March 2008 Newsletter The London Pacers Running Club www.londonpacers.on.ca Happy St. Patrick’s Day Besides St. Patrick’s Day, Great things happen in March: the clocks go forward The snow melts St. Patrick’s Day The snow melts Spring The snow melts Easter The snow melts Around the Bay The snow melts . Then we have April The snow better be melted Oh ya—then we have a flood! Please send your race re- sults to [email protected] in advance of newsletter deadline, March 30—so we can put the ATB results in for April!. 1 Page 2 London Pacers March 2008 Newsletter Executive President Jim Burrows [email protected] 519-474-3497 (H) Vice President Sonya Slaven [email protected] 519-657-0625 (H) Treasurer Betty Timmons [email protected] 519-675-1657 (Home) Publicity Andrew Jones [email protected] 519-642-3520 (H) Social Alita Milliken [email protected] 519-472-0312 (H) Membership Gail Schmidt [email protected] 519-657-9936 (H) Secretary Gerda Zonruiter [email protected] 519-471-3550 Newsletter Sherry Watts [email protected] 529-858-9880 Web site Victor Kratchovil [email protected] 519-951-0243 Next Pacer meeting is Monday, March 10 , 2008 at 7:30 p.m at Grosvenor Lodge on Wharncliffe Road See next page (page 3) for Speakers information Around the Bay Bus Tom Mulligan, a former trainer from the Running Room, is organizing a bus to Hamilton for the Around the Bay Road Races. There may still be room available. If you are interested and have already registered for the race, please contact Alita. The approximate cost is $25.00 per person. Race kits will be picked up for you prior to the race, Details to follow. Alita Milliken 519-472-0312 [email protected] 2 London Pacers March 2008 Newsletter Page 3 London Pacers Meeting, Monday March 10, 2008 Grosvenor Lodge 7:30 PM Guest Speakers Pilates and Acupuncture Ann Rich graduated with a Master's degree in Acupuncture from the North- west Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (now Bastyr University) in the United States. Her practice focuses on athletes, women's health including fertility, to those just wanting to improve their overall health. Ann enjoys work- ing with all types of athletes and has worked with athletes training for, and on the United States and Canadian National Rowing Teams. Over the years she has assisted many athletes in a quick return from injury to competition. Out- side of acupuncture, Ann also spends her time coaching, she has been an ac- tive coach since 1995 and has been a rower since 1987. Her experience as a rower includes high school, university (Washington State University), and pre- elite racing. Currently she is an assistant coach at the University of Western Ontario. Larissa Mills has been teaching Runners, Rowers, Triathletes and various other amateur and professional athletes. With 25 years of combined coaching and teaching experience Larissa has established the only Pilates Certifying Studio in the London area. She is the Director and Founder of Pilateez.com and truly enjoys working with all clients. Pilateez.com offers regular, prenatal and postnatal pilates mat classes.The semi private sessions are really popular among athletes and clients. Her focus has been on relieving back, hip pain and improving athletes' performances. Pilates is a series of exercises that strengthen the core, including the low back muscles. For runners, we work on flexibility for tight hamstrings and IT bands, while the main focus is to teach runners how to use their core muscles rather than their legs to run longer and faster. On April 13 we are having a Pilates for Runners Seminar regularly $50 and will offer a $10 discount. There are only 12 spots. Take care of your Spine, Larissa This will be a group-participation workshop. Bring mats if you have them and wear comfortable layered clothing (start warm and peel as you go!). Larissa will bring a few mats for those who do not have them. 3 Page 4 London Pacers March 2008 Newsletter Pacer Discounts Members of the London Pacers are given a discount on purchases at Runners Choice at 207 Dundas St and at the New Balance store on Fanshawe Park Road W at Hyde Park Rd Pacer Happenings March 2 Around the Bay training and pack run, Rowing Club, Wonderland Road 8:00 AM March 6 Track Night, UWO 8-9 PM March 9 Around the Bay training and pack run, Rowing Club, Wonderland Road 8:00 AM March 10 General meeting, Grosvenor Lodge 7:30 PM March 13 Indoor 5000m race, UWO 8 PM March 16 Around the Bay training and pack run, Rowing Club, Wonderland Road 8:00 AM March 20 Track Night, UWO 8-9 PM March 21 Downtown 5K, Victoria Park March 