Big House/Big Heart

It was a great day for a run at the morning of the Big House/Big Heart run.  Vinnie and I represented STR in the 10k and Annette and Carter dominated the 5k course.  There were over 10,000 runners who traveled the streets of Ann Arbor to make their way to the 50 yard line of Michigan Stadium.  Vinnie and I started off a little too fast but was able to hold the pace for our PR's in the 10k.  It was an all out sprint once we made our way through the tunnel on to the field to the finish.  Annette and Carter spent the first 2 miles weaving their way through the field to find their pace and finished STRong.  

Xterra Torn Shirt Tri-STR finishes 1st and second

Nordberg and I attempted to dominate the Xterra Torn Shirt Tri, but ended up finishing 1st and second from the bottom.  It was an impressive field of racers, and then there was us.  It was Jon's second time participating in this event, first time was about 7 years ago.  It was my first attempt racing off road on the fat tires.  Jon and I were close coming off the bike, but his ability to run helped him pull away on the trail.  I knew after hitting a root and rolling down a hill, the 6.6 mile run was going to be a little tougher than I thought.  About 3 miles into the run, the course official came up next to me on his mountain bike and I knew that I was the last one on the course.  Even though Jon and I were the last ones to finish the race, we still finished ahead of all the people who quit and did not finish or those who did not even attempt to race because they thought it may be too difficult.  It was a badge of honor to bring up the rear.  It really does not matter if you are first or last, as long as you do your best.

Motor City Tri

STR dominated the Motor City Tri.  This was Vinnie's first ever triathlon, and he flat out dominated the sprint distance, with the second fastest bike split and 6th place division finish.  Tony was the fastest tire in the olympic distance, with a solid time of 2:28, good enough for a top ten division finish.  I brought up the rear, but glad to be racing again after a few years off due to car accidents and knee surgeries.  It was a good day on the Isle.

STRength through Adversity – Spare Tire Dominates the RBR

“Two minutes before the start of the 25K…” was all we heard before the rain came down.

 

Shawn, Kim, and Vinnie all ran in the rain soaked River Bank Run 25K World Championships on Saturday May 9^th in Grand Rapids. The course was new, flooding from the river had forced a race week change to the routing which added difficulty to all of the runners. We dealt with a more narrow running area due to the out and back course, more hills, and of course the inclement weather. Despite that, we all persevered and finished STRong. While Kim and Shawn weren’t particularly happy with their times, I was able to push myself and better my time from last year by 5 minutes. I hit the wall with about 3.5 miles to go and gutted it out. The weather definitely played a part in the race for all of us, as well as the more crowded running area. After the race we all headed straight home for dry clothes and a warm blanket. I’ve always been told to draw on past experiences when times get tough during a run. Well I’m pretty sure that all three of us can think back to this one and draw some strength from it to push through our next tough training run/race.  

-Vinnie

 

Gettysburg to DC

Big Fella's summary of his adventures in one of Runner's World's top races in the nation, The Odyssey Relay Race from Gettysburg PA to Washington DC on April 24-25 

It was a bit warm that day and I did 4 legs of the relay (out of 36) and 20 miles over the 36 hours.  My first leg crossed the Mason Dixon Line from PA to MD.  My middle two legs went through the Antietam Battlefield, and the last leg was a death march down the C&O Canal path into DC.  We had 2 teams of 12, that shrunk to 10 by the end due to injuries.  Our team, the Slackers, finished tied with our other team, the Krybabies for next to last place.  That was our goal.  Our time was 35:21.  Winning time was around 23 hours and the second place team was anchored by the mayor of DC, Adrian Fenty (a really good triathlete) at just over 24 hours.  We have some improving to do.  Award for best team name went to "Four Score and Twenty Blisters".  They were an internet team w/ members from all over the country & Canada.  Best sight was their guy from Ottawa finishing his leg and firing up a Marlboro.  

STR Pint Glasses

STR Pint glasses are now available for only $5.  The pint glasses feature the new STR logo and are perfect for your morning smoothie or favorite adult sport beverage.  Quantities  are limited, not available in any store.  Glasses may be shipped, buyer responsible for actual shipping charges.  Send an email to sparetireracing@gmail.com if you are interested.

STR First Annual Pub Fun Run

The race weather was almost perfect for the First Annual STR Pub Fun Run, despite an epic storm that blew through Royal Oak less then a few hours before the start of the race.  The race made its way from STR head quarters to Mr. B's for the first adult sport drink aid station.   After Mr. B's the majority of the racers completed the 2 mile loop tempo run to the Royal Oak Brewery where they were greeted by a few pitchers of some of the ROBC's finest adult sports drinks and The World's Best Chicken Nachos.  It felt great to relax in the beer garden enjoying some afternoon sun while debating the fact that you really cannot make up time during a race.  The racers made it back to STR headquarters for the post race celebration, food, prize drawing and some Todd Freeman B-day cake.  A great time was had by all.  A special thanks to Mindy for providing the mobile race support/first aid and Pat from the ROBC for those nachos.

STR Pub Fun Run

This Saturday will be the first ever STR Pub Fun Run.  STR members, friends and family members will be taking the 3 or 5 mile round trip from STR head quarters to down town Royal Oak.  The route will have 2 aid stations with adult sports drinks as well as food and another adult sport drink for the post run.  Participates will receive an official STR pint glass along with prizes for the middle three runners.  The run will start at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday April, 25th.  Cost is $30 for members and $35 for non members, proceeds to benefit Spare Tire Racing.  For more information please contact Jon "Nordberg" at ajnorgard@sbcglobal.net

Martians vs STR

The Badolatos team up this year to take on the Martian 1/2 marathon.  This would be Michelle's first attempt at this distance.  She flat out dominated the course with a time of 2:02:37 with some of her fastest splits in the last few miles.  Tony flew through the 13.1 mile course with a time 1:43:48.  Vinnie and I tried to keep up with him on our bikes, but he was too fast.  Tony knocked off over 7 minutes from last years effort.  The Badolatos both had a solid day, took home a couple of PR's with their STRong efforts.  Special thanks to PJ for coming out to cheer on STR on his way to work.

Cherry Blossom 10 miler

Brian, "Big Fella" (on the left) had no time to stop and smell the flowers at this years Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in Washington, D.C. with his impressive time of 1:33:54.  This was good enough to bring home 4382 place out of 6595 in the men's division and 405/576 in his age group.  With the near perfect conditions and hard training, Big Fella was able to knock off 5 and a half minutes off of last years time.  It was a good day!

Corktown and Irish Storm Troopers!

What a day for a race.  It was a perfect picture day to run in the D.  The sun was out, the crowds were huge, almost as big as the lines for the port-a-potties, and STR was out in full force for the Corktown 4 miler and almost 2 mile walk.  Vinnie, Nordberg, Snap, Dave "The Tank", Todd "Z", Chez and newest member Skates, along with special guest runners Megan and Brittany all dominated the 4 mile course.  Carter, making his STR race debut, and I torn up the almost 2 mile walk.  A special thanks to Sam, Jordan and Callan for coming out to cheer us on.   After the race, we enjoyed hot dogs, snacks and a few cups of Irish cheer while watching the St. Patty's day parade.  It was a great day, where else can you run and see Irish Storm trooper, only in the D.

East Coaster Rolls On!

Brian "Big Fella" (blue hat, blue coat) representing STR on the east cost in the Road Runner's Club of America Maryland Club Challenge n February 22nd in Columbia, Maryland.    Brain was able to dominate the 10 mile HIILY course with a time of 1:35:03 which was good enough for 494th place overall!  Nice work Big Fella, especially when Sister Mary Saucony right on your heels.  Brian is off to great start to his season.  He is on his way to becoming an Ironman this summer in Louisville, KY.  Best of luck, enjoy the training!

Running Fit Super 5K

STR started out the 2009 racing season in PR Style. I represented STR alone at the Running Fit Super 5K in Novi, MI. The event was the morning of the SuperBowl and provided a great start to a day of gluttony.

The weather was perfect for a 9:00a start. I went out pretty fast and struggled up the hill on 11 mile road to finish in 26:32, a 5K PR for me!

Running Fit puts on a pretty good race and the food after was just the start to a bad day of eating. I skipped the hot wings (hot wings at 9:30 in the morning) and grabbed just a couple of tootsie rolls (I am not in second place in the FTC II for nothing!!).

Good luck to everyone running in their first event of the year. See everyone next at the St. Patrick's Day Corktown Race, March 15th.

Also, be on the look out for the Inaugural STR 10K Pub Run around Royal Oak and Ferndale on Saturday, April 25th!

FTC Update

Our 9 Flat Tire Challengers are off and rolling, and after the first month the leaders posted some impressive numbers. The top 5 lost 90% of the total weight for the group, but it is too early to rule any of the challengers out. Mindy is out to an early lead with a 4.02% loss, followed by Nordberg (3.7%), Chez (2.88%), Ice Dog (2.77%), and Big Fella (2.23%). The group lost a total of 36.5 pounds, 1.89% of our starting weight. The bottom four need to bring their A-Game in February to get back into the mix, or send care packages of cookies and brownies to the top 5.

 

If you don't have a race scheduled, plan one during the challenge to help you focus. For the Michigan group, the Corktown 4-miler is coming up in March, Martian is in April, and River Bank Run is in May. Brian is training for a half marathon soon and an Ironman this year, so you know he is focused. Keep it up everyone, three more months to go!

 

FTC II

There are 9 STR members who are taking the challenge to let some air out of their spare tires in the 2009 Flat Tire Challenge. Shawn " The Ice Dog", "Chez", Dave " The Tank", "Vinnie", Mindy "I am not a runner", "Nordberg", Brian "Big Fella", "Not so little" Mac, and the "Dominator" will be on the four month deflation journey. Mac is back to defined his title as flattest tire. Last year he had to go all the away to Africa drop enough pounds to beat out Mindy for the title. This year he plans on shoveling a lot of snow in Traverse City to drop the lbs. The FTC will award the top three members who loose the highest percentage of body weight. Good luck to all.