June 2023 Newsletter

Hello UVRC Fam! Generally, I try not to give out unsolicited advice but it’s my month to write the Letter from a Board Member, so I am going to do exactly that! But I only try to give out advice on things that I actually have experienced or feel that I am at least competent at. That being said; I am not a guru, nor am I a life coach, or a psychologist, or an advisor. What I am is a human who is trying his best like the rest of you, and I have learned some stuff along the way that aids in that process that I will now share.

My sage wisdom for the day is; disrespect your comfort zone. And what I mean by that is tell that little voice or gut instinct in your head that says “don’t do that, you might fail” or “you can’t do that, you’ll look silly”, or the worst “don’t do that, you’re not good enough.” Yeah, that voice. You know the one. Tell that voice that is trying to keep you in your comfort zone to disrespectfully eat dirt, and then do the thing it told you you couldn’t, shouldn’t, or don’t want to do. This of course does not work for all cases and scenarios, but when it comes to 80% of our common insecurities involving athleticism and social displays of athleticism, the advice holds. And I say this because when it comes to running (and other activities of course) your comfort zone is usually holding you back.

Now don’t get me wrong, what we refer to as our comfort zone is a complex thought process based on learned and perceived experiences that were made by your brain to keep you safe. There are many many scenarios where you should absolutely stay in your comfort zone for safety. However for everything else, considering we are far removed from our hunter-gatherer survival days when death was likely and survival was not, we’ve relegated our comfort zone to less life or death scenarios like letting it talk us out of meeting new people, or trying to run further or faster, or really doing anything where failure is an outcome. Not to get on a soap box but it feels like in our society failure is treated as this concept to be avoided at all costs (it shouldn’t be), that it is a stain on the record of our humanity (it isn’t), and that somehow it equates to our worth (it doesn’t).

But the thing is, failure is always a possible outcome. Everything and everyone fails all the dang time. It isn’t efficient, but it is the very natural way by which we learn. And also in the grand scheme of things for most of us the consequence for our failure when we step outside of our comfort zone is a few minutes of humiliation or perhaps a story that gets brought up at social gatherings. Because, and this is some of the greatest social advice I’ve ever heard that has helped me get past my own anxieties and that is “No one cares about you as much as you think they do”. And I don’t say that to suggest that all of humanity is dispassionate and unempathetic (because I do in fact care about you all and your well-being very much) BUT what I mean is that realistically no one has the time or energy to be clocking, remembering, or dwelling on your actions, whether they be positive or negative, for more than a few minutes because they have their own business to deal with. Especially when it comes to running; we certainly have a quorum of teamwork and compassion but apart from that most everyone is focusing on their run and not on you. Personally, I can barely be bothered to remember what I had for breakfast much less think about what someone else may or may not be doing. This is all to say, if you are staying inside your comfort zone because you worry what people might think, don’t. You are literally wasting your time thinking about a problem that doesn’t exist.

So why am I telling you all this? Well at the very least I hope someone finds this little anecdote funny as spreading humor is always my goal. But more than that, these are things I wish someone told me when I started running and my small perhaps unrealistic hope is that for some this will be a kick in the pants to do things they’ve been telling themselves they couldn’t do. Because I hear y’all. I hear some of you doubt yourself or feel too intimidated to try things like coming to the Tuesday workouts.

I get it, I was there too. Remember, I didn’t actually start running until relatively recently and before that, I was a running naysayer. I was worried that I couldn’t keep up or that I would be by myself and in the latter I think lies the issue that I think might be holding some of you back. Here’s the tea y’all; if everyone thinks they won’t have someone to run with, and they don’t go, then it becomes true because there is no one. However, if we all do the opposite, and you take a step out of your comfort zone and take a risk, then there’ll be plenty of people there and the odds are dang good you’ll find someone!

Y’all there are over 300 members in our club. It is almost a statistical certainty given the range of paces that a human can achieve, that there is at least 1 other person you can run with. But you have to show up. We can reserve the track, we can coach you, we can make races and workouts, but only you can make yourself show up. Only you can set your anxieties or whatever is holding you back aside and show up. Or support your friends and have them show up with you (we love when people bring their friends to running club!). My little dream is that one day we have so many people come to our workouts that Tim has to reluctantly say “There are too many of us for introductions so let’s just get started!”. And I believe in you, not from a place of naïve optimism but rather it is factually accurate that if you have the time and the means, you can show up and run. Whether you can run 2 minutes faster than your regular pace at the drop of a hat is a whole different story (but one we can help you with!). Which is to say, show up, but set yourself up for success by being realistic with your goals. And I believe that if you show up, you can find community, and you can enjoy running. Don’t be intimidated by the speedy folk or the workouts, because in the former case, they’re just like you, they came to run and have fun and then go back to their lives, they aren’t there to judge you (and they wouldn’t anyway, because I have personally found that everyone in our club is unilaterally a nice person). And in the latter, the workouts are there to help you, they are not commandments though, just a guideline. We don’t care how fast, how slow, or how you run, just run. And don’t give me any of that “I’m not fast enough to be a called runner” nonsense. Stop doing that to yourself. Runners run, if YOU are expending enough energy to get your body moving faster than you normally walk, you are running and you are a runner. We gain nothing as a community by dividing ourselves into who qualifies as runner and as long as I am Captain this ship I shan’t have any division on who is and isn’t a runner. Whoops, how did I get back on this soapbox? Well anyway, while I’m here let me just finish by again inviting you, all of you no matter where you’re at in your running, to step out of your comfort zone and give stuff a try. Disrespect your comfort zone and surprise yourself by doing things you thought you couldn’t do. As hokey as it might sound, you really don’t know unless you try. And remember that I honestly and truly do believe in you (believe in you to accomplish and exceed your realistic goals, provided that you show up).

