Boone Roubaix

Anyone interested in doing this with me. WWW.BOONEROUBAIX.COM . Just consider it a Saturday training ride.

Key West Half Marathon

This week I went down to the Keys to thaw out and race my "hometown" marquis running event, the Key West Half Marathon. This race was once ranked in Runner's World's top Half Marathons and attracted a few thousand runners, however with competition from the Tropical 5k and Half Marathon now held the same weekend up in Miami, the Key West race has dropped to about a thousand runners, but still attracts a competitive field. Coincident with the race this year was the Key West Food and Wine festival, which somehow I managed to conjure up the discipline to avoid.The weather started off calm, overcast, warm (74 degrees), and humid (88%). By the second half of the race, a squall came in from the southwest, and the temps dropped to the mid 60's with a 20knot wind blowing in from the starboard beam, though the rain passed us to the north. I executed my race plan (which was based on heart rate) well, but missed my goal of a sub 1:45, ending up with a 1:47:51 and 8th place in my age group. The post race festivities were great with a sumptuous spread of tropical fruits, yogurt, bagels and pastries (including fresh chocolate brioche) provided by Dante's restaurant and music by my buddy Gary Hempsey's band. If you're looking for a great half marathon to run next Jan, or an excuse for a road trip out of the winter, definitely consider this race.

Race for Humanity

Steve and I will be in Florida the weekend of February 13-14 and we are planning on doing the crit and the road race in San Antonio that weekend. Is anyone else planning to be there?

National DUATHLON Championships-April 25th, VA

I have held/booked 4 double rooms (5 rooms including ours) for the Duathlon National Championships scheduled for April 25th in Richmond, Virginia. I will be sending a personal email to those of you whose name i registered these rooms in providing registration numbers.
Rooms are booked for 1 night--April 24th, departing 25th. Please call the hotel directly and add additional night(s) as you see fit. The hotel and all race expenses will NOT be reimbursed by TEAM headstrong.

Here is the hotel information:

Crown Plaza Richmond Downtown
555 East Canal Street
804.778.0900

Currently these double bed rooms are held as follows:
1. Reynolds
2. McDougald
3. Stratton
4. Weinacker
5. Maddox


FOR EVENT INFORMATION:
http://usatriathlon.org/news/2009/10/08/registration-open-for-2010-usat-national-duathlon-festival-championship/28140

FOR REGISTRATION:
For registration details and complete event information, please visit http://www.duathlonnationals.com/.
* 2010 USAT Duathlon Age Group National Championship.
*"What is the name of your triathlnon or college club?" Enter "TEAM headstrong"
* Register BEFORE February 28th for discount. Fee is then $75.
* Enter your USAT license number OR you can purchase 1 day license the morning of or posibly day before the event--on site.

Email me directly if you have questions or require additional clarification.

ASSAULT on Mt. MITCHELL-instructions

All of you should have received a PINK post card inviting you to register for the Assault on Mount Mitchell scheduled for Monday, May 24th. Here is what you are required to do to register:

*Feburary 2nd @ 6:00am (open through Feb. 15 @ 12:00PM EST. But...this event will fill up and close quickly).
Go to www.active.com and enter your appropriate information INCLUDING "TEAM headstrong" (note: TEAM is upper case, headstrong is all lower).
Your invitation number is just above your name on the pink post card--typically a 5-digit number.

*Print your receipt. TEAM headstrong will reimburse you when you finish the race but you must submit this receipt for reimbursement.

*Please advise when you are registered.

UWBL

Check out the web site!! We have sprint points as a team..........Bird man must of been cookin'!

I got my Assault warning in the mail this week, do we need to sign up through the web site or did Christina get us some slots?

Pre Season Training....

Rumor has it Giselle was putting in some impressive times on Paris Mtn this week, before the cycling Gods decided to give us all a reprieve from early winter pain..........

Me.... I am heading out to do hill repeats so I will be able to hang on to her wheel come spring.....

DU NATIONALS - APRIL 25TH

Although not designated as a 'team event', the Festival is getting a lot of attention from team members. It will be held in lovely downtown Richmond, Va and comprise 5k run/38k bike/5k run. Committed are KP, Weinacker, Teenie and I. KP has been having visions of Team Headstrong on the podium receiving the all new TEAM NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP award along with the $500.00 in prize money.

Team's get points for individual accomplishment and .5 points for each participant. We will need some help and looking through the ranks for runners, we are recruiting:

Randy
Lara
Stratton
Joe
Tom
Giselle
Ed

We need ya!!! Please go to the USAT website adn check it out. It fully subscribed last year so, we will be registering in hte next week.

