This month I have to send in the Spartans team registration. If any of you want to chip in for the $75 fee, I wouldn’t mind. I would mind if some of you who were hit by the 15% unemployment rate chip in. Save it for your PA membership and race fees.

Anyone want to be an officer? As I recall, the positions are President, VP, Secretary and Treasure. Each position takes as much work as you are doing now.

Go Spartans!

Jerome

The season’s final cross-country meet was held yesterday under typical cross-country conditions at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Friday’s rain soaking made the course more xc challenging and muddy. The attendance was larger than in past years for all three races (women’s race, men’s masters race, and men’s open race). The day’s race schedule started with a light misty rain with cool temperatures and a soggy course.

The Spartans men’s senior team was tied for 6th place heading into this race. Unofficially, it appears that the Spartans broke the 6th place tie and will finish 6th after besting a Pacific Striders team. This was the best we could hope for as the Rebels from Sacramento have too much cushion for us to catch them. The other four clubs are Tamalpa, WVJS, Empire, Aggies which are much stronger than we are. These are actually considered super-clubs in terms of numbers and participants. We will wait for the final results however.

Ten Spartans journeyed to the race to lace-em-up and toe-the-line. All of the xc races are highly competitive but this one takes it up another notch as the top teams vying to be atop the leader board pull out all stops. They seem to find another few runners, some who are rested, uninjured from a long season, and some hungry to get mud on their shoes. Anyway, those teams that bolster their troops for this race usually end up scoring better. The Spartans did the same by pulling in Pat’s twin brother Mike who was instrumental in our efforts to probably out score the Pacific Striders.

Joining the TEN Spartans for the event were Susan, Kurt, Art, Sal, Steve, Bill, Jay, Paul, Mike, and Pat.

As in many of the races this season, Susan kicked off our participation. The women’s race is usually first and Susan was present to toe the line with a very fine women’s field. We didn’t get too much of a chance to watch her race as we were out on the course checking it out before our race which closely follows. Susan ran a strong race, helped cheer us on in the master’s race, and joined us for pizza later. Susan is very gracious and her participation, congeniality, and efforts are very well appreciated by the Spartans. We need more “Susans” to join us. Later at the pizza party, I told Susan that throughout the years we have had many good female runners join us from time-to-time. However, very few have participated in xc like Susan has. I think Claire was the last one and she did very well but was much younger than the rest of our troops. Only a few times in the past have we been able to field a women’s team. Thank you for running with us Susan! By the way, I don’t know how you did it, but it seems like you did not get covered with mud like the rest of us….

Kurt played “mudman” not “sideman” early in the day, “sideman” later in the day. Word has it that Kurt was going to “wear the mud” like a true Spartan from battle for his remaining days. Kurt has been a glorious warrior all season and seemed to end his season on a very positive note. As we all know, there are runners in all parts of the pack that we measure off of. These runners seem to help gauge your performance and effort during a race. I think all of our Spartan runners finished ahead of the “Ratti” this race including Kurt. Either Julius ran a bad race or the Spartan runners ran well…I choose the latter. There was one moment after the race where we were near our bags. Kurt was standing in the rays of light and he looked like a Spartan after battle (missing the head dress)…it would have been a glorious picture….Kurt looked to be contemplating the moment and thanking the Spartan gods above for surviving another contest..and living to run another day. Thank you for running with us Kurt! By the way, Kurt is now technically a super senior. Just maybe we could field a super-seniors team next year…..we are getting more to choose from. Jerome, Leno, Bill, Kurt, Cisco, ……..

Art….we did not know whether Art was going to show or not…..ahead of time. It seemed like we did not get confirmation. ..last we heard was that Art was planning on coming and Sal would come but probably not run….I guess we just didn’t know whether Art was going to ride in the Spartan chariot or not. So, Sunday morning we waited about 10-15 minutes and just figured he was going otherwise. Well, just before the start of the men’s masters race, I see Art running to get his number and get to the starting line. Art has pulled this move several times this season. I was just happy to see Art at the race and getting to the starting line on time. I heard the story earlier about the Tamalpa race at Marine Headlands… .Thank you for running with us Art!

