Monday, September 29, 2003
Our A2A Skating Adventure
On Friday Night, September 26, 2003
(A2A's Friday Night Skate - Part 1)
Last year - there were three of us.
- And then there was this man.
There were three of us who
- Were taken to the hospital.
And then there was this man,
- Who knew that he had made
For the three of us the totally killer
- Margaritas.
There were the three of us who had
- Skated 87 miles in last year’s A2A.
And then there was this man,
- Who was also with us this year.
But this year, I remembered all about
- This man’s most killer Margaritas.
And when this same man, Donn B,
- Offered to me some Margaritas,
My taste buds wanted exactly that,
- But my heart and soul declined.
Donn has been with A2A since perhaps
- The beginning of A2A time.
And next to his super-powerfully generated,
- Exclusively solar equipped,
Fully customized mobile home trailer,
- Donn, last year, had quite gleefully
Made for the three of us margaritas,
- that had the exact same amount of
Electrified umph!!!
I can not assure to anyone that last year’s
- A2A Packet Stuffing Party turned
Donn’s Margarita drinking contest
- Was the catalyst that sent the three of us
A couple days later to the hospital,
- at the end of A2A.
But I CAN assure to all of you that this man,
- who is of course from Texas,
Makes the absolute best,
- the most totally pungent,
And the all-time best tasting
- Margaritas - in all of this world !!!
Donn at Willy's Mexican Restaurant,
after the A2A - Friday Night Skate
Posted by marcstpierre @ 01:00 PM EDT [Link]
Thursday, September 25, 2003
A question asked by APRR to Yong H. T.: Should potassium be taken into consideration when choosing supplemental fluids for exercise?
Yong's Answer: No, there is no need to supplement potassium during exercise. Studies have shown that there is no significant enhancement of performance through the supplement of potassium.
Potassium (K+) is basically an ion (or cation). It plays a critically important role in the excitability of muscles and nerves. It is also important in regulating the balance of the acidity & base of body fluids. An imbalance of potassium may have detrimental effects. Too much potassium in the blood may stop the heart from beating and could lead to death; where as, too little potassium may cause arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm). The body does a good job to auto-regulate the balance of potassium, so, as a normal, healthy athlete, you need not worry about potassium supplement during exercise.
Ninety-nine percent of Potassium is found inside the body's cells. The extent of its concentration is 140 mEq/L inside the body's cells and only 4 mEqL outside the cells; where, two thirds of the body's fluids are located inside its cells and the remaining fluids are outside the cells. As electrolytes are typically lost through sweating, only a slight amount of potassium is lost, mainly from the tank of fluids outside the cells.
However, with the high concentration of potassium remaining within the cells, the body normally has an ample amount of the substance in reserve. This reserve is enough to restore potassium lost within the circulatory system, during extra-endurance physical activity. It is here that the body is able to auto-regulate the levels of potassium inside and outside its cells. Therefore, it is often not necessary to immediately supplement the body with potassium. Conversely, no harm is done if potassium is in fact supplemented during or after such activity.
Posted by marcstpierre @ 08:59 PM EDT [Link]
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Our Skate, Skate, Skate
On Wednesday Night – September 24, 2003
By Bill B.
So many wheels were rolling together as one. The momentum of spinning steel and polyurethane, and the gyroscopic inertia was so great, that I felt the Earth shift 90 degrees from our direction of rotation. It was the largest APRR Night Skate I've seen in “regular times." Paul K led the entire group on a skate that will be the route for this Friday's A2A Social Skate, which will be leaving from Skate Escape at 7:00 PM, sharp! There were hundreds of us rolling through Atlanta. By "us," I mean wheels. I would guess there were at least 50 or more skaters who skated in one big group.
APRR’s current Zephyr inline tour guide, Deborah D, flew in from out of town for the 38-mile A2D, and brought along two of her Atlanta friends, Cheryl and Helen. She had met them on a Zephyr multi-sport event in Lake Tahoe Zephyr Adventures. Deborah now lives in Red Lodge, Montana (population 2,876 – “and a great place to come home to.”) So far she's guided six tours, recent ones being in Switzerland and Lake Tahoe. Deb then said to us, “For 2004, I'm most excited about guiding our multi-sport tour in Burgundy, France (Mmmm, wine country) and an all-hiking trip in Glacier National Park."
Ya, Deborah gets around. Speaking of getting around, when we asked her about her current love life, all she would say was "no comment." That means it’s either a 1 or a 10 on the Love-O-Meter. She doesn’t get to skate very often while living in her small town, since there are not too many skateable places. But she has been doing a good bit of snowboarding and mountain biking. Hmmm, she may be on to something - since she recently finished the Northshore Marathon in 1:35!
Also: Caroline B has moved back to Atlanta from NYC for good. Hopefully Miguel will be moving back soon as well. They are both skating A2A, and will both add a lot of speed to our APRR group. Skaters Jeff and Heather showed up with somebody new… Really new... As in only-been-around-for-a-few-months new... As in their adorable little girl, Madeline!
Oh, and Joel S from Cali (Southern California) was with us tonight too.
(Photo provided by Deborah D)
AP file photo of Deborah practicing shenanigans.
Posted by marcstpierre @ 11:21 PM EDT [Link]
Sunday, September 21, 2003
Our New York 100K Inline Skating Race
On September 20, 2003
By Miguel P
I couldn’t remember a thing! I was busy just keeping my lunch down and my legs moving. Importantly, I was able to hold onto Bruce B's wheels for up to 17 laps, and then that was that. Someone had asked me if I had a good race. I told them, "Yea, and I might even puke!" Caroline B, Beth D, Marsha W, and one other lady finished together, and had even skated the whole thing together. I saw them come across the finish. Talk about fresh, they looked like they could have skated twenty more! (Well, they'll have to next Sunday…)
Posted by marcstpierre @ 09:43 PM EDT [Link]
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Our Skate, Skate, Skate
On Wednesday Night – September 17, 2003
The Slow Group Text By Zdenka M.
(The Slow Group) Tonight, my sister skated with me! It was her first time on inline skates, but she has ice-skated before. The Wednesday Night Skate seemed to be perfect for this first time.
At the Carter Center parking lot, I gathered all the pads from "share-willing" friends, but borrowing skates for my sister wasn't the best thing to do {the skates that she used were not technically designed to exceed the speed of a walking man}.
We set off with Deb C and the Slow Group, but after a while, split apart from most of the others and created an extra recreational-touring group. We headed to the Olympic Park, and Deb not only led us safely through Atlanta's roads, but gave us an interesting guided tour of the city, that my sister and I greatly enjoyed.
After we got back to the Carter Center parking lot, my sister ranked this skating experience as Number 3 in her top ten experiences here in America - after Arches National Park {Utah} and Zion National Park {Utah}, and before San Francisco {CA}. We gladly invited everybody to taste our Czech herb liqueur, called “Becherovka,” that my sister brought with her from the Czech Republic. It has a special taste {I can not describe it, you simply have to taste it} so the skaters either loved it or didn’t.
I would like to thank Deb and the others for helping to make our skating trip fun; Stephanie, Ann, and Marc for loaning their pads; Kenny for all his physical help and support during the skate; and David {on the bike}, who was a good escort for our group. Also, I'd like to thank Ken and Greg for all the good advise about the places to take my sister, while she stays here in Atlanta.
Because of the Wednesday Night Skate, my sister has now become so caught-up in inline skating, that she has decided to buy skates, so that she can start skating back home, in the Czech Republic.
