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Show Me the Green

Thanks to everyone who made it out in the rain to the St. Patrick's Day
Fun Run and Walk on March 17. Once again we had our start and finish at
the APS Gallery, which was especially lucky on that particularly
unpleasant day! Our award for the person wearing the most green went to
Renee Lanham (ASD). Even her shoelaces had a St. Patrick's Day theme.
Renee won a green Argonne sweatshirt for her courageous fashion effort.
The other raffle prizes (3 - \$5 bills and a box of Girl Scout cookies)
went to: Art Frigo (CMT), Mike Lanagan (ET), Kristi Wood (ECT) and
Charles Jonah (CHM). And what's up with this\... Dale Alexander's name
was picked for the third month in a row to win a raffle prize. He chose
not to accept it and allow another person a chance. Thanks Dale!

Those who ran or walked the soggy course were (in no particular order):
Renee Lanham (ASD), Dan Remus (DOE), Jerry Rice (ECT/CS), Art Frigo
(CMT), Mike Lanagan (ET), Kristi Wood (ECT), Ratindra Das (PFS/FRE), Pat
Dombrowski (APS/ASD), Dale Alexander (MSD), Jean Smith (ET), Aziz Uras
(RE), Tony Juscius (ESH), Noel Feeney (EMO), Jack Picciolo (ET), Karl
Grimm (RA), Charles Jonah (CHM), and Bryant Polzin (ET). Plenty of food
awaited everyone at the finish, including some very questionably bright
green bagels. Looked scary\... but tasted just fine! Thanks a lot to
Corrie Patterson and John Schlueter for helping out so much with this
race.

Laurie Culbert

A Character Building Race

You had to be half-mad to run the March Madness Half-Marathon in Cary
this year. The race was on March 8 -- the day before the "Big Snow Storm
of 1998" -- and in case you don't remember how lovely the weather was
that day, I will remind you. John Schlueter and myself ran this
"character building" race in the freezing pouring rain and high winds on
a very hilly course. We were totally soaked before the starting gun even
fired, so you can imagine how special we were feeling for the next 13.1
miles. You probably could not ask for worse conditions except for those
of you that remember the 1993 Chicago Marathon. Now those conditions
were worse because of the wind-chill factor and snow.

I am sure the March Madness Half-Marathon is a very nice race under
different weather conditions but what kind of guarantees do you want in
the beginning of March in Chicago? The Half-Marathon doesn't start till
9:50 AM (there is also a 10K race at 9:35 AM) which is a nice start time
for those of us who aren't real jazzed up about getting up early in the
winter. This particular race is an excellent training race for those of
you entertaining ideas of a spring marathon. All in all, the
Hillstriders put on a very nice race that attracts a large contingent of
loyal followers. Most of the other runners out there that day were in
good spirits and even joking around despite the wretched conditions. I
chalked it up to yet another "character building" day, but what kind of
character\... I am not sure.

Laurie Culbert

Red Dress Run Update

Last month in the newsletter (March 1998) the Red Dress Run was
announced. The race is tentatively set for June 9, 1998 at noon; the
course is as yet to be determined - but mark the date. Remember, that to
be entered into the raffle, you have to run in a red dress. NO
exceptions. All other runners (and walkers) are welcome to participate
in the event, but they are NOT eligible for the raffle prizes. This run
is going to a lot of fun, so get busy and start looking for a dress for
yourself.

This note is just a reminder because some of us need a lot of lead time
to find just the right attire. My wife and I have been looking in resale
shops for a deal on a red dress. My wife even has her friends looking in
resale shops for a dress for me. I tried on one number (at home) and my
wife said I looked like Sharon Stone, or did she say I looked like I was
stoned???

Karl Grimm

Do your taxes\...

and then join us for the 1040 Up-All-Night Trot. The running club\'s
April Fun Run will be held on Wednesday, April 15th at noon. The start
and finish of the 5 K run and 2 M walk will be at the Argonne Pool.
Refreshments will be available at the conclusion of the race. We\'ll be
keeping a close eye on Dale Alexander to see how many times he throws
his name into the raffle bag!

Track Workouts Begin

The Argonne Running Club has not yet received permission to build an
all-weather track inside the APS (and we are still a little short on
funds). But for those of you who are trying to improve your race times
or are looking for a good way to meet some runners, the ARC will run
with the Running Club from North Central College on their new \$1.5
million track on Wednesday nights at 6:15 PM beginning April 1.

