Welcome Dani!

Dani joins Team R.E.D.!   Please be sure to welcome her as part of the Team!   Many people have been asking how to pronounce her last name, and I am willing to give lessons, at the price of 1 tall beer per lesson.  Group lessons require a Pitcher of beer for payment.

I did find the Team RED camera, so hopefully in the future, we will have more clear pictures (once again!).

Dani is our latest addition! 

Here's a look at the next few days.... lots of choices!

• Saturday 7am:  Brothers Bar & Grill for Christina s Birthday celebration run! 
• Saturday 7:30am:  Newts North for Off Season Striders
• Saturday 10am:  Brothers Bar & Grill for round 2 of Christinas Birthday celebration run... and after that 2nd run, the party continues at Whistle Binkies on the Lake!  
• Sunday 8am:  Panera South for Off Season Striders
• Saturday Spring 
• Monday 6pm:   Dooley's for Monday Maniacs.  You might want to make an extra effort to be at this one, as we will get a private tour of the expansion at the DAHLC.   Lots of fun to check it out close up and personal!  Of course, we'll run from Dooley's to the DAHLC... and continue the run after the tour.
• Tuesday 3pm:  TerraLoco continues their 5K series... stop in, donate $5 to a local charity and have fun! 
• Thursday 6pm:   The Bears Den is the host of Team R.E.D.   Come out and win a prize.. the prize I forgot to give away at Brothers a few weeks ago!  

Have a blessed holiday!

I've taken the following info directly from the OSS email (so you may have already seen it!)..  here are some opportunities over the Christmas Holiday!

Off Season Striders

  

Great turnout last Saturday!
Up for a Christmas Eve

 Run?  Meet at Dunn Bros'  North (Elton Hills Dr by Brueggers)  at  7:30am.   

  

Sorry - nothing confirmed for Christmas morning yet...    Stay tuned!

  

  

Saturday, Dec. 28th - 
Consider the Winter Wilder run in Spring Valley (see RTC website for more info)

  

Otherwise.. meet at Newt's North 7:30am. 

  

  

Sunday,  Dec. 29th

Panera South again..   8am!

  

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR....  

Saturday Jan. 4th  -

  Sign up NOW for the unique  RTC Polar Bear Prediction Run!  Great trophies and  food! 

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Remember... Thursday Dec 26th we're at Brothers Bar & Grill at 6pm.  Park in back.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And a look at the week ahead

A great turnout for the Annual Holiday Run & Brunch at Charlies on Saturday.    Special thanks to Jean & Randy for organizing this event. What a great way to celebrate the season, bringing a mix of Team R.E.D. and Off Season Striders.   It always goes off without a hitch!

Also thanks to all of you who brought contributions for the food shelf... that's an organization that can use contributions all year long.  

I've added a few shots from the breakfast courtesy of Tom W.   He does great work as one of our Team R.E.D cameraman!  He's got many more quality images, available to view on facebook.

Listening closely to the Christmas Elf

Ready to get ready!

Shane, Paul & Dave

Elaine, Amy & Diane

Teri, Lorelei and Gwen

Christina, Andrea & Dawn

Randy & Peter

Roger & Amy

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There's a nice photo story in the Post Bulletin Weekend edition.   I thought it was well done.  Good work Team R.E.D.!   If you haven't see it yet, here's a link to the story.   http://www.postbulletin.com/eedition/page-g/page_5987e4d5-b7d2-5dea-928f-5d37ec6685ea.html

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This week

Monday 6pm:  The Monday Maniacs are ready to rock from Beetles Bar & Grill on 2nd St in Rochester.  Plan to run 3, 4 or 6 miles (really as far as you want).  Settle in for some post run cheer.
Tuesday --  Due to it being Christmas Eve there is no scheduled Track workout or Trail run.
Wednesday - Christmas Day!
Thursday 6pm:   Team R.E.D. will be at Brothers Bar & Grill in Rochester.  We'll hit the trails for 3, 4 or 6 miles and return for some fun!    As is the standard at Brothers, park in the back lot and come inside the back door for the route talk.

**Note:  We are checking on the availability of the indoor track this week. If available, look for a track workout to appear.

Holiday Fitness and Brunch!

