Two Gophers do well in the Run for Pete's Sake 5k on February 17, 2007

Gideon Gal (the international Gopher), and Steve Gallow both participated in the 1st annual Run for Pete's Sake 5k on February 17, 2007. It was a cold morning, but most of the roads were clear for this event. We were told that Pete Wadach was a man about relationships, and participants were asked to give each other a hug before the race. Gideon's response was, "Only in Ithaca would this happen." Neither one of use knew Pete, but from the sounds of it he was a great guy very dedicated to community.

After the gun went off Gideon and Steve took off. It was a flat course, so Steve thought he could run his PR for the 5k. The first mile Gideon and Steve were side by side at 7 minutes. The next mile had a little hill, and some slippery roads with snow and slush for about a 1/4 mile. They came in with a 7:05 for the second mile. Shortly after the 2nd mile, Steve started to fall behind Gideon. Gideon encouraged Steve to keep it up, but he couldn't hold the pace. Gideon continued on and passed more people and finished in 19th pace with a time of 21:44. Meanwhile Steve passed a couple of people. Then a battle emerged between Steve and one of the runners. Steve passed the other runner, and the other runner passed Steve almost immediately. Steve continued behind this runner, until the slight hill going over a bridge on Cayuga Street. Steve passed the runner for the last time and had a 5 second lead at the end. Steve finished in 22nd place with a PR, 22:08.

After waiting around for the results, there was some good news and some bad news for Steve. The good news was, he won his age group. The bad news was, they had entered Steve into the wrong age group.

It was a great event, and Gideon and Steve and their families went on to the Chili fest being held on the commons for a celebration.

Photos of the event can be seen at http://www.deweyneild.com/index.html

The Groton Gophers push the snow in the 3rd annual Cazenovia Chilly Chili 5k

Three of Groton Gophers attended a very cold 5k race in Cazenovia called the Chilly Chili, while two of the walking Gophers elected to stay home. The temperatures were in the high teens to low twenties. You decide who were the more intelligent gophers.

The three running Gophers Ray Wagner, Ron Moore, and Steve Gallow all knew that with all the snow and slush on the roads, there would be no records set today. All in all the Gophers did quite well. Out of the 573 people participating Steve Gallow came in 91st place with a time of 24:12. He placed 10th out of 36 in his age group. Ron Moore was next with a 107th pace with a time of 24:42 and was 11th in the age group. Ray Wagner came in with a 172nd place with a time of 26:36, 17th in the same age group.

Now that the running was out of the way, it was on to Cazenovia College for some Chili and Beer. Both were consumed with great vigor as we told of our war stories of the race.

The Chilly Chili has become a favorite of the Gophers and it seems that others agree. Each year the number of runners has increased greatly.

Gallow Set's a new Gopher Record in the Hartshorne Master's Mile

Gopher Steve Gallow was becoming disappointed that Stephen Codner and Ron Moore were running away with all the Gopher records. So, in an attempt to rectify this situation Gallow decided to run a 1 mile race. (None of the other Gophers have ever run a 1 mile race before, so he figured he was in line for a record.) Coached for 2 weeks by Herb Engman, Gallow participated in the prestigious Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile. Gallow started out on pace with a 1:30 for the first 400 meters. The next 1000 meters were difficult for Gallow, and he remembers very little of it. The last 200 meters Gallow kicked it in to pass one other runner and finish with a 6:11 mile. He hopes to train more, and break 6:00 next year.

(Photo by Laura Voorhees, from Finger Lakes Runners Club Web site)

The rest of the story

John Saylor asked for an account of us normal people on the Hartshorne Mile. Here was my response.

I arrived at the track early. I was nervous, and excited about the thoughts of participating in my first Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile. I realized that I hadn't trained enough, but I figured 2 weeks of training with Herb Engman was about the equivalent of training for a month on my own.

