Jive SBS Syndication Feed

A Noteworthy November

Active Toby — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:12:08 GMT

Jim Garfield (AMG) and Active alum Chris Wheeler, did the Big Rock Triathlon this past Saturday. It was great to hear the fans cheer "Go Active". Wish the cheers could have loosened my tight calf's.....but fun all the same!!

Last Saturday, Oct 31, David Detar (National Account Manager - ActiveOutdoors) and his son Matt (10 yrs old) participated in a local Jack-o-lantern Jog. It was a 5K race.

The course was tough - a 3/4 mile hill less than a mile from the start and then rolling hills throughout. We also were forced to run through heavy rain and wind. We still enjoyed our time together and finished respectably in 27:30 and 27:31. Pacing with Matt, I my time actually put in in 7th in my age group while Matt finished 4th in the under 11 age bracket. Next up for both of us is a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day!

Michelle Nation, Product Manager - I travelled to Las Vegas this weekend to take on the Desert Beach Big Dirt Triathlon. The weather and the 1.5 k lake swim were perfect, but the 30 k bike and 10k run were brutal! As the only female to finish the long course, I brought home the first place trophy which helps me feel a lot better about all the cuts, bruises and sore muscles from crashing on the bike course. It was my first off-road tri and I will definitely be back for more.

Jim Hine, GM for Consumer Access, rode with a group of eight riders on a 24-mile loop along the South Fork of the Boise River on Saturday. The stock trails in the Danskin Mountains aren’t maintained so you get pretty worked on the side hills and washouts. You can only ride this area in the fall/winter due to the heavy rattlesnake population in the spring. I hooked a pedal and got a close-up look at a rock, but the trails were a blast.

Mark Lister (Documentation – Burnaby) competed in the Haney 2 Harrison 100 km road relay this past weekend. Running with “Oconnor’s Washed up All Stars” (comprised of current and former Richmond Kajaks track runners), the team finished second overall in a time of 5:43.48.

Mark was 3rd on his leg of the race, running the 13.1 km stage in 46:26, despite the cold, persistent heavy rain.

Stage 6 results: http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2009/run/H2H2009Stage6.html

Marea Blue (Implementation Analyst) and I (Kirstin Hartos, Technical Account Management Team Lead) traveled to San Francisco over the weekend with our rugby team to play for the Division 1 National Championship. We faced the Atlanta Harlequins in Friday’s semi-final match, and although they scored first we managed to come from behind in the second half to win 21-10 and advance to the final against Northern Virginia. We had Saturday to rest and refocus, and came out firing on Sunday – scoring within the first minute of the game to go up 7-0. We got penalized several times for repeated offenses, and one of our players was sin-binned (like a penalty box in hockey) so we played a man down for 10 minutes in the middle of the first half. Although we didn’t score again until well into the second half, we managed to hold NOVA scoreless throughout the game. The final score was 14-0, marking our team’s first ever National Championship. Marea was also named MVP (well deserved). Thanks to everyone here for your support throughout the season!

Chris Ochs, Sales Manager - The Boulder Team participated in Habitat for Humanity.

L-R: Chris Ochs, Jen Napoli, Dan Partain, Aaron Romero, Eric Johnson, Holly Hale, Nick Stevens.

A fun time was had by all!

Here is the Weekend Warrior from China.

Phoenix Zhong, Jex Chen and Crusoe Xia (From left to right) from Foundations, Chengdu office attended a cycling match at Sunday.

This is the first time China ActiveX team members to attend a national wide, public cycling match in China!

Crusoe got the 1^st place in his group and got 53^rd in the whole match. It is China ActiveX team’s first record.

“225” in these two pictures is Jex

Top 10 Thoughts That Go Through Your Mind When Running The New York City Marathon

Active Toby — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:41:08 GMT

Congratulations to Meb Keflezighi who ran a personal best of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 15 seconds on Sunday at the New York City Marathon and became the first American to win the race in 27 years. Monday night, he joined David Letterman on the Late Show to present "The Top 10 Thoughts That Go Through Your Mind When Running The New York City Marathon."

10. "Wow. Staten Island is even more beautiful than I imagined."

9. "Cool! MapQuest found a route that's only 5 miles."

8. "Am I experiencing the runners high or is it the bus fumes?"

7. "Is that the finish line or crime scene tape?"

6. " Why can I run 26 miles in less time than it takes to play a World Series game?"

5. "Car!"

4. "Cramp!"

3. "Who's that little boy waving at me? Oh, its Mayor Bloomberg."

2. "I forgot to bring the exact change for the Verrazano Bridge."

1. "I really hope that was Gatorade."

Meb Keflezighi presents the "Top Ten Thoughts That Go Through Your Mind When Running The New York City Marathon."

Watch the video here

This was a great segment! #8 is my favorite: "Am I experiencing the runners high or is it the bus fumes?"

Which is your favorite?

Ironman, Mud Run, Kickball and More!

Active Toby — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:00:13 GMT

On October 10th the 31st running of the Ford Ironman World Championships were held in Kailua-Kona Hawaii. The Active Network was well represented from Endurance, AMG, International and Management. A group pic is included along with a crazy nut at the finish line pumping up the crowd.

MICHELE ULRICH in SD with Four friends and I did the Camp Pendleton Mud Run on Saturday morning. It was a blast and my team finished third in the mixed division.

MICHELE CREPEAU in NY is working her way running events training for the NYC Marathon. Ran Tunnel to Towers Run, Sept 27th, Grete’s Gallup ½ marathon on Oct 3, 20 miles of the Chicago Marathon on Oct 11th

BERT REPINE in SD was also in Kona, HI rooting on Mom in the Ironman World Championships as she took home 1st place in the 60-64 year old age group. The race marked her 10th Kona Ironman and 5th age group win. (Great job announcing by the way, heard you from the wee hours of the morning all the way into the night. Don’t know how you do it?)

This past weekend I tried my hand at the Camp Pendleton 10K Mud Run --- though I’m certainly no Ironman --- I managed to finish in 51:08, good for 17th overall and 4th in my age group.
This is certainly one of San Diego’s funnest races if anyone out there has ever thought about trying it.

