CVR Birthdays December 2 – 15
Happy Birthday to: Nina Aitken (new age group!), Mike Harris, John Martin, Laura Medalie, Norm Robinson, Anne Treadwell, Stephen Brown, Elaine Moran, and Nusi Brown!
Hello from Montpelier,
I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving full of good food, family and friends, and perhaps a turkey trot (or three). The Thanksgiving snowstorm didn’t deter runnersfrom Northfield 5K Turkey Trot that’s for sure! A quick preamble today so you can head right down into the good stuff below. Lots to catch up on this week – volunteers needed for the NYE 5K, plus a Save the Date for our annual banquet on February 6 – RSVP below! We are also hoping members will take a look at our new logo refresh options and weigh in on the survey link below. And don’t forget – our first Winter Group Run will kick off this coming Saturday in Barre!
Happy (winter) running,
Heather Tomlins
Upcoming Races and Club Volunteer Needs
And then there was one:
- New Year’s Even 5K – December 31! Race Director Jennifer Dickinson is gearing up for the annual NYE race, which is a lot of fun and very well attended – which means that we need Volunteers! Jennifer is looking for folks to help on pretty much every aspect of the race (registration, course marshals, timing, you name it) – please sign up on the website or reach out to Jennifer to indicate your interest. We can’t put this race on without our wonderful volunteers – thank you in advance! Race registration is also now LIVE here!
*********
The season may be winding down, but CVR cannot put on races without volunteer support, and your help is always needed. Please volunteer now to help the race directors fill necessary jobs and plan for full race day support. Volunteer now online using the Volunteer link on the CVR website homepage at https://cvrunners.org OR by email to the race directors above.
Save the Date – Annual Club Dinner, February 6!
We are pleased to announce that the annual club banquet dinner will be on February 6, 2025 at the Capital Plaza right in central Montpelier! Special thanks to Tim Noonan for securing the spot, and to Bob Murphy for the excellent suggestion! More details to come, but we encourage all members who plan to attend to fill out this RSVP form by February 1, 2025. I will send out more reminders as the event gets closer!
New CVR Logo – Have Your Say!
The Logo Refresh committee has been hard at work looking at some great options to refresh the look and feel of the club, and our gear, merchandise, and all other things that we carry or share with the CVR logo on it. We now have a great set of possible logos, and we are planning to roll out a new look early in the new year. We would love to know which of the new designs resonates most with members so we can start the year with something a lot of people are excited about. Please take a look and fill out this survey before December 15 to let us know what you think!
CVR Running Book Club – **New** Review!
Anne hosts the Bill Mares Memorial Running Book Library, loaning books to club members and other interested readers. Email her (ac98@cornell.edu) for the list. Readers are welcome to submit brief running book reviews for occasional inclusion in this newsletter.
Mini Book Review
26 Marathons: What I Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from My Marathon Career by Meb Keflezighi with Scott Douglas (Rodale, 2019)
Yes, the amazing Meb (who I think is still the only person to have won an Olympic medal in the marathon as well as winning the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon?!) raced 26 marathons in his competitive career. What a treat to get a look into his mind during each of them. I have a shirt that Meb signed “Run to Win” for me, but until reading this book I didn’t grasp the full inspirational and motivating way he lives that mantra (and how we all can too). Read this book to celebrate our great American marathoner and to boost your own running mindset.
—Anne Treadwell
Winter Group Runs starting December 7!
Winter Group Runs – First WGR Dec 7 in Barre!
Winter Group Runs (WGRs) are just around the corner! Our first WGR will meet at Espresso Bueno in Barre at 9 AM on December 7th. If you’d like to join, please sign up in this Google sheet which also has more details about this first meet up.
About WGRs
These social group runs rotate locations throughout central Vermont on Saturdays from December through early April. A few distance options are offered for each WGR, and walkers are always welcome. We most frequently meet near coffee shops to enjoy a treat and each other’s company after the run. To make these events diverse and interesting, we call on the knowledge of our club to pick locations and routes, and any CVR member is welcome to volunteer to host a WGR. “Hosting” doesn’t have to mean inviting everyone to your home, though that is an option and always a lovely time for those who are open to doing that. If you’re interested in hosting or simply want to share an idea for a WGR, please reach out directly to Katie Hulbert at kagirmus@gmail.com.
Receive more information about WGRs
Additional communications about the WGR schedule and a weekly email for each Saturday’s plan will be sent out to those on the WGR distribution list. If you would like to opt in or out of these emails, please send a note to Donna Smyers at dosmyers@gmail.com.
Unofficial Tuesday Night Fun Runs – December Edition
For the month of December (3rd,10th and 17th), the Tuesday Night Fun Runs will start (at 5:30pm) and finish at the Bear Naked Growler (Google maps link: 186 River St, Montpelier, VT). Runners can run west on the bike path or east on the Old Country Club road. Although there are several street crossings, the bike path is a way to avoid running in traffic. Head lamp and reflective vest are recommended. The Growler will be open for social time afterwards. Reach out to Darrel and he will keep you in the know!
