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SQRR Quarterly Newsletter |
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Dear Squanny, Welcome back to the SQRR Quarterly Newsletter. It's been a few months since we've published an issue. Hopefully we can continue on a regular schedule during the busy running season and keep you updated on club and members' activities. Last month all club members were sent a survey by Chris Russell for their feedback. If you haven't had a chance, please complete it and send it along. Also, the club needs to do a little business once in awhile, and there will be a business meeting scheduled for later in the summer. We'll be electing new officers (volunteers needed!) as well as deciding where to donate this year's road race proceeds. Many thanks to my article contributors--Mark Graf (Dunstable 5K and Westford Series race reports) and Chris Russell (Summer Running). As always, if you have any suggestions on content or improvements to this newsletter, please let me know. Enjoy reading!  Sue Hoxie
In typical New England fashion summer arrived this year all at once. We made that abrupt transition from 60's and rainy to 90's, hot and humid, usually in the span of less than 24 hours. What's a runner to do? The heat itself won't hurt you too much if you're in shape, but it will take your body a few weeks to acclimate. General, well-known tips include:
There's nothing wrong with working up a sweat. You just have to monitor your "core temperature". Symptoms of overheating include nausea, dizziness and fatigue. Your body has been trying to keep the heat directed 'in' for the last 9 months, now you have to focus on directing the heat 'out' towards the skin so that your sophisticated cooling system can do its work. Practice visualizing the heat moving out towards the skin. When you're in a race, even if you don't take a drink, spread some cool water on your arms and legs and maybe pour a little on the back of your neck to help the cooling process. Water absorbs heat as energy when it evaporates. Be respectful of the heat. Expect it to hamper your performance and make you feel lethargic. Unlike running in the cold, heat running doesn't require any extra energy; it just makes you less efficient. Be nice to your dog. Dogs are designed for running, but different breeds are better in the heat. Long haired breeds, like my border collie, weren't designed for running in hot weather. They don't sweat; they only shed heat through panting and the pads of their feet. What I like to do after a long hot run is fill up a kiddy pool from the garden hose. This water is very cold. I sit in it and cool my legs instantly and the dog gets to splash around too. If you know when you're coming back, tell your kids to fill the pool so it's ready when you get there. Some other heat strategies I use are trail running and running near a body of water. The woods are cool and shady for running with the tree canopy absorbing the brunt of the sun's wrath. Running alongside a pond or the ocean will give you a nice cooling breeze. Stay cool this summer and we'll see you out there. Chris,
It takes many people to make the program a success. We have the program administrator, Kerri Strauss, to thank for organizing and promoting the program, as well as hiring all the coaches. Each age group has its own coach:
Most of the coaches come from the Groton-Dunstable school district and are runners themselves. They all receive a modest salary for their hard work over the eight-week program. Stop by the track at the Groton-Dunstable campus, behind the Florence Roche School, to lend a hand. Volunteers are always needed.
The Squannacook River Runners turned out in strong numbers once again this year for the Firecracker 5k Race in Dunstable on July 4th. Our ranks were bolstered by a number of wayward Midwesterners, rumored to be colleagues of Jim Ray, who took several of the top spots, including 2nd and 3rd, and 1st place among female runners. (Must have something to do with a diet rich in corn.) A splendid day under cool, sunny skies greeted the runners at Larter Field. It was a perfect way to work up an appetite for the mountains of hamburgers, hot dogs and other assorted cookout food that we would be ingesting later in the day. (And, ahem... Let's not forget about the beer.) Our younger contingent, led by Stephen O'Brien and Brendan McCarthy, posted strong 7th- and 13th- place finishes. Among the regulars, Ted MacMahon showed no evidence of recent injuries, powering to an 18:11 time at a sub-6:00 pace. Dave Kulvete and Brian Reeves battled to a close finish (as they always do), and we had a strong stroller contingent, including Jim Ray, Karen & Tim Erasmi, and Kerri Strauss, who was pushing a double-wide. A summary of the SQRR finishers appears on the web page linked to this article. (Maria Noya seems not to have made it into the results, but she was definitely there.) Consider making this a part of your Independence Day activities next year. It's close by, it's quick (it's over before many of us are normally awake on a holiday!), and it's a good time!
Join a Sunday run to meet some of the newbies!
Most weeks, you'll see the "regulars" there, folks like me who are obsessed with the opportunity to win a beer mug at the end of the season by accumulating enough points in their age category. Here's how points are amassed: Say you are a 40-49 year old male like me. (I'm in the low-forties, I might emphasize.) Ten similarly-classified runners show up to run one week. The first finisher in this category is awarded 10 points, the next finisher collects 9, and so on. The last 40- 49 male will collect one point. The following week, 20 males in the 40-49 category show up. This time the first M4049 finisher collects 20 points, and yada yada. So there are really two ways to get that vaunted beer mug: Run fast (we'll call this the "Ted MacMahon Approach") (aka. the "Paul Funch Strategy"), or run every week without fail and hope all your compatriots miss a few weeks here and there for vacations, prior commitments, or whatever. This is known as the "Mark Graf Way". It's not as reliable as the other two methods, but I'm dearly hoping I'll add another 16-oz. engraved mug to my collection at the end of August. A summary of the results after five weeks can be viewed on CoolRunning by clicking the link at the end of this article. You don't have to run the whole series. Show up as often (or as infrequently) as you like. No hassle, no commitment. Just a fun time once a week. Which, I might add, has been getting more fun in recent weeks, ever since Ted suggested we stop for a beer afterwards. Last week, the unwashed masses went to the 99s in Westford. Last night (July 7th), five of us made an impromptu detour via O'Hanlon's in Ayer to sample the famous draft assortment. Now if that doesn't convince you...
If you have something you'd like to add to the calendar, please let me know. We'll post it on the sqrr.org web site.
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