Mayo Cross Country 5K

Those who were able to join the Mayo Open had a great time! The course was a challenge to say the least. It's two loops around Eastwood golf course, complete with hills, grass, dirt and a great crowd of High School runners to offer support for the suffering. Pictured above is Tod as he approaches the finish line... a sweet downhill finish! Slide show coming soon...



Congrats to Anne for winning her age group at the Lupus Walk For Hope and 5K Trail Run on Saturday! She ran a strong pace, after her 17 mile training run! Also congrats to Mark as he ran his first race! The picture here is courtesy of Mark.

Shots from the Track

Thursday Night 5K

Hope to see you at the Mayo Open at Eastwood Gold Course this Thursday, 9/17. This is a 5K race on the same course the High School teams will race on for the Mayo Invitational Cross Country meet. Registration is from 5-5:30pm... and the race is currently scheduled to start at 6pm. Come on out and have some fun! In fact, come early and see some of the best High School runners in the state! The boys from Byron are ranked 7th in the State!

For those interested in some social time, we'll gather at McMurphy's Sports Bar following the race.

Getting Faster!

If you want to build speed, there is nothing like the track. The pics in the slideshow tell the story, it's fun! hahaha.. ok ok.. it's real hard work, but fun to test and build speed.

Axel Johnson - Passing

As some of you may have heard, Axel Johnson, age 17, passed away Friday. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers at this time.

You can check out the May 29th post and see the slide show from the night we supported the Action For Axel fundraiser. Thanks to all of you who were available and participated, the family and organizers were very appreciative that we took part.

Do you have a need for speed? If so, Monday & Thursday are for you!

• Monday 9/14, some Team members are gathering for a track workout in Byron. If you want to join us, come to 805 1st Ave NW in Byron at 6pm on Monday. We'll run an easy pace 1 mile warmup, then roll into 400 Meter repeats at the Middle School track. Our plan is 12 X 400... however, you can start with any qty of 400 meter repeats you're comfortable with. Then we'll run a 1 mile cool down back to 1st Ave.


• Thursday 9/17 at Eastwood Golf Course is the Mayo Open (5K). This event follows the High School Cross Country meet and is open to all-comers. There is no charge for this 5K. Keep in mind, it's run on a golf course, so it's on grass, and hilly, but.. it's not like running trails, the grass is of course well groomed.

Additional Evidence

The following link provides further evidence that Team R.E.D. is on to something! Thanks to Mark Baron for sending the link to the story.

http://running.about.com/b/2009/09/03/drinkers-more-likely-to-exercise.htm

Upcoming Race Opportunities

Just wanted to post a few upcoming race opportunities! Details about these races, and more can be found on the Rochester Track Club website at http://rochestertrackclub.com/CALENDAR.aspx Countdowns to many of these are on the right hand column of this blog as well.

• 9/12 8:30am -- MMCF 5K walk/run for Blood Cancer Research. Starts at Essex park in Rochester.
• 9/12 6pm -- Chosen One Run for the Bella Adoption Foundation. This is a 5K/8K walk/run starting at the Firehall in Zumbrota.
• 9/13 9am -- Gift of Life Transplant House 5K run/walk. Starting near the Gift of Life House at 2nd St & 7th Ave SW in Rochester
• 9/17 6pm -- Mayo Open Cross Country 5K. This is a Rochester Track Club Grand Prix event and it takes place at 6pm at Eastwood Golf course.
• 9/26 8:30am -- Harvest Classic 5K walk/run and 1 Mile fun run. Located at Silver Lake Park in Rochester.

Great Run!

It was a great night for Team RED. Some people were late arriving (Wendy & Tom), but the Team waited for us! The temperature felt warm at first, but as the sun set, it cooled down perfectly!