These track workouts are rather informal, and have runners of all
abilities. You don\'t need to commit to running every week. I would
encourage any ARC member to spend a few nights a month at the track with
us - I think you will be surprised at how it helps improve your race
times, and how much fun it really is. There is really no fee charged to
run these workouts, but if you decide to run regularly, it is suggested
that you contribute a few dollars to the North Central Track Club, or
help out with a track meet, a cross country meet, etc. Hope to see you
at the track!

John Schlueter

Off Site Races

Now that the warm winds of spring have begun to blow, the Chicago Area
is filled with road races every weekend. It is quite easy this time of
year to find a race in a suburb close to where you live. I encourage you
to pick up a copy of Amateur Athlete, Windy City Sports, or a similar
local sports magazine from your health club or sports store and look
through the race listings to find a race of your liking. A few
possibilities are listed below:

*Great Western*. This is the first year this race has been run, but it
sounds like a good training race for runners who are thinking about a
spring marathon. The race is 30 K, and is an out and back along the
Great Western Bike Trail in St. Charles. 65% of the trail is on crushed
limestone. Finishers are given a medallion and T-shirts. The race is on
Sunday May 3 at 8 AM.

*Naperville 10 K Classic* I\'ve never done this race, but I\'ve heard it
is pretty good. It is also nice because it is fairly close by. Give it a
try on Saturday May 2 at 8 AM.

*Old Kent River Bank Run* This is a big race and a national qualifier.
The main event is a 25 K, but there is also a 5 K run/walk. I\'ve done
this one, and recommend it, but it takes a few hours to drive up to
Grand Rapids, MI. This years race is Saturday May 9 at 8 AM.

*Syttende Mai Run* Laurie Culbert has told me that this is a good race.
I\'m thinking about trying it one of these years. The race is 20 M, and
starts at the Capitol Square in Madison, WI at 8 AM on Saturday May 16.

If you are interested in any of these races, please let me know, and
I\'ll send you an entry form. (Bldg. 200, Rm. A185, 2-3588).

John Schlueter

Pass the Baton

A great alternative to the traditional road races that are frequently
mentioned in this newsletter are relay races. These races can be a lot
of fun regardless of how competitive your team is. Relay races provide
an opportunity for teammates to get to know each other better, and
encourage each other in their running.

There are two common types of relay races. Marathons, such as the
Madison Marathon, frequently have relay events that allow runners who
aren\'t up for the full 26.2 M to participate. These relay races
typically allow a team of five runners to participate, with each runner
running legs of a little over 5 M. A second type of relay is one in
which each runner gets to carry the baton multiple times. These races
typically cover a large number of miles and can take most of a day to
complete.

For the fourth year in a row, the ARC will have a team competing (or at
least running) in the River to River Relay race in southern Illinois. On
April 18, the eight runner team of Chuck Jonah, Laurie Culbert, John
Schlueter, Steve Rose, Karl Grimm, Paul Eident, Laura Miller, and Don
Bohringer will run across Illinois from the Mississippi River to the
Ohio River. During this 80 mile race, each runner will run three legs of
about 3-4 miles each. This is the eleventh anniversary of this race, and
it has grown to be very popular with over 240 teams competing. This
popularity has made it difficult to get a team entered because the race
fills up very quickly.

For people who were interested in running River to River, but didn\'t
get their team entered in time, I recently found out about a new race in
Wisconsin with a similar theme that is having its first running this
year. This eight runner relay is called the Woods to Water Relay, and
runs 80 miles from Cable, WI through the Chequamegon National Forest to
finish on the shores of the Chequamegon Bay in Ashland, WI. This year\'s
race will be held on May 23, and I think there are still entry slots
available. If you are interested in running this race, or getting a team
together for a similar relay, let me know, and I can hook you up with
other interested runners, and put a message in the newsletter to
encourage others to join your team.

John Schlueter

You are the ARC

The Argonne Running Club has over 50 paid members (and hopefully, not
many unpaid ones), however, most of the newsletter is written by a few
faithful contributors. I want to remind all our runners that this
newsletter is intended to be the voice of our runners. I encourage all
of you to contribute your thoughts and insights. I don\'t want this
newsletter to be a diary of the races I run, but rather be a way for our
members to communicate and learn from each other. The easiest way to
help out is to write a short paragraph about races that you run and send
it to me. It only needs to give information such as: When and where was
the race held? How long was the race? Was the entry fee reasonable? Were
there T-shirts, metals, etc.? How were the post race refreshments? And,
anything else you want to add.

John Schlueter

Quote

\"Running is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness,
and self-reliance. Independence is the outstanding characteristic of the
runner. He learns the harsh reality of his physical and mental
limitations when he runs. He learns that personal commitment, sacrifice
and determination are his only means to betterment. Runners only get
promoted through self-conquest.\"

Noel Carrol

Cool Down