Hoodoo Guru
Anyone doing this? It snuck up on me this year and I am not in any kind of shape for sprinting. I did some track work in Jan. but did not keep it up. I may show up for the 3rd week just to run the 200.
The tangents are moot.
I'm running a marathon in 3 days, and then I'll be on a bender for the rest of June, so count me out.
Why is it sideways?
Will probably run the mile or 3k next week.
It was badly attended tonight. No little kids and families. Everybody was there to run fast except Diane. But, I don't think anyone knew who the others were, so there wasn't that comradery of friends seeing who can beat whom.
Maybe next week will be better.
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It was badly attended tonight. No little kids and families. Everybody was there to run fast except Diane. But, I don't think anyone knew who the others were, so there wasn't that comradery of friends seeing who can beat whom. Maybe next week will be better.
Can I hijack this thread to talk about the Striders?
FFS, EVERYTHING they do is getting smaller and smaller. Less people, less hype, less everything. I used to show up to a training run (particularly spring ones) and there would be 50+ people there... now, it seems they are lucky to get 30 and when they do... it's because ANOTHER running group has decided to use the Striders training run as their weekly run. It's sad. I like the Striders a lot, but they/we are quickly becoming extinct. All these local neighborhood groups (East Nasty, Nolensville Runners, Franklin Runners, 12South Runners... Edgehill/18th runners*, etc...) are getting bigger and bigger and the Striders are fading in the background. I really wish the Striders could somehow be THE group for nashville and then all those other groups be offsets OF the Striders. But, it's too late for that.
At this point, I'm not sure there is much that the Striders can do.... And that makes me sad. On the otherhand, I'm like... well... it's their own damn fault. To my knowledge, no one has tried to make changes to the Striders to help them grow through these changing times.
RUNNING is HUGE in Nashville and getting bigger all the time... but the Striders are getting smaller and that frustrates the hell out of me.
*The running group that is probably the one group that is smaller than the Striders, since it just includes me. WANNA JOIN?
Since no one else is biting ... at Amy's post, I will. I wonder if all the other running clubs have "dues"? It seems that a lot of folks want to have something for nothing.
Striders run a very tight ship, and it is truly a pain sometimes, but their running events are pulled off flawlessly. That really cannot not be said of any of the for profit outfits. But I don't think people care about that. They are happy to run a "5K marathon". Also, just about all the charities want the services the Striders offer to be donated. I have been leaned on quite a few times to donate my services as well.
Since this seems to be the spirit of things, the for profit folks under-bid what the Striders do, put on a shitty race and nobody hears the complaints about no water, no food, unmarked course, incorrect times on and on. Most of the people really don't care because they did a 5K marathon.
And, most of the Strider volunteers are getting tired of it. Nobody steps up to the plate. The race management gets paid a paltry sum, barely enough to pay for the gas and get a hell of a lot of hassles to boot. I suspect all the other clubs ride on the coat tails of the Striders. If the Striders disband, so be it. It is an end of an era.
I love the Striders. That being said, they could do a little bit better job communicating their events. I just happened to notice the Track Series info on the side of the front page on their website. Info there is not really noticable. They could also send out a newsletter, giving folks the option of receiving it weekly or monthly. Chuck in East Nashviile used to do a great weekly e-mail about running groups, events etc. That is something the Striders should be doing.
The relative strengths of groups and message boards ebb and flow over time. There are still plenty of races and plenty of people to run with.
I wrote out a long reply to Amy's post, but I didn't want to publish it.
I think that the issue is not that people want something for nothing, but that something for nothing is already available, so why not take it? For example, we have a google group that serves a lot of the faster guys and girls in town. We can find running partners, organize runs, and do many of the things that needed an institutional apparatus 10 years ago.
I have not paid my Striders membership, and I feel bad about that. I really want to support the Striders. The flip side of this is that sometimes I sense weird guilt tripping from Striders, as if they are owed some sort of loyalty -- and then there is commonly bad-mouthing other race organizations. This turns me off. I <3 Elly, but her response above is typical of this.
I have to say that I also feel torn about the volunteer mentality that surrounds racing and also the large profits that groups like whoever it is that puts on CMM makes from races. Why should I volunteer at a race that ends up creating profit for some? I know that the Striders is non-profit, but it also pays certain people some money. All of this gets fuzzy to me, and maybe it's excuse making on my part, but anyways that's a whole 'nother issue as they say.
See, I already feel bad about posting this because whenever I see Diane or Peter or Smitty or any of the other folks who GIVE so much of their time and energy to the thing I enjoy, I'm like why did I say that stupid stuff on RA.
I regularly get an e-mail about the upcoming races from the Striders; do they have your e-mail address? They send it to all the Striders. Also there is full page ad in the newsletter, page 15 of the June issue of the FunRunner. I am pretty sure it was in last month's as well, since Peggy is always struggling to fill up the newsletter. It has been listed quite some time on the Strider's Main Menu page..as well as the calendar the Striders send out.
No, Dallas, you are not paying attention. Also, it got old for Chuck to send out e-mails and he gave up the job. Has someone else taken up the mantle for the Nasties?
