It seems lately I have too much business to take care of and have no space for bloviating.  That’s okay because it is for real NOW!!!!  Only the strong and determined will make it through the next three Saturday runs.  That is the bad news; the good news is if you make it through the next three Saturdays the Enemy will have no chance against you when you face him on 10-10-10. 

If you have not signed in my book for what pace you wish to run the R2R 20 miler at you MUST do so next Saturday or e-mail be before then.  This race is a dress rehearsal for the race.  You need to get up before the crack of dawn, drive into the city, check your gear, use the bathrooms and eventually get to the starting line.  That’s the hard part. Once you get started the running will come naturally, it is what you have practiced all these weeks for.  Even if you have signed up for a pace group you will need to sign another book for the bus that will take us from SSCC to Foster Ave.  Check the events page for more details about the cost and how we do it on the southside.

On Saturday don’t forget to thank the volunteers that will have water and Gatorade poured and waiting for us.  We are trying to get you ready for race day conditions.   Remember eat what you will eat, sleep how you will sleep, and wear what you hope to wear on race day.  When race day gets here remember how you got there.

If you plan on taking part in any group activities put some thought into them.  You can’t just wake up and decide to take part; some effort will be required on your part.  Any questions please feel free to contact me.

Our main sponsor and good friend Mel from Running for Kicks is looking for some extra help in the store on Saturdays.  This is a paid position so if you can use some extra cash talk with Mel.   

It was a tough one, I’ll admit that, but the Enemy did not win the day.  We were where we were supposed to be, doing what needed to be done and Saturday we will once again come together and continue our journey to 10-10-10.

The most important thing in this week’s update is Joe Yates is doing fine. After running further then he has ever ran he experienced some difficulty upon completion of his run.  He thanks all of you for your help and concern.  He did go to the hospital, was checked out and nothing could be found to cause his dehydration. He will follow up with his family Dr later this week in an effort to find out why he can’t replenish his fluids fast enough to keep from dehydrating. 

On a brighter side:  I felt lucky this week because I got to spend some time with many of you on Thursday, not just on Saturday.  A very nice time was enjoyed by all that attended our mid season party at Bartolini’s.  Chris and Dominic went above and beyond in providing a lovely setting for our gathering.  The food was top shelf, of course that goes without saying.  I would like to thank CARA for the help, Running for Kicks, and Vision of Touch for the door prizes.  I also need to thank Samuel Adams, not only for the door prizes they donated, but for the adult beverages that livened up our festivities.

Before next week’s run I will go into detail about how we handle the R2R 20 miler.  Please pay attention.

We still need some volunteers for our manned water stops.  I’ll admit 143rd is a hard one, but 151 and 159th are pretty easy. 

Don’t forget our Bike ride on September 12.

Run to the finish before the start on September 26 is the most beneficial thing you can do for this marathon.  I do it because it’s fun.  Hope you join us.

I hate to use precious web site space to deal with important stuff.  This week I need to address Cara’s R2R 20 mile run.  On Saturday, September 18 there will be no run at Yankee Woods.  Instead we will join the entire CARA program on Sunday the 19.  Our last 20-mile run will begin at Foster Ave beach and we will run to the South Shore Cultural Center. 

Once we have arrived we will have a picnic complete with real food. As always the Yankee Runners will show everybody else how it should be done.  There will be more on this soon. For now it is important we get signed up in the right groups.  If YOU do nothing you will be assigned a wave with the pace that you originally signed up for when you joined the program.  Waves consist of 50 runners and will be sent out every 30 seconds.  You can e-mail me with the subject line R2R pacing and tell me what pace you wish to run with.  You will have the opportunity to sign up next Saturday after our run.  I will compile a list of each of our pace groups, turn them into to CARA, and you should be grouped with the friends you have faced the Enemy with for all these weeks. 

