December 2008 - January 2009

President's Column - Deb Wyspianski - December '08 - January '09 With winter starting to settle in some of us are starting to feel a bit of the winter blues. The craziness of the holidays can leave us tired and stressed. The shorter daylight hours can make us feel as if we are trapped in the house, but don’t hang up your running shoes just yet. GRTC offers an outlet for your winter doldrums. We are having our 30th anniversary Freezeroo Series starting on December 13th in Pineway Ponds Park in Ogden. This is the start of a six race series that will run until the end of February. There is chip timing, plenty of food, and prizes for the series runners. To qualify for the series you must sign up for the series at YOUR FIRST race. You must also run at least 4 of the six races. If you run more, your best 4 are scored. The series is a great way to keep yourself motivated through the winter months and to help keep off the extra holiday pounds, or an excuse to eat more. It is a great way to stay in touch with all your running friends as well. The series offers both competition and festivities. If you are making it a family event, maybe those not running can help by volunteering. If you think you can help out, please email or call Diane Jozefski at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 585-467-9255. We will be having our annual GRTC banquet on January 24, 2009. At the banquet we will be celebrating New Year of running and the accomplishments of 2008.There will be mileage patches given out to those who submit their race miles run in 2008. We have them for 50,100 and 200miles. We will be giving out the awards for the Rochester Runner of the Year Series (RROY) and we will be honoring the 2 new GRTC Hall of Fame inductees. There will be time to eat and socialize, so if you are interested, please make your reservations now before they are sold out. If there are spaces left, tickets will be sold at the door at an increased price. Please see or web site for further details on all of these events. Another item we do at the banquet each year is vote on the GRTC board member elections. We gave a rotating 3 year plan that allows the members to rotate in or out if they wish. We are in real need of new members to the boars and are interested in anyone out there who feels that they can contribute. You do not have to have any special talents or be a fast runner. All you need is the willingness and the desire to make a difference in the running community. Special skills are just a bonus. I started on the board a few years ago with the encouragement of the Freezeroo race directors. They did not know me but saw that I was there taking pictures of my friends at each of the races. I had started running the series but became injured. My reply was that I didn’t have any “board member” skills. I did have the time though and I wanted to feel a part of something so I tentatively agreed to attend some of the meetings. I am very glad that I did. Besides taking pictures for the web site, I mainly volunteered to do the hands on preparations for our various events. It is funny to me that I somehow ended up as president in 2008. It’s funny because I still remember at how I squirmed at the invitation to be on the board. I had been a swim instructor/lifeguard, a waitress, and a dishwasher. How did unloading tractor trailers or working in a factory qualify me for the board of anything? I wasn’t even a really serious or fast runner.. I found out that I didn’t need to be. All I had to do was say I was willing to help in whatever way I could. There is always a lot more work behind the scenes than most people realize and a great need for those to do it. We also have a need for someone who is willing to take over the GRTC calendar for 2009. The majority of the work will be between now and March but will continue with updates throughout the year. This calendar is created for our web site and has been in conjunction with Fleet Feet for a printed version. If you feel that this is an area in which you can help us out. Please contact any of us on the board and we will be happy to work with you. I hope to see all of you at our upcoming events. Make the most of your winter. Deb