NHL All-Star 5K

Today was a great event out at the RBC Center as the NHL All-Star 5K was held.  It was a cold start to the day, but a good turnout of 2,000 runners.  As expected, the Hurricanes were well represented with several people wearing jerseys for the Caniac Nation.  Besides the Canes, I spotted jerseys from Boston, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Vancouver, New Jersey, Ottawa, Team USA and Hartford.

The course took us on a tour around the RBC Center then past Carter-Finley Stadium before heading out onto the roads before making the turn back to the RBC Center.  The finish line was right in front of the lawn outside the arena.

It was great to see Hurricanes play-by-play announcer John Forslund service as host and leader for cheering every runner to the finish.  He made sure to recognize everyone he could.  He gave my wife a nice shout-out as she approached the finish line.  I was cheering her on from one side and she had friends on the other side cheering for her too.  Forslund proceeded to say to her, "Number 187 is the crowd favorite".  That was great to hear.

I ran the race with my good friend Jon.  We booth ran wearing Team 413 shirts.  Started out on a good pace and took advantage of an early downhill stretch to pick the pac up.  As we made our way past mile 1, we started up Trinity Road which is nothing but a steady incline all the way to mile 2.  After making the turn onto Westchase Road heading back to the finish line, I looked at my watch and knew breaking 30 minutes was reachable if I picked up the pace a little.  I proceeded to put in a little extra and was able to cross the line in 29:30.  My buddy Jon was also able to break 30 minutes.

Overall this was a great event and I have to say thank you the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes and NC Races for putting this on.  It would be awesome to see this turn into an annual event.  Even though the All-Star game will not be here, we could still have this event.

Below are a couple of pictures from today's event and the medal given to the first 500 people that registered for the race..  

The Sutter Soar!

Forty-one years ago during the Stanley Cup Finals in 1970, Bobby Orr scored the cup clinching goal in dramatic fashion.  It was an OT goal in game 4 to complete the sweep of the St. Louis Blues.  The celebration of that goal is probably the most well-known photo in all of hockey.  What a moment captured in time to see Orr completely horizontal to the ice...like superman flying through the air.

This past Monday night during the Hurricanes vs. Maples Leafs game, Brandon Sutter scored on a great hustle play.  After racing to the puck on the half wall, he passed it back to the point.  He then headed straight to the net.  After the shot from the point, the rebound came right out the hustling Sutter who produced a great goal.  The following photo (by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) shows amazing similarity to Orr's famous one forty-one years ago.

Granted, Sutter's goal was not a Stanley Cup clinching goal, but amazing to see the similarity of him flying through the air just like Bobby Orr in 1970.  This is a perfect example of Sutter's grit and determination as there is so much Sutter brings to the game that does not show on the scoresheet.  His is outstanding on defense in killing penalities, applying the forecheck and in the faceoff circle.  One day Sutter should win a Selke award as the best defensive forward in the league.

Maybe one day we will see the "Sutter Soar" again as he lifts the Stanley Cup horizontal to the ice!

 

It's beginning to look a lot like....

You probably figured the last word of the title for this post would be Christmas. Well, normally you would be correct. In this particular case, the rest of the title is "the All-Star Game".

As I went to have lunch with friends today, I drove threw downtown Raleigh. You see more and more signs of the All-Star festivities that begin on Friday and continue through the 58th NHL All-Star game on Sunday.

As I passed a hotel, there was a coach bus with the NHL 2K video game plastered all over it. Then you get a look at the RBC Tower with the All-Star window treatments. Then, as I headed south out of Raleigh, the logos for the Fan Fair at the convention center could be clearly seen.

This is going to be an exciting weekend for the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes, the city of Raleigh and all of the Caniacs out there. I know I am excited to see Raleigh shine.

Looking forward to seeing who Staal and Lidstrom draft on their teams Friday night. This a great twist to the format this year. You can check out the fantasy draft on Versus at 8pm EST Friday.

Then on Saturday there are a couple of great events. First of all is the All-Star 5K. I am looking forward to running in this event with my wife and good friend Jon. Should be a blast with all of the Caniacs and other NHL fans who will join us in the 3.1 mile run. Look for a post on my blog soon after the event highlighting all that happened.

Then later Saturday we have the SuperSkills Challenge. Should be special to see all of the skills on display. I am amazed at what these guys can do.

On Sunday it all comes to an end with the game. Some of the big names will be unable to play due to injury (Crosby and Malkin), but this will still be a great event.

Enjoy this awesome celebration everyone. For everyone who is not here in Raleigh, I hope you will tune in to Versus to watch.

First Swim

Today was my first day in the pool in a very long time. I believe the last time I put in an actual workout in the pool was when I was in 8th grade. That was when I was on a swim team. Come to think of it, I still have my towel from the Stingrays with my name embroidered on it. Doing the math, that was 23 years ago....yikes!

I knew it would be a little difficult so I took it easy on actually following a workout. I wanted to get in the pool and swim freestyle for some laps to get familiar again with that stroke and my breathing. I could not believe how poor my stamina level was. I know with time it will improve and I am glad I have 12 weeks until the triathlon. The plan I am following calls for 2 swims a week. I also swam a few laps of breaststroke and backstroke just to change it up a bit. Felt like I was actually equal in my breaststroke speed compared to the freestyle...:-)

It was also nice to be at the pool this morning and have it entirely to myself. The Granite Falls pool is a great facility and I found myself trying to visualize how the swim portion of the triathlon will be setup and the exit to the first transition area to head out on the bike. At this time they do not have the course maps finalized.

