CAN YOU BELIEVE MAY IS HERE ALREADY? NO EXCUSES, LONG WARM SUMMER DAYS TO GET AND STAY FIT BUT HAVE FUN DOING IT. Mike
First report today is from Europe and LAURENT GAUTHIER European Managing Director. As he was visiting the ING Europe Marathon in Luxemburg this weekend he did the hilly night Half Marathon Saturday evening. Among 4500 participants, I’ve manage to cruise and get to the finish line at the 232e with a finish time of 1h36. This race is very well organized and growing fast, we are hoping to work with them next year. We will hold you to that Laurent!
EDNA CASTANEDA Account Manager, Client Services in NYC wrote a great weekend report. OK When I began at Active almost a year ago, from the beginning I was completely impressed by the athleticism that the entire organization consistently has. As I further got to know my fellow Active coworkers, especially my Client Service team (yah!) I was extremely impressed by everyone’s accomplishments: Kristin’s triathlons, Megan running the NYC marathon in spite of all the challenges she had due to the San Diego fires and Ms. Kelly running Chicago (her first marathon) in the hottest of all days. I recall sitting in the stands at the NYC marathon both cheering and then witnessing a younger gentleman who had wheeled his way through entire course. At the last 300 yards he got up and with his walker, crossed the finish line. It was that day that I decided; ok running will be my challenge.
Yesterday, I completed the Long Branch (NJ) Half Marathon. This course is a USAT&F certified course and used as a Boston qualifier. The day was great, the run fantastic and the event was unforgettable.
I want to send a heart felt THANK YOU to my CS Team (love ya ladies), to the entire Active Trainer team (couldn’t have done it without my plan) and to my NYC mentors (Brenda Seidner Reilly and Michelle Crepeau). Along with everyone else that sent me their best wishes along the training process. Today is a rest day!
A WILD BUNCH at WILDFLOWER Triathlon near Paso Robles, CA. Team members (as pictured left to right) MICHELLE VELENTI, LUKE SMITH, JIM GARFIELD, JESSE HAMMOND & MARK WARBLE did the Olympic distance triathlon on Sunday. MARK WARBLE Systems Admin in SD office knocked 19 minutes off his time from last year and was part of the Team in Training, he and 25 other teammates raised $106,000 for LLS. JESSE HAMMOND had a goal to beat LIKE SMITH by 1 second and he did by 3 minutes going 2:40:42. He would like to thank his sponsors ActiveX, Team Active Employees Who Commute to Work by Bike and bagel Fridays—for all their support. Thanking sponsors? JESSE you’re not that good!
NOLAN HANSEN Accounts Receivable also did Wildflower this past weekend. He competed in the 2008 Wildflower Long Course Triathlon (1.2 mile S, 56 mile B, 13.1 mile R) located at San Antonio Lake in Monterey County California. The course was hilly, challenging, and painful, which definitely contributed to a great race experience. He just broke 5 hours going 4:59.
JAKE COONEY Online Marketing Manager in Bothell, WA did his very first running race this weekend. One of the world’s largest road races the Lilac Bloomsday 12K in Spokane, WA. The race features the famed Doomsday hill at 5 miles and they call it “Mount Doom”. Jake ran 1:04 and has already signed up for more races, kept up Jake!
ADNAN ZAIDI Technical Account Manager for Tennis in San Diego played in the Men’s open division of the Miccosukee Adult Tennis Championship. I came up short in the first round and had to retire in the third set due to a hamstring injury. Unfortunately this is the second week in a row I have had to retire with an injury in tournament play but I am feeling better about my tennis progress every day. Good Luck Adnan!
STEPHANIE SNAMAN & her MOM did their first ever triathlon yesterday in SD at the Spring Sprint. We were nervous about the swim as we were novice swimmers but we prevailed and had a fantastic time. My mom placed in her category and I came in middle of the pack in my age group. Not too shabby for first timers! Can't wait for the next one!
AMBER MARTIN also completed her first triathlon, the Mission Bay Triathlon this weekend in SD. It went really well, I finished towards the front of my age group and it took me about an hour. Still waiting for results to be posted so I can get a better idea. Since it started in waves the clock time was for the wave in front of me not me.
