Women

Free Cycling Clinics with Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

June 28th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

Few will disagree that the learning curve of cycling and racing is significant but that is also why the sport is rewarding. There is always something to improve on whether you are a beginner or a seasoned racer.

Team OAM NOW/Athletic Mentors will host two cycling clinics to cater to a range of abilities. The clinics will be held on Friday, July 8 at WMU BTR Park, where the BTR Crit will be held the following day. Both clinics are FREE if you preregister or $10 day of.

The women’s only clinic will be geared towards beginner riders and will cover drafting, cornering, and group riding etiquette. This is a great chance to build confidence in a non-intimidating atmosphere with help from Team OAM NOW riders. Check-in is at 5:45 with the clinic running from 6-8pm. Be prepared to ride with a bike and helmet, road bike recommended! Make sure you pre-register for this clinic HERE!

The second clinic will be open to both men and women and be focused on race specific skills and drills. The clinic will be on the actual race course, a great opportunity to prepare for the BTR crit! Check-in is at 6:15 with the clinic running 6:30-9pm. Pre-register for this clinic HERE!

Check out more details on the BTR Clinics page.

Make it a full weekend and come out to race the BTR Crit on Saturday, July 9 and Maple Hills Race for Wishes on Sunday, July 10!

Maple Hills Race for Wishes to Offer New Masters Women’s Race!

June 27th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

Maple Hills Race for Wishes is an annual staple in Michigan road racing and this year is designated as the State Championship Road Race. It is held on the beautiful rolling terrain in Lawton, Michigan on Sunday, July 10. Maple Hills will offer a full day of racing with 13 separate races on tap including some new options for the women.

Despite a great turnout every year, women are still drastically underrepresented at cycling events throughout the state and country. This year Maple Hills has added a new Masters Women’s Race for women 40 and over to expand the options for female racers. Although several Masters races are staples of mens cycling, this is a unique opportunity for women to compete in a Masters only field in a 35 mile race and even get the chance to win money! The Masters race is open to any category racer.

Another change for this year, Category 4 racers will have the option of racing in the Category 1/2/3/4 race or the Beginner Category 4 only race. Allowing Category 4 women the chance to choose between races will allow the opportunity to compete in non-intimidating beginner’s field in a 35 mile race. It will also give up and coming Cat 4 racers the chance to compete with some of the best riders in the state in the 1/2/3/4 race over 52.5 miles. A current USA Cycling license is required to compete and Category 4 racers can purchase a one day license for $10.

The Masters women will only be a separate field if there are at least 10 participants registered by July 8 so tell your cycling friends and sign up now!

More information and registration can be found on the Maple Hills Race for Wishes website. Details about each race and the schedule can be found on the race flyer.

You can also find updates on the Maple Hills Race for Wishes Facebook page.

Hope to see some new faces in Lawton on July 10!

The Road to my First Half Ironman

June 20th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Kathy Braginton, Team OAM NOW Multisport Athlete

It is better to look back on life and say: “I can’t believe I did that,” than to look back and say: “I wish I did that.” Last October, I began to think about trying my first half Ironman. Knowing I couldn’t do it alone, I looked to recruit a few family members to join me. I asked my niece if would be interested and got an immediate, YES! My sister on the other hand, dragged her feet until the last day before the price increase. The next step was to find a coach. Athletic Mentors made that decision easy with the introduction of their newest coaching package, the Custom TRI Coaching Subscription. With my weekly training plan laid out for me, I was on way. Let the training begin!

West Michigan offers two half Ironman races in the Grand Rapids area, one in June and one in August. The Grand Rapids Triathlon held in June is known for its flat, fast course. It’s ideal for the new and experienced triathlete alike. With a beautiful swim in the lake-like Thornapple River with virtually no current, to a flat country-road bike course then on to the scenic, shaded run course with loads of local support. This race offers several free clinics leading up to the event, a pre-race swim and pre-ride at the race site the week before, along with an amazing expo. It’s the largest triathlon in Michigan and offers a Sprint, Olympic and Half Iron, all with separate transition areas to give you a small race feel. With a description like that, I decided Grand Rapids Tri was the race for me.

