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Quick bites... Weekly Runs- Join
us on Sunday Mornings - Thursday Nights or Wednesday Afternoons for a
club run - Check the website for times and schedules. www.sqrr.org
Mind the Chatter-
Make sure you're on the SqRR Yahoo! mailing list for all the lastest club chatter. Send an email to Chris R. or Mark G. if you need instructions or an invite.
----------------------- Congrats to the new parents!
Brian and Ellen
we hope to have Baby Grace running soon!
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Next up - Devon (not Devens) and Courtney's house!
Hello
all, Despite my missing in action lately due to lots of
work-related travel, Courtney and I are excited to host the running
club brunch next Sunday, Oct. 12.
Please bring anything, or nothing but your running/walking shoes, to:
7 Hickory Drive,
Townsend, MA 01469
Run at 8:00 a.m.
Brunch at 9:00 a.m.
Phone: 215-908-0737
- Devon M. Skerritt
From the Editor - Hi Folks, Chris here, send articles, news, cash and complaints to me @cyktrussell@yahoo.com
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| The leaves are falling... |
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BayState Water Stop!
One
of the most rewarding aspects of being a runner is when you have a
chance to "give back" to the running community. Everyone enjoys
taking part in a well-organized race, and well-organized races rely on
willing volunteers.
For many, many years, the SqRR has "given back" by manning a water stop at the BayState Marathon,
and the Greater Lowell Road Runners are relying on our support again in
'08. "The BayState", which will be held on Sunday October 19th,
has been selected as the USATF-NE Marathon Championship race this year,
and the number of participants will be almost double the number from
past years.
A smooth-functioning, well-staffed water stop is a must this year, and we are counting on your help. Mark Graf
is looking forward to his eighth year as the Water Stop Grand
Poo-Bah. You've seen his announcements in your Inbox. If you are available to help and haven't signed up already, please do so today! |
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What's coming up?
Check the Yahoo Group for the Squannacook Race of the month. These can be quite cool when 15-20 of us show up and win all the prizes! Join us - it's a hoot.
Time to start thinking about our fall schedule as well.
Two Club affiliated races coming up are...
...And the
Contact Howard Hersey for more information about the upcoming Mill Cities Relay.
We'll be expecting everyone to join a team for the Mill Cities Relay in December. This is a must-do club sponsored event. See my video from last year. |
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Boston Marathon Invitational Entries
Continuing
the theme of "Giving back" to the running community is not only an
integral part of what we do. It also has its perks and
rewards.
As a direct result of the Club's help at the BayState Marathon over the years, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) recognizes us by granting us five (5) invitational entries for the vaunted Boston Marathon each year.
If
you have ever dreamed of running the Grand-Daddy of all marathons (who
hasn't?), but don't meet the qualifying standards, this is a way to do
it. The Club typically receives the entries in late-November, and
distributes them in December.
Are
you worthy? Then perhaps it's time to begin focusing on next
April. Mark Graf will be sending out announcements in the coming
months, but if you have questions, please contact him. (And be
prepared to describe what you can offer as a bribe.) |
Lose your kids in the woods!
- Kids & Parents Trail Running
Dave
Wilder and Jim Maloy meet every Wednesday evening to lead a trail run
with their kids, and encourage other kids and their parents to join
in. The children range in age from 10 to 13, the runs are
designed to accomodate a wide range of paces and abilities. The
only caveat is that if your child runs, you join in too!
6:00
Wednesday evenings, meet at the parking area for Groton Place/Sabine
Woods on Rt. 225 heading towards West Groton. Call Dave on his
cell if you plan on attending, as fading light may well impact the
start time in the weeks ahead. 978-501-6013. |
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Chris Goes Long
On Sept. 28th Chris knocked off another life goal by running his first 50 mile Ultra-Marathon!
- VT 50 write up -(Short)
I ran my first ultra-marathon this fall.
Class/Bib/Overall ...
11 921 33
Name / Age CHRISTOPHER 45
LITTLETON MA Time - 9:05:28
Pace - 10:54
Looks like 33rd out of 162 finishers with ~16 DNF and ~20 Did not show's...
For more information visit my running website www.runrunlive.com or search for the runrunlive podcast on iTunes.
Chris, |
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Anthony looks for co-dependents for Trail Biking!
With
the cooler weather closing in on us, many of us are gearing up for the
fall race season, but some of you may be looking spice up your exercise
routine. Are any of you looking to supplement your running with some cross training?
Ever think of adding cycling to your workout schedule?
Do you have an old mountain bike collecting dust in the back of your garage that hasn't been seen the dirt in a while?
