Monday, August 27, 2007
Route for Saturday, Sept. 1
Since Wendy and I will not be there this weekend, several people have indicated they would put out water. It would be nice if we could have water about every two miles. We probably have enough people so each person would only have to put out one or two water stops. Post something if you are willing to put out water and we'll get it divided up for everyone with water stop assignments in advance of Saturday.
We'll miss ya Saturday...this promises to be fun, but we'll be slogging through a half marathon in Wisconsin on Sunday!
Here's a link to the map of Saturday's route: www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=158409
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Good Days, Bad Days, & Hydration
I thought yesterday was going to be a really bad day and I did not feel well at all during the first four miles. But once we stopped at Washington Park I really felt good (except for my drenched clothes!) the rest of the way. Running most of the rest of the course with Pam, Russ, and Tim Mu was a huge help, except for the flatulance problems of one un-named fuel belt wearer! In the end, I had a better run than I did for our 11 miler two weeks ago and also better than Abe's Amble!
Hydration is a huge key, especially during these long runs...and that's why we put out the drinks. I don't mind doing it at all...and having the group to run with makes it much more fun!
Hey Pam: it sounds like we have to have you stand up before the group and have everyone yell at you next week! LOL!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Downtown parking this Saturday!
Downtown Springfield will see some action this weekend with a couple events in town. Due to these events there are some street closures scheduled around the Old State Capitol. These closures could impact your parking as you come downtown for the run Saturday morning.
5th Street will be closed between Jefferson and Adams (that means no parking on the west side of the Old State Capitol). Also, Washington will be closed between 4th and 6th .
A good bet for parking will probably be 6th Street or Adams Street east of the Old State Capitol plaza. Other good spots are on Adams west of the railroad tracks (3rd Street) on the west side of the Farmer's Market or on 4th Street south or north of the Farmer's Market (these are closer to Cafe Moxo!).
See ya Saturday!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Route for Sat., Aug. 25--12 miles
This route will incorporate a good portion of the Lincoln Memorial course as well as a few other stretches of routes we have run over the past few weeks.
There are several stops for water/gatorade/restrooms.
Feel free to join us this Saturday. We leave from the Old State Capitol Plaza at 6:30 a.m.
And don't forget to join us at Cafe Moxo after the run!
Click here for a map of this Saturday's route.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Abe's Amble pics from SJ-R
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Abe's Amble results
Click here to check out your results at onlineraceresults.com
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Birthdays in Baghdad...6.2 miles closer to home!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Abe's Amble talk
Please feel free to see the post below for Abe's FAQs and a course map!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
This weekend's route: Abe's Amble
Happy Birthday to Uncle Jack!
Howl at the Moon
Monday, August 13, 2007
Post-run Half Wits!
We've had some great fun after our runs the last couple weeks by hanging outside of Cafe Moxo at the tables on the sidewalk. They have great food and a wonderful atmosphere. And Mary R. was absolutely AMAZED by the farmer's market on Adams Street.
This past Saturday's run was pretty tough...the humidity really zapped me, but dealing with this weather only makes it that much better when we get those great cool September mornings!
Friday, August 10, 2007
The State Fair Parade Run 2 Mile - Post Race
Great job to all Half Wits who participated!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Half Wits Route for Saturday 8/11
Even if you did not join us last week, feel free to join us for this run!
Click here for the map of this week's route.
Uh...I have a request
Sometimes all you have to do is ask. If you wonder how we figure out our routes and distance, we use a mapping tool provided by USATF. Look on the right side of the page and you will see a link.
USATF Running Routes
Here you can find various routes throughout the U.S. or create your very own and share it with the running community.
My point of this posting, don't be afraid to ask questions or post comments. Today, I e-mailed the USATF webmaster and pointed how annoying it was to create a route, go back to the main page and do a look-up to find the link. The link would be useful to copy and paste it in an e-mail or blog. Well, within hours he e-mailed me back and thought it was a great suggestion. He modified the submission page to display a link from a route you just created. Pretty cool! A peon like me from Springfield, Illinois was able to make a contribution to the running community.
So, if you see anything you like to add in the HalfWits Blog, SRRC, L.M. Half Marathon website or any sites, contact the webmaster and just ask. You will always get a response.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Frost Toes kicks off September 29!