Finding your race day focus

After 5 months of focusing solely on training, how was I going to shift my focus from training to racing? A friend of mine once told me that I had R.A.C.E. written across my forehead. Apparently, that was all I could think about. For the first time in my racing career, I found that was not true. Those letters were now T.R.A.I.N. Being so focused on training, I suddenly realized the racing season was rapidly approaching and I needed to shift my focus once again to R.A.C.E.

Nothing happens without focus. To gain my race day focus, I searched for a local race to use as my warm-up race. I chose Double Time Triathlon, hosted by Spirit Racing. It is staged at the Nazarene Church Camp on Indian Lake, just east of Vicksburg. Double Time also marked a milestone for me. It was triathlon number 50! After 49 triathlons, you would think I could transition with my eyes closed. However, after a 9 month hiatus, it takes 1 triathlon to refresh your memory, verify all your equipment is in working order, and to confirm you can slip your feet in and out of your bikes shoes without crashing.

With my focus established (or so I thought), it was on to Grand Rapids. When I decided to transition from a race that takes less than an hour and a half to a race that would take approximately 6 hours, I started to rethink everything I thought I already knew. Should I transition this way or that way? How much should I eat? What should I eat? How fast should I bike? How should I hydrate? And most importantly, when am I going to go to the bathroom?

Then the race horn sounded. All the months of swirling emotions: excitement, anxiety, confidence, self-doubt, apprehension, they all drifted away. It was an amazing sense of freedom, as though a huge weight had been lifted off me, and I simply put my head down and swam. I swam 2 minutes under my goal time. My bike time was right at my goal. My total transition time was 3 minutes faster than estimated. Feeling amazing at the start of the run, I took off like I was on the run leg for a sprint distance race. I quickly settled myself down and got into a comfortable pace. I found I really liked the 2 loop run course as it made it easy to cheer on all the other competitors along the way.

As I crested the last hill and into the final stretch of the run, I scrolled my Garmin to display the total race time and distance. The distance read 69.5 miles. That is the moment it really hit me as to what I was about to accomplish….70.3 miles!

Dirty Kanza 200- An Incredible Adventure and Accomplishment

June 9th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Amy Kimber, Team OAM NOW Cyclist

When my husband told me he wanted us to sign up for the Dirty Kanza 200, I said a lot of things like, “you are crazy, no way, why, not a chance, you can do it without me, I won’t be joining you.” Then one Saturday morning in January we set our alarms to wake up early, fired up our laptops, made some coffee, and impatiently waited for registration to open. The event was full in two hours, and we were both in.

The event is known for being an ultra-endurance off-road cycling adventure. It was created to be extremely challenging, but possible to complete. Every year the rate of finishers is about 50%. The Flint Hills of Kansas are known for their ruggedness and remoteness. With the exception of three checkpoints where racers can meet up with their support crew, you need to support yourself and carry everything you need. Besides the houses in the towns near the checkpoints I think I saw two houses on the entire course. This is remoteness and ruggedness to the extreme!

We did a short 10 mile pre-ride on Friday. The first mile is pavement and then the gravel begins.The course was bone dry, and the gravel was probably 5 inches deep in places. I was concerned about trying to hold a straight line with 1,100 of my closest friends. Overnight some large, somewhat unexpected rainstorms went through. They didn’t hit the entire course, but the first 5 miles now looked completely different. When I lined up Saturday morning for the 6 a.m. start, I was expecting some mud, but I had no idea what I was about to see…

The beginning of a long day and epic adventure

The rollout was slow, and when we made the first turn onto the gravel the road it was unrecognizable. There was a large “river” that didn’t exist the day before, and the dry fields had become large lakes. It took 15 minutes to go about a mile. Then all of the sudden I came to this long muddy stretch that resembled a bicycle war zone. Both sides of the road were lined with hundreds of people, all off of their bikes. At first I had no idea what was going on, until it started to happen to me, chain suck! Mud was getting caught in everyone’s derailleurs and if you didn’t stop pedaling, too much pressure on the chain would shear off the derailleur. I got off my bike and walked into one of the rain made lakes. I was able to clean off the drivetrain enough so that I could ride on.