Sal came but was not planning on running. He has been nursing some injuries and aches and pains as I understand it. For the Tamalpa race, as customary for Sal, he pulled off another selfless feat…by basically sacrificing himself for the better of the team. He did this so that we could field a team at Tamalpa while he went back to park the car. He then ran back to join the race after it had already started. This is the kind of person Sal is. Yesterday, Sal took another hit for the team…..he wanted to run if he could. He was told a short time ago from a medical professional that he should quit running….and that it was bad for him…Sal decided he was going to run. He ran and did not do too bad all things considered. He too finished ahead of the “Ratti measure”. Thank you Sal…

Steve came, ran, and then joined us for pizza later. Steve ran a good race and is healthier than the last time he ran this race. Sure, like all of us he has some aches and pains but keeps going. Steve has run some 31 consecutive Napa marathons… …he met my brother Mike who has some 26 consecutive Cal International marathons… ..both are record holders, both are Spartans…. both resilient! They exchanged stories yesterday. Steve too exceeded the “Ratti measure”. Glad to have you back joining us Steve. Your presence, participation, and efforts are truly welcome. You are one of the original Spartans…. .Thank you for running with us again!

Bill said he would be there and sure enough he was. Bill is a man of his word…..as are most true Spartans. Speaking to Jan, Bill’s spouse, they have been “computer-less” for awhile now so he has not been able to keep us posted via email. Anyway, Bill was present and ran a superb race….indicating that he had run some 2 minutes faster than last year….that is some achievement on this wet/soggy course. Bill, we may be able to field a super seniors team next year ??? Just a thought, but maybe a possibility. Thank you for running with us again! Also, we should give much thanks to Jan for being there as a supporter. Thank you Jan!!

Jay steered the Spartan chariot to the field of battle. He parked the chariot among the others. The Spartans assembled and prepared for another memory. Jay was ready for an easy 6 miler after participating in several ultras recently. Jay ran well, bettered the “Ratti mark” and joined us for pizza afterwards. We were hoping to fill the Spartan chariot but only Mike and I joined Jay. Jay liked the conditions we had and proved to be one of our most resilient Spartans this year. Thank you for running with us Jay! You are now a bigger part of the club.

Paul joined us again for a good day of some cross-country action. Paul is our connection to the east bay. Paul ran a good race but admits he did not do his homework for cross-country this year. The result, less performance. However, sometimes you can do the homework and still have less performance! That is frustrating and very discouraging, but it can happen.
Paul was kind to offer pizza at his house after the race for those that could make it. His wife (Deb) is always very supportive of us visiting and this year we tried to make this all a little simpler by just ordering some pizza. Paul had a pretty good season but has had some injuries this year. Next year Paul will have a better year.

Mike joined us again as he has in the past, even after having run a 5k on Saturday! Mike ran a strong race and always seems to maintain a high fitness level. He especially likes to measure himself off the Rebels who originate from the same area where he lives. Mike provided us the extra needed scoring punch to (probably) knock out the Striders for the end of season team scoring. Thanks for joining us Mike and good luck in the 27th edition of the Cal International marathon in a few weeks. We were all glad that you could join us for the season finale!

I ran about as well as last year but I think the course was wetter this year. As it turns out, my overall placing I think was identical but the overall race was like 20 runners larger this year. When the course is wet, it makes it more difficult to run a faster time. With my groin injury, I am thankful for being able to run as well as I did..but each lap I got significantly slower as the pain increased. Three miles is about my limit… It is particularly frustrating when you can not accelerate and respond when someone passes you. Oh well. As the saying goes, there’s always next year.

Afterwards, we journeyed to Paul’s house in Piedmont for some refreshment, pizza, and conversation/ discussion about the season and future. Attending were Paul, Susan, Steve, Jay, Mike, and I.

Paul always has some good comments and suggestions about the direction of our running group/club.

Topics mentioned were:

1. Is there any interest in putting together teams for this years Christmas Relays ?? Who wants to run, who wants to organize teams ?
2. Recruiting more female runners and younger runners.
3. A cross-country training camp before cross-country season next year (probably in August)…location TBD.
4. July 2010 (this coming summer), National Master’s T & F meet in Sacramento.
5. Bay Area senior games in April…
6. World master’s games….July 2011….will even have a cross-country race in the heat! Probably the granite quarry course that Sac State uses. Nice course!
7. Possibility of getting more runners from Pacific Striders ??
8. All of us seemed interested in cross-country again next year.

