Learning from the New York Flyers

Here's what our runners had to say in response to the statement, "If there’s one thing I learned about life from the NY Flyers, it’s this:"

NipGuards are important. - Scott S.


A small group of people passionate about what they do can accomplish great things. - Donna R.


There is a runner in the world who will never complete even my most basic workout to its proper format no matter how many years I coach the club. - Coach Toby T.


...group runs bring friendships - Jens H.


Nothing breaks your heart like a running injury. - Richard B.


If there's one thing that I learned about life from the NY Flyers, it's this: you are never alone, and always inspired. - Bo K.


I learned that I dislike people who whine just as much as I thought I did. - Jo Ann M.


It takes a lot of people to make the club what it is and the more people that step up, the better the club is. - Ed A.


If there's one thing I learned about life from the NY Flyers it's that there is always someone willing to run farther, drink more, take on one more volunteer op, be more supportive, suffer more injuries; we are a club that will always push the limits of what is possible. - Angela G.


Group insanity is much more entertaining than the individual version. - Cary G.


If there's one thing that I learned about life from the NY Flyers, it's this: You don't have to run alone. - Diederik van H.


If there's one thing that I learned about life from the NY Flyers, it's this: that running can create not only a lifestyle and sense of community, but a family as well... - Heather M.


I learned that you don't have to be good at something to enjoy it. - Francine A.


To support and inspire one another, on and off the road. - Deb M.


The Flyers have taught me that we still can have all of the fun, friendships, and passion of childhood -- plus enjoy the decadent eating and drinking of a strengthened metabolism -- thanks Flyers! - Dave K.


Being able to go just a little bit crazy makes it a whole lot easier
to stay sane. - Dana M.


If there's one thing I've learned from the Flyers it's that there really are good, genuine people in the world. - John L.


If there's one thing that I learned about life from the NY Flyers, it's this: a lot of problems can be solved around the loop. - Ashley K.


the one thing i learned from the ny flyers is how that it's possible to begin a new friendship where it feels like you are simply picking up from the past - Elle G.


we tear up the dance floor as well as we tear up race courses all over the world! - Lara K.


“You can get it if you really want, but you must try, try and try, try and try, you'll succeed at last.” - Andreas S. (via Jimmy Cliff)


“Many times I thought of quitting but my heart won’t buy it.” - Joyce S. (via Sinatra)


Enduring friendships. - Gary H.


Hate everyone; trust no one. - Anick J.


Sometimes you just need a little push. - Christine L.


Running and socializing with the New York flyers provides the foundation to keep us grounded and provide a warm, positive environment we all need, as there are lots of difficulties in life! - Anne H.


If there's one thing that I learned about life from the NY Flyers, it's this: There is nothing stronger than a running bond! - Vicky T.


If there's one thing that I learned about life from the NY Flyers, it's this: that the world has a bunch of awesome people with whom I would love to do a loop any day. - John W.


If there is one thing that I learned about life from the NY Flyers, it is that, while hard work pays off, I will never be as fast as Deanna, Brian, Leslie, DJ, Tony, Christine, Jessica and a host of other 'mates...simple as that, but I can draft the wake of air that they leave behind them... - Alan G.


That there is no limit to what people can achieve -- in running and in life in general -- if they set their mind to it. - Uli H.


What I learned from the Flyers is that a slow runner such as myself encounters the same obstacles as the top performers and we all have the same inner dialogue -- somebody (who shall remain nameless)was just as disappointed at not breaking 3 hours in the marathon as I was not breaking 5! - Jim M.


Thanks to some eagle-eye Flyers and their high def cameras, I run almost every race wearing waterproof mascara and colorstay lipstick. - Nora S.


The world would be a much better place if I were in charge. - The Ranting Runner


I learned that just because they make Lycra in your size doesn't necessarily mean you should buy it. - Jon D.


Runners will talk about anything. - Eric V.


There are thousands of reasons for joining other than the marathon bus. - Yan P.


Life never stops: You can be out till the early dawn partying like its 1999, and when you finally get yourself together enough to leave someone asks you, "what time are we running tomorrow?" - Sean J.


Flyers to me means Fantastic friendships. - Jordan G.


It does not matter if you run fast or slow, it is all the support you get from such a great group of people who all love the sport -- thanks Flyers! - Janet H.


