The Bayou City Road Runners would like to cordially invite you to a Mix and Mingle Stoplight Happy Hour on Friday, May 4th (6:30 pm – until we’re done!) at Brian O’Neill’s Pub, 5555 Morningside Drive in Rice Village. We are inviting local area running clubs and we hope that you will take the opportunity to meet new runners.

All are welcome, regardless of relationship status, but we would like to enable the singles from each club to be able to identify one another. When you arrive, stop by and check in with a BCRR representative (there will be a sign). He/she will give you either a green lei (single) or a red lei (taken). Prices will be $2.25 domestic drafts, $2.50 Shiner drafts, $2.25 well drinks & $3 house wine until 9pm. Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on May 4th!

All are welcome, regardless of relationship status, but we would like to enable the singles from each club to be able to identify one another. When you arrive, stop by and check in with a BCRR representative (there will be a sign). He/she will give you either a green lei (single) or a red lei (taken). Prices will be $2.25 domestic drafts, $2.50 Shiner drafts, $2.25 well drinks & $3 house wine until 9pm. Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on May 4th! You may email Hilary Brown with any questions

Striders:

Our resident libation expert, Steve Moore will lead a pub run this coming Monday evening beginning at 7pm. Meet place is the parking lot at the corner of Wakefield and Golf (1000 Wakefield, Houston 77018). There are three planned stops…Shepherd Park Draught House, Plonk, and the Petrol Station. All you Pub runners and everyone who enjoys a cool one are invited. Lets make this FUN!

Striders:

If you were wondering about things to do during Beach to Bay weekend, May 19 – 20, Barry Chambers has found this information:

www.discoverdowntownmusicfest.com <http://www.discoverdowntownmusicfest.com> May 18 & 19th Downtown Corpus Christi (next to the Beach to Bay Finish Line) Beach to Bay Runners, What do you get when you mix a beautiful weekend in May, a huge grassy area, scenic views of the water, incredible live music, delicious food, 25+ varieties of beer and wines and a few thousand people? You get an amazing event called the  Discover Downtown Music & Film Festival on May 18 & 19, 2012. Moondogger Productions & CLP are putting together a family friendly event for locals and visitors looking for a fun afternoon/evening along the water. The event site is ideal for a relaxing afternoon with family and friends listing to great music. If you are a movie buff with a taste for 80’s movies filmed right here in Corpus Christi, well you are in luck. May 18th, starting at around 6:30pm(Happy hour) Movie starts at Dark… we will be showing The Legend of Billie Jean on a huge outdoor screen. Were you in that movie? Do you know someone who was? Come down and be mesmerized by the action and antics that ensue throughout the streets of Corpus Christ. Seriously, you’ve never heard of Billie Jean…Google it.  Come down Friday, May 18th. The movie night is free to the public. We only ask that you bring a small donation for our charities. Immediately after the Beach to Bay Marathon on Saturday, May 19th, the Discover Downtown Music & Film Festival will be in full swing starting at 1pm when the doors open. Kids under 13 are free. General Admission is $15 at the gate, $10 pre-sale online and a VIP ticket is $35 at the gate, $25 pre-sale online. You can buy your tickets online now and get a discount. Just enter Runner. Make sure you check out our Facebook page too. Please like us and tell your other Facebook friends. The more the merrier. We’ll have a great line up of local and regional bands playing rock, country, Americana, folk, blues, reggae and a little bit of everything in between. Did I mention that Sierra Nevada Beer is the title sponsor? Well they are and they are ready to serve up some great craft beers. We will be showcasing over 25+ craft beers to sample from various breweries.  You can purchase individual craft and domestic beers or buy a tasting pass. For $20 pick up a tasting pass and get 23 beer tokens. You get a commemorative tasting glass too. Yes, it’s going to be that cool. If you are wine connoisseur, we have you covered. We will be serving a variety of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernets, merlots and pinot noirs. Not a drinker? We have you covered too. Do you bring the kids or get a sitter? Bring em! This is a kid friendly event. We’ll have a huge Kids Area sponsored by Navy Army Community Credit Union.  The huge kid’s area will be dedicated to keeping the kiddos busy while you are enjoying the show. They can play with arts, crafts, jumpy houses and whatever else we can think of. You’ll probably going to get hungry out at the festival. Don’t worry, we are going to have some great food from local restaurants to keep you happy. we’ll post the menu as soon as we can. Come listen to Todd Snider, Joe King Carrasco, The Cold Irons, the Scarecrow People, Slaid Cleaves, HOBO and many more. Come down and support a good cause. Bring the kids. Enjoy the music. Grab some tasty food. Try a few interesting beer and wines. Tell your friends and come on down. Buy your tickets now!  I’d like to thank our sponsors: Sierra Nevada, Navy Army Community Credit Union, Corpus Christi Downtown Management District, House of Rock (more sponsors to be added).  Without our sponsors, this event could not take place. Make sure you check out their businesses or products to show your appreciation. You may be wondering who is going to benefit from this festival. A big portion of the proceeds will go to Walk with Pride. This is a non-profit that raises money for tennis shoes and school supplies for children in need. Each year before the start of a new school year, this charity provides new tennis shoes and school supplies for hundreds of Corpus Christi children. Buying a ticket to this event will help them exceed their goals for 2012. www.discoverdowntownmusicfest.com <http://www.discoverdowntownmusicfest.com>      ddmusicfest@gmail.com See you after the race!! Event Organizer Discover Downtown Music & Film Festival

