The HalfWits

Thursday 5/14 & Saturday 5/16

2009-05-12T22:03:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't post the last few days but was out of town. You can always count on someone to be at the Washington Park shelter at 5:30 on Tues. and Thurs. and we usually run a 4-5 miles. This Thurs. will be no different. The following route is 4.1 miles and it shows to start at the tennis courts but we will meet at the shelter.

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=195600

The Old State Capitol Art Fair is downtown this weekend so lets start again at Panera West for our Saturday run. This is an old route but should be new for some of you. We leave from Panera and run through Panther Creek. I will put a cooler out with water at Cockrell Ln and Mathers so there will be water at mile 2 and 5. Is 7:30 a good time for everyone?

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=115021

Tuesday 5/5 & Thursday 5/7

2009-05-05T09:39:00.002-05:00

We will continue to meet at 5:30 at the Washington Park Shelter. We will decide how far and/or training runs when we all get there.

See you at the Park.

Tuesday 4/28 - Thursday 4/30

2009-04-27T18:54:00.002-05:00

This coming weekend with some of you running Indy and others the Lake run we will take it easy and not do hills and speed training. Both Tues. and Thurs. we will meet at the Park shelter at 5:30 and run 4-4.5 miles each night. Tuesday we will run to the YMCA and back and Thurs. we will run to the Fit Club and back.

See you at the Park.

Saturday 4/25

2009-04-23T19:50:00.003-05:00

Lets try a different starting location on Sat. and start at 7:30 from Panera West. I'm training for another half on May 9th so I will be running 10+ on Saturday. By the comments it looks like some of you would like to run 8 so I am posting two routes. Both routes will run together for the first 4 and then we will split at the Fit Club.

Here is the 8 mile route:

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=287311

Now the 10:

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=136309

This route shows 11.48 miles. If you just want to run 10 miles then at Washington Park instead of running the whole park loop turn at the clubhouse hill and follow the route back to Panera.

See you Saturday and don't forget to hang around after your run for coffee and bagels.

Thurs. 4/23

2009-04-21T20:28:00.003-05:00

Lets do a 4 miler today. We will start at the shelter and run to SHG and complete one lap on their track. If the student are using the track we will turn around in the parking lot and run back.

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=174144

See you Thursday!!

P.S .
For this Sat. is there a preference in running from Panera West or Cafe Moxo? I'm thinking about a 10 miler. Let me know and I will post a route.

Tuesday 4/21

2009-04-20T19:32:00.002-05:00

We will meet at the Washington Park Shelter at 5:30 and do a hill workout. We haven't ran the hills for awhile and I know everyone are missing them. We will run east to the gazebo and go down that hill and then head to Feldkamp. We will group at Feldkamp and run up 7 times. The goal is to sprint up the hill and jog down then take a 60-90 second break and then sprint back up. We will finish with a cool down run back to the shelter.

Sounds Fun!!!

Group Runs Continue

2009-04-13T19:39:00.002-05:00

For all those who want to continue the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday runs we will start back up tomorrow. This week we won't do any hill or speed workouts but just 4 to 5 mile runs on both days. If I'm not there someone from the group take charge and say go. We will continue to start at 5:30 from the shelter at the park. Four+ mile courses are from the shelter to the YMCA and back or from the shelter to the Fit Club and back. Our Saturday long runs will start from either Cafe Moxo or Panera Bread West and I will post the route.

Ready to Enlist?

2009-04-03T15:43:00.004-05:00

Abe's Army registration is open!

Abe's Army, a 12 week training program for experienced and beginning runners, walkers, and race walkers, meets each Monday evening beginning June 1st. The program is geared towards training participants for Abe's Amble, Springfield's premier 10K road race which is held on the final day of the Illinois State Fair.

For more information on how to register for this program, visit the Abe's Army blog, or check out the SRRC website. Now that you've completed the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon - consider being a Sergeant and encouraging and motivating others on the road!

Online registration is quick, secure, and we pay the transaction fees! Get immediate confirmation of your registration.

Questions? Check out the Abe's Army blog or email Mary at SRRCMembership@gmail.com

Thursday 4/2----Meet at Prairie Heart Institute

2009-03-30T17:39:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, 4/2, 5:30 pm we will meet at Prairie Heart Institute, 619 E. Mason Street for our last run before race day.

If you would like to stick around after the run, we will be stuffing LM race packets inside PHI on Thursday evening starting at 6:00 pm.

Even if you don't join us for the run, please come out to help us stuff packets. We have several hundred registrants as of Monday, so we have a lot of packets to stuff!!!

So please join us either way. It will be fun! Our run will have us going to Lincoln Park and back...taking in some of the LM course.

Please leave a post if you plan to help stuff or call Barb at 341-7782.

Click here for the map.

Tuesday 3/31

2009-03-30T17:26:00.003-05:00

Just a few days until the Half so we will do the Art run course on Tuesday which is a 5K. If you want to add a couple more miles turn left when you enter the park at the end of the 5K and run a park loop back to the shelter.

See you at the park 5:30 Tuesday.

Route for Saturday 3/28

2009-03-27T19:51:00.001-05:00

We cut back to 7 miles on Saturday...our last Half Wits long run before the Half Marathon!

We will do a familiar route which takes us through much of the first half of the course...to get you geared up for next week!

Click here for the route!

SRRC Membership

2009-03-27T18:00:00.002-05:00

Have you renewed your SRRC membership for 2009? Membership benefits include eligibility for the SRRC points series and if you are running the Lincoln Memorial Half MArathon - you must be a members by that day in order to earn points. For more information on membership benefits, points series eligibility, or to renew your membership, check the SRRC website . Remember - all memberships expire the 31st of December each year - if you're not sure if you've renewed - shoot me an email .

Good luck to all of you - and congratulations of all your hard work during Half Wits this winter!

Saturday 3/21 Run where Abe walked

2009-03-20T08:41:00.005-05:00

Happy Spring Everyone!!!!!!!!

Just a reminder we will be starting our run this Sat. from the Abraham Lincoln's Museum at 6th and Jefferson. We will start at 7:30 and run the actual Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon course.

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=181719

We will have water/gatorade out in three locations and the weather looks like a start temp. of 38 degrees with a very slight chance of a mist. Perfect weather for a long run!!!!

Tim and Wendy had to be out of town this weekend but I know they will be cheering us on.

Thursday 3/19

2009-03-18T15:43:00.002-05:00

Lets do a shorter run tonight because we have the practice 1/2 marathon run this Saturday. We will run from the park to YMCA and back. Here is the route:

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=13296

See you there at 5:30.

Tuesday Night Speed Night 3/17

2009-03-17T13:53:00.003-05:00

Lets go to the boulevard to run 1/2 mile repeats. Let's plan to run six of these...so warm-up over to the boulevard, take a rest, then start the 1/2s. Take a rest between each then cool down back to the shelter after running the six. Don't forget to wear your green!!!!

Route for Saturday 3/14

2009-03-13T17:36:00.001-05:00

We cut back to 7 miles for Saturday's run...and we'll lay off the hills a little :-)

This route takes us through much of the first half of the LM course...and is the same course we ran our second week.

Here is a link to the map.

Thanks to Barb...the hydration stop will be in Washington Park at the Shelter.

Workout for Tuesday, March 10

2009-03-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

For Tuesday we are back at Washington Park. We'll leave the shelter at 5:30 pm...with longer daylight!!

Let's do some hills for this workout....

Warm up east from the shelter, left at the entrance, down the hill past the pavillion, left at bottom of the hill to the exit that leads towards Feldkamp (by the boardwalk).

Stop and rest so everyone can gather back up.

Then we'll do six hill repeats of the Feldkamp hill (run to top, turn around and walk/jog back, rest 90 seconds at bottom and repeat).

Cool down back to the shelter via the loop to MacArthur.

Route for Saturday, March 7

2009-03-05T00:28:00.003-06:00

Our plan for Saturday is 12 miles.

We will run much of the LM course on Saturday. I'll have water on the bench by the Park Street entrance to Washington Park; at Perry Broughton on Lincoln Avenue; and at the Nelson Center Parking Lot Shelter.

Please take a close look at the map!

Here is the map link.

Run for Thursday, 3/5

2009-03-05T00:08:00.002-06:00

The time change is this weekend!!! So...one last time doing the loops of Washington Park. Next week we'll head out on the roads surrounding the park.

Again...5:30 pm at the Shelter. One big loop (blvd and all) is 2.5 miles...two loops is 5 miles.

11 mile route for Saturday, 2/28

2009-02-26T19:39:00.002-06:00

We will run a good portion of the LM course backwards on Saturday for our 11 miler.

Click here for the map!

Workout for Tuesday, February 24

2009-02-23T19:17:00.000-06:00

The always popular negative splits are back!

For those who are not familiar with negative splits, what it basically means is that you run the second half of a run faster than you run the first half.

