Extra-Terrestial Enquirer - Boston Finishers!

From Start to Finish, Congratulations to all our Boston Marathon Finishers!

Can I fit in one of these?

We'll be dancing in the streets!

Oops, Future Boston Bound Stars

Congratulations and welcome home to all of our Beyond Boston Marathon finishers! You did it! If you missed the Article in the Gazette or the link in the Rundown, check out the great write up on Julie Steeby at Kalamazoo Gazette Boston Marathon Story

Francine Bangs, Portage, 4:51:31
Carole Bolthouse, Bellevue, 3:57:36
Mark Breuer, Kalamazoo, 4:02:27
Kelli Broekema, Augusta, 4:05:32
Jeff Dattilo, Portage, 3:14:38
Brian Dobbie, Vicksburg, 3:56:11
Giti Henrie, Kalamazoo, 4:05:53
Edith Lane, Galesburg, 4:17:01
Sherrie Mann, Plainwell, It’s a long story
Pam McBride, Kalamazoo, 3:59:02
Ralph Meyer, Portage, 3:35:04
Cindy Owen, Galesburg, 4:03:14
Joel Pennington, Portage, 4:10:08
Robert Poznanski, Kalamazoo, 3:33:00
Daniel Sarkipato, Kalamazoo, 3:33:59
Mark Sigfrids, Kalamazoo, 3:45:22
Karen Spaude, Richland, 4:15:27
Julie Steeby, Schoolcraft, 4:34:30
Brenda Stoddard, Schoolcraft, 3:33:59

Best of luck to Susan Miller, Kathy Neal and Larry and Sherri Defouw at the Big Sur Marathon this weekend, and to Gale Fischer, Bonnie Sexton, Peggy Zeeb and Sherrie Mann who are participating in the Running Fit Trail Half and Full Marathons. Congratulations to all our Borgess Run for the Health of It finishers. KAR/BCRR Results (including Beyond) will be posted in the next Rundown. There are Beyond participants running many upcoming marathons including Bayshore, Flying Pig, Grandmas and others. Check out the Rundown for upcoming results.

Extra-Terrestrial Enquirer!!!

Best of success to all of our Boston bound Beyond runners. Julie Steeby made the front page headlines of the Saturday, April 18 Kalamazoo Gazette with her amazing story. Check it out here.

Congratulations to Andrew Vidor and Mandy Pryor who encountered winds and rains to finish their first 26.2 at last weekend’s Glass City Marathon. Not only that, but both won age division awards (top 5 medal). Andrew ran a 3:35:39 to finish 4th in his age division while Mandy ran a 3:52:42 to take 5th. The next day they found themselves volunteering at the Boston Tea Party, where Andrew assumed the role of Wheaton Hill course entertainer.

Andrew Vidor preparing for his first marathon
Also at Glass City, the Beyond's Peggy Zeeb joined Front Line Racing Team mates Julie Winter, Andrew Radully, Jason LaFave, Greg Thomas to run the 5 person mixed relay. The quintet won the team event and set a new Glass City Mixed team record in 2:49:03.

Michael Sherrard ran a smoking, Boston qualifying 3:05:36 at the Martian Marathon, finishing 3rd in his age division. In no less incredible a feat, Natalie Dale has been nominated the Fred Colbert of women’s running after finishing the 33.5 mile Kal-Haven Trail Solo Run, then turning around and running Martian Marathon the following Saturday. If that wasn’t enough, Natalie has the Country Music Marathon on her itinerary for next weekend.

Here is Natalie’s first-hand account of her trip to Mars....
On Sunday, April 6 I drove to Dearborn, Michigan and ran the Martian Marathon. It was an out-and-back run on Edward Hines Drive, which parallels a park area with a biking/walking trail. There were about 350 participants that ran the marathon course, with ten times as many running the half marathon and 10K races. The course was hillier than I expected, and could have used more water stops (which should have been super easy to do on an out-and-back), but the weather was beautiful. My knees are still recovering from running this race and the solo Kal-Haven the weekend before, but I finished third in my age group with a time of 4:15:30. Many thanks to the Boston and Beyond group for helping me to train this winter; I could not have done it without you. I look forward to more exciting events to come this summer and fall...and beyond.

Beyond participants finishing the Martian Half Marathon were Bob Poznanski in 1:41:52 and Jim Roth in 1:41:52. Congratulations to all our Martian Finishers!

Sleep Well, Rise Early!

Buses begin their departure to the starting line in Hopkinton at 6:00 am.

