Inaugural Run with the Forest Park Road Runners!

JUST POSTED! BLOGGER IS BACK UP!!!

I’m writing this in MS Word right now, because the blogger servers which have always been very reliable are down right now.

This morning I got up early not to race, or to train as I normally do, but to do something special and that was to enjoy my first training run with my new group the Forest Park Road Runners Club.

As their website confirms, The Forest Park Road Runners club is a Queens-based running club that has been in existence for twenty-eight years. Like most good clubs, FPRR has additionally taken the responsibility in being committed to raise money for good causes, and even sponsors a series of 1 mile races and a 4 mile race, for the benefit of cancer research, to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

This morning, after having my obligatory toasted buttered egg bagel at the Baker’s Dozen Bagels shop on Lefferts, I headed over to meet the club. They generally meet on Woodhaven, near the park house (about a block from the Myrtle Av. intersection).

I finally got to meet Bonnie, Tom (not Brogan, another Tom), and Jack (who I met along with Maggie at Club Night). There were some others there, and truthfully, I’ll have to remember all the names pretty soon.

We started running north through Forest Park. The weather seemed more like London weather than anything else. A little less humid would’ve been perfect for me, but it was a good day for running just the same. Along the course, another runner, Laurie (or Lori?) met up with us, and I did my best to keep up with her.

It’s funny how this sport can bring every day strangers together, and how within seconds we can easily talk to one another. Like, I’ve always said, runners are a special type of people. We instantly find kinship with one another for the common good of life.

Today, we only ran 4 miles, since there is a race tomorrow. Jack is running the 15k, and I think Bonnie is running the 4-miler. I’ve run the Colon Cancer 4-miler twice before. I did it in 31 minutes flat in 2005, and 30:20 in 2007 (7:35pace). Since I’m trying to up my single-day long runs, I’ve decided to do this as a 15k. I’ve only run a 15k once before, the Al Gordon 15K in 2005. My time was 1:22:15 (8:51pace). But even with all these numbers, in the end, I’m basically running for the apples and the bagels. I love food. My downfall. LOL.

The blogger service is still unavailable. Wow. Was it something I did? That’s the catholic guilt talking. Drilled into me by Sister Maria Goretti of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs.

A couple of days ago, I registered for the NYC Half-Marathon sponsored by Nike. Last year, it was weird. I thought I was entering the lottery, and instead, I was accepted right on the spot. This year however, I am in the lottery. Wish me luck.

Actually, there is a great organization called Team For Kids. ( http://www.tfkworldwide.com/ )
The organization is made up of runners around the world who raise funds for children that get little or no physical education after school. So far more than 25,000 children in needy areas around the main cities in the US (and in South Africa) have benefited from this program, which is organized by the New York Road Runners Foundation.

The other reason why I am promoting them on my blog, besides the obvious good, is that if you join the Team for Kids, you will get guaranteed entry into the ING New York City Marathon 2008 and the NYC Half-Marathon Present by NIKE. To learn more or to register just click on the link above. Even if you don’t need to gain entry into either race, but still want to involve yourself in a worthy cause, then you should still check it out.

So.....I just checked out the Forest Park Road Runners website ( http://www.forestparkrunners.org/ )), and noticed the updated newsletter with a mention of me!!! Thanks guys!