HTC Group Runs

In an effort to promote running for our members the Hartford Track Club lists as well as organizes weekly group runs. If you would like to add a group run please e-mail Bob Gemske at Gemske@aol.com. The runs should be open to runners of all abilities. We urge people to slow down so that they can run at a conversational pace with someone else; fast running is best reserved for races or specific speed workouts. If you are new, please let somebody know!!!

Great River Park Long Run:

The March date is the 20th at 7:30am at Great River Park. Thanks, Maggie margueritblackmore@sbcglobal.net

Tuesday Night Granby Group Run 5:30

We will continue to meet in Granby/Simsbury every Tuesday night through the winter. If anyone is interested they can contact Mark Hixson by phone at 860-916-5792 or by e-mail mhisxon@insy.com for specific details.

Wednesday Night HTC Group Runs Going Strong in Wallingford

Greetings - The Walleyworld chapter of the Hartford Track Club is alive and well! Every Wednesday night at 6 p.m., Bob Najarian (the Godfather of Sole and HTC Emeritus) harkens an intrepid band of runners to commence running. The chapel bell tolls and the group begins their weekly constitution run starting on the bucolic campus of Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford. The distance and pace vary with usually about three sub groups forming and running a distance from 5-9 miles at a pace between 7-10 minutes/mile. The course is a combination of wooded x-country trails and paved roadways.

A varied cast of characters are likely to show up on any given Wednesday, but most likely to show amongst the HTC faithful include: Bob Najarian, Kevin Markowski, Tricia Dowcett, Todd Brown, Ed Mokoski, Bill Varhue, Kim Ferraiolo, Brent Stratton, Fran O'Donohue, Karen Howard, Jerry Augustine, Anne Manning, Tim Castillo, Todd McWhinnie, Craig Zettergren, Pete Hornyak and Jack Marshall. New comers are always welcome! A special treat starting this summer season has been post run watermelon being provided by group members on a rotational basis.

If you would like more information please contact me, Bob Tumiski at (203) 294-1467 or email me at BobTumiski@sbcglobal.net.

Wednesday Night Group Runs at Fleet Feet in West Hartford Center

Every Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. Group runs from Fleet Feet in West Hartford Center. The run starts from the store at 1003-B Farmington Avenue (Next to Harry's Pizza). If you need directions call the store at 860-233-8077. This group runs between 4-5 miles. Men, women and kids are welcome (as are baby joggers and dogs on leashes) - as well as walkers. Paces vary between 7:00-11:00/mile. Cue cards are passed around before the run begins and we try to have a staffer in the front and rear of the run so no one gets lost. The run is free!

THURSDAY EVENINGS UNTIL MARCH 25, 2010

6:00 PM Rocky Hill High School, 50 Chapin Ave, Rocky Hill, CT 06067

The light and soon the warmth of summer will return. It is still too dark to run at the West Hartford reservoir at 6:00 pm on Thursday nights, but not for long. The HTC will continue to meet for its weekly Thursday nights during the winter at the Rocky Hill High School throughout March. Meet us in the front parking lot off to the right of the school for a 6:00 start. The standard route is an out and back just under eight miles and is on lightly traveled roads. This route is on part of the Asta Challenge Winter Series course to be held on March 28, 2010. The high school is open for swimming making the locker rooms available to us. We run together as a social group or groups. No one runs alone except by choice. Bring your reflective vest for safety. Our group at various times includes: Peter Hawley, Art Byram, Kevin Markowski, Lawrence Gore, Michelle Gore, Sri Bodkhe, Brent Stratton, Andrea Birmingham and Kim Brown among others. Hopefully Dave Reik made a guest appearance in March. This run is from the first Thursday in October until March 25 and then we will return to the West Hartford Reservoir on April 1st, no joke. Contact Todd Brown at AstaTheSmallDog@cox.net or Kim Brown at webmaster@hartfordtrackclub.org

FIRST RESERVOIR THURSDAY RUN OF 2010 WILL BE ON APRIL 1

We'll use the traditional 6 P.M. starting time every Thursday into September.

