Weekend Race Preview: DC North Face Endurance Challenge

The Washington, DC North Face Endurance Challenge is back and it is THIS weekend, June 1-2 at Algonkian Park in Sterling, VA.  Amazingly, there are still spots open for EVERY event, which includes the GORE-TEX® 50-mile, 50K, marathon, marathon relay, half marathon, 10K and 5K.  As an alumnus of last year’s half marathon event, I want to encourage you to expand your racing experience and try this race series.  If you read last year’s race review on the half marathon called Blood, Sweat, and Mud, you’ll know that this event isn’t for someone looking for a walk in the park (literally!).  Though there are no obstacles on the courses, these are certainly challenging events.  The magnificent scenery along the course will keep you feeling a sense of one with nature, but be sure to watch your footing for roots, water crossings, and rocks.  The camaraderie of the competition is unlike most other races; you are always with other runners and there is a sense of togetherness with this type of course.  If someone falls down on the course, there is always a hand right there to help pick you up.  It's truly a special experience to compete in this race series. 

This year, I’m going to try out the 10k course, which starts at Algonkian Park (same as the other events), runs along the Potomac Heritage Trail and loops out along Sugarland Run for a view of the Potomac River before returning to the Start/Finish.  Each course has turn-by-turn directions in the handy guides on the Washington, DC North Face Endurance Challenge website, so check them out and come race with me this weekend!  The course will definitely be shaded and the weather forecast is looking to be partly cloudy and warm, but dry for this weekend. 

I have a discount code to give away for either the 5k or 10k event (your choice, assuming they don't sell out), so post a comment on this blog post and tell me your favorite trail running location.  I'll pick someone at random for the discount code (you don't have to be a NOVA member to be eligible for the discount code - we are happy when non-members read our blog, too. If you're local, think about joining the NOVA Running Club and expanding your running circle, too.).  

Happy Running and I hope to see you this weekend at the Washington, DC North Face Endurance Challenge!

-Amanda Williams

NOVA Vice President

NOVA Team Profile: Bob Weiner

PRs
Mile 4:26.5
Half Mile: 1:56.9

Bob Weiner models two NOVA jerseys (c. 1975/2012)
photo courtesy Justin Buenaflor

Bob Weiner joined NOVA in 1975.  An active member of the DC running community, he currently serves a Chair of the Masters Media Committee for USA Track and Field and is on the executive committee of Masters Track and Field. This year he won USA Track and Field’s highest national service award for masters, the David Pain Distinguished Service Award, and in 2011 he won the President’s Award for all USA Track and Field. Bob has directed media for the US national indoor and outdoor masters championships since 2003 and is credited with dramatically increasing coverage. He is passionate about the message of lifetime health and fitness through training and competition. He has made all-American in masters track almost every year and regularly medaled in the steeplechase or the mile among the top three at the national age-group masters championships. 

In addition to NOVA, Bob is President of the Capitol Hill Runners, former President of the Sugarloaf Mt. AC (MA), former Vice President of the DC Road Runners, and an active member of the Potomac Valley Track Club. He led the successful bid for the first Indoor National Masters Championship in the DC area in 2009, and it is returning this year.  He was co-director of the Mobil Invitational Masters Mile for eight years, and was director and Chair of the RRCA National Ten Mile Championship. While working at the White House, Bob served on the Executive Board of the White House Fitness Center. Bob directed White House drug policy media at the Sydney Olympics and WADA media at the Salt Lake Olympic Games. Former USADA Chair and Olympic marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter said at a White House celebration of Bob’s career that Bob helped to create WADA and USADA. 

Throughout his storied career, his running highlights include: First Place, Ohio Conference Cross Country Relays, 1967 (Bob Murphey and Bob were first of 50 two-man teams from the colleges throughout Ohio); 3^rd, New Jersey High School Prep School State Meet, 1965 (4:35.0, Bob’s Blair Academy school record); 1^st sub-5 mile taking first in 4:51 to beat Lawrenceville School’s runners on their home indoor track on a Saturday night in front of their girlfriends after the same runners had swept Bob at Bob’s Blair Academy in cross country…). Masters highlights: 2^nd place and 3^rd place in several national championships in mile/1500 and steeplechase at various ages.

