Marathon Season And Cooler Weather On The Way

Transcription

1 Marathon Season And Cooler Weather On The Way By Colin Hall LRRC President I hope everyone had a good September. It seems the whole month was jam packed with races. Hopefully, cooler weather will head this way soon as we prepare for Marathon season. I am excited about October and November s guest speakers. On October 16, Michael Kumiyama will speak. Michael is the career-assistance adviser at the Little Rock Air Force Base. To me he was always that guy running with the American flag at a race. Michael will tell us about his experiences and how we can help with Team Red, White and Blue. November 20 th, Kyle Kifer with Elite Functional Rehab (Formerly AFCN Physical Medicine) will talk to us about injury prevention and treatment. I would ask that you some injuries you are being plagued with that you would like help with. Send injury questions to president@littlerockroadrunners.com and I will present them to Kyle for him to talk about. On October 1 st, Nick Rule has been nice enough to open his home for a Roadrunner get together. The address is 1923 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock. We will do a nice run beforehand down Kavanaugh and replenish with sliders (vegetarian option will be available). BYOB. A gentle reminder that Bill Torrey is looking for volunteers to help with the Race for the Cure on October 14 th. The next Grand Prix race the Breakaway 10K in Searcy is also on this day. Also, a reminder that Zach Lewis still has the hat signup sheet available. Member Spotlight Name: Jennifer Found Age: 47 Where are you originally from? Augusta, Kansas Where are you living now? Hillcrest, Little Rock Occupation: Stay at home mom of two wild boys, volunteer XC and track coach for Christ Lutheran School, codirector of LRX Youth XC Camp, occasional substitute teacher. Where did you attend school? I attended Kansas State University on a cross country and track scholarship and graduated with a degree in elementary education. How long have you been a Little Rock Roadrunner? I ve been a Little Rock Roadrunner since July 2016; since Bill Torrey said to me at my first Track Tuesday you need to sign up for the Roadrunners! What got you into running? I attempted several sports with very little success. After failing to make the cheerleading squad in seventh grade, I decided to try cross country. I was very shy and un-athletic, but somehow running brought out a different side! I was not only the solo girl on my junior high school team, but the only girl in the league. I was thrown into the boy s races that first year. In ninth grade, I was moved up to run with the high school team and I placed eighth place at the Kansas State 4A state championship meet. I won the state title as a junior and senior. I was hooked; I loved winning and being part of a team. Running was a life changer for me! What is your favorite distance? Definitely not the mile or anything shorter. Although not common distances, I d say the track 3K or cross country 6K are my favorite. Do you have a favorite race? Anything on grass! I will always love cross country. I m happy that the Minuteman 5K is a part of the Grand Prix Series. Nothing compares to putting on those spikes on a crisp fall morning and lining up with your friends and competitors to run through woods, trails, tree roots and pine cones. Is there a favorite race story? I have too many to share! I d probably say Stanford Invite 10,000m in March of I was 29 years old, training with the University of Washington women. I was training with two young women who were also in the race. We executed a perfect race plan, the three of us ran together until about 1,000m to go. I fell off of the pace a bit but was able to pull together some magic to finish strong. I ran 34:04 (5:26 per mile) finishing four seconds off of the USATF National Championship standard. My friends ran 34:03 and 34:07 both qualifying for the NCAA Division one meet that June. That time ranked me in the top 40 in the nation that year! What motivates you? Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. October Meeting October 16, 2017 U.S. Pizza - Hillcrest 2710 Kavanaugh, Little Rock 6 p.m. to eat 6:30 p.m. speaker Michael Kumiyama Team RWB

2 2 The Runaround Girls On The Run Is A Copyrighted Curriculum By Jenny Kelly Executive Director Central Arkansas Council Girls on the Run The 2017 Girls on the Run season is off to a roaring start. Fifteen teams across three counties have jumped into an exciting journey together and, by all accounts, things are going beautifully. Because I know you all read The Runaround every month from start to finish like the good birds you are, I m going to assume that you all know the basics about Girls on the Run already. I m certain that you already know that we provide an after school, physical activity-based, positive youth development program for girls in the third through fifth grades. You already know that the girls work within small teams led by trained GOTR coaches to complete a curriculum that s engaging and fun. The standardized curriculum incorporates