TOBY GUILLETTE, Online Community Specialist for Endurance Sports run more miles a week than most of us drive! He logged another weekend of trail running with 30 mountain miles on Saturday and 18 miles on Sunday to close out an 80-mile week. The next 2 weekends mark the peak of my training for the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run on June 7-8. It’s starting to get exciting because the month countdown is about to begin and I’m confident I’ll be ready.
ARCH FUSTON says there’s no place like home. I have to post this even though he wasn’t in an event. Anyone that goes home to help the parents cut down 8 trees, haul 40 truck loads of branches, build a 50 foot rock path and then mow 5 acres on a John Deere is a Weekend Warrior! Dude it would have been easier doing an Ironman!
And I have to do a proud Dad update. My son ANDY REILLY was chosen on his College All League team this weekend and was given his team’s MVP for the 2nd year. Now on to the playoffs and the Major League draft June 5 & 6!
Andy Reilly senior third baseman hit a Point Loma Nazarene University high .375, collecting 66 hits in 176 at bats. He scored 30 runs, belting 18 doubles (fourth best in the GSAC), two triples and four homeruns. Reilly knocked in 36 runs and swiped nine bags in 10 attempts. In the field he contributed 124 putouts with 37 assists.
![Game_16[5].JPG](http://community.active.com/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-8219-4146/Game_16%5B5%5D.JPG)
2008 Baseball All-GSAC Team
POS. ATHLETE SCHOOL YEAR HOMETOWN
C Tyler Diamond The Master's Junior Simi Valley, CA
C Josh Jackson Fresno Pacific Junior Antelope Valley, CA
1B Brice Cutspec Azusa Pacific Sophomore Westminster, CA
2B Hawkins Gebbers Biola Junior Brewster, WA
3B Andy Reilly Point Loma Nazarene Senior Poway, CA
SS Nick Rotkowitz Biola Junior Westminster, CA
SS Matt Venegas Azusa Pacific Senior La Verne, CA
IF/UTL Steve Goins Cal Baptist Senior Riverside, CA
DH Stephen Kohatsu Azusa Pacific Senior Covina, CA
OF Kaohi Downing Point Loma Nazarene Junior Honolulu, HI
OF Justin Keeney Fresno Pacific Junior Lancaster, CA
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis Azusa Pacific Junior Highlands Ranch, CO
OF David West Biola Junior Coronado, CA
P Lance Janke San Diego Christian Senior El Cajon, CA
P Enrique Lechuga Concordia Senior Seeley, CA
P Chris Schwinden Fresno Pacific Senior Visalia, CA
P Tim Woodward The Master's Junior Chatsworth, CA
P Joe Zeller The Master's Sophomore Mission Viejo, CA
RP Daniel Brodie Fresno Pacific Junior Oakdale, CA
Active Warriors
27 Posts tagged with the active tag 1 2 Previous Next
Janean Nation, Account Manager – ActiveSports
My sister Michelle (Product Manager) and I participated in the Iron Girl Las Vegas Triathlon this weekend with another of our sisters. It was my first triathlon and I had a great time. Michelle and I did the sprint, finishing 310th and 312th out of about 800 racers. Michelle had a slightly heroic moment when she helped a panicked swimmer out of the water in the first 25 yards and then swam back up to help me through my weakest leg. Overall it was a great experience and I can’t wait to give it another go!
Shawn Boom, Sacramento office
On Saturday I ran the Diablo Trail Marathon - 8,000 vertical feet of climbing and 90 degrees, quite a feat and quite tough on the feet given the rocky trail. I'm normally a 3 hr marathoner and this one was so steep and hilly it took me 7 hours! Attached is a photo from near the 4,000 ft summit.
Carrie Smith, Marketing Services Conversion Specialist
Last week I was in the British Virgin Islands as part of an open water swim vacation. The water was so clear that we did underwater videotaping in the sea for stroke analysis! The temperature was perfect, no wetsuits needed. This trip had it all…snorkeling, sea life, sailing, plenty of swimming, and sunsets.