Many thanks to all of you who helped make our season a memorable one. I think we had a successful season and have a lot to be thankful for….you can include you own personal thanks into your Thanksgiving blessings. Nick and Cisco were not able to join us for the last event. Maybe next year…

I hope to send out one last season ending email in a week or so…..

Thanks everyone as we wait for the final results….

pb

The event at Shoreline was a little greener this past Saturday due to some of the recent rains. The course was in great shape and the weather was wonderful. Thanks to the Aggies for also broadcasting some good music, the day was a fine day for some cross-country action. Some memorable tunes were “War, what is it good for ?”, and “Love Shack” among others.

This year cross-country attendance is up….a significant increase in fact. On Saturday, the women’s race featured over 125+ finishers, the men’s combined race over 200+ finishers. These are large races for a cross-country course.

The course traverses the “garbage pile hill or landfill dump” next to the Shoreline amphitheatre. …..and circles a small portion of the golf course and environs. I think one of the worst parts of the course is a spiral out-and-back along the asphalt ….this makes it seem much more like a road race. I think the worst part of the race however has got to be the start. Even though it surpasses the Garin Park start, it is very crowded and narrows quickly after negotiating some obstacles directly in the path. I did not even pass the WHEEZER until like the first mile…..Don’ t know if anyone went down but I would not be surprised if someone did. The good news is that the course is longer so that you have more time to reclaim your lost time.

One of the interesting things for this event is that most of us did not pre-register. The race-day registration ran out of BIBS ….so we all got little strips of paper for our registration. ……I don’t remember this ever happening. It was hard keeping the “paper” attached until the race was over….. it caused as few interesting situations at the finish…so for $20, we got even less…..not even a momento!

Joining the Spartan contingent was Susan, Steve, Paul, Jay, Art, Kurt, Sal, and myself. This is really a good turnout for us!

This was the largest women’s race we have had this year I think. We got to see Susan on the course after running the Nike women’s marathon last week. Susan ran a good race and finished strong. Her wonderful smile, congenial attitude, and support for us during the men’s race was very welcome. Also, thanks to Susan, Steve returned to join the Spartans in his first race for us this season. Thanks Susan!

Steve ran a good race all things considered. It was nice to see Steve join us again. Steve and Jay ran together very close. Steve also came prepared being registered. This is always welcome. I think all of us were very happy to see Steve run with us again. We’ve all gotten slower but as Paul mentions. some of the clubs are almost having more difficulty getting a throng of 6 or 7 team members to show up! Thanks for joining us again Steve. We welcome your renewed participation and hope that you remain healthy.

Paul joined us again and ran a good effort and ran sub 7 minute pace. Probably a goal for most 50+ age runners is to still be able to run sub 7 minute pace on these cross-country courses. This is not a given as each course presents its own unique challenge. Although this course is not quite as challenging as the past few in terms of cross-country, the start and length add to its challenge..as does the good hill in the last mile. Thanks for the solid
effort Paul!

Jay joined us again but next week has a “50 miler” scheduled for Granite Bay. Remembering last year at this time, the Tamalpa race (which we have next weekend) featured a downpour and was one of the worst in recent cross-country memories (next to the nationals in both 2002 and 2006)….however when returning home, we thought about Jay still being out there….running. This year, the weather for next weekend (thus far) looks to be fair. This will be good for both Jay and the remainder of the Spartan xc runners. Jay ran a strong race and looks to have pulled Steve along for a good performance. Thanks for running with us again Jay! …. and good luck next week. BTW -Jay is doing very well in the ultra standings… currently 3rd place…way to go jay!

Art did not get the lone Ratti runner this week but it was close. It was good to see Art and I certainly hope he has cleared up his team registration issue. Art is now beginning to gain momentum as he has now run several races in a row …. the results show that it looks like Jay, Steve, and Art all ran reasonably close. It’s good to help each other if possible. A number of the larger teams seem to do this…..Empire is a good example..

Kurt is (again) having a good season. Kurt joined us this week (without Cisco) and ran a strong performance. We all visited with Brian (former Spartan from WVJS) and were pleased that the mis-understanding involving him has been corrected. Kurt finished ahead of Sampson and Beardall this week…way to go Kurt! Hopefully Kurt and Cisco will join hand-in-hand next week…..

