Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club: News

Mother's Day Training Run on Rail Trail, Hopewell

Yes, it's Mother's Day. But some of our dedicated moms want to get out for a 5-6 miler, most of which is along the Dutchess Rail Trail in Hopewell Junction.

The route is flat, the part along the road is short and traffic free (for the most part); sorry, but there are no porta-potties that I know of. We will meet at 8 a.m. at Choose 2 Lose Bariatric Center, 657 Route 82 in Hopewell (it's between Palen and Lake Walton Roads, next to Oasis Beer and Soda; please park in the back of the lot).

Call Polly if you have any questions -- hope to see you there! (More details in Training / Training Runs)

MHRRC Boston Marathoners Share Stories

Conni Grace, Wayne McDaniel and Steve Perks joined the club panel discussion about the Boston Marathon at last night's club meeting. It was a mesmerizing evening of stories, made all the more interesting by the number of people in the audience who had also run Boston in the past.

Krys Wasielewski was at the meeting to participate in the panel, but had to leave before the discussions began. However, he did leave a 3-D view of the course and its "washboard" hills that make Boston particularly challenging.

Steve talked about how he had last run Boston 30 years before, when there were 6,000 runners instead of this year's 26,000. He had been training for this since January, and qualified at the Miami Marathon in the fall. During the race, he was plagued by a foot problem and had to stop a few times to rub his foot - and still finished in 3:38! For him, it sounded as of the best part of his experiences were the Women's Olympic Trials the day before (he got a great seat and saw the runners pass several times), watching Joanie run (Joan Benoit Samuelson, 2:49:18 at age 50), and meeting Sara Mae Berman on the T - read about all of this at his blog.

Conni said that she had run 18 marathons in the past. When people learn she is a runner, they ask her if she has ever run a marathon (funny, they ask me why in the world do I do this at my advanced age!) and then has she ever run Boston. Now she has run it and as an elite woman's master's runner. From her description of the race, I was amazed at the amount of strategy and mental concentration it takes to be a competitive marathoner: pacing, food/drink stops, running tangents, body awarness are all key - and Conni said it was hard to concentrate with all the cheering and yelling from the audience. Read more in her blog (at the bottom of this home page).

Wayne said he ran because Conni ran it - he had run it many years in a row during the 1990's. He, too, suffered from calf problems along the route and still finished in 2:56 (he sounded pretty calm about all of this - the sign of a true, dedicated athlete).

Many thanks to the panel participants! We missed the other club members who were not able to attend because of work obligations - many of them emailed that t hey would have much rather been re-living their Boston experiences with the club.

Listen to Kathrine Switzer though Women on the Move

Lynne Kopac sent in this information, saying, "I listened in and some of the questions were pretty good and it was cool to hear Kathrine."

Lynne forwarded this email from the sponsor:

What a great call with Kathrine tonight!

Thanks to all of you who joined us and to those of you who submitted questions.

The replay is now available! Just go to the Conference page (Click the link below)

http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=2599536 and you can listen to the replay via your computer. Or, you can download the mp3 file.

If Kathrine wasn't able to answer your question on the call, she will be answering them in the next couple of days, and we'll be sending them to you.

At the end of the call, Jan gave you some phone numbers to call if you have any questions about the Women on the Move Conference Retreat or if you are ready to register.(On the replay page, you can also download the brochure and fax it to Jan.)

FAX: 217-359-4731

Toll-Free phone: 877-972-4230

Jan's Cell phone: 217-369-8553

Feel free to call or email us with any questions!jenny@womconference.com jan@marathonandbeyond.com

Jenny Stinson -

Jan Seeley -

And, remember, if you register for the Women on the Move Conference Retreat by Monday, May 5, you will receive the free bonuses!

Share Boston Marathon Stories at May 1 Club Meeting

This Thursday's club meeting will feature a Boston Marathon Panel to discuss experiences training, running and reflecting on the 2008 Boston Marathon.

Did you run in Boston this year? Join the panel and share your stories. Email webmaster@mhrrc.org if you can participate.

Want to hear about Boston, first-hand, from local runners? Come to the club meeting on Thursday, May 5 at 7:00 PM. As usual, the meeting is at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Wappingers.

Many thanks to volunteers at Ann Whalen 5K Fun Run

Dozens of volunteers and 256 finishers at the Ann Whalen 5K Fun Road Race helped to raise over $10,000 for Adrenal Cancer Research by the TGen Foundation.

Race Director Colleen Napora thanks everyone who gave so generously of their time and talents to make this event such a success. Although this was not an official MHRRC race, the club provided the finish line management, scoring and web results. It is good when we can make a positive impact on our community.

Ann Whalen touched so many people's lives and she remains in our hearts.

Results are posted on this site under Racing/All Race Results/2007+ Results. Photos are in Racing/Photo Albums.

