Blog Posts From Active Warriors Tagged With training

September Warriors

Active Toby — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:04:18 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 Solstice Weekend

Active Toby — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:53:43 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

March Warrior Weekend

Active Toby — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:25:31 GMT

PATTI ROSENTHAL, Cycling Account Manager, Durango, CO. Another great backcountry trip up in the San Juan Mountains. This time to the Wolf Creek area to a spot called Lobo Lookout. Wolf Creek had just gotten 12 inches of fresh powpow. Well over a 1,000 feet of climbing up with skins on our skis but the fresh powder runs down was well worth it. Skiing with great friends on a sunny blue bird day!

JULIUS DAGOT and the [Burnaby office Social Committee |

http://intractive.active.com/Teams/social_committee.html] organized Saturday’s Snow Day—involving 40 employees, family, and friends. The participants skied, snowboarded, and snowtubed at Cypress Mountain. The event was a huge success, and the participants enjoyed a day of fun with the snow, in true Canadian style.

ADNAN ZAIDI played the “Al Mills Memorial Championships”, a USTA sanctioned tournament, in the Men’s 35 Singles. I played well but ended up losing to the #1 seed in the finals. Here is a link to the tournament’s home page (no results have been updated yet):

STEPHEN MATSUBA (Foundations) took part in the 2nd Annual British Columbia Kendo Federation Kendo Tournament as a member of the Vancouver Kendo Club. The competition hosted participants from B.C. as well as a team from Washington State. I competed in the individual shodan (1st black belt) division and was a member of the Vancouver Kendo Club’s B Team. While our team did not make it into the medal round, our club’s A Team came in second.

NICO REIS, Active International, Munich, Germany, went to see the Harlem Globetrotters on the World tour in Germany! Now clearly this is one of the Basketball teams, every fan or Player should see at least once in their life. Amazing ball handling, ridiculous dunks, alley oops, etc. but foremost: Great entertainment. Needless to say they won their game against the Washington Generals (whom the Globetrotters defeated in the past 50 years, by the way).

JIM GARFIELD (AMG) was a victim of the State of California budget woes. He hit a major pothole on PCH in Malibu while riding up to Ventura. This time it was really only the bike that broke and not his shoulder. He also discovered that although very cool, the Active riding kit was not road rash resistant. Hey Arnold…how about throwing some $ towards road repair!!!!

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TOBY GUILLETTE ran 26 miles on the Noble Canyon trail on Saturday morning and then joined up with AIREY BARINGER and JESSE HAMMOND on Sunday for a mellow bike ride through OB, Point Loma, Harbor Island and Little Italy.

Snow in San Diego Of Course

IMVoice — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:57:16 GMT

A US Holiday 3-day weekend for Presidents Day. A lot of training going on out there! Create a Great week! Mike

A riding group lead by AIREY BARINGER with REBECCA DIVITA, CHRIS WHEELER, JESSE HAMMOND, LUKE SMITH & MIKE REILLY climbed the famed Mt. Palomar in North San Diego County on Sunday to its 5300’ summit. It was an epic ride starting out in the low 40’s then in the high 20’s at the top. REBECCA was the smart one she warmed up with a big bowl of Chili at the top! But Cold is when you are descending 30 to 40 mph! This Sunday watch Lance and the Tour of California conquer it in the midst of their 96 mile final day.

EDDIE STRICKLER, Application Support Saturday ran the 800m (half-mile) in the Husky Classic at the University of Washington. I ran 1:52.14 which is my best time I’ve ever run indoor in the 800. I also won my heat which was fun. The meet brought a lot of great athletes together and resulted in a lot of fast times. I enjoyed watching the meet after I finished competing. YOU’RE A FAST GUY Eddie!

