Fartlek
THE
NEWLSETTER OF THE WEST CHESTER RUNNING CLUB
Volume 1, Issue 2 October, 2001
By Bill Dawson The Labor Day “End of Summer 8K” went off without a hitch,
and I couldn’t have been more pleased.
While we weren’t overrun with competitors, those that did
participate enjoyed the course, had high marks for the organization, and
got a fair amount of good food afterwards.
It was just as advertised, a safe, well-organized, low-key race, at
very little cost ($5 for non-members and $0 for members). And the beauty of it from my point of
view was that just two club members, co-race directors Kevin Miller and Bob
Ricks, conceived of, organized and carried it out virtually on their
own. They stepped up, said they
were going to put on a race, and got it done. That kind of lightening really can strike twice (or three or
four times). The officers are more
than happy to help, so if someone out there would like to put on an event,
they shouldn’t be shy about bringing it up in a meeting or just a casual
conversation. We’ve had
some really good things happen over the last nine or ten months: Two successful racing days (Labor Day
and the Kids’ Day at the Races); a great tailgate party after the Broad
Street Run; our local Kenyans cooking ugali at a general meeting, plus
speakers Ken Glah and Dr. Bob Rimkis sharing their expertise with anyone
that cared to come and listen. The
club workouts have expanded so that there is a place to run with a group at
least four days a week, and I know that individuals are hooking up for
training runs as the fall marathon season closes in on us. The connection with the Chester County
Running Store can’t be overstated, with discounts for all members and
friends waiting on you as you look for running-related gear to suit your
needs. By and
large, we should be pretty pleased with ourselves. There are things that
clearly need improvement, and we’re working on them. We hope the club is meeting your
needs. WCRC Profile of the Month By Kris Laubenstein Can you believe we have over
one hundred members? I can remember
when we started the club under one year ago and had fifteen members, and
everyone knew everyone. Jack, Gene,
Dan, Mary, and _____ , you guys were among the originals. Now that we have such a large group of
people running from WCU and the Chester County Running Store it is hard to
keep track of everyone. Therefore,
we have decided to have a Profile-Of-The-Month on the web site to let us
know ourselves a little better. Here
is how it is done. Each month the
members will have the opportunity to submit a member he or she feels has an
interesting profile. The officers
will then read the submitted recommendations and vote on the best
candidate. The recommended runner
will then be sent a profile sheet in the mail. They will return the profile sheet and it will be put up on
the web site. The idea is for us to
learn more things about each other.
We are all unique and have great stories beyond our running
lives. Look for the Profile
–Of-The–Month on the web site. This month we profile Bob Ricks. Why did you join the WCRC? -
Someone to run with. Chocolate or Vanilla? -
Edys triple chocolate Who is your Hero? -
My Dad The shore or mountains? - Mountains My fantasy occupation would be? - Golf club pro, or movie critic What is the thing in you life that you are most proud
of? - Shaping up/ losing weight/returning to
running Boxers or Briefs? - Briefs (bikini) What is your favorite place to run? - Swarthmore College area Favorite Quote - What ever doesn’t kill me makes me
stronger!
The President’s Corner
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Top Ten Ways to Get Through
the Late Fall/Early Winter Running Blues
10. Have a goal for the winter. It can be a race or just to keep some weight off. A goal helps you keep your focus.
9. Drink darker beer after your runs. The nutritional advantages of this are well-documented.
8. Take a full week off. It’s nice to take a little break to refresh yourself. When the weather gets cold and the days get short, a little break might be the thing you need to keep you going.
7. Dress properly for the weather. Over or under-dressing can be a killer in the winter.
6. Be safe! Run routes that are relatively traffic-free or that have sidewalks.
5. Try to get on a soft surface on the weekends when you have some light. It’s hard in the winter when everything is frozen, but it will really give your legs a break from running on hard surfaces.
4. Run a couple of races. Races give you some immediate feedback on your training and can help keep you motivated.
3. Start a strengthening program. With no super important races in the winter, this is a good time to work on your total body fitness. It can be as simple as doing pushups and situps or as complex as joining a gym and getting on a lifting program.
2. Run when it’s snowing. During a snowstorm is a great time to run. Traffic is usually a little lighter and everything looks pretty. It’s also a nice soft surfce. The bigger the storm, the better the run.
