Best Little Team in the Land

So it was this past Thanksgiving morning that we put on multiple layers and headed out into the freezing cold morning to do what we love to do, run, walk and for some, just be with a crowd of about 25,000 others doing something good for this little city, this community, this place on the planet we call home. The "Run to Feed the Hungry" is a testament of this city's commitment to the needs of the less fortunate.

The Sacramento Food Bank is truly an inspiring organization run by my friend, Blake Young.

Team Lucca has participated in the "Run to Feed the Hungry" for 8 years now and in an effort to take the giving back idea up a notch has held a homespun raffle at the post team brunch the last three years.

Many thanks to -

• Richard Lewis and the Sacramento Theatre community for generously donating theatre tickets to upcoming shows like "9 to 5" and "Suds" http://californiamusicaltheatre.com
• Our Lucca neighbor, American Graffiti Tattoo for donating a free body piercing americangraffiiti-tattoo.com
• Katie Tipton for a brand new Snowboard
• Jeannie Bewley for a beautiful watch from http://jeanniesjewelry.com
• Rhett from Mercedes Benz of Sacramento for the Mercedes Swag bag http://mbsacramento.com
• Team Lucca's own, Gail Hart - One hour fitness training at "Training with a Personal Touch"
• Team Lucca's Phillip Wade from Arco Arena for a Chris Webber Royals Jersey
• Guy Couture for a One hour massage with "The Massage Guy" at 2617 J Street
• Gourmet Dog Treats by Jodie at http://givethedogabone.net
• Skin Care products and Gift Certificate from "The Laser & Skin Surgery Center of Northern California" http://skinlasers.com
• A Facial from Gina at "The Alternative Skin Care Day Spa"
• Delicious wines from D'Anneo Vineyards and a Four pack of Ferrari Carano Wine
• A Gorgeous Scarf by Lizzette Crosbie
• Holiday Pies by Pastry Chef Kristina Dula at Roxy Restaurant roxyrestaurantandbar.com
• Gift Certificates to Lucca and Roxy Restaurants http://luccarestaurant.com
• All Natural Beef Gift Certificates from Lucky Dog Ranch luckydogranchbeef.com

and more.

So thank you everyone so much for your generosity.

Thank you Gretchen, Glenn and the staff at Lucca and Roxy Restaurant, with your ticket selling effort we will be able to contribute $1500 to the Sacramento Food Bank.

Coming up next: California International Marathon

Scared? Check!

My son Luke and I, Last Thanksgiving

My friend gave me this great little yoga bag with the good intent of trying once again to get me to love yoga. It is peppered with inspiring sayings such as –

“Dance, Sing, Floss and Travel”

“Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle the setbacks”

“Friends are more important than money”

“Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to”

“Your outlook on life is a direct reflection on how much you like yourself”

And the one I think of every single day that I take off down the road on my bike

“Do one thing a day that scares you”

Easily done. Check that.

This morning not even a mile from home a large black SUV swerved right at me coming within arms distance while traveling about 40 mph down a wide enough for four cars, street.

Close call. Stomach flipping, heart pounding, fear filled, close call.

Don’t know what the heck that driver was thinking. Whether it was deliberate or if they were, early though it was, affected by drugs or alcohol or most likely just not paying attention, matters not. They still managed to scare the wits out of me.

That incident, just one example of the many crazy fear laden moments that cause me to achieve the daily fulfillment of the yoga bag mantra- “Do one thing a day that scares you”.

I know that even for cyclists who ride often and really well and have years of experience, cycling can be perpetually frightening . Cars and crazy drivers aside, on any given day on my ride to work there may just happen across the trail kamikaze squirrels, rattlesnakes, deer, turtles and turkeys all rightfully in their own little place in the universe at the exact moment, I squeal into a blind curve.

Rattle Snake on the Parkway

There is also particular to this time of the year, the dreaded leaves. I adore autumn especially the outrageously beautiful color changing of the leaves. Yet from a cycling perspective there is another dark side to the famous fall leaf. At some point through the transformation from beauty to wet and mushy pile of compost they extract a substance, slippery as all get out, that quickly turns any given bunch of leaves into bad-ness incarnate.

My one bad bike accident involved leaves.

While waiting to be x-rayed, one of the attending doctors said something like,

“Leaves was it? Surely you jest?” ( Either in my memory he was British or I am recently reading too many English novels)

Surely not, I said.

Wet mushy leaves are as terrifying as walnut husks, little fat acorns, broken glass, fallen branches.

There is too, the being in the middle of nowhere with a flat, the sudden rain or hail storm miles from home, the thankfully infrequent encounter with a slightly crazed homeless person and the most basic one act that many non-cyclists consider sheer madness - the clipping in of oneself to the frame of something on which you travel quite fast with only the tiniest bit of tire surface in contact with the earth at any given time.

So yes, doing one thing nearly every day that scares the heck out of me – accomplished. Check that.

