The gO! Running Group is a Roseville based recreational running group that aims to provide group running opportunities for runners of all abilities. Although our focus is primarily on 5K to marathons, we have members who have completed triathlons (including Ironman events) and ultras. We train on both roads and trails. We currently meet three times per week - Sunday mornings and Tuesday/Thursday evenings.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

TONIGHT'S RUN IS AT 6:30PM. SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION ON THE SCHEDULE!

Cowtown Packet Pick Up


Cowtown Info:

  • I will be heading down to Fleet Feet Sac on Thursday for the Runner's Symposium and would be more than happy to pick up any and all race packets. Please let me know (through the comments section of this post) if you would like me to grab yours. Please provide me your full name, race, age, and phone number. I will then pass the packets on to you Sunday morning.

  • Sunday morning carpool- We will be meeting at the park and ride between In N Out and Sunsplash at 6am.

  • Best place to park at the race is in the Sac City College parking lot on corner of Sutterville and Freeport.

  • Wear your gO! Shirt

  • Fleet Feet will be setting up a tent for us and their other 13.1 Training Group. You will be able to leave stuff with them and grab some bagels, fruit, drinks, etc.

  • BEAUTIFUL weather projected!! Be sure to wear sweats down there and keep them on for warm ups, but you should be able to race in typical t-shirt and shorts.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Free Cowtown Marathon Bib

My neighbor/training buddy, Mark, registered for the Cowtown full a while ago and has since suffered injury. Therefore he is not running and has his bib for anyone who wants to run. I know there are not a lot of folks ready to just jump into a marathon, but maybe one of you knows somebody who is. Let me know.....

Thursday, September 24, 2009

gO! Carbo-Loading Pasta Feed






Join us for some good old fashion carbo-loading before Cowtown next Friday night (10/2)!! Alan Lambert has graciously offered up his home for the delinquents known as gO! You need not bring anything except for your charming smile and the carbo-loading adult beverage of your choice (BYO"C-L"B). Non-gO! family members are welcome. The face-stuffing will begin around 6:30pm with Grandpa Gary's rendition of "Twas the Night Before The Night Before Cowtown" culminating the night a few hours later. Alan also has a pool and hot tub in the shape of "gO!" if anyone wants to jump in, so bring your speedos!! Please use the "Comment" link button associated with this post to RSVP.
(directions to Alan's house to be distributed at the top of Boulder Ridge Hill at midnight of the next full moon- you must RUN to the top). Or... read here....
6916 Fordham Court
Rocklin, CA 95677
I focused on reminding myself I was running my race and not trying to keep pace with somebody. It's about your journey—not everybody else's journey.
Jennifer Beals, actress, on her first road race

Monday, September 21, 2009



GREAT JOB gO!

Thanks for the support!


Miner's Ravine 5K
4 Joe Ortega Orangevale CA 149 31 1 M 30-34 19:30.5 6:17/M
27 Isaac Benda 228 31 2 M 30-34 22:50.3 7:22/M
28 Dave Heitmann Rocklin CA 83 40 2 M 40-44 23:02.6 7:26/M
34 Laurie Beyer 46 2 F 45-49 24:18 7:50/M
43 Melissa Gutzman Orangevale CA 78 33 3 F 30-34 25:57.5 8:22/M
78 Wendy Errecart West Sacramento CA 62 54 4 F 50-54 31:41.6 10:13/M
112 Kimberly D Martinez Roseville CA 325 26 7 F 25-29 36:42.2 11:50/M
114 Diane Cutter Roseville CA 279 39 7 F 35-39 36:54.6 11:54/M
121 Michelle Benda 227 31 8 F 30-34 40:04.3 12:55/M
129 Morgan Cutter Roseville CA 44 11 6 F 1-14 41:55.8 13:31/M