Caitlyn Barker, Support Team Lead, Professional Services
I recently travelled to Guam and spent a week swimming, snorkeling and hiking around the island. One of the cool things I discovered was a Geocache game that is played all over the world. Little “caches” like the one in the picture are hidden all over the world and folks are supposed to use GPS devices to find these. I pretty much liken it to a modern day treasure hunt! I just happened to learn about this game when I almost tripped on the canister in the rock on Mt Lam Lam. My boyfriend Colin and I hiked this mountain which happens to be the tallest peak on the island, about 3,000 feet in elevation. Later, we went snorkeling in the bay to cool off. The trip also included a chance to watch some friends participate in the Xterra Off Road Triathlon and Guam Marathon that weekend, watching these participants compete while enduring the high heat and humidity levels amazed me!
Amber Martin
I went on a 3 day cruise to Mexico. Between the sunbathing still managed to get in something Active. We went horse back riding down the beach in Ensenada. My first time on a horse since being bucked off when I was 10…it was interesting to say the least.
Jim Garfield, Director, Business Development
In the true spirit of Mr. Reilly, I had the opportunity to channel him in announcing the Nautica South Beach Triathlon. In the photo I was happy to announce the winners of the female celebrity relay team (Triathlete Katya Meyer, Tennis Star Anna Kournikova, me and Olympic Gold medalist and world record holder Dara Torres. Next time I am going to race!!!
Kirstin Hartos, Implementation Analyst
I attended the first of three weekend rugby camps to try-out for the Southern California (SCRFU) women’s select side team. Each of the seven territories in the US will put a select side team together to play in the USA Rugby National All-Star Tournament in June in Pittsburgh. We had almost 30 girls at the try-out this weekend, and expect more players at the camp in Los Angeles at the beginning of May. On Saturday we did some ball-handling, tackling and fitness testing in the morning, broke out into backs and forwards in the afternoon to run through set plays, and then scrimmaged ourselves at the end of the day. On Sunday morning we had another scrimmage against another women’s team representing the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU), but ended up losing 15-0 after 110 minutes of rugby. I managed to nail the goal-post on our only penalty kick attempt, and the ref changed his mind and took back our try in the first period – it was a frustrating that we didn’t convert on our opportunities to score. But aside from being generally sore (and bruised), I managed to stay injury free – and am looking forward to the next camp in May.
Michelle Valenti
I supported being active by attending the Navy Moto X World Championships at Qualcomm. I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the event! The freestyle tricks are unbelievable, and riders like Ricky Carmichael and Travis Pastrana are really impressive to watch.
Tina Novak, Software Trainer
I was up in Utah for a long weekend, camping, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and all around loving life at the majestic Zion National Park. Hiked up a bunch of different trails there, but the highlights were Observation Point and Angels Landing. Observation Point we kind of tackled as an afterthought, and came to find out that we hiked 4 miles to the top of Zion (about a mile high) where this photo was taken. What? You can hike to the top of Zion? I’m glad we didn’t know we were going that high because we might not have done the hike! Angels Landing was my most challenging hike, not physically, but emotionally. I am absolutely terrified of heights but managed to crawl my way across the narrow trails with 1,000 foot drop offs on both sides to the top to enjoy the amazing views. Talk about feeling accomplished!
Alex Walker, sales at EventRegister and Andrew Frantz, developer from Thriva, took a trip to Steven’s Pass for a little action in the Terrain Park. After months of building up the courage, faceplants and failed attempts, we finally we able to compile this short video of our accomplishments.
San Diego Mud Run
LAURA HILTS, ANDREA RISHMAWI, and CARRIE JAMES did the SD Mud Run (Team 5k) Sunday afternoon. At 100 degrees, it was a scorcher, thank God for those breathable Active X shirts
Marc Villanueva,Danny Roa, Bryan Paijit, Jesse Hammond and Jesse's girlfriend
"Mud Run Baby!!!"
Kevin Beatty
Ran in the San Diego 10K Mud Run in La Mesa with a group of friends. Still picking the mud out of my ears and fingernails today but had a blast doing it. No idea what our time was.
Amy Steiner, Heidi Achenbach and Christina Hanson ran the San Diego Mud Run on Sunday. We finished the hilly, muddy, obstacle-ridden and crowded 5K course at 50:10, but with temperatures over 100° in La Mesa on Sunday, we’re just glad we survived it!
