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Lake Grapevine Runners & Walkers | April 2014 Dear Lake Grapevine, April is a big month in the running world! Weather is improving, races abound, and of course, something special is going on in Boston. How about you? Have you adjusted to Daylight Saving Time and our new, earlier weekend runs? Or are you waiting for Mother Nature to make up her mind and give us some consistent spring weather? Either way the opportunities to come out and join your RAW buddies abound! Keep reading to learn about upcoming events and get inspired by the stories shared below. And if you are one of those headed to Boston this year, we at RAW wish you the very best of luck!
calendar SNL Saturday, Apr 5 5:00PM Cristina's 2003 Hwy 114, Suite 300, Trophy Club Newbie Sunday Sunday, Apr 6 7:00AM Clubhouse Board Meeting Monday, Apr 14 7:00PM Clubhouse Lunch Bunch Tuesday, Apr 15 NOON Red Dog Right 3311 W. SH 114, Southlake
SAVE THE DATE! May 3 SNL May 4 Newbie Sunday May 12 Board Meeting May 15 Volunteer Social/Run
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Volunteer Appreciation Social and Run Mark your calendars for the third annual Volunteer Appreciation Social and Run, to be held Thursday, May 15th at 6:00PM. We're looking forward to showing our appreciation to our volunteers through some friendly competition, dinner, and prizes. All members who have volunteered for water duty, trail clean up, RAW races, RAW-sponsored aid stations, or for general RAW duties are eligible to win prizes. Watch Facebook and next month's FOOTPRINT for more details. Haven't volunteered yet this year? There is still time to sign up for water duty to qualify for the prize drawing!
The RAW Board Needs YOU! Do you have ideas that could improve the club? Skills that would benefit the membership? Four positions will open up this July, and YOU might be a perfect fit. For more information about what is involved and/or how to run, contact RAW president Joe Luccioni.
Fall Road Trips The weekend of Oct 18, 2014 features two big out of town races that will attract many RAW runners. It's not too early to plan for these fun trips! The Palo Duro Trail Run, on Oct 18, features a 20K, 50K, and 50 miler. Registration is open for the 50K and 50 mile distances. Registration for the 20K opens on 8/1 at 12:00AM and will sell out fast. If you are interested, make plans to join the RAW caravan to Canyon, TX for the pre-race dinner, race day festivities, and post-race celebratory dinner. See website or contact Joe Luccioni for more information.
membership renewals volunteer sign-up water duty instructions RAW forum like us on facebook LGRAW board of directors
discounts Luke's Locker 10% off most purchases with your membership. Sunstone Yoga (First Sunday of the month) FREE Yoga classes at ALL DFW area Sunstone Yoga locations. Print this newsletter as proof of your membership. Running Warehouse enter LGRWD at checkout (exclusions apply). Irving Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K & 1Mile Fun Run (April 5) irvingmarathon.com enter grapevineruns to save 10% on registration.
May 20 Lunch Bunch Red Dog Right June 8 Wounded Warrior, RAW Aid Station
footnotes Congratulations To Marcel and Karen Bosworth on their daughter Whitney's March 8 marriage to Mark Blazek. To Karen Robertson on the birth of her grandson, Mark David on March 6. To Colleen Casey on achieving tenure at the University of Texas Arlington. To Joe Luccioni on his retirement.
The Ragnar Trail Relay Hill Country is a two day, overnight relay, starting on Oct 17. Held just outside of San Antonio, TX, the race challenges teams of 4 or 8 to alternate running loops of varying distances. Registration is open, and Troy Pruett is putting together RAW teams. See the race website here, and if you are interested in joining a team, contact Troy.
