All 500+ runners pumped up and ready to start the 120 mile journey from Buena Vista tomorrow.

I don’t even know how to start explaining the TransRockies Run. How do you sum up 120 miles over six days, with 20,000 feet of elevation gain? My objective here is for you, my reader friend, to believe that you can do such a thing. Because it’s true. And for you to understand why you would want do such a thing.

Team OAM NOW athlete with the King… Max King. If you don’t know who he is, just pick up any Trail Runner magazine and you’ll find him 5 times.

TransRockies is a unique experience. Starting at Buena Vista, CO already at 7,965 ft elevation, the event kicks off the night prior to the start with a race briefing. Run by Canadians, the tone is set, and from here to the infamous “Stage 7”, everyone here, came to have fun. Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors athlete and TRR finisher, Tammy Shuler advises, “Talk to everyone and don’t take the event too seriously.” You’ll be disappointed if you do. For the next 6 days you are camping under the Colorado stars. Some nights have music, a campfire, s’mores, and even a beer mile for you elites, but every night has showers, dinner, and a slideshow of pictures of the day. There is a shady hangout, post run, where you rub elbows with the elite (Max King and Nikki Kimball are two of my favorites!), and meet people from around the world. This year, there were over 20 countries represented! The people you meet here are people who are good to the core. People who remind you that the world is kind and happy. People who share their chapstick and Body Glide. Read the rest of this entry »

What would you do to get into the famous Western States Endurance Run? The world’s oldest and most prestigious 100-mile trail race that only lets 369 hearty soles purchase a bib to run up 18,000  and descend 23,000 feet of Sierra Nevada mountains? For some of us long distance trail runners, we are happy to run 100 miles just to prove that we can handle such an event. To even be able to enter into the lottery of the WSER, you have to complete an approved 100 mile race within the event’s time limit. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t dream of doing the WSER. It scared me enough to not enter for several years. But the more it scared me, the more I was intrigued by it.

After having my first baby 7 months ago, I thought it was ridiculous to think I could even attempt to run a qualifying event so that I could get my ticket into the lottery. As I continued to struggle through runs and worry about the extra weight I now carried, I still thought… maybe I can. I kept at it and was feeling pretty good about my running and soon I was thinking, I can finish, but it won’t be pretty.

The coaches of Athletic Mentors, Cheryl Sherwood , Cricket Howard and Mark Olson, together helped me get my head on straight. With just a few conversations, I not only knew I could do it, but I believed I could do it, and do it well.  I had to believe that I could do it and WANT to do it. I had to keep believing that I AM going to do it. Using my daily run data, Mark walked me through a plan each week. As we got closer to the event, we spoke each day. I’ve never felt so relaxed in those last few days before an event. I had complete trust in my training and the coaches of Athletic Mentors.

Cheryl joins me at mile 85 for the final loop. If it weren’t for her company, I may have taken a trail nap.

The Woodstock Hallucination 100 was going to be my ticket in. The event was 6 loops through the very runnable Pinckney Recreation Area. I had a dream team of supporters… seriously. My mom, Tammy and Joe, stayed up all night to greet me each loop. Joe was in charge since he knew exactly how to keep me and my head in the race. When my mom started to worry about how cold I was and prepared a chair next to the heater, Joe knew enough to pack that little treat up and shut that idea down. After two loops, pacers were allowed. Liz kept me positive with light hearted girl talk. Joe got me through the coldest, wettest and darkest hours of that night. Scott, my future Trans Rockies Run partner,  and I chatted into daylight (I think he is going to be an awesome partner next summer!). Cheryl, Team Manager of Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors ran with me my final loop. Each one of my pacers contributed to a fun and successful 100 miles. And yes, I said fun. I never once thought that I wouldn’t make it during the run. It was an absolute high to see my crew on every loop and I was so excited to see them. There were times I felt lousy, but I knew I’d feel good soon. Mark had given me simple, but very wise advice, “You’ll feel great and want take off, stay patient. You’ll feel bad at times, but you’ll get over it.” This was the first time I’ve ever followed coaching advice explicitly through a training plan, and I followed his advice to the end of the event.

Earned my ticket! Now I just need to be lucky on December 5th!

I wish I could write about a more eventful 100 miles. But truthfully, it wasn’t eventful at all. The race went perfectly. My body and mind cooperated. No stomach troubles, no blisters, just a little sleepy at times. This was a perfect race. I never thought I could get under 24 hours in my first try at 100 miles. I did because I was patient. Just that steady pace Mark told me to stick with got me in at 21:08. It was an extra special finish to be 2nd Overall Female, and 9th in the overall race. That made me feel fantastic! So, my advice if you ever want to do well in an event that you worry you can’t do… keep those positive people close and let them help you, BELIEVE that you can do it, and get Mark Olson as a coach!

I cannot end this piece until I give a sincere, heartfelt THANK YOU to each member of my crew and all the positive friends I have in my life. This isn’t an Earth shattering event, but it certainly makes you realize how lucky you are. Every single crew member contributed in a huge way to this perfect race and sacrificed their sleep. Mark, Cricket and Cheryl for making me believe I could do this and taking time everyday to check in with me during the last few weeks of training. I felt like a professional athlete with a professional coaching team! My husband, Jason, who always made sure I had time to train and decent sleep while parenting our wild eyed Owen. I think we are a pretty awesome team at this parenting gig. And finally, my coworkers and students for being excited for me and thinking of me while you ate your dinner, breakfast and lunch that day. I hope you are inspired and do something you dream about in your future!