Zdenka’s sister, Jana, had come from the Czech Republic to visit.
We were overjoyed to learn that Zdenka was back in Atlanta
and with us tonight, after she and her sister had toured the
American Southwest.
(The Speed Group & The Intermediate Group)
Just how fast do you think that Mims, Uwe and Eric are traveling,
while hurtling toward Emory? Keeping up with Mims and Uwe took
everything that I had. Although I knew my camera batteries had
typically not been lasting an entire skate-night - - I was now far
more worried about myself lasting as long. Being that Mims and
Uwe were setting the pace for our small, six-man Speed Group -
and with A2A right around the next corner - the two were putting
forth some serious exertion. Heck with the pain and sweat, Lets Go!!!
I’m not exactly sure what to make of this unique image of Uwe,
skating down The By Way toward Briar Cliff Road.
Perhaps you can be the better judge.
We were totally RIPPING down the lengthy hill on Los Angles Street.
Let me rephrase the statement…
R I P P I N G - T H E - H I L L - T O - S C H R E A D S .
So here’s what Mark had to say about the matter as we were traveling
down the fast slope.
Mims in Piedmont Park
Our Speed Group.
(Left to right) Sam F, Mark R, Marc St. Pierre, Mims R, and Eric M
– with Uwe in the back.
Eric and Uwe (who is in front of him, and to the right) are seen here
rocking the IBM Tower with their earth-shaking pushes –
perhaps taught by A2A King - Eddy Matzger.
These two ultra-speed skaters are more than ready for the 87 mile race.
While our Speed Group sprinted up the CNN Center hill, we had a head-on
encounter with the more massively numbered Intermediate Group. I stopped
briefly to snap a photo, and Lisa happened to be right there in the lens,
while skating past me. “Do you want to get one of my good moments?”
she happily asked to me. I was instantly hooked. I then wanted to get
several of them.
Jenni X, who was leading the intermediate group,
covered a lot of solid ground tonight!
Jenni led the intermediate group toward the GT Student Center.
What you can’t hear in this photo are all the scraping noises
that she made with her palm-slider and knee pad, while illegally
entering the university campus.
The Intermediate Group at the Georgia Tech Student Center.
(Front row- left to right) Paula, Nancy G, Ann L
(Second row- left to right) Sarah M, Jim, Mark R, Carl C, Brian H,
Lisa M, Don R, Bill B, Mark D, Debra R
(Back row – left to right) George W, Ken O, Marc St. Pierre,
Jenni X, Ann S, Jim M, Chuck O
Debra R on her bike.
It was pretty mean of Bill to have passed our group leader, Jenni X.
But then again, Bill seems to thrive off stuff like that.
When the Intermediate Group turned right,
Marc turned left,
and straight into one of the Frat Houses at GT.
These guys had drinks and women…
The two things that Marc was craving most.
While skating in the Midtown area, I asked Don
to do something unique for the weblog.
So he did some kind of acrobatic maneuver that
not even a kamikaze pilot would dare reproduce.
Sarah M on her bike, peddling down 10th Street.
Bryan is not only dynamic as a person, but also as a skater.
Although he is very social when skating, he generally gets
right down to business. That is - the business of having fun.
“GW”
This image of Ann in the Virginia Highlands, toward the end of the
skate, illustrates very well the entire evening. Her eyes show her
content, and her smile reveals her gratitude for the splendid
weather and well guided tour.
Mark R and I are in the same boat. We’re both exhausted from an
extremely long and exhilarating night of awesomely radical skating.
Mark D is meticulous about his equipment. Everything is organized.
Everything is in its place. Once arriving back to the Carter Center,
Mark quickly takes care of problems and maintenance. And makes
sure all is ready for the next skate.
Carl & Paula
Zdenka demonstrates to Chuck the Czech custom for ensuring the
happiness of a thirsty man. She didn’t uncap the bottle out of fear
that Chuck would consume the entirety of its contents.
Lisa has totally abused Article 74, Paragraph 118 of the new,
2003 Fair Proportions Act. The Act was established to ensure
good behavior and orderly conduct, after sipping top-notch
Czech liquid delights, such as this one brought from overseas,
from Zdenka’s home land - - courtesy of her sister Jana.
Thanks Zdenka & Jana for the tasty “night cap!”
But the bottle’s now empty… and we need another!
(Zdenka, Lisa, Chuck, Debra)
Posted by marcstpierre @ 08:20 AM EDT [Link]
Insulin - An Article
Noticed by Bruce B.
Posted by marcstpierre @ 08:12 AM EDT [Link]
Our Skate, Skate, Skate
On Monday Night – September 15, 2003
Sam…(static)… Sam, this is Marc. Sorry to bother you, but I’m heading to the skate right now and know that I’ll miss the 8:30 departure. I’m running late.
“Just call me when you get down here, and I’ll let you know where we’re at… …" (Silence- my battery went dead).
So when I arrived at the Carter Center, everyone except Sam had already left. He was waiting for me. What a nice guy! Now we were both without a group. (Idiot!) “Lets go to the Krog Street Tunnel and then around to Turner,” he said.
“Cool ! Lets Go!”
We soon saw a telltale wall of red blinky lights inching their way up the long, torturous hill that lies adjacent to the Olympic Stadium’s easterly side. It seemed to be the Slow Group, and was being lead by Jenni X. I hadn’t seen her in a long time, and was happy about the somewhat rare occasion. But the problem was, was that I snoozed and loosed. Once within their group, I had turned my head and began talking to someone else, when Jenni, her friend Sara, and Sam sprinted off into the wild-blue-yonder, leaving Ann S in charge of babysitting me and the others in our now somewhat smaller group.
“I want to be a good leader,” Ann said to me. “Because I want to do a lot of hills - - a lot of down hills. But no up-hills - - only if I have to.” I looked at her and smiled. I knew that she has already become a good leader.
Matt C, was with us tonight, and had come just for the day, all the way from Huntsville, AL – merely to train for A2A. “They don’t have anything like this in Huntsville,” he shared with our skating group. “Only a three-mile jogging trail, called the Green Way." All of us looked at him in shock and disbelief. Earlier in the day, Matt had made a trip around Stone Mountain, and a there and back again from Decatur. “There’re no hills in Huntsville,” he reminded us.
Jim C thought that tonight was great because the weather was so beautiful. I then asked him if that was the extent of it. “Skating is also wonderful tonight,” he replied. Jim is so much taller than I am, so I didn’t want to argue with him.
Allen F also thought that the skating was wonderful tonight, but he doesn’t want to live it like those of us who are training for A2A. He has a life, he kindly reported to us. “Where’s your camera tonight?” he then asked to me. I responded that it was in the small fanny-pack pouch that I was wearing. But that I had discovered a few miles back that it lacked its memory. (Apparently I had forgotten to bring its small memory card from home.) “That’s just my luck,” he continued. “That’s like my brain.”
There came a point in the skate that Allen desired to deviate from the group and head straight back to the Carter Center. “The pace is a little brisk.” After hearing that, Ann felt terrible, and encouraged him to do the best thing for himself. But it was Jennifer H that took a soldier's stance to keep Allen in line and in tune with the rest of us. Her effective strategy was simple. It was to place Allen at the very front of the group - and to allow everyone to pass him. And once everyone had passed him, she’d then place him back once again in the very front of the group. And so on, and so on.