Lacey Shaw, Polly Marrangoni and Katrina LeBlanc did the San Diego Mud Run 5K in el Cajon on Sunday. As temps reached record breaking 100 degrees we were glad there was some mud to cool us off. =)
Pierre Duvelleroy, Account Executive, International:
On Sunday April 6th, Paris was hosting the 5th largest marathon in the world with 35 000 participants and 29 706 athletes on the start line. Among them, 3 Active members: Jenny Kinnear from our London office, the Active Globe trotter Laurent Gauthier, and Pierre Duvelleroy from France.
For her first marathon, Jenny ended up finishing around 4h30 with a strong finish. With only 35°F on the start line, the conditions were not ideal but assisted by 9 times former Ironman Laurent, Pierre ended up his first attempt on the distance in 3h40. Great race, lots of fun and one more marathon run for Active.
Check out Laurent and Pierre’s picture below. Laurent is wearing the Active.com hat just in case…Lots of ED on the start line…
Stephen Branstetter, General Manager:
This weekend I participated in a decathlon requiring the utmost advanced training and skill. The training time required to prepare for this event is similar to ultra-marathons and the iron-man – only true warriors and competitors need apply. Here are the events and my score (low score wins – typically between 3 and 10 combined score):
Egg Toss: 10 points (I blew it and dropped an easy one because I was getting cocky)
Beer Pong: 9 points
Volleyball: 0 points (WINNER)
Three Legged Race: 10 points (penalty points for spilling drink)
Badminton: 2 points
Croquet: 2 points
Botchy Ball: 0 points (WINNER)
Horse Shoes: 0 points (WINNER)
Shell Toss: 3 points
P.I.G.: 6 points
TOTAL: 41 points
Next year I vow to improve! If anyone in the Bothell office would like to practice any of the above events during lunch please contact me immediately.
Brendan McCarthy, Director, Business Development:
The weather in Boston is getting better – a bit above freezing. This weekend I ran the Cohasset Road Race By The Sea 10K. The conditions were not great, very windy as you ran along the ocean but no real rain – a little mist. The run was a lot of fun and I was happy with my time. Looking forward to the warm weather and more outdoor events, to start the season this was a great one.
Kelly D. Bell, Senior Account Manager:
With over 2 feet of fresh snow over the last few weeks in the Colorado High Country (and more falling today), Kelly Bell enjoyed one of the last weekends of skiing in Vail. This picture was taken at the top of Vail Mountain overlooking the Back Bowls. The snow was absolutely phenomenal which made a day of skiing fabulous! On Sunday, Kelly headed back down from skiing to hit the golf course and test out her new clubs at Overland Golf Course! You gotta love Colorado J
Lauren Guinn, Senior Director of Marketing:
Lauren and her son Kevin, 11, spent three days snowboarding in Winter Park, CO. It snowed close to a foot while they were there. Spring boarding at its best! Best of all, no broken bones! Photos pending.
Burt Repine, Development, Foundation Team:
I braved the desert heat yesterday and summited Villager Peak (5755 ft) in the Santa Rosa Mountains in the Anza-Borrego State Park. The 14-mile round trip took 7.5 hours and gained almost 5000 feet in elevation.
Here’s a pic of me at the top……
Tina Novak, Software Trainer:
Went hiking at Cuyamaca State Park. Gorgeous!
Chris Wheeler, School Finance Consultant:
I raced in the San Diego Crew Classic this weekend. I rowed in a UC Davis Alumni boat that finished 6 of 19 in the Men’s Open 8 Event. This was a fun event because you run into ex-Olympians and nation teamers on the water. This year we got to race a bunch of guys from the Estonian under 23 National Team. Needless to say, they were pretty good. My second event of the weekend was the Men’s Masters A Event. I competed with San Diego Rowing Club. We put together a really solid race with a great move across the 1500m mark rowing through a crew that was coxed (steered) by an Olympic Gold Medalist. We finished 2nd in the event. Our coxswain said it was one of the bigger thrills of her life finishing ahead of her idol. Also, thank you to all the Active people that came out in support. It was really great seeing you all out there.
