On The Run - December 2019
IN THIS ISSUE
Runner of the Month: Lindsay Hu
By Nicole Herold
Lindsay is fairly new to Southern California and a member toSCRR, but she has a long running history with lots of stories to share. I satdown with Lindsay to hear them. Here is her story.
Lindsay was born in China and moved to the US when she was 10. Her mom, dad, and 2 younger sisters all settled in Brooklyn, NY. They had quite the adventure there, sometimes a little too much, so her family moved to sleepy, Somerset, PA, the complete opposite of bustling Brooklyn, when she was in 7th grade. She lived and played among the cornfields for only a short time before the family settled in a nice suburb of DC, Hagerstown, MD. It was here that Lindsay found her love of running when she joined the cross country team to be with her friend, have a little fun, and get some exercise.
While in college Lindsay continued to run for fun and tryduathlon when she joined the Multi-Sport (Tri) Club. Her marathon inspirationcame when she was a senior. Lindsay heard that Oprah had run a marathon and shefigured that if Oprah could do it, so could she. She sets her sights on beatingOprah’s time. Having no experience in the distance, she and a friend used theRunner’s World Marathon training plan for busy people which has only 3 runs perweek and those runs are for a certain length of time, not distance. This wasperfect for a college student, except that her longs runs were on Saturdaymorning, a mere 4 hours after the bars closed, but she preserved through thehangovers and made it work! Regrettably, Lindsay got a stress fracture and hadto stop training.
After college Lindsay was hired by Aldi, the company shestill works for today, and moved to Harrisburg, PA. Lucky for her that townhosts a marathon. So, 4 years after college, in 2008, she started training forthe marathon again. After all her training, Lindsay was ready to run the race.Unfortunately, she got nervous the night before and by accident ate an entirepint of ice cream. Not the best pre-race meal as she found out during the firstfew miles. Like the hardcore runner she is today, Lindsay finished, in under 4hours, which easily beat Oprah’s time!
In 2010 Aldi moved her to the Chicago area. She joined theGlen Ellyn Runners Club and her running career really took off from there. Sheaveraged one marathon a year, including 3 Chicago and 2 Boston, and honed herskills at the beer mile. Yes, beer mile. To this day, Lindsay holds theall-time Glen Ellyn Runners Club female beer mile record of 9:06. She was asdedicated and focused on research and training for the beer mile as she was atthe marathon. Make sure to ask her for tips on beer brand, alcohol content, andcontainer (glass, not can!).
As with most of us, Lindsay has a marathon bucket listincluding the majors (London, Berlin, and Tokyo to go), a Disney Dopeychallenge (5K, 10K, Half, and Marathon all in 1 weekend), and Wenzhou, China (herhometown). No matter where she decides to run, she gets support and sometimeseven her own cheering section from her husband, Jude, and daughter, Joey.
When Lindsay isn’t running or driving 48 miles each way towork in her Tesla she keeps active in other ways. Her current cross trainingchoices are fitness classes at the gym and hiking. We’re not talking shortjaunts in the local mountains, although she enjoys those, too. We’re talkingHIKES. She and Jude have hiked to Mount Everest Base Camp and summitedKilimanjaro, the latter less than a year after Joey was born.
If money were no object then Lindsay would be a worldtraveler, a la Anthony Bourdain, and enjoy the food and culture everywhere. Shehas a good start. During some of her more exotic trips she’s dined on bugs andsnakes. Don’t give her black licorice, though. She hates it. Lindsay is trulyan adventurer at heart.
Lindsay’s Marathon Career:
- 2008 – Harrisburg
- 2009 – Chicago
- 2010 – Boston
- 2011 – Atlanta
- 2012 – Philadelphia
- 2013 – New York
- 2014 – Indianapolis & Athens
- 2016 – Boston & Kentucky
- 2017 – Chicago
- 2019 – Chicago
Congratulations, Lindsay!
