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the First run after injury...

althoffd — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:07:28 GMT

Ok, if you ever injury a tendon you will under stand this. **** it takes a long time to even feel 70% normal and when it hurts or it hurts.

I have not run on my ankel for about 10 days.. walked because of work but have not ran, I have down short 1/4 - 1/2 mile run/walk and is just never felt like I could run on it.

So I ran the Minneapolis Torchlight 5K fun run downtown... My goal just to get through it... will I did in a decent time.. I want to shoot for just a 9 - 10 min mile of course I did better then that.. I ran with out a brace on the Ankle the I bruise the tendon on.. I did a couple of light runs with it on and it was more uncortable then with it off..

Ran with it off but as soon as I got done I but it back on.. I did swell up a littel bit and when I got home I but the Ankle on ice.. This morning the ankle felt great no discomfort all day walking on it...

Know it is time for the Stillwater 10 Mile run.. I am not going for any pace time just want to finish the run and then take a few days of and to enjoy the summer. Befor Training for another Tri in September and the RAGNAR Great River Run.

July 24, 2008

Diane Bier — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:20:31 GMT

I started 6.5 miles this week. I did really well at 5.2 and my legs are a little sore at 6.5 miles. I think I'm going to stay at 6.5 for a couple weeks. However on this Sunday coming up, I'm going to do a long run of 8.5 miles and the rest of the week, I'll stay at 6.5.

This week as I run, I'm thinking of my friend Jen. She's back at Duke getting an incision corrected from her Nov 2007 surgery. I'm running my miles for her this week. Jen has been such an inspiration! She's has a gbm and has done 5 marathons, 4 on chemo. She's so incrdible.

F I G H T Fight Jenny Fight

I'm also thinking about my friend Amy and her husband Chris. He has a gbm and is in hte hospital with pnemoninia (sp). I'm always thinking Breathe Chris Breathe when I have to go up hills. I'm willing both of us to push it harder and fight t(him so he cna go home and me to get up that hill)

I think about the people met that I've on this journey, those that have lost the battle and those that are doing well.

Talk to you all soon! I really need a shower now as I reek!!!!!!!! David told me that he could smell me coming down the stairs!

Mendoza reaches 100 RBI as Finch tosses one-hitter against Stratford Brakettes

mikeyactive — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:08:44 GMT

STRATFORD, Conn. --- The USA Women's National team sealed their 56^th^ KFC Bound 4 Beijing tour victory on Sunday evening against the Stratford Brakettes with a 9-0 shutout in a scheduled nine innings. The swing of three-hole hitter Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) gave the U.S. the advantage as she tallied her 100^th^ and 101^st^ tour RBI in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run home run to take the lead.

Starting pitcher Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.) tossed a no-hitter to the 3,300 fans through seven innings before giving up the lone Brakette hit in the bottom of the eighth inning when Laura Trout (Spartanburg Methodist) poked a base hit through the left side. Finch was outstanding with 13 strikeouts as she improved to 18-1.

The only other base runner to reach for the Brakettes was Mandie Fishback (Florida Atlantic) who earned a walk in the bottom of the first inning.

"Tonight things were really working well for us," said Finch. "Nuvey (Stacey Nuveman) really called a great game behind the plate and we were keeping hitters off balance. Overall it was a good outing for our entire team as we move closer to Beijing."

Mendoza finished the night going 4-for-5 with two RBI and four runs scored while former Brakette Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Springs, Fla.) was 3-for-5 with one RBI. Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz.) and Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) also knocked in two RBI each as the U.S. used 16 hits to win the contest.

Brakette starting pitcher Leslie Malerich (Florida State alumni) tossed the first two innings holding Team USA to just three hits from Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.), Kretschman and Duran.

Finch continued to work the home team striking out the side in the second inning before the U.S. took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning off Brakette pitcher Brandic Balschmiter (Massachusetts). With Lowe on board who reached on a walk, Mendoza recorded RBI No. 100 and 101 with a first pitch homer to centerfield field almost clearing the 300 ft slow pitch fences. Hitting a .497, the leftfielder now has 20 home runs on the tour and has hit safely in 46 of 57 games.

Finch continued to control the Brakette offense as Kretschman roped in an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning to push the lead to 3-0. Her third hit of the contest, the right fielder drove a two-out 1-2 pitch through the left side scoring Mendoza who reached on a single earlier in the inning.

The Red, White and Blue manufactured another run in the top of the fifth inning thanks to Lowe and Mendoza singles to start the inning. A fielders choice from Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) forced Lowe out at third before Mendoza crossed home plate on a Kretschman RBI single.