Running isn't just about running. - Eric S.

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Penultimate

Eric S.

I never expected to do this. Last year, when I told our esteemed president, Glen W.,  "I want to get more involved again with the club this year." I was thinking more along the lines of organizing a happy hour or something."  He asked me to get the blog going. The key in my accepting the position was his rigid parameters: "Make it whatever you want it to be."

I've tried to run the blog with little input from myself. I've wanted it to be about the club - running, members and events. In order to track visits, I installed a counter, but I never looked at again after that. I was more interested in creating something of quality that reflected the club. My thought was that if it was a good blog, people would read it and enjoy it. Who needs numbers when you can have supportive comments?

So it's been a great blog. I've learned a lot... about running, training, the people in the club, and I even got inspired to start cooking! Thanks to everyone that submitted posts, including our regulars and not so regulars, like Ted The Runner (and no, it was never me). A special shout-out goes to Ed A. who was very helpful with proofreading articles and catching grammar, typos, and more than a few punctuation errors that I missed.

Unfortunately, though, after my moving to Canada in the second half of the year, I've unfortunately felt a growing disconnect with the club. It was inevitable, really. There are more and more names that I see on the Flyers' website that I don't know, and there are many events and races that I don't attend or participate in. As the term came to an end, I decided it was appropriate for me to move on.

And that leaves me here. But this won't be my last post. My next one will be, and it'll be reflective of us - the club -  than me or any single member or event. It will be a good post on which to leave the past year.

And then what?

David K.

Back in April of last year, I had considered asking Dave K. to be Co-Blogmaster with me. He of course doesn't know this, because I never asked. I couldn't figure out how the duties would be divided up between asking people to blog, creating the schedule, sending out reminders, doing the layout, editing the content, adding links and images, etc. There was a lot to do and I wanted some help, but I felt like coordinating the effort would be more of a hassle than it was worth, so I continued to go at it alone.

But Dave stood out from the other bloggers. His posts were always early. They always came with photos attached, or at least links to photos on the web. He included suggested links to other online articles. Frankly, he was a Blogmaster's dream come true. He made it so easy.

So at the end of the year, shortly after I gave notice that I wasn't about to continue on with the blog to Glen, I mentioned it to Dave via e-mail, adding in parentheses "(interested?)".

Lucky for us, Dave followed those parentheses up with Glen, and will be taking the reins of the blog in the next couple of weeks. His last post was self-published to the blog for practice. And if the quality of his submissions in the past are any indication of the future, the Flyers' Blog is only going to improve throughout the course of this year. Best of luck, Dave.

All my best to the Flyers and the blog. I encourage you to write and get your opinions, stories, and ideas out to the rest of us.

Go Flyers! - Eric S., Soon-to-be Ex-Blogmaster.

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The Flyers Are Dead; Long Live the Flyers!

Every year we race. Like the ebb of the tide, each year comes and goes, and each looks pretty similar to the last. The Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island Halfs. The Joe Kleinerman 10k. The Club Championships. Father’s, Mother’s, Japan Day. Etc. Sometimes a Dash is a accompanied by a Splash, and sometimes the dates change and sometimes the distances change, but it all ends up blending together after that first run at the stroke of midnight at the start of the year.

And as the year comes and goes, we keep running, and striving to set another PR. And another. And another. And another.

So what’s in it for you, in all this running? The question is rhetorical of course. No one has an answer for keeps. Each time you think you’ve figured it out, you run another race and the question arises again, if in a different way.

Rising above it all is our little club. OK, big club. Although we might run alone during the races, away from them we’re part of something big. All those races might blend together, but we relish – or hate – each and every one for their most subtle differences, and love to ponder those differences with our friends in the club. One 10k is not the same as the next, even if they’re the same race on the same course at the same time of year in the same conditions. So we tell our stories and bond together.

When it’s all done, we gather to party. We figuratively hoist our success stories on our collective shoulders and cheer, while we sweep our misfortunes under the rug and let them go. We embrace the volunteers who motivated, maintained and carried the club over the past year, and we send newly elected and appointed ones on their journey forward to lead us. At this cold, dark, and snowy (very snowy!) time of year, we can look ahead to renewal and rebirth. The days are getting longer. The temperature will rise. The snow will melt. Spring will come. And we will – our club will – set many more personal records again. And again, and again, and again.

