LRC Newsletter August 2010

Message From LRC President - The family and I took a trip to Atlanta over the July 4th weekend to see some old friends and for me to run the AJC Peachtree 10K. This and the Bolder Boulder 10K in Colorado are two races I have always wanted to run and I just happened to be in Atlanta back when the applications for the last 10,000 spots were in the paper, so I sent one in and got accepted for the race. The qualifying time I submitted put me in the sub-seeded start wave right behind the elite and seeded runners. I was a little over 50 feet from the start line with an absolute sea of humanity behind me. The Peachtree 10K is the single largest race in the country with 50,912 finishers this year. We started at 7:30am and waves went off every 5 minutes with the last wave starting at 9:05. We had great weather with start time temperatures in the mid to high 60s. I finished 784th overall in a time of 42:17. It was 21 seconds slower than I wanted to run it, but I had such a good time that I did not mind coming up a little short of my goal. Between the race and the great time we had with friends, I think the Graydon family may have found a new July 4th tradition. Just to make sure, I became a member of the Atlanta Track Club so that I can get an opportunity at an early entry spot next year. If you want the feel of a big city marathon, but want to run 20 miles less, then this is the race for you.

The summer heat is upon us but it is great to still see so many of you out logging your miles and getting ready for those upcoming fall races. Be sure to stay hydrated out there and I highly recommend a pair of Stuff-It shoe savers to keep those sweaty running shoes from stinking up your house. If your spouse is like mine, stinky shoes in the closet are not an option.

Happy Running, Bryan Graydon

July Board Meeting Notes
The July Board meeting of the Lakeland Runners Club (LRC) was convened by President Bryan Graydon at 6:20 p.m. on Monday, July 12th at the Lakeland Family YMCA. Board members present were Dr. Robert Scott, Eric Dickinson, Dave Quarles, Joe Del Valle, Bob English, Rhonda Fosser, Marc Zimmerman, Bob Harter, Julie Ball, Louis Irwin, Bryan Graydon and Nick Sudzina. Other persons present were Gail Hardy and Kim Roberts.

Bryan opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and informing the board about the email he received from the Little Incredibles Track Club. The club is asking for donations from the community to help underwrite their expenses to the national championship event in Norfolk, VA. The club considered the financial assistance previously provided the club earlier this year and discussed the matter. Then a motion was made and approved to provide additional financial assistance to the club, not to exceed $500.00.

Bryan called upon Nick Sudzina to discuss a slate of possible speakers in the event the club wanted to depart from its regular monthly meetings at the Red Elephant. Possible speakers included Will Strouse and representatives from the Little Incredibles Track Club. Dave Quarles also mentioned that Bill Cashman is willing to speak at a future club meeting. The club discussed the concept of switching to a speaker or presentation of some sort each quarter. This concept was approved and Will Strouse will be asked to make a presentation at the regular monthly meeting in September. The next speaker will be asked to come to the club meeting in January.

Bryan discussed the proposal from the Red Elephant by which they would donate 15% of their proceeds from the club expenditures at the monthly meetings to some worthwhile cause. A part of this donation could be used to help with expenses from the Watermelon Series of races since it is expected that the cost of those events will rise next year.

Dave mentioned some of the logistical issues involving the Watermelon races and some of the decisions that will have to be made for next year's races. These involve where the races will start and finish, an increase in the registration fee and the use of a chip timing system.

Bryan proposed a race schedule for consideration by the board. After discussion, it was decided that these races would be posted by the club on the LRC website, but that the races sponsored by LRC would be listed first and the other area races would then be listed.

The LRC Scholarship Criteria was discussed next. The terms contained in the Polk Education Foundation were handed out to the board members and the club decided it wanted to name the scholarship the "Lakeland Runners Club Scholarship." The amount to be given will be determined at a later date. The students receiving the awards must be a member of the track or cross country team at their school for one or two years or there must be some indication from a school official that the student participated in one of these sports at the school. The students must also have a 3.0 GPA. The PEF would screen the applicants and the club will select the award recipients.

Julie Ball gave the Treasurer's Report to the board, including the list of expenditures and revenue received. There was a side-by-side comparison between the races held in 2009 and 2010 and how the club fared on each of those. The club is in very sound financial condition and Julie was recognized for her tireless work as Treasurer and for the club in general. The board approved the Treasurer's Report as given.

The next item discussed was an LRC Holiday Party in the month of December. Julie had already checked with some possible venues for the party and the board discussed prices and whether or not the event should be formal. Several additional locations were discussed and Julie will check their availability and price structure. Further discussion will be had at the August board meeting.

It was announced that the next board meeting will be on Monday, August 9th and the next club meeting will be on Thursday, August 12th at the Red Elephant.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Nick Sudzina, Secretary, LRC, Inc.

---

Rob Mason, running in Gasworks Park with Seattle & the Space Needle in View

When Linda and I made plans to visit her daughter in Seattle at the beginning of July, we wanted to find a race to do on the 4th. What we found was the Club Northwest Runners Firecracker 5000 in downtown Seattle. After arriving in Seattle on June 29, we were enjoying to cooler temperatures, doing a little running, and walking many miles sightseeing. The day before the race, I was at the Planet of the Ales International Beerfest at Seattle Center, where the race was to be held the next night. Due to the race, I limited my consumption, but there were 140 different ones to try.

July 3rd, we drove up to Whidbey Island, toured a lighthouse, rode a jet boat through Deception Pass, ate salmon at a tribal casino, and watched folks in the Fremont district of Seattle try to break the Guinness record for the number of people dressed as zombies march down the sidewalks, before taking a brief rest and heading to the race.