Hello UVRC Fam New and Old!

As I mentioned in the News and Announcements, we are up to over 300 members (303 to be precise)! This is incredible and I sincerely hope I get to meet you all! I imagine a good portion of you might be new to the club and might be feeling a little lost. We don’t really do a new member orientation since people can join at any time so in lieu of that I wanted to do a quick primer for the Upper Valley Running Club that you are now a part of. What we do and what we can do for you!

Who We Are

The Upper Valley Running Club is a community lead running club committed to supporting running and running-related activities as part of a healthy lifestyle in the Upper Valley. The running club is organized and orchestrated by a volunteer Board which you can learn more about in our previous newsletter article. I, Robert (RJ) Jones, am proud to serve as the current President of the UVRC though I would be remiss if I did not mention that I am simply carrying on a legacy that was started and maintained by my predecessors (many of whom are still in the club!)

As I mentioned we are 303 members strong and growing! We come from diverse backgrounds and make up a lovely spectrum of humans. Check out the stats in the attached graphics; our mean age of club members is 41, we come from all over (but mostly Leb and Hanover), and we have an almost even split between male-identifying and female-identifying members (we do not have an option outside of the binary yet, but we’ll get there!). Most importantly we all have a shared passion for running and the running community!

UVRC Racing

We also compete in local races; The New Hampshire Grand Prix, and we host our local racing series, The Upper Valley Racing Series. The New Hampshire Grand Prix is a road racing series with multiple races across the Granite State. We compete against the other NH running clubs like the Gate City Striders and the Greater Derry Track Club to be the #1 club in NH! Our Upper Valley Racing Series is a showcase of local races across the Upper Valley that include both roads and trails. If you participate and complete the series you are eligible to win prizes and entry into the highly competitive Covered Bridges Half Marathon!

Our Activities

Our main schedule of activities includes the following:

Tuesday Night Track (TNT)

Every Tuesday, rain or shine, we meet at a local track (Hanover High School or Dartmouth, right now it is Hanover) at 5:30 for a workout planned by one of our coaches. The workouts are typically distance based and our coaches break down the workouts to different running levels based on your weekly mileage. For example; this week we did 1000-meter repeats with a 400-meter rest, which is two and a half laps around the track at our challenge pace (the pace at which you are huffing and puffing but you can maintain it) and then one lap at a rest pace. People who typically get in 20 miles a week did this 3 times, 20-30 miles a week did it 5 times, and over 40 miles a week around 7 times. But these are guidelines! You can do as much or as little as you want. We break into pace groups so we can find camaraderie and also it makes it more enjoyable to run, and the more people that come, the more pace groups we have! The workout is open to all and we will happily explain anything that doesn’t make sense!

ALSO, the second Tuesday of every month the club sponsors a pizza night at the Brick and Brew in Hanover! After TNT we head over and hang out as a club and eat free pizza! The next one will be on 13 June (around 630pm if you can’t make the workout but want to come to hang).

Thursday Night Trails

We have been partnering with our sister club The Upper Valley Trail Runners to also offer trail runs on one of the many local trails we have available! These are meant to be entry-level group trail runs with no drop i.e. no one gets left behind to find their way in the wilderness (unless they want to). The trail leaders are also great at navigating their way to little hidden gems in the trail systems so you’re always in for a treat! They meet at 530 at a trailhead (TBD weekly) on Thursday evenings but have done Boston Lot, Velvet Rocks, and Parcel 5 in the past as examples.

Saturday Morning Group Runs

On the more social-run side, we meet on Saturday mornings in front of Omer and Bob’s in Lebanon for a group run. This is a great time to meet and talk to other members while you run. We’ll organize into groups based on the routes, mileage, and paces people are interested in doing and split. Again the more people that come, the more diversity of pace groups and mileage we’ll have. Afterwards, we typically go to Lucky’s Coffee Shop for breakfast and treats!

