June 30th 2013 is our InterCommunity Firecracker 5K Road Race. On behalf of Dawn Emanuele and myself, we would like to thank you in advance for helping make this road race a success for the club.

Our charitable cause for this road race is Glastonbury Youth and Family Services. We look forward to our donation helping youth and families in our local community of Glastonbury.

Welcome our new Firecracker 5K sponsor!

InterCommunity is our new Firecracker 5K sponsor this year. InterCommunity has been serving this area with Behavioral Health Solutions for over 35 years. Their mission began at the South Congregational Church in South Glastonbury.

Please visit www.intercommunity.com to learn more about the comprehensive, quality, recovery-oriented mental health and addiction disorder services for adults, children and families for residents of the Greater East Hartford Area.

Can you volunteer?

It is never too early to save the date on your calendar to volunteer your time to help the club make this road race a wonderful experience for all.

We are looking for volunteers for:

• Registration
• Set Up
• Course Marshalls
• Water Stop
• Parking Attendants
• Bikers
• Food Tent.

We also need volunteers for Publicity to deliver posters at local merchants and sponsors. We will provide specific details regarding locations, size of posters provided by Race Committee and deadlines for posting to make it easy for each volunteer.

If you are interested in any of the above positions, please email me with your choices at Rosemary.Hokanson@yahoo.com.

Please note, there are plenty of volunteer spots that allow you to run the race as well as volunteer…..set up, clean up, publicity, and registration to name a few.

Thank you so much!

Rosemary Hokanson and Dawn Emanuele, Co-Race Directors, InterCommunity Firecracker 5k

That must be a PR by quite a margin?

Congratulations!

See David’s race report for his last marathon, just over a month ago at Garden Spot Village.

See full results from the Shires of Vermont Marathon 2013.

Good luck to David Zevin for the Shires of Vermont Marathon on Sunday, May 19th!

The Original Spitfires

Fabulous Fours

We’re meeting in South Glastonbury for your choice of a river run or orchard run (yes, hills!).

Place: South Glastonbury – South Tavern parking lot
Time: 6:30 AM
Distance: 10-13 miles or whatever you feel like doing.

Civilized Running Group

Please meet in the Parking Lot across from the Fountain at 6:30 AM on Saturday to run 10 miles. We will decide the route on Saturday. Please let us know if you are running. Those who want to run 5 or 6, please meet us at the Fountain at 7:15 am. Remember we are the civilized group, we have to accommodate all our friends. This way we do not have to carry water.
See you Saturday.

Intermediates (aka New & Nearly New)

The group will be meeting at 7:00 am on Saturday at the Wang Palace parking lot. The route is 5.6 – 11 miles. You can do more or less. The route is:
From Wang Palace
R down Main to Hubbard
R Buttonball
L on Olde Stage to end and back to Wang Palace (5.6 miles)
L on Wells and L on Naubuc.
Under bridge to stop. ( 7.3 miles)
L on Kenney Cove Dr to end.
R on Jerry,
L Cloverdale.
R High St and
L Naubuc.
To end take a R on Main St.
R Broad St.
L Naubuc.
Back the same way to Wang Palace. (11 miles)

Walkers

The Glastonbury River Walkers meet around 8 AM for a self-led walk with a suggested route map provided – see more information or contact Margaret Rorrio.

Improve your running, core strength and fitness in a fun and supportive environment

Training includes:

• Speed Work
• Dynamic Stretching
• Ballistic Running Drills
• Running Specific Exercises

Sessions begin on June 3rd at 6:15 pm and will meet every Monday until August 26th.

Each session is $15

Meeting Place: Wethersfield H.S. Track

411 Wolcott Hill, Wethersfield

Nathan Cropper is a certified USA Track & Field Coach and a Licensed Professional Counselor

For more information email: nathancropper@yahoo.com

And congratulations to Team GRR at the Bill Landers 5K on Sunday, May 11, 2013. We came a very close second, four minutes behind the Connecticut Leathermen. Well done everyone who participated and thanks to Mike for getting the team together.

If you ran and your result’s not here, please email info@glastonburyriverrunners.com with your time.

• Michael Keenan 17:42 (3rd overall)
• Suresh Jatti 19:04 (3rd in division)
• Cameron Keenan 21:03
• Rithvik Jatti 21:08
• Andrew Williams 21:14
• Brett Roberson: 21:29
• David Ford 21:56
• Chris Goff 22:53
• Rich Baber 23:26 (1st in division)
• Tricia King 23:30 (2nd in division)
• Agnes Porell 24:17
• Gary Richards 24:56
• Syed Hashmi 25:22
• David King 26:42
• Carson Williams 28:40
• Lisa Williams 28:40

Kyle Wies from Bicycles East, one of sponsors, won with an impressive time of 16:43.