This Saturday is our Gala. We will eat and drink. We will celebrate the year gone by. We will dance. Oh my, we will dance! We will share our love of our sport and say good bye to our past and from the night we will emerge, a new club, eyes set to the future, with one collective, uniting thought:

Go Flyers.

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Temperature Turmoil

Eric S., Canadian

Years ago when I started running, I encountered the same problem many of us encounter when we run: How do you dress for different weather conditions? At the start of the Brooklyn Half one year, some friendly Flyers and I were expressing our frustration at the stress we always felt before every cool-weather race. How many layers were necessary to keep a runner comfortable? How many would be too much? Having too many was fine and dandy if you had a lot of clothing you could just throw away, but what if I really liked that extra long-sleeved shirt? It was the same question at each race, so finally, the “type A” side of my brain took over, and I started writing down what I wore and how comfortable I was after each run. It didn’t take long – really just running from fall, through the winter, and into the spring. The key was to figure out what the threshold temperature was between wearing a layer and adding/subtracting one. When was it too cold to run in shorts? When did I need to add gloves? What about a jacket?

So I started writing things down – namely, the temperature, what I was wearing, and whether it was too warm, too hot, or perfectly comfortable for me. Yep, type A all the way. It seemed like a lot of trouble for the first couple of weeks, but then I got use to it, and it became pretty obvious what I needed to wear at what temperature pretty quickly. I’d recommend everyone do this.

Finally, I came up with a handy little chart that I put on the fridge for reference, where it stayed for five years. Here it is:

I mean it when I say it was handy. No more fretting about what to wear - just a glance at the chart and I was set! Granted, sometimes I had to look at the "Feels like" temperature, which would on occasion adjust the temperature into the next bracket, but the chart still worked great. Maybe some of you might want to use the same very chart. Or maybe you’ll adapt it slightly by a few degrees. At any rate, I hope it helps somebody. On the other hand, you could just find another source online.

At this point, I could perfectly well end this blog post. Unfortunately, I personally know that the Blogmaster, that tyrant, wouldn’t be happy with such a short, uninteresting post. That’s why I never posted this last winter, when I first thought about it. I just didn’t feel like there was much to it. So I figured out what I needed to do.

I moved to Canada.

Things are a little different here. Now, Canada’s not the 365-day long frigid wasteland that everyone else in the world seems to think it is. The day I moved here, in mid-July, Ottawa was at the tail end of a 100°F heat wave, much like what was going on in NYC at the time. Normals are in the 80s like many nice summery American places.

But it does get cold in winter – much colder than NYC. For the first little while, I turned a blind eye to the winter, but the truth was unavoidable. I finally looked at the monthly forecast, and for January, the average high is 20°F. 20°F! And the average low is 4°F. By comparison the average NYC high temperature is 38°F, low of 26°F.

Anyway, back to my topic. So much for my chart. If I want to run here in winter, I’m going to have to suck it up and get used to the cold. And let’s just be clear about something: I hate the cold.

At any rate, I’m of course reworking my little chart. I can no longer call ten degrees the “stay indoors” temperature. And now, the lower temperatures include a ski mask. It’s true - it’s cold here in winter. But I’ll deal with it one day at a time, and I’ll keep running, whatever it takes.

Anyone else have any weather-related running advice?
- Eric S.

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In the spirit of this holiday season, please give.

Hopefully you all read Anne's great holiday nutrition article, posted on Sunday. Thanks to Anne for another great article!

Speaking of nutrition, as we enter this festive season, please remember that there are a lot of people, who won't be able to find something to eat on a daily basis, much less indulge in a great holiday meal like the rest of us. Particularly during these very difficult economic times, people in NYC are in greater need than ever.

Please participate in the Third Annual New York Flyers' Food Drive Fundraiser to benefit the Food Bank for New York City. You can find all the details on the Flyers' website, right here, or donate directly through our Food Bank fundraising page, located here.

It's a very important cause.  Look into your heart, and please give. - Blogmaster

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The Flyers Hall of Fame: The Best of Our Best

In 2007, there was talk amongst a handful of Flyer members about assembling a list of the best times in race distances for the New York Flyers. We knew there had been some very impressive club records set in the past, and that some of those records were still being set, but what were they and who were the runners that set them? Could we compile the names, races, and times, and put them on the website, perhaps, like the Fifty State Club? The executive board at the time, led by Chris Morgenroth, approved the idea to collect the times, and launch a "Hall of Fame" page.

