Red Mule Runners

May 2008

Next Meeting: June 11, 2008
Red Mule Pub at 7:00 PM

Red Mule Pub Blowout!
Tim and Les Jinkens sure know how to throw a party. Their 30 Year Celebration that ran for several days was well received and we in the Red Mule Runners thank them for letting us be a part of their festivities and including us in their celebration. Hey Les, what are the plans for No. 31?

The Pub’s link is listed here, and is now a part of our links on our web-site: http://www.redmulerunners.com
http://www.redmulepub.com/

High School Scholarship
The scholarship applications are all in, all have been reviewed, and the winner is….Bradley Henderson from Central High School. Brad was presented  a $1000 Scholarship at the Central High School Awards Night on May 13th. All of us Mulers wish him well and congratulate our latest scholarship winner.

Since the year 2000 when the scholarships were re-instated, $7000 has now been disbursed among deserving area high school seniors that have competed in cross-country and/or track. Congratulations to all that have benefited.

Marathon Corner

As far as this writer knows, no one ran a marathon in the past month, unless Ernie is sneaking some in and not telling us. But I can report that Ann and Chuck Boldt be running in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. in October…well at least registered. Now the training…in the heat! Who’s idea was it any way?

The Summer Series
The Brooksville Tri 5K Series starts on June 13th with the other two races being held on June 27th and July 11th. All are at McKethan Lake Park north of Brooksville on U.S. 41 on Friday evenings, and all with a 6:30 PM starting time. The July 11th race will be followed by a picnic featuring Chef French. All profits will go towards local high school runners going to summer running camps. The last we heard, Hernando, Central, Nature Coast and Springstead will be competing, raising funds for their camp stays. The races are open to all comers in all age groups, and awards will be three deep. Race applications can be found on the Red Mule web-site.

Clear Your Calendars
If you haven’t already heard, GDCA (Gasparilla) has settled on dates for their annual week-end of races. The 2009 15K and 5K will be held on Saturday February 28th, and the half and full marathon on Sunday March (that’s right, March) 1st. Because Tampa will be hosting the Super Bowl in 2009, the entirety of the Gasparilla events will be impacted. It may be a little later than usual, but it’s still a great tradition that the Tampa Bay area should be proud to call their own.

Other Dates
Tentative dates have been “penciled in” for our next banquet and also the 31st Flatlanders Challenge. A December 3rd affair at Papa Joe’s is planned, and a January 31, 2009 date has been set aside for the Flatlanders.

Also, don’t forget the Labor Day 5K, also being held at McKethan Lake Park, is scheduled for Saturday August 30th. More to follow…

Five Questions for a Mule
The following is a new column being introduced with this Newsletter, asking five (5) questions to one of our own. You may be next, and the questions may not always be the same, so no fair studying. Questions asked of Dan French were:

Q. How did you first get introduced to running?
A. I was a freshman in high school and I went out for cross country to strengthen my legs for football. I was a kicker.

Q. What do you consider your most memorable moment in running?
A. My 1985 PR for the 10K, 31:51, but also running in the Grandfather Mountain Marathon in Boone, North Carolina.

Q. If you weren’t running, what would you be doing?
A. Eating more, sleeping more, working more, reading more….

Q. What is the one thing that no one knows about you?
A. As much as I talk, nothing is hidden.

Q. If you were an animal, you would be what, and why?
A. Probably a tiger, because they’re fast and elegant.

Thoughts from the Mule
Have you ever been running and pass, or been passed by a runner that sounded more like a freight train than a runner, especially with their breathing? Well, this is what Thomas Wessinghage, M.D, has to say:

“First, as you run, if are able to maintain a conversation with your partner(s), the cadence is not too high. The observation is based on the correlation between breaths and strides. That is, four steps per breath (in other words, breathing in for four steps, and breathing out for four steps) to stay within the realm of aerobic training. If you can take only three steps per breath, you are functioning inside the aerobic-anaerobic realm. If you can take only two steps per breath, your running speed is over the aerobic-anaerobic threshold.”

Inside, outside…what?

Upcoming Races
June 13th Tri 5K #1, Brooksville
June 14th www.rapriverrun.com 5K N.P. Richey
June 20th Sunset at he Pier #1, Clearwater
June 27th Tri 5K #2, Brooksville
July 3rd – 4th Kiwanis Midnight Run, Dunedin
July 4th Independence Day 5K, Lutz
July 11th Tri 5K #3, Brooksville
August 2nd Citrus Road Run 5K, Citrus Springs
August 30th Labor Day 5K, Brooksville

For additional Tampa Bay area race information, see Florida Race Place Magazine at the link below:

http://www.flraceplace.com/Schedules/March%202008/run%20tampabay.pdf