Couch to 5K

If you’re just getting into running and are working on building your base we also have an incredible Couch to 5K program designed to help you gradually build up your running chops over 12 weeks and finish with a 5K. This program is offered seasonally but a great majority of the members of the program continue to meet in the off-season to maintain the progress they’ve built over the program. We are midway through our Spring season but there will be a Fall season program soon after! The program is led by a team of coaches and volunteers and is designed to build endurance across the spectrum; whether you are at a stage where you are mainly walking, doing a mix of walking and running, or predominantly running!

What Your Membership Gets You

• Omer & Bob’s here in Lebanon, NH, has been a strong supporter of the club since its beginning. We meet there on Saturday mornings for group runs. They also provide members with 15% off shoes, apparel, & other running-related gear discounts.
• We also have a 10% discount with Stateline Sports in West Lebanon, NH and they can offer 10% discount on all regular-priced running shoes, socks, insoles, and running accessories.
• A monthly newsletter featuring articles written by club members and board members. If you would like to share an article you can visit here for newsletter article guidelines and then send an e-mail to newsletter@uppervalleyrunningclub.org.
• We also have partnerships with some of the local athletic facilities such as the CCBA, UVAC, and Dartmouth Gym and can get discounted memberships! Please reach out to find out more!

We are an active, living, and breathing club so we’re always open to new ideas and changes to help make the club better! You can always reach out to contact@uppervalleyrunningclub.org if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to say hi (I love those messages). Especially if you are new to the club and maybe even new to the area, drop us a line so we can meet and you can get properly brought into the club! Again welcome and I hope to see you around!

-RJ (UVRC President)

The second race in the Upper Valley Running Series (UVRS) was in May; the scenic but challenging BarnArts Race Around the Lake. At least it wasn't sweltering hot like last year. Congratulations to all of the UVRC participants! Photos below are of Melissa Herman & RJ.

Now that the second race is done, we've got standings for the series. You can find them, and also links to the BarnArts race results, on the UVRS website.

June is a busy month in UVRS, with two races! First, on Father's Day (6/18), it's the Skip's Run 4 miler starting at the Lebanon Green.

Then, one week after, 6/25, let's run around Mascoma Lake! It's the Shaker Seven 7 miler.

Remember, you need to finish 6 out of the 9 races in the series for Series Finisher status (and prizes!), so try to get out for one or both of these classic Upper Valley races.

Chuck Morgan and Marty Dyxenburg at the Royal Run 2023 in Copenhagen!

Chuck finished  5241 out of 17,782 and 210 of 608 in his age category.

Way to go CHUCK!!

Racing News

No NHGP Races this month but TWO UVRS Races (see Geoff’s update for more info)! 

We’ve got Skip’s Run June 18: https://skipsrun.org/

And the Shaker 7 on June 25: https://runsignup.com/Race/NH/Enfield/Shaker7RoadRaceWalk

The 31st Covered Bridges Half Marathon is June 4th! Good and happy racing to all our club members and thank you to all the UVRC folks who are volunteering their time to help with the race, from race setup and clean-up, to pacing. 

Our neighbors the Central Vermont Runners always have something fun going on too, check out their Capital City Stampede 10K on June 10th: https://cvrunners.org/cvr-races/capital-city-stampede/

Club News

You’ve probably seen a few of the emails by now but to reiterate, we are merging with the Upper Valley Trail Runners! Join them for local trail runs Thursdays at 530pm, location TBD by the Trail Leader. These are meant to be group fun runs on trails but do come prepared (bring water and bug spray). If you’re interested in trail running, have suggestions for local trails, or would be interested in leading a run let us know (contact@uppervalleyrunningclub.org) !

Do you use a smartwatch to record your runs? Consider joining our Strava Club! Strava is making 2023 the year of clubs and adding a bunch of new features. We’re going to get in on that and we’d like you to join us! https://www.strava.com/clubs/upper-valley-running-club 

Strava is a great way to keep track of your runs, support your fellow runners in the community, and (soon) participate in club challenges and events!

Club Announcements

Runner’s Night Out this month will be on June 13th at 6:30 p.m. @ Hanover Ramuntos!

Field Day is this Saturday, June 10 (1 - 4 p.m.)

What is Field Day? Field day is like being a kid again, we’ve reserved the main tent area at Storrs Pond to have a day of fun, games, and activities like frisbee, bocce, yoga, and cornhole. As well as team challenges: e.g. your team has to get a ball across the field, each person must carry it once, but no one can touch it with their hands or feet.

RSVP for that here and for more details.

Membership Announcements

Well, we did it, we are officially OVER 300 MEMBERS!! That's about ten times the number of people in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (31 members at a time) but amazing it is less than the world’s largest pop group AKB48 which has 322 members (what?). Can. We. Get there!? (Yes I think we can.)

Lots of you are new so if you’re feeling lost, please see my note to new members.