Two weeks ago, CHRIS OCHS Sales Manager, Active Events-Boulder flew to San Diego and competed in the Mission Bay Triathlon. Battling a fierce headwind, Chris finished with a 1:06, good for Top 10% overall. Yesterday I tried my hand at steer wrestling here in Colorado….I will NOT be joining the rodeo circuit anytime soon!

STACEY JOHNSON ran the Chicago Marathon last weekend (the 11th). It was SO COLD (never got out of the low 30s that day), but I took 10 minutes off my previous best and finished in 3:49. Very fun race!

KRISTI DUBIEL Implementation Analyst with Thriva (Scottsdale, AZ). My kickball team in Arizona, We Kick Your Balls (WYKB) traveled to Las Vegas last weekend to compete in the 2009 WAKA Founders Cup - World Kickball Championships. We were seeded #5 out of 72 teams going into the tournament. Although we did not finish as well as we did last year we still had a blast playing. The level of competition increased significantly over the past year so losing in the Sweet 16 was definitely bittersweet. We really wished we could have played more games, but we lost to a really great team. Below is a photo of my team after our loss.

After we got eliminated from the tournament, we started up an unofficial game of Sloshball with the 2008 National Champions (Frosty Balls out of VA) and the #1 seed ASO out of Maine. It was a great time of shoeless kickball, great friends and alcoholic beverages.

WILLIAM BASSLER in the SD office did the mud run Saturday and said it was fun!

JESSICA WEXLER (Foundations) October 4th participated in the Mission Bay Sprint Triathlon. It was a fun course and great to see so many beginners out there enjoying the sport for the first time!

JIM GARFIELD reports also from Kona 2 weeks ago. Active’s Tina Novak, Burt Repine and Jim Garfield tried a new sport…paddleboard! The water and sun was so great..guess it did not matter if we were good or not! In reporting on the race for Huffington Post and Active.com Jim also had the opportunity to observe one of his hero’s in action…Active’s own Mike Reilly once again hit it out of the park with his hall-of-fame announcing! This past weekend Jim Garfield tried another new sport…beach Volleyball! I’m sure the MGD 64 wrist bands helped his game!

JASON SLUSARCHUK Account Exec on Saturday I ran in a local charity fundraiser. The Daniel Igali 5k run for the kids in Surrey, BC
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136674339060&ref=mf

JESSE HAMMOND, AIREY BARINGER and Jesse’s wife EMMY rode to the top of Palomar Mountain in SD County on Sunday. The 41-mile total trip took about 3 and a half hours. Beautiful weather, beautiful views and a thrilling descent down East Grade Road made for a good time out in East County

JIM DE LA CRUZ Application Support Administrator last week ran the Long Beach Half Marathon with CHRISTINA HANSON & EMILY CHAN-NORRIS. It was a great event, nice flat scenic course and terrific food afterwards at the beer garden. This past Sunday JIM completed the Playa Del Rey Sprint Triathlon at Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles time was about 1:29:08. Great conditions for the swim, bike was a nice and open street course I recommend this course next year!

Mark Lister (Documentation - Burnaby) ran his second marathon over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, the Royal Victoria Marathon.

Conditions were perfect - sunny, little wind and only a slight chill in the air. Working in a pack with several other runners, he went through the half-way mark in 1:19:40 en-route to a 6 minute PR!

He finished 19th overall (5th in his age category) in 2:44:10.

Mark now looks forward to resting on his time off this week.

Long Beach ICB Marathon Announces 25th Anniversary Sweepstakes Contest

Active Toby — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:55:55 GMT

Press Release

LONG BEACH, CA – In celebration of its 25th Anniversary, the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon will be giving away a host of prizes in a random drawing contest. Anyone registered for any of the marathon events by the contest deadlines (October 1 for mail-in registrations and October 7 for online registrations) will automatically be eligible for the contest drawing. Topping the list of prizes will be 25 Round Trip Travel Certificates on JetBlue Airways, the Official Airline of the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon. Certificates are valid from any JetBlue departure city to any non-stop JetBlue destination city.

Additional prizes include: $250 Prize Package from Clif Bar; $250 Prize Package from Road Runner Sports: $250 Prize Package from Hyatt Regency Hotel Long Beach and ten $25 gift certificates from Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. To be eligible for the prize drawing, participants must register on-line AT www.runlongbeach.com for any 25th Anniversary event before the on-line registration deadline: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at midnight.

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon and Half Marathon will be held on Sunday, Oct. 11. Events include: Marathon, Half Marathon, Marathon Bike Tour, Bubba Gump Run Forrest Run 5K and Kids 1 Mile Fun Run.

No purchase is necessary for participation in the Sweepstakes Contest. For complete contest rules and registration information on the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon, please visit www.runlongbeach.com or call 562-427-4606.

September Warriors

Active Toby — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:53:08 GMT

Scott Novell, Development Manager in San Diego - Participated in the La Jolla Gatorman race for the sixth time. The Gatorman is the longest running swim race in America, it is a 5k swim from the La Jolla cove to Scripps pier and back, No wetsuits allowed! It was a tough race this year with 6-7 foot swells and a lot of current, there were times I thought I was going backwards. It was not one of my fastest times but was still an exciting and challenging event and always an exciting start as seen in the picture!

Robert Subkow, Director of Network & Communications - This weekend marked the 4th annual Helen Woodward Surf Dog Competition at Del Mar in which the Golden Surfer’s were well represented. Jill Sonar Subkow (Our Golden Retriever) placed 4th in her heat of 13 dogs over 60 pounds, and 7th overall in the X-Large dog category, (Please don’t tell her she is extra large, she is a bit touchy about her weight, lol)…. The waves were challenging as the rip current was strong but Jill was able to get in 11 runs in 20 minutes, well she rode while I ran after the board and reloaded her for the next wave. Hope this is a worthy update

Ryan Lyster, Customer Experience Project Manager - I returned last week from Peru where I did a 4 day trek up the Inca trail to reach Machu Picchu with my Dad on his 60th birthday. The trek was difficult for my standards, reaching 4,215m’s above sea level and hiking the vertical of whistler mountain in a single morning! It was well worth it to see all the stunning ruins along the way and to be surrounded by the Andes. Cant say enough about the experience, would recommend it to everyone!

