Parkway Running Club Newsletter

From the Editor:
This newsletter is a month early. The reason for this is that we want the newsletter to come out the opposite month of our club meetings. That way information can be passed on to club members via the club meetings one month and the newsletter the next. The next newsletter will be out in June and the deadline to get me information forthat one is May 26. Thanks

Quote from George Sheehan:"The marathon is a purgatory of mile on mile and then at the finish the peace beyond understanding"

May all your hard work and training pay off and you have good weather and a great race!

All members are urged to meet at the "Y" (15 Bellevue Street) for training and fun runs:

Welcome to the new members: Erin Dunne, Maureen Larkin and Bill Grant

Our deepest sympathy and condolences to Julie 0' conner in the loss of her father

a reminder that as a PRC member you will receive a 20% dIscount on a YMCA membership whicb you can use at YMCA locations throughout greater Boston.

May 12th, Friday, is Las Vagas Night at the VFW in Dedham. For more information. call the YMCA at 323-3200.

A new YMCA policy requires each PRC member to carry a PARKWAY RUNNING CLUB I.D. card. The card has your name on it. Be sure to bring this card with you when you run with the club from the Y. The ID cards will be distrubuted in the next month.

Boston Marathon Health and Fitness EXPO and number pickup is at the Haynes Convention Center 9: OOam-6: OOpm Saturday April 15th and Sunday April 16th

Clean-Up Day at the YMCA April 15th Saturday 9-12 your time is appreciated !!!

ADDITONAL AM RUNS! Members who schedules conflict with the regular runs can join Rob's (Kerwin) Renegades on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6am at the "Y" for an early morning run. Distances are usually 5 or 6 miles.

You can report your race results three ways. #1 You can e-mail them to runwalter@aol.com, #2 drop them off in the club mailbox at the front desk of the YMCA or #3 give them to either Walter Burgess, Francine Hughes or Cindy Gillan.

Our apologies if your results are not included for a particular race. We have a lot of members running a lot of differant races, so we need your help by reporting your results to us

Sunday, March 26th, 2000
Eastern States 10 and 20 Miler
Salisbury Ma

There are numerous triathlons/duathlons held in this area over the suinmer. Listed below are events put on by Timeout Production' s. They are well organized and managed, 'with lot of raffle prizes at the end. Why not give one a try!

Applications and info can be found at www. timeoutproductions.com or by e-mail at tiineout@capecod.net

There are also other triathlons/duathlons listed at www.firm-racing.cnchost.com

Last year the Parkway Running Club played a big role in the event, as a sponsor, partcipants and volunteers. We hope a repeat this year! Please mark your calendar and check out ourweb page: http://westroxburytriathion.hornestead.com/

volunteers, please email Francine at fhughes@meditech.com or call at 617-325-2393 thanks very much.

The Parkway Running Club will once again provide a bus from the YMCA(15BellevueStreet) to Hopkinton on Marathon Monday, April 17th. The bus will leave the YMCA at 8:00 am sharp. All riders meet at the YMCA at 7:30 am. The cost is $20.00 for PRC members and $25.00 for non members. Payments may be mailed to:
Parkway Running Club
c/o YMCA
15 Bellevue Street
West Rcxbury, MA 02132

Keep in mind all items you take on the bus to the starting line will become trash so wear throw away stuff. We cannot leave any personal items on thebus. See you. Julie C.

The club has a reservation at the Copley Marriott onMonday, April 17th. There will be refreshments in the room for everyone. The hotel will provide extra showers. Friends and family are welcome. Melissa Moore and Sarah Hull have offered to transport any personal belonging bags from the Y Monday morning to our hotel room. Cost $10/pp.

PRC members meet Saturday, April 15th at 10:00am at the YMCA. We will take the 10:16am commuter train from Highland to Backbay and walk to the expo for marathon number pickup.

Our pre marathon pasta dinner will be at Vinny Testa's Ristorante at 1700 Beacon St, Brookline (277-3400) Saturday, April 15th at 400 PM This invitation is for all club members. Bring a friend or family member. If you would like to attend, contact
Dorothy Giarla at 323-3831 or E-Mail: giarla@rascal.med.harvard.edu

There will be a post race party at the Dogwood Cafe ,3712 Washington ST, across from the Forrest Hills train station Monday night April 17th. There will be a buffet ahd an ongoing celabration from 7pm till whenever. For more info contact Julie Conners 323-2877 or E-Mail julcon2@aol.com

Happy Birthday to the following members (April - May) Peter Hirsch (40th), Dorothy Giarla, Sarah Hull, Leah Sims

Scleroderma is a chronic and sometimes fatal tissue disease that attacks people between the ages of 25 and 55. It is estimated that there are over 300, 000 women, men and children with scleroderma in the United States

Before this year I had never heard of scleroderma. In my search for the perfect person to care for my daughter Norah, I met Carol Reilly. In 1986 at the age of 34, Carol learned that she had systemic scieroderma. This form of scleroderma can affect the heart, lungs kidneys and esophagus. It can cause skin, connective tissue, blood vessels and joints to become hard and fibrous. With medication, Carol is curently in remission and operating a home day care center for six children.