Allen was soon overjoyed because he was able to stay in the front, where he remained the point man of our group. “At least I’m not DFL,” he confided to me. (Dead Fuc_ing Last)
Lee T, from Marietta was with us tonight, as was Chris C and Allison B. Allison has been buried in books and towering above her pencil, as she nears closer to completing her dissertation. “I wrote three chapters this past week,” she explained to a small group of us as we meandered down Piedmont Ave. “It’s on a long-term resolution of civil conflict during post conflict reconstruction.”
Upon trying to comprehend that, I just about skated off the pavement and into a telephone pole.
Posted by marcstpierre @ 08:09 AM EDT [Link]
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Our NorthShore Inline Marathon (In Duluth, Minnesota)
On Saturday - September 13, 2003
By Jenni X
Duluth, MN. - In spite of threats to the contrary, the weather for this year's Duluth Marathon was as good as one can expect: dry, 52 degrees - with some tailwind early, and changing to a full blown headwind at the finish. At 7:30 AM, there were 4,126 skaters lined up on a peaceful two-lane highway, which edges Lake Superior from Duluth to Two Harbors, Minnesota. The skaters were pacing back and forth, wishing they'd already taken care of peeing. We were all waiting for the start gun to free us of the merciless onslaught of cheerleading and bad jokes, lobbed to us by the event emcee. "The fog is at your back! Ignore the cowbells! It's all downhill ! Just 26 miles and change!"
We passed through a rain shower on the bus ride to the start area. A good number of the pro-skaters moaned and started digging out the rain gear, as the bus’s wipers kicked in. But fortunately, when we reached the starting area, and the doors opened, the ground was dry and the air smelt of clean port-a-potties and dewy grass. We were still fogged in to about 300 feet of visibility, when the starting horns began sending waves of hopefuls toward Duluth, but it cleared within five miles.
As you might expect, I can't tell you much about the ranks beyond Pro master women. But from what I’ve heard, it was the usual skate madness in the Advanced and Recreational divisions, though the Fitness group seemed to be sparsely attended. (If you want a relatively peaceful skate in the melee that Duluth can be, try for that next year.) The Advanced Men's group, who were queued up behind my group, reminded me of hungry hyenas - - cajoling and spitting. I made a mental note that we only had a four minute gap before they'd start cramping the undauntable style of our tiny (17 skaters) Masters/Veterans Ladies group (hey, sure that's right... we're "ladies").
The Pro Master/Veterans group was positively Mongol in it's girth. I roomed with my teammate (LA Speed Skate's) Scott S, who was whipped into shape and ready to rock. Unfortunately, he crashed while attempting to leap over the skater he was drafting, when that skater went down on a tar-snake. Scott got up, road-rashed from rump to shin, and took 11th place amid the hoard-ish men's Pro Masters/Veteran pack of over 64 skaters (47 masters and 17 veterans). These skaters finished within 20 seconds of each other (from 1:12:58 to 1:13:18). For anybody who might be mathematically challenged, that’s like four skaters per second crossing the finish line.
The Pro Master/Veterans group also contained some other familiar names to me. APRR’s Miguel P (now living in New York) took 11th in Masters; Bruce B was 18th; and my pal (and sometimes training partner) Neal L, from Marina del Rey, took 28th. Anyway, they paid 10 deep in Men's Veterans and Neal took 11th. They paid the Women's Masters 5 deep, and I took 6th... Ain't life grand?
PS. The following is an in depth review of my personal take of the Duluth event at: Jenni's Take of Duluth
Posted by marcstpierre @ 03:37 AM EDT [Link]
Sunday, September 14, 2003
Our 52 Miles of D2A
On Saturday Morning - September 13, 2003
By Lisa B, Chuck O, and Kimberley W
"Essentially this was a Reconaissance + Training Skate. Moderate pace to take a look at the new leg of a2a: 52 miler."
At 7:00 AM, four skaters left Piedmont Park to conduct a Reconnaissance/Training skate for the Athens-to-Atlanta (A2A) double marathon route, which this year is to become a new addition to the event's multiple inline skating road races. APRR’s Bill B, Jenny & Mims R, Chuck O, and Greenville, SC’s Kimberley W then drove from Piedmont Park to Dacula, where they found the 52-mile Dacula-to-Atlanta (D2A) starting point fairly easily. (Jenny, Mim's lovely wife, was the one who was kind enough to transport the four skaters.)
Conversely, Blake L & Elizabeth B also started in Dacula, but at the A2A 38-mile finish area. Lisa B began her reconnaissance mission in Suwanee, so that Kimberley could easily drop her off, while traveling back to Greenville. Uwe (like Cher - let's just call him Uwe... no last name needed here) started his reconnaissance & training from his own home, in Stone Mountain. As you can see, when doing a point-to-point skate like D2A, the transportation arrangements and logistics can get really complicated! In fact, as of late Friday night, Blake, Lisa and Kimberley were still frantically trying to figure out their own driving arrangements!
Kimberley, who normally trains solo, decided to come down once again to Atlanta, after having had such a great skate with APRR the weekend before - at the Wilson. It was there that she met the happy go-lucky APRR gang for the first time. Of course, APRR was happy to again share their friendship with her. Although Kimberley wishes to skate more often in Atlanta with us, she let us know about her 2-year old son at home in Greenville, whom she is very much attached to.
Nevertheless, it was another gorgeous day, and the morning temperature was in the high 60s. As a group, we were ready to train hard, as well as to take a look at the new 52-mile course - which merges with the last half of A2A's 87-mile course. The D2A Reconnaissance/Training skaters then braved the extremely busy Saturday morning traffic and lack of police escort at each intersection in order to accomplish this.
Chuck: Our group of four left the 52-mile start around 8:00 AM. The first turn had a lot of large, construction type gravel, making the right turn onto Petty Street less than desirable for skating. We then came upon a Mini-Gatorback section. When we got to the Cedars Road intersection, we realized that both ends of this road will have to be police-manned.
Old Peachtree Road had heavy traffic. Hopefully, this will not be as much of a problem on the morning of the actual race, as it will be a Sunday morning. At mile 15, we stopped in for refueling & re-hydration.
At 20 miles out, we ran into Uwe, who had skated from his home in Stone Mountain to meet us. Uwe then lead-out a full-blast paceline with Mims, Bill, Kimberley, and myself in tow. It was a nice run on the streets, and everyone fortunately stayed safe.
We were all delighted to finally see Stone Mountain, after the stresses of dodging traffic. We were now in our home territory. Kimberley was given notice that Silver Hill was coming up soon, as it was only her second time ever to descend this giant on the A2A course! Without hesitation, Mims and Uwe blasted down the hill together. Kimberley, Bill, and I then left one after the other, skating down solo to get a close look at the course. Mims had already commented that Silver Hill has three sections. The first section is the initial drop, which is the lesser of the three evils. The mid-section is where you pick up the most speed. And the last section is where you are still gaining speed, but are now spilling into a much anticipated rise on the on the down-hill’s other side. We all agreed that the Big Giant - Silver Hill, is not as steep as it is rumored, and can carefully be taken at full speed on race day.
Kimberley: Chuck maintained our bearing, average speed, and mileage with his handy Garmin Gecko 201 GPS. The Gecko clocked Chuck's descent on Silver Hill at 40 mph. You have to have guts & confidence, and be steady & strong (in both form & leg strength) to hold a tuck on this part of the course! It's a critical point in the race where skaters can easily be dropped, if they're not daring enough to hang with their pack. And of course, Uwe skated ahead to stop by his house (which is right off the course) for more water bottles. Now the question is: Does Uwe do this in the race, and we just don't know about it?! If so, he's most definitely the amazing skater we all already know him to be!