Bob is a regular commentator on national issues on Main Street Radio Network’s 200 stations, a regular “Washington Insider” commentator on Fox Television on “Fox and Friends” has been on CNN, ABC, NBC, ABC, Showtime, Bill Maher, Crossfire, Geraldo, many other radio and television shows, is often in print media, and has written over 200 op-eds published in major papers. In addition to political and government issues, many of Bob’s op-eds call for drug-free sports as well as lifetime fitness.

Bob has a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.A. in Recent American History from the University of Massachusetts. Bob co-captained the Blair Academy (NJ) cross country team, and won the Ohio Conference Cross Country Relays while running for Oberlin College (OH).  He also ran track all four years at Blair and Oberlin. 

Bob is President of Robert Weiner Associates Public Affairs and Issue Strategies since leaving the White House in Aug. 2001 after 6 ½ years there. He was Director of Public Affairs and Spokesman, Office of National Drug Policy, under President Clinton and Drug Czars General Barry McCaffrey and Lee Brown, and also for the Bush transition. Earlier in his 30-year top level government and political career, Bob was Director of Communications, House Government Operations Committee, under Cong. John Conyers; Communications Director, House Narcotics Committee, under Cong. Charles Rangel; Chief of Staff, House Aging Committee, under Cong. Claude Pepper, where Bob led the Pepper bill successfully abolishing age-based mandatory retirement and efforts to protect Social Security and Medicare; and Legislative Assistant to Cong. Ed Koch. 

Offline and On the Track: Finding Love in a Running Club

by Erin Masterson

Love, like running, is not for the faint of heart. To be in love is to know happiness; the elation of it; the wonder; the comfort and the joy. Running is like that too; sometimes even more so, because running is something we create all on our own, without the delicate balancing act of another person's free will. When love is good, it is very, very good, but when it is bad, it is TERRIBLE. A great day of running fills your heart and lifts your spirits; and likewise, a day in love is a day to cherish. A bad day in love, however, can crush your mood; bring you to the depths of despair. A race lost can feel the same. We've all been there, no use in denying it. Accepting the trials and tribulations of love, and of running, even when painful, is something we do because we have to. What else do we have, if not hope, and faith, that all will work out? Runners, in the end, are like everyone else. Looking for someone with whom to share life; the ups and the downs, good and bad, through good races and tough injuries and all the so-so days in between.  

Even knowing this, challenges in love are a hard thing for many runners to handle. One of the reasons we seek out and enjoy running is for the sense of control it allows us. A good runner is stand alone; recognized purely for his or her talent, and serving as undeniable proof that putting in hard work is necessary to achieve greatness. At the same time, a poor runner, or one made soft through lack of workouts or lazy days in bed, cannot be disguised. Love, on the other hand, is not something we can control; cajole; predict, or influence. We can only be ourselves; imperfect though we may be, and trust that someone else will appreciate us for all that we are (and are not). 

Which brings us to this. Where else can we be our most honest, undisguised, vulnerable selves, than at track practice? The pain and the sweat, the ill-fitting spandex and messy hair, the groans and the grunts and the lack of mood lighting. Running lays bare all of us to reality, and only in running can you be truly yourself to those around you. In contrast to the traditional style of dating, where both parties are seated opposite a table in a dimly lit room, often with alcoholic beverages to dull the tension, track practice enhances our flaws and puts them on display. Because of this though, running has the potential to create relationships deeper than many others. Runners can be united by their shared values of hard work, discipline, and self reliance. Running is not a glamorous sport, and if that's what you seek, try synchronized swimming. However, two people who love running, and enjoy it, even celebrate it, despite the challenges, can always find a kinship. 

