Every month on the third Monday of the month, the Conway Running Club meets at 7pm at the Conway Regional Fitness Center.  It’s a great time to meet other who are passionate about running – and also some who are considering starting to run – or walk, or just move.  This month we’re going to take a break from having a guest speaker to learn about running so we can all go for a run together.  After a brief (15 minute) meeting, we’ll head out as a group to run different distances depending on the ability of the people who are there.  The run should last up to 45 minutes so everyone will be back to the fitness center around 8.

This would be a great meeting to attend if you are new to running and want to meet some other runners.  And if you normally run alone, you’ll experience first hand the benefits of running as a group.  Most of all, this will be a great meeting to bring a friend, someone new to the CRC.

SO, some out and enjoy the meeting, and the fun run!!  See ya’ll there – with your running shoes on!!

Join us for the next big running ‘thing’ in Conway!! Click on the image to enlarge and learn all about Family Track Night!!

We will miss his involvement in the running community but are excited to see him launch out from Conway and take the next step in his competitive career.

On Sunday June 9th (time TBD – sometime in the afternoon or evening), we are going to have a get together at Toad Suck Park to say good-bye and enjoy a last ride and/or run with Max before he leaves.  There isn’t any cost for the event but you will have the opportunity to contribute to a fund to help him as he pursues his professional career. Please plan to come and spread the word, regardless if you are able to donate to the fund.  This is going to be fun!!

The format will be a 1 hour bike ride followed by a 1 hour run.  The format will be an out and back where everyone starts together, everyone runs the pace they want to run, everyone turns around at 30 minutes and everyone finishes together.  This will be the format for both the bike and the run.

More details to come. For now, spread the word and save the date.

Kids Run Arkansas – Friday, April 19 @ 6 p.m.

CRC is a sponsor for this event! Any volunteers that want to help with set up are asked to be at Laurel Park by 4:45 p.m. (The event begins @ 6 p.m.) Volunteers are always welcome to help face paint, cheer & help encourage on the course! Our CRC signs will be ready by the event – so we can promote the running club & cheer on the kiddos!

Stallion Stampede 5K Fun Run – Thursday, April 25 @ 1 p.m.

Jim Stone Elementary is hosting a Stallion Stampede 5K Fun Run for the kids on school grounds & are looking for volunteers for one of the water stations.  Should be fun to watch & cheer on the kiddos

Toad Suck Daze 5K/10K – Saturday, May 4

Let’s help celebrate the 30th Anniversary this year & spread the word about CRC!
Learn more @ http://www.toadsuckrun.com/http://www.toadsuckrun.com/

Women Run Arkansas Clinic Night – Thursday, May 9 @ 6:30 p.m.

We all know what a GREAT clinic this is & how inspirational it is for many of the participants! Let’s keep them on this journey of fitness and have them join CRC!

I recently completed my first Half Ironman and prior to the race was getting some advice from one my running / triathlon mentor friends and after walking me through what I needed to do to prepare for each event and the transitions between them, he said to stay focused on 4 things during the race.

Be patient – don’t get anxious before the race.  Don’t worry that something will go wrong.  While I was standing on the pier waiting to jump in for the tread water start, I simply looked out over the lake, the buoys lined up and the swimmers in the water stroking through the water.  I smiled and relaxed, patiently.  Before I knew it I was flying through the air and into the 65 degree water.

Be present – that is, be right where you are and do what you have to do right now.  I remember my mind starting to wander as I swam, thinking about what I was going to do in the swim – bike transition.  Had to get my wet suit off, find my bike, swim cap and goggles off … STOP … be present.  Let’s swim to the next buoy.  How relaxed are my shoulders.  Feel the water.  This has given me new meaning when I hear “you must be present to win.”

Be positive – a lot of things can happen during a race to bring us down.  So many of us draw our attitude from what our Garmin tells us it should be.  My legs were gone on the run and my pace had slowed to a pace that I didn’t expect.  Staying positive not only kept me in the race, but allowed me to have a better overall experience.  Negative thoughts, discouragement, frustration, etc. use up energy at a time we can least afford it.

Be powerful – although my goal is always first to finish a race, it is important to me to know that I left it all out there and made most effective use of the training and preparation that I had done prior to the start.  Feeling your body execute and work is a powerful thing.  Doing the things that you know deliver the most power during a race is what it is all about.  My Dad was a cross country coach and he used to tell his team – “all you’ve got is what you brought to the race”.  It is exhilarating to feel the results of the training you put in prior to the race being turned into power during the race!

