Welcome, Congrats and the Week Ahead!

Welcome to one of our newest members Kathy!   She joined us officially on Thursday, but has been staying connected with us for some time!   Welcome Kathy!

-- Thanks Don for snapping the pic with your phone,---   Also, we have two other new members who were with us Thursday, but I didn't have the Team R.E.D. shirts for the presentation!  We'll introduce you to Paul and Sue next chance we get!

Kathy is Welcomed to Team R.E.D.!

Congrats to Amber for completing the Disney Princess Half Marathon!   Amber is a running machine!

File Photo from Cuba

Here's a peek at what's ahead!

• Tuesday Night Track:   Gather at the RCTC Indoor track anytime after 5pm to gain some speed!  Bring shoes to change into once inside.   
• Wednesday Night SnowShoe:    Meet at Oxbow Parks' 1st Bridge at 7pm.  Headlamps are recommended, but soon we'll have more daylight into the evening! 
• Thursday Morning Progressive:  Staring at 5:30am from 805 1st Ave NW in Byron.. total workout is 6.5 miles.   Headlamps are recommended for this one too!
• Thursday Night Team R.E.D.:   6pm at the Bears Den in Byron.  Routes will be in the normal range of 3,4 & 6 miles.   (routes will be posted Wednesday).
• Saturday Morning RAC Run:  7:15am from the RAC in Rochester.. stay tuned as there will likely be some early starters!  
• Sunday Afternoon SnowShoe:   Time / Loc TBD.  Please check back!  

Here's a look at yesterday's snowshoe crew, what a good looking bunch!  Not pictured is Larry, as he's the photog.   They traveled over 3 miles, and wrapped it up with a fun social time!

One other note about the Snow Shoe Crew... they've decided to form two teams for the Med City Relay!   Here are the ladies who plan to run from Byron to Rochester in May!  They are sure to have an absolute blast!

• Ann Nepstad
• Meg Bellrichard
• Elaine Eide
• Amy Mesenburg
• Annette Chmielewski
• Shelly Melby 
• Emily Frank
• Wendy O'Leary - On the Fence!

There's always more!

For the 2nd week in a row over 40 people turned out for R.E.D. on Thursday!   What a fun group!  The chatter post run was lively to say the least.

Saturday: RAC Run at 7:15am is scheduled for a 10 miler. Several people are gathering at the RAC early, 6:10am to frontload about 6 more miles before joining the official crew.

Sunday: SnowShoe Crew is gathering at 12:15pm from the 1st Bridge at Oxbow park. They will head out and see the sights!

Below is a trailer shared  to me by many of you, regarding a movie called My Run: The Terry Hitchcock Story    It looks very interesting!  Nearest showings will be in the Cities, La Crosse and Mankato on Thursday March 31st (one day only!).  Tickets are available at fathomevents.com

Routes Below

Here are links to tonight's routes.. Thanks Paul for creating them!    Again.. we're at Brothers Bar & Grill in Rochester, please park in the back, as that's where the route talk will go down....


http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/28708972/ (5.75)
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/28709262/ (2.18)
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/28709536/ (3.54)

Updates to the remainder of the week....

NOTE;  There is NO official Snow Shoe crew this evening, Wednesday 2/23....

• Thursday Progressive: 5:30am from the O'Leary's home at 805 1st Ave NW in Byron. This run will go 6.5 miles total.. starting at 10 minute pace, and progressing the pace each mile.. as fast as you can by the end... (and eventually finishing with a 1/2 mile cool-down).
• Thursday Team RED: 6pm from Brothers Bar & Grill in Rochester. Multiple routes will be offered and will be our typical range of 3-6 miles. Please park in back of Brothers for the route talk, and we'll finish in Team RED style inside Brothers!
• Saturday RAC run: Officially starts a 7:15am from the RAC in Rochester. The route will be in the area of 10 miles for marathon training, and less, of course for half marathoners. A group is gathering at 6:10 am to put in about 6 extra miles.. feel free to join early if you like. 
• Sunday Snow Shoe:   Gathering at the 1st Bridge of Oxbow Park at 12:15pm.   We have one person who would like to try it out, but doesn't have snow shoes, if you have an available pair, for her to borrow please drop me a note at byron.teamred@gmail.com

Another Strong Night!