For these reasons, joining a running club is an ideal way to find love. Just ask NOVA's Dave Wertz and his wife Caroline. These two met on the track, and the rest, as they say, is history. Aagje Engel met her husband at a running club too, as did many other members of the NOVA team and other DC area runners. It's no accident that running and activity clubs have flourished in recent years, COINCIDENTALLY as online dating has boomed in popularity as well. Singles have sought out alternatives to online dating, precisely because of the artificial construct that online dating creates and the ability it gives to present yourself online as someone you are not. When seeking a romantic connection, we need to see the real person first; not a profile and not a facade. Running clubs allow for this, and create these opportunities; while at the same time, foster friendships, build a community, and get us in REALLY good shape. Which, in the end, is good for the heart AND soul. Happy running.   

Virginia State Senior Games, Track and Field Competition

Here is a recap of this weekends events at the Virgina State Senior Games, Track and Field Competition held in Newport News Virginia.  NOVA's Hannah Phillips competed and finished the day with 2 Golds and 2 Silver and provided this write up of the competition.


Master Athlete Hannah Phillips runs for 2Golds and 2 Silver finishes at State Senior Games

NEWPORT NEWS, VA -   A hardy group of master athletes age 50 or better assembled at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA on Saturday  for the Virginia  Senior Games Track and Field competition.

     New NOVA member and Master athlete Hannah Phillips, 61, of Alexandria, produced a PB in the 1500m, beating her 2007 time at the bi-annual National Senior Games in Louisville, Kentucky by more than 2 seconds with a 6:40.26 finish. She also ran in the 100m, 200m and 400m events.   Earlier in the week Phillips improved her 3K  time  by 29 seconds for another PB effort to complete the race in 15:00 flat at the Tidal Basin Run, an ongoing Washington DC institution.   Both of  Phillips' race times met or exceeded the USATF All-America standard. 

     Linda Wells, 64,  of Charlottesville, VA finished about 7 seconds ahead in the 1500-meter race.  The  female All-America standard for the age group in that event is 6:45. 

     The rest of the N. VA contingent at the track events  consisted of  Peter Blank (PVTC) competing in the 5K, and 1500-meter race walks, and in the 1500 -meter run  for extra measure.  He medaled in his racewalking events.  Another NoVa woman in the 60-64 age  medaled in the 100-meter with a 17: 06 run.   More than 100 competitors were on hand, showing up from throughout VA as well as New Jersey, PA, NC and New York.   It was 60 degrees, windy and overcast for most of the day, threatening to rain but didn't.  The Senior Games Track and Field  event is sanctioned by USATF.
  
The monthly Tidal Basin Runs are co-sponsored by the Road Runners' Club of America, the National President's Fitness Challenge and coordinated/organized by PVTC.   The course starts from East Potomac Park in Hains Point and is held  on the 3d Wednesday of the month, starting at 11:50 a.m.  Three distances are offered:  1500-meter, 3K, and a 5K loop. 

Race Coverage: Semper Fi 5K

See the write up in RunWashington of the Semper Fi 5K by NOVA's Board Secretary Erin Masterson:

http://www.runwashington.com/news/4176/314/Supporting-wounded-service-members-motivates-Semper-Fi-5k-runners.htm

NOVA Team Profile: Aagje Engel

PRs
800m: 2:32.6

Aagje Engel
Photo courtesy Aagje Engel

5k: 19:26

Dutch Diesel

Before coming to the United States, Aagje Engel's running friends in the Netherlands used to call her "the Diesel." She earned this nickname because, while she couldn't accelerate very fast, she could keep a steady pace for many miles. In the winter of 2009, her husband got stationed in the DC area, and the prospect of many sunny days gave her the final push to come with him and leave everything back home behind, at least for a few years. 

Aagje loved running back home and wanted to continue that over here. So, on a bitterly cold Tuesday night in February (where was that warm promised Mediterranean climate???!), she ran her first practice with NOVA Running Club. There were many runners there despite the cold, so she jumped in and tried to run with pack leaders Martha Mertz and Dan Wallace. Her lap times surprised her, and she actually asked NOVA Coach Jerry Alexander if the track size in the US was in yards! She was happy with her speedy times, but wondered how it had happened in such a short time. Some runners say that you can be stuck at a plateau and then suddenly break through, but Aagje wasn't sure if sure if this meant lowering your 800m pace by 10-20 seconds.