important life skills and physical activity into each lesson so that the girls are emotionally and physically prepared to complete a 5K run/walk as their crowning achievement of the season. You know all that already. That s the stuff I tell you all the time. Today, I m going to go off script. I ll go rogue well, as rogue as I ever really go. What I m going to say isn t polished, and (Tom Barron forgive me now) may not be properly punctuated, but it s the truth about how I feel about this important program. I ll be honest. I often hate when people ask me about Girls on the Run. Specifically, I hate when they ask me what Girls on the Run is. I don t hate that they re interested. I love and appreciate that! It s just that I never know what to say. In an effort to respect the time of this person who has shown at least a tiny bit of interest by asking this simple question, I ve tried to come up with a quick sentence or two. Sadly, I can never do it justice. So, I often go with the much less socially acceptable behavior of standing there like an idiot with my mouth gaping open because I simply do not know where to start. Is Girls on the Run a running program? Yes. The girls run at every practice and the season culminates with a 5K run/ walk along the trail of the Arkansas River. I d be lying if I tried to pretend that running wasn t a part of the program. But the truth is THIS IS SO MUCH NOT ABOUT THE RUNNING! We do have girls that fall in love with running, and I have heard stories about past participants going on to continue with the sport or even compete in local and school races. Getting bitten by the running bug is wonderful side effect for some of our participants. I enthusiastically welcome young, new runners into our sport, but it is not the intention of the GOTR program to breed future competitive runners. Instead, we want our girls to learn how to set and work toward goals. We want them to learn that anyone can be physically active and can push their physical limits regardless of their size or body type or shape. We want them to understand the joy and the pride that come from trying new things and being open to the ideas of others, and we want them to see themselves as capable. In addition to the physical preparation for the GOTR 5K, our teams work through a copyrighted curriculum that helps develop important life skills. This season, our teams have already discussed intentional decision making and how to respect themselves and others. As individuals, each participant has identified people, places and activities that help her refocus and activate her star power. They have begun to practice positive self-talk and to challenge negative self-talk. As the season progresses, our teams will explore strategies for choosing friends and resolving conflict. They will practice standing up for others. Additionally, each team will discuss ideas for, select, plan, and then execute a unique community impact project. Seriously. This is good stuff. The best part about this curriculum is that it s ageappropriate and engaging. It was originally written in 1996 and has been reworked and revised regularly to ensure it remains relevant and inspiring for the participants, their families, and the coaches. Girls aren t simply told they can do anything. They are given tools and allowed to practice setting goals for themselves. Sometimes they achieve their goals, and sometimes they have to readjust to more realistic ones. But they EXPERIENCE it which offers a fuller understanding of the concept. Girls aren t just told to stand up for others. They get to practice standing up for others in a safe environment so they will be better prepared for real life. Telling girls that everyone is beautiful is a good thing, but it s fleeting. Helping them identify the inner beauty characteristics in their teammates and in themselves is powerful and lasting. In a world of girl power white noise, I believe Girls on the Run offers an intentional program that truly has something to offer every girl. It s not too late to be involved in the 2017 Girls on the Run of Central Arkansas season! The end of the season, celebratory GOTR 5K will be on the afternoon of Sunday, The Runaround is published electronically each month by the Little Rock Roadrunners Club, POBox , Little Rock, AR The deadline for copy is the 25th of the month for publication in the next month s issue. Send articles to Editor Linda House at: lhouse48@gmail.com. Board Members (See GOTR on Page 5 Colin Hall President Zach Lewis President-Elect Bill Simpson Secretary Brent Corbitt Treasurer Mark Ferguson Past President Melissa Hendricks Membership Gary Taylor At Large Member Bill Torrey At Large Member Linda House At Large Member (h) (c)

