Benefits of Membership

Charlotte Running Club is the area’s largest USATF run club, uniting runners from across Charlotte through social events, running events, service opportunities, and a shared love of running. Here are a few reasons our members have given as reasons for joining:

•  To be part of a larger organization that supports my beliefs / interests  
•  To find people to run with (for fun)
•  To meet new people and make new friends  

Furthermore, your CRC membership can pay off with just one or two transactions at your local running store or local race registration! We are very excited to announce that all Siso Events and Start2Finish races in Charlotte are offering CRC member-only discounts in 2020.

Thanks to all members who completed the CRC membership survey, which was open from November 2019 – February 2020. Participation rate was about 5%, and here is what we learned based on members who participated:

Over half of the respondents have been members of the club for less than 3 years and 41% are under 39 years old. More males than females responded.

The majority of our members selected the half marathon as their favorite race distance. The most cited reason for joining CRC was “to be part of a larger organization that supports my beliefs and interests” and the main reason for running was “to relieve stress and achieve mental wellness.”

Social opportunities and race discounts tied for what people see as the primary benefits of CRC. The most popular events were the Winter Classic, socials & group runs.

New merchandise is available and thanks to your responses we will be offering hats, T-shirts, and singlets.

There is a lot of interest in the Free Timed 5K, and we had planned to offer that every third Tuesday of the month. With the current Stay at Home ordinance, we must postpone that, but it will be re-implemented as soon as we are able.

Write-in survey votes indicate that most people are very happy with the club and would not change a thing. We have been working hard to highlight members of all paces and lifestyles by doing member profiles, photos, and call outs on social media. We are always open to your suggestions and new ways to best serve our club.

Participate in one or ALL of these Virtual Events!

CRC Virtual Race Series

Five weeks, with a new challenge each week. Join Charlotte Running Club on Strava and upload your run, including RUNCRC in the name of your activity. Prizes will be rewarded to a random winner who has completed each race, plus the male and female winner of each race.

Week 1: One Mile Timed Trial

Run a mile time trial any time between the morning of Sat. 4/4 and 4 pm Sun 4/5.

Week 2: 5k

Run a 5K any time between the morning of Thurs. 4/9 and 4 pm on Sun 4/12.

Week 3: 8k

Run an 8K any time between the morning of Thurs. 4/16 and 4 pm on Sun 4/19.

Week 4: 10k

Run a 10K any time between the morning of Thurs. 4/23 and 4 pm on Sun 4/26.

Week 5: Half marathon

Run a half marathon any time between the morning of Thurs. 4/30 and 4 pm on Sun 5/3

Don't have Strava? Email us a screenshot of your GPS activity to run.charlotte.gmail.com

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In an effort to flatten the curve while still staying active, CltRunnersUnited and Start2Finish have launched virtual running challenges.

Beginning March 17, we are encouraging runners to register on Strava to log a collective 70,400 miles over an eight week period. It’s not too late to join!

Select the link below to sign up

Sign Up Here

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It's been a crazy few weeks and we're desperately missing seeing all of you out at the races. We can't thank you enough for the kind words, texts and voicemails. Your support of Start 2 Finish is so appreciated. We're hoping this Virtual Challenge is a way that we can reconnect online and show our mutual support. We'll see you in the cloud!

Carolinas2gether

After three years of service to Charlotte Running Club’s board of directors, Bethany Salisbury has chosen to step down as Vice President. We are very grateful for all of the time Bethany put into improving our club. As an artist and communicator, she assisted with numerous projects including the CRC Book Club.

We are fortunate to have two other leaders step up to the void. Current board member Jay Seago will serve as Vice President until new board elections in June. Our newest addition to the board is Lisa Landrum, who will serve until June of 2021. Many of you are already familiar with Lisa’s extensive work in bringing the Charlotte running community together through runCLTrun.

By Christo Landry

During this unusual time, we asked Christo Landry of Ascent Running for tips on how to stay strong in light of canceled races and interrupted training schedules. Here’s his advice:

1. Learn Diaphragmatic Breathing Benefits.

• Helps get more air out of your lungs, thus allowing more air in.
• Practice during the day and while running until it becomes natural.

