T Shirt Design Contest for Memorial Day Race
Calling all shirt designers! The club is getting a new back design for the Memorial Day Race 34 shirt for 2010. We will take submissions before picking one. Submissions are due May 3. (We plan to get red technical shirts this year to represent the USMC since it was 65 years ago when they stormed Iwo Jima.) Please use no more than two colors. If you need three let us know). Send your submission in either jpg, pdf or vector format to cincinnatirunning@gmail.com. The winning submission gets free entry into the race plus the shirt and whatever other goodies the club has.

Red Brick Run Recap

This race is about 30 years old and is held on the beautiful Miami of Ohio Campus in Oxford Ohio. Although it is an hour away from Cincinnati, it still has the feel of a long drive for a 5K race. The first time that I ran this race was in 1996 and for some reason, I run this race in every even year (1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, etc). I continued the trend in 2010. Originally the race was held at 1:30 PM but recently they changed the time to 10:30 AM due to the recent warm April weather. The warmer weather caused the local college male and female spectators to tan themselves on the lawns along the course forcing much leering by passing male and female runners. Leering during a race does not lead to fast race times so they moved it to 10:30 AM.

Since they moved it to 10:30 AM, I have a tendency to be late for the start(remember the hour drive from Cincinnati and it seems like they keep adding more things on US 27 slowing down my drive time even more. I got there just as they were closing registration. They let me fill out a form and off I went. Conditions were sunny but cool.

The course has not changed in the years that I have run it. It features an uphill start by Millett Hall (which I missed some of since I was running late so I went out the sidewalk on Millet to catch up with the other runners). It runs around the Miami of Ohio Campus and you have a downhill finish in front of Millett Hall. I ran it in about 28 minutes but I have to check the results to be sure. Post race ceremony was basic but nice as you had nutrition bars, bananas, water, and sports drink which I believe were courtesy of the local Kroger's. The awards at this race are unique in that you get a red brick for being one the top runners or tops in your age group. Obviously, the bricks would make a great paperweight.

Overall a nice little run with the feel of going to an out of town race. I will probably be back in 2012.

Flying Pig Marathon Volunteer Update

If you plan to help out at the Marathon and definitely would like T-shirt, you have until this Friday April 23 to sign-up(After all they have to sort and get together about 2,000 T-shirts for the various charities, groups and individuals). If you wear a small, sign up now to guarantee yourself a T-shirt. The Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati has a waterstop at mile 22 and we still can use people to help out. Mile 22 is where the marathon really begins for the marathoners and your support and encouragement means plenty to them. If you are running the marathon, please encourage your friends and family to help out. If you're not running, join us for a little fun and help us help the runners at mile 22. To volunteer at our waterstop:

1. Go to the Flying Pig Website Volunteer Page
   
2. Click the Sign-up with registered group
3. Select the Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati, use the password PCC (case sensitive).
4. Fill out the information

If you have any questions or problems, let us know.

New Board Selected for Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati
At the recent Annual Meeting, the membership of the Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati in attendance approved the following to serve on the club's board for 2010:

President: Todd Hofacre
Vice President: Laura Wagner
Treasurer: Ryan Woolley
Secretary: Gina Meyers
Trustees-At-Large:



• Frank Field
  
• Tom Glasscock
  
• Paul Staudigel
  

If you have any ideas or something that you would like the new board to accomplish for the coming year, attend the next board meeting on Thursday May 13, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Clifton Recreation Center or email us your idea.