Hope you can join us!

Oh, yes. Check the latest schedule for a great tune up race, Powerman Alabama, on March 27. More on that later.

USA CYCLING

I hope you are all getting signed up for your licences. Bird pinted out we are not listed as a mountain biking team and that is true. However, when you go to sign up for mountain bike race, you will note that Team Headstrong is a choice.

Please remember to list your team on all races. Some running races do not take that info, I realize.

Winter Work...

I thought you'all might be interested in what I do when I am not riding....... this is a walnut dining room table I built for my daughter...... my design, but it is a variation on a mission style piece...... it is 80"x42"x31.5"

and this is a cherry burl coffee table/bench I made for her new house....

PARIS MT TT - 1/31

YOU MUST REGISTER on www.pre-reg.com no later than Wed PM......$15.00. Later registration will not guarantee your time is with the team.

Our times will run one after another.

Confirmed:

Lara
Weinacker
Bird
Tom
Beth
Teenie
RM
Gillespie
KP
Giselle
Joe (already done)

Team Headstrong: Welcome to the blog

Team Headstrong: Welcome to the blog

I am glad everyone is riding and running so well (except me). Also I have never been happier
to miss the oppertunity to ride on Saturday! I stood out in that mess for a couple of hours thought of all of my dedicated team mates and how much better you all will be because of your suffering!!!!

Charlotte Short Track

Raced a short track mtb race today in Charlotte, in super muddy conditions (see photo). This was the second in a five race series, in case anyone is interested in trying it out. The race is kinda like a crit, except everyone is on mtbikes and most of the race is offroad (with road and gravel sections). The loop is less than a mile, and the Cat 1/2 women race for 45 minutes. Normally, the course is not very difficult......add 12 hours of heavy rain and it becomes a bit more treacherous. Lucky for me, I kinda like the mud. I got first and finished over a minute ahead of 2nd (she was a pro, so that made me feel kinda good). Hopefully Sam will come out to the next one and give me a run for my money.

PARIS MT TT - 1/31

We are set upo for 10 starts:

I have:

Giselle
Teenie
Beth
Gillespie
KP
Weinacker
RM
Bird

I need your response:

Agenda:

Meet at Leopard Coffee in TR at 10:30
TT
Ride around
Return to Leopard at 12:30
Hot choc and coffee and "team meeting" ......that means social fun!

YOU ONLY NEED TO BRIG $15.00. I HAVE YOUR REGISTRATION HANDLED.

UWBL January 23rd, 2010

A cold, damp, monochromatic morning set the tone for the UWBL this Saturday. The A's were heading out for the Battle of Waterloo a 108mile sojourn heading south towards the coast.

Giselle, KP, Kristin, Joe, Perry and I headed out with the A's, although Giselle, KP, Kristin, Perry and I were going to ride out about 35miles and then U-turn and make our way back. Perry backed off early on the ride and joined the B's, while the rest of us tried to stay out of the wind and on the wheel in front of us.

Giselle and I rode at the front taking pulls while KP and Kristin tried to stay comfortable in the pack. Everyone rode well out. And we did our U-turn at Hickory Tavern. Joe opted to stay in for the long haul (Joe how did it go).

The 4 of us rode back at tempo..... and would have gotten 70 miles in if I hadn't missed the LEFT turn onto Bracken Road...... that cost us 7 miles, 4 climbs, a bit of frustration and I am sure some choice thoughts from the group. Oh well.... I really wanted to get in 4+ hours today......

Giselle road very strong, Kristin had alot of spin left in her legs and KP was right there thinking about lunch......

Great group.... good ride....

Downtown 5K

I was standing at the start and emboldened knowing 6 of my teammates were soon heading out on the UWBL. It was not Miami Beach out there this AM.

TEENIE - Big PR at 22:40 and 2nd in her AG. This was a return to run race form for Teenie. She used strong training and prep last week at Houston to lower her PR 29 seconds. This is really impressive as I would judge she is still developing her aerobic fitness. How fast can she be?

RM - PR at 22:30 and 2nd in AG. I was glad to beat some long time serious runners but had hoped for much better time. We started at Soby's and the uphill form the River past the Drive Stadium was painful. It was evident my legs had not recovered in the 6 days since Houston. All good though.

Our biz partner, Jim Landino from Pennsylvania, ran and it was real joy having him as we are VERY close. Twenty five plus years together and a ton of mutual admiration can do this! he's the BEST.

Can't wait to hear about the UWBL.