The anticipation of Boston Marathon morning! As the big day approaches and excitement, adrenaline and anxiety mount, it is not uncommon to lose sleep due to pre-race jitters, particularly the night before. Rest assured, the loss of one night’s sleep usually isn’t enough to sabotage your experience.Research shows that if you have slept well all week, then losing sleep the night before won’t affect performance. Most experts agree that that a good night’s sleep the period of a few nights leading up to the race, particularly 2 nights prior, is most important to arriving to the starting line well rested. If you keep a normal sleeping pattern during the days going into the event and are well rested the week of the event, lying wide awake the night before shouldn’t prove to be a detriment! That doesn’t give the green light to stay up all night at a pre-race party or dinner; the evening before should still be low-key and relaxing. Save the late night partying for the post-race festivities!

Here are some tips regarding pre-race sleep:

1. If you will be awakening on race day earlier than usual, get to bed early enough the days before to get enough rest. For those running Boston, the buses begin their staggered departures to Hopkinton at 6:00 am.

2. Taking a nap the day before is a great idea to help compensate for any sleep you might lose to nerves. Be aware, however, that napping too long or too late in the day may make it harder to go to that night. Going to bed more than an hour earlier than usual can also leave you tossing and turning rather than getting a good night’s sleep!

3. Avoid caffeine after noon, don’t eat too close to bedtime to avoid an upset stomach and minimize fluid intake the last two hours prior to bedtime so you are not getting up to sue the toilet all frequently during the night.

4. Develop a routine to promote relaxation and sleep. Eat dinner, read a magazine, sift through all the cool stuff in your race expo packet, watch television, shower or take a warm bath, go to bed.

5. Have all your questions answered before you go to bed. Know exactly where and when you need to be at the starting line in the morning and have all your pre-race logistics taken care of. Have all your race day clothing & accessories laid out, your number pinned to your shorts, your chip on your shoe. That way you won’t lie in bed thinking of things.

6. Don’t run your marathon in bed by mentally rehearsing the race. Try to think of other things to help you relax.

7. If you can’t sleep, at least lay still. Try to minimize tossing and turning. Don’t get up and work or walk around. Your goal isn’t necessarily to sleep, but to spend as much time as possible off your feet and relaxing in bed.On race day, get up at least two hours before the event. Have a wake up call requested AND set the alarm in case one fails. It doesn’t hurt to set your sports watch alarm on top of it! Don’t depend alone on the hotel wake up call or an alarm clock you are unfamiliar with; too many runners have missed the start for this reason.Remember to get plenty of sleep the week before the big day…and you will mentally know you are physically well-rested!

Glover, B., and S. Glover. 1999. The Competitive Runner’s Handbook. New York, NY. Penguin Books.

Extra-Terrestial Enquirer!

Natalie Dale Begins a 33.5 mile space adventure

Five runners from the Beyond discovered what lurks behind 26.2 Miles when they completed the Kal-Haven Trail Relay 33.5 solo run. Rich Schau and Brian Campbell completed the entire trek together, synchronizing their finish to 5:45:22. Tim Bredahl was close behind, finishing in 5:50:59. Ron Reid arrived a tad late to the finish line, but used his speed over distance to catch and pass 5 other solo runners. Natalie Dale was our sole solo female, finishing in 6:12:54.

In the 2-person male team competition, Bob Poznanski and Mark Sigrids combined to form team Dynamic Duo, and the pair finished 2nd in their division. What happened to their team name? Scott Taylor and Tim Sochor formed a 2 person unit without a name. They finished in 4:33:33 before heading to Clementines for post run fun. Brenda Stoddard and Andrew Vidor combined to form co-ed team Double Trouble, finishing in 4:29:51.

The Beyond’s Gale Fischer, Jon Willard, Peggy Zeeb and Bonnie Sexton were joined by Jeff Domenico and Carl Thompson as part of defending champs and 6-person co-ed team, Six Pack to Go. The record-holding team led the competition until the last mile, when the talented anchor leg from the WMU Running Club made his move and won the competition by 32 seconds. Team Six Pack’s record from 2006 still stands.

Vicky Mergen made up a brand new 3-person team category when she combined with Matt Henry and Doug Doorn to form yet another team without a name. Congratulations to all our Beyond Kal-Haven Trail Relay finishers! Thanks to the Beyond’s Julie Wojtaszek who along with Race Director Terry Hutchins coordinated this fun event to raise money for the GOTR Girls on Track Program. Check out all the finishers at 2008 Kal-Haven Trail Relay Results. Check out the pics at http://www.kalhavenrelay.blogspot.com/.