The 10k tag arrived

Despite todays snow my number and tag for tomorrow's Survivor 10k arrived in the mail, complete with a nice note from the master himself, Leadville 100 Larry Swanson!

Guess I'm running...Game on!

Why do I run Survivor? For the blasted ugly shirt!

Survivor Series?  What is it?  A four-race series run in and around the trails of Rock Cut State Park in Rockford, IL.
December: 5k trail race
January: 10k trail race
February: 15k trail race
March: 20k trail race


Why run it?  To get the ugly orange shirt and braggin' rights!

Here I am in 2010 with the infamous Steve Jaycox from Runner's Image.  Yes, we both earned the shirt.

This will be the third Survivor series for me.  Once a person runs a total of FIVE complete Survivor Series you receive an even more special shirt.  I hope it is even uglier!
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Survivor #2: This Saturday. 10k

This Saturday at noon is the second 'Survivor' series race.  In December was the 5k and Saturday will be the 10k (with a 15k in February and the 20k in March).

I think, in this race, I will take off with a fast start to avoid getting tangled up in the mass of humanity before hitting the trail.  Wow did we get gummed up during the 5k.  I'm not trying to sound all high and mighty, don't get me wrong, but once you get behind a mass of people that are all attempting to hit the trail at once...I don't have to tell you how clogged up the trails become which makes it very difficult to get thru in a timely fashion.

Last Saturday I ran a race preview with my fellow Coyote trail runners and experienced running on snow for the first time this year. Egads I hate that.  I remember not enjoying it last year or the year before either.  But, I must persevere.  I have to earn that blasted ugly orange Survivor t-shirt.  :)

I heard someone say that we could receive 5-6 inches of fresh snow on Friday.  No.  Please.  No.
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An alternative to the Chicago Marathon

No.  I don't mean the Spring 'Rockford' Marathon.  (They should call it the Chicago-Rockford Marathon if you catch my drift.

Anyway, I digress...

In October will be the 3rd annual Stone Bridge Marathon which is run in the Roscoe/Belvidere area.

Advantages:
1. No crowds
2. You don't need to leave at 4:00 a.m. race day to run Chicago.
3. You won't need to take out a loan just to pay the increased tolls on I90.  Thanks to the Tollway Board and our lawmakers who continue to tax us to death.
4. You can support a truly local marathon.
5. Your family and friends can actually go with you, cheer for you and see you along the course.
6. Run through outlying scenic course rather than a concrete jungle.
7. You can run the marathon and be home napping by noon.
8. You'll see fellow friends and runners from the area.
9. You won't have to run the first ten miles in a sea of people.
10. After the race you can visit a local eatery for fun and celebration with your friends, family and running besties!

More info here.

Use the 'Rockford' Half-Marathon race in May as a training run to help you gear up for the LOCAL Belvidere YMCA Marathon in October 2012.

Survivor 5K Race and Survivor info

Edit 1/20/12: I am completely brain dead sometimes.  In the first paragraph I wrote there was no snow.  There was a LOT of snow and I didn't like it.  Ha.  Thanks, Lindsay for pointing out my mistake!



I ran the Survivor 5k on December 17th and once again it was a very well organized race.  There certainly seemed to be many more runners than last year, which is a good thing.  There was NO snow or ice for which I am eternally grateful, lol.

As I promised myself, I went out slowly and planned on surviving the 4-race series rather than 'racing' it for a fast time.  I've had a couple of hamstring injuries over the past year along with achilles tendinitis  (which I still recovering from) so I don't want to injure myself further.  Still, my finishing time and place was well below that of the previous two Survivor Series 5K that I ran in 2009 and 2010 and I have to admit that hurts the ego a little.

The only problem with starting out slowly and not getting out ahead of the pack is that when running on trails with that many runners it is easy for the trails to become congested.  Three times I was standing still, waiting for runners(?) to run down a hill or run across an admittedly slippery yet short wooden bridge.  C'mon people, its a race!

Those issues aside it was a fun time and I thank Larry Swanson and all of the volunteers who direct this race each year.  However I've learned and in the next race (the 10K in January) I'll be going out faster so as to be ahead of the pack before we hit the narrow trails.

The remaining three Survivor races will be held on January 21, February 18 and March 17.  All races have a noon start.  More info can be found here and on the Rockford Roadrunners Facebook Page here.  Sign up and run!

2012 Rockford Literacy Council Half Marathon

Mark your calendars.  May 12th, 2012 is the next Rockford Literacy Council Half Marathon.  This is a combination of roads and trails and is an ongoing fund raiser for the Rockford Literacy Council.

