July/August 2015 Newsletter Vol. 31 Issue 4

Transcription

1 Established 1993 July/August 2015 Newsletter Vol. 31 Issue 4 President s Message The height of summer and are we loving it! The club produced two Summer Series Runs, three Youth Runs and two LVRR Miles since the last newsletter; five of the seven were free events. We, the LVRR, continue to show our support for youth fitness and fitness in general with our establishment of so many free events. The club holds 25 events a year, of which 17 are FREE. The club understands that a family that would like to run or race together finds it extremely costly to enter even the lowest priced event, which is why our Summer Series, Youth Runs and the Ice Scraper are free events. I would think most members are aware that the wall at the entrance of the Parkway collapsed a few weeks ago. Entrance is now only via Vultee Street off of Lehigh St., then down the serpentine road to the park. This is going to cause major problems for all the events that use Lehigh Parkway as their base. We will keep our members posted on any breaking news. As of now, speaking to the Parks Dept, it is in the engineers hands and work may begin shortly. Home improvement has been going on at the club house. Dave Faust used his considerable influence at Bethlehem Precast to wrangle a number of precast concrete slabs that he and his wife wrestled into place to repair a decade-long section of sidewalk that was ripped up for sewer maintenance. Bob Shively, board member and co-half director, put a new coat of paint on our sign that fronts the house and also added security to our summer kitchen that will allow us to keep items at hand that normally required many trips up and down to the attic. Speaking of home improvement, Brett Polanski of Ace of Scape Landscaping, 1 has agreed to assume our grass cutting this summer in exchange for an ad in our newsletter. I was at the house when Brett and an assistant came and quickly mowed and trimmed our area. He did an excellent job, his name and number are further on in the newsletter. If you need someone, call Brett. The July Summer Series Race saw one of our major highlights, the presentation of our annual scholarships. Seven scholarships were given out totaling $22,000. Chris Garges, our Scholarship Committee head, has an article giving details of the winners. The qualities of the candidates were just outstanding. Everyone on the committee agreed that winnowing it down to the final seven was extremely difficult.

2 We re going to make a try to bring back Movie Night at the club. Check out the article giving details. First Strides will begin their race to fall on July 28 th & 29 th.. If you know of someone who would like to begin a running program direct them to First Stride s web site. As always, Good Running, Neal LVRR Board of Directors Neal Novak, President Leslie Billowitch, Vice President Brian Schaffer, Treasurer Nina Skinner, Secretary Lloyd Trego Loretta Dodson Chris Garges Brian Patterson Laurie Reinhart Bob Shively Jill Forsythe Bob Bodkin Meredith Longo Saturday 07/18/15 8:30am HEY I KNOW YOU 5K Macungie Memorial Park Sunday 07/19/2015 7:30am QUADZILLA 15K TRAIL RUN Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville PA Wednesday 08/05/15 6:30pm LVRR SUMMER SERIES 5K #4 Lehigh Parkway, Allentown Saturday 08/08/2015 9:00am LEHIGH VALLEY MILE SERIES #2 Riverside Park Easton PA Sunday 08/09/2015 7:00am STEELMAN TRIATHLON Nockamixon State Park Quakertown PA Sunday 08/09/ :30am MUSIKFEST POINT TO POINT 4 MILER Canal Park Allentown PA Sunday 08/16/2015 8:00am PERK UP HALF MARATHON Pennsburg PA Sunday 08/16/2015 8:00am L V ZOO RUN WILD 10K, 5K and 1M Fun Run Lehigh Valley Zoo RACE CALENDAR July - August - September Schnecksville PA Wednesday 09/02/2015 6:00pm LVRR SUMMER SERIES 5K PREDICTION RUN Lehigh Parkway Allentown PA Monday 09/07/2015 8:30am SAUCON RAIL TRAIL 10K Center Valley PA Saturday 09/12/2015 8:00am PAAC 5K TRAIL CHALLENGE & 1 MILE FUN RUN Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville PA Sunday 09/13/2015 7:10am VIA MARATHON AND HALF- MARATHON Allentown and Bethlehem PA Sunday 09/27/2015 3:00pm HARVEST 5K RUN/WALK Lehigh Parkway, Allentown PA 2

3 3

4 LVRR Scholarships Lehigh Valley Road Runners is proud to present the 2015 LVRR scholarship winners. The presentation of the checks was done at the July 1st Summer Series 5k. LVRR awarded four athlete scholarships of $4,000 and a club member sponsorship of $2,000. The scholarship committee had their hands full with 20 very stellar applicants vying for the four scholarships. The winners were: Athletic Scholarships ($4000 ea) Alex Fitch (Liberty) - Alex will be running cross country, indoor and outdoor track while studying at Misericordia University to become a Physician Assistant. Alex ran the 2015 St. Luke s Half Marathon in a time of 1:19:36! Andrew Shaffer (Bethlehem Catholic) - Andrew plans to run both cross country and track while studying Aerospace Engineering at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Andrew put in countless hours at school activities coupled with an impressive list of volunteer efforts. All the while he excelled as a runner, earning a trip to states for the 4 x 400 relay! Angelina Biondo (Pen Argyl) - Angelina will be running cross country and track at DeSales University while majoring in Nursing. Angelina was a four year cross country and track athlete with a standout senior year including trips to the state championships in both cross country and track. Angelina also runs many of the local road races. Shaina Palmer (Freedom) - Shaina plans to run both cross country and track for Johns Hopkins University while studying biomaterials engineering. Shaina placed 26th at the 2014 state cross country meet and set a PR of 18:33 at the Paul Short Invitational meet. Club Scholarship ($2000) Gregory Fry (Salisbury) - Gregory will be a member of the Wilkes University cross Expect Better! Motivation, commitment, and trust are the cornerstone of any relationship. Whether you re buying or selling a home or training for a big race, I m with you every step of the way. I m motivated and committed to help you reach your real estate goals as well as someone you can trust is working in your best interests. Born and raised in the Lehigh Valley with a working knowledge of home construction and finance background, I m very well equipped and passionate about real estate. Combined with the brand recognition, tools, and support that come with being part of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Valley Partners makes me the BETTER choice for all your Real Estate needs. Tim Lambert and Better Homes and Gardens Creating exceptional real estate experiences! Tim Lambert, Realtor Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Valley Partners 232 Main St, Emmaus, PA Office: Cell: TimLambert@BHGValley.com Website: 4