Reminder about Committee Openings
As a note, there is a general call for committee members for a few issues, please reach out to me (by replying directly to this email) if you’re interested in joining any of the below!
Club Anniversary Event Planning Committee – 2025 marks the 45th birthday of CVR – Merill and Donna are heading this up – won’t you join them? The idea here is to come up with some ideas for how to celebrate the club’s anniversary, whether with one event next year or possibly several. If you want to shape what this looks like, join this committee!
CVR Special Edition – Did You Miss It?
So far we’ve had quite a few great stories come our way that we’ve put out in these special editions. We hope you have been enjoying them! Do you also want to tell your story or share a profile you’d like to have featured? Please reach out and send details to Heather. You could be our next special edition! Stories could cover anything running or club related, such as:
- Club history – how races started or stories from past decades of members’ accomplishments
- Your achievements – did you tackle your first marathon? Your 15th? Your first 10k? Race stories are inspiring, whether you triumphed, set a personal record, or did not finish but learned a lesson. Tell your fellow members about it!
- Personal history – how did you get into the sport of running?
- Other ideas!
All stories welcome – pitch me or just send something along with a picture or two to go with! Deadline is rolling!
| News, Races, and Updates from around the Region Calling all Runners – Survey inputs needed! A few Dartmouth students are working on a startup and want your inputs to contribute to their research on how runners purchase, use, and assess the condition of their shoes. The anonymous, 3-minute survey can be accessed here. FOR SALE **New this week** For sale: Runner’s World Training Journal for Beginners: 52 Weeks of Motivation, Training Tips, Nutrition Advice, and Much More for Runners Who Are Just Starting Out. Like-new condition, 100% unused. https://www.amazon.com/Runners-World-Training-Journal-Beginners/dp/1609615395/ $10. Contact Graham Sherriff at graham.a.sherriff@outlook.com 10% off Opened in October 2022 in Waitsfield Vermont The Mad Rover carries lifestyle and outdoor apparel for all seasons. We carry STIO, KUHL, PRANA, JETTY and FAIR HARBOR to name a few. We stock backpacks and bags, Sunglasses, Jewelry, Socks, Hats and Hydration vessels of all sizes. All CVR members get 10% off. Owner Steve Kenny has been an avid runner for 20 years. |
| Club Needs, Opportunities, and Reminders Quarterly Newsletter Support – Now “Special Editions” Rather than publish a newsletter, we will plan to send out the periodic “special editions” – see above for a call for stories! Membership Renewal – Reminder Stan is sending out a reminder to folks about renewing. Renew so you can continue to receive these amazing newsletters! It takes less than 5 minutes. Check your status! There’s a link to RunReg at https://cvrunners.org/join-cvr (“JOIN CVR”). This page also has a printable form for those who prefer to mail their renewal. Renewing with a multi-year membership means fewer year-end renewals for you and less administration for the club. CVR Equipment Use Anyone wanting to use equipment send Sal (and cc myself) a request that includes 1) Date equipment to be removed from the shed, 2) Itemized list of equipment being removed; including quantities, 3) Date equipment will be returned to the shed. Please send Sal (and cc the club president) and email to let us know when the equipment has been returned.Race Series – 2025Stay tuned in the coming weeks for updates on the 2025 series and a new poster in the new year! We agreed on some new rules for the next year so check out the Race Series site for more details. Link above. |
Current Club Membership Benefits:
Don’t forget that you get many benefits to being a member!
Mountain Valley Lotus Massage Therapy — 15% off massages
Meet, run with, and socialize with other area runners of all abilities.
Keep up-to-date on area running races and events.
Receive a regular newsletter with race results and club news.
Be eligible for the Central Vermont Runners/Onion River Outdoors Race Series.
Join a club that’s part of the Road Runners Club of America organization.
RRCA is invaluable for insuring CVR races.
Become eligible for discounts at these area businesses:
Onion River Outdoors – 15% off all running gear, including running shoes, running apparel and socks, reflective gear, run vests, etc. Special orders of Hoka and Altra running shoes included.
Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel — 10% off running shoes.
Ski Rack — 15% off running shoes and running apparel.
Club Info:
Elected Officers
President – Heather Tomlins
Vice President – Tim Noonan
Finance – John Valentine
Secretary – Cheryl Lasell
At Large Executive Committee: Anne Treadwell & Dot Helling
John Hackney: website and timing
Donna Smyers: timing
Sal Acosta: Equipment tracking/storage
Stan Brinkerhoff: club membership tracking
Jackie Jancaitis: Race director support
TBD: Winter Group Run organization
Mark Howard: Summer Trail Runs organization
Jeff Prescott: MailChimp Administrator
Ann Bushey: Youth Running Program Grants
Joe Merrill: Race Series Tracking and Awards Dinner MC
Darrel Lasell and Jim Flint: CVR Facebook page managers
CVR sponsored by:
