Notes from Dan the Trail Guy #25

Trail Bits

It sounds like the run at Westwood was well attended on a hot Saturday morning. Three separate groups went out and had a very enjoyable time of it. Mark, Brad and Lisa C. led the groups, Thank you on behalf of the group. Ross is really starting to enjoy running with the lead fast pack. He has finally acquired a love for running down single track at break neck speed, jumping logs and hurtling over the fallen bodies that he encounters along the way. Knowing where and when to turn is still being worked on.

Robin Dutton – Bad news - for those of you that didn’t know, Robin was hit by a pick up truck on Thursday afternoon as he was riding in the Westwood Lake Rd, Jingle Pot Rd area. Robin is in Nanaimo General Hospital recovering from a broken femur, tibia, fibula, 6 broken ribs, a broken nose, 2 cracked vertebrae, a collapsed lung, and a ton of cuts and bruises. Robin is recovering well and was in good spirits when I saw him on Monday afternoon. There is obviously a long road of healing ahead for Robin, but if you know Robin, you will know how much positive spirit and inner strength Robin has and how he will be able to channel that into helping with his healing. Robin’s family has asked that visits to the hospital be kept short in duration as he does get tired very easily right now.

ROC MEMBERSHIP – your ROC Board of Directors met this evening and I can report that we have made significant progress on putting into action the direction we were given at the Membership Meeting. I am happy to report that a letter has gone out to the organizations that were identified by the membership in attendance as potential recipients of the annual $5000.00 major sponsorship we will award. We are still waiting a few more days in order to be certain that we receive all of the funding requests back before we announce this year’s recipient. In the mean time the Board has agreed to set aside $3000 for the Runners for Youth program. This is the program that funds the shoes for youth, the school Learn to Run programs, support for under privileged youth athletes, food Hampers at Christmas, etc. We also have decided to set aside $1000 for a scholarship which will be awarded at the end of the 2005/2006 school year. There will actually be two $1000 scholarships awarded each year, one male, one female, we wanted to set aside some money to get the program established. The application criteria will be established at a later date. It will not be a scholarship available to only athletes, it will be awarded more based on need. We have also set aside an initial $ 500.00 to create a “Giving Back to the Community” program. It is the hope to establish a program whereby we can annually give back to Nanaimo by helping in the community with projects such as Tree Planting along the E&N trail way or helping to maintain trails in parks , etc. We need suggestions from you on this. There is also an additional 10% or approximately $1400.00 set aside for “special projects” that may be brought to the Board for approval throughout the year. I hope that what we have decided is what you agree with. If it isn’t please contact one of the Directors and let us know your comments.

10k and Half Marathon Learn to Run Programs – Full Clinic details are now available at Frontrunners. I can now tell you that the clinics start on the evening of June 28th and will take place on Tuesday nights. Don’t delay in signing up. The clinic training is being adjusted in order to accommodate training for the Royal Victoria Half and Full Marathon as well.

Fund Raising Opportunity – July 9th is the Westwood lake GutBuster. There is an opportunity for a group, club or individual to hold a BBQ in conjunction with the race if there is anyone interested. We will be at the park through the lunch hour so this could be a good chance to make some money. Last year there were over 250 people combined in the two races. Let me know if you are interested.

Port Angeles Cometh – June 12th for those of you that are wanting to eat with the group, but procrastinated….too late…..no room at the table…sorry.

GutBuster work Party – if you feel like getting out for a nice little after dinner run this Wednesday night, please feel free to join Norm, Stefan and I as we leisurely run the 8Km GutBuster Short Course. Yes it will be leisurely. If you have a GPS, SDM, pruners or what ever else you want to bring along, please feel free to do so. We shouldn’t be out more than an hour and twenty minutes. We will be running, pruning, flagging, removing fall down etc. If it sounds like fun show up, if it sounds like work, well you know what to do…..don’t come!