Chuck: We refueled & re-hydrated at the convenience store, located just after Silver Hill. With the final 16 miles to go, we were all ready. Uwe reappears on the course, after having skated to his house. He tells us that he met the other group of skaters, who were Blake, Elizabeth, and Lisa. (He had crossed their path three times while waiting for us to catch up to him) The group of three were only about five minutes ahead of our group. Once again, Uwe's proven his amazing strength to us all. We realized the fact that we needed to pick up the pace! Soon after the convenience store, and around the Avondale area, we finally saw Blake, Elizabeth, and Lisa in the distance. We caught up to them, and then exchanged skating stories about our two uniquely different trips.
Lisa: At 7:30 AM, I skated from Old Peachtree Road/Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road (at the D2A’s 50 mile mark), where I backtracked the route, by myself, for about five miles. I then meet-up with Blake & Elizabeth. It seemed strange to skate in the opposite direction of the D2A route, let alone during twilight. I got some very odd looks from passing traffic. "WHAT? Hey you fellow Gwinnettians, ain't you never seen no hot pink skatin' skinsuit lady cruising down the road?" At about 8:00 AM, and while on Old Peachtree Road, I was thrilled to finally see Blake's happy skating smile.
After skating together along the route’s correct direction for about 15 miles, while we were still in Lilburn, we ran into Uwe. We then posed for photos. Then, Uwe sped off and kept skating the route backwards (well not actually skating backward but skating the route in the opposite direction), looking to reach what he called the “fast group.” Like what are WE Uwe? The "Not-Fast Group?" And how come Uwe didn't skate backwards while skating the route in the opposite direction? It was such contemplating mysteries that took my mind off my aching feet.
We were nevertheless making good time on this beautiful, cool day. All three of us kept a steady and even pace, each taking turns pulling. After having taken photos at the top of Silver Hill, Blake and Elizabeth hammered down Silver Hill Road, while I used my usual one-stop, chicken strategy.
Chuck: We then split off again from each other to finish the course. Upon arrival into the Highlands, the traffic was horrendous!! For some reason, a lot of people go to the Highlands for brunch on Saturday mornings. They do not understand packs of colorful skaters - who speed down the road! We are all hoping this traffic will be in control on Race Day. It was at this point where the geography becomes second nature to us APRR folks. However, you could see the film rolling in Kimberley's head, as she was recording EVERYTHING - - looking for what is there and for whatever advantage she could make use of on the A2A course.
According to Kimberley, I had waited patiently, time and time again, for her to carefully conduct her own recon - in what seemed to be slo-mo to the rest of the group! Mims & Uwe raced down Highland to Virginia. They then made the A2A turn and left Kimberley & me to face the traffic and traffic lights, that were not letting up.
We were skating bumper to bumper with the cars, making close calls in what was a precarious situation. While Mims and Uwe battled it out, and arrived at Piedmont Park a few minutes earlier than we did, Kimberley and I rolled in at 3:35:54. This made our pace a nice & easy one at 14.6 mph on average. A perfect pace for our reconnaissance & the day’s extremely heavy traffic. Bill arrived a few minutes later, and then came along Blake, Elizabeth, and Lisa. We then took a few photographs and said our farewells, knowing that we'd all be back to skate this route once again - - in just two weeks!
After the group photo shoots, Kimberley was kind enough to offer to drive Uwe home. We could not understand why he did not just skate home (as he would normally have done). But this time, he was tired. Perhaps it was because he had just skated twice the distance than the rest of us – with all his back & forth skating. Kimberley then allowed three additional, very sweaty skaters (Blake, Elizabeth, and Lisa) into her car. She dropped them off in Suwanee at Lisa's car. Lisa then drove Blake and Elizabeth back to their car, which was parked in Dacula. The transportation arrangements seemed to have worked out well !
Finally, a great skate everyone! I had a blast, and on Sunday, I still felt great. However, after some drills and skate soccer, I became aware of being fatigued earlier than usual.
WOO HOO!!
Remind me again why this is so much fun??
(Photo provided by Kimberley W)
Reconnaissance/Training Skate of the 52-mile A2A course –
in preparation for the upcoming 87-mile race on September 28.
Pictured here in Piedmont Park upon finishing the route:
(Back row) Bill, Kimberley, Mims, Chuck, Uwe, and Lisa
(Front row) Blake & Elizabeth
(Photo by Kimberley W)
Uwe & Lisa in front of Skate Escape, upon
finish of the 52-mile D2A Training Skate.
(Photo by Kimberley W)
Blake & Elizabeth post 52-mile Training Skate.
Posted by marcstpierre @ 10:21 PM EDT [Link]
Thursday, September 11, 2003
Our Skate, Skate, Skate
On Wednesday Night – September 10, 2003
By Sam F.
I agreed to write the weblog entry, even though I was going to be playing a basketball playoff game in Dunwoody at 7:00 PM, and knew that I might miss the skate in Atlanta if the game ran late. So, Marc St. Pierre said not to worry, that I could write about basketball if I missed the skate.
The Game: My three-point shot was stone cold. I don't know why. Last Wednesday, I had my best game in almost a year. Six of nine on three-pointers, and five of seven on inside shots. Twenty-eight points on just 16 shots. Couldn't miss. There were occasional glimmers of that Wednesday game, but not enough to make a dent on tonight’s. I was okay inside, but my three-pointer was gone. Made a couple in the second half, but that was it. We were all cold. Lost 50-47, after having lead the other team by 40-32.
We lost quite quickly, I might add. So I got out of the JCC in Dunwoody at 7:55 PM and was able to get to the Carter Center by 8:20. I changed from basketball shoes into skates using my patented lacing method seen here: Sam's Lacing Method
The Skate: There was a slow skate, with about a dozen people; and an intermediate one, with 20 or so (led by Carl C). Jenni X was in town and wanted to lead a fast skate. She had a starting delay, so it seemed like it was just Jenni, her friend Sara (who was on a bike), and me. Together, we caught the back of the intermediates at Little Five Points; and then, Jenni and Uwe pulled away from everyone else, while skating down Moreland and Dekalb avenues. Finally, on Edgewood Ave., Jenni and Uwe B created a splinter group with Sara, Bob L, and me.
Earlier, Thomas P and Bill B seemed uncertain as to with whom they wanted to skate with. Eventually, they caught up to us at the Georgia Dome, and skated with us for the rest of the evening. Jenni and Uwe continued to dust our small pack like we were scared kids - clinging to the carpeted walls of an indoor rink. I could hang with them for just a few seconds each time we started to sprint, but then a gap would open up between us. Perhaps this was due to Bill, Bob and I having skated 59 hard miles on Sunday, during the Wilson. And perhaps it was also due to everything else I have done since then. See my workout log at: Sam's Workout Log
But for the most part, I’d like to think that I couldn’t keep up with Jenni because she has actually whipped herself into fantastic skating shape. It's a bold prediction, but Jenni and Uwe look like solid sub-5 hour contenders for A2A- which is only in two weeks. Jenni's in Duluth this weekend with some APRR folks and her new LA teammates. You can learn about the Northshore Marathon in Duluth, MN at: Northshore Inline Marathon
(Is that Mark D in the picture at the left side of their website?)
