Autism Speaks 5K

JR, Jonathan, Aaron, Jess, and I all ran the Autism Speaks 5K on the Fourth of July-- We had 3 of our runners with age group placings which is awesome! Congratulations to Jess, who placed 1st in her age group with a time of 20:17; Aaron, who, with a time of 18:41, placed 2nd in his age group; and to JR, who placed 3rd in his age group with a time of 19:27. You guys rock! 


Next race: Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K

National Press Club 5K - June 9th!

Registration is open for the annual National Press Club 5K on Saturday, June 9th. A bunch of us have done this the past couple years, as a team. It's a lot of fun, it's a short race, and there is a pretty nice pancake breakfast at the National Press Club after the race. 

Here's the registration link:  http://press.org/5K  If you register, be sure to put down that you are part of a team, under the name "Chevy Chase Running Group." 

More details on the website above. 

Miami Half/Full Marathon in January anyone?

From Andy F:

For the last few winters some GRC runners have went to a warmer location to escape the DC cold and run a race. Last year, we went to Charleston and had a great time. This year, I propose -- Miami!

The Miami marathon/half marathon and 5K is Sunday, Jan 29, 2012. While its still nice now, by late January I'm sure you will have had you full of ice covered trails and sidewalks here. Miami is in the mid-70s in January, which will be a welcome break from the mid 30s. The race starts very early in the morning (6:15am), so you will finish before it gets too hot and will have time to enjoy the beach afterwards.

I propose that we go for 3-4 days, maybe leaving on a Thursday night after work and returning home Sunday night or Monday. In the past we have driven south for a winter race, but Miami is 16-18 hours and flights are really cheap ($151 rt last time I looked, from DCA!). Hotels in Miami proper are really cheap also (thank you South Florida housing bubble), Miami Beach is a little more expensive but we could probably find something reasonable if we book early enough.

If you are interested, email Andy and he'll make a separate mailing list to discuss plans.

If you don't have Andy's email, let me know (Grstults [at] gmail [dot] com) and I'll forward your information to him.

Impromptu track workout tonight at 6:30

OK, so it's not so impromptu if I'm announcing it in advance, but it's not a regularly scheduled GRC Wednesday event in any case.

I'll be at the Cordoza High School track tonight at 6:30 to do mile repeats if anyone wants to join me in getting interval work in (doesn't have to be mile repeats, feel free to do your own thing). The high school is in the U Street area (map here - if you set it to satellite view you can see the track, entrance on the 13th street side).

If you plan on joining me, leave a comment, send an email, shoot me a text... so that I know to look for you.

This Weekend! George Washington Classic 10K

This Saturday (February 19th) is the annual George Washington Classic 10K in Alexandria, Virginia. It's a fun race with a flat, fast course-- perfect for going for a PR! I ran it in 2008 and highly recommend it (and I have yet to run a faster 10K since). The race starts late enough, that you can take the metro (yellow line to Eisenhower) to the start too! Go to their website for more info.

Congrats to Runners in Charleston & Orlando Races!

First a big shoutout to Yang for his finish at the Walt Disney World Marathon the weekend before last! He finished his first marathon ever with a time of 4:17. Nice work, Yang!

Last weekend a bunch of us roadtripped down to Charleston, SC to run in their Riverfront Race Festival (and the first ever Charleston marathon). Congrats to everyone who ran!

• Chris: 5K-- placed 3rd in his age group
• Mike: 10K-- placed 2nd in his age group
• Andy: Half Marathon-- and an awesome PR
• Rodrigo: Half Marathon-- first one!
• Anika: Half Marathon-- first one!
• Paula: Half Marathon-- first one!
• Degas: Marathon-- again, awesome PR
• Greta: Marathon-- 4th in age group

And don't forget~ Happy Hour at P.F. Changs tonight at 8!

National Half Marathon nearly sold out!

The National Half Marathon is expected to sell out by this Friday, December 31st. If you plan on running it but haven't registered yet...register!

For those of you who still don't know about the race, it's on March 26th here in DC. In addition to the marathon and half-marathon, there's also a team relay option.

Happy Hour Tonight!

Happy Hour tonight at Lia's! 8PM-ish until ?

Hope to see you there!

p.s. Just an FYI, we are in communication with another local establishment about hosting our happy hours elsewhere after this week. We hope to have a new location (still right in the Friendship Heights neighborhood) within the next week or so. Will keep you posted. For tonight, we'll be at Lia's.

Last Call for Charleston Marathon (or half-marathon or 10K)

Last call for road-tripping to the Charleston Marathon (or half-marathon or 10K)! A bunch of us are headed down to Charleston, SC for their Riverfront Race Festival on MLK weekend 2011 (we'll be heading down after work Jan. 13th & returning to DC Jan. 16th). So far there are 7 of us on board-- if you'd like to join us, please let me know by the end of the day today! Feel free to email me with any questions regarding logistics and such.

Congratulations Marine Corps Marathon Runners!

