I don't want any more time to go by without thanking out going vice president,
Karen Provencher. She was responsible for lining up programs for regular meetings.
She also brought perspective and good judgment to discussions and planning
sessions. I for one will miss her regular attendance at the executive board
meeting. Perhaps she will still stop by to liven things up once in a while.
The half and full marathon season seems to be winding down. It looks like
quite a few club members will again be heading for Boston on April 19. I had
the pleasure of running the last 8 miles of the Mohawk Hudson Marathon with
Janet Olden. You may recall that Janet and Candi helped me out a great deal
last year in the same race. My philosophy is that people run marathons because
it feels so good when they are done. I can assure you that the people around
us at mile 25 were not having fun at the time, but I know that Janet and Candi
will tell you how good it felt to be done (and qualify!) And I am also sure
that Candi is very grateful to have had Mark Regan and Gen May to pace her
through the tough part. But in my book, the hero of the day had to be Dan
Olden. After already running a full marathon in late September, he paced Janet
through the entire 26.2 miles to assure her success. I have come to believe
that training, a strong mind set and a good pacer are the essential ingredients
in distance running success. And Dan, I know that Janet really didn't mean
all of those nasty things she called you when you were telling her to keep
going and not give in to the urge to walk. It is all part of being there for
your friends, or wife in this case, and helping them to reach that good feeling
of being done. And, like childbirth, the memory of the pain fades quickly
as the runner experiences the rewards.
There are just a couple more items I want to mention before I forget. One is that the AB Challenge cup will be on display at the next meeting in November, if we in fact do hold on to it. That should be a cinch if our best and brightest stars show up at Sunnyside on November first.
The other thing I wanted to mention is that annual Christmas Party and PATSY awards are coming up on December 18. The Rundown has the form you will need to make your reservation. It also has the e-mail address where you can submit PATSY (Presidential Appreciation Trophies) nominations. Just e-mail Phil with the funny behaviors or unusual running experiences that make one of our club members unique, and he will create an award for that category. Phil can't know everything about us, so he depends on our input. Let's get some good ideas to him! We don't want to leave anyone out.
I know I will see lots of familiar faces at the Xmas Party, as it is always a well attended event, but it would be great to see some new faces too. Phil always gives an academy award winning performance, packed with humor meant to poke a little fun at our peculiar habits and running mishaps. It is sure to be a fun night.
See you at the next breakfast run, or at the Operation Santa Run. There is still time to collect those Grand Prix points.
Jill Pederson
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