See full results from the Bill Landers 5K 2013.

Hello All GRR Members……Welcome to all our newest members that have recently joined.

Spring is here!!! We have had some beautiful runs with gorgeous sunrises. I hope everyone has had a chance to experience some of the beautiful days we have had. So HAPPY SPRING to everyone….and PLEASE READ the following club info, announcements and reminders.

Activities & Merchandise committees

I am reaching out to the entire membership, searching for some new people to take over the Activities and Merchandise committees. These are two committees that do not take a ton of time but are fun to participate in. We need some new people to help out and volunteer their time. We have not had a lot of participation so it has been difficult to plan activities and add/manage the club/GRR merchandise.

If you are interested and can help out, just email me at edemanuele@yahoo.com and I can answer any questions and share the details.

Stay safe

My usual reminder……. PLEASE:

• share the road
• be courteous
• WEAR YOUR LIGHTS AND REFLECTIVE GEAR
• run single file when cars are coming
• Watch out for cars and assume they do not see you…..because they probably don’t.

Let’s all stay safe and not make the drivers hate us.

Firecracker 5K

Our second GRR race of the season, the InterCommunity Firecracker 5K, is just around the corner. Mark your calendars…..Sunday June 30th.

We need to make sure this race is a great success this year. We have a new Naming Sponsor (Intercommunity), a new Charity (Glastonbury Youth and Family Services) and new Race Directors (Dawn Emanuele and Rosemary Hokanson).

Please help out by running the race, volunteering and spreading the word now. Please contact Dawn Emanuele or Rosemary Hokanson to volunteer. We expect this race to grow like the rest of our races and need help on race day!!! We need help with Registration, Food and many other things. Thank you in advance for helping!!!

Beginners

Another great group of beginners have started and they will be concluding their training with the running of the Firecracker 5K. For many this will be their first race. Congratulations!!!

After two years or so and many groups…..Dawn Emanuele has taken a break from organizing the beginner group since she is now co-directing the race. Thank you to her for all the great work you did!!!

A big THANK YOU to Maggie DeVito. She stepped up/in and volunteered to take over the organizing of the beginner group. This takes a lot of time and effort and I really appreciate it!!!

Summer brunch run

Keep a look out for an email soon! A summer “brunch run” is in the works. For those that have participated, we run, and then we eat. It is a lot of fun and we usually do it at a venue that is a nice change of scenery. I hope we can get a great turn-out once the details are finalized.

Thanks again to everyone for your help support and suggestions. I look forward continued growth, fun and contributions to the running community, the great community and sponsors that support us and the charities we support. If anyone has any issues, suggestions or has any questions please feel free to contact me at edemanuele@yahoo.com.

Happy Running
Erik Emanuele – President GRR
“Failure is NOT an Option – Never Quit”

I have recently discovered the WONDERS of JUICING – and I love it! I’m hooked!

The benefits of juicing

The HEALTH BENEFITS of juicing are numerous, to mention a few:

• DETOX and CLEANSE the body to improve health, and help clear up conditions such as acne, sinus infections
• Gives a real ENERGY BOOST
• WEIGHT LOSS (keeps you fuller longer so you eat less)
• Allows for a lot of different FRUITS and VEGETABLES that you probably wouldn’t eat in a day
• IMPROVED SKIN and HAIR for a more youthful look.

How juicing helps me run and feel better

IN JUST A FEW WEEKS of juicing my body has changed to a more lean, toned structure. I’ve always had lots of energy, but now I feel more energized on my runs, and more able to keep pace for those QUALITY RUNS.

I SMOOTHIE my BREAKFAST, ie. (oatmeal, flax seeds, coconut water, blueberries and hemp protein) and LUNCH, and have a healthy meal for DINNER, (quinoa, salmon, spinach).

I also smoothie fruits and veggies for a HEALTHY SNACK – another ADDED BENEFIT – helps keep you away from the junk food!

JUICING allows your body to absorb the nutrients right away, and because it is liquid form, the food is digested at a quicker rate – not sitting around in your stomach fermenting.

I definitely RECOMMEND JUICING TO EVERYONE! HEALTH, STRENGTH, VITALITY, YOUTHFULNESS….doesn’t get better than that!

