Below are a few more details from FCRC President Connie D. As the date gets closer, she will provide more details.

Final day to submit an order for FCRC long & short sleeve t-shirts, singlets and hats is this Sunday, May 6th.

We are planning a longer Saturday run once a month during the summer. June will be Eden Valley in Loveland, July is Redstone Canyon, and August will be Old Flowers Road.

The Eden Valley Run will be Saturday, June 9th, 7AM, so mark your calendar! It will be about 13 miles and I will send out the details as we get closer. Afterwards, we’ll have a potluck breakfast in the picnic area for anyone who’s interested.

To all running any of the CO Marathon races this weekend, good luck and have a blast!!

The first climb of the Horsetooth Half Marathon is quite steep!

FCRC President Connie won’t be there this time due to tapering for the Boston Marathon. Wish her luck!

Participants of the Spring Creek Canyon 5k, the final race in the 2011-2012 FCRC Tortoise & Hare Series. (Photo: Katie Quatrano)

1. Tom Schipper: 51
2. Brian Walter: 47
3 (tie). Christie Nichols: 46
3 (tie). Marlena Lanini: 46
5. Kelly Cook: 45

Tom lead the series from Race 1 to Race 7, and the final four to round out the top five were separated by only two points. The final race was particularly significant to Kelly, whose first place finish in today’s race allowed her to break into the overall series winners’ circle.

These five were awarded gift certificates for Runners Roost, a local store that has supported both the club and community over the years. (Remember that FCRC members get 15% off all their purchases here and at Foot of the Rockies!)

We had 104 runners participate in this season’s Tortoise & Hare Series. Thanks to everyone for coming out, to Nick Clark who has selflessly directed the race series for five years now, and for the many others who have helped make “the world’s best racing bargain” happen.

The next race series will probably start again in October 2012, if past years are an accurate indicator. See you then!

Full T&H Series Standings

An exciting finish at this season's final T&H race! (Photo by Ellen Silva)

Unlike last year’s Spring Canyon Park 5k—which featured a loop within a loop—race director Nick Clark came up with a course that was a lot more straightforward. It was out-and-back, going around the dog park onto the new Fossil Creek Trail, and turning around precisely 1.55 miles out.

The finish was very exciting as it came down to two-person sprint for the blue ribbon. Ultimately, Kelly Cook prevailed with Melanie Bukartek just mere seconds behind. Ellen Silva caught the moment on camera, with the photo at the top.

Afterward most of the participants gathered at Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. for delicious bagels and cream cheese while Nick got a lot of practice in mental mathematics in order to determine the series winners. That will be the topic of the next post!

Race Results

Photos from the Spring Canyon Park 5k (Facebook)

The first climb of the Horsetooth Half Marathon is quite steep!

Can you believe this summerlike weather?! Feels more like late May than March! This Sunday, March 25th is another Horsetooth Half training run. We will start from Maxwell Open Space parking lot at 8 A.M.

Distances and paces vary. I will be going over the north dam and back, but if anyone want to run the course or the old course backwards, you could do that also.

If you want to run the course that ends at New Belgium, you may want to post on our Facebook page to work out transportation logistics.

The Fort Collins Running Club in the 2011 Fort Collins St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Below is more information about how to join in, as written by FCRC Vice President Katie Q.

Last year was so much fun, hope you join the FCRC as we walk in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade again!!!

***ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST SIGN A WAIVER***
If you are running the Sharin’ of the Green, I will be near the registration table BEFORE the race gathering signatures (Look for the Irish Wolfhound puppy).
If you are not running in the race, you must meet me between 9-9:15 at the Armadillo parking lot to sign the waiver (I need to turn it in by 9:30 with all signatures).

ALL PARTICIPANTS- meet at the Armadillo Parking lot by 9:30 with your best St. Patrick’s Day costume! The best costume will be voted on by FCRC Board members and winner will receive a free one year membership!

Bring you own “THROWS” to give away if you would like to pass anything out (candy, beads, etc). (Don’t actually throw it; “throw” is a term for trinkets given away at parades.)

Well-behaved pets are welcome- be sure to pick up after your pet and dress him/her up!

Looking forward to another fun parade!

Katie Q
FCRC Vice President

Parade Rules

Parade pace

The parade will move at a brisk marching pace – approx. 5 mph. Some pace should be left between entries, but please try to avoid excessive gaps! Entries should be one-fourth of a block apart so both spectators and judges can see your entry.