Love my bike. Love to ride. Happy Autumn, truly my favorite season.

Stay tuned for next weeks information on our big event of the year, "The Run to Feed the Hungry"

Run to Feed the Hungry, Happening soon

Running - Riding - Triathlons

It has been one busy year, soon to be culminating with one of my favorite races

"The Run to Feed the Hungry" held every year on Thanksgiving morning http://runtofeedthehungry.com/

TEAM LUCCA will be out there in force much like in years past.

If you would like to join our team, register on line under TEAM LUCCA.

After the race join us at Roxy for a delicious complimentary Brunch.

Please call Roxy 916.489.2000 for more information

At our post race brunch you can purchase $2 raffle tickets for prizes such as theatre tickets, Kristina's holiday pies, magnums of wine and gift certificates to Lucca and Roxy, just to name a few.

All proceeds from the raffle go directly to the Sacramento Food Bank.

http://sacramentofoodbank.org

I look forward to seeing you on Thanksgiving.

Happy Autumn!

Terri

Urban Cow Second Annual Runners Symposium at Lucca

Join us This Wednesday Evening at Lucca

for our

2nd Annual Urban Cow Runners Symposium

$25 a ticket includes food and wine

Please call Glenn at Lucca to purchase tickets and for more information

916.669.5300

An evening with some of Sacramento's highly regarded runners talking - running

Deborah Meltvedt didn’t play organized sports but describes herself as a “wanna-be jock” since junior high. She came to running in her early 30s, and since then has run four marathons

Rick Kushman has run track and cross country since high school, has regularly been a nationally-ranked masters miler - says he can’t imagine life without some running in it, and despite being a middle-distance track guy, he’s come to believe there are few things better in the world than that long weekend run

Sam McManis has completed 10 Marathons is an excellent local runner and is currently training for the 2011 Boston Marathon

LeAnn Nienow competed in Ironman events in Canada, Brazil, Coeur D Alene and Western Australia

Tim Twietmeyer, 5 time Western States 100 Mile Winner. Tim has completed a sub 24 hour Western States 25 times

Rich Hanna, Race Director California Road Race Management. Rich is an Olympic Trials marathon qualifier, a two -time national 100-kilometer champion and was second in the world in the 100k

How far do you run? How fast ? Gadgets? Yes, no maybe so? What is the one piece of apparel or equipment you can’t live without? Typical training pace? Inspiration? Who is it? What is it? Where is it? Stretching? Foam rollers? Compression socks? Massage ? helpful? How much? What’s your favorite place to run in Sacramento? Ever hated a race? What do you think about when your body says QUIT! NOW? Racing etiquette, what’s your biggest pet peeve? What motivates you more than anything else? Do you have any little sayings you run by? Who is your favorite runner? Where do you line up at the race? What is your favorite brand of running shoes? If you could encourage one other person to be a runner, who would it be and why? We all start somewhere. Where did you start running? Favorite running saying? Caffeine, Shot Blocks, GU gels, Cytomax? Who is your favorite runner? Have you ever lost your cookies after a race? What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen happen in a race? What’s the funniest? Have you ever burst into tears at the finish line? Ipod? No Ipod? What’s your favorite running song? How darn proud are you of the huge increase of women runners these days? Worst running injury? How hard was it not to run? Do you even like running hills? What do you eat before a race? During a race? What’s the best race you’ve ever run and why? What one thing has made you a better runner? Do you sometimes hate running? What is the thought process that gets you out of bed on a cold early morning to go run 10 miles? Best running experience? Worst? How do you make it all work, training time wise? Best advice you’ve ever been given as a runner? Can you drink wine and run the next day? What’s your favorite time of the day to run? What’s it like running through the night? Have you ever been afraid? See any bears? Trail running or road running, what's your favorite ? What is it that pushes you through the wall? How does your spouse or partner deal with all the time you spend running?

What do you love the most about running?

Come find out - This Wednesday Evening

Lucca Restaurant 1615 J Street, Sacramento 916.669.5300

urbancowhalfmarathon.com

Allison MTB Worlds and Karin

Congratulations to the amazing Allison Mann who rode as the pro she is for TEAM USA at the World Mountain Bike Championships in Mont Sante Anne, Canada. We will be cheering for you all year Allison and hope to hear all about another great adventure in 2011 at the MTB World Championships in Champery, Switzerland.

If you love and live to Mountain Bike you can read about Allison's grand time at the world championship on her blog site http://allisonmann.net/

And good luck to an amazing Tri-athlete and ultra runner, Karin Weber Sanders who is participating in this weekends, Rio Del Lago 50K.

We're all wishing you all the best out there Karin!

1st Upcoming Spectacular September Event at Lucca

Join us for these two exciting events - one for cyclists, one for runners either and both for anyone who just wants to enjoy good food, beer and wine and have a really good time

Thursday Evening ~ September 23, 6:30 pm

We are happy to host the arrival of two guys, Paul and Adam who have been cycling across the country to raise money to purchase bikes for kids whose parents serve in the military.

You can read far more about them and their venture at their web site

http://bikefree.org/

And to celebrate their being in Sacramento, joining them all the way from Baltimore, their friend and ours -

2009 Top Chef Contestant, Jessica Sandlin

Jesse wil be assisting Lucca Chef, Ian MacBride in putting together a delicious four course dinner for $40 a person

Beer and Wine are not included

50% of all the dinners proceeds and wine/beer sales at the event , will go to the Bikefree organization.

Thank you already to Brian from Mike's Bikes who will be providing door prizes for the dinner.

http://mikesbikes.com

Come listen to Paul and Adams tell of their cross country cycling adventure and meet the charming and delightful, Chef Jessica Sandlin

Tickets can be purchased at Lucca Restaurant

1615 Street, Sacramento

916.669.5300

Runners event posted soon.

Talkin bout my generation

Today I had lunch with a very well educated, well spoken dear friend of mine, Alan and embarassingly heard myself blurt out at one point, “Alan, like that is so cool”. Thank God my brain registered what I was saying before I had time to add “dude” at the end of that completely cringe worthy kind of juvenile speak.

I hang around with a lot of young people. They rub off on me. The benefits are endless, they infuse the world, theirs and mine with energy and excitement. Drawbacks are the often overly exaggerated drama over the littlest thing, a state of being arising from not being worn down enough by the world quite yet.

I was telling my kitchen guys at Roxy the other day about marching in Denver’s central park when I was young in protest of the Vietnam war along with my fiery red headed die hard Democrat grandmother. I remember believing, protest aside, I was the epitome of coolness in my pink crochet vest, hippie head band and yellow bell bottoms. Grandma held my hand the whole time lest someone try to snatch me away while she and I took turns carrying a sign that read - WAR! NO MORE!

One of the guys responded with “Really? You were alive then? You’re THAT old?”

Last month the city of Sacramento hosted the Masters Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. The USATF typically requires that masters athletes be at least 40 years old prior to the day of the meet, however this meet included events for those in their thirties as well.

For any young runner looking for a shot of inspiration this would have been the place to be. While checking out all those beautiful “old” bodies, you just might have had your socks blown off by some of the paces these old runners set.

An example of some past records - In 2005 and at 72 years of age, Ginette Berdard ran the marathon course in New York in 3:46:18 and Sacramento’s own Barbara Miller set the women’s marathon record in the 60 plus age group in 1999 with a time of 3:14:50.

Or how about these guys, Ed Whitlock, from Canada who at 75 holds the men’s mile age group record with a time of 5:41:80 or Joseph King from the USA who at 82 years old set the record for the mile in his age group at 7:09:60.

Darn impressive.

I always enjoy when a new runner pours over the results of one of their first races and comes back to me with the surprising discovery that “I can’t believe 8 women in their fifties ran faster times than I did.” I just laugh and remind them, look what you have to look forward to. Great thing about running is you can keep getting faster and faster as long as you continue to work harder and harder.

Which I do not, work very hard that is, because the competitive bone in my body broke down a long time ago. I run now 100% of the time for the pure joy of running. If I race at all, it is only for the thrill of being out there with our team.

However, I am the biggest supporter of the plenty of others in my generation who with such great ability, devotion to the sport and distinguished sense of pride race passionately and often. I have a whole set of lady friends in their forties, fifties and sixties who have all completed so many Ironman events that I cannot even keep track.

And then there is Jim. The minute he starts to talk you know he is from Boston. And what runner can be from Boston and not aspire to go back there again and again to compete in the world’s most famous marathon. So very happy that Jim qualified to do so once again when he ran the San Francisco Marathon in July. And with that all I can say and please forgive me for this but on behalf of myself and Team Lucca - Jim you are like, really like, one super cool dude. Like just so awesome! So super groovy! Word up man! Word up.

Here is Jim’s synopsis of the race:

Terri,

Thanks for the kind words regarding my participation in the San Francisco Marathon. Becky MacBride and Tam convinced me to run SF when I failed to qualify at San Diego in June by less than 4 minutes. I needed a 4 hour finish. The course proved to be every bit as hilly as one could expect for a race that goes across the Golden Gate Bridge, through the Presidio, Golden Gate Park and then back to the Embarcadero. The weather stayed cool (52 degrees) and no wind. At ten mlles my watch died so I ran the rest of the race trying guess my time. At the finish I thought I was too late to qualify but Tam checked the computers and told me a few minutes later I had finished in 3:59:14. Needless to say it was good news for a very tired runner.

The course is very well maintained and has more than enough support. I know because I visited two of the first aid stations in attempt to resolve the blisters I picked up on the very steep downhills.

Becky did very well also, finishing well in front of me. Tam did the half marathon and really enjoyed the first half of the marathon course. I may actually be crazy enough to do it again next year.

Jim