Wondering where Conway / Arkansas runners are running this weekend is a little like the old Where’s Waldo challenge.  Last weekend we had runners in the New York Half Marathon and the L.A. Marathon.  Above are the results we know about from these events.  I’m sure there were more in the New York race (or I think there are?), but the results did not have a search by state or city.  If you ran either of these events and are not listed, please email us and we’ll add you to the list. 

And beyond these two “coastal” races, there was a group of 28 runners who ran a the High Rock Hop Trail Run in Arkansas.  Not everyone got a finishing time because I hear some of them got lost and ran different distances and it wasn’t quite as “precise” of a race as the L.A. and NYC races. 

Whether you are doing a training run around here in Conway, getting lost in the woods in Nowhere, Arkansas or running a major large city event, chances are you are having a great time.  Keep runnning Conway – and if you aren’t out there running yet, why not?

We expect the marathon and half marathon races to fill up by the end of the week based on current registration trends.

Fewer than 200 spots are avaible in the marathon and 400 spots in the half marathon.

Happy Day!

Gina and Geneva

Conway K-Life  is a community-wide, interdenominational Christian ministry that works alongside churches and families to teach and encourage kids to be strong in their faith, in spite of the multitude of negative pressures they face as teenagers.  K-Life networks kids from different churches, and those without a church, to build positive relationships that can stand the negative peer pressure so prevalent in today’s youth culture.  “We have seen such a positive impact in the Conway youth community as a result of K-Life,” explained Jim Campbell, Chairman of the K-Life Board of Directors.  “Whether you are a serious runner, a parent of a K-Life kid, or just a supporter of K-Life, we hope you will come out and participate in the race in some way.”

The 1985k is a “dusk run,” starting at 6:00 p.m. from the Conway High School West Campus and will follow a certified USA Track and Field race route well known to many area runners.  A detailed map of the racecourse is found online at Conway K-Life’s website.  This year the 1985k will feature a chip timing race system to ensure the most accurate results are recorded and submitted to USA Track & Field for national recognition.  Registration is open now and will continue until race time.  Race-day check in will begin at 5:00 pm.

CLICK HERE for more information and to sign up.  Oh, yes, and tell your running friends!!!!

We had a good group out running this morning and did a new hill route over on the running trail, up the hill and down to Reedy Road and back up and down, back up and down, back up and down.  You get the point.  Some runners went up and down one side, others went up one side down the other and back.  As we passed on the hill, everyone running (some walking) our own pace I realized that hill work and speed work may be the BEST time to join the group for a run.  The first impression is that these would be the most intimidating and difficult days but in fact, they are they best.  When we head out for a 5, 7, 10, … mile run, you may struggle to keep up and if you can’t you may end up running by yourself, although the group is pretty good about keeping this from happening.  However, hill work and speed work days you can adjust the number of intervals to your fitness and enjoy the group.  Remember, we alternate speed work and hill work on Tuesday mornings at 5am.  Check out our weekly schedule and we’ll see you in the parking lot at the fitness center at 5am.

Life’s accomplishments start with a goal (or a dream), are joined by others who share your goal (or dream) and end up as memories that we look back upon and cherish.  And when those goals (or dreams) also contribute to keeping us healthy, we get the bonus of living longer with more friends who share our goals (or dreams).  Over and over this is the reality of the Conway Running Club.

I wonder, what is the big deal about qualifying for Boston?  Is it the journey or the destination?  Is it the friends you gather along the way or the feeling you get when you qualify for or finish the Boston Marathon?  Or maybe it is what you learn when you try and try and never qualify.  Whatever it is, it seems to be the buzz of running communities everywhere and whether you qualify or not, there is a lot of life to be had by hanging with the people who are chasing this goal (or dream).

Most of the group in the picture above are training for the New Orleans half or full marathon.  All of them just finished a 23 mile training run.  Claudia is laying it on the line to get to Boston, Cindy is putting in the miles to finish her first marathon (no time goal allowed on the first – finishing is the goal!), Don is the voice of experience, Jami is along for the training runs and each other person has a goal (or a dream) they brought with them as they ran together around Conway today. 

What’s your goal (or dream)?  If it involves running, these and the others in the Conway Running Group are a great group to chase it with.

