In this month's issue we hear about Michael Tang's virtual London Marathon, Jackie Chen's October Grand Prix race, and the new November weeknight runs.

Virtual London Marathon By Michael Tang

On Sunday, October 4th, in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, I virtually ran the London Marathon, and Nicole Herold virtually ran the Autumn River Run.

I signed up for the Virtual London Marathon several weeks before when they opened it up to anyone, not just those who were registered for the race this year. I was nowhere close to being marathon trained but decided to register to keep me motivated and to have something to look forward to. It was a nice touch that they mailed bibs to all the participants as this was unexpected.

We had really good weather and tremendous support from the South Coast Roadrunner crew members who showed up and either rode or ran with us throughout the entire course.

The London Marathon App where I needed to track my run worked well, there weren’t any issues and it was nice having cheers and narration from Paula Radcliffe, previous marathon world record holder, and Martin Yelling at every mile.

All in all, it was a memorable day getting to do the Virtual London Marathon along with the 45,000 other people around the world.

October Club Grand Prix Race HB Distance Derby Homage By Jackie Chen

Date: October 31 (Halloween)

Distance: 5mi

Strava Results: 38:02 (7:34/mi pace for 5.02 mi)

Goals:

A: 37:57 (7:36/mi pace)

B: 38:30 (7:42/mi pace)

Training/Race Planning:

I did not train for this race specifically. In fact, I waited until the night before to sign up, after waffling over whether I should even run due to the fires and their smoke.

(Thanks, Greg for putting up with all of us last-minute add-ons!) Before this, I had been somewhat-but-not-really training for a trail 50k at Leona Divide, which has now been twice-postponed.

I used a pace calculator on the Runner’s World website to figure out an appropriate five-mile goal based on my 10k PR. The calculator gave me my “A” goal, and I padded that time by about thirty seconds to give me my predicted time and “B” goal.

My plan was to keep my pace around or just below 7:40 for the first few miles, then take off if I had anything left in the tank in the last mile or two.

The Race:

The race morning was foggy, which gave it a spooky Halloween ambiance. We started one at a time for social distancing purposes, which felt safer but also more nerve-wracking!

I accidentally ran a faster first mile than planned by trying to keep Armando in sight ahead of me, but lost him soon after. After a slower second and third mile, I was able to pick up the pace at the end, to come in right around my “A” time!

Overall, the continuation of our monthly club races has been a nice way to feel a sense of normalcy during this pandemic. I am so appreciative of all the members that helped to put it on!

SCRR New Run November Message from the Board

• Monday changes from Hicks Canyon to Citrus Ranch 11/9
• Thursday changes from Heritage Park to Hicks Canyon 11/12

Why Are We Doing This?

Over the years there has been some concern over the safety of our Thursday Night Run from Heritage Park. There are many intersection crossings and lots of cars going in and out of the neighborhoods. We have had members hit by cars and many close calls. In order to keep our members safe, the SCRR Board considered a few options for alternative routes and this New Run November Mon/Thur combo was selected as the best option as an alternative for the club to consider

We are going to try this alternative combo for part of November. If you don’t join us for a Monday or Thursday Night Run, feel free to try the routes at a time that works best for you. After this trial run, the SCRR Board will ask for feedback on the routes.

The board is still working on the alternative meeting/pizza location for the monthly meetings, once the resume, if the Thursday run changes location.

A club vote will take place after we have tested out the runs, received feedback, and discussed all the pros and cons of changing any runs.

We look forward to having everyone try out the routes and having a discussion in the future in regards to the safety of our members. As the time change is upon us, please remember to run with a light and/or a lighted vest to be visible while running at night. Stay safe and happy running.

Treasurer's Report By Victor Gambone

Total Cash Balance, Beginning  October 1, 2020	2,699.40
Cash Inflows: $300.00 membership, $1060.00 merchandise	1,360.00
Cash Outflows-First Thursday
Cash Outflows-RRCA Insurance
Cash Outflows-Banquet
Cash Outflows-Uniforms + Caps/Visors
Cash Outflows-Social Gatherings
Cash Outflows-Other: PayPal fees	9.04
Net Change in Cash	1,350.96
Total Cash Balance, Ending October 31, 2020	4,050.36