Debra Urka, Jr. Application Specialist:
I hit the ocean this weekend and went free diving. It was a great diving weekend with visibility up to 20 feet, which was amazing considering that the swell was also coming in at about 5 feet.
Justin Lakin, Software QA Tester – San Diego office:
Had the opportunity to participate in the Walk for Recovery 5k through Balboa Park on Saturday (04.05) with his mom and girlfriend. There is no finishing time to report because this was a non-competitive event. Beautiful scenery, fun people, good music, and a great cause made this 5k really enjoyable. Justin recommends the Walk for Recovery to those who appreciate diversity, are compassionate toward others, and are not uber-competitive.
Steven Twohy, Staff Accountant:
This weekend was the Superfrog Triathlon in Coronado where competitors race with and against Navy Seals and their comrades. This year the proceeds went to help support those families who lost their Navy Seal fathers in combat. Considering I am doing Ironman Arizona next weekend I felt it was my call of duty to be able to step and race! The half Ironman event also has relay race for those who wanted to split up the swim, bike and run. I did the run which was 13.1 miles on the sandy beach of the Silver Strand State Beach. As a team we managed to finish 4th place overall amongst 20 or so other teams. It was another great weekend in San Diego and what a great way to raise money for those in need.
Toby Guillette, Online Community Specialist:
I hit the trail for a 28-mile run on Saturday in Cuyamaca State Park. I'm feeling strong and right on track for the SD100 in June. Next weekend, I'm bumping it up to 43 miles 
Carlsbad 5000
Catherine Hansen, Sr. Marketing Services Consultant:
Ran the Carlsbad 5000 in 31:16
Sean Thompson and Arch Fuston ran the Carlsbad 5000. Sean’s watch was still set for a 2 minute interval and instinctively dropped for 15 pushups every time it went off. Arch lunged the entire 3.1. They had fun.
Jenni Miller, Account Manager, Running:
I did the Carlsbad 5000 Sunday in 28:55. My only goal was to be under 30 minutes so I was pumped.
Jim De la Cruz, System Administrator:
My wife and I spent Sunday running the fun and short Carlsbad 5000 this past weekend, the weather, the giveaways and energy level was great! A strong recommendation to run this fun event just get there early.
Amber Martin, Senior Marketing Services Analyst:
did the Carlsbad 5,000 in 23:09. It was fun race!
Michelle Ulrich, Account Executive:
I ran the Carlsbad 5000 yesterday with a PR of 18:58, which placed me in the Top 25 Females. What a great, fast race it was with some great athletes to run against!
Michelle Nation, Product Manager:
My sister Janean (Team Sports Sales) and I led the fan club for our 9 year old nephew Sean at this weekend’s “Junior Carlsbad” 1 mile run. This is an incredibly well-managed race for kids held every year in conjunction with the Carlsbad 5000. Those of you who have kids under 12 should definitely be sure to sign them up for next year! Sean PR’d with an official time of 9:08 and had a blast. Janean and I made sure Sean (and everyone else) could see us by wearing BRIGHT orange and white “GO SEAN” t shirts. Can’t wait till Sean’s next race …
Steve Kemper, Chief Financial Officer:
Marina Kemper takes 3rd in Junior Carlsbad 11 year old category running a 6:05 mile
Sejal Pietrzak, VP International:
My family had an active weekend! Raina (3 years old) and Deven (almost 2 years old) both ran in the Junior Carlsbad! Here’s a picture of Raina running the ¼ mile – she had a blast with a smile the entire time!
I ran the Carlsbad 5000 and got a PR – definitely not “fast” for most people, but for me it was a great run in 26:57 with my husband and kids cheering me on – it was so fun! My sister Monal also ran the Carlsbad 5000 and placed 2nd in the 30-34 age group in 18:10!
Steve Mazza:
My son Jack and I ran the Carlsbad 5000 yesterday
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:
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!)
PATTI ROSENTHAL was at it again this weekend. Backcountry ski trip to Deer Creek - approximately 35 miles north of Durango. Hiked up 800 feet to around an elevation of about 11,000 feet to ski some freshies through the trees. Then hike back up to do it again! This is a very popular place for backcountry skiing in Durango. Great vistas, friends & skiing!