Giveaways

Candy, coupons, pennies or any other materials MAY NOT BE THROWN from the float into the crowd. This is dangerous and puts everyone at risk. You may distribute these items by passing them out with your own volunteers walking beside your entry. These people must walk out to the crowds and not allow kids to run out into the parade lane. Please respect our volunteer Parade Marshals if they remind you not to throw items; they are just trying to keep the parade safe and enjoyable for all.

Route

The parade route begins at Walnut and Mountain Ave, proceeds northwest to College Ave; south on the west side of College Ave to Magnolia St; east on Magnolia to Remington (1 block); north on Remington to Mountain Ave (the parking garage) where the parade will end.

Flyer

Here is the FCRC flyer for the 2012 St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Select runners will get a chance to wear test some Mizuno shoes, and a free pair of Mizuno shoes will be raffled off! Activities start at 5:30 P.M., with a group run at 6pm (all levels welcome, running anywhere from 4-6 miles).

Afterwards there will be snacks and refreshments and Erik will answer any questions about Mizuno products.

Anything Mizuno will be 20% off from 5pm-9pm.

The first climb of the Horsetooth Half Marathon is quite steep!

Remember to set your clocks ahead an hour Saturday night!

See you out there!

• Thursdays (March 15-April 19): 6:00 P.M. Maxwell Natural Area. Runs are 4-7 miles.
• Thursdays (April 26 until mid-autumn): 6:30 P.M. Cottonwood Glen Park. Runs are 4-7 miles.

Thursday night runs tend to be low key with a few runners showing up. Hope to see you out there!

Dan and Ellen start running in the Cottonwood Glen 12k.

Good thing the weather was nice, since this was the longest race of the T&H season: 12 kilometers or 7.5 miles. For a few runners, this was a personal record for distance.

Results are now posted. The next and last Tortoise and Hare race will be a 5K at Spring Canyon Park on April 1.

Behold the Fort Collin’s Running Club’s new Race Calculator! Not only can you use its wizard-like powers to predict your time for the next T&H, you can use it for future races of any distance!

In addition, you can also use it to list your individual results for past races in our database. Note: currently, the calculator only works for people who have run a Tortoise & Hare race since October 2011. That’s because the calculator uses your own historical data, and the only historical data currently in our database is for the 2011-2012 T&H series.

Another disclaimer: this calculator is in beta and the predictions are not guaranteed to be accurate or even what the race director uses as your predicted time for your next T&H race! Also, do not use this calculator to try to determine when you should show up for the next T&H race. Please show up early (e.g., 7:45 A.M.) for the sake of the race director!

Race Calculator

http://www.active.com/register/index.cfm?EVENT_ID=1997124&CHECKSSO=0

Select the Individual Registration w/ T-shirt option if you want the T-shirt. Or if you don’t want it, you can select Individual Registration (no T-shirt) and Living Social users will be given the option of donating the T-shirt cost to Partners Mentoring Youth.

The catch is you must purchase this deal through this Living Social link by Friday, February 17 before 11:59 P.M. So don’t delay!

The first climb of the Horsetooth Half Marathon is quite steep!

Other information, including registering for the Horsetooth Half Marathon and Sharin’ O’ the Green 5k (after which the FCRC will be walking in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade) is below, as written by Connie.

Speaking of the Horsetooth Half, if you are going to sign up for the race, in order to take advantage of your $20 FCRC discount($45 instead of $65) you will need to sign up in person at either Runner’s Roost or Foot of the Rockies and not online.

If you are planning on running the Sharin’ O’ the Green this information was passed on to me by Libby J. “Everyone needs to sign up through Active.com but no fee will be charged. The race organization is picking up the fee. The other thing is that it is possible to register a second person. After you have registered yourself, a little doodie comes up and asks if you’d like to register another person.”

That’s all for now. Hope to see you tomorrow!

Connie D.
FCRC Prez

Thirty-one runners showed up for today's Edora Park 8k.

Thirty-one runners showed up today, earning the right to much on lots of chips and guacamole during tonight’s Super Bowl. Here are results from today’s Tortoise & Hare race. Enjoy the game!

• Volunteering your time
• Donating your extra day of pay
• Using it for fitness

Sounds like a good idea to me! And if you are in need of ideas, you could start with FCRC President Connie’s 2nd Annual Leap Day 5k.

Not only do the registration dollars benefit Project Self-Sufficiency and the race would give you some high-intensity exercise, but there is a volunteer option as well. Connie is looking for volunteers to be course marshals and to help with race day registration, so please consider helping me out!