However, the task wasn't as easy as anticipated. Frankly, the sheer volume of names and numbers over the Flyers' (now) 20-year history, was enormously daunting. Over the next two years, discussion continued: Which distances? How would we address age groups and genders? What about triathletes? What about Ultra-marathoners? What if the person wasn't a Flyer anymore? And does anyone in the club really even care about this anyway?

Finally, decisions were made by committee, a chart was created, and the numbers began to be filled in. Recently completed, we have the table below. As this is a draft and not yet on the website, we invite all Flyers to send us corrections or oversights. Don't be shy - even if you yourself have a race time that should be on the table, send it in so that we can accurately update the table so as to reflect Flyer accomplishments as the best we can. For now, please send this to either the Secretary (Richard G.) or Blogmaster (me) of the NY Flyers. In the future, once we have this on the website, we will likely have a system so that new times are submitted through Team Captains, who can then verify the results and then have the new record posted through the webmasters or secretary.
A few things to note:

• You must have been a member of the Flyers on the date you set the record. For example, if you ran a 2:15 marathon the year before you joined the club, that time is not eligible for the Flyers Hall of Fame.
• Races outside NYC are included, but all results need to be verifiable -- preferably published in online, searchable results.
• Only the actual race distance will be accepted for the record, not a split time. To clarify, for example, if you broke the record for the 4-mile time while running a 10k race, you do not get the 4-mile record. You must be running the 4-mile race to get the 4-mile record.
• If a race distance is later found to be shorter than the record, it will be disqualified. For example, if a 5k race (3.1 miles) is later found to be only 3.05 miles, it is not eligible for the 5k record.
• Related to the above, if a race is later found to be longer than the record, it will still qualify for the record. So if a 5k race is later found out to be 3.15 miles, it will still be eligible for the record.
• We have only addressed typical running race distances - not Triathlons, Biathlons, Duathlons, or Ultra-marathon distances. For those members who regularly participate in these event, we invite you to step up with fellow members and tabulate results for posting.
• We realize that some people do come very close to breaking these records, and there was initial discussion about creating a top three or five list of best times, but due to the labor-intensive nature of researching and updating these numbers, it is with much regret that the committee decided that only the very best times would be reflected in the table.

The committee and those responsible for this effort include: Sarah D., who championed the idea and back-checked times and names, Dan L., who initially brought this to the attention of the executive board, Eric S. (that's yours truly, folks!) for coming up with the chart format, Eduardo, F., who, probably most importantly, spent many hours poring over the Flyers' historical data and results, and finally, longtime Flyer and 2010 Secretary, Richard G., who also contributed names and numbers from his vast Flyer experience, and vetted the times on the table.

Welcome to the first draft of the Flyer Hall of Fame:

- Eric S.
Editor's Note: Happy birthday to me!

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Boston? What Boston?

Wait a second, wasn't there an important marathon this week? Did the infallible News on the Run finally drop the ball?

Ha! If you're looking for the scoop on Boston, look no further than our upcoming May newsletter for full coverage, out next week!

In the meantime, you may satisfy your Beantown hunger on our trusty Flyers Results Page.

As for our humble blog, you can catch Dave K. back here in this space on Sunday...
- Eric S.

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Shameless advertising, but totally worth it!

If you can haul your butt out of bed early on a Saturday, the group run in Central Park is always a great way to start the day. It runs a little differently than the weeknight runs, going the opposite direction around the park, and meeting at the 72nd Street Transverse instead of Engineer's Gate.

Today was even more different than usual. The run started at the NYRR offices on E. 89th Street, where New Balance had set up tables and temporary "changing pods", and kindly offered the Flyers a chance to try out (and keep) some new running shorts in exchange for feedback on how we liked them.

The turnout for the event was predictably high. I mean, who doesn't like new stuff for free? The last time I checked on the sign-in page, there were something like fifty names listed. And while some Flyers slept in and missed out, there was still a good crowd gathered.