Great juicing recipes

Don’t have a juicer? Here is a review of the best juicers. And when you’ve got yours, try making one of my favorite pre-run or breakfast smoothies:

• 1/4 cup uncooked gluten free oatmeal – 90cals
• 1/2 – 1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (depending on preferred consistency) – 40cals
• 1/4 cup Organic Walnuts – 180 cals
• 1 cup Blueberries – 60cals or a small Banana – 80cals
• Total: around 400cals

AMIRA LERARIO
RUNNING WITH AMIRA, LLC
USATF & RRCA CERTIFIED RUNNING COACH
(860) 218-5172
www.runningwithamira.com
facebook.com/AmiraLerarioCoach

Beautiful, scenic, hilly, hot – are some of the words used to describe the annual Ironman 70.3 triathlon on the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands.

Held on the first Sunday in May almost continuously for the past 25 years, this is a race for any triathlete’s bucket list. There are only about 500 competitors and it draws a deep pro and amateur field of athletes looking to grab qualification spots for the Ironman World Championship in Kona and the Ironman 70.3 Championship in Las Vegas.

This event is a big deal to the locals on the Island – they shut down all of the roads on the race course from 6 AM to 4 PM including the town of Christiansted, where the transition area is located. The locals are very kind and bend over backwards to help the athletes have a good time.

Tropical climate = no wetsuits

The course itself is both beautiful and challenging. The tropical climate sees water temperatures in the high 70’s to low 80’s (wear your swim skins – no wetsuits). The air temp can go into the 90’s (as it did this year) with high humidity.

The swim course is unique – athletes swim a few hundred yards to a nearby cay and start out from this little island around a clock-wise course in pristine blue water.

The bike course is very scenic, with stretches along the coast and beautiful views of the ocean. The hills are legendary – at mile 20, riders start to climb “The Beast” which has inclines from 12% to 26%. This actually wasn’t that bad! The more taxing part of the course came after the beast where a constant barrage of rollers slowly sucks at rider’s energy reserves – many riders pay this price when they get out on the run.

Of course the run takes place when the sun and heat are at their peak, and the course is hilly. Like the bike, the run is beautiful and scenic. The two loop course takes you through the grounds of The Buccaneer resort, where many of the athletes stay. The trail winds through the golf course and along the shoreline before going back up near the housing, where there were friends and family stationed with water, ice and everything their triathlete could want. The race organizers boast that there are more aid stations on the run course than any other Ironman event – about very half mile, which you will need to keep cool – ice down the shirt, sponges on your head.

Flat tires but lots of fun

This year there were monsoon like rains the night before the race which washed debris in many areas all over the bike course. The locals were out in force cleaning up the roads and assisting the safety personnel. In spite of these efforts, there were many, many flats. After losing both my spare tubes early in the race, I sustained two flats – both within 15 miles of the bike finish – which cost me about an hour of time.

Due to the flats, the heat and the terrain, I finished almost two hours later than usual for a 70.3 race. And, it didn’t matter! My wife and I had a wonderful short vacation; I checked off a bucket list race; and I now feel well trained for the rest of the season. This is a great event in a fantastic location. I would do this again and would bring my kids next time.

The bottom line

• Do this race: If you want a classic Ironman event, early in the season, in a great location, that will get you race-ready for the rest of the season.

• Forget it: If you don’t like hills, heat or swimming without a wetsuit.

I am asked the question quite frequently….Does Cycling Help My Running? The answer to this question is complicated and can be answered many different ways, but I definitely have an opinion on. This is of course my opinion and it is based on my reading, the coaching I received, research and most of all my personal experience in training and competing in both Triathlons and Marathons.

Keep in mind, as with other topics like running form, training plans etc., for every opinion, there are 3 others that have different opinions or views.

So let me begin. The main term in this question that I will focus on is “running”. Cycling will NOT help your running. It WILL help your fitness immensely but will not specifically help your running….. the same way running will not help your cycling. These are different activities that use different muscles and overdoing either of them can cause injuries or actually diminish the other.

A similar comparison is the difference between triathlon training and bike racing or time trial training. All are done on the bike but use different bikes, different muscles and the training is completely different with different focuses.

Cross-training – in moderation

If you are training for a running specific event such as a marathon, minimal, easy cycling is a good cross training activity to keep muscles fresh, active, and aid in recovery, but too much cycling can actually take away from your running speed and increase the chance of injury.