It is also co-sponsored and organized by the folks at Runner's Image and Carlyle's Brewery in downtown Rockford.
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Runner's Image to carry iNov8 and Merrill trail shoes!

FROM RUNNER'S IMAGE in Rockford: Are your feet begging for something new? New trail shoes are coming to Runner's Image for the new year. INov-8 and Merrell will be leading the charge in our new line of trail shoes. Are your toes mad at each other? Do they need their independence? Try some Injinji toe socks too. Call Steve Jaycox with questions at 815-963-2171.

Trail Runner Announces 2011 Trail Runner Trophy Series Winners

Congratulations to Joe Alligood of Rockford, IL!

From Trail Runner Magazine's Trail Runner Series for 2011...

"The male Trail Fiend winner (the runner who completes the most Trophy Series races), Joe Alligood, 42, of Rockford, Illinois, was actually training for the Leadville 100-Mile Mountain Bike race when he decided to compete is some Trophy Series races to support his girlfriend, Liz Baumgardt, 30, of Rockford, Illinois (the female Trail Fiend winner). He also used the races as a “mental distraction from his mountain-bike training” and fell in love with the sport.
“After it all, I preferred running over mountain biking this year,” says Alligood. (You can read more about the Trail Fiend couple in the March 2012 issue of Trail Runner, which hits newsstands February 2.)"


Here is the complete email announcement that I received in its entirety:

Trail Runner Announces 2011 Trail Runner Trophy Series Winners
It’s been one hell of a season and the 2011 Trail Runner Trophy Series presented by GORE-TEX has finally come to a close, the points have been tallied and runners are taking well-deserved breaks before hitting the trails for the 2012 Trail Runner Trophy Series again next spring. (Stay tuned for more information about next year’s series in the March 2012 issue of Trail Runner, which hits newsstands February 2.)
Nearly 31,000 runners toed the line at 129 Trail Runner Trophy Series events across the United States and Canada, running a combined 587,972 miles—a distance greater than double that of the earth’s circumference!
Many of this year’s Trail Runner Trophy Series participants raced trails for the first time this season. And some of those newbies testing the waters at Trophy Series races finished at the front of the pack, including the Ultra Division third-place female winner, Lisa Van Wolde, 37, of Innisfil, Ontario. Wolde intended to spend the summer “trying ultras,” but after a few successful races (she had podium finishes at almost every race she finished), Wolde says, “I now love trail running and am forever hooked.”
The male Trail Fiend winner (the runner who completes the most Trophy Series races), Joe Alligood, 42, of Rockford, Illinois, was actually training for the Leadville 100-Mile Mountain Bike race when he decided to compete is some Trophy Series races to support his girlfriend, Liz Baumgardt, 30, of Rockford, Illinois (the female Trail Fiend winner). He also used the races as a “mental distraction from his mountain-bike training” and fell in love with the sport.
“After it all, I preferred running over mountain biking this year,” says Alligood. (You can read more about the Trail Fiend couple in the March 2012 issue of Trail Runner, which hits newsstands February 2.)
Grand Prizes
Grand prizes are awarded to the top “Trail Fiends,” the male and female runners who run the most Trophy Series races and to the “Mile Moguls,” the male and female runners who run the most Trophy Series race miles. Trail Fiends receive a spot at the 2012 Get Your Legs on Trail Running Week at Nipika Mountain Resort in the Canadian Rockies and the Mile Moguls earn entry into the 2012 Dreamchasers trail-running camp.

Prize Packages
A point-based scoring system divides winners from 129 trail races across the United States and Canada that take place between March and September 2011, into a Non-Marathon Division, with prize packages going to 10 age groups, and a Marathon-and-Longer Division, with prize packages for the top three male and female runners. Prize packages include items from Trophy Series sponsors: Lock Laces, Zombie Runner, Pro-Tec Athletics, Cho-Pat, 2XU, 2Toms, Amphipod, Kahtoola, Native Eyewear, Udo’s Oil, VESPA, Drymax and 10-Seconds.
2011 Trail Runner Trophy Series Winners
Mile Moguls (Male and female Trail Runner Trophy Series runners who ran the most miles throughout the series):
• Keith Straw, 56, Malvern, PA, 677.4 miles
• Maryka Hladki, 37, Newmarket, ON, 429.5 miles
Trail Fiend (Male and female Trail Runner Trophy Series runners who ran the most races throughout the series):
• Joe Alligood, Rockford, IL, 11 races
• Liz Baumgardt, Rockford, IL, 16 races
Non-Ultra Division (Races less than 26 miles)
Male age-group winners
10-19:  David Hestor, 18, Duncannon, PA, 241.2 points
20-29:  Blake Davenport, 23, Murphysboro, IL, 277.4 points
30-39:  Mike Tickner, 38, Kitchener, ON, 247.4 points
40-49:  Jim Seeds, 42, Waterford, ON, 444.1 points
50 plus: Bill Wheeler, 57, London, ON, 244.3 points
Female age-group winners
10-19: Felicia Peacock, 16, Cogan Station, PA, 188.8 points
20-29:  Hannah Williams, 28, Steamboat, CO, 162 points
30-39:  Meira Minard, 38, State College, PA, 188.8 points
40-49:  Heather Forster, 46, Everett, ON, 248.6 points
50 plus: Melissa Behr, 57, Madison, WI, 137.8 points
Ultra Division (races 26 miles and longer)
Male winners