Miner's Ravine 10K
5 Tim Hevman Roseville CA 274 48 2 M 45-49 46:35.1 7:31/M
17 Mark Mayfield Roseville CA 129 38 4 M 35-39 47:08.8 7:36/M
19 Gary Casagrande Granite Bay CA 225 54 1 M 50-54 48:06.5 7:45/M
37 Dennis Ow Roseville CA 273 46 5 M 45-49 52:52.8 8:32/M
39 Lisa Sipila Fair Oaks CA 275 37 2 F 35-39 53:20.8 8:36/M
41 Glenn Nishimoto Auburn CA 354 1 M 0- 0 53:50.0 8:41/M
62 Melanie Messina Lincoln CA 296 36 3 F 35-39 57:21.2 9:15/M
63 Marty Paleny Roseville CA 305 39 6 M 35-39 57:45.3 9:19/M
70 Nicole Pierce Roseville CA 306 30 10 F 30-34 58:45.8 9:29/M
74 Richard Cannon Granite Bay CA 250 64 2 M 60-69 1:00:14.1 9:43/M
77 Christine Cheng Lincoln CA 31 29 5 F 25-29 1:00:29.4 9:45/M
79 Cassie Hartley Roseville CA 81 43 5 F 40-44 1:01:02.7 9:51/M
81 Terri Tokutomi Loomis CA 206 52 2 F 50-54 1:01:08.8 9:52/M
82 Toni Gorman Granite Bay CA 73 49 5 F 45-49 1:01:15.0 9:53/M
85 Leslie Gray Newcastle CA 75 60 1 F 60-69 1:02:06.3 10:01/M
92 Leslie Myrick Auburn CA 138 52 3 F 50-54 1:02:34.6 10:05/M
97 Julie Fogarty Roseville CA 65 47 8 F 45-49 1:03:41.9 10:16/M
102 Anne Casagrande Granite Bay CA 226 52 5 F 50-54 1:04:43.4 10:26/M
119 Alan Lambert Rocklin CA 115 46 11 M 45-49 1:11:27.3 11:31/M
127 Candice Guider Lincoln CA 76 28 10 F 25-29 1:22:34.1 13:19/M
129 Michael Fogarty Roseville CA 66 43 9 M 40-44 1:26:31.9 13:57/M

Friday, September 18, 2009


To Train Harder, Consider a Crowd

By GINA KOLATA

DATHAN RITZENHEIN, one of America’s most talented runners, was in a slump. He had been a national star since high school but, starting several years ago, he felt as if he had reached a plateau. He wasn’t improving the way he’d hoped, and had been suffering stress fractures, repeatedly breaking a small bone in his left foot.

He and his coach tried to figure out what was wrong and seized upon the idea that perhaps it was the altitude training (living and training in Boulder, Colo.).

So Mr. Ritzenhein, his coach and his family moved to Eugene, Ore. (430 feet). “It didn’t work,” Mr. Ritzenhein said. He did not improve and, to his dismay, suffered another stress fracture.

In June, Mr. Ritzenhein joined a running group, a team of elite runners coached by Alberto Salazar, winner of three consecutive New York City marathons in the early 1980s. It made all the difference, Mr. Ritzenhein said. He was re-energized, excited about running again. And, he said, most important, he trained with fast runners who pushed him to work harder than he ever could alone.

At a track meet in Zurich on Aug. 28, Mr. Ritzenhein, 27, broke the American record for a 5,000-meter race, finishing in 12 minutes 56.27 seconds — a pace of 4:09 a mile in a race that is 3.1 miles long. The American record before that, 12:58.21, had stood for 13 years.

Mr. Ritzenhein is convinced his success is because of running and training with a group. Running alone, he said, “You can’t push yourself as hard — you feed off the energy of other people.”

Mr. Salazar said in an e-mail message that he is a firm believer in group training. He had trained with a group himself, he said, and group training “helped develop our great runners of the ’70s and ’80s.”

Group training is an aspect of performance that has never been scientifically studied. Exercise physiologists say it can be impossible to demonstrate its value because usually too many things change simultaneously when people start to run in groups: the coach, the location, the training regimen. To do a proper study, it would be necessary to assign athletes at random to train alone or with a group, assessing their performances after a period of time — something that would be extremely hard, if not impossible.

But despite the lack of solid evidence that group training helps, more and more athletes are starting to think it does. And, they say, there are lessons for amateurs who want to run or swim or cycle faster. The right workout companions, they say, can make all the difference.

