WOW !!!!! What a great first step in our journey. For years I have always known something stirs in me at the start of training. I think today I figured out what it is. IT IS YOU. I am thrilled to see so many old friends and have so many new fresh faces join us. The familiar faces are the ballast that steadies the ship. But it is the fresh new faces that add the passion to our journey. I am a big fan of passion. This program has been my passion for 10 years and I love to see it grow each year. In the coming weeks and months if you hear speak of “the enemy”, I want those of you who are new to know the enemy is the miles. I may mention the enemy when I talk on Saturday.

Each year we add a new wrinkle or two. This year it was our kick off bon fire which most of you have missed (it was last week). Also new is our plan to have grills grilling after the “ready to run 20”. And of course our new website. I want to thank Jen for all her hard work. I know little about computers but I know what I like and I could like our website anymore then I do. All we need is for you to check it.

A short review of what I talked about Saturday.

If you want to hear the announcements, see the runner of the week, and hear some of my stories you should be there ready to go by 6:50am. We will start to run by 7:00am.

After our run a Forest District Policemen stopped by and informed me that we CAN’T PARK ON THE STREET. I was not going to argue about the signs or lack of them at that time. I suggest we get there early and if need be park in the Golf course lot just north of Yankee Woods lot. Call it a short warm up. The parking issue does seem to get better as weeks go by. I am not sure why but it does.

We need to conserve cup as much as possible. I fold a paper cup and put it in my waistband and have been known to use it for several water stops. We also need to keep the waters stops as clean as we can. Remember your group leader is not your mother. They don’t get paid to clean up after you. Like mothers they don’t actually get paid at all. All they get is our love.

Do not forget our friends from “Runners Ultimate Network” and the filming they will do on June 28 after our run. It is a cut back and the distances will be 5-6-8. I will turn the 8 into 7 and we will all meet around the 1 mile mark and run in TOGETHER, looking the only way you can look GREAT!!!! It is my hope that you can find a few minutes to hang around and fill the audience. I hear talent scouts often watch the show looking for the next super models in the audience. I am not sure if that is true or not but I do know that there will be raffle prizes and I will shop with love for an upgraded snack table. I do the shopping but Running for Kicks sponsors our snack table. I might have to hit Mel up for some extra for this week.

Don’t forget our other sponsors. Check them out. Just put the arrow on their logo and click. Unless I am lucky enough to see you before then I will see you on Saturday.

Thank you
Joe Werner
gokarts@juno.com
Oak Forest Site Coordinator

The journey continues as we end week two and start week three.  Week three is what we call a cut back week.  All this means is our long run on Saturday will be short.  The book calls for 5-6-8 depending on what level you run.  We will do 5-6-7 in order to group up and run in TOGETHER.  Those of you who are worried about that eighth mile can add it on once we have passed the cameras.  It will take a several minutes for filming the show to start; you can finish your last mile and still be at the filming. If you want a dry shirt to hang around in perhaps you should save you Cara issued shirt for after our run and wear some other shirt for our run.  I promise a snack table on steroids, which will be provided by Running for Kicks.

There were a few runners missing on Saturday, and I know who you are.  If you were there and listening (you were in the minority) you would have heard me say the enemy does not care why we don’t train.  We all have reasons for missing runs, but on Oct 12 those reasons will not matter.  If we are not prepared we will not take part in a marathon.  We will take part in a death march. If we do everything right and are ready this is going to be hard, you can’t even imagine how hard it will be if we are not ready.  When we gather on Saturday we will be one short run from being into week four.  That gives us only fourteen more weeks to prepare to face an enemy whose work is already done.  All the enemy has left to do is to watch and size us up.  He may think he can defeat us alone or he may like last year bring in help.  It does not matter to us what the enemy does as long as we do what we know needs to be done.  I am sure if you were absent from our run on Saturday that you got your mileage in on your own.  I ran seven on Saturday and after watching some of you race in the duathlon on Sunday I did my eleven.

On a personal note I was reminded that most runners don’t want to listen to my stories.  I will not stop telling them but will try to keep them shorter.  I will remind you if you want to hear the announcements and any short stories be there by 6:50am we will be running by 7:00am.  After this week I will be running with a group and doing the advanced distance, this means if you want to see me about anything you should get there early or you may have to wait.  Of course I check my e-mail everyday and you have my home phone number in your book.  It is very important that you let me know if there is any problems with the pace or distance your group is running on Saturday.  Don’t hesitate to let me know if the group is running faster then the advertised pace. 

I hope you take a moment out and look at the photos.  Each week we will spotlight a group leader and a runner of the week.  This week it was a group of runners.  My day started off great, as I was able to persuade our committee to allow me to welcome some good friends back to our training by making them runner of the week.  As in life no rose is without thorns, so was my day.  Another dear friend fell during the run, hurt her ankle and bloodied her knee.  I spoke with her last evening (Saturday) and it appears her injuries are superficial.  I look forward to seeing her back with us next week looking good as always, as you all will for the cameras.

The road we travel is not the easy road.  It is the only one to get where we are going.

Joe

Training is serious business.  Once in a while it is good to have some fun out there.  I hope you had fun as we watched how a TV show is made.  I promised you a snack table on steroid.  With the help of my family and some friends I DELIVERED.  I promised the show’s producer the best-looking, most enthusiastic group of runners he has ever seen, YOU DELIVERED. Now comes the biggest test of all.  I want the largest TV ratings the show has had to date.  Tell EVERYONE you know to have his or her TV turned on to Comcast sport channel next Saturday at 5:00pm.  I don’t know if it is a different channel in different areas but for me it is channel 37.  Whatever channel you get the White Sox and the Cubs on.

We will have more chances for fun but we can’t lose focus on what is important.  What this training is all about is October 12, 2008.  You will tire of hearing me say it but the enemy never rests.  The enemy will be ready.  I take it as my responsibility to make sure you have the opportunity to be ready.  I will try to keep you motivated, I will try to keep you surrounded by great runners.  I will always be only an e-mail or phone call away.  I will do whatever I can do.  You have a problem with pace or distance or anything else talk to me. The one thing I can’t do is put on the miles for you.  We have our long runs together on Saturday.  We have a group that runs from Running For Kicks on Monday at 6:00pm.  We do speed work on Wednesday at 6:00pm.  That is three chances to join me in joining with some truly great runners. We have runners from all paces with us.  At some point in the not too distant future we MAY add a Tuesday mid week long run.

On Friday July 4 many of us will race a 5k in Tinley Park at 8:00am. If you are racing you may be in for a treat.  As you turn off of Ozark onto 161st street (around 1.25 miles into the race) you may see the cutest 5-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy in the world.  If they are up they may be out cheering for their Grandpa Joe and all his running friends.   We will then spend some time breaking bread together after many of your friends get their trophies, around 9:20ish.  Later that day we have the chance to see the band Defining Silence perform at Oak Fest from 6:30 until 9:30 when the fireworks start.

On July 5 at 6:50am we will be back at training.  I will give my take on AMERICA if you have heard it before I ask you to be quite so other can hear.

At some point soon I will tell you a story that very few of you have ever heard.  The only time and place I told this story was in a train station in Boston waiting for a shuttle bus.  If you weren’t there you have not heard it.  It was kind of long so I will tell it in a couple parts.    It will be like a soap opera.