Sal showed up on time this week to help his teammates. This is our closest race and this means it is also closer for Sal…but Santa Cruz is Sal’s closest race. Sal ran a strong race and enjoyed the nice day. Sal is listed as being “36″ in the results and would probably like being “36″ again…and Art is listed as being “46″…..but “36″ or “46″ is not “56″….. sorry guys! Word has it that Sal almost kept the Spartan “wrong turn” alive as he almost missed the turnaround.. ..I don’t know how…..but it was on the ugliest part of the course.

I was fortunate and pleased to run a much better race than the last one at Willow Hills. I did not get a good start but was able to finish strong and pick off some “low-hanging fruit” on the last hill before the finish.

So, I am very appreciative of all of you for joining us this last Saturday. I have not run the Shoreline race in several years but it seemed better this year because of all of you and the fine weather we had. The course being slightly green also made it look better. Truly a beautiful day for some fine cross-country action and some good times.

OK, we have now completed 7 of the scheduled 9 races. We have the Tamalpa race next weekend. It will be an entirely different course. However, I am told that many years ago, the course we will run was their course…..guess I either do not remember it or have never run this course. Then, on Sunday November 22nd, we have the Championship race which will be 6 miles and THREE loops. Might think about slightly increasing your mileage to better prepare for that one. That last loop kind of drags on and feels worse than the previous two.

Next week, we have the Tamalpa race.

Women’s race scheduled for 9am, 4.25 miles
Master’s men race scheduled for 10am, 4.25 miles

WHERE: Rodeo Valley, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin Headlands

Directions:
———-

From SF: Cross Golden Gate Bridge.
Take Alexander Ave. exit. Stay right on Alexander, then turn left on Bunker Rd, through tunnel, about 2 miles.

From Marin, take 101 South, take last “Sausalito” exit just before GG bridge.

Turn right at end of exit ramp, go under 101 onto Alexander Ave, then turn left on Bunker Rd, through tunnel, about 2 miles.

Parking at Rodeo Beach, about 0.5 mi. past the Start/Finish.

Check out the course map.

For course map and info go to: http://www.tamalpar unners.org/ jltc2009. php

So, we will need to setup a car pool for this next week as I hear parking is limited. Checking the course map, it seems like it will not be very easy for us to get familiar with the course during the women’s race. Maybe we want to allow a little more time ?

We should plan on getting to the race by 9am if not earlier. We probably need to leave by about 7:15am or so to accomplish that.

Nice running everyone!

Later, pb

Saturday we had a strong contingent travel to Folsom to run the first Willow Hills open. Over the past few years, a few of us had run a similar course but not the same course. The new course is the high school course and is a very good cross-country course. It is beginning to solidify much like a seasoned ski run. The most noticeable thing to me was they have a nice grass starting line…when I last ran here, the grass area was a barren hillside. The course may not be so friendly if it had been raining or if it was muddy. However, we got the course on a beautiful day…a wonderful day for some cross-country action. Sunny, mild temperature with a cooling breeze, and a dry course..

The course is tough but in a different way than the Presidio course. This course gets your attention up front like going on a roller coaster ride. I think roller coaster best describes it.

So, we had Art, Sal, Kurt, Nick, Paul, and I take on the challenge.

The day started out fine as everyone basically showed up on time…..however, we lost a little time in route to picking up Paul and taking a rest room break at a nearby doughnut shop. The short story is that this put us to the race with little or no time to spare….we arrived at like 20 minutes before race time. We did not know the course, we had to register, and of course after a long ride, we needed another rest room break. The start came up very quickly. I think all of us paid a price for this. The lesson is that when traveling a long distance to a race, it is better to allow for more time than thought. It is probably safe to say that you also need more lead time before the race…like having a warmup, being able to use the rest room, and getting familiar with the course…..and not feeling so rushed or anxious.

Art ran a good race and we really appreciate him driving for us. I think for Art the course being short helps as his training has been scattered. However, for a 5k, the race is intense and starts out that way. Art had a busy day on Friday….it was nice that he brought his youngest son to see “the old man’s” race and witness some cross-country action instead of nascar. Thanks Art for being part of the team. We always enjoy having you join us and drive as needed. Glad to have you…and thanks for being a Spartan!.