I will once again reiterate that there are exceptions to this and certain people that defy all practical logic. For example, there are professional Ironman Triathletes that can still run sub 3-hour marathons.

Find a good balance

There is a definite balance in volume of training between cycling and running. Now you add in swimming and other activities for triathlon training and you are putting tremendous stress on your body. For triathlon training, both running and cycling if done with the proper balance of volume and intensity complement each other nicely but to address this question specifically…..If you are trying to improve your running specifically, cycling is not the answer.

There are other activities where you can spend your time such as core strengthening, running-specific strength training or exercises or hills, speed and tempo drills. So depending on what your goal is, pick your training wisely and do not over train.

Erik Emanuele

If there are any other questions or topics that people would like answered, please send them in to our website and look for the answers in upcoming newsletters.

Marathon

• Jorge Kuljis: 3:18:33 (Award for fastest time for an injured runner)
• Agnes Porell: 3:59:10 (PR)
• Susan Sacco: 4:02:56
• Suzan Korman: 4:05:42 (First marathon – wow!)
• Yvonne Lee: 4:11:28
• Jo-Anne Rankin: 4:25:29
• Jenny Ort: 4:27:02
• Syed Hashmi: 4:31:55
• Michael Bekele: 4:37:35 (PR)
• Jen Black: 4:59:06 (PR)

Half Marathon

• Tricia King: 1:54:58 (PR)
• John Ferguson: 2:07:45
• Shaun O’Rourke: 2:27:15

See full results from the Flying Pig Marathon and Half Marathon 2013.

Thanks Suzan for the great photo above.

There are a few dates that will focus on running specifically:

• May 15
• June 12
• July 17

For more information see the Sacred Rivers Yoga website or Facebook page or contact Paula on 860.657.9545.

Here Paula explains why yoga is beneficial to runners and all athletes:

Runners complain of sore knees, hamstrings and backs from the pounding they absorb. The pain they endure isn’t necessarily from the force of their feet hitting the ground but from the imbalance caused by running.

Yoga can help strength, flexibility and balance.

The body tries to avoid injury by working around instability. This compensation puts stress on the muscles, joints and bones. Tight muscles get tighter and become hard and inflexible.

As shock absorbers, they should be soft and malleable, with some give. Brittle muscles are vulnerable to tears.
Repetitive actions, such as running, can create unbalanced and excessively tight bodies. The endorphins that give runners such a positive feeling also can mask the pain of oncoming injuries.

Yoga can help runners overcome their imbalance and learn to relax their bodies, making them more effective and also saving strength. Tight muscles limit range of motion, but relaxed muscles allow bodies to operate more efficiently and with greater range of movement.

Yoga also teaches relaxation techniques for breathing. Having an awareness of your breathing helps reduce the tension that running, especially racing, can cause.

The Benefits of Yoga

• Yoga postures can correct muscle imbalances resulting from high impact training, aligning the joints, stretching and stabilizing the body to prevent pain and injury, particularly in injury-prone zones: hips, hamstrings, knees, Achilles tendon and iliotibial band to name just a few.
• Standing yoga postures correctly align the knee, strengthen the arches to provide better shock absorbers and maintain healthy connective tissue in the foot and shin.
• Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body. That includes ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheath that surrounds your muscles. They also improve balance, pelvic stability and leg strength for powerful efficient form.
• Slow, gentle, hatha yoga with longer holds in postures balances out your athletic efforts, promotes release of tension to avoid injury.
• Yoga breath work and concentration exercises can improve body awareness and confidence, focus and patience, and positive pleasure in your athletic pursuits.
• With regular practice, yoga can improve balance, range of motion and strength.
• Regular practice of yoga can help people relax making it easier to turn off at the end of the day.

A personal appeal from Art Byram, whom most of us know and who is CT State Representative of the Road Runners Club of America.

“We typically only mix running and politics when it directly affects our running. A good example is when they tried to close the MDC reservoir, and runners and many others joined together to prevent that. We are faced with another situation even closer to home.

There is a plan in the works to put a state police firearms facility in our favorite trail running location. The Meshomasic forest, a.k.a. “The Mesh”. This would not only have a negative impact on the forest where we run, but would also interrupt a critical section of the blue blazed Shenipsit Trail.

Please give us your support by signing the petition and attending a meeting at the Riverfront Community Center (Welles St, Glastonbury) on Thursday, May 9th at 7 PM. Doors open at 6.30 PM.”

For updates contact Art at Connecticut@RRCA.org.