Thinking of purchasing a mountain bike an hitting the trails? Intersted in group rides, brushing up or learning new skills, a finding out where to ride? If you answered 'yes' to any of the questions above, shoot me an email at: alm91397@verizon.net I would be glad to organize group rides, beginner/ intermediate/
advanced skill lessons, and share some amazing trails to ride in the
area.
Mountain biking is semi related to running. You
head out in the woods, sometimes you come back bloody and muddy, but
always smiling.
It is a great cardio workout and an easy way to give those tired joints a rest while adding to your summer fitness base.
Anthony |
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Highly successful Lake Winnepesaukee Relay Reported...
5AM.
Dark. Cold. Too early. Our team makes their way from
three states to represent Squannie at the 20th Lake Winnipesaukee
Relay.
5
of our 8 runners are doing this for the first time, but luckily we have
Mark, Charlie and Sue to see us through it. We converge on The
Funspot for the start of the race where we pin on bib numbers and
listen as Mark gives us gut-wrenching descriptions of several of the
legs to build up our confidence.
Guest runner Catherine Riffin leads
off for us and gets the team off to a great start, running a 6:48 pace
on the 10.7 mile hilly leg, all the the while with a smile on.
She hands off to Jason, who surprises himself by meeting the optimistic
target pace set for him by Howard. Around mile 8 of the second
leg we spot the Lake we are running around. Kim takes the stick
for leg three and is promptly greeted by an absurdly steep hill, only
to be followed by more hills for the rest of his 9+ mile leg. Kim
then hands off to Sue, who takes off after the teams ahead of
her. We aren't able to cheer her on along her route since race
traffic isn't allowed on leg 4, so Mark hops on the bus to meet her at
the next handoff point, and gets there in time as Sue races up gasping
"I caught 5, I caught 5!" Mark continues the hot streak and
catches 8 more teams on his scenic run on NH back roads, and turns in
the 8th fastest time of the day on that leg. He emerges down the
last hill at the Morgan Farm, a blur of orange with pinwheeling arms,
and hands off to Halaina. Halaina tears off down the road, and
turns in another amazing run on the 6.4 mile leg, finishing with a kick
that impresses all the fans. Charlie takes over, and powers along
the rolling hills of leg 7. We catch up with him near the top of
the final hill, a 1.5 mile uphill stretch into the sun, alongside some
beautiful New England pastoral scenery. He doesn't comment on the
corn fields however, he just wants to know "when is this f**** hill
going to end?" After conquering the last hill, he hands off to
Razi for the final leg. Somehow the course planners fit three
tough hills in this 4.4 mile leg. And somehow Razi ended up the
unlucky runner of this leg. And somehow, she takes it all in
stride, running through the traffic and crowds in Meredith where a crew
regatta is being held, through a rotary where there is no police to
direct traffic, and up the hills. Our team is there to cheer her
on as she races the uphill finish.
This race was a blast. I
encourage anyone who hasn't run it before to consider running it next
year (pencil it on your calendar now)!
Stats:
65.1 miles
8:11:06 total time
7:33 average pace
25th out of 97 teams overall
5th out of 39 teams in Co-Ed open
0 missed handoffs
8 happy runners
Jason |
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Inspiration
"Running
is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness and self
reliance. Independence is the outstanding characteristic of the
runner. He/she learns the harsh reality of his/her physical and
mental limitations when he/she runs. He/she learns personal
commitment, sacrifice and determination are his/her only means to
betterment. Runners only get promoted through self-conquest." - Noel Carroll |
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Tips!
Anthony - Kitchen Experiment- Do not attempt to bake the energy balls!
Chris - Don't use chocolate covered expresso beans in your enegry snacks!
- DUH! - | |
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Mark Graf - In the house... Welcome to the Q3 Newsletter!
Friends,
Welcome to the most recent edition of the Club Newsletter.
Club
activity always slows in the summer when everyone's off enjoying
themselves, but we typically see an uptick in participation in the
fall. Commit to making SqRR a part of your schedule. You'll
be glad you did.
There
are always a lot of good reasons to run in the fall. Lots of
weekend races, comfortable temperatures, splendid scenery, fewer
bugs. A few of those races are our own:
Paul
Funch (and his multitudinous helpers from the Club) pulled off another
successful Wapack Trail Race on Labor Day Weekend.
Now
he's focused on his next (even bigger) event: The Groton Town
Forest Trail Races, which will be held on October 19th.
On
that same morning, the Squannies will supporting the local racing scene
by hosting a Water Stop at the BayState Marathon in
Lowell.