I'd like to welcome 3 new faces to the Team, (although I again forgot the camera! so you can't see their faces just yet). Karl-Peter (KP), Rachel and Abby (that could be spelled correctly) joined us for the 1st time on Thursday. As is the norm.. one of the newbies won a gift card! Congrats Abby!

Remember, next week we'll be back at the Bears Den... and the 3rd Thursday, Sept 17th, we will move to Eastwood golf course for the Mayo Open (5K - Free Race). We can pick a Rochester location to meet for the E.D. portion of the evening.

Team RED - Sept 3rd!

Looking forward to another great night of Team RED! This week we start at 7pm from the Bears Den in Byron. Routes are posted on the right hand side. That 6.5 miler can be shortened a tad if you so choose.

A few of us are still pounding away some track workouts once a week. Our schedule seems to shift a bit week to week, but if you want to join, let us know and we'll keep you in the loop. The scheduled time and location both shift a little, it's a bit of back and forth before we agree where/when. Additionally, there is a group that meets for track workouts at the Running Room on Tuesday evenings. Please contact the Running Room for details if interested.

By the way.. the new Bears Den is progressing nicely! Should be ready by the end of this month (I think).

Oxbow & Team RED Notes

What a great evening for a Team RED gathering at Oxbow park! We had a few more people show up compared to the last time we visited the park. The short route folks added on to the route intentionally, while the long route people got duped into a longer then advertised route! I'm happy to report, everyone made it back to the 1st Bridge! In fact, 80% of the crew made it through the trails without falling! That's a great success rate!

Following last nights walk/run, we discussed a few items.

#1 -- It's getting dark sooner! We'll likely move up the start time to 6:30pm one of these weeks, surely an email reminder will come out with that information.

#2 -- I will send an email next week to get a sense as to how people feel about continuing our get together weekly, or if we should consider going back to twice a month. When you see this email, please respond so that your input is considered.

#3 -- We discussed additional Team RED shirts.. i.e. Long Sleeves and Sleeveless. I've placed a poll on the right side to sense how much interest there may be. Please take a moment to cast your vote!

I have also requested shirt samples from Pro Image so that we can have a good view as to how large they run. They will be slightly different material from your current tees, however still moisture wicking. If enough interest I would like to get them ordered in early Sept, as summer is surely winding down. Soon we'll be heading out in weather like Tom W and I battled with some others last winter.

Oxbow Tonight! 8/27

Hey all.. sorry for the delay in getting this posted. I've been out of town with the Byron Cross Country team. What a great group of young people! Should be another exciting season for the both the Byron Boys & Girls teams! They have a scrimmage at Oxbow park Friday morning, and the first meet is one week from today!

This evening we're heading into the woods! We'll meet at Oxbow Parks 1st Bridge (which is the 2nd parking lot on your left as you enter oxbow). The O'Leary's will provide high quality tap water. If you enjoy a different post run beverage, please bring your own, I suspect we will.

Here's a link to info on the park if you're interested in learning more. http://www.co.olmsted.mn.us/upload_dir/pw/oxbowpark.pdf

Great Day! Roch Half Marathon & 5K

What a great day to run and volunteer! Team R.E.D. did both, and did it well, turning in some fantastic 5K & Half Marathon results.... and rockin' and rollin' the Mile 5 Aid Station!

Race results can be found at: http://onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=3985

Pictures are courtesy of Tom Woo... (thanks Tom!) you can view his full album at the following link. http://sports.webshots.com/album/574261995HFgJZs
I'll also try to pull some more Team RED related pics later next week.

Rochester Half & 5K!

Good luck to all of you running in the Rochester Half Marathon & 5K on Saturday! Looks like it could be a great day for running and spectating alike! This is a great event put on by the Rochester Track Club, they do an excellent job with all their races.... pictured here is Lana recovering from last years Roch Half. (at least I think it was last years race!)

Team RED is operating the Aid Station at Mile 5 for the Half Marathon and approx mile 1 of the 5K. Stop on by and say "Hi" if you're in the area! (we'll be located on a bike path, near the intersection of 4th ST SE & 6th Ave SE.

