ANUSHEH CHAVEZ ran the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon, finishing in 2:12.  This was 2 minutes faster than her half in Las Vegas in December.  Also pictured are JESSICA WEXLER (Sr. Business Analyst) and LIZ HARRELL (Director, Product Management & Projects) ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon together.  Jessica and Liz have been training buddies for the past few months.  Sunday all of their hard work paid off and they crossed the finish line together.  The weather was perfect, the course was amazing and lots of Active folks were out there cheering us on!  A truly epic day!

MICHELLE NATION WENT ALL THE WAY! She ran the Full Marathon yesterday in a new Personal Record of 4:39:39. She said it was great seeing so many smiling faces from all her Active friends and family out on the course.

TODD PREECE ran the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon and had a fast day.  He completely crushed his previous PR, putting in a 1:37 and placing in the top 10% of his age group.

JENNIFER ROMINE, Account Manager Endurance had a mini family reunion with both her sisters and Mom coming down to race the Carlsbad Half Marathon (this was the first half for the rest of the family and only Jen’s second).  A little friendly sibling rivalry helped Jennifer to PR with a time of 2:12:22, however she still was not able to beat her older sister J. 

JAMIE WILLIAMS, Data Warehouse Architect ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon Sunday – his first Half, so he now has a PR – 2:02! J

KEVIN BEATTY from the SD office completed the Carlsbad ½ Marathon while battling a head cold. He finished in 1:39, good job Kevin a lot of people would have stayed in bed!

STACEY JOHNSON also ran the Carlsbad ½ Marathon in a tiem of 1:45. She said what a beautiful day to run, clear skies and sunny with a big surf to watch along the course.

JASON GRIFFITH, Project Manager Foundations sending in his FIRST contribution after being here almost a year! He ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon (my first).  I finished w/ a time of 2:22.57.  Five Months ago I started doing trail runs w/ Michelle Nation & Kevin Burke and couldn’t run more than a mile.  So I’d like to thank them for the motivation and support as well as the training plan Arch put together.  Overall I’m very happy considering it was my first, I was able to run the whole race, no walking, and had no on course issues.  The weather was absolutely perfect for running I don’t think it could have been any better and I feel great today my legs are only a little sore.  WAY TO GO JASON GETTING TO THAT FINISH LINE!

ROB POWELL ran the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon along wth 60 other friends/family as par of Chloe’s Crew, an organization inspired by Chloe Nichols, an 8 year old girl whose spirit and determination inspires others to reach for and achieve their goals.  Chloe was a fiercely determined girl who never backed down from a challenge, and Chloe's Crew is determined to keep this spirit alive.  She passed away at age eight on August 25, 2009 from complications due to medical treatment, and yes, she fought the good fight all the way to the end... 

MATT BECKMAN did yesterday’s Carlsbad Half was a perfectly sunny morning.  There were quite a few Active supporters out there, which is greatly appreciated, especially for the under-trained.  Attached is a pic I snapped as we approached Highway 101 at Mile 3. 

TOBY GUILLETTE, Social Media Specialist in San Diego, ran the San Diego Resolution Run 5K on Saturday morning. I finished in 18:27 (5:57 pace), good for 9th overall and 5th in my age group. This is also a PR for me -- not a bad way to start 2010! Then on Sunday, I went on a 2hr40min mountain bike ride out at Mission Trails. What a beautiful weekend in San Diego! 

ROBBIE RECH, JOEL WERDELL and CHRIS INOUYE (all from Bothell) went backpacking high up in the Cascades this weekend as part of winter guide training for Peak 7 Adventures (http://www.peak7.org/).  We hiked 4 miles in at Coal Creek learning some avalanche awareness techniques along the way.  At Kenall Peak Lakes, we attempted to build igloos to sleep in.  It was a good thing we brought tents as well.  Below are some of the odd things that happen during instructor training highlighted with these 4 photos.

1. [P1030546.jpg] Ancient Inuit igloo foundation stomping technique (unfortunately, the igloo never completely closed)

2. [P1030593.jpg] No really, I'm cleaning out a stove

3. [P1030540.jpg] Hey, Robbie, eating snow will make you more dehydrated.

4. [P1030562.jpg] Amazing sunsets

MICHAEL STRICKLAND, Senior Copy Writer on Foundations, bags the peak of Iron Mountain, a popular San Diego day hike. The approximate location of The Active Network’s San Diego office is indicated in the background.

This weekend LIZ HARRELL (Director, Product Management & Projects) and JESSICA WEXLER (Sr. Business Analyst) took full advantage of the amazing weather that San Diego has to offer.  A 26 mile bike ride along the coast on Saturday morning, followed by a 13 mile run Sunday morning.  This was our last LONG run before the Carlsbad Half on January 24^th!

ANTHONY VALENTINO, Account Executive for the Communities group serving Higher Education, was part of the crew aboard the Beneteau 47.7 yacht El Sueno to WIN the Class 3 division in the Southwestern Yacht Club’s Cabrillo I "ROUND THE CORONADOS" 33.6 mile open ocean yacht race. The victory was extra sweet as the second place boat was skippered by none other than Dennis Conner (FOUR time America’s Cup Winner).  Despite a poor start and some major kelp grappling, the crew of El Sueno finished ahead by a margin of 2:51 (corrected).  It was a long day of racing that had us finishing in the dark after witnessing an amazing sunset over the vast Pacific.  As this is only the first in a four part series, the stage has been set for some solid, competitive racing. If any Active folks are interested in getting involved in racing El Sueno, contact Anthony for more info!

MATTHWE HENRY, Interaction Designer Bothell completed the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge this weekend.  Yes, that's 39.3 miles of running in two days.  Saturday's Half Marathon and Sunday's Marathon started off unusually cold for Orlando, both with sub-freezing temperatures.   Disney even managed to invite a special guest for 5 am on Saturday: snow.  Sunday was cold and windy, but it at least stayed dry.  Sunday was the first event I've attended that featured Powerade slushies and semi-frozen water.  Even warnings of "Beware of the ice on the road." The event was great, as usual, despite the weather.  I ran through Cinderella's castle twice, and saw almost every single Disney character you can think of out there cheering us on.  Best part is, I don't actually feel that sore!