This event benefits Project Self-Sufficiency, which Connie—our FCRC president—works at. Details are below, as cut-and-pasted from the original flyer.

Second Qudrennial Leap Day 5k
benefitting Project Self-Sufficiency

Wednesday, February 29, 2012
5:15 PM

Say Good-Bye to Old Man Winter (We hope!) and leap into spring with a 5K run/walk. This family friendly event begins and ends at the Runner’s Roost at Front Range Village, with an out and back flat course through the English Ranch Neighborhood.

Each entrant will receive a race tee shirt. Top 3 finishers overall and age group winners will receive handcrafted pottery contracted specially for this event as commemorative awards.

(Age groups are as follow: 19 and under, 20-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65 and over)

Immediately following the run-walk, stay for food and awards at a store front in the Village near Panear Bread.

Don’t miss it! Four more years until the next one!

For more information or to download a race brochure, please click here.

You may also register by credit card online at active.com (fee charged).

Predicted time based on a season’s races:
If there is 1 race for the season, use the predicted time based on that race.
If there are two races for the season, use the average of the two predicted times.
If there are three or more races for the season, then use the minimum of the following two numbers:

1. The average of the predicted times.
2. Fastest predicted time + 1/3 * [Slowest predicted time – Fastest predicted time]

Item 2 above handles the situation where a runner has a large difference between the fastest predicted time and the slowest predicted time and most of the predicted times are clustered around the slowest predicted time.

You can read about the entire algorithm, as written by former FCRC President Paul Patterson.

Joe and Tim about to start running in the Fossil Creek Park 5k.

The results—including updated series standings—are now up. A note from Paul about the results is below.

Dear Club members,

The results for last Sunday’s T&H are on the web at http://fortcollinsrunningclub.org/results/. Some of the early runners started a little later than their staggers indicated, I noted that and adjusted the staggers, so the actual time listed in the results should be time it took to complete the course. If you have any concerns with your actual time let me know plpatterson3@earthlink.net . Thanks for everyone’s patience on race day. Complete information on how the race is conducted, staggers calculated and the points awarded is at http://fortcollinsrunningclub.org/tortoise-hare/. The regular race director Nick Clark will be back next month!

Thanks, Paul Patterson

See you at the next T&H, an 8k!

Below is a course description:

Runners meet at the east parking lot for Fossil Creek Park; the entrance is on Lemay, a little over a mile south of Harmony.

The start is on the sidewalk on the west side of the parking lot. The runners proceed south along the east side of Portner Reservoir, then around the south and west side of the reservoir, heading up heading north. After crossing the entrance to the west parking lot, the runners will cross a large pedestrian bridge, then turn left (west) and use the underpass to cross the Fossil Creek Parkway. Using a combination of the sidewalk and bike path the runners will proceed west along the Fossil Creek Parkway.

The turnaround point is very close to College Ave. Runners will then turn around and go the way they came from. Outbound runners will use the sidewalk and inbound runners will use the bike lane.

Here is a map.

After the run, we’ll be meeting at the Rocky Mountain Bagelworks east location on Timberline (north of Harmony) after the run. Hope to see lots of you there as the weather looks good for early January!

2011 Holiday LIghts Run

Running through the Harvest subdivision.

Some of the hot food at the 2011 Holiday Potluck.

As FCRC President Connie DeMercurio would later say, it was a fun time and great to get to know the other members better. Speaking of Connie, she has someone’s red Nalgene bottle, so if you left it at the party, contact her.

Thanks to everyone who came out and brought yummy food and drinks!

• Thursday, December 8th, 6 P.M.
• Harvest Clubhouse, S. of Harmony , W. of Corbett (5303 Corbett Drive, Fort Collins, 80528)
• 3 and 7 mile routes, or no run if you prefer!
• Please bring a beverage (bottle of wine, 6 pack beer or soda) and a dish to share.
• Best dish wins a free individual club membership for a year!

Please RSVP to fortcollinsrunningclub@gmail.com by Tuesday, December 6th and include dish you are bringing!

It was cold enough that even Tom Schipper was wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

For the 38 of you that came to the T&H this morning, great job! Hope your extremities have thawed out by now. And I’d like to give a “shout out” and plug to Fuzzy’s Taco Shop for giving us a great deal on breakfast, and having yummy, hot food & coffee ready when we got there. It cost the club half of what the breakfast cost last year!

