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
August Club Gathering
We will once again gather at the Red Elephant Pizza and Grill
on August 12th. Our area is reserved for us at 6:30 p.m. for
those interested in happy hour and the pizzas will come out around
7. Hope to see many of you there.
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.
Letter of Appreciation from Kaylee
Cashman

A Not So Fine Run by Rob Mason
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.
Legal assistance provided
to Lakeland Runners Club Inc by Wendell & Chritton, Chartered. |