Everyone, even late-comers, as far as I could tell, got a short, although some ended up with a different color than they preferred. NB was particularly interested in feedback about the men's inner lining of the short. I was actually glad to hear this, because I already own a pair of NB shorts that I bought a few years back and the main beef I have about it is (you guessed it) the inner lining. Sufficed to say (your appreciation for me not going into detail on this is understood) they're uncomfortable and I therefore rarely wear them. The new shorts, on the other hand, were totally comfy, and I expect to be wearing them a lot. Other comments that I heard from my fellow runners included that the sizes (men's and women's) ran large (I didn't find this) and that the men's short was a bit too long. I felt that the length of the short was in keeping with current styles of other shorts out there that seem to be going in the direction of the baggy basketball style. It didn't bother me but I can see how some people might prefer a shorter length, merely out of personal preference.

I myself am guilty of only attending the Saturday morning runs sporadically. I always enjoy them when I do make it out, and today was no exception. I started running with Celia K. and Kate M. for a bit, then caught up with Lara K. for a while, before spending much of the run with our esteemed club president, Glen W.  I also met some new Flyers, Mark and Dave, who seemed thrilled at the idea of having just joined a club that gives you new gear at each group run. Conversation covered everything from very untanned legs to returning to running from time off to, well, of course, blogging.

The good people at New Balance put up cute signs playing on their latest "NP" collection of apparel (Nice Posterior, runners!) and we did actually discuss the fit and style of the shorts. Oh, and by the way, just in case you weren't paying attention, NP = New performance.

On the return to NYRR's office, our hosts further surprised us with additional gifts on filling out the (much-shorter-than-I-expected) survey. Everyone received a very nice NB top and nylon bag - perfect for taking a change of clothes to the races. They even threw in some lip balm, sunscreen samples, and an ice pack.

All in all it was a great time, and everyone appreciated the goodies. Thanks go to Glen for organizing the event, and coordinating it with group run leaders Scott S. and Jim S.

An additional note: Surely some people will read this post and be frowning on us (well, me) for so blatantly advertising NB's products. We have a pretty strict "no advertising" policy on our website, and I'm proud that we haven't taken on an exclusive sponsorship contract like other clubs in the city. However, I like to keep things a little more loose and flexible on the blog. From my perspective, if any other running companies (are you listening?) are willing to treat our members to freebies of their products or services, I'm more than happy to provide them with a review or recap of the event on the blog (but be warned: if it's bad, you'll hear about that, too). The event today didn't only help bring attention to a sports merchandiser, but also brought attention to our Saturday morning group run, and got our members out for a run together, and that's really what this club is about. Comments, of course, are welcome.

Have a great run.  - Eric S.

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The little blog that could...

Yep, that's us. I've gotten a lot of great, positive comments from people who have been reading and enjoying our Flyers' foray into blog-world. As editor, I really do appreciate it, but I also would like to remind all our readers to please, let our bloggers know they're doing a good job - by either posting a comment, or shooting them a personal e-mail (they can all be found in our trusty Online Flyer Directory). They deserve to know that their effort is recognized.

And the interest in our blog is growing. I have a list of people that have expressed that they want to blog, along with a whole bunch more that I'd like to prod into posting as the year progresses. There's a wide diversity of people and running-related interests in our club, and I'm trying to reflect that on the blog. Let me know if you think I can do better, and how.

So far, I'm pretty happy with the way things are working. In case you haven't noticed, a new blog post typically goes up approximately every other day or so, which gives each blogger his/her day in the sun, but also keeps things fresh and interesting as the month moves along.  With April coming up, the blog schedule for the month is looking great with topics like half marathon training, healthy eating, and volunteering with Achilles, along with our usual ongoing running themes. I've also just updated the link to the Flyer Spotlight at the top of the right-hand sidebar, and will continue to do so from month to month as, so keep an eye on it to learn about the many members in our club. This month, accomplished runner, Iris C. (pictured), is featured.

For everyone out in Central Park today doing the Colon Cancer Challenge, it looks like you've got pretty good race weather out there. Good luck and have fun! - Eric S.

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Points and Pints...

Coogan's Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks Run 5K was a great time all around this Sunday. A record field of over 5,600 runners made their way up to Washington Heights on this beautiful, warm, sunny day, and it seemed like a record number were at Coogan's restaurant for the after-party as well!

I am perfectly aware of how difficult this race is, and yet I'm still always surprised at just how brutal the course is. Hilly just doesn't describe it -- it is very well likel the most difficult race course in Manhattan. This is the little 5K that could, and does, to you agan and again.