Anyway, Wednesday was a rough, erratic skate with the fast folks. Jenni stopped twice for a loose frame problem. We saw the Slow Group several times, but we never saw the Intermediates until Carl, Paula, Marek G, Victor (from NY), and Brenda C joined Jenni, Sara, Bob, and me later at Fellini's. Carl's skate apparently eclipsed the 2-hour mark with no problem. However, the highlight of the pizza dinner conversation was that of dragging dining neighbors into our topic of some HBO show on real people going to brothels in Nevada. Carl gave us a recap.
Did I mention that I sucked at basketball earlier in the evening?
Posted by marcstpierre @ 09:30 PM EDT [Link]
Our Michigan Friend
Correspondence – September 11, 2003
Just wanted to drop a quick note and say how much I enjoy the APRR weblog.
I originally grew up in Georgia and most of my family still resides there. I
now live in rural Michigan and generally skate alone. The few other people
I know who skate think I am "too good" for them so don't really come out to
skate -- which I think is funny because while I have finished Northshore
Inline Marathon, it is usually just barely. If they knew most of you people
they would think you were nuts. (Of course your are, but that is beside the
point).
Anyway, I discovered the APRR website a few years ago and sorta "adopted" it
because you seemed like such a likable group of people and I could at least
get to read about other people having fun. The Weblog has made it that much
more enjoyable because I enjoy being able to see the pictures. I realize it
is a lot of work, but there are some people out there who appreciate it. If
you ever skate at Duluth Northshore, maybe I'll say hello as that is the
one event I do every year (well I go every year at least -- this year's
skating doesn't look too promising.)
Again, thanks for the weblog.
Jerry P
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerry,
I thank you dearly for your note. Not only is it uplifting and rewarding to
me, but the gist of what you say is inspirational to all of APRR. Our
loosely gathering of skaters cherish to learn about and to reach out to
others, such as yourself.
Quite simply, we are a gathering of individuals (of all types) who enjoy the
company of other people and love the adventures of being on inline skates.
If you are ever here in Atlanta, visiting with your family, and you skate
with APRR merely one time - then you, yourself, are an equal part of APRR!
(The residual of the email excluded)
Cheers,
Marc St. Pierre
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I have no objections to you posting the e-mail as a comment. As for the
APRR digest, I do already get that -- it's sorta how I first really learned
about APRR and what a bunch of insane people you are (good insane of
course). Hopefully someday I will be in the Atlanta area and be able to skate
with the group. Unfortunately, I usually get home for the holidays and by
then I have already hung up my skates for the year (not easy skating on snow
and ice covered trails). I have already met a couple of the members of the
group -- Mark D and Bruce B -- at last years Duluth marathon. I have
also gotten a couple of APRR jerseys -- that way I can at least look good
while skating -- even if I ain't skating too well.
Jerry
Posted by marcstpierre @ 08:45 PM EDT [Link]
Tuesday, September 9, 2003
Big Apple Roll Pictures now posted!
A "tip o' the helmet" to the Empire Skate Club for this year's Big Apple Roll!
My full collection of pictures is here.
Wow, I forgot what it was like to skate in NYC. It's been 8 years since I've been there. Plates, grates, rough roads, gravel, kamikaze taxis, canyons of concrete and steel. Through it all, I emerged triumphant, and still vertical. Honestly, I had a blast!
-Scott
Posted by scottmjones @ 11:50 PM EDT [Link]
Our Skate, Skate, Skate
On Monday Night – September 8, 2003
I had next to no intention of traveling all the way to downtown Atlanta from the Crabapple/Woodstock area to go skating tonight. I couldn’t. I simply have too many obligations/projects that I’ve undertaken, that are all coming due – as in yesterday. I’m totally and completely overrun. Period. So, it was at 7:15 PM that I poked my clogged head out the front door (I had been indoors the vast majority of the day) when I came to realize that I was hearing the most beautiful church bells ringing in the distance. They seemed to be ringing directly below an enlarged, pink-orange hot air balloon, which was sinking slowly into the still remaining tree line, at the other end of the new suburbian subdivision.
No, wait a minute. As my eyes became more acclimated to the soft, pastel light, I slowly realized that it was actually the bloated sun that was effortlessly hanging in the low horizon, in a most beautiful cloudless - baby blue and powdery pink sky. The sky and the virgin bells were chiming in unison. Though moments later, after the sun’s softened rays of gospel light reached to my inner soul, the fullness of the revelation came to me. These weren’t church bells that beckoned me to step forward, and away from the demons that wrestle at my backside. They were mythological Sirens: who were chanting to me in an even more powerful tong – to leave it all behind, and to reach out to the skate gods, who await my return.
With little more thought, I slung my old skate boots over my shoulder and closed the door to those demons behind me.
Globe Trotting Skater - Allison is preparing for tonight’s skate.
She had been pushing on her car for a while now, and I was
growing concerned that the car would soon be pushed out of
the parking lot. “Where have you been all these months,”
I asked her.
“Oh, I’ve been over in Switzerland doing some research.
But I’ve been skating a whole lot while over there.
It’s amazing how many people over there skate.
I skated in France and saw 500 skaters, and only 12 bikers.
I even helped teach one of the skaters how to brake.
I have about 300 photographs that I took while skating over
there. I’ll give them to you for the weblog.”
“Everybody look at the camera for a weblog group photo…
Everyone look at the camera…
Hey Rose, look at the camera for the group photo… Rose….
Rose…. Hey Rose….”
(Back row, left to right) – Paul, Larry, new APRR skater Janice C,
new APRR skater Nancy S, new APRR skater Scott C, and David,
(Front row, left to right) – Deb, new APRR skater Rose B, and Mamie.
Interestingly, Janice is the second person that I’m aware of that had
learned about APRR through our weblog, prior to skating with us.
She brought Rose with her.
Janice is all smiles as she makes her way down the Edgewood hill, skating solo toward downtown. She was completely nervous about skating down the hills, but with a little help, a little encouragement, and a whole lot of APRR support, she soon had no troubles what so ever. Toward the beginning of the evening, she was literally standing on her brake while traveling down the Atlanta area hills. (And at one time, dragging a banana peel with her!!!) She was also holding tightly onto my hand.
But not so toward the end of this same evening. Her level of confidence had grown tenfold. “I’ve been skating for three months now,” she had mentioned to me early into the evening. Quite honestly, we need more people like Janice here in APRR. She may be fairly new at inline skating, but it was more than obvious that she’s an old hat at taking-on challenges.
Rose has a similar story. She’s only been on inlines
for two months now. “I’ve learned how to fall while
ice skating,” she remarked to us. Traveling down
the hills was no problem what so ever for her.
What Rose had failed to mention to us is whether
her ice skating experiences entail skating down
glaciers and vertical ice falls in the Himalayan Mountains.
David so graciously stopped all the traffic for us at just
about every intersection. Cars or not, David stopped
what ever was there – or for the most part, wasn’t there.
He also served well as our little red caboose.
The smile that you see on his face in this photo was the
same smile that he frequently used to stop all the traffic.
Paul M asked Nancy to “Please plug me in.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what Paul was referring to until I saw
Nancy making the all-important connection for him.
As if a light instantly went on somewhere up there in his head.
“Thanks,” Paul said. “I needed that.”
Larry is absolutely “Groovin’” on skates.
Here he is chuggin’ up the CNN hill.
“Oh, I’ve skated this before,” said Larry.
