Archive for October, 2009
Why aren't there stories about brave little cabooses?
I went to my first club run early last spring. I had found the club’s website, and had been wanting to join the club for some time, but I held back because I don’t run very fast, and I can’t run very far. I didn’t know how the club runs worked, and I worried that I would hold every one up.
Or that I would be left in the dust.
I figured that there was no point joining a running club if I was going to be left in the dust because, after all — I can run by myself… by myself.
I finally decided to give it a go and I gathered my courage one chilly Sunday and made my way to Greenberry’s. I didn’t want to be late, so I arrived about 7:45 and looked around anxiously for people who looked like runners (as I said, I didn’t know how the club runs worked!). I went inside Greenberry’s and looked around. Nothing. I went back outside and sat in my car. I checked my watch. I worried. I saw a guy heading into Greenberry’s who was wearing sweats and I asked him if he was a runner and he laughed and said no.. but that maybe he should think about it.
I felt pretty stupid. But I kept waiting.
Shortly before 8:00, several cars pulled in and I could see that yes.. these were runners. I took a deep breath and approached two women from one of the cars and introduced myself. They were extremely friendly and invited me to wait with them in their car for a few minutes. I told them that I couldn’t run very fast or very far, and they assured me there was nothing to worry about.
I wound up running with them and I actually managed to keep up with them (or they were holding back for me, I wasn’t quite sure). When I went home from that first run, I was glad that I had ventured out, and I felt very welcome in the club. (Thanks Marcia and Sue for that!)
I went to a few more runs and had the same experience. I began to recognize a few more faces each week, and started learning names. I began to feel a little more confident about joining the club.
One Sunday, at the run out at the Philomont Community Center, there wasn’t much of a turnout. None of the people I had run with before were there, and when everyone started off, I began to have visions of being left in the dust. But that didn’t happen. A man hung back and ran with me. It was a beautiful morning, and we had a very pleasant chat. I told him about my “left in the dust” worries, and he said that the person who was assigned water duty for the run was the designated “sweeper” — in charge of making sure that no one got left in the dust.
I think that is the most generous and friendly thing.
Trick or Treat with Teri and Tom
(How’s that for alliteration?)
During the three years I had my business in downtown Leesburg, I always made sure to beat a hasty retreat on the day of the Leesburg Halloween Parade. This year, gathering at the Simond’s house to watch it amidst appetizers and fellow roadrunners sounds like a good time. Since it’s a Saturday, there shouldn’t be any horrible problems with rush hour traffic. (Although there are some showers predicted, let’s hope we don’t have a repeat of last Saturday’s gully-washers!)
Time is 6:00. Bring an appetizer and/or beverage. (I’m hoping that includes those with “spirits”).
If you don’t know the address, drop an email to Teri at tlhsimonds@verizon.net.
Daylight Savings Time Goes Away
Remember to set your clocks back after the Halloween festivities, or you’ll be way early for the run Sunday morning at Bluemont:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Bluemont.pdf
Hope to see at least a couple o’ warts there.
I don’t want to hold anybody back. But I don’t want to be left in the dust, either.
What color is the sky in your world?
On Friday, for the social at the Dry Mill Winery, I was running a bit late, and then the traffic on Rt. 7 was the pits, so I didn’t make it to the winery until about 4:20. I figured that would fit in with the general tendency of the club not to really get things going until about 15 minutes after the hour, so I wasn’t that worried about it. When I walked into the tasting room and didn’t see anyone from the club however, I figured either I had screwed up on my date/time, or that the club was meeting in a private room somewhere at the winery. When I asked the owner where the Loudoun Roadrunners were and he looked at me like I was from the moon, I began to lean more towards the first option. Then, after a few minutes, he got out his calendar and said, “Yep… Loudoun Roadrunners, 4:00.”
I decided to just make the best of it and I ordered myself a glass of wine. A musician was about to get started playing some acoustic background music, so it looked like worst case scenario was still going to be a pleasant experience. I settled in to accept what was.
After maybe 10 minutes, Tom Simonds showed up. OK then… I wasn’t the only one. It was probably another 20 minutes before anyone else arrived.
It turned out to be a really great opportunity to visit with Tom and ask him questions about the Arkansas 100 mile race from a couple of weeks ago.