Here's the plan for Tuesday:

We will warm-up then do the negative-split runs of 8, 12, and 16 minutes. That means for the first one you will run out 4 minutes then immediately turn around and run 4 minutes back. The idea is to get past the starting point, so you run farther on the way back...therefore getting a negative split. Next we'll run out 6 and back 6. Finally we'll run out 8 and back 8.

As for the route...we'll warm-up from the shelter east to MacArthur. We'll stop for a rest then begin the workout. We'll run from the northwest MacArthur/Williams corner west into the park and towards the lower ponds. If you make it to the hill before your turn-around time, then run up the hill towards the shelter.

The great thing about this workout is that we all get back to the starting point at the same time.

Does this make sense to everyone?

Saturday, Feb. 21 Route!

2009-02-19T19:41:00.002-06:00

Hey Half Wits!

After three weeks of increasing mileage, we cut back to 6 miles this week for recovery.

Our route for Saturday has us running a good portion of the second half of the LM course, including the LM's finish area in front of Prairie Heart Institute.

Don't forget, we try to leave from Cafe Moxo as close to 7:30 am as possible.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Here is the link to this week's route!!!

Workout for Tuesday 2/17

2009-02-17T08:20:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the late post....

We'll do our famous half mile repeats...

Warmup from the Shelter around to MacArthur. Cross the Blvd and take a rest. Run around the boulevard to the other side at a 5k pace. Take a rest and walk back to the start area. Repeat 5 times.

Cool down back to the shelter.

Questions?

Route for Saturday, Feb. 14 9-miler

2009-02-12T20:24:00.002-06:00

We'll run north and then back south, incorporating much of the LM Course (in reverse) for Saturday's nine mile route.

Click here for a link to the map

Long Run Schedule

2009-02-11T16:41:00.002-06:00

OK...since we had a few questions about this is our Saturday long run schedule from here on out. Don't forget, every Saturday we meet at Cafe Moxo (except for the day we run the actual course. We'll meet at the Lincoln Presidential Museum on that day).

Here you go...

Saturday, February 14: 9 miles

Saturday, February 21: 6+ miles

Saturday, February 28: 11 miles

Saturday, March 7: 12 miles

Saturday, March 14: 7 miles

Saturday, March 21: 13.1 miles (run complete LM course)

Saturday, March 28: 7 miles

Saturday, April 4: Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon!

Workout for Tuesday 2/10

2009-02-09T21:02:00.002-06:00

The workout for Tuesday, February 10 will have us doing the same thing as last week, except let's try for six hill repeats instead of four.

So...warmup towards the pavilion, down the hill, then over to the Carillon hill. Take a rest, then run up the hill and jog/walk back down six times. Cool down back the way you came.

If you did not get one of the Saint John's Children's Hospital light flashers on Saturday, I will have them again at our long run on this Saturday.

Thursday 2/5 Run

2009-02-05T19:09:00.013-06:00

Good turnout tonight. Sorry about the pictures, I had to lighten them up a bit. See you on Saturday.

Saturday 2/7 route

2009-02-04T19:57:00.002-06:00

We'll run most of the first half of the LM route on Saturday. Not so many hills as last week:-)

Here is the link to the map!

Route for Thursday, 2/5

2009-02-04T19:27:00.002-06:00

While we are still pretty much running in the dark on the weeknights (at least for a few more weeks), we'll try to keep our runs in the park so we don't compete with too much traffic.

For Thursday we'll do the big loop around the park, including the boulevard. One loop is 2.5 miles. Two loops is 5. If you do one loop then cut through the park on one of the roads you can find a distance in between if you like.

Here is a link to last year's description of this route.

Hopefully the weather will be better!!!!

How was Tuesday's run?

2009-02-03T20:00:00.000-06:00

It was a cold, windy one out there tonight. How was the turnout and what did you think?

Great Advice!

2009-02-03T09:08:00.004-06:00

I wanted to pull out this comment from the blog to make sure everyone notices it. This is a great piece of advice.

As runners, we always need to be mindful and respectful of other folks, both on the roads and on the sidewalks. Most motorists have little patience for a bunch of runners coming down the street at them. So we need to be the ones with patience. Stay to the side (or sidewalks), give cars a wide berth, and if you need to stop so a car can pass...just stop:-)

Here is the post (thanks anon!)...

These is my 3rd year w/the group & have found this unique blend of folks beneficial to my success as a runner. I’m the back-of-the pack runner and have lots of time for observations. I’m not here to be critical. I hope to enlighten others of what I’m seeing. The move from Panera to downtown is a great idea but I do think there is more traffic to contend with & the safety of the runners is on my mind & I would like to share it with everyone. I noticed that when we run, we take up the WHOLE road (right lane, left lane and the center). I saw a lot of close calls and much more horn honking this time around & I’m fearful we’re going to get written up in the SJR on our lack of road etiquette. I prefer sidewalks myself & take them when the opportunity arises. Maybe a plug for sticking to one side and/or at the very least not running down the middle of the road?
February 03, 2009 8:44 AM

More pics from Saturday

2009-02-03T07:48:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Dwayne Blisset for being the "official" HalfWits photographer on Saturday.

Click here for some of his pictures on Flickr.

Workout for Tuesday, Feb. 3

2009-02-02T20:26:00.003-06:00

So, just a refresher for everyone...

Saturday's (7:30 am) are long runs from Moxo.

Tuesday and Thursday evenings (5:30 pm) we run from the Washington Park Shelter.

I have been told the restrooms at the shelter are open this winter.

Our first Tuesday night run of 2009 is a familiar one to HalfWit vets. We'll keep the hill theme from Saturday going.

Please have someone take charge Tuesday night and tell everyone to run...or else you may just all be standing around:-) I won't be there on Tu/Th nights.

Here is Tuesday's plan...

From the shelter, we'll warm up by running east, then turn left at the Park Street entrance, past the Gazebo, down the hill by the pavillion, turn left at the bottom of the hill. Go around the lower pond to the bottom of the Carillon hill.

Stop & rest so we gather back up.

We will do four hill repeats of the Carillon hill. Run up the hill, turn around just short of Fayette Street, then jog or walk back down the hill. Take a rest at the bottom (90-120 seconds) and repeat for a total of four times. This distance to the top of the hill is approx. 1/4 mile, so that is a total of one mile just uphill.

Cool down is back the way you came for the warm up!

Any questions??

Congrats on the first run!

2009-01-31T23:17:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to all who showed up this morning for our first HalfWits run today. What a great crowd!

To all the new folks...thanks so much for joining us...and just stick with us. This has been proven to be a successful group. We'll get you to race day and through the Lincoln Memorial. You will have a great time!

So...any comments or thoughts about Day One?

HalfWits First Run 2009!!

2009-01-31T08:49:00.003-06:00

The HalfWits kick it in gear for 2009! Welcome to our new location at Cafe Moxo...

Half Wits Route for first run...Saturday, Jan. 31

2009-01-29T20:36:00.002-06:00

The Half Wits route for our first long-run of the season will take us north from Cafe Moxo, through Lincoln Park, over to Oak Ridge Cemetery, and back south to Moxo. This should be familiar territory to LM and Abe's Amble regulars.

I'll have hydration on the east side of Monument by the entrance to Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Here is the link to the map of this Saturday's route.

Don't forget, we will leave Cafe Moxo at 7:30 am this Saturday, January 31 for our first run.

Cafe Moxo is located in downtown Springfield on Adams Street between 4th and 5th. There is plenty of street parking in the area.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Countdown is on to HalfWits '09!

2009-01-22T06:04:00.003-06:00

The 2009 HalfWits get underway on Saturday, January 31, 7:30 am, leaving from Cafe Moxo (on Adams Street between 4th & 5th streets).

I would like to try to be on-time for our runs this year, so 7:30 means 7:30...for the most part:-)

If you would like an overview of the program, please be at Cafe Moxo no later than 7:15 a.m. and we'll go over how it works.

Our run that day will be six miles, so hopefully everyone has a sufficient base for that mileage. We will incorporate a portion of the LM route in that run.

Tuesday & Thursday night runs will be from the Washington Park Shelter at 5:30 pm. I will not be leading those runs, but we have plenty of people who have stepped forward to assist.

I'll be posting more detailed information on the program over the next week.

Let me know if you have any questions.

The Half Wits is on Facebook!!

2009-01-06T04:46:00.004-06:00

We have created a Half Wits group on Facebook!

If you currently are on Facebook, please join the group via this link!

If you are not on Facebook...what are you waiting for?!!!!!?

Facebook is a social networking website and a great way to stay in touch with your friends. I would highly recommend that you join. There is no cost to join, it will only take you a few minutes to register, and you will be amazed how many long-lost friends you will track down on FB.

Join today at www.Facebook.com

Half Wits 2009 to being Saturday, January 31!!

2009-01-06T04:10:00.001-06:00

The Half Wits training program for the 2009 Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 31.

In a change from previous years, will be base the program from Cafe Moxo on Adams Street between 4th & 5th streets in downtown Springfield!

