Membership. If you are receiving this newsletter, then you have probably renewed your membership in A.R.E.C. for 2007 or became a member for the first time. Thank you! Membership is the primary source of income for this club, and since we make very little off the sales of singlets, t-shirts, hats, etc., it allows us to provide more for members every year. You truly get a lot for your $25 – a club shirt or hat, a pasta party in October, a lengthy and well-written monthly newsletter, full and half marathon training from mid-May through mid-October, and of course, the organized weekly Sunday morning and Wednesday evening fun runs. By being a member you are also privy to information regarding special offers such as discounts at upcoming races or social gettogethers like beach parties and wine tastings. And because the club is a non-profit organization, you can write the expense off of your taxes when you itemize. So if you know someone who runs with the club, but just hasn’t gotten around to joining as a member or renewing yet, please remind them of everything the club provides. You could easily spend $25 at Limerick’s after a run, so why not use that money to help support the club that offers you the opportunity for that run? Spread the word. **By the way… if I owe you a hat or shirt, please let me know when we see each other next.
Phone List. An updated phone list will be printed and distributed in the next couple weeks. If you have not joined by then, your name will be missing.
Racing Singlets. The RaceReady racing singlets are now available for purchase – only $18 - so be sure to buy one and sport it proudly at your next race. They are made of a smooth, sheen,Coolmax material, and you can’t miss other A.R.E.C. members in these bright beauties!
Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon CANCELLED. Due to construction in Griffith Park, JSRM is not happening this year. Generally, AREC would field 6 or 7 teams. As a replacement for this fun day, we are holding our own relay marathon (albeit smaller) in Long Beach on the same day – April 22nd, 2007, beginning at 9am. The relay will start and end at the Tennis Courts in El Dorado Park (near the corner of Studebaker and Spring). Barbecue and “Beer Garden” Headquarters will be across the street at Kim Garman’s House (3102 Lees – one block up and over from Studebaker and Spring). The cost to participate will be $10, which can be paid at the time of the event. However, we need to know by Wednesday, April 18th how many people will be participating so we can get adequate beer and food. AREC will subsidize part of the food, so that we can make a donation to Hirshberg Foundation, in honor of Heather Stevens, an AREC member who died of Pancreatic Cancer last June. You can sign-up at a Wednesday run, or contact Emmett at edrahl@yahoo.com, with names of participants. (Teams will be created at the event or you can form your own team ahead of time.) The event is open to AREC members and their friends.
Marathon Training. A.R.E.C. training for the Long Beach Marathon and Half Marathon will begin on Saturday May 19, 2007 at 7:00am in the Joe’s Crab Shack parking lot and every Saturday thereafter until race day. We will begin with 3 and 5 mile runs, then progress to longer runs every week. Be sure to have good weekly base mileage (at least 15-20 miles) built up prior to starting the full marathon training. Last year’s schedule is available on our web site (www.arec-lb.com) for reference and one for 2007 will be up soon. We will also attempt to incorporate as many seminars as possible for a greater learning experience. As mentioned above, this training is included in the price of membership. Other clubs charge up to $200 for this service, so it’s a helluva deal!
“Ask the Coach.” You can e-mail questions to toddrunsarec@aol.com covering any running-related subject such as: training, hills, speedwork, shoes, injuries, or racing to name a few examples, and we will print the question with an answer in the subsequent newsletter, depending on how many questions are received. Just provide as many details as you can and remember, I am not a doctor, but will thoroughly research your topic and cite sources with the response. This should be a great way for all of us to keep learning about the sport we love.