Instructions

Link

2. Strengthen those little muscles that cause problems while running.

When you run in mainly straight and forward directions there are many muscles that don’t get used as much. Ignoring them from a strengthening perspective can lead to many injuries. Take this time to get on top of it!

Hip Drills – Doggie Drills

3 sets of 6 repeats of number 3, 5, 6, & 7 

 Link

Calves/Soleus/Achilles – Eccentric Calf Raises

2 sets of 8 twice a day, go much slower than the video shows.

 Link

Glute – Glute Bridge

2 sets of 15. At the start, put your hands under your butt to make sure your glutes are firing before your hamstrings or you’re reinforcing the wrong muscles.

Link

Core

There are many ab and back exercises, choose two sets of three and alternate which set you do each day and change them up every week or two.

3. Training Cycle Planning

Training Plan? That’s right, take this time to plan out your training for your next cycle? Don’t know when to start it with all of the uncertainty currently? Pick your race in the fall/winter and work back from there to figure out when you should start your training cycle and thus when you should end your current one.

The most common thing people forget to do is also the easiest! Take time off! That’s right, even the pro take time off. Generally, it’s a stretch of 7-14 days where you run short and easy about every third day. This keeps your muscles loose and you’ll feel much better coming off your active rest as compared to if you didn’t train at all during your off time.

Weekly mileage variation is another area to look at. When you start your training cycle of 12-24 weeks you want to avoid jumping back at full mileage. Going from zero to peak mileage is a great way to end up hurt. Instead, gradually build back your mileage until you get to or close to your peak mileage. After you build up to your peak look to vary the weekly mileage like this; one up week and one down week, or two up weeks and a down week.

On your down weeks take that lack of mileage and create another easy/off day for yourself instead of spreading it around equally to all days. You’ll feel great that you’ve earned yourself another easy/off day by doing the work on the hard week(s). Conversely if you spread the lack of miles around the whole week you won’t feel the lower miles much.

Want someone to do the heavy lifting? Check out Ascent Running Coaching for your free consultation.

Christo Landry is a six-time National Champion, four-time Team USA Member & former 25km American Record Holder.

With the current guidelines to stay at home, it can be tough to find ways to keep up with your training and to maintain the results you’ve worked so hard to achieve up to this point. Luckily, there are still plenty of ways that you can comply with the current guidelines and keep up your exercise routine, all while staying safe, and healthy. Here are some useful tips to keep in mind during this time:

-    Support your immune system! Stay hydrated – focus on drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily. Load up on fruits and vegetables, and try to keep processed foods and sugar to a minimum. A few supplements you can take on a daily basis to help keep your immune system strong include Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc. ** I am currently offering a special discount of 20% off all IV treatments for CRC members through April 30.**

-    You can still get outside! Even though we are asked to stay at home except for essential needs, there are still approved outdoor activities including going for a run, taking a walk, riding your bike, and being in nature, as long as you keep at least 6 feet between yourself and others. 

-          Use this time to get create with your workouts. With all the access to free, virtual fitness classes right now, take advantage of it by trying something new! The body likes variety, so if you are used to sticking to the same exercise routine, now might be a good time to switch things up a few times per week. There are tons of virtual classes right now that don’t require any equipment, including yoga, pilates, and various body-weight exercises.

-          Last but not least, it is ok to use this time to rest. Between busy schedules and constantly being on the go, take advantage of this time to slow down. Then when this is all over you’ll be refreshed, recharged, and ready to get back to normal life!

Dr. Andrea Duvnjak is a naturopathic physician, chiropractor and functional medicine practitioner currently practicing in Ballantyne. She works with patients on all aspects of their health including nutrition, fitness, advanced laboratory testing, and helping each individual with their specific health care needs and goals. For more information or to schedule a consultation, email Dr. Andrea at andreaduvnjaknd@gmail.com or visit https://www.ballantynemedical.com/provider/dr-andrea-duvnjak 

Happy New Year Runners!