I joke that during the run, I threw off powerful at one of the aid stations because there wasn’t any power left in my legs.  I stayed patient, present and positive.  I crossed the finish line and completed another event and learned a lot about the Half Ironman distance.  I’ll be back for more.

Find a mantra that works for you, something that will keep your focus during a training run or race to help you do the right things and get the most from your body.  For me, at the Galveston 70.3, it was to stay patient, present, positive and powerful.

Related article:  Lengthen, Level and Lift

So, you’ve been out on the streets, at races, and you’ve seen all that bright orange CRC gear.

Here is your chance to get some for yourself.  Open the order form, print and complete, give to a board member or mail in.

CRC Logo Wear Order Form

Todd Ake will speak about the biking community and his event in May.

Please bring your newly acquired race bling and share your experiences!!

Don’t miss the March Conway Running Club meeting – Tuesday March 19th at 7pm at the Conway Regional Fitness Center.  Tuesday?  I thought the CRC meetings were on Monday?  Well, we’ve switched them for a couple of months so we don’t conflict with the Women Run Arkansas meetings on Monday night.  Later in the year we’ll switch back so we don’t conflict with the Soaring Wings training on Tuesday.  There is just so much running activity in Conway we have to stay on the move to get everyone in one place for some great networking, time to meet new friends, hear inspiring stories and get information about how to make running (walking or even just moving) a regular part of our lives.  Why?  Because it’s so much fun and we get to hang with such great people.

This month will be no exception as Arland and Annette Blanton are coming to share a little of their running experience, some of the ways they’ve worked with the people and community of Cabot to promote running and help make Cabot a better place to live.  We enjoy seeing so many Cabot Cruisers at the Grand Prix races around the state and look forward to spending the evening with them.  If you know them I know you’ll plan to attend, and if you don’t, well then here is your chance.

This is also the first meeting after the election of our new board members and our Prez Katie McGuirt will give you some insight into what they’ve been talking about, but most importantly she is going to ask you what YOU want out of the Conway Running Club and how YOU would like to be involved.  As the CRC has expanded to include such a diverse group of runners it is important that everyone knows that they are needed and that their opinion counts.  2013 is off to a great start and there is no stopping in sight!  Think about it and let us know at the meeting, on a run or anywhere.

This is also the first meeting since the Little Rock Marathon.  We’ll have a chance to hear from a few of the first time marathoners who crossed the finish line in Little Rock.

Spread the word and plan to attend, we’ll see you there!!!

Bill Doshier, one of the founders of Rock Runners here in Conway, will share about the beginnings and motivation for starting this group as well as some of his experiences and the successes of those who were “motivated to start moving” by this group.  This will be especially relevant to those who are new to the Conway Running Group and those who want to get moving but haven’t quite gotten there yet.  The CRC has a very broad mission which includes helping people to get moving, walk, jog or run, whatever they need at the time.

At the other end of the spectrum, Max Sawyer will share his experiences and the commitment it takes to “win”.  For Max, this means crossing the finish line first as he often does.  For others, this will apply to reaching the next level in your running, getting a personal best or one of the many other types of wins we can experience through running.

Join us for a great meeting, make new friends, new commitments and learn a thing or two about the sport we all love

K-Life is a community-wide, interdenominational Christian ministry of discipleship and fellowship for youth and their families.  The heartbeat of K-Life lies in the ability to build relationships with kids and bring the content of God’s word to bear on those relationships. Our desire is that kids would choose to participate in one of our small groups led by our staff and volunteer leaders. The purpose of these groups is for kids to gain a greater knowledge of God’s word, build Godly relationships with peers, and have access to a mentoring leader to come alongside them as they navigate those difficult adolescent years. Supporting and surrounding our small group strategy are the more visible components of our ministry: weekly club meetings, activities, events, and retreats. Weekly meetings consist of songs, games, skits, and talks that contain a lesson with a relevant life application from the Bible.

This is a great 5K for a great cause.  The Conway Running Club proudly supports this race and encourages all runners, walkers, people who used to be runners and want to run again and anyone who wants to have some 80’s fun at dusk and support Conway K-Life.

Click here to register!!!