Please don't stop the music

For those who were curious, yes I dropped a Rihanna reference.  Anyway, it's beginning to feel a lot like summer out there.  The sun is intense, the humidity is high.  I've been told that these are the days that make you a better runner come the Fall season, but it's a bitch...

Chris kicked it off on Friday morning at the NPC-50K National Police Challenge 5k at the U.S. Secret Service Training Center in Laurel.  He could probably give us a race recap, but then he'd have to kill us!  He clocked a 17:43 for 5th overall and 1st Master honors.

Saturday was the Musical Madness 5k, put on by Greg Schuler and Reservoir HS.  Mark paced the way for the men, winning in 16:39.  Dave had a good race despite not feeling great, grabbing 5th in 17:50.  Phil, returning from a long layoff, showed he hasn't lost much fitness, finishing 6th in 18:19 and winning his AG.  Tunde was right on his tail in 18:24.  Bobby was able to hold off his girls with a 19:23, but I think his days are numbered.  Mick won his AG again in 19:41.

In the ladies race, we swept it on dominating fashion.  Jess took top honors in 19:01 as she continues to drop her times and return to college form.  Tiffany clocked a solid 19:30 and Emily ran a 90+ second PR with a 19:41 for 3rd.  Dorothy was the 1st Master and beat the rest of her AG by 5+ minutes!!!

Happy Musical Madness postrace crew

On Sunday, Suzy had an early start with the Pros at the Columbia Triathlon.  She turned pro last year and has an amazing training regiment, while juggling her job as a PE teacher.  The weather was far from ideal, with wet roads and a chilly breeze.  She finished 9th in the Pro division in 2:14:42, which included a 21:30 swim, 21.6 mph average on the bike, and 41:24 on the tough 10k course.  Awesome job Suzy!

Keith rolled down to VA to HOORAH his way through the Marine Corps Historic Half.  He finished 10th in 1:21:02.

Meanwhile, in Finland, the Stenholms both participated in the Finnish National Duathlon Championships.  Reports showed Sari on the podium and Pekka finished with an AG bronze.  Not sure of distances or times as I can't comprehend the website.  I could certainly go for some of that Finnish cold air right about now...

A Winning weekend

Last weekend was light on the racing front as the spring season winds down, but there were a few highlights...

In Maple Lawn, the Maryland Half Marathon kicked off the weekend.  Reports indicated the course is slightly long, closer to 13.5 miles, and is quite hilly.  Nick led the way on the men's side as he continued with his steady diet of racing, running 1:24:04 for 6th overall and 2nd in his AG.  Keith wasn't far behind, finishing 8th in 1:25:09.  I think he needs a break...anyone agree?  Maurice showed his endurance, finishing 2nd in his AG in 1:32:51.

In the women's race, Caroline took off from the gun and never looked back, WINNING the race outright in 1:32:29.  Awesome job Caroline!!!

Caroline starts her celebration just a tad early

 The first annual Wine in the Woods 5k took place in Centennial Park on the Police Pace course.  Madison, despite stopping twice with stomach issues, managed to snag the W in 17:44 and won two free tickets to the Wine Festival this weekend.  Hopefully he actually uses them!

Finally, the Hills of Milltown 5k closed out the weekend.  Dave ran with the young guns and finished 4th on an extremely tough course in 20:04.

Meanwhile in Finland, Pekka raced in the Finnish National XC championships in Helsinki.  Not sure of his final time as I can't read the website but he played it off as a bad race.  He is racing the Duathlon Nationals this weekend.  Good luck big dawg!

Desert-like terrain in Finland...??? #gameface

Taking the show westbound

As the spring racing season comes to an end, there's always a small group that continues to pour it on...

Not much action last weekend, except out in Frederick.  The Frederick Half Marathon, the first race in the MD Double (Baltimore being the other), went off with a bang in chilly conditions on Sunday.  I've always envisioned the course being extremely hilly and slow.  However, it didn't seem to be the case (though I know there are lots of rolling hills with some good climbs towards the end). 

Our newest recruit, Nick Grossi, rocked it with a top 10 finish, 1:18:03 for 8th.   Mick, our ageless grandmaster, continued his remarkably consistent 2013 campaign, winning his AG with a time of 1:27:45.  Tunde took on 1:40 pacing duties with Dan Miranda of Falls Road and they nailed it...1:39:56!  Shout out to local superstar, Dave Berdan, who ran an incredible PR and won the race outright in 1:05:40!!!

