United By Design Running

United By Design Running will be another great way for the design community, and friends of the design community, to come together just as we have done with for the Bike MS charity ride. We will be doing group runs twice a week and then at least three races between now and April; the Kirkwood Turkey Trot, the St. Patrick's Day Run, and St. Louis Go Races. Feel free to share this with all of your runner friends!


Team Training

We will be meeting up every Sunday morning for a 9 am start time for Team Training Runs. Much like the training rides, we will change up the locations, but we will get an e-mail out plenty ahead of time so you know where to meet up and if there is a time change. Starting out we will meet in Tower Grove Park at the intersection of Central Cross Dr & Southwest Ave Dr. There will be a few mileage options for all skill levels. We plan on having water on hand after every run.


We will also be meeting one weekday evening at 6:00 pm for a group run. Please e-mail me what day works best for you - Tuesday or Wednesday by 11/3. Which ever night gets the most votes wins. Our week night runs will meet at Francis Park at the intersection of Nottingham & Donovan Ave. It will be dark at this time of night, but it is a safe well lit one mile loop. We will have route options that go outside of the park, but the surrounding areas are safe as well.

Our weekday runs will typically be shorter routes than Sundays and we will vary the training with speed workouts, stretching sessions, etc.

Our first official team meet up with be either Tuesday the 8th or Wednesday the 9th at 5:30. I will let you know for sure when I have all of the votes back. We will then meet the following Sunday.


Team Races

Our first team race will be the Kirkwood/Webster Turkey Run on Thanksgiving Morning (11/24). It has a 3 mile & 6 mile option. If you are a new runner and think that it is to far to run, it is a walker friendly race and I encourage you to walk it at the very least. It is fun and inspiring to be apart of a race. It will be a great motivation for your training! http://www.kirkwoodmo.org/content/City-Departments/2339/turkey-day-run.aspx

Our second race will be the St. Patrick's Day run March 17th. It is a five mile race that goes through downtown. People dress up for the holiday and last year there were 13,000 runners. http://www.irishparade.org/site/run/


Our third race will be Go St. Louis April 15th. There is a 5K option, a marathon rely, a 1/2 marathon, and a full marathon. There is already a group interested in running the 1/2, so our group runs will have routes that follow the a training schedule to complete it come race day. http://www.gostlouis.org/marathon-weekend.html

We may add more races after the Go - we will know more as the season gets going.



The Details

United By Design Running will work a little differently than United By Design BikeMS. When you join the team you will get a long sleeve UbD running shirt, entry fee paid into the Turkey Run with registration taken care of, and water at the team training runs. To cover these costs, we are asking $50 to join the team. If you cannot run in the Turkey Day run, the amount ($17.50) will be applied to either the St. Patrick Run or Go St. Louis. Let me know if you have any questions on this part as I know it is different than our BikeMS team.

We will be working to get sponsors who can put their logo on our jerseys & website to help cover more costs, like race fees, team dinners & happy hours. I am also looking into getting a gym at a local community center or church to reserve for our weeknight workouts in case of bad weather which will be a team cost if we pursue that option. If you have a company who would be interested in sponsoring us, please let me know so I may reach out to them.


The Deadline

We will need to know by Nov. 14th if you would like to join the team for the deadline of the Turkey Day run. We will be putting in the running shirt order in on the 15th so we have them before race day. If we have more runners added to the team after that deadline, we will put in a second order as needed. Checks can be made out to me, Jessica Bahr, and sent to my address below. Money will be due Nov. 20th and you will not get your jersey unless you have paid. If you order a jersey, but then decide not to join and we cannot give your jersey to someone else, you will be responsible for the amount to cover the jersey.

I will not keep sending out mass e-mails after this one, only if you reply will you get e-mails on UbD running. If you were forwarded this e-mail, please contact me so I can add you to my list.

We look forward to running with you and please e-mail me at jessica@vervecolor.com if you have any questions!


Jessie Bahr

2011 Wrap up, 10/25 Happy Hour, & UbD Running

Tom and I wanted to say thank you again for making United by Design so successful this year! Can you believe it has already been a month since the BikeMS weekend? I hope you have had time to rest, recover, and maybe work on your fundraising goal! If you aren't interested in the numbers, skip down to the details of the team Happy Hour Tom and I are planning for October 25th at Llywelyn's in Webster.