There are fewer races than you realize. We lost ALL of the YMCA races (Mafiaoza, Firecracker 5000), Homeless Run, Zoo Run, Resolution Run, Franklin Classic, I think, but not sure, the Thanksgiving Run. The only ones that remain are pretty far out of town, i.e. RC & Moonpie, Fenton Paine and Fred.
They are doing a 4th of July Run at Opry Mills. It is club sponsored. I love the Striders, too, and I hate that this is happening. This might not be a death knell, I don't know.
since Peggy is always struggling to fill up the newsletter.
Okay, I'll bite with a couple thoughts. My sense is that a lot of people (fairly or unfairly) view the Striders as being a somewhat stodgy group for older runners and that the Striders are not really on top of or concerned with doing anything to be current (kind of echoing what Amy said). To me, the newsletter is a good example. Why not just put everything on a revamped Striders website and do away with the old-fashioned mailed newsletter altogether?
Like Jeff, I'm reluctant to pick at too much, since I'm an avid supporter of the Striders and wish them the best, but the group does seem to have an image problem that is kind of chipping away at them.
Not that there's anything wrong with a running group for older people.
Get off my lawn, thx.
I'm totally with you on this... and, I actually think that's part of the problem... everyone sees how much time and effort Diana and Peter put in and no one (myself included) wants to make it look like we don't respect the work that they do.. so we don't say anything. And then here we are. Some change would be nice. I never really get the feeling that they are willing to change. I mean, the Striders Logo is straight up from 1982. And not in a hipster, ironic way... but in a... crappy, dated graphics-way. I know that a graphic designer met with Diana and offered to come up with a new logo to put on gear... but then nothing ever came out of that meeting. This is not a huge deal... but it is SOMETHING and something small that could be done. I would love to wear a Striders shirt/singlet whatever...
Also, I know it's hard to get volunteers, particularly for the training runs, but I don't understand why they don't offer volunteer coupons to people who volunteer for the training runs or set up a new incentive structure for volunteering. I'm not sure if that would help drum up volunteers... but, it's at least an idea.
And, I don't think I've ever gotten an email from the Striders... But, an online/email newsletter seems like a much more cost effective way to get information out to the members, instead of a printed, mailed magazine.
TL;DR: I want changes, but of course, I'm not willing to do any of the work. I have a soft spot for the Striders and hope that they can somehow survive.
I am a big Striders supporter and pay my dues, but I agree that there could be some updating. Part of the problem is that Diana has a demanding day job, and Peter (by his own admission) isn't all that current with technology. I agree that the printed newsletter could be eliminated (although I enjoy it) in favor of postings on the website or even an emailed pdf. My church posts the monthly newsletter on the website and also emails a pdf to whoever opts in.
It is not uncommon to have burned through the volunteer base, and it will be important going forward to develop some new blood. Easier said than done.
Part of the problem with the training runs is that slower runners have chosen to go with other groups because the Striders runs seem to attract only fast runners- or slower runners who are not doing the full distance. Even when I was faster (9:30-10:00 pace) I was at the back and frequently had lost contact with the other runners completely. Now that I train even more slowly, I can count on being alone. There are plenty of people slower than me who are afraid to show up for that reason. I have no solution for that problem!
I would really hate to see the Striders disappear. Ever since I moved to the area 7 years ago I have been impressed with the friendliness of everyone, the quality race management, the social events and the support for all levels of runners.
Out there running since dinosaurs roamed the earth
Running Rev'd
It seems like there are two different things going on with the Striders. There's the race management side, of which I think they do a great job. If I have the option of choosing between a Striders-managed race or another race, all things being equal (distance and such), I'll go with the Striders race.
But the community side including the track series, training runs, and the newsletter needs a lot of work. As a beginning runner, if I hadn't been introduced to the Striders through HStreet, I can't see why I would've chosen a Striders training run versus Fleet Feet or any of the umpteen other training/running groups in the greater Nashville area. I don't think that the Striders runs are very beginner or slower runner-friendly, and maybe they don't want them to be, but there are a lot of groups who DO cater to the bucket-listers and the women in pink tutus run-walking a 13 minute mile.
When HStreet and I were in Milwaukee last summer, we did a Badgerland Striders training run. They asked for new people to raise their hands and for the other runners to look out for us. We lined up for the run and were released by pace. They had maps printed out. When HStreet and I finished, there were still a ton of people milling about the park, chatting and drinking and eating the spread of post-run nutrition provided. There was also a sports therapy group represented where you could ask questions about any aches or pains that might've developed on the run. I think they maybe asked for a $5 donation to cover the cost of supplies and such, which we were glad to contribute. The impression we were left with was, "Wouldn't it be great if the Nashville Striders training runs were like that?"
From the perspective of someone in church work, this conversation mirrors a lot of the conversations going on in mainline denominations. How does an organization move from an institution to more of a community? How does an organization shift from old media to new media in an effective way? And how do you get people to "buy-in" either with the money or with their volunteer time as everyone gets busier and busier? What kind of group does the Striders want to be in the community and who do they want to be a part of that community?
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