If you RSVP'd to attend the Christmas Fitness & Brunch with Team R.E.D. and OSS... please see the details below.  If you didn't, and want to contribute to the food shelf, this would be a great time to stop by and drop something off. -- Additionally, if you can't make it and would like to contribute... you can bring something to the Bears Den on Thursday!

Saturday Walk/Run & Brunch...

1) We start promptly at 7AM. 3 RTs of 3,4 &6 miles. First 2.5 m are same 

2) Arrive at 6:52AM. Parking will be tight! Use overflow lot S of Charlie's & side streets. 

3) When you arrive find the "Breakfast elf" to Sign in & pay for your $10. Cash only please. 

4) Wear festive attire 

5) Please bring a Canned /boxed food item to donate to Channel One Foods. You will feel really good inside

More New Members!

New Members are Awesome!  

Along with the workout, the caroling, the giving... last Thursday night brought us three new members!

Please welcome Andrea, Eric and Reggie!  (the pics are not of the greastest quality, however, the people surely are!). 

Andrea joins!  - We first met her on the trails

Eric Joins! - He's new to the area and coaching in St Charles

Reggie Joins! - We met Reggie on the marathon training runs from the RAC

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Team R.E.D. / OSS Holiday Run & Brunch! 

If you haven't RSVP'd for the Team R.E.D. / OSS Holiday Run & Brunch this Saturday 12/21... please do!  Space is very limited!  If you are attending, be sure to dress in your festive gear!

If you don't know anything about the run and brunch, you may not be on our email distribution list.  If you'd like to be added, please drop me an email at byron.teamred@gmail.com   

Let's go go go!

Join me in welcoming two new members!  Terri and Michelle joined Team R.E.D. during a night of Christmas Caroling in Byron!   Welcome to the Team, and we look forward to a shirt presentation soon!

Terri, Tom & Michelle

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Congratulations are in order for Steve after completing the Hoover Dam Marathon!  This is his first marathon in 21 years! With a 21 year break, you know he must have had fresh legs!

As he was running, he happened upon another Team R.E.D. member....  Dom was volunteering at an aid station when he spotted the Team RED colors coming his way.  He snapped this pic (Steve was going so fast he nearly ran out of the picture altogether!). 

Congrats Steve.. and it must have been a lot of fun to run into Dom!   

Steve at Hoover Dam Marathon

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The week is shaping up!  See the details below... Note:  Track and Trail are both on Tuesday. 

• Monday 6pm:  Monday Maniacs are gathering at Beetles Bar & Grill on 2nd Street in Rochester.  Come out and meet the TV stars!  
• Tuesday 5:30pm:  Get you speed on the indoor track at RCTC.   Wear one pair of shoes/boots from your car to the track, then change into dry running shoes once inside.  
• Tuesday 6:15pm:  The trail crewis heading to Root River Park for a loop or two on the soft snow.   The park is located at 4012 80th St SE Rochester.  I've added a google map link to the park... the green arrow represents the parking lot.  If you feel like you're on a road to nowhere, you are on the right road!   https://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.903644%2C-92.398123&num=1&t=h&z=14
• Thursday 6pm:  Team R.E.D. hits the road from the Bears Den in Byron.  Routes will be in the ranges of 3, 4 or 6 miles. 

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The Running Room is looking for instructors for their running clinics.   They are holding an Instructor training night on January 8th.   The clinics and dates are listed below...   

• Learn to Run: Mondays at 6:00pm. Next round starting January 13 – March 17^th.
• 5k: Mondays at 6:00pm. Next round starting on January 13 – March 17^th.
• 10K: Tuesdays at 6:00pm. Next round January 14^th – March 18^th.
• Marathon: Thursday at 6:00pm. Starting on February 6^th – May 22^nd.
• ½ Marathon: Thursday at 6:00pm. Starting on February 6^th – May 22^nd.
• Walking: Tuesday at 6:00pm. Starting on January 7^th – March 11^th.

If you're intersted, contact Christine at Rochester@runningroom.com

Team R.E.D. Rocks!

It was a great turnout for the Pay & Dash event!   We were able to get into two restaurants, share our voice with some cheerful Christmas Songs and pay for dinner for nine tables!