Kelly, celebrating her birthday, started off the day with a 2nd place overall finish with a near PR of 1:24:57!  Pretty amazing considering she's been battling a sore calf for the past few weeks!  Happy birthday Kelly!   Emily also ran a great race, crossing the finish line in 1:28:54 and grabbing her second qualifying time for the elite team!

Happy postrace crew...rumor has it Michael ran slow to accompany a cute chick???  Say whhaaa?!

Lots of races to choose from next weekend....

Saturday: Wine in the Woods 5k, MD Half
Sunday: Hills of Milltown 5k, Preakness 5k

Iron Women

Last weekend was highlighted by the Iron Girl Half Marathon in Columbia, a race sponsored by Tri Columbia.  The weather was near perfect but the course is unforgiving for sure.  The course was reportedly a bit short, but I'm not sure how much...

Suzy led the race for the first 13 miles, but had a rough patch right at the end to get edged out, running a PR of 1:21:28 for 2nd.  Tiffany also ran a big PR, clocking 1:26:25 for 7th overall and 2nd in her AG.  Our newest recruit, Emily Drew, cracked sub-90 minutes as well, in PR fashion (1:27:32).  Great job ladies!!!

Here's some action shots, courtesy of Mick and Columbia Triathlon Association:

Suzy crossing the finish line

Tiffany looking strong

Emily in stride

In related news, Keith took on an incredible two race weekend on opposite coasts.  On Saturday, he toed the line at the Promise Land 50k++, which is measured at 34 miles and is organized by ultra running legend/crazy dude David Horton.  The course is all hills and the terrain is not runnable in certain areas.  He came in 25th, with a 5:47:41.  Most of us would take off the next day.  However, Keith hopped on a plane to CA to partake in the Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge at the Big Sur International Marathon.  Amazingly, he was able to crack 3 hours, running 2:59:24 for 33rd place and 7th in the Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge.  I wonder if he can walk....?

PR City

Still a week behind, but I'll catch up eventually...

Last Saturday, we had a couple nice performances in some lower key races.  Adam won the Glen Mar 5k handily in 17:30.  Maurice was 30th at the Sole of the City 10k in Baltimore, grabbing the top Master honors.

Keith, a week removed from Boston, laced up the racers on Sunday for the GW Parkway 10 Miler and met his pre-race goal of under an hour, crossing the line in 59:24 for 14th overall.

Meanwhile, in Rockville, a large group of Striders woke up at the crack of down for the Pike's Peek 10k.  This race is known to be fast and always gets about a dozen or so African runners to blaze sub-29 minute times!  This year, the weather was a tad on the chilly side, but we had a slight tail/cross wind while strolling down Rockville Pike on the point-to-point course.  We had new team records on the men's and ladies side.

Madison led for the way, going out in 5:00 for the first mile and was able to hold on for a 30+ second PR from his UMBC days, running 31:21 for 27th and nabbing the team record .  Mark was right behind, clocking nearly a 40 second PR in 31:33.  Carlos, in only his second return race, crossed the line in 32:06.  Chris won his AG in 34:54; it's good to see him healthy again!  Tunde, at age 49, ran a PR, breaking 37 for the first time with a 36:57.  Weems, still on the mend, finished in 38:32.  Bobby also broke 39; 38:54 and earned himself a spot on the elite team...CONGRATS BOBBY!!!  Mick was right behind him, running 39:11 for 3rd in the competitive 60-64 AG while John was right on his heels in 39:18.

In the ladies race, Kelly set a new team record with a stellar 37:04!  That's sub-6:00 pace and she's a Master!  Way to go Kelly!!!  Jessica had a big day, running a new PR of 38:17.  Tiffany was next with a huge PR of 39:36, also qualifying for the elite team!!!  Dorothy crushed her AG, finishing in 42:17 after telling me on the ride down how tired she was.

The Party Bus crew...all smiles post Pike's Peek

 Another great weeks on the roads.  Catch us if you can...

#runforboston...it's as simple as that

Well, it's been quite a rollercoaster ride this past week.  I will start with the obvious.  The bombings at the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon early Monday afternoon were a harsh reminder to America that we live in a world where anything goes, and people with radical anti-American views will do whatever it takes to disturb the lives of those they despise (us).  When I first saw the headline, it was from a non-credible online news source.  I thought it was a dirty hoax...until ESPN broke the story.  Then my jaw hit the floor.  The immediate thought is that you hope that all your friends and family up in Boston were safe.  The good news is that the social media world makes that 1,000 times easier then 20 years ago when we relied on the USPS and 20 pound cell phones with poor signals.  Our hearts and prayers are with the victims (4 dead, 175+ injured) and their families.  Fortunately, we woke up yesterday morning to find that Suspect #1 was shot to death during an engagement with police.  Then yesterday evening, Suspect #2 was caught alive.  For the sake of everyone involved, I hope law enforcement gets the answers they need then put him out of his misery.

