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Did you watch the entire – well, of what NBC showed – Men’s Olympic Marathon last Saturday night? What a treat! Much like the women’s marathon a week earlier, many of the runners behind Kenya’s Sammy Wanjiru wondered how long he was going to be able to continue to have a commanding lead over the majority of the field, including Americans Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall. But unlike what took place with Romania’s Constantina Tomescu, the weather conditions last Saturday were much more demanding than those a week before.
For many of us non-professionals, we wonder – while out on the course -- if the winner has already had a chance to get a shower, grab a beer and maybe even had some … porridge (like Wanjiru was going to get from his wife when he returned to Kenya). If you don’t believe us, we’ll provide you the link!
So what are we noble runners to do? What inspiration do we draw on to press on in the toughest of conditions? Our faith? Our inner strength? Knowing that others before us have done the tough events and the tough races? Perhaps.
We may never run on the same stopwatch as an Olympian, but we can certainly have the heart of one (and let nobody take away the joy that we get from the sports that we do have an opportunity to compete in – regardless of what the clock says.)
We’re certain that Coach Green will share with us some techniques and thoughts -- at the club membership meeting on the 14th of next month -- that will help to inspire us in whatever our own next great accomplishment – to ourselves - may be.
Until then, be safe this weekend with Gustav brewing in the Gulf and compete (or train) well wherever you’ll be!
THIS WEEK’S RUNNING SAFETY TIP (Courtesy of the RRCA)
1. Don’t wear headphones. Use your ears to be aware of your surroundings. Your ears may help you avoid dangers your eyes may miss during evening or early morning runs.
THIS WEEKEND’S TRAINING RUNS
Saturday, August 30 (Trail) -- Jones State Park, meet at 242 & Greenbridge by 6:30 a.m. Run by 6:45 a.m. (See Trail Runs below)
Sunday, August 31 (Road) – Starbucks/Sterling, 6:45 a.m. for all distances but 15 miles, 6 a.m. for the 15-miler, 8, 12 & 15 miles
THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAYS
Susan Meyer (August 29), Ann Leoni (August 29), Kristin Collins (August 30), Jim Braden (August 31), Pam Liska (August 31), Sharon Morin (September 1), Alex Peralta (September 2)
LAST WEEKEND’S RACE RESULTS
Edmond Memorial HS Varsity-Alumni Race (3 miles)
Edmond, OK, August 23, 2008
Dave Smart (Class of ’79) – 23:19
Clear Lake International Triathlon (1000m swim, 16.4-mile bike, 10k run)
Clear Lake, TX, August 23, 2008
Dana Lyons – 1:43:38 1st AG; 4th overall, Susan Rouse – 2:16:05 2nd AG
Run The Woodlands 5K #207
The Woodlands, TX, August 23, 2008
Mike Attanucci – 20:43, Vincent Attanucci – 21:33, Evan Guy – 22:22, Tom Sherwood – 22:57, Tom McHale – 24:48, Richard McQuaide – 25:13, Wayne Rutledge – 25:44, Tracy MacEwan – 27:00, Justin MacEwan – 27:31, Jon Walk – 31:15
Run With The Bulls 5K
Oklahoma City, OK, August 23, 2008
Ken Hardwick – 20:49 3rd AG
Green River Chamber of Commerce Run With The Horses Marathon
Green River, WY, August 23, 2008
Lou Wilson – 6:32:42 2nd AG
(The altitude agreed with Lou much better this year as he slashed his time from 7:29:32.)
The Hottest Half Marathon
Winfrey Point, White Rock Lake, Dallas, TX; August 24, 2008
Jon Walk – 2:43:07
(The heat though didn’t agree with Jon; nor did the registration folks – they listed him as Jen!)
We didn’t miss any running results this time! But … if we really did miss your result, please e-mail us at bdwyer2@comcast.net. Additionally, if you run at an out-of-town race, also drop us a line so we can include your result.
Trivia Question: In this month’s Running Times, there’s a chorus of articles on the renaissance of high school running. (Heck, Coach Green may coach until he’s Joe Paterno’s age. That’s 81 as of Saturday’s opener at Penn State.) On page 39, they list the top ranked miler and two-miler from each year since 1959. The two-mile list is littered with legends - Gerry Lindgren (1964), Steve Prefontaine (1969), Craig Virgin (1973), Meb Keflezighi (1994), Dathan Ritzenhein (2000) – and recent stars such as A.J. Acosta (2006), Matt Centrowitz, Jr. (2007) and German Fernandez (2008). Which McCullough/TWHS runner of Coach Green shares company with these greats?