Charlie Trottier, Team Manager in San Diego, CA played with his Saturday Ultimate Frisbee league team for 60 minutes, 8 v. 8 and surfed on Sunday for 40 minutes. The waves were huge!

Jim Garfield (AMG) joined 1,500 athletes to compete in the Nautica Malibu Olympic distance triathlon. Jim joined fellow Active X’s Rebecca Divita and Kelly Schulty along with Active alum’s Chris Wheeler and Carrie James. In addition to Sunday’s race Jim channeled his inner Mike Riley once again to announce Sunday’s celebrity race. This year’s field included Terri Hatcher and Felicity Hufffman (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES), Paul Lieberstein (THE OFFICE), William H. Macy and his high school buddy Jeremy Piven ( ENTOURAGE) among many other celeb’s and 3,500 hard charging athletes. This year’s event raised over $1 Million dollars for Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

Dave Detar, Account Manager for ActiveOutdoors - My ten year old son (Matthew) chose Labor Day to run in his first ever timed race. We registered and ran in the 27th Labor Day 5K Classic in Washington, PA. Since he had never run in an organized race of this length, I kept cautioning him against starting too fast. Even with the first part of the course downhill, I was concerned when our 1 mile split was 7:15. I thought Matt was in trouble. Much to my surprise and delight, he kept running, stopping only for a quick drink at the mid-point water station. With the finish line in sight, he pushed forward and crossed in 24:03. This time earned him first place in his age group. I finished 6th in my age group. Not bad for what I thought was going to be a leisurely jog to introduce Matt to organized racing! Here is a picture of Matt picking up his first place trophy.

Tina Novak, Software Consultant in Colorado - This weekend I competed in my first adventure race, the Bearable Adventure Race in Lakewood, CO. It was a partner race, though my friend I signed up with hurt her foot last week and had to recruit my boyfriend as a last minute substitute! We had to complete a water crossing, where the hardest part was inflating our mattress we both had to touch at all times… After the swim we mountain biked 10 miles and ran 4 trail miles over the rivers and through the woods with our stuffed bear in tow, all the way to our orienteering challenge where we had to find 6 different points before running to the finish line. IT. WAS. AWESOME.

Jessica Wexler, (Foundations) - Spent the weekend mountain biking, hiking, and camping in the Hurkey Creek area near Idyllwild, California. Next weekend is the big 24 hours of Adrenaline Race so there were many experienced riders practicing the route and zipping past me on the trail. Note to San Diego co-workers this is an excellent place to camp with your dogs!

Toby Guillette, Community Development Specialist, San Diego - For my last long training run before the Noble Canyon 50K on 9/26, I ran up and down Palomar Mountain this weekend via the Nate Harrison Grade Rd. It was a brutal 10-mile ascent with an 8% grade and 4,700’ of climbing. I would recommend it as a solid mountain bike ride but not as a run. The 10-mile descent was a quad killer and got really hot. At least the view was "kinda" worth it

Bret Harris, Account Manager in San Diego - I helped organize this year’s Paddle For Clean Water event around the Ocean Beach Pier. This is an annual gathering of ocean enthusiasts organized by the Surfrider Foundation to raise awareness about clean water issues here in San Diego by orchestrating a mass paddle out around the longest pier on the west coast. Unfortunately, this year’s 1.2 mile paddle adventure had to be postponed due to the large swell, but the festival carried on and was a huge success!

This weekend Tina Wilmott in the PR department took trapeze classes in Escondido for a friend’s birthday. I’ve always wanted to try and highly recommend. It was amazing! Here is a video of me (see attached) flying through the air.

Summer lives on for Active Warriors

Active Toby — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:41:50 GMT

Dave Detar - Account Manager, ActiveOutdoors participated in the Spirit of Columbus (OH) half-marathon on Sunday, August 30, 2009. The race setting was very nice as most of the course followed the Scioto river into the heart of the city. My goal for the race was to break the 2:00 hour mark. I had run my first half-marathon in May and finished in 2:06. With great conditions and a favorable course, I was able to achieve my goal, finishing in 1:53:47. Here is a photo near the finish line with my sons {Matt (blue shirt) and Andy (red shirt)}

Jim Hine competed with some friends in the Bogus Basin Hill Climb, which gains 3,600 of elevation over 15 miles. The record field was capped at 400 riders and I placed 17th in my age group with a PB of 1:15:26. The fast riders get to the top in under an hour, but I was just trying to keep up with the Nuns on the tandem! We devoured lime-and-salt popsicles and cruised down slower than usual to take in the views.

Jim Garfield (Active) and his brother Craig participated in his hometown Chicago Triathlon this weekend. The Chicago Tri is the largest in the U.S. and I am sure has the biggest pot holes as well. Over 9,500 participants including Active own Bill Kennedy (Active Multi-Sports) braved the canyon size pot holes, semi- chilly water and great run to compete in this massive event. The Organizers are really lobbying hard for the 2016 Olympics and put on a first class show! Barely a 20 min wait for the porta-johns! You can read Jim’s race report as a featured blog on the Huffington Post.

Brittany Bowles

, Ellen Steevensz and Jamie Williams did the Bike the Bay ride (25+ miles) from Embarcadero Park behind the San Diego Convention Center over the Coronado Bridge and around the bay back to the Park. The weather was beautiful if a bit hot. J It was a lot of fun to go over the bridge on a bike – it’s the only chance of the year to do that. There is a 4 mile run/walk (May this year) that also lets you over the bridge. Otherwise it’s car only!!

!BikeTheBayJamieAndBrittany.jpg!

Meghan Swirski and Leah Pardini participated in the Great Urban Race in Seattle, WA over the weekend. The Great Urban Race is a timed urban adventure. Teams of two solve twelve clues, have a wild city adventure (think: running, lots of running) and complete fun challenges along the course. We didn’t place, but we finished with over an hour to spare. Team Name: Meerkats – WATA!