23 Around the Bay training and pack run, Rowing Club, Wonderland Road 8:00 AM March 30 Around the Bay Road Races Pacers Indoor Track Nights at TRAC for March Thursday March 6 8:00-9:00 Thursday March 13 8:00-9:00 NO regular track, because we are holding a 5,000m race. Feel free to enter, volunteer (we need counters) or come out and cheer. Thursday March 20 8:00-9:00 WELCOME Welcome new members Lydia Cappelli, Eric and Theodore Cappelli-Martell, and returning member Cheryl Scollard. Warm greetings to individuals on the active membership list for 2007 who are cele- brating birthdays in March: Don Armstrong, Michelle Braecker, Eric Cappelli-Martell, Johanna Dobransky, Jonas Do- bransky, Grace Dungavell, Gerry Fenwick, Valerie Giles, Doris Heinrichs*, Lynne Hughes Marsh*, Charles Kirk, Bryan Kussner, David Marsh, Tom Massel, Philip McRae, Cameron Morris, Gillian Roberts, Betty Timmons, Tammy Whitehead *entering a new age category Don’t forget to renew your membership for 2008. Memberships that are not renewed by the end of March will be marked as lapsed. 4 Page 5 London Pacers March 2008 Newsletter London Pacers General Meeting Minutes, February 11, 2008 Executives in Attendance: Jim Burrows, Sonya Slaven, Betty Timmons, Sherry Watts, Gerda Zonruiter Attendees: 22 From the President: Track – we are on an every other week schedule starting February 21. Track meet – 5 k indoor track meet on March 13. Really Chilly – sign up by the 14th of February and save $5. Boston – 10 Pacers signed up. The race limit is 25,000 people. Memberships – renew as memberships are due. Shore to Shore Relay – registration fees increase after February 29. Two Pacer teams signed up. Gerda’s team is looking for a few women. Speaker: Tina Gokstorp, OSO Yoga Tina led the group in a half hour yoga class, focusing on moves for runners. The class was excellent. OSO Yoga offers many different specialized classes. Free passes for a class at the OSO yoga provided by Tina will be made available to Pacers at the Sunday run. To get more information on classes that are offered, visit www.osoyoga.ca – London location or www.osoyoga.com – Ailsa Craig location Chilly goes green! Thanks to Pacer Gwyn Hayman for approaching the Really Chilly committee with the idea to ask Loblaws Great Canadian Super Store for a donation of black cloth shopping bags. Gwyn contacted Richard Masse of GCSS and asked if he would be willing to donate 100 cloth shopping bags, Gwyn offered to donate 50 and the Committee bought 50 so that 200 bags were made available to the participants and volunteers this year for their race kits. Gwyn also donated the Epsom salt bags for the race kits. Thanks so much to Gwyn for a great idea! 5 Page 6 London Pacers March 2008 Newsletter Ode to Springbank Park Bella Rikley A tunnel of leaves Rustling ,whispering, scurrying Blades of sunshine Dappled shade Eyes adjusting, looking for the chipmunks Opening onto my left hillocks To my right lazy river idles by. Gnarled, spooky ancient willows sway as I pass Ahead a majestic soaring spruce, a baby in her limbs Soon the cackle of waterfowl, the lovely swan family floats by Delighted visitors stop to admire. A merry-go-round, a moat, and a promise of children’s laughter to my left. Open fields, miniature train, visions of long past picnics and games of soccer Now replaced by an army of geese and their leavings A short downward curving slope skims beside a fish pond and manicured gardens. Ducks shopping for dinner Soon the slashing plunging sounds of water flowing over a dam and Look a family-a mutant family of white and grey “Canadians Up, up, up the hill where once raced soapboxes in the autumn sunshine Into the curve of the horn of the park Traffic motors across the bridge and now a return eastward. Past the little cottage and grand gazebo, the start and finish of many a races Soon the sun will be in my eyes and the welcome relief of shade From the cathedral of pines will greet me I take in the smells of the earth and the residents of the farm below. Peacocks and peahens shatter the silence like a siren. Sulphur- a hidden dark pond appears Perhaps an underground springs feeds her Does it ever freeze? The old pump house sits in welcome by the bank Oh the years that building has survived. A decision now-a final push up the “dogleg” The character building leg before the return. Past chipmunk condos, the new footbridge and again to the beginning of our sojourn of this much loved park. She’s a grand ole beauty in all seasons and continues to give me solace, friendship, inspiration and a renewal of spirit.