I found this interesting nugget within an article about "living longer"on msn.com

You run for 40 minutes a day.
Scientists in California found that middle-aged people who did just that—for a total of about five hours per week—lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively as they got older; the researchers tracked runners and nonrunners for 21 years. "What surprised us is that the runners didn't just get less heart disease—they also developed fewer cases of cancer, neurologic diseases, and infections," says study author Eliza Chakravarty, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. "Aerobic exercise keeps the immune system young." If you don't like to run, even 20 minutes a day of any activity that leaves you breathless can boost your health, she says.

The full story can be found at the following link.

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100243267&gt1=31036

Prayers and Support

I'd like to ask you to please send your prayers and thoughts to Paula Patterson and her daughters regarding the passing of their husband and father Bruce. Bruce passed due to his battle with pancreatic cancer. Paula is a friend I've gained through running.

Wendy and I are attending the Fight For Bruce fundraiser scheduled 4-10pm on Friday, 8/21 at Somerby Golf Club in Byron. Along with prayers and support, the event will include dinner, silent auction and a bake sale. The benefit will continue as planned in his honor.

Here's a comment added to the benefit website this morning:
Update: (8/18/09, 9:12am)
Bruce passed away last night. In Paula's words, "Bruce, my husband, my hero, is now resting in peace. We love and miss him and will hold him forever in our hearts."

Below are a couple web links, one with Bruce's story.. another will let you know how you can help, even if you can not attend the Somerby fundraiser.
http://fightforbruce.com/index.html
http://fightforbruce.com/help/index.html

Rochester Half Marathon & 5K!

Hey.. a quick good luck to all those Team RED members participating in this Saturday's Rochester Half Marathon & 5K. This race is simply one of the best in the state of Minnesota! For those of you who would like to spectate, and I encourage you to do so, the race starts at the Holiday Inn Express, downtown Rochester... and finishes behind the Mayo Civic Center. Come on out and cheer them on!

Also a great Thank You to those of you who are volunteering at the aid station! Should be lots of fun! If anyone is interested in joining the volunteer crew, we always have room for more!

No Fear!

Team R.E.D. showed no fear venturing out Thursday despite the looming rain, and it paid off! There was indeed a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, in the form of food and drink in the safety of the Barons home! A very enjoyable and well deserved social time.

As you may have heard by now, Team RED is staffing a water station for the Rochester Half Marathon & 5K. Please drop us an email at byron.teamred@gmail.com if you're interested in joining the fun! It's a curbside seat for one of Minnesota's premier races. Many of our runners are participating, it will be great to cheer them on! Additionally, in response to hearing we're volunteering at a station, we received this message from Lin Gentling of the Rochester Track Club.
*************************
Yea!!! For Team RED!!!!!!!

THANKS so much. Details to follow.
************************

Interesting Study

The link below is about a study on runners and the impacts to their knees. I found it interesting. See you tonight at Anne's place!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/phys-ed-can-running-actually-help-your-knees/?em

Baron To Host 8/13!

For this week's Team R.E.D. we'll gather at the home of Anne Baron. (pictured here with Wendy O'Leary). Anne will provide water, beer and wine for the social after our fine workout! Thanks Anne!

Routes are posted on the right side of this blog, and as you may know, Anne lives on a hilly side of town... soooooooo.... all these routes contain some elevation challenges!

I've sent a separate email with Anne's address. Also in that email is information about a Rochester Track Club beer run the same night as our Team RED get together! It's possible to pull double duty, but it'll be tight! If you haven't received that email and would like to be added to our distribution list, please drop us a note at byron.teamred@gmail.com

Below is a great link, provided by Rochester runner Mike Schmitt. This tip could come in handy for anyone who runs both events this Thursday. I love practical advice!

http://food.theatlantic.com/abroad/running-under-the-influence.php

Team R.E.D. from the Bears Den

The humidity was more then anticipated, but hey, if you're going to sweat, you may as well sweat together! This weeks routes ranged from 2.5 miles to 4 miles to 5.1 miles. Then of course, many stories and laughs enjoyed at the Bears Den afterwards!