Destination Race: REVEL Big Bear Marathon
By Michael Tang
I ran the REVEL Big Bear Marathon for the first time along with Joanna Pallo on November 9th. It was the second year of the race. Last year it was held in October, but it was moved a few weeks later this year. REVEL running events are known for their downhill courses in scenic environments. This one takes place in the San Bernardino National Forest and finishes in Redlands with an overall net elevation drop of 5,083 feet. This is a very fast course that can help you get a PR and/or BQ but the key is to prepare.
We did several downhill training runs from Concourse Park to Aliso Woods and downhill repeats along Newport Coast as a part of our marathon preparation. The race was very well organized. They had chartered buses taking us to the start instead of the usual school buses which was nice and comfortable. It was good getting a preview the course we were about to run. Doing a small race, we were able to put our stuff into our gear check bag and toss them into the truck a few minutes right before the start. It was cold, but not nearly as cold as I was expecting or hoping for.
There are some rolling hills in the first nine miles of the race which I found helped to preserve the quads for the downhill in the second part of the course. Everything came together and we both got PRs and BQs. It was a stellar day! Considering that I had struggled in two marathons earlier in the year, this was especially gratifying. Shout out also to Jessica Ayers cheering my name at the finish line. Sorry I was oblivious and didn't hear or acknowledge you. I would definitely recommend this marathon to anyone who would like to run a fast and scenic course.
Monthly Club Race: Dino Dash Half Marathon
By Barbara Eckes
I have run over 80 half marathons in the past ten years since I moved to California. At the Dino Dash, thanks to Mike Bertram and Sandra Wendler, I ran my fastest 1/2 marathon in the past 9 years.
I was nervous about being the oldest in my age group. I was afraid that I would not get the coveted dinosaur for first place in my age group! I decided to take my chances and run with the 1:50 pacers, Mike and Sandra. Both are training for the California International Marathon. They were taking it easy that day because Mike had run 20 miles the day before and Sandra was running 7 more miles after pacing the Dino Dash.
Within the first 3 miles I messed up my watch. I was no longer able to see my pace or miles. I had no idea how fast I was running! I believe my pacing friends decided to take advantage of my watch issue. They both looked around to see if any other runners were nearby. At about mile 3, we had one other runner keeping up with us for several miles. Then he went ahead of us. I was feeling good but I had no idea how fast I was running and the mile markers were off through out the race.
Around mile 11 I was getting tired and I just about made it up the hill! Mike and Sandra kept encouraging me and promised that the next hill would be smaller! I was not too excited knowing there was another hill coming up! I was fading but still had no idea how fast I was running and the pacers weren’t telling me.
When I got to the last half mile and made the right turn I was slowing down even more. Sandra decided to run me in by locking my arm into hers and running me in! I heard someone yelling “look she’s dragging her in”! I thought to myself she is not dragging me, I am running just faster than I planned to.
Sandra let go of my arm before I went over the line and then ran along side of me. When I got over the finish line Sandra held on to me as I caught my breath. I looked at my watch and was in SHOCK to see the finishing time, “1:46:19”!
The course was slightly short but even with adding the extra 1/10th of a mile, my time is still the fastest in the past 9 years. I am extremely grateful to Mike and Sandra for believing I could run faster than I had planned on. In the end I received my coveted dinosaur and will always be grateful for the pacing team in helping me to run to my full potential.
Social Event: Wine & Cheese Party
Thank you to Vicki and Alberto Ballon for hosting the annual Wine & Cheese Party!
Post-Holiday Party: Sign Up Now!
Register at roadrunners.org.
Treasurer's Report
By David Paul
Total Cash Balance, Beginning
5063.89
Cash Inflows
370.37
Cash Outflows-First Thursday
305.98
Cash Outflows-RRCA Insurance
1071.35
Cash Outflows-Banquet
Cash Outflows-Uniforms
Cash Outflows-Social Gatherings
66.66
Cash Outflows-Other
53.86
Net Change in Cash
-1127.48
Total Cash Balance, Ending
3936.41