Do you like sitting in a van with sweaty, stinky runners for over 24 hours? Have you ever wanted to run in the middle of the night on a dark Texas highway with only a blinky light for company? Are you curious what it would be like to run from Bastrop to the San Jacinto monument? If you answered “YES!” to these questions, you would probably enjoy being part of a Texas Independence Relay (TIR) team.

 

Having answered “YES!” myself, this was the second year that I have participated on a TIR team. Although this year, instead of running, I was a driver for The Original Texas Road Kill team, led by Matt Wright. This position gave me the chance to drive one of the awesome, white, 15-passenger, it’s-a-rental-so-it-can-go-anywhere vans. I got to enjoy all the benefits of not sleeping and being part of a great team of Houston Striders, sans running in the blazing heat.

 

Some of the highlights this year included: visiting as many Buc-ee’s as possible, the new starting location of Bastrop, hot temperatures that tested the stamina of even the most seasoned Houston-in-the-summer runners, and a team so committed to supporting each other that the last several legs involved stopping every mile to offer icy sponges, Gatorade, and Mountain Dew (It really did help, according to John DiMarco) and even running along side with words of encouragement. But rather than re-hashing the entire 32 hours of glory, I wanted to give the 12 runners on The Original Texas Road Kill, led by Matt Wright, an opportunity to reflect and share their experience.

 

Our team was comprised of the following Striders: Barry Chambers, Michelle Chang, Chris Cornell, John DiMarco, Dean Donckles, Chip Maxa, Maureen Mayes, Steve Moore, Virginia Moherek, Sandy Wollangk, Bessie Wright, and Matt Wright. I asked them to answer three questions about their TIR experience, and the answers I received are below.

 

1. My favorite memory with my van mates was…

Barry: “Mambo Italiana” moonlight sernades.

Michelle: Matt & Chris’s rendition of the “We-We-WEEEEEEE!!!” pigs from the Geico commercials.  Especially on those brutal hills in the first few legs.

Chris: Singing and dancing (during my night run) to “Mambo Italiana” by Rosemary Clooney – an experience everyone should have.

Dean: It was 1 AM.  John was on the side of the rode to support Steve Moore.  Steve flew by, John had to come back to the van for something and then go chase after Steve.  We all watched as John struggled,
struggled, then finally caught him.

Maureen:  The teamwork, the support, the kindness, the “I’m on it,” “I got it,” “I’ll do it.”; Chip tries to cheer us up “We’re half-way!!” – Dear God, we’re only half-way; Running down the quiet and dark suburban streets at 5:00 am into George Bush park with nothing but the sounds of crickets and birds as the eastern sky just starts to get light; Getting back into Van B – after a short hop in Van A and “Mambo Italiano” still playing in my head (make it stop!!); Andrew Keller with coffee, real cream, oranges, bananas and bagels – a little bit of heaven at Terry Hershey; Back at the Barbershop parking lot – only 35 minutes to get the vans back – I didn’t think we could still move that fast! Sweaty hugs and congratulations, back into our cars, and it was over.

Steve: John taking one for the team by running a 4^th leg

Virginia: Steve Moore amonia washing all the vans and Johnny D’s trash talk.

Sandy: Have to agree with the other van mates- singing and dancing to Rosemary Clooney’s Mambo Italiano (and I just downloaded it from iTunes) and Matt playing it VERY loudly during our night legs in the middle of nowhere!

Bessie: Matt playing “Mambo” by Rosemary Clooney on the radio as we all rolled our eyes and said “No, not again!!!”

Matt: Just getting to participate this year with some of the BEST people I know was a real treat for me.  My cancer has slowed me down a bit but, it’s taught me to see things more clearly, appreciate the time with great friends and live life to the fullest.  I cannot thank each member of The Original Texas Road Kill 2012 TEAM for being there. Knowing each of you, makes me a better person!

