Striders On The
Run
sullivanstriders.org
Striders on the run
The President’s Thoughts
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Presidents Thoughts
1
2013 NYC Marathon
2
Friendly Thoughts
3
The New Running Log
4
The Slowest Generation
5-6
Miscellaneous
7
Race Reports
8
Pictures
9
President
Tom Manza
(845) 699-1034
[email protected]
Vice-President
Nancy Figueroa
(845) 665-2562
[email protected]
Vice-President
Katy Schlictman
(845) 665-9470
[email protected]
Treasurer
Kim Flynn
(845) 701-2081
[email protected]
Secretary
Christine Westerman
(845) 791-7332
[email protected]
Newsletter
Editor
Andrew Kalter
845-701-7984
[email protected]
Webmaster
Dennis Toscano
845-807-5184
[email protected]
Hi Fellow Sullivan Striders!
This is the last
Newsletter
article I will
have written as
Club President. My term ends at
the end of December and one of
you will take the responsibility of
leading this great club! I am happy
to say because of many of you, the
Falling Colors Races went very well.
It was an emotional day as we honored the memory of past Striders
Scholarship winner and Star Runner
Jessica Fingers. Her family and some
friends were there to be with us
while we honored her achievements
and short but fruitful life. We also
thanked the Hudson Valley Grand
Prix for all of the “Good Years” in
which they helped to promote and
make racing more fun in this area.
Marco Pabon, the Grand Prix Statistician, came up to represent them.
Many of you know by now that he is
ill, so it was big of him to show up
and speak at the race. The past
year has had highs and lows for the
club and I believe we are at a crossroads. Attendance has been inconsistent at the weekly runs and many
of us that have been with the club
from the beginning need new people
to rise up and rejuvenate us and the
November 2013
club. Some of the highlights of the year
have been the Hosted Weekly Runs
where members have had us over to
run, walk, and share a meal together.
The Kalter’s, Flynn’s, and Kelly Desmond have all graciously opened their
homes to host us. Maryann and I were
happy to have had the club come over a
few times. The monthly meetings have
been well attended and another bright
spot this year. We have moved the
meeting place around to different places
for more diversity. We have also
shared good times with ORC at their
Summer picnic at Brian Rivenburgh’s
home and enjoyed being with ORC and
Rockland Road Runners at the InterClub Challenge. None of the things I
have mentioned would have been possible without the support of many of you
and especially our Officers. I have enjoyed working with Vice Presidents
Katy Schlictman and Nancy Figueroa.
Christine Westerman has also worked
hard as Secretary and Kim Flynn as
Treasurer. Most important is the company and friendship we have enjoyed
and hope to continue in the upcoming
years. It’s what makes the Sullivan
Striders special! Hope to see many of
you soon!
Sincerely,
Tom Manza
Sullivan Striders President
2013 NYC Marathon
By Abby Billias
The New York City Marathon was
always a race I had on my bucket list
to do. I mostly viewed it as something that was going to be a logistic
nightmare but thought it should be
something every long distance runner should do once. Lacking speed
& motivation to fund raise (I hate
asking people for money) I faithfully
put my name in the lottery each
year. After 3 denials I would ensure
myself guaranteed entry.
A spring time injury to my neck left
me unable to train how I wanted. I
got off to a late start & had to really
watch my mileage. I was only averaging about 20 miles a week & those
of you who have trained for a marathon know that this is really slacking.
I faithfully though got my long runs in
every week & knew I could muddle
through. I made a decision early on
that this marathon wouldn't be about
running my best but about enjoying
the experience & having fun.
Thanks to good friends the logistically nightmare of running NY turned
out to be smooth. Bill & Val Kilcoin
gave me a ride to the city a few days
before the marathon to pick up my
bib number. On race day morning
the Striders were out in full force to
get me to the city. Everyone was up
& out before 5:00 in the morning.
Dennis Toscano & Nancy Fig graced
us with their city driving skills ( I Fear
driving down there.) Other striders
Page 2
there to cheer me on were
Mac (of course), Kimmie
Klemen, John Flynn, Joe Falcone, & Jean Velasquez. They
dropped me at the ferry where
I passed my first hurdle of the
day. Fear #1 was down-I didn't
get sick on the ferry.
Let me tell you this race did
not disappoint. The spectators were amazing. It was a
party for 26.2 miles. I have
never had so much fun in a
race-even after the pain settled in. I was totally unprepared for the fun even
though I have spectated a
few times. I met lots of great
people along the way &
heard my name shouted
hundreds of times. Many
thanks to Mackie, Dennis,
Nancy, Kimmie, John, Joe
F., ,Jean. Joe M, & Caroline
for cheering me on. I felt the
love that day in NYC.