Overall I swam for 30 minutes with some breaks. I had a hard time counting my laps, but it was approximately 14 laps (350 yards). I am looking forward to my next swim and utilizing a swim plan my friend Jon provided to me. Jon is getting ready for this triathlon as well and I passed him on my way to the pool today as he was out running. Keep it up Jon!

NHL All-Star Game

The NHL All-Star Game is quickly approaching and yesterday the NHL announced the players that will participate in the event.

For Canes fans, we have come to associate the appearance of Eric Staal at the All-Star game an annual occurrence and that is the case again this year as Staal will make his 4th appearance.  This year will definitely be different as the Hurricanes are the hosts.  In talking to the media yesterday Staal said, "You want to be recognized among the elite in the league and for me to be a part of that this year is an incredible honor, especially being in our home building in front of our fans."

Making his first All-Star game will be goalie Cam Ward.  In my opinion, probably the most under-rated goalie in the league.  This is a well deserved selection as Cam has played outstanding this season.  He is the Canes all-time wins leader.  As Ward noted, "It'll be my first All-Star appearance and that's one thing, and then to have it at your home building is going to be a special experience and I'm really looking forward to it."

Rookie Jeff Skinner was selected as one of the 12 first-year players for the SuperSkills Competition.  This is going to be special to see Skinner showing off his skills that we have seen throughout the season so far.  Skinner is leading all rookies in scoring at this point in the season.  Think back to when you were 18, can you imagine being in the position he is?  Absolutely amazing!

Caniacs, this is going to be an exciting time at the end of this month.  With the draft January 28 live on Versus and TSN, I wonder if Staal and Ward will be on the same team????

Registered for my first Triathlon

As a new year begins, it seems everyone makes new year's resolutions.  Well, I am no different than anyone else.  For many months now, I have been watching the Ironman triathlons online.  You can watch them on Ironmanlive.com and they will show the entire race from start to finish.  I remember watching the World Champions from Kona last fall and was just amazed at what these athletes can do.  I told myself, that one day I want to compete in a triathlon.  I know I am not ready for a full Ironman, but I know I could start small with a sprint distance.  So, competing and finishing a triathlon became one of my resolutions.

On January 3, I officially entered my first triathlon that will occur in April.  This is a sprint distance and a great way to get into the triathlon world.  I had been talking about this with my good friend Jon Parks and he also wanted to compete in a triathlon.  So, we both signed up for the Granite Falls Triathlon on April 9.  This triathlon has a 300 yard pool swim, 12 mile bike and 3.1 mile run.   We are both really excited for the challenge!

BeginnerTriathlete.com has been a great resource for information related to all aspects of triathlons.  From the forums, to the articles, to the race calendar, this has been extremely helpful in answering any questions.  I have also found great training plans that are available for any distance.  I will be following a 13-week sprint distance plan that will begin next week and lead me right up to the event on April 9.   I am really looking forward to preparing for this event.  The one comment I have heard about triathlons is that once you get involved, you will love it and the triathlon community is so supportive.

Here is a picture of my Fuji Roubaix 3.0 road bike. 



Good luck to other first time triathletes out there as you have marked 2011 as the year to "resolve" to compete in a triathlon.

WDW Marathon Weekend

As the 2011 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend arrives, I can't help but think about how much fun this event is. I am excited for the 60,000 + runners who are competing in the half, full or are just plain Goofy!

If this is the first time running any of these races, you are in for a treat. This is a first class event from the expo, the volunteers, the crowd support and the race directors. It has to be if it is at the happiest place on earth, right?

Personally, I am not running this year. I wish all of my Running of the Ears (ROTE) friends all the best and have a great time. I will be thinking of you guys this weekend.

For Chris and Kiki Gillespie of Team 413. I pray that God is glorified by each and every person who comes in contact with Team 413, whether this is by coming to the booth at the Expo or seeing a shirt this weekend during the races.

It seems that the weather forecast is much better than it was for the 2010 race. Temps are projected to be in the 60-70's for daytime highs with lows in the 40-50's. I will never forget last year when heading to the starting corrals for the half marathon and looking up into the lights and seeing snow fall. Definitely a rare occurrence for Orlando. Then on marathon Sunday it was even colder and I never shed any extra clothing I was wearing that day. I had 3 layers on with a pack of hot hands inside of the 2 pairs of gloves I was wearing.

I wanted to share a few if the memories from the 2010 race weekend. Once again good luck to everyone this coming weekend.

Remember, you will finish with more "character" than you started with.

Finisher Medal Display

I have been wanting a way to display my finisher medals instead of them lying in different places around the house.  If you would like a unique way to display your accomplishments, I would recommend checking out Allied Medal Displays from Redmond, WA.  Frames start at $39 and they will work with you on the design of a custom frame.  These frames are a great way to show your accomplishments!  I contacted them to see if they would be able to design a custom frame based on Philippians 4:13. 

Allied Medal Displays provided several "mock ups" of frames and what they would look like with the verse on them.  I shared them with my wife and she ordered one as a birthday present for me.

Here is this great looking frame mounted on the wall prior to the addition of any finisher medals.  The "I" has been replaced with the silhouette of a runner.

Here is the frame with the finisher medals I have received the past 2 years.  The only medals not on the frame are the Disney medals as they are already in separate shadow boxes.

Here is a close-up of the runner that replaced the "I".

Thank you Joel at Allied Medal Displays for your assistance and I could not be happier for how this turned out.