Running from Cafe Moxo will allow us to incorporate the actual Lincoln Memorial course during our training runs. Moxo also is a runner friendly restaurant with wonderful food so you can refuel after our training runs!

The Half Wits is a nine-week program which will get you ready for the LM by race day. We meet on Saturdays for long runs and Tuesday & Thursdays for shorter runs and hill or speed workouts. This is not a program for beginners! Our first long run will be 6+ miles, so you must have a good running base to be in this program.

Don't worry about your pace, we have plenty of people with paces running the gamut, but just make sure you are ready to tackle 6 miles on January 31!

Check the Half Wits Blog for more info as we get closer to Jan. 31!!

S-P-O-O-K-Y SATURDAY SOCIAL!

2008-10-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

Fellow SRRC member Penny Warden is hosting this month's Saturday Social with a Halloween Party next Saturday, October 18th. She and her crew have created an awesome haunted mansion you just can't miss! You are all invited! Here's the details:

October 18-6:30pm until you turn into a pumpkin!
Haunted Mansion 6:30 – 8:30 pm, with children’s hour first!
LIVE MUSIC BY THE MUD BUGS 9PM-MIDNIGHT(To make this a fun & safe event for families, please, no alcohol until after 9:00 p.m.)
4740 Old Chatham Road (south of Knight’s Action Park and Meier’s)
Wear a costume! This is one event you don’t want to miss! Please join us for some ghoulish games, freaky fun, and frightening food!
Bring a dish to pass and BYOB – Italian Beef, Hot Dogs, Buns provided.

HELP WANTED: four-six people needed to help finish a couple of the rooms at the Haunted Mansion. We'll meet right after FrostToes on Tuesday, October 14th. So finish your workout - grab a happy meal at McDonald's and spend a hour or so making this a spectacular event. Can you help? Let me know by Monday night (rogers_01@msn.com) and we'll make arrangements to carpool over together. Since I coach at Lindsey on Tuesdays - I am not at FrostToes, but will meet up at 6:45 for anyone who can come and help.

Want more details? Email me!

Good Luck Marathoners!!

2008-10-08T12:15:00.003-05:00

Good luck to everyone heading up north to run the Chicago Marathon this weekend...and here's to having some much better weather this year!

Just remember to think good thoughts, run within yourself, rely on ALL those darn miles you have put in this summer, and represent for the Half Wits and the SRRC!

And that bridge/hill at Mile 26...well...it's just a little speed bump on the way to a great finisher's medal!!!

For those not traveling to Chicago, check out the marathon's Runner Tracking page for updates on your favorite runners!

Good luck to all!!!

UPDATE: Negative Nancy Info:-) from Pam:

Chicago Marathon Event Alert System Update

Based on this forecast, the Event Alert Level is Yellow/Moderate, which suggests less-than-ideal conditions for marathon running. Please be aware that conditions may change prior to race day. (click highlighted link above for more information)

Frost Toes begins this Saturday!

2008-10-02T11:22:00.002-05:00

The Frost Toes training group kicks off this weekend at the Heroes Run For Hope.

The Frost Toes is the "official" training program of the Frostbite Festival 10 miler on Sunday, December 7 and is open to everyone. You need a decent base of training, as the first long run is a five mile run, but this is the perfect group if you want to continue your training from Abe's Amble or Advanced Abe's...or if you are just looking to hook up with some other runners for a fun group!

For more information, visit the Frost Toes Blog.

See ya there!

Heroes Run For Hope!

2008-10-02T11:18:00.002-05:00

The Heroes Run For Hope 5 miler is this Saturday, October 4 in Chatham., kicking off at 8:00 a.m.

When else do you get to run straight up Route 4?!! Come on out for a good cause.

For more info, visit the Heroes Run For Hope blog.

Tim Mc's Experience Qualifying for Boston...

2008-10-02T10:48:00.002-05:00

Wow...I just wanted to share this with everyone. This is from an e-mail that Tim McCaughey sent to the Quad Cities race director. Quite a gutsy performance! Kudos to Rob Flather for pacing Tim.

I wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon. That was my goal. My time to qualify (age 50) is 3:35. A friend of mine agreed to pace me for as long as he could. When we got to the 20 mile mark we turned into the wind. Somewhere between mile 21 and 22 I hit the wall and slowed to a crawl. I thought I was done.

My friend said "just make to the turnaround, and it's with the wind the rest of the way. I kept going, and got to the turn at mile 23. I saw the cheerleaders with the sign that said 3 miles to go, and looked at my watch. I had less than 24 minutes to go 3 miles and qualify.

I don't know what came over me, but I took off on a dead sprint, leaving my friend behind, and finished at 3:34:49! I qualified!

Unfortunately, I was unable to indulge in the complimentary beer and snacks, opting for the 3 bags of IV solution it took to get my blood pressure back up and diminish the dizziness. However, one of the medical techs, when I complained of missing out on the beer, said "yeah, but this IV would cost you $300 a bag at the hospital, and you're getting it for free, so it's a pretty good deal".

It's not always about a having a bib number:-)

2008-09-29T09:16:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday morning a good crew of local runners and walkers gathered at the Washington Park Shelter in support of a friend and fellow runner.

As I noted here a couple weeks ago, Mike Hirsch, 40, has been diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme brain cancer, stage 4.

Mike is well known to many in the local running community. He trained with Wendy's group and ran the Chicago Marathon in 2004. He was always in tremendous shape, but better yet, he has a tremendous attitude.

Saturday's run was a benefit for Mike and his family as they struggle with this dreaded disease.

Not that anyone does, but I REALLY don't like cancer. It is nasty, it is terrible on those it afflicts, and it can put a tremendous strain on family and friends. I don't understand why we have something like this in our world, but we do. Cancer has taken both my parents. It is very tough to see the pain as a loved one battles cancer, and I wish no one ever had to experience it again.

That being said, I believe in the inate goodness of people, especially in situations like what Mike and his family are experiencing.

As we gathered for the start of the run on Saturday, I looked around at all the people gathered, the smiles on their faces, and the fact these runners did not care two hoots that this "race" had no age group awards, was not timed, nor that anyone even had a bib.

As we made our way to the start line I thought: "how great is this? All these folks are here doing something that they love for someone they care about. It is not about toeing the line with your bib on and seeing if we can PR. It is about supporting a fellow runner in his time of need."

I know many of you have heard me say this before, but you have to live in the moment. The person you are running or training with today may not be there tomorrow--you may not even be there tomorrow! So, enjoy what we do today, love your family and friends, and run with a smile on your face!!

And don't worry about wearing a bib at every race...it may do us all some good if we don't.

:-)

LM Director Tim McCaughey Qualifies for Boston!!

2008-09-29T09:02:00.003-05:00

You know...I remember a time when I used to be able to stick with this guy...

Congratulations to LM Race Director Tim McCaughey on running 3:34:49 at Sunday's Quad Cities Marathon! Tim finished 5th in his age group...but better yet he qualified for the Boston Marathon with that time (3:35:00 is the Q standard...good thing he recently turned 50!)!!

Congratulations Tim. That is a tremendous accomplishment.

Any other good stories from the QC or other races this weekend? It looks like we had a good crew up there.

Hey...I ran with a Gold Medalist!

2008-09-22T16:45:00.002-05:00

Check out the IVS website for Steve Shostrom's post about Olympic Marathon Gold Medal Winner (and Steamboat winner!) Constantina Tomescu-Dita. Gotta say...it is very cool to see all the big-time runners every year at Steamboat!

Congrats Shoreline Runners!

2008-09-22T15:34:00.007-05:00

Looks like the SRRC had a great crew of runners over in Decatur for Sunday's Shoreline Classic 5k & 15k.

Congrats to everyone who finished, especially all the folks who kept their Abe's Army training going through Advanced Abe's! That program is a great bridge to keep our Army "recruits" going after the Amble (hat tip to Gary Wessel for organizing the group!).

A big shout out also goes to race director Bruce Bennett for a job well done! Bruce has really tried to reach out the SRRC and other area clubs to enhance the Shoreline. He told me they had 675 entrants this year...up almost 200 from last year! When Bruce got involved in 2002 this race was at about 150 runners (and I think they even cancelled one year). Race directing is not always the most fun thing to do...but good directors like Bruce make our races a lot better!

For race results and more info, check the Shoreline Classic website.

Shoreline pics are here.

Become a Half Wit Follower!

2008-09-19T02:04:00.001-05:00

Be on the lookout for some changes to the Half Wits blog over the next few months as we lead into the 2009 Half Wits season.

There may be a new look, added features, more content...who knows? I just know it is time to shake things up a little so I am evaluating just what will be going into the revamped blog.

Any suggestions as to what you would like to see on the blog? Just let me know in comments?

Anyone want to be added as a Half Wits contributor so they can actually write posts? Just let me know as well.

In the mean time, I added a little feature today called "followers". Click on the gadget on the right to become a Half Wits follower! (Here's some follower info from Blogger.)

See ya on the roads (I hope)!

Vote for your favorite SRRC race!