The U.S. put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth inning scoring five insurance runs off Brackette pitcher Rachele Fico (Masuk High School). Leading the inning was the bat of Mendoza who legged out a triple to left center. Pinch hitter Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, Calif.) sent Mendoza just 60 feet with an RBI single for the first run of the inning. Kretschman then reached on an error while Duran connected on an RBI fielders choice plating Lappin. Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.) then drove in her 38^th^ RBI of the tour before the Flowers home run, her second in as many games, put the final two runs on board for the eventual 9-0 win.

Up next, the U.S. will meet back up with a National Pro Fastpitch opponent in the Akron Racers on Tuesday evening in Akron, Ohio at 7 p.m. Currently Akron is 14-14 in the NPF.

U.S. Men Pull Out World League Win Over Poland

mikeyactive — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:05:47 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team held off match-point and pulled out a five-set victory (25-18, 23-25, 27-25, 18-25, 16-14) over Poland in the FIVB World League Final Round on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro.

The U.S. Men will take Friday off while Poland faces Serbia in the final pool play match (9:15 a.m. PDT). If Serbia defeats Poland, Team USA will advance to the World League semifinals as the second-place team in Pool F. If Poland wins, then each team will have a record of 1-1 and it will come down to the tie-breaker, which is the points ratio. The third-place team will not advance.

Russia defeated Japan 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-18) in the other World League Final Round Pool. Japan will face Brazil in the first match on Friday.

Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) and Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawai'i) each scored 21 points for the United States. Stanley had 19 kills, one block and one ace. Priddy finished with 16 kills, one block and a match-high four aces, including the match-winner.

Poland's Mariusz Wlazly led all scorers with 31 points on a match-high 27 kills, two blocks and two aces.

The tie-breaking fifth set proved to be a barn-burner. The U.S. Men held two-point leads of 3-1, 5-3 and 12-10, but Poland came back each time to tie the score. Trailing 12-13, Poland scored twice on a kill and an ace by Marcin Wika to take its first lead of the set and match point, 14-13. U.S. Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand) called timeout and Team USA tied the score on Stanley's kill. A Poland hitting error put the United States ahead and the ace by Priddy sealed Poland's fate.

And the Winners Might Be...

RyanActive — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:14:53 GMT

Sports Illustrated had an interesting feature in its latest issue, which is devoted almost entirely to previewing the Beijing Olympics: A prediction for gold-silver-bronze in every single event.

I skimmed through it and went to the medal table SI put together based on its prediction. Here is what it turned out being:

United States: 45 gold, 44 silver, 32 bronze (121 total)
China: 49 gold, 28 silver, 25 bronze (102 total)
Russia: 25 gold, 28 silver, 22 bronze (75 total)

So here are my three questions for you:

1. Would an overall medal victory be enough, even if another country gets more golds?
2. Is the overall medal table a big deal to you?
3. Shouldn't softball's expected annihilation of the field be worth something like 10 gold medals in the standings? No?

U.S. Open of Surfing Underway

mvalenti — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:15:28 GMT

Association of Surfing Professionals

Huntington Beach, California--The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America is gearing up for its biggest event of the year, the GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open presented by O'Neill. This ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star men's and women's event held at the famed Huntington Beach Pier will run from July 18 through 27, 2008.

The U.S. Open of Surfing draws some of the best surfers from around the globe to a festival that brings multiple surf tours to one location. It is event No. 5 on the 2008 ASP North America World Qualifying Series (Men), event No. 2 on the 2008 ASP North America World Qualifying Series (Women), event No. 6 on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series (Men), event No. 2 on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series (Women) and event No. 1 on the 2008 ASP North America Longboarding Tour (Men).

Accompanying the ASP WQS 6-Star events will be the ASP Grade-2 O'Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior, the ASP 2-Star O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding and the recently-added ASP Grade-2 S3 Supergirl Pro Junior.

This ASP WQS 6-Star event always draws a multitude of international competitors to Huntington's shore for their piece of the $195,000 available in prize money, and ever-valuable ratings points towards qualification for the ASP World Tour and ASP Women's World Tour.

After 15 years of consecutive competition, the U.S. Open has crowned a bevy of marquee surfing talents including eight-time ASP World Tour Champion and current ratings leader on the ASP World Tour, Kelly Slater (Cocoa Beach, FL), Andy Irons (Hanalei, Kauai), C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne, FL), Layne Beachley (Queenscliff, NSW), Lisa Andersen (Ormond Beach, FL) and Stephanie Gilmore (Tweed Heads, NSW)--all of whom are former U.S. Open as well as ASP World Champions, proving the pedigree of U.S. Open Champions to be among surfing's finest.

The GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open presented by O'Neill will open competition with Honda men's U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill ASP WQS Trials, followed by the O'Neill U.S. Open Junior Pro presented by Honda and the O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding. Colin McPhillips (San Clemente, CA), who is a two-time U.S. Open Longboard Champion, will be back to defend last year's title and is focused on a repeat victory at this year's O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding.

"Defending my title this year is top priority for me," McPhillips said. "Competing in what is the Super Bowl of surfing is an unreal thing to win and I will do my best to bring that title home another year."

With the O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding as McPhillips' main focus, the veteran longboarder has been spending as much time in the water as possible to prepare for the upcoming event.

"My training throughout my entire career is surfing as much as possible." McPhillips said. "The best thing for your surfing is surfing. The only thing different is I have been stand-up paddle surfing a bunch, and really enjoying it."

The defending 2007 U.S. Open Longboarding champ will look to pocket his third U.S. Open title, the event that kicked off his professional career 14 years ago, as the U.S. Open was his first professional victory.

"The U.S. Open is a special event for me because it was my first pro win back in 1994," McPhillps said. "It is also great, because since the event is at home I get to bring my wife and kids with me."

Also running the opening weekend of competition will be the O'Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior and the recently-added S3 Supergirl Pro Junior. The ASP Grade-2 O'Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior will be stop No. 6 on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series, and will play a crucial role in the qualifying campaigns of the junior men for the prestigious Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

The ASP Grade-2 S3 Supergirl Pro Junior will be the second women's event of the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series; however, its late addition to this season's series will have the results count towards next year's qualification campaigns.

To GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill will begin competition of Friday, July 18, 2008 at 8am with the ASP WQS Men's trials Round of 96.

For all of the LIVE action at this year's GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill log onto www.usopenofsurfing.com. For information about the event, log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.

About ASP:
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing's undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP Men's World Tour, the ASP Women's World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world's best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America and South America. These regions manage all their respective domestic affairs under the guidance of ASP International, which is located on the Gold Coast of Australia. ASP International and ASP North America are committed to the progression of surfing and are dedicated to continuing excellent relationships with their surfers, event operators, sponsors and media. For more information log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.

Ronan Pensec: The Final Transition

ActiveTdF — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:39:32 GMT

It was another transition day at the Tour today, as we expected, and I think tomorrow will be pretty much the same.

We will have some guys going for the stage win, but I don't think there will be any change in the general ranking until the time trial. And I wouldn't be too confident if I was Cadel Evans, because he will definitely have all the pressure on his shoulders. I keep on saying that he should win the Tour thanks to his time trial ability. But in the meantime, here at the Tour everyone else is saying the same thing, so I'm sure Evans knows everybody is now waiting for him to produce.

Today saw the victory of Marcus Burghardt, who is a pretty young and talented cyclist. I kind of like this guy because he has been working hard for his team, and I think that a stage win is well-deserved. Keep an eye on him in the future. People backstage at the Tour have been talking a lot about him recently.

Finally, I'd like to talk about this crazy situation where Mr. Schleck, the father of Andy and Frank, got pulled over by customs officials for an unexpected search of his car. The police didn't find anything expect some aspirin. It looks like an anonymous person called the police and said that he was carrying drugs for his children!

Anyway, behind this fact, I think it's a bit of a joke to be so aggressive over cyclists. I'm not saying they shouldn't control as much as they are doing right now, but there are proper ways to get things done. And this was not nice behaviour at all. Cyclists have done bad things, and some still do--there is no doubt about this. But in the meantime, rather than asking ourselves why some cyclists take doping products, we should ask ourselves why cycling is the only sport that is so much controlled?

Honestly, I doubt there are no other sports where athletes take illegal products to get better. We are always talking about cycling and athletics as if the two are purely physical sports. Well, I'm sorry, but like any other sport, these both require good tactics, strategy, and mental skills to perform.

So let's continue the controls after the race and during the season, but let's make sure we control the right people and we do it the right way.

This Tour de France has been one of the best in a long time, and I'm glad to see that the doping cases haven't affected the show as much as they used to do.

Please do not hesitate to post your comments, as I will be glad to share ideas and comments with you. And remember, if you want to enjoy the Tour de France from the inside, do it with www.RonanPensecTravel.com, the official Tour de France operator. VIP passes, exclusive interviews with the pros, and so much more to live together!

Ronan Pensec participated in 8 Tours, and wore the yellow jersey in 1990 while racing for Greg Lemond's Z team. He now operates Ronan Pensec Events, an official Tour de France operator hosting VIP cycling tours for recreational cycling enthusiasts.