NICO REIS, Active International has a Bloody tail to tell and a picture from the Hospital. I had a Basketball game with my team on Saturday in Munich Germany. Well halfway through the third quarter I went for a rebound under our basket when one of the opponents undercut me. I landed chin first, nose second on the court. When I got back up I was bleeding from two different parts of my face (new, even to me). I went to the hospital, got two stitches on the chin and cut in the nose. Luckily no broken nose, it would have been my fourth one! Basketball IS a contact sport I guess.

Active Warriorfest Weekend

Active Toby — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:32:27 GMT

Chris Wheeler, Account Executive, Blue Bear Software

I did the Fiesta Island Time Trial on Sunday morning. It was a brisk morning with just enough wind to make it hurt that much more. It was my first cycling race, so it was way outside my comfort zone, but a fun experience none-the-less. Afterwards, I went on a 40 mile cool-down ride up the coast with friends.

Steve Mazza

I rode my mountain bike at Mission Trails Regional Park (with former Active-ite Matt Codling) on Sunday. After some sweet downhill sections, we pedaled up South Fortuna Mountain as far up as we could, then carried our bikes up the west face to the top. Incredibly clear views to the east of the San Diego backcountry, and to the southwest of the Coronado Islands and Mexico.

Bill Bliven, Account Executive- Major Accounts

Twenty two riders from all over the country descended on Lake Tahoe for our 12th annual “Old Guy Mountain Bike Camp” As in previous years, the trails, and the weather and rider entertainment were outstanding. The weather for the weekend: sunshine, rain, snow and wind were the order. As for our rides the scenery, workouts and crashes were better than ever! We spent our days on four fantastic, but different trails.

An update from last weekend on behalf of Emily Ogata Application Specialist, NFL and me Kirstin Hartos, Implementation Analyst:

Our rugby team, the San Diego Surfers, secured our region’s only seed for the USA Rugby National Championships in a decisive 24-0 win over our league rival Belmont Shore in the Southern California championship last weekend (please note: no ambulances or trips to the ER this time). The first round of the tournament is held in St. Louis, MO on October 25-26 with the potential to advance to the finals in Sanford, FL on November 8-9. The Surfers are one of only 16 teams that get the chance to compete at this level. Since we are a non-profit organization, funded almost solely by player dues, we are asking everyone we know to make a donation to help defray the cost of traveling and competing at a national level. All donations are completely tax deductible. Any support would be greatly appreciated and will assist us in bringing recognition to Southern California women’s rugby. Visit our donation page here: http://active.com/donate/sdsurfersrugby2008. Or check out our website for more info on the team: http://sdsurfersrugby.com. Thanks in advance for your support!

Mathew Henry

I ran the 2008 Chicago Marathon with my sister after a rough 2007 outing. We made it to the halfway point in 2:20, but the 80 degree heat got the better of us and we finished together in 5:07. All in all, the marathon went much better for Chicago this time around. Lots of water and much less busy medical tents. All the better as they go for the Olympics in 2016!

Patti Rosenthal

Did the annual 55-mile mtn bike ride from Durano to Farmington. A beautiful mtn bike ride on back oil roads & ends on 12 miles of awesome single track. There were 8 of us & I was the token female on the ride. It took us 6 hrs & 45 minutes which included 2 lunch stops

Mike MacDonald, Web Developer

From Tuesday to Friday I visited my aunt and uncle that live in a remote area of Mono Lake. Wednesday I did some manual labor for their landscaping business in about 35 degree weather. Thursday I drove 10 miles on an unpaved road to visit the ghost town Bodie, where I hiked around for 7 hours taking pictures and finding cool artifacts in 30 degree weather (and 50 mph wind!). Friday morning greeted me with 14 degrees on the thermometer, and a blizzard between Mono Lake and Reno. Tons of fun!

