AORTA Meeting Monday August 2nd at Chappie's Deli at 6:00PMLast Updated Friday July 30, 2010
Click here for our Race Calendar...

All water stops are covered for this week.

Beverly Long wanted me to remind all of you that today is her birthday (Friday) but she will still be accepting gifts on Saturday.
And on Saturday we'll finally have Peyton Bean married and then we're shipping her off to Atlanta.  Her husband can deal with her from now on.  Dave Hennessey and I have worked tirelessly for 4 years to find someone to marry her and it finally paid off.  Good luck to Peyton.
And I have a prediction to make.  More and more accusations are coming out about Lance Armstrong and performance enhancing drugs and he will get caught up in the scandal and found guilty.  Maybe not guilty in court but guilty in public perception which is a sad end to his story.
Happy Wednesday:  I have only a couple of things to tell you.  Please do make plans to be at the AORTA meeting this Monday.  Our fearless leader and idiot savant, Alvin Walls, has been talking about stepping down as our president.  In my own opinion there is really no one who wants that job!  However, with some reorganizing and spreading out of responsibilities we can keep the great club we have along with the great races.  It takes a lot of time and work and if you like the way things are going then pitch in and do your part.  Those of you who choose not to attend will be volunteered for menial tasks.
Karen Khodadadi is back at home and doing nothing.  That's exactly what's she's supposed to do, nothing, even though it might give her a nervous breakdown.  She's not doing great but she's improving a bit each day.
You all will remember John Schelhas who abandoned us a month or so ago and moved to Athens, GA.  I got an email from our old pal this week...Hi Greg,
We're getting settled into Athens. I miss the AORTA folks, haven't found any organized long runs, there are more and bigger hills, and almost all the races are 5Ks (except the upcoming inaugural Athens Half Marathon on Oct 24).  But I did enter my first race this weekend, and I'm pretty pleased with the demonic fireman bobblehead award (see attached photo).  John Schelhas  Personally, I love the demonic bobblehead.

Molly is back in town and insisted I update the runs for the next 2 Saturdays so she can get volunteers!  So, they have been posted, contact Molly.

Runner Down:  Yes, one of our own has run into some serious medical problems.  Karen Khodadadi was having a lot of breathing problems and chest pains and so visited the ER late last week.  They found her oxygen levels were low and admitted her.  Now they know she has a pulmonary embolism which are blood clots in her lungs, lots of them.  She spent last night at EAMC and my have accommodations for tonight too.  It will be weeks before she is back on the road with us.  I'll try to keep you updated on her progress.
Yes, we have the first AORTA meeting in months planned for next week.  You do need to attend because we have a lot of business to cover with all of our fall and winter races which will be here before you know it and we need YOUR HELP!  Please make plans to attend!

A Few Things:  AORTA spokesperson, Beverly Long, told us at the Wednesday press conference that work has begun in earnest on the Tough Ten and Tough Two race scheduled for October 9th.  A link has been added to Active.com for this race.
Brian Benson wrote me about an Auburn runner I've never heard of.  William Ansick of Auburn, (his wife Emily works at Health Plus and wins some of our local races) ran 136 miles across Death Valley and up to Whitney Portals in 36:38:30 to place 28th in the 2010 Badwater Ultramarathon.  Makes the Tupelo Marathon look like a Springfling 5K….
The race application for Woodland Wallahatchee on August has been added to our Upcoming Race List.
There is also a race that is going to be held on July 30th.  I was sent this email from Sergio about it...Please join me on July 30th at 6pm in order to run/walk the streets of Auburn in order to raise money for Salud y Paz!
This past May, I went on a Medical Mission to Guatemala with the organization called Salud y Paz. Many of you know that my family is from Guatemala, so the trip was very close to my heart. During my week stay with Salud y Paz, I was able to apply dental fluoride varnishing to the local children, go on house visits to the local bed ridden, and work on one of the clinics that Salud y Paz has created. While I was there, I realized just how fortunate I was to have all the necessities that I could ask for, while many of the Guatemalans were so happily blissful with close to nothing.
For this reason, I knew that the mission of Salud y Paz was one that I would be happy to work for.
When I arrived back into the U.S., I quickly realized that most of my friends and schoolmates had no idea of the situation that occurred in Guatemala. I immediately knew that I had to bring awareness to this cause. As the impact of the mission trip began to diminish, a volcano named Pacaya that is located close to the capital began to erupt.A couple of days later a tropical storm named Agatha devastated the Guatemalan region. Many lost their lives to the natural disasters and thousands of lives were altered. These natural disasters also took a toll on Salud y Paz.
Friends and Family, I am asking you to come out on July 30th in order to walk for a cause. Help me bring awareness to the Guatemalans that have suffered so much through these hard times. Please help me help them.

Here is your June update for the 1200 Mile Club!