2008-09-18T16:26:00.002-05:00

Visit our online poll on the right side of the blog and let us know your favorite SRRC race!
These are the "core" races which the SRRC Board directly oversees.

Mike Hirsch Benefit, Sat. Sep. 27

2008-09-18T15:24:00.004-05:00

Many of you Half Wits may know Mike Hirsch or be familiar with him...tall guy, good shape, bald head...
I first got to know Mike back in 2004 when he trained with Wendy's group for the Chicago Marathon. He has run in our local races and has been a FitClub member. He is a great guy and always has a positive attitude.

Mike, 40, has been diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme brain cancer, stage 4.

A fundraising run/walk will be held on Saturday, September 27 with monies from the event going to help the Hirsch family (wife and two young children) in their time of need.
Whether you can or cannot make it on September 27, please show your support of a fellow runner by downloading the registration form (below) and doing what you can!

Here's the details on the run/walk (hat tip to Hardy Breed for posting this info):

WHAT: 2 mile race/walk benefiting the Mike Hirsch family.
WHEN: 8:00 a.m. Saturday, September 27th.
WHERE: Start/Finish by picnic shelter and playground off South Grand.
REGISTRATION: Pre-registration is encouraged, but you can register on race day starting at 7:00 a.m. under the picnic shelter. Download Registration Form (.pdf)
QUESTIONS: Andy Smith (217) 502-0436 andresm@siue.edu / Kathy Smith 502-0435
RACE DAY PARKING: Parking is available by the tennis courts and on South Grand.
Food and refreshments will be provided after the race.
FEE: $15.00

Saturday 9/20 Runs

2008-09-18T14:04:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Diana Nevitt...

Those training for fall marathons have asked that we revive an old route which circles the town of Springfield touch the areas of each Fit Club. The 20/23 mile runners should bring money with them to buy water/gatorade at the gas stations mentioned in the route. There will be one common water/gatorade stop at the end of Wabash Trail/Sonic at the picnic table. This stop will serve as a 3 time stop for both the 5:30 and 6:30 groups. 6:30 group will use this stop twice. Cindy Saxby has volunteered to place drinks at this stop.

Route details for the 20/23ish mile runners:
Begin at Panera West - 5:30 a.m.

Runners responsible for own drinks at each gas station stop. Bring money!
Stopping at Fit Club West will total approximately 20.5 miles.
Taking the route back to Paneral will give you 23ish.
Adjust route according to individual needs

Route details for the 11 mile runners:
Begin at Panera West - 6:30 a.m.

Complete the first half of the route.
The 11 mile run is an out and back route.
The turn around point is at Fit Club South.
Retrace steps back to Panera West.
Wabash Trail/Sonic water stop will serve as two stops for the 11 mile runners.

Below is a map outling the course. I gave it my best shot at trying to map out the "wiggle part around Lincoln's Home area, city complex and St. Johns's." You may have to wing it around this area.

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=246092

Training Runs open thread

2008-09-09T10:50:00.003-05:00

Sorry...I was out of town for a week and not posting...

Let's open up another thread on training runs for this week...let us know in comments.

September Marathon Training

2008-09-02T11:06:00.003-05:00

As of today there is only 39 days left before the start of the Chicago Marathon. Please use this post for September to inform others about your upcoming training runs and share your trials and triumphs.

Good luck to everyone who is training and I will see you in Chicago as a volunteer.

Want To Be A Super Hero?

2008-08-30T10:43:00.004-05:00

Add this race to your fall running lineup! The 1st Annual Heroes Run for Hope 5 mile Run/2 mile Walk in Chatham benefits the Bone Marrow Foundation and is directed by HalfWit Jenni Gardner. Your $20 entry fee includes a drawstring tote bag, opportunities for great door prizes (including a Garmin 405), a post-race party, and the chance to support a worthy cause. Mark your calendars for a great fall race for a great cause - Saturday, October 4th.

For more information - visting Heroes Run For Hope . Download the form and mail it in today - or bring it next Saturday to the 7:00 a.m. Advanced Abe's Training Run and I'll send them all in together.

Don't forget - this race will kick off the 2008 Frostbite training season! Hope to see y'all there!

Columbus Marathon

2008-08-29T10:27:00.000-05:00

Travis is a Half Wit...

Most of you do not know me. My wife and I were signed up for the Columbus Marathon that's scheduled in October. That was before we planned to move to Portland Oregon. If anybody is interested in Running the 2008 Nationwide Columbus Marathon on October 19th email me. It's already paid for you'll just be responsible for the transfer fee (if there is one??). Let other people know as well. I really don't know if 10 people will want to run it, or 0, so the first people who respond and want to run will get our 2 entries.

Thanks
Travis Martinsen

Run Saturday 8/23

2008-08-21T10:27:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Diana and her crew...

Our runs this week will start from Panera West.

The 18 mile run will begin at 5:30 a.m. The 12 mile run will begin at 6:30 a.m.

18 mile route runners, water/gatorade needs to be coordinated by the early group. Please send a reply to all for those that are willing to put out and pick up at increments of 2-3 mile stops. See link for the 18 mile route - http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=64313 (UPDATE--this is the correct route)

The 18 mile route was on the USATF site. We will borrow this route for this run for our Saturday route. Someone had saved the route under Springfield, IL routes. It is known that the Half-Wits have saved a lot of routes out on this site. This run is 18 miles. Thank you for this run!

Using the same idea, I created a 12 mile route. See link for the 12 mile route - http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=238954 12 mile runners. We will need water/gatorade at the corner of Isles/Koke Mill Rd next to the traffic pole on the southeast side of the road. We will also need a stop at Cockrell Lane & Mathers Road.

The water/gatorade stop at Cockrell Lane & Mathers Road will be used by both groups.

If you can put out water/gatorade at any of these stops, please post on the blog!

Abe's Amble

2008-08-18T10:51:00.005-05:00

Thanks to everyone who made the 2008 Abe's Amble a rousing success!

(Abe's results are here)

The weather was perfect. We had a huge crowd (not quite a record, but close). The results were timely and correct. The awards ceremony started on time and everything was wrapped by about 10:15 a.m. Not bad for a 7:30 a.m. 10k race with over 1000 participants.

All in all, it could not have gone any better.

I want to say a special thank you to Mark Beagles and Tim Marker for staying on as race directors. They did a ton of work and had things in place when the rest of us stepped in to assist.

Also, a big thanks to Sports Editor Jim Ruppert of the State Journal-Register for the great coverage they annually give to Abe's Amble. For those of you may not know Jim, he's a great guy, but not much of a fan of the State Fair. Every year, though, he makes it out on the last day to cover Abe's. (photo credit to Shannon Kirshner of the State Journal-Register)

Read Jim's story in the 8/18 SJ-R.

And thanks to the boys at Hardy Breed for their recap of the race and the 700+ PHOTOS THEY TOOK! They held off on the corn dogs long enough to take some great pics.

Mark your calendars now...August 23, 2009 for the 32nd Abe's Amble in the Lincoln Bicentennial Year!!!

Carlberg Design Parade Run Results

2008-08-08T07:44:00.005-05:00

Thanks to all who came out for the Parade Run last night. And a HUGE congratulations on a job well done to race directors Marcia Grant and Mary Rogers.

Through either running or volunteering, I've been around the Parade Run for over a decade.

From an organizational perspective, the Parade Run is one of the toughest races that the SRRC organizes. Even though it is only two miles, there are so many moving parts with this race that it really takes a ton of work to pull it off.

This is no disrespect to any of the former directors, but last night's race was the most well-run Parade Run that I have seen.

The race started on time (5:30 pm exactly); the last participant came across the finish at 6:00 pm; the results/awards were completely calculated by 6:10 pm; and the entire event was wrapped up by 6:40 pm.

That is AWESOME!

Click here for Carlberg Design Parade Run results at OnlineRaceResults.com.

Runs this Saturday 8/9

2008-08-07T11:21:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Diana Nevitt, Cindy Saxby and their dedicated group of runners for forwarding their weekly plans.

Folks training for a fall marathon, or those who just want to get in a long run, are more than welcome to join them on Saturday mornings (see below for some info on this group).

This Saturday they will leaving from the IDOT Parking lot for either an 18 mile route (5:30 a.m. departure) or a 12 mile route (6:30 a.m. departure).

It is suggested that everyone meet at the east-side Panera on Dirksen 10 minutes before departure (5:20 am or 6:20 am) and carpool over to IDOT. After the run they will reconvene at Panera.

Here is an introduction from the group:

Welcome!

Just some background information on our group. We would like to explain a little about who we are and how we work. The runners in our group vary in speed and distance. We are easy going and fun. We love to run, socialize, and eat.

We have those who do run 9 minute miles, a group that averages 10-11 minute miles, and runners in the middle of the pack. So, there is room for growth. Also with mapping out the run, if someone is having an off day they can drop back to a comfortable pace.