Congratulations to our Boston Marathon Finishers

In no particular order, here are the results (name, time, overall place) from today's Boston Marathon of our wonderful local runners. Please email webmaster with any errors or additions:

Matthew Adams, 3:09:27, 2337
Michael Murphy, 4:04:41, 15392
Kevin Dollard, 3:00:56, 1321
Conni Grace, 3:02:20, 1439
Wayne McDaniel, 2:57:35, 938
Jeff Lease, 2:59:07, 1106
Steve Perks, 3:38:20, 8838
Tom Storey, 3:27:13, 5877
Art Boyko, 3:55:14, 13347
Ed Fitzmaurice, 3:13:54, 3043
Joanne Lewick, 3:57:06, 13825
Natalie Marriott, 3:23:58, 5112
Mark Mulpeter, 3:18:54, 4051
Jennifer Panzer, 3:57:45, 14035
Alan Tousignant, 3:41:31, 9668
Anthony Ferreri, 3:15:30, 3351
Kenneth McCullough, 3:36:57, 8479
Tim Wiltshire, 2:59:23, 1149
Kevin Roach, 3:02:51, 1482
Krys Wasielewski, 3:32:18
Judy Creedon, 4:00:57, 14706

Get the newsletter via email: save a tree and save the club some $$$

The test of sending the MHRRC newsletter via email seemed to work! Over the next few months, we hope to move as many members as possible to the email version of the newsletter rather than the paper version (note that the paper version costs about twice your membership dues to print and mail).

While we plan to continue offering the paper version, if you want to save a tree and some club money, please do the following:

Create a userID on this site (Click login at the top of any page and then click "Register" on the login page. Fill out the form and check the box that says "email from MHRRC?" Click "Update" at the bottom of the page to save your changes.)

If you already have a MHRRC site userID and password, go to Accounts/My Information and check the box that says "email from MHRRC," then click "Update" at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

A few comments about this change:

You must be a MHRRC member and have checked the box "email from MHRRC" to receive the newsletter by email.
If you do not check the box "email from MHRRC," you will not receive email messages from this web site.
The paper version of the newsletter will continue to be printed and sent to members (although the Board is considering a membership increase to cover the costs of the newsletter - we haven't had a dues increase in years).
It may take us a few months to coordinate the web site and the newsletter mailing list. Please be patient - we are working on it!
When you create a userID, it may take a week or so before your security privileges are updated. If you want this done more quickly, email webmaster@mhrrc.org for faster service.
Future newsletters will be sent as BCC so no one can see the list of recipients. We do all we can to protect your privacy.

Running America with RRCA this Summer

We received this note from RRCA:

Dear RRCA Chapter Leader,

I'm Charlie Engle and I want you to run with me across America! I'm prepping for an exciting project that runners all over the country are participating in. We briefed Jean Knaack, Executive Director of the Road Runners Club of America - who wanted u to speak directly to you.

Nehst Studios is producing the feature film Running America - me and Marshall Ulrich will be running from San Francisco to New York in June, date TBD. We would like runners across the country to join us for a mile, then drop back and let another group run. But you may run as long as you like. We want 5 runners per mile - there's room for 15,000!

Here's how to get your members involved:

Check out the project and route at www.runningamerica08.com . You may sign up th ere. There is a nominal registrationf ee of $3.95 which covers the application, release, and casting expense.
Please release this to your membership.
Runners not close to the route have already chosen to travel to run with me - chapters both near and far from the run are welcome to participate.

We know this wil be a history-making run. Our last project, Running the Sahara - in which I and other runners crossed Africa, was made into a feature documentary with Oscar-winner Matt Damon narrating. The film will be released late summer to mid-fall. I look forward to seeing Road Runners all across America! The run itself will also be raising money and awareness for a number of causes, to be announced soon. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Charlie Engle

PS: If you have questions, you may email Nehst Studios at info@nehst.com.

Link to more info on MHRRC site.

NY Times: Changing Speeds to Go the Distance

Here is an interesting article from the New York Times (April 17) about the importance of changing paces to become a faster/stronger runner - supporting the advice Steve Perks gives to the training group.

Link to article

(Many thanks to Polly Sparling for pointing this out)

MHRRC salutes local runners qualified for Boston

The Boston Marathon is Monday, April 21. We wish much luck, speed, and fun to our local runners:

Dutchess County Residents: Matthew Adams, Greg Barber, Kevin Dollard, Conni Grace, Wayne McDaniel, Jeff Lease, Steve Perks, Tom Storey, Art Boyko, Judy Creedon, Ed Fitzmaurice, Evan Lawerence, Joanna Lewick, Natalie Marriot, Mark Mulpeter, Michael Murphy, Jennifer Panzer, Alan Tousignant, Krys Wasielewski, Michael Mauer, Courtney Harding, Phil Shea, Nichcolas DeGennaro, Anthony Ferreri, Marie Claire, Huijgen, Michel Joseph, Kenneth McCullough, Timothy Wiltshire

Others from Ulster County: Kevin Roach, Anne Gullicksen, Richard Edwards (he won the 60-69 age group last year at Boston)

Dutchess Rail Trail Users Advised of Upcoming Construction

Poughkeepsie. Dutchess County Executive William R. Steinhaus has announced the paved portion of the Dutchess Rail Trail that is currently open for use, between NYS Route 376 and Lake Walton Road, will be undergoing construction for approximately two weeks starting Monday, April 14th.