3 The Runaround 3 A Mostly Factual Account Of The ARK 5K Classic By Brian Sieczkowski A few days after the 2017 ARK 5K Classic, Club President Colin Hall asked me to write up my experience at the race. Since I had finished in first place and was content with my time, I quickly agreed! No, I really would have been happy to pen this tale regardless of personal achievement as the ARK 5K has long been a race dear to my heart. You see, back in 2003 it was actually the first road race that I ever ran; I was just 25 years old and recently relocated to Arkansas. This was also not long after I had taken back up running and I m pleased to say that I met my goal of a sub-20 minute clocking that day, finishing in 19:32. My time was good enough for 20 th place at the ARK River Run 5K (as it was called at the time), but nearly 40 seconds behind one Mr. Bill Torrey. Though I didn t know Bill at the time, and probably didn t actually notice him at the race, I like to claim that I vowed revenge on the bearded stranger that day in I ramped up my training and can proudly announce that, according to Athlinks, I am now 50-1 vs Bill Torrey all-time in road races as of this writing. Dreams do come true, kids. But enough about Bill Torrey, let s get back to the ARK 5K Classic. It was a foggy morning as the crowd assembled for the race; a thick and foreboding fog but with a slight chill simmering through. Truly a classic North Little Rock morning dawned for the Classic 5K. Perhaps not as renowned as its sister cities San Francisco and London, North Little Rock has long been known as Fog Town to locals. Regrettably, many snobs from south of the River have subverted this charming moniker with a sneering mispronunciation, dubbing it Dog Town. This is all true, totally factual, and will provide an important historical context for the unfolding of our race narrative. As the race began, the fog actually seemed to thicken. Visibility was low. Fortunately, Bill Crow was the lead cyclist for the race and his mount was equipped with not one, but two, blinking lights. Like mariners lost at sea, we followed Bill s Lighthouse Beacon around the turns of the North Shore Drive. I was running neck and neck with Brent Corbitt in the initial stage of the race, blindly running where the Crow lead us, when I saw a welcome sight: the first mile marker! A quick check of my watch showed that we had completed the first mile in a blistering three minutes and 18 seconds. Then someone (maybe it was Homer Mason, I can t be sure to this day) explained, They marked the course in kilometers! Aha! A devious plot no doubt hatched by Canadian born and raised Brent Corbitt to play games with his Imperial System Competitors. Well, you are going to have to try a little harder to foil this guy because while I didn t really know what 3:18/km meant, I was able to glance down at my Garmin Forerunner to confirm the equivalent pace in good old minutes/mile. Brent s dastardly trick also gave me the motivation I needed to surge ahead as the race left North Shore and moved towards Cook s Landing. I don t remember much about the second mile of the race, to be honest. I guess you could say I was in a fog (thank you, thank you). There was a water stop (polite decline), a lot of cones, and a short but nifty downhill that kept the pace where it needed to be. The course then turned onto the Isabella Jo Trail to head back east. And now we were in my world, as I run on this stretch of trail A LOT. Many, many quarter and half mile repeats have been run on Isabella Jo. I didn t even need Bill Crow s blinking bike light to navigate past the 3K point (whatever that means) even though thick woods on both sides of the trail created a canopy that blocked out the morning s faint light even further. Soon enough Bill Crow and I came to the little bridge at Hooper s Crossing, and made the turn back towards North Shore, the race reaching its end game. Full disclosure I was not feeling too swell as we passed by the ADEQ building. So I did what I do when the going gets tough, I stared straight ahead and tried to pretend that I was a robot, incapable of feeling physical pain (try it sometime). All I could see was the blinking light ahead of me so I just started counting the blinks in my head, as a way to chew some clock. Over and over again I counted the blinks to ten, starting over as the triple syllable of eleven was tripping me up. I noticed a pattern or ratio of some kind between the blinks and my foot strike. I focused on keeping my cadence up and even trying to increase it a bit to beat the blinks. Quite the exciting race within a race, I m sure you agree. After a half mile or about 250 blinks, the finish line was reached and the race was done. I had finished in 16:35, a few seconds slower than last year but still nearly three minutes ahead of my 2003 time. Corbitt s metric sabotage paid off with a second place finish and Homer Mason got third to complete the LRRC sweep. Colin Hall, Brian Sites, Zach Lewis, Mark Lacey, Nick Rule, Steven Booth, Rodney Paine, Greg Yarbrough, Chris Attig, and Manfred Galatowitsch, rounded out the men s 5K championship squad. The LRRC women had Carli Langley in second overall and Tammy Helmick ninth but did not have a third finisher so they received 0 points on the day. For shame ladies! I expect better representation from our female team in future Fog Town races. And, of course, I hope to see Bill Torrey at the next one as well, as I attempt to improve my head to head record to 51-1 versus the Bearded Stranger.

