Valley Stream Running Club News
Box
#212 Valley Stream, New York 11582
Stanley
Friedlander, President
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The December
breakfast meeting will be at Franklin Shankman Auditorium, December 12 at 10:00
am.
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Group Run precedes
the meeting – We meet at Valley Stream Park pool entrance at 7:30 am.
Aphorisms
from various running thinkers:
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‘If you plan to run while pregnant, consult your doctor
first. Also, start your workouts before you get pregnant’ – Marty Jerome
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‘Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I
want people to know “why” I look this way. I’ve traveled a long way and some of
the roads weren’t paved’ – Will Rogers
December- What’s to
Eat?
This time of the year we put our
training on the back burner and enjoy the season and the rich holiday food.
Which bring us up to this month’s column on eating. Most studies show that
amino-acid replacement don’t replace amino acids, muscle-building powers don’t
build muscle. Endurance bars don’t extend your stamina. Mineral supplements are
pointless since running doesn’t deplete minerals. Vitamin supplements have no
proven benefits to running whatsoever. Energy drinks can actually dehydrate
you. And no scientist on Earth has proved that a PowerBar is better than a Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cup for goosing performance in a ½ Marathon. To make matter worst
– The Atkins Diet did not work for Atkins who died over weight.
What’s a senior runner to do? Fear
less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say
more, hate less, love more, and all good things will be.
Joe Tito
Tip of the Month
Studies show that people who eat
breakfast are better able to manage their weight. A whopping 78 percent of
individuals who lost 70 pounds or more and kept it off successfully for over a
year eat breakfast seven days a week. Other studies have found that skipping
breakfast leads to overeating at lunch as well as later in the day.
What’s happening by Stan
I can report about the All Clubs party
on Friday night. I was joined by Donna, Joe, Carol, Terry, Debbie, her friend Mike, Petra, Bob,
Valerie, and Artie Fotie. We danced the night away, had good food and an open
bar, and a great time was had by all.
Stan
Here's the column.
NOVEMBER MEETING: We had the meeting at
Franklin Hospital as the weather was too nasty to be comfortable in the park.
We will return to the park in the Spring. The meeting went very well as we
talked about membership issues. There was a discussion about members being
offered life memberships. A vote on this issue was tabled. We voted to keep the
dues structure as it is at present. That is $20 per local household and dues
for out-of-towners are $10 per household.There was agreement that new members
should pay the same rate as other members. We will begin to collect dues at the
January meeting. Please send your dues to Lois or bring them to the next meeting. People who do not pay dues by March will be
removed from the mailing list and the e-mail list. I hope that you will all
continue with the club. It's well worth it.
New Year’s Eve Run/Walk: Join us as we
welcome in 2005 with a friendly walk/run about the park. There will be wine,
cookies, and many a "Happy New Year" at the park starting at 7 P.M.
on Friday night, New Year’s Eve. This has been a club tradition for at least 15
years.
ELECTIONS: We will hold elections at
the January meeting. The present officers are Stanley Friedlander, President,
Donna Hahl, Vice President, Joe Tito, Secretary, and Lois Timpanaro, Treasurer.
CLUB Windbreakers: The bill arrived for
the windbreakers and was duly paid. We received three dozen windbreakers
printed in front and back for $14 each and a setup charge of $60 for the printing.
This comes to a total of $564 which is $15.67 per item. We didn’t pay tax by
using my friend’s tax number. I think that the club and each member got a very
good deal, and the jackets show off our colors very nicely.
ITS THE HOLIDAY SEASON:. Let us count
our blessings and fill the air with love and joy. We wish a speedy recovery for
all in pain. On a personal note, you are the nicest group I have ever been
around. Bless you all. Have a great Holiday Season.
Stan
VSRC Holiday Run
Join us for our annual Holiday Run. We
will meet; Dec 24, 8:00 AM at Eisenhower Park, Parking Field #1, off Merrick
Ave. We will run/jog/walk from
Eisenhower PK to EAB Plaza (or what it is called now), see the ice skate rink,
play with the toys, run around the Christmas tree twice, loop the college
running track and visited other mysterious places. The run will end with our
Holiday Breakfast – all you can eat, provided you pay for it.
Mike suggests: Bring a change of
clothes because after the run we will be going to breakfast at the diner on
Hempstead Tpke. across from Home Depot, just east of Eisenhower Park. If anyone doesn't want to run, they can join
us for breakfast at 9:30. In case of heavy rain, we'll just go directly to the
diner at 8:00AM.
My Poor Foot by Joe
Tito
I can’t believe it! I have been running
all these years and never had a serious injury. It happened the week after
Rambo (the running dog) went back to his master. I was not looking were I was
going and I stepped on a rock, which turned my ankle and busted-up my poor
foot. It is said that the common foot contains 52 bones, 66 joints, 214
ligaments, 38 muscles and tendons, and an intricate latticework of blood
vessels – I know I broken a few of those foot parts. I was able to limp home
and review the mess. Ice and compression help a little; my foot went from a
bright copious red to an aching dull black. I’m not up to running and walking
is bad news. What to do? Why not Cross Train! Carol and I joined the local
Gold’s Gym; the girls look good, and they have senior rates. I went directly to
the ‘Circuit Training’ devices; working on my Abs, Reps, Chest, Quads, Arms and
Hamstrings (I didn’t know I had all those parts that needed fixing). I finished
off my session with 15 minutes on the Cycling Machine. Riding the hills and
valleys, checking my progress on the computer, and watching TV makes the 15
minutes seem like 30. The net results of all this is;
·
I gained 5 pounds of something – I don’t think it is muscle.
