Donna
Hahl, Vice President
Lois
Timpanaro, Treasurer
Joe
Tito, Secretary
www.VSRunningClub.org
Vol. 26 No. 2 February
2006
There
are no VSRC meetings scheduled for February, the next meeting will be in March.
Aphorisms from various
running thinkers:
· ‘Running
can make you feel 10 years younger the day of the race and 10 years older the
day after the race’ – President G. W. Bush
· ‘In
a country where only men are encouraged, one must be one’s own inspiration’ – Tegla Loroupe, Kenya, 1994/5 New
York City Marathon champ
·
‘Sex before the race? Fine, it will do you no
harm. But try not to distract the starter’ – Roger Robinson
February - Getting Slow
I first came upon the
aging process in a race. I felt no sense of advancing years in my day-to-day
activity. Some people marveled at my energy and endurance. It was my weekend
race that finally told me I was no longer young.
The race is
my litmus test for aging. Long before anything else goes, race times signal the
march of time. A look at my race results tells me bluntly that I am no longer
middle-aged. I am now a full-fledged senior citizen with Medicare and AARP
cards. When my 5-K times slowed down and I began to run personal worst instead
of personal bests, I took stock. It was not age. All I needed was more
training, some hills, lots of speed work, lose 10 pounds and I would be back to
my best. Each race I ran a little faster than the previous one, but never near
the times I had registered the year before. And I was no longer in the top
third of the field; I was well back in the second half of the pack.
Do you know how it feels to arrive at the finish line and find all
the soda and goodie are gone?
‘Horrible’, and don't remind me that most people my age have given up or
are dead. My times continue to get slower and slower. The ‘me’ that I was, is
gone; the ‘me’ that I am becoming is different. The race, (however slow my
times are,) remains an ever-changing learning experience. Whenever I race, I
learn something new about myself and those who are with me. I will never be 44
years-old again, but it no longer matters, because I've learned that winning
doesn't matter, it's running that counts. And when I push to the limit, I am a
boy again.
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
Wear
the right clothes. In winter this means a base of thermal underwear followed by
several layers of cotton or wool shirts with at least one being a turtleneck.
Wear a ski mask and mittens. Use nylon if necessary to protect against wind and
wet. In summer the main enemy is radiant heat. Remember to wear white clothes
and use some kind of head covering.
What’s happening by Stan
Corrigan Relay and Next
Meeting: The
winter so far is the mildest in memory but the little rodent saw its shadow on
Groundhog Day so maybe we will get some winter yet. The club’s activities will
be quiet until things wake up again in March with the John Corrigan 4X2 mile
relay on March 19 at
The Kaufman Campgrounds:
The walkathon is being held at the future site of the Sunrise Day Camp. It is
part of a 300 acre wooded site which is used for I believe 4 day camps run by
Jewish community centers on Long Island. It is wooded and has some small hills.
I saw immediately that it would be a great site for cross country races. I
asked Fred Richman, the President of the Friedberg
Best
of Health and Luck, Stan
Dues
Dues
for 2006 are $20 per local household. We
will begin to collect dues at the January meeting. Please send your dues to
Lois Timpanaro, or bring them to the next meeting.
Please note that dues for out-of-towners are $10 for single members or
families.
A Running Movie – Bob Croon
Saint
Ralph was a very pleasant surprise for Valerie and me! It was made in 2004 so
most video stores should have it. We got it from Netflix
which is a good deal $9.99 a month if you only get one movie at a time! I don't
want to give too much away but it's about a young boy going through growing
pains. He needs a miracle and decides that if he could win the Boston Marathon
that would truly be a miracle. The boy was delightful as was the whole cast!
Valerie and Bob Croon give it a thumbs up!
WHAT'S
The picture was taken at
the Miami Marathon. All of the girls were at our house Saturday evening
for a pasta party. It was a pleasure seeing everyone and having a very
nice time. – Gene O’Connor
My Running Goal for 2006 – Ed Pettinato
Having
completed the nine prerequisite New York Road Runners Club races in 2005, I now
automatically qualify for the 2006 New York City Marathon. I have not run a
marathon since 1985. With the New Year started, so starts my training. My number one, two and three goals while training is not to injure
myself. The plan involves plenty of cross training because it helps prevent
injuries and because I really enjoy it. With the addition of swimming and
biking, it enables me to participate in Duathlons and
Triathlons. I might even try a Swim Meet for the first time. I consider myself
primarily a runner. It’s the sport I would choose if I could do no other.
Having never had any formal run training and to make up for that fact, I just
signed up with the NYRRC for their ten week running program. The course is
designed to improve both endurance and speed. Depending on your level, classes
include steady-paced runs, speed training, intervals, hills, fartlek, and tempo runs. Given a choice of eight different
current ability levels, I opted for the “Basic Competitor” level based on my
recent race times (having the ability to race a 5k at 8-9 minutes per mile). I
will have plenty of company since this is where the majority of middle of the
pack runners are. The class will be on Thursday nights
with workouts in
Fun Runs, Speed Work, HILL WORK and Long Runs
·
Wednesday evenings. Group Runs / Walk at the
·
For Hill Work in
·
For Long Runs we will meet on Saturday mornings, time of
Race Results
Winter 5k Run Series
Ed Pettinato 30:52, Rochelle Holden 31:58, Donna Hahl 33:47,
Joe Tito 34:20
Winter 5k Run Series
Ed Pettinato 31:07, Joe Tito 34:10
Frostbite 10-miler in
Carol Drucker and Donna Hahl 2:
Winter 5k Run Series
Tom Zullo 25:50, Ed Pettinato 27:58, Joe Tito 33:15
Donna Hahl 2:31, Rochelle Holden 2:59, Helen Weiss 3:05
Dorothy Russo & Lois Timpanaro
(walkers) 3:23
Upcoming Races
Sun. Feb
26 North Fork 3 by 2
Sat. Mar
4 Little
Sat. Mar 11
Sat. Mar 18 St Patrick’s
Day 5K
Sun, Mar 19 John Corrigan
(5x2 Mile Relay) Eisenhower Park
Sun, Mar 26
Sat, April St James
5M St.
James
Sat. April 1 ASPIRE 10k
Sun, May 7 LI
Sun, May 28 Long Beach
10M/5k
Tue, July 4
Sat. July 8 Vytra Woman’s 5k Farmingdale
HS 9:00
Sun, Sept. 10 Ocean-To-Sound Start Jones
Beach
Sat, Sept 16
Sat, Nov 4
Sun, Nov 19
Sun. Nov 26 Rob’s Run Syosset
Sat. Dec Snowball 5M
Sat. Dec 16 Ho Ho Ho Run 5k