Giving Back to the Sport GBTTS | Giving Back To The Sport RAW's Trash Pickers This month we would like to honor the participants of the March 1 park and shoreline cleanup held by RAW. Under the leadership of Gary Howsam, 41 RAW members and friends participated, working a total of nearly 60 collective hours. A total of 54 bags of trash was collected. While the trash pickers were out getting dirty, Bruce and Kathryn Gleghorn were setting up an outstanding BBQ spread to nourish the hungry volunteers. Despite their scrapes, scratches, and caked on mud, volunteers were all smiles at lunch. A big RAW thank you goes out to everyone who participated this month and at previous cleanups. You are all RAW-some! Would you like to nominate someone to be featured for Giving Back or In Step With? Send us an email!
RAW Around Town...
Welcome Home To Peggy Rehyer; we are glad you're home. Speedy Recovery Gary Howsam Brandon Couvillion Sheri Rasnake Condolences To Kevin and Lorraine Wessels on the loss of their beloved dog, Kensi. Kensi was a frequent race day volunteer alongside Kevin and Lorraine. Lost & Found Left something at the clubhouse? Check to see if we found it. All unclaimed items are in the clear tote along the north wall of the clubhouse (just outside the bathroom).
Membership Renewals Update your contact information or renew your membership by clicking here.
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LGRAW Ladies brave the cold and gale force winds in the St Patty's Day Sprint Triathlon, March 16. Celebrating successful finishes and wins are Kat Sparks, Michelle Liles, Mary Keeffe, Danyah ArafatJohnson, Debby Eads, and Laura Pruett. (Photo: John Studebaker)
FOOTPRINT submissions We are always looking for content to include in the FOOTPRINT. If you have a running/walking related story or photo you'd like to share with the club, consider submitting it for the FOOTPRINT. Click here for submission guidelines. Deadline for the May Issue is April 15th.
HOWSAM POINT At the request of RAW president Joe Luccioni, Keep Grapevine Beautiful (KGVB) recognized RAW charter member Gary Howsam for his outstanding effort with the Horseshoe Trail Clean Up over the years. A sign has been erected near the lake at what many trail users called Kodak (Moment) Point (on the peninsula at the end of Colt Drive, just before the one-mile mark on the west course). The sign states: Keep Grapevine Beautiful Howsam Point In Recognition and Appreciation of Gary Howsam There was a brief unveiling ceremony speech given by Kelly "K2" Richards. K2 spoke about how RAW is proud to have adopted Horseshoe Trails several years ago, the efforts of all the RAW volunteers who have helped with trail clean up - from the days when there was so much trash you didn't have to move from the spot you chose to now when some complain they have to look for the trash (the complaints are an exaggeration, as we collected 50+ bags of trash on March 1) and the extra contributions from Gary. Gary serves as the liaison between KGVB and RAW, he recruits and organizes the volunteers, keeps everyone focused on clean up day, participates in the clean up himself and always follows up with a nice "thank you" email that includes the tally of trash collected. More than two dozen RAW members and regular trail cleaners were at the unveiling of the sign, which turned into quite the feat with the way the wind was blowing, but none were more surprised than Gary who had no idea he was being recognized. He thought the sign was dedicated to RAW. Gary won't admit it, but he had a tear in his eye as the sign was revealed and he accepted hugs and handshakes from friends. Once he had time to recover, Gary sent the following note of appreciation: Thanks to all of you who came out on a very windy Sunday to witness the unveiling of the "Howsam Point" sign. I was truly surprised and honored, as I expected it would be the club and not me who the sign was to recognize. Though I am the main contact for the Keep Grapevine Beautiful organization and the one who coordinates our clean up events, it is the hard work of all of you club volunteers that results in our having a much cleaner park, lakeshore and city -- for that I say thanks to all of you. As K2 said yesterday, we do not find the huge trash piles we used to, but we do still manage to collect a lot of junk (54 bags were collected on 3/1) and will likely continue to do so. Thanks again for all your hard work. Cheers. Gary
RRCA runnings 2014 is still young but it's already been an exciting and busy year for the Road Runners Club of America. After giving the RRCA webpage, Keeping Pace email, Inside Track (newsletter ) and Kids Run the Nation a refreshed look in late 2013, in 2014 the RRCA launched a new FREE mobile app that can be downloaded here, a new RRCA Performance Wear Store through Championship Systems that can be found here, and a Run Smart : Run Safe Animated Message as part of a yearlong, public-safety, awareness campaign. The video can be viewed at and shared from this website.