But the party at Coogan's makes it worth it, coming equipped with a free Irish music, free Irish breakfast, and free Irish beer. A good time for all Guinness and shepherd's pie lovers.

The race is a points race, and Flyers were out in force to defend their points. Of course, so were all the other teams, too, but we're optimistic that our team will do us proud in the standings. Thanks to everyone that came out to represent the club. You can check out our top finishers in the scroll box on the home page. Full results are here.

Personally, this was my first foray back into racing after many months off, and I'm questioning whether I could have chosen a more difficult on to start with. I was spent at the mile 2 marker, and still had that one last hill on Ft. Washington to finish me off. Still, it was great to be back racing with my fellow teammates. Back at the restaurant, Sarah D. and myself parked ourselves on some seats (prime real estate in the crowded establishment) and many other Flyers came and went -- among them: Steve K., Brett S., Kathy K., and Kevin M.
Good times, and good Guinness, all around!  -Eric S.

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NYRR Update

Just posted: The NYRR Al Gordon Classic (4M) next Sunday is nearing capacity, so if you're thinking about running it, you'd better get off the fence and make up your mind, pronto. This race is in lovely Prospect Park. If you've never done a race in Prospect Park, a shorty like this one is a good way to start. The drives are are hilly and will make those four miles seem like five... you'll be glad to be back in Central Park for the NYRR 8000 on 3/13!

If you're still hill-hungry after this weekend, get your Irish on and head uptown for Coogan's Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5k on Sunday the 7th. It's a points race, so get out and support our team! You'll run up and down Ft. Washington Ave., under the George Washington Bridge, into the beautiful-but-topographically-challenging Fort Tryon Park, and back. If the hills still don't satisfy your hunger, visit Coogan's Restaurant  (map) for the after-party (and breakfast!) immediately following the race. Yum!

 
And if that party seems like much too far off to wait for, don't forget that next Thursday is NYRR's Club Night. Go out, watch our Women's Veteran Team take home honors, mingle with the other clubs, and shake that booty! -Eric S.

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Great Scott! It's an Ultramarathoner!

We here at the Flyers' Blog aren't big on advertising, and try to keep clear of it whenever possible. No posts for sales or merchandise will be found on this page (unless it's our nifty Flyer duds, of course!). But sometimes local businesses do such a good job in baiting us to send people to their establishments that it's just too tough to resist.

Such is the case with JackRabbit Sports. On March 3rd and 4th (that's next Wed. and Thurs.), they will be hosting one of the world's top ultramarathoners, Scott Jurek, at their Union Square store. How could you not want to check this out? Please be aware that this is in no way an endorsement of JackRabbit or the products they sell.

No purchase necessary.They do, however, suggest making a donation to Norawas de Raramuri. This nonprofit organization was recently formed to support the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon in providing corn and bean prizes as well as meals and lodging for the Tarahumara racers.

Wednesday Evening, March 3rd 7pm

Scott Jurek - Slideshow and presentation in JackRabbit’s Union Sq store (map)
RSVP through Facebook for Weds Eve Slideshow
Suggested donation to Norawas de Raramuri: $5-$10

Thursday Lunchtime, March 4th 12 Noon

Scott Jurek - Slideshow and presentation in JackRabbit’s Union Sq store (map)
RSVP through Facebook for Thurs Lunch Slideshow
Suggested donation to Norawas de Raramuri: $5-$10

Can't make it to Jack Rabbit? You'd rather go for a run instead? Well, whether you're in Manhattan, or in Brooklyn, they can accommodate you, too. Check out these options for running with the champion ultramarathoner:

Saturday Morning, March 6th 8am

Morning group run with Scott in Central Park. Meet at Engineers' Gate (5th Ave and 90th St). The route will take us on the roads and bridle paths throughout the park. Pace and distance will be appropriate for runners of all levels.
RSVP through Facebook for Sat AM Group Run

Sunday Morning, March 7th 8am

Morning group run in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Meet at Grand Army Plaza (1 Prospect Park West). The route will take us on the roads and paths through some of the park’s hidden gems. Pace and distance will be appropriate for runners of all levels.
RSVP through Facebook for Sun AM Group Run

Hope you make it out for this rare opportunity to train with and learn from a champion!  Thanks to Jordan G. for sending this in.  -Eric S.