RM

UWBL Jan 23rd.....

OK... If memory serves me well, the Battle of Waterloo heads out the same as the Ware Shoals ride and does a store stop there....... (~mile 40).... We can make a call at that point on "going the distance" or turning off and heading back north....... I will have a route back for us...... one note is if you/we continue on from that point there is no short cut back and we would be better sitting in the pack...

I am driving up from Atlanta and will be at starbucks at 9:30 then come by Headstrong up to the start. We should exchange mobile numbers so if someone gets shelled ...

After UWBL this Saturday...

Weinacker and I are planning on going to The Bohemian Restaurant after UWBL this Saturday (it's on the corner of Stone Ave and N. Main St). Some of KW's friends will join us. Thought it'd be nice for anyone/everyone else to join us. Meet there around 3:00?

Never been there but I heard they have really good home-made veggie burgers!!

Yumm-O

Dupont - 1/25

Yes, this is Monday! Teenie and I are wanting to do a ride at Dupont......3-3.5 hours??

Beth/Bird....hoping you can come?? and anybody else.

RM

Downtown 5K

Saturday

Looks like Bird, Giselle and Perry will be leading an Assault on the UWBL pack! I heard Weinacker and KP would be with ya. Look out A Group. Hopefully some more of you guys will be out.

For any of you foot soldiers, the DT 5K is at 9AM. Lara? Tom?

Teenie and I will be at Team HQ at 8:15 and starting warmup promptly at 8:30. Let me know if you are coming! You must park off Main because the race comes right in front of HQ. Come early because 2500+ are expected.

We will run a cool down lap and come back and see you guys off shortly before 10AM.

Then we'll head back down to awards presentations and we won't be going to watch.

RM

PS. For you riders, if you wanted to witness the finish of teh 5K at Main and Broad, you can catch there 9:21:30AM.

Assault on the Carolina's

Great 100K ride and they moved the date into April... it does however coincide with the Upstate Race Weekend (tentative).. This is the classic 178/Ceasar's Head route which starts with a spring up Walnut Hollow....

http://www.assaultonthecarolinas.com/

Saturday Plan

Who is planning on doing the UWBL on Saturday? Weather looks good, and I am planning on coming up so Giselle can pull me around......

Thurs ride from Cleveland Park...

...meeting at baseball diamond at 10 a.m. for an easy 3 hour ride. Let me know if you can join us so we can keep our eyes out for you!

Feels like spring....

Nice to have some warm sunny weather to ride in....... Rode south of Atlanta with old friends and team mates yesterday doing the "classic"Silk Sheets loop.... planning on a spin at the Silver Comet this afternoon.......

Caesar's Head Tomorrow

I know this is late notice, but would anyone be interested in doing a Caesar's Head ride tomorrow at 12 noon from Sunrift. 3.5-4hrs round trip.

Paris Mt TT -1/31

The Team has 10 spots at $15.00 each. No need for anyone to sign up individually.

RM

HOUSTON HALF MARATHON

Race results are up and I was offically 1:41:50. I was 379 overall men and 2nd in my AG.

Teenie was 46th out over 628 in her AG.

RM

RACE RESULTS

It was a perfect day in Houston today at 45-48 degrees and mostly sunny. We started at 7 putting us off at daylight. We were joined by daughter Tammy and her husband Jim.

Teenie was approaching it as a training run in make ready for the Downtown 5K next week. She did 2:o5 and looked like she had come off an eay run. Jim and Tammy were 1:51 and 1:53 respectively showing good general fitness.

You guys know, I was racing even though I had no specific prep for this distance. I felt very good throughout. At a U turn at 9 miles, I saw Shalane Flanagan commanding a big lead in the Elites. It was exciting as she won and set a course record! The win makes her the US Champion Half Marathoner.

I finished just under my Bold Goal at 1:41:50 (unofficial). Pacing was good and I felt very strong in the last 2-4 miles. Can you see me smiling?

There were 180 men in my AG and 11,000 overall in the Half.......I will report my finish rsults when they are up on internet!

RM

Today's UWBL

KP, Lara, Mel, Joe L., Bird and I were out with the A group today, and Elizabeth braved the B ride. Bird and Joe L. did the full ride, while KP, Lara, Mel and I headed back in after about 24-25 miles, making for a perfectly civilized 2 1/2+ hour-ish ride, depending on where you started/finished. It gave us ladies a chance to hone our pack skills (KP rocked!) and get to ride together at a strong steady pace on the way in and yak a bit. We all agreed that it felt harder riding back without the benefit of the pack draft, so we actually rode harder than you did, Bird! Ha! :) Perry, you must have been out of town this weekend...it was sooo much nicer than last weekend!..you and Randall would have loved it!

