Shawmont Running Club

For 10/21/23

By

RUMINATIONS

You Turtle*

[1½ MIN READ] Go on as one might about that which is not sticks and stones, names really can hurt. They might not cause physical injuries, but the emotional scarring could really be lasting. I haven’t done the research on post-traumatic stress disorder as it relates to name-calling, but I’m confident it exists. As far as running, many runners complain about being slow, but the idea of being called a turtle feels truly offensive.

On the other hand, it’s only as a runner that I’ve come across turtles on the trails: Literal turtles. There was the one BB Betsy and I encountered in Abington’s Alverthorpe Park that gave every validation about moving being the chore many of us feel running to be sometimes. That was a few years ago and no one would make the assumption that there’d be other pokes on the trail equally as slow.

Then My-Oh Maya and I encountered one on the Canal Path in Manayunk. This one wasn’t as sizable as the earlier, but that earlier was loitering along the shore of the pond where one could see it making its way and enjoying the sunny conditions. Canal-path Turtle someone how made it up from the water and navigated to the boardwalk itself. It was in no more of a rush than the earlier trail user, though, and seemed to wear its pokey name equally proudly.

Photo credits: Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Finally, there was the most compact one (to be size-ist) that had clearly done speed conditioning BB Betsy and I met on Pennypack Trail Extension. This competitor would absolutely have given the earlier 2 a run for the money as it executed an admirable fartlek segment even as we passed it doing our own leisurely pace.
-CtCloser (Calvinthe) “Negative Split or Positive Splat” #dothedue

FINE PRINT
*A bit of feedback on recent Ruminations is that they’ve lost some of their overall lightheartedness. Hmm, really? Well, I have one in the hopper about turtles. Ooh, turtles: That sounds good. So here you go. ¶Text by Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Cross-published: Facebook Shawmont Running Club (ZY Weekly Newsletter 10/21/23), Shawmont Running Club website, Ruminations by CtCloser.

 

WHOZ DOIN WHAT IN 2023

  • 10/28 JAVELINA JUNDRED 100 MILE TRAIL RACE (AZ)
    • Just Gene
  • 10/29 NEWBURY (MA) HALF MARATHON
    • Greg Landry
  • 11/5 BRIDGE RUN 10K (PA)
    • Just Gene
  • 11/12 HARRISBURG MARATHON
    • Lisa Marie
  • 11/18 PHILADELPHIA HALF MARATHON (PA) 
    • Alan Bravo
    • Eric F
    • Just Gene
    • Lenore
  • 11/25 DELAWARE CROSS COUNTRY 5K (DE) 
    • Just Gene
  • 11/28 DELAWARE HALF MARATHON
    • Tom Yunker
  • 12/3 THE LOOP RACE (8.4 MI) PHILLY
    • OKhen
    • Mango Marjo
  • 12/9 KIAWAH ISLAND MARATHON (SC) 
    • Just Gene
  • 12/17 NAKED NICK 50K (PA) 
    • Just Gene

 

CONGRATS-A-MUNDO TO ALL!

  • 9/24 BERLIN MARATHON (GERMANY)
    • Just Gene: 3:18:23, AG 1st
    • Just Hilary: 3:21:09
  • 10/21 HAUNTED HUSTLE ½ MARATHON (WI)
    • All That Jaz (Trail name in training. FKA: Jaz, JC): 2:05:24, AG 1st

SEND YOUR RACE RESULTS TO: TEDMILLER01@GMAIL.COM

 

RUNNIN’ OFF AT THE MOUTH

“You don’t run against a bloody stopwatch. A runner runs against himself/herself, against the best that’s in him/her. Not against a dead thing of wheels and pulleys. That’s the way to be great, running against yourself. Against all the rotten mess in the world. Against God, if you’re good enough.” –Bill Persons

“Running is the perfect sport for business travelers. While on location in Los Angeles, I actually bought one of those maps that show the celebrity homes and ran around looking for them.” –Jill Cordes

“Running allows me to recharge my batteries. A good run adds a little bounce to my step.” –George W. Bush

Source: The Gigantic Book of Running Quotations, Higdon, 2008 (Skyhorse Publishing)

 

THEMZ WHO WUZ THERE (except those forgotten or missed 😊)

Stats – We track attendance and Shawmont. Loggin’ the miles is just for fun.
Records: Attendance – 39 on 6/23/18. Shawmonts – 26 on 2/10/18.

  • Trail Name: Distance (Route)
  • BB Betsy: 10
  • Carol: 6
  • Greg L: 14 (SHAW)
  • Half Caff: 10
  • JR: 10.6
  • Kenny Baby: 5
  • Prof. Sandy: 10
  • Quietman Tom: 10
  • Tall Dave: 12.6
  • Ying1: 12

Email Newsletter Editor: Teddio
Facebook and Website Newsletter Editor: CtCloser