Running is one of the only sports where us “average” athletes can compete in the same race with elite athletes.  While our local runners were running their race, Deanna Kastor set a new half marathon course record in Phoenix running a 1:09:43, running the first mile in a 4:54!.  Read about her race and the other course records set in Phoenix this past weekend. 

The Conway Running Club will post race results for all races where we know we have someone from our area running.  If it is an Arkansas event we will post Conway area results and for out of state races we will post Arkansas results with Conway area results highlighted.  If you or anyone you know is running a race, please let us know by emailing results@conwayrunning.org before the race and we will look up the results and post them.  We also invite you to post information and pictures about your event on our Facebook page or if you are not on Facebook you can also email them to results webmaster@conwayrunning.org.

As the 2010 Grand Prix gets under way this weekend with the first event (One Hour Track Run in Russellville), you might want to take a look back at how our Conway runners fared in the 2009 season.  Thanks to John Harrison for putting this together for us.  Grand Prix racing is a lot of fun and a great way to improve your running and make more running friends.  Any time you can turn an individual sport (like running, tennis, golf, swimming, etc.) into a team sport, you really take it to the next level. 

Get more information and/or sign up for the Grand Prix.  You’ll be glad you did.

2009 Conway Grand Prix Individual Results.

Join our Facebook page and keep up with all of the awesome runners here in Conway and find someone to run with when your running friends are taking the day off.

Yes, it is true, there are a lot of fast runners in Conway.  It’s also true that we’d like for all of the fast runners in Conway to join the club and our Grand Prix team.  We believe there are enough fast runners in Conway to get first place in the Arkansas Grand Prix in 2010 if we can get the word out.  You don’t have to run all of the races and you don’t have to be fast.  The scoring can get a little complicated but suffice it to say that the Spa Pacers edged out our women’s team by 4 points and there were a few races we didn’t have enough women entered to make a team and so those that were able to get points didn’t get any.  Consider racing with us.  Not only will it make you faster, but it will add a new dimension to your running and keep you motivated to keep training.  Running can be a lonely sport, but running with a group and racing with a team can change all of that. 

Now, back to our image problem.  Not everybody in the Conway Running Club runs fast and is part of the Grand Prix team.  There are all levels of runners and we want to be a club that is open to all levels of walkers and runners.  One of the most important principles of committing to a running program is to start where you are and add frequency and pace slowly.  To do otherwise is to invite burnout, discouragement or injury into your life and these are not our friends.  Our friends are those who we get to know while walking and running down the streets of Conway, talking and laughing together.  It has been said that when we are not running we talk about running and when we are running we talk about everything else. 

If you are not a fast runner or a racer, we need you.  We need you to help us fix our image problem.  If you like to run but don’t run at 5am in the morning, we need you.  We need you to help us fix our image problem.  Tell us about your group that meets to run and we’ll spread the word and get some more people out there to run with you.  If you have a time and a place to meet with someone expecting you to be there you are more likely to be consistent with your running.  If you set goals, you are more likely to meet them.  And that is what the Conway Running Club is all about.  The bonus is that we all become great friends and are there with you, no matter what you face in your life. 

Please join us at our 2010 membership meeting on January 14th at 6pm at the Conway Regional Fitness Center.  You don’t have to be a member to attend.  Whatever you do, consider becoming a member of the Conway Running Club, you don’t have to be fast or run at 5am.

If you only head to the gym when the weather is bad, you end up staring at the treadmill which is much more technologically advanced than you remember and feel like you’ve set a PR just by figuring out how to turn it on, set the pace and incline.  Understanding, selecting and running the various courses on the machine can be downright mind boggling.

Fortunately, there are resources like www.RunnersWorld.com where there is excellent information on how to get the most out of a treadmill workout.  In fact, the videos on the site provide all kinds of useful exercise tips for building core body strength, running form and many other great tips.  Check out the TREADMILL VIDEOS on the site before you head to the gym and maybe you’ll find yourself heading to the treadmill, even when it is nice outside. 

Otherwise, you might have an experience like CRC runner Autumn Russell did the other day, running 20 miles on the treadmill trying to stay motivated by Paula Dean, Regis and Kelly and …