The first section was full of challenging climbs, rocky descents, and mud! There were so many racers out there, you were never alone. This section made me so thankful for my Cannonball Tires! I bet I saw 100 people changing flat tires. I pulled into checkpoint one at mile 48. I got my drivetrain cleaned up, replenished with food and drink, and headed back on the road for section 2.

One of the may reasons Dirty Kanza is not for the faint of heart

The second section was as equally challenging as the first. At this point it was getting very hot. There is hardly a tree on the course, there were no clouds in the sky, and the temperature kept rising. This was when you started to see people laying in ditches under small bushes, searching for any sliver of shade they could find. The river crossings that I was dreading became a lifesaver, cold water! I put my head down and just kept pedaling. At this point I just wanted to make it to the next checkpoint to see my awesome support crew. Checkpoint 2 was at mile 102. Once I made it the stop was a little longer than I was planning for. The heat was so intense and my stomach was starting to turn. I knew it was more important to cool down and hydrate than to worry about a quick transition time. My overall goal was to finish, I did not care how long it took.

Section 3 was the longest leg of the day (60 miles). It was also the hottest, and there was a brutal headwind almost the entire time. I was carrying 112 ounces of water, and this would not be nearly enough. The carnage on this leg was worse than the one before. There were racers sitting in ditches, under small bushes, and in rivers. On course support is not allowed, and there are almost no cars on these roads, so every time a big van passed I knew it was on its way to pick up someone abandoning the race. I saw a lot of vans this leg. I ran out of water about 10 long miles from the checkpoint. This was about the time I started to question my sanity (not true, that started around mile 1). I started to wonder if I was going to make it. Everyone around me was out of water, everyone was suffering, and every mile my pace seemed to be slowing. Somehow, I finally made it! Checkpoint 3 was at mile 161. The crowds in the feed zones treat every racer like they are a rock star. The overwhelming support is so motivating. Again, I spent far too long with my support crew, but after what I had just went through it seemed necessary.

Amy en route to a coveted DK finish

All day long I was telling myself that all I had to do was “4” bike rides today. That didn’t seem as overwhelming as 206 miles. It was hard to get back on the bike, but now I only had 45 miles left. I mounted my headlight, and headed off for my 4th and final leg of the day.

Thankfully the sun was going down and the temperature was cooling off quickly. This part of the course is by far the least treacherous. The hills are rolling and the roads started to feel more like home. I am a very experienced nighttime gravel road rider so the dark was not a concern. I put my head down, turned over the pedals, and counted down the miles to Emporia. Crossing that finish line was the best feeling I have had in a long time. It was awesome that Eric and I got to finish together. I didn’t have a care in the world about what place I was in, or what my finish time was (16 hours and 52 minutes, rolling average of 15.1 mph), all that mattered was I made it! I was in the 51% that finished the 2016 Dirty Kanza.

Overall, I had an amazing experience. I am happy to report that I never had any nagging issues throughout the day. My biggest concerns were saddle issues, hot foot, heat, and cramps. Around mile 180 my saddle started to become uncomfortable, I thought that was to be expected. The cool river crossings kept my feet from feeling awful, and I just took longer breaks at the checkpoints to hydrate and recover from the heat. I had some twinges in my calves and quads, but never a full blown cramp. My upper body felt great, and my long standing back issue was a non-issue today.

The last few miles Eric and I talked about how this was a once in lifetime experience. We were glad that we did it, that we were going to be finishers, and that we never needed to do it again! On the car ride home we were already making plans to make next years’ experience even better! I could write an entire blog on the beauty of Kansas, but I will let the pictures talk for themselves.