But actually, you’d think he’s somewhat an expert.
Once we had gotten back to the Carter Center,
Jennifer said to us, “I may not know how to skate…
but I sure know how to ride this bike.”
She should obviously join the circus.
Jennifer was paying less attention to riding the bike
than she should have been; as she basically crashed
the thing and went leaping over its miniscule handlebars
before instantaneously standing upright, and taking the
bike with her and into her arms.
APRR's Jennifer H & David S’s stolen bike.
Posted by marcstpierre @ 10:13 PM EDT [Link]
Monday, September 8, 2003
Our Wilson 60
On Sunday Morning – September 7, 2003
“It was Great. It was very, very cool (in temperature). Got there, looked like rain. So it was a little worry some,” reported Jim M. “It never rained.”
“Yea,” continued Don S. “It was a nice race. It really was a beautiful day. Cool, no sunshine. I did 60 and Jim did 50.”
“There were 11, 12, 13 of us,” announced Mims R. “It was an extremely comfortable day. It was cool, and no clouds were on us, and no one got sunburned, or hot, or tired, or thirsty. It was probably the best supported SAG Century of the year.”
“As much Pizza as you wanted,” smiled Don. “The stops along the way had fruit, Moon Pies, crackers, trail mix, apples… … …”
I asked Jim if he was able to meet any women. “No,” he sighed. “Most of them were on bikes and it was hard to keep up with the bikers.” He didn’t even have any ‘dirt’ to provide to the weblog about any other APRR skaters. “No dirt about anyone,” he said quite candidly. “This is what’s great about the Wilson 100. It’s just smooth. The roads were great – but there was one section of gatorback on the 50.”
“It’s the same country as the Brooks Century & the Tour de Pike,” explained Mims. “They cross over the same stretches of road.”
Bill B also thought this year’s event was better than last year’s. “I wiped-out in the first mile and cracked a rib last year,” he wrote to me. “This year, I was just trying to keep up with Mims, Bruce, Sam, Brian, Bob, and Kimberly.”
But no one was perhaps more rewarded than Brian H and Sam F, who were both photographed by the AJC and placed within the paper’s website.
(Photo provided by Kimberley W)
Left to right: Mims R, Keith C, Bruce B, Ken O,
Jim W, Gary W, Lisa B, Kimberley W, and Bob L
Posted by marcstpierre @ 07:01 PM EDT [Link]
Our Big Apple Roll
On Friday-Sunday – September 5-7, 2003
By Brenda C.
What a fun weekend we had in NYC doing the Big Apple Roll!!! Approximately 100 skaters participated, and the weather was warm, sunny, and glorious! We skated all over Manhattan, through Central Park, north to the Cloisters, into Queens, and over three large bridges. The views were magnificent. The Friday & Saturday night group skates were a real adventure! And even more, Friday night included a dinner at a unique restaurant where the waiters/waitresses (not sure which) were transvestites. While at the Stinky Lulu’s restaurant, a show was performed for us by one waiter/waitress. Clothing went flying and the laughter was re-sounding!
The majority of us did the day skates on Saturday & Sunday, which included a picnic in a park, located along a beautiful river. But some early birds had already done some laps in the park on each of those mornings.
The Empire Skate Club was a wonderful host and did an awesome job! Let’s hope the Big Apple Roll becomes an annual event - so that you poor souls who missed it this year will have another opportunity!!!
Beth, Mark, Brenda, Marek, and Scott on the George Washington Bridge.
Posted by marcstpierre @ 06:57 PM EDT [Link]
Friday, September 5, 2003
A question asked by APRR to Yong H. T.:
Should I add magnesium in rehydration fluid?
Yong H. T.’s response:
Please do not take magnesium during exercise, unless you want to resolve your constipation in the strenuous endurance of that activity. Magnesium is a very potent laxative. The reason for the constipation is that the majority of ingested magnesium is not absorbed into the body, as it remains in the intestines. Any non-absorbable dissolvent (such as magnesium) in the intestines adds osmolarity to the content of the intestines. Osmolarity is the density of particles in water. The higher the osmolarity in a solution (such as fluids within the intestines), the more water it retains. Because of hyperosmolarity, water is drawn to the lumen of the intestines, and is prevented from being absorbed and utilized by the body. The effect is aggravating dehydration. Therefore, magnesium should not be taken as a supplement during physical exercise. The objectives of nutritional supplements for your general health are different from the objectives of rehydration and electrolyte supplementation during physical endurance activity.
Posted by marcstpierre @ 12:42 PM EDT [Link]
Thursday, September 4, 2003
Our Skate, Skate, Skate
On Wednesday Night – September 3, 2003
By Mark R.
We have had a busy Labor Day skating weekend that stretched from Saturday all the way through Monday. Brenda C lead a “Last Thirty Miles of A2A,” on Saturday; the US 10-K Festival was both Saturday and Sunday; the famous 10-K race was Monday morning; and Monday night was our skate night. (We all thought that it was great to see so many APRR jerseys at the 10-K race.) As we arrived at the Carter Center, we could tell that tonight would be a more intimate skating group than normal, as we saw a fewer number of cars. Carl C announced that he could handle everyone, and then combined the intermediate and aggressive skaters for his adventure. Thanks to a cold front moving through Atlanta, it was a good night to skate. The weather was overcast and cooler than normal. And after the skate, a small crowd met at Fellini’s for both food and “victuals & strong water.”
Yong was all smiles while hugging his newly made best friend.
He has only recently been skating with five wheeled skates,
and was literally up and down a bunch on tonight’s skate.
Good thing that he has good protection: padded pants, knee-
pads, etc. With all his protective equipment, there was no
road rash to be seen on him. And by falling so frequently, it
makes you wonder, “What Lies Beneath !?!” Ok, maybe not.
However, Yong did a great job of staying with the group tonight.
Thomas, Nancy, Lisa, Bill, Mims, and Chuck are all wondering
if Carl would ever be able to get them to the GA Tech Student
Center. It was then Lisa who said, “Follow Me!”
Carl takes a break near the end of his skating adventure.
Having to skate with “Spanky and the Gang” of fast skaters
wore even Carl out. He makes good use of the time though
to contemplate the condition of Paula’s arm, which was
severely injured on Carl’s previous skating adventure, while
with her at St. Simons Island.
Don is looking “S L I C K” at the end of the skate led by Carl.
Eeewwwww…
If you are ever looking for ice cream, just go looking for Brenda!
Now, where did she get the ice cream this time?
I'll bet that she even eats ice cream while taking a hot bath!
Posted by marcstpierre @ 10:17 PM EDT [Link]
Tuesday, September 2, 2003
Our Skate, Skate, Skate
On Monday Night – September 1, 2003 (Labor Day)
Tonight was a night earmarked with raw talent. “Tonight, we have a very special guest with us…,” Mims R announced to the gathered gaggle of anxious skaters. “…We have the world famous Eddy Matzger!… And we also have with us tonight… The famous Miguel P.” Everybody started clapping, and clapping, and clapping. And then it was almost time to go home. But eventually, we got down to business. Being a fair and well-balanced group of happy, happy skaters, it was asked… “Who wants to go on a fast skate?” (normally the problem lies in determining who wishes to become a group leader). But this time, everyone looked at each other. And then kept looking at each other. Then Mims asked, “Then who wants to go on a slower skate?” Now, all of those who had been looking at each other (which was everybody) - - looked at each other again. “Ok, then lets all go as one big intermediate, slow & advanced group!” Then everybody looked upon Mims… and smiled.