Aagje loved getting faster and being part of the NOVA team, but come fall, she was getting fatigued beyond reason. She had to stop on long runs because of stinging pain on her right side. While talking to other runners, they were as mystified as she, as pain normally appears on the left side from your spleen. Then, during a conversation with her mom on New Year's 2009, Aagje learned more details of her extended family. Her mom mentioned that her aunt had an illness that could be due to a gluten allergy. Something clicked. Memories of how she ran her best half marathon on a breakfast of Twinkies, how she always gained weight during the summer while eating less, how she loved Asian food. Aagje decided to do a food trial. For two weeks she avoided all gluten. The outcome? Relief. A certain pain that she had never been aware of was now gone.

And she lived happily ever after, right?! No. As her body was changing from being anemic for over 10 years to finally becoming healthy, she had to learn how to interpret her body’s feedback. Remember, a Diesel is pretty simple: once you turn on the engine it will keep going, but a fast car like a Corvette needs maintenance. For the first time she had to learn to eat properly (no food= an empty machine), to warm up properly (don't blow up the engine) and to stretch before and after a run. Aagje is still learning to interpret her body’s signals. What better way to learn than in races? This spring she did the 5k Crystal City series and an 800 on the track. She is working on bringing down her PRs, and already has a lot of knowledge gained. And, she has a new NOVA nickname, "The flying Dutchwoman." She and her husband will fly back to the Netherlands in August 2013, but Aagje won't forget her time with NOVA and all the lessons she has learned here.

Laura O'Hara Inducted into Rhode Island High School Athletic Hall of Fame

Georgetown Running Club (GRC) team member (and former NOVA runner) Laura O'Hara inducted into the Rhode Island High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Congratulations Laura!!

http://blog.grcrunning.com/2013/05/an-honor-well-earned.html

NOVA Team Profile: David Bernard

PRs

1600m: 4:42

3k: 9:08

5k: 15:58

10k: 33:06

10 Mile: 55:08

Marathon: 3:48:57

David Barnard after running
the Marine Corps Shadow Marathon,
Camp Victory, Iraq
photo courtesy David Barnard 

 

David Bernard has been running for nearly 35 years.  A native of Maine, he started out running in a summer recreational track program and enjoyed it enough that he ran cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track throughout junior high, high school and college.  He garnered all-state honors during his senior year at Greely High School with his fifth place finish in the State of Maine Cross Country Championship Meet. During his senior year at the University of Maine he earned his varsity letter for track; his PRs for 1600m thru 10k came during his last year of college. His 10 Mile PR came a few months after he graduated from UMaine in 1992. Dave’s performance in his only marathon occurred in 2010, during a year-long deployment to Iraq where he ran the Marine Corps shadow marathon at Camp Victory near Baghdad. 

 

Since college, Dave has run mainly for fitness.  Every few years he strings together a few months of “real” training, logging 40-50 miles per week and getting his times for the 5k and 10k down to 20min and 40min, but running for time has not been his focus—it’s been enough of a reward to maintain a healthy body composition and to stay off blood pressure medication. Aside from general fitness, Dave’s current focus is preparing for the JFK50 next fall, which will be his first ultra.   

 

Dave is married with two kids. He works at the Pentagon and lives in Alexandria. The short commute allows him to run home from work most nights which accounts for half of the mileage he runs. Besides helping him be consistent in his training, it allows him to clear his head at the end of the day and avoid spending the $4.75 he would otherwise spend on parking. As for other interests, Dave and his wife are developing a working homestead in North Carolina, where his wife lives fulltime and which Dave visits on weekends and vacations. They maintain a flock of laying hens and a handful of dairy goats and cultivate fruit trees and blueberries in addition to managing a sizeable vegetable garden. Eventually they hope to be self-employed as farmers and as teachers of self-sufficient living skills.

