Ideas. What a strange topic to begin a newsletter. With recent events, such as Shack 2 Shack and the Rahl/Rose 5K, some members have approached me with some ideas for FUN club events. These could include putting on our own fun small races (odd distances, so you can run a Personal Record (PR)), travelling together to an out-of-town race, or getting together for some event (like a baseball game). Use our great club resources – the Social Chairs (Roberta B. and Margaret E.), the Race Coordinator (Ed V.) or the Fundraising Chair (Jan C.), or better yet… attend an AREC Board Meeting and provide us with input.
AREC Board Meeting. Our second meeting of the year is Wednesday, May 10, around 7:45pm at Coach’s (after the Wed. workout). We will tackle any club issues, ideas, and most importantly, marathon training. Hope to see you there!
Marathon Training. Begins on May 20th, 2006 at 7am, in front of Joe’s Crab Shack (on Marina Drive, near 2nd Street). It will continue every Saturday through October (and the Long Beach Int’l City Bank Marathon on October 15). We are looking for volunteers to help out in areas like pacing (slow, medium AND fast), helping with sign-in (especially for the first few weeks) and course support (like handing out water or biking the course to make sure everyone is doing OK). Todd Rose will have a sign-up sheet for the next few weeks. If you are thinking of participating to prep yourself for the marathon, you can still volunteer in one of these ways AND do your training run!
New Stuff. Check-out our website at www.arec-lb.com. I am currently working on archiving old newsletters. If you have other ideas of what you want to see on the site or pictures, please send them to me. Also, we have brand-new AREC business cards, which were donated by Marsha Freeman (yes, related to V.P. Win Freeman), one of our newest members. If you think you might have the opportunity to hand out some cards (which have run, contact and website information), pick up a small handful at a run. Word of mouth (and card) is our best form of self-promotion.
Membership. A great deal for ARECers. Only $25/year ($40/household), you get a t-shirt, a monthly e-newsletter, insurance, pasta party, and more! (Membership runs January 1 – December 31).
Shack to Shack 2. The sequel (which should be better than the original) sets off on May 13th (or May 12, depending on how you define midnight). We are running reverse direction – San Diego to Long Beach, so when we finish, we’re home. The original two teams are participating, and we’re working on a third. There is no cost to run, except whatever your team works out (gas, support food/drink, going out to dinner afterwards). Talk to Emmett, Kim Garman or Inger Nelson after a run if you are interested.
Safety. Even though safety is last in my notes, it is by no means the least important. Many of you know that one team at Shack 2 Shack 1 were in a serious car accident at that event. Sometimes accidents are unavoidable, but there are many things a runner can do to lessen the chances of serious injury:
Run facing traffic. And don’t run in the middle of the street. Keep your ears clear. This isn’t simply a cleanliness issue… talking on a cellphone, listening to headphones, running with your fingers in your ears… these are all distractions. Unless you are in an enclosed area without access to moving vehicles, you should remain as alert as possible. Be vigilant. And alert others to possible problems.
The fewer the incidents, the happier the participants.