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FLRC Newsletter - Dec 2003 |
| An invitation to come inside and enjoy the fun this winter! | |
The indoor track season has arrived, yehaa! This is Upstate New York in winter. Is this the time for a break from running, time for sleeping in on weekends and relaxing? No way! This is the time to set resolutions and goals for the coming outdoor season. This is the time to sharpen your racing skills and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow athletes around the indoor tracks of the area. Run at Syracuse, Geneva, Ithaca and beyond if you wish.
I am extremely excited about this coming indoor track season, equally if not more so than previous years. The 2002/3 season was exhilarating in so many ways and I'm sure that 2003/4 with be even more fun! My own personal enjoyment comes from seeing all levels of athletes running and being encouraged by everyone else in the building. Last season we saw large numbers of athletes converging on Barton Hall at Cornell to go head to head with some of the finest local athletes from around the area. School groups came from as far away as Buffalo and numerous people came from near and far to every meet. These meets are about participation. Whether as a high school runner, a 5 year old, a coach, or a college athlete with enormous dreams - or as a slightly older runner... just trying to keep his body in motion!
The 2003/4 indoor track season marks my 3rd season as VP for track for the Finger Lakes Runners Club. In that short time I have learned that this is certainly not a single person position, in fact quite the opposite is true. In order for any of these track meets to run successfully I have been wonderfully assisted by an army of enthusiastic volunteers without whom these events could never take place. These people are working at the registration table and then racing a few minutes later. They finish an event and 2 minutes later offer to pick up a stopwatch to time the next heat. I want to thank you all, none of this could happen without you and it makes my day so much fun as I too have the opportunity to run.
There is something almost magical about this indoor track as runners stand on the starting line and Barton comes alive with the screaming and encouraging yells of onlookers as the heat gets underway. Running times that you thought were only dreams can suddenly become reality in this place. I have seen it first hand and there is no greater pleasure for me than knowing that if I can achieve my goal then I know it is possible for anyone to do the same. These meets are not about Olympic champions and world records. But about running and having fun doing it with your friends and families. Getting involved and going beyond what you thought was possible and supporting others trying to achieve their own personal goals too.
At the popular Family Fun Day meet in March I have added this season what I think will be another fun event, the "200-meter Countdown". All competitors will run single 200 meter laps of the track starting together. The last 2 athletes at the end of each individual lap will be eliminated. From the time the first athlete finishes a lap to the start time of the next lap will be a specific cut off time, maybe 60 or 90 seconds. Any athlete wishing to continue in the event has to be back behind the start line at that point. At the beginning it's about strategy but when it's down to just 4 or 5 people is when the real racing begins! The winner will hold the title of becoming the first ever Finger Lakes Runners Club "200-meter Countdown Champion" and no doubt be totally exhausted!!
Maybe you find it intimidating, all those speedy guys and gals clocking race times that you've only read or dreamed about. But these people are just like you and me. Ok maybe a little faster and perhaps a little younger but they are just as intimidated by their particular rivals as everyone else. It's time to set your own goals for the track and get out with us and have fun trying to meet them. I'm a firm believer in the phrase "no pain, no gain" and this is certainly true on the track. But if you make your own goals realistic you'll be surprised how far you can go with the support of your running friends.
There is no more satisfying feeling than knowing on race day that you have worked hard to be on that start line and that this event is what you have earned for all the hard work you've put in. I can't wait to see all levels of athletes going beyond what they thought was out of their reach. Come join us and support your running friends and have a great time too!
| For more information and a meet schedule, visit FLRC Winter Track Series. |
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