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RUMINATIONS
To Shawmont or Not to Shawmont – by Dutch
To Shawmont or not to Shawmont is the question some of us ask ourselves before we set out for our Saturday long run at Valley Green. To some, it’s no big deal, easy peasy, just another day, just another run to check off. For others it’s that sick-to-your-stomach flutter in your belly that says: Can I do this today? Do I have the energy? Did I hydrate enough? The list goes on and on! For me, it’s a 5:30 a.m. wake-up, an hour prep, a half-hour drive while giving myself a pep talk. Many things can happen on this 14-mile glorious loop, and if you have run this loop enough times, you know what I mean.
Another perspective would be where you currently are in your running journey. If you are training for a race, trying to build your base, or you’re just maintaining your weekly mileage, regardless of your fitness level, the Shawmont Hill will still smack you down if you’re not prepared! Did I mention that I secretly love that big, beautiful hill? Well, I do!
I think everyone remembers their first Shawmont! In some respects, it’s a rite of passage. When I did my first Shawmont, it was in the fall. I was new to running and I had no idea what I was about to encounter, except that there was a hill. “I love hills,” I said to myself. “This is going to be great.” And it was! I had the best experience, and I was hooked. Fast forward to the next summer. Can you say holy heat and humidity? What a different experience it is, depending on the season. In the cooler temps, you feel like a superstar, but in the warmer months, you question your running abilities and your mental stability: “I must be insane.” Or you might say to yourself, “This is it; I have hit the wall with my running. It’s over for me. Maybe I should take up cycling or something?” Blah, blah blah…
Then the next week comes. It’s still hot, humid, and muggy, but you line up anyway with all the eager runners and set off for another adventure. This time, you make the first 2.5 miles, then the next, waving enthusiastically at the 5-mile mark as you take off toward Lincoln Drive. At Ridge Ave, you ceremoniously take in your fuel and proceed through Manayunk, smiling at all the people having coffee and a bagel. Feeling pretty good, the towpath is a breeze, the cobble stones feel soft as sand as you trek up over the tracks to meet the Hill. The take-off is steady, your breath is increasing, halfway up, then around the curve. Rhythmically you move forward one-two, one-two, you make it to the top slightly out of breath but feeling good.
It’s all downhill from there, if you run Ridge Ave, that is! As Jamie likes to point out, Ridge Ave is great if you don’t mind the noise, ugly scenery, and all the traffic … lol. The best part of Ridge is the new sidewalk that I think they constructed just for the Shawmonters, which runs the whole length before the turn onto the beloved Andorra Mile. This is where you catch up with your friends, gliding down that beautiful hill!!!
–Dutch (AKA Presley, FKA Lisa Marie)
[Retroactively published: 7/23/25]
Run Report: 7/12/25 – by CtCloser
The Blue Belle contingent of SRC has been making a showing of late and last week was no exception. The Growlers of JRC have been lending their own runners as marathon-training season gears up. As far as cross-pollination is concerned, there’s long also been a healthy amount of that with regulars from Ambler Area Running Company.
I live only 20 minutes away, so SRC has become a healthy addiction for me on the weekends when I’m around. And addiction it is, primarily for the 14-mile basic effort that Shawmont Avenue anchors. Indeed, if I’m going to be at the Forbidden Drive trailhead just below the horse stables, it’s going to be to do that distance; something Teddio well appreciates. CtCloser? Shawmont 14. Anything less and I’d just as soon do a neighborhood run.
And despite the 1-mile ascent that Shawmont Avenue is, regular runners have been coming to check off the basic route for decades. The cross-pollination will keep happening because participants can do distance and hill-based speed conditioning in one go with a cool group of runners in a beautiful setting (“Generational Redemption”).
So welcome to JRC’s Scott C and the Blue Belle’s JulCee (previous weeks). Welcome also to newbie Missalyssa this past week. She may be from Royersford, but she’s a Blue Belle by association. And she gets Shawmont. For her inaugural run, there she was blasting up without stopping. As Teddio has taken to saying: “Welcome to the madness.”
Shawmont Avenue was a hit once again
(See picture in Themz)
-CtCloser (Calvinthe) “Negative Split or Positive Splat” #dothedue
FINE PRINT ¶Text by Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Published: Ruminations by CtCloser. ¶2025’07’23’W: Published retroactively: Facebook Shawmont Running Club, Shawmont Running Club website.
WHOZ DOIN WHAT IN 2025
Through Next Month…
- 7/30: THE POUR HOUSE SUMMER NIGHT 5K (Ambler, PA)
- Quietman Tom
CONGRATS-A-MUNDO TO ALL!
Nuthin’ to report
SEND YOUR RACE RESULTS TO: TEDMILLER01@GMAIL.COM
RUNNIN’ OFF AT THE MOUTH
“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second.” –William James
“If you feel bad at 10 miles, you’re in trouble. If you feel bad at 20 miles, you’re normal. If you don’t feel bad at 26 miles, you’re abnormal.” –Rob de Castella, winner 1983 World Marathon Championships (Rerun from 5/31/25)
“Good things come slow. Especially in distance running.” –Bill Dellinger
ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB – by Teddio
Can Your Finger Length Predict Your Running Ability?
- …The length of your ring finger compared to your index finger might offer a clue to how well you’re built for distance…
- …The 2D:4D ratio could provide a quick, non-invasive insight into how well someone might handle endurance training…
(https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/can-your-finger-length-predict-your-running-ability/)
THEMZ WHO WUZ THERE (except those forgotten or missed 😊)
Stats – We track attendance and Shawmont. Loggin’ the miles is just for fun.
Records: Attendance – 18 on 6/23/18. Shawmonts – 13 on 2/10/18.
This Week: Attendance – 18. Shawmont – 13.
(Go to Run Report in Ruminations)
- Trail Name: Distance (Route)
- A.A.Ron (FKA Aaron P): 16 (SHAWMONT + 2)
- AKA: 14 (SHAWMONT)
- Caiter (FKA Caitlin R, Kate R): 16 (SHAWMONT + 2)
- CtCloser: 14 (SHAWMONT)
- Dutch (AKA Presley, FKA Lisa Marie): 14 (SHAWMONT)
- Half Caff: 12
- Jamie: 8
- Jimmy Dee: 14 (SHAWMONT)
- John NTT (No Trail Tag. FKA JR): 11
- JulCee (FKA Juliana): 14 (SHAWMONT)
- KayCee (AKA KC): 14 (SHAWMONT)
- Kelee: 8
- Missalyssa: 14 (SHAWMONT). Welcome to our world!!
- My-Oh Maya: 14 (SHAWMONT)
- Quietman Tom: 14 (SHAWMONT)
- Rob Ray: 16 (SHAWMONT + 2)
- Tall Dave: 14 (SHAWMONT)
- Teddio: 12
- Ying1: 11
Thanks for reading. Let’s have a great week!
To read this Newsletter on email, send request to TEDMILLER01@GMAIL.COM
Email Newsletter Editor: Teddio
Facebook and Website Newsletter Editor: CtCloser
Shawmont Running Club 