Winter Race 2

Well we just had the second edition of the Footzone Winter Race Series. As the title says the winter series is turning out to be just that, winter. The last race had some chilly temps and lots of snow. This time racers were greeted with some seriously icy pavement and some snow towards the end. Since the end of the race we have gotten at least a couple of inches of snow and it looks like the blizzard will continue on for a while.
For the 8K we had 42 folks brave the day, 17 guys and 25 ladies. New people won the race for both men and women. Mike Olsen brought home the victory for the guys while Jen Shelton topped the field for the ladies.

Full Results
Women Points
Jen Shelton 20
Kristen Riley 19
Jill G 18
Jen Sventek 17
Mary Primrose 16
Amanda Havens 15
Julia Eidukas 14
Michele Delilva 13
Amy Clark 12
Junny Penny 11
Kelly Geygan 10
Emi Conrads 9
Claire Kanzig 8
Amy Var? 7
Jodie Barram 6
Andrea Daskewich 5
Adrienne Vahlsing 4
Monica Freeman 3
Amy Saathofk 2
Stephanie Bennett 1
Cat Addison
Adnee Wallace
Mary Wallace
Ellyn Lindquist
Nancy Macinnis
Kathy Harshburger

Men Points
Mike Olson 20
Ryan Shaffer 19
Michael Dennis 18
JJ Howard 17
Harris Danny 16
Matt Hobson 15
Ryan Altman 14
Sean Stroup 13
Mike Burri 12
Scott Vahlsing 11
Scott Carlson 10
Dan Harshburger 9
William Johnson 8
Ron Taylor 7
Dave Bilyeu 6
Mike Conrad 5
Charlie Kanzig 4
Ben Voights 3

Big Week

Well it turns out that this week is a big week for me as far as training goes. So far this week I have one XC ski in, two runs, and a trainer ride in my garage. For a guy who is a slacker and has a rep for liking his couch too much this week is going great. Now if I could only string a few of these weeks together I would seriously dominate the middle of the pack.
As far as the two runs are concerned they were both noon runs from the FZ. It was pretty cold but the surface was decent on both days this week. Today I cashed a geek check and had my friend and all around running fanatic, Jeff Browning put some sheet metal screws in my shoes for the run. And I have to say that the worked really well and weren't too annoying on the dry pavement (not that there was much of that). This is a pretty cheap option that is great if you have lots of shoes and can dedicate one to having screws all the time. If not I still recommend the Yak Trax or Get a Grips as you can take them off if only some of your run is on the slippery stuff.
Don't forget that the second installment of the Footzone Winter Race Series is this Sunday down at the Old Mill. The race is 8k and will likely be wintery as snow is in the forcast. Hope to see you there.

Peace out,
dave

Rollin' Eastside

Well the trails have been pretty crappy as of late. So since I had time to run somewhere out and about rather than from the casa I decided to check out the Horse Butte 10 miler course. I was expecting a muddy sloppy mess with some sections of ice and was just going to muddle through some lack luster footing and say I went for a run. What I found was some pretty damn nice surface to run on. As you can see by the picture the trail was dry and compact. The only drawback being the occasional pile of horse poo. I ran on the North side of the 10 mile loop during my out and back while being serenaded by the gun totn' side of America getting in some target practice. I'm sure the last mile or so of the loop is pretty icy due to the fact that there are still trees there but I would guess that most loop is in the same fine shape as the section I ran. So if you want to run out where you don't have to worry about each footfall and enjoy the splendor of nature, great vistas, rednecks shooting, and peoples illegally dumped furniture I would strongly recommend the Horse Butte 10 Miler course.

Peace out,
dave

TTFN

Well…I’d be a little embarrassed to blog a farewell until I was actually quite sure I wasn’t going to be popping my head into the shop for something or other. Many of you know I moved to Eugene a couple years ago when my husband went back to school. I’ve hung on as long as I could as a part-timer and long-distance employee. Suddenly, I'm saying goodbye.

In retail, there’s a saying: “grow or die.” Clearly that message applies to so much more than sales; we all make that choice every day of our lives. Working at FootZone and being a part of the wonderful community of Bend has truly been a greenhouse experience for me. I have begun to understand the amount of time it takes to develop a sense of community, and the great love with which that time is given. It’s hard not to sound really full of the Kool-aid, here, but for me, working at the shop has been one of the most genuine experiences of my life. It is as much a place where you can look people in the eye and share a laugh or a tear or a bit of news as it is a place to buy your running socks.

I feel really lucky to have been a part of your lives these past seven years. Thank you Teague, Laurie, Dave, Colleen, Chris, Jenny, Eric, Rob, & Kristen…thanks great customers and friends. You have made it a pleasure.

cheers!
ellen

Big January

It may be just the beginning of 2008 but it is already of to a big start as far as running in Central Oregon is concerned. This weekend was host to two running events and both were well attended despite cold temps, tough courses, and some wicked head winds.
On Saturday Colleen, Teague and I hauled our unmotivated butts out to the "Bad Ass" held east of town on the Smith Canyon loop. There were options varying in length which we all wisely did the shortest of. I said short but it was still 9 frikin' miles. It was called the Super Slacker 9 by the organizers but they are ultra runners which is an entirely different blog.
Also this weekend the Footzone organized the first chapter of the Winter Race Series (see picture). This was the 5k installment of which 46 people endured high winds, deep snow, and the ever exciting out and back course chosen buy yours truly. Michael Dennis rocked the men's field while the Footzone's own Kristen Riley crossed the line first for the ladies. For those who participated results will be up on the website just as soon as I can get them up.

Good to see everyone out this weekend running and having a good time.

Take care,
dave