Valley Stream Running Club News

Box #212 Valley Stream, New York 11582

Stanley Friedlander, President

Donna Hahl, Vice President

Lois Timpanaro, Treasurer

Joe Tito, Secretary

www.VSRunningClub.org

 

Vol. 25 No. 9                                                 September 2005

·        September 11 - Next meeting in Valley Stream Park with 7:30 AM start.

·        Details on the Relay Race and other items– See Stan’s column.

·        The Imbedded Reporter Strikes Again.

·        A few words from Donna, Bob and Val.

 

Aphorisms from various running thinkers:

·        ‘God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars’ – Elbert Hubbard

·        ‘As a nation we are dedicated to keeping fit and parking as close to the stadium as possible’ – Joe Moore

·        ‘Running with all you’ve got for a finishing post, then savoring the exhaustion – sometimes that’s all the reason I need’ – Harry Cummins

 

September – From the MAILBOX

Do you ever read the GLIRC MAILBOX? Usually the letters to their club praises the race directors for their fine work. I did find one letter that said it all.

 

Mike, thank you for putting on such a great race. ‘The Run for Dog Breath’ was my highlight of the year. Starting the race at 9:30 PM in downtown (The) Bronx was a stroke of genius. The location is a great place to buy POT and good Mexican food. Letting traffic on Third Avenue was another wonderful idea, diving to the sidewalk provided me with a great cardiac work out. I can not thank the volunteers enough – I had only to pay 75 dollars to get my car back. Afterward, having to buy water and bandages was a fun way to socialize and relax with the friendly local people.

Thank you again for this wonderful run – Adidas Gravelpit

 

If you have any articles, photo, thoughts, or race results you wish to included in the VSRC newsletter, please e-mail them to me.     … Joe Tito

 

Tip of the Month

Whenever practical, try to run on one side or another of the course, where there is usually less congestion. In the middle of a dense pack, you’re subject to the whims and pace of those around you.

 

What’s happening by Stan

This column has the info on the Ocean to Sound Relay as a lead story, and then discusses club meetings, the Fall pasta dinner, and the Rotary run. With the Relay, the pasta dinner, and the Rotary run, we can look forward to an full schedule and an enjoyable Fall for the club. The column ends with my best wishes. Stan

 

Ocean to Sound Relay: The race is on Sunday, September 25. Please read the information below. Details about the legs should be available sometime after 9/9. Let me know of any problems as soon as you spot one.

 

Here are the teams for the Relay. Runner's can swap legs between themselves but they must tell me in advance.

 

Team: Valley Stream R.C.A   Category: Open          Shirt size after the name.

Legs: 1. Tom Mazzaro L 2. Sean Corrigan L3. Rick Kyung L 4. Rich Ostrowski L 5. Mike Gillen L 6. Jon Falk XL 7.  Lara (Menig) Russoniello M. 8. Beth M.

Support vehicle: Fred’s Jeep with Donna and Dorothy riding shotgun. Cell phone Dorothy.

Start 8 a.m. at Jones Beach  

 

Team: Valley Stream R.C.B  Category: Mixed Masters  Shirt size after the name.

Legs: 1 Debbie Whitton M 2. Joseph Tito L 3. Gregg Weinstock XL 4. Donna Hahl M 5. Ed Pettinato XL 6. Rochelle Holden M 7. Dorothy Russo M 8. Fred Pupke L.

Support vehicle: Stan’s Acura with Lois and Terry riding shotgun. Cell phones Lois, Terry, Stan.

Start 7 a.m. at Jones Beach

 

Alternates: Denis Brazil,  Arti Foti.

 

“Taxi Service” Joe and Carol in their new Red Tucson SUV. Cell phone Carol.  

 

Runners must sign the roster (available soon after 9/9) or give permission to sign for them. Joe will use the roster to pick up the shirts, numbers, meal tickets, and batons at Runner’s Edge. He can't pick up the materials without all the signatures. The material will be available at Fred’s Continental Press on the Friday and Saturday before the race. Materials will also be available at the pool parking after 6 a.m. on race day. We can arrange for your material to be in your support vehicle so you can get just before you run.