I arrived in Staten Island about
1.5 hours before my start time
The time passed quickly. By
the time I fueled up for the
race & used the porta potty It
was time to get in line to get
into my corral. While waiting in
line I was able to watch
wave#2 begin their race. What
a spectacular sight watching Thanks guys.
all those runners cross the
Verranzano Bridge Before long
I was in my corral. One last
stop at the porta potty (I'm
sure you ladies understand) I
was up on the bridge & ready
to go.
Friendly Thoughts by Nancy Figueroa
Hello all:
Here is a friendly short story. A
story I want to share with all
runners out there on how important friends are. Friends
who are not cliquish nor boastful. Friends who aspire to inspire. Friends who make you
laugh when you’re down, make
you feel glad when you’re sad.
Its like nothing else matters in
the world except for that one
moment when you’re running in
great company.
Nancy, Dennis, and Abby at the 2013 Wurtsboro 30K
We all have had a moment of
greatness with a friend. Whether you've shared thoughts on a
warm summer’s day or a cold
winter’s night, it's the time
FRIENDLY THOUGHTS
spent with friends that count.
Every day God gives us is a
day to tell your friend how
It's great to know you my friend
much you love them and let
Within my spirit and in my soul
them know life and friendship
True friendship will never end
And It will never grow old
should never be taken for
granted.
I feel so blessed every day to
be acquainted with such great
friends! And for all whom I am
acquainted with, a short poem
of my sentiments to you my
friends!
Page 3
I will always be there for you
Like you've always been for me
My feelings will stay true
In my heart is where you'll be
Be sure to take care
If you need me just call
You know I'll be there
To catch your every fall
Be safe and be well MY
FRIENDS and may God
Bless you All!!
Nancy Figueroa
THE NEW RUNNING LOG, by Kathleen Davies
I
’ve kept
a running log almost from
the beginning of this
running life,
so there are
26 volumes
on my bookshelf filled with workout locations,
distances run, weather conditions, shoes used, and running
partners. There are hundreds of
races listed, times and paces
run, PRs noted (as well as the
recent PWs), overall, gender and
age group places all organized
chronologically. I constructed
graphs of weekly mileage, calculated monthly and annual mileage totals, highlighted best racing times of the year at all race
distances, and kept track of the
mileage on my training and racing shoes.
For the last ten or twelve years
my sister has sent me Jerome’s
Fixx's spiral bound log book for
Christmas, but I recently sent her
a cryptic email signaling the upcoming end to these annual gifts.
The email? Good News/Bad
News. The good news? I found
a great running log online. The
bad news? I wouldn’t be needing
a physical log book any more.
Page 4
As for the good news, the free
online training log available
through Runners’ World has
almost every feature I’m used
to on paper. It keeps track of
the mileage on the three pairs
of shoes I’m currently using.
Once I enter a race distance
and time, it calculates my pace.
It adds up my miles and shows
weekly and monthly and year to
date totals. It allows me to pick
from a weekly or monthly graph
(pie, bar or line) and display
those totals in a visual format.
It has places for weather,
weight, route, and comments;
for different kinds of workouts
(as if I ever did speed work),
and even a line for a race's
URL.
The really good news? I’m still
running after all these years.
"Never take a person for
granted. Hold every person
close to your heart cause
you might wake up one day
& realize that you’ve lost a
diamond while you were too
busy collecting stones.”
The Slowest Generation by Kevin Helliker
Saying I finished in the top 15%
of my age group in last month's
Chicago Triathlon is like bragging
that I could outrun your grandpa.
My age group was 50 to 54.
But against the entire sprintdistance field, I finished in the top
11%. That's right: Team Geriatric
outperformed the field.
I'd love to report that this reflects
the age-defying effects of triathlon. But my hair is gray, my hearing is dull and my per-mile pace
is slower than it used to be, even
at shorter distances.
Rather, this old-timer triumph is
attributable to something that fogies throughout the ages have
lamented: kids these days.
They're just not very fast.
"There's not as many supercompetitive athletes today as
when the baby boomers were in
their 20s and 30s," said Ryan
Lamppa, spokesman for Running
USA, an industry-funded research group. While noting the
health benefits that endurance
racing confers regardless of
pace, Lamppa—a 54-year-old
competitive runner—said, "Many
new runners come from a mindset where everyone gets a medal
and it's good enough just to finish."
Now, a generational battle is raging in endurance athletics. Oldtimers are suggesting that performance-related apathy among
Page 5
A lack of competitiveness among younger runners is turning some races into
parades. Chevrolet News Photo/European Pressphoto Agency
young amateur athletes helps
explain why America hasn't
won an Olympic marathon
medal since 2004.