Toby Guillette, Community Development Specialist

This weekend marked the end of my peak training for Silverman (my first Ironman) in November. Saturday I ran 22 miles from La Jolla Shores to Fletchers Cove in Solana Beach and ran into Michele Ulrich who was out for her final long run before her NYC Marathon next month. We ran together for ~6 miles. On Sunday, Ryan Drew, Airey Baringer, Rebecca Divita and I froze on our bikes in 32 degree temps at the start of our ride in Pine Valley. We rode the Laguna Triangle route which included over 30 miles of climbing in the mountains east of San Diego. Here’s the shot of the day:

Tri's, runs and rides -- another Active Warrior Weekend

Active Toby — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:36:55 GMT

After some last minute tips from triathlon legend Michellie Jones, JIM GARFIELD (AMG) PR'd in the Santa Barbara Long Course Tri. This in spite of last Wednesday's ActiveX hate-a-thon work out!

TAWNYA BORDALO and her husband ran the End of Summer Fire Run from La Jolla to PB on Sunday. This was our first event together and we had such a great time! The conditions were nice and cool in the morning and the course was easy and quick. I was able to decrease my average mile time by 54 seconds! Big thanks to ActiveX and the weekly trail running group!

BROOKE KIRKPATRICK and her fiancé Jim ran the Copper Mountain Half marathon this last Saturday finishing at 2:10. Out of the women, I was the 14th to finish, but there were a total of 82 people for this race!! The first half of the race took us around Copper Mountain Village and the second half was climbing up Vail Pass and then a nice run down to finish!

TOYA REAVIS competed in the Wild Duck 5K Cross Country race this Saturday. It is the 1st race of the Dirt Dog Cross Country series. It was very very competitive as most of the best runners in the region come out for the series. I was 17th woman overall and won 3rd in my age group. My time was 20:22 on a tough hilly course and it was warm and humid. 20:22 was same time I ran last week in the AFC 5K which was a flat road race on pavement - I am getting stronger.

HANNAH SANSONE made the long drive South to Imperial Beach for the IB Sprint Triathlon on Sunday. I placed 4th in my age group and was 20th overall out of a field of 152 women. This was such a fun day - everyone at the event was happy and positive and stepping up to cheer each other on. And I ran into another athlete from Active, Emily Ogata, which was definitely a highlight of the morning!

NUNO COSTA also competed in Imperial Beach Tri this weekend - finished 2nd in my age group - 25-29 Best finish in a race for me ever

ARCH and Christy Fuston moved this weekend with the help of some ActiveX’ers. We had a moving dolly, but we all agreed it would make it too easy, so we left it in the truck. Ahh, the intrinsic benefits of ActiveX!

LIZ & Scott HARRELL (San Diego office) rode with Team in Training this Saturday. Liz rode her bicycle for 21 miles!!! First time ever. Was even able to clip in and out with out falling down (not as easy as it sounds). Scott tackled 26 miles and discovered that padded bike shorts really do help!!! We are training for a century ride, El Tour de Tucson with Team in Training. They train us; we raise money for a really great cause.

TRISH OBERHAUS did the Accenture Chicago Triathlon for the second year and had a great time. We had beautiful weather for race day and I improved my sprint distance time from last year. I was also able to meet and hang out with Toby this weekend which was very cool. My wave started the race more than an hour before Toby’s did, so when I finished I went back to the part of the course where the run begins. I ran with him to cheer him on (but only for a little bit because I couldn’t keep up)

TOBY GUILLETTE raced the Olympic-distance Accenture Chicago Triathlon against 4,088 others and finished 262nd overall. The highlight of my trip was finally meeting Trish, my fellow Online Community Specialist, who I’ve worked with for over a year.

Active Warrior: 3/29

Active Toby — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:09:23 GMT

MELISSA EISLER, Content Producer for Consumer Media checked in with an update from her South American adventure. “I just got back from the four-day trek to Machu Picchu. It was absolutely the most amazing experience. Day two was a little rough on the legs, but I made the 28 miles without any problems. These photos are from the very end of the Inca Trail. I did the hike with my brother (in photo). You would love this place! I have a million more photos and videos to share when I get home. Hope you’re well!”