 

2. The time/place I slept best was __________, and it was for __________ long.

 

Barry: in the van at Exchange #21 (in the parking lot at the big grain elevator) and it was for 1-1/2 hours. I was really exhausted because of the late hour together with the early start to the day and I think I was asleep within a few minutes of laying down.  (And my van mates told me that I didn’t snore nearly as much as previous TIR’s).  Also got some good shut-eye on the sofa in Michelle’s and Danny’s den.

Michelle:  In my bed when we stopped at my house after my 3rd leg.  I slept for a whole 1 hour!

Chris: Michelle Change’s living room couch (wonderful), and it was for one hour.

Dean: I slept in the back seat for 3 hrs starting with Abby’s smooth driving from Wallis to the parking lot of the luxurious Cinco Ranch HS parking lot.  I’m positive that I slept more than anyone else in our van.

Steve: In the van, and it was for 4 hours (off and on).

Virginia: No sleep, but Sunday morning (2:00 am) before my 4:30 am run, I felt so at ease and at peace.

Sandy: I was not able to sleep anywhere   but will work on a strategy next year to catch a few zzzzzzs.

Bessie: Curled up on the floor of Michelle Chang-Narat’s home keeping warm under a dust ruffle.

Matt: Not sure it qualifies as the best sleep, but I did manage a daytime siesta in Weimer after parking beside a train depot, crawling on top of our van with a blue tarp and pillow and slipping into a coma. Not sure how I managed to fall asleep up there without rolling off despite the mid-day sun, whistling train and all, but I did.  Must have needed some sleep after the drive from Houston.

 

3. The thing I will ALWAYS remember about this year’s TIR is…

Barry: The support from all team members.  This was the hottest and I think most challenging TIR to date.  It was a real team effort with the encouragement, the SAG support, the exchanging of legs, etc. I will also remember my lost road kill opportunity on Leg #5 out of Smithville.  I took the baton from Maureen just a minute or so after one of the other teams came through the exchange.  As we ran out of Smithville I noticed that I was gaining on the runner in front of me and had a good chance to pass him before the end of the leg.  I had him in my sights as we approached a railroad crossing at about the one mile mark.  I heard a train coming, watched the railroad arms come down, and my potential road kill darted under the railroad arms as the train approached.  I waited about 3 or 4 minutes for the train to pass.  After the train cleared the crossing the runner was out of sight and my road kill had escaped.

Michelle: Running the 1st & 2nd legs and being worried about this “monstrous puddle” that was ankle-deep that we had been forewarned about.  When I got to the “water crossing”, Bessie is out of the van with my flip-flops in hand offering for me to change my shoes, and the other teammates are offering for me to hop on the van to cross it.  I took one look at the water and ran right through it…it didn’t even get my shoes wet!

Chris: How our team rallied in support of our runners. What a great site to see teammates running in the final parts of legs with the runner of the leg. As a runner, the support was fantastic. Our team ROCKS!

Dean: The appreciation that I felt for every person on our team.

Steve: Michelle holding up the feet of a runner who had collapsed on the course.

Virginia: Not having to flush any toilets – that was awesome!

Sandy: Our vans should be renamed Hovercrafts since everyone made a special effort to hydrate, soothe, encourage, massage, cool, monitor, accompany on difficult legs, comfort, feed and dry off every team member to ensure we all arrived at the finish line vertical and ventilating!

Bessie: The endless encouragement and support from my van mates.

Matt: Seeing the great camaraderie between both vans and by all my team mates. “Mambo Italiano Lives”!!!

When it was all said and done, our finish time was 32 hours, 4 minutes. This works out to a 9:33 pace.  Barry took the time to do some math post-race. According to his figuring and the results, there were 164 teams that started, and 155 teams that finished. TOTRK finished as the 111^th team. There were 133 teams that started on Saturday morning after TOTRK and therefore were supposed to have a better finish time, so we finished ahead of 22 teams who were seeded ahead of us. That is just another indication of an outstanding performance. Thanks to Barry for that information!

Here’s the link if you are interested in how we did against the other teams: 2012 TIR Results

 

 

 

 

Houston Kids Triathlon Pre Race Pep Rally

Date: Saturday April 14, 2012

Time: 3:00pm – 7:00pm

 

Come join the Volunteer Team for the 2012 Houston Kids Triathlon Pre Race Pep Rally as we put on one of the largest kids triathlon in the country! This year’s Pre Race Pep Rally is expected to have over 3,000 spectators in addition to our 800 racers and we need your help. Volunteers will be needed in various positions including course and tent setup, expo coordination, packet pick-up, kids activity areas, general supervision, cleanup and more. This will be a great opportunity to take part in all of the festivities and support the athletes on their journey to become healthy, active and responsible kids.