My camera work was shoddy at best! Lots of blurry pics that I sent to the recycle bin. The slideshow represents all I could salvage.

Treadman Duathlon at Risk

The Treadman Duathlon has announced cancellation of the event, due to extremely low registrations. They will consider re-opening registration if they hear from potential registrants soon! If you're interested, please contact Bill Nevala at wnevala@yahoo.com or WINMultisports@gmail.com right away.

The event needs to have 100 confirmed registrations by Aug 16th or it will be cancelled altogether. You can follow this link for continued updates on the event. http://www.winmultisportevents.com/treadman_duathlon.html

Kasson & Chatfield Races This Weekend - Bears Den Tonight!

Hey all.. more opportunities to catch a local race this weekend. And of course, we get to catch up with each other tonight at the Bears Den at 7pm!

Chatfield's Western Stampede Days offers a 10K / 2 Mile & 1 mile fun walk/run. You can find more details at http://rochestertrackclub.com/Calendar/Calendar-Detail.aspx?raceID=293

Kasson's Festival Run provides a 10K & 5K. Race details are at http://rochestertrackclub.com/Calendar/Calendar-Detail.aspx?raceID=290

Congrats on a great 11 Miler!

Congrats to those who took part in the Douglas Trail 11 Mile on Saturday. There was a great turnout of Team RED members, and they produced some excellent results! Below you'll see Anne and Renee charging to the finish in the Metro of Douglas! Also racing in Douglas on Saturday were Al, Paul M, Tom W & Tom O'




We're on for the Bears Den at 7pm this Thursday 8/6. Routes will be posted Wednesay... of course, they will vary in distance. See you then!

Check out the slideshow below, and you'll find it was a great run and social last Thursday. Come join us this week!

Rochester Half Marathon & 5K

The Rochester Track club is seeking volunteers to help with the Rochester Half Marathon & 5K which will be run on Aug 22nd. It's really a fantastic event and will be run on a new course this year!

If you're able to volunteer some of your time, please contact Jean Murray at: runintojean@gmail.com As many of you know, it takes a whole lot of volunteers to pull off a great event. Jean is super to work with. Her and I co-direct the Spring Classic in May.

Bellrichards Host!

Just a reminder, we're meeting Thursday 7/30 at 7pm at the Bellrichard Ranch for fitness & fun! Thanks Meg & Tod for hosting! They will provide water, beer and munchies.. so come and enjoy! If you didn't receive the email with address & directions, drop me a note at byron.teamred@gmail.com and I'll be sure to get the information to you.

Also note, there's a great race this weekend starting and finishing in Douglas. They have two events, a 2 mile fun run and an 11 mile race. The price is fantastic, $9 pre-registered, and $10 if you register on race day. Hope to see many of you there!

Spotted on the run.

Congrats to everyone who raced this weekend. During my Saturday long run, I saw Chris O'Brien (one of our newest members, pictured here with a handsome man at the Byron Good Neighbor Day run.) and Renee Kottschade (not pictured here, but she's had a lot of pictures posted already!). The ladies were running strong in Rochester's Woman's Race!

I also know Tom Woo ran a very nice 5K placing 2nd overall at Wabasha River Boat Days. Anyone else race this weekend? If so, let me know.

The Belrichards have graciously off erred to host this Thursdays Team R.E.D. gathering! Details will follow Tuesday as I'm going to be late for Texas Hold 'Em if I don't get out of here!

Weekend Races Abound!

Well, there are a few races to be had this weekend. At least one Team member is heading to Wabasha for the 5K/10K. I know some others still considering Hayfield for a 5K walk/run. Also keep in mind the Rochester Woman's race is this weekend too! Lots of options!