Sal was kind enough to join us and his day was very long as he had to come from Santa Cruz meeting us for a 6:30 am departure. As it turned out, we didn’t get on the road until like 6:40 am so there went 10 minutes. Sal ran a strong race and seems to be improving each week. He is not running with the same injuries as the past few years. Sal missed the Presidio race last week so he got his share of the action this week. Sal is the best teammate one could have….his commitment speaks throughout the years. Thank you Sal!

Kurt liked the course and brings a lot of enthusiasm to the troops. Kurt keeps the Spartans message alive and always has some good jokes to share. Kurt loves cross-country and his participation is evidence. We had a good discussion about Obama being awarded the Nobel prize…..Kurt is having a good season and is a great teammate.

Nick joined us again as he is our replacement for Brian. Nick loved the course and also brings much enthusiasm to the troops. Nick is gaining more strength each week and has helped us in forming a team this year. Good to have you Nick! Nick is especially good to have along just in case us older folks may need medical attention… .Nick also loves cross-country and trail races and looks for any excuse to get off the pavement. I share his sentiment.

Paul reunited with the Spartans and ran a strong race. He is also anxious to hit the Shoreline course in a few weeks. It was good having Paul back in the fold and he shared his experience regarding his Somnio shoes. Seems like these shoes, made in Santa Cruz, portray an interesting idea. We discussed the many reasons why the Giants choked down the stretch this year and may do the same next year if corrective decisions aren’t made. Paul, thanks for making it happen!

For me, I never felt like I got going on this course. Right from the get-go I was tight as a knot and never felt fluid. I felt better on the course when re-running it as a warm down (to pad the miles) after the race. I also felt more familiar with the course and actually liked it once I got to know it. Another problem I have is that I have been running with a groin injury all season. This kind of course brings out the worst for such a strain. Last but not least, I inaugurated a new set of orthotics which I just got on Friday. This turned out to be a mistake as I felt a big knot in my right hamstring the last mile and could not push the pace…

Anyway, I think the overall turnout was a little smaller and hope it helps us garner some points. We figured out the problem with Art’s card and all should soon be OK. We had a nice trip and all of us going together made it a much better experience. I really appreciate everyone’s commitment and performance. Thanks guys! Thanks for carrying the Spartans message this week.

Our next event will be at Shoreline… .October 24th. The course will be over a mile longer but will not be as tough. The start will suck as usual and we will all be herded together, men’s open + masters combined. Watch out for those fire hydrants at the start !! If I remember, we should have another ex-Spartan rejoin us at Shoreline… ..that being Steve Radigan. We all look forward to seeing Steve once again. The course may be more of a road race than a cross-country race…held on the “garbage heap” called Shoreline Park. I guess the good news is that it is close and we will not actually be car pooling unless we decide beforehand.

The race is scheduled for Saturday Oct 24th. Men’s race is at 9:45 am for 4.6 miles. The women’s race is scheduled for 9:00 am and will be a 5k distance. It is to be held at Shoreline Park in Mountain View.

Directions:
Exit Hwy. 101 at Amphitheater Pkwy. From North, take right onto Amphitheater Pkwy. at 1st light and head over Hwy 101 OR from South, merge onto Amphitheater Pkwy. Once on Amphitheater, go straight through light at Charleston Rd. At about 0.5 miles, turn right into Google parking lot. Course is across the street.

By-the-way, Check out the Pacific Association site. Lynn Walker (Tamalpa) has been doing a nice job of providing some cross-country coverage for many of the races this season. The past few races show starting line photos, course photos, and a video of many of the race finishers. Included in the WiIlow Hills coverage, you may find glimpses of Greg Burk if you look closely.

Go Spartans!

Thanks, pb

What a beautiful day it was in San Francisco this past Saturday for the 5th of 9 cross-country races for this season. This race was held at the Presidio and the weather was perfect and brisk for some fine xc action. With four races to go, the Spartans are holding their own…at least they appear on the leader board. They won’t be competing for the cadillac which will go to the first spot….I think 2nd gets a set of steak knives. Currently the Spartan seniors team is in 7th place knocking on the door for 6th place. The best we can hope for this year would be 5th place and that may take a miracle over the next four races.

