Friday, February 27, 2009

Sunday Run

Attention WMRC runners!
Would any of you be interested in going for a little run this Sunday? Starting from Dreamy Draw, oh let's say 7:30am, run the Honey Loop. Or I should rephrase that, jog it. We can call it the POPFR, Pre Old Pueblo Fun Run. However, you don't have to be doing OP to participate...that means you Jason. Now is your chance to learn the Honey Loop. Like I said, this will be at an easy pace. ( We won't let Kirk lead)
Dogs welcomed too!
Honey

Thursday, February 26, 2009

WMRC Shirt Pick Up / Delivery

For those that placed an order, your WMRC shirts have arrived. They look great! They are available for pick-up at my Office during the day, Home at night / weekend or Wednesday Morning run. If needed, I will mail for a few extra bucks to cover postage.

As a reminder all shirts / singlets are $16.00 and the long sleeves are $18.00. Cash or Check is expected on delivery. Checks can be made out to Kevin Higgins.

Office location is 32nd Street and Camelback. Home location 32nd Street and SR-51

Call or send and e-mail to make arrangements: 602-549-0277 or higgins@landmarktcn.com

Kevin

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Lessons From the (WMRC) Trails 2/25/09

1. With regard to legal representation I don't know @!&* from !@#&*!ola about what constitutes conflict of interest and should have kept Kirk talking about it longer cuz' we went from 15 minute/ miles during that conversation to 8 minute miles just after and that was just during the first leg of today's run. Does my ignorance offend you Kirk? I think maybe you were trying to run away from me.

2. Some ultra runners definitions of shortcut vary dramatically from physical distance between two points or "as the crow flies" or some formulaic almagamation of speed, elevation, aggregate efficiency of short and long distance trail mastery, vectoring . . . or as we learned this morning the definition is borne of some montrous delusional euphoria . . . someone who loves life, hills, and frankly being a part of the WMRC so much that they become in the words of one of our brethren . . . A BIG FAT LIAR!

3. New shoes only look fast . . . now my hammy's hurt and my shoes are just dirty.

4. I having never completed an ultra and I appreciate just being around people with so many great experiences and accomplishments on the trails and roads. I especially appreciate your willingness to tolerate my bull particularly this morning when suggesting that there was "whining going on" behind Kirk. I hope those who don't know me very well know by now that I am full of it and would never suggest ANYONE in our group is a weanie outside of jest. I laughed all the way home from this morning' run and that is a gift that I thank you guys for. With all the challenges ahead of us I am lighter and strengthened by your company.

Steve

Monday, February 23, 2009

WMRC Run Reminder for 2/25/09

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve Wednesday morning 5:15 AM. Meet at the very top of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. The weather should be in the mid 60's so you can't use the excuse its to cold not to show up!

The Park Ranger is suppose to open the gate by 5:00 AM, hopefully he won't sleep in this week! JJ, bring your bolt cutter just in case:)

Nice ROW for Cos and Chip who ran a bit over 5 hours Saturday in the Preserve. 32nd street /Lincoln, to 40th street, ridge line, red mound, Dreamy Draw, Visitor Center, Shaw, North mountain back to DD, 32nd street. Jason too for the first few hours. Sounds like everyone is picking it up a notch except this Author.

The WMRC shirt order has been completed by Race Ready. We should have them this week. Stay tuned for pickup / delivery info.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

WMRC Run Reminder for 2/18/09

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve tomorrow morning 5:15 AM. As always meet at the end of the road Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale. Slow to moderate pace, especially for those who ran the Pemberton 50K.

Runner of the week goes to John Pearce who completed his first Ultra Marathon. 53rd overall 5:16:18. John, you need to come out soon for a Wednesday Morning Run to receive your reward:>)

Other notables: John Roig who ran a quick 4:22:17 good for 6th overall and first in his age group. Honey was just behind at 4:30:32 good for 12th overall and also first in her division. Joe Galope 4:31:23; Kirk McCarville 4:47:34; Robert Andrulis 5:33:11; Kate McCarville 5:39:54.

Special note to the couple who celebrated valentines day by running as a team relay. Karen and Andrew Heard 4:25:33

Another special note to the person who didn’t realize the race was Saturday and showed up on Sunday. Still ran the 50K. Funny story.

Thanks for the pictures Jamil!!!


Monday, February 9, 2009

WMRC Run Reminder for 2/11/09

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve Wednesday Morning 5:15 AM. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale Avenue. Plan on a slow to moderate pace for little over one hour. Last week 18 of us had great 60 degree weather at the start. This Wednesday plan on weather to be cooler. Old man winter is making another statement.

Runner of the week goes to Laura Nagy for organizing the Mt Ord fun run on Saturday. Not only did she organize it she ran intire 31 miles!!! Great job to all others that ran as well. See the list below.

Also last chance for your WMRC shirt order. Jamil is sending in the order Wednesday Morning. Order instructions on a prior post below or e-mail Jamil at rugged@gmail.com Don't be left out!!!

