I'll take that challenge.... " bet you can't run just one"

Wellllllllllll... I just got an email from let me double check...The Barrie RoadRunners on behalf of Peter from mynextrace.com - He says " I bet you can't run just one" referring to the Niagara Subaru Race Series.

As luck would have it I'm slated to sign up for the Grimbsy Half this Friday. I've just signed up for Around the Bay last week. I have to at least APPEAR to have my addiction under control other wise they up my meds again.

I grew up in Lincoln County - why the heck not. My buddy Sam needs to kick start her running again after a series of illnesses. We'll see how many I can avoid from this series.

Since my daughter, Chelsea, has caught the walking bug - we just may end up doing three or four of the races in their series. I'll keep ya'll posted.
( okay prolly more me supporting her new found hobby than me running - cuz some times it's just not about you - it's about them!)

Till the next blog!

My the wind be at your back and wings on your feet.

Robbie Burns - an excuse to wear a kilt

Well what a glorious Sunday morning January 24th was. A grrrate grrrraaaate day for a wee race! And why not head down to Burlington for it? They know how to put on a fun time.
Race kit pick up was very easy - once you actually go when the store is open .... whoops. "Green" blue Walmart reusable bags were the kit. Had some E-load products in there. Very nice, very nice indeed for a "smaller race".
926 runners signed up. 826 finished. Not sure how they managed to lose 100 runners along the way - the Insta Kilts were not THAT amazing. Fun for sure... but difficult to work with. If I do it again - I may have to invest some time and energy in shopping the local Goodwills for one.
Be that as it may - it was not a run for a PB ifnya were going tee wear your wee kilt!

What was a treat was the fact the staging area was inside the school! BONUS!! WARMTH and coffee, tea and hot chocolate! I could see this was gearing up to be an AWESOME apres run do! I was giddy with anticipation. My kilt was pinned as best as I could muster. Rectangle doesn't fit curves well.

So Terry, Joy, Keith, Veronica & I milled about the school and bumped into Tigera and her two friends as well as Nancy C & her girl friend at the start. A nice showing of RoadRunners for a first outting to the 30th annual running of the Robbie Burns 8K Road Race.

I had my Garmin on and no intervals set. I was going to work on my speed, my biomechanics and run without my water belt. I only had a Cherry Halls in my running capris. I think it was about a year old by the looks of it - but beggars CAN NOT be choosers at this point in the game. What doesn't kill me....

Off when the buzzer and over the start line I went. I had Kevin's voice in my head the whole time. "elbows down, shoulders down - less breaks." " elbows down, shoulders down - find your pace" " elbows down, shoulders down ...." Yeah okay Kev I get the picture .. argh.. come back when I'm about to pass out from a lack of oxygen okay buddy? sheesh.

I managed to maintain under my race pace - at the 3K mark I took what I thought was a quick break to unwrap my vintage Halls cough drop and pop it in my mouth - with out dropping it. I know what I'm like.
Then a quick one at 6K mark cuz I promised myself one at 6k. I was almost done my Halls - I was still maintaining under my race pace. And then off to the home stretch and stretch it was. Off in the distance I almost make out the school. Not long now. Nancy's friend Hilda was wonderful enough to run a short way with me to help me dial it up a notch. Kevin rejoined my head with a " finish strong!!" " finish strong" AAAAAAARRGHHh Fine fine fine...

I'm a tad bit disappointed - I was slower than the Slainte 8K run - but then I wasn't wearing a ankle length cocktail skirt / towel/ kilt. But happy I could figure out my pace as well as minimize my break time. So really a success if you look at it through squinty eyes. Honest.

Would I do it again? Definitely. It is great fun. I mean they were serving freshly made PORRIDGE... bagels, bananas & the tried and true Canadian MAPLE COOKIE. After the race for the awards ceremony we all gathered in the auditorium. Keith Lascelles won a nifty prize for being the first kilted runner across the finish line! Way to go Keith! Nancy was 3rd in her age category 44-49 and Terry ended up on stage showing off his grand kilt in their annual Best Kilt - Male category! Unfortunately the competition was a bit too fierce - several of the lads bowed out when twirling in their kilts looked to be the only way to win this highly sought after competition.
It really was a lovely kilt Terry!

It was a great day and a fun run!

The Goofy Challenge and a Half - A little late but better than never

As I was packing for Lake Buena Vista, Florida, better know as Walt Disney World; I check The Weather Network.com it read - Saturday (half marathon day) 9 degrees with clouds. Sunday ( full marathon day) sunny and 11 degrees. WOOT WOOT… add 10 degrees on for body heat and we are looking a very nice Barrie RoadRunners official tank top running day!! Nooooooooice.
So with some hesitation I tossed in my Angus Glen 10 miler jacket and my NYC Marathon ¾ zipper jacket. However; I figured the evenings would be cooler so a necessity they would be. Little did I know….