Once we have you in the proper pace and group we need to deal with transportation and parking issues.  What I already know is this: CARA wants us to drive to Foster Ave, run all the way to the SSCC.  Then, after we party, they will bus us back to our cars.  It makes no sense to me to be bused over 20 miles north when we live south.  We are looking into what it will take to park at SSCC, be bused to Foster Ave and run back, so when we are done showing everybody how to party we can get in our cars and head home.  In the past this has required a sign up sheet and a $5.00 fee.  This year there are parking meters to be dealt with. I will have more information soon about that.

Last Saturday the Enemy was relentless.  I watched as many of you finished your run looking like you had been put through the wringer. This reminded me of one of my favorites stories, the story about the day they said the mountain won.  On Saturday, before I send you out, many to distances you have never ran, I will tell that story.

Don’t forget out many events coming up.

Finally, we got some decent weather on a Saturday.  As luck would have it, it was for a cut back week.  At least I was able to mention the nice snacks you have been enjoying after your runs.  Remember it is only with the support of our sponsors that they are possible. Check them out and show your thanks by patronizing their businesses.

I hope the cut back mileage you enjoyed this week has you all fresh for next week.  Next week the mileage is 15-17-19.  This means for the first time this year the advanced runners will see Lake Katherine.  The intermediate runners will see the ball fields, and the novice runners will go well past 131st street.  All the runners will come back; some will be looking for more miles, some thankful to be done, and some wondering how will they do 26.2.  Soon your legs and your feet won’t be able to carry you for the distance that is required. As you begin your run on Saturday I will tell you what will carry you when your feet and legs can’t.

Don’t forget I will be collecting $10.00 for Bartolini’s.  Good food, fine Sam Adams Boston Lager, the company of the greatest runners in the world.  All of this on Thursday August 19.  Come and join us, bring a friend. Doors open at 6:00, food served at 6:30. See events page for more details.

Carey Pinkowski will be at Running for Kicks on Monday Aug 23 at 7:00pm.  Come and listen to a legend in the running community.  You must RSVP to the store 708-448-9200. 

We need volunteers for our manned water stops on September 4.  Check out the events page for details.

Announcements are hard when it is raining.  I will give you the short version.  No matter how many marathons you have ran the most important one is the one you are training for.  That makes 10-10-10 the most important marathon there is. It now appears for the first time since 1999 I will be unable to line up shoulder to shoulder with you as we begin the race.  This hurts more than I can say.  The thing that will help is I know years from now when I’m sitting in my rocking chair, should any of you stop by to visit we won’t dwell on the race.  What we will talk about is the 18 weeks we journeyed together.  If I can’t make it to the starting line I will be there somewhere.

Next week after the run I will be collecting for our mid season banquet at Bartolini’s.  The cost is $10.00.  Guest are welcome.  See the events page for more details.

We are adding one more event to our training.  On Sept 4, if we get enough volunteers, we will have all our water stops manned.  This is a chance for your loved ones to show their support.

Our manned water stops are a way of getting an idea of what water stops will be on race day.  There is no stopping sipping and socializing.  What there is, is maybe slowing to a fast walk grabbing a cup and get going.  This event requires some volunteers.  I have listed the water stops and approximate times when volunteers will be needed. Slots will be filled on a first come first serve basis.  All the volunteers need to do is show up with a card table and be able to fill cups with water or Gatorade.  The supplies will already be in place.  There is no real pressure if the weather turns out to be bad and some volunteers fail to show up we will be no worse off then any other week.  I tell volunteers if the weather is bad stay at home.  So don’t let fear of weather keep you from signing up.  It is my hope that we can keep track of who is the last group out and they can tell volunteers when they can go home which may be before the prescribed time.  I will talk about this more in the near future.

159th-7:10-7:30
151st-7:22-7:50
143rd-7:35-8:15
131st-7:50-8:45
Ballfields-8:-9:10
131st-8:45-9:25
143rd-8:55-9:40
151st-9:00-10:15
159th-9:10-10:30