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Normally Club Running would arrive in your snail mail box but the 2014 Spring issue is available online only. Read it here. There's still time to register for the 56th Annual RRCA National Convention May 1st in Spokane, WA, in conjunction with the Lilac Bloomsday Run, the RRCA National 12K Championship. Convention Website. If going all the way to Spokane to run in a RRCA Championship race doesn't work for you stay right here in DFW and run the RRCA Texas State 10-Mile Championship at the DRC White Rock & Roll 10 Mile run on May 3. Race Website. Whatever you choose to do, have fun and #Runsafe.
HOW I SURVIVED MY FIRST ULTRA...with Mental Calisthenics and with the Help of my Friends By Eileen Pontaoe
For months before The Cowtown Ultra, I lived in dread. I approached my first ultra with much fear and trepidation. Sure, I've run a handful of marathons, but the idea of running an extra five miles seemed a herculean task. In most of my marathons, I suffered through the last six harrowing miles. Therefore, I saw the 50K not just as an extra five miles but actually eleven miles of "gruesomeness". To steel myself from some of the pain and mental torture on race day, I decided that it would be wise to create a better race strategy than "running for feel", which was how I ran marathons in the past year. Somehow along the way in my midlife crisis pursuit to run the 50 States, my motivation to run fast or with purpose has ebbed and flowed away from my running. Consequently, I tended to run a marathon simply as a long training run for an upcoming marathon ... nice and slow and without pressure. But just as B.B. King sang it, "the thrill [was] gone". My hope was that undertaking an ultra distance will blast away the doldrums, and that I may attain some newfound joy in my beguiling running journey... or something... anything. The night before The Cowtown, I read the race guide as if I was going to be tested on it. I traced the course and memorized where all the water stops, porta potties and the turning points were - where the half marathon separated from the full, and more importantly, where the ultra veered to after the full. You see, I get lost very easily. My husband continues to (lovingly) mock me for getting lost in Central Park during a 10K. For those who don't know Central Park, the usual course is a little more than a six mile rough circle that looped within the inside perimeter of the park. My defense was I followed runners in front of me ... out of the park. In my study of the racing guide, I learned that there were pacers for the full marathon but just one pacer for the ultra. Unfortunately for me, the ultra pacer was running at an ungodly speed which I can possibly match in another lifetime...not this one. My overall race plan was to run a decent pace whilst saving, preserving and conserving energy for the extra five miles (or rather eleven miles?). Another major consideration was I must finish before my iPhone ran out of battery. I needed my music for my mental composure during the race, and equally important, was if I become dazed and confused post race, I needed my phone's GPS to lead me back to the garage where I parked. On race morning, I made it to my designated corral a half an hour early. I searched for another pacer who sported a more reasonable finishing time. Once identified and cornered, the pacer had no choice but to answer my frantic questioning. I interrogated the pacer about race strategy, how many marathons completed and paced, how many Cowtowns ran and paced, etc. The responses were convincing. Bingo! I found my race strategy - stick to this pacer like dirt. From the start, I ran behind the pacer as closely as socially acceptable, and that if the pacer stopped abruptly, I would have face-planted against the pacer's entire posterior. This was not proper running etiquette, I knew, but I was desperate and on self-preservation mode. So for the next 10 miles, I saw little of the race course (not even the naked guy) but for the back of the pacer's shirt. Whatever the pacer did, I copied. If the pacer veered to the right or left, I followed. If the pacer stopped for water, I drank. If the pacer walked, I marched. The advice about running your own race went out the window. It was as if the time flew (and as if the miles melted away, yeah, right) because I remembered seeing my first mile marker, and it was for Mile 5. Wow, I was amazed that it was five miles because it didn't feel like it at all. Somehow, I sustained energy by not over thinking the race, not deliberating over each