“In sports, you need to train at race pace,” said Edward Coyle, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas at Austin. “To do that, you need a coach and you need teammates to push you.”

Recreational athletes can benefit, too, Dr. Coyle said. Many run by themselves or without a specific program. “They probably underestimate their ability,” he said. Group runs “would help them tremendously.”

Many amateurs already train with groups — masters swimmers, competitive road cyclists and runners who join clubs or groups that run together regularly.

And there can be drawbacks. Slower athletes may try to push themselves beyond their abilities, and faster ones may not be challenged enough.

Yet the power of groups easily outweighs their drawbacks, says Kevin Hanson. He and his brother Keith start running groups that draw hundreds in Rochester, Mich., and in 1999 started a team of elite runners, the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.

Kevin Hanson said he and his brother got the idea for the elite team when they began asking why American performances had declined so much in the 1990s from the golden days of the ’70s and ’80s.

“Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Greg Meyer,” who, in 1983, was the last American man to win the Boston Marathon, “all trained in groups,” Mr. Hanson said.

But in the 1990s, distance runners began training on their own, with the guidance of a coach. And Americans were no longer among the best in the world.

“We started to see a decline in the sport,” Mr. Hanson said. The countries whose distance runners were the best — Ethiopia, Kenya and Japan — all emphasized training in groups, he noted.

So he and his brother started recruiting runners for their elite group. Its advantages, he said, are that athletes have “shared motivation, a shared sense of ideas.” And they encourage one another.

“So often it may be hard to drag yourself outdoors,” to go for a training run, Mr. Hanson said. “But when you have 8 or 10 or whatever number of teammates counting on you, then you’re there.”

That’s also what Kara Goucher says. She ran her first marathon last year, in New York, and came in third among women. Her time, 2:25:53, was the fastest ever for an American woman running her first marathon. Ms. Goucher attributes her success to group training.

She graduated from college in 2001 and ran on her own, coached by her college coach, for three years.

“I really struggled,” Ms. Goucher said. “I kept getting injured.” She had multiple stress fractures, a knee injury and shin splints. Her husband, Adam Goucher, was also running alone, coached by his college coach, and was also struggling, she said.

In the fall of 2004, the Gouchers moved to Oregon and joined Mr. Salazar’s team. It made all the difference, Ms. Goucher said.

“I think it’s possible to train on your own, but I do think it is better in a group,” she said. “You see success in each other. Everything seems more in reach.”

“And it holds you accountable,” she continued. “Instead of waiting all day to do my run, I have to go out and meet the girls.”

Kevin Hanson adds that when one person in a group has an outstanding performance, others gain confidence that they might be able to do it, too. They know how hard everyone works, they know they can run with that person in practice. If that person did it, if they ran that fast, then, team members think, why not me?

That happened this year when Desiree Davila, one of his team’s members, ran the Berlin marathon in 2:27:53, finishing 11th. She was 26 years old; Mr. Hanson said the only other American woman to run a marathon that fast that young was Joan Benoit Samuelson in 1983.

“It was a huge motivating factor for all of our women,” Mr. Hanson said.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

gO! Runner of the Day- Heather Clark


My name is Heather Clark. I hit the landmark age of 40 in 2009 and feel like I am in the best shape I have been in since high school. My husband and I have been married for 18 years and we have three sons - 18, 16 & 14. Boy Scouts has been a big influence in our family for the last 12 years. Our oldest is an Eagle Scout and the other two are still working toward that goal. For the last 13+ years I have worked for a Finanical Planner in Roseville. In addition to managing the office, I have my insurance and securities licenses and am currently studying to take the Series 24 exam. I started running back in grade school with the Roseville Gazelles. After graduating from high school, life happened. Work, children, scouting and other things took up my days. In January 2008 I made a commitment to myself to get back into shape. The turning point was when I realized I weighed the same then as I had when I was pregnant! I started going to the gym and running 1 day a week with a training group preparing for the Run Rocklin 5k. In August 2008 my gym closed and my husband introduced me to Gary & Anne(I think he may regret that day). That's when everything changed! I went from someone who ran because she needed to, to someone who ran because she enjoyed it. The support and friendships that I have gained from the gO! group have been amazing! After deciding to move up from a 5k to 10k in 2009(ha,ha, what 10k?), I am currently training for my second 1/2 marathon in October at the Nike Women's event in San Francisco. I am hoping to finish in under 2:15. In addition to running, I enjoy gardening, camping, hiking, reading, scouting and BBQing with friends and family. I am also on the Sober Grad Night committee at Whitney High School. When I grow up I want to be a world traveller!

