Running and the Military

Check out the latest article by NOVA Social Media Director Erin Masterson!

Erin recently chatted with CPT Sean Barrett (one of Coach Jerry's top GRC athletes) and LT Amanda Rice to discuss how their military and running careers intersect.

See the article featured on Active Life DC here!

Volunteers needed for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon

On Wednesday October 2, 2013 NOVA will volunteer for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon by stuffing packet bags and unwrapping finishing medals anywhere between 6-9 pm. This will take place at the Holiday Inn on Eisenhower Avenue. I am hoping that NOVA can provide 8-10 volunteers.  Volunteering is a great way for the club to give back to the local running community.  In the past the club has volunteered for this race by manning a water station on race day.  The Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half is a great event that supports some great causes and exemplifies the spirit of running that the Metro region has to offer.  Please use the link below to register and please email me at justinbuenalfor@hotmail.com to let me know that you have registered.  Thanks NOVA!

    Location of Packet Stuffing:

    Holiday Inn (Eisenhower Metro Stop - Yellow Line)

    2460 Eisenhower Avenue

    Alexandria, VA 22314

   Link to volunteer: https://register.wilsonbridgehalf.com/VolunteerJobs2013

Yoga and Tempo Night!!!

Picture from NOVA's first Yoga class at Bluemont Park

Hey Gang this Thursday September 26, 2013, 6PM at Bluemont Park, Club member and Yoga Instructor Kathryn Taron will be instructing her second Yoga class to go along with our Thursday Tempo run!  Yoga will be held simultaneous  to Tempo so come out and have your choice of running or participating in the Yoga Class.  The class will be open to all levels and will be slow paced and focus on the muscles most used in running, working on both strength and flexibility.  All attendees should bring a towel, mat and some layers since temperatures will be cool this evening.  We are happy that Kathryn is teaching another class hope to have a great turnout!  






For those who have not been to Bluemont here is the address you can plug into Googlemaps to get directions: Tennis courts, 601 N Manchester St, Arlington, VA . 



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Race Preview: DC Ragnar Relay

Over the last 4 1/2 years as VP of the NOVA Running Club, many members have heard me talk about the Ragnar Relay race (www.ragnarrelay.com/race/dc/), which is probably my favorite running event to participate in nowadays.  The Ragnar Relay hosts ~200-mile relay races all over the U.S., but I've only ever been able to compete in the DC race.  It starts in Cumberland, MD and ends at the National Harbor, MD.  The race is run by either 6-person (ultra) or 12-person teams and is split into 2 vans for the 12-person team.  The race is continuous, meaning there are no breaks overnight, so it's a mad dash to the finish.  Teams begin at the starting line anywhere before dawn on a Friday morning and finish sometimes after midnight, late Saturday night. This year's race will be Friday, October 4th - Saturday, October 5th.  Van 1 kicks off the event in Cumberland, MD and each runner has a leg of the race to run with designated exchanges where a reflective slap-bracelet is handed-off.  At Exchange 6, Van 2 meets up with Van 1 and begins the same process for legs 7-12.  This process is repeated twice more for each van.  While Van 2 is out running, Van 1 figures out what they'll do for the next 6 hours until it’s their turn to run again.  Some teams (like mine) go find dinner and check into a hotel for showers and to stretch out.  Van 2 usually finishes their first set of legs after dark and then they either head to the hotel or figure out some other way to pass the time.  The 2nd set of legs for both vans (legs 13-18 for Van 1 and legs 19-24 for Van 2) are completed almost entirely in the dark.  Van 2 usually rounds out their 2nd set of legs at daybreak.  By that time, you've probably had a Big Mac because you were so desperate for protein and are feeling a bit crazy.  New, weird phrases and words are created and this is the time when your mentally stability really gets tested.  By the time Van 1 sets out on their last and final set of legs, there is a renewed sense of excitement because you know you're in the homestretch and realize this crazy experience will be over before you know it.  The finish line at National Harbor is quite an exhilarating experience.  There are large crowds, group finish line photos, and usually free pizza and beer for the team.  At this point, all you can think about is going home to shower and hibernate for the next 12+ hours, but at the same time you are savoring every last moment of this intense event.  It really changed my perspective on team events and it's something I look forward to all year.