But talent was still on the plate for the evening, as so many of us had dished it out for Breakfast during the US 10-K Classic skating race. An entire Waffle House full of APRR jerseys had eaten up the multiple hills along US 41 - - As if the hills were served to us as being piles of hotcakes, with fruity rewards at the top of each stack. (I would’ve said grits – but some of us today are from either California or New York, and wouldn’t have easily skated that route.) And then for Tea Time, a spoon full of us had slurped-down the tasty Silver Hill. Were we tired? No. Were we lazy? No. Did we want dessert? Yes!!! So Paul K headed the herd away from the Carter Center parking lot for a taste of even greener pastures, more pristine ponds, and a savory night-cap to wrap-up a most wonderful Labor Day holiday.
Caroline B skating in Atlanta.
(This is by far my favorite weblog photo to date.)
APRR had to hastily erect an impromptu M.A.S.H. Unit in order to operate on Chuck O’s injured skate frame assembly. “Tool, I need a tool,” Surgeon Don R blurted out. The situation was grim as Eddy Matzger was known to be in the immediate vicinity and skating relentlessly on one leg around our established perimeter. You could even feel the intensity in the air as we were all sweating from having been under the gun. Even I was being rushed to capture the loose bolt on my mobile x-ray camera. “I need to tighten it some more,” medical expert Chuck barked to Surgeon Don. Everyone was nervous. The photo would have normally turned out better, but the conditions were absolutely horrid.
Sam shocked absolutely ALL of us. “Where’s your skates?” Eddy M asked to him, while in the midst of everyone else. I never got the clear answer as to why Sam ran, and ran, and ran the entire, total way of our normally long distance skate. But I knew that he was hanging with us like a champ. We never went slow for him either. But every time we reached a corner or stopping point, and after every long, high-speed stretch - - yep, you guessed it, Sam was there too!!! None of any of us had ever experienced anything like this before.
All of us normally feel proud when a bicycle rider is astonished when we as skaters keep up with their spinning legs. But this time, the tide was different. We were all aghast that Sam would even conjure the idea, let alone overtake many of us throughout the evening (always staying with us or even passing us while on his feet). If Sam had only been wearing pink (which I’d think that he probably does), he would have been the epitome of the Energizer Battery Bunny! (Someone, please get some pink bunny ears for him!)
Navigating sharp turns and dark corridors through the parking
deck at the Atlanta Medical Center.
(Stephanie, Jennifer, and Dewey)
Sam, you’re cheating!!! You know that we skaters can’t cut across landscaping peninsulas like that. You should go around the long way – like we have to do! But we’re proud of you anyway. I’ll try to have a trophy bottle of Gatorade waiting for you next time. You deserve at least that! (Do you want masculine green, masculine orange, or feminine pink???)
I’d have done absolutely anything for this photo to have turned-out sharply. The problem seems to be that the tiny camera’s small, automatic lens protective-shield (the one that opens and closes when you turn on and off the camera) sometimes gets stuck in a less than all the way open position. I have now come to learn that the result is more often than not a blurry image. Anyway, this is Skating Monger Miguel and his Sweet Caroline. Miguel, like Caroline, had once lived in Atlanta and is now living in the New York area. Caroline would like to move back to Atlanta. But it would be to APRR’s fullest advantage if both were residing here. We'd like to see them here with us - all the time.
Enjoying the perfect weather,
a perfect skate,
a wonderful group of people,
and a wonderful downhill
to wrap it all into place!
(??? Please help me with his name)
Paul H, where have you been??? If Eddy M can skate the entire evening on one leg – left or right – up hill or down; then, Paul can just as easily ride the entire evening on one wheel – front or back – up hill or down. (Well, maybe not up hill on his front wheel.) And if Eddy’s feet are permanently adhered to his skate boots, then Paul’s feet have never known anything other than his peddles. If you don’t know Biker Paul, this is what he looks like - - absolutely ALL the time!!!
“You know, I have the exclusive rights to do this,” Paul advised us. “This isn’t easy.”
Robert B is leaving Piedmont Park and is heading back toward the Carter Center. It had been a long, but extremely enjoyable skate. Especially with the various skating groups all combined together. It was now time to head home. Thanks Eddy M & Miguel P for visiting tonight and helping us to create an even more enjoyable Labor Day holiday!!! APRR loves you!
Posted by marcstpierre @ 11:53 PM EDT [Link]
AK-13D_5.0_Black
.
AK-13D_5.0_Gray
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AK-13D_5.0_Tan
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AK-13D_5.0_Red
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AK-13D_5.0_Purple
Posted by marcstpierre @ 11:52 PM EDT [Link]
Our US 10-K Classic Skating Race
On Labor Day – September 1, 2003
The following are excerpts from various US 10-K Classic skaters (only three are non-APRR):
(Eddy M - from California)
“I blew-up the first hill... It’s no longer there. It was reduced to rubble… I reduced it to rubble. I did this with earth-shaking, powerful pushes. I left everyone behind… Though a pack of five were pursuing me – as best they could. Then they became four. Then after the second hill… at the crest of the second hill, it became three,” reflected Eddy. “The best part of the race was that last hill. Coming around that last hill I had everything lined-up. But the hardest part of the race was after I had already finished. I still had a whole lot of energy left… I still had a lot of energy.”
(Bruce B)
“It started out that Uwe B was leading Miguel P and me, but then ‘Uwe Felt the Hill in His Leggs’.”
Bruce, Miguel, and Gary W chased the leading pack, and it was on the fourth hill that Bruce attacked.
“The two guys in front of me - Miguel & Gary - dropped-off,” continued Bruce.
Never the less, Bruce came in 7th place, the best he’s ever placed in the 10-K Classic.
“I don’t know my time though. I only looked at the finish line.”
(Miguel P)
“Well, here’s what happened... Eddy M went off like a shot up the first hill. Five pro-men chased after him. Then after he got up the hill – this split the skaters into a smaller group of four skaters. Including Eddy’s group, which soon became Eddy and two others (Anthony L and Jonathan G), there were about six who stayed close to him. Bruce B, Gary W, and I were in the second pack. Uwe and others were on our tail. Basically, it was an all-out sprint up each hill. All the way to the very finish.” Miguel was happy to get to the finish area, so that he could then watch the rest of the event.
(Mark D)
Sorry guys, but I couldn’t find him. He was most likely on one of the massage tables. And I dared not bother him there.
(Chuck O)
“I can’t remember what happened - - I was racing.”
After a moment of contemplation, Chuck then added some more insight for us about his experience of the event. “The only thing that I remember was that there was a pack of teenage girls that sped past me. But I passed them on each up-hill though.”
(Beth D)
“It was a Great Race,” she said. “Here, let me write it down for you…”
So Beth took the pen from my hand and wrote (in printed writing that is far more legible than my chicken-scratch)…”Great start, great pack of Women Skaters… off in the distance!”
(Bob L)
“I Fu_ked It Up !” he demanded to himself. “I’m Stumped for words,” he continued.
“A Great Race - - Perfect Weather - - But Beth BEAT ME !!!”
(Mark R)
I SURRVIVED !!! I did 30 on Saturday - but today - I SURRVIVED !!! And I didn’t get beat-up this time. There was plenty police support here - - and I thought THAT was good !!!”