 

You must let me know your plans before the race and notify me of any problems on race day as soon as you can. I don’t need any more aggravation in my life.

 

Important: Leg one runners must have the baton before the race.

 

The club will pick up $20 per runner of the $40 fee so each runner should pay only $20. You may send a check to Lois, or you may pay at the September meeting, or you can pay on race day in the pool parking lot between 6 and 7:15. All runners this year will be members.

 

If you will not be using your party ticket, please leave it at Fred’s shop or hand it in at the pool parking lot or hand it in to the people in your support vehicle. This will allow non-racing volunteers and, if available, perhaps (no guarantees) some friends and family to go to the party. Please give the volunteers first shot.

 

The information on the legs for this year should come in early September. The course probably will be like that of last year but there often are minor changes from year to year.

 

It's not too early to alert you to be very careful of the traffic on race day. This race is dangerous because of the many unguarded intersections and the narrow crowded roads with the cars moving sometimes right near the runners. Runner’s have been injured.

 

Hoping for good weather and no problems - here's to a great race.

 

Meetings and Pasta Party: The August meeting was very enjoyable. We ran several circuits of the park and ate a great repast. We met our new member Tom Mazzara. We also were approached by a runner who was interested in joining our Saturday group as she was training for New York this Fall. I believe that a great way to get new members is to be visible in the park. I will try to start up a regular evening running group when I can get my old bones to start running again. Believe me, I’m trying.

 

Returning to reporting on the meeting, we discussed the upcoming relay and the Fall pasta party. The last two years we were not able to have enough people for us to reserve a room at a restaurant. This is because fewer people in the club are running Fall marathons than in the past. So we decided that we would agree on a restaurant and a date and make a reservation for whoever wants to come. We can decide on the details in the months ahead.

 

The September meeting will be on the 11th and will be organized as was the August meeting. That is we will start running at 7:30 and then have the breakfast and meeting.

 

Rotary Run Rescheduled:  As you know, the Rotary 4 mile run was cancelled because there were less than ten pre-entrants the week before the race. I don't know the reasons for the low turnout but it could be a combination of poor advertising and the competition of many other races. Boris wants to reschedule and I suggested he try the date we used for the Hot Chocolate runs. It's the first Sunday in December - the second weekend is Wantagh and the third is Ho Ho. The catch with this was that we need an indoor facility which could hold a few hundred people because it is a December race. Boris has asked the Village for the courtroom in Village hall and it looks like he will get it.

Boris asked me about the date and I found that, since the Ho Ho is on Dec. 17 and, if things go like usual, Wantagh would be the week before, this leaves us Sunday, Dec. 4 for the four miler. This is the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend. So if all goes well, it looks like we probably will have a race this year. Last year The GLIRC web-site showed only the Seaford 5k race going on in all of Nassau on the first weekend in Dec. so we might have little competition.

It is crucial that there be a good turnout for this race to have a future. It would be a shame if the race folded, as it is a nice race and it gives the club the presence in the running community that we need to stay active. So, if and when Boris has the race ready to go, I hope you all can help publicize the race even more than we have in the past. If each of us would distribute flyers at even one race each this Fall it could possibly save this race.

With this race, Ocean to Sound, and a pasta dinner, we should have a very full schedule for the Fall. That would be very nice.

 

Best Wishes: Unfortunately some of our members and family members are injured or ill. Janice and Liz had orthopedic surgery recently. Debbie’s elbow is disabled and Denis’s running is compromised right now. Others have injuries and illnesses that are long term and some are even life threatening.  I think of them often and greatly wish a complete and speedy recovery for all.

Stan

 

The Imbedded Reporter – Joe Tito

As the official imbedded reporter and club secretary for the VSRC, I have the following noteworthy items to report to the club.

 

Importance of Running - There are many reasons to run. The joy of the outdoors and the wonderful friends you meet on the roads come to mind as two spiritual reasons. I also know the physical benefits of running will add minutes to my life. I plan on living until I’m 85 years old and die healthy. The additional 5 months gained by my daily exercise will allow me to live in a nursing home at $7,500 per month.

 

Congratulations to Mike and Maureen Gillen on the marriage of their son Peter and Lois. The happy pair is visiting Hawaii for 2 weeks (To be young again!).