move, analyzing each change in pace, and forever scanning the body for any twitch or pull and adjusting accordingly. The only action required of me was to remain upright and move one foot then the other. I became an automaton whose sole raison d'etre was to stick with the pacer like dirt. So far, so good. As I approached Mile 10, I continued to feel well (but with the usual ten mile aches and pains) and perhaps a little bit emboldened. I thought of asking the pacer, if per chance, the other runners with us decided to go off or fall off, and I became the last runner, if the pacer could or would run the remaining five miles with me. Of course, that was a very selfish thought. But I was desperate and in self-preservation mode. It became clear real fast that my pacer-saviour would not be able to pull me through the extra miles. The pacer slowed down noticeably and asked another runner to carry the pacer's sign for a couple of miles. At about Mile 11, the pacer queued up for the porta potty behind five or six runners. For a long minute, I debated whether to wait. My soliloquy focused on "oh, no, it was double digits, I have to wait, I need my pacer- saviour more than ever." That little bit of negative chatter exhausted me, but despite this, I decided to run ahead. Well, it was around Mile 14, when the pacer passed me while I myself was in line for the potty. By the time I reached the top of the line and finished my business, the pacer was no longer in sight.
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At this point of the race, I've run only a couple of miles or so by myself, but enough miles for my brain to hop in and out of gloomy thoughts and potential excuses. The negative chatter got louder. Whether real or imagined or brought on by my anxiety over the ultra distance, my hamstrings started to tighten up more, and my right psoas started to throb. To keep it together, I decided that I would not obsess over the extra miles until after I completed the marathon distance. I tried to convince myself that anything beyond the marathon distance would be a bonus. To me, that meant walking the extra miles was totally okay. At around Mile 17, my pains were not yet stabbing but magnified. My left hamstrings metamorphosed into a knot the size of a small grapefruit. Just as I was about to lose heart, I spied Jen at a distance. Jen and I ran a 20 mile race a couple of weeks before The Cowtown. Jen is an optimist, better yet, an optimistic long distance runner. Maybe because she is young, she is so positive. She mentioned that she was recently invited to her tenth year high school reunion. That young. Her race strategy was a Galloway 2:1 run/walk. I was more than happy to comply. As opposed to a veteran runner (me as 17 years her senior) inspiring the young runner (Jen), I was the one who required much inspiring. Along the way, she encouraged me by telling me how the course flattened out, how good the breeze felt, that they served hotdogs and hamburgers on the turnaround, oh, and also cold beer, how we now entered single digits, and now only a 10K, 5K, etc. Each time, I mirrored her comments and responded with all the genuine enthusiasm I could muster (with a 'Yeah!", "Awesome!" or "We got this!" ). If I could not be similarly inspired, at the very least, I will be polite to her. I owed it to her. I remained positive with nary a whine or a whimper. One poignant moment which I will never forget was when she said, "It's just ten more miles." She said this with utmost conviction and gravitas or with transcendent joy (I really don't know how to describe it) that I was utterly transformed and replied with the loudest "Yay!" and gave her a most vigorous high-five. Only seconds later, from the recesses of my brain, a little thought burst out, "I am so [F***ed]!" Jen had springs on her feet that day, and at Mile 28, I was no longer able to keep up with her. Many times, she slowed down for me and pulled me along, for which I will be eternally grateful. To be fair to her, I begged her to go ahead. I assured her that I was fine and would now start walking. That was around Mile 29, when she reluctantly parted ways with me. Later, I found out that she PR'ed. I continued to run because no matter how much it hurt, I reached that point when I just want an end to it all. My body protested in grand style. Everything from my waist down felt heavy and on fire. My hamstrings were at a tug of war with my calf muscles, and neither party conceded. The muscles around my knees, I swear, went AWOL as my knees barely bent and rather often, locked. Even my uterus, or what I