ROB KLINGENSMITH, Vice President of Active Marketing Group, attended a party hosted by Sharon Worman and Richard Bryne, the owners of locally-based Speedplay Pedals on Sunday. What made it fun was that the guest of honor was pro cyclist and 2006 Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso. After a lively 35 mile ride through Elfin Forest (****, that guy can climb!), we settled into a multi-course Italian lunch and listened to Ivan talk about how he got started in cycling, racing against Lance and his plans for the future.

JUSTIN LAKIN, Software QA Tester, met up with a friend and his friend’s 6 year old son for a half day trek around the tide pools and children’s pool of La Jolla Shores on Saturday (03.29). The landscape is ideal for beginners and spans roughly 1.25 miles from the southern-most point of the tide pools to the children’s pool. Seals, sea anemones, hermit crabs, and other cool ocean dwellers added to the entertainment during the trip. Below is a short video of the seals that congregate in the children’s pool this time of year.

The weather was nice and the tide was low, perfect for an enjoyable day at the beach. 

On Sunday, Justin ventured out on a solo run around Lake Miramar to test his problematic Iliotibial band. A short history, Justin experienced pain in his left knee following the Carlsbad half-marathon and found that running short distances (1.5 miles) would easily aggravate it. After adopting some additional stretch techniques, Justin is happy to report there is no pain following his 4.92 mile run and he is encouraged to resume training for future half/full marathons.

EMILY CHAN-NORRIS, Account Manager for Active Trainer in San Diego, did the Race for Autism 5K in Balboa Park on Saturday and then hiked Cowles Mountain.

ANDREA RISHMAWI and some friends took the Active Hiking group out of state this weekend. They climbed Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, AZ - though it's only a 2.2 mile hike, you gain a SICK 1200 feet of altitude. The views are amazing - check out the Active Hiking Blog, the pictures will be posted tomorrow morning.

http://community.active.com/blogs/activehiking

WIL FLUEWELLING, Staff Accountant in San Diego, played 18 holes of golf with a couple of friends out in Escondido @ Eagle Crest. (Thanks go to Mike Carran for the suggestion!) It was my first time out in over a year since my motorcycle accident last February. My score was very indicative of how out of practice I was--nearly doubled par, but it was great to get out on such a beautiful day.

AIREY BARINGER, took part in the San Dimas Stage Race. Finished the time trial stage on Friday in 14th place out of 100 (1 minute and 18 seconds behind the winner). The stage consisted of a 3.8 mile climb up Glendora Mountain Road in Glendora, CA and I completed the course in 16:48. The road race was on Saturday and was 42 miles long. I crashed on the second of six laps when my left pedal hit the ground as I pedaled through a steeply banked corner. The crash took me out of contention for the rest of the race. I finished the stage but did not make the time cut (5% of winner’s time) and thus, could not compete on Sunday.

I will take a couple days off to heal up before beginning to train hard again. I will continue racing over the next several weeks so I can earn enough points to become a Cat 3 road racer. My training will also shift focus a little as I begin preparing for the San Diego International Triathlon (Olympic distance).

Keep the rubber side down!!

SCOTT EVANS, STEVE MAZZA and TOBY GUILLETTE took on the Ford Ironman 70.3 at Oceanside, CA on Saturday with the support of many familiar (Active) faces along the run course. They each had a great race and Steve says he “feels awesome”

Here’s Steve representing ActiveX:

!DSCN8335-1.JPG!

Scott enjoyed his race/training session for the Ironman Coeur d’ Alene on 6/22.

Toby had a blast in his triathlon debut and is very satisfied with his performance/training session for the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run on 6/7-6/8.

STEVE TWOHY in Acounting, was unable to make the Ford Ironman California 70.3 race due to IM Arizona training, "so I decided to test my limits otherwise. I did a nice Crystal Pier to South Mission Swim which was an ocean swim a little over 2 miles. Then, as most Ironman Trainees do, I ran for 2 hours up and down the beach to shake the water off…Best Regards to those of you who did the 70.3 this weekend. Congrats!"

