Bicycle Contest

Beginning today, Friday December 23, Jan and I are competing to see who can ride to Clanton, Alabama the fastest. All the bike riding will take place indoors, on our road bikes. I have a road map marked every ten miles, beginning in Spencerport and ending 800 miles later in the middle of Alabama. Pushpins will mark our progress along the route.

We are pretending to ride down state routes, not the Interstate system, similar to a route we might be able to ride in real life. Fifty dollars to the winner and even more important, bragging rights. Jan insists she will kick my butt, however I think she is delusional. It is a good motivational tool though and hopefully keeps us training more than we might otherwise have for a couple of months (or longer).

Why Clanton, Alabama? It's where our daughter Andrea lives. The ride is also good practice for thinking about bike touring in some future year. Anyone have other ideas for indoor bike training and motivation?

Garage Sessions

It was a cold day my friends. The wind was blasting at 4mph, making the air temperature of 18 feel more like 17.5 degrees. But even this weather wasn't enough to deter five rugged souls from meeting inside my garage for our own spinning class.

The garage, with two portable space heaters, was warmed to a balmy 34 degrees, and the sounds of Bob Seger wafted from the boom box, at least until the circuit breaker blew and we had no music or heat. Also blowing was my rear tire (why is it always the rear, so hard to change, so much grease?). How do you get a flat tire riding indoors on a trainer? There was only a minor temper tantrum, less than 10 minutes worth, as it took three adults to put air in the new tube so I could ride.

Once we began riding though the hour long workout went by quickly. It was a good way for all of us to stay or get motivated to ride this winter and begin thinking about spring/summer rides and triathlons. Some people meet in basements or garages for band practice, but five old people from Spencerport meet to ride. Is something wrong with us? Our parents never did this.

Tim Tebow

Yes, this is a running/triathlon blog, but I think it is great how Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos, is proving the skeptics wrong each week. If you visit his website, go to the one minute mark and watch his situp routine. Maybe I'll have Jan beat on my abs like that.

Just think, the Buffalo Bills could have drafted Tebow instead of C.J. Spiller, who so far has been underwhelming in the NFL.

Top Ten Things I like about Tebow

10. He can bench press 480 pounds (MW - can you do that?)
9. He speaks well on camera.
8. Tebow is exciting to watch play football, whether he throws like Brady or not.
7. The Broncos never give up, which usually starts with having faith in yourself and the QB.
6. He has thrown only one interception in seven wins.
5. He doesn't have a big messy beard like the Bills Amish Rifle (Ryan Fitzpatrick).
4. Tebow has led the Broncos to a 7-1 record as a starter and close to the playoffs.
3. Other teams haven't figured out a way to beat him, despite the "fact" he can't throw well.
2. Tebow always gives credit to his teammates.
1. Remember early in the season when the Bills were a comeback team? Yes, I know it's hard to think of them winning now. Never count out the Broncos and Tebow.

Pineway Ponds Freezeroo

The first race in the GRTC Freezeroo series will again be at Pineway Ponds in Spencerport. Sal's, led by the infamous MikeI'msoworriedIneedScotchNow W. is leading the local volunteers in organizing the race. This is the 37th version of the race (I'm making this up). Really, though, years ago this course was used for PolarCat races before GRTC requested our help.

This is a five mile course and deceivingly harder than one might think. Many runners have insisted the course is long, but it was accurately wheeled and also Garminized. It isn't certified, but is accurate nonetheless. A course map is available at USATF. There are two small hills and a long, slight incline from 2.5-4 miles.

YellowJacket Racing will be timing the race, so expect results quickly. This year's weather looks great, for once we won't have an icy roadway within the park!

Running Heroes

Available in print for quite awhile, but finally a link from the Runner's World web site, the article and photo about Boots and Ellen Boutillier, YellowJacket Racing and Fleet Feet Rochester.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--14130-3-1X2X3-4,00.html

It was an interesting process nominating these two worthy individuals. I really never thought the nomination stood a chance, especially after receiving an e-mail from Runner's World stating they had a number of people to consider. It was a nice letter from the Senior Editor, but I thought it was over. Thirteen days later another editor wanted more information and my hopes were up. Two weeks later I was informed Boots and Ellen were finalists, but not definite yet. Ten more days and the journalist writing the articles emailed me. We had a phone interview a few days later. In September I got the email stating Boots and Ellen were in the magazine, nine weeks after the nomination.

I still didn't really believe it and there were many emails back and forth with Runner's World regarding photographs and content,  but I am thankful it worked out.

Here is my original letter, which you can see was changed quite a bit. The main point I kept trying to make was the influence Boots and Ellen have had on the health of the community and getting so many people to become fit through walking, running, snowshoeing, duathlons and triathlons.

Dear People,


My heroes are a husband and wife team who have transformed the running, duathlon, triathlon and snowshoe scene in the Greater Rochester, NY area. Dave, “Boots” Boutillier and Ellen Brenner-Boutillier, co-owners of Fleet Feet Sports of Rochester and a race management/timing company, YellowJacket Racing, have influenced the lives of thousands of people. We have always had a very active running and triathlon community, especially when compared to cities of similar populations, but Boots and Ellen have taken this to an even higher, amazing level, over the past several years.

Boots is a former college All-American runner and nine-time member of the US National Duathlon team, winning a gold medal at the 1996 World Championship. Ellen has completed many sprint-half-ironman triathlons and is a certified fitness instructor, personal trainer and USAT coach.

This isn’t just a business to them, they live in the City of Rochester, promote the entire upstate NY area, work too many hours per week to count, all the while motivating people to begin or continue an active, healthy lifestyle. Their businesses have expanded, which means hiring more staff and helping the local economy.

Boots and Ellen have organized countless events that raise money for charities, schools, give money to support local cross-country and track teams and sponsor a master’s xc team. They take it as a matter of pride to come up with new programs or events every year. YellowJacket Racing currently owns and produces 38 events, Fleet Feet is a major sponsor of another 26 events, and they time another 54 events throughout New York each year.

Special Programs Offered:

• Urban Fit (begun in 2010 – Core and strength workouts)

• Corporate Wellness (lectures, demos, training advice workshops, healthy lifestyles)

• School visits (work with faculty and students promoting physical fitness)

• No Boundaries (beginning 5k and 10k training programs – hundreds of people participate throughout the year)

• Group Workouts (Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year)

• Tri Community College (11 week coached workouts leading to sprint triathlon)

• Walking Program (newish program with more than sixty registrants)

• Winter Warriors (Free program to keep you motivated in the winter-hundreds participate)

• Distance Training (hundreds of participants, coached training for a half or full marathon)

A Few of the Unique Events Boots and Ellen have developed:

• Flower City Challenge (in conjunction w/City of Rochester, Duathlon-Tri with kayaks in river-weather permitting on Saturday, 5k and 13.1m race in downtown on Sunday, 3,000 participants)

• Dirt Cheap Trail Race Series (promoting trail races in parks throughout Monroe County)

• Snow Cheap Race Series (snowshoe/trail night time racing at Cobb’s Hill park, Rochester, NY)

• Fleet Feet Gives Back – 100% proceeds go to charity

Thank you for considering my nomination. If you need more information, please let me know.