5 country team while studying integrative media. Gregory was a regular at the Lehigh Valley Road Runners races since he was an 8 year old running the kids series. His name can be found near the top of the results list in many LVRR events. Bring Back the Mile It was one local man s dream to Bring Back the Mile and so he did!! J.S. had a great idea, he reached out to some runner people, created a committee and the planning began for a Lehigh Valley Mile Series! We like to refer to it as the City, Track and Trail Mile Series with races being held throughout the Lehigh Valley: in Bethlehem, at Moravian College Track on 6/5; in Allentown, 7/4, in the Lehigh Valley Parkway (Trail); and the last race on 8/8, through the city streets in Easton! As this article is being written, the first race in Bethlehem at the Moravian College track is complete and was a huge success! I cannot begin to tell you how awesome this event was..as one runner put it with a smile from ear to ear, It was a dream come true! Imagine you are a 35+ year old and just started running two years ago and you think about running a track race not too many options! Hence, this runner s dream come true!! Another runner was thrilled to tears..when I asked how her race went and if she broke 9 minutes, as I could see from a distance that she was close, she said YES. I normally run an 11 minute mile, this was amazing!!! Another gentleman, 81 years old with two hip replacements, Normally I run faster than this in training, but this was a lot of fun..thank you for the support! These are just a few of many highlights from the evening on the track! For me, as a runner of 30 years and a LV Mile committee member, I looked around that night at the competitors young and old and there were a lot of unfamiliar faces remember, I have been running a LONG time and feel I know lots of runners in the Valley, it was great to see many faces I did not know! That is the nice thing about a mile race. ANYONE can do it! 5 It was a nice change to run on the track, it took me back a long time and made me feel young(er)!! (Heck, even my high school coach was there thanks for the support Coach Neal!!) I wonder if the other old-timers felt the same way??? All in all, I really love the idea.of. Bring Back the Mile. We hope to have seen you on July 4 th for our 2 nd race and August 8 th for the finial race!! You can run one race or all three races!!! Ready, Set.GO!!!! Movie Night at the Club We will be showing Kevin Costner s running-themed movie McFarland, USA after our August 5 th Summer Series. We have a large screen that goes on the side of the house so ample viewing for all. Bring a lawn chair or two and relax after your race and meal.

6 BEST WISHES TO THE LEHIGH VALLEY ROAD RUNNERS! 6

7 10 Reasons Why First Strides is for You! by Tina Hertel Number One: You re a woman! First Strides is a beginner walking and running workshop just for women, only women. Women tend to prefer group activities and enjoy the social aspect of those activities. First Strides works in groups and encourages participants to be social! Number Two: First Strides is a gradual 12- week program that will help you comfortably progress from the couch to walking, jogging or running at a pace that s right for you. Many times people start off on their own saying I want to run a 5K and then start off running too far and too fast. With First Strides you ll work with others within your same pace. Number Three: It doesn t matter where you are with your fitness right now. Never exercised? Start at a walking pace. Take casual walks now? Slowly add a jog into your routine. Running already? Build up your distance and endurance. Number Four: With First Strides you ll not only develop a fitter body but you ll also develop a fitness mindset. It s easy to come up with excuses to not work out: I don t have time, It s too hard, I might get injured, etc. Mentors guide you through First Strides and help erase those doubts. Number Five: It will become habit forming. Because this is a 12-week program, you ll begin to develop workout habits. First Strides meets once per week, there is also a bonus night, and participants have homework to add additional workouts. Making exercise a regular habit makes it much easier to maintain your fitness. Number Six: It s one of the most cost effective exercise programs. No gym membership or overly expensive equipment. A pair of sneakers, a good athletic sports bra, shorts, and a top are your only equipment needs. The cost of the program is $50 (or $45 early bird), which covers the full 12 weeks and you may earn a good workout shirt if you attend a certain number of times. Number Seven: You ll be healthier. Women tend to exercise less than men. Men are almost twice as active as women and that negatively impacts women s overall health. First Strides provides a solid foundation to change that trend. 7 Number Eight: You ll learn important health, fitness, and nutrition information. Each week highlights a different speaker and a different topic, such as heart health, cross training, proper footwear, bone health, and much more. Number Nine: First Strides provides a goal for you. The fall program helps you develop so that you can participate in the Women s 5K Classic in the Lehigh Parkway on Saturday, October 17, Participation is optional and there is an additional fee for this event. Number Ten: It s easy to register and First Strides starts soon...the week of July 28! For more information and to register for any of several First Strides programs offered throughout the Lehigh Valley, please visit the website: LVRR Gear Online! Members, go to our home page, LVRR.org, and find the gear for you. The club makes no money from the sales, we just want to get our image out. Items can be mailed directly to you with many colors available.

8 Ace of Scape Landscaping Recommended by the LVRR for all your landscaping needs Call Brett Palanski at

9 12