Ken from the Post Bulletin was there... he was originally looking for a winter photo story, but he found more with your generosity!    Look for the article to come out next Saturday, Dec 21st.

• Saturday 7:30am - Off season striders are heading out from Brothers Bar & Grill.   When you run with OSS any distance is ok, most will go about 6 - 10 miles. 
• Sunday 8am:   Off Season Striders is at it again, this time from Panera South.   

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For anyone who missed it... Team R.E.D. members were spotted on the Today Show!   I particularly find it fun that right after they say it's too cold for the Polar Bear to be outside, they roll into something like, "in Minnesota, runners are weathering the weather.... "

Nice work Monday Maniacs!  Click the link to view...    http://www.today.com/video/today/53799013#53799013

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If you haven't gotten an e-vite to attend a wonderful run and breakfast on Dec 21st.... please drop a note to Jean and Randy at the following email addresses: randy.quint@gmail.com, runintojean@gmail.com 

They will get you in this super Christmas run!   Many thanks to Randy and Jean for their work on this!   

Volunteers Needed!

Check out the note from Judy below... she is in the midst of filling volunteer spots for the Lace Up Against Breast Cancer Half Marathon, 5K and 2 Mile walk on Feb 9th.

We're using VolunteerSpot (the leading online signup and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming activity.
Please sign up for Lace Up Against Breast Cancer - here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
   1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/udGE7K
   2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot) 
   3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!
Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact Judy at weller.judy@gmail.com she can sign you up manually.

Additionally, Team R.E.D. is seeking a water station captain for Lace Up, as well as for Fetzer (in April) and the Chester Woods Trail races in June.    Please drop me a note at byron.teamred@gmail.com if you are willing to lead one of those stations (water stations are a ton of fun!)   -- Also, don't be scared of the job.. you can do it! (and I will help make sure you have what you need).

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Tonight 6:15pm!  The Freeze Your Ace Off trail run is taking place at Gamehaven scout camp.   Join us for a fun run on the new off road bike trails!

Thursday 6pm:  The Pay & Dash with Christmas Cheer is now here!   Meet at the back door of Brothers Bar & Grill in Rochester.   Be sure to dress in a festive outfit and please consider a $10 contribution to help make Pay & Dash a success!    

• What does that mean?   Before we get into full swing on the 3, 4 or 6 mile run or walk, we'll head to Azteca restaurant on 9th Street. We'll step inside with a quick Christmas Carol... then leave the hostess a pile of money to pay the tab for a table or two which we'll identify for her.   *if you don't like to sing, just move your lips!
• From there we're head to Denny's restaurant on Broadway and repeat the sounding joy.   
• We will determine how many meals we can pay for once we've collected the donations.  When we've spent our bank... we'll continue on the fitness portion of the evening... of course, ending back at Brothers Bar & Grill for our own social time.  
• I have a couple of prizes we can give away at Brothers as well! 

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I know it's been awhile since we took this picture, but I finally got my hands on it!   Below is a shot of the check presentation to the Byron Community Fund.  Nice work everyone involved in making the beer mile a great success... allowing us to give $1000 to the community fund!  How sweet it is!   

Team R.E.D. supports the Byron Community Fund!

Milestone achieved!

A few weeks ago, we reported Amy had run her furthest distance ever, along with partner in crime, Ann.  Well, this past weekend, Amy achieved her goal of running a full marathon!   Congrats to Amy and her man, Dan... as he also experienced the full marathon!   They will both have stories to share, I'm sure....

Below are a couple pics lifted from Facebook (I forgot to ask permission)....  but I'm feeling like these are safe to share...

Amy and Dan post marathon - looking good! 

Personalized menu... very nice touch! 

Next up, for these two and several other Team R.E.D. members is a run in Disney... or four runs! Several are doing the Dopey, consisting of a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Full Marathon, all on consecutive days!  Wow!   Go get it done!

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If you haven't see KTTC News recently you might have missed a great story surrounding Monday Maniacs.... the station wanted to follow some runners, to see if they are truly going to brave these sub zero wind chills, and you guessed it... Monday Maniacs were out and about right on schedule!  click the link below to see it.. or visit the Team RED facebook page for another chance to view it.


KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports

Brrrrrr Fest!