If you're not interested in a race, but want to get in a long run on Saturday. A group meets at the RAC at 7am. Distances are aimed for those training for a half or full marathon. So, likely 9-15 miles.

By the way... it was a great turnout at Team RED Thursday night, especially considering it wasn't the 1st or 3rd Thursday!

Thursday 7/23 at Bears Den

Thursday is creeping up on us, we're still planning to meet at the Bears Den at 7pm on 7/23 for this weeks walking and running. Routes will be posted later this afternoon. See you soon!

Results are posted

Here's a snap shot of Wally Arnold getting in the zone for the Byron Good Neighbor Days Run. Wally assisted Charro in getting the course certified this year, which in turn, resulted in a slightly longer course then last years... those dogs!

You can find the results at the following link. Thanks to Sam for the results link.

http://www.rochestertrackclub.com/Results/Results-Detail.aspx?resultsID=156

Great Turnout! Great Fun!

Wow! Team RED showed up in force at Good Neighbor Days 5K & 2.5K. Captured in the photo above in the front (left to right) are Paul Chmielewski, Annette Chmielewski, Kathy Baumbach & Anne Baron. In the back, (left to right) are Lance Snow, Tom O'Leary, Renee Kottschade, Tom Woo, Sam Ellis & Karen Marolot. Participating, but not available for this picture are Paul Melby, Wally Arnold, Zulbiye Jorgensen, Missy Barth, Jeff Jensen, Mary Jensen, Jeff Wallevand and two of our newest members, Beth Taylor and Chris O'Brien (I sure hope I didn't forget anyone, if so, correct me, and I'll update!)

Coach Coleman puts on a quality race... and Team RED members turned out to not only run, but also volunteer. Special thanks go to Patty Anderson, Peg Arnold & Wendy O'Leary for helping make the race take place. Congrats to all, with special mention to Tom Woo, Kathy Baumbach & Paul Melby for all placing within their age groups.

Good Neighbor Day Run - Saturday

Hope to see many of you at the Good Neighbor Day 5K & 2.5K on Saturday. The O'Leary's will be there, both running and volunteering. Many of you are probably aware of the Good Neighbor Day event schedule, but in case you haven't seen the lineup, I've pasted a link to a .pdf file that lays it out for you.

http://www.byronmn.com/vertical/Sites/{AB4DA627-110F-4DDB-A83D-A27638C29D9A}/uploads/{22CD3CA7-7BE9-4038-832D-DAA26CCCECDC}.PDF

As a reminder, we meet at the Bears Den for a run/walk on Thursday 7/16... if you're racing on Saturday, you may consider backing off your pace a bit, don't press to hard, so you're still fresh on Saturday. You'll find the routes on the right hand side of the blog, below the poll. Check them out.

See you soon!

Track Workout Monday

A few of us are planning to hit the Byron Track on Monday 7/13 . If interested in joining, you can do one of two things. Meet at 805 1st Ave NW at 6pm, for just under a mile warm-up to the track (this run will be at an easy pace)... or if you prefer... you can meet us at the Byron Track at approx 6:10.

We're planning on 400M repeats, in which you run hard for 400M... then run a recovery lap... and repeat. These repeats are at individual paces, we can discuss what pace we should be each shooting for, and then go do it!

Why would you want to participate? Here's a link that discusses tips on 'running faster'... there is a small section on interval training with 400M repeats.

http://running.about.com/od/howtorun/tp/runfaster.htm

A good time!

Thanks for joining us last night... what a great group. Some of you failed to ring the bell on the stop sign near Oxbow, so your route was short, you should probably go back and finish the course.

We had some discussion on starting a weekly track workout. Please let me know if you're interested. We're trying to nail down the day of the week, and start time. More to follow.