Each week we try to switch around our routes, but that is not always possible. If we have a particular distance or can't come up with a new route for the week, we pull out a tried and true route. Everyone is welcome to plan a route, marking Gatorade and water stops approximately every two miles.

We all try to pitch in and volunteer to put out the Gatorade/water, enough for all runners. It is nice to rotate this responsibility. Those who put out drinks are responsible to pick up the debris after the run since we do not want to leave trash in the environment.

Running departing times will vary according to the weather and distance. Those running longer distances may leave earlier than those with the shorter distances.

As a group, we try to be aware of our fellow runners even though we train at our own speed and distance.

Come on out and give our group a try. We have several people now training for different marathons. Some are training for their first half marathon, and there are those who keep a 10 mile base.

I will pass your name along to Cindy Saxby, who also sends out running emails.

Come and see what we are about!

The Group,

Long run plans...

2008-08-06T15:36:00.003-05:00

Hi.

I'm Tim and I would like to introduce myself.

I think I used to be a part of this blog:-)

Seriously...sorry I have not kept up the posts better over the past few months, but every once in a while ya need a break, right?

Anyhooo...I know there are a couple different groups training for Chicago and other fall marathons. If you let me know of your weekly plans (route, map link, etc...) I would be happy to try and make a full-fledged post out of them so other folks can see what is happening.

In the mean time, I'm just trying to get back into a routine where I am actually running and working out on a regular basis. It has been kinda tough post-Half Wits this year.

(And I'll let you in a little secret...me and the Mrs. were discussing the possibilty of a 2009 plan for Chicago...we'll see, but you always gotta think ahead:-)

Don't forget about the Carlberg Design Parade Run tomorrow night (Thursday, 8/7). Our very own Half Wit Mary Rogers has stepped up to co-direct this race and they are doing a great job.

Also, Abe's Amble is Sunday, August 17 (11 days away!). GET REGISTERED TODAY! If you are not running Abe's, just let me know and we would be happy to plug you in as a volunteer.

Chicago Marathon Training 08

2008-07-30T13:34:00.002-05:00

Hello to all of you training for the Chicago Marathon. It has been a great summer so far to train for a Fall marathon but what do I know I'm not running the marathon this year. My friend and co-worker Pam is again training for her fourth Chicago so I get updates daily and sometimes hourly on her training program.

I thought I would set up this Post so others like Pam could talk about upcoming training runs and share tips on training for a marathon. This way I won't be the only one to hear Pam's stories about her long runs. Unfortunately I can't share these stories because Pam's motto is "what happens on a long run stays on a long run". I have been told there is a 18 mile training run starting at 6:00am from Panera Bread West this Sat. August 2nd. The route will have some stops along the way for water and bathrooms but I would recommend a fuel belt and GU if you have some.

Please start posting to this site to keep up on the group runs and everybody's progress.

Two Great Two Milers!

2008-07-05T12:03:00.001-05:00

Abe's Amble is still more than a month away - how about putting your training to the test? The SRRC is proud to sponsor a couple of great two mile races this summer.

The 29th Annual Women's Distance Festival, July 12 at 8:00 a.m., is held in Washington Park and is a great place for both rookie and veteran female runners AND walkers. A free Kids Fun Run for boys and girls of all ages follows the race. Women's Distance Festival is a lot of fun, featuring a mini-Health Fair, plenty of encouragement the whole distance, and women's specific custom running shirts! Register before race day and save $5.00! You'll need to register your children for the Kids Fun Run - but they are free and all kids receive something special! For more details visit their website at www.womensdistance.com. Oh, and guys? We're not leaving you out - we need your support! If you can volunteer, send an email to me and we'll put you to work!

The 17th Annual Carlberg Design Parade Run 2 Mile Race, to be held Thursday, August 7, kicks off the State Fair each year and runs on a flat course starting from Ethnic Village. This race is 'tag-timed' and draws a huge crowd of runners and fans alike. All registered runners receive a Carlberg Design custom logo T-shirt. It's a 'hot' and fast race, starting at 5:30 p.m., but afterwards you can enjoy all the festivities of Preview Night of the Illinois State Fair. Door prizes include SRRC apparel and 2009 memberships! This race is a bargain at only $12 for SRRC members if registered by July 31st. Volunteers are also need at this race to help with the finish line and refreshments.

Don't forget: SRRC members receive discounted entries for both of these races. Check out Foot Trails or the SRRC website www.srrc.net for forms for both of these events and a link to online registration available through www.getmeregistered.com.

Congratulations to Ann!

2008-07-04T08:44:00.003-05:00

The SRRC's Ann Gaffigan put on a valiant performance in the steeplechase during the U.S. Track and Field Trials.

On a night which "the women's steeplechase enjoyed its finest night ever on American soil" Ann finished 10th in what was an American record performance of 9:27.59 by winner Ann Willard. Lindsey Anderson and Jenny Berringer finshed second and third to round out the first-ever U.S. women's Olympic steeplechase team.

The SRRC had a crowd crowd (above) of Ann supporters at Sammy's Sports Bar to watch the finals on Thursday night.

Channel 20 had live coverage from Sammy's during the 10pm news and Channel 17 also covered the party at Sammy's.

Click here for WAND TV coverage.

Click here for the State Journal-Register story on Ann's steeplechase final.

Ann Gaffigan Makes Steeplechase Finals!

2008-07-01T10:04:00.006-05:00

With a great performance in the semi-finals on Monday night, the SRRC's very own Ann Gaffigan qualified for the finals of the women's steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials on Thursday evening. (click here for Monday's results)

Join your SRRC friends and supporters of Ann as we cheer her on with a "Go Ann Go!" party at Sammy's Sports Bar on Thursday night. The Trials coverage begins at 10:00 pm CDT with Ann's race scheduled to be run at 11:45 pm CDT. Hey...come on out...Friday's a holiday...and let's cheer on Ann as she "goes for the gold!"

Thanks to the State Journal-Register for tremendous coverage on Ann's semi-final race.

Gaffigan qualifies for Olympic steeplechase finals
DeShasier comes up short in javelin final

By STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

EUGENE, Ore. — When Sacred Heart-Griffin High School graduate Ann Gaffigan won the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials, it was only an exhibition event.This time there’s a berth in the Beijing Games at stake, and Gaffigan took the first step Monday night by qualifying for the finals at the U.S. trials. She finished ninth in the semifinals in 9 minutes 55.24 seconds and will try to earn one of three spots on the American team in a race at 11:45 p.m. CDT Thursday.Gaffigan won the event — which combines running, hurdling and water hazards — at the 2004 trials in 9:39.35 at Sacramento, Calif., but didn’t advance to the Athens Games because women’s steeplechase was not yet an Olympic sport.

“I was fresh out of college, happy to be where I was,’’ Gaffigan said after Monday’s race. “This time I have much more of a purpose in mind. I’m not the kid in the candy store anymore.’’The semifinals were run in two heats, and Gaffigan finished fifth in the second heat. “I felt amazing,’’ said Gaffigan, a professional who runs for Team New Balance. “It was my best time of the season. I was very much in control — the position I started in was the position I finished in. (Late in the race) I was able to put it on cruise control, make sure not to trip.’’

Gaffigan, 26, was a three-time state champion at SHG, winning Class AA state track titles in the 3,200 meters in 1998 and 2000 as well as the 1998 Class AA girls state cross country meet. She went on to the University of Nebraska, winning the Big 12 Conference steeplechase title as a senior and being named the Huskers’ most valuable cross country runner three years in a row.

The University of Colorado’s Jennifer Barringer, who ran in Gaffigan’s heat, won Monday’s steeplechase semifinals in 9:48.50. Nicole Bush of Michigan State had the second-fastest time (9:49.53), and Nike-sponsored Lindsey Anderson finished third in 9:49.71.

Another competitor from The State Journal-Register area, Carrollton’s Alicia DeShasier, finished fifth in the women’s javelin finals and didn’t qualify for an Olympic berth.DeShasier, 24, was attempting to qualify for the Olympics after throwing the javelin for the first time less than two years ago. She advanced out of Saturday’s preliminaries with the third-best throw of 176 feet 6 and had a best effort 175-5 in the finals.

Kara Patterson of Purdue won the event at 191-9, Dana Pounds of the U.S. Air Force took second at 189-9, and the University of Oregon’s Rachel Yurkovich was third at 185-1. Patterson qualified for the Olympics by virtue of winning the trials, but Yurkovich and Pounds didn’t make it because they hadn’t thrown the required “A’’ standard distance of 198-6 for Olympic qualification. The second berth went to fourth-place finisher Kim Kreiner, whose best effort Monday was 183-5. Kreiner, sponsored by Nike, had achieved the “A’’ standard in a previous competition. No other competitor had achieved the “A” standard, so a potential third berth went unfilled.Each of the 12 javelin finalists got three attempts Monday before the field was cut to nine, and DeShasier’s best throw came on her second attempt. She made the cut to nine and got three more attempts, but she fouled twice and couldn’t better her mark of 175-5.

Go Ann Go!!