The Presidio course is probably pound-for-pound the best course in the entire series. It is only 3.5 miles but you get to do the same tough loop (with two hills) twice…so, if you don’t get it right the first time, you get another shot at it…and one of the hills is soft sand.

I think the best performance of the day had to be Linda (formerly Somers) Smith. She’s 48 and devastated the woman’s field. The runner up is only 24….looks like “mom” took it to the kids big-time!

NOTE: Her time of 21:43 would have placed her 3rd in the men’s master’s race (ahead of many outstanding runners mind you) and 35th in the men’s open. She didn’t look pretty but she certainly got the job done.

Four of us left SJCC early…at about 7am. No one had phoned Sal so once Kurt arrived, we phoned Sal. Sal did not know about the 8:30am start but said he would leave and try and make it. We didn;t hear anything from Paul so it was doubtful he would show. Anyway, it was fortunate we had us FOUR (Jay, Kurt, Art, and I) in a single vehicle….enough for a scoring team. We didn’t arrive early but we did get to the Presidio early enough for a short warmup…a.half hour before we had to toe the line on the wet muddy field at the playground. At least it was far better than the start of last week’s race at Garin Park. The other thing that made it difficult was that the order of the races was completely different. The early start is nice but doesn’t help those coming from far away…it also provides an opportunity to watch the other two races (after) if you are first. Interesting why this race schedule differs from the others…

Jay ran a good race and felt much better about the hills this week than those he faced in the heat of battle last week for his 50 miler. Jay was kind enough to steer the Spartan chariot to the Presidio even though we had a small detour just before getting there….Jay has now officially passed all of the necessary tests in becoming a true Spartan. We are glad to have Jay on the team and he has been instrumental in keeping our season afloat.

Kurt got his mind right after shoveling the dirt out of the bosses hole. Facing the hills at the Presidio seemed like an easier chore than spending “a night in the box” or putting the dirt back into the bosses hole (excerpts from the movie, Cool Hand Luke). Kurt ran a good race and finished ahead of Elmo this week….but again failed to get his shrink-wrapped CD autographed by the famous song writer who wrote the song, “Grandma got ran over by a reindeer”… Kurt also enjoyed watching the woman’s race and picked out a young favorite…. who faded down the stretch.

Art, thanks for verifying your PA membership. We need you to score a team so it is important that all of us have a current membership. I can remember a few years back when we had a runner (initials GB) who had not registered at Santa Cruz…we had a good team that year but as a result, we did not score at Santa Cruz . In the end, it could have moved us up on the leader board. Art ran a good race and put one of the Ratti family members down wind. We’re glad to have you on the team Art!

During the race I heard Sal’s voice cheering us on….at that time it just dawned on me that Sal had not arrived on time. At the starting line we did a checkup and no one saw Sal or Paul, … at least we knew we were starting with 4 runners….. .I cannot believe the number of runners the Empire club has…..each race this season, there is this “sea of blue” on the starting line..it was especially noticeable at their race held earlier. Anyway, we visited with Sal after our race and thanked him for his bold attempt at trying to make the race.

Again, we need to keep in touch with team members…keep them encouraged, keep them training, keep them included. Without all of you, this is not possible. We are creating “tomorrow’s memories” … and I know for me, that each of you are included in my cross-country memories…. .at least all of those that I can remember.

Next week we have a scheduled date in Folsom ,,, then a two week reprieve before visiting the local garbage dump at Shoreline. BTW – we just came to grips this weekend with the fact that the Tamalpa race will NOT BE HELD at the traditional China Camp as it has now for so many years. It will be held at Marin Headlands.

The race next week in Folsom (Willow Hills, near Folsom HS) is supposedly a new 5k course…..I certainly hope it is better than the “Cat track” course we ran a few years back…held at Folsom High School.

Thanks Jay, Kurt, Art, and Sal for helping make the Presidio trip a good one.

Next week: Kurt, Sal, Art, and myself have expressed interest in going…the master’s race is schedule for 9:45am…the women’s race is schedule for 9am. Anyone else ???

Last but not least…we hope Sue, Jan, and Bill had a good race at the Rock’n Roll half marathon. Jose Pina and Tom Gardin ? were also going to run I think. I have not checked reslts.

