Valley Stream Running Club News
Box #212 Valley Stream, New York 11582
Stanley Friedlander, President
Donna Hahl, Vice President
Carol Drucker, Treasurer
Joe Tito, Secretary
Vol. 27 No. 6 Early
Winter 2007
Aphorisms
from various running thinkers:
§
‘Character consists of what you do on the third or fourth
tries’ – James Michener
§
‘If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a
small country.’ - Anonymous
§ ‘Sweat cleanses from the inside. It comes from places a
shower will never reach’ Dr. George Sheehan
§ ‘If I finish the race and not taken away in an ambulance;
then it’s a success’ - Carol Drucker
My
Thanksgiving – Joe Tito
Well Carol T. said ‘NO WAY
JOSE’ to the 2007 Macy’s Day Parade Balloon Handler job. This year we were
going to stay home and have Turkey with the family like normal people.
So I sign up for a local
Thanksgiving race in Shoreham. Shoreham is noted for its defunct nuclear
reactor and large hills. I had a choice of a One Miler (Much too short), Five
Mile Challenge (The word Challenge causes me to whimper) and the Five K (I can
easily do 3 miles). These races are organized by the Shoreham-Wading River
Elementary School District with the proceeds going to their scholarship fund. I
picked up my T-Shirt with no date of race or sponsor advertising. There was no
chip, race number or pins to deal with. You simply lined up at one of the
starting lines and received a card when you finish the race. The card had just
your finish position, mine would be 123. I was to write my name, address and
age on the back of the card and wait for my ribbon. It sounds like a fun run to
me and I can run with the kids.
The bell sounded and up the
hill we ran, kids and high schoolers out in front and the over the hill gang in
the back. At mile 2, after completing my 85th hill, I spotted this
older man (He must be in my age group) running and stopping. I would pass him
when he stopped and he would pass me when he ran. This went on until we near
the finish line, he was slowing down and I was picking up my pace. I had him
now and passed him and received my card. I looked back to see the conquered
victim and he was walking. He was walking to a house near the finish line and
was going inside. He was not in the race, just out for a jog. I guess I will go
home and carve the Turkey and be thankful for all I have.
If you have any articles,
thoughts, or race results you wish to included in the VSRC newsletter, please
e-mail them to me … Joe Tito
Tip of the
Month
The value of advertising is that it tells you the exact opposite
of what the advertiser actually thinks. For example: if the advertisement
strongly suggests that particular brand of running shoes enabling athletes to
perform amazing feats, the advertiser wants you to disregard the fact that shoe
brand is unrelated to athletic ability..
What’s
happening by Stan
Many people helped make
this a good year for the club: I thank all who are part of the club family.
It was great to run my
first race in the new shirts and the four of us at the Joe Kleinerman 10k in
Central Park looked great in them. Thanks to all that made them possible.
For 2008, I will be
introducing some new events such as trips, hikes, and trail runs and expanding
our training runs. Some details are given below but I will put more into emails
as time goes on.
Here is a list of
coming events:
All Clubs Holiday
Party: This annual event will
be on Saturday night December 15. Over the last month, I sent out two emails
with the applications attached. If you don’t have one and want to go, just
email me and I will forward it to you, or you can go to the LIRRC website.
Holiday Run Sunday
December 23 at 7:30 a.m.: We
will have our traditional group run through the EAB plaza among other spots. We
will meet in Eisenhower park field #1. No reservations are required. Come and
build up your appetite for the breakfast and meeting we will have after the run
(details below). If you can’t make the
run, I hope you can still make the meeting.
December Meeting, Club Elections, and Breakfast
Sunday December 23 at 9 a.m.:
The breakfast/meeting
will be at the Empress Diner, 2019 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow. The diner
is east of Eisenhower Park just past rte. 106 on the south side of Hempstead
Turnpike. After making up for the calories burned up in the holiday run we will
begin the meeting with the election of officers for 2007. Right now Joe Tito is
secretary, Carol Drucker is Treasurer, Donna Hahl is vice president, and I am
president.
Candidates need not be
present but if they cannot attend they should designate someone to come and
nominate them. Also if a member can not be there, they may appoint someone to
cast their votes. After the elections, we will discuss plans for the New Year
and any other business.
New Year's Eve
Champagne Run*: We meet in the pool
parking lot at 7 PM in our ancient and traditional vsrc greeting to the New
Year. We will have champagne and cookies, perambulate the park, and get a
little raucous and maudlin. No reservations are required.
*Disclaimer: To be honest, for the last few years we have been drinking an
alcoholic beverage that is much better than champagne (I will not name it) so
come and be pleasantly surprised. Also we have been skipping the run. So the
name of this event is a total lie but we are keeping it anyway. After all, it’s
a tradition!