The plan is for the program to begin on Saturday, September 29, 7:00 a.m. at Panera West for a 5 mile run.
By Barry and Dwayne stepping forward with this program local runners can choose from training programs for a 10k (Abe's Army for Abe's Amble), a 10 miler (Frost Toes for the Frostbite), and a half marathon (Half Wits for the LM).
This means we now have progressive training programs throughout the year which take people from a 10k to a half marathon in about 10 months! Just keep it with us folks. We'll get ya through it!
This is all done through the great volunteers we have with the SRRC!
Check out the Frost Toes blog and get ready to FREEZE!
Oh...and another thing...don't forget to check out Barry's letter to the editor--Confessing an awful truth--in the latest Illinois Times!!!
Upcoming races
This Thursday, August 9, is the annual State Fair Parade Run 2 miler. This is a great--though hot and fast--race. It kicks off the State Fair Parade so you get to run in front of the biggest crowd you will see at any Springfield race. And there is always the obligatory "Run Forest Run" from someone on the crowd. Registration is still open and you get signed up on race night. Click here for the application.
Springfield's biggest race, Abe's Amble, is Sunday, August 19. As you all know, this is a wonderful race with a great crowd. The 10k has a few hills, and the 2k is a quick event. Register online for Abe's Amble by clicking here.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
HalfWits---Fall 2007!
We had a great crew show up Saturday morning for our Fall for the Half Wits program. Our first run--10 miles--was a little muggy, but the temp was not too bad.
Several of us grabbed coffee and breakfast at Cafe Moxo after the run. The cafe is on Adams by the Farmer's Market and they have some outdoor tables which made for a fun morning.
Through Sept. 8, we'll be meeting every Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m., south side of the Old State Capitol plaza, for our long runs. Our only exception will be Saturday, August 18. We won't run that day, but instead we'll run Abe's Amble on Sunday, August 19. And Sunday, September 16 is race day in St. Charles, MO.
Next Saturday we'll be running 11 miles. Feel free to join us for any of our runs, even if you are not training for the Lewis & Clark Half Marathon. If you are running the Lewis & Clark, get registered for the race! We also have the OK from the Lewis & Clark directors to set up "camp" near the post-race area after the race for some of our usual Half Wits fun!
Thanks to everyone who showed up yesterday and we'll see ya next Saturday!
Friday, August 03, 2007
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Join us at the Saturday Social
Come out and join us for some mid-summer fun!
Our thoughts are with the Sommer family
Here is the story from the Wednesday edition of the State Journal-Register:
Three injured motorists released from hospital
By JAYETTE BOLINSKISTAFF WRITER
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Three motorists injured in a two-vehicle crash near Lake Springfield Sunday morning have been released from St. John’s Hospital.
Eric B. Sommer, 35, Nicole Sommer, 37, and Nicholas Ramirez, 20, all of Springfield, were all in the same vehicle. The other driver, Lathan Montgomery, 57, of Springfield, remained hospitalized Tuesday in serious condition.
Firefighters worked for more than an hour to extricate victims from the wreckage of the crash, which happened about 7 a.m. on East Lake Shore Drive at Linden Lane near the entrance to the Springfield Muni Opera. The accident tied up traffic for some time as people were trying to get to the Iron Abe and Stoneman Sprint triathlons at Lake Springfield.
According to police, Montgomery was driving a 2006 Honda Ridgeline north from the Muni entrance and for some reason crossed the centerline, striking an oncoming 2006 Honda Odyssey driven by Eric Sommer. According to the accident report, Sommer said he was on his way to compete in the triathlon, when he and his wife, who was a passenger, saw a vehicle coming at them in their lane. Sommer swerved to the right to try to avoid a collision but didn’t want to go down an embankment, so he braked to a nearly complete stop by the time the Ridgeline struck them.
Montgomery later spoke to police at the hospital but said he couldn’t remember what happened, other than to say he’d been at work and was on his way home at the time. His wife told police he’d had recent medical issues, according to the crash report. Montgomery was ticketed for improper lane usage.
Jayette Bolinski can be reached at 788-1530 or jayette.bolinski@sj-r.com.