ROC Technical shirts – The shirts are going to be picked up this Wednesday and will be available for sale this week. Net Proceeds from the sale of the shirts is being split between Frontrunners and ROC. A big Thank You to Stefan and Norm for their continuing support of Runners of Compassion and the work we do.

AB Class – The sessions are filling up quickly so don’t procrastinate. seanlunny@shaw.ca Only a couple of spots left. Come on guys, you can’t possibly wear your Speedo to the beach with out at least a two pack or better yet a full six pack.

Membership – 130 MEMBERS and still increasing weekly.

School Learn to Run Program – The Wellington and Woodlands Learn to Run programs went off with out a hitch last Thursday. Big thanks were received from both of the schools for not only ROC’s financial assistance but also for the support from the members that showed up to help…..I would also like to Thank all of you for helping and supporting this.

Trail Etiquette, it is extremely important that people remember a few important rules when running the trails.
· Always be friendly and courteous. Smile at others; introduce your self to the new runners. A simple hand shake and a “Hi, my name is ___”, goes a long ways towards making the new comers feel welcome. We were all newcomers at one time.
· Anticipate other trail users around every corner and blind spots. Yell to others that single file running is needed when coming up to other trail users. Running two and three across when coming up to others is extremely bad running manners. Make room for others.
· Whenever possible, run on the right, pass on the left and always tell others you are passing. ONLY pass when safe to do so. If there isn’t room, don’t pass. Clowning around will get you and others hurt.
· Stay on the trail. Creating your own trail or cutting switch backs creates erosion, damages habitat and causes new trails. Especially important in Morell as we start up Rocky Knoll.
· Bicyclists should yield to runners (and most will). But don’t assume they will. Be prepared to pull over in the name of safety.
· If we come up to horses, the horse always gets the right of way, they are bigger and can demand it.
· Downhill traffic should yield to up hill traffic.
· If coming up to other trail users, always advise them about the number of runners in the group, so they know what to expect.
· Don’t think of using headphones if you run with us. Too dangerous, you can’t hear warnings
· Always try to warn others of dangers. I.e. Ice, deep water, slippery rock, etc.
· Run in the appropriate group. Running with the wrong group can affect the run of a large number of people. You will either be responsible for slowing down the faster runners or responsible for pulling along the slower paced runners at a pace that will over tax them. If you are not sure which group you should be with, please ask one of the leaders.
· Leave no trace. Pack out your garbage.
· Please Remember to volunteer to sweep at the back of the group every once in a while. The back off the pack is not sacred ground; you are all welcome to run at the back. The view is just a good at the back as it is at the front! If you have a gas problem, this is where I suggest that you run.
· Most importantly, if you suddenly start feeling under the weather, cramping up, or have hurt yourself, please let members of the group know immediately. We will make arrangements to get you safely out of the trail and back to your vehicle. PLEASE DO NOT SIMPLY STOP WITHOUT TELLING US. We do head counts for a reason.
ROC SPONSORED EVENTS;
July 9th is the Westwood Lake Half Marathon GutBuster – ROC provides course marshals and start/finish line volunteers and receives a per racer commission in return.
September 11th is the Nanaimo Daily News Harbour City Half Marathon & 10K Road Race….what more need I say.

Okay, this weeks run. How about we meet at the Westwood lake parking lot at 7:00am and run the saddle or simply run the lake trail and a portion of Morrell again? Rumors have it that we can get through the area behind the ridges, along one side of the stream without being interfered by the logging. This week will be an easy paced run for most of us as we are only 12 sleeps away from Port Angeles. Ah the tapering, ya have to love the tapering. For those of you that are new to the group and aren’t aware of it. We always go to Chapters for Coffee afterwards. There is nothing like walking into Chapters on a Saturday morning when we have all run in through water and the mud. I hear that we can be fairly fragrant.

Sorry for the length of the email, can’t be helped! It is kind of like the run; they keep getting longer and longer.