Below are some pics from tonight's track work...  It's so good to have others out there while we each suffer..... to a point!

Congrats! Best of Luck! Great Fun! & The Week Ahead! ... whew!

Congratulations are in order for Lori (half marathon) and Andy (full marathon) in Austin Texas this weekend!  They both represented Team R.E.D. very well.   We also have a remote member, Jean who ran the half with Lori.. congrats to Jean as well!

Lori battled after some training setbacks, and Andy fought off the flu... Both bring in some great results in the Lone Star state!

Erin, Andy and Lori

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I hope you all get a chance to wish the Best of Luck to Team R.E.D. member Millie Suk as she is ready to rock her Bar Exam!   She takes it over the next couple days Feb 22 & 23... you got this Millie!  and once you do... Team R.E.D. can finally start misbehaving as we'll have legal counsel!   

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Back at the ranch, the snow shoe crew went out in the fresh stuff.   The hike provided several challenges, and some near misses!    All in all... Great fun!

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The Week Ahead is again... LOADED!

• Tuesday Track:  5pm to 5:30 for most at the RCTC indoor track.  The workout typically runs through 6:30-7pm.   It's great to work speed with others around as it keeps you rolling!     Some have been going at 6am.. and the word on the street is the track is not as crowded as evenings!  So if that's better for you, head on to the track!  Free use of the track is weekdays 6am-8am and 5pm-10pm.  The weekends vary depending on scheduled events.
•  Wednesday Snow Shoe:  TBD - be sure to check back,!
• Thursday Progressive:   5:30am from the O'Leary's home at 805 1st Ave NW in Byron.   This run will go 6.5 miles total.. starting at 10 minute pace, and progressing the pace each mile.. as fast as you can by the end... (and eventually finishing with a 1/2 mile cool-down).
• Thursday Team RED:   6pm from Brothers Bar & Grill in Rochester.   Multiple routes will be offered and will be our typical range of 3-6 miles.   Please park in back of Brothers for the route talk, and we'll finish in Team RED style inside Brothers! 
• Saturday RAC run:   Starts a 7:15am from the RAC in Rochester.   The route will be in the area of 10 miles for marathon training, and less, of course for half marathoners.    Often a group meets early for additional miles, so check back if you want some of that... !

Austin Marathon

Good Luck to R.E.D. members Andy H in the full ; Lori Y in the half, in Austin TX!  Along with Lori is another remote Team R.E.D. member Jean R!   Good luck to each of you, have a great run!

Great Vacation!

Approx. 40 Team R.E.D. members celebrated in Cuba Thursday night! The routes took us winding around Byron in such a way that members crossed paths from time to time... that was fun too! Back at the O'Leary's the Cuban fare was fantastic! Lots of choices, great drinks and a whole lotta fun!

To top it all off, Team R.E.D. gained six new members... SIX! See the pics of the newbies below.

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Saturday marks the 1st week of the Full & Half Marathon training runs (heretofore referred to as the RAC Runs).    The planned route is 8 miles and starts at 7:15am... If you'd like to add more miles, there's a group starting at 6am to run 6-7.5 miles before the RAC run hits the road. 


Sunday the SnowShoe crew is rolling again.   They'll meet at the 3rd Bridge of Oxbow park at 3pm and then drive to the Nepstads property for a fun afternoon in the snow!