 

This Friday, October 14th, is the deadline for you minimum goal of $250. Just a friendly reminder that if you do not raise that amount, you will not be able to sign up for next year's event without first paying 2011's $250.

 

At the moment, as a team we have raised just over $11,000 - good job team!

Sheila Miranda is our fundraising champion with $2,110 raised to date! Way to go Sheila!

I have tallied up all the funds we raised at the Breakfast, the Triumph Happy Hour, and all of the money left over from our sponsorships. The numbers work out so that everyone will get money towards there fundraising goal even if you could not make the Breakfast or the Happy Hour. I will be making a donation to the MS Society and they will be splitting up the funds to everyone. Here is the break down of what you will be getting towards your fundraising goal:

Just for being part of UbD: $21

If you attended the Happy Hour: $49

If you helped out with the Breakfast: $60

12 people will be getting $130 towards their goal for attending all of the UbD events! Thank you all for your time and effort to raise money for the MS Society!

Once that donation is in, we will have raised close to $14,000!!

If you are not sure how much your will get, feel free to e-mail me and I will let you know what you will be getting. I hope it can help a lot of the 19 people who have yet to raise the $250. If you need more help, please let Tom or I know as we have had people volunteer to share their portion with people who need help to raise the funds. Fundraising is a team effort!

10/25 Happy Hour

To end the 2011 season properly, Tom and I would like to plan one more Team Happy Hour. Tuesday October 25th we will all meet up at Llywelyn's in Webster starting at 5:30. We will reminisce about the 2011 season and then start talking about how great 2012 will be for UbD! Tom will be sending out an Evite shortly, but mark it on your calendars.

UbD Running

One last note - United by Design has been so successful as a Cycling Club that we are branching out into a Running Club starting November! We will be looking for 5K's, half marathons, and full marathons to run in for different charities. If you are a runner or are thinking of becoming a runner, please e-mail me back and I will add you to the list. Greg Frankenfeld briefly offered to help "coach" us into shape and I will be working with him to work out more details - so stay tuned! I will only e-mail the people interested in running though, so be sure to e-mail me back if you are interested!

See you all Tuesday October 25th!

Jessie

Last 2011 Saturday Training Ride - 9/3/2011

United by Design will be having its last Saturday morning team training ride of the 2011 Bike MS season on Saturday, September 3, 2011 (weather permitting).

We are meeting in Forest Park at the Visitors Center parking lot, South by the tennis courts, and will leave at 7:00am. We will be riding East into Downtown onto the Riverfront Trail and then across the McKinley Bridge connecting to the Madison County Transit Trails (MCT) in Madison County, IL, again. The MCT trails are fairly flat and are good for getting in some extra miles. We are going to go for 50+ miles (round trip). There are numerous other connecting trails for those who want to add or subtract mileage.

Forest Park Visitors Center
5595 Grand Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63112

If you plan on attending or have any questions, please contact Tom Bahr (tom.bahr@thelawrencegroup.com). If raining, we will not ride.

We hope you can join us and look forward to riding with you!

2011 Breakfast Fundraiser - 9/7/2011

Lawrence Group - 9/7/2011 - 8:00am to 10:00am

Lawrence Group will be holding its annual Bike MS Fund-raising Breakfast on Wednesday, September 7th, 2011, to support the riders of the United by Design Bike MS Team. The team is riding in the Bike MS: Express Scripts Gateway Getaway 2011 charity ride in Columbia, MO, on September 10th & 11th.

Come and enjoy some of your breakfast favorites prepared by United by Design team members and volunteers. You can also participate in our raffle where we will draw for fantastic prizes. All money raised will be donated to the Gateway Area Chapter of the National MS Society towards the team's fundraising goal. Feel free to bring your friends, family, and co-workers!

What:
Breakfast Fundraiser for the United by Design bike MS Team

When:
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
8:00am - 10:00am

Where:
Lawrence Group
319 North 4th Street - 3rd Floor Atrium
Saint Louis, MO 63102
*Parking is available at the adjacent Quik Park & Mansion House garages or surrounding meters.

Cost:
$10 All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Buffet w/ 1 Raffle Ticket*
Raffle Tickets - 3 for $5, 7 for $10*
*Cast, check or charge. Checks can be made out to the National MS Society. Credit is accepted via on-line team donation here.