Cut to the Buffalo Airport on Wednesday January 6th. There I am with my sister hanging around the departure lounge, after having successfully making through the TSA (transportation security authority) screening process. I must say the TSA Agent with the rubber glove was very gentle…
When what to my wondering eyes should appear but three Duffies. I KNOW THEM!!!!! There was Jim, Janet and Janet’s Mum Marion. Off we went on a Jet Blue flight to the sunny side of the world, or so I thought.
Upon our arrival at the Airport then our transport to the Caribbean Beach Resort – strange and unusual sights were filling my eyes. THEY WERE WEARING PARKAS, TOQUES & GLOVES. Uhmm HELLO… Florida the sunshine state… what is going on? Only the biggest cold snap in the history of Florida. Niicce. And me without my winter running gear. PERFECT!!

The expos was great. Lots to see and do – bargains if you searched for them. The Goofy apparel was in great danger of disappearing quickly, so I was glad I went first thing on Thursday.
Friday night a number of us gathered at Corondo Springs Resort in Disney World and enjoyed a wonderful meal. Then back to our respective rooms as we needed to be up around 3am to catch the 4am bus to the Epcot Centre – where the start for the Half Marathon was.
Man was it cold & rainy. Luckily Shannon invested two green backs for me and I was the proud owner of a couple rain ponchos. As we gathered at the starting corals I looked up amidst the darkened rain ladened skies and my mouth dropped open and an audible – ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME !!! exited my gapping mouth. IT WAS SNOWING.
I’m from Barrie! I’m a RoadRunner – piece of cake! Yeah was still cold.
I love the Half at Disney – generally as you run through the Magic Kingdom and Epcot there are Characters galore, not just the kind running in a Minnie Mouse costume – but Minnie herself. Alas I think due to the cold they weren’t all out and about. Oh well. There is always the marathon. Right?

After the half – I gathered my posse and we headed out to Hollywood Studios for a day fraught with adventure. One never knows what hairy scary things will happen on the Studio tours ride back through movie history – surely not the same thing as two years ago.
*blank stare* apparently it can.

Then after a rousing good time we headed back to our resort and met up with “the gang” and carb loaded at Shutters. They didn’t have room for a reservation for 10 – but they could make room for two tables of 5.
*blank stare*

Marathon morning loomed early – it was cold – again, but no snow thankfully. I was once again decked out in my finest Dollar store rain poncho! Thank you SOOOO much Shannon!
As we huddled around the twirling lights for the little bit of warmth coming from the diesel generator, our plan of attack was well in gear. I had brought along a Chiropractor for those last minute adjustments.
Off we went in search of our “joint” corral – since there were no corral police – we picked one the closest one to us – which is about a 15 minute walk from the staging area.
After a spectacular show of fire works the first wave was off, then the second, then the third … Then it was US!!!!!
Cindy and I had our race plan and we were sticking to it like glue! Pictures at every mile marker & with all the characters, to hell with our time; this was never going to be a PB race anyway. Well I broke my camera having dropped it several times during the course of the trip from the bus from my resort to the staging area and the corrals. Whoops.
Drat! Oh well. Off we trotted. Breaks at every mile marker – lost Jim, Janet and Tracy shortly after departure – Janet’s blinky Mickey ears were lost in a sea of runners.

I thoroughly enjoyed the run. Cindy was a terrific running partner – we had a blast whenever we could. I had a pack of tic tacs in my running belt cuz you just never know right? I mean I did meet a Dr earlier, it could be my lucky day and who wants runner’s breath!?! Plus it was a great pace keeper (found that out during the half marathon), Cindy always knew where I was and it’s a great conversation starter? “Hey what’s making that noise? Change? Jelly beans?” No way. PINK TIC-TACs – that whole calorie and a half is going to get me across the finish line!

The sun finally managed to poke its head out from the clouds and it was a wonderful run! It’s a terrific opportunity to see the parks and smell them too i.e. the Animal Kingdom very oderific. Yummy!
We met so many people through our Barrie RoadRunners aparel. Many times I hear " Hey Barrie, I'm from Ottawa or I'm from Brampton. You talk for a while and before you know it a couple of miles are knocked off. Even citizens from the great US of A would inquire as to what a Barrie was and after a short geography lesson ( you know that big land mass to the North of you... yeah? Well that's where we are from)

And to top it all off - it was a PB for Cindy. She's not as excited as I am about it! She did the Half Marathon the day before then PB'd her marathon the next day! I think that was awesome.

This race is no Mickey Mouse operation, if you’ll excuse the pun. There were roughly 55,000 participants and 6000 volunteers. It ran very smoothly. There was entertainment along the way, school bands, choirs, Disney folks & characters.
I picked up my race kit in about 10 minutes. They did inquire to see my ID, gave me my bibs and one time chips along with instructions on how to get to the next building to get to the Expos. ( I promptly got lost three steps out of the door)
I walked through the Goofy line for my race kit. 1 minute later I had it in hand and off we went.
The staging & family reunion area is well marked for finding your runner. Not so great with the posting of signs to get back to the resort buses, but, the sheer number of volunteers there (and the look of total desperation) they seemed to pop out of the woodwork and point you in the right direction.
I would certainly do the Goofy again. This was a great learning experience for me to figure out whether or not I could do a back to back anything. Now it’s established that I can & I’m Goofy for doing it, my next challenge will be speed and which races are worthy of my talents. Ah-ha ha.