After A Year of Resilience Sheikh Claims Second at Strider’s Classic

May 11th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

— By Elaine Sheikh

Strider’s 10 Mile Classic is a race that I’ve wanted to do for a few years now, but have never been able to work into the schedule. This year, it was perfect timing – I’m currently training for the Grand Rapids Half Iron Triathlon and this would give me the opportunity to test my race legs over a longer distance. Before the race started, I chatted with some OAM Now teammates who were doing the 5K. The only other OAM Now athlete doing the 10 miler besides myself was club member Lindsey Lilly. I had never run with her before, so I didn’t know how fast she was!

$Elaine recovered from a pelvic fracture$

Elaine is back running healthy and strong after recovering from a pelvic stress fracture 15 months ago

I was nervous starting this race. Not only was it my first running race of the season, this would be my first running race since I fractured my pelvis 15 months ago. It still feel “tweaky” on a pretty regular basis and I had nightmares of refracturing it when I really put it to the test. Plus, I had completely forgotten how to pace myself for anything that wasn’t a triathlon or bike race! I deployed my usual tact of telling everyone I was out there for a training run. When people don’t think I’m going to race hard, I feel like it takes away a lot of pressure. So, whether or not I plan on racing hard, I will often tell people I just want to enjoy my day. Secretly, I wanted to run under 1:09.

Elaine and Lindsey finish the Striders 10 miler under 70 minutes

As we started, the fastest woman in the pack became obvious. I kept her in my sights the whole first half of the race. It was much hillier than I thought, and a loose gravel mile caused my second mile to be a bit slower than I had anticipated. But, I just kept watching her and didn’t let her pull away. Right before the halfway mark, a man yelled that I was only 20 yards back. This caused my competitor to pick up the pace. I responded, but mile 6 was all uphill and I had been running significantly faster than I had planned on. I was hurting and I started to lose focus as the hills hit me one after another. Just as my breathing was getting completely out of control. At the perfect time, teammate Dave Stebbins, who had been riding back and forth on the course cheering, rolled up. It was pretty obvious that I was flagging pretty hard at that point, but he encouraged me and talked me down so I could get control of my breathing again. Teammates are awesome!

In the end, I never caught the first place female finisher. She crossed the finish line a solid 30 seconds ahead of me. However, I crushed my goal and ran a 1:07:12. Lindsey was the third woman to cross the line at 1:08:27. Way to go Lindsey!

It was a fun day and a great race that I would recommend for anyone looking for a nice spring 5K or 10 miler. I couldn’t be more excited to start another multi-sport season with Team OAM Now!

The result of a year of resilience!

Bikecation in Southern Michigan

May 4th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Roxane Kippen, Multisport Athlete

Who needs Spring Break sitting around on a beach in Florida, when you can go on a bikecation? It doesn’t appear that “bikecation” is a term that has landed on wikipedia yet, since it gave me results instead for “bisection” when I typed it in the search. So, I will have to tell you a little about my week out of the office and on the trails to explain. Many cyclists head south to Alabama, North Carolina or Southern Indiana early in the spring for a training camp, where they ride all day and enjoy the warmer temps that may not always arrive in Michigan in a timely fashion. Instead of spending 15 hours in the car, packing countless bags and hoping for good weather when I get there, I decided to take a week off for a “staycation” and ride my bike closer to home with a 10 day forecast of nothing but sun and warm temps.

While North Carolina boasts of International Mountain Bike Association Epic Trail Tsali, Southern Indiana has its beloved Brown County and Alabama has Oak Mountain, the lower peninsula of Michigan has some pretty fine trails as well. I have ridden Tsali, Brown County and Oak Mountain, and I would have to say I enjoyed my week here on Michigan trails just as much. Every trail has something different to love and if they were all the same, that would be no fun at all. Let me take you on a brief tour of the trails I visited during my bikecation.

Rounding the final corner at Barry Roubaix to kick off the bikecation!

