2011 RMEC Blog and Group Runs

Hello RMEC Members. Thank you all for becoming a member for the 2011 calendar year. Some of you are founding members, and others are brand new to the group. Regardless of you years running or ability level, we are excited to have you in the club.

Two of the core strengths of our club is our Saturday group runs, and the RMEC blog. These to club benefits gives us a chance to interact both face-to-face and online. Both of these also take some time to manage. As you know, we are a non-profit organization, and no one from the club benefits financially. Anything you see the RMEC do is all volunteer based. Even our club races (Medoc Trail Races and The Golf Club at Rocky Mount Races) give proceeds to the designated beneficiaries, and do not create profit for any individuals.

I am as passionate about the RMEC as I am about running in general. That being said, family obligations and work prevent me from pouring all of my extra time into the club. With this email I am requesting some volunteer help from our members in two keys areas:

Weekend Runs:

I would like to have members pick a weekend or two during the year to coordinate the group run. This would mean you would put the fluids out, help to pick a route, and clean up the fluid stop. Even if you just want to handle the fluids that is still a big help. I can put all of the details on the blog for people to RSVP. We will reimburse you for any fluids and cups you buy. Just get you receipt to Scott.

You are not required to do this, but it would be very appreciated. So on the blog, please comment which weekend you will be the long-run-host. I will create a summary of the weekends once everyone comments.

RMEC Blog:

When the blog was created in 2006, it was used to providing tips and plans for 20 people training to run the Richmond Marathon. We evolved into a running club, and the blog evolved into a way for us to motivate, encourage, and update our club (and the community) on running activities. With over 1,200 blog posts, and 118,000 page views, I know that our page is used by many.

I try to share updates whenever possible, but have limited time to dedicate to it. I still like to share tips and advice when I can find them, and I really enjoy sharing our race results, and race reports. Let's face it, I am not that interesting, so when we have a chance to hear things from other runners, in their words, people enjoy it. Some of the most popular posts have been things written by RMEC members. . . not me.

There are three ways you can help:

• Write something: It can be anything. It can be tips, a funny story, motivational, something you read online, a good running video, a great deal on running gear, etc.. People come to our site for information and motivation. The more activity we get, the better.  You don't have to be an expert runner, and you don't have to be a writer.
• Race Reports: I love reading your race reports. This is my favorite thing on the blog. These can be one paragraph, or five pages. We just want something in your words. If you ran 50:00 in your first 5k, or if you just qualified for Boston again, people like to know. If you think you are too new or too slow to write about your experience, you are wrong. Your story might be catalyst to motivate someone else to start running. If you think you are too fast to write because people will think you are bragging, you are wrong too. We are a very supportive group, and like to celebrate your accomplishments.
• Race Results: I try to post race results when I can. I admit, I probably miss half of what everyone is doing. If you ever really pay attention to what I write, it is essentially me scanning the results and awards and putting it into written form. It might seem silly, but once again we are club that supports each other, so anytime I can recognize a performance (good or bad) I try to do it. If you would ever like to help with this, or you know of a race with several RMEC runners, please feel free to write a brief race recap.

If you want anything on the blog, just email runrmec@yahoo.com, As long as it is running, biking, or swimming related, I will have it posted. I do not post advertisements, or non-exercise topics to the blog. If your step daughter is selling cookies to raise money so she can save baby seals stranded in Nebraska that is wonderful. . . but it does not belong on the blog.  So please, help keep our blog active and share with us!