The Menu

Below is the menu for tonight's arrival in Cuba!  Please bring a dish to pass, it can be of Cuban fare, or not!   But if you're looking for food ideas you might find some at http://www.mejordecuba.com/cuban_recipes.htm

• Arroz con Pollo (Chicken & Rice)
• Arroz con Frijolas Negros (Black Bean & Rice)
• Cuba Libre (rum & coke with lime)
• Mojito (rum w/club soda and some extras)
• La Cerveza Cubana  - Cuban Beer (if I can find it, otherwise you get whatever I buy!)

Cuba Libre'!

Come join us as we finally arrive in Cuba!     Truth be known... we've been swimming around here for a bit, trying to find out safest port of entry... and we have found it at :

805 1st Ave NW, Byron MN

Routes are posted on the right hand side of the blog...    

More PB

Check out today's Post Bulletin ( link below) .. the  full version in print form...   Team R.E.D. knows how to beat the winter blahs.   No fair weather members here.. just get out and go!

http://postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1444956&query=snow

Wednesday Night SnowShoe:  7pm from the 1st Bridge at Oxbow Park (north of Byron along Cty RD 5).  The 1st Bridge is located on your left hand side as you enter the park.      Wear headlamps if you have them!

2nd Post for Today - check out the 1st one as well!

Here's a look at the week ahead!

Tuesday Morning Hills:  5:30am.. meet at the Soldiers Field Memorial and we'll run a short warm up over to the hills at 10th St SW and 9th Ave SW.  

Tuesday Night Track:  5pm at the RCTC indoor track.  If you can't make it right at 5pm, come as soon as you can!   Bring dry shoes to change into once you enter the track area.   We typically gather on the right hand corner (as you enter the track area). 


Wednesday Night SnowShoe:  7pm from the 1st Bridge at Oxbow Park (north of Byron along Cty RD 5).  The 1st Bridge is located on your left hand side as you enter the park.  

Thursday Morning Progressive Run:  5:30am.   We'll start at my place 805 1st  Ave NW in Byron.  The first mile is 10/min pace, then we increase the pace with each mile.. total workout will be 6.5 miles ending with a 1/2 mile recovery.  


Thursday Team R.E.D. :  6pm at the O'Leary's home.  805 1st Ave NW in Byron.   Routes will be posted Wednesday.

The theme is Cuban as we have arrived in Havanna!   Our hosts are providing the following... please bring a dish to share (it can be, or not be, cuban based!)... if you're looking for food ideas you might find some at http://www.mejordecuba.com/cuban_recipes.htm

• Arroz con Pollo (Chicken & Rice)
• Arroz con Frijolas Negros (Black Bean & Rice)
• Cuba Libre (rum & coke with lime)
• Mojito (rum w/club soda and some extras)
• La Cerveza Cubana  - Cuban Beer (if I can find it, otherwise you get whatever I buy!)

Saturday Morning RAC run:  7:15am.   These runs are fantastic and offer course support along the way.   They are set up as part of the Marathon (full & half) training classes provided by Rochester Track Club's Lin Gentling.   You do not need to be a participant in the class to attend the group run on Saturdays, nor do you need to be a member of the Rochester Track Club (or any club for that matter).  They do ask that you bring a contribution of $1 per week to help offset the costs of the food and beverage support that is provided for these runs.

See the post below for pics capturing the great fun from this past weekend!

Great Work at Lace Up!

Fantastic job by Team R.E.D. at Lace Up Against Breast Cancer!   The event was well organized by the planning committee... and Team R.E.D. members were spotted in many capacities!   More pictures will be added to the slide show as I receive some from other camera's present at our stop,  In the meantime, you can visit Tom Woo's pic's at  http://sports.webshots.com/album/579768268XWLQsl    He's great at capturing the action!

Spotted on the course I apologize in advance for anyone I miss, but please let me know who I'm missing so I can update the list.