I started off the first weekend of my journey by racing the Barry Roubaix Killer Gravel Road Race. I logged 36 miles of gravel roads with 3,000 of my closest friends and teammates. After a relatively hard effort during the race, I spent Sunday on a shorter “recovery” ride with friend and former teammate John. We rode the most convenient location, which happened to be the Cannonsburg State Game Area (CSGA) and the Cannonsburg Ski Area (CSA), together a.k.a. “The Combo” or “The Connector”. We avoided the “Up the Gut” climb at the ski area and enjoyed a leisurely pace through the game area and logged 14 miles of mountain biking. I didn’t want to wear myself out on the first day of my bikecation! I had a lot of time in the saddle (and chamois cream) coming up.

It was hard to decide where to go on what day, but I started off on Monday at Yankee Springs Recreation Area in Middleville, MI. The body takes a beating on this trail as there are a lot of rocks and roots and a bit more climbing than the Cannonsburg trails from Sunday. I rode 23 miles solo (two loops) at a Sunday driver pace and took most of the climbs in granny gear; riding by myself I didn’t dare take any chances of sliding off a cliff or wrapping myself around a tree. The temp was close to 80 degrees and the course was extremely dry, loose and sandy, almost as if it were the middle of July already.

A sunny day 2 at Yankee Springs Recreation Area

Three hours in the heat and I felt like day two of bikecation was solid. Fort Custer Recreation Area (The Fort) was the trail of choice on day three. Tuesday conditions were cool but comfortable and made for another great day of riding. XTERRA training buddy Alan and I took on a couple laps at The Fort and logged 17 miles of super cool singletrack and even threw in a twenty- minute brick run after our ride. The Fort was where I feel I really learned to mountain bike. Nearly 10 years ago, I spent countless weekends prepping for my first XTERRA (offroad triathlon) at The Fort. It is still my favorite race venue for XTERRA. It is always hard to tell someone if a trail is technical, because technical could mean many different things. To me, this trail was technical and for me that means rooty, steep switchback climbs that require great focus and balance and some tighter twisty/turny sections. With trail sections call Amusement Park and Grannies Garden and trail features like the Demon Drop and the Trenches, it is definitely a trail with a large variety of riding and it never gets boring.

Wednesday, I met up with long-time mountain biker and teammate Terry Ritter to get a bit of an evaluation on my riding skills at the Potawatomi Trail (Poto) in Pinckney, MI. I also had the opportunity to connect with local rider and fellow XTERRA racer, Heather, for the ride. The trip is just under two hours from Grand Rapids, and I would highly recommend it. I had never ridden the trail before so it was a good test of my trail reading and bike handling “tool box”. My biggest opportunity is to better utilize my momentum. I think Terry suggested/threatened that I need some single speed work to force me to use my momentum more effectively. Thanks, Terry, for your time and knowledge and helping me log another 17.5 miles of trail riding on day four of my bikecation.

Day 4 Poto getting tips from mastermind Terry

Of course, the meteorologist had to get one day wrong out of that 10 days of forecasted sun, and it happened to be on Thursday. The morning was cool and rainy, so I took the opportunity to catch up on some housework and volunteer activities. By the afternoon, things were clearing up to the north so I summoned a couple of my regular XTERRA training partners for a trip to Owasippe Trail. This trail is on a Boy Scout reservation near Whitehall, MI and has some of the most fun singletrack riding in Michigan. It is tough to describe this trail and why I love it so much, but it has some nice smooth areas, some brutal technical climbs with bumpy descents, a couple of long narrow bridge crossings and spectacular views of water and woods all around. The rains left the trail in perfect condition as the sand soaked up the moisture and packed down for a fast trail. We logged 23 fabulous miles and went to a local brewery for a well-earned recovery beverage.

I started to feel my legs squawking at me after the ride at Poto on Wednesday. The climbs were tougher and there were times when I powered a little harder through sections than I had earlier in the week. This was evident each time I ascended a set of stairs in my house. Definitely after the Owasippe ride, my legs had done what they set out to do for the week and I needed a recovery day. Friday I did just that. I recovered, I napped with my cat Asher (the master napper) and I watched Netflix. I did, however, log 4 miles riding to and from Belle Tire when I dropped off and picked up my car for a tire rotation.