And,
of course, our very own Anthony Mavilia is the Race Director for the
growing and ever-more-popular Thanksgiving Day 5k put on by the Ayer
Fire Department.
There's plenty of fun stuff going on. I look forward to seeing you at these venues. Have fun out there!
Mark Graf,
Club President |
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Welcome New Members!
In their own words...
Tom Penny: Hi,
I'm Tom, and I'm a new runner. In trying to figure out what to
write about in this introduction, Chris' advice was "People love
drama", so I'll go with that.
Last year I turned 40 and decided to
have a midlife crisis and throw myself into a depression. This
year my immediate family has seen six hospital visits and two deaths,
including my father two weeks ago.
So it's not just marketing spin
when I say that running is a great way to relieve stress and keep a
positive outlook. No matter the situation, if I have my shorts
and running shoes, there is a way to cope with any problem. Of
course, sometimes I go for a hike or play ultimate frisbee, but
sometimes there isn't easy access to a mountain or a dozen other people
with cleats.
And I have to say, SQRR is a fantastic group of
people. I'd want to be a member of this club no matter what the
activity, except maybe quilting. There's probably not much
aerobic benefit in quilting, but I digress.
I've had the pleasure of meeting many of you already, and I look forward to meeting the rest of you.
- Tom
Halaina Demba:
I
graduated from Harvard's Bromfield HS in 2004 and completed a Bachelor
of Arts degree from Mount Holyoke College in Art History and Studio Art
in 2008. I am working towards applying to graduate school
in art conservation in the near future.
I
started running outdoor/ indoor track and cross-country in high school
and I continued to do this in college. I also like to bike and
swim-- as long as there are no large fish, turtles or weeds near me!
Thanks for putting this newsletter together!
-Halaina
Welcome All! |
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What's that sound? A road race coming at you...
Dear Squanners
We
have a few time-honored traditions in October: Picking apples,
staffing the raucous water stop at the Bay State Marathon, spraining
our ankles at Paul Funch's storied Town Forest Trail Races...
And
one other: around this time of year, we start asking
ourselves: "Gee, are we going to have a road race next year?"
Many
of you probably assume that we will. After all, we always have a
road race. It's one of the biggest events in
town. People count on it! It's famous, for
Pete's sake!!!
Well, this year is no different from any other:
if we want to have a road race in the spring, this is the time of year
- believe it or not - when the process must start. To start
with, we would need a Race Committee. If you think
the club should put on a road race, then I urge you to join
up. It's one of the best things we do for ourselves and for
our communities.
There are plenty of openings in
our Race Committee. For those of you who have volunteered on race
weekend, you might want to consider getting involved in the planning
operations. For those of you who have been in charge of a
particular task leading up to the race, we could really use your
involvement in the early stages of planning. On all fronts,
we need quite a few fresh faces. Many of our Committee
members are retiring, or need backup/support during the planning
process, and that means you!
On
a personal note, many of you know our veteran club member, webmistress
extraordinaire and speedy female master Sue Hoxie. Sue and
family have relocated to scenic, tranquil Middlebury Vermont , taking
with her some of Sue's inestimable skills and enthusiasm.
Among other things, we'll be trying to fill Sue's size 7,
neutral-cushioning shoes. Meanwhile, let's all thank Sue for
her ~10 years of propping up the road race.
(FYI, I'm holding her cat hostage, so we might be able to get her to come back for the race).
A
club meeting is planned for October 12th, in which we will absolutely
be discussing the future of the race. If you have a stake in the
race, or if you feel strongly that we should have one, please show up
and show your voice!
Thanks!
- Gordon Row |
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2008 Summer Track and Field Program
(funded and supported by the SqRR)
We
had a wonderfully knowledgeable coaching staff this summer. All
coaches must have at least one season of High School Track & Field
experience.
Here is a list of our highly motivated staff from this past summer:
Jenna Bessolo, Head Coach - 6th, 7th and 8th graders
Alex Fischer - 5th graders
Steven Lunt - 4th graders
Matt Carter, Head Coach - 4th graders
Chris Funch - 4th graders
Lauren Carter - 3rd graders
Hadden Martinez - 3rd graders
Joey Biasi - 2nd graders
Emily Holmes - 1st graders
Brendan McCarthy - Kindergarten
Nina Hardy - Kindergarten
Alison MacLeod - permanent substitute
We
had 102 participants in our 14th Annual Summer Track & Field
program. This was our second year running the program at our
wonderful High School Track.