The Central Park New
Year’s costume parade, midnight run and fireworks is your great alternative to the usual drunken
New Year’s Eve indoor orgy. The city is alive with crowds and lights and a wonderful
and very inexpensive way to enjoy it is to join in this yearly event. You don’t
have to sign up and be official unless you want the shirt they usually give
out. Join with us as we begin by watching the costume parade, and then we walk,
race walk, or run at the rear as each one wishes. The run is started by a long
and wonderful fireworks display. So join in for a wonderful night which will
show you that you don’t have to spend more than a few bucks to have a great
time greeting in the New Year. Honestly, most people are out of money by New
Years anyway.
I will be in a group
leaving from the Valley Stream LIRR station and meeting in the building at the
train level. We will walk up from Penn station and return the same way. If it
is more convenient for you please join us at Penn Station. No reservations are
required but let me know if you will meet us at Penn Station. I’ll get back to
you with the time closer to the date as the train schedule may change between
now and then.
Note: This trip is only
loosely organized and nobody will look for you if you go off on your own
More training runs: I have found that winter is a good time to
build up a base of miles to take me into a good spring of running. That is
after I get past the holiday season and get used to the cold and snow. On a
cold day the first few miles are hard but then all is well and there is a great
peace and freshness in the air that makes the run a delight. I will soon be
expanding the Alley Pond Sunday runs (see below) and inaugurating some trail
hikes and runs to bring more participation and fun into the winter season.
The Alley Pond Sunday
morning runs have been a club
tradition since I started it in 1997 and will continue. I feel now that there
should also be a group run available for runners who, for whatever reason, want
to run at other paces and/or on other courses. The other courses could be at
Alley or elsewhere. I will give details in future emails.
Dues: I thank those who have already paid their dues. If you have not,
be sure that we do need your money. Our relay teams and our shirts are
subsidized by the dues and we also have plans for trips and more gear that will
require dues.
Some time ago, I stopped
sending my emails to those who had not paid for 2007. I will stop all emails
for those who have not sent their dues in for 2008 by the end of January.
So please mail a check
made out to the Valley Stream Running Club to Carol D.
Best wishes to all for a happy and safe holiday season and
the best of health to all who are sick or injured and a fond remembrance of our
friend Harry.
I hope to see you all soon
Stan
Long Island Marathon and 10k
It is time to register for
the 2008 Long Island Full/Half Marathon and 10k race. The date is May 6th.
Check out their web site for course details (www.thelimarathon.com).
The early registration fee (by 2/28) is $35.00 for Marathons and $25.00 for
the10k. (I plan on doing the 10k again – Joe T)
Current Status of VSRC Group Runs – Mike Gillen
We are now meeting both
Saturday and Sunday in Valley Stream at 7:30. On Saturday and Sunday, Tony and
I are meeting at 7:30 in the Park near the bridge. Denis joined us this
week and I hope we'll again see him out on a regular basis. I don't think
anyone is currently going to Alley Pond Park on Sundays. I haven't done
it in several months because I was the only one there the last couple of time
that I went. Stan mentioned that he might start going there with a few
other people so, you might want to find out from him.
Petra’s
Yoga Friends
These are a few of my new yoga student friends. Hiking
& rock climbing are very popular here. I've been to mount Charleston,
elevation over 7,000 feet. The photos were taken at Spring (as the name
implies we did come across running water) mountain which is near Red Rock
Canyon, where I was last Friday. Saw clear water flowing from huge boulders
several feet above to the ground below. Absolutely breathtaking with
the blue sky & bright sun as a backdrop, the scenery leaves you
speechless. Had to get hiking shoes, socks cost almost the same as my
boots (boots $19, socks $15) a must as we traverse through canyons, rocks,
boulders etc. Saw some folks carrying
mattress over their shoulders - was told they're used for rock climbing.
With the change in the weather it's the best time to be out. Every
day the predictable weather reminds me of those rare beautiful 'wish -you-can-
bottle-days' we get in NY. The few scattered trees I saw along the
trails are changing color, but certainly not as abundantly beautiful as
in and around Hendrickson Park. Whenever I come across a pack of
cyclist I think of Ted. I'm sure he'd love the ride
out here. Due to the high elevation, the roads consistently undulate
so I found it quite a challenge riding. One must develop a
strong aerobic/anaerobic base which I'm still working on,
I've progressed to where I'm able to overcome the less challenging
hills with less gasping. The best advantage is that the new roads are
equipped with bike lanes. Except for the hardcore/serious cyclist you
rarely see regular folks riding, don't think they can handle, of course
if one's in a plateau which is very few in my neck of the woods.
I start teaching a spin/indoor cycling class in a few days, looking forward to
see what type of folks will be riding.
Those cyclist are
long, lean & fit. They wear those bright jerseys & helmets with such
pride that you can't help but give them a second look when they zoom
by. They're also quite handsome. Unfortunately I've seen
only a handful of female riders. Did a double take when I notice a
couple of them shed their jerseys at a rest stop;
the definition & 6-packs on gentlemen ranging in ages 40 - 70 was
something else, phew!. Heard some has gotten tickets from breaking
the speed limit going downhill. Whenever I see them I internally do an assessment of
their alignment. Thinking what I would do as a massage
therapist. Being in such a position for such a long time
definitely creates imbalances throughout the entire kinetic chain. A
massage therapist with knowledge of deep tissue, Russian, sports, structural
& cranial therapy would certainly come in handy.