Mt Ord Run Run Results:
Debra Allen 10.25 miles 03:36
Joe Galope 15 miles 02:37
Honey Albrecht 15 miles 02:39
Jamil Coury 15 miles 02:39
Brian McKinley 15 miles 02:41
Jason Klonoski 15 miles 03:25
Carol Cusack 15 miles
Don Meyer 15 miles 03:05
Cliff Anderson 15.5 miles 02:45
Ed Jelmberg 15.5 miles 02:45
Mark Cosmas 17 miles 03:09
Eric Burr 26.33 miles 05:53
Paul Bonnett 26.33 miles 04:30
Karen Berrigan 26.7 miles 06:47
Paul 27 Melissa 27 miles
Toni Vaughan 27 miles 05:49
Annette Howard 27 miles 05:49
Robert Andrulis 31 miles06:42
Laura Nagy 31 miles 06:35
*Distances and times are approximate, it's a FUN run. :-)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

WMRC 2008 Awards!!!!!

Runner of the Year – Andrew Heard for his two 2nd place finishes in the San Diego 100 and Javelina 100. He probably could have won those 2 races if it wasn’t for his pacers…me SD 100 and Higgy JJ 100, sorry Andrew, I wish we could have done better for you. He is also a top ten finisher in Old Pueblo and Zane Grey every year. Andrew is the prototypical WMRC’er, every wed, every weekend training run, every Grand Canyon run. You name it and he is there to run it and he has a pick-up truck in case you need help moving.

Runner up- Perry Edinger- He won the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. That is completing four of the oldest and toughest 100 mile trail races in the country. His combined time was 96 hrs in those races. He also is race director for Pat’s Run in honor of the late great Pat Tillman and The Zane Grey 50 miler while also pacing Honey in a 100 and Chip in his first 100.

Honorable Mention-Jeff Jones. He completed the Old Pueblo 50 miler, Zane Grey 50 K, Man vs Horse 50 miler and his first 100 miler in the mountains of Wyoming. The Bighorn 100. He always shows up for WMRC and is always planning the weekend training runs. He would have been higher on this list but he won it last year and he is a pain in the ass. Piriformis Syndrome.

Performance of the year-This is an easy choice for me….Nick Coury wins this in a landslide. His performance at Hardrock 100 last year was the craziest thing I have seen someone stuck a banana in my pants and turned a monkey loose. To come from Phx and run 31 hours on that course is insane. The race is run at 10,000-14,000 ft with 33,000 ft of climbing mixed in over 13 mountain passes, all the while with wet shoes from going thru the snow and rivers. He was 5th place overall and the youngest finisher ever. He also had the 2nd fastest split ever in the last section, mile 91-101. He did that section in like 2:08. It took me over 4 hrs. Although in my defense, JJ was just running me around in circles going thru the same river 5 times just to get a laugh or 2. Great Job Nick, I wish you had better luck in the lottery this year to do it again.

Honey Albrecht get the woman’s award for this. She went to Sheridan Wyoming to run the Bighorn 100. She was 5th overall woman and she beat her time from last year by over 2 hrs and then helped get JJ thru his first 100. I wish I had more info on this race but Honey keeps her training tips a secret. Plus we don’t want her to get a big head.




The McCarville Injury of the year- Kirk fell off a cliff at the Hardrock 100 this year, wrecking his knee and ending his race at about 38 miles. This happened on Virginius pass at about 13,000 ft and he had to limp down the mountain for another 6 miles to get to Ouray where everyone was waiting for him. He seems to win this award every year so I changed the name of it in his honor. BTW, Kirk was hit by a car last year….

Who's leg is this??? Can you guess???







Newcomer of the year- -Michael Chen- He shows up last Feb to run in the dark for the first time. Then decides to sign up for Zane Grey 50, one of the hardest 50’s in the country. He finishes ZG on a very hard day when others couldn’t (me included) and then goes on to Man vs Horse 50 miler and finishes it up with a Javelina 100 finish for his first 100 miler. All in a Year and all with a smile on his face. Plus, he is a Wildcat, he will win an award every year from now on.

Newcomers – Honorable Mention- After years of trying to get my friend Brent Shuster to join the group I gave up and got his wife Candace to come out and she brought Carol with her. They are a much better addition than Brent would have been. Not only are they better runners but they smell nicer. Rounding out the new chick trio is Lisa O. She finally gave up on 40th st lot and drove the extra miles to get over to Squaw side. She is also a great runner and doesn’t mind when Blue Dog slobbers on her leg when we are all in the back.








Epic Adventures- The couple lines these 2 get here don’t nearly do it justice. This is what it is all about, adventure and pushing the human limits.

Jody Chase-took off from Denver the day after pacing me at Hardrock and jumped on the Colorado Trail. She did a 200 mile solo self supported trek in 10 days. Carrying everything and sleeping under the stars in the middle of nowhere. With bears and mountain lion at every turn this would certainly freak me out but she loves it. No pictures, no reports, just the memories in her head and the fact that she can accomplish just about anything she wants to.