ANDI NEUGARTEN International sales skied knee deep powder in Utah! AND because for her that isn’t enough she went running on the groomed runs at 9000 feet with my crazy friend and then snowshoed through knee deep powder. Ouch......altitude hurts!
ASHLEY ELLIS Account Exec Swimming did a different kind of participation this weekend. She really CLEANED UP and worked on behalf of I Love A Clean San Diego, in the “Clean Canyons for a Clean Coast Cleanup”. The cleanup took place on Saturday January 26, 2008 from 9 am – 12 noon at Emerald Hills Open Space. This cleanup was an important one, in that it educated volunteers of the connection between inland canyons and waterways, and the San Diego coastline. To view other events by this volunteer please go to www.cleansd.org.
I was disgusted with how much junk we found. Some items that we picked up included: tons of glass, shoes, one sleeping bag, a dead dog in a bagL, hundreds of cans, two tires, a shopping cart, Sport balls of all types, a medicine bottle dating back to 2002 and tons of food containers. Hopefully through our service people around that community will want to take advantage of a beautiful nature path and animals will want to make it their home which before had been overrun by trash.
CAITLYN BARKER has to stay in shape because she hangs out with her sister and boyfriend a Navy Seal. Once again no races but on Saturday they hiked Iron Mtn in SD along with her Dad and the dogs. Bear (is the dog not the Seal) managed to pull us all the way to the top and despite the clouds we could see the entire county. Jake (the Seal) is training for Ironman Hawaii and decided to include the mountain in a 15 mile run with his brother the next day. Wish I was that adventurous….
A GREAT WEEKEND OF RUNNING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA! ON A PERSONAL NOTE MY WIFE AND I WITNESSED OUR 24 YEAR DAUGHTER FINISH HER FIRST MARATHON IN A TIME OF 4:40 HERE IN SAN DIEGO. Mike
ALAN COLE & his wife Jill completed the Keebler Kids Marathon Mile with their beautiful daughter Bridget (who turns 2 in March). This kid-friendly precursor to the Carlsbad marathon takes runners on a mile-long course through LEGOLAND. Just my speed...
STEPHANY CAVATONI (Cardenas) in SD said she is happy to say the Cardenas family (including Stella age 4 and Lucas age 5) successfully finished the Keebler Marathon Mile at Legoland this weekend!
CHRIS WHEELER School Finance ActiveEducate went skiing Friday and Saturday in Vail, Colorado. The snow was great with tons of fresh powder. It was freezing though with temperatures around or below zero the entire time. All in all it was an amazing weekend.
ANDREW COLE, CARRIE JAMES ANDREA RISHMAWI & JOHN PISCATTI (who found us on the Active Community Blog) hiked the 11.2-mile trail at El Cajon Mountain this Sunday morning at 7:00AM!! We didn't get to finish all 11 miles - everyone wanted to get back in time for the Chargers game, so it ended up being about 9 miles. Nonetheless...we're talking about some TROOPERS on a Sunday morning J
BROOKE KIRKPATRICK ran the Carlsbad ˝ marathon with my college friend and fiancé. We finished at 2:07.
KEVIN BEATTY also completed the Carlsbad half with a PR of 1:47 minutes
AMBER MARTIN Senior Mkt Analyst with another great running weekend! She ran the Carlsbad Half along with a bunch of other Active people. I ran it in 1:54:23 which was 1 minute off my PR on that course. I was proud because the last 2 miles where the hardest 2 miles I have run, because all the soreness and cramping from my marathon last weekend came back, but I was able to push through and keep at pace. Now it's time for a break before I ramp up again for the spring.
MOLLY MUELLER ran in the Carlsbad Half...Her first half marathonJ way to go Molly!