Of the two Americans who won
marathon medals that year,
one— Deena Kastor, who is
now 40—was the top finishing
American woman at the marathon World Championships in
Moscow last month. The other—38-year-old Meb Keflezighi—was the top American
male finisher at the London
Olympics marathon last year.
Hunter Kemper, the 37-year-old
winner of last month's Chicago
Triathlon, remains arguably
America's top triathlete as he
aims for his fifth Olympics.
"Why isn't any younger athlete
knocking them down a notch?"
said Lamppa.
Some observers see larger
and scarier implications in the
declining competitiveness of
young endurance athletes.
"This is emblematic of the
state of America's competitiveness, and should be of concern to us all," Toni Reavis, a
veteran running commentator,
wrote in a blog post this week
entitled "Dumbing Down, Slowing Down."
Median U.S. marathon finishes
for men rose 44 minutes from
1980 through 2011, according
to Running USA, and last year
nearly 75% of road-race finishers were 44 or younger, with
25- to 34-year-olds representing the largest age group.
Cont- The Slowest Generation by Kevin Helliker
Last month, Competitor Group
Inc. announced it would no longer pay appearance fees for professional runners to compete at
its Rock 'n' Roll marathon and
half-marathon series in the U.S.
CGI still pays travel expenses
and more for the elite.
or Run is a five-kilometer, untimed race," says its website.
Then there is Tough Mudder, a
fast-growing series of obstaclecourse challenges that proudly
dispenses with an enduranceracing staple: the results page.
"Since Tough Mudder is an
But to some observers, that
event, not a race, we do not
change contributed to a growing
post the finish times on our
site," says the Tough Mudder
embrace of mediocrity.
website. Arguing that results
pages detract from camarade"If you're going to get just as
much praise for doing a four-hour rie, Tough Mudder adds that
obsessing about finish times is
marathon as a three-hour, why
bother killing yourself training?"
"lame."
asked Robert Johnson, a founder
of LetsRun.com, adding that, "It's That idea sounds downright unhard to do well in a marathon if
American to Joe Desena,
your idea of a long session is
founder of the rival Spartan
watching season four of 'The
Race obstacle-course series.
His competitors are timed and
Wire.'"
their results posted, with many
aspiring to earn a slot in the
But instead of fighting back, the
young increasingly are thumbing Spartan World Championship
this weekend. Likening to comtheir nose at the very concept of
racing. Among some, it simply
munism events that promote
isn't cool, an idea hilariously illus- "hand-holding over competitrated in a 2007 YouTube Video
tion," Desena said, "How well is
that everybody-gets-a-trophy
called the Hipster Olympics. In
those Games, contestants do an- mentality working in our
ything to avoid crossing the finish schools?"
line—drink beer, lounge in the
Desena also contends that
grass, surf the Web.
eliminating timing chips and results pages is a sure way to inYet something remotely akin to
crease profit—while shielding
that is happening. Perhaps the
fastest-growing endurance event one's customers' names from
competitors. For Spartan, the
in the country, the Color Run,
cost of tracking and posting
doesn't time participants or post
performances is significant, he
results. "Less about your 10minute mile and more about hav- says. "If you can pull the wool
ing the time of your life, The Col- over your customers' eyes and
Page 6
convince them that communism is better, you can drop
at least $40,000 to your bottom line every race," he said.
Of course, there are countless
super-elite young athletes.
And only because the young
have no need to prove they're
not old was I able to outrace
so many of them last month.
Still, apathetic competition offers little comfort to some aging athletes.
After finishing last month's Virginia Beach half marathon in
the top 2% of the 50-54 age
group, Brendan Reilly was
shocked to find he'd made the
top 1% of the overall field—
despite running 27 minutes
slower than the personal best
he'd set more than two decades earlier.
"I wasn't thrilled," said Reilly, a
sports agent in Boulder, Colo.,
adding that "races are turning
into parades."
"Somewhere in the
world someone is
training when you
are not. When you
race him, he will
win.”
Editor’s Notes
Winning at Forestburgh
Monthly Meeting
Upcoming Events
The monthly meeting is on the last Thursday of the month. The location will be
announced in Tom’s weekly email.
The best place to find out about upcoming races and events is:
Good food, good conversation and some
club updates. The run meets at 5:45 followed by dinner and the meeting..
By Andrew Kalter
Articles and pictures with good
captions please! It is very hard to put
out a newsletter without articles and
pictures. If anyone would like to write
a quarterly column, or single article,
please let me know your ideas.
If you have any questions please contact me at [email protected].
“To a runner, a side stich
is like a car alarm. It
signifies something is
wrong, but you ignore it
until it goes away.”