Jamil Coury- completed the entire Arizona trail from Mexico to Utah. 780 miles solo with some friends joining along occasionally. This trail includes going thru the Grand Canyon and over Humphries included The Matazals and 4 peaks, the Superstitions. Some of the roughest areas in the state. This trek took him 31 days, 3 hours.


The Joe Most improved runner award- Laura Phlugefelder gets this award for finishing her first trail marathon at Man vs Horse just a few months after running the trails every Wed. She was newcomer last year and with this improvement she will be runner of the year in no time.

Least improved runner- Laura Phlugefelder- so much for that runner of the year award. Oh well, you had a great first half of the year, get back out here.


The Latvaaho-Least improved member Chris Latvaaho-Chris has decided to focus on qualifying for the Ironman in Hawaii (again). But he gets this award for leaving the dirt and trying to kill Kirk last year, one of our founding fathers. (Nothing changed from last years awards e-mail) Add Image

Best excuse to not show up- Steve Ward, “I went out Tues after work for one beer and next thing I knew it was 1:30 am and I was in line at Jack in the Box”. Damn that Billy Joel!!!!!
Quote of the year I was a the start of the Hardrock 100 and went up to Nick Coury and told him “Be careful out there and don’t start out too fast” he nodded his head in agreement and that was the last I saw of him. He beat my by 10 hours. So much for elderly advice….

Albrecht Spirit Award – Jody Chase- She is there every Wed always ready to help anyone in any race and puts on one of the best training runs anywhere in the Cave Creek marathon. Without her and JJ, I would not have made it thru HR this year.

For people on this list that don’t normally show up, make this the year you do, you wont regret it. Don’t let the stories we tell on here talk you out of it. Wed’s are mellow and prepare you for something more if you want it; you were put on this list b/c someone thought you could take it. I have made some great friends on this deal and I know that will continue and the memories we share will last a lifetime. What a great year 08 was and 09 is shaping up to be another great one. Thanks to everyone who continues to show up each week, I know it is my favorite run of the week. BTW….I’m not sure if you know, but Kirk fell off a cliff
Cosmas

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

WMRC Run reminder 2/4/09

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve tomorrow morning 5:15 AM Top lot squaw peak drive. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. With no objections, the ROW goes to the Cardinals who put together the best football playoff RUN this area has ever seen. A championship was so close. It will hurt for a long time.

Mt Ord this weekend. See Prior post. Try to car pool if possible. Post a comment if you need a ride or willing to take a car load.

Lastly: don't forget to order your shirts. This is a big discount off the online direct price. So now is the time to take advantage of it. See below for all the details and order instructions.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Last Call - 2009 WMRC Shirt Order

Please submit your orders by Monday, February 9th to Jamil: rugged.jamil@gmail.com

I have re-posted the information below!

NEW! You can also choose a RED logo in addition to the BLACK or GREY/SILVER. E-mail me if you want to update, change, or add to your order.


By popular demand, we are about to order new WMRC running shirts. This WMRC shirt order will be through RaceReady (the same company as last time). RaceReady arguably makes some of the finest running / athletic shirts available. Very breathable, lightweight fabric. 100% made in USA. 100% USA Fabrics. Check out the website here: www.raceready.com. We have even more options than our last order!

You can pick from 6 different styles:
1. Unisex Cool T's
2. Women's V-Neck
3. Men's Sleeveless Trail Shirts
4. Men's Singlet
5. Women's Singlet
6. ReadyTech Alta Long Sleeves

Colors
Specific colors for each style below.

Sizes
Some sizes not available in all styles, see below.

Logo
Last order, all shirts include a gray/silver WMRC logo. This time around, you have a choice between the gray/silver, all black, or all red logo. The all black may show up better on certain color shirts such as yellow, light green, gray, and white.

Pricing
(Approximate based upon a total order of 60 shirts)
$16 - Cool-T, V-Neck, Trail Shirt, Singlets
$18 - Long Sleeves
Amazing prices!! Pay after the shirts arrive.

Ordering
Email order to Jamil Coury at rugged.jamil@gmail.com including:
1. STYLE
2. SHIRT COLOR
3. SIZE
4. LOGO COLOR (BLACK or RED or GREY/SILVER)
Order as many shirts as you would like!

Deadline
Please have your order in by Monday, February 9th.





Unisex Cool-T

Royal, Lemon, Purple, Lime, Black, White, Red
XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL (Unisex sizing)


Women's V-Neck

Black, White, Purple, Lemon, Royal, Red
XS, S, M, L, XL (Women's)

Men's Trail Shirt

Royal, White, Lemon
S, M, L, XL (Men's)

Men's Singlet

Red, Lemon, Orange, White, Lime, Black, Royal
S, M, L, XL, XXL (Men's)


Women's Singlet

Lime, Black, White, Royal, Red, Orange, Lemon
S, M, L, XL (Women's)

ReadyTech Alta Long Sleeve

Royal, Red, Silver, White, Orange, Twilight Blue Other colors (not shown): Black, Raspberry
XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL (Unisex sizing)


Close up of fabric: