Discover the Power of Protein in the Land of Lean Beef!

The Power of Protein is all about experiencing the body benefits of eating beef and building lean muscle as you train for running, cycling, triathlon or other athletic events -- or just in living a healthy, active lifestyle.

If you are a beef eater and an athlete (weekend warriors welcome!), join Team ZIP (Zinc/Iron/Protein) to "Live the Brand" and demonstrate the "Power of Protein in the Land of Lean Beef."

For more information, contact Daren Williams at dwilliams@beef.org.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Kansas Runner Completes First Marathon!

Congratulations to Barb Downey of Downey Ranch in Wamego, Kansas, on the completion of the Olathe Marathon this past weekend...her first! But Barb didn't just finish, she finished in 4:25:56 -- or a pace of 10:12/mile -- landing her 67th out of 150 female runners! And she ran the entire 26.2 miles wearing her new BEEF running jersey! Thanks to Debbie Lyons-Blythe for alerting us to Barb's big event...and for sponsoring her beef running gear!


Here's a report from Barb...


Morning Daren,

Since I can hardly move I’m taking care of desk stuff. Only kidding. I’m not too bad after completing my first marathon. YEAH!!!! Unfortunately, it was so cold and windy (a head wind, mind you) that the top layer jacket didn’t come off until mile 20.

Of course, that could have been a useful strategy since once I was publicly exposed as being powered by beef, there was no way I could quit, let alone break into a walk. I’ve attached a couple of photos for you. I’ll send the one with my “friends” chasing me with a cattle prod (no kidding) when I get my hands on it. In addition, I’ll write about the training and the race, which was incredible by the way. I finished in 4:26 which put me in the top ½ of the women runners.

I remember thinking when I hit mile 10 that I’d be done with the Boilermaker and it’d be a piece of cake. I’ll let you know for sure, but it’s looking good at this point.

Regards,
Barb Downey
Downey Ranch, Inc.


As mentioned in her e-mail, Barb hopes to join Team Protein for the Boilermaker 15K this July and will be posting tips from her marathon training right here on the Power of Protein blog. Stay tuned for more information on signing up for the Boilermaker. In the meantime, please send your photos and training experiences to me at dwilliams@beef.org.


Daren

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Barb,

I just read about your successful completion of your marathon. I have been thinking about a triathalon or marathon for sometime. Your experience encourages me to “hit the pavement”!

Thank you so much for representing BEEF! I can’t think of a better way to promote the healthfulness of our product, then to show consumers the Power of Protein in ACTION!! Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Dina Chacon-Reitzel
Executive Director
New Mexico Beef Council

Daren Williams said...

Barb – Congratulations! Wow. 4:26 is an impressive time. But just finishing your first marathon is impressive. Now comes the tough part. After accomplishing a major goal like this I find it hard to get motivated to get back out and keep running. The key is to set a NEW goal. The Boilermaker needs to be your next goal! 10K may not seem like much after a marathon, so set a time goal that will stretch you to keep training! Hope to see you in Utica for the Boilermaker!

Daren