By OAM NOW/Athletic Mentors Elite Cyclist, Collin Snyder

Michigan crit racing was in for a treat as bike racers stormed the state’s capitol. This years Capitol City Criterium’s main attraction, the men’s Pro 1/2 was a rare but highly entertaining night time event, with the field lining up at 8:30 and racing wheel to wheel for an hour and a half. Team OAM NOW was well represented by Cory Stange, Dan Yankus, Alex Vanias, Collin Snyder and Terry Ritter who pulled doubled duty by racing the Masters race earlier in the evening.

The race started out fast and never let up until the end, averaging a solid 27 MPH.  With the State Championship Jersey on the line, everyone was hungry to get something going. I started the evening with a hard attack early on, hoping that someone would jump with me to no prevail. At the very least, I wanted to set the score for the evening, stringing the field out to which I was very successful. After the opening few laps, teams took turns throwing guys out front, hoping something would stick. Within the first 10 minutes, there were a total of 4 different breakaway attempts all of which failed to get more than a handful of seconds.

With 50 minutes to go, I threw in a hard attack and managed to get some breathing room between the field and me. The likelihood of me staying away from the field solo is a solid zero percent, but sometimes moves like that can setup the next and potentially winning break. A Jack’s Cyclery rider bridged up to me and we worked desperately together for a few laps. When the inevitable catch was made, a counter attack instantly went with a handful of riders including OAM NOW’s Alex Vanias.

The field stayed strung out, frantic to bring back the break. The team raced great, staying towards the front and never let a strong chase effort form. The gap never reached more than 20 seconds but at the same time it was steady for the longest time. As the laps ticked by, it looked like the break might just stick. In the unfortunate event we did catch them, we were well position near the front to make a counter move.

As the race wound down, teams who didn’t make the break became desperate, and the firepower came out. The time gap started to move down and down, eventually getting to just six seconds. The determined break wouldn’t let up, and with OAM NOW and EPS racing at the front covering moves, it actually ticked back up to over 10 in a matter of just one lap, but the smell of a catch was too strong for the field. The chase effort intensified and with just 9 minutes to go, the deed was done.

However, that wasn’t the end of the night for all the break participants. Right before the catch was made, Alex Vanias threw in cheeky attack and put a big gap between him and the break. Bryce Nuiver of EPS Cycling and I saw this among the chaos. Bryce put in a hard bridge effort and I locked onto his wheel. Looking behind me, we never actually made a significant gap with the front of the group, so I made the decision to ease up and let Bryce go. All night I was ready to make the counter incase the break had failed, but with Alex having another go at it, it was my time to step back and let him do his thing.  The two of them never got a huge gap on the field, but it was late enough in the race, it actually worked. Bryce would go on to win the sprint against Alex, clinching the state champion title.

With Alex second place and another top 10 for Cory, the team had a very successful night. The team raced as one, putting the team’s results before our own. With only two more crits left in 2015, there is a closing window to watch TEAM OAM NOW’s Elite squad do what they do best in person. If you can make it, come out and cheer us on to victory.

By Hunter Fisk

This was my first year riding the Barry Roubaix and it was the BEST day ever. I loved riding this race so much and I can’t wait to do it again next year. I rode the Barry Roubaix Course for the first time one week before the race and it was really hard. There are a lot of hills! My mom and my coach Erin said to ride the hills easy and to pace myself, but never stop on them. On the first hills, I didn’t believe them. But I fell over on one and learned why I should never stop on a hill. I also wanted to ride really fast in the start, but they said I can’t ride fast until the last five miles. I learned that on this course, conserving my energy was important!

On race day I wasn’t nervous at all, I was really excited. When we started there were hundreds of people. On the first three hills lots of people were walking but I knew I could ride all the hills, because I did the week before. I know never to get off my bike on a hill and to rest on the downhill. I got to eat Hammer Gel and someone at the aid station gave me one with caffeine! My mom never lets me have caffeine but I made me have lots of energy to go fast!

I can’t wait to do Barry Roubaix again next year! I plan to train hard and finish in 1:30.

A few words from Coach Erin…

I rode the Barry Roubaix on race day with Hunter. Hunter was an absolute joy to ride with. His enthusiasm never let down even when his legs grew tired. Riders and spectators over the course cheered for Hunter like he was a movie star. He clearly inspred more than just myself. I had just had my first baby, 9 weeks prior to the Barry Roubaix. I had been active in athletics since I learned to throw a ball. Not being able to race a huge event like the Barry Roubaix was a little sad for me. Hunter gave me the oppertunity to contribute to the sport without having to race that day. Seeing someone else enjoy the day as much as I did brought me so much more joy than actually racing the event… and a LOT less soreness! Hunter rode extremely well and learned to use his gears effectively. I have no doubt that this young man has the fire to train for next year’s event and reach his goal of 1:30!