Editor’s note: Yes, it was a little cold. But at least it was 10 degrees warmer than in December 2006 when icicles were growing off of Doug and Nick’s beards, and much safer than in February 2010 when everyone was slipping and falling on ice!

After the race, there will be a free breakfast at our Annual Holiday Party at 9:15 A.M. for any/all members at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop (Campus West, 1335 W Elizabeth). No-host libations will be available, and bringing homemade breads and muffins would be welcome and appreciated!

Must RSVP to fortcollinsrunningclub@gmail.comfor the breakfast by noon, Friday, December 2nd!

• 12/4 (Sun) Annual Holiday Party (~9:30 A.M.), following the December’s Tortoise & Hare race (8:00 A.M.). The party will be held at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop in Campus West. (Note: T&H race is at Lee Martinez Park.) Free breakfast for FCRC members. No-host libations available, and there is a Starbucks across the street for those wishing to order coffee. It would be welcome and appreciated if FCRC members brought homemade breads and muffins. Must RSVP for the breakfast by noon, Friday, December 2nd!
• 12/8 (Thu) Annual Holiday Lights Run and Potluck, 6:00 P.M. Meet at the Harvest Clubhouse (5303 Corbett Drive, Fort Collins, 80528) for a run of three or six miles through the Harvest and Fossil Creek subdivisions (or no run if you prefer), and then for a potluck. Please bring a beverage (e.g., bottle of wine, six-pack of beer or soda) and a dish to share. Best dish wins a free individual club membership for a year! Please RSVP by Tuesday, December 6th and specify the dish you will bring.

Here is a printable flyer. Join us!

Runners at the start of the Warren Park 5k. It wasn't as cold as Tim's face mask might have suggested.

A total of 42 runners showed up today, which was a decent turnout considering that yesterday was the Heart Center of the Rockies Half Marathon, 10k and 5k. Afterward we headed over to Rocky Mountain Bagels to enjoy donut-shaped bread and friendly banter. A good time was had by all.

Some of us even received ribbons!

T&H race director Nick Clark handing new FCRC member Kelly Cook a ribbon for her third place finish.

Results for the Warren Park 5k have been posted.

A couple important things:

• Daylight savings time kicks in this weekend. Please do not forget to set your clock back on Saturday night! (E.g., 2:00 A.M. becomes 1:00 A.M.)
• If this will be your first ever Tortoise & Hare race, you will need to predict a finishing time for yourself. For example, “36 minutes, 30 seconds for the 5k.” Alternatively, you may predict an average pace—e.g., “8:40/mile”.

  Ideally, at least one day before the race, please e-mail race director Nick Clark with your predicted time or pace at nicholasaclark@hotmail.com. Failing that, please arrive at least 15 minutes early (e.g., 7:45 A.M.) at the start of the race to sign in and tell Nick your predicted time.

Directions

Want to know exactly where to meet in Warren Park? The GPS coordinates of the starting line will be 40.537417, -105.057767 and you can view this on Google Maps.

To get there, you enter Warren Park from Horsetooth Rd. and you park in the parking spots behind the start/finish line.

• The runs now start at 6:00 P.M. (formerly was 6:30 P.M.)
• The runners meet at the Campus West shopping center near Cricket Wireless (instead of Cottonwood Glen Park). The address for the Cricket store is 1205-A West Elizabeth, Fort Collins, CO 80521.

Join us!

You can read about the official algorithm now. And then you can stop complaining to Nick!

Please pass the information on to any qualified applicants you know that might be interested. Thanks!

We had a great turnout (45 runners) at the Lee Martinez Park 4k Tortoise & Hare Race in October despite there being several other races that same weekend.

Results are now posted (and are even sortable)!

Many members will be running in the FireKracker 5k on July 4th at City Park and have been training and focusing on it as a key race for the season. The course is flat and fast with a big field and spectators on hand. I have outlined below some things you can do to make sure you have your best race possible. This information can really be used for any big race that you may be training for.

In the days leading up to the race is time your workouts should become focused so you can stay sharp. Track workouts are the best for 5K training. Another option is the Fort Collins bike trail system where there are quarter-mile distances (approximately 400 meters) marked off which you can use as well.