1. Run with a group! The group camaraderie helps to keep you motivated and helps the run go faster. If you haven’t been out for a run, now is the time to start. We have a wide range of people coming to the runs from walkers to joggers to slow runners to faster runners.
Good luck getting through the shorter days of fall and winter. We’ll look for you at some of the runs.
Kevin Kelly
Date Race Contact
# 10/13 Harvest Run 5k/10k in Avon Grove 610-932-7209 10/13 Run
for Katie 5k in Downingtown 610-518-7451 10/14 Delaware Distance Classic 15k in
Wilm. 302-798-4179 10/14 Crozier-Keystone Physical Therapy 5k
in Upland 610-447-2757 10/14 Radnor Hunt Country Chase 5k 610-876-4471 10/14 Dasher’s Run 5k in Lower Merion 610-525-4494 10/14 Read, Write, Run 5 miles in Rosemont 856-468-0010 10/20 Covered Bridge Classic 5k/10 mi in Atglen 610-593-6538 10/20 Baltimore
Marathon/5k 410-377-8006 10/20 Backstage Café 5k in Wilmington 302-654-6400 10/21 12th Women’s Race Against
Breast Cancer 5k in Wilmington 302-654-6400 10/21 Philly Boxer’s Run 5k/10k 215-7
22-6558 10/21 Bowtree Run 5k in WC 610-696-1739 10/21 Subaru XC 5K in Wilm. 267-625-3903 10/21 Olympiad Run 5k in WC 610-836-5990 10/27 St Mary Magdalene School 5k in Wilm. 302-654-6400 10/27 Smith-McMillan Run 5k in Wilm. 302-654-6400 10/27 David
J Good Memorial 5k in Lionville 610-363-9450 10/28 Radnor Run 5 miles 610-941-9595 10/28 NE Roadrunners 25k in Philly 215-289-6285 10/28 Lupus Loop 5 miles in Philly 215-877-9061 10/28 Evansburg Challenge-10 mile Trail Run Collegeville
610-631-1009 10/28 DuPont Hosp 5k in Wilm. 302-654-6400 10/28 Red Ribbon Kid’s Against Drugs 5k in
Wilm.
302-658-7617 10/28 DCCC Challenge 5k in Media 610-359-5354 11/3 Toys for Tots 5k in Wilm. 302-654-6400 11/4 Read & Run 5 miler in Malvern 610-644-7259 11/10 Arby’s Run for Kid’s Sake 5k in Wilm 302-654-6400 11/10 Penn Wynne Library Run 5k in
Wynnewood 610-645-5349 11/11 Ruggiero
Orthopaedics 5k Race against Arthritis in Paoli 610-644-6073 11/11 World Run Day 5k in Philly 215-361-1888 11/11 Smiles for Miles-5Miles in Philly 856-468-0010 11/17 Turkey Trot 10k/5k in Newark, DE 302-366-7036 11/18 Philly Mar/8k 215-685-0054 11/18 Vertical Challenge Tri/Biathlon in
Wilm. 302-655-7258 11/22 Brandywine
YMCA Turkey Trot 5k in Downingtown
610-518-7451 11/22 PNC Bank Run/Walk for MS 5k/10k in
Wilm.
302-655-5610 11/22 Fairmont Park Turkey Trot 5 miler 215-685-0060 11/24 Delaware XC Champs 5k 302-892-2829 11/24 Devon Prep Challenge 5k 610-892-0843 11/25 Padua Turkey Burner 5k in Wilm. 302-654-6400 12/1 Great Valley Marathon in
Chambersburg 717-261-9504 12/2 Brian’s
Run 5k/10k in WC 610-436-1000 12/8 WCRC
Birthday Race 5k/1 mile in Downingtown 610-518-7451 12/9 Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis 5k in
Manayunk 800-355-9040 12/16 Xmas is for Giving 5k in Philly 215-289-6285 12/31 Cingular Race Against Time 5k in
Wilm. 302-654-6400 *Make sure you call to verify race info.. *Bold type
races are club favorites!
*If you haven’t been receiving weekly e-mail updates, that means that
we don’t have your correct e-mail address. Please contact Kevin
@Kkellyrun@aol.com ASAP.
The Meaning of Time
By Mike Bandru
The 1998 Philadelphia Distance run half marathon would prove to be one of the hottest ever. The competition was hot but the temperature was even hotter with temperatures approaching record-breaking highs. All of the local meteorologists were talking about breaking an over one-hundred-year-old record of 90 degrees for the day. After a short warm up, I found as quite a corner as I could, stretched and attempted to relax while waiting for the starter’s horn. The horn sounded and we were off.