It is my hope that you will help in my effort to raise money for scleroderma research. The Burlington City Marathon will be held on May28, 2000. It is my goal to raise over $2000.00 to donate to the Scleroderma Foundation.

If you would like to make a donatton, please make your Check to the Scleroderma Foundation and send it to:

Rachel McGregor - 2319 Centre Street West Roxbury, MA 02132

Thank you for helping the fight against scleroderma.

In Febuary I had the pleasure of meeting one of the BAA folks. After a brief conversation; the question on how the BAA distributes bib numbers for the Boston Marathon to Running Clubs came up. The answer was interesting and I thought It was important to share with the members of the Parkway Running Club. They look at how many members of the Running Club are members of the US Track and Field. Also mentioned was the number of volunteers at the Jimmy Fund Walk although the event is so popular, man'y volunteers get turned away. The biggest focus seems to be on the number of members who are members of the USTAF So, think about it... here are the steps to sign up for USTAF

1) go to their web site: www.usatfne.org
2) scroll to the bottom and click on Membership Information
3) register online & pay the modest $15 annual membership fee
4) read about all of the membership benefits and perks you can

Thanks, Francine

The Graet Mass Getaway Cycling Tour is June 24-25, 2000 Bosston to Provincetown 150 miles National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Questions call 800-493-9255 or visit www. msnewengland.org

Tom Purcell and Julie A.Connors have done this ride in the past so if you have questions please feel free to ask. It is a great weekend ride. A $250 minimum contributions due on or before Saturday June 14, 2000.

by Feliciano Protasi

Ten minutes to the start of the race and I am running down the hill to get to the bus where my racing gear sits. We had gotten there late, and I was not yet signed up! And now here I am.... no time for a real warm up no time for stretching!! This is my warm up, running to the bus. I get to the bus and I change: new shirt, take off my overpants, new shoes. Ray is already outside tapping his finger on his watch: "IT'S LATE", be yells. I HAVE TO GO The start line is pretty close. We are in time. We get in the pack 3 minutes before the start. The gun goes off. I am trying to concentrate my mind is not in the race yet I keep thinking that I haven't warmed up properly "I didn't even stretch".

Three miles into the race two hills are (already behind... "One more, only one more, and then down one more hill and I can start pushing. Be patient, Feliciano". It's hot. I decide to un-zip the neck of my shirt.... NOOOOOOO I have no number "I HAVE NO NUMBER" I say it out loud. I want to drop out... I stop.... Ray comes by few seconds after and tells me to keep going!! Another runner says that had happened to him before and that I will be able to get the time by telling my name at the finish. "How can I have done this?". I am not focused anymore. I run a 1/2 mile more. I stop again on the side of the road. Ray again tells me to keep going. 10-20 seconds of looking at runners going by Extremely long seconds in which one side of my mind is tiy to convince me that it is not worth it!! NEW BEDFORD 1/12 MARATHON Then the other side starts working telling me that I am probably looking for an excuse not to do this. That side wins. "I must do it!!". I restart running I am mad.... mad with myself!! "I cannot believe I did this!! It's not my first race for Chr-sake" 6:27, 6:20.... "I am feeling good maybe I am running so well because I am so upset!!" 6:19, 6:19 "I am going to finish this!! k'll probably be just for myself but i am going to finish it anyway!! They are probably not going to register my time or maybe they will....keep going. Don't think.

Then the wind.... a lot of wind... and then the final hill.... and then down to the finish line! I try to go through the shoot. But for naught!! Two people try to stop me then a third finally does!! I have to cross on the side....1:26:52... a PR!! 2 minutes off my time at Bay State in October.... 4:20 faster than my time last year, here in New Bedford.

I go immediately to the race director. I tell him that I DO have a number and he tells me to bring it to him. I run to the bus 3 blocks away. I run back and give the race director the number with time and Last name. He Tells that he will take care of it. Well... now my name appears next to a time of 1:31:05) that is probably pretty close to the time in which I gave the number to the RD!! Maybe I should not have given it to him!! What did I learn??? not to get to the race late, maybe??