Mike Gillen was seen running in the Valley Stream Park the other day with a LIFE running shirt. Mike stated that his old shirt enticed two people to join the LIFE running club. He is collecting 25 dollars for a life time membership. Mike is also looking for the original LIFE club members who are; Joe Cataldo, Gene O’Connor and an unnamed VSRC secretary – Mike wants back LIFE club dues.

While we are on the subject of Mike, It has been brought to my attention that Mike has been passing on bad information. He more or less stated that doctors or hospitals are unnecessary. All you had to do is cough when you feel your heart attack coming on! Well thanks to Tony Cannonito this myth had been debunked. Tony states; 'I looked into the email and demo you forwarded last week on Cough CPR and by Googling on "Cough CPR" I came up with many recent hits that noted that the technique has been branded as a hoax by many authorities, and remains controversial. The American Heart Association, while not denying the benefits of cough on arrhythmia, does not endorse cough CPR as its believes its benefits last no longer than a few seconds. The email that you forwarded dates back to 1999.'

Thank you Tony - maybe Mike needs a newer computer in order to get 2005 information.

 

Very brief minutes from the August 14th VSRC meeting:

·        I ran into Jack Horowitz before the meeting, Jack is getting over an injury and hopes to get back to running. Jack commented on my Saucony Grid number 9 running shoe. Yes Jack, I do not care what the model number is and I just care about its price.

·        Welcome Tom Mazzara from Hewlett to the club, he has been running with Tony, Denis and Mike during the AM in the Valley Stream Park.  

·        Stan talked about the relay race. The A team may need some adjustment, the race entry fee was sent and a complete write-up is in this newsletter. Stan also suggested we do the Entenmann’s Great South Bay Run as a club race.

·        Fred – You ordered too many bagels!

 

From Donna

On 8/21/05 three of us from the VSRC participated in the Oyster Bay Triathlon. It was a fun event. I'm already looking forward to it next year. It consisted of a 2/3 mile swim (approx.) I forgot the exact distance. It seemed very long to me. The bike was 9.3; the run was a 5k. 

                                               

 

Swim

Bike

Run

Donna Hahl

42:38

50:50

36:18

Rochelle Holden

43:21

1:00:54

35:05

Ed Pettinato

38:07

54:51

42:18

 

On Friday, 8/19 Rochelle & I participated in the American Red Cross Swim-A-Cross at Centre Island Beach. The swim is approximately one mile across Oyster Bay Harbor. When you arrive at Centre Island Beach, you board a bus and they shuttle you around to Oyster Bay to begin your swim. A family in Oyster Bay permits the American Red Cross to use their property (a mansion) to enter the water. There were 180 people trudging through this beautiful estate.  Some did the swim in a wetsuit, some backstroked across. There were children doing it with fins and swimming devices.

Thank you to everyone who was so supportive of my effort. I never swam that distance before and I was very nervous.  It was a fun morning.  I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. 

Thanks for putting it in the newsletter. Donna

 

A few words from Bob and Valerie

Hi Joe, I hope you and Carol are enjoying the summer and the heat! I was going to write something last month but the newsletter came out a little early!

        Valerie and I enjoyed seeing everyone at the barbeque! Somebody mentioned that it's a shame that our place is so far away or else we could have everyone over for a barbeque. It got me to thinking about that and if their is an interest we could have a barbeque maybe in August. It's about 2 hours and 15 minutes away without traffic. We could have it on a Saturday and people could stay over night and go back on Sunday. The only problem is we only have 2 bedrooms but there is a Hampton House and a Country Inn Suites within 4 miles. You could make it a summer weekend get away. We have plenty of room to play volley ball, horse shoes, throw a ball around or play my pitch and putt course. That night you could go to a drive in movie. Sunday morning Valerie and I enjoy going to the Jim Thorpe Inn for an all you can eat breakfast buffet for $5.95. After breakfast you can try white water rafting or hiking at Bushkill Falls. If anyone is interested in doing this let me know. I was thinking of next year not this year.