Paris Mt Hill Climb

Randall/Christina...

are we supposed to sign up individually, or are you arranging a "team" signup?

Jon

UWBL Saturday Jan 16

There is a slight chance of rain on Saturday, but the temperature will be way better than it has been on a Saturday since before the UWBL's started. I'm planning on doing the A ride. I would love to do it with teammates, and if you are doubtful about doing the whole ride, 1 1/2 miles out with the group and then head back for a 3ish hour ride would be fabulous. All that is needed is someone with directions (Elizabeth!) and the company. Any takers????

Wednesday Donaldson training ride..... 5 laps back side intervals....... Randall showing winter form.........

Good luck in the Houston 1/2 Marathon...

Ride on Thurs for 1 1/2 hours easy pace

I am meeting Christina at team headquarters for a 1 1/2 hour ride at an easy, little ring spinning type of pace (zone 1 for you peeps with coaches!). We are departing at 11 am, so hopefully it will have warmed up some by then. This will be an easy ride to add on to if 1 1/2 hours is not enough for you.

I, for one, am looking forward to it! I love me an easy ride :)...they're so good for you!

TRAINING RIDE

KP and Weinacker were on Paris Mt today for climbing work.
They did 4x6 minute repeats. We have really strong climbers in our women's ranks and these two are certainly among them.

You will see them out there a lot for next few months, honing skills, buildng power and endurance.

The short TT on 1/30 will be a preview of things to come. I look for Team Headstrong to be strong!

RM

UWBL - 1/09/2010

I am from Texas and we have word their that is actually a Spanish word, cohones. I will refrain from a definition but I will tell you that E, Weinacker, Giselle and Perry have big cohones.

P and I estimated the temp in low to mid 30's and falling toward the end of the ride. Coming back in we were into a 10 mph wind and it was brutal. The wind chill was below freezing.

I can not ride the B ride any more....just too hard. We were poorly lead, out 3:55(about an hour more that the A's). Here are my stats yesterday vs a previous A ride when GH was out:

A B
Normalized power 240w 245w
Avg HR 128 130
Max HR 155 153
Intensity factor .85 .87

We only had 25 people and half of them were soon dropped. The ride went 69 vs the scheduled 63 miles. You just could not hide.

Don't get me wrong, we had a good time and it was well worth(I am sick of the trainer) it but the last hour put us in near hypothermia.

I hope better weather is ahead!

RM

Thoughts of uphill pursuits...

I am in for both the Paris Mtn hill climb and Mt. Mitchell....

Dupont Mtn Bike ...Pinnacle Mtn Rd

This goes with Randall's ride summary of our Mtn Bike ride in Dupont a week and a half ago..... I didn't want anyone to think he was embellishing the story...... this is the climb that goes for about 3 miles and where shortly thereafter Randall was thinking about "Deliverance".....

PARIS MT TT - 1/31

Well, 12 of you are 'on the BLOG' so we are moving inthe right direction.

The Event organizers for Paris Mt TT will be holding 10 spots for us. We will go off every 30 seconds for 5 minutes. Cost is $15.00. I see this as a fun early season event that is more about particapation than anything else (except for Weinacker). We will plan a fun day around this with a ride (not long) and coffee/hot chocolate at the Leopard Coffee shop in TR.

Please let me know if you would like one of the spots by commenting on this BLOG Post. You might tell us waht your goal is, etc??

Also, please encourage your team mates to get online with us.

The flyer for the event is posted on Googlegroups .

HOUSTON HALF MARATHON

I thought I would share some of my mental prep for Houston (1/17). Houston is a B race for me but I will do my best. I have been visualizing positive outcomes for a couple of weeks.

I start with an affirmation, a positive first person statement about who I want to be, not necessarily who I am. I have been using this over and over during training and it will be in my mind during the race to strengthen me.

I AM PAIN MAKER (vs a pain taker)!

It is currently conjuring up the picture of the warrior Jake Scully in Avatar. I used it alot this afternoon during a two training run......best 13.1 miles in 155 minutes. Laugh??? This stuff works.

I have scouted the course as my daughter has done it before and it is pancake flat. We have 7AM start.

The next thing to construct is the race plan which I based on BREAKTHRU RUNS leading up to the race:

Eat a good breakfast of oatmeal and fruit at about 4:30AM

make the long drive to downtown.