MICHELLE ULRICH Event Sales said Carlsbad was fantastic yesterday. I don't think I have ever felt that good in a race. Everything felt great! I ran a PR of almost 4 minutes. 1:28:22, 6:45 pace, 23rd female overall and 7th in my age group. I am still on a high this morning and woke up thinking what's next J
KRISTIN HARTOS Impementation Analyst did the Carlsbad Half Marathon yesterday, marking my first endurance event. My IT band flared up right around mile 6 (which I expected from my training), but I still managed to finish the race in 2:49. I must thank Michelle Nation for getting me to sign up and helping me find my inner "runner," and my friends for showing up on race day to motivate (and embarrass) me. Couldn't have done it without them!! J
MICHELLE NATION ran the Carlsbad Half this weekend with my older sister Kristie and some friends from Active (Megan Duvall & Kirstin Hartos). We had a blast taking in the perfect weather and beautiful scenery, but missed my younger sister (and co-worker) Janean who had to sit this one out due to injury! Can't wait to get together again for the La Jolla Half in April J
JOSIE DONNELLY Director Account Management said she didn't break any records!!! I ran at a snail's pace. But considering it was my first half marathon and I only trained for 3 weeks my goals was just to finish. I did it with my sister, which was wonderful.
Man, feeling pretty sore today!
SARAH MOOSBRUGGER ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon with a couple of other Active people (Molly Mueller, Mary Cecil, Arch Fuston, Mike Coleman to name a few)... crossed the finish line with Arch Fuston's wife (Christy) with a 1:59 time...if she hadn't been there to pull me through, I wouldn't have made it in under 2! It was a really nice day, chilly at first, but a great run along the coast. I think Molly even saw some dolphins to help inspire her through the race.
ERIKA WINTER Endurance Swimming ran her first half Marathon in Carlsbad this weekend!
ANDI NEUGARTEN Active International had a beautiful day in Carlsbad for the ˝ and is
Happy with her 1 hour 40 minute run as a beginning of my training season. And she just arrived back from a week long Europe sales swing.
MIKE COLEMAN Dir of training was at it again 2 weekends in a row. He did Arizona RNR last week, Carlsbad 1/2 this week breaking the 2:00 mark with a 1:57. Think I will take a break next week.
FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THE BUILDING FOR SUCCESS SALES KICK OFF ON 1/10 IT WAS A PERFECT KICK OFF TO THE YEAR! ONE OF THE BEST EVER AT ACTIVE. AND HOW ABOUT MY SAN DIEGO CHARGERS!
Mike
MIKE REILLY - Yes this is my first report in Weekend Warriors. On Saturday I rode the Shadow Tour 100 mile bike ride which is held in the high desert 50 miles east of San Diego. It was a beautiful morning with the 7:00 AM start at 40 degrees. When I rode into the finish 5 hours 50 minutes later it was approaching 70 degrees. It's a challenging course especially the last 600 foot climb at 90 miles.
MIKE COLEMAN Active Director of Training practiced what he preaches. He ran the AZ Rock n Roll ½ Marathon in Phoenix Sunday and had a great time selling our training program on the course to the runners!
ANDREA RISHMAWI Account Exec. For Swimming was out of the water this weekend and on dry land. She hiked up the San Diego Mesa Rd. Trail at Cowles Mountain.
TOBY GUILLETTE, Online Community Specialist for Endurance Sports in San Diego ran the Avalon 50 on Saturday, a 50-mile ultra marathon on Catalina Island. I finished with a PR of 10 hours, 21 minutes which is five hours faster than my last 50-mile race. It was my first time to the island so I enjoyed the sunrise, beautiful scenery and met lots of inspirational folks. The weather was in the mid-70s so it made it tricky to stay properly hydrated and I struggled with hypomatremia for more than half of the race. It was a learning experience to say the least and now I’m excited to start training for the Ironman-70.3 in Oceanside on March 29.
Check out Toby’s Blog http://community.active.com/blogs/toby/2008/01/14/avalon-50-race-report
AMBER MARTIN Senior Marketing Services Analyst ROCKS! She ran the AZ Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. It was her second fastest Marathon time, 3:57:23. She said she was pleased because I didn’t train nearly enough with the holidays and everything last month. I am hoping if I buckle down on my training I can qualify for Boston at SD Rock ‘n’ Roll. Sore today and walking slow, but it was worth it!
MICHELLE CREPEAU was also in Arizona at the RnR. She ran the ½ in a strong 2 hours 56 seconds. She had a blast running with one of her best friends she grew up with. Her friend was running her first ½ Marathon and now Michelle has her hooked.
