www.VSRunningClub.org

Vol. 24 No. 6 June 2004

Ø The June breakfast meeting will not be held; instead we will hold our club 3 mile race on June 13 in Valley Stream Park with a 7:00 AM start. But if raining hard, we will postpone for a week.

Ø Tentatively schedule your calendar for the annual barbecue - July 18 at Stan’s – Details in next newsletter.

Aphorisms from various running thinkers:

Ø ‘When I was younger, I thought that I had all the answers! Now that I’m older, I’d be happy if I could remember a few of the questions’ – Ziggy

Ø ‘The race may not be always to the swift, or the battle to the strong, but that’s sure the way to bet’ – Damon Runyon

Ø ‘For every man, the world is as fresh as it was the first day, and as full of untold novelties for him who has the eyes to see them’ – Huxley

June – Get Creative

Running is a routine. The more routinized you can make your running program, the more effective it is going to be. And yet, nothing short of injury kills a program more quickly than boredom. The moment you begin to feel yourself resisting yet another plodding repetition of what you just did the day before, is the moment for a change. Get creative; change everything. If you’re a morning runner, try running at noon or at dusk. Consider buying a new pair of running shoes, bright red shorts or brand new High Definition DVD head set with Cell Phone.

I try to break up my St. James morning runs by running in Valley Stream on Saturday with Mike and Tony, do the LIRRC summer Series, and run back and forth on the boardwalk in Sunken Meadow State Park - which is 3/4^th of a mile long. I have tried out a few east end races. And finally, I ran naked in Garden City.

Joe Tito

Tip of the Month

Muscle strain occurs when a muscle is overexerted. During the first 24 to 48 hours, you should ice the sore area, take anti-inflammatory, and rest. After a few days apply heat, and ease into exercise with some light cross-training. Your body should be able to heal itself in about two weeks; if not see a physician.

What’s happening by Stan

Club Shirts

Description: I said in the last newsletter that we have the money to subsidize shirts for club members. Since then I have negotiated with Runner’s Edge about the shirts and here’s the deal: We get high-quality 50/50 blend cotton tee shirts and tank tops in the usual sizes. The tanks will come in men’s or women’s style. The club name will be on the front with the same style lettering that we had on the last order and the colors would be green on white. The bird on the back would about double the price of the shirt, so it isn’t worth it. So the shirts will be the same as in the last order but without the bird on the back.

Shirt Cost: The shirts and tanks cost $8 each [before sales tax] with a minimum order of three dozen. We will have to pay tax unless we get a non-profit letter for our club. I know we had such a letter 15 or 20 years ago but I don’t know where it is now. Without the letter the shirts or tanks would be about $8.68 each. I am told that getting the letter would require us to verify that we are non-profit. It probably isn’t worth it since it means we would have to worry about bookkeeping and also wait longer for the shirts to save 68 cents each.

Club subsidy: The club will decide at the next meeting on the amount of the subsidy and other details. A consensus among the people I talked to was that members should pay some part of the cost for two reasons: The first is that the shirts are more expensive than anticipated because I didn’t feel that a lower quality shirt than the 50/50 blend would be satisfactory. The second is that the club shouldn’t be giving shirts to members who don’t really want them. After all we did work hard for the money we have in the treasury. A fairly small cost to the member would help the club and show that the member wants the shirt. The club will decide on the amount of the subsidy for individual members and for family members. My own thought is that for individual memberships, the club supplying $6 for a shirt and the member $3 [plus postage if needed] would satisfy all. The subsidy for family memberships will be decided at the meeting. Members who want more than one shirt will pay the full price for any additional shirts.

Three dozen minimum: We need at least 36 shirts ordered with the type [tee or men’s tank or women’s tank] along with the size for each. It would be very difficult to order on spec because there are so many types and sizes. If you can’t make the June meeting, you can e-mail your thoughts to me and I will read them to the club at the meeting.

Other business: The next meeting [details elsewhere in this edition] will feature a 3 by 1 mile relay race. This will be an opportunity for runners to get a time for a one mile race. Many distance runners have raced for many years and never competed at the one mile distance. Here’s your chance. The loop in the park over the bridge is pretty much just a few yards short of a mile. It was certified when we put on the 50 milers 1980 - 1992. So you can add a few seconds to your split to get your mile time.

It’s good to report that Denis is running again. I wish you all a great summer. Remember that the Bellmore 4 miler is our usual July 4’Th race.

Stan

New Member

Welcome Pasquale Caggiano of West Babylon to our club.