Our eight week program met
twice a week for two hours (from 4:00-6:00), rain or shine (would
cancel if thunderstorms). The weather this summer was challenging, the
unstable rainy weather (it always seems to threaten thunderstorm right
at 4:00pm). We were fortunate to be able to schedule an indoor
session at the Twomey center one rainy day, ended a couple of sessions
early and officially cancelled one session. The weather was so
sporatic, which made it difficult to make an official decision to
cancel.
Each
session would begin with a lap or two warm - up jog and then form a
large circle to participate in a large group stretch. Each session is a four stations rotation where kids would rotate through the following:
-Sprinting & Starting Blocks
-Javelin (light weight turbo Javs or the girls Javelin for the older kids)
-Game
-Long Jump or Standing Broad Jump (depending on the sand Bees)
-Middle Distance (part of Cross Country course or up to a mile on the track) working on form, strategy & hill technique
-Shot Put or Soft Ball Throw
-Relays (Using a baton and handing off)
-Triple Jump
-Hurdles (Short soft foam hurdles, medium practice ones or the larger official ones)
-Discus (various weights)
-Plyometrics/Drills
-High Jump
Thank
you Squannie's for all of your help preparing for the program and a
great big thank you to the amazing staff I had the pleasure to work
with.
Sincerely,
Kerri Strauss |
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2008 SqRR Scholarship Awards
Squannacook River Runners awards four seniors, two girls and two boys, with a $250 scholarship each.
We have a committee that meets once, before our road race in April to review applications and choose the awardees.
To
name a couple of things we look for, is their volunteer background (if
they have helped out in either Summer Track and Field program or The
Groton Road Race) and what their participation was in Cross Country or
Track and Field in their high school career. Then Mark Graf, SqRR
president presented the awardees with a letter at class day, which was
held in the beginning of June.
Our awardees were:
Matt Carter = Lyndon State College
Steven Lunt = University of Conneticut
Alison MacLeod = Leahy University (unconfirmed)
Laura Leahy = Mount Holyoke (unconfirmed)
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Frank Mastrangelo takes a strong heart to Hartford
Hi Chris. I plan on running the ING marathon in Hartford,
CT Sat. I also made Teddy's Team for Boston in 09. So maybe
a couple of days off after the ING then back to training. American
Heart Association - Tedy Bruschi suffered a stroke in February 2005 at
the age of 31, just weeks after winning his third Super Bowl and days
after returning from playing in the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. As he
recovered, Tedy committed himself to being an advocate, spokesperson,
and inspiration for stroke survivors in our area.
Tedy asked the
American Stroke Association to work with him to create "Tedy's Team," a
group of runners raising money for the American Stroke Association and
training to complete the Boston Marathon® and the Falmouth Road
Race. Their participation supports Tedy Bruschi's fight against
stroke and honors both the survivors and the loved ones lost to
America's #3 leading cause of death.
Frank |
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Another Successful Wapack!  Thanks for making the Wapack so successful
We
certainly had a great day for the Wapack, both weather-wise and
race-wise. I was pretty concerned this year that we were going to
have some stumbles along the way due to the lack of volunteers.
But then Chris, Brian, and Anthony pitched in at the last minute and
made huge contributions, and everyone else made the registration,
timing, and food preplook easy! The Thaxters (and friend Fred
Wheeler) were on top of everything, from beginning to end.
Absolutely indispensible - they were like having 3 race
directors! Razi filled in wherever needed with herusual
enthusiasm and pleasant manner! Steve was there from the
beginning also, and stayed until the lights were turned out and the
last item was packed into the car and trailer (it looked like the
Beverly Hillbillies were riding into Groton!). Steve is rigorous
with the timing responsibilities, and I can always depend on his
getting it straight. I have grown totally dependent on Mark's
total command of the Groton Town Forest 3.4 milecourse, and now the
Wapack course, for knowing how to mark them and put together water
stops (having been well trained by the Baystate Marathon aswell).
The
results are posted on CoolRunning and the race website,and WMAC.
I'll post the photos when I getthem from Steve and anyone else who
might have taken any.
Most heartening, it also
appears that the Wapack actually MADE some money this year, above and
beyond the $150 donation to the Friends of the Wapack. Unless
I've forgotten about some expenses, it looks like I'll be able to
return just under $150 to SqRR to begin to make upfor last year's
shortage. I think I'll have to plan for 75-85 runners in the
future - with all the trail races going on at this time of year, and
with the toughness of this race, 100 seems like it's a bit
unrealistic. If I cut down the number of shirts (or probably hats
next year) to 100, it will be much easier to make things work our
financially.