At Exchange 2, I start off on the hardest leg of the entire - 8 miles up a mountain, in which I was awarded a belt buckle at the next exchange!

If you've never participated in this type of overnight endurance event, it may be hard to fathom who is crazy enough to stay up all night to run.  This year's race has 316 teams, so there are well over 3,500 runners participating in the DC race alone.  If you're a runner, you may already be accustomed to being considered crazy, but this takes it to a new level for outsiders looking in.  Putting the crazy aside, it's a serious self-reflection experience that teaches you a lot about your running abilities (and that you can always do more than you think you can), refines your coping skills (how the heck you will make it from 4AM until 4PM the next afternoon), and broadens your horizons on the types of activities that make you keep on running.  In addition to the enlightenment you may receive, you will undoubtedly go home with 11 new friends whom you may find yourself emailing with for the next few weeks out of nostalgia and a longing to be cooped up in a stinky van again.  By the time you've slept off your running hangover and wake up refreshed (and maybe a bit sore) Sunday morning, you realize what an amazing experience the Ragnar Relay is and that you cannot wait to do it again next year... or maybe even before next year and you start looking at the other Ragnar events around the country.

Van 1 from my 2012 DC Ragnar Relay team

Check out Ragnar's other relays on their website: www.ragnarrelay.com.  Team captains are always looking for runners to fill in the last spots on their team. You can sign up on their website to say you're available to be on a team, if you so choose to take on the challenge!

Happy Trails,

-Amanda Williams
NoVA Running Club Vice President

NOVA Takes Top Open Team Award at Navy-Air Force Half Marathon

NOVA Team takes Open Team Award, Navy-Air Force Half Marathon
(photo: Justin Buenaflor)

By now, it is becoming clear to those in the DC running community that the NOVA Running Club is a team to contend with. The performance of NOVA runners on Saturday, September 14, at the second annual Navy-Air Force Half Marathon and Navy 5 Miler left nothing to doubt, as our cadre of top performers served to demonstrate the skills, teamwork, and long-term potential of the NOVA team. Though NOVA does not match some other area running clubs in terms of membership size, what we lack in sheer numbers we make up for in the quality of our athletic performances and our consistent presence on the winner's podium at some of the top races in the area.

Following a successful summer training season, where we saw consistently high turnout at our weekly track workouts, NOVA President Justin Buenaflor knew the team was in contention for the top finishing team in the Half Marathon Team Open Division. As race morning dawned, the conditions could not have been better - a cool, almost chilly morning, clear skies, and a freshness to the air that was a noticeable improvement over the long humid days of summer racing.

Proving Buenaflor's predictions right, top NOVA finishers Bob Koeppen and Allen Denson used the power of teamwork to race to top finishes. Running together for the first 8 miles, Koeppen finished 30th overall (4th AG) in 1:20.29, and Denson finished exactly one minute later in 1:21.29 for 34th. Mark Drosky turned out another solid performance, finished third for the NOVA team and running a 1:26.33 (2nd AG). Leading the women for NOVA, and scoring fourth on the NOVA racing team and Second Masters Female Overall, was legend Martha Merz, who finished in a 1:29.42. Mike Naff also turned in a strong performance, finishing in 1:27.21. Rounding out the scores were Ben Brooks (1:29.42), Justin Buenaflor (1:44.40) and Jason Kaltwasser (2:04.12). Also competing on Saturday was NOVA's Erin Masterson, who ran the Navy 5 Miler and finished 6th overall (1st AG) in a 32:51.

All together, the NOVA team averaged a very respectable 1:24.34 for all scoring team members in the half marathon. NOVA Coach Jerry Alexander, doing double duty on Saturday and cheering for both NOVA and the Georgetown Running Club (whose own Michael Franklin won the Navy 5 Miler in a record time of 24:52), was proud of the NOVA team for their accomplishments. He says, "It was a great step forward for NOVA. To win a major race shows that our racing team is ready to make its mark on the local scene."