(Lisa B)
I couldn't find Lisa for an impromptu interview, but she later graciously reported-in to me:
"I was racing with a 102 fever, that is why I sucked so bad. I should not have gone because I relapsed when I got home. It shot back up to 103.5. I had convulsions and couldn't move. I am off to the doctor now. I just want every one to know that my time sucked because I was deathly ill."
(Blake - from North Carolina & Elizabeth)
“We only had two hours of sleep. We skated together the whole time – Had no idea of our finish time – Only our heart rate monitor was a concern to us. We need to get some of this food,” said Blake. Elizabeth nodded in agreement.
(Lisa M)
“No Comment !!! It was GREAT !!! There were hills. And I skated. I went up & down. Then back up again. My secret weapon was gravity - - I used it to my advantage.” Lisa and I started trying to remember the Beatles song “Helter Skelter”- - “…when you get to the bottom you go back to the top of the slide and you stop and you turn and you slide and you drop back to the bottom and then you do it aaagainnn…,” …something like that.
(Mike B)
“I got scared coming down the first hill – I used my brake.”
“You can’t use your brake during a race !!!” Marc St. Pierre scolded.
“I know. I should’ve taken it off,” Mike replied.
He then assured me that the race got better for him after that first hill.
(Jay M)
“I Finished !!!” As big as Jay is, he wore an even bigger smile.
“One of the hills was the hardest point of the race. Toward the middle, I started to bawk a little bit. But then I just knocked through it & went.” When he finished talking, he still had the same smile worn on his face.
(Anne W)
“This has inspired me to start skating again. I was all clamped-down on my brake the whole time. And I even forgot my chip. So I wasn’t an official racer.”
Anne and I skated the race together last year. At that time, she placed second in her age division.
As modest as she truly is, I would think that she had done as well, if not better this year. But you’d never know how talented and athletic she is by merely speaking with her. (But you could easily stare into her blue eyes all day long.)
(Bruce Z)
“I Finished !!!” (He and Jay M had just survived the same obstacle.)
“I didn’t fall, and no runner passed me!” Bruce skated the US 10-K Classic for the first time this year, and is currently training through TNT for A2A. However, the US 10-K is no stranger to Bruce. He’s run the race for many times previous to this year’s event.
(Dewey P)
“I finished. I didn’t fall,” was the extent of Dewey’s normally short sentences. He had an abnormally lengthy smile on his face though.
(Kristie K)
“It was Awesome! It was Great!! I didn’t Die!!! And I met a VERY Nice man in a wheelchair.”
(Mamie K)
“It was the Bomb - - It was a Blast - - It was Craziness !!!”
Unlike Kristie, Mamie was talking about the Calloway Gardens Triathlon that she, Deb C. and Anne W. had together participated in on Sunday. It was her first triathlon, and she was still stoked about it. The US 10-K was a mere drop in the bucket for her.
(Deb C)
“I was glad that I could finish because I did my first triathlon yesterday. My ankles are sore because I’ve not been training so much on skates. But I had a Blast !!!”
(Jerry B – TNT for A2A)
“I was dying. I was two minutes faster than last year. I wasn’t able to breath as well last year. This year, I didn’t stop breathing. I was just breathing very strong.”
(Jerry C – TNT for A2A)
“The hills were the hardest part of this race. Catching a ride with Jerry B was the easiest part. The whole thing was a whole lot of fun. The total event was Great!”
“He was doing some serious drafting,” his APRR buddy, Jerry B, quickly added in.
(Stephanie R)
“Today was better than yesterday & even last year & the band is better this year. What is that Beatles song?… ‘It’s Getting Better All The Time’???”
(Jennifer H)
As if rehearsing for a speech in a drama, Jennifer poetically sang, “After a sleepless night, I showed up here in the darkness – wondering why I had ever gotten out of bed. I didn’t bring my pillow with me, but now that the race if finished, I wish that I had it with me. - - I’m tired, but happy.”
I asked her if she was Very Happy…”Sure,” she replied. “I was never so happy to see the Big Chicken.”
(Bill C)
“I Finished !!!” he said, with his thin smile that marks Bill as being Bill. He was never the less speechless - “I Finished !!!”
(Brock W)
“I think it was great, considering I’m not in shape to do this. It was nice. I’ll do it again.”
(Donna Momma – from Miami)
“This is my second one. I LOVE IT !!! It’s such a FUN race! It’s Fast. It’s Exciting. And unlike Miami – It has HILLS !!!” She went on to say that The Philly Skate Jam was her training for the US 10-K Classic.
(Brenda C)
She was busy organizing. She was simply interested in asking me if I was going to meet her and the others at the Big Wave Pool at 11:00 AM.
(Jim M)
“I got here too late to know what’s goin’ on.”
(Marc St. Pierre)
Ok, I over slept. I had been up until 3:30 AM working earnestly on wedding photographs that I absoultely must put closure to. "I just want to close my eyes for an hour & a half. Nothing more. Surely I can't sleep in this chair for any longer than that," I sleepily said to myself. I then awoke with a one word profane statement - after noticing that sunlight had completely filled the room. I bolted out of the chair and out the front door at the same time.
"That is my worst fear," Stephanie R said to me. "Last night I prayed to God, 'Dear God, please don't let me oversleep. I just want to wake up on time. Please God, make sure that I'm awake'."
(Paul K)
“It was a fine event. Everybody finished safely and that’s what we like.”
His better-looking-half, Cindy, smiled in agreement.
Eddy M (in white) is sprinting to the finish line. With less than twenty meters of the 10 kilometer race lying in front of them, the three skaters (Eddy M, Anthony L, and Jonathan G) are encroaching 40 mph as they take the checkered flag. Eddy placed second to Anthony L by less than the length of his skating frame. “The camera showed that my upper body was in front of his. But he thrusted his chip-leg out in front of mine. I guess I need to learn how to do a split.”
“I’ll help you with that,” exclaimed Beth D. “I’ve taken gymnastics.”
It was merely a fraction of a moment after the first pack of three had finished, that I looked through the camera lens and discovered Bruce traveling down the final hill, towards the finish line. I knew right away that it was Bruce because I saw all of his energy channeled into a precise, straight-line of focus.
Bruce crossing the finish line at 18'-09".
Uwe crossing the finish line. It was pretty neat though. The announcer said over the PA system, “And here we have Uwe B, who is no stranger to the US 10-K Classic. He has done well this year as always.”
Bill is one blazin' skater. He's on an upward stretch in his skating career, and from what we can tell, there's no plateau in sight. Bill powered himself all the way to the finish line, and had the same high level of even-keeled gusto that he takes with him to all the skating events. Go Bill, Go!!!
What can I say about Chuck! Not enough, that’s for sure! This photo of him rocketing up the last 50 yards of the race tells an entire book about his character, his strength, and his strong desire.
Lisa B is truly a grand skater. Although she seems to have many different outlooks on life, she has but only a couple of focuses: 1) Her son Andrew, and 2) the finish line of this race. The exact moment that Lisa conquered the latter of these two was when she began to re-focus on the former.
Lisa M has not been skating for very long. But for the length of time that she has been skating, she’s come a long, long way. Far beyond ten kilometers. She already has her new speed boots and five-wheel frames all ready to go. So once she’s up and flying on these babies next year - - skating world, you’d better lookout !!!
(Photo provided by Lisa) Lisa emailed to me "I really did go out in public like this with Andrew!"
Posted by marcstpierre @ 11:51 PM EDT [Link]
