Pacific Coast Trail Runs Announces New Team for 2011

Pacific Coast Trail Runs (PCTR), known for hosting over 25 ultra distance events annually on the US West coast such as the Headlands 100 and the Skyline to the Sea 50k, announced they will be sponsoring a race team for 2011. This is the first year for Team PCTR, but given who is on their roster, you're going to see a lot of them!

The 2011 Team PCTR includes:

When Kermit Cuff isn't helping inner city kids through a 500-mile relay, you can find him at the closest super-long ultramarathon such as the Angeles Crest 100, Headlands 100, Bishop 100k, Moab 100, or crewing at Badwater. He's starting off 2011 with a bang at the 24-hour New Year's Eve run.
Zachary Landman is a fast-rising star in the California ultra community, after being drawn to the sport to raise money for a 4th grade science class and orphanage he had taught prior to coming to medical school in San Francisco. After clawing and scraping his way to a sub-24hr finish at Tahoe Rim Trail 100m, he vowed never to run ultras again upon crossing the finish line. Well, a couple marathons later, he was back on the trails eventually winning Avalon 50 Mile (6:30), Quicksilver 50 Mile (6:50), and setting the course record at Big Basin 50K (4:39), all good preparation for his first Western States in June (which he was able to finish w/ a fast final 20 miles in 16th overall - 18:48.)

 

Originally from Washington, DC, Charles Lantz began trail running out east and took it to a whole new level once I moved to the Bay Area. Accolades include being a regional champion and attending the National Championships for the XTERRA Trail Run Series in 2009, finishing 3rd overall for his age group in the PCTR Trail Run Series of 2008, and placing at the top of his age group (21-29) in all of his PCTR events.
Joel Lanz specializes in the 50k and 50-mile distances, and is looking forward to upping the ante at Miwok this year. He's pictured here at The North Face 50.

Marla Moresi-Valdes races 50k's most, and has been going even farther this year to feed a passion for fitness that knows no bounds. Don't let the professional mug shot throw you off (it's the only one I could find online) - she's not afraid to tackle the dirt at races like Miwok, Lake Sonoma 50m, The North Face Challenge, and the Headlands.

Larissa Polischuk jumped head first into distance runnning, having logged over 30 races at the marathon distance or further in just three short years.  She has lived in California for five years and has been a trail runner ever since her first Dipsea practice run in early 2006.  2010 highlights include: 2nd place HURT 100K, 2nd place Quicksilver 50 miler, 1st place Angel Island 50K and in 2009 was 1st in her age group and 2nd in overall female PCTR standings.

Brett Rivers lives in San Francisco, CA and trains with a crew of trail ninjas that lurk throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.  He completed three 100 milers in 2010 (HURT 24:40/4th, Tahoe Rim 18:53/2nd, Pine2Palm 22:24/5th).  2011 will bring the Boston Marathon, Western States 100, numerous PCTR races, and weekend adventures in the Sierras for backcountry runs, climbing, and backpacking with friends.
Ian Sharman has yet to meet an ultra or marathon he doesn't like. He posted numerous top ultra finishes in 2010, including a spectacular double at Western States (8th) and Comrades (6:01). winning the Tahoe Triple Marathon, and 26 other distance runs. He has another crazy schedule for 2011, including returning to both States and Comrades, Rocky Raccoon 100, and representing Great Britain at the 100k World Championships.

Caren Spore has been one of the top female ultrarunners in the US for years, having multiple top finishes at Western States, and recently setting the course record at the Quad Dipsea. You will likely find her running anything and everything that is steep, hot, or fast. Reach the peak of a mountain with her (like I did at the Diablo 50m), and you will hear her lion roar!

Source: http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2010/12/pacific-coast-trail-runs-announces-new.html

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Jessica Jacobs wins Ironman Florida

Congratulations to Newton athlete Jessica Jacobs who brought her 2010 season to a close in Panama City Beach, Florida with her first Ironman win with a time of 9:07:49. She says of the event: ?Nine to ten days out from Ironman Florida, I was ready to race. I took a weekend to head down to Panama [...]

Source: http://www.therunningfront.com/newton-running-athletes/jessica-jacobs-wins-ironman-florida/

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Best 2011 Winter Running Jackets

Best 2011 Winter Running Jackets As the nights close in and the thermometer freezes over, the streets and paths become deserted as all but the hardiest of runners decide to stick to the treadmill and opt out of training outdoors. For those runners that either choose not to let winter ruin their fun, or those that are [...]

Source: http://www.runtheline.com/1224/best-2011-winter-running-jackets

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Maybe I could call myself one of Santa's Elves

One of the walkers I saw during my run said that at a distance I looked liked Santa Claus. My nylon wind breaker is red, and my running pants are red. My white long-sleeved T-shirt wasn't tucked in and hung a couple of inches below the jacket; at a distance it probably looked like a white wool bottom to Santa coat. We do have a Santa suit, so maybe next year I'll wear the Santa hat and add a "Ho Ho Ho" to my "Hello" that I say or wave to the people I pass.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OldManRunning/~3/GiAwOK3gx8E/maybe-i-could-call-myself-one-of-santas.html

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How to Pick Your Running Goals

Now that the Christmas madness is over and I can't leave my house because there's 18 inches of snow on the ground, I've had some time to think about my running goals and target races for 2011. Setting running goals is a great way to stay motivated to run, and the start of a new year is the perfect time to think about what you want to accomplish. Here are some tips for setting attainable goals:

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Source: http://running.about.com/b/2010/12/27/how-to-pick-your-running-goals.htm

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Ran a reduced distance due to being tired

My wakeup heart rate this morning was 61 and I felt tired. I did run/walk, but I reduced the distance to 3.5 miles instead of the 7 miles that I'd hoped to run. I did, though, increase the number of left-foot-steps of running from 102 to 103, keeping my walking at 66 lfs. About half way through the run I could tell I was getting tired, and I reduced my running and walking to 66 and 46-50, respectively.

The sky was overcast and the temperature was in the mid 30s (F). Not a bad day for running, but it was cold for an old guy like me who was tired. The good news was that the path was free of ice.

At noon I had a check-up on my surgery (last week) for a Basal Cell skin cancer (the skin graft is doing fine), and I went running in the mid afternoon.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OldManRunning/~3/TYjb2iBQtmY/blog-post_16.html

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No Boundaries?holiday style!

Here we go again…. No Boundaries team #9 is still going strong. Four months ago these folks were sweating out a few minutes at a time and on Saturday they ran another 5k – that is 4 5ks in 4 months for these newbie runners!  Guess I won’t be able to call them that much longer. They [...]

Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/running/no-boundaries-holiday-style/4886/

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No Boundaries?holiday style!

Here we go again…. No Boundaries team #9 is still going strong. Four months ago these folks were sweating out a few minutes at a time and on Saturday they ran another 5k – that is 4 5ks in 4 months for these newbie runners!  Guess I won’t be able to call them that much longer. They [...]

Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/running/no-boundaries-holiday-style/4886/

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