Valley Stream Running Club News

Box #212 Valley Stream, New York 11582

Stanley Friedlander, President

 

 

Vol. 24 No. 11                                              November 2004

Ø      Pasta Party is cancelled, see Stan’s article.

Ø      November’s feature writers: Rambo the running dog, Donna and Joe Cataldo.  

 

Aphorisms from various running thinkers:

Ø      ‘Once you have decided that winning isn’t everything, you become a winner’ – Dr. George Sheehan

Ø      ‘They asked me if I was running for woman’s rights…women are always right’ – Forrest Gump

 

November-Married to a Runner

I have the mental power to read my wife Carol’s mind. I know at all times what she is thinking. This is one of my many gifts over members of the opposite sex. As I look into her psychic, I sense the following joyful vibrations:

·        Waiting at a cold wet winter race for her husband to gracefully finish.

·        The beautiful sight and smells of a house filled with vintage running shoes and socks.

·        The joy of matching socks after they are washed.

·        Listen to my old running stories.

·        Planning social activities around races and club meetings.

But seriously folks, running would not be fun without the support of my wife, friends, family and members of the club.

 

Joe Tito

 

Tip of the Month

You should head straight for the last table at water stations. You’ll avoid the crush of the first-timers who inevitably clog things up at the first table. Once you have your cup, pinch the top together to form a spout. You’ll be able to sip, spill-free, without slowing or stopping.

 

What’s happening by Stan

Pasta Party: I regret that the pasta party scheduled for Friday is cancelled since we couldn't get the 18 people we needed to secure the room. We got 15 people who wanted to come, but despite the best efforts of Bob, Donna, and me, we couldn't get make 18. So the November meeting will be in the park on November 12, at 7:30 a.m. We will have a race at 8:00. If the weather is bad, we will move it to the Hospital.

 

October meeting: The relay race went fine despite a few sprinkles. We had three 3-person teams in the "Chinese eggplant" mile relay [thanks to Donna for selecting our batons]. The runners were Denis, Eddie, Fred, Donna, Dorothy, Gregg, Joe, Paulina, and a new member Gabe. The official results are listed elsewhere in this newsletter. It was good to see John Cranston who was visiting us from Atlanta. Thanks to Fred, Donna, and Carol for helping out.

 

We are back to collecting money for the brunch because, with the loss of the Franklin race, we have to conserve our money. The breakfast we provide at meetings will be at the very reasonable price of $3 per person.

 

Finances: The bill for the windbreakers has not yet arrived due to problems at my sources. Even after paying the bill, I am confident that we will be able to afford to subsidize Ocean to Sound teams for 2005. Never the less, we should be careful with our money as I mentioned above, so please submit any money you still owe to the club for the relay or the windbreaker to Lois.

 

Eunice Harris:  A lovely and warm lady who gave much to running and once was an excellent runner herself, Eunice Harris passed away from ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, after a long illness. You may remember her as the lady who took your tickets at the yearly LIRC holiday party. She also was at all the Eisenhower Park races collecting your entry fee and helping out. Her husband Colin is an excellent runner himself and a fixture at LIRC. I saw her last at the last summer series race at Hecksher Park and, despite being in a wheelchair, she was smiling and upbeat. It was always a delight to talk with her.

 

 We agreed at the October meeting that we would submit an expression of our sorrow at her passing to the LIRC newsletter. Joe volunteered to write and submit this note on behalf of our club.  Also, since it is a sure thing that the LIRC will have a race named after Eunice next year, we agreed to make it a club race. They are also having a raffle drawing held on Dec.12th at noon at The Runner’s Edge to raise money in her memory. Raffle tickets at $1 apiece will be available from 11/04 until the drawing on 12/12/04, and can be bought at The Runner’s Edge and all LIRRC races at Eisenhower Park.  For more information, contact the Long Island Running Club.

 

Best Wishes: Happy 50th birthday to Eddie. (Eddie, doesn’t that first half century go fast?).  Happy 40th birthday to Jon. He will run a marathon - I believe Philadelphia - to celebrate. We pray for a quick recovery to all who are sick and injured. May you all heal quickly and completely.

 

Stan

 

How does it feel to be 65 by Rambo the running Dog?

My master Brian and Lisa was married last Saturday and they are off on their honeymoon to Aruba (I was not invited). I had to move in temporarily with Joe and Carol. I am getting kind of long in the tooth, if you know what I mean. I’m eight and half years old which make me equal to a 65 year old person. Well early Sunday A.M. Joe and I went out for our jog. I like running with the older people, Joe was a good runner in his day. He was dressed with a wool hat and probably in his red tights. I can not be sure of the color because dogs are color blind. The morning was filled with stars; temperature was a cool 45 degrees and air tasted clean. I noticed that old Joe was stopping more often which gave me my chance to water the trees in St James and check out the female fragrances (I do have my favorite stops). Near the end of our 5 mile run I had to pull him home so that I could get to my water. Being a 65 year old dog, I no longer have the stamina to pull dead weight over a long distance. I think Joe and I will take our nap now.