Results from the Peach Run

Things are slow:  I know the website isn't being updated more than once or twice a week but it's summer and there just isn't a lot to report.  And you're boring.
Beverly Long was holding court Saturday and bragging that she will be heading up a group running the Memphis Marathon later this year.  I heard Scott and Laura Walker plan to go, Beth Ladisla and probably others but I can only remember 3 things at a time.  I'll keep you posted on their training/injuries.  Karen Khodadadi will be getting ready to go to Chicago in October, it's probably her 10th time to run that marathon back in her old stomping grounds.  This past weekend Barbara "Babs" White ran a marathon in Montana as part her plan to run a marathon in all 50 states.  That makes 47 for her!  I haven't heard from her but I'd expect things went well. 
This past Saturday was Beth Mason's last run with the group.  She and her husband are moving to Tampa at the end of this week where they'll be taking new jobs.  Beth's been a regular part of the gang for a long time so she is going to be missed.
For this Saturday here is the list of volunteers for the water stops that Molly arranged.
July 17th
Carol Dorn - Auburn Early Ed
Allen Smith - Speakman's
Mike and Gloria - Accountant's

July birthdays have been added to the right.
Get back to work, the holidays are over:  I've got a couple of things to catch up on.  Don't forget the Summer Swing 5K is tonight (Tuesday) in Opelika and then the Summer 5K in Auburn on Wednesday night.  On Saturday will be the 3rd Annual Peach Run and you can download the application here.
I had heard that a group was doing a "beer run" last Thursday evening headed up by Bob Lawson.  It was all quiet until I got this email this morning..."I feel like crap.  Got in bed last night, laid awake and finally vomited (twice) around 12:30.  That's the first time I've hurled in at least ten years.  So far this morning, I've had a piece of toast and a mountain dew.  I'm hoping the caffeine will snap me out of it.  No more beer runs...my body can't take it"!  So a big congratulations to Scott Walker.
Thank you to the June water volunteers - hot and humid mornings made for extra-thirsty runners - Jane Farr (who also sacrificed 2 coolers), Shari Glover, Beth Ladisla, Oliver Prigge (who has left AORTA kicking and screaming), Beth Mason, Penny Price, Leslie Agerton, Nick Holler, Tim Adams and Beth Kisor.  Now, Molly is gone for a couple of weeks and left me this list of water volunteers while she is gone!

July 10th
Greg Lanier - Auburn Early Ed
Bob Kennis - Speakman's
Carol Keever - N. Dean

July 17th
Carol Dorn - Auburn Early Ed
Allen Smith - Speakman's
Mike and Gloria - Accountant's

July 24th
Bob Lawson - Auburn Early Ed
Bob Banks - N. Dean
Mac Matthews (new guy) - Kaz

 

Run for Saturday, July 3rd has been posted and all water stops are covered.

Man-up:  Molly Johnson, our water girl, will be out of town for a couple of weeks in July so we were trying to get all the runs planned and water stops covered before she left town.  Molly reported this morning that the last 3 stops were taken this weekend so everything is covered.  Thanks to everyone for helping out with this.
TDF: We are in the final countdown to the Tour de France which will start this coming Saturday morning (July 3rd).  I think it will be a good tour and it's always exciting to watch who gets kicked out for failing their drug test.  This year they'll also be checking to see who has the new tiny motor stuck in their seat post.  No, I'm not kidding.  Who will win?  Lance Armstrong, old man and can only win if 4 or 5 others fall off their bike.  Cadel Evans?  No chance.  The Schleck boys, especially Andy?  He might be able to pull it off, lot's of natural talent.  But you'd have to put your money on Alberto Contador, right now he looks unbeatable.  What's nice is there is always some surprising rider or event that changes everything. 

3rd Annual Peach Run:  Wanted to remind you that 2 weeks from tomorrow (July 10th) will be the Peach Run.  You can download the application here.  Leading the AORTA regime will be Alvin Walls and we need about half a dozen volunteers to cover the finish line.  If you can help out contact Alvin.

And Molly will be out of town for several weeks so 5 Saturday Runs have been posted.  We need to get all the volunteers set this week before she leaves. Email Molly!!

Send off:  All of you should know that Bob Lawson and Scott & Laura Walker had a Good-bye Party for Oliver Prigge last Wednesday after the Summer 5K Race.  Scott took a few photos for your consideration.
Water Czarette Molly Johnson has a terrific employment package with AORTA that allows her several weeks off (with pay) each summer.  The downside is we need to go ahead and get the waterstops covered for the next 4 weeks. I will try to get all those runs posted so she can get that handled which means we all need to man-up and volunteer for a stop! 

AORTA Breakfast: The Vice President of Social Events, Elyse Corbitt, has announced we'll be having an AORTA breakfast this coming Saturday.  We'll try to get started around 8:00am, just after the run.  We are asking everyone to bring a breakfast dish and we'll provide coffee and have all the paper products etc.  This will be held at Auburn Electric so you already know the routine, everyone is invited.

1200 Mile Club Results for May

Updates: Bob Lawson and Scott Walker have planned a "so long and good riddance" cookout for Oliver & Nichole tonight (Wednesday).  Bob is supplying the hot dogs, bratwurst and buns -- and he has a pool.  You're to bring your own drinks and a side dish or dessert (chips and fruit salad have already been spoken for).  Oliver & Nicole go back to Germany around the 25th of this month.  If anyone plans to attend, let Scott Walker know -- and an idea of what you might bring.
Doug sent me this photo of poor Alvin handing over a check to the EAMC Cancer Center for $4,000 back in April.  It's a very hard life being president of AORTA...sorry about the red grid in the photo, I can't get rid of it.
The 1200 Mile Club is up to date and can be downloaded above.  Birthdays for June have been posted to the right.
Mark your calendar for October 9th when we'll hold the Tough Ten and Tough Two.  Penny Merritt-Price will be our hostess/race director once again.  I've also added a few other races to our calendar.

