportunity isn't for you... you can set your alarm and join the Off Season Striders (OSS) at Dunn Bros North in Rochester at 7:30am. They're planning a 10 mile route, but as always, you cad add or subtract miles when running with OSS. Following the run, they'll gather for some coffee and social time at Dunn Bros.

**********************************************************

Thursday's Team R.E.D. was another success! We had a good turnout, with a mix of runners and walkers brave enough to take on the howling, twisting winds, wow, that was something! We added an extra headlamp in the group, and a couple hand held flash lights as well. Sure makes a difference. (additionally, I was wise enough to keep us in town, mostly under street lamps!) -- As usual, I forgot the camera, but will be posting some pics from some recent gatherings this weekend. --

That's it for now... have fun!

Thursday 11/12 - 6PM @ Bears Den

It's that time again! We'll meet at the Bears Den Thursday at 6pm... routes are posted on the right side of the blog. If you have a headlamp, consider bringing it. The very wise Jim Mason had one last week, and it was wonderful! The routes are in much better light this week as well, should be fun!

Something new to add to your calendar, is a monthly Runners Social, the 2nd Tuesday of each month at Beetles in Rochester. All are welcome, you don't need to be a member of the Rochester Track Club, Team R.E.D. or any other group for that matter. In fact, it's a 'no running required' type of night. It's also great chance to meet others with similar passion for fun and fitness! It's very interesting what you might hear people say at these types of gatherings. I was quite sure I heard Renee Saxman say she was taking a class at a "topless place"... however, she alleges she said "tapas place". hmmmm.... ok.. it's her story.

For those of you who don't know Renee, pictured left, she's is the editor of the Rochester Track Club newsletter, Race Director for the Fetzer 20K in the spring and she bakes cookies to no end! She also actively participates in and volunteers at Rochester Track Club events, as well as St Cloud River Runners events! She's on the run, so to speak! You can find a lot of information on running, baking and cooking at her blog ramblinrenee.blogspot.com -- you might want to visit her blog just to see that she called out Paul Melby nicely. haha..

Go Byron Bears Volleyball! State Tournament begins Thursday!

Great Story -- way to go Al!

Check out this link to a fantastic story about Al Jorgensen and his son, Nicholas. I'm looking forward to hearing more about their father-son trip!

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=424420

****************************************************

In other news, a few of us took a trip over to Lake Mills, WI for a 1/2 Barrel (13.1 mile) and 1/6 Barrel (4.37 mile) race. The Barrel's come into play as the event is sponsored by Tyranena Brewery and held on the brewery grounds.

The city of Lake Mills is similar in size to Byron, yet they hosted 1500 runners between the two events. The registration fee included a post-race Lasagna dinner and 2 free beers! (somehow, we found a way to score additional free beers, shhhh... they were very good).

Making the trip were Paul Melby, Tom & Alex Woo, Mike Schmitt and myself. We ran into a handful of other Rochester area people as well. Tom & Alex ran the 1/6 barrel in which Tom proceeded to run very nicely, taking 5th place overall and winning his age group! Way to go Tom!

Paul, Mike and myself ran the 1/2 barrel, it had some hills, and was much warmer then one would anticipate for November 7th! Yet it was a blast.. this race is one that truly felt like an Event! It was very well organized, had fun music, and of course, great food and beer!

Results can be found at: http://www.tyranena.com/beerrun/website.htm

While Tom W was the fastest of us, I can say, I was the bravest, as I sported my Minnesota Vikings polo shirt during the pre & post race festivities. It was a great time.. traveling with other runners is always fun! It's on my calendar for next year, for sure!

More Opportunities!

11/07 - OSS Panera south at 7:30 AM. John has put together what he is calling a "interesting" route. The run is approx 10 miles, with places that you could add or subtract miles. He'll have maps available. By the way, huge congrats to John , pictured left, as he just competed in the New York City Marathon! Sweet!

11/07 - Bear Creek Predict Your Time 5 Mile at 9am. (race day registration starts at 7:30am). Additional Details at rochestertrackclub.com Hand crafted Trophies to top ten runners closest to their Predicted time. This fun event is directed by Team Red's own Chris O'Brien.

** It's entirely possible to run both of the above events if you're interested. You could log some miles with OSS, then head over to run the Bear Creek 5!**

11/14 - 1st annual Grahaminator at Oxbow. Casey Graham (another team RED member!) is running the show on this one. There is no entry fee, provide your own aid on the run, and she'll have bananas and oranges available at the finish. Prizes for the top male and top female finishers as well.

11/21 - Living History Farms Urbandale IA. This is billed as the largest Cross Country Race in North America. 7500 runners on a 7 mile course, containing 8 creek crossings! You will get wet! So far, we have a group of 4-5 officially signed up, and others considering. If you're interested, get signed up, and let me know, so we can work out the details of a carpool.

Additionally, good luck to those racing at Lake Mills WI this weekend!

Let's Run!

This Thursday, Nov 5th, we'll meet at Bears Den at 6pm. Routes will be posted Wednesday... another post with details to upcoming events will go up tomorrow as well!

The picture to the left clearly shows that Woo might not have finished at St George, aside from the fact I kept him moving! With that said, Tom just finished his 3rd marathon in 6 weeks this past weekend.. ahem... finishing 1st in his age group! He is a machine!

It's Dark!

Well, we've moved up the start time a couple times now, and I just don't think we can gain much by moving it any earlier, now that the darkness begins sooooo early!

Of late, we've been meeting at 6pm.. unless there are objections, I propose we stay right there!

If you're looking for a race opportunity there's a very fun one this Saturday. It's the Bear Creek Predict Your Time 5 Mile. It simply doesn't matter how fast you are... the person who predicts their finish time the closest, without finishing faster then the prediction, wins! Team RED member Chris O'Brien is the race director... go give it a shot! (I stink at predicting, by the way!.. haha.. but it's still fun!)

http://rochestertrackclub.com/Calendar/Calendar-Detail.aspx?raceID=233