 

Houston Kids Triathlon Race

Date: April 15

Time: 5:30am-11am OR 7:15am – 12:00pm

 

Come join the Volunteer Team for the 2012 Houston Kids Triathlon Race as we put on one of the largest kids triathlons in the country! This year’s Race is expected to have over 3,000 spectators in addition to our 800 racers and we need your help. Volunteers will be needed in various positions including chip distribution, run course, bike course, pool area, transition area, body marking, clean up and more. This will be a great opportunity to take part in all of the festivities and support the athletes on their journey to become healthy, active and responsible kids.

Contact:http://www.houstonkidstriathlon.org/volunteers.html

 

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 from 5-7PM

15% off full price merchandise EXCEPT strollers, Garmin, watches and sunglasses.

1953 West Gray Street
Houston, TX 77019

My name is Joel Hare and I live in Katy.  I am a captain of a team running in the Texas Independence Relay (http://www.texasindependencerelay.com/).  I was wondering if there was anyway you could send out an email to your running club to ask if anyone is interested in running on a team?  The race is on March 31-April 1.  My team (Run Like the Winded) is looking for 3 runners of any age, sex or pace (we are doing this for fun).  Any runners who are interested can email me back with any questions.

joel_m_hare@hotmail.com

Any help is appreciated.

Sincerely,
Joel Hare

PUB RUN tonight at 7pm at pool at Memorial Park led by Barry Chambers.

Wikipedia defines Buffalo Wallow as a “natural topographic depression in the flat prairie land that holds rain water and runoff.  That description is spot on for Spotts Park on Saturday morning.  Spotts Park was the scene of the first race in the HARRA Spring Series, i.e., The Buffalo Wallow 6K presented by the Houston Harriers.

When I arrived at the Park a few minutes after 7am, our new President, Chris Cornell, had already set up the Strider tent under the shelter for the basketball court.  That was a good thing; otherwise we would have been wading in a few inches of water.  As the 8am start time approached for the Masters race, we had five wet and cold Strider Masters Men raring to get the race started.  They included Chris Cornell, Chris Adams, John DiMarco, John Emmons, and yours truly.  One generally associates graying hair/beard with wisdom.  As I looked around at the individuals at the start line I must admit that I had second thoughts about that association.  To make matters worse the race start was delayed 15 minutes.  I am sure there must have been a good reason for this.

With the rain from the previous evening and the continuing rain on Saturday morning, the Houston Harriers had hurriedly revised the course to follow the higher ground around the perimeter of the Park to avoid most of the standing water (recall the definition of Buffalo wallow as a topographic depression that holds rain water).  The race consisted of 5 loops around the Park perimeter.  We were told that the distance was “approximately” 5K instead of the previously advertised 6K.  In spite of the Harriers’ best efforts, there were several places where the course went through ankle deep water.  This was not entirely bad as it presented the opportunity to shed some of the mud from one’s running shoes.  There were also a couple of wet, muddy slopes where it was difficult to remain in an upright position while navigating the course.  And it is still debatable whether the fastest way to the bottom of the slope was on your feet or on your rear end.  The course conditions became more treacherous with each loop.  I am thankful that the Harriers scheduled the Masters race first.

I think everyone completed their 5 loops with no major mishaps.  Our Striders Masters Men (that’s correct; our Strider Masters Women were a no-show) gathered at the tent to exchange experiences and to greet our Strider Open runners as they arrived for their race at 9am.  We waited until the start of the Open race.  When we determined that the race was being run without any Strider participation, we decided to do the wise thing and head for the barn.

Race results are as follows:

John Emmons                                    23:04   1^st AG

Chris Adams                           24:12   2^nd AG

John DiMarco                         27:57

Chris Cornell                           32:20

Barry Chambers                     29:04

Next up in the HARRA Spring Series is the Bayou City Classic 10K on March 10^th.  Hope to see many of you there.  And no excuses for this one.  If the weather is bad you can always dress accordingly and enter the costume competition.

One of my goals with the 2012 Chevron Houston Marathon dates back several months to the fall warm-up series.  Being a freshly minted Master’s runner since March 2011, I’ve had the desire to qualify as a local elite.  In years past as an open runner I’ve been sort of close, but in reality, I really didn’t have a prayer in making it.  Turning 40 has put a new perspective on my running.