Thanks so much to all of you for coming
together to make the Wapack Trail Race a real class event, and one our
club can be proud to have sponsored. I heard nothing but very nice
comments from many many runners yesterday. They really did notice, and
really did appreciate, all that was done to makethe race
enjoyable.
By the way, the only person to not
finish due to getting lost, Dan Wagner, has run the course 10 times,
including this year. Gofigure!
Paul
Testimonial...
Paul,
It
was a pleasure to volunteer at yesterday's race. I'm sure you already
realize how grateful a group you trail runners are, but Mark and I were
overwhelmed at the sheer volume of comments such as 'Thanks for being
here today', 'Thanks for helping out', 'Thank you for your support',
etc.. I know I can speak for Mark as well when I say we were
blown away at the appreciation voiced by the runners.
It is so sad
that in today's road race era that so many runners choose to flock
to "Mega Super 5K & 10K's". Many seem more interested
in what the cool T-shirt looks like and what useless items will be
stuffed into their goodie bag. These mega ooze fests tend to be
more of an event versus a race for most. It is so refreshing to
see runners show up at an race, such as yours, looking forward to
the challenge, scenery, and competion.
I am proud to be
associated with the Sqannacook River Runners and one of the many
reasons is because we choose to support your race. Hopefully the
runners who choose to support your race will continue to do so as well.
The Wapack Trail Race is essential to the local running community. Who
cares if 5 runners or 150 runners show up? This race needs to
exist. The Squannacook River Runners, the local running
community, and we as runners are better off when races such as yours
are on the calendar.
Thanks again,
Anthony |
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Come on and eat! (and run) Social Brunches a well-attended "big hit"
Dear SqRR members,
I am happy to inform
you that the club's social monthly reunions have been well attended and
extremely successful. Other than providing the club members with the
opportunity to run/walk different routes and in different towns, it
gives all the members a good excuse to get together for a couple of
hours of delicious entertainment and lots of fun.
Our next
brunch will be held at the Skerrit's household in Pepperell on October
the 12th. Please mark your calendars and join us if you have not done
it yet.
Maria
The Mavillia's host a happy horde
Sept. Brunch Run Report:
Although the weather didn't cooperate, a fun time was
had by all. The rain actually provided some cooling this morning.
Please check out the pics on the the SQRR Yahoo Page.
We ventured out this morning on a nice 5 mile trail run in the
Ayer Conservation Parcel. The trails were in great shape. We had a
chance to run a new trail that was recently cut a few weeks ago. About
an hour later, the hungry, wet, and thirsty Fishies dug into the
delicous brunch items.
Leann and I enjoyed having everyone at our
home. We hope everyone had as much fun as we did. It was so nice to see
all the young kids having fun in the pool and on the waterslide. Thanks
to everyone for the yummy items also. Next year, we promise better
weather.
Anthony & Leann |
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Ayer Fire Dept. Thanksgiving Day 5k Thanksgiving Morning 8:00am, Ayer Fire Station
Same
Course, Longsleeve T-Shirts to First 300 , Same SQRR gathering spot
(near the refreshment tables), Apple Crisp, Starbucks Coffee, American
Flag display. This year, a bagpiper will lead the runners to the start
line. Door Prizes and possibly a celebrity guest runner. |
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Greetings from the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont ! 
So much has happened since we left Groton and now I
finally have a minute to provide you guys with an update of our
doings. We welcomed Morgan in March and now she's almost 7 months
old. Mo has started rolling around the floor to get around and
sitting in her highchair to eat. Sarah and I built the house of
our dreams over the summer which overlooks the lake and the Long Trail
( Jay Peak is in the center of the view). We're all moved in with
only a few minor projects to finish before it's "complete". I've
been able to keep triathlon training as well - mainly to keep my
sanity. I had a short tri season this summer (1 race in Lowell ),
but now that we're set up in the new house next season hopes to be
better for racing. Mo has been out on a couple of runs so far in
the jogging stroller and seems to enjoy it. We've made it to 4
miles without any complaints from her. Now that the school year
has started and the house work has slowed, we hope to make it out to
Groton more often this fall. We hope to see y'all around when we
make the trip down.
Shaffer x 3. | |
Letters to the Editor?
Got
an article to contribute? Something funny, sad, contemporary or
dramatic? Recipe? Favorite run? Rant? Epic heroic poem in
iambic pentameter? Throw a couple couplets over the transom and we'll
get you into print.
--->the editor's desk here at SqRR press!
See you out there,
Chris, |
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Sincerely,
Chris Russell
Squannacook River Runners |
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