*** Two Weeks to the Membership Social … Next Item Up! ***
*** Four Weeks to HARRA Cross Country Relay …. See Below! ***
Membership Social: The club will have its third general membership meeting on Sunday, September 14 and our own Coach Green will be our featured speaker offering tips on successful marathon training. President Tony Allison advises that at least one order of business will be conducted at the meeting and that will be to vote on an amendment to the By-Laws that would authorize the board to elect up to two additional board members in addition to the coaches’ representative. These additional board members would have limited voting power, but would serve as critical resources for the club as it continues to grow in numbers and activities. Meeting details, including time and location, will be announced shortly.
Enjoying eDeerTracks?: We hope you are. It is a new member benefit to your TWRC membership. The TWRC membership year, of course, started on Tuesday, July 1 and corresponds with the Houston Area Road Runners Association (HARRA) membership year. TWRC memberships are one-year memberships that expire on June 30. Annual dues are $20 for an individual and $25 for a family. A membership application can be found on page 2 of the most recent August 2008 edition of “Deer Tracks” that can be found on the club website underneath the “Newsletters” tab at http://www.thewoodlandsrunningclub.org/. Don’t run the risk of missing out on this weekly source of information … besides belonging to a group of pretty cool people!
Long Runs?: You bet, TWRC has them! JoAnn Blakeley graciously coordinates these and they’re typically early on Sunday mornings and at a location to satisfy that caffeine fix after the run. If you have a question about the long runs, please e-mail JoAnn at joann_blakeley@sbcglobal.net. September’s list will be available in next Friday’s eDeerTracks! (Thanks, JoAnn!):
Trail Runs: Susie Schreiber usually gathers a group together every Sunday morning. Her weekly reminder e-mail that announces the meeting location and time and where the group will usually goes out on Thursday evenings or during the day on Fridays. Most weeks, the group gathers at the Exxon station on Greenbridge & 242 to run at Jones State Park. To get on Susie’s trail runners e-mail, please contact her at susieschreiber@lukeslocker.com. (For club members that have been on Susie’s e-mail list for both Luke’s Locker in general and her separate trail runners list, please resend your e-mail to Susie as the store’s ISP replaced their servers, which includes their e-mail address database.)
Last Chance For Full Refund: Surely TWRC didn’t have any Chevron Houston Marathon or Aramco Half Marathon race entry speculators … but if you just don’t have the gumption to run it now or for some reason can’t, and you – and your closest friend who wants to run it – don’t want to donate another $40 in transfer fees, you can get ALL of your money back as long as you do it before the end of day, Sunday, August 31.
Join HARRA: TWRC will attempt this year to field more competitive teams in HARRA’s Fall Series of races (see below). For the club to score points in the inner-club competition, members have to also be HARRA members. More information can be found in the May and June editions of “Deer Tracks”. There is a paper membership application on page 4 of the May 2008 edition of “Deer Tracks” and online membership can be accomplished at http://www.harra.org/.
HARRA Fall Series:
Sep. 27 (Sat) Tornados Cross Country Relay (4 runners; 2 miles each); Houston, 5:00 p.m.
Oct. 12 (Sun) United Space Alliance 10-Miler; Clear Lake, 7:00 a.m.
Oct. 26 (Sun) Koala Health & Wellness Centers / Luke’s Locker Houston Half Marathon; Houston, 7:00 a.m.
Nov. 9 (Sun) HMSA Classical 25K; Houston, 7:00 a.m.
Dec. 14 (Sun) Sugar Land Lakes of Williams Ranch 30K; Sugar Land, 7:00 a.m.
XC Relay, Four Weeks Away!: Stephen Smith, our TWRC Team Racing Coordinator, reports that the first event of the Fall HARRA team competition series is the Cross Country team race at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 27 along the sides of Buffalo Bayou near Memorial Dr and Shepherd. This race is run as four person teams. The teams compete in the following categories: Open Male, Open Female, Masters Male (all 40+), Masters Female, Mixed Open (2 male+2 female). Mixed Masters (2+2), Senior Male (all 50+), Senior Female, Veteran Male (all 60+), Veteran Female.
