Greetings Fellow Striders,
Have you ever suffered an
injury that has kept you from running? Your humble president has found
herself in this exact state at present. Other than meeting your fellow
running friends for coffee or other legal libations, what did you do to keep
yourself focused on the running your body would no longer allow you to do?
Please send your suggestions, advice, and other injury survival stories
to me at tjrc3@hotmail.com.
My suggestion, what has
worked so far for me, is to READ!!! Since ESPN rarely allows us to watch
our sport on television, I recommend reading. I know many of you already
get Runner’s World magazine, but I would also like to remind you that we
have our own state running magazine. It is called Michigan Runner
and you can subscribe to it by going to their website www.michiganrunner.net. One of the greatest
aspects of this publication is their race calendar. So, for all of you
out there who are physically able to run, check out the schedule. You can
find lots of great races of various lengths all in our
Fall is also back to school
season, so I find that my mind wanders, quite naturally I think, to
books. Perhaps the best reading I have found so far to keep my mind on
running while my body rests/heals is the impressive Once a Runner by
John L. Parker Jr. This novel, first published in 1978 and said by many
critics to be the finest novel about running ever written, has finally been
republished. It is available at all major booksellers and online.
Of course, I also recommend this book to all of you who are healthy and strong
and have been training hard all summer for an upcoming fall marathon.
Speaking of fall, this time
of year is considered by most to be a runner’s dream. The Strider’s
Running Club prides itself on helping runners achieve their dreams. Join
the runners for any Sunday morning long run or a weekly 5 miler through the
beautiful park system. Remember the hot and sweaty summer days you
suffered through. Now is the time to reminisce about the runs that felt
effortless. Recall all the reasons you started running and evoke those
memories from childhood when you ran just because you loved the feel of the
wind in your hair.
“He
ran because it grounded him in basics. There was both life and death in
it. Running to him was real; the way he did it the realest thing he
knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as diamond; it made him weary beyond
comprehension. But it also made him free.”
--Once
a Runner
Good
luck to you this fall. Run because you can and for those of us who can’t.
Tracy
Collins