I've gotten behind on the Saturday Runs so please contact Molly to volunteer for the water stops the next 2 weeks.

Long time:  I know it's been a week since the last update but my excuse is I became a grandfather over the weekend.  Make checks payable to "Cash" and give them to me.  Madeline weighed in at 6 lb 9 oz Saturday night, has a bit of jaundice but otherwise is doing well.
And a word from the Water Czar: Hi Again - remind all 1200-mile runners that "Effective June 1st, members of the 1200-mile club are expected to assist with water stops on Saturday mornings by volunteering a minimum of once per quarter.  Don't wait until December as stops are usually covered on a first-come basis."  Molly.
Molly also told me that Jane Farr used a nice cooler at her water stop a couple of weeks ago and it was stolen.  That happens several times per year it seems and I've lost nice ones myself.  Use an old piece of junk cooler if you have one or maybe just a trash bag with ice in it.  If you still want to use a nice cooler then try to hide it in the bushes or cover it with a black trash bag.  Booby-trapping it probably isn't a good idea.
Also, don't forget that Oliver Prigge will be leaving us at the end of this month and heading back to Germany.  I think he will be opening a branch office of AORTA there as part of our European franchise system.  John Schelhas is also leaving if I remember correctly and both these guys are going to be missed.
We are behind in posting the 1200 Mile Club, behind with the birthdays and behind updating our calendar.  We'll get that caught up this week for sure.

Results of Summer 5K Series Week 1

AORTA Pool Party: Yes, plans are now finalized for the party which will be Saturday, June 12th at Tracey Buckingham's home (1802 Ogletree Road).  You can even download the invitation if snakes don't bother you!  We'll start at 4:00 PM, AORTA will furnish hamburgers, hotdogs, buns, drinks, paper products, etc.  We are asking everyone that has a last name ending in A-L to bring a side dish or if it ends in M-Z to bring a dessert.  If you are coming PLEASE let Tracey know and what you plan to bring so we can plan accordingly. 
News from our Water Czar Molly Johnson:  A big thank you to the May Saturday morning water volunteers.  There were a couple of "special" races on Saturday's in May, but some of us are having a hard time adjusting to the high humidity and water volunteers are thus very special people!  Thanks goes out to:  Jennifer Cabbage, Beth and Gary, Bob Kennis, Jennifer Deitloff, Mike and Gloria, Jim Killian (the only volunteer for May 22nd which was "hit" by many 3 times - yes, he's my good friend and I was paid handsomely for saying this!), Tom Lawry, and Jim Doyle.

Our Saturday routes for the next 2 weeks (June 5th & 12), please contact Molly to help with a water stop!

Couple of things:  Congratulations to Steve Speakman, legal expert for AORTA.  He won the republican party nomination for Lee County District Court yesterday and now will face his democratic challenger in November.  I know he'll do a great job.  Of course we won't be satisfied until we have taken over the governorship and then Washington based on our "running paths everywhere and cold water faucets every mile" platform.  Plus billions in the AORTA coffers for us to squander on food, travel and useless gadgets.  You know, kind of like the government has been doing for years!
I know I said a couple of weeks ago we were working on a big upgrade to the AORTA website.  It's nearly completed and I hope to get it posted in the next week or so.  It will take a bit of getting used to but I have every confidence you can figure it out.  For the rest of you (Carol Keever) we'll have special classes on Tuesday nights until you understand.  Actually I've done nothing on the new site, there is an "eager beaver" in my office who has taken on the task but I intend to take full credit.
While in one sense the racing season has slowed down we still have races every Tuesday night in Opelika and on Wednesday night in Auburn the Summer 5K Series starts tonight (June 2nd).

Pool Party: AORTA's Vice President of Social Activities, Elyse Corbitt, has declared that we will be having a pool party at Tracey Buckingham's on June 12th starting at 4:00PM.  We'll have more details as we get closer to that date.
The Run for Ross 5K and 1-mile run/walk will be this Saturday, May 22nd at the Ogletree Village Shopping Center in Auburn.  The 5K will be at 8:30am and the 1-mile will be at 9:15.  Registration will start at 7:30.  The registration fee for both events is a donation of your choice.  T-shirts will be available for purchase for $15.00.  For more information contact Tracey.  Thanks to those who have already volunteered and registered.
Dear Diary… The runners have been even more boring than usual.  Bob Kennis is going to Massachusetts for a 3 week class on cell biology in June!  Yep, 3 solid weeks.  All I could think of was “what would be worse, 15 days of cell biology or 15 days in a communist Chinese reeducation camp with Alvin as the warden”?  Beth Ladisla told me she got into the NY Marathon this November but husband Gary didn’t.  She seemed disappointed until I pointed out it would probably be a lot more fun without him and she seemed to perk up considerably when she realized the possibilities.  Molly told me that Bob Fucci is/was in Italy and ran a 2:10 half marathon. Excellent time for someone in their early 70’s.  I have  a video here of Bob and his pigeons in Venice. 
A few days ago I wrote about Lisa Smith-Batchen and her quest to run 50 miles in all 50 states.  Maddie Llyod was in Birmingham and ran a mile and a half with Lisa who is her cousin.  That’s the closest thing to royalty Alvin will ever have.  And Scott Walker sent me this candid shot of John Nevels hydrating for his next marathon.
Sadly, this will probably be the LAST website update I'll have until I return which will likely be June 1st!  All the Saturday runs have been posted so there is no reason for you to slack off.