For more information on the race, you can check out the website at: http://www.tornadosrunningclub.com/XC2007/index.html
You can also find photos of the race from last year at: http://www.tornadosrunningclub.com/XC2007/images/XCRelayAlbum/index.htm
Since the teams need to register as a team, I will be happy to assist in helping put together the groups of four. Or you can put together your own team and keep me out of the loop. If you want my help, just send me an email expressing your interest. I will then *try* to put you in contact with three others, but please remember that I cannot manufacture runners if I end up with an odd number. For the teams that are formed, it will then be up to the four of you to register and arrange to get to the race on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept 27.
(Stephen forgot to mention that one of the benefits of this race is that the Tornados bring free beer for the end of the race! Additionally, while all members of the team need to be a HARRA member before the start of the race for TWRC to score HARRA Club and Team points, you do not HAVE to be a member of HARRA to run this race. TWRC’s target should be ten (10) teams. This is what the Bay Area Running Club brought out last year.)
Montgomery County Triple: The Fall ’08 version is once again taking shape! Its creators – Friends of the Running Community - are hoping that the turnout for the third annual Runfest will be greater than the first two years. The City of Conroe has announced its 4th annual Turkey Trot 5K to once again be the day after Thanksgiving – Friday, November 28 - at Conroe’s Carl Barton, Jr. Park. In fact, a few of our members – Joseph Mazone, Jacob Mazone, Mike Mendeck and Stephen Smith – can be seen on the cover of the City of Conroe’s Parks and Recreation Playbook: http://www.cityofconroe.org/images/stories/parks/downloads/playbook.pdf
The third and final race, which also includes the immensely popular Turkey Day classic, “Run Thru The Woods”, will be announced at a later time – and there’s even talk of a Fat Ass 50K, which includes one of old The Woodlands Marathon courses -- on Sunday, November 30. Stay tuned!
For September’s Deer Tracks (Top 5 Races): What are your top five races? Simply list your events out. You can even tell us why. We’d love to have 50 of you respond to add to the already great content that we have planned for September’s edition of “Deer Tracks”. So send us your top five races to bdwyer2@comcast.net.
Want To Run This With Me?: In the face of $4 per gallon of gasoline, this section is for club members to indicate their interest in perhaps getting a group of runners to go run particular races. Our first participant is Najat Shayib, who is looking for other club members that might be interested in going to Austin on Sunday, August 31 to participate in the Human Race 10K or the ROC Fun Run 10K in Kemah on Saturday, September 27.
If you’re interested in doing either one of these events with Najat, please contact Bill Dwyer at bdwyer2@comcast.net and he’ll put you in touch with her or others who express their race interests here.
2008-2009 Texas Marathon Price Tracker (An eDeerTracks exclusive)
Oct. 4 (Sat) – West Texas Crossroads Marathon, Odessa - $70 until race day (NEW)
Oct 18 (Sat) - Marathon 2 Marathon, Alpine - $65 until October 1, 2008
Oct 26 (Sun) – Miracle Match Marathon, Waco - $65 by September 8, 2008
Nov 16 (Sun) – Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon, San Antonio - $95 through August 31, 2008
*Use the code “SOLDOUT” for a $10 discount off of either of their races*
Dec 7 (Sun) – Fiesta Marathon, Hidalgo – $60 through November 1, 2008
Dec 14 (Sun) – Nexbank White Rock Marathon, Dallas - $90 through January 31, 2009
Jan 1 (Thu) – Texas Marathon, Kingwood - $45 through October 2, 2008
Jan 18 (Sun) – Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston (SOLD OUT)
Feb 14 (Sat) – Surfside Beach Marathon, Surfside Beach - $50 early registration is currently in effect
Feb 15 (Sun) – AT&T Austin Marathon, Austin - $100 through September 30, 2008
Feb 28 (Sat) – Cowtown Marathon, Fort Worth - $70 through February 2, 2009
March – El Paso Marathon, El Paso – Registration Not Open
Mar 15 (Sun) – Seabrook Lucky Trail Marathon, Seabrook – Registration Not Open
Apr 5 (Sun) – Big-D Texas Marathon, Dallas - $65 through January 17, 2009
Apr 11 (Sat) – Davy Crockett Bear Chase, Groveton - $45 through September 27, 2008
Courtesy of The Woodlands Running Club
(If you copy and share this with non-members, please including the heading and the courtesy line immediately above.)