The running community is unique.  Many of us get up early to go out and rack up the miles and sacrifice valuable free time to rest for a race.  Many of the toughest people I know are runners and that's because running is a sport where you can't fake your fitness.  If you don't go out and work hard, you will not get the results you are looking for.  It was overwhelming to see how the running community put on thousands of runs for Boston over the past few days.  Though I haven't spoken to him directly, I hear our own Dr. Kent, getting a post-race massage when the bombs went off, rushed over to the finish line and offered his medical assistance with the triage set up at the medical tents.  This is one of I'm sure many heroic type stories that make us the best country in the world!  I know we will move past this and become stronger because of it.  As a matter of fact, I've personally become more motivated than ever to sign up for the 118th Boston Marathon next year and run my ass off for those who no longer can.  I think that the race will be one of the largest celebrations that historic race has ever seen!  For those who have or will get a BQ prior to registration opening in September, I encourage you to join me and partake in truly one of the world's greatest races and part of American history...THINK ABOUT IT

Now, let's shift gears and get to the more positive part of the post...race results from last weekend...

Sunday morning started with a Columbia running tradition...the 35th Annual Clyde's 10k.  It was a bit chilly as the starting gun went off, but overall the weather was near perfect.  Kyle Stanton had this race in the bag within the first few steps, going out in +/- 5:05 for the first mile and never looking back, winning in 31:27.  He is going for a sub-30 at the Olympic Development 10k at the Penn Relays next weekend!  Madison took 2nd, running a controlled 32:52.  Mark, running 22 miles the day before, was 3rd in 33:32.  Kevin didn't have his best day, but ran a very respectable 34:48 for 5th.  Adam was right behind in 34:57 for 6th.  Peter won the Master's crown, running 35:44 for 9th.  This guy only runs a couple times a week!  Chris was next, finishing 11th in 36:26.  Our newest addition, the ageless one, Dave Berardi crossed the line in 37:38 (16th).  Phil had a nice race despite battling some nagging injuries (38:11).  Tunde was 27th with a 38:52 and John won his AG in 41:30.

On the ladies side, Kelly rocked it once again, running around a minute faster than last year, finishing 2nd in 38:38.  Suzy, another new addition, wasn't far behind in 3rd, clocking a 39:04.  Robyn was 8th in 40:40.  Vicki had another strong performance, running 43:21 for 11th and Dorothy crushed her AG, crossing the line in 43:44 for 14th.

Here's some pics, courtesy of Mick:

Kyle

Madison

Peter

Chris

Dave, with James and Doug tracking

Phil

Tunde

Kelly

Robyn

Dorothy and Vicki doing battle

Monday was Patriot's Day.  The weather at the start of the 117th Boston Marathon looked about as good as it gets, 47 degrees and light wind.  The gun went off and thousands of runners began their 26.2 mile journey from Hopkinton to Boston.  Conrad was in #beastmode again this year, running 2:43:07.  Keith said he struggled the last 5 miles or so, but added another sub 3-hour marathon to his resume, 2:54:21.  Kent ran the second half with a seizing calf, but this dude is a true baller and still averaged 7:00/mi pace, crossing the line in 3:03:58.

Our lone lady was Caroline who had been training his ass off the past few months for this race.  She indicated that it was painful, but she busted out a 5+ minute PR, meeting her sub-3:10 goal, running 3:09:37.  Way to go Caroline!!!

Boston crew, post-race (left to right): Donnie, Caroline, Grace, Keith

So blessed that everyone was safe and I know we will continue to run hard and achieve our goals!!!

ALL STRIDERS ARE SAFE IN BOSTON!!!

I HAVE HEARD FROM EVERYONE I'M AWARE OF THAT IS UP THERE AND THEY ARE SAFE

In related news, what is wrong with people in this world???

FLASH: BOSTON RESULTS

Here's what I've seen so far:

Conrad - 2:43:07

Keith - 2:54:21
Kent - 3:03:58

Caroline - 3:09:37 (5 minute PR!)

Shalane Flanagan - 2:27:08 (4th)

Kara Goucher - 2:28:11 (6th)

There's still several Striders on the course.  I thought the men's time was quite slow as the temperature and headwind (at least in Hopkinton) seemed near ideal; I'm curious to hear race reports.  AWESOME JOB EVERYONE!!!