     Valerie and I went to Rick Kyung's house last month for his daughter Amanda’s 1st birthday. We pulled up in front of the house and got a kick out of seeing Rick weeding in the garden. His house was very large and beautiful! We had a very nice time eating a lot of good Korean food and talking to Rick’s friends and family. His daughter Amanda is very cute and precious. Andrew who is two now, is a little mischievous but adorable. We finally got to meet Rick’s wife who was very nice and made us feel comfortable. Rick said he had run a race that morning I'm not sure either a 5k or 10k. It was a fun day and hopefully we'll get together again some time. 

Nightmare on Glen Cove

Valerie and I attended my God Daughters wedding on Friday August 12th. She recommended staying at the Harrison Conference Center in Glen Cove which was close to her reception at San Soucis in Sea Cliff. I met a bunch of my buddies for breakfast at the Valbrook Diner. I dropped Valerie off at a doctor’s office in Flushing that she does billing work for. I squeezed in an appointment with my doctor for a physical. I drove to pick Valerie up and we drove to the Harrison Conference Center. It was beautiful, tennis courts all over the place and the grounds were very well taken care of. The place looked like a mansion from outside and very nice inside. I wanted to get a swim in before we had to leave for the church. I had 30 minutes which was nice but I wish I could've spent some time in the whirlpool. The pool is open from 6:00 A.M. until 10:00 P.M. I'm an early riser and I'll go for a swim at 6:00 A.M. tomorrow. We drove to the church in Bellerose and had just enough time to change and go to San Souci. The place was nice but a little crowded. We had a cocktail hour outside which was nice but very hot and no breeze. Inside you could hardly move because it's not a very large area. You shouldn't exceed 175 people and I think she had 200. While eating I'm noticing constant lights flashing outside. Is it lightning or is it a reflection from the lights on the dance floor? We never heard any thunder or saw any rain but people that went out for a smoke said it was really lightening outside. We left at 12:15 A.M. and as we got to the street to turn left noticed several trees down and the road closed. The police told us another way to get to the hotel. I parked the car and realized it was pitch black around and in the hotel. We walked inside and were told there was no power since 9:30 P.M. They said lightening hit their back up generator. We got some water and talked to some people from the wedding. It was very hot inside and you needed a flashlight to see where you were going. The bride and groom arrived to find out their first night together wasn't what they expected and left. Valerie and I had unpacked everything and decided to stay. I turned the air on high when we left so the room was still somewhat cool. It got hot by morning and I was at the pool at 6:05 A.M. to learn that the pool wouldn't be open until the power came back. I went back to the room and tried to turn the TV on and watch sports center and then realized how foolish that was. Went into the bathroom and hit the light switch just hoping it came back at that second. We were going to stay for 2 days but nobody had any idea when the power would be back. They said it was like a tornado went through an area of about a mile. We saw trees on houses and cars as we left. I guess things like this make life interesting. I thought you guys might enjoy hearing about this!   Bob and Valerie

 

 

Race Results

LIRRC Summer Series 5K - 8/10

Ed Pettinato 27:32,   Joe Tito 3rd 28:57,     Rochelle Holden 3rd 31:17,  Donna Hahl 33:07

LIRRC Summer Series 5K - 8/17

Ed Pettinato 27:55,   Joe Tito 2nd 28:42,    Rochelle Holden 30:32

Manhattan Half Marathon

Jon Falk 1:39:48       Donna Hahl    2:44:33,          Rochelle Holden    2:58:39

  

Upcoming Races 

Sat, Sept 10    Gary Farley Memorial 5k                     Cedar Creek Park                   8:30

Sat, Sept 17    Cow Harbor                                         Northport                                 8:30

Sun, Sept. 25  Ocean-To-Sound                                Start at Jones Beach              8:00

Sat. Oct 1        Great South Bay ½ Marathon, 10 & 5K  - Bay Shore                         8:30

Sat, Nov 5       Rockville Ctr 10k                                 Rockville Ctr                            10:00

Sun, Nov 20    Mineola Mustang 5k                            Mineola                                    10:00

Sun. Nov 27    Rob’s Run                                           Syosset                                   9:15

Sat. Dec          Snowball 5M                                        Wantagh                                 8:00

Sat. Dec 17     Ho Ho Ho Run 5k                                Bethpage HS                           9:00