STRIDERS NEWSLETTER
March 11, 2009
WRC 10Miler, Crazy BOB's and March Runner Spotlight
Hello Friends,
The Winter Racing Circuit is tough running: It's cold enough to freeze a river of snot to your upper lip, the knees don't work as well in 20 degree weather and its no good when your lungs have frozen and its like breathing through a frozen wet sponge. To top it off; you never know what critters will crawl off the mountain (dead or alive) to say hello on Country Hills Drive. Well, at least the courses are easyJ There's enough pain and misery to deter even the most veteran, hardened runner from participating in the WRC, but alas, who's this? Why, it's an 11 year old boy who appears to feel no pain as he crosses the finish line in these frozen races next to the mountain.
The morning of the WRC 10K, John Lewis got out of bed sick, weak with a fever and in no condition to run. But his 11 year old son, Jake Lewis, was determined to get to Ogden so he could battle some hills. Most kids his age would pour a bowl of Lucky Charms and enjoy a few Saturday morning cartoons, but Jake had his poor sick father drive him from Ogden Valley to Weber State to run with 400 crazy runners on the toughest 10K course in Utah. Jake did awesome running through the finish line in 59:21 with a big smile on his face. The kid is unbelievable; he certainly inspired me. When Jake runs, he has a look of pure joy on his face without a hint of anxiety. He's running for the love of running and I would bet a nickel he doesn't fret a second about how fast or slow he ran that day. Thanks for the lesson Jake; I can't wait to see you at the next one.
Jake Lewis is our March Runner Spotlight, to read his profile please visit www.stridersrunning.com
Okay, we're all set for the big 10 mile race this weekend. If you're already registered for the WRC 10 miler, you can pick up your race packet on Friday at Striders in Layton from 10am-7pm or the morning of the race at the Dee Events Center from 6:15am -- 7:30am. The race starts at 8:00am sharp. Water and Gatorade will be available at miles 3, 6 and 8. Vanilla, Chocolate, Tri-berry and Lemon-lime GU will be available at mile 6. Portable restrooms will also be available at miles 3 and 6. If you need to drop apparel during the race and want to get it back, be sure to drop it at one of the aid stations. If you are not planning to run this race but have signed up for the series please let us know by emailing striders@stridersrunning.com Please be conscious where you toss your water cups after running through an aid station, don't drop GU wrappers on the ground and if you have a chance hug a volunteer and say "thank you."
Saturday's 10 miler is our St. Patrick's Day run, so here's a little Irish wit and wisdom to get you in the mood:
An Irishman, an Englishman and a beautiful girl are riding together in a train, with the beautiful girl in the middle. The train goes through a tunnel and it gets completely dark. Suddenly there is a kissing sound and then a slap!
The train comes out of the tunnel. The woman and the Irishman are sitting there looking perplexed. The Englishman is bent over holding his face which is red from an apparent slap.
The Englishman is thinking "Damn it, that Mick must have tried to kiss the girl, she thought it was me and slapped me."
The girl is thinking, "That Englishman must have moved to kiss me, and kissed the Irishman instead and got slapped."
The Irishman is thinking, "If this train goes through another tunnel, I could make another kissing sound and slap that Englishman again!!
Ha, Ha. I love St. Paddy's Day. One year we printed an Irish themed Striders Running shirt and it's been an annual tradition ever since. We only print about 100 of these shirts then we throw away the screen. So, if you want one you have to get'em fast. The 2009 shirt will be available for purchase this Friday the 13th at Striders and Saturday at the Dee Events Center the morning of the 10 miler for $20.00. After that if there's any left we'll have them available at Striders until they're gone.
If you're registered for the Buffalo Run on March 28th, we're going to have a last-chance training run on the Island next Saturday, March 21st. The plan is to meet at the main gate in Syracuse at 7:00am, carpool onto Antelope Island and run the Mountain View trail. It's a flat trail, about 12 miles. Much of the 50 mile Buffalo Run course is on the MV trail, so this is your last chance before the race to introduce yourself to the trail and its condition this year. All are welcome. Bring your own water and provisions and prepared to run for a couple of hours.
Top Secret! Who cares? Spread the word and stay tuned for details; Antelope Island is hosting a half-marathon on the trails this October 17th.
So get this, last week we got a call from the Sheriff's office who was receiving complaints from locals on sightings of a hairy, loin-clothed man running around behind the castle at the Fernwood trail head in Layton harassing animals and people snowshoeing. The description matched that of the infamous Crazy Bob, so being the closest thing to his relation and the deputy not wanting to mix it up with the stringy little redneck, the Sheriff called us to go pick him up. It didn't take us long to find him with all the hollering echoing through Adams Canyon. We've seen him in bad shape before, but this was the worst yet. He reeked of Yagermeister, his eyes were red like a harvest moon and he thought his name was Danny. He was running around the hills hollering for his pet "Brian," whatever or whoever that is.
Anyway, we threw away the flask he had clutched in his frozen palm, fed him a meatball sandwich and a little hot chocolate, clothed him in a Striders hoodie and dropped him off in Baer Canyon. Before he ran off hollering "Brian" again, he wanted to make sure registration was open for the Bair Gutsman and the scramble up the mountain this year. It's his only opportunity for fresh meat and he wanted to make sure all our "do-do" is in order.
So here it is. Although we think you should seriously reconsider running up a mountain with no directions, aid or clear understanding of who Crazy Bob is or what the Bair Gutsman is all about, the Gutsman runners are stubborn and insist on this race the first Saturday in August -- they've been at it for over 30 years! Come to Striders to register or visit www.stridersrunning.com for more information and to link to active where you can register online! Space is limited on this one so register soon. If you feel like you need to call the store to ask a bazillion questions about the race, maybe you should put it out of your mind and find a nice piece of pavement to run on. No whiners, no refunds, no questions, just run baby!
Okay, one more Irish joke and we'll say TaTa for now:
A Kerryman was suffering from pains in his knees, so he visited the doctor.
"You're suffering from a disease that we medical experts call "kneeitis", said the doctor. "Take it easy for a month or so and above all don't climb any stairs. That puts a terrible strain on the knees."
A month later the Kerryman returned and after a brief examination was found to have recovered completely.
"Can I climb the stairs now Doctor?"
"Certainly," replied the Doctor.
"Thank Heavens," said the Kerryman, "I was getting a bit browned off climbing up the drainpipe every time I wanted to go to the toilet."
Happy St. Patrick's Day, hope to see you Saturday.
John & Kristin Wojciechowski
