Thoughts for Wednesday - SITEC, Pine Barrens Run, and Races

One thing about the recovery that I'm in is that I get to focus on other aspects that are important to me.

Like the new club that we're forming.

I love that there are people out there interested in longer events. There are a lot of short, 5k events out there, but it seems like a significant number of people are looking into exploring their limits in longer races.

That is where this club comes in. The club name? SITEC, or, the Staten Island Triathlon and Endurance Club. The focus is truly on longer races, starting at the half-marathon distance and up to 100 miles and beyond. Same with triathlons. We do focus on the sprint distances in tris, as well as the Olympic Distance, the half-Ironman Distance, and the full Ironman distance.

And beyond. There are races longer than the Ironman too. Just put in a search for "double Ironman or "triple Ironman, or even "triple deca Ironman" (30 x Ironman), and you'll get races.

 Anyone willing to do a race that is 30 times Ironman?

Oh, and the true focus of the club? Having fun while expanding the limits of human potential.

Training can be intense, but one cannot leave the fun behind. Fun is really the reason why we do these endurance events to begin with, right? That is what keeps us training, so it cannot be left out.

And that will be my contribution to the new club...keeping things fun. :-)

If you're interested in the club, you can sign up at our meetup group here: http://www.meetup.com/Staten-Island-Triathlon-and-Endurance/

You can also sign up in our new group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/351283305015928/

Hope to see you soon. :-)
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When I decided on the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, I made a huge promise to myself that I was to stay away from big races for three or four months after the Grand Slam was over.

That means the rest of this year. For the most part, 2013 is pretty much in the books.

But I'm not through with exploring trails with people though. There are a number of Fat Ass runs that I'm looking forward to this fall.

The first one I just did this past weekend. It was called the Batty Fatty race, put on by director Angie C., who is herself an ultrarunner. The 15 miles was in Wharton State Forest, in the heart of the Pine Barrens in NJ. A lot of the trail runners from the Raritan Valley Road Runners were doing this race also.

How can I not do this race? :-)

Remember that "fun" thing that I said above? Well, exploring new places is part of that fun.

I don't get much time to travel to the Pine Barrens and run on the trails there, so this was a good opportunity.

None of the runners got eaten by this critter; we all made it back alive. :-)

And it turned out to be a great run too. I had a good conversation with Heather S. during the entire run, managed not to get lost...sort of, and enjoyed the beautiful environment of the Pine Barrens on a perfect day weatherwise (50s and sunny).

She along with 4 other people will be going to the Grand Canyon this weekend to attempt the "rim to rim to rim". For people who don't understand, this means going from one edge of the canyon (called the rim) to the other side, then run back to the original side. In all, the attempt is about 44 miles.

Ah yes, the infamous warning sign not to hike down to the river and back on the same day. But the sign doesn't apply to runs to the OTHER RIM and back, right?

Oh, and by the way, this is on my bucket list. The only reason I'm not going is because of that huge promise to rest that I mentioned above.

I'm totally jealous that they're going. But I wish them the best of luck.

As for the Pine Barrens Run, well, the race director of Batty Fatty is planning a 50 mile Fat Ass Run on the entire Batona Trail in January. And I'll be there for it. January is a new year, and that promise I made will be over. :-)

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SITEC has a weekly run scheduled for Saturday at the College of Staten Island. Parking lot#6 near the track is where we meet. It'll be a smallish run, since it is a day before the NYC Marathon. Oh, and about the marathon, if you're looking to see the race live, I'll be heading out on the ferry Sunday morning to get a vantage spot around First Ave. If you're interested, feel free to contact me if you want.

Also, some noted news...Brooklyn Triathlon has cancelled its race in November of this year (swim in November at Coney Island...brrr!). Instead, they will do the race on October 27 of next year (swim in late October at Coney Island...brrr!).

November 1-15 - 2014 NYC Triathlon lottery opens. Lottery fee is $10, $302.50 if selected.

November 1 at midnight (or Halloween night after the trick-or-treating ends), 2014 Survival of the Shawangunks Triathlon registration begins. They will fill the first 100 slots, the rest will go into a lottery to determine the remaining slots. Lottery selection is $25 and will be applied to the race application if selected. Total fee for registration is $400. In the past 2 years, you must have either done a previous SOS race, completed a 70.3 tri in under 7 hours, or 140.6 tri in under 15 hours to qualify.

November 9-16 - Lottery for 2014 Western States 100 opens with the actual drawing on December 7. Must qualify with a listed 50 miler in 11 hours, 100k in 14 hours, or 100 miler in under the official cut-off time. No lottery fees, but registration fee will be due immediately if selected (fee will be listed when you sign up).