·
My body hurts – Which is good news – I don’t feel my foot
any more.
·
A 10 year membership contract with Gold’s Gym was too good
to pass up – I will be great shape when I reach 75.
Later this
month, Rambo the running dog dropped by for a 2 day visited (He is not allowed
to be in his master’s house during Thanksgiving – Dogs and Turkeys do not mix).
We were able to do our 3 mile jog/walk. Rambo says I should be ok for the Ho Ho Ho Race… Joe T
A
few words about Rob's Run - Donna Hahl
It was a
windy, rainy, muddy race through the woods.
I have never been so wet and muddy in my entire life. It made Mudfest look like a walk in the park
on a sunny day. After saying that, I
also have to say that it was great fun and I would do it again next year. I don't think my running shoes will ever be
the same.
Thought on Running,
Life and the Marathon by Ted Orosz
There are many ways that we define
ourselves, spouse, parent, child, supervisor, employee, carpenter, candlestick
maker…But being a runner also helps to define who we are. To us, running ten miles is not a big deal,
whereas to a non-runner, it is an incomprehensible feat. To us, the day does not begin until we have
logged the requisite distance. I have
not run for approximately 3.5 years now, and I shall never run again, not even
to catch a train. As I sit here trying
to decide if I will go watch the Marathon tomorrow morning, I understand,
perhaps more clearly than ever, that I will always think like a runner. I will always understand that the distance
to go is always more important than the distance completed. I know that if I could structure my life to
include the time for marathon training, I know that can certainly fit in
whatever curves fate tosses my way. I
guess by pulling out a Marathon shirt from ’83 and a Marathon hat from ’93, I
have made my decision about where I will be at Noon tomorrow.
Regarding the Wind - Sailors might have
more to say on this subject, but while I have often felt a headwind, I have
never felt a tailwind. You run into the
wind for ten miles, then turn around and the clever wind is now swirling but
never offers a true tail wind. Why is
that? Perhaps it’s just to teach us that
when all is said and done, we have to get there under own power.
Regarding Tee Shirts - I never ran in
them. If it was too warm for a long sleeve
shirt it was too warm for any shirt.
When I started running during the Carter administration, guys almost
never wore shirts in the heat of summer.
I got into that habit and basically never wore a shirt if it was above
55 degrees. I ran a lot of marathons
with my number on my shorts.
Streamlined, organic, lightweight, (and nothing to chafe the
nipples). Nowadays guys all run in
shirts. I never see anybody running
shirtless. I feel like I’m streaking
when I mow the grass shirtless.
(Speaking of mowing the grass, I’m the only person left in the county
who mows his own grass, but I digress). Now the woman runner, on the other
hand, never runs in a tee shirt anymore.
They are all wearing these Jog Bras.
Men in shirts, women no shirts, what a country we got. Just as an aside, I can point to exact moment
when women took their shirts off. (No,
wrong, it was not Brandi Chastain tearing off her shirt at the Olympics or World
Cup) It was the 1993 Marathon. It was wicked hot that year and then some. All the guys, even Croon, had tossed their
shirts by the time we got to Brooklyn.
Then the women got to thinking, heywhataboutus huh? By the time we got to the Brooklyn Academy of
Music there wasn’t a shirt to be seen, just a lot of jogbras. And them womenfolk ain’t put them back on
apparently.
Regarding Women Runners in General -
Nowadays as I do my thing, walking or bike riding or, preferably, doing nothing
at all, I mostly see only women runners.
I would say that when observing runners that are strangers to me, they
are 80% women. The walkers are at least
90% women. The guys apparently, are
either asleep, on the couch, or admiring themselves in a full-length mirror at some
gym. Where is this trend headed?
Regarding the Marathon - I get much less
buzz about the race than in years past.
Has the craze leveled off, or are the Road Runners finally beginning to
suffer from the demise of Fred Lebow, who could promote a cockroach race into
something big? I’ll see tomorrow I
guess. I must add that I find the new
protocol of starting the elite women early to be reprehensible. It goes against everything that women have
fought for over last 40 years. It also
creates a bizarre finish where no women come in for 30 minutes. And for what, the women’s finish was always
celebrated appropriately. It just
happened to come after the men’s finish because, well, the men finished
first. Uh, don’t get me started on
taking out the 103rd Street hill because it made the race too hard
for the precious elite runners.
So keep running y’all. You don’t have to do speed work or hill work
or race, but just keep going out there and putting one foot in front of the
other. Keep at it as long as you can and
everything else will fall nicely into place.
Race Results
Joe Cataldo
Space Coast
Lightfest 5K - 30:53 - 1st., Sister 5K
Run – 30:00
Garden City Turkey Trot, 5 Miles,
Thursday,
Lara
Menig - 43:21, Tom Zullo - 41:11, Donna
Hahl - 56:27
LIRR - 10k Trail Run
Donna Hahl -
1:20, Rochelle Holden - 1:10
Long Beach Turkey Trot - 4 miles,
Saturday, 11/20/04 (Times Unavailable)
Denis
- 1st, Lara - 3rd, Donna – finished
Rob's Run at Stillwell Woods in Syosset
- 5k Trail Run, Sunday,
Eddie
Pettinato - 32:16, Donna Hahl.-
42:38,
Dorothy Russo
- 32:28, Rochelle Holden - 38:26
Philly Marathon
Jon
Falk 3:29, Dave Fabel 3:51