One of the challenges, as shown in the attached photo, was to find the Maximum Minimus Mobile Pig and take a picture of the team jumping in front of it.

Tons of fun, and we got lucky with the weather, was a gorgeous day!

America's Finest Weekend

Active Toby — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:09:30 GMT

The San Diego half marathon triple crown series came to an end this weekend with the America's Finest City Half Marathon and Active's Mike Reilly announcing the event.

Michelle L. Ulrich - ran AFC Half yesterday and had a great race. I ran a 1:29:55 placing second in my age division.

Kevin Beatty ran the AFC half and finished with a time of 1:41. Getting stuck and having to wait for the trolley to pass was a little disappointing, but overall a great day for a race.

Carol Martin - My goal was to finish in less than 3 hours. And here’s the result… Just made it. I came in 32nd of the 38 women in the 60-64 age group. The fastest one in my group did it in 1:05 – amazing. It was a real challenge. But I’m ok. Have a couple of blisters, but otherwise intact. I think I’ll probably sign up for Carlsbad Half in Jan.

Jim de la Cruz, from the San Diego office writes, “I am so grateful, I finished the AFC yesterday in 2:06:00 it was great hearing Mike Reilly bring me in and pickup my triple crown award for the 2nd year!”

Anusheh Chavez participated in the AFC 5K.

GISELLE DOMDOM went kayaking with my brother and sister in La Jolla. Then we took advantage of the summer’s last “Free National Parks Weekend” and visited Cabrillo National Monument. We enjoyed beautiful views of San Diego and a great hike.

Steve Mazza went mountain biking in the High Sierras – pics of Minaret Vista and Mammoth Mountain!

Chris Inouye from Thriva Implementation completed his first triathlon under perfect weather conditions. I thought I’d start small for my first triathlon so I raced the Lake Stevens Half Ironman. My swim and bike were good, but I cramped up in the first mile of the run. The cramps never went away, but I thankfully finished in a total time of 5:51. If Joel Werdell from Thriva Product Management doesn’t get his report in, I’ll brag for him: Joel also raced his first triathlon this weekend. He had a blistering pace on the bike and finished his Half Ironman in 5:24. Already looking forward to next year!

Chris Ochs, ActiveEvents OnDemand-Boulder, and his partner Missy Simpson competed in the Muddy Buddy-Boulder on Sunday. The dirty duo won their age group with a time of 45:57, barely edging out the next finisher by 9 seconds! Most of all, they had a blast.

Tina Novak got muddy this weekend at the Muddy Buddy race in Boulder, CO. Both my buddy, Katy, and I had never done a Muddy Buddy and had no idea what to expect – so we donned our shiny gold capes and got at it. Needless to say we were NOT disappointed with the trail runs/rides and muddy obstacles, and can’t wait to compete again next year!

Jim Hine - On Saturday we biked the Deadwood River-Julie Creek loop near Lowman, Idaho. The Deadwood is named for the hundreds of fallen trees that jam up the river most of the year. Only expert kayakers will risk running it. The 24-mile loop started with a long push to the main ridge, but the trails on top had fun ups/downs, roots and rocky sections. The fast switchbacks and creek crossings on the descent were a blast. Our total elevation gain was 6,110 feet…with 4,300 climbed in the first 10 miles. We cooled off in the fast-flowing Deadwood after the ride - but the run-off was in the low 50’s so it was a quick dip!

2009 ActiveX Charity Challenge Solana Beach

Active Toby — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:49:51 GMT

From ALYSON REA:

Months of hard training prepared Team ActiveX for Sunday morning at the Solana Beach Triathlon & Duathlon. The 2nd Annual ActiveX Charity Challenge was another huge success with over 80 Active employees competing in this year’s events, many being first time Triathletes/Duathletes. As if this was not accomplishment enough, the team was also successful in raising over $31K in support of the Monarch School!

Check out the results:

http://www.y-events.com/09soltri.htm

http://www.y-events.com/09soldu.htm

JESSICA WEXLER had a blast at the Solana Beach Triathlon. I hadn’t done a full tri in 5 years and now realize how much I have missed it. It was great fun to see everyone out there on the course! Looking forward to the next one already.

DEBRA URKA participated in the Solana Beach Triathlon for the second time this weekend. The waves going into the swim were intense but overall it was a beautiful and fun day. I look forward to next year.

JAMIE WILLIAMS also did the Solana Beach Triathlon on Sunday!

Michelle L. Ulrich did her first triathlon yesterday at Solana Beach and finished in 1:07:01. What a fun day and ready for the next one!

RYAN WOOD competed in the San Luis Obispo Triathlon on Sunday with his wife, Lauren. It was their first triathlon. The race was a 900-yard pool swim, a 15.3-mile bike ride with way too many hills and a 3.1-mile run. We finished neck-and-neck, just like we thought we would. It was a great accomplishment for a couple of newbies, and it will NOT be our last tri!

Michelle Nation (Product Manager – San Diego) had the treat this weekend of travelling to Idaho to compete in the Burley Lions Spudman (international distance) triathlon with my mom and my older sister. We took fourth place in our division with a time of 2:46:24.5. As promised by the Race Directors, I PRd on the 1.5 k swim (thanks to some help from the current) with a time of 18:49. This was an amazing event put on by a really cool group of volunteers. I now understand why it’s so popular they had to switch their registration to a lottery!

Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run: Race Report

Active Toby — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:00:27 GMT

My goal for the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run was to unite my family and friends who crewed for me during my attempt at a sub-24 hour finish. If you’ve been following along, you know that [I’ve been training all season |

http://community.active.com/blogs/toby/tags/vt100] for this event. If you’re just joining in, this is my second attempt at the 100-mile distance, having run 24 hours 32 minutes at the 2008 San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run. The adventure was a total success! Here’s how it went down:

!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2581/3744748132_fc5fa07f13.jpg|height=451|alt=P7180400|width=500|src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2581/3744748132_fc5fa07f13.jpg!

Never stop exploring your limits!

