1. NATIONAL MARATHON "CELEBRATE FREEDOM" PRE-ENTRY EVENT ENDS FRIDAY, JULY 11TH!
Entries are now open for the march 2009 SunTrust National Marathon and Half-Marathon. During the "Celebrate Freedom" event,which kicked off on July 4th, entry fees are steeply discounted. It's not too early to commit yourself to this premier event, and to think about your training. Check in at the race website.
A free "In Training" T-Shirt goes to the first 1000 entries. Don't miss out!
2. 10-Mile/10K training Programs to Start July 12, 2008: The annual 10-Mile Training Program will commence on Saturday morning, July 12, 2008, at 8:00 am. The program will meet for the first 3 weeks (July 12, 19, and 26) at the Gotta Run store on So. Joyce Street in Arlington (Pentagon Row Shopping Center). After that, locations will vary. The "goal race" for this program is the Army 10-Miler.
This year, we will run a 10K training program in conjunction with the 10-Mile program. The "goal race" for this program is the Rediscovery 10K, run in mid-October in West Potomac Park.
Peter Lamberton, the Club's VP for Training Programs, is the director of both programs. He can be contacted at: plamberton@ftc.gov
3. NEW DCRRC WEBSITE ON THE WAY: In about a week, when you open this website, you will see someting quite new. New design, new features, but the same informative content, more-up-to-date and better arranged. Same address, but a better and renovated "home."
Thanks to the efforts of our current webmaster, Bill Bondurant, and spurred by the work of Brian Danza with the assistance of Michael Collins, our website will migrate to a new platform in mid-July. This will enable greater flexibility in updating information on the site, and thus enable the site to be more current. In addition, new features will include an events calendar that in truly comprehensive, featuring not only our Club-sponsored and affilaited races, but also our workouts, social events, and other items.
Brian and Michael, working with Bill, have done an enormous amount of work to design the site, import content, and incorporate comments from prototype users. They also have done so at a tiny fraction of the cost that it would have taken to take this task to an outside vendor. They deserve our thanks. So, don't panic when you hit www.dcroadrunners.org, and a new venue opens up on your screen!
4. NEXT CLUB RACE: BASTILLE DAY 4-MILER, JULY 14, 7 PM AT FLETCHER'S COVE: Join us on Bastille Day for our annual tradition. This is a Bunion Derby event, open to all comers. Entry is free for DCRRC members; $5 for non-members.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Race director Joe Racine is looking for a few volunteers to help with registration, water stop, and the finish line. Let us know if you can help!
president@dcroadrunners.org
5. Thanks for Recent Races: Thanks to RDs Pat Brown (Hugh Jascourt) and Ian Clements (July 4 Handicap), as well as their volunteers, for their efforts in staging these perennial summer events. The July 4th race was an opportunity, as it is every year, to see how you stack up, with age- and sex-graded differentials, against the rest of the Club. Yours truly was 45th, and seems to be sinking slowly in the west. There's always next year!
6. Volunteer Needs: Short-Term:
a. The Club's 1-Mile and 3K Track Championships are scheduled for Wednesday July 30, 2008. Due to an unexpected family commitment, I will not able to direct the event this year. A couple of people have stepped forward to volunteer, but if there is a Club member with some race directing experience who could oversee matters, please contact me as soon as possible at the "president" email address posted above.
The races are set for Wakefield High in South Arlington, starting at 6:30. I will work with the RD and volunteers beforehand to ensure a smooth operation. Thanks!
b. The Belle Haven 8K is Wednesday July 23rd. The race returns to Belle Haven after a year's hiatus. Please contact the Club president if you can help RD Scott Boggess with this race.
Given the location of the van and storage locker, it would be helpful if the volunteer for this position lived in Arlington or Alexandria. Less stress on that person.
Please let the Club President know if you are interested!
8. 20-Miler Registration Open: Registration is now open for the DCRRC National Capital Area 20-Miler, on Sunday, September 28, 2008. Registration forms will be available at Wednesday night workouts, Club races, and in many area running stores and sports clubs. In addition, there will be on-line regsitration through RacePacket at the link below.
Please note that there is a 4-hour time limit for completion of the race. Also, no headphones are permitted. Also, discounted registration will end on August 31, 2008, and there is a 500-person entry limit for this race. Thanks to race director Chuck Evans, and his "technical directors" Bob & Delabian Thurston for all the work they put into this race.
VOLUNTEERS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED FOR THIS EVENT! If you can volunteer, please contact Delabian Thurston at delabian@aol.com
Also, if your school, church group, community group or other organization has "volunteer requirements" for high school students, this is an excellent opportunity to volunteer, get credit for the students, and get publicity for your organization. Please contact the Club President at president@dcroadrunners.org if you can help in this way.
Registration link: https://www.racepacket.com/secure/regmain.php
9. Larry Noel 15K Registration Open: The 50th Annual Larry Noel 15K will be run in Greenbelt Maryland on Sunday, August 31, 2008, starting at 5:00 pm. Registration is available through the same RacePacket address listed above for the 20-Miler.
There is a 2-hour limit for completion of this race. Also, absolutely no headphones permitted in the race, as in all DCRRC-sponsored events.
10. A Word About the Weather: So far, it has been a pretty typical Washington summer, although for some of us, the humidity seems to get worse by the year. Be sure to train "within yourself," and respect the extra stress that physical activity places on your body. If you've overdone things a bit, be sure to give youself a chance to recover. Finally, be on the lookout for others who may need a hand handling the heat.
11. Injury Issues and Treatment: I'm often asked about "who to see" when an injury pops up. many of you already have established relationships with orthopedists, physical therapists, and massage therapists. I'm fortunate to have two outstanding professionals in the latter two categories. If you send me an email, I'll be happy to give you their contact information.
Stay cool, and see you at the track and on the trails.
