It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas

December 11, 2007

Santa Claus is coming to town, and presents will soon be under many trees. If you are like me, either you are having problems buying gifts for your runner friends or all your relatives are asking you want you want. Santa Claus can not exactly deliver a PR. To help you with this struggle, I have a few suggestions.

A Flocaster's wish list:
Again to Carthage by John L. Parker Jr. It is like the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows of the running community. The novel picks up in the early 1970s where Once a Runner left off. The protagonist, Quenton Cassidy is living the studiously carefree life of a single young attorney. Cassidy is quickly plunged into a depression when he loses his best friend and teammate from college, a helicopter gunship pilot who dies a horrific death after crashing in the jungle. The insights learned from this event lead him back to running and a rather unpredictable way. He finds that his love of running and need to be the best has not wane. Follow Cassidy as he makes one more push for Olympic Gold. This is a great buy for any student of running. The only problem is there are many like me who have not had the chance to read Once a Runner and would like to before reading the sequal. With the cheapest copy of Once a runner going for about 300 dollars it is unlikely that you will be able to get your hands on it.

The stick- There is nothing better than the stick. It is the ultimate tool for getting rid of sore muscles. Just a few rolls on your calf muscle and you will feel much better. Plus it is easy to carry and can be taken nearly anywhere.

Building a Better Runner: Building from the Ground Up- My copy is still in mail, but from the video clips I have seen on this site, I really wish I had this DVD earlier. There are over 100 exercises that can be done with little or no equipment. The exercises are easy simple to follow and one does not have to watch over and over again to understand. The preventive exercises are to help with problematic injuries such as IT band and plantar fascia. Plus, as a member of Flotrack, we get a 20% discount and it really can`t get much better than that.

OPTP AXIS Rollers-Anyone with an IT band injury needs this product. It is a large foam roller, but the foam is quite solid. By simply lying on your side and moving over the foam roller the IT band is stretched out. It is an awesome fix for when you cannot go see a trainer.

Camcorder- Flotrackr wants videos. The more you upload the likelier you have a chance at winning a trip to Beijing this summer. Who would not want to Beijing the summer of the Olympics?

I whole heartily believe in giving back and there is no better time than the present to start. The only way that the running community is going to grow in America is if everyone shares their joy for the sport. Volunteer to help with a local track club or a middle school team. Perhaps, you can be a role model for a future running star. Run in 5ks for charity. Do whatever you can to use your gift to help others. Below are some organizations that could use your help.

Girls on the run- is a nonprofit prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self respect and a healthy lifestyle through running. http://girlsontherun.org/

A running start- A Running Start is a non-profit corporation dedicated to using the power of sports to improve the lives of young East Africans. http://www.arunningstart.org/

One world running- One World Running is an international program promoting an awareness of health, fitness and nutrition by providing running shoes to those in need in the United States and around the world. So if you have a stack of old shoes donate them. http://oneworldrunning.blogspot.com

News from December 7th-9th
Bentley junior Melissa Nash finished first in the 5,000 meters at the Harvard Open women's indoor track meet Saturday at the Gordon Track. She finished with a time of 18:11 in the fourteen runner race. Nash was the only Division II runner to win an event at the meet.

Adams State's Tanya Gaurmer clocked the nation's fastest time in the 5k so far this year at the Golden Flash Gala hosted by Kent State. She was just off the automatic qualifying mark of 17:05 having run a 17:07.15. She has the fastest time in the nation by twenty seven seconds.

Minnesota State junior Katelin Rains broke her own NCAA indoor meet record Saturday, as she cleared 14' 1/2 to set a new NCAA Division II indoor record.

*Also, I was wanting to know what kind of coverage are you wanting for indoor/outdoor Division II track meets? Should I only highlight a few meets and go into detail on the winners? Or should I just highlight major wins? Or perhaps just keep a list of those who have qualified for the National meet?

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Articles by Cara Hawkins

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It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas

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