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.