Venturepax Feedback Survey
Danny Stull posted on the club's Facebook group that he is building a free site cataloging outdoor opportunities in Southwest Ohio and running is one of its focus activities. He needs your help to know what he should include so fill out this 10 minute survey for a chance to win a $100 gift card to your choice of outfitter.
Take the survey

Help Back on My Feet Come to Cincinnati
Received the following in the club's email from Andrea Brooks:
Andrea is seeking assistance to bring an organization, called Back on My Feet (www.backonmyfeet.org) to Cincinnati. They are planning to expand to five cities in 2011. She has talked with them about the possibility of bringing their organization to Cincinnati, but they want to see more interest from the local Cincinnati running community.
You can check out their website for more information, but they are an organization dedicated to getting people off the streets through running. You may have heard of the group as they have been featured in the news several times.
So Andrea is reaching out to people in this area to encourage them to bring BOMF to Cincinnati! You can do so at this link: http://philadelphia.backonmyfeet.org/help-choose-the-cities-for-our-2011-expansion.html.
You will have to type in Cincinnati as an option and explain who you are and how much it would benefit our city to have something like this (It only takes a few minutes!). In 2008, more than 7,000 people were reported as homeless in Cincinnati/Hamilton County (2008 HMIS Data Report). There is no doubt that Cincinnati would benefit from this organization and Andrea is sure they could find plenty of runners (herself included) to volunteer!

The Dogwood Dash 5K Run/Walk - April 17
The following information came from club member Mary Alice Gruden. Mary Alice is working with the Boone County Arboretum for their annual Dogwood Dash 5k on April 17, 2010. The Dogwood Dash for 2010 features Free Entry to the Arboretum, New Sponsors Bob Roncker's Running Spot and Oxford Physical Therapy, Awesome Door Prizes, A Kids Fun Run, and a scenic trail through the spring blooms! You can go to www.bcarboretum.org to get a flier or visit McCormick Race Management to register online.

RACE INFORMATION

 

• DATE: Saturday, April 17, 2010 
  
• TIME: 9:00 AM 
  
• PLACE: Boone County Arboretum, 9190 Camp Ernst Road, Union KY 
  
• INFORMATION: Visit www.bcarboretum.org to get a flier or visit McCormick Race Management to register online and get more information.
  

New Poll Question for April
The new poll question for April is out! We want to know: What are you doing in the Flying Pig? Since there are so many things to do during Flying Pig weekend, we are allowing multiple answers in the poll so answer now!

Training Programs for Memorial Day Race 34
Have you thought about how you're going to train for Memorial Day Race 34? Look no further! The Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati has teamed up with Active.com coaches to provide online training plans for Memorial Day Race 34. These plans are designed for athletes of ALL levels, from the first-timer all the way up to the most experienced athlete. Included with your training plan is an online calendar, reporting tools and calculators, a mapping tool, daily emails, and much more! Go to the training page for a detailed list of features included with your training plan. You can sign up on the training page or sign up when you register online for the race. Most programs are 8-10 weeks so plenty of time to get involved.
Training Program Information

Poll Results for March
Here are the final results from the March poll. The question was: How many miles do you plan to run in 2010? 501 - 1000 miles was the top choice with 10 votes followed by 1001 -1500 with 7 votes. Thank you to the 22 that voted in March. The full results will be left up for the next couple of days. The poll question for April will be out this coming Monday.

Heart Mini Marathon Recap
One of Cincinnati's oldest races is the Heart Mini-Marathon. In 2010, they made a few changes from 2009. They moved the 15k ahead of the 5k and started it at 8:00 AM instead of 10:00 AM and they expanded the space and times for the Heart Mini Expo. Reviews seemed mixed about both when I asked members of the club, but overall they liked the 15k change as they could be done earlier in the day. I did not run the 15k due to the fact that most members of the Runners' Club run the 15k and I needed to keep watch on the rooms and get members into them(Each year the club gets two rooms at the Westin to allow club members a place to put their stuff, avoid the portolets with 6,000 other runners and walkers, avoid the other restrooms in the Westin with 1,000 other runners, and a chance to socialize with other members and guests).
I believe that the Heart Mini 15k is harder than many half marathons in and around the area due to the undulating hills on Columbia Parkway. Course for the 15k takes you from downtown out on Columbia Parkway where you turnaround on Delta and come back. To get the extra .3 mile, they throw Torrence Parkway into the mix on the way back. Conditions for this year's 15k were better than last year's as 2009 may have been the worst in recent memory. Going out they had to face the wind even though it was a net downhill. Coming back you had the wind at your back(maybe not, it died down for about 10 minutes) plus a net uphill. I was at the finish line for the 15k and headed back up after the top women had finished so I could be in the rooms and get ready for the 15k.
In the 5k, you just go out Columbia Parkway and comeback. This was the 2nd year that I ran the 5k and the interesting thing was that I could see the turnaround from about a half mile away, which I never noticed before. I ran the 5k quite slow as my hamstring, foot and hip were bothering me somewhat today. I did not check out the postrace as much, but it seemed better than in year's past. I got back up the Runners' Club room to enjoy good company, good food and good drink.
Thank you to the Westin Hotel in downtown Cincinnati for being gracious hosts to the Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati and Tom and Julia Glasscock for helping clean up the rooms afterward.