2008-06-27T05:50:00.005-05:00

From today's State Journal-Register...(and keep an eye out for a story from Ch. 20)...

Running club aids Gaffigan

By Staff reports
STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Jun 27, 2008 @ 01:34 AM

The Springfield Road Runners Club, the home club of Springfield native Ann Gaffigan, will sponsor Gaffigan as she aims to make the United States Olympic track and field team in the steeplechase.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field begin today and run through July 6 in Eugene, Ore. With a $1,000 donation to Gaffigan, the 1,300-plus members of the SRRC will help defray some of her expenses as she travels to Eugene for the Trials.

Gaffigan, who runs for Team New Balance, will wear apparel with the SRRC logo before and after her events at the Trials. Gaffigan, 26, lives in Lincoln, Neb., and is a Sacred Heart-Griffin High School and University of Nebraska graduate. She and her family have been long-time members of the SRRC.

Gaffigan was the 2004 U.S. national champion and the 2004 Big 12 Conference champion in the steeplechase. Two networks (NBC & USA) will provide television coverage of the Trials.

The SRRC will host a viewing party at Sammy’s Sports Bar & Grill (217 S. 5th Street, Springfield) for the steeplechase finals, which are July 3 at 11:45 p.m. CDT. USA Network’s coverage of the Trials will be from 10 p.m.-midnight on July 3.

SRRC Track Meet Wednesday June 25th

2008-06-17T21:57:00.002-05:00

Time: 5:30-8pm at the SHG Track

9 different running events

4 x 800 meter relay
4 x 100 meter relay
100 meter dash
800 meter run
5. 4 x 200 meter relay
400 meter dash
1600 meter run
200 meter dash
4 x 400 meter relay

Max # of events: 2 open running events per person and 2 relays per person. Sign up at SRRC Wednesday Night Track Workout (see http://www.runkt.blogspot.com/). Please put a predicted finish time for every race you sign up for (including relays). Form your own team of four runners or just sign up and we will put you in a team. Ribbons to be awarded for 1st through 3rd place for each event.

If you are not running in the track meet please email Emily or post a comment to volunteer. Help needed include timers, relay exchange judges, starter, scribe, finish judge, and maybe a few other people to help as needed that day.

If you're looking for a fun way to get in your workout next week - come on out to the 1st Annual (we think) SRRC Track Meet! For more details - email Emily

Women's Distance Festival gets a website!

2008-05-22T11:16:00.002-05:00

Congrats to race director Susan Helm and designer Sanya Kushak for putting together a great new website for Springfield's Women's Distance Festival 2 miler (Saturday, July 12, Washington Park)!

Visit www.WomensDistance.com to check it out. The site has all the race details as well as a link to online registration for the event.

Just my own comment here...all our big races should think about establishing their own websites....or at least get a blog up and going. It is a great marketing tool for the event, and it really helps with getting the correct information out to participants. Hopefully some of our other races (Abe's, Parade Run...you listening?) will have their own sites in future years.

Magnificent Mile and other upcoming races

2008-05-20T13:01:00.002-05:00

If you have a need for speed...and a short-distance race...take part in the inagural Springfield Magnificent Mile this Saturday, May 24.

The race begins at 10:00 a.m. and has wave starts based on age groups.

Click here for more info or to register for the race.

Another upcoming race is the Passavant Powerade 5k & 10k on Saturday, May 31. This race is an SRRC Points Series race. Click here for more info.

And a great out-of-town (and SRRC Points Race) is the Steamboat Classic in Peoria on Saturday, June 14. With a world-class field of Olympians and Champions, this is a great race to run. They have a flat and fast 4-miler and a very tough 15k route. Visit www.SteamboatClassic.org for more info and to register!

Congratulations Barry!

2008-05-19T10:40:00.002-05:00

Barry House completed the Green Bay Marathon in 5:09!

I heard Barry was so out of it that he was actually signing "Bear Down Chicago Bears" as he ran through Lambeau Field!

Congratulations Barry on a wonderful accomplishment! It almost makes me want to train for another marathon...almost!

Check out Barry's blog about training this marathon at:
http://prepare-marathon.blogspot.com/

Go Barrython - Keep It Strong!

2008-05-13T21:39:00.002-05:00

Barry House is our running partner, our Abe's Army leader, our Frostbite leader. He is always cheering, supporting, and encouraging every one of his running pals to keep placing one foot in front of the other. The one goal Barry always gave us was to make sure you get those two feet across that finish line. It didn't matter if you were faster or slower than Barry, he still supported you. If you were struggling and fell back, you could always count on Barry to run and finish with you.

"KEEP IT STRONG", he always yelled and meant it from his heart. Those three simple words. So giving but yet so powerful! For such a long time it was a Marython, a Pamathon, a somebodyathon. After many persuasions from his countless running buddies, Barry decided to train for his first marathon. And five long months of training through winter and ice, illness and doubts, twinkies and Gu, will finally come to an end.

Barry will always be a HalfWit in spirit, but this weekend, May 18th, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Barry, will "run" with his own advice and "run" one foot in front of the other to become BarryThon!

GO BARRYTHON - KEEP IT STRONG! And congrats - we're behind ya all the way!!

Emily K and Mary R

Please track Barry this Sunday at the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. He is BIB # 722
Track Barrython

Who I met on my trip to Cincinnati!

2008-05-05T14:44:00.003-05:00

The weekend in Cincinnati for the Flying Pig and the RRCA Convention was a lot of fun. We had a good crew of people travel over from Springfield. Congrats to everyone who made it through the various distances...especially Becky Baum (5k) and Pam Stevens (half marathon) who were age group winners! I ran the 10k and finished 4th in the Clydesdales (always out of the awards!!!).

The RRCA Annual Banquet was a great event, and I was able to meet some wonderful people. Becky and Alan Avery actually had a booth at the convention for Alan's Elf Score race scoring software. That's pretty cool, huh?

Thanks so much to Wendy (love ya!), President Barb, Anne Armitage, and Karen Valenti for being my support crew at the dinner! You gals--coyotes--really made the evening a special experience.

And a big thank you goes to Barb for hosting a little cocktail party in her room before the banquet. That was very nice!

At the dinner we sat with a couple women including Nancy Hobbs, who is the Executive Director of the American Trail Running Association (ATRA) and is the Manager of Teva US Mountain Running Team. She is a real ball of energy. Nancy has her own blog and will be posting something about the RRCA Awards Banquet and on volunteers in general. You can visit Nancy's Blog at http://teva.typepad.com/nancy/ and you can visit her website at http://www.trailrunner.com/ Nancy's mountain runners have been featured in both Runner's World and Running Times!

Dick Beardsley was the keynote speaker for the dinner. He has such an incredibly inspirational story and he is a very humble guy. We were able to meet him after the dinner...and I think Karen has a picture of her and him on her iphone...if she knows how to access the photos!

I spoke at length with Phil Stewart, the Race Director of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Festival 10 miler in Washington, D.C. He is a neat guy, he knows my boss, and it was very cool to have some time to talk with a diretor of such a large and nationally-known race.

Brent Ayer is the new President of the RRCA. Like me, he works for a Member of Congress (actually several right now). He introduced himself after the dinner and we had a very good conversation. He takes over for Bee McLeod who has been very involved with the national running scene for a long time! After meeting Brent, I am confident our national club is in good hands!

Jeff Darman is the Executive Director for the ACLI Capital Challenge 3 miler in Washington, D.C. Jeff has been a long-time driving force behind the RRCA, and was one of the main proponents behind establishing the AARC a few years ago when many believed the RRCA had lost it's way. Jeff also told me that he was a close personal friend of Rod Steele, for whom the award I received is named. That was very cool.

The President of the Las Vegas Track Club, Steve Thornock, introduced himself after the awards banquet. He told me that he was so inspired by the speeches of the award winners that he was going back to Sin City and follow through on starting up the kids running club that his club has discussed for a long time. He said he was just so impressed to hear all the good things about clubs and volunteers from around the country.

At a presentation about tag & chip timing, we were able to talk with Don Lindley of the Fort Wayne Track Club. It is always great to be able to talk to folks from other clubs about what they are doing. The FWTC purchased a chip timing system in 2004 to score their local/club races, but just recently they replaced their chip system with the IPICO Sports timing system. His comments were very insightful.

Jean Knaack is the Executive Director of the RRCA. I had corresponded with her several times via e-mail, but had never had the opportunity to meet her in person. She has done a great job since coming on as ED of the RRCA and she did a wonderful job overseeing much about the banquet and convention.

All-in-all it was a very good weekend in Cincy and I thought the SRRC was represented very well. We have a great club and it really shows at meetings like this!

Looking for LM photos

2008-05-01T11:46:00.001-05:00

If anyone has photos of the 2008 Lincoln Memorial, and would be so kind to burn a disc for me, I would really appreciate it.

We are always looking for good promotional photos for the race...and more photos means more options when it comes to what we can do!

Thanks!

Good Luck to All this Weekend!!!