I normally run 3 marathons a year, one in the spring, one in the fall, and Houston. In my younger days I’ve been able to recover sufficiently to race all 3 but the last several years I’ve raced in the spring and fall and run Houston as the 3:00 pacer.  This year, I skipped the abusive nature of a fall marathon and concentrated all my efforts for each of the 4 fall series races in an effort to qualify.  As luck would have it, I qualified on my first race at the USA 10 Miler in October.  Qualifying as a local invited elite is a huge honor for me and something I’ve tried to do for a very long time.  It was nice to get it secured so that I could relax a little during the remaining races last fall.

My training leading up to the marathon was as good as anyone could ask, no injuries, no aches or  pains, and plenty of high mileage weeks.  My only concern was volunteering as a captain of a water stop the day before at the Olympic Trials.  Being on my feet for almost 7 hours straight and probably walking close to 6 miles surely couldn’t be good for my body the day before a marathon.

Race morning was fantastic and being an elite and the treatment that goes along with it, well, it can really spoil you in a hurry.  First off, you are upstairs, on a quiet carpeted floor, with plenty of chairs, flush toilets, and bag check a mere 30 feet away.  Not only that, but we receive an escort to the starting corral, with porta potties in the front corral that have no line, and yet another bag drop to shed last minute clothing.  Being an elite has its privileges!

I had 3 goals going into the race.  Goal A was to finish at 2:39:59, a 6:06 pace.  Goal B was to finish at 2:42:53, a 6:13 pace.  And goal C was to finish in 2:44:59, a 6:17 pace.  I knew that goal C was completely do-able.  Goal B was what I trained for and did my marathon pace miles at.  I knew this was what I would ultimately end up at.  Goal A was wishful thinking but who knows, I could have an awesome day like the weather we were having.

In training I did many miles at marathon pace and in my opinion the first mile is a critical mile during a marathon.  So when the first mile marker produced a split of 6:13 I couldn’t have been happier.  It is so easy to start too fast which fatigues the body too fast, much better to start slow and warm up.

In the subsequent miles I ran faster settling in on a 6:05 to 6:09 pace from mile 2 to mile 17.  I wish I could remember these miles but unfortunately they all seem like a blur.  I know I was there running, but when you feel great, it just goes by entirely too fast.  I do remember passing the spot along Montrose where the half marathoners turn around.  I remember running past the television camera and saw the little red light on top.  This means it is filming.  I was thinking to myself that for sure I made it on Channel 13’s coverage of the marathon.  Well, wishful thinking I suppose, because when I got home they switched to commercial seconds before I should have appeared.

I also remember the Westpark overpass.  It’s kind of hard not to forget the tallest point along the marathon course.  For about the last 6 miles from that point I had a guy who drafted off me.  How anyone could draft off John Yoder is beyond me, I’m not that big of a guy!  Anyway, I’m a lousy uphill runner so he had no choice but to pass me or risk stepping on my heels.  This finally gave me a good look at him.  His singlet said he was from New York.  Crazy Yankee!

At mile 17 things began to change.  I wouldn’t call it “the wall” but more of a gradual decline in pace.  My 6:05 to 6:09’s would become a distant memory as I began producing 6:15 to 6:22’s.  I knew I would fade, it was just a matter of when.  Mile 17 was a couple miles earlier than I had expected.

One of the perks of being an elite is having the opportunity to check in your own fluid bottles. I took advantage of this by checking in several bottles.  I have nothing against Gatorade, but always train with HEB’s version of Gatorade called Quench.  It was so great having my familiar drink, and even in my favorite flavor, fruit punch.

My slowest mile came at the 24^th mile when I ran a 6:32.  I think the hills of Allen Parkway took a toll on my body, as well of the fatigue of having run 24 miles.  I was fading fast but thought my goal of a 2:42:53 was still possible.  I had 3 ways of looking at my race.  View one was to run a steady 6:13 the entire way and hope I didn’t get tired ever, view two was to run a 6:10 and then allow for a little fade after mile 22 resulting in a 6:13 overall pace, and view number three was to run aggressively at 6:07 and hold on for as long as possible.  I chose to run this marathon with the aggressive option.  And I have no regrets.

It was nice having the finish line changed from the last several years to the current version of the 90* turn in front of the GRB.  This is the way it was when I first started running the Houston Marathon in 1995 and I like it better than the long straightaway.  There’s nothing like making that turn and knowing you only have less than 200 meters to sprint to the finish.  And sprint I did as I crossed the finish line in 2:42:57.  Only 4 seconds over my goal B.  I’m very satisfied with my race, and glad to have my 18^th consecutive Houston Marathon under my belt.  Guess it’s time to start making plans for next year’s race, but first I need to qualify as a local elite again, because I think I’m spoiled for life!