May 9, 2010 Come for the speaker; stay to race from the Beach to the Bay Last weekend there was a good turnout of San Marcos runners at the May Day Scholarship 5K that was held out at Hernandez Middle School. The course was a nice out-and-back route that had a few easy hills for a challenge, but nothing that seemed difficult for the runners and walkers that participated in the run. The next local run is the Faith Run 5K out at Country Estates on May 29th with the race starting at 9:00 a.m. It promises a new course and should be a fun and challenging run. The San Marcos Runners Club will hold their bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 11th at the San Marcos Activity Center starting at 7:00 p.m. While the meeting is part of the Runners Club meeting, anyone interested in attending is invited at no charge. This month’s meeting is special for runners in general and will have a very well-known speaker to talk to the runners. Dr. Vanessa Vajdos, a world-class marathon runner and a previous winner of the Houston Tenneco Marathon, will give a talk about how she got started in running and some highlights of her career in running. Any runner that needs some motivation on training, or likes to hear what it takes to be a runner at the elite level, will enjoy this presentation. Even if you are not a fast or competitive runner and just run for fun around the neighborhood, it is not often a person gets to hear from someone of this caliber. Everyone is welcome, and membership in the club is not required. For runners here in San Marcos, the group that meets Tuesday evenings around 6:00 p.m. at the courthouse on the square has an open invitation for anyone interested in running or walking to join in the weekly run. The group varies from walkers and slow joggers to fast runners, and any runner just has to find the group that best suits their needs and speed. Lately the number of runners at these Tuesday runs varies between 15 and 25 runners. Next week, many of the local runners will be driving down to Corpus Christi to run in the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon. There is usually one local team that wants to finish in the top group of teams and is composed of some real speedburners. Then several teams enter for the entertainment value of the weekend at the coast. Some of the senior runners enter to show other runners that age does not count in being able to run a race, and to give some of the younger runners a goal to shoot for years down the road. Then there is usually a mixed team that can vary from anything to both men and women combinations, and all at different age groups. If you are not sure what group you would fit in, this mixed group will accept any and all comers. The weekend is filled with planning strategies, places to relax after the run and parties to go to before the run. Planning is very necessary. Teams consist of six members; and when you multiply that by thousands of teams, the group at the finish gets very large. If your team does not have a plan for meeting after the race, forget about ever finding them. Teams also need a skilled and knowledgeable drop-off and pick-up person. Runners are stationed at intervals of over four miles apart, and need someone to drop them off at the various exchange points. The one part I remember most is that my pick-up person somehow didn’t think to pick up our team members after their leg of the race. Recruiting other teams to drop you off at the next exchange and take you to the finish area can be a challenge. Riding in the back of a pickup or sitting in a small car with eight other runners in the back seat can be a real experience. The back-seat experience is made more memorable because everyone is very sweaty; and while it is a healthy runner sweat smell, it is still a distinctive sensation. Planning plays a big part in the race preparation. Think of a thousand cars all converging on one spot to pick up runners at five different locations. Teamwork, team colors and knowing who is on your team makes a fun but very critical item for the team. It is an experience you will remember for a long time, and is why so many runners form teams and head for the coast next weekend. Dr. Maurice Johnson - better known around San Marcos as “Moe” - is a professor in the Department of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance at Texas State University - San Marcos. Moe has been a fixture in the San Marcos running community - both as a runner and race organizer - since way back when Moby Dick was a minnow. His column on running and fitness appears each Sunday in the Sports section of the San Marcos Daily Record. • Recent “Running With Moe” Columns • Home • About the Club • Current News • Club Runs • Places To Run • TX Running Clubs • Running Links • Useful Stuff Upcoming Races • Race Results • Country Roads 10K & Kids Run • ARA-Moe’s Better Half Marathon • “Running With Moe” Contact Us!