LAUREN DACHILLE Account Exec for Running was a coach this weekend. At the Adrenaline High School Lacrosse Challenge at Robb Field in OB San Diego. This is a yearly highly competitive tournament featuring the best from local High Schools in the West Region. Three Active Members were lucky to be coaching three different teams in the showcase. JENN TAPSCOTT coached the Lax Dawgs, SARA ALLEN coached the SD RIP Elite and I coached the Element 5 Impact Team. Jenn, Sara and I also played in the Coaches Game on Saturday. For the third year straight Element 5 took the title against Sara’s SD RIP team in the championship game.
PATTI ROSENTHAL too a backcountry ski trip to the St. Paul Hut in the Red Mountains of Colorado (Northern San Juan Mountains). About an hour ski in to the hut & 3 days of fabulous backcountry skiing. Nothing like hanging out with good friends in the beautiful mountains & skiing freshies every day.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! KEEP YOUR RESOLUTION AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OKAY! Mike
STEVE HOOVER, ActiveNet Development Manager reported in. Last Monday I was involved in the first annual, “Methuselah League” 3 on 3 basketball championship. It’s really just a bunch of 45+ year old guys who get together twice a week at the gym for some hoops. My team lost 2 games to 1 in the best two out of three year end championship game. We lost the final game 21-19. We were down 19-11 and I brought us back to a tie with four straight three pointers (actually worth two points). Unfortunately, none of my teammates could make a basket if their lives depended on it and we went down!!! Well, I guess my getting burned by leaving my feet and watching a guy drive past me for the game winner had something to do with it also! J
INGRID SANDERS, Director, Strategic Planning spent last week in the middle of Utah learning to snowkite. It is an amazing experience and not nearly as scary as I would have anticipated, although there were a few strong gust that made my heart skip a beat. Once you get the hang of managing the kite and actually start riding, the feeling is like nothing you’ve ever experienced. The instructor, Brian, was fantastic, and I’d highly recommend him if anyone else wants to try. He works with Ozone, a company that makes very well designed kites for snow, water, land, etc (with strong safety features…) http://www.flyozone.com/snowkites/en/
AMBER MARTIN, Senior Mkt. Services Analyst did the Orange County Half Marathon. It was cold, but the rain held off until after I finished. I ran a 1:57, but was using it as training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon next weekend. GOOD LUCK AMBER!
JESSE HAMOND, Content Producer said he suffered through his first half-marathon on Sunday. He also did the Orange County Half from Newport Beach to Irvine. Finished just under 2:15, which I’m pleased with, but I think I’m going to gravitate back to the sprint and Olympic-distance tris for awhile. I’ll leave the long-distance racing to guys like Toby (and Amber).
PATTI ROSENTHAL of course went SKIING! Durango Mountain Resort received over 3 feet of snow over the weekend. Saturday was a nice 8-10 inches of fresh snow. Sunday was over 26 inches of fresh new powder (a little much for our local mountain). Also went snowcat skiing with the San Juan Snowcat Skiing Company. You're transported in a powerful Bombardier BR 400+ snowcat with custom designed, totally enclosed and heated coaches. Start at 8:30 am & finish around 4:00 pm. 12 runs and 8,000 to 12,000 vertical feet of untracked powder in the bowls, chutes, ridges, glades and treed slopes with lunch provided at the "love shack"! Life is good in Durango!
EDDIE STRICKLER took advantage of the great snow we had up here in the Pacific Northwest and went up snowboarding with some friends this weekend.
JANEAN NATION, Account Manager SD was all set to run but her race was cancelled. The San Diego Resolution 15K was cancelled due to high winds. The police couldn’t keep the barricades up that kept the street closed.
But Janean would not be deterred. Later that afternoon she did her own Resolution run 15K and then made it back in time to see the CHARGERS win!
MEAGAN JOHNSTON, Corporate Recruiter went skiing in Utah where the temp was 10 degrees and 2 ½ ft. of new powder. She says Warren Miller was right, Utah is the best!
So is the Beer!
DMITRIY MINENKO, Search Mkt. Manager says they are having excellent snow here in BC. I spent my Sunday skiing on local Mount Seymour, where we had about of one foot of fresh snow. Driving was tricky, but I had tons of fun on the slopes.