1. Joshua Wopata, 31, Westfield, IN, 1115 points
2. Dale Draaistra, 36, Brantford, ON, 826.9 points
3. Jeff Ashizawa, 45, Waterloo, ON, 777.8 points

Female winners

1. Iris Cooper, 52, Toronto, ON, 888.4 points
2. Laurie Mcgrath, 43, Baden, ON, 712.5 points
3. Lisa Van Wolde, 37, Innisfil, ON, 678.6 points

Please email ps@bigstonepub.com if you have questions about the 2011 Trail Runner Trophy Series points tabulation.

Just a test!

Google's been screwing around with Blogger so this is just a test.

Finally another blog posting

Yes I know.  It has been a while.

Back in September while running trails with the local Coyotes trail running club I had to cut short a planned 10 miler at mile 7 due to pain in my right foot and ankle area.

I don't remember landing wrong or stepping on anything out of the ordinary.  I had to cut the run short, limp back to my car and hoped that nothing serious had gone awry.  After a couple of days off I tried running again and got no further than the end of my block.  It hurt!

I took a couple of forced weeks off from running and the area began to feel better...ran a few times...then took another couple of weeks off.  I'm not sure which felt worse, my ankle or my brain from a lack of running.

To this day I still have stiffness and soreness with some days being better than others.  I've stayed away from hilling terrain for the most part as hills seem to be a bad influence.  This past Sunday I did run 6 trail miles and didn't feel to bad but I'm being very careful.

So that about covers my running since early September.  It is a struggle but one I need to overcome.
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Rock Cut State Park closed thru 10 -13

Unless you want to take a chance on taking a bullet up the backside don't enter Rock Cut State Park November 10 - 13.  Its the annual Kill-A-Deer-Fest...er, hunt.

Keep your head down!

Harlem's Miller & Raffety improve greatly in 3A state performances

PEORIA — Nick Miller wasn’t about to have a repeat of last year’s performance at the Class 3A state boys cross country meet.

The Harlem senior said he went out way too fast en route to a 165th-place showing in his state debut.

This time, Miller chose a more tactful approach and went on to finish 19th in a time of 14:55 for all-state honors.

“Last year, I didn’t do well at all,” Miller said. “I went out way too fast, I held back a little bit, but I still went through the mile a bit fast. It was that first 800 that I toned it down a bit.”

Miller became the first Harlem boy since Jared Richardson to earn all-state status. Richardson finished 23rd at state in 2004.

“It feels good to compete on this level and get all-state,” Miller said.

Miller, a two-time regional champion, went from fifth to second at the NIC-10 conference meet and placed third at the Wheaton North Sectional to qualify for state for a second time.

“My experience at state last year really helped me this year,” Miller said. “If I hadn’t made it last year, I could’ve made the same mistakes.”

Fellow Harlem senior Leah Raffety felt the same way after she finished 14th in at time of 17:13.

Raffety, a three-time state qualifier, placed 26th (17:18) last year. She just missed the top 25 by three seconds.

“I just wanted to get out and make sure I was up there in the top 15 or top 20,” said Raffety, the two-time defending cross country champion. “I didn’t lose too much ground. I stayed pretty consistent.”

Raffety qualified for the state meet after placing 13th at the Wheaton North Sectional.

“I’m thrilled with my place,” said Raffety of her state performance. “It’s a great way to end my senior year.”

Jefferson’s Jason Reynolds and Hononegah’s Courtney Clayton each made their state debuts.
Reynolds placed 84th at 15:29. Clayton finished 34th at 17:40.

Amanda Fox of Naperville Central won the girls race (16:24), while Winnetka New Trier’s Leland Later won the boys at 14:17.

Palatine boys and Winnetka New Trier girls won team titles.

Reach staff writer Brenda Young at 815-987-1388 or byoung@rrstar.com.

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