gO! Easy Run Thursday at Treelake Park

Directions:

From Douglas take Sierra College Blvd
South, Left on E. Roseville Parkway, Right on Brackenbury Way, Left on Parkford to park. The 4-7 mile route is search-able on Runnersworld.com. The course will be marked with chalk. The first mile on a trail then pavement. Be prompt so we may start close as we can to 6:30. See you there! (Anne)

Monday, September 14, 2009

To improve your form, you need to teach yourself how to relax. Because your hands and forearms control relaxation, focus on your hands to reduce tension during a run.

Ned Frederick, biomechanist at Exeter Reserch, Inc.

Friday, September 11, 2009

gO! Runner of the Day- Michelle Banda


My name is Michelle, that’s plain to see
And no other place than Roseville I’d be.
As of today, I am 31.
So why, you ask, is it that I run?

Wife to Isaac (need I say more?)
And mom to Allia, who you’ll find I adore.
While I’d rather be a mom at home to stay,
A legal secretary is what they call me by day.

I have been running for the last two years
Through aches and pains and even a few tears.
No Boundaries I joined at the very start
Only to find that ways we could not part.

gO! was then created, we all had a home,
Even though Josh had a tendency to roam.
Despite all the runs (and fun) that he missed,
We had Gary and Anne, always willing to assist.

I swore one half, and that would be it.
No more running for me, on the sideline I’d sit.
But no, I was addicted, completely hooked
And in less than one month, my next half was booked.

Triathlons came next, a new addiction I had
Two halves and two tri’s in my first year…not bad!
Two halves and one tri up until now in year two
With one half and one full still left on the calendar to do.

One half and one full to complete back to back
Is my ultimate goal that I currently attack!
Although I cannot be called in any way “fast”
I give it my all and always have a blast!

Other hobbies include making cakes, cupcakes and such
Scrapbooking is fun, but I don’t get to do it much.
Disney is my other obvious vice,
Goofy is my goal and I’ve done DL twice!

Grow up? Really? I’d rather not.
I’m having too much fun with all that I’ve got!
I’m sure I’ll always continue to grow,
How can I not, with a great group like gO!

(Top that, Josh!)

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Miner's Ravine Fun Run Cheap Rate


If you would like to sign up for the Miner's Ravine Fun Run next Sunday (9/20) at the cheapest possible rate, print out the registration form and pass it on to me with your lower than low, $20 fee.
To print registration form, CLICK HERE!

Directions to Tonight's Run

From Roseville go North on Hwy 65. Turn right on Twelve Bridges. Turn right on Fieldstone. Turn Right on E. Joiner Parkway (Google maps calls this E. Lincoln Parkway which is why the map doesn't show the correct location). The park is on your left as you near Twelve Bridges Middle School. Additional parking at school. (Anne)

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

gO! Runner of the Day- Tim Herman


I am 48 and will be 49 the day after the CIM!
I live in Roseville in Heritage Diamond Oaks, walking distance to Tres Agaves!
I am one of five partner dentists who own A+ Personalized Dental Care. We have four offices, two in Roseville and two in Lincoln, we have an orthodontist and a periodontist that also work with us. I have been in this group practice since January 1989.
My immediate family consists of my wife Pam of 26+ years and our 21 year old daughter Joceline. She graduated from Roseville High in 2006 and is about to start her senior year at UCLA. Go Bruins!!!
The first organized run I ever participated in was the Bay to Breakers in 1987. I have always run to stay in shape but this last two years I have been running more and actually setting goals for my running.
My current running goal is to run the CIM in 3:30. and to qualify for The Boston marathon.
My other hobbies are water skiing, snow skiing, vacationing in Hawaii every chance I get, and being involved in the City of Roseville. I may run for a seat on the city council.
When I grow up I want to be mayor of Roseville.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Casa's Comments


Muscle Cramps Prevention Tips

Muscle cramps are muscle contractions that do not cease. They will continue until proper treatment is given. They may well cause an athlete to temporarily stop activity. However, they generally have no serious long-term consequences. A person has no control over when a muscle cramp is going to occur. Muscle cramps can strike during activity, relaxation and even during sleep.