Look out for NOVA's next team performance in the Pacers Veteran's Day 10k on November 10! If you would like to join the racing team, be sure to check "NOVA Running Club" under Team Competition when registering for the race.

Results

Half Marathon
Bob Koeppen 1:20.29
Allen Denson 1:21.29
Mark Drosky 1:26.33
Mike Naff 1:27.21
Martha Merz 1:29.42
Ben Brooks 1:29.42
Justin Buenaflor 1:44.40
Jason Kaltwasser 2:04.12

Maher Itani   2:08:27

Ren Hucker   2:22:19

5 Miler

Dave Wertz  26:24

Erin Masterson 32:51

Vita Vock   49:19

Northern Cali Running Love

Greetings NOVA team! I'm (somewhat) glad to be back on the East Coast after a great trip out West to see the sights of Northern California. In addition to playing the classic tourist (my first trip to this part of the world, and I was making the most of it), I did some awesome running around the city of Davis, CA while visiting my friend Karen. Karen and I ran together at W&M so she was well-prepared to show me the prime running trails in the area, and even drew me a map for my 14 mile run around Davis (city size: 10 square miles). Though I did take day trips to San Francisco, Napa/Sonoma, and Big Sur, those days were occupied by lots of delicious food, lots of wine, and lots of driving, respectively, and no running. Despite this itinerary, I received some great tips on NorCal running prior to my departure from fellow NOVA Team Members, including Ben Brooks, who highly recommended I attempt to run across the Golden Gate Bridge over to Sausalito, and I am already planning a return trip when I may have the opportunity to take Ben's advice.

Running Trail in Davis, CA
- Erin Masterson

Davis is an ideal city for both running and biking. A good place to start (if you can find it, and I had serious trouble), is the Davis Bike Loop. This loop is a 12 mile paved trail around Davis which links all the major bike infrastructure points of the city. Because more than half of Davis's 65,000 residents are university students at UC Davis, biking is an economical and convenient way to get around, especially given the temperate climate of Northern California. The Bike Loop was conceived in the 1980s by UC Davis Landscape Architecture Professor Mike Francis and was completed in 2005 (you can read more about the Bike Loop here.) Though fairly well marked with a painted green bicycle sign on the path, it is easy to get off track and miss a turn on the loop, and end up in a random field or neighborhood, as I did. No worries though, because on your next turn, you'll probably connect to a Greenbelt (see below).  

More running in Davis, CA
- Erin Masterson

Pond on Davis Greenbelt
- Erin Masterson

In addition to the Davis Bike Loop, the entire city is lined with Greenbelts, which are a series of more than 10 interconnecting paths, bike trails, tunnels, and parks that link all the open space of Davis (see more on the Greenbelt wiki here.) Karen told me AFTER the fact that one distinguishing characteristic of the Greenbelts is that they are not marked, listed on a map, or documented in any way. So, that was some good times getting lost. But, I feel like that's the best way to get to know a city sometimes. The Greenbelts keep things interesting with ponds, nature preserves, fields of sunflowers, sculptures, and lots of wildlife. I had the chance to do several runs around Davis (14/7/5 miles) and each one was unique and fun. I didn't break any records on pace, mostly because I had to keep checking my map and looking around to remember which bush I had used as a landmark. But they were peaceful, scenic, and enjoyable, and that was enough for me. My advice: if you're ever in Davis, bring your running shoes, a compass, and a good sense of adventure.

Happy running!
- Erin

Active Life DC: Featured Blogger Erin Masterson

See the link to a an article on Active Life DC, featuring blogger (and NOVA Social Media Director) Erin Masterson: 

Active Life DC: Featured Blogger Erin Masterson

Train for Your Sport: The Importance of Flexibility and Strength Training for Runners

See the link to an article on Active Life DC by NOVA Social Media Director Erin Masterson.

The Importance of Flexibility and Strength Training for Runners