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Newsworthy, Indeed!

Personally, I don't know Richard G., our fine club Secretary, very well. I know that he knows a lot of other Flyers very well, and I know a lot of other Flyers know him very well. I know he's well-liked in our club. I know he's been with the Flyers for a long time, and started a lot of different Flyer traditions in the club, like the Arches Run, and he's responsible for getting our club involved in relay races like Hood To Coast. I know, well, at least I'm pretty sure, that he got the nickname "Papa Bear" at Hood To Coast. I don't know how or why, and sometimes I'm just afraid to ask.

Anyway, until today, that's about as much as much as I knew about him. But today I found out one very important thing: 

Richard G. can put together a hell of a New York Flyers' Newsletter.

Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself, right here. 

Now, I used to be Newsletter Editor and Designer, in my pre-blog days. I had fun putting it together each month, and, if I do say so myself, I did a pretty bang-up job of it.  Don't get me wrong -- I'm happy to be your humble Blogmaster. But if there's one thing that's making this humble Blogmaster even more humble, it's seeing that newsletter done better than I used to do it. And I have to admit, it is. It's still a printable newsletter, chock full of club information and Flyer fun stuff like it always has been, but now he's got it web-active with hot-links and slide show galleries, and and it even has a handy navigable side menu so that you can jump back and forth through the document no matter where you are, putting the all those previous newsletters' old "Table of Contents" to shame. After nearly a year's hiatus, Richard has seriously outdone us all and breathed new life into our beloved club magazine. Get a little glimpse of it below:

A little taste of the new Flyers' Newsletter, where 

Richard makes all us previous editors look bad.

That whet your whistle for more? Well, in case you missed the link the first time, you can find more here.

Still hungry? Well, at this point Richard's just reviving the newsletter for the first quarter of the 2010. If you want to see more, comment below, or send Richard some positive feedback at secretary-at-nyflyers-dot-org, so we can convince him to bring it back as the monthly that we all loved. In the meantime, if you're curious what the newsletter used to be like, you can see almost 10 years of newsletters in our Flyers archives.

Happy reading! -Eric S.

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The Blog Man Cometh

Hope everyone's been having a most romantic long weekend!

There are some big changes coming to blogland, folks, and I'm the first one. I'm Eric S. your humble Blogmaster, at your service.

Appointed to this position about a week or so ago, I've spent the last few days trying to figure out what specific role this blog plays in our happenin' little running club. My conclusion is that it really doesn't have one. Moreover, there are very different opinions in what role it should play. So after struggling with all these different opinions, I finally decided to go with the only one I know best... mine.

The Flyers already, thanks to our amazing Webmasters and Webmistress, have a kick-ass website. All the info you need to find about the club is on there, and all the links to running club events and races are there as well. We have truly great volunteers posting announcement, updating the calendar, and keeping up with PRs, awards, and activities. In the forums we have a place where people can ask questions and seek advice. 

Soooo... What's the place for the blog, then? Well, I think that the blog will sort of fill the gap between the (soon to be resurrected) Flyer's newsletter, and the website. Like the Flyers' newsletter, I'd like to see race reports and articles/ stories posted on interesting topics, but more than that, I'd like the blog to become a place for expressing opinions, reporting on races, giving advice, and telling your stories. Sort of a Flyers' Forums x10.

That said, surely this is going to be in flux for the next little while. Richard G. will have his newsletter posted any day now, and I'm sure there will be some overlap with that. Our good VP, Brian H., has been posting info from NYRR, which is a bit overlapping with the our own website, but that's OK, too. I might change the look, name, layout, etc. but need to think about that for a bit.

The most important thing, though, is that I'd like this to be representative of our esteemed club, so I invite all members to get involved. If you're reading this and thinking that you want to post something to the blog, please forward it to me at blogmaster-at-nyflyers-do-org, and I'll be more that happy to post it. Keep it appropriately focused on running and/or the club is all I ask (well, with Terry Baker's VIWHI being the exception, of course!), and it is my intention to keep any editing to a minimum.

In the meantime, I'll write, and try to reflect the perspective of our many members in my posts. If you don't think I'm doing that, or have any suggestions on how to make this blog better, please send it to the address above.

OK, that's all I have time for this fine President's Day. Be well, and good running to all.  -Eric S.

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