The race was to start at 11:55 p.m., so we'd all run into the 4th. We were all in a stadium near the Space Needle in Seattle Center. Someone from Northwest Runners was announcing that he had ribbons and results from last year's race for anyone who didn't pick it up the year before. I decided I go and find out what kind of times were run in my age group in '09. As I approached, I noticed trophies, which I learned were for the top 3 male and females. They were mismatched and I assumed recycled. Upon inquiring, I found that third had been in the 25-minute range, so I thought I had a chance. Then I saw the ribbons, much like what we give for fun runs. I asked what charity the proceeds were for and was told they were for the club. I couldn't believe it. Here they had a record crowd of 1,200 runners who they were giving recycled trophies and nickel ribbons.

As we lined up for the start, we were informed the course was 60 meters long because the police wanted the start moved off the street and into the stadium. Oh well, we all had to deal with it. The temperatures were in the low 50s. I actually had a jacket on until just before the start and did wear a shirt.

The course followed city streets around Seattle Center. The first circuit was 2 miles with downhills and uphills to deal with. The second loop was a mile. Through much of both loops, the Space Needle was visible in the midnight sky. I finished in 25:34. When I checked the results, third was 25:12. I was 5th of 17 in the 60-64. Linda finished around 46 minutes, none the worse for wear, despite all the walking we'd done in the previous days. Refreshments were water, donuts, and bananas.

My lasting impression was one of pleasure with the temperatures and the new course and disappointment with the awards and refreshments. I wondered if all of their club runs are done that way. And it made me appreciate all the more how we do our races here in Florida.

Upcoming Races
• August 4, 7:30 a.m. - Track Shack Celebrations of Running; 5K; Orlando; 407-898-1313.
• August 14, 7:30 a.m. - Track Shack Celebration of Running; 5K; Orlando Science Center, Orlando; 407-898-1160.
• August 15, 7:30 a.m. - Run For Pizza Football Kick-Off Run; 5K; Melbourne; 321-751-8890.
• August 20, 7 p.m. - Hit The Trails Cross Country Run; 5K; FishHawk Fellowship Church, Lithia; $12; /$15 race day; refreshments; 813-681-6141.
• August 21, 7 a.m. - Summer Sunrise Watermelon Race Series #4; 5K; Lake Hollingsworth, Lakeland; $5 for a single race; refreshments; 863-682-6200.
• August 22, 7:30 a.m. - Ace of Diamonds Run; 5K; Del Oro Park, Clearwater; $20 until Aug. 9/ $22 Aug. 10 to 15/$25 late; Tech Shirt if registered by Aug. 9; refreshments; 727-736-8232.
• August 27, 7 p.m. - St. Pete Beach Series #3; 5K; Sirata Beach Resort, St. Petersburg Beach; $15 until Aug. 20/$20 late; refreshments and door prizes; 727-360-9213.
• August 28, 7:30 a.m. - Dr. Tom McDonald Caladium Run; 5K; Lake Placid Christian School, Lake Placid; $15/$20 race day; T-shirt to first 200 registered; 863-465-2742.
• August 28, 7:30 a.m. - All Out Run, Walk, or Crawl Out II; 5K; Lake Park, Lutz; $20 until Aug. 15/$25 late; T-shirt to first 300 registered; 813-908-1960.

Training Opportunities
Note: All of these workouts are open to everybody. There are various paces at every outing.

Tuesday 6 p.m. track workouts; at the Lakeland High track; email DAVEANDCOOKIEQ@aol.com for location.
Thursday 6 p.m., hill workouts; at FSC Auditorium parking on Johnson.
Saturday, 6 a.m., long runs, Yacht Club parking lot, Lake Hollingsworth, contact Jay Dixon at jdixon54@tampabay.rr.com.
Sunday 6 a.m., long runs of 2.8, 5, 6.1, 9.7, 10.5, or 11.4 miles; Yacht Club parking lot, Lake Hollingsworth.
Tuesday and Thursday 5:30 a.m., First Presbyterian Church on Lake Hollingsworth. Tuesday is speed work and Thursday is tempo runs. This group is made up of intermediate and advanced runners. If you can run a 5K in 26 minutes or less, you'll feel right at home. For more information on this group, contact John Hodgkinson at jhgaleforce@aol.com.
Here's the drill for the next few Tuesdays:
7/27 - 6 x 1/2 mile repeats on Hollingsworth
8/3 - Hollingsworth hills
8/10 - Johnson Ladder
8/17 - On/Off 200's - This workout will teach you pacing, and help you learn to surge like you'd do in a race. This is where you'll use your mile time. On LHS track run 200 at your 1 mile pace plus 10 seconds, then 200 at your mile pace. Repeat without rest other than the 10 second slower effort. A total of 8 laps (2 miles) without stopping.
8/24 - Plyometrics
8/31 - 400/400/800/1200/800/400/400 ladder on Hollingsworth
9/7 - 1 minute on/off x 20 on Hollingsworth
9/14 - "Mile Down" workout at LHS
9/21 - 10 x 1/4 on Hollingsworth
9/28 - 1 mile time trial plus 4 x 1/2 mile on Hollingsworth

Lakeland Runners Club Inc. Mission Statement:: To promote running and fitness for runners of all ages and abilities in the community through fellowship, education and formal & informal running events. Monthly meetings are open to all Lakeland Runners Club members and guests. Our meetings are held on the second Thursday evening of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Youth and Family Center of the Lakeland YMCA, Cleveland Heights Blvd., Lakeland. Informative speakers provide excellent information on an enhancing your running. Food and beverages are provided.