Arrive at race at 6AM and consume PBJ.

I will push up 9-10 from the front as I see my competition did this last year(gun vs chip).

First 5 miles - HR pace at 145 - between Z2 and Z3(aerobic and tempo).

Second 5 miles - HR pace 150-155 - solid Z3(tempo).

Last 3.1 miles - HR pace 160 - 160+ - LT (redline).

GOAL TIME: 142:00

Placement goal: Top 5 in AG (Reviewed times from last 2 years - estimated 130 runners in AG)

Supporting goal: Run the last 3 miles 10 sec/mile faster than first 3 miles.

In the first mile a lot of really unfit looking people will be passing me!!! Go slow, RM!

I AM A PAIN MAKER.

OORAH!

I'll let you know how it works out!

RM

ASSAULT ON MT MITCHELL

Teenie has arranged for your entry to the ASSAULT on MT MITCHELL on May 24th, 2010. This is KEY team event and the entry is covered by TEAM headstrong.

You will be getting an invitation in the next few weeks. If you are going to participate, please fill it out and mail with the entry fee. Please do so with thought. When the event is completed, we will reimburse you if you have participated. You will only be out the entry fee if you enter DO NOT ride.

Easy? No, not really. This is a point to point race so we will be figuring out how we get back from Marion. The Race has an optional bus ride and we will make this decision once we see the entry options and before we sign up. So, more instructions are coming.

We owe Teenie a thanks. These entries are almost something one needs to inherit so she has helped to eliminate what would have been a total pain in buttsky.

RM

Randall Ramblings... Test....

Randall and I rode Dupont a week ago and what follows is Randall's ride synopsis......

You will have to picture a snow covered road, as I cannot see how to add a photo to the blog post...........

I know you will think: "What wonderful picture of Utah and your snowboard trip." No.... this is Dupont Forest on Dec 28, 2009, the day Bird introduced me to Limbird Offseason Snow Training (LOST).

It was a perfect day as a 2 foot snowfall a few days prior had warmed and frozen several times to create solid ice. After my 1hour plus run, Bird showed up and proclaimed it a perfect day.

The master of routes, Bird took me out of the Forest on Old Pinnacle Rd. This was decided after he checked several trails only to find them all frozen. Yes, we rode right up the road in the picture and in fact several miles just like it. Frozen hard, the ice was not penetrated by our tires at all.

What I learned while LOST:
* Pedaling skills - You can put zero force on the pedals as the tire will spin out you will fall immediately. A high cadence is advisable. (this training would be ideal for Stratton).
* Ice Rash - There is no such thing. When you fall going downhill and you WILL fall, it is as hard as asphalt. You get bruised/broken but no rash!
* Changing lanes - When riding in 6" deep ice ruts is impossible. The minute you attempt to cross over, you are going down....similar to crossing a wet RR track at a severe angle.
* Left alone - Bird screamed down the icy descents and I was left alone. He waited at the turn and I am sure would have come back if I had not eventually showed?

Close to the end of Old Pinnacle but still a long way from the car, two brothers in 4 wheel drive Toyota pickup came up from behind and talked to me. They asked me how I was doing and I said I was over my head. Sure their father starred in Deliverance (I remember what happened to one of the guys in that film), I did not ask for a ride.

I am recommending the following equipment for LOST riders:
* 1 ice pick
* 1 shovel
* 2 studded tires
* 2 flares
* 1 rescue dog

The sad thing about it is the fact that it will likely be a long time before see these ideal conditions again! However, with this under my belt, I am sure I will contend at Nats this year.

RM

UWBL

NEW START TIME: 12 noon SAt Jan 9th.

HQ will be open at 11:30. Dress warm! Hope to see you.

blog help!

Dpes anyone know how we can put documents, such as the team contact list and the race calender on the blog for easy access?

Perry breaks the Ice in 2010

Congrats to perry on our first win of 2010.

Perry won his AG and was 17th overall in the founder's park 5k in Islamorada, Fl on New Years Day! He is showing great early season fitness posting 22:15!

Thurs mtb ride

Anyone interested in doing a mtb ride at Paris mtn this Thurs around 10ish for 2 to 2 1/2 hours?

Welcome to the blog

I'm setting this up as a simple way of communicating with everyone on the team and not have to follow a trail of emails. You can post rides, results, or anything else that you see fit. I've made the blog open only to members of our team using the email list that Bird send out back in October, so please let me know if I need to add a new email for you or anyone else.

I'm not very internet savvy, so please bear with me as I get this set up. Also, comments are always welcome.

Thanks!