We start in the first parking lot you come to after entering the MDC reservation from Route 4 (Farmington Avenue) in West Hartford. (This is now the only parking lot regularly opened to the public.) To find the entrance to the reservoir complex at http://maps.google.com , type in "1458 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT." (You can use Google's "Street View" option and move the "N" around so you can look directly into the entrance.) To avoid running as a group through, and congregating in, the now heavily traveled parking lot, we should start near the far end of the lot, across from the new pedestrian bridge, at the beginning of the second fire road that intersects with the parking lot.

The standard, approximately eight-mile route is about half off-pavement, and very hilly and rocky in places. Some people typically take a left before the big Kilkenny Rock hill and run an approximately five-mile course. Paces generally vary between nine and seven minutes a mile. We try to get people to slow down so that they are running with at least one other person ? these aren't races; we want people to run in a social, non-competitive manner, whatever speed they are running at.

These are some of the people who participated in 2009: Ray Villeda, Larry Chaves, Marty Duchow, Ed Mokoski, Kathleen Scotti, Andrew Nisbet, David Chalmers, Keith Middlesworth; Cynthia Sweezy; Angela Cieszynski; Bob Musselman; Bill Katz; Mary-Liz Williams; Richard Guffy; Jill Best; Mary Anne Lynch and her children Elizabeth and Matt; Cheryl Cunningham; Ron Knapp; Emily Hill, her fiancé Tom and her father David Hill (all visiting from England) and her brother Ian Hill (visiting from San Francisco); Pete Lopatka; Will Graustein; Jerry Cullum; David Ricciuti; Michelle and Lawrence Gore; Brittany Heninger; Marisa Mascolo; Kathy Schultz; Beth Kaslusky; Gareth Bye; Vincent Della Valle; Michael Tonelli; Basilia Huang; Zean Gassmann; Mary Beth Walsh; Jenn Forman; Peter Hawley; David Reik, his brother Jon, Jon's wife Jane Zee-Zoufaly and David and Jon's nephew Dan Herwood; Todd and Kim Brown; Eva Van Stratum; Bill Shortell; Kiarnan Lynch; Jamie Sullivan; Carmen Yiamouyiannis and her brother Apollo Yiamouyiannis; Tom Buckley; Jim Strillacci; Deb Smith and Andrea Birmingham.

We can't claim to have a marked course, any sort of course monitoring, or any other sort of assistance for runners, but you can see several course maps that I (David Reik) have posted, in PDF format, at http://davidreik.home.comcast.net. The best way to reach me is with this e-mail address (disguised to fool automatic web-crawling address collectors): davidreik at comcast dot net.

Thursday Night Track Workouts

Coach Schuyler Schuster leads a "track workout" each Thursday night at 6:30pm. This workout is designed for runners of ALL abilities. The goal is to introduce you to different types of running (intervals, hills, tempo runs) and help you get stronger and faster. For the winter, workouts will meet at Fleet Feet West Hartford, 1003-B Farmington Ave. This is your opportunity to get professional coaching for free - and meet some great fellow runners. Check with the store, 1003-B Farmington Avenue, http://www.fleetfeethartford.com, 860 233-8077 or e-mail Coach Schuyler at schuyler@fleetfeethartford.com for more information.

Weekend Running Colchester

Most Saturdays & Sundays, 6:30 a.m. we meet at the Route 149 commuter lot, exit 16 off Route 2. Pace & length is usually determined before we meet via e-mail but ultimately by those who show up. Please e-mail or call before showing up unless you’re ok running alone. We usually run on the cinder and level “Airline” rail trail (great for recovery runs) but will also run the roads to spice things up and when the trail has too much snow. Men & women, boys & girls, fast & slow, peaking or recovering - everyone’s welcome. Contact either Rick at r-kon@sbcglobal.net / 860-537-4597 or Mike at sgraziosi@cox.net / 860-657-9078.

Saturday Morning Women's Runs/Walk Continue

Saturday mornings, 7 a.m., 3 or 5-mile run, or 3 mile walk. All levels and abilities welcome. Warm, supportive group. We meet at participants' homes in the greater Hartford area. For father information contact Charlotte at hartfordbrunchrun@yahoo.com

Saturday Morning Long Runs in Farmington

Saturday morning at 7 a.m. long runs at Brickyard Road in Farmington. Currently there are four runners (all at 9-10.5 pace) all abilities are welcome. Please join me (Rose Famiglietti). I can answer questions and be reached at 860-563-6786. I prefer phone to email.