It was raining when my dad, brother and I made our way from the bed and breakfast to the start/finish area at 3 a.m. for the pre-race check-in, so I started with my headlamp, rain shell and hydration pack. We were off and running at 4 a.m. toward the first crew-accessible aid station, 21 miles into the race, where my parents; my brother, Steve; my best friend, John; his wife, Patty; and my friend, Pete, were waiting for me.

!http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3461/3742250647_886d602a9d.jpg|height=375|alt=VT100 010|width=500|src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3461/3742250647_886d602a9d.jpg!

The best crew ever!

The first section was dark in the forest on muddy trail a where I met and chatted with Cheryl, a runner from New York attempting her first 100. We had connected on Twitter the week before. The rain was forecasted to stop in the early afternoon, but actually let up just as daylight broke and we switched off our headlamps.

It took awhile for me to wake up and warm up, but once I did, I took off the rain shell and arm warmers and settled into a comfortable pace. About this time, The Vermont 100 and Moonlight 50/75 Endurance Ride horses and their riders began to overtake the runners. It turns out, the Vermont 100 is the only ultramarathon that continues to combine horses and runners. They had a later start for their 100-mile trek, and it was really cool to share the trail with them.

!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2501/3743044964_35f20c1438.jpg|height=375|alt=VT100 025|width=500|src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2501/3743044964_35f20c1438.jpg!

According to my crew, John apparently said, “I love your horse!” to every horse/rider that went by that day.

I cruised into the first aid station, mile 21, at 8:30 a.m. averaging a mid-12-minute mile and was greeted by my amazing support crew. They had everything set up under our own tent so I sat down, changed my shoes and socks, ate and drank a little, and set off feeling fresh for the next section.

!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3743955465_9167e429a6.jpg|height=375|alt=P7180410|width=500|src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3743955465_9167e429a6.jpg!

NASCAR pit crews would be jealous of our speed and efficiency

Nine miles later I came through the check point at Stage Road and was again greeted by my rockstar crew. It was getting hotter out and the next section was 17 miles, so I decided to skip the shoe/sock change and just get back on the trail with a full hydration pack. I quickly saw this was a good call because as soon as we exited the aid station, we crossed a marsh and my feet were instantly soaked.

This 17-mile section was hot with some seriously steep climbs. During this time, my watch battery died. I also discovered I was in 98th place overall at mile 43.5, so I just put my head down and did work. I power walked the steep stuff and actually passed a bunch of folks before rolling into the next aid station, Camp 10 Bear, at mile 47.2 for medical weigh-ins. I had dropped 5 pounds but wasn’t worried about it because I was feeling fine and knew I was nearly halfway done with the race.

I calculated my pace and projected finish time when I reached the 50-mile mark at 10 hours 40 minutes. It was then that I first realized a sub-22 hour finish was possible. I didn’t actually believe it at first, so I did the math again. That’s when I kicked a stick on the trail and the sharp end lifted my big toenail off. I felt it go with a sharp pain, but there wasn’t any pain after it happened. I was upset that I let myself get distracted over the numbers, so I decided not to worry about my pace anymore and just do work.

I caught up with a runner named Drew from the Lake Placid area, and we cruised at a similar pace for the next big chunk of the race. This section was difficult with steep climbs and long quad-quivering descents—one after the next. My pace slowed from the mid-12 minute range to a 13-minute-mile pace. We reached Tracer Brook (mile 57) at 4:10 p.m. and passed through Margaritaville (mile 62) at 5:30 p.m. My crew was at each stop with all my gear and food set up perfectly. They got me in-and-out of each stop with fresh shoes/socks, ice cold drink in my hydration pack and a big smile on my face

!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2628/3743964903_1f8c799e93.jpg|height=375|alt=P7180434|width=500|src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2628/3743964903_1f8c799e93.jpg!

+It's all about staying positive in a race this long. And drinking rootbeer +

Next I caught up to a 52-year-old runner from Pennsylvania named Marc, who had run a sub-10 hour split on the first half of the race. His quick start had caught up to him in the form of stomach nausea, but he was still strong enough to run with me for the next portion of the race. We shared some quality conversation and navigated one of the longest and most painful descents before reaching Camp 10 Bear at mile 70.1 for medical weigh-ins.

I had gained a pound during the previous 30 miles which was a sign I was drinking more. I felt really good at this point because I knew the hardest of the work was done and I was going to be in the company of my pacers for the final 30 miles.

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left to right: Steve, me, John

John joined me from mile 70.1 to mile 77. We ran as the sun was setting, passed by some beautiful homes, and ran a series of perfectly groomed trails as we passed runner after runner. Soon, the thick forest canopy blocked all the remaining daylight, and we switched on our headlamps. I had John run two to three steps ahead of me so I could watch his footwork and follow his line, because my reaction time was slower than his from the fatigue and my eyes were adjusting to the night running.

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Shoe/sock change after 7 miles with John

John and I finished up together at the Spirit of 76 aid station (mile 77) at 8:45 p.m. and his wife, Patty, took over for the next section. It was now much darker out so I had Patty run in front of me, like John did, for the trail sections but we primarily ran dirt roads together. In fact, this section was the flattest section of the day so we capitalized on it by running faster. We actually recorded a few sub-9 minute miles and a few sub-10 minute miles during our run together while passing runner after runner. We reached Bill’s aid station at 11:15 p.m. (mile 88.6) where I weighed in again. Then my brother took over as pacer for the final section.

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Heading out to run with Patty

Steve and I headed out and covered some ground before I started inquiring about our pace and projected finishing time. My brain was too fried to do the math so I handed over my pace chart that I had been carrying all day. Steve calculated that a sub-22 hour finish was possible, if we pushed hard. My legs felt fine, and I still had plenty left in the tank to burn. So we set the intention to empty the tank and make it happen. We actually recorded my fastest mile split of the day, an 8:17 mile at mile 92, while passing runners and making our way closer and closer to the finish line in Silver Hill Meadow. This final section definitely felt like forever, but once we heard the voices and sounds from the finish area with minutes to spare before the sub-22 hour mark, we knew we made it.