County Executive Steinhaus said, "Thousands of residents are already taking advantage of the first paved portion of the Dutchess Rail Trail in East Fishkill. My family and I were just on the trail ourselves this past weekend and enjoyed speaking with so many trail users. I’d like to make all users aware construction will be happening over the next few weeks as we work to put some finishing touches on that portion of the trail.”

This section of the Dutchess Rail Trail will remain open during the construction. Trail users are asked to please obey all construction signs and flag workers when utilizing the trail and to exercise care near construction activities.

Construction work will include minor concrete work, trail clean-up, spreading of topsoil, removal of erosion protection materials, seeding and mulching of disturbed areas and final pavement marking installation.

The Dutchess Rail Trail is a 12 mile multi-use linear county park, the centerpiece of County Executive Steinhaus Comprehensive Parks Plan. Over the last two years, hundreds of residents have participated in public workshops and informational sessions to help design and plan this new county park which will run through the middle of the County along the former Maybrook Rail corridor and including the towns of Poughkeepsie, LaGrange, Wappinger and East Fishkill.

"So many members of our community have taken an interest in this project from the idea conception to the reality of the groundbreaking ceremony. We are thrilled to see so many residents and visitors already out and about on the Dutchess Rail Trail," said County Executive Steinhaus.

"We appreciate their cooperation in obeying the construction signs while this work is being completed,” continued Steinhaus. We look forward to getting additional sections of the Dutchess Rail Trail completed and open soon, he concluded.

The next portion of the Dutchess Rail Trail to be constructed will be a 2.4 mile section between Overocker Road and Morgan Lake in the Town of Poughkeepsie. Construction will be phased over coming months. More information about the Dutchess Rail Trail construction schedule is available at www.dutchesscountytrails.com.

More Marathon: "Biggest running story of the year"

Pete Colaizzo will be doing two stories about the More marathon: this Thursday, April 10 and next Thursday, April 17. There will also be a photo gallery on the Poughkeepsie Journal website for the next two weeks.

According to Pete, "I am personally blown away by the number of women who participated. It's the biggest running story of the year, in my opinion. Nicely done, everyone!!"

Race Around Briggs

Members of the MHRRC showed up in force to run on the club team in the Race Around Briggs. It turned out to be an amazingly close battle between the MHRRC and Onteora, which also brought a huge contingent of runners. The final tally showed Onteora winning by a mere two points, scoring 297 to MHRRC's 299. (Low score wins). The Milan team was third with 1042 points. MHRRC team members, in no particular order, were: Donna Bolner, Cornell Dawson, Wayne McDaniel, Conni Grace, Kevin Dollard, Harry Owens, John Dean, Steve Perks, Scott Davis, Ed Fitzmaurice, Sue Bonthron, Glen Brent, Jeff Conston, Matt Adams, Chris Walsh, Roger Billings, John Thomas, Mike Slinskey, Chris Wimmers, Erika Abraham, Anthony Ferreri, John Brooks, Marisa Hanson, Peter Oxenholm, Kevin Jordan, Gil Anderson, Heidi Baks, Jack Persely, Eric Gross, Bill Ring, Liv Vesely, Kathleen Macrillo, and Jim Kelly Smith. Full results can be found at racearoundbrigg.com.

2008 Dutchess County Classic includes half, 5K, kids fun run

This is the 30th year of the Dutchess County Classic - and it would have been great to have a full marathon as part of the race events. Unfortunately, the club is not able to safely support marathon runners on the current course because:

Not enough volunteers to have sufficient traffic control people at key intersections and dangerous road stretches.
Increased traffic along the route as the population in Dutchess County grows.
Risks of injuries because of traffic incidents.

Regretfully, the MHRRC Executive Board concluded that the club would have to postpone the full marathon, perhaps until 2010 when the rail trail and walkway across the Hudson is completed.

Although runner safety was the key consideration, other factors include that out of the 66 marathon finishers in 2007, only 11 were local runners and that most people who run marathons want to run larger races.

On the positive side, this gives us a chance to make the half, 5K, and kids run better than ever. We still need volunteers - beginning now in the planning stages and continuing until race day. Please contact Keith Axelrod if you are willing to devote a few hours a month to the Classic.