Training

When I had decided to run the mile, I had to find somebody who knew what they were doing. I certainly had no idea. I went to Herb, and asked for some help. He suggested that I try running one mile fast to see how I could do. I did as he had suggested, but had forgotten to wear my watch. It felt like a 5:30 mile, but in all reality it was probably closer to a 7:30. The next week Herb was taking it easy with 6-200 meters intervals at a slightly faster then race pace. He was getting ready for the Finger Lakes Track Meet 1500 and 3000, so he didn't want to over do it. This was a good start for me. I found that my legs felt fine, but my breathing was very difficult. The following Tuesday Herb was going to do 10-400 meter intervals at near race pace. I couldn't join him that day, so I attempted the workout on Monday. I estimated my race pace for 400 meters to be about 90 sec. I did the first one in 85. The rest went downhill from there ranging from 93-95, with the final one being a 92. I almost stopped several times, but finally did all 10 of the intervals. I had started out too fast on the first one, and paid for it on the rest. This was a good time to do this, because it helped prepare me not to go out to fast in the beginning of the race. (Although Ken Zeserson advised me was to go out as fast as I could the first 200 meters of the race. He later told me that this was a joke.) The following Friday I joined Herb for several 200 meters intervals at slightly faster then race pace. It helped a lot to have someone to train with. The intervals went by much more quickly, perhaps because they were only 200 meters instead of 400. The Tuesday before the Hartshorne was our final speed workout. We did 3 400s and a few 200s. I felt much better this day then the week before. I was as ready as I would be for this year's Hartshorne.

Pre Race

A few days before the race, I received a list of who would be in the heat that I was to run. I quickly attempted to find out the times of the other runners in the heat. I saw that Bob Talda was going to be in the same heat as I was. I had finally beaten him in a race this previous summer, The Recway 10k. Of course he was pushing a baby carriage the whole race, and I wasn't. But a win is a win. I saw my target. I was going to have to try and stay with Bob, who had broken 6 minutes the previous year. Herb was also in my heat, but I knew he was out of my range. Ken Zeserson had be training with us, and had a slight injury. I figured that would work to my advantage. The others I didn't know as well. Steve Halebsky had joined us for some of the workouts. I wasn't sure how I would do against him.

Race Day

As I said in the beginning, I had arrived early. It was about 9:45 AM. Tom Hartshorne and Pete Taylor came into the meet. Pete introduced himself, and asked me my name. I told him, and Tom and I could tell he was checking his internal database to see if he had heard of me as an elite runner. Tom and I said at the same time, that I was not one of the elites, and he wouldn't know me. I told him, I was more in the 6 min/mile range. He responded with a very gracious comment about how most people cannot run a 6 min/mile. I went over and helped Tom set up the PA system.

Now it was around 10:00, and I still hadn't seen Herb. Would I have to do a warm up myself? How should I warm up? What if I do it wrong? Will I crash in the mile? My mind was asking stupid questions a mile a minute. (I guess my mind could run the race much faster then my body.) Finally Herb arrived looking very relaxed. I guess 20 Hartshorne's does that to you. He said that he'd start stretching around 11:00, and then warming up for the 11:45 start. Bob Talda arrived a few minutes after Herb, pushing a baby stroller. I was hoping that he would push this during the race. I might have a chance of beating him if he did. I asked Bob what he was expecting to run. He said anywhere from a 6:00 - 6:30 mile. I was estimating around a 6:15 pace for me, but was hoping to do a sub 6:00.

Herb, Ken, Bob, Steve, Steve, and Steve all warmed up together. The runners in our heat all introduced ourselves to each other. The race was approaching....

As we lined up for the race Pete Taylor called out each of our names and had us step forward like elite runners. It was quite a thrill. Coach Herb Engman received the most cheers in our heat. It must be his smile.

With that the runners all approached the start line, and the gun went off. Having never started a race like this before, I was quickly in the back of the pack on the first turn. I then moved to then second lane and passed a few people to enter somewhere closer to the middle of the pack. All the way around the track I could hear shouts, "Go Steve". I'm not sure which Steve they were all shouting for, so I just assumed it was me. Early in the first couple of laps I passed one of the other Steve's, and was on target for a 6 minute pace after the first 400 meters. (90 seconds). After that it became much more difficult. I could no longer calculate in my mind what the splits would need to be for the next several laps. All I knew was that I was falling behind, and was being told to run faster.