This Week�s Best Endurance Posts

Active Toby — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:04:47 GMT

Before you head out for your weekend, check out some of this week's best posts from the Cool Running and Active communities:

* Missed workouts
"I was supposed to run 5 miles yesterday but was so dog tired that I couldn't do it. I didn't get up this morning to do it either because I still felt like I needed to sleep. This is the miserable kind of tired I am talking about."

* Take your vitamins! Interesting article on endurance athletes
"So the question arises, do athletes need to take vitamins? The answer, if you follow the scientific literature, is absolutely! In fact, athletes need more vitamins and minerals than the average person."

* How to draft in the water?
"Should you be right behind the person? A few yards back? Off to the side a little? I tried it yesterday right behind a person (about 2 feet back) and felt like was working against the persons kick turbulence. Is there another way?"

* Weekly running milage for Sprint Tri?
"I am currently training for 2 Sprint Tri's this summer, and was just wondering what is a good average for my weekly running mileage?? I have a very strong swimming background and the bike I don't have to worry about either..it all comes down to the run."

* New to Triathlon
"I am a 57 year old female that has never entered anything like a race. I have been swimming for an hour every day for the past year and would like to kick up my workouts."

* Wednesday's runs
"OK, 6 miles for me today in 72 degree heat and 84% humidity. Not bad at a 8:36 pace. Still need to get faster though. The forecast is looking pretty good though after this weekend with overnight lows back in the 60s in the DC area."

Down to the Final Two

ActiveTom — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:25:00 GMT

Ok, so I was too tired to write a post last night but after another great game with a lot of action, I needed the rest.

For the second time in the tournament, Bay City SW needed to dig deep and come from behind to beat a feisty Georgetown team 12-7. But as I've said before, it's all about opportunities and capitalizing on them and Bay City SW are masters of opportunity.

Things started off looking good for Bay City SW in the top of the first inning with a 3-0 lead. The runs came from Seth Freed with a single followed by a double from Hayden Clements and a couple of RBI's from Jacob Alarie and Kollin Slachta. But this didn't seem to bother Georgetown as they used three innings to tie the game 3-3.

In the fourth inning, Bay City SW was able to go ahead 4-3 when Seth Freed was able to score on an outfield error and things looked good again for Bay City. But Georgetown wasn't going to just lay down either. In the bottom of the fifth, Georgetown had two big home runs. One was a two-run shot by Eddie Heyboer and a lone home run by Luke Gagnon and Georgetown led 6-4 going into what could be Bay City's final at bat. This was going to be a tough situation for Bay City because Georgetown pitcher, Mike Heyboer had not allowed a hit in the last four innings.

Logan Gatza led of the sixth inning with a single to right field and the crowd went wild with their chants of "we want a rally, we want a rally". I guess the Bay City players wanted one too. With the top of the order coming to bat, Seth Freed came through again with a double so deep that it bounced off the outfield fence. This was followed a walk to Brendan Taberski and the bases were loaded. As would have it, it was also the end for Mike Heyboer having reached the mandatory 85 pitch count.

Georgetown used two pitchers in the sixth inning but not before allowing a sacrifice fly by Kollin Slachta, singles by Taylor Schepper and Justin Gorr, a walk to Logan Gatza to load the bases again and a huge double by Brendan Taberski... opportunity presented... advantage taken. Georgetown went into the bottom of the sixth behind 12-6.

Bay City SW pitcher Taylor Schepper left the game with one out and a two ball count on the batter as he reached his mandatory pitch count. Georgetown was able to score one more run before Bay City reliever Justin Gorr closed out the game and the final score was 12-7

As a last comment. I have umpired in every level baseball regional's and the Little League World Series. I have been under pressure with a "ump cam" on my plate mask and base cap. I was the first base umpire in the Championship at the World Series with the President of the United States looking on and televised on ABC. But I'll share this with you, having over 1,000 people screaming and rooting on their teams is just as exciting and just as rewarding as any of the other Little League games I've umpired in.

In closing I should add that Midland Northeast defeated Grosse Pointe Park by a score of 14-6 and will play Bay City SW tonight in the Championship Game. I'll be at first base. The winner becomes the State Champion and will represent Michigan at the Regional Tournament in Indianapolis which begins next week. Two teams will advance from the Regional as the Great Lakes and Midwest Champions at the Little League World Series.

I will be following the winner of tonight's game to Indy at least for the first weekend. I will follow the two winners as they seek the World Series title.