Warm up for all workouts with 800 to 1600 meters of easy jogging, and follow up with an easy cool down of about 800 meters. Her’s a sample of the final week’s workout:

6 days to go: 6×400 at race pace with a 400 meter recovery jog between each repeat.
5 days to go: rest
4 days to go: 4×400 at race pace
3 days to go: 3×400 at race pace
2 days to go: 1×800 at race pace
1 day to go: Rest! If you really feel that you need to burn off some nervous energy, you can go out for an easy 1 mile jog just to loosen up.

These workouts will also help you get the feeling of your race pace. Another thing that you can do to improve your race performance is visualization. What this involves is rehearsing in your mind what will unfold and/or how you want to feel during the race. Visualization is also called guided imagery.

Close your eyes and picture yourself at the starting line. Look around. Try and imagine as much as you can about the scene. What emotions are you experiencing? Choose the way you want to feel. After the starter’s gun goes off, see each part of the course unfolding as you want it to. Perhaps you want to see yourself closing in and passing that runner in your age group that you haven’t been able to catch lately. You make the final turn and the finish line is ahead. You are finishing fast and strong!

Starting one week out, repeat this visualization each day as well as the morning of the race. You might want to do it immediately after your workouts while you are still on the track, or you can try it as you fall off to sleep at night. Include as much detail as possible. It actually has been documented that visualization can potentially improve your 5K race time and might be well worth the investment of time.

Jonathan has been running for over 25 years and has completed races from 1 to 100 miles, as well as many triathlons and bicycle races. He has a Masters Degree in nutrition and is available for personal coaching to help you reach your fitness goals. He can be reached at (970)493-5220.

Muscles recover more quickly if I sit in a hot tub, right? WRONG! Although we will not deny that it feels wonderful to sink into a hot bath after a hard workout on a cold winter’s day, you might want to reconsider. When your muscles have been active, they have been already heated up. Cold reduces swelling and intially restricts blood flow, providing a natural compress on the microscopic tears in the tissue that are leaking blood into the traumatized area. Shortly, the body will recruit new blood to the cold area that flushes out metabolic wastes and lactic acid.

If I am constantly getting injured on one side, that must mean that I have a leg length discrepancy, right? WRONG! Significant leg length discrepancies are not that common. A tight hamstring on one side can jack the other side of the pelvis up, as can a tight IT band. When the pelvis is free floating and flexible, the leg length discrepancy may mysteriously disappear.

Resting or immobilizing an exhausted or injured muscle will speed healing, right? WRONG! Immobilizing an injury shuts the muscle down and restricts blow flow. Opening a muscle or joint up and encouraging blood flow to oxygenate the area and flush out waste is usually the way to go. The best way to treat a non-serious injury is MICE. Move it, Ice it, Compress it, and Elevate it.

I always must warm up before I stretch, right? WRONG! Stretching is warming up. As you stretch you are pumping blood to the muscles. Following a workout, an identical routine can help flush metabolic waste such as lactic acid that accumulate in a stressed muscle.

Drink when I’m thirsty, right? WRONG! If you’ve waited to drink until you feel thirsty, it’s too late. Thirst is a symptom of dehydration. You should plan to hydrate before, during, and after your run. Plain water is good, but some athletes prefer sports drinks that hydrate as well as replace electrolytes lost in sweating and carbohydrates such as glucose, sucrose, fructose, and glucose polymers. It is best to drink water before your run to hydrate you, and sports drinks later during your workout when your body needs the carbs and is prepared to handle and use the sugars you are taking in.

The older I get, the less flexible I’ll become, right? WRONG! There is an acknowledged biological decrease in flexibility as a person ages. However, there is increasing evidence that the decreases in physical function we commonly associate with aging are not entirely related to advancing years, but to sedintary lifestyle. When aging is coupled with an increasingly sedintary lifestyle, muscle atrophy is the result. The axiom “Move it or lose it” may mean your life – literally. It is never too late to start aerobic, strength, and flexibility training.

Improvement of performance comes from working harder, right? WRONG! You need to rest. The sports performance cycle works like this: first you stress a muscle or system, literally tearing it down. The muscle rebuilds, coming back a little stronger. When you repeat, it rebuilds even more strongly. If the interval between workouts is insufficient, you don’t give your body time to rebuild. The key to a successful progression in getting stronger is to honor the interval of time needed for your body to rebuild – roughly 48 hours. This doesn’t mean that you can be active only every other day. It just means that you must do different things at different intensities on sequential days. The rest in between hard runs will allow the rebuilding and you’ll get full benefit from your workout. Good clues of over-training include soreness, tightness, unexplained colds, sleep disorders, and lack of progress.