It was fun to see several Team R.E.D. members at the Ice Bar for BrrrrrrFest... it was chilly, but we are a tough bunch!  

A warm night with friends... 

Here's what the week looks like... but first, two important notes

• Trails and Track nights are swapped from when you might have expected to see them. 
• Thursday has a special Christmas Spirit theme associated with it, so please be sure to read it completely. 

Monday 6pm:  The Monday Maniacs are heading out from Beetles Bar & Grill on 2nd Street with options of 3, 4 or 6 miles.  The group will head downtown, to stay on clear sidewalks (some of them even heated!).   Be sure to dress warm, and enjoy the exercise.
Tuesday 5:30pm:  Turn up the speed on the indoor track at RCTC!   The track is free to use and open to the public on weekday mornings and evenings.  Please wear one pair of shoes into the building then change to a dry pair before hitting the track.
Wednesday 6:15pm:   The trail crew heads back to Gamehaven, but this time to take on the new bike trails.  It will prove to be a different route then we're accustomed to, yet our fearless leaders ensures us the trails are very well marked.
Thursday 6pm:  Team R.E.D. heads to Brothers Bar & Grill for what is sure to be a fun night of fitness and giving.  Park in the back of the bar, and come in the back door for the route talk.
Please consider dressing is a Christmasy look with hats, or bells or both.....  and consider bringing a $10 contribution to the run this week.   Why?  See below...

• Team R.E.D.'s first ever Dash & Pay night!  What does that mean?   Before we get into full swing on the 3, 4 or 6 mile run or walk, we'll head to Azteca restaurant on 9th Street. We'll step inside with a quick Christmas Carol... then leave the hostess a pile of money to pay the tab for a table or two which we'll identify for her.   *if you don't like to sing, just move your lips!
• From there we're head to Denny's restaurant on Broadway and repeat the sounding joy.   
• We will determine how many meals we can pay for once we've collected the donations.  When we've spent our bank... we'll continue on the fitness portion of the evening... of course, ending back at Brothers Bar & Grill for our own social time.  

Been Busy!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.. been a little hectic sort of week, but it'll all sort itself out in time!

• Tonight at 6pm - we're at the Bears Den in Byron!   I love going to the Den... they, along with our other great sponsors are amazing!
• This weekend from an event perspective - you can come back to Byron for Brrrrr Fest!    It's complete with a lot of family fun including Santa, the Byron Bear, tree lighting and photography at the roundabout plaza, cookies, hot chocolate and cider.. oh yeah, and an Ice Bar for the adult types.  Also, a free cup of chilli at the Bears Den!   Check out the full schedule at the following link. 
•    http://www.byronmnchamber.com/brrrfest.html
• This weekend from a fitness perspective - Off Season Striders!   
• Saturday 7:30am - Charlies on 2nd (across from St Mary's on 2nd street).  If you chicken out for the run, show up for breakfast anyway, sometime around 9am!  
• Sunday 8am - Dunn Bros on Elton Hills.  The hills might help us warm up!

I heard rumor the Predict your time Run on Jan 4th is a little slow in registrations.  This event is so much fun!  The winner is not necessarily the fastest, but the winner is the one who predicts their time the most accurately... get out and get registered!  

You can learn more, and register by visiting http://rochestertrackclub.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=28&ArticleID=426

The next person to register for the prediction run... wins a $15 gift card to the Bears Den!  Get it done! 

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I'd like to Thank Don for taking on the role of 2014 Home Host Coordinator.    You will see information on which dates are available in the spring.

If anyone is interested in any of the other volunteer opportunties we're still seeking several Water Station leads.  It's a pretty easy task, that always leads to smiles and fun along the way!

You can see more details on the November 30th post, but in short, the first few items up include Lace Up Against Breast Cancer, Fetzer Run to End Hunger and the Chester Woods trail races.     Please drop me an email at byron.teamred@gmail.com if you can lead one of these stations.   

Quick Peek at the Week

• Monday 6pm - Maniacs run from WildWood Bar & Grill
• Tuesday 6:15pm - Trail crew heads out to Chester Woods
• Wednesday 5:30pm - Speed work on the indoor track at RCTC
• Thursday 6pm -  Team R.E.D at the Bears Den in Byron