4 4 The Runaround Running Calendar Birthdays 3: Taco Tuesday 5K at Mountain Home. Call : Sparks Stampede 5K/10K at Van Buren. Call : Downtown Runaround 1M/5K/10K at Springdale. Call : Paws at the Beach 5K/1K at Heber Springs. Call : A-State Steelers 5K at Pine Bluff. Call : Panther 5K at Benton. Call : Ouachita River Challenge at Malvern. Call : Angel One 5K/10K at Little Rock. Call : Chills and Thrills 5K at Little Rock. Call : Birch Tree 5K at Benton. Call : Hike for Hearing 5K at Jonesboro. Call : Panther 5K at Benton. Call : Purple for a Purpose 5K/1M at Springdale. Call : Hoo Rah Days 5K at DeQueen. Call : Arkansas Traveller 100M at Lake Sylvia. Call : Razorback Run 15K/5K at Fayetteville. Call : Walk a Mile In Our Shoes 1M at Arkadelphia. Call : FSM 5K at Cabot. Call : Arkansas Marathon/5K/10K/Half Marathon at Booneville. Call : Lewis & Clark Ozark Adventure Dash 7M/2M at Fayetteville. Call : Race for the Cure at Little Rock. Call : Warrior Dash 3.9M at Cabot. Call : Caring for Kidneys 5K at Jonesboro. Call : Chemin-a-Haut Trail 4M at Bastrop, LA. Call : 5K Gumby Run/Walk at Clarksville. Call : SIDS Awareness 5K at at Nashville. Call : Survivors Challenge 5K/10K at Fort Smith. Call : ArkanSalsa Fest 5K/1M at Springdale. Call : Breakaway 10K at Searcy. (GPS SC) 15: Alumni and Friends 5K at Clarksville. Call : Fayetteville Firefighters Hero Half Marathon. Call : Running for Cover 5K at Malvern. Call : Big Bluff Challenge 5K/10K at Lakeview. Call : Race for the Cure at Texarkana. Call : Soaring Wings Half Marathon/10K at Conway. Call : Run for Robin 5K at Monticello. Call : The Running Dead 5K at Lockesburg. Call : Outback in the Ozarks 200M at Eureka Springs. Call : Creep N Crawl 10K/5K at Little Rock. Call : Redemption 5K at Batesville. Call : Ozark Highlands 5K at Clarksville. Call : Goblin Gallop 5K at Coal Hill. Call : CHCA s Spooktacular 5K at Little Rock. Call : Here I Run 5K at Jacksonville. Call : MEMS 5K at Little Rock. Call : Beauty and a Beast 5K/10K at Conway. Call : Spook r 5K at Fort Smith. Call : Zombie 3K at Bryant. Call : Monsterstache 5K at Mountainburg. Call (See Running Calendar on Page 5) The following is a list of Club members and spouses who were born in October. Contact Melissa Hendricks at mmyers1_98@yahoo.com or if the information is incorrect. 1 - Becky Matthews 2 - Paul Joplin 4 - Jeff Maher 4 - Sonny Rhodes 6 - Stacy Mitchell 11 - Wesley O Connor 12 - Avery Ferguson 13 - Mallory Ann Steadman 14 - Cammie Bricker 14 - Darwin Sieckowski 15 - Christi Lewis 16 - Alise Steadman 22 - Christine Ferguson 22 - Sandy Cordi 24 - Debbie Shepherd 24 - Jean Matchett 29 - Bob Marston 31 - Don Morgan Retreads First Wednesday of the month 11:30 a.m. Franke s Cafeteria N. Rodney Parham Road (Market Place Shopping Center) Dutch Treat Wear something to show you are one of the gang -- shirt, hat, scarf, finisher medal, etc. Just show up and look for the Old Runners: Retreads. For more information contact Charley or Lou Peyton at or chrlypytn@gmail.com

5 28: Pink Pumpkin 5K a Camden. Call : Worthy of Warmth 5K/10K at Texarkana, TX. Call : Halloween Monster Dash 5K/1M at Fayetteville. Call November : Ryan s Call PeRSevrance 5K/1M at Daisy Park, Kirby, AR. Call : Your Start Our Future 5K at Jacksonville. Call : Veteran s Memorial 5K at Fayetteville. Call : River Valley 5K/10K/Half Marathon at Fort Smith. Call : MidSouth Marathon/Half Marathon at Wynne. (GPS) 4: Hunting for a Cure Fight Back 5K at Dierks. Call : Run for Shelter 5K at Little Rock. Call : Relay for Life 5K at Helena. Call : On Mission 5K at Heber Springs. Call : Arkansas ALE 1M at Little Rock. Call : Run to the Lights 5K at Branson, MO. Call : Fayetteville Half Marathon/5K/1M. Call : Race the Base Trail 4M at Little Rock. Call : Hot Spring County 4H Color Run at Malvern. Call : The Green Run 5K at DeQueen. Call : Red, Blue and You 4M at Clarksville. Call : Spa Half Marathon, 10K (GPS) and 5K at Hot Springs. Call Turkey Trot 5K/1M at Monticello. Call : White River Marathon/Half/5K at Cotter. Call : Pirate Dash 5K at Dover. Call : Run for the Parks 2.5M/4.5M/8.5M at Fayetteville. Call : Go!bbler 3/4/6.5M at Little Rock. Call : Turkey Trot 5K at Conway. Call : Sunset 24 Hour Run at Benton. Call : MoTown 5K/Kids 1K at Morrilton. Call : Great Duck Race 5K/10K at Stuttgart. Call : Sunset 12/6 Hour Run at Benton. Call : Turkey Trot 5K at Malvern. Call December : Jingle Bell Jog 5K at Fayetteville. Call : St. Jude Memphis Marathon/Half/10K/5K. Call : Santa Run 5K at Lonoke. Call : Jingle Bell 5K at Little Rock. Call : NWA Jingle Bell 5K at Springdale. Call : CASA Half Marathon at Pine Bluff. (GPS SC). 16: Mt. Nebo Bench Trail 4M at Dardanelle. Call GOTR (Continued from Page 2) Running Calendar November 19 th, and we need volunteers! There are a variety of ways to help. We need volunteers for course management, set up, clean up, traffic direction, refreshments, hair painting, face tattoos, being a running buddy and more! You can sign up at The Runaround 5 New Members The Little Rock Roadrunners Club has 191 members. Bring your friends to our next meeting and help us reach a membership of 200 people! Renewing members Julianne Dissiner of Little Rock Homer Mason of Witt Springs New members, all of Little Rock Karen and Paul Joplin Laura Kearns Erin Lytle Campbell McLaurin Becky Tanner Clarence Trice Weekly Track Workouts The Roadrunners meet each week for track workouts at Catholic High School, located at 6300 Father Tribou St. Workouts begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. so come early to get warmed up. Can t make it by 5:30 no problem come jump in when you can. Weekly workouts are led by one of the Roadrunners. Various pace groups are available. Not interested in the workout of the day, no problem, come join us anyway. The track workout is your opportunity to work on your needs. Track workouts are family friendly for all ages. Come run some laps at your own pace. Come be a part of the Roadrunner Family. Grand Prix Races 10/14 Breakaway 10K at Searcy 11/4 Mid South Marathon at Wynne 11/18 Spa 10K at Hot Springs 12/9 CASA Half Marathon at Pine Bluff (Bolded races are state championships)

6 6 The Runaround Team Red, White and Blue By Lisa Gunnoe Eagle Leader Fellow 2016 Searcy/White County Coordinator Team Red, White and Blue Central AR Our September used bike drive was a smashing success! Thank you to all of those who made it happen. Seventy bikes were donated. Now we need to work on getting them refurbished and ready for Christmas. If you are free on the third Tuesday of the month please consider coming and giving an hour or two to work on a bike. Some kids are going to have a great Christmas! How many individuals represent Team RWB? Founded in 2010, Team RWB and its 108,535 members are bringing veterans, their families, and American citizens together through authentic social interaction, community physical fitness and shared experiences in over 187 communities across the globe. There are191 members located in the Central Arkansas area. Northwest Arkansas has a growing Team RWB Community. You can get involved where you live. Central Arkansas: Bentonville: For weekly inspiration check out the Team RWB Blog and Podcast at Activities: Searcy Activities with Team RWB Central Arkansas: Tuesday and Thursday mornings 5 a.m. Beginning running/walking no drop run/walk Wednesday morning 5 a.m. no drop beginning cycling Little Rock/NLR Area: Third Tuesday of the month Recycle Bikes for Kids, 6-8 p.m. at 717 East 10 th Street, North Little Rock. Fourth Wednesday of each month Team Run with BMR at the Clinton Library parking lot at 6:30 p.m. We have organized runs in Searcy and Conway. A run leader in Little Rock would be greatly appreciated. Until then anyone is welcome to join LRRC, Tuesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. for a track workout at Catholic High. Thank you Roadrunners for welcoming Team RWB! Jackie in Conway: Jackie.stone@teamrwb.org