Robbie Burns Run

Auch aye, it was a great day for a run. The Robbie Burns 8k run put on by the Burlington Runners was a very well done event. About 8 Barrie area runners went down for the race and all had a good time as well as some good times.

Keith Lascelles 32:09 50th place and 1st kilt across the finish line award.
Nancy Chong 33:36 77th and 3rd in age group.
Hilda denBoer 34:22 92nd
Terry MacFarlane 35:40 129th
Tigera Turner 44:29
Lisa May huby 44:30
Joan Van Hilten 45:26
Joy Widawski 56:56
Veronica Widawski alos finished but her time doesn't show up in the results!

Congrats to all.

Chi Running Clinic

James Rooney will be running a couple of Chi Running Clinics in the next month for details see also the attached picture for more details.

Chi Running - 12-5:00pm
Level 1 Workshop
Studio Bliss By The Bay
72 Dunlop St -Barrie

Price $65 per person.
Confirm Registration @ corerunning@rogers.com

Also Feb 6th @ Running Free a Free Introductory Workshop 1-2:30 pm - Newmarket Store
Also Feb 13th @ Running Free a Free Introductory Workshop 1-2:30 pm - Barrie Sore

Registration as seats are limited @ http://www.runningfree.com/news.aspx#chirunning

Disney 2010: Goofy Time/Goofy Weather

So when you travel to Disneyworld in Orlando Florida you get great or good weather right....wrong! The 2010 Disneyworld Marathon was the coldest ever, I dont even have to look that stat up. Many of us Barrie Roadrunners signed up for the Goofy challenge (which is a half marathon saturday and a full marathon sunday) the day it opened in 2009 thinking a great challenge and a great getaway. For those doing the Goofy, running the Half Marathon on Saturday was below freezing cold, wind chill, and rain part way through. We all did it with smiles, and in anticipation for the Marathon Sunday, we had to pick up a few more clothing items. Trust me when I say you could have gathered up all the discarded clothing from the Half and re-sold it Sunday to us Full runners! It was very exiting to think we all travelled to do this Goofy challenge, Joan Van Hilten, Shannon Lloyd, Tracy MacLean, Jim and Janet Duffy, James Rooney, Cindy Marcelli, and also Cindy Tuttle who was running her first Marathon with her coach Janet Ward. The medals are awesome and we earned them. Tracy had a tough time when she fell at mile 5, but thanks to Jim and Janet she finished anyway.
Congratulations to all who ran Disney. They really do it up right.
Whats the next step after the Goofy Challenge? Well, I would say a 50K-er or....50 miler!! It only takes one day instead of two!

Huronia Half Marathon

For those that are interested the Huronia Half Marathon in Midland is tentatively scheduled for Sunday April 25th as written at http://www.roadraceresults.com/display-race-results.php?racename=2010-huronia-half-marathon

Disney Marathon Results

Here are the results for RoadRunners running todays Disney Marathon, congrats to all who finished the Goofy challenge and to Cindie Tuttle for finishing her first marathon:

Rick MacLean - 4:39
James Rooney - 5:06
Cindy Marcelli - 5:27
Joan Van Hilten - 5:27
Tracey MacLean - 6:04
Jim Duffy - 6:04
Janet Duffy - 6:04
Janet Ward - 6:17
Cindie Tuttle - 6:17

Sorry if I missed anyone.

Disney Goofy Runners - Half Marathon results

Well it looks like those Goofy RoadRunners have finished their half marathon this morning. Here are the results:

Rick MacLean - 2:04
James Rooney - 2:10
Cindy Marcelli - 2:32
Joan Van Hilten - 2:32
Jim Duffy - 3:00
Janet Duffy - 3:00
Tracey MacLean - 3:00

The Muskoka Loppet has long been known for its great classic cross country ski racing. In addition to the 7km to 30km ski events, there will also be three snowshoe events. There are 3km and 9km races for individuals, and a 9km relay race.

The relay race is unique in that the two or three person teams must share just one pair of snowshoes. The organizers approach is to introduce this sport to as many people as possible. Not everyone owns snowshoes, so this way the teams can rent or borrow a pair and still have a lot of fun.

There are also lots of place and draw prizes, and a hot lunch is included.

Online registration and the simple rules of snowshoe racing can be found at
www.arrowheadnordic.ca

The Arrowhead Nordic Ski Club invites everyone to visit Huntsville on Sunday January 24th for their annual event

Disney Marathon Weekend

THis coming weekend is the Disney Marathon Weekend, which sees about 8 of our group going down to do in most cases the Goofy Challenge of both the Half Marathon on Saturday the 8th and then the Marathon on the 9th. Good luck to all you crazy people.