Thanks, pb

I felt decent about my effort until I saw my time. I had thought I ran faster. Anyway, guess I shouldn’t complain, I was just over a minute slower
than I ran 5 years ago….

We all came home with a jar (or two) of pasta pesto sauce….either the olive variety or the artichoke variety. Always nice to pick up a freebie.

who is in for garin park? i can drive from usual rendezvous: sjcc.

how many to we need for a team, and do we have one? i’m reluctant to
make the trip if we don’t have a team.

asap: who’s in?

kurt

The brave SPARTAN SENIORS once again sent their tired, their poor, their huddled harriers yearning to run free to compete against the corporate clubs of storied pomp.

And once again the SPARTAN SENIORS refused to be shut out!

In a slight rewording of Winston Churchill, Never have so few done so little for so much.

GO SPARTANS !

kurt

hard to believe, but the first x-country race is only 18 days away! (santa cruz, august 22).

i don’t think it’s too early to see how many brave lads we have who will dare to toe-the-line this year.

just wondering if we have a team.

so, can we start locking in the commitments? i’m going to try to make them all, including the new course in folsom.

Kurt

Thanks for your interest. You are a true Spartan!

Yes, we are all slower….”spearheading” can mean many things. However, I think it mostly means that we need someone to HEAD or LEAD the effort. Be the focal point or xc team captain.

I think it also means that to pull this off, we need help in several areas. I think Paul pretty much defined these obligations the past few years. All of us have issues to deal with that competes for our time and commitment.. ..whether it be work, family, injuries, or selfish endeavors. The point is that all of the little things add up.

Here’s a short list.

FIRST: Someone needs to contact each prospective team member….remember, not everyone has email or answers to it…

To start with, we can use last year’s roster.

SECOND: What teams do we want? 40′s ? 50′s ?, 60′s ?.

THIRD: We need to be respectful to everyone…. we all have other life commitments and issues beyond this.:

1. Maintain a team roster with race commitments, phone and email contact, etc. Distribute to all team members.
2. Ensure that each team member has a current PA card designating Spartans. Also has a singlet.
3. For each race, handle the details to make sure everyone that wants to run has a way of getting to the race.
4. Summarize race and submit score sheet. Communicate to the necessary PA and race officials any scoring issues.
5. Keep the team posted as each race gets nearer. This also means trying to motivate and get enough runners to score a team!!!
6. Help keep the team morality high and support each and every team member as best we can. If you can’t run, maybe you can come and cheer ?
7. Try and solicit more team members and get them registered. Looks like we may only have a possibility of fielding a 50′s team…but 40′s and 60′s runners are also welcome and can count in scoring on occasion.
8. etc. etc. etc.

Some good news. There are only 8 races. Actually 7 if we skip the first one (as we have done in the past few years).

Thanks, patrick

I’m trying to organize a carpool for the California Senior Games on Saturday, June 7th. As you may already know, this is the qualifier for the 2009 National Senior Games that will be held at Stanford in August 2009 (see website at HERE). It can be quite expensive to travel to this meet. An overnight stay is pretty much required, unless you can schedule your flights pretty tightly around your event. Southwest has some $59 fares (one way), so you are looking at a minimum of $120 for travel plus $75 for motel. The registration is $35 and $6 for each event entered. You probably need to rent a car to get between the airport, motel and track meet. So you could pay $300 or more to run one lousy race.

Here’s my plan. I can take my minivan, which will accommodate up to six runners. I figure that it will take about 40 gallons of gas for a round trip. I’m assuming that gas will be about $4.50 per gallon (price keeps going up after Memorial Day and it’s more expensive on I-5). That would be about $180. Even if we have just four people, that would be $45 per person. If we double up on rooms, figure $40 for the motel. Throw in the registration fee and now, we’re down to about $125, still a lot, but much more reasonable. A lot longer than a plane trip, but probably more fun.

The track events are contested between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm on Saturday. We could leave on Friday morning, take a leisurely drive down (with frequent rest stops, so that we don’t cramp up), check in to a motel at a reasonable hour and be well rested for Saturday’s meet. We could leave right after the meet and drive back home. Even with a break for dinner, we should be able to get home by 11:00 – midnight.

So who wants to go?