• Half Marathon: Paul, Meredith, Aaron, Millie, Trevor, Andy H, Sara, Roger, Lana, Adam F,  Amber, Lorilei (new member!) Julie (new member!) and many friends and sons
• of R.E.D.! -- Jim Li also ran the Half, in Jacksonville Florida.
• 5K;  Renee, Teresa, Tom W, Sue (new member!), Jessie, AdamA Emily F, Larry F. and again, many friends of R.E.D.! 
• Volunteers:  Liz, Wendy, Lindsey, Erin, Renee S, Renee K,  Paul, Joe, Adam W, Tod, Meg, Ann, Bri, , Randy, Wally, Jean,  myself & sons & daughters of R.E.D. 

Below are some pics from the afternoon RED Snow Shoe Crew! Was so wonderful out there in these temps! Still lots of snow at oxbow, despite the warm up!

What's Next?

• Saturday Morning Long run:  7am from Brothers Bar & Grill.  Please park in the back so not to take prime spots from other customers while you're off on the trail.    At 7am some are going 10-11 miles and then circling back to Brothers at approx 8:30am to see if there are any joiners.  If you'd like to join at 8:30 ... you can jump in for a 6 mile loop from there.   With this plan you could run 6 miles, 10-11 miles or 16-17 miles!  
• Saturday Polar Bear Plunge for the Special Olympics -  This is a really fun event, and raises a lot of money for a great cause.     Team R.E.D.'s  Karl-Peter is plunging... if you'd like to sponsor him and his efforts you can do so at   plungemn.org/plunger/karlpeterhammer 
• Saturday Pasta Feed:  6pm at the Ryans!   5236 Middlebrook Dr. NW    Please bring a dish to share, and your own beverages.   Thank for hosting Team Ryan!  
• Sunday Lace Up Against Breast Cancer Half Marathon, 5K and 2 Mile.   Registration and race details are available at http://luabc.org/
• Sunday Snow Shoe Crew - 3pm from the 1st Bridge at Oxbow Park.  Come on out and experience the park in the winter.  It's really incredible!

Below is a Snow Shoe Dance shared by Mike Schmitt... seems the snow shoe crew may take the challenge to create a dance of their own.

Reminder!

Bears Den tonight.. 6PM!   Looking forward to seeing you there!  

Also I'm excited to share that Team R.E.D.'s  Karl-Peter (KP) is participating in the Polar Plunge this Saturday!   --  as our friend Kevin Torgeson says, "if you ain't plungin' you best be pledgin'!" ---

You can support KP and his efforts to raise funds for the Special Olympics by visiting
plungemn.org/plunger/karlpeterhammer

Update for Thursday

We're switching up the Bears Den dates to provide an opportunity for our much anticipated arrival in Cuba!   So....

• Feb 10th at 6pm we'll gather at the Bears Den in Byron.  Routes will be the typical 3, 4 and 6 miles.  (should be posted this afternoon)
• Feb 17th is home hosted by the O'Leary's and will be a Cuban themed party (once we figure out what a Cuban theme is!)

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I'm excited to tell you we had two new members join Team R.E.D. last night!   Lorilei and Julie!   Of course I didn't have a camera or Team R.E.D. shirts with me, so I look forward to doing a future shirt presentation and welcome!   

Additionally, I met Anthony, and he says he intends to join us as well!  That's fantastic!   

Welcome to all of you!   

This Week

Before we get into the day to day.. I want to make you aware of something very fun leading up to this years Lace Up Against Breast Cancer Half Marathon, 5K and 2 Mile. 

This Saturday at 6pm... join Team Ryan for a Pasta Feed!  This event is open to Runners, Non-runners and Volunteers!      Please Bring a dish to pass, and your own beverage (non runners might be more creative then the runners in the beverage category).   Joe and Sara live at 5236 Middlebrook Dr. NW  .. Hope to see you there!  

Plenty of additional options again this week!