Somewhere in the middle of the race Ken Zeserson passed me, and I couldn’t maintain his pace. I thought maybe he was playing mind games with me. Due to oxygen deprivation, there wasn’t much of my mind left, so it didn’t work. Lap 7 Bob Talda passed me. All I could think was “Where is his Baby Stroller?” The only thing left in my mind was lap 8. Coach Herb told me to sprint the last lap. He told me that I would use different muscles that would still have energy. I came out of the first corner of lap 8, and there was Bob. I passed him on the straight away, and rounded the last corner. There was Ken Zeserson. I thought to myself I could catch him, and then Ken took off. I ran as fast as I could to come in just after Ken, with Bob breathing down my neck. I had completed my first mile race.

I remember talking to my Dad this past year about my marathon training, and how I was going to approach the marathon. He was never a runner, and was amazed at how complex running is. He stated that he thought people just got out there and ran. I now realize that the mile is just as complex as a marathon. There’s a lot to it. I’ve got a lot to learn. The challenge makes it very interesting to me.

I also received advice from Bruce Roebal told me that I need shorter shorts, and I need to run faster. Don Farley told me that I needed running flats. Good advice from both of you. I hope to take up those suggestions on my next mile race.

I want to thank Rick and Tom, and everybody else that worked so hard to put on this event. I cannot begin to imagine all of the work involved. It is much appreciated. I also want to thank Coach Herb, and everybody for their advice. I tried to follow most of it. (I’m still looking for the right shorts Bruce.) I also want to thank everybody who encouraged a back of the packer like myself. I’m beginning to think that someday I may actually become a runner. I do feel like I am surrounded by Giants, and have a long way to go.

Groton Gopher Steve Gallow

Today we have a guest column from one of the Gophers about his 1/2 marathon experience in Arizona. It's an inspirational story. Great Job Gopher Stephen Codner!! He'll be qualifying for Boston this year!!!


On The Edge

Today I ran the Arizona Rock & Roll half marathon. I have been training for this race since the Wine Glass Marathon back in September and I had a specific goal; to come in under a 7.30 min/mile pace which would bring me in at no longer than 1.38.19. I did it in 1.38.08!

I had been waiting at the starting village for over an hour before the race in 31 degree temperatures. By the time the race was ready to start, my body was shaking from the cold and I was concerned that I was losing valuable energy before the race. However, when the gun went off I felt great. So great that I punched out 7.15 min/miles for the first two miles. At mile three I decided to fall back to 7.30's and begin pacing for the long haul. By mile 6 I had banked 45 seconds towards my goal and was feeling pretty good about it. This meant that I could maintain pace throughout the race and go in easy. By the time I was at mile 8 I had lost 15 seconds. By mile 10 I had lost another 15 seconds and I was beginning to fight the fatigue. At mile 12 I was 7 seconds behind and started experiencing muscle cramps in my calves. I didn't want to be in this situation - I had it easy back at mile 6 with my banked time and now I was behind. I had to make tough, painful decisions right at that moment. If I wanted it, I was going to have to work for it and experience some pain. Incredible pain. I was so close and I was staring at failure. To be that close to my goal and not achieve it - to me - was not an option. I took off and experienced one of the most painful but incredible moments in my running career. I pushed beyond any threshold I ever experienced before and took my PR out of failure's hands. I will never forget this experience and I will never forget the lesson.
Sometimes it will get tough. Sometimes I will be on the sharp edge of failure and success. I will have to make split timing decisions when that happens. I will have to experience incredible pain to succeed. First I have to have the will power. After that, the rest has already been decided.

A quote I have been thinking about lately: In order to discover new lands, one must be willing to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. - Anonymous

The time has come. I have the willpower.

See the Pictures Here

Groton Gophers off to a good start for 2007

The Groton Gophers began their year by joining the Syracuse Track Club. We'll see how many track Clubs we can get kicked out of this year. :-)

Five of the Gophers ran the Syracuse Track Club's Resolution run. (I wonder if they'll change the name next year?) Ray Wagner and Gary Rightmire in their cunning pursuit of finishing first proceeded to run a different route then the rest of the Gophers. They figured that extra mile wasn't really necessary. Ray used this route to lead the Gopher Pack with a 42 min ?? sec finish. Stephen Codner in his "I don't want to run this race." mode came in second, followed by Steve Gallow, and Ron Moore. Gary made sure to bring up the rear in case any gophers were injured, and needed assistance.