2008-05-01T11:22:00.005-05:00

This is a HUGE weekend for running!

One of the best races on the SRRC Points Series is this weekend: The Lake Run in Bloomington. If you are not traveling out of the area this weekend, I would highly encourage you to run this race. It is wonderfully organized, it is a great course, and the post-race is mucho fun! Plus we can thank the LRC for having so many folks at the Lincoln Memorial!

Many people will be traveling to Indianapolis for the 500 Festival Indy Mini Half Marathon. For my money, this is the most well-organized race in which I have ever participated. They do a superb job, they have the best post-race setup around and there are well over 100 local runners heading there this weekend! DON'T FORGET TO KISS THE BRICKS ON THE TRACK!

Finally...many of us are heading to Cincinnati for the Flying Pig full, half, and other events, including the RRCA convention. I'm doing the 10k on Saturday...so all you marathoners on Sunday have fun. I'll be thinkin' of ya!

Everyone have an aweome time this weekend...be great representatives of the Half Wits and the SRRC...and let's hear the stories after your race!!!

Louisville Photos & Results

2008-05-01T10:10:00.002-05:00

The Brightroom photos from Louisville are now online. Click here for the event home for the photos.

If you have not taken a look at the results from Louisville, they are available here.

The Spot for Saturday Post-Run Gathering in L'ville

2008-04-24T19:50:00.005-05:00

If you have not visited the website for 4th Street Live in Louisville, please click here. This restaurant/bar area is just a few blocks down 4th Street from the Galt house. This will be ground zero for Saturday afternoon/evening!

We are planning to get together at the Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge. It is a very cool spot, the menu looks good...and their signature drink is, of course, a MINT JULEP!

They open at 11 am on Saturday, so don't be surprised if we are there when they open as we celebrate the big race!

Also, the Louisville Bats, the Triple A affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds, play a home game Saturday evening at 6:15 pm. Their home park is beautiful Slugger Field, home of the 2008 Triple A All Star game, and just a few blocks from the Galt House. Some of us could end up there as well!

Any other thoughts?

Travel time to L'ville

2008-04-24T19:47:00.002-05:00

For those leaving on Friday, it took about 5 hours to drive down on Thursday. Not much construction at all. A few cops here and there...but Indiana speed limit is 70!

For those of you staying here...the Galt House is a good spot and very close to all the action.

See ya Friday/Saturday!

Louisville--Important Info!!

2008-04-23T10:04:00.005-05:00

For everything about the Louisville Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon & Half Marathon this weekend, visit their website at http://www.derbyfestivalmarathon.com/

Here are a few important items for everyone heading down there this weekend:

The host hotel, the Galt House Hotel & Suites, is located adjacent to the expo/packet pick up, start line shuttle bus pick up, and the finish area.

EXPO/PACKET PICK UP:
Race packets are available at the Bluegrass Family Health Running Wild Expo at the Kentucky International Convention Center, 221 Fourth Street, Louisville, KY 40202.
Enter Building at Third and Market Streets!
Expo times:
Thursday, April 24th, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, April 25th, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday, April 26th, 5:30 a.m. - 6:30 a.m.
No Packet Pickup at Race Course Start!

SHUTTLE BUSES TO START
The start of the race is in Iroquois Park--Shuttle buses will run from the Kentucky International Convention Center to the start line. Race organizers recommend you use this shuttle system. The race finishes dowtown, near the Convention Center.
Parking is available downtown in garages:
On Jefferson between 3rd and 4th street next to the Hyatt
On the corner of 4th and Market
Morning Shuttle Bus Schedule:
70 buses will be traveling from downtown to the start
Buses will Load at three locations between 5:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.4th and Main4th and Jefferson 3rd and MarketPassengers must be at loading zones no later than 6:00 a.m. to reach the start line before the race.
Buses will unload at the Iroquois Amphitheater in Iroquois Park
An average of 35 buses will make double runs
Afternoon Bus Schedule:
10 buses will be traveling back to Iroquois Park
Buses will load on 4th and Jefferson
Buses will pick up runners to take them back to the start line at 10:00 a.m.
Buses will stop running shuttles to the start line at 2:30

RACE FINISH:
The race finishes downtown on Market Street at 6th Street.
There is a Runner Reunite area at 4th & Market, which is adjacent to the Convention Center.

GEAR CHECK:
There will be a Gear Check truck in Iroquois Park near the start area. The pick up for Gear Check will be in the Runner Reunite area at 4th & Market.

One word for Boston women--INSPIRING!

2008-04-23T09:29:00.006-05:00

I was able to DVR the Boston Marathon coverage from Monday, and I am so glad that I did!

(hat tip to Chuck for a link to a You Tube video of the race finish! Click here to view.)

I have watched the race over the past couple nights and I was totally enthralled by the elite women's race.

For those of you who have not watched this race, I would recommend you find a way to view it...and show it to anyone who wants to take up running!

It was the closest women's race in the history of the Boston Marathon with winner Dire Tune of Ethiopa edging Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia by a mere two seconds. TWO SECONDS after 26.2 miles!

For the first half of the race there was a pack of 10 runners who stayed up front. I paid attention to Biktimirova (bib #8) as she stayed at the back of the pack during this time. She does not have the proto-typical tall, thin build of today's elite runners...she is muscular, compact, and ripped! I fully expected her to fade in the second half of the race when the Africans kicked it in. But not only did she stay with them, she surged to the lead as they hit the hills in the third quarter of the course.

For miles leading to the finish, Biktimirova stayed in the lead with Tune nipping right at her heals. Tune ran a wonderful race, letting Biktimirova take the lead the whole time (this would absolutely tick me off if I was in the lead!), obviously wanting to conserve for a kick at the finish.

As they made the turn to the finish on Boylston street, here is how it unfolded according to the BAA website:

When they turned the corner from Hereford onto Boylston, Dire Tune started her kick. Too early? The 22-year-old Ethiopian brought speed and promise from Addis Ababa, but did she bring a heart big enough to hang on?

Alevtina Biktimirova fell a step behind. Then two. Then: new life. From her depths, the 25-year-old Russian caught Tune, and the two ran side-by-side toward the finish in a sprint unlike any other in the long history of this race. In front of a crowd going wild on this cool, sunny spring day, Tune finally, breathtakingly opened a gap, hitting the tape in 2:25:25 and falling to her knees in thanks. Biktimirova was on her heels till the end, finishing just two seconds back in 2:25:27.

When Biktimirova fell behind then sucked it up and caught Tune on this stretch...it was absolutely incredible! It was better than any show on TV.

If you ever wonder if you can get inspired by watching a road race, this the example to use. I wanted to jump off the couch and get out the door right then!

This was a showcase of the human competitive spirit...and a great source of inspiration as we toe the line in Louisville this Saturday!

Nation wide photo shoot for Coca Cola/Vitamin Water

2008-04-22T20:27:00.002-05:00

CHANGE OF PLANS for WEDNESDAY APRIL 23rd!!!

Wednesday April 23, 2008, 7 PM

Walmart, Dirksen Parkway Store

Nation wide photo shoot for Coca Cola/Vitamin Water

Coca Cola Enterprise, and Walmart on Dirksen has cordially invited the SRRC to help promote their new product, Vitamin Water. They are asking athletes like us to come and do a photo shoot with their Vitamin Water product. This photo will be publicized at all Wal-mart stores across the nation!!!!

Samples will be handed out, but a purchase of one bottle of their many flavors of Vitamin Water would be greatly appreciated. Please invite your family, friends, co-workers, schools, ANYBODY! You must wear your favorite work out outfit and smile big!!!

After the photo shoot, we will then celebrate with the runners who had completed their Boston Marathon run! (NOTE: that we had previously planned to meet at Sammy's Sports Bar and Grill.) Since we are doing this photo shoot, we will now meet at Wings Etc. 2315 Dirksen Parkway next to the Hall's Harley Davidson Store.

Tuesday 4/22 run

2008-04-22T09:15:00.002-05:00

I'm in Peoria today and probably won't make it back in time for tonight's run.

Since there are several people running Louisville this Saturday, we'll skip the hill/speed work adn plan to do an easy run on the route to the YMCA and back, leaving the tennis courts at 5:30.

Click here for the map.

I won't be there Thursday either...so someone can come up with a route when you meet there!

Boston update!

2008-04-21T12:52:00.005-05:00

Congrats to our local finishers at today's Boston Marathon!

Abigail Stiles (LM Winner) in 2:58:44 (6:49 pace) Wow!

Carl Benton in 3:22:33 (7:44 pace)

Joy Guardia in 3:24:50 (7:49 pace)

Troy Rogers in 3:24:57 (7:49 pace)

Mark Hopping in 3:28:00 (7:56 pace)

Paul Brown in 3:28:32 (7:58 pace)

David Floyd in 3:31:31 (8:04 pace)

Larry Porter in 3:34:46 (8:12 pace) (wheelchair athlete)

Michael Cordum in 3:45:08 (8:36 pace)

Linda Brown in 4:05:18 (9:22 pace)

Route for Saturday April 19

2008-04-17T14:11:00.002-05:00

I hate to say this folks...but this Saturday will be our final Saturday run for the spring 2008 Half Wits.

