Thunder Road Marathon 2007

This year's Thunder Road Marathon and 1/2 Marathon was another great event put on by the folks at Run for Your Life. As tradition goes, the pre-race dinner on Friday night was once again hosted at the home of Michael and Betsy Furr. Many thanks to them for opening up their home to the local runners. There was also an additional late night "shoe run" added this year...another fun trip in itself!

Race day conditions were textbook this year. The weather couldn't have been better with starting temps in the lower 40's under a spotless blue sky. The weather warmed quickly during the race with finish line temps near 60.

Congrats to all of the locals who participated. Several local runners set PRs and there were quite a few first time half-marathoners. Hats off to them for a job well done. Special thanks to Joe Korzelius to chauffeured many of us around the city of Charlotte.

After the events, a post-race meal was in ordered and Fuel Pizza didn't disappoint. A great all around day of running for the Stanly County harriers. Several pics can be found at www.vacanddash.com.

Derby 50k, November 24th 2007

This year's Derby 50k was yet another fantastic MTC event. This group is so great to run with and they know how to have a good time. Special thanks go out to Mark Long and the MTC and church volunteers. The Uwharrie Running Club was represented by Michael Furr, Rick Johnson, and myself. This was Rick's first ultra. Great job, Rick! The Gut Check award goes out to Michael Furr who ran the event with a case of bronchitis. I should have some pics to post soon...

City of Oaks Marathon - Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, NC was the setting for November 4th's City of Oaks Marathon. Those folks did a superb job with the race. An amazing crowd for this inaugural event! The weather cooperated as well and gave us cool temps at the start and a pleasant morning to finish out the run.

Special thanks to Pam Carpenter for picking up race packets on Saturday for a group us. Pam, Mark, Darrell, and I had a great day of running and fellowship. It was great to get to see so many MTC'ers there. I also had a chance to run a couple of miles with Joey Anderson as he was putting the finishing touches on his training for his BQ attempt this coming weekend in Richmond. Best of luck to Joey this week.

A new day...

Today, November 1st, I'm re-focusing on my training in preparation for the Umstead 100 miler in April. My diet is what needs the most attention. As of late, I've slipped a bit. Time to get things back under control. This will be a challenge I'm sure with the decadent holiday season upon us.

Next up is the City of Oaks marathon this weekend in Raleigh. I expect there will be a strong MTC turnout for this one. I'm looking forward to running this one with such a dedicated group of runners. Thanks to Mark Long for allowing me to tag along in the carpool.

Here's a quote I ran upon recently...I've been thinking about it this week...

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

An applicable quote for running or life in general.

Idiot Run 2007

Saturday October 6th - Fall edition of the Idiot Run. We had a stellar turnout on a muggy and oppressive October morning. Congrats to Bill Josey and Pete Herron for becoming official idiots and thanks to Peter, Rita, and Chris for providing a much needed mobile aid station. The idiot course was still demanding....doesn't seem to get any easier; but it was another beautiful morning to traverse to the summit of Morrow Mountain. Pictures posted soon...

Boulder Backroads Marathon

The Boulder road trip was another great one. The Midwest certainly didn't disappoint. Thanks to the Blalock family for letting us crash at their apartment. Boulder is a beautiful place but, as they say, there's no place like home. It's good to be back. Here are a couple of pics of me and my crew, marathoning Colorado-style.