Where do I go?  For the Ty Garner race you need to turn into the long drive at Grand National.  Turn left at your first traffic circle, go through that neighborhood to the Post Office.  Then take a right and you will see the start of the race.  If you are meeting early to run on Saturday that is where we'll meet too.

Tuesday:  Thank you to all the April water stop volunteers on Saturday mornings:  Beth Mason, Laura and Scott Walker, Kermit Davis, Bev Long, Bev Smith, Tammi Hollis, and Bob Banks.  April was a good running month with cool mornings so participation increased and we all appreciate the willingness of our volunteers. 
Alvin sent me some information on this...Starting April 19th, Lisa Smith-Batchen will be the first person to attempt to run 50 miles in each of the 50 states. The Dreamchasers Foundation will disperse 100% of donations between three organizations: The Orphan Foundation of America, AIDS Orphans Rising, and the Caring House Project. To make a donation click here: DONATIONS.  She is pictured here with the familiar face of Prince Whatley from Birmingham who often comes and runs with us here in Auburn.  The girl has got credentials, she has competed 90 marathons and has a PR of 2:48.
And don't forget that the Summer Swing 5K Series is already up and running.  Doug Underwood directs these every Tuesday evening in Opelika.  Click on the icon above to download the information you will need. 

Bob Lawson sent me a link to a race report on last weekends 50K trail run.  I want to direct your attention to Mr. Jim Doyle's comments on that page if you want a good chuckle.
I will be out of town from the 18th until the end of the month.  Mercifully, there will be no website updates during that time.  However, all of the Saturday runs have been posted for the month of May and Molly Johnson will be your hostess and boss.  Note that on May 15th there won't be a run from Kaz, we'll be at Grand National for the Ty Garner Run.  Then on May 22nd we'll start from Ogletree Village and not from Kaz. 
I've been talking about an AORTA Cookout for a month now and none of the dates I've tried have worked!  What I mean by that is too many of the "worker bees" who I can count on to bring food and help set-up and clean-up will be gone.  So the cookout is going to be pushed into June...

Press Conference:  At the regular Wednesday press conference AORTA spokeschick, Beverly Long, stated that we will not have a run from Kaz on the 15th of May.  That is the day of the Ty Garner run and instead we can all go out to Grand National and run extra mileage there before the race.  I'll make that change on our Saturday Plans.
Jubilee CityFest 8K and 2 Mile:  This is a great race held in Montgomery each year and this will be held this year on May 22nd.  Online registration will close May 18th for this event so move fast and register today.
Run for Ross:  Most of you have probably heard by now about Ross Folmar and the freak accident he had playing baseball.  Both his parents have been AORTA supporters for years and so we'll be having a race to raise funds to help Ross who is still hospitalized.  This 5K & 1 Mile event will be on May 22nd and you can download the application here.

Results from the Valley Haven Races
Download information on Run for Life and the entry form for the
Ty Garner 5K & 1 Mile.

Tuesday:  Add the 3rd Annual Peach Run to your calendar which will be held on Saturday, July 10th.  You can contact Jennifer Delmore or download the application here. 
On May 15th will be the Half Moore Leadership Academy 5K & 2 mile walk.  Download the app here or contact Ross Reed at 887-4973.
The XTERRA Trail Run Series is returning to Pelham, Alabama for the Saturday, June 12th XTERRA Oak Mountain Mud Runs. These fun, dirty, off-road races offer three distances - the main half-marathon trail run along with shorter 5km and 10km mud runs. This is the final race in the 2010 XTERRA Alabama Trail Run Series, but runners of all levels are welcome.  You can visit their website here.
Also, all North American AORTA offices will be closed on Wednesday in observance of Dave Hennesey's birthday.

Saturday routes have been posted for the 8th and the 15th.  We might cancel the run for the 15th since that will be the day of Ty Garner's run.  If so we'll just take the plan for the 15th and make it the 22nd.

Overhaul: Doug Underwood told me that Alvin had revealed my salary within AORTA to be $70,000. Actually it's much higher than that. After all, I pump out 1-2 premium paragraphs every week which is hard work and stressful. But I am going to be moving the website to another server soon and changing the software I use. I guess Frontpage 2003 is a little out of date. None of that should matter to you other than things might be a bit screwy with all the changes and unintended consequences when you do something like this. The site will be up and then down and it may look weird on certain browsers until we can get it all fixed. That won't mean I'll be updating it any more often or that it will be any better, only that it will be different.
Notice that the birthday list has been updated for May.
 

Download information on Run for Life and the entry form for the
Ty Garner 5K & 1 Mile.

The Big Plan for Saturday is set but we need ONE MORE VOLUNTEER for water.  Please contact Molly and help out...  The route for the 8th has also been posted.