• Tuesday Track 6am or 5pm!   There are options for Tuesday's track work.   Some are planning to continue at the 5-5:30pm timeframe.  while others have been hitting the indoor track early on Tuesdays, it's open to the public frm 6am-8am, as well as 5pm -10pm.    Our group typically gathers on the right hand corner of the track, as you enter the track area. 
• Tuesday Night Monthy Social:    6pm at Beetles... no running required!    No worries if you can't be there right at 6pm... join as you can!
• Wednesday Night Snow Shoe:  7pm  at Oxbow Park.  Gather at the 3rd Bridge.  There are both hilly and less hilly options at the park.  Come on out and try it, wear your headlamps if you got 'em!
• Thursday Morning Progressive:  This run starts at 5:30am from my home at 805 1st Ave NW in Byron.    The run is a disciplined one, in which we start at a 10 minute pace, and each mile get progressively faster.   
• Thursday Night Team R.E.D.:  6pm someplace!   Location TBD
• Saturday Morning Long run:  7am from Brothers Bar & Grill.  Please park in the back so not to take prime spots from other customers while you're off on the trail.    At 7am some are going 10-11 miles and then circling back to Brothers at approx 8:30am to see if there are any joiners.  If you'd like to join at 8:30 ... you can jump in for a 6 mile loop from there.   With this plan you could run 6 miles, 10-11 miles or 16-17 miles! 
• Saturday Pasta Feed:  6pm at the Ryans!   5236 Middlebrook Dr. NW

Lace Up Against Breast Cancer Half Marathon, 5K and 2 Mile

There is still time to register for this Sunday's Lace Up!  What a great cause and a fantastic winter event!  The new location at Mayo High will create such great space for participants, pre and post run.  

You can still register at http://www.luabc.org/

You can donate baked goods for the silent auction by contacting Kristin at  Zhao.Kristin@mayo.edu

Polar Bear Plunge

The Polar Bear Plunge takes place this weekend as well.  If you're not plunging, please consider pledging!   Here's a location where you can make a contribution .. http://www.plungemn.org/index.php?page=location&where=rochester

R.E.D. Notes

Thursday's run crowd was light, but the Eat & Drink crowd just kept on rolling in!   The entire table seemed to turn over with different RED members coming and going.

We've arrived in Key West for our virtual vacation... and we're swimming like mad to get to Cuba! The fact is, we're currently taking a lap around the island to find the safest point of entry.... stay tuned, as our arrival is near!

Winners!  Roger & Adam

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See the note below regarding Saturdays Off Season Striders...

Hey Runners,

Renee Dyshaw-Saxman has once again invited all of us to run from her house on Saturday morning, and/or stop in for treats.

As usual be there & ready to run at 7:30. Plan on some hill work!!
Renee's address:

2026 Kal Lane SW
Rochester, MN 55902
Here's a link to the google map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&sugexp=gsihc&xhr=t&q=2026+Kal+Lane+SW&cp=16&wrapid=tljp129670154115600&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=2026+Kal+Ln+SW,+Rochester,+MN+55902&gl=us&ei=YxhKTbPdJcLtsgbf7LivDw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBMQ8gEwAA

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The Optimist Frozen Goose Walk/Run at RCTC starts at 1pm on Saturday, with race day registration opening at noon.   This 10K timed run and 5K fun run/walk benefits Mayo Clinic Childhood Cancer Research and Bright Tommorrow's. More information can be found at http://frozengoose.com/  

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 The snow shoe crew is gathering at the 1st Bridge at Oxbow on Sunday at noon.  Come on out and join the fun!    This crew just keeps growing and finding new ways to get lost in the woods!

Routes are Up!

Dreass Warm and prepare for a Fun Run!

Progressive Run Moves Indoors!

Thursday morning Progressive run has been moved to 6am at the RCTC indoor track...

Team RED is still meeting at 6pm Thursday at the Bears Dens... Wasting away in Margarittavile!

Thanks to the Eide's for hosting!

Sunday's snow shoe crew was so much fun!   A special thanks to Dave & Elaine Eide for treating us to a great afternoon!   What a great location for snowshoeing!

Check out the slideshow as well as the previous post, to make sure you have the details of what's coming up this week!