Day 6: Recovery

After a full week of riding totaling 36 miles of gravel, 95 miles of singletrack and a 4 mile commute, I headed into the weekend for two more days of training before going back to the cubicle world. I pushed myself through a 5K run at the Striders Classic on Saturday and rounded out Sunday with another 23 miles at The Fort for a total of 118 miles of mountain biking in 8 days. That may be more than I’ve done in a stretch of several months during the season! It is very difficult to pick a favorite trail, but I will have to stick with Owasippe as my #1 and Fort Custer as a close #2.

To check out more information on these trails, click the hyperlinks above that will take you to the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) listing or look them up on the Michigan Mountain Bike Association (MMBA) Trail Guide at http://mmba.org/trail-guide/. If you are worried about getting lost in the woods, you can download the MTB Project app, by IMBA, to your phone and it will show your location as you ride on the trail. Local bike shops can also give you tips on how to find and what to expect of the trails nearby. The mountain bike community welcomes new riders with open arms, so if you’ve been hesitating to give it a try, I highly encourage you to take the leap and check out a local trail.

Final day of a great week!

Shuler Takes on Heat and Wind for Boston PR!

April 26th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Tammy Shuler, Team OAM NOW multi-sport athlete

The morning of the race started out very hot considering the weather we have had leading up to race day. 70 at the start of my wave and no wind in Hopkinton. The closer we got to Boston it cooled off and a brisk head wind started about mile 8.

Tammy representing OAM NOW in Boston!

The crowds were amazing! Every year there are more spectators. The spectators give out ice and popsicles, that saved my race. The drinks at the aide stations were warm, and not refreshing. People were cramping and dropping out all along the course from the heat.

Tammy completes a challenging Boston Marathon and posts another qualifying time!

Boston is always a challenging race and this year did not disappoint. However, I finished my best Boston in the last 3, with a 3:53:18, 69th in my age group of 650. This was also a qualifying time in my 55-59 age group.

Next for me is the Mittens Challenge which consists of racing the Wisconsin Marathon on May 7 in Kenosha and then the Kalamazoo Marathon on Sunday, May 8th!

Liv Mountain Bike Skills Clinic on May 2nd!

April 6th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

Need help conquering the learning curve of mountain biking? Want to improve your skills and confidence in a non-intimidating environment?

Take advantage of a cool opportunity through Liv Cycling coming to Southeast Michigan in May!

Giant is a leader in women’s cycling with Liv, their women’s specific product line. Liv is focused on helping make cycling accessible for women through both products and outreach efforts. Liv will be hosting a mountain bike skills clinic and demo at Highland Recreation Trail on Monday, May 2nd, 2016.

The clinic will consist of a skills clinic from 5:30 to 6:30 pm covering proper gearing, braking and body positioning to improve confidence and efficiency. The clinic will be followed by a no-drop ride from 6:30-7:30. All levels of riders are welcome to attend.

Liv mountain bikes will also be available to demo for the clinic. If you would like to demo a bike for the ride, please arrive early and bring a helmet, shoes and a credit card. Please contact Velocipede Peddler to reserve a bike in advance, 1353 E Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823, 517-351-7240.

More information about the clinic and bikes available to demo can be found on the Giant website.

Ride Life Ride Giant and Liv Demos will also be available at various sites in Michigan this spring.

Stoney Creek Metro Park- April 30
Burchfield Park (Lansing) – May 1
Midland City Forest Park- May 3
Boyne Mountain- May 5
Island Lake Recreation Area- May 7
Luton Park (Rockford)- May 8

Tough Training Lessons from Strava

January 12th, 2016 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Elaine Sheikh, Team OAM Now Multi-sport Athlete

When I first started becoming serious about endurance sports a few years ago, several cyclists I rode with on Tuesday nights mentioned using Strava. I really had no idea how it worked. For me, training consisted of swimming, cycling, and running basically whenever I felt like it, and mixing in body weight workouts and yoga to keep everything fresh. When other athletes suggested I make an account and upload my workouts, “Not for me,” I replied. “I have limited data and I use Apple Maps so I won’t get lost. I have it on my little wireless cateye computer and I pop it into my excel spreadsheet so I can make sure I’m biking enough.”