Below is a link to some running tips, it covers many topics from Running Courtesy/Manners to Motivation to Ache/Pain prevention & recovery. #35 is one I never forget for longer races and training runs.

http://completerunning.com/archives/2006/09/12/100-beginner-running-tips/


Ten Things to Consider with your exercise program:

1. For every mile you jog, you add one minute to your life. This enables you, at the age of 85, to spend an additional five months in a nursing home at $5,000/month.
2. The only reason I took up jogging was to hear heavy breathing again.
3. I joined a health club last year, spending $400 in the process. I haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to show up.
4. I have to exercise early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing.
5. I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
6. The advantage to exercising every day is that you die healthier.
7. I have flabby thighs but fortunately my stomach covers them.
8. If you are going to take up cross-country skiing, it helps to start with a small country.
9. I don't jog; it makes me spill my milk shake.
10. Actually, I don't exercise at all. If we were meant to touch our toes, we would have them farther up on our body.

7/9 at the O'Leary's

Come one come all! Our next Team RED get together is Thursday 7/9 at 7pm. We'll start and finish at the O'Leary residence. Water, Beer & Soda will be provided on the patio... we'll see if we can dig up a few snacks as well.

You'll find our house at: 805 1st Ave NW in Byron

7/2 is Team RED

It's a holiday weekend and we hope you all are ready to enjoy! 7/2 is the first Thursday of the month, and it's a GO for Team R.E.D. Routes are posted on the right hand column. Once again, it's time for Fitness & Fun!

Way To Go Kathy!

Congrats to Kathy Baumbach and her Rochesterfest Triathlon relay team! They won their division! Very well done!

As many of you know, this was Kathy's first race of any distance. What a way to start out your racing career! I'll have to get after her to see if she can give us an overview of the event.

Nice work!

Fun!

It was an enjoyable evening for Team R.E.D. Not only did we walk/run the Hills of Melbyville, we also had some great conversation. Below the slideshow, I've listed a few of the things we learned from each other (I'm sure there was more, this is off the top of the head thinking (most of the names have been removed to protect the not so innocent).

One Team RED member had his share of strugges in the water, what a great recap of his first Sprint Tri event.
One Team RED member has a "disciple" runner, who is wanted by the police in Michigan.
One Team RED member can't live on chips alone. Subway appreciates his business.
One Team RED member doesn't mind that gas is $2.55 gallon, therefore drove up the hill.
One Team RED member (Kathy) is running her first ever race! She'll handle the 5K portion as part of a relay for this weekends triathlon.



Have a Great Weekend!

Thursday @ The Melby's

Hope everyone is surviving the heat! At least some of the humidity slid away last evening, turned into a pretty nice night.

This week's Team R.E.D. will start and finish at Paul Melby's place, located at 245 10th St NE in Byron. Water, beer, mixed nuts & chips will be provided by the host, Thanks Paul!

Routes are posted on the Right hand side of the blog. I'm going to stare at the map again, see if we can come up with one under 2 miles as well, since all these routes will provide some hills. See you there!

Fathers Day Weekend

The O'Leary's want to thank Al Jorgensen for tipping us off to a fantastic event this weekend! It was the Minnesota Military Appreciation 5K Run and fun walk. This was to support an organization that provides cash grants to families who have a loved one serving in combat zones. It was very well organized and they really raised a lot of money!
Shane and Tom ran the 5K (at blistering paces of course), while Wendy and Megan participated in the walk, led by many flags, it was very impressive to see.
Along with registration, participants received a Thanks tee-shirt, 4 tickets to Sunday's Twins game (they lost by the way) and 4 tickets to a Timberwolves game in November.

Remember, this Thursday evening, we can beat the heat by running from the Melby Mansion. Paul is already making his grocery list, and so far, it seems to consist of mostly beer.

Humid!

Good work last night! That was warm, humid & sticky to say the least. I think I finally stopped dripping sweat about midnight. I'd post photo's if I had remembered the camera.