I crossed the finish line unofficially at 21:55:23 and officially at 21:57:08 which was just before 2 a.m. on Sunday, July 19. According to the results, my effort was good for 30th place overall and 5th in my age group. I smashed my PR by 2.5 hours and I'm thrilled that my months of hard work came together and brought my family and friends together to share such a unique and exciting experience.

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We made it just in time!

Thank you all for the messages, comments, emails, phone calls and positive vibes you sent my way. With only eight toenails remaining, soon to be seven, I'm already being asked what's next. For now, it’s recovery, but next up is another attempt at the Palisades Traverse in August. Thanks for joining me for another of life’s great adventures!

!http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3453/3743049092_693d3d4944.jpg|height=397|alt=VT100 047|width=500|src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3453/3743049092_693d3d4944.jpg!

Post-race celebration on the CT River. I'm on a boat!

[Click to View Slideshow | http://bit.ly/196W1Y]

VT100 Race Info

Active Toby — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:16:04 GMT

This taper week has been super relaxing so I’ve caught up on all the rest and nutrition I need before throwing down for real this weekend!

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Cruising on the CT River

Tomorrow my crew and I go to Vermont, check in to the bed and breakfast and then to the start/finish area of the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run for the medical check, weigh-in and pre-race meeting. After that, we’ll get an early dinner and go to sleep as early as possible.

Saturday the alarm goes off at 2 a.m. and the day begins. The forecast is calling for a 70% chance of rain with 75% humidity in early morning but letting up later in the day. The race starts at 4 a.m. There are 9 aid stations that are crew accessible and since the race website doesn’t offer a race tracking option, my crew will post updates to http://twitter.com/TobyGuilltte when there is cell service.

Thank you all for the positive energy you've been sending my way. I'm feeling it! I'll be sure to publish the results on Sunday

Yours in Adventure,

~Toby

CA 14ers: Palisades Traverse (Fail #2)

Active Toby — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:49:49 GMT

The Palisades Traverse is a classic alpine ridge traverse that connects the summits of five of California's fourteen thousand foot peaks. My old climbing partner Gil and I attempted the route in October of 2007 and were snowed out during the night at the base of (what we thought was) Thunderbolt Peak (14,003').

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Alpine bouquet

Over the holiday weekend, me and my friends Jake and Kam were eager to give it a shot. We hit the road on Thursday around 2 p.m. and made the long drive up to Bishop. We tried to leave early enough but ended up hitting the holiday weekend traffic and arriving at South Lake trail head parking lot around 10 p.m. We set up our bivy in the parking lot and were asleep by 11 p.m. and two hours later, the alarm sounded and we were gearing up to hit the trail.

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Alpenglow

We were on the trail by 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning for the ~8-mile approach via Bishop Pass trail. We moved quickly through the darkness guided by the light of our headlamps, only making quick stops to shed/add layers and eat snacks. We hit some snow patches above 11,000’ and reached Bishop Pass and topped off our water from a mountain stream in Dusy Basin before the ascent of what we thought was Thunderbolt Peak…

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Jake, kicking steps for us

On the way up, we negotiated some fourth/fifth-class scrambling/climbing while one of our team members started to suffer from the altitude. We reached the first peak behind schedule, only to discover we were on the summit of Mount Agassiz (13,899’), one of the twenty highest peaks of California. From there, we could see across to Thunderbolt Peak, where we were supposed to be.

Yes folks, we climbed the wrong mountain.

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From right to left: Thunderbolt Peak, Starlight Peak, North Palisade, Polemonium Peak, Mt Sill

So behind schedule and off-route, we decided to pull the plug and head back to San Diego. Our down-climb was a blast, as we glissaded a 1000’ patch of snow which boosted our morale while saving time and energy which we really needed. We got back to the car at 6:30 p.m. making for a 16-hour day on our feet and then took on the 6-hour drive home after dinner in Bishop to arrive back in San Diego at 3 a.m. on Saturday. ~36 hours from sea level to 13,899’ and back--what a trip!

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Jake and Kam

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Kam, finishing her glissade

I think its pretty funny that we climbed the wrong mountain and in all honesty, I’m glad we did. When I saw with my own eyes the magnitude of this route, I think it would have taken too much out of me to this close to the Vermont 100, my “A” race for the season. So with that, I had a great time with my friends and got a killer workout at altitude amongst some of the most beautiful scenery my eyes have ever seen. Kam and I are already planning our next attempt for August and this time, we plan to bivy at the base of the real Thunderbolt Peak on Day 1 and then take on the full route and the descent on Day 2. More details on that in late July.

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Next up, the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run on 7/18 – 7/19 I fly out Thursday to celebrate my 26th birthday with family and friends this weekend and then make my way up north to get ready to race. I’ll post updates on the go and a recap here following the event. Thanks again for joining me on all these adventures!

[Watch the Slideshow | http://www.flickr.com/photos/tobyguillette/sets/72157620820675857/show/]

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9 Peak Challenge

Active Toby — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:07:33 GMT

On Friday I drove up to the San Bernardino National Forest to take on the San Bernardino Traverse / 9 Peak Challenge as my final peak training weekend for the Vermont 100 Endurance Run . I checked in at the ranger station, cached a jug of water at the Angelus Oaks trailhead (5,960’), set up camp at the Vivian Creek trailhead (6,080’) and prepped my gear. I decided to go with a 2 a.m. start time to try and reach the summit of San Gorgonio for sunrise, so I slept at 7:30 p.m. and set my alarm set for 1 a.m.

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I never sleep well at altitude, and this time was no different. After quickly breaking down my camp, I geared up at my car and was on the trail by 2 a.m. for a 5,400’ ascent up the 8-mile trail to the peak of [Mount San Gorgonio |

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gorgonio_Mountain], the highest peak in Southern California (11,500’). My pace was fast because I was convinced I was going to be mauled by a mountain lion or bear, so I wanted to reach higher altitude where I know they don’t travel often because there isn’t an abundance of “food.” On the way up, the only wildlife I encountered (thankfully) was a little scorpion and a sizable spider. Besides that, when I got above the tree line, I was greeted with an unreal view of the crescent moon—so big and close, it felt like I could reach out and touch it.