Lisa in Searcy: lisa.gunnoe@teamrwb.org Jeff and Chris Beason in the Hot Springs Malvern area: jeff.beason@teamrwb.org or chris.beason@teamrwb.org Thank you Tom Avery for taking up our Pinnacle Mountain Hiking Group. Date: Mondays October 1 st through April 1 st Time: 5:30 East Wall Pinnacle mountain parking lot Activity: Hike Base trail or hill climb. Note: park closes one hour after sunset Skill Level: Moderate Extra Gear that may be needed: headlamp/belt lamp, water Date: Wednesdays (Except RWB group run nights) Time: 5:30 Two Rivers Park - parking lot by restrooms Activity: Easy bike around the area and deer loops all protected roads. Note: park closes at 9 p.m. sharp Skill Level: Beginner/intermediate Extra Gear that may be needed: Bike, water, if after September 1 st until April 1 st have lights on bike. Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Although September is coming to an end, it doesn t mean our support for those in need will. #EaglesCare throughout the year and are here to help their teammates regardless of the season. Take the time to learn and recognize the signs of emotional suffering that can prepare you to be the best teammate possible. Below are some resources to help you or your loved one in need: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call , press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line Vets4Warriors - Call toll-free a GiveAnHour - Non-crisis resource Join the conversation on social media this month using the hashtags: #EaglesCare #BeThere #SuicidePrevention Keep looking out for one another.

7 The Runaround 7 Race Recap: Running With Everett By Colin Hall LRRC President I woke up early and grabbed my orange visual guide run shirt. I drove to pick up Everett Elam to go run the Arkansas 20K in Benton. If you have not met Everett, you should. He is an amazing guy. Not only does he run, but he is a great fiddler. (Check out the Bowtanglers online.) I was a little nervous about our longest race together. He and I had previously only done a 10K race. We decided to do the early start as it was our longest race to this point and we were unsure about our finish time. Starting at 6:30 was nice as the sun was still not showing its full effect. This may be one of the few races that we were out in front for an extended period. He and I started out at a nice 9:30ish pace. There were some very challenging hills along the way. I would grunt to Everett big hill coming up. We made sure to stop at every water stop along the way. The air was thick with industrial smell, but we powered through. As we neared the loop around the lake we saw several of the speedy runners from the regular start coming through. They were all looking strong and impressive. We cheered them all and kept at our steady pace. He and I finished strong knocking out an 8:31 pace on the last mile. Our overall time was 1:57 at a 9:18 pace. I was proud of Everett for getting a PR and third in his age group. He was lucky enough to get the bottle opener award and will hence forth be forced to open my beverages. A highly enjoyable spread of burgers, hot dogs, and even an Italian Ice stand were available at the end. Props to Chris Hall and all the Saline County Striders for a great race. If you have the chance to guide run for someone, I highly recommend it. It is very inspiring and puts a lot of things into perspective. Contact Mindi Simonson or World Services for the Blind if interested. Order Roadrunner Hats President-elect Zach Lewis presents you with an opportunity to purchase a Roadrunner hat. The minimum order is 35 hats at $13.50 per hat. If we order 50 the price drops to $13. We can t mix and match styles and colors, so an order will have to be 35 gray and/or 35 of the white/blue. (So far we have five gray. See examples olf the two on the LRRC Facebook page.) Submit name, phone number, address, color and quantity to zalewis@ymail.com. We will collect payment at a LRRC meeting prior to placing and order.