Muscles that are fatigued, injured or exposed to extreme temperatures are more prone to cramp. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, mineral deficiency, impaired circulation or other more serious disorders may cause muscles to cramp.

Muscle cramps are often divided into two basic categories - night cramps and heat cramps. Night cramps include any cramp that occurs while a person is at rest. They often affect the calf muscle and the small muscles in the feet. Heat cramps are most often associated with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Heat cramps often occur at the beginning of the warm weather season before athletes have had an opportunity to acclimate themselves to the environment and when the body is more prone to losing fluids and electrolytes.

Prevention of Heat-Related Muscle Cramps

The following steps should help to prevent many heat-related muscle cramps.

1. Drink Plenty Of Fluids. Urine color is the key to determining how well-hydrated an athlete is. Clear urine indicates adequate hydration, yellow urine indicates dehydration and pale urine indicates that the athlete is somewhere between hydration and dehydration. Weighing in before and after practice may be helpful in monitoring fluid loss.

2. Get Enough Electrolytes. While it is most important to replace fluids from sweating, one can't forget about electrolytes. The replacement of sodium and potassium is suspected to prevent muscle cramps. Sodium can be replaced with salty foods, such as pretzels or chips, or adding extra salt on your meals. Potassium levels can be maintained by eating bananas and oranges or drinking orange juice. Many popular sports drinks will help fulfill this need.

3. Wear Proper Clothing. Avoid exposing muscles to rapid changes in temperature.

4. Get In Shape And Stay In Shape. Fatigue and poor conditioning can make muscles more prone to cramp.

5. Stretch. Stretching, before and after exercise, can reduce muscles susceptibility to cramp.

Treatment of Muscle Cramps
The most effective treatment for muscle cramps is gently stretching the muscle. The use of ice, along with gentle stretching, will numb the area, and cause an increase in circulation once the ice is removed. Gently messaging muscles and immediately replacing fluids will prevent muscle cramps, too.

As with any type of athletic injury, preventing muscle cramps is more desirable than treating them. Those methods are most likely by drinking plenty of fluids, eating foods with adequate amounts of potassium and sodium and conditioning the muscles so they don't fatigue as quickly. Any athlete with repeated bouts of muscle cramps, despite the above, needs to see a physician.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Your training partners are key to your success, and friendships based on your runs together are strong.

Bill Rodgers

Thursday, September 3, 2009

gO! Runner of the Day- Dave Heitmann


I'm 40 years old and live in Rocklin. I work for the John L Sullivan Automotive Group, which is John L Sullivan Chevy, Saturn of Roseville, Sullivan Dodge of Maysville and Roseville Toyota. I work in our wholesale parts dept. I have been running for about a year and a half. I started just to lose some weight. Then I met Josh and the running thing changed. He got me running 5ks then talked me into running a half marathon. What happen to a 10k?? So now my goal is to finish my first marathon, Rock N" Roll Las Vegas. If I'm not running I'd rather be riding my bikes. I ride mountain bikes and road bikes. My other hobbie is cars. I love going to car shows, races, and working on them. I just bought a 1949 Ford truck that I'm in the process of fixing up. What I want to be when I grow up....not sure....haven't grown up yet.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Future of gO!



Just so you know where your fees are going....we are looking into buying one of these "Beer Bikes." You simply step up to the bar, order a cold one, and then help pedal the bike along! Exercise AND Alcohol, can it get any better?!?

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

"If you're starting out or trying to get to the next level, surround yourself with people who keep you motivated and energized - people who inspire you to achieve your best every day. When you do this, you can't lose."

Anthony Famiglietti, two-time Olympian in the steeplechase and two-time national 5-K champion

Don't underestimate the motivational power of each other! gO! Rocks!