Catching up

Well, I've been slacking the past few weeks so here it goes:

Nick clocked a 37:04 at the Lawyers Have Heart 10k in DC back on June 8th for 27th.  Sunday, June 9th was Damien's 5k.  It was a hot day so no course records were taken down.  Chris ran 17:21 for 5th and 1st Master honors.  John was 19:09, only good for 3rd in this competitive AG.  In the ladies race, Jess WON in 18:36.  Robyn, reportedly battling a slight hangover, ran 20:06 for 3rd and top Master.  Dorothy was 7th in 21:40.  Here's a few action shots courtesy of Mick:

Chris checking his watch

Jess was able to crack a smile while destroying the field

Post-wine night Robyn

Dorothy nearing the finish line

 Also that day, Maurice took top honors at the Running with the Devils 5k in 18:30.  NICE!

Saturday the 15th meant the Baltimore 10 Miler.  Jason kept his race streak alive on the brutally humid morning, running 63:08 for 15th and 2nd in his AG.  Tunde, acting as a 70:00 pacer, was near spot on in his duties, clocking 70:04.

Sunday was Father's Day and the humidity was front and center once again.  At the Bullseye Running Father's Day 10k, Steve ran a PR of 35:13 for 2nd.  Peter and Chris had a good battle for most of the race, but Peter pulled away over the last 1.5 miles, crossing the finish line in 35:57 for 4th, top Master, and winning the Father/Son team competition with his son, Joseph, while Chris ran 36:43.  Phil, with the help of the volunteers, was able to run his race.  He ran the entire race alone, and I mean alone.  He managed a solid performance of 37:53.  Mick took his AG in 41:25, despite acknowledging pre-race he was using the race as an 'easy' tempo.  Bobby wasn't far behind in 41:55.  He won the Father/Daughter competition with Katie. 

Meanwhile, down in Annapolis, Weems and John ran the Dawson's Father's Day 10k hosted by the Annapolis Striders.  Weems edged John out again, 38:33 and 39:00, respectively.

Keith ran the San Francisco Marathon and added another sub-3:00 performance to his resume, finishing 36th in 2:54:25.  Maurice ran the BRRC Lake Montebello 5k and finished 2nd in 17:37.

Yesterday, Dorothy was our sole participant in the very competitive Baltimore Women's Classic.  She won her AG and crossed the line 25th in 20:20.

Don't forget about the Women's Distance Festival this Sunday.  If you are a guy, please consider helping out.

Is it July already?!?!...Clyde's and Boston recap

This weekend was one of the busiest racing weekends of the year for us. On Sunday, we had a solid showing at the 34th Annual Clyde's 10k. The weather was quite nice, with the exception of the humidity. Carlos Renijifo, going for the first three-peat in Clyde's history, had a hard fought battle with Kyle Stanton and Falls Roads' Dustin Meeker. As the trio passed me near Mile 3, they were making it look easy. Kyle put in a push after hte 108 hill and Carlos didn't have enough in the tank to go with him. The chase pack was quite a sight to watch as well. Kent Werner, Seth Geoghegan, Kevin Ford, Peter Keating, and Craig Lebro were running together as they proceeded up Columbia Road to 108. Kent ended up edging out Seth by 16 seconds for a 4th place finish! However, Seth logged another PR. This makes a 5k, 10 mile, and 10k PR so far in 2012 for him! Also of note was the long awaited return of Steve Olenick to the racing scene. For those who don't know, Steve battled a mysterious knee injury after PRing in the 2010 Baltimore Marathon and was forced out of action for well over a year. Two surgeries later, he's back at it and I expect him to be in the racing team by the Fall!

In the women's race, Unsong Ostrowski ran away from the field early and won easily in 38:49. Allegedly, she doesn't enjoy racing because she gets nervous. Well, that's about to change as we are starting a non-stop stalking campaign to get her on the team. Kelly Westlake ran a great race for 2nd place in 39:48. Former rockstar, Pam Markley, who currently resides in Vicenza, Italy, made a stop in her old stomping grounds to edge out Robyn Humphrey for 3rd place. Pat Wilkerson cleaned house in the grandmaster division with a 41:26 and Janeth Scott, recently turned 50, broke 44 minutes (43:51) for 21st.

Here's a recap of the results:

Carlos Renjifo (2nd) 32:36
Kent Werner (4th) 34:22
Seth Geoghegan (5th) 34:38
Kevin Ford (6th) 34:46
Peter Keating (7th) 34:50
Craig Lebro (8th) 35:52
Steve Olenick (9th) 36:34
Jason Tripp (10th) 36:46
John Chall (31st) 39:19
Tunde Morakinyo (32nd) 39:21
Bobby Gessler (65th) 41:58

Unsong Ostrowski (1st) 38:49
Kelly Westlake (2nd) 39:48
Pam Markley (3rd) 40:08
Robyn Humphrey (4th) 40:10
Pat Wilkerson (7th) 41:23
Janeth Scott (21st) 43:51

Monday was the biggest racing day of the year (in my humble opinion)...the 116th Boston Marathon! What a difference a day makes. The morning low was in the low 60s and the humidity never dimished as the sun went down. To make matters worse, this race starts at 10am, meaning that even if you run a world record time, you'll have to do it during the hottest part of the day!

I received conflicting records about temperatures during the race. Conrad indicated that temperatures reached 90 degrees as he hit Mile 16. Caroline Bauer's recollection seemed a bit more realistic with mid 80s, but either way that's a good 30+ degrees warmer than anyone in their right mind would have wanted it! Conrad, who had been battling some injuries, which included taking a couple weeks off about a month or so ago, was shooting for a 2:44 and ran a fantastic race crossing the line in 2:50. Keith Levasseur ran solid race in 3:02. The fearless Phil Lang, running marathon #45, crushed Mother Nature and ran an amazing 3:10. Adam Wytko struggled with the heat, but was able to gut it out with a 3:29.

On the ladies side, we only had Caroline representing the team. She had been running her butt off this winter with 70-80 mile weeks, several MP runs, and two 50k's just for the hell of it. She was undoubtedly in 3:10 shape, but played it smart and didn't let her adrenaline get to her and just enjoyed the race (as much as one could) running a 3:31.

26.2 results:

Conrad Orloff (207th) 2:50:12
Shawn Young (537th) 3:00:56
Keith Levasseur (581st) 3:02:00
Phil Lang (993rd) 3:10:34
Adam Wytko (2640th) 3:29:48

Caroline Bauer (443rd) 3:31:22
Becky Ramsing (1776th) 3:53:06
Julie Thienel (1798th) 3:53:19
Lisa Fichman (2098th) 3:56:30
Janelle McIntyre (2186th) 3:57:36
Amanda Loudin (4252nd) 4:19:00

Incredible job by all, especially the Beantowners! Don't let this year deter you from doing this race again. When the weather is right, it's one of the best running experiences you can have!

Here's some pics from Clyde's:


Top 3 men (left to right): Kyle Stanton (1st), Dustin Meeker (3rd), Carlos Renjifo (2nd)



Jason x 4!



The guys model their prizes (mini collapsible chairs and beach mats). 
Kent, um... takes modeling to a whole new level.



Bobby, Pat, Tacy, and Robyn enjoying the postrace party

More pictures from Clyde's here
Clyde's video, courtesy of Carlos and Issel, located here