Ex-CIA & AORTA Member Does Back to Back Marathons: Alvin and I are convinced that Jim Doyle is ex-CIA even though he won't admit it. Alvin thinks he was a hit-man, I think he just tried to topple 3rd governments here and there. Here is a race report from Jim this past weekend where he ran a marathon on Saturday and another on Sunday: I was in Lawrence, KS, for the Free State Trail Marathon on Saturday, finishing the challenging course, made even more challenging by the recent rains resulting in 8 to 10 miles of ankle deep, slippery, shoe-sucking mud, within my target range, which is the same day I start the race. After this thrilling and very friendly race (the staff was beyond nice to being one of the most personable and helpful groups I have encountered anywhere!) I quickly showered and drove down to Oklahoma City for the Memorial Marathon on Sunday. I finished that race as well and was surprised at how good I felt during and after the run in Oklahoma. Good enough to drive back to Auburn that afternoon/evening. I stayed long enough in Oklahoma City to visit Memorial Park and was moved by the number of race bibbs and finisher medals that were placed on the individual memorial chairs. Capital punishment was too good for T. McVeigh. Glad I made that trip. Both good races and I recommend them to anyone interested in something a little different. After taking Monday and Tuesday off, I ran 9 miles this morning and feel good. I feel so good I am going to join Bob Lawson for the Fat Ass run Saturday, so don't look for me on your way to Chewacla.
Don't forget that the Fat Ass 50K will take place this Saturday, May 1st at the Tuskegee National Forest. Bob Lawson is heading that up and you can go here hto get all the information you need.
Or, you can do one of the "Run For Valley Haven" races this Saturday. They have a 10.5K, 5K or 1 mile for you to choose from. You can click on the icon above to get more information.
There will be a race for Ty Garner who was seriously injured in a bicycle accident back in the fall. The run will take place on Saturday, May 15th at the Grand National Golf Course in Opelika. Now, if you register before May 1st you will get a very nice running vest. This will be a non-competitive run with no awards.

Here are the race results from the Daylight Donut Challenge!

BTW: I forgot to mention I'd be out of town for a week so there wouldn't be any updates! 
Summer Swing Series:  Doug Underwood has been directing this 5K series for several years now.  He has developed a blog that you can visit to stay up to date on that series and not have to wait for a week for me to get something posted.  I'm going to put an icon for this link at the top or you can visit http://lastlap-dougu.blogspot.com.
This Friday afternoon will be the inaugural running of the Richland Road Rumble.  Deb MacDonald will be directing this and always does a great job so go out and support their race.

Boston Marathon Results:  As expected our happy little group did very well at Boston on Monday.  Scott Walker finished in an excellent 3:33, Robin Kelley in 4:03, Beverly Smith in 4:14 and Laura Walker in 4:18.  I mentioned earlier that Bob Lawson was going but he has deferred his trip until next year.  Congratulations to our group, they did very well. 
Help! AORTA is helping with the Mutt Strutt which takes place this Saturday at Kiesel Park and we need 4 volunteers to help Heather Taylor.  The race starts at 7:00 and volunteers would need to arrive by 6:00.  Contact Heather via email or Alvin at 334-524-2244.
The SGA Fall 5K has been added to our calendar.
For you overachievers don't forget that we have the Fat Ass 50K coming up on May 1st at the Tuskegee National Forest.  This Saturday the plan is to do the horse trail section of the course (about 12.5 miles) and on Sunday they plan to do the Pleasant Hill/Bartram parts (about 8.5).  Meet at the Ranger Station at 8:00 off Rte. 186. If anyone is interested in helping, please let Bob Lawson know.
Summer 5K Series:  You can download the application here.  The race will be held each Wednesday from June 2nd until July 28th at 6:15PM at Auburn High School.

Correction:  Things are set for the run this Saturday.  However, for the 24th we will NOT have a run from Kaz because many will be out of town and many others will be at other local races since there are 3 that day.  So, I will just change the date on that run to May 1st and we'll do the Chewacla Run then.  I'll remind you again next week because I know how you are...
Also the River Road 5K in and the Blake Reynolds Memorial Race both in Columbus have been added to our race calendar.
The May 1st AORTA cookout?  It's been rescheduled now for May the 8th.

Boston Betty's:  Yes, I'd be referring to Beverly Smith and Laura Walker who have both qualified for the Boston Marathon along with the much less interesting Scott Walker and Bob Lawson.  The Boston Marathon will be this coming Monday (19th) and will start in waves beginning around 8:30 CST for elite women and half an hour later for the elite men.  I'm sure they're all a bit nervous but we wish them the best of luck!
Next weekend we'll have several of our women at Big Sur for various races.  Karen Khodadadi is running the marathon.  Tracey Buckingham, Penny Merritt Price and Carol Keever are running a 21 mile race and then Elyse Corbitt is signed up for a 10K.  Since I read that you need to add an hour to your regular marathon time I'm not expecting any of them to come back with a P.R.
And we have Molly Johnson recovering from a fall after the run last Saturday.  She tripped and fell head first into the brick wall in front of Mellow Mushroom Pizza and ended up with a stitch or two adjacent to her eye.  The brick wall was severely damaged.  Two weeks ago Karen Khodadadi fell in an early morning run and besides the usual scrapes and bruises broke a finger.  And Lucy Lamar has been hobbling around for weeks with bursitis in her hip which has been slow to improve. 
Oh, and some of you still haven't renewed your membership for 2010.  Many would be familiar names to all of us which is so disappointing that they'd be mooching off the rest of us.  Before I start calling out names we'll give them one final chance to get in their check and membership application before we drop the hammer on them. 