Above the tree line, the wind gusts picked up speed, and I started to get cold. That was when I noticed the distant glow of a headlamp on the trail above. Humans! I overtook the pair of hikers in the final half mile before the summit. One was in really bad shape from the altitude. He was resting his head on his trekking pole when I greeted him. His speech was slurred, and he struggled to complete coherent sentences. His buddy was in better shape and wanted to chat but I was freezing at this point and told him I had to keep moving. Here’s a video of the final stretch to the top:

I thought that watching the sun rise from the highest point in southern California was going to be a treat but it was painfully cold at this point with powerful wind gusts cutting right through my clothes and chilling my sweat. So with one peak down and eight to go, I set off to the west across the ridge of the San Bernardino mountain range.

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Once the sun got high enough, it was comfortable. Well, as comfortable as running at 10,000+ feet above sea level can get :). I ran the flats and downhills, but walked the uphills to keep some energy “in the bank” for the long day ahead.

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San Gorgonio (11,500’)

Jepson (11,205’)

Little Charlton (10,676’)

Charlton (10,806’)

Alto Diablo (10,563’)

Shields Peak (10,701’)

Anderson Peak (10,864’)

San Bernardino East Peak (10,691’)

San Bernardino Peak (10,649’)

This was pretty much the story for the run across the ridge, until I accidentally took a wrong turn and ran a half-mile in the wrong direction. Luckily, I crossed paths with a group of backpackers. Our conversation helped me determine where I went wrong, so I backtracked--only adding an additional mile to my day.

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Aside from this group, I was alone on the ridge until the descent to Angelus Oaks after San Bernardino peak. My knees started to ache on the long and technical descent, so I was excited and relieved to reach the trailhead just after 10 a.m., having just completed the 26-mile San Bernardino Traverse / 9 Peak Challenge in under 8.5 hours (actually traveling 27 miles) and gaining more than 10,000 feet according to my Gamin data.

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Looking back over the peaks

But my day was far from over, so I filled up my hydration reservoir with the water cache I left the day before and ran to highway 38. Most folks who attempt the traverse shuttle their cars, leaving one at each trailhead. But I traveled solo, so 10 miles separated me from my car at the Vivian Creek trailhead. Running this section of the 38 would have been too dangerous because it is a winding mountain road with little to no shoulder, so I hitched a ride with a local and got dropped of 5 miles later at the turnoff for Forest Falls.

With 27 extreme miles and well over 10,000’ of gain already under my legs, I had five more miles of uphill to travel with 1,400’ to gain. My Achilles tendon was inflamed from the 10+ times I rolled my ankle earlier so I walked the whole way, determined to suffer through it. I took a break at the Elkhorn general store and treated myself to a root beer (my favorite ultrarunning beverage) and was back to my car at the trailhead before noon. The 32-mile adventure took roughly 10 hours to complete.

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I went straight into the mountain stream and soaked my throbbing feet in the crystal-clear, cold mountain slow melt while lying on a warm rock in the sun. After that, I was feeling good to go, so I packed up my car and drove back to San Diego. I treated myself to a huge fish burrito and downed a few tasty beers for dinner

The hardest of the work is done, so now it’s time to recover, maintain, taper, and get super organized mentally and logistically for the VT100 on 7/18 – 7/19! My trip back east starts in a little over two weeks, and I feel like I’m on target for a solid performance on race day!

Summer Solstice Weekend

Active Toby — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:17:19 GMT

LAUREN EDER found a great way to get the heart rate up while strapped to a seat. I spent an exhilarating hour on Saturday in a 2-seat glider over the Fraser River and British Columbia coastal mountains, near Hope which is about 2 hours west of Vancouver. Geoff, the pilot, is husband of ex-Class employee Judy Holt, who is really just on extended maternity leave. J Of course I had to say Yes to the offer of experiencing some aerobatics. I cannot describe the feeling of “pulling 2 G’s” (new lingo for me), but want to do it again!

Saturday, three members of European Active Team went to volunteers to the St Jean de Luz stage of the charities race series called Odyssea.

From left to right: Loic Metais (St Jean de Luz triathlon race director), CEDRIC PRIMAULT (France account manager), PIERRE DUVELLEROY (Senior account executive) & LAURENT GAUTHIER (Endurance European managing director)

JIM HINE's Bogus Basis Weekend:

On Saturday we mountain biked the Boise foothills to Gardener Peak, just East of Bogus Basin ski resort....climbing 7,490 ft over 32 miles in a little over 4 hours. The single track along the ridge was solid, but one of our favorite descents - Shingle Creek - was rutted and sketchy after the heavy rain a week ago. Then on Sunday my family (and Grandparents!) drove up to Bogus and hiked to the summit of Shafer Butte. The views came and went with the clouds, but we made a couple snowballs before switch-backing down through the wildflowers.

ROBERT SUBKOW: There were dogs from all across the United States that came to ride the waves in Southern California. CBS morning show, Channels 5, 8, 9, and even a station from Germany were there filming the contest. The event has gotten so much notoriety that the film makers for the new movie Marmaduke were there to get shots of the “Big Dogs”. Although my dog Jill didn’t place this year, her team mate from the “Golden SurFurs” took 1st place in the dogs over 40 pounds. Next Year! Pictures are courtesy of the Union Tribune.

JAKE COONEY reports, "With one week left until the Seattle Rock ‘n Roll Marathon, the Bothell office has done 2 team bike rides as an alternative training event. Cody Lamens, Jake Cooney, Jay Lee, David Knapp, Nicole Pelley, Chris Inouye, Joel Werdell, Zach Panther, Sijen Olthof, Jason Karls, Brian Grover, and Stephen Branstetter have all participated in the rides."

FRANCIS DUPUIS and his wife, Faye Dupuis were in the dragon boat races this past weekend: Recreational Div C Consolation – 4th place @ 2:21.240

She's in the back of boat #2

Also, my two boys played in a roller hockey tournament, their teams finished first and third. This is Devon with his third place trophy.