Champagne at the water stop, and Chili, Ziti, Bread, and Soda at the finish helped to make sure that a Good Time was had by all.

Looking forward Stephen Codner will be traveling the week after next to Arizona to do the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. The Cazanovia Chilly Chili will be taking place in February. And look for Ron Moore, Ray Wagner, Gideon Gal, John Daileyand Steve Gallow to run as the Dirty Half Dozen in the Green Mountain Relay in June (200 miles.)

Another First for the Gophers

In the tradition of the Rocky Movies, Ron Moore and Steve Gallow took on the challenge of running 2 marathons in the same year.

Only 6 weeks after completing the Wine Glass Marathon, Ron and Steve traveled to run the Philadelphia Marathon on November 19th.

The weather was perfect for the event that would take the two through the streets of Philly to end at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (The steps that Rocky ran in the first movie). Steve and Ron quickly found that this was no flat course, and was a more difficult route then they had ever run.

Steve's story

After hitting the wall at mile 18 in the Wine Glass Marathon, Steve wanted to run a smart race. He worked hard at properly training, nutrition and rest before the race. On Sunday morning he was ready to start conservativly and come on strong in the end. Although he didn't come on as strong in the end as he hoped, he did not hit the wall. The last few miles took everything he had to complete the course and set a new PR. His total clock time was 4:09:04. He had shaved off almost a minute from his previous best marathon, the Steamtown marathon last year.

In addition to running 2 marathons in the same year, Steve had another first. This year there were 2 stops in the marathon offering beer. Steve decided to try it, and found that this was a welcome addition to the marathon experience. The beer quickly got rid of the terrible after taste from eating the Gu packets.

Ron's story

Ron's stomach was giving him problems before the race. He had many concerns as to what would happen with his stomach. Ron started the race well, and was on track with his outstanding Wine Glass Marathon time, but his stomach began to cramp at mile 9. By mile 22 the cramps were so difficult that he had to walk. Ron had to walk from mile 22 to 25, where he then ran the last quarter mile to finish the run with a 4:25:36.

Slide Show

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When We Grow Old, We want to Run like Ron!!!
Wineglass Marathon 2006

Ron Moore shattered all Groton Gophers running accomplishments in this years Wine Glass Marathon. His time of 3:37:11 is just about 7 minutes off of a Boston Marathon Qualifying time. Ron took off at mile 1 in his usual fashion. We all figured we'd see him on the sideline at about mile 22. It never happened. A miscalculation of thinking he only had 7 miles left at 14 miles kept Ron running strong through the whole race. Congratulations Ron.

Stephen Codner described this as his transistional marathon. He has a 3 year plan for qualifying for Boston. (Editor's note, He'll do it before the 3 years.) His plan was to start very slow for the first 10 miles. He was running so slow that he was back with Gallow. From there he'd pick it up to an 8:30 pace to about mile 20 and then push it. Codner had an incredible run with a 3:45:42. With this under his belt, there's no holding him back next time. He's on his own now. Expect big things from this runner.

A couple of quotes come to mind for Steve Gallow. "Just when you think you have this marathon thing figured out, it comes back and bites you." S Gallow 10/1/2006 Wineglass
Marathon. Gallow bonked at mile 18. He started out with Codner and George Hade at what seemed to be a comfortable pace. (~8:5?) Mile 10 Codner left the slow pokes to continue on
with his race. At around mile 13 Gallow took a pee break. When he returned to the marathon he attempted to catch George Hade. (A Big Mistake). At mile 18 his legs had no more energy. They were not sore at all. It's such a strange feeling. The last 8 miles took forever, and he came in with a 4:15:26. The second quote that comes to Gallow's mind is by Thomas A. Edison "I have not failed. I've just found 10000 ways that won't work." Gallow is going back to work on a new strategy for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 19th.

The Gophers also had a relay team in this years Wineglass Marathon. Gideon Gal flew all the way from Israel to join Groton Gophers Ray Wagner and Gary Rightmire. Gideon stated, "I've always dreamed of being able to run with the Gophers. Today I have acheived that dream." All 3 members of the relay team had a fantastic run with a time of 3:31:07.

A day of Suprises at the Arc 1/2 Marathon.

The Groton Gophers had incredible day on September 9, 2006. All of us set our own Personal Records for a half marathon.