The training group is for you, no matter what your current fitness level

Steve Perks training group begins April 15. This is a valuable experience, no matter what your current level of fitness - and it adds a new dimensions to your running endeavors.

Yes, there are elite runners in the training group. There are also beginners who run only a few miles a week and everyone in between. You start at whatever level of fitness you are currently at and grow from there.

How often do you, as an adult, get to work with a coach who knows what he is doing to help you meet your goals? How often do you find a totally supportive environment where everyone is welcomed and encouraged, no matter what your skill level? Adding the speed work dimensions to running is like adding color to years of black-and-white running. Read Conni Grace's blogs (especially blog 5) on the bottom of the MHRRC home page to see the difference this type of running makes.

Come join us on the track! You'll be glad you did.

Luck and fun to the MHRRC women running More on April 6

MHRRC women will be out in full force at the More 1/2 and full marathon. Good luck to our runners: Polly Sparling, Margaret Schmitz, Teri Bradley, Lynne Kopac, Denise Dollard, Karen Tremaine, Chrissy Shields, Mary Veltre, Susanne O'Neil, Alicia Maston, Colleen Axelrod.

If you are running More and not on this list, please email webmaster to be added.

The 1/2 marathon is a two-loop race through Central Park, which includes a significant hill through Central Park around 110th Street (mile 5.5 and again at mile 11). The all-woman even inlcudes a marathon for womun over 40 and a half marathon which is run in teams and one runner must be over 40. Many of the women will travel to NYC on Saturday for the expo and the pre-race pasta party, which is held at the famous Tavern on the Green Restaurant.

We are all cheering for you - especially after all the hard training runs you did during the cold winter months to get ready for this event.

Race Around Briggs Team Update

The MHRRC team for the Race Around Briggs is coming together. We are now up to 17 members, plus a couple of "maybes". It would be great if the club could have enough runners to have two teams. Remember, you don't need to be fast to run on the team. It's really about club participation. If you would like to join the MHRRC team all you have to do is email Steve Perks at runtuff@hotmail.com. To learn more about the Race Around Briggs you can check the earlier article on the web site. The club members who have signed up to run on the team so far are: Donna Bolner, Cornell Dawson, Wayne McDaniel, Conni Grace, Kevin Dollard, Harry Owens, John Dean, Steve Perks, Scott Davis, Ed Fitzmaurice, Sue Bonthron, Glen Brent, Jeff Conston, John Affronti, Matt Adams, Chris Walsh, Roger Billings and Connie Seigh.

May club meeting is the Boston Marathon Panel

The May 1 club meeting will be a Boston Marathon Panel. Club members who ran the April 21 Boston Marathon will form a panel to discuss their experiences and answer questions. Hear first-hand from some of MHRRCs great marathoners: Conni Grace, Wayne McDaniel, Steve Perks, and others. If you plan to run Boston this year and want to be on the panel, please contact Steve Perks.

Don't miss these special club meetings. See you there!

Race Around Briggs - The MHRRC Team Needs You!

by Steve Perks

MHRRC members, it is time for a little club pride. The Race Around Briggs, with its team competition, is coming up on April 6. This is a 7.2-mile race in the town of Milan in northern Dutchess County. The team competition is kind of unique in that it scores fifteen members from each team. What that means is that it’s not always about the runners at the front, but just as important are those team members who finish as the team’s 10 – 15th runners. It also means that the larger the team the better. With the depth of the runners in the MHRRC, this is an event we should win. Last year we were last. That was entirely due to a very low turnout of MHRRC members. We did extremely well at the front end of the scoring, not so well at the back end.

The goal this year is to get the title back. If you are in training for a marathon and are worried about missing your long run, The Race Around Briggs is perfect. It’s a beautiful course. Yes, it’s hilly – so are parts of Boston. My plan for the day and my suggestion is to warm-up 2 – 3 miles, run the race at your planned marathon pace, then run the course backwards to get some more miles. What a great way to get a 17 mile run with a marathon pace workout in the middle.

The key to the MHRRC winning this race is to get good numbers there. Everyone doesn’t have to do it as a hard race, just come, be part of the team and enjoy the day.

If you want to be part of the team, email me with the subject heading: Race Around Briggs at runtuff@hotmail.com . Also, here is a link to the website with info about the race: http://racearoundbriggs.com/

MHRRC Training Group with Steve Perks

The MHRRC training group track workouts are tentatively scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 15 at 6 pm at Union Vale Middle School.

This will be the 4th year of these summer track sessions. At our first practice back in 2005, we had about eight runners. Since then, we have really grown. Last year, some of our practices had over 40 members attend.

If you are new to the training group or your fitness has changed dramatically since last year, please email Steve Perks with the following information and use the subject heading "MHRRC Training Group."

Name
How long have you been a runner
Average miles per week
Pace per mile on a typical daily run
Date of last race
Distance and time for last race.