The Conqueror - April 2016

Announcements

Toe the Line: Recent & Upcoming Races

• April 18: 120th BAA Boston Marathon
• Over 50 SRRs will be tackling Boston on Marathon Monday. Good luck and we'll see you at the 30k!
• April 23: Spring Classic 5k, Cambridge, 9:30am
• The Spring 2016 Kids' Program race will be the Mystic River Herring 5k, May 15th. If you are interested in being a pacer, please email kids@srr.org.

Boston Marathon 2016

One of our favorite times of the year is here! Months of hard training give way to excited - and maybe nervous - anticipation of one of the world's most prestigious racing events. From the pre-race pasta party and the 30k Elite Water Stop Cheer Zone, to the post-race hotel suite and Burren after-party, our club works hard support our fellow runners as they tackle the storied Boston Marathon. Good luck runners, and thank you to our many volunteers and club members who make this week so memorable for us all!

For your one-stop guide to Marathon Week SRR-style, visit  http://www.srr.org/boston-marathon/

Guess the Weather Contest

Yup....you heard us right. We are inviting you to guess the weather on Marathon Monday. Will it be another April snowstorm, a scorcher for the record books, a 50 mile tail-wind pushing our runners through the streets to Boylston? We are tough and ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at us....so why not add a little levity to the anticipation of planning our flat runner outfits and spectator gear?!    

Volunteers secure signage at the 30k during the monsoon of 2015!
Photo: Tom Cole

The Details: One entry per person, guess the exact temperature in Hopkinton when the first wave goes off at 10:00 am on Monday April 18th & guess the weather conditions (sunny, overcast, hail, rain, snow, cloudy, etc.) Entries can be submitted using this form up until 9:59 am on Monday April 18th. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1yYSVkvINejNRE2JYtm3rEjE6HyC1aCmy-gzn8zB5xqE/viewform

The winner will receive an SRR T-shirt. If more than one person enters the same information and guesses correctly then we will draw a winner from those entries. 

April Photo Contest: #SRRRunsBoston

Congratulations to our March #SRRRunsGreen contest winners, Christophe Attias and Liza Neustatter!

It truly takes a village to support our SRR community in prepping for and running the marathon each year. Show your support and gratitude for all things SRR Boston Marathon this year by submitting a picture to our monthly social media contest. Tag yourself picking up your bib, kissing the finish line or a spectator along the screaming tunnel in Wellesley, volunteering at number pick-up, carbing up, high-fiving the black and gold, celebrating your commitment to training and supporting your SRR community. It takes all involved to make this happen each year.  All entries are put in a drawing each month to win a prize. Use #SRRrunsBoston on our SRR facebook or instagram page to be entered in the drawing to win!

News

Boston Marathon Course Run Recap

The group gathers near the start line in Hopkinton

Once again those running the Boston Marathon built up their legs, hearts, and souls at the end of March with a long run on the Boston Marathon Course. This Boston Prep run is made possible each year by the incredible generosity of our SRR Marathon Course Prep Run Coordinator and all the volunteers who drive our runners out to Hopkinton, man the aid stations, and give us high fives and bum slaps along the way. Our very own Aaron Beer did a stellar job organizing this event.  Now our marathoners are ready to rumble on April 18!  #SRRrunsBoston


SRR Second Saturday Run Recap

Top: Hanging out at the Janji store
Bottom: A visit with Heartbreak Bill at the Newton Firehouse

This past Saturday April 9th marked our 3rd SRR Second Saturday Community Run. These have been a great success and are open to runners of all paces, abilities, and distance interests. Our January and February runs were hosted out of Au Bon Pain in Davis Square and concluded with hungry and thirsty runners gathering at Orleans in Davis post run. Our April run was hosted by the local running company Janji, which currently has a "pop-up" store-front on Newbury Street in Boston. Many SRRs ran along the Charles River from the Newbury store location and chatted over coffee bagels and discount shopping at Janji post run. Big shout out to to Janji for hosting us, feeding us, and giving us a discount on your running apparel line, which we love for the mission. Their mission is "Run For Another". A proceed of each of their sales supports clean water in chosen countries of need. We look forward to seeing you for our next SRR Second Saturday Community Run May 14th at 9am from Au Bon Pain in Davis Square. #SRRSecondSaturdayRun



Casey's News
This month Karen Vitali and Alison Lackey stepped down as the Casey’s Run co-coordinators, we are all very thankful for the hard work and dedication that they brought each week to Casey’s for the last two years! Irene Lanois has taken over as Casey's coordinator and is excited to be taking on this role.

Some exciting announcements: First, effective immediately, the timing sheet will be posted to Facebook on Thursday nights right after the run! We are also working on getting back to posting the results to the website. Second, we will be including a monthly update in this newsletter. The update will highlight PRs, newcomers, run streaks, upcoming events and more. 

Upcoming Events: On Thursday April 14^th the Casey’s run will include our annual Sean Collier Memorial Run and Pre-Marathon Pasta Party. Prior to the start of the run, there will be a moment of silence for Sean and we will run in his memory. After the run please join us at Casey’s for a pasta dinner to get those running Boston fully carbo-loaded! We will also be collecting donations (cash, or checks made out to Somerville Road Runners) for the Sean Collier Memorial Scholarship. 

Race Report: New Bedford Half Marathon

Read Mark Duggan's epic tale of his mad dash to the finish after his mad dash to the start: For Want of a Chip Time: Mark Duggan's New Bedford Half Marathon

2016 Club Election Results

Elections took place Monday 3/14. Congratulations to all the newly elected board members and club officers! The list of officers has been posted on the SRR website. Please reach out to the board with any questions, ideas, or to learn more getting more involved with SRR!

Member Spotlight: Jenn Fonda

You may know Jenn as the Boston Marathon coordinator for 2015 and the fearless leader of the SRR Kids' Program for the last few seasons. 

How long you have been running and a part of SRR? 

I've been running since 2007 and joined SRR in March 2013.

Where you are from?

I spent most of my childhood in Rome, NY.

Jenn at the BAA 10k in 2015
Photo by Tom Cole

What is your favorite race and why?

Even though I had less than ideal race conditions last year I would still say the Boston Marathon.  I've watched the marathon every year since 2000 and it was incredible to finally be a part of such a historical race.  

What's the most unusual thing you've seen on a run?

A bike with wheels almost as large as a unicyle.  They were riding it on Beacon St close to Kenmore as if it was a normal thing to do.

What's a goal you're working towards?

I'm running my first trail race, a half marathon, at the end of this month.

Why do you love being a part of SRR? 

I joined SRR for the friendship and running companions but I got so much more.  I love the encouragement that everyone in SRR gives whether your chasing a PR, conquering a new challenge, or trying to get through an injury (I've had my share the past few years). 

What is something that your teammates might not know about you?

I've seen two no hitters--Jim Abbott at the old Yankee stadium and Derek Lowe at Fenway on my birthday!

Quote of the Month

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Pre