Muskrat Sightings - Mike
Gullen
There is a muskrat (or
family of muskrats) living in VS State Park.
I have seen it several times in the last couple of weeks. It’s living along the banks of the stream as
you enter the Hendrickson entrance. It’s
on the left side just after you cross the bridge. I’ve usually seen it on the other side of the
path and watched it as it ran across the path and into its den.
On Friday morning, as I
was leaving the state park, I saw it on the left side. As I stopped to watch, it ran a few steps and
then stood on its hind legs to look around.
It then proceeded toward the water and swam across.
Below are pictures I
took from the Internet.
The following is some information from Wikipedia:
Muskrats are found over most of Canada and the United
States and a small part of northern Mexico.
They always inhabit wetlands, areas in
or near salt and fresh-water marshlands,
rivers, lakes,
or ponds. They are not found in the
state of Florida where the round-tailed muskrat, or Florida water rat, (Neofiber alleni)
takes their place (Caras 1967).
Muskrats spend much of their time in the water and are
well suited for their semi-aquatic life, both in and out of water. Muskrats can
swim under water for up to 15 minutes. Their bodies, like those of seals and whales,
are less sensitive to the build up of carbon
dioxide than those of most other mammals. They can close off their
ears to keep the water out. Their hind feet are semi-webbed, although in
swimming the tail is their main means of propulsion (Voelker 1986).
Muskrats normally live in family groups consisting of a
male and female pair and their young. During the spring they often fight with
other muskrats over territory and potential mates. Many are injured or killed
in these fights. Muskrat families build nests to protect themselves and the
young from cold and predators. Extensive burrow systems are dug in the ground
adjacent to the water with an underwater entrance. In marshes, lodges are
constructed from vegetation and mud. In snowy areas they keep the openings to
their lodges open by plugging them with vegetation which they replace every
day. Most muskrat lodges are swept away in spring floods and have to be
replaced each year. Muskrats also build feeding platforms in wetlands. It is
common to find muskrats living in beaver lodges, too. Muskrats help maintain
open areas in marshes, which helps to provide habitat for aquatic birds (Nowak 1983, Attenborourgh 2002, MU
2007).
Muskrats are most active at night or near dawn and dusk.
They feed on cattails and other aquatic
vegetation. They do not store food for the winter, but sometimes eat the
insides of their lodges or steal food that beavers have stored. Plant materials
make up about 95 percent of their diets, but they also eat small animals such
as freshwater mussels, frogs, crayfish,
fish, and small turtles (Caras 1967, Nowak 1983).
Fun Runs,
Speed Work, HILL
WORK and Long Runs
· Wednesday
evenings. Group Runs / Walk at the Valley Stream pool at 6:00 PM. Check with Donna, If new to club.
· We meet
on Saturday and Sunday mornings, time of 7:30 AM at the bridge in the
park. Be on time though, because after
one loop in the park we sometimes go off to places hither and yon. Bring water
as we often leave the safe confines of the park.
Race Results
Stan
Reports on Inwood 5k - From the club there was Carol Drucker 29:34,
Dorothy (no record so I am cc'ing her to send you her time), Donna 35:44,
and me 31:39.Carol was 1st (out of two), Donna was 1st(only one). Donna's
injury from her fall kicked up at about 2 miles so she had to walk it in.
Debbie Whitton ran but she is not a member. Carol and Dorothy did a long
training run for the New York Marathon afterwards. I pulled a calf muscle and
am grounded and limping - temporarily I hope. Strange that it didn't hurt until
I got home.
Tom Zullo –
Mineola 5K on 11/22, 28:32
Joe Tito –
Shoreham-Wading River Thanksgiving Foot Races 5K. 34:40
Donna Hahl – Long
Beach 10K, 1:09:35
Joe
Cataldo – Space Coast Lightest 5K, 30:30 3rd, Fall into Winter
5K, 31:00 2nd
Carol
Drucker –
NYC Marathon 5:14:20
Donna Hahl - completed the West Palm Beach Half Marathon
in 2:30.04 chip time. It was a beautiful course, in fact spectacular. The water
views were amazing. The race started at 6:00 am and the temperature was in the
low 60s. Donna finished around 8:30 am, it was in the low 70s and was very glad
to finish because the sun was very strong.
Joe Kleinerman 10k in
Central Park - Dorothy 1:06:43, Donna
1:06:56
Carol 1:07:44, Stan
1:13:45 Bruce 53:06
Upcoming Races
Sat. Dec Snowball 5M Wantagh 8:00
Sat. Dec 16 Ho Ho Ho Run
5k Bethpage
HS 9:00