Don't forget, we will meet at Cafe Moxo, 411 E. Adams. We will leave at 7:30 a.m....and this week I need to get going as close to 7:30 as possible!

This route is basically the first half of the LM course, except we'll run it backwards.

It is 8+ miles. For those of us running Louisville, this should be a nice easy taper run.

If you are running Indy or the Pig, you can add a few miles as you are two weeks out from your race. One thought would be to run up to Lincoln Park and back from our finish at Cafe Moxo.

Please click here for a link to the map of Saturday's route!

Boston Braves!

2008-04-17T10:02:00.002-05:00

UPDATE: The Boston Marathon will be broadcast live on the sports channel Versus. If you have Comcast Digital in Springfield, it is channel 549. Broadcast time is 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Monday, April 21.

Half Wits and SRRC members will be off to Boston!

Local runners head to Heartbreak Hill for the 112th running of the Boston Marathon. The race is held on Patriot's Day, Monday, April 21st, with the first wave of runners starting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. For information on how you can watch the marathon, track athletes or learn about the rich history of this event, visit their website at http://www.baa.org/. SRRC Members include:

Joy Guardia (8939)
Carl Benton (6711)
Troy Rogers (7025)
David Floyd (11831)
Paul Brown (10315)
Linda Brown (19723)
Mark Hopping (11049)
Also registered is local athlete Larry Porter, Jr. in the wheelchair division.

Good luck to all participants and congrats on all your hard work on the road to Boston.

Everyone is invited to join us Wednesday, April 23rd, 6:30 pm at Sammy's Sports Bar downtown for a post-Boston party.

Help congratulate these runners on their accomplishment. Hope you all can make it!

Thursday Route 4/17

2008-04-17T08:30:00.002-05:00

The route for tonight will have us going to SHG, doing a lap around the track, then back to Washington Park.

We will leave from the Washington Park tennis court parking lot at 5:30 pm.

Here is a link to the map.

Tuesday's Workout (4/15)

2008-04-14T20:46:00.002-05:00

Yep...Tuesday is Tax Day. Did everyone file?

I will not be there Tuesday night, but we are back doing the hill routine for the Lincoln Avenue hill and the short, steep hill across from it.

Here is a link to the post on the blog from when we first did this workout.

Hills with names

2008-04-13T21:13:00.001-05:00

I think we named the hill in Lincoln Park which exits out to 4th Street...

The Last Hill:-)

Other hill names, anyone?

Third Wednesday Seminar will talk Biathlon Training!

2008-04-13T20:38:00.005-05:00

Our very own Half Wit Bob Thompson will be one of the presenters at a biathlon seminar this Wednesday at Athleticare.

The sport of biathlon combines running and biking...so for all those who may rule out triathlons because of the swim, this would be a great sport to try. The Capital City Biathlon is May 31.

The seminar will take place at Athleticare, 3631 S. 6th Street and begins at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 16. It is part of Athleticare's Third Wednesday series. There is no fee for the seminar. Registration is requested (217-744-7529)but not required.

Indy Mini Transfer

2008-04-10T11:06:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine from the Peoria area is injured and looking to transfer her Indy Mini registration (Indy is Saturday, May 3).

The window is short as the deadline to transfer is Friday, so if you are interested please contact her ASAP:

Amy Bearce, 309-444-4021 (work).

Thanks!

Thursday night's run (4/10)

2008-04-09T20:56:00.002-05:00

I'll be out of town Thursday, so someone please say "go"!

We leave from the Washington Park tennis courts at 5:30.

Since some of us ran KT Mac's workout Wednesday evening, we'll give ya a break and just do a straight run.

It's one I like if you have not figured it out:

Click here for the map of the Art Run course!

Route for Saturday, 4/12

2008-04-09T20:48:00.003-05:00

OK...it's another long run this Saturday!

PLEASE DON'T FORGET, WE WILL MEET AT CAFE MOXO FOR OUR RUN! We will leave Moxo at 7:30 a.m. and we'll plan to hang out afterwards for food and fun!

Cafe Moxo is located downtown, on Adams, between 4th & 5th Streets.

Plenty of street parking is available downtown on Saturday mornings...and there's no need to plug the meters!

Please study the map of this route. It is a new route and it's a little over 13 miles.

Click here for the map!

Fotojack photos for LM

2008-04-09T20:08:00.002-05:00

The Fotojack official photos from the Lincoln Memorial are now online.

Click here for the link.

I am interested to know if people received an e-mail from Fotojack with their photos...and if so, did they send you the correct photos?

I have a report that the Fotojack e-mail someone received actually had the photos for the person one bib below them.

Let me know. Thanks:-)

Route for Tues., April 8

2008-04-08T11:30:00.001-05:00

Sorry about the late post....

We are back at Washington Park tonight, leaving the tennis court parking lot at 5:30 pm....rain or shine:-)

We will run to Fit Club West and back...about 4.33 miles.

Click here for the map.

Less than 400 spots left for L'ville!

2008-04-07T15:43:00.001-05:00

If you are planning or want to run Louisville and have yet to register, you better do it ASAP.

This was posted on their website on Sunday:

Registration for the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon and miniMarathon on April 26 has currently surpassed 11,600 runners and is on pace to reach the previously announced cap of 12,000 entrants within the next week. Those Runners who are training for either race are STRONGLY advised to register now to ensure a guaranteed entry. Registration is available at www.derbyfestivalmarathon.com. Entry fees are $50 for the mini and $75.

An LM Observation

2008-04-07T11:46:00.002-05:00

Out of the top 12 finishers in Saturday's Lincoln Memorial, only one was from the immediate Springfield area (Bill Owens), including four from the Chicago metro area.

Our local runners are wonderful, but as a race director, nothing makes me more happy than to see a bunch of people from out-of-town come in to run a race!

KT Mac @ The Track Starts this Wednesday

2008-04-06T20:26:00.002-05:00

KT Mac's Wednesday night workouts begin this Wednesday, April 9, 5:30 p.m. at Washington Park. They will meet at the park for a few weeks then switch to the SHG track for the summer.

This is an excellent way to keep that Half Wits training base going into the summer and fall as KT Mac does a great job organizing track workouts.

If you want to increase your speed and endurance as we head into the SRRC race series for the year, you should really think about joining KT Mac at the Track.

It's just like the Half Wits...there is no cost but it's a lot of fun.

Check out Katie's blog here!

The Plan for Louisville, Indy, The Pig, etc...

2008-04-06T20:14:00.005-05:00

OK...now that we have THAT race out of the way...

We will keep the Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday routine going through the Louisville Half Marathon on Saturday, April 26 (three weeks). This plan would also work well for those running Indy or the Flying Pig.

One change though...for our NEXT TWO SATURDAYS (4/12 & 4/19) I plan to have us run from Cafe Moxo downtown.

Our run this Saturday, April 12 will be 13+ miles, so make sure you get back into the long run state of mind!

The next Saturday, April 19 will probably be a run of 9-10 miles. For those doing Indy or the Pig instead of Louisville (both one week later than Lville) you may want to tack on a few extra miles that day as you will be two weeks out from your race.

We will be back at Washington Park this Tuesday, April 8, leaving the tennis court parking lot at 5:30 pm. Since most of you ran the LM yesterday, we won't be doing any hills or speed, just a straight run. We may switch it around and do some hills/speed on Thursday this week.

So, who all is going to what races?

I think we have a good crowd heading to Louisville. It will be fun!!!

LM Photos

2008-04-06T17:38:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Marsha Gebhardt for sharing these photos from the 2008 LM.

And by the way, bib # 512 is Sherry Day...she sang the National Anthem for ya folks!

Congrats to the Half Wits

2008-04-06T08:12:00.002-05:00

Great job to all the Half Wits who ran the Lincoln Memorial yesterday.

From the weather, to the on-course support, to no problems with the results, we could not have asked for a better event.

Thanks to all the volunteers for all their support. Without the volunteers this race would never happen.

So let's hear what you thought. Any PRs yesterday? How was the course? Any good stories?

Half Wits tops update

2008-04-03T14:16:00.002-05:00

For those of you who did not order a Half Wits top, but would still like to purchase one, I have listed below what I have left (after holding back shirts ordered but yet to be picked up by those who ordered it).

If you would like one of these , please e-mail me (timbutler320 AT comcast.net) which gender (W or M) and the size by NOON FRIDAY, APRIL 3.

I will hold it back for you. This will be first come, first served so e-mail me before they are gone.

Any shirts still left after noon on Friday will be put up for sale to the general public at the Expo.

Shirt Sizes and Amount of each Still Available:

WOMEN:
Small: 1 top
Large: 6 tops

MEN:
Medium: 10 tops
Large: 9 tops

Again...please send me an e-mail if you would like one of these (timbutler320 AT comcast.net)