TIM MCMAHON - Sr. Account Manager - Major Accounts (Running) ran the Shamrock Shuffle (8K) this weekend in Chicago and finished the race in 35:58. Extremely sore today, but happy to improve on my last year's time by 36 seconds.

TRISH OBERHAUS, Online Community Specialist for Team Sports out of Chicago also ran the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8k on Sunday morning along with 30,000 other participants. The course starts in Grant Park and winds through the streets of downtown Chicago before finishing back in Grant Park. It was a fun race and is known for kicking-off the running season here in Chicago. I’m looking forward to future events on the Chicago race calendar this year and nicer weather (I’m excited about the opening of baseball season, too!)

Active Warriors: 3/1

Active Toby — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:43:22 GMT

RICKY GRAY, Graphic Designer, did his first 30 mile group ride this weekend.

RAND RAGUSA, Group Director, Online Media Sales--I visited Mountain High ski resort for my first ever Snowboard lesson on Sunday. This was my first time @ MH…& was impressed with the area, instructors, conditions & cheap lift tickets. MH is a great beginner / intermediate snowboard mountain & only two hours away from San Diego! Check it out - http://www.mthigh.com/

JESSE HAMMOND, Content Producer--did the Bulldog Bike Race, a 26-mile road race at Camp Pendleton. It was a great day and a fun ride. I finished in 1:14:58 and improved by seven minutes on my time from last year. Ended up in the top ten of my age group (out of 22).

ALISON TERRY, AE Swimming--Saturday- went hiking for the first time at Mission Trails. Sunday- conducted a four hour swim clinic for adults that included lecture, drills, underwater filming and stroke analysis.

STEVEN TWOHY, Staff Accountant-- In preparation for IM Arizona I did a half-Ironman distance bike-run brick. The Gail Bernhardt IM training plan has worked well for me and it shows, as I went above and beyond the training requirement for the weekend by extending the brick to half IM distance. Surprisingly, not as beat up and sore as predicted, I am looking forward to continuing the GB Training Plan today in Sunny San Diego.

AMBER MARTIN, Senior Marketing Services Analyst--I ran LA Marathon in 4 hr 9 minutes, where I learned the pain of going out too fast. The first 6 miles were down hill and at the half marathon I was at my 2nd fastest time for that distance, which I knew would catch up with me. I ended up running through horrible leg cramps. Still a ways from qualifying for Boston, but I am going to try again at SD rock ‘n’ roll.

CHRIS CONNORS, Technology Consultant--A bunch of Active folks teamed up for some surfing on Saturday in Pacific Beach at Crystal Pier. BRETT HARRIS, MIKE DOBRANSKY, DIEGO ROVIRA, BETHANY DOMINICK, and I all enjoyed the water for about 2hours! Bethany is a surf instructor with Surf Divas if anybody needs a lesson!

STEVE SKINNER, Technology Consultant--My rugby club Seattle Rugby Club traveled to Denver, CO to play the Glendale Raptors in the newest and only Rugby-Only stadium in the United States for a pre-season warm up to the upcoming US Super League. The match was rebroadcast on Fox Sports Northwest on Sunday the 3rd and will be rebroadcast again on March 6th. It was the first US Super League match ever shown on a major us television provider.

In the first side match Seattle looked a little over-matched in the first half with a couple of long runs by the Glendale Raptors scoring tries matched only by penalty conversions for the visiting Seattle team and the home team took a 22 – 6 halftime lead. The Seattle coaching staff worried about conditioning in the second half in the thin Denver air but it was the Raptors that faltered first and with a brilliant possession-oriented kicking game we scored a narrow 3 point victory off a late converted try in the 78th minute of an 80 minute match for a final score of 32 – 29.

The second team for Seattle had a large percentage of players making the trip with first side experience and scored an easy 35 – 0 victory.

To top it off about 6 of us made it up to Eldora outside of Boulder, CO for some 2 mile high skiing and snowboarding (boy my low-lander lungs were squeezed!) rounding out an incredible and Active weekend! You all should have been there!

