Let me start by saying how great it is to see you all again this year. I love how AREC people make not too many excuses NOT to run, but instead try to run, hang out with the walkers for a few weeks, or at least stop by after the run for their weekly update. I continue to get inquiries from people who wonder who we are, and if they can join us. (If only they knew how fun (and aerobic) it is, they’d be here every week with the rest of us.)
On that same note, make sure and give special thanks to Todd Rose for staffing the table at the Pacific Shoreline Marathon. He was there from daybreak until 1pm, and he drummed up a lot of good interest for AREC. Hope we see some of those people in the coming weeks.
Races. In January, we had 21 AREC runners run races, bringing our Grand Prix tally up nearly 50 participants. Of note was Superbowl Sunday, when 12 ARECers ran distances of 10K to marathon.
Jimmy Stewart. The Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon is coming up on Sunday, April 13, 2003. For those of you who don’t know about this race, it is a highlight of the year, even if you aren’t particularly competitive. Teams consist of 5 members (last year we had an over-50, all female, mad cow, etc – 6 teams!) who each run a little over 5 miles – THE SAME DISTANCE AS ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS! Unlike the traditional relay, the hand-off zone is a quarter-mile long, on a large grassy field. Teams are arranged on either side of the zone, so they can picnic and hang out until it’s their turn to run. The entry fee includes a T-shirt and the famous beer tent. If you are interested, please sign up with Todd Rose on a Wednesday night, or give him a call. The cost of the race is $25.
T-shirts. The board is working steadily to get the new team t-shirts ready. They will have the logos as before, and will say “Long Beach, California,” so you can wear them without fear of having to give some sarcastic answer to the question, “What’s AREC?”
Safety. It is still dark out, so I will remind you to wear light-colored clothing, a reflector vest, or a flashing light. Also, please do not play “chicken” with the cars. Finally (and most of you will not like this), please try to run WITHOUT headphones on – I’ll try and contact Shania or Britney and see if they’ll run and sing with us, so you can run to your favorite songs.
Dues. It’s happened! I’ve become the pesky Dues-Reminder Elf. (Go see Lord of the Rings – Elves are TALL!) If you treasure the benefit of running with AREC, please join. If you are a renewing member, all you have to do is sign a pre-printed form! It’s $25 for individuals, and $40 for single-family households.