The Covered Bridge 5K/10K is Saturday in Zumbrota at 8am. Race day registration is available starting at 7am.

Thanks go to Paul Melby, as he has offered to host next weeks Team R.E.D. gathering. Paul lives at the top of a hill... so at least we get to start out, downhill. Address and details will follow, as well as a reminder email.

Weather Girl is predicting storms

Last time I checked out the weather girl forecast on the right hand side of this blog (if you don't see her, scroll down a bit), she was predicting some storms for Thursday. Team R.E.D. is still on, as weather forecasts are often very poor from an accuracy standpoint. If it's nasty nasty at 7pm, we may shorten things or head straight to the bar. We can discuss at game time.

Paul @ Chester Woods Trail Run

The Chester Woods Trail Run race director (Jim Mason), provided this picture of Team R.E.D.'s Paul Melby. Paul is center in this picture, wearing yellow & #903. We couldn't help but notice, Paul seems to have an admirer behind him. Click on the photo for a larger view, and it "appears" that he's being checked out! Then again, she might just be wondering where he buys his shorts.

Oxbow Review & Upcoming Events

We had a small but mighty crew at Oxbow! The trails are a blast to hike and run, a great change of pace from pounding the pavement. Mason & Hurricane, pictured here, get the award for tackling the longest distance last night. The prize? Well, ok... just bragging rights! After the jaunts were complete, we were able to hang out and share some peanuts, popcorn, beverages and good stories. Thanks for those who were able to join!

Next Team R.E.D. is 7pm at Bears Den on Thursday 6/18.

If you're around this weekend, there are a lot of race options, see below:

6/13 @ 8:30am is the Pine Island Ribbon Run (5K). All proceeds from this event will be used for breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs. Registration is at the Pine Island H.S.

6/13 @ 8:15am is the Fountain Trail Runners 5K. Race starts at the Trail Head in Fountain, just off county road 8.

6/14 @ 5PM is the MacAttack 5K Run & 3K Fun Walk for the Ronald McDonald House & Brighter Tomorrow's. Registration and starting line are by the Silver Lake Swimming Pool.

6/16 @ 5:30pm is the All-Comers Mile. You may often think of the all-comers meets being for kids... this one let's the adults participate as well! 1 Mile race at Soldiers Field - this event is FREE.

Thursday 6/11 - Oxbow!

We're taking the show on the road, well, actually, taking it off the road and to the trail! Thursday night marks the first session of a weekly Team RED run/walk during the summer. We'll meet at at 7pm at Oxbow Parks 1st Bridge (which is the 2nd parking lot on your left as you enter oxbow). We'll discuss the routes and head out!

The O'Leary's will provide high quality drinking water. If you enjoy a cocktail post-run, please bring your own, I suspect I will.

If you've never hiked or run the trail of oxbow, you're in for a treat! If you have, this will be a reminder of how wonderful this park is in our very own backyard. Here's a link to info on the park if you're interested in learning more. http://www.co.olmsted.mn.us/upload_dir/pw/oxbowpark.pdf

Check out the trailer for Spirit of the Marathon (near the bottom of this blog). I saw this at the theater, and it's simply amazing! If you've ever run a marathon.... you'll love it. If you've ever considered a marathon... you need to see it.

Spirit of the Marathon captures everyone, from elite athletes to first timers, unsure if they can accomplish the feat. It's such a great story... check it out. Fathers Day is just around the corner (hint hint O'Leary family!)

Summer Schedule

Based on the results of last weeks poll, we're moving to an every week schedule for the summer! No worries, if you can't make it all the time, please come to the Team R.E.D. get together that you can.

Summer Schedule: we'll keep the 1st & 3rd Thursdays at the Bears Den... then the 2nd & 4th (sometimes 5th) will start a finish at another location, providing some change in scenery. The location will be determined week by week.