Financial Consulting: Because of the current economic conditions, club member (and one of Houston’s faster masters runners) Jacob Mazone has offered TWRC members two (2) hours of complimentary consulting in the areas of retirement planning and investment advice." Jacob’s direct line is (281) 362-4737 or email at jacob.mazone@ms.com.
Next Two Months Local Race Calendar:
Aug. 29 (Fri) Friday Night Lights Open Race; Bear Branch Sports Park; The Woodlands, 6:30 p.m. (If you run this tonight, please send us your time!)
Sep 1 (Mon) Third Annual Woodlands Adventure Race; Rob Fleming Park in Creekside; The Woodlands, $50 early, $75 race day, 8:00 a.m.
*If you choose to do this event, please list club member Audrey Manchester’s name on the Entry Form as she is a member of The Woodlands High School Triathlon Team. Each team member is attempting to recruit three teams to the event to help cover the cost of the team’s jerseys.*
The Third Annual Woodlands Adventure Race will start from the jewel park of The Woodlands: Rob Fleming Park in Creekside. The Woodlands High School Triathlon Team (22 students from both College Park and The Woodlands) will host this event with new challenges in navigating, trail running and team planning to execute the perfect race! An 8 a.m. start will send off teams all through Creekside Park. Families again with members as young as age 10 will be allowed to participate. Early mail-in registration as well as race day registration beginning at 7 a.m. will exist again this year.
Sandra Sutherland can be reached at txtri@att.net for all race day information. Entry forms can be found at Luke’s Locker, Bikelane and both of the South County YMCAs.
[By the way, Double Bigfoot Thunder is entered!]
Sep. 1 (Mon) Honor Flight Fun Run 4K/Kids 1K; Montgomery Junior High; Montgomery, 7:30 a.m.
Sep. 6 (Sat) Bearkat Bash 5K; Klein High School; Klein, 7:30 a.m.
Sep. 13 (Sat) Run The Woodlands 5K #208; Bush Elementary; The Woodlands, $1, 8:00 a.m.
Sep. 27 (Sat) Run The Woodlands 5K #209; Bush Elementary; The Woodlands, $1, 8:00 a.m.
Sep. 27 (Sat) Fall Fun Run 10K/5K; (Seven Hills RC club race); SW corner of West Hill Mall; Huntsville, $1, 8:00 a.m.
Oct. 3 (Fri) Nike South Open Race 5K; Bear Branch Sports Park; The Woodlands, $10, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 11 (Sat) Run The Woodlands 5K #210; Barbara Bush Elementary; The Woodlands, $1.
Oct. 11 (Sat) 30th annual Huntsville Half Marathon and 5K; Huntsville (Registration is Open!)
Oct. 18 (Sat) Ten For Texas 10-Miler; Market Street; The Woodlands, 7:30 a.m (Registration is Open!)