Hope you enjoyed some relaxing time with family during this holiday season. We’ve had some beautiful days to run these past few weeks and I hope you had the time off the take advantage of it. I recently explored the addition to the Little Sugar Creek Greenway from South Blvd/I485  all the way up north to Tyvola Road near Park Road Park. If you haven’t run there, take advantage of this beautiful greenway. In the near future the greenway will continue to go south and connect to McMullen Creek greenway providing us a great running trail from Ballantyne to Uptown. Exciting times ahead.

The new year brings new resolutions, new goals, and it also means membership renewal time for the Charlotte Running Club. Thank you to those who have joined or who have renewed their membership with CRC in 2020. We currently have close to 500 members but we're always looking to add more. Make sure to share the benefits of joining CRC with other runners that you know. The Board is constantly looking for new ways to provide new benefits to your membership.

• We are happy to provide currently over $160 in race discounts which includes 6 Start to Finish races, 8 SISU races, the Wilmington Marathon, RaceFest, and several other local races. You can get these discount codes by logging into our website and visiting CRC Member Race Discounts 
• Take advantage of your member discounts with purchases at Omega Sports and the Charlotte Running Company.
• Also we are happy to partner with several other local businesses that you can review on our website.
• Don’t forget all the social events, group trips, pacing teams, and service projects you can take advantage of.

Not bad for a $20 membership!

In order to continue our success as a club, we look to YOU to provide us input. With your membership confirmation, you should have received a membership survey. If you haven’t filled one out, please take 5 minutes and provide us your thoughts on what you want to see out of YOUR club. 

Click here for Survey

I hope that many of are signed up for the Winter Classic held Saturday January 25 at McAlpine Creek Park . The Winter Classic is the USATF North Carolina Cross Country Championship. Take advantage of your CRC member discount and sign up for the 8k, 4k, or even both. Another advantage is that you can SLEEP IN….The 4k race starts at 1pm and the 8k at 2pm . Enjoy free pizza afterwards. Regardless if you’re racing or not, come out and see some of the fastest runners in the state. Always a great time! Proceeds from the event go to support Let Me Run, Girls on the Run, and Cross Country for Youth.

Many of you have asked about new CRC merchandise. We have been working with our vendors and hope to have new T-shirts, caps, and water bottles that will be available on sale at the Winter Classic.

Look forward to seeing you a local race, group run, or CRC event.

In great strides,

Chad  Champion

President

CRC’s Annual Winter Classic is just around the corner and will take place at McAlpine Greenway (Monroe Road) on Saturday, January 25, at 1:00 (4K) and 3:00 pm (8K). Unlike any other race in the Charlotte area, it draws both competitive and recreational runners and creates a festival environment at one of the best XC courses in the Southeast. Choose from the 4k or 8k distances, or run both! Be sure to stick around to peruse the booths afterwards and enjoy FREE Pizza compliments of Hawthorne’s Pizza.

The Winter Classic serves as the USATF NC XC championship Event. This year we will have a separate Championship 8K race at 2:00 pm, which will feature some of the fastest runners from clubs in North Carolina. Expect to see The Charlotte Running Club, Ashville Running Collective, Bull City Track Club and several more! If you have registered for the 8K race you may be allowed to participate in either the Championship or Open 8K. There will be no Age Group awards in the Championship race; only overall awards. To be eligible for the Championship cash awards, you must have a current USATF Membership. See the race website for more details.

Proceeds from this event benefit Let Me Run and Girls on the Run, and Cross Country for Youth. You can register at: https://raceroster.com/events/2020/24322/crc-winter-classic-8k-and-4k

By Melissa Seuster

Joe Schlereth has come full circle. Yet after completing his 360^th marathon/ultramarathon in December 2019, he is not quite done yet.

“There’s no finish line to running,” says Joe, who turns 70 in March and traveled to Disney recently to complete the Goofy Challenge. It has been his motto for the past 10 years as head coach of the Run Far program affiliated with Run For Your Life.

