Friday

Hi, all. Some interesting news in this post. A new marathon coming to Rochester. Maybe. This fall, even. Here's a link: Transplant House Marathon September 13, to benefit Gift of Life Transplant House. The race director lives out of town at this time. Course has not been designed yet. Stay tuned, for sure.

Reminder: You can practice stair climbing tomorrow (1/10) at 7:45 AM for the Cabin Fever Stair Climb. Meet at the Broadway Residence and Suites on Broadway and 1st St South. I'll be there. Heck of a workout. Then I think I'll go run until I can't run any more ... Off-Season Striders will be at Panera South at 7:30 for 10-12 miles, stopping by the stair climb for those that want to participate.

Some marathon registration info from Mike Schmitt:
January 9, 2009 from press release (Boston, MA) The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today that entries for the 113th Boston Marathon, to be held on Monday, April 20, 2009, are pacing 20% ahead of the same time last year. As of January 9, 2008, there were 14,333 participants registered for the 2008 Boston Marathon. The number of entrants currently registered for the 2009 Boston Marathon is 17,772

GREEN BAY - Cellcom Green Bay Marathon organizers are limiting participation in this year's race. Marathon officials said Wednesday they would cap participation at 10,000 runners for the May 17 event. Over the last five years, participation has doubled to more than 8,000 entries. The day includes a marathon, half marathon, relay, 5K and kids run.

From Michael O'Connor (2 days ago):
Nordic Ski - Trail conditions Both Quarry Hill and Essex Park are in excellent condition. So don't let the icy patches in your local area fool you into thinking that the skiing is no good. The groomers have worked magic on both trail systems and they are in great condition.

Wenzel Coaching Joshua Barton is a Rochester area cycling coach working for an international coaching company called "Wenzel Coaching". Although he mainly coaches cycling, his company employs a broad array of coaches covering a endurance sports like cross country skiing, running, triathlons, etc. The company is offering a 5% discount for RASC members or 10% if a group of 5 or more sign up. RASC members can work with any Wenzel Coach if they need help with some sport other than biking. If anyone is interested in exploring individualized coaching, you can contact Joshua Barton. For more information please see their website: Wenzel Coaching

The January issue of Running Room eMagazine is now available. As always, there's a 20% off coupon good all month long and lots of interesting and informative articles. From me: a recipe for Chicken Wild Rice Soup as well as a little recap of the Polar Bear run, with a photo from Chris O'Brien.

Yesterday evening we had a (small) RTC board meeting. We just had a quorum, although I don't believe we had to vote on anything as I remember it. I sat next to Kevin Torgerson and we kept chatting. Shame on us ... (Kevin on the Great Wall of China in 2007 with his RTC jacket on, Special Olympics Torch Run)

Anyway, he ran with his Yak Trax yesterday morning and he said they worked fabulously. He wishes he'd used them sooner. No slipping whatsoever on the streets of Stewartville. They're available at Running Room in Rochester.

Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer is going to have a full meal following the events on February 15: soup and/or chili from Culver's, bread from Great Harvest, fruit, homemade cookies. I think that's worth the price of admission alone! They've gotten enough donations that the entry fees will all go directly to research. Great job, race organizers. As with all our events, volunteers are needed. If you can assist in any way, please contact John Shonyo.

Another quote from Dr. Seuss to finish off this post: "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." --Dr. Seuss

:-)