imagined to be my uterus, or whatever pesky little organ was in that same general locale started to give me a pinch. But at Mile 30, I got a quick jolt of energy, perhaps from seeing the medals on runners who already finished or from imagining the same medal draping around my own neck --- poetic? Rather, I attributed the spark from something more prosaic - the finisher's shirt. I passed runners because I didn't want them to deprive me of my finisher's shirt. I heard that races ran out of finisher's shirts, and almost always for back of the packers like me. This was my first ultra, and I wanted that shirt. I planned to show it off at yoga the next day. (You say that is very un yogi-like? I agree. But let's be real, what are finisher's shirts really for --- but for hubris?) Well, I finished, earned my spurs ("medal") and beelined to the finisher's shirts area. I must have looked crazed before the volunteer who finally bent the no-exchange policy and let me trade in my shirt for the right size. Completing my first ultra was an accomplishment that I share with my running buddies. This was truly a group effort. Before I found a chair in which to collapse, I received text messages from all of them congratulating me on my finish. One of them, a dear friend, tracked my progress and got a hold of my semi-official finish time and splits and forwarded them to everybody. I sat there and exchanged highlights with them. We congratulated ourselves for finishing, for getting up on Saturdays and Sundays for back to back long runs, for braving the cold, for breakfast at Main Street Bakery, for days of experimenting with energy gels, protein drinks and blister free socks, etc. I was so happy and content to sit there. So I texted my husband that I may not make it to mass that afternoon. Then I realized that I can't bend down. I need someone to help me out of my soggy shoes and out of my compression socks. Like thunder, I bolted out of my comfy seat and headed home.
RAW REFLECTIONS ON THE BOSTON MARATHON By Belynda Warner
When I asked RAW folks for their thoughts on the Boston Marathon, the response was not exactly what I expected. Normally when you ask about any given race, you get a mix of praise and criticism. But out of more than two dozen replies about Boston, from both those who have and have not run it, I did not receive a single negative response. Well, one runner admitted to having a love-hate relationship with Boston, but her thoughts that followed revealed a love for the race, and a conflicting hate for the struggle to actually get TO the race. And she has both the talent and determination to qualify. Imagine how those of us who don't expect to qualify until we are in that absolute oldest category of runner feel. In the world of running, Boston is arguably the pinnacle event of the sport. Whether they aspire to run it or not, most runners respect the race, and every runner has probably been asked some form of, "So, are you running Boston?" But when you ask for stories, and the reasons for running come out, the true spirit of the runner is revealed. Everyone who responded to my request had interesting stories some about family bonding, some about charity, many about the support and encouragement of friends. Several of the responses described experiences that bordered on epic. Here are a few: The whole weekend was fantastic! Diligent preparation (2:51), nice weather, running with a buddy, great post-race party. Decided the next morning it could never be that good again. I have not run another marathon in 26 years. Still basking in the glow! - Henry Galpin
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I've run ten of them, best was 2:59, tough course. I dropped out in '04 due to heat but could have finished if I didn't have an early flight out that day. Mike Evans and Ros Dalrymple also ran that year and finished. I ran the year Rosie Ruiz cheated, and my first year, 1977, was the year Billy Rodgers dropped out. I told him and everyone else that "I beat Billy Rodgers in the 1977 Boston Marathon." - Spareribs LaMothe Ran only once while my daughter was at Wellesley. Can't really describe how wonderful it was when I came across her, my wife and younger daughter in the Scream Tunnel. And I only kissed girls that I knew. - Ricardo Roberto Five Bostons for me, the most special was the first: Terry Marcott showing me the ropes, 11-minute PR, first time under 3 hours and to top it off, it was on my birthday. I was happy to experience Boston with numerous friends over the years. The 2009 Boston Marathon was my last race ever and also on my birthday - good way