Travel Trailer Hunting

What do runners do after their race is complete? Four of us took a couple of hours and went to the RV show at a local warehouse sponsored by Ballantyne RV.

Local radio and television legend Steve Hausmann from WBEE was there to help promote the sale. Steve is new to running, completing his first 5k last fall. He trained with his wife and one of the Rochester Fleet Feet training groups.

Steve noticed my Johnny's Running of the Green shirt, which the four of us had just completed earlier in the morning, and came over to talk. I'm sure he would have come over anyhow, he just likes to talk to people. Eileen also won four Rochester Amerk hockey tickets at the WBEE booth. Steve is 65. Why does he look younger than the two Mike's?

Jan and I did not buy an RV/Travel Trailer that day. We can't come to a decision on what type of camper we need and can afford.

Urban Not-So-Fit

Monday night I attended my first Fleet Feet UrbanFit class. UrbanFit is defined as "both an aerobic and anaerobic workout, mixing cardio and strength training. It is outdoors using what nature and our city gives us--no fancy gym equipment needed! UrbanFit is both challenging and fun."
And it was.
The class last night was a freebie, on August 25 FF begins sessions at the Ridgeway and Armory stores, six weeks for $35, one hour per class.
The next morning I had the option of walking up four floors to my place of work, take the elevator or ride the escalator. Normally I would walk the stairs, this time I rode the escalator (yes, rode, usually I walk while it moves, not this time). The elevator, well, it's 100 years old and not something I want to be trapped in, so that wasn't an option.
My hamstrings, quads and calves are a bit sore. Not post-marathon sore, but definitely tender and in the need of recovery. Around 25 people of all ages and sizes showed up for UrbanFIT. We jogged a few minutes then went right into jumping jacks and pretend jump roping non-stop to warm-up. We did 3 minute intervals of pushups, abdominal exercises and squats. We moved on to tricep dips, lunges (so many lunges!) and mountain climbers (ouch). We did several other exercises involving all muscle groups. For fun we ended with the old stand-by, squat thrusts.
The time went by fast, the instructor kept us moving and motivated. I will be signing up for the next six weeks.
   

Fleet Feet Swim Lessons

The rumors are true, Jan and I are taking part in weekly swim lessons through a Fleet Feet training program. The cost, $120 per person, had me thinking twice about registering for the class. We will be able to attend 9 of the 10 sessions, so it comes down to about $13 per lesson, not bad, especially when you can spend a couple of hundred for a weekend of Total Immersion training. I furthered justified this by hoping what I learned would be used over the next 20-30 years of my life while I continue to swim. If so, that takes the cost down to $3 per year, which even a frugal person such as myself can justify spending.

My grandfather swam in area lakes until his mid-late 70's and at the local Y up until 80+. Maybe one or two of his swimming genes are in my body? The genes haven't shown up yet, but after a few lessons let's hope they come out to play. My goal is to become more efficient in the water and spend less energy moving, even if my speed doesn't improve. Jan, an Ironman finisher (once an IM finisher, always an IM finisher, just like the Marines), wants to become more comfortable in the water (and faster - such a competitive person).

Mike Baxter, a local triathlete, is the head coach, with Katie Niebuhr assisting. We have about 26 people in the class and swim from 6:30-7:45 at the Harley School. The first night the coaches had us do a time trial. There are a range of people in the class, all adults, but all sizes and shapes and abilities. Three people are just trying to become comfortable in the pool and did not complete the trial. Nine swimmers did a 50m trial and thirteen of us did a 100m trial. Jan was 3/13 with a 1:34, I was 6/13 with a 1:49 which actually is a pr for me. One of the goals the coaches have for us is to get our final time trial completed at a faster pace.

Last Tuesday we were doing swim drills and Coach Katie came over to the lane I was sharing and said this drill was especially for me! I didn't know she was even watching, not when she had 25 people to instruct. Is it good or bad that Katie can see how pathetic I am from across the pool?

One final note for now. There is a 78 year old man in the class who swam a 1:30 for the 100m time trial. He is prepping for his first triathlon in June. That is the type of person who keeps me inspired to keep moving and learning.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Remember when the majority of races were 10k's? If a 5k was being run at the same place it was truly the "fun" run that young kids and beginning runners participated in. Participants in the 5k might have received a ribbon, probably not a t-shirt or award. Now a 10k race is a rarity. Saturday we had the chance to run a 10k, the Fast and Furriest, proceeds of which benefited the Verona Street Animal Society in Rochester. Results.

Sal's runners dominated in the old but not out of it age categories. Mike Weinpress won the 55-59 age group, earning 10 Rochester Runner of the Year points (even though he doesn't care about the series), while I came in 4th, earning 7 points. Jan won her age group and Lou finished 6th in his.

Prizes were awesome, first place receiving $40 gift certificates to Fleet Feet Sports! The course was fairly flat through the city, down the River path of the mighty Genesee towards the University of Rochester and back up the other side.

Please take the ethics poll on the left of the web site, which deals with a situation that occurred after the race while three men were doing their cool down run. To be clear, there were no cars or homes near where the event took place.

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.

Runner's World Heroes

Early notification that Boots and Ellen, of Fleet Feet Rochester and YellowJacket Racing fame, will be one of Runner's World's "Heroes of Running" for 2012. Boots and Ellen will be in the December issue of the magazine.