Big Events TWRC Members Are Training For: Here’s your place to tell us what marathons, half marathon, ultramarathoners or beer runs that you’re training for. Let’s us hear from you! (We tend to randomly peruse race web sites; however, if we miss you, please don’t be offended. Just drop us a line! We want people to know what you’re planning on racing – and after the race, the membership would love a race report for Deer Tracks.)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon: Virginia Beach, VA; August 31, 2008 (Susan Meyer)
Montana Marathon: Billings, MT; September 21, 2008 (Lou Wilson)
Hamptons Marathon: East Hampton, NY; September 28, 2008 (Lou Wilson)
Mount Rushmore Marathon: Rapid City, SD; October 4, 2008 (Lou Wilson)
Portland Marathon: Portland, OR; October 5, 2008 (Russell McCoy)
Ford Ironman World Championship: Kona, HI; October 11, 2008 (Dana Lyons)
Heartland 100: Cassoday, KS; October 11-12, 2008 (Lynnor Matheney)
Bank of America Chicago Marathon: Chicago, IL; October 12, 2008 (Mary Kerschbaum, Patrick Morein)
Siouxland Lewis & Clark Marathon: Sioux City, IA; October 18, 2008 (Lou Wilson)
Nike Women’s Marathon: San Francisco, CA; October 19, 2008 (Kristin Collins, Susie Schreiber)
Ford Ironman Florida: Panama City Beach, FL; November 1, 2008 (Dan Jordan, John Laskowski)
ING New York City Marathon: New York City, NY; November 2, 2008 (JoAnn Blakeley, Sarah Broyles, Don Cole, Carrie Davies, Sharon Griggs, Bernhard Skarpeid, Johanne Skorve, Mark Whittemore)
SunTrust Richmond Marathon: Richmond, VA; November 15, 2008 (Lou Wilson)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon: San Antonio, TX; November 16, 2008 (Misty Baugh, Sarah Broyles, Bill Crews, Bill Dwyer, Karen Felicidario, Kelley Golden (debut), Kevin Golden, Joey Krivi, Katy Lampson, Kim MacDougal, Donna Ryals, Najat Shayib, Richard Tramm, Debbie Tripp, Jon Walk)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon: San Antonio, TX; November 16, 2008 (Leslie Alli, Althea Caldwell, Fran Blanton, Barry Blanton, Judy Blevins, Chad Broyles, Mary Kerschbaum, Todd Kerschbaum (debut), Susan Meyer, Corina Privett, Kim Rawls)
Ford Ironman Arizona: Tempe, AZ; November 23, 2008 (Bruce Cobb, Michael Collins, Kim Hager, Buck Snyder, Susan Rouse)
Charlotte’s Thunder Road Marathon: Charlotte, NC; December 13, 2008 (Lou Wilson)
Texas Marathon: Kingwood, TX; January 1, 2009 (Jon Walk)
Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon: Houston, TX; January 18, 2009 (A complete list appears in the August edition of Deer Tracks)
Western States Endurance Run: Squaw Valley to Auburn, CA: June 27-28, 2009 (Rick Cook)
2008 Remaining Local Race Calendar:
Oct. 25 (Sat) Run The Woodlands 5K #211; Barbara Bush Elementary; The Woodlands, $1.
Nov. 8 (Sat) Run The Woodlands 5K #212; Barbara Bush Elementary; The Woodlands, $1.
Nov. 15 (Sat) 5K Turkey Trot; Spring Baptist Church Klein Campus; Spring, $10 before November 2.
Nov. 22 (Sat) Run The Woodlands 5K #213; Barbara Bush Elementary; The Woodlands, $1.
Nov. 27 (Thu) 19th annual Run Thru The Woods 5-Miler (3-Mile Teen/1-Mile Kids); Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion; The Woodlands, 7:45 a.m. (Part of the Montgomery County Triple)
Nov. 28 (Fri) 4th annual City of Conroe Turkey Trot 5K (1-Mile Family Mile); Carl Barton, Jr. Park; Conroe, 8:00 a.m. (Part of the Montgomery County Triple)
Nov. 29 (Sat) Leftover Turkey Run 10K/5K; (Seven Hills RC club race); SW corner of West Hill Mall; Huntsville, $1, 8:00 a.m.
Coach Dana Fossmo at Willis High School tells us that the third annual Willis Wildkat 5K will be on either December 13th or December 20th.
Dec. 13 (Sat) Run The Woodlands 5K #214; Barbara Bush Elementary; The Woodlands, $1.
Dec. 27 (Sat) Run The Woodlands 5K #215; Barbara Bush Elementary; The Woodlands, $1.
An excellent race calendar can be found at the website of our friends from Huntsville with the Seven Hills Running Club. It can be viewed at this link.
Our Board: Tony Allison is our President in our third year of operation. Bill Dwyer is the Vice President and President-Elect. Kerri Snyder is the Secretary, Pam Meaux is the Treasurer, Tracy MacEwan is our Registrar and Dan Green is our running coach.
Courier of Montgomery County: Read Jon Walk’s local running column in the Courier (most) every Tuesday. If you need to know where the best locations are to pick up a copy, please drop us an e-mail.
Trivia Answer: In 1987, the top ranked 2-miler in the country was none other than McCullough’s Eric Henry with a converted time of 8:55.4. Only six other runners that year went sub 9-minutes at that distance.
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