With some changes to the course, it took much longer for the field to thin out and the jostling to decrease to a tolerable level. A little after the 2-mile mark we broke onto the wider and less congested Ben Franklin parkway. After mile 4 the heat started to slow everybody. Goals were changing all around to “I just want to finish this race.” In my 6 previous finishes of this race, I have never witnessed so many people walking and stopping for rest after only the first 10k.
Mile 12 is a gradual uphill at the Philadelphia Art Museum. It is not unusual to see people walking when it comes to the Art Museum hill but on this day the number of people walking was five times the usual. A number of runners were leaving the course for the respite of the shade and the soft grass. I was watching one of these runners closely. He looked just a little unsteady and I felt a little relief when he left the road for the shade. He looked to be a very fit young man in maybe his late 20’,s or early 30’s. As I passed him, he collapsed to the grass. I made a quick turn towards the collapsed and now unconscious runner. He was not sweating and was very pale. Another runner, I later learned his name was Tom, and I placed the fallen racer in the shade and elevated his legs onto my shoulder as I kneeled in the grass. We started calling, for water to douse Li, I can only remember his first name from his race bib. More runners stopped and helped with calling for more water or anything that was cold to try and bring Li’s body temperature down. He had an elevated-thready pulse between 160 and 190-beats-per-minute and he was not responding to any stimuli.
Another runner stopped and identified herself as a doctor. Then, the 2 runners who stopped earlier stated they to were doctors and I identified myself as a nurse. With this, the gathering crowd to backed off a bit. I spotted a police officer driving by and let out as loud a yell as I could. The officer stopped. We identified ourselves as medical professionals and told him to contact paramedics, get ice and water ASAP.
Passing runners were tossing bottles of water, Gatorade and any liquid they had. Most were carrying drinks from the start of the race to ward off dehydration. They had no ideal they would end up helping in a race to save a fellow runner’s life.
Finally, after about 20 minutes, the Philadelphia fire department’s rescue squad arrived. Li finally opened his eyes but he was still very much out of it. The ambulance crew administered oxygen to Li and we lifted him onto a stretcher. He was placed in the rescue vehicle and away he went to a nearby hospital and hopefully on to many more days. We all looked at each other and then jumped back into the race. I ran with Tom and we exchanged our hopes and were convinced that Li would soon be ready to run his next race.
I finished in around 2 hours and 3 minutes, and was more elated than I had been after any race I had previously completed, including my first marathon. I have no idea how things turned out for Li or my fellow good samaritans but after more than two years, the goose bumps appear each time I recount my most memorable race in 11 years of running. On this day, I realized that your finish time does not mean as much as how you finish…
A
Few Words from the Club Officers…… At times it
is hard to believe that is has almost been a year since we started the West
Chester Running Club. It all began
on a Thursday night at the Kelly’s house and it went something like
this: “ O.K. Bill, you are going to be the president
because you are social and like to talk to everyone. Jason, you are organized and a business
major so that makes you the treasurer.
Ann, you think you are organized so you can be the secretary, and
Kris that means you get to be vice-president. Kevin, we will name you club coach. We need shirts and a banner by Brian’s Run to start
recruiting people!” Look at us
now! We are 120 members strong and
growing each month. It is very
exciting to see the group runs (especially the Thurs. workouts) grow each
week. We are happy to have members really become active in
the club sharing their ideas and helping the club expand beyond training
runs and workouts. Going to races
together and celebrating afterwards has been great also. We have seen so many people set pr’s and set new goals for
themselves in the club and when they do it, we feel almost as thrilled as
they are. We have been motivated by
so many of the members. What we
need now is to continue working as a club, especially through these winter
months. Get out there one night a
week and try to make at least one Saturday a month. If you have an idea- share it! Our first year as the West Chester
Running Club has been great but let’s make the second year even better! We look forward to seeing everyone in the upcoming
months, and thanks again for being a part of the club. Bill Dawson, Kris Laubenstein Jason Britton, Kevin Kelly Ann Marie Kelly
The newsletter
was compiled by Ann Marie and Kevin Kelly.
We welcome and encourage contributions from club
members. Please send your stories,
cartoons, poems, whatever to kkellyrun@aol.com. Thanks!