What kept him running for 8 hours in the rain? Why didn’t he get hypothermia?
Now that he had completed a 100 mile run, was he going to scratch it off his TO DO list, or did he want to do it again?
How long did it take to recover from that experience?
If the farthest you’ve ever run before is about 60 miles, how can you just tack on another 40?
Tom had some very good answers for these (and many more) questions that I had, but I still feel like this is a world I know very little about. I really enjoyed spending time getting to know Tom better, and learning more about what makes a big dog tick.
I run because I think it is a more efficient form of exercise (more work in less time) than walking. For me.. that’s pretty much it. When I think about the possibility of me ever running a marathon, I know absolutely that if I wanted to run a marathon there is no doubt I could train for and achieve that goal.
The thing is — I don’t want to run a marathon. And I’m OK with that.
I joined the club because I wanted to make some new friends, and run somewhere besides the same 4-mile stretch of the W & OD trail that I run by myself during the week.
It’s working for me.
Checking the 7-day forecast as it exists today, and it looks like Sunday is going to be the better day this weekend, and since I tend to run with the club on Sunday, I’ll aim at the Lovettsville Community Center:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Lovettesville.pdf
I doubt I’ll go for the whole short loop — I’ll probably turn around somewhere between 2 and 3 miles out. And I’m OK with that.
I didn't have a pony, either!
I grew up in the middle of Wyoming. Seemed like fall was around for about a week, before it gave way to winter. (And winter wasn’t fun at all!). People who live in Wyoming know that a visit to Yellowstone in August should include a Winter Survival Kit in the trunk.
My father had a rule that the furnace was turned off on Memorial Day, not to be turned on again until Labor Day. That was the rule and it didn’t matter how much we whined and complained. (“Put on a sweater!” he’d say.) When I tell that story to my kids to show how tough I had it growing up, they don’t get it. What’s the big deal? Who needs the furnace on between Memorial Day and Labor Day?
After living in Northern Virginia for twenty years now, I sometimes forget what the big deal is, too. After all, I haven’t had to flip the thermostat at my house over to HEAT yet this year, (I did light the gas fireplace briefly this morning to take the chill off while I drank my coffee, but I don’t think that counts. And even so, it’s well after Labor Day).
I’m really sorry I wasn’t able to run with the club last weekend — what a beautiful morning Sunday was. This week, sadly… the weather looks more than a bit “iffy” for rain this weekend.
The Saturday run starts at the Unison General store:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Unison.pdf
I haven’t run that course yet, but the description sounds lovely, especially in the fall. A WART could go out about 2 miles (3 maybe, to the first water stop), and then turn around a come back.
Sunday starts at the high school, and is listed as a trail clean up. That sounds like a good opportunity for a WART to walk/run. I think I’ll bring gloves, however, because I’m guessing there’s an “ick” factor involved in getting the trash along the trail into a bag. Especially if it’s been raining for a couple of days.
Directions for Sunday:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Thomas_Mill.pdf
Depending on how accurate the weather forecast is (I confess to being a fair-weather runner), I think I’ll try for a trifecta this weekend and show up for everything.
If I wake up either morning to a cold, driving rain — all bets are off. (After all, I’m no Tom Simonds.)
I am looking forward to the social event Friday afternoon though — at Dry Mill Windery (181 Dry Mill Road). Sounds like a good time to me. Doesn’t really matter if it’s raining if you have a nice glass of wine in your hand, does it?
Is anyone out there?
Seems there were a few communication problems last week with the change-over to the fall schedule.
Some people got the email about this new site; some people didn’t. Some people got the email with the fall schedule attached; some people didn’t.
So, until the website gets updated, I’ll just have to rely on a word-of-mouth (or email forwarding) marketing strategy this week to get the word out.
General consensus from the WARTS on Sunday was that the preference was not to embark on any specific training program — at least for now. That’s fine — we’re easy (but we’re not fast… ).
There isn’t much to do this week to shorten the weekend runs. Saturday is Faith Chapel, which has a <5 mile route, and Sunday is the ever popular, good old Greenberry’s, which is about as low-keyed as they come.
Directions to Faith Chapel are here:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Faith_Chapel.pdf
And everybody knows where Greenberry’s is.
Who’s going to be at which run?
Let’s get some infield chatter going out there to encourage the pitcher! I’ll start….