Page 7
Here are a few favorites:
Thursda y- Novem ber 28,
2013(Thanksgiving): Wallkill East
Rotary Turkey Trot 5K Registraion opens at 7:00 am, start time is
8:00 am., Galleria at Crystal Run
Sunday- December 1, 2013: Orange
R un ne r s Cl ub Ji ngl e Jog
Free Book by Joe C. Ellis
It really helps if the author in- My latest novel, The Old Man and the Marathon, is now available as a free download
cludes a picture of himself and also at
from www.smashwords.com
least one more picture for the article.
I think it would be great to
have one article on nutrition, training,
past race reviews, upcoming races,
cross training, and maybe even a book
or movie review.
http://www.sullivanstriders.org/
calendar.htm
The Old Man and the Marathon is a story
about taking on a challenge despite the odds.
Sixty-four year old Angelo Santiago has been
a distance runner most of his life. However,
he has never run a marathon because of a
history of sciatica problems. This missing
piece in his competitive career has always
gnawed at him, reminding him of his inferiority
among his running peers. After three months
of pain-free running, he decides to train for
his first marathon. With encouragement from
his young friend, Emmanuel, he begins the
arduous workouts that will prepare him for
one of the most difficult ordeals of his life.
Along the way he meets Rita Marling, a beautiful woman who stirs romantic embers
dormant since the death of his wife ten years
ago. He also encounters Jack Silvers, a local
high school coach and marathoner who becomes his rival in racing and romance. On the
day of the race, like everyone who takes on
the challenge of a marathon, Angelo must
reach deep inside to find the strength and
courage to finish the race.
7K 10:00am
“"There's no such thing as bad
weather, just soft people."
Renewal Time!!!
Soon it will be time to renew your
membership for 2014. Your fees
allow the Club to fund social events
and organize races.
We hope you will be renewing your
membership soon. We thank you
for allowing us to serve the running
and walking community and for
being part of our Club.
Renewal Applications will be
emailed soon and posted on the
website. Please submit with your
check to Sullivan Striders at:
Sullivan Striders
PO Box 702
Rock Hill, NY 12775
100K Catskill Mtn. Relay
100K Catskill Mtn. Relay
will be an enjoyable success
that the organizers will be
proud of and that the runners
are going to love.
By Brian Cavanagh
The Spectacular 22nd Annual
100K Catskill Mountain Road
Relay will be held in 2014.
Dear past and prospective 100K CMRR participants,
Since my earliest dreams of a
gigantic relay race around the
Catskills began in 1992, organizing and running in this race has
been a challenging & exciting
adventure.
Planning the logistics for this
race is like no other; just as the
scale of the course is huge, so
too is planning and conducting
the event.
Just as the mythological
Phoenix rose from the ashes,
this race through Phoenicia
will do the same.
Sincerely,
Brian Cavanagh
100K Catskill Mtn Road Relay
Founder (AKA "Chief Instigator")
"-Why aren't you signed up
Page 8
By Jeff Cummings –A Near Perfect Day
And A Strong Race!
Days as perfect for long-distance running
races as Sunday was are few and far between. I ran the Wurtsboro Mountain
30K for the third consecutive year, and
this year, the temperature was surprisingly
warm, with brilliant sunshine warming
everyone. Throw in the fact that I've done
some very good training over the past
three months, and it's easy to see why my
time was significantly better than it was
last year. Each of the past two years, the
day of the race was very cold, particularly
two years ago, when the temperature was
15 degrees at dawn. Sunday, things started
out around 28 degrees, and warmed up to
the 40s, absolutely ideal for a race of that
nature.
As usual, I held back a lot on the initial hill,
a steady incline for four miles that can
prove daunting for many runners, regardless of their ability. Still, I felt the benefits
of my additional training even then.
Throughout the race, I found my stride
much better than I had last year, and I
reaped the benefits of the decline
throughout the middle section of the race.
The surprising challenge of this race always comes in the final 10K, when rolling
hills prevent you from gaining the benefits
of momentum and gravity. Still, I had more
left in the tank this year, and I felt it
throughout the race.
For the 2014 edition of the 100K
CMRR, I am in the process of
working with others to see that
the event is revitalized in a variety of ways.
We have great people in the
Catskills/Hudson Valley/NY Metro area working on this, and I
am 100% confident that 2014's
expanded and revitalized event
Wurtsboro 30K Review
for the 401K?"
"-I'd never be able to run
that far."
-Scott Adams, Dilbert-
For anyone considering a marathon, I'd
strongly suggest that you run this race. It's
excellent preparation for a marathon, and
the scenery is spectacular, particularly in
the middle of the race.
Heather and Jennifer at Diva Half Marathon
2013 Winter Series Winners
2013 Interclub Trophy Presentation to ORC
Heather, Before and After Running!!!
2013 Walnut Mountain Run
John, Kim, and Ahote.