Results from the Jr League 5K
March 1200 Mile Club Results
Plans for the next 2 Saturdays have been posted, contact Molly to help with the water stops!

Mud Run:  If you missed the Mud Run just over a week ago you can take a look at these pictures to see just what you missed!
                                 

The Queen is dead, long live the King: Word has come to me that Karen Khodadadi's long streak of having the most mileage each month in the 1200 Mile Club has been broken.  John Nevels stepped up in the month of March to shatter her stranglehold.  When Karen was asked for a comment she was heard to say "next month I'll own him"! 
The AU Track Team is looking for some volunteers for a meet on April 16th & 17th.  The volunteers will be provided with 2 meals as well as Auburn Track shirts.  According to Jeremy Stallbaumer you'd be "setting up & moving hurdles & starting blocks, retrieving implements (shots & discs), pulling tape measures, operation wind gauges (pushing a button & recording measurements)....all are relatively simple jobs...we just need the help."  Contact Jeremy if you can help.
Doug Underwood told me that the Summer Swing 5K will crank up again this year on May 4th!
The Politburo has been at work behind the scenes and will likely force a new rule upon all of you:    Effective June 1st, every individual who is a member of the 1200 mile club must volunteer for a water stop 4 times a year, once per quarter.  Those 1200 milers who have not yet volunteered will be expected to volunteer at least twice between June 1st and December 31st.  We expect a few to be displeased with this but any dissent will be crushed, just like always.

Rumors:  The latest rumor is that AORTA will be having a cookout/monthly meeting probably on the afternoon of Saturday, May 1st.  Mark your calendar now!
Last Saturday was the Unity Race in Opelika where Doug Underwood was the master of ceremonies and things went well but they always do with Doug in charge.  I have the results here.  Also need to remind you that the Summer Swing 5K will be ramping up again in Opelika.  In the past that has been held each Tuesday throughout the summer and there is usually a band playing after the race and food!
From water czar Molly Johnson: Thank you to the following for volunteering for Saturday morning water stops throughout the month of March:  Jim Doyle, Leslie Agerton, Beth Ladisla, Bev Smith, Karen Khodadadi, Tracey Buckingham, Elyse Corbit, Jim Killian, Blake Henry, and Becky Freeman.  We appreciate your act of volunteering.  Those who are runners and partake in the water stops should be volunteers!  Jobs well done, thank you!

1200 Mile Club Results

Sorry Bub:  I forgot to mention that I was going to be out of town all last week so there'd be no updates.  I know that all of you (2 total) who read the website missed it.  We are in the super-heavy-duty part of the racing season where there are multiple races each Saturday.  This Saturday we have the Junior League Art Run featuring Elyse Corbitt.  Or, if you really want to have fun you can do the Amphibious Warrior Mud Run on campus. 
I'm over a week late on posting this but here is the up to date 1200 Mile Club results. 
And you can find the race application for the Trinity 10K, 5K & 1 mile here which is planned for April 24th.  On April 10th I think a few are going to the Nick Costes race in Troy, AL. 
Even though Shari Glover is on probation with AORTA due to the fact she has not been showing up on Saturdays she was able to post a 4:18 finishing time at the ING Marathon this past weekend.  Congratulations to Shari!
Rumors are swirling that some German runner may be leaving us soon...
And John Nevels sent me an update from the dark side of running...On March 13, several AORTA runners ran in the Delano Park 12 Hour Run.  Eric Gilbertson had a stellar day, placing 2nd by completing 74 miles within the time frame.  Allen Smith won the 50-mile race in 7:09:38, breaking the Alabama age 42 state record for 50 miles, and Marcus Farris placed 3rd in the 50-miler in 7:22:52, also breaking the Alabama age 19 state 50-mile record.  I was dumb enough to voluntarily start 12 hours early, run all night, and then compete in the race having already run 62 miles.  In any case, I ended up with 100 miles in 19:42:53 (nearly an 8-hour PR), and I think I raised nearly $1000 for NTSAD.  If anyone needs help falling asleep, a full report can be found at http://letsgoforarun.blogspot.com/2010/03/delano-day-100.html
I know we are out of "Saturday Routes" so I'll get one posted before Molly sends me another nasty-gram!

Results for the KD Shamrock 5K

More and more...I've added several more races to the calendar this evening.  April 10th is  popular with 6 races on that day!

Mud Run:  Also on April 3rd will be the Mud Run sponsored by the Auburn Marines.  You'll get to run 3 miles of off road trails, creeks, hills, obstacles and of course...mud pits!  You can go here to download an application.
The Junior League Art Run is also looking for volunteers to help with their race.  If you can help as a volunteer contact Elyse Corbitt.

Bajillion:  That's about how many races have been added to our calendar recently.  Everything should be up to date will all the information I have so check that out.
Ex-AORTA superstar Kim Dorman finally (the most graceful runner I've ever seen) ran her first marathon this past weekend.  After all those 20 mile runs she used to do on Saturday mornings but refusing to attempt a marathon she finally cracked.  She turned in a blistering 3:21:17.  Oddly enough her arch nemesis, Kermit Davis, was running a marathon at the same time at a different place and finished in 3:25.  I'm sure an email passed from Kim saying "who's your daddy"!  Thanks to Steve Speakman for that information.