to wrap up a running career. - Duncan Stewart I ran Boston in 2002 for the first time with my little brother, Robert Crane. It was an amazing day of sibling bonding. Even though Rob is significantly faster than I am, we ran the entire race together and finished holding hands. I have the picture up in my office. For us that day was a celebration of all the work we had done together to get there. This year I return to Boston to celebrate the life of my friend David Bloom who left us much to early in Dec 2012. I'm running for Team Run for Cover to raise money for melanoma education and honor Dave's legacy. - Marybeth Crane I ran in 1982, the year of the famous "Duel in the Sun" between Salazar and Beardsley. Salazar won by two seconds 2:08:52 2:08:54. A friend of mine, Gabe, twisted his ankle on Sunday before the race, so he let me run in his place. To this date every time I talk to him he curses me out, because I dropped out at 16 miles due to the heat - his only DNF! I was never able to qualify on my own because back then 40 year olds and over had to run a 3:10. I am proud of all those that have qualified and run Boston. - Joe Luccioni I have ran Boston (7) times. My best place and time was during the 1998 Boston with an overall place at 161 with a time of 2:40:07. I personally think that during the 1996 Boston was my favorite due to the 100th running and more than 39,000 started the race. I finished 600th pace with a time of 2:45:04. - Terry Marcott My Boston goal was twofold. The first part was to equal my tennis slams, and then to run 3 consecutive Boston marathons. I did 2004-06. I wanted to do Boston so badly as it is one of the running Grand Slams. I've also done Chicago and NYC. This makes 3 of the 5 slams that I've done for running. I've also done 3 out of 5 Slams in tennis. So I wanted to balance the number of slams for both of my favorite sports. As a mother of 4 children, I did find it very hard logistically to run a Monday race in Boston. My kids were ages 6 - 12 years old at the time and my husband had a demanding job where he was sometimes out of town. In 2004, I requalified at Boston (for Boston) and decided to get 3 consecutive under my belt and call it quits due to logistics of a Monday race. The loophole there is that I've said I'll try to run another Boston only if one of my children ever qualify and we will run it together. - Ros Dalrymple I've run the Boston race seven times. Never thought I'd ever qualify until Terry Marcott believed in me, and coached me to a 3:15 PR. I have made friends from all over the world and many US states. Adding to the experience is my Parkland Burn Camp Charity (14 yrs) except the one year I ran for Japan Tsunami Relief wearing my Sendai, Japan shirt and American flag. The Japanese fans on the course were wild with emotion. The 2013 race was a great day - 3:23:06. I crossed the finish line and kneeled to pray at the steeple of the Old South Church- 100 feet from the first bomb some minutes later. I was a block away when a loud smoky blast shocked us all. A few seconds of " WTF" when bomb number two went off, and we knew this wasn't an accident. Nobody panicked. Instead we were more mad at the terrorist bastards. The 2014 Race is for Boston Strong/ America Strong. - David Ball David's response was the only response I received that mentioned the 2013 bombing. I fully expected to receive many comments about the bombing. In fact, that is what actually prompted my question even though I did not specifically ask about it. I think this speaks volumes about the spirit of the runner. We all got through the initial panic that day by frantically checking up on all "our runners" that were at the race, until everyone was accounted for. Then we dedicated training runs to the victims, ran Boston-themed races, signed banners of support, and raised money for survivors. And we rebounded. One year later, the bombings are an important part of running history, but no bombing could crush the spirit of the runner. I received some longer responses that I couldn't bear to condense, but wanted to share in their entirety, so they are linked below. Please click through to read memories, reflections, and advice. I'm sure these will get you into the spirit as we count down patiently (or impatiently) to the 118th running of the Boston Marathon on April 21, 2014. Good luck runners! Kelly "K2" Richards Robin Pearson Stan Ujka Helene Walker
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Terry Marcott * Boston 1996
Duncan Stewart * Boston 2009
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Dave Ball * Boston 2013