His enthusiasm has reached thousands of runners, including the 420 members of last season’s program and endless other runners throughout Charlotte. “Joe is a legend,” says Arun Kallikadavil, a Charlotte Marathon Ambassador who got his start with the Run Far program in 2015. “He has inspired me to set a new goal every year, and to make running a lifestyle rather than just a hobby.”

Joe started running after his supervisor at Equitable Insurance (now AXA) challenged him to participate in the United Way Corporate Cup 5K in 1982. Joe didn’t win that race, but he “drank the Kool Aid,” so to speak. The next year, he ran the same race but upgraded to the 10K. In 1985, he ran his first marathon, here in Charlotte.

“I didn’t think I ran very well, but at age 35 I ran a 3:28, which is not too shabby for a first marathon,” he recalls. He continued to train for additional marathons, reading and comparing notes with other runners. Then in 1988 he ran his first Boston qualifier, the Avenue of the Giants in California.

“It was a spectacular race! I needed a 2:50 and was able to get just under that. Later that year in Boston I ran a 2:44,” he said, adding “it’s not like today where so many people are trying to qualify. There were only about 9,000 people running Boston that year.”

After that, Joe spent 13 years focusing on ultras, including Badwater, dubbed “the world’s toughest foot race” and the Western States 100, where he was a top 10 overall finisher for six of the 10 years he competed. In 2002, he was back in Boston, and has run the Boston marathon every year since.

Through ups and downs, Joe keeps pushing forward. 2019 was a particularly challenging year, as he was diagnosed with a heart valve defect which required open heart surgery. On May 1, just four days after Joe ran the Big Sur Marathon, Dr. Tom Theruvath at Novant Health performed the operation. Joe was released a few days later and expected a long recovery.

“The doctor said that I needed to start back slowly, walking a few miles and keeping my heart rate under 120,” he recalled. “If all went well, he said I should be able to run a marathon in October or November.”

Recovery did go well, and Joe ran his first post-surgery marathon in Chicago on October 13. Next came MCM, the Charlotte (Novant) Marathon and Kiawah Marathon. He is back to running BQ times for his age group.

“Every run is a blessing” has become Joe’s new motto. “I just want to share my love of running, to inspire more people to do something awesome, which is why I believe so strongly in the Run Far program.”

You can find Joe running at Four Mile Creek Greenway, where a headstone and bench are dedicated to him, our local running legend.

The last weekend of last year, a large group of us cheered a friend at the finish of his final long run of 2019.  His year-to-date total reached 2,019 miles – a goal that challenged him all year. It was a fantastic celebration!

Undoubtedly, we have all given thought to our accomplishments and shortcomings in 2019 and considered how 2020 might be different or better.  It is common at this point of the year to create a list of goals organized in buckets like faith, family, career, and health.  For us runners, health goals often come down to completing a particular race, setting a race PR, or getting that BQ while balancing our running time with the other important buckets of life.

For 2020, consider approaching your health/running from a long term (2-3 years) and short term (6-12 months) lens.  Look at setting goals that are measurable but not only focused on a particular race.  For example, take this year to develop new health habits that will prepare you for a future (like 2022) BQ effort.  Perhaps one or more goals from this list will take you to a new level.

• Add strength training, cross training, dynamic pre-run stretching, post-run stretching
• Run early morning before the day gets out of control
• Improve nutrition, sleep hours, mental toughness, or aerobic fitness
• Deal with a persistent injury
• Get more involved with CRC or find training partners
• Adhere to a consistent minimum miles/time per month
• Freshen it up with a new distance goal (ex. 50k)

Best wishes for reaching your goals in 2020 and beyond!  Be sure to celebrate your successes!

Mike Burgan is an RRCA-certified running coach who lives in South Charlotte. As a pace coach for the Run Far program at Piper Glen, he has helped numerous runners attain BQ times and has accompanied them to Boston as he’s seen his own running performance improve. You can reach Mike at burganmj@yahoo.com.