SCOTT ROBINSON—I’m the General Manager of a midget hockey team up here in British Columbia. The Greater Vancouver Canadians (www.vancouver-canadians.com) won both games this weekend after traveling 8 hours to Castlegar, BC. The Canadians won both games by a combined score of 16-2. Their next games will be the provincial semi-finals which the Canadians will be hosting at Ladner Leisure Centre the weekend Mar 14, 15, 16.

The Active Hiking group headed out to a new trail this weekend – ANDREA RISHMAWI, CARRIE JAMES, and LINDA MARKEY hiked the 6.5 mile Cuyamaca Peak Loop Sunday morning. I have three words for you: muddy and painful. We got slightly (read: REALLY) lost and are all pretty scratched up from climbing over (and under) fallen trees and hopping over streams. We had a great time, but would have loved to have had more Active Hikers with us – if anyone is interested, let Carrie or Andrea know!

Here are a few pics:

TOBY GUILLETTE, Online Community Specialist for Endurance Sports, was also in Cuyamaca SP this weekend, for a 30-mile trail run. I was training with my support/pace crew for the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run on June 7-8. It was good for us all to get on the same page and discuss our strategy for the race.

Sunday I did a 50-mile bike ride in the very WINDY Anza-Borrego SP. Here is a photo of the “desert bloom”

Favorite Advice and Activities from Trish and Toby

Active Toby — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 21:13:00 GMT

Hey everyone, Trish and Toby here. This month we've created a guide to our best seasonal articles to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout the holidays. No matter what your active passion may be, we've got you covered.

Lifestyle:

With holiday feasts right around the corner and weather that can diminish our motivation to train, it is not uncommon to pack on a few extra pounds this time of year. Active Expert Charles Stuart Platkin’s article, The Diet Detective: Fall Into Healthy Eating Habits, offers valuable tips for maintaining fitness without a compromise in performance at winter races and ensures a return to peak form in the spring.

Endurance:

Have you ever heard the saying, “athletes are made in the off season”? Now's the time to target your weaknesses and build proper technique and habits to lead into a successful racing season. Check out Boost Your Endurance in 7 Simple Steps and get the most from your off-season training.

Team:

Basketball season is upon us and it’s time for fundamental workouts with and without the basketball. Mississippi State basketball coach, Sharon Fanning, shares a 45-minute Workout that will developing confidence, coordination, strength, timing, and stamina on the hardwood.

Action:

Indoor Climbing Gyms Offer Year-round Fun Fitness and a nice break from the treadmill and stationary bike routine. Don’t let the winter elements take you off belay—utilize indoor climbing gyms to build stamina and confidence in a controlled environment. When the weather warms enough to head outdoors, you’ll be in peak condition.

Activities of Interest:

Check out Sacramento Winter Softball Camp by Olympic gold medalists Tairia Flowers and Natasha Watleyto hone your softball skills at the plate and in the field. Focus will be on increasing offensive power, slapping techniques, defensive fundamentals and pitching development. This camp will also feature practice-structure tips and drills along with valuable college recruiting advice from the pros.

Take advantage of The Classic Y-100, one of the last century rides of the year on November 25 in Ormond Beach, Florida. Crank out 100 in this inaugural ride that promises a beautiful route leading north along the Intracoastal waterway through parks and along the Atlantic coast. This event features a great safe route for beginners as well as 65- and 35-mile routes.

Folks in Southern California have already begun to register for the 2008 Carlsbad Marathon and Half Marathon on January 20. This was Toby’s first half marathon back in 2006 and he recommends it for runners of all abilities because of the fast course and beautiful ocean view.

See your training bear fruit at the oldest Ironman-distance triathlon held in the continental United States. Check out one of five 2008 Vineman events: Ironman 70.3, full Vineman, sprint tri at sundown, women's half or Aquabike during this weekend-long triathlon celebration.