Angela Bizzarri Semifinalist for the Sullivan Award
Found out from a recent Run Ohio email that nominees for the 80th Annual Sullivan Award include Angela Bizzarri. Bizzarri was a top high school runner in Ohio with two state titles in cross country and 6 state titles in track while running for Mason High School. She recently won the 2009 NCAA cross country national title as a senior at Illinois. She was also the NCAA champion in the 5,000 meters and placed third in the 5,000 at the 2009 U.S. championships.
Fans can vote online for the Sullivan Award semifinalists at USA Today through March 30. Finalists will be announced on or before April 2, with the winner being named on April 14.
Take a minute to vote for Angela Bizzarri and encourage your friends to do the same. To vote go to the following link - http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2009-sullivan-award.htm.

About the Sullivan Award: The AAU Sullivan Award honors the outstanding amateur athlete in the USA. Presented annually since 1930, the Sullivan also is based on leadership, character, sportsmanship and the ideals of amateurism. Go to www.aausullivan.org for more information.

Group Run Update - Saturday's Run Moves To Fountain Square
Spring is here and the Flying Pig is less than 40 days away, so beginning this Saturday, the weekend group run will meet at Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati for the next few weeks to get ready for parts of the Pig Course and to tackle "the hill" and then tackle a few other hills.
The Wednesday Run in Hyde Park from Hyde Park Square will remain the same , but will always be an adventure.

Weekly Group Run Details:

• Wednesday - 6:30 PM Run - Hyde Park Square - meet by the fountain - Wednesday's route will be posted on twitter on Wednesday afternoon.
  
• Saturday - 8:30 AM Run - Fountain Square - Downtown Cincinnati - meet by the fountain - Saturday's route will be posted on twitter on Friday. A few garages in the area offer weekend parking for a 1.00 or you can always park on the street.
  

For more information contact us.

Memorial Day Race 34
Cincinnati's second oldest race is back this year at Armleder Park at 9:00 AM on May 31, 2010. Since most runners are swimming in T-shirts, the club has decided to make the Memorial Day Race T-shirt an optional purchase for 2009. In order to entice you to purchase one, the race will feature technical shirts for the preregistration price of $10. 

RACE INFORMATION

 

• DATE: Monday, May 31, 2010 
  
• TIME: 9:00 AM 
  
• PLACE: Otto Armleder Memorial Park, 5059 Wooster Road, Cincinnati OH 
  
• PREREGISTRATION: $10.00 General Public and $7 Runners' Club Members / Age 21 and Under. Technical Shirt available for $10. Preregistration ends Monday May 24. 
  
• INFORMATION: Spectator friendly flat 5K (3.1 Mile) Course. Real bathrooms. Food, awards and doorprizes follow the race.  Get the flier or register online. More Race Information.
  

Flying Pig Marathon Mile 22 Waterstop
Water Stop Volunteers Wanted!
Once again the Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati will have a waterstop at mile 22. Mile 22 is where the marathon really begins for the marathoners and your support and encouragement means plenty to them. If you are running the marathon, please encourage your friends and family to help out. If you're not running, join us for a little fun and help us help the runners at mile 22.
To volunteer at our waterstop:

1. Go to the Flying Pig Website Volunteer Page
   
2. Click the Sign-up with registered group
3. Select the Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati, use the password RCGC (case sensitive).
4. Fill out the information

If you have any questions or problems, let us know.