 

I have noted that intense activity such as running is very stressful to my muscles. A relaxing series of stretches will aid in prevent injuries and spasms.

Rambo the Senior Fitness Center Dog, signing off.     

 

New Member

Gabe Conway has completed his first Valley Stream Relay Race and lives near by in Rosedale.

 

 

Donna’s weekend

Yesterday I did a 25 + mile hike near Bear Mountain.  The adventure began with a train ride from Grand Central to Manitu. The train only stops there on weekends. The views from the train are spectacular.  It's about a 40 minute ride. We hiked through parts of Bear Mountain Park, Palisades Interstate Park and Hook Mountain Park. The trails, river views and colors were just spectacular. The 25 mile hike ended in Nyack. We took the bus back to Port Authority.  It took about 10 hours because we stopped in a great diner for lunch and there were many photo opportunities. I've done hikes in this area for the past few years and find them to be very relaxing and beautiful.  I think it's something for athletes of all levels to consider. If anyone in the VSRC is interested in finding out more about hiking, I'll copy the LI Hiking and Outdoor Newsletter for them.  There are hikes every day of the week. The distances vary, so there is a comfortable hike for people of all ability and interest levels.

Sunday was the Carl Hart Duathlon in Heckscher Park. It consisted of a 2 mile run; 10.5 bike; another 2 mile run. The wind today was unbelievable and added quite a challenge to the event.  BUT, the women duathloners of the VSRC represented ourselves very well.

Donna Hahl                1:39 (2nd in age group)

Rochelle Holden        1:45 (2nd in age group)

 

The Benefits of Strength Training

While the message is clear, it’s not getting through to the majority of older Americans.  Only eleven percent of people 65 and older responding to a government survey this year said they engaged in Strength Training two or more days per week. These benefits have an effect on our everyday lives in several ways:

1) Functionality - Stronger muscles lead to more functionality in everyday life. Squatting, sitting up in a chair or getting out of bed, bending over to pick something up, putting away dishes in the cabinet above you, pushing the lawnmower or vacuum, etc.  These may all sound like very mundane activities, but imagine not having the ability to do these things.  Without using the muscles that allow you to perform these tasks, we lose our ability to do them.  “Use it or lose it” has real meaning here.

2) Physical Appearance - Muscle burns more than fat. When you have more muscle, your caloric needs increase to maintain your body weight. Example: Consider a woman who weighs 140 lbs. Who has 30% fat and 70% lean body mass (composed of bone, muscle and organs - everything except fat).  If she loses 5 pounds of fat and adds 5 pounds of muscle, she will still weigh 140 pounds. But will only be 26% fat.  She now has a leaner, firmer and fitter appearance.

3) Decreased Risk of Injury - Our muscles serve as shock absorbers and balancing agents.  We should address all of your muscle groups for balanced muscle development.  Opposing muscle groups such as your quads and hamstrings, your gastrocnemius (calf muscles) and anterior tibialis, low back and abdominal muscles of your core or midsection, etc.   Strength training has also been shown to increase bone mineral density, making them architecturally stronger, improve glucose metabolism, lower resting blood pressure, improve blood lipid levels and ease arthritic pain.

I work at The Fountains, a senior living home in Melbourne, FL where the average age of our resident is 85 and 50 percent of our 300 residents participate in activities at the Fitness Center.

Joe Cataldo

 

Race Results

Enterman’s Great South Bay Run Oct 2

            ½ Marathon:   Lara Menig 1:48:19 (3rd)

            10K:    Joe Tito 57:22,          Rochelle Holden 1:02:22,     Donna Hahl 1:08:29 (3rd)

Tom Zullo - LIRRC Oct 3, 10 Mile – 1:26:00,  Atlantic City ½ Marathon - 1:52:15

David Fabel – New Haven 20K – 1:32:40

Oct 10 – 5th Valley Stream Chinese Eggplant Relay Race.

            First Place Team 23:33

                        Dorothy 7:56,             Danna 9:37,               Denis  6:00

            Second Place Team 23:42

                        Ed. P. 6:45,                Gregg 7:33,               Pauline 9:24

            Third Place Team 25:35

                        Fred  6:56,                 Gabe 10:47               Joe T. 7:52

Donna Hahl – LIRRC Oct 31, 10k 1:13