 

NOVA Team Profile: Katie Tomlinson

Katie Tomlinson (right) at the 2013 Yuengling
Shamrock VA Beach Marathon
photo courtesy Katie Tomlinson

PRs:

5k: 18:41
half marathon: 1:27
marathon: 3:01

Katie grew up in South Jersey as a swimmer and soccer player before taking up running in seventh grade. Inspired by her mother, who has run several marathons, Katie inevitably developed a love for longer distances. Katie continued to run throughout high school and in a running club while at Rutgers University.  Upon graduating from Rutgers and moving to DC to begin teaching Spanish in Prince George’s County, Katie made it her goal to run the Chicago marathon. While she was certain after Chicago, and again after the Marine Corps Marathon, that she would never want to register for another marathon again, she elected to sign up for the 2013 Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach since her twin sister was registered for the half marathon.  Since having a blast running this race, she has decided that she may more willingly sign up for a few more marathons.
 
This fall, Katie is excited to return to her home city to run the Philly Marathon and hopefully participate in the 2014 Boston Marathon. Her long-term goals consist of running a sub-3 hour marathon, traveling throughout Central and South America, and purchasing a puppy (a Rhodesian Ridgeback). Katie is excited to be the new Membership Coordinator for the NOVA Running Club.

NOVA Team Profile: Erin Masterson

NOVA President Erin Masterson
finishes the 2014 Boston Marathon

PRs
800m: 2:15.2
1500m: 4:40.3
Mile: 5:03
5k: 18:28.7
5 Mile: 32:48
10k: 40:05
10 Mile: 1:05:57
Half Marathon: 1:31.2
Marathon: 3:08:34

Erin Masterson started running at the advanced age of 7. Growing up in Annapolis, MD, she was recruited to the Annapolis Junior Striders, a fledgling running club started by her dad as an offshoot of the flagship Annapolis Striders. The group never acquired more than 10 members, two of whom were Erin and her twin brother Andy, but familial pressure kept Erin coming back. She maintained a consistent training schedule throughout her younger years, competing in both cross country and track races as an unattached runner, including racing a 200 meter dash against Olympian Meredith Rainey Valmon as a 9 year old (Meredith won).

Erin later ran cross country and track at Annapolis High School, competing in a range of events from 200 meters to 3200 meters, long jump, and pole vault. She earned numerous Baltimore Sun and Washington Post All Met honors in track and cross country, was named Anne Arundel County Athlete of the Year three times, and collected 13 County, 12 Region, and four Maryland 3A/4A State titles in track during her high school career. She also earned the inaugural Bill and Debby Belichick Scholar Athlete Award at Annapolis High School in 2001 (Bill Belichick, Head Coach of the New England Patriots, is an Annapolis native and 1970 AHS graduate).

Erin was enthusiastically recruited to American University by then-AU Assistant Coach (now NOVA Coach) Jerry Alexander, but decided to go farther from home and accepted a track scholarship to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg VA. While at W&M she earned Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) All-Conference honors in the 1500 meters, contributed to the Tribe's streak of Conference Championships in outdoor track and cross country, and served as Cross Country Co-Captain her senior year.  

Since graduating college, Erin has gradually attempted to transform herself into a long distance runner, despite Coach Jerry's firm belief that she should stick to the 5k and 10k. Her favorite race is the Army 10 Mile, but she caught the marathon bug after achieving a PR of 3:20.45 in the 2013 Boston Marathon and now all bets are off. Erin joined NOVA in 2011 and began serving on the NOVA Board in 2013 as the Social Media Director. In January 2014, she took the reins from Justin Buenaflor and now serves as NOVA President. 

For her day job, Erin works as a consultant in the Public Sector Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers, managing projects for the Department of Defense Military Health System. With Coach Jerry's support and encouragement, she is also busy at work building out her second career as a running writer, having had her work featured on Hepstrack.com, Active Life DC, Track & Field News, and RunWashington, in addition to the NOVA Blog. She is now the Military Running feature writer for RunWashington. She is also a member of the Oiselle Flock racing team. Her three loves in life are running, writing, and writing about running.

Links to all Erin's publications can be found on her own blog, http://happinessinhindsight.wordpress.com/ 

Links to Erin's Active Life DC publications can be found here

Betty Blank helps build strong bodies while empowering clients | WJLA.com

Check out Betty Blank's Interview wth Channel 7 news!!!

Betty Blank helps build strong bodies while empowering clients | WJLA.com