Join Donna in a Charity Triathlon/Relay Race

There is a charity Triathlon/Relay that will benefit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Hospital. It's on Saturday, 6/26. It's a very easy triathlon to do. The swim is in the Hofstra pool and is 200 meters, the bike portion is 8 miles and the run/walk is 3 miles. You can enter and do 1 event or 2 or the whole thing. Because this is for charity, there will not be many elite racers there. It's mainly average people who want to have some fun and contribute to a good cause. I'm registered to do the bike/run (if you call what I do running). The doctor who is coordinating this told me that it's all in fun and it is not a race. You can do one event, take a break and then continue. It sounded perfect for me. I have applications if anyone wants them. To do the whole tri the cost is $45 before 6/19; $50 after 6/19. If you want to enter either 1 or 2 events the cost is still $45 before 6/19. If you want to share the fun with a friend and form a two person relay, the cost is $40 each before 6/19. For more information, see web site: www.jumpstartonlife@aol.com or call Dr. Colantonio at 516-746-3310. My number at work is 516-292-7990 Ext. 11 if anyone wants to talk to me about the event. Donna

Joe Cataldo’s unusual run in Florida

I had an unusual run yesterday. When I got to the park I met these runners who were mapping out a trail run, so I went along with them, through the woods and rough terrain.

I was doing o. k. until this guy (Rich) behind me, who saw that I was wearing a Valley Stream running shirt, started talking to me about how he knows Stan Friedlander from the Ultras and how he was a former member of GLIRC. I kept turning around to talk to this guy, when I lost sight of the pack in front of me. After a while we were lost. Everything we tried was a dead end, until we sighted Brevard Community College (an area familiar to me) off in a distance. I said, I'm heading for the college and Rich followed me out of the woods and into civilization. The running surface was nice again, and it felt so good to get on good footing. All in all, we were out about 1 1/2 hours, and it was more distance than I wanted to do that morning, but it was a good experience.

Next Sunday there will be Ultra Marathoners doing this course consisting of 26.2, 50, 100, and 200 mile runs. Tom Moore should be here!

Next Saturday I'm doing a 5k race, and I may again do one loop of 4 miles through the Ultra trails on Sunday, because call me crazy but I think it was fun. Joe C.

Race Results

10 miler Dutchess County, LaGrange

Tom Moore 1:23:04, Dorothy Russo 1:39:09 (3rd in age group)

Ed Pettinato 1:39:10

5k Dutchess County, LaGrange

Janice McGeary 30:32 (1st in age group), Donna Hahl 32:something

Terry Blyth 34:35:46

Joe Cataldo-Run for the Gecko 5k"-29:43, Early Intervention 5K 29:30. (2^nd)

5k Runday in Hicksville

Ed Pettinato 31:02 Donna Hahl 33:55

Lois Timpanaro 36:17 Terry Blyth 40:09

Long Beach 10 Miler

Jon Falk 1:11:47 Tom Zullo 1:23:33 Dorothy Russo 1:36:35

Fred Pupke 1:36:43 Ed Pettinato 1:37:35 Joe Tito 1:41:20

Long Beach 5k

Marilyn White 27:50 3^rd, Liz Farrell 28:18 4th

Running from the Runs (taken from an unknown source)

Okay, you're on pace for a great race when...boom. Suddenly, you're in the bushes giving up valuable time to Mother Nature. Runner's diarrhea is fairly common, says Frank Moses, M.D., assistant chief of gastroenterology at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The bouncing and jarring of running cause the urge to defecate due to changes in pressure in the intestinal tract,

Dr. Moses says. Studies show that running also tends to divert blood flow away from the intestines in a way that can compromise bowel control. Add to these internal factors the high-fiber carbohydrate foods runners tend to eat, and it's no wonder we end up with "runner's trots." For those of you who suffer this ignominious fate, Dr. Moses advises the following.

· Make a concentrated effort to have a bowel movement just before a run or race.

· Cut back on fiber the day before a race. Fewer high-bulk foods such as whole grains, dried fruits, nuts and seeds may keep you rolling unhindered.

· Drink more water. Diarrhea that occurs toward the end of a long run or race often is the result of inadequate hydration.

· Try cutting back on dairy products. Runner's trots sometimes stem from lactose intolerance, the inability to digest dairy products.

· Consult a physician. Intestinal distress that is not rectified by any of the above measures could be the result of something more serious. Dr. Moses says, in which case you shouldn't be shy about seeing your doctor.