Congratulations to all of the Marine Corps Marathoners and 10K runners! You did us proud!!! Bryan, Cezar, Degas, Winnie, Paula and Liz... Great job guys! The weather was perfect for racing, and all of us spectating had a lot of fun cheering everyone on. A special shout-out to Cezar and Degas for their first marathon finishes, and Liz for her BQ time!

Also, I don't know how many of you had the privilege of meeting Ian when he was working at the Chevy Chase Running Company Store over the summer, but he ran an outstanding debut marathon time of 2:49.

If anyone has any photos of our runners, please send them to either Chris or me~ Thanks! And congrats again to our runners!

Feronia Funrunium

Last year several of us ran the Feronia Funrunium and had a blast! This is a 7k, 13k or 24k trail run through the woods in northern MD, near the PA and DE borders. Some folks wear regular running gear, others wear togas and the
really serious runners wear footed penguin pajamas! This year's race is on Sat. Nov 6 and there will be a bunch of us carpooling up for the run. Who's in for togas, trails and fun?!? Email Paula or leave a comment here.

For more info, the race website is here

Haile Gebrselassie to Speak at GGRF Fundraiser

Haile Gebrselassie, arguably the greatest living distance runner in history, has graciously agreed to be our featured speaker at a fundraiser for the Girls Gotta Run Foundation on Monday, November 8, 2010. The event, which is co-sponsored and hosted by the Chevy Chase Running Company, will take place at the Chevy Chase Running Company store at 4461 Willard Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Mr. Gebrselassie, who will be competing in the New York Marathon on Sunday, November 7, won the Berlin Marathon in September 2008 at the age of 35, with a world record time of 2:03:59, breaking his own world record by 27 seconds. On Monday night, he will speak about his life and career and answer questions from the audience.

Tickets will be $25.00 and sold only at the door, starting at 6 p.m. All proceeds will benefit GGRF. A portion of the funds will be set aside by GGRF to subsidize scholarships for promising but impoverished Ethiopian running girls to attend training at the Yaya Africa Athletics Village, an athletic center in Sululta, Ethiopia, which is presently under construction and in which Mr.Gebrselassie is a partner. Proceeds from the sale of autographed copies of a limited number of posters of Mr. Gebrselassie will also be donated to GGRF. Light refreshments will be served. We look forward to seeing you there! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Registration for Boston Opens Today

Just a reminder for the Boston Qualifiers that registration for the 2011 Boston Marathon opens today! Go to www.bostonmarathon.org to register.

From the 2009-10 racing seasons I know we have a few newly qualified marathoners: Amber, Bryan, Rowena, Beccca, (let me know if I'm missing anyone) and I'm sure we'll have some more to add to the list after MCM.

Create Your Own Marathon Pace Bracelet

If you are like me and don't have a spiffy Garmin to keep track of your pace, nor do you want to have to do all the math during the race in order to figure out if you're on pace to run your goal time, you can create your own pace bracelet! And it's free. Just go here.

Type in your goal time, and it will spit out a nifty PDF file with your marathon pace bracelet-- print itout & laminate using clear packing tape, and you have your own customized, waterproof (for the most part) pace bracelet. Old-school, but it gets the job done.

(Screen shot of the one I just made for this weekend is at the left)

Ryan Hall won't be running Chicago

So I'm a bit slow on getting this news (it broke about a week ago), but Ryan Hall has withdrawn from the Chicago Marathon. Apparently he'll still be in Chicago for the weekend though, supporting his charities. News Article here

Last Track Workout of the Season

As people are beginning to taper for fall marathons and the sun is setting earlier, tomorrow (Monday, 10/4) will be the last group track workout of the season. We'll be out there at 7pm. Track workouts will start up again in the spring!

Pre-Race Marine Corps Dinner

For everyone running the Marine Corps Marathon or 10k (and anyone who wants to support those who are!), if you're interested in joining the group for a pre-race dinner on the evening of the 30th, email Chris!

Event: Evening of Free Running Stories to Inspire

Photo from Runner's World 'Rave Run'

Came across this event and thought it might interest many in GRC:

"An invitation is being extended to runners of all abilities and interest for an evening of inspiring stories which will inspire you to achieve your running fitness goals. The callenges of running may not be obvious until you lace up your shoes. What are the influences in your life that shape your running schedule and other priorities? Do you have to set a "Personal Record" in every race? Is it important to listen to your body when you run?

The evening of conversation will be held at The North Face Store, 3333 M Street, NW (202-298-5510) The session will be on Wednesday, September 8th, 6:30-8:30 p.m." Speakers will include: Michael Wardian, Elyse Braner, Alisa Harvey, and George Banker. You can find the speaker bios and more information on the event HERE. (Washington Running Report)

And since it's this coming Wednesday from 6:30-8:30, you can still make it to the GRC Happy Hour after the event!

From pro to beginner...

I thought some people might be interested in this article about Justin Gimelstob's efforts to run his first marathon. Interesting to see how a world-class athlete in one sport can struggle in another.

Happy Hour Tonight

Lia's

8 PM

Be there!