This Thursday, June 11th, we discussed meeting at Oxbow Park, and hitting the trail system. There are flat, easy trails.. as well as some steeper options for those interested. I'll check out the trails Wednesday, if they're still really wet/muddy, we'll come up with Plan B.

Congrats!

Congratulations to last weeks guest runner, Steve DeBoer, as on Sunday June 7th, Steve celebrated another anniversary of his running streak, consisting of running at least one mile per day, every day, since 1971!

I know for those in attendance on Thursday, the general thought was that is absolutely amazing! Below is a link to the official U.S.A. Streak Association. Interesting, as Steve mentioned, Rochester MN has the highest percentage of streak runners in the nation. (I would have expected a warmer climate to hold that honor).

runeveryday.com

Routes & Guest

I've moved up our Thursday evening start time to 6:45pm to provide an opportunity to speak with Steve Deboer (pictured here). Steve is 5th on the U.S.A. Active Streak Running list... and this Sunday will mark his 38th complete year of running at least one mile, everyday since June 7th 1971! We'll chat with Steve a bit and then plan to be on the road at approx 7pm.

The routes for this week have been linked to the right hand column of this page. I'm re-using some routes from a few weeks ago (as I ran out of time!)

On an unrelated note: Who wants to make a trip to Chi-town this fall? This race looks awesome! Thanks to Mike Schmitt for sharing it. The race is sponsored by Men's Health, but both men and women compete.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid4121778001?bclid=4132873001&bctid=4239942001

News & Notes

Hey everyone.. first off, I'll just brag a bit as Megan O'Leary competed in the Kids Triathlon this past weekend. They had to swim 200 yards, bike 5 miles and run 1 mile. She did great, beating her time from last year by more then 2 1/2 minutes!

Ok.. on to business. It's Team R.E.D. week! I'll have the routes posted online later today, or early tomorrow. Please come join us this Thursday at Bears Den at 7pm!

A week from tonight marks the start of the 39th Annual All Comers Track Meets at Rochester's Soldiers Field track. This is a great event, which runs for 6 consecutive Tuesdays starting June 9th. The running events range in distances from 50 meters to one mile, and the long jump is also offered. Children run against others in their own age group, which range from ages 2-and-under through high school. (parents can run to assist their children if they like). Here's a link to the website http://www.rochestertrackclub.com/RACES--ACTIVITIES/All-Comers.aspx Just check out this little guy collecting his ribbon! What fun!

The Byron Track Booster Club and Byron Community Education also co-sponsor All-Comers meets, and they start a week from Sunday. Details below:
*_Byron All-Comers Track Meets...All Ages Welcome!!!_*
When: Sundays, June 14, 28 and July 12
Where: Byron Middle School Track/Field
Time: 6:00 pm
Events: 25 meters - 50 meters – 100 meters – 200 meters – 400 meters
1 mile run (If enough interest)
Field Events: Long Jump – Any age
Shot Put: 8 years and older
High Jump: 8 years and older
Cost: FREE to all!! No Charge!
*_BRING WATER TO DRINK_*
Participation ribbons and ribbons for 1st, 2nd and
3rd places will be awarded in both girls’ and boys’ categories. Ages of
competition will be: 2 years and under, 3-12 year olds will be competing
with their own age groups, 13-15 years, 16-18 years and adult.
Handicapped athletes are welcome to attend and compete.

Also note, there's a great race coming up this Saturday. It's the Chester Woods Trail Run at Chester Woods park. Go to: http://rochestertrackclub.com/Calendar/Calendar-Detail.aspx?raceID=274 to find all the details, including down loadable entry forms, online registration and a link to the race directors (Jim Mason) blog.

On that note, we have one Complimentary Chester Woods Trail Run entry up for grabs this week! Please let me know if you're interested, and I'll pull together some type of contest to see who is the winner! (I know of two people interested so far, I do recommend this race, it's well organized and great fun!)