Catching up:  Molly wanted to thank all the water volunteers and sent me this...A big thank you to the February water volunteers:  Penny Merrit-Price, Carol Dorn, Allen Smith, Bob Kennis, Bev Long, Beth Kisor, Tom Lawry, Carol Keever, and Mike and Gloria Walsh.  Several mornings were a might chilly and several mornings, races were in progress - but you all volunteered for AORTA runners and friends, and we thank you!
Also forgot to include John Nevels brother in the Cheaha 50K results.  Include Peter Nevels at 8:12.  I've also got a number of races that need to be added to calendar so I'll get that posted on Thursday.

The routes for the next two weeks have been posted so please contact Molly to help with a waterstop.

Beverly Long: Last weekend Beverly Long cruised to her first marathon finish in a mere 4:19 at the Albany Marathon.  In the past we've always had to shun her because, well, without a marathon under her belt she wasn't a real runner.  But now at a towering 5' 1/128" she will be a force to be reckoned with.  She said this would be her one and only marathon but bets are already being placed on which marathon this spring will be her second.  Congrats to Beverly.
AORTA was there to help with the KD Shamrock 5K on Saturday.  We had approximately 3 volunteers for each position so things went extremely well.  I don't have results of the race yet but I'll get them posted when I get them.  We had a budding young guest photographer there, Scott Walker.  I took a few photos, Scott took a lot and I've posted almost half of them which you can see at Smugmug.
I have several more new races to get posted for you this week.  I know Tracey Buckingham snuck away to Seaside to run the half marathon and I'll get the story on that.  And I heard some very sad news, John Schelhaus has taken a job in Athens, GA and will be moving this summer.  I don't know all the details yet John's been a big supporter and we are going to miss him...
Birthdays for March are to your right!  If we skipped past your birthday it's probably your own fault.  You didn't put your birthday on your AORTA registration so we don't have anyway to get it.  You can email Karen though and she'll add you to the list.

Tuesday News: Nick Holler and Molly Johnson were in Tampa last weekend to run in the half.  Molly finished with a 2:05 and Nick had a 2:14, both are very good times and congratulations to them.
We'll be sending Beverly Long along with Randy Long as her "support team" to Albany for her first marathon!  Beverly has trained for a marathon at least a couple of times in the past but always ended up with an injury.  This time she has quietly trained in order not to jinx herself which is very different from her usual trash-talking ways.  I think she's in her best condition ever and will do us proud on Saturday.  I tried to get her to predict a finishing time for herself but she didn't fall for that old trick.

Race Wrap-up:  First, I know the website has been up and down over the weekend and today.  We've installed some updates and rebooted everything so whatever was causing us problems should be fixed.
We had runners spread out this past weekend from Mt. Cheaha to New Orleans.  Many thanks to Bob Lawson for providing me these results:
Mount Cheaha 50k (2/27)
Eric Gilbertson 4:44 (5th out of 160)
Marcus Farris  5:17 (11th)
Allen Smith 5:35 (19th)
John Nevels 5:38 (21st)
Bob Lawson 6:18 (43rd)
If you'd like to see just how bad the elevation was take a look at this!

Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon and Half Marathon in New Orleans (2/28)
Marathon:
Blake Henry  3:13 (Congrats!!  First-time Boston Qualifying time!)
Kermit Davis 3:25
Tim Adams  3:39
Half:
John Horton 1:33
Not one slacker in the group...
Tomorrow I'll bring you up to date on a) Beverly Long's Albany, GA quest for marathon glory and b) the KD Shamrock run this Saturday.

Mardi Gras:  The word on the street is that we have several local runners headed to the Mardi Gras Marathon and Half Marathon this weekend in New Orleans.  Marathoners are Blake Henry and Kermit Davis while running the half will be John Horton and Tim Adams.  I know it was supposed to be secret and all that but good luck to the boys.  I also heard that Scott and Laura Walker and prepping for Boston in April.  Scott is still fighting injuries but my money is betting on the fact he makes it.
Daylight Donut Challenge:  This race will be held on April 24th at 8:00am at the AU Intramural Field.  You can download the application here, you can view the map here or you can go to Active.com and register.

Plans for the next 2 weeks have been set and Molly is going to be out of town so we need a few water stops covered...now!  The stop at Annalue & the Accountant's this Saturday is not covered and Auburn Early Ed for March 6th is not covered.

How to be cool:  For those of you who are nerdy and geeks which covers 80% of AORTA you need to know the new and cool sport is "curling".  I told Jocelin Gibson I love a sport that requires no athletic ability, no sweating or heavy breathing and a lot of yelling at stones.  But I've been watching way too many hours of it on TV. 
Don't forget that this weekend is the Russell Forest 10K.  Several from Auburn are headed there and you can go here to get more information.  The people from Alexander City are always supportive of our races.
Results for "Racing to Help Haiti" can be downloaded here.
Also, I know that several are planning marathons in the next couple of months.  If you have insider information on that please let me know.

Saturday Runs for Feb 20, 27 & Mar 6 have been posted.  Please contact Molly to volunteer for a water stop!