Hanging with the Pros

Bruce Hildenbrand — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:24:43 GMT

One thing I have learned from my many years as a journalist is that, especially at the start and finish of race stages, I should only ask a few questions and the total interview should be around a minute. This is for several reasons. First off, there are other journalists who also want to talk to the riders. If I tie up a rider for five minutes, when time is really critical, not only do I keep other journalists from getting their story, but I risk having competing journalists evesdrop on my interview and then I loose a bit of exclusivity. So to be fair and to keep my interview as exclusive as possible I get and get out and let others do their work as well.

The second reason is that these riders have a job to do. Yes, they need to make themselves available to the press, but before or after race stages when chaos and anxiety are at critical levels is not the place to start asking about career goals and how they feel about the war in Iraq. So, out of courtesy, I try to keep it short and simple.

Today at the sign in for the stage from Bourg d'Oisans to St. Etienne I talked to a bunch of the riders who have been lighting it up in the Alps.

Carlos Sastre rolled up in his first day in yellow. BTW, Sastre's time for the ascent of the l'Alpe d'Huez was 39'29" for an average speed of 13 miles per hour.

Jens Voigt has done just about everything in this Tour from pacesetting at the front to climbing to initiating breakaways to super-domestique in the mountains. I asked him if is there is anything he cannot do. "I am really shite on a rainy descent. That's the only thing where I am absolutely hopeless. Apart from that I think I am doing well."

Jens was asked to describe his teammate Carlos Sastre. "He is just a peaceful warrior. He's hard when it comes to it(racing), but he is friendly and loyal. He gives a lot to the team so that is why everyone wants to help him."

Austrian Bernard Kohl of the Gerlosteiner squad will wear the polka-dot jersey into Paris. I asked him about what it was like on the Alpe, where he finished in the lead chasing group and sits third overall 1'34 seconds behind Sastre and one second behind Cadel Evans. "Yeah, it was really hard. It was the hardest stage in the Alps and after two and a half weeks of racing and after 200 kilometers (on that day) the race was really hard."

Who was he keying off of on the Alpe? "I had to look for Cadel Evans. He needed to keep the gap from getting too big for the time trial." Can Kohl defend his podium position or even move up a place or two in the final time trial? "No, I am not really the time trialer like Cadel Evans or Denis Menchov. I am a climber. I will try my best in the time trial and we will see."

Kohl's Gerlosteiner teammate, winner of the first time trial and former wearer of the yellow jersey, Stefan Schumacher, was especially active in the Alps with long breakaways on the stage to Jausiers and also to the Alpe. I asked him if he was trying to make up for his sub-par performance in the Pyrenees. "Yeah, in the Pyrenees I was not so good, but now I have a lot of time(he was way down on GC) so I tried. Also, it was important for the team to ride an offensive race and work for the mountains jersey. Bernard had the jersey and I controlled it at the front."

Danny Pate was in the lead breakway on the stage to Prato Nevoso and in a position to snag Team Garmin-Chipotle's first Tour stage win. I asked him who he was watching on the climb to the finish. "I was just watching the Euskatel guy(Egoi Martinez) because he seemed like the best guy." Both Pate's and teammate Will Frischkorn's breakway moves were big pluses for the squad and proved their worth in the Tour even if they did not win a stage. Also, having a rider contending for the Tour podium isn't half bad, either!

Save for one bad day, the stage to Huatacam in the Pyrenees, Alejandro Valverde would be a heavy favorite for a podium finish come Paris in four days time. I asked him what happened down south and why he climbed much better in the Alps. "In the Pyrenees I had bad luck and my legs were not there. In the Alps I felt better and could climb better as well. I am happy with how things have worked out."

George Hincapie crashed hard on the stage to the Alpe and on the day after he was wearing extensive bandages on his left side which were already showing stains from his wounds. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and confrimed it when he succintly answered my question on how he feels. "Bad." I asked him if he would soldier on to Paris and he replied that he would give it a shot. George is a true warrior and I hope he makes to to Paris for his 13th Tour.

The last of the 150 remaining riders to sign in was one of the true revelations of the race, Garmin-Chipotle cyclist Christian Vandevelde. He was oh, so close to the podium, and has still has a shot, but the emerging star recounted what happened in the Alps. "I had one bad day two days ago but I made up for it yesterday."

Most likely referring to the clinic Team CSC Saxo Bank put on during the past three days, when asked how it felt to leave the Alps, Christian was not convinced that the race had truly left the Alps therefore allowing the riders to rest up for the showdown on Saturday. "It feels good, but we are still in the Alps. We have to go to St. Etienne first."

Well, there you have it.

Bruce