The Arc 1/2 Marathon in Long Branch Park, Liverpool NY is the place to set a Personal Record. The course is very flat, and very well run. This is the return of 3 of the Gophers to this course. Stephen Codner had an incredible run to lead the Gophers with a 1:39:46 (7:37/mile pace), followed by Ron Moores first Arc Half Marathon with a 1:41:16 (7:44/mile pace). Next came Steve Gallow with a 1:48:49 (8:19/mile pace). Ray Wagner who decided that working in California and not running for about a month would be his strategy came in with a 1:52:17 (8:35/mile pace)

A Good Time was had by all, and were looking very strong for a sub 4 hour marathon come October 1st at the Wine Glass Marathon.

Check out the slide show of our adventure.

Race the Train. August 2006. Adirondacks

In August the Gallow's went to the Adirondacks to hike Mountains, Spurlunk, Swim, Canoe, and attempt the gruling race called "Race the Train."

The whole purpose of this race, is to beat the train. Looking over previous years times, there was an outside change that Steve could do it. If he ran his best, and the train slacked off he might do it. A 8.4 mile course at a 7:50 was a possibility. Steve figured that a course near a train had to be fairly flat. (right) Oh contrair, the devious minds that came up with the race decided that the course should start with a 2 mile uphill, much of it on sand. The course from that point was either going up or down a hill. On top of it all the train comes in at a 7:41. Needless to say, neither one of the Gallow's beat the train. Judy did complete the most difficult race of her life, and she did GREAT!!!

Back to the marathon training for Steve. October 1st is coming fast. 

Gophers Defeat World Champions in the 2006 Utica Boilermaker

In an amazing show of strength and fortitude all four of the Groton Gophers went on to defeat one of the winners of the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon in the July 9, 2006 Utica Boilermaker. "Sure the guy is a lot older then us, and didn't take the race seriously, but we'll take any victory we can get.", one of the gophers was heard saying.

All gophers performed to the best of their abilities and scored PR's in this race. Stephen Codner had a time of 73:25 (7:53/mile). Ray Wagner had a time of 74:37 (8:00/mile). Ron Moore had a time of 76:11 (8:10/mile). Steve Gallow had a time of 76:27 (8:12/mile)

Marathon Training Schedule for Wine Glass Marathon

Codner Shatters all Gopher Records by running sub 7

In an amazing feet of strength Stephen Codner shattered all Gopher records by running a 21:37 for a 6:57/mile pace in the Nate Race 5k in Canastota, N.Y.

Codner stated the night before that he was ready. It turns out that the secret to a great race is the Collegetown 9's deep dish pizza and beer the night before. No longer will the gophers have to chow down at the pasta dinners before the big race. Just bring us the pizza with the broccoli.

Ray Wagner also came in with a very impressive time of 23:15, and is on his way to setting a 5k PR this year.

Weedsport Historical 8k Run June 3, 2006

One of the most fun runs the Gophers do is the Weedsport Historical 8k. This is a combination road race/ trail run which includes a drumlin. A drumlin according to Dictionary.com is "An elongated hill or ridge of glacial drift."

This year the weather was 54 degrees and raining which made the race even more fun. The drumlin was extremely slippery with many people slipping and falling. Many of the races decided that running through the mud puddles on the tow path was much more fun then avoiding them. Some runners even choose to hit the mud puddles along the edge of the road.

After last weeks races of setting 5 PR's the gophers decided to take it easy this week, and only set two new PR's.

Stephen Codner went on to place 3rd in the 40-49 age class, followed by Steve Gallow taking 4th, and Ray Wagner taking 5th. Gallow and Wagner feel they should include prices for the top 5 finishers of each age group.

Results:

24th Steve Codner 37:36

25th Steve Gallow 37:55

27th Ray Wagner 39:06

Camillus Memorial Day 5k May 29, 2006

"I've got a mule, and her name is Sal", could be heard as the Gophers ran along the Erie Canal in the Camillus Memorial Day 5k. Ray Wagner Stepher Codner, and Gary Rightmire believed that one difficult race in a weekend is not enough, and talked Steve Gallow into joining them.