Catching up:  Despite the snow and very cold temperatures both of our races went off without a hitch last Saturday.  The number of races ended up being a little lower than expected but that was no doubt due to the weather.  Racing for Haiti collected around $2,800 not to mention shoes and clothing.  Here are a couple of races coming up in our area:
February 27 Montgomery, AL Footprints to the Finish Line 5K/10K. 8:30AM. Starts at GracePointe Chruch on Ray Thornington Road. $20 for 5K; $25 for 10K by 2/12. Info: 334-532-6152 or 334-315-3241 or www.nicufootprints.org to register
John Nevels will be participating in the Delano 12 race, which is a 12-hour event, the idea being to go as far as possible.  The catch is that he's doubling it, making it a 24-hour event, hoping to get between 100 and 110 miles.  In order to make it worth while, John's trying to use the event as a fundraiser for NTSAD (the same organization that he raised money for over the summer by running across the state.  He'll be doing this by asking for donations on a per-mile basis (perhaps $0.25 per mile donation for a family).  In any case, the Delano Day will take place from 6pm to 6pm on March 12-13, and I was wondering if you could mention it on the website.  I'll try to have flyers ready at the next Saturday morning run or AORTA race for anyone interested.
Quick note to remind you about the XTERRA Alabama Oak Mountain 10K Trail Running Race - March 14th, 2010!  Late registration kicks in on February 25th, 2010.  Whether you are racing the 3 race series or just looking for a trail race, come on out!  We are heading over there in the next weekend or so to get a GPS of the course and will post as soon as we get it finalized.  For complete details please go to: www.dirtyspokes.com

The "Big One":  Of course I'm referring to the Blizzard of 2010 that will bury us in, well, 2-4" of snow. I know that's not much but it will bring most of Auburn to a standstill.  However, not AORTA!  We have 2 races scheduled on Saturday morning that will go as planned.  Racing to Help Haiti at 8:00 and then you can walk down the street to the Diamond Dolls 5K at 10:45.  You can still register for both races and you might even get to run in a bit of snow....

The most immediate problem is we need to change the rules for the 1200 Club because it has grown so much, it costs the club at least $1,000 per year and I get 40-50 emails at the beginning of each month with your mileage and then proceed to lose several of those.  So the AORTA Politburo has met and here are the new rules for the 2008 1200 Mile Club: 
1) Must be a member by Feb 28th. No exceptions!  Membership forms must be completely filled out including email address.
2) Must turn in mileage no later than the 15th of the following month.  No exceptions.  Let's face it, if you are tracking your mileage there is no reason why you can't turn it in on time.
3) -- on the third day of the following month you will receive an email with a link.  Click on the link and you simply enter in your mileage when prompted.  Do not send your mileage to the website any longer.
4) -- Around the 13th of the month, people who have not responded will receive a reminder email. Once again, you can click on the link and enter your mileage for the month then hit submit.
5) To qualify for the 1200 Mile Club you MUST volunteer for a local race.  That doesn't mean help with registration and go run the race.  It means helping from start to finish, you can't race that day at all.  It's hard to get experienced people to volunteer and this is going to help us out a lot.

Now, if you want to be in the 1200 Mile Club for this year you just need to send Karen an email saying you want to join and you'll be added to an automated database that she has set up. Then you will be in the automated system.  Later, a new spreadsheet will be sent to me monthly that I'll post with everyone's mileage.  Yes, it's magical...

If you've been a regular member for a while then don't bother reading this because you know this already.  But, if you are new and have been pondering maybe possibly to try running with AORTA this is for you.  Lately, I've had several inquiries (at least 5) about wanting to run with us on Saturdays and they have a lot of questions about what we do so here goes my explanation.
A)  Yes, it may say the Saturday run is some impossible distance for you but ignore that.  About 25% of the people will run that far, most will run an hour or maybe a bit more or less so don't be intimidated by the mileage that gets posted.  It's bogus man!
B)  No, you don't have to be a member of AORTA to run with us.  But, at some point we would certainly hope that you would want to support the group by becoming a member and forking over your $20.  Now, if you go a really long time we send one of our aggressive females after you to collect.  I have some names in mind but I won't mention them right now.
C)  What do we have to offer on Saturday?  Click on the link to the right that says "Saturday Plan" and it explains in a haphazard way what we are doing.  We have a planned route, a planned distance, you can print out the map if you aren't familiar with Auburn and most importantly we have water stops about every 3 miles! 
4) "I'm too slow, I'll fall off the back".   You might, but you probably won't, we have runners of all abilities.  We have a lot of fast people and a lot of slow people and I can almost guarantee you will find at least one person who is your speed.
E) "But I'm new to this and those guys have been doing marathons and running for years".  I can say with all confidence that everyone understands how it is to be new and how hard it can be to get started running or to try and move up to the next level.  We've all been there!  I've seen so many runners who started running with us and their max distance had been 3 miles over 45 minutes.  A year later they are much faster and have done a 10K or half marathon and pondering a full marathon.  Running with a group makes running much easier and you'll find yourself being pulled along.
F)  "You mean you run at 6:00 am on a Saturday?"  I've heard that a thousand times but once a person shows up they realize it's not that hard to get out early.  We meet that early for 2 reasons.  1) Do you know how hot it is, this helps to beat the heat a little. 2) Many of the members have kids and activities so they get their long run done early and can still get home before soccer, baseball, etc.
The hardest day will be that first Saturday!  After that you'll fall in, enjoy the people and the run and never look back...  This Saturday would be the perfect day to start!