Happy hour should last forever…
If you are looking to purchase some new gear, Road Runner is offering a 15% off with free shipping which ends tomorrow — Wednesday, Sept. 24 2008. In order to get the savings, you need to enter cj18071e as the promotion/order code when you are checking out. Enjoy!
Once again, I participated in the Get In Gear 10K on April 26, 2008. Weather this year was.. well, not quite so nice as last year. Unfortunately, my fitness is not where I would like it to be either; but that’s another story. On to the “Official” gory details.
| 2008 | 2007 |
| Overall: 286 Division: 36 Time: 44:55 Pace: 7:14 |
Overall: 289 Division: 36 Time: 43:19 Pace: 6:59 |
The time is roughly ninty seconds slower then last year though it’s something of a pleasant surprise. I was expecting more in the 46 or 47 minute range. I find it interesting that my place in the field and in the division was basically the same. I suppose the winter treated — or mistreated — everyone roughly the same. The unfortunate part of this particular race was that my minute per mile times were slipping toward the end. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was somewhat disappointing.
One of the interesting differences for this year was that I was actually warmed up — at least to some degree — when I entered the chute. Warming up was really an effort to keep physically warm rather then for race preparation, but it was beneficial to get a bit of jittery nerves taken care of before the start. You might think that after having run any number of these things that I would be used to it by now, but — truth be told — I have never quite gotten over the feeling (and/or fear) of potential failure while waiting for the event to start. Actually, some of my best efforts were directly related to taping into that fear so I don’t really want it to disappear. Every event is an adventure.
While in the chute, I was standing near a worried mother and a young man of perhaps 10. It was interesting to listen to her advice to him and the things that he was thinking about. I was highly tempted to give him a suggestion or two regarding my own strategy, but the benefit would have been highly subjective. A road race for your typical weekend warrior is always going to be a very personal thing.
Overall — especially considering the weather — I’m pleased with the effort. Get in Gear is always a well run event, and I would recomend it to anyone interested in taking up running in a given year.
Those of you interested in some new running gear might want to consider RoadRunnerSports.com’s 10% off until 12/31 offer.
Received in email the morning:
Triathlon racing season will be here before you know it, so now’s the time to make your plans for 2008. The Pigman® Sprint , Pigman® Long Course and the races in the Heart of America Triathlon series have been providing outstanding races for more than 15 years.
By acting now, you can save money by entering early at most races. Plus, you can ensure that you have your spot reserved in the area’s premier triathlon events.
It’s a great race, give it a go!
Taken from an email I received this morning:
There’s still time to register! Come join us for the Securian Frozen 5K and Half Marathon, a Saint Paul Winter Carnival, scheduled for January 26, 2008.
Online registration will close January 23, 2008 for this event. So move fast and register today at: Active.com
You might as well go register. You know you’re going to anyway, so why wait. 
I just received the email announcing open registration for the 2008 Get in Gear. You can find more information about the event itself from the Get in Gear website. The Get in Gear is a great race with a large field and something I look forward to each year. Sign up today! You know you want to..
I consider the racing results of the past year to have been successful. A new marathon PR at Marine Corps, a successful run in the tough conditions of Twin Cities, a sprint triathlon finish to use as a benchmark, and a 10K PR at Get in Gear.
For the upcoming year, I have entered my first Olympic distance triathlon. Swimming a respectable 1500m will be a daunting task. Known events for the coming year include:
The goal will be to work on getting faster at some cost to the longer runs. I’m going to try to actually train for triathlons this year, and — perhaps — I’ll get a new bike.
All, I have upgraded the software used here to Wordpress 2.3. The main difference from a user perspective is the tagging feature.
You might notice that the “possibly related links” box has disappeared. 
The new tagging feature is something similar without the extra step associated with the related posts plugin. All you have to do is type your meta tags in the textbox just below the regular post editor. Type any tags you want in the textbox with individual entries separated by commas. If an entry doesn’t exist, it is created. If it previously existed, then the posts with that tag are related by clicking on the tag link.
I have gone back and tagged a bunch of the previous posts, but if some post of yours doesn’t have tags defined please feel free to do so. I have attempted to use some typical tagging elements for the existing posts. For instance, “Race Reports” or event names such as “Twin Cities Marathon” are good tag names. It’s just a loose grouping mechanism. It’s totally flexible, so go crazy and have fun!
As many of you know, I’m a big fan of eMusic.com and have been a subscriber with them for about two years. Now, there’s a link from the sidebar on the main page which you can use to start a free trial membership if you are so inclined. Twenty five free downloads isn’t a bad thing, and you can grab the eMusic’s FREE Daily Download
as well. Enjoy!
Great news, everyone! On Monday, I will have City of Lakes 25K entry forms for those who want them. The event itself is on the weekend on Sept 8/9th. Some of us ran this event last year, it’s a very familiar course. Additionally, rather then getting another T-Shirt, the race gift is a mug. A race that gives out mugs begs the question of an additional “Drink out of your mug” party at the super-secret Franke Run Club hideout.