TOBY GUILLETTE completed the 26-mile 9-Peak Challenge across the San Bernardino mountain range on Saturday in 8.5 hours. My 32-mile day started at 2am with an ascent of San Gorgonio (11,499ft), the highest mountain in SoCal, arriving at the summit for sunrise and continued with hike/running 8 more peaks all above 10,000 feet. Since it was a point-to-point route, I had another 10 miles to go to get back to my car after the 26-mile traverse was complete. This is when the real adventure began. I'll post a blog this week with details

I'm Freakin Peakin

Active Toby — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:36:18 GMT

Last week I focused on cross-training to give my hip rest while maintaining fitness leading up to my peak in training. On Friday morning, I went for a 3-mile test run to see if my hip was good to go for the weekend. My hip and legs felt great so I geared up for a big training weekend in Warner Springs and hit the road with my buddy, Austin.

We checked into Warner Springs Ranch , then Austin dropped me off at the Pacific Crest Trail trailhead on the north side of town at 4 p.m. I took off running north toward Indian Flats campground with the intention of turning around 8 miles in. I passed a group of hikers who were heading down when I was on my way up. The run was beautiful and the trail was in great condition. It climbed 1,500 feet up to 4,444 feet above sea level, where I actually reconnected with a portion of the trail that I ran in March.

Naturally, the descent was faster but I ran out of daylight by the time I caught up to the group of hikers. I chatted with these guys for a bit, and they were a fun bunch. It turns out they are all school teachers who hike together and are attempting to do the whole PCT in sections gradually over the years!

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With my headlamp guiding the way, I finished up the last 1.5 miles along the dark road back to the ranch for 17.5 miles—a total of 20.5 miles for the day. After my recovery routine, I prepped my gear for an early wake up and another long run the next day.

On Saturday morning I was running by 6:30 a.m. and headed south to the PCT intersection on the 79. From there, I set off into the woods along a stream and climbed up to a clearing where I entered a wide-open rolling meadow that spanned as far as the eye could see. I was averaging a comfortable 5 miles per hour with a plan to turn around after four hours or 20 miles. At mile 6.5, I crossed paths with the same group of hikers from the evening before! They were completing the Barrel Springs to Warner Springs section of the PCT. Here’s a picture of their group:

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I continued on and reached Barrel Springs in two hours. I noted the six jugs of water in the shade under a tree and planned to refill my hydration pack on my return trip. From here the trail climbed for the next hour and then continued above San Felipe Road until my turn around point, four hours in. Click here to see where I was .

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I bring my iPhone along on these outings because of its lightweight camera, the GPS functionality and, of course, the phone in case of emergencies--but I seldom ever get service in the remote areas I run. So it was interesting when at the turn around point in my run, I randomly got a text from my brother! I took a photo of the amazing view of the valley below me and sent it to him with the subject line, “Wish you were here: mile 20 of 40!”

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Next I called my parents, who were boating on the river in our home town. After checking in with them, I was excited to begin the 20-mile run back to Warner Springs and set off on my way. The next two hours were uneventful and I comfortably cruised into Barrel Springs a little ahead of schedule because of the major descent out of the San Felipe Hills. I topped of my hydration reservoir and set out in the heat of the day for the final two hours.

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My legs stayed strong for the entire eight hours, and my hip was fine too. It’s only a little sore now after the fact, but I got back to Warner Springs right on schedule and was very pleased with my first of two peak training weekends.

This weekend I’m off to the mountains for my final peak training weekend and a solo car-to-car attempt at the

San Bernardino Traverse

. The traditional route is a challenging day-hike with a car at both the start and finish, but I will only have one car and want to run as much as possible.

I’ll be going in reverse order, starting with San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek trail to get the monster 8-mile climb up to 11,500 feet done as my warm up, then run all nine peaks along the ridge above 10,000 feet, down from San Bernardino peak to Angelus Oaks, where I’ll have cached water the day before. Then I’ll finish off the final 10 miles on the road (between yellow markers on map) back to my car at the Vivian Creek trailhead. Here’s a map for a better idea .

The journey IS the destination

Active Toby — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:02:46 GMT

I ran the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon while wearing a POV (point-of-view) camera to film the race and somehow managed to run the race in under 4 hours, with a negative split of 10 minutes. This was my first “major marathon,” so I had never run with so many people before. It was like the entire San Diego endurance sports community was either out running the race or cheering from somewhere along the way. It was powerful stuff, and I had a blast out there. Here's a shot of my buddies in their post-race pose-down (three no-longer-marathon virgins in this picture):

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(Giselle, Noelle, Austin and Jake)

The 230+ miles I logged in May~~which included a couple road marathons and tons of hilly run-commutes with a backpack on~~fatigued my legs and compromised my biomechanics. I’m now nursing an overuse injury in my hip area that was inflamed all of last week. After soliciting some advice, I got ART and massage work done and was also prescribed cross-training. I’m going at full tilt with two sessions per day and a rotation of yoga classes (heated to 90 degrees), pool swimming (kick board work too), 1-hour elliptical sessions (with sweatsuit for heat training), lower-body resistance training, myrtl routine , cycling, ActiveX, and LSD runs (long slow distance). I'm happy to report that inflammation and tightness are already gone, so I'll be attempting to get some quality miles in the weekend on the PCT out of Warner Springs.

Last Saturday, I went on a mellow 30-mile ride along the 101 with my buddy Nick and then drove out east to Cuyamaca State Park with my friend Kam to volunteer at the SD100. We hung glowsticks along the trail between miles 58 to 70. We ran the whole way, but stopped often (80 times!) to hang the glowsticks. This completed my trail work required to participate at the VT100. It was pretty cool to be at the event as a volunteer and see how much work goes in to putting on an ultra marathon. I respect all that volunteers, crews, pacers and event directors do for us athletes. It was also a treat to run along the beautiful PCT and encourage the passing runners and their pacers (some solo). They all thanked us for hanging the glow sticks. It was a really cool experience.

Visit my photo site to see the album. Here is my favorite shot from the day:

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I’m going to attempt to run long this weekend, but I have no idea how peak training is going to play out because of my hip. I’ll be sure to post a report next week once I’m back from the ActiveX Charity Challenge Endurance Camp . Also, check in next week for more on my "peak training" (And yes, pun intended—you’ll see).