As the gun went off, and the Gophers began their run through the cheering crowd Gallow and Codner took off to run a sub 7 for the first mile. Codner pushed Gallow to run hard. At the end of the day in the blistering heat Woohoos could be heard as the two of them had 2 PR's in one weekend.

The results were as follows:

68th Stephen Codner 22:29
80th Steve Gallow 22:54
105th Ray Wagner 23:37
210th Gary Rightmire 28:12

Recway 10k May 21st, 2006

The Gophers began their busy summer race season with the Recway 10K. This race is run on the South Hill Recreation Way in Ithaca, NY. The 3 veteran runners of this Race, Ray Wagner, Stephen Codner and Gary Rightmire warned the newbies, Steve Gallow and Ron Moore that this is a difficult course to run. Being the first time that Steve and Ron ran a 10k race, they were guaranteed PR's. The day was perfect for running. It was a little warm, but a slight mist of rain helped cool the runners.

The official times are as follows:

16th Stephen Codner 47:16
17th Ronald Moore 48:19
18th Steve Gallow 49:09
21st Ray Wagner 50:36
38th Gary Rightmire 56:17

Keep up the great work Gophers!

(Special Note: The Gophers all ran so fast that it was impossible to get a picture of them in this race.)

The Gophers made a very strong show at the 28th Annual Mountain Goat 10 mile race.

Elite runner Steve Codner continued his sub 8 min/mile pace to dominate the gophers. Codner shattered his time from last year by 6:06 to finish with a time of 1:16:23 for a pace time of 7:40

Following next was fast starter rooky Ron Moore with a 1:22:19 for a pace of 8:16. We expect great things from Ron.

Ray Wagner came in with a strong finish at a time of 1:23:24 for a pace of 8:23.

Steve Gallow was next taking about 1:30 off of last years time. His time was a 1:25:18 for a 8:34 pace. He's decided that maybe next year he'll try the Italian wine and cheese training again to see if he comes in with the same time that he had last year.

Another first timer to the Moutain Goat was Gary Rightmire with a 1:39:10 for a 9:59 pace. Gary had run one of the training runs at a faster pace. He was experiencing some muscle cramps this time.

Although it was a great day for the race, some of the Gophers found it a little hot. Steve Gallow commented, "I knew I was in trouble when Codner wasn't wearing any gloves." Gallow likes it cold, and prefers the 20 degree days. He starts wearing a shirt at that temparture. Codner and Moore like it hot. Bring on the heat is their response.

All in all it was a good showing at a great race.

Stephen Codner took some other great photos at the race.

The Groton Gophers had an impressive showing at the 24th Ithaca Annual Skunk Cabbage Classic 10k and 1/2 marathon on April 2, 2006. This race is sponsored by the Fingerlakes Runners Club.

Pictured here Team Gopher included Gary Rightmire, Ray Wagner, Stephen Codner, Ron Moore, and Steve Gallow.

Rightmire and Wagner represented the Gophers in the 10k, while Codner, Moore, and Gallow took on the treacherous 1/2 marathon. Codner, Moore and Gallow all went on to complete the difficult course with personal records. David Jung also ran the 1/2 marthon. (He wasn't around when we took the photograph.)

We have begun to rethink our motto of "Starting Slow, and Taper from There." Listen to interviews on the April 3rd edition of the Podcast. You can also view the the photo's on Stephen Codner's web site.

The Groton Gophers welcome their newest gopher, Polly Case-Codner, at the Cazenovia Chilly Chili.

Once again many of the Groton Gophers began their season at the Cazenovia Chilly Chili.

Veteren Ray Wagner stated that he was going to go out strong the first mile, and die after that. (Ray, the wisdom of Walt Stack is start slow and taper from there.) Ray hit the first mile at 7:35 followed by Ron Moore and Steve Gallow at around 7:45.

After that it wasn't until mile 2.5 that Ron and Steve caught Ray. From there Ron and Steve battled it out until the finish line. All the running Gophers came in strong:

Steve Gallow placed 151 out of 734 with a time of 23:55 a 7:42 pace.

Ron Moore placed 153 out of 734 with a time of 24:03 a 7:45 pace.

Ray Wagner place 161 out of 734 with a time of 24:09 a 7:47 pace.

All Three shattered their previous times from last year.

Judy, Polly, and Kris all said that the time doesn't matter and sugguested that we get a life.