Congratulations to Bill Bracken and Kathy Ptack on their July 31 wedding.

And best wishes to Steve and Laura Clegg, who have a new baby boy, Brady, born on July 29.

Speaking of weddings, hope you all got to see Mike Conklin’s article in the ‘Q’ section of the Sunday Tribune a few weeks ago. He wrote a great article about the wedding and the running club, and what the club has meant to Melissa.

Calling all art lovers… we are all invited to the Deerpath Gallery for refreshments after our run on August 27. The gallery is located at 1 Market Square Court.

Jenny Spangler, Coach

An excellent way to work on your running form AND put a little zip back into your step is to do strides after two or three of your weekly easy runs.

There are several variations but typically an ideal way to do strides is to first find an approximate 100 meter stretch of trail, pavement, grass, or track. I do 10 x 100 meter strides in the following manner:

2 x 100 meters EASY (to work on Form), 1 x 100 meters HARD (to work on turnover), 2 x 100 meters EASY, 1 x 100 meters HARD, 2 x 100 meters EASY, 1 x 100 meters HARD, 1 x 100 meters EASY…. OR…..

6 x 100 meter strides alternating EASY and HARD. You can make up your own variation but I would recommend not doing more than 10 strides in a session. Focus on your arm movement, look straight ahead, and open up your stride a little. Give the strides a try - you might actually find them therapeutic for your body and spirit.

MILES FOR MARISA 5K, 1 MILE FUN RUN/WALK & 50 YARD DASH

Sept. 18 12:00

Lippold Park, Crystal Lake

Rich Monbrod, runner and friend of many Cary Hillstriders and Healthbridge Road Runners, has an 8 year old daughter, Marisa, battling leukemia. We, along with family members, are organizing a fund-raising event to help defray rising medical costs. It will be a family oriented event promoting healthy lifestyles and providing many opportunities for children and adults to experience success through ribbons and trophies. It also gives us an opportunity to provide a way of contributing financially to help one of our own. It will simply bless and honor a little girl who needs our help. Proceeds raised from this event will go into the Miles for Marisa Fund set up at any Chicagoland Harris Bank. Please consider participating on September 18th. Registration forms will be available at the following Crystal Lake businesses: Healthbridge Fitness Center, Running Depot, New Balance and Lifetime Fitness. You can also register online at www.signmeupsports.com. If you are unable to participate but would like to make a contribution, you may send a check payable to:

Miles For Marisa

Harris Bank

5545 Northwest Highway

Crystal Lake, IL 60014.

We are also seeking sponsors for the race. If you own a business or know someone who would be interested in sponsoring, please contact Laurie Teper for information.

Thank you for considering participating in this race. Because of you, a family will be blessed.

Sincerely,

Laurie Teper