That was the attitude I had until I began veterinary school at Michigan State University. There, I met some intense triathletes who really encouraged me to get Strava. “We have an MSU Tri Club Strava group! We can all keep tabs on each other! It’s really fun!” I caved. I learned how to upload activities from my watch so that I didn’t have to use my phone. I manually entered swims. And, I started tracking other athletes. While I know Strava is great for some people, it was, undoubtedly, one of the worst decisions I made in my triathlon journey.

Still, I learned a lot in the year and a half that I used Strava on a regular basis. I want to share those lessons so that others can learn how to avoid the pitfalls of any form of social networking focused on training. Again, I think Strava is a great tool for many people, and I don’t want to minimize that in any way. However, it’s like diet. Some athletes thrive on a vegan diet. Some swear by a high-fat, low-carb approach. Others perform well on just about anything they want to eat. Every athlete is different physically, mentally, and spiritually, so take anyone’s advice with a grain of salt. What works for me may or may not work for you. Here’s what I learned:
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Team Turkey Trot- The Annual Tradition

December 10th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Roxane Kippen, Team OAM Now Multi-Sport Athlete

The Turkey Trot is a long-standing running tradition that began as far back as the early 1900s. I heard on the news over the Thanksgiving weekend that a turkey trot is now the most popular annual running event in the US with hundreds of thousands participating each year. Turkey trots are also known for benefitting local charities. Let me share with you a little turkey trot tradition I have.

For the last four years, a few members of TEAM OAM NOW have gathered with friends and others in the triathlon, cycling, and running communities at a local trail for a slightly less traditional version of the turkey trot. Seidman Park is home to several miles of single track trail used for hiking, running, and cross country skiing. We have fondly named our run the Bloody Knuckle Turkey Trot due to the rugged conditions of the trail and the multiple falls one unnamed team member managed in a single loop around the park.

The month of November typically signifies a return to running for me. I usually take the month of October off from running and focus on mountain bike racing. I started my ease back into running with a 2-mile run one week, a 3-mile run the next week, a 4-mile trail run the week before Thanksgiving, then arrived at this year’s Bloody Knuckle ready for my 4^th run since September.

An invitation to the event is extended to the members in the Athletic Mentors Cycling Group on Facebook and to other friends and family by word of mouth. We have had as few as 5 and as many as a dozen runners in prior years. This year we were faced with continual rains the day before and the day of Thanksgiving, yet 8 brave souls showed up and were willing to run through the woods, burn some calories, share post run donuts and coffee, and just enjoy each other’s company. There were quite a few other runners and cyclists passing by the park as well, and we served as an interesting aid station with our coffee, hot chocolate and boxes of donuts.

While there is no entry fee for this run, we did collect donations to benefit Freedom in Motion, a local organization that collects old bicycles and bike parts, refurbishes them and provides them to those in need. Their cause seemed like a great match for us and we raised over $120 with our small group and also donated some bike parts as well.

We do have an official podium ceremony, complete with turkey crowns for the 1^st and 2^nd place finishers. This year, new OAM NOW team member, Danielle Nye took the top turkey. I rounded out the top 3. Thanks to some course navigation errors made by some of the male competitors, the ladies swept the podium. Team members Jim Allan and Bob Schultz were also attending their 4^th Bloody Knuckle.

I just read in teammate Kaitlyn Patterson’s blog, “If it is not fun, you’re not doing it right.” This is so true and a great reminder never to take yourself too seriously that you don’t have fun along the way. I think running around in the woods on a rainy morning with friends and teammates chasing a turkey tiara is pretty fun. If you are interested in joining the fun next time, keep your eyes open for the Bloody Knuckle – New Year’s Eve Edition.