RSVP:
Please RSVP by 9/2 to Tom Bahr (tom.bahr@thelawrencegroup.com)

2011 Tour de Wildwood - 8/28/2011

2011 Tour de Wildwood

Come join us the United by Design Bike MS team this Sunday morning for Trailnet's Tour de Wildwood. The ride starts and stops at Lafayette High School. The tour includes a scenic pedal through hilly West St. Louis County and has 9, 22, 36 and 45mile ride options. Helmets are required on this ride, which is recommended for experienced cyclists. The 2011 Bike MS: Express Scripts Gateway Getaway ride is coming up fast so make sure you get as much training in as you can!



Lafayette High School
17050 Clayton Road
Wildwood, MO 63011

If you have any questions, please contact Tom Bahr (tom.bahr@thelawrencegroup.com).

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Weekend Training Ride - 8/27/2011

Come join us this Saturday morning for another training ride from the HUB bike shop in Webster Groves, MO. We will leave the bike shop around 7:00am and will target about 10 more miles than the long route (30 miles) at a moderate pace. Below is an image of the 30 mile route map. Only 14 more days until the 2011 Bike MS: Express Scripts Gateway Getaway ride!

The Hub Bike Shop
40 West Lockwood Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119
http://www.thehubbicyclecompany.com/



















If you have any questions, please contact Tom Bahr (tom.bahr@thelawrencegroup.com).

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Niche is joining the fight against MS!

Niche, one of United by Design’s team sponsors, is donating a portion of its sales through September 13^th, 2011, to the United by Design Bike MS team’s fundraising goal. Stop by their store in downtown St. Louis or visit them online to check out their great selection of furniture and accessories!

www.nichestl.com

Raffle Winners - Happy Hour Fundraiser 8/18/2011

We want to personally thank everyone who was able to come out to Triumph Grill last night to our 2^nd annual happy hour fundraiser for the United by Design Bike MS team. We hope everyone enjoyed themselves. We also want to thank everyone who was not able to come out to Triumph but supported us in spirit and with financial donations. To see pictures from last night, visit our Facebook Page.

We are riding in the Bike MS charity ride to raise awareness and funds for the Gateway Area Chapter of the National MS Society to help move towards a world free of multiple sclerosis. With your help, we raised over $900 last night towards our team’s fundraising goal with raffle and tee shirt sales. Thank you! We also want to thank Triumph Grill, our 2011 team sponsors and everyone who donated items for the raffle. We could not have done it without everyone’s contributions and support.

Raffle!

Congratulations to all of our Raffle Winners last night! There were a lot of prizes that were unclaimed as many people had to leave early or purchased tickets in advance. Below are the prizes and winning ticket numbers that have yet to be claimed. If you won, please hold on to the ticket for proof that you won. E-mail Tom Bahr (tom.bahr@thelawrencegroup.com) within one (1) week so we can arrange pick up of the items. If prizes go unclaimed after 1 week, they will be drawn for again so keep your tickets!

Ticket: Prize:

341602 Cardinals Tickets – 9.23.11 vs. Cubs (from Summit Signs & Graphics)

341603 Cardinals Tickets – 9.5.11 vs. Brewers (from Summit Signs & Graphics)

341455 $50 MDP Restaurants GC (from Lighting Associates)

341526 $25 Triumph Grill GC (from Triumph Grill)

341606 $50 Sitting Fee (from CS Photography)

341508 $100 Metro Lighting GC (from Lighting Associates)

341609 $50 to Trattoria Marcella (from Lighting Associates)

341591 $100 for Arbonne (from Carrie Heckstetter)

341436 Trek CycleOps Magneto Bike Trainer (from Lawrence Group)

341570 Magnavox DVD Player (from Lighting Associates)

341525 2006 Bike MS Prize Jersey (size L)

341477 2010 United by Design Tee Shirt

341565 2010 United by Design Tee Shirt

341574 2011 United by Design Tee Shirt

If you didn’t get to pick up a tee shirt, they are still on sale for $15 (new) and $5 (old).

Join Us!

If you are a cyclist and would like to ride with us, please let me know as we are always looking for more riders to join our team! If you are not a cyclist